Chapter 1: Newfound Feelings
It was a cool August morning and Harry awoke two hours early. This was mainly due to the fact that he'd been anxious about that day for a long time now. In a single day, he would be back on the Hogwarts Express, heading back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, something felt different this time around. He felt like something was going to happen. Something that would very well change his life. He had no idea of what this could be though. He knew he would be graduating from Hogwarts at the end of the last term, and finally be able to use magic as he pleased outside of school.
He sat in his bed, blankets still covering him, thinking.
A few hours later, he got up to the sounds of Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia in the kitchen downstairs. As he walked out of his room, he heard a loud snore, telling him that Dudley had not woken up yet. He walked down the stairs, and Uncle Vernon snapped around as soon as Harry stepped on the creaky last step, probably thinking that Harry was Dudley. He grunted and then turned his head away again, disappointed. Harry was used to this treatment, but this year would be the last year he would have to live with the Dursley's.
"Last year!" Harry sighed heavily as he headed for the kitchen.
"What, boy?" Uncle Vernon spat.
Harry ignored this and walked right into the kitchen, and again was mistaken for Dudley, although Harry couldn't possible see the resemblance.
"Duddykins! My b...oh...you!" She said, and went back to cooking breakfast.
She served Harry a half-cooked egg and cold toast.
Then Harry heard booming coming from inside the living room. Dudley was up.
He ran into the kitchen and not even hugging Aunt Petunia, just took his pre-prepared and fully cooked eggs and toast. His plate was enormous. Harry sleepily stabbed at his egg.
He got up from the table and walked outside, leaving the eggs untouched, but not for long. Dudley, seeing that Harry was out of viewing range, tipped the contents of Harry's plate onto his own and ate them greedily.
Harry had fallen asleep on a bench outside, and was woken by the roar of something huge. Harry, rubbing his eyes frantically, realized it wasn't a roar when he saw what it was coming from.
"Hullo, Sirius." Harry said happily as the huge black dog transformed back into his godfather.
"Harry! Nice to see you again!" Sirius said, hugging his godson as if he had just met him for the first time.
"Um, Sirius, you saw me two days ago." Harry said, laughing.
"I know!" Sirius said. Apparently, this didn't matter to him.
Sirius' name had be cleared the previous year due to the fact that Peter Pettigrew's secret, that he was living, was out and widely spread over the world.
Harry could finally go and live with him, but he needed to stay on Privet Drive until his graduation to be under the protection of Arabella Figg, a witch who was protecting Harry ever since he was born, even if he didn't know it for a long time.
He thought about telling Sirius about his feelings about the coming year, but thought it best to wait a while.
Sirius and Harry talked out on the front lawn of number four Privet Drive until they heard a faint popping sound and was face-to-face with none other then Fred and George Weasley. They had graduated from Hogwarts a couple of years previous to that, but were still seen by Harry frequently, due to the fact that they owned a joke shop in Hogsmeade.
"Hello Harry. Sirius." Said George.
"Shall we?"
"Shall we what?" Harry said, not knowing what they could mean. Surely they didn't want him to apparate. He couldn't yet, at least he couldn't legally, and he might end up on the other side of the world even if he tried.
"Are you a wizard or not?" Fred said, winking at Harry.
"Come on! Apparate! You're taking the classes!" Sirius said.
"If we apparate with you, they can't track it!" Fred said.
"I might end up in California or Alaska!" Harry said, although he knew that probably wouldn't happen, since he was the best apparator in the class next to Hermione.
"Ok, but you have to promise to come and find me if I get lost!" Harry said.
"Fine!" Sirius, Fred, and George said simultaneously.
Harry shut his eyes hard and concentrated on nothing else but the Burrow.
There was a pop, a whooshing feeling, and he opened his eyes to see himself standing right in front of the large house that he knew was the Burrow.
"Phew!" He let out a sigh of relief right before he found himself being squeezed by Mrs. Weasley. She had loved Harry like a son; that was no secret. Sometimes she gave Harry better treatment than her own sons would get.
"I missed you Harry, dear!" She squealed, hugging him tighter, if possible.
Then Ron came running out of the front door towards Harry, but didn't hug him. Thank goodness, Harry thought, as he walked up to Ron's room while Sirius and Mrs. Weasley talked. She loved Sirius now, too. Ever since he was proven innocent and had his name cleared, she treated him like a brother.
"Sirius!" Harry yelled down the stairs to him.
"I left my stuff at the Dursley's and..." Harry stopped when he heard a loud bang, which told him that his things had just arrived.
"Thanks!" He said, shutting Ron's door.
They heard giggling later as they descended the stairs for dinner.
"Ginny and Hermione!" Ron said, rolling his eyes. The two girls were almost completely inseparable. They were the absolute best of friends.
The Weasley's were a bit richer ever since Fred and George opened their joke shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
The house had a respectable amount of new furniture and was a lot more tidy.
At the dinner table, Sirius was already seated, waiting for the food. Fred and George were seated to his right, and Arthur Weasley, who Harry hadn't seen yet, was to their right.
"Harry! How are you?" Mr. Weasley said, holding out a hand to him.
"Fine! You?" Harry said, politely.
"Fine! Fine! Sit!" He said, pointing to the two vacant seats next to him.
They had just sat down when they heard more frantic giggling and two pairs of feet running happily down the stairs.
"Harry!" Hermione and Ginny both yelled and ran to hug him.
"Ron, why didn't you tell me that Harry had arrived?" Hermione said sternly to Ron. Harry had his reasons to think the two were developing feelings for each other since the fourth year. Hermione constantly bugged him and pushed him around, and Ron retaliated, but both seemed to enjoy each other's teasing.
"Dunno...I forgot I guess." Ron said casually, as his mother placed a few bowls full of food on the table.
Hermione shook her head disapprovingly and sat down.
At the end of dinner, Hermione and Ginny had once again gone up to Ginny's room and locked the door. The giggles just wouldn't stop. Harry's guess was that they were talking about him and Ron. Everyone knew how Ginny felt about Harry, but no matter how much she liked him, Harry didn't feel the same for her. He liked her as a best friend and all, but it seemed that his heart wanted someone else, though Harry couldn't begin to guess who.
Harry slept in Ron's room, but was up for a long time, looking at Fred and George's new products.
Harry had a hard night. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was having. He knew it now: something was going to happen that would ultimately change his life.
This was driving him crazy. He knew what he had to do.
"Sirius?" Harry whispered as he gently poked Sirius awake.
"What?" Sirius grumbled, sitting upright and rubbing his eyes.
"I...I have something I need to talk to you about..." Harry said, sitting.
Harry told him all about his feelings and Sirius looked more than pleased, as if he had the exact solution.
"Seems to me, Harry, that your subconscious knows, or more like feels something that you don't seem to know." Sirius said with a wide, ear-to-ear grin.
"What, Sirius? What? It's driving me crazy!" Harry said, frustrated.
"I think," Sirius said, putting a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder, "that's something you need to find in yourself."
"Sometimes I think your psychic!" Harry said.
"Maybe I am!" Sirius said, winking.
The next morning, of course, was September the first, the first day of term at Hogwarts.
After biding her children, Harry, and Hermione goodbye, Mrs. Weasley apparated and left everyone to Sirius.
"Now...find a compartment!" He said as the kids, who were hardly kids anymore, got on the train.
"I'll be up front!"
It seemed like two seconds went past since they woke up; that was how fast everyone was going. All of them were so eager to get to Hogwarts, for, most of them, were going to be graduating that year. Harry would miss it all, though. The common room, the dormitories, the Great Hall and the feasts there, the classes, the teachers (except Snape), and most of all, Dumbledore.
They were all so happy, sitting there in the compartment, eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that the old witch had given them for free, as it was their last year.
Just when everyone thought it couldn't get better than it was now, it got as bad as it could go.
Who should walk into their fun and ruin it but Draco Malfoy and, of course, Crabbe and Goyle.
"And you're here because...?" Ron said, looking angrier every second.
"Shut up, Weasley! Thought we'd join in on the fun!" Malfoy drawled, as usual.
The whole group looked as if someone punched every single one of them in the stomach.
"You though I was serious?" Draco said, giving a short, shallow laugh.
"You better knock some sense into them, Potter." He said, shutting the door behind him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron yelled to the door as if Malfoy was still there.
"If I didn't know any better," Hermione started, "I would say that that little git just complimented you!"
Did he? Had Malfoy just complemented him? Him? Harry Potter?
For once, for one rare moment, he didn't feel angry at Draco.
No, not Draco, Harry cursed himself for thinking of him as Draco instead of Malfoy.
It was a cool August morning and Harry awoke two hours early. This was mainly due to the fact that he'd been anxious about that day for a long time now. In a single day, he would be back on the Hogwarts Express, heading back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. However, something felt different this time around. He felt like something was going to happen. Something that would very well change his life. He had no idea of what this could be though. He knew he would be graduating from Hogwarts at the end of the last term, and finally be able to use magic as he pleased outside of school.
He sat in his bed, blankets still covering him, thinking.
A few hours later, he got up to the sounds of Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia in the kitchen downstairs. As he walked out of his room, he heard a loud snore, telling him that Dudley had not woken up yet. He walked down the stairs, and Uncle Vernon snapped around as soon as Harry stepped on the creaky last step, probably thinking that Harry was Dudley. He grunted and then turned his head away again, disappointed. Harry was used to this treatment, but this year would be the last year he would have to live with the Dursley's.
"Last year!" Harry sighed heavily as he headed for the kitchen.
"What, boy?" Uncle Vernon spat.
Harry ignored this and walked right into the kitchen, and again was mistaken for Dudley, although Harry couldn't possible see the resemblance.
"Duddykins! My b...oh...you!" She said, and went back to cooking breakfast.
She served Harry a half-cooked egg and cold toast.
Then Harry heard booming coming from inside the living room. Dudley was up.
He ran into the kitchen and not even hugging Aunt Petunia, just took his pre-prepared and fully cooked eggs and toast. His plate was enormous. Harry sleepily stabbed at his egg.
He got up from the table and walked outside, leaving the eggs untouched, but not for long. Dudley, seeing that Harry was out of viewing range, tipped the contents of Harry's plate onto his own and ate them greedily.
Harry had fallen asleep on a bench outside, and was woken by the roar of something huge. Harry, rubbing his eyes frantically, realized it wasn't a roar when he saw what it was coming from.
"Hullo, Sirius." Harry said happily as the huge black dog transformed back into his godfather.
"Harry! Nice to see you again!" Sirius said, hugging his godson as if he had just met him for the first time.
"Um, Sirius, you saw me two days ago." Harry said, laughing.
"I know!" Sirius said. Apparently, this didn't matter to him.
Sirius' name had be cleared the previous year due to the fact that Peter Pettigrew's secret, that he was living, was out and widely spread over the world.
Harry could finally go and live with him, but he needed to stay on Privet Drive until his graduation to be under the protection of Arabella Figg, a witch who was protecting Harry ever since he was born, even if he didn't know it for a long time.
He thought about telling Sirius about his feelings about the coming year, but thought it best to wait a while.
Sirius and Harry talked out on the front lawn of number four Privet Drive until they heard a faint popping sound and was face-to-face with none other then Fred and George Weasley. They had graduated from Hogwarts a couple of years previous to that, but were still seen by Harry frequently, due to the fact that they owned a joke shop in Hogsmeade.
"Hello Harry. Sirius." Said George.
"Shall we?"
"Shall we what?" Harry said, not knowing what they could mean. Surely they didn't want him to apparate. He couldn't yet, at least he couldn't legally, and he might end up on the other side of the world even if he tried.
"Are you a wizard or not?" Fred said, winking at Harry.
"Come on! Apparate! You're taking the classes!" Sirius said.
"If we apparate with you, they can't track it!" Fred said.
"I might end up in California or Alaska!" Harry said, although he knew that probably wouldn't happen, since he was the best apparator in the class next to Hermione.
"Ok, but you have to promise to come and find me if I get lost!" Harry said.
"Fine!" Sirius, Fred, and George said simultaneously.
Harry shut his eyes hard and concentrated on nothing else but the Burrow.
There was a pop, a whooshing feeling, and he opened his eyes to see himself standing right in front of the large house that he knew was the Burrow.
"Phew!" He let out a sigh of relief right before he found himself being squeezed by Mrs. Weasley. She had loved Harry like a son; that was no secret. Sometimes she gave Harry better treatment than her own sons would get.
"I missed you Harry, dear!" She squealed, hugging him tighter, if possible.
Then Ron came running out of the front door towards Harry, but didn't hug him. Thank goodness, Harry thought, as he walked up to Ron's room while Sirius and Mrs. Weasley talked. She loved Sirius now, too. Ever since he was proven innocent and had his name cleared, she treated him like a brother.
"Sirius!" Harry yelled down the stairs to him.
"I left my stuff at the Dursley's and..." Harry stopped when he heard a loud bang, which told him that his things had just arrived.
"Thanks!" He said, shutting Ron's door.
They heard giggling later as they descended the stairs for dinner.
"Ginny and Hermione!" Ron said, rolling his eyes. The two girls were almost completely inseparable. They were the absolute best of friends.
The Weasley's were a bit richer ever since Fred and George opened their joke shop, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.
The house had a respectable amount of new furniture and was a lot more tidy.
At the dinner table, Sirius was already seated, waiting for the food. Fred and George were seated to his right, and Arthur Weasley, who Harry hadn't seen yet, was to their right.
"Harry! How are you?" Mr. Weasley said, holding out a hand to him.
"Fine! You?" Harry said, politely.
"Fine! Fine! Sit!" He said, pointing to the two vacant seats next to him.
They had just sat down when they heard more frantic giggling and two pairs of feet running happily down the stairs.
"Harry!" Hermione and Ginny both yelled and ran to hug him.
"Ron, why didn't you tell me that Harry had arrived?" Hermione said sternly to Ron. Harry had his reasons to think the two were developing feelings for each other since the fourth year. Hermione constantly bugged him and pushed him around, and Ron retaliated, but both seemed to enjoy each other's teasing.
"Dunno...I forgot I guess." Ron said casually, as his mother placed a few bowls full of food on the table.
Hermione shook her head disapprovingly and sat down.
At the end of dinner, Hermione and Ginny had once again gone up to Ginny's room and locked the door. The giggles just wouldn't stop. Harry's guess was that they were talking about him and Ron. Everyone knew how Ginny felt about Harry, but no matter how much she liked him, Harry didn't feel the same for her. He liked her as a best friend and all, but it seemed that his heart wanted someone else, though Harry couldn't begin to guess who.
Harry slept in Ron's room, but was up for a long time, looking at Fred and George's new products.
Harry had a hard night. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was having. He knew it now: something was going to happen that would ultimately change his life.
This was driving him crazy. He knew what he had to do.
"Sirius?" Harry whispered as he gently poked Sirius awake.
"What?" Sirius grumbled, sitting upright and rubbing his eyes.
"I...I have something I need to talk to you about..." Harry said, sitting.
Harry told him all about his feelings and Sirius looked more than pleased, as if he had the exact solution.
"Seems to me, Harry, that your subconscious knows, or more like feels something that you don't seem to know." Sirius said with a wide, ear-to-ear grin.
"What, Sirius? What? It's driving me crazy!" Harry said, frustrated.
"I think," Sirius said, putting a comforting hand on Harry's shoulder, "that's something you need to find in yourself."
"Sometimes I think your psychic!" Harry said.
"Maybe I am!" Sirius said, winking.
The next morning, of course, was September the first, the first day of term at Hogwarts.
After biding her children, Harry, and Hermione goodbye, Mrs. Weasley apparated and left everyone to Sirius.
"Now...find a compartment!" He said as the kids, who were hardly kids anymore, got on the train.
"I'll be up front!"
It seemed like two seconds went past since they woke up; that was how fast everyone was going. All of them were so eager to get to Hogwarts, for, most of them, were going to be graduating that year. Harry would miss it all, though. The common room, the dormitories, the Great Hall and the feasts there, the classes, the teachers (except Snape), and most of all, Dumbledore.
They were all so happy, sitting there in the compartment, eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that the old witch had given them for free, as it was their last year.
Just when everyone thought it couldn't get better than it was now, it got as bad as it could go.
Who should walk into their fun and ruin it but Draco Malfoy and, of course, Crabbe and Goyle.
"And you're here because...?" Ron said, looking angrier every second.
"Shut up, Weasley! Thought we'd join in on the fun!" Malfoy drawled, as usual.
The whole group looked as if someone punched every single one of them in the stomach.
"You though I was serious?" Draco said, giving a short, shallow laugh.
"You better knock some sense into them, Potter." He said, shutting the door behind him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ron yelled to the door as if Malfoy was still there.
"If I didn't know any better," Hermione started, "I would say that that little git just complimented you!"
Did he? Had Malfoy just complemented him? Him? Harry Potter?
For once, for one rare moment, he didn't feel angry at Draco.
No, not Draco, Harry cursed himself for thinking of him as Draco instead of Malfoy.