Wolf, Witch and Forks
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or Harry Potter
Chapter 2: Life at Privet Drive
Bella
1991 June, Number Five Privet Drive
"Bella darling, I am going to be late tonight, make sure to lock the door after me and don't open it for anyone. Paul and Harry are right now running an errand for me, so wait for them. Bye." Bella's jaw dropped as her mother Renee left her alone in the house without even preparing dinner.
It had been three years since she, her mom and Paul had moved to Surrey, London. She missed her dad a lot but could not visit him as international travel to America was very expensive and her mother always told her Kindergarten teachers do not make enough money.
Bella as an eleven-year-old could understand that they were not rich but her mother had enough money to party or go on dinner dates almost weekly which she found shocking, so a plane ticket did not seem that costly in comparison.
London and Forks shared almost the same climate; sunny days were a rarity. It rained a lot but it was a good thing as she enjoyed the rainy weather which Paul and Harry hated. She liked the indoors but despite her protests her mother had enrolled her in Ballet and Tennis lessons after school, while the former she loved a lot the latter was torture in every sense. She was so bad at the sport that even her coach had given up on her after the first month, his words to her mother being,
"Ms Higginbotham your daughter is a klutz, I will not mince my words, here is the full refund we are not going to be held liable if she falls again and injures herself badly." She would admit that she was a little clumsy but not a Klutz. Paul, as usual, laughed after hearing about the incident while Harry was very supportive about it, but he still cracked a grin.
Paul and Harry had been her only true friends, as she was not close to any of the girls or boys in her class.
Paul had joined the minor soccer league team 'Little Whining Wolves' while Harry with her and Paul's encouragement had become the star runner on the Athletics team in their school. Harry's relatives whom she hated with a passion had refused to buy him even a decent pair of running shoes, so her mother had got them for him and in return, Harry would run some basic grocery errands for her. Harry had accepted the offer on the spot.
Harry spent most of his time at her home with just going to Dursleys Horror House for sleeping or making their breakfast and dinner. He only tended his horrible Aunt's garden because he enjoyed gardening.
He had finally gotten his room a year after they had moved to Surrey when her mother had threatened to call the police after Harry confessed shamefully that Dursleys made him sleep in a broom cupboard under the stairs. It was a rude awakening for her and Paul as both of them had always taken their rooms for granted.
From that day it was solidified in her mind that Harry was the most courageous and kind-hearted person ever. He was certainly her hero though Paul teased her a lot about it. Her only misgiving about Harry was that he was now as tall as Paul after a recent growth spurt and she was now the shortest of the group, when they had first met Harry, he was the same as height as her. He had grown a lot in the last couple of years which her mother said was her biggest achievement, since successfully leaving Forks.
With wearing new squared frame glasses which were her mom's birthday gift to him last year, Harry made many girls in her class sigh when he passed by admiring his emerald green eyes which were no longer hidden behind the hideous out of prescription taped glasses. Bella felt even more jealous when they showed the same behaviour towards Paul.
Dudley Dursley, Harry's cousin on the other hand was now the laughing stock of their class with Paul's nicknames for him like 'baby Whale' 'tubby Duddy' becoming so infamous that even higher grade students called him that. Petunia Dursley had complained that her 'angel Dudley' was being bullied but even the Principal could not stop it.
His gang had left the boy alone in class and the playground as they did not want to be made fun of like him. Though whenever Dudley did come near Harry to bully him, Harry would just ignore him and move on which Bella thought was an improvement from before.
The other thing that the three of them shared was the unexplained accidents which happened around them, like Harry turning their Maths teacher Ms McCarthy's hair a shade of light blue when she told him he was a dunderhead with no brains for Maths.
Then Paul who had injured his ankle badly before his big game the next day had healed it somehow completely overnight, and of course, she had the most embarrassing incident when she could not reach the top shelf to get her favourite book in the library, suddenly all the books from the shelf came flying towards her and she was buried under a head of books, the Librarian had rescued her in time.
Over three years, Bella had experienced a lot of these type of random happenings which Paul called 'Magic' to her and Harry's amusement but never once had she felt alone like she did at Forks with no friends.
It was about five o'clock in the evening when Bella heard the doorbell ring, using the side window; she saw that it was Harry and Paul carrying a couple of bags. She opened the door with Paul loudly complaining, "What took you so long?" but before she could answer Harry said,
"Paul calm down would you, Bella was making sure that we were not strangers." "Whatever shrimp, Bells we got spaghetti; we should make it for dinner today."
"I am not a shrimp, you pig, I am as tall as you" Harry argued back slightly annoyed which made Bella smile, "Oh did Harry bear feel bad?"
With that, the trio closed the main door and went to the kitchen. They made quite the peculiar group, three eleven-year-olds trying to cook pasta unsupervised but Harry and Bella being the young trained cooks out of force or necessity had managed to make a decent meal with Paul sitting at the dining table waiting to be fed.
"Paul stop being so lazy as always and help with the cutting vegetables" Bella tried to be authoritative but it came out as a high pitched screech to her utter shame.
"I will go deaf one day if you keep on shouting as that" Paul retorted with making a big show of putting both his hands on his ears, to her growing irritation.
"When is Ms Higginbotham coming back?" Harry, she noticed decided to change the topic before a full-blown fight interrupted between her and Paul.
"Mom did not say when maybe very late at night as tomorrow is Sunday." She replied with a sense of disappointment.
"At least Renee is hundred no thousand times better than the Dursleys," Paul said as he shoved his face in the bowl of spaghetti placed in front of him. She and Harry looked with disgust at the sheer disregard of table manners displayed by Paul.
After all of them finished with Dinner, Harry got up, "I have to leave early, Dudley's birthday is tomorrow so Aunt Petunia wants everything ready before her Duddy's big day."
Paul then smiled, "I bet tubby will not be able to count his presents like always." Harry laughed as she and Paul watched him leave and make his way next door.
"Paul we have not told him about the strange letters we both got after your birthday in May. I am feeling guilty about keeping this a secret from Harry?" She asked Paul who was giving her an equally guilty look.
"Bells you know those letters were a Prank, right? We sent our replies that we accept the offer of admission to what was it called again yes "Hogwarts" as a joke, a month ago by tying it to back to that mean looking owl which bit me twice, that awful bird.
Who in the right mind sends a letter through an owl and requires a response through Owl also, it was a prank for sure, as a school of magic, witches and wizards is not real even if I want it to be. It would be so much better than attending Stonewall High next year" Paul replied trying to reassure her.
She felt as if she would lose Harry's friendship by not telling him so she said with newfound confidence and determination "After Dudley's birthday tomorrow we are going to tell him, even if the letters are a prank, he is our best friend. He should know about this."
"Sure Bells, no secrets between mates," Paul said with teasing smile with to annoy her further. Paul was never serious about anything, the only time she or Harry saw his serious face was when he had international calls with his father. Adam Lahote, Paul's father according to her mother was the worst human being who killed her best friend, but Paul hated him even more as Renee constantly reminded him that the man killed his lovely and beautiful mother.
Bella just hoped that tomorrow goes on well and Harry does not get mad at them for keeping those foolish prank letters a secret.
Evening, 23rd June 1991, Number Five Privet Drive
"Hey Bells, did Harry go with whale, walrus and giraffe to the zoo? I hope he leaves them there" Paul asked her with his trademark grin he was wearing his orange T-shirt with a large wolf on it.
"The Dursleys car just parked about ten minutes ago in the drive, I saw Mr Dursley drag Harry by the collar into the house, I hope he is okay." She said with concern and worry, she felt so helpless as she could not help Harry.
"Walrus and Giraffe are going to pay if they hurt Harry," Paul said with anger.
Just as Paul was about to march to the Number four, the doorbell rang and she heard Harry's voice which gave her so much relief but all of that vanished when Paul opened the door with Harry supporting a red bump on his forehead, she gasped as Paul asked, "What happened shrimp?"
"Nothing pig, Uncle Vernon let Dudley punch me on the head after an accident happened at the zoo. The Brazillian Boa in the reptile hall escaped by giving me a wink as Dudley fell into the enclosure after the glass vanished suddenly and reappeared. Aunt Petunia blamed me by saying I had caused the freakish accident and ruined Dudley's birthday on purpose."
"Your uncle is such a horrible person, anyway I am getting the first aid kit and Paul go get the Letters. Harry, you would need an ice pack from the fridge and then go lie on the sofa" She said with rage in her eyes. It was very rare when she got this angry but both Harry and Paul did as she ordered without a single complaint.
After everyone had settled down and Harry did not look like he had a concussion, Harry was surprised to see the two letters from Hogwarts, then he asked
"Do you think I will get a letter too?"
"Yeah, it seems like the one who is playing the prank is targeting all three of us. Watch out for the damn Owls though, they are very dangerous." Paul replied.
Bella then also said the same as she felt if anyone deserved to go to a school of magic it should be Harry Potter.
Author's Note: Short Chapters with average 2000-3000 words, Next chapter Hagrid makes an appearance, Harry's Birthday and Diagon Alley through Paul's point of view