Harry woke up six hours later, with his ears pounding horribly from the loud music from last
night. Moaning, he turned over and toppled off the bed. He didn't even remember how he had gotten
upstairs. After taking a shower, he stumbled down the stairs for breakfast.
"So how was the party, Dudley?" he asked conversationally.
"Great! I got to sit with Karen," he said excitedly. "The party was a blast; the music was
great, there was tons of food, and her house was cool."
"Uhuh," he replied. He hadn't heard half of what he said.
Dudley kept talking, but he couldn't hear a word he had spoken. It seemed to be a question,
because the three had turned to look at Harry.
"Er, what?"
Dudley repeated what he said.
"I can't hear you. It must've been the fireworks, all I hear is a ringing tone," Harry
shrugged, continuing to eat.
Dudley continued to talk to his parents, and after eating, Harry went to sit in the living
room, reading 'Seeker Tips'. By noon, he could hear most of what everyone said. When his hearing
came back, he went outside and sat back onto the partition wall, to read the book.
Then a shadow fell onto it, and he looked up to see Karen.
"Uh, hi," Harry said calmly, sitting up more so he could get more light.
"Hello. Sorry about accusing you last night," she murmured.
"Not your fault. It was last minute anyway," he shrugged, continuing to read.
"They look like a cool bunch of people," she commented.
"Yeah, but they live all over the place," he replied, flipping the page.
"What're you reading?" she asked, trying to read the cover.
"Nothing really," he said hurriedly, closing it and getting up.
"Can I see?" she asked, outstretching a hand.
"Um, not really," he said, going inside. Putting the book back in his room, he checked
through the window to see if she was still there. When she was nowhere in sight, he decided
to go to the shopping mall and hang around. For some reason, he was sort of scared of Karen.
After milling through a few stores, he went off to hang by the fountain. He then heard
high-pitched voices calling his name. To his left was Karen and Dudley, and to his right was
Cho. His fear of Karen beat his urge to hide from Cho, so he headed for the short 7th year.
"Hey Cho," he mumbled. "Suprise seeing you here."
"I was in town visiting my cousin, thought I'd do some muggle shopping," she shrugged.
"Harry!" Karen cried again from behind him.
"Uh, I think someone's looking for you," Cho commented.
"Oh bloody hell, I've got to lose her. C'mon," he muttered, grabbing her hand. He pulled
her to a bench far away, and hid behind a group of college students.
"Who's she?" Cho asked suspiciously. "Your girlfriend?"
"No, just some muggle who moved in across the street. I've been trying to avoid her all
day," he explained.
"I think she has a crush on you," she hinted, nudging him good-naturedly.
"Oh please no. My cousin is so infatuated with her it's sick. I'm glad Neville's party
was last night, or I would of had to stand her all night."
"Oh yeah, last night was a blast. Those fireworks were wonderful! I bet they'd be great at
Quidditch matches," she said emphatically.
They began to talk Quidditch, and Harry was explaining a neat way to get people off your
trail from 'Seeker Tips', when someone came up to him. Looking up in dread, he met the eyes of
Karen and Dudley.
"Oh Harry, who's this?" Cho said sweetly.
"Er, Karen, this is Cho. Cho, Karen," he introduced. "Oh, and this is my cousin Dudley."
"Nice to meet you," she said cheerfully, looking up. Her face was completely innocent.
"So how do you know Harry?" Karen asked, trying to keep her face clear of emotion.
"Oh, we go to the same school," she replied.
"St. Brutus'?" she asked suspiciously. Harry replied before Cho could say anything.
"Well, not St. Brutus, it's a split school. The girls' side is called... St. Catherine's,"
he said hurriedly.
"Oh, well, what are you two doing?" Karen interrogated.
"Actually, Harry and I were going to go and meet up with some friends," she said, getting
up. "Coming, Harry?"
"Yup," he obeyed, standing. "See you two later."
They walked hurriedly away. Once they were far enough, Harry asked, "Are we actually going
to meet anyone?"
"Yes. I'm supposed to meet Ernie, Hannah, and Susan at the Food Court," she explained.
They rushed there, and saw the three other Hogwarts students sitting at a table.
Going over, Susan saw them and smiled. "Cho! Oh, and Harry, I didn't know you were here."
Shrugging, he stayed with them for the rest of the day, then went home as they left.
As he trudged his way home, he noticed a fleeting shadow, in the familiar shape of a dog. Last
year melted away, and he called, "Sirius? Is that you?"
He followed the dim shadow of the creature, hope filling him from head to toe.
Did Sirius come back?
He stumbled over a knee-high fence, then jumped onto the dog.
Pulling it forward, he looked at it, his heart sinking. It wasn't him. Letting the dog go,
he sat down on the grass, holding his head. He missed Sirius, the immaturity of his godfather.
His watch ticked at six o'clock, and he gathered himself together, his eyes moist.
"Stop acting like a kid, Harry," he muttered to himself. "He's gone, and'll stay that way."
The barrier of denial was broken; through the whole summer, he had refused the death of Sirius,
like he would come back and yell, "Suprise!"
Continuing on home, he sniffed and entered as quietly as he could.
"You're late, boy," Uncle Vernon snarled as he passed the kitchen doorway.
He looked at his relative with such hatred that moment that the beefy man stumbled on his
way to his armchair. Slowly heading up the stairs, he slumped onto the bed, looking at his
shaking hands. What was happening to him?
night. Moaning, he turned over and toppled off the bed. He didn't even remember how he had gotten
upstairs. After taking a shower, he stumbled down the stairs for breakfast.
"So how was the party, Dudley?" he asked conversationally.
"Great! I got to sit with Karen," he said excitedly. "The party was a blast; the music was
great, there was tons of food, and her house was cool."
"Uhuh," he replied. He hadn't heard half of what he said.
Dudley kept talking, but he couldn't hear a word he had spoken. It seemed to be a question,
because the three had turned to look at Harry.
"Er, what?"
Dudley repeated what he said.
"I can't hear you. It must've been the fireworks, all I hear is a ringing tone," Harry
shrugged, continuing to eat.
Dudley continued to talk to his parents, and after eating, Harry went to sit in the living
room, reading 'Seeker Tips'. By noon, he could hear most of what everyone said. When his hearing
came back, he went outside and sat back onto the partition wall, to read the book.
Then a shadow fell onto it, and he looked up to see Karen.
"Uh, hi," Harry said calmly, sitting up more so he could get more light.
"Hello. Sorry about accusing you last night," she murmured.
"Not your fault. It was last minute anyway," he shrugged, continuing to read.
"They look like a cool bunch of people," she commented.
"Yeah, but they live all over the place," he replied, flipping the page.
"What're you reading?" she asked, trying to read the cover.
"Nothing really," he said hurriedly, closing it and getting up.
"Can I see?" she asked, outstretching a hand.
"Um, not really," he said, going inside. Putting the book back in his room, he checked
through the window to see if she was still there. When she was nowhere in sight, he decided
to go to the shopping mall and hang around. For some reason, he was sort of scared of Karen.
After milling through a few stores, he went off to hang by the fountain. He then heard
high-pitched voices calling his name. To his left was Karen and Dudley, and to his right was
Cho. His fear of Karen beat his urge to hide from Cho, so he headed for the short 7th year.
"Hey Cho," he mumbled. "Suprise seeing you here."
"I was in town visiting my cousin, thought I'd do some muggle shopping," she shrugged.
"Harry!" Karen cried again from behind him.
"Uh, I think someone's looking for you," Cho commented.
"Oh bloody hell, I've got to lose her. C'mon," he muttered, grabbing her hand. He pulled
her to a bench far away, and hid behind a group of college students.
"Who's she?" Cho asked suspiciously. "Your girlfriend?"
"No, just some muggle who moved in across the street. I've been trying to avoid her all
day," he explained.
"I think she has a crush on you," she hinted, nudging him good-naturedly.
"Oh please no. My cousin is so infatuated with her it's sick. I'm glad Neville's party
was last night, or I would of had to stand her all night."
"Oh yeah, last night was a blast. Those fireworks were wonderful! I bet they'd be great at
Quidditch matches," she said emphatically.
They began to talk Quidditch, and Harry was explaining a neat way to get people off your
trail from 'Seeker Tips', when someone came up to him. Looking up in dread, he met the eyes of
Karen and Dudley.
"Oh Harry, who's this?" Cho said sweetly.
"Er, Karen, this is Cho. Cho, Karen," he introduced. "Oh, and this is my cousin Dudley."
"Nice to meet you," she said cheerfully, looking up. Her face was completely innocent.
"So how do you know Harry?" Karen asked, trying to keep her face clear of emotion.
"Oh, we go to the same school," she replied.
"St. Brutus'?" she asked suspiciously. Harry replied before Cho could say anything.
"Well, not St. Brutus, it's a split school. The girls' side is called... St. Catherine's,"
he said hurriedly.
"Oh, well, what are you two doing?" Karen interrogated.
"Actually, Harry and I were going to go and meet up with some friends," she said, getting
up. "Coming, Harry?"
"Yup," he obeyed, standing. "See you two later."
They walked hurriedly away. Once they were far enough, Harry asked, "Are we actually going
to meet anyone?"
"Yes. I'm supposed to meet Ernie, Hannah, and Susan at the Food Court," she explained.
They rushed there, and saw the three other Hogwarts students sitting at a table.
Going over, Susan saw them and smiled. "Cho! Oh, and Harry, I didn't know you were here."
Shrugging, he stayed with them for the rest of the day, then went home as they left.
As he trudged his way home, he noticed a fleeting shadow, in the familiar shape of a dog. Last
year melted away, and he called, "Sirius? Is that you?"
He followed the dim shadow of the creature, hope filling him from head to toe.
Did Sirius come back?
He stumbled over a knee-high fence, then jumped onto the dog.
Pulling it forward, he looked at it, his heart sinking. It wasn't him. Letting the dog go,
he sat down on the grass, holding his head. He missed Sirius, the immaturity of his godfather.
His watch ticked at six o'clock, and he gathered himself together, his eyes moist.
"Stop acting like a kid, Harry," he muttered to himself. "He's gone, and'll stay that way."
The barrier of denial was broken; through the whole summer, he had refused the death of Sirius,
like he would come back and yell, "Suprise!"
Continuing on home, he sniffed and entered as quietly as he could.
"You're late, boy," Uncle Vernon snarled as he passed the kitchen doorway.
He looked at his relative with such hatred that moment that the beefy man stumbled on his
way to his armchair. Slowly heading up the stairs, he slumped onto the bed, looking at his
shaking hands. What was happening to him?