Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own anything in this story except the
plot. Names, places and most of the people are all property of JK Rowling.
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~~~
The young man sat on the edge of the tiled roof. It was a hot day in Surrey, which was very unusual. Normally the weather, even in summer, was cool and overcast. Despite the heat, the young man- none other than Harry Potter continued to scan the horizon for any hint of movement. Harry was waiting for Hedwig, his beloved owl, who had flown out the night before and had not returned. It was now around 2:00 in the afternoon, and the sun beat down hot onto his head, beads of sweat beginning to gather on his brow. Harry was hoping for some mail from either Ron or Hermione at least. Cho always sent him something- the couple had been ferrying love letters to each other all holidays. There was no doubt about it, he would get one from Cho at least!
Where could Hedwig be? Harry wondered. Not that he minded waiting, because Harry could wait all day and not be missed by anyone in the Dursley household. His cousin Dudley had gone out for the day with his friends to a violent videogame arcade. Aunt Petunia was still thinking of ways to redecorate Dudleys new ensuit, which seemed to be taking forever, and Uncle Vernon, Harry guessed, was having a cup of coffee and reading his updated drill profits for that week.
Harry sank back down in a little patch of shade provided by the large oak tree next to his bedroom window. He bent the cover back on his copy of Witch Weekly's Special Edition: Top 100 Wizards of the Year. Strangely enough, Gilderoy Lockhart was no longer in the annual list, and Harry couldn't help but smirk to himself for that one. Professor Dumbledore was listed at number 1. The other top 4 in the top 5 Harry had only read about, they lived in Romania and Ireland.
"Harry! Harry Potter!" an angry voice yelled.
"I'm up here Aunt Petunia," Harry said, groaning inwardly, not believing his bad luck. It had actually been peaceful for a while.
"Where? Where in the devil have you gotten to?" Petunia snapped, sticking her head out of the upstairs window. "Oh, you get down off that roof this instant! Have you any idea of how much it costs for Hospital bills nowadays?? If you fell and broke your neck, we would have to pay for your wheelchair and medication and Lord knows what else! And of course you have no insurance, we haven't bothered for you, so it would be double! And that would all be your fault!"
"I thought I would be more out of your way up here,"Harry replied.
"You get down from there before Dudley arrives home. I don't want him to see you up there, he might think you got up there with your unnaturalness, and then you'd upset him. So get down right now, boy!" She left in a huff. It was always the same. Harry was never treated with any decency while he was at home with his aunt, uncle and cousin.
The screech of Hedwig made Harry look up. There she was at last and with more letters and small parcels than he expected. Wait! There was another owl- this one was huge and it also had a parcel. Harry shimmied quickly down the drainpipe and dropped through his window into his bedroom. He didn't bother going carefully, Vernon and Petunia could pay the bloody hospital bills until they were blue in the face for all he cared.
Hedwig followed him in and perched on his bed post. The eagle owl entered and perched on the window sill. Gently, Harry detached the letters and parcels from his huge claws. The huge Owl then immediately went to Hedwigs food bowl. That didn't go down too well with Hedwig, and she squawked angrily at him before nibbling at Harry's ear instead.
Harry stared at the letter and parcels he had retrieved from both Hedwig and the eagle owl. The first letter was torn and dirty, written in a hurried messy scrawl. But there was no mistaking the writing- that script was familiar, Harry had recieved countless letters written in the exact same fashion! It was from Sirius!
Harry tore the letter open eagerly. Two thick sheets of parchment fell onto his lap. He picked up the first and began to read:
Dear Harry,
You will never believe the news! My name is cleared! I'm a free man! I know it seems so hard to believe right now but its true! It all started about a week ago when i was caught- Aurors searched my area for lurking deatheaters. You will never believe this either- Peter Pettigrew was in the area too. So instead of the dementors kiss I was sure I would get, I was granted a trial. Remus testified and Peter, finally pleaded guilty! The other note I sent you is a copy of my release parchments, so I'm home! Peter of course got a life sentence in Azkaban. I don't envy him either.
I now have a house outside Hogmeade in the country that the ministry gave me in courtesy of my life spent unjustly in Azkaban. I'm writing to ask you if you would like to spend the last few weeks of the summer holidays with me. Ron and Hermione are invited too, as there is plenty of room. Please send your reply by owl immediately. Oh, Happy Birthday, Harry! You'll find your present in the parcel.
From your loving Godfather, Sirius
PS: Buckbeak wasn't found, so he's still living with me- this time in the back paddock.
Harry smiled in disbelief and delight. Sirius was free! He almost had to restrain himself from yelling YES! It was such relief. Now he could see Sirius whenever he wanted , he could talk with him and best of all, he could stay with him! Harry could actually leave the Dursleys for a while! It may not sound like much, but this was some of the best news that Harry had ever heard in his entire life, except, maybe that he had been accepted into Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!
He immediately wrote Ron and Hermione a letter each about Sirius and his release, inviting them to stay with him and Sirius. Then he wrote to Cho, about how much he missed her, and of course where he would be staying for the next couple of weeks.
Harry had forgotten all about himself. It was of course his 16th birthday. He looked at the other pile of small parcels that Hedwig had brought in. Ron and Hermione had certainly not forgotten him!
He opened Sirius's present first. It was a pair of Pegasus Boots that allowed the wearer to walk on water. "Wow, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed to himself. He stuffed them on just for the sake of wearing a present from someone. Hermione had given him a Broomstick Twig-Balancing kit, which was used to keep the twigs even and straight to offer the smoothest possible flight. With a huge smile, Harry opened Ron's present. It was a Giant-sized box of bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans! From both of them together, he had recieved a small picture frame of himself riding around on his firebolt with stars and lightning sparking from the twigs. Harry was reminded immediately of his second year at Hogwarts, and the photo of Lockhart waving arrogantly at the camera that Harry had seen while helping Lockhart answer his fan mail in a Detention. How painful...... But now Harry just laughed. No doubt, Hermione and Ron thought it would be a bit of a joke too. From Cho, Harry had recieved a Kissing Card, which opened up giving him a papery kiss, leaving pink love hearts floating around the room. He laughed and silently wished he was with her.
The last letter was small and white and not from anyone, or so it seemed, as it was unmarked. He opened it, and, magically, out popped a small bright red flower. I seemed to be alive and was coughing up smoke and sparks from it's petalled depths, slowly folding and unfolding it's leaves like wings. It was a Sneezing Snapdragon! Harry had only ever read about these rare plant creatures. He gazed at it in admiration. I had to be one of the best, most interesting presents he had ever recieved! He checked the letter again, and saw only a "Happy Birthday, Harry" written on the card. Then his eyes were drawn to the bottom, right hand side. A small "G" was written there. Ginny! Why had she sent him such a wondrful present? She NEVER gave him Birthday presents, so what had changed this time?
Before he had time to think too much about it, an enraged shriek pierced the silence."What! That colour! Its bloody horrible!" Dudley was obviously home.
"What do you think's wrong with it, Pumpkin?" Asked a worried Petunia.
"It's the wrong colour, and it's just awful!" Dudley shouted.
"Well, what other colour did you want?" Petunia tried to calm her son, although not succeeding very well at all.
"Anything but that pig's garbage," Dudley yelled.
"We have Lime Green or Mauve to use instead, Bumpkins," Petunia crooned.
"That'd look even worse. This room looks crap already. What a dump."
"Nonsense, Son, this room'll look terrific by the time it's finished." Vernon spoke up for the first time, "And you certainly can't have more motorbike wallpaper in this room too!!"
"Why not? If you gave Harry my second bedroom, you can bloody well let me have motorbike wallpaper! That's nothing!" Dudley shrieked again.
"Yes but Duddykins, this is your ensuite, not your room. You know what an ensuite is, don't you darling?" Petunia asked her son timidly.
"I don't care what you call it! This is my room and I'll have what I like in it! If you paint it that dirgy colour, I'll punch the wall down!" Dudley bellowed. Harry thought that the threat wasn't exactly exaggerated. His temper had increased along with his weight over the past few years.
"Don't worry Duddy, we'll have it how you want it in no time, Sweetums." Petunia reassured him.
Harry laughed out loud. Stupid fat brat that Dudley was! It was incredible the way he dominated his parents. And it happened often. Dudley was often bullying his parents to get his own way, and it always worked.
Crap! He could hear Dudley's thumping tread coming up the stairs. Oh, he didn't hear me laughing, did he? Harry moaned. Just what he needed. Dudley to come and bully him. Sure enough, the door crashed open and Dudley appeared there looking fat and annoying, as usual. "What was that sniggering for, Pot-Head?" Dudley demanded.
"It wasn't me!" Harry cried innocently, "You must be hearing things!" Then he added slyly, "that isn't a good sign you know Dudley. Not even in the wizarding world." Dudley went bright red. Harry had very nearly called him a wizard, which was almost as low as you could go according to the Dursleys. And he could tell that Dudley was very nearly about to punch his lights out for it.
"What are those poxy things?" Dudley pointed to his presents on his bed. "They look cheap as buggery, where did you get 'em from?" He barked.
"Actually, they are presents from my friends, loser. It is my birthday after all Dudley."
"Since when do you have friends?" Dudley seem genuinely baffled.
"Since I left this dump for school six years ago Dudley, now go away." Dudley turn to leave, but decided at the last moment to whack hedwig's cage over. It fell to the ground with a tremendous crash, Hedwig shrieking furiously.
"What is going on in here??" Vernon's angry, purple face appeared at the door.
"Harry threw that bloody pidgeon at me, Dad!" Dudley wailed.
"I did not, he bashed it over!" Harry cried, moving to place the cage back on the mantle.
"Don't lie to me, boy. I know what you did, so you can just stop your funny business at once." Vernon growled.
"Funny business? I wasn't doing magic! And Dudley's the liar!" Harry almost yelled back at him.
"Don't you take that tone with me, boy! I'll not be spoken to like that, Howard Potter!"
"Harry," Harry cut in.
"......We have given you the food off our table, clothed you in the garments you wear on your ungrateful back, given you Dudley's second bedroom, and still you turn up your bloody ungrateful nose! Well, I've had just about enough of that, boy!" Vernon raged. "From now on, no more special outings!"
"I don't have outings anyway," Harry told him, "I haven't had an outing here for six years."
"What was I just saying about ungrateful!" Vernon shrieked to Dudley, "Well, don't think I'll allow you to go on any excursions to the park anytime soon, because you'll not be going!"
"What?!" Harry yelled, "It's just down the street!"
"I don't care if it's to Buckingham bloody Palace and back, you'll not be going, I tell you!" Vernon moved back to the door. Hedwig squawked at him "And control that bloody pidgeon, for the last time, boy!!" He barked, bashing Hedwig's cage, which flew off the mantle yet again. Then he stormed out the room, Dudley on his heels, smiling smugly.
Harry moved to pick up Hegwig again. He was used to this kind of treatment, but it had gotten worse three years ago, when aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon found out that he was not allowed to practice magic outside of school. Now they no longer feared that he would turn them into anything "nasty" as Vernon liked to put it. They just treated him like a freak.
****
The sun was setting and the eagle owl was restless. Harry finished the last three sentences on his letter to Sirius and sent the owl back towards Hogsmeade. He prayed that Sirius would pick him up very soon. He didn't think he could last much longer in Privet Drive.
The young man sat on the edge of the tiled roof. It was a hot day in Surrey, which was very unusual. Normally the weather, even in summer, was cool and overcast. Despite the heat, the young man- none other than Harry Potter continued to scan the horizon for any hint of movement. Harry was waiting for Hedwig, his beloved owl, who had flown out the night before and had not returned. It was now around 2:00 in the afternoon, and the sun beat down hot onto his head, beads of sweat beginning to gather on his brow. Harry was hoping for some mail from either Ron or Hermione at least. Cho always sent him something- the couple had been ferrying love letters to each other all holidays. There was no doubt about it, he would get one from Cho at least!
Where could Hedwig be? Harry wondered. Not that he minded waiting, because Harry could wait all day and not be missed by anyone in the Dursley household. His cousin Dudley had gone out for the day with his friends to a violent videogame arcade. Aunt Petunia was still thinking of ways to redecorate Dudleys new ensuit, which seemed to be taking forever, and Uncle Vernon, Harry guessed, was having a cup of coffee and reading his updated drill profits for that week.
Harry sank back down in a little patch of shade provided by the large oak tree next to his bedroom window. He bent the cover back on his copy of Witch Weekly's Special Edition: Top 100 Wizards of the Year. Strangely enough, Gilderoy Lockhart was no longer in the annual list, and Harry couldn't help but smirk to himself for that one. Professor Dumbledore was listed at number 1. The other top 4 in the top 5 Harry had only read about, they lived in Romania and Ireland.
"Harry! Harry Potter!" an angry voice yelled.
"I'm up here Aunt Petunia," Harry said, groaning inwardly, not believing his bad luck. It had actually been peaceful for a while.
"Where? Where in the devil have you gotten to?" Petunia snapped, sticking her head out of the upstairs window. "Oh, you get down off that roof this instant! Have you any idea of how much it costs for Hospital bills nowadays?? If you fell and broke your neck, we would have to pay for your wheelchair and medication and Lord knows what else! And of course you have no insurance, we haven't bothered for you, so it would be double! And that would all be your fault!"
"I thought I would be more out of your way up here,"Harry replied.
"You get down from there before Dudley arrives home. I don't want him to see you up there, he might think you got up there with your unnaturalness, and then you'd upset him. So get down right now, boy!" She left in a huff. It was always the same. Harry was never treated with any decency while he was at home with his aunt, uncle and cousin.
The screech of Hedwig made Harry look up. There she was at last and with more letters and small parcels than he expected. Wait! There was another owl- this one was huge and it also had a parcel. Harry shimmied quickly down the drainpipe and dropped through his window into his bedroom. He didn't bother going carefully, Vernon and Petunia could pay the bloody hospital bills until they were blue in the face for all he cared.
Hedwig followed him in and perched on his bed post. The eagle owl entered and perched on the window sill. Gently, Harry detached the letters and parcels from his huge claws. The huge Owl then immediately went to Hedwigs food bowl. That didn't go down too well with Hedwig, and she squawked angrily at him before nibbling at Harry's ear instead.
Harry stared at the letter and parcels he had retrieved from both Hedwig and the eagle owl. The first letter was torn and dirty, written in a hurried messy scrawl. But there was no mistaking the writing- that script was familiar, Harry had recieved countless letters written in the exact same fashion! It was from Sirius!
Harry tore the letter open eagerly. Two thick sheets of parchment fell onto his lap. He picked up the first and began to read:
Dear Harry,
You will never believe the news! My name is cleared! I'm a free man! I know it seems so hard to believe right now but its true! It all started about a week ago when i was caught- Aurors searched my area for lurking deatheaters. You will never believe this either- Peter Pettigrew was in the area too. So instead of the dementors kiss I was sure I would get, I was granted a trial. Remus testified and Peter, finally pleaded guilty! The other note I sent you is a copy of my release parchments, so I'm home! Peter of course got a life sentence in Azkaban. I don't envy him either.
I now have a house outside Hogmeade in the country that the ministry gave me in courtesy of my life spent unjustly in Azkaban. I'm writing to ask you if you would like to spend the last few weeks of the summer holidays with me. Ron and Hermione are invited too, as there is plenty of room. Please send your reply by owl immediately. Oh, Happy Birthday, Harry! You'll find your present in the parcel.
From your loving Godfather, Sirius
PS: Buckbeak wasn't found, so he's still living with me- this time in the back paddock.
Harry smiled in disbelief and delight. Sirius was free! He almost had to restrain himself from yelling YES! It was such relief. Now he could see Sirius whenever he wanted , he could talk with him and best of all, he could stay with him! Harry could actually leave the Dursleys for a while! It may not sound like much, but this was some of the best news that Harry had ever heard in his entire life, except, maybe that he had been accepted into Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!
He immediately wrote Ron and Hermione a letter each about Sirius and his release, inviting them to stay with him and Sirius. Then he wrote to Cho, about how much he missed her, and of course where he would be staying for the next couple of weeks.
Harry had forgotten all about himself. It was of course his 16th birthday. He looked at the other pile of small parcels that Hedwig had brought in. Ron and Hermione had certainly not forgotten him!
He opened Sirius's present first. It was a pair of Pegasus Boots that allowed the wearer to walk on water. "Wow, Sirius!" Harry exclaimed to himself. He stuffed them on just for the sake of wearing a present from someone. Hermione had given him a Broomstick Twig-Balancing kit, which was used to keep the twigs even and straight to offer the smoothest possible flight. With a huge smile, Harry opened Ron's present. It was a Giant-sized box of bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans! From both of them together, he had recieved a small picture frame of himself riding around on his firebolt with stars and lightning sparking from the twigs. Harry was reminded immediately of his second year at Hogwarts, and the photo of Lockhart waving arrogantly at the camera that Harry had seen while helping Lockhart answer his fan mail in a Detention. How painful...... But now Harry just laughed. No doubt, Hermione and Ron thought it would be a bit of a joke too. From Cho, Harry had recieved a Kissing Card, which opened up giving him a papery kiss, leaving pink love hearts floating around the room. He laughed and silently wished he was with her.
The last letter was small and white and not from anyone, or so it seemed, as it was unmarked. He opened it, and, magically, out popped a small bright red flower. I seemed to be alive and was coughing up smoke and sparks from it's petalled depths, slowly folding and unfolding it's leaves like wings. It was a Sneezing Snapdragon! Harry had only ever read about these rare plant creatures. He gazed at it in admiration. I had to be one of the best, most interesting presents he had ever recieved! He checked the letter again, and saw only a "Happy Birthday, Harry" written on the card. Then his eyes were drawn to the bottom, right hand side. A small "G" was written there. Ginny! Why had she sent him such a wondrful present? She NEVER gave him Birthday presents, so what had changed this time?
Before he had time to think too much about it, an enraged shriek pierced the silence."What! That colour! Its bloody horrible!" Dudley was obviously home.
"What do you think's wrong with it, Pumpkin?" Asked a worried Petunia.
"It's the wrong colour, and it's just awful!" Dudley shouted.
"Well, what other colour did you want?" Petunia tried to calm her son, although not succeeding very well at all.
"Anything but that pig's garbage," Dudley yelled.
"We have Lime Green or Mauve to use instead, Bumpkins," Petunia crooned.
"That'd look even worse. This room looks crap already. What a dump."
"Nonsense, Son, this room'll look terrific by the time it's finished." Vernon spoke up for the first time, "And you certainly can't have more motorbike wallpaper in this room too!!"
"Why not? If you gave Harry my second bedroom, you can bloody well let me have motorbike wallpaper! That's nothing!" Dudley shrieked again.
"Yes but Duddykins, this is your ensuite, not your room. You know what an ensuite is, don't you darling?" Petunia asked her son timidly.
"I don't care what you call it! This is my room and I'll have what I like in it! If you paint it that dirgy colour, I'll punch the wall down!" Dudley bellowed. Harry thought that the threat wasn't exactly exaggerated. His temper had increased along with his weight over the past few years.
"Don't worry Duddy, we'll have it how you want it in no time, Sweetums." Petunia reassured him.
Harry laughed out loud. Stupid fat brat that Dudley was! It was incredible the way he dominated his parents. And it happened often. Dudley was often bullying his parents to get his own way, and it always worked.
Crap! He could hear Dudley's thumping tread coming up the stairs. Oh, he didn't hear me laughing, did he? Harry moaned. Just what he needed. Dudley to come and bully him. Sure enough, the door crashed open and Dudley appeared there looking fat and annoying, as usual. "What was that sniggering for, Pot-Head?" Dudley demanded.
"It wasn't me!" Harry cried innocently, "You must be hearing things!" Then he added slyly, "that isn't a good sign you know Dudley. Not even in the wizarding world." Dudley went bright red. Harry had very nearly called him a wizard, which was almost as low as you could go according to the Dursleys. And he could tell that Dudley was very nearly about to punch his lights out for it.
"What are those poxy things?" Dudley pointed to his presents on his bed. "They look cheap as buggery, where did you get 'em from?" He barked.
"Actually, they are presents from my friends, loser. It is my birthday after all Dudley."
"Since when do you have friends?" Dudley seem genuinely baffled.
"Since I left this dump for school six years ago Dudley, now go away." Dudley turn to leave, but decided at the last moment to whack hedwig's cage over. It fell to the ground with a tremendous crash, Hedwig shrieking furiously.
"What is going on in here??" Vernon's angry, purple face appeared at the door.
"Harry threw that bloody pidgeon at me, Dad!" Dudley wailed.
"I did not, he bashed it over!" Harry cried, moving to place the cage back on the mantle.
"Don't lie to me, boy. I know what you did, so you can just stop your funny business at once." Vernon growled.
"Funny business? I wasn't doing magic! And Dudley's the liar!" Harry almost yelled back at him.
"Don't you take that tone with me, boy! I'll not be spoken to like that, Howard Potter!"
"Harry," Harry cut in.
"......We have given you the food off our table, clothed you in the garments you wear on your ungrateful back, given you Dudley's second bedroom, and still you turn up your bloody ungrateful nose! Well, I've had just about enough of that, boy!" Vernon raged. "From now on, no more special outings!"
"I don't have outings anyway," Harry told him, "I haven't had an outing here for six years."
"What was I just saying about ungrateful!" Vernon shrieked to Dudley, "Well, don't think I'll allow you to go on any excursions to the park anytime soon, because you'll not be going!"
"What?!" Harry yelled, "It's just down the street!"
"I don't care if it's to Buckingham bloody Palace and back, you'll not be going, I tell you!" Vernon moved back to the door. Hedwig squawked at him "And control that bloody pidgeon, for the last time, boy!!" He barked, bashing Hedwig's cage, which flew off the mantle yet again. Then he stormed out the room, Dudley on his heels, smiling smugly.
Harry moved to pick up Hegwig again. He was used to this kind of treatment, but it had gotten worse three years ago, when aunt Petunia and uncle Vernon found out that he was not allowed to practice magic outside of school. Now they no longer feared that he would turn them into anything "nasty" as Vernon liked to put it. They just treated him like a freak.
****
The sun was setting and the eagle owl was restless. Harry finished the last three sentences on his letter to Sirius and sent the owl back towards Hogsmeade. He prayed that Sirius would pick him up very soon. He didn't think he could last much longer in Privet Drive.