Thanks to all who reviewed!
I appreciate it!
And I'm sorry for not writing for so long... Third quarter finals. Yuck!
xann-blackstar: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it!
JadeHawk: You're right! Three cheers to you! And thanks for reviewing!
Drusilla: I'm glad you like it! I did my best about the updating, although I know I took a while....
Kewii: Thank you for the advice.. About the notes thing, I'll try not to have that happen again.. Truthfully, though, when I started writing the story I hadn't thought about the past- just about Harry being LIKED by the Dursleys. But I'll try to include them in the story from now on.... And I don't agree with your second point. The Dudleys are TOTALLY different in this fic. Thanks for reviewing, either way!
~*~Chapter 9~*~
(three hours later)
Dudley turned over on the hospital bed and groaned. Although the claw marks hadn't been too wide, they had been quite deep, and had had to be sewed up. Dudley hadn't been happy about that, and now was even unhappier, considering that his entire back felt as if it was aflame, and he could only lie on his stomach.
At his first moan, Petunia rushed over to his bedside. "Duds? Honey, are you all right?"
"Not bad at all, except for the fact that my back is on fire!" Dudley whined somewhat playfully, and Petunia smiled. "I can see that your injuries haven't taken away your sense of humor, boys!" She turned to Harry and patted him on the shoulder. "Harry? Don't worry about it, dear. It wasn't really your fault... rather, both of you were at fault. You should know better than that! One of you-"
'Might have gotten hurt!' Dudley and Harry mumbled simultaneously.
"Yes, boys, that's right," Petunia was somewhat exasperated. "I know you've both heard this before, so I don't see why I should say it again. Besides, you'll both get a lecture from your father soon enough!"
The boys groaned, this time wholeheartedly. "NO, mum, please!" they begged.
"No such luck!" their mother smirked. "That'll be your punishment for misbehaving! I DID warn you not to go outside, you know!"
Just then, their father, looking stern, entered the room.
"How many times will I have to tell you to THINK before you JUMP??"
'Every single time I tell you, and I have the feeling you don't listen at all!' The boys continued under their voices as Vernon said it.
'And look at you now! Something happened, and whose fault was it?' The three of them recited, although their father didn't notice.
"Well, boys, whose fault was it? Mine? No. Your mother's? No."
'The neighbor's cat? No.' Dudley added under his breath, and the boys snorted with laughter.
Vernon overheard them that time. "VE-ERY good, Dudley! It WASN'T the neighbor's cat!"
Petunia looked at the three of them, facing each other defiantly, and giggled. "You three are so funny, did you know that?" She asked. "Vern, you DO realize that the boys know your little speech better than you?"
Vernon looked at his sons, startled. "Err... yes, I did know that?"
Harry clutched his stomach and keeled over, laughing, tears pouring out of his eyes, as did Dudley, if a little slowly because of his sore back.
Petunia looked at her boys, slumped on the floor and shaking, and at her husband, standing and looking somewhat confused, and shook her head in amusement.
"All's right with the world," she quipped.
~*~Chapter 10~*~
The next day, Dudley was discharged from the hospital
("More like excremented," Harry jibed)
and the family went back to their cozy little house. Vernon drove the car, Petunia sat next to him, and the boys wrestled in the back seat. There was a feeling of warm coziness in the car, and the boys were grinning in anticipation of seeing their house again. (a day and a half away from it seemed like a long time!) After a twenty minute drive, they reached their house, and parked in the garage, the boys running out of the car as soon as the motor was turned off.
There were still some patches of snow lying on the ground, but there was some large patch of feathery snow on the porch. Wait- feathery??
"MUM!!" Dudley exclaimed. "Is that an OWL??" Their mother ran out of the car, leaving the door open, and approached the porch.
She gasped. "Yes, Duddy, it's an owl, Harry, get further away from it, get Daddy!"
Vernon heard the last part and came out of the car, locking it.
"Yes, 'Tunia? You called?"
His wife pointed to the feathery clump of white on the front porch, and Vernon gasped in surprise. "Is that an..... owl?"
Just then, the owl (for it was an owl) spread its wings and flew up, to them, and dropped something white on Harry's head.
"EEW!!" Harry shrieked. "Mum, it's POOPED on me!"
But his father bent over to the snow to look at the white object. "No, Harry," he said. "It's not poop. It's a.... letter."
*sob* Nobody's reviewing! Nobody likes my work! No.. but seriously, all of you out there, how do you expect me to update if you don't provide feedback? The more review, the faster I'll update! SO PLEASE REVIEW!!!
xann-blackstar: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you like it!
JadeHawk: You're right! Three cheers to you! And thanks for reviewing!
Drusilla: I'm glad you like it! I did my best about the updating, although I know I took a while....
Kewii: Thank you for the advice.. About the notes thing, I'll try not to have that happen again.. Truthfully, though, when I started writing the story I hadn't thought about the past- just about Harry being LIKED by the Dursleys. But I'll try to include them in the story from now on.... And I don't agree with your second point. The Dudleys are TOTALLY different in this fic. Thanks for reviewing, either way!
~*~Chapter 9~*~
(three hours later)
Dudley turned over on the hospital bed and groaned. Although the claw marks hadn't been too wide, they had been quite deep, and had had to be sewed up. Dudley hadn't been happy about that, and now was even unhappier, considering that his entire back felt as if it was aflame, and he could only lie on his stomach.
At his first moan, Petunia rushed over to his bedside. "Duds? Honey, are you all right?"
"Not bad at all, except for the fact that my back is on fire!" Dudley whined somewhat playfully, and Petunia smiled. "I can see that your injuries haven't taken away your sense of humor, boys!" She turned to Harry and patted him on the shoulder. "Harry? Don't worry about it, dear. It wasn't really your fault... rather, both of you were at fault. You should know better than that! One of you-"
'Might have gotten hurt!' Dudley and Harry mumbled simultaneously.
"Yes, boys, that's right," Petunia was somewhat exasperated. "I know you've both heard this before, so I don't see why I should say it again. Besides, you'll both get a lecture from your father soon enough!"
The boys groaned, this time wholeheartedly. "NO, mum, please!" they begged.
"No such luck!" their mother smirked. "That'll be your punishment for misbehaving! I DID warn you not to go outside, you know!"
Just then, their father, looking stern, entered the room.
"How many times will I have to tell you to THINK before you JUMP??"
'Every single time I tell you, and I have the feeling you don't listen at all!' The boys continued under their voices as Vernon said it.
'And look at you now! Something happened, and whose fault was it?' The three of them recited, although their father didn't notice.
"Well, boys, whose fault was it? Mine? No. Your mother's? No."
'The neighbor's cat? No.' Dudley added under his breath, and the boys snorted with laughter.
Vernon overheard them that time. "VE-ERY good, Dudley! It WASN'T the neighbor's cat!"
Petunia looked at the three of them, facing each other defiantly, and giggled. "You three are so funny, did you know that?" She asked. "Vern, you DO realize that the boys know your little speech better than you?"
Vernon looked at his sons, startled. "Err... yes, I did know that?"
Harry clutched his stomach and keeled over, laughing, tears pouring out of his eyes, as did Dudley, if a little slowly because of his sore back.
Petunia looked at her boys, slumped on the floor and shaking, and at her husband, standing and looking somewhat confused, and shook her head in amusement.
"All's right with the world," she quipped.
~*~Chapter 10~*~
The next day, Dudley was discharged from the hospital
("More like excremented," Harry jibed)
and the family went back to their cozy little house. Vernon drove the car, Petunia sat next to him, and the boys wrestled in the back seat. There was a feeling of warm coziness in the car, and the boys were grinning in anticipation of seeing their house again. (a day and a half away from it seemed like a long time!) After a twenty minute drive, they reached their house, and parked in the garage, the boys running out of the car as soon as the motor was turned off.
There were still some patches of snow lying on the ground, but there was some large patch of feathery snow on the porch. Wait- feathery??
"MUM!!" Dudley exclaimed. "Is that an OWL??" Their mother ran out of the car, leaving the door open, and approached the porch.
She gasped. "Yes, Duddy, it's an owl, Harry, get further away from it, get Daddy!"
Vernon heard the last part and came out of the car, locking it.
"Yes, 'Tunia? You called?"
His wife pointed to the feathery clump of white on the front porch, and Vernon gasped in surprise. "Is that an..... owl?"
Just then, the owl (for it was an owl) spread its wings and flew up, to them, and dropped something white on Harry's head.
"EEW!!" Harry shrieked. "Mum, it's POOPED on me!"
But his father bent over to the snow to look at the white object. "No, Harry," he said. "It's not poop. It's a.... letter."
*sob* Nobody's reviewing! Nobody likes my work! No.. but seriously, all of you out there, how do you expect me to update if you don't provide feedback? The more review, the faster I'll update! SO PLEASE REVIEW!!!