Chapter 1:
The Girl
It was a mere five minutes before his sixteenth birthday, and Harry lay awake in his bed, counting down the seconds. The silence was almost deafening, and he could not help his mind wandering, doting on his few happier memories. He remembered all the better memories of his days in Hogwarts, with his better friends. It felt like it was but a short time ago that Harry was a first-year, meeting Ron and Hermione for the first time on the train there. It disheartened him to think that it would soon be over, and Harry's days in Hogwarts would be but memories. But then, a memory long buried surfaced in Harry's mind.
Harry remembered his first few weeks in second year. Dudley, his obese and illiberal cousin, was in his class, and never hesitated to make his every day miserable. He had no friends; Dudley made sure of this. On one day, a new girl entered Harry's class, and somehow became as outcast as him. He made a friend in her, and they were inseparable. Then, Dudley and his friends poured paste in her hair, and her mother home-schooled her, fearing the incident traumatized her daughter. Harry never saw her again. But what imposed him to remember this girl?
He remembered also that the girl lived only a few houses down the street, in house number 12 Privet Drive. Acting on an impulse that he couldn't quite explain, Harry peeled himself out of the blankets and carefully climbed out the window. The street was ghostly at this hour; and there wasn't a single sound. He counted down the houses-number 8, number 10 - when at last number 12 was in sight. There was a sign on the door, but the streetlights didn't give enough light to allow him to read it. So he walked up to the door, and his heart sank when he read the great bold letters:
For Sale.
"Maybe it was a premonition." Ron suggested in Flourish and Blotts a couple weeks later. "You know, maybe you might see her again or something."
Harry shrugged. "But I don't even remember what her name was."
"I don't know, Harry. I couldn't tell you what it means."
"Professor Trelawney probably could." Harry snickered.
"Yeah, the scatterbrain would probably tell you she's trying to kill you!"
Harry and Ron exploded into a fit of hysterics.
"Honestly, boys!" Molly Weasley's voice shattered the laughter like ice. "Could you try to be quieter?"
"Sorry, mum." Ron mumbled. "Glory be." A voice joined them. "Could that.Molly?" Then, a woman approached the group. She had platinum blonde hair, was obviously wearing too much makeup, and was wearing vibrant pink robes with a hibiscus blossom print. "Petronella Alcheim? Is that you?" Mrs. Weasley sounded astonished. "Why, I haven't seen you since we were in school!"
"Yes, it's been so long. I'm still keeping my eye on the Ravenclaw quidditch team." "Goodness, they haven't won the cup since you were seeker!"
"I was that good." Petronella said very matter-of-factly. "So, I see you've got quite a clan here. How is Arnold?"
"You mean Arthur. He's fine, but the Ministry work is really getting to him, don't you know."
"Uhm, mummy." Ginny said. "I need a few sickles to pay for my books."
"Oh, of course dear. Petra, this is my daughter, Ginny. And my son, Ron, and his friend, Harry." She handed Ginny a handful of sickles and she skipped off.
"Gracious!" Petra looked at Harry, immediately recognizing him. "I don't mean to be ardent, but may I say it's an honor to meet you finally. Why, you and Ron must be the same age now as my daughter, Gertrude."
"Oh." Harry tried to sound interested.
"Here, let me introduce you. Trudy! Gertrude! Where in God's name is that girl?"
Harry caught sight of Trudy in the corner of the shop, buried in a book with a tattered cover. She was dressed in black satin robes, with a black blouse, plaid skirt and torn fishnet stockings on underneath. She glanced up at the sound of her name, then promptly hid behind her book until only a patch of her black hair was visible. But it was to no avail, for Petra stormed over to her, snatched the book from her hands, and grabbed her wrist. Trudy put up a fight, and an argument ensued for a few moments before Trudy succumbed to her mother's whim. "Here she is. Gertrude, this is Ron and Harry. You'll be going to school with them."
"Great!" Trudy rolled her shadowed brown eyes. "You know I'm excited."
"I love to know you're enthusiastic about going to Hogwarts!" Petra hugged Trudy, who stiffened uncomfortably, and walked off with Mrs. Weasley. Trudy flung her hand over her head, making a "Fssh!" noise, indicating her mother didn't catch her sarcasm.
"She never gets it. I'll see ya." She began to walk off, when something stopped her. "Hold up a minute," She pointed a blood red fingernail at Harry. "I know you."
"Yea," Ron began, "That's right. He's Harry Po-"
"No, no! Not that! I was in your class before you went to Hogwarts. Second year, if I remember. I got taken out because some dullard poured glue in my hair."
"I remember you." Harry nodded, smiling a bit. "That dullard was my cousin, and I'm afraid he hasn't changed much."
"So," She softened her hostility a bit. "W-what house are you two in?"
"Gryffindor." Harry and Ron said united. "Ah. Mum wants me to be in Ravenclaw, like her. But call it a hunch, I'll probably be in my dad's house."
"What house?" asked Ron.
"Slytherin." Trudy wrinkled her nose.
"And we'll be happy to have you." Malfoy approached Trudy from a nearby bookshelf. "I believe you will find that there are a many great wizards in Slytherin, and-"
"Tell me what your point is, Blondie." Trudy's eyebrows arched. Harry and Ron snickered.
"I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Draco Malfoy."
Trudy's expression changed to mock-disbelief. "Gosh! I can't believe whom I'm face-to-face with! Oh, it'd be an honor to introduce myself to you." She extended her hand and shook his vigorously. "I'm Outta Your League, nice to meet you!" Malfoy scowled and ripped his hand away. "How dare you speak to me like that? Don't you know who I am?"
"Sure I do." Her lips pursed. "Your Lucius Malfoy's loser son. And he's a loser too, holed up in Azkaban where he and your whole family belong! So why don't you go bleach your roots and leave me be?"
"You'll regret you ever spoke to me like that!" He stormed off.
Ron's mouth gaped wide open. "Brilliant!" "I'm not through yet." She whipped out her wand, flicked it once, and a pig's tail appeared protruding out of Malfoy's robes. "That swine.Deserves to be with his father.Anyhow, I should be going. I need myself an owl for school. I'll be seeing you guys!" She shot Harry a quick smile and walked off with her mother.
Later that night, Harry's placid dreams were cast aside for a new vision. It was dark, on a street that Harry was unfamiliar with. As he moved down to the end of the street, the streetlights went out, one by one, as he passed. He then reached the end, where a solitary light beamed. There were two cloaked figures standing beneath the light; they continued their conversation, not seeming to know Harry was there. ".you can be sure of it, sire. It shall be done." A quite familiar female voice finished.
"And what of the ritual?" Asked the second cloaked figure, in a very raspy tone. "Can you assure-"
"Hush, my lord." The female put one finger to the male's lips. "It shall be done." She repeated.
Suddenly, the second figure seemed hostile, and looked in Harry's direction. Seeing nothing, he turned to his female partner and said, "Good. See to it, then."
The light intensified, blinding Harry until he turned away, and was awakened with a jolt by a searing pain in his scar.
The Girl
It was a mere five minutes before his sixteenth birthday, and Harry lay awake in his bed, counting down the seconds. The silence was almost deafening, and he could not help his mind wandering, doting on his few happier memories. He remembered all the better memories of his days in Hogwarts, with his better friends. It felt like it was but a short time ago that Harry was a first-year, meeting Ron and Hermione for the first time on the train there. It disheartened him to think that it would soon be over, and Harry's days in Hogwarts would be but memories. But then, a memory long buried surfaced in Harry's mind.
Harry remembered his first few weeks in second year. Dudley, his obese and illiberal cousin, was in his class, and never hesitated to make his every day miserable. He had no friends; Dudley made sure of this. On one day, a new girl entered Harry's class, and somehow became as outcast as him. He made a friend in her, and they were inseparable. Then, Dudley and his friends poured paste in her hair, and her mother home-schooled her, fearing the incident traumatized her daughter. Harry never saw her again. But what imposed him to remember this girl?
He remembered also that the girl lived only a few houses down the street, in house number 12 Privet Drive. Acting on an impulse that he couldn't quite explain, Harry peeled himself out of the blankets and carefully climbed out the window. The street was ghostly at this hour; and there wasn't a single sound. He counted down the houses-number 8, number 10 - when at last number 12 was in sight. There was a sign on the door, but the streetlights didn't give enough light to allow him to read it. So he walked up to the door, and his heart sank when he read the great bold letters:
For Sale.
"Maybe it was a premonition." Ron suggested in Flourish and Blotts a couple weeks later. "You know, maybe you might see her again or something."
Harry shrugged. "But I don't even remember what her name was."
"I don't know, Harry. I couldn't tell you what it means."
"Professor Trelawney probably could." Harry snickered.
"Yeah, the scatterbrain would probably tell you she's trying to kill you!"
Harry and Ron exploded into a fit of hysterics.
"Honestly, boys!" Molly Weasley's voice shattered the laughter like ice. "Could you try to be quieter?"
"Sorry, mum." Ron mumbled. "Glory be." A voice joined them. "Could that.Molly?" Then, a woman approached the group. She had platinum blonde hair, was obviously wearing too much makeup, and was wearing vibrant pink robes with a hibiscus blossom print. "Petronella Alcheim? Is that you?" Mrs. Weasley sounded astonished. "Why, I haven't seen you since we were in school!"
"Yes, it's been so long. I'm still keeping my eye on the Ravenclaw quidditch team." "Goodness, they haven't won the cup since you were seeker!"
"I was that good." Petronella said very matter-of-factly. "So, I see you've got quite a clan here. How is Arnold?"
"You mean Arthur. He's fine, but the Ministry work is really getting to him, don't you know."
"Uhm, mummy." Ginny said. "I need a few sickles to pay for my books."
"Oh, of course dear. Petra, this is my daughter, Ginny. And my son, Ron, and his friend, Harry." She handed Ginny a handful of sickles and she skipped off.
"Gracious!" Petra looked at Harry, immediately recognizing him. "I don't mean to be ardent, but may I say it's an honor to meet you finally. Why, you and Ron must be the same age now as my daughter, Gertrude."
"Oh." Harry tried to sound interested.
"Here, let me introduce you. Trudy! Gertrude! Where in God's name is that girl?"
Harry caught sight of Trudy in the corner of the shop, buried in a book with a tattered cover. She was dressed in black satin robes, with a black blouse, plaid skirt and torn fishnet stockings on underneath. She glanced up at the sound of her name, then promptly hid behind her book until only a patch of her black hair was visible. But it was to no avail, for Petra stormed over to her, snatched the book from her hands, and grabbed her wrist. Trudy put up a fight, and an argument ensued for a few moments before Trudy succumbed to her mother's whim. "Here she is. Gertrude, this is Ron and Harry. You'll be going to school with them."
"Great!" Trudy rolled her shadowed brown eyes. "You know I'm excited."
"I love to know you're enthusiastic about going to Hogwarts!" Petra hugged Trudy, who stiffened uncomfortably, and walked off with Mrs. Weasley. Trudy flung her hand over her head, making a "Fssh!" noise, indicating her mother didn't catch her sarcasm.
"She never gets it. I'll see ya." She began to walk off, when something stopped her. "Hold up a minute," She pointed a blood red fingernail at Harry. "I know you."
"Yea," Ron began, "That's right. He's Harry Po-"
"No, no! Not that! I was in your class before you went to Hogwarts. Second year, if I remember. I got taken out because some dullard poured glue in my hair."
"I remember you." Harry nodded, smiling a bit. "That dullard was my cousin, and I'm afraid he hasn't changed much."
"So," She softened her hostility a bit. "W-what house are you two in?"
"Gryffindor." Harry and Ron said united. "Ah. Mum wants me to be in Ravenclaw, like her. But call it a hunch, I'll probably be in my dad's house."
"What house?" asked Ron.
"Slytherin." Trudy wrinkled her nose.
"And we'll be happy to have you." Malfoy approached Trudy from a nearby bookshelf. "I believe you will find that there are a many great wizards in Slytherin, and-"
"Tell me what your point is, Blondie." Trudy's eyebrows arched. Harry and Ron snickered.
"I'd like to introduce myself. I'm Draco Malfoy."
Trudy's expression changed to mock-disbelief. "Gosh! I can't believe whom I'm face-to-face with! Oh, it'd be an honor to introduce myself to you." She extended her hand and shook his vigorously. "I'm Outta Your League, nice to meet you!" Malfoy scowled and ripped his hand away. "How dare you speak to me like that? Don't you know who I am?"
"Sure I do." Her lips pursed. "Your Lucius Malfoy's loser son. And he's a loser too, holed up in Azkaban where he and your whole family belong! So why don't you go bleach your roots and leave me be?"
"You'll regret you ever spoke to me like that!" He stormed off.
Ron's mouth gaped wide open. "Brilliant!" "I'm not through yet." She whipped out her wand, flicked it once, and a pig's tail appeared protruding out of Malfoy's robes. "That swine.Deserves to be with his father.Anyhow, I should be going. I need myself an owl for school. I'll be seeing you guys!" She shot Harry a quick smile and walked off with her mother.
Later that night, Harry's placid dreams were cast aside for a new vision. It was dark, on a street that Harry was unfamiliar with. As he moved down to the end of the street, the streetlights went out, one by one, as he passed. He then reached the end, where a solitary light beamed. There were two cloaked figures standing beneath the light; they continued their conversation, not seeming to know Harry was there. ".you can be sure of it, sire. It shall be done." A quite familiar female voice finished.
"And what of the ritual?" Asked the second cloaked figure, in a very raspy tone. "Can you assure-"
"Hush, my lord." The female put one finger to the male's lips. "It shall be done." She repeated.
Suddenly, the second figure seemed hostile, and looked in Harry's direction. Seeing nothing, he turned to his female partner and said, "Good. See to it, then."
The light intensified, blinding Harry until he turned away, and was awakened with a jolt by a searing pain in his scar.