Harry walked into the kitchen to find all three Dursleys glued to Dudley's new welcome home present. They were sitting around the kitchen table watching the news on the television. The newsreader was half way through a report on an escaped convict.
'...the public is warned that Pettigrew is armed and extremely dangerous. A special hotline has been set up, and any sittings of Pettigrew should be reported immediately.'
A mug shot of the convict was also on the screen, the man was plump looking, with thin colourless hair that was unkempt. He certainly didn't have the appearance of an extremely dangerous man to Harry.
Uncle Vernon drained his teacup after rambling about how filthy Pettigrew looked. 'I'd better be off in a minute; Marge's train gets in at ten.'
'Aunt Marge is coming here?' Harry blurted out.
Aunt Marge was Vernon's sister and even though she was not a blood relative of Harry's, she had been forced to call her 'aunt'. Aunt Marge lived in the country, in a house with a large garden, where she bred bulldogs. Marge didn't often stay because she couldn't bear to leave her precious dogs. Marge liked her just about the same as the Dursleys did. Which wasn't much, though Marge took her contempt for Harry to a different level. Marge had whacked her with a stick to stop her from beating Dudley at musical statues when they had been small. Her favourite dog Ripper had chased Harry out into the garden and up a tree because she accidentally trod on his paw, Marge had refused to call him off until past midnight
'Marge will be here for a week, you are to behave yourself and that thing of yours is not to be seen.'
'His name is Dobby.'
Vernon ignored her. 'You will keep a civil tongue while speaking to Marge. And you will stick to the story that you attend a Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Girls.'
'I can hold my tongue as well as stick to a story,' Harry said then muttered under her breath. 'I've been doing that for years.'
'Vernon don't forget to sign those forms you needed to complete for work before you go,' Petunia reminded him.
'Ah yes thank you, I'll do that now.'
Harry smirked as she walked back out of the kitchen. Even the horrible news that aunt Marge was staying she couldn't help but feel a little smug.
'Dobby,' Harry called out as she walked into her room. The elf appeared before her wearing some clothes that were far too big for him. 'Aunt Marge is coming to stay and it will properly be best if you weren't here. Do you think you could find something to do for a week?'
'Dobbys saves up. Dobby wantings to travel. There's old magic all around the world. Dobby wanting to go to help Harry, to finds information for her.'
'Aww, Dobby that's sweet of you. OK, could you do that for me. I'll call you if I need you.'
'Dobby can do it.'
'Oh, before you go, the thing I asked you to do last night -'
'Dobby placed it where Harry asked him to.'
'Brilliant, if you need the money for anything you know where to take it from. Use your own money for something else, something you want.'
Harry due to having the elf around learnt that she didn't have just the one vault at Gringotts. The vault which she had a key to was her trust vault to be used for her school stuff and things like that. There was another vault which needed to open by Harry herself or Dobby who could have access to it due to the magic that tide them. Hagrid sure hadn't explained to Harry about having a family vault also which Harry rolled her eyes at. Dobby however, nodded at her and disappeared with a crack. Harry was going to miss having that elf around, it was going to be a rather long week and Harry was going to be counting down those days. Well, at least she had Hedwig for company ... maybe it was best if she sent Hedwig to Ron for the week. Seven days Harry reminded herself that's all it was. Harry wrote a note to Ron explaining and sent Hedwig off with their own now owl Errol who was looking rather refreshed.
...
Three days Marge had been there, not that Harry was counting, no she wasn't counting at all. The days were going too slow for Harry's liking. When Marge had first arrived, she made sure to show Harry exactly how she felt about her by thrusting a suitcase in Harry's direction knocking the wind out of her. While Marge who was, a beefy woman, hugged Dudley in a tight one-armed hug, planting a kiss on his cheek. Harry had stayed out of Marge's way since then. Marge had soon learnt of Harry's lock on her room, Harry who had just finished doing the dishes having collected her signed permission slip and caught Marge peering into the room with such interest. Oh, how Harry wished Marge would try opening her trunk which her things had stuffed into. The last bit of magic Harry had used on the school train home had been to ward it. Only Harry could put things in or take things out of it, anyone else would be subject to an embarrassing prank. Marge had huffed walking off to the guest room instead much to Harry's disappointment.
Tonight had been the first-time Harry had been in the same room as Marge for longer than ten minutes. Ripper had growled at her as she had down, which had brought Marge's attention to her. Marge took a sip of her brandy, placing it down again.
'So, still here, are you?' She barked at Harry.
'Yes,' Harry replied flatly.
'Don't say yes in that ungrateful tone, it's damn good of Vernon and Petunia to keep you. Wouldn't have done it myself. You'd gone straight to an orphanage if it had been my doorstep.'
Harry would rather have lived in one than here. Four days left - Harry scowled herself counting made the days go slower.
'I see you haven't improved since I last saw you. I hoped school would knock some manners into you,' Marge boomed. 'Do they use the cane at the school of yours' girl?'
'Yes. All the time,' Harry muttered.
'Excellent. I won't have this nonsense about not hitting people who deserve it. a good thrashing is what's needed. Have you been beaten, often?'
'Oh, yeah loads of times,' Harry said trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
'You mustn't blame yourself for the way the girl has turned out Vernon. If there's something rotten on the inside, there's nothing anyone can do about it. It's one of the basic rules of breeding. If there's something wrong with the bitch there'll be something wrong with the pup-'
Marge's glass she had been holding in her hand, exploded. Shards of glass flew in every direction. Uncle Vernon changed the subject rather quickly boring them all with a long talk about Grunnings, his drill-making company. Uncle Vernon had kept topping up the drinks throughout his talk. So, by the end of his talk aunt Marge's face was huge and very red. Dudley had been finishing of his fourth helping of pie.
'Excellent food as always Petunia. Normally it's just a fry-up for me with twelve dogs to look after. I do like to see a healthy-sized boy. You'll be a proper-sized man, Dudley like your father. Oh yes - I'll have a spot more brandy, Vernon.'
'Now this one here-' Marge jerked her head towards Harry. 'Looks like a dirty little runt. It all comes down to blood. Nothing against your family Petunia but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best of families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here's the result.'
'This Potter, you told me that he was unemployed. I good for nothing, lazy scrounger who-'
'He was not. My mother wasn't a rotten egg either,' Harry said suddenly shaking all over in rage.
'Proud of your parents, are you? They got themselves killed in a car crash, drunk I expect.'
'They didn't die in a car crash!' Harry said jumping up to her feet.
'They did, you nasty little liar, and they left you to be a burden on their decent, hardworking relatives!' Marge screamed, swelling up in fury. 'You are an insolent, ungrateful little-'
Marge stopped speaking, for a moment it looked like words had failed her. She swelled up with inexpressible anger - but the swelling didn't stop. Her face expanded, next second several buttons burst free of her tweed waistband, each of her fingers blowing up like a salami.
'MARGE.' Uncle Vernon yelled as aunt Marge's body began to rise off her chair towards the ceiling. Uncle Vernon seized one of Marge's feet and tried to pull her down again, but he was almost lifted from the floor himself. In a state of shock Harry burst from the room heading up the stairs. Harry grabbed Hedwig's empty cage and heaved her trunk out of her room with a struggle. Where was George Weasley when you needed him, Harry thought as she managed to reach the front door. The front door to number four had been pulled open by Harry when Vernon made an appearance out of the dining room.
'COME BACK IN HERE! COME BACK AND PUT HER RIGHT!'
Harry glared towards him and said one word. A word she had been wanting to say her whole life while she had lived at the Dursleys.
'NO.'
Harry shut the front door behind her with slam. The next thing she had been aware of other than her rage was that she was out in the dark. The street was quiet, dimly lit by the streetlights and Harry had nowhere to go.
