Harry Potter and the Canava Curse, Chapter Three, A Pleasant Surprise
By Ashley and Lisa
The next morning Harry was awakened to the sound of packing. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are leaving today, he thought. Then he groaned. And my life with Dudley begins today, he also thought. He got out of bed and freshened up. Then he went downstairs. Uncle Vernon was sitting on the couch, drinking coffee. Aunt Petunia was cramming clothes into a suitcase, panting and struggling. For once Harry felt pity for his aunt, having to do all the work while his lazy uncle sat drinking coffee. He walked over to her and said, "Um, Aunt Petunia, do you need any help with that?" His aunt spun around and faced him, a look of surprise on her face.
She was about to reply when Harry's uncle yelled from the couch, "What, so you can put some frog or practical joke in there? I don't think so. The day I let you touch my personal belonging's is the day I just give up. Petunia, don't listen to the boy. Do it yourself." Petunia sighed and continued cramming more clothes into the suitcase. Harry was fuming. He couldn't believe him! Harry wouldn't waste his time putting practical jokes in his suitcase. He wouldn't go that low. Harry turned around and stomped back into the kitchen. He threw pots and pans onto the stove. He got out eggs and bread.
In his anger, he dropped an egg on the floor. When it hit, he could hear Uncle Vernon yelling, "Petunia, what was that? BOY, WHAT DID YOU DO?!?!?!?" Harry sighed and just stood there. He knew it wouldn't do any good to lie. He didn't say anything as his Uncle and Aunt came pounding into the room, with Dudley close behind. Dudley had just woken up, and he was still blearily eyed and sleepy. But he was awake enough to realize that Harry was in trouble, and he wanted to be there to see the punishment.
Uncle Vernon took one look at the cracked egg and blew up.
"How many times do I have to tell you, boy, to be more careful in this kitchen! Clean it up! Then do the dishes, trim the hedge, and wash the floor!" Then he turned, panting, to his wife and said, "See! SEE! I knew the boy would be trouble from day one! One of these days, one of these days I'll-"
He was cut off by Dudley, who sneered at Harry and said,"Good job, ace. You better not do this at Mrs. Wilson's, in fact, you better not do anything but sit and wait on me. Because I'll be watching your every move, and my daddy'll flay you if you do anything your not supposed to." Harry didn't say anything, but went on cleaning the floor. Uncle Vernon temporally stopped yelling and turned to Dudley, beaming.
"That's my boy, Dudley, that's my boy." Harry sighed for about the millionth time since he got up this morning, and realized that it was going to be a very long rest of the summer.
In a few hours everything was ready. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were done packing and all ready to leave. Harry and Dudley were ready too. Harry came down the stairs with his trunk and Hedwig's cage in his hand.
The Dursley's stared goggle-eyed at him. Then Uncle Vernon said,
"What do you think you are doing. boy? You aren't bringing those to Mrs. Wilson's!" Harry sighed and replied,
"Er, Uncle Vernon, I have to! I mean, I am going right from Mrs. Wilson's too Ho- I mean my school. We aren't coming back to the house. I need these for school!" Uncle Vernon smiled nastily.
"Well I guess you'll have to leave everything here. Too bad, you won't be able to go to your school ready. What will they do, turn you into a frog?" Dudley laughed. Harry sighed and then thought of something and quickly said, "Fine, Uncle, I can leave them here. It doesn't matter to me. But I must say, if I were you I mean, I wouldn't want all this magic stuff under your stairs. I have some pretty, well, dangerously magic stuff in here. I wouldn't want it exploding in the middle of the night and then all the neighbors coming over and prying, wondering, then finally finding out..." Harry stopped and looked slyly over at his uncle. Mr. Dursley's face was a deep purple. Dudley's was a light red, and his aunt's was a pale white. Harry chuckled inside looking at all their faces and different reactions. However, his hope of them letting him take his stuff lessened as they didn't say anything. He slowly started to put his trunks back down. Uncle Vernon suddenly said sharply,
"What are you doing? I don't want any of, of, that STUFF in my house! Get it out!" Harry smiled and picked his trunks back up. He walked to the car, with the Dursley's dazed looks following him.
The Durlsey's and Harry drove for about a half and hour until they reached Mrs. Wilson's. As they were pulling up, Mr. Dursley said, "One last time, boy, I'm reminding you about what we said if you even think about trying-" Harry cut him off and said cheerfully.
"I know, you'll flay me." Then he stepped out of the car and opened the trunk. He took out his belongings and went up to the door. He looked back at the Durlsey's. The were all absorbed in helping Dudley take out his many suitcases. You would think that he was moving in for life instead of a couple of weeks, Harry thought disgustedly. He turned back around and knocked on the door. He looked back at the Durlsey's. They had heard him knock, and now were struggling to get to the door. Harry knew that the Durlsey's wanted to show Mrs. Wilson Dudley first, and make a big deal out of him, and then show Mrs. Wilson Harry, and to tell him all his faults. But this time, Harry thought, he was going to be there first. And he was going to show Mrs. Wilson that he was not as bad as the Durlsey's made him out to be.
The sound of shuffling of feet came closer. Harry cleared his through. The Durlsey's were still about 20 feet from the door. They were struggling with all of Dudley's stuff. Then the door opened. A woman of about 60 opened the door. She had a wrinkled face, and shockingly white hair. She looked at him with an amazed look on her face.
"Are, are you Harry?" Harry smiled and laughed.
"Yes. You must be Mrs. Wilson. How do you do?" Mrs. Wilson looked shocked. Then she recovered and replied, "Oh, I'm sorry Harry. I, it's, well, it's just that you look very much like someone I've heard very much about." Harry was puzzled. He was about to ask who when the Dursley's finally appeared at the door.
"Mrs. Wilson!" Mr. Durlsey boomed. "How are you! I see, er, you have met my nephew, Harry." Mrs. Wilson smiled and nodded.
"And this must be Dudley then!" She looked long and hard at him. "Yes, well, come in, come in." Harry went in first. When Mrs. Wilson got a look at his trunk and owl's cage, she looked more and more surprised. When the Dursley's were in the kitchen, she turned around and looked once more at Harry.
She said, softly, "Are you Harry Potter?" Harry was completely taken aback.
"Er, um, yes, that's me!" He looked at Mrs. Wilson. She was looking at him with an absolutely amazed look on her face.
"Harry Potter," she murmured, "I never thought I would meet him, I can't believe, I just couldn't have imagined," Harry was extremely confused.
"Excuse me? What do you mean, Mrs. Wilson?" Mrs. Wilson looked at him and walked a little closer. She spoke softly, in an almost whisper.
"I am a witch. The Dursley's don't know. I would never have imagined that when I took on the responsibility of baby-sitting two children that one of then would be Harry Potter! The Durlsey's never told me your last name, I thought that you were just another Muggle boy. I still can't believe-" She stopped quickly when the Dursley's walked into the room.
"What can't you believe?" asked Aunt Petunia. Mrs. Wilson quickly covered her blunder up and said,
"Oh, I-I can't believe how nice this little wiz- I mean little boy is." she smiled weakly, winking at Harry, who was covering up his owl cage in Dudley's old bag.
"Well," snapped Aunt Petunia, "he's not as nice as he seems!"
"Yes, yes, well, er, that was exactly what I was thinking..." Mrs. Wilson winked again at Harry. At that moment there was a big gurgling sound coming from something. Everyone was startled.
"What was that?" Harry asked. Dudley sneered and said, "I'm hungry." Mrs. Wilson smiled and said,
"Of course!" She shook her head. "Where are my manners? What would you like?" Then she turned to Harry. "And you? What do you want, Harry? You can have anything I have." Uncle Vernon did not look happy at this.
"Well," began Uncle Vernon, looking a bit purple in the face when he noticed how Mrs. Wilson obviously liked Harry better than Dudley, "Well, we must be going. It was great seeing you again, Mrs. Wilson, please take good care of Dudley.
"Yes," put in Aunt Petunia, "and we'll be back in about, lets see, a month or so. If we are not on schedule we will contact you!" Aunt Petunia then leaned down and kissed Dudley good-bye. Harry wasn't surprised when all he got from his aunt and uncle were dirty looks. Then Mr. and Mrs. Durlsey walked out to the car and got in. With a final wave to Dudley, they were off.
After the Durlsey's had left, Harry thought some more about what Mrs. Wilson had said. Mrs. Wilson was a witch! Excitement flooded through Harry. That meant he could send owls to friends, and Mrs. Wilson wouldn't care! She would see right through Dudley, that he is not a good little Muggle boy, thought Harry. Finally, he thought, my life with the Durlsey's has finally got a little better!
At dinner, Mrs. Wilson prepared steak with a side of beans and corn. To Harry, this was great. He felt right at home. Harry had just finished his last bit of unpacking when Mrs. Wilson called Harry and Dudley for dinner. Harry ran down stairs, knocking Dudley over. Harry couldn't help but laugh. Dudley looked furious. Harry almost skipped into the kitchen.
"Wow, that looks great Mrs. Wilson." Harry sat down next to her.
"Why thank you, Harry." she said, with a disapproving look at Dudley as he came waddling into the room.
"STEAK!" cried Dudley, sitting down and eating furiously. Harry smiled and leaned over to Mrs. Wilson.
"Uh, Mrs. Wilson, Dudley's on a diet. Meaning, no steak." he whispered. She smiled and said,
"Oh, well then... Dudley, that will do." She took the plate from Dudley, and handed him a salad. Dudley looked shocked.
"Wha- WHAT?" Dudley began. He looked like he was going to cry. Harry was loving it.
"Well, your on a diet, and you have to eat properly." she replied. Harry knew it was Dudley tantrum time, so he whispered to her about it and they both took the plate away and gave him back his steak.
"OK just this one time.." she began, but was cut off by Dudley.
"No, I want this tomorrow too!" he screamed. Mrs. Wilson was firm in her decision.
"Well, that will not happen. Tomorrow you will have salad and me and Harry will have chicken." She said, wrinkling her nose. Dudley started pounding the table. Harry had trouble keeping his steak on his plate.
"No! I will call my father and tell!" Dudley yelled, going a bit pink. Mrs. Wilson stayed where she was, cool and resolute.
"No, you will not. You are banned from the phone for 24 hours. That will do, conversation, over with." she said calmly. Dudley, looking shocked, got up and stomped up the stairs, knocking down one of Mrs. Wilson's paintings. Mrs. Wilson smiled.
"Well, that went well." Mrs. Wilson started to eat her steak. Harry nodded.
"Yeah, Dudley is quite a handful, if you ask me." Harry said.
"Yes, I noticed." Mrs. Wilson said.
Harry cleared his throught and said,
"Er, Mrs. Wilson, you wouldn't mind if I send owls to my friends, would you?" Mrs. Wilson looked shocked.
"Of course not, Harry! Why, did those Dursley's not let you?" Harry nodded.
"Yes, they wouldn't let me do anything. Oh, they did let me keep my trunk upstairs, so I did my homework at night. And this year they let me have Hedwig go out only at night to stretch her wings, they didn't know I was sending letters to my friends." Mrs. Wilson looked amazed.
"Well, Harry, here you can do anything you want. Also, I heard you were an excellent Quidditch player. You can ride your broomstick around here whenever you want. That's the advantages of living in the country with no houses around you," she said with a smile. Harry could have jumped for joy.
"Thank you so much, Mrs. Wilson!" He jumped up, put his plate in the sink, than ran up to his room. Mrs. Wilson sat for a while longer at the table, thinking.
"I wonder what the Dursley's will think when Dudley tells them," she thought aloud. Then she laughed and shook her head. "I don't care!"
