August 1st 1992

Hope had stayed up most of the night waiting for her owl to return not wanting to risk her Aunt or Uncle hearing any tapping on the window. At about 2am she had received her reply. Hope quickly took the letter before putting her owl back in its cage and locking the door again, just in case anyone noticed she had opened the cage. She ripped open the letter and smiled when she finished reading it. The letter was hidden under her pillow as she rolled over in her bed and finally went to sleep.

In the morning her Uncle paid someone to fit bars on her window so she couldn't escape. Harry was moved into her room, for her Aunt and Uncle's convenience of course. Their Uncle himself fitted a cat flap to pass food into the locked room and they were only allowed out to use the bathroom in the morning then evening.

"Are you okay," Harry asked, eyeing the bruise wrapped around his sister's neck.

"I'll be fine," she replied, her voice croaking at the pain in her throat when she spoke.

August 4th 1992

"Would you relax? It's going to be fine," Hope told her brother as he paces the room while she sits on her bed.

"Is it? They won't let us go back and we can't use magic because we'll be expelled from school," he rants worried about having to stay in the house for however long they'll keep him. Just as Hope opens her mouth to speak the bars on her window rattle and she lets a smile take over her mouth. Outside the window were three distinct red heads.

"Ron!" Harry breathed as Hope creeps to the window pushing it up so they could talk. "Ron, how did you…."

Hope smirked at Harry's shocked face when he noticed that Ron was leaning out of the back window of an old blue car which was parked mid air.

"What's been going on?" Ron asks. "Why haven't you been answering my letters? I've asked you to stay about twelve times, and then Dad came home and said you've got an official warning for using magic in front of muggles…."

"It wasn't us - and how did he know?"

"He works for the Ministry," Ron replied. "You know we're not supposed to do spells outside of school -"

"It wasn't us ...look we'll explain later, it's a bit of a long story," Hope interjects.

"Tie that around the bars," Fred said, throwing Harry a rope.

"If the Dursleys wake up we're dead," Harry replied as he ties the rope to one of the bars.

"Don't worry," Fred told him, "and stand back."

The car engine revved. Seconds later the bars were dangling from the car, Ron pulled them up while Hope and Harry listened for any noise from the Dursleys.

"Get in," Ron called.

"But all of our stuff…."

"Where is it?"

"Locked in the cupboard under the stairs," Hope replied.

"No problem," George said from the passenger seat. "Out of the way, Harry."

The twins climbed carefully through the window into the room. It was only then that they noticed the big purple bruise on Hope's neck. The two shared a look yet didn't say anything knowing that now wasn't the time to talk about it. George headed to the door pulling out a hair grip and began picking the lock while Hope did the same on the cage her owl was in. The cage door popped open and the owl flew out resting on the car.

"A lot of wizards think it's a waste of time, knowing this sort of muggle trick," Fred commented, "but we feel they're skills worth learning, even if they are a bit slow."

There was a small click and the door swung open.

"So - we'll get your stuff - you two grab anything you need from her and hand it out to Ron," George whispers.

"Watch out for the bottom stair, it creaks," Hope whispers back. Harry and Hope dashed around grabbing anything they needed from their room and passing it out to Ron.

"Shit," Hope muttered when she hears Uncle Vernon cough.

Finally, the twins made it back with Harry and Hope's stuff. They threw the stuff into the car. Fred climbed back in the car followed by George, Hope and Harry. Suddenly there was a loud screech.

"THAT RUDDY OWL."

"Hedwig!"

Harry climbed back into the room. He snatched up Hedwig's cage just as the landing light flicked on. Hope grabbed the cage, whistling to get her own owl in the car. In a split second Uncle Vernon slammed open the door and dived at Harry grabbing his ankle. The other occupants of the car pulled Harry.

"THEY'RE GETTING AWAY!"

With one last tug Harry's leg slid out of Uncle Vernon's grip. As soon as Harry was in the car and the door was shut, the car shot off.

"See you next Summer!" Hope yelled as they drove away. The Weasleys and Harry's laughter filled the car.

"Let Hedwig out," Hope said as she picked the lock on the cage. "They can fly behind us. They've barely been able to stretch their wings."

As they flew, Hope and Harry told the story of Dobby and what's been going on over the summer, leaving out the clear violence towards Hope. They'd get to that later.