(A/N: This story is gonna get so sad...)

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PAST: PRIVET DRIVE
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A week later, Harry sat on his bed in the cupboard under the stairs, counting his money. He grinned happily when he finished counting to a total of sixty-three pounds. Just about then he heard someone approaching and shoved the money into a sock and under his pillow.

Vernon Dursley opened his door and glared at him angrily. "Miss Lafelliere called," he growled. Harry just stared. "She told me that you've been walking her dogs every morning."

Harry silently prayed that she hadn't mentioned any money.

"I don't want you over there bothering that woman any more. No more. If I hear about you being over there one more time, I'm locking you in here until June." With that his angry uncle slammed the door and stormed off. Harry only smiled. Either Madame Yvette hadn't said anything about the money or Vernon had just forgotten! He knew he had at least enough money to buy what he wanted to get for Madison. Still, he was going to miss those cookies.

A sudden thought hit him. How was he going to buy Madison's gift? He couldn't just walk to the nearest shop, Privet Drive was in the suburbs and he wouldn't find a decent jewelry place around there. The city was too far to walk as well.

He thought for a few moments, then smiled and headed upstairs to Dudley's room.

On his way up stairs he looked at the calendar and saw that it was November the eighteenth. He had enough time to find some way to get to a store before the twenty-eighth.

Harry knocked on the door and was answered by an annoyed, "What?" He opened the door. Dudley was sitting on the floor and playing video games on one of his many gaming systems. Harry walked quietly in the room with a slight air of mystery to himself. Dudley looked at him suspiciously.

"What is it?" the young Dursley boy asked.

"Well," said Harry, "I was just noticing how cluttered your room is." He put on a fake look of thoughtfulness. "You've got a VCR, television, and goodness-knows how many gaming systems. Don't you need something to put them all in?"

Dudley looked from his stack of electronics then back to Harry. "Like what?"

"An entertainment center? They'd be nice and neat and you'd have more room for...more stuff." Harry grinned at the look in Dudley's eyes.

Minutes later, Harry was ushered into the car with Petunia. They were going to the store to buy an entertainment center and Harry had to carry it.

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Petunia hurried along the aisles of Newman's department store until she came upon the section of small furniture. Harry had followed along until this point when her attention was on sorting through the various bits of furniture. He made sure she was completely lost in thought before he slipped away and made a bee-line for the jewelry section.

He found a small turn-table covered in tiny silver and gold charms. There was a certain time-limit to his browsing. He had to find a charm, a nice one, quickly and get back to Petunia before she noticed he was gone and either left or came looking for him.

Harry quickly spun through the array of charms until his eye caught upon one. He considered it for a moment...two moments. Then, he nodded to himself and asked a sales-clerk to get it out of the case for him.

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"Where have you been?" Petunia hissed at Harry as he walked around the corner to the furniture aisle she was on.

"I wasn't paying attention when you walked off," he said simply. She groaned annoyed and pointed to one of the boxes on the bottom of the shelf.

"Get that one," she said.

"Yes, ma'am," said Harry and did as he was told.

The ride back to Privet Drive was short and relaxing with the small charm safe in Harry's pocket.

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That night, Harry pulled the plastic store bag from beneath his mattress and opened the packaging to look over his friend's gift. He couldn't wait to give it to her. It wouldn't be long now. Just ten more days and Harry would have the satisfaction of knowing he'd made Madison, his best friend, happy.

He carefully tucked the trinket back into the bag and beneath his mattress once more. A happy sigh escaped him while he took off his glasses and turned off the lights. Life at the number four Privet Drive was a bit more bearable with things like this to keep him going.

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PRESENT: HOGWARTS
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Ron looked at Hermione. Hermione looked at Ron. They both looked at Harry. What on Earth was he doing?

For some reason, Harry, who wasn't even looking at what he was doing, had somehow carved a half moon out of his mashed potatos with his spoon.

"Harry?" Hermione carefully tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped and splattered mashed potatos across the table. Percy, who now had a blob of white mush in his face, glared at Harry.

"Oh! Sorry, Percy. I really wasn't paying attention," said Harry, hastily tossing the angered Weasley a napkin.

"It's fine," grumbled Percy as he wiped away the mess.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright, Harry?" asked Ron.

"Why do you keep asking me that? Yes, Ron, I'm FINE!" Harry stood up. The Gryffindor table suddenly went quiet. Ron went red in the face.

"Sorry...I'm sorry, Ron. I just need to be alone to think," muttered Harry as he stepped away from the table and walked out of the Great Hall.

Ron and Hermione watched with concern as their friend left. Something was wrong. They needed to find out what before Harry snapped.

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