From Friendship to Love

From Friendship to Love

Chapter 1

The Dursleys

Harry woke with a start. The girl who lived in his thoughts during the day had come to visit him at night. He could still smell her perfume in his room of number four Privet Drive. He put his glasses on, knowing that it would be difficult for him to fall asleep again. He tried not to make too much noise as he left his room to seek a glass of water from the kitchen. Every night he dreamed of her. Sometimes, he wondered whether she felt the same way… After drinking a glass of water, he tiptoed to his room on the second floor, as he did not want to wake his slumbering relatives.

Once in his bed, he began to feel the sleep washing over him, when he heard a strange noise. He jumped out of his bed and opened the window to the five owls tapping insistently. Absentmindedly handing them all owl treats, he began to read the first letter…

Dear Mr. Potter,

The next term at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will commence on September first. The Hogwarts Express will depart, as usual, at 11 o'clock from platform nine and three-quarters. Enclosed is a list of compulsory items for the coming year. Please take note that this year, there will be a winter dance with a Muggle theme. Dress robes will be inappropriate for the occasion, and non-Wizarding formal wear will be required. Looking forward to your return to school,

Professor McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

As was customary, Harry wondered how he would get to Diagon Alley for his purchases this year. His Uncle would be the last person who would be willing to take him. His concerns were diminished when he opened the next letter. His godfather, Sirius, who for most of Harry's life, had been imprisoned and unknown to Harry, had escaped from prison three years ago. He was in the process of being proven innocent and was as close to a father to Harry as possible, and had written Harry a letter.

Dear Harry,

First of all, Happy Birthday! Already sixteen years old…I miss you a lot, and am hoping the ministry will clear my name come the trial. How have you been? The Dursleys had better be treating you well – if not they will have me, and the rest of the Order to answer to! This is a little something for your birthday – I hope you enjoy it!

Take care of yourself!

- Sirius

His birthday?! Harry looked at his watch and realized that, indeed, it was just after midnight on July thirty-first. He opened the package which the bird had great difficulty carrying. It was a book: "Quidditch, best players ever!" He decided to read it later, after all, there were three more owls waiting on his bed...

Ron sent Harry several delicacies: Chocolate Frogs, Bertie Botts every-flavour beans, Sugar Quills and an assortment of other sweets... Harry appreciated his friend's gift, because at Privet Drive all he had to eat were steamed radishes (a part of Dudley's new diet). 'Thanks, Ron,' thought Harry. Among the sweets, Harry discovered a small letter:

Hello Harry,

Happy Birthday! I hope that Errol arrived in time and still alive. Mum says that you can come to spend the rest of the summer holidays with us! Awesome! In addition, mum says she will take us to Diagon Alley and then to Muggle London for the formal clothes. Ugh. I hope dad doesn't come – that would be so embarrassing. I would have sent Pig to you, but mum borrowed him for an emergency delivery. Send your response as fast as possible.

- Ron

Speaking of Pig… That's weird, Harry thought – the minute owl was also there, but instead of waiting his turn like the others, Harry noticed that he was flying around the room. Harry smiled. The emergency delivery that Ron had spoken of was for him. He hurried to open the envelope that the small hyperactive owl held in its beak. It contained two letters. One addressed to Harry and the other... 'Mr. and Mrs. Dursley?' Harry suddenly wondered what Mrs. Weasley had to say to the Dursleys, which required a letter directly addressed to them. He hastened to read the neat writing of Mrs. Weasley:

My dear Harry,

I'm sure Ron has already informed you that we want you to come to The Burrow for the remainder of your holidays. I took the initiative to write to your uncle and aunt to inform them that I will pick you up in a Muggle car lent to us by the ministry. I will be alone to avoid any nuisances such as the incident of two years ago. They don't really have the choice whether you come or not, but I thought it would be rude to just whisk you away. I will be there on August 5 at eleven o'clock sharp. For your birthday, I baked these pies that you love so much and few cakes to keep you going until my arrival.

Take care until then

- Molly Weasley

Harry quickly hid his treats under the slat of floor, which he used as a hiding-place for his schoolbooks and other such magical items of which his Aunt and Uncle so much disapproved. He consumed one of the muffins in a single mouthful. For the past few days, Harry's rations had been even more reduced – Aunt Petunia always ensured that although Dudley was on the crash diet, he had always had more to eat than his cousin. Harry went downstairs and filled a bowl with water for the thirsty birds.

His heart almost stopped beating when he saw the last owl. It looked like Hedwig, white with black spots, large piercing eyes and carrying a letter from Hermione. Hermione... He sat down alone on his bed to read her letter, but first responded to the school to tell them that he would be taking the Hogwarts Express as usual. Then he wrote thank you notes to Sirius, Ron, and Mrs Weasley, and after that he opened his window to let out the delivery owls.

Finally, he sat down to read the letter from Hermione. He understood now, what he had been feeling for so long. Deep within his heart, he knew that nothing would be the same between them anymore, at least, as far as he was concerned. Common sense told him not to complicate his friendship by letting his feelings be known, but Harry couldn't do it. He had to tell her. However, then his thoughts moved to Ron. Harry knew that he, too, had more than friendly feelings for Hermione. Here was a love triangle, which could only do one thing to their friendship of five years – destroy it. What should he do? It seemed obvious at the beginning of the summer holidays that he had to express his feelings to her, but now... clutching Hermione's letter on his heart, he fell asleep, not even bothering to remove his glasses.

     ***********

Harry woke the next morning to a soft rattling sound that was coming from his window. Groggily, he let in an owl carrying a package and letter. Harry took the envelope and opened it:

Dear Harry,

I'm sorry to be late for your birthday. I have a blast of a cold, which I can't get rid of, and Mrs. Pomfrey is on holidays. I hope you will like the little present I have attached with this letter.

- Hagrid

What Hagrid had sent to him was not really "little". Inside the package was a framed photograph of him and Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbâtons. They looked happy and smiled at Harry.

"BOY!" Harry's thoughts were interrupted, by the loud yelling of his Uncle Vernon. "AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE MAKING ME BREAKFAST?"

"Yes, Uncle Vernon," Harry sighed resignedly, and slowly made his way down to the kitchen.

"HURRY UP, BOY," Vernon spat. "MARGE WILL BE HERE IN A FEW DAYS AND YOU HAD BETTER NOT SLACK OFF LIKE THIS WHEN SHE ARRIVES!"

Oh no! Not Aunt Marge! Harry had got rather upset with Vernon Dursley's sister three years earlier, and in a magically uncontrolled fit of rage, he had inflated her like a balloon right before he decided to run away from the Dursley's house.

"When does she arrive?" asked Harry, anxiously plotting his escape route should it be any earlier than August fifth.

"On August fourth, and I'm counting on you to stay quiet. If you do the anything like last time... even that crackpot fool Dumbledore won't be able to do anything for you!!"

"Sure, fine," Harry muttered. "Here, I've got a letter for you and Aunt Petunia."

Harry gave Mrs. Weasley's letter to his uncle, and Vernon read it out loud.

Mr. and Mrs. Dursley,

On August fifth, I would like to pick Harry up so that he can stay with us for the remainder of the summer. I must apologise for my husband – it was he who blew your living room apart two years ago and I assure you it was a long time before he heard the end of that from me. I will arrive at 11 o'clock sharp in the regular Muggle way (by car) on the above date, and I hope that you will allow Harry to come.

Sincerely,

Molly Weasley

"No, no, no," Vernon said bluntly. "I will not allow it!"

"At least you will be rid of me..."

"And it would please you to go!" Harry's uncle exclaimed. "Don't think I haven't caught onto your little game by now, boy. I know you'll do anything to get out of here, and I won't permit you that pleasure, you filthy little…"

"What I mean to say is...." Harry interrupted.

At this time, Petunia whispered something into her husband's ear. "Well, I suppose you are right, Petunia. Write to this Mrs. Weasley that she can come to take the boy. But I want her to be on time, and most definitely NOT through the fireplace this time!"

"Alright, alright," Harry muttered, secretly wishing to jump for joy.

"Very well," exclaimed Petunia. "And now, let's eat."

Harry gave a grimace, the grapefruits that Aunt Petunia had so carefully cut into half-parts were in the very least sour. However, Harry wasn't surprised at all to see that his half was, in addition to being smaller than Dudley's one, smaller than the day before. He didn't worry though, he had his own supply of food and he was not going to waste it.

********

Back in his room, Harry ate some cakes and, of course, a few meat pies that were quite delectable, compared to the sour, acidic flavour of the grapefruit halves. He laid his eyes on the desk. Hermione's letter was lying among the parchments and his schoolbooks. How had he been able to forget to read his most valuable delivery? 

Dear Harry,

I miss you and Ron so much. Being far from you is like being far from the Wizarding world and from my new roots... [of] my new family...

[By the way, Happy Birthday! Ron tells me that you will be at his place at the end of the holidays, good news. I'll be there too, isn't it fantastic? It will be so nice for the three of us to finally spend some time together.

Yours forever,

Hermione

Yours forever, he repeated, staring at the letter wide-eyed. Had she said she was Ron's forever too? Did she mean that she was mine in friendship or maybe…maybe more than that? Harry shivered at the possibility of her implying feelings of those sorts towards him. Would he ever know the truth? Should he ask her? No, he wouldn't dare. So many questions and not one answer, not very encouraging.

Harry pushed away his confusing thoughts and sat at his desk. He picked up a quill and began to write to Ron's mother: 

Dear Mrs. Weasley,

I confirmed everything with my Aunt and Uncle. You can pick me up on August the fifth. 

Thanks for everything.

Harry

***

The night before the fifth finally arrived, and just in time. When Aunt Marge entered the kitchen, where Harry was sitting reading the Muggle newspaper, she took one look at him and burst into complaint.

"What, this good-for-nothing is still here?"

She had no time to finish her sentence. The doorbell's resounding ring had cut her off suddenly. Uncle Vernon went to open the door while Harry tried to ignore the indignant choking sounds coming from Aunt Marge.  She wasn't the type who seemed to like being interrupted, especially while she was insulting Harry.

"You are a day early! Don't you have calendars in your…in your world!" Uncle Vernon spat in vociferation.  

"I'm awfully sorry. A mistake was made with the rental of the car and I had to come now," answered a female voice.

Harry recognized it immediately. It was so soft, and kind, and full of respect.

"POTTER!" 

"Yes, Uncle Vernon?" said Harry, standing up and making his way out of the kitchen, Aunt Marge barging in front of him.

"You have a visitor!" 

"No kidding," he muttered sarcastically.

What Harry saw in the living room made him smile from ear to ear. Dudley was hiding behind Aunt Petunia trying to cover his enormous buttocks with his hands. Uncle Vernon seemed completely ill at ease and Aunt Marge was eyeing poor Mrs. Weasley, who had tried to get dressed in Muggle fashion, with nothing less than pretentiousness.

"Can you come now, Harry?" asked Mrs. Weasley hastily, obviously feeling the tension that had engulfed them all.

"Yeah, my trunk has been ready for days!" he answered with unabashed eagerness.

"Well, I'll come up and help you with it dear, Arthur's waiting outside in the car."

As they made their way up the stairs, Harry could hear some of the conversation from below.

"Is this the kind of education which is carried out at St. Brutus's, Vernon?" Aunt Marge was bellowing.

Trying to find an excuse to this strange behaviour towards his nephew, Vernon Dursley had only been able to mutter, "Marge...they have set up a new system there, you see."

Harry could tell that Mrs. Weasley was confused.

"St. Brutus's Harry?" she asked, as they entered his room.

"The institute for Incurably Criminal Boys...he's paranoid about people knowing about Hogwarts," he replied dully, picking up his trunk and handing Hedwig's cage to Mrs. Weasley.

"That's horrible! If only I could..." 

"If you could what?"

"Nothing dear, let's leave. You aren't staying with these people another minute!"