CHAPTER 1 - COMING OF AGE
As Harry made his way down the stairs for breakfast on Sunday there was a knock at the door.
Uncle Vernon opened the door and a familiar voice rang through the Dursley's quiet house
"Hello, you must be Vernon, Harry's uncle. I'm Hermione Grang..."
There was a sudden loud crack and Aunt Petunia screamed from inside the kitchen. Harry had frozen on the stairs due to the shade of red Uncle Vernon had achieved.
"Hermione, I told you to wait for me, what are you playing at!" Ron cried
"Oh hello" And Ron reached his hand out to shake Vernon's. Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut on Hermione and Ron and rounded upon Harry,
"What is this! Do you know these people. What will the neighbours think!" He screamed
Bang! Hermione had blast the door open and Ron walked straight in, grabbed Hermione's arm, walked up the stairs grabbing Harry's arm and continued up to Harry's room leaving Petunia frozen in the kitchen door and a very purple Vernon, shocked at what had just happened.
Harry sat back down on his bed in a state of disbelieve
'Ron and Hermione, in my house, blew the door open, in my house, why?' thought Harry.
"Harry, how are you?" asked Ron
"Ron! that's such a trivial question, I think we need to explain," cried Hermione.
Harry opened and closed his mouth several times before any sound came out
"Hey, I'm ...fine. Yes what are you two doing here, and Hermione you did magic in front of my uncle! What's happened?"
"HARRY, GET DOWN HERE NOW!" bellowed his uncle
Hermione quickly locked the door by magic, just as Uncle Vernon walked into it, expecting it to fly open but instead he bounced off it.
"GET OUT HERE BOY! THE DISRESPECT..." he kept raving on as Ron spoke over him
"Okay there Harry, you look as though you've seen a Blast Ended Skrewt" Ron questioned as he went over and shook Harry a little.
"Ron, please no, its a lot to process. ok Harry, tomorrows your ..."
"Hermione wait, what's that charm, oh yea, muffilato" Ron interrupted
"Tomorrows your birthday so the protection Dumble ... Dumbled ... Dumbledore placed upon you stops, so we came here first as a birthday surprise and secondly, well, as protection. So as of tomorrow morning we will apperate to the Burrow." Hermione explained.
Still in shock that Hermione had blasted his uncles front door open and magically locked him into his room, Harry began to worry, either Hermione had changed over the summer holidays and the rebellious streak had fired up in her again, she was a death eater disguised as her, or under the imperius curse.
"How do I know you and Ron aren't death eaters waiting for my protection to be gone and kill me at midnight?" Harry questioned slowly.
"Ahh, come on Harry, please stop been so slow, Mad-eye, Tonks and Lupin are outside waiting for our signal that you believe us, Harry please, its important that you understand." Hermione cried
"Right, answer these questions for me; Ron, what did Sirius make us call him? and Hermione, what two years was I better than you in defence?" asked Harry
"You're been a right prat about this Harry, and he made us call him Snuffles ok."
"And it was 3rd and 5th. you got an O in your OWLs and i only got an E" replied Hermione looking slightly crestfallen.
Harry broke into his first smile in weeks, due to when he was by himself he kept thinking 'the locket, the cup, the snake, and something of Gryffindor or Ravenclaw' over and over again.
"So what's really happening? Ron, have you heard if Hogwarts is opening next year?"
"We'll get to that later anyway, outside your house You-know-who has stationed Bellatrix Lestrange, Avery and Macnair. We think that they have been here for a few days now and we also think that they are here to take you to Him at midnight tonight." said Ron
"Our biggest problem though is your aunt, uncle and cousin, they have to come with us, of they are danger" Hermione finished.
"Let me get this right, we have to take my aunt, uncle and cousin with us to the Burrow? How are we going to do that, side along apperation?" questioned Harry
"Well yes, that's why we have to wait til midnight so you don't get another letter from the Ministry of Magic. So hurry up and pack your trunk and ill send it off to the Burrow."
Ron was pacing around Harry's room looking at the odd muggle thing here and there. Harry had nearly finished packing his trunk when had a sudden sinking thought.
"What about Hedwig, she never returned from your place Ron from the last letter I sent you."
"Yeah, don't worry mate, mum will be looking after her, we told Hedwig to hang around and she did." Ron replied as he picked up a closed can of vegetable soup and a can opener laughing.
"Umm, I suppose we have to tell them what's happening them?" asked Harry as Hermione vanished Harry's trunk and broom.
Harry hurried into the kitchen and found a distraught Aunt Petunia and a rather purple Uncle Vernon.
"WHAT'S GOING ON POTTER, WE WANT ANSWERS!" Uncle Vernon bellowed as he banged his fist down on the kitchen table.
"Aunt Petunia, we all need to go into the living room and we need Dudley as well, you need to trust me." Harry said softly, ignoring Uncle Vernon
Aunt Petunia hurried past Harry, Ron and Hermione, not looking at the last two in case she might become contaminated.
"ANSWER ME BOY! WHAT ARE THEY DOING IN MY HOUSE, DOING YOU KNOW WHAT!" Uncle Vernon bellowed again.
"I told you, I'm not saying anything until we are in the living room." Harry said with such force that Vernon actually went to the living room.
A while later an anxious Petunia came back with a very scared looking Dudley. The three Dursley's all sat down on the couch staring at Harry.
"As I told you last summer, Lord Voldemort has returned. And I also told you that he is after me. Last year at school, the headmaster told me that Voldemort has done things to become immortal, but he can be defeated. The only problem is, is that when my headmaster brought me here after my parents were murdered, he placed a spell upon this house to protect me, but when I turn 17, the spell is lifted and everyone in this house is in terrible danger. The reason my two friends are here is because Voldemort has placed three of his followers, maybe more, waiting hidden outside for midnight when I turn 17. This means that they will take me to him and probably kill you three in the process..." Harry said as Aunt Petunia gasped and looked as though she might faint
"So, you are placing this family in even more danger, I want you out, out!" screamed Uncle Vernon, but in a rather small voice. Dudley looked very white.
"But if you do as I say, then I can help you. I need you to go upstairs and pack everything you will need for a month, then bring your suitcases downstairs into the living room and my friend Hermione, whose parents are well respected dentists, will send your things to where we are going."
Aunt Petunia got up immediately, Harry knew she would understand the urgency of the situation, but Dudley and Uncle Vernon just sat there.
"How do we know that your aren't going to lead us to even more danger?" questioned Vernon
"Because, where you go, Harry has to go to, and we don't want Harry to die." said Ron bluntly
At that Aunt Petunia squealed, grabbed Dudley and told Vernon to hurry up.
The suitcases had been vanished and Aunt Petunia had scrubbed the house cleaner then usual. They were all sitting down for dinner, including Ron and Hermione. Uncle Vernon was been civil towards Hermione, due to the fact he found out her parents were highly respected in the muggle world and her parents weren't witches and wizards and that there was no trace of magic in her ancestry. Dudley had sandwiched himself between Petunia and Vernon to afraid to speak, he hadn't spoken all day. As Harry begun clearing the plates away Ron spoke
"We will be leaving at midnight, ill just explain how. Mrs Dursley, you will be coming with me, Mr Dursley's with Hermione and Dudley with Harry. All you need to do is hold on really tightly to our arms. Mrs Dursley's and I will be leaving at 2 minutes to 12 to let my mum know. Then the second the clock hits 12, Hermione will apperate, followed by Harry."
The Dursley's must have understood the serious of the situation now as none of them argued, but all nodded their heads.
At 11:58 Ron and Aunt Petunia apperated to the Burrow, Harry thought he could see dark shadows lurking outside the living room windows. Harry could tell Hermione was nervous, he was too. Though it was nothing compared to Dudley, he looked terrified. The clock hit twelve and started to chime, Hermione apperated and Harry started thinking as hard as he could about the Burrow. The clock was up to its 4th chime when the front door was blasted open for the second time today. Harry only had enough time to see Bellatrix Lestrange rushing forwards with her wand raised and then Harry experienced the feeling of been sucked through a tube, Dudley's grip on Harry's arm was vice like.
"Harry!" cried Hermione and Mrs Weasley
"Did anyone see you leave?" asked Mr Weasley
"Yes, Bellatrix Lestrange, she blew the front door open and she caught a glimpse of me and then I apperated." Harry said as he looked around and saw the three Dursley's huddled around one another looking very unsure.
"Ahh, yes, now Mr and Mrs Dursley, Dudley, you will be sleeping in Fred and George's room tonight, beds are all set up and you will going somewhere else later in the day." Mr Weasley explained.
"Come on, ill show you, your bags should all ready be in there." Harry said and he then hurried the Dursley's up onto the second floor to Fred and George's room. He could feel Aunt Petunia grimace beside him at the sight of a thick layer of dust and storage boxes.
"Now, don't touch any of the boxes, I have no idea what's in them. Mrs Weasley will send up some breakfast in the morning." Harry explained.
He waited for an answer, but it never came, all three of the Dursley's were very white, but Harry was glad Uncle Vernon had lost his voice because he knew it would not last long.
Back in the Weasley's kitchen Mrs Weasley was serving onion soup and bread.
"Where are the Dursley's going Mr Weasley?" Harry asked
"Well, I thought we had better ask you first, is it ok with you if we place them at Grimmauld Place?"
"Oh, right, umm, has Lupin gone back there yet?"
It was Mrs Weasley that answered Harry "Sorry Harry, he is still living with the werewolves."
"Oh, is umm, anyone living there at the moment?"
"Well, no, Harry, we weren't sure what you wanted done with it, we are of course still using it as headquarters but we didn't know if you wanted anyone to live there. No one asked to live there though so we never faced that problem." Mrs Weasley finished quickly
"Oh, umm, I think that if the Dursley's are to be living at headquarters it would be best if someone was also living there, may be Moody, Shacklebolt, Lupin or Tonks"
"Right, ill send Moody a message right now." Mr Weasley got up and started to do so
"Ohh, Mr Weasley, you had better tell him that my aunt and uncle are anti magic, and Aunt Petunia is very clean."
"Too true Harry, too true." Mr Weasley said as he put his hand in bright green dust and travelled the floo system to Moody's current whereabouts.
"Time for bed now dears, oh Harry one more thing, the minister has given you special permission to perform magic in front of muggle's because he knows that your aunt and uncle will be living amongst wizards. Ron, you and Hermione have been given that grant as well, do not abuse it! Now off to bed." Mrs Weasley said and gave each one a hug. Ron and Harry said good night to Hermione outside Ginny's room and headed up to the top storey. Once inside Ron's room, they both changed into their pyjamas and Harry had begun stroking Hedwig when Ron jumped on the end of Harry's camp bed and said "Wow, magic in front of muggle's, and no punishment! Ha that is excellent, ah, wait until I tell Fred and George, they haven't stopped hassling me about my first apperation test."
"Yeah its great isn't it, although I cant believe the Dursley's are going to be living in my house for a month"
"Oh yeah, that, haa, I'm sure your uncle will have a fit, its a lot bigger than his house!" said Ron in a false sort of excitement to avoid the awkwardness of the situation.
"Yea, Aunt Petunia wont be to happy once she sees the state of the house."
"Oh yeah, Harry, your aunt keeps her house unnaturally clean, its almost scary!" Ron said
"Well goodnight."
With that Harry fell into an uneasy sleep full of dreams about Bellatrix Lestrange turning into Fawkes and Hedwig turning into Dumbledore.
Harry woke the next morning with a start, he wasn't sure what woke him at first, but then he heard what seemed to be hundreds of people apperating. Harry got out of bed and crept past a snoring Ron to the window next to his bed and saw thousands upon thousands of white and gold peonies, lilies and roses in the front yard of the burrow. There were about 10 people apperating every few seconds arriving with more and more flowers. The door suddenly flew open and a tired looking Hermione walked in carrying two things; Crookshanks and a present. She sat on the end of Harry's camp bed and let Crookshanks loose, who curled up on Ron's bed and went to sleep.
"Happy Birthday Harry." Hermione said in a whisper passing him his present.
Harry unwrapped it and found a series of books. Books on defence, the background history of the dark arts, an advanced transfiguration book and a complicated looking potions book.
"Wow, thanks Hermione, these look fascinating!" said Harry
"That's all right, Mrs Weasley wants you and Ron to come down for breakfast soon as well" Hermione said as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
Harry walked over to Ron and poked him in the back
"Argh, Don't kill me" Ron cried in a panicked voice
"Ron, its me, Harry, hurry up, your mum has breakfast ready." Harry said with a laugh.
The two of them got dressed and walked into the kitchen.
The kitchen was full of more flowers, these ones were soft pinks and silvers. Harry had never seen so many flowers in all his life. He was so side tracked he hadn't noticed the banner Mrs Weasley had put up saying "Happy Coming of Age Birthday Harry." Harry also failed to notice the youngest Weasley, Ginny, sitting at the end of the table. He sat down at the table still looking around the kitchen at the other items that would be involved in Fleur and Bill's wedding tomorrow.
"Morning Harry, Happy birthday!" cried Mrs Weasley, handing over a present for him
Harry opened it and found a satchel. Confused, he opened it to see what was inside it and to Harry's surprise it looked like a store, full of food, drink and potions ingredients, but yet it was feather light.
"Wow, thank you Mr and Mrs Weasley! This is fantastic." said harry
"That all right, when you put it on, it will cling to you like another layer of clothing, and it is hard for people to remove it from you." explained Mr Weasley.
Harry helped himself to toast and spread marmalade on it, he looked down the table and saw Ginny playing with her toast crusts, avoiding Harry's eye.
"Harry dear, we will bring your Aunt and Uncle down soon and send them off, Moody has agreed to stay at Grimmauld Place with them for the mean time, but he said that other members will be coming and going so they might have to have there memory wiped." said Mrs Weasley.
"Oh, what, oh yeah, that's fine." Harry replied, although he hardly heard a word she said, his thoughts were still on Ginny.
"Happy birthday Harry." said Ron sleepily throwing over a heavy present.
Harry unwrapped it and out fell a large bag of Every Flavour Beans, Cauldron Cakes and Chocolate Frogs.
"Thanks Ron, I've missed these!"
After breakfast, Harry went up to Fred and George's room with Mrs Weasley and her breakfast tray. They knocked on the door and Harry went in first. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon and Dudley were sitting side by side on one of the twins beds looking terrified. Harry noticed a few of the boxes had been opened.
"Here is your breakfast, come down to the kitchen when you are finished." Mrs Weasley said and walked out shutting the door behind her.
"Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, you and Dudley will be living at my Godfathers place for the next month, or at least until you are safe to go back to Privet Drive. When you have finished breakfast, we will help you travel to the house." Harry explained.
"We will be living in your house?" asked Uncle Vernon
"Yes, and you will be living by my rules," said Harry, pleased to be able to finally step out from underneath the Dursley's and take control " There will be a witch or wizard living with you at all times. Aunt Petunia, you are welcome to clean, although if something moves of bites, go straight to the magical person and they will help you sort it out. No one is to go outside, because you will be seen and that is not to happen. In the halls, always walk and talk quietly, never answer the door and during meetings you are to go to the top storey and not come down until someone comes and gets you. Dudley, there is no TV or computer so you will have to do something else with your day. Uncle Vernon, the newspaper will not be coming to my house and you are having a holiday from work currently, it was sorted last night." Harry finished.
The Dursley's looked shocked, they all looked as though they had been beaten and spat on. Finally Uncle Vernon spoke "And what will happen if we do not abide by 'your' rules, eh?"
"That is why you are under supervision, if you do not follow my rules then you will be magically locked in your rooms, like you did to me after my first year at my school." Harry said. Feeling pleased with himself he followed Mrs Weasley out of the room.
Harry walked back into the kitchen at the same time as the Weasley twins, Fred and George walked in.
"Harry! Good to see you." said Fred
"Happy Birthday!" said George
They both threw something at Harry and he caught both. Inside the wrappings were two gift vouchers for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Each voucher was for 250 Galleons.
"Wow, thank you guys, you didn't have to though." said Harry
"No, Harry, of course we did, lets just say" began Fred
"This is the first part of our repayment." finished George
Harry tucked the vouchers into the back pocket of his jeans as Ginny walked past him. Harry smiled, Ginny smiled back, but put her head down and walked on past. None of the Weasley's noticed as they were all talking to Fred and George. Hermione noticed though. Harry sat back down at the table next to her, they started playing exploding snap.
"Have you talked to Ginny since the end of term?" Hermione asked quietly
"I sent her one letter, but I never got a reply." Harry answered
"I hope you were sensitive and didn't spend the whole letter explaining why you broke it off with her."
"No, I didn't spend the whole letter explaining," Harry replied defiantly "I said I was sorry and that I hope she understands why I did it. Oh I also told her not to spend the whole summer worrying about it. I also said that i hope's she has a good summer, and good luck for becoming prefect, and a few other things."
"Harry, no wonder she doesn't want to talk to you. You did the exact opposite of what you told her to do! In you letter you should have just written what you would write to either me or Ron!" Hermione exasperated
"Oh, okay. Ron is right, you should write a book on understanding females, that would be the best present ever." Harry finished just as the pack of cards exploded in his hand, leaving it covered in a thin layer card residue.
It was mid day and the Dursley's still hadn't come out of Fred and George's room. Harry had been outside helping set up chairs when Bill and Fleur arrived with Fliers family.
"Oh 'Ell everyone, ahh, I am so exzited about tomorrow!" Fleur cried, radiating her usual beauty
"Zis is my Mozer, Antoinette, and my Faazer, Phillep. And you have all met my lettle sister, Gabrielle. Mozer, zar is Molly, and Arthuer. Zee two that look alike are Fred and Gzeorgze. The other boy wiz red hair is Ron, his sister is Ginny. Hermione is zee girl with zee brown hair and zee other boy is Harry Potter." Fleur finished introducing everyone and the greetings had been done.
"Hello Harry. Did you get here alright? No problems with your aunt and uncle?" asked Bill
"Nope, everything went smoothly except just as i apperated Bellatrix Lestrange burst into their house." replied Harry
Bill started to say something when Fleur screamed
"Who or what is zat!" She cried, pointing up to the second floor.
Aunt Petunia was looking longingly out the window at the Weasley's setting up for the wedding.
"Fleur, that is my Aunt Petunia, her, my uncle and my cousin are meant to be leaving today. They couldn't stay at their actual house because the Death Eaters would have got them," Harry explained "I think I'll go up and see how they are doing."
Harry left and went up to see the Dursley's.
"Is everyone fine in here?" Harry asked cautiously
He looked around the room and saw an empty breakfast tray, Uncle Vernon and Dudley asleep together on one of the beds. Over by the window was Aunt Petunia. She turned around and said "I'm sorry Harry, I never liked you mother because she was the pretty, intelligent and magical sister. At home she got all the attention and I was shunted to the side. That made me angry at magic. Harry, sit down please, I need to tell you something that no one knows."
Harry sat down looking slightly worried, and cautious. The last time Aunt Petunia had spoke about Lily she was extremely angry.
"Harry, when Lily went to get her wand, we went as a family, been the older sister, it all seemed so exciting, although I was confused as I never received my letter telling me I was allowed into her school. My parents pushed me aside and Lily was always in the limelight. We usually got along, Lily and I, but when she came home for Easter with pictures and stories of her boyfriend, your father, our bond grew apart. That Christmas, James came to our house, he brought his good friend, I presume your Godfather, with him. They both teased me and used magic in front of me. It was horrible. After that Christmas, Lily and I stopped talking. My parents stopped talking to me as well, they also blamed me for your parents death."
Petunia stopped talking for a while, Harry noticed her eyes were rather wet. He was quite surprised at all of this information.
"What my parents did not know was that when Lily and I were still talking, I went with her to buy her new books. I think Lily was in her 5th year. I secretly bought a wand. It is a 12" Holly with unicorn hair." Petunia said, as she pulled out a wand from behind her.
"Look Harry, Augamenti" Petunia pointed he wand at the jug that was on the breakfast tray. It filled up with pumpkin juice. Harry was shocked. How could Aunt Petunia be a witch, although with what she said, it made sense that she was so angry at the wizarding world.
"Aunt Petunia, that is, that is, wow, that is amazing. I am very sorry my Dad and Sirius were so mean to you, i have been ... shown, what they were like in their 5th year. They were very arrogant." Harry thought for a moment "Aunt Petunia, how come you were never accepted into ... my school?"
"I am never sure, it might be because I was afraid of the unknown, or Dumbledore had other ideas for me."
"Where did you learn magic?" Harry asked as his curiosity got the better of him
"Each year when Lily went back to Hogwarts, she would leave her old books behind, I read through them and taught myself. When she finished at Hogwarts I went back to our parents house an took all of her books. I had to hide them from Vernon, he knows none of this, and you are not to repeat it to him, ok Harry. Oh by the way, Happy Birthday."
Harry was shocked to hear this, he always knew Petunia hated his mother, but he never knew it was similar to the loathing Snape has with him. They sat there in silence for a while then suddenly Harry had an idea
"Aunt Petunia, would you like to come downstairs and see what is happening? Mrs Weasley's oldest son is getting married tomorrow."
Aunt Petunia thought for a bit
"No, get out, do not come up here again unless it is important. Out, get out!" the atmosphere changed, Aunt Petunia was back to normal. Harry quickly left, confused about what had just happened. His Aunt, who he had lived with for 16 years is an unregistered witch. It didn't make sense, she always forbade any word related to magic, but this sudden outburst, maybe, just maybe she realised how good and happy the magical world was. Harry was lost in thought and did not realise his legs had been moving him until he walked straight into Ginny at the foot of the stairs.
'Oh, sorry bout that, lost in thought." Harry mumbled as he tried to walk around her. This was considerably hard as the stairwell was narrow and Ginny was carrying what looked like a bundle of gold fabric.
"Harry, how are you?" Ginny asked brightly
"What, oh good, how are you?" Harry replied feeling slightly confused
"Oh good, how was the first part of you holidays."
"It was the same, nothing interesting happened. How was yours?"
"They went really well, until someone sent me an awfully long letter about reasons not to think about. Now Harry, who might that have been from? And since that letter I have not been able to stop thinking about those reasons. Before that letter came i was doing perfectly fine because I understood, but now, now I really don't." and with a huff Ginny pushed past Harry. He heard a distinct noise of a door been slammed.
Outside the chairs had been set up and the ladies were starting on a podium for Bill and Fleur. Ron came at him and said
"Where have you been? Mum is giving us a few hours off, only because it is your birthday mind you. Lets have a game of Quidditch, Fred and George have just apperated to get their brooms. Charlie should be arriving soon as well, but we can start before he gets here, hang on, we better ask Ginny."
"Sounds good, you had better ask Ginny though, she's not to happy with me, I sent her a letter." Harry replied
"Yeah, she showed that to me, she called you a few names as well. If you were anyone but my mate, id call you a few names as well and shoot a few jinxes your way." Ron said
Back in Ron's room, Harry and Ron were putting there Quidditch robes on when they heard a scream come from outside. They both ran to the window and saw that Charlie had arrived, but the way he was talking with his hands, what he was saying didn't look good. Ron and Harry both apperated outside in time to hear Charlie say
"Mum, I heard it, an army of death eaters are on their way here. Somehow they heard that we lied about the wedding date. We have about 10 minutes at the most."
"Harry, Ron, Hermione, I want you to take the Dursley's and Ginny to Grimmauld Place, and stay there. Bill hide all the wedding things. Mr and Mrs Delacour, you had better go with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Where are Fred and George!" Mr Weasley commanded
"Right here Dad, we heard the news." George answered
"Have these Bill, then vanish the wedding stuff to Grimmauld Place" said Fred, throwing Bill many invisibility blankets, probably from their shop.