wildflower - harry potter series

dudley's playdate with the snakes

***

  MIA AND HARRY POTTER were fast asleep unlike everyone else in the house, considering Petunia Dursley was marching over to the cupboard, her shrill voice waking the siblings up.

"Up! Get up, now!"

  The Potter siblings woke up with a start, glancing towards the door to see it rumbling under Aunt Petunia's fists. "We're up! We're up!" Mia Potter huffed, rubbing her eyes.

"Well, hurry on then."

   Mia looked at her little brother, who seemed frazzled. "You alright, Harry?" The almost eleven year old nodded, meekly "I'm fine, just a funny dream."

   The Potter siblings were one and the same. Both paired with brown skin and curly black hair that can never be kept tamed. Only one thing that didn't match was their eyes, one with shiny hazel and other with bright green.

  "Well, come on." Mia urged her brother "We don't want her breaking the door down."

    Mia and Harry left the cupboard, dressed and ready for the day. Entering the kitchen made Mia's mood sour, realizing it was her cousin's birthday. Dudley Dursley, a boy that knew no limits to food, he would always pick on Harry and Mia, hitting them or calling them names.

    The siblings started making breakfast under Petunia's orders. Mia watched Vernon and Petunia obsess over their son as he complained about the amount of presents. Mia and Harry shared a look, before rolling their eyes at Dudley's tantrum.

   Half an hour later, the Potter siblings were in the backseat of the Dursley's car, heading towards the zoo. Even if they weren't originally going to come, Mia was glad because her and her brother were barely allowed out of the house, if it wasn't for school.

   Petunia and Vernon were left with no choice, but to take the siblings with, but before they'd left, Uncle Vernon had taken Mia and Harry aside.

"I'm warning you two," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to the siblings. "No funny business, you hear me? Anything at all, and you two will be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."

  "Trust me, we won't get in the way of your precious little Dudley." Mia sneered, crossing her arms. The young teen was so tired of getting thrown into that cupboard.

   Vernon Dursley has always had a problem with Mia and Harry, claimed strange things would always happen around the brother and sister.

   The older man wasn't wrong, though. Anytime one of the siblings were upset or angry, strange things would happen, like the lights going out, or plates breaking. Mia and Harry were clueless as to why certain things like that would happen, but it didn't matter anyway as they would always get in trouble.

  "Watch it, girl." Vernon hissed, his face turning even more purple. Harry stood behind his sister, glancing between the two with wary. "Come on," The older man grabbed Mia's arm, shoving her towards the car.

"Get in the car!"

*

   Finally, they were out of the car. People were everywhere, going in and out of the zoo. A hand grabbed Mia's, making the girl look over to see Harry.

   The older sister squeezed her brother's hand, they had to get through this day. All Mia wanted was a calm day at the zoo, no freak accident, no punishments. Just a day for her and Harry.

   Mia and Harry were at least five feet behind the Dursley's, not wanting unnecessary attention. The siblings never really had a chance to look at the animals because Dudley was running around like he was a wild animal.

  Then after they ate, Dudley had the bright idea to go into the reptile house. The five of them stood in front of a glass cage, inside the cage was a beautiful snake, possibly the size of Vernon's hand.

   Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.

"Make it move." he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.

  Mia rolled her eyes at her cousin's whining. It was a snake, what else was it supposed to do in a glass cage, but sleep.

   Dudley moaned as he wandered off, his parents following after. Harry and Mia replaced their spots, as they stared at the reptile. "It's pretty." Mia whispered, making Harry nod.

"Sorry about him. He doesn't understand what it's like, lying there day after day. Watching people press their ugly faces in on you."

  Then the snake did something unexpected as the reptile raised its head, gazing up at the siblings.

It winked.

   The siblings paused, glancing at each other, silently asking if they saw it too. Harry glanced around, quickly before turning back to the snake "Can you hear me?"

   If Mia didn't see with her own eyes, she wouldn't believe that the snake nodded its head. Mia looked down at her brother, who began to have a conversation with the reptile.

   This wasn't entirely unusual for Mia because she learned very early that her brother had a knack for snakes, whether it was finding them or talking to them. Mia would've found it strange, but she too was also able to understand the snakes.

  "Mummy, Dad! Come here!" Mia was pulled out of her thoughts when someone shoved her to the ground. "You won't believe what this snake is doing!"

   Harry's blood boiled seeing his sister on the ground. The Potter boy glared at his cousin, who had his face smashed up against the glass. Then Harry's eyes widened as the glass disappeared, making Dudley fall face first in the water.

    Harry and Mia couldn't help themselves as they started to laugh, but they quickly stopped when the snake slithered out on to the floor. As the snake slid swiftly past them, the siblings could have sworn the reptile spoke.

"Thanksss."

   Petunia and Vernon spotted their son behind the glass cage making the mother let out a sob as she pounded on the glass, wanting her son in her arms. Mia and Harry were grinning at Dudley freaking out before the siblings noticed their Uncle, making their grins fall.

  There was no getting out of this.