Harry was in his room and he looked at the luminous alarm clock at his bedside table.

It was one o'clock in the morning. Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt. He had been thirteen years old, without even realizing it, for a whole hour.

Yet another unusual thing was how little he looked forward to his birthday. He had never received a birthday card for the first eleven years of his life.

He walked across the dark room to the open window. He leaned on the sill. The cool night air was pleasant on his face.

Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction. It stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower.

Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up a third, which appeared to be unconscious. They landed with a soft flump on Harry's bed, and the middle owl which was large and grey, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs.

Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once — his name was errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family. Harry dashed to the bed, untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel and then he conjured a water bowl. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp down some water.

Harry didn't recognize the other two owls. One was a large snowy female owl who looked extremely pleased with herself. When Harry revealed this one of her burden, she flew across the room to join errol.

The third owl was a handsome tawny one, Harry knew at once where it had come from, because in addition to a third package, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest. When Harry relieved this owl of it's burden, it ruffled its feathers importantly, stretched its , and took off through the window into the night.

Harry sat down on his bed and grabbed Errol's package, ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a present wrapped in gold, and his birthday card.

Harry opened the envelope. Two pieces of paper fell out — a letter and a newspaper clipping.

The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the daily prophet, because the people in the black and white photo were moving. Harry picked up the clipping, smoothed it out, and read:

MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE

Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "we will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a cursebreaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank."

The Weasley Family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend.

Harry picked up Ginny's letter and unfolded it.

Dear Harry

Happy birthday!

It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let me come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of greedy Muggles who had broken in and grown extra heads.

I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven Hundred Galleons! Most of its gone of this trip.

We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my books. Any chase of seeing you there?

Try and come to London

Ginny

P.S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week.

Harry picked up the parcel the snowy owl brought

Inside this, too was a wrapped present, a card, and a letter, this time from hermione.

Dear Harry

I'm on holiday in france at the moment. I bought this owl. I decided to name her Hedwig after a german feminist i had read about in history of magic. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet( I've been getting it delievered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world). Did you see the picture of the Weasleys a week ago?

I bet they're learning loads. I'm really jealous— the ancient Egyptians were so fascinating.

There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole history of magic essay to include everything i found out. I hope it's not too long— it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for.

I'll see you on the Hogwarts express on September first!

Love from

Hermione

Harry ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading Broomstick servicing kit.

Harry set it gently aside.

Harry slit open the envelope from hogwarts, pulled out the parchment and read:

Dear Mr. Potter

Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts express will leave from King's cross station, platform nine abd three quarters, at eleven o'clock.

Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade at certain weekends. Normally a permission form would be given to a parent are guardian but do to special circumstances the headmaster has decided to make an exception.

A list of books for the next year is enclosed.

Yours sincerely,

PROFESSOR. M. MCGONAGALL

Deputy Headmistresss