Chapter 4 – Mine's not a high horse
After that confrontation
You left me wringing my cold hands
We shared some information
We might not recover from
And I watch your convictions
Melt like ice cubes in an ocean
You were so poorly cast as a malcontent
Mine's not a High Horse – The shins.
It's been a while since I last wrote, and had almost forgotten about this until Darklight reminded me! I've had a little written, but have forgotten exactly where I was taking it, so this will be interesting…
A lot's happened since I last wrote – I've had a whirlwind summer, and a whirlwind year, with glitter, sex, boys, girls and a bit of growing up since. I wonder if that'll change the way this story goes? If anyone wants more details, feel free to Friend me on LJ, my username there is Xandratheblue again.
Well, this chapter I like some of the argument, although I will admit that the pacing and tone isn't obvious in a few sentences unless you re-read them a couple of times. I also like Dudley's revelations, as well as Runty's ability to forgive. I like his speech on morality, right at the end as well. I think that is a very important point in general.
Also – please R and R, even if it is just to say "write more" as I'm picking up a dead project and it's nice to feel out what people want to see. Whilst I'm not going to change direction just for one person, it'd be nice to know how people view it. Harry will hopefully be appearing soon – this story seems a bit more long winded than absolutely necessary.
Enjoy!
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"Hey, Big D, where've you been all day?" asked Milton as Dudley slumped down next to him in the smeltings food hall.
"I went over to St Beatrice's." Dudley lied, grabbing a chicken leg off Milton's plate.
"Oh – what's happening about you and Sharon then?" asked Piers.
"We're not going out."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't fancy her." Dudley answered savagely.
"What're you wanna do today?" asked Milton, "We could always sneak out and go into town."
"Oh, exciting." Dudley growled sarcastically, "Then afterwards we'll have lashings of Ginger beer! Jesus, you can be so dull when you want to be."
"So, what do you suggest." Asked Milton, looking a little hurt.
"I dunno. We could go to London." Dudley suggested.
"How?"
"How do you think, you nonce? Get on a mega bus and travel up!"
"But Dudley, we don't have any money…"
"Okay then, how about we go to dorms and have a smoke?" said Dudley, "Man, I could do with getting stoned around now." Dudley's mind was spinning, and he needed a break. He knew that later he would have to go into town and get some Vodka, or, even better, break into the bottle of absinth he kept underneath the floorboards. But he had promised himself not to drink it unless there was an extreme situation, for example, his freaky cousin invading Smeltings and those horrible…things…coming in and trying to kill everyone. He still shivered to think about it.
He really needed a shisha now.
"But Dudley, I don't have enough to last 'til the end of term!" Piers complained.
"Don't worry, I have a few personal ones hidden – I won't waste your stuff. Now c'mon, let's go."
However, across the hall at a table inhabited by the kind of people Dudley usually made an effort to harm, he was a hot topic.
"I can't believe he had the gall to turn up!" Goats snapped, "I mean, he turned up, and he…and he…"
"He made an effort." Jess said seriously. "Goats, there's something wrong. In all the year's he's been here, he's never made an effort of any sort."
"I can see it now, "Jean Luke said, "Dudley Dursley makes an effort in a class, next thing you know, Sharon will ask me out on a date, sparrows will start flying backwards and Satan will be having to wrap up warm to go into work."
"Well, the first thing wouldn't be too unlikely, "Nina said, "You're actually quiet attractive behind the glasses, but I agree. This is a destruction of both the hierarchy of the universe and probably the wheel of fortune. Simultaneously. With rabbits."
"Okay, I got everything but the rabbits." Runty said, "They don't seem to be part of any 16th or 17th understanding of the universe."
"I like rabbits…"Nina said quietly.
"Okay, but the point remains. We need to get him out, and quickly." Said Moore.
"Why?" asked Runty.
"Why? Are you an idiot, Roland? That guy'll either kill us, or cause the universe to implode!"
"Look, what I don't get is why it's so much of a big deal if he actually wants to make an effort for once." Runty said quietly.
"Well, I think that, unlike Roland, who seems its okay for Dudley to beat people up and hurt us, that we need to get him back as quickly as possible." Moore said, before anyone else could put forward an idea. "
"No, you're wrong Moore, I think Roland's right. I think we should just let him get on. As long as he doesn't come after any of us, it should be fine." Jessica said.
"Jess, how can you say that…"
"…because I can, Moore," Jessica said quickly, "I think we're just judging him too fast. Maybe he deserves a chance."
"Why?"
"I don't know – I just feel he does."
"Why? You of all people should be defending me." Said Moore, looking actually hurt.
"But I'm not. This is freaky, maybe it's just a universal anomaly taking place because…because the stars are out of alignment, or the God's have thrown a double six in the cosmic board-game, but I think we might as well run with it."
"So, you're saying we should trust him?" Spat Moore, "let him get close, tell him all our secrets, then smile when he bites us on the arse. No Jess, its suicide!"
"No it's not! I never said we had to accept him, but I think we should take him for all he's got. Ruin him. Make him one of us." Jess smiled and evil smile, "remember the ending to 'Freaks'? We'll turn his old life against him and make him wish he'd never taunted us."
"Jess, you're evil." Runty said, "singularly evil. "
"No, we're just giving him his just reward – we've given him enough warning, I think if he's fool enough to walk into the trap, he's fool enough to walk into the trap. Think about it – its not a hunter's fault that a prey falls into a trap, even if they set it up." Moore said, poking her food around her plate with a fork.
"You can't do this – it's cruel to treat him like he's treated us." Runty said, "It's immoral. We have to take the moral high-ground!"
"No. No we don't. Why should we?" asked Moore.
"Because it's all we've got!" Runty shouted at Moore, losing his temper, "look, remember in thirds, when Dursley spread that rumour about you being out of school so much was because you had AID's? No one else would be your friend, would they? Everyone abandoned you, except us. All your old friends wouldn't go near you! So, okay, you go and get your own back, so what? You just start the circle again! The moral high-ground is all we've got. It's all that separates us from becoming like them - that vacuous, empty-headed crowd of dingbats that don't care about the truth, unless it involves a celebrity! We start treated them like they treat us, and we become like them! We become another attention-seeking whore group, except with better fashion sense."
Everyone in a five metre radius fell silence, having watched Runty's outburst. Runty, panting, looked around and turned red. "Oh – yeah." He giggled nervously, "I just got the irony." He panted before sitting down.
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That last bit seems more funny in my head than in reality. I also quiet like Moore's backstory – it explains a lot about him. But I've got a bit to get through until I can get Dudley and Harry home, which is where the big arguments come through, and big developments come through
See you soon!
Xandratheblue
