The Distant Relative
Yet again, Harry Potter was back at number 4 Privet Drive for the summer holidays. Although he didn't suffer as much from loneliness has he had done last year, he had a hole in his heart where, until the end of his fifth year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Sirius had been.
Harry's Godfather had died to save Harry from Lord Voldemort. Though Harry had accepted the fact that Sirius was dead and that he wasn't coming back, Harry felt extremely sad and lonely when the thought of Sirius entered Harry's mind.
Remus Lupin, a close friend of Sirius' and Harry's dead parents and Harry's ex-teacher, had come several times to visit Harry, to see if he was alright and that the Muggles (non magical people who in this case is Harry's aunt, uncle and cousin) where treating him well.
Different from last year Harry had also contact with his two best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and that he was up-to-date with all that was going on in the Wizard world through the newspaper the Daily Prophet.
Harry had just finished a letter to Hermione when the doorbell rang downstairs. Knowing that uncle Vernon would be angry if it was Lupin, Harry hurried downstairs to open the door. But it wasn't Lupin, it was a girl.
"Hi!" said the girl with a singing voice.
"Hi." said Harry chocked. He stared at the girl who had reached out and grabbed hold of Harry's hand, shaking it madly.
"I'm Aerie Tooper", said the girl still shaking Harry's hand. "You must be Harry Potter, are you not?"
"Yes, I'm Harry", said Harry and nodded. Then he came to his senses and asked: "How do you know my name?"
"Oh, everybody knows your name", said Aerie Tooper and smiled a bright smile that showed off her perfect teeth. "Anyhow, is your uncle or aunt home?" continued Aerie.
Harry nodded again and opened the door further and Aerie stepped inside, dragging a large suitcase and a backpack.
"Aunt Petunia? Uncle Vernon?" called Harry through the kitchen door not taking his eyes off Aerie who was looking eagerly at the pictures on the walls.
"What is it, boy?" yelled Vernon Dursley entering the hall. He then saw the guest and stared frightened at Aerie. "Petunia, darling, can you come out here a minute?" screamed uncle Vernon in a very high pitch voice.
Aunt Petunia stepped out in the hall wiping her hand on the apron. "What is. Aaah!" Aunt Petunia had screamed when she had spotted Aerie. Her eyes where turned from Aerie to Harry and back to Aerie again. She had spotted the similarity.
And with her black, shoulder long, messy hair, green eyes and thin lips, Aerie sure looked like the female version of Harry.
"Who. Who are you?" asked uncle Vernon with a scared tone in his voice.
"I'm your cousins, cousins, grandmothers nice", said Aerie like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Harry gasped, so he did have other relatives alive besides the Dursleys after all.
"Who's cousins grandmothers cousin where you?" asked uncle Vernon and frowned.
"Your cousins, cousins grandmothers nice", said Aerie with a smile. "My Mum and Dad died a few moths ago and my grandmother didn't seem too eager to take me in since I almost burned her house down when I was a kid. So she sent me to you lot."
Harry had a hard time believing that Aeries grandmother even knew the Dursleys existed. And by the looks of it, uncle Vernon didn't either seem too eager to believe her very much. But since Aerie seemed to be Harry's age and that she was the only one that hadn't recoiled when she saw him, Harry smiled and shook her hand again.
"So, where are you from?" he asked.
"Northern Scotland", answered Aerie and laughed a bit when she saw misbelieve in Harry's face. "I know it doesn't sound like it, but Mum and Dad where both from London."
Harry laughed and looked at Aerie with a sort of respect in his eyes. They where going to get along fairy well if uncle Vernon didn't slam the door in her face.
"So, what school will you be attending?" said Harry and smiled a bit since he realized he sounded like a grandparent.
"I don't know", said Aerie and she sounded a bit worried, but as quickly her face became bright again and she smiled. "But I'll sort it out somehow!"
The Dursleys didn't say a word for about five minutes and an awkward silence filled the hall. But then uncle Vernon draw a deep breath and smiled a fake smile.
"Well, as much as we would love you to stay, we seem to be a bed short!" He looked very pleased to have come up with such an excellent excuse.
"Oh, that's OK, I'll sleep in the cupboard under the stairs so she can have my room!" said Harry quickly.
"No! I'd hate to cause any trouble", said Aerie and laid a hand on Harry's arm. "I'll just check in at a motel!"
"Don't be silly", said aunt Petunia suddenly. "I'll see what I can dig up in the attic, so you can sleep on the floor in Harry's room. What do you say?"
Uncle Vernon looked like he'd explode any minute, aunt Petunia smiled motherly at Aerie and Aerie. Well, she looked like she'd jump up and down with joy and she beamed up at aunt Petunia.
Harry was chocked, since when did aunt Petunia insist on having a stranger sleep over?
"Harry, could you help Aerie carry her stuff up to your room?" interrupted aunt Petunias voice. Harry nodded and grabbed Aeries suitcase and showed the way upstairs.
"Wow, what a cool room!" exclaimed Aerie when she stepped inside Harry's room.
"Dudley's old actually", said Harry shyly.
"Dudley is your cousin, right?" said Aerie and looked around.
Harry nodded and wondered how she could know so much about Harry and the Dursleys. He then remembered that his magic-books and all of his Hogwarts-clothes laid allover the floor. He was just about to ask her to go downstairs to wait so he could clean up a bit when Aerie took up one of his books (Quiddich throughout times).
"Do you play?" she asked and pointed at the book.
Harry's jaw fell open and he stared at Aerie who calmly looked trough the book. How could she know about Quiddich?
"Um.. Um.." was all Harry could get out.
"Wait a minute!" said Aerie and looked straight at Harry's broom. "Of course you play, why else would you have a broom?"
She looked happily at Harry who was staring dumb at her. "Isn't it the most wonderful sport ever?" sighed Aerie and smiled satisfied.
Harry couldn't speak for a minute and when he did he had a bit of a mistrusting tone in his voice.
"How can you know about Quiddich? And how come you know so much about me and the Dursleys?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" said Aerie absent-minded. "Must've slipped my mind. Well, surprise; I'm a witch!"
Yet again, Harry Potter was back at number 4 Privet Drive for the summer holidays. Although he didn't suffer as much from loneliness has he had done last year, he had a hole in his heart where, until the end of his fifth year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, Sirius had been.
Harry's Godfather had died to save Harry from Lord Voldemort. Though Harry had accepted the fact that Sirius was dead and that he wasn't coming back, Harry felt extremely sad and lonely when the thought of Sirius entered Harry's mind.
Remus Lupin, a close friend of Sirius' and Harry's dead parents and Harry's ex-teacher, had come several times to visit Harry, to see if he was alright and that the Muggles (non magical people who in this case is Harry's aunt, uncle and cousin) where treating him well.
Different from last year Harry had also contact with his two best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and that he was up-to-date with all that was going on in the Wizard world through the newspaper the Daily Prophet.
Harry had just finished a letter to Hermione when the doorbell rang downstairs. Knowing that uncle Vernon would be angry if it was Lupin, Harry hurried downstairs to open the door. But it wasn't Lupin, it was a girl.
"Hi!" said the girl with a singing voice.
"Hi." said Harry chocked. He stared at the girl who had reached out and grabbed hold of Harry's hand, shaking it madly.
"I'm Aerie Tooper", said the girl still shaking Harry's hand. "You must be Harry Potter, are you not?"
"Yes, I'm Harry", said Harry and nodded. Then he came to his senses and asked: "How do you know my name?"
"Oh, everybody knows your name", said Aerie Tooper and smiled a bright smile that showed off her perfect teeth. "Anyhow, is your uncle or aunt home?" continued Aerie.
Harry nodded again and opened the door further and Aerie stepped inside, dragging a large suitcase and a backpack.
"Aunt Petunia? Uncle Vernon?" called Harry through the kitchen door not taking his eyes off Aerie who was looking eagerly at the pictures on the walls.
"What is it, boy?" yelled Vernon Dursley entering the hall. He then saw the guest and stared frightened at Aerie. "Petunia, darling, can you come out here a minute?" screamed uncle Vernon in a very high pitch voice.
Aunt Petunia stepped out in the hall wiping her hand on the apron. "What is. Aaah!" Aunt Petunia had screamed when she had spotted Aerie. Her eyes where turned from Aerie to Harry and back to Aerie again. She had spotted the similarity.
And with her black, shoulder long, messy hair, green eyes and thin lips, Aerie sure looked like the female version of Harry.
"Who. Who are you?" asked uncle Vernon with a scared tone in his voice.
"I'm your cousins, cousins, grandmothers nice", said Aerie like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Harry gasped, so he did have other relatives alive besides the Dursleys after all.
"Who's cousins grandmothers cousin where you?" asked uncle Vernon and frowned.
"Your cousins, cousins grandmothers nice", said Aerie with a smile. "My Mum and Dad died a few moths ago and my grandmother didn't seem too eager to take me in since I almost burned her house down when I was a kid. So she sent me to you lot."
Harry had a hard time believing that Aeries grandmother even knew the Dursleys existed. And by the looks of it, uncle Vernon didn't either seem too eager to believe her very much. But since Aerie seemed to be Harry's age and that she was the only one that hadn't recoiled when she saw him, Harry smiled and shook her hand again.
"So, where are you from?" he asked.
"Northern Scotland", answered Aerie and laughed a bit when she saw misbelieve in Harry's face. "I know it doesn't sound like it, but Mum and Dad where both from London."
Harry laughed and looked at Aerie with a sort of respect in his eyes. They where going to get along fairy well if uncle Vernon didn't slam the door in her face.
"So, what school will you be attending?" said Harry and smiled a bit since he realized he sounded like a grandparent.
"I don't know", said Aerie and she sounded a bit worried, but as quickly her face became bright again and she smiled. "But I'll sort it out somehow!"
The Dursleys didn't say a word for about five minutes and an awkward silence filled the hall. But then uncle Vernon draw a deep breath and smiled a fake smile.
"Well, as much as we would love you to stay, we seem to be a bed short!" He looked very pleased to have come up with such an excellent excuse.
"Oh, that's OK, I'll sleep in the cupboard under the stairs so she can have my room!" said Harry quickly.
"No! I'd hate to cause any trouble", said Aerie and laid a hand on Harry's arm. "I'll just check in at a motel!"
"Don't be silly", said aunt Petunia suddenly. "I'll see what I can dig up in the attic, so you can sleep on the floor in Harry's room. What do you say?"
Uncle Vernon looked like he'd explode any minute, aunt Petunia smiled motherly at Aerie and Aerie. Well, she looked like she'd jump up and down with joy and she beamed up at aunt Petunia.
Harry was chocked, since when did aunt Petunia insist on having a stranger sleep over?
"Harry, could you help Aerie carry her stuff up to your room?" interrupted aunt Petunias voice. Harry nodded and grabbed Aeries suitcase and showed the way upstairs.
"Wow, what a cool room!" exclaimed Aerie when she stepped inside Harry's room.
"Dudley's old actually", said Harry shyly.
"Dudley is your cousin, right?" said Aerie and looked around.
Harry nodded and wondered how she could know so much about Harry and the Dursleys. He then remembered that his magic-books and all of his Hogwarts-clothes laid allover the floor. He was just about to ask her to go downstairs to wait so he could clean up a bit when Aerie took up one of his books (Quiddich throughout times).
"Do you play?" she asked and pointed at the book.
Harry's jaw fell open and he stared at Aerie who calmly looked trough the book. How could she know about Quiddich?
"Um.. Um.." was all Harry could get out.
"Wait a minute!" said Aerie and looked straight at Harry's broom. "Of course you play, why else would you have a broom?"
She looked happily at Harry who was staring dumb at her. "Isn't it the most wonderful sport ever?" sighed Aerie and smiled satisfied.
Harry couldn't speak for a minute and when he did he had a bit of a mistrusting tone in his voice.
"How can you know about Quiddich? And how come you know so much about me and the Dursleys?"
"Oh, didn't I tell you?" said Aerie absent-minded. "Must've slipped my mind. Well, surprise; I'm a witch!"