Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter One:
A surprise visitor
The sun was setting over number four privet drive, and Harry Potter was in his usual perch. Over the sink, scrubbing dirty pots from dinner. If only I could use a spell, I could have all these ..., Harry began to think, but stopped himself. No, dishes weren't worth getting expelled from Hogwarts, so he washed them the old fashioned way, the muggle way.
After he had finished he headed for the door. "Where do you think you're going, Boy?" demanded his Uncle Vernon from the living room.
"Outside," Harry replied curtly.
"You had better have finished those dishes, or there'll be hell to pay," was the response.
"They're done!" Harry snapped, before pushing open the door and walking out. He was glad to be in the fresh air; he hadn't gone outside all summer. He brushed his unruly black hair out of his green eyes, and stared at the glowing sky. He missed Hogwarts; he missed flying his firebolt, which was currently collecting dust in the cupboard under the Dursleys stairs. Most of all he missed his friends.
He could just imagine Ron, outside degnoming his mother's garden or playing an intense game of wizard chess. Hedwig should be back tonight with a letter from him, Harry thought. Hermione, now she would be pouring over her spellbooks, finishing up any extra credit she hadn't done. Studying all new, interesting charms for the upcoming school year.
Being away from the wizarding world for the summer months took its toll on Harry's skills, that's one of the reasons he hated this time of year, also he hated staying with the Dursleys. They felt the same and made no point of trying to hide it. They were ashamed of Harry and his talent. He sat down on the garden bench and watched as the sun sank lower and lower. He closed his eyes and imagined himself soaring over Hogwarts, feeling the wind blowing all around him. He could see it all, the school, Hagrid's house, the dark forest, the lake, everything. It was all so vivid he felt like he was really there. A small nip on his pant leg jarred him from thoughts. He jumped about a mile, and then saw what had bitten him. "Sirius," He gasped, "What are you doing here?"
The big brown eyes of Harry's Godfather in his dog form stared up at him, no answer was given. Sirius nudged Harry toward the house. "I can't, the Dursleys are home," Harry explained. He looked worriedly to house, if his Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia saw a huge, dirty dog in their neatly kept yard, he knew they would die from disgust. "Come back tomorrow, they'll be going to breakfast with a potential client, I'll keep you in my room, but until then stay in the backyard." Harry pushed Sirius toward the backyard gate, and just in time, too. Uncle Vernon had just walked out the door as Harry shut the gate.
"You missed a cup, Boy," He yelled, "Get back in there and do all those dishes over for your laziness!" Harry's shoulders slumped as he headed back into the house. He saw Sirius peering at him from behind the gate.
~*~*~*~
An ear-piercing scream was Harry's wake up call the next morning. His eyes flashed open. Oh no, Sirius, was his first thought. He grabbed his glasses and sprinted down the stairs. "Vernon, get it away from me!" was the next scream he heard.
"I can explain!" Harry cried, running into the living room. His aunt was on a chair, and his uncle was kneeling next to the couch, a broom in his hand.
"Explain what?" Uncle Vernon asked, looking up from the couch at his nephew. "Explain a rat?" Harry became confused, a rat? He felt his heart slow to a regular pace, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Even his aunt stopped screaming long enough stare at him, muttering how crazy he and his kind were. The rat scurried out from the couch and across. It stopped in front of Harry's feet and hissed. Harry jumped back, staring at the creature in front of him. It was Peter Pettigrew.
Glass shattered as Sirius dove into the house. He jumped in front of Harry growling at Pettigrew. Aunt Petunia screamed uncontrollably and Uncle Vernon stared in shock. Pettigrew darted up the arm of the couch and out of the broken window. Sirius leapt on the couch and growled out the window.
After a few moments, Sirius came back and sat in front of Harry. Uncle Vernon had gotten back his composure and began demanding to know what had just happened. It as then Sirius changed into human form. Uncle Vernon caught his wife as she fainted and laid her on the chair. "Potter, you had better start talking!"
"Perhaps I should explain," Sirius said, jumping to Harry's aid.
"Well, then go ahead," snapped Uncle Vernon.
"I'm Harry's Godfather, Sirius Black," He began, "You must be his uncle." Sirius extended his hand, but Uncle Vernon wouldn't take it. He glared with disgust at Sirius' unkempt image, his stringy hair and dirty clothes. Sirius got the message. "Well, I'm here for Harry's safety. What you just saw was an attempt to harm your nephew, perhaps kill him." Uncle Vernon snorted with laughter.
"A rat? It was trying to hurt him?" he could hardly contain his laughter.
"Did you see me change from a dog to a human just now?" Sirius demanded, "That rat was a wizard, a dark wizard. He wanted to kill Harry!"
"He hardly looked as though he was going to kill-" he stopped short, "No, I won't talk of an animal as if it were human."
"Harry," Sirius said, turning his attention to his Godson, "You need to leave. It's not safe here. Voldemort could come at any moment." Harry nodded, showing he had understood.
"Now, just wait a moment, you're not taking him any where!" cried Uncle Vernon, "He is under my care and I decide where he goes, not you!"
"I'm going," Harry said simply. Staring indignantly at his uncle. "Where are we going?" he uncertainly asked Sirius.
Chapter One:
A surprise visitor
The sun was setting over number four privet drive, and Harry Potter was in his usual perch. Over the sink, scrubbing dirty pots from dinner. If only I could use a spell, I could have all these ..., Harry began to think, but stopped himself. No, dishes weren't worth getting expelled from Hogwarts, so he washed them the old fashioned way, the muggle way.
After he had finished he headed for the door. "Where do you think you're going, Boy?" demanded his Uncle Vernon from the living room.
"Outside," Harry replied curtly.
"You had better have finished those dishes, or there'll be hell to pay," was the response.
"They're done!" Harry snapped, before pushing open the door and walking out. He was glad to be in the fresh air; he hadn't gone outside all summer. He brushed his unruly black hair out of his green eyes, and stared at the glowing sky. He missed Hogwarts; he missed flying his firebolt, which was currently collecting dust in the cupboard under the Dursleys stairs. Most of all he missed his friends.
He could just imagine Ron, outside degnoming his mother's garden or playing an intense game of wizard chess. Hedwig should be back tonight with a letter from him, Harry thought. Hermione, now she would be pouring over her spellbooks, finishing up any extra credit she hadn't done. Studying all new, interesting charms for the upcoming school year.
Being away from the wizarding world for the summer months took its toll on Harry's skills, that's one of the reasons he hated this time of year, also he hated staying with the Dursleys. They felt the same and made no point of trying to hide it. They were ashamed of Harry and his talent. He sat down on the garden bench and watched as the sun sank lower and lower. He closed his eyes and imagined himself soaring over Hogwarts, feeling the wind blowing all around him. He could see it all, the school, Hagrid's house, the dark forest, the lake, everything. It was all so vivid he felt like he was really there. A small nip on his pant leg jarred him from thoughts. He jumped about a mile, and then saw what had bitten him. "Sirius," He gasped, "What are you doing here?"
The big brown eyes of Harry's Godfather in his dog form stared up at him, no answer was given. Sirius nudged Harry toward the house. "I can't, the Dursleys are home," Harry explained. He looked worriedly to house, if his Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia saw a huge, dirty dog in their neatly kept yard, he knew they would die from disgust. "Come back tomorrow, they'll be going to breakfast with a potential client, I'll keep you in my room, but until then stay in the backyard." Harry pushed Sirius toward the backyard gate, and just in time, too. Uncle Vernon had just walked out the door as Harry shut the gate.
"You missed a cup, Boy," He yelled, "Get back in there and do all those dishes over for your laziness!" Harry's shoulders slumped as he headed back into the house. He saw Sirius peering at him from behind the gate.
~*~*~*~
An ear-piercing scream was Harry's wake up call the next morning. His eyes flashed open. Oh no, Sirius, was his first thought. He grabbed his glasses and sprinted down the stairs. "Vernon, get it away from me!" was the next scream he heard.
"I can explain!" Harry cried, running into the living room. His aunt was on a chair, and his uncle was kneeling next to the couch, a broom in his hand.
"Explain what?" Uncle Vernon asked, looking up from the couch at his nephew. "Explain a rat?" Harry became confused, a rat? He felt his heart slow to a regular pace, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Even his aunt stopped screaming long enough stare at him, muttering how crazy he and his kind were. The rat scurried out from the couch and across. It stopped in front of Harry's feet and hissed. Harry jumped back, staring at the creature in front of him. It was Peter Pettigrew.
Glass shattered as Sirius dove into the house. He jumped in front of Harry growling at Pettigrew. Aunt Petunia screamed uncontrollably and Uncle Vernon stared in shock. Pettigrew darted up the arm of the couch and out of the broken window. Sirius leapt on the couch and growled out the window.
After a few moments, Sirius came back and sat in front of Harry. Uncle Vernon had gotten back his composure and began demanding to know what had just happened. It as then Sirius changed into human form. Uncle Vernon caught his wife as she fainted and laid her on the chair. "Potter, you had better start talking!"
"Perhaps I should explain," Sirius said, jumping to Harry's aid.
"Well, then go ahead," snapped Uncle Vernon.
"I'm Harry's Godfather, Sirius Black," He began, "You must be his uncle." Sirius extended his hand, but Uncle Vernon wouldn't take it. He glared with disgust at Sirius' unkempt image, his stringy hair and dirty clothes. Sirius got the message. "Well, I'm here for Harry's safety. What you just saw was an attempt to harm your nephew, perhaps kill him." Uncle Vernon snorted with laughter.
"A rat? It was trying to hurt him?" he could hardly contain his laughter.
"Did you see me change from a dog to a human just now?" Sirius demanded, "That rat was a wizard, a dark wizard. He wanted to kill Harry!"
"He hardly looked as though he was going to kill-" he stopped short, "No, I won't talk of an animal as if it were human."
"Harry," Sirius said, turning his attention to his Godson, "You need to leave. It's not safe here. Voldemort could come at any moment." Harry nodded, showing he had understood.
"Now, just wait a moment, you're not taking him any where!" cried Uncle Vernon, "He is under my care and I decide where he goes, not you!"
"I'm going," Harry said simply. Staring indignantly at his uncle. "Where are we going?" he uncertainly asked Sirius.
