The Boy Who Hid

Chapter Three

THE DURSLEY HOUSE WAS about a fifteen minute walk from Mrs. Tulip's house. It had been a fairly easy day there, only watering the plants and feeding their Yorkie, Smokey, before heading home. Thomas had gotten around forty dollars by the end of his work day. He only worked on the weekends and very rarely on the weekdays, sometimes only one or two houses on the weekdays giving him twenty dollars at the end of the weekdays. He tucked his hands into the pocket of his pants and walked toward the front door. As soon as he was through the door he was shoved into the door, someone's large meaty hand pulling his hair, which made his head slam against the door. He was met with Uncle Vernon's large meaty face.

"Go in your cupboard, you're out past curfew. No meals." he growled, he dragged toward the cupboard and threw it in. Landing on Harry in process while he was shoved into the small area, he heard the door locked.

"Sorry, Harry."

"Don't worry about it, Tom. This cupboard is getting too small for the both of us." Harry replied, and Thomas shifted over to sit across from his brother. He leaned his head back against the wall and stripped his shirt off leaving him in just his pants and shoes.

"It's too warm in here, and what did you do by the way? To get locked in here?" Thomas asked Harry curiously.

"When we were at the zoo, I was able to talk to one of the snakes. When Dudley shoved me because he saw it was moving he shoved me out of the way. And then the glass just disappeared. It was like magic, Tom. I swear." he explained, Thomas exhaled sharply out of his nose. His brother could talk to snakes too.

"I believe you Har, besides I can talk to snakes too. I've been able to for as long as I can remember." Thomas answered, Harry looked at his brother shocked and slightly betrayed.

"How come you didn't tell me, Tom? You're my little brother, I would have believed you." he said.

"You're only older than me by twelve minutes, so shut up please." Thomas joked, causing Harry to laugh, not noticing that his younger brother had dodged his second question With each other's company it made the Dursley's not so bad. Thomas could make Harry laugh even when he didn't want to and he was insanely smart, and would help him with his homework if he needed it. Thomas never really liked the silence, he needed something, like the sound of his brother's soft snores while they slept. The buzzing sound of the TV, he would resort to humming if there was nothing else that he could listen to. But that didn't mean he liked to listen to other idiot people. He needed white noise, something to distract while he worked. Thomas owned an iPod that he bought with a large sum of his money and he downloaded usually instrumental celtic music, or viking music. For whatever reason viking music calmed him, the dark rich sounds of their voices showing off their pride. After what felt like ages, Thomas finally drifted of to sleep hearing the night time noises of the evening that brought him so much peace.

Harry's stunt at the zoo had earned them their longest punishment yet, by the time they were let out of the cupboard it was already summer vacation. By the time that they were let out of their cupboard it was already summer break. And of course Dudley had broken at least half of his toys. That was how it would usually work and then he would get new stuff next year, and his parents never even cared that he broke it. They would blame everything on other people, to be honest they thought that Dudley was a perfect little angel. And everyone else was the devil. Over summer vacation Dudley was always with his gang, and they were quite happy to join Dudley in his favourite hobby of Potter Hunting.

Thomas was hardly ever at home because he worked from dawn till dusk, so he was always able to avoid Dudley and his gang. Harry always wandered the streets during the day. Both of the Potter boys were actually looking forward to the school year, there was a tiny sliver of hope. Dudley had gotten accepted to Uncle Vernon's old school called Smeltings, as well as Piers Polkiss. Thomas and Harry would be going to Stonewall High, the local secondary school. Dudley had told them that they shoved people's heads down toilets there and had asked them if they wanted to practice. Harry had cleverly quipped back with, "No thanks, the poor toilet's never had anything as horrible as your head down it — it might be sick." and then ran well before Dudley could work out what he had meant.