CHAPTER 2:
BACK TO THE BURROW, AGAIN
Harry placed the phone back into its cradle, thousands of questions running through his mind.
An hour later, he heard the Dursleys' car pull up in the driveway. "What a complete waste of time," Uncle Vernon growled as he came through the door. "We should have at least inherited the yacht, and instead we get the stuffed jackelope! Who would want one of these things, anyway?"
Harry's next morning with the Dursleys' was the same as usual. Harry was helping himself to his bowl of corn flakes, while the Dursleys ignored him intentionally. Uncle Vernon was reading the newspaper, while Dudley's head absorbed more and more gamma rays from the television.
All of a sudden, there was a thud at the windowpane, and Aunt Petunia shrieked in alarm, causing all of the others in the kitchen to jump.
"What?!" Uncle Vernon demanded.
"Something flew into the window!" Aunt Petunia replied alarmingly.
Harry got up out of his chair, hurried to the window, and opened it.
Jumping excitably up and down on the windowsill was a small owl with an enveloped letter in its beak.
Harry smiled ear-to-ear as he picked Pigwigeon up through the window and into the kitchen.
"OWLS!!!" Uncle Vernon roared as Pig twittered energetically. "Not again!"
"Oh, come on!" Harry moaned, finally losing his temper. "What's with you people? It's just an owl, not a man-eating tiger!"
This, of course, didn't help a bit. The Dursleys were always paranoid of anything associated with the wizarding world. It was almost as if they were expecting a dozen wizards and witches to jump into their house through an open window, transfigure all three of them into baboons, then run off laughing into the night.
So, Harry just set Pig down on the countertop as he read Ron's letter:
Dear Harry,
I just wanted to know if you'd like to come over to the Burrow
for the rest of the summer. I've already asked Mum and Dad if
you could, and they said yes! Hermione's already here. Ask the
muggles if it's okay for you to come, and send their answer back
to us with Pig. If they say its okay, we'll come and get you.
If they don't, we'll see you on the train for school.
Ron
P.S. If the muggles say that it's okay with them, remind them
to unblock the fireplace this time!
Harry hurried over to Uncle Vernon. "Uh, Uncle Vernon," he began. "Ron Weasley, a friend of mine from Hog-from my school-wants to know if I could come over to his place for the rest of the summer. Is it okay with you?"
Uncle Vernon's face turned a slight shade of green. "Ron Weasley? Isn't that the kid who's father destroyed our living room two years ago?!"
"Yes, but they didn't mean to. Listen, just unblock the fireplace and they won't do any damage."
"How stupid do you think I am? Not only did they demolish the living room, but they also gave our son a large, purple tongue! Then, the father attacked us!"
"That large, purple tongue was only a practical joke! It couldn't do any harm! And Mr. Weasley wasn't attacking you! He was trying to help Dudley by fixing his tongue so that it wouldn't grow big enough to suffocate him! Just give him another chance!"
Uncle Vernon's face turned even greener. "Well...alright...I'll...give him another chance. But if he so much as lays a finger on us, you'll be the one who'll pay!"
"Fine."
Harry quickly grabbed a pen and parchment and wrote:
Dear Ron,
They said yes!
Harry
He folded the parchment and gave it to Pig, who then flew back out the window and disappeared beyond the horizon.
Later on, Uncle Vernon removed the boards from the back of the fireplace, as well as the electric fire.
"Remember what I said earlier, boy," Uncle Vernon growled from behind the sofa. "If they so much as lay a finger on us...."
"I'll be the one who'll pay," Harry finished for him. Despite his uncle's threat, Harry wasn't in the least bit worried, knowing that Mr. Weasley wouldn't after what happened last time.
Suddenly, a large, green fire ignited in the fireplace, causing all three of the Dursleys to jump up in alarm. Out of the fire sprang Mr. Weasley, followed closely by Ron.
"Hey, Harry!" Ron greeted.
"Hey, Ron!" Harry replied.
Mr. Weasley looked around the living room with the emotion of a toddler who had just entered Disneyland. He then spotted the Dursleys, who looked as if Adolf Hitler had just entered the room. "Oh, hello!" Mr. Weasley greeted them enthusiastically.
The Dursleys instinctively backed up about six feet. Uncle Vernon was eyeing Mr. Weasley's right hand closely, which was residing in his robe pocket.
"Good to see you again!" Mr. Weasley said cheerily, and he sprang towards the Dursleys and embraced them in an enormous group hug.
Uncle Vernon was making a face that seemed to say, "get this nutter off me!"
Mr. Weasley let go of them and spotted Harry. "Hello, Harry!" he greeted in his usual polite voice. "How've you been?"
"Fine," Harry replied.
"Er...are you sure?"
"Yeah." Harry knew why Mr. Weasley had asked him this. It was because of the sudden death of his godfather, Sirius, which had been rather hard on him lately.
Mr. Weasley said nothing for a moment, then said, "well...er...shall we go, Harry?"
"All right."
Mr. Weasley and Ron helped Harry with his luggage and Hedwig's cage, and they each went through the green flames, one by one, leaving the flabbergasted Dursleys behind.
TO BE CONTINUED
BACK TO THE BURROW, AGAIN
Harry placed the phone back into its cradle, thousands of questions running through his mind.
An hour later, he heard the Dursleys' car pull up in the driveway. "What a complete waste of time," Uncle Vernon growled as he came through the door. "We should have at least inherited the yacht, and instead we get the stuffed jackelope! Who would want one of these things, anyway?"
Harry's next morning with the Dursleys' was the same as usual. Harry was helping himself to his bowl of corn flakes, while the Dursleys ignored him intentionally. Uncle Vernon was reading the newspaper, while Dudley's head absorbed more and more gamma rays from the television.
All of a sudden, there was a thud at the windowpane, and Aunt Petunia shrieked in alarm, causing all of the others in the kitchen to jump.
"What?!" Uncle Vernon demanded.
"Something flew into the window!" Aunt Petunia replied alarmingly.
Harry got up out of his chair, hurried to the window, and opened it.
Jumping excitably up and down on the windowsill was a small owl with an enveloped letter in its beak.
Harry smiled ear-to-ear as he picked Pigwigeon up through the window and into the kitchen.
"OWLS!!!" Uncle Vernon roared as Pig twittered energetically. "Not again!"
"Oh, come on!" Harry moaned, finally losing his temper. "What's with you people? It's just an owl, not a man-eating tiger!"
This, of course, didn't help a bit. The Dursleys were always paranoid of anything associated with the wizarding world. It was almost as if they were expecting a dozen wizards and witches to jump into their house through an open window, transfigure all three of them into baboons, then run off laughing into the night.
So, Harry just set Pig down on the countertop as he read Ron's letter:
Dear Harry,
I just wanted to know if you'd like to come over to the Burrow
for the rest of the summer. I've already asked Mum and Dad if
you could, and they said yes! Hermione's already here. Ask the
muggles if it's okay for you to come, and send their answer back
to us with Pig. If they say its okay, we'll come and get you.
If they don't, we'll see you on the train for school.
Ron
P.S. If the muggles say that it's okay with them, remind them
to unblock the fireplace this time!
Harry hurried over to Uncle Vernon. "Uh, Uncle Vernon," he began. "Ron Weasley, a friend of mine from Hog-from my school-wants to know if I could come over to his place for the rest of the summer. Is it okay with you?"
Uncle Vernon's face turned a slight shade of green. "Ron Weasley? Isn't that the kid who's father destroyed our living room two years ago?!"
"Yes, but they didn't mean to. Listen, just unblock the fireplace and they won't do any damage."
"How stupid do you think I am? Not only did they demolish the living room, but they also gave our son a large, purple tongue! Then, the father attacked us!"
"That large, purple tongue was only a practical joke! It couldn't do any harm! And Mr. Weasley wasn't attacking you! He was trying to help Dudley by fixing his tongue so that it wouldn't grow big enough to suffocate him! Just give him another chance!"
Uncle Vernon's face turned even greener. "Well...alright...I'll...give him another chance. But if he so much as lays a finger on us, you'll be the one who'll pay!"
"Fine."
Harry quickly grabbed a pen and parchment and wrote:
Dear Ron,
They said yes!
Harry
He folded the parchment and gave it to Pig, who then flew back out the window and disappeared beyond the horizon.
Later on, Uncle Vernon removed the boards from the back of the fireplace, as well as the electric fire.
"Remember what I said earlier, boy," Uncle Vernon growled from behind the sofa. "If they so much as lay a finger on us...."
"I'll be the one who'll pay," Harry finished for him. Despite his uncle's threat, Harry wasn't in the least bit worried, knowing that Mr. Weasley wouldn't after what happened last time.
Suddenly, a large, green fire ignited in the fireplace, causing all three of the Dursleys to jump up in alarm. Out of the fire sprang Mr. Weasley, followed closely by Ron.
"Hey, Harry!" Ron greeted.
"Hey, Ron!" Harry replied.
Mr. Weasley looked around the living room with the emotion of a toddler who had just entered Disneyland. He then spotted the Dursleys, who looked as if Adolf Hitler had just entered the room. "Oh, hello!" Mr. Weasley greeted them enthusiastically.
The Dursleys instinctively backed up about six feet. Uncle Vernon was eyeing Mr. Weasley's right hand closely, which was residing in his robe pocket.
"Good to see you again!" Mr. Weasley said cheerily, and he sprang towards the Dursleys and embraced them in an enormous group hug.
Uncle Vernon was making a face that seemed to say, "get this nutter off me!"
Mr. Weasley let go of them and spotted Harry. "Hello, Harry!" he greeted in his usual polite voice. "How've you been?"
"Fine," Harry replied.
"Er...are you sure?"
"Yeah." Harry knew why Mr. Weasley had asked him this. It was because of the sudden death of his godfather, Sirius, which had been rather hard on him lately.
Mr. Weasley said nothing for a moment, then said, "well...er...shall we go, Harry?"
"All right."
Mr. Weasley and Ron helped Harry with his luggage and Hedwig's cage, and they each went through the green flames, one by one, leaving the flabbergasted Dursleys behind.
TO BE CONTINUED