The Houses Competition

Slytherin

Charms

Prompt: [animal] Rabbit

Drabble

Word Count : 998

(Title from the song Memories by Maroon 5)

*.*.*

memories bring back you

*.*.*

"Close your eyes, darling."

Seven-year-old Lily smiles at her father before she did as she was told, her ears buzzing with excitement. Her elder sister, Petunia, stands behind her, grinning at her at her obvious eagerness. Their father appears in the room again, holding a medium sized box in his arms. He kneels in front of his younger daughter.

"You can open them now," he says softly. Lily's eyes shoot open and she looks down at the box her father was holding.

The moment she reaches out to touch it, the box gives a violent tremble and falls to her floor. Lily gasps, backing away from the object.

"What's in there?" she asks.

"Don't worry, Lils, it won't kill you," Petunia chuckles. Lily looks up into her sister's face, one eyebrow raised.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Open the box," Petunia says. Lily turns to her father, who smiles at her. Still not totally convinced, Lily picks the box up and removes the lid. She lets out another gasp, but this one is of delight. Inside the box is a tiny baby rabbit, with snowy white fur and bright, beady blue eyes.

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart," says her father, and Lily throws herself into his arms.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" she cries, holding on to him. "I've always wanted a rabbit. Oh, this is the best birthday ever!"

"What do you want to name him, Lily?" Petunia asks. She is holding the rabbit in her arms and stroking his fur with her index finger.

Lily taps her chin thoughtfully.

"Ooh, what about Benjamin?"

Petunia giggles. Of course, only her little book-obsessed sister would name a real rabbit after a fictional one.

"Benjamin it is, then."

*.*.*

"Lily."

The girl in question is absorbed in scribbling something in her diary. At her sister's voice, she looks up.

"Hi, Tuney!" she says too cheerily for Petunia's liking. She is wringing her hands together and chewing on her bottom lip. Nine-year-old Lily notices this strangeness in her sister's behaviour.

"What is it, Tuney?" she asks tentatively, putting her pen down.

"It's - um - it's about Ben," Tuney whispers in a shaky voice that makes Lily feel that something gravely, gravely wrong must have happened.

"What about Ben?" she asks, pushing herself away from the table and standing up.

"Oh, Lily," Petunia whispers desperately. "I'm so sorry, but - Ben's passed away. I'm so sorry. Dad just found him - "

But Lily is there anymore. She has already bounded out of the room, past Petunia and into the little garden the Evans have maintained in front of their house. Petunia runs after her.

Their father is hunched over the clump of begonia bushes, trimming the branches and leaves into a neat little dome.

"Dad! Where's Benjamin?"

Mr Evans straightens up and looks towards his right, and Lily runs across the garden to wherever her father's eyes had just strayed to, Petunia hot on her heels.

Lily gasps. There, laid in a small clearing amid the wildflowers is Benjamin, her precious little rabbit. His eyes are shut, and Lily whimpers when she sees the gashes across his stomach, and below one eye.

"Oh, darling," Mr Evans sighs, "I'm sorry, but Ben - he's d-dead. Killed by a stray dog. I think he was there in the garden, the gates were open, and one of those large angry dogs dragged him away - "

"He's not dead," she protests vehemently. "He's just - fainted or something. Look, these wounds aren't that bad. I'll patch him up. It's in my encyclopaedia - how to take care of injured animals. He'll be up and about in no time."

No one dares tell her that Ben's actually dead. A younger rabbit would have survived the injuries, of course, but Ben has already lived for more than what is deemed a normal lifespan for rabbits.

Lily kneels down to stroke Benjamin's fur. She scratches him behind the ear, the way he likes it.

"Oh, Ben, I'm so sorry those dogs did this to you. But trust me, you'll be fine in no time. Wake up, I've got your favourite mashed carrot for you. Don't you want to eat that? Come on, Ben."

Petunia's lower lip trembles, she wants to say something, but Lily has already started crying. Tuney pulls her sister into her arms, stroking her bright red hair.

"Oh, Lily."

*.*.*

The sky is dark, but there's a multitude of stars dotting it. Petunia, standing on the balcony of Number Four, Privet Drive looks up at them. There's a constellation in the shape of a rabbit, and she vaguely remembers her sister telling her it's called the Lepus.

She looks behind her, the room is empty for Vernon is still watching the news. Dudley has been put to bed hours ago, and so has Harry.

Carefully, Petunia pulls a thin glittering chain out of the front of her blouse and holds it up before her eyes.

"I made these today, Tuney. Something to remember B-Benjamin by," Lily says, her voice quivering and her green eyes glassy.

There's a charm in the shape of a rabbit hanging from the chain. Petunia runs her finger along the tiny rabbit.

"Petunia, dear?"

She starts, quickly shoving the chain back where it was and blinking the tears out of her eyes.

"Uh - yes?"

Vernon stretches and yawns loudly. "Very convenient of your sister and her husband to kick the bucket and leave that disgusting son of theirs as our responsibility, don't you think?" He asks for the umpteenth time that day.

"What - oh, right. Yes. Convenient."

"That boy'll turn out a freak."

No. He won't. He's the only connection I have left with my sister. And my sister's not a freak. Don't you dare -

"Yes, a freak. Right."

The next morning, the first thing Petunia does is take the chain off and fling it into the trunk in her attic, along with Lily's other old stuff.

There. No more stupid, unnecessary memories to deal with.

Maybe she can finally forget.