Lucy Potter: Harry's little sister

Chapter 1: Summer of Magic

Lucy's POV:

When we got home, Harry, me and the Dursleys, tensions were high. Uncle Vernon fired multiple scary glares.

"Boy, make dinner," Uncle Vernon muttered dangerously. Harry looked up, not having noticed the death stares.

He gave me a look, but I signaled him to go and do what Uncle Vernon had told him to do. He reluctantly did.

As soon as my brother had left, Uncle Vernon pinned me to the wall of the small hall and I had to hold back a shriek of pain in my ribs.

"You're gonna pay. Now." With that, he pushed me to the stairs and silently ordered me to go up the stairs.

I slowly obeyed, he would get me anyway, better let it come quick. Or he might hurt Harry more instead. I couldn't let him do that just to safe myself.

In the second bedroom, hell broke loose. Uncle Vernon took his belt and whipped it at my spine and I could only just keep in a yell. He laughed evilly and did it again, while tears streamed down my face.

"Scream, Monster!" He cried loudly, apparantly not satisfied.

Then I realised it: he wanted Harry to hear.

"I'm not giving you that satisfaction!" I barely got out and looked at him with my angriest look I could master at the moment.

He didn't like this. He got more and more violent with each minute and it became harder and harder to keep still or even stay conscious.

Don't scream. I told myself again and again. Whatever you do. Don't scream or black out! You don't want Harry to see this.

True, Harry had been through and seen these things before, but for one, he hadn't since last summer and would definitely feel guilty if he saw.

Two, if my assumptions that I couldn't go to Hogwarts were true, he'd drop out if he saw this.

Three, it had gotten worse. A lot worse, since Harry had left, so he'd be shocked at this outcome. It would only get worse if I screamed or blacked out.

But now Uncle Vernon started screaming like a madman. It was like he suddenly didn't care about the neighbours anymore. I prayed for Harry to stay downstairs.

Eventually, Harry did storm in. The moment he saw me, he gasped. He then took one look at Uncle Vernon and stormed at him.

"HARRY NO!" I yelled through the pain. Uncle Vernon would kill him! This couldn't be happening!

"YOU BOY!" he screamed. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" He started to try and hit Harry as well, but he skillfully dodged it. He really had learned how to keep from getting hit by things at Hogwarts.

"Leave her alone!" Harry yelled, while still trying to hit Uncle Vernon without getting hit himself.

Meanwhile, I crouched away, stood up and tugged on Harry's arm, trying to make him stop.

"Stop it!" I repeated urgently. He finally left Uncle Vernon be and turned to me with worry all over his face. "Are you okay?"

I nodded and pulled him out of the bedroom, downstairs with me, out of the house and we started running, for as far as I could. "Where're we going?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"The playground," I said, finally stopping the running. "Just not there... he'll kill us." Harry was catching his breath and looked up at me.

"It's been like this all year hasn't it?" I looked at him, the lie already on my lips, but at the last moment, I nodded. He wouldn't buy it anyway. "I didn't want to tell you. You'd have dropped out. I couldn't let you! Besides, I have made a friend, so it wasn't all too bad."