Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince

Chapter 1: Padfoot's Return

"Vernon Dursley speaking."

"Oh yes, hello. I'd like to speak to Harry Potter."

"Who?"

"Why, Harry Potter, of course."

"Who the hell is Harry Potter?! Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm Padfoot. Let me speak to Harry Potter."

"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM!!!???"

"Dursley, I don't give a damn who you are, just let me talk to Potter! Unless you'd like me to just come on over to your house and…"

"ALL RIGHT!!!"

Uncle Vernon stalked into Harry's room, shaking so much that the phone seemed to be about to fall out of his hands any minute. "Who is this damn idiot?" he whispered dangerously, though he was shaking with panic.

"My godfather. Give me the phone."

Uncle Vernon thrust the phone into Harry's stomach, making Harry fall right on the bed. Then he walked away, muttering loudly.

"Sirius?" Harry said into the phone. "Is it you?"

"Who else could it be?"

"Since when did you know how to use a telephone?"

"Arthur told me."

"Ron's dad?"

"Yes." He paused. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Harry's eyes drifted to his photo album. Several pictures of his parents waved furiously at him, and a shaggy black dog, a stag, a rat and a wolf were swishing their tails back and forth.

"Sirius…"

"Yeah, Harry, what?"

"What happened to you when Bellatrix…well…you know…"

"Killed me? Well, at least, tried to?"

"Yeah."

"It was odd. I had died, at least my soul had. But not me. Not quite. Something…perhaps what got me out of Azkaban three years ago…just clicked. And I came back…I just returned. I had to. Maybe for you…or maybe for Moony…Maybe even for Wormtail.

"It just worked so quickly. I couldn't die, I wanted to see you." Sirius paused for a bit. "It's time you go back to Hogwarts – I told Arthur to think of some way to pick you up."

Just at that moment, Uncle Vernon came storming in a boomed angrily, "Done yet?"

"Harry!!!"

Harry woke up with a start and found himself spinning crazily, zooming through chimneys and fires of all kinds: kitchen fires, living room fires, game room fires. He finally began to slow down and he stopped himself, right at the foot of the Weasley kitchen fire. Something (or perhaps, two things) pushed him right down onto the rug laid out in front of it.

"Oof. Watch it!"

"OW! My foot!"

"You two just broke my back, you know."

"Oh…hi. Harry!"

Harry got up, pushing Ron and Hermione back on the floor ("Ouch!" they shouted). "Sirius is back," he said, feeling happier than ever.

"I know! Dad just told me yesterday."

"You never told me that!!!"

"Yeah, well, you never wrote to me, Hermione."

"Or me."

"Oh, do shut up, both of you." But she was grinning. Everyone felt as though they had just gulped a whole bottle of butterbeer in a split second.

"Harry!"

The Weasley twins were running towards Harry. Ron and Hermione jumped back just in time to avoid a collision. "Good to see you, ol' buddy," Fred (or was it George?) said happily.

"Hey, Fred. Hey, George. Hey, Percy."

Percy had just walked out of the room. "Oh, hello, Harry. Do please try to be quieter, I am trying to work on a report for Fudge."

"Oh, sorry if I disturbed you, mister know-it-all. You'll never get any sleep at this rate. Not that you deserve any." Everyone sniggered. Percy's eyes narrowed, and he stalked away.

"He hasn't changed a bit, has he?"

"Nah. If anything, he's gotten worse."

Harry laughed. It felt wonderful to be back in a world where he had friends…true friends…he loved being a wizard.