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Harry could hear the Dursleys laughing in the living room. It was Christmas. According to the movies he had watched through the grate in the cupboard, Christmas was a time when family came together, when there was lots of food, when everyone was nice to each other.
But Harry supposed, none of that really applied ot him. His parents were dead, and the Durselys had made it clear that htey didn’t see him as family. That’s why he was here in his cupboard. Aunt Petunia had tossed him in after he had made them breakfast, and she only let him out twice to use the bathroom.
His stomach growled, and he died his best to ignore the ache. It wouldn’t be the first time he had gone without eating.
He peaked through the grate in the cupboard door again. Dudley was opening a present. There was already a pile of torn wrapping paper on the floor that Harry knew he would have to clean up tomorrow. There was a movie playing on the telly, it was one of Dudley’s favorite films about a boy who’d been left at home for Christmas.
Harry wished he was like that boy. Nobody seemed to really like him at first, just like no one loved Harry. Harry wasn’t really sure if he wanted to face robbers though. What he really wanted was what the boy got at the end. His family came home, and they all said how much they loved him. That’s what Harry wanted.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever get it though. Who could possibly love a freak?
He turned away from the door and curled up on the tiny mattress he had. He stared up the ceiling of his little room. There was a spider there in the corner. He liked to imagine it was Charlotte from the book, Charlotte’s Web, the teacher had read to them last year.
He liked to imagine she talked to him, like Charolotte talked to WIlbur.
“Merry Christmas, Charlotte.” he whispered.
“Merry Christmas, Harry.” she whispered back inside his head.
He smiled up at her. She was so still, standing in the center of her web, patiently waiting for bugs to come close. Harry wished he could go outside to trap him bugs for her. But they would probably be really hard to find with all the snow. And it was so cold outside. He shivered just thinking about it.
Yesterday Dudley had locked him outside after school and he hadn’t been able to go back in until the Dursleys were going to go to bed. Uncle Vernon had opened the porch door and dragged him in, before tossing him in the cupboard complaining about what a nuisance Harry was.
When he had been outside Harry had seen Christmas trees in everyone’s windows. Sometimes he could see the families inside, laughing and hugging each other.
He wanted that.
He turned over on his side and traced patterns on the dust that had accumulated on the wall. Sneezing at the dust that lifted into the air.
“Quiet, boy!” Vernon shouted from the other room, and Harry pressed a hand over his nose to suppress anymore sneezes. He waited for a moment, but no footsteps came closer.
He relaxed, turning onto his back to keep watching Charlotte.
At least he wasn’t completely alone for Christmas.