A/N: Edited for spelling mistakes and a name change due to the original being rather, well, wank.
A Year in the Life
July 31st 1996, Privet drive, Surrey.
It was late.
Harry knew that much when he opened his eyes.
He looked around for whatever had woken him up in the first place, the answer was simple. There was a tawny owl, awkwardly perched on his small windowsill, lightly tapping its beak against the grimy window.
He got up out of bed and took two small steps towards the window. Opening it with one hand, he plucked the owl from its tiny perch with the other.
The Tawny stretched one leg out and looked at Harry curiously with its dark eyes.
Harry placed the owl on his desk, untied the letter from its leg and then gave it a small owl treat from Hedwig's bowl.
Harry
happy birthday!
Harry scratched his head in confusion before looking at his watch. It wasn't moving, he raised it to his ear. Nothing. Brilliant, must be gone midnight then.
I hope you have a good day Harry, write me once you get this note? There's so little to do this summer! I'm still waiting for my owl results, Argh! I just know that I've failed everything. I panicked a little in ancient runes and I think I mistranslated a couple of questions.
Anyway, I've sent your gift through the 'Normal' post, didn't want to upset your relatives too much, I think everyone else is either sending theirs via owl, or are waiting until you go to the burrow.
Happy birthday again Harry
love
- Hermione
He put her letter down on his desk before running his fingers through his hair.
Sixteen. One more year. One more year and he'd never see the Dursley family again.
He sighed.
'I wish Sirius was here for this'
Harry rubbed his forehead, Merlin he missed Sirius.
He forced his mind out of dark places, he couldn't afford to dwell on such things, lest they happen again. A grim look passed over his face.
He figured he'd be going to the burrow around about mid August-ish, that gave him about two weeks to occupy himself with.
It was going to be a long two weeks.
He looked around his room. To be honest, the place was a tip. Harry glanced at his bed, Then back to his room. Sleep could wait, this needed to be sorted out.
Two hours later and Harry had; cleaned out Hedwig's cage, emptied his waste bin into a bag, picked up all his hand-me-down clothes and placed them in his rickety wardrobe, sorted through his trunk and then left it closed at the foot of his bed and opened both his window and his curtains to air out the room.
He looked around his small room. There was nothing he could do about his substandard furniture but overall, it looked better.
Harry looked over to his bed, then glanced over his room. Yup, now was the time for sleep.
When harry next woke up, the sun was just peeking over the horizon, painting the clouds a burnished gold.
He slowly dragged his hand over his face before sitting up in bed and stretching.
He stood up, scratched his chest and grabbed a bent hair clip from his bedside. The bobble had been cut off and the tip had been bent upwards at ninety degrees whilst the rest had been straightened. He knelt down and lifted up the loose floorboard, digging around for a moment he found what he was looking for. An Allen key with the end filed down to a fine taper. Both in hand, he walked towards his door.
Harry knelt by the lock on his door, yawned, and placed the Allen key in the bottom of the lock and twisted it slightly anti-clockwise before sliding the hair clip in.
A minute and a half of carefully applied pressure later and Harry was on his way to the bathroom. He really needed to thank Fred & George for that one.
Twenty minutes later a freshly showered Harry Potter was brushing his teeth in the bathroom mirror, the small waterproof clock sat by the side of the sink told him that, if he was quiet, he had another hour before Vernon and Petunia Awoke and another half hour after that until Dudley would stir.
He could get breakfast and be back in his room by then, easy.
He spat and rinsed with mouthwash before darting into his room, dropping his towel, slipping on a pair of jeans, grabbing his rubbish bag and heading downstairs.
As Harry moved around the kitchen with practised ease, he contemplated the Dursleys.
It seemed that the Order's threats at Kings Cross had actually accomplished something this year. As long as they avoided each other, they left him alone and he had no interest in them. Harry was quite happy with this arrangement.
He smiled to himself as one hand turned on the kettle as the other popped bread in the toaster.
The less Dursley interaction there was, the happy he was over the summer. Sure, it got lonely. But hey, he was used to it. Four to five weeks of being ignored wasn't going to kill him. To be honest, it just made him appreciate his friends more when he got back to them... though he would prefer more letters, he'd think about it later. For now, tea and toast.
He sat down at the kitchen table, placing a cup of tea to his right and a plate of lightly buttered toast in front of him.
Five minutes later and the toast had been eaten, the tea had been drank and the plate washed. Harry padded into his room and put a baggy top on. He looked down at himself and sighed, At some point this year he was going to make sure he had at least one outfit that fit properly.
He chewed his bottom lip slightly. He had absolutely no clue what to do. He had no summer homework due to not knowing what classes he'd have at the start of the term, his room was now acceptably clean and thanks to the Order he now had no chores. For once in his life Harry had absolutely nothing, not a single thing to occupy his attention. It was strange.
It was wrong.
He supposed that, from Hermione's letter, birthday wishes would start showing up at some point today. That was something to look forward to at least.
He rubbed the stubble that had started to lightly dust his chin and cheeks recently. Maybe he should shave? Nah, no point. wasn't really worth shaving yet. Perhaps, whilst he waited for an opportunity to get new clothes he could adjust some of his hand-me-downs? Seemed like a reasonable idea.
Harry crept back down the stairs. He looked towards the living room clock, ten minutes until Vernon's alarm would go off. He started to root through the dresser, looking for the small untouched sewing kit he knew to be in there.
Found it.
He glanced over his shoulder as he went back up the stairs, five minutes left.
He settled back on his bed, stripped off his top and went to work.
Vernon left the house for work an hour and a half after getting up every morning. Harry heard the front door go and then the dull thump of the car door closing.
'Must be half eight' He thought to himself. He finished the stitching on the top he was working on. There wasn't really anything he could do about the Jeans that he 'owned' but most of his tops now fit better, they weren't pretty by any means, but at least they didn't flap around him now and get tangled.
He pulled the first top he did over his head and let out a small self-deprecating laugh. He looked like he was wearing a potato sack. Oh well, it was functional.
Harry looked over all the strips of cloth that he'd cut from the side of the t-shirts and tops.
He snorted. He could probably make another three t-shirts with the scraps. Harry gathered them all up and put them in the bottom of his rickety wardrobe.
This was becoming tedious. He needed something to do. Something to occupy himself with, anything.
He flopped down on his bed.
Forty or so minutes later there was a soft hooting coming from his desk. Seems that the birthday wished had arrived.
Harry sat up and looked towards his desk, upon which sat a large barn owl. It had a small box and a note attached to it.
He padded over to the owl, fed it a treat and gently detached the items from it. The owl took flight afterwards and Harry sat on his bed to read the note.
Wotcher Harry
Happy birthday Lover boy! Sixteen eh? Witches of the world beware, the mighty Harry potter is legal!
here there was a crudely drawn winking face, harry snorted as he went slightly red in the face.
So kiddo, ready to cut a sticky swathe through Hogwarts?
His blush deepened, as soon as she had discovered how red she could make him last summer, Tonks had apparently made it her life mission to give him an aneurysm.
In all seriousness though, keep it safe. don't be silly! Wrap your willy! Wouldn't want some skank to give you crotch rot, eh? Anyway, hope you like your gift. I'll ruin the surprise if you haven't already opened it... it's a wand holster. Thought you might like it, pretty nifty really. Once it's around your wrist you just flex your hand and it should shoot your wand right into your hand. Saves you from blowing off that well toned arse of yours!
He wasn't entirely sure but Tonks seemed to have drawn a small diagram of a wand in a pocket and then next to it a small explosion. He laughed outright at that.
Now, onto the real serious bit. Remus, Moody and I will be by to pick you up in three days at five o'clock. The headmaster was going to pick you up himself but he's run into trouble with a staffing problem.
See you soon lover boy
-Tonks
Harry set the letter down with a small chuckle and a blush. She really was terrible sometimes. Still, three days was a hell of a lot better the two weeks.
He picked up the box and opened it. Inside, as Tonks had said, was a wand holster. It was made of, what looked like, brown leather. He tightened it around his wrist and slid his wand into it.
Harry stood up and flexed his hand... and his wand shot straight out and bounced off the floor.
This was going to take some getting used to.
After about half an hour Harry was able to catch his wand every time he released it from the holster.
Now all he needed to do was occupy his mind for the next three days.
August 2nd 1996 Privet Drive
The days passed slowly, painfully slowly. Hermione's gift had arrived at about one o'clock in the afternoon on his birthday, a very handsomely crafted leather pocket planner but With nothing to do Harry had practically been climbing the walls in boredom by the second day. Thankfully, today was the last day, he'd be gone by five o'clock this evening.
Harry had neglected to tell his relatives of the fact that three magicals would be here later on to pick him up. He wanted to see the looks on their faces when the escort arrived. Hopefully the order members would apparate straight into the living room. Vernon, who finished work at quarter past four, would be settling in to watch the news with Petunia whilst Dudley would either be out or sat in the living room, snacking away.
Tonight Harry was hoping for the latter. Just so he could watch as they all jumped out of their skin when the order arrived.
Perhaps it was a little petty but Harry would take what he could get, one summer of apathy would not make up for fourteen years of solid dislike and hatred.
Harry looked at the time. Four thirty. No sign of Dudley but Vernon would be home within ten minutes. He was nothing if not predictable.
Harry went back upstairs to make sure he'd packed everything.
Twenty to five, Vernon came through the door.
Harry went and sat on the stairs.
Five to Five. Dudley came home and plunked himself down in living room.
Harry let out a tiny cheer.
Four fifty-nine, Harry held his breath. First bit of excitement this summer.
'Sirius would have loved this' he thought to himself.
At precisely five o'clock there was a soft pop as three people appeared in the centre of the living room. In short order; Petunia screamed and fainted, Vernon jumped in surprise and toppled out of his chair before bellowing angrily and Dudley choked on a crisp, grabbed his bottom and did some form of speed waddle to the relative safety of the kitchen.
Harry roared with laughter.
When he'd finally composed himself, he took stock of the three people now in the living room.
Remus, aged beyond his years and weary before his time, stood in the centre. Shabby and patched robes covered his thin but strong frame and he seemed to be experimenting with facial hair as he'd grown a small goatee.
Moody, battle scared and battered stood to the left. His lightweight leather overcoat ending around his calves, staff in one hand and wand in the other as his magical eye span in all directions.
Tonks, Young and bubbly, stood to the right. Her hair was it's trademark bubblegum pink spikes. Wearing worn combat boots, a long maroon coat and finger-less gloves she definitely looked out-of-place in the Dursley's living room.
Though to be fair, they all did. Remus with his beat down look and shabby clothes, Moody with his staff, false leg and electric blue eye whizzing all over the place and Tonks with... well everything about her really.
Harry grinned at all of them.
He got a smile, a suspicious look and a grin in return.
"Disappointing potter! Where's the CONSTANT VIGILANCE!?" The last to words were shouted and Harry looked at Moody and Raised an eyebrow.
"Where were you in my fourth year?" He asked.
"In my trunk" Moody Grumbled. "But it's a bit late to ask now lad."
"Oh lay off him Moody, he's fine. Aren't you Kiddo?" Tonks spoke with a grin.
"Yeah, I'm just peachy. So, when are we leaving?" He addressed the last part to all three of them.
"Any minute Harry, just need to get your stuff the we're going to apparate to the Burrow" Remus spoke in a calm and gentle voice. Harry always found it amazing that one of the most dangerous people he knew was such a mild mannered man. Harry nodded and went upstairs to grab his broom and trunk.
He opened Hedwig's cage and then the window before speaking to the owl.
"Meet me at the Burrow, all right girl?" a small sound of acknowledgement later and the snowy owl took flight.
"Got everything, Lover boy?" Tonks' feminine voice came from behind him.
"Yeah, have now." He nodded. "Thanks for the gift by the way Tonks, it's great" He grinned at her.
She ruffled his hair "No problem Harry, now come on, let's get back downstairs before the others think I've taken you away to do wonderful, kinky things to you" she winked at him and laughed as he did a passable imitation of a tomato.
Tonks walked back into the living room with a blushing Harry in tow. Remus chuckled at Harry before talking.
"Everyone ready to go?"
Harry nodded along with Tonks and Moody. Petunia was still out cold, Dudley was nowhere to be seen and Vernon had been silenced at some point while Harry had been upstairs.
"Right then, Moody will go first. Tonks, you take Harry and follow after thenI'll be along shortly after that."
Tonks nodded at Remus and Grinned as she took hold of Harry and pulled him close. Moody Disapparated.
"We're about to get real close, you and I" she whispered against the shell of his ear. Harry very nearly swallowed his tongue. "See you in a sec Remy old boy" and with that, Tonks too Disapparated.
A/N: Not really sure what to say about this really, it kind of sprang up whilst I was listening to Molotov Jukebox. I've started a pretty out-of-hours intensive
college course recently so I'm not sure where this will go what with course work and all but I hope to be able to continue it. Anyway, tell me what you think :)