章節 22: Chapter 022

"Absolutely not! I refuse to have you learn anything else that can be used to hurt my family! You've already done enough with those freakishly unnatural powers of yours! I won't allow you to learn how to fight!"

Naturally, Vernon did not want me learning hand-to-hand combat.

"You seem to think I was giving you a choice." I smiled, amused that this fat fool actually thought he had any say in what I could and could not do.

"What was that?" Vernon's face turned a rather unsightly shade of puce. On his walrus-like face, it was awfully disgusting.

"I was not asking you to let me learn martial arts," I continued, watching as Vernon began to tremble. The man never could keep his temper down. "I was telling you that I am going to be learning martial arts. You have no choice in the matter."

Vernon unleashed a beastly roar as he charged me, his hands coming up and making grasping motions. I got the feeling he was hoping those hands would be wrapped around my neck.

Not that it mattered. I would never give him the chance to get close enough.

"Vernon!"

Lifting a single hand, I called upon my power. Seconds later, Vernon was hurled not just into, but straight through the wall as I used my ability and "pushed" him away.

Smiling, I walked up to the hole my fat uncle had made and saw the man lying there, groaning in pain. Standing over him was a worried looking Petunia and their obese son, Dudley.

"Look at what you did to my husband, you nasty little freak!" The woman screeched at me. I gave her a smile.

It was not a pleasant smile.

Seconds later the woman found herself on the floor, gasping as I created a vacuum in which no oxygen existed around her head. I had gotten the idea from a movie I watched once. It was a rather ingenious idea, I had to admit.

Thank you, Darth Vader, for giving me this wonderful idea.

"Do you have a problem with the way I do things, Petunia?" I asked the woman as she clutched at her throat, her eyes wider than dish pans, face turning purple from lack of oxygen. She stared at me in horror as I smiled down at her. I could practically smell her fear. It was intoxicating.

"Oi!" Dudley stood up with clenched fists. "What are you doing to mum?!"

"You're not very quick on the uptake, are you?" I allowed amusement to seep into my voice. This boy was the very definition of stupidity. Where I received the highest marks in my class, Dudley had nearly failed his. Primates were smarter than he was.

"Are you making fun of me!?" It took him a second to come to this conclusion. I was frankly just surprised he had come to it at all.

Not that I would allow this to ruin my fun.

"Yes, Dudley." I turned my smile in his direction as I finally let Petunia―whose face had turned a motley shade of red―go. "I am making fun of you. You're a stupid, idiotic child. I've seen monkeys at the zoo who are smarter than you are."

"That does it! I'll show you!"

I watched Dudley charge me the same time Petunia's eyes widened and her face paled.

My smile widened as I raised my hand.

"Dudley don't!"

Too late. With a burst of my power, Dudley was sent flying into the kitchen where he ended up smacking his head on the stove.

Petunia tried to run to her son, but with some more power, I had her floating in the air, hovering there and looking like a fish out of water. It was funny to watch her flap about.

"Dudley! Dudley! Let me go...! I need to get to my Diddykins!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you go," I told the woman. "You see, your husband isn't letting me go to my martial arts lessons, so letting you go to your son is just out of the question." I watched Petunia paled and just barely hid my grin as I tapped a finger against my chin. "But, maybe if you convince Vernon to let me learn martial arts, I'll let you go to your son."

"Yes! Yes! Whatever you want! Please, just let me go!"

Without much ceremony, I dropped the woman on the ground. A chuckle escaped my lips as the horse-like woman scrambled towards her son and began to frantically call his name to no effect. I would later learn that Dudley received a concussion.

The thought honestly didn't bother me all that much. This would serve as a good lesson to them about what would happen whenever they didn't listen to me.

XoX

It was nearly two hours after Harry had first entered Gringotts that he found himself standing outside of its doors once more. The sunlight hit his face, forcing him to squint due to how much time he'd spent in the darkened passageways where his vaults were held.

Taking out the Hogwarts letter from within his back pack, Harry pulled out and unfolded the second piece of paper that he had found attached to the first. It was a list of all the things he was required to buy for Hogwarts:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM

First-year students will require:

1. Three sets of plain work robes (black)

2. One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

3. One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

4. One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings)

Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emetic Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

wand cauldron (pewter, standard size 2) set

glass or crystal phials

telescope set

brass scales

Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

Harry frowned as he looked at the list. He turned his head to look at the back pack on his back, then back at the list. There was no way he would be able to fit all of that in his back pack, it was nowhere near large enough.

Blowing out a soft breath, Harry decided that the first thing he would need was a trunk to carry everything in. Fortunately for him, he had seen a place that sold trunks on the way to Gringotts.