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Chapter Two

The Most Wonderful News

Harry awoke rather early that morning. With a loud yawn he stretched in his bed. Carefully he pulled his feet over the side and touched the cold floor lightly. He usually wasn't the first one awake, but since he hadn't been plagued by dreams for once, he didn't need any extra sleep.

"That potion should have worn off by now," Harry thought aloud, wondering why he hadn't had any dreams since the night Voldemort had gained his body again. Harry shrugged his shoulders and threw a tattered bathrobe around himself.
Creeping downstairs slowly, hopping over the last stair, knowing that it creaked when you stepped on it. "Finally I can eat anything I want," Harry said to himself entering the kitchen quietly.

He opened the cabinets and peered inside. Several boxes of cereal were near the top, but they were all 100% healthy so Harry lost interest in breakfast. Scampering over towards the refrigerator he swung it open to discover fruits and vegetables covered most of the plastic shelves.

"Dudley, why couldn't you have just played outside when you were little?" Harry grumbled to himself. Dudley had been stuck on his diet ever since he came back from Smeltings. In order to fit into their largest uniform he had to drop nearly twenty pounds.

Harry sighed and grabbed three apples from a nearby shelf. Shutting the refrigerator door carefully Harry walked back up the stairs and into his room.

Taking a rather irritated bite out of his first apple he dropped the rest in Hedwigs cage and she thanked him with a happy hoot. Harry wasn't in the mood for eating, he leaned over to the side of his bed and grabbed at his trunk, unlocking it he grabbed random spell book and turned to a page in which a piece of paper marked.

Although an invisibility cloak is the easiest was to become invisible,

The opening paragraph read

there is also a potion; the Malaness. It takes one full year to perfect, but the year must be a leap year, and also the potion must be made on the night of a blue moon in order to be 100% successful. The Malaness potion has nearly died out, since leap years and blue moons are so uncommon at the same time.

Harry spirit dropped again, he didn't have the desire to finish all the summer work he'd been given. He'd finished a long essay on Toadstools and Fungi for Professor Sprout last night and still was rather tired from all his studying.

He heard his aunt stirring from the bedroom down the hall; quickly he jumped into his bed and pretended to fall asleep. Her footsteps grew closer to his bedroom door as he closed his eyes and began breathing slowly.

"You up?" Aunt Petunia asked knocking on his door.

"Yes," Harry replied trying his best to sound tired.

"That's good you can fetch the letters for me then," she responded not even asking if he wanted to or not. They still kept Harry at a distance from the rest of the family. Even though they were still terrified of his godfather, they made him do everyday chores without making Dudley lift a finger.

Reluctantly Harry got out of bed and went out of get the mail. The usual bills arrived but there was a small package that made Harry curiously lift it off the front step.

Mr. Harry Potter
Number 4 Privet Drive

Harry lifted the tiny package and turned it over.

S.W.A.L.K.

He blushed reading the last letters; 'Sealed With a Loving Kiss'. At first it seemed like a joke, since no one ever showed any affection for him at school. Except Ginny, Ron's little sister but even then, Ron would have told him about it, most likely.

He pondered who would have sent him such a tiny package, it was no bigger then an index card, wrapped in plain brown paper with normal string. Walking back inside the house Harry dropped off the post to his family and headed upstairs again.
Aunt Petunia yelled for him to come down but Harry was to lost in thought and didn't hear a word of it. Sitting down on his bed he stepped on something soft, looking down he saw a long silver feather that would make a perfect quill.

"Where did this come from?" Harry wondered, putting the package next to him and picking up the feather. It was nearly twelve inches long, and had a sharp pointed tip. Taking the package in his hand he lifted up the feather and tore the tape the bounded the edges.

He pulled the brown paper off to reveal I tiny glass circle. It was very light and extremely elegant. Inside the small box there was a tiny card. He lifted it up and read;

Smash the tiny bubble...

Harry read the card again and followed the instructions throwing the bubble onto his bedroom floor. The bubble shattered nearly instantly and a light haze filled Harry's room.

He closed his eyes and waited for something to happen. After several moments of silence he opened his eyes weakly, and looked around the room. Everything remained still. He looked towards the floor, and noticed that even the glass shards had disappeared.

A loud and excited squeal from the downstairs broke Harry's train of thought. Aunt Petunia's hurried footsteps ran quickly up the stairs and past Harry's bedroom door.

"Vernon! Vernon, wake up!" Harry heard his aunt yell forcefully to his sleeping uncle.

"What is it Petunia?" Uncle Vernon's tired voice asked, the bed creaked loudly, and Harry assumed his uncle had got up.

"Read this," Aunt Petunia said. It sounded like she'd handed him a piece of paper, or maybe a letter.

There was a long pause. Harry leaned closer to his bedroom door. He heard the floor boards creak as Uncle Vernon must have stood up.

"Are you serious Petunia?" he asked, apparently praying for her to answer 'yes'.

"I wouldn't put your hopes too high about this being a joke," Aunt Petunia spat out rather astonished at his remark.

"We're rid of it! we're finally rid of it!" Uncle Vernon shouted nearly shaking the house apart. Aunt Petunia joined in with his happiness, and laughed a wild laugh.

Harry guessed by this time that somehow his aunt and uncle found a way to get him out of their lives. Knowing them, they'd done in cheaply too -- they wouldn't pay for him to get and room and board anywhere. They wouldn't even send him to school if it cost them anything!

Footsteps trampled down the hallway, and before he knew it, they'd burst into his room without knocking.

"Get your things packed," Uncle Vernon commanded, addressing Harry's few personal possessions.

"Why? Are we going somewhere?" Harry asked, completely lost.
Uncle Vernon reached into his bathrobe pocket, and pulled out a rather crumpled letter. Tossing it to Harry who caught it carefully, "Read," Uncle Vernon said coldly, with a massive happy grin on his face.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,
I've observed over these past almost fifteen years that you do not treat your nephew Harry Potter with great care and kindness. But I do not hold this against you, you had a child dropped on our doorstep in the middle of the night one can expect the problems that might get involved.
But I'm writing you so I can help you, you see I am a governess by nature and I am willing to take Mr. Potter off your hands for the rest of your lives.
If you would like to accept this offer please place Mr. Potter outside on your front step with all of his school books and supplies, I will bring him into my care and if will not cost you a pound.
Governess Yorkshire

Harry's chin dropped as he read the letter. He wouldn't have to live with his aunt and uncle anymore! At that moment Harry was as happy as he could possibly be.

"Well, get packing she'll be here in less then an hour. Get moving!" Uncle Vernon yelled, bringing his leg back to kick him.

Harry jumped away from his Uncle's fake kick and watched them as they left the room.

"Yes!!!" Harry practically yelled once he heard their footsteps go down the stairs, "Did you hear that Hedwig?! we'll never see this place again!"

Hedwig hooted happily and Harry let her out of her cage so she could join him in his enthusiasm. She landed happily on Harry's shoulder and nibbled on his ear affectionately.

Then a horrid thought struck Harry, What if this governess didn't know about magic? What if he'd have to get ride of Hedwig, or he couldn't return to Hogwarts for the next term. Even though these thought began popping up throughout all of Harry's worries just the thought of never seeing his aunt and uncle again made him so happy that they barely effected him.

"Are you packed yet boy?" Uncle Vernon yelled from the downstairs.

"Nearly," Harry lied, throwing a spell book into his trunk. Hedwig continued hooting and flapping her wings. Harry hummed a song he'd heard at Hogwarts as he packed the rest of his things.

Minutes pasted like seconds as Harry still continued to bounce about his room full of joy. But once he'd finished packing there was a moment of silence and a loud knock on the door. . .