Witch Next Door

Pig Tails

Eventually, the Dursley family came back.

Watching the family come back, Aaralyn found herself wondering if the Dursley family snuck away just to kill their nephew. After all, the family returned without Harry during the middle of the night as if they were hiding something. For some reason, Aaralyn found herself grabbing a notebook meant for schoolwork so she might scribble down her musings on the matter.

She started by letting an eraser rest against her bottom lip while her eyes stared at the paper in front of her before scribbling down the words, "I think the Dursley family killed their nephew." From there, she continued into the details regarding how they left with the boy she'd already forgotten the name of and didn't come back with him either. By the time she remembered the boy's name was Harry, she found herself writing a detailed story – or at least what she thought was a detailed story – regarding the Dursley's plot to murder their nephew without anybody knowing.

A knock on the door made her slide her notebook into a desk drawer. Her father opened up the door, smiling at her, yet the half-hearted nature of the smile made her think he was hiding something. Soon, he revealed the issue at hand. "Your mother would like you to take some cookies over to the Dudley boy. Apparently, he is ill."

"I don't want to."

"Please. Your mother is as upset enough as it is, given..." Her father didn't finish the statement and instead sucked in his breath.

Aaralyn took in a deep breath herself. "Please don't make me. They killed their nephew."

"What do you mean?"

"He didn't come back with them."

"He was gone?"

"You didn't notice?"

"No. They said something about their nephew doing something for the school they're attending when your mother asked, though to be honest, I think she's far more interested in their son."

"I'm not marrying that pig."

"Aaralyn. Language."

"Well..."

"Aaralyn."

She glanced at her desk, hoping her mother wouldn't read the bizarre musings in her notebook before standing up and heading downstairs. Reluctantly, she took the plate of cookies while her mother attempted wrangling her hair into two pigtails making Aaralyn feel younger than she really was. Letting out a sigh, she headed over towards the house next door and with one hand she knocked on the door. The door opened.

Instead of the chubby father or the scrawny mother standing there, she saw a familiar head of unkempt hair, the rimmed glasses on a pale face alone and the scar shaped like a thunderbolt. Her eyes blinked. "Wait. I thought they killed you."

"What?" Harry looked at her as if she'd grown another head.

"I saw you leave with them the other night, but you didn't come back with them. I don't get it."

The young man contemplated what she said carefully. "Despite everything that's happened, I've never really worried about them killing me."

"Yeah, but..." Aaralyn's mouth twisted. "Where were you?"

"Um. Shopping for school supplies?"

"Without your aunt and uncle?"

"I..."

"Harry! Who is it?" His aunt hurried up then. "Oh. It's you, dear."

"My mother sent me over with a plate of cookies for..." Aaralyn stopped, realizing she didn't remember the name of the boy either. "Sorry, I forgot your son's name."

"It's Dudders dear."

Harry shook his head, indicating that wasn't the actual name, but something told her he was trying to tell her not to call Dudders that. Except, she didn't know what to call him, nor did she want to interact with him. Petunia placed a hand on Aaralyn's back, indicating she should step forward and up the stairs. She glanced down at the boy with the shaggy black hair and piercing green eyes. "Where was Harry when you came back?"

"Harry..." Petunia cleared her throat. "He was getting school supplies."

"Without you or his uncle?"

"Well, Dudleykins got sick, so a teacher from his school took him."

"Oh."

"And dear, you shouldn't hang out with Harry. He's going to a reform school."

"Isn't..." Aaralyn bit down on her tongue, realizing she'd almost said, "Isn't the person who should be going Dudleykins?"

"I know my nephew quite well dear."

Aaralyn wasn't sure she should believe the woman. She also didn't like it when she found herself pushed into the room of a boy sitting in bed with the sheets pulled up. His face turned slightly red at seeing her. She shuffled her feet slightly. "Dudleykins, you have a visitor."

The door closed behind her, making Aaralyn feel vulnerable. After all, this boy pulled her hair. "Um..." She cleared her throat. "I brought cookies." She watched his eyes go wide, but she didn't approach, yet he didn't leave the bed like she suspected, almost as if he were hiding something. Her mouth pressed together. "Look..."

"The cookies?"

Her mouth twisted in irritation. "Would you let me finish? I don't remember your name."

"So? Give me the cookies and you can leave."

"I guess you don't care if I call you Dudleykins or Dudders? Because that's what I remember your name is because that's what your mother called you just now. I don't like you, but please don't make me say some kind of pet name for you."

"Why?" His face twisted slightly.

"Because that would mean you're my boyfriend, stupid! Don't you know anything!" She watched his face get slightly redder, yet she felt as if he might suddenly burst, what with how overweight he was. She glanced away.

"Oh..." He glanced away. "You can call me whatever you want."

"Didn't you just hear me!" Aaralyn choked before heading over and slamming the cookies down. "Fine! I'm glad I'm going away to school and don't have to see you until the winter holiday! Good riddance!"

With that, she stormed out of the room and down the stairs...

... right into the garden where Harry was. He glanced up, one of his eyebrows shooting up. "What happened?"

"I asked that idiot what his actual name was so I wouldn't be calling him by one of his mother's pet names and he told me I could call him whatever I wanted. Is he some kind of idiot."

"This is Dudley we're talking about, so yeah. He is an idiot."

Aaralyn breathed a sigh of relief, glad she wouldn't have to call him by one of the nicknames. Of course, she now felt like an idiot as one of the nicknames actually used Dudley's name. She wiped a finger under her nose as she tried controlling her feelings. "I still don't get why he would say that. I mean, wouldn't you be embarrassed by that kind of nickname? Weren't you trying to tell me not to call him like that."

Harry obviously contemplated what she said. "Honestly, I don't know what he's thinking."

Yet, the look on his face said he honestly knew what Dudley was thinking, yet didn't want to bother her with it for some reason. Aaralyn choked slightly. "Are you really going to a reform school?"

Harry's mouth twisted, contemplating her question. He shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever my aunt or uncle says is true."

Aaralyn's hands balled into fists. She stormed back over to her place, slamming as many things as possible. She then stormed up to her room, plopping down onto the bed. She picked up one of her novels but headed over to her desk. She now jotted down her thoughts about Harry going to reform school and how he didn't want anybody to know that he'd actually stood up for himself for once. "That's why he didn't want to say anything."