Disclaimer: I don't own harry potter. Asa matter of fact, I don't even own this computer...or anything else for that matter...Wait...I might own that disgusting sock underneath my bed...wait no, that's not mine either...

Chapter 1: The letter

Harry thrashed and struggled in the water, fighting for one breath of air… All around him he saw the same clear crystal blue of the water. Attempting to gasp for air, Harry opened his mouth and let in a flood of water.

"Help! Please! Anyone…" He gurgled underneath the level of water.

In his last fleeting moments of life, Harry saw the blue tinge of the water gracefully darken into a gaping black. Then, as if made by a miracle, a beautiful light appeared, lifting him up, taking him, warming him, accepting him.

Harry opened his eyes, and well, honestly not really to his surprise, he saw Fred, George, and Ron Weasley standing over him, Fred holding an empty dripping water jug in his hand.

"You, erm, wouldn't wake up, you where squirming and well…" Ron said sheepishly.

"It wasn't my idea…"

"Of course it wasn't your idea Ron! How dare you even remotely hint that you came up with such a thing" George said in mock horror.

"Yeah," said Fred, whistling while tossing the jug out the window.

They heard the gentle shoosh of the glass pitcher sailing out the window, and then the harsh crash of breaking glass.

"That's weird," said Fred. "The grass is so soft out there that it shouldn't have broken like that… You see, when an object breaks on a soft surface, the sound is very different then when it is on a harder—"

"FRED! GEORGE!" Molly Weasley stormed into the room, steaming, small pieces of glass clinging to her hair. "COME HERE!"

"Ahh mother, what a beautiful morning it is! I see you attempted to catch the jug that fell out of the window! Ahh, well, you can't catch them all, but you got awfully close…" Said George.

"QUIET! I'LL NONE OF YOUR LITTLE TRICKS TODAY! GO! GET RID OF THOSE GNOMES! I WOULD LIKE TO EAT OUTSIDE THIS MORNING" yelled Mrs. Weasley.
Fred and George walked casually across the room and with a quick wink, they disappeared down the stairs, closely followed by Mrs. Weasley.

Harry, now fully awake and very much alive, proceeded to grab his glasses, and snort the remaining water out of his nose. He looked around at the familiar burrow with ease. He had just arrived there yesterday and Hogwarts was starting in a week. After spending the summer with his hated relatives, the dursleys, Harry and Ron decided to meet at the burrow and get ready to go to school together.

"So, what where you dreaming about? Because you kinda scared me just a little..." said Ron. "You amused Fred and George though."

"I can't really remember,"said Harry, putting on his glasses. "Right before I woke up, I dreamt I was drowning, but I think that was just the water being poured on my head."

"Oh, ok…"said Ron "You don't think that it could have been…" Ron's eyes shot quickly to Harry's scar.

"It probably was, after all, Voldemort has risen…" Harry said, rather carelessly.

"Lovely morning, isn't it?" Hermione said, bursting into the room, "Ron, your mum told me to come and get you guys, we need to help and round up the gnomes."

As they entered the backyard, Harry saw an interesting sight. Fred was mimicking waltzing with a particularly fat gnome while George was whacking gnomes surprisingly far with his beater's bat.

"10 points if you can hit past the road!" cried Fred.

Harry bent over grabbing a gnome by it's ears and swinging it like a lasso over his head, let it go. With a light shriek, the gnome sailed through the air, landing with a thud on the grass.

"I'll bet those are the supply lists," said George referring to the owl soaring through the air with a small bundle of letters attached to it's feet.

"Come over here and eat some breakfast, boys! Shouted Mrs. Weasley. As they approached the table, the owl landed on a unoccupied chair. Mrs. Weasley broke from buttering toast to detach the letters from the owls leg. "Here you go, your school lists. Oh, Harry, dear, there's another one here for you…"

After a quick glance at the new supply list, which included The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6,by Miranda Goshawk and Advanced Defensive Arts, by Bartholomew Cringebunk, Harry turned to the other letter. He casually tore it open, and unfolding it found that it read

Dear Harry,

I regret to inform you that last night the dark lord Voldemort murdered your Aunt, Uncle and Cousin..You may take a leave of absence from Hogwarts for two weeks if you wish.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Harry reread the letter in disbelief. He didn't well up with tears, but instead, he felt his stomach heave. He fell to the ground and felt himself gag.

(a/n: this is my first time at this! So yeah... I know i stink...but yeah, what can i do, so helpful reviews would be greatly appreicated. Eyes move to review button, come on, you know you wanna...)