Ru stretched as she stepped out the car, hearing her back pop a few times
and suddenly feeling much more relaxed than she had since she woke up that
morning in the hotel. The drive to Surrey had been pleasant. Henry and
Gretchen carried on a conversation about things Ru had no part of.at least;
she didn't have part in them yet. Then they had involved her in a talk
about how she'd like to decorate her new room. She had explained that she
didn't know yet.she'd have to see it first. Then all had been quiet. She
had slept on and off, the classical music Henry had been playing softly
playing cruelly on her exhaustion.
Number seven Privet Drive. Her new home. She was lucky in the sense that it was the Clendas' new home as well, which meant that they would all be adjusting to new surroundings. Their house looked just like every other house on the drive. The only differences were the slight variations in the flowerbeds in front of each house, and the siding. Number seven looked like a Black Forest cottage.
Her room, she found out only moments later, was as large as the one she had been sharing at the lighthouse. It was gigantic to her. She stood in the center, arms outstretched, turning around in incredulous circles while Gretchen and Henry watched from the doorway.
"I take it that it passes your inspection, then?" Henry asked genially.
"Passes?" Ru asked, examining the large windows that took up an entire wall, trying not to be completely entranced by the two equally large skylights. "It exceeds, passes with flying colors.it's huge! How am I ever going to fill this cavern?"
Gretchen laughed. "Well, you said you draw a lot, I figured after we put a coat of paint on the walls- you get to choose the color, of course- we could put an easel over by the windows and another table for you to do matting and such on. As for the rest, I'm sure you'll think of something."
"Thank you." was all Ru could manage to say.
~*~
She had decided to take a walk after dinner. Henry had waved her by, handing her a cellular phone and a card with the house phone number written on it in case she got lost or needed anything. The only condition was that she be back by dark.
Privet drive was a pretty street to walk down. She had admired the flowers of her neighbors, absently murmuring their names in her mind for the better part of an hour. She was walking under a large tree that overhung the walk when something hit her from behind, knocking her to the ground and taking the wind out of her.
"Get off'a' me!" She growled as soon as she could breathe enough to protest. She pushed whatever had knocked her to the ground off of her. She sat back on her haunches and looked through tangled hair at her assailant.
It was a boy about her age with tousled black hair, brilliant green eyes screened by round glasses, and a lighting-shaped scar running down his forehead. Whose face, at the moment, was a very lovely shade of fuchsia. He jumped to his feet and offered her hand up, which she took, while he stammered apologies.
"Sorry, I lost my footing."
"You were in the tree?" She asked, brushing herself off. He nodded. She grinned. "It's fine, jus' try not to do it every time I walk by, alright?"
"No problem." Silence stretched between them for a long moment. Then he held out his hand. "Harry Potter," he offered, smiling.
"Ru Black.I mean, Ru Clendas. Nice to meet you."
"And you," he looked confused for a moment. "I haven't seen you in the neighborhood before, have I?"
"Nope, just moved in this morning."
"Oh."
Ru looked up with a start as one of the streetlights clicked on. It was getting dark. "Look, I'm sorry, but I have to go. I live over in number Seven. Come by some time, all right?"
"What? Oh.sure. That'd be cool." He smiled, and she smiled back.
"I'll look forward to it, then," With a small wave and a parting smile, she started to run across the street. Harry turned back towards number Four with a sigh, figuring that he ought to go inside. "Hey, Harry!" He heard called from across the street. Ru was grinning. "Very cool scar, by the way!"
His hand immediately drifted to his forehead and a small smile started across his face. She turned and darted into her house before he could reply in anything louder than a stunned whisper. "Thanks."
~*~
Harry scrubbed the frying pan with a vengeance. "Come off, come off, come off." he chanted at it under his breath. "Be clean damn you!" he yelled softly at it, finally managing to get the last food particle off of the pan. "I am triumphant!" he rinsed, smiling in silent victory.
"Is this what you do when no one's watching?" asked a voice behind him. Harry jumped, whipping around, ready to assault the owner of the voice with a wet frying pan.
Behind him, stood his cousin. Actually looking rather frightened of his pan- wielding cousin. Harry almost laughed at the look on Dudley's face, but managed to refrain from it by turning back to the sink, rinsing off the now clean dish.
"No, usually I build fires. Chanting curses on those who oppose me, now. What do you want Dudley?" Harry asked, not up to any comments his cousin might throw at him. He wanted to finish the dishes, and go to bed. Dishes, bed.
But, surprisingly enough, Dudley laughed. Dudley, had actually laughed at one of Harry's jokes. Okay, this is odd. Harry thought to himself, toweling off the moist pan.
"So, Harry. Who was that girl you were talking to out front? You know, by that tree you love so much?" Dudley asked, trying to sound nonchalant about it. Harry smiled to himself. How ironic, he decides to be civil with me, after I've talked to the new neighbor.
"Her name is Ru, she just moved into the house across the street. Why?" Harry asked, starting on the last couple plates. Wanting to get the chore finished as soon as possible.
Harry saw Dudley shrug out of the corner of his eye, and Dudley continued talking to the back of Harry's head. "Nothing, I was just curious." He replied, sauntering out of the kitchen.
Harry thought about the odd conversation he had just had. What was that all about? Dudley couldn't. nah. Harry shrugged, rinsing the last plate.
He could think about it later. Right now, he was falling asleep on his feet, the only thing he wanted to concentrate on was the back of his eyelids.
Number seven Privet Drive. Her new home. She was lucky in the sense that it was the Clendas' new home as well, which meant that they would all be adjusting to new surroundings. Their house looked just like every other house on the drive. The only differences were the slight variations in the flowerbeds in front of each house, and the siding. Number seven looked like a Black Forest cottage.
Her room, she found out only moments later, was as large as the one she had been sharing at the lighthouse. It was gigantic to her. She stood in the center, arms outstretched, turning around in incredulous circles while Gretchen and Henry watched from the doorway.
"I take it that it passes your inspection, then?" Henry asked genially.
"Passes?" Ru asked, examining the large windows that took up an entire wall, trying not to be completely entranced by the two equally large skylights. "It exceeds, passes with flying colors.it's huge! How am I ever going to fill this cavern?"
Gretchen laughed. "Well, you said you draw a lot, I figured after we put a coat of paint on the walls- you get to choose the color, of course- we could put an easel over by the windows and another table for you to do matting and such on. As for the rest, I'm sure you'll think of something."
"Thank you." was all Ru could manage to say.
~*~
She had decided to take a walk after dinner. Henry had waved her by, handing her a cellular phone and a card with the house phone number written on it in case she got lost or needed anything. The only condition was that she be back by dark.
Privet drive was a pretty street to walk down. She had admired the flowers of her neighbors, absently murmuring their names in her mind for the better part of an hour. She was walking under a large tree that overhung the walk when something hit her from behind, knocking her to the ground and taking the wind out of her.
"Get off'a' me!" She growled as soon as she could breathe enough to protest. She pushed whatever had knocked her to the ground off of her. She sat back on her haunches and looked through tangled hair at her assailant.
It was a boy about her age with tousled black hair, brilliant green eyes screened by round glasses, and a lighting-shaped scar running down his forehead. Whose face, at the moment, was a very lovely shade of fuchsia. He jumped to his feet and offered her hand up, which she took, while he stammered apologies.
"Sorry, I lost my footing."
"You were in the tree?" She asked, brushing herself off. He nodded. She grinned. "It's fine, jus' try not to do it every time I walk by, alright?"
"No problem." Silence stretched between them for a long moment. Then he held out his hand. "Harry Potter," he offered, smiling.
"Ru Black.I mean, Ru Clendas. Nice to meet you."
"And you," he looked confused for a moment. "I haven't seen you in the neighborhood before, have I?"
"Nope, just moved in this morning."
"Oh."
Ru looked up with a start as one of the streetlights clicked on. It was getting dark. "Look, I'm sorry, but I have to go. I live over in number Seven. Come by some time, all right?"
"What? Oh.sure. That'd be cool." He smiled, and she smiled back.
"I'll look forward to it, then," With a small wave and a parting smile, she started to run across the street. Harry turned back towards number Four with a sigh, figuring that he ought to go inside. "Hey, Harry!" He heard called from across the street. Ru was grinning. "Very cool scar, by the way!"
His hand immediately drifted to his forehead and a small smile started across his face. She turned and darted into her house before he could reply in anything louder than a stunned whisper. "Thanks."
~*~
Harry scrubbed the frying pan with a vengeance. "Come off, come off, come off." he chanted at it under his breath. "Be clean damn you!" he yelled softly at it, finally managing to get the last food particle off of the pan. "I am triumphant!" he rinsed, smiling in silent victory.
"Is this what you do when no one's watching?" asked a voice behind him. Harry jumped, whipping around, ready to assault the owner of the voice with a wet frying pan.
Behind him, stood his cousin. Actually looking rather frightened of his pan- wielding cousin. Harry almost laughed at the look on Dudley's face, but managed to refrain from it by turning back to the sink, rinsing off the now clean dish.
"No, usually I build fires. Chanting curses on those who oppose me, now. What do you want Dudley?" Harry asked, not up to any comments his cousin might throw at him. He wanted to finish the dishes, and go to bed. Dishes, bed.
But, surprisingly enough, Dudley laughed. Dudley, had actually laughed at one of Harry's jokes. Okay, this is odd. Harry thought to himself, toweling off the moist pan.
"So, Harry. Who was that girl you were talking to out front? You know, by that tree you love so much?" Dudley asked, trying to sound nonchalant about it. Harry smiled to himself. How ironic, he decides to be civil with me, after I've talked to the new neighbor.
"Her name is Ru, she just moved into the house across the street. Why?" Harry asked, starting on the last couple plates. Wanting to get the chore finished as soon as possible.
Harry saw Dudley shrug out of the corner of his eye, and Dudley continued talking to the back of Harry's head. "Nothing, I was just curious." He replied, sauntering out of the kitchen.
Harry thought about the odd conversation he had just had. What was that all about? Dudley couldn't. nah. Harry shrugged, rinsing the last plate.
He could think about it later. Right now, he was falling asleep on his feet, the only thing he wanted to concentrate on was the back of his eyelids.