"Nothing in Return"
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the real Harry Potter materials in this story.
CHAPTER 1 - A New Year Ahead
Harry Potter had just turned the age of 16, but it is undeniable that his looks are far from that of a sixteen year old. He had grown taller than what is to be expected of him, now 5'8", Harry is just a few inches shorter than Ron. His face had certainly turned from "baby-face boy" to "total cutie" (as what most of his fan base say). And his outer body structure certainly surpasses that of a regular teenager.
Right now, Harry is spending the remaining two weeks of his fifth year vacation at the Burrow. After finally overcoming his infamous nemesis Voldemort and restoring peace in the entire world, Harry and his friends made a pact to never speak of Voldemort ever again. Harry was picked up from Privet Drive by the Weasleys the day before his birthday to ensure him that he can finally celebrate his birthday with all the people he truly cares for.
"Harry, come down here now! We're leaving in ten minutes!"
That's probably Ron. He never seems to get that hobby of his of shouting inside the house when Mrs. Weasley had already warned him for like a billion times. Harry shut the door of the room he shares with Ron and hurried down the stairs. Once he arrived, he found 2 red heads and a brown- haired girl having a conversation in the living room.
"Finally, mate! We've been waiting here for ages! What were you doing up their anyway? Daydreaming of Cho again?" said the taller red head Ron. Harry only smirked and shrugged the statement off as he sat beside his other best friend, Hermione Granger.
"Yes, Harry, what ever were you doing up there?" Hermione asked, as she scoots to the left to make room for Harry.
"It was nothing. I was just packing my stuff," answered Harry.
"This early?" posed Ginny.
"Hey, you can never be too early for packing. You should have seen the room before I packed. It was a wreck! I felt partially responsible for its chaos so, I started to pack."
"Well, good enough reason."
By that time, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley entered the room signaling for them to leave. They were headed for Diagon Alley to purchase their school supplies. Harry was more excited at this trip than anyone else because he is soon to see his old friend Professor Remus Lupin and his godfather, Sirius Black. Lupin decided to stay with Sirius at Grimmauld Place since after Voldemort was defeated. He soon began a serious relationship with Nimphadora Tonks, of whom he was associated with at the Order.
"Are we all here?" asked Mrs. Weasley from behind the group.
"Yes, Mum. Everyone's here," answered Ginny.
"Very well, then. Arthur?"
"Oh, yes. Come on now. First one in the fireplace, Hermione." said Mr. Weasley, gesturing Hermione to enter the fireplace first.
And gone they were as the last Floo Powder was thrown on the fireplace, leaving only the tick- tock of the enchanted wall clock hanging over the banister. Now the Burrow seemed much quieter now that it was left at the care of no one.
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This is new. I've never seen the Alley this crowded before, even if it was the week of purchasing school supplies. Yes, it was true, the Alley had double the size of the usual bustling people as compared to the past years Harry had experienced there. It seemed that the people finally came out of their shells and rejoiced in the streets of Diagon Alley now that Voldemort was completely gone.
"Molly! Arthur! Over here!" heard Harry from the crowd. They all looked up left to find the two remaining Marauders standing in front of Flourish and Blotts, struggling to fight off the crowd that was growing in front of the store. Hmm… Makes me remember that time in our second year when this crowd was also here when Lockhart was to sign autographs for his fans.
"Harry! My, you've grown quite tall since the last time I saw you. How was your summer?" asked Sirius when he finally came close to his beloved godson.
"It was great, Sirius. Never been happier to be at the Weasleys'." Harry said, as he hugged Sirius and Lupin.
"Well, that's great to hear. I'd be expecting you next in my house alright there, Harry?"
"Of course! I can't wait to finally move in with you and leave the Dursleys"
"I'd be happier if you'd have never set foot on that place, but I couldn't do anything."
"It's alright, Sirius. It's not your fault. Anyway, it's all in the past now."
"That's right. Now, why don't we go in and see what all the fuss is about?" Lupin finally said, as he assisted the group in entering the bookshop.
The crowd was overly ecstatic for a reason: Harry's biographical book published by some guy with a funny name. Everyone seemed to want a copy of the book about Harry's life. Now this is scaring me. Why would anybody want to buy a book about my life when practically my whole life experience has been plastered all throughout the whole wizarding world? And who is this guy anyway?
"Bloody freaky, mate! It's like your fan club, only ten times bigger!" exclaimed Ron from behind Harry.
"It certainly is quite frightening, isn't it?" commented Mr. Weasley.
"Well, this was to be expected if you're the "Boy-Who-Lived" or the "Chosen One." Whatever name they give Harry nowadays," said Sirius.
Hermione picked up a copy of the book from the display and quickly scanned over the pages. Her eyebrows raised at what she read. From the expression she brandished in her face, it was evident that she didn't like what was written in it.
"What is this junk? This didn't happen to you at all. Look at this: 'Harry grew up in the custody of his rich and loving muggle Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, accompanied by his cousin Dudley. They raised him with love and compassion; just like how his parents would have raised him.' What is this crap?" Hermione asked, flabbergasted.
Harry and Ron almost laughed at seeing Hermione's annoyed expression. This was the first time they'd seen her get annoyed over a book. It was certainly a moment to remember. Harry smiled as Hermione almost threw the book back to where she had picked it up. They were about to browse around the shopped when something unexpected caught their attention, and possibly, everyone else's.
"OH MY GOD! IT'S HARRY POTTER! RIGHT HERE! OH, HARRY, I LOVE YOU! CAN I HAVE YOUR AUTOGRAPH!?" screamed a somewhat deranged fan that spotted Harry inside the crowd of shoppers.
Nobody knew how it happened, but the next thing they realized, they were running through the streets of Diagon Alley, trying to look for a safe place away from Harry's adoring fans. Everyone ran as fast as they could as to get Harry to safety. Harry ran with Hermione right in tow. Ron and the rest, however, were blocked from their view, preventing the two of them from seeing where the others were going, eventually getting separated from them.
"Good thing we escaped that. Hey, where's Harry and Hermione?" Mr. Weasley asked as they stopped by an alley, all tired from the running.
"Oh, dear. They must have been left behind when we were running. I hope they're alright," Mrs. Weasley said, worried.
"Don't worry, Molly. Knowing those two, they'd find a way out of there. For now, let's split up and try looking for them from store to store. They might be around here somewhere."