Christmas at Privet Drive

It’s weird looking back on my childhood Christmases and comparing them to Christmas today.

I woke up to my aunt banging on my door so I could get up and start breakfast. I wandered downstairs, through the sitting room that was buried under Dudley’s presents, to the kitchen. Brightly colored paper covered almost every possible surface. I made it to the kitchen, and there was a brown bag with a list next to it. Aunt Petunia had written “Merry Christmas” on the bag and filled it with Dudley’s old clothes. Typical. I turned to the list next to it and saw it was my chore list for the day. It started with me making a big breakfast for my aunt, uncle, and cousin for when Dudley was finished opening his presents. As I was frying eggs, I thought about all the things I wished I could have gotten for Christmas.

Once the Dursleys sat down to eat, I had to go start cleaning the sitting room and pick up every piece of wrapping paper that Dudley left behind. I had to vacuum, mop the floors, dust, and make sure the house was spotless while trying to cook Christmas dinner. Dudley was off playing with the toys he got, Aunt Petunia was grabbing last-minute things from the store, and Uncle Vernon was getting his sister, Marge. When everyone got home, they readied themselves for the party and I went into my cupboard. People started to flood in, and Aunt Petunia went into hostess mode. I lay on my bed listening to the party happening around me, half wishing I could attend and half happy I wasn’t. I rolled over and waited for the party to be over so I could get something to eat. While waiting, I drifted off to sleep thinking about the mess I would have to pick up in the morning.

I look around at everyone around me, Weasleys, Malfoys, and Potters alike, and can’t understand how I got so lucky. I went from an orphan with a family who hated me to being in a room surrounded by people who love me and would do anything for me. I don’t even need anything for Christmas. Having these people around me is all that I’ll ever need.

Happy Holidays from MuggleNet.