Making things right
-I-
Harry's wails broke the silence of the night. As usual, Dudley followed suit and began to bellow along. Vernon growled into his pillow. The noise continued on for long long minutes with no sign of ending. Cursing Harry Potter and everything freaky Vernon cracked open his red-shot eyes and stared hopefully at his wife. She didn't budge. Scrunching his courage, he bellowed "Petunia!"
His wife's gimlet eyes flashed open. She glared at him. "It's your turn, Vern."
He started to get up. His great, meaty hands fisted with suppressed anger. Things couldn't continue like this any longer, he muttered to himself. They couldn't. Something had to change. Scrounging up his courage he turned back to the bed to confront his wife.
"It is, eh? Well, he's a freak." Vernon shouted over the noise from the toddlers. "Your freak," he added maliciously. "My Dudley was never a crybaby before your nephew turned up to spoil him. Ever since he got here he's been bellowing his head off every single night and scaring my boy in the bargain. I can't get a normal night's sleep with that thing in the next room. I'll lose my job at this rate. Mr. Miller already gave James the promotion I had coming. This can't go on. He has to go."
Petunia sat up and gave him the evil eye. "He can't. Remember the letter from Dumbledore. He'll turn us into cockroaches if we do." She was screeching by the time she finished.
Vernon wanted to hit something. That freak. That blasted ponsy freak! He started to get on his feet when he was struck by a brilliant idea. "So we won't throw him away. No one deserves him. We'll just put him downstairs in the, the broom closet, yes. He won't bother anyone from down there. I'll nail a blanket to the door to muffle him down if necessary."
"Lock in the cupboard under the stairs with all the spiders? That's, that's monstrous!" she whispered.
"Now don't be coy, my Tuney Tuna. Admit you like the idea." He could see the delight shining in her eyes beneath stultifying bounds of convention. Her vindictive hatred for her sister and her magical world knew no bounds as he well knew.
His wife hid her mouth behind her hands. Trying to sound unexcited, she asked "But what will the neighbors say?"
"To hell with them is what I say." Looking at her shocked and dare he say, murderous eyes, he amended, "Well, no one knows we have him. We'll just keep him indoors and out sight. No one need ever know," he finished grandly. His wife could find no further objection to his plan.
After that, proper arrangements didn't take long. With the little hellion locked downstairs, blessed quietude filled the upper floor. Vernon snuggled back in his bed feeling the satisfaction of a job well done. He didn't get to sleep much for the next week but he didn't mind too much. Tuney was determined to show him her appreciation and he couldn't complain. Some of his fellow workers wondered at the blissful expression but agreed in the end that it was better not to know.
Neither of them paid much attention to the silvery cat with markings around her eyes like a pair of glasses that claimed the spot across the street each evening stared daggers at their house. After all, it was just a cat. The Dursleys were having too much fun to pay much attention to it.
