Chapter 1: A New Invitation

A summer's breeze blew across the fresh green grass that lay in front of the house numbered 4 Privet Drive. The air was hot, not too humid, and the skies were perfectly clear. What a wonderfully beautiful day it was outside. Children played in the streets, while their parents watched, chatting with each other about how wonderful it was that day.

But, one boy was not outside enjoying peak summer conditions. Harry Potter sat in his room staring out the window. He gazed down from his bedroom watching the other people doing whatever it was that they did. One girl spotted Harry in the window, whispered something to her friend and walked away in hysterics. Harry couldn't leave his room after the incident earlier that day before.

The Dursleys had just come home from a day in the park. Dudley, who had just walked through the door, ice cream smeared across his face while the rest slowly melted in the cone, tripped Harry, purposely of course, and Harry fell. What Dudley didn't count on was the fact that Harry fell on him. Getting up, Harry noticed Dudley's ice cream stained across the new shirt his mother, Harry's Aunt Petunia, had just bought him.

Dudley stared down to see the chocolate river soaking into the white shirt. "Mum! Mum, Harry knocked my ice cream onto my shirt! He tried to take it away from me!" Dudley screamed in a voice to high for a boy of his enormous stature.

Aunt Petunia rushed into the hall by the staircase and stared at Dudley's once immaculate shirt. "You wretched boy!" she screamed. "You horrible, nasty boy! That shirt cost me a good £40! And, how dare you try to take that ice cream from my little Dudley. He deserves it far more than you do. You don't even deserve the container it came from!" By the time she had finished yelling, Uncle Vernon had entered the room as well, his face more purple than a violet.

"But, I didn't try to-," Harry tried to argue before he was interrupted by Uncle Vernon.

"Don't you tell lies, boy! Why would Dudley make that up? Go up to your room!"

So for the rest of the day, Harry had been barricaded in his room. By now the sun had almost completely set and the air became cool. The twilight hour had arrived and the stars had started to appear. The stars looked especially bright that night, very large and a pearly white. One star in particular seemed to be growing by the second, coming nearer. It was not a star at all, but instead Harry's snowy owl, Hedwig. She fluttered into the window, a letter tied to her talon, and sat on her perch drinking some water. Grabbing the letter, he opened it and read:

Dear Harry,

Sorry I haven't talked to you in a while, but I've been busy with some summer homework (I hope you've started because Ron hasn't, yet). Anyway, Happy Birthday! I know your birthday was the other day, but I wasn't home to write you a letter. I didn't send you your present since I have some great news.

My parents said you and Ron could come over for the rest of the summer! Come over Saturday. I know that the Dursleys probably won't let you go. I read the letter you sent me yesterday. I figure that you could sneak out Friday night and take the Knight Bus to my house. I'll give you your present then.

Can't wait to see you. Ron already said he could come. RSVP tonight!

Love,

Hermione

Harry had never realized it before, but he had gone to the Weasley's house many times, but he had yet to go to Hermione's. Pulling out a fresh piece of parchment, he wrote back to Hermione:

Dear Hermione,

I'll see you Saturday. I can't believe I've never been to your house before. It should be pretty fun. I'll see you then.

Harry

P.S.: I've finished my homework.

Harry fed Hedwig some Owl Treats and sent her off with the letter. The summer wouldn't be nearly as bad as he thought. Harry lied down on his bed and dreamt of his magnificent escape in two nights.