CHAPTER 2: A Grand Turnaround
"Petunia, what are we supposed to say?" Vernon said, lowering his voice so Harry couldn't hear.
"I don't know Vernon, if we let Harry go, he won't be here to annoy us, but we can't let him think that we've gone soft and will let him do whatever he wants!"
"You're absolutely right. It's another double-edged sword for us, dear. However, I don't want that boy to start thinking that we want the best for him and let him go on his merry way". He turned to face Harry once again.
"No Harry, we don't want you to go," he said in as cold of a voice as he could muster.
"What?! Why not?" Harry asked, dumbfounded that he couldn't go. He stared at them in absolute loathing. They were ruining his life!
"We don't want you to go off with your silly friends, you might get ideas," Vernon replied, sounding as though he really didn't have a good reason.
"What bullshit!" Harry yelled, startling his aunt and uncle.
"DON'T YOU SPEAK TO US LIKE THAT YOU STUPID BOY!" Vernon yelled, shocked that his nephew could be so dishonorable. Harry then turned on his heels and stormed to his room, desperately searching his mind for a plan. He thought of nothing, and angrily threw himself on his bed.
He stayed in his room for a while, thinking of something that would convince his aunt and uncle into letting him go. He thought of threatening them with Sirius, but somehow he knew that that wouldn't work anymore. He thought until dark, and slipped into a light sleep, his mind still searching for a plan.
He awoke with a start some hours later, face down on the floor.
"How odd," Harry thought as he got onto his feet. He turned to get back into bed, and gasped. Sitting on his bed were none other than Fred and George Weasley. They were both grinning widely, apparently very pleased with themselves.
"Pay up Fred," George said, smiling, as Fred grumbled something and handed his twin 5 silver sickles.
"Come on, Fred, you lost the bet fair and square. No need for hard feelings".
"But I was so damn close to beating you out. Just 30 seconds!"
"A bet is a bet dear brother, and you lose," George said, laughing.
Before Harry could ask what they were doing here, Harry asked George,
"What bet George?" Turning to Harry, he smiled again before explaining.
"We bet on how long it would take you to wake up after we flung you onto the floor," George explained, before the two got caught into a fit of laughter.
"What? How long did it take me to come 'round?" Harry asked, thoroughly confused now.
"7 minutes and 30 seconds on the dot" Fred said between outbursts of laughter.
"Keep it down, will you?" Harry hissed, "You'll wake up my aunt and uncle! Besides, what are you two doing here of all places?"
George started to answer, but Uncle Vernon gave a very loud snort down the hall which made them all jump and fall silent. After they determined that his snores resumed, he started again.
"Well Harry, we conveniently, uh, stumbled upon the fact that your aunt and uncle wouldn't let you go to Hermione's...." he began, but was interrupted by Harry.
"How the hell did you find out? That was only this afternoon!" he asked, astonished.
"Well, uh, let's just say we have our ways, and leave it at that," Fred whispered. Harry wasn't very satisfied with Fred's answer, but let it pass and allowed George to continue.
"We came over as soon as we could then, to smuggle you out of the house!" George exclaimed. Harry seemed delighted at the sound of it, which pleased Fred and George even more.
"You see, Harry, instead of flying Dad's car to come get you again, we used some of the money you gave us and bought a muggle car with it!" Fred explained. "That way, we won't get in trouble with the Ministry of Magic. We've spent the summer learning how to fly, er, drive it as you say, and so we decided to come down here and get you!" Harry was so overjoyed, that he wanted to hug Fred and George. He held himself back, however, and instead smiled widely and stammered a big thank you.
"Stop wasting time, Harry," George said, interrupting Harry's thanks, "we don't have long to get you out of here."
With the help of Fred and George, they had Harry's things packed quickly and silently. After one last check of the room by Harry, nothing else was found, and they were finally ready to leave. Harry left a brief note to the Dursleys that read:
Aunt Petunia and Uncle Dursley:
I don't care about what you say. I'm going away with my friends, and there's nothing you can do about it. See you next summer.
-Harry
He left the note on his otherwise clear desk, and turned to face the twins.
"Hey, you two, how're we going to get my trunk outside without waking my aunt and uncle?" Harry asked.
"Leave it all to us Harry," assured Fred. He then opened up the window as far as it would go and Apparated outside to the car. As if on cue, the twins' older brother Bill Apparated into Harry's room.
"All right Harry?" he said as he shook Harry's hand.
"Good to see you again Bill," Harry said, smiling. Bill then whispered "Wingardium Leviosa!" and directed the trunk (with Harry, who was sitting on it) to the street below. He and George then Apparated to Harry's side, and they heaved the trunk into the car.
Five minutes later, they were speeding away, leaving 4 Privet Drive, and any of Harry's previous woes behind. After a few woops and a little bit of laughter, they fell silent, enjoying their joy ride. For Harry, who was deeply relaxed and contented, it wasn't long until irresistible waves of sleep overcame his body, and he drifted off.
"Wake up, Harry!" someone said, and Harry opened his eyes slowly. Before his eyes adjusted, he immediately became aware of the sunlight pouring through the car window. He looked up to say hi to Bill, but instead of Bill, he discovered his best friend Ron sitting next to him instead!
"Heya Harry!" Ron said with a smile. Harry laughed at his surprise before greeting Ron.
"Had a good summer so far?" Harry asked him.
"Ah, it's been quite boring. Dad hasn't been around much, he's too busy with work. Percy's the same way, but I'm glad. He's been boring my ass off all summer." Harry laughed at this, remembering how Percy had been the last time he had seen him.
"I'm really excited about Scotland though!" Ron continued. "I heard that they've got some of the biggest quidditch stores anywhere!"
"Excellent!" Harry exclaimed. He hadn't given much thought to the actual trip since before the twins arrived that past night. Now that Ron had mentioned it to him, his stomach lurched. He would finally get to see Sara again! He turned to look out the window, hiding his secret anticipation from the others in the car. As they went on, Ron and Harry were amused by the many tales and adventures of Fred and George. It seemed that they had become more mischievous than ever (if that was possible). This passed the time, and before expected, they pulled into the Granger's driveway.
As soon as Fred turned off the car engine, the front door of Hermione's house flew open, and Hermione ran up to them, Sara following behind her. After all the boys received warm hugs of welcome from Hermione, she gestured for Sara. She took a couple of steps forward to stand next to Hermione.
"This is Sara, if you haven't forgotten" Hermione said, as Sara said hello to the others. As she let her eyes rest momentarily on Harry, she noticed his slight flush and tense body. She smiled into his beautiful eyes, and he returned a shy grin. 'She has the most remarkable smile I have ever seen' Harry thought to himself, as the gang stepped into Hermione's house. After a quick tour, it was time for Fred and George to be off.
"Are you sure you don't want to come along?" Hermione suggested as the twins stepped outside.
"Tell you what," Fred said. "We've got some, erm, business to attend to later in the week..." Harry's eyes met Ron's, and Ron mouthed "I'll tell you later". Harry smiled and nodded.
"We'll meet you up there Thursday morning, all right?"
"Sounds lovely," Hermione answered. "See you next Thursday then!"
With that, the twins left, and Hermione showed the boys to their room.
A/n: Yes, I know this is getting really boring, but I promise you it will get better. Not necessarily in the next chapter, but please wait and it'll come! Thanks!!
"Petunia, what are we supposed to say?" Vernon said, lowering his voice so Harry couldn't hear.
"I don't know Vernon, if we let Harry go, he won't be here to annoy us, but we can't let him think that we've gone soft and will let him do whatever he wants!"
"You're absolutely right. It's another double-edged sword for us, dear. However, I don't want that boy to start thinking that we want the best for him and let him go on his merry way". He turned to face Harry once again.
"No Harry, we don't want you to go," he said in as cold of a voice as he could muster.
"What?! Why not?" Harry asked, dumbfounded that he couldn't go. He stared at them in absolute loathing. They were ruining his life!
"We don't want you to go off with your silly friends, you might get ideas," Vernon replied, sounding as though he really didn't have a good reason.
"What bullshit!" Harry yelled, startling his aunt and uncle.
"DON'T YOU SPEAK TO US LIKE THAT YOU STUPID BOY!" Vernon yelled, shocked that his nephew could be so dishonorable. Harry then turned on his heels and stormed to his room, desperately searching his mind for a plan. He thought of nothing, and angrily threw himself on his bed.
He stayed in his room for a while, thinking of something that would convince his aunt and uncle into letting him go. He thought of threatening them with Sirius, but somehow he knew that that wouldn't work anymore. He thought until dark, and slipped into a light sleep, his mind still searching for a plan.
He awoke with a start some hours later, face down on the floor.
"How odd," Harry thought as he got onto his feet. He turned to get back into bed, and gasped. Sitting on his bed were none other than Fred and George Weasley. They were both grinning widely, apparently very pleased with themselves.
"Pay up Fred," George said, smiling, as Fred grumbled something and handed his twin 5 silver sickles.
"Come on, Fred, you lost the bet fair and square. No need for hard feelings".
"But I was so damn close to beating you out. Just 30 seconds!"
"A bet is a bet dear brother, and you lose," George said, laughing.
Before Harry could ask what they were doing here, Harry asked George,
"What bet George?" Turning to Harry, he smiled again before explaining.
"We bet on how long it would take you to wake up after we flung you onto the floor," George explained, before the two got caught into a fit of laughter.
"What? How long did it take me to come 'round?" Harry asked, thoroughly confused now.
"7 minutes and 30 seconds on the dot" Fred said between outbursts of laughter.
"Keep it down, will you?" Harry hissed, "You'll wake up my aunt and uncle! Besides, what are you two doing here of all places?"
George started to answer, but Uncle Vernon gave a very loud snort down the hall which made them all jump and fall silent. After they determined that his snores resumed, he started again.
"Well Harry, we conveniently, uh, stumbled upon the fact that your aunt and uncle wouldn't let you go to Hermione's...." he began, but was interrupted by Harry.
"How the hell did you find out? That was only this afternoon!" he asked, astonished.
"Well, uh, let's just say we have our ways, and leave it at that," Fred whispered. Harry wasn't very satisfied with Fred's answer, but let it pass and allowed George to continue.
"We came over as soon as we could then, to smuggle you out of the house!" George exclaimed. Harry seemed delighted at the sound of it, which pleased Fred and George even more.
"You see, Harry, instead of flying Dad's car to come get you again, we used some of the money you gave us and bought a muggle car with it!" Fred explained. "That way, we won't get in trouble with the Ministry of Magic. We've spent the summer learning how to fly, er, drive it as you say, and so we decided to come down here and get you!" Harry was so overjoyed, that he wanted to hug Fred and George. He held himself back, however, and instead smiled widely and stammered a big thank you.
"Stop wasting time, Harry," George said, interrupting Harry's thanks, "we don't have long to get you out of here."
With the help of Fred and George, they had Harry's things packed quickly and silently. After one last check of the room by Harry, nothing else was found, and they were finally ready to leave. Harry left a brief note to the Dursleys that read:
Aunt Petunia and Uncle Dursley:
I don't care about what you say. I'm going away with my friends, and there's nothing you can do about it. See you next summer.
-Harry
He left the note on his otherwise clear desk, and turned to face the twins.
"Hey, you two, how're we going to get my trunk outside without waking my aunt and uncle?" Harry asked.
"Leave it all to us Harry," assured Fred. He then opened up the window as far as it would go and Apparated outside to the car. As if on cue, the twins' older brother Bill Apparated into Harry's room.
"All right Harry?" he said as he shook Harry's hand.
"Good to see you again Bill," Harry said, smiling. Bill then whispered "Wingardium Leviosa!" and directed the trunk (with Harry, who was sitting on it) to the street below. He and George then Apparated to Harry's side, and they heaved the trunk into the car.
Five minutes later, they were speeding away, leaving 4 Privet Drive, and any of Harry's previous woes behind. After a few woops and a little bit of laughter, they fell silent, enjoying their joy ride. For Harry, who was deeply relaxed and contented, it wasn't long until irresistible waves of sleep overcame his body, and he drifted off.
"Wake up, Harry!" someone said, and Harry opened his eyes slowly. Before his eyes adjusted, he immediately became aware of the sunlight pouring through the car window. He looked up to say hi to Bill, but instead of Bill, he discovered his best friend Ron sitting next to him instead!
"Heya Harry!" Ron said with a smile. Harry laughed at his surprise before greeting Ron.
"Had a good summer so far?" Harry asked him.
"Ah, it's been quite boring. Dad hasn't been around much, he's too busy with work. Percy's the same way, but I'm glad. He's been boring my ass off all summer." Harry laughed at this, remembering how Percy had been the last time he had seen him.
"I'm really excited about Scotland though!" Ron continued. "I heard that they've got some of the biggest quidditch stores anywhere!"
"Excellent!" Harry exclaimed. He hadn't given much thought to the actual trip since before the twins arrived that past night. Now that Ron had mentioned it to him, his stomach lurched. He would finally get to see Sara again! He turned to look out the window, hiding his secret anticipation from the others in the car. As they went on, Ron and Harry were amused by the many tales and adventures of Fred and George. It seemed that they had become more mischievous than ever (if that was possible). This passed the time, and before expected, they pulled into the Granger's driveway.
As soon as Fred turned off the car engine, the front door of Hermione's house flew open, and Hermione ran up to them, Sara following behind her. After all the boys received warm hugs of welcome from Hermione, she gestured for Sara. She took a couple of steps forward to stand next to Hermione.
"This is Sara, if you haven't forgotten" Hermione said, as Sara said hello to the others. As she let her eyes rest momentarily on Harry, she noticed his slight flush and tense body. She smiled into his beautiful eyes, and he returned a shy grin. 'She has the most remarkable smile I have ever seen' Harry thought to himself, as the gang stepped into Hermione's house. After a quick tour, it was time for Fred and George to be off.
"Are you sure you don't want to come along?" Hermione suggested as the twins stepped outside.
"Tell you what," Fred said. "We've got some, erm, business to attend to later in the week..." Harry's eyes met Ron's, and Ron mouthed "I'll tell you later". Harry smiled and nodded.
"We'll meet you up there Thursday morning, all right?"
"Sounds lovely," Hermione answered. "See you next Thursday then!"
With that, the twins left, and Hermione showed the boys to their room.
A/n: Yes, I know this is getting really boring, but I promise you it will get better. Not necessarily in the next chapter, but please wait and it'll come! Thanks!!