"Are you alright with getting home?" Harry asked as they stopped in front of number four Privet drive.
"It's just around the corner and up the way, and with this, Mum will never know," she assured him as she held up Harry's invisibility cloak that he was lending her for the night. "I'll be fine Harry."
"Alright," he nodded slowly and approached the front door. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course! Bye, Harry!" Grace grinned at him and then started to make her way down the street. Before continuing on her way to her house, she stopped at the corner shop again to grab a few muggle chocolates, she and Harry ate all the ones they picked out earlier that day.
"Well, well, well," Grace visibly cringed at the all too annoyingly familiar voice that greeted her after she exited the shop. She turned around slowly and glared at the taller, rounder boy. "Long time no see, eh, Grace. We all thought you weretoogood for us, with you know... that posh boarding school you go to now," he mocked, and she glared fiercely at him before turning around. She jumped when she noticed two of Dudley's friends grinning at her menacingly, arms crossed over their chests. She narrowed her eyes at them and went to move around them but the tall, lanky one with crooked teeth stepped in front of her.
"Leave me alone," she glared at him.
"Awe, come on, Grace, we just want to catch up," Dudley mocked, making his two friends laugh automatically.
"Don't you have a bowl of food to stuff your face in, Dudley?" She retorted dryly as she shifted her glare onto him, clutching the plastic bag tightly in her hand. Dudley must've noticed it, as a grin spread on his face.
"What've you got there?" He asked, leaning in to take the bag from her hand but she pulled it away.
"Nothing for you."
"Come now, I thought you were nice. Sharing is what nice people do."
"I said, leave me alone-Oi!" She exclaimed when the bag was yanked out of her hand from one of Dudley's friends. "Give that back you-"
"Make us," Piers Polkiss mocked as he held the bag far up above his head, and he was a good head taller than she was. "Catch, Dudley!" He laughed as he chucked the plastic bag to Dudley, forcing Grace to whip around and glare at the pudgy boy.
"What've we got here," Dudley started as he opened the bag and started rummaging around.
"Give. It. Back!" She hissed as she went to grab it, but Dudley's other friend, Dennis, sneered at her as he pushed her hard, forcing her back. Grace stumbled backward, losing her footing over the pavement curb and landing hard on her butt in the street. The boys started laughing as she glared up at them. Before she could shout at them, there was a snarl and loud barking behind her. She whipped around and saw a large black dog bolting toward them. The dog ran to the boys, causing them to scream and run away, trying to escape. Getting halfway down the street, the boys dropped the plastic bag and continued screaming as they turned the corner.
Grace stared wide-eyed, finally letting out the breath she had been holding. When she tried to move and stand up, she hissed at the sharp pain that went up her arm. She must've landed on her wrist wrong. Grace groaned at the scrapes she saw on her palms and knees; she had to think of something to tell her mother. She winced as she went to stand up, wiping her hands on her shirt and then turning in the direction the boys had run off. She frowned, tilting her head to the side when she saw the black dog returning to her with her plastic bag in its mouth.
The dog stopped before her and looked up at her with big grey eyes. The dog was large, with long, black, shaggy fur, and seemed to be in desperate need of a bath. Grace held her breath as she took a step back, and the dog took a step forward, lowering its head and whined softly before dropping her bag at her feet. Her brows frowned in confusion as she slowly bent down and picked up the plastic bag. The dog sat down and stared up at her, tilting its head to the side.
"Good dog?" She asked nervously, and the dog gave her a light bark, letting its mouth hang open. "Good girl?" She asked and the dog growled softly, the nose wrinkling in a snarl. "Good boy?" She corrected quickly and the dog barked again, letting his mouth hang open and Grace thought he looked like he was smiling up at her. She held her hand out for him to sniff, and she really hoped he was friendly. He appeared friendly, he did help her after all. The dog stood up and walked closer and started licking her palm. Grace's face spread into a smile as she started to pet his head.
"Where's your collar, boy?" she asked gently as she continued to pet his shaggy hair. "Don't you have a home?" The dogs ears went back and he whined, looking up at her. There was something in his eyes that made Grace's heart break... the dog's eyes were sad. "Are you hungry?" She asked and the dog barked again, wagging his tail and she laughed. "Okay, okay, well you sit and stay right here. I'll go get you some food alright?" She said. The dog barked and sat on the sidewalk. "Alright... I'll be right back."
Ten minutes later, Grace came out with another bag, this time with some dog food. Tearing open the bag, she poured some in the plastic bowl she purchased, and then poured some water in the second bowl. "Here you go," she smiled as she crouched down next to him. The dog stood up and instantly started chowing down. Carefully, she started stroking the dogs back as he continued to eat and drink. "You're such a good dog... I'm sure you have someone missing you right now," she whispered. The dog paused and looked at her with those sad, grey eyes and he whined.
"I've got to head home now, doggy," she said softly, making the dog whine again and he jumped up and rested his paws on her shoulders, causing her to laugh. "I have to... I have to make sure I'm home before my mum. If she comes home and I'm not there, she's going to blow up and probably send me to Azkaban until September," At the mention of the exaggerated punishment, the dog growled quietly then barked. "Okay, I might be exaggerating but.. my mum will be so angry with me. I'm sorry," she sighed as she pet the dogs head again. The dog whined and licked her face, making her smile at him before she stood up. Giving him one more stroke on the head, she started to make her way to her house.
Pausing, she turned and saw that the dog was following her. "I can't bring you with me, dog," she told him but the dog continued to catch up to her and when he was next to her, he looked up. "Mum doesn't like dogs," the dog gave what sounded like a snort. "I've tried for years to have one, or to have any kind of pet really but she's against them. I wish I could bring you inside and give you a warm place to sleep tonight... and maybe a bath," the dog barked, and she laughed, then started to walk away again. The dog continued to walk with her all the way home. She pulled out Harry's Invisibility cloak, hoping that it didn't snag in her tumble but it seemed to be alright.
"Well... this is me," she sighed, looking at the dog who sat there and stared up at her. "Me and my friend Harry will be out at the park tomorrow afternoon, I'll sneak some food out for you," the dog barked and smiled up at her. Giving the dog one more pet, she wrapped the invisibility cloak around herself and carefully made her way inside. Locking the door behind her, she looked at the clock. She still had fifteen minutes before her mother came home.
Crack.
"Where's Harry?" Helena asked, looking around the front room for the boy.
"He went home."
"Alone?"
"Yeah, he only lives a few streets over," Grace replied.
"He shouldn't be out wandering by himself," Grace frowned at this, not understanding why her mother was so worried about Harry.
"It's Little Whinging, Mum..." she replied, rolling her eyes. "The most dangerous thing here is Dudley Dursley, but even he's easy to handle."
Helena didn't say anything further, instead she had turned away and headed to the kitchen to start on dinner. "What's this?" Her mother called out.
"What's what?" Grace asked as she stood from the couch and made her way to the kitchen.
"This?" Grace looked at the half-eaten treacle tart on the counter.
"Oh, treacle tart."
"It's burnt," Her mother stated dryly, and Grace's cheeks flushed from embarrassment. "Did you make it?"
"Yeah..."
"Why?"
"For Harry's birthday..."
"I thought you were going to bake him a cake."
"Well, I was going to but I asked him whathewanted since he's never celebrated his birthday and well... he wanted a treacle tart," Grace explained. Helena poked the tart with a fork, her upper lip curling at the undercooked crust, then took a bite. She watched her mother's face scrunch as if she ate something sour, and shook her head.
"That is far too sweet, and the bottom is undercooked. Did you even follow Molly's recipe?" Her mother asked, and Grace's shoulders slumped as she looked down at her feet. "Poor Harry."
"He said he liked it-"
"Of course he did," Helena sighed, rolling her eyes. "He's a polite boy, and didn't want to hurt your feelings and seem ungrateful. No matter, I'll whip one up for him tonight." Grace's heart plummeted as she watched her mother take the tart and toss it in the bin. "How about some roast chicken for dinner?" Helena asked as she flicked her wand, and the kitchen started getting to work on dinner.
Grace nodded her head numbly before turning around and heading upstairs to her room. Once the door softly clicked shut, she laid on her bed, taking her old stuffed ginger cat and holding closely to her chest. It was only then that she let the tears fall.
