A return to Privet Drive returned drought to Harry's life. The deadly sun had transformed the once lush, sleepy town of Little Whinging, Surrey into a barren wasteland. Harry looked down the street from his post under the dead tree in the front yard, he seemed to be the only living thing on the road, as every other living creature in the surrounding neighborhood were hiding in cold, air conditioned homes-or on vacation to some frozen mountain region.
He looked longingly at his previous spot under the window. The dirt in the flowerbed had long since dried and cracked. To be truthful, you could no longer call the flower bed a 'flower' bed, as there was just more dust in it than anything else.
Mr. Number five, Privet Drive, was heavily fined during the start of summer. His lawn now reflected a lovely shade of death, like their surroundings.
The summer, so far, had been meaningless at best. With the added threat of Harry's protectorates, the Dursleys had simply taken to ignoring him. To his displeasure, Uncle Vernon still refused to allow him to watch the news.
With Sirius' death, things had suddenly become very ordinary. Ron was at a loss for words, and in his letters, had simply taken to talking about the Chudley Cannon's latest game. Hermione had at first wanted to discuss it with him, but it wasn't the type of thing that Harry wished to talk about. He had even stopped sending Hedwig to her in hopes that she would be unable to communicate with him for the summer. Hermione had been herself, and Harry was not very surprised when a letter turned up on his pillow from her.
As the sun finally invaded the bit of shade Harry had taken refuge under, he went in side the house. He quickly rushed behind the chair that his uncle sat idly in, and went to his room. It was to no surprise that he found a few letters waiting for him. He shifted through the total of three letters. Unsurprisingly, the first one was a checkup letter from Moody. The ex-Auror had taken to sending a rather hefty amount over the break. The second seemed to contain a blank piece of parchment. They were being sent all summer it seemed. He had asked Lupin about them-Lupin confiscated one for analysis, and suggested that he find a way to burn the rest of them. Harry simply slid it under his bed, with the a few others he had received. His heart gave a leap when he glanced at the last letter. It was his owl results. His fingers shook as they ripped the seal of his future. He felt like Hermione for a second.
Ordinary Wizarding Level
Examination Results for: Potter, Harry J.
Released by Griselda Marchbanks,
Department Head of Wizarding Examinations Authority,
Ministry of Magic
Passing Scores Failing Scores
O = Outstanding P =
Poor
E = Exceeds Expectations D = Dreadful
A = Acceptable T =
Terrible
Arithmacy
Theory N/a
Practical N/a
Astronomy
Theory O
Practical A
Care of Magical Creatures
Theory O
Practical O
Charms
Theory O
Practical O
Defense Against the Dark Arts
Theory O
Practical O
Divination
Practical P
Herbology
Theory E
Practical E
History of Magic
Theory P
Muggle Studies
Theory N/a
Potions
Theory E
Practical O
Transfiguration
Theory O
Practical O
Overall : Outstanding (14 passed, 2 failed)
Harry nearly collapsed with the huge amount of relief that overcame him. The shock that he had gotten so many owls overwhelmed him. He quickly sat down to scrawl a letter to Hermione, he consciously decided not to tell Ron about his achievement so prematurely, as a great deal teasing was ensured.
Just as he sent off Hedwig, a knocking could be heard at the door. Harry closed his window, and fell back onto his bed. He sighed deeply. His uncle was talking to someone down the stairs. The other voice belonged to a male, it was rather deep. He knew that voice from somewhere, he had a feeling he should recognize it. It calmed him to hear it.
It hit him like a ton of bricks. He knew that voice. It was Sirius! Harry jumped off his bed, eyes wide. Sirius, he had returned for him. Harry rushed out his door, down the hall, and took the stairs-three at a time! Harry made it to the bottom of the stairs and saw his god father with his very own eyes.
"Sirius!" he shouted with joy. Sirius looked exactly like he had remembered. Exactly like he had looked before he fell through the veil. From the uncombed hair to the short facial hair on his face. Vernon was hiding behind his beloved chair, he noticed.
"Oh, uh, hi Harry." Said the man, with a half-wave, looking rather guilty. "Harry, it's time to go. Pack your things, I'll wait down here."
"Oh... sure thing, Sirius." Harry jumped with joy by the thought of his godfather's return. He rushed up the stairs and quickly 'packed' the trunk that had never really been unpacked, before rushing to the bottom, once again.
"Well, seeya." the figure half waved to the scared Vernon, before motioning to Harry to head out the door.
There were a million questions that were on Harry's mind at the time. He didn't mean to let them all go at once, especially out in the open, but when the door closed, it seemed as if his mouth was a dam. He had to let all his water out.
"Where have you been, Sirius? Why didn't you write to me? Did you miss me? I missed you so much. How are you doing? Did you get hurt?"
"Wowa, kid. I think you should sit down." Said the figure. Sirius Black steered Harry to a seat on a bench outside Number four. He stared straight into Harry's eyes for a second before he began to change. Harry stared in awe as the face and body of Sirius Black morphed into the face and body of Tonks. Harry's face showed extreme disappointment.
"Oh... Harry, I am so sorry-"
"He's not coming back, is he?"
"No..." she comforted him. "He has gone on forever.
I am sorry I had to do that Harry-"
He snapped back into reality. "Why did you have to do that?"
"Well, the Order is in crisis. You see. We have a problem for you, worse than you-know-who."
"What could be worse than Voldemort?" Harry asked.
Tonks shivered at the use of his name. "Well, it appears that a Halfblood, by the name of Rowling, has written a manuscript. When the ministry found out about it, they attempted to use memory charms to erase the whole incident, but it seems that quite a few people have now read it, and it is proving to be a rather large task."
"But what does this have to do with me?"
"Well, you see, the book is about you. Somehow, she has found out several things about your first year, and is publishing them all in the muggle world. I am not sure if it is all true, but she seems to be accurate enough to worry Dumbledore quite a bit. So, he sent me to get you out of this location." She smiled.
"I still don't understand, why did you have to look like Sirius?" Harry inquired.
"Well, there was a need for a little speed. You see, we had to scare the muggles into letting us take you quickly. We would have just sent Mad-eye, but it seems that we can't find him." She wrinkled her nose.
"Does that mean what I think it means?" Harry swallowed, thinking back to his fourth year.
She looked puzzled for a moment or two, before she realized what he meant. "Heaven's no, Mad-eye has made himself owl proof, they all go directly to his home, instead. He has bewitched himself so no tracking spells or potions can work, and he constantly takes the liberty to go some place without telling us. Chances are that he is sitting in a pub some place. So now, all questions answered, shall we go?" She extracted an old shoe from the mass of cloaks she was wearing. He gave her a look. "Portkey," she confirmed, "it activates when we both hold it, so grab your stuff with one hand, and touch the shoe with your other. Don't worry, your owl will find you alright."
A moment later both Tonks, and Harry had disappeared from Little Whinging