Harry woke up to the smell of dinner cooking and the voices of many people. He popped up and hurried to the door desperately hoping that Vernon hadn't locked it like he usually did when company was over. To his surprise the door was open and he hurried to the bathroom. As he was washing his hands he noticed the dark imprints of Vernon's pudgy fingers across the bottom of his face and that his eyes were bloodshot.
"It could've been worse" he told himself as he checked to see if there was any bruising on his stomach. There wasn't. "I could've died without telling Ginny-"
"Who are you talking to freak?" Dudley asked letting himself into the bathroom and pushing Harry up against the sink as he did.
Harry turned his face away and stammered "No one"
"Figures" Dudley snorted "Weirdo"
Harry stepped out of the bathroom and was on his way back to his room when he decided to try something. If apologizing to Petunia got her to be nice to him, maybe it would work on Dudley. He turned and walked back down the hall stopping just as his cousin was about to close the door. Harry didn't want to imagine what he would do while he was in there.
"Um Dudley" he started off "I'm sorry about your aunt"
He finished with a look of sadness, he had to look as well as sound sincere.
Dudley looked his skinny, bruised cousin up and down. "No you're not"
Harry almost burst into a fit of laughter right then and there, but composed himself long enough to follow up with. "No I really am"
"Hmm" the large boy said before fixing his beady eyes upon Harry's face "I see dad got you"
Harry wasn't sure whether to nod or lie about it. How could he? It was blatantly obvious that Vernon did abuse him. Yet he knew that Dudley could also act sincere and when he gave in to the façade Dudley would use it against him.
"Well . . . Next time he does it-"
Harry knew what was coming next and decided to beat his slow witted cousin to the punch line. "I know, I know. You hope he kills me. I got it" he said quickly cutting him off "I was just trying to be nice you know?"
"Actually I was going to say once he's got his hands around you try and calm down. You have to try and act like it doesn't hurt, no matter what. And you can't freak out, that drives him" Dudley snapped "But I like your way too freak!"
The larger boy slammed the door in his face leaving Harry standing there feeling stupid and intrigued. This was the first he'd heard of Vernon doing anything abusive to Dudley.
Harry started off down the hall once again feeling a feeling he'd never felt for his cousin before . . . Remorse? It was this nagging feeling that caused him to stop mid step and wait for the other boy to exit the bathroom. When finally he did Harry ignored the foul smell that emitted from the enclosed room and walked up to him.
"Dudley" he said before gagging slightly
"What?" he asked looking in the mirror and beginning to fiddle with his greasy hair.
"What did you mean when you tried to give me the advice?" he asked quickly "How would you know?"
Dudley turned to him and lifted up his shirt sleeve. The top of his arm was covered in purplish bruises, he looked into his cousins green eyes and said. "You think it's easy when you're gone?"
Harry had just opened his mouth before Dudley hurriedly pushed past him, he could tell he didn't want to talk about it. "Hey Dudley" he called again
"What!" he asked impatiently not turning around
"I really am sorry" he apologized
Dudley nodded softly "Thanks" he uttered before going downstairs
Once again he began walking down the hall, no longer thinking about food but about his aunt and cousin. How could he not have figured out his uncle was abusing them too?
"I guess I shouldn't have assumed" he said to himself as he sat on the bottom steps looking at the room full of men and women talking about Marge as they dined. He decided to wait until they left to get some food, if there was any left. Petunia was serving Dudley a large helping of macaroni salad when he heard the front door click. Curiosity got the best of him so he tread back upstairs and down the other set of steps. It was Vernon. Harry almost went back to the stairs near the kitchen, at least there he could imagine eating. But he saw, as his massive uncle took off his damp coat, that there was a girl standing behind him. She was shorter than he was around 5'8, her hair was jet black like his and down to her mid back. She also took off her tattered coat and stood there timidly holding it in her arms as Vernon went back out to get what was most likely her bags. Harry's eyes were fixated on her and for some reason he felt connected to her.
"Hayleigh" he said softly
She turned and looked his way and he saw her eyes were just like his and that on her right arm there too was a cowry shell bracelet. She opened her mouth to say something but Vernon came back into the house grumbling and calling for Petunia who came running.
"Yes Vernon" she said obediently
"Where do you suggest we put her now?"
"I was thinking . . . in the room with Harry?" she answered unsure
"No!" he hissed lowly "They'll talk and-"
It was then when Vernon looked at the steps and saw him standing there. His fat face instantly turned red as he charged at the 16 year old.
"What are you doing out of that room!" he asked seizing him by the t shirt he wore
"I . . . I wanted to get something to eat!" he lied trying to keep his voice low. The chatter in the next room had died down and he'd assumed they were listening in on them.
"You'll get nothing if you leave that room again!" Vernon hissed shoving him up the stairs. Harry, unable to get good footing slipped and hit his chin on the steps. He let out a howl of pain that caused Vernon to grab him and shut him up as quickly as he could.
"Vernon" one of the women called "Is everything okay?" she asked
A bunch of chairs scraped against the floor in unison. Harry knew if they all came into the room he'd be locked in the room all summer. Petunia soon came to his aid and took him from Vernon's arms. She led him upstairs quickly with Hayleigh following. Something warm was trickling down his neck, he instantly knew it was blood. She pushed him into his room and led Hayleigh into Dudley's. There was no way Dudley would let her stay in his precious room for however long she was here.
"Stop assuming" he told himself grabbing an old t shirt and holding it to the cut. He stood by the door straining his ears to hear what Petunia was saying to the girl, but Vernon's loud voice from downstairs drowned anything audible out, He was sending everybody home. So he just waited. Minutes later Petunia walked out of the room and Harry stood in front of her wanting answers now.
"Who is that girl?" he asked "She doesn't look like my cousin"
"Cousin?" she asked puzzled
"Vernon said she was my cousin" he informed "Is she or is she not?"
"Petunia!" Vernon called already on his way upstairs
"Is she!" Harry asked again "Tell me the truth"
"What did I tell you boy!" Vernon asked taking Harry roughly by the shirt
"Aunt Petunia tell me the truth!" he called as Vernon began dragging him down the stairs, mumbling something about he knew where to put 'The Girl'. Try as he might Harry couldn't pull away from his uncle's grasp and before he knew it he was back in the crawlspace under the stairs. In one swift movement the door was locked and frustrated, Harry kicked it several times half hoping to knock it off its hinges.
"Shut all that up boy!" Vernon roared banging on the door with his fat fist.
With a final kick Harry pulled his long limbs up to his chest. The 'room' was far smaller than he'd remembered and the bed was also.
"How do you expect me to sleep in here!" he screamed defiantly
No one responded. He wanted to kick the door more, scream and beat his fist on the wall as if he were still a child, yet he did not. Why? Fear. It made him sick to his stomach to admit that after all these years of battles he was still afraid of his uncle. Harry knew the locks on the door were new because he'd helped put them on. He ran his tongue over the fleshy spot where Vernon had hit him with the butt of the power drill because he didn't hand him the right screws. The force had knocked out one of his molars. And he couldn't possibly break them without a bunch of noise. All he could do now was bide his time and wait until someone let him out.
