Harry Potter and the Fountain of Magical Brethren
Chapter 2: Departures and Arrivals
The next morning, Harry awoke groggily to a tapping sound at his window. He lethargically rolled out of bed and stumbled over to the window. As soon as he opened it, a gray mass of tousled feathers threw itself through the window and onto Harry's bed. He chuckled to himself, realizing that although Errol, the Weasleys' owl, had probably been sent to him at the same time as Pigwidgeon, it had taken the ancient bird over six hours longer. The parcel tied to Errol's foot looked to be Mrs. Weasley's usual package of delectable cakes and mincemeat pies.
Mrs. Weasley was the kindest, most nurturing woman Harry had ever met. Her caring nature contrasted sharply with Aunt Petuina's cold manner and Harry felt that she was the closest person to a mother that he had. He also felt honored that last year, she had said that Harry was as good as her son. Harry wished that he really could be a part of the Weasley family, for he counted the time he spent with them as his favorite in the wizarding world.
After writing to thank Mrs. Weasley, Harry sampled one of the cakes and then made his way downstairs for breakfast. There was no greeting from any of his relatives as he sat down and helped himself to some toast with marmalade. Eventually, Uncle Vernon acknowledged his presence by telling him to carry Dudley's duffel bag outside.
"Move faster," Dudley demanded, his chins bouncing as he waddled down the stairs.
"If you're in such a rush, why don't you give me a hand," Harry retorted.
"I'm not helping you with anything, you freak," said Dudley.
"I wouldn't say stuff like that if I were you," Harry said angrily, "unless you want a bunch of fully-trained wizards after you."
"What are you gonna do, call your stupid godfather?"
The glare Dudley received from Harry was more piercing than a knife. "Never say that again," Harry spoke quietly, his emerald eyes never leaving Dudley's small blue ones. He continued to glare at Dudley for a moment, then sped up to his room, leaving the bag abandoned near the door. After taking a moment to collect himself, his anger and sadness turned to the need to get Dudley back for what he had said. He opened up his trunk and reached for the Babbling Tablets he had hidden underneath his robes. He went back downstairs, and saw Dudley's water bottle sitting on the kitchen table. Shooting furtive glances at the door, he unscrewed the lid and dropped in one of the tablets. Then, hearing Dudley to ask his father if he was sure it was impossible for him to bring two of his television sets, he dropped in another one. Harry inwardly smiled as he imagined the suffering that Dudley's boxing friends would endure while riding in a car while Dudley chattered aimlessly about everything from the weather to the price of his mother's hair-dye.
The next few days passed quickly as Harry hastily finished his homework and packed his trunk in preparation for his impending journey to the Burrow. He could not wait to see his friends again, and tell them all about the success of the Babbling Tablets; Fred and George would be amused to hear that the driver of the boxing bus had called the Dursleys to complain about Dudley's incessant talking. On the morning of August 4th, Harry awoke early and sat waiting in his room all day, realizing that Lupin had specified neither time nor method for picking him up. He hoped that the Weasleys had warned him against using Floo powder, though, for the carpet in the living room had never been the same. He was relieved to hear the doorbell ring around noon. Knowing that they would be greeted by wizards when they opened the door, the Dursleys ignored the ringing and retreated to the farthest corner of the living room. Harry ran downstairs to answer the door, and grinned when he saw the faces of Lupin, Tonks, and Mad-Eye Moody staring bavck at him (well, at least one of Moody's eyes was; the other was looking through the ceiling, Harry realized, for he commented that at least this time Harry had already packed his trunk). Lupin, Harry noticed, was paler and thinner than ever before. His voice sounded raspy as he spoke.
"Are you all ready to go, Harry?"
"Yes, professor, my stuff's all packed."
"Harry, I have not been your professor for three years, therefore please call me Remus. Even when I was your teacher, I never felt quite comfortable with that title, especially since I caused more trouble at Hogwarts than most of the current students." Lupin stared wistfully into space for a moment, and then shook his head as if coming out of a trance.
"I'll go upstairs and help Harry bring down his trunk. Remus, why don't you go and tell his aunt and uncle that we're taking him?" Tonks said cheerfully, as she stumbled up the stairs to Harry's bedroom. As Tonks levitated Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage down the stairs, he could hear Remus talking politely to the Dursleys, but heard only grunts from Uncle Vernon in response.
"Alright then, Harry, we're just going to go over and use Mrs. Figg's fireplace to get to the Burrow." They walked out into the bright sunshine, Harry's invisibility cloak covering his belongings. It was a lovely summer day, and the houses were all looking their finest, as the drought had come to an end. The neighbors across the street were washing their car, and a group of schoolchildren was riding their bikes down the sidewalk. Each house had its own unique blend of flowers in the front lawn, but were otherwise annoyingly identical. As Harry looked at the houses, he longed even more for the Burrow, which was as different from these as could be, with its tottering appearance and chickens running amok around the front yard. After a few moments, they reached Mrs. Figg's house and entered without even knocking.
"Oh hello, I was wondering when you'd get here. Here have a cup of tea before you go," she said, pouring some into some old-looking china. She then fed a biscuit to the cat that was sitting on her lap. After some nice tea and idle chatter, it was time to depart. Mad-Eye stepped first into the fire, after first cooling it with a handful of Floo powder. As he stood in the green flames, he clearly yelled, "The Burrow!" A moment later, Harry was surprised to see Moody's head return to their side of the fire. When he told them it was all clear, Harry proceeded into the fire next. When he arrived in the Weasleys' living room, he was greeted only by Moody, who told Harry to let Tonks and Lupin know that he had arrived. With his head in the fire, he told them he was safe, and they immediately disapparated with his school things, and appeared next to him a second later. With that, they proceeded into the kitchen and were welcomed by all the Weasleys exept Percy, and various other members of the Order. Harry was happy that he was finally home with his true family.