Who I Am

Chapter 3

Family Affair

"Faggot! I didn't know you still lived here! Surprised Dad and Lily haven't kicked you out, just for what you are." That was Dudley, my loud-mouthed step-brother. He was in college at the time and only dropped by to see Vernon, my step-father and his biological father.

"Be quiet, Dudley," Vernon shouted from the kitchen. He entered wearing his apron and carrying a spatula. Vernon was about my height but was much heavier than I. He was only about thirty-five or so but his hair was already graying and his hairline had begun to recede. The wrinkles on his forehead also added to his age. I didn't blame him; poor man had to raise Dudley after all. I was only seventeen and I felt about fifty when I was around my brother. Just his voice could add on to a person's stress and give them an unwanted migraine. "And, Harry. . . What the hell are you wearing?"

I looked down at the long black shirt and baggy jeans. I had forgotten all about that. . . "I walked in the rain for a while until a friend gave me a ride home. We swung by his house and I got a change of clothes, that's all."

Both men rose their eyebrows. "He?"

"Just a friend." I sighed, exasperated. "Nothing happened." Even though, I wish something had and we were more than 'just friends'. . .

"Liar! You got laid, didn't you Fag?"

"Shut up, Dudley!" Vernon rubbed his temples. "Dinner will be ready by seven. Both of you. . . Just try not to kill each other before then? For me?"

"Yes, sir." we both said monotonously.

If it was just me, Vernon would have struck me one. . . That or I'd get a long scolding. Now, when his son was around, he became more subdued. Tired from listening to Dudley's irritating, loud voice no doubt.

"So tell me: you guys screwed like rabbits, right?" Dudley laughed in an almost maniacal way. "How was it, Queer?"

I turned away and began up the stairs to my room. This immediately fired him up. Dudley hated for people to turn their back on him. He began after me.

"Where are you going?" he enquired in a dark voice.

"Why do you care?"

"I care because you don't walk away without answering me. You get your ass beat in that way, remember?"

I kept my mouth shut. Just keep on walking. . .

Dudley's large, tough hand grabbed my skinny arm.

"Hey! Don't touch--" At that moment, his fist collided with my jaw. I was thrown against the hall wall holding my injured chin. "Bastard!" I growled.

Dudley didn't stop there. Oh no. He grabbed my arms and held me to the wall. Fear grew inside of my heart, but I chose not to show it and kept my best poker face on. I gave another growl and tried to pull away. He pressed his hand to my throat to stop my struggling.

"Why they haven't kicked you out by now I may never know." Dudley hissed in my ear. His lips almost touched my lobe. He was so close I could feel that he was in need of some chap stick. . . "Dad must just want you around so you can play Cinderella. Lily. . . Maybe it's because she needs a shopping buddy. Or perhaps just because she'd feel guilty throwing her own son out in the cold. Or should you be called her daughter? Hmm . . ."

"Get off me, Dudley." I hissed back. The anger had begun to build inside again. It pulsed through my veins, heating my blood. I wanted to hit him so badly my fists began to itch. Suddenly, a smile erupted on my face. There was only one way to get him off of me—I kissed him on the cheek.

"YEAAAAH!" Dudley jumped back and hit the wall opposite of me.

I gave a content smile and turned back to enter (and lock) my room until Vernon finished dinner.

When I sat my things down on the bed, I pulled off my glasses and began a search for my contacts. I knew I had some, it was just a matter of finding them. I got them when I got the glasses, just for in case something happened to them. After digging out a few drawers, they turned up in my bathroom. The next matter was going to be getting them in without poking my eyes out. . . I hadn't practiced much because I never expected to actually use them. Now that Ron wanted me to . . . Well, what the hell? How hard could it be?

I tilted my head back and held one contact over my eye with one hand while holding my lid open with the other. Just as the thin layer touched my eye, Dudley decided to continue his threats.

BANG BANG BANG! "Harry! Queer!"

This sudden ramming on my door caused my finger to collide with my eye. "DAMN IT!" I cursed loudly while grabbing my teary eye. "What do you want!"

"You! Now, Queer!" was the response.

"Not until dinner. I'm busy. I have more to do than be bullied by you."

"What was that?"

"NOT NOW!"

. . . "Are you back-sassing me?"

"DAMN STRAIGHT, NOW LEAVE ME BE!"

I heard him give a snort. I knew it was because I used the word straight in that sentence. No matter. He wasn't my problem. My problem was getting these contacts in before school the next day. I held the next above my other eye.

BANG BANG! "You still there, Harry?"

"No, I jumped out the window to my death."

Dudley gave a slight chuckle. "Yeah, real cute, Queer."

"Stop calling me that!" I held the contact up again.

"Tell me, who's this guy you slept with tonight?"

"I didn't 'sleep with' anybody! He's just a friend of mine!" I lowered the contact and my eye tried to close to keep this invader out. I sighed. This one was going to be more stubborn than the other.

"Friend. Riiiiight." He said this very unconvincingly.

I took a deep breath and said the only thing that I knew would shut the bastard up. "Fine, we had sex. Now get off of me."

Dudley laughed in a triumphant way. "How was it?"

"Mind blowing. Now leave." I sighed and sat the contact against my eye and blinked a few times to get used to the feeling. I then looked around to see how well they worked. All was clear.

BANG BANG!

"What now Dudley!"

"Dinner!" Finding that it was Vernon's voice instead of Dudley, I jumped out of my skin.

"Okay." I came cautiously out of the bathroom and then out of my room. "Where's Mom?"

Vernon arched his eyebrows. "She'll be here in a minute. Go to the dining room and fix your plate."

I just nodded and walked by. Dudley wasn't near by for the moment so Vernon had his strict tone back. I entered the kitchen to see that Dudley had already fixed his plate and was scarfing it down already. I took another deep sigh and began on my plate.

"Where are your glasses?" Dudley had looked up from his plate for long enough to see the frames where now missing.

I shrugged. "I switched to contacts."

My step-brother frowned. "This is new. . ."

"I needed a change." I smiled while placing some mashed potatoes on my plate.

"What do you mean you don't want to eat? You haven't eaten in days, Lily!" Vernon's angry shout carried down the hall suddenly. I couldn't hear Mom's reply, but it clearly didn't satisfy Vernon. I turned to see him coming down the hall and into the dining room at a swift pace.

"She's not coming, I take it?" I sighed.

"No," Vernon said flatly and slammed some food onto his plate, nearly shattering it with his strength and making me flinch slightly.

Mom understood me the most out of the rest of my family. She was a woman after all, and had really wanted a girl anyway. Lately, however, she seamed to be going through a depression. After being fired from her job she spent most of the time in her room. I hadn't ever had a job yet, but I don't know if I felt sorry for her in the least. Not to say I wasn't worried, I loved her, but I think this was taking things a bit far. . . I just didn't know how far.

AN: Hi everyone! Sorry if I ever leave the wrong names in. Like I said in the beginning: it wasn't originally a fanfiction, I just changed the names. Sometimes I may miss a name or two, so I'm saying sorry in advance.