And here's the newest chapter of "A Year Too Soon"! Enjoy!
* Review Response:
Greatazuredragon, Clavyus, Lord Mortensen, The Phantom Keeper, magitech, TheGreatBubbaJ, DarkRavie, outcome 5, Yaw6113, Uday Sra, lonewolf 83, Luq707, ghostwarrior2301, Guest #1, BlackRoseFire, Guest #3, mrhunterjdavis, thank you for your reviews, folks!
Majerus, orion0905, BMS, Vampireking40, while it hasn't been decided yet whether Sirius will ever escape or not, I'm sure that should the news about Harry being in danger somehow reach him, he will break out.
mwinter1, Jostanos, thank you.
Luiz4200, to be honest, he ended up being more of a sacrifice to avoid re-hashing canon too much. That said, inventing an entire year of events with barely any connection to what happens in canon will be a pain.
Wyrtha, the thing is... Sirius is not escaping (yet). And depending on how the plot-line progresses, he might never do.
Wakefan, actually, while Dumbledore likes to be in control of things, I don't see him as an evil puppet-master (and am actually tired of stories that represent him as such), so there will be no special fine print for that contract.
fvdv123, rat skeletons was a straight up copy from the book. Ask JKR about that.
stevem1, as a continuation of my answer to Wakefun: I don't see Dumbledore as an evil man, but being in charge for so long with barely any opposition that is not against him on principle left him with something of a 'I know best' mindset. Hence you see him trying to control things into how he envisions they should be, even if his vision is not perfect by any means.
Dreous44, part of that comes from him 'dodging' most of the 'interesting' stuff that happens in canon by the virtue of being a year ahead and in a different house. That said, the upcoming year and the one afterwards should present him with some challenges/adventures.
Guest #2, I don't remember that from the books, so it's probably something that was invented in one story or another.
* AN: As always, great thanks to my friend Skelekitty for his help in polishing this chapter.
* AN2: I also want to thank everyone for their continued support. With this chapter out, 'A Year Too Soon' should break 1 000 000 views!
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own "Harry Potter" franchise. No profit is being made. Same goes for any books, video games, anime or manga I may or may not use for ideas.
"speaking"
"parseltongue"
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A Year Too Soon
Chapter XL: Hedwig
Dumbledore did his best to suppress an annoyed sigh as he read a missive from Gringotts. The Goblins were informing him that during the latest security check of vaults, a horcrux had been discovered - a golden goblet that was identified as Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, which was reportedly stolen from the Smith family back in nineteen forties.
Since the Cup was not made by the Goblins and the family of the last known legal owner was no more, Gringotts felt that he, as the Headmaster of Hogwarts, had a right to say in the relic's fate. Thus, they were asking him whether he wanted to purchase a ritual to cleanse the relic and then have its ownership transferred to him for an additional nominal fee. If he didn't, they'd go ahead and destroy the Cup. The offer, however, was only good for a week, and Gringotts expected the ritual to be paid for in full upon acceptance.
Finding that much money on such a short notice was never easy. His personal savings at the moment didn't account even for a quarter of the required sum, so he'd definitely have to borrow galleons from somewhere. Alas, the need to keep the discovery of Hufflepuff's Cup a secret greatly reduced the number of options available to Albus. After all, not many people are willing to lend large amounts of money to someone for a purpose they aren't allowed to know. Not without demanding ridiculous amounts of interest, at least.
That didn't leave many people to ask for the loan, pretty much just those in the know about Voldemort's horcruxes. But seeing how the House of Bones was still recovering from the Blood War a decade ago, it seemed that he'd need to ask Croaker for the gold from his department's budget to save Hufflepuff's Cup from being destroyed. And the Hogwarts' Headmaster wasn't looking forward to that conversation.
Goblin greed aside, the fourth of Voldemort's horcruxes had been found and will soon be destroyed, one way or another. Once that happened, there would be only two more tethering the Dark Lord's mangled soul to the living world.
And Dumbledore had some ideas where those two might be hidden.
In fact, he was certain that the Dark Lord hadn't given the remaining two horcruxes to his followers for safekeeping but rather hid them himself in places that held some importance to him. Of course, there were no guarantees that it indeed was so, but the old warlock was confident in his theories.
Shaking his head, Albus set the missive from Gringotts aside and turned his attention back to a small mountain of parchments sitting on his table. He still had much to do before he could finally go on his summer vacation and do some actual horcrux-hunting.
And speaking of things he needed to do for Hogwarts… The school needed a new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. Again.
~/ *** \~
The summer began quite well for Harry. Whether it was a promise of money - however token the amount might be, the simple fact that he did offer to pay for the time he had spent under their roof made Uncle Vernon's opinion of him finally rise above 'good-for-nothing freeloading freak' - or a simple fact that he won't be returning here anymore, his Aunt and Uncle had been surprisingly amiable towards him.
That is not to say that Harry wasn't given any chores to do around the house, but those weren't too numerous or too hard and left him with quite a bit of time to himself. The Potter heir was also surprised when his Uncle asked whether he needed to sign any permission slips for Hogwarts - not that he called the school by its name, but… After some thinking he decided to take him on this offer: while his planned emancipation should let him visit Hogsmeade with no need for guardian-signed permission slips, it would be better to still have one just in case.
Harry's departure from Privet Drive, while not a grand scandal or a tearful goodbye one might have expected from close family still was notable for a couple of things. First, Uncle Vernon had pulled him into the living room after breakfast and told him that despite having his 'freaky mumbo-jumbo' thing, he wasn't all that bad and, should he keep it up, he might become almost a good man one day. That was as close to a true acknowledgment as Harry had ever gotten from the man.
And then, when Harry was actually saying his goodbye to the Dursleys, Dudley - probably at his father's insistence - bid him farewell good-naturally and had even used his name rather than calling him a 'freak' or anything like that.
After finally leaving Number Four, Harry made his way to a small bystreet a few blocks away. It was a short driveway away from anything important or interesting in Little Whinging. And, thus, a perfect place for him to summon the Knight Bus. After all, a purple triple-decker that appeared out of thin air was hardly inconspicuous and he didn't want to break the Statute of Secrecy just because he needed a ride to London.
The Knight Bus - thankfully - made only a couple of stops in the countryside before finally arriving at Charrington Cross, so Harry didn't have to suffer the infernal ride for too long. Seriously, who let that guy behind the wheel? He was driving like crazy and if it wasn't for Magic, the bus would be crashing into something constantly.
Taking a couple of minutes to recover from his stomach-churning experience, the young Potter stepped into 'The Leaky Cauldron'. As it was the middle of an afternoon, the pub was mostly empty with only a few patrons sitting in the back, either nursing their drinks or reading some periodical.
"Good day, Mr. Potter." Tom the bartender greeted as he appeared from behind the counter. "Something I can do for you this fine afternoon?" Harry nodded.
"I'd like to rent a room until the end of the summer." He said. "Do you have one available?" Tom let out a barking laugh.
"This early in the summer? Most people don't start renting rooms until at least mid-July. Now, let's get you a room, Mr. Potter." The man said as he moved to produce a key from... somewhere. "I believe this is the very room you've stayed in the previous summer." He added as he handed the key over to Harry.
"Thank you." The green-eyed wizard replied, accepting the key.
Having spent the rest of the previous afternoon trying to make the room he'd be staying in for the next two months, Harry didn't get a chance to shop in Diagon Alley as most shops were already closed by the time he had finished unpacking his things. Not that there was much he could buy for school until Hogwarts sent him a list of things he'll need for the upcoming academic year. Still, as a student he could always use more parchment and other stationary items. He also needed a new set of school robes as he was starting to grow out of his current ones.
And, of course, he wanted a post owl of his own.
That, however, would likely be the largest of his purchases, and Harry was sure Madam Malkins would not appreciate him bringing an owl into her shop. Thus, he decided to leave it for last. Thus, it wasn't until after lunch that he finally stepped into 'Eeylops Owl Emporium'. The shop was rather dark on the inside, and had thick uneven props supporting ceiling like trunks of some strange trees. Most of the owls were sleeping in their cages, but the few that were awake immediately turned their attention to the human who had entered the shop. The feeling of being watched by them actually made Harry a little uneasy.
Shaking that feeling off, the green-eyed teen began walking between the rows of cages, looking for an owl that he would like to have as his own. He was checking out a moderately-large tawny owl in a silvery cage when there was a loud crash behind him. A few moments later, a set of thick talons dug into his shoulder as a large snowy owl settled there with a victorious hoot.
"If that ruddy bird is causing ruckus again!.." A portly man in simple black robes that had a few feathers on them appeared from the shop's backroom. He paused for a few moments as he observed the scene in front of him. "Are you alright, Mr… Potter?" He asked then as he reached to pry the owl off the younger wizard's shoulder. The bird, however, would have none of that and let out an angry hiss while spreading its wings a little.
"I'm… fine." Harry let out with a slight wince. While the owl's talons hadn't pierced his skin, it was still not the most pleasant feeling.
"Thank Merlin!" The saleswizard said, making another attempt to take the snowy owl off Harry's shoulder. Which was met with another round of angry hissing from the said owl. "It looks like this troublemaker decided that she wants to be your owl." He observed.
"Mhm…" Harry hummed. "I was actually hoping to get an owl that is less conspi-... Ow!" He yelped as he felt the claws of the owl currently perching on his shoulder dig a bit deeper into his skin while the bird let an angry hiss right into his ear. "But, I guess, this beauty over there is even better." He quickly corrected himself, and the owl immediately relaxed her grip on his shoulder and hooted approvingly.
"Splendid." The saleswizard said. "And since it doesn't look like I'll ever sell her to anyone but you, Mr. Potter, I guess I can even give you a discount. How about you give me eight galleons and this owl is yours? Normally, snowy owls like her are fifteen."
"Sounds like a great deal." Harry agreed. "But I'll need a cage for her. And treats. And whatever else you need for an owl."
"Of course." The saleswizard said. "You can choose a cage from the ones we have over there." He said, directing the young Potter to the far corner of the shop where a number of empty cages was indeed put on display. "As for treats, may I recommend some owl nuts? You can pick them at the counter."
"Thank you." Harry said with a nod, as he went to check out the cages, the snowy owl still refusing to let go of his shoulder.
Half an hour later, the young Potter made his way back to 'The Leaky Cauldron', the snowy white owl still perching on his shoulder. At least she had calmed down and wasn't trying to claw into his shoulder with her talons anymore. She actually looked rather pleased with herself at the moment, as if she had managed to achieve something by having him buy her.
In fact, Harry could remember the saleswizard telling him that this owl had refused at least half a dozen of wizards and witches who tried to buy her over the past three year. It was almost like she had been waiting specifically for him. This made the green-eyed teen let out a small laugh. As if something like that was possible! Things like never only ever happened in books.
"So, what should I name you?" Harry asked his own, knowing he won't get any real answer from her. Still, the bird fixed her amber eyes on him, as if waiting for what he would suggest. "How about 'White'?" He wondered out aloud. The owl didn't like this idea, if her angry hiss was of any indication. "Guess, not." The young Potter agreed.
For the next half an hour Harry did his best to come up with a name for his owl that she would accept. It was not an easy task. In about ten minutes he had exhausted his own imagination and was forced to turn to the History of Magic textbook for help, reading names of important witches one after another.
"Hedwig?" He asked almost desperately. There was a long moment of silence before the owl finally let out a pleased-sounding hoot. "Hedwig it is, then." Hedwig let out another hoot. There was a shorter pause before Harry spoke up again: "Would you deliver a couple of letters for me tonight, Hedwig?" The owl hooted again, before scooting closer to the box of owl treats, indicating that she wasn't willing to work for free - not tonight, at least. "Sure, I'll give you some treats when you come back." Harry agreed.
~/ *** \~
The moment Flora and Hestia stepped back to their room after breakfast, there was a knock on their window from the outside. It was quite sudden and startled the twins, but after a couple of seconds they realized that it likely was just a late post owl. And as they pulled the curtains aside, they were indeed greeted by the sight of a large snowy owl with a letter tied to its left leg, looking at them intently through the glass. For a few moments they just stared at each other. Then the owl knocked on the window with her beak again.
"I think we should let her in and see who this letter is from." Hestia said. Her sister nodded and opened the window, allowing the bird into their room. The owl didn't even take into the air and instead walked in in a lordly manner before hopping onto the girls' table and offering them the leg with the letter tied to it.
"It's from Harry!" Flora announced as she read the writing on the envelope.
"Didn't he say he wanted - how did he phrase it? - a less conspicuous owl?" Hestia asked curiously while the owl in front of them spread her wings a little to show that she didn't like being talked about like that.
"I'm sure he explains that in his letter." Her sister returned. They then opened the said letter and began reading:
Hello, Flora, Hestia,
I hope your summer has been pleasant so far and nothing upsetting has happened since the last letter.
Now, let me introduce my new post owl, Hedwig. Please treat her well. Before you say anything, yes, I wanted one that didn't stand out much, but Hedwig here decided that she really wanted to have me as her owner and refused to let go of me until I bought her. Even weirder, the shopkeeper told me that people tried to buy her in the past but she always made those people change their minds by being insufferable. It's almost like she had been waiting for just me, can you believe that?
And, yes, I'm now back to the Magical side and will be staying at The Leaky Cauldron until we have to leave for Hogwarts. I miss you, my lovely ladies, and would love to see you again soon.
Love you,
Harry
P.S. I've asked Hedwig to deliver this letter to your room rather than to the dining hall of your manor with the rest of the mail. I hope you don't mind.
Flora and Hestia exchanged a glance. The story Harry was telling them about Hedwig refusing to be bought by anyone but him and not allowing him to buy any owl but her sounded rather implausible, but then again, a lot of strange things seemed to happen to or around their boyfriend, so...
And speaking of Harry, they too missed him dearly and would love to spend some time with him. Alas, inviting him over to the Carrow manor would be a really bad idea because of the aunt and uncle. Visiting Harry in Diagon Alley would probably attract unwanted attention from those two as well since it was too early in the summer to do Hogwarts shopping. And should Amycus or Alecto see them lip-locked with a 'dirty half-blood', things might get ugly.
"I wonder if Daphne would be willing to host a party for us, say, next weekend?" Hestia pondered out aloud. And, hopefully, neither the Greengrass sisters nor Tracey would object too much if they took Harry and disappeared someplace hidden for a bit of private time.
"That's actually a good idea." Flora said. "We should ask her." She then turned to the snowy owl still sitting on their table. "Will you deliver a note to Daphne Greengrass for us, Hedwig?" She asked. Much to her surprise, Hedwig let out a hoot of agreement, before throwing her head back and opening her beak to show that she wouldn't do that for free - something that made Hestia giggle. "Fine, I'll ask Binky to give you a piece of bacon before we send you out." Hedwig hooted appreciatively.
That's all, folks!
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