Harry Potter and the Black Rose

Chapter 21 | The Intruding House Elf

Beyond the horizon, the sun illuminated the shimmering haze of pollution. In the far distance, the silhouette of the skyline pierced through the warm glow like a jagged mountain ridge. The millions of lights caused the dense mass of landscape to glitter like stars. The people were needle points and cars were blood cells flowing through the veins of the city. Despite the time, the hustle and bustle never came to a halt. It was England.

The residential area of Surrey was lined with houses that looked the exact same from all the other houses in the neighborhood. The houses stood in a continuous row on either side of a central street of astonishing cleanness. In each driveway, there was a different style of cheap car. The white gates were bounded to the side of the houses, separating them all from each other. The front bay windows were square and turreted, a long vista of ramparted respectability.

The young boy was sitting at his desk in his own bedroom. He flipped through the picture book his dear friend had given him last year. He turned the page, staring at the picture of his parents holding him when he was a baby. He flipped through another page, looking down at a picture of him and his three other friends. They were smiling in the moving picture, laughing about something.

The snowy owl squeaked to itself, biting the bars of her cage. She turned her head and nibbled at the lock on her cage, squawking in annoyance. The boy looked over at his owl, shaking his head in denial.

"I can't let you out, Hedwig. I'm not allowed to use magic outside of school. Besides, if Uncle Vernon..." Harry's voice trailed off. His uncle yelled his name from downstairs. He closed his eyes, groaning in annoyance. "Now you've done it," he grumbled.

Downstairs, Aunt Petunia was preparing a nice cake for their guest. She reached up and placed another bright red cherry on the side of the cake, humming to herself quietly. She was dressed for the occasion, wearing a light pink dress suit. A matching shawl was draped over her shoulders, hiding her bony collarbone.

Slowly, Harry opened the door of the kitchen and stepped inside the room. His aunt lifted her head and looked at him with glaring eyes. She gestured with her chin towards the living room, mentally telling her nephew that her husband wished to speak with him.

"He's in there. Vernon?" Aunt Petunia said.

Hesitantly, Harry turned around and walked into the living room. His uncle was straightening to bow tie on Dudley's neck, fixing it perfectly. He looked over his shoulder, glaring at the boy with warning eyes.

"I'm warning you. If you can't control that bloody bird, it'll have to go." Uncle Vernon hissed. He turned back around, moving his fingers to straighten the bow tie. He hummed to himself, narrowing his eyes at the article of clothing.

"But she's bored. If I could only let her out for an hour or two," Harry defended.

"So you can send secret messages to your freaky little friends? No, sir." Uncle Vernon said with a scoffing laugh. He made a face, shaking his head at the absurd thought. The young boy looked down at his feet.

"But I haven't had any messages from any of my friends. Not one...all summer," Harry said in a sad tone. Slowly, his uncle and cousin turned around in their place. The fat boy made a face of disgust, walking up towards his scrawny cousin.

"Who would want to be friends with you?" Dudley barked. He brushed past his cousin, slamming his shoulder into his. His uncle stepped forward, rubbing his head in annoyance. He gritted his teeth together in anger.

"I should think you'd be a little more grateful. We've raised you since you were a baby, given you the food off our table. Even let you have Dudley's second bedroom purely out of the goodness of our hearts," Uncle Vernon said while touching his chest dramatically.