Nic was out wandering the neighborhood with Harry several months after the snake incident. The summer holidays had begun and Nic was not enjoying them. "Why do they treat Dudley like that?" Nic fumed. "You'd think they'd care about their nephew or even their own daughter wouldn't you?"
"They're mental," Harry agreed. "All the same, it's hard to believe you're even related to them. You act nothing like them."
"I'm glad," Nic groaned. "I just wish there was somewhere...away we could go. Like someplace we don't have to deal with them."
"Me too," Harry admitted. That was one of many conversations the two had concerning getting away from the Dursley's. They truly were a nightmare.
The next morning, Nic was just coming down the stairs when Harry was fetching the mail. There was a postcard, a bill, and two thick, yellowish envelopes. One had...
Mr. H Potter
The Cupboard Under the Stairs
4 Private Drive
Little Whinging
The other ran...
Ms. N. Potter
The Second Smallest Bedroom
4 Private Drive
Little Whinging
"We never get mail," Nic muttered, grabbing her letter. "And why does it say Potter?" Harry took his as the two entered the kitchen. Vernon was given his mail and Harry and Nic began to open theirs.
"Marge is ill," Vernon remarked, scanning the postcard. "Ate a funny whelk."
"Dad!" Dudley cried. "Dad, Harry and Nicole's got something!"
"That's mine!" Harry shouted as the letter was ripped from his grip. Petunia caught hold of Nic's and scanned the letter before growing very pale.
"Who'd be writing to you?" Vernon laughed. The kitchen was thrown into a kerfuffle of shouting before Vernon threw Dudley, Nic, and Harry all out of the room and shut the door in their faces. Dudley listened at the key hole as Harry and Nic crouched down to listen at the crack under the door.
"Vernon," Petunia was saying, sounding frightened. "Look at the address. How could they possibly know where they sleep? You don't think they're watching the house?"
"Watching - spying - might be following us," Vernon theorized.
"But what should we do, Vernon? Should we write back? Say we don't want..." Petunia began.
"No," he said, "No, we'll ignore it. If they don't get an answer...Yes, that's best...we won't do anything..."
"But-" Petunia began.
"I'm not having one in this house, Petunia! Let alone two! Didn't we swear when we took them in we'd stamp out that dangerous nonsense?" Vernon retorted loudly. "And we tried to raise her so good and proper and see how she turned out!"
"Just like my sister," Petunia sneered angrily.
..............................................
Nic was laying curled up in bed when she heard Dudley begin to whine about something else. Instead of listening, she turned over and went to sleep. The next several days were very perplexing. First of all, Vernon and Petunia gave Harry the smallest bedroom upstairs, Dudley's extra one, and had him move in there despite Dud's many protests. It was the room next to Nic'a making her very happy indeed.
Aside from that, the number of letters was doubling and tripling until one day the house was streaming full of letters. After doing some yelling, Vernon ordered them all to pack to leave. Nic didn't really care if they left or not, although she was very curious about those letters. In her bag, she packed clothes, toiletries, and some books before heading downstairs. While no one was looking, she had managed to grab one of each of their letters and stash them in her bag, but had no opportunity to read them as they drove all day and were so tired by the time they got to the hotel that she couldn't keep her eyes open to read them.
The next day when Nic found herself inside of that miserable hut, she let out a groan of dismay at the dreary sight. They couldn't start a fire and the only place left to sleep after Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley had gotten settled was the floor. When she was fast asleep, Nic dreamed she heard a mountain collapse before she was jolted awake by a loud crash.