Disclaimer: Same as usual. I own only this story.

A/N: What great reivews! Good job to everyone who stepped up to the plate and delivered such fantastic feedback! This is for: Digi Bonds, Sakurako Minase, buffalo1fromSalem, Gwinna, Ariana, mae-E, Kate, Prd2bAmerican18, and Mara Weaves. Hope to hear from you all again :-D

The Wizard's Angel

Part 4: "Magic Misinterpreted"

"Oh damn," Harry swore, shaking out his sleeve and shirt to be extra sure.

Yes, it was gone.

His wand, his protection, was gone.

"It must have fallen out downstairs," the Boy-Who-Lived muttered to himself as cold dread filled him to the core. If Monica or the Dursleys were to find it-

His worst fears were suddenly answered as a shriek of "BOY!" sounded from downstairs, terrified and furious all at once.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Harry cried, raking a shaking hand through his shaggy locks before rushing down the stairs with the speed of a freight train. He skidded to a halt as a terrified and shaking Petunia Dursley pointed at his wand, lying right in the hands of Monica. Vernon seemed unable to form the right words as he mouthed like a fish, while Dudley seemed to be hiding behind the bulky whale that was his father.

Monica smiled pleasantly and held it out to speechless Harry, who was giving her a suspicious look.

"Here. You dropped your stick."

There was a nervous, collective swallow from every occupant of the room.

"T-thanks," Harry responded, taking the wand and half expecting it to bite or jinx him. He still didn't believe Monica was innocent yet. If she truely didn't know what a wand was, then she really was the Muggle she seemed to be, and she was giving it back, which proved good.

Then again, what if she'd cursed it?

Harry looked down at his precious wand and looked it over suspiciously. Nothing looked wrong with it, but he wasn't one to assume. He didn't see the weird look Monica gave him as he examined the object.

"I think you should go back upstairs, boy," Vernon grunted, eyes flashing as he finally regained speech. "And I don't want you ever leaving that... that... thing out again!"

A very nonplussed Monica looked from Vernon to Harry and back again. Why so much fuss over a stick?

Then again, why did Harry carry around sticks?

She was so confused! Tess had said mystery shrouded the boy and the family held a deep secret, but this was just plain odd!

Obediently, the Boy-Who-Lived trotted back up to his room, and the tutoring continued as if nothing had ever happened.

Hedwig hooted at her master from in her cage. Harry gave her a smile, setting his wand under the floorboard to be hidden from the snooping Dursleys who would love to confiscate anything magical.

"Hey girl, I'm going to need you to send out a letter for me," Harry told the snowy hued pet, pulling out a pen and piece of paper. Sitting down at his desk in front of Hedwig's cage, he started on the note to Headquarters. Three days had passed, and as the Order had asked, he was writing the daily note saying he was okay and not dead or anything.

Dursleys fine. I am too. Dudley has a tutor named Monica who's going to come to the house everyday; she seems alright. She did, however, find my wand, but thought it was a stick. I don't think it was jinxed, but I can't tell. Other than this new arrival, everything's been normal.

Harry

Harry looked over what he'd written, purposely trying to keep it as vague as possible in case it fell into the wrong hands. It far surpassed his normal 'I'm fine, Dursleys have been too' scribble, but he felt the Order should know about Monica. After all, if she was a Death Eater in disguise, they should be let known for his own sake.

"Hedwig?"

She perked up at her name, and held out her leg expectantly.

Harry sealed up the letter and tied it to her leg. He stroked her feathers down atop the female owl's head.

"Come back as soon as you can. I'm lonely here," Harry chuckled sadly, pitying his own summer solitude. Hedwig became the only one he could talk to, even if she wasn't able to reply.

Hedwig hooted, then took off into the early afternoon sky. Harry sighed, not moving from his window perch as he looked out over the sunny grounds. Normally, he'd be out doing chores in the nice weather, but with Monica's arrival it seemed the Dursleys had forgotten.

Oh well. Perhaps it was for the better, but he really needed the work to keep his mind off... things.

Unbeknownest to the seeker heart-throb, Monica watched from the kitchen window Hedwig flying away, the letter tied to her leg.

What on earth? the angel wondered, pausing from her helping with Dudley to watch the bird until it was gone. Why is there an owl out in the day?

She looked to Dudley, who was biting his protruding tongue and scribbling down his work. He noticed his tutor gazing at him with a question on her lips.

"Yes?"

"Do you... normally see owls in the day here?"

Dudley froze, emotions flickering across his face like wildfire. The prominent one she noticed was suspicion and guarding.

What was it with suspicion in this family?

"No," the boy slowly answered, looking down at his paper with a vaguely trembling hand.

"Are you sure?" Monica prodded.

"Yes," he answered in the same, slow, masked monotone.

"Okay," she sighed, knowing he was lying. However, the angel was not one to push and therefore let the matter drop. Perhaps she'd asked Mr. Dursley later.

Wait, scratch that, Monica thought, smiling. Mrs. Dursley seemed much nicer, and more willing to listen to her, even if she was just as emotionlessly guarded.

oOo

"Vernon!" Petunia cried shrilly from the window, peeking out of the curtains. She was the typical "nosy neighbor" who knew everything and all piece of gossip from the neighborhood.

"Yes, dear?" her husband inquired, coming up behind her to look out.

"Look at that! Someone's finally moving into the house next door!"

"By golly, you're right!"

Dudley sauntered out of the pristine kitchen, Monica on his tail. "Who is it, Mum?"

"An older woman," Aunt Petunia answered, eyes narrowed as she scoured out every detail with her beady eyes. "Grey hair, put up in curls... nice style."

Tess, Monica thought grinning.

"I'm going to make a casserole so we can introduce ourselves!" Petunia cried, rushing into the kitchen with a mission. The curtain fell back down into place and Monica resisted the urge to rush out to her friend and tell her everything that had happened in this strange house as of yet.

A/N: Please review when done! It will motivate me so much!

AngelMoon Girl