THE VANISHING GLASS

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A dark 'room' came into view as the Institute materialized away, 10 year old Hayley could be seen sleeping, but not for long. Her Aunt Petunia was awake and it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day. "Up! Get up! Now!" Hayley woke with a start. Her aunt rapped on the door again. "Up!" she screeched. Hayley heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. She rolled onto her back and tried to remember the dream she had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. She had a funny feeling she'd had the same dream before. Her aunt was back outside the door. "Are you up yet?" she demanded. "Nearly," Hayley answered. "Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect on Duddy's birthday." Hayley groaned. "What did you say?" her aunt snapped through the door. "Nothing, nothing..." Dudley's birthday -- how could she have forgotten? Hayley got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. She found a pair under her bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on. Hayley was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where she slept.

"One...... Two...... Three" Hayley muttered under her breath, covering her face as she finished their was an uproar,
"THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS"
"Lily, I'll kill your sister"
"HOW DARE THEY"

Sirius, Marlene and Rose yelled as Lily, Mia, Monty and James fumed with anger, "They made my daughter sleep in a fucking cupboard" James hisses clenching his jaws, "Lia, why didn't you told us" Raphael asked facing Hayley as the entire FG watched her, Hayley didn't meet anyone's eyes, "Raph, its okay, besides, I did get a room after my first year, you know it, Teddy, Dray, you both saw it" she said as a matter-of-fact, Teddy and Dray nodded, but were angrier than ever at Hayley's aunt and uncle.    

When she was dressed she went down the hall into the kitchen. Hayley had always been small and skinny for her age. She looked even smaller and skinnier than she really was because all she had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than she was. Hayley had a thin face, knobbly knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. She wore round glasses held together with a lot of Scotch tape. The only thing Hayley liked about her own appearance was a very thin scar on her neck that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. She had had it as long as she could remember, and the first question she could ever remember asking her Aunt Petunia was how she had gotten it. "In the car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions." Don't ask questions -- that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Hayley was turning over the bacon. "Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting. Hayley was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. 

Hayley put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room because the table was filled with gifts for Dudley. "How many are there" he asked marveling, "36. Counted 'em myself." Vernon declared proudly, "36," Dudley repeated and then leapt onto Vernon. "Thanks, thanks, thanks, I love you dad" Hayley chuckled slightly, Dudley,was the only one who was nice to her, even though Vernon and Petunia tried their best to keep him as far as possible but were unsuccessful. Dudley, also protected Hayley like a brother when kids at school tried to bully her. 

"Wow, that kid has more of a heart, then the horse necked woman and her walrus of a husband" Remus scoffed. "He's the only likable Dursley" Hayley said, smiling lightly, she quiet missed Dudley.      

At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Hayley and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video camera, a remote control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried. "Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take her." She jerked her head in Hayley's direction. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and the son of Vernon's business partner out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies, in hopes that Dudley would befriend him, but Dudley hated the guy because that boy and his gang were Hayley's bullies. Every year, Hayley was left behind with Mrs. Figg, an old lady who lived two streets away. Hayley hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made her look at photographs of all the cats she'd ever owned. "Now what?" Aunt Petunia said, looking furiously at Hayley as though she'd planned this. "We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested. "Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the girl." The Dursleys often spoke about Hayley like this, as though she wasn't there.

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