moonytunes
October 27th, 2003, 3:26 am
Chapter 1: The Trip to Nowhere
Harry took a last good look around his old room at number four Privet Drive. He was very happy to be leaving the Dursleys, permanently this time. During the previous year, Harry had graduated from Hogwarts, fought Lord Voldemort, and developed some affection for his Aunt Petunia. He wouldn’t go as far as to say that he would miss her but she certainly had contributed to his defeat of the Dark Lord. At times when they were alone, he would catch his Aunt looking at him with an odd expression in her eyes but around Uncle Vernon and Dudley, she reverted to treating Harry in her usual waspish manner.
Harry was dressed in black school robes over muggle clothes with his wand safely tucked in his pocket. All his other belongings were packed in his Hogwarts trunk. Hedwig was already in the Burrow with Hermione and the Weasleys, waiting for him. He had only come to Privet Drive to fetch his things and say goodbye to Aunt Petunia.
Harry sat down on the bed and absently rubbed the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. It’s a pity, he thought, that his life with the Dursleys had been intolerable. If only he had realized earlier that his Aunt was indeed his mother’s sister and that she cared for Harry in her own peculiar way. She hid it so well.
“Harry! Come down here at once,” called Aunt Petunia’s shrill voice. Harry grabbed his trunk and Hedwig’s cage and headed downstairs.
Aunt Petunia was in the kitchen rifling through a lilac colored leather-bound book. She closed it with a snap when Harry entered and reluctantly handed it to him. “Here, I want you to have this. It was your mother’s. She wrote in it when she was at Hog-, when she was at your school.”
Harry stared at the book. Turning it over he found ‘Lily Evans” written in gold cursive letters on the back. “Where did you get this?”“It’s Lily’s diary,” Aunt Petunia snapped.
“Don’t ask questions.” Hiding a smile, he bent down to put the diary into his trunk.
“Are you ready to go yet?”
“Yeah. Are Dudley and Uncle Vernon around?”
“They left to pick up some things for me.” Aunt Petunia dusted Harry’s shoulder awkwardly. Her cheeks were turning pink and she kept her eyes on his lapel. She muttered something unintelligible.
“What’s that?” Harry bent his head to catch what she said. Aunt Petunia’s mouth was in a very thin line. “I said ... don’t ... be a stranger!” she bit out, openly glaring at Harry now.
Harry grinned back at his aunt, making her cross her arms and frown at him even more. He was surprised by the invitation; it was a small matter for him to pop in once in a while for a look-see. Harry knew Uncle Vernon and Dudley would definitely hate his visits but he wasn’t about to let a little thing like that get in his way.
“Ok, ok. Stop glaring at me. I will come visit you. I’ll be going now."
“Goodbye.” Said Aunt Petunia bright-eyed. Excitement flooded through Harry as he stuffed Hedwig’s cage under one arm and took hold of his trunk in the other. He was leaving the Dursleys for good, Voldemort was defeated permanently, and, waiting for him back at the Burrow, was his real family.
“Good-bye Aunt Petunia. Thanks for everything.” Harry waved the hand with the cage, winked at his red eyed, red-cheeked aunt, and vanished with a pop.
~~~
It was high noon and sunlight streamed down on the little clearing of short grass dotted with tiny white wild flowers. In the middle, stood a gnarly oak tree. The clearing had large patches of dry grass where brown earth peeked through and it was ringed on all sides by tall dry weeds swaying in the gentle breeze. Heat shimmered from the ground and buzzing insects moved drowsily among the flowers. Suddenly, the sleepy silence was broken by a loud crack and a black-haired green eyed teenage boy popped into view, scaring all the crows from the oak tree.
Harry looked around him, his eyebrows knotted in surprise and trepidation. Instead of the Weasley’s kitchen with knives magically chopping potatoes for dinner he was in a little island amidst a sea of tall grass. He looked up at the large oak tree beside him and at the numerous crows cawing at him raucously, scolding him for the startle he gave them.
“Where the bloody hell am I?” Harry burst out aloud, causing more twittering. He unburdened himself of Hedwig's cage and his Hogwart's trunk and took out his wand.
“I can’t have made a mistake. I’ve been Apparating for ages and I know I did it right.” Harry muttered to himself as he prowled the little clearing and took stock of his surroundings. His heart was pounding and he was starting to feel anxious.
“Can this be a trick or a trap,” he asked himself, stopping and listening to the noontime activity around him, his right arm raised, his wand at a ready.
After several intense minutes of waiting for something to happen, Harry relaxed. He lowered his wand but did not return it to his pocket. There was nothing in the air around him that spoke of danger. Both his senses and his instincts told him there was nobody around. He was alone, in an unknown place.
Harry picked up his things again, he had quickly decided to just go on and Apparate out of the place and back to the Burrow. He readied himself and stood, for a full minute, concentrating on Disapparating. Nothing happened.
A niggling fear was forming at the back of his mind.He dropped everything he was holding except for his wand, fought down a rising panic, and once again concentrated on Disapparating. Again nothing happened.
“I must be doing something wrong. Concentrate!” Harry berated himself. “Accio cage!” He pointed his wand at Hedwig's cage and spoke commandingly. Nothing.
“Locomotor trunk!” he flicked his wand at his Hogwarts trunk. Nothing.
He thought of the day he defeated Voldemort, the same day Ginny confessed she loved him. It was the happiest day of Harry’s life, “Expecto patronum!” he bellowed. Still nothing.
Harry stood frozen for an eternity, his wand arm raised. Then, ever so slowly, he lowered his wand. The panic was now gone; replaced by a desolation he could not describe. He was in the middle of nowhere, with no magic.
Harry took a last good look around his old room at number four Privet Drive. He was very happy to be leaving the Dursleys, permanently this time. During the previous year, Harry had graduated from Hogwarts, fought Lord Voldemort, and developed some affection for his Aunt Petunia. He wouldn’t go as far as to say that he would miss her but she certainly had contributed to his defeat of the Dark Lord. At times when they were alone, he would catch his Aunt looking at him with an odd expression in her eyes but around Uncle Vernon and Dudley, she reverted to treating Harry in her usual waspish manner.
Harry was dressed in black school robes over muggle clothes with his wand safely tucked in his pocket. All his other belongings were packed in his Hogwarts trunk. Hedwig was already in the Burrow with Hermione and the Weasleys, waiting for him. He had only come to Privet Drive to fetch his things and say goodbye to Aunt Petunia.
Harry sat down on the bed and absently rubbed the lightning bolt scar on his forehead. It’s a pity, he thought, that his life with the Dursleys had been intolerable. If only he had realized earlier that his Aunt was indeed his mother’s sister and that she cared for Harry in her own peculiar way. She hid it so well.
“Harry! Come down here at once,” called Aunt Petunia’s shrill voice. Harry grabbed his trunk and Hedwig’s cage and headed downstairs.
Aunt Petunia was in the kitchen rifling through a lilac colored leather-bound book. She closed it with a snap when Harry entered and reluctantly handed it to him. “Here, I want you to have this. It was your mother’s. She wrote in it when she was at Hog-, when she was at your school.”
Harry stared at the book. Turning it over he found ‘Lily Evans” written in gold cursive letters on the back. “Where did you get this?”“It’s Lily’s diary,” Aunt Petunia snapped.
“Don’t ask questions.” Hiding a smile, he bent down to put the diary into his trunk.
“Are you ready to go yet?”
“Yeah. Are Dudley and Uncle Vernon around?”
“They left to pick up some things for me.” Aunt Petunia dusted Harry’s shoulder awkwardly. Her cheeks were turning pink and she kept her eyes on his lapel. She muttered something unintelligible.
“What’s that?” Harry bent his head to catch what she said. Aunt Petunia’s mouth was in a very thin line. “I said ... don’t ... be a stranger!” she bit out, openly glaring at Harry now.
Harry grinned back at his aunt, making her cross her arms and frown at him even more. He was surprised by the invitation; it was a small matter for him to pop in once in a while for a look-see. Harry knew Uncle Vernon and Dudley would definitely hate his visits but he wasn’t about to let a little thing like that get in his way.
“Ok, ok. Stop glaring at me. I will come visit you. I’ll be going now."
“Goodbye.” Said Aunt Petunia bright-eyed. Excitement flooded through Harry as he stuffed Hedwig’s cage under one arm and took hold of his trunk in the other. He was leaving the Dursleys for good, Voldemort was defeated permanently, and, waiting for him back at the Burrow, was his real family.
“Good-bye Aunt Petunia. Thanks for everything.” Harry waved the hand with the cage, winked at his red eyed, red-cheeked aunt, and vanished with a pop.
~~~
It was high noon and sunlight streamed down on the little clearing of short grass dotted with tiny white wild flowers. In the middle, stood a gnarly oak tree. The clearing had large patches of dry grass where brown earth peeked through and it was ringed on all sides by tall dry weeds swaying in the gentle breeze. Heat shimmered from the ground and buzzing insects moved drowsily among the flowers. Suddenly, the sleepy silence was broken by a loud crack and a black-haired green eyed teenage boy popped into view, scaring all the crows from the oak tree.
Harry looked around him, his eyebrows knotted in surprise and trepidation. Instead of the Weasley’s kitchen with knives magically chopping potatoes for dinner he was in a little island amidst a sea of tall grass. He looked up at the large oak tree beside him and at the numerous crows cawing at him raucously, scolding him for the startle he gave them.
“Where the bloody hell am I?” Harry burst out aloud, causing more twittering. He unburdened himself of Hedwig's cage and his Hogwart's trunk and took out his wand.
“I can’t have made a mistake. I’ve been Apparating for ages and I know I did it right.” Harry muttered to himself as he prowled the little clearing and took stock of his surroundings. His heart was pounding and he was starting to feel anxious.
“Can this be a trick or a trap,” he asked himself, stopping and listening to the noontime activity around him, his right arm raised, his wand at a ready.
After several intense minutes of waiting for something to happen, Harry relaxed. He lowered his wand but did not return it to his pocket. There was nothing in the air around him that spoke of danger. Both his senses and his instincts told him there was nobody around. He was alone, in an unknown place.
Harry picked up his things again, he had quickly decided to just go on and Apparate out of the place and back to the Burrow. He readied himself and stood, for a full minute, concentrating on Disapparating. Nothing happened.
A niggling fear was forming at the back of his mind.He dropped everything he was holding except for his wand, fought down a rising panic, and once again concentrated on Disapparating. Again nothing happened.
“I must be doing something wrong. Concentrate!” Harry berated himself. “Accio cage!” He pointed his wand at Hedwig's cage and spoke commandingly. Nothing.
“Locomotor trunk!” he flicked his wand at his Hogwarts trunk. Nothing.
He thought of the day he defeated Voldemort, the same day Ginny confessed she loved him. It was the happiest day of Harry’s life, “Expecto patronum!” he bellowed. Still nothing.
Harry stood frozen for an eternity, his wand arm raised. Then, ever so slowly, he lowered his wand. The panic was now gone; replaced by a desolation he could not describe. He was in the middle of nowhere, with no magic.