Abi
Harrys' holiday had started to go downhill from the beginning.Not that he ever enjoyed them much to begin with, but this year was proving to be the worst ever.
The first blow was Dudleys' broken leg. He had fallen from a chair after trying to reach a jar of cookies from on top of the fridge, and, much to his delight, had been advised to do as little activity as possible. As Dudley was no longer able to go out, his friends visited almost every day and often stayed for the night too. As a result, Harry had been demoted back to his little cupboard under the stairs to make room for the guests, and was being treated as Dudleys' personal skivvy.
"Potter!" Dudley yelled from the living room, where he and a handfull of his friends from school were playing playstation.
Harry, lying starfished out on his bed groaned and shut his eyes. He had been attempting to write an essay for Herbology, but his mind kept wondering.
"POTTER!" shreiked Dudley louder.
"POT-MUM! HARRY WON'T COME!"
That got Harry on his feet. Petunia had kidnapped his broomstick, and had promised to set it on fire at the slightest hint of trouble.
Slowly, he approached the living room, while Petunia watched him, arms folded and eyes narrowed.Dudley was sitting on the sofa, his leg propped up on a pile of cushions. Beside and around him, sat two other boys and..and a girl! In his whole life, Harry had never seen Dudley in the company of a female-especially not one like this! She was talll and slim with short, spikey hair, died brick red, and wore the kind of clothes that Petunia liked to tut at in the street. Harrys stomach gave a lurch as she turned to look at him.
"Potter, go and get us something to drink!" ordered Dudley. Harry coloured. It was bad enough having to do it at all, but in frnt of this girl was torture!
He faltered for a moment, trying to think of a way to save his broomstick and his dignity, but he could feel Petunias eyes boring into the back of her kneck. Reluctantly, he picked his way over the empty crisp packets and chocolate wrappers that littered the floor, but one of the boys stuck his foot out, and he tripped clumsily. They all sniggered. As he entered the sanctuary of he kitchen, he heard the girl ask:
"Who is he?"
He returned quickly with a tray of drinks and placed it on the coffee table, and, stumbling over the various legs that appeared to trip him up, Harry made his exit, his cheeks burning.
Once in his cupboard, he flopped on to his bed and sighed. Nothing was going right for him. Even the correspondance with his friends had been stopped as there was no window in the cupboard for owls to get in and out of.The letters from his friends, much to Vernons' fury, had been found dropped on the doorstep. They had gone, unopened, into the bin.
Presently, his door opened and petunia entered with a plate. Near throwing it at him, she growled:
"Didn't want you spoiling Dudley and his friends' fun."And shut the door.
Harry fingered the stale bread and cheese miserably, picturing the banquet tables at Hogwarts, and got out his herbology books, which he had hastilly thrown under his pillow on Petunias entrance.He was just about to open 100 Magical Plants and their Uses when somebody knocked on the door. Before he had time to hide his books, the red haired girl walked in and sat down on the bed, which was really the only thing she could have done, due to the size of the cupboard.
"Er..hello.."said Harry, sheepishly.
The girl looked embarrassed.
"Is this...your room?"
Harry flushed.
"Yeah, in the holidays."
There was an awkward silence.
"So..."said Harry, "You're a friend of Dudleys?"
Smooth Harry he thought sarcastically, reall smooth.
"My brother is." she replied, and then:
"He doesn't seem to like you much,Dudley I mean."
Harry laughed. "The feeling's mutual."
Another silence.She caught sight of one of the books under his pillow and started to leaf absently through it.
"Muggle Plants and how to use them "she read."Whats a muggle?"
Harry muttered something inaudable and tried to change the subject.
"Whats your name?"
"Im Abi. Abi Rivers."
"I'm Harr-"
"ABI! ABI WHERE ARE YOU?"
Abi rolled her eyes.
"I better go."
And she left before Harry could even say goodbye.
She was the first muggle he'd met that didn't appear to hate him, and he'd probably never see her again.
Absent mindedly, he picked up Muggle Plants and How to Use Them. There was a pen inside marking a page, that he didn't remember marking. He opened at the place. Inside, in intidy handwriting it read:
Abi
215320
Harrys' holiday had started to go downhill from the beginning.Not that he ever enjoyed them much to begin with, but this year was proving to be the worst ever.
The first blow was Dudleys' broken leg. He had fallen from a chair after trying to reach a jar of cookies from on top of the fridge, and, much to his delight, had been advised to do as little activity as possible. As Dudley was no longer able to go out, his friends visited almost every day and often stayed for the night too. As a result, Harry had been demoted back to his little cupboard under the stairs to make room for the guests, and was being treated as Dudleys' personal skivvy.
"Potter!" Dudley yelled from the living room, where he and a handfull of his friends from school were playing playstation.
Harry, lying starfished out on his bed groaned and shut his eyes. He had been attempting to write an essay for Herbology, but his mind kept wondering.
"POTTER!" shreiked Dudley louder.
"POT-MUM! HARRY WON'T COME!"
That got Harry on his feet. Petunia had kidnapped his broomstick, and had promised to set it on fire at the slightest hint of trouble.
Slowly, he approached the living room, while Petunia watched him, arms folded and eyes narrowed.Dudley was sitting on the sofa, his leg propped up on a pile of cushions. Beside and around him, sat two other boys and..and a girl! In his whole life, Harry had never seen Dudley in the company of a female-especially not one like this! She was talll and slim with short, spikey hair, died brick red, and wore the kind of clothes that Petunia liked to tut at in the street. Harrys stomach gave a lurch as she turned to look at him.
"Potter, go and get us something to drink!" ordered Dudley. Harry coloured. It was bad enough having to do it at all, but in frnt of this girl was torture!
He faltered for a moment, trying to think of a way to save his broomstick and his dignity, but he could feel Petunias eyes boring into the back of her kneck. Reluctantly, he picked his way over the empty crisp packets and chocolate wrappers that littered the floor, but one of the boys stuck his foot out, and he tripped clumsily. They all sniggered. As he entered the sanctuary of he kitchen, he heard the girl ask:
"Who is he?"
He returned quickly with a tray of drinks and placed it on the coffee table, and, stumbling over the various legs that appeared to trip him up, Harry made his exit, his cheeks burning.
Once in his cupboard, he flopped on to his bed and sighed. Nothing was going right for him. Even the correspondance with his friends had been stopped as there was no window in the cupboard for owls to get in and out of.The letters from his friends, much to Vernons' fury, had been found dropped on the doorstep. They had gone, unopened, into the bin.
Presently, his door opened and petunia entered with a plate. Near throwing it at him, she growled:
"Didn't want you spoiling Dudley and his friends' fun."And shut the door.
Harry fingered the stale bread and cheese miserably, picturing the banquet tables at Hogwarts, and got out his herbology books, which he had hastilly thrown under his pillow on Petunias entrance.He was just about to open 100 Magical Plants and their Uses when somebody knocked on the door. Before he had time to hide his books, the red haired girl walked in and sat down on the bed, which was really the only thing she could have done, due to the size of the cupboard.
"Er..hello.."said Harry, sheepishly.
The girl looked embarrassed.
"Is this...your room?"
Harry flushed.
"Yeah, in the holidays."
There was an awkward silence.
"So..."said Harry, "You're a friend of Dudleys?"
Smooth Harry he thought sarcastically, reall smooth.
"My brother is." she replied, and then:
"He doesn't seem to like you much,Dudley I mean."
Harry laughed. "The feeling's mutual."
Another silence.She caught sight of one of the books under his pillow and started to leaf absently through it.
"Muggle Plants and how to use them "she read."Whats a muggle?"
Harry muttered something inaudable and tried to change the subject.
"Whats your name?"
"Im Abi. Abi Rivers."
"I'm Harr-"
"ABI! ABI WHERE ARE YOU?"
Abi rolled her eyes.
"I better go."
And she left before Harry could even say goodbye.
She was the first muggle he'd met that didn't appear to hate him, and he'd probably never see her again.
Absent mindedly, he picked up Muggle Plants and How to Use Them. There was a pen inside marking a page, that he didn't remember marking. He opened at the place. Inside, in intidy handwriting it read:
Abi
215320