Chapter 4
Crystal spent the next few years in a routine. Each morning, she would get up, make breakfast, and sneak a few bites when she wasn’t being watched. Then she’d get ready and walk to school while Dudley was driven by Aunt Petunia. After school, she and Dudley would sit down and do their homework, with Crystal helping him with anything he didn’t understand.
Once homework was done, she would tackle her chores. She weeded the garden whenever the weather permitted, washed her hands, then dusted and vacuumed the house. Once a week, she painted the shed and fence, and three times a week, she cleaned the cars. Uncle Vernon’s recent purchase of a second car meant even more work for her.
After completing her chores, she would make dinner before being locked into her cupboard for the night. At least, that’s what the adult Dursleys thought.
She would wait in silence until she heard her uncle’s snoring before using her powers to sneak out of her cupboard and steal a decent meal. Then she’d patrol the area, stopping any crime she encountered.
After a night of crime-fighting, she would sneak back into her cupboard to sleep. Thanks to being a half-ghost, she didn’t need as much sleep as a normal human, though she still required some rest.
Weekends were a bit different. She would wake up, make breakfast, and then start her chores. Once her chores were completed, she was allowed to leave the house and roam the area, which gave her time to train her powers.
During this time, she also kept in touch with her three friends. Danny had finally told his parents about being a half-ghost not long ago, and they accepted him, despite performing a few blood tests to ensure nothing was wrong. They were shocked that Danny had hidden this for five years and only revealed it when he was nineteen.
Danny had also found a way to help Crystal train. After meeting Frostbite of the Far Frozen and discovering a map, he realized he could use it to travel to England to train her. He visited as often as he could, roughly once every few months, balancing his time between ghost attacks, school, and homework while avoiding Vlad’s suspicion.
It had been several years since she became a half-ghost, and in a little over a month, she would turn eleven. Today was Dudley’s birthday, and she wanted to make it special for her older cousin. He had become a good person over the last five years, showing protection and kindness despite knowing she could take care of herself. He snuck her extra food and ensured she wasn’t bullied by other kids.
Since she couldn’t get him a gift, she made sure his birthday breakfast and dinner were perfect. The family was going to the zoo today because Dudley had broken Mrs. Figg’s leg, so Crystal could join them instead of being babysat by her.
Crystal had told Dudley not to hurt people for her sake, but she hugged him nonetheless. She smiled as she set his plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of him. “Happy birthday, Dudley.”
“Thanks, Crystal.”
She sat down on the uncomfortable wooden chair that the Dursleys made her use. It was nothing like their cushioned chairs, but she didn’t mind, even if it gave her splinters sometimes. At least they let her sit in a chair instead of standing.
Petunia gave her a slice of toast and one strip of bacon for breakfast before returning to her own meal. Crystal ate slowly, waiting for everyone to finish breakfast so Dudley could open his presents.
After ten minutes, Dudley began opening his gifts, which included a blue and black racing bike, a video camera, and a remote-controlled yellow airplane. Crystal was puzzled by the video camera, as Dudley had never shown interest in recording things. They also got him sixteen new computer games and a new VCR with a few movies. He was in the middle of unwrapping a gold wristwatch when Petunia returned.
“Bad news, Vernon,” she said. “Mrs. Figg’s broken her leg. She can’t take her.” She gestured toward Crystal.
“What now?” Vernon asked, glaring at Crystal as if she had orchestrated this. Crystal knew she had no proof otherwise, and she hadn’t even known about Dudley’s plan until it was executed.
“We could call Marge,” Uncle Vernon suggested.
“Don’t be silly, Vernon, she hates the girl.”
Once again, Crystal was the subject of their conversation, treated as if she were invisible or a nuisance. She hated it but found it useful for understanding their expectations.
“What about Yvonne?” Petunia asked.
“Don’t be silly, Vernon. She’s on holiday right now.” Petunia sighed. “We have two options: take the girl with us and leave her in the car, or leave her here.”
“That car’s new; I’m not having her sit in it,” Vernon barked.
“Then we leave her here?” Petunia asked with a raised eyebrow.
“And come back to find the house blown up? Not a chance.” Vernon shook his head, conflicted about how to salvage Dudley’s birthday without involving Crystal.
Dudley interjected, “Mom, Dad, we could take her to the zoo with us?”
“Dudley, are you sure? You’ve been looking forward to this day for ages,” Petunia said, worried that Dudley would be upset about Crystal joining them.
“I’m sure, Mom, it’ll be fine!”
“Well, all right then.” Petunia agreed.
Half an hour later, Crystal and Dudley were sitting in the back of the car on their way to the zoo. Crystal couldn’t believe her luck and spent the ride staring out the window, trying not to show her excitement.
She ignored Vernon’s complaints about the people at work, Crystal, the council, Crystal, the bank, and Crystal were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles, which reminded her of a dream she had the previous night. In the dream, she was on a motorcycle soaring high above London. There was a man with black wavy hair and gray eyes, someone she felt she knew from long ago. His name was Sirius.
Soon enough, they arrived at the zoo. Vernon grumbled to Petunia about having to pay for Crystal’s admission, but she reminded him that it was Dudley’s birthday and that he better not ruin it for their son.
At the entrance, Vernon bought Dudley a large chocolate ice cream with fudge and sprinkles. The smiling lady at the van asked Crystal what she wanted before they could hurry her away, so they bought her a cheap lemon ice pop. Crystal didn’t mind; she found it quite tasty.
They spent some time watching the gorillas, and Crystal thought that Vernon would fit right in with them. He already looked and acted like a gorilla, after all.
Later, they went to the zoo's restaurant, decorated with cheesy giraffes, zebras, and penguins. It had circular tables surrounded by four or six chairs each.
Dudley threw a fake tantrum, claiming his knickerbocker glory didn’t have enough ice cream on top. This prompted Uncle Vernon to buy him a new one, and Dudley slyly shoved the first one toward Crystal with a wink and a small smirk, which she returned.
After lunch, the small family and Crystal visited the reptile house. It was cool and dark inside, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, various lizards and snakes crawled and slithered over bits of wood and stone. Crystal was excited; she loved snakes but had never seen one in person before.
She and Dudley were admiring a Boa Constrictor, which was so large it could easily wrap around Uncle Vernon’s new car at least twice. The snake appeared to be fast asleep, so no car crushing today.
Crystal had to remind Dudley not to put his face against the glass and not to tap on it.
While Vernon and Petunia were talking to an employee a short distance away, the snake opened its beady black eyes and raised its head, looking directly at Crystal. Then, it winked.
Crystal’s eyes widened. She knew for a fact that snakes didn’t have eyelids. She turned to Dudley. “Did you see that?” she hissed quickly.
“Yeah, I saw the snake look at you. God, that’s so cool!” Dudley replied.
“No, I mean, did you see what it did? It winked. Snakes can’t wink, but this one did.” Crystal turned back to the snake, which now looked amused, though that didn’t make sense either. Snakes didn’t have the facial muscles needed to make an amused expression.
“Crystal, it didn’t wink. Are you okay?” Dudley asked, growing concerned for his little cousin. He knew how messed up being half-ghost was. He had thought it was cool when he was younger, but now he realized it meant Crystal was half-dead, half-alive, and stuck in between. He wondered if she could ever fully die or if she was stuck like this forever. Questions like these often kept him up at night, filling him with worry for her.
“I’m fine, Dudley. I know what I saw,” Crystal whispered.
“I know, Cris. How about we move on?” he said softly, wishing he could do more for her.
“Yeah, let’s—” Just then, the snake moved its head left and right. “Did that snake just shake its head?”
Dudley stared at the snake with Crystal. “Okay, I saw that this time.”
“Um, hello, snakey?” Crystal said, still confused. Was this a new power, the ability to talk to snakes? The snake waved its tail in response, giving the impression that it was saying hello.
“I’m Crystal, and this is my cousin Dudley. We’re from Privet Drive. Where are you from?” The snake pointed with its tail to the sign that read, Boa Constrictor, Brazil.
“Oh, was it nice there?” Crystal asked. The snake shook its head and pointed at the sign again, prompting her to read the small words at the bottom: ‘This specimen was bred in the zoo.’
“Oh, I see—so you’ve never been to Brazil?”
The snake shook its head once more before lying down, clearly ready to return to sleep. Crystal and Dudley exchanged wide-eyed looks before walking over to his parents when they called for him. They didn’t call for Crystal, but she knew she was expected to follow.
The ride home was silent. Uncle Vernon refused to turn on the radio but didn’t complain, so Crystal wasn't complaining. When they got home, they sent Crystal to the bathroom to clean up and then locked her in her cupboard for the night.
She lay on her lumpy mattress, staring at the dusty ceiling with wide eyes. Could she actually speak to snakes? She spent the entire time until she dozed off thinking about it and vowed to find another snake to test her new ability with later. She didn’t patrol that night; she was too tired.
She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, once again dreaming of a man named Sirius taking her on a motorcycle that flew high above London.