Disclaimer: Nope, still not owning it. Gee, thanks for reminding me!
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Author's Notes: HAPPY EARLY VALENTINE'S DAY!
I'm going to write a short story for Valentine's Day that will be posted tomorrow. It's a one-shot piece that I hope won't be too corny or anything.
I'm also going to get my temps next Monday or Tuesday and I'm excited. I'm finally fifteen and a half!
Last Time: Uncle Vernon runs over Mrs. Figg's mailbox with his car while Harry figured out the name of his lovable stuffed doggie.
Onto the Story…!
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Chapter Eight: Summer of 1986
The rest of the school year went by really quickly. On one day, Harry would be walking to school in knee deep snow with the hood of his sweatshirt tied so tight around his head that only his nose would be sticking out. The next day, he'd be stripping off his extra layers and trying to avoid rain puddles.
Spring felt short. There was no other way to put it. Most kids were relieved; allergy season came in and out within a fast paced month or two. Others were disappointed, especially girls for some reason. They'd go on and on about flowers and butterflies that caused boys to gag. Stupid cootie infested girls!
Even though time went by, his classmates' attitude towards him didn't change. The newly learned days of the month went by and still Harry was ignored. It hurt still, but it was dull now. He tried not to think about it much.
Dudley was now the big shot of the class. For compensation of the lost love birds Harry 'purposely let escape', Uncle Vernon bought the class a gecko. At first, all the girls squealed in fear of the reptile, but later learned that it was harmless. As for its name, Ginger was chosen for its tannish scales and because it was the girls' pick. Boys were seriously outnumbered in Ms. McKenna's class.
Harry would have liked to join his classmates circle and play with Ginger, but he was always shoved aside. At the end of the day, Ms. McKenna made sure all the kids left the room before she exited as well. Maybe she was afraid of one of her kids (Harry!) taking Ginger home in their pocket.
Ginger was a huge uplift on the children's spirits. Her success also made Dudley one popular five-year-old. It seemed his past demeanors were long forgotten as well. Even so, FT, Dudley's previous number one victim, still was hesitant and jumpy around the baby whale.
And Dudley's new found fame also rendered him able to get away with teasing Harry. Who would tattle on the kid who bought the class pet anyways?
'It could be worse,' Harry reminded himself once during class while Ms. McKenna covered prime and composite numbers. Dudley had just thrown a wet balled up piece of paper at him. It had hit him right in the back of the head and went down his shirt, making him shutter in disgust. Harry wasn't sure he wanted to know how it was wet.
'If I were stuck in a cage with a lion who was scraping its claws on the blackboard and singing the national anthem out of tune, it would be worse.' Harry spent the rest of math time wondering how a lion would sound if it could sing.
Some things have improved over time. Harry's once excessive imagination was back on track. He supposed it had to do with his now constant dreams of his parents. He had one at least every night now. Still, he can't see their faces.
Not only that, he no longer sat alone at lunch. Mark was the first and only kid to start treating Harry normally. The way he hangs out with him, you would have thought nothing bad happened.
"Where do you think the trash goes when we throw it away?" He asked Harry one day at lunch. He sat bored with his face in his hands as he watched a group of preppy girls throw away their trash.
"I don't know," Harry answered shortly afterwards. "Maybe there is a river of it under ground which is also fish heaven."
The one thing Harry really liked about Mark was that he too had a rather big imagination. It's all they talked about at lunch: what would the school be like if it were under water and whether or not Ms. McKenna had any distant relatives from Mars.
Harry was a tad bit sad when school ended. He sure wasn't looking forward to a whole summer with Dudley. What was even worse, he didn't have Mark to hang out with anymore. He was going to visit his grandparents in Australia.
"That sounds like fun," Harry had told him. He had felt a tad bit jealous though. Why couldn't he have grandparents who he could go visit, maybe even live with?
"I know, I'll bring you something back," Mark said with a grin. That brought a smile to Harry's face. He couldn't wait to see the look on Dudley's face when Mark gave him an Ostrich egg or something.
On the last day of school, all of the nursery students spent another fun day outside like they did with the picnic. All of the kids got to make s'mores and play hopscotch. At the end of the day, all of the girls cried as they hugged their teacher goodbye. Harry sneaked out unnoticed, he was sure Ms. McKenna wasn't going to miss him.
Since then, June weather consumed him as he spent most of his time lying on the grass in the park, wondering if there was any chance a kangaroo would hop by. It made him crave the zoo more and more.
Dudley's sixth birthday was on the 23rd and he was planning on inviting all of the boys from his previous class to go to the amusement park. He talked loudly about it at every meal. His cue to begin bragging was when Harry sat down opposite to him; then, he wouldn't stop until Harry stood up, cleaned off his plate at the sink, and left.
Harry wasn't too excited about Dudley's birthday. There really weren't any boys in his previous class that talked to him at all. 'Maybe Scott will talk to me; he doesn't like Dudley much anyways.'
But Harry wasn't to attend Dudley's birthday this year. He overheard Aunt Petunia talking on the phone a few days ago.
"-and so you won't mind watching him for a few hours?" pause…. "Yeah, just until we're done with Dudley's party" another pause. Then, Aunt Petunia's face turned sour.
"Why he's not going, too? Well, you see, w-we're going to go eat at a sea food restaurant and sea food makes him sick. He looked green even after we told him our plans," Aunt Petunia explained lamely. Her words sounded unnaturally rushed as they spilled out of her mouth.
When she hung up the phone, she noticed Harry's head poked around the corner. "You're going to spend the day with Mrs. Figg, boy," she told him coldly. "You do remember what house she's at, right?"
Harry had nodded solemnly; he wasn't sure whether or not he was happy about this. He didn't want to miss out on going to the amusement park, but he sure didn't want to go with Dudley. His cousin, on the other hand, seemed even happier to hear that Harry wasn't coming. He had bragged so loudly about his party at dinner that night, it sounded like he was trying to yell at Harry from across a parking lot.
So on Dudley's birthday, Harry head out the door and walked off towards Wisteria Walk just as cars came to the drive to drop the guest off. He wouldn't have been able to find Mrs. Figg's house, though, since all the houses on the streets were identical. Much to his luck, Mrs. Figg still hasn't gotten a mailbox.
Harry reached her house in no time flat. Her grass and flowers out front were well kept and a flag of England flew proudly from a tree. He stood on the porch for a moment while he tried to make sure he was at the right house. Right before his fingers brushed the slick door bell, both the wooden and screen door opened.
"Why, there you are Harry! How are you?" asked the old woman.
"I-I'm fine Mrs. Figg," Harry stuttered out nervously. "I-thanks for letting me come over." He stepped inside.
The odor of cat litter was much stronger once inside Mrs. Figg's house. It was laid out very similar to Number Four, with the stairs to the immediate right and the door to the kitchen right before him. She too had a cupboard, but Harry doubted that anyone had to sleep there.
"Make yourself at home, deary," Mrs. Figg told him cheerily. "I'm just about to start lunch. Why don't you find a good channel on T.V.." She handed Harry her remote and directed him into her sitting room.
Well, Harry was certainly happy he wasn't allergic to cats. Three of them were currently curled on the couch, all of them looking up at him with their big, glowing eyes. It was slightly unnerving.
"They don't bite," Mrs. Figg assured him. "They don't mind strangers much." She counted her cats under her breath. "Now, where did Tibbles run off to? Oh, well. He's probably upstairs under the bed or something."
Harry sat down on an open spot on the couch, watching out for any furry tails. For cats, they were pretty big. He wondered what Mrs. Figg fed them everyday. He sat tense as the cats all continued to stare at him.
As Mrs. Figg left for the kitchen, Harry turned on the T.V. and flipped channels until he found something about the Egyptian pyramids. He smiled softly, never was he able to watch whatever he wanted at the Dursleys.
'Apart from the creepy cats,' Harry thought to himself as he settled back into the squishy couch, 'this isn't so bad.'
"Oh, Harry!" Mrs. Figg called from the kitchen, "Would you like anything else for lunch? I'm heating up some fish sticks."
"Yes please, Mrs. Figg," Harry called back, now grinning to himself, "fish sticks sound good to me…."
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Harry walked home in the sunset with a full stomach. Mrs. Figg obviously thought he was far too skinny for his age and definitely fed him enough for a week of hibernation in the cupboard.
Her house was like a cat refugee. Cats were everywhere, cat pictures, cat statues, actually living, breathing cats; it was a little freaky. What was also strange was how there was a stack of letters on her counter. He noticed it while they ate lunch. How they got there, he didn't know. Wasn't her mailbox gone? What was also strange was more than once Harry caught the glimpse of something feathery brushing by the window sill. Now maybe that one was his own imagination.
His stay went a lot better than he expected. After eating lunch, Mrs. Figg let him watch T.V. all day while she sat in her rocking chair and sewed.
When Harry got back to Number Four, all of the guests were gone, only to be replaced with a large mess in the kitchen, a mess that a very moody Aunt Petunia was cleaning up.
"Help me, won't you!" She barked at Harry once he entered the kitchen. Uncle Vernon and Dudley were busy picking up the wrapping paper in the sitting room. It was more like Uncle Vernon cleaning while Dudley sat down, a king's smile on his face.
"Now boy!" Aunt Petunia ordered. Harry returned his attention to the kitchen and sighed. This was sure to take forever.
Dudley was the first to head upstairs to bed. He carried all the gifts he could in his fat arms. Harry was sweeping up when he went by, a taunting smirk on his face.
Uncle was the next to head upstairs for the night. He had asked Aunt Petunia whether or not she needed any help in the kitchen. When she answered no, that she had Harry, he kissed her on the cheek goodnight and exited, not sparing one glance to his nephew.
Harry and Aunt Petunia were now alone in the kitchen. Her angry features softened she finished up by wiping now the counter. Harry had put the broom away when she did something unexpected.
"Harry," she said normally, catching his attention. He looked up at her, astonished that she said his name. Aunt Petunia eyes wondered through the empty kitchen for any spying eyes before continuing. "There's some leftover cake in the fridge. You know, if you wanted any…" her voice tapered off.
Harry just stood there dumbly with the broom before a genuine smile reached his lips. "Thank-you, Aunt Petunia."
Aunt Petunia then too headed upstairs to bed. Harry wasn't sure if it were a mirage from the light fixtures or his own powerful imagination, but he could have sworn he saw Aunt Petunia smiling back.
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After treating himself to a slice of chocolate cake, Harry returned to the cupboard, surprised over the day's outcome.
Only, when he got to the cupboard, he noticed a bunch of things out of order. First off, the door was ajar and the light left on. He was sure he turned it off this morning and shut the door.
Upon going into his cupboard, Harry then noticed that his once made bed was messy again and his clothes in the corner thrown all over the place. If he didn't better, it looked like his cupboard had been searched.
'But for what?' he asked himself as he sorted through the mess. 'What do I have that anyone would want?' Maybe Dudley wanted that itchy orange sweater back after all.
Once Harry straightened up his things, he doubled checked the loose change he had as left over lunch money and counted it. It was all there, to much of his surprise. What was missing, though?
It was then that he noticed the absence of his beloved stuffed dog. One of the only things he had left of his parents was missing. The air in his lungs seemed compressed as if Dudley himself was sitting on him…. Dudley!
Harry then crawled back out of his cupboard and charged up the door. Angry tears came to his eyes as he tore open his cousin's door, his chest heaving.
Dudley was sitting on his bed; his newly owned presents surrounding him like a mote. Upon seeing Harry enter, he pushed half his gifts off the bed.
"What do you want?" de asked is his sneeding evil voice.
"Where is he?"
"Who?" Dudley asked rhetorically, enraging Harry even more.
"Where is he?" He demanded once again.
"He? It's a he?"
"Yeah, Snuffles! Where is he?" Harry practically screamed at his dense cousin.
"What's going on in here?" Aunt Petunia came in with her bath robe on, she spotted her son's teasing face and her nephew's sad yet enraged glare and put two and two together.
"Mum! I don't know what he wants."
"He took my"
"No, I didn't. He just can't find it." Dudley concluded. "He probably lost it." Harry hated how those words just rolled off his cousin's tongue.
"I didn't lose it,you took it!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did'n-"
"Enough!" Aunt Petunia yelled, catching both of the boy's attentions. "Dudley, stop yelling please, I have a headache." Dudley closed his mouth and climbed under his covers.
"But Aunt Petunia! He-"
"If you lost something, boy," she said menacingly, all of the earlier civil moments between then two forgot. "If you lost something, why don't you just find it and not blame in on someone else?"
Confused tears welled up in Harry's eyes as he stormed off. He ran back to his cupboard and waited until the house was quite again, hot tears running down his face.
After laying quiet for a boog fifteen minutes, Harry snuck out and felt around the house in the dark for his Snuffles. It was hours laters, half way through the night and well into the morning when he found him behind the toilet in the upstairs bathroom.
He wasn't in one piece, though. One of his front paws was detached but luckily right next to the rest of the body. Still, Harry felt heartbroken.
"I'm sorry, Snuffles," he sobbed as he laid on the cold tile of the bathroom. "I'm so sorry."
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The next morning, Harry woke early and got out of his cupboard. Apathetically, he grabbed an apple from the fridge for breakfast His plan was to eat and get out of the house before anyone else woke up. He wasn't much in the mood to deal with the Dursleys today.
It was when he left the front door that someone else came down the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Aunt Petunia asked him right as he was out the door. He didn't he aknowledge her when he answered.
"Outside, I'll be back for dinner." With that said, Harry left to Mrs. Figg's house, Snuffles safely tucked in his pocket.
He went to Mrs. Figg for help. She was probably the only one who could fix Snuffles and that actually would for him. Harry had remembered her sewing yesterday in front of the T.V..
And of course Mrs. Figg was able to do the job. She was more than happy to help Harry out. When he told her how it happened, she was surprised.
"Dudley did this?" she asked in disbelief. "But I thought you two got along well together?"
"No, Dudley hates me," Harry told her solemnly. "I tried to tell Aunt Petunia, but she never believes me. She only listens to Dudley. Hey, Mrs. Figg? You wouldn't mind if I came over now and then would you?"
"Oh, Harry," she sighed, putting down her needle and thread, "as much as I'd love to have you over, I'd only be a bore to you."
"But I can come over and help you garden and stuff. I know have to pull weeds and plant seeds already."
"You don't have to do that deary," Mrs. Figg told him. "You enjoy your summer." She cut and tied the loose thread on Snuffles' arm.
"There you go, good as new," she told him with a gently smile. All feelings of tension left Harry as he took Snuffles from her and held him close.
"I don't want to lose Snuffles," he told her. "He's my best friend in the whole entire world."
"Yes, it would be tragic if you lost him, dear. Hold him close, and he'll be you forever."
Harry thanked Mrs. Figg before heading out, Snuffles safely tucked away. He was so happy to have his friend back that he wouldn't have minded be locked away in the cupboard forever and a day.
When Harry walked up the steps and into the house later that day, he later got bowled over by his lardful cousin, Dudley. Harry stepped away and watched Dudley waddle the fastest he's ever gone before.
"Wait, Dudders!" Aunt Petunia called after him at the door, but he didn't stop. She sighed greatly and headed back in.
"Aunt Petunia?" Harry asked his aunt. "Where is Dudley going?"
"Oh, he's just meeting up with some friends. That one Frank boy called and said that a new family moved in right next door. They apparently have a boy your age, Piers or something like that…."
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Author's Note: I know; it's a little shorter than normal, oh well. Deal with it.
Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far for this story. I know I didn't get a ton but I don't mind. As long as someone is still reading it, I'm happy.
Once swimming is done, I may start posting two chapters a week, one for Tuesday and one for Friday or something like that. I want to finish this story sometime before summer. My goal is to get it around 100K words.
I spent about five or so chapters for Harry's first year of school but I may make every year be three of four for now on, that way the story doesn't drag.
Once again, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! I hope you spend it with someone special and all that corny crap! XD
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Next Chapter: Harry and Dudley meet Piers, the new kid on the block. Who is going to be his friend first and how is the other cousin going to take it?
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