Entanglement

A New Era

Elena was saddened by the end of the school, but Harry was glad- even though now they had to deal with Dudley's friends at the house. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm and Gordon were all big and stupid, with Dudley as the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favourite sport: Potter-hunting.

This was why Elena and Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, wandering around and thinking about the end of the holidays, where they could see a tiny ray of hope. When September came they would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in Elena's life, she wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had a place at Uncle Vernon's old school, Smeltings. Piers was going there, too. Elena and Harry, were going to Stonewall High, the local comprehensive. Dudley thought this was funny.

"They stuff people's heads down the toilet first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?"
"No thanks," said Harry. "The poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it– it might be sick." Then he ran.
Elena didn't care it was a 'worse' school than Dudley's. Freedom was freedom. She could read in peace, maybe make some more friends.

One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his uniform, leaving Elena and Harry at Mrs Figg's. Mrs Figg wasn't as bad as usual. It turned out she'd broken her leg tripping over one of her cats and she didn't seem quite as fond as before. She let the twins watch television and gave them a bit of chocolate cake.

That evening, Dudley marched around the front room for the family in his shiny new uniform. As she took a gander at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said bluntly that it was the proudest snapshot of his life. Auntie Petunia burst into tears and said she was unable to trust it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so attractive and grown-up. Elena could tell Harry was keeping himself quiet, so she spoke on behalf of both with a subtle smile as she took a drink from her glass.

"I'm sure you'll have heads turned," she muttered, and Harry made a throat cleaning noise as both Potters gave a foolish grin to one another.

There was a horrible smell in the kitchen next morning when Elena went in for breakfast. It was coming from a large metal tub in the sink. She went to look, and picked up the cloth from the tub. The tub was full of dirty rags swimming in grey water.

"What's this?" she asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened.
"Your new school uniform," she said.
Elena looked in the bowl again.
"Oh," she said. "Must it be so... Wet?"

"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing Dudley's old things grey for you. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished."

Elena doubted this, but thought it best not to argue. She sat down at the table. Harry, Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from Harry and Elena's new uniforms. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper and Dudley banged his Smeltings stick on the table.

They heard the click of the letter-box and flop of letters on the doormat. "Get the post, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper. "Make Elena get it."
"Get the post, Elena."

Elena avoided any further discussion to settle a possible argument and went to get the post. Four things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, a brown envelope that looked like a bill and– a letter for Elena and Harry.

Elena picked up her letter and stared at it, her heart leaping larger than a jump rope. No one, ever, in her whole life, had written to her or Harry. After all, they had no other relatives. Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake:

Miss E. Potter
The Cupboard under the Stairs 4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey

Mr H. Potter
The Cupboard under the Stairs 4 Privet Drive
Little Whinging
Surrey