Harry Potter 1. Introducing

"Wake up, Hailey! Wake up!" The door of the cupboard banged against my head. I moaned quietly, wishing I'd moved my head before I'd fallen asleep last night. I sat up and banged my head against the stairs above me. I rubbed the sore spot while cursing my horrible living conditions. I put a t-shirt on over top of the tank top I'd fallen asleep in and turned the knob on the inside of the door. Dudley ran by and slammed the door, causing me to topple backwards into the side wall. I scowled and pushed my way out of the cupboard. I heard my aunt's shrill voice calling to me from the kitchen. I took my time going in because really, who wants to go in there? I finally made my way into the kitchen and was immediately handed an extensive list of chores. Sighing, I sat down and looked at the pitiful plate placed in front of me.

"Really," I began," I weigh less than a small dog, and this is all you're feeding me?"

"Well, you are a bitch." Dudley replied, coming into the kitchen. I stood, prepared for a fight, when I remembered the Hogsmeade permission form I needed signed. I hadn't brought it up yet, and a knock down fight with Dudley didn't seem like the best way to achieve my goal. I sat back down, red faced but trying to calm myself down. My anger issues were getting worse which was not good for my situation at the Dursleys. Without another word, I went back to the cupboard to go change into work clothes. I would've been in the spare bedroom upstairs, but due to an incident involving a bit of uncontrolled magic, I was pretty much banished to this god forsaken cupboard until I outgrew it. I changed back into a tank top and short shorts that I'd cut off a few years after I'd gotten them. I stepped out and looked over the list that I'd left on the table. The first thing was cleaning up Dudley's room which was the absolute last thing I wanted to do. With thoughts of finding a gas mask to enter the disaster area, I walked up the stairs and kicked the door open. I began cleaning up the clothing that was strewn about the room, tossing everything in the hamper whether it was clean or not. After a while, Dudley and Piers Polkiss entered.

"Hey Potter, nice ass." Piers remarked, smacking his hand across it. I stopped what I was doing and froze, trying to hide the anger so that I didn't whip out my wand and try to kill someone.

"Excuse me." I said, standing up, deeming my work finished only because I needed to leave. His room looked pretty good if I did say so myself. They wouldn't let me leave. I continued pacing my breathing. I tried to ram through them again. Piers grabbed my shoulders, hitting my breast on purpose and shoved me back in to the room. Immediately, I reacted on impulse. I shoved Piers to the floor and pushed Dudley out of the way. It was a wonder that I didn't break my arm on the 300 pound moron. I pushed my way outside to do whatever was next out there to stay as far away from the youngest perverts I knew. I weeded out the garden and did pretty much everything on that list as quickly and efficiently as possible. Hopefully, it would put Uncle Vernon in a good mood when he came home so that he would sign the slip. Otherwise, I had no hope of going to Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione. I was thankful when Piers left. The two boys had been secretly (well not so secretly) spying on me to continue allowing Piers time to look at my ass. I ignored them as best I could by telling myself that it could totally be worse if Draco Malfoy was there. Actually, come to think of it, Malfoy would be better than these perverts. By five o'clock, I was practically jumping out of my high tops for him to get home. And that was the ONLY time I would be waiting to see him. I was sitting in my cupboard, doing school work, when I heard the door slam.

"This place is oddly clean." He muttered, just loud enough for me to hear. I scrambled out of the cupboard, knowing I had to catch him in the right moment if I wanted any chance of winning this soon to be argument.

"Uncle Vernon, I need to ask you something." I breathed.

"Well, then spit it out girl!" He responded loudly. Clearly, his just even being in my presence made him angry. The feeling was mutual.

"There's a form I need you to sign for Hog-school." I pulled the crinkled form from my pocket and held it out for him to read. He snatched it from my hand, leaving a nasty paper cut. He sighed. I waited anxiously for him to take his pen and just sign it. He never did. He just handed it back.

"I'll make a deal with you, girl. Marge is coming for the week. If you act civil, I'll sign the ruddy form." He waddled away. Aunt Marge and I didn't have an excellent track record. Being civil with her for seven or more days would be a challenge. But I wanted to go to Hogsmeade. So bring it on.


	2. Aunt Marge Arrives

"I don't know why you still live here, Vernon." Aunt Marge complained as she tossed her suitcase at my feet. Wanting to start an argument immediately, I clenched my teeth together and lugged the massive suitcase upstairs before anyone could give me a second glance that could make me burst. Ordinarily, if that had happened, I would've given her a look and told her to carry it herself, but I had the single motivation of Hogsmeade to push me through it. I thought I heard Aunt Marge smothering Dudley downstairs and groaned quietly. I entered the bathroom and removed my hair from the bun it had been in when I fell asleep the previous night. I yanked it from the holder and watched the jet black, board straight mass cascade down my shoulders. I ran a brush through and fixed my rectangular glasses. The round ones had broken a while ago, and they didn't make those frames anymore. These were the cheapest ones they had. I walked back downstairs to the living room. She was still all over Dudley which looked beyond wrong. If this had been a normal visit, I would've made a perverted comment, but Hogsmeade's beckoning was the only thing that made me hold my very loose tongue. After she'd slipped Dudley the money he was used to getting for this sort of treatment, she looked up at me.

"I was wondering when you'd show up. Still living here I assume."

"Yes." I answered through my teeth angrily, wondering if a dash to my cupboard was worth it.

"Well, that's awfully ungrateful to say to the people who've feed and clothed you for twelve years! Honestly Vernon, I don't know why you've kept her this long." I smiled innocently, yet dishonestly at Uncle Vernon.

"Sometimes I wonder too, Marge." He replied, directing it particularly at me. Again, I smiled semi-sweetly, but I knew it wouldn't help my position in the matter. If the week had started like this, thing could only go downhill from here. Everyone proceeded into the kitchen, but Uncle Vernon grabbed my shoulder before I could make a run for my cupboard.

"Can I help you?" I asked bitterly, ripping his hand from my shoulder.

"We haven't told Marge anything about… recent events, and we plan to keep it that way. If she asks where you go to school, I'll answer."

"But what if my tongue happens to slip? Is that enough incentive to sign the form early? If you sign it early, I won't talk for the week either, and I'll actually do what you tell me to." I persuaded. He thought about it for a minute, clearly realizing this was a good deal.

"Absolutely not. Our agreement still stands, but with those things added in. No arguments. Now go fix your hair." He walked to the kitchen to join who I swore was his identical twin, whether she was a women or not. I'd just fixed my hair, but it had an unhealthy habit of becoming messed up within a matter of seconds. I opened the cupboard door and turned on the light bulb. Hedwig, who'd been sleeping, squawked at me.

"What was that?" Aunt Marge's voice boomed. Quickly, I shut the cupboard door and told Hedwig to be quiet. She glared at me, and Errol next to her raised his sleepy head. I fixed my hair again in the cracked mirror I'd taken from my dorm room. I opened Hedwig's cage and took her and Errol out. I discreetly opened the front door and shut it just as quietly. I re-tied my letter to Ron to Hedwig's leg and set both of the owls off to the Burrow. I re-entered the house and stood against the wall in the kitchen, not wanting to sit down because this would make an easy getaway when she started on me and my parents. Marge noticed me and looked at me dead on. I swallowed nervously; actually worried my tongue would slip. If it did, well, let's just say I would never be leaving that cupboard.

"Vernon, where did you say you're sending her?" she asked, still staring at me.

"Um, well, uh…" He stuttered, clearly having not thought of an alibi. I decided not to save his ass, just to save my own. If she asked me though, I'd be stuttering more than he was now. Eventually, he came up with something, but I was too far away to listen to what it was.

"Do they beat you there?" She asked me, snapping me back to reality. That was a seriously weird question, but I knew the answer she wanted.

"Oh, yeah, all the time. I'm a particularly hopeless they like to say." I adlibbed instantly. It was instinct by now after living here for twelve years. Ripper growled at me, looking up from his dish on the floor.

"Petunia, you should right. Tell them to beat her harder. She clearly hasn't had enough discipline." I wanted to tell her about the detentions I'd gotten at school to make me seem disciplined enough, but all of them would require an explanation. I was pretty sure Uncle Vernon didn't want me telling her about the dragon egg or the flying car, so I just kept my mouth shut. I wanted to make a run for it, annoyed with all of the punches I taking in there. I was frustrated, but I had to keep thinking of Hogsmeade or my broomstick kit from Hermione. Yeah, maybe that would help. In the meantime, I would just have to deal with this crap. Let me say one thing about that bull: Shit.


	3. Mistakes

All that got me through those first six days was my broomstick servicing kit and Hogsmeade. But I never said it went well. The third day wasn't the worst, but it certainly wasn't the best. It was lunch and, of course, she was finding new ways to insult me. Not that they were creative or anything, but they still got to me.

"You can't blame yourself Vernon. She's just got the bad genes in the family, that's all. Can't blame you either Petunia, dear. She just got everything from her father's side. If there's something wrong with the bitch, there's something wrong with…" Suddenly, her glass burst, throwing wine and glass shards everywhere. I ducked to avoid getting one in the face.

"Oh my! Are you alright, Marge?" Aunt Petunia wailed.

"Oh Petunia, I'm fine, just a strong grip that's all." She continued talking, and Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia both gave me equal levels of threatening death glares. I decided I would slip out before my anger blew up anything else in the kitchen. I slid stealthily out of the kitchen and slid down against the wall where I was totally unseen. I put my head in my hands, frustrated and annoyed with life. As soon as I heard the squeak of chairs on the linoleum, I dashed to the cupboard and leaned against the door which someone, I assumed Dudley, hit on their way by. I rubbed my head and practically growled.

. . . . . .

The last day of her stay couldn't have come fast enough. The factor of the broomstick kit would've been extremely useful when ignoring her, but the distant look in my eyes made her question if I was dumb which, by Hermione's standards anyway, was actually true. We did make it through most of dinner before she started on me. Uncle Vernon drilled some sort of insanely boring story into our heads about Grunnings, then there was coffee and more wine.

"Anymore Marge?" Vernon asked, waving the bottle in front of her, practically begging her to drink more. Granted, she was already past the point of drunk. One more glass and she'd be hammered.

"Well, I shouldn't… oh a little more can't hurt. Keep it coming, little more, that's perfect." She looked over at Dudley, who was getting larger by the second, and then she burped, loud and proud. I almost got up and walked away, disgusted by the waves of alcohol and food stench wafting my way, but I met Uncle Vernon's eyes which told me to stay where I was or face the consequences.

"Sorry about that. I do like your size Duddy. You'll make a proper sized man. Now this girl is so scrawny. I swear you can see each of her ribs!"

"It's because you can." I muttered under my breath, looking down at my feet, hoping my comment would go unnoticed. Thank God it did. Well, by Marge anyway.

"It's the blood, Vernon, I'm telling you. She got all of the bad blood. Your sister was not a good egg, Petunia dear, but it isn't your fault." _The handbook, Hogsmeade, the handbook, Hogsmeade, It's worth it. Just a little longer Hailey, you can get through this._

"Now, her father. What was his profession?"

"Unemployed." Aunt Petunia answered.

"How did I know? I'll bet he was drunk, wasn't he? It was the first year of her life that screwed her up, Vernon. Her father was probably a good for nothing, drunken ass…"

"No he wasn't." I interjected instantly, knowing I had to defend my family.

"Go to bed, Hailey." Uncle Vernon ordered through clenched teeth.

"Gladly!' I stood up and started towards my cupboard.

"No girl, stay. So you're proud of your parents? They died in a car crash right? I'll bet your father was driving drunk..."

"For God's sake, they didn't die that way!' I shouted, angry and about to flip a table with my toothpick arms.

"You know they did! And then they left you to be the biggest burden in their family's life! You're an ungrateful little…" She didn't get to finish her rant. My fury had gotten the best of me and my magical core. She slowly began inflating, becoming the size of a parade float in a matter of minutes.

"MARGE!" Uncle Vernon roared, trying to pull her down but being lifted himself instead with a dog hanging off of his leg. I didn't stay to watch anymore. Quickly, I dashed for my cupboard door, which sprang open, as though I used magic. I removed all of my things for Hogwarts and everything else I would need for the term. I stuffed it all into my trunk a slammed the lid shut. I began dragging it towards the door, knowing I didn't have the strength to drag it more than a mile.

"GIRL, GET BACK HERE! SET HER RIGHT!" Uncle Vernon grabbed my arm, dripping blood all over my high tops from his leg.

"She just got what was coming to her. Maybe you'll be next. I ripped his arm away and ran out the door. My trunk slowed me down, but I made it to Magnolia Crescent before I collapsed from exhaustion. I knew my threat as empty, but at least it gave him something to fear, a reason to leave me alone next summer, if I came back. I sat down on my trunk and sighed. What in the hell was I supposed to do now?


	4. The Knight Bus

**(AN: I can't write the way that Stan talks so just bear with me. The grammar drives me nuts, so I have to type grammatically correct. Thanks for understanding!)**

I sat down on my trunk, letting out an exasperated sigh. I swore I could hear Uncle Vernon's shouting from here. Suddenly, a growling arose from the shadows. Slowly, I stuck out my wand, prepared to defend myself. I was probably already expelled from Hogwarts, so a little more magic couldn't hurt right?

"Lumos." I muttered. My wand tip lit up. A black object flashed by my eyes. My heart began beating faster and faster, my breath caught in my throat, I was scared. There was a pair of yellow eyes glowering at me from the bush across from me. My heart skipped a beat out of pure terror. Was it possible for a thirteen year old to have a heart attack? A roar came from a little ways off in the distance. Was it the animal, or something else? I honestly thought it might be Uncle Vernon. A gust of wind caused me to topple over. The source was a triple decker Tardis blue (oh yeah, Dr. Who reference) bus that was speeding around the corner. It came to a stuttering halt right in front of me. The sign on the windshield read "The Knight Bus." The doors slid open noisily, and a lanky, acne covered attendant came out.

"This is the Knight Bus, spur of the moment transportation for every witch or wizard. Just hop on, and we'll take you anywhere you need to go. I'm Stan Shunpike…" He suddenly seemed to notice that he was talking to the air, quite loudly I might add. I was shocked that we hadn't woken most of the muggles in the area to be honest. He looked around for a moment, and then found his shocked new passenger sitting on the ground.

"What are you on the ground for?" He asked stupidly, making me wonder if he'd ever gone to primary school. I assumed not.

"You say it like I asked to be down here. " I answered sarcastically, noticing my torn jeans, bleeding knee, and scraped palms.

"Alright then, no need to be so touchy. Wait, what are you lookin' at now?" The black dog had appeared and disappeared again in a matter of seconds.

"There was a… never mind."

"What's on your head?" I flattened my bangs nervously over my scar. Being one of the most famous witches alive always had more consequences then benefits

"What's your name?" He asked suspiciously.

"Hermione Granger," I replied, making a mental not to apologize to Hermione later when she found out that I'd used her name while I was on the run from the Ministry," So this bus can take me anywhere?"

"As long as it's on land. Water is off limits. You did flag us down didn't you? You seem awfully clueless." Oh, I'm the clueless one. This was coming from the man who can't use a hint of proper grammar in a sentence. I was running from the Ministry and answering stupid questions. To be honest, not one of my better nights. Lying was probably my best option at the time.

"Yeah, of course I did. How much it is to get to London?"

"Eleven sickles just for transport, thirteen you get hot chocolate, and fifteen will get you a hot water bottle and a toothbrush." He answered. I dug through my trunk and extracted thirteen sickles. I handed them to Stan who slipped them into a purple pouch. The two of us lugged my luggage on to the bus and slipped it under the bed right next to the driver. I had no intention of sleeping in the monstrosity though.

"Ern, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione, this is Ern, our driver. We're ready to go." BANG! I was thrown face first onto the bed by the force of the bus's take off. I pulled myself back up, fighting the gravity that wanted to continue pushing me down. We were already barreling down a different street. Stan chuckled at my awestricken face.

"How are we not waking all of the muggle within a twenty mile radius?" I wondered aloud.

"They're too oblivious. Don't notice a thing." Stan replied.

"Go wake Madame Marsh, Stan." Ern said out of the blue. Stan walked up the staircase the get the passenger. I let gravity push me back down, which flipped my bangs into the air. I smoothed them back into place, and watched the chandelier shake and lights flash through the windows. The bus halted to a stop, and Stan quickly got Madame Marsh out of the bus. We continued on. My stomach twisted and turned at every turn. That was partly because I didn't know what would happen to me or the Dursleys next. Stan had pulled out a copy of the Daily Prophet without my noticing. On the cover, a deranged looking man blinked at me with sallow cheeks and sunken eyes.

"He was on the news at the Dursleys!" I cried, forgetting my woes for the time being.

"Dangerous man he is, Sirius Black. I'll hope he was in the muggle news. If he wasn't… well, anyway, you should read the prophet more Hermione." He handed me his copy. I read the article over a few times and shuddered. Everyone was going mad about this escape. I couldn't believe what the man had done though. In my opinion, he deserved the time he'd received in Azkaban.

"Creepy looking, huh?"

"He killed thirteen people at once?" I asked, terrified and awestruck at the same time.

"Yeah, there witnesses and it was in broad daylight, if you can believe that. Bit theatrical if you ask me. He was a huge You-Know-Who supporter."

"Voldemort?" I asked. It was a mistake, saying his name. Ern jerked the steering wheel so hard that a few houses had to jump out of the way before he got back on track.

"What'd you say his name for?" Stan sputtered, waking a few grumbling passengers.

"Sorry, I'm just used to… never mind. I'm friends with Hailey Potter. She's not afraid of the name. Heard anything of her recently?" I probed, hoping I would find something of interest about myself that I hadn't already known.

"Ah, Hailey, I heard Black wanted to kill her after she took care of You-Know-Who. But Black was practically his right hand. All of his followers were tracked down. He was cornered on a busy street. He took out his wand and blasted the nearest wizard. The curse hit twelve muggles as well. And then… he laughed. The mad man laughed all the way to Azkaban. Because he is damn mad, the psychopath!" Then, Stan got to talking about Azkaban. I shuddered at even the slightest thought of it. Conversation filled my idol time on the bus. Eventually, I was the only passenger.

"Where to?" Ern questioned.

"Diagon Alley." We sped off and were there in no time. I helped Stan heave my things from the bus.

"Thanks!" But Stan didn't move. He was gawking at the man behind me. I turned on my heel. Cornelius Fudge. Oh shit.

.


	5. Fudge

"Thank you, gentlemen. I'll take it from here." But Stan and the bus didn't move. I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"Why didn't you tell us, Hailey? We could've kept your secret." Stan looked dejected. I felt bad, but I didn't really feel like getting arrested that night. Eventually, composure of Stan and Ern was regained, and they drove off into the night. I followed the Minister inside, my nausea getting worse and worse with each step.

"Can we have a private parlor, Tom?" Fudge asked, leading me towards the stairs. The bar tender led us up the stairs to a parlor and shut the door.

"Am I in trouble?" I blurted out. Fudge didn't answer which only increased my anxiety. I was always a nervous wreck in these situations.

"You aren't in trouble Hailey. Why would you assume such a thing?"

"I blew my aunt into the sky. Normally, I would think there'd be some sort of punishment for something along those lines." He laughed, but I wasn't kidding.

"Don't worry about it. Ms. Dursley has been deflated and has had her memory wiped all together. She won't remember a thing about this evening's events. And your aunt and uncle have agreed to allow you stay with them again over the summer if you agree to stay at Hogwarts all during the school year, meaning you can't come home on breaks and…"

"Done. I hate going 'home'."

"Alright then. I took the liberty of reserving a room for you to stay here until September 1st. You can pick up your books and do your schoolwork at your leisure. But I do ask one thing before you leave me this evening, Hailey. Please stay on the wizard side of Diagon Alley."

"Is it because of Sirius Black?" He looked shocked that I even knew who Sirius Black was.

"Yes, yes it is. We just want to keep our students as safe as possible. You may go. Have a nice evening Miss Potter." I walked out of the room kind of stunned. Tom led me to my room. I thanked him and shut the door. My trunk and Hedwig were waiting for me.

"When did you get here?" I asked her caringly. She seemed to be more concerned with the fact that I wasn't sticking her back in her cage like when we were at the Dursley's. She nuzzled my hand affectionately with her beak. I smiled at her then fell back on the bed. I was dead tired. I hadn't even realized how tired I was. Laying there put some sort of spell on me. As I drifted off, I began to wonder if the beds were enchanted. Then, I was out like a light.

******* I'm so sorry I haven't written at all! I've been crazy busy with Christmas, the school play, high school course selection, and unfortunately a death in my family. I promise I will write more. I hope you guys liked the chapter. Sorry it's so short!


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Harry Potter, Adventure, Humor