When Voldemort Stole Pink Rabbit

Billy and Betty: One of a Kind

The fireflies were not very smart. That's why Harry had to hide them from Aunt and Uncle - they weren't smart enough to hide on their own. They didn't know the difference between happy and sad, so they were always happy, even when Harry wasn't. Even when Aunt yelled at Harry all day long, the fireflies always smiled and made him feel happy. Their pretty, glowing light always made him feel warm, even if he wasn't wearing them.

Their names were Billy and Betty. They were mummy and daddy firelies who were looking for their baby. Harry thought it was a boy baby, but he wasn't sure - it was very hard to understand the way they talked.

Billy and Betty didn't like that they had to stay in The Dark all the time. They said it was small inside.

Harry told them that The Dark was the best place in the whole entire house! It was all for them - just for the three of them. Aunt and Uncle couldn't stop him from talking to Billy and Betty in there.

Aunt and Uncle really didn't like it when he talked to things. They didn't like it when he talked to the milk bottle, or to his spoon, or to them.

There was nothing very interesting to do at home. All Harry did all day was SIT. When Aunt took him out of The Dark in the morning, he sat in the high chair. When Cousin wanted breakfast, Harry had to go sit on a chair. Then he had to sit on the potty. When he was done, he had to sit in the stroller. When Cousin went out for his walk, Harry had to sit in the playpen. And when Cousin wanted to nap, Harry had to sit in The Dark.

Well, he was supposed to, anyway.

But Harry wanted to play with Billy and Betty. So he did. HARRY made the rules in The Dark, not Aunt or Uncle.

Billy and Betty hated sitting. They always fluttered around his head, making little buzzing noises. And they always smiled.

Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin smiled too, only never to Harry, like the fireflies did.

Harry tried to help the fireflies look for their baby. He told them that maybe some other nice fireflies had found their baby and were feeding it and watching it for them. This didn't make Billy and Betty feel better, so they kept looking.

Soon, there was COLD, WHITE, WET, FLUFF outside!!!!! It came from the sky, like rain, but Cousin played in it!

His school Mummy said it was called snow.

The snow looked like it was fun. Harry wanted to play with it like Cousin did. He asked Aunt. A lot. But all the time she sayd NO - very loud.

But Harry, Billy, and Betty played in the snow inside The Dark.

One day, Aunt didn't say anything when Harry asked her to play with the snow. Her lips got skinny and her face got whiter than the milk in Cousin's bottles. Then she said, "Okay."

Harry was so happy! He looked at Aunt to see if it was good to laugh, and it was! So he did.

"Yes, yes, enough of all that," Aunt said. "Come on, outside now!"

Harry went out happily. It was very very very cold. Aunt made a litte huffy sound and closed the door.

Cousin was playing with the snow! He was making balls and throwing them at a rock. Harry ran to Cousin.

"Me do! Me do!"

Cousin pushed Harry, and Harry fell back.

Harry stood up quickly. The snow was cold and wet and it was sticking to him. He shivered.

Cousin was wearing a hat, and a coat, and a scarf, and mittens, and boots. Harry wasn't. He was wearing his shirt. And pants and socks. And underwear that was too big and fell down a lot.

"Siwy Hawy," Cousin said in a mean voice. He threw snow at Harry. Harry shivered more. "Hawy need coat!"

Harry thought of his coat: it smelled like potatoes and was gray and ugly. It was missing two buttons. He didn't want to put it on.

Cousin grinned. "I go in. Mummy!" he yelled.

Aunt came outside, rubbing her arms a little. "You want to come inside, Dudders?"

Cousin nodded. "I go in!"

Aunt picked Cousin up and carried him to the house. Harry ran after her. His feet were very cold.

But she didn't let him go in the house. "You can stay out here for awhile," she said. "You just park your bottom and sit." And then she closed the door. It made a snapping sound.

So Harry sat. Again. But this time, he was outside and it was cold. The socks he was wearing were just plain socks, not the warm, fuzzy socks that had come in the box.

Harry's fingers were stiff and red. He blowed on them, but it didn't help. So he put his hands in between his knees and rocked back and forth.

When Aunt took him into the house, it was naptime for Harry. If it wasn't sitting-time, it was always naptime. So Harry lay down in The Dark. He put the blue socks on his feet, the red socks on his hands, swung the fireflies above his head, and told Billy and Betty about his adventure in the snow.

Snow came four times after that (Harry now knew his numbers very good), but Aunt never let him go out again. Then it got hot outside. Now Harry was also very good at keeping the morning-time smelly wet inside his body. He just squeezed and squeezed while he sat in The Dark, waiting for Aunt to let him out.

Whenever Miss Webber took them to the playground for recess, Harry played with the butterflies and the flowers. There were bees too - Cousin was afraid of them, but Harry liked them. They were black and yellow - yellow like Billy and Betty.

Harry told Miss Webber all about the fireflies. He asked her if she knew where their baby was, but she said she didn't. Miss Webber sayd that it was good to talk to socks. She sayd she talked to a little towel when she was as tiny as Harry.

Harry laughed. Big people were so silly sometimes. Towels couldn't talk. And he didn't talk to towels, he talked to Billy and Betty.

It got even hotter outside.

Harry had lived with Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin for one year and nine months, but he didn't know that.

Harry sat in the stroller near the front door while Cousin ate his lunch in the high chair. Harry was eating lunch too - he had a lot of food! He had a banana and a cup of water!

Harry's tummy made a growling noise that sounded like Uncle when he slept. He didn't smile, but he felt like laughing. It was a funny noise!

There was another sound on the outside. "Aunt!" Harry called.

The ding-dong rang.

"Coming ... coming ..." Aunt said softly. She opened the door and there was a big brown box on the mat.

"For me!" Cousin yelled. "For me!"

Aunt looked at the writing, and then her face got white like milk. "What did you do now?" she said in her Angry voice.

'You' meant 'Harry'. So did 'Boy', 'That One', and 'Him'.

Harry had a lot of nicknames.

"I did not do anything!" Harry said. "For me?"

"For me!!!!!!!!!"

"No ...You," Aunt said. Harry looked up at her. The yellow of her hair wasn't making the white of her face very pretty. "Get out of there, right this instant!"

Harry tried to get out, but the strap was on top of him!

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" yelled Aunt. She pulled the strap off, but spilled Harry's water. Aunt grabbed Harry's arm and took him to The Dark.

"Now sit there and behave," she said in her Angry voice, before closing the door.

Cousin watched a lot of TV that day. Harry knew because he and Billy and Betty listened through the door of The Dark.

When Uncle got home from work, Harry heard him and Aunt yelling a lot. Cousin started crying. Soon, Aunt took him out and put him on a big chair by the table. Everyone ate dinner. After dinner was over, Uncle gave him the box!

Harry opened the box very happily. Billy and Betty and his socks had come in a box! Maybe there was something in this box for him too!

Harry ripped through some paper ... and some more ... and some more ... but there was nothing in the box. It was empty.

"You see, Boy?" Uncle said. "No one sent you a thing for your birthday. No one cares." Then Uncle grabbed his arm - the same one Aunt had grabbed before - and took him to The Dark.

As Harry and Uncle passed through the living room, Harry saw a big fire burning brightly. No one makes fires in summer, he thought. He wondered why Aunt and Uncle had. He thought he saw something blue in the middle of the fire.

But he knew Aunt didn't like questions.

From that summer on, every year on Harry Potter's birthday, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley of number four, Privet Drive lit a bonfire in the fireplace - in "honor" of the special occasion.