Always There For You (Harry Potter OC X OC)

6. Parents Quarrel-

The house was quiet, except for Beebo barking enthusiastically as she entered the house. The dog wagged its tail, greeting the first person back.

Mum wasn't home yet, but Lizzy felt safe unficklingly. She had the Lisbons. When she felt like it, she would stay at their house until Mum got home. And sometimes she'd stay for dinner with them, then go back home through the backyard.

But most of the time, she had preferred to be alone in the house. The front door had always diligently locked, just as Mum wanted her to.

Beebo's tail wagged still. Lizzy checked if the dog was hungry. She filled chicken gravy kibbles for elderly dogs on the empty bowl on the kitchen floor. Beebo ate quickly.

Lizzy left her be, heading upstairs to play make-believe with her plushies in her room. She played so long, talking to the plushies and acting out the voices of each character, that she didn't realize that the sky had gone dark.

CRASH!

She paused.

Something or someone broke something downstairs. Beebo started barking. She got scared to imagine a burglar. Someone was groaning in pain down in the hall.

She went to peek at the staircase. Down there, a pair of feet were laid on the floor. Jean trousers and shoe trainers. She tiptoed. Her heart palpitated as she went to see the face of the man.

Oh to her relief it was only Dad. He came home drunk again. She quietly went to get the dog.

'Beebo, shush,' She whispered.

Dad could be unpredictable sometimes if he was in such a state. She picked up Beebo quickly, right when Dad had shouted in his sleep. Feeling scared that he might wake up, Lizzy rushed back into her bedroom. She shut the door and put the dog down.

'You're silly, Beebo,' she said in relief.

The dog looked at her, wagging her tail.

***

For a couple of days, she had mum and dad in the house. Though she actually wished that they weren't. There was quite an awful tension between them. Dad started drinking a lot. He could drink eight glasses daily. There would be leftover glasses of whiskey, scattered around the house. And Mum would yell at him whenever she found some. So Lizzy started taking them away to be washed before Mum could see. She would empty the liquids and wash them herself to prevent Mum from finding out.

One afternoon, a half-filled glass of whiskey was on the coffee table. Dad left it to sleep in his bedroom while Mum was still out at work. She took the glass to the sink, but... Her mind started tuning in.

Why does dad like it so much if it's bad for his health? she thought. Does it taste better than strawberry?

She knew she would get in trouble if her parents found out. But Mum was still at work... Dad was sleeping upstairs...

It won't hurt, would it?

She sniffed it. The smell was sharp, very sweet and spicy. She got herself ready and downed it empty. The taste was sharper than the smell! She was not ready for the intensity. She started coughing. It tasted weird. She couldn't decide if it tasted bitter or sweet, but for sure, it burned her throat. The glass fell off her hand and smashed into pieces.

She wanted the burning feeling to go away. Tears streaked down on her face as she turned the tap water on and struggled to drink. The pain didn't go away and she accidentally stepped on shards of glass.

'Mum!' she shrieked.

But mum wasn't here and dad didn't come to save her either. Dad was either deep in sleep or he didn't care at all. She stood there crying about her wounded sole foot and burning throat. When she calmed down, her throat felt better now, it was cool and she felt lightheaded. But she was scared to step down the foot with a piece of glass, until two hours later, mum came home and found her there.