Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ A Thousand Words Paint a Picture ❯ Hush, Hush ( Chapter 3 )

Vernon learned to be quiet.  No shrieking laughter when he was delighted, no shouting at Marge when she cheated at Happy Families, no wailing when blows landed on Mummy, or Marge, or him.  Some days he practiced holding his breath, lest his breathing offend.  Other days he spent walking through the house and memorizing which floorboards groaned and how to tiptoe across them.  Marge even taught him signals so they could communicate without saying a word.

Sometimes all the silence he practiced still didn’t save him.  Book pages hissed, clothing sighed, and bones occasionally creaked—monsters took any excuse, really.