To change the future

PS-3

　The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry and Jason their longest-ever punishment. By the time they were allowed out of the cupboard again, the summer holidays had started and Dudley had already broken his new video camera, crashed his remote control airplane, and, first time out on his racing bike, knocked down old Mrs. Figg as she crossed Privet Drive on her crutches.
　　Harry was glad school was over, but there was no escaping Dudley's gang, who visited the house every single day. Piers, Dennis, Malcolm, and Gordon were all big and stupid, but as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. The rest of them were all quite happy to join in Dudley's favorite sport: Harry Hunting.

"How long were you in there for?" Hermione asks them "Three weeks." Harry tells her. Jason could see Toni Stark writing this down on her notebook paper. The parents were meanwhile scowling at what Dudley had did, Peter and Harley and the other kids shook their heads. If they did something like that they would never be able to sit comfortably again.

This was why Harry and Jason 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 he and his brother would be going off to secondary school and, for the first time in their lives, he wouldn't be with Dudley. Dudley had been accepted at Uncle Vernon's old private school, Smeltings. Piers Polkiss was going there too. Harry and Jason, on the other hand, was going to Stonewall High, the local public school. Dudley thought this was very funny.
　　"They stuff people's heads down the toilet the first day at Stonewall," he told Harry. "Want to come upstairs and practice?" He let out a squeal like a pig as a hand landed on his shoulder and squeezed hard "You have exactly five seconds to get as far away as you can." Jason growled at him. Dudley didn't need to be told twice and ran. "Thanks Jason." Harry mumbled as the two headed to the library. "No problem." his brother tells him, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"No one touches my brother." Jason mumbles as he pulls the younger brother into a hug. Theo and their friends knew this to be true considering all the stuff Jason had done to the people who had decided messing with Harry was a good idea.

One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London to buy his Smeltings uniform, leaving Harry and Jason 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 of them as before. She let Harry and Jason watch television and gave him a bit of chocolate cake that tasted as though she'd had it for several years.
　　That evening, Dudley paraded around the living room for the family in his brand-new uniform. Smeltings' boys wore maroon tailcoats, orange knickerbockers, and flat straw hats called boaters. They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other while the teachers weren't looking. This was supposed to be good training for later life.

Harley and Peter shuddered at the thought of them having to wear something like that. Thankfully their school's uniform was nothing like that. "How is that supposed to be good training for them later on in life?" Mrs. Weasley asks scandalized at the thought of any of her children whacking each other or their teachers. Jason and Harry shrug as they had no idea either.

　　As he looked at Dudley in his new knickerbockers, Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn't believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, he looked so handsome and grown-up. Harry didn't trust himself to speak. He thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh.
　　There was a horrible smell in the kitchen the next morning when Harry went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. He went to have a look. The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in gray water.
　　"What's this?" he asked Aunt Petunia. Her lips tightened as they always did if he dared to ask a question.
　　"You and your brother's new school uniforms," she said.
　　Harry looked in the bowl again.
　　"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."