Chapter One: A Bittersweet Birthday
Harry Potter, a young wizard, was sprawled out on a bed in a stuffy little room in his aunt's and uncle's house. He was back at 4 Privet Drive for the summer vacation from school. Of course, Harry could hardly call it a vacation. He had never considered the Dursley's house his home, perhaps because they hated him and his kind. Harry was in his bedroom, which had once belonged to his cousin Dudley, and he lay on his bed thinking.
"I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could use that time turner Hermione and I used a couple of years ago. We saved Sirius once, too bad you can't save someone from death," Harry thought mournfully.
Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, had perished in the attempt to save Harry from one of Voldemort's schemes which had brought him into the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. Of course, Harry had thought that he was saving his godfather from Voldemort by going to the Department of Mysteries, not that he was endangering his life.
"Dumbledore did tell me that it wasn't my fault. But it was, you know," Harry said aloud. He wasn't really speaking to anyone, but his owl Hedwig hooted soothingly.
Harry sat up upon hearing her call. She had just been outside stretching her wings, because Harry had not let her out all summer. He was too depressed to send letters to his friends. He really had wanted to correspond with Sirius, but now that Sirius was gone, he felt that he had no use for Hedwig.
"Sorry Hedwig. If he was still around." Harry couldn't finish what he was saying. Speaking about Sirius made him on the verge of tears, and Harry didn't want to cry. He could imagine how Dudley would never let him live it down if he found Harry in his bedroom with tears streaming down his face.
Suddenly Harry heard something flapping behind him, and he felt the hot air in his tiny room being moved around. It felt like someone was fanning him. Harry turned around and found four owls flying stationary behind him. They perched themselves on top of Hedwig's cage, and she hooted angrily at their intrusion of her space, but let them stay there anyway. One of the owls collapsed, and lay on top of the cage pushing the other three towards the edge of the cage.
"Poor Errol. When I graduate and get a job I'll buy the Weasleys a new owl. They are my family, especially now." Harry laughed weakly at Errol's predicament, and Hedwig hooted softly. She was human like to Harry, and she seemed pleased that he had laughed for the first time in months. "All right then, let's see what you've got for me."
Harry took three pieces of parchment off the unconscious owl's leg, and tossed them onto his bed. Then he turned to the other owls. He was surprised that one of them was not Ron's crazy owl Pigwidgeon, but then he realized why Ron had avoided sending him mail through Pig. Sirius had given Pig to Ron as a consolation gift for ridding him of his rat Scabbers who had turned out to be a death eater. Ron was trying to respect Harry's feelings about his godfather's death by not causing him to think about him unnecessarily.
Harry then untied the parcels that the remaining owls had brought to him, and he began to read through the letters and gifts he had received, as it was his sixteenth birthday. "Some birthday," Harry thought glumly as he began to read the letters from the Weasleys.
"Happy Birthday Harry!
Hey Harry. Is your summer all right? The muggles treating you okay? Of course Mad Eye Moody will have a cow if they don't. I wish I could see him showing up at your front door with his magical revolving eye, freaking out the Dursleys. I would laugh so hard.
I am sorry about Sirius. I know you might not want to talk about it, and if you don't I am sorry I mentioned him. If you do though, I'll always be there. So will my parents. Ever since they met you, you have become their 8th child. Well, their 7th actually, because Mum and Dad have basically disowned Percy, the great prat!
Well Happy Birthday, and be happy. Sirius obviously loved you as a son. He tried to save your life, and he died a hero. Now he can be with your mum and dad, who he probably has missed for a very long time. So don't feel guilty, it wasn't your fault. In some ways his death probably came as a good thing to him.
I hope you like your present.
Your best friend,
Ron"
Harry smiled. Of course Ron would mention Sirius in his letter, and try to make Harry feel better about his death. Hermione would hear about it later and scold him for being insensitive to Harry's feelings, like she always did. Poor Ron, he did try, but it was never good enough for Hermione. Harry knew that Ron fancied her, and he felt bad because Hermione was constantly attacking Ron for being himself. He understood that Hermione was just trying to make him be the best he could be, but sometimes Ron just wanted to be able to be who he really was. He sometimes wanted to be the unimproved Ron.
Harry dropped Ron's letter and opened the gift which accompanied it. Inside was a book about the Chudley Cannons, Ron's favorite Quidditch team. Harry was pleased to have a diversion from his life. He loved Quidditch and now that he had a book about it, he could think about something other than Sirius. Harry slipped the book onto his bedside table so that he could read it later that night, then he read through the other two letters from the Weasleys.
"Dear Harry,
I am dreadfully sorry about your godfather's death. He was a good man, even though he got on mum's nerves constantly. I am proud of you for trying to save him, even though I realize that it was what Voldemort wanted you to do. How were you to have known? After all the other dark visions you had had were real.
Well Happy Birthday, and don't think too much about your loss. Ron sent you a book about our hometeam didn't he? It was also from me, but Ron didn't mention that. I would have sent you something else, but poor Errol could barely make the journey from the Burrow to your house as it was.
Love,
Ginny"
Harry smiled. "Yes, I am definitely going to buy them a new owl. After all they consider me to be part of the family."
Then he dropped Ginny's letter and picked up the roll of parchment which contained words of sympathy from Ron's parents.
"Dear Harry,
We are sorry that Sirius died, but he died an honorable hero. He will never be forgotten by the Order. Now Harry, don't fret about it. We have written to Dumbledore, and he agreed to be our secret keeper so that you can stay at our home without the threat of being attacked by you-know-who. I do hope you thank him for us when you return to school. Now Happy Birthday dear.
Oh yes, we are hoping that you can come to our home by August 3rd. That gives you a few days to pack. Fudge has arranged for an invisible ministry car to bring you to The Burrow at 5 pm on the 3rd. Please be ready by then.
Love, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley"
Harry smiled. He was beginning to feel happy for the first time that summer. He grabbed a quill and dipped it into his inkwell. Then he quickly scribbled his assent and thanks on the bottom of the parchment before sending the letter back with Errol. Of course he cared for the poor owl first.
Harry then eagerly reached for Hermione's parcel. She had not written him a long letter, which was unusual for her, but she did of course explain the purpose of her gift in the letter, so Harry knew what it was before unwrapping it. Hermione had never failed to babble on about her gifts. This did not bother him though. It was just Hermione's way of doing things.
"Dear Harry,
Happy 16th Birthday! Cheers! I hope you enjoy your gift. It will hopefully help you in your studies to become an auror. I do hope you received enough O.W.L.'s, but I am sure you did Harry, you are an intelligent wizard, though you and Ron both are incredibly lazy. Of course I did not write this letter to chide you, so just do read the Auror book.
Well, I hope to see you at the Burrow on August 3rd. Now don't mope too much about Sirius. He is in a good place, and he is now with his best friend and his best friend's wife (your parents), so he should be happy where he is.
Love, your friend,
Hermione"
Harry sighed and shook his head because he was trying to hold back his laughter. He had known what his best friends' letters would say before reading them. Of course he knew everything about Ron and Hermione, having known them both for six years, so this was understandable. Harry tossed the auror book on to his bedside table to join the book from Ron, and he opened the letter with the Hogwarts seal on the back.
"Dear Harry Potter,
This is Professor Dumbledore and I have taken the responsibility to send you everything that you will need to know before returning to Hogwarts this year. First I have sent you a gift. It is not because I favor you over the other students, but I am sure that my gift will be very important for you to use in the following two years. It is a pensieve. It will help you to dwell on your thoughts so that you can be better prepared to battle Voldemort when the Second War begins.
Now I also have your O.W.L scores to show you. I do hope that you are pleased with them.
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O
Transfiguration: E
Potions: O
Charms: E
Divination: A
Astronomy: A
Care of Magical Creatures: E
D = .5 O.W.L
P = 1 O.W.L
A = 1.5 O.W.L
E = 2 O.W.L
O = 3 O.W.L
The greatest possible O.W.L's you can receive is 21.
You have received a total of 15 O.W.L. In order to become an auror, you need at least 8 O.W.L total from the following four courses: Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms. You have 10.
Congratulations Harry Potter, you have the aptitude to continue your studies in preparation for a career as an auror."
Harry was delighted by his O.W.L results. He wondered how he managed to get his best scores in Potions. It was probably because without Snape there during the examination he had been able to concentrate on his work.
Harry then finished reading Dumbledore's letter.
"You will need three new books for your advanced N.E.W.T level studies in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms.
"Auror Level Defense Studies" by Alastor Moody.
"Advanced Transfiguration: by Ina Corpus
"High Level Potion Brewing" by Celius Martia
"Advanced Charms" by Ina Corpus
Thank you Harry. I hope you are now ready for your sixth year at Hogwarts, and don't forget to use your new pensieve.
Sincerely,
Professor Dumbledore"
Harry glanced over the book list again, and he realized that the Auror book that he had received from Hermione was going to be his new textbook for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He wondered how she had known to get him that book. It was probably just an odd coincidence, because how would she have known his O.W.L results before him?
Harry sent away the three remaining owls that had delivered his birthday letters and gifts. He felt elated that he had the opportunity to become an auror. He wished Sirius was there to share the moment with him, but he surely was watching over Harry, knowingly.
Harry slipped into bed and read the Quidditch book into the wee hours of the morning.
Harry Potter, a young wizard, was sprawled out on a bed in a stuffy little room in his aunt's and uncle's house. He was back at 4 Privet Drive for the summer vacation from school. Of course, Harry could hardly call it a vacation. He had never considered the Dursley's house his home, perhaps because they hated him and his kind. Harry was in his bedroom, which had once belonged to his cousin Dudley, and he lay on his bed thinking.
"I wish I could go back in time. I wish I could use that time turner Hermione and I used a couple of years ago. We saved Sirius once, too bad you can't save someone from death," Harry thought mournfully.
Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, had perished in the attempt to save Harry from one of Voldemort's schemes which had brought him into the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic. Of course, Harry had thought that he was saving his godfather from Voldemort by going to the Department of Mysteries, not that he was endangering his life.
"Dumbledore did tell me that it wasn't my fault. But it was, you know," Harry said aloud. He wasn't really speaking to anyone, but his owl Hedwig hooted soothingly.
Harry sat up upon hearing her call. She had just been outside stretching her wings, because Harry had not let her out all summer. He was too depressed to send letters to his friends. He really had wanted to correspond with Sirius, but now that Sirius was gone, he felt that he had no use for Hedwig.
"Sorry Hedwig. If he was still around." Harry couldn't finish what he was saying. Speaking about Sirius made him on the verge of tears, and Harry didn't want to cry. He could imagine how Dudley would never let him live it down if he found Harry in his bedroom with tears streaming down his face.
Suddenly Harry heard something flapping behind him, and he felt the hot air in his tiny room being moved around. It felt like someone was fanning him. Harry turned around and found four owls flying stationary behind him. They perched themselves on top of Hedwig's cage, and she hooted angrily at their intrusion of her space, but let them stay there anyway. One of the owls collapsed, and lay on top of the cage pushing the other three towards the edge of the cage.
"Poor Errol. When I graduate and get a job I'll buy the Weasleys a new owl. They are my family, especially now." Harry laughed weakly at Errol's predicament, and Hedwig hooted softly. She was human like to Harry, and she seemed pleased that he had laughed for the first time in months. "All right then, let's see what you've got for me."
Harry took three pieces of parchment off the unconscious owl's leg, and tossed them onto his bed. Then he turned to the other owls. He was surprised that one of them was not Ron's crazy owl Pigwidgeon, but then he realized why Ron had avoided sending him mail through Pig. Sirius had given Pig to Ron as a consolation gift for ridding him of his rat Scabbers who had turned out to be a death eater. Ron was trying to respect Harry's feelings about his godfather's death by not causing him to think about him unnecessarily.
Harry then untied the parcels that the remaining owls had brought to him, and he began to read through the letters and gifts he had received, as it was his sixteenth birthday. "Some birthday," Harry thought glumly as he began to read the letters from the Weasleys.
"Happy Birthday Harry!
Hey Harry. Is your summer all right? The muggles treating you okay? Of course Mad Eye Moody will have a cow if they don't. I wish I could see him showing up at your front door with his magical revolving eye, freaking out the Dursleys. I would laugh so hard.
I am sorry about Sirius. I know you might not want to talk about it, and if you don't I am sorry I mentioned him. If you do though, I'll always be there. So will my parents. Ever since they met you, you have become their 8th child. Well, their 7th actually, because Mum and Dad have basically disowned Percy, the great prat!
Well Happy Birthday, and be happy. Sirius obviously loved you as a son. He tried to save your life, and he died a hero. Now he can be with your mum and dad, who he probably has missed for a very long time. So don't feel guilty, it wasn't your fault. In some ways his death probably came as a good thing to him.
I hope you like your present.
Your best friend,
Ron"
Harry smiled. Of course Ron would mention Sirius in his letter, and try to make Harry feel better about his death. Hermione would hear about it later and scold him for being insensitive to Harry's feelings, like she always did. Poor Ron, he did try, but it was never good enough for Hermione. Harry knew that Ron fancied her, and he felt bad because Hermione was constantly attacking Ron for being himself. He understood that Hermione was just trying to make him be the best he could be, but sometimes Ron just wanted to be able to be who he really was. He sometimes wanted to be the unimproved Ron.
Harry dropped Ron's letter and opened the gift which accompanied it. Inside was a book about the Chudley Cannons, Ron's favorite Quidditch team. Harry was pleased to have a diversion from his life. He loved Quidditch and now that he had a book about it, he could think about something other than Sirius. Harry slipped the book onto his bedside table so that he could read it later that night, then he read through the other two letters from the Weasleys.
"Dear Harry,
I am dreadfully sorry about your godfather's death. He was a good man, even though he got on mum's nerves constantly. I am proud of you for trying to save him, even though I realize that it was what Voldemort wanted you to do. How were you to have known? After all the other dark visions you had had were real.
Well Happy Birthday, and don't think too much about your loss. Ron sent you a book about our hometeam didn't he? It was also from me, but Ron didn't mention that. I would have sent you something else, but poor Errol could barely make the journey from the Burrow to your house as it was.
Love,
Ginny"
Harry smiled. "Yes, I am definitely going to buy them a new owl. After all they consider me to be part of the family."
Then he dropped Ginny's letter and picked up the roll of parchment which contained words of sympathy from Ron's parents.
"Dear Harry,
We are sorry that Sirius died, but he died an honorable hero. He will never be forgotten by the Order. Now Harry, don't fret about it. We have written to Dumbledore, and he agreed to be our secret keeper so that you can stay at our home without the threat of being attacked by you-know-who. I do hope you thank him for us when you return to school. Now Happy Birthday dear.
Oh yes, we are hoping that you can come to our home by August 3rd. That gives you a few days to pack. Fudge has arranged for an invisible ministry car to bring you to The Burrow at 5 pm on the 3rd. Please be ready by then.
Love, Mr. And Mrs. Weasley"
Harry smiled. He was beginning to feel happy for the first time that summer. He grabbed a quill and dipped it into his inkwell. Then he quickly scribbled his assent and thanks on the bottom of the parchment before sending the letter back with Errol. Of course he cared for the poor owl first.
Harry then eagerly reached for Hermione's parcel. She had not written him a long letter, which was unusual for her, but she did of course explain the purpose of her gift in the letter, so Harry knew what it was before unwrapping it. Hermione had never failed to babble on about her gifts. This did not bother him though. It was just Hermione's way of doing things.
"Dear Harry,
Happy 16th Birthday! Cheers! I hope you enjoy your gift. It will hopefully help you in your studies to become an auror. I do hope you received enough O.W.L.'s, but I am sure you did Harry, you are an intelligent wizard, though you and Ron both are incredibly lazy. Of course I did not write this letter to chide you, so just do read the Auror book.
Well, I hope to see you at the Burrow on August 3rd. Now don't mope too much about Sirius. He is in a good place, and he is now with his best friend and his best friend's wife (your parents), so he should be happy where he is.
Love, your friend,
Hermione"
Harry sighed and shook his head because he was trying to hold back his laughter. He had known what his best friends' letters would say before reading them. Of course he knew everything about Ron and Hermione, having known them both for six years, so this was understandable. Harry tossed the auror book on to his bedside table to join the book from Ron, and he opened the letter with the Hogwarts seal on the back.
"Dear Harry Potter,
This is Professor Dumbledore and I have taken the responsibility to send you everything that you will need to know before returning to Hogwarts this year. First I have sent you a gift. It is not because I favor you over the other students, but I am sure that my gift will be very important for you to use in the following two years. It is a pensieve. It will help you to dwell on your thoughts so that you can be better prepared to battle Voldemort when the Second War begins.
Now I also have your O.W.L scores to show you. I do hope that you are pleased with them.
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O
Transfiguration: E
Potions: O
Charms: E
Divination: A
Astronomy: A
Care of Magical Creatures: E
D = .5 O.W.L
P = 1 O.W.L
A = 1.5 O.W.L
E = 2 O.W.L
O = 3 O.W.L
The greatest possible O.W.L's you can receive is 21.
You have received a total of 15 O.W.L. In order to become an auror, you need at least 8 O.W.L total from the following four courses: Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms. You have 10.
Congratulations Harry Potter, you have the aptitude to continue your studies in preparation for a career as an auror."
Harry was delighted by his O.W.L results. He wondered how he managed to get his best scores in Potions. It was probably because without Snape there during the examination he had been able to concentrate on his work.
Harry then finished reading Dumbledore's letter.
"You will need three new books for your advanced N.E.W.T level studies in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, and Charms.
"Auror Level Defense Studies" by Alastor Moody.
"Advanced Transfiguration: by Ina Corpus
"High Level Potion Brewing" by Celius Martia
"Advanced Charms" by Ina Corpus
Thank you Harry. I hope you are now ready for your sixth year at Hogwarts, and don't forget to use your new pensieve.
Sincerely,
Professor Dumbledore"
Harry glanced over the book list again, and he realized that the Auror book that he had received from Hermione was going to be his new textbook for Defense Against the Dark Arts. He wondered how she had known to get him that book. It was probably just an odd coincidence, because how would she have known his O.W.L results before him?
Harry sent away the three remaining owls that had delivered his birthday letters and gifts. He felt elated that he had the opportunity to become an auror. He wished Sirius was there to share the moment with him, but he surely was watching over Harry, knowingly.
Harry slipped into bed and read the Quidditch book into the wee hours of the morning.
