An Odd Birthday

In the early hours of the morning at Number Four, Privet Drive, a loud hooting noise came from Arthur Pendergast's room. It was an earlier wake up call than usual for him and the Dentleys but he didn't mind as today was July 31st, Arthur's twelfth birthday.

The hooting came from his pet barn owl, Athena. After being woken up, he let her out to stretch her wings before joining the Dentleys for breakfast, which would be before Arthur starts celebrating his birthday.

"That's the third time this week. Doesn't she know we're not like her?" Uncle Nicholas asked his nephew as he dipped a slice of toast into some egg yolk.

"She's just bored. And for some reason likes messing with us." Arthur explained.

"Just be glad she's your pet, Arthur, or I would've rung her neck." His cousin, Deacon groaned as he especially didn't like being woken up earlier than usual.

"Don't talk like that, Deacon. Besides, Arthur can spend more time celebrating his birthday." Aunt Patty gently told him off as she finally joined the breakfast table.

Once breakfast was over, Arthur was given a few presents from the Dentleys. One was a white v-neck shirt with a black denim jacket and the other was a pack of cards for a game called UNO. He also got cards from them as well.

He then blew the candles out of his birthday cake, which was a round semicircular golden ball.

While the Dentleys enjoyed their slices of cake indoors, Arthur decided to have them while outside in the backyard, enjoying the summer sky.

Ever since the summer holidays started, Arthur was treated the same as he always had been before he went to school a year ago. This was of note because Arthur isn't a normal boy.

He's actually a wizard. A wizard fresh from his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Even a little over a month later leaving, Arthur found himself missing Hogwarts. Of course, the only things he didn't miss about it was Snape, Potions master and Draco Malfoy, another student at the school.

But he did miss most of the lessons, sleeping in his four poster bed, visiting the gamekeeper, Hagrid, the exquisite banquets, his friends and especially his favourite thing in the whole world, Quidditch, the most popular sport in the wizarding world (comprised of six goalposts, four flying balls and fourteen players, seven on each team, on broomsticks).

The Dentleys allowed him to keep his spellbooks, wand, robes, cauldron and Nimbus Two Thousand broomstick (the fastest broom in the world to date) in his bedroom. He didn't exactly practise for the Quidditch team over the summer considering where he lived, but he was able to do his homework. Despite being Muggles (non magical folk), they understood the demands and necessities of being a student at school.

Arthur looked a bit out of place compared to the rest of the family. Nicholas had short brown hair, a moustache and was slim after losing weight, as well as wearing glasses; Patty had a full figure with wide hips, long red hair and green eyes and Deacon had short brown hair and blue eyes. Arthur himself was a bit skinny, shorter than his cousin, had the same green eyes as his aunt, untidy jet black hair and most noticeable, a thin lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

That scar was what made him more unusual, even among wizard-kind. That scar was the only visible hint at his very mysterious past and was the reason why he was left to be raised by the Dentleys eleven years ago.

When he was just a one year old, Arthur somehow survived a curse from possibly the greatest dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort, who was so feared by witches and wizards that they don't speak his name; Arthur though didn't fear his name, finding it more stupid, actually. Arthur's parents were killed by Voldemort, yet Arthur himself only escaped with his scar, and somehow, no one understood why, Voldemort's powers were destroyed the moment he failed to kill Arthur.

This left Arthur to be raised by his dead mother's sister and husband. He'd spent the next ten years with them, and his cousin, never really understanding why he made weird things happen with no explanation and believing that his parents died in a car crash, which was how he also got his scar.

But then, a little over a year ago in early July, a witch named Minerva McGonagall and Hagrid arrived to deliver him his acceptance letter to Hogwarts, which was when he learned the truth and how he was also extremely famous in the wizarding world, known as the Boy Who Lived.

Of course, the school year is now over and is back with the Dentleys for the summer. The one good thing was that he wouldn't get treated like a celebrity like he did when he went to Hogwarts.

But as he sat on his own, nearly done with his slice of cake, a thought finally came to the forefront of his mind: why didn't his friends wish him a happy birthday? In fact, why haven't they made contact with him over the summer?

His two best friends were David Merlon (a descendant of Merlin himself) and Chrysanthemum Ranger. They didn't seem to write to him at all, even though they said they would, David even suggested he'd come over to his home and be with his family.

He tried sending them letters with Athena but she'd come back without any letters whatsoever. Was it because they forgot his birthday? Because they no longer wanted to be friends with him? Or maybe, it was because someone is interrupting their letters from reaching him? And if so, who would do that?

Either way, the lack of contact with the wizarding world was getting to him. He just wished for something, even nearly wishing to see Draco Malfoy, despite being his arch enemy. Of course, his whole year at Hogwarts wasn't all fun. At the end of last term, he had to come face to face with Lord Voldemort himself, which made him feel the biggest surge of rage and fury he ever felt. Voldemort was a shell of his former self, but was still cunning and determined to regain power.

Arthur was able to slip through his clutches a second time, though it was a narrow escape. Even to this day, he'd have the odd nightmare that would make him wake up drenched in cold sweat, wondering where Voldemort was now, remembering that livid face and wide eyes that displayed his madness.

He, of course, told the Dentleys about all of this and while shocked and scared for Arthur, they were glad he was alright and took down Voldemort again.

Suddenly, Arthur found himself sitting bolt upright on the garden bench he sat on. Because as he was staring absentmindedly into the hedge, he saw the hedge staring back at him. There were two enormous green eyes among the leaves.

"What the hell?" He whispered to himself, staring back at the eyes until they blinked and vanished.

Having finished the slice of cake, he instantly ran to where the eyes were and searched through the hedge, not finding anything, making him frown in confusion.

"What are you doing?" Deacon's voice asked. Arthur turned his head to see his cousin standing by the sliding glass door that separated the house from the backyard.

"I could've sworn I saw eyes in this hedge." He replied as Deacon came over. He, too, frowned in confusion, even scratching the top of his head.

"Could it be one of your friends planning to surprise you?" He asked.

"No way, neither of them have green eyes." Arthur shook his head.

"Then what else could it be?"

"No clue."

"Speaking of your friends, why didn't they send any birthday cards?"

"Well, I have some ideas. The only one that makes the most sense is that someone grabbed their letters to stop me from reading them." Arthur replied.

"Why would anyone do that?" Deacon questioned that very theory.

"A prank, a grander scheme, I don't know…. But I hope to figure it out." Arthur said as he went and grabbed the plate he had the cake with and entered back into the house with Deacon.

The eyes in the hedge were going to the back of Arthur's mind as he spent the rest of the day having a bowl of vanilla ice cream and playing UNO with the Dentleys, which was much more fun than expected because of their reactions of any of them lost.

Come half past seven in the evening, Arthur was watching a cartoon as his aunt and uncle were both in the kitchen preparing tea with some of Arthur's favourite foods, which included rice pudding.

As the cartoon ended, Arthur heard a sound coming from his bedroom, as did the rest of the Dentleys.

"What was that?" Nicholas asked his nephew.

"I have no idea. It can't be Athena, she's still out for a flight. I'll go look." He replied, getting up and making his way upstairs.

Upon reaching the door to his bedroom, he opened it and was shocked to see someone sitting on his bed.

Time for Arthur's next adventure to begin. Apologies for the chapter being short.