The Haunting of Hogwarts

The boy was wrong.

That's all Petunia Dursley could think when she met his gaze, her watery blue eyes clashing with his unnatural neon green.

He was nothing like Lily.

A cold, insidious claw of unease gripped her throat since he'd arrived. She couldn't stand him—his presence seemed to seep into the corners of her home, making the air feel heavier, almost oppressive.

Plants withered, insects avoided their home, animals at the zoo skittered away, and even the birds seemed to shun their roof. 

It was him.

His pale face, ink-black hair, and startling green eyes unsettled her deeply. There was something disturbingly void of compassion in his gaze.

She knew it.

His face turned away, returning to the flickering TV.

---

Petunia woke with a start, her body slick with sweat, heart pounding harshly. Vernon's deep, resonant snores filled the room, his body radiating heat.

She sighed shakily, convincing herself it was just a nightmare.

Careful not to wake her husband, she lifted the blanket, slipped into a thin nightgown, and crept towards the door. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.

The cold air of the hallway hit her as she opened the door, providing a small measure of relief. She moved quietly across the carpet, glancing at Dudley's door before her attention was drawn to the boy's room.

The door was ajar, its shadow swallowing the light from the dim lamp she left in the hallway.

Swallowing hard, Petunia hoped the boy might be in there. But as she approached the stairs, she couldn't tear her eyes away from the open door, the dread mounting with each step.

Slowly she descended, her feet careful as she descended towards the dark, empty kitchen. 

Her feet pressed against the cold kitchen tiled floor, a wince building on her face as she padded across the room on the tips of her feet.

Gently she grabbed a glass, turning on the tap with a twist. Her glass filling quickly, she raised the cup to her face as started to drink.

Despite her parched throat, the water felt gritty, almost as if it carried the taste of burnt ash. She forced herself to drink.

Once she was done, she poured whatever water remained into the sink and slowly, carefully placed the glass into the basin and turned. 

Her feet paused, her eyes focused on the dark living room beyond the small kitchen. She squinted, trying to make sense of the shadows.

The familiar shadow of the sofa cast eerie shapes across the room, and a prickling dread crept up her neck.

She took a tentative step closer, the staircase now just a few metres away. Her eyes remained narrowed as she scanned the room, the suffocating silence pressing down on her like a heavy weight.

Then, from the corner of her eye, she noticed a subtle shift in the darkness. Her breath caught as she focused on the movement. A faint outline, almost imperceptible against the backdrop of shadows, stood out starkly.

With shaky steps, she moved closer, her eyes widening in horror as her skin prickled with cold sweat. The figure was barely visible, partially concealed behind a tall vase. The vase itself seemed innocuous, but the horror it partially concealed was anything but.

As she edged nearer, the shadow resolved into something more grotesque: half of a pale face emerged from behind the vase. The eye was wide, unnaturally so, with an intensity that she'd never seen before as it focused onto her.

A moment of disbelieving silence passed, her hands shaking in shock and fear, her breath uneven and shaky.

She bolted, her feet slipping on the icy kitchen tiles as she scrambled toward the stairs. Panting, she climbed the steps on all fours, her fear driving her onward

Then a crack ran through the house like a gunshot, Vernon waking with a shout, Dudley with a scream. She raced upwards, her body finally reaching the top of the stairs, only to freeze.

Dread clawing at her insides, ice cold fear filling her stomach.

The boy's previously ajar door was now closing, slowly as the same blown predatory eye peeked out at her. 

Vernon bursting out of their bedroom like a bear, his beady eyes locked onto her wide eyed frozen form. Quickly he ran over to her, his arms wrapping around her. 

His eyes ran down the stairs below, checking if anyone was in the house. He looked down to his wife's frozen form, her eyes locked onto the boys closed door.