Chapter - 8 : Defending Harry

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"Piers was there, he knows you did it too!"

"Yeah!" Piers wasn't willing to get within arm's reach of me, apparently. He stretched out his foot and kicked me in the knee. His shoe scraped painfully across my already-existing cuts. I swallowed a whimper. I wasn't going to give these idiots the satisfaction. "What'd you do, freak?"

"I. Did. Nothing," I spat back, glaring at the lot of them from behind my hair.

"You're lying!" Piers was getting braver, apparently. He stepped forwards and punched me across the cheek. He didn't hit nearly as hard as Dudley, but it was still enough to snap my head to the side. My teeth cut into my cheek and I felt blood fill my mouth. I scowled at him viciously. "Tell the truth!"

"That is the truth, you stupid weasel!" I growled out. Dennis yanked my arms painfully, digging the tips of his fingers in maliciously. There would be bruises there too. Lovely. By the time I got out of this not a bit of me would still be skin-colored.

And then, horror of horrors, Harry came venturing up the track, calling out curiously, "Rena? Are you back here?"

"Harry! Run!" I shouted desperately. I was fine, I'd take my beating and get on with my life as usual. As of right now, Dudley seemed content to take his frustrations out on only me, but if Harry was around, he'd get the same. I wanted to spare him that, if possible.

Harry rounded the trees and saw me sagging in Dennis's grasp, bleeding and bruised, with Dudley and his friends surrounding me.

"Run, you idiot!" I shrieked at him. Harry hesitated, looking like he desperately wanted to help me, even though we both knew he couldn't.

"Get him!" Dudley ordered.

Harry's reluctance to leave me to them cost him. He'd only taken a few uncertain steps away when Malcolm leaped on him, dragging his skinny, struggling self over to the rest of us.

"Was it you?" Dudley demanded, getting in his face. "Did you set that snake on us?"

Harry's eyes clearly betrayed how afraid he was, but he managed to set his jaw and say, "I didn't do anything, and neither did Lorena. Now let us go."

"Let us go?" Dudley laughed. His cronies were quick to cackle along with him. "Let us go, he says! We're not gonna let you go until you apologize for setting that snake on us!"

"Teach him a lesson!" Piers goaded. Dudley swaggered forwards and slugged Harry right in the nose. His glasses broke. Or rather, they popped free of the tape that held the two broken halves together and dangled limply from his ears. His nose spurted blood, dripping down into his mouth.

That reminded me of the blood filling my own mouth. I turned and spat it at Piers furiously. He recoiled and gave me a disgusted look.

"She spit at me!" he exclaimed indignantly. Like he didn't deserve that and worse. "Did you see that? She spit at me!"

Piers kicked me again, followed by a backhand to one cheek.

"Stop I-" Harry didn't even get his whole protest out before Dudley buried his fist into his stomach twice in rapid succession. Harry doubled over, wheezing for air.

"Let him go!" I shouted. Dudley whipped around to look at me. I straightened up as well as I was able to and glared at him thunderously. "Let him go, he didn't do it, I did!"

"Rena… no…" Harry panted, but he didn't have enough oxygen back to really protest.

"See?" Dudley said triumphantly, staring around at his gang. "I told you she did it! Now, you've gotta apologize."

I gritted my teeth at him and spat another globule of blood onto his shirt. "Like hell I will," I growled. "You deserved it."

The sight of Harry panting, nose bloody, glasses destroyed, fed my rage. That was why I'd spoken up, even though I had no idea what had happened to the glass. I certainly hadn't done anything, but if Dudley wanted to believe it was me, then fine, I'd let him if it would get him away from my brother.

I was starting to mildly regret my decision, however, when Gordon got in his first hit, slugging me. My head snapped to the side again. My neck was starting to get sore, but it was nothing compared to my face, my shoulders, and my knee.

"Heh, there's that ugly scar."

My stomach knotted when I realized the toss of my head had knocked away my hair, revealing the S-shaped scar on my cheek to Dudley's gang. I watched Dudley's eyes zero in on it, his piggy little face lighting up maliciously. He knew how much I hated that scar.

"Heh, no wonder she hates her face!" Piers sneered. "It's so messed up!"

He reached out a hand, poking the scar pointedly. I snarled at him as he started to trace it. I jerked my head to the side and bit down hard on his finger. Piers screamed loudly as I broke skin and felt his blood join my own in my mouth.

"Get her off! Get her off!" he howled.

Dennis let go of me, taking a step to the side. He was going for my hair, to wrench my head away from Piers's hand. But he'd made the mistake of not keeping a grip on me. I loosened my jaw and spat Piers's blood in Dennis's eyes. He yelled in protest, scrubbing his face furiously. Piers was howling, cradling his injured hand. Dudley took a step closer to me.

There was one good thing about spending so much time dodging his hits and things he tossed at me from across rooms, trying to hurt me. I was small, skinny, and I was fast. I twisted away from his reaching hands and tripped him like Piers had me. He went down with a curse. Malcolm let go of Harry to grab at me. I jerked away from him as well and grabbed Harry's hand.

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