Dandelion awoke one morning just past dawn with a feeling of excitement in her stomach. Before she even realised what she was doing, she had gotten out of bed, gone into the bathroom, taken off her pajamas, and gotten into the shower. When the cool water hit her head, Dandelion finally fully awoke. It’s September first! she realised.
She continued to go through the motions of washing, but her mind was elsewhere. The feeling of excitement in her stomach remained, but it was joined by a much less pleasant feeling “ nervousness. Dandelion couldn’t wait to see Uncle Harry’s family members again, especially Lily and Hugo. However, in the many days since her visit to Diagon Alley, Dandelion had almost begun to doubt her memories of the trip. They seemed too fantastic to be true.
Dandelion also was worried about her failing miserably at Hogwarts, both socially and academically. What if Lily and Hugo, being older and cooler, weren’t interested in being her friends at Hogwarts? What if she couldn’t make any other friends? What if she wouldn’t let herself be good at magic because she couldn’t quite believe in it? What if she was simply bad at magic?
By the time Dandelion had tied her bathrobe around herself and gone downstairs for breakfast, she had made herself so anxious that she didn’t have an appetite. She forced herself to at least nibble on a piece of toast, but ended up throwing it out when the butterflies in her stomach made her nauseous.
She went back upstairs to her bedroom. She rummaged through her drawers and closet, but none of the clothes she owned seemed right for the occasion. She finally forced herself to put on some dark blue jeans and a long sleeved t-shirt she’d bought when she’d gone shopping with her friend Sarah one time.
Sarah had been the one who tried the shirt on first, and it looked so good on her that Dandelion had decided that she wanted it, too. The next day, Dandelion regretted it. The shirt was made from a stretchy material that highlighted Sarah’s burgeoning curves. However, Dandelion had no curves to highlight so far. Later, she decided that the shirt was actually a good buy. What the jade-colored shirt did bring out was Dandelion’s green eyes.
Thinking about buying the shirt with Sarah had brought the situation with Dandelion’s friends to her mind. She had decided not to tell Sarah, Alice, and Cecily that she was going away to boarding school. This way, she could avoid awkward questions about her boarding school, such as why she suddenly wasn’t going to the local prep school. Besides, her once-close friendship with Sarah and Alice had been disintegrating throughout the last school year, and Cecily had really been more of Alice’s friend than hers. Going to Hogwarts without telling anyone seemed to be an easy way to bring these awkward relationships to a close.
~*~
A few hours later, the same sleek-looking black car that had brought Dandelion to Diagon Alley finally pulled into the driveway. Dandelion had long since given up hope that they’d ever show up. After she’d dressed, she’d repacked her trunk several times to make sure she hadn’t left anything out. Then she’d gone to the living room to watch for Harry’s arrival, but he and his family had been running late. Dandelion had begun to suspect that they’d just forgotten her.
So when they finally arrived, she shouted out gleefully, “They’re here!”
“How absurdly late, with no consideration for “ “ Dudley started to complain as he came down the out of the kitchen, doughnut in hand, but then suddenly broke off what he was saying. Dandelion suspected it was because he’d seen the car. He’d always held people who drove expensive cars in high regard.
“Grandpa, are you sure that you don’t want to meet Uncle Harry’s family when they’re here?” Dandelion inquired.
“Not today, sweetheart,” her grandfather replied.
“Why not?” Dandelion inquired. “Uncle Harry’s your cousin. You’ve haven’t so much as phoned him the whole time I was growing up. Don’t you want to catch up with him?”
“Enough, Dandelion,” Dudley snapped. “I just want to worry about getting you off to school today.”
Dandelion hated when he used that tone. He didn’t usually use it too often, but he’d been slipping further and further into a Vernon Mood ever since she’d returned from Diagon Alley. Whenever he started seeming more like his normal self, Dandelion would make the mistake of bringing up something she’d seen in a shop at Diagon Alley or something Lily had told her that day. That only served to make Dandelion’s grandfather grumpier.
Dandelion was feeling rather grumpy herself. As well as being short with her, she found Grandpa Dudley’s reason for refusing to meet Harry’s family nonsensical. If her grandfather actually had to worry about making sure she got on the right train, she might believe his answer more. However, all he had to do was watch as she walked out the door and into Harry’s car. How could that stress him out so much that he couldn’t exchange pleasantries with a few people?
Dandelion didn’t want to part for a whole three and a half months on hard feelings, so she stepped towards him and threw her arms around as much of his wide girth as she could. She’d meant for it to be a quick hug, but Dudley pulled her closer and seemed unwilling to let her go. When he finally did, she spotted him hastily trying to wipe away a tear from his eye.
Trying to regain his composure, Dudley inquired, “You’re sure you have everything packed?”
“Yes, Grandpa,” Dandelion replied.
“And you’ll behave yourself?” he asked.
“Yes, Grandpa,” she repeated.
“Well, you better not make them wait any longer,” he said gruffly, but Dandelion was pretty sure she saw another tear glistening in his left eye.
Dandelion had grabbed her suitcase and opened the door when she suddenly stopped. She scampered back to where her grandfather stood and, balanced on tiptoes, planted a quick kiss on his cheek.
“Write, okay?” Dudley requested in a choked voice.
“Of course,” Dandelion whispered.
As she went out the door, he shouted, “But not with a ruddy owl!”
When she got outdoors, Dandelion discovered that Harry had been standing outside of the car, waiting for her. With a small smile, he took the suitcase from her and put it in the trunk as she climbed into the backseat of the car next to Lily.
Eyes Wide Open by sorrow_of_severus
Chapter Notes: I'm not J.K. Rowling, I don't own Harry Potter. You know the drill.
Chapter Endnotes: Can I just say how much I love my beta, Becca (twilightHPpgirl18)?