A stag watched him from atop a hill, examining him inch by inch. As he turned away, a great
black dog bounded up at him, barking a greeting. Riding on his back was a rat, who hung on for
dear life, clinging to the long hairs. They headed down the hill, and Harry followed, gliding
over the grass like a ghost. He came closer to the three, when something screamed, a shrill
screech that caused them to cringe, as if to get it out of their heads. It came from the forest,
an ethereal figure coming towards them. Another on the opposite side came forward, as did Harry.
As they enveloped the three animals, the dog stared into Harry's eyes as the shadows took them
over. Harry stumbled, then continued. In that one moment, the rat bit the dog, then scampered
away, escaping.
His eyes opened wide, trying to see where the rat went. Rat, Wormtail. The connections fell
into place even as the details fell away. The only thing that stayed clear in his mind were the
crystal blue eyes, usually filled with confidence and amusement, scared. Sirius' eyes. The door
slammed open, Vernon in a dress robe in the doorway.
"What's going on?" he asked, rushed. He stared around the room ferverently, as if anything
would jump out and attack him.
"Er, nothing. Just a dream," he mumbled, still staring at the ceiling.
He grumbled, then went back to his room. Aunt Petunia stayed in the doorway a moment longer,
looking at him pitiously, then left as well.
After multiple attempts to fall asleep, he gave up and got dressed as light filtered into
the room. Going downstairs, he opened the fridge and grabbed an apple before heading out to
think. It was about time he did.
Once the sun finally woke up, it saw Harry sitting on a park bench, his feet on the seat.
The quiet suburb was washed with colours as the sun disturbed the clouds in their dark sleep.
The eyes were still imprinted in his own, unable to leave. He held his head up and stared at the
wooden pieces that made the bench. Looking sideways, he frowned as the corner of the bench
appeared and disappeared frequently. After blinking his eyes a few times, he figured it out.
"I know you're there."
After a moment, Tonks showed herself, her hair now a shade of neon yellow.
"Hey Harry. How'd you know I was there?" she asked softly, sitting down next to him.
"Your invisibility cloak was floating over the bench corner," he replied, not bothering
to look up from the bench.
Minutes passed before they said anything.
"Still miss him?" Tonks murmured, her usual cheerful voice now solemn.
"Yeah. Everything reminds me of him now," said Harry bitterly. "Why'd he have to die?"
"I wish he hadn't either. Who would?"
"Lestrange."
Silence took over again while the rooftops changed back to their normal colours.
A pair of voices got louder as they neared the bench. It were the new neighbors, who had
a whiny little kid that always carried a baby blue blanket. The two joggers watched Harry and
Tonks disdainfully, then continued on their way.
"You should head back to Privet Drive before everyone starts coming through here.
I'll be behind you in the cloak."
Obeying, he got down and began to walk down the path that connected to Magnolia Cresent.
"Harry!" someone cried from behind him as he went up the driveway. Turning around with
dread, it was at he expected. Karen.
"Hi," he said glumly, attempting to speed up. Unluckily for him, Tonks stopped him.
"Talk to her," she whispered in his ears. "I'll be sitting at the tree."
"I hate you Tonks," he mumbled as he turned around.
"What did you say?" she asked pleasantly.
"Oh, nothing," he replied. He noticed a girl hiding behind Karen. "Who's that hiding?"
Karen pulled the girl forward, presenting a young girl with a pale face and auburn hair,
who stared at him fearfully. She seemed familiar.
"This is my little sister Sarah. She's 14," Karen introduced.
"Hey Sarah," he greeted, sitting in his usual spot on the brick wall.
"I have to go get something from Dudley. Stay here and talk to Harry, okay Sarah?"
Karen went up to the front door and knocked. Sarah sat down next to Harry. She then
commented, "Do you know why my sister likes you?"
"No idea."
"She saw your picture in Witch Weekly," Sarah replied. "She thinks you're a star or
something. I think it's too funny to correct her."
"You're in Ravenclaw, aren't you," he mumbled. Now he remembered. She was at Neville's
party.
"Yeah. You remember?" she asked, her voice going high.
"Sort of. At Neville's party. Karen's not a witch, right?" he asked nervously.
"No. I'm the first in my family. She's really jealous, she likes the wizarding world. I
think that's another reason why she likes you."
"Oh."
"You don't like her, right?"
"No. To tell you the truth, your sister's almost stalking me," he replied.
"She does that sometimes,"she said.
The girl in question came back outside with her purse. "Sorry I took so long."
"I should go in for breakfast," he said. "Nice to see you again, Sarah."
Heading inside, he sat down at the table and ate the carrot sticks slowly. Dudley came
down and smirked. "Guess who I just kissed?"
"The picture of a cake you have in your room? You would marry it too, if you were allowed
to," Harry mumbled, chewing.
"Very funny, Harry. It was Karen," he said smugly. "I won her over; too bad for you, I
know you had your eye on her."
"I think your memory isn't as good as it was, Dudley. I guess boxing killed the few brain
cells that worked," he replied. "Anyways, I don't like her."
"So you like that chinese girl from yesterday? Chi?" he asked.
"Her name's Cho. And I don't like her anymore," he replied, finishing them off. He started
on the feeble piece of an orange.
"You're just jealous because I got Karen and you didn't," he continued.
"Whatever," he rolled his eyes, then headed up the stairs.
"You are," Dudley called as he went into his room.
Going inside, he started to pack. Tomorrow was when he was leaving for Hermione's. By the
time he was finished, he had used up all the energy from his small breakfast. Looking through his
trunk, he found one last box of Chocolate Frogs at the bottom. As he ate one, a pair of voices
drifted through the window.
"Why'd he say 'see you again' Sarah?"
"He was at the party I went to. Remember, you got angry because you couldn't come and threw
your own party."
"So he goes to your school? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I don't need to tell you anything, Karen. He doesn't like you."
There was silence, then there was a clap-like sound and a cry of pain.
"Don't you dare say that ever again. What do you know? Don't butt in where you don't belong.
You just want him for yourself."
"He told me, okay? While you were inside, we were talking and he said that he didn't like
you. He thinks you're stalking him, which is pretty much what you've been doing."
"You're lying. You are! I can see it! You do like him!"
Harry moved for the window, wanting to close it. He didn't want to hear anymore.
"If I did, Cho would've attacked me already."
He stopped. Cho?
"That chinese girl? I saw here yesterday with Harry. Don't tell me she likes him too. Of
course, I'm being stupid. I need to beat her, one way or another."
He slowly closed the window, then sat down on the bed. He could get away from her tomorrow.
Just one more day.
black dog bounded up at him, barking a greeting. Riding on his back was a rat, who hung on for
dear life, clinging to the long hairs. They headed down the hill, and Harry followed, gliding
over the grass like a ghost. He came closer to the three, when something screamed, a shrill
screech that caused them to cringe, as if to get it out of their heads. It came from the forest,
an ethereal figure coming towards them. Another on the opposite side came forward, as did Harry.
As they enveloped the three animals, the dog stared into Harry's eyes as the shadows took them
over. Harry stumbled, then continued. In that one moment, the rat bit the dog, then scampered
away, escaping.
His eyes opened wide, trying to see where the rat went. Rat, Wormtail. The connections fell
into place even as the details fell away. The only thing that stayed clear in his mind were the
crystal blue eyes, usually filled with confidence and amusement, scared. Sirius' eyes. The door
slammed open, Vernon in a dress robe in the doorway.
"What's going on?" he asked, rushed. He stared around the room ferverently, as if anything
would jump out and attack him.
"Er, nothing. Just a dream," he mumbled, still staring at the ceiling.
He grumbled, then went back to his room. Aunt Petunia stayed in the doorway a moment longer,
looking at him pitiously, then left as well.
After multiple attempts to fall asleep, he gave up and got dressed as light filtered into
the room. Going downstairs, he opened the fridge and grabbed an apple before heading out to
think. It was about time he did.
Once the sun finally woke up, it saw Harry sitting on a park bench, his feet on the seat.
The quiet suburb was washed with colours as the sun disturbed the clouds in their dark sleep.
The eyes were still imprinted in his own, unable to leave. He held his head up and stared at the
wooden pieces that made the bench. Looking sideways, he frowned as the corner of the bench
appeared and disappeared frequently. After blinking his eyes a few times, he figured it out.
"I know you're there."
After a moment, Tonks showed herself, her hair now a shade of neon yellow.
"Hey Harry. How'd you know I was there?" she asked softly, sitting down next to him.
"Your invisibility cloak was floating over the bench corner," he replied, not bothering
to look up from the bench.
Minutes passed before they said anything.
"Still miss him?" Tonks murmured, her usual cheerful voice now solemn.
"Yeah. Everything reminds me of him now," said Harry bitterly. "Why'd he have to die?"
"I wish he hadn't either. Who would?"
"Lestrange."
Silence took over again while the rooftops changed back to their normal colours.
A pair of voices got louder as they neared the bench. It were the new neighbors, who had
a whiny little kid that always carried a baby blue blanket. The two joggers watched Harry and
Tonks disdainfully, then continued on their way.
"You should head back to Privet Drive before everyone starts coming through here.
I'll be behind you in the cloak."
Obeying, he got down and began to walk down the path that connected to Magnolia Cresent.
"Harry!" someone cried from behind him as he went up the driveway. Turning around with
dread, it was at he expected. Karen.
"Hi," he said glumly, attempting to speed up. Unluckily for him, Tonks stopped him.
"Talk to her," she whispered in his ears. "I'll be sitting at the tree."
"I hate you Tonks," he mumbled as he turned around.
"What did you say?" she asked pleasantly.
"Oh, nothing," he replied. He noticed a girl hiding behind Karen. "Who's that hiding?"
Karen pulled the girl forward, presenting a young girl with a pale face and auburn hair,
who stared at him fearfully. She seemed familiar.
"This is my little sister Sarah. She's 14," Karen introduced.
"Hey Sarah," he greeted, sitting in his usual spot on the brick wall.
"I have to go get something from Dudley. Stay here and talk to Harry, okay Sarah?"
Karen went up to the front door and knocked. Sarah sat down next to Harry. She then
commented, "Do you know why my sister likes you?"
"No idea."
"She saw your picture in Witch Weekly," Sarah replied. "She thinks you're a star or
something. I think it's too funny to correct her."
"You're in Ravenclaw, aren't you," he mumbled. Now he remembered. She was at Neville's
party.
"Yeah. You remember?" she asked, her voice going high.
"Sort of. At Neville's party. Karen's not a witch, right?" he asked nervously.
"No. I'm the first in my family. She's really jealous, she likes the wizarding world. I
think that's another reason why she likes you."
"Oh."
"You don't like her, right?"
"No. To tell you the truth, your sister's almost stalking me," he replied.
"She does that sometimes,"she said.
The girl in question came back outside with her purse. "Sorry I took so long."
"I should go in for breakfast," he said. "Nice to see you again, Sarah."
Heading inside, he sat down at the table and ate the carrot sticks slowly. Dudley came
down and smirked. "Guess who I just kissed?"
"The picture of a cake you have in your room? You would marry it too, if you were allowed
to," Harry mumbled, chewing.
"Very funny, Harry. It was Karen," he said smugly. "I won her over; too bad for you, I
know you had your eye on her."
"I think your memory isn't as good as it was, Dudley. I guess boxing killed the few brain
cells that worked," he replied. "Anyways, I don't like her."
"So you like that chinese girl from yesterday? Chi?" he asked.
"Her name's Cho. And I don't like her anymore," he replied, finishing them off. He started
on the feeble piece of an orange.
"You're just jealous because I got Karen and you didn't," he continued.
"Whatever," he rolled his eyes, then headed up the stairs.
"You are," Dudley called as he went into his room.
Going inside, he started to pack. Tomorrow was when he was leaving for Hermione's. By the
time he was finished, he had used up all the energy from his small breakfast. Looking through his
trunk, he found one last box of Chocolate Frogs at the bottom. As he ate one, a pair of voices
drifted through the window.
"Why'd he say 'see you again' Sarah?"
"He was at the party I went to. Remember, you got angry because you couldn't come and threw
your own party."
"So he goes to your school? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I don't need to tell you anything, Karen. He doesn't like you."
There was silence, then there was a clap-like sound and a cry of pain.
"Don't you dare say that ever again. What do you know? Don't butt in where you don't belong.
You just want him for yourself."
"He told me, okay? While you were inside, we were talking and he said that he didn't like
you. He thinks you're stalking him, which is pretty much what you've been doing."
"You're lying. You are! I can see it! You do like him!"
Harry moved for the window, wanting to close it. He didn't want to hear anymore.
"If I did, Cho would've attacked me already."
He stopped. Cho?
"That chinese girl? I saw here yesterday with Harry. Don't tell me she likes him too. Of
course, I'm being stupid. I need to beat her, one way or another."
He slowly closed the window, then sat down on the bed. He could get away from her tomorrow.
Just one more day.