Don't own, blah blah. Fifth year fic, starts during the summer. Hope you
like Blaze and Ryo (who comes in next chapter)
Harry woke once again to the angry face of Uncle Vernon. He flinched slightly as his uncle's tirade began. "That's the third time this week," he growled softly. Harry could see Dudley's face peering at him from the open doorway. "If I have to come down here and wake you up one more time."
"Sorry," Harry quickly interrupted. "I'm trying not to, honest." Ever since he'd left Hogwarts the year before, he'd been having dreams about the Triwizard incident. Nearly every night, Uncle Vernon woke him from terrifying dreams of cold red eyes that had him screaming.
"It had better not happen again," Uncle Vernon snarled, before quickly leaving the room. Harry knew he didn't dare do anything more than threaten him, after finding out that Harry's godfather was a convicted felon.
With a soft sigh, Harry's thoughts began to drift back to his dream. He'd seen Voldemort, as clear as day, seen him laughing that cold, high laugh, and seen Cedric's cold face after. He quickly forced his thoughts away from that matter and back to the present. He'd only just turned fifteen, a painful reminder that Hogwarts was still months away. He wanted nothing more than to be out of this horrible place, especially now that Voldemort was back in power.
With a sigh, he slipped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. He might as well see if he could help with breakfast and check the mail. Maybe Hermione or Ron had sent him a letter.
However, by the time he'd gotten downstairs, breakfast was ready and the Dursleys were already eating. Silently, Harry took his place at the table and grabbed the last pancake. He stared down at his plate, not wanting to see the angry glares he knew were being directed at him.
Number four, Privet Drive was always like this. Harry's aunt, uncle, and cousin despised him and the fact that he was a wizard-in-training. He was heading into his fifth year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry in a few months, and the Dursleys were extremely embarrassed by that fact. They despised anything having to do with magic, or anything out of the ordinary.
Having been forced to take Harry in fourteen years ago, they'd spent most of the time making his life miserable. Only recently had it gotten slightly better, with Harry attending Hogwarts for most of the year. The threat that he'd use magic on them or that his godfather would come for them slightly eased the pain of having to live with them.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts as the doorbell rang. He looked up to see Uncle Vernon glaring into the next room. His face turned several shades of red as he got up and marched to the front door. Harry followed cautiously, curious to see who had come at such an early hour. He stayed back where he could see out the door but couldn't be seen by his uncle.
"What do you want?" Vernon growled at the person standing outside. It was a girl. She had black hair that fell just past her shoulders, and a pair of dark sunglasses hid her eyes. She wore a pair of dark blue jeans that were loose, covered by a black hooded dragon sweatshirt. A pair of headphones was looped around her neck, and she held a Discman in her hand.
She glanced Uncle Vernon over, a slight frown of distaste on her face. "I'm looking for a Harry Potter."
Harry started. He had no idea who this girl was, and the mention of his name only seemed to enrage Uncle Vernon more. "Who are you? Are you from that filthy school of his?" he bellowed. "Get off my property! You're not coming in my house!"
She tilted her head at him, a ghost of a smile crossing her face. "I take it you're the uncle? I was told I might have some trouble with you. Look, this is how it's gonna happen. Either you let me in and go get the kid, or I'll come in and find him myself. Take your pick."
Uncle Vernon went even redder, and Harry quickly darted to his side, hoping to prevent a fight. "I'm Harry," he said. "Can I help you?"
Her eyebrow went up from behind the dark glasses, and she pulled a letter from out of her pocket. Handing it to him, she said, "This is from Albus Dumbledore. You're coming with me. Go pack up anything you'll need for the rest of the summer and the school year." With that, she slipped past the two and into the house, heading for the kitchen.
Uncle Vernon's eyes flashed. "Just who do you think you are, barging in here and making such demands?" he snapped, following her. Dudley and Aunt Petunia were staring at the woman with shocked expressions as she took a piece of bacon from the table.
"People call me Blaze. Harry's going to spend the rest of the summer with me. I'll make sure he gets to school in time," she replied. Harry, having followed Uncle Vernon, glanced, shocked, between her and the letter in his hand. It was addressed to him. "Kid, go pack and read that letter," Blaze told him. "We've got a schedule to watch. I'll take care of your uncle."
Vernon went gray at the way she said, "take care of," and Harry quickly obeyed. Up in his room, he opened the letter and read, Harry, I'm sending someone to look after you for the remainder of the summer. Please trust me, no matter what you may find out about her. I assure you, she is completely trustworthy. I'll tell Sirius where you are and I'm sure you'll be hearing from him soon. Things seem to be going well. I'll contact you again soon. Eternally Yours, Albus Dumbledore
Harry re-read the letter several times before finally making a decision. He quickly pulled up the loose floorboard and grabbed the books he'd been using to do his homework recently. Shoving them in a pillowcase and grabbing Hedwig's cage, he started to leave the room to get his trunk when he paused. In case this really wasn't a letter from Dumbledore, someone should know where he was going. Quickly, he grabbed a scrap of parchment and a quill and wrote a note to Ron.
Ron, Some girl calling herself Blaze just showed up with a letter from Dumbledore. It says I'm supposed to go with her. Tell Hermione I won't be at home for the rest of the summer. I'll write soon to let you know where I am. Do me a favor and hang onto Hedwig until I write back so she can find me. Harry
He quickly rolled up the parchment, opened Hedwig's cage, and tied it to her leg. After letting her out the window with instructions to go to Ron, he took off downstairs. After he had collected his trunk and the rest of his belongings, he covered Hedwig's cage with a pillowcase so his aunt and uncle wouldn't know she was gone, and then headed back out to the front parlor.
Blaze was still in the kitchen, sprawled up against the wall. "All set?" she asked as he appeared. Harry nodded, noticing that his relatives were standing together in the corner of the room. "Good." Turning back to the Dursleys, she said, "You'll receive word about whether to expect him back next summer." Then she turned and walked past Harry out of the room.
"Er," Harry said, pausing. "I guess I'll be seeing you." Without waiting for a reply, he darted out of the room after the mysterious girl.
She was waiting in the hallway by his trunk. "This all your stuff?" He nodded. "Right then." Pulling out a wand, she beckoned him closer. "Have you ever Apparated before?"
His eyes widened. "No. They don't teach us that until our seventh year, I think."
She shrugged. "No big deal. Ever used a portkey?"
His mind instantly went back to the maze, the Triwizard cup, Cedric, and Voldemort. An involuntary shudder ran through him. "Yeah, I've used one."
She'd tilted her head at him and the frown had returned to her face. "Right then. I'm going to change your trunk into one. Grab onto anything else before you touch it." He nodded and picked up Hedwig's empty cage, still covered in a pillowcase. The girl flicked her wand at the trunk and said a word Harry couldn't make out. She glanced back at him. "On three. One, two, three."
The combined action of hearing her count down, then grabbing a portkey and feeling the now-familiar sensation of being pulled away once again made his mind wander to Cedric and the ghostly apparitions that had come out of Voldemort's wand. Before he could get lost in the memory, however, they arrived wherever they were going.
Looking around, Harry saw what appeared to be a normal house. A large stereo system sat on top of a table against one wall, and a couch and two armchairs rested against the adjacent and opposite walls. A large TV sat in the far corner with a few game systems attached to it, as well as a DVD/VHS player. Through an open doorway, he could see a kitchen, complete with bar and stools, and another hallway lead to a series of doors that he assumed were bed and bathrooms.
"This is it," Blaze said, glancing at him. "C'mon, I'll show you your room." Again flicking her wand at the trunk, she said a word that Harry once again couldn't make out. It rose a few inches and hovered behind her as she walked to one of the doors and opened it.
Inside was a relatively empty room. There were two windows on the far wall, a bed in the corner, and a dresser with a mirror hanging above it. His trunk glided over to rest under the windows.
"It's really plain, I know," Blaze told him, "But we can go shopping and get you a stereo and a TV or whatever you want. There's a computer in the room directly across the hall with Internet access, if you want, and to the left of it's the bathroom. My room's the last in the hall. The room on the other side of this wall is my library. I dunno if you're reader, but it's there if you like."
Harry nodded, flabbergasted. "Er, can I ask you a question? Why are you doing all this for me?"
She grinned, and he noticed that her smiles were usually accompanied by a head tilt. "Why don't we go shopping in a bit? That way you can get anything you like before you settle in."
He blinked as she avoided his question. "I don't have any money, Muggle or otherwise."
She shrugged. "No big. I'll pay for whatever. You need to do anything, or do you just want to leave now? Hungry?"
"No, I already ate. And I guess we can go whenever."
"Cool. Next stop Walmart. Next to Ebay, it's the best place to shop." §§§§§§
A few hours later, Harry and Blaze arrived back at her home with a new stereo, a small collection of CDs, sheets, posters, a few cans of paint for his walls, a Discman, sweatshirt, and a few pairs of shirts and jeans for Harry. The bill had been for quite a bit of money, and he was surprised she was willing to pay for it all. He was even more surprised at her mode of transportation. When they walked outside, a sleek red and black motorcycle had been waiting for them. She'd handed Harry a helmet and off they went. After making all their purchases, he'd wondered how they were going to get it all home. She'd simply pointed her wand at it, and the bags had all shrunk to pocketsize. She then put them in her saddlebags, and they'd rode home.
After watching her restore them to the proper size in his room, Harry noticed a pattern in her magic. Whenever she said a spell, he could never understand what it was she'd said. He made a mental note to ask her about it later, along with his questions about who she was, why she'd taken him in, and why she never took of her sunglasses.
While Harry was in his room, putting together his stereo and assembling his bed, she appeared at his door again. "We can paint it later, if you like. Won't take too long, if we cheat."
He jumped at the sound of her voice. He hadn't heard her approach. "Cheat?"
"With magic."
"Oh, right. Sure, if you don't mind." She shrugged, and there was a pause. "I'm gonna make some lunch, if you want some."
"Okay," he said, nodding and following her from his room into the kitchen. He sat down at the bar as she started pulling things out of cupboards, using magic to have them prepare themselves.
After a long silence, she said, "I'd imagine you have a lot of questions."
He'd been waiting all day for the invitation to ask. "Who are you? Did Professor Dumbledore really send you to me? Why are you helping me?"
A faint smile formed on her face. "Well, like you heard, people call me Blaze. My given name's Kali, though. I don't really care what you call me in private, but in public it's always Blaze. As for who I am. We'll come back to that one and the one about why I'm helping you. Yes, Dumbledore did send me, indirectly. He actually sent Severius Snape to contact me. He's the one who gave me your address. Next?"
"Why can't I understand what you say when you cast spells?"
"Because of a spell. It prevents others from understanding what you say. That way they can't try and duplicate the spell. I've had it on me since I was old enough to hold a wand."
Harry nodded. "That makes sense, I guess. Why don't you take your sunglasses off?"
She grinned. "Because I didn't want to send you screaming into the night." She reached up and pulled them off, locking eyes with him immediately. He drew in a sharp breath. Staring back at him were the eyes that had haunted his nightmares since the last task of the Triwizard competition. The only difference between the bright red eyes staring into his and the ones belonging to Voldemort was that where Voldemort had cat-like slits for pupils, Blaze had normal, round black ones.
"I should imagine you're beginning to figure things out by now," she said softly. "I've heard you're a smart kid." He shook his head, and she nodded. "That's right, Harry. I'm Voldemort's daughter."
Harry woke once again to the angry face of Uncle Vernon. He flinched slightly as his uncle's tirade began. "That's the third time this week," he growled softly. Harry could see Dudley's face peering at him from the open doorway. "If I have to come down here and wake you up one more time."
"Sorry," Harry quickly interrupted. "I'm trying not to, honest." Ever since he'd left Hogwarts the year before, he'd been having dreams about the Triwizard incident. Nearly every night, Uncle Vernon woke him from terrifying dreams of cold red eyes that had him screaming.
"It had better not happen again," Uncle Vernon snarled, before quickly leaving the room. Harry knew he didn't dare do anything more than threaten him, after finding out that Harry's godfather was a convicted felon.
With a soft sigh, Harry's thoughts began to drift back to his dream. He'd seen Voldemort, as clear as day, seen him laughing that cold, high laugh, and seen Cedric's cold face after. He quickly forced his thoughts away from that matter and back to the present. He'd only just turned fifteen, a painful reminder that Hogwarts was still months away. He wanted nothing more than to be out of this horrible place, especially now that Voldemort was back in power.
With a sigh, he slipped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. He might as well see if he could help with breakfast and check the mail. Maybe Hermione or Ron had sent him a letter.
However, by the time he'd gotten downstairs, breakfast was ready and the Dursleys were already eating. Silently, Harry took his place at the table and grabbed the last pancake. He stared down at his plate, not wanting to see the angry glares he knew were being directed at him.
Number four, Privet Drive was always like this. Harry's aunt, uncle, and cousin despised him and the fact that he was a wizard-in-training. He was heading into his fifth year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry in a few months, and the Dursleys were extremely embarrassed by that fact. They despised anything having to do with magic, or anything out of the ordinary.
Having been forced to take Harry in fourteen years ago, they'd spent most of the time making his life miserable. Only recently had it gotten slightly better, with Harry attending Hogwarts for most of the year. The threat that he'd use magic on them or that his godfather would come for them slightly eased the pain of having to live with them.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts as the doorbell rang. He looked up to see Uncle Vernon glaring into the next room. His face turned several shades of red as he got up and marched to the front door. Harry followed cautiously, curious to see who had come at such an early hour. He stayed back where he could see out the door but couldn't be seen by his uncle.
"What do you want?" Vernon growled at the person standing outside. It was a girl. She had black hair that fell just past her shoulders, and a pair of dark sunglasses hid her eyes. She wore a pair of dark blue jeans that were loose, covered by a black hooded dragon sweatshirt. A pair of headphones was looped around her neck, and she held a Discman in her hand.
She glanced Uncle Vernon over, a slight frown of distaste on her face. "I'm looking for a Harry Potter."
Harry started. He had no idea who this girl was, and the mention of his name only seemed to enrage Uncle Vernon more. "Who are you? Are you from that filthy school of his?" he bellowed. "Get off my property! You're not coming in my house!"
She tilted her head at him, a ghost of a smile crossing her face. "I take it you're the uncle? I was told I might have some trouble with you. Look, this is how it's gonna happen. Either you let me in and go get the kid, or I'll come in and find him myself. Take your pick."
Uncle Vernon went even redder, and Harry quickly darted to his side, hoping to prevent a fight. "I'm Harry," he said. "Can I help you?"
Her eyebrow went up from behind the dark glasses, and she pulled a letter from out of her pocket. Handing it to him, she said, "This is from Albus Dumbledore. You're coming with me. Go pack up anything you'll need for the rest of the summer and the school year." With that, she slipped past the two and into the house, heading for the kitchen.
Uncle Vernon's eyes flashed. "Just who do you think you are, barging in here and making such demands?" he snapped, following her. Dudley and Aunt Petunia were staring at the woman with shocked expressions as she took a piece of bacon from the table.
"People call me Blaze. Harry's going to spend the rest of the summer with me. I'll make sure he gets to school in time," she replied. Harry, having followed Uncle Vernon, glanced, shocked, between her and the letter in his hand. It was addressed to him. "Kid, go pack and read that letter," Blaze told him. "We've got a schedule to watch. I'll take care of your uncle."
Vernon went gray at the way she said, "take care of," and Harry quickly obeyed. Up in his room, he opened the letter and read, Harry, I'm sending someone to look after you for the remainder of the summer. Please trust me, no matter what you may find out about her. I assure you, she is completely trustworthy. I'll tell Sirius where you are and I'm sure you'll be hearing from him soon. Things seem to be going well. I'll contact you again soon. Eternally Yours, Albus Dumbledore
Harry re-read the letter several times before finally making a decision. He quickly pulled up the loose floorboard and grabbed the books he'd been using to do his homework recently. Shoving them in a pillowcase and grabbing Hedwig's cage, he started to leave the room to get his trunk when he paused. In case this really wasn't a letter from Dumbledore, someone should know where he was going. Quickly, he grabbed a scrap of parchment and a quill and wrote a note to Ron.
Ron, Some girl calling herself Blaze just showed up with a letter from Dumbledore. It says I'm supposed to go with her. Tell Hermione I won't be at home for the rest of the summer. I'll write soon to let you know where I am. Do me a favor and hang onto Hedwig until I write back so she can find me. Harry
He quickly rolled up the parchment, opened Hedwig's cage, and tied it to her leg. After letting her out the window with instructions to go to Ron, he took off downstairs. After he had collected his trunk and the rest of his belongings, he covered Hedwig's cage with a pillowcase so his aunt and uncle wouldn't know she was gone, and then headed back out to the front parlor.
Blaze was still in the kitchen, sprawled up against the wall. "All set?" she asked as he appeared. Harry nodded, noticing that his relatives were standing together in the corner of the room. "Good." Turning back to the Dursleys, she said, "You'll receive word about whether to expect him back next summer." Then she turned and walked past Harry out of the room.
"Er," Harry said, pausing. "I guess I'll be seeing you." Without waiting for a reply, he darted out of the room after the mysterious girl.
She was waiting in the hallway by his trunk. "This all your stuff?" He nodded. "Right then." Pulling out a wand, she beckoned him closer. "Have you ever Apparated before?"
His eyes widened. "No. They don't teach us that until our seventh year, I think."
She shrugged. "No big deal. Ever used a portkey?"
His mind instantly went back to the maze, the Triwizard cup, Cedric, and Voldemort. An involuntary shudder ran through him. "Yeah, I've used one."
She'd tilted her head at him and the frown had returned to her face. "Right then. I'm going to change your trunk into one. Grab onto anything else before you touch it." He nodded and picked up Hedwig's empty cage, still covered in a pillowcase. The girl flicked her wand at the trunk and said a word Harry couldn't make out. She glanced back at him. "On three. One, two, three."
The combined action of hearing her count down, then grabbing a portkey and feeling the now-familiar sensation of being pulled away once again made his mind wander to Cedric and the ghostly apparitions that had come out of Voldemort's wand. Before he could get lost in the memory, however, they arrived wherever they were going.
Looking around, Harry saw what appeared to be a normal house. A large stereo system sat on top of a table against one wall, and a couch and two armchairs rested against the adjacent and opposite walls. A large TV sat in the far corner with a few game systems attached to it, as well as a DVD/VHS player. Through an open doorway, he could see a kitchen, complete with bar and stools, and another hallway lead to a series of doors that he assumed were bed and bathrooms.
"This is it," Blaze said, glancing at him. "C'mon, I'll show you your room." Again flicking her wand at the trunk, she said a word that Harry once again couldn't make out. It rose a few inches and hovered behind her as she walked to one of the doors and opened it.
Inside was a relatively empty room. There were two windows on the far wall, a bed in the corner, and a dresser with a mirror hanging above it. His trunk glided over to rest under the windows.
"It's really plain, I know," Blaze told him, "But we can go shopping and get you a stereo and a TV or whatever you want. There's a computer in the room directly across the hall with Internet access, if you want, and to the left of it's the bathroom. My room's the last in the hall. The room on the other side of this wall is my library. I dunno if you're reader, but it's there if you like."
Harry nodded, flabbergasted. "Er, can I ask you a question? Why are you doing all this for me?"
She grinned, and he noticed that her smiles were usually accompanied by a head tilt. "Why don't we go shopping in a bit? That way you can get anything you like before you settle in."
He blinked as she avoided his question. "I don't have any money, Muggle or otherwise."
She shrugged. "No big. I'll pay for whatever. You need to do anything, or do you just want to leave now? Hungry?"
"No, I already ate. And I guess we can go whenever."
"Cool. Next stop Walmart. Next to Ebay, it's the best place to shop." §§§§§§
A few hours later, Harry and Blaze arrived back at her home with a new stereo, a small collection of CDs, sheets, posters, a few cans of paint for his walls, a Discman, sweatshirt, and a few pairs of shirts and jeans for Harry. The bill had been for quite a bit of money, and he was surprised she was willing to pay for it all. He was even more surprised at her mode of transportation. When they walked outside, a sleek red and black motorcycle had been waiting for them. She'd handed Harry a helmet and off they went. After making all their purchases, he'd wondered how they were going to get it all home. She'd simply pointed her wand at it, and the bags had all shrunk to pocketsize. She then put them in her saddlebags, and they'd rode home.
After watching her restore them to the proper size in his room, Harry noticed a pattern in her magic. Whenever she said a spell, he could never understand what it was she'd said. He made a mental note to ask her about it later, along with his questions about who she was, why she'd taken him in, and why she never took of her sunglasses.
While Harry was in his room, putting together his stereo and assembling his bed, she appeared at his door again. "We can paint it later, if you like. Won't take too long, if we cheat."
He jumped at the sound of her voice. He hadn't heard her approach. "Cheat?"
"With magic."
"Oh, right. Sure, if you don't mind." She shrugged, and there was a pause. "I'm gonna make some lunch, if you want some."
"Okay," he said, nodding and following her from his room into the kitchen. He sat down at the bar as she started pulling things out of cupboards, using magic to have them prepare themselves.
After a long silence, she said, "I'd imagine you have a lot of questions."
He'd been waiting all day for the invitation to ask. "Who are you? Did Professor Dumbledore really send you to me? Why are you helping me?"
A faint smile formed on her face. "Well, like you heard, people call me Blaze. My given name's Kali, though. I don't really care what you call me in private, but in public it's always Blaze. As for who I am. We'll come back to that one and the one about why I'm helping you. Yes, Dumbledore did send me, indirectly. He actually sent Severius Snape to contact me. He's the one who gave me your address. Next?"
"Why can't I understand what you say when you cast spells?"
"Because of a spell. It prevents others from understanding what you say. That way they can't try and duplicate the spell. I've had it on me since I was old enough to hold a wand."
Harry nodded. "That makes sense, I guess. Why don't you take your sunglasses off?"
She grinned. "Because I didn't want to send you screaming into the night." She reached up and pulled them off, locking eyes with him immediately. He drew in a sharp breath. Staring back at him were the eyes that had haunted his nightmares since the last task of the Triwizard competition. The only difference between the bright red eyes staring into his and the ones belonging to Voldemort was that where Voldemort had cat-like slits for pupils, Blaze had normal, round black ones.
"I should imagine you're beginning to figure things out by now," she said softly. "I've heard you're a smart kid." He shook his head, and she nodded. "That's right, Harry. I'm Voldemort's daughter."