A Summer of Sorrows

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Summer at the Dursleys'

As he strolled down the path, Harry watched the children playing at the playground, laughter ringing free. Dudley and his gang chose to vandalize libraries and offices now, instead of playgrounds. They were playing happily with not a care in the world. Happiness. It seemed like such an impossible concept to him, it had been so long since he had felt it, so long since he had been himself.

But how could he be? After all that had happened in his fifth year, it was hard just to live with the knowledge of...everything, day by day. The prophecy would haunt him for life- maybe even take it from him, and what could he do? Nothing. He had to stay at the Dursleys for now- because of the charm Dumbledore had told him about, but he was still out in the open. He sighed as he saw the sun setting slowly in the field of trees slowly turning red and orange.

He would have to go back to the house. As he headed back, he didn't bother to find the newspaper at the street dust bin. What was the point? He wouldn't find out anything until Dumbledore thought he was ready to hear it anyway. He watched as a puppy walked by, owner walking slowly behind it, and suddenly went white. Sirius...It was all his fault...if he had been wise enough to not believe that filthy excuse for an house-elf...then Sirius wouldn't have needed to come and be killed by Bellatrix...

As he entered the house, Uncle Vernon snapped, "You're early, where's Dudley?"

"I don't know." He said simply and went up to his room. Ever since the talk with Remus and Mad-Eye Moody, the Dursleys were more careful around Harry, but still hated him. And since Harry only ate about once or twice a day, they left him alone sometimes.

As he closed the door shut, he sighed and then lay sprawled on his bed and closed his eyes. He fell asleep slowly, a constant throbbing in his head. His scar had been hurting regularly, but he didn't bother telling anyone, they would just fuss over him...then there were the nightmares about Sirius...Ah, but if you hadn't been such a prat, then none of that would have happened, would it? So he lay there, half asleep, yet troubled, until he heard a long bout of tapping.

He finally sat up to see Hedwig followed by a small flock of owls behind her. He sat there, mouth open and slightly baffled, when he realized that it was his birthday. As he opened the window, the birds flew in and dropped the packages on his bed and flew to his desk, where Hedwig sat, watching them skeptically.

Harry got some owl snacks for the little flock and then started to open the packages that had notes attached. The first one was from Ron-

Hey Harry,

Hope you're doing ok. I sent back this reply with Hedwig as soon as I could. Good thing the muggles are leaving you alone now. Anyway, mum asked Dumbledore when you could come over to headquarters- he said next week. Can't wait. Hermione is already over here- she's gone mad- she worries more than mum about you and made me start studying- barking mad, I tell you. Fred and George are over here too- when they're not working. Their business is raking in loads of galleons- mind you, don't try anything they give you...They're starting to go to the extremes with their products. Dad still has webbed hands and feet from the Web Wonders the twins just came up with. Dad thought they were normal sweets just shaped like one of the muggle children's cartoons. What is it? Spire- man? Professor Lupin is stopping by more now; we all can't wait till you're here. Anyway, happy birthday Harry! Eat, drink, and be merry! We're picking you up next Wednesday. Bye.

-Ron

Attached was a package of Honeyduke's sweets and a walkie talkie with a note attached:

Dad taught me how to use this walk thingy, and it'll work in the muggle world too- dad did this charm on it. You can talk to us now, if this thing works...

Harry smiled and put the things under the loose floorboard and picked up the next letter. He would try the walkie talkie tomorrow. The next letter was from Hermione:

Dear Harry,

I hope you're ok, I know you're not- your other letters sound too normal, but it'll be ok soon Harry. Anyway, I'm staying over at Headquarters with Ron and everyone. Are the muggles treating you well? They should, really-that would be so insensitive of them to not treat you well now. You've been through a lot Harry. And I know it's unfair and frustrating to not know what's going on- but hang in there Harry. And you know what happened wasn't your fault. Remember that Harry, Sirius would want you to go on, he'll never be gone...It's hard for us too...But we have to move on and we can help you if you let us...So if you want to talk anytime Harry, we're here. Anyway, happy birthday Harry! Can't wait till you're here!

Love,

Hermione

Hermione had sent him a book on advanced wizardry and a sugar quill which was enchanted to write in glittering emerald ink. Harry looked through the book which was mostly about Defense Against the Dark Arts, then picked up the next package. The next package was one filled with raspberry mince pies and an emerald scarf with a capital h embroidered on it with fancy script. Attached was a letter filled with questions about his well being, health, and mainly, him- undoubtedly from Mrs.Weasley. Harry smiled appreciatively at that and opened the next package- which was from Remus. Harry paused for a while, then opened the letter and read it slowly.

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday! How's it going? I hope you're doing fine...I know it's hard Harry, but Padfoot wouldn't want us to grieve this much- he was happy till the end Harry... and he did what he did so that you could be happy. I know you may never forget, but Harry, never forget, we'll always be here- he's still here- not with us, but he's here all the same. Anyway, Dumbledore told me you would be coming to headquarters soon- I look forward to seeing you there. By the way, you may have to continue occulumency. Enclosed in this package is James's favorite snitch- which served for more than just quidditch use- we never really figured out what trick it was that James had up his sleeve with this, I thought that you would like a go at it. You can contact me anytime you would like to talk Harry. Hope you have a safe journey here- we're all awaiting your arrival.

Sincerely,

Moony

He finished the letter, feeling a little better- but still, they all were supposed to say that. Oh well, there's nothing you can do now, is there? He looked back in the moving package to find a golden snitch flitting about in a little see-through baseball case. He reached in and studied it as he held it still. It wasn't like any other snitch he had ever seen. It was completely smooth and a very bright golden- which was highlighted by a glittering green outline which gave it its own aura. And engraved in the center in glittering green script- just like than one from the quill- was the name James Potter.

"Wow," he whispered to himself. As he let the snitch go, it zoomed through his room, faster than any snitch he had ever seen and the only trace of it was the glittering trail that followed it. I have to ask Hermione about that charm... He struggled, in the semi-darkness, to follow it with his eyes, but he reached out and grasped it firmly on his first try. It was almost as if it was drawn to him. He let it go and caught it a couple of times, amazed. It had been a long time since he had played quidditch...

He finally put away the snitch, and opened the next letter, which to his surprise was from Fred and George. It read:

To our dearest fellow mischief maker,

Hey Harry, how's it going? We hope all is going well in your muggle world. If not, feel free to contact us at any time to file your complaints, which we will be sure to act upon immediately. Mum's going mad over here, so come on over here as soon as possible. Other than that, we are all doing fine, life has been very good to us currently, or shall we say our business has been very good to us?...So, we decided to grant you with a vast package of our latest mischief making supplies to promote our business as well as the use of our hilarious products. Need we say more about the use of our products, but that a certain cousin of yours shall be lucky enough to see the effects of our, um, treats? Anyway, if you should ever have a need for anything, we shall attend to it immediately, so do not hesitate to call forth the amazing Gred and Forge. And so, we would like to conclude this merry address with wishing you a very happy birthday and a new year of mischief-making at Hogwarts!

Sincerely,

Frederic and George Weasley

Laughing silently at the twins' light-heartedness, Harry peered into the humongous package to a find a big collection of candies with a catalog explaining about them- such as:

Surprising Sweets- sweets that gave you a surprise- usually those consisting of a boost of firewhiskey to make the consumer act like a prat, or they made you turn into different colors or creatures...Note to self- never have this stuff or give it to anyone...except for Malfoy...

Leaping lollipops- lollipops that turned you into a frog till you received true love's first kiss.

The tiny flock of owls looked at him peculiarly when he snickered at that one.

Cough Chocolate- white chocolate that makes you through immense coughing fits that lasted for at least an hour and can help get you out of class or work... This could help me avoid Snape...But there was a warning: Warning- extensive use of Cough Chocolate may result in bronchitis. Well, so much for that...

Flying Fruit Chews- fruit chews (available in lemon, raspberry, strawberry, pineapple, and orange), that allow the consumer to levitate up to 30 feet up, down, right, and left by blowing them up as if they were a balloon. Warning- wind may affect the direction in which the person flies...Minor setback...wait a minute...did they get this idea from the time I blew up Aunt Marge? Well, Dudley may not be my only test subject...

Galloping gum- gum that makes you gallop or run at an amazing speed. Hmm...This may be handy...But Harry saw the warning written in minuscule handwriting which read: Warning- Consumer will turn into a horse or pony in order to gallop or run at this amazing speed. No wonder....too good to be true...

Crackling Crackers- normal wizard crackers (with party favors built in) - but they explode into brilliant fireworks. Caution- highly flammable. Nice...

Mood rings- these mood rings create moods and can make the bearer happy, sad, angry, and etc...This might help me get on Snape's good side...but there is a warning again: moods may be stuck permanently or long-term if worn extensively. That wouldn't be so bad if Snape was nice all the time...but it's still too good to be true...

The rest of the collection consisted of the old tricks and some other new ones like the Web Wonders and Curly Cubes. After musing on them for a while, Harry moved on to the next package, thinking-well those tricks will last me a year. He was surprised to find that the next letter was from Tonks, Mad-Eye, and the rest of the order.

Dear Harry,

We, the entire gang, would like to wish you a happy birthday! Enclosed is something that belonged to your mother. We hope everything is going well over there, and are glad to hear that the muggles are leaving you alone for once. Anyway, we're sorry to say we can't inform you much about the situation. But we hope you have a safe journey here. Mr.Weasley will be picking you up by the muggle way at 6:00pm on Wednesday, so you may want to warn-er, inform the muggles...Your occlumency lessons may have to be continued. You will be staying w/the Weasleys at Headquarters along with everyone else. Best Wishes.

Sincerely,

Tonks, Mad- Eye, and your acquaintances at the Order

In the package, Harry found a golden locket with an emerald heart in the middle. After undoing the clasp, he opened it to find a photo of his parents along with him as a child smiling and waving back at him, and engraved on the left inside of the locket were the words: In love, forever and for always. There was a note attached-

Dear Harry,

This locket was a possession of your mother's. It is more than what it seems, so I hope you shall choose to keep it with you- for it may offer you protection. This was meant to be given to you on your sixteenth birthday- like a family heirloom. So I would like to wish you a happy birthday and hope for many returns of the day. I'm sorry to say that I cannot say much at the moment, but if you should accept, I would like to talk to you at Headquarters when you shall come here on Wednesday. Have a safe journey here Harry and best of luck and wishes to you!

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Harry sat speechless for a while, then, after looking longingly at the locket for a while, he placed it in his pocket and went on to the next package, which to his biggest surprise yet, was from Ginny. She usually doesn't write to me...He carefully opened the letter and read silently:

Dear Harry,

Hey, how's it going? I hope everything will be ok soon, I know it's not now, but it'll be soon. Anyway, I hope the muggles aren't completely horrible to you...If they are, you could always try out the twins' merchandise on them. I trust that they already gave you those Curly Cubes- inspired by your cousin no doubt- to give the consumer a curly pig's tail...Just don't eat any of them yourself...They last longer now, as you will see when you see dad. Oh yeah, I've learned something about portkeys that might interest you...Well, Fred and George were testing out portkeys that take you to deserts and stuff...and I kinda messed with it to make it a quidditch pitch instead- it's a simple charm. Anyway, I sent you a portkey for your birthday that'll do that-in case you need a vacation- and it works countless times, I think. So far, I've tested it, and it seems safe, hopefully ...Anyway, just wanted to wish you a happy birthday Harry! We're all waiting for you to come, Mum is losing it- she's gonna go off the moment you get here- along with Hermione- just needed to warn you. Anyway, we're here if you want to talk to us...with Ron's walkie talkie...Well, bye!

Love,

Ginny

Smiling out of some happiness, Harry thought...That's perfect. Quidditch may help a bit. How did she know I needed an escape? And with that, he semi-eagerly opened the package with gloves- to find an emerald green snitch-the portkey- in a small case. I'll save this for later...And so Harry put away his presents feeling gratitude towards them all and turned in for the night...His burden was lightened a bit, yet something bothered him...a constant throbbing in his forehead and a nightmare that had haunted him ever since that day in the Department of Mysteries...

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