Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Harry and Matilda - Friends from Abuse ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

Harry and Matilda - Friends from Abuse

 

Summary: Six year old Harry gets a new neighbour - She brings with her, her own stories of abuse.

 

Prologue

 

Matilda Wormwood was honestly a sweet girl. She had brown hair and blue eyes that clearly showed her intelligence and gentle personality. She could sit and read for hours on end, knew more than someone her age should.

 

Matilda's family was horrible to her. She never got hit, but she did get yelled at. By the age of four Matilda was making her own pancakes - she had to teach herself how to cook, or else starve through the day.

 

When she was six, her father came home in a huff. “Pack your bags!” He had shoved a rather small duffel bag at her.

 

“But dad, I can't fit all of my books in here.”

 

“Just shut up! I'll buy you new books when we move!”

 

“Move? Why're we moving? What's going on?” Her mother came out of her room, hair in curlers.

 

 

“Those weren't speed boat salesman! That was the FBI! If we don't get the hell out of here, I'm going to jail!” Mr Wormwood shouted in his wife's face, taking slight pride in the look of shock. She was after all, the reason those “salesmen” had been able to get into their house.

 

“What?!” Mrs Wormwood's jaw dropped, her eyes widening.

 

“I TOLD you they were police.” Matilda said in a sing song voice, coming back out of her room, the small bag already packed.

 

“Shut your mouth you little maggot and go get your bag packed!” Mr Wormwood shouted at his daughter.

 

“It's already packed dad.” She said holding it up to him.

 

Mr Wormwood growled angrily and went to pack his own stuff. “They can't arrest me yet we still have time to leave.”

 

Matilda felt her heart ache as she was shoved into the back seat of her dad's car. She never did get to say goodbye to Miss Honey.

***

 

Harry was pulling weeds in his aunt Petunia's petunias when a beat up rental car pulled up across the street. He had seen the “For Sale” sign turn to “Sold” last week, and had been waiting to see what kind of people moved in.

 

He straightened a bit, tossing the weeds in his hand onto the pile he had already pulled. He didn't care much for gardening, but if he didn't do it his cousin Dudley would probably kick his ass.

 

“Harry!” His aunt Petunia was standing on the steps, craning her oddly long neck to try and see the neighbours. “Harry what do they look like?” She asked the six year old boy.

 

“I don't know Aunt Petunia they haven't gotten out of their car yet.” He said softly, still watching the vehicle himself.

 

“Damn British cars. What the hell is with their steering wheels?” Mr Wormwood snapped, slamming the door as hard as he could.

 

Harry flinched, vaguely reminded of his uncle Vernon. This man had the same harsh attitude, but he could tell they weren't from England. He had a funny accent.

 

Petunia pursed her lips, coming down the front steps to stare across the street. She watched with Harry as a little girl with soft brown hair slid from the back of the car.

 

“Melinda!” Her father grabbed her by the sleeve, giving her a bit of a shake. “Get your shit inside. You know which rooms yours. Smallest one.”

 

“My names Matilda! And why do I have to have the smallest room?”

 

“Don't argue! Just go!” He shouted, shoving her at the house.

 

She sighed and walked up the steps, leaving the door open for her brother who was busy dragging her parents things into the house.

 

Petunia smiled, thinking that her and Vernon would get along great with their new neighbours.

 

***

 

Harry wasn't in the cupboard under the stairs right now. He was in a storage room upstairs, the one with the old dusty curtains. He hated it, but it was still a bit bigger than his cupboard was.

 

He sat in the windowsill looking out. It was eight at night and six year old Harry knew he was supposed to be in bed. His aunt and uncle would be thoroughly angry with him if they found out that he was staying up past his bed time - never mind that Dudley was usually up until nine or ten himself.

 

He saw a light turn on and shifted his gaze to the house across the street. He blinked a few times when he saw the small brown haired girl from earlier that day looking at him from her own window.

 

Her curtains were a lot better than his, but he could tell that her room was about the same size. So she had gotten the storage room too…

 

Harry wondered vaguely if her parents hit her, and if she were glad to have them. He sighed, stopping those thoughts. Thinking about parents hurt his heart.

 

The little girl across the street waved at him, opening her window and leaning out.

 

Harry looked around his room, as though to make sure no one was watching him before he opened his own window and leaned out a bit.

 

The girl - Matilda? - crawled out of her window, somehow managing to make her way down to the ground.

 

Harry shifted his eyes again, before doing the same thing.

 

They met halfway, stopping in the middle of the road.

 

“I'm Matilda.” She said softly, holding out her hand.

 

Harry tilted his head, reaching out to shake her hand. “I'm Harry.”

 

“I like your name Harry. Is there much to do around here?”

 

“I'm not allowed to do much.”

 

“Oh. Your mom and dad are mean too?” Matilda wrinkled her nose a bit.

 

“No. My mom and dad died in a car accident. I live with my aunt and uncle. They're mean to me.”

 

Matilda drew in a sharp gasp. “Your mom and dad are dead? Miss Honey's mom and dad too. And her aunt was mean! Her aunt killed her dad, I think but we can't prove it. If we could have, I'm sure Miss Honey would have taken me away from my mom and dad. She says I'm too smart, and too good for them. But her aunt…Oh she was too mean. I would have been in a lot more trouble if I had have moved in with her.”

 

Harry was a bit put off with the sudden onslaught of words but paid close attention. No one else ever talked to him, so he was soaking up what he could.

“I want to go to school as soon as possible. Is school fun?”

 

Harry thought about it for a minute before replying “It's okay so long as Dudley doesn't find me.” He went on to explain how mean his cousin was to him.

 

Matilda told Harry about the choky at school, and how she had been locked in it one day by her principal - Miss Honey's aunt.

 

“Oh…That's…” Harry was at a loss for words.

 

“I hope your cousin Dudley doesn't get along with my brother.” Matilda sighed.

 

***

 

Dudley and Matilda's brother did get along. And they tormented the two smaller ones until their eleventh years.

 

After all, it would have been really hard to torment them when they were all the way in Hogwarts.