Running . . . that's all Harry knew. He knew he was running. Walls would
appear before him as he turned sharply to the side to take a different
route. He didn't know where to or why he was running. He just knew he was
running. Running with a slight smile upon his sixteen-year-old face. He
kept looking behind him as if he was waiting for something . . . looking
for something, or someone. He finally came to a dead end and stopped. He
waited in silence. He could hear his heartbeat inside his chest and his
breathing as he listened to his surroundings. He caught his breath before
he started running again, this time, in a different direction. He ran as
fast as he could, which was very fast. He had arrows in a bag on his back
as well as a bow and two small blades at his belt.
Suddenly he heard footsteps coming from the right. He ran as quickly as he could to the left until he heard footsteps coming from that way. He ran straight as he kept up his pace. Footsteps came closer until Harry heard something flying towards his head. He moved just in time to see an arrow fly past. Turing around, he grabbed an arrow from the sack and lined it up on the bow. He quickly shot it. It landed right by the target.
"Good shot!" a man said looking at the wall beside him. The arrow was right next to his head. It was aimed for that spot. No one wanted to shoot an arrow shot directly into someone's head, well, except for the enemy of course.
"I'm getting better," Harry said.
"We'll work on this next time," the man said before the room started to get darker and darker before everything went pitch black. The sounds disappeared only to be replaced by the sound of a loud beeping . . . . . . ..
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Harry cursed silently at the alarm clock as he hit it with his hand to shut it off. He opened his eyes to let the light of summer in. Strangely, he was panting like if he was running all night. He shrugged. It's been that way for a while. Every morning, he would wake up out of breath. Standing up from his bed, he grabbed his glasses and went over to his closet to grab some clothes. It was a simple sleeveless green shirt and a pair of jean shorts. Running a comb through his hair, he quickly ran down the stairs.
"What have I told you about making so much noise?" his uncle asked as he appeared at the end of the staircase.
"Sorry, Uncle Vernon," Harry answered. He quickly grabbed a few pancakes before running back up to is room. "Breakfast is here, Hedwig," he said to his snowy owl. Hedwig hooted in response as a section of a pancake was broken up into her food dish. She hopped over and ate it. Harry sat on his bed to eat what he had gotten. It wasn't much but it was something. After all, he was entitled to a breakfast since he finished his chores on time.
After finishing his breakfast, he went down to his aunt to see what his chores were for the day. She handed him a list. It contained most of the usual, but it seemed a little longer than what it was the day before. Wanting to eat, Harry set to work right away. He decided to water the plants first. The plants were his aunt's favorite. They grew large with their radiant colors.
"Why must it be so hot during the summer?" Harry asked no one as he walked out the front door. He grabbed the hose at the side of the house and dragged it over to the flowers. After turning it on, he gave the flowers some water but not too much to drown them before setting the hose down and starting on another project, sweep the dirt off the patio and walkway.
His chores went on and on and finished with the usual, 'I was re-watering the plants when I 'accidentally' sprayed myself.' It was a good way to end a hot day. He finished his chores with an hour to spare before his uncle got home. Harry was surprised that it took so little time to do so many chores. Shrugging, he walked inside after he was sure he wasn't about to drip all over the house.
"I'm done," he said to his aunt who was in the kitchen cooking.
She looked at him confused. "You finished everything there was on that list?" she asked. Harry nodded and held out the list. She took it and read it. Looking out the window, she checked everything. "You had to have done something wrong. There's no way you could've done everything already. That should've lasted you all weekend!"
"I finished everything. Go and check if you don't believe it!" Harry said defensively.
"I'll check later, when I don't have something important in the oven. We're having company over and you're to be on your best behavior! Go upstairs and clean yourself up. Vernon is trying to prove that he has a loving family to workers at work and you better not ruin it for him!"
"I'm suppose to actually leave my room when they come?" Harry asked surprised.
"He thought it would be a good point to bring up that we raised you when you're not our child," his aunt said as she checked what was in the oven. "Now go and clean up! They'll be here in a hour!"
Harry left the room to head upstairs to his room. He sat on his bed for a few moments. He had to think about what was going on. He was actually supposed to make an appearance when other people were over? This was different. Deciding not to wait till the last moment to get ready, he quickly showered and changed. He wore something that a regualr teenager would wear to dress up a tiny bit. At last he put in contacts. Remus had gotten them for him for his sixteenth birthday. They were magical. They didn't need a prescription. After getting ready, he sat down at his desk and took out a textbook. It was the last essay he had to write. Since he had been getting his chores done early, he was actually getting his homework done. He took out his book from Transfiguration. It was an essay on the magically types of animals. Professor McGonagall thought that it would be wise for them to know about different animals so they could easily transfigure an item into them. She believed that it would be a better way to learn.
Half an hour later, his uncle arrived home. Harry heard them talking before hearing his uncle walking up the stairs. A few minutes later, he walked back down the stairs but not before knocking on Harry's door forcefully. Harry opened it and looked outside. His uncle was heading down the stairs. The knock obviously meant for him to come down. Quickly grabbing his gold chain necklace from Sirius and putting it on, he followed his uncle down the stairs, Harry stopped in the living room. Aunt Petunia was fixing Dudley's clothes. She herself was dressed nicely. She looked over at Harry and at what he had decided to wear. It was simple clothes. Not much different than what he was wearing before, they were just clean and looked nicer. It was simple kakhi pants and a shortsleeve dark blue shirt with a few white stripes going across the top. It was perfect for his body build. Petunia opened her mouth as if to say something before closing it as if she thought what she was going to say was a lost cause.
"They're going to be here any minute," Vernon said fixing his tie. He turned to Harry. "Now I don't want any problems. You're lucky that we're letting you leave your room at all!" From behind him, Dudley smirked. He was wearing more of like what Vernon was wearing, a suit. Harry was about to run off to his room until they came, when the doorbell rang. Harry began to walk to the door to answer it before Dudley spoke out.
"I'll get the door!" he said. He walked to the door as Harry stayed in the corner. That's what he planned to do all night. He planned to stay in the corner. He didn't want to make his uncle mad. Plus, he didn't want to feel awkward if the guests asked him questions, like where he went to school and what classes he's taking. Harry would avoid that at all costs.
He looked at the door as Dudley opened it. It revealed two people, a man and woman. They were both tall and dressed nicely. They looked pleasant, nothing like what his relatives looked like. They were completely opposite.
"Welcome, Mark," Vernon said extending his hand. The man shook it.
"Vernon, this is my wife, Alicia. Alicia, this is Vernon Dursley. He's in charge of the department," Mark said to his wife.
She shook hands with Vernon nicely and replied, "Pleased to meet you," very quietly.
"This is my wife Petunia, and my son Dudley," Vernon said pointing to each person. Harry watched as Mark and Alicia shook hands with everyone.
"This must be the one you talk about a lot," Mark said looking down at Dudley.
"Yes, my son Dudley," Vernon answered chuckling. Harry rolled his eyes before turning to go upstairs.
"Who's this young man?" Alicia asked. Harry turned to see her looking at him.
"This is my nephew Harry," Vernon answered.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you as well," Alicia said holding out her hand.
Harry smiled slightly. "Nice to meet you too," he said shaking her hand. She smiled at him.
"And so polite," she remarked.
"Uncle Vernon, may I please go up to my room?" Harry asked trying to be polite.
"Go ahead," he replied. "We'll call you down for dinner." Harry practically ran up the stairs and to his room. He sat in front of his desk and pulled out his quill. Hedwig was flying around outside. The window was open letting a cool breeze come in. The door was open slightly so the room had become cooler. He opened his book and resumed his homework.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Your nephew lives with you?" Mark asked. They were sitting in the living room. Vernon and him were on the couches talking while Alicia and Petunia were drinking tea as they took a tour of the house. Dudley was sitting next to his father.
"Yes, for fifteen years. He's sixteen now. His parents died when he was one. Lily Potter, his mother, was Petunia's sister. Harry was left under our care ever since," Vernon answered.
"That's nice of you to take him in," Alicia commented as she and Petunia looked at the pictures on the walls. "I can't imagine what would happen to the poor boy if he was put in a orphanage."
"Well, Lily and I were close," Petunia said.
"Lily Potter, that name sounds familiar," Alicia said thinking about it. "I believe one of my friends knew her. She did say that she died tragically. Poor family. Both parents die leaving a one-year-old child."
"Well, I believe dinner's almost ready," Petunia said, desperate to change the subject.
"Shall I get your nephew?" Alicia asked.
"That's not necessary," Petunia said smiling. "Vernon can get him."
"Nonsense, him and Mark are talking up a storm. I don't want to interrupt them," Alicia said.
Petunia was about to say something before the timer went off. She walked over to the oven and looked inside after turning the timer off. Alicia took the opportunity to explore the rest of the house and grab Harry. She saw him run up the stairs so she decided to try that way first. Making it to the landing, she looked around. One bedroom belonged to Vernon and Petunia; another belonged to their son. The last door had to be the right one. She knocked on it softly as she looked in.
"Can I come in?" she asked. Harry turned around in surprise. She smiled softly. "I'm sorry to have startled you."
"That's alright. I was too involved in my homework," Harry replied quickly putting away what he could. She walked in and partially closed the door behind her.
"You like to read?" she asked pointing to a stack of books by his bed.
"Yea. Sometimes during the night or before I go to sleep," Harry replied.
"That's good. It's important to have a good book by the bed to read." She continued to look around. "Are these your friends?" She was looking at a framed picture sitting on the dresser. It was a muggle shot. In his fifth year, Ron was fascinated about how muggle pictures didn't move. It was a picture that Mrs. Weasley had taken of Ron, Hermione and him sitting in the grass at the Burrow. They were laughing as they were smiling. For his birthday, Ron had copied the photo three times and sent one to the both of them as he kept one for himself. Harry loved the picture.
"Yea. That's Hermione and Ron. We were at Ron's house," Harry said.
"It's a lovely picture," she said. "Well, I suppose we should head down. Dinner is almost done if not already done by now. I just came up to get you."
The both of them left the room to head down the stairs and into the dining room. They were all seated around the table.
"Well, we were living a few miles from here in another town," Mark was saying. They passed around the dishes. Harry took a small amount on his plate. Even if he was allowed to eat, he usually didn't eat a lot. He wanted to definitely keep his thin frame. He always ate enough though. He didn't starve himself. He wasn't like that. He just didn't eat to the point that his stomach was about to explode.
"When did you move?" Petunia asked.
"Just a few days ago," Mark answered. "Then I decided to start working at the drilling company when we moved."
They continued eating with conversation. Early through dinner, Harry lost his appetite. He looked around the table and saw Dudley shoving everything he could in is mouth as fast as possible. It was something that would make anyone loose their appetite. Harry played with his food as he moved it around the plate with his fork.
"Where do you boys go to school?" Alicia asked. Harry's head snapped up. He knew this was going to be asked. He knew it.
"Dudley is going to Smeltings where I went," Uncle Vernon said looking a little nervous at the question. "It's an excellent school. One of the best."
"And you Harry?" Alicia asked. Harry looked at his aunt and uncle for help. They looked a little nervous. He looked down at his plate.
"Well, I go to the regular high school here," he answered.
"That's nice. I like the regular public schools. Sometimes they can offer more than a private one and they're less money," Mark said finishing his food.
"Aunt Petunia, can I go upstairs and finish my homework?" Harry asked anxious to get out of the room.
"Go ahead," she said not really paying attention to him. Harry grabbed his plate and put it in the sink before turning to go upstairs. He went into his room and laid on the bed. It was dark out and Harry was tired. He remembered that there were a few of his birthday presents he still needed to look at. Fred and George sent his some of their pranks and Harry still had to read what each of them were. He also had to read a booklet on a cell phone. Hermione had enchanted a few cell phones to work inside the castle as well as out. She had gotten them in Tranfiguration. For extra credit, she transfigured three rocks into a muggle invention. She decided on cell phones. She thought they would be useful when they left school in the summer. She gave Ron and Harry one and kept one for herself. They could all talk to each other on them at the same time. Harry loved his. It was a flip phone. Hermone had made sure to load games in it so Harry wouldn't be bored. He had figured out the main things in the phone but still wanted to read the manual for anything else. Usually Harry kept it on him but tonight he took it off. When it's on him, he liked to hide it from his relatives. He didn't want them to take it away from him.
He heard loud laughter coming from downstairs. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the phone from his dresser and turned it on. Hedwig came flying through the window. She had a letter in her talons. She dropped it right next to him before heading to her cage. Harry put down the phone to grab the letter. It was from Hogwarts. He had already gotten his school letter on his birthday. Curiously, he opened the letter. It was from Dumbledore.
Mr. Potter,
After having to go through many letters from the Weasleys and Miss Granger reguesting that you to spend the rest of the summer at the Burrow, I have thought it over. I have informed Miss Granger and the Weasley family that they can pick you up tomorrow if you would like to spend the summer at the Burrow. Have a good time.
Albus Dumbledore
Harry smiled at the letter. He placed it down on hs bed before reaching for his phone. He dialed Ron's number. A few seconds later, Ron came on the other end. He was still getting used to talking on a phone. In the beginning, he kept running away from the phone when it rang, not knowing what the noise was.
"Hey Ron," Harry said.
"Hey Harry," Ron answered. Harry heard shouting coming from the background, it sounded like laughter and then shouting. It sounded as if Fred and George did something and Mrs. Weasley was yelling at them. Typical.
"What did the twins do this time?"Harry asked.
"You can hear that too?" Ron asked. "It's a nightmare over here. You should've seen the house yesterday. Mum was running around the house trying to grab Fred and George. They've been working hard on their inventions. Some are pretty good though. They've made ink that changes color when you write as well as when you tell it to. I'll send you a bottle. They decided to give me a few so I'm going to give one to you and Hermione."
"Don't bother sending it," Harry said.
"Why not?" Ron asked before stopping. "Wait a minute. Mum got a letter from Dumbledore this morning. Are you coming tomorrow?"
"I hope so," Harry said. "I just got a letter from him. Literally just got it. It says that I'm finally allowed to go to the Burrow for the remander of summer."
"This is great!" Ron excliamed. He started walking aorund the house. "Fred and George are outside playing quidditch. It's weird though because it's dark out. How can they see the bludger?"
"Are they using a Bludger?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. I can't see anything. They do have a few lights on though," Ron said.
"I guess if they can see a Bludger in the dark, they can see a Bludger in the light. It would probably make them better Beaters," Harry remarked. Ron was silent for a minute.
"Harry, you're turning into Hermione! She's the one who thinks reasonably!" Ron said. Harry laughed. "I don't want to have to deal with two Hermiones!"
"Speaking of Hermione, is she visiting the Burrow?" Harry asked.
"She's coming tomorrow morning," Ron answered. "When are you going to get here?"
"I don't know. My aunt and uncle have company over now. I don't know when they're going to leave but maybe I'll come over tomorrow-late morning. Is that alright?" Harry asked.
"That's fine. How are you getting here? Dad can drive there and get you."
"One of my least favorite ways of travel. I think I have some floo powder so I'll use that."
"I'll send more over right now," Ron said. Harry heard more movement in the backround. "Just incase you need it. I'll tell Mum. She'll be so happy. She ran around the house cleaning and cooking because she learned that Hermione was coming over. Wait until I tell her that you'll be coming over as well. She's been bugging me to ask the minute Dumbledore wrote back with permission."
Harry heard someone coming up the stairs and quickly whispered to Ron that he had to leave before hanging up. It turned out to be Dudley walking to his room. He was going to grab something from his room to show the guests. Harry opened his trunk that was sitting off to the side of his room and started to put things in it. He was given his trunk because he claimed that it was the only way he was going to remain quiet and in his room all summer. Basically wanting him to get out of their hair, his aunt and uncle let him keep his trunk in his room as long as no magic was used. He packed away his quills, ink and homework. He also took down his pictures and added them to the trunk as well. He also remembered to look under his bed for the pranks from the twins as well as everything else he usually kept under there. He was basically all packed before he laid down on his bed. It was ten o'clock already. Time had passed quickly. He couldn't wait until the next day. He would finally be with the Weasleys. He definitley couldn't wait. He couldn't wait until he got back into the air.
"Harry!" he heard his aunt yell from downstairs. He knew that she desperately wanted to call him 'boy' and not by his name but they had company over. Getting off his bed, he opened the door and walked downstairs.
"Yes?" he asked as he reached the bottom.
"Mark and Alicia are leaving," she said. She was in the kitchen. He walked into the living room to see them putting on their coats.
"Well, that was a nice evening," Mark said shaking Vernon's hand. "We'll have to have you over one time. Well, we must be off. It's getting late."
"It was very nice to meet you," Alicia said shaking Vernon's hand. She turned to Harry. "I'll be working as a teacher at the high school here. I'm starting at the beginning of September. Maybe I'll see you." Harry gulped.
"Yea, maybe," he said trying to hide his nervousness. "I'm usually busy though. What are you going to be teaching?"
Alicia thought for a moment as if surprised by the question. "I'll be teaching a new class. It's about self defense."
"That's interesting," Harry remarked.
"Well, we'd better go," Mark said as he took Alicia's hand. They left.
"That was close," Harry remarked mainly to himself.
"Go upstairs, boy!" Vernon yelled. Harry sighed. He knew the luxury of actually being let downstairs at any time wouldn't last. He turned around and headed right upstaris.
"Hey Hedwig," he said as he entered his room. He quickly took out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and changed into them. He took out his contacts before jumping into bed. He smiled, knowing that he was going to be out of the house tomorrow and on the way to the Burrow. He shut his eyes as sleep over took him.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^DREAM^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"Ready to practice today?" the same man asked. Harry found himself in another maze.
"What are we going to be doing today?" Harry asked. He was no longer wearing the shorts and T-shirt. He was wearing a baggy long sleeve shirt and pants. He once again had arrows on his back and daggers at his waist.
"We're going to work on your agility and your focus," the man said. Harry nodded. They got to work. Harry was working on moving away from spells being thrown at him by the man. He rolled out of the way to avoid Crucio. It went on for a while before they moved onto other things.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Harry hit the alarm clock once again. He sat up in bed. He was out of breath once again after sleeping. It had been that way ever since school ended.
"Why is this happening to me?" Harry asked aloud to no one. He quickly caught his breath as he thought about it until something flew by his head. Looking up in surprise, he saw that it was only Ron's owl, Pig. He untied a little bag off the owl's foot before it flew off again. It was a little bag of floo powder. Harry smiled as he remembered where he was going today. It was already eight o'clock. He quickly ran in the shower and changed quickly before walking downstairs.
"Where were you this morning?" his uncle asked as he walked into the kitchen. "We had to make our own breakfast."
"What a horror," Harry muttered quietly, gaining a few glares. He quickly grabbed an apple for himself and some food for Hedwig before running back upstairs. He gave Hedwig the food, which she ate as he ate his fruit.
"I have to go to Ron's house today soon," he said to her. "If you want, leave after you eat that and I'll meet you there." Hedwig hooted in response. Right after she finished, she took to the sky as she flew out the open window. Harry watched her disappear before making sure he had everything. He then dragged his trunk down the stairs making as much noise as possible.
"Boy! Get rid of that noise or you're not eating for a week!" his uncle yelled from the kitchen. They were still eating. Harry smiled as he made the trunk slam down the next few steps. "I'm not kidding!" his uncle yelled. "That's it! No food!"
"I don't care," he called back. "I'm going over a friends house today in a few minutes."
"No you're not!" his uncle said walking into the room.
"But my godfather said I could," Harry said. Vernon glared at him.
"No more do I believe this godfather business," he said. "The only one that seems crazy enough to believe it is you."
"Crazy or not, I'm going over a friends house for the remainder of the summer. Just think of it as me getting out of the house," Harry said as he dragged his trunk over to the fireplace. He had the bag of floo powder in his hand. The fireplace was open and ready. He had gotten the permission from his headmaster to perform a simple spell to light a fire. He opened the trunk and pulled out his wand. Vernon took a step back when he saw it.
"I'm going now," Harry said. He lit the fire before stepping in himself with his trunk. He clearly said, "The Burrow" before being taking away into the pathways of the floo network. Remembering to keep his elbows in, he kept hold of his trunk before finally he came to rest at a fireplace. He moved his feet just in time to steady himself and to keep from falling down. Getting over the dizziness, Harry looked around. No one was in the living room but he heard a voice coming from the kitchen. It sounded like Mrs. Weasley. Leaving his trunk off to the side, he walked around the wall to see Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen as she mixed a few things on the stove.
"Hello Mrs. Weasley," he said making her jump. She turned in surprise. When she saw him she put a hand to her chest as if to slow her heart.
"Harry, you scared me," she said before taking her hand away. She then quickly went up to him and hugged him. "It's so great to see you. I was so happy when Ron told me that you were coming over today. Hermione arrived this morning. I believe everyone is outside. I don't know what they're doing but as long as I don't have to yell at them for anything, I don't care. You can put your things in Ron's room and then join them."
"Ok, thanks Mrs. Weasley," Harry said before walking back into the living room to grab his trunk. He carefully got it up the stairs and into Ron's room. Putting it off to the side, he ran back down the stairs and out the door. He saw Fred and George in the air with Bludger bats. Ron was in the air but off to the side. Hermione was on the ground looking up at them as she used a hand to shield her eyes. Ginny was next to her. She was yelling something up to Fred. Harry walked up to Hermione. She didn't notice.
"What is she yelling about?" he asked her. She jumped a few feet in the air before turning around.
"Harry! You scared me! I don't really know what they're yelling about. I haven't been able to follow really. So how was your summer so far?"
"It was okay I guess," Harry replied. "But it's gotten a whole lot better today because I finally was able to come over here."
"My summer's been pretty low key to," Hermione said. She turned back to look up at the sky.
"Hey Harry!" Ron yelled from the sky. "You're finally here!"
"Hey Harry!" the twins said.
"Hey," Harry said back. "Why did I have the feeling that you were all up in the air?"
"Seeker influence," Fred said.
"Go get your broom, Harry!" George yelled.
"I'll be right back," he said before running back inside to grab his Firebolt. He threw it over his shoulder before walking back out of the house and into the backyard. They played Quidditch most of the afternoon as Hermione and Ginny watched and talked. Around five, Mr. Weasley came home with Percy and they went inside for dinner. After eating, they played a few games before Mrs. Weasley made them all go to bed. She said that they were going to Diagon Alley in the morning.
Harry sat in the bed made for him in Ron's room. Ron came in and laid down. "Night Harry," he said as he turned off the light.
"Night, Ron," Harry said before he too laid down and tried to fall asleep. He finally fell asleep. It seemed like only a few hours later, Ron was shaking him awake.
"Come on, Harry. We're leaving soon and we have to eat breakfast," he said. Harry sat up and again realized that he was out of breath. It was another one of those dreams. Ron left before he could take notice to Harry's breathing. Catching his breath. Harry quickly got dressed before heading down the stairs and into the kitchen. Mostly everyone was down there already except for Hermione and Ginny. They came down a few seconds after him. They sat down and Mrs. Weasley started to pile up Harry's plate like always. Harry only ate a few sausages and eggs before pushing it away.
"Do you all have your lists?" Mrs. Weasley asked as everyone put on their robes. Harry checked his pocket. His list was there. They flooed there as soon as everyone was ready.
"Ok, we're going to be in the Leaky Cauldron. Meet us there in two hours," Mr. Weasley said before he and Mrs. Weasley left. Fred and George went one way, Ginny went another way with some friends and Harry, Ron and Hermione went to get all of their school supplies. They met a few people along the way such as Neville. It only took them an hour to get the supplies before they headed into the robe shop. They each got the school robes as well as a new dress robe, which was required. They spent the rest of the time at the ice cream parlor watching everyone go by.
"I can't believe that this is our sixth year," Hermione said taking a spoonful of her strawberry ice cream.
"We'll be graduating next year," Ron pointed out.
"It's sad to think about that though," Hermione said. "I mean, we're used to living in a castle with out friends constantly around us. At the end of our seventh year, we'll be living in other places and we won't see a few of our friends again."
"Well, we won't miss everyone," Harry said thinking about the Slytherins.
"We'll miss most of our friends," Hermione said. Everyone was quiet.
"Ok, let's get out of this sad mood and make our way to your parents, Ron," Harry said before throwing out his garbage. They followed suit before heading to meet the Weasleys and get back to the Burrow.
The rest of the summer was very peaceful for Harry. He played Quidditch a lot as well as a few games like chess. He was getting better but still needed Hermione's help at some points. The next thing Harry knew, it was the morning of September first and they were due at the train station in half an hour.
"Make sure you have everything!" Mrs. Weasley said as everyone ran around trying to grab this and that before getting on the train. They made it to the station with a few minutes to spare. Fred and George had come along as well to see them of.
"You be good this year!" she said. "I better not hear anything bad about you! Fred and George have now left so I look forward to getting no owls." She kissed them all. They said their good-byes before running onto the train. Ron, Hermione and Harry grabbed an empty compartment near the back of the train.
"And another year starts," Hermione said as she sat down. The train started to move.
"I know this might sound weird, but I hope we have a very boring year," Harry said. He definitely didn't want anything adventurous to happen. Not like his first four years. They were way too adventurous and deadly for him.
"I know what you mean," Ron said. They talked about school for a while before ordering some food from the cart. When they were talking, someone walked in that surprised Harry. It was Alicia, the woman who came over the Dursley's for dinner. She was the new DADA teacher. That's why she said that she would see Harry during the school year. She was called Professor Karuso. She couldn't talk for long fore she had to run off to her own compartment, leaving just the three of them alone.
They were having a peaceful conversation when someone had to bring in the dark clouds.
"Well look who it is,' a voice sneered.
"Oh Harry look, the devil brought us his twin. My, don't they look identical?" Ron asked.
"I wouldn't be talking, Weasley!" Malfoy said back. "You three don't look that great yourselves, especially the mudblood here." Ron jumped out of his seat at the comment but Harry and Hermione held him down.
Harry looked straight into Malfoy's eyes. "Don't make that comment again or I won't be here to save you. Gryffindors are brave and don't care about getting in trouble when they are doing something that they know is right. Maybe next time you won't be so lucky," Harry said coldly. Draco looked into his fierce green eyes before turning away and out.
"Wow, how did you do that?" Hermione asked. He didn't look at her at first. He watched Malfoy leave but out of the corner of his eyes, Hermione could see how cold they were. She saw the power behind them. They were eyes that could make anyone do anything, especially back off of someone just like what Harry did. Now without his glasses, they were very hard to miss.
"I really don't know, Hermione," Harry answered back before turning to her. The fierceness in his eyes were gone leaving his natural sparkle. They let go of Ron as he sat down himself.
"He'd better have his goons with him all the time because if he makes that comment again, I don't know what I'm going to do," Ron said.
"Just ignore him. It doesn't bother me that much," she lied.
"I don't care," Ron said. "No one should be called that!" Harry desperately tried to change the subject by challenging them to a game of exploding snap. It got their minds off of what happened. They played until they felt a big jolt from the train.
"What was that?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. I'll go check," Hermione said and before they could stop her, she ran out of the compartment. Suddenly they heard her scream and then the lights went out making the train completely dark. Then everything went quiet.
(Word count: 6,217 words. I really hope you like this! It's 19 pages on my computer!)
Hello one and all to the first chapter of The Project. The wonderful, supreme queen, Noisey Jenn wrote this! Go check out her stories if you like what you are reading here. There are another 16 chapters left, and another 16 writers. I can guarantee thrills spills and more suspense then you can handle. Kateen will bring the next chapter to you in a week's time!
AND REMEMBER IF YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THIS REVIEW!!!
Oh the disclaimer! I almost forgot! We own nothing, well the ideas for this are from Noisy Jenn, but someone else owns the rest. Shame.
Suddenly he heard footsteps coming from the right. He ran as quickly as he could to the left until he heard footsteps coming from that way. He ran straight as he kept up his pace. Footsteps came closer until Harry heard something flying towards his head. He moved just in time to see an arrow fly past. Turing around, he grabbed an arrow from the sack and lined it up on the bow. He quickly shot it. It landed right by the target.
"Good shot!" a man said looking at the wall beside him. The arrow was right next to his head. It was aimed for that spot. No one wanted to shoot an arrow shot directly into someone's head, well, except for the enemy of course.
"I'm getting better," Harry said.
"We'll work on this next time," the man said before the room started to get darker and darker before everything went pitch black. The sounds disappeared only to be replaced by the sound of a loud beeping . . . . . . ..
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Harry cursed silently at the alarm clock as he hit it with his hand to shut it off. He opened his eyes to let the light of summer in. Strangely, he was panting like if he was running all night. He shrugged. It's been that way for a while. Every morning, he would wake up out of breath. Standing up from his bed, he grabbed his glasses and went over to his closet to grab some clothes. It was a simple sleeveless green shirt and a pair of jean shorts. Running a comb through his hair, he quickly ran down the stairs.
"What have I told you about making so much noise?" his uncle asked as he appeared at the end of the staircase.
"Sorry, Uncle Vernon," Harry answered. He quickly grabbed a few pancakes before running back up to is room. "Breakfast is here, Hedwig," he said to his snowy owl. Hedwig hooted in response as a section of a pancake was broken up into her food dish. She hopped over and ate it. Harry sat on his bed to eat what he had gotten. It wasn't much but it was something. After all, he was entitled to a breakfast since he finished his chores on time.
After finishing his breakfast, he went down to his aunt to see what his chores were for the day. She handed him a list. It contained most of the usual, but it seemed a little longer than what it was the day before. Wanting to eat, Harry set to work right away. He decided to water the plants first. The plants were his aunt's favorite. They grew large with their radiant colors.
"Why must it be so hot during the summer?" Harry asked no one as he walked out the front door. He grabbed the hose at the side of the house and dragged it over to the flowers. After turning it on, he gave the flowers some water but not too much to drown them before setting the hose down and starting on another project, sweep the dirt off the patio and walkway.
His chores went on and on and finished with the usual, 'I was re-watering the plants when I 'accidentally' sprayed myself.' It was a good way to end a hot day. He finished his chores with an hour to spare before his uncle got home. Harry was surprised that it took so little time to do so many chores. Shrugging, he walked inside after he was sure he wasn't about to drip all over the house.
"I'm done," he said to his aunt who was in the kitchen cooking.
She looked at him confused. "You finished everything there was on that list?" she asked. Harry nodded and held out the list. She took it and read it. Looking out the window, she checked everything. "You had to have done something wrong. There's no way you could've done everything already. That should've lasted you all weekend!"
"I finished everything. Go and check if you don't believe it!" Harry said defensively.
"I'll check later, when I don't have something important in the oven. We're having company over and you're to be on your best behavior! Go upstairs and clean yourself up. Vernon is trying to prove that he has a loving family to workers at work and you better not ruin it for him!"
"I'm suppose to actually leave my room when they come?" Harry asked surprised.
"He thought it would be a good point to bring up that we raised you when you're not our child," his aunt said as she checked what was in the oven. "Now go and clean up! They'll be here in a hour!"
Harry left the room to head upstairs to his room. He sat on his bed for a few moments. He had to think about what was going on. He was actually supposed to make an appearance when other people were over? This was different. Deciding not to wait till the last moment to get ready, he quickly showered and changed. He wore something that a regualr teenager would wear to dress up a tiny bit. At last he put in contacts. Remus had gotten them for him for his sixteenth birthday. They were magical. They didn't need a prescription. After getting ready, he sat down at his desk and took out a textbook. It was the last essay he had to write. Since he had been getting his chores done early, he was actually getting his homework done. He took out his book from Transfiguration. It was an essay on the magically types of animals. Professor McGonagall thought that it would be wise for them to know about different animals so they could easily transfigure an item into them. She believed that it would be a better way to learn.
Half an hour later, his uncle arrived home. Harry heard them talking before hearing his uncle walking up the stairs. A few minutes later, he walked back down the stairs but not before knocking on Harry's door forcefully. Harry opened it and looked outside. His uncle was heading down the stairs. The knock obviously meant for him to come down. Quickly grabbing his gold chain necklace from Sirius and putting it on, he followed his uncle down the stairs, Harry stopped in the living room. Aunt Petunia was fixing Dudley's clothes. She herself was dressed nicely. She looked over at Harry and at what he had decided to wear. It was simple clothes. Not much different than what he was wearing before, they were just clean and looked nicer. It was simple kakhi pants and a shortsleeve dark blue shirt with a few white stripes going across the top. It was perfect for his body build. Petunia opened her mouth as if to say something before closing it as if she thought what she was going to say was a lost cause.
"They're going to be here any minute," Vernon said fixing his tie. He turned to Harry. "Now I don't want any problems. You're lucky that we're letting you leave your room at all!" From behind him, Dudley smirked. He was wearing more of like what Vernon was wearing, a suit. Harry was about to run off to his room until they came, when the doorbell rang. Harry began to walk to the door to answer it before Dudley spoke out.
"I'll get the door!" he said. He walked to the door as Harry stayed in the corner. That's what he planned to do all night. He planned to stay in the corner. He didn't want to make his uncle mad. Plus, he didn't want to feel awkward if the guests asked him questions, like where he went to school and what classes he's taking. Harry would avoid that at all costs.
He looked at the door as Dudley opened it. It revealed two people, a man and woman. They were both tall and dressed nicely. They looked pleasant, nothing like what his relatives looked like. They were completely opposite.
"Welcome, Mark," Vernon said extending his hand. The man shook it.
"Vernon, this is my wife, Alicia. Alicia, this is Vernon Dursley. He's in charge of the department," Mark said to his wife.
She shook hands with Vernon nicely and replied, "Pleased to meet you," very quietly.
"This is my wife Petunia, and my son Dudley," Vernon said pointing to each person. Harry watched as Mark and Alicia shook hands with everyone.
"This must be the one you talk about a lot," Mark said looking down at Dudley.
"Yes, my son Dudley," Vernon answered chuckling. Harry rolled his eyes before turning to go upstairs.
"Who's this young man?" Alicia asked. Harry turned to see her looking at him.
"This is my nephew Harry," Vernon answered.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you as well," Alicia said holding out her hand.
Harry smiled slightly. "Nice to meet you too," he said shaking her hand. She smiled at him.
"And so polite," she remarked.
"Uncle Vernon, may I please go up to my room?" Harry asked trying to be polite.
"Go ahead," he replied. "We'll call you down for dinner." Harry practically ran up the stairs and to his room. He sat in front of his desk and pulled out his quill. Hedwig was flying around outside. The window was open letting a cool breeze come in. The door was open slightly so the room had become cooler. He opened his book and resumed his homework.
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"Your nephew lives with you?" Mark asked. They were sitting in the living room. Vernon and him were on the couches talking while Alicia and Petunia were drinking tea as they took a tour of the house. Dudley was sitting next to his father.
"Yes, for fifteen years. He's sixteen now. His parents died when he was one. Lily Potter, his mother, was Petunia's sister. Harry was left under our care ever since," Vernon answered.
"That's nice of you to take him in," Alicia commented as she and Petunia looked at the pictures on the walls. "I can't imagine what would happen to the poor boy if he was put in a orphanage."
"Well, Lily and I were close," Petunia said.
"Lily Potter, that name sounds familiar," Alicia said thinking about it. "I believe one of my friends knew her. She did say that she died tragically. Poor family. Both parents die leaving a one-year-old child."
"Well, I believe dinner's almost ready," Petunia said, desperate to change the subject.
"Shall I get your nephew?" Alicia asked.
"That's not necessary," Petunia said smiling. "Vernon can get him."
"Nonsense, him and Mark are talking up a storm. I don't want to interrupt them," Alicia said.
Petunia was about to say something before the timer went off. She walked over to the oven and looked inside after turning the timer off. Alicia took the opportunity to explore the rest of the house and grab Harry. She saw him run up the stairs so she decided to try that way first. Making it to the landing, she looked around. One bedroom belonged to Vernon and Petunia; another belonged to their son. The last door had to be the right one. She knocked on it softly as she looked in.
"Can I come in?" she asked. Harry turned around in surprise. She smiled softly. "I'm sorry to have startled you."
"That's alright. I was too involved in my homework," Harry replied quickly putting away what he could. She walked in and partially closed the door behind her.
"You like to read?" she asked pointing to a stack of books by his bed.
"Yea. Sometimes during the night or before I go to sleep," Harry replied.
"That's good. It's important to have a good book by the bed to read." She continued to look around. "Are these your friends?" She was looking at a framed picture sitting on the dresser. It was a muggle shot. In his fifth year, Ron was fascinated about how muggle pictures didn't move. It was a picture that Mrs. Weasley had taken of Ron, Hermione and him sitting in the grass at the Burrow. They were laughing as they were smiling. For his birthday, Ron had copied the photo three times and sent one to the both of them as he kept one for himself. Harry loved the picture.
"Yea. That's Hermione and Ron. We were at Ron's house," Harry said.
"It's a lovely picture," she said. "Well, I suppose we should head down. Dinner is almost done if not already done by now. I just came up to get you."
The both of them left the room to head down the stairs and into the dining room. They were all seated around the table.
"Well, we were living a few miles from here in another town," Mark was saying. They passed around the dishes. Harry took a small amount on his plate. Even if he was allowed to eat, he usually didn't eat a lot. He wanted to definitely keep his thin frame. He always ate enough though. He didn't starve himself. He wasn't like that. He just didn't eat to the point that his stomach was about to explode.
"When did you move?" Petunia asked.
"Just a few days ago," Mark answered. "Then I decided to start working at the drilling company when we moved."
They continued eating with conversation. Early through dinner, Harry lost his appetite. He looked around the table and saw Dudley shoving everything he could in is mouth as fast as possible. It was something that would make anyone loose their appetite. Harry played with his food as he moved it around the plate with his fork.
"Where do you boys go to school?" Alicia asked. Harry's head snapped up. He knew this was going to be asked. He knew it.
"Dudley is going to Smeltings where I went," Uncle Vernon said looking a little nervous at the question. "It's an excellent school. One of the best."
"And you Harry?" Alicia asked. Harry looked at his aunt and uncle for help. They looked a little nervous. He looked down at his plate.
"Well, I go to the regular high school here," he answered.
"That's nice. I like the regular public schools. Sometimes they can offer more than a private one and they're less money," Mark said finishing his food.
"Aunt Petunia, can I go upstairs and finish my homework?" Harry asked anxious to get out of the room.
"Go ahead," she said not really paying attention to him. Harry grabbed his plate and put it in the sink before turning to go upstairs. He went into his room and laid on the bed. It was dark out and Harry was tired. He remembered that there were a few of his birthday presents he still needed to look at. Fred and George sent his some of their pranks and Harry still had to read what each of them were. He also had to read a booklet on a cell phone. Hermione had enchanted a few cell phones to work inside the castle as well as out. She had gotten them in Tranfiguration. For extra credit, she transfigured three rocks into a muggle invention. She decided on cell phones. She thought they would be useful when they left school in the summer. She gave Ron and Harry one and kept one for herself. They could all talk to each other on them at the same time. Harry loved his. It was a flip phone. Hermone had made sure to load games in it so Harry wouldn't be bored. He had figured out the main things in the phone but still wanted to read the manual for anything else. Usually Harry kept it on him but tonight he took it off. When it's on him, he liked to hide it from his relatives. He didn't want them to take it away from him.
He heard loud laughter coming from downstairs. Rolling his eyes, he grabbed the phone from his dresser and turned it on. Hedwig came flying through the window. She had a letter in her talons. She dropped it right next to him before heading to her cage. Harry put down the phone to grab the letter. It was from Hogwarts. He had already gotten his school letter on his birthday. Curiously, he opened the letter. It was from Dumbledore.
Mr. Potter,
After having to go through many letters from the Weasleys and Miss Granger reguesting that you to spend the rest of the summer at the Burrow, I have thought it over. I have informed Miss Granger and the Weasley family that they can pick you up tomorrow if you would like to spend the summer at the Burrow. Have a good time.
Albus Dumbledore
Harry smiled at the letter. He placed it down on hs bed before reaching for his phone. He dialed Ron's number. A few seconds later, Ron came on the other end. He was still getting used to talking on a phone. In the beginning, he kept running away from the phone when it rang, not knowing what the noise was.
"Hey Ron," Harry said.
"Hey Harry," Ron answered. Harry heard shouting coming from the background, it sounded like laughter and then shouting. It sounded as if Fred and George did something and Mrs. Weasley was yelling at them. Typical.
"What did the twins do this time?"Harry asked.
"You can hear that too?" Ron asked. "It's a nightmare over here. You should've seen the house yesterday. Mum was running around the house trying to grab Fred and George. They've been working hard on their inventions. Some are pretty good though. They've made ink that changes color when you write as well as when you tell it to. I'll send you a bottle. They decided to give me a few so I'm going to give one to you and Hermione."
"Don't bother sending it," Harry said.
"Why not?" Ron asked before stopping. "Wait a minute. Mum got a letter from Dumbledore this morning. Are you coming tomorrow?"
"I hope so," Harry said. "I just got a letter from him. Literally just got it. It says that I'm finally allowed to go to the Burrow for the remander of summer."
"This is great!" Ron excliamed. He started walking aorund the house. "Fred and George are outside playing quidditch. It's weird though because it's dark out. How can they see the bludger?"
"Are they using a Bludger?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. I can't see anything. They do have a few lights on though," Ron said.
"I guess if they can see a Bludger in the dark, they can see a Bludger in the light. It would probably make them better Beaters," Harry remarked. Ron was silent for a minute.
"Harry, you're turning into Hermione! She's the one who thinks reasonably!" Ron said. Harry laughed. "I don't want to have to deal with two Hermiones!"
"Speaking of Hermione, is she visiting the Burrow?" Harry asked.
"She's coming tomorrow morning," Ron answered. "When are you going to get here?"
"I don't know. My aunt and uncle have company over now. I don't know when they're going to leave but maybe I'll come over tomorrow-late morning. Is that alright?" Harry asked.
"That's fine. How are you getting here? Dad can drive there and get you."
"One of my least favorite ways of travel. I think I have some floo powder so I'll use that."
"I'll send more over right now," Ron said. Harry heard more movement in the backround. "Just incase you need it. I'll tell Mum. She'll be so happy. She ran around the house cleaning and cooking because she learned that Hermione was coming over. Wait until I tell her that you'll be coming over as well. She's been bugging me to ask the minute Dumbledore wrote back with permission."
Harry heard someone coming up the stairs and quickly whispered to Ron that he had to leave before hanging up. It turned out to be Dudley walking to his room. He was going to grab something from his room to show the guests. Harry opened his trunk that was sitting off to the side of his room and started to put things in it. He was given his trunk because he claimed that it was the only way he was going to remain quiet and in his room all summer. Basically wanting him to get out of their hair, his aunt and uncle let him keep his trunk in his room as long as no magic was used. He packed away his quills, ink and homework. He also took down his pictures and added them to the trunk as well. He also remembered to look under his bed for the pranks from the twins as well as everything else he usually kept under there. He was basically all packed before he laid down on his bed. It was ten o'clock already. Time had passed quickly. He couldn't wait until the next day. He would finally be with the Weasleys. He definitley couldn't wait. He couldn't wait until he got back into the air.
"Harry!" he heard his aunt yell from downstairs. He knew that she desperately wanted to call him 'boy' and not by his name but they had company over. Getting off his bed, he opened the door and walked downstairs.
"Yes?" he asked as he reached the bottom.
"Mark and Alicia are leaving," she said. She was in the kitchen. He walked into the living room to see them putting on their coats.
"Well, that was a nice evening," Mark said shaking Vernon's hand. "We'll have to have you over one time. Well, we must be off. It's getting late."
"It was very nice to meet you," Alicia said shaking Vernon's hand. She turned to Harry. "I'll be working as a teacher at the high school here. I'm starting at the beginning of September. Maybe I'll see you." Harry gulped.
"Yea, maybe," he said trying to hide his nervousness. "I'm usually busy though. What are you going to be teaching?"
Alicia thought for a moment as if surprised by the question. "I'll be teaching a new class. It's about self defense."
"That's interesting," Harry remarked.
"Well, we'd better go," Mark said as he took Alicia's hand. They left.
"That was close," Harry remarked mainly to himself.
"Go upstairs, boy!" Vernon yelled. Harry sighed. He knew the luxury of actually being let downstairs at any time wouldn't last. He turned around and headed right upstaris.
"Hey Hedwig," he said as he entered his room. He quickly took out a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and changed into them. He took out his contacts before jumping into bed. He smiled, knowing that he was going to be out of the house tomorrow and on the way to the Burrow. He shut his eyes as sleep over took him.
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"Ready to practice today?" the same man asked. Harry found himself in another maze.
"What are we going to be doing today?" Harry asked. He was no longer wearing the shorts and T-shirt. He was wearing a baggy long sleeve shirt and pants. He once again had arrows on his back and daggers at his waist.
"We're going to work on your agility and your focus," the man said. Harry nodded. They got to work. Harry was working on moving away from spells being thrown at him by the man. He rolled out of the way to avoid Crucio. It went on for a while before they moved onto other things.
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BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP
Harry hit the alarm clock once again. He sat up in bed. He was out of breath once again after sleeping. It had been that way ever since school ended.
"Why is this happening to me?" Harry asked aloud to no one. He quickly caught his breath as he thought about it until something flew by his head. Looking up in surprise, he saw that it was only Ron's owl, Pig. He untied a little bag off the owl's foot before it flew off again. It was a little bag of floo powder. Harry smiled as he remembered where he was going today. It was already eight o'clock. He quickly ran in the shower and changed quickly before walking downstairs.
"Where were you this morning?" his uncle asked as he walked into the kitchen. "We had to make our own breakfast."
"What a horror," Harry muttered quietly, gaining a few glares. He quickly grabbed an apple for himself and some food for Hedwig before running back upstairs. He gave Hedwig the food, which she ate as he ate his fruit.
"I have to go to Ron's house today soon," he said to her. "If you want, leave after you eat that and I'll meet you there." Hedwig hooted in response. Right after she finished, she took to the sky as she flew out the open window. Harry watched her disappear before making sure he had everything. He then dragged his trunk down the stairs making as much noise as possible.
"Boy! Get rid of that noise or you're not eating for a week!" his uncle yelled from the kitchen. They were still eating. Harry smiled as he made the trunk slam down the next few steps. "I'm not kidding!" his uncle yelled. "That's it! No food!"
"I don't care," he called back. "I'm going over a friends house today in a few minutes."
"No you're not!" his uncle said walking into the room.
"But my godfather said I could," Harry said. Vernon glared at him.
"No more do I believe this godfather business," he said. "The only one that seems crazy enough to believe it is you."
"Crazy or not, I'm going over a friends house for the remainder of the summer. Just think of it as me getting out of the house," Harry said as he dragged his trunk over to the fireplace. He had the bag of floo powder in his hand. The fireplace was open and ready. He had gotten the permission from his headmaster to perform a simple spell to light a fire. He opened the trunk and pulled out his wand. Vernon took a step back when he saw it.
"I'm going now," Harry said. He lit the fire before stepping in himself with his trunk. He clearly said, "The Burrow" before being taking away into the pathways of the floo network. Remembering to keep his elbows in, he kept hold of his trunk before finally he came to rest at a fireplace. He moved his feet just in time to steady himself and to keep from falling down. Getting over the dizziness, Harry looked around. No one was in the living room but he heard a voice coming from the kitchen. It sounded like Mrs. Weasley. Leaving his trunk off to the side, he walked around the wall to see Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen as she mixed a few things on the stove.
"Hello Mrs. Weasley," he said making her jump. She turned in surprise. When she saw him she put a hand to her chest as if to slow her heart.
"Harry, you scared me," she said before taking her hand away. She then quickly went up to him and hugged him. "It's so great to see you. I was so happy when Ron told me that you were coming over today. Hermione arrived this morning. I believe everyone is outside. I don't know what they're doing but as long as I don't have to yell at them for anything, I don't care. You can put your things in Ron's room and then join them."
"Ok, thanks Mrs. Weasley," Harry said before walking back into the living room to grab his trunk. He carefully got it up the stairs and into Ron's room. Putting it off to the side, he ran back down the stairs and out the door. He saw Fred and George in the air with Bludger bats. Ron was in the air but off to the side. Hermione was on the ground looking up at them as she used a hand to shield her eyes. Ginny was next to her. She was yelling something up to Fred. Harry walked up to Hermione. She didn't notice.
"What is she yelling about?" he asked her. She jumped a few feet in the air before turning around.
"Harry! You scared me! I don't really know what they're yelling about. I haven't been able to follow really. So how was your summer so far?"
"It was okay I guess," Harry replied. "But it's gotten a whole lot better today because I finally was able to come over here."
"My summer's been pretty low key to," Hermione said. She turned back to look up at the sky.
"Hey Harry!" Ron yelled from the sky. "You're finally here!"
"Hey Harry!" the twins said.
"Hey," Harry said back. "Why did I have the feeling that you were all up in the air?"
"Seeker influence," Fred said.
"Go get your broom, Harry!" George yelled.
"I'll be right back," he said before running back inside to grab his Firebolt. He threw it over his shoulder before walking back out of the house and into the backyard. They played Quidditch most of the afternoon as Hermione and Ginny watched and talked. Around five, Mr. Weasley came home with Percy and they went inside for dinner. After eating, they played a few games before Mrs. Weasley made them all go to bed. She said that they were going to Diagon Alley in the morning.
Harry sat in the bed made for him in Ron's room. Ron came in and laid down. "Night Harry," he said as he turned off the light.
"Night, Ron," Harry said before he too laid down and tried to fall asleep. He finally fell asleep. It seemed like only a few hours later, Ron was shaking him awake.
"Come on, Harry. We're leaving soon and we have to eat breakfast," he said. Harry sat up and again realized that he was out of breath. It was another one of those dreams. Ron left before he could take notice to Harry's breathing. Catching his breath. Harry quickly got dressed before heading down the stairs and into the kitchen. Mostly everyone was down there already except for Hermione and Ginny. They came down a few seconds after him. They sat down and Mrs. Weasley started to pile up Harry's plate like always. Harry only ate a few sausages and eggs before pushing it away.
"Do you all have your lists?" Mrs. Weasley asked as everyone put on their robes. Harry checked his pocket. His list was there. They flooed there as soon as everyone was ready.
"Ok, we're going to be in the Leaky Cauldron. Meet us there in two hours," Mr. Weasley said before he and Mrs. Weasley left. Fred and George went one way, Ginny went another way with some friends and Harry, Ron and Hermione went to get all of their school supplies. They met a few people along the way such as Neville. It only took them an hour to get the supplies before they headed into the robe shop. They each got the school robes as well as a new dress robe, which was required. They spent the rest of the time at the ice cream parlor watching everyone go by.
"I can't believe that this is our sixth year," Hermione said taking a spoonful of her strawberry ice cream.
"We'll be graduating next year," Ron pointed out.
"It's sad to think about that though," Hermione said. "I mean, we're used to living in a castle with out friends constantly around us. At the end of our seventh year, we'll be living in other places and we won't see a few of our friends again."
"Well, we won't miss everyone," Harry said thinking about the Slytherins.
"We'll miss most of our friends," Hermione said. Everyone was quiet.
"Ok, let's get out of this sad mood and make our way to your parents, Ron," Harry said before throwing out his garbage. They followed suit before heading to meet the Weasleys and get back to the Burrow.
The rest of the summer was very peaceful for Harry. He played Quidditch a lot as well as a few games like chess. He was getting better but still needed Hermione's help at some points. The next thing Harry knew, it was the morning of September first and they were due at the train station in half an hour.
"Make sure you have everything!" Mrs. Weasley said as everyone ran around trying to grab this and that before getting on the train. They made it to the station with a few minutes to spare. Fred and George had come along as well to see them of.
"You be good this year!" she said. "I better not hear anything bad about you! Fred and George have now left so I look forward to getting no owls." She kissed them all. They said their good-byes before running onto the train. Ron, Hermione and Harry grabbed an empty compartment near the back of the train.
"And another year starts," Hermione said as she sat down. The train started to move.
"I know this might sound weird, but I hope we have a very boring year," Harry said. He definitely didn't want anything adventurous to happen. Not like his first four years. They were way too adventurous and deadly for him.
"I know what you mean," Ron said. They talked about school for a while before ordering some food from the cart. When they were talking, someone walked in that surprised Harry. It was Alicia, the woman who came over the Dursley's for dinner. She was the new DADA teacher. That's why she said that she would see Harry during the school year. She was called Professor Karuso. She couldn't talk for long fore she had to run off to her own compartment, leaving just the three of them alone.
They were having a peaceful conversation when someone had to bring in the dark clouds.
"Well look who it is,' a voice sneered.
"Oh Harry look, the devil brought us his twin. My, don't they look identical?" Ron asked.
"I wouldn't be talking, Weasley!" Malfoy said back. "You three don't look that great yourselves, especially the mudblood here." Ron jumped out of his seat at the comment but Harry and Hermione held him down.
Harry looked straight into Malfoy's eyes. "Don't make that comment again or I won't be here to save you. Gryffindors are brave and don't care about getting in trouble when they are doing something that they know is right. Maybe next time you won't be so lucky," Harry said coldly. Draco looked into his fierce green eyes before turning away and out.
"Wow, how did you do that?" Hermione asked. He didn't look at her at first. He watched Malfoy leave but out of the corner of his eyes, Hermione could see how cold they were. She saw the power behind them. They were eyes that could make anyone do anything, especially back off of someone just like what Harry did. Now without his glasses, they were very hard to miss.
"I really don't know, Hermione," Harry answered back before turning to her. The fierceness in his eyes were gone leaving his natural sparkle. They let go of Ron as he sat down himself.
"He'd better have his goons with him all the time because if he makes that comment again, I don't know what I'm going to do," Ron said.
"Just ignore him. It doesn't bother me that much," she lied.
"I don't care," Ron said. "No one should be called that!" Harry desperately tried to change the subject by challenging them to a game of exploding snap. It got their minds off of what happened. They played until they felt a big jolt from the train.
"What was that?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. I'll go check," Hermione said and before they could stop her, she ran out of the compartment. Suddenly they heard her scream and then the lights went out making the train completely dark. Then everything went quiet.
(Word count: 6,217 words. I really hope you like this! It's 19 pages on my computer!)
Hello one and all to the first chapter of The Project. The wonderful, supreme queen, Noisey Jenn wrote this! Go check out her stories if you like what you are reading here. There are another 16 chapters left, and another 16 writers. I can guarantee thrills spills and more suspense then you can handle. Kateen will bring the next chapter to you in a week's time!
AND REMEMBER IF YOU WANT TO BE PART OF THIS REVIEW!!!
Oh the disclaimer! I almost forgot! We own nothing, well the ideas for this are from Noisy Jenn, but someone else owns the rest. Shame.