Chapter 5: Owls

Little Whinging, 4 Privet Drive, July 20, 1991

 In the town of Little Whinging the streets were deserted due to the high temperature everyone was at home but not everyone was so lucky, like the two boys at 4 Privet Drive.

 The two boys dressed in oversized clothes looked to be between 10 or 11 years old, the smaller one had black hair and was rather skinny, he wore round glasses that showed green eyes and you could see behind his messy hair a scar in the shape of a lightning bolt, the other child had brown hair and was about 5'2 feet tall, he had green eyes, darker than the other child, and had a scar that looked like a cross on his right cheek these two children were Benjamin and Harry Potter.

 "Harry, are you done carving?" Benjamin asked to his younger brother who replied "Yes it's done" what the two brothers did in such a high temperature was to prune their Aunt's rose bush because without that they won't have food that evening.

As Harry and Benjamin began to walk back inside the house a voice rang out behind them "Looking who we are two monster!" said the voice of Dudley Dursley with his gang, Harry and Benjamin not looking behind them and continued to walk towards the house.

Dudley seeing that they weren't answering ran towards them and said "I'm talking to you, replied me, you monster!" Dudley said and swing his fist at Harry's head, Benjamin seeing this pushed Harry to the other side and gave an uppercut in Dudley's face, seeing their leader take a hit Dudley's subordinates started to fight against Benjamin who protect Harry from blows.

 Benjamin dodged the blows of one of Dudley's subordinates then kicked him in the stomach causing him to fall to the ground, as Benjamin moved forward to fight he received a sudden pain in the back of his head he turned around to see Dudley who was holding a stick in his hand and was aiming at his head.

Benjamin protected himself from Dudley's blows with his hands and after receiving another blow he kicked Dudley in the knee making him go to his knees, seeing this as an opportunity Harry who was fighting with an acolyte of Dudley took the stick on the ground and hit Dudley hard in the head causing him to run away in fear.

 Seeing their leader running in fear, Dudley's subordinates who were fighting with Benjamin left in the direction of their leader, Harry who had just watched his brother fall to the ground ran towards him and said "Benjamin are you okay?" Benjamin who was catching his breath said "Yes but we will have to use our emergency rations because we probably won't have a meal tonight." Benjamin said to Harry who nodded then helped him get up because Benjamin was bleeding from several places but he was bleeding mainly from his right leg which had received several blows.

Harry and Benjamin entered in the Dursley house and they heard the voice of Vernon Dursley shouting "You two come here now!" Vernon shouted in the living room. Benjamin and Harry came into the living room to see a crying Dudley with a beaten face pointing his finger at them and saying "Daddy these two monster hit me for no reason me and my friends !".

Harry, who was about to deny Dudley's accusations, was cut off by Vernon who said in an angry voice "Is this true?" asked Vernon, it was Benjamin who responded by saying "Yes it's true I hit them, because they called me a monster, and if I had to do it again I would do it!" Benjamin said in a serious voice.

 Vernon started to turn red and yelled, "Go to your room now and no dinner tonight for you!" Benjamin didn't think anymore and went to his "room" under the stairs with Harry.

Their "room" could only fit one bed, so Harry slept on the bed while Benjamin slept on the floor with only blankets.

 "Benjamin tell me why we suffered this?"

 Harry asked Benjamin who replied "I don't know Harry but as long as we are together everything will be fine and later when we grow up we will run away from the Dursleys and go live our own lives!" Benjamin said to Harry who responded with a smile then both ate their emergency ration and went to sleep.

 The next morning the Dursleys and the Potter brothers were sitting in the Dursleys' car

 who was heading towards the zoo but as he parked Vernon turned and looked at Benjamin and said "If I see that something is wrong you would be prived of food tonight, are we clear?!" then left in the direction of the zoo without letting them answer.

As Harry and Benjamin enter in the zoo Harry looked at a snake, and said "It reminds me us he locked in a cage and has no family like us" Benjamin didn't respond and looked at the snake sadly until Dudley appeared pushed Harry to the ground and said "Mum look at the snake is moving" Harry and Benjamin looked at Dudley badly, but Dudley didn't pay attention to them and continued to look at the snake.

 Then as Benjamin helped Harry up, an earthquake shook the entire zoo and when the earthquake calmed down we could see Dudley in the snake enclosure and the snake sliding towards Harry and Benjamin.

 As Vernon and Petunia yelled at the guard to release Dudley the snake bowed its head down in front of Benjamin and Harry and hissed "Thankssss for ssssaving me" Benjamin looked at him and said "Uh, you're welcome I guess" the snake nodded. the head again and then slipped to the zoo gate and disappeared.

As Harry and Benjamin were walking in the zoo they stopped and looked at a snake and Harry said "It reminds me us he is locked in a cage and has no family like us" Benjamin didn't answer and looked at the snake sadly until at the appearance of Dudley, who pushed Harry to the ground and said "Mum look at the snake it's moving" Dudley said to his mother and Harry and Benjamin looked at him badly.

 Then as Benjamin helped Harry to up, an earthquake shook the entire zoo and when the earthquake calmed down we could see Dudley in the snake enclosure and the snake sliding towards Harry and Benjamin.

As Vernon and Petunia yelled at the guard to release Dudley the snake bowed its head down in front of Benjamin and Harry and hissed "Thankssss for ssssaving me" Benjamin looked at him and said "Uh, you're welcome I guess" the snake nodded the head again then slipped to the zoo gate and disappeared.

1 hour later

 In the Dursley's house Vernon Dursley's angry voice could be heard all over the street "I know its you who caused this, DON'T LIE TO ME!" Harry glared at Vernon and said "We didn't do anything Uncle Vernon, how could we lock Dudley in the snake cage when we were on the other side".

As Vernon was about to speak a letter slipped from under the front door, Benjamin picked it up and opened it:

 "HOGWARTS COLLEGE, SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT

 Director: Albus Dumbledore

 Commander of the Grand Order of Merlin

 Doctor of Witchcraft, Chief Enchanter, Supreme Manitou of the International Confederation of Wizards and Wizards

 Dear Mr Potter,

 We are pleased to inform you that you and your brother are already enrolled at Hogwarts College. You will find attached the list of works and equipment necessary for the smooth running of your education.

 As the start of the school year is set for September 1st, we will expect your owl on July 31st at the latest.

 Please believe, dear Mr Potter, to you and your brother, in the expression of our distinguished feelings.

 Minerva McGonagall

 "

 As Benjamin finished reading the letter Vernon picked it up, as he read the letter Vernon's face turned red then he started to tear up the letter and threw it into the fire and said "No more mail, no more weirdness, you two will be locked in your room all summer until the start of school" said Vernon and he locked Benjamin and Harry in their "room".

 "Benjamin, what did he have in this letter to make Uncle Vernon lock us up?" asked Harry, while Benjamin was explaining the letter to Harry, Vernon, who had returned to the living room, heard a knock, he opened the door cautiously to be invaded by a army of owls dropping letters at Harry and Benjamin's door.

 "Damn birds, get out of my house!", while Vernon was fighting with the owls, Petunia screamed all over the house and hid under the table, and Dudley scream because he was attacked by the owls who pulled his ears.

 Harry and Benjamin, who heard what was happening, tried to open the door, without success, but a letter with the Hogwarts seal managed to pass from under the door.

 Benjamin picked it up and gave it to Harry who started reading it straight away, after a few minutes Harry looked at Benjamin and asked "Do you think it's real? Magic?", Benjamin shook his head and said "I don't know but if this is true we could leave the Dursleys for a whole year!"

 Harry, who was already starting to see his life without the Dursleys, was taken out of his thoughts by Vernon, who was yelling at the owls, "Harry, I think we're going to have a hard time going to Hogwarts, Uncle Vernon will never want to, so we'll have to go. by ourselves" say Benjamin, Harry nodded in understanding then the two went to sleep while Vernon's screams could be heard throughout the night.