Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Everything belongs to J. K. Rowling.

The Past, the present and the future—by Spera'89

Chapter one – Harry´s birthday

Little Whinging – Harry´s room

Monday

It was getting dark outside when a certain Harry James Potter was lying on his bed in his bedroom at number four, Privet Drive. The nearly sixteen year-old boy was not sure how he should feel; either he felt lonely, sad and angry at once, or he felt a bit happy, unsure and bored. But the loneliness mostly won with the boredom. The only thing he had had to do in his holidays was gazing out of the window, doing the chores in the house and being shouted at by his uncle, Vernon Dursley. And so he lay there, gazing up at the ceiling and thinking,

'Why does it always happen to me? Now that most of my relatives are dead most of my closest friends have to die or what? I can't take this! Why did Dumbledore not tell me earlier about that bloody prophecy?! Sirius would live now! I am just something like a marionette to him! He does not care for me at all, just for the damn saviour in me. But what can I do? Nothing. I wonder what's gonna happen this year... Oh, I don't really want to know it. No more death, please... Well, and tomorrow's my birthday... Now what does it mean to me? I'll be sixteen... I just want to get out of here. This is hell. But at least I am not pitied here and no one calls me a hero or saviour. Well, even the Dursleys have their good side.' Suddenly he remembered the night he destroyed Dumbledore's office and he had to chuckle 'Merlin, I a so stupid... It is not Dumbledore's fault... And I destroyed his whole office. I must get that rage under control. But Dumbledore said it was not my fault Sirius died. Should I believe him in that? There could be so many people made responsible for deaths in these times... I'll just have to try to forget it...' Harry got up and went over to his desk where photos of his parents lay in an album which he opened and searched through until he found the photo at which he had glared in his third year-the photograph of his parents' wedding; but this time he was not glaring at the picture. He was looking sadly at it-at his godfather... Sirius Ian Black. Harry went to the window and stared at the sky, "I miss you, Padfoot... I really miss you, and I wish you could be here, or I with you. But we'll meet again—until then: Have a nice time in heaven!" he whispered. And with these words he stopped blaming anyone for his godfather's death...

"Harry!!" A disturbing voice called from downstairs and Harry jumped in shock.

"What's up??" He called back, still breathing a bit too fast.

"Mum wants you for the dishes. And hurry up! I'm hungry!"

"Oh great. Let Harry do everything. Don't bother yourselves." Harry muttered. "I'm coming!" He shouted back. Then he put the photo away again and went downstairs.

"Take out the dishes and hurry up." Petunia snapped at him when he entered the kitchen.

"Alright, Aunt Petunia."

When Harry had finished setting the table, Vernon strutted into the kitchen and the 'family' sat down to eat. While Petunia, Dudley and Vernon talked about the neighbours in (too much) detail, Harry, who was supposed to be quiet, ate as quickly as possible.

Harry kept his attention away from the dinner conversation, until the topic came onto Mrs. Figg:

"Arabella said she would take the boy once more while we are in Italy." His uncle yelled, getting louder by the second. "YOU will behave yourself while there!"

"Alright, Uncle Vernon. You won't hear anything bad." Harry said, sighing inside. Mrs. Figg was an old cat–loving woman, but Harry liked her. She didn't HATE him. Best of all, she didn't beat him AND as a squib she knew about the wizarding world.

"I hope not. Now get out of my sight. I want to watch the news."

"Alright. I'll pack my stuff then."

"Do what you want. We will leave the day after tomorrow. Arabella is even being so kind as to take you to King's Cross. And I warn you: If anything ... odd... happens, you will never go back to that... place. Now GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!"

Harry ran up the stairs and into his room. He fetched a roll of parchment, and wrote five times:

Dear (Hermione, Ron, Professor Lupin...)

I wanted to tell you that I will be staying at Mrs Figg's for the rest of the holidays. The Dursleys are going to stay in Italy for the rest of the summer.

On his friends' parchments, he added:

No Dursleys for the whole summer! I'm so lucky!

And only for Dumbledore:

I hope you don't have any problems with this, but I am going anyway!

Yours,

Harry Potter.

Harry was not really proud of his writing. It was nearly as messy as his hair, but he had never tried to change it either... "Hedwig, we're so lucky! The day after tomorrow you'll be able to fly out whenever you want – we're going to be staying at Mrs Figg's, and she knows about magic! But first, could you deliver this to the headmaster and these to Ron, Hermione and Hagrid?" The intelligent owl nodded her agreement. He tied the separate parchments to her leg. "Good girl! I have to pack now; I'll probably be at Mrs Figg's when you get back." With a last look at Harry, Hedwig flew off.

It took only a quarter of an hour to pack, and while doing so he noticed that his robes were too short. "Wow. I've grown a bit... no, I've grown a lot!" He threw the robes into his trunk anyway.

"It's still only nine o'clock!" Harry grumbled. "Time is not on my side today."

He lay on his bed and dozed off, thinking of a life without the Dursleys. He was woken by a very angry looking Vernon, whose head bent over his bed forcing Harry to look right up his purple nose.

"BOY! What the hell are you doing up here? I called you three times! Your aunt had to set the table by herself!"

"I fell asleep, uncle Vernon..."

"You FELL ASLEEP?! Why do you think that we have the NIGHT?! Do you think that you can just laze around all day because of your... your freakish friends?! Do you think that I am intimidated by a bunch of raving lunatics?"

There was a glint of fear in Harry's eyes. 'Oh shit, not again! Okay, think Harry... Is there any way out of this situation? Erm... Nope-shit.'

"No, I didn't. I just fell asleep."

"I said DO NOT LIE TO ME! Come here, BOY!" The first blow hit. Hard. 'And he is not even drunk...', Harry sighed in the inside.

It was horrible. It was the worst beating since he had come for the summer holidays after his first year. Harry was pretty sure that he had two broken ribs, and many bruises littered his body. Once the pain had faded enough to allow coherent thought, Harry looked at the clock.

"Oh great! In half an hour, I'll be 16, and I am immobile. I hope somebody sends me a healing potion... I would even drink one made by Neville..."

Hogwarts, Professor Severus Snape's office

"I can't believe you still haven't told him," Remus Lupin said. He was teaching again; after last years 'Umbridge-disaster', Dumbledore had 'politely convinced' the school governors to ask him back.

"Told who what? I haven't got the slightest idea what you're on about..." Severus Snape frowned, irritated, but was cut off by a sharp glare from Remus.

"You know very well who and what I mean, Severus. It's been nearly sixteen years...he has a right to know!"

"I still don't know what you are talking about!" Severus snapped.

"He IS yours, Severus."

"Who is mine? What in Merlin's name are you talking about? Hurry up werewolf, I haven't got all day to talk nonsense with you – I have a certain potion to brew for our ungrateful new teacher!" he sneered.

"Oh please! Don't play dumb, Severus. You have to tell him, as soon as possible..." Lupin pleaded, ignoring Snape's scathing remark.

"Playing dumb? I think that's your area of expertise! On second thoughts, I forgot – you aren't playing! If you don't intend to tell me whatever it is that you are rambling about, get out of my sight! "

"As you very well know, I am talking about your son." Lupin snarled.

"My—what? Maybe you lost the few brain cells that you had during your last transformation! It may have passed your notice, but I haven't got a son, and I never had one. And as a matter of fact, my parents and all other close relatives are dead, and it is good riddance."

"Why do you insist on playing ignorant? I saw you with my own eyes."

"So you are not blind. Your point is..."

"I am talking about Harry Potter."

"Aah. Now I get the point! Somehow during your delusional ramblings you changed topics and began talking about Potter. How did I not notice that before?"

"I give up. Have it your way..." He threw his hands in the air and turned around, leaving a thoroughly bemused Snape behind.

After watching Lupin retreating back, Snape's attention focused once more on the wolfsbane potion, bubbling away in his cauldron. He would never admit to anyone, especially not Lupin, but he rather enjoyed making the potion for the werewolf. It was a challenge and thus far more enjoyable than teaching dunderheads like Longbottom all the time! While he brewed contentedly, the conversation with Lupin soon slipped his mind.

Little Whinging, Harry's room

"Only two minutes..." Harry said, watching his alarm clock.

He had been attempting to read his school books. He was so bored! He had to distract himself from the ache coming from his ribs, but he couldn't concentrate on anything. He had made a cold compress from an old shirt and water from the absent Hedwig's bowl, and the ache had faded a little. He looked at his watch again. 11:59:45.

"15 seconds. 13 – 12 – 11 – 10 – 9 – 8 – 7..." He watched the numbers change: "...3 – 2 – 1. Happy 16th Birthday, Harry." He whispered.

Half a minute later, his snowy owl flew in, holding two packages in her claws. Attached to each was a letter.

"Hedwig! You're back soon! Let me take those parcels... here, have a rest..." He took the packages, beginning with the small one: "It's from Dumbledore..."

He read the letter first:

Dear Harry,

Happy birthday to you. I hope you are well. It is alright for you to stay at Arabella's for the rest of the summer, but be careful! Do not use magic. We don't want a repeat of last year, do we? I am sure you know what your present is. I thought that you might need it...

Harry unwrapped the package. "A pensieve!"

...Your father gave it to me as your 16th birthday present. I'm sorry that they didn't put any memories in it, but I am sure that you will put it to good use. Transferring memories does not contribute to spell casting and thus you can use it before school starts.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore.

"Wow... Thanks, dad." However, before using it, he had another letter to read:

Dear Harry,

Happy birthday! I hope nothing is wrong; outside of the business with the Daily Prophet, nothing much has happened. I found this in wizarding Paris and thought that you might find it useful. It's great, although it is pretty hard to understand much of what is written. Has Ron told you anything about me? If not, forget it.

Yours, Hermione.

Whilst he had been reading, two more owls had flown in. One was a big, brown school owl; the other was small and hysteric. It was Pig, Ron's owl.

"Hey, Pig. Come here. This is much too big for you." He said, trying to take the large parcel.

The school owl allowed Harry to remove the package before flying off again.

"This is from Hagrid – nobody else has got such untidy writing!" Harry said, smiling at the address on the envelope.

He opened it and read:

Dear Harry,

I made this for you. Hope you like it!

With love,

Hagrid.

Harry opened the parcel, revealing a large cake. On it Hagrid had written Happy 16th Birthday Harry in coloured icing

"It's like the one he made for me when I was eleven! That's a good memory..."

Then Harry opened his second present: The Weasleys' presents were always brilliant! Harry loved when they sent him photos of them together... The letter read:

Hi Mate,

Happy birthday. Hope everything's alright. The present is from all of us, except from Percy. Fred and George hid some of their stuff in it...

Hope you like it,

Ron.

When Harry opened the parcel, he saw a selection of wizarding photographs from his last school year. Besides them, there were two books:

"The Graves in Egypt" and "Dragons, the Fascinating and the Dangerous."

There were also the usual sweets and Weasley's Wizard Wheezes from the twins. Mrs Weasley had contributed a cake, as usual.

"I love this family. They always make me feel welcome..." He murmured happily.

"Now, let's have a look at a 16 year old."

He left his room silently and made his way to the bathroom. Once the door was closed and he had turned on the light, Harry looked at his face in the mirror with a slightly shocked expression.