Harry Potter and the Year of Searching
Disclaimer: The usual, I own the plot and anything new, other people own the rest.
This is my first real attempt at a serious fanfic-one that's actually planned out and will have more than just one chapter. Please R/R.
Chapter One: Back to the Burrow
Harry woke up late that July 30th, as he had no reason not to sleep in. The Dursley's hadn't bothered him much that summer, due to the dementor attack last summer and the threats from his guards at King's Cross Station at the beginning of the holidays. He was expecting an invitation to the Burrow andy day now, as well as his birthday cards that night. Hedwig had gone hunting the night before and hadn't yet returned.
Harry sighed, resigned to the fact that he wouldn't be able to sleep in any later, and sat up, yawning. He looked in the mirror in his wardrobe, ran a hand through his ever-messy hair, and dressed. Then he went downstairs, fixed himself a piece of toast, and glanced through the newspaper. The Muggles still hadn't caught wind of Voldemort and the Death Eater attacks-Fudge was still pretending nothing had happened, even after the incident at the Ministry at the beginning of the summer. Gulping down a glass of juice, Harry went back upstairs to work on his Potions homework, an especially tough essay on the properties of a rare African fungus and its uses in sensory-enhancing potions.
After an hour of reading and copying down useful passages, Harry took a break. He pulled out his Firebolt and polished it, even though he had just done it last night. He was interupted from his inspection of the spotless shaft when Hedwig flew in the window and landed on Harry's bed, extending her leg so he could untie a letter. "Thanks, Hedwig," Harry said to the bird, as she flew into her cage, dropping the dead mouse onto its bottom. Harry unfolded the parchment and read a hastily written note from Ron:
Harry,
Just found out. Get ready, we're going to pick you up at about three today. We won't come through Floo, hope you don't mind a Portkey. See you then,
Ron
Harry grinned at the though of getting out of Privet Drive, and started packing his belongings. He set his Potions homework on top of everything else in his trunk to finish later, and then closed and locked it. He did one last inspection of his room, make sure nothing was left behind, then went down to inform the Dursleys of the Weasleys' imminent arrival.
"Hey," he started, seeing Uncle Vernon.
"What d'you want, boy?" Vernon grunted.
"My friend Ron's coming around three to pick me up," Harry replied.
"Oh, right. Not coming through the walls again, are they? If they are, you can write to them and tell them, tell them just to come like-like normal people, all right?" Vernon was oddly pale-he must have been remembering the event at the start of Harry's fourth year, when the Weasleys came through the Floo Network, only to find that the fireplace at Number 4, Privet Drive had been boarded over.
"No, they're coming... another way," Harry finished lamely.
"Well, okay then." Vernon grunted, turning away.
"So... I'll just go finish packing then," Harry said. He knew he had finished packing, but he just wanted to get away from Uncle Vernon before he could refuse to allow the Weasleys to come to fetch Harry. Harry trotted up to his room and laid on his bed. He couldn't wait until three o'clock, when he would get to see his friends for the first time in weeks.
After a hurried lunch of celery and crackers, Harry retreated back to his room to make sure everything was ready. At three, he went down to the sitting room to wait.
At five past, he heard the doorbell ring and he jumped up, running to the door. He yanked it open and saw something totally unexpected before him.
This sight was Ginny Weasley, alone, and looking very different from at the end of last school year. She had apparently grown up over the summer, and rather than the blushing little girl who was Ron's sister, he saw before him a blossoming young lady. He was speechless at this sight, until she said, with a mischevious flash in her eyes, "Well, aren't you going to invite me in?"
Harry blushed at his rudeness and said, "Of course, come in. Is Ron here?"
Ginny replied, "Yeah, but he and dad are just going to wait outside. You must be Petunia Dursley," she said, turning to Aunt Petunia and offering her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Dursley. And Mr. Dursley," she said, turning from the shocked Petunia to a dazed Vernon. "And Dudley," she added, waving at Harry's cowering cousin. "Harry's told us so much about you all. It's nice to finally meet you. Is your trunk ready?" She asked Harry, who was rather shocked at her behaviour.
"Uh, yeah," he responded finally, "it's in my room, I'll go get it."
"I'll help," she said and she followed him upstairs and took one end of his trunk. They walked back down, to find the Dursleys exactly as they had left them. "Well, it was nice meeting you all. Good-bye," Ginny said with a wave.
"See you next summer, I guess," Harry added, grinning at their expressions. With that the pair walked out the door, closing it behind them. Harry didn't say anything until they were at the end of the walk, and then he turned to Ginny. "That was amazing!" He grinned at her.
"You think so?" she asked, also grinning.
"Yeah, bloddy brilliant! Wow! The expressions on their faces...." He laughed a little, shaking his head.
"Language, Mr. Potter!" Ginny laughed back at him. "Yeah, that was good, I guess. Come on, let's go back home." She led the way down the sidewalk to a corner where Ron and Mr. Weasley were waiting nervously. Ron spotted them and stopped pacing.
"Hey, Harry! How'd it go?" he asked them.
"Great, really. Ginny was... well, you had to be there, really. She shocked them, I think," Harry said, grinning.
"Harry, how've you been? How have the Muggles treated you?" Mr. Weasley asked him, shaking his hand.
"Oh, they were fine. Well behaived. Ignored me for the most part, which is an improvement, really," Harry replied, shaking back.
"Well, shall we go then? Okay, all of you, put a finger on this bit of parchment. Harry, grab your trunk, and I'll take the other end. Got everything? Okay." Mr. Weasley looked around to make sure no Muggles were watching, then pulled out his wand, placed a finger on the parchment, tapped it with his wand, and muttered something Harry couldn't make out. Suddenly Harry felt a now-familiar jerk behing his navel and they were spinning through the air, attached to the parchment, Harry's trunk swinging between his hand and Mr. Weasley's. Then Harry felt his feet slam into the ground, and Ginny staggered into him, knocking him over. The trunk landed next to them, and Ron and Mr. Weasley both landed on their feet.
Harry looked up and saw a most welcome sight-the Burrow.
AN: Ok, I figure that's enough for one chapter. I hope this is all right. I don't have an editor or team of beta readers or anything the way my favorite fanfic authors all do, so this is the best I can do alone. Please review! Tell me everything you liked about it, and everything you didn't. Don't flame me please, but if you have any constructive criticism, I'd be glad to hear you out and incorporate you suggestions into my future writing. Thank you all for reading this far. Now review!
Disclaimer: The usual, I own the plot and anything new, other people own the rest.
This is my first real attempt at a serious fanfic-one that's actually planned out and will have more than just one chapter. Please R/R.
Chapter One: Back to the Burrow
Harry woke up late that July 30th, as he had no reason not to sleep in. The Dursley's hadn't bothered him much that summer, due to the dementor attack last summer and the threats from his guards at King's Cross Station at the beginning of the holidays. He was expecting an invitation to the Burrow andy day now, as well as his birthday cards that night. Hedwig had gone hunting the night before and hadn't yet returned.
Harry sighed, resigned to the fact that he wouldn't be able to sleep in any later, and sat up, yawning. He looked in the mirror in his wardrobe, ran a hand through his ever-messy hair, and dressed. Then he went downstairs, fixed himself a piece of toast, and glanced through the newspaper. The Muggles still hadn't caught wind of Voldemort and the Death Eater attacks-Fudge was still pretending nothing had happened, even after the incident at the Ministry at the beginning of the summer. Gulping down a glass of juice, Harry went back upstairs to work on his Potions homework, an especially tough essay on the properties of a rare African fungus and its uses in sensory-enhancing potions.
After an hour of reading and copying down useful passages, Harry took a break. He pulled out his Firebolt and polished it, even though he had just done it last night. He was interupted from his inspection of the spotless shaft when Hedwig flew in the window and landed on Harry's bed, extending her leg so he could untie a letter. "Thanks, Hedwig," Harry said to the bird, as she flew into her cage, dropping the dead mouse onto its bottom. Harry unfolded the parchment and read a hastily written note from Ron:
Harry,
Just found out. Get ready, we're going to pick you up at about three today. We won't come through Floo, hope you don't mind a Portkey. See you then,
Ron
Harry grinned at the though of getting out of Privet Drive, and started packing his belongings. He set his Potions homework on top of everything else in his trunk to finish later, and then closed and locked it. He did one last inspection of his room, make sure nothing was left behind, then went down to inform the Dursleys of the Weasleys' imminent arrival.
"Hey," he started, seeing Uncle Vernon.
"What d'you want, boy?" Vernon grunted.
"My friend Ron's coming around three to pick me up," Harry replied.
"Oh, right. Not coming through the walls again, are they? If they are, you can write to them and tell them, tell them just to come like-like normal people, all right?" Vernon was oddly pale-he must have been remembering the event at the start of Harry's fourth year, when the Weasleys came through the Floo Network, only to find that the fireplace at Number 4, Privet Drive had been boarded over.
"No, they're coming... another way," Harry finished lamely.
"Well, okay then." Vernon grunted, turning away.
"So... I'll just go finish packing then," Harry said. He knew he had finished packing, but he just wanted to get away from Uncle Vernon before he could refuse to allow the Weasleys to come to fetch Harry. Harry trotted up to his room and laid on his bed. He couldn't wait until three o'clock, when he would get to see his friends for the first time in weeks.
After a hurried lunch of celery and crackers, Harry retreated back to his room to make sure everything was ready. At three, he went down to the sitting room to wait.
At five past, he heard the doorbell ring and he jumped up, running to the door. He yanked it open and saw something totally unexpected before him.
This sight was Ginny Weasley, alone, and looking very different from at the end of last school year. She had apparently grown up over the summer, and rather than the blushing little girl who was Ron's sister, he saw before him a blossoming young lady. He was speechless at this sight, until she said, with a mischevious flash in her eyes, "Well, aren't you going to invite me in?"
Harry blushed at his rudeness and said, "Of course, come in. Is Ron here?"
Ginny replied, "Yeah, but he and dad are just going to wait outside. You must be Petunia Dursley," she said, turning to Aunt Petunia and offering her hand. "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Dursley. And Mr. Dursley," she said, turning from the shocked Petunia to a dazed Vernon. "And Dudley," she added, waving at Harry's cowering cousin. "Harry's told us so much about you all. It's nice to finally meet you. Is your trunk ready?" She asked Harry, who was rather shocked at her behaviour.
"Uh, yeah," he responded finally, "it's in my room, I'll go get it."
"I'll help," she said and she followed him upstairs and took one end of his trunk. They walked back down, to find the Dursleys exactly as they had left them. "Well, it was nice meeting you all. Good-bye," Ginny said with a wave.
"See you next summer, I guess," Harry added, grinning at their expressions. With that the pair walked out the door, closing it behind them. Harry didn't say anything until they were at the end of the walk, and then he turned to Ginny. "That was amazing!" He grinned at her.
"You think so?" she asked, also grinning.
"Yeah, bloddy brilliant! Wow! The expressions on their faces...." He laughed a little, shaking his head.
"Language, Mr. Potter!" Ginny laughed back at him. "Yeah, that was good, I guess. Come on, let's go back home." She led the way down the sidewalk to a corner where Ron and Mr. Weasley were waiting nervously. Ron spotted them and stopped pacing.
"Hey, Harry! How'd it go?" he asked them.
"Great, really. Ginny was... well, you had to be there, really. She shocked them, I think," Harry said, grinning.
"Harry, how've you been? How have the Muggles treated you?" Mr. Weasley asked him, shaking his hand.
"Oh, they were fine. Well behaived. Ignored me for the most part, which is an improvement, really," Harry replied, shaking back.
"Well, shall we go then? Okay, all of you, put a finger on this bit of parchment. Harry, grab your trunk, and I'll take the other end. Got everything? Okay." Mr. Weasley looked around to make sure no Muggles were watching, then pulled out his wand, placed a finger on the parchment, tapped it with his wand, and muttered something Harry couldn't make out. Suddenly Harry felt a now-familiar jerk behing his navel and they were spinning through the air, attached to the parchment, Harry's trunk swinging between his hand and Mr. Weasley's. Then Harry felt his feet slam into the ground, and Ginny staggered into him, knocking him over. The trunk landed next to them, and Ron and Mr. Weasley both landed on their feet.
Harry looked up and saw a most welcome sight-the Burrow.
AN: Ok, I figure that's enough for one chapter. I hope this is all right. I don't have an editor or team of beta readers or anything the way my favorite fanfic authors all do, so this is the best I can do alone. Please review! Tell me everything you liked about it, and everything you didn't. Don't flame me please, but if you have any constructive criticism, I'd be glad to hear you out and incorporate you suggestions into my future writing. Thank you all for reading this far. Now review!