CHAPTER ONE
Owl Intercepted
As Harry Potter slept, a storm raged outside of number four Privet drive. A bolt of lighting split the sky with a loud crash, and the boy who lived sat bolt upright in bed, sweat drenching his forehead. Harry looked wildly around, adrenaline coursing through his body, pain searing the scar on his forehead. Seeing now immanent danger Harry began to relax a little and began kneading his temples, trying desperately to remember the dream he had been having.
Voldemort and a group of death eaters had been walking down a street, blasting animals, shrubs, anything that they passed. The Death Eaters had been walking in a storm. Harry reached for his wand and glasses, hoping against hope that Voldemort wasn't in the little Whinging. Harry quickly got out of bed, dressed, and was about to open his door when the thought occurred to him; tell Dumbledore. Harry quickly went to his desk and found a piece of parchment in his trunk, inked his quill and began to write.
Professor Dumbledore,
Just this night I had another dream involving Voldemort. He was walking with a group of Death Eaters, down a populated street. He was in a storm, and when I woke up, it was storming outside. I don't know if he is in the little Whinging, or if it was just a nightmare. I'm planning to stay in the house unless something happens. Please reply.
Harry
Harry rolled the parchment up, and set it in a weather beaten leather pouch, which he then tied to Hedwig's leg.
"Hedwig I need you to find Professor Dumbledore as fast as you can" Harry whispered, stroking her back gently.
She nipped his finger reassuringly, feeling the nervous tension in his rigid fingers. Harry carried her over to the window, and flung it open with one hand, allowing the torrents of rain to flood into the room. Harry secured the pouch on her leg and patted Hedwig's head apologetically.
"Sorry you have to go out in this girl"
Hedwig hooted softly and took flights, fighting through the rain. Harry watched her fade into the distance, illuminated every so often by a bolt of lighting.
After Hedwig and melted into the treacherous night sky, Harry flopped down on his bed however thoughts of sleep would not come. He lay there, feeling his spine tingle from nerves. Harry was bolt upright once more as a massive crack of thunder split the stormy night air. Feeling rather vulnerable in his room Harry crept silently into the hallway, and down the stairs, jumping the squeaking steps so as not to wake the Dursley's. His wand at the ready, Harry checked the empty house for intruders, simply to calm his nerves slightly.
Harry ended his search in the living room, peering out of the cold glass windows into the stormy night. The room was lit for a split second with lightning, which cast ominous shadows upon the walls. Harry pressed his nose against the glass, trying desperately to see if an owl was approaching, bearing Dumbledore's response. Then from over the trees came a small object, speeding toward number four. Harry filled with relief, thinking that it was Hedwig with Dumbledore's letter, and was about to fling the windows open when they object collided with the glass, making a terrible bang. Bending close to the window Harry looked down into the wavering light, finding to his disappointment, that it had been nothing but a gnarled tree branch. A crash of lightning exploded in the yard in front of him. Harry barely caught a scream as he stumbled backward into an end table, knocking a lamp off, which promptly shattered into tiny pieces.
Panic suddenly ran cold through Harry's veins as he realized that his Aunt and Uncle would have surely heard that racket. The night seemed to grow darker around him as he heard a massive groan from the stairs, straining under his uncles weight.
"BOY!" Uncle Vernon shouted, his moustache quivering in his anger. "WHAT IS THIS?" He questioned imperiously, pointing to the pieces of shattered lamp littering the carpet.
"I, I couldn't see-"
"SILENCE!" Uncle Vernon roared.
Harry, realizing that he was still holding his wand made to stuff it out of sight however Uncle Vernon had already seen it.
"HOW DARE YOU BRING THAT THING OUT IN MY HOUSE"
"You'll be a lot happier to see me with my wand out when Voldemort shows up at the door!" Harry spat angrily.
"Enough of your idiotic mumbo-jumbo, I'll not tolerate it in my house!" "And if you think this Voldie-whosie can scare me you and he have got another thing comi-arrghhhhh!" Uncle Vernon finished with a high pitched scream as the window when careening into the room, knocked clean off its hinges by the owl on top of it.
Harry rushed over to the owl to see if it was hurt, however the owl snapped at his finger urgently and stuck out its leg. Harry quickly took the pouch from the owl, praying he would find the explanation from Dumbledore. As Harry opened the pouch he heard Vernon muttering.
"Ruddy Owls, no end, might as well leave the windows open; owls! I'll give them a couple owls!"
Harry plunged his hand into the pouch to find a scrap of rain weathered parchment. As he examined the scrap, he noticed it seemed to have been ripped as if in haste. Flipping the parchment over he found only one word; Harry, written in a long loopy script.
"Well boy?" Vernon demanded "what are those bloody freaks saying to you now?"
"They aren't freaks!" Harry shouted, turning to face his Uncle.
"I'll not be spoken to like that boy!" Vernon bellowed back, his facing turning the color of a plump radish, "Now give me that damn LETTER!"
"There's nothing on it, just my name" said Harry truthfully.
"GIVE IT HERE BOY" Vernon screamed, his cheeks beginning a transition to deep purple.
Harry flung the parchment to the ground at Vernon's feet, scowling.
"How dare you disrespect me, after everything we do for you!? Get to your room NOW!" Vernon spat, positively furious.
Harry sprinted to the stairs as Vernon took a swipe at him. Leaping up the staircase, his Uncle tailing behind him, Harry threw himself into his room as Vernon slammed his door shut so viciously that the Calendar marking the days left until his return to Hogwarts fell from the wall over his bed. Harry walked furiously over and tacked the calendar back up with a loud thump as he heard the lock turn on his door and the stairs squeak under his uncle's enormous weight as Vernon Dursley thundered downstairs muttering "Ruddy boy and is ruddy kind, I'll set him straight, I will!"
Harry's anger sparked at this but was instantly replaced by his nerves as a clap of thunder sent his hair on end. Harry Potter fell into bed and glanced at his clock which faintly illuminated his walls with an iridescent green glow; 12:01.
"Another wonderful start to another wonderful birthday" Harry groaned, flopping back onto his back. As he shut is eyes Harry felt the weight of his nerves fall heavily onto his chest, and he fell into an uneasy sleep.
