It was a cloudy day not the kind where it is going to dump buckets on to your new summer dress. It was a light kind of cloudy one that would mist a little on and off. A cloudy where the sun could get through, where it was bright but not in a blinding sort of way as it is on those crystal clear blue skied day in the middle of July nor was it as hot as that close to summer should be. The air wasn't muggy to the point of suffocation and nor draining and steamy hot but more of a crisp light fresh air, clean like an early spring morning just after the last frost.
It was the first day of summer break. Most kids from the fifth grade newly graduates class were at home getting ready for the party that was taking place in a few hours. But one boy wasn't coming, he wasn't even invited despite the fact that he lived in the same house where the party was taking place. He sat on the top of the park bench's back staring at his feet. Enjoying the little peace and quiet he had, he'd finally been let out from his cupboard after the incident at the Zoo.
His raven hair fluttering in the gentle breeze but that was before it was swept
backward as the boy sighed he'd heard the footsteps, jousting and teasing of the boys. He was all too familiar with the voices coming towards him. The boy looked up to see a group of other boys heading straight for him. They were a lot closer than he anticipated. He was off sprinting as fast as he could away but they followed, trailing after him their taunts letting him know how far away they were.
Harry ran as fast as he could to escape his cousin's gang of friends but he was getting tired quicker than usual from the lack of food and they were swiftly closing the gap he had worked so hard on putting in place. "Hey freak!" 60 yards. He turned down the next street dodging people and animals.
"Slow down Potty! We only want to play." 45 yards. Next street he narrowly missed the car that was backing out of the driveway.
"Running home to Mommy and Daddy! Oh wait you don't have any!" 35 yards. He felt tears raging behind his eyes he wiped them furiously running into the tree as he turned down the next street. He bounced off it and then kept up his furious pace.
"Wait up Potter we wont do anything we promise!" 20 yards. He kept running they were closing in but all he could do was try and keep running.
"Hey Scarhear!" 5 yards. He closed his eyes, wrong choice he hit a bump in the sidewalks as he felt two hands on his back shove him forward he hit the ground hard skidding on the concrete.
Gruff hands grabbed the back of his oversized shirt. They threw him back into the tree. Then grabbed him again yanking him forward into their fists, elbows, and knees. They finally let him drop to the ground moaning and gasping for breath, still trying to regain his breath from running, let alone having it just knocked out of him over and over. Harry plummeted down sprawling on the cool gray pavement in front of his cousin. Harry looked up blood rolling down the side of his cheek from where it had hit the sidewalk. Dudley pulled back his leg as if to kick Harry in the face but a voice cut in. A voice who could make all of them halt, the voice did not belonged to just any random person but to Thomasina DeLane, the prettiest girl in the fifth grade. And luckily for Harry, Dudley happened to have a huge crush on her.
"Oh Dudley," the beefy boy froze to stare up into the tree even Harry managed to look up, at the girl seated on one of the branches above them as she pushed off to stand on the next branch down her with long dark brown hair with auburn and gold highlights fluttered behind her. Her delicate almost porcelain face and vivid fiery emeralds for eyes coming into better view as she climbed down the tree, as she leapt down she landed right next to Harry's head, his eyes focused on her lips, so smooth, velvety and rosey-pink they looked soft. "Dudley about that party you were going to have, I asked my parents and I'm allowed to come so I guess I'll see you later tonight."
"Umm uh that's great." Dudley said scratching the back of his head. "So have you heard that I'm going to Smeltings Academy next year?" he said puffing his chest out a little obviously proud of himself. Harry scooted himself backward to the base of the tree, to get himself out of the way and hopefully out of danger.
"So I've heard. That's great. I'm actually headed to Latvia there is a small school that specializes in Music, Dance and Gymnastics."
"Oh that's.. that's cool especially since you do all of those." Dudley stumbled through his sentence.
She nodded. "Well I will see you tonight, at 6:00 pm right?" Dudley nodded stupidly. She started walking away but she turned back walking backwards "By the way shouldn't you be setting up?" Thomasina asked. Dudley nodded as she raised her eyebrows at them. Suddenly Dudley jolted realizing that he should go, he whacked his friend's shoulder grabbing them as they took of the other way as both he and his friends ran off. Thomasina watched until they ran around the corner. As soon as they were done stumbling around the corner she walked over to Harry she helped him off the ground. "So Potter I guess I'll be seeing you later too" Thomasina said.
"Oh yea no, Dudley would never let me come I'll be stuck in the cupboard under the stairs the whole night" Thomasina gasped her eyebrows raising in mock surprise she had been over for dinner many times because of Dudley's astoundingly extensive infatuation with her.
"I think I'll be able to get you out" She said smiling it was true all she had to do was say the word and Dudley would let Harry join just about anything he was doing. With that Harry nodded and started down the street toward Number four Private Drive. When he was on the other side of the street Harry turned around to look back at Thomasina. When he turned and didn't see her on the ground he let out a sigh but was caught off guard by the giggle that came from the tree. Harry looked up and Thomasina had her hand over her broad smile. Harry's face flushed a deep rouge and suddenly had a temperature. Harry backed away around the corner, tripping over the trash can Piers had knocked over while Dudley had dragged him around that same corner which just served to embarrass him even more before he too ran off, embarrassment burning up his face.
After dinner the doorbell rang Dudley ran to get it. Harry was sitting locked in the cupboard trying fruitlessly to see who was there. Although Harry was sure that after the spectacle he'd made of himself that afternoon in front of Thomasina she wouldn't come through for him. Why would she help him after he'd tripped over a garbage can and then there was how she found him to consider thrown on the ground, after being beat up, surrounded by his cousin's friends with blood running down his cheek.
Much to Harry's surprise though about fifteen minutes into the party the lock clicked and the door swung open Thomasina was starring in at him. She reached in and took his hand to help him out of the cramped cupboard. But she didn't let it go she pulled him with her through the kitchen out the back door and on to the patio, it was only then that she let go of his hand with a nod and a wink. She walked over to the other side of the room to talk with her friends as she walked by all heads turned toward her. Every guy wanted to be near her especially since she'd already told everyone she was moving to Riga, Latvia. Harry stayed back listening from his perch on the fence next to the tree. Thomasina even went and grabbed him a burger handing it to him with a knowing smile before kicking off her shoes and walking into the grass with her friends to dance and play crockett.
After dinner the DJ that Vernon had hired to play in the back yard started playing. Most of the grade 5 students had gone through a basic ballroom classes for one of the extra curricular activities that the school offered in order to teach kids what they called basic social skills, Harry however hadn't been allowed to attend. Thomasina had started dancing with her friends at the local studio long before many of the others and they had no problem leading or following each other. Many of the boys asked her to dance all of whom she danced with politely but apart from that she was just there to say her final goodbye's to everyone before she moved. Because after that night no one that had gone to primary school with her would see her face again for the next six years.