Harry Potter and the Residence of Death
Chapter 1- A Rite of Passage This fanfiction is based off the stories of J.K. Rowling.
Most of the characters belong to her. I'm sorry if I don't accurately portray the details of life in England. I am an American... so don't kill me.
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Harry Potter ran towards the veiled archway, one hand extended to reach the haunting entrance and one hand clutching his head in order to stop the searing pain that was exploding out of his scar. His pace quickened, but no matter how fast he ran, the archway moved farther and farther away from him.
"SIRIUS! I'M COMING! I'LL GET YOU HELP!" Harry exclaimed. His cries were desperate and futile. Lucius Malfoy suddenly appeared next to him, his black cloak floating in the wind as he haunted Harry.
"Silly boy, he's not coming back," hissed Lucius. He laughed, and chills were sent up Harry's spine. Harry continued to run, trying greatly to ignore the evil being. Suddenly, Lucius was replaced by Professor Dumbledore. As Professor Dumbledore ran, his white beard and long royal purple robes trailed behind him, giving him a ghostly presence.
"Harry, he is indeed gone," said Dumbledore in his wise voice.
"HE IS NOT GONE! HE'LL COME BACK!" shouted Harry, his face and body dripping with perspiration. Dumbledore gave him a stern look and disappeared. Harry's heart was now racing and his back and feet ached, but he could not stop running. Not until he reached Sirius. His eyesight slowly became unfocused, and he felt his legs crumbling beneath him. He fell to the ground, panting hard. His breaths were sharp and uneven, and he felt as if his heart was about to explode. However, he rapidly reassembled himself and rose to his feet. He peered down the dark hallway, and suspiciously eyed the archway.
Unexpectedly, the archway began to move towards him, and Harry felt a gust of refreshing wind caress his face. It inched closer and closer, until it was only a few feet in front of the boy who lived. A shadow began to emerge from the archway. The figure walked closer and closer to the veil.
"Sirius? Is that you? I knew you were alive!" exclaimed Harry in an eager voice. The figure pushed the veil to one side and stepped out of the archway. It appeared to be Sirius. Harry recognized the untamed black hair and worn skin. Harry surveyed Sirius, but he a feeling of uncertainty and fear loomed in his mind. He became short of breath again, and his scar burned his forehead. He began to feel the exact way that he felt whenever Lord Voldemort was close to him...
Sirius let out a cold, high-pitched chuckle. This laugh made Harry feel as though he had been plunged in a bucket of ice water, and he immediately recognized it as that of his loathed enemy. Sirius closed his eyes and reopened them, exposing a pair of blood-red tunnels, hollow and hateful. He began to stretch his arm towards Harry, aiming for his neck. Harry tried to run away, but his feet were plastered to the cold floor. His whole body had frozen, and he could not tear his eyes away from those of Lord Voldemort's. He felt as if he was under the Imperious Curse, but he had no willpower to fight it. The pale hand was now barely two millimeters from his neck...
"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" Harry was awoken by Dudley's new and raucous alarm clock, and his eyes immediately popped open. He could barely breathe, and he was feeling the anxiety of his dream. His body was in an odd position, and his blanket had been twisted around his neck and snaked around his body. He tried to kick it off his now feverish body, but he became entangled in it even more. Finally, after five minutes of struggling, he managed to defeat the blanket and threw it to the other side of his small bedroom. He turned over and looked at his own clock, which had a large crack down the middle of its face and bent hands. It had once belonged to Dudley, and Harry imagined that he had sat on it. It was eight o'clock.
Harry sat up, contemplating his nightmare. It brought back horrible memories of Sirius's unfortunate death, which had occurred less than two months ago. Thinking of his godfather's inevitable death made tear, and thinking of Voldemort made him bitter. Because of that disgusting monster, the three most important adults in his life were dead. His parents suffered at the hand of Voldemort, and Sirius died defending Harry from him. Harry's heart sank, but he knew that he had to think of the positive things in his life. After all, that is what his three guardians would have wanted.
One positive was that today was his sixteenth birthday. Normally, Harry would have dreaded his birthday. In the past, his birthdays indicated how long he had been forced to suffer living under the Dursleys' roof. However, today, he was happy about his birthday. Not only was he turning sixteen, he was having his very first birthday party. This was a rite of passage for Harry. The best part was that, after his party, he would be staying with the Weasleys for the rest of the summer.
Convincing the Dursleys to let him host a birthday part should have been hard work, but it wasn't. Knowing that Mad Eye Moody could easily arrive at their front door and hex them in to oblivion, they skeptically and hatefully agreed to the idea of allowing four wizards to attend the festivities. Harry had invited his two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley to his party. He had also asked Ron's parents to come. Ron's sister, Ginny, was at a friend's house. He would have asked Fred, George, and Hagrid to come too, but he did not want to push his luck with his uncle. Although the Dursleys hated Harry and the idea of wizardry, they had begun to act considerably decent towards him, in fear that they'd sprout boils for mistreating him.
At half past twelve, Harry sat in an armchair in the living room, waiting for his guests to arrive. Aunt Petunia had baked a small cake for Harry using leftover ingredients from when she baked a seventeen square inch layer cake with ten layers for Dudley's victory in a local boxing tournament. Uncle Vernon had put up letters that read "Happy Birthday" from Dudley's eleventh birthday party. Next to the letters, he posted a piece of computer paper with the word "Harry" written in magic marker. His named was written in a messy fashion, and it was barely large enough to comprehend. They had even purchased and/or handed down to him a few gifts, which were messily wrapped and thrown in a corner. Next to their presents were Hagrid's, Fred and George's, Mad Eye's, Tonks's, and Dobby's presents, all neatly lined in a row. Harry looked over at his gifts and admired them, feeling happy for the first time in a long time.
"What are you smiling about, boy?" asked Uncle Vernon, sitting across from him. His face was purple, and he was clutching a glass of brandy. Aunt Petunia clicked her tongue and stared at Harry, causing him to feel awkward.
"I'm just excited to see my friends," mumbled Harry. He was telling the truth.
"I'm surprised that you even have friends. You're so damn weird. Why would anyone want to even speak a word to you?" asked his porky cousin, Dudley. He was sweating profusely, and his chins bobbed up and down as he spoke.
"Because if people aren't nice to me, Mad Eye will make sure that they spend eternity sitting in a cage as a slug or a cricket or something," Harry sneered. At once, Dudley looked down at his feet and mumbled words that would have shocked his mother, had she heard. The four sat quietly, listening to the grandfather clock tick, until the fireplace broke the silence. At once, Harry jumped to his feet, and ran to the fireplace. There, standing before him, were four smiling faces, all holding packages. The smell of food wafted through the air. He was thankful that Mrs. Weasley had brought food. Aunt Petunia's gourmet meal consisted of leftovers and the sad cake. Harry beckoned into the living room.
"Harry! Happy birthday," squealed Hermione. She flung her arms around him and hugged him. Meanwhile, Harry struggled to breathe. When she finally let go, Harry looked at Dudley, who looked terribly jealous. He smiled satisfyingly and introduced her to his family.
"Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, Dudley, this is Hermione Granger. Hermione, these are the people I live with." Hermione offered to shake hands with his aunt and uncle, but they sat in the same positions, with their arms crossed and a disapproving look on their faces. Dudley, however, sprang up and shook her hand.
"Hi, Hermione. I'm Dudley. I just won the regional boxing tournament. I'm sure Harry had told you all about me," he said, dreamily. Hermione giggled to herself. Harry had indeed told her everything about him. Before he could say anything further, Harry introduced the Weasleys.
"You already know Ron and Mr. And Mrs. Weasley."
"Ah, yes. I remember. You're the idiot, I mean, person, who caused my son's tongue to swell to three hundred times that of a normal person," said Uncle Vernon bitterly.
"Oh, no, that would be my other two sons, Fred and George. But you have to admit that it was a funny joke, wasn't it? No? Well..." Arthur Weasley's ears began to turn bright red as Harry and Ron sniggered to each other. Mrs. Weasley gave Mr. Weasley a critical look.
"We're really sorry about that incident. Those two boys are out of control. Granted that they now own a very successful business... it was still wrong of them to test those sweets on Dudley," Mrs. Weasley said sweetly.
"A business, eh?" said Uncle Vernon, slightly impressed. "What kind of business?"
"Well, it's um... it's really got to do with entertainment. They've been doing really well... it's targeted towards children..." said Mrs. Weasley uncomfortably.
"It's a joke shop," finished Mr. Weasley for her.
"A joke shop?" inquired Aunt Petunia, raising her eyebrow. "Yes, a joke shop... you know, they sell tricks... like those Ton-Tongue Toffees... Extendable Ears, Dungbombs... oh those are fun. They sell Gobstones... all sorts of neat things. You know how those things go, right?" asked an amused Mr. Weasley.
"No," Uncle Vernon simply stated. There was an awkward silence.
"Right then... Harry, why don't you show us where to put these gifts? And the food also." Mr. Weasley pointed to the many platters and bowls that Hermione and Mrs. Weasly were carrying.
"Food?" asked Dudley, as if that word had triggered his attention, much like a whistle attracts a dog. "I'll show you to the kitchen. Hermione, allow me to carry those for you! A lady such as yourself shouldn't have to carry them."
"No, it's really okay," said Hermione. She then followed him to the kitchen, and Mrs. Weasley did the same. Harry noticed that Mr. Weasley had sat down and had begun to talk to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, who made no effort to look as if they were interested.
"It's great to see you, mate," said Ron. "I can't wait until you open Fred and George's present... I think you'll like it a lot... especially since you have that idiot, Dudley, running around. You can use it on him." Harry laughed, and he wanted to know what the twins had given him. That would have to wait, however. Uncle Vernon rose from his armchair and approached Harry in an angry way.
"Listen boy, these... I do not approve of these 'people', and I want them out of here in less than an hour, got it?" asked Uncle Vernon, the veins in his beefy neck swelling, his eyes squinting.
"Yes, Uncle Vernon." "Good. Then it's settled. Your aunt and I will be in the other room watching television. Be finished by half past one, and be out of here by two o'clock." Both he and Aunt Petunia walked out of the living room and disappeared into the den. Harry decided to enjoy himself for the next hour, and that he did.
Mrs. Weasley's food was excellent as always. She had made fried chicken, fresh buttered squash, and other things that Harry loved. To top it all off, she had baked a magnificent chocolate cake decorated with candied fruits and sugar roses. Uncle Vernon had forbade Dudley from entering the room, but Harry could see his pudgy figure standing in the doorway, a lustful look in his eyes. Harry could not tell whether that look was directed towards the food or Hermione, and he honestly did not want to know.
After they ate, Harry gathered all of his gifts into a pile. One by one, he unwrapped them. First, he unwrapped a pair of socks and what he recognized as an old hat of Dudley's from the Dursleys. Then, he found that Hermione had bought him all of his new schoolbooks for the new term. Ron had given him Quidditch Through the Ages, Volume II, and Mr. And Mrs. Wealsey got him a brand new pair of "Quality Quidditch Supply's All Weather-Wear Quidditch Gloves". Hagrid had sent a new and handsome iron- cage for him to keep Hedwig in. Hedwig was getting much to large for her old, rusted cage, and this new cage would certainly be appreciated by her as well. Dobby had knitted him a balaclava with golden snitches to match a pair of socks that he had given Harry previously, and Mad-Eye gave him what initially seemed like a tattered book. However, when Harry looked closer, it was really Mad Eye's own copy of The Infinite Book of Aurors. In it, Harry found information on how to be an auror as well as famous ones. He then opened Tonks's present, and found that it was a large box of "Morphing-Mints". Apparently, when taken, these mints would allow you to change one feature about yourself. Each person that had been invited to his party took a mint, and in a matter of minutes, Harry sported a green Mohawk, and Ron had grown whiskers. Hermione's skin color turned pink, and Mr. And Mrs. Weasley's hair turned a violent shade of violet.
Finally, it was time to open Fred and George's present. Harry desperately wanted to know what they had given him in order to seek revenge on Dudley. First, he tore open the paper and found that the twins had given him a poster. However, knowing them, this poster wasn't an ordinary decoration. It had mirror on it, and it read, "The Undeniable Truth". Harry then unfolded the card and read the note written by the twins.
Harry,
This is a new invention that we created just two weeks ago. It's not
perfect YET, but we think that you will find this highly amusing. It
IS a present you, but the physical poster is for Dudley. The trick is
that whenever somebody's reflection is seen in the mirror on the
poster, a cartoon of that person's face will replace the mirror. The
cartoon will then begin naming off bad habits or characteristics about
the person. Since Dudley has made you feel so terribly throughout the
years, we thought that we'd charm it so that it only recognizes
Dudley. Also enclosed is our patented "Permanent Paste". It can
easily be removed with magical cleanser, but obviously, your cousin
will not have any. Just put some on the back of the poster, stick it
to his wall, and see what happens. We hope you've had a happy
birthday, Harry! Hope to see you soon.
Regards,
Fred and George.
Harry laughed, put paste on the back of the poster and then ran to Dudley's room with the poster, followed by his guests. He burst into the room, where Dudley had been watching TV. Surprised and angry at Harry's entrance, Dudley tried to grab him with intentions of bludgeoning him. However, Harry was too quick. He quickly slapped the poster on the wall. Instantly, a cartoon of Dudley appeared on the poster. It had the same blonde hair and the same round face.
"YOU STUPID WHALE! YOU SPOILED ELEPHANT-BOY! YOU PIG IN A WIG! YOU'RE AS DUMB AS A ROCK. YOU BRIBE YOUR OPPONENTS TO LET YOU WIN! YOU'RE A HORRIBLE BOXER! YOU CAN'T LIFT MORE THAN THIRTY POUNDS!" sang the poster. Dudley shrieked, and the others in the room began to laugh hysterically. This was exactly what Dudley deserved. Harry expected Dudley to call for his parents, but Dudley did something unexpected.
"Hermione! This isn't true! It's all lies!" Dudley cried. It was evident that Harry's massive cousin had taken a liking to Hermione. Hermione just stood at the door of Dudley's room, entertained and smug. Laughing, Harry left the room, entered his own room, and grabbed his already-packed trunk. The five then proceeded down the stairs and to the fireplace. They each grabbed a handful of Floo Powder, and after five shouts of "The Burrow!", they were in the Weasleys' house. This had been the best birthday that Harry had ever experienced.