When Harry woke up the next morning, it was to find an owl flapping outside his window, clamouring to get in. Yawning, he reached over to the window and opened it. The owl flew excitedly about, dropping the letter heavily on Harry's head. Holding the envelope in front of him, he recognised Hermione's handwriting. He opened it.
Dear Harry, how are you? Did your OWL results arrive yesterday? Ours did; I got nine Outstandings, and Exceeds Expectations in Astronomy, which was a bit disappointing. Ron got Dreadful in Divination (who can blame him?), Acceptable in Potions, Astronomy, and History of Magic, and Exceeds Expectations in the rest. His mother is very pleased and is buying him new robes. Anyway, the main reason I was writing was to invite you to my house. Ron will be here also. We will have time to catch up on things and Lupin has agreed that he will pick us up by broomstick to take us back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. I really hope you can come.
With Love,
Hermione
Harry grinned from ear to ear. He had never been to Hermione's house before. But then he realized that it would be nearly impossible to leave the Dursleys' unless he wrote to one of the members of the order of the phoenix. Harry dug around in his trunk that he usually took to Hogwarts for a piece of paper. After looking for what seemed like five minutes he realized that he didn't have any.
"Oh no" Harry thought aloud, which he realized was a mistake when he heard the heavy footfalls of his uncle coming up the stairs. Harry barely had time to shut his trunk before Vernon shoved his overly-large head inside the doorframe of Harry's room and, to his horror, spotted the bit of parchment with his O.W.L. exam results hanging out of his trunk.
"What in the ruddy hell is that?" Said Vernon pointing toward Harry's school trunk.
"My school trunk. You know. The big box I use to keep all of the stuff I use when I'm gone for half the year. Much as you don't like me I'm sure you noticed that I leave for a TINY little bit every year." Harry said. His frustration with his uncle was rising. His uncle was always butting in, being nosy. Like his aunt, but lately he's been worse than her.
"Well, I can see that, boy. What are those letters. Have you been using those bloody owls in my house again?" Vernon said raising his tone slightly.
"No, I learned how to use pidgeons now! Of course I've been using owls. How else do you expect me to find out whats going on in my world?"
"You watch you tongue or I'll throw you out of here."
"Oh God, not that. Anything but me getting to leave. Get out of my room, or I'll let my old friends from the train station know you've been horrible to me lately."
"You wouldn't!" Vernon siad, though it was clear he didn't believe his own words. After they stared at each other for a few more minutes, Vernon yelled.
"You don't get lunch today boy!" And he stormed out of the room.
Harry went back to his table, picked up the parchment he couldn't find, and began to write his letter. He started to write Sirius but then stopped and shuddered thinking about how he would never be able to write to Sirius again. So he started over.
"Dear Professor Moody," Harry read aloud
"How are things? I hope they are going good and I hope that you and the Order are progressing in whatever work you are up to right now. I was writing to you because Hermione has invited me to her house, and I would love to go as I have never been there before, but I have no idea of how I am going to manage to leave the Dursleys'. I thought that someone from the Order may be able to help me in finding a way to leave, so I wrote to you. Please write back as soon as you can to tell me if there is anyway I can get to Hermione's.
Signed,
Harry Potter"
He put the letter in an envelope and gave it to Hedwig to deliver. "Try to deliver it fast Hedwig," he said to his snowy owl that he had received as a present from Hagrid the summer before his first year. Hedwig took off and Harry was stuck just having to wait.
The next morning when Harry walked down to breakfast he found that the Dursley had treated Harry to the "invisibility" tactic; where they did not acknowledge that Harry was sitting at their table or rather there at all. Harry was too used to it, as they had only started using it when Harry first became a wizard and, plus, he thought, it's better than having to listen to their usual criticism. Vernon and Petunia's son Dudley was Smelting's junior heavyweight boxing champion, and he had grown a few inches since last year, Harry thought. Dudley was starting to turn into something like his father, as he had broad shoulders, two chins, and little or no neck. Dudley was watching TV stupidly, glancing at Harry as he came down the stairs and not looking at him again. Dudley hated Harry. Still convinced that Umbridge's dementor attack on Harry had been Harry's doing all along, every time he caught Harry's eye in passing he cracked his knuckles threateningly like two other boys Harry knew. Because Harry could use magic it messed with Dudley's and indeed Vernon's idea of a fair fight, which Harry thought was quite unfair if you compared the sizes of the two boys. Harry was quite unabashed of Dudley's size, however. The Dursley's would not put it past Harry to curse them if they made him too angry, even though all of them knew that Harry was not allowed to do magic outside of school.
While Harry was eating he tried to catch pieces of the news. iIf there has been an attack on muggles,/i thought Harry, iI would know./i Harry still had his subscription to the Daily Prophet, but he didn't think that they would report muggle deaths or disappearings. Harry knew that Voldemort and his Death Eaters would be less subtle than they were last year, where he had foiled their plans to retrieve the prophecy concerning Lord Voldemort and himself. Now, however, Voldemort was out in the open with nothing to lose.
But the Dursleys' quiet breakfast that morning was disturbed by a knock on the door. Vernon, grunting loudly, went to answer it.
"Yes?" he said. A shrill voice answered, loudly enough for every word to be clearly heard by those in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Mr Dursley. I'm Sergeant Kenworthy of the local police. Does a Mr Harry Potter live here?"
"HARRY!" roared Vernon. "HERE! NOW!" Harry threw down his fork and rushed to the door. He recognised Kenworthy at once, in spite of the fact that her hairstyle had changed totally since he had last seen her, when her name had been Tonks, and she had been a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
"May I have a word outside with Mr. Potter?" Tonks asked. Without waiting for an answer she dragged him out the door, she took him around the back, and using magic, levitated him into the air. He was by his window when Tonks said "Get your stuff, Harry." Harry opened the window and crawled in. He picked up his stuff as Hedwig returned. He put her in her cage and took the letter out of her mouth. He floated back down and Tonks grabbed him by the shoulders and took a letter out of her pocket. She gave the letter to Harry. "Tell Hedwig to give this to the Dursleys." Harry did as told and a minute later, Hedwig returned. Harry grabbed all of his possessions as Tonks said, and a second later, felt a whooshing sound as he flew through the air and landed inside a dark kitchen. There was a straggled man at the table, his black hair flowing smoothly. He turned around to face Harry, and Harry didn't need to know twice, he ran forward and hugged this man, Sirius was home.
Dear Harry, how are you? Did your OWL results arrive yesterday? Ours did; I got nine Outstandings, and Exceeds Expectations in Astronomy, which was a bit disappointing. Ron got Dreadful in Divination (who can blame him?), Acceptable in Potions, Astronomy, and History of Magic, and Exceeds Expectations in the rest. His mother is very pleased and is buying him new robes. Anyway, the main reason I was writing was to invite you to my house. Ron will be here also. We will have time to catch up on things and Lupin has agreed that he will pick us up by broomstick to take us back to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. I really hope you can come.
With Love,
Hermione
Harry grinned from ear to ear. He had never been to Hermione's house before. But then he realized that it would be nearly impossible to leave the Dursleys' unless he wrote to one of the members of the order of the phoenix. Harry dug around in his trunk that he usually took to Hogwarts for a piece of paper. After looking for what seemed like five minutes he realized that he didn't have any.
"Oh no" Harry thought aloud, which he realized was a mistake when he heard the heavy footfalls of his uncle coming up the stairs. Harry barely had time to shut his trunk before Vernon shoved his overly-large head inside the doorframe of Harry's room and, to his horror, spotted the bit of parchment with his O.W.L. exam results hanging out of his trunk.
"What in the ruddy hell is that?" Said Vernon pointing toward Harry's school trunk.
"My school trunk. You know. The big box I use to keep all of the stuff I use when I'm gone for half the year. Much as you don't like me I'm sure you noticed that I leave for a TINY little bit every year." Harry said. His frustration with his uncle was rising. His uncle was always butting in, being nosy. Like his aunt, but lately he's been worse than her.
"Well, I can see that, boy. What are those letters. Have you been using those bloody owls in my house again?" Vernon said raising his tone slightly.
"No, I learned how to use pidgeons now! Of course I've been using owls. How else do you expect me to find out whats going on in my world?"
"You watch you tongue or I'll throw you out of here."
"Oh God, not that. Anything but me getting to leave. Get out of my room, or I'll let my old friends from the train station know you've been horrible to me lately."
"You wouldn't!" Vernon siad, though it was clear he didn't believe his own words. After they stared at each other for a few more minutes, Vernon yelled.
"You don't get lunch today boy!" And he stormed out of the room.
Harry went back to his table, picked up the parchment he couldn't find, and began to write his letter. He started to write Sirius but then stopped and shuddered thinking about how he would never be able to write to Sirius again. So he started over.
"Dear Professor Moody," Harry read aloud
"How are things? I hope they are going good and I hope that you and the Order are progressing in whatever work you are up to right now. I was writing to you because Hermione has invited me to her house, and I would love to go as I have never been there before, but I have no idea of how I am going to manage to leave the Dursleys'. I thought that someone from the Order may be able to help me in finding a way to leave, so I wrote to you. Please write back as soon as you can to tell me if there is anyway I can get to Hermione's.
Signed,
Harry Potter"
He put the letter in an envelope and gave it to Hedwig to deliver. "Try to deliver it fast Hedwig," he said to his snowy owl that he had received as a present from Hagrid the summer before his first year. Hedwig took off and Harry was stuck just having to wait.
The next morning when Harry walked down to breakfast he found that the Dursley had treated Harry to the "invisibility" tactic; where they did not acknowledge that Harry was sitting at their table or rather there at all. Harry was too used to it, as they had only started using it when Harry first became a wizard and, plus, he thought, it's better than having to listen to their usual criticism. Vernon and Petunia's son Dudley was Smelting's junior heavyweight boxing champion, and he had grown a few inches since last year, Harry thought. Dudley was starting to turn into something like his father, as he had broad shoulders, two chins, and little or no neck. Dudley was watching TV stupidly, glancing at Harry as he came down the stairs and not looking at him again. Dudley hated Harry. Still convinced that Umbridge's dementor attack on Harry had been Harry's doing all along, every time he caught Harry's eye in passing he cracked his knuckles threateningly like two other boys Harry knew. Because Harry could use magic it messed with Dudley's and indeed Vernon's idea of a fair fight, which Harry thought was quite unfair if you compared the sizes of the two boys. Harry was quite unabashed of Dudley's size, however. The Dursley's would not put it past Harry to curse them if they made him too angry, even though all of them knew that Harry was not allowed to do magic outside of school.
While Harry was eating he tried to catch pieces of the news. iIf there has been an attack on muggles,/i thought Harry, iI would know./i Harry still had his subscription to the Daily Prophet, but he didn't think that they would report muggle deaths or disappearings. Harry knew that Voldemort and his Death Eaters would be less subtle than they were last year, where he had foiled their plans to retrieve the prophecy concerning Lord Voldemort and himself. Now, however, Voldemort was out in the open with nothing to lose.
But the Dursleys' quiet breakfast that morning was disturbed by a knock on the door. Vernon, grunting loudly, went to answer it.
"Yes?" he said. A shrill voice answered, loudly enough for every word to be clearly heard by those in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Mr Dursley. I'm Sergeant Kenworthy of the local police. Does a Mr Harry Potter live here?"
"HARRY!" roared Vernon. "HERE! NOW!" Harry threw down his fork and rushed to the door. He recognised Kenworthy at once, in spite of the fact that her hairstyle had changed totally since he had last seen her, when her name had been Tonks, and she had been a member of the Order of the Phoenix.
"May I have a word outside with Mr. Potter?" Tonks asked. Without waiting for an answer she dragged him out the door, she took him around the back, and using magic, levitated him into the air. He was by his window when Tonks said "Get your stuff, Harry." Harry opened the window and crawled in. He picked up his stuff as Hedwig returned. He put her in her cage and took the letter out of her mouth. He floated back down and Tonks grabbed him by the shoulders and took a letter out of her pocket. She gave the letter to Harry. "Tell Hedwig to give this to the Dursleys." Harry did as told and a minute later, Hedwig returned. Harry grabbed all of his possessions as Tonks said, and a second later, felt a whooshing sound as he flew through the air and landed inside a dark kitchen. There was a straggled man at the table, his black hair flowing smoothly. He turned around to face Harry, and Harry didn't need to know twice, he ran forward and hugged this man, Sirius was home.
