Summer in Little Whinging

Eleanor's fabulous slumber was interrupted when her dad entered her room and pulled the covers off of her face. She placed her hands over her eyes and sat up. Her dad laughed silently to himself when he saw her reaction. He looked at the windows and a smirk appeared on his face. Eleanor rubbed her eyes, yawned and looked at her dad with squinting eyes. As soon as he pulled the curtains aside she let out a high pitch scream and covered her face.

"Why!" She screamed.

"I'm sorry, are you sleepy?" He asked with a concerned look on his face. When she nodded he laughed. "Well, my suggestion is stop talking to Harry until the wee hours of the morning." He sat down next to her and watch her regain her composure.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Noon."

"Meh." Eleanor placed the pillow on her face and rested her head on his shoulder. While she yawned he fixed the terrible black mess on her head that she calls hair.

"I have some news for you." He told her.

"Good, bad, or both?"

"Both. The bad news is you have to spend the rest of the day with the Durselys-"

"I'm not going over there." Eleanor interrupted him. He took a deep breath and continued.

"After you go out and do some shopping."

"Now that's what I'm talking about." Eleanor smiled.

He got out off her bed and stood in front of her. His pinstriped navy blue suit, gray dress shirt, silver and blue striped tie and white handkerchief inside the pocket of the suit caught her eye. He removed his hand from his pocket to check the time on his watch.

"Someone looks dapper." She told him.

"If I didn't have to go to work I would be in a t-shirt, jeans, pair of sneakers, covered in oil, working on the car."

"You never work on the car." Eleanor reminded him. "Mom usually does it."

"There's a first for everything. Now," He held her hands, pulled her up and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Clean yourself up, get dressed, and meet me downstairs."

Eleanor saluted him and watched him leave. She stretched her hands and got out of bed. Scratching her head, she looked for Diana. The playful Somali, like all cats, is known for leaving in the middle of the night, fooling around with their fellow cats, come back home with unwanted gifts. Eleanor looked at her window and saw Diana enter her room with a dead lizard in her mouth. Diana jumped onto Eleanor's bed and laid the lizard on the bed.

"Er, thanks?" Eleanor said with a fake smile.

Meow said Diana.

Eleanor placed her gift giving cat on the floor so she could fix her bed. She then turned her attention to the white and blue Victorian style vanity table against a wall. Before leaving her room she took the red towel that was on the chair. Diana followed her until she saw a tennis ball in the hall way.

30 minutes later. . .

"So, you're a brunette now?" Michael asked when he saw Eleanor enter the living room.

His daughter's hair is the same length but curly at the end. She flashed him a smile and sat down on the couch. Like any father of a teenage girl he checked what she is wearing. A thermal T-shirt with blue sleeves and a picture of their favorite band in the middle. A heart shaped pendant. Blue jeans and black Chucks.

"Alright let's go." Michael told her.

"Did you put food for Diana?" She asked after getting up.

"Yeah."

"Are you going to give me my money now?" She asked when they walked to the Durley's house.

"If you keep asking me questions I may change my mind."

"Point taken."

Petunia Dursley saw the Clarkes walking towards her house and she stood near her door prepared. As soon as Michael knocked, the door flung open and Petunia prepared some choice words to say. Too bad Michael began talking.

"I am so sorry about our behavior. It was very inappropriate." Eleanor tried to hold in a laugh. "You were right and I was wrong." Michael said with a smirk.

Petunia got a real good look at the man in front of her. His chocolate eyes had a certain twinkle that she did not see in Vernon's. He also has a full head of short chestnut hair. Something Vernon does not have. The smirk on his face makes him look like the same smirk those bad boys she had a crush on in high school had when she walked by. The way his suit fit his body and the lack of a round stomach was something nice to look at.

"Petunia?" Michael called her name.

"Okay."

"Now, you wouldn't mind doing me this one little favor?"

"What is it?"

"Well, I am going to work and I do not want Eleanor staying home alone. Seeing how well she gets along with Dudley and Harry I was wondering if she could stay here."

"After I go shopping." Eleanor reminded him.

"After she goes shopping with one of them."

"No problem." Petunia told him.

"Thank you." He reached into his pocket and handed Eleanor a bundle of cash. He told her goodbye and headed for his car. Eleanor placed the cash in her pocket and was allowed inside by Petunia.

Dudley was in the kitchen torturing Harry with a wooden spoon when he heard Eleanor's voice. He ran out of the kitchen like a bat out of hell with Harry following him rubbed his head. Dudley wiped away the crumbs of a cookie from his mouth and fixed his shirt. Harry wiped his glasses.

"Oh, Dudley. Eleanor will be staying here for the remainder of the day while her father is at work." Petunia told her son.

"Ellie!" Dudley yelled as he threw his body at her. Eleanor stepped aside just in time to see him fall flat on his face. Petunia covered her mouth with her hands and watched her son get up. He didn't mind falling as long as he got up to see his love's face, he was fine. Petunia left the teens alone and entered the kitchen.

"Hello Dudley." Eleanor said wearily.

Harry noticed her different appearance but didn't bring it up. When she gave him a hug he felt his heart jump in his throat.

"Hi Harry."

"ErhiEleanorhowareyou?" He quickly said.

"You know you can call me Lennie." She playfully punched his shoulder. He rubbed the sore limb.

"Oh, um. Right." He scratched the back of his head.

"I'm already bored." Eleanor sighed. "Do you want to show me around town?" She asked.

"I'll be more than happy to." Dudley pushed Harry out of the way and stared Eleanor deep in her blue eyes.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Because I have a wad of money and need to know where I can spend it."

"That's a valid reason." Harry replied.

"Are you going to come with me?"

"Sure."

Dudley went to his mother with the news that he and Eleanor are going out and will return in a few hours. Petunia was too busy polishing spoons to care about her precious son "going out" with a "monster" like Eleanor. Harry and Eleanor made their way outside before Dudley caught them sneaking off. When he called Eleanor by her pet name she cringed and told him to hurry up.

"So, what center are we going to?" Eleanor asked when they boarded a bus.

"The Ashley Centre." Dudley told her when he sat down.

"Thank you Dudley." Eleanor told him/

"What stores do they have in The Ashley Centre?" She asked Harry. When he told her he had no idea she was shocked. "You live around here. You don't go out?"

"When I'm not spending my time locked in a closet, I spend most of my time in my room." Harry told her.

"From what you're telling me you live a tragic life Harry." Eleanor patted him on the back.

"You don't know the half of it." He sighed.

They exited the bus and entered the shopping centre. People passed by them holding shopping bags and having a pleasant conversation. Dudley took Eleanor by the hand and tried to persuade her into following him. She pulled her hand back and declined. Dudley was seconds away from throwing a fit. Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. When Eleanor placed her hand on his shoulder he calmed down.

"Dudley, do you want to know what would make me happy?"

"What?"

"You meeting Harry and I outside of the entrance in three hours. I would really appreciate it." She rubbed his arm. He was puddy in her hands. He agreed and left Harry and Eleanor alone.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Harry asked.

"My mom."

Eleanor saw a store that caught her eye and dragged Harry along. It was a bookstore named Waterstones. She looked at a couple of bookmarks and pens they had on display before going into the Science Fiction & Fantasy section. Harry scanned the books on magic and chuckled. Eleanor was at the far end of the section and picked up a pink hardcover book. She looked to her left and saw Harry.

"What's up?" Eleanor asked, startling him.

"Oh, nothing." He lied. He saw the book in her hand and asked what is it.

"The Invisible Man. I love this book. I love science fiction and fantasy in general. Magic, witches, wizards, goblins, giants. I like it all." She told him. "Are you going to buy one?"

"Not really."

"Okay."

She paid for the classic and they left the store. For the next hour Eleanor and Harry went through many clothing stores buying items. Eleanor's excuse was she needs them for school. She offered to buy some for Harry but he declined. The two stopped their shopping adventure to grab something to eat.

"I'm going to have a stomach ache but I don't care." Eleanor told Harry before eating a vanilla cupcake with frosting and spinkles.

"Lennie?"

"Yep?"

"Where do you go to school?"

"You're hoping we'll meet up in class or something?" Eleanor smiled.

"That's highly unlikely." Harry thought.

"Well, you can forget about it because that's highly unlikely."

"Why?"

"Because I go to an all girls boarding school."

"Where?"

"France. Yeah, my parents have the money to make me. Where do you go to school?"

"Um, it's a boarding school in Britain. Boys and girls attend. What do you guys study?"

Eleanor paused.

"The same things you learn in school." She told him.

"I doubt it." Harry impulsively said.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Nothing." He looked the other way. "Shouldn't we leave?"

"If only we could leave Dudley." Eleanor told him while picking up her bags.

"I want to but we can't." Harry foiled her plan with that statement.

They met up with Dudley outside and went back home.