New Friends, Old Friends
Chapter One: Girl Next Door
When Harry returned to Privet drive the summer after his fourth year at Hogwarts, not very much had changed. If Uncle Vernon was grouchier than usual it was likely because Harry had yet again faced certain death and had accomplished living. And if Aunt Petunia was more cranky it was because the next door neighbors had moved out over the spring and she only had the old lady on the other side to spy on.
Harry was slaving away in the hot June sun, mixing fertilizer into the flower beds when he saw a large orange truck pull up to the empty house, followed by a red convertible that had the steering wheel on the left side instead of the right.
Out of the car came a young couple and a girl about Harry's age.
"Aunt Petunia might let up some, now that she'll have something else to concentrate on," Harry thought. He watched as he continued to mix the soil.
"Paige!" the woman called, "Don't go far! We still need to unpack,"
"Don't worry Macy! I'm just going to look in the back yard!" the young girl called back.
"Strange accents," Harry thought, going back to his work.
"Well, Hi there!" the girl exclaimed, seeing Harry over the fence.
"Hello," Harry answered. He looked up from his work to see the girl, just his height, wavy auburn hair and eyes as green as his. He glanced at what she was holding in her hand. What he saw gave him a slight shock.
She was holding a box of candy, but not just any box of candy. Harry would certainly recognize it anywhere, Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans were one of Ron's favorites. Harry grinned at her.
"I'm Paige Lennox," she smiled back.
"I'm Harry Potter," he answered, still grinning. "Awesome, someone to talk to this summer other than Dudley!" he thought.
"Really! I heard you were in the Triwizard Tournament," She said, her eyes didn't flick to his forehead as he was accustomed to everyone in his world doing.
"Yeah, I was," he said.
"I'd love to hear about how you got past the..." Paige began but was interrupted by her mother.
"Paige! Get back over here, we have alot to do!"Macy yelled.
"I gotta go," Paige said, smiling apologetically. "If you'd like you could come over later,"
"Sure!" Harry said, excited for a reason to get out of the Dursleys' reach for even an hour.
"Come over at about six, my sister will let you stay to dinner I'm sure," she said. "I'll see you later!"
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Paige ran back over to her sister.
"Macy! You'll never guess who lives next door!" Paige said, excitedly.
"Who?" Macy asked, walking inside.
"Harry Potter, the one who got past the Hungarian Horntail last fall!" Paige said excitedly.
"Paige! That's not what earned his fame!" Macy argued.
"Yes, I know. But I'm certain he won't want to talk about that to a complete stranger," Paige said.
"You are right. You win this one," her sister apologized. "Now, go unpack your room,"
"I invited him over tonight," Paige told her.
"Very well, you better get unpacking then!" Macy sent her off up the stairs.
When Paige let Harry in the front door at about five after six that evening the house looked as if they had lived in it for years, thanks to her parents unpacking everything by magic.
They walked through the kitchen, where Macy had just sent two pizzas flying across the room and into the oven, which opened on it's own. This didn't seem at all unusual to Harry, now that he had visited the Weasleys' a few times.
However, the house was quite different the Weasleys'. The living room they passed held several book cases, full to bursting with books. The walls were covered in various pieces of art. The kitchen was a bit more modern. A radio sat by the sink, but next to it was a muggle one which was currently playing from a cd. There was a telephone on the wall, a laptop on the table, and three cell phones, still in boxes, sitting next to it.
Out in the back yard they sat on the porch swing.
"Macy, she's my sister, and her husband Gavin. Well they've taken care of me since I was seven and she was nineteen. They are Ambassadors for the American Ministry of Magic," Paige explained. "I've been just about everywhere,"
"Oh, so you're American, that explains the accent," Harry grinned.
"Yeah, I actually went to school in New York for the last two years. Two years before that we were in France. Went to Beauxbaton. Very boring if you ask me. And that veela girl, Fleur. Snobbiest girl I have ever met, and believe me in America there is an abundance of them," Paige told him.
Harry laughed, he knew from experience how snobby Fleur could be. "So where will you go to school now?" he asked.
"Hogwarts, I hope. If not Macy will probably just ship me back to New York during the school year," Paige said, sadly.
"Hey," Harry said thinking, "You know, I could send a letter to Dumbledore. Ask if you're on the list. If you're not I'm sure he'll put you on so you aren't quite so far from you're parents,"
"Would you?" Paige asked excitedly, "That would be awesome!"
"Sure," Harry said. "You know it's great to have another wizarding family so close now. My aunt and uncle are muggles and they hate me."
"So that's who you live with?" she asked, "I thought you would have lived with some wizards,"
"No, it's a long story though," He said, leaning his head back against the back of the swing and pushed them into a slow swing.
"If it's sad you don't need to..." Paige began.
"No, it's not all sad," he said quickly. "I'll tell you my story,"
A half hour later he had her laughing hysterically at his first journey to Diagon Alley.
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Two days later Paige walked next door. She was planning on going to a muggle movie and wanted to bring Harry along. She knocked on the door and waited.
A moment later a large boy opened the door.
"Must be Dudley," she thought.
"Can I help you?" Dudley asked, his eyes blatantly roving over her.
"I'm here to talk to Harry," she said. "You must be Dudley. Harry's told me some about you. You go to Smeltings don't you?"
She put on a kind, flattering, bordering on flirting act.
"Are you Harry's little girlfriend?" Dudley asked.
"No, just a friend," she said, still smiling her flirtatious smile.
"Oh, well then," Dudley leered at her. It was all Paige could do not to shudder.
"Paige!" she heard Harry call from behind the immense form of his cousin.
"Potter, your friend's here to see you," Dudley said, winking at Paige. Next thing Paige knew Harry was past him, the door shut, and he was leading her towards her house.
"Sorry 'but him," Harry said.
"It's ok, his kind are pretty common," Paige said, "Just have to know how to deal with them. Honestly I can't wait to give this Malfoy brat paybacks for you,"
"I bet you can't," Harry said, with a laugh. She had told him all about her adventures. These mostly were of the many countries she had been to, the schools, and experiences with other people. Most of these were stuck up snobs or bullies.
"Wanna go to a movie?" Paige asked.
"Sure, I wanted to talk to you about something anyways," Harry said.
"What is it?" Paige asked, holding her breath. "I hope he doesn't ask me to be his girlfriend, I really don't like him like that. Please just be my friend..." she thought desperately.
"I'm going tomorrow, to stay with Ron," he said. "You'd like him,"
Paige sighed with relief.
"You didn't think I was going to ask you?!" Harry said, "Oh, Paige I know we are just friends. Besides I like..."
"Yes, and you really should talk to her about that!" Paige told him.
"I know, you've told me a hundred times," Harry said, smiling ruefully. "Anyways I'm going to be there for the rest of the summer. But I'll be back to visit if that's ok,"
"Of course it is and bring your friend with you, you know our fireplace is connected now. Besides if you bring a few of those brothers of his you can harass Dudley for once," Paige said.
"Uh huh, more like you can flirt with them," Harry accused her, laughing.
"You act as if I was a temptress of some sort!" Paige said, mock offended. "Come over anytime and owl me,"
"Of course, and I'll tell you when we are going to Diagon Alley and if I get a letter back from Dumbledore," Harry said. "Come on, let's get to that movie,"