Buck Up, Potter
CHAPTER ONE – NEW GIRL
January 5th, 1988
Harry was fighting to stay awake. The holiday season was always the perfect reason for the Dursley's to give him an abundance of chores and this year had been no different. Except it had. This year his Uncle Vernon had hosted a party on New Years Eve for work and his Aunt Petunia wanted everything to be perfect. So Harry had to clean the whole house top to bottom three times, including the attic which made no sense to him but he did what he was told lest he be thrown into the cupboard during the party instead cooking and serving the food like his aunt planned. And despite the fact that the party had taken place four days ago and should have been out of his mind, Harry was tired. It turned out that his uncle's friends were just as messy, clumsy and inconsiderate as Vernon when drunk. So Harry had to clean the house after they left despite the fact it was 3am. And he had to do it again later that same day because Petunia was having her friends around for drinks. While cleaning after the women (who were considerably less but still messy) left, Harry promised himself (not for the first time in his life) he wouldn't ever let any alcoholic beverage pass his lips, not if he could help it.
So understandably, Harry was trying his best to stay awake during school, because it simply would not do to have Mrs. Salter call Aunt Petunia saying he was sleeping during class. But it would appear that now there was a good reason to stay awake.
Mrs. Salter paused in her reading of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when there was a knock on the door. She glanced at the door, widened her eyes and said, "Harry, dear, would you get the door?" as she stood up, putting the book on the bookshelf and reaching for the more boring book that was actually on the syllabus. Harry opened the door, since his seat was closest at the back of the class, and in walked the principal, Dr. Morgan, a stern faced man more capable of handing out sweets than detentions, and a short blonde haired girl. The girl smiled at Harry as she followed the tall man to the front of the room where Mrs. Salter waited nervously.
"Mrs. Salter," Dr. Morgan said with a smile, "I've heard you've been lamenting the fact you only had nineteen students. Well, now you have an even twenty. This here is Eliza Marsh. She has just moved here and I trust she will be very welcomed." He looked around at the class at the last part.
"Yes, Dr. Morgan." The class chorused.
Mrs. Salter smiled, not very nervous anymore, "Of course, sir. I'm sure it will be an absolute pleasure to have you here, Eliza." She said, turning her attention to the blonde.
"I don't know about that ma'am, but you can believe that for as long as you'd like," Eliza said, a look of innocence on her face.
The statement caused a few students, including Harry, to snicker. It also caused Mrs. Salter's smile to falter. She looked up at the principal, her widening in the way adult's eyes did when they were offended by a child but trying (and sometimes failing) to not let said child know they were offended. Harry had seen that look many times and, from the smile on her face, he got the feeling that this wasn't Eliza's first time either.
Mrs. Salter pasted the smile back on, patting Eliza on the head. "Well, aren't you just a cutie. Why don't you take the seat next to Harry, alright dear?"
Harry tensed up, smiling tightly when the teachers and, in turn, the other kids turned to look at him. Eliza shrugged and skipped to the back of the room throwing herself in the seat next to Harry. She turned to him and held out her hand with a smile. "Eliza Hope Marsh. Nice to meet you."
"Harry James Potter," he replied amused. "Nice to meet you, too." Harry shrugged internally. He would enjoy the kindness he got from the from the girl before Dudley managed to work his magic and leave Harry alone once more.
Oh how wrong he was.
After lunch, it was time for science. Harry had a feeling of dread as the class returned to Mrs. Salter's room. It wasn't until he saw the words 'SCIENCE FAIR' on the board that he realized why he had such a sinking feeling in his stomach. He would have to work with Eliza.
The day before Mrs. Salter had announced the school wide science fair. After explaining the rules, she told them to pair up, seemingly forgetting there was an odd number off students. When she realized that Harry was alone (due to Dudley's loud and unnecessary laughter) she fretted for all of thirty seconds, deluded herself into thinking Harry could work on it by himself and turned back to the rest of the class. But now Eliza was here so Mrs. Salter would make them work together.
Not that he didn't want to work with Eliza. She'd made how she felt about him pretty clear too, all but telling Dudley and his friends to sod off during recess. But he felt if he were to get, for lack of a better word, attached it would hurt more when she realized Harry wasn't worth it. Freaks like him didn't deserve kindness.
Harry and Eliza sat at their desk, watching as the class started talking loudly, most defiantly not talking about their projects. Harry was looking at his textbook absentmindedly and Eliza was doodling in the margins off her notebook. "So," she began, "I don't know about you, Potter, but I've never done a science fair. We didn't do that at my old school."
"Where's your old school?" He didn't object to her calling him Potter. She had decided during lunch that it sounded funny so therefore that's what she was going to call him.
"France." She didn't elaborate any further other than showing him a picture of baguette she drew.
"You're French?" She didn't have an accent but she didn't seem French.
"No." When Harry gave her a deadpan look she said, "I was born in Scotland. France is just where we were before."
"Cool." Harry pursed his lips and stared at the ceiling.
"Have you ever done a science fair?" Eliza said, kicking his shin.
"No." Harry frowned. "It's usually just for the high school but a couple of fifth graders were complaining so now we're doing it too."
Eliza huffed. "Stupid fifth graders."
Harry snorted.
Eliza smiled and said, "What are we going to do for the project?"
"I dunno." Harry squinted at the blackboard up front. There were examples of what they could do. "But we can't do any of those."
"Why not?" The blonde beside him whined. "Spud lamp sounds cool." She paused. "What's a spud?"
"I think its a potato."
"Potatoes are cool!"
"Yeah but everyone else thinks so too!" Harry said trying to make Eliza see sense. "We can't do anything that's on the board because one; at least two pairs are doing each of those and two; Mrs. Salter said not to. So we have to think of something original."
"Stupid fifth graders," Eliza huffed once more, realizing the work they had ahead of them.
Stupid fifth graders indeed, Harry thought, pulling his textbook close, grasping for an idea.
After school the odd pair sat in the library looking for inspiration after stopping by the main office so Eliza could call her dad and Harry insisting the Dursleys wouldn't mind (read: care) if he was late, they ran off to make the most of the hour they had before it was time to go.
"Come on Eliza. We should check over there." Harry was tugging his friend(?) over to the section of wall labled 'MEMORY LANE' Harry knew (from his time hiding from Dudley's gang) this section of the library had old awards and newspaper clippings where the school was even remotely mentioned. And more often than not the science fair made it into the local papers. First prize projects would be for drawing inspiration... or straight up copy one if it came to that.
When Harry finished explaining his plan, Eliza laughed but insisted copying was only to be a last resort. The dark haired boy smiled internally at her response. That meant Harry would only do the work he was meant to, instead of doing the whole thing or neglecting his own portion which is usually what happened with smaller assignments that Dudley felt he was too good for.
After a good half an hour of looking at rusty awards and wrinkled newspapers (that caused Eliza to mutter things that shouldn't be said in front of adults), they decided that it was going to be a project with plants.
"But it should be something stupid," Eliza was saying. "Then they'll give us a higher mark out of pity."
Harry shook his head, hair flopping around his ears. "I've long since run out of pity points."
"Why?" She frowned. "Pity points should only be cashed in under most dire circumstances."
Harry squinted. "Dire circumstances?"
She shrugged. "I think it means really important or something. I heard mum say it when gran got sick." Eliza frowned and shuddered. "But why have you run out of pity points?"
"My aunt and uncle don't like it when I do better than Dudley."
"The fat blonde one?" Eliza said unimpressed.
"The one and only. Thank God," he added under his breath.
"Then I guess you don't turn in any work at all?"
Harry laughed. How dumb did she think Dudley was? "I turn in the worst possible work I can that won't make the school give me tutoring." He didn't mention that he did Dudley's homework. He knew that was certainly frowned upon and no matter how lax Eliza was, he figured she wouldn't like that.
Eliza huffed. "So not something stupid or my parents will be mad at our bad grade but not something too smart or else the teachers will think you didn't help in anything besides writing your name."
"So average?" At her nod, he grinned. "I can do average."
Feeling that they had done enough work and knowing that it was time for them to leave, the pair waved to the leering man that was the librarian and went to sit out on the front steps for Eliza's dad. Given the fact that it was January, this wasn't the best idea but the librarian kept staring at them and there was fresh snow on the ground, begging to be played with.
Harry amused himself by grabbing handfuls of snow and tossing in the air, watching it sprinkle on the ground. Eliza watched him faintly amused but violently shivering. She couldn't fix her scarf to stay around her neck but also cover her mouth.
There was a loud honk that drew their attention to the road where a dark blue car was pulling up in front of the school.
Eliza's eyes lit up. "Dad! Finally!" She stood up and her hand out to Harry. "Come on. Maybe my dad will drop you home."
They walked together unsteadily on the snow towards the car and stopped in front of the drivers side door. The window rolled down and the man inside had close cropped blonde hair the same color as Eliza's.
"What are you kids waiting for? Get in." His voice was clear and crisp but distinctly Scottish.
"Dad'll drop you off," Eliza grinned opening the back door, no worries.
"B-but I don't want to be a bother." Harry said, desperately wanting to be in the warm interior but worried of what Aunt Petunia would say when a couple of strangers dropped him off.
"Nonsense! You'll get sick from this weather and I'm sure your parents wouldn't like that."
Harry shoved his hands in his pockets. "I don't know what my parents would want but Aunt Petunia wouldn't want be throwing up all over the place."
As he got into the car Harry heard Mr. Marsh wince and he internally sighed, mentally preparing himself for the pity that usually followed such statements. But when their eyes met in the rear view mirror Harry didn't see pity. He saw sympathy and something else that Harry didn't recognize, but it certainly wasn't pity. "Sorry lad. My mistake."
The ride went smoothly, only pausing when Mr. Marsh remembered to ask Harry where he lived. He responded with Privet Drive and Mr. Marsh happily said they lived just a few streets over on Magnolia Road. Eliza squealed happily that that meant it would be easy for Harry to come over the project. While Harry checked that his eardrums imploded he heard the man murmur that as long as he wasn't driving Harry could come over everyday. The incredibly hyper blonde beside him said that she had full faith in her father's driving abilities and requested that her father turn up the radio.
Harry had been listening confused, until he caught sight off a cane resting in the passenger seat. He panicked briefly if the man should have been driving but reassured himself that they had been driving for ten minutes without so much as a swerve. And on a winter road no less. He calmed himself and turned his attention back to Eliza.
He flinched violently as she screamed out, "MAMA! JUST KILLED A MAN! PUT A GUN AGAINST HIS HEAD! PULLED MY TRIGGER, NOW HE'S DEAD!" She proceeded to belt out the rest of the lyrics in a similar manner. "MAMA! I DON'T WANNA DIE! I SOMETIMES WISH I'D NEVER BEEN BORN AT ALL!"
Harry stared, torn between between amusement and fear because of the passion the the girl had. Mr. Marsh wasn't fazed at all, his eyes glinting with amusement as he muttered along to the song.
"What was that?" Harry said once the song finished.
Eliza whipped around to stare at him, luckily her hair wasn't too long or Harry would've been slapped quite violently. "Y-you don't know? B-b-but that was the greatest song ever! Bohemian Rhapsody is a song from the heavens!" Eliza continued to rant about how amazing the song was and that Queen consisted of actual angels sent by God himself to show humanity what real music was.
Eliza slowed down as the car turned up Privet Drive and sat sullenly as the car pulled to a stop in front of No. 4. "I wish we could do our project on music instead of some stupid plants."
"Who knows?" Harry mused, as he pulled his hat onto his head. "Maybe we could." He looked at the house with a frown. The familiar apprehensive feeling returned as he thought of all the chores he had waiting for him. "It was nice to meet you Mr. Marsh. Thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow Eliza."
And with that, Harry got out of the car and trudged up the path to the place he called home.