Disclaimer: All characters and the wizarding and muggle worlds belong to J. K. Rowling. I only own the story line and the mysterious visitor Ashleigh.
It was another boring and stifling summer at number four Privet Drive and Harry Potter was sitting on the roof of his Uncle and Aunt's house. It was his birthday tomorrow. Sweet sixteen. He was stretched out on his back staring at the stars; he couldn't sleep much these days ever since Sirius had fallen behind that curtain. Tormenting Dudley, one of the few pleasures he'd had left had lost its appeal. One day when Dudley had been knocked out five seconds into a boxing match, The first thing Harry had thought of doing was to write to Sirius to tell him about it. But then he had remembered.
Hedwig hooted softly beside him. Harry stroked her snowy wing gently; she'd finished hunting for the night. It was strange how the whole wizarding world always seemed like a dream at Privet Drive except for Hedwig, his school things and the occasional owl post. He hoped desperately that the Weasleys would whisk him away from the Dursleys for his birthday.
Footsteps padded on the pavement below him and he stuck his head over the edge of the roof cautiously. It sounded like it was heading towards Mrs. Figg's. Who would visit her at this time of the night? What if it was one of Voldemort's followers? His stomach churned at the thought as he pulled out his wand and climbed down quietly from the roof onto a tree and dropped lightly into Mrs. Figg's front garden behind a pair of shrubs. Someone knocked at the door and Harry peered over the top of the bush carefully and saw a cloaked figure peering around but it did not see him. He heard Mrs. Figg call out tentatively, "Who's there?"
The cloaked person replied in a low woman's voice, "It's me, Ashleigh." The door was flung open abruptly.
"Ashleigh? What are you doing here? It's 11 o'clock!" Mrs. Figg exclaimed as quietly and as she could with a note of relief in her voice.
Ashleigh laughed as she removed her hood revealing long silver blonde hair. Her back was to Harry so he couldn't discern her age. "My cousin was in the area so I decided to come and pay you a visit as well. Dumbledore finally got in touch with me, at the beginning of the summer and a year after he'd had the old gang up and running." She shook her head, "I know he had had trouble getting in contact with me but you'd think that he'd have tried a little bit harder considering that Sirius had broken out of Azkaban three years ago. And now," her voice choked with suppressed emotion, "it's too late to see him again."
The old lady gave the blonde woman a hug, "Come inside love and we'll have a hot cup of tea and a good long chat. You'll have to catch me up on what you've been up to and I'll try to give you all the news, a lot has happened the past sixteen years." They both entered the house and closed the door.
Harry stood up, his heart pounding, that woman called Ashleigh was a complete mystery. He probably shouldn't have spied on them but he was pretty sure both women wouldn't have appreciated it if he'd had stood up in the middle of it and announced himself. He wondered whether Ron would know who she was. Hermione's parents were both muggles so it was quite likely that she wouldn't have a clue. He climbed up a tree into his open window and threw himself onto his bed and stared at the ceiling wondering who he should owl. Maybe he should talk to Mrs. Figg first, pay her a visit in the morning. Perhaps her visitor might still be there.
* * * * *
That morning, Hedwig pecked at his nose to wake him up. The doorbell rang and Harry glanced at his watch, 6:34 am, the Dursleys would still be asleep. He padded downstairs and opened it. Moody, Tonks and Remus grinned at his tousled figure and Harry grinned back in return. "Happy Birthday Harry," growled Moody.
"Cheers Harry, happy sixteenth!" Said Tonks and Remus in unison.
Uncle Vernon roughly pushed him out of the doorway, "What are you doing here?" He turned to Harry angrily, "Why are your kind here? Did you invite them you ungrateful brat?"
"No he didn't Mr. Dursley," said Moody menacingly. "Harry's our friend and it's his birthday today so we'd thought we'd surprise him."
Uncle Vernon's many chins quivered as he tried not to quail from Moody's fierce glare and revolving blue eye. "Fine take him, we don't want him around."
"Mind you, it's only for the rest of this summer," remarked Lupin quietly. He gave Harry a meaningful look. "Let's go get you things."
Harry followed them into the house in a happy daze, he was being whisked away for the rest of the summer and that was the best birthday present he could ever think of! Ten minutes later he was on broomstick, flying high and away form Privet Drive with the three wizards and witch in tow. He'd totally forgotten about Mrs. Figg's visitor.
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A.N: Please be nice, this is my second fan fiction piece and the first Harry potter one I've ever attempted. Please read and review. Also, those who are diehard Harry Potter fans will know that Mrs. Figg actually lives two streets away from his home but I only found that out in the middle of the third paragraph and I was too lazy to fix it.