Rune stone path

Guardians, Gringotts and Goblins

"I thought you said Aunt Marge wasn't coming for another week," Harry groaned as he set the dinner table. Aunt Petunia had just informed him that Uncle Vernon's sister was coming over early. The horrible woman was now going to arrive just time to have one last hurrah with Harry before he could escape the clutches of this family forever.

Aunt Marge and her dogs were quite possibly the worst among his relatives. Uncle Vernon mostly just yelled and occasionally hit him. Dudley just beat him and scared away any potential friends. Aunt Petunia waged emotional and psychological warfare but was somewhat reserved. Aunt Marge pulled no punches. She did everything she could possibly get away with to Harry and he had realized several years ago that at times she did actively try to either have her dogs kill him or get him to kill himself.

Needless to say Harry had no intention of going to this dinner unprepared. Screw the Underage Magic laws. He had his freebie back if he needed to use it. He stuck a Concussor, a Lockpick, a Boomstone and a Ninja into his belt slots. Shiva had owled to say the Legal Guardian paperwork would be done tomorrow. Aunt Marge was not going to screw this up for him. Harry wasn't planning on firing the first shot, but he would make sure that he'd be the one firing the last.

"Her plans shifted, boy," Petunia sniffed. "So add that last place setting like I told you."

"You know I'm leaving tomorrow. I don't see why you want me to come to this dinner knowing none of you will ever see me again," Harry said with a scowl. "Can't you just let me have one final night of peace here? We both know Aunt Marge is going to be horrible."

Petunia sneered in response. Harry supposed he should be thankful she hadn't flung the spaghetti pot at his head like she had done a few years ago. He shouldn't have badmouthed Marge. But…he was almost out. It was so hard to keep watching what he said to his relatives…

"I'm so glad you finally placed that boy into the system correctly, Vernon," Aunt Marge said sloshing some of her wine as she patted her brother's arm across the table. Harry glared at his plate counting down until he would be allowed to leave. "St. Brutus' is an excellent first step. I only wish you could put him where he truly belongs."

"As do I, Marge, dear," Vernon agreed nodding.

"Prison may be extreme in some cases but with this…child's antics it is the only appropriate response. He has been nothing but trouble for you and Petunia!"

"Too right," Petunia said. Harry's scowl deepened. This woman was related to his mother? It was almost enough to convince him to never have children.

"That's not quite how I handle things with my dogs though of course."

"What do you mean, Aunt Marge?" Dudley asked shoveling more food into his bottomless pit. Harry smirked at the idle thought that perhaps Ron and his cousin would get along smashingly. Or they'd kill each other over the last plate of food. It was a tossup.

"Well the brat is obviously incurable." Aunt Marge lifted a pudgy finger at Dudley. "One of the puppies in Ripper's latest litter was the same. Completely rabid, unable to be trained or controlled."

'Is she seriously comparing me to a rabid dog?' Harry thought idly. It would almost have been funny if she hadn't been so serious about it.

"Now I didn't just put that dog down. I put down the bitch as well. It's certainly not Ripper's fault that his spawn had issues. But the instability had to come from somewhere." Harry's brow furrowed and he clenched his hands. She couldn't possibly be about to… "If there is a problem with the bitch, there is a problem with the progeny. You put them both down for the good of everyone. You can't let freaks and crazies and rabids like them continue their lines. Any who would shelter them should be put down as well. Because only those who have no morals would possibly defend such an obviously broken and awful existence!" Marge slammed her glass back and leered proudly at Harry. His teeth were clenched and his muscles locked. It was all he could do to hold the table and push the magic that was threatening to flood out back down.