Disclaimer - I do not own any of the people or places from the Harry Potter
books and movies that are in these stories - as a fan I just use them in my
own original work!
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Author's Note - I've only written one fic before and ended up stopping after 3 chapters because I didn't like the way it had turned out, so please give me constructive criticism - no flames though! Hope you enjoy!
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*Prologue*
Harry Potter lay awake in his bed. His mind was racing, though you would never know it to look at him. He thought of his godfather, Sirius, who had died just months before. He thought of Dumbledore, Hagrid, Tonks, Mundungus, and everyone else at the order. He thought of his best friend Ron and the rest of the Weasleys, as well as his other best friend Hermione.
Hermione. He had been thinking of her a lot lately, more than ever before. Perhaps it was just because of the fact he was going to visit her in exactly 1 week. For the first time he was going to see what her home was like. Before he had always gone to the Burrow or Grimmauld Palace, but now Sirius was gone and Ron's family was in Romania visiting one of their oldest sons Charlie. Hermione had known Harry couldn't bear a full summer with the Dursleys' so she arranged for him to come to her house for the last 3 weeks of the holidays. Harry was so grateful that he had such great friends when he received her letter a week earlier. However, now he hadn't heard from a single one since. This was very depressing to him seeing as the next day was his birthday.
Harry couldn't believe he was about to turn 16. He would be starting his 2'nd to last year at Hogwarts this fall, and though this was very scary and saddening, as Hogwarts was the only real home he had ever had, it was also exciting. He would soon be free of the Dursley's forever and would never have to do homework again.
He laughed aloud at this happy thought, and then rolled over to see what time it was. His clock read 12:01. He was 16, yet he didn't feel much different. However, as he thought about it, he had matured a lot since starting his schooling, and in more than one way. He had battled the Dark Lord 4 times, and that had a major impact on him. He had lost friends, and gained new ones. He had developed an interest in girls and even had his first kiss. He had also matured physically. Though he was still quite skinny, he had gained a lot of muscle over the years, through Quidditch (a wizard sport played on broomstick) and the use of Dudley's old weight set over the summer. His face was older, though it still had a boyish quality to it, partly in thanks to his glasses. His hair, still as messy and unruly as ever as well as his crooked grin gave him a cute charm that few could resist. However his eyes were deep and caring, still just as bright as his mother's. They had a slight hardness to them though, but that was understandable considering all he had been through. Harry had to admit, he was definitely not the little boy he had once been.
There was a tapping at the window that interrupted his thoughts. He tiptoed over to open it and in came a small, hyperactive owl accompanied by an older brown owl that he recognized as Pig and Errol, the Weasley's owls and 3 others he did not recognize. As soon as Harry opened the window, Pig and one of the other owls dragged Errol in. Errol was very old and was having trouble delivering the large package tied to his leg. Harry hurriedly removed his parcel, allowing the elderly owl to get to Hedwig's cage.
Harry opened his package and inside it found several wizarding sweets such as a large bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, several Chocolate frogs, and 6 bottles of Butterbeer. He also found several joke sweets and prank supplies. There was a quick note from Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George. It read:
"Dear Harry,
Hope your break is as good as ours! Our shop has been doing wonderfully, and we owe it all to you, well and Umbridge but that was unintentional. We hope your holidays have been as wicked as ours, though it must be awful living with those horrible muggles. Well hopefully this will cheer you up a bit! Happy birthday mate!
Fred and George"
Harry smiled at the thought of the twins finally making their dreams come true. They had always wanted to own their own joke shop, but never had the means to do it. In his fourth year, Harry had won the Triwizard Tournament and given them his prize money. Nearly a year later they quit school during their last year because of Professor Umbridge, and left for Hogsmeade to start their own shop. Because their business had grown so much, they now also had one in Diagon Alley that was managed by their friend Lee Jordan. He would definitely be needing those sweets, for Aunt Petunia still had everyone on the diet Dudley's school nurse had recommended for him.
Next, he opened Ron's parcel. It contained several Quidditch magazines and a WWN (Wireless Wizarding Network) receiver. This fascinated Harry, as he had never seen one before only heard of them. He dared not turn it on though; in fear it would wake one of the Dursley's. Ron had also given him a large cake.
The next package he opened was his usual school letter, notifying him of the date on which school would start, what his schedule would be, what supplies he would need, and what time the school train left. It also had a little note that he was being added as a prefect, as was Lavender. This did not excite him as much as he had thought it would, but all the same, it brought a smile to his lips.
The next owl also looked like a school owl, although he was not sure what it could be bringing. Then he remembered that it was probably Hagrid's gift. When he opened it, he realized he was only partly right. It was from Hagrid, but also Professor Dumbledore. Inside were several baked goods that looked as though Hagrid had made them himself. Harry knew he would neglect to eat these unless he absolutely had to. There was also, what Harry recognized to be a Pensive Kit from Dumbledore. He had seen one of these in his office, as well as Snape's. They were used to put your memories into, and this type was made especially for underage wizards who could not use their wand to perform magic out of school. This was definitely something he would use. There was also a cake, which seemed to be bought from a muggle store.
That left only one person who could have sent the last owl. Harry's stomach gave a funny lurch as he reached to remove her present from the owl's leg. This owl was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was such a rich brow color it was almost golden. There was something oddly familiar about it but he could not decide exactly what. He slowly began to open the wrapping on his last parcel. He wanted to savor this feeling of happiness for as long as possible. When he finally saw the present in his hand, he stared at it in awe.
It was an album filled with pictures. It started with some of his parents from their school days, and worked its way forward through the years until it reached the picture of him, Ron, and Hermione at King's Cross Station right after getting off the Hogwarts Express at the end of their fifth year.
"Oh Hermione..." he whispered, feeling a sensation he had never known before. This was the nicest thing he could ever imagine anyone doing for him. As he read the note that came with it, a warm sensation filled his chest. It was like the first time he had tasted butterbeer in Hogsmeade, only a thousand times better. Suddenly he could not wait for a week to pass, so he could see her again.
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Author's Note - I've only written one fic before and ended up stopping after 3 chapters because I didn't like the way it had turned out, so please give me constructive criticism - no flames though! Hope you enjoy!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*
*Prologue*
Harry Potter lay awake in his bed. His mind was racing, though you would never know it to look at him. He thought of his godfather, Sirius, who had died just months before. He thought of Dumbledore, Hagrid, Tonks, Mundungus, and everyone else at the order. He thought of his best friend Ron and the rest of the Weasleys, as well as his other best friend Hermione.
Hermione. He had been thinking of her a lot lately, more than ever before. Perhaps it was just because of the fact he was going to visit her in exactly 1 week. For the first time he was going to see what her home was like. Before he had always gone to the Burrow or Grimmauld Palace, but now Sirius was gone and Ron's family was in Romania visiting one of their oldest sons Charlie. Hermione had known Harry couldn't bear a full summer with the Dursleys' so she arranged for him to come to her house for the last 3 weeks of the holidays. Harry was so grateful that he had such great friends when he received her letter a week earlier. However, now he hadn't heard from a single one since. This was very depressing to him seeing as the next day was his birthday.
Harry couldn't believe he was about to turn 16. He would be starting his 2'nd to last year at Hogwarts this fall, and though this was very scary and saddening, as Hogwarts was the only real home he had ever had, it was also exciting. He would soon be free of the Dursley's forever and would never have to do homework again.
He laughed aloud at this happy thought, and then rolled over to see what time it was. His clock read 12:01. He was 16, yet he didn't feel much different. However, as he thought about it, he had matured a lot since starting his schooling, and in more than one way. He had battled the Dark Lord 4 times, and that had a major impact on him. He had lost friends, and gained new ones. He had developed an interest in girls and even had his first kiss. He had also matured physically. Though he was still quite skinny, he had gained a lot of muscle over the years, through Quidditch (a wizard sport played on broomstick) and the use of Dudley's old weight set over the summer. His face was older, though it still had a boyish quality to it, partly in thanks to his glasses. His hair, still as messy and unruly as ever as well as his crooked grin gave him a cute charm that few could resist. However his eyes were deep and caring, still just as bright as his mother's. They had a slight hardness to them though, but that was understandable considering all he had been through. Harry had to admit, he was definitely not the little boy he had once been.
There was a tapping at the window that interrupted his thoughts. He tiptoed over to open it and in came a small, hyperactive owl accompanied by an older brown owl that he recognized as Pig and Errol, the Weasley's owls and 3 others he did not recognize. As soon as Harry opened the window, Pig and one of the other owls dragged Errol in. Errol was very old and was having trouble delivering the large package tied to his leg. Harry hurriedly removed his parcel, allowing the elderly owl to get to Hedwig's cage.
Harry opened his package and inside it found several wizarding sweets such as a large bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, several Chocolate frogs, and 6 bottles of Butterbeer. He also found several joke sweets and prank supplies. There was a quick note from Ron's twin brothers, Fred and George. It read:
"Dear Harry,
Hope your break is as good as ours! Our shop has been doing wonderfully, and we owe it all to you, well and Umbridge but that was unintentional. We hope your holidays have been as wicked as ours, though it must be awful living with those horrible muggles. Well hopefully this will cheer you up a bit! Happy birthday mate!
Fred and George"
Harry smiled at the thought of the twins finally making their dreams come true. They had always wanted to own their own joke shop, but never had the means to do it. In his fourth year, Harry had won the Triwizard Tournament and given them his prize money. Nearly a year later they quit school during their last year because of Professor Umbridge, and left for Hogsmeade to start their own shop. Because their business had grown so much, they now also had one in Diagon Alley that was managed by their friend Lee Jordan. He would definitely be needing those sweets, for Aunt Petunia still had everyone on the diet Dudley's school nurse had recommended for him.
Next, he opened Ron's parcel. It contained several Quidditch magazines and a WWN (Wireless Wizarding Network) receiver. This fascinated Harry, as he had never seen one before only heard of them. He dared not turn it on though; in fear it would wake one of the Dursley's. Ron had also given him a large cake.
The next package he opened was his usual school letter, notifying him of the date on which school would start, what his schedule would be, what supplies he would need, and what time the school train left. It also had a little note that he was being added as a prefect, as was Lavender. This did not excite him as much as he had thought it would, but all the same, it brought a smile to his lips.
The next owl also looked like a school owl, although he was not sure what it could be bringing. Then he remembered that it was probably Hagrid's gift. When he opened it, he realized he was only partly right. It was from Hagrid, but also Professor Dumbledore. Inside were several baked goods that looked as though Hagrid had made them himself. Harry knew he would neglect to eat these unless he absolutely had to. There was also, what Harry recognized to be a Pensive Kit from Dumbledore. He had seen one of these in his office, as well as Snape's. They were used to put your memories into, and this type was made especially for underage wizards who could not use their wand to perform magic out of school. This was definitely something he would use. There was also a cake, which seemed to be bought from a muggle store.
That left only one person who could have sent the last owl. Harry's stomach gave a funny lurch as he reached to remove her present from the owl's leg. This owl was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was such a rich brow color it was almost golden. There was something oddly familiar about it but he could not decide exactly what. He slowly began to open the wrapping on his last parcel. He wanted to savor this feeling of happiness for as long as possible. When he finally saw the present in his hand, he stared at it in awe.
It was an album filled with pictures. It started with some of his parents from their school days, and worked its way forward through the years until it reached the picture of him, Ron, and Hermione at King's Cross Station right after getting off the Hogwarts Express at the end of their fifth year.
"Oh Hermione..." he whispered, feeling a sensation he had never known before. This was the nicest thing he could ever imagine anyone doing for him. As he read the note that came with it, a warm sensation filled his chest. It was like the first time he had tasted butterbeer in Hogsmeade, only a thousand times better. Suddenly he could not wait for a week to pass, so he could see her again.