CHAPTER 1: Summer Blues
Harry opened his eyes sluggishly. For a few moments, he stared up at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the house. Everyone was up already, shuffling around number 4. With much effort, Harry groaned and rolled out of bed. He wearily looked over at his clock. 1:15 in the afternoon. He looked away. Then he heaved a ragged sigh and got up. As he descended the stairs Petunia looked up.
"Harry." she said with a smile "Come, I have some brunch here for you," she said. Then she placed his prescription beside the plate of tomatoes on toast and hashbrowns. Harry glared at the bottle darkly. "Harry. You have to take your medication."
"They make my magic feel weird," Harry complained bitterly. He looked up at his aunt hopelessly "Can we please change the prescription? I hate those pills."
"I'll talk with Dr. Emeline again," Petunia said with a sad look. "But until then." she tapped the bottle against the counter so that the capsules inside rattled. Harry groaned before he took his two pills. He still felt pretty miserable. And the weird itch was back. He grimaced as he scratched at his scar again. Sirius looked up at exactly this moment and dropped the prophet worriedly.
"Is your scar hurting again?" he asked worriedly. Harry scowled.
"No. It's just the pills. They make my skin crawl. It's like my magic is trying to escape from them…" Harry complained as he poked at his hashbrowns in disinterest. The pills also did a number on his appetite. He was arguably thinner now than he was before snuffles had started living with then the summer before his fourth year. Sirius sighed.
"I'm sorry we couldn't find a subtitle potions regiment for you Harry… The truth is wizards don't really believe in this psychology thing. That's what the Janus Thickley ward is for." Sirius drawled bitterly. Harry grimaced. The last thing he needed was everyone thinking he was a nutter. More than they already did anyway. Earlier that summer, thanks in no small part to his aunt's article and the rumours floating around about his seizure at the end of the year, The Prophet had begun publishing articles openly demanding that Harry be institutionalized. True to Petunia's threat earlier last year, she, with the help of Amelia Bones, had entered a still ongoing defamation suit against the paper. She was even considering cancelling the family's subscription, regardless of how the suit ended. Though everything did seem to be leaning in Harry's favour.
"Maybe Snape will have something?" Dudley offered. Sirius made a face.
"I'm sure he's very busy with… other things," Sirius said with a scowl. Petunia rolled her eyes before she tapped her fork on Harry's plate. Harry looked down before looking at his aunt with a miserable pout. His prescription always made him so nauseous. What was the point if he was just gonna sick it all up anyway?
"One piece of toast." Petunia insisted "You don't have to eat the tomato. Just the toast." Harry looked down again before he took a deep breath. Then he lifted the toast, tomato still on and took a bite. Petunia smiled and reached over to pat his hand. Despite himself, Harry smiled. Then a chirping sound caught his ear. "Hedwig. Hey girl," he muttered as the snowy owl swooped in through the conservatory and landed on the table with another chirp. She affectionately nibbled on his ear before attacking a piece of his toast. Then she stuck out her leg. Harry took the letter then frowned.
"So what're Ron and Hermione up to?" Dudley asked with a smile.
"It's not from them," Harry said as he pushed away his plate. The toast was still half-eaten. Petunia sighed.
"Who's it from?" Dudley asked as he clamoured off the sofa and walked over.
"Dumbledore," Harry remarked flatly.
"Dumbledore!?" Petunia shouted angrily. "What does He want?!" Harry grimaced. Petunia still hadn't forgiven him for his little scheme last year, or the incident with Umbridge. And his revelation at the end of the year, while it had pleased her at first, now seemed like yet another ploy to avoid her ire. Harry opened the letter and unfurled it and began to read it aloud.
Dear Mr. Potter,
I hope your summer has been pleasant and peaceful. Considering all that has happened these last few years, I rather think you deserve it.
That being said, I wonder if you might be able to help me with an errand in the coming weeks. Once again I find myself short of staff. My hope is that you might be able to help me convince an old colleague of mine to step out of retirement. His name is Horace Slughorn. He's an exceptionally skilled wizard but is also rather skittish of the growing darkness. Loathe though I am to use you in this way, your fame lends itself well to calming the fears of the public. And it will be particularly useful against Horace. I will arrive within a fortnight.
I hope you'll be amenable. If not, well then I suppose I shall have to look elsewhere.
With my sincerest regards,
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot
"Do you think he wrote the whole signature out by hand? Or does he have a magic quill that writes that whole mouthful out for him?" Dudley mused sardonically.
"It's probably a quill," Harry commented flatly as he tossed the letter on the table before he pulled his plate back and continued eating. Petunia smiled before she quickly read over the letter herself. By the end, her face was tight with disapproval. Sirius snorted as he finished reading.
"Can't believe Dumbledore wants to bring back Ol' Sluggy."
"Ol' Sluggy?" Harry asked with a choking snort. Sirius grinned at him mirthfully.
"That's what your dad and I used to call him. It certainly fits his character." Sirius remarked. He frowned, "Funny though. He was never very skilled with defence."
"We've had worse I'm sure." Harry gripped "I've told you about Lockhart."
"Riiiight," Sirius recalled with a grimace. Then he scowled "Back in my day the board would never stand for that rubbish."
"And how many different defence professors did you have?" Harry asked. Sirius was quiet.
"Seven," he finally admitted. Harry chuckled.
"Exactly. The position's cursed. No professor has lasted more than a year. Knowing that, and especially seeing as worse and worse things have been happening to the professors these last few years, people aren't exactly lining up around the block for the job." Harry reminded. Sirius sighed as he perked.
"Hang on! Maybe I could take the position!"
"Not a chance!"
"No way!" Both Harry and Dudley cried in alarm.
"You'll be dead by the summer!" Harry cried in panic. Sirius looked hurt.
"Oh ye of little faith." he pouted before smiling jokingly.
"Please Sirius!" Harry cried desperately "Don't. If anything happened to you…" he trailed off, eyes growing weary. Sirius's joking smile vanished.
"Nothing is going to happen to me," Sirius assured him. "You're stuck with me to the end." Harry smiled at him gratefully before he took a deep breath.
"I suppose I can help Dumbledore."
"I think you should take him up on the offer of looking elsewhere." Petunia griped coldly. "Dumbledore has done nothing to earn your devotion, Harry."
"I'm not devoted to him." Harry argued with a slightly embarrassed blush "The fact is, he's a powerful wizard, the only one Voldemort is afraid of. Plus he's my headmaster. It's not devotion. It's reasonable respect."
"Reasonable," Petunia muttered darkly before she huffed. "Very well, you can go with Dumbledore to meet this Slughorn fellow." she said, as though Harry hadn't already made the decision without her permission "If!" she suddenly cut in "You bring your uncle with you. You might 'reasonably respect' Dumbledore, but I don't trust him to keep you safe."
"Alright." Harry agreed without any fight. He didn't see any problem.
"Can I come?" Dudley asked. Petunia blinked at him
"Why would you want to go?" she asked. Dudley picked up the letter and read it again, his infamous Slytherin smirk shining through.
"It's just the way Dumbledore worded this. This Slughorn fellow fancies himself as an equal to the rich and famous. And no offence Harry, but you're shite at using your fame to get what you want."
"Probably because I don't want it." Harry reminded his cousin flatly. Then he shrugged "Well if you can convince Dumbledore I don't care."
"I suppose if Sirius is going you'll both be fine." Petunia remarked cooly "And you can help watch Dumbledore."
"Of course," Dudley said as he mockingly saluted his mother. Harry groaned.
Harry was jittery. Dumbledore had confirmed that this was the day he planned to arrive so he could take Harry, Dudley and Sirius to see Slughorn. Well, Snuffles. But Sirius hadn't felt like telling the old man about that. Harry winced as snuffles stared at the door with suspicious eyes. He raised his hand to nibble on his fingers.
"Cut that out," Dudley said with a huff as he pulled the hand away. Harry sighed. "Everything's gonna be fine harry."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I'm not clutching my stomach in agony." Dudley said before he grinned "Seer remember?"
"Potentially." Harry griped "There's no way to know that you are."
"What I do know is I get sick every time you're about to be in danger." Dudley said with a huff "And I'm not sick now, so everything is going to be fine."
"Right." Harry said as his shoulders sagged a bit in relief "Right. Everything will be fine." Then the doorbell rang. Harry looked up as Petunia came down the hall and opened the door.
"Professor Dumbledore." She said stiffly, "Come in." Harry blinked as he saw Dumbledore walk in. He was… normal looking. Harry had expected flashy robes but the old man was dressed in a very nice grey pinstripe suit. His beard was tucked into his shirt while his hair was pulled back under a leather strap. The only colour on his outfit was a bright purple tie and matching pocket square and a long blue and orange striped scarf tossed around his shoulders to ward off the uncharacteristic chill. He looked like an elderly businessman.
"Good afternoon Ms. Evans." dumbledore said with twining eyes "I trust you've had a very relaxed summer."
"As it can be." Petunia said with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. Dumbledore's eyes stopped sparkling for a moment before he turned to Harry and his smile widened.
"Harry! How have you been this summer? Are you excited for the new school year?" he asked as he rummaged around in his pocket for a lemon drop, popping it into his mouth. Harry shrugged. His summer had been pretty awful really, but he didn't feel like explaining why to Dumbledore. Dudley rescued him by clearing his throat.
"Dumbledore." He said with a head bow. Dumbledore looked over at the stocky boy and smiled.
"Ah yes! Mr. Dursley. I must say, I am impressed by your loyalty to your cousin. You would have made a fine Hufflepuff." Dumbledore said offhandedly. Harry snorted. Dudley? A Hufflepuff? Not likely.
"I rather think I would make a far better Slytherin," Dudley argued flatly. Dumbledore's twinkle returned in full force.
"Indeed." The headmaster agreed with a widening smile "A very fine Slytherin." Suddenly Snuffles barked. Dumbledore looked down before frowning in confusion.
"Ah. It seems I misunderstood. I thought Sirius would be coming with us. He would be happy to see his old professor wouldn't he?'' Dumbledore asked. The dog merely huffed before standing and going to the door and lightly scratching. Dumbledore winced. "Now Sirius, surely you can-" but the dog tossed Dumbledore a firm glare. The old man sighed before he shook his head. "Very well… Snuffles. Though you may make things harder than they need to be." Snuffles tossed the headmaster a very clear 'do I look like I care' look before the old man dutifully opened the door for the large dog.
"Dumbledore!" Petunia suddenly cried, following the small group onto the stoop. "they're to be home by 7! If you happen to keep them any later, god help you!" Dumbledore smiled at her threat.
"Of course madam, they shall be home before tea time!" he promised, eyes twinkling merrily. Petunia's eye twitched before she slammed the door. Dumbledore chuckled.
"She and her sister are remarkably alike, you know." He suddenly remarked "why I remember one time when Lily and James got into a knock-down drag out- that's a bit of American muggle slang I picked up from this wonderfully charming American tv show called Law-" Snuffles growled in irritation. Dumbledore blinked "Ah yes! We do have an appointment. Pardon me." Then he held out his hand. Instantly Harry and Dudley flinched and Sirius actually yipped in surprise. The hand in question was black and gnarled. It looked as though the man had stuck his hand into a roaring fire and his skin had melted away nearly to the bone. Dumbledore noticed his companions' alarm and looked down at it as if it were curious, but otherwise unextraordinary. "A thrilling tale I assure you, but as our canine friend has just reminded us, we have a rather tight schedule." So he held out his arm again. Both Harry and Dudley grabbed the man's arm while Harry gripped Snuffles' collar. The old wizard quickly twisted on the spot, pulling the four of them in the nauseating swirl of apparition.