When Creatures Meet

Chapter 8

                                                                   Prison and a Magical Rescue

The morning started like any other day for Petunia when she wakes next to her horrid husband snoring so loudly it almost rattles the windows. Carefully, she stands up from the bed, not wanting to wake her sleeping husband. Making her way to their sons' room, checking to make sure that he is sleeping soundly, Petunia is filled with sadness when she looks upon her sleeping son. Sadly, her son is developing the same abusive attitude as her husband. Walking down the stairs, she sighs and gasps as she stretches too far, when reaching for the door, and grabs her ribs gently, not wanting to cause the fractures to break completely. After she gathers her breath and the pain goes back to the familiar throb, she opens the door. She crouches down to grab the morning paper when she notices movement out of the corner of her eye, gasping again as she sees the small child lying in the basket while playing with her hands that are waving in the air. Petunia is shocked and doesn't move for several minutes, finally knocked out of the stupor she was in when the baby is cooing at her with her arms held up as if she wants her to hold her.

Picking up the basket carefully, she carries it into the house, down the small hallway, and into the kitchen/dining area. Placing the basket with the babe on the table, she sees the white envelope sticking into the edge of the basket. Fishing the envelope out, she sees that addressed to her.

'Petunia,

The child is the daughter of your once friend, Lilith (Lily) Evans. Her name is Daniella Lilith Potter; I need you and your husband to take care of the child. I do not care what you do to the child as long as she remains here and is alive when she turns 11. I will also be sending 700 pounds a month for any monthly costs.

Albus Dumbledore.'

                                                                    ~~~~~~One year later~~~~~~

"Girl, get your lazy ass out here," Vernon shouts one evening just before 4 pm. An almost 3-year-old Dani slowly exits the cupboard under the stairs. "Yes, Vernon?" Dani asks as she walks into the dining and kitchen area, knowing by now that calling him uncle would only be met with a harsh beating. The last one ending with four cracked ribs and a broken leg, she was locked in the cupboard for six weeks while it healed. "I expect these chores to be done perfectly when I get back from work. You will be in for another beating if they are not. Do you understand me, girl?" Vernon shouted while shoving a piece of paper in her face hitting her in the process. Dani gasps and steps back from the hit to her face while grabbing the list. "Yes, sir, I understand," she replied while looking at the rather long list.

'Make lunch for Dudley and Pet.

Clean the Kitchen and Living room

Vacuum the Stairs

Weed the Garden

Water the Lawn

Clean the Bathroom

Clean the bloodstains from the basement

Have dinner ready when I get home from work.'

Sighing, Dani says to herself, "I had better get started." as she heads upstairs to start with the bathroom. After Dani finishes scrubbing the tub, she heads downstairs and grabs the vacuum from her cupboard and begins her work on the stairs. Just as she finishes vacuuming, she hears Dudley complain to Petunia, "Mum... I'm hungry." Petunia calmly says, "Of course, Duddykins. Freak!!! Get in here and make us something to eat!" Dani hurries to put the vacuum away and runs to the kitchen, saying, "Yes, Petunia." while grabbing the stool from the corner so she can reach the stovetop. Grabbing some eggs and bacon from the fridge, she cut the bacon and started to fry it in the pan. Ten minutes pass, and Dudley comes into the kitchen to yell at her for taking too long to make lunch and kicking the stool out from under her causing her to drop the cooking bacon on the floor and burn her long 6-inch mark up her forearm. Dani yelps and cradles her arm to her chest, knowing by now if she screams, Dudley will tell Vernon when he arrives home, and Vernon will beat her for making such a loud noise. Dani rises from the floor and starts again on fixing the eggs and bacon. After lunch, she goes outside to work on the garden and watering the lawn.

                                                                      ~~~~~~TIME SKIP~~~~~~

Time passes far too quickly for Dani to be able to get the whole list of chores done before Vernon gets home. She is just starting on dinner and has not been able to clean the basement yet, and there are only fifteen minutes before Vernon arrives home. After putting the meatballs in the oven to cook for the spaghetti and meatballs, she hears the door open and watches Petunia go and meet Vernon at the front door; after a minute, she hears Vernon yell "Freak!! You didn't finish your chores, and dinner is not made! That is it; you are in for a beating; get your ass downstairs now!!!" Dani's eyes drop to the floor as Petunia comes and takes her place at the stove. Slowly making her way down the stairs, she sees Vernon already down there and taking off his belt. "Kneel Girl!! For not finishing your chores and for being ungrateful, you get 20 lashes with the buckle." Knowing better than to argue, having had dozens of these beatings already, Dani kneels and braces herself for the first hit. Hissing as the metal buckle connects with her already scared back, she tries to block out the pain but ends up yelling by the fourth hit. "Ungrateful brat!! For every scream, I am adding another five lashes!" Vernon yells. Dani blissfully sighs as she passes out on the fifteenth after crying out at least three more times.

                                                                     ~~~~~~TIME SKIP~~~~~~

Dani finally wakes around midnight, unknown to her. Surprised to find herself naked laying in a pool of blood standing, she notices something sticky and white running down her leg and mixing with her blood on the floor. Confused, she quickly cleans herself with the bucket of water in the corner that she hid there to clean herself after the beatings. Dressing in her bloody clothes, she quietly climbs the stairs and lies on the old crib mattress, her bed in the cupboard.

                                                       ~~~~~~TIME SKIP Two weeks later~~~~~~

Dani sighs; she is again kneeling in the basement, waiting for Vernon to arrive for the beating to begin again. She knows by now that her life will be short and painful and miserable. Hearing the heavy thuds start to descend the stairs, Dani wonders if Petunia will eventually warm up to her. Dani Sees the way she still flinches away from Vernon and never meets his gaze head-on. She sees similar signs in herself and knows that Vernon was probably beating her before he found a new target in herself. "Freak, you are going to regret ever saying that Dudley Does not deserve his second room. For saying that, you should have it! When we have so graciously allowed you to live here. You ungrateful, Freak!"

                                                ~~~~~~MAJOR TIME SKIP ~~~~~~ 4 years later~~~~~~

Dani sighs as she again lays in a puddle of her blood in the basement. Slowly still bleeding 3 hours after her latest beating, Dani knows that this will be her last day in the miserable world. After having cleaned the house, weeding the garden, mowing the lawn, and making breakfast, lunch, and dinner for those ungrateful demons upstairs. She sighs one last time before she stops breathing for what she thinks is forever. Her final thoughts being "I'm coming home mum and dad. I will see you both soon." she, of course, remembers the red-haired woman and dark-haired man, dying for her to protect her, as she exiles a small smile on her lips.

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Opening her eyes Dani, only sees white with a woman's figure standing a few feet in front of her. "Excuse me?" Dani asks, causing the woman to turn around with a soft, warm smile on her face. "Oh, my dear child, I am so sorry. This was not supposed to be your fate. My wonderful child, please come with me, and we will try to set this right. I will make my siblings begin to set things right." Dani's eyes finally adjust enough to where she can make out the woman's red hair and emerald eyes like her own. "Mum, is that you? Please be you, mum." Dani asks with tears streaming down her face crying silently, knowing that making any noise will end with a beating.