It was a month past the summer solstice and there was still 40 days
to go until the start of term on September first and Harry Potter was lying
on his bed, staring at the ceiling, listless and yet restless at the same
time. Wanting to get up and do something but too tired or too lazy, to make
the first move. An unusual boy of almost 16, with black hair that went
every which way and round glasses perched on his nose, looking through them
were startling green eyes. The sun was setting outside the window, the last
of the pink and orange rays mixing with the inky blue-black overtaking the
sky. There was a soft knock on Harry's door.
Harry sat up, listening intently. No one knocked at this house, at least not on Harry's door. They usually just barged in, for this is the Dursley's house. Harry was a Potter, most unwelcome in this household. Neither nosy Aunt Petunia nor beefy Uncle Vernon bothered knocking. They had no respect for Harry's privacy. They only left him alone because they feared his powers. There was the knock again.
"Who is it?" Harry asked. The door opened and Dudley Dursley poked his head in. Dudley was the other boy in this house. He was 16, just a few months older than Harry. He'd been an overweight child all his life, until recently. Something had changed, and so had his resolve to escape the category of obese. He'd lost at least fifty pounds and it was really showing. His blond hair had been trimmed and he looked almost presentable. At the moment Dudley was looking tentative and hesitant. "What do you want?" Harry said shortly. Dudley bit his lip.
"Can I talk to you?" he said, in a very quick voice. Harry looked at him. He was about to say no and tell him to shove off, but something about the way Dudley was looking at him made Harry allow Dudley entrance to his room.
"Yeah... sure" Harry said. Dudley scurried in and quickly closed the door to Harry's bedroom behind him.
"Can you tell me," he said fast voice, barely above a whisper. Almost as though he were afraid of anyone overhearing. "What you're capable of. As a w-w-wi-"
"A wizard?" Harry suggested. Guessing from the look of terror on Dudley's face, Harry knew he was right. "What for?"
Dudley did not seem to be in any hurry to get whatever he was going to say out though. He kept glancing around the room, his eyes widening with every 'abnormal' object he spotted in Harry's room, which were quite a few. There were spell books strewn all over the floor, a broomstick was sticking out from under the bed. Peering closely at it, Dudley noticed the markings that spelled out f-i-r-e-b-o-l-t. Dudley was lost. What did 'firebolt' mean? He looked very nervous indeed. He felt he was about to lose his mind when he spotted the wand on Harry's desk. Harry saw Dudley's anxiety. He gave a smirk.
"Go on Dud. Pick it up. Hand it to me." Harry said. Dudley shook his head frantically, but could not keep his eyes off of the narrow strip of wood. He seemed fascinated by it.
"That thing. Dad warned me about it. Said if I picked it up it would do h-h-horrible things to me... unnatural... ness..." Harry gave a mirthless laugh.
"Lies Dud. Just a lie. Precious daddy just doesn't want you to see the good side of anything. He isn't ready to have the wool taken off your eyes yet. Not sheltered little Duddykins. For now you're just his puppet who does-"
"Shut it." Said Dudley, his cheeks reddening.
"I mean, I would be tired of it by now if I were you. I would be tired of being pushed around by that old man-"
"I said to shut it!" said Dudley, very angrily indeed. He was on his feet and his fists were raised. Harry was slightly alarmed, but he tried to keep his cool as Dudley stood there, breathing very heavily, as though he'd just run a race. Harry stood up too. Harry was taller than Dudley had remembered. Harry's muscles seemed to be filling out underneath his too-big shirt. Dudley truly feared Harry. Not necessarily as a physical threat, but the magical power behind it. He wasn't sure quite how, but Dudley was quite convinced Harry would have some magic powers he could unleash without a wand if the need came to it. Being very frightened, he cast about for something he thought could help him. Dudley glanced at it the wand on the desk. His eyes flicked to it then back to meet Harry's gaze.
"I dare you" Harry mouthed. Dudley's eyes glanced once more at the wand, then back at Harry. Then he dived for it.
Harry didn't even try to stop him. He didn't think Dudley would seriously even touch the wand. But he was wrong.
In a flash, Dudley was standing upright and triumphant, gasping and clutching the wand in his right hand. Harry's green eyes widened in shock. But Dudley didn't seem to know what to do. He just stood there, clutching it. After a second or so, he decided he could wave it and make something happen.
And so he did. That was not a very good idea. For when a muggle tries to use a wizard's wand, the wand has a sort of anti-burglar / muggle security device in its initial instinct that of course goes off. The wand let out a loud bang and smoke started puffing from the end. A tinny whistle filled their ears. The was a flashing light coming from the tip, and in the midst of everything, there were two cracks, followed by two tall, red- headed, twins, identical down to the last freckle.
This, perhaps above everything else, was the thing that scared Dudley. The smoke and noise was what he had been half-hoping for. But the appearances of two people in the bedroom were a bit much for poor Dudley. He dropped the wand and ran screaming from the room.
"Hello, Harry" said one of the twins. His name was Fred Weasley. He was nineteen years old, brother of one of Harry's best friends, Ron Weasley.
"Good to see you, mate" said the other twin, George Weasley, shaking Harry's hand. Two seconds later a red-faced and panting Uncle Vernon burst into the room, shaking with fury.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SON?!" He roared, stopping dead at the sight of Fred and George. His pupils contracted with obvious fear. "Who are you?" he asked as rudely as he could while still being breathless.
"Fred Weasley." Said George, taking a mock bow and extending a hand towards Uncle Vernon.
"You nut." Said Fred. "You're George, and I'm Fred!" He too gave a mock bow.
"Ah yes." Said George, straightening up. "You're right of course. But I'm pleased all the same to make your acquaintance. We have decided to stay visit with Harry for a while. You don't mind do you?"
Before Uncle Vernon could answer however, Fred said "Excellent". And began conjuring comfy-looking armchairs and settling himself in one.
"Wait, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON?" Yelled Uncle Vernon. Fred paused while he was making himself at home, settling on his chair
"He picked up my wand!" Harry said. Fred nearly fell off the chair.
"What?!" Everyone said in unison.
"He did not!" said Uncle Vernon, almost angrier than he had been at first.
"He did so!" said Harry hotly. "He was ready to pick a fight when the bloke grabbed it and starting waving it around."
"Then everything went berserk" Fred said promptly.
"You weren't there dung brains" said George.
"Oh yeah..." said Fred, winking at Harry.
"But the effects hadn't yet subsided, so we got to observe the results anyway." Continued George.
Uncle Vernon had been backing away slowly. "Get out of my house!" he hissed. "Get out and never contact my family again, you filth, you low, unworthy scrap of dirt-" he stopped short when Fred and George pulled out their wands.
"Say that again." George breathed. His wand was pointed directly at Vernon's heart. "Go on, say it again."
"Fred, George!" said Harry, trying to intervene.
"Get away Harry." Said Fred.
Vernon backed into the doorway. With one last terrified look around the room and at Fred and George's wand, he tore out of the room. Fred chuckled as his wand turned into a rubber chicken and George's a tin haddock. Fred gently pushed Harry's door closed and turned around. Harry was still standing still, breathing a little heavy.
"You guys, you scared me." He breathed. "I thought you were going to hex him."
"We would have, had he been a wizard. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Magic happens to find out when you curse a muggle. Even Fudge wouldn't let that slide under these conditions." Fred said, with a smirk.
"What conditions?" Harry asked. Fred and George grinned.
"Oh boy," said George, "he has been in so much hot water lately"
"Because of his ignorance to the truth staring him in the face-"
"So to kind of suck up to Dumbledore he has been letting a lot of things go unnoticed-"
"Curriculum standards at Hogwarts-"
"Aw it's going to be so great there this year, almost makes me wish I was going back-"
"At least Umbridge won't be there-"
"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Harry. "I'm still confused..."
"Fudge is scrambling to save his-"
"Office?" Harry ventured.
"Well, no, I mean yes, but I was going to say his-"
"The point is, Fudge is not going to be Minister for very much longer."
"So who is going to replace him?"
"That," said Fred, with a significant look at George, "is a very good question."
Harry sat up, listening intently. No one knocked at this house, at least not on Harry's door. They usually just barged in, for this is the Dursley's house. Harry was a Potter, most unwelcome in this household. Neither nosy Aunt Petunia nor beefy Uncle Vernon bothered knocking. They had no respect for Harry's privacy. They only left him alone because they feared his powers. There was the knock again.
"Who is it?" Harry asked. The door opened and Dudley Dursley poked his head in. Dudley was the other boy in this house. He was 16, just a few months older than Harry. He'd been an overweight child all his life, until recently. Something had changed, and so had his resolve to escape the category of obese. He'd lost at least fifty pounds and it was really showing. His blond hair had been trimmed and he looked almost presentable. At the moment Dudley was looking tentative and hesitant. "What do you want?" Harry said shortly. Dudley bit his lip.
"Can I talk to you?" he said, in a very quick voice. Harry looked at him. He was about to say no and tell him to shove off, but something about the way Dudley was looking at him made Harry allow Dudley entrance to his room.
"Yeah... sure" Harry said. Dudley scurried in and quickly closed the door to Harry's bedroom behind him.
"Can you tell me," he said fast voice, barely above a whisper. Almost as though he were afraid of anyone overhearing. "What you're capable of. As a w-w-wi-"
"A wizard?" Harry suggested. Guessing from the look of terror on Dudley's face, Harry knew he was right. "What for?"
Dudley did not seem to be in any hurry to get whatever he was going to say out though. He kept glancing around the room, his eyes widening with every 'abnormal' object he spotted in Harry's room, which were quite a few. There were spell books strewn all over the floor, a broomstick was sticking out from under the bed. Peering closely at it, Dudley noticed the markings that spelled out f-i-r-e-b-o-l-t. Dudley was lost. What did 'firebolt' mean? He looked very nervous indeed. He felt he was about to lose his mind when he spotted the wand on Harry's desk. Harry saw Dudley's anxiety. He gave a smirk.
"Go on Dud. Pick it up. Hand it to me." Harry said. Dudley shook his head frantically, but could not keep his eyes off of the narrow strip of wood. He seemed fascinated by it.
"That thing. Dad warned me about it. Said if I picked it up it would do h-h-horrible things to me... unnatural... ness..." Harry gave a mirthless laugh.
"Lies Dud. Just a lie. Precious daddy just doesn't want you to see the good side of anything. He isn't ready to have the wool taken off your eyes yet. Not sheltered little Duddykins. For now you're just his puppet who does-"
"Shut it." Said Dudley, his cheeks reddening.
"I mean, I would be tired of it by now if I were you. I would be tired of being pushed around by that old man-"
"I said to shut it!" said Dudley, very angrily indeed. He was on his feet and his fists were raised. Harry was slightly alarmed, but he tried to keep his cool as Dudley stood there, breathing very heavily, as though he'd just run a race. Harry stood up too. Harry was taller than Dudley had remembered. Harry's muscles seemed to be filling out underneath his too-big shirt. Dudley truly feared Harry. Not necessarily as a physical threat, but the magical power behind it. He wasn't sure quite how, but Dudley was quite convinced Harry would have some magic powers he could unleash without a wand if the need came to it. Being very frightened, he cast about for something he thought could help him. Dudley glanced at it the wand on the desk. His eyes flicked to it then back to meet Harry's gaze.
"I dare you" Harry mouthed. Dudley's eyes glanced once more at the wand, then back at Harry. Then he dived for it.
Harry didn't even try to stop him. He didn't think Dudley would seriously even touch the wand. But he was wrong.
In a flash, Dudley was standing upright and triumphant, gasping and clutching the wand in his right hand. Harry's green eyes widened in shock. But Dudley didn't seem to know what to do. He just stood there, clutching it. After a second or so, he decided he could wave it and make something happen.
And so he did. That was not a very good idea. For when a muggle tries to use a wizard's wand, the wand has a sort of anti-burglar / muggle security device in its initial instinct that of course goes off. The wand let out a loud bang and smoke started puffing from the end. A tinny whistle filled their ears. The was a flashing light coming from the tip, and in the midst of everything, there were two cracks, followed by two tall, red- headed, twins, identical down to the last freckle.
This, perhaps above everything else, was the thing that scared Dudley. The smoke and noise was what he had been half-hoping for. But the appearances of two people in the bedroom were a bit much for poor Dudley. He dropped the wand and ran screaming from the room.
"Hello, Harry" said one of the twins. His name was Fred Weasley. He was nineteen years old, brother of one of Harry's best friends, Ron Weasley.
"Good to see you, mate" said the other twin, George Weasley, shaking Harry's hand. Two seconds later a red-faced and panting Uncle Vernon burst into the room, shaking with fury.
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SON?!" He roared, stopping dead at the sight of Fred and George. His pupils contracted with obvious fear. "Who are you?" he asked as rudely as he could while still being breathless.
"Fred Weasley." Said George, taking a mock bow and extending a hand towards Uncle Vernon.
"You nut." Said Fred. "You're George, and I'm Fred!" He too gave a mock bow.
"Ah yes." Said George, straightening up. "You're right of course. But I'm pleased all the same to make your acquaintance. We have decided to stay visit with Harry for a while. You don't mind do you?"
Before Uncle Vernon could answer however, Fred said "Excellent". And began conjuring comfy-looking armchairs and settling himself in one.
"Wait, WHAT HAPPENED TO MY SON?" Yelled Uncle Vernon. Fred paused while he was making himself at home, settling on his chair
"He picked up my wand!" Harry said. Fred nearly fell off the chair.
"What?!" Everyone said in unison.
"He did not!" said Uncle Vernon, almost angrier than he had been at first.
"He did so!" said Harry hotly. "He was ready to pick a fight when the bloke grabbed it and starting waving it around."
"Then everything went berserk" Fred said promptly.
"You weren't there dung brains" said George.
"Oh yeah..." said Fred, winking at Harry.
"But the effects hadn't yet subsided, so we got to observe the results anyway." Continued George.
Uncle Vernon had been backing away slowly. "Get out of my house!" he hissed. "Get out and never contact my family again, you filth, you low, unworthy scrap of dirt-" he stopped short when Fred and George pulled out their wands.
"Say that again." George breathed. His wand was pointed directly at Vernon's heart. "Go on, say it again."
"Fred, George!" said Harry, trying to intervene.
"Get away Harry." Said Fred.
Vernon backed into the doorway. With one last terrified look around the room and at Fred and George's wand, he tore out of the room. Fred chuckled as his wand turned into a rubber chicken and George's a tin haddock. Fred gently pushed Harry's door closed and turned around. Harry was still standing still, breathing a little heavy.
"You guys, you scared me." He breathed. "I thought you were going to hex him."
"We would have, had he been a wizard. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Magic happens to find out when you curse a muggle. Even Fudge wouldn't let that slide under these conditions." Fred said, with a smirk.
"What conditions?" Harry asked. Fred and George grinned.
"Oh boy," said George, "he has been in so much hot water lately"
"Because of his ignorance to the truth staring him in the face-"
"So to kind of suck up to Dumbledore he has been letting a lot of things go unnoticed-"
"Curriculum standards at Hogwarts-"
"Aw it's going to be so great there this year, almost makes me wish I was going back-"
"At least Umbridge won't be there-"
"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Harry. "I'm still confused..."
"Fudge is scrambling to save his-"
"Office?" Harry ventured.
"Well, no, I mean yes, but I was going to say his-"
"The point is, Fudge is not going to be Minister for very much longer."
"So who is going to replace him?"
"That," said Fred, with a significant look at George, "is a very good question."