Chapter Text
Harry POV
3 August 1992
4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, England
After Vernon Dursley returned from work in a foul mood, Harry knew he would bear the brunt of it. His ribs ached with the reminder as he laid in the lumpy cot he called a bed, covered with a threadbare blanket. His mind wondered as sleep evaded him and pain radiated.
He thought when he entered the wizarding world, things would be different. That Ron and Hermione were truly his friends. But the sting of rejection settled in as he thought of the fact that he hasn’t received a single letter. They promised they would write. It was the only bit of hope that Harry had of holding any happiness this summer. Yet, there was nothing but silence.
Harry had started to wonder if perhaps he had finally cracked and imagined it all. ‘I mean honestly, magic, ghosts, unicorns, and centaurs are all things of fairytales.’ He told himself as he curled into a ball and cradled his right side, a constant sharp pain radiating through it.
Just as he closed his eyes to try for a restless sleep, lights shone in his eyes. ‘That’s odd.’ came his thought. His bedroom resided on the second floor, normally car lights or street lamps wouldn’t glare in his room like this light did. Then came the low rumble of a car as the lights approached Harry’s window.
‘Is that a flying car? I’ve definitely gone round the bend.’ Harry questioned himself as he blinked his eyes rapidly and removed his glasses, cleaning them and putting them back on. Nope, definitely not a smudge on his glasses. Harry, fully contemplating his sanity as the car's front seat came into view, rushed to his window and opened it. Wincing at the shock of putting weight on his leg.
“Hiya Harry! What’s with the bars? ‘Fraid you’ll fall out?” Fred Weasley asked.
“How… what?” came Harry’s stuttered response. His brain failed him as he stared at the faded blue Ford Anglia floating outside his window with the twin menaces behind the wheel.
“Magic Harrikins. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It's one of Dad’s projects, though strictly speaking it’s not exactly legal.” George explained with a smirk crossing his face.
“Come on, Harry! Tie this round the bars so we can get out of here.” Ron appeared with a rope in his hands, urging Harry to take it.
The thought of finally escaping the Dursley’s sent Harry into action. Tying the rope securely around the bars, he stepped back as the twins reversed the car and floored it, pulling the bars, the window and parts of the wall down.
“Oops. Hope you weren’t fond of that wall.” Fred said looking as the last of the rubble fell.
A chuckle left Harry, “Now what?” he asked.
“Now we get your things. Where’s your trunk?” George asked as he clambered out of the car and into Harry’s room.
“In the cupboard under the stairs.” Came Harry’s response before he could think differently of it. Horror struck him as he realized what they would see. “Actually, I can get it, just could you unlock the door?”
“Yeah right. Harry, your trunk is bigger than you. No way can you lob it up the stairs.” Fred said joining George as they crossed the room to unlock the door, Ron sliding behind the wheel.
“We’ll be back in a moment, grab anything else in here you want to take with us.” Before Harry could reply, George and Fred took off down the stairs walking as quietly as they could.
“Harry, start handing me your things.” Ron said, holding his hands out, snapping Harry out of his fear of what the twins would see. No use worrying about it right now. He lifted his floor board where he’d managed to hide his cloak, homework, the photo album of his parents, and some food he’d squirreled away when he could get away with it.
***
Fred & George POV
After unlocking the significant amount of locks on the outside of Harry’s door with a knife Bill gave them, they crept down the stairs to not wake Harry’s relatives. As Fred and George stepped off the last step, they rounded the corner in search of the cupboard.
What greeted them was not what they were expecting, after working to unlock the locks on the outside of the cupboard, their mouths dropped in horror. “Harry’s Room” was written in what was clearly a child's hand writing and pasted on the inside of the door. Their eyes shifted as they took in more of the cupboard.
Broken toys, children’s drawings, and a small cot tucked from wall to wall stained with what looked like old blood. Fred and George looked at each other as the realization flooded through them.
“They… Did they lock him in here? Was… was this his room?” George stuttered. “Is that blood?” tears gathered in George’s eyes at the thought of what Harry had endured.
Fred had a different reaction, “Those bloody muggles!” He whispered angrily, his ears flaring redder than his hair. “How could they do something like this to him?!” His voice trembled indignantly.
“We need to get him out of here. Quickly.” George’s voice wavered as he made to grab one end of the trunk while Fred grabbed the other and Harry’s broom.
“Yes. And we will need to figure out something once we are home.” Fred tried to push his anger aside in concern for Harry. “Harry will probably deny anything, we’ll have to see if he seems hurt. He’s already small enough to be confused with a 9-year-old.”
In consensus of what needed to be done, they made their way back up the stairs only stopping as they went to open Harry’s bedroom door again and noticed the small cat flap at the bottom of said door. With that they nudged the door open to find Harry lowering a floorboard back into place.
‘Oh Harry’ they both thought, sharing a look.
***
Harry’s POV
After grabbing everything, he handed it to Ron as Fred and George reappeared with Harry’s trunk in hand. Fred's face was covered in a scowl, his ears glowing red while George had a horror drawn look upon his face that he quickly tried to school for Harry’s sake.
Harry avoided making eye contact as they put the trunk in the boot of the car. “Right, let's get out of here.” Ron said, missing the tension in the room. George settled into the passenger seat, Fred in the driver's, and Harry was about to climb into the drivers side back seat when Hedwig gave a squawk.
“Hedwig!” Harry exclaimed and made his way to her, “Sorry girl.” He had just turned to go back to the car when the bedroom door burst open. No one moved as Vernon Dursley took in the scene before him. Harry panicked as he ran back to the car, just handing Hedwig to Ron and climbing into the car as he felt hands grab his ankles.
“I’m not letting you get away, Boy.” Vernon growled, an evil glint in his eyes. George and Ron latched onto Harry and pulled against the whale of a man. “Petunia, he's getting away!” Vernon yelled just as Fred floored the car and pulled Dursley out the window and left him to fall to the ground.
Harry could’ve sworn he heard Fred growl ‘hope he broke his neck’ as he was pulled the rest of the way in the car.