The rain was pounding on small circular glass window of the airplane. Elisabeth Anne Parker, called Elisa by those who know her well, sat and dreamily stared out the window. She wasn't much for flying and was beginning to feel a sinking sensation in her stomach as the plane slowly descended. She hated muggle ways of transportation, and was silently cursing her sister, whom was sitting beside her. Amy Lee Parker grabbed a tight hold on Elisabeth's hand as the plane hit the landing. Amy was a muggle, much to her own disgust. She would have given anything to be as lucky as her older sister. Elisa was pretty, with light brown hair and fierce almond brown eyes with a slim and tall figure while Amy was short, with blonde curls that were slightly wispy and eyes the color of a very dull blue.
Indeed, the two were opposites in every way shape and form. Elisa was athletic, Amy was girly. Amy was creative and artsy, Elisa wasn't. So things were mostly balanced... but Amy felt the bitterness of life every time her sister left for wizardry school in the fall and every time her mother performed a spell.
At a time like this Amy felt especially bitter. Her mother had decided to move to Britain, to enroll Elisa in Hogwarts, which was known as the best wizardry school in the world. Amy wasn't really clear on why they had to move half way across the globe, but she was dead set against it. In the end it came out that her mother also had a reason for moving and if they didn't they would all be in immediate danger. So with all of their lives on the line, they packed up, left America, and were now in London.
As they left the plane, Amy felt her life slip away as she knew it. She realized in a flash that every thing would be different.... If only she had known how much different.
It was early in the summer holidays and already Harry Potter had begun to feel himself pine away for the school to begin. The Dursleys stayed out of his way and he stayed out of theirs. He spent most of his time alone, reading and sometimes just thinking, since he had nothing else to do. The anger and pain built inside from the death of his godfather, Sirius, was held inside through the day but came hurtling at his subconscious at night. He hardly slept, due to the horrible nightmares that interrupted his slumber. He often remembered life before Hogwarts and tried to see if it was better than now. Before he would have easily said yes, but now he wasn't so sure. A lot of hurtful memories had burned their outlines in the back of his head and he couldn't escape them.
Four weeks before his birthday, the most exciting thing to happen in four years (since the Weasleys came and picked him up in a flying car) happened to privet drive. The Dursleys' next-door neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Devon were getting a divorce and selling the house. Aunt Petunia began busy gossiping and Uncle Vernon began unloading his concerns.
"Petunia, let's just hope we get normal neighbor this time around. The Devon's were always a tad dodgy," Uncle Vernon said at breakfast one morning, while stuffing his extremely red face with bacon and eggs. Aunt Petunia agreed as she meekly poured the coffee and offered Dudley his fourth helping of eggs. Harry found all of this pointless... he was never allowed to talk to the neighbors anyway.
Two weeks after the news was announced of the Devon's departure, it became news that a highly respectable American would be moving into the Devon's old house with her two daughters. Aunt Petunia instantly became obsessed with cleaning the house and doing yard work. "We have to show these Americans that we are respectable people as well," she stated firmly to anyone who would listen. Uncle Vernon also became enthusiastic about the movers because word had it they were very well known, and could pull a few strings to get him that big promotion. Since she got no help out of Dudley (who sat around watching TV or going around with his cronies), Harry was normally put to work with the tedious chores. Harry felt no anticipatation whatsoever.
On the day of Harry's 16th birthday, he was awoken by the sounds of the moving vans.
He had no idea of the surprise that awaited him.