~*~*~*~
*Chapter One*
-Home Sweet Home-
"Vernon, honey, do you really think this is the right thing to do?"
"Yes, yes. Think of the freedom, Petunia, the freedom!"
Vernon Dursley was unusually happy this week. He had set a deal
for a large set of drills, with the richest man in town. Vernon Dursley sold
drills for a company named Grunnings. Nothing would take his mind off of
the fact that he could get a raise or even a promotion for making the
deal. There were probably four things Mr. Dursley loved in his life:
money, his son, his wife, and money- Money being number one, of
course. In the past few days, he had even started humming. In the years
he had been with the Dursleys, Harry had never seen Uncle Vernon hum.
Harry didn't think the day could get any better. Actually, it could. Today
was the day he was going to go to his friend Ron's house, named the
Burrow. Harry sat on his bed, waiting. Everything was prepared; he had
his trunk in front of the door and Hedwig in her cage, right beside him.
*DING DONG* *DING DONG* *DING DONG* *DING DONG*
Uncle Vernon narrowed his eyes and shouted. "Don't you people
know how to properly ring a doorbell?" He didn't bother opening the door.
"Some of us do." Harry replied, dragging his trunk down the stairs. He
went back up the stairs to get Hedwig. Dudley- the Dursley's son-
rushed to open the door expecting his friend Piers to be there. Instead,
he received a surprise. There was Ron, in the middle of ringing the
doorbell again. That wasn't the surprise, though-no. Behind Ron was
floating car. A Ford Anglia to be exact. Dudley stepped back in horror,
and then ran into the kitchen. Harry came down the stairs again, carrying
Hedwig and her cage. He put the cage on top of the trunk and dragged
the trunk to the doorway. He looked up and grinned. Ron grinned back.
Fred and George, two of Ron's brothers, were sitting in the back seat with
a sleeping Ginny. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting at the front, with Mr.
Weasley in the wheel. Ron helped Harry push the trunk into the car, while
Fred and George pulled. Then they pulled Ron and Harry up. Mr. Dursley
was still gaping at them, open-mouthed when Mrs. Dursley came to the
doorway, gasped, and fainted. Fred, George, Ron, and Harry all started
laughing as they flew away and went up into the clouds. Harry watched
Number four of Privet Drive until he couldn't see Mr. Dursley's red face
anymore. Then he sat back and relaxed. This was going to be great.
"So you found the car in the forest?" Harry asked. "Oh goodness,
no." Mrs. Weasley answered. "Did you, Arthur?" Arthur Weasley chuckled.
"Of course not, dear." Harry's happiness faded. "But aren't you afraid
someone saw the car, flying?" he asked. "No, not at all. We made sure
everyone didn't see." Mr. Weasley winked at Harry. "We were going to
drive, instead of flying, though." Fred grinned. "But we insisted on flying,
just so we could see your aunt and uncle's faces as we flew away." Harry
nodded in approval, but Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "And they insisted
that I come with them. They made me give them permission to use the
car." There was a silence, but Mr. Weasley broke it. "Yeah, this baby has
everything the other car had. Well, more fuel of course- so it can go long
distances." He glanced at Harry and Ron. "Just in case." He added. Harry
and Ron chuckled nervously.
Mr. Weasley continued. "Yep, invisibility, more room, what more
could you possible ask for?" George leaned over and whispered in Harry's
ear. "We installed a Dung Bomb shooter, too. When dad was at work." He
grinned. "Just in case." He pointed to a red button with a Dung Bomb
printed on it. Harry laughed out loud. Mr. Weasley looked back. "What, is
it a joke? I need a good joke to tell at work." He looked sad. "They're all
working overtime because of the Hogwarts Express incident." Harry
raised his eyebrow. "Hogwarts Express incident?" he asked. Ron groaned.
"Sorry, Harry. I keep forgetting you don't get the Daily Prophet." He
reached under the seat and pulled out a newspaper with 'Daily Prophet'
written in large letters at the top. Ron passed it to him and Harry read the first headline, on the front page. "Express Break-Down" it read.
Engineers, who were there at the time, report that during a train
check-up, a hooded figure had appeared. He ignored the people who
questioned him and walked straight to the Hogwarts Express. He had
pulled out his wand and shot a spell at the train, which blew out the
engine. As the engineers glanced at the engine, the hooded figure had
disappeared.
As he shouted angrily at Daily Prophet reporters, the conductor of
the Hogwarts Express stated clearly that '.students will have to find a
new way to school.'
Continued on page A14
Harry looked up from the paper. "That's awful. Who would want to
do such a thing?" he asked. "The Ministry is still working on it." Mr.
Weasley replied. "So had a good summer so far, Harry?" he asked,
changing the subject. "Well, I-" Harry began, but Ron interrupted him. "A
good summer? How could he possibly have a good summer, living with
those-those people? Especially that fat pig." His mother cut him off.
"Ronald J. Weasley! I did not raise you to talk rubbish about people like
that!" Ron lowered his head. "No, Mrs. Weasley-Ron's right, the Dursleys
are horrible." Mrs. Weasley looked at Harry. "But for goodness sakes,
Harry-They're your mum and dad's relatives-No one related to them
could be that bad." Harry looked at his shoes. "Believe me, they are." He
said unhappily. There was more silence that lasted for a few minutes.
"We're here!" Mrs. Weasley shouted cheerfully. Harry looked and
indeed, there it was: The Burrow. Mr. Weasley landed the car safely on
the ground. It was then, that Ginny awoke. She looked around, still half
asleep. She spotted Harry and blushed. "Hi, Harry." "Hi, Ginny." Harry
responded. "Ooh." Fred and George said together. Ron shook his head.
"Come on, let's go to my room." They got out of the car and entered the
house. "Home, sweet home." Mr. Weasley said from behind them,
dropping his keys on the table. "I'll tell you two when lunch is ready!"
Mrs. Weasley yelled as Harry and Ron trudged up the stairs. It must have
taken at least five minutes until they reached Ron's room. He opened the
door, and surprisingly-it was clean. Ron saw Harry's face and answered.
"My mom. She made me clean it up because '.Harry's coming.'" He said
mockingly. Ron looked at Harry again. "No offense, of course." He added.
"None taken." Harry replied. As Ron sat on his bed, Harry lay on the floor.
"This is going to be great." And indeed, it was-for the time being.
~*~*~*~
*Chapter One*
-Home Sweet Home-
"Vernon, honey, do you really think this is the right thing to do?"
"Yes, yes. Think of the freedom, Petunia, the freedom!"
Vernon Dursley was unusually happy this week. He had set a deal
for a large set of drills, with the richest man in town. Vernon Dursley sold
drills for a company named Grunnings. Nothing would take his mind off of
the fact that he could get a raise or even a promotion for making the
deal. There were probably four things Mr. Dursley loved in his life:
money, his son, his wife, and money- Money being number one, of
course. In the past few days, he had even started humming. In the years
he had been with the Dursleys, Harry had never seen Uncle Vernon hum.
Harry didn't think the day could get any better. Actually, it could. Today
was the day he was going to go to his friend Ron's house, named the
Burrow. Harry sat on his bed, waiting. Everything was prepared; he had
his trunk in front of the door and Hedwig in her cage, right beside him.
*DING DONG* *DING DONG* *DING DONG* *DING DONG*
Uncle Vernon narrowed his eyes and shouted. "Don't you people
know how to properly ring a doorbell?" He didn't bother opening the door.
"Some of us do." Harry replied, dragging his trunk down the stairs. He
went back up the stairs to get Hedwig. Dudley- the Dursley's son-
rushed to open the door expecting his friend Piers to be there. Instead,
he received a surprise. There was Ron, in the middle of ringing the
doorbell again. That wasn't the surprise, though-no. Behind Ron was
floating car. A Ford Anglia to be exact. Dudley stepped back in horror,
and then ran into the kitchen. Harry came down the stairs again, carrying
Hedwig and her cage. He put the cage on top of the trunk and dragged
the trunk to the doorway. He looked up and grinned. Ron grinned back.
Fred and George, two of Ron's brothers, were sitting in the back seat with
a sleeping Ginny. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting at the front, with Mr.
Weasley in the wheel. Ron helped Harry push the trunk into the car, while
Fred and George pulled. Then they pulled Ron and Harry up. Mr. Dursley
was still gaping at them, open-mouthed when Mrs. Dursley came to the
doorway, gasped, and fainted. Fred, George, Ron, and Harry all started
laughing as they flew away and went up into the clouds. Harry watched
Number four of Privet Drive until he couldn't see Mr. Dursley's red face
anymore. Then he sat back and relaxed. This was going to be great.
"So you found the car in the forest?" Harry asked. "Oh goodness,
no." Mrs. Weasley answered. "Did you, Arthur?" Arthur Weasley chuckled.
"Of course not, dear." Harry's happiness faded. "But aren't you afraid
someone saw the car, flying?" he asked. "No, not at all. We made sure
everyone didn't see." Mr. Weasley winked at Harry. "We were going to
drive, instead of flying, though." Fred grinned. "But we insisted on flying,
just so we could see your aunt and uncle's faces as we flew away." Harry
nodded in approval, but Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "And they insisted
that I come with them. They made me give them permission to use the
car." There was a silence, but Mr. Weasley broke it. "Yeah, this baby has
everything the other car had. Well, more fuel of course- so it can go long
distances." He glanced at Harry and Ron. "Just in case." He added. Harry
and Ron chuckled nervously.
Mr. Weasley continued. "Yep, invisibility, more room, what more
could you possible ask for?" George leaned over and whispered in Harry's
ear. "We installed a Dung Bomb shooter, too. When dad was at work." He
grinned. "Just in case." He pointed to a red button with a Dung Bomb
printed on it. Harry laughed out loud. Mr. Weasley looked back. "What, is
it a joke? I need a good joke to tell at work." He looked sad. "They're all
working overtime because of the Hogwarts Express incident." Harry
raised his eyebrow. "Hogwarts Express incident?" he asked. Ron groaned.
"Sorry, Harry. I keep forgetting you don't get the Daily Prophet." He
reached under the seat and pulled out a newspaper with 'Daily Prophet'
written in large letters at the top. Ron passed it to him and Harry read the first headline, on the front page. "Express Break-Down" it read.
Engineers, who were there at the time, report that during a train
check-up, a hooded figure had appeared. He ignored the people who
questioned him and walked straight to the Hogwarts Express. He had
pulled out his wand and shot a spell at the train, which blew out the
engine. As the engineers glanced at the engine, the hooded figure had
disappeared.
As he shouted angrily at Daily Prophet reporters, the conductor of
the Hogwarts Express stated clearly that '.students will have to find a
new way to school.'
Continued on page A14
Harry looked up from the paper. "That's awful. Who would want to
do such a thing?" he asked. "The Ministry is still working on it." Mr.
Weasley replied. "So had a good summer so far, Harry?" he asked,
changing the subject. "Well, I-" Harry began, but Ron interrupted him. "A
good summer? How could he possibly have a good summer, living with
those-those people? Especially that fat pig." His mother cut him off.
"Ronald J. Weasley! I did not raise you to talk rubbish about people like
that!" Ron lowered his head. "No, Mrs. Weasley-Ron's right, the Dursleys
are horrible." Mrs. Weasley looked at Harry. "But for goodness sakes,
Harry-They're your mum and dad's relatives-No one related to them
could be that bad." Harry looked at his shoes. "Believe me, they are." He
said unhappily. There was more silence that lasted for a few minutes.
"We're here!" Mrs. Weasley shouted cheerfully. Harry looked and
indeed, there it was: The Burrow. Mr. Weasley landed the car safely on
the ground. It was then, that Ginny awoke. She looked around, still half
asleep. She spotted Harry and blushed. "Hi, Harry." "Hi, Ginny." Harry
responded. "Ooh." Fred and George said together. Ron shook his head.
"Come on, let's go to my room." They got out of the car and entered the
house. "Home, sweet home." Mr. Weasley said from behind them,
dropping his keys on the table. "I'll tell you two when lunch is ready!"
Mrs. Weasley yelled as Harry and Ron trudged up the stairs. It must have
taken at least five minutes until they reached Ron's room. He opened the
door, and surprisingly-it was clean. Ron saw Harry's face and answered.
"My mom. She made me clean it up because '.Harry's coming.'" He said
mockingly. Ron looked at Harry again. "No offense, of course." He added.
"None taken." Harry replied. As Ron sat on his bed, Harry lay on the floor.
"This is going to be great." And indeed, it was-for the time being.
~*~*~*~