11 years

5; Greens

A very old, very helpful Mrs.Fig had once again stepped in to save the day.

Walking home from her grocery shop, she had spotted little Harry Potter on a swing, looking lonely and had taken him home.

She knew him very well.

Every time the Dursleys went out, she would look after him and tell him endless stories about cats, while inviting him into her cabbage smelling home.

She probably enjoyed it more than he did, mind you.

When the two had arrived on the doorstep, Harry had rushed in, and Vernon Dursley had slammed the door in Mrs. Figg, probably making her grey, fly-away hair flap in the wind.

He glared at Harry, his small eyes glistening with anger, mouth looking like he was sucking on a lemon, and he almost looked like-if he strained any harder-smoke would come out of his ears making the sound that a kettle makes when it stops boiling.

Instead, he put his hands on Harry's shoulder and steered him out of the way of the door, towards the kitchen door.

A sudden diversion, and Harry was being shoved into the under-stair cupboard.

"Horrid boy!" He heard his uncle murmur to himself.

Harry lay down on his bed and just as he was about to get under the covers...

"Up!"

A giraffe stuck it's head around the door of his room.

Sorry, my mistake I mean his aunt Petunia.

"Up! Up!"

She forced him into the kitchen and pointed to some cutlery on the table, of course he knew what she wanted him to do.

He did it every day.

He laid the cutlery out on the table, knife and fork by each seat.

But there were only three sets...one of them might not be eating tonight, surely it wasn't him, he didn't do anything wrong.

Did he?

Uncle Vernon noticed his facial expression.

"That's right boy!" He cackled like a witch "There isn't enough cutlery for EVERYONE in this house to eat. D'you know why that is?"

Harry shook his head, although he had a feeling he did.

"One of us will not be eating tonight! Do you note who that is?"

He shook his head once again.

"Well, boy! You seemed to have caused a disturbance today, down at the park. Yes, yes...So now you have to deal with your punishment. That's what you get for performing acts of sorcery in public places!"

Aunt Petunia pushed him out of the way as she piled food into the plates.

Harry was once again pushed out of the room, and into his cupboard.

They thought he was being isolated from them, they thought he couldn't hear them as they talked about him in disgusted tones.

But Harry heard it all as he lay on top of his bed, waiting for his aunt to call him in to wash the dishes in the sink that he could barely reach.

He also knew he would have to go around and pick up all the greens that he could hear Dudley chucking onto the floor.