Tory Potter and the Pathological Liar

The Zoo

"Suspicious" was the first word that came to mind as I sat staring at the door to the cupboard.

It had been early in the morning - I was sure by my internal time clock - when rustling filled the air of 4 Privet Drive. That rustling came initially from the second level of the house before traveling down the stairs, through the hallway, and into the kitchen. That rustle was accompanied by footsteps.

Now, Aunt Petunia Dursley was always an early riser. She wanted everything to be done correctly in concern to the morning routine. What better way to ensure that than to do it herself?

Uncle Vernon Dursley, on the other hand, was a slow riser. He didn't like getting up before necessary. That particular morning, however, he was up right alongside his wife. He also partook in whatever was making the rustling.

I was getting aggravated as I laid down and tried falling asleep. I had always been an early riser myself, but I enjoyed the silence. To me, the two adults were making a racket.

Harry slept on, none the wiser to what was happening in the rest of the house.

"You could sleep through the apocalypse," I accused my brother with a hint of jealousy. I then paused as all sorts of horrid ideas came to mind. What if the apocalypse is actually happening? What if they're going to leave without us? No, they haven't woken up Dudley yet. What's today, anyway? I paused for a moment as I struggled to remember the date. When I remembered that it was June 23, 1991, I paled dramatically.

It was Dudley Dursley's birthday.

I gave a dramatic sigh as I laid down. "Harry. We're in for another day with Mrs. Figg."

My brother rolled over in his sleep with a small groan.

"I mean, it wouldn't be so bad if her house didn't smell like cabbage. I really don't mind looking at the pictures of her kitties," I admitted.

Harry have a soft snore.

"I know you don't like the pictures as much as me, but she also tells neat stories about her cats." I gave a snort. "Do you remember the time Snowy caught a rat and devoured it whole like a python? That would have been neat to see."

Uncle Vernon came down the stairs, causing the stairs to creak and shake loose dust and spiders down.

I closed my eyes and quickly shielded my face from the falling debris. I waited for the dust to settle before opening my eyes and shaking my hands off. I sat back up and noticed a tiny spider sitting on my lap. "Hey there, little guy."

The spider remained still, like a statue.

I extended my index finger out and tried petting the spider, only for said animal to scurry away. "No!" I whisper-yelled, "Wait! I just wanna be friends!"

The door to the cupboard opened, and an angered face poked in. "What are you yelling about at 6:30 in the morning?" Uncle Vernon hissed.

I pointed at the spider, causing Uncle Vernon to sneer.

"Just be quiet. You're going to wake up Dudley," the beefy man demanded before closing the cupboard door.
I stared silently for a moment before shrugging. I looked back to the spider, only for said spider to be gone. I pouted sadly before looking back to my brother. "You still dead to the world?"

Harry remained silent, his breathing shallow as he slept both peacefully and obliviously.

"I thought so," I sighed as I laid back down. I stared up at the ceiling blankly, my hands resting on my stomach. "Do you ever wonder what it'd be like not stuck in this cupboard? What if we went exploring? Like, to the Amazon River or maybe the Grand Canyon? I heard both are pretty cool."