Not So Helpless

By The Purple Eyed Fox

Tuesday, 12 May, 2011

Chapter One

A Strange Package from the Unexpected

I told them it was stupid.

I told them it was maddening.

I told them I was downright pissed.

And yet they stillwouldn't give any information.

It's been two weeks! And still, all I get is We'llseeyousoon! Whenever that is. I was on the verge of sending them several long letters of the rudest cusses I had ever heard, and I knew quite a lot, courtesy of Peeves, Vernon and a few street kids I happened to like.

And to top it all off, I had to hear from the DailyProphetthat Sirius was free. Oh no, lets not tell Harry, it's too much information to hear his once fugitive godfather is free.

I can't believe Sirius didn't write a letter to me himself.

That's what hurt.

Not the lack of info or the crazy, horrifying dreams of watching Cedric die.

It was my godfather not even botheringto write to me atall. Okay, I guess, he might'vebeen place in a holding cell until the trial. And maybehe wanted to keep it a surprise.

Even though I was rather upset, Sirius was off the hook.

Ron and Hermione weren't.

I mean theywere the ones pissing me off. Even if Dumbledore told them so, I was their bestfriend, or are you telling me they've found old men make better friends compared to someone whose saved their skins from plenty of nasty things?

Stupid, isn't it?

I threw Hermione's letter from yesterday down and stalked out my door, out the front door (without a word to the Dursley's) and onto the street. Stupid friends, stupid Ministry, stupid Voldemort, stupid Dumbledore…life in general is stupid. Great, now I"m sounding like a stupid whining child.

I really need to find a word other than stupid.

I heard the customary footsteps behind me. This must be the klutzy girl.

Dumbledore's having me followed, just in case ickle Harry gets into trouble. Too bad his evil minions…ahem, his associates are damn pathetic at being invisible. Even while under an Invisibility Cloak.

Maybe I should turn around and tell her if she's going to follow me around she better be quiet…

…nah, I"m having too much fun.

I vaulted myself over the locked park gate and sat on one of the swings. I slightly rocked myself back and forth. I nearly burst out laughing when I heard klutzy trip, trying to vault over the park fence, although I shouldn't be laughing at someone else's pain.

I really don't know why I came here. It's boring, sweltering hot and dry as parchment. The browned grass was burning my feet although I had shoes on and I swearI could cook an egg on myself right now.

I saw the swing next to me sink a bit and a knew clumsy chick had sat down. My amusement from earlier had disappeared to be replaced with irritation.

"Stupid Dumbledore." I said, loud enough for her to hear. "Him and his school. Him – and – and EVERYTHING!"

I yelled so loud the birds flew out of the trees. Thinking of Dumbledore pissed me off badlythese days. It got me yelling. I even yelled at him in my sleep, and it scared the Dursley's off, which did me good.

I started muttering threats under my breath, hoping to scare her off. She shuffled away from me a bit, but didn't leave. I started muttering louder and more fiercely.

Wow this woman's got stamina.

Maybe I should start talking about burning down buildings? Nah, I don't want to look like a pyromaniac.

I got up and started walking towards the gate. I vaulted over once more, suppressing a snicker as I heard the gate creak open. Looks like she's scared of making a louder noise than that.

I walked further up the road and stopped at the corner. There was a short cut to the Dursley's house not far, and I could definitely outrun this chick following me.

I waited until I could hear her panting before suddenly sprinting down the street, over two fences and under a hedge. I could literally hear her scream of frustration. I was laughing all the way to the Dursley's.

Opening the front door, I ran upstairs and into my room, slamming the door behind me. Chortling, I turned to my desk. Only it didn't look like a desk anymore. I gaped at the packages, bigger than my head (and most bigger than my body). I could make out a trunk, but nothing more. Some that were too big for the desk or the spaces around it were on the bed or floor.

On the top of it all was a letter. It all looked innocent enough, except for the obvious fact that it wasn't. I slowly took a few steps forward, my hand reaching out to grab the letter. My hand stopped just an inch away. Biting my lip, and hoping the letter wasn't cursed, I picked it up.

When I didn't drop dead, I took a closer look at the letter. It seemedinnocent enough.

I tore it open and started reading the letter.

Greetings,

I"msureyou'rewonderingwhyyourroomhadsuddenlyturnedintoastoringshed.Thesethingsareimportant,andwillhelpyouimmensely.How?Goodquestion.

ButI"mnotheretoexplainthat.Youseethetrunk-shapedpackage?Right,wellit'satrunk.Ifyouopenthelid,itlookslikeanormal,albeitfancytrunkwithdrawersandcompartmentsandthelike.

When you close the lid, tap it and say what compartment you want to go to.

1 – Books (because the normal one is default)

2 – PotionsandIngredients(you'llfindthiswellstocked)

3 – Weaponry (this is explained with the instruction manual)

4 – Apartment

Ah,nowI'vepiquedyourinterest.Yes,insideisanapartmentthatislavishlydecoratedandfullyequippedforyourneeds.Yes,foodisthere.You'llhavetoexplore,becausetherearetwostories(again,seemanualforinstructionsandexplanations).Thereisakitchen,severalbedrooms,abathroomforeachbedroom,aduelingchamber,fivegreenhouses,twoduelingrooms(oneformagic,oneforweapons),apool,apotionslab,andmaybeafewotherthings.

Now,you'reprobablythinking "Whatthehell?" orsomethingalongthoselines.Well,youknowwhat?READTHEMANUAL!Beforeyoustarttearingthingsopenlikethere'snotomorrow,however,Ineedyoutoopenthesmall,longpackageunderneaththisletterandputthecharmon.Otherwiseyouwon'tbeabletoopenthetrunk.Oruseyourhandsfortherestofyourlife.

So long.

I stopped reading. The letter floated down to the floor, where it promptly transformed into an instruction manual.

The first thought through my mind?

!

Yep, that's right.

!

Then an explosion (in my mind) so big I was shocked my brains didn't splatter on the walls around me. I slowly picked up the parcel the person who wrote the letter was talking about.

Hesitantly, I tore off the packaging and opened the lid of the box.

The necklace itself was silver, silky and thin, and I realized it was ribbon. The charm was large and perfectly circular. Gold and flat backed, the only mark was a pure black tribal dragon on the front.

I stared at it for a moment. Well, it's now or never. I slipped it over my head.

Nothing seemed to change, except my world was much more colorful and detailed than it was before. Then I started tearing the paper off the next box. Every time all the wrappings fell off a box, it would transfigure itself into an instruction manual. I when I had a good look inside the box I would place the manual back in and place the box to the side.

Weapons (bows, arrows, swords, daggers etc), books, useful potions ingredients, Muggle clothes and robes, more necklaces (for other people who I trust, use with caution, blah blah blah), armor, wands (huh?), more books and other handy items. What intrigued me most was the familiar eggs (that's what they were called).

There were four of them. One was red and orange speckled, another was green and brown. The blue one was a deep color with a darker blue mixed in, making it look like waves. The last one was white and cream, and had strange swirls, like blowing wind.

I liked the last one the most.

When I managed to unwrap all of them (which took up most of my day), I turned to my trunk. Clearing my throat, I tapped my wand on it and said "Four."

The trunk opened and showed a set of stairs and a slide that looked like it was built for boxes. I grinned and sighed in relief. I started loading boxes onto the slide. They slid down automatically and I didn't hear any crashing so they hadn't spilt everywhere. I sent the eggs last, because I was scared to crack them.

Before I could walk down, however, Hedwig and a school owl soared through the open window. Damn stupid people, always writing at the wrong moments.

The school owl ruffled it's feathers pompously and took flight out the window. Hedwig nibbled my finger affectionately and flew to her perch. Sticking her leg out, she waited for me to take the letters. There were six of them. I untied them and opened the first one, which was from Hermione.

Hers and Ron's were the same old boring drabbles as usual. The next one was from Sirius. My hopes were suddenly raised.

Harry,

I"msorryIhaven'tbeenabletogetintouch.HaveyouseentheDailyProphet?Ifyouhave,you'llprobablyknowthatI"mnowFREE!Ifnot,I'llgiveyouamomenttorecover.

Recovered?

Good.Theofferstillstands;doyouwanttocomelivewithme?Ialreadyhaveahousenow,outinthecountry,withlargefieldsandlotsofprivacy.AndyoucanflyonyourFirebolttoo.Andwardsareupsoyoucandomagicallyoulike.Ofcourse,ifyoudon'twantto…?

Remusstaysheretoo(y'know,Prof.Lupin,Mooney,The "Wise" One).Itellhimtosetuppermanentresidence(hestaysheremostthetime,anyways),buthekeepssayingno.

I"mgoingon,aren'tI?

Reply soon!

Sirius

My breath hitched as I read the letter over and over again. I really can't believe it! No Dursley's, living with my godfather, privacy, Quidditch and magic; all in one go?

I knew Fate wasn't cruel all the time.

I hastily scribbled a reply.

Sirius

Yes,ofcourse!Youdon'tevenhavetoask!I"mjumpingupanddownandsquealinglikeafangirl!

…okay, that was dramatic.

Harry

I folded it up and placed it in an envelope. The next letter was from Ginny, surprisingly. I grinned.

Harry,

Yes,youreyedaren'tdeceivingyou.I"mwriting.Toyou.

Ijustwantedtoknowhowyouare,whatyourdoingandifINevilleandIcanvisityouwhenyougotolivewithSirius.Yeah,IKNOWyou'regoingtosayyes.

RonandHermionearebeingprats.They'vejoinedtheO****(sorry,butIcan'tsay.Iwilltell)andthinkI"mlowerdownthanthem.FredandGeorgearen'tasmeanaboutit,buttheydon'tsayanythingtomeanymore.I"mboredoutofmymind.

Luna'sheretoo.Shesayshi.She'sinmyyearandaRavenclaw.So,ifyoudon'tmindmeandNevillecomingover,Lunacancometoo?

Love,

Ginny

Neville was there? Cool! And Luna…hm, didn't I hear her name mentioned briefly?

Ginny,

Sure,Iwouldn'tmindthecompany.Siriusmightactlikeateenager,buthe'sgottheenergyofanoldman.Justdon'ttellhimthat.

I"mfine,boredbrainlessthough.Hey,IknowDumbledore'shavingmefollowed,sotellthatklutzygirlthatshesucksatbeingsneaky,nooffence,ofcourse.

WhatI"mdoing?Well,ItiredthatwomanItoldyouaboutoutandthenwhensheclosetomeasprintedthroughseveralshortcuts.IcouldHEARherscream.

I know, it was mean, but it WAS worth it.

See you whenever I can,

Harry

Neville's was he same as Ginny's, although he said that Ginny was driving him insane. So I addressed Ginny's to Neville (and Luna, as well) and opened the last letter from Hedwig.

Harry,

I"msureyou'veopenedSirius'sletterbeforemine(youbetterhave,orI'llowehimthreegalleons),soI"msureyouknowhe'sfree.Ifnotyou'vereadtheProphet.

Butanyways,I'llbepickingyouupthisafternoonandfive,sobeready.AndCOMPLETELYpacked.

From,

Remus

I turned to face the clock. So that gave me half an hour to pack.

"Shit!" I muttered and started throwing everything in my new trunk. I took down the posters and picked up the clothes and emptied the loose floorboard under my bed. I searched for my schoolbooks; I stole the books from the bookshelf that was left in here from Dudley (he won't notice).

I only had five minutes left. I flipped through the trunk instruction manual and merged the two trunks (they won't notice a thing). Shoving that back in the trunk, I searched for any other objects. When I found nothing, I sent the letters out before finally relaxing, just as the doorbell rang.

I pounded downstairs, just as Aunt Petunia opened the door. She stood stock-still. She looked like she was about to call me when I said "I"m here!"

"Oh, good." She sniffed.

"You packed?" Remus asked.

"Ayep!"

"The Cloak?"

"Mmhm."

"The Map?"

"Of course!"

"Good." He said.

"I'll just go up and get my trunk and I won't see you again, no matter how much I"m asked." I told Petunia, grinning brightly.

I ran up and pulled the handle on the trunk. Sprinting back downstairs, a gave the frozen Dursley's a cheery "Goodbye!" and dragged Remus away from the house.

"Someone had too much sugar."

"Ayep! How are we getting where we're going?"

"Knight Bus."

"Oh joy." I said sarcastically.

"I see you've traveled on it before."

I flung out my wand arm.

BANG!

A large, purple, three-decker bus was standing there. Remus raised an eyebrow.

"After you." I grinned.

We chose our seats (mine right next to something I could clutch) and we set off. It wasn't as bad as last time, and I laughed real hard when Remus fell off his seat for the third time. He scowled half-heartedly at me, but he looked like he was enjoying himself.

"So," Stan started, grinning at me. ""Ow you bin, "Arry? I "aven't seen you round for ages!"

"I've been fine. Brilliant, really. Much better than when you last saw me." I said conversationally.

We both laughed in reminiscence. Remus stared at me questionably. I recounted the tale of blowing up Marge to him, and in the end, me, him, Stan and the people who and heard the story were in stitches.

"T-that's priceless!" choked one guy beside me, clapping me on the back.

I grinned and told them about my other funny mishaps with magic. It was fair to say that when we reached our destination we were feeling light-headed and grinning like idiots.

"BYE STAN!" I shouted as the bus BANG!ed away.

"Come on, Harry. I think Ginny, Neville and Luna are waiting for you." Remus urged, dragging me this time. He seemed to want to avoid the subject of Ron and Hermione.

Good.

I wanted to too.

I just managed to grab my trunk. Remus looked like he could skip.

"Someonehad too much sugar!" I laughed, rushing ahead. "Hurry up, old man!"

"I"m not an old man!" Remus yelled, racing further. We started to race each other up the small and down the small hills.

"Come on!" I grinned when he started slowing down.

"Alright, I give up. You win!" he surrendered, panting.

"No way! Hurry up or I'll ask Fred and George to use their products on you!"

"Please!"

"Slow old man."

He tried hexing me, but I dodged.

"Come on." I cried. I started dragging him along the path. He groaned but complied.

Soon, we were at a country looking house. The house was an orange peach color. The roof was brown shingled, and the door and window frames were brown also.

All around us were pastures. A hill close by had a large tree with sweeping branches that almost touched the ground. I immediately saw this as a perfect relaxing and spell practicing place. There was a stable out near the back of the house. Why did we need a stable? Well, horse riding was a good skill to know, so I shouldn't say anything.

And leaning against the doorframe of the house was my grinning godfather.

"Sirius!"

End of Chapter