Disclaimer: I own nothing except my OC Bailey and any alterations to the original storyline plot her presence creates to various readers amusement everywhere across the globe.
A Dog's Purpose Is Strange Magic Chapter 2
A year passed by for Bailey and Harry in the Dursley household. It had its ups and downs, but Bailey wouldn't have it any other way.
Well, maybe the wake-up calls each morning left much to be desired.
A barrage of loud banging on the locked cupboard door jolted Harry and Bailey to wakefulness from a peaceful sleep.
"Up! Get up," screeched Aunt Petunia, shrilly, knocking on the door again and pulling back the lock on the door. "Now!"
Harry groaned rolling in bed and pressing his face into Bailey's soft coat.
"What did you say," snapped Aunt Petunia through the door.
"Nothing, I'm awake," said Harry quickly.
"Well then get a move on! I don't want my Dudley's breakfast to be late on his birthday," said Aunt Petunia, leaving to walk into the kitchen slamming the door in her wake.
Taking heed of his aunt's warning Harry sat up in bed pulling the cord hanging from the ceiling to turn on the single light bulb laminating the cramped space. From a dusty shelf near his head, Harry picked up a pair of round glasses held together in the middle with an exaggerated amount of Scotch tape. They'd been broken so many times by Dudley and his Aunt and Uncle wouldn't pay to get them fixed. So Harry had to improvise. This method was unconventional, but it worked.
Harry looked down at Bailey where she was lying curled up beside him in the narrow space. She in turn was leaning on his legs gazing up at him panting and happily wagging her tail.
"Morning, Bailey," yawned Harry, gently patting her on the head.
Bailey barked licking his fingers. She then stretched and yawned.
Heavy footsteps could be heard pounding from above as Dudley ran through the second-floor hallway and down the stairs. Halfway down Dudley retracted his steps to stand where he knew for a fact he'd be directly above where Harry slept. With reckless abandon, Dudley jumped up and down repeatedly his weight making sawdust shower onto Harry and Bailey from the stairs as a result of the sheer force of the stomps.
"Wake up, Cousin," shouted Dudley. "We're going to the zoo!"
Harry raised an arm to shield his eyes from the cloud of dust. Bailey sneezed shaking her fur to get the dust out. Rubbing the back of his neck tiredly Harry pushed open the door and began to get out. From where he stood on the stairs Dudley saw this. Laughing he ran the rest of the way down the stairs flying around the banister. When Dudley got to Harry he roughly shoved his cousin backwards into the cupboard kicking the door shut as he ran into the combined kitchen and living room.
A second afterward the cupboard door swung open revealing a disgruntled Harry. When Dudley had shoved him he accidentally hit his head on the ceiling. Not a good way to begin the morning.
Harry and Bailey entered the kitchen to find Aunt Petunia doting on Dudley hugging and kissing his cheeks repeatedly.
"Why don't you just cook the breakfast and try not to burn anything. Remember you don't feed Bailey until you're done," said Aunt Petunia, scornfully.
Slipping around his aunt and cousin to get to the stove to take over the cooking preparations, meekly, Harry said "Yes, Aunt Petunia."
Covering Dudley's eyes to surprise him as they walked into the living room, Aunt Petunia said "I want everything to be perfect for my Dudley's special day!"
Bailey sat by Harry's feet watching him cook and swishing her tail back and forth on the tiled floor. The aroma of the bacon sizzling on the pan smelled tantalizingly delicious to her sense of smell.
Most of the food done Harry carried a hot pan over to the island counter to transfer some bacon over to the plates. Bailey followed him closely hoping something would fall onto the floor and she'd get a treat.
"Hurry up! Bring my coffee, boy," said Uncle Vernon, crossly.
"Yes, Uncle Vernon," said Harry.
Bailey then moved to the other side of Harry where she was hidden by the island. At this, Harry checked to see if the coast was clear and then snuck her a piece of bacon. Bailey enjoyed the food though she chewed it rather quickly because of the heat.
Hot! Hot! Hot!
With Dudley in position, Aunt Petunia took her hands off of her son's eyes, smiling, saying "Oh! Aren't they wonderful, Darling?"
Once Harry was done setting his relative's plates he made a smaller one for himself and carried them all over to the table. He ran back to the kitchen to get Uncle Vernon's coffee so he wouldn't get into trouble.
While this was happening Dudley was counting his presents and he wasn't pleased with what he found. He didn't really care about what sort of stuff he got for his birthday. No, all Dudley seemed to notice was the number.
Angrily, Dudley said "Thirty-six. That's two less than last year!"
"Darling, you haven't counted Auntie Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy," said Aunt Petunia, pointing it out.
"All right, thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face.
Harry read the signs of one of Dudley's legendary tantrums coming on so he removed his plate from the table instead opting to eat on the island instead of the living room. While doing so he filled Bailey's water bowl and poured some dog food from a bag the Dursleys got a couple of weeks ago. He'd been required to ration it to make the food last longer. He knew better not to waste any of it.
"Oh, now, this is what we're going to do. We'll buy you two presents while we're out today. How's that, Popkin? Two more presents. Is that all right," said Aunt Petunia, anticipating this would pacify her son.
It worked.
Thinking very hard about it, Dudley said "So I'll have thirty…thirty…"
"Thirty-nine, sweetuns," said Aunt Petunia.
"Oh," said Dudley, sitting down in an armchair tearing into the nearest parcel. "All right then."
Ruffling Dudley's hair proudly, Uncle Vernon chuckled "Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!"
Harry rolled his eyes and continued to eat his meager breakfast.
The telephone rang in the hallway making Aunt Petunia get up to answer it. Dudley dug into his presents with gusto ripping the paper off each and every one.
Harry looked on a bit enviously. Besides his dog, Harry never got a good thing in his life. The Dursleys never even celebrated his birthday. Harry couldn't help but imagine his parents showering him with affection during his birthday if they hadn't died.
Bailey felt her boy was sad again. Whining a little Bailey licked his cheek to comfort him. Harry smiled kissing Bailey on the head. He passed her some of his scrambled eggs as a reward.
Aunt Petunia came back in looking quite worried and put off.
Harry perked up hearing this.
Jerking her head in Harry and Bailey's direction, Aunt Petunia announced "Bad news, Vernon. Mrs. Figgs broke her leg. She can't take them. Now what do we do?"
"We could phone Marge," suggested Uncle Vernon.
"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy and she can't stand Bailey being near her own dogs," scoffed Aunt Petunia, exasperated, shaking her head.
Now that was only part of the truth. The times Marge came over following Bailey's arrival her bulldogs kept trying to have a go at her. Because of how stocky they are she always stayed out of reach, but it was still really annoying for Bailey to deal with.
"What about what's her name, your friend – Yvonne," asked Uncle Vernon.
"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.
"You could just leave us here," interrupted Harry.
"And come back and find the house in ruins," snarled Uncle Vernon. "No, I don't think so."
"I won't blow up the house and Bailey will behave," assured Harry.
Ignoring Harry's comment, Aunt Petunia contemplated "I suppose we could take them to the zoo…and leave them in the car…"
"That car's new, they're not sitting in it alone. The dog will likely chew up the seats. Her fur will stick all over the place," said Uncle Vernon.
Bailey took offense to that.
Dudley began to cry loudly and as usual Aunt Petunia doted on her son to calm him down.
Hugging Dudley, Aunt Petunia said "Dinky Duddydums, don't cry. Mummy won't let either of them spoil your special day."
"I…don't…want…them…t-t-to come," yelled Dudley, pretending to cry, grinning nastily at Harry from a gap in his mother's arms. "He always sp-spoils everything!"
Dudley always did this if there was even the slightest chance of Harry going anywhere nice and fun.
But Dudley's methods weren't going to work this time.
Before long all of them were piled inside the Dursley's car with the addition of Dudley's friend Piers whose mother had dropped him off at the house. Bailey didn't like Piers. He threw rocks at her when no adults whenever no adults were looking. It had been decided that Harry and Bailey would accompany the family on this day trip. As a result, Bailey had been relegated to the trunk of the vehicle, but she didn't mind. There was plenty of space back there she could move in. Harry had put on her emotional support animal vest and was now holding her leash for when they arrived at their destination.
The entire drive as they were heading to the zoo Bailey sat staring out the window watching the cars and buildings as the vehicle sped by.
A motorcycle overtook the Dursley which Uncle Vernon took as an open invitation to complain of.
"Troublemakers," he scowled, "roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums."
"I had a dream about a motorcycle. It was flying," mentioned Harry, recalling the one he had the previous night.
Uncle Vernon hit the break so fast that he almost collided with the car in front of them. As it is Bailey yelped as she knocked into the seats the kids were sitting on. Fortunately, the impact wasn't hard enough so she'd flip over.
Vexed, Uncle Vernon declared "Motorcycles don't fly."
Dudley and Piers sniggered finding Harry on the receiving end of Uncle Vernon's irritation very entertaining.
"I know they don't. It was only a dream," muttered Harry.
The rest of the ride to the zoo was quiet. No one making any noise not even Bailey.
All in all the excursion at the zoo wasn't that bad. The group didn't face any problems at the front gates where Bailey is concerned. The security at the check-ins took one look at the label on Bailey's vest and let her right in. There was absolutely no hassle and the large crowds of people didn't bother Bailey. She thrived in this type of environment.
The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers massive chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then the smiling lady with the kind eyes asked Harry what he wanted since they didn't manage to get out of there fast enough. So Harry got a cheap lemon ice pop. Then to their surprise, the lady gave a second ice pop to Harry for free. When asked why she explained it was for Bailey. So Bailey got to enjoy the frozen treat along with him. Bailey savored every lick not having tasted something so sweet in her life. The trashcans on the sweet never once provided a bounty this good when she searched for food.
They walked through the exhibits for an extended period of time seeing one animal after the next. It fascinated Bailey. She was curious about everything she saw but kept to her training sticking close to her master.
At lunchtime, they ate in the zoo restaurant with Bailey lying down and relaxed at Harry's feet. The knickerbocker glory Harry ate appeared tasty, but Harry wouldn't let her have a bite. It had chocolate on it and chocolate is toxic to dogs.
Once lunch was over the Dursleys, Piers, Harry, and Bailey went to the reptile house where so many species of snakes and lizards were kept. Bailey curiously sniffed at the glass of a cage housing a bearded dragon. It lunged at her thumping on the glass so she wisely didn't do the same at the other exhibits.
The group stopped to linger at an exhibit holding a boa constrictor the largest snake in the entire place. The serpent was lying flat on rocks sunning and absorbing warmth from lights inside the cage.
"Make it move," said Dudley.
Vernon Dursley tapped on the glass. No response.
"Do it again," ordered Dudley.
Uncle Vernon rapped the glass with his knuckles similar to how Aunt Petunia did it on the cupboard, but the boa constrictor didn't budge remaining motionless.
Piers and the Dursleys walk away to look at the other animals in the building. Harry and Bailey stayed where they were. Bailey stood on her hind legs with her front paws touching the glass wanting to see what had her boy so enthralled.
"Sorry about him," apologized Harry, gloomily, speaking to the snake. "He doesn't understand what it's like, lying there day after day, watching people press their ugly faces in on you."
Suddenly the snake opened its eyes slowly lifting its head to look at Harry. It winked at him.
Bailey cocked her head in confusion. She'd found garden snakes in the backyard sometimes when she'd been outside, but none had ever done anything like this. Then again they always ran away as soon as they caught her sent in the air and heard her coming. This is the first one that actually stayed in one place.
Harry was just as astonished as Bailey.
"Can you hear me," he whispered, awestruck.
The snake nodded with vigorous enthusiasm happy to have someone to talk to who actually understands it, jerking his head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley. It then raises its head to the ceiling giving off the impression it got reactions like theirs all the time when people came to see the creature and ended up disappointed.
"I know," murmured Harry. "It must be really bothersome."
The snake scrunched its neck to show that it was.
"It's just…I've never talked to a snake before. Do you…I mean…Do you talk to people often," said Harry.
The snake shook its head, no.
"Where do you come from anyway," inquired Harry.
The snake gestures with its tail at a little sign next to the glass. This breed of snake is originally from Brazil.
Politely, Harry asked "Was it nice there? Do you miss your family?"
The snake jabbed at the sign once more revealing what else had been written there. This particular snake had been bred in the zoo not having ever been on Brazilian soil since hatching from an egg at birth.
"I see. That's me as well. I never knew my parents either," said Harry, solemn.
Bailey whined pawing at the glass to get the snake's attention. The boa constrictor slid off the rocks into the water to get a closer look at Bailey. The snake seemed to understand that Bailey was trying to communicate the pity she felt for him. The snake touched its nose to the glass and she licked the exact area.
"Dudley! Mr. Dursley! Come and look at this snake! You won't believe what it's doing!"
Piers and Dudley came out of nowhere. The pair shoved Harry and Bailey roughly knocking them to the floor as they darted over pressing close to the glass. Harry sat up with Bailey in his lap. He glared in hatred at the other two boys.
Then something impossible occurred.
As if by magic the glass vanished. Piers and Dudley fell crashing into the dirty water of the cage shrieking in horror. The boa constrictor paid them no mind. Bypassing them the snake slithered out of the glass cage and onto the cement floor. Stunned Harry merely sat there eyes wide with his arms wrapped tightly around Bailey.
The snake slithered over closing the distance between them. Lifting its head the boa constrictor moved towards Bailey. She lowered her head and the two touched noses. The snake gently nuzzled her muzzle as if thanking her for its release when in reality she didn't take action but to be kind to it. It did the same for Harry as it slithered past him hissing softly and rubbing its scales on his legs as it made a break for freedom in its homeland.
The reptile house erupted into pandemonium when bystanders and zoo staff saw the boa constrictor was loose. People scattered screaming as they scrambled for the exits to avoid the snake. The snake playfully snapped at people's heels, but was careful not to hurt anyone, wanting to have some fun.
Piers and Dudley were extracted from the now vacant cage and dried off with blankets. Aunt Petunia was frantic and Uncle Dursley was hounding the zoo director demanding answers on how such an incident could've taken place. The zoo director was dumbfounded just as ignorant as everyone else. No one had an explanation for how the thick layer of glass could simply vanish into thin air without a trace like it hadn't been there to begin with.
Piers just had to open his big mouth.
He said "Harry was talking to it, weren't you, Harry?"
The thunderous fury on Uncle Vernon's face radiated a blazing rage at Harry and Bailey.
Bailey had her ears pinned back and her tail tucked in the middle of her legs.
Oh boy, they were in for it.
Authors Note:
I think we can all agree the Dursley's are scum. Always have been and always will.
I got the idea of giving Bailey an ice pop from a couple of Youtube videos I found in passing. They're based on multiple dogs getting ice cream and popsicle sticks from ice cream trucks. It's really cute. ;)