𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐞 | h. granger

xxxvi | aunt marge's visit

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
aunt marge's visit

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"𝐃𝐀𝐊𝐎𝐓𝐀 𝐃𝐀𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘!"

Dakota rolled her eyes at the use of her full name. She got up from the floor where she had been playing with Bongo, brushing the cat fur off of her long sleeved army green crop top and black skirt. Her fishnets were torn from Bongo's playful scratches, but she didn't mind. She ran a hand through her blonde hair, which now had streaks of blue and purple in it.

"I told you you were gonna get in trouble for that," Harry said from where he sat on his bed, responding to a letter from Ron. Dakota smiled sarcastically at him before leaving their room and heading down the hall to the bathroom. Her mother was standing with her hands on her hips. She pointed to the once-white tub, which was now stained with hair dye.

"Would you care to explain this?" Petunia demanded.

"It's nothing, it's just a little bit of hair dye." Dakota shrugged, a disrespectful tone in her voice. She didn't see what the big deal was. It was her hair, and she was allowed to do whatever she wanted to it.

Petunia scoffed, chuckling bitterly. "Just a little bit of hair dye?" she repeated, raising a brow. Dakota crossed her arms and nodded, a defiant smirk twitching on her lips. "Listen here, young lady. I don't know where this new rebellious attitude has come from, but you better knock it off right now. Your Aunt Marge is arriving soon, and I will not have you ruining her visit. Clean this up and wipe that make-up off your face." She glared in distaste at her daughter's outfit choice. "And put on age appropriate clothes. You're not a stripper."

Dakota rolled her eyes as her mother left the bathroom. If only she was allowed to use magic outside of school. She could have this tub cleaned up in no time. She took the cleaning supplies out from under the sink and sprayed down the tub, scrubbing it with a scrub brush. When she rinsed it, it was back to its pristine white colour.

She grabbed a washcloth and wet it with water, removing the thick black eyeliner, mascara, and dark purple lipstick from her face. Again, she didn't see what the big deal was. She was 13. She was allowed to express herself. When she returned to her room, went into the closet and changed into a baggy t-shirt that stopped a couple inches above her knee, but kept on her fishnets and combat boots.

"You're really pushing it this summer, you know, Kody?" Harry asked as his cousin flopped down on her bed. She didn't respond. "Did you open your Hogwarts letter yet? 3rd years are allowed to visit Hogsmeade this year."

"Dad's never gonna sign that permission slip," Dakota muttered, staring up at the ceiling.

"Maybe you could forge a signature?" Harry suggested.

Dakota scoffed. "Like Filch would fall for that. Wizards are scary psychic. I'm pretty sure they'd be able to tell if a signature was fake."

Harry sighed. He didn't know what had happened between him and Dakota over the summer. They used to be so close, but now he felt as if she was pushing him away; building up a wall to keep him out.

The doorbell rang. They left their room and went downstairs, Petunia ordering Harry to open the door. Aunt Marge shoved her umbrella into Harry's arms as she walked in with Vernon, soaking his flannel top in rain water.

"Uncle Vernon, I need you to sign this form," Harry said as he unfolded his Hogsmeade permission slip. "Kody has one, too."

"What is it?" Vernon asked as he took off his raincoat, not at all interested.

"Nothing. School stuff."

"Later, perhaps, if you two behave."

Harry frowned, and Dakota gave him an I-told-you-so look. He muttered that he would behave as long as Aunt Marge did.

Marge scowled when she saw Harry and Dakota follow Vernon into the living room. She pursed her lips sourly at her niece's outfit. "You two are still here, are you?"

"Yes," Dakota and Harry replied, the girl scoffing.

"Don't say 'yes' in that ungrateful way," Marge scolded. "Damn good of my brother to keep you both. The boy would've been straight to an orphanage if he'd been dumped on my doorstep, Vernon, and that girl would be shipped off to a boarding school."

Dakota gave her a rude hand gesture when her back was turned. Petunia noticed this and frowned deeply. She sent the teenager a warning glare that told her to drop the attitude.

Harry and Dakota were treated as their personal servants during dinner. Marge was speaking loudly with Vernon about the two, making sure that they could hear. They played along with Vernon's lie about being sent to a school for juvenile delinquents, even saying that they had been beaten loads of times when Marge asked if they used a cane there.

About halfway through dessert, Marge began talking ill of Harry's father. She called him a drunk, and Harry snapped at her that it was a lie. She then began to talk shit about Lily, and Harry lost it. He shouted at her to shut up, his eyes narrowing dangerously at her. As he glared at his aunt, her body began to swell up like a balloon.

"H-Harry, what are you doing?" Dakota asked, worry in her voice. She hit his arm with the back of her hand. "Harry, stop it!"

"I'm trying! I-I don't know what's happening!"

Marge began to lift into the air. She floated out the open back door and away into the clouds. Dakota looked at Harry and mouthed, Run.

They hurried upstairs and quickly began packing their things. Dakota scooped Bongo up in her arms and dragged her trunk behind her as she and Harry went back downstairs. They didn't know where they were going to go, but they had to get out of this house as fast as possible.

"YOU BRING HER BACK!" Vernon bellowed, blocking their path at the foot of the stairs. "YOU BRING HER BACK NOW, AND YOU PUT HER RIGHT!"

"No. She deserved what she got," Harry stated.

Vernon yelled and reached out to strangle Harry, but Dakota shoved him behind her and whipped out her wand, pointing it at her dad. "Keep your hands off of my cousin!" she growled. Bongo hissed at him.

"You're not allowed to do magic outside of school," Vernon said, a slight tremble in his voice.

"Oh, yeah?" Dakota quirked a brow. "Try me. Lay a hand on him and see what happens."

"Lay a hand on her and see what happens," Harry echoed, pulling out his own wand and pointing it at the man.

"They won't let you back now," Vernon said to Harry. "You've nowhere to go."

"We don't care. Anywhere's better than here."

With that, they left the house, Dakota slamming the door extra hard behind her.