Harry Potter lay in his bed, looking up at the shadows dancing upon the ceiling created by the moonlight. His thoughts were dreaming of the day the Order would come and take him away from the Dursley's as they had promised at the end of his fifth year. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia haven't been as bad as the used to be, not punishing him, not forcing him to do anything he didn't want to do. Actually all they really did was ignore Harry, that suited Harry just fine. Ever since the Order had threatened the Dursley's his aunt and uncle were afraid to do anything to or with him, even his cousin, Dudley was afraid to look at Harry.
Harry didn't mind at all seeing as it allowed him time to be alone and have the freedom he's always wanted, though there really wasn't anything exciting to do during the summer except scare Dudley and his gang away when they tried to come up to him. Sure Dudley would always want to back down before he got anywhere near Harry but it was amusing to watch him and his friends squirm when Harry would just turn around and stare at them with oddly blank eyes for someone who could see. Some even believed that Harry was blind, though they knew that to be untrue since Harry's eyes still had a small glow to them to show he could see and he never ran into anything.
Sighing Harry went back to his musings of when the Order would come and take him away from the Dursley House. He had sent owls to Ron, Hermione and Remus every chance he got, asking them when they would come and get him but every time they stated that it wasn't time yet and he had to wait just a little longer. So Harry waited. He had mastered the art of Occlumency, practicing night and day to make sure that no one could read his feelings on his face or in his eyes. Now all he had to do was wait till he could test it with a real wizard and not on Muggles. Harry had been determined to get it right after the end of last year at Hogwarts. It had been his fault that his Godfather, Sirius, had been pushed through the veil and into the mirror.
Harry didn't get the nightmares, as everyone called them, of Sirius calling to him, asking Harry to help him get out of that dimension. Everyone told Harry over and over again that Sirius wasn't coming back, that he was dead and Harry should move on, but Harry still wouldn't except it, he just couldn't. So Harry didn't dwell on the dreams, didn't bother telling anyone that he still had them. He would just wake up, look around him and allow the sad loneliness to surround him before he would push it away and returned to his once again reserved self.
Snape had told him that if he allowed his feeling to show, allowed any to get close and begin caring for them then Voldermort would get him, hurting Harry by hurting those he cared for. So Harry wouldn't care, he wouldn't allow any to become attached to him. He had tried to be angry at everyone last summer but that had changed, by the end of the year Harry had been a little more trusting and caring for them once again but here was, once again, alone and separated. Harry believed that this was better though he still wanted to be with his friend he wouldn't allow them to get any closer then they already were, it was to dangerous if they did. He allowed Sirius to get close, become the most important thing and he had paid for it, with Sirius's life.
Harry was jousted out of his musings the shadow passing his closed window. Standing and moving towards the window Harry opened it to allow his owl, Hedwig, to enter. Allowing Hedwig to pass Harry looked out just as dawn began to break the horizon. 'Another day passed and I get closer to the anniversary of Sirius disappearance,' he still couldn't bring himself to say death.
Turning back into his room he looked over to find Hedwig sitting ontop of her cage. "Well Hedwig, how was you flight?"
As in answer Hedwig raised her beak, showing off the mouse clutched into her beak as a reward for the nights hunt. Harry smiled slightly, just a quirk at the corner of his lips but a smile none the less; he had yet to show a real smile since he had mastered his Occlumency lessons. Walking over to her Harry began to gently stroke her soft-feathered head. Dropping the mouse Hedwig nibbled affectionately on his hand as if saying she would always be there for him.
"Thanks Hedwig, I have to go downstairs now. Though I'd rather stay here or outside by myself I have to go celebrate Dudley's birthday. I also wish I could spend the day rereading all the books I got on hexes but they're forcing me to go with them. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Harry left the room and went downstairs to get ready for another Muggle-only day. Walking into the kitchen Harry saw Uncle Vernon quickly dart behind the newspaper in his hand, Aunt Petunia cooking at the stove, staring at it as if he it had become very interesting on how bacon reacted to heat. Dudley hadn't come down yet and Harry suspected he would once he smells the bacon frying. Dudley had been on the diet all summer, no exceptions. Harry guess that since today was Dudley's birthday the Dursleys were going to treat Dudley to anything he wanted, as well.
Dudley came rushing down the stairs and slamming open the dinning room door and into Harry. Both fell onto the floor with Dudley half on, half off Harry. The kitchen practically went mad. Dudley pushed up onto his hands and stayed there, frozen by fear, looking at down at Harry. Aunt Petunia dropped her spatula and started crying. Uncle Vernon through down the newspaper and was trying to heave Dudley Harry while saying, "it was an accident. He didn't mean to."
Harry finally managed to push Dudley off him enough to wiggle out from under the big car of a boy. Dudley had lost a lot of weight but was still heavy enough to crush oxygen out of your lungs. Standing up Harry did his best to catch the breath that was knocked out of him. He wasn't really succeeding seeing as Uncle Vernon kept breathing in his face saying it was and accident.
"I know." But his voice was low and Uncle Vernon didn't hear him so he continued to tell Harry over and over that it was an accident. "Okay! I know! Shut up!" Uncle Vernon was quiet and Aunt Petunia only sniffed every now and then, her hacking sobs quieting from Harry's outburst. "Calm down, I know it was an accident, I'm not stupid."
Sighing gratefully for the silence Harry moved to sit down in the closest dinning chair. He was glad that the Dursleys had stopped trying to apologize for Dudley though they were still looking at him doubtfully, as if Harry would jump up and curse them or run to send an owl to the Order. Shaking his head ruefully Harry turned towards the table, pulling his Potions homework towards him that he had left last night.
Harry still could barley believe that the Dursleys hadn't tried to set his books on fire or something of the sort when he left them on the table at night. When he had first brought his Transfiguration homework down to work on it in the sunlight, tired of reading it under his sheet with a flashlight, they Dursleys hadn't said anything and Harry had taken it as a sign that they weren't going to stop him no matter how much they wanted to.
Picking up his eagle feather quill Harry dipped it into his ink bottle and began scribbling notes on how to create a potion that makes the drink think day looks like night. He was assigned to give specific instructions on how to make the potion correctly, explain the side effects if created incorrectly, and who was the creator. So far Harry had found the ingredients and the side effects. Harry was thinking that a change of scenery might help him relax so that if when he re-read the information he wouldn't miss the name he was looking for.
Thinking it was a good idea Harry quickly slammed the book closed, causing all the Dursleys to flinch. Ignoring them Harry stood up from his seat, deciding to get some food before he was forced to go with the Dursleys the entire day. He would wait till tomorrow to finish his research. Moving towards the refrigerator Harry opened it to check what was in there, watch his aunt out of the corner of his eye while she served Uncle Vernon, Dudley, and herself. Seeing that there was enough for one more serving Harry debated on weather or not to eat it. Deciding against it he picked up a plate and set his toast onto it, before moving back to the fridge to take out the marmalade. Coating one side of the toast of each slice Harry put the tub of marmalade back in the fridge and the butter knife in the sink before moving back towards the table and sitting down. He was still slightly skinny for his age but his body had begun to fill out with his forming muscles from practicing his flying at night with his invisibility cloak, and from lifting heavy boxes to move where ever they needed to be moved. Harry's skin had also begun to turn a nice shad of golden tan from working out in the garden almost everyday or from just laying out in the sun and looking up at the sky, dreaming about the day he would be taken away from here and never have to return.
When Harry went flying he realized that Moody was right, his cloak doesn't stay on long enough for him to fly long distances, especially the way that Harry was used to flying, practicing his maneuvers and dogging. So instead of trying to find a place where he could practice in private and have the whole wizarding world in an uproar Harry flew into the clouds and practiced there. Sure it was harder to see but it also was better training because it would allow Harry the chance to become better at dogging and concentrating on where he was going.
Harry was glad that he had gotten an owl from Professor MaGonagle saying that his life long ban from playing Quiddich had been lifted. Also that all the 'school rules' that Unbridge had created in her term of Headmistress had been considered illegally, there for destroyed, even though the Minister of Magic had signed them himself. Even though Harry liked the thought of being able to play at his regular position of Seeker he felt slightly guilty for kicking Ginny off the team.
Dudley got up and went into the kitchen and saw the rest of the food cooling on the stove. He was still a hungry but he knew that that was Harry's and if he took it the people might come to the house and do some you-know-what on him. He kept looking at the back of Harry's head, trying to decide if he should risk taking the last serving. Harry could practically feel Dudley's dilemma and it was annoying him.
"If you want the damn food, take it. I'm sure as hell not gonna eat it. All I wanted was toast." Harry said this to Dudley without looking at him; Dudley was startled because he hadn't known Harry had known that he was looking at him and almost dropped his plat in his surprise.
Dudley filled his plat and went back to the table to eat, his eyes looking at his food as if it had suddenly become very interesting. Harry got up and went upstairs to get his snitch. Well it isn't really his but more the schools. In order to practice and to practice he needed the snitch. No one else was going to use it, why not him? Well that was Harry's logic at least. Everyone he never cared for either gets hurt or dies, everyone knows Voldermort is alive now, and his last parent just disappeared because of him. There was no point in being Mr. Good-Boy and Keep-Your-Nose-Clean anymore.
Harry took the snitch out of the box ontop of his desk and next to Hedwig's cage. There was no reason to hide it because no one else came into the room except him. The snitch will keep him entertained when they go to the mall so Dudley can pick out his presents, that'll take a couple hours because he can never make up his mind. Ends up getting what he wants, and then they have to find people to carry things to the car. Luckily there was a park across the street and an enclosed space only he knew about.
Harry went downstairs and noticed all the Dursleys were at the door getting ready to get in the car. He sighed and put on his own jacket that was twice as large. Since his workouts Harry became slightly larger in his body frame but in a good way. As soon as they had gotten in the car Dudley tried to hide on his side of the back seat, as if not to have contact with Harry as though he was contagious.
Once they got to the mall Harry got out of the car and, without waiting for the Dursleys to get out of the car or tell him when to get back, he dashed across the street. As he walked across the park he felt a pair of eyes on him and knew Dumbledor had sent a member of the Order to watch him again. I'm almost 16 and Dumbledor still feels as though he has to have someone watch over me as though I can't take care of myself. Harry thought, wisely keeping his pace normal and face passive. Well I'll just get to my spot then call them out to have a little chat. Harry entered the enclosed circle of trees and felt the person stop at the edge, hidden so that him or anyone on the outside could see.
"Come out." Harry spoke calmly and quietly so that no one outside could hear him. There was no movement for a pause before a rustle of tree leaves from the breeze. Syncing a presence to his right Harry turned to confront who ever it was.
"Come out. I know you're there and that you were sent here to watch me. All I want is a talk with what's going on." Harry heard a rustling of leaves and saw a shadowy figure begin to emerge. A pair of tenny shoes, blue jeans, and green T-shirt began to appear as the figure slowly walked into the sun. The man's face was still in shadow but Harry could just make out enough features to see who it was.