"Oh Darla, when will you learn?"

Darla looked up from the flower bed at her mother who was frowning. She glanced down at her dress and realized right away what her mother was angry about. She had gotten her dress all dirty again.

"You just had a bath! When are you going to learn that girls stay clean?"

"But mummy." Darla said standing up. "I was planting flowers. Look, lilies!"

A dark look came over her mothers face for a moment before she shook her head. "When I was your age, I never got this dirty when I planted the flower beds."

"I'm not you mummy." Darla said. "And I'll clean up, I promise."

"Go in now and have a bath. I've got to find your brother and cousin."

Darla walked away from her mother with her head down. She was tired of her mother always telling her that she wasn't the perfect little girl. Dudley and Harry were always getting dirty but she never scolded them as much! She thought to herself. She corrected herself, her mother didn't care if Harry was dirty unless he got it on her precious clean floors. Then she cared.

As long as Darla could remember, her cousin Harry had lived with them. She had just been a couple months old when he moved in. Her parents didn't seem to like him very much even though he was their own nephew. She didn't understand why, he didn't seem bad at all. She didn't talk to him as much as she wanted, in fear of her brother Dudley's wrath. Dudley seemed to enjoy teasing and bullying Harry.

Harry lived in the cupboard under the stairs. Darla didn't understand why her parents made him sleep there when there was a room upstairs he could use. It was used as the toy room but also for her Aunt Marge when she came to visit. It was the smallest room in the house, but she thought it would be better for Harry than the cupboard. He was a very short and skinny boy so he fit but Darla figured he would have a growth spurt soon. He was turning eleven at the end of the month, July thirty-first.

Darla passed Harry in the house. She smiled at him. "Better not let mummy see your shoes." She glanced at his white shoes that were soaked. "She already yelled at me for my dress."

"Thanks." Harry mumbled.

Harry didn't talk much to her either, but she had a feeling he thought she didn't like him. He probably thought she was like Dudley who enjoyed seeing Harry getting bullied by their parents, but she didn't. She was never sure what to talk to him about when she could actually talk to him.

Darla had a quick bath, knowing it wasn't up to her mother's standards but she didn't care. She decided on her pajamas knowing her mother would get angry that she was wearing pajama's to the dinner table, but she didn't care.

She looked a lot like her mother but they were very different. Her mother had to have everything in it's place while Darla just didn't care. They were both thin with blond hair and had long necks. Darla was often called giraffe in school by her classmates. She'd rather have her looks than her older brothers Dudley who was twice the size of any normal eleven year old boy. Her parents both said it was just baby fat and refused to notice that he was over weight. Darla knew if it were her, her mother would be on her case constantly.

Secretly she teased Dudley about his weight when he teased her about her neck, or that she didn't have any friends. It was true but she didn't mind since she could find her friends in story books and dolls.

Darla entered the kitchen where everyone else was already sitting at the table. Her father was lecturing Harry about something. Harry had his head down and nodding. She wondered if it was because of his shoes. Dudley was hiding his laughter behind his hand as he watched.

"Oh Darla! You know I don't like it when you dress in your pajamas for dinner." Her mother exclaimed glancing at her.

"Oh Petunia let her be." Her father said. "Darla loves her pajamas don't you sweety."

"Yes daddy." Darla said with a grin.

"All right, well just for tonight." Her mother said with a frown.

Dudley leaned over close to whisper in her ear. "Daddies girl." He hissed.

"Fat mama's boy." She whispered back.

"I'm not fat!" Dudley hissed back. "I have big bones."

"Must be very big bones Dudders." She said giggling.

Dudley poked her in the side hard. She glanced at Harry and noticed he was watching her. He smiled at her before looking down at his plate again as her mother started to scold Dudley for poking her. She knew Dudley would get her back later, he rarely ever got scolded by their parents.

A/N: This was basically an introductory chapter. For more info check my profile.