NOT EVEN THERE
by ardavenport
Harry made it back from the downstairs toilet just in time.
Just as he closed the door to his cupboard he heard his aunt's steps above him on the stairs.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
Harry knew the footsteps of all the Durlseys. Uncle Vernon was slow and heavy. Aunt Petunia much lighter and faster. And his cousin Dudley was sounding increasingly like a faster version of Uncle Vernon.
Aunt Petunia's steps went to the kitchen, presumably to get something to placate Dudley's latest tantrum. Dudley had gone to the birthday party of a friend earlier that week and come home in a bad mood because someone else got presents and his own birthday was still months away. Harry had seen it coming then and escaped to the outside. But this did not stop Dudley from venting his outrage by getting into Harry's cupboard and throwing all his things out into the hall, bringing Aunt Petunia's wrath down on Harry for the mess. Uncle Vernon denied Harry dessert after dinner that night for it.
Harry heard Aunt Petunia clattering around in the kitchen. Unfortunately his aunt and uncles' Saturday surprise had gone wrong when Dudley realized that he was getting only one present. Outraged, he had thrown the offering down and stormed upstairs with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon rushing upstairs after him. Harry grabbed the rest of his breakfast and went to his cupboard. It was raining outside.
He wasn't sure what the Dursleys were doing to satisfy their son, but the loud sounds of Dudley-in-distress had stopped. Harry had long ago found that it was best to be out of sight whenever Dudley was unhappy. The best thing of all was to do everything he could to let the Dursleys pretend that he was not even there.
His aunt's footsteps sounded in the hall again. She went up the stairs.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
Harry caught Petunia's high pitched 'Duddykins', but couldn't make out anything other than the sound of hers and Uncle Vernons' voices. He sighed and looked down at his history homework from school. But the long boring list of Kings and Dukes and dates made him fervently wish it was not raining outside. Under that book was a spelling assignment. There would be a test on Monday.
Sighing, Harry looked up at a corner past the single bare lightbulb in his cupboard. A very tiny spider has made a very tiny web up there. Harry did not like sleeping with spiders, but liked killing them less. And if he put them out of his cupboard they would be smashed by Aunt Petunia's fastidious cleaning.
Aunt Petunia's footsteps sounded on the stairs again.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
Possibly she was getting another treat for Dudley to make up for him getting only the one surprise present that was going to be a problem for Harry. It was a bright green super soaker. Harry knew that he would be one of his cousin's favorite targets. He wished that Dudley would find a way to break it before then.
The tiny little spider twirled its tiny legs around a speck in its delicate web and Harry wondered what it could be.
The door to Harry's cupboard suddenly opened. Harry jumped, almost hitting his head on the underside of a stair.
His aunt's long skinny arms reached in and slammed a plate and fork onto the wooden box by the wall.
Thwack. Clink.
Harry glimpsed a not too hostile grimace from his aunt before she withdrew and slammed the cupboard shut again. Her footsteps went up the stairs again.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
Harry stared at the plate and its contents under the glow of the bare lightbulb above. It was a piece of cake. Chocolate. With chocolate icing, caramel filling, whipped cream. And a red cherry. Harry looked upward. Dudley had started bellowing again and from the sounds it seemed as if Harry's wish had come true.
He looked back at the cake again. Perhaps it was alright to be there after all.
he reached for the fork.
=== END ===
first posted on tf.n: 30-Mar-2009
Disclaimer: All characters and situations belong to JKR; I'm just playing in her sandbox.