A Trip to the Y

"Boy! Put on your trainers and get down here." Petunia stood at the bottom of the steps impatiently searching through her purse for her keys. Harry thundered down the stairs and stood in front of his aunt.

Petunia turned and walked outside. Harry followed her and they both climbed in the car. Harry hoped they were going to the Y, but he didn't ask. He had learned years ago that his aunt didn't like him to ask questions. A few minutes later they pulled into the carpark outside the YMCA. Harry's heart skipped a beat, he really was going to get a membership!

The two walked indoors and Petunia approached the counter. "I need to get a membership for my nephew."

"Fill out this form." The man behind the desk handed her the paperwork. Her lips pursed as she wrote down the name Harry Potter and her own name as his guardian. Harry's head was swiveling left and right looking at the pictures on the wall of people swimming, dribbling basketballs, swinging tennis rackets, leaping over hurdles.

Petunia finished filling in the form and paid the fee. Then she turned to Harry and handed him his card. "You will spend your days here. You will not stay underfoot at the house. It is up to you to find your way here and your way home. Be home in time to make dinner." With that, Petunia turned and walked out of the building.

Harry felt both elated and a little afraid. He had never had so much freedom. He decided he would just wander the building until he found something that looked interesting.

The basketball court was the first thing that perked his interest. He dribbled the ball across the floor a few times and attempted to make a basket.

"Hold it like this."

"Huh?"

"You hold it like this when you want to hit the basket."

Harry adjusted his hand position and shot the ball. It hit the rim and bounced off.

"Try again."

Harry tried again and sunk the ball,"Yes!"

"Do you want to play some one on one?" The two played for an hour, with Harry winning once and the other boy winning twice.

Harry began to wander again. He walked in to the pool room and was overwhelmed by the scent of bleach. Swimming looked like fun, but also a little scary. Maybe swimming lessons would be one of the activities he'd sign up for.

Racquet ball was fun, but after a few minutes he began using it as snitch catching practice, throwing the ball so it would bounce off walls then leaping into the air to snatch it.

Harry ran a few laps on the track. "Race you." Another teen had come up beside him. The two lined up and took off! Harry beat the other boy by twelve seconds. "Man! You're fast! Do you want to go again?"

Harry watched the Judo class. They were teaching the students how to throw people to the ground and how to do arm locks. The idea of being able to defend himself during a physical attack intrigued him. He'd often been beaten up by Dudley and his gang and he had also run into more than his fair share of attacks at school. Judo lessons seemed like a good option for his second activity.

The Y even had a game room. Another boy had invited him to play Clue. A few other people joined them as well. "Was it Mr. Green in the study with the knife?"

They invited him to join in a round of bowling, but Harry checked the time. "I need to get home. Can we play tomorrow?"

"Sure. We bowl almost everyday."

Harry jogged home. He passed a garage sale on the way. They had a bike for sale for ten dollars! Harry ran two blocks back to the ATM machine outside the local bank and withdrew ten pounds of his allowance, then rushed back to the garage sale. "Sir, can I buy the bike?"

"Ten pounds."

Harry handed over the money. He attempted to ride the bike but fell over after a few feet. Harry flushed. "I've never ridden before."

"Well, why don't I give you a start." The man held the back of the bike while Harry wobbled forward. After thirty feet he let go and Harry continued on with a great big grin on his face. Harry zoomed around a couple of blocks. His grumbling stomach reminded him that he was supposed to make dinner. Harry stashed his new bike behind Mrs. Figg's house and ran the last block home.

"I'm back," Harry called out.

"No yelling," his aunt responded, "get started on dinner." Harry made a baked chicken with mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese as sides. His stomach growled as he cooked. Tomorrow he'd have to remember to order a lunch from Edesia's to take with him when he went to the Y.