BIRTHDAY WISHES
By Mismatch Socks
The dust on the floor was at an all time high in the smallest room at Four Privet Drive. Having been to worn out after millions of chores, Harry Potter, the current resident of this peculiar room had found it unnecessary to sweep or clean up the dust in any way.
A small light issued from a lamp sitting on the desk. The fifteen-year-old boy lay sideways on the twin size bed; his feet were bent resting against the wall as he laid his head against the slight slope of the edge. The bright emerald eyes were slightly unfocused as he thought about his birthday wish this year.
Wishes had always been an easy thing to decide on up until this point, up until he turned eleven it had been to escape from his wretched family. When he turned twelve had been the first year he didn't know exactly what he wanted his thirteenth birthday had came and went without any notice, a long with his fourteenth. But this year seemed different somehow.
The last year had definitely been different. He had to deal with many memories from the last year and most weren't pleasant. His eyes focused as he stared down on the cake that had been drawn in the layers of dust. As he took in each candle on the cake and the lines that spelled out 'Happy Birthday Harry' and he realized that he had always known exactly what to wish for.
The grandfather clock down the hall struck twelve as Harry took a deep breath and he released it, letting it smother his only birthday cake this year
He opened his eyes, which he hadn't realized he had closed, to the familiar sight of Dudley's second bedroom. The broken toys that were scattered around the room seemed to mock Harry, telling the boy that he would never get his wish.
A painful sigh slipped out as Harry turned off the lamp, letting it hide his cousin's broken toys. He didn't want to feel the pain he felt when he saw such things. Each brought misery to his life and so much happiness and greed to his cousins.
His hope slipped between his fingers, although he had never truly expected his wish. It would have taken a miracle for something like that. But it was worth a try anything was worth a try. Harry rolled over so his head actually rested on the worn out, second hand pillow, hoping and praying there would be no nightmares or dreams this night.
The thoughts in his head were jumbled like a word search but a single one seemed to stand out amongst the others. 'If they're coming they'll come and I'll just have to face them when they do.' Hagrid had said something like that to him at the end of last year
Bright emerald green eyes slowly shut as he drifted off into what was for the first time in a month or so, a peaceful rest.
Unknown to the boy a miracle had occurred.
********************
Harry rolled over in bed as an alarm clock went off. His mind was too muddled to notice the muggle contraption that was actually working for the first time in years. An arm shot out and hit the annoying piece of junk, knocking it to the floor where the battery fell out and rolled across the floor. He moaned as he rolled off the bed and onto the floor.
The blankets entangled him as he laid, grumbling for a second before sitting up. His vision was blurry for he didn't notice the different appearance of the room.
Pulling on a shirt and a pair of pants he noticed that they fit perfectly "Wait a sec, when did my clothes suddenly become smaller." This thought slipped in and out of his mind within a matter of seconds.
If he had been actually paying attention to the things in his room, he would have noticed that this was most definitely not his room at all. Instead of all the broken toys of Dudley's it was filled with not muggle toys, but wizard chess, gobstones, and right above the closet where the gun should have been there was a broom. Magic books were lined up across the shelves, which had held Dudley's old toys. But the toy's that now were on all of the shelves all looked new. None looked as thought they'd been broken or were missing any pieces.
He never saw, or noticed the extra doors that had all the sudden appeared or the new staircase leading up to them as he walked out the door to fix the Dursley's their breakfast, in clothes that fit as though they had been made just for him.
Rubbing his eyes with one hand and holding his glasses with the other still trying to wake up as he walked down the hall, not noticing the pictures of him hung on the walls. There was not a single picture of the cousin he despised hanging or sitting anywhere.
Just following his feet on the all to familiar route to the kitchen, he nearly fell down the entire flight of stairs, catching himself right before he hit the last step. Coming down with a loud thump as he hit the hallway floor.
After waiting and listening to make sure the Dursley's hadn't heard him on that last thump, he could hear his heart beating in his chest as though it was a large bass drum. Finally after waiting for about a minute he decided they hadn't and walked into the kitchen.
Moving his hand along the wall to see if he could find a light switch. Not finding it he decided there was enough light in the room for him to start cooking and that it would only get lighter every minute. Walking over to the cupboard he looked through them to see of he could find any thing to fix. Not finding anything he went over to the refrigerator to see if any thing in that was edible.
He was in the process of looking through the fridge when noise from above startled him for a second, he rolled his eyes at the heavy steps that sounded like someone was bouncing through the hall but ignored them, as they were obviously Dudley's.
Pancakes seemed to hit the spot in his hungry mind as he pulled the ingredients out from various spots in the kitchen. Footsteps sounded down a staircase to his right (which was impossible as there was no staircase). The sound of the bacon sizzling was interrupted, as a voice entered his working area, disrupting his thoughts.
"Well, well, now if it isn't the early bird of the family, trying to suck up to mum and dad again now are we? Tsk, tsk you really should know that's not going to work."
As he turned around what, or whom he saw made his mouth dropped open as he viewed the unfamiliar person who had spoken. She was looking at him with an evil grin that didn't quite fit the disheveled pajama clad figure that stood in front of him. Her black hair that reached barely past her chin stuck out in every which way, making it look as though something had decided to build a nest in it. Her twinkling, blue-green eyes shone in mischief behind the thin wire glasses that were perched on her nose, as she stood slightly menacingly in the doorway.
Harry stared at her for a second before asking, "Who are you?" in a slightly strangled voice.
Laughing, the girl looked at him as though he had completely lost all his sense, which he had never completely had in the first place "Ha, ha Harry very funny. Best joke you've come up with in years. As if you wouldn't recognize you're favorite little sister. You've only known me for what? 11 years? And you're already going senile and only on your, what, 15th birthday? I mean come on it's not like I've pulled that many pranks on you."
Harry's face shone with shock and confusion. Who was this girl really, and what had she done to the Dursleys? "Where am I?" he asked
"Well, duh, you're at home cooking pancakes, which you never do, just incase you forgot that too, and you're going to give me one. Burned or not I'm still eating
it, I'm starved. But if I'm lucky, it won't be burnt." She muttered.
" What do you mean by that? I'm a perfectly good cook!" Harry protested against the rude remark, " I'd like to see you do better." Some sort of instinct had kicked in.
"Sure we all know you're a good cook. The best. Only one I know who thinks eggs belong in pancakes." An eight-year-old boy accompanied this new voice that was dripping in sarcasm. There was no mistaking his bright blue eyes, as they sparkled in their own special way. He stood leaning against the door with a smirk on his face that made it seem as though he had caught you doing something you weren't supposed to be doing. His arms were folded across his chest in a smug way. A small boy of about the age of three was mimicking him. This boy, who was trying to lean against the door frame with his arms folded, was not succeeding to his furry, on the other side of the door way. His fiery red hair stuck out in every which way at the moment, though it didn't look as though it naturally was suppose to. He had an air of authority about him that wasn't usually found on a three-year-old boy and he seemed to present it in an odd way.
"Well, well, if it isn't Ty with a head full of Rye. Accompanied by Aiden who…." She paused for a second with a confused look on her face. Then suddenly the confusion was wiped away with a look of relish coming to her face and continued with the insult to the small boy " who looks like a Maiden!" The boy looked at her with a face of utter confusion at the thought of being called a maiden. Not knowing what it meant he just stood there thinking it over. "Why are you up so early?"
"Why do you think? You guys were making so much noise I just had to see what was going on." Ty answered glaring down at Aiden, who had finished thinking and grinned smugly back. " Aiden! Why don't you go bug Ryan, or Harry or someone else just leave me alone!"
"NO!" Aiden proclaimed not looking the slightest bit hurt by the mean words of his brother. He just smiled brightly. "You're going to fix me ice cream for breakfast, then you're gonna play dragons with me."
"I'm not playing dragons with you again today, and I most definitely am not giving you ice cream for breakfast Bucko! Mum would absolutely slaughter me." Ty said
" And your point is?" Andy asked "You never seem to care if she gets mad when you pull a prank." She said this while trying to grab one of the pancakes Harry had made, off the plate. Finally grabbing one she took it with her towards the table. Harry watched this exchange wondering what was keeping him here and calm, as he certainly didn't feel as calm as he was acting.
Harry, who had stood bewildered by the entrance of all these people, turned towards the pancakes hoping they weren't burnt. He pretended to listen to their conversation. One thing was for sure, he was going to need more pancakes.
**********
By eight o'clock Aidan had been fed, and not ice cream, he was sitting patiently waiting for Tyler to go play dragons. Tyler was in a heated argument with Andy about who was better Puddlemore United or the Ballycastle Bats.
Harry was watching the interactions between his so called siblings. He had an urge to pull his hair out as he didn't know anybody and was now making breakfast for complete strangers. As he was about to run from the room when a girl, which he guessed to be about four or five years old, walked in carrying a stuffed dragon in one hand and a blanket in another.
She walked straight towards Harry, and grabbed onto his leg, leaving Harry standing confused as he had never particularly had siblings of his own. Until now that is. The girl looked up at him expectantly before plodding forward with "I had a dream." Harry was slightly startled by her bluntness "There was a big monster. " She said matter of factly "And it was pink and had this many heads!" She held up a hand with five fingers "And it had big sharp teeth and it was eating everybody. And it was just about to eat me and you saved me!" She said.
Harry nodded trying to be the caring thoughtful older brother that she though he was. He looked into her bright green eyes that were copies of his own before asking "Do you want a pancake?"
The girl nodded her head and Harry handed her a plate with a pancake. She walked to the table where Aidan said "Hi Lucky."
She glared at the boy and said "How many times do I have to tell you it's Lexi and not Lucky?"
"This many" Aidan said holding up his fingers.
"Harry, you're a life saver." Said a voice. Harry spun around at the voice, not surprised to hear it, yet still surprised that she was actually there. But with all the kids there was no possible was she couldn't be.
And for the first time in fourteen years green eyes met green and Harry was staring face to face with Lily Potter.
Authors' Note: This is a story that we thought of the plot a couple months ago and just barely got around to posting, but here it is. Let us know what you think of it in your review (Hint Hint)