Harry was already digging through the pantry when I walked in.
"Can you settle for P.B. and J? he asked.
"Sure," I said. "That's the usual for me, anyway." So, five minutes later, Harry and I were walking around outside, enjoying the summer air. We talked about miscellaneous things and chomped on our sandwiches. It was surprisingly cool for mid-July, but if in the distance I could see large, gray clouds looming closer.
"It looks like it's gonna rain," I told Harry, squinting at the giant clouds.
"Yeah," he replied, finishing he sandwich. "Wanna go back inside?"
"Sure." We started to walk back to Privet Drive, which took a couple of minutes because we were on Magnolia Crescent. As soon as I stepped inside number four, a brilliant flash of lighting flashed through the ever- darkening sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder. Soon afterwards, rain began to fall. The pitter-pat of the rain on the roof and windows was almost unnoticeable.
Harry and I spent most of that afternoon in his room, avoiding Dudley and his gang.
"I still feel so terrible for you," I said to Harry, propping my head up on my fists. "Having to put up with Dudley and you aunt and uncle... Where are they anyway?"
"Shopping," Harry replied. "Mrs. Figg was sick, so they let Dudley invite his gang over to 'keep an eye on me.'"
"Jeez," I said, shaking my head. "I can't believe they treat you like a five-year-old."
"I know," said Harry. We watched the rain hit Harry's window for a moment more, and then I thought of something very important.
"Harry, don't you think Dumbledore would want to know about this?" I asked, sitting up.
"You're right," said Harry. "I'll send Hedwig to him after the rain stops."
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
"What?"
"Don't you have to write a letter or something?"
"Oh, yeah," said Harry, grinning. Harry sat down at his desk, pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill, and an ink bottle, dipped the quill in ink, and began to write his letter to Dumbledore. I looked over his shoulder as he wrote it.
Professor Dumbledore~
Something weird happened a few days ago. I don't know how to explain it all in words, except that it has to do with Voldemort kidnapping a girl around my age named Emerald. Please come down here as quick as possible.
Harry
"Ah," I said as I watched him fold the letter and place it next to Hedwig's cage, "I see you're going with the classic 'brief-yet-urgent' letter form. Very wise choice."
I grinned and nimbly dodged a pillow lobbed at me by Harry. "Oh, is it a pillow fight you want?" I asked in mock-rage. "Then, it is a pillow fight you shall get."
Picking up one of the two pillows on Harry's bed, I made as if to lunge at him. He jumped up out of the chair, oh so oblivious to my bluff. The consequence? A face full of fluff.
"Is that all?" Harry laughed, picking up the other pillow on his bed. I jumped up onto his bed as he swung his pillow at the place I had been a nano-second before. Not wasting a second of time, Harry jumped on, too.
We circled each other for a minute, then, at the exact same time, flung our pillows at each others face, causing several feathers to flutter up into the air. We kept swinging our pillows at each other, managing to hit the other several times.
At one point, I lost my balance and fell onto the bed. Taking advantage of my disadvantage, Harry started to bombard me with his pillow.
"Hey, no fair!" I giggled, pulling my pillow up over my face.
"You know what they say, Emerald," said Harry, continuing his attack, "all's fair in love and war!"
"And since when is hitting a girl with a pillow a form of love?" I asked, rolling off the bed while Harry raised his pillow. "It's not," he said, jumping down after me. "This is just war!"
Our pillow fight went on for another ten minutes. By the time Harry called a truce (I had disarmed him of his pillow and was walloping him with mine), the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking out through the clouds.
"I haven't had this much fun since who knows when," I sighed, looking out Harry's window.
"I know," Harry replied. Just then, a car pulled into the driveway. Two people got out of it.
"Your aunt and uncle are home, Harry," I said.
"Oh, joy," he replied sarcastically. "I wonder what I should tell them."
"I dunno," I said, "but maybe you should send Hedwig right now."
"Oh, yeah," he said. He walked over to Hedwig's cage and unlocked the door. "Hedwig, wake up, Hedwig. I need you to take this to Dumbledore for me."
Hedwig hooted lazily and held out her leg. Harry tied the letter to it and carried her over to the window. She took off, and we watched her fly out of site.
Suddenly, the slamming of a door jerked me back to reality. From down below there came a harsh yell.
"Get down here, boy!" a man barked. "Help Petunia with the bags!"
"Do you wanna stay here or come downstairs?" Harry sighed.
"I'll come with you," I replied. "You know, for moral support."
"Ok."
Harry and I made our way downstairs, where there were several bags and packages.
"Where've you been, boy?" snapped a man who looked remarkably like Dudley, except with a large mustache. "And who's that?" he asked, catching sight of me.
"Emerald," said Harry, picking up some bags. "She, uh-" "I'm here because the orphanage where I live is under construction," I said quickly, "and, since I'm a friend of Harry's, he said that I could stay here until term starts. That is, if it's alright with you."
"You're a friend from his, er, school, are you?" asked the man nervously.
"Yeah. An American exchange student," I said, picking up some bags, too. "Where do you want these, Mr. Dursley?"
"In the-the kitchen," he said shakily. "They- they're mostly groceries."
I followed Harry into the kitchen, dropped the bags on the table and began to put the groceries away, chatting with Harry.
When all the groceries had been put away and Dudley's gang had returned to their homes, Harry, the Dursleys, and I sat down for dinner, which was celery and cottage cheese.
"Is Dudley still on that ridiculous diet?" I asked to Harry.
"Yeah," he replied in a disgusted tone. I rolled my eyes.
"Listen," I said to the Dursleys, "just because Dudley's on a diet doesn't mean that he has to eat this little. There're plenty of low-fat recipes I can show you. Like a salad."
I jumped up and began rummaging through their refrigerator, pulling out a head of lettuce, a tomato, and a bottle of ranch dressing. Then, I went over to the pantry and pulled out a can of olives, a can of garbanzo beans, and crotons.
"Harry, come here and help me, will you?" I asked, ignoring the stares from the Dursleys. Harry got up and walked over to me.
"What do you need help with?" he asked, watching me dump the lettuce and tomato onto the cutting board.
"Can you wash the tomato and lettuce for me, Harry?" I asked, pulling out five bowls, forks, and a cutting knife. "Sure."
While the Dursleys stared on in amazement, Harry and I diced the tomato, pulled the lettuce apart, and opened the cans of olives and garbanzo beans. I tossed some lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and garbanzo beans into each bowl, poured on a little ranch dressing, and topped them with some crutons.
"Here," I said, placing a bowl in front of everyone, "this is both low- fat and filling."
The Dursley's looked a bit skeptical at first, but, after Harry and I had taken bites of our salad, they tried theirs. To their amazement (it totally showed on their faces) it was delicious. I couldn't help but grin in self-satisfaction.
At the end of dinner, the bowls were empty. I started to clean up the table, but Mrs. Dursley stopped me.
"I'll clean it up," she said, forcing a smile. "Thank you for such a nice dinner."
"No problem," I said, smiling back.
When Harry and I had walked up to his bedroom, I fell back onto his bed.
"They were actually nice to me," I said in amazement.
"I know," Harry sighed. Then he flashed an evil grin at me and picked up a pillow.
"Harry, no," I said, sitting up, "we just ate-"
"So?" he asked, raising his pillow.
"Do you really want me to beat you again?" I asked, picking up the other pillow.
"You won't beat me this time, Emerald," he laughed, his eyes sparkling.
"Why not?" I asked, standing up.
"Because I'm not ticklish," Harry replied.
"What does being-" I began, but Harry threw his pillow into my stomach, knocking me back onto the bed.
"You'll pay for that one, Potter!" I giggled, raising my pillow. I threw it full force into his face, making him stumble back into the wall.
"Why, I oughta-" he began, jumping onto his bed. I stood up to face him, and immediately wished I hadn't. Quick as lightning, Harry pinned my wrists to the wall with one hand and started to tickle me in the stomach with the other. That was where I was most ticklish, and I started to laugh like a maniac.
"Harry," I gasped between laughs, "stop it... that tickles..."
"That's the point!" he laughed jubilantly, continuing his tickle assault.
"I thought this was a pillow fight!" I giggled, struggling to get away.
"Now it's a tickle fight," he shrugged. "Wanna call a truce?"
"F-fine!" I gasped. "Truce, truce!"
Harry instantly stopped tickling me and released my wrists.
"Told ya I'd win that round!" he laughed, sitting back down on the bed/
"Yeah, but you cheated," I giggled, sitting down next to him.
"I call it changing tactics," he said simply, grinning at me.
"Same difference," I replied, still hiccoughing every now and then. The sun was beginning to set in the horizon, splashing the sky with brilliant shades of purple, pink, and orange. I watched in awe. California had had some beautiful sunsets, but not one of them could compare to this one. Maybe it was because of Harry that felt adrenaline rush through my body, and maybe it was because of Harry that made watching this sunset magical. All I know is that I felt very privileged to be sitting next to him.
I stole a sideways glance at Harry, who was also watching the sunset. The pale light from the sun cast across Harry's face gave it a glowing look. For some reason, my attention was drawn to his eyes. They sparkled as brightly as they had when I first met Harry, maybe even more.
Harry saw me looking at him, and he smiled at me. My cheeks attained a pale, pink tinge, and I looked out to the sunset again.
After the sun had set and the moon and stars had risen, I found myself yawning every ten minutes.
"Man, I'm tired," I sighed, closing my eyes. "It's been one hectic day."
"Yeah, it has," Harry agreed. "Do you want to go to bed, Emerald?"
"Mmm-hmm," I replied sleepily.
"There's a spare sleeping bag in the closet," he said softly, getting up and pulling it out. "Just grab a pillow."
"'K," I said thickly, grabbing the nearest pillow and kicking off my tennies. Harry laid out the sleeping bag on the floor next to his bed, and I slipped in between to two layers of it. "Night, Harry."
"Night, Emerald," he said gently. I lied my head down on the pillow and was asleep before I knew it, not feeling Harry's lips gently brush my cheek. To my surprise, I had a dreamless night. I was so used to seeing the golden mist when I fell asleep that it startled me when I woke up without seeing it.
Harry and I went down for breakfast at around 7:00. The Dursleys weren't up yet, so we made ourselves bowls of cereal. When we had finished our silent meal (both of us were too tired to say anything) we trudged back upstairs and collapsed onto Harry's bed, yawning and fighting to keep our eyes open.
Our eyes snapped open, however, when Hedwig flew in through Harry's open window and dropped a letter into Harry's lap. Harry tore it open and read it out loud:
Harry~
Yes, I already know about that. One of the spies for our side told me about it right before your letter arrived. All I have to say is this: Voldemort is getting stronger quickly, and you and Emerald are no longer safe at your current residence. Someone from the Ministry will pick you up on July 25 to bring you somewhere safer. Pack all your school things and enough clothes to last until term at Hogwarts starts.
Professor Dumbledore
Harry looked up at me as he finished the letter.
"The 25," he said slowly. "That's tomorrow."
"I know," I said. "So is this a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Both," Harry replied. "Leaving the Dursleys a month earlier is a good thing. Voldemort getting stronger is a bad thing."
"Yeah," I agreed. We were silent for a moment, and I started to pluck absentmindedly at my shirt. That was when I realized that all my clothes were in another dimension, not to mention my money. The only way to get them was to use the Wish Power. "Uhh, Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you mind if I used the Wish Power to get my clothes and my money?" I asked tentatively.
"What?"
I sighed. Clasping the Dream Crystal in my hands, I focused my energy and summoned the Wish Power:
"Yeei allci pnoui heti Orwepi, Ihswi
Iyghtmi Orwepi foi heti ltanepi, Esnuvi
Oemci ohrtfi, Yeei unmmosi hetei!"
As Harry looked on in amazement, the Wish Power slowly formed in front of me. A voice spoke from within the shimmering, opal mist.
"How many Wishes can I grant you?"
"One," I said. The Power blew softly on my face, and I felt the tingling sensation spread through my body again. "Thank you, Power."
The Wish Power faded from site, and I turned to Harry. His face was stunned. I giggled, and he snapped out of it.
"What-how-?" he asked.
"I told you, I'll explain later," I said lightly. "Now, I have to make my Wish. Let's see, how should I phrase this? Hmmm... ok. I wish that I had a trunk full of enough clothes to last me until September 2, my essentials, and my money."
I waited. Suddenly, with a loud POP, my old leather trunk, which usually stood at the foot of my bed, toppled onto Harry's. I righted the trunk and unlatched the gold fastenings. About 30 shirts, shorts, and undergarments were folded neatly inside it. On top of these clothes was my purse. Rummaging inside it, I found my make-up, a razor, deodorant, a brush, and my life savings.
I closed the trunk, grasped the handles, and heaved it off of Harry's bed, depositing it next to his nightstand.
"Ow," I moaned, straightening up. "I really shouldn't have done that."
Harry just stood there, gaping at me like a mindless idiot. I smiled, and snapped my fingers. Harry jerked back to his senses, and colored slightly, which made me laugh.
"Oh, sorry," he said, a little embarrassed.
"That's ok," I said, stretching. "Hey, where's you're bathroom? I am in total need of a shower."
"Down the hall to your right," said Harry. "The towels are in a bin near the sink."
"Thanks, Harry," I said, grabbing a t-shirt, fringed shorts, some *ahem* undergarments (which I kept hidden between the shirt and shorts), plus my deodorant and razor. I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I deposited my clothes and deodorant on the counter, grabbed a towel and wash- cloth, and turned on the water. While I was waiting for the water to warm up, I hung the towel on the bar and slipped out of my clothes.
The warm water woke me up more efficiently then the letter from Dumbledore. By the time I was finished with my shower, I was as hyper as I had been yesterday during the pillow fight.
I dried myself off with the towel and got dressed. The t-shirt was a little long, so I knotted it on my left side. I towel-dried my hair as best I could, hung up my towel, and took my dirty clothes out of the bathroom, intending to put them in the false-top of my trunk.
When I got into Harry's room, he wasn't in there. I shrugged, stashed away my laundry, and began to apply my make-up/ I didn't put on a lot, just a little bit of eye-liner, body glitter, and lip gloss. I used the brush to comb my hair and pull it into a ponytail, letting some hair hand down in front.
I walked down the stairs, hoping to find Harry, and bumped into Dudley.
"Hi, Dudley," I said. "Have you seen Harry?"
"Nope," said Dudley, hurrying up the stairs.
"Strange, strange child," I muttered to myself, shaking my head.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard a muffled pounding sound from the tiny storage room under the stairs. I walked over to it, unlatched the door, and watched Harry tumble out.
"Are you ok, Harry?" I asked, startled.
"Yeah," he said, standing up. "A little cramped, but I'm fine."
"And Dudley said he hadn't seen you," I sighed.
The rest of the day passed pretty quickly. Harry and I spent most of it wandering around outside, talking about whatever topics came to mind. I received many stares from male passer-by, and I quickly persuaded Harry to let us walk back to Privet Drive. That night, I printed out several low-fat recipes from the health food website and gave them to Mr. and Mrs. Dursley so they wouldn't starve to death. As soon as my head hit my pillow that night, I fell asleep. Most of y energy had gone with summoning the Wish Power, and I luckily had another dreamless night.
"Can you settle for P.B. and J? he asked.
"Sure," I said. "That's the usual for me, anyway." So, five minutes later, Harry and I were walking around outside, enjoying the summer air. We talked about miscellaneous things and chomped on our sandwiches. It was surprisingly cool for mid-July, but if in the distance I could see large, gray clouds looming closer.
"It looks like it's gonna rain," I told Harry, squinting at the giant clouds.
"Yeah," he replied, finishing he sandwich. "Wanna go back inside?"
"Sure." We started to walk back to Privet Drive, which took a couple of minutes because we were on Magnolia Crescent. As soon as I stepped inside number four, a brilliant flash of lighting flashed through the ever- darkening sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder. Soon afterwards, rain began to fall. The pitter-pat of the rain on the roof and windows was almost unnoticeable.
Harry and I spent most of that afternoon in his room, avoiding Dudley and his gang.
"I still feel so terrible for you," I said to Harry, propping my head up on my fists. "Having to put up with Dudley and you aunt and uncle... Where are they anyway?"
"Shopping," Harry replied. "Mrs. Figg was sick, so they let Dudley invite his gang over to 'keep an eye on me.'"
"Jeez," I said, shaking my head. "I can't believe they treat you like a five-year-old."
"I know," said Harry. We watched the rain hit Harry's window for a moment more, and then I thought of something very important.
"Harry, don't you think Dumbledore would want to know about this?" I asked, sitting up.
"You're right," said Harry. "I'll send Hedwig to him after the rain stops."
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
"What?"
"Don't you have to write a letter or something?"
"Oh, yeah," said Harry, grinning. Harry sat down at his desk, pulled out a piece of parchment, a quill, and an ink bottle, dipped the quill in ink, and began to write his letter to Dumbledore. I looked over his shoulder as he wrote it.
Professor Dumbledore~
Something weird happened a few days ago. I don't know how to explain it all in words, except that it has to do with Voldemort kidnapping a girl around my age named Emerald. Please come down here as quick as possible.
Harry
"Ah," I said as I watched him fold the letter and place it next to Hedwig's cage, "I see you're going with the classic 'brief-yet-urgent' letter form. Very wise choice."
I grinned and nimbly dodged a pillow lobbed at me by Harry. "Oh, is it a pillow fight you want?" I asked in mock-rage. "Then, it is a pillow fight you shall get."
Picking up one of the two pillows on Harry's bed, I made as if to lunge at him. He jumped up out of the chair, oh so oblivious to my bluff. The consequence? A face full of fluff.
"Is that all?" Harry laughed, picking up the other pillow on his bed. I jumped up onto his bed as he swung his pillow at the place I had been a nano-second before. Not wasting a second of time, Harry jumped on, too.
We circled each other for a minute, then, at the exact same time, flung our pillows at each others face, causing several feathers to flutter up into the air. We kept swinging our pillows at each other, managing to hit the other several times.
At one point, I lost my balance and fell onto the bed. Taking advantage of my disadvantage, Harry started to bombard me with his pillow.
"Hey, no fair!" I giggled, pulling my pillow up over my face.
"You know what they say, Emerald," said Harry, continuing his attack, "all's fair in love and war!"
"And since when is hitting a girl with a pillow a form of love?" I asked, rolling off the bed while Harry raised his pillow. "It's not," he said, jumping down after me. "This is just war!"
Our pillow fight went on for another ten minutes. By the time Harry called a truce (I had disarmed him of his pillow and was walloping him with mine), the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking out through the clouds.
"I haven't had this much fun since who knows when," I sighed, looking out Harry's window.
"I know," Harry replied. Just then, a car pulled into the driveway. Two people got out of it.
"Your aunt and uncle are home, Harry," I said.
"Oh, joy," he replied sarcastically. "I wonder what I should tell them."
"I dunno," I said, "but maybe you should send Hedwig right now."
"Oh, yeah," he said. He walked over to Hedwig's cage and unlocked the door. "Hedwig, wake up, Hedwig. I need you to take this to Dumbledore for me."
Hedwig hooted lazily and held out her leg. Harry tied the letter to it and carried her over to the window. She took off, and we watched her fly out of site.
Suddenly, the slamming of a door jerked me back to reality. From down below there came a harsh yell.
"Get down here, boy!" a man barked. "Help Petunia with the bags!"
"Do you wanna stay here or come downstairs?" Harry sighed.
"I'll come with you," I replied. "You know, for moral support."
"Ok."
Harry and I made our way downstairs, where there were several bags and packages.
"Where've you been, boy?" snapped a man who looked remarkably like Dudley, except with a large mustache. "And who's that?" he asked, catching sight of me.
"Emerald," said Harry, picking up some bags. "She, uh-" "I'm here because the orphanage where I live is under construction," I said quickly, "and, since I'm a friend of Harry's, he said that I could stay here until term starts. That is, if it's alright with you."
"You're a friend from his, er, school, are you?" asked the man nervously.
"Yeah. An American exchange student," I said, picking up some bags, too. "Where do you want these, Mr. Dursley?"
"In the-the kitchen," he said shakily. "They- they're mostly groceries."
I followed Harry into the kitchen, dropped the bags on the table and began to put the groceries away, chatting with Harry.
When all the groceries had been put away and Dudley's gang had returned to their homes, Harry, the Dursleys, and I sat down for dinner, which was celery and cottage cheese.
"Is Dudley still on that ridiculous diet?" I asked to Harry.
"Yeah," he replied in a disgusted tone. I rolled my eyes.
"Listen," I said to the Dursleys, "just because Dudley's on a diet doesn't mean that he has to eat this little. There're plenty of low-fat recipes I can show you. Like a salad."
I jumped up and began rummaging through their refrigerator, pulling out a head of lettuce, a tomato, and a bottle of ranch dressing. Then, I went over to the pantry and pulled out a can of olives, a can of garbanzo beans, and crotons.
"Harry, come here and help me, will you?" I asked, ignoring the stares from the Dursleys. Harry got up and walked over to me.
"What do you need help with?" he asked, watching me dump the lettuce and tomato onto the cutting board.
"Can you wash the tomato and lettuce for me, Harry?" I asked, pulling out five bowls, forks, and a cutting knife. "Sure."
While the Dursleys stared on in amazement, Harry and I diced the tomato, pulled the lettuce apart, and opened the cans of olives and garbanzo beans. I tossed some lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and garbanzo beans into each bowl, poured on a little ranch dressing, and topped them with some crutons.
"Here," I said, placing a bowl in front of everyone, "this is both low- fat and filling."
The Dursley's looked a bit skeptical at first, but, after Harry and I had taken bites of our salad, they tried theirs. To their amazement (it totally showed on their faces) it was delicious. I couldn't help but grin in self-satisfaction.
At the end of dinner, the bowls were empty. I started to clean up the table, but Mrs. Dursley stopped me.
"I'll clean it up," she said, forcing a smile. "Thank you for such a nice dinner."
"No problem," I said, smiling back.
When Harry and I had walked up to his bedroom, I fell back onto his bed.
"They were actually nice to me," I said in amazement.
"I know," Harry sighed. Then he flashed an evil grin at me and picked up a pillow.
"Harry, no," I said, sitting up, "we just ate-"
"So?" he asked, raising his pillow.
"Do you really want me to beat you again?" I asked, picking up the other pillow.
"You won't beat me this time, Emerald," he laughed, his eyes sparkling.
"Why not?" I asked, standing up.
"Because I'm not ticklish," Harry replied.
"What does being-" I began, but Harry threw his pillow into my stomach, knocking me back onto the bed.
"You'll pay for that one, Potter!" I giggled, raising my pillow. I threw it full force into his face, making him stumble back into the wall.
"Why, I oughta-" he began, jumping onto his bed. I stood up to face him, and immediately wished I hadn't. Quick as lightning, Harry pinned my wrists to the wall with one hand and started to tickle me in the stomach with the other. That was where I was most ticklish, and I started to laugh like a maniac.
"Harry," I gasped between laughs, "stop it... that tickles..."
"That's the point!" he laughed jubilantly, continuing his tickle assault.
"I thought this was a pillow fight!" I giggled, struggling to get away.
"Now it's a tickle fight," he shrugged. "Wanna call a truce?"
"F-fine!" I gasped. "Truce, truce!"
Harry instantly stopped tickling me and released my wrists.
"Told ya I'd win that round!" he laughed, sitting back down on the bed/
"Yeah, but you cheated," I giggled, sitting down next to him.
"I call it changing tactics," he said simply, grinning at me.
"Same difference," I replied, still hiccoughing every now and then. The sun was beginning to set in the horizon, splashing the sky with brilliant shades of purple, pink, and orange. I watched in awe. California had had some beautiful sunsets, but not one of them could compare to this one. Maybe it was because of Harry that felt adrenaline rush through my body, and maybe it was because of Harry that made watching this sunset magical. All I know is that I felt very privileged to be sitting next to him.
I stole a sideways glance at Harry, who was also watching the sunset. The pale light from the sun cast across Harry's face gave it a glowing look. For some reason, my attention was drawn to his eyes. They sparkled as brightly as they had when I first met Harry, maybe even more.
Harry saw me looking at him, and he smiled at me. My cheeks attained a pale, pink tinge, and I looked out to the sunset again.
After the sun had set and the moon and stars had risen, I found myself yawning every ten minutes.
"Man, I'm tired," I sighed, closing my eyes. "It's been one hectic day."
"Yeah, it has," Harry agreed. "Do you want to go to bed, Emerald?"
"Mmm-hmm," I replied sleepily.
"There's a spare sleeping bag in the closet," he said softly, getting up and pulling it out. "Just grab a pillow."
"'K," I said thickly, grabbing the nearest pillow and kicking off my tennies. Harry laid out the sleeping bag on the floor next to his bed, and I slipped in between to two layers of it. "Night, Harry."
"Night, Emerald," he said gently. I lied my head down on the pillow and was asleep before I knew it, not feeling Harry's lips gently brush my cheek. To my surprise, I had a dreamless night. I was so used to seeing the golden mist when I fell asleep that it startled me when I woke up without seeing it.
Harry and I went down for breakfast at around 7:00. The Dursleys weren't up yet, so we made ourselves bowls of cereal. When we had finished our silent meal (both of us were too tired to say anything) we trudged back upstairs and collapsed onto Harry's bed, yawning and fighting to keep our eyes open.
Our eyes snapped open, however, when Hedwig flew in through Harry's open window and dropped a letter into Harry's lap. Harry tore it open and read it out loud:
Harry~
Yes, I already know about that. One of the spies for our side told me about it right before your letter arrived. All I have to say is this: Voldemort is getting stronger quickly, and you and Emerald are no longer safe at your current residence. Someone from the Ministry will pick you up on July 25 to bring you somewhere safer. Pack all your school things and enough clothes to last until term at Hogwarts starts.
Professor Dumbledore
Harry looked up at me as he finished the letter.
"The 25," he said slowly. "That's tomorrow."
"I know," I said. "So is this a good thing or a bad thing?"
"Both," Harry replied. "Leaving the Dursleys a month earlier is a good thing. Voldemort getting stronger is a bad thing."
"Yeah," I agreed. We were silent for a moment, and I started to pluck absentmindedly at my shirt. That was when I realized that all my clothes were in another dimension, not to mention my money. The only way to get them was to use the Wish Power. "Uhh, Harry?"
"Yeah?"
"Would you mind if I used the Wish Power to get my clothes and my money?" I asked tentatively.
"What?"
I sighed. Clasping the Dream Crystal in my hands, I focused my energy and summoned the Wish Power:
"Yeei allci pnoui heti Orwepi, Ihswi
Iyghtmi Orwepi foi heti ltanepi, Esnuvi
Oemci ohrtfi, Yeei unmmosi hetei!"
As Harry looked on in amazement, the Wish Power slowly formed in front of me. A voice spoke from within the shimmering, opal mist.
"How many Wishes can I grant you?"
"One," I said. The Power blew softly on my face, and I felt the tingling sensation spread through my body again. "Thank you, Power."
The Wish Power faded from site, and I turned to Harry. His face was stunned. I giggled, and he snapped out of it.
"What-how-?" he asked.
"I told you, I'll explain later," I said lightly. "Now, I have to make my Wish. Let's see, how should I phrase this? Hmmm... ok. I wish that I had a trunk full of enough clothes to last me until September 2, my essentials, and my money."
I waited. Suddenly, with a loud POP, my old leather trunk, which usually stood at the foot of my bed, toppled onto Harry's. I righted the trunk and unlatched the gold fastenings. About 30 shirts, shorts, and undergarments were folded neatly inside it. On top of these clothes was my purse. Rummaging inside it, I found my make-up, a razor, deodorant, a brush, and my life savings.
I closed the trunk, grasped the handles, and heaved it off of Harry's bed, depositing it next to his nightstand.
"Ow," I moaned, straightening up. "I really shouldn't have done that."
Harry just stood there, gaping at me like a mindless idiot. I smiled, and snapped my fingers. Harry jerked back to his senses, and colored slightly, which made me laugh.
"Oh, sorry," he said, a little embarrassed.
"That's ok," I said, stretching. "Hey, where's you're bathroom? I am in total need of a shower."
"Down the hall to your right," said Harry. "The towels are in a bin near the sink."
"Thanks, Harry," I said, grabbing a t-shirt, fringed shorts, some *ahem* undergarments (which I kept hidden between the shirt and shorts), plus my deodorant and razor. I made my way to the bathroom and closed the door behind me. I deposited my clothes and deodorant on the counter, grabbed a towel and wash- cloth, and turned on the water. While I was waiting for the water to warm up, I hung the towel on the bar and slipped out of my clothes.
The warm water woke me up more efficiently then the letter from Dumbledore. By the time I was finished with my shower, I was as hyper as I had been yesterday during the pillow fight.
I dried myself off with the towel and got dressed. The t-shirt was a little long, so I knotted it on my left side. I towel-dried my hair as best I could, hung up my towel, and took my dirty clothes out of the bathroom, intending to put them in the false-top of my trunk.
When I got into Harry's room, he wasn't in there. I shrugged, stashed away my laundry, and began to apply my make-up/ I didn't put on a lot, just a little bit of eye-liner, body glitter, and lip gloss. I used the brush to comb my hair and pull it into a ponytail, letting some hair hand down in front.
I walked down the stairs, hoping to find Harry, and bumped into Dudley.
"Hi, Dudley," I said. "Have you seen Harry?"
"Nope," said Dudley, hurrying up the stairs.
"Strange, strange child," I muttered to myself, shaking my head.
When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I heard a muffled pounding sound from the tiny storage room under the stairs. I walked over to it, unlatched the door, and watched Harry tumble out.
"Are you ok, Harry?" I asked, startled.
"Yeah," he said, standing up. "A little cramped, but I'm fine."
"And Dudley said he hadn't seen you," I sighed.
The rest of the day passed pretty quickly. Harry and I spent most of it wandering around outside, talking about whatever topics came to mind. I received many stares from male passer-by, and I quickly persuaded Harry to let us walk back to Privet Drive. That night, I printed out several low-fat recipes from the health food website and gave them to Mr. and Mrs. Dursley so they wouldn't starve to death. As soon as my head hit my pillow that night, I fell asleep. Most of y energy had gone with summoning the Wish Power, and I luckily had another dreamless night.
