When two letters arrive in the post for the Potters inviting them to a school for wizards Pippa is beyond excited. She was ready to start fresh somewhere new where she could actually be someone, where she could be special.
However, Hogwarts was not...
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The zoo earned me one of longest punishment. By the time I was allowed out of my room the summer holidays had started.
I danced round the my room to Uptown Girl on one Dudley's old Walkman's that Aunt Petunia let me have once he was done with it.
"I'm love with an uptown girl!" I yelled hopping down the stairs extra loud just to annoy Uncle Vernon.
Today was going to be a good day, I could feel it.
There was a horrible smell in the kitchen when I went in for breakfast. It seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. Harry was already looking at it. 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 we dared to ask a question.
"Your new school uniforms," she said.
Harry looked in the bowl again then over at me. I shrugged throughly amused.
"Oh," he said, "I didn't realize it had to be so wet."
I snorted at him.
"Don't be stupid," snapped Aunt Petunia. "I'm dyeing some of mine and Dudley's old things gray for you both. It'll look just like everyone else's when I've finished. "
I seriously doubted it, but there was no arguing on good days. I sat down at the table followed by Harry.
Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, both with wrinkled noses because of the smell from our new uniforms. Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smelting stick, which he carried everywhere, on the table.
Last night 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.
He looked daft but maybe looking like a idiot in public was also good training for later life. Who knows?
We heard the click of the letter box and flop of letters on the doormat.
"Get the post, Dudley," said Uncle Vernon from behind his paper.
"Make Harry get it."
"Get the post, Harry."
"Make Dudley get it."
"Poke him with your Smelting stick, Dudley. "
"I'll get it." I grabbed Dudley's stupid stick before it could hit Harry.
I gave my cousin a nasty look and he put the stick back on the table.
Four things lay on the doormat: a postcard from Uncle Vernon's sister Marge, who was vacationing on the Isle of Wight, a brown envelope that looked like a bill, a letter for Harry and a letter for me.
