Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years. Longhorns on Tour

DISCLAIMER: Daria and its characters are the creations of Glen Eichler and are the property of MTV Viacom. Harry Potter is the creation of JK Rowling and is the property of JK Rowling, Warner Brothers, and Wizarding World. I own neither franchise. Also, I neither expect nor deserve financial compensation for this work of fiction. I am writing for my own amusement and ego gratification.

Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years*Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years* Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years

It had been over nine months since Petunia Dursley had had to deal with that awful Texas girl's insertion into her dreams. True, having to contact Dumbledore and ask him to find someone to mend the gap in the magical wards had been bad, and his sending the awful boy-turned-awful man who'd led her sister down the primrose path to plug it had been even worse, but she'd been forced to admit that he'd done a competent, workman-like job: something his drunken, layabout father had never learned to do, she thought grudgingly. But there were no further dreams, no more Highland, and no bespectacled little auburn-haired girl from Texas voicing her disapproval. She didn't tell Vernon that that awful little girl was not related to her or to that awful man who'd gotten her sister blown up but to him: she didn't think he needed to know. Nor did she tell her precious Duddykins that that awful creature was one of his cousins; Heaven forbid that she ever turn up in Britain! The little girl had been banished from her house and Petunia, for one, was glad of it.

The new year started, Easter passed, they'd had a miserable trip to Calais, and the school term ended. They'd celebrated Dudley's eight birthday with presents and a family excursion to a fun park. the freak had been left behind with Mrs. Figg: his eighth birthday passed without her notice. And shortly afterwards she saw a reminder of that awful girl: she saw that emblem again. If the university's emblem's design wasn't especially remarkable, there was no mistaking the wording: Disciplina Praesidium Civitatis. Despite the fact that the tee had been pink and not burnt orange, the sight of it caused her to gasp and then start badgering the girl wearing it: a bewildered young Italian attending an English language school who'd been frightened and wondered what had gotten into the mad Englishwoman. A couple of hours later she began to wonder if perhaps she'd overreacted. Maybe her dead sister's kind wasn't watching her after all.

Perhaps a change of scene was in order. Maybe her friend Yvonne could help. Yvonne was on good terms with Monique, a woman who busied herself seeing the right sorts of movies and plays. Monique was constantly badgering Yvonne to accompany her on some of her expeditions to movies and theaters. Despite the fact that Petunia thought that Monique's pursuit of culture was usually a waste of time, it did give her a pretext for getting away from Little Whinging for a few days.

As things turned out, Monique had just the thing: an excursion to Stratford on Avon and tickets to a Shakespeare play. Petunia decided to go. Despite Shakespeare's archaic language, it was English, it was culture, and she could tell herself that she was doing her duty to uphold English culture and sit through the performance.

The trio arrived about half an hour before the play was supposed to start. Petunia sat down in a middle seat along with Yvonne and Monique and thought little of it. They were good seats: not too close, not too far back, what could possibly go wrong?

Other ticket-holders entered the theater and began seating themselves. Some were clearly English here for a spot of culture, others were foreigners. Tourists, Petunia thought disparagingly.

A large party of late adolescents and young adults accompanied by older adults that had to be college faculty squeezed themselves in front, behind, and to the sides of her seats. Americans, Petunia thought with disapproval. Most of them had southern accents, although one dark-haired boy talked like something from one of those American crime dramas set in New York City; Petunia wondered about his parents. Some of them, mainly the girls, had a youthful, enthusiastic naivete that Petunia found irritating. Why don't these wealthy privileged brats grow up, she thought.

If Petunia found them irritating Monique did not. She found their appearances and empty babble charming and started chatting with a couple of the girl sitting in front and to the side of her.

"And where are you girls from?" asked Monique.

"We're from Texas," said a tall blonde whose name Petunia heard as Sue Ann. "Our school has a Summer Study Abroad program and we're here studying."

I'll bet you are, Petunia thought waspishly. More likely you're playing tourist.

"And what school is that?" asked Monique.

"The University of Texas at Austin," replied the vapid blonde girl. Not just Texas, but the University of Texas! Petunia thought of the horrid girl from her dream and her her tee shirt and her stomach clenched.

"So what are you studying?" asked Monique.

"We're studying English literature and history," said the blonde. "Not just the Romantic era, but also Victorian literature, too. A couple of us are studying theater." The girl pronounced it thee-ater. Petunia clenched her teeth.

"So what do you think of Britain?" Monique asked. Petunia saw to her dismay that Monique was taken with this girl.

"It's so old and historical and everything," said the blonde girl. "There's nothing like this back in my home town."

"And where is that?" asked Monique.

"Highland, Texas," the girl replied.

Petunia wished she'd stayed home in Little Whinging.

Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years*Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years* Daria Ravenclaw: The Highland Years

Author's notes: The University of Texas at Austin did have summers abroad program in the 1980's and 1990's.

I myself attended the University of Texas at Austin for several years. Like many UT students, I bought tee shirts. Alas, tees showing the official university logo have all but disappeared in area tee shirt shops, although some people elsewhere made unofficial knock-offs, including shirts very much like that bewildered Italian girl Petunia badgered was wearing.

So WAS Petunia's encounter with students from Big Orange State U a coincidence? Was Albus Dumbledore reminding Petunia Dursley that he was keeping an eye on her?

Well,…