Harry Potter and the Test of Faith
Chapter One: The Unexpected Invitation
Disclaimer: I don't own anything! This story has no monetary purpose, and it's just fan fiction.
*****************************************************************************
The sun was just rising over the horizon, illuminating Privet Drive. Golden rays fanned
out over the neatly manicured lawns, lighting up the brass knocker on the door of the house
owned by Vernon Dursley. This house was completely silent, as all but one of it's occupants was
asleep.
Harry Potter sat quietly at the window, his jet-black hair as untidy as ever, emerald-green
eyes looking intently skyward. He glanced around his bedroom, which was rather messy.
A trunk stood at the end of his bed, spell books and robes piled carelessly into it. The
small portion of the desk not taken up by a large cage was littered with spare bits of parchment, a
few quills, and an inkpot. A large cauldron sat in the corner, potion ingredients scattered around
the area. This room's contents were not-so-normal for a fifteen-year-old boy, but Harry wasn't a
normal fifteen-year-old boy.
Harry Potter was a wizard - a wizard fresh from his fifth year at Hogwart's School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had been training in magic for five years, since the gamekeeper,
half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, had turned up on Harry's doorstep and told him of his magical powers.
Harry did not know anything about the hidden magical world, because he had been brought up by
his mother's sister and her husband since the tragic demise of his own parents, who perished in
the attack of the most evil wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort.
It was this attack that made Harry so unusual, even for a wizard. Wormtail had betrayed
their whereabouts to Voldemort, who had been looking to kill the Potters for quite some time.
James Potter had tried to hold him off, yelling at Lily to take Harry and run. Voldemort killed
him, and told Lily to stand aside and kill Harry, she refused to stop shielding her son, so
Voldemort had killed her too, before turning his wand on Harry.
But somehow, the curse that had taken the lives of so many great witches and wizards
had failed, and instead of killing Harry, the spell had rebounded upon Voldemort. Barely alive,
Voldemort had fled...
But Harry had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts at the end of fourth year. He had
made it through the final task of the TriWizard tournament, touched the gleaming trophy, and it
transported him straight to a graveyard, where Harry witnessed Voldemort's rebirth.
Harry sighed. He had not heard from Ron or Hermione for two weeks. He had hoped that
he would be able to go to The Burrow for the end of his vacation, but the Weasley family had
gone to Romania to visit Charlie, so Harry was confined to number four, Privet Drive.
Suddenly, three owls swooped in through the open window. Harry checked the wall
calender in amazement. He had completely forgot that today was his birthday.
Errol, who belonged to the Weasley family, collapsed onto his bed, closely followed by
Hedwig and a brown tawny. All three of them had a parcel and a letter bound to their legs.
Harry removed the parcels and carried Errol and Hedwig to the cage. The brown owl
waited expectantly by the window, which made Harry think that there was something he must
return to Hogwarts.
Harry reached for Ron's letter.
Harry,
Happy Birthday! Are the muggles treating you right? I hope so.
Charlie has taken us around to see all sorts of dragons. Some look pretty nasty.
We saw a Hungarian Horntail up close. Man, I'm glad I didn't have to face one in the
TriWizard tournament like you did.
Hermione just wrote to me the other day. She sounds like she's having a nice
vacation. I'm sorry we couldn't get you away from the muggles this summer, mate.
I'm going to Diagon Alley on August 25th to get my school stuff. Can you make
it? If not, see you on September 1st!
Ron
Harry smiled and reached for the parcel. It contained a box full of miniature dragons that
were perfectly detailed and would breath real flame when you wanted them to. Harry looked
contentedly at the dragons, who roared minutely back at him.
Next was Hermione's parcel. It was extremely heavy and large. He ripped off the
wrappings and saw a black leather case. He undid the buckles and opened it.
Inside, there lay a dark red ball, two jet-black ones, two wooden clubs, and a small metal
case that held a tiny golden, winged ball. It was his very own Quidditch set.
"Wow, Hermione!" he exclaimed. The balls gleamed in the moonlight. He slit open her
letter.
Happy Birthday, Harry!
Ron contacted me and told me that you wouldn't be able to go to his house over the
summer, so I was wondering if you would like to spend the rest of the summer at my house. I've
already spoken to Dumbledore about it, and he says that you may come.
I'll understand if you don't want to, but if you do, we will pick you up on Saturday
around 10:00 am. If I don't hear from you before then, I'll assume that's alright and we'll see
you then!
Love,
Hermione
It was all he could do to not leap in the air and whoop. He would be leaving Privet Drive
in a day! He wouldn't have to go back to the Dursley's house for an entire year!
Barely containing himself, he reached for the last parcel, and recognized Hagrid's
handwriting. Inside there was a box containing a vast assortment of wizard sweets. Harry
sampled a few new varieties of chocolate before turning his attention to the thick envelope.
The feeling of elation from his presents was now replaced with a note of anxiety. He
knew that this envelope contained his O.W.L. results. He needed top grades to take N.E.W.T.
classes in the subjects he needed to become an Auror.
He opened the envelope and pulled out the letter with trembling hands.
Dear Mr. Potter,
Please note that the new school year begins on September First. The Hogwarts Express will
leave from Platform 9 & 3/4 at 9:00 am.
Enclosed are your O.W.L. results from your exam last June. Please fill out the enclosed form
and return it to the school for your N.E.W.T.s schedule and booklists.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
O.W.L Testing Results
Charms - Outstanding
Transfiguration - Exceeds Expectations
Herbology - Outstanding
Defense Against the Dark Arts - Outstanding
Potions - Exceeds Expectations
Care of Magical Creatures - Outstanding
Astronomy - Acceptable
Divination - Dreadful
History of Magic - Poor
Harry could have shrieked with relief. He had passed every subject he needed to pass for
Auror N.E.W.T. classes, provided that Snape would allow him to continue Potions. Harry was
not particularly worried about this - if Snape refused, Dumbledore would most likely step in and
defend him.
He pulled out the form and signed up for Auror classes. He attached the parchment to the
brown owl's leg and watched it fly into the sunrise.
Harry watched it leave and then headed downstairs for breakfast.
**********
The Dursleys were seated around the kitchen table when Harry arrived downstairs.
Dudley was eating his fifth stack of pancakes and watching the morning cartoons. Harry helped
himself to some bacon and sat down.
"Um, Uncle Vernon?"
His uncle grunted.
"Can I go spend the last month of my vacation with one of my friends?"
Grunt, grunt. Harry took that for a yes and said, "Thanks. Oh, and don't worry, her
family is Mug- er, normal."
Harry sprinted upstairs and threw his belongings haphazardly into his trunk. He knew that
Hermione wouldn't pick him up until the next day, but he didn't care. He sat down to do some
homework for the rest of the morning, feeling happier than he had in a long time.
****
A/N: I know that this was kind of a boring chapter, but I needed to set things up for the story. I
promise that things will get more interesting soon!
xoxo, actingflicka
Chapter One: The Unexpected Invitation
Disclaimer: I don't own anything! This story has no monetary purpose, and it's just fan fiction.
*****************************************************************************
The sun was just rising over the horizon, illuminating Privet Drive. Golden rays fanned
out over the neatly manicured lawns, lighting up the brass knocker on the door of the house
owned by Vernon Dursley. This house was completely silent, as all but one of it's occupants was
asleep.
Harry Potter sat quietly at the window, his jet-black hair as untidy as ever, emerald-green
eyes looking intently skyward. He glanced around his bedroom, which was rather messy.
A trunk stood at the end of his bed, spell books and robes piled carelessly into it. The
small portion of the desk not taken up by a large cage was littered with spare bits of parchment, a
few quills, and an inkpot. A large cauldron sat in the corner, potion ingredients scattered around
the area. This room's contents were not-so-normal for a fifteen-year-old boy, but Harry wasn't a
normal fifteen-year-old boy.
Harry Potter was a wizard - a wizard fresh from his fifth year at Hogwart's School of
Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had been training in magic for five years, since the gamekeeper,
half-giant Rubeus Hagrid, had turned up on Harry's doorstep and told him of his magical powers.
Harry did not know anything about the hidden magical world, because he had been brought up by
his mother's sister and her husband since the tragic demise of his own parents, who perished in
the attack of the most evil wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort.
It was this attack that made Harry so unusual, even for a wizard. Wormtail had betrayed
their whereabouts to Voldemort, who had been looking to kill the Potters for quite some time.
James Potter had tried to hold him off, yelling at Lily to take Harry and run. Voldemort killed
him, and told Lily to stand aside and kill Harry, she refused to stop shielding her son, so
Voldemort had killed her too, before turning his wand on Harry.
But somehow, the curse that had taken the lives of so many great witches and wizards
had failed, and instead of killing Harry, the spell had rebounded upon Voldemort. Barely alive,
Voldemort had fled...
But Harry had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts at the end of fourth year. He had
made it through the final task of the TriWizard tournament, touched the gleaming trophy, and it
transported him straight to a graveyard, where Harry witnessed Voldemort's rebirth.
Harry sighed. He had not heard from Ron or Hermione for two weeks. He had hoped that
he would be able to go to The Burrow for the end of his vacation, but the Weasley family had
gone to Romania to visit Charlie, so Harry was confined to number four, Privet Drive.
Suddenly, three owls swooped in through the open window. Harry checked the wall
calender in amazement. He had completely forgot that today was his birthday.
Errol, who belonged to the Weasley family, collapsed onto his bed, closely followed by
Hedwig and a brown tawny. All three of them had a parcel and a letter bound to their legs.
Harry removed the parcels and carried Errol and Hedwig to the cage. The brown owl
waited expectantly by the window, which made Harry think that there was something he must
return to Hogwarts.
Harry reached for Ron's letter.
Harry,
Happy Birthday! Are the muggles treating you right? I hope so.
Charlie has taken us around to see all sorts of dragons. Some look pretty nasty.
We saw a Hungarian Horntail up close. Man, I'm glad I didn't have to face one in the
TriWizard tournament like you did.
Hermione just wrote to me the other day. She sounds like she's having a nice
vacation. I'm sorry we couldn't get you away from the muggles this summer, mate.
I'm going to Diagon Alley on August 25th to get my school stuff. Can you make
it? If not, see you on September 1st!
Ron
Harry smiled and reached for the parcel. It contained a box full of miniature dragons that
were perfectly detailed and would breath real flame when you wanted them to. Harry looked
contentedly at the dragons, who roared minutely back at him.
Next was Hermione's parcel. It was extremely heavy and large. He ripped off the
wrappings and saw a black leather case. He undid the buckles and opened it.
Inside, there lay a dark red ball, two jet-black ones, two wooden clubs, and a small metal
case that held a tiny golden, winged ball. It was his very own Quidditch set.
"Wow, Hermione!" he exclaimed. The balls gleamed in the moonlight. He slit open her
letter.
Happy Birthday, Harry!
Ron contacted me and told me that you wouldn't be able to go to his house over the
summer, so I was wondering if you would like to spend the rest of the summer at my house. I've
already spoken to Dumbledore about it, and he says that you may come.
I'll understand if you don't want to, but if you do, we will pick you up on Saturday
around 10:00 am. If I don't hear from you before then, I'll assume that's alright and we'll see
you then!
Love,
Hermione
It was all he could do to not leap in the air and whoop. He would be leaving Privet Drive
in a day! He wouldn't have to go back to the Dursley's house for an entire year!
Barely containing himself, he reached for the last parcel, and recognized Hagrid's
handwriting. Inside there was a box containing a vast assortment of wizard sweets. Harry
sampled a few new varieties of chocolate before turning his attention to the thick envelope.
The feeling of elation from his presents was now replaced with a note of anxiety. He
knew that this envelope contained his O.W.L. results. He needed top grades to take N.E.W.T.
classes in the subjects he needed to become an Auror.
He opened the envelope and pulled out the letter with trembling hands.
Dear Mr. Potter,
Please note that the new school year begins on September First. The Hogwarts Express will
leave from Platform 9 & 3/4 at 9:00 am.
Enclosed are your O.W.L. results from your exam last June. Please fill out the enclosed form
and return it to the school for your N.E.W.T.s schedule and booklists.
Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress
O.W.L Testing Results
Charms - Outstanding
Transfiguration - Exceeds Expectations
Herbology - Outstanding
Defense Against the Dark Arts - Outstanding
Potions - Exceeds Expectations
Care of Magical Creatures - Outstanding
Astronomy - Acceptable
Divination - Dreadful
History of Magic - Poor
Harry could have shrieked with relief. He had passed every subject he needed to pass for
Auror N.E.W.T. classes, provided that Snape would allow him to continue Potions. Harry was
not particularly worried about this - if Snape refused, Dumbledore would most likely step in and
defend him.
He pulled out the form and signed up for Auror classes. He attached the parchment to the
brown owl's leg and watched it fly into the sunrise.
Harry watched it leave and then headed downstairs for breakfast.
**********
The Dursleys were seated around the kitchen table when Harry arrived downstairs.
Dudley was eating his fifth stack of pancakes and watching the morning cartoons. Harry helped
himself to some bacon and sat down.
"Um, Uncle Vernon?"
His uncle grunted.
"Can I go spend the last month of my vacation with one of my friends?"
Grunt, grunt. Harry took that for a yes and said, "Thanks. Oh, and don't worry, her
family is Mug- er, normal."
Harry sprinted upstairs and threw his belongings haphazardly into his trunk. He knew that
Hermione wouldn't pick him up until the next day, but he didn't care. He sat down to do some
homework for the rest of the morning, feeling happier than he had in a long time.
****
A/N: I know that this was kind of a boring chapter, but I needed to set things up for the story. I
promise that things will get more interesting soon!
xoxo, actingflicka