Chapter 2: AN UNEXPECTED TELEPHONE CALL
A/N: Read, Review, and Enjoy!
****
Harry Potter awoke with a start and looking around him, he noticed that his bed was wet from him sweating a storm. The summer night at Privet Drive was at its usual humid, steamy, and muggy condition and the Monday night air offered no solace for Harry. As he looked out the window, he envied all the nearby houses that were refreshed with the cool air emitting from their air conditioners. Not that there weren't any air conditioners at his house, for there were if Uncle Vernon had anything to say about it. In fact Uncle Vernon bought new air conditioners for Number Four only two weeks ago just to keep ahead of the neighbors. He even installed them himself. "Why should someone else install them?" he said to Aunt Petunia that day. "Those ruddy workers only do it to get a bloody tip. As if they don't get paid enough, ridiculous."
But it was no mystery that he neglected to put one in Harry's room. While Uncle Vernon most certainly remembered the warning that "strange bloke with a fake eye" (Mad-Eye Moody was his name, as Harry constantly reminded him, much to his uncle's annoyance) gave to him at Kings Crossing last June, however, this didn't stop him from being stingy when it came to actually spending money on his nephew.
Nevertheless Harry did see some improvement in the way both his aunt and uncle treated him, which was to simply ignore him. And that was fine by Harry. Reluctantly Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia did grant him some freedoms like allowing him to let his owl Hedwig out at night and even using the telephone, which was a first. Not that it was going to do Harry any good because the only person who had Harry's phone number was Ron, who yelled into Uncle Vernon's ear the last time he used the telephone.
Meanwhile Harry's cousin Dudley, who was the ringleader of his own gang of friends, avoided Harry like the plague, remembering the same warning last June and of his prior "negative" encounters with wizards. Harry was impressed by the treatment he received from the Dursleys and felt confident that he had no reason to tell anyone anything.
The dream that Harry had was one of many nightmares and flashbacks since his godfather Sirius fell into the Veil in the Department of Mysteries losing, at that moment, the one person whom he loved the most. Sure Harry cared about other people such as Ron and Hermione, his best friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Then there was Hagrid, a half- giant who was the groundskeeper at Hogwarts and the Care of Magical Creatures professor. Harry thought about the other people that he cared about, Mr. Weasley, his wife Mrs. Weasley and the rest of the Weasley family, Professor Lupin, Dumbledore...
Dumbledore.
The sound of that name suddenly gave Harry an angry feeling and his mind was reeling in the past. Wasn't it Dumbledore's fault that Sirius is dead? Yes he admitted it to me himself that he made an old man's mistake, Harry thought. If only he told me that my dreams about the corridors in the Department of Mysteries were dangerous instead of ignoring me for practically the whole school year then this would have never happened. Sirius is not here because of him.
Harry quickly recanted his feelings of animosity towards the Hogwart's headmaster. After all Dumbledore always looked after him because he said that he cared for Harry. Wasn't it Dumbledore who always given him free rein to do the things that he does and given him more responsibility and freedom than most adults? Dumbledore was always behind the scenes helping Harry to save (along with his friends) the Sorcerer's Stone in his first year, to find the location of the Chamber of Secrets in his second year, and to even help a convicted criminal (who happened to innocent) escape on a Hippogriff in his third year. Harry gave a faint smile as he remembered his past accomplishments and thought, I can't stay mad at him forever when he has done nothing but good things for me.
But his mind was still on Sirius as he lay on his bed staring at the darkened ceiling of his room. Still the facts offered no comfort to Harry: Sirius went to the Department of Mysteries to protect his nephew and died. No matter how many times Harry tried to rationalize and try to pin the blame for Sirius' death on other people, it always came back to him. If I hadn't played the hero then Sirius would still alive, thought Harry through streams of tears coming down his face. This is my fault.
Harry missed Sirius terribly and as he continued thinking of him, he felt worse than ever before. He was his father's best friend and most importantly his friend as well. He was also his guardian because he was his godfather and often wished that he would live with Sirius but unfortunately up to his death, he was still a fugitive. Nothing can bring him back, Harry thought but the hurt was still there. Wiping what few tears he had in his green eyes, Harry laid down hoping for a dreamless sleep.
The next morning Harry woke to the sounds of Aunt Petunia yelling from downstairs. "Wake up now." Wiping his eyes and reaching for his glasses, he ran down the stairs and turned towards the kitchen, passing the cupboard under the stairs where he used to live six years ago. Apparently Aunt Petunia didn't hear Harry coming down the stairs because as he opened the door to the kitchen, she yelled "Get down here now" and Harry got an earful. Harry responded with a forced smile, "You should be nicer or those people will know." Aunt Petunia's face quickly became sullen and full of fear as she meekly handed him his breakfast, which had more food since the encounter. With the exception of Harry, everyone else was dressed to go out.
There was silence around the table until Uncle Vernon broke it. "Dudley, your aunt, and I are going out."
"Yeah and your point," said Harry, who was already used to his relatives not taking him anywhere because as a wizard, the unexpected always happened, albeit unintentional of course.
"The point is ---," Uncle Vernon responded with a little scorn in his voice but he suddenly checked himself and spoke softer. "You will not be locked in your room but everything will stay the way they are. Do I make myself clear?"
"That's a first," said Harry sarcastically.
Apparently Uncle Vernon did not pick up on this and continued. "And you can watch television if you like and tell those friends of yours that you're treated good here." Uncle Vernon put down his newspaper, drank some of his coffee, and left the table. After the dishes were washed and Harry went up to his room, he heard his relatives walking out the door and the thud of the door closing. As he looked out the window, he saw Uncle Vernon backing the car out of the driveway until finally he drove off, wheels screeching and all, until the car was out of sight. Harry did not really care where his relatives went off to as long as he was alone by himself.
He went back down the stairs and turned on the television, changing each channel until he saw nothing that interested him. While he certainly had the house to himself, he preferred the solitude of his own room as opposed to exploring the house. He sighed as he passed by his photo album open to a picture of Sirius with him and his friends on Christmas at Grimmauld Place last year. The people in the pictures were moving as always, Sirius was joyful, Ron and Hermione were laughing along with Harry, the rest of the Weasley family (with the exception of Percy) was smiling arms around each other's shoulders.
Harry closed the book and opened the third volume in the Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts set that both Sirius and Professor Lupin gave him last year. Anything that can get Harry's mind off of his deceased godfather was welcomed. Harry then heard the faint sound of a telephone ringing and it was coming from downstairs. Harry put his book down, ran down the stairs, and picked up the phone.
"Vernon Dursley here, who is this?" growled Harry with a deep voice trying as best as can imitating his uncle.
"I want to speak to Harry, please." Harry knew that voice well for it was Hermione. Thinking whether to continue the deception, Harry suddenly thought better of it since he was not in the mood.
"Hermione, it's me," Harry said in his own voice. "I was only pretending to be my uncle just in case. I'm a little surprised that you called me."
"Why?" said Hermione inquiringly.
"This is the first time I'm speaking to a friend on the telephone," said Harry. "So what's up?"
"Remember the promise that me and Ron gave to you at Kings Crossing?" asked Hermione.
"How can I forget! And don't forget Mrs. Weasley."
"Good memory," said Hermione, apparently proud that for once Harry could recall little details just like her. "Well we plan to snatch you from your relatives very soon. There is so much going on that you probably want to know."
"Actually no," said Harry in a calm tone, "I could care less about whatever is happening."
"Harry what are you saying?" Hermione asked.
"Never mind," said Harry nervously, trying to change the subject but Hermione was more persistent.
"Please Harry, I'm your friend," cried Hermione, "I want to know what is going on."
"Hermione ---," explained Harry, briefly pausing before continuing, "my life has fallen apart since Sirius died. My parents died and now he is gone also. Maybe I don't feel like going."
"Harry there was nothing you could do about it ---," Hermione said.
"STOP SAYING THAT. EVERYBODY SAYS THAT IT JUST HAPPENED AND I CAN'T DO ANYTHING. I KNOW I CAN'T. I WISH PEOPLE WOULD STOP REMINDING ME," shouted Harry but soon stopped. "I'm sorry."
"Harry please I know you know but let me say this," cried Hermione, nearly coming to tears. "Sirius died in a heroic way and you are proud, hurt that he is gone, but proud of him nonetheless. But there are other people that care about you. What you and Sirius had was special but don't forget about the others, your friends."
Harry was thinking about what Hermione said and agreed with her.
"Funny how I used to hate going back to the Dursleys for the summer," laughed Harry. "Now I want to stay."
"What are you running away from?"
Harry marveled at Hermione's inquires and intuition. Neither Hermione nor Ron knew about the prophecy that Dumbledore told Harry that he was the only one who could kill Lord Voldemort and vice versa. And for that Harry felt like a marked man with the weight of the wizarding world on his shoulders. Clearly Harry was not ready to divulge that information to his friends just yet and Harry constantly debated with himself whether he would tell anyone at all. Harry finally spoke.
"I'm not running from anything. I just can't stand the fame, the staring, the whispers, the gossip, the praise, the mistrust, the assumptions, everything. This is just more than I can handle and I don't know if I can go back to Hogwarts."
"Harry you need to be with friends. Besides there is much to tell you that involve the Order and Voldemort. But you are worrying me right now. I wish you would feel better."
"Don't worry, Hermione, I'll be fine. Just pick me up soon. I guess I need to see some friendly faces even if the Dursleys have been civil towards me."
"Good for you Harry," gasped Hermione, "I got to go, Mrs. Black is starting to yell."
Harry smiled as he put the telephone back on the receiver. Mrs. Black constantly yelled "MUDBLOODS" and "TRAITORS" and other expletives whenever she woke up. The remedy for this was to pull the curtains over her portrait. Apparently Hermione was at Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry wondered who was there with Hermione as there were people constantly coming and going from there. Nobody stayed there long and there was always something to do. However if Hermione was there, most likely the Weasleys were there also.
Also what did Hermione want to tell Harry? Harry wasn't entirely reassured after his conversation with Hermione because a big part of him still wanted to not face his sixth year at Hogwarts and whatever else came with it. However another part of him urged him to go on and to not back away from anything. There was something that Dumbledore said to him in his first year that had relevance to this situation and as Harry tried to remember it, the more it remained elusive.
Shrugging it off, Harry promptly walked up the stairs to his room. The Dursleys were gone for a while and he certainly did not want to be hanging around the living room when they returned; no matter what allowances and privileges they gave to Harry recently. Reaching the top of the stairs, Harry saw that the door to the attic was slightly ajar. Wondering why this was so and coming closer, Harry opened the door.
A/N: Read, Review, and Enjoy!
****
Harry Potter awoke with a start and looking around him, he noticed that his bed was wet from him sweating a storm. The summer night at Privet Drive was at its usual humid, steamy, and muggy condition and the Monday night air offered no solace for Harry. As he looked out the window, he envied all the nearby houses that were refreshed with the cool air emitting from their air conditioners. Not that there weren't any air conditioners at his house, for there were if Uncle Vernon had anything to say about it. In fact Uncle Vernon bought new air conditioners for Number Four only two weeks ago just to keep ahead of the neighbors. He even installed them himself. "Why should someone else install them?" he said to Aunt Petunia that day. "Those ruddy workers only do it to get a bloody tip. As if they don't get paid enough, ridiculous."
But it was no mystery that he neglected to put one in Harry's room. While Uncle Vernon most certainly remembered the warning that "strange bloke with a fake eye" (Mad-Eye Moody was his name, as Harry constantly reminded him, much to his uncle's annoyance) gave to him at Kings Crossing last June, however, this didn't stop him from being stingy when it came to actually spending money on his nephew.
Nevertheless Harry did see some improvement in the way both his aunt and uncle treated him, which was to simply ignore him. And that was fine by Harry. Reluctantly Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia did grant him some freedoms like allowing him to let his owl Hedwig out at night and even using the telephone, which was a first. Not that it was going to do Harry any good because the only person who had Harry's phone number was Ron, who yelled into Uncle Vernon's ear the last time he used the telephone.
Meanwhile Harry's cousin Dudley, who was the ringleader of his own gang of friends, avoided Harry like the plague, remembering the same warning last June and of his prior "negative" encounters with wizards. Harry was impressed by the treatment he received from the Dursleys and felt confident that he had no reason to tell anyone anything.
The dream that Harry had was one of many nightmares and flashbacks since his godfather Sirius fell into the Veil in the Department of Mysteries losing, at that moment, the one person whom he loved the most. Sure Harry cared about other people such as Ron and Hermione, his best friends at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Then there was Hagrid, a half- giant who was the groundskeeper at Hogwarts and the Care of Magical Creatures professor. Harry thought about the other people that he cared about, Mr. Weasley, his wife Mrs. Weasley and the rest of the Weasley family, Professor Lupin, Dumbledore...
Dumbledore.
The sound of that name suddenly gave Harry an angry feeling and his mind was reeling in the past. Wasn't it Dumbledore's fault that Sirius is dead? Yes he admitted it to me himself that he made an old man's mistake, Harry thought. If only he told me that my dreams about the corridors in the Department of Mysteries were dangerous instead of ignoring me for practically the whole school year then this would have never happened. Sirius is not here because of him.
Harry quickly recanted his feelings of animosity towards the Hogwart's headmaster. After all Dumbledore always looked after him because he said that he cared for Harry. Wasn't it Dumbledore who always given him free rein to do the things that he does and given him more responsibility and freedom than most adults? Dumbledore was always behind the scenes helping Harry to save (along with his friends) the Sorcerer's Stone in his first year, to find the location of the Chamber of Secrets in his second year, and to even help a convicted criminal (who happened to innocent) escape on a Hippogriff in his third year. Harry gave a faint smile as he remembered his past accomplishments and thought, I can't stay mad at him forever when he has done nothing but good things for me.
But his mind was still on Sirius as he lay on his bed staring at the darkened ceiling of his room. Still the facts offered no comfort to Harry: Sirius went to the Department of Mysteries to protect his nephew and died. No matter how many times Harry tried to rationalize and try to pin the blame for Sirius' death on other people, it always came back to him. If I hadn't played the hero then Sirius would still alive, thought Harry through streams of tears coming down his face. This is my fault.
Harry missed Sirius terribly and as he continued thinking of him, he felt worse than ever before. He was his father's best friend and most importantly his friend as well. He was also his guardian because he was his godfather and often wished that he would live with Sirius but unfortunately up to his death, he was still a fugitive. Nothing can bring him back, Harry thought but the hurt was still there. Wiping what few tears he had in his green eyes, Harry laid down hoping for a dreamless sleep.
The next morning Harry woke to the sounds of Aunt Petunia yelling from downstairs. "Wake up now." Wiping his eyes and reaching for his glasses, he ran down the stairs and turned towards the kitchen, passing the cupboard under the stairs where he used to live six years ago. Apparently Aunt Petunia didn't hear Harry coming down the stairs because as he opened the door to the kitchen, she yelled "Get down here now" and Harry got an earful. Harry responded with a forced smile, "You should be nicer or those people will know." Aunt Petunia's face quickly became sullen and full of fear as she meekly handed him his breakfast, which had more food since the encounter. With the exception of Harry, everyone else was dressed to go out.
There was silence around the table until Uncle Vernon broke it. "Dudley, your aunt, and I are going out."
"Yeah and your point," said Harry, who was already used to his relatives not taking him anywhere because as a wizard, the unexpected always happened, albeit unintentional of course.
"The point is ---," Uncle Vernon responded with a little scorn in his voice but he suddenly checked himself and spoke softer. "You will not be locked in your room but everything will stay the way they are. Do I make myself clear?"
"That's a first," said Harry sarcastically.
Apparently Uncle Vernon did not pick up on this and continued. "And you can watch television if you like and tell those friends of yours that you're treated good here." Uncle Vernon put down his newspaper, drank some of his coffee, and left the table. After the dishes were washed and Harry went up to his room, he heard his relatives walking out the door and the thud of the door closing. As he looked out the window, he saw Uncle Vernon backing the car out of the driveway until finally he drove off, wheels screeching and all, until the car was out of sight. Harry did not really care where his relatives went off to as long as he was alone by himself.
He went back down the stairs and turned on the television, changing each channel until he saw nothing that interested him. While he certainly had the house to himself, he preferred the solitude of his own room as opposed to exploring the house. He sighed as he passed by his photo album open to a picture of Sirius with him and his friends on Christmas at Grimmauld Place last year. The people in the pictures were moving as always, Sirius was joyful, Ron and Hermione were laughing along with Harry, the rest of the Weasley family (with the exception of Percy) was smiling arms around each other's shoulders.
Harry closed the book and opened the third volume in the Practical Defensive Magic and Its Use Against the Dark Arts set that both Sirius and Professor Lupin gave him last year. Anything that can get Harry's mind off of his deceased godfather was welcomed. Harry then heard the faint sound of a telephone ringing and it was coming from downstairs. Harry put his book down, ran down the stairs, and picked up the phone.
"Vernon Dursley here, who is this?" growled Harry with a deep voice trying as best as can imitating his uncle.
"I want to speak to Harry, please." Harry knew that voice well for it was Hermione. Thinking whether to continue the deception, Harry suddenly thought better of it since he was not in the mood.
"Hermione, it's me," Harry said in his own voice. "I was only pretending to be my uncle just in case. I'm a little surprised that you called me."
"Why?" said Hermione inquiringly.
"This is the first time I'm speaking to a friend on the telephone," said Harry. "So what's up?"
"Remember the promise that me and Ron gave to you at Kings Crossing?" asked Hermione.
"How can I forget! And don't forget Mrs. Weasley."
"Good memory," said Hermione, apparently proud that for once Harry could recall little details just like her. "Well we plan to snatch you from your relatives very soon. There is so much going on that you probably want to know."
"Actually no," said Harry in a calm tone, "I could care less about whatever is happening."
"Harry what are you saying?" Hermione asked.
"Never mind," said Harry nervously, trying to change the subject but Hermione was more persistent.
"Please Harry, I'm your friend," cried Hermione, "I want to know what is going on."
"Hermione ---," explained Harry, briefly pausing before continuing, "my life has fallen apart since Sirius died. My parents died and now he is gone also. Maybe I don't feel like going."
"Harry there was nothing you could do about it ---," Hermione said.
"STOP SAYING THAT. EVERYBODY SAYS THAT IT JUST HAPPENED AND I CAN'T DO ANYTHING. I KNOW I CAN'T. I WISH PEOPLE WOULD STOP REMINDING ME," shouted Harry but soon stopped. "I'm sorry."
"Harry please I know you know but let me say this," cried Hermione, nearly coming to tears. "Sirius died in a heroic way and you are proud, hurt that he is gone, but proud of him nonetheless. But there are other people that care about you. What you and Sirius had was special but don't forget about the others, your friends."
Harry was thinking about what Hermione said and agreed with her.
"Funny how I used to hate going back to the Dursleys for the summer," laughed Harry. "Now I want to stay."
"What are you running away from?"
Harry marveled at Hermione's inquires and intuition. Neither Hermione nor Ron knew about the prophecy that Dumbledore told Harry that he was the only one who could kill Lord Voldemort and vice versa. And for that Harry felt like a marked man with the weight of the wizarding world on his shoulders. Clearly Harry was not ready to divulge that information to his friends just yet and Harry constantly debated with himself whether he would tell anyone at all. Harry finally spoke.
"I'm not running from anything. I just can't stand the fame, the staring, the whispers, the gossip, the praise, the mistrust, the assumptions, everything. This is just more than I can handle and I don't know if I can go back to Hogwarts."
"Harry you need to be with friends. Besides there is much to tell you that involve the Order and Voldemort. But you are worrying me right now. I wish you would feel better."
"Don't worry, Hermione, I'll be fine. Just pick me up soon. I guess I need to see some friendly faces even if the Dursleys have been civil towards me."
"Good for you Harry," gasped Hermione, "I got to go, Mrs. Black is starting to yell."
Harry smiled as he put the telephone back on the receiver. Mrs. Black constantly yelled "MUDBLOODS" and "TRAITORS" and other expletives whenever she woke up. The remedy for this was to pull the curtains over her portrait. Apparently Hermione was at Grimmauld Place, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry wondered who was there with Hermione as there were people constantly coming and going from there. Nobody stayed there long and there was always something to do. However if Hermione was there, most likely the Weasleys were there also.
Also what did Hermione want to tell Harry? Harry wasn't entirely reassured after his conversation with Hermione because a big part of him still wanted to not face his sixth year at Hogwarts and whatever else came with it. However another part of him urged him to go on and to not back away from anything. There was something that Dumbledore said to him in his first year that had relevance to this situation and as Harry tried to remember it, the more it remained elusive.
Shrugging it off, Harry promptly walked up the stairs to his room. The Dursleys were gone for a while and he certainly did not want to be hanging around the living room when they returned; no matter what allowances and privileges they gave to Harry recently. Reaching the top of the stairs, Harry saw that the door to the attic was slightly ajar. Wondering why this was so and coming closer, Harry opened the door.