Chapter 29 - Escaping Godfather
Two days later I started my first job, it went great! It turns out, selling stuff is something I'm quite good at. Vander said it won't get all that busy until the Hogwarts letters go out. Speaking of Hogwarts, I had been whining at Uncle Moony to take the job since the morning after Dumbledore left and didn't relent until the Thursday after. On the Friday Uncle Moony sent him a letter saying he accepted. Two days after that was my birthday. Uncle Moony made me a special dinner and a birthday cake! Which is good for him. I got presents from everyone, even Harry this year accept from my family. Mum had sent me a letter saying that he refused to let us send them and that I had to come here and get them but she'd send the presents to Hogwarts with Abe. Mum send with that an Owl charm for my bracelet so at least I got something. I sent an Owl to everyone who had sent me gifts thanking them all and promising to visit Hermione after she got back from France and Harry on his birthday and Ron when I could. A few weeks later, Arthur Weasley sent me an early copy of the Daily Prophet with the Weasley Family on the front page, they were going to Egypt for a month with the winnings, on the day I was visiting Hermione in the muggle world which I'm sure would be an experience for me. We had a blast, she showed me loads of stuff and we bought nice clothes and I got a boom box with some muggle cd for me to play. It made me glad I had decided to take muggle studies if this was the type of stuff we'd be learning about. I could only hope. My summer holiday was going great until the morning of the day I was visiting Harry. I'd gone downstairs to use the bathroom when I heard a crash coming from the kitchen. I ran and saw Uncle Moony staring in front of him in shock while his cup of tea was on the floor and his trouser leg.
"What's wrong, Moony?" I asked concerned. He didn't react, I walked forward and looked in front of him. It was the Daily Prophet. "Oh My God." I said slowly when I saw the headline. And the picture of Sirius Black, my evil godfather, and the reason my godmother and nearly my best friend had died.
ESCAPE from AZKABAN!
"Holy Mother of Merlin. Why now? How? When?" I asked.
"I don't know. I don't know. Last night." He replied in a monotone.
"No where's safer than Hogwarts. He can't get there. Thank God you'll be at Hogwarts with us." I sighed and took a deep breath and poured myself a coffee. And downed it. "Well, I'm still going to Harry's. I don't think he'll know."
"You can't go. Not now." He said concerned. Returning to his normal self.
"I can and will. I'm not cancelling on him, it's his birthday tomorrow and he's been alone with that horrible family for a month now. It's only overnight, Moony, and you're taking me there and picking me up. I didn't get today off work for nothing. Please will you take me?" I asked him, pouting a little. This made him laugh.
"Alright then, Nine Lives. They're expecting you soon so go get dressed." He ordered with a fake smile and worry in his eyes. I frowned a little but did as I was told. I got excited again because I could mess with the Dursley's today and see Harry obviously to give him his birthday present. Hermione had sent her present with me. We arrived not long after, the door was answered gloomy looking Harry who quickly brightened when he saw me.
"What's up with you, Harry?" I asked him while hugging him
"The Dursley's gave me an early birthday present." He replied looking depressed.
"Who's at the door?" I heard a woman screech. Petunia. She walked into the hallway and started looking a little nervous. "Oh. It's you. We forgot you were coming."
"Who is it, Petunia?" I heard a woman ask. A very manly looking woman walked in.
"Ash, this is my Aunt Marge. My Uncle Vernon's sister." Harry said and before Harry could turn to her and introduce me.
"Introduce me then, boy!" She boomed.
"My name is Aurora Hyde. We go to school together." I replied, glaring slightly.
"You go to St. Brutus's Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys?" She asked. Criminal Boys? Harry? I was confused. I saw Vernon looking at me with wide eyes behind this Marge. I'm sure that if I said something wrong, Harry would get into trouble.
"Well, I live there. My father owns St. Brutus's. Harry here is one of the only nice and un-criminal boys in the institute so he's my best friend. We've never been sure why Harry was sent there, a waste of money really but money in my pocket." I smirked at her. I heard the Dursley's all breathe a sigh of relief and Harry too, which was a little odd. "And as it is Harry's birthday tomorrow, I'm staying overnight to celebrate with him." Marge accepted my story.
"We'll set you up a camp bed in Harry's room, if that's okay Ash." Petunia said being fake nice.
"That's fine Petunia." I smirked. Harry grabbed my bag and I followed him upstairs to his room.
"You really saved me, I don't get to go to Hogsmede if Marge finds out. Vernon won't sign it." Harry told me. This made sense.
"I reckon I just saved all their arses, you will be coming to Hogsmede with us." I replied. "So what do you want to do today? I plan on messing with your Dursley's at least a little bit." He grinned at me.
"Have you had dinner?" He asked me.
"Not yet, no." I replied.
"We'll go have dinner before you start messing with them." He replied before dragging me back downstairs. They were talking about the escapee that had apparently been advertised to the muggles.
"Have you heard about the prisoner that's escaped prison last night, Marge?" Vernon was asking while we walked downstairs.
"Yeah. He must be dangerous. They've said to not approach him." Marge replied.
"He massacred eleven people. And helped the murder of two others while attempting to murder seven more people. He is counted as dangerous, Mrs. Dursley." I informed them.
"And how is it that you know?" Marge asked, I had to think quickly.
"The man in question is a someone who was at St. Brutus's as a young one. The family is a rich one so I'm not allowed to say the name." I replied. Harry looked at me confused. I shook my head and looked towards Marge. "Is it alright if we make some dinner?"
"Of course. Harry will show you where everything is." Petunia said in her fake niceness. We went to the kitchen and was closely followed by Dudley. I turned around to see him looking like a complete idiot in what he was wearing. I burst out laughing.
"What?" Dudley asked gormless.
"You look like a four year old who still gets dressed by his mum. You're thirteen aren't you?" I asked still giggling a little.
"Yeah. Mum doesn't dress me all the time." He defended.
"She shouldn't dress you at all. And maybe you should could down on the chocolate." I smirked. He huffed and ran out the kitchen.
"A little harsh?" Harry asked.
"He needs to know that no one is gonna look at a momma's boy with five chins twice." I replied.
"Whatever. How do you know about this prisoner guy?" He continued asking me.
"Because he is a dark wizard escaped from Azkaban." I informed him.
"I thought that was impossible." Harry looked confused again.
"It is. It bloody well should be. No one knows how. It's some crazy shit. Now. Let's make dinner, I'm starving" I grinned at home before I opened some of the cupboards to find food.
"Look in the fridge." Harry ordered. I look around blankly. "The silver thing." There was only one silver thing so I opened it and got hit by cold wind.
"Ooh. Aint this fancy. I whole cupboard to keep stuff cold. All our stuff is stored in cupboards and we use jinxes to make sure it doesn't go off. What's it called?" I asked really interested.
"It's a fridge." He said laughing.
"Show me some other stuff?" I asked nicely, pouting and batting my eyelashes. He laughed and started showing me other stuff in the kitchen while we made some sandwiches. The rest of the day went in a similar way. Him showing me stuff, we even tagged along with Marge and Petunia and went to the shops where Harry showed some more stuff. We stayed up until midnight after going upstairs after the slightly awkward dinner. I gave him mine and Hermione's present. I got him a set of two racing cars that I got while shopping with Hermione at a muggle toy shop and also a twenty pound voucher to this huge sweet shop chain that wasn't far from where Harry lived. I checked. Hermione got him a posh Broomstick Servicing Kit which he loved. Not long after that Errol and another owl arrived with some more stuff. Hagrid had sent him a weird book called Monster book of Monsters and Ron got him a Pocket Sneakascope. He put the cards from the four us on his bedside cabinet before we got ready to go to sleep. That's when I remembered my idea.
"Harry?" I asked him, talking towards him in the dark.
"Yes, Ash?" He replied.
"You know how I'm an Animagus, Harry?" I continued.
"You're a panther..." He said before I butted in
"Do you want to become one? As another birthday present. I was thinking, if you stayed with me and my uncle and I could teach you over the summer, I'd have to ask Moony though. I could start during this year but we're going to be really busy with lessons and stuff. You just have to decide what you want to be." I said in a rush. I don't know why I felt a little embarrassed.
"You'd do that, Ash?" He asked. I could tell he was shocked.
"Of course. Its brill running around as an animal, being so fast, you'd love it. I know it." I grinned into the darkness. "You think about it, eh, Harry?"
"I will do, Ash." He replied.
"Happy Birthday, Harry." I whispered.
"Good night, Ash." He whispered.
"Night, Harry." I replied quietly before turning over and going to sleep. The next day we did the same as the last. He taught me some more about the muggle world while the Dursley's were out all the day. We went around the neighbourhood and to the park nearby and just messed around, playing on the swings, being kids. It were a brilliant couple of days and Harry told me it was his best birthday ever. I supposed he couldn't have had many good birthdays with the Dursley's. I'd see if maybe he could stay at ours next year. For the whole summer. Whether it be at my house home or my other one at Uncle Moony's. I stayed until after tea again until I had to walk down the road to meet Uncle Moony not far from the park where we'd been for most of the day before we apparated home. I stayed up with Uncle Moony for ages telling him what happened over the weekend, he was really interested, at least he appeared to be when I finished, I decided to ask him. "Moony?"
"Yes, Nine Lives, love?" He asked back.
"I want to teach Harry to be an animagus like his Dad." I told.
"Does he want to become one?" He asked again.
"I offered. He sounded like he did but he said he'd think about it. I said that maybe he could stay with me over the summer and we could teach him. You should see how they treat him, I don't want him to spend his next birthday there, and that'll suck." I explained to him, smiling a little.
"And what about my time of the month?" He said raising his eyebrow.
"Well he'd have to know by then. But he'll stay in your room in bed or something, you don't usually change until quite late at night so he'll be asleep. And the changing room is soundproof so you wouldn't wake him." I said whining a little. I wanted my best friend to stay with me next year.
"I'll think about it Ash, don't get your hopes up. Now, it's about midnight. Bed." He ordered. I sighed and nodded before hugging him night and going up to bed.