Becoming Alpha

Chapter Ten

Harry: Why am I not on much in the day? Oh, I help out around the house, go out on walks, go to town, and hang out with Dudley, that's all.

...

Harry: Dudley invited me to hang out with his friends all day, that's all.

...

Harry: Nothing's wrong, you guys. I'm just really busy.

Tracey: How's your homework coming, then? I need some help on the Charms paper.

Harry: Huh? Oh, I've been too busy. You know, hanging out with Dudley and the family. I'll get around to the work later. I've gotta go. Talk to you all another time.

Daphne: I'm worried about him.

Tracey: Yeah, he never doesn't do homework... He's always making Theo and Blaise do theirs during the year.

Daphne: I think we've got a problem on our hands. His homework is always done when we ask during school; we get the most help from him.

Tracey: Well, that's another thing to add to the list...

...

All: Happy Birthday, Harry!

Harry: Huh? Oh, thanks you guys.

Theo: Having a good one?

Harry: Uh... Yeah. I've gotta go; Uncle Vernon is calling me.

Daphne: I'm really worried about him now. It's like he forgot it was his birthday. Even if he didn't, which I don't think he did, he wasn't expecting that from us.

Blaise: Did you see how he hesitated before saying he's been having a good one?

Theo: Yeah. I was about to comment on it as well.

Tracey: Something fishy is going on with him. We've got to drag it out of him this year if not before school starts.

Daphne: Yeah. Any luck getting him to agree to come over, Trace?

Tracey: My dad said he could, but Harry turns the offer down every time. It's like he's afraid to even ask. Keeps saying things like he's busy with his family and helping around the house.

Blaise: Keep trying, please.

Tracey: I will.

...

Harry headed outside after doing the breakfast dishes to enjoy the sun as well as the peace and quiet while it lasted. He hated lying to his friends, which was what he had done just before his uncle had called him downstairs to make breakfast for his family. His birthday meant a nightmare for him; this year this uncle was having an important dinner, and he had to pretend not to exist the entire time.

Harry snorted lightly as he thought about having not to exist, something he'd had to do for most of his life to escape punishments. At least now he had something to do thanks to his journal. He was planning to talk with his friends the entire time. Not even he was blind enough not to see that his friends were trying to pry information about his relatives from him.

Suddenly, Harry saw two tennis ball eyes looking out at him from the bushes. Startled, he blinked and looked back to see nothing there, but he knew that it was something. Being a wizard meant anything was possible, including something looking at him from the bushes. Instead of moving, though, he put the information into his mind to ask his friends about before going back to his thoughts, only to be interrupted again by his cousin, Dudley, coming over.

"I know what day it is," he sang as he walked – no, waddled – over.

"You mean you've learned the days of the week well enough to know that it's Friday?" Harry retorted as he turned to face his whale of a cousin.