Disclaimer: I do not own anybody in this fic...I think…Except for Saran…

I dedicate this chapter to KrazieShadowNinja for being my first reviewer. YAY!

Please R&R! Thanks!

Chapter 1

Harry James Potter woke up with a start and abruptly fell out of his bed. He couldn't stifle a groan before climbing back onto the mattress. That was the third time this week that he had fallen off his bed. He tried to remember the dream he had for the third night in a row. Every time he fell off the bed, it was because of that dream. Thought try as he might, Harry could not remember the details of his dream, although it was the strongest today. All he remembered was that he was standing in a mansion, in front of a cauldron, talking to a boy no older than 16. The boy looked a lot like Harry and he was trying to tell Harry something. As the details slipped out of Harry's mind, so did the conversation.

Harry checked the clock on his bedside table. 2:05 it read. With a jolt Harry remembered that it was his birthday today. Today he turned 16. During the few minutes that he was contemplating the importance of the dream and checking the clock, Hedwig, Pigwegdon, and Errol had all swooped into his room through the open door. They landed with a small thump on his now-evacuated bed. Finding it still warm, they snuggled in a little circle on the bed. Harry almost laughed aloud. The owls looked like hens warming their eggs. Their feathers were fluffed up, making them look a lot like balls of fluffy things.

Harry collected the packages that the owls had dropped in front of him. They were presents from Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys in general. Not expecting another owl, Harry was surprised at the three other owls that swooped into his room, dropping their parcels into Harry's already filled lap, before fluttering onto his bed and making themselves comfortable. He picked up the new packages. One was from Hagrid, undoubtedly his present (though Harry was reluctant to open it as the present was growling softly), and the other was from Remus. There was a letter from Hogwarts also and Harry noticed that it was thicker than usual.

Harry opened the letter from Hogwarts first. It contained the usual greeting from Deputy Headmistress Professor McGonagall. There was also a letter that said that the students

(3rd year and up) are allowed to use magic as a defense against Voldemort but they can only use it for that purpose. Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that if he used magic as a self-defense like he did last year he would be dragged off to the Ministry of Magic and be expelled.

He looked over his class books and smiled. He had already gotten his OWL marks and they were quite high, 14 OWLs out of a possible 17 OWLs. He had sent the list of classes that he would need to take for an Auror career to Hogwarts and had been waiting impatiently for the letter back.

After he checked the Hogwarts letter, he moved onto his presents. His friends knew that he was still getting over Sirius's death and had always found ways to cheer him up. He smiled at the thought of what Remus might give him and decided to open that present first. The wrapping fell off easily from the small package and Harry found that he had given him a book. He flipped through that pages and found that the book was actually a diary of what the Marauders did when they were in Hogwarts. Harry smiled slightly as tears came to his eyes. He wiped them away impatiently as he put the diary away for later.

His eyes roamed to Hagrid's present and he sighed. Better get this over with… In one swift movement, a movement that he did not know that he could do, he opened the package and found a box with holes on the tapped lid. With nervous hands, he took off the tape and lifted the lid… to see gold puppy eyes looking up at him. Harry chuckled with released tension and lifted the puppy out of his container. The pup had dark ebony fur and resembled a lot like Sirius. Harry sighed. Only Hagrid could give him a miniature Sirius, but somehow Harry felt happier because of the present. The pup ran around his room yapping softly, obviously happy with his new quarters.

Harry saw a note in the container and read it. "How are you, Harry? I hope you don't mind if I named your present Snuffles. He's already been trained to save you the trouble. Hope you're well. Hagrid." Harry smiled again, and put the slip of paper away. Snuffles jumped onto his lap and curled up, ready to take his youthful nap.

He opened the present from the Weasley's. Ron's mother had made him a cake that, surprisingly, didn't not get squashed on the way to Harry's house. There was also a large amount of taffy accompanying the cake. Harry put the cake away for later, but took a big bite of taffy (A/n: He is going to have a cavity…). While chewing, he ripped open Ron's present and a mirror fell onto Snuffles. The pup whined but slept on. Harry picked up the glass and read the note on it. "How are you, mate? Hope you're having a good summer. We're going to HQ soon. Hope to see you there. Oh, and this is a Foe Glass by the way. Thought you needed something to tell you if danger is coming. Ron." Harry chuckled at the sarcasm in Ron's last sentence and put the Foe Glass on his table. The figures were shadowy and dark.

Harry breathed deeply as he lifted Hermione's present to test its weight. From the looks of it, the present was a very large and heavy book. He opened the present hesitantly, expecting 1001 Spells to Help You in Your Studies or something like that. What he didn't expect was a large book filled to the brim with ancient spells of both Dark and Defense Against Dark spells. Harry flipped through the book, almost tentatively, as if the pages would break. Some of the spells were fairly modern, but most were ancient, many of them forgotten by most of the wizarding world. Harry picked up Hermione's note. "Hey Harry! Hope you're well. I got this for you because I thought that you might need to know more advanced spells if you were to face Voldemort again. (A/n: Hermione got over her fear of his name.) Just wanted you to be prepared. Have a great summer! Hope they are treating you okay. Also, Ron keeps dropping hints that we'll be meeting you sooner than September 1. If so, see you soon! Hermione."

Harry shook his head. Both his friends thought that he needed to be away from the Dursleys but he didn't. Because of the threat they had received, they didn't bother Harry in the slightest. Harry shook his head again and gently lifted his new pet off of him. He would have to contact Hagrid again to ask him if Snuffles could live with him while Harry was at Hogwarts. Harry got up and stretched his arms and legs oddly limber. Harry shrugged and put his presents away. He then shooed the owls off his bed before climbing back in for some more sleep.