Sitting at the breakfast table, Harry watched as Dudley shoved large portions of bacon and sausages into his wide mouth, making grunting sounds as he chewed.  If Harry hadn't lost his appetite from the stomach virus he was recovering from, than watching Dudley eat certainly would have done it.  He could feel the corners of his mouth stretching out, watching in horror as a bit of grease slipped out of the corner of Dudley's piggy mouth, and ran a thin trail down his wobbling chin.  Closing his eyes, Harry mentally willed his stomach to settle down as he turned his head away from Dudley, trying to breathe through his mouth so as not to have to smell the breakfast.

It was Halloween, and for the last few days, Harry had contracted a stomach virus that Dudley had brought home from school.  Despite the fact he was sick, though, the Dursleys had sent him to school, anyway, and yesterday he spent much of the day laying in the nurse's office when Aunt Petunia was too busy to come pick him up.  The last thing he wanted to do was to spend the class party in the bathroom, throwing up, or resting his head on his desk to keep himself from passing out.  Amanda had gotten so worried about Harry that she brought in a children's flu medication two days ago, and slipped it to him on the school yard.  Having even over the counter drugs in school got you in trouble, after all.

Promising himself some of the aforementioned syrup when he got out of the house, Harry carefully got to his feet, not wanting to upset his head and, in turn, his stomach.  Casually mentioning something about how Dudley's bag looked like it was getting old, Harry pushed in his chair.

"When are you going for that haircut?" barked Uncle Vernon, lowering his newspaper.  Now, this sounds familiar, thought Harry, rolling his eyes and slowly shaking his head.

"In two days, Uncle Vernon," he answered.

"Where are you going?"

"School."

"Comb your hair before you leave," said Uncle Vernon, and lifted the paper once again, blocking Harry from his sight.  Off to the side, he glanced at Dudley's bag, as if thinking over Harry's comment about it's state.  Dudley didn't notice, desperate to see how many pieces of toast he could get in his mouth at one time.

Waiting a moment to see if there was going to be anything else they would want to say to him, Harry stilled at the table.  With his composure and balance regained, Harry staggered from the kitchen to his cupboard, pulled open the door, and went searching for all his school books.  He brushed a spider off the cover of his grammar book, shoved it in his bag, and removed his arithmetic book to place it on his bed.  Today, with the Halloween party, there were no classes after lunch, and Harry wasn't going to need to do any problems about trains.

His walk to school was slow.  Taking the medication Amanda had given him right after leaving the house, Harry was starting to feel better, and it was making the journey easier.  Despite this, Harry didn't want to push anything, and he was moving at a pace that, if seen by Kevin or one of his friends, probably would have provoked a laugh or two.  At least he felt better today than he had yesterday or the day before; not once did he have to sit down to rest his head before continuing.

Mrs. Figg hadn't been outside when he passed her house, something Harry was happy to see.  She had already interfered a few too many times this year for the Dursleys liking, except for when they volunteered his assistance to her.  There was nothing the Dursleys liked more than making him work; they seemed to think it gave him much needed discipline.

"Hi, Harry," said Nikki, as Harry walked into the gates of the school.  She was standing off to the side of the front doors with Amanda, both of them with their knapsacks on their back, shopping bags in their hands.  "Are you dressing up for the class Halloween party?"

"No," he answered, kicking at the pebbles, which were littered across the gravel at the school entrance.  "Since I wasn't dressing up at all this year, I didn't see a reason to get a costume."

"You could pretend to be Dudley," offered Amanda.  "All you would have to do is find a few pillow and shove them in your clothes."

"Though I don't know why you would want to dress as that loser."

"I don't think so," said Harry.  "Dressing as Dudley isn't appealing to me, either."

"How are you feeling?" asked Amanda, cocking her head to the side and taking on a look of concern.  Harry, though he had never been mothered by anyone, was starting to feel just that way.  "Did you take the contraband I gave you?"

"Yeah, I took it.  I feel a lot better today."

"You worried me when you had to go to the nurse yesterday.  Then you didn't even come back.  Did your aunt and uncle come for you?"

"Not exactly," muttered Harry, shifting his weight.

"Hm," said Amanda, tapping her chin with her forefinger.

"Well, we'll see you in class then," said Nikki, waving goodbye as Harry gave them a wan smile and pushed open the doors to the school building.

His footsteps were indistinguishable among the shuffles of school shoes and the squeaks of rubber soles against the school floor.  From the intoxication of the children's syrup, he could feel the pounding in his head slowly ebb away, and he was in a haze as he entered Miss Hudson's classroom in the fifth year hallway.

"Good morning, Harry," she chirped, over the chatter of the students who were already in the classroom.  "Happy Halloween."

"Happy Halloween," replied Harry, returning Miss Hudson's smile despite the angry protests of his head.  Making his way to the back of the classroom, Harry winced as his chair scraped against the floor, and Harry pulled it out far enough to drop his bag to the ground and slide into his seat.

*****

"What are you wearing?" asked Dudley, staring in horror at Piers.

It was Dennis's idea for them each to come dressed as a super hero, and Dudley, who seemed to think it was going to impress Staci, agreed.  They were each dressed as a various super hero, none of which was really amusing with the exception of Piers.  Harry snickered behind his hand, surprised that Piers had actually gone for the bait when Harry casually mentioned how cool Dudley thought Mighty Mouse was.  There wasn't anything Piers was finding amusing about standing with his friends dressed in a mouse costume, but Harry figured that any beating was worth the look on Piers's face.

"I . . ." stammered Piers, "but he said . . . I'm Mighty Mouse!"

The look on Dudley's horrified face, the large rounded contours twisting terribly, was priceless.

"You're a rodent!" said Malcolm, turning red, and trying not to look directly at Piers.

Nikki and Amanda burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter when they entered the classroom, clinging to each other as they walked past Dudley's gang to the back of the room, and had Miss Hudson not been present, Harry got the distinct impression that Dudley would have sent Gordon after them.

"Great costume, Polkiss," said Nikki, regaining little composure, which was lost once Piers scowled in her direction.  Once again, she clung to Amanda's bright red jumper, trying not to fall over.

"I've never - seen anything - so funny!" Amanda choked out, tears swelling in her eyes and spilling over her lids, clinging to her lashes and clumping them together before making thick treks over her rounded cheeks, which were bright pink.  Throwing her head back to expose her neck and toss her hair back in the process, Amanda emitted another round of howls.

"Why are you Mighty Mouse?" asked Dennis, the only one of the gang who did not look sick from either terror or embarrassment.

"Because . . . I needed a super hero . . . Harry said -"

That was all it had taken.  Dudley's gang all turned their eyes to rest on Harry, Dudley sending him such a glare that Harry visibly swallowed, twisting his fingers in the fabric of the too big shirt hanging from his thin shoulders like a curtain for his sickly frame.  Offering a weak smile, Harry gave off a low, nervous laugh that made Nikki and Amanda collapse onto Nikki's desk, hysterical.

"I didn't tell him to dress up as Mighty Mouse.   I just suggested it.  I wasn't serious."

"You," said Dudley, turning bright red and pointing a finger at him.

"Boys," interrupted Miss Hudson, gently pushing Dudley's arm back to his side.  "There will be no fighting in class.  I'm sure it was nothing but a misunderstanding.  Why don't you go get snacks?"

At the mention of food, Dudley seemed to temporarily forget that he hated Harry for sending his best friend to school as Mighty Mouse, and with one last look of contempt, Dudley waddled over to the snack table.  Malcolm, Dennis, Piers, and Gordon gave him evil glares, Piers's suggesting serious bodily harm, and they followed after Dudley's lead.  Miss Hudson frowned, looking over at Amanda and Nikki, both of whom were stretched out across the desks and randomly giggling.

"I would expect a little more maturity out of you two," said Miss Hudson.  "Sit up, and leave Piers alone for the rest of the day.  If I catch you bothering him again, I'm going to have to give you both a pink slip."

"Yes, Miss Hudson," the two girls said, biting their lips in a manner which Harry presumed was to keep from laughing.

"That was great, Harry," said Nikki.  "Mighty Mouse.  What a loser."

"I can't believe he actually did it," said Harry.  "I really didn't tell him.  I just casually mentioned that Dudley liked Mighty Mouse."

"He wants to be a super hero?" said Amanda, giggling.  "More like a super loser."

"Oh dear gods, what is Staci wearing?" said Nikki, gagging, and Harry turned around to see Staci and her gang come into the room.

As leader of the gang, Staci was wearing a bright pink silky gown that flowed down to her ankles, and she strutted in front of her friends, tossing her hair.  Dudley, who was shoving his face full of sweets at the snack table, was watching her with big eyes, licking his big, swollen lips.  Behind Staci were Sara, Kristy, Mindy, and Jennifer, all of whom were wearing equally girly outfits.  Mindy appeared to be some kind of harem, while Jennifer was wearing a lavender gown and carrying a wand with a sparkling star on the end.  Sara didn't look much different from the way she usually arrived at school, wearing blue and yellow socks, green jeans, and a maroon blouse that was frayed at the edges.  Kristy was wearing an extremely short dress, her hair all piled on her head in what looked like a complicated twist, which Staci was examining and fixing at the moment.

"What are you supposed to be, Jason?" asked Mindy, noticing Harry standing not that far away.

"My name's Harry," he replied.

"Don't listen to him," whispered Staci, pulling Kristy's bangs to rearrange them.  "He's retarded so he thinks his name is Harry.  Just keep calling him Jason and don't acknowledge the correction.  We don't want to encourage him."

"That would be bad," agreed Sara.

"So, Jason, what are you supposed to be?" asked Jennifer.

"I'm not dressing up."

"Why not?" asked Staci, nodding as she was satisfied with Kristy's hair.

"I didn't want to," he muttered, hoping she wouldn't press further.  The last thing he wanted the class to hear was that Uncle Vernon wouldn't allow him to trick-or-treat.

"I'm a Greek Goddess," Staci told him, smoothing down the front of her gown, which shone in the light.  "Aphrodite, to be exact.  It was my big sister's idea.  Of course, a goddess of beauty isn't that far of a stretch, but really, it does make for a lovely costume."

"It's beautiful," affirmed Sara.

"What are you supposed to be?" said Nikki, looking pointedly at Sara.

"I'm a rag doll," Sara replied.

"Isn't she cute," said Staci, clasping her hands before her chest and cocking her head to the side, bursting into a grin.

"Adorable."

"What are you?" asked Staci, challenging Nikki.

"I'm an evil cheerleader," said Nikki, motioning to her pleated skirt, her black jumper, and the pigtails she had pulled her dark brown hair into.  "Amanda is the color red."

Amanda nodded the affirmation, motioning to her very red attire.

"Except, I find a fault in your costume, Nikki," said Amanda, frowning.  "Aren't all cheerleaders evil?"

Nikki frowned, curling her bottom lip under her teeth and nipping slightly at the soft pink flesh she found there.  "You know, you're right.   I didn't think that far ahead."

"I'm a cheerleader," said Staci.

"Cheerleaders are the best," said Sara.

"Right," said Amanda.  "I know you're a cheerleader.  What are the rest of you supposed to be?  Her Royal Cheeriness's slaves.  Where are you grapes and oversize leaf fan?"

"I am a Barbie doll," said Kristy, swinging her hips to the side, and putting all of her weight on her left leg.

"And I'm a fairy princess," said Jennifer, brandishing her 'magic wand' at them.  "Mindy is a genie.  She could grant you three wishes, but she doesn't want to."

"Except maybe for Jason," said Staci.  "How are you?  Are you doing anything about being retarded?  Maybe you can take a class or something and then you won't be retarded anymore."

"If he's retarded, though, why isn't he in the retarded class?" asked Mindy.

"Because he doesn't know he's retarded," explained Staci.  "And it upsets him to be away from that fat boy that always follows me."

"Why?" asked Kristy, grimacing.  "I would want to get away from that fat boy.  He's really gross."

"I know," said Jennifer.  "He comes to our house and stands outside, waiting for Staci.  Once he came to the door and asked our mum for her.  It was really gross."

"And mum gave him cookies, like he needs to have more food," said Staci, casting a disgusted and withering look to Dudley.  "What's his name again?  Duncan?"

"Dudley," said Harry, though he didn't really know why.  Staci, turning from her gaze, looking at him, frowning.

"Are you still here, Jason?  Well - go.  Go away.  Shoo, little boy."

She waved her hand at him, tossed her hair, and went back to talking to the girls about how Duncan asked her to be his girlfriend.  While the girls laughed, Harry turned away and walked back to his desk, carefully holding his head in his hands.  It was throbbing, and he looked around for Amanda and Nikki, discovering they were at the front discussing something in harsh tones with Dudley.

"Happy Halloween, Harry," said a soft voice, and he looked up to see Miss Hudson standing by his desk.  He gave her a weak smile.  "Something wrong?  Do you not feel well?"

"I have a headache," he said, as she sat down in Robbie's vacant chair, facing him.

"You were sick yesterday, too.  Were you feeling well this morning?"

"Not entirely," he admitted.

"Did you tell your aunt and uncle?  You shouldn't be coming if you don't feel well."

"I was fine.  My head just got worse a little while ago."

Her lips pulled into a tight frown, a look that Harry often saw on Miss Hudson's face when talking to him about his living conditions with his aunt and uncle.  She wasn't the first one who disapproved of how he was treated, though she was the fastest to catch on.  It usually surprised him how long his other teachers had taken.  With his oversized clothes, his dirty hair, and the fact he sometimes wasn't allowed to eat because of doing something they thought was wrong (or couldn't bathe because he used his 'share' of water doing chores) - one would think that people would pick up sooner.

"I have something for you," said Miss Hudson, a secretive smile on her face.  Slipping her hand into her pocket, she pulled out a small bag and handed it to him.  "Don't tell your cousin.  Keep it just between us, okay?"

"Okay," said Harry, fingering the plastic edges while Miss Hudson winked at him and went to break up a fight that had started between Dudley and Nikki.

*****

Sitting in his cupboard, waiting for Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to come get him to hand out the trick-or-treating sweets, Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out the small, plastic bag that Miss Hudson had earlier given him.  It was one of those cheap ones that came in packs of eight or ten, mostly black with a big orange jack-o-lantern on it, which had a bubble coming out of it's mouth reading, 'Happy Halloween.'  Taking the end of the bag in his left hand, Harry turned it upside down to let the contents spill out into his right palm.  It was a small assortment of sweets, each one loaded with sugar, and certainly nothing the Dursleys would ever permit him to have, because things like that were reserved for Dudley alone.

In reality, it wasn't very much.  Just about thirteen pieces that would last him a few days, a few hours if he was wasteful with it, but Harry still smiled, staring down at it.  He had never gotten sweets on Halloween before, and the fact that Miss Hudson had gone out of her way, if only in the slightest, to make up this sweet bag for Harry really said something.    Grinning, he dumped the pieces back in the bag, folded down the top, and stuffed it in one of his old sneakers, which was falling apart at the sole.  He didn't need Uncle Vernon catching him with that and asking where it had come from.

Practically impossible not to see, Miss Hudson had developed a particular liking for Harry that surpassed any other teacher he had ever had.  Perhaps it was because she was still young, hadn't had many classes before Harry's, but her sincere attachment to him was not one Harry was going to complain about.  Pity had been received before, especially from the teachers who thought Dudley was a rude and bullying boy, but there had never been such an affectionate gesture in Harry's life before.  It even made up for the fact that Miss Hudson was trying to compensate for the fact Harry had no friends.

There was a rasping sound, and Harry's head snapped up from his hands to see Aunt Petunia's silhouette in the cupboard doorway.

"You can come out now.  Duddy and his friends are about to leave."

As usual, Dudley and his gang went out together every year, and Aunt Petunia was always the one who took them.  Uncle Vernon usually stayed back to make sure Harry caused no trouble with the sweets, and last year, had instilled a video camera by the door so that he could keep an eye on Harry from upstairs.  Walking into the living room, Harry could see that Piers had put together a makeshift super hero costume that had nothing to do with Mighty Mouse, and he tried not to smile when Aunt Petunia took the boys' picture.

"The dish is by the door," she said, curtly, and Harry tried not to look smug when Piers passed him, glaring, mouthing threats that Harry could not understand.

Once they had gone, Harry retrieved a stool from the kitchen and tried to make himself comfortable by the door.  It was Uncle Vernon's policy that he not wander away from the perimeter of the camera's eye, and so he was banned from the living room, the steps, or anywhere else where he would have been able to sit for a few hours and not have the circulation in him bum go out on him.

Getting up and down from the stool when the doorbell rang was annoying business, and Harry jumped down when it sounded halfway through the time he was appointed to sit there.  It was Staci Bree and her friends, all in the same outfits they had been wearing at the class party that day.  Standing a little away from them were four woman whom Harry presumed to be their mothers.

"Jason!" cried Staci.  "I saw that fat boy that lives with you!  He told me I looked pretty, as if I didn't know already."

"We all know how pretty you look, Staci," said Sara.

"Why did he go out and you didn't?" asked Jennifer.

"Because I didn't want to," said Harry, shortly.

"Don't I look pretty?" asked Staci.

"Lovely," replied Harry.  "Do you want your sweets or not?"

"Of course," said Kristy, rolling her eyes.  "Why else would we do this?  Besides getting the pretty costumes, that is."

"Do you have any fruity ones?" asked Staci, looking in the bowl.  "Chocolate is just terrible for my complexion."

"Chocolate makes you break out," Mindy informed him.  Sara nodded.

After sorting out who got what, Staci prompted a compliment to her extremely good looks, and then the girls left.  Their mothers beamed at them, as if proud they were devoid of anything remotely resembling a brain, and Harry just sighed as he watched Staci disappear down the block.  At least Kevin doesn't trick-or-treat in this neighborhood, Harry thought with a sigh.  Though, he might rather deal with Kevin than be called Jason one more time today.  It didn't help that he was starting to respond to the name.

With the doorbell sounding again, Harry scrambled down from his stool, grabbed the bowl, and opened the door.  Standing outside were Nikki and Amanda, Mrs. Graves standing off in the background with who Harry presumed was Mrs. Derris.  Nikki was wearing stylish jeans, a tight pink top, and her hair was cascading down around her shoulders, making her look older than it really should when it was paired with the make up plastering her face.  Amanda, however, was wearing a red dress that went mid-thigh, big black boots, and carried a plastic pitchfork that was both red and black.  Her hair was braided, and she wore heavy, black make up.

"Hi, Jason!" said Nikki, tossing her hair.  "I didn't know you were handing out the sweets!"

"Er - yeah," said Harry, casting a nervous glance to the security camera.  "What are you supposed to be?"

"Can't you tell?" said Nikki, pouting.  "I'm, like, Staci, and I'm, like, god."  She tossed her hair again, only this time in an exaggerated way, making it swing ridiculously behind her.  "Aren't I the most, like, gorgeous thing you've ever seen?  Of course I am.  I'm god!"

"You do it very well," replied Harry, nodding.

"Of course I do.  I'm Staci!"

"What are you?" he asked, looking to Amanda.

"Satan's wife," she answered, her voice low and dull.  "You can call me Bloody Mandy.  I hope you don't mind if we don't stay long.  I have tea with Lucifer and I can't be late."

Visibly swallowing, Harry nodded.  "Very nice."

"Of course she is!" said Nikki, tossing her hair from side to side.  "She's, like, my friend, and I'm Staci!"

"Is your cousin here?" asked Amanda, and Harry cast a glance to the camera again.

"No.  He's out trick-or-treating."

"Piggy boy.  Why does he always follow me, Jason?" asked Nikki, giggling.  "No, seriously, Harry, if I were you, I'd get out of here.  It's a shame you have to live with him.  You should run away, or break your parents out of jail.  I heard they were in prison and that's why you don't live with them."

"Why don't you live with your parents?" asked Amanda.  "I know the prison thing can't be true."

"Er - my parents are dead," muttered Harry, looking down at the bowl.  "Do you want your sweets or not?  I can't really stand here all night."

"Oh," said Amanda, biting her lip.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't know.  If I had, I wouldn't have asked."

"Of course you wouldn't have asked if you had known," said Nikki.  "Why would you ask if you did know?  Why do people say things like that?  It's stupid."

"Sorry," muttered Amanda.  "So - erm - how are you and Narnia coming along?"

"I'm almost done with the third one."

"I can bring Prince Caspian in to school with me tomorrow, then."

"Okay," said Harry, nodding.  "You want?"  He offered the bowl out.

"Oh, yeah," said Amanda, grabbing a piece and dropping in her bag, as did Nikki.  "Thanks, Harry.  See you in school tomorrow."

"Okay.  Thanks again for, you know, the medicine."

"Oh.  You're welcome," she answered, he face brightening.  "G'night, Harry."

"Night."

Amanda and Nikki turned from the door, huddled together as they walked toward the sidewalk.

"He's cute, isn't he?" he could hear Amanda asking Nikki.

"Yeah, I guess," she answered.  "In that gross, dirty, derelict sort of way.  You aren't serious, are you?  Harry Potter?"

"Well . . . what does derelict mean?"

"Amanda, don't you know anything?"

The girls voices faded and Harry stepped back inside, closing the door behind him.  Amanda thought he was cute.  There was something he hadn't heard before.  Glancing once again at the video camera, Harry settled the bowl in his lap as he returned to his position on the stool.