Disclaimer-- see chapter one!
AUTHORS NOTE--- I am in terrible need of a Beta! I don't have one! ::sniffle:: e-mail me if you are interested, please!!! ::puppy-dog eyes:: PLEASE?
-----------------------------------------Chapter Five -----------------------------------------
The few days left before summer passed all too quickly for Harry, and before he knew it, he was riding in one of the carriages with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville, and Luna towards the Hogwarts Express. When they got to the train, they soon found an empty compartment near the end, and they all sat down.
Harry looked out the window and sighed. He hated leaving Hogwarts. He knew he had to suffer through at least a month of living with the Dursleys because the Ministry was stalling at sentencing Pettigrew and declaring Sirius's innocence. He was vaguely aware of the conversation going around him, but he wasn't in a mood for socializing, so he was content to just gaze out at the scenery whizzing by.
The ride was pretty uneventful, except some DA members coming around to chat, and halfway through the ride, who else should show up but Malfoy.
"Well well well, if it isn't crazy Harry Potter and all his little friends, enjoying their ride home." Malfoy spat, while Crabbe and Goyle laughed stupidly.
Harry turned his gaze from out the window, to glare at Malfoy. "Why don't you go tease some first years or something, Malfoy." Harry droned. He was getting a little annoyed at Malfoy's constant insults. "Your insults are getting a little bit old." Harry calmly drew out his wand.
"Oh, really? Well, boys, I think maybe we should leave, to leave these fools in peace." Malfoy turned to go. "You know, Potter, I'm surprised they haven't committed you to St.Mungo's yet, I never knew they would let insane people go to school." He shrugged, "But seeing as Dumbledore is a little off himself, it makes a bit of sense." He gave the group one final sneer, and left.
"Well," said Hermione "that was odd. Harry, what on earth was he talking about?" Harry's face was pale.
".... Nothing..." he muttered. He was NOT going mad.
Hermione raised an eyebrow, not really believing him, but she decided to interrogate Harry later.
few Exploding Snaps games later, the train pulled to a screeching halt and the Hogwarts Express started to empty. He, Ron, and Hermione got off, and passed through the barrier to the muggle world. When he went through, however, he found a surprise waiting for him on the other side: a group of people standing there to greet him whom he had not expected at all.
There was Mad-Eye Moody, looking quite as sinister with his bowler hat pulled low over his magical eye as he would have done without, his gnarled hands clutching a long staff, his body wrapped in a voluminous traveling cloak. Tonks stood just beside him, her bright bubble-gum pink hair gleaming in the sunlight filtering through the dirty glass station ceiling, wearing heavily patched jeans and a bright purple T-shirt bearing the legend THE WEIRD SISTERS. Next to Tonks was Lupin, his face pale, his hair graying, and wearing a long and threadbare overcoat covering a shabby jumper and trousers. At the front of the group stood Fred and George, who were both wearing brand- new jackets in some lurid green, scaly material.
"Ron! Ginny!" called Mrs. Weasley, hurrying foreward and hugging her children tightly. "Oh, Harry dear- how are you?"
"Fine" lied Harry, as he was pulled into a tight embrace. Over her shoulder, he saw Ron goggling at the twins' new clothes.
"What are they supposed to be?" he asked, pointing at the jackets.
"Finest dragon skin, little bro," said Fred, giving his zip a little tweak. "Business is booming and we thought we'd treat ourselves."
"Hello Harry," said Lupin, as Mrs. Weasley let go of Harry and turned to greet Hermione.
"Hi," said Harry "I didn't expect… what are you all doing here?"
"Well," said Lupin with a slight smile, "we thought we might have a little chat with your aunt and uncle before letting them take you home.
"I dunno if that's a good idea," said Harry at once.
"Oh, I think it is," growled Moody, who had limped a little closer. "That'll be them, will it, Potter?"
He pointed with his thumb over his left shoulder; his magical eye was evidently peering through the back of his head and his bowler hat. Harry leaned an inch or so to the left to see where Mad- Eye was pointing and there, sure enough, were the three Dursleys, who looked positively appalled to see Harry's reception committee.
"Ah, Harry!" said Mr. Weasley, turning from Hermione's parents, whom he had been greeting enthusiastically, and who were taking turns to hug Hermione. "Well—shall we do it then?"
"Yeah, I reckon so, Arthur," said Moody.
He and Mr. Weasley took the lead across the station toward the place where the Dursleys stood, apparently rooted to the floor. Hermione gently disengaged herself from her parents to join the group.
"Good afternoon," said Mr. Weasley pleasantly to Uncle Vernon, coming to a halt right in front of him. "You might remember me, my name is Arthur Weasley."
As Mr. Weasley had single-handedly demolished most of the Dursley's living room two years previously, Harry would have been very surprised if Uncle Vernon had forgotten him. Sure enough, Uncle Vernon turned a deeper shade of puce and glared at Mr. Weasley, but chose not to say anything, partly, perhaps, because the Dursleys were outnumbered two to one. Aunt Petunia looked both frightened and embarrassed. She kept glancing around, as though terrified somebody she knew would see her in such company. Dudley, meanwhile, seemed to be trying to look small and insignificant, a feat at which he was failing extravagantly.
"We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry," said Mr. Weasley, still smiling.
"Yeah," growled Moody. "About how he's treated at your place."
Uncle Vernon's moustache seemed to bristle with indignation. Possibly because the bowler hat gave him the entirely mistaken impression that he was dealing with a kindred spirit, he addressed himself to Moody.
"I am not away that it is any of your business what goes on in my house—"
"I expect what you're not away of will fill several books, Dursley," growled Moody.
"Anyway, that's not the point," interjected Tonks, whose pink hair seemed to offend Aunt Petunia more than all the rest put together, for she closed her eyes rather than look at her. "The point is, if we find you've been horrible to Harry—"
"—and make no mistake, we'll hear about it," added Lupin pleasantly.
"Yes," said Mr. Weasley, "even if you won't let Harry use the fellytone—"
"telephone," whispered Hermione.
"Yeah, if we get any hint that Potter's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to," said Moody.
Uncle Vernon swelled ominously. His sense of outrage seemed to outweigh his fear of this bunch of oddballs.
"Are you threatening me, sir?" he said, so loudly enough that passerby turned to stare.
"Yes, I am," Said Mad- Eye, who seemed rather pleased that Uncle Vernon had grasped this fact so quickly.
"And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?" barked Uncle Vernon.
"Well…" said Moody, pushing back his bowler hat to reveal his sinisterly revolving magical eye. Uncle Vernon leapt backward in horror and collided painfully with a luggage trolley. "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley."
He turned away from Uncle Vernon to survey Harry. "So, Potter… give us a shout if you need us. If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along…"
Aunt Petunia whimpered piteously. It could not have been plainer that she was thinking of what the neighbors would say if they caught sight of these people marching up the garden path.
"Bye, then, Potter," said Moody, grasping Harry's shoulder for a moment with a gnarled hand.
"Take care, Harry," said Lupin quietly. "Keep in touch… and remember to take your potions…"
"Harry, we'll have to take you away from there as soon as we can," Mrs. Weasley whispered, hugging him again.
"We'll see you soon, mate," said Ron anxiously, shaking Harry's hand.
"Really soon, Harry," said Hermione earnestly. "We promise."
Harry nodded. He somehow could not find the words to tell them what it meant to him, to see them all ranged there, on his side. Instead, he smiled, raised a hand in farewell, turned around, and led the way out of the station toward the sunlit street, with Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley hurrying along in his wake.
--------------------------------------------------(One week later)---------- ------------------
Melissa stepped out of the car, and surveyed her new house. Number Five Privet Drive was a quaint little house, almost exactly the same as all the other houses in Privet Drive. She sighed. The only reason they moved over here was because her dad got transferred to Surrey's branch of Tanaby's Law Firm. Her dad had a very boring job, in Melissa's opinion, but her dad just loved it, and since they moved over here, he got to be in a higher position. Her mother didn't work, but had many hobbies. Melissa didn't really mind moving to Surrey, since she had lots of friends who lived nearby, but she felt kind of strange in this new place. Privet Drive was full with the nosy sort of people that Melissa hated. Oh well she thought. I'll live, I guess...
Harry Potter was leaning against the window, watching the people across the street move into Number Four. Downstairs, his Aunt Petunia was peeking through the curtains, wondering if they should invite the Connalls, their new neighbors, over to dinner.
"Oh, I think it'll be just lovely if they could come to dinner, don't you think, Vernon?" Harry heard his aunt say. "We would be the first to meet them! And it will save them the hardship of having to cook on their first night here!" Vernon just grunted in reply, not looking up from the newspaper he was reading. "Oh, yes, I think I'll go ask them right now!" Harry watched as she went outside, and started chatting to the neighbors. He sighed, and turned away from the window, as a new wave of pain radiated from the deep gash on his chest. It had not healed yet. Harry had got a letter just the other day from Dumbledore saying that if it didn't start to heal in a few weeks, Harry was to be sent to St.Mungo's to have it looked at. He had not told Ron or Hermione about this, though. He didn't want them to have to worry.
Harry walked over to the mirror on the door of his wardrobe, and peered at his reflection. For the last week, Harry had been trying to grow his hair longer, in the hopes that the white would grow out. He remembered that haircut incident when he was young and he was able to make it grow then. At the moment, his hair was a bit longer, just enough to be tied back. Harry noticed that when his hair was longer, its weight made it not stick up as much, and when he tied it back, it didn't stick up at all. He also noticed that the white strands did not grow out. Darn.... He thought to himself at least it no longer sticks up, though... He sighed again, running a hand over the thick bandage wrapped around his chest. He knew it wasn't going to heal. If anything, it was getting worse. Every day, he would be slightly weaker. That didn't really matter much, as Madame Pomfrey had stocked him with enough energy potions to last him the summer. He didn't exactly look healthy either. His face was pale and gaunt, almost like how Sirius looked when he got out of Azkaban, and he had heavy circles under his eyes, from lack of sleep. Harry had been reading late into the night, trying to learn every spell possible, so he could be ready the next time he and Voldemort came face- to- face. One thing that helped greatly was that he was allowed to do magic over the summer. Apparently, the Ministry of Magic decided he needed to protect himself more than the average under- age student, so they registered him as an of- age wizard early. He wasn't supposed to tell anyone. So, naturally, he owled Hermione and Ron as soon as he read the letter. Harry was proud to say that he had gotten quite good at transfiguration over the summer, due to his newly acquired of- age status.
Melissa saw the strange boy in the window turn away, right before she got a good look at him. He was over at Number four, but they way Mrs. Dursley was talking, the only beings who lived there where her, her husband, and their 'charming' sun, Dudley. Something intrigued her about him, for some reason. All she saw of him was that he had black hair, was probably about her age, and wore glasses. She made a mental note to ask of him later.
That night, Melissa and her parents went over to Number Four to dine with her neighbors. Both her and her parents disliked Petunia Dursley, but it would have been rude to decline her offer. Once inside, Melissa knew she would like them even less. Everything was surgically clean. Too clean. Unnatural, really. She also noticed that there were only six places at the table, not seven. What about that boy? She thought to herself. Doesn't he need to eat too? She heard Vernon Dursley talking upstairs, in a hushed, but harsh voice. Melissa strained to hear what he was saying. "You are not to do any funny stuff, you hear me? Or else you won't leave the house all summer! Stay in your room, and be quiet until they are gone. Then you can eat." She heard him say. "Yes, Uncle Vernon..." She barely heard the boy grumble. soooooo, she thought he is their nephew? Why doesn't Vernon want him to bee seen by us? Melissa heard her mother call her into the dining room, forcing thoughts of the boy out of her mind.
After dinner was over, and her parents were having tea with the adult Dursleys and Dudley went off to have 'tea' with friends, Melissa snuck away, with the excuse of needing to use the loo, her mind bent on meeting that mysterious boy. She walked up the stairs to where she heard Vernon Dursley talking. She was just outside the smallest bedroom of the house, and the door was slightly ajar. She poked her head in cautiously, and what she saw made her blink. This room was way different from the rest of the Dursley residence. There were books and paper strewn all over the floor, along with what looked like feathers. And, even more odd, there was a cage sitting on the desk near the window, most likely for a large bird of some sort. Her eyes then fell on the bed. The strange boy was lain across it haphazardly, and there was a large book laying on his chest. Must have fallen asleep... she mused to herself. He looks quite ill, though... maybe that's why they didn't want him down there... the boy stirred slightly, and Melissa remembered that she was not supposed to be up in his room. She quickly scurried down the stairs, and walked back into the living room to 'enjoy' some tea.
Harry awoke the next day feeling terrible. He knew why. He fell asleep reading, and forgot to take all his potions. He groaned, rolled over, grabbed a few bottles on the table beside his bed, and drank them. Harry waited a few minutes for the effects to kick in. After he felt the energy potion start to work, he got up out of bed, and wandered over to the window. He realized he must have slept in, for it was quite bright outside, and all the neighbors were milling about in their yards, enjoying a beautiful summer day. He looked at his arm, and was reminded at how pale he was getting. I need to get out more... he thought, deciding to go on a short walk around the neighborhood. Grabbing a piece of toast on his way out, Harry stepped out into the fresh air.
Melissa was hanging out with three of her friends from the area, enjoying the sun in her front yard.
"Soooooo, Melissa, how do you like Surrey so far?" her friend Cate asked. Her other friends leaned in to hear her answer.
"Well, it's alright, I guess..." she said, "the Dursley's are kinda...iffy... though." Holly, another of her friends, nodded in sympathy.
"Yeah... I went to primary school with Dudley, and his cousin, Harry." she said. At the mention of the cousin, Melissa turned to face Holly, excited.
"Really? You did? What was he like?" She asked eagerly.
Holly shrugged. "I don't really know. Dudley would always beat up anyone who was friends with him, so nobody ever got to know him..."
"Well," said Vickie, a friend sitting to the right of Holly, "I heard he was dangerous. He goes to St.Brutus's!" the other girls all looked shocked.
"No way!" Melissa exclaimed.
"Well, you could ask him right now, there he is!" Cate pointed to Number Four, where Harry had just walked out the door. Melissa signaled to her friends, and they all walked over to him.
"Hey! Harry! Wait up!" she called to him as he started to walk up the street. He stopped and turned around, confused as to who in Privet Drive would want to actually speak to him. As hid did, Melissa got a good look at his face.
"oh my...look at his hair!" Holly whispered into Melissa's ear. At the moment, Harry's hair was pulled back behind his head, and Melissa could see strands of white in his otherwise jet-black hair.
"He is kind cute..." Cate commented.
Harry turned around when someone called his name. Why would someone want to talk to me? he thought, confused. He saw that girl who moved in across the street standing, with a small group of friends, who were whispering amongst themselves. Melissa shushed her friends, and walked up to Harry.
"Hi!" she said "My name is Melissa! I just moved into Number Five. These are my friends: Holly, Cate, and Vickie." she pointed to each girl in turn. Harry inclined his head slightly.
"Pleased to meet you." he said politely.
"Going anywhere in particular?" Melissa asked.
"Not really. Just trying to get out of the house for a bit" He answered. Just then, Holly looked at her watch, and swore.
"Oh, darn! I forgot I told my mom we would meet her at the park!" she said. "I'm sorry, Mel, we gotta scram!" She and the two other girls dashed off, waving to Melissa as they went, leaving her and Harry alone on the sidewalk.
-------------------------------------AUTHORS NOTE--------------------------------------
Yet again.... a short chapter.... longer than the other ones, but still not quite as long as I like... oh well. Once school is out, I will have more time to write longer sturf..... and yah! Oh, for those who are wondering.... MELISSA WILL NOT BE A LOVE INTEREST FOR HARRY!!! They will be friends however...
Lady Riddle-THANKS SOO MUCH!! You are soo nice! ::sniffels:: oh, and I do try to review at least one story of every person who reveiws mine....and yah......oh, and I decided not to put what happened to Wormtail in this chapter for reasons later to be revealed...:D
Mayleesa- He he he....thankies! Reviews make me so happy ::cries in happiness::
Prophetess Of Hearts- Oh, I will! Thanks a bunch for reviewing! ::huggels::