Here's the next chapter! I will be publishing these in roughly 1000 word chapters because that means I have a better chance of actually find finishing it all.
Enjoy! :) P.S. Sorry for multiple notifications. Still figuring out formatting!
Hope's stomach gurgled loudly and tightened into a knot when it didn't receive the food it was demanding. She flinched involuntarily when her uncle glared at her. Hope was currently standing in the far corner of the kitchen, watching her cousin and uncle stuff their faces with a disgusting amount of pasta, while her aunt picked at a salad.
Internally, Hope raged at the injustice of it all. It's not as though I did anything to deserve this. One day in and she was already being punished. She didn't even think it was something she had done. Hope had made sure to do all of her chores that were left on a list that Aunt Petunia had put on the table. The kitchen had been cleaned, living room picked up and vacuumed, floors mopped, and she had spent the rest of the time outside, working on the yard.
Another rumble of her stomach just reminded her that she had gotten used to the food at Hogwarts and always being full. Hope mentally cursed herself for not eating less during the last few weeks. Unfortunately, Ron and Hermione had been very determined to ensure that she made it too each meal. One of them was with her almost constantly after Cedric's death concluded the Triwizard Tournament. Annoying as it had been, Hope was glad they had done so.
The phone from the hallway rang, causing Hope to jump. Her heart rate spiked, momentarily forgetting that she wasn't about to be attacked. As Petunia went to answer the phone, Hope took a deep breath to steady herself. She was safe. Well, as safe as the Dursleys could be.
Finally, the dinner was finished as Dudley immediately ambled upstairs, presumably to watch the telly. Hope had to close her eyes so that she didn't glare at him as he grumbled about not having dessert.
"Girl!" Vernon barked to her. "Throw out the scraps and get everything cleared!"
Hope did as he told her, staring at the food she was throwing into the trash with a bit of longing. As she began to clear the table and fix the kitchen again, Hope watched Vernon out of the corner of her eye as he grabbed a container from a cabinet. He opened it and poured a thin layer over the scrapped food before he moved into the living room with Petunia to watch the telly.
Waiting until she knew that they were engrossed with whatever they were watching, Hope found the container of powder and looked at the label. It didn't take a genius to find the label that pronounced the substance poisonous. Anger flared in her, and the kitchen light flickered dangerously. Hope bit her lip and finished clearing everything before bolting upstairs.
Hope sat on the mattress in her room as her stomach grumbled again.
"What's wrong, Freak?" Dudley's voice sneered from the doorway. "Did you finally realize you're worthless?"
"Go away, Duddikins." Hope ground out from behind clenched teeth. She was going to add on a sharp retort, but her stomach rumbled loudly again.
Dudley gave a smirk, giggling in a disturbing way. "I don't know why you're still alive." He sneered. "If I were you, I would have killed myself years ago."
"Likewise."
There was a long pause as Dudley ran the response through his head, figuring out what she meant by it. When it finally clicked, his face morphed into an expression of fury. He took a few steps into the room with his hand curling into a fist.
"Careful, Duddikins." Hope stood up, raising both of her hands to shoulder level. "We wouldn't want to get hurt, now, would we?"
A flash of fear crossed his eyes, and Dudley quickly backpedaled. "You wouldn't!" He accused. "Dad would beat you within an inch of your worthless, pathetic existence!"
"Want to try me?" Hope narrowed her eyes, letting the power build up around her. The window vibrated lightly.
A few seconds later, her room was rid of Dudley and the echo of her door slamming rung in her ears. Hope let out a sigh and dropped heavily onto her mattress as her stomach twisted again.
She really hoped that Dudley didn't follow through on his threat, knowing that what he said about her being beaten would be true. Hope groaned and turned onto her stomach. She was an idiot! She had even threatened him with magic.
The next hour or so passed in tense silence as Hope waited for her door to slam open and reveal a furious Vernon with a belt. Nothing happened in the end, and soon, she was dropping off into fitful sleep.
The Dursleys finally left something for her to eat on the morning of her third day with them. It was Sunday, and the family had made her prepare an extra large batch of waffles topped with chocolate chips, syrup, marshmallows, and an unhealthy amount of syrup. She was graciously given the waffle and a half that was forgotten on the platter in the middle of the table. Hope took one look at the toppings and consumed the waffle without anything else. She probably would have throw up otherwise. After three days of eating nothing, Hope felt a temporary satisfaction, nevermind that she would be hungry within the next half hour.
The Dursleys were soon walking out of the house dressed in their Sunday best. Sometimes, Hope wondered if they had ever even seen the inside of a church. All she knew was that they always spent Sunday lunch out, no matter the weather.
As per usual, she was left with a small list of chores to be completed. She was thankful to note that the list was only to vacuum and then weed the garden. Both of which she had previously done yesterday, so there was not much more for her to do other than a cursory glance. They wouldn't be able to tell anyway.
With that done, Hope walked out of the backdoor and set off down the street.
