Dark Paradise

Chapter 6

The last month that Harry and Darcy were at the Dursley's wasn't fun, at least not as fun she thought it would be. Dudley was so scared he would leave the room the second either of the walked in. Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon acted as if they weren't there. This was an improvement in many ways, but after a while it got a bit boring with only Harry to talk to Darcy.

Aunt Petunia stopped hovering, which turned out to be good, Milly and Hedwig, Harry's owl, constantly brought mice into the room.

It was the last day of August and Darcy had pushed off asking Uncle Vernon if he could drive them to King's Cross until now.

As she was about to ask him, Harry beat her to it.

"Er- Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked as Dudley screamed and scurried out of the room.

Uncle Vernon grunted back.

"Er- We need to get to King's Cross tomorrow- to go to Hogwarts," Harry told him.

Uncle Vernon grunted again in response. It was clear that was all Harry was going to say, so Darcy cut in.

"Would it be all right if you gave us a lift?" Darcy asked.

Uncle Vernon grunted, and she took that as a yes. Harry and Darcy were on their way out of the room when Uncle Vernon spoke to them; probably the first time since Hagrid broke down the door of that hut on the island.

"It's a funny way to get to a wizards' school, the train, isn't it. Magic carpets all got punctures, have they?"

Harry and Darcy stayed quiet.

"Where is this school, anyway?" Uncle Vernon had a good question, one they didn't have the answer to.

"I don't know," Harry told him truthfully. "We just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o'clock."

Darcy knew he shouldn't have said that. Uncle Vernon would torment them, saying something along the lines of platform nine and three-quarters not being real. But Darcy knew it had to be real. They had gone to Diagon Alley, it couldn't be fake.

"Platform what?" Uncle Vernon asked. Petunia just stayed quiet. Probably because she already knew where it was from her two sisters when she was younger.

"Nine and three-quarters," Darcy told him.

"Don't talk rubbish," Uncle Vernon chastised them. "there is no platform nine and three-quarters."

"But it's on our tickets," Harry argued back.

"Mad," Uncle Vernon muttered. "Barking mad, the lot of them.You two will see. Just wait. All right, we'll take you two to King's Cross. We're going up to London tomorrow anyway, or I wouldn't bother."

"Why are you going to London?" Darcy asked.

"We're taking Dudley to the hospital," Uncle Vernon growled. "Got to have that ruddy tail removed before he goes to Smeltings."

//

Harry had woke up at five, too excited to go back to sleep. As he was walking around and tugging his jeans on, he kicked a pile of books, making Darcy wake up.

"What time is it Harry?" she groaned.

"Five o'clock," he told her sheepishly.

"Why couldn't you go back to bed? Now I can't go back to sleep," she flopped back onto the bed.

"Sorry," he muttered.

Darcy got up and started to get dressed as well. She wore her grey overalls, and wore her multicolored jumper underneath. She didn't want to walk into the station in her school robes; people would stare. She would just change on the train. She checked her things to make sure she had everything, one last time. She made sure Milly was safe in her cage when she sat back onto her bed. She checked through her bag checking that had everything as well. She had her school robes, her wand, and two books. One for her, and one for Harry.