Chapter 1: Another Summer
It was a hot day on Privet Drive; all the houses identically reflected the sun off of their roofs. There was no movement on the street except for a few lonely insects and the quiet panting of a small brown dog sitting on Number Four's doorstep. Inside the houses of Privet Drive, the same routine was taking place: breakfast cooking and being eaten, kids putting on their play clothes or waking up late, fathers reading the paper…All seemed well and organized on the monatomic Privet Drive-except for the strange, scrawny boy waking in Number Four…
We'll see you soon, mate.
Really soon, Harry, we promise.
Ron and Hermione's last words echoed in Harry's head as he woke up that morning. It had been three weeks since he last saw them and he hadn't heard a word since. Harry looked anxiously out his window, hoping for some trace of an owl. Not seeing any birds in the sky, he angrily pounded his fist on the window.
"SHUT UP, BOY!" Uncle Vernon bellowed from downstairs. Harry cursed under his breath and let his eyes fill with tears. He flung himself back into bed and smothered his face with his pillow, fighting back an urge to sob. They always forget me, Harry thought furiously.
Pulling his pillow off of his face, Harry tried to take a deep breath and calm down. Instead, he broke down into tears and slammed the pillow back onto his head. Starting to suffocate, Harry threw the pillow, turned on his stomach, and clutched his face in his hands. He cried as softly as he could, trying not to let the Durseys hear. Minutes passed by before Harry heard a loud banging on his door.
"Get up, eat your breakfast!" Aunt Petunia shrieked at his door. Harry sat up, wiped his eyes, and put on his glasses. He looked around his room-there were so many holes in his walls and papers and clothes were scattered everywhere. With his last bit of adrenaline, he got up and punched another hole in the wall. He punched again, this time with an angry yell, then he let his head lean forward and rest on the wall. All Harry could think of was the death of the only person whom meant family to him, Sirius, and of what was going on in the wizarding world-and how mad he was at Ron and Hermione. His thought-process was interrupted by pangs of hunger so Harry opened his door and stomped downstairs to breakfast.
As usual, Uncle Vernon was sitting on (and almost breaking) a chair at the table, swiping his food from behind his newspaper. Harry stopped and looked longingly at the paper, wanting to read and discover if there's any unusual activity. Uncle Vernon moved the paper aside to really dig into his eggs and met Harry's eyes.
"What was all that banging up there? I could've sworn you were coming through the roof, you mad little twit!" Uncle Vernon puffed angrily at Harry.
"Just…practicing." Harry said coldly. A shadow of a grin played on his face when he saw his cousin, Dudley, choke on his food.
"Dudley, dear, are you alright?" Aunt Petunia asked Dudley. "Slow down, my sweet little bruiser! Oh…here." She handed Harry is plate-an egg, dried up sausage, and burnt piece of bacon.
"I'll eat in my room." Harry said and trudged upstairs without waiting for a reply. He opened his door, looking down and poking at the food, turned, closed the door, and sat down on his bed. He only looked up from his food when he suddenly heard frantic flapping and small squeaks.
"PIG!" Harry yelled. He dropped his food and ran after the bird, successfully swiping it out of the air. With a smile, he untied the two letters hanging off Pig's leg. As he did this, an owl he didn't recognize flew in and dropped a letter into his hand. He let Pig and the other owl fly out the window then sat on his bed and read the names of the first two letters: Ron and Hermione. Suddenly angry again for having to wait so long, he flung the letters aside and looked at the third-from Cho! Forgetting his anger, he tore open the envelope and read the letter:
Dear Harry,
I hope your summer's been better than mine…with You-Know-Who on the loose, my parents have kept me inside all day, everyday. I'm sorry I couldn't write sooner, but this was my first chance to sneak an owl.
All my parent's visitors come in the house so scared, Harry. But I don't see why-since you taught us all of those Defense Against the Dark Arts spells, I've barely been afraid. Only if my parents could understand! Well, Harry, I'll see you at school then…hopefully…
Love, Cho
P.S. I'm sorry for the hard time I gave you at school…I didn't mean all those things. I guess I was just depressed…
Harry crumpled the letter in his hand, and stood up to punch the wall again. He still had no idea what was going on! He paused for a moment and looked at his violently shaking fist; he decided he needed to calm down. Besides, at least he wasn't the only one all alone. With a new attitude, he picked up Ron and Hermione's letter off of the floor and took Ron's out of its envelope.
Hello, mate! Harry, I couldn't be more sorry…Mum took us to visit Charlie in Romania for the past few weeks and I just haven't had time to write you an owl! But don't think I've been having fun! Can't tell you much now but I will as soon as we see each other. Be ready to leave August 1st.
Ron
How much more vague can these letters get? Harry thought to himself. The fury of his lack of knowledge was starting to build again. He opened Hermione's letter so ee if he'd learn anything more.
Dear Harry,
It's just been dreadful! It turns out the first three owls I tried sending you froze to death (I sent this one back his Pig). My parents have taken me to vacation in Siberia…they thought it would be best to get away from the magical world. You have no idea how frustrating this is! Fortunately, Ron's family is going to pick me up somehow on the 1st; I hope to see you then. And, I hope this letter gets to you this time…
Hermione Granger
Harry grinned and he suddenly stopped feeling left out and lonely. He was sorry for Hermione, but now he knew that most wizarding children were kept in the dark about Lord Voldemort. As quickly as he could, he grabbed some paper and a pen off his floor and scribbled three letters:
Dear Ron,
Hope you're doing OK and aren't as bored as I am. How are you going to pick Hermione and me up?
Harry
Dear Hermione,
Siberia? Sorry to hear that. You're not the only one having a dreadful time.
Harry
Dear Cho…(it took awhile to figure out what to write)
It's good your parents are keeping you safe. Don't use any Defense spells unless you need to.
Harry
Harry tried to keep Cho's letter as impersonal as possible; he still was mad at her for her stupid behavior last year. Shaking his head, he tied the letters to Hedwig's leg, gave her an owl treat, and sent her out the window. He stuck his head out the window to watch her fly away into the clouds. Harry noticed a little light brown dog watching Hedwig, too. Wonder who got a dog on Privet, Harry wondered.
Feeling tired from all his emotional ups and downs of that morning, Harry decided to lay down for awhile. There was no use in going outside-Dudley's gang would just try to knock his ribs in. On the other hand, he could go and wave a stick at Dudley, screaming fake spells. The thought of terror vibrating from Dudley's body as he ran squealing made Harry laugh out loud…
After four hours, Harry still lay sleeping on his bed. A barking dog woke him up and he started rubbing his eyes. Gradually, the barking got muffled and Harry thought he almost went deaf. Then out of nowhere, his forehead exploded with pain and he heard a loud hiss in the back of his head. The pain was making his whole body throb, but instead of screaming, Harry was laughing. Then just as suddenly as it had come, the pain left Harry, curled in a trembling ball on his bed.
As soon as the shock wore off, Harry stood up, sweating and still trembling. He took a pen and began searching frantically for paper. He had to tell someone about Voldemort-he knew Voldemort had just killed someone. Harry didn't know how, but he just knew. Finally finding a clean piece of paper, he began to write a letter:
Dear Siriu-
Harry stopped. He shook his head vigorously and restarted the letter. He addressed it to Dumbledore and wrote down exactly what happened. Clumsily sealing the envelope, he looked up and hurried to Hedwig's cage. But Hedwig wasn't there; she hadn't returned from delivering her letters. Harry down on his bed, defeated. Hurry, Hedwig, he thought.
Suddenly, an idea hit Harry. He jumped up off his bed and ran into Dudley's room. Seeing that Dudley wasn't there, he grabbed he small radio off of Dudley's nightstand and hurried back into his room. He flew back onto his bed and punched the on button. Hearing dull cracking, Harry turned the volume up and searched for a news station. Finally finding one, he lay back on his pillow and listened intently for any strange news. He chuckled as he asked himself why he hadn't thought of it before. Harry lay there listening as hard as he could, but his tired teenage body wouldn't stand it. After about three hours of listening, Harry fell asleep for a dreamless night.
It was a hot day on Privet Drive; all the houses identically reflected the sun off of their roofs. There was no movement on the street except for a few lonely insects and the quiet panting of a small brown dog sitting on Number Four's doorstep. Inside the houses of Privet Drive, the same routine was taking place: breakfast cooking and being eaten, kids putting on their play clothes or waking up late, fathers reading the paper…All seemed well and organized on the monatomic Privet Drive-except for the strange, scrawny boy waking in Number Four…
We'll see you soon, mate.
Really soon, Harry, we promise.
Ron and Hermione's last words echoed in Harry's head as he woke up that morning. It had been three weeks since he last saw them and he hadn't heard a word since. Harry looked anxiously out his window, hoping for some trace of an owl. Not seeing any birds in the sky, he angrily pounded his fist on the window.
"SHUT UP, BOY!" Uncle Vernon bellowed from downstairs. Harry cursed under his breath and let his eyes fill with tears. He flung himself back into bed and smothered his face with his pillow, fighting back an urge to sob. They always forget me, Harry thought furiously.
Pulling his pillow off of his face, Harry tried to take a deep breath and calm down. Instead, he broke down into tears and slammed the pillow back onto his head. Starting to suffocate, Harry threw the pillow, turned on his stomach, and clutched his face in his hands. He cried as softly as he could, trying not to let the Durseys hear. Minutes passed by before Harry heard a loud banging on his door.
"Get up, eat your breakfast!" Aunt Petunia shrieked at his door. Harry sat up, wiped his eyes, and put on his glasses. He looked around his room-there were so many holes in his walls and papers and clothes were scattered everywhere. With his last bit of adrenaline, he got up and punched another hole in the wall. He punched again, this time with an angry yell, then he let his head lean forward and rest on the wall. All Harry could think of was the death of the only person whom meant family to him, Sirius, and of what was going on in the wizarding world-and how mad he was at Ron and Hermione. His thought-process was interrupted by pangs of hunger so Harry opened his door and stomped downstairs to breakfast.
As usual, Uncle Vernon was sitting on (and almost breaking) a chair at the table, swiping his food from behind his newspaper. Harry stopped and looked longingly at the paper, wanting to read and discover if there's any unusual activity. Uncle Vernon moved the paper aside to really dig into his eggs and met Harry's eyes.
"What was all that banging up there? I could've sworn you were coming through the roof, you mad little twit!" Uncle Vernon puffed angrily at Harry.
"Just…practicing." Harry said coldly. A shadow of a grin played on his face when he saw his cousin, Dudley, choke on his food.
"Dudley, dear, are you alright?" Aunt Petunia asked Dudley. "Slow down, my sweet little bruiser! Oh…here." She handed Harry is plate-an egg, dried up sausage, and burnt piece of bacon.
"I'll eat in my room." Harry said and trudged upstairs without waiting for a reply. He opened his door, looking down and poking at the food, turned, closed the door, and sat down on his bed. He only looked up from his food when he suddenly heard frantic flapping and small squeaks.
"PIG!" Harry yelled. He dropped his food and ran after the bird, successfully swiping it out of the air. With a smile, he untied the two letters hanging off Pig's leg. As he did this, an owl he didn't recognize flew in and dropped a letter into his hand. He let Pig and the other owl fly out the window then sat on his bed and read the names of the first two letters: Ron and Hermione. Suddenly angry again for having to wait so long, he flung the letters aside and looked at the third-from Cho! Forgetting his anger, he tore open the envelope and read the letter:
Dear Harry,
I hope your summer's been better than mine…with You-Know-Who on the loose, my parents have kept me inside all day, everyday. I'm sorry I couldn't write sooner, but this was my first chance to sneak an owl.
All my parent's visitors come in the house so scared, Harry. But I don't see why-since you taught us all of those Defense Against the Dark Arts spells, I've barely been afraid. Only if my parents could understand! Well, Harry, I'll see you at school then…hopefully…
Love, Cho
P.S. I'm sorry for the hard time I gave you at school…I didn't mean all those things. I guess I was just depressed…
Harry crumpled the letter in his hand, and stood up to punch the wall again. He still had no idea what was going on! He paused for a moment and looked at his violently shaking fist; he decided he needed to calm down. Besides, at least he wasn't the only one all alone. With a new attitude, he picked up Ron and Hermione's letter off of the floor and took Ron's out of its envelope.
Hello, mate! Harry, I couldn't be more sorry…Mum took us to visit Charlie in Romania for the past few weeks and I just haven't had time to write you an owl! But don't think I've been having fun! Can't tell you much now but I will as soon as we see each other. Be ready to leave August 1st.
Ron
How much more vague can these letters get? Harry thought to himself. The fury of his lack of knowledge was starting to build again. He opened Hermione's letter so ee if he'd learn anything more.
Dear Harry,
It's just been dreadful! It turns out the first three owls I tried sending you froze to death (I sent this one back his Pig). My parents have taken me to vacation in Siberia…they thought it would be best to get away from the magical world. You have no idea how frustrating this is! Fortunately, Ron's family is going to pick me up somehow on the 1st; I hope to see you then. And, I hope this letter gets to you this time…
Hermione Granger
Harry grinned and he suddenly stopped feeling left out and lonely. He was sorry for Hermione, but now he knew that most wizarding children were kept in the dark about Lord Voldemort. As quickly as he could, he grabbed some paper and a pen off his floor and scribbled three letters:
Dear Ron,
Hope you're doing OK and aren't as bored as I am. How are you going to pick Hermione and me up?
Harry
Dear Hermione,
Siberia? Sorry to hear that. You're not the only one having a dreadful time.
Harry
Dear Cho…(it took awhile to figure out what to write)
It's good your parents are keeping you safe. Don't use any Defense spells unless you need to.
Harry
Harry tried to keep Cho's letter as impersonal as possible; he still was mad at her for her stupid behavior last year. Shaking his head, he tied the letters to Hedwig's leg, gave her an owl treat, and sent her out the window. He stuck his head out the window to watch her fly away into the clouds. Harry noticed a little light brown dog watching Hedwig, too. Wonder who got a dog on Privet, Harry wondered.
Feeling tired from all his emotional ups and downs of that morning, Harry decided to lay down for awhile. There was no use in going outside-Dudley's gang would just try to knock his ribs in. On the other hand, he could go and wave a stick at Dudley, screaming fake spells. The thought of terror vibrating from Dudley's body as he ran squealing made Harry laugh out loud…
After four hours, Harry still lay sleeping on his bed. A barking dog woke him up and he started rubbing his eyes. Gradually, the barking got muffled and Harry thought he almost went deaf. Then out of nowhere, his forehead exploded with pain and he heard a loud hiss in the back of his head. The pain was making his whole body throb, but instead of screaming, Harry was laughing. Then just as suddenly as it had come, the pain left Harry, curled in a trembling ball on his bed.
As soon as the shock wore off, Harry stood up, sweating and still trembling. He took a pen and began searching frantically for paper. He had to tell someone about Voldemort-he knew Voldemort had just killed someone. Harry didn't know how, but he just knew. Finally finding a clean piece of paper, he began to write a letter:
Dear Siriu-
Harry stopped. He shook his head vigorously and restarted the letter. He addressed it to Dumbledore and wrote down exactly what happened. Clumsily sealing the envelope, he looked up and hurried to Hedwig's cage. But Hedwig wasn't there; she hadn't returned from delivering her letters. Harry down on his bed, defeated. Hurry, Hedwig, he thought.
Suddenly, an idea hit Harry. He jumped up off his bed and ran into Dudley's room. Seeing that Dudley wasn't there, he grabbed he small radio off of Dudley's nightstand and hurried back into his room. He flew back onto his bed and punched the on button. Hearing dull cracking, Harry turned the volume up and searched for a news station. Finally finding one, he lay back on his pillow and listened intently for any strange news. He chuckled as he asked himself why he hadn't thought of it before. Harry lay there listening as hard as he could, but his tired teenage body wouldn't stand it. After about three hours of listening, Harry fell asleep for a dreamless night.