Harry Potter looked around his bedroom as he sat at his desk, doing his summer homework

Harry Potter looked around his bedroom as he sat at his desk, doing his summer homework. Harry went to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He sighed deeply. He was in the middle of a horrible Potions class assignment which he was having a great deal of trouble with. Harry pushed his homework aside and went back to the letter he had received from Sirius, his godfather, earlier that day.

Dear Harry,
How are you feeling Harry? Both I and Buckbeak are doing well. I cannot tell you much about what I am doing and I must make this brief. Moony (Lupin as you know him) is here with me. I need to tell you something of great importance Harry. There have been more killings around the area where you saw Lord Voldemort. He seems to be much more powerful than he was fourteen years ago. I do not know much about this. I have of course been talking to Albus Dumbledore, and he doesn't know whether or not Fudge will be getting rid of the Dementors in Azkaban. Harry- I must go now. Do not write me back. I will send word when I can, but I of course am still on the run. Stay safe and Harry, DO be careful.
Sirius

"This is all my fault." Harry said as he shook his head thinking about all the problems with Lord Voldemort, but he knew this was not true. No. Not true at all. In his third year he was convinced it would be, because he stopped Sirius and Lupin from murdering Peter Pettigrew, otherwise known as Wormtail. So now Wormtail was in Harry's debt somehow. Harry wondered when the time would come. He was still shaken from his experience with Lord Voldemort up close in person, but well enough.
Harry heard a soft "hoot" sound. He looked to Hedwig, his snowy owl, she was asleep. He turned to the window and saw Pigwidgeon, Ron's tiny Scop owl carrying a letter.
"Hello Pig. Whutcha got there?" Harry asked as Pigwidgeon came over and flew around the room, and then around Harry's head, hooting quite happily and looking proud for delivering the letter.


Harry,
Thanks for the birthday card and the Chudley Cannons limited edition collectors' shirt. It must have cost a bundle. But, I thought I told you not to buy me anymore birthday or Christmas presents. (Harry had bought him a pair of Omnioculors at the World Cup last year and they were quite expensive.) Hope your feeling well. Have you written to Hermione lately? They made her a PREFECT. I am sort of proud of her though.... Even if it is a dumb thing to be.
Write me back soon Harry,
Ron

Harry was smiling. He was glad Ron liked his birthday present, and imagine! One of his best friends. A prefect! He was proud but... wouldn't that mean she would have more responsibilities. And only stick around other prefects? Harry wasn't so sure he liked this idea.
He glanced at his bedside clock. It was already two A.M. He laid down and drifted off to sleep.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry awoke in the morning to hear his cousin, Dudley throwing another fit and Aunt Petunia screaming at him to wake up. Harry clambered out of bed and got dressed. As he reached the bottom of the staircase, he had to duck. Dudley had just thrown a flower vase across the parlor.
"Oh Diddlykins, come now," said Aunt Petunia cautiously, "and stop throwing things. Breakfast will be done soon." She added soothingly.
"No! I WANT BACON AND EGGS! NOT GRAPEFRUIT AGAIN!!!" screamed Dudley at the top of his lungs. Aunt Petunia still had him on the diet and Dudley was not happy about it.
"Well.... We can have eggs," she spoke very carefully, "but no bacon."
"I- WANT- BACON!!!" he shrieked. Aunt Petunia cringed. She looked sharply at Harry whom she had just now noticed.
"You! Why weren't you up earlier you lazy layabout!?"
"I was up late doing homework for Potions class," he said earnestly. Petunia cringed. Harry would not show it or he would be punished, but he wanted to smile so badly. He wasn't going to let the Dursleys boss him around this summer.
"Harry..." she spoke warningly. "Just... just get outside." He looked at her. He was expecting to be punished. "NOW! What are you waiting for?" she yelled. She was so exhausted dealing with Dudley that she wasn't up to thinking up a punishment at the moment. Harry scampered off outside.
Harry didn't know what to do. So he pulled out some Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. He started blowing bubbles. They were blue and gigantically proportioned.
"Mum!" cried Dudley, "He's chewing that odd gum again! The kind with the bubbles!"
"Oh dear!" she shrieked. "Harry get in here now and get rid of that gum!" She paused, "and you'll be doing the gardening! In! NOW!" Aunt Petunia waited. "Harry! I'm warning you! Get in here now or I'll"
"You'll do what? You know.... I haven't written to my Godfather in quite a while.... He might think something's up." He grinned and waited at those words. He could see her tense up and look about, as if waiting to be turned into a toad.
"Well at least get in your room! NOW! And GET RID OF THAT RIDICULOUS GUM!" she screamed as he came inside and walked upstairs. They were empty threats. He knew that. Sirius told him not to write back. He went to his room. Which, incredulously, was what he wanted. He needed to finish his essay for Potions. He sat down and began to work.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Harry awoke with a start. He had fallen asleep on his desk after finishing his Potions essay and starting his Herbology diagrams on how to plant Trifficle plants. There was an owl he didn't recognize sitting on his desk patiently. He cleared up his eyes and took the letter from the owl. It was from Hermione. He decided he would read it a bit later. It was indeed a very handsome owl though. He took a quick drink from Hedwig's water bowl and took off. It was almost lunchtime and Harry was hungry.
He walked down the stairs and saw Uncle Vernon carrying a suitcase and his briefcase and walking out the door. Dudley was playing a video game on the family computer.
"Where is Uncle Vernon going?" he asked Dudley.
"Dad's going on a business trip." said Dudley blandly, "YES! Fourteen thousand seven hundred points!" Harry sat down, bored. Then Aunt Petunia declared that it was time for lunch. Dudley ran into the kitchen. Harry slowly slouched in. She served it onto the table. Lunch was just a small piece of baked chicken with celery. Harry chowed down his chicken and nibbled on a stick of celery as he put his plate in the sink and washed it. He went back up to his room to read the letter he had received.

Dear Harry,
How're you? I bet Ron already mentioned, but just in case, THEY MADE ME A PREFECT!!! I can't believe it. Can you? My parents are very proud... They bought me this owl. His name is Rolandin. I found it in A Thousand and One Wizards of the Thirteenth Century. Do you like? My parents were actually a bit... er angry with me for shrinking my teeth. Or rather letting Madam Pomferey shrink them. However, after I told them about Malfoy's stupid curse, they were a bit more understanding. How is Dudley? Are the Dursleys being dreadful toward you? Hope you're well.
Hermione

Harry smiled to himself. Leave it to Hermione to become a prefect. Harry set down the letter and went back downstairs and watched Dudley play on the computer. There was a knock on the door.
"Cooooooming." said Petunia shrilly. She walked to the front door and opened it. "He......llo..." she finished faintly. "What do you want? Why are you here?" she said nastily. A familiar voice said, "You should know by now."
"Mum, who is it?"questioned Dudley.
"Dudley, go- go to your room! NOW! It's Sirius Black." she said sharply. Dudley's eyes widened. Then he ran up the stairs faster than you could say "jackrabbit."
"Sirius!!!" Harry cried out, running towards the door.
"You know him?" she eyed Harry sharply.
"He... he is my godfather...." said Harry, quite confused.
"What do you mean? This is my cousin! My nasty wizard cousin. How could he be your godfather?" Harry was completely shocked. His mouth hung open. He looked from Sirius to Aunt Petunia and back again, then back to Sirius. Harry asked him, "Bu-But how??? I mean, you never mentioned.... A-a-and you... like you never said anything."
"Remember? I knew about you living with them?" Realization dawned on Harry. "Harry, didn't you get my last letter? I told you I would be coming... to er-... pick you up."
"Awesome!" yelled Harry. "Now wait a minute here!" interjected Petunia, "He is NOT going with you.
"Why NOT?" said Harry defiantly.
"Because you have been lying to us for over a year now. About your Godfather. You're going to be punished before you take one step out of this house."
"Um... Harry." said Sirius, "Go get your things. We're LEAVING." He looked at Aunt Petunia with the cold dead eyes he had gotten with all his years in Azkaban.
Harry ran upstairs and gathered his letters and schoolwork and shoved it all into his trunk along with is invisibility cloak that he had been using to sneak into the kitchen for midnight snacks. He also grabbed his books that were laying about. He closed his trunk and looked around. Harry had all of his things. He took the trunk downstairs very carefully and very slowly. Then he ran back up and took Hedwig and her cage.
"Ready Harry?" asked Sirius.
"No." about to voice something he just thought about. "HOW do I know you're really Sirius? Wha- What was my father's nickname at school?"
Sirius smiled. "Prongs. Now lets get going."
"One more! What did you send me for my birthday in my third year?"
"I can't remember... I don't remember sending you anything.... Oh yes! A big scare in Magnolia Crescent. It was a bit belated, but it was only by a couple of days."
Harry laughed and walked out with him. He saw Lupin standing outside with a man he didn't know and....
"Miss Figg?!" cried Harry. "What are you doing here? Are... are you a witch? And who're you?" he asked turning toward the man.
"Mundungus Fletcher. Nice to meet you" Harry remembered Percy talking about a Mundungus Fletcher at the Quidditch World Cup.
We have to get going to Professor Dumbledore's."said Sirius. "He said we were to take you with us." And they all walked off toward the end of the road.

As the five of them walked off, Lupin motioned for Harry to walk near him, so as they could talk. Lupin said, "You seemed quite surprised to see Arabella."
"Whu? Who? Ara- Oh! You mean Mrs. Figg's daughter?" Harry said.
"Yes precisely," Lupin spoke calmly.
"Well, frankly, I am surprised to see her. I had no idea that she was a witch. I would never have guessed it. She seemed quite, er, normal the one time I met her." Harry confessed.
" I see. So you know her mother, Edith Figg?" asked Lupin.
"Yeah." Harry answered him. "She would watch me when the Dursleys went out. Or when it was Dudley's birthday. The only odd thing about her that I can remember is she had a ton of cats."