Chapter Three - A Special Visit

Harry was staring at the last couple papers of the stack. It was a form for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team Captain. Someone had filled it all out except for the signature of the applicant. The words "Applicant's signature" had been highlighted. Harry was looking at the last section, where the applicant needed at least twenty signatures of Gryffindor students for approval. Looking at the list, Harry saw that Fred and George had gotten nearly the entire house to sign it.

Harry walked over to his desk and pulled out a quill and some ink. With a shaking hand, Harry tried to sign the form. But, his hand was shaking too badly. He didn't even understand why. It was a great honor, yes, but he didn't think it was something to loose his cool over. He took a deep breath, and put the quill down. He would sign the form later, when he had calmed down.

He returned to the package. He looked at the size of the package, and the size of everything he had pulled out so far. It was obvious that there was a spell on the box, because there was no way all that stuff could fit it. Plus, there was still one more present left. Pulling it out, Harry knew that it was from Ron.

He carefully unwrapped the gift. It was a case for his wand, along with a cloth spelled to get dirt off the wand easier. Harry had told Ron last year about the wand weighing ceremony for the Triwizard tournament champions. Harry had felt embarrassed because his wand was dirty. Harry pulled out his wand, which was lying in a drawer. He wiped it with the cloth, and it took off a lot of dirt. Harry then put the wand in its new case, folded the cloth, and put it on top of his wand.

Pig was flying around the room, hooting. Harry was surprised that Uncle Vernon hadn't yelled at him yet for all the noise. He took some parchment and hastily scribbled a note.

Ron,

I got your package. Tell everyone "Thanks a lot", especially Fred and George. Just so you know, I'll be at Hermione's house for the last two weeks of August. Hope we can go to Diagon Alley at the same time.

-Harry

He folded his note, and gave it to Pig. Pig hooted, and flew out of the room. Harry turned to his own owl and said, "Thank you for waiting, Hedwig."

She hooted, and Harry gave her a few treats. He then began to write another letter.

Hermione,

I got your letters (both of them). My aunt and uncle have "agreed" to let me go. They think they're being mean to me and maybe even preventing me from going to Hogwarts this year. Tell your parents "Thanks" in advance for letting me stay at your house. Thanks also for the food and for your gift.

See you later this summer,

Harry

He folded this letter and gave it to Hedwig. After stroking her soft feathers, and thanking her for understanding why she had to stay with Hermione, Harry motioned to the window. Hedwig took off, and flew towards the horizon. As Harry watched his owl fly off, she passed another owl, headed in the opposite direction. That owl continued flying straight until it flew right into Harry's room. It dropped its package at Harry's feet and perched on a bedpost, waiting for further directions.

On top of the parcel was a letter with green writing. Harry recognized it as his letter from Hogwarts. He opened it, recognizing some of the usual books. He would be needing "The Monster Book of Monsters" again, which was surprising. He thought that the book had caused enough chaos that his Care of Magical Creatures teacher, and Grounds Keeper, Rubeus Hagrid, would keep it off the list for good.

There was an assortment of the usual books: "A Standard Book of Spell Grade 5" by Miranda Goshawk, books for Potions class, books for Charms class, and books for Divination. There was also a few new ones, including "Hogwarts, A History." Harry smiled. For the past four years, Hermione was forever quoting that book, and was always asking Ron and Harry if they had ever read it. It seemed that Hermione learned quite a bit from it and loved to show it off.

Harry also noted that dress robes were also required this year. They had been required last year, the first time for Harry and his friends. It had been because of a dance, the Yule Ball, around Christmas time. Harry thought that the dance must have been such a big hit that Dumbledore decided to have another one this year.

He was looking at a form that would allow him to visit Hogsmeade, an all-wizarding village near Hogwarts, this year, when the phone rang. Harry could hear that Uncle Vernon had answered the phone. After a short conversation, Uncle Vernon started upstairs. Harry quickly hid his food, and Uncle Vernon opened his door. Harry stuffed the whole letter into his pocket.

"Boy!" Uncle Vernon snorted. "Old Mrs. Figg wants to see you at her house. She wouldn't say why, though. Now get!"

Harry went downstairs and out the house. Mrs. Figg was a neighbor of Harry's aunt and uncle who loved cats. She used to watch Harry when the Dursleys wanted to go out, especially on Dudley's birthdays. Harry always hated this because her house always smelled like cabbage and cats, and she was always making him look at pictures of all her cats.

Harry walked down the street, unsure of why Mrs. Figg would want to see him. Harry approached her door and rang the doorbell. After a minute, Mrs. Figg opened it. "Hello, Harry," she said, smiling. "There's someone here who wants to see you."

Before Harry could ask whom, she ushered him into her living room. Sitting there was a thin man, with black hair. He was not emaciated, but still very thin. It also looked like someone had tried to fix his once long and untidy hair, with little success. They did manage to cut it to a reasonable length, though. Harry knew immediately who this was.

"Sirius?" Harry asked, unsure if this could really be his godfather. "What are you doing here?" That was exactly what Harry was thinking, because he had no idea how this innocent accused murderer wizard could end up in the home of his elderly muggle neighbor.

"Harry!" Sirius yelled, excited to see his godson again. Sirius stood up, and hugged Harry. "Dumbledore asked me to visit a few people, Mrs. Figg being one of them. But it wasn't until I got here that I realized how close she lived to you." Harry figured Mrs. Figg must be a witch, but was pretending to be a muggle. There was probably a good reason for it, too, but he couldn't think of any off the top of his head, and thought it would be rude to ask, anyway.

Sirius continued. "I'm afraid I can't tell you why I'm here exactly, but does it really matter?" Harry looked at Sirius, wondering what the answer was. "What really matters is that it's your birthday, and I'd like to celebrate it with you."

Harry's eyes lit up. "Really?"

Sirius nodded. "Why wouldn't I want to? I am your godfather, after all."

"It's just that I've never had anyone want to celebrate my birthday with me," Harry explained. "It wasn't until a few years ago that I actually got any decent presents."

Sirius stared at Harry as though he was crazy. Sirius shrugged, and said, "All the more reason to celebrate it with you."

Sirius picked up a lumpy package from the couch he had been sitting on (the couch, not the package). "It's not much, since I've been spending a lot of time hiding and whatnot. But, I hope you like it."

Harry took the package from Sirius, which was very light. He opened it up to reveal a bunch of feathers. Harry wasn't sure it that was his present or the wizarding equivalent of bubble wrap. But, a quick inspection revealed that the feathers were attached. He carefully pulled them out, to find that the feathers formed a large blanket. Harry smiled, and hugged Sirius. "Thank you," he said.

"You're welcome, Harry," Sirius replied. "It's from Buckbeak, you know." Harry fondly remembered the hippogriff that used to belong to Hagrid. After "attacking" Harry's rival, Draco Malfoy, Buckbeak was condemned to death. But, Harry and Hermione had managed to help him avoid death by letting him serve as Sirius's getaway steed. The two had been travelling with each other since then.

Sirius continued on, "He's molted twice now. His down feathers, the small, fluffy ones, are supposed to be the underside of the blanket. The darker feathers were his outer feathers. They go on top to help keep heat in." Sirius pulled back so he could look into his godson's eyes, which were bright green. "Not much used in the summer, except maybe as a very soft pillow. But I'd bet anything that it'll keep you plenty warm in the winter."

"Thanks," Harry said again. He paused for a moment, admiring his most recent gift. "Speaking of Buckbeak, how's he doing? And where is he?"

"He's been great, even if there hasn't been a lot for us to eat until recently. But, we've got a little problem with him. Arabella, Mrs. Figg to you, doesn't want him in the house. The cats don't like him. But I can't let him stay outside because then the muggles will see him." Sirius sighed, obviously wishing that there was an easy answer to the problem.

Then, Harry got an idea. "I know, Sirius. I still have my father's old Invisibility Cloak. I think it would just be able to cover him."

Sirius thought for a moment. "Hmmm…I think it might. But, I'm not sure I want to take it from you. It is yours, after all."

"That's okay, Sirius," Harry said. "You can just borrow it. All you have to do is return it before you leave." This made Harry think. "By the way, how long are you going to stay here, Sirius?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid I'm only going to be here for a few more days, Harry." He looked at Harry, who looked disappointed. Sirius felt mean telling Harry that he was going to leave soon. After all, he didn't get to see Harry that much. He felt like he owed it to Harry to spend more time with him. "I'm sorry, Harry," he whispered.

Sirius thought for a moment. Then, "Say, Harry, why don't we go out tomorrow night?" Harry's eyes brightened. "I know where you live, just leave your window open. We'll go out on Buckbeak and spend some time together."

Before Harry could say anything, Mrs. Figg came into the room with a cake. It was a beautiful homemade cake, with white and green frosting. It said "Happy 15th Birthday Harry," and it had fifteen candles on it. Harry was stunned. Nobody had ever gave him a cake with candles on it. Mrs. Figg turned down the lights, and nodded at Sirius. They sung "Happy Birthday" to Harry, to the best of their ability. Then, Sirius said, "Make a wish, Harry."

Harry stared at the cake for a moment. He had never got to make a wish and blow out the candles on a cake before. He had no idea what to wish for. He did make up his mind, though, and blew out the candles, just like he had seen Dudley do many times. The only difference was that unlike Dudley, Harry managed to get them all out in one breath.

Sirius and Mrs. Figg clapped. "You know, Harry," Mrs. Figg said, "muggles say that if you don't tell anyone, your wish might come true. Well, in our world, we have wishing candles." She motioned towards the cake.

"If you blow out as many wishing candles as you are old on your birthday in one try," she continued, "odds are that your wish will come true, as long as you don't tell anyone." Harry smiled, thinking of what he had wished for. He hoped with all of his of might that it would come true.

Harry didn't know what to say, but Sirius did. "Let's eat some cake!" he said excitedly.

Mrs. Figg took the cake back to the kitchen, followed by Harry and Sirius. She also had some chocolate ice cream sitting out, thawing a little. By the ice cream were three plates and three bowls. She cut the circular cake, reveling that it was chocolate, and gave Harry a wedge of it. She also cut a slice for her and Sirius. Then, she moved on to the ice cream. She had a scoop ready, and scooped the ice cream into the three bowls.

The three of them sat down at the table and began to eat. Harry realized that this was the first time that he had ever celebrated his birthday like a normal person. While eating, Harry felt a bulge in his pocket. He pulled it out, and he realized that it was his Hogwarts letter. He pulled out the Hogsmeade form, and looked towards Sirius.

"Sirius," he said, "I got my Hogwarts letter today. I have a form so I can go to Hogsmeade."

Sirius looked puzzled. "I thought Dumbledore accepted what I had for you last year. Didn't we meet a Hogsmeade?"

"Yeah," Harry said.

"But, when I was in school, our parents only had to fill it out once, in our third year, and the form was good for the rest of our time at Hogwarts. I wonder why they've changed it," Sirius pondered.

"Well, I don't," Mrs. Figg said. "With all that's going on in the world, I wouldn't be surprised if some of the parents don't want their kids going to Hogsmeade any more. Especially now that You-Know-Who's on the rise."

Harry nodded, thinking that what she said made sense. Most of the parents had signed the form during a time of peace, when most people thought that Voldemort was gone for good. But now, as the world found out that he had survived and is back to his full strength, some of the parents probably wouldn't feel safe about letting their kids leave the school.

"Well, I'll gladly sign your form Harry. You are, after all, James's son. And I know for a fact that there was no stopping James and there'll be no stopping you. This way, at least, you won't have to go sneaking around to do it." Sirius thought for a moment. "Not that I or James, rest his soul, would disapprove of you sneaking around…" Sirius thought it was best to keep it at that, so he took the form and signed it.

"Harry, who's your Head of House, again?" Sirius asked.

"McGonagall," Harry replied.

"Oh, her," Sirius said. "I don't know if she believes Dumbledore on my innocence, so you'd better play it safe and turn this in directly to Dumbledore. After all, we don't want anybody questioning how you got in contact with an escaped murdered." Sirius laughed. Harry shared a chuckle, and then accepted the signed form with a nod, agreeing that it was best to give it to Dumbledore.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The day dragged on, and Harry and Sirius talked about nearly everything. Mrs. Figg occasionally added something, but left the conversation mostly to the other two. When it got late, Harry and Sirius snuck around back of Number 4 Privet Drive. Harry managed to climb up the house and enter his room through his open window.

As Harry put down his new blanket and began to pull out his Invisibility Cloak, he noticed that the last owl that had shown up was still there. It hooted at him. "I know," Harry said. "I haven't forgotten about you." Harry leaned out the window, and held out the cloak.

"Here it is," he said. He dropped it, and it fell into the waiting hands of Sirius.

"Thanks a lot, Harry," Sirius said.

"No problem," Harry replied. "Goodbye," he said. He waved down at Sirius.

"Goodbye until tomorrow night," Sirius responded. "And don't forget to get lots of rest tomorrow."

Harry was about to say goodbye again, when he realized something. "Uh, Sirius?" he said.

"What it is, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"The Dursleys don't know I'm home. I need to enter through the front door." Harry looked down at his godfather.

"Okay, then." Sirius put down the Invisibility Cloak, and held out his arms. "Jump down, Harry."

Harry was looking at Sirius in question. Sirius didn't have a lot to eat while on the run, and Harry wasn't sure that Sirius was strong enough to support his weight. "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Of course I'm sure." Sirius looked up at Harry. "I'll catch you. Trust me. I haven't let you die so far, and I won't let you now." He laughed. Harry, belatedly realizing that the last sentence was a joke, joined in.

"Okay, if you say so," he said. He sat down on the edge of the window, and jumped.

Just as he said he would, Sirius caught Harry. He held Harry in his arms for a minute before he put him down. Harry didn't protest. It was the first time anyone had held him in their arms since before his parents had died.

As Sirius walked Harry to the door, Harry realized how tired he was. The sun had set without their noticing. Slightly leaning on Sirius, Harry was glad to know that someone loved and cared about him. Sirius hid under the Invisibility Cloak while Harry rang the doorbell. He watched as Harry's uncle angrily let Harry in the house.

He even went to the back of the house, to see Harry's silhouette turn out his light and get in bed, too tired to even get changed. As he walked back to Arabella's house, he smiled to himself. He was glad that, even with all the tension with the return of the Dark Lord, Harry was still able to enjoy life a little.

Special Thanks - Where I thank those who have reviewed my story so far…

Well, this section is supposed to be where I thank the people who reviewed my story (hence the subtitle), and I really should have started this last chapter. But I have one small problem. NOBODY HAS REVIEWED MY STORY SO FAR!!!!! Well, technically, my sister has, but she reviewed it before I had the actual story put up. I can't believe that NOBODY has read this story and had the decency to review it. I don't care if you flame me; it's better than not reviewing. I've tried advertising this story, yet I've seen ZERO reviews. Maybe if I change the summary, more people will read it. And for goodness sakes, if you read this, PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!