Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

Genre: Drama, Angst, Romance, Action-Adventure

Rating: T, for violence and language

Spoilers: Books 1—5, some from Book 6. Will continue even after Book 7 is released, unless the book is so phenomally bad that it turns me into a Potter-hater

Side Note: Right, so, looking for something better than HBP to be Harry's 6th year (restrains self from long Book Loathing Rant). So yes, this is a definite 6th-year Alternate Universe.

And maybe fourth time's the charm, considering the trouble I've had with this story…

Letters

Dear Harry James Potter,

Enclosed, please find your Ordinary Wizarding Levels results.

Astronomy: Theory-E. Practical-P. Overall: A. Ability to Continue Course: Permitted.

Care of Magical Creatures: Theory-O. Practical-O. Overall-O. Ability to Continue Course: Strongly Advised.

Charms: Theory-O. Practical-E. Overall-O. Ability to Continue Course: Strongly Advised.

Defense Against The Dark Arts: Theory-O. Practical-O. Overall-O. Ability to Continue Course: Strongly Advised.

Divination: Theory-T. Practical-T. Overall: T. Ability to Continue Course: Not permitted.

Herbology: Theory-O. Practical-E. Overall-O. Ability to Continue Course: Strongly Advised.

History of Magic: Written-T. Ability to Continue Course: Not permitted.

Potions: Theory-A. Practical-E. Overall-E. Ability to Continue Course: Not permitted.

Transfiguration: Theory-E. Practical-O. Overall-O. Ability to Continue Course: Strongly Advised.

Complete Student Average: E

Good luck in your next year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Sincerely,

Professor Griselda Marchbanks

Harry stared at the letter in his hands. How appropriate that it came on the day before his 16th birthday. Nice early birthday gift.

His eyes scanned the letter again. He still could not believe he had managed to land an E in Potions. He could only assume he had some friends in high places. Apart from that, he was not especially surprised with the grades he got.

The image of Sirius heartily congratulating him on his report card suddenly struck him, and a hard, tight knot formed in his throat. Sirius would have shrugged off History of Magic and Divination, calling them the two most useless classes in Hogwarts that no employer would ever bother kicking up a fuss about. He would have commended Harry as a chip of the old block, landing an O in Transfiguration, James' specialty. He would've laughed about Harry putting one over on Snape, attaining a passing grade but not have to attend his class, either.

Harry swallowed. His mind turned to the Durselys, eating dinner downstairs. He could see them in his mind—Vernon was drinking and spluttering about his company, Petunia was right across the table, eyes shining and nodding her bony head up and down until she bore a hole in her collar bone, and Dudley was eating everything, even right off his mother's plate.

Apathetic, cruel, false, all of them. If Sirius had been cleared…

'I still wouldn't be safe,' Harry mentally conceded to himself. Living with his aunt kept him alive. Voldemort could only kill him physically, as in beating him to death, which that particular wizarding supremacist would not deign to do. He still couldn't kill Harry magically, as long as Petunia was alive.

There was a beating of wings, and Harry looked up as an owl disappeared out his open window, having dropped another letter on his floor. Harry snatche dit up, thankful for the distraction. Minerva McGonagall's name adorned the return address.

Dear Harry James Potter,

Enclosed, please find your list of school books for your 6th year of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, according to the O.W.L result you received. Kindly send a list of classes that you are willing to pursue to Hogwarts.

Also, due to the current situation, Defense Against The Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions have become mandatory classes, regardless of O.W.L. results.

The list is as follows:

Reading The Stars by Andromeda Tonks (Astronomy)

Lifestyles of the Wild and Fantastic by Philip Wolfgang (Care of Magical Creatures)

Practical and Extraordinary Charms by Grace Meir (Charms)

Defensive and Offensive Magic by Osbourn Bailey (Defense Against Dark Magic)

Salts of the Earth by Jasmine Noam (Herbology)

Moste Potente Potions by Thorpe Everett (Potions)

Shape-Shifting of Magical Objects

Harry nearly laughed at the standard textbook for Potions. He wondered if they'd be brewing some Polyjuice Potion. Heaven knew that he, Hermione, and Ron would pass Potions this year.

As for the Astronomy text…Andromeda Tonks. Nymphadora's mother and Sirius's favorite cousin. He might as well take the class just out of respect for Sirius. After all, Sirius's entire family was named after stars. It really was not surprising that Andromeda had written a book about it.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by a loud thump outside his window. He whirled around in the tattered revolving chair he had inherited from Dudley to see another owl stumble into his room and collapse onto his floor.

"Pigwidgeon?" Harry stood up as the bird clumsily pulled himself up. He knelt down and pulled a bright red Howler out of Pgiwdgeon's unsharpened talons. As he wondered what he possibly could have done wrong, he noticed a dark red stain on it, its shade contrasting that of the Howler's. It looked like blood.

His stomach seemed to evaporate as his trembling fingers tore open the letter. Fred's panic-stricken voice suddenly filled the room.

"Harry, get the hell away from Privet Drive now! The Death Eaters are coming to kill your aunt! They found the Order's HQ and blew it apart, but they got that hag's portrait to tell them where you are first! Get your aunt and get your ass out of there now, or you'll all be f-cking pavement pizza! Go! Now!"

Harry dropped the Howler and jumped up.

"Hedwig, take Pig and get to Diagon Alley. Don't you dare leave until I get there."

Hedwig clipped her beak. She floated across the room, picked Pig up by his back, and soared out the open window.

Harry snatched up his wand. "Accio broomstick! Accio cloak! Accio photo album!"

His three most precious items shot across the room into his hands. He muttered a shrinking charm and shoved them into his pocket, before swiping his two letters off his desk and thrust them in next to the three before.

Then he ran, thundering down the stairs, nearly tripping as he took them two at a time. He rounded the banister, blindly sprinting through the living room before bursting into the kitchen.

"What do you want, boy?" Vernon demanded, glaring at the out-of-breath boy. "Thought you said you weren't hungry! Well, it's too late now if you want food…"

"It's Voldemort!" Harry yelled.

All talk ceased. Petunia's eye dilated. Her mind went reeling back in time, back to the letter Dumbledore had attached to Harry's basket…"Your sister is dead…as long as you are alive, Harry will live…"

"He's sent his followers!" Harry continued. They know where we are, and they want to kill Aunt Petunia to get to me!"

Out of everything Harry said, Vernon's mind hooked onto "kill Aunt Petunia". He stood up with a violent convulsion, his chair falling backward.

"Get out!" he shouted, face turning beet-red. "I won't let your damnable kind kill my wife!"

"Vernon, you don't understand!" Petunia yelled, white-faced. "If Harry leaves my side, he'll die!"

"As well he should!" Vernon shouted back, masking his surprise. "The world's better off without him!"

"Look, if you won't escape for my sake, then you might want to do it for the fact that Voldemort's followers have absolutely no qualms about killing all of you!" Harry exploded, his face burning. "They'll think it's nice practice to kill a couple Muggles!"

Petunia let out a terrified squeak. "Vernon, you take Dudley and go to Marge's. I'll take Harry."

"No!" Vernon protested angrily. "Let the boy run alone. I wont' risk having you—"

"I'm not letting Harry die!"

All three men stared, flabbergasted, at Petunia. An air of determined control had replaced the nervous, simpering look usually omnipresent about her.

"Vernon, take Dudley and go. Harry, you're coming with me."

A loud explosion suddenly went off from outside. The glass from the living room window shattered.

"Quickly! Now!"

She spun around to the kitchen counter and grabbed something Harry couldn't see. Without further glance in her husband and son's direction, she sped around the table and snatched up Harry's arm. She gave him a sharp tug that knocked the wind out of him, and raced out the back door.

She halted suddenly in the backyard, causing Harry to nearly crash into her, and turned around to face her nephew.

"Your broomstick. Get it out."

"How'd you—"

"Never mind that now. Just get it out."

Harry fumbled in his jeans pocket for the Firebolt. He finally felt bristles, akin to those on a toothbrush, and pulled the broom out by the tail. Hurriedly he muttered the Engorgement Charm and grabbed the restored broom by the handle.

"Did Dumbledore give you that Invisibility Cloak of your father's? And don't bother asking me how I know; just answer."

"Yes," Harry said, cutting his question off.

"Get it out, and then get on the broom."

Harry felt around his pocket for a piece of cloth. He seized it between his fingers and extracted it, enlarging it as he did. Throwing the cloak over his head, he settled on the broom, feeling the weight of his aunt as she settled herself behind him and threw a length of the cloak over her own head. Harry braced his feet on the ground and kicked off.

Nothing.

"Harry!"

He's head snapped around. Holding onto the visible tail of the Firebolt was a Death Eater, masked into anonymity.

From her apron pocket Petunia snatched up what she had taken from the counter. A wooden stirring spoon.

'Does she honesty believe she can scare off—'

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Harry's panicked, bewildered thought was cut off as the Death Eater suddenly froze in place. Even his eyes stood stock-still behind the slits in his mask. Venomously Petunia kicked the Death Eater off the broom. He fell with a thud to the ground.

"What are you waiting for, fool? Go! Now!"

Too astounded to say anything, Harry kicked off from the ground and the Firebolt took off from the Dursely's backyard.