***************************** Ch. 1 *****************************

It was approaching the first day of the school term and Harry Potter wasn't even happy. In fact he really didn't feel a thing. He hadn't felt much since... well, what happened just months before. He had, however, noticed his aunt and uncle had become quite awkward around each other since the incident last summer with the howler, and that neither had so much as looked at Harry. Dudley had taken to locking himself in his room for the entire day, and he had missed so much school that Smeltings had expelled him. Things in everyone's life seemed to be awful at number four, Privet Drive, Harry thought to himself that gloomy, overcast summer evening.

Hedwig screeched loudly at the window, and Harry got up from the worn spot in his bed that had become the shape of his steadily maturing sixteen year old body. Wearily he unlatched the window to the outside world, allowing his snowy white owl Hedwig to swoop galiantly in. She perched gladly in her cage atop Harry's dresser, but only after dropping a peice of parchment on his bed. Harry glanced carelessley at the envelope, figuring it was from the school announcing the list of books and other necessities required for his sixth year at Hogwarts, and gasped at the familiar writing on the front of the envelope. Sirius.

Normally Harry would have just been glad and opened the letter, happy to hear from his fugitive god father, but the circumstances made him pass out in shock. His uncle had died at the end of the last school term. When Harry came to he saw the letter still lying there, innocent as can be, atop his grungy bed covers. Harry got up from his resting spot on the floor next to his bed and with shaking hands took the letter into his hands.

"Mr. Harry Potter, bedroom upstairs, number four Privet Drive...etc" Harry read the address over and over, making sure it was actually Sirius' handwriting, and turned the envelope over nervously. He tore the flap carefully and lifted it, revealing worn parchment paper inside. He pulled out the letter and set the envelope down on his bed, turning the letter around in his hands, then ever so carefully opening it, heart pounding.

"Dear Harry, I'm suprised you cared that much! Stop beating yourself up, Harry, I'm not really gone, but I can't tell you much else except that I will be watching you like I did that night so long ago at Privet Drive. I will see you again when I arrive at the cave on the second trip. Bring Ron and Hermione, but don't tell them what is going on... They'll tell Dumbledore and we can't have that right now. I'll see you soon, god son!

Love,

Fluffy"