The Meeting – Chapter One
Harry sighed as he got
himself to his feet and walked over to the make-shift calendar he had drawn up for
himself. Only 1 day to go before he had to go to Hogswarts, and still he had no
way to get there. Mr Weasley, Harry knew could not drive him there. Ron's
family had no car, they used Floo Powder. The last time they had picked Harry
up by Floo Powder, had been a near disaster.
He had sent
Hedwig out the night before, with a plea to Hermione for help, but he had no
idea when the reply would arrive. Harry was considering sending a message to
Hogwarts, requesting permission to fly his broomstick to the station. Just as
he was drafting the letter to Professor Dumbledore, a loud knock on the front
door downstairs interrupted his thoughts.
Petunia went and
opened the door, and was surprised to find herself looking down at a smartly
dressed teenage girl.
"May I help
you?" Petunia asked sharply.
"Yes, I know
there is a boy living in the house, not your son Dudley, but someone called
Harry. Can I speak to him?"
"How do you know
the boy? Not through school I suppose?"
"Hardly, I am
changing schools this year, anyway. No, this is a kind of charity. I'm looking
for volunteers; I saw his name on a list, so I thought I might ask him. It
might get him out of the house a bit."
These last words
appealed to Petunia, and at once she stopped pretending Harry didn't exist. She
called Harry down. Harry came down the stairs slowly, a bit confused. He had
heard voices, and wondered why this girl would want to talk with him, or why
Petunia would let him. He and the girl went out into the street for privacy and
began to talk.
"Harry, so
you're a wizard. A wizard in distress from what I can imagine, living with that
horse." The girl spoke with a strange accent, one he hadn't heard before, it
was both like French and German, although she spoke with good English.
"You… how do you
know?"
"I knew what to
look for. Owls flying here and there. It's obvious! I have a port key to
Hogsmeade. You could use it too. That's what you need, isn't it? Transport?"
This seemed all
to perfect to Harry, but he wondered why this girl would want to help him. Did
she go to Hogwarts? He didn't recognise her.
"Do you go to
Hogwarts? And also why would you want to help me?"
"I'm moving this
year to Hogwarts, but as for why I should help you… If only you knew… How much
I owe you… You will find out soon enough. When do you want to go?"
Harry explained
about having to meet Ron the next day, and the girl agreed. One thing he wanted
to know first.
"Who are you?"
"My name is
Eltala."
"Just Eltala?"
"Just Eltala."
Eltala's voice sounded final, but Harry was curious.
"No last name?"
"I've come from
an orphanage. I'm told that my last name was Riddle. Given what my father
turned out to be, it can't really be a surprise that I don't like to use that
name. I'm very sorry for what he did to you." Harry saw her glance up to the
scar, that marked his forehead.
"Go ask that
woman, your aunt, isn't she? Whether you can go tomorrow. Tell her that "my
parents" will drop you at the station, so you won't be home until next summer.
Tell her, you're doing a gardening run, all over London."
Harry turned and
went back up the steps to the house. It was a very tidy, very normal looking
house, the sort that wouldn't accommodate such conversations, very often. He
was sure that his aunt would say yes. The idea of him being out of the house
for more than a year, would appeal to Aunt Petunia, but although this was what
he wanted, the fact that it made his aunt so happy that he would be gone so
long, didn't do much to cheer him.
Eltala was very
pretty. Jet black hair, olive skin, blue eyes. Harry had never seen anyone with
blue eyes that were so dark. Her eyes sparkled, like the ocean, except more so.
Harry had gone
through child-hood, very much unloved. Ever since Voldemort, had killed his
parents, he had lived with the Dursley's, at 4 Privet Drive. Here he had been
very much unwelcome - Vernon and Petunia already had a son.
Dudley Dursley,
a very spoilt, very fat child. While Dudley had been given whatever he wanted
and more, Harry had been practically starved, and forced to live in a cupboard,
until the year before last. Then Harry had found out he had a Godfather, Sirius
Black, who was a convicted murderer, (innocent) accused of betraying James and
Lily Potter, as well as with the murder of 13 witches and wizards, plus Muggles,
including Peter Pettigrew.
Peter had
actually been the one guilty of these crimes, but as he was "dead" (not really)
there was no proof, and Sirius was put in Azkaban. He then escaped, and proved
his innocence, to a very small few, but was still in hiding.
Harry entered
the room slowly to be greeted with a sharp bark of a question, from his aunt.
"Well?!?"
"Well what?"
"What was that
all about?"
"Her charity
group is running a Gardening Run, all across London. I'd be staying with her
family, starting tomorrow, and she said that her parents could drop me at the
station, on September the 1st. You wouldn't need to put up with me
for about a year." Harry said those last words in mock regret, and it was those
words that mainly caught her interest.
"Done. You can
leave anytime tomorrow. Why don't you pack your things now." Petunia's voice
lightened considerably, as she thought of a completely Harry free year. Harry
felt the same about a Dursley free year.