In The Shadows [Book Two]

Chapter Twelve:

Chapter Twelve: 

Dudley wasn't as.. bullyish as I remembered him; though in all fairness people change and I'd not seen them since I began before I began my first year at Hogwarts.  Vernon and Petunia however were absolutely the same, possibly even worse than before. 

The issure here was that two old professors, the odd-pink haired girl and who I assumed to be Ron's dad (going by the red hair and older clothes) showed up at the train station to speak to the Dursley's about how they treated Harry.   They made it clear to Uncle Vernon that if Harry wasn't looked after and taken care of that they would deal with him in a not-so-pleasant way. 

But.

They made no mention of me, it was as if they didn't even know who I was, I was forgotten about whenever I stood in my older brother's shadow.  Everyone worried about Harry, nobody cared for Amaryllis. 

So the Dursley's saw fit to treat me worse than I ever remembered happening before, and Harry stayed up in his room all day, every day and never even realized it was happening.  I couldn't do magic outside of Hogwarts like I usually could, because Lucius Malfoy wasn't around to keep me out of trouble so I endured it. 

They locked me in the cupboard that Harry and I used to share, only letting me out to use the toilet and perhaps eat a bit at a time; I wasn't allowed to talk to Harry or go upstairs at all and if I didn't run back to my cupboard whenever I heard Harry coming downstairs (which was only for food purposes for the most part) then I'd be punished. 

I wasn't some little girl who took this all with a 'woe is me' look on life, I listened to them because while they were ordering me around or hitting me whenever something went wrong; I was plotting. 

My stomache cramped with lack of food, my feet hurt whenever I moved from not being able to get any exercise except to the kitchen, bathroom and back to the cupboard and my eyes weren't well adjusted to any kind of light. 

All the while, I studied.  I'd asked Mother to send me some books on spell and curse making before I left Hogwarts and she had given me the books at the train station but her eyes were mostly on Draco who... well looked deformed. 

Harry and a couple other boys laughed, making me think that they almost certainly had something to do with his 'slug in a uniform' look so after a hesitant pat on Draco's back, I walked away.  He had smelled terrible.

I studied, I practiced without using my wand, I stayed in my cupboard with a small candle which never burned out and never caught on fire (which was something else mother had bought for me).   

Though the door  to my cupboard on this particular night wasn't locked as it usually was, I knew that if I left and got caught sneaking about the house, they'd actually lock me in so I sat with the door open (I think subconsciously I was hoping Uncle Vernon wouldn't notice it and run smack into it) with my candle lit and three separate books strown out over my single mattress on the floor. 

It had to be at least midnight when the doorbell rang.  I could hear Uncle Vernon grumbling about who would be calling at this time of night.  I dog-eared the pages of my books and closed them before standing up and peeking out of the open door. When I saw who was on the opposite side of the door, my eyes widened. 

The Headmaster of Hogwarts. 

"Good evening, you must be Mr. Dursley. I daresay Harry has told you I would be coming for him." 

I hadn't realized I was moving but soon I stood next to Vernon Dursley, my lips parted slightly in astonishment that he was here.  Why was he here?