Harry got snuggled down with his last living relatives, and for once, he let himself be the age he appeared.

Saving the game, he let himself drift off to Vernon's excessively loud snoring. He'd worry about everything else tomorrow.

Chapter 6 – The Birthday

Sunlight pored through the gap in the floral curtains and struck Harry's face like lightning. He groaned quietly, confused – he'd never woken up to sunlight before in the Dursleys before he was 11. And when the war was on back in his old world, he didn't get sleep much at all.

And he'd certainly never spent the night in peaceful slumber with all his relatives.

'What happened last night can't ever happen again – video game be dammed!' Harry thought to himself silently, holding back the shudders and the tears from the memories that flooded his mind. 'I won't let Voldemort hurt my relatives like that, I won't!' Chewing his lip in worry, Harry couldn't help feel guilty. He'd really killed them last night – he was so thankful they were here now. 'I gotta start taking this seriously, haven't I?'

It would be prudent of you to do that Harry. +3 to Charisma for convincing your relatives that you really do care. Congratulation! You've gone from 'snot nosed brat' to 'average'.

'Even though I don't feel at all like I should be rewarded in any way for what happened last night, it's best to not look a gift horse in the mouth.' Harry thought to himself, before checking the rest of his Character Stats. Seemed he had really improved.

Name: Harry James Potter
Level: 4 (748/1200)
Age: 6
Titles: Boy-Who-Lived, The Chosen One, Potty
Status: Half Blood
HP: 120
MP: 150
Muggle Money: £2
Skill Points: 3

Stats

Strength (Pitiful) : 1
Constitution (Sickly): 2
Willpower (Weak Willed): 3
Intelligence (Average): 6
Dexterity (Vegetable): 2
Charisma (Average): 7
Luck (Unlucky Chucky): 4

Relationships

Dudley Dursley (annoyed): -100
Petunia Dursley (friendly): 147
Vernon Dursley (unpopular): -215

Note: Relationship points heavily influence their behaviour towards you – but in some cases, just because someone is 'annoyed' or 'angry' with you, doesn't mean they don't love you deep down. Think of it this way Potty: 'Just because I don't like you right now doesn't mean I don't love you.'

Course, they'd be more inclined to show their love if they actually liked you. Just saying.

Harry's heart squeezed – did that mean his relatives really did love him? Despite their mistreatment and the arguments, the bitter grudges and the chores – through all that, did they really love him? He recalled what Dumbledore once said to him; 'But she took you," Dumbledore cut across him. "She may have taken you grudgingly, furiously, unwillingly, bitterly, yet still she took you'.

'I think… deep down she did. Through the resentment of having me dumped on her, and the fact I was magic and she wasn't – I… I hope she did – does.' Harry thought to himself. 'I want it to be different this time around. I can do this!'

Smiling slightly at his cousin who seemed to be sucking his thumb in his sleep, he checked the time. 6.07am – his usual rising out of bed time, so he could start on breakfast for 7. It was Friday today – and Vernon had to be at work for 7.30, so he had to get up extra early to prepare the meal for him.

Climbing over a heartily snoring Vernon as stealthily as he could, he got out of the massive bed.

"H-Harry?" The soft whisper of Petunia's voice startled him, and he jumped ever so slightly. "Give me a moment… I'll come and make breakfast with you."

Smiling to himself, Harry nodded silently before padding quietly to the bathroom and splashing some icy water on his face and saving the game. 'Today should be a good day.'

Looking at the thin lightning bolt on his forehead, Harry wondered what he was going to do about the monstrosity he was infected with. Unfortunately his Dark Aura flaw was still in effect – and he didn't have much desire to go and try poking at the Horcrux again. Maybe he would try surrounding it with Magic to smother it, instead of trying to push it out, like he did last time. And if he got stuck in his own mind again – he would run away and try his best to get out.

Opening his Inventory to pause time, Harry sat down on the soft bath mat and crossed his legs. He leant against the bath panel, and started focusing on his breathing again. Meditation came to him so much more easily now, he found his Magic quickly and started immersing himself in it – mapping it out once more in wonder, feeling calm and at peace.

Reluctantly he followed it up to the coil where the Horcrux resided – it felt even more terrible today than yesterday, knowing what it had caused him to do. Gathering his Magic, he instructed it to form a barrier over the corrupted Horcrux.

At first the Magic slipped away from the Horcrux, so next Harry tried asking it to weave around it like a plait – and slowly, arduously, he split the golden and silver Magic into strands and threaded it around the Horcrux. Every now and then the plait would splinter, and black bile would spew out into his system. He could feel the Dark Magic putting a lot of pressure on the Magic weave – he knew it wouldn't hold it for long, but maybe he could top it up when he needed to.

After around 8 layers of braids, Harry wiped the sweat that was pouring from his forehead and caught his breath. He could feel the evil there, but it was severely diluted.

Horcrux supressed! Barrier at 34%. Lose 5% every hour (1% per 12 minutes)

Lose 'Dark Aura' flaw – will come back if barrier is broken.

Objective – Seal the Horcrux off from your mind: Complete!
Rewards: Temporary loss of 'Dark Aura', +4 Charisma (you will lose this if the Horcrux breaks free again.)

Congratulations! You are now 'slightly better than average' regarding Charisma!

New Objective!
Destroy the Horcrux
Rewards: Permanent loss of Dark Aura, +10 to Occlumency, lose 'Mental Link' to 'Tom Riddle', 2500XP

SECRET OBJECTIVE: ?
Rewards: ?

Occlumency levelled up by 3 to Lv8! +1 Willpower, +93XP
Meditation levelled up by 1 to Lv17! +5MP, +19XP

Harry:860/1200

Kofi: 264/300

Harry looked at the XP gain for Occlumency and he felt his eyes widened almost comically. That was an awful lot of XP for 3 levels – there again he'd been practising for what felt like hours, and felt pretty exhausted. It was well worth it though – he felt cleaner now in body and soul – and he was getting close to levelling up! He saved the game before something went horribly wrong.

Feeling a little gross as the sweat on his skin dried, making him feel sticky and more than slightly pongy, Harry stripped himself of the ragged threads he slept in and took a quick strip wash and thoroughly brushed the disgusting fuzz and taste from his mouth. His aunt wouldn't complain really – time was still paused after all!

Minty fresh and squeaky clean! You've cleaned up good, +1 to Charisma for next 3 hours.

Feeling cautiously optimistic, Harry closed the Character Stats screen and exited the bathroom. He could already hear his aunt down in the kitchen getting the frying pans and other utensils out of the cupboard.

Taking a deep breath in to sooth his nerves, he entered the kitchen. 'I wonder if what happened last night actually changed anything… How will she react today?'

His aunt whipped round at the noise and looked at him with large eyes. There was a tension in the air as neither of them said anything for a few seconds. To Harry, it was some of the longest seconds of his life.

"You look… different today." Petunia said, breaking the silence. Harry cocked his head to one side – 'must be my Charisma kicking in.' "It's nice." There was another silence, slightly awkward, but Petunia coughed and beckoned him over. He could tell she was really trying, and felt for her. This mustn't be easy for her.

"I've already started on the Bacon – will you fry up some eggs for me, H-Harry?" His aunt asked, only stumbling a little over his name. Harry gave her the brightest smile he could muster (which his aunt looked shocked at, before returning a tiny one of her own) and made his way over to the fridge.

Quest Alert! Impressing Petunia at Breakfast

There has been a shift in relationships lately, but it's all pivotal on how you act today. Impress Petunia with your culinary skills, and it will set her up for more positive reactions later on. Good luck!

Objectives
Impress Petunia Dursley

Rewards
+2 Cooking, puts Petunia Dursley in a good mood, +10% to Rep with Petunia Dursley for 24 hours

Harry read through the quest carefully, before saving the game. 'This is it – no muck ups! No mooning, no spontaneous toaster fires, no burning an infinite amount of Bacon – this will be perfect!'

"Harry?" Petunia called out from behind Harry. "I… I'd like some Porridge today – the Omelette you made yesterday was very good – leave the eggs to me."

New Recipe!

Porridge – Difficulty 1/5
Success rate: 65%
Oats x1, Milk x1

A hearty oat breakfast, good for energy and delicious if made right. Add any sort of toppings to taste, sweet or savoury.
+5HP (perfect)
+3HP (good)
+1HP (burnt)
-1HP (rotten)

Squaring his jaw, Harry collected the right ingredients from the fridge. If it was Porridge she wanted, she'd get the best damn Porridge he could make. An idea came to mind.

"Auntie, what's your favourite fruit?" Harry asked, ignoring the clang Petunia made with the frying pan at the question.

"Er… blueberries." Petunia answered quickly – he must have caught her off guard.
'Blueberries, got it!' Harry searched the fridge, but to his dismay, the only blueberries they had were a little overripe.

Because I'm feeling nice and ir's your birthday, I'll make a suggestion – overripe fruit make for a good jam, because of the extra juices.

New Recipe!

Jam (Blueberry) – Difficulty 3/5
Success Rate: 33%
Blueberries x2, Sugar x3, Jar x1

Sweet, sweet jam – freshly made. Spread on toast or swirl in porridge for a fruity punch.
+ 10 HP when eaten. (Perfect)
+7HP (good)
+2HP (burnt)
-2HP (rotten)

Saving the game again, Harry found a Jar in the cupboard, and covertly crafted the Jam. It took 2 reloads (one of which was because he produced a disgusting black tar instead of Jam), but eventually he held a 'Perfect' Jam (Blueberry) 5/5 servings in his hand. If this didn't impress her, he didn't know what would.

He didn't think he could get away with crafting Porridge – it'd seem a little too 'magical' to produce a steaming heap of it from nowhere, so he carefully made it by hand. Sure, he spilt a little milk and got oat 'dust' all over the counter, but nothing he couldn't clean up.

With a 'ding', the microwave finished cooking and Harry held his breath as to what was inside. 'Please be edible!'

Thick and steamy Porridge greeted Harry's eyes. 'Thank Merlin!' He had to thank someone – his luck lately had been pretty terrible – he'd expected the microwave to blow up or something. But no, he'd managed to produce 'good' Porridge.

Stirring in some of the Jam, he placed it on the table and got a spoon. Petunia turned round just as he placed the spoon down on the table with a clang.

"Harry? Is that blueberries in there?" Petunia asked, looking at him in a sort of appreciative way.

+5 to Petunia Dursley for being thoughtful!

"Blueberry Jam– I er, found some in the cupboard. I chucked the blueberries out of the fridge, they were looking a little off."

Petunia scrutinised Harry for a second, before what seemed like guilt flashed across her face and she nodded before turning back to the Bacon she was making.

Lie success! Petunia feels bad for always questioning you, and accepts this lie without question.

Guilt tore through Harry – Petunia was trying to be more accepting of him, and he was just lying to her over and over again. 'But she'd never accept what was happening to me, not now… It has to be this way.'

"It is alright Auntie, I'll finish off breakfast." Harry said, biting his lip when he saw her shoulders tense up.

"But Harry… It's your birthday." Petunia whispered, not meeting his eyes.

'Merlin, I forgot about that! Is that what she's feeling bad about?'

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POTTY!
It's ya birthday! Congratz on surviving another year! +50 to HP, +50 to MP, +£50 Muggle money and increased Luck all day!

'I hate that nickname – but money, sweet!' He looked at Petunia, frozen in time – the picture of remorse, and his good mood dissipated.

"I like cooking, so please, just let me do this." Harry scraped the chair back for her, the noise loud and jarring. It seemed to snap Petunia out of whatever trance she seemed to be in, and she finally sat down and started eating the Porridge.

+20 Rep to Petunia Dursley for an amazing breakfast

Grinning a little when he heard the tiniest of 'mmm's come from his aunty, he finished off all the breakfast no problem – even using some of the pre-prepared foods in his Inventory. Just like yesterday he set it all out on the table – it was as glorious to look at as yesterday's breakfast. He's just finished getting the cutlery out when the rest of his relatives burst into the kitchen.

"G'morning Pet, bo-" Vernon was cut off by a sharp cough from Petunia. He eyes then took in the glorious feast on the table and Harry could see the anticipation there. "Harry."

Trait learned – Vernon Dursley: Glutton

Glutton: Bon appetite! This person adores food, and will eat, and eat, and eat, until they feel sick and stuffed. Can stem from a self-esteem issue, or just because food is just so damn good. –Willpower when around food items.

Note: Characters can have traits and they usually develop as a result of a massive life event or of a repeated action. 5 is usually the maximum, however there isn't a limit to Character Traits one can possess.

Observe improved to level 5! +13XP

"G'morning mummy! G'morning freak!" Dudley chipped in, and Harry couldn't help but wince a little at the nickname. He looked to Petunia, who was looking at her son tight lipped - but she didn't say anything. Seems her loyalties still lay with her son rather than both he and Harry.

"Breakfast is ready Dudders, HARRY made it for us." Petunia said carefully, voice full of affection yet stressing Harry's name. Harry caught her eye, and mouthed his thanks. He could see the two fattest members of his family looking at him, and then at the food.

+15 Rep to Vernon and Dudley Dursley for appealing to their stomachs

'She's trying but years of never telling Dudley off for anything… that doesn't stop easily, does it?'

Harry stood, as he always did, beside the table as his largest relatives dug into the feast he prepared. Petunia gave the tiniest cough to catch his attention, and gestured with her eyes to the empty chair.

Not wasting a second, Harry scrambled onto the chair and looked to his aunt for what he was allowed to do next. He wasn't taking any chances with her, not after everything was going so well. She pushed a plate full of Toast and a few rashers of Bacon at him, not looking at him, but at Vernon who was looking at the pair of them questioningly, butter and crumbs lacing his thick moustache.

Harry could almost detect disgust in his aunts expression as she eyed the mess that her son and husband was making, and made it a point it eat carefully – never letting a crumb stray from his mouth.

+2 Rep to Petunia for eating like a civilised human being

Trait learned! Petunia Dursley: Neat Freak

Neat Freak: Naturally obsessed with cleanliness and orderliness, these people have a fondness for fresh scents and clean surfaces. While being a Neat Freak doesn't necessarily mean you are a germophobe, meeting this person with grubby fingers and a mucky face won't win their approval. Harder to build Rep with this person if of messy appearance, +Rep if of clean appearance.

Observe improved to level 6! +8XP

'It almost makes me wonder… does it make it easier to hate me when I'm dressed in rags? Because I didn't look tidy enough for her? Was that why she did it?'

For an astute deduction, Intelligence raises by 1.

'A new wardrobe is in order then… and I have the money for it now, too!'

Quest Complete - Impressing Petunia at Breakfast

Rewards
+2 Cooking, puts Petunia Dursley in a good mood, +10% to Rep with Petunia Dursley for 24 hours

"Pet, I took the day off work today like you asked, so we could take Dudders out for a treat." Vernon said to Petunia. Harry detected the smallest of flinches as her eyes flickered to Harry for a second. Harry understood, something like this happened every year on his birthday. They'd arrange a day out, and make him watch as they spoiled Dudley while giving him nothing. He thought he'd be above being hurt by this by now, but a tiny part of his heart still twanged.

"So what would you like to do, Dudders?" Vernon asked around a mouth full of Bacon.

"Animals! Piers got a lizard and it's so cool! I want a lizard, mummy!" Dudley exclaimed, looking at Petunia with wide blue eyes. Petunia, as always, melted a little at her sons adoring, pleading gaze – and spared Harry one last look before nodding in agreement.

Harry didn't mind at all. 'I can get Kofi back!'

"I saw some lizards in Critters Corner the other day, we could go there." Harry mumbled, keeping his eyes downcast. He needed to go there without looking suspicious – plus he'd get to see Eugene again!

"Speak up, boy!" Vernon grumbled, glaring at Harry before catching his wife's sharp gaze. He sent a puzzled one back, then shrugged. "Talk later." Petunia mouthed before wiping her irritation away and smiling at her son, who seemed to be working himself into an excitement.

And so, they set off for the pet store – Petunia even managed to persuade her husband to go on foot, to let their breakfasts settle properly. Harry trailed behind the group as always, almost looking as if he didn't belong, but just before he reached the pet store, Petunia stopped.

"Dudders, love, go in and take a look around – I'm having a word with Harry." Petunia said, gently shooing her son inside the shop. 'Good luck Eugene.' Was all Harry could think as he cousin burst his way inside the shop, startling all the animals in the vicinity.

Harry looked at his aunt, trying to figure her out. She looked the same as always – icy blonde hair kept back in the tightest of ballerina buns, cool grey eyes, high cheekbones and long neck – but gaunt looking, unhappy – any beauty she had was lost when she was sneering and sniping and screeching at others. Even when she seemed happy, doting upon her son and husband, she never… looked happy.

And Harry couldn't help but wonder why.

"Harry…" Petunia started, but closed her thin mouth and instead swallowed, hard.

"It's 'kay, Petunia." Harry knew she wanted to apologise.

"But it's not, is it?" Petunia sighed, dropping to sit on the step of the pet shop door. "It's not okay – this isn't okay."

Harry was silent and let her continue.

"At first, you know – I didn't mean for it to get this bad." Petunia cast her eyes away. "I'd just lost my sister to… something… a place I could never understand, somewhere I could never follow. She'd just died – and you remind me of her so much, Harry." Watery grey eyes looked into his green ones. "You have her eyes, y'know, Lily's eyes."

'I know.' But every time someone said it, he thought of his mum's kind face – and couldn't help but feel a swell of pride to be compared to her.

"Lily and I were never… well, we were… but at some point, Lily and I fell out." Petunia was stumbling on her words. Harry could tell this was hard for her. "We never recovered from that – we were just too different."

'You were jealous of her.'

"So when you were left on our doorstep, looking like her – I… I took it out on you. I kept telling myself I'd stop one day – but then Vernon and Dudley joined in, and we became so used to it." Petunia looked at him, sadly. "I know you know what I'm talking about, the chores, the cupboard under the stairs. Vernon was quite pleased with himself with that one."

Harry cut her off. "Why are you telling me this now?"

"I… I don't know." Petunia raised her hand to bite her red nails, before shuddering and stopping herself. Harry had only seen her do that when she was feeling particularly anxious. "Last night… you remember what happened. You know, don't you?"

Harry stood, gob-smacked – his aunt was cleverer than he took her for. Closing his mouth, he settled to nodding.

"I thought so." Petunia let out a small, empty laugh. "It was such a shock, y'know, to find you playing with Dudley, floating toys to him. He looked so happy – you both did." Petunia's face fell. "I didn't want to stop you – but Vernon walked in. He thought you were hurting Dudley. That's when he broke your arm – and it mended right away in a flash of light." Her grey eyes were looking watery now. "And even though he was hurting you, you never tried to hurt him back. You never hurt any of us. Not with your m-magic. Not even with your words."

"I wouldn't ever hurt you, you're family."

"I know – and that makes you so much better than all of us." Petunia wiped her eyes. "When you came to me last night – still possessing some sort of affection for us even through what we did to you, still caring about us – I told myself this is the time to change. I'm trying, Harry – I hope you know that."

"Of course I do." Harry's heart felt like it could burst in his chest. This was better than anything he could have expected from Petunia – and he hoped it wasn't just a dream.

"Good." Petunia raised a hand, slowly, and petted Harry's messy hair. "After this, I'm taking you to get cleaned up. And I'm moving you into the spare bedroom – God knows Dudley doesn't play with half of his toys." Petunia gave a small chuckle, a real one this time. "And for the love of God I'm taking you for a haircut. It drives me insane." Harry just grinned and ruffled his own hair, before squeezing Petunia's hand for a second.

"You're a good boy, Harry."

+110 Rep to Petunia Dursley for accepting her apology

Petunia Dursley (friendly): 282

CRASH!

Quest Accepted! Dudders in Danger!

Your cousin got it into his head that he wanted to hold one of the snakes – and ended up breaking the tank. Of course, he had to pick on the biggest snake there – the Boa Contrictor. It's up to you, Harry, to save him!

Objectives
Save Dudley!

Rewards: +50 Rep to Vernon Dursley, +55 Rep to Petunia Dursley +100 Rep to Dudley Dursley, +2 to Animal Handling

'Ah crap!'

"DUDLEY! GET AWAY FROM IT!" Vernon's voice boomed out from across the store. Petunia ran into the shop, Harry right behind her.

Dudley was stood, dumbfounded, as a gigantic 6ft snake tried to wrap itself round his small, pudgy legs. If the snake got round his neck, Dudley would be done for.

Petunia was screaming, and Vernon had some sort of litter-picker contraption in his hand, trying desperately to pry the snake from his son – but all he succeeded in doing was making it more angry. Eugene was passed out over the counter, with what seemed to be a nasty bruise forming on his eye.

"STOP!" Harry shouted, in full Parseltongue – and the colossal reptile suddenly stopped winding its way around the terrified child. An eerie silence descended over the shop as the snake looked at him with beady eyes, swaying to and fro as if in the wind.

Slowly, Harry made his way over to the snake. "Stop, release the boy."

"Spppeaker?"

The snake did as it was told, and as soon as Dudley was set free, he ran over to his mum, sobbing.

"Stay there a minute." Harry told the reptile, before taking a deep breath in and looking at his family – who were all staring at him in wonder.

"Mummy! Freak saved my life! Freak saved my life with his freaky hissing!" Dudley sobbed into Petunias petite bosom. "I want to go home!"

Petunia stroked her son's blonde hair gently, eyes not leaving Harry. He knew he'd have to talk to her about what happened later.

Quest Complete! Dudley in Danger!

Rewards: +50 Rep to Vernon Dursley, +55 Rep to Petunia Dursley +100 Rep to Dudley Dursley, +2 to Animal Handling

Petunia Dursley (Friends): 337
Vernon Dursley (Unpopular): -150
Dudley Dursley (Acquainted/Unsure): 15

"BOY! WHAT WAS TH-" Vernon began shouting, but was stopped when Petunia swatted his arm. Vernon looked to protest, but Petunia was having none of it.

"Vernon, take Dudley home. Watch telly with him, and there's some chocolate in the cupboard. Go." Vernon stared at his wife as if she were an alien. "Darling, you aren't deaf, are you?" Petunia said, voice dangerously sweet, still stroking Dudley's hair.

"Wh-no!" Vernon spluttered, face turning beetroot red in embarrassment. Without a word, he grabbed Dudley's hand and rushed him out the store.

Petunia stared at Harry. Harry opened his mouth to explain, but Petunia held up her hand.

"While I accept the fact, and am grateful, that you just saved my son – understand that that was freaky to watch and right now I do not want to know." Harry nodded mutely in response.

"P-Please can you go and check on Eugene?" Harry gestured to the poor knocked out boy draped over the counter.

Petunia went to him and gently shook his shoulders – he awoke with a start, and began clutching his eye in pain.

"Aw, God, what the hell? Did that guy seriously hit me?" Eugene whined, delicately prodding his swollen eye. "Harry! Good God, didn't see you there – OH GOD THE SNAKE!"

"It's fine Eugene, good with snakes, remember?" Harry tried to soothe his friend. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"Me? Yeah – that lad, Buddy or something – came in wanting to look at the snakes. So I was like, sure – but then he began pulling over the cage. Kid's damn strong for his age!" Eugene grimaced. "The cage fell over and smashed, and then the Boa started on the kid. So Venison or whatever his name was – the kid's dad – started telling me to do something so I got the litter picker. The guy takes it off me and punches me for being 'too ruddy slow'. Got a hell of a right hook."

Petunia had the shame to look embarrassed. Harry knew Vernon wasn't exactly a saint when it came to his temper.

"Anyway, so I just woke up – you saved them Harry?" Eugene gave a pained chuckle. "Geez kid, you have a saving people thing. Kofi, me and now that kid – three in two days, aren't you a regular little hero?"

+50 Rep to Eugene Aberstan for sorting out the mess while he was 'out'

'If people didn't get themselves into mess I wouldn't have to save them.'

"'Buddy' is my son, Dudley, and 'Venison' is my husband, young man. His name is Vernon, thank you very much." Petunia told Eugene, a little snottily. Harry looked at her and cringed. She'd gone into 'snob' mode.

"Er- sorry ma'am. Harry yours too I take it?" Eugene asked, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yes. My nephew." Petunia frowned. "You said he saved you, and… Kofi?"

Eugene gave Harry a big smile. "Yeah, he came in yesterday with a little Boomslang snake who'd been attacked by cats – saved it. He came in when the dogs got loose – and saved me – I'm really allergic to them. You raised a brave kid, ma'am."

Petunia's eyes softened. "I know."

"Anyway kid, you here to pick up Kofi? He's been ever so good since you left, and I fed him a mouse this morning." Eugene said, gesturing over to the small cage where Kofi was kept. The tiny grey snake was pressed against the glass, eyes set on Harry. Harry hoped he wasn't annoyed with him because he forgot to pick him up.

"I- er…" Harry started, looking at Petunia. Asking for a pet snake after her son nearly got gobbled up by one probably wasn't the best way to go. Petunia seemed to know what he was thinking though.

"Yes. It's his birthday, so we're treating him."

To say he was surprised would be an understatement. His aunt despised animals – and one had just attacked her son – why was she doing this?

"Right! Well, the Boomslang is poisonous – but I got some antidote from the seller nearby yesterday night – so take that just in case. But this one is only a wee one – I don't think it will get much bigger at all." Petunia glared a little at Harry at the word 'poisonous', but stopped when Harry shrank back.

"How much?" Petunia reached into her bag.

"Oh no – I already said to Harry he could take whatever he wanted for Kofi since he saved me – and he stayed to help out with the pups all of yesterday to. Even helped me fix the lock." Eugene gushed – but then spotted the snake that was laid on the floor, staring up almost adoringly at Harry. "Er – Harry, exactly how good are you with snakes?"

"Pretty good - where shall I put… her." Harry asked, looking down at the beautiful reptile.

"I'm not going at ask how you knew its gender. Er… Give me a moment." Eugene disappeared into the storeroom, leaving him with his aunt.

"Harry – I'm trusting you with this snake because you saved Dudley, it's your birthday, and you do deserve something. But if it bites anyone – it's your responsibility. And it hurts Dudley…" His aunts voice grew soft, and trailed off.

"He won't, Petunia. He'll be in his cage if I'm not around." Harry promised, not believing his luck.

Eugene appeared, struggling with a gigantic wire mesh cage. "I'm hoping…" Grunt. "This one won't break!" Eugene placed it on the floor with a groan, and opened the cage door. "It won't be forever, just until we get a new shipment of glass cages – and I'll get my uncle to make… her… more comfortable later."

"Pretty one – go into cage now." Harry asked the snake quietly, gesturing to the cage and doing his utmost best to ignore how Eugene and his aunt flinched.

"Yess Speaker… come see me again ssssooon." The Boa replied, before gracefully slithering into the cage. To spare Eugene the trouble, Harry locked the door for him.

"Cheers kiddo – how you did that I have no idea." Eugene said, looking a little unnerved at the display.

Harry shrugged and left it at that. Telling people he could speak to snakes probably wasn't the best idea right now.

Petunia and Harry gathered all of Kofi's equipment and carried it home – Harry managed to convince Petunia to let Kofi stay on his wrist again. They dropped the equipment off in the hallway without word to Dudley and Vernon who were engrossed in a football game on the telly, hands sticky with chocolate. Harry caught Petunia's grimace before turning and walking out the door, beckoning Harry to follow.

The rest of his day was spent shopping with Petunia – it was admittedly one of the more bizarre experiences in his life and more than once he'd had to defend Petunia from a dive bombing Mutant Pigeon – but luckily there were plenty of little stores to duck into for cover. On the downside, he'd fallen down a lot – on the upside his Dexterity had increased by 2 (going from 'vegetable' to 'it walks!') and he found out that Petunia could move hella fast if she wanted to.

He'd also had to pause time a few times to keep building his barriers around his Horcrux, which seemed a little easier than when he last tried, but still left him breathless.

Back to his aunt though. Using Observe on her, he found out two things. One, being 'Friends' with her meant he could see a lot more of her stats. Two, his aunt was a lot scarier than he thought.

Name: Petunia Dursley (née Evans)
Titles: Tuney, Pet
Age: 29 (Born 1957)
Level: 26
HP: 1800
Status: Squib

Stats

Strength (Trim): 12
Constitution (Never Ill): 35
Intelligence (Gifted): 31
Willpower (Disciplined): 24
Dexterity (Dead Shot): 42
Charisma (-10 from ?) (Ugly): 3
Luck (Unlucky, Chucky!): 4

Traits

Neat Freak: Naturally obsessed with cleanliness and orderliness, these people have a fondness for fresh scents and clean surfaces. While being a Neat Freak doesn't necessarily mean you are a germophobe, meeting this person with grubby fingers and a mucky face won't win their approval. Harder to build Rep with this person if of messy appearance, +Rep if of clean appearance.

Favourite fruit: Blueberries

Thin and bony still – but not quite an unloving as you once thought; you are quickly learning there is more to the eye when it comes to Petunia Dursley. Will you ever figure her out? Time will tell.

'Where the heck did get that much… everything? I mean her Luck and Charisma are in the crapper but Dexterity? Where'd that come from?' Harry thought to himself in awe, looking at his aunt again, as if expecting her to morph into some sort of ninja. 'And the fact that she looks gaunt all the time, but having such a high Constitution… come to think of it – she never got ill – not when I was living with her anyways. Stressed, of course – but never sick.'

Observe levelled to Lv8. +27XP.
Congratulations! Kofi levelled up to level 4!
He has 2 stat points to spend.
Kofi: 12/600 to next level!

Kofi glowed slightly on his wrist when he levelled up, and Harry caught him hissing in contentment, before Petunia looked around sharply and spotted the snake on Harry's wrist.

"Harry!" Petunia spat, looking around frantically to see if anyone could see. "Hide that thing – it's not normal to have a snake hissing on someone's wrist!"

'It's not normal to lock a small child up in a cupboard either, but y'know.' Harry couldn't help but think, almost spitefully – it felt awful that their progressing relationship was stopped by her obsession with 'normalcy', of all things. He immediately felt bad for thinking it – he shouldn't punish her now, not when they were doing so well.

Trait Learned! Petunia Dursley: Snob

Snob: 'Oh darling – that skirt with those shoes?' If you've ever heard this person say something along these lines, they probably are a little bit snobby. For it to become a trait though, is a whole other ball game. These people look down upon others at almost every opportunity – and the sad fact is, they do it to feel better about themselves. They fear what others will think of them if they aren't always in prime condition, but mostly what others think is what a snob they are. -10 Charisma

'Damn… so if that was gone, Petunia would probably be a decent person. How would I go about doing that? If some big life event made her a snob, surely some other big life event would reverse it?' Harry certainly hoped so – it would make going to Hogwarts a whole lot easier.

"Sorry auntie – guess he was just feeling happy – I'll put him away." Harry swiftly opened his Inventory and put Kofi inside.

"I'll get you out when I can. And thanks for being nice about yesterday."

"It's fine, speaker – please don't forget about me again. That spotty boy poured nasty smelling stuff on me, made me cuts hurt."

Kofi hissed, a little agitated, before calming again. "He fed me a mouse after though…"

Smiling at the youngling, he carefully raised him into the screen and watched him disappear from his wrist. 'There, should keep her happy for now.'

Petunia's smile turned dangerous as she eyed the bushy black hair. Looking at the hairdressers in fear, Harry couldn't help but whimper slightly. What the heck was she going to do to him?

Two hours later…

Stepping out of the hell-hairdressers – Harry felt absolutely disgusting. He had more gel on his hair than bloody Draco at a party – it was slicked flat onto his scalp and made his hair shine unnaturally. Petunia, on the other hand, loved it.

'1980's fashion sucks.' Harry couldn't help but think, wiping the sneer off his face when he realised (again) he looked too much like Malfoy. 'Shower tonight, and maybe my hair will do that re-growy thing again…' Harry kinda preyed that he would – he had no idea what his hair looked like without the gel – he was picturing a butchered mess.

Much to his pleasant surprise though, after quietly begging his aunt for a shower, when the gel came off (and by Merlin it took at least 3 lots of shampoo) – he found that the hairdresser had really just given him a good trim. It was more styled messy rather than urchin messy – and she'd kept his scar covered, which was a bonus. 'I lost so much hair though!' Suddenly, he heard voices coming from below.

"What has gotten into you today, Pet?" He could hear Vernon's baritone from the kitchen – Dudley was upstairs watching a film, but Harry could hear his relatives through a small crack in the floorboards. Feeling guilty, he lay down and quietly pressed his ear into the crack to hear better.

"Vernon, you know how we treated him isn't… what normal people would do." Petunia responded, voice cold.

"Maybe so – but you know that boy isn't normal – that freaky hissing today Pet, floating things around Dudley, changing his hair colour – it's a slippery slope!" Vernon whispered back heatedly.

"Are you forgetting he's never hurt us before, and he saved Dudley's life today?" Petunia argued quietly. Harry was honestly touched she was fighting for him.

"Hogwash! I had it under control Pet, I swear!"

There was a distinctly unladylike, and rather sarcastic snort. "Of course you did dear, poking this great reptile with a bloody litter picker of all things! Fat lot of good you did there love!" Harry had never heard her aunt really argue with Vernon before. "You know Dudley would have died today without him – so put aside your pride, put aside what we did to him." Vernon was silent. "Please, Vernon – I know we treated him wrong, but it's not too late to change. He already seems forgiving – he cares about us Vernon."

"It's a trap Pet – funny how I said he felt weird to be around yesterday and suddenly he doesn't anymore. He's got you real good, Pet."

"I can't believe you Vernon! Do you understand how ridiculous you sound right now? He's just a boy – like Dudley!"

"Never compare that… FREAK – with our son!" Harry heard a loud scraping of chairs. "I'm going out – when I've come back, I hope you've seen sense."

Harry retreated from the crack and lay on the bathroom floor – feeling oddly sick to his stomach. 'I'm getting Petunia into trouble… I need to make Vernon like me.' Harry tried to think what Vernon really liked, besides belittling him.

'The best way to a man's heart is through food.' It seems Harry would have to capitalise on that Gluttony trait after all.

For now though, it was off to his cupboard. He had some Meditating to do, and a Horcrux to smother. 'Operation Dursley starts tomorrow!'

AN: I think this is the longest chapter so far – approaching 7000 words with this. Many thanks to AgitatedDog9288 (x2!), Indra Senin, Lydia-Hood, cup'o'tea, lokarryn, BlueRose23 and Crotch Cricket (loving the name, pal!) for reviewing, it makes me so happy to hear feedback on my writing, even if it's just a few lines – it means the world to me!
We also hit over 100 favourites – I'm flattered!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Victor