When Lily arrived with a tray and a couple of glasses of cold tea, Tom had already cleaned his face. Just in time so it didn't look like they were kissing, but simply talking about the current problem at the orphanage:
"Did they steal money from you?"
"They tried. Nagini convinced them to give it back to me" Tom ironizes with a contemptuous and cruel smile. Harriet furrows her eyebrows and Tom takes the glass. "Thank you." he takes a long sip.
"You're welcome... Harriet..." Lily gives her a discreet gesture, referring to the lack of a bra. Harriet almost chokes, putting the hand to her chin. She shakes her head and Lily looks at her wrong. "There's a visitor today. Put it on."
"It shows, Mom. I can't. It ruins the style."
"Harriet." she insists and Tom pretends not to hear.
"It's at home and everyone here has seen me without a bra what does it matter?" Lily grabs her arm to lead her somewhere else to continue talking about it. Tom rolls his eyes.
They're not going anywhere and even then, he doesn't consider it a big deal. It's a corset, it's holding them up on its own. Nagini climbs onto Harriet's bed and makes herself her size on it. "This bed smells phenomenal. I'm sure you'd love to be up here climbing on it right now."
"Nagini, no stupid comments. Only I hear them."
"That's why it's so much fun."
Harriet returns, waving her hand and Lily walks past, noticeably displeased.
"So..."
"Ignore her, ever since we went to Aunt Petunia's, she's been weird... Oh, Aunt Petunia, such stupid things happened there." Harriet brings a hand to her face and drags it down, dragging her skin. "I hate Privet drive. It's my own version of the orphanage."
"What a way to compare it."
Before Harriet can start explaining the visit in general and the trip she took with Sirius, Hermione and the others arrive. "Why is he here?" Ron's question comes with a snort from Tom, who ignores it and goes to sit on the couch. Hermione and Ginny are the only girls. Despite Lily's insistence that she invite her other Gryffindor classmates, Harriet refuses. She doesn't want them here. She can hear their complaints about her arms, about her weight.
She doesn't want them around unless she has to. Besides, Hermione is the only friend he needs, Ginny is slowly making room in that regard. Ron, Fred and George on the other hand, are the three he considers friends. Ending up in a majority of males in the house.
The gift was joint from the Weasleys. Fred and George did more experiments at home. From Ron, a portable pitch so he can train at home - if Harriet has to isolate herself again or it rains; from Ginny, three yellow, white and black puffles. The funny thing is that they are much smaller than the normal ones.
"A lifetime of avoiding buying them..."
"And they got to her anyway," Lily concludes with a hand to her face. James is repulsed by it. He had one once and squashed it because the animal was eating the snot out of him. "Well... at least her room and trunk will be kept clean." James nods in agreement. That's a bonus.
"They're just as fluffy as your hair." says Ginny.
"They have it just as nice as yours, though. They even have similar eyes. Just as cute."
Sirius smiles tensely Why is Ginny blushing, should he pick up on anything else here?
Hermione's gift is, as usual, the most fitting. It is a huge handful of hair ornaments and even a manual for using the various possible styles. James already knows what his daughter's next hyperfixation will be. Finally Tom's arrived.
YOU ARE READING
• Romeo, Juliet & Cinderella • | Tomrry
Fanfiction"We are opposites, but we are one and the same.... No one could be for me and no one can be for you. We only have each other. Everyone can hate you and they can't change you. You are mine. And it makes me so desperate, I'd kill you to avoid seeing y...
