"Harry, you're a disgrace! I can't believe you managed to turn Mrs. Figgs into a cat!" Uncle Vernon roared, staring into my eyes with his squinty blue ones. "You've caused more trouble this summer than you've done on all your other vacations!"
I arched my eyebrows at him. "Really?" I murmured. "More trouble than when I turned Dudley into a piece of cake and fed him to you, Uncle Vernon?"
Uncle Vernon purpled as he rubbed his hand on his stomach, still remembering that dreaded summer. It was between my fourth and fifth year, and I had turned a bit of a rebel, figuring I was going to die from Voldermort's rise of power anyway.
But no, I'd survived. And I was still alive now, unfortunately. As I stood in front of Uncle Vernon, slumping my tall, gangly figure against the baby grand in the corner, I remembered how many times I had wished I were dead in the past three years. There had been a lot of trouble, a lot of sadness, and a lot of loss.
As I straightened now, rolling my eyes and heading for the door, I gave the "family" a flippant wave over my shoulder. "Bye, now, Dursley's. I've got to get going. You know, to Hogwarts."
Uncle Vernon opened his mouth to reply, but the purple color faded, being taken over by a whitish tint as I flicked my wand at the front door. It banged open. "What am I supposed to do about Mrs. Figgs?" he whispered hoarsely.
I turned around and smiled lazily. "Write a letter to the Ministry of Magic." Shrugging, I pointed to the owl I'd given them earlier that summer. "Flutter will know what to do with it."
"How dare-" but I cut him off before he could continue yelling at me. I gave them another wave and exited the cold, foreign house into the deep, warm summer night. I grabbed my heavy trunk and thumped down the front porch to the sidewalk, where I stuck out my wand hand and waited patiently. This is how I'd been getting to the Leaky Cauldron since the summer of my fourth year, when I'd gone one step too far with the Dursley's and Vernon had decided to stop giving me rides to King's Cross.
In a matter of minutes, the Knight Bus was roaring down my street. As it skidded to a halt, a pimple-less Stan stepped off. He smiled at me and took my trunk. Older now, he'd matured into a handsome man. "Looking good, Stan," I said as I climbed aboard.
He grinned and stared at the ground. "Aw, thanks man. But you know you look better."
I grinned in appreciation. "Thanks," I murmured. Stan always knew when I needed to be cheered up. "I'll take one bed and a hot chocolate."
As he threw my trunk in the luggage bin, he called over his shoulder, "So what's the news, Harry?" We asked each other this whenever we saw the other.
I shrugged. "Nothing much. I turned my old neighbor into a cat this summer." He grinned, always pleased to hear my childish antics. "My birthday's in two days."
"Yeah," he nodded, his forehead creased in concern. "I noticed we're picking you up about a week early. How come? Just couldn't take it anymore?"
I sighed as I threw myself on a bed, digging deeper into the covers. When my reply came, after a few seconds of thought, it was muffled. I'd pulled a pillow over my head. "I don't know. I'm gonna be seventeen, you know? This is my last year of security at Hogwarts. And, hopefully, my last year with the Dursley's. I have to rebel. I don't know." I shrugged again, though he couldn't see it.
"I know, man, I know how it is. That's how it was for me, too," he nodded knowingly as he trotted to the expresso bar to get my beverage. There was a moment of silence until I asked him what was up. He was so antsy he seemed about to bounce. "Aurora and I are gonna tie the knot, man."
I sat up. "You and Aurora?" I yelped. Yeah, they'd been going together for about two years now, but I'd never pictured them settling down to start a family. I shook my head in disbelief. "No way! Well, congratulations. When did you pop the question?"
He handed me the drink. "A couple months ago. I wanted to tell you right away, but I didn't have an owl handy. So…"
"Yeah?" I encouraged him, taking a sip and watching him pace. The bump, thump, and bang of the bus made him lurch about. He clenched his fists behind his back, his eyebrows still drawn together. Now that his acne had cleared up, everyone could notice his sharp, deep blue eyes and strong, masculine jaw. Aurora had been easily drawn to him. Obviously, now that they were marrying and all.
"Well, Harry... I was wondering: do you want to be my best man?"
The hot chocolate squirted out of my mouth. Mopping it up with a corner of the sheet, I stared at him incredulously. "Are you sure?" I asked. "I mean, don't you have a brother or a cousin or something?" Or a best friend? I thought to myself.
He shrugged. "My family and I aren't very close. It's a long, boring story. Will you do it?"
I nodded, grinning. "Sure, man. Just, you know, tell me when and stuff. When you figure out all the details or whatever." He smiled back easily, obviously relieved.
"Oh, well, Rory's got a cousin in the States she wants to be her Maid of Honor, so we'll have the wedding over there probably. I'll have her send you all the info. It won't be for another couple of months. Rory wants a Christmas wedding." He stood up. "Well, it looks like we've got another couple of stops to make. Diagon Alley, is it, Harry?" At my nod, he started to walk up the aisle. "Good talking to you, Potter."
"You too, Stan." I stared up at the ceiling, folding my hands behind my head. There were going to be so many changes this year. Everyone was growing up. Stan… me… what was my last year of school going to be like? It's not like I hadn't contemplated this for hours before. But now... well, I was really getting down to the nitty gritty. In a matter of days, I would officially be in my Seventh Year at Hogwarts.
My eyes were heavy when I finally was able to lift my feet and get my shoes off, placing them besides the bed. And then I dropped off into a relaxing, deep sleep.
~*~
When Stan woke me up, the bus was idling outside of the Leaky Cauldron. Ernie smiled at me tiredly as I got off the bus, lugging my trunk behind me. He was older now, and had been struggling with disease. He'd had a constant cold recently. As a coughing fit racked him, he choked out, "Have fun this year Harry. It's been good all these times on the Knight Bus. I'll miss you, kid." I grinned at him, giving my old pal a firm farewell handshake.
Glancing over my shoulder as I got off the bus, I jutted my chin at Stan. "Good luck, man, in marriage."
He smiled wearily. "I'll need it." I watched the two of them, the most unlikely pair you'd ever see, pull the door close and speed off. A couple seconds later there was a loud pop and the bus disappeared into thin air. Shaking my head, I turned my back to the street. And stared at the faded sign swinging above the all-too-familiar doorway.
I took a deep breath and entered the Leaky Cauldron.
I arched my eyebrows at him. "Really?" I murmured. "More trouble than when I turned Dudley into a piece of cake and fed him to you, Uncle Vernon?"
Uncle Vernon purpled as he rubbed his hand on his stomach, still remembering that dreaded summer. It was between my fourth and fifth year, and I had turned a bit of a rebel, figuring I was going to die from Voldermort's rise of power anyway.
But no, I'd survived. And I was still alive now, unfortunately. As I stood in front of Uncle Vernon, slumping my tall, gangly figure against the baby grand in the corner, I remembered how many times I had wished I were dead in the past three years. There had been a lot of trouble, a lot of sadness, and a lot of loss.
As I straightened now, rolling my eyes and heading for the door, I gave the "family" a flippant wave over my shoulder. "Bye, now, Dursley's. I've got to get going. You know, to Hogwarts."
Uncle Vernon opened his mouth to reply, but the purple color faded, being taken over by a whitish tint as I flicked my wand at the front door. It banged open. "What am I supposed to do about Mrs. Figgs?" he whispered hoarsely.
I turned around and smiled lazily. "Write a letter to the Ministry of Magic." Shrugging, I pointed to the owl I'd given them earlier that summer. "Flutter will know what to do with it."
"How dare-" but I cut him off before he could continue yelling at me. I gave them another wave and exited the cold, foreign house into the deep, warm summer night. I grabbed my heavy trunk and thumped down the front porch to the sidewalk, where I stuck out my wand hand and waited patiently. This is how I'd been getting to the Leaky Cauldron since the summer of my fourth year, when I'd gone one step too far with the Dursley's and Vernon had decided to stop giving me rides to King's Cross.
In a matter of minutes, the Knight Bus was roaring down my street. As it skidded to a halt, a pimple-less Stan stepped off. He smiled at me and took my trunk. Older now, he'd matured into a handsome man. "Looking good, Stan," I said as I climbed aboard.
He grinned and stared at the ground. "Aw, thanks man. But you know you look better."
I grinned in appreciation. "Thanks," I murmured. Stan always knew when I needed to be cheered up. "I'll take one bed and a hot chocolate."
As he threw my trunk in the luggage bin, he called over his shoulder, "So what's the news, Harry?" We asked each other this whenever we saw the other.
I shrugged. "Nothing much. I turned my old neighbor into a cat this summer." He grinned, always pleased to hear my childish antics. "My birthday's in two days."
"Yeah," he nodded, his forehead creased in concern. "I noticed we're picking you up about a week early. How come? Just couldn't take it anymore?"
I sighed as I threw myself on a bed, digging deeper into the covers. When my reply came, after a few seconds of thought, it was muffled. I'd pulled a pillow over my head. "I don't know. I'm gonna be seventeen, you know? This is my last year of security at Hogwarts. And, hopefully, my last year with the Dursley's. I have to rebel. I don't know." I shrugged again, though he couldn't see it.
"I know, man, I know how it is. That's how it was for me, too," he nodded knowingly as he trotted to the expresso bar to get my beverage. There was a moment of silence until I asked him what was up. He was so antsy he seemed about to bounce. "Aurora and I are gonna tie the knot, man."
I sat up. "You and Aurora?" I yelped. Yeah, they'd been going together for about two years now, but I'd never pictured them settling down to start a family. I shook my head in disbelief. "No way! Well, congratulations. When did you pop the question?"
He handed me the drink. "A couple months ago. I wanted to tell you right away, but I didn't have an owl handy. So…"
"Yeah?" I encouraged him, taking a sip and watching him pace. The bump, thump, and bang of the bus made him lurch about. He clenched his fists behind his back, his eyebrows still drawn together. Now that his acne had cleared up, everyone could notice his sharp, deep blue eyes and strong, masculine jaw. Aurora had been easily drawn to him. Obviously, now that they were marrying and all.
"Well, Harry... I was wondering: do you want to be my best man?"
The hot chocolate squirted out of my mouth. Mopping it up with a corner of the sheet, I stared at him incredulously. "Are you sure?" I asked. "I mean, don't you have a brother or a cousin or something?" Or a best friend? I thought to myself.
He shrugged. "My family and I aren't very close. It's a long, boring story. Will you do it?"
I nodded, grinning. "Sure, man. Just, you know, tell me when and stuff. When you figure out all the details or whatever." He smiled back easily, obviously relieved.
"Oh, well, Rory's got a cousin in the States she wants to be her Maid of Honor, so we'll have the wedding over there probably. I'll have her send you all the info. It won't be for another couple of months. Rory wants a Christmas wedding." He stood up. "Well, it looks like we've got another couple of stops to make. Diagon Alley, is it, Harry?" At my nod, he started to walk up the aisle. "Good talking to you, Potter."
"You too, Stan." I stared up at the ceiling, folding my hands behind my head. There were going to be so many changes this year. Everyone was growing up. Stan… me… what was my last year of school going to be like? It's not like I hadn't contemplated this for hours before. But now... well, I was really getting down to the nitty gritty. In a matter of days, I would officially be in my Seventh Year at Hogwarts.
My eyes were heavy when I finally was able to lift my feet and get my shoes off, placing them besides the bed. And then I dropped off into a relaxing, deep sleep.
~*~
When Stan woke me up, the bus was idling outside of the Leaky Cauldron. Ernie smiled at me tiredly as I got off the bus, lugging my trunk behind me. He was older now, and had been struggling with disease. He'd had a constant cold recently. As a coughing fit racked him, he choked out, "Have fun this year Harry. It's been good all these times on the Knight Bus. I'll miss you, kid." I grinned at him, giving my old pal a firm farewell handshake.
Glancing over my shoulder as I got off the bus, I jutted my chin at Stan. "Good luck, man, in marriage."
He smiled wearily. "I'll need it." I watched the two of them, the most unlikely pair you'd ever see, pull the door close and speed off. A couple seconds later there was a loud pop and the bus disappeared into thin air. Shaking my head, I turned my back to the street. And stared at the faded sign swinging above the all-too-familiar doorway.
I took a deep breath and entered the Leaky Cauldron.