Nosh: to snack or eat between meals.

April 27, 1986

"I don' wana," Dudley moaned into his pillow. His fair hair was all his mother could see, sticking up wildly as he burrowed deeper into his rocket ship sheets, grumpy as ever as she tried to persuade him get out of bed for school.

"Diddy-Dumpling," Aunt Petunia cooed sitting down on the edge of the bed and rubbing her little boy's back. "It's time to greet the day. You've got to get up and get dressed and go to school to show everyone what a smart little boy you are."

"Aunt Petunia." Harry hovered near the door, already dressed and clutching the brown paper sack lunch she'd thrown together for him. His messy bangs were in his eyes behind his glasses, making him squint ridiculously. "Clock says –"

"Go comb your hair," she snapped, knowing what time it was and beginning to get frustrated.

"But –"

"Go," she barked, giving him a sharp look.

Harry, who was far too used to this to be much affected, sighed and withdrew from Dudley's room, attempting to brush his hair out of his eyes with little success.

"Diddy," Aunt Petunia simpered, turning back to her son and smoothing all the frustration out of her voice. She would hate to take out her feelings on the innocent child when it was her nephew and his nagging that was the source of the problem. "Get up, angel." Then, seized by a sudden inspiration. "If you hurry and get dressed we can stop at the store for those yummy biscuits you like so much for you to have at break."

Dudley sat up, rubbing his face with a chubby fist.

"With sprinkles?" He asked skeptically.

"Absolutely," his mother promised, relieved as she ran an affectionate hand through his hair.

XxX

"It's not fair!" Dudley wailed in the back seat of the car. "Harry didn't get in trouble!"

"I didn't do anything!" Harry exclaimed at once, rife with indignation. "You and Piers brook it!"

"That's enough," Aunt Petunia snapped, glowering at her nephew in the rearview mirror.

"That's enough," Dudley mimicked, throwing his empty juice box at his cousin. Then he turned his attention back to his mouth. "It's not fair!" he whined again. "It's not fair, it's not fair, it'snotfair!"

"I know, lamb, it's not," she soothed. "Here," she groped in the glove compartment and handed a bag of animal crackers back to her son. "You get a treat now and Harry doesn't. Will that even it out?"

Dudley dumped the animal crackers on the ground and began demanding crisps instead, to which his mother of course complied.

XxX

"Go away, Dudley," Harry told his cousin irritably that evening as he lay on his belly, scribbling a picture with the crayons he was supposed to use only for school.

"Mummy gave me ice cream," he gloated, slurping at the tall ice cream cone he indeed clutched in his fat fists.

A drip splattered onto Harry's picture and he wrinkled his nose and tried to wriggle out of the way, but Dudley followed, standing over right over him and noisily licking his desert.

"I told her I caught my finger in the door, so she gave me ice cream," he leered. "Bet you wouldn't get ice cream."

"I'm not a big fat liar," Harry shot up at him, scowling as Dudley stepped on his paper and wrinkled the drawing.

Dudley stuck his tongue out, then stamped on Harry's fingers and stomped away.

Harry gave a yelp of pain, which brought his aunt into the room at once.

Dudley was right. He didn't get ice cream.

A/N: Poor Harry. He had it appallingly unfair, didn't he? But in the end Dudley didn't have it much better if this is how his mother dealt with all his problems. Anyway… Prom yesterday, AP Exams this week, hopefully my updates don't fall any more behind than they already are :( Reviews are like dove chocolates for encouragement! :)

Oh, and yeah, that last line from the last chapter was from One Tree Hill. :D Congrats to everyone who guessed it! I do admit to liking that show a lot back in the first four seasons or so. Most of it, anyway…. I like the philosophical bits in it like that line.