Reaper's Heir (Book 2)

Chapter 1

Chapter I

Hedwig was screeching from upstairs. I huffed and flipped through my potions textbook from the year before again. I nearly had the contents memorized at this point, but there was nothing better to do, considering Daphne hadn't written me all summer, despite her promises to. Neither had Fred or George for that matter. I'd asked Harry if something was going on with the Weasley household, but he hadn't gotten any letters from Ron either.

Hedwig screeched again. If Harry didn't do something about it, Vernon would-

"Harry Potter!"

I rolled my eyes. Took him long enough. He must be distracted by the Masons coming over. Footsteps sending dust falling onto my textbook indicated Harry's progress down the stairs. I brushed some of the dust off absentmindedly, flipping to the next section. Technically, I was supposed to be putting my and Harry's school things away so that the Masons' coats could be put in here while they were over, but Vernon and Petunia had been particularly nitpicky with Harry and me since we got back from Hogwarts, so I'd done all I could to be an inconvenience. There was a knock on the cupboard door before it swung open, revealing Petunia. "You should wait longer next time," I said, not taking my eyes off my textbook. "I could've been changing. Or brewing some potion to turn you all into toads or something unnatural."

"Come into the kitchen Maeve," She seemed to be ignoring my statement on purpose. "Vernon wants to talk to the both of you."

I snapped the textbook closed and exited the cupboard, making my way to the kitchen. Vernon was shaking his finger in Harry's face. "I should think you'd be a little more grateful. We've raised you since you were a baby, given you the food off our table, even let you have Dudley's second bedroom, purely out of the goodness of our hearts."

"Yes, because a shared cupboard or a shared bedroom is a great choice to have to make," I grumbled.

Vernon either didn't hear me or chose to ignore me and Petunia slapped Dudley's hand away from the dessert she'd made for the occasion. "Not now, Bopkins. For when the Masons arrive."

"Which should be any minute!" Vernon perked up. "Ahem...Now let's go over our schedule once again, shall we? Petunia when the Masons arrive you will be...?"

"...in the lounge, waiting to welcome them graciously into our home."

"Good! And- and Dudley, you will be...?"

"I'll be waiting to open the door!"

"Excellent!" Vernon smiled before turning to Harry and me. "...And you...?"

Harry answered robotically, "I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending that I don't exist."

"I seem to have forgotten what I'm supposed to do," I said dryly, watching Vernon's face turn red. Petunia and Dudley looked stricken. After another minute of waiting to see if Vernon's head would explode or not, I sighed. "I'll finish cleaning the cupboard and then I'll be joining Harry in pretending to not exist."

"You haven't finished cleaning the cupboard?" Vernon asked through grit teeth, now truly looking like his head would explode. "What on earth are you doing standing here for?"

I shrugged. "You wanted to talk to me."

"Out. Out, both of you, now. With any luck, this could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career. And you will not mess it up!"

Harry and I left the kitchen. I cleaned the cupboard, shoving what few possessions we still kept in there into a box the Dursleys had given me to make it easier. My trunk was still shoved to the back of the cupboard, so I grabbed it and the box, setting them just outside the cupboard to take upstairs with me. I glanced around the cupboard, deciding that would do. There was a knock on the front door. Petunia came and shooed me away from the door, closing the cupboard as I got to the bottom of the stairs. Vernon stood by the front door but waited until I was on the second floor to open the door and usher the Masons into the house. I watched them from the landing, being careful to stay out of sight. Once they'd put their coats in the cupboard and passed into the kitchen and out of sight, I turned and opened Harry's bedroom door, dragging my trunk behind me.