Title: The Heirs of the Squibs
Author: Shea
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: For all four books
Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Coming Home

Since Harry had last met his friends at Kings Cross Station, he hadn't heard or read anything from them. It reminded him all to well to the situation after his first year at Hogwarts, when Dobby had tried to persuade him to not go back to Hogwarts and had 'taken care' of all his letters till his birthday. He remembered this day this well, since he had gotten a letter from the ministry telling him that he was not allowed to do any magic outside school and to make it worse it had been delivered to uncle Vernon...

This time was different. Even so, he was a bit disturbed not to see any owl, he couldn't think much of it. Right after arriving at Privet Drive 4 this summer, uncle Vernon had told him, that he was now old enough to pay for his room, his clothes and his meals. So he had a lot of work to do, for both uncle Vernon ("repair this! repair that! NO!!! Not with M..M.Magic!") and for his aunt Petunia, sister of his mother and only living relative he had left ("Cut the lawn!", "Help in the kitchen!", ...). It was not that he hadn't done all those things before, but this summer break he had to work from 7:00 ("Prepare breakfast!"), till around 8:00 in the evening ("Clean the kitchen and wash the dishes! When you're ready, go to your room!") without a real pause, like all those other years. Although Dudley was still on his diet, sometimes Harry got a little more food. This year uncle Vernon had insisted not to eat 'rabbit food' any longer. He was the only one, who gave himself the privilege, to eat meat. Even so aunt Petunia wasn't that happy about Vernon to do this. So every evening Harry was quiet tired, when he returned to his room and so far he hadn't done any of his school homework. He just crossed another day in his calender, laid down on the bed and fall asleep the same instant. He had merely written one letter to Ron, pleading that they find a way to get him out of here, but he had lost all hopes since not even Hedwig, his snowy owl, had returned, even so he had managed to send his letter nearly a week ago.
With this thought Harry crossed the next day and stopped a moment... Tomorrow was his 15th birthday, he could hope that at least one owl would arrive this night, bringing him his Hogwarts-letter. But it wasn't possible for him to stay awake, the last thing he saw before he fell asleep was his clock telling him it was short past 9 o'clock.

When he woke the next morning he was a little bit irritated. He felt a freshness long not known and it was still dark as night outside. /Great... My birthday and no letters from my friends, not even the letter from Hogwarts... The Dursley's will forget about my birthday as every year and the weather.../ *sigh* at this point Harry stopped with his thought. It was so dark as night outside, it had to be a real storm. But neither was lightning seen nor came any sound from the storm through the still open window.
Just ... nothing ...
He looked for his glasses and found them on the floor, remembering he hadn't taken them off the evening before. He glanced at his clock: 11:58! Now he was wide-awake. It can't be his birthday yet, otherwise his aunt would have long stormed into his room, getting him out of bed. He hadn't slept for 3 hours and yet he felt as if he had slept for days.
11:59... he looked to the window but still couldn't see anything outside. He just had to wait till the owls would fly through the window...
00:00... Midnight! No owl had arrived yet, instead he had an odd feeling around his hands. He looked down and found a letter... which must have arrived this moment ... out of nowhere.
Remembering the words of Mad-Eye-Moody, ... no Bartemius Crouch Jr., 'constant vigilance'; he opened the mysterious letter carefully and with the help of his wand and a pair of tweezers, he began to read it without touching it, he had enough of portkeys activated by touch... Still he was a little bit uncomfortable, the way the letter had arrived it must have been send by a wizard, but it was written using a typewriter?!?

Dear Grandson

/Grandson?!? At least one of my grandparents still has to be alive.../ he thought.

I'm sorry, I couldn't write earlier, but since you are this far away, I
couldn't send it by owl and first had to find another way of delivery.

/Far away?!?/ This got even better, where was his grandfather or grandmother, that an owl couldn't reach him? The only places he could think of where America or Australia.

Also I'm sorry I have to use a typewriter, but one of your five brothers has
spoiled my ink, I was just glad that your father has such a fable for muggle
artifacts...

/Five brothers?!? Father?!?/ This letter must have been delivered to the wrong person, all he knew was, that he was the only child of his parents and both where long dead now... Although... Five boys and a father with a fable for muggle things... This would match the Weasley's... Was it perhaps written so that only he could make real sense out of the letter?

I hope your aunt and your uncle don't give you too much to work, especially
with your cousin around. Is he still on diet?

That could be another clue that the letter was indeed for him.

No matter... I've made arrangements with your other aunt, Arabella, that you
may go home for your birthday. She will arrive at 10:00, be sure you've all
packed. We will than all meet at home, even both your elder brothers will be
there and both your sisters.

Your Grandpa

/Both sisters?!? The Weasley's have only one girl... Could that mean Hermione is at the Burrow? Or is this letter...?/

Anyway, Harry packed all his belongings in his trunk and hoped for the best. Since the 'all' was emphasized, he even packed things, he normally would left behind. He was only a little bit worried, how he would recognize his 'aunt Arabella' and how she would prove, that she was send either by the Weasley's or by Professor Dumbledore.

Next morning at 10:00 the doorbell rang. Harry stormed to the door and opened it, hoping to see this mysterious aunt and a sign showing him she was sent by his friends. Then he got a shock:
"Mrs Figg??? How can I help you? Eh.. please come in." he stuttered, seeing his old babysitter with a broad smile on her face.
"Oh, I hope I can help YOU Harry." with this she looked down to her side: "Snuffles: Lay down!" and got past Harry inside the house. After the last words of Mrs Figg Harry looked down and saw indeed his godfather making himself a home, obviously grinning at him.
He was a little bit startled, how comes that Mrs Figg knew his godfather, even if, or better, with her fable for cats, especially when, he was in his dog form? But before he could greet his godfather properly, his aunt called from the kitchen:
"Harry! Come here and prepare some tea for our guest!" He shrugged to Sirius and, seeing he wouldn't come in with him, closed the door. But he came not far. He had just turned, when he heard Mrs Figg telling, she would like to see his room and with those words she was already at his side, before aunt Petunia got even a chance to intervene. She looked to Harry with a twinkle in her eyes. Harry remembered: hadn't Professor Dumbledore told Sirius to get the old troop? Where there not an Arabella Figg with them? Could that be? It would explain how she knew of Snuffles. It would even mean she knew that Snuffles in real was Sirius Black, his godfather. So he decided to go up to his room before aunt Petunia got a chance to interfere with the upcoming events. The moment Mrs Figg came into his room, aunt Petunia was distracted by the yet again ringing doorbell. This distraction Mrs Figg used to shrink Harry's trunk, his broomstick and Hedwig's cage and levitate all of them into her handbag. Now Harry was sure that his 'aunt Arabella' had arrived to rescue him.

Coming down the stairs they found a really upset Petunia Dursley:
"This cursed .. cur... For Christ sake, who has trained ... this ... to ring at peaceful houses..."
Harry looked at Mrs Figg and smiled knowingly.
Then aunt Petunia asked, still with some anger in her voice "Why is it, that you wanted to see Harry's room?"
"Oh, I just wanted to see how tidy he kept his room, to decide if I ask him to help me a little with my own rooms. And seeing how tidy he kept it, I decided, I would take him to help me little!"
The last sentence was really no question, it was a plain order, meant for Petunia. With this she took Harry's hand and walked straight by Petunia through the still open door and was outside the house with Harry before Petunia got her senses back to oblige Harry to stay. She walked straight to a car shoving Harry inside. When Petunia came to see what this all was about, she caught a glimpse of the driver and got her next shock: A convicted murderer of whom all news had reported two years ago and even now his picture was at least once a month in one or another newspaper. And so she let them drive away without any more bickering.

Mrs Figg and Sirius both burst into laughter "This kidnaping was quiet a joke. I couldn't stand the chance to pay at least a little back of what she has done to you, Harry." told Mrs Figg the moment the car arrived at the burrow. Harry realized that the car must work the same way as the 'Knights Bus', even though the bus had made him ill, when the car drive was really comfortable.
"By the way Harry: Happy birthday. I hope you enjoy your stay with your family and as far I can see, your youngest brother is already awaiting you. I fear I can't stay with you, I have to go back to your aunt and explain her some things... Also I have to prepare to move to yet another home now, since I'm leaving the muggle world. But be reassured, we'll meet again real soon."
With this she gave Harry his belongings back and disapparated. Just the moment of her disappearing Harry found himself hugged tightly by his best friend Ron.
"HARRY! You can't think of how worried we all where when all our owls won't leave when we tried to send a letter to you. Not even Hermione had any idea what could have happened, but since she was in Bulgaria, she just arrived three days ago, she couldn't even try to reach you by felebone. And then your letter asking for help... At least we knew you're alive, not even Professor Dumbledore had told us anything."
"Hey Ron, you feel like your mother." Harry stumbled, with this Ron let loose of him and they both followed Sirius to the house.
"I was just that happy, that you finally arrived... You'll never guess who all is staying with us for today."
"Hmmm... Let me think... the letter I got today, it HAS to be from Dumbledore and I think he has to explain some things about what happened since we left Kings Cross, so he would be here."
"Yeah, that was for sure, but he's not the only one."
Before Harry got another chance to guess they arrived at the entrance and where interrupted by Ron's mother "Harry, happy birthday. I hope you'll enjoy your present from our whole family." with this she hugged him as if her long lost son had finally come back home and Harry found himself again gasping for breath. Then she moved him into the living room where the whole family surrounded the Weasleyclock. He knew that it was not an ordinary clock one could use to read the time, instead it's handles showed the whereabout and status of every member of the Weasleyfamily, and now all those handles surly showed that everybody was at home. Then it struck him: there where two more handles than last year, one showing that his best friend Hermione Granger was at home and one showing that he himself also was at home!
When realization about this present of the Weasley's dawned on his face all began to sing "Happy birthday Harry".

With this, for the first time in his life, Harry felt as if he had really coming home.