Trouble
She was dead.
Like, knife to her neck level of certainty.
"Girl!" Aunt Petunia had just entered to nurse's office. She clutched a hand to her chest and glared. Behind her, (as he couldn't fit in the doorway too, even with Petunia's thin frame) Uncle Vernon scowled and his face was slowly turning red. Hariel would have winced but repressed the urge. For Hariel, showing emotions, especially in public was not allowed.
"Girl!" Aunt Petunia screeched again. "Look at me when I speak to you. What have you done this time?"
Uncle Vernon was continuing to redden, muttering under his breath about being called away from work. His chins wobbled as his anger grew. Hariel felt faintly revolted.
Meanwhile, Petunia continued to lecture her.
"And your hair! Girl, what have I told you about your lack of propriety and freakishness. I will not tolerate it! You fix your hair this instant." She continued in this manor for a few minutes while Hariel occasionally offered hesitant replies and tried to tame her riotous red curls. However, Hariel was confused. Whenever Dudley had blamed something on her before, they had been much angrier. Especially when her freakishness was involved.
She thought back to preschool when Dudley had spilled peas all over the floor and told the teacher it was her. At the time, she had been innocent and thought her lack of guilt meant she wouldn't be punished. She thought that not everybody was like Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. So, she had told the teacher that it wasn't her fault.
(However, when the Dursleys were enrolling their precious child and niece in preschool, they had mentioned her... problem. They told the principal all about how their lovely niece had fallen into the habit of lying and they had tried everything to get her to stop. They didn't know what to do. Petunia even teared up a bit towards the end. So they had easily convinced the school to help them straighten her out. Coincidentally, they never believed her when she told them about her cupboard or asked if it was normal to withhold food from a child. So she had simply... grown up thinking it was, if only for freaks like her.)
The teacher didn't believe her. So she had started crying, screaming really. And her freakishness had reacted. She hadn't meant to turn the lady's hair pea green, honestly.
Uncle Vernon had beaten her bloody for that. She didn't go to school for three days and Aunt Petunia had more than a few chores for her. Her ribs still hurt just thinking about it.
Suddenly, Petunia stopped talking. She turned to the nurse.
"What is this about, exactly?"
The nurse looked up from her computer.
"Your son, umm..." She glanced back at the screen. "Dudley, says that your niece pushed him over and uhh, used her... freakishness?" The nurse looked uncertain about the last word. "He had a few bruises and his wrist might be sprained but he's mostly fine."
She looked like she was about to continue, perhaps to claim clemency from Dudley's earlier words, but Petunia interrupted her. She let out a wail and demanded to see her baby. The nurse's eyes widened and she hurried to let Petunia into a separate room where Dudley was still sniffling. Upon seeing his mother, he broke out into more crocodile tears and blubbering. The nurse apparently decided she wanted to be nowhere near the incoming family drama and left. However, the most concerning reaction to the news was Uncle Vernon. While Petunia was wailing and embracing Dudley, Vernon's chins had started wobbling with more speed. His face was now fully red and he was opening and closing his fists at a rapid pace. He turned toward Hariel.
"Girl," He grit out. " You better have a good explanation for this." However, Hariel wasn't allowed to answer as Petunia cut in.
"It makes no difference!" She cried. "That girl, that... that... FREAK hurt my Dudley-kins! She used her freakishness, and in public, no less! I want her punished and I won't have any excuses." While she was facing Vernon, Dudley had stopped crying and shot a smug grin at Hariel. She felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
Her legs urged her to run but she still hadn't recovered from her attempt escape from Dudley earlier. She felt the beginnings of terror.
However, in a moment, Vernon calmed. He returned to his normal pallor and his chins' shaking slowed.
"Later, later. First, we must collect their things and be on our way." He smiled and Hariel panicked. The smile was a sickly thing, humorless and pallid. It was a thing she learned meant pain, usually extreme, in the near future. It horrified and terrified her to her core. Even Dudley looked a little paler.
The adults nodded and stood, Vernon left to the principal's office to excuse them and Petunia to their classrooms to collect their belongings. When they came back, they continued to the car, Petunia supporting Dudley the entire time (nevermind that he hadn't injured his feet or ankles in any way). Vernon continued to appear calm, to the point of even strolling instead of his normal walk-shuffle. Hariel didn't know what to do. She was scared and clueless. So she got in the car, and they drove home.
Vernon hummed.