The Silver Tongue

Chapter 5

He helped his aunt make dinner. He ate and put the dishes in the sink before he went back up to the guest room. He set Amara and his little one down on the bed so he could pack. He put his school books and new books, including Merlin's book, into one of the bags from the alley and tapped it with his wand to shrink it. He put both of his birthday gifts into his bag, shrunk his trunk, put the trunk into his bag and then put the bag of books into his bag. He ran down to put them in his cupboard when he heard a car pull into the driveway.

Petunia ran to the door to see who was there. She whipped around with fear in her eyes. "Harry hide your bag now. Go to the bathroom and change. Your uncle is home."

Harry ran upstairs where he had a hidden change of clothes under the sink. He changed as quickly as he could into Dudley's hand me downs. He heard the door shut and his uncle ask where he was. He heard his aunt say he was going to the bathroom. Harry hid his own clothing under the sink before flushing the toilet. He walked down the stair to find his uncle waiting.

Vernon grabbed him at the bottom of the steps and shoved him in the direction of the kitchen. "Freak make me some food. I want it on the table in five minutes."

Harry ran into the kitchen where Petunia had started to soak the dishes. He pulled out the leftover beef stew, rolls, and Oreo pudding that he helped Petunia made for dinner. He heated up a large bowl of the stew and four rolls, putting them on the table as he heard his uncle coming down the stairs. He ran back to put three big spoons full of pudding into another bowl and set it down on the table as his uncle entered the room. Harry busied himself by putting the leftovers back into the fridge and washing the dishes under his uncle's watchful eye.

Harry could hear his aunt upstairs walking around. Vernon cleared his throat as Harry finished drying the last of the dishes. "Don't think I don't know that you haven't been doing chores since I left. Your aunt is too soft on you."

Harry heard Vernon get out of his seat. He braced himself as he sensed his uncle's fist come at him. It connected to the side of his head. Harry dropped to the floor dazed. Kicks started raining to his back, sides, and stomach as he tried to curl into a ball. Fire flared through him as he felt something give in his side. His left hand fingers were numb as Vernon stomped on them before rearing back for another kick to his stomach. He never heard his aunt come into the kitchen yelling at Vernon to stop. He never heard his aunt fall to the ground after Vernon hit her to shut her up. He only heard the blood rushing through his veins and a soft lullaby he always heard during a beating. He wasn't sure how long it was until Vernon stopped. He did know he was still awake.

He listened to his blood calm and the lullaby end. He heard his uncle go upstairs and his aunt crying by the door. He felt his aunt try to carefully lift him up. That was when he heard the drips. He looked around to try to find the source. It wasn't the sink, and his aunt's tears were being soaked up by his shirt. He looked down to see red running down his left hand to fall to the floor. Drip… Drip… Drip. He watched his blood fall drop by drop to the floor. He watched as a small puddle was made on the floor, made of his blood.

Harry closed his eyes as his aunt carried him to the kitchen table and sat him in a chair. She left his side for no more than a moment. She came back with a blanket. She wrapped it around him snugly before she ran to get the first aid she kept in the pantry. Harry with his eyes closed listened to his aunt move around and to his own heart beating.

Thoughts were rushing through his mind. How much more of this could he take of this? How much more would his aunt have to put up with? One of these days his uncle was going to kill him. How much of his blood does this house now have? He never noticed his aunt wrapping his hand. He didn't notice his aunt cuddling him up in his cupboard. He never noticed when he finally fell to sleep.