Dark AIAOY 5

Chapter 1

Rebecca was thinking about the car ride to the Dursley's as she laid in the bed above Harry's exactly one week after they had arrived.  "I miss them so much."  She whispered to Hedwig, the only roommate of hers still awake in the middle of the night.  Their owl gave a solemn hoot, echoing the sentiment.

Vernon had not been joking.  He instructed Petunia to give her exactly 300 seconds every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  By Friday, Fred had mastered the art of keeping count so that he was able to fit in his "I love you" before Petunia demanded the phone was hung up.  He and George tried their best to keep themselves busy by working up in their room more hours of the day than not, but it wasn't the same.  Not when their third partner wasn't there.

All the inhabitants of the Burrow felt like a piece was out of sorts, like they were missing a vital part of their system.

"I miss her."  George said, not knowing that he and Fred were not the only ones to have trouble sleeping due to a heavy heart.

Fred rolled over so that he faced George's side of the room, holding his pillow tightly.  "Me too."  

George wished at once that he hadn't said anything, Fred's voice sounded like he was close to tears.  "Think about it though, one week down!"  George wanted Fred to go off to sleep with a positive mindset.

"You're right."  Fred said sadly, though trying to muster up some strength.  "Four more to go."

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Dudley, upon finding a new entrant to his domain, embarked on a mission through the second and third week of summer to find the best insult for Rebecca.  Toying with Harry had grown old, but his lookalike was a new plaything.  Rebecca wasn't an amateur though, she steeled herself whenever Dudley entered a room with her and pretended that she couldn't hear him until his efforts increased and it grew impossible to stay silent forever.

"Stupid."  Dudley sneered down at Rebecca, she and Harry on their hands and knees in the kitchen.

"I'm not really."  Rebecca retorted, sending Harry's head up from where he had been concentrating.  Petunia had them scrubbing the kitchen floor and if she found so much as a speck, they would have to use their toothbrushes and start again.  "Stupid, that is.  I'm actually quite sharp."

Dudley turned around from the doorway where her voice had stopped him and stomped back in front of her.  "What did you just say to me?"

Rebecca paused her scrubbing and looked up at the massive lump of a boy above her.  "You called me stupid.  I am not, I do quite well in school and have a knack for solving problems, as well as-"

Dudley narrowed his eyes and stormed out of the kitchen, not letting her say anything else.

Harry shook his head and bit back a smile, Rebecca's Rebecca-ness making him far happier than she could know.  "Are you almost done over there?"

Rebecca looked down at the last section she had, one final row.  "Nearly."

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A heat wave had settled over Britain as Harry and Rebecca went into the fourth week of summer, one month spent away from their world.  The temperature was well into the 30's day after day and, as a result, the region was forced into a horrible, miserable mood.

Rebecca and Harry, similar to Fred and George's retreat into their room, spent as much time outdoors as they could.  Sometimes they would go walking, picking a direction and not stopping for hours until they found a rest under a shady tree.  Sometimes, like that day, they stayed closer to Little Whinging and waited around the playground to pretend they were somewhere cooler.