Harry Potter and the Dragon of Magic
Chapter 3- A surprise of the best kind
(A/N: ok, this is chapter three. I know I haven't been getting these chapters up as fast as most authors, but I have been pretty busy and I'm not the kind of person who sits down and writes a full chapter at one time, though I wish I was. Lol, well I'll get going here. Please R/R!)
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Harry woke to a tapping on his window. He sighed and sat up straight, but when he opened his eyes, he saw it was still dark out, though his room was somewhat illuminated by the full moon outside his bedroom window. He frowned and glanced at the clock by his bed. It shone 1:43.
Who would be sending an owl at this time? He thought tiredly.
The tapping continued and grew a bit more insistent. Harry sighed and stumbled over to the window. When he opened it, he stepped aside, waiting for the familiar swooshes of wings indicating an owl. Nothing came. He frowned again and stuck his head out the open window, scanning the sky for an owl. Seeing nothing, he looked down and promptly let out a yelp of surprise. Standing below his window was his two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
Both of them were grinning up at him as he looked down in amazement. He finally woke up from his reverie when Dudley let out a loud snort in the room next to him.
"What are you doing here?" He hissed.
Hermione smiled, "Why don't you let us in and we'll tell you?"
Harry frowned, "How are you going to get up?"
"Oh ye of little faith." Ron grinned and started to hoist up a ladder.
Harry shook his head and backed away from the window. Hermione came up first, Ron soon after. They were each carrying something, though trying valiantly to hide it from Harry.
"Now do you mind telling me why you are here?" Harry asked them.
Ron pretended to look hurt, "So what? We can't just stop by to say hi?"
Harry raised an eyebrow, "Not when you're hiding something behind you back."
Ron looked sheepish, then glanced at Hermione, "Now, why don't you tell him why we are here?" he said in a sweet tone.
Hermione looked at him oddly, which Harry noted, then nodded. Quickly she pulled out a package from behind her, smiled and said, "Happy Birthday Harry!"
Harry blinked, mouth agape, "Wha?"
Hermione smiled, "You don't really think that we would just 'forget' to get you birthday presents, do you?"
A wide grin slowly spread over Harry's face, "I've never really had a birthday party before!"
"I know, that's why we decided to come here to give you your presents! Now, are you going to take this present or do I get to keep it?" Hermione said.
Harry took the present from her and sat down on the edge of the bed. His friends sat beside him, Ron on his right and Hermione on his left, watching him open the first present. Hermione's present was, of course, books, two of them in fact.
"Quidditch Seekers and their Secret Moves" and "Animagi; All you need to know" Harry spoke the titles out loud, the first with enthusiasm and the second with questioning. He looked at Hermione, "Animagi?"
She shrugged, "I thought you might be interested, your dad and his friends being Animagi..." She trailed off, uncertain, but Harry grinned and gave her a quick hug, "Thanks! I love 'em" Hermione blushed and smiled.
Ron gave Harry his present with a grin. The present was an oblong oval shape, about the size of an egg, and heavy too! He gave Ron a curious glance then tore off the paper. Inside was a black stone, seemingly made of obsidian, as it emerged from the wrapping of paper, it changed rapidly from black to a sky blue. When it changed, he dropped it in surprise. Harry gazed at it in rapture, then turned a surprised look at Ron.
"What is it?" He asked turning back to look at the stone in his lap that was hovering between a sky blue and aqua color.
"It's sort of a dark detector. My dad said it was..." He frowned, "a Luna Opacus. It means Moonshade in Latin I think, dad just kept calling it an Opac. In technical terms, it displays the emotions of the humans or sentient species around you that are directed toward you. For example, if someone around you really hated you, it might turn red or black, I think. If people around you like you, it will turn a lighter color, like the blue-green it is now. I'm not sure what all the colors mean, you'll have to figure that out yourself." He explained, "I thought it might be helpful.... What?" He just noticed that Harry was looking at him strangely.
"I have never heard you speak in... 'Technical terms'." Behind him, Hermione unsuccessfully tried to conceal a laugh.
Ron shot daggers at Hermione over Harry's head (which was a harder feat for Ron than usual, for Harry had grown at least a half-foot over the summer) then replied, "Well, I guess I've just been around Hermione too much." Which stopped Hermione's laugh short, and she looked back at Ron indignantly.
Harry raised his eyebrows and repeated, "You've been around Hermione too much...?" He glanced back at her, then back to Ron, "Is there something I don't know about?"
To Harry's surprise, both Hermione and Ron blushed and looked away. Harry laughed. Then, from the room down the hall, there came a grumbling, then heavy footsteps in the hallway. Harry froze, "Crap!" he whispered.
A pounding on his door came soon after the footsteps and a gruff voice called out, "You annoying little brat! Stop talking to yourself! You are disturbing my Petunie's beauty sleep! Keep it down!"
When the footsteps back down the hall faded, Harry breathed a sigh of relief, and Ron muttered sarcastically, "Yeah little Petunie needs that beauty sleep pretty damn badly."
Harry snorted with laughter and Dudley, in the next room, snorted seemingly in reply. This only brought on more laughter from Harry and Ron. Even Hermione had to grin with them.
Recovering from the laughter, Harry grimaced, "You guys should get going anyway. I need some sleep; the Dursleys have me working more than usual, earlier than usual. Plus, we can't be waking up Uncle Vernon again. Next time he might actually open the door, then we would be in trouble." He gave a wry grin.
Hermione nodded and stood up, "That makes sense, c'mon Ron, let's get back to your house before your mum gets worried."
Harry looked at her, surprised, "Your staying at his house already?"
Hermione nodded again, "Yeah, I got there this evening, before we left for your house."
Ron got up reluctantly, "I wish you could come with us Harry, but Professor Dumbledore made it clear that you had to stay here."
Harry shook his head, "Don't worry about it, I know it's not your fault."
"Thanks," Ron replied, then turned and walked to the window, "You better owl us!"
Harry smiled, "Of course!"
Hermione grinned and gave Harry a hug, "I'll see you at Diagon Alley, and so you know, we are going to pick you up next Saturday to go ok?" As Harry nodded, she also turned and followed Ron down the ladder.
Harry smiled to himself after they had gone. I don't think that the summer will be that long after all. He looked back down at the stone Ron had given him. Luna Opacus. He thought to himself, testing the words. Now that his friends were gone and he was alone, it had faded into a foggy white color, tinged with yellow and orange. He supposed that it was picking up the Dursley's feelings. So I'm guessing yellow is disgust and orange is... fear maybe? Looking closer at the stone, He saw a sort of core, a sphere, of brick red. Hate perhaps? I know the Dursleys don't like me, but I'm sure they don't hate me. He frowned and shuddered at the thought that came next. Voldemort... could his hate of me be that strong?
Harry sighed and set the stone on the desk beside his bed. He would get the rest of the night's sleep and wake up early to get to work, maybe even have some free time at the end of the day. With these thoughts in his mind, he lay down, flicked off the lamp at his bedside and fell asleep with a smile, thinking about his first ever birthday party.
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He clicked the tips of his bone white fingers together, looking with contemptuous blood red eyes at the pathetic being bowing before him.
"Well...?" He drawled, "Have you found out anything at all?"
The man in a hooded cloak glanced up nervously at his master. "N-n-nothing, m-master. H-he is too well g-guarded."
The red eyes flared and the man looked down at the ground and kissed the hem of his master's robe in terror.
"What?" The red eyed man hissed, "You DARE come before me with NOTHING?" He half stood, glaring down at the trembling man.
"F-forgive m-me, M-m-master. I h-had no way of g-getting to him."
The red eyed man sat back down, contemplating the man before him. "Well, then," His voice was cold and calm, the very tone that made kings bow before him, "I suppose you had best find a way to get at him. I do not want you to return here unless you have information for me, and I expect you back in less than a week."
The fearful man's eyes widened, "But Pott-"
"YOU QUESTION ME?" The red eyed man roared.
The now terrified man seemed to hug the floor, kissing the hem of his master's robe repeatedly. "N-never, Mas-"
"And NEVER speak his name in my presence!" The red eyed man, having shot up in rage, sat back down. "Now leave me, Pettigrew"
Nodding, the thin, quivering man crawled backwards, only daring to stand up and take a breath when he rounded the nearest corner away from the Master's chamber. With a sneer of disdain on his face, something he would never do in the attendance of his Master, he transformed into a scrawny gray rat and scuttled through the hallway for the closest pipe. Which is the fastest way out of the castle without getting attacked by dementors or any other form of monster.
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(A/N: hope you liked that! I'll make this really short so you don't waste too much time just reading an authors note, but since I don't have all that many reviewers. I'm going to do personals. I'll also do the reviewers from chapter 2! Here you are:
Someone2-Thanks a lot, I'm really glad you decided to review even though you could have told me to my face if you wanted to (or over email but same diff.)
Ellie- lol, I sometimes have a habit of being too descriptive. Sometimes people don't like that... oops! Oh well, I think I mentioned this at the end of the last chapter, but in case I'm wrong... if you do draw a dragon, please scan it and send me a coply! ^_^
Jagara- Thanks, You probably won't see who the dragon is for a long time, but there will be clues, if you pay attention (though since I'm not good at subtlety...) and don't worry Sirius should appear is one of the next chapters!
Lily Daniels- Thanks for reviewing, I hope to hear how you like it in later chapters. If there is something you don't like, please tell me and I'll check it out!
Me (no not me, It's the name of the reviewer ? )- thank you so much for adding your comments. And don't worry about cliffies, I'm not that great at them, if the last was, it was by accident and don't expect much more :) anyway, I also hope it turns out to be a good story!
Again, I thank all who reviewed and all of you who didn't, don't worry I don't get mad very easily and I don't know where you live *damn!* oh well, please review! ~§Phalanx§)