Harry was cooking in the kitchen, like he did every day since his ‘summer’ started. Summer. Funny how the same word can have such a different meaning for two people.

For Ron, summer meant peace. He could sleep until late in the morning and nobody would wake him up because he didn’t have to prepare breakfast. Mrs. Weasley was an extraordinary cook and Ron could eat his delicious breakfast before going to play Quidditch in the backyard with his brothers and sister. His only chore was to de-gnome the garden from time to time. So no one doubts why he never wants to go back to Hogwarts the 1st of September.

But Harry’s ‘summer’ wasn’t like that. He would wake up at 6am when his uncle had to work, and at 6.30 in the weekend or if Vernon had holidays. After that he was very busy with a huge list of chores. He had to cook the meals for the Dursleys, but he liked that. He didn’t mind cooking, and he could steal a little bit of food and some coffee. The coffee was very important, after a night full of nightmares the coffee was the only thing that kept him awake during the day. After making breakfast he used to do the garden, it was better to do it early, that way the sunburns weren’t so bad. Then he had to clean the house, first the kitchen, then the living room and bathrooms and finally the three other bedrooms. He didn’t deserve to have a clean bedroom because freaks deserve nothing, so he didn’t have to clean it.

He normally finished the rest of his chores before cooking dinner. But sometimes, the laundry was too much and he couldn’t use the washing machine; or he had extra chores because of his cousin. Other times he was very tired because his night had been especially dreadful or his muscles were too sore. If something like that happened, he wasn’t finished in time and his uncle didn’t mind to use the belt in his back.

In fact, Harry was sure that sometimes they only gave him more chores because they knew that he wouldn’t finish them before dinner. Harry’s punishments were a great time for his uncle; so even if Harry did everything like they expected his uncle would find a reason to punish him.

The main reason: ‘he was a freak’. But at least Harry was allowed to take a shower after the beatings. If the wounds weren’t clean they became infected and he couldn’t do his chores with a lot of fever. The Dursleys had decided a long time ago that it was better to let him have a cold shower than have him ‘lazing around’ until he recovered.

“Hey you! Freak! What do you think you’re doing?” Vernon’s voice returned Harry to the present. He’d been too much time thinking.

“Sorry Uncle Vernon, I won’t do it again.” Harry said without looking in the eyes of the man. He wasn’t allowed to look up when he talked to the Dursleys, he had to bow his head and look the floor while he was talking, because he was a like servant. “Your breakfast is ready.”

“We are going to visit Marge today and we will return tomorrow. You’ll stay here doing your chores. If I find you’ve done something that you’re not allowed to do, believe me, you’ll regret it.” Vernon said, without seeing the sign of relief in his nephew’s face.

“Yes uncle Vernon, I’ll behave.” Harry said with a little smile.

He was going to have a day and a half of rest. He loved when the Dursleys went to visit aunt Marge because he would stay alone in the house. Before his third summer, aunt Marge used to come to Privet Drive, but after the incident in his second summer after starting Hogwarts, when he blew her up, the Dursleys decided that it was a better idea if they went to visit her, instead of her coming to visit them. That way they could leave Harry in the house. So for Harry, this was, by far, the best accidental magic he had done in all his life.

Today he would only have to water the plants in the garden. Then he would open the lock of the cupboard to take his homework from the trunk, and he would spend the day doing his essays.

He remembered how last year when they went to visit aunt Marge, he spent the day writing letters to his friends, Hagrid and Sirius. But this year…

Flashback

He received the letter after the dinner, a month and a half later after the final task.

Hi Harry,

I hope you’re having a great summer. I received the letter about the final task. I warned you about Snivellus, you know he is a Death Eater. How could you let him ‘protect’ you instead of running away from him when he entered in the classroom? What if Dumbledore and Minerva hadn’t been there? I’m sure he had conspired with Crouch and he was doing like he was protecting you to take you to his master. Don’t do that again Harry, I’m very serious. I know Dumbledore trusts him but I don’t. Don’t stay with Snape alone. NEVER.

By the way, I’m fine, but I won’t be able to send or receive letters this summer. So don’t try to send me letters. Have a good time with your aunt, uncle and cousin.

Love,

Padfoot.

Harry couldn’t believe what he had just read. Apart from the fact that he wasn’t going to be able to communicate with his godfather, he couldn’t believe that Sirius hadn’t asked once about his wellbeing. He hadn’t asked him if he was fine after seeing Cedric’s death. The whole letter was about Snape. He decided to ‘answer’ him, even if he wouldn’t send the letter. At least he would feel better after writing everything he wanted to say.

Hi Padfoot,

Thanks so much for your concern, I’m fine. Excellent in fact. I have nightmares every single night. Yesterday for example it was too much and I started yelling at 1am. My uncle came to my bedroom and punch me in the face, he was too tired to beat me with the belt. After that I couldn’t sleep and today I haven’t been able to finish my chores. Right now I’m writing with my back full of wounds. So yes, I’m having a great time.

Thank you for replying so fast. I mean, I only sent you my letter telling you about all that happened in the final task 47 days ago. So it’s fantastic to know that you’re there for me when I need you.

Don’t worry, at least you have replied because my bloody friends haven’t send a single letter in all the summer. Hell, they don’t even take my letters from Hedwig, she always comes back with them. I don’t blame them, of course, who would want to be friend of a freak? Freaks don’t have friends, freaks don’t deserve anything, only the belt marks in their back.

Oh, and about PROFESSOR Snape, he saved my live, once again. I think that’s all that he’s been doing the last four years, he’s been saving my life. And I can’t promise you that I won’t be alone with him because I’ll earn detention with him the first day of class. Why? Because my bloody books are in my bloody trunk, that is in the bloody locked cupboard under the stairs. MY bloody cupboard because that was my home until I was 11.

Love you too Padfoot, you are the best godfather of the world.

End of the flashback.

The Dursleys left the house at 8am, with Dudley moaning because he wanted to sleep more. Harry went to the garden and contemplate with pride the big plants. Aunt Petunia would win ‘The best garden prize’ again. Great news for him because they would go to celebrate it and he would stay alone in the house. When he was watering the roses, he saw blood in the sidewalk outside the house. Following the track, he found a black cat by a tree. He moved closer and he saw that the cat was unconscious, but he was able to feel a weak heartbeat and he saw that the cat was breathing, but with trouble. It was lying in a pool of blood that came from its leg. Harry was almost sure that it had hit his head and that the leg was broken. He had the marks of a dog’s teeth in it. He picked the cat up and walked to the house and started talking to the black injured cat.

“Hi little one. Merlin, you’re very hot! You must have fever… How much time have you been there? Anyway, don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”

When he arrived home he put the cat in his bed. He left the black cat in his bed and went to find something to put the cat in. When he came back to the bedroom he had a little box and a little bowl for the water, together with a little syringe to put the water and the potions in the cat’s mouth. He had nicked the potions from the infirmary before the year finished. He was sure he was going to need them in the summer. When he arrived home he keep them in the wardrobe, putting them behind some old Dudley's school robes. Anyway, his uncle never opened the wardrobe.

The poor thing was in a very bad state, so Harry imagined that he wouldn’t be able to drink the potions and the water by his own. He gave the cat some fever reducing potion and pain reliever. He wasn't sure he could use potions with animals but he knew that the cat would die if he didn't do something. Then he cleaned its leg and put a bandage on it while talking to the moaning cat. When he finished healing the cat he put the box in the floor of his wardrobe, with the jumper that Mrs. Weasley sent him last Christmas inside the box. That way it would be more comfortable for the cat. He turned around and he saw two black eyes full of pain looking at him.