DURSLEY ― harry potter

‣︎︎ CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER FIVE:
THE WOMAN IN GREEN

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DAISY AWOKE THE NEXT MORNING WITH A HEAVY HEART, HER HEAD SLUMPED AGAINST HARRY'S SHOULDER.

Her parents had neglected to open the bedroom door all night, fussing over Dudley's new tail. Daisy tried not to take it personally, she worried about him as well, but it hurt more than she'd care to admit that they hadn't approached her at all.

"Sorry, Harry," she mumbled, rubbing her eyes and sitting up, pushing the moldy blanket to the side.

Harry grumbled something under his breath, still dazed and asleep, and Daisy looked to the ginormous man on the sofa. She wondered how it hadn't collapsed yet, and more importantly, how she'd even managed to get any sleep at all with his snoring. Each loud breath of air from his mouth and nose reminded her of a foghorn, echoing through the house.

Daisy shook her head, stepping over Harry's body and taking a deep breath. She knew he and Hagrid would be going shopping to get his supplies, and she wasn't invited. Nibbling on her lower lip anxiously, she wiped her hands on her legs, trying to stop them from clamming up.

Her parents hated magic, that much she'd figured out. Perhaps, they hated magic more than they hated Harry. They would never let her go to Hogwarts, not willingly, at least, and as much as the thought ate her up inside -- she had another thing to worry about. If they didn't want her to attend school, really, and with good reason, she would understand their wishes and stay home.

But she couldn't have them hate her. She needed them. They were her family. She couldn't help being magical, she didn't ask for it. They had to understand that, right?

Knocking on the bedroom door, she heard a grunt and a loud thud. Dudley had probably fallen off the bed.

"Mum? Dad? It--it's me. I was hoping we could talk."

No response.

Daisy waited in bated breath for what felt like hours, her fingertips shaking and legs full of lead. She glanced over at Harry, who was speaking in low tones to Hagrid now, feeding an owl. When had the owl come back?

The door opened and Daisy's head snapped back, facing her father's blank face.

"Daddy, please, I-I'm sorry. I won't go to school. I just wanted to hear about it. I'm sorry I'm m-magic and--"

"--DON'T SAY THAT WORD!" He boomed angrily, staring down at her with a furious expression. He glanced to Hagrid and Harry's side of the room, fear flickering across his face before tugging her into the bedroom, mustache flailing against his skin. "Daisy, we forbid you from going. You are not to paint anymore. No more drawing or sketching or whatever else you do. Imagination is DONE. Do you hear me?"

Daisy's eyes filled with tears and her lower lip trembled. Looking between her father, pointing at her from the edge of the bed, and her mother huddled up with her brother at the head of it, she shook her head.

"Please, that's not fair," she pleaded, "I won't go to the school. I won't learn anything. I'll be good. Please don't take away my art."

"You think we want to do this?" Her mother spoke up shrilly, a bitter look on her face. She recognized that look. It was the same expression she wore when Harry annoyed her. "You think we want to take away what you love? It's our fault. We should've kept a closer eye on you, raised you more like Dudley. You have too much freedom in imagination and it influenced you to become an abomination like your cousin and my godforsaken sister. No," she shook her head. "You will not go to that school. If you do, you won't ever come back."