Ronald and Lavender's Set-Up Service

1

LEAVING HOME

Harry ticked off another day on his wall calendar. Hermione and Ron said that they'd come rescue him from the Dursleys' soon - really soon. Harry was puzzled. What was that supposed to mean? He had waited for a month.

It was July 30^th, the day prior to Harry's birthday.

If they don't remember on my birthday, Harry thought. When will they?

He sighed and flipped through his parents' photo album for the fiftieth time that week. For the first time of his life, he envied Dudley. But only for one reason. Dudley had parents. Even if they were greedy, malicious beings, they were still Dudley's parents. He looked upon James and Lily's faces as they smiled and waved at him, linking arms.

"Mum? Dad?" he called to the picture. He knew they couldn't hear him, but he thought it was worth a shot. "Can't you hear me?"

BANG. Harry toppled off of the bed. BANG. He was puzzled for a second, then realized the sound was coming from outside. He opened the window and peered out. He didn't see anything. BANG. He looked down. Oh, he thought. Just Dudley having a fit.

For a second Harry had hoped that Hermione or the Weasleys, coming to take him away from the Dursleys', caused the noise. No such luck.

Harry lay down and closed his eyes. He fell into a deep, deep, dreamless sleep.

*

The next day, Harry woke up at six. He was overcome with glee! He was sixteen. He grinned.

Then it hit him. It was his birthday, and his friends had not come in the night. He felt a little miffed.

They could come by floo powder, or by car or what have you, thought Harry.

He smiled at his idea but secretly knew there was little hope of his friends picking him up that day. He put on his robe and trudged downstairs.

'Boy!' yelled Uncle Vernon. 'Post! Now!'

Harry walked towards the front door. Uncle Vernon was getting much better at not communicating with Harry. Yesterday he'd asked Harry to get the post using one more word. Instead of 'Boy, post, now,' he'd said 'Boy, get, post, now.' He wondered which word he'd cut down tomorrow.

He looked through the post. Just as he bent down, a piece of parchment slid under the door. He picked it up. It read 'Harry. We've come to get you. Slide paper back under door if you're OK.' He did that.

Another piece of parchment slid under. 'Get your stuff. Come back down. We'll wait outside front door. Slide back if yes.' He did that too.

Harry approached Uncle Vernon and put the post on the table. 'Uncle Vernon.'

'Boy.'

'Can I go to a friend's house for the rest of the summer? Please?'

He grunted.

'Thanks, Uncle Vernon.' Harry began to climb the stairs.

'It's not those people with six thousand children, is it?'

'No, Uncle Vernon.' That wasn't really a lie. He didn't know who was on the other side of the door.

'Go.'

Harry galloped happily upstairs. He changed and stuffed all of his belongings in his trunk. He ran down to the cupboard and retrieved his Firebolt. He didn't care who was on the opposite side of the door. He was just happy to leave.

'Bye!' Harry yelled as he dragged his trunk to the door. See you next summer!'

He opened the door. Outside was a small car with two smiling people in the front. He had seen them before, but he couldn't recall when. The windows looking out from the backseat were darkened, he couldn't see in.

He froze. What if this was some trick, or, even worse, a plot to - he couldn't bear thinking of it - kill him? He told himself to relax and dragged his stuff outside. He approached the passenger window. The smiling woman rolled down her window.

'Hi, Harry. You probably don't remember us. I'm Beatrice and this is Frank.' She nodded at the man sitting in the drivers' seat. Harry craned his neck so he could look into the backseat, but he couldn't really see anything without anyone noticing he was trying to peek.

'Nice to meet you - er, see you again,' Harry went red.

'Oh, don't worry if you don't remember us. It's been a while since we've seen you -'

Frank cut in. 'Yes, years. Four years, I think, since we met you.'

'Yes, we don't blame you at all. Hermione's probably never mentioned us. She's embarrassed of us.' Beatrice laughed.

Harry grinned. Hermione! How stupid of him to not figure that out! He should've recognized Hermione's printing on those notes! He peered into the backseat. In it was not only Hermione, but Ron as well. Harry grinned even more.

He opened the door into the backseat. Hermione and Ron moved over, so Hermione was in the middle.

He looked at them and laughed. 'I was wondering when you'd come and rescue me!'

Frank looked worried. 'Rescue is right. Those people are awful. We aught to call the department of children and families! I mean if they treat you this badly, I can't imagine how horrible they'd be to their own child!'

'Actually, Dad, they're a lot nicer to Dudley than Harry,' interjected Hermione quietly.

'Oh. I see,' said Frank. He looked puzzled. Anyways, put your seatbelts on. The drive's about an hour long.'

Harry loaded his stuff into the back and sat down.

Once they'd been driving for a bit, Ron finally spoke. 'So, how's Lavender getting to your house?'

'Floo powder.'

In fifth year, Hermione had become quite good friends with Lavender, and Ron and Harry also became good friends with her too.

'So, Ron, you'll be spending a whole month with Lavender,' teased Harry.

'Oh, shut it.' Ron's ears went pink.

Hermione laughed. 'I knew you liked her!'

'Just a bit.'

'Liar!' laughed Harry. 'We all heard you talking about her in your sleep.'

'Really?' Ron looked embarrassed.

'Dean even talked about taping it,' said Harry. 'They thought that'd be too horrible, so they just told your brothers instead.'

'That's why Fred and George have been laughing at me all summer!'

Hermione laughed. 'Whatever happened to Fleur Delacour?'

'She's out of my league.'

After almost an hour (it seemed like a minute to Harry), they reached the Granger's house. Harry dragged his trunk out of the car. He grabbed one handle and Hermione grabbed the other, and they carried it to the doorway. Ron carried Hedwig's cage and the broomstick.

Harry had always imagined Hermione living in a big house, and from he outside it did look rather large. Mr. Granger opened the door. Harry realized he'd been wrong. Inside it was quite small, a teeny cottage.

'There's a downstairs too,' said Hermione. 'There's a guest room down there where my brother stays when he visits. You and Ron will bunk there.'

'I didn't know you had a brother!' said Harry.

'Dustin. He's 25. Moved out a while ago, before I came to Hogwarts.'

'Dustin was quite a rebel,' said Mrs. Granger. 'Moved out when he was 17. Sheesh!'

'I just can't stand it,' she continued. 'My little boy all grown up, and now my baby girl almost sixteen...'

'Mum!' Hermione laughed.

'My Mum can't wait for all of us to get out of the house,' said Ron. 'I don't blame her. Must've been hard for her when all seven of us lived at home.'

'Seven!' exclaimed Mr. Granger. 'That's a lot of teeth to fix!'

Hermione's parents were dentists, Harry remembered.

'I can't wait to leave home,' muttered Harry.

No one said anything.