Just an idea I had. Since I don't remember the name of Harry and Dudley's
school being mentioned in the book,I've called it Greentrees School.
The Cupboard Under The Stairs
This had happened before, although he had no idea when. The flying motorbike
was zooming across the sky, and Harry Potter was sitting on the handlebars.
There was something behind him steering the bike, but he didn't mind,because
he knew (although he didn't know how he knew) that it was a kind and harmless
thing. Clouds were flying past and when Harry looked down,he could see
cities and fields through the whiteness. It was great fun, fun like he'd
never had before. And the best thing, even better then being here flying,
was that he was far,far away from things like dull,crowded corridors,harsh
words,tellings-off,and three angry faces...
Harry Potter woke up. As always happened after a dream like that,it
took him several minutes to remember where he was. Then there was a bang
on the door,and he was fully back in reality,in his cupboard under the
stairs,at number four Privet Drive,with the Dursleys,his only living relatives,and
the most normal,no-nonsense,and,in Harry's opinion,meanest family alive.
"Wake up!" Aunt Petunia was snapping. She banged on the door one final
time.
"Your uncle wants his sausages! And try not to burn them,like you did
last time!" She stormed off. Harry had learnt long ago that any Dursley
talking to him would put them in a bad mood. He climbed out of his cupboard
just as Dudley came thumping down the stairs. Any newcomer to the Dursley
household might have mistaken the sound for a elephant,or dinosaur perhaps.
Dudley weighed about as much as both those animals,and was far stupider
than they were,too.
Harry went into the kitchen and started cooking the sausages. Dudley,sitting
at the table,banged his fist on it. Amazing,really,it didn't collapse.
"Get a move on!" he complained. "I want my breakfast!"
"I have to make Dudley's too?" Harry groaned.
"Don't you talk in that ungrateful tone!" Petunia snapped. "Duddy is
right. You'll make him late for school,you lazy brat."
Lazy brat? Him? It was Dudley that fit that expression so well there
was practically a picture of him there in the dictionary.
Harry,of course,didn't say this as he wordlessly turned over the sausages.
Uncle Vernon looked up,as if guessing what he was thinking. "Done your
homework,boy?"
"Yes,Uncle Vernon," Harry said through clenched teeth.
"Good." he said,rustling his paper. "Don't want another of those letters,do
we?"
Harry rolled his eyes. Harry had gotten a letter complaining he never
handed it in. Dudley had stolen his homework. He'd yelled this at his uncle,
who had very nearly hit him. Harry wasn't allowed to say a word against
Duddykins. Uncle Vernon hated letters as well, especially ones about
Harry. Having to reply to one had put him in a bad mood for most of that
week.
When the Dursley family were eating their sausages, Harry made himself
toast. He didn't want to think about school. It was just one long nightmare.
Work, playground, hittings, tellings-off, strange happenings...
The newspaper was folded up and put aside. Dudley had finished,and was
pouring out a bowl of cornflakes.
"No more after that, Dudley dear," Petunia said gently. "Piers will
be here soon."
Harry groaned, again. He'd been made to walk to school with Dudley
and his cruel friends for as long as he could remember. Last week they'd
kicked him to the floor and stamped on his feet. The week before that they'd
stolen his maths book and thrown it into a puddle. The week before that...
"Hurry up, boy!" Uncle Vernon snapped. "Finish your toast!"
Harry obediently popped the last bit into his mouth. He got up to leave.
"And brush your hair!" he snapped. Harry rolled his eyes. He always
brushed his hair. It just wasn't very...brushable...hair.
He walked to his cupboard,and started pulling on his uniform. He heard
his cousin thumping up the stairs overhead.
Dudley gets everything, he thought to himself. If I even
got a quarter of what he gets,I'd be really happy,and Dudley's never happy.
I don't really get it.
He checked himself in the hall mirror. His hair looked same as it always
did. His school uniform,which used to be Dudley's,hung off him. His glasses
were stuck together with cheap Sellotape.
Shaking his head,he walked into the kitchen.
"Aunt Petunia,can I make a sandwich for school,please?"
She wordlessly moved aside to let him get to the bread. "And I suppose
you want crisps,too?"
"Well..." Harry said. He didn't always have to be polite. "Dudley always
does."
She gave him a poisonous look and threw a packet of plain Walkers crisps
at him. Harry caught it,buttered the bread and put some cheese in,put it
all in a plastic bag,and went out,remembering to thank his aunt.
As he was gathering his schoolbooks,the doorbell rang. It was Piers.
Dudley thundered downstairs and opened the door for him. As Harry pulled
his bag over his shoulders,he saw it wasn't just Piers; there was a smaller
boy with him.
"Hi Dudley," Piers said. "Hi,Mr Dursely." Uncle Vernon,behind Dudley
in the hall,nodded at him. No-one paid Harry the slightest bit of attention
as the boys started walking away from the house.
"Who's that?" Dudley asked Piers,glaring at the boy next to him.
"Name's Gerald. Moved in next door. He's one year below us." Piers
said.
"Hey Gerald." Dudley said to him. "You see that sad kid following us?"
Gerald looked behind him and saw Harry behind him. Harry smiled weakly
at him.
"That's Harry Potter,and he's a knobhead," Piers said.
Gerald nodded,looking slightly scared.
"We beat him up sometimes. Just reminding him not to get too clever."
"Yeah,he's a freak. Once he turned a teacher's wig blue."
"Really?"
"Yeah,really." As Gerald looked ahead,Piers made a rude gesture about
him behind his back, to Dudley. Harry wasn't really surprised.
They turned the corner towards Greentrees School. Dudley and Piers walked
off,and Harry was left alone. Didn't matter much-he was always alone. He
had no friends; people were too scared of Dudley.
Maybe not quite alone. That Gerald kid was there.
"Aren't you going with Piers?" Harry asked.
"Nah. I don't like him much."
"You're not the only one."
"Is that fat boy your cousin?"
"Yeah. You'd better make sure he doesn't hear you say that. He'd hit
you."
"I'm not scared of him. There was a really,really,really fat boy in
my old school. He got expelled for kicking a teacher."
"Really?"
The bell rang. Harry started walking towards the door. Kids were filing
in.
"Yeah. He had this gang,but they all went away with other people when
he got expelled. One of them stole my girlfriend."
"You had a girlfriend?"
"Yeah. Her name was..." But Harry was heading up the stairs,and Gerald
was going in the other direction to his new classroom. "I'll tell you later!"
Gerald called cheerfully,and went through the door. Harry stared. Someone
had talked to him.
Amazing.
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....who wants me to continue?
