The Storm Residence!

It was a few days after the shopping spree Alex had gone through in Diagon Alley, and all she had been doing since then, was to sit curled up in different places of the house, most likely with food items all around her, or she would be at the laptop, again with the foodstuff all around her. Today though, her mum wasn't going to stand it.

"Alex! What are you doing? Staying cooped up in the house all day! Why don't you go out and play?"

"With whom? Amelia? gone. David? Gone. Jessica? I had a fight with her and I am NOT apologizing again!"

Alex's mother looked at the girl sprawled on her bed, seemingly engrossed in the novel open in front of her, with something akin to annoyance. She took a slight pause, wondering what she could say to the stubborn girl to make her change her mind. "You know, there is someone who is here and needs company?"

Curiosity aroused, Alex propped herself on her elbow, looking up at her mother with raised eye brows. "Who?"

"Snitch."

"SNITCH?" Alex exclaimed in a horrified tone, as she jumped down from her bed. "Are you kidding me? Did you NOT see what he does to me whenever we go out?"

"Its good for you to get some exercise."

"What part of running behind a puppy who is adamant on running away from me, AND getting scratched by the millions of cats Mrs. Hurley owns, is good for me? The scratches have not yet gone!" Alex answered, holding up her arm to show the scratches in better light.

"That's enough Alex. Snitch is your responsibility, you must take care of him or he goes up for adoption at the animal shelter."

"What? NO! You can't do that!"

"Then take better care of him!" Her mum replied as she walked out of Alex's room, leaving Alex to plop down on her bed.

Five minutes later, Alex was out of the house, taking a joyful and cheery Snitch for a walk, listening to music and trying desperately to keep the over active Snitch from dragging her all around the park.

Theresa hadnt seen her friend Alex in what felt like forever. Actually, it had only been a few weeks but still!

She had just come back a day ago from where her father worked and was planning on seeing what Alex was up to. What she didn't expect though was to see her outside with a dog. She didn't know she had a dog.... shaking her head, she ran to catch up with her.

"Hey Alex!" she called but soon realised she was listening to music. She caught up with her and tapped her on the shoulder. "Hey Alex, what's with the dog?" she grinned.

Alex was walking around randomly, trying desperately to keep Snitch in check, when she felt a light tapping on her shoulder, turning around, not knowing who to expect, she got the shock of her life when she turned around. "THERESA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're back! OMG you've been gone forever!" Alex cried out happily. "You won't believe what has happened when you were-" Alex couldn't complete her sentence as she felt this jerk in her arm holding Snitch's leash. With one mighty tug, the dog shot off, leaving Alex staring dismally after him. "Thats Snitch! You wanna chase?"

Theresa smiled as she listened to Alex. At least she wasn't the only one who thought the last few weeks had been way too long. She was excited to hear what she had missed and it was a shame she didn't get to finish the sentence. She looked at the little furball running way and laughed when she heard the name. "I see why you call him snitch" she said.

She then grinned as she looked back at her. "Bet I can catch him before you can" she said. Being the sneak she loved being, she didn't wait for a reply and took off running after the dog.

"what- HEY!" Alex cried out, shaking her head at her friend's sneakiness, but Alex was no slow brain, she was soon running too, easily closing the distance. She had always been the better runner. "So what were you saying?" she asked in a smug tone, as she reached level with Theresa. Now where was that dog?

Theresa looked over her shoulder and was surprised at how quick Alex had caught up. "Your really smug, you know that?" she said and stuck her tongue out at her before she picked up her pace. There was no way she was going to lose without a fight now.

She took a quick glance around but she couldn't see snitch. "Wow, something is finally faster then you huh?" she laughed.

Alex stuck her tongue back at Theresa, not bothering to answer, she just loved the exhilarating feeling of the wind rushing through her hair. Awe-some! "Yeah! He is really fast, I dunno where he gets this from?" she answered as she sped up, looking around, she frowned when she saw no sign of him. Suddenly realizing where he had gone off too, she groaned as she stopped.

"Remember Mrs. Hurley?" she asked as she shuddered, Mrs. Hurley was creeeeeeepy.

"Yeah I wonder where" Theresa said as she rolled her eyes. Anyone who met Alex would know just how hyper she could get. She soon felt like she was running to no where when she saw her stop. Mrs. Hurley? how could anyone forget her.

"Yeah. What about her?" she asked as she stopped and walked over to her.

Alex rolled her eyes too, she knew exactly what Theresa was thinking, but instead of giving her usual four minute lecture, she settled on just the eye roll.

"Yeah well he likes to chase her trillion cats." she added, holding out her arm "See these scratches? I got them from dear Mrs. Hurley's cats and that bruise," she continued, pointing it out, "That was from her stick."

Theresa was suddenly not as happy to find Snitch as she was earlier. Especially when Mrs. Hurley had a habit of shouting and having her stick when ever someone even came close to her house or garden.

"Alright but if we have to go near her house then we can not be heard" she said with a sigh. "I dont even know why she needs that walking stick, she is evil and strong enough without it" she said as she begun walking in the direction of the house.

"Or seen!" Alex added hurriedly, "Why don't you go and get him? She has always hated me ever since that paint box incident."she added as she gulped, remembering the time when her parents were having the house painted, and Alex had tripped the guy painting on the ladder, and all the paint had fallen over Mrs. Hurley's house and garden. Shuddering she turned and answered,

"I think she keeps it to hit us with." Wincing, as she remembered the numerous times she had been hit by that stick.

Theresa couldn't help her small laugh. She remembered that day and she had never seen Mrs. Hurley so mad before and that was saying something!

"I think the main reason too was that you almost got the paint on her darling cats" she said. It was funny but there was no way she was going to the women's house on her own.

"No way. Your dog so either you go or we go together but I do think your right about why she keeps it" she said as she walked up to the side of the house. Mrs. Hurley may have been kind of old but she had creepy aim.

Alex shoved Resa lightly for that laugh, "Yeah, I never saw her so active, I think she chased me at least five blocks, before throwing that stick at me! She has such a good aim!" she added, wincing slightly as she touched her knee, that was where the stick had hit her.

"And now her cats take revenge from me whenever they see me!" Alex added, wincing again as she touched the scratches, leaving around Mrs. Hurley was painful. Hearing what Resa had to say, Alex tried her puppy dog look, "Pleeeeeeeeeeeease? I would stay in the bushes if you like!"

Theresa rolled her eyes as she stood at the borderline of Mrs. Hurley's garden and the safe pavement. "I guess she has hit you a lot more then she has me" she said. That was true since she was away with her father a lot during the holidays and when ever she was at home, Alex was way more clumsier then her.

Sighing, she took one step on the grass like she was expecting it to explode or a stick to hit her. She took another step when nothing happened. "Alright but this just means that your the biggest coward in the street" she said in a sing song voice.

"There's no need to guess, she has!" Alex confirmed as she stood upon the border of Mrs. Hurley's garden.

Narrowing ehr eyes upon hearing Resa's comment, Alex sighed, knowing that Resa knew exactly what to say to make her comein wit her, not that that tought stoped Alex. Squaring her shoulders, she marched inot the garden, muttering to Resa as she crossed her, "Oh! You owe me big time!"

Suddenly, she halted as a stick landed inches in front of her.

"STAY WHERE YOU ARE STORM GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Alex swallowed, beofre blurting out, "Its Black girl, technically." Oh! Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut?

Theresa smiled a little smugly when her words had proved useful. There was one thing she knew and that was that Alex hated to be called a coward. However, her smugness only lasted a matter of seconds before she heard Mrs. Hurley's voice. Oh this was not good and to make things worse... alex had actually talked back to her.

She could see the women's glare harden and inwardly debated whether she should signal that they should run while they still could.

"YOU DO NOT TALK BACK TO ME GIRL!" Alex flinched as she heard those word. What she wanted to do now, was apologize and politely ask if Snitch was around, what she ended up doing, was to blurt out, "I wouldn't if you got your facts straight!"

After realizing what she had done, she shut her eyes as her hand flew to her mouth. This wasn't going to end well.

Theresa inwardly wished that they had been a lot quieter which for some reason was hard for them to do. She could see Mrs. Hurley holding her stick up and knew this was a mistake. "Mrs. Hurley, what she meant to say was; have you seen Snitch? he is a dog and we cant find him" she said. With only one look at her expression, she knew that she knew exactly who Snitch was and she wasn't happy about it.

"Yeah what she said!" Alex added hurriedly taking another step forward.

"YOU STAY WHERE YOU ARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Mrs. Hurley shouted angrily, and Alex hurriedly took a step back, raising her hands in surrender.

"Now Theresa dear, why don't you come in?" Mrs. Hurley continued in a sugar sweet tone that seemed positively sick on her. "BUT YOU STAY THERE!!!!!!!" she added, turning to Alex who was mouthing to Theresa, "Told you she liked you better!"

Theresa was shocked that the women could go from scary demon lady to sugar sweet so fast but hey, if it got them Snitch back then she didn't want to even ask. "Okay Mrs. Hurley" she said as she mae her way through the grass. She was still expecting it to blow up at any second.

'I'll be quick' she mouthed to Alex over her shoulder.The last thing she wanted was to spend ages in the creppy house. It suddenly dawned on her that everything was creepy here. Creepy cats... creepy women.... creepy house... go figure.

Alex nodded, both to tell Mrs Hurley that she would stay here, and to tell Resa that she had heard her. Sighing she dropped on the grass, before a booming loud voice shouted, "AND STAY OFF MY GRASS!"

Jumping, Alex hurriedly got out of the garden, leaning on somebody's car as she waited for Resa.

Theresa was pretty sure Alex would have a heart attack or something like it the way Mrs, Hurley was screaming every five seconds at her. She waisted to time in going towards the back and looking for Snitch. "I'm just going to look out here for him" she said. The moment she saw her nod, she walked out and looked around. There were cats for sure but she couldnt see the dog yet.

To pass her time, Alex took a lot of stones in her hand, and threw them on the garden next door, trying to aim for their mail box. Smirking as she hit it once in every six-seven times or so, her aim was notoriously pathetic.

"STOP THAT RACKET OUT WILL YOU!!!!!"

Alex sighed, she would have to find something else to do now.

Theresa heard an odd noise and only needed one guess to say who it must have been. Her guess was then clarified by Mrs. Hurley's screaming. She wondered where a hyper little dog could be hidding but had no luck. She had to admit that now she was actually in here it must have been at least ten times creepier.

She walked to the side of the garden where the back gate was and climbed onto the wall. "I cant see him anywhere" she called to Alex when she saw her next to someone's car.

Alex was musing about what must have happened to Mrs. Hurley to make her so damn bitter, but was drawn out of them when she saw Resa appear. frowning when she heard what Resa had to say, Alex muttered, "dumb dog!"

"If you can't see him, then come out, maybe they ganged up on him and now he is hiding somewhere?" she suggested, pulling herself up.