Locked Inside
.:Okay, haven't written a Harry Potter fic in a while now. Hope y'all enjoy this. I'm currently working on the next part. Ideas/criticisms are welcome:.
The family living at number four, Privet Drive, if you could indeed call them a family, were just sitting down to Sunday dinner when something happened. The Dursleys, the main occupants of the house, were rather unused to strange occurrences, but Harry Potter, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley's nephew, was at first unfazed by the event. It all started with a simple letter.
The letter, written in dark purple ink on a thick piece of parchment, would have upset Vernon Dursley in itself. The contents and way of delivery made him furious.
Harry's eyes widened slightly as he glanced from the letter that had been dropped into the mail slot by a large barn owl moments before to his uncle's reddening face. The letter was addressed, he was surprised to notice, not only to himself but to his aunt and uncle. Before Mr. Dursley could begin his tirade, however, Harry snatched up the letter and opened it. Quickly scanning its contents, his startled expression grew even more pronounced. His cousin Dudley, who had been reading over his shoulder, his fear of magic momentarily forgotten in the midst of his curiosity, let out a slight shriek before waddling from the room, both hands clamped firmly over his behind.
"Oh, no," Aunt Petunia snapped, knowing what this tell-tale sign meant. "I won't have any more of those freaks under my roof! Not after what happened last time!"
Harry resisted the urge to smile as his thoughts turned to the previous summer when the Weasleys had picked him up for the Quidditch World Cup. Fred Weasley, one of his best friend Ron's older brothers, had given Dudley an experimental wizarding treat called Ton-Tongue Toffee. The effects had been disastrous, even though Mr. Weasley had straightened the whole mess out. The event was far from forgotten, however, and Harry had been paying for it ever since.
Once again his thoughts were pulled back to the letter as his uncle began yelling, having snatched the letter from Harry's hands. This message, however, was not from the Weasleys, but rather from Professor Dumbledore himself, headmaster of Harry's school. If the letter was to be believed, sometime the next day Harry would be picked up by one of his Professors from school and brought to a "safer location" for the rest of the summer. It didn't say where he would be, but did comment that he should be prepared to go directly to Hogwarts at the start of the term.
Harry glanced up as his uncle paused for a breath. "I'm sure it's nothing," he said. "The headmaster will know to send someone the normal way, and you'll be rid of me for the rest of the summer. No more magic."
Vernon's face turned purple at the sound of the word. "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY THAT WORD IN MY PRESENCE!" he bellowed.
Harry shrugged. "Sorry, but you know it's true." His uncle began ranting again, but Harry knew it was only a matter of time before he convinced himself to let his nephew go. After all, it would rid him of the "abnormality" two months sooner than expected, and Dudley could have his second bedroom back.
After a good fifteen minutes of yelling, which Harry easily tuned out, his uncle finally exclaimed, "FINE! But if they show up here, bursting through fireplaces and casting spells everywhere, you're never coming back here, understand?"
"Perfectly," Harry replied. "I'll just go pack then." Without waiting for another word, he darted upstairs to his room. He quickly scribbled out a note to Hermione, explaining the situation and asking her to inform Ron. He quickly tied it to Hedwig's leg and told her, "Stay with Hermione for the rest of the summer, okay? I'm not sure where I'm going and I don't want you wandering around trying to find me." The snowy owl nipped his fingers fondly before flying out of the open window. It was near dusk and no one noticed her shadowy form gliding down the empty street.
§§§§§§
The next day at twelve o'clock sharp, the front doorbell rang. Almost instantly, the house went silent. Dudley had hastily flipped off the television and scrambled into the next room, one hand clamped on his mouth, the other on his buttocks. Aunt Petunia stood up nervously wringing her hands. Harry's trunk and school things had been brought downstairs earlier, and he jumped up excitedly. Uncle Vernon shot him a warning glare and hesitantly marched to the door and opened it.
Harry tried to see past his Uncle's large frame, eager to know who had come to get him, but to no avail. Giving up, he quickly grabbed his trunk from the other side of the room as Vernon growled, "Who are you?"
The young wizard inside instantly recognized the crisp voice that replied. "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmaster at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry." If she noticed the way the Dursleys flinched at the name and anxiously glanced around the street, she ignored it. "I'm here to collect Harry Potter."
Vernon snorted. "Of course you are. Harry! Come here!" Harry obliged, casting his teacher a slight smile as he slipped past his uncle onto the porch. "There," the large man said, eyeing McGonagall suspiciously. "Now you've got him, so be on your way. That letter said something about urgency or some such." That said, he promptly shut the door in their faces.
McGonagall glared at the offending object. "I knew Dumbledore had made a mistake leaving you here," she said, not particularly to Harry. "These muggles are just." She trailed off, glancing at him. "Right then. We'd best get going." Turning, she marched down off the porch, Harry scrambling behind her with his trunk. She led him to a nearby alley, where she paused for a moment, looking at him.
"I'm about to do something," she told him, "that you are not to attempt to repeat until you have been taught how in your sixth year. Do you understand?" Harry nodded, curious. His confusion grew when the Hogwarts professor took out her wand and, glancing once more at Harry before bending down, quickly sketched a pentagon onto the ground around them. Standing up once again, she said, "Via."
An instant later, Harry had the strangest sensation of the world melting away, and suddenly he was standing inside a room he had never seen before. McGonagall was still beside him, as were his possessions. "What was that?" he exclaimed, bewildered.
The Transfiguration teacher gazed sternly at him and replied, "One of the older ways of transportation, from before Apparation had been thought of. And remember, you are not to try to do it."
"Of course," Harry said, slightly annoyed. His fingers were itching to grab his wand and try it for himself, but he firmly resolved to keep to his word. Glancing around for the first time, he was startled to discover they were not alone. "You!" he snapped as his eyes landed on the figure sprawled across a chair in the corner.
Draco Malfoy glanced up, his customary smirk fixed across his face. "Me, Potter."
Before either of the boys could say anything else, McGonagall said, "If you'd both just step into the next room, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will be quite willing to explain everything."
To Harry's surprise, Draco simply obeyed without a comment. Harry quickly followed him through the door. Professor Dumbledore was indeed in the next room, and he was not alone.
"Ah, yes, here they are now" Professor Dumbeldore started before he could say anything. "I'm afraid there's little time for catching up now, but rest assured, there will be plenty later." He smiled kindly at the boy before continuing. "Now, Harry, the reason you have been brought here is to ensure you a bit of extra protection for the remainder of summer break. You-along with Draco and Severus-will be staying here until the first of September, when the new term starts."
Harry blanched slightly. It was bad enough sharing Hogwarts with Snape and Malfoy, but an entire two months locked in a house with them?
"Until then," Dumbledore continued, "the three of you will reside inside these walls. None of you are to leave for any reason. We have taken care to put up a number of wards around the house, and we will also be performing Fidelius Charm. Minerva will be your secret-keeper. Unfortunately, we need to perform the charm and be off as soon as possible. Do you have any questions?"
No one replied, and the headmaster nodded. "Then I shall see you on September first. Good bye." He got up and walked from the room. After glancing worriedly around at the room's occupants, Professor McGonagall followed him. The door closed behind her with an ominous thud.
.:Hope you liked it. Btw, if you care, "Via" is Latin for "road." Made up the spell, and it is the only thing I own in the whole story. I even stole- er, borrowed-the title idea from Nancy Werlin . Great book, you should read it. Review, please:.
.:Okay, haven't written a Harry Potter fic in a while now. Hope y'all enjoy this. I'm currently working on the next part. Ideas/criticisms are welcome:.
The family living at number four, Privet Drive, if you could indeed call them a family, were just sitting down to Sunday dinner when something happened. The Dursleys, the main occupants of the house, were rather unused to strange occurrences, but Harry Potter, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley's nephew, was at first unfazed by the event. It all started with a simple letter.
The letter, written in dark purple ink on a thick piece of parchment, would have upset Vernon Dursley in itself. The contents and way of delivery made him furious.
Harry's eyes widened slightly as he glanced from the letter that had been dropped into the mail slot by a large barn owl moments before to his uncle's reddening face. The letter was addressed, he was surprised to notice, not only to himself but to his aunt and uncle. Before Mr. Dursley could begin his tirade, however, Harry snatched up the letter and opened it. Quickly scanning its contents, his startled expression grew even more pronounced. His cousin Dudley, who had been reading over his shoulder, his fear of magic momentarily forgotten in the midst of his curiosity, let out a slight shriek before waddling from the room, both hands clamped firmly over his behind.
"Oh, no," Aunt Petunia snapped, knowing what this tell-tale sign meant. "I won't have any more of those freaks under my roof! Not after what happened last time!"
Harry resisted the urge to smile as his thoughts turned to the previous summer when the Weasleys had picked him up for the Quidditch World Cup. Fred Weasley, one of his best friend Ron's older brothers, had given Dudley an experimental wizarding treat called Ton-Tongue Toffee. The effects had been disastrous, even though Mr. Weasley had straightened the whole mess out. The event was far from forgotten, however, and Harry had been paying for it ever since.
Once again his thoughts were pulled back to the letter as his uncle began yelling, having snatched the letter from Harry's hands. This message, however, was not from the Weasleys, but rather from Professor Dumbledore himself, headmaster of Harry's school. If the letter was to be believed, sometime the next day Harry would be picked up by one of his Professors from school and brought to a "safer location" for the rest of the summer. It didn't say where he would be, but did comment that he should be prepared to go directly to Hogwarts at the start of the term.
Harry glanced up as his uncle paused for a breath. "I'm sure it's nothing," he said. "The headmaster will know to send someone the normal way, and you'll be rid of me for the rest of the summer. No more magic."
Vernon's face turned purple at the sound of the word. "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU NOT TO SAY THAT WORD IN MY PRESENCE!" he bellowed.
Harry shrugged. "Sorry, but you know it's true." His uncle began ranting again, but Harry knew it was only a matter of time before he convinced himself to let his nephew go. After all, it would rid him of the "abnormality" two months sooner than expected, and Dudley could have his second bedroom back.
After a good fifteen minutes of yelling, which Harry easily tuned out, his uncle finally exclaimed, "FINE! But if they show up here, bursting through fireplaces and casting spells everywhere, you're never coming back here, understand?"
"Perfectly," Harry replied. "I'll just go pack then." Without waiting for another word, he darted upstairs to his room. He quickly scribbled out a note to Hermione, explaining the situation and asking her to inform Ron. He quickly tied it to Hedwig's leg and told her, "Stay with Hermione for the rest of the summer, okay? I'm not sure where I'm going and I don't want you wandering around trying to find me." The snowy owl nipped his fingers fondly before flying out of the open window. It was near dusk and no one noticed her shadowy form gliding down the empty street.
§§§§§§
The next day at twelve o'clock sharp, the front doorbell rang. Almost instantly, the house went silent. Dudley had hastily flipped off the television and scrambled into the next room, one hand clamped on his mouth, the other on his buttocks. Aunt Petunia stood up nervously wringing her hands. Harry's trunk and school things had been brought downstairs earlier, and he jumped up excitedly. Uncle Vernon shot him a warning glare and hesitantly marched to the door and opened it.
Harry tried to see past his Uncle's large frame, eager to know who had come to get him, but to no avail. Giving up, he quickly grabbed his trunk from the other side of the room as Vernon growled, "Who are you?"
The young wizard inside instantly recognized the crisp voice that replied. "I am Professor Minerva McGonagall, deputy headmaster at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry." If she noticed the way the Dursleys flinched at the name and anxiously glanced around the street, she ignored it. "I'm here to collect Harry Potter."
Vernon snorted. "Of course you are. Harry! Come here!" Harry obliged, casting his teacher a slight smile as he slipped past his uncle onto the porch. "There," the large man said, eyeing McGonagall suspiciously. "Now you've got him, so be on your way. That letter said something about urgency or some such." That said, he promptly shut the door in their faces.
McGonagall glared at the offending object. "I knew Dumbledore had made a mistake leaving you here," she said, not particularly to Harry. "These muggles are just." She trailed off, glancing at him. "Right then. We'd best get going." Turning, she marched down off the porch, Harry scrambling behind her with his trunk. She led him to a nearby alley, where she paused for a moment, looking at him.
"I'm about to do something," she told him, "that you are not to attempt to repeat until you have been taught how in your sixth year. Do you understand?" Harry nodded, curious. His confusion grew when the Hogwarts professor took out her wand and, glancing once more at Harry before bending down, quickly sketched a pentagon onto the ground around them. Standing up once again, she said, "Via."
An instant later, Harry had the strangest sensation of the world melting away, and suddenly he was standing inside a room he had never seen before. McGonagall was still beside him, as were his possessions. "What was that?" he exclaimed, bewildered.
The Transfiguration teacher gazed sternly at him and replied, "One of the older ways of transportation, from before Apparation had been thought of. And remember, you are not to try to do it."
"Of course," Harry said, slightly annoyed. His fingers were itching to grab his wand and try it for himself, but he firmly resolved to keep to his word. Glancing around for the first time, he was startled to discover they were not alone. "You!" he snapped as his eyes landed on the figure sprawled across a chair in the corner.
Draco Malfoy glanced up, his customary smirk fixed across his face. "Me, Potter."
Before either of the boys could say anything else, McGonagall said, "If you'd both just step into the next room, I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will be quite willing to explain everything."
To Harry's surprise, Draco simply obeyed without a comment. Harry quickly followed him through the door. Professor Dumbledore was indeed in the next room, and he was not alone.
"Ah, yes, here they are now" Professor Dumbeldore started before he could say anything. "I'm afraid there's little time for catching up now, but rest assured, there will be plenty later." He smiled kindly at the boy before continuing. "Now, Harry, the reason you have been brought here is to ensure you a bit of extra protection for the remainder of summer break. You-along with Draco and Severus-will be staying here until the first of September, when the new term starts."
Harry blanched slightly. It was bad enough sharing Hogwarts with Snape and Malfoy, but an entire two months locked in a house with them?
"Until then," Dumbledore continued, "the three of you will reside inside these walls. None of you are to leave for any reason. We have taken care to put up a number of wards around the house, and we will also be performing Fidelius Charm. Minerva will be your secret-keeper. Unfortunately, we need to perform the charm and be off as soon as possible. Do you have any questions?"
No one replied, and the headmaster nodded. "Then I shall see you on September first. Good bye." He got up and walked from the room. After glancing worriedly around at the room's occupants, Professor McGonagall followed him. The door closed behind her with an ominous thud.
.:Hope you liked it. Btw, if you care, "Via" is Latin for "road." Made up the spell, and it is the only thing I own in the whole story. I even stole- er, borrowed-the title idea from Nancy Werlin . Great book, you should read it. Review, please:.