Harry Potter and the Spirit of Nephlor
By E. J. Malfoy
Chapter 1: Screams and Schemes
The silence around number 4 of Privet Drive was very little. Every few minutes there would be a scream from one of the rooms. One of the people that didn't really notice the screams was actually in the house. In the middle room upstairs, there sat a boy who neither wanted to nor cared what the screaming was all about. His name was Harry Potter. He had been sitting on his bed reading, what he thought, was an interesting read. It was called The Quidditch World Cup, A Stride for Glory, which was about how some of the most famous Quidditch players made their way to the winning of the cup. After a minute or two, he heard another scream come from the kitchen downstairs. When he heard it, he unpropped the book from his chest and laid it down beside him.
This boy, who was getting very irritated from the loud screams, was no ordinary boy. He may have looked it, even with his messy hair that he couldn't do anything with, but he wasn't. For one thing, this boy hated the summer holidays the most. Also, he longed to be at his school, Hogwarts. Another thing was he happened to be a wizard. And he was no ordinary wizard. Of course, not all wizards are the youngest player of Quidditch in a century, have werewolves and escaped convicts as friends, and have been hit by the killing curse, Avada Kedavra, and live to tell about it.
But none of these things bothered him. The only thing that really bothered him was that he had to spend the summer holidays with his only living relatives (excluding his godfather), the Dursleys. The Dursleys -- his uncle Vernon, his aunt Petunia, and his cousin Dudley -- could care less, even pay someone to, take Harry away. Harry had gotten used to it being that way.
Harry brushed back his jet-black hair, wiped away at his green eyes, picked up the book again, and started reading from the point he had just been. His reading was disrupted a minute later by a shriek of his name coming from the hallway.
"HARRY!" shouted a furious Uncle Vernon.
Harry quickly slid the book under loose floorboard under his bed and went out of his room to the hallway. There he found Uncle Vernon and Dudley in the hallway backing away from the stairs as if a lion were down there. Harry had seen Uncle Vernon mad before, so he was used to him screaming at him like a dumb animal. Even if he wasn't that scared of him, Harry looked as scared as he could.
"What did you do, Harry?" asked a frightened, but mad Uncle Vernon. His beefy body breathing fast and his big mustache shaking, Uncle Vernon looked like a mad pile of nerves. "Did you think you could play a joke on us or did you try to kill us?"
"What are you talking about?" asked Harry, confused as ever.
"Just go downstairs and catch it!" yelled Uncle Vernon.
"Yeah, catch it or you are going to pay," added Dudley, trying to hide behind Uncle Vernon.
Harry wanted to argue, but knew he would get nowhere. So, he went down the stairs cautiously and looked for what everyone was afraid of. There was a sudden scream that came from the kitchen where Harry immediately looked. There he noticed that Aunt Petunia was hunched up on the refrigerator. She was as scared as ever.
"Get it, Harry, get it!" she yelled, almost crying because of how scared she was.
When he looked down near the floor of the refrigerator he saw what was so scary. It was his book The Monster Book of Monsters. There it was barking and biting and snapping at the edge of fridge. Harry just went over to it, stroked the spine of the book, and the book calmed down and went flat open. Harry closed it and put it in a paper bag to rest. When Aunt Petunia finally got off the fridge, she thanked him and told him to go away. Harry calmly took the bag and brang it with him. He went up the stairs to his uncle and still frightened cousin.
"Is it gone yet?" asked Dudley, still shivering with fear.
"Yes, it's gone now," answered Harry, pointing to the paper bag in his hand.
Uncle Vernon calmed down and got back to his meanness. "So, how did this get out anyway?" he asked Harry, who didn't say a word. Harry now knew how it had gotten out. Last night, he had broken into his books to get his Quidditch one. He must have woken the book and it went out of the cupboard. Uncle Vernon eyeballed Harry for a moment and grew angrier since Harry didn't answer his question.
"Put that thing back with your other abnormal things, now!" barked Uncle Vernon. Harry obeyed and went down the stairs to put the book away.
"I think he did it on purpose," Harry could hear Dudley say with a fake but realized sniffle from the bottom of the stairs.
"Don't worry, Duddikins, we won't let that…that scoundrel hurt any of us," Uncle Dursley said. Harry rolled his eyes and continued down the stairs.
He unlocked the cupboard under the stairs, where he used to sleep, which now held all off his school things. He slipped in the book, closed the cupboard, and locked it. He immediately went back upstairs to see what Uncle Vernon would want next.
"Now go and clean up what that MONSTER did to our home," stated Uncle Vernon, as red in the face as ever.
Harry thought it was only a few things to clean up. How wrong was he. The living room had cotton from the sofa spread around. The kitchen had foods that were set up for lunch scattered about the floor and table. And the garage had spilled paint, oil, and sawdust in many places. Harry knew it was a large job he didn't want to do, but arguing would just make Uncle Vernon madder.
"I best get started," Harry sighed and started picking up the cotton that was under the chair next to the sofa.
In several hours, Harry had cleaned everything. He was tired, dirty, and hungry. Dinner had already been cooked, served, and eaten. His share of food was left upstairs for him. A single slice of cheese was laid on a plate on his bed. To make the Dursleys happy, he ate the cheese and laid back on his bed.
Later that night, Harry closed his door and went to the side of his bed. There he went under it and opened the loose floorboard that he held his things in. He took out some parchment with writing on it, some ink and quills, a thick slice of chocolate cake, and a hand-full of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum.
Harry had started on his report on Transfiguration events of the century, but not been able to finish. As he started finishing it, he took a bite of the chocolate cake. The cake had been sent with a note and present. When he tasted its goodness, he pulled out the note that had come with it. He read the note for the hundredth time:
Dear Harry,
Happy Birthday from the Weasleys and Hermione. I guess this cake says that you will always be welcome with us. Well, at least most times. Sorry, but you can't come over this time. Mum says that Dad wouldn't want to take anymore responsibility than he is already has from his work at the Ministry. So, we are going to get your supplies while we are in Diagon Alley. Hope the muggles treat you right. Hermione says hello, too. She and I bought this present for you. Hope you like it.
-
RonP.S. – Dad says there will be a surprise at Hogwarts this year, but can't tell what it is.
Harry looked up at his present he had gotten from Hermione and Ron. It was a broom case for his Firebolt. It was blue with snitch polkadots. He was proud to have Hermione and Ron as friends.
When Harry finished his report, he sat up in his bed and mummered, "I am happy that Hogwarts starts in 2 days." Then, he dosed off to sleep.
*******
The next day, Harry awoke with the fluttering of wings. Hedwig was on him with a note in his claw. Harry gave Hedwig a treat, unrolled the message, and read the piece of parchment:
Dear Harry,
We are coming to take you to King's Cross tomorrow since the muggles probably will forget about you. If you can, send back an owl. If you can't, send back an owl. Please say that you can come.
-
RonHarry became so happy, he jumped up and down on his bed. This angered Uncle Vernon downstairs; he was reading the paper. Uncle Vernon yelled, "Harry, stop your ruddy stomping!"
Harry quickly ran downstairs to meet Uncle Vernon in his armchair.
"What do you want?" Uncle Vernon asked.
Harry told him about what the Weasleys were doing. Harry tried not to act happy about it, otherwise, Uncle Vernon wouldn't let him go.
"Can they take me to King's Cross?" Harry asked in the kindest voice he had.
"I don't know, they were real trouble," said Uncle Vernon. He was probably thinking about the last time they came to pick Harry up. The result of it was the house being covered in soot and Dudley's tongue about 10 feet long.
"Then, I guess you will have to take me," said Harry, not letting Uncle Vernon see his grin by turning around. Harry knew how much Uncle Vernon hated to be connected with anything of the wizard nature.
"I guess it's OK," answered Uncle Vernon after some thought and a cringe.
Harry ran back upstairs and wrote an answer to Ron. He woke up Hedwig in her cage, gave her another treat, and sent her on to Ron.
The rest of the day was spent with reading his Quidditch book, finishing his cake, and cleaning out the garage again. It was about 7 PM when Hedwig returned. She gave him the note, nipped at his ear, and went to her cage to rest. Harry opened the note and it read:
That's great. We'll pick you up in the car at 3 PM tomorrow. Hope to see you well.
-
RonAt that, Harry dosed off to sleep early. Then someone was pushing him in his back, but he couldn't turn around to see whom. He could only hear a person going on and on about "kill, kill, must kill now". The feeling finally flew away and he awoke. He had tried to remember where he was now. Uncle Vernon, the Weasleys, Hogwarts, he thought. It was all coming back to him.
He got up, put on Dudley's old sweatshirt and pants, and got his school stuff from his room together. For this occasion, the Dursleys covered and locked the windows and doors. Harry did have to clean Dudley's room, but that was because Dudley lied that Harry threatened to curse him.
At 2:50 PM Harry sat on the porch with everything beside him. He then heard a familiar sound. It was two of the Ministry cars coming up Privet Drive. They came up to the driveway and stopped. The first one out of a car was Ron. He ran up to the porch with a smile on his face.
"Hey, Harry!" Ron said excitedly.
"Hey, Ron!" Harry said just as excitedly.
Then, out came Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They were dressed as if this was an important event.
"Oh, hello Harry. How was your summer? Are you feeling well? Did you get the chocolate cake? I'm so sorry if you didn't," Mrs. Weasley asked all at once.
"Now dear. Let's not startle him," said Mr. Weasley. He had a Ministry patch on his suit that shimmered blue with a big M on it. "So, how are you, Harry?"
"I'm fine," Harry answered.
The rest of the Weasleys came out to greet Harry, all except Percy. He was working on a file for his part of the Ministry. After a few minutes, Uncle Vernon peeked out of the door. Mr. Weasley noticed and didn't try what he had done last year. All he said was, "Hello, Mr. Dursley," and Uncle Vernon shut the door and locked it quickly.
"Well, we must be off," said Mr. Weasley at once. They added Harry's things to the luggage, got into the cars, and were off to King's Cross.
*******
A few minutes before they arrived at the train station. Fred and George Weasley both turned to Harry secretly.
"Hey, Harry," whispered George, "Did Ron tell you already?"
"Yeah, I think so. Do you mean the secret your dad told you guys about?" whispered Harry.
"No," whispered Fred, "About the way we spent the summer holidays?"
"Oh," he answered, surprised, "No, he didn't."
"Okay, then. We'll tell. You know how Mum made us promise to stop Wizard Weasley Wheezes, right? Well, we started something new."
"Yeah, and it's not illegal at all," George continued, "Look, we can't say much now, but later we will tell you all about it."
The Weasley twins are up to their stuff again
, Harry thought, I just hope they don't get in too much trouble. At this point, Harry was filled up with questions that needed answers. What is it that will be happening at Hogwarts? Will it change all of Hogwarts? And what kind of things have Fred and George come up with now? Harry knew these questions would have to have answers and soon. He just hoped he would be ready for them if something came out wrong. He trembled at the thought of it and stared out of the window because they were about to enter the King's Cross train station driveway.