Chapter One
Moody's Watchful Eye
It was unseasonally cold on Number Four Privet Drive. So cold, in fact, that most didn't believe it was summertime. This bothered only one of two sixteen-year-olds living at Number Four Privet Drive. Dudley Dursley didn't enjoy the cold, but the other boy, his cousin, thin, pale, dark-haired Harry Potter, could care less.
Of course, Harry Potter wasn't a normal boy, not by his aunt and uncle's standarts anyway. Harry was skinny and pale, while his Uncle and Cousin were fat and pink. His aunt was boney and lankey. Of course, this wasn't what made Harry Potter odd. It was his scar.
A thin, lightning-bolt shaped scar, the result of the dreading killing curse, Avada Kedavra. Because it was this scar that identified Harry, as a wizard.
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had been sitting in the kitchen, when Harry came walking in, and went to the pantry looking for something to eat. Never before had Harry been allowed to do something like that, and Harry didn't know if it had been the threates made by some wizards last year that kept him out of trouble, or if the Dursley's knew how horrible he felt. He suspected it wasn't the latter.
Harry hadn't spoken once since he returned to Number Four Privet Drive almost three weeks ago. The only time he spoke was when telling his snowy white owl, Hedwig, where to deliver the letters he would write once every three days to Mad-Eye Moody, Ron, or Hermione, or when he was asleep.
Becuase in his dreams, he kept reliving the night.
Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her.
"Come on, you can do better than that!"
Harry had seen this before. They were in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater and convicted killer, and Sirius Black, Harry's Godfather, were in the midst of a duel.
The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.
The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in
shock.
Harry saw all this too. The battle with Voldemort's followers was over, Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Harry's school had rounded up all of them: All but Bellatrix Lestrange, because she was killing Sirius.
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc
as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging fro the arch... Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the
other side any second. . . . But Sirius did not reappear.
It had been the same everytime. Just like when it had really happened. Every night for three weeks he saw his Godfathers death. During Harry's third year at Hogwarts School, he had been forced to relive his worst memories by Dementors (Horrible creatures that keep their faces hidden and suck souls), then Harry had heard his parents die. He wondered, if a Dementor attacked now, if he'd relive his mother and father's death, or Sirius'.
These were the thoughts on Harry Potter's mind when a loud banging on his bedroom door broke his silence. "Potter!" his Uncle Vernon bellowed through the door. "C'mon then, were going to the store." Vernon said and then grunted "You can come with us or stay locked in your room, you're choice."
Harry, who had no intention of staying locked up, decided a walk might do him some good, and silently took a coat and left his room. He took a silent seat in the car, and didn't talk the entire ride over. Nor did he talk when they exited the car and went to the store. The Dursley's didn't mind, nor did they care. Harry was halfway through the produce department when a girl around his age with shiny red hair suddenly approached him and gave a "Hi Harry!".
Harry, who had never seen this girl before was about to say something when her hair turned pitch black, like his own. Then before his eyes, the girl again changed her look again: now it was bushy and brown like his best friend Hermione Granger. Suddenly it hit Harry, and he said "Tonks?". And the girl (Who's hair was now a neon green) smiled and kisses Harry on the cheek before completly changing again, she was now taller, older, and had messy pink hair.
"That's right Harry." She said pleasntly, she leaned on a cart of melons and slipped, sending herself to the floor, and great watermelons went rolling down the hall. Harry couldn't help but laugh as she rised and was covered in thin, red watermelon juice.
"You're following me again." Harry said as she wiped the watermelon jucie onto her shirt. She gave him a 'of-course-I-am' look and then sneezed from the juice. "Mad-Eye wants you kept as safe as possible when in the Muggle world." She said, pointing toward a corner where a much older man with long dark hair was standing. Harry would have thought he was a janitor, he was in all gray, and was leaning on a mop and had a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes. Yet, it was the wooden leg that gave him away. Harry realized the baseball cap was to keep his magical eye hidden. Though the man was facing away from Harry, he said "'Lo Potter" and Harry wasn't surprised: He knew very well that Moody's eye could see through almost anything.
"'Lo Mr. Moody" Harry said politly. Moody shook his head walking back over saying: "What's this 'mister' crap Potter? Call me Mad-Eye, everyone else does." Harry nodded to show he had heard him, and then felt a hand clap onto his back. He spun around and stared into the face of Remus Lupin.
"How's summer Harry?" Lupin ask. Harry gave him a look as of rage, but only beiefly. How could Lupin ask that? Hadn't he seen Sirius die?
"How do you think?" Harry said, with a icy chill in his voice that rivaled the weather outside.
"Harry, I know, I miss Padfoot too." Lupin said with a sigh. Harry had forgotten, when he had spoken his rude words, that Remus and Sirius had been good friends. "That's why were here."
"What?" Harry ask, utterly confused. Lupin shook his head and handed Harry a note. It read:
Harry,
I have spoken to Fudge, and he has agreeded to publicly clear Sirius Black's name. His funeral is to be held the last week before the start of
the term, at GP
I have informed Arthur and Molly that you are to arrive at the GP by Monday, and the Weasley's will be waiting for you. Remus, Nymphadora, and Alastor will be staying with you until Monday, and then will accompany you
to GP
Albus Dumbledore
Harry read it to himself, and felt his heart lighten. A Funeral, and a public pardon. Though Harry was still grieving over Black's death, he knew that at least now the world would know the truth. He truned to Moody and ask: "But, where's 'GP'?"
Moody looked at him as if Harry was ill. "Grimmuald Place of course, think Potter. We can't very well say that, what if Voldemort got his hands on this letter?"
Harry suddenly felt rather silly. Moody nodded to him, then turned to Lupin and Tonks. "Remus, I expect you must be on your way to Miss. Granger's home?" Lupin nodded, waved to Harry, and then with a pop disapparated. Tonks then said: "I know, I'll be at the Burrow. Seeya' Mad-Eye. Bye Harry!" She said and she too disapparated. Harry looked around, and found that none of the muggles seamed to notice at all. Harry turned up to Moody, expecting him to leave.
"I'm not going anywhere Potter." He said at once. "Except to your Uncle's house. I'm suppose to stay with you for the week until Grimmuald Place had been cleaned.
Harry wondered if Grimmuald Place could ever be "Clean" but as Moody explained, he realized it. Apparently, after Sirius had died, Kreacher (the house-elf who lived there) in a attempt to want to make the others not come back, he let a mess of Boggarts into the house, and now Kingsley Shacklebolt, a Order member, had the task of flushing them out.
When Vernon, Peatunia, and Dudley finished shopping and heard that "Mad- Eye" Moody was moving in, they all looked downright offended, but said nothing as a old man with a face like wood and a magic eye was not the person they would argue with today. Or any day.
When they arrived home at Number Four Privet Drive, Moody went inside, entered the guest room, and stayed to himself. For the rest of that night the Dursley's hoped that he'd stay inside there, and not come out again. Harry, who had ambitions of being a Auror like Moody when he graduated, had hoped to ask him for advice. (This was also, Harry reminded himself, a good way to escape thinking about Sirius)
The next morning as Dudley was watching TV, Vernon reading the paper, Peatunia was spying on the neighbors, and Harry was eating, a loud bang filled the house. Vernon leapt up, cursing loudly. Moody came hobbling out of the guest room on his wooden leg, his cloak on fire.
"What the ruddy hell are you doing!?" Vernon bellowed, forgetting any fear he once had of Moody. Mad-Eye looked at Vernon with his magical blue eye for a moment, before he returned to his robes and extinguished them.
"Damn thing." Mad-Eye grumbled. "Just wouldn't shut off." Vernon stared at Moody with utmost hatrid before saying: "What the devil did you do?!" Mad- Eye turned on him, and raised his wand. Harry thought for a moment that Moody would jinx him, a smile appeared on his face.
"I blew up your air conditioner." Moody said. "It wouldn't turn off." Vernon's face turned a nasty shade of maroon, and Harry was sure something had started. Uncle Vernon whirled around and looked around the room franticly, he grabbed the fireplace poker, Harry gasp, as Vernon spun around and aimed a blow at Moody. . . .
When the stunning spell wore off on Uncle Vernon, and he woke up on the floor of the living room, Peatunia fell into a crying fit. Though Harry had explained that the spell only stunned him, Peatunia was out of her wits. Mad-Eye looked as if he didn't care one bit, and after he hit Uncle Vernon with the stunning spell, he had went to the kitchen table and sat down, then he magically wipped up his own breakfast (Only drinking from his hip flask, of course). After Vernon woke up, Harry joined Moody at the table.
"He's okay." Harry said. Moody grunted. "Mr. Moo-, er, Mad-Eye?" Harry started. "My aunt and uncle, they just don't understand us, and I, err, well I know you can get a bit, er, jumpy, but, next time --" (Harry was sure there would be a next time) "-- could you use a less powerfull stunner?"
Mad-Eye nodded once, and returned to his food. He and Harry sat in silence, and didn't speak when Dudley drove Uncle Vernon to the doctor (Dudley had been driving everywhere since he got his license), nor did they speak when Peatunia went up to her bedroom, and locked the door.
Finally, when Moody had finsihed his meal, he turned to Harry and said "So Potter, McGonagall told me you wanted to be a Auror." Harry nodded. "Well then, I'll show you some tricks, shall I?"
Harry's next week at Privet Drive was the most fun he'd ever had there. Indeed, since the stunning spell, the entire Dursley family spent most of the day in their bedroom, or out, until Moody and Harry returned to their bedrooms and went to sleep. Since Harry couldn't do magic during summer, Moody only demostrated some spells, and most of the time he taught Harry new tricks with the Invisibility Cloak. The rest of the time Moody spent telling Harry old tales from his Auror days.
Harry enjoyed the tale about Malgon (The first dark wizard Moody had ever caught himself) very much, and had to admit, the time he spent listening to Auror tales, wasn't so bad.
But the dreams didn't stop, he still saw Sirius die everytime he slept, which is why he urged Moody on, and tried to spend as much time as he could studying Auror skills.
Finally the week ended, it came quick, but Harry didn't mind. Moody magically packed Harry's trunk, and Harry said goodbye to his Aunt and Uncle (Through the closed door). And then Harry and Mad-Eye set off for Number Twelve Grimmuald Place.
*************
Well, hope you're likin' it so far. The Next Chapter "Uproar at the Burrow" backtracks and talks about Ron and Hermione's summers so far.
*********************
Moody's Watchful Eye
It was unseasonally cold on Number Four Privet Drive. So cold, in fact, that most didn't believe it was summertime. This bothered only one of two sixteen-year-olds living at Number Four Privet Drive. Dudley Dursley didn't enjoy the cold, but the other boy, his cousin, thin, pale, dark-haired Harry Potter, could care less.
Of course, Harry Potter wasn't a normal boy, not by his aunt and uncle's standarts anyway. Harry was skinny and pale, while his Uncle and Cousin were fat and pink. His aunt was boney and lankey. Of course, this wasn't what made Harry Potter odd. It was his scar.
A thin, lightning-bolt shaped scar, the result of the dreading killing curse, Avada Kedavra. Because it was this scar that identified Harry, as a wizard.
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had been sitting in the kitchen, when Harry came walking in, and went to the pantry looking for something to eat. Never before had Harry been allowed to do something like that, and Harry didn't know if it had been the threates made by some wizards last year that kept him out of trouble, or if the Dursley's knew how horrible he felt. He suspected it wasn't the latter.
Harry hadn't spoken once since he returned to Number Four Privet Drive almost three weeks ago. The only time he spoke was when telling his snowy white owl, Hedwig, where to deliver the letters he would write once every three days to Mad-Eye Moody, Ron, or Hermione, or when he was asleep.
Becuase in his dreams, he kept reliving the night.
Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: He was laughing at her.
"Come on, you can do better than that!"
Harry had seen this before. They were in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic. Bellatrix Lestrange, a Death Eater and convicted killer, and Sirius Black, Harry's Godfather, were in the midst of a duel.
The second jet of light hit him squarely on the chest.
The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in
shock.
Harry saw all this too. The battle with Voldemort's followers was over, Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Harry's school had rounded up all of them: All but Bellatrix Lestrange, because she was killing Sirius.
It seemed to take Sirius an age to fall. His body curved in a graceful arc
as he sank backward through the ragged veil hanging fro the arch... Sirius had only just fallen through the archway, he would reappear from the
other side any second. . . . But Sirius did not reappear.
It had been the same everytime. Just like when it had really happened. Every night for three weeks he saw his Godfathers death. During Harry's third year at Hogwarts School, he had been forced to relive his worst memories by Dementors (Horrible creatures that keep their faces hidden and suck souls), then Harry had heard his parents die. He wondered, if a Dementor attacked now, if he'd relive his mother and father's death, or Sirius'.
These were the thoughts on Harry Potter's mind when a loud banging on his bedroom door broke his silence. "Potter!" his Uncle Vernon bellowed through the door. "C'mon then, were going to the store." Vernon said and then grunted "You can come with us or stay locked in your room, you're choice."
Harry, who had no intention of staying locked up, decided a walk might do him some good, and silently took a coat and left his room. He took a silent seat in the car, and didn't talk the entire ride over. Nor did he talk when they exited the car and went to the store. The Dursley's didn't mind, nor did they care. Harry was halfway through the produce department when a girl around his age with shiny red hair suddenly approached him and gave a "Hi Harry!".
Harry, who had never seen this girl before was about to say something when her hair turned pitch black, like his own. Then before his eyes, the girl again changed her look again: now it was bushy and brown like his best friend Hermione Granger. Suddenly it hit Harry, and he said "Tonks?". And the girl (Who's hair was now a neon green) smiled and kisses Harry on the cheek before completly changing again, she was now taller, older, and had messy pink hair.
"That's right Harry." She said pleasntly, she leaned on a cart of melons and slipped, sending herself to the floor, and great watermelons went rolling down the hall. Harry couldn't help but laugh as she rised and was covered in thin, red watermelon juice.
"You're following me again." Harry said as she wiped the watermelon jucie onto her shirt. She gave him a 'of-course-I-am' look and then sneezed from the juice. "Mad-Eye wants you kept as safe as possible when in the Muggle world." She said, pointing toward a corner where a much older man with long dark hair was standing. Harry would have thought he was a janitor, he was in all gray, and was leaning on a mop and had a baseball cap pulled down over his eyes. Yet, it was the wooden leg that gave him away. Harry realized the baseball cap was to keep his magical eye hidden. Though the man was facing away from Harry, he said "'Lo Potter" and Harry wasn't surprised: He knew very well that Moody's eye could see through almost anything.
"'Lo Mr. Moody" Harry said politly. Moody shook his head walking back over saying: "What's this 'mister' crap Potter? Call me Mad-Eye, everyone else does." Harry nodded to show he had heard him, and then felt a hand clap onto his back. He spun around and stared into the face of Remus Lupin.
"How's summer Harry?" Lupin ask. Harry gave him a look as of rage, but only beiefly. How could Lupin ask that? Hadn't he seen Sirius die?
"How do you think?" Harry said, with a icy chill in his voice that rivaled the weather outside.
"Harry, I know, I miss Padfoot too." Lupin said with a sigh. Harry had forgotten, when he had spoken his rude words, that Remus and Sirius had been good friends. "That's why were here."
"What?" Harry ask, utterly confused. Lupin shook his head and handed Harry a note. It read:
Harry,
I have spoken to Fudge, and he has agreeded to publicly clear Sirius Black's name. His funeral is to be held the last week before the start of
the term, at GP
I have informed Arthur and Molly that you are to arrive at the GP by Monday, and the Weasley's will be waiting for you. Remus, Nymphadora, and Alastor will be staying with you until Monday, and then will accompany you
to GP
Albus Dumbledore
Harry read it to himself, and felt his heart lighten. A Funeral, and a public pardon. Though Harry was still grieving over Black's death, he knew that at least now the world would know the truth. He truned to Moody and ask: "But, where's 'GP'?"
Moody looked at him as if Harry was ill. "Grimmuald Place of course, think Potter. We can't very well say that, what if Voldemort got his hands on this letter?"
Harry suddenly felt rather silly. Moody nodded to him, then turned to Lupin and Tonks. "Remus, I expect you must be on your way to Miss. Granger's home?" Lupin nodded, waved to Harry, and then with a pop disapparated. Tonks then said: "I know, I'll be at the Burrow. Seeya' Mad-Eye. Bye Harry!" She said and she too disapparated. Harry looked around, and found that none of the muggles seamed to notice at all. Harry turned up to Moody, expecting him to leave.
"I'm not going anywhere Potter." He said at once. "Except to your Uncle's house. I'm suppose to stay with you for the week until Grimmuald Place had been cleaned.
Harry wondered if Grimmuald Place could ever be "Clean" but as Moody explained, he realized it. Apparently, after Sirius had died, Kreacher (the house-elf who lived there) in a attempt to want to make the others not come back, he let a mess of Boggarts into the house, and now Kingsley Shacklebolt, a Order member, had the task of flushing them out.
When Vernon, Peatunia, and Dudley finished shopping and heard that "Mad- Eye" Moody was moving in, they all looked downright offended, but said nothing as a old man with a face like wood and a magic eye was not the person they would argue with today. Or any day.
When they arrived home at Number Four Privet Drive, Moody went inside, entered the guest room, and stayed to himself. For the rest of that night the Dursley's hoped that he'd stay inside there, and not come out again. Harry, who had ambitions of being a Auror like Moody when he graduated, had hoped to ask him for advice. (This was also, Harry reminded himself, a good way to escape thinking about Sirius)
The next morning as Dudley was watching TV, Vernon reading the paper, Peatunia was spying on the neighbors, and Harry was eating, a loud bang filled the house. Vernon leapt up, cursing loudly. Moody came hobbling out of the guest room on his wooden leg, his cloak on fire.
"What the ruddy hell are you doing!?" Vernon bellowed, forgetting any fear he once had of Moody. Mad-Eye looked at Vernon with his magical blue eye for a moment, before he returned to his robes and extinguished them.
"Damn thing." Mad-Eye grumbled. "Just wouldn't shut off." Vernon stared at Moody with utmost hatrid before saying: "What the devil did you do?!" Mad- Eye turned on him, and raised his wand. Harry thought for a moment that Moody would jinx him, a smile appeared on his face.
"I blew up your air conditioner." Moody said. "It wouldn't turn off." Vernon's face turned a nasty shade of maroon, and Harry was sure something had started. Uncle Vernon whirled around and looked around the room franticly, he grabbed the fireplace poker, Harry gasp, as Vernon spun around and aimed a blow at Moody. . . .
When the stunning spell wore off on Uncle Vernon, and he woke up on the floor of the living room, Peatunia fell into a crying fit. Though Harry had explained that the spell only stunned him, Peatunia was out of her wits. Mad-Eye looked as if he didn't care one bit, and after he hit Uncle Vernon with the stunning spell, he had went to the kitchen table and sat down, then he magically wipped up his own breakfast (Only drinking from his hip flask, of course). After Vernon woke up, Harry joined Moody at the table.
"He's okay." Harry said. Moody grunted. "Mr. Moo-, er, Mad-Eye?" Harry started. "My aunt and uncle, they just don't understand us, and I, err, well I know you can get a bit, er, jumpy, but, next time --" (Harry was sure there would be a next time) "-- could you use a less powerfull stunner?"
Mad-Eye nodded once, and returned to his food. He and Harry sat in silence, and didn't speak when Dudley drove Uncle Vernon to the doctor (Dudley had been driving everywhere since he got his license), nor did they speak when Peatunia went up to her bedroom, and locked the door.
Finally, when Moody had finsihed his meal, he turned to Harry and said "So Potter, McGonagall told me you wanted to be a Auror." Harry nodded. "Well then, I'll show you some tricks, shall I?"
Harry's next week at Privet Drive was the most fun he'd ever had there. Indeed, since the stunning spell, the entire Dursley family spent most of the day in their bedroom, or out, until Moody and Harry returned to their bedrooms and went to sleep. Since Harry couldn't do magic during summer, Moody only demostrated some spells, and most of the time he taught Harry new tricks with the Invisibility Cloak. The rest of the time Moody spent telling Harry old tales from his Auror days.
Harry enjoyed the tale about Malgon (The first dark wizard Moody had ever caught himself) very much, and had to admit, the time he spent listening to Auror tales, wasn't so bad.
But the dreams didn't stop, he still saw Sirius die everytime he slept, which is why he urged Moody on, and tried to spend as much time as he could studying Auror skills.
Finally the week ended, it came quick, but Harry didn't mind. Moody magically packed Harry's trunk, and Harry said goodbye to his Aunt and Uncle (Through the closed door). And then Harry and Mad-Eye set off for Number Twelve Grimmuald Place.
*************
Well, hope you're likin' it so far. The Next Chapter "Uproar at the Burrow" backtracks and talks about Ron and Hermione's summers so far.
*********************
