𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐥𝐞 | h. granger

xxi | dobby's warning

Number 4, Privet Drive

── •✧• ──

𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐒𝐓 of Dakota Dursley's life. Not only was she now completely exiled from her family for her abnormality, she was now receiving the exact same treatment that Harry had been getting for the last 11 – almost 12 – years. She knew he had it bad, but she didn't know it was this bad.

On the bright side, Vernon and Petunia finally moved him from the cupboard under the stairs to a real bedroom upstairs.

Dakota didn't mind sharing her space with Harry. It wasn't as lonely as being up here all by herself. The way she saw it, the joke was on her parents for thinking this was a punishment locking them both in a room together.

Dakota's side their room was decorated with Slytherin flags and banners. She had a moving photo of her and Hermione taped up on the wall along with one of her, Aliyah, and Lyra. Her Hogwarts acceptance letter was pinned above her headboard, the words Your house does not define you scribbled on a green card beside it.

A countdown to their return to Hogwarts was written on a calendar hung on the wall between her and Harry's sides of the room. She'd hoped they'd get to leave sooner. They still need to get their supplies from Diagon Alley, and they'd have no way of doing that if Hagrid didn't come and knock down their front door again.

"I don't understand." Harry sighed as he laid on his bed, his head hanging over the edge. He was watching Dakota upside down as she wrote in her journal. "Why aren't they writing to us? They said they'd keep in touch. It's a bit odd, don't you think?"

"Maybe they got busy?" Dakota shrugged.

"Have you heard from Aliyah?"

"Yes, but that's because she used the postal service. She doesn't have an owl, remember?" Dakota jumped slightly when Hedwig, Harry's owl, screeched, her cage rattling. Bongo hissed at her to be quiet.

"I can't let you out, Hedwig." Harry sat up. "I'm not allowed to use magic outside of school."

Hedwig screeched again and pecked at the lock on her cage.

"Hedwig, shh!" Dakota whispered. "If my dad hears you—"

"HARRY POTTER!"

The cousins exchanged a worried look. Dakota closed her journal and slid it under her pillow along with her pen.

"Now you've done it." Harry sighed. He got up and left the room. Dakota followed him downstairs. He pushed open the door to the kitchen, where Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley were getting ready for a dinner party they were hosting.

"I'm warning you," Vernon growled when he saw the boy. He was in the living room helping Dudley with his tie. "If you can't control that bloody bird, it'll have to go. That goes for you, too, Dakota. That cat of yours is to stay in your room. If I find him running about the house one more time—"

"But they're bored," Harry interrupted. "If Kody and I could only let them out for. . .an hour or two—"

"So you can send secret messages to your freaky little friends? No, sir."

"But I haven't had any messages from any of my friends. Nor has Kody. Not one all summer."

"Who'd want to be friends with you two freaks?" Dudley asked, roughly shoulder-chucking his twin sister and cousin as he walked to the kitchen.