Team Sparkly Savior
AN: This is my first Harry Potter multichapter story. I don't know how many chapters this will be, yet, and I don't know how the plot is going to evolve. I only have a few vague ideas so far, a few guidelines inspired solely by one picture: the Hogwarts Express van.
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Therefore, I don't know how often I will manage to update, and when/if I will finish it. But, if I do manage to write and update regularily (this experiment succeeds), I will get the guts to write other multi-chaptered fics and that's great, right?
(I swear, it took me longer to choose a title than it took me to write this first chapter, and it's still a lame title)
And, since this is a multi-chapter, I will say it from the start: the number of reviews I get will not influence in any way the speed of my updating. So, if you choose to review, it should be due to your spontaneous decision to share your enthusiasm with me, and only because of that. I will know how „popular" the story is by counting the favs and follows ;))
Disclaimer: nope. Still don't own it. But I do own my filthy, perverted imagination.
So here goes!
Chapter 1: The van
The sun was up, and Harry raised a gloved hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead, crouched in an uncomfortable position over a bush in aunt Petunia's garden.
Hard work, he thought, was the best cure for heartache. Focusing single-mindedly on that one task took his mind off the events of the previous year, and while Harry felt it was very disrespectful to not think about Sirius's quick and premature death, he preferred to not deal with it both when he was awake and in his sleep.
Harry lifted his head after hearing a soft sound made by flapping wings, a sound he had come to recognize anywhere. Se squinted around, trying to see if any of the neighbors were outside, but thankfully the whole Privet Drive seemed deserted and quiet. Of course, no one mentally sane would be found outside under that scorching sun; the telly said this was going to be the hottest day of the summer, and Harry could actually see uncle Vernon's sadistic grin when he announced that Harry would do garden work today.
The feel of Hedwig landing on his gloved hand stopped his reminiscence and he looked at his faithful friend as she extended a leg. Hedwig was carrying a letter.
He removed it and looked frantically around for a mouse or another creature of sorts to treat her, but he found none and as he looked up again, he discovered that Hedwig was gone. Blinking, Harry remembered that owls have very poor eyesight during daylight, and he assumed Hedwig would go make herself comfortable in his room now.
He removed his gloves and opened the letter.
'Dear Harry,' it said.
'I hope this letter finds you well. Ron and I have spent the past week at the Burrow, and we were kind of hoping that you would join us, but it seems Headmaster Dumbledore had other plans for you, and he wished for you to stay put – until now.
Yesterday, a letter from him arrived here, and apparently a mysterious phenomenon is taking place at Hogwarts right now – his writing seemed very hurried and it looks unintelligible in certain places, but it seems this phenomenon, whatever it is, has isolated Hogwarts from the rest of the world – that is, no one magical comes in and no one goes out. He believed whatever blocked them will block the owls too, soon, so he chose to write a letter in a hurry and send his SOS rather than not be able to write at all. We suspect that has already happened, because we haven't received any updates since.
As such, we cannot travel there by Floo, and the Hogwarts Express is also out of bounds as it only works in certain days. Naturally, Mr. Weasley came up with a solution.
Please be ready tomorrow morning at 8 AM sharp; we will come to pick you up and we will embark on a journey to Hogwarts!
Love,
Hermione and Ron.'
The letter, written in Hermione's neat handwriting, left him wondering.
What could have the power to keep hostage some of the strongest and smartest professors he knew? Was it Voldemort? Did a Dark Lord even have this kind of power?
No matter, he thought. This sounded like a great adventure, and he just couldn't wait to leave this place!
Grinning like a loon, Harry returned to the strenuous task of pulling weeds, this time with a lighter heart.
Once the evening came and the garden was perfectly watered, he returned inside the house, finding the three Dursleys sitting on the comfortable couch, in front of the TV.
"Aunt Petunia", Harry spoke. "I finished my gardening chores".
"Well then, go to your room, boy!" she spoke in a clipping tone, signaling with her hands for him to leave.
"I also received word that my kind will come and pick me up tomorrow."
That earned him a reaction.
"And how will they come?" Petunia asked, glaring at him as Dudley made a noise of protest at his show being disturbed by their talking.
"Not by Floo, I think," Harry muttered. He hoped that Hermione's common sense would talk the Weasleys into using the front door.
Petunia pursed her lips into a fine line and said nothing. Harry took advantage of that to quickly climb the stairs into his room and shut the door behind him before the situation escalated into an argument. He didn't want anything to ruin his good mood.
As he smiled at Hedwig perched on her cage eating her catch, he began to pull socks from under the bed and shove them into his trunk.
~.~
The next day, at 10 minutes to 8, Harry was already dressed, sitting on his trunk in the hallway just in front of the door as the Dursleys, happy to be rid of him sooner, acted like they couldn't see him. Dudley was throwing him weird glances from time to time, opening his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then he closed it and returned to spooning mouthfuls of milk cereals in his mouth. Harry though his behavior was very weird, because Dudley was never too shy to say what he was thinking.
But he didn't care much for it.
It was actually weird for Dudley to be up at 8 AM during the summer holidays anyway, so it really didn't matter.
As the minutes passed, the Dursleys moved from the kitchen to the living room, and Harry kept staring at the door, when he heard a pair of heavy footsteps approach him.
"Why are you looking at the door like that?" Dudley asked with curiosity.
Harry stared at his cousin and behind him to see if any of the adult Dursleys were in hearing range.
"I'm trying to choose a spell to set it on fire," he muttered, trying a Malfoy sneer (and failing).
Dudley blinked.
"You wouldn't do that," he spoke quietly.
"Wouldn't I?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow. "And how do you know that, Dudley? Don't freaks do that? Destroy normal people's homes and all?"
"You were never like the rest of them, Harry," Dudley spoke thoughtfully as Harry's mouth opened in shock. "You were always different. Different from us, and different from them. And that's good."
"Dudley? Have you eaten something weird?" Harry asked, looking at his cousin warily, because suck articulate, intelligent speech was as un-Dursleyish as magic.
"Will you be back next summer?" Dudley asked back, looking down at his feet, blatantly avoiding Harry's searching eyes.
"I think so. Why?"
Dudley shrugged and went back inside, sitting on the couch between his parents.
Harry frowned but didn't pursue him. Instead, he turned back at the door, flinching slightly when he heard the first firm knock.
He opened the door to admit a flustered-looking Hermione who jumped into his arms as soon as she saw him.
"Oh, Harry! It's so good to see you!" she said, smiling happily. "I assume you already said your goodbyes, so come to the car! Mr. Weasley parked just a few blocks from here!"
Thinking about the Ford Anglia and wondering how Mr. Wesley was allowed to use it again, Harry went back inside with Hermione on his tow and announced the Dursleys that he was leaving. Vernon grunted, Petunia gave him a bored glance, but Dudley waved and wished him a safe trip. Harry frowned, thanked him and left, feeling his confusion return.
"What was that about, Harry?" the girl asked once they were began carrying his trunk across the perfect sidewalk of Privet Drive.
"I have no idea," Harry honestly answered. He's been saying all kind of weird things all summer, ending with this today. It's like he's trying to be nice, for some reason, but that's plain weird for Dudley."
"You think this might be connected to the Dementor attack last year?"
"Maybe. Don't care," Harry muttered.
"Turn left here. There it is!" Hermione exclaimed, smiling.
"Where?" Harry asked, looking around. "All I see parked here is this white van, I thought you came with the Ford?"
"No, of course not, mate. That car was confiscated ages ago!" said a voice to his right, and he recognized Ron's freckled face. "This is Dad's new car! Come check it out!"
Harry moved alongside the white van and gasped in surprise as he looked at what was written across the sliding door in black paint:
HOGWARTS EXPRESS
He chuckled as the door slide open and Mr. Weasley, in a red and orange checkered shirt and navy blue jeans – his best Muggle clothes, came out.
"Isn't she a beauty, Harry?"
"Yes, but Hogwarts Express, sir?"
"You can call me Arthur, Harry. You have only one more year till you're officially an adult. Well, this is what we will use to go to Hogwarts. My colleague, Perkins, and his daughter helped me with some charm work and I am very proud to present an even more amazing creation than the Ford!" he spoke with enthusiasm, caressing the painted letters with affection and pride.
The van didn't look very big, but Harry had to admit that seven or eight people could fit in there just nicely, with some room in the back for the luggage. It wasn't really necessary, since Mr. Weasley could obviously shrink their trucks, but it was nice to know.
"And of course, it is bigger on the inside!" Arthur spoke as Harry stepped in. Hermione climbed in after him, bypassing the boy and going to sit next to Ronald, who was grinning next to a table carrying a chess set.
Harry took a look around with awe, like a child in a candy store, blinking repeatedly, before he was tackled from behind by Hogwarts' own pair of humanoid Bludgers.
"Bigger on the inside, Dad? "
"Sounds a lot-"
"Like Ronnikins's stomach!" Fred finished.
"Hey, stop that!" Ron protested, blushing a dark shade of red.
The twins laughed and pulled Harry along to show him around. The van's interior was something like a crossbreed between their tent at the Quiddich Cup and a Muggle house. There were several bedrooms, one for the girls and a few for the boys, a living room, a bathroom, a kitchen and a games room towards the back. Harry checked everything except for the girls' room and nodded approvingly.
When they returned, Arthur was starting the car.
"Ready, boys and girls?"
"Sir, yes sir!" the twins mock saluted.