Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

--CHAPTER ONE--

Birthday Wishes

Harry stirred in his sleep as a sharp tapping noise reached his ears. 'Coming, Aunt Petunia,' he muttered, and rolled over. The tapping noise became more insistent and, resigned to the fact that he had to wake up now, he reached for his glasses.

As the world slid into focus, he realized that it was still nighttime, and the tapping had not been his Aunt Petunia at all, but his snowy owl Hedwig tapping at the window. She was accompanied by Pigwidgeon, Ron's owl and a large barn owl. He opened the window and she soared in like a ghost, dropping three letters and an assortment of packages on his pillow as she headed to her cage for a snack.

Pigwidgeon bounced in after her, hooting madly as he zoomed around.

'Shhh!' whispered Harry urgently, 'Bring it here, c'mon!' he tried in vain to snatch the letter, but the owl just hooted louder. Afraid that he would fly right back out again, Harry shut the window just as Pigwidgeon slammed into the glass pane and fell to the floor, apparently knocked out. Harry took the opportunity to retrieve the letter and large package Pigwidgeon had been attempting to carry.

The envelope held a birthday greeting from Ron. Harry was surprised to realize that today was his birthday! He had completely forgotten. Eagerly he read the letter.

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday!

I was going to call you on the fellytone telephone (is that right) but Fred and George got a hold of it and bewitched it so that it turns into a big hairy spider on a long string whenever someone picks it up.

Harry laughed. Ron was terrified of spiders. He turned back to the letter:

Mum yelled at them and she was going to confine them to their room, but then realized that there was no way that would help, since that's where they do all their work anyway. Instead she told them no dessert until they fix it. They haven't found a counter-curse yet so I was stuck sending this with Pig, I hope it gets there all right. As you can guess, the ministry's been really busy with the whole You-Know-who thing. Dad's been working overtime all summer, we haven't gone on any vacations. Can you come to Diagon Alley on August 30? If not, see you on the train! Hope you're doing all right with the Muggles,

Ron

PS Have you heard from Snuffles?

Harry placed the card on his night table and tore open the package. It contained a large box of Chocolate Frogs. Pigwidgeon seemed to be coming around so he placed him in the cage with Hedwig, who hooted disgruntledly.

Next he reached for the stack of letters and packages Hedwig had delivered. The letter on the top of the pile was from Hermione.

Dear Harry,

It was lucky Hedwig turned up when she did! I'm the only one in my family who uses owl post so we don't have an owl, and I lost the address of your Aunt and Uncles. Anyway, Happy Birthday! I do hope you're doing all right with everything, you know what I mean. I'm so glad I got that subscription of the Daily Prophet last year, it's so nice to be able to keep up with what's going on. Apparently it's nearly impossible to take out a subscription now, their office is supposedly filled to the top with owls delivering orders for the paper, everyone is so desperate to keep up with the news. I'm on vacation in Bulgaria right now, you wouldn't believe the stars you can see. I've re-written my Astronomy paper three times! Ron says he's going to Diagon Alley on the thirtieth, I am too. I do hope you can make it! If not I'll see you September 1st! I can't wait to get back to school, can you?

Hermione

The letter was just like Hermione, concerned but eagerly relating facts and looking forward to learning more. There was no visible package, which confused Harry. It wasn't that it was a big problem, but Hermione had usually sent him presents in the past.

At that moment a ruffled looking tawny owl scratched at the window. Harry opened it again, and the third owl which had arrived earlier took it as an opportunity to fly back out into the night sky. The owl which had been at the window flew in, carrying a plastic package and a thin envelope, which Harry tore open at once.

Dear Mr. Potter,

You are to receive one year's subscription of Quidditch Today compliments of Hermione Granger. Enjoy and please subscribe next year!

Zander Lodham

Zander Lodham, Editor

The plastic package contained the August issue of Quidditch Today. The cover showed a chaser in robes with...was that a meat cleaver? on the front scoring a magnificent goal. In the bottom right corner it said, "The Wigtown Wanderers share their secrets: 10 spectacular chaser moves and how to stop them (see page 3) Interview with the McCormack family: Daughter Meaghan follows her mother's footsteps in becoming a player on the Pride of Portree team, son Kirley lead guitarist with the Weird Sisters (see page 8) Is Swivenhodge making a comeback? (see page 15), Winner of the Dangerous Dai Commemorative Medal".

"Wow!" Harry breathed. Hermione had gotten him a present after all. He placed the magazine on his night table and opened a short letter from Hagrid along with some homemade rock cakes. Sirius Black, his godfather, had sent him a long, concerned letter about avoiding danger and a large stack of newspaper clippings. Harry skimmed through a few of the titles: "Rumours of the Dark Lord's Return: Is it Possible?", "Attack on the Ministry of Magic: The Department for Inter-Magical Co-operation hit Most Severely". Harry breathed in sharply. The Department for Inter-Magical Co-operation...wasn't that where Percy worked? He was sure Ron would have told him if Percy wasn't okay but still... He grabbed a piece of parchment and jotted down a short letter to Ron just to make sure he was all right.

When he was finished he tied the letter with some difficulty to Pigwidgeon's leg. Pig wasn't back to his normal self yet (which Harry concluded was probably a good thing, or he would never have gotten the letter on), but he was pretty close. Still slightly dazed, Pig swayed a bit in the air as he headed out the window in the basic direction of Ottery St. Catchpole.

Then Harry picked up the letter the barn owl had dropped before it left. The envelope bore the Hogwarts crest. The letter inside read:

Dear Mr. Potter,

Please note that the Hogwarts Express leaves at 11:00 from Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Station. Term begins on September 1.

Set Books

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 5) by Miranda Goshawk

An Intermediate Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

You may also wish to purchase:

Preparing for O.W.L.s by I. Pheledit

Harry placed the letter on his night table next to the magazine from Hermione. He pulled off his glasses and lay back down in his bed. Soon he drifted off into a deep sleep.

*

Harry was rudely awakened by the real Aunt Petunia tapping at his door. Actually, it was more like whacking compared to Hedwig's light tap which had awakened him only four hours before. The door shuddered under the pressure. The horse-faced, bony woman was much stronger than she appeared.

"Up! Get up!" she screamed, "The Smiths are coming for tea and the yard is filthy!"

"But I cleaned it three days ago!" Harry protested.

"I said up!" she screeched. Harry groaned and reached for his glasses.

"Coming, Coming..."

*

After three solid hours of raking, mowing, and weeding under an increasingly hot sun, the yard was up to Aunt Petunia's ridiculously high standards. She rushed him in and shoved a piece of burnt toast in his hand. Dudley smirked at him and took a big bite of sausage. It had appeared impossible to get Dudley to lose weight so everyone had given up and Uncle Vernon had made a big donation to Smeltings, who had agreed to stock larger knickerbockers. This was, in Harry's book, a good thing since now they were eating real food again instead of grated celery.

"Eat! There are only six hours until they get here and the moss needs to be picked out of the patio! Harry sighed inwardly. The patio was huge. It was also made with bricks that were about one square inch each, and moss was growing between every crack.

*

When the Smiths arrived, Harry began to worry. The last time Uncle Vernon had invited business guests over, a house-elf had arrived unexpectedly and smashed Aunt Petunia's pudding.

Downstairs, the doorbell rang. He could hear Aunt Petunia chirpily welcoming them in and Uncle Vernon's low rumble. Harry pulled out the History of Magic essay he had been working on , dipped his quill into the ink, and began to write. He was looking forward to having a few hours of uninterrupted work, school started soon and he still had a number of essays to complete.

Harry had just finished a paragraph when a scream echoed from the living room, accompanied by a yell of delight.

'Great Scott, it's a snowy owl!' came a voice which must have been Mr. White, 'haven't got any binoculars around have you?'

Harry heard loud footsteps on the stairs just as Hedwig flew in the window. He covered his homework with his covers and grabbed a novel he was pretending to read just as Uncle Vernon crashed in the door, his large moustache twitching and his face purpling.

'What do you think you're doing, boy?' he growled, "Setting that ruddy owl of yours to fly right across the front yard, you're practically inviting people to question of your...your...abnormality!' He spat the last word out like it was dirty.

'I--I didn't know she was going to do that, I didn't even send her out! She's been out for a while now, delivering letters...' He realized too late that was the wrong thing to say.

'Delivering letters?' he roared like a wounded lion, 'not to...to your godfather?' his face changed from red to white.

'Well no, I just got one from him last night and didn't have a chance to write a reply.' Uncle Vernon seemed to contemplate that for a few seconds.

'Well, you're just lucky that Mr. White has a great interest in birds,' he snarled, and stomped back down the stairs.

*

Uncle Vernon was in a great mood for the rest of the summer because Mr. White had made the deal and money was pouring in from Grunnings. He was planning to take the family on a large, expensive holiday to Majorca for the remainder of the holidays. Of course, Harry was to be left with Mrs. Figg, their elderly neighbour. He was not looking forward to this one bit, as her house smelled strongly of cats and overcooked cabbage.

However, at the last minute word came that Mrs. Figg had passed away the night before. The an autopsy had been performed but the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her. The Dursleys weren't sure how to feel for Mrs. Figg, but they knew for certain they were angry that now there was no place Harry could stay.

Harry personally had never known Mrs. Figg very well. He supposed it was nice of her to have looked after him all those years, but she was well-paid for it. He wondered briefly what would happen to all her cats. They would probably go to some animal shelter, he reasoned.

Suddenly an owl flew through the window carrying a letter. Harry untied the piece of parchment and read out the letter. He was surprised to find it was from Professor Dumbledore himself. He didn't think he had ever gotten a letter from the headmaster before.

Dear Mr. Potter,

Your protection at the Dursleys is no longer able to keep you safe. It would be best for you to go to the Weasleys at once. Please pack all your belongings. Someone you know you can trust will arrive shortly to pick you up.

Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster

Harry froze. He wasn't protected any more? He could be attacked at any moment. He wondered, as he had many times before, what had been protecting him. Why didn't it work any more?

Just as he had finished packing, the doorbell rang. He strained his ears to hear who it could be.

"Boy!" yelled Uncle Vernon. Harry was pleased to hear that his voice revealed he was more than a little scared, "there's someone here to see you." Harry's mind rushed to Voldemort, and he shivered. If it truly was him, he wouldn't be so polite as to ring the doorbell, would he?

He jogged down the stairs anxiously, straining to see the person at the door. He breathed a sigh of relief when he recognized him right away. It was his godfather, Sirius Black!

Sirius followed him upstairs and charmed his luggage so it was featherlight.

"How are we going to get there?" asked Harry.

"I brought Buckbeak," answered Sirius, he's in the front yard with an invisibility charm on him.'

*

Sirius wanted to leave as soon as they got to the Weasleys, but Molly insisted he stay for a large dinner. He tried to leave before pudding, but she shoved a piece of cake into his hand along with a small sack.

'What's this?' he asked.

'For Buckbeak,' she replied.

Ron helped Harry drag all his luggage to his room. The first thing Harry noticed was the absence of the usual Chudley Cannons posters. This was quite noticeable because the previously bright orange room was now covered in peeling blue wallpaper with a faded print of bunnies. When he asked Ron for an explanation, he was glumly told,

'The team doesn't exist any more. They haven't won anything for a while-'

'A while?" said Fred, who had been passing the doorway at that moment, 'They haven't won the league since 1892!'

'Well, for a long while then!' said Ron defensively, 'but they-'

'The century rule,' said George with a mock sigh, 'When a team hasn't won the league in over a hundred years its gone.' He emphasized the last word.

'A hundred years, Ron,' repeated Fred, 'Get over it!'

Ron just glared at them and buried himself in a comic book, "The Adventures of Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle".

'You'll just have to start supporting a real team, like the Montrose Magpies,' said George as they headed back towards the kitchen.

As soon as they were gone, Ron put down the comic book.

'So, Sirius is all right?

'Yeah,' replied Harry, 'He said he's staying at Lupin's house. So... what's been happening? Hermione said the Daily Prophet office was stuffed with owls trying to order the paper, so I didn't even try.'

'Well, there have been a lot of attacks,' Ron sighed, 'The most well known one so far was the one on this family...hang on, I can't remember their name... oh right, Poplar. Anyway, the parents were killed, but their kid lived. He raised his wand, and this little kid grabbed it right out of his hand and yelled a whole lot of curses and ran out the door, leaving You Know Who lying on the floor with jelly legs, covered in boils and stuff. It was really cool, I wish I'd seen it.'

'How old's this kid?' asked Harry.

'I think he's coming to Hogwarts this year,' answered Ron, 'Bet he's in Gryffindor, don't you?'

'I guess it's likely,' said Harry. He was surprised to discover he felt almost jealous of this boy. 'Get a grip,' he told himself sternly, 'you don't always have to be the centre of attention.'

The next few weeks passed without great incident, unless you counted that the ghoul in the basement managed to break the a pipe and the toilet didn't work for a few days. Harry felt almost removed from the frightening incidents taking place only short distances away.

Mr. Weasley seemed to have done a good job informing people at the Ministry of what was happening, and everything was running pretty smoothly. Envoys had been sent to the giants after all and this proved to be extremely successful. Death Eaters were pouring into Azkaban. However, Azkaban had not been removed from the care of the dementors and every day the wiser wizards in Britain became a little more worried.

Voldemort had, to people's best knowledge, not attempted to go near Azkaban, but he could do it any time and this was extremely worrying. The Dementors would be a powerful weapon that could easily be used against them, as Dumbledore had so truthfully stated to Cornelius Fudge at the end of the last year,

'Voldemort can offer them much more scope for their powers and pleasures than you can! With the Dementors behind him, and his old supporters returned to him, you will be hard pressed to stop him regaining the sort of power he had thirteen years ago!'