Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Chapter Eleven
Dinner Party
Having Harry back was great. Well, it was much better than having Dudley for company.
Diana and Harry spent long hours boring each other with stories they didn't tell each other through letters. Well, Diana bored Harry. Harry's stories were far from boring. Anything to do with the wizarding world was far from boring.
However, Diana wished that she had a different family, because combining Harry and Dursleys was like combining fire and and heavy wind. An example of this was Harry's twelve birthday.
It all started when an argument broke out at breakfast.
"Third time this week!" Vernon roared across the table. "If you can't control that owl, it'll have to go!"
"She's bored," he explained. "She's used to flying around outside. If I could just let her out at night-"
"Do I look stupid?" snarled Vernon, a bit of fried egg dangling from his moustache. "I know what'll happen if that owl's let out."
He exchanged dark looks with Petunia.
Harry looked like he wanted to argue back, but before he could Dudley belched loudly.
"I want more bacon!"
"There's more in the fry pan, sweetums," said Petunia. "We must feed you up while we have the chance. I don't like the sound of that school food."
"Nonsense, Petunia, I never went hungry when I was at Smeltings," chuckled Vernon heartily. "Dudley gets enough, don't you son?"
Dudley muttered, "Yes."
"Speak of Smeltings, we need to buy Diana's uniform for Great Britain's Boarding School Turning Girls Into Woman," said Vernon.
Diana groaned. She hated G.B.B.S.T.G.I.W (she didn't bother saying the full name.) Vernon had insisted that she go to one of the most prestigious boarding schools in all of Great Britain. Diana wondered if they ever had money troubles for all this.
But what Vernon didn't know was that Diana had already been accepted into Hogwarts. A few days after Harry returned, she woke up and saw her Hogwarts letter on the doormat. Before anyone else but Harry woke up, she sent a reply saying yes.
Dudley belched again and turned to Harry.
"Pass the frying pan."
"You forgot the magic word," said Harry irritably.
Dudley gasped and fell off his chair with a crash that shook the whole kitchen. Petunia gave a small scream and clapped her hands to her mouth. Vernon jumped to his feet, veins throbbing in his temples.
"I meant please," Harry said quickly. "I didn't mean-"
"WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU," thundered Vernon, "ABOUT SAYING THE M-WORD IN OUR HOUSE?!"
"Dad, please!" cried Diana, standing up.
Her father ignored her. "HOW DARE YOU THREATEN DUDLEY!"
"Dad!"
"I WARNED YOU! I WILL NOT TOLERATE MENTION OF ABNORMALITY UNDER THIS ROOF!"
Normally, Diana probably would've shouted at her father, but her insides turned cold. If Vernon got a hold of her letter...
She rushed upstairs to check on it. There it was, in her pillowcase, as always. Diana read it.
Ms. D. Dursley
The First Bedroom in the Upstairs Hall
4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey
She opened her letter again.
Dear Ms Dursley
We are pleased to informed you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.
Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 1 July.
Yours Sincerely
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
Diana read it. It was a source of comfort for her. If she was upset, she'd read the letter and remind herself that the bad times would be over soon, and she'd be going to Hogwarts.
Petunia walked into her room.
"Are you ok, Di-Di?" she asked.
Diana hid the letter in her pocket and said, "Oh, I'm fine Mum. I'm just a bit nervous to meet the Masons."
"Oh, I'm sure you'll be fine Diana," Petunia reassured her. She hugged her. "I hear Mrs Mason went to Great Britain's Boarding School Turning Girls into Women."
"That's reassuring," lied Diana. "I was nervous about going there."
"You'll be fine." Petunia hugged Diana. "Your father is very keen on you going there. It'll be a fun experience."
She shut the door and left the room.
"No way am I going to G.B.B.S.T.G.W," Diana told herself.
Hours later, Diana looked at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a shiny blue dress, long white socks and a sunflower hairpin in her hair. She thought she looked rather good.
"Diana, come down!" called Petunia.
Diana ran downstairs and entered the living room. She was to greet Mr and Mrs Mason with Petunia in the lounge.
She felt a little sorry for Harry. He was being locked in his room, making no noise and pretending that he didn't exist.
The doorbell rung. Diana heard Mr and Mrs Mason enter the hallway.
"Good evening, Mr and Mrs Mason."
"May I take your coats, Mr and Mrs Mason."
When Mr and Mrs Mason walked into the living, Petunia said, "Welcome to our home, Mr and Mrs Mason."
"Good evening Mr and Mrs Mason," said Diana. "May I pour you drinks?"
"Yes please, little girl," Mr Mason told her.
"What would you like?"
Mr Mason wanted a champagne, and Mrs Mason wanted a cocktail, so Diana walked to the kitchen.
She only knew a few things about making cocktails, so she improvised. (Seriously, why had Mrs Mason wanted a cocktail anyway? Her home wasn't a bar, for goodness sake!)
Once Diana had finished with the drinks, she brought them back into the living room.
"Your drinks, Mr and Mrs-"
She faltered. There was a high pitched sobbing noise coming from upstairs. Diana strained her ears.
"Never... never ever..."
"Uh, I probably left the radio on," Diana lied. "I'll go turn it off."
She dashed upstairs and opened the door to Harry's room. Only it wasn't just Harry there. There was small creature with bad-like ears, eyes like tennis balls and wearing a pillow case as clothing.
"What the bloody hell is this all about, Harry?" Diana spluttered. "Who's that?"
"Diana, meet Dobby the house elf. Dobby, meet Diana Dursley, my cousin."
Dobby the house elf bowed to a bewildered Diana.
"It is a pleasure to meet anyone who Harry Potter holds highly," he said.
"Pleased to meet you too," Diana said.
"Diana, are you still up there?" called Vernon from the living room.
Diana called, "Sorry Dad! The damn radio won't shut off!"
"Come down here! The radio doesn't matter!"
"Of course!"
Diana shut the door. "You two need to be quiet," she said. "Dad knows I don't have a radio. Stay silent!"
She rushed back down and rejoined the dinner party.
"Dad, can you fix the radio tomorrow?" asked Diana.
Vernon nodded his head, but when Mr and Mrs Mason turned their heads, he gave her a look that clearly said, What is he up to?
Diana shrugged.
"Well, I'll start up dinner now, shall I," Petunia said. "Diana, come with me."
Diana pretended to look happy and content with helping her mother, but she was really annoyed on the inside. For the dinner party, Petunia and Vernon were pretending to shape up Diana to become a housewife, because apparently Mr and Mrs Mason were sexist. So she was going to go around cooking and cleaning the table instead of trying to have a good time with the Masons.
When Diana started to cook, Petunia asked, "Diana, what happened upstairs? Why is the boy making all that racket?"
"It's nothing," lied Diana. "His experience with the Philosopher's Stone left him a bit messed up in the head. He having a nightmare. I woke him up, but he fell right back asleep again. I he's really going through it."
I'm really sorry Harry, Diana thought.
Petunia snorted. "Well that's what he gets. The boy shouldn't have gone after in the first place. So foolish."
She went back to cooking. Diana was seething with rage on the inside. No one deserved what Harry supposedly had.
Diana suddenly heard Hedwig screeched loudly.
"I'll go check on him!" she exclaimed. She ran upstairs.
"What is all this racket?!" she exclaimed. "Harry, you're going to be in trouble!"
Diana looked at Harry, then at Dobby, and sighed.
"Listen Dobby. I know you're a good house elf, but you can't make all this noise. It'll get Harry in trouble," Diana whispered.
Dobby clapped his hands to his mouth. "Dobby would never ever dream of getting Harry Potter in trouble, ma'am. Dobby shall stay quiet."
"Good." Diana ran downstairs.
She helped Petunia with the rest of the cooking and announced dinner.
Dinner was a dull affair. Diana tried as many times as possible to call off Dobby and Harry. But eventually she heard a faint tapping noise, and she had to leave the room.
"What are you doing?" she demanded. Harry and Dobby were halfway down the stairs. "Get back up, NOW!"
"Dobby has no choice!" the house elf cried. "Dobby must!"
Diana growled. "Listen up, Mr Dobby. I know you're just doing your job, but I can't let you downstairs."
She grabbed Dobby and carried him back upstairs, and Harry followed her.
"Can we come up with a compromise?" she asked. "How about I'll leave you both alone, on the promise that you do not make any noise or don't leave this room. Got it?"
Dobby nodded. "Anything for Ms Potter."
"It's Ms Dursley," corrected Diana. "Although maybe I should go by Ms Potter. That would be a better surname. Never mind. Stay quiet."
Diana left the room, hoping, no praying, that this would work.
Vernon managed to make his deal. Mr Mason said that he was such a nice man, and had such a lovely family, and they managed to make the deal.
Diana could tell that Mr and Mrs Mason were glad to get out, though. They walked hurriedly back to their car, and drove quickly. Diana would too if she were them.
That night, Diana had a taste of home life when she was a child, before she became the nerd at school. She, Dudley and Vernon all watched a movie together, eating ice cream and chocolate with their fancy costumes all dirty from the candy.
Things weren't as good for Harry though. He had been locked up with bars in his room because of all the noise Dobby made.
In the middle of the night, Diana unlocked the door and visited him.
"I'm sorry about this." She gestured to the bars.
"Don't worry about it." Harry's response was gentle. "I would've been in more trouble if you hadn't stepped in."
"Remember when we used to have sleepovers in my room?" enquired Diana reminiscently.
"And Vernon would yell at us for half of breakfast? How could I forget!" responded Harry.
The two laughed reminiscently for twenty minutes before they heard a roaring noise.
"Is that..." Diana began.
"...a car?" finished Harry.
It was indeed a car, but not an ordinary one. It was a flying car. A flying car with three Weasley brothers in it.