Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. He is the wonderful creation of J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing here.
Chapter 4. The Very Friendly Dursleys.
Fawkes had left not three hours ago, and Harry still was as excited now as he was when he first read the Headmaster's letter. He was leaving Privet Drive, and hopefully he would not have to see his aunt, uncle, or cousin again for another eleven months.
Harry looked out his bedroom window. He was again treated to another beautiful sunset. I can't imagine ever seeing anything that beautiful again, Harry thought to himself. From downstairs, he heard a word or two related to food, which told him it was time for him to head down and help his aunt get dinner started.
Once everyone (except Harry) was well fed and watered, Harry got up and cleared away the table. Again Vernon seemed impressed with Harry's sudden change in attitude, though he tried to hide it. Voldemort would sing Christmas carols before Uncle Vernon praised Harry. Vernon's earlier comment was more about his own "getting through to the boy" than it was about Harry's behavior itself.
After the Dursleys had migrated their way over to the living room and made themselves comfortable (but before they turned the television on), Harry decided that now was probably the best time to inform them of his pending departure. They all seemed to be in good spirits, so Harry was sure this would only make them happier. He hoped that happy Dursleys would mean avoiding a repeat of his departure two years earlier, right before the Quidditch World Cup.
"Uncle Vernon?" Harry asked, when he saw his uncle was about as comfortable as he ever would be.
"Hmmm?" Vernon replied, disinterested.
"I just wanted to let you know that some people from school are coming to get me tomorrow. They are going to take me for the rest of the summer." Harry decided it would be much simpler to simply inform his uncle of this change, rather than ask if it was okay for him to leave. He was quite sure that whichever Order member came to retrieve him would take him regardless of whether the Dursleys approved.
For one of the few times in his life, Vernon Dursley was very interested in what his good-for-nothing nephew had to say. "What did you say, boy?" he asked.
"I said, some people from school were picking me up tomorrow for the rest of the summer." Even if he wanted to, Harry decided that it was neither the time nor the place to explain the Order of the Phoenix to his relatives.
"They are, are they?" Vernon replied with a suspicious, slightly fearful tone. Harry could tell his uncle was considering the possibilities, wondering what could possibly happen to them again.
A hut on the sea, a broken window, a destroyed fireplace and living room... those memories were still as vivid in the Dursleys' minds as though they happened yesterday. And what happened to poor, defenseless Dudley was just beyond what one perfectly normal family could take: a pig's tail, a swollen tongue, and attacks by dementors.
"Yes," Harry replied. Can't forget the magic words, he reminded himself. "For the rest of the summer. Tomorrow. Noon." A look of sheer joy mixed with fear filled Vernon's already purple face.
"People from... your school... are coming here?"
"Yes." Harry was glad Vernon was catching on. "They said to tell you that they would be coming by normal means," he emphasized. "None of the neighbors with notice anything out of the ordinary."
This seemed to seal the deal for both Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, who had been hovering fearfully behind the chair Vernon was sitting in. "Well, don't expect us to take you to that blasted train you ride. Once they have you, you're their responsibility until we have to come collect you next year. We do have to come collect you again, I suppose?" Vernon asked most eagerly.
"I assume so," Harry said. Vernon's entire body dropped in disappointment. "But a lot can happen in a year," Harry added. His uncle's eyes lit up in hope.
"What time did you say again?" Vernon asked.
Maybe he wasn't paying attention, Harry thought to himself annoyed. "Noon tomorrow. And from the sound of their letter, we're on a tight schedule. I have to be ready promptly at noon." Remembering something Hermione said in her letter, Harry added, "It almost sounded as though if I am late, this will fall through. I might have to stay here for the entire summer. If there are any chores you need me to do tomorrow, we should get them done early so I don't run late."
"Oh, don't worry about that. Dudley can do those tomorrow," Vernon replied with glee.
Harry heard a shocked "What?!" coming from the refrigerator where Dudley had his head buried.
"Quiet, Dudley!" Vernon shouted for the very first time in his life. Apparently his love of making Harry do the household chores was eclipsed only his desire to be rid of him.
Amazed at how well everything had gone thus far, Harry decided it was best to not temp fate by staying downstairs with them any longer than necessary. "Is there anything else you need tonight from me? If not, I should probably go back upstairs and pack and get ready. And then I'll go to bed when I'm done." He neglected to mention that he was already almost completely packed.
His aunt and uncle shook their heads no, trying their hardest to contain their obvious expressions of pleasure at him leaving nearly a month and a half early. With that, Harry wished them all good night and then turned to walk upstairs.
Unbeknownst to any of them, the moment Harry set his foot on the first step, he, Uncle Vernon, and Aunt Petunia all thought simultaneously, Less than eighteen hours, all equally happy.
When he returned to his bedroom, Harry gave it a once over just to make sure he didn't forget anything. The only things that hadn't yet been stowed away in his trunk were the ten letters his friends had written him; they were still in his dresser drawer where he had left them. He also still had the unwritten letters to Hermione and her parents. He really wanted to finish writing them, but unfortunately he was no closer to finding words for their letters than he was the night before.
In the end, Harry decided he would let the replies go until tomorrow. He'd just sleep on it; maybe something would come to him. To help inspire him, he decided he would read Hermione's first letter one more time, as well as the one from her parents. Pulling those two letters out, he left her second letter in the drawer.
He had already answered it, but more importantly, even though he was feeling better than he could remember feeling in a long time, his feelings of loss and grief were still there. It wasn't that he was trying to hide from them. On the contrary, he was just starting to face them. But, he felt that he didn't need any long, detailed reminders of exactly what had happened. His own memories sufficed fine, thank you very much.
After reading their letters again, Harry put them away and walked back over to his window. The sun had already set; a layer of clouds now completely filled the sky. As Harry looked out, another cool refreshing breeze blew in. He felt a strange mixture of happiness and sadness. This odd combination slightly amusing, Harry was quite sure that he had more than the emotional range of a teaspoon.
I'm sure if Hermione were here, she could explain it, Harry mused as he considered how his current emotions should have clashed, but yet seemed to fit together. Taking in several deep breaths, Harry stared off blankly at the horizon. With watery eyes and a smile on his face, Harry spoke in barely a whisper, "I miss you Sirius."
The following morning, Harry again woke up feeling quite good. As the fog of slumber rolled away, it carried with them the last few words of the dream that had been interrupted ...you need me. As difficult to hold onto as fog itself, by the time he was fully awake, the words were gone. He could not remember what they were. All he knew what that they, and the voice he heard speaking them, seemed familiar somehow. He must have heard them recently, whatever they were.
Harry got dressed and went downstairs to start breakfast. By the time the bacon was finished, Vernon and Dudley were downstairs ready to eat. The smell of bacon wafting upstairs was all the alarm clock they ever needed.
Two things surprised Harry that morning at breakfast. It was the first time in his life he could remember them allowing him to eat as much as he wanted. Perhaps they were trying to make a good impression on him should Moody be one of the people coming to claim him. The other thing, which quite frankly surprised him the most, was that Dudley volunteered to clear away the dishes (after a hard stare from his father). Evidently, Vernon and Dudley must have had a chat on how to hurry Harry on his way after Harry had gone to bed.
"Right now, these people you mentioned. They're coming at noon, correct?" Vernon asked as though he were planning his own vacation.
"Yes," Harry answered.
"And how did you say they were coming?" Vernon asked expectantly.
"Erm... actually, I don't know how they're coming. All they told me was that they would come by normal means. I assume that means by car, but I don't really know for sure."
"Well, that seems fine by me. You all packed and ready to go?" Harry nodded. "Why don't you go up and take a shower and put on some nice clothes? And run a comb through that hair of yours. You're still in our care, and I want everyone to know that we take good care of you while you're here."
Harry had to bite his lower lip to keep from laughing or even smiling at what his uncle had said. Deciding he should leave while he was still under control of himself, Harry again nodded, "Yes, Uncle Vernon."
When Harry got to his room, he went over to Hedwig's cage. Remembering what Professor Dumbledore had said in his letter, he opened the door to her cage. "Hedwig, we're leaving soon. You have to come with me in the car or whatever they send. You can't fly wherever we're going. I don't even know where we're going or how long it'll take to get there. Go out and see if you find a little snack for the road. And take care of any other business you might have," Harry said as he glanced down at the bottom of her cage; it desperately needed cleaning. "Just be back within one hour. We're leaving in an hour and a half. OK?"
The snowy owl hooted normally, which Harry took to mean that she understood. He reached into her cage to give her a quick pat on the head. She returned the sentiment by gently nipping at his fingers. Hopping off the perch in her cage, she stretched out her wings and then flew off into the morning sky.
Half an hour later, Hedwig's cage was as good as new, quite fit for human cohabitation in very small enclosed spaces like a car. Because of the earlier heat, Harry had been leaving his window open for several weeks; he really hadn't noticed how bad the smell had become until now when he spent more than thirty seconds next to it.
Now that Hedwig's cage was properly clean, Harry turned his attention to himself. Some of the fragrance from Hedwig's cage seemed to have attached itself to Harry and his clothes. Over the past several weeks, Harry had worn the same several sets of clothes every day. In his earlier mood, he really hadn't cared much about his appearance, so he had never even bothered to have them washed. As a result, the only clothes he had that were still clean were his school uniforms that he had left untouched in his trunk after the end of school.
Pulling out a pair of trousers and one of his shirts (he'd skip the tie, jumper, and robes for now), he headed to the bathroom. After a thorough shower, he finally felt that he'd gotten the smell of dirty bird cage linings off of him completely. Once dressed, he turned to the mirror and ran a comb through his wet hair. No effect. At least this mirror wouldn't point that out.
Returning to his room, Harry found that Hedwig had already returned. She looked as though she was quite happy with her clean new cage. Packing away the rest of his dirty clothes (Grimmauld has a laundry room, doesn't it?), Harry turned his attention to the only thing left: the letters from his friends. Harry couldn't carry all ten of them and Hedwig's cage at the same time, so he decided to put them all into his trunk, except for Hermione's and her parents'. He still needed to reply to them. If they were in his pocket, it would make for easier access in case he decided to try to write those during his "normal" trip.
Everything finally ready to go, Harry first carried his trunk downstairs and then brought down Hedwig's cage with her in it. After setting everything next to the front door, Harry sat down on the couch and waited nervously. He looked at the clock: twenty minutes to noon.
Twenty minutes, Harry told himself, more as a reassurance than anything else. He had survived this long into his holiday without getting into trouble; he could make it another twenty minutes.
Ten minutes later, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon came downstairs dressed very nicely. They were obviously hoping to make a good impression on the nice people (even if they were freaks) who were relieving them of Harry's company. Maybe if the Dursleys were lucky, they'd keep him next year too...
"What is that you're wearing?" Vernon asked, clearly surprised at how... normal Harry looked in his white school dress shirt and trousers.
"These're my school clothes," Harry explained. "They're the only things I had clean. I... erm... neglected to put any of my dirty clothes out into the laundry these last three weeks," he added rather sheepishly.
Vernon grunted slightly, indicating he had heard and understood Harry's answer. "So, do you know who's coming to retrieve you?" he asked.
"Actually no. The letter didn't say," Harry admitted. "All it said was noon today, normal means. I have a couple guesses who it might be, but that doesn't really matter. All that matters is that everyone is on time."
After a few more minutes had passed, Harry again looked at the clock above the television: five minutes left. Not really knowing what else to do, Harry pretty much just sat there staring at the clock. He watched as the second hand slowly made its way around the face of the clock several times.
As he waited, he thought about who would be coming to collect him. Tonks would surely be there, as would Lupin most likely. Moody might be there also, but then again he might not. Dumbledore's letter had mentioned the Dursleys' reactions to Moody, so he might've stayed back at Order Headquarters this time.
At 11:59:45, Harry heard a car pull into the driveway. He had been staring at the clock so intently that he didn't see it drive by in front of the living room window. Two car doors opened then closed. No matter how accurate or inaccurate the Dursleys' clock was, considering who was coming, he was not at all surprised when there was a knock at the door at exactly 12:00:00. Harry stood up and walked over to the front door. Knowing that his release was finally at hand, Harry grabbed the doorknob, took a deep breath, and then opened the door.
Harry never really knew who to expect to pick him up. It could have been anyone in the Order. But never did Harry ever expect to see the two people who were now standing in front of him. They were looking at him with slightly amused expressions as they saw the bewildered expression on his face.
A lump in his throat, Harry finally found his voice. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger?"
Disclaimer: How's that for a cliffy? This won't be one of those angsty stories (not that there's anything wrong with them, it's just not what this story is...), so this is about as big a cliffhanger as you'll find here. So, was anyone surprised by Harry's rescuers? Good, that's what I was hoping. Was anyone expecting it because they picked up on the half dozen or so subtle hints I threw in along the way? Good, that's what I was hoping. Was anyone expecting it simply because this is Portkey? Good, this IS Portkey, after all. :-)