After dinner, the group had settled back into the sitting room, chatting
over tea and cookies, compliments of Mrs. Gulic. Krys was letting her eyes
wander around the room, taking in all of the obsessive pictures of Dudley
that adorned the sitting area. The conversation around the room kept
fading in and out as Krys lost herself within her own thoughts.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Dursley? Where is your bathroom?" Krys later interrupted politely, blushing slightly at asking an embarrassing question. Mrs. Dursley just smiled; glad that she could be of some use.
"Upstairs and the second door on your right, dear. You can't miss it." Krys nodded with a smile of thanks and disappeared back into the hall with the tacky carpet. She wandered up the stairs, taking in the outlandish style of the rest of the house as she slowly went along. Remembering the directions that Mrs. Dursley had given her, Krys found the bathroom with no problem.
As Krys washed her hands, she heard a door close to the room next to her. Shutting off the water, she quietly peeked out of the bathroom door, and down the hall. Thinking that Dudley had come upstairs, her curiosity had gotten the better of her as she stood before the door with about a dozen locks down the side. Furrowing her brows she leaned forward and knocked quietly on the door as she pushed it open.
"Dudley...? Why did you..."
"Aunt Petunia I am..." A sour English accent came from the room beyond. Krys's eyes went wide as she peered upon a mop-haired young man with round glasses upon his strong nose.
"Who are you?" exclaimed both teenagers at the same time. The young man blinked curiously upon the pretty girl while his fingers absentmindedly stroked the breast of his snow white owl.
"Uh...I...I'm Krystina. And...uh...my family is here having dinner with yours. But...what are you doing up here?"
"Mine's Harry. And I hardly consider them," He gestured with a nod of his head to the downstairs. "My family. I'm just a cousin."
Krys narrowed her eyes in thought as she took in the situation. It seemed fishy, but nothing too serious. Distracting her further was the peculiar pet atop of Harry's desk.
"Is that owl yours?" She asked cautiously, hoping that Harry didn't find her a stalker or anything.
Harry smiled and looked down to the large owl next to him who seemed to ruffle her feathers at the attention she was receiving. "Yeah, this is Hedwig." The lovely and rather proper bird gave a hoot, encouraging Harry to continue introducing her. "She's the friendly sort, as long as you're polite to her." The pretty owl nipped playfully at Harry's stroking fingers, seeming to thank him for the flattery.
"Do you think she'd let me pet her?" Krys asked with a soft smile of delight as she took slow steps forward, moving her body closer to Harry and his bird.
"Um...uh...sure, you can." Harry gulped and felt a flush rise to his cheeks. There was a pretty girl in his bedroom, and a muggle! Smiling cautiously she reached out and followed the lay of Hedwig's feathers, stroking downwards with a few fingers. The owl gave a soft flutter of her wings and Harry nervously chuckled. "It seems that she likes you."
Krys gave Hedwig a few more reassuring strokes before glancing back up to Harry and letting her eyes quest about his room in a nonchalant kind of way. Harry's room was quite lacking the flamboyant character that the rest of the house so far had displayed. It seemed like an ordinary teenage boy's room. Slightly messy with clothes in random heaps. His corkboard was unorganized, full of scraps of paper and his school memorabilia.
"Is that where you go to school...?" Krys asked gesturing to the burgundy and gold banner tacked to his wall. Harry nodded uneasily.
"Yeah...it's some kind of boarding school. I just come home for the summer."
"I suppose you must like it there since you pretty much brought it home with you." Krys noticed teasingly.
"Yeah...well...if you had to live with the Dursleys, you would too." Harry retorted back.
"I see your point." Krys said with a laugh. "I've only known that cousin of yours for a few hours and he already gives me the creeps."
Harry grinned and was glad that someone at home sympathized with him about his mother's family. He had grown quite comfortable with this new girl, having just had her almost barge into his room. His mouth had just opened to add to their conversation about how horrible it was living there but Krys's mother's entrance interrupted his thoughts.
"Krystina! What do you think you're doing? Snooping around like a..." She couldn't finish her sentence because Harry's presence spooked her. "And who are you?"
"Mom...this is Harry. Dudley's cousin."
"Why aren't you downstairs with the rest of us?"
"Uh...well...you see..." Harry started nervously, not wanting to share the truth with both of them. The Dursleys never invited him to any family function.
"He just got back from spending a week with his friend...uh..." Krys looked to Harry for help. Harry quickly mouthed a name in response. "Ron! With Ron. Harry was just telling me all about it."
Mrs. Gulic gave the pair a strange look. "I see. Well now, why don't you both come downstairs?" Both Harry and Krys nodded in reluctant agreement and followed Mrs. Gulic.
"Excuse me, Mrs. Dursley? Where is your bathroom?" Krys later interrupted politely, blushing slightly at asking an embarrassing question. Mrs. Dursley just smiled; glad that she could be of some use.
"Upstairs and the second door on your right, dear. You can't miss it." Krys nodded with a smile of thanks and disappeared back into the hall with the tacky carpet. She wandered up the stairs, taking in the outlandish style of the rest of the house as she slowly went along. Remembering the directions that Mrs. Dursley had given her, Krys found the bathroom with no problem.
As Krys washed her hands, she heard a door close to the room next to her. Shutting off the water, she quietly peeked out of the bathroom door, and down the hall. Thinking that Dudley had come upstairs, her curiosity had gotten the better of her as she stood before the door with about a dozen locks down the side. Furrowing her brows she leaned forward and knocked quietly on the door as she pushed it open.
"Dudley...? Why did you..."
"Aunt Petunia I am..." A sour English accent came from the room beyond. Krys's eyes went wide as she peered upon a mop-haired young man with round glasses upon his strong nose.
"Who are you?" exclaimed both teenagers at the same time. The young man blinked curiously upon the pretty girl while his fingers absentmindedly stroked the breast of his snow white owl.
"Uh...I...I'm Krystina. And...uh...my family is here having dinner with yours. But...what are you doing up here?"
"Mine's Harry. And I hardly consider them," He gestured with a nod of his head to the downstairs. "My family. I'm just a cousin."
Krys narrowed her eyes in thought as she took in the situation. It seemed fishy, but nothing too serious. Distracting her further was the peculiar pet atop of Harry's desk.
"Is that owl yours?" She asked cautiously, hoping that Harry didn't find her a stalker or anything.
Harry smiled and looked down to the large owl next to him who seemed to ruffle her feathers at the attention she was receiving. "Yeah, this is Hedwig." The lovely and rather proper bird gave a hoot, encouraging Harry to continue introducing her. "She's the friendly sort, as long as you're polite to her." The pretty owl nipped playfully at Harry's stroking fingers, seeming to thank him for the flattery.
"Do you think she'd let me pet her?" Krys asked with a soft smile of delight as she took slow steps forward, moving her body closer to Harry and his bird.
"Um...uh...sure, you can." Harry gulped and felt a flush rise to his cheeks. There was a pretty girl in his bedroom, and a muggle! Smiling cautiously she reached out and followed the lay of Hedwig's feathers, stroking downwards with a few fingers. The owl gave a soft flutter of her wings and Harry nervously chuckled. "It seems that she likes you."
Krys gave Hedwig a few more reassuring strokes before glancing back up to Harry and letting her eyes quest about his room in a nonchalant kind of way. Harry's room was quite lacking the flamboyant character that the rest of the house so far had displayed. It seemed like an ordinary teenage boy's room. Slightly messy with clothes in random heaps. His corkboard was unorganized, full of scraps of paper and his school memorabilia.
"Is that where you go to school...?" Krys asked gesturing to the burgundy and gold banner tacked to his wall. Harry nodded uneasily.
"Yeah...it's some kind of boarding school. I just come home for the summer."
"I suppose you must like it there since you pretty much brought it home with you." Krys noticed teasingly.
"Yeah...well...if you had to live with the Dursleys, you would too." Harry retorted back.
"I see your point." Krys said with a laugh. "I've only known that cousin of yours for a few hours and he already gives me the creeps."
Harry grinned and was glad that someone at home sympathized with him about his mother's family. He had grown quite comfortable with this new girl, having just had her almost barge into his room. His mouth had just opened to add to their conversation about how horrible it was living there but Krys's mother's entrance interrupted his thoughts.
"Krystina! What do you think you're doing? Snooping around like a..." She couldn't finish her sentence because Harry's presence spooked her. "And who are you?"
"Mom...this is Harry. Dudley's cousin."
"Why aren't you downstairs with the rest of us?"
"Uh...well...you see..." Harry started nervously, not wanting to share the truth with both of them. The Dursleys never invited him to any family function.
"He just got back from spending a week with his friend...uh..." Krys looked to Harry for help. Harry quickly mouthed a name in response. "Ron! With Ron. Harry was just telling me all about it."
Mrs. Gulic gave the pair a strange look. "I see. Well now, why don't you both come downstairs?" Both Harry and Krys nodded in reluctant agreement and followed Mrs. Gulic.