The Boy was Back
The boy was back! But how!
Vernon stumbled away, briskly aware that his tie was now hanging over his right shoulder and his mustache crumpled by an unexpected wind.
"Um, hi." The boy in front of him muttered, scratching the back of his neck nervously.
That unruly black hair was as messy as ever. Vernon felt his temples throb and the sudden need to tell him to comb it. Instead he barked,
"What is this madness!"
"Um, well, you see, Uncle Vernon, I–"
"Oh ho, don't need to say it. Don't need to say it boy! That ruddy school's kicked you out haven't they? And now your trying to come crawling back to me! I saw it coming! Years ago! Don't say I didn't warn you!"
"Actually," here the boy smiled. It was rare for a confrontation like this between them and it had Vernon standing on edge,
"I'm here because, well, I have to go to work with you."
"Are you barking? Take you to work with me?" Vernon sneered, "And what exactly would–"
"It's all here, Uncle Vernon" the boy stopped him and handed him a note. On it Vernon quickly read a brisk letter addressed to the guardians of one Harry Potter. It said, and quite frankly, that Vernon was to take his nephew to work with him for a single day as part of an assignment. Vernon crumpled the piece of paper in his fist and leered down at the boy who had come knocking on his doorstep and ruining this fine Monday morning with letters of madness.
"And if I say no?"
"Look, I don't like this as much as you do but if you say no then Professor Dumbledore will come and–"
"Wait! This Professor–" he un-scrunched the paper, "McDougall"
"McGonagall" Harry corrected tiredly,
"Bah, what does it matter? This Professor and Dumbledore…do they have access to the house?"
"What do you mean? Every house in the neighborhood with a fireplace is connected to the floo–
"The flu? Connected? What rubbish is this?!"
"Look," Harry said wearily, running a hand through his hair, "if I don't go to work with you right now, Professor Dumbledore is going to come to persuade you. So lets just get this over with, ok?"
Vernon looked down at his nephew with his beady eyes. With every good reason, with every good argument, the thought of taking the boy with him to work was absolute madness. Then again, he didn't want that lot coming to his house either. The thought terrified him. And what would Petunia or Dudley say knowing that the boy came back, even for the briefest of moments? No, the safest way to make sure nothing odd or peculiar happened today was to–
"Boy. Do you go back to that–that school after the day is done?"
Harry finally perked up. "Of course. I'll be out of your hair for another year after today."
"And–are you certain this house won't be tampered with in my absence by any flu you were going on about?"
"It's the floo network. And no, no one should come if you take me to–where do you work again?"
"Grunnings." Vernon bit out.
"Right. No one should come. Is that all settled? Can we go now?"
Vernon sucked in his stomach, pointed a stubby finger in Harry's face and a low voice he growled,
"Oh, I'll take you to work, boy. Oh yes! I'll take you to work. But let me remind you. One false step, one mistake and it's off to the orphanage with you! I don't care if they do come to the house, I'll file a report with the police! Now get in the car. We're leaving!"