Chapter 5: Vicky and her Stupid Friends
Harry was sitting on a bench in the park, watching some children play. They were so carefree, laughing and screaming with delight or chasing each other, giggling all the while. Harry spent every evening just sitting there and enjoying the atmosphere. It had been two weeks since his release from Azkaban. He was getting on very well with his fitness program though he hadn't noticed any drastic changes yet. He had all his meals there with Ashley scolding him every time he said he was full before he had finished everything on his super-sized plate and the tall glass of protein shake or whatever it was. He was proud to say he had learnt how to swim rather well in a short time.
Harry had visited the local bookstore and bought a few books that interested him. He spent his days swimming, working out, reading or just roaming around town. The Dursleys were back to ignoring him and he them. It didn't bother him but he wondered about the lost look his aunt sometimes gave him. He didn't think it was possible for her to feel guilty, she was probably trying to come up with a believable story about his hair-color to tell her friends. The nightmares were back in full swing but he was so used to them that he would just lay back on the bed and go back to sleep after waking up screaming. Harry tried to keep busy and ignore the sadness and hurt that he sometimes felt whenever he saw a group of friends doing something together.
Harry was jolted out of his thoughts by a sudden burst of laughter not far from him. Most of the kids had returned home since it was getting dark but there was a group of teenage girls wandering together and laughing at something. As they got closer to the bench where he was sitting one of them looked straight at him. Her smile faltered and she gazed curiously at him. Harry saw her and turned his head the other way wondering whether to go swim or just stay for a while longer before he had his dinner.
The girl who had been staring at him stopped her friends not far from where Harry was sitting and asked them who he was in a whisper. She had wavy brown hair tied in a ponytail and wore a 'Casper the Friendly Ghost' T-shirt with jeans and sneakers.
"That boy? He's Harry Potter, Dudley's cousin. You remember Dudley, the big bully I showed you the other day? All of us used to go to the same school." Sandra, the blonde bookworm answered, pushing her glasses up.
"Let's go over and talk to him" the first one whispered back before turning towards Harry.
"NO Vicky! Are you crazy? He's dangerous. He goes to St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys." Sandra rasped in one breath and the other girls nodded fearfully.
Oblivious to the whispering girls, Harry got up and headed for Exizt for a swim before dinner. He'd do a couple of laps back-stroke, then listen to Ashley scold him over dinner for not practicing his freestyle.
"Oh look, he's gone" the other girls sighed with relief at Vicky's statement.
"Why is his hair white?" she asked sitting on the bench Harry had just vacated as her friends joined her.
"No one knows. My mom tried to ask Mrs. Dursley –that's his aunt– the other day and she got all upset and wouldn't answer" Janet replied.
"He's only here during the summer and last year he didn't come back at all." Sandra continued.
"Hmmm...interesting" Vicky said absentmindedly. She definitely had to talk to this Harry Potter the next time she saw him.
Albus Dumbledore put down the letter he was reading and leaned back into his chair, sighing tiredly. Ever since Harry's release from Azkaban he had been receiving hundreds of such letters. Many of them were from Harry's friends at school and their families wanting to know how he was, where he was, how to write to him and other such concerns. Most of them were from witches and wizards who wanted to thank Harry and some of them, offer to take Harry in for the summer. The Daily Prophet had reported that Harry would be returning to Hogwarts. It was lucky that no one except the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts could send owls to Harry. After seeing Harry at the Leaky Cauldron, Dumbledore had advised Ron, Hermione and the others not to try and contact him for the summer. He knew that Harry was still angry and not ready to forgive anyone yet.
He sighed again, bowing his head in defeat. How did this happen? How could he have failed Harry so miserably? On the black night that all this had started, he had still been convinced of Harry's innocence. There had been so many people dead or injured and their loved ones almost mad with grief. And all the evidence had pointed to Harry. Dumbledore knew Harry wasn't capable of such cruelty but everyone else was convinced of his guilt. Dumbledore had thought the safest thing was to get Harry out of there, away from people who were on the verge of killing him in revenge, but the others, parents and teachers had insisted that he was a danger with a wand and he deserved to be punished. So he had done the only thing that would satisfy everyone enough to leave Harry unscathed. He had snapped his wand and had him expelled. He should have thought about the consequences of his actions. In court, his rash decision had been the final nail on the coffin and doomed Harry to Azkaban. But by then, Dumbledore himself had been convinced that Harry was a murderer, all thanks to Mad-Eye Moody who was discovered to be Barty Crouch Jr. just a month ago. He had shown Dumbledore and the court solid proof of Harry's Dark activities throughout the Tournament. Harry had been unable to defend himself against the accusations since he had spent so much time alone or with Ron and Hermione. His friends had turned against him by then, overwhelmed by the deaths around them and everyone else's poisonous accusations to Harry, their testimony had only helped destroy Harry's defense in court.
Dumbledore raised his head when there was a knock on the door and a gaunt and bone-tired Sirius entered his office.
"Headmaster, I need your signature on this application. The Ministry is making things harder then necessary as usual" he said, putting some papers in front of Dumbledore.
Dumbledore told him to sit down as he glanced through the custody papers. Sirius had barely begun to enjoy his freedom and now this happened. Barty Crouch and Wormtail were caught together and that resulted in a full pardon and a bulky compensation for Sirius. Since the day Harry was found to be innocent, Sirius had regained that haunted look in his eyes. It was hard to imagine that the weary man sitting in front of him had once been the spirited prankster with the most number of detentions at Hogwarts. Now he was trying his best to win guardianship of Harry. He needed to get Harry away from his unfeeling relatives and at least try to make up for the horrible injustice the boy had suffered all his life.
Dumbledore read through the papers before signing them and handing them back to him.
"Sirius, you have not been resting enough. You know this will take a long time. And Harry is spending this summer with his relatives. You will be seeing him when he gets back to Hogwarts anyway. Please take it easy for a while, Remus is worried about you" Dumbledore tried to persuade the stubborn man who was like a son to him.
"I cannot rest, Headmaster. Not after all that has happened. It isn't fair to Harry. He should be surrounded by people who love him right now. He needs it. He shouldn't be living alone with those muggles. I can't understand why you won't let me speak to him" the frustrated wizard said in agitation.
"Sirius, please. Try to understand. Harry needs time to come to terms with everything. He is far from ready for any pressure or decisions. Just give him some time."
"How can I? He has been through so much. When I remember what he had to endure...He came to me, pleading for some understanding, hoping for a little support. But I......I was too blind to see the truth. I was too caught up in my own memories to help him. I saw Pettigrew everytime I looked at him. I didn't even know him very well. I felt so hurt and betrayed that I lashed out at him.......th-the horrible things I said to him" Sirius shuddered, haunted once again with the immense guilt he had felt throughout his years in Azkaban for failing James and Lily.
"I....I should've known better. I had been falsely accused myself, I should've been there for him, sympathized with him but instead I shouted at him and accused him and turned away from him. Oh, God....what he must have been through......I suffered so much in Azkaban but I didn't have to bear witness to the hatred others felt for me, I didn't have to face my friends' loathing. He must have felt so alone. He will never forgive us. He will never forgive me. It was all my fault. He will hate me forever" Sirius was shaking his head, unaware of the tears flowing from his eyes.
"Sirius, Sirius...please calm down. It was not your fault. It was a great error that we committed but you alone are not responsible. In time, Harry will..."
"No! James and Lily had made me his guardian. I should have at least heard him out. I should've given him a chance to explain. I just shut him out. I was too wrapped up in my own feelings, thinking he was like Pettigrew. I felt betrayed by him like I was by Pettigrew. I abandoned him then. But I won't abandon him now. Harry will have the home he deserves. He won't suffer ever again. He won't!" the haunted look was replaced by a determination to do right as Sirius retrieved the papers and left Dumbledore's office.
Dumbledore watched him go, thinking of all the obstacles ahead of them all. He doubted Harry would be able to let go and forgive easily but he hoped that in time all would be well. He closed his eyes as Fawkes let out a trill of soothing phoenix-song.
Harry was flipping through a non-fiction book at the bookstore when a voice close to him made him jump.
"What are you looking at?" Harry recognized the girl who'd been at the park the other day. She was looking at the book he was holding.
"Here" he said offering the book to her.
She didn't take the book but just kept looking at him.
"My name is Vicky Denver. What's yours?" she asked instead.
Harry placed the book back on the shelf and moved two rows away, browsing through the fiction section now. He had been caught by surprise at her question. He didn't know what to say. Every time he looked at someone around his own age he'd remember his friends at Hogwarts. He knew this Vicky and all the other youths in Surrey weren't the friends who had abandoned him but still he felt an irrational anger at them. He could speak to Ashley or Elaine but he would freeze whenever around his own age-group.
"You won't tell me your name? Too bad. I already know. It's Harry Potter isn't it?" the annoying girl had followed him and just stood there leaning against the bookshelf.
"What, nothing to say? Ignoring me won't help, you know. I'll just keep pestering you until you stop ignoring me" she continued.
Harry decided he'd come back another day. He took the two books he'd found earlier and went to pay at the counter. To his annoyance, the girl followed him. She just stood beside him as he paid for the books and took the plastic bag containing the books. Harry walked out of the bookstore quickly. As he turned his head back slightly to make sure she wasn't following him, Vicky grabbed his plastic bag from the other side and retreated a few steps.
"Give it back" Harry's voice was leveled though he felt his impatience grow.
"No" she replied impishly.
"What do you want?" his anger was beginning to show.
"I just wanna be friends" she replied spreading her hands.
Harry took the opportunity to try and grab his books but she was too quick and retreated just in time.
"Vicky? What on earth are you doing? Didn't you hear what I said about him? Why are you speaking to that dangerous freak..." Sandra said before she remembered that Harry could hear her too. She was looking at him fearfully.
Harry recognized the blonde girl who had been in his Fourth Grade Math class. His emerald eyes turned icy at her remark and he gave the girl a death-glare before snatching his plastic bag from a surprised Vicky and walking away.
"Now look what you did. I had almost made friends with him and you ruined it" Vicky scolded her friend angrily.
"Why would you want to be friends with him? He's a dangerous criminal" Sandra asked.
"Oh, that's all just bullshit. He's not a criminal" Vicky replied with conviction as the other girls joined them.
"How do you know? Why does he go to that school for criminals then?" one of the girls asked.
"Look, you guys went to school with him, right? Did he commit any crimes in school? Then? When did he have time to commit crimes? You said he went to that 'school' straight after finishing elementary. If he didn't commit any crimes while in school, then how can he be a criminal? Surely that 'school' his aunt claims to have sent him to doesn't take in 'future criminals' even if that is what the snobby woman claimed him to be." The other girls looked blank for a moment before they finally understood what she was saying.
"I saw his aunt at Janet's house the other day. She seems a completely over-dramatic gossip to me. I don't believe anything she says. I wanna talk to this Harry Potter" she declared before stomping off.
Harry was in the empty playground, legs dangling just above the ground from where he was sitting on the wooden thingamajiggy that was the bridge to the spaceship-thingy. He was recalling his own childhood when he heard several people approaching. He looked up to see the Vicky from the bookstore and her friends. Vicky nudged her blonde friend, the one with the careless remark at the bookstore and she came forward looking at him almost cautiously.
"I...I'm-I'm sorry about what I said the other day. I didn't mean it. Honest" she said almost childishly.
Harry stared at her causing her to gulp noisily then nodded.
"It's okay" he replied before turning his gaze back the other way. He hoped they'd all go away now but his wish wasn't granted.
"Sooo, how 'bout we be friends?" the ever-annoying Vicky suggested.
"No, thanks" Harry replied looking at her and her friends before getting down and walking off in the other direction.
"Whoa, what do you have against us anyway?" Vicky had raced and blocked his way.
He ran a hand through his hair exasperatedly wondering what on earth did the she-devil want from him.
"Look, I don't want to be friends okay? So why don't you leave me alone?" he suggested coldly.
"Why don't you want to be friends? Everyone wants to have friends? Why do you want to be alone?" Vicky studied him as if he was an enigma she needed to solve.
"I'm not like everyone else. Just back off. I don't need friends" he spat viciously before side-stepping her and striding away.
"What a temper!" Vicky observed before turning to her friends.
"Oh, well. We'll catch him when he's in a better mood" she told them.
By the looks on their faces, Vicky knew they needed another round of convincing about the benefits of befriending the mysterious Mr. Potter. She flounced back to them and got started on her lecture all the while planning her next attack on him.
Harry was sitting in front of the bakery, sipping his chocolate shake when Vicky and two of her friends sat down on three of the empty chairs at his table.
"Hi, Harry! Whew, what a hot day! Is it always this hot in the summer here?" she asked one of her friends as she dumped her shopping bags on the table.
"Yeah, but you have to admit, the shopping is great. Hi Harry!" the other girl replied turning to smile at him.
"Here are your drinks, ladies. Hi Harry" Sandra placed the tray she was carrying on the table before taking the last empty chair.
Harry just stared at them, quite bewildered by their behavior. He put his unfinished milk-shake on the table and began to leave.
"Harry, you can't go! That's not very gentlemanly of you, leaving us ladies to pay for the drinks. No, don't take out your stupid wallet. We're not going to ask you to pay if you don't even have the courtesy to stay until we've finished. Honestly, what is the world coming to?" a girl whom Harry didn't even know retorted angrily pretending to be all offended as the girl beside her nodded righteously.
The girl's loud exclamation had caused the people at the neighboring table to stare at Harry disapprovingly. Harry gritted his teeth at the looks he was getting before Vicky pulled him down back into his chair.
"Sit down and finish your drink. All this anger is bad for your blood-pressure" she told him handing his drink back. He sat fuming as the girls chatted gaily, ignoring his deadly scowl.
"Hi, Mrs. Dursley. Can we come in?" Vicky was standing at the front door of Number Four with her friends.
"Oh...of course" Mrs. Dursley smiled before ushering the young ladies into the living room. Finally the neighborhood girls were beginning to notice her Dudley's fine qualities. Oh, how bittersweet it was to watch your son grow up.
"Would you girls like some tea? I just made a pot for myself" Mrs. Dursley asked before rushing away at their polite nods.
She quickly prepared the tray of tea and biscuits to occupy the girls while she called her Dudders. After taking the tray to the girls and nodding at their polite thank-yous, she rushed up the stairs to get Dudley.
"Dudley, Duddykinns. There are some nice young ladies here to see you" she knocked excitedly at his bedroom door.
Dudley opened the door looking confused but his confusion changed to delight as he heard what his mother had to say. Harry had been reading a science-fiction novel in his room when he heard his aunt speaking. He had a suspicion that it was that loony bunch of girls who followed him everywhere. He stepped out of his room and stood on the landing to listen.
"Here they are, Dudley. Now why don't you introduce me to your friends" Mrs. Dursley prompted looking expectantly at her son.
"Uhhh....Mrs. Dursley, we aren't here to see Dudley. Although he's a very nice guy and we're all glad to meet him" Vicky said and the other girls nodded vigorously.
"Actually.....we're here to see Harry......you know......your nephew?"
Harry who'd heard the whole exchange with glee still felt irritated with the girls. The nerve of them to come here, honestly! He stalked down to the living room and crossing his arms, glared at the girls.
"What are you doing here?" his question was directed to all but his gaze was focused on the impish ring-leader.
"Why Harry, is that any way to speak to your friends? We just came to see you! We hadn't seen you since Tuesday when you bought us drinks at the bakery. You had stalked off before we could thank you properly" Vicky said in a feigned hurt voice. She was a good actress, he'd give her that.
"I am not your friend and I'll thank you to leave now" he replied bluntly.
"But we just got here. We haven't even finished our tea" Vicky whined, sitting down again and grabbing her cup of tea.
Mrs. Dursley who had been gaping open-mouthed for some time, pursed her lips and fixed her nephew with a grim look. How dare he? How dare he have such pretty girls as friends when her own Dudley didn't have a single female friend. He had no right to steal her Dudley's glory.
"Vernon will be home soon. He won't be pleased to find the dinner late because of guests. And the neighbours would no doubt prefer their daughters home before dark" she sniffed snobbily, staring at Harry with dislike before huffing off to the kitchen.
Dudley smiled goofily at the girls and glowered at his cousin before lumbering back upstairs. It just wasn't fair. What did the girls see in that freak cousin of his?
Harry turned back to the girls and sighed tiredly, crossing his arms.
"Well, have you finished your blasted tea?" he asked Vicky causing the girls to giggle.
"Not yet. Won't you sit down?" Vicky inquired unperturbed.
"No, I won't bloody sit down. Why are you doing this to me?" he asked feeling aggravated.
"We just want to get to know the mysterious Mr. Potter a little better" Vicky's answer made the girls giggle some more.
"Look, my uncle will be home soon. Just finish your tea and go" he ignored the giggles.
"Oh but we want to meet the hospitable Mr. Dursley. Surely he wouldn't mind if we stayed for dinner" Vicky twisted a tissue in mock agitation.
Harry gaped at her for a moment before burying his head in his hands and groaning.
"What do you want from me?" he asked in frustration.
Vicky seemed to give his question some serious consideration before replying.
"Promise to spend the weekend with us?" she set her condition.
Once again Harry was speechless before refusing vehemently. He tried to get the girls to leave him alone but they had set the condition and they wouldn't budge. After a lot of fruitless cajoling, Harry finally gave in to their demands.
And that is how Harry found himself becoming the reluctant friend to a group of hyper-active giggly girls with a she-devil for a leader.