Chapter 1: Unexpected Guests
Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the huge room.
The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.
The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock. Harry released Neville, through he was unaware of doing so. It seemed to take Sirius ages to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch...
And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise to his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as through a high wind had grabbed it up and then fell back into place. Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but he knew Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second...
But Sirius did not reappear....
"Sirius?" Harry yelled. "SIRIUS!"
He had reached the floor. His breath coming in painful gasps. Sirius must be behind the curtain he could pull him out again.
Then, Lupin came to Harry telling him it was too late for Sirius but Harry knew it was not true. Lupin was pulling him away from Sirius.
"There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... he's gone."
Harry's head was filled with a loud buzzing as he snapped up in bed. His alarm clock was yelling at him as a cold sweat dripped down his neck and back.
"What a happy bloody birthday present I have gotten this year. Fantastic." Harry mumbled turning over in his bed. The red light from the alarm clock shown all over the room.
"Bloody brilliant. How am I supposed to go to sleep now?" Harry asked himself, "How would Ron or Hermione get back to sleep.?"
What a stupid question. Ron never had trouble going to sleep. Or eating for that matter. All Hermione had to do was read for a couple hours. Or days.
He decided to take a leaf out of Hermione's book. Picking up a book Ron sent him on his favorite Quidditch team, the Chuddly Cannons. What fun, Harry though. Amazingly, the leaf worked. Within minutes he was sound asleep.
Harry was back in the Defense Against the Dark Arts room when Lupin was there. He turned around, and the whole school was sitting in their Great Hall dinner places. When Harry turned around standing behind the podium was. Sirius?! He was wearing Cannon's Quidditch robes. Lupin sat in the very back of the Great Hall.
Sirius was talking about the Cannon's guaranteed defensive line up. In the middle of his speech, Sirius said ".in the 1926 game they used the "Happy Birthday Harry" technique." Harry spun around to look at his former Godfather.
"Are there any questions?" Sirius continued, "Yes you in the back?" Harry couldn't make himself turn away from Sirius's image. He could tell by the voice that it was Ron. "How many years did Ratonia Dracona play for the Cannons?"
Sirius answered, "I love you, Harry. Class is dismissed." With that Harry woke up. He managed to suppress a yell to a loud swear. He was rewarded with Uncle Vernon groaning at him.
Still stunned Harry sat quietly on his bed. Slowly he tuned into real life. His alarm clock flashed and yelled at him again. An owl flew and started to peck at his window. Harry walked to his window and let a tiny annoying owl.
"Mornin' Pig. How's your night been?" Harry yawned. Pig hooted merrily around his head as Harry sat down.
"Shut that ruddy owl up!" Uncle Vernon yelled, followed by two large cracks and Pig squealing his head off. Harry had the distinct impression that his leg was split in half.
A voice in the dark said, "Ahhh.Bugger!", quickly followed by another exact voice, "Oy, Harry! What's goin' on?
"What the hell is going on in there Harry?" demanded Uncle Vernon. "Uhhh. Nothing Uncle. Its just my alarm clock. That's all." Uncle Vernon grunted and shuffled his massive self to his bedroom.
"Fred? George? What are you two doing here?" Harry questioned his visitors.
"What we can't visit our benefactor on his birthday?" one of the Weasley twins asked.
"Lumnos" muttered Harry. His wand on his bed stand flared up. "You two sure have gotten good at Apperating on my legs."
"Sorry 'bout that mate. But on to business! We are here to collect you and your things," Fred exclaimed happily. "Mum said you were more than welcome to our house. Fred and I think she loves you more than us." George said in a very false seriousness, "Come on chap, time for you to go." The twins helped Harry pack his few belongings into his Hogwarts trunk.
Suddenly, Aunt Petunia's voice thew its' self full force at Harry's door. "Harry, you little rat you! Open this door right this Opph!" Aunt Petunia never ever tripped on the stairs. Harry ran to his door, not because he was worried, but because he wanted his last memory of this house to be horsy Aunt Petunia face first on the stairs. Harry flung the door open, but instead of seeing a thin, stretched face surrounded by mousy brown hair he saw a shock of short, spiked blue hair perched on top of a round, young face.
"Tonks!" Harry yelled.
Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her.
"Come on, you can do better than that!" he yelled, his voice echoing around the huge room.
The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.
The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock. Harry released Neville, through he was unaware of doing so. It seemed to take Sirius ages to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging from the arch...
And Harry saw the look of mingled fear and surprise to his godfather's wasted, once-handsome face as he fell through the ancient doorway and disappeared behind the veil, which fluttered for a moment as through a high wind had grabbed it up and then fell back into place. Harry heard Bellatrix Lestrange's triumphant scream, but he knew Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the other side any second...
But Sirius did not reappear....
"Sirius?" Harry yelled. "SIRIUS!"
He had reached the floor. His breath coming in painful gasps. Sirius must be behind the curtain he could pull him out again.
Then, Lupin came to Harry telling him it was too late for Sirius but Harry knew it was not true. Lupin was pulling him away from Sirius.
"There's nothing you can do, Harry... nothing... he's gone."
Harry's head was filled with a loud buzzing as he snapped up in bed. His alarm clock was yelling at him as a cold sweat dripped down his neck and back.
"What a happy bloody birthday present I have gotten this year. Fantastic." Harry mumbled turning over in his bed. The red light from the alarm clock shown all over the room.
"Bloody brilliant. How am I supposed to go to sleep now?" Harry asked himself, "How would Ron or Hermione get back to sleep.?"
What a stupid question. Ron never had trouble going to sleep. Or eating for that matter. All Hermione had to do was read for a couple hours. Or days.
He decided to take a leaf out of Hermione's book. Picking up a book Ron sent him on his favorite Quidditch team, the Chuddly Cannons. What fun, Harry though. Amazingly, the leaf worked. Within minutes he was sound asleep.
Harry was back in the Defense Against the Dark Arts room when Lupin was there. He turned around, and the whole school was sitting in their Great Hall dinner places. When Harry turned around standing behind the podium was. Sirius?! He was wearing Cannon's Quidditch robes. Lupin sat in the very back of the Great Hall.
Sirius was talking about the Cannon's guaranteed defensive line up. In the middle of his speech, Sirius said ".in the 1926 game they used the "Happy Birthday Harry" technique." Harry spun around to look at his former Godfather.
"Are there any questions?" Sirius continued, "Yes you in the back?" Harry couldn't make himself turn away from Sirius's image. He could tell by the voice that it was Ron. "How many years did Ratonia Dracona play for the Cannons?"
Sirius answered, "I love you, Harry. Class is dismissed." With that Harry woke up. He managed to suppress a yell to a loud swear. He was rewarded with Uncle Vernon groaning at him.
Still stunned Harry sat quietly on his bed. Slowly he tuned into real life. His alarm clock flashed and yelled at him again. An owl flew and started to peck at his window. Harry walked to his window and let a tiny annoying owl.
"Mornin' Pig. How's your night been?" Harry yawned. Pig hooted merrily around his head as Harry sat down.
"Shut that ruddy owl up!" Uncle Vernon yelled, followed by two large cracks and Pig squealing his head off. Harry had the distinct impression that his leg was split in half.
A voice in the dark said, "Ahhh.Bugger!", quickly followed by another exact voice, "Oy, Harry! What's goin' on?
"What the hell is going on in there Harry?" demanded Uncle Vernon. "Uhhh. Nothing Uncle. Its just my alarm clock. That's all." Uncle Vernon grunted and shuffled his massive self to his bedroom.
"Fred? George? What are you two doing here?" Harry questioned his visitors.
"What we can't visit our benefactor on his birthday?" one of the Weasley twins asked.
"Lumnos" muttered Harry. His wand on his bed stand flared up. "You two sure have gotten good at Apperating on my legs."
"Sorry 'bout that mate. But on to business! We are here to collect you and your things," Fred exclaimed happily. "Mum said you were more than welcome to our house. Fred and I think she loves you more than us." George said in a very false seriousness, "Come on chap, time for you to go." The twins helped Harry pack his few belongings into his Hogwarts trunk.
Suddenly, Aunt Petunia's voice thew its' self full force at Harry's door. "Harry, you little rat you! Open this door right this Opph!" Aunt Petunia never ever tripped on the stairs. Harry ran to his door, not because he was worried, but because he wanted his last memory of this house to be horsy Aunt Petunia face first on the stairs. Harry flung the door open, but instead of seeing a thin, stretched face surrounded by mousy brown hair he saw a shock of short, spiked blue hair perched on top of a round, young face.
"Tonks!" Harry yelled.