The Last Riddle

27. Aunt Marge

Summer crawls by at the slowest pace imaginable, each day at the Dursley's is worse than the last. Harry doesn't even so much as look in my direction for more than a second, Dudley has picked up on the tension between the two of us and so is meaner than ever before. My aunt and uncle also are pretty much just ignoring my existence only talking to me when they want something done.

For the past few weeks all I've done is wake up spend some time playing with Moody the cat, have breakfast, go into the garden to try and read but Harry is already there so instead I have to walk to the local park. I sit alone at a bench reading my books whilst children play around me, Dudley and his friends soon arrive and throw pebbles at me from the other end of the park. I go home, eat dinner, go to my room and then go to sleep. Everyday is exactly the same and it is killing me.

Cedric writes to me just as he promised to, and true to his word he doesn't tell me anything about his summer instead he sends me books that he thinks I'll like along with a small essay explaining all the things he either loved or hated about the same book. Poppy thankfully does send me details about her summer as I think I'd go mad otherwise, she sends me drawings and stories of hers and Cedric's summer together.

Blaise writes of course whilst also sending me gifts upon gifts which I most certainly don't need. He sends me expensive biscuits, and make up as well as adorable cat toys for Moody.

On the second to last day of July I lay in my bed sweating in the heat, it is nearing to midnight and I can see Harry's head under his blanket where he is clearly trying to read his book. It's nearly eleven pm meaning it is only an hour until both of ours birthday. Of course as usual I am not expecting anyone other than the two of us in the house to even mention it, however I don't know how Harry is going to react to it today. Normally we at least spend the day together trying to make the other feel better, but I can't imagine this year being the same.

I lay on my side watching my clock slowly tick closer and closer to midnight, at twenty minutes too I finally give up watching and instead close my eyes. It's probably better that I am asleep when it reaches twelve, I think the silence between my brother and I would not be a great way to start my thirteenth year.

"Morning Aunt Petunia" I say quietly as I walk into the kitchen the next day. When I had finally awoken Harry's bed was empty meaning that he was most likely already in the garden reading alone. I noticed the wrapping paper on his bed, and the three cards he had displayed on his dresser. One from Ron, one from Hermione and one from Hagrid.

My aunt simply grunts back as she sips her morning coffee whilst staring at the TV. I roll my eyes at her behind her back as I pour myself a cup of water staring out into the garden. To my surprise Harry isn't in his usual spot, in fact the house is eerily quiet meaning that both Dudley and Uncle Vernon are not in the house.

"Where is everybody?" I ask my aunt.

Sighing loudly and  turning round to glare at me she simply snaps "they are out"  before turning back around and watching the TV again.

Not expecting anymore details from her I leave the kitchen heading back towards my bedroom. Moody is laid out on my bed sleeping and Hedwig sits inside Harry's cage watching me. Just as I am about to feed Hedwig some bird treats some motion outside of my bedroom window catches my eyes, three birds are flying through the air directly towards me. I open the bedroom window wide allowing the three owls to land on the windowsill. The first bird is a dark one with silky soft feathers, it's eyes are a beautiful grey colour with black flecks inside.

It drops a small package onto the windowsill which has an envelope tied to it. I place the package to the side as I feed the dark bird a treat, after eating it out of my hand it quickly turns and flies away.