It was a warm evening that July, even as the sun was setting. But sixteen-year-old Harry Potter kept jogging. That was one of Harry's rituals since coming home for summer holiday. Jog four miles in the morning and jog another four miles in the evening. All forms of exercise were Harry's way of dealing with the pain of loosing Sirius, his godfather. The thought of his godfather made Harry push harder in his running. "It's my fault," Harry panted. "Everything's my fault."
"Hooo," Harry looked up to see Hedwig flying towards him with a letter tied to his leg. Harry stuck out his arm and Hedwig perched on his arm. With his other arm, he untied the letter and thanked Hedwig, "Hoooo," the owl replied before taking off.
Hey Harry, it was a letter from Ron, We haven't heard from you in a while. Are you doing alright? Well, anyways, pack your stuff, 'cuz we're going to pick you up around noon tomorrow. Oh boy! I sure can't wait till you get here! Fred and George made some fantastic stuff you ought to see. D'you think they will be able to try them out on your cousin? No, that would not be such a good idea. Well, Hermione will be arriving the day after tomorrow, so that'll leave us some quality guy time with the rest of my brothers, if you know what I mean. Well, I'll see you tomorrow.
Ron.
"Heh, Ron, you're a nutter," Harry grinned as he decided to walk the rest of the way back to Number Four Privet Drive. When he got home, he took the stairs two at time, ignoring the nasty looks from Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley. However, when Harry got to his bedroom, he discovered a disturbing sight.
"Dudley, what in bloody hell do you think you're doing in my room?" Harry asked, half amused and half irritated. Dudley had discovered Harry's secret stash of sweets under the loose floor board. Even though Dudley lost a lot of weight since forth year, the entire house hold were still under a strict diet. Dudley's eyes bugged out like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car.
Without bothering to wipe off the chocolate icing from his chin, Dudley said, "You haven't been following the diet! I'm gonna tell Mum and Dad!" Dudley threatened.
"No! Don't go telling them I haven't been following the diet!" Harry feigned fright. "Then I'll just have to tell them that you've been cheating on your diet too."
"I'll pound your face in."
"You have to catch me first," Harry shot back.
Dudley's face screwed up as he weighed his options. "Oh fine then!" He got up and waddled out of Harry's room. After putting the floorboard back into its original spot, Harry sat down and started doing sit-ups. When he was finished, Harry pulled off his shirt and stared at himself in the mirror on his dresser drawers. The intense work outs had left its mark on Harry's body. Hard muscle replaced the baby fat that covered his body. Compared to the other summers with the Dursleys, this had been the best one. True to their words, the Order of the Phoenix made sure Harry got the best treatment from the Dursleys. Basically, they let Harry do whatever he wanted and they left him alone.
After stuffing as much stuff as he could into his school trunks, Harry got up to take a shower. But before Harry could turn on the water in the adjoining bathroom, he heard a dog barking through the open window of his room. Harry raced to his room, "SIRIUS!" he shouted. But it was only neighbor's dog, playing catch with a fifteen-year old girl. "Sirius," Harry whispered. From the room below, Uncle Vernon shouted, "BOY! Stop with that entire ruckus! You plan on using the shower, or are you going to flood the bathroom?"
Wiping away tears, Harry replied, "Yes, Uncle Vernon. Sorry Uncle Vernon." Harry stood up and made his way to the shower. As Harry took his shower, a card fell through the open window and landed gracefully on Harry's bed.
'Happy Birthday, Harry. With much love, Hermione.'
In the pilot seat on the Blackbird, an African-American woman with striking white hair gazed at the serene view ahead of them. Sitting next to her was a gruff looking man with thick, dark hair and wild side burns. A sharp looking blade was sticking out of one of his knuckles and the man was using it to peel an apple. Charles Xavier sat behind the wild looking man, studying notes about the students of Hogwarts. The rest of the passengers were Rogue-18, Kurt Wagner-17, Bobby Drake-18, Tabitha Smith-16, Kitty Pryde-16, Scott Summers-18, and Jean Grey-18, sleeping soundly as the Blackbird flew across the Atlantic.
Several hours later, Xavier woke them up. "We're almost there. You can even see the castle from here," Xavier said. He motioned with his hand, one by one, the students stood up to see the view.
"That's, like, wow," Kitty said. The castle sat not too far from a cliff hanging over the ocean. A vast forest spread north, right behind the castle. To the east, an enormous lake sparkled in the dying rays of sunlight. The lake was at least four or five football fields long, with a tiny cottage nestled on the north end of the lake and the edge of the forest. A stadium of some sort can also be seen from the Blackbird, with several hoops sticking high into the air. Even further in the distance, if that was possible, thick clouds of smoke could be seen, trailing a train to a village in the far corners of the school grounds.
"This," Bobby said, "is going to be a one-of-a-kind adventure."
SHOkashi: Sorry about confusing you, but English was never my best subject, and I bet you can see why. But don't let that deter you from continuing to read my story.
Then Kat Said: Glad you liked it!
IISGREAT: Are you psychic?
