Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and
owned by J. K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to
Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros.,
Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is
intended.
Harry Potter: the New Lord of Light
"Damn it, Pig! Can't you even deliver a letter without problems?" cursed Ron under his breath as his hyperactive little owl came flying into the kitchen. "Stupid, blundering, brainless flying git," added Ron under his breath. "Strange - Harry hasn't received the letter, yet again?!" There was a sense of bewilderment in his tone.
"Ron, has Harry replied?" came Mrs Weasley's voice.
"No, Harry has certainly not replied! I'm beginning to doubt MY owl's reliability. I don't think that IT even managed to deliver its letter to Harry yet," came Ron's reply.
"Swoosh." A large barn owl came flying in, landing on the kitchen table in front of Ron. Automatically, Ron reached out and untied the letter on the owl's leg. Having its burden removed, the owl took flight into the open sky. "Strange. It isn't time yet for my Hogwarts letter to arrive, why has this come so early?" Ron thought, as he recognised the same type of parchment and the bright emerald green ink. But curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the letter.
Dear Mr Ronald Weasley,
I'm very sorry to inform you that Mr Harry Potter has written to us; he wanted us to tell you that he will not be able to correspond with either you or Miss Hermione Granger this summer. His letter clearly stated that he will not be sending or receiving any letters or presents from you. He also does not want to stay at the Burrow, as he fears that he may endanger your family. You may bring any presents or correspondence for Harry when you meet him at Platform 9¾, but until then please just hold onto them.
Harry wrote quite firmly that he is preparing for his O.W.L.'s. (I thought that I was reading wrongly, but I didn't! This was quite a surprise; I never thought that I would live to see the day!) He presently has some unexpected guests living with him, so he sent Hedwig to stay at Hogwarts. Don't worry; Harry will be on the Hogwarts Express on September 1st. He will not be able to get his schoolbooks at Diagon Alley, so I have bought him his books. So you need not worry. He has also asked me to buy him some very advanced books on spells, hexes, curses, healing and potions.
I understand that all this would certainly come as a shock to you, as it has for me. He hopes that you will understand.
And before I forget, Ron: you (along with Mr Harry Potter, Miss Hermione Granger and Miss Lavender Brown) have been made a prefect. There are also twenty exchange students from Salem Witches' Institute and Salem Wizards' Institute coming to Hogwarts; I hope that you will help make their stay comfortable.
Yours Sincerely,
Professor Dumbledore.
p.s. I have sufficient reasons to believe that Harry's unusual concerns and preparations have something to do with the resurrection of Lord Voldemort.
"How could he! This is his holiday, and he really shouldn't be worrying about the resurrection of You-Know-Who!" Ron said angrily, unable to keep his temper in check, and - "Boom!" the kitchen was suddenly raining shattered pieces of glass and china, thanks to Ron's anger.
"Ron!" said Mrs Weasley reproachfully, as she calmly repaired all the shattered pieces of glass and china with an easy swish of her wand. "What does that letter say?"
"Mum - it says that Harry doesn't want to come and stay with us - he says that he doesn't want us to be put in danger, as he is first on You-Know- Who's hit list," said Ron. Looking back at the parchment, he continued, "He doesn't want us to write or send him anything." When he said that, Mrs Weasley's face was clearly crestfallen. A grin crossed Ron's face as he said, "And Harry, Hermione, Lavender and I have been made Prefects of Gryffindor!"
"That's great, Ron!" she said, and grabbed Ron into a bone-crushing hug.
*****
Meanwhile -
The moment Harry stepped into his room on 10 August, he found himself in a void. He tried to look around.
*Harry - you are now in what I have named the Hall of Infinite Light.*
"Are you joking? All I can see is pure, undisturbed darkness."
*No, Harry; close your eyes and feel the world around you. Good. Now open them.*
Harry was suddenly overwhelmed by the brightness that surrounded the place. He could barely keep his eyes open.
*Do you believe me now, Harry? This room is only open to the chosen one who can and will defeat the Dark Lord of his time. You, Harry, are entrusted by fate to destroy Lord Voldemort - the most powerful Dark Lord of all time.*
"Then is Professor Dumbledore a member of this - er - what is the name?"
*The Order of Light, Harry. Yes, Albus Dumbledore is a member of the Order of Light. That is why he could defeat Grindelwald. Now enough of history; I'm getting tired, I hated history.* At this Harry grinned; he remembered how he also hated history, as it was taught by Professor Binns at Hogwarts.
*Now Harry, there are a lot of things that you have to know before you join the Order of Light. I'm The One, The Light. After you have joined the Order, you cannot jump over to the Dark side. You will gain the ability to communicate with creatures of all types: dragons, phoenixes, elves, dwarves - and you can speak all kinds of languages. You will be able to feel and detect magic of all types. You will also unlock your Creature Elemental powers; you are the only one since Merlin who is able to control all the four Elements.*
"Merlin?! Is he in the Order as well?"
*Yes, my boy. Not only that, the Hogwarts Four are also members. You will have a photographic memory and will be able to do wandless and ancient magic, and gain knowledge of both old and new magic. I have updated myself each time I have a new recruit, so don't worry that your training will be too outdated. I will also stay with you until you defeat Lord Voldemort. I will start the training now; you do not have a choice.*
"I also don't WANT to be given a choice!"
The voice chuckled.
*Very well. I will now begin, first, by giving you your staff.*
*****
"Wake Up! Potter, Wake Up!" screeched Aunt Petunia. "Potter, I'm warning you! Today the Heselwoods are arriving; they'll be here in an hour's time. Any funny business, and you will find yourself in the cupboard for the rest of the summer!"
"All right, all right Aunt Petunia!" a deep voice answered her. Surprised, Aunt Petunia opened the door and entered Harry's room. She glared at him sternly and left.
"I'd better cast the magical signature cover spell now, so I can use magic to clean up this room," Harry thought. "Incantatem magicus subnotatio tegere Harry Potter!" Harry could feel the spell he had just cast take effect. Then with a swish of his hand, the entire room arranged itself properly. Things that could be easily recognised to be magical were transformed - like the hovering Firebolt, which had been turned into a wind chime. All toys had been transfigured into a pile of pens that lay in a corner.
"Potter, please come down and prepare to welcome the three Heselwoods."
Sighing to himself, Harry walked down to the front door. Uncle Vernon was startled when Harry came down the stairs. Instead of the short, skinny boy who had almost dragged himself up the stairs after all the chores he had done yesterday, Harry was now a tall and well-toned young man. His black hair lay in an unruly tangle with several errant locks falling over his forehead in an equally unkempt fringe; but his tanned features were sharp, almost chiseled, and matched his trim figure. His eyes were oddly sparkling with mischief. "Well, Uncle Vernon, are your friendly neighbours, the Heselwoods, coming soon? I have a lot of homework from Hogwarts to do," Harry stated calmly.
As soon as Harry mentioned Hogwarts, Vernon Dursley's face changed from an expression of shock to rage, and the colour of pale white changed to an angry red, black and purple. "How dare you talk about that - that - school of unnaturalness in my house! I swear, after the Heselwoods have move into their new house, you will be in -" Uncle Vernon suddenly stopped as he gazed down at the tip of Harry's wand pointed at the very centre of his chest.
"I am warning you, Vernon Dursley. One more bad word from your mouth about me, my parents, Hogwarts or anything connected to the wizarding world before the Heselwoods arrive, and I swear that you will be in for the treat of a lifetime. The Ministry will not know that I have been doing magic; I have tidied my room with magic a half hour ago, and there was no letter. So you'd better stay behind the line until they come." Harry said in a voice that could have frozen boiling water solid. "But after they have arrived, you can say what ever you want. I will keep my promise to say that I go to St. Brutus' Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys, and I will keep a civil tongue in front of them. Is it a deal, Uncle Vernon?"
"Yes, Potter. You have my word."
"Ding-Dong!"
"Harry, the Heselwoods are here. Get the door for them," said Aunt Petunia.
Harry opened the door, and came face to face with two adults and a young lady about the same age as he. "Hmm - this young lady is a witch. Better keep it from Vernon Dursley or he would throw a fit," Harry mused. He looked with amusement at Dudley, who drooled over the young lady.
"Harry, would you be kind enough to show them the way to the guestroom before you go and do your schoolwork?" asked Aunt Petunia in a sticky-sweet voice that made Harry feel sick.
"Now I know why they have so few guests, this is horrid," Harry said under his breath as he single-handedly carried all the Heselwoods' luggage to the guest room.
Unknown to Harry, the Heselwoods were staring at Harry. "Er - Vernon, I have a question to ask you, is that all right with you?" asked Mr Heselwood.
"Of course! That is no problem at all. Er - David? Is that right?"
"Yes; who is that boy and where does he go to school, Vernon?"
"Oh! He is my nephew, and he goes to the St. Brutus' Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. That's how he got his strength; at St. Brutus', they train the boys to be disciplined men."
"Mr & Mrs Heselwood? Your luggage is in the guestroom, and if you please, can you come up here and I will show you the way to your room now." After Harry led the Heselwoods to their room, he said, "There you are, sir. If you have any requests, please feel free to ask my cousin, Dudley, as I have a lot of work to do. Thanks, and see you at dinner." Harry bowed and turned, walking out of the room briskly.
The Heselwoods started to unpack their things as they talked. "Mom? Dad? Do you think that Mr Vernon is telling the truth about this Harry? I have a strange feeling that there's more here than meets the eye, and I don't like him or his family, with the exception of Harry," said Janet Heselwood.
"Yes, my dear girl. I also don't like him any more than you do. But Mr Calvin told us to live here for business purposes; otherwise I would rather kill myself than to come here. It's a good thing that your school has arranged for you and 19 of your friends to come to England to study magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, so you could continue your magical studies - all thanks to Professor Dumbledore."
"Yeah. Look, I can't write in my diary in here. I'd better go downstairs and write," Janet said, turning and walking towards the stairs. But Janet did not walk down the stairs. Instead, she turned left and gently knocked on Harry's door.
"Yes, come in. The door isn't locked." A voice from behind the door answered. Silently, Janet pushed open the door to find Harry busy writing on a piece of paper. When Harry saw her come in, he quietly placed the paper into a drawer and stood up and moved towards the window.
"Er - Harry?"
"Yes?"
Janet moved towards the window and stood beside Harry.
"Your Uncle, Aunt and cousin don't like you, do they?"
"No, they don't."
"And you don't like them either, do you?"
"Let's just say it is a mutual and silent agreement on both sides, okay?"
"And this is my last question: do you - "
"Go to that St. Brutus' thingy, is it?" Harry continued for Janet.
"Yes. Hey, how did you know what I was going to ask?"
"My dear lady," Harry chuckled. "Every visitor who has come into this house has asked me the same question. So naturally I knew what you would ask. And NO. I do not go to St. Brutus' Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. I go to a private school. And may I know your name, your Royal Highness?" Harry mocked a bow. He looked up and saw a beautiful oval face framed by black hair. Her eyes were a sparkling light-blue colour, and her face was well-defined. Harry could clearly see that she was struggling, trying not to laugh.
"Oh, yes! Sir Harry, my name is Lady Janet Heselwood, but you can call me Janet. And what is that on your forehead?"
"Oh, this is my scar. It is shaped like a lightning bolt. An unwelcome reminder of the car accident in which my parents were killed," said Harry, deciding he would use the lie that Uncle Vernon told him. "Now, will your Royal Highness please leave the room? I have some things to do; if not I'm afraid that I may have to throw you out."
"Of course, Sir Harry." With that, Janet exited gracefully and walked down the stairs. Dudley saw her coming out of Harry's room and went to have a talk with her.
"You go and talk to that - that - jerk?"
"Hey, watch what you're saying! He didn't say anything offensive about you."
"He is a total freak! He goes to a centre for boys with criminal records!"
"At least he was more polite than you. Although he told me that he didn't like your family, he did not insult you or any of your family. And here you are scolding him!" Janet took a deep breath and continued, "Mr Dudley Dursley, would you please be quiet and leave this room while I write in my PERSONAL DIARY?"
"All right, I'll leave you alone and go into the kitchen. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"
"No thanks, I'm all right."
Dear Diary, Today I moved into a house on Privet Drive. I met this really disgusting muggle family who are all out to please my family. But there is this really nice muggle boy who is very polite, charming, humorous - and not to mention very CUTE & HANDSOME! I really wish that I could tell him that I am a witch. I wonder what his surname is. His scar looks rather like that of the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter - I wonder if there is a connection between the two of them? But he told me that his parents died in a car crash. I do feel sorry for him; besides, he looked very different from the photo I had cut out from the Daily Prophet. Maybe I am thinking too much about that. Anyway, I can hear that horrid woman calling me for dinner.
Well, Dear Diary, that's it for today.
"Harry dear, it's time for dinner," said Aunt Petunia in the same sticky- sweet voice.
"This won't last too long, I hope," Harry mused. Silently, Harry walked down the stairs and saw Janet writing in a book. Harry's eyes zoomed in and saw Janet's diary entry just before she shut it. Quickly, Harry's eyes went back into focus. "What are you writing?" Harry asked as Janet walked past him.
"Why do you want to know?" was the reply he received.
"Let me guess - maybe there is a connection between me and another boy?" Harry teased Janet.
Immediately, Janet flushed a bright red. "NO!" she replied quickly.
"From your now-reddening face, I can tell that I'm right," Harry taunted, as he walked into the kitchen. He saw that on the table were four roasted chickens, along with a lot of other food. Automatically, Harry sat himself at the far end of the table. The very moment that Janet came into the room, Dudley jumped up and pulled out a chair, motioning Janet to sit beside him. But Janet sat between her parents, ignoring Dudley's frantic waving. Harry was amused but he did not show it. Quietly, Harry devoured half the table's food while the rest of the Heselwoods and Dursleys were talking.
Once dinner was over, Harry headed for his room and sat down on the floor and started meditating. Harry meditated for about ten hours. When he stopped, he saw that the clock now read four in the morning. Unshrinking his trunk, Harry took out a nice outfit of a muggle T-shirt and a pair of track pants. He pulled the clothes on and walked downstairs. Harry was surprised that he could see in the dark. Silently he tried to open the front door, but he found it locked. Pulling out his wand, Harry whispered, "Alohomora!" and off he went for his morning jog.
Days passed peacefully.
On September 1st at ten-thirty in the morning, Harry collected his things and apparated to King's Cross station. He saw Janet and a group of American students standing near a guard.
"Sir, can you tell me where Platform 9¾ is?"
"Platform 9¾? Think you're trying to be funny, do you?' and he walked away.
"Come with me, Janet," called a voice behind her.
'Hey, that sounds like Harry's voice!' thought Janet, and she turned around.
"Harry! How come you're here? I - I - "
"I think you haven't introduced your charming friend here, Janet," a another girl teased her.
"My friends, this is - " Janet started.
"Harry Potter," continued Harry. There was a shocked silence as the group tried to take in what they had just heard. The-Boy-Who-Lived? Impossible! This boy is nearly seven feet tall! And -
"I can see his scar!"
"Ok, enough about me. Let me show you to Platform 9¾." Harry led them towards the division between Platforms 10 and 9. "Follow me, and don't be scared, or you'll crash into it." And in a line he led them through the barrier and onto Platform 9¾. A scarlet steam engine greeted their sight. The group was speechless.
*****
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts -
Harry Potter: the New Lord of Light
"Damn it, Pig! Can't you even deliver a letter without problems?" cursed Ron under his breath as his hyperactive little owl came flying into the kitchen. "Stupid, blundering, brainless flying git," added Ron under his breath. "Strange - Harry hasn't received the letter, yet again?!" There was a sense of bewilderment in his tone.
"Ron, has Harry replied?" came Mrs Weasley's voice.
"No, Harry has certainly not replied! I'm beginning to doubt MY owl's reliability. I don't think that IT even managed to deliver its letter to Harry yet," came Ron's reply.
"Swoosh." A large barn owl came flying in, landing on the kitchen table in front of Ron. Automatically, Ron reached out and untied the letter on the owl's leg. Having its burden removed, the owl took flight into the open sky. "Strange. It isn't time yet for my Hogwarts letter to arrive, why has this come so early?" Ron thought, as he recognised the same type of parchment and the bright emerald green ink. But curiosity got the better of him, and he opened the letter.
Dear Mr Ronald Weasley,
I'm very sorry to inform you that Mr Harry Potter has written to us; he wanted us to tell you that he will not be able to correspond with either you or Miss Hermione Granger this summer. His letter clearly stated that he will not be sending or receiving any letters or presents from you. He also does not want to stay at the Burrow, as he fears that he may endanger your family. You may bring any presents or correspondence for Harry when you meet him at Platform 9¾, but until then please just hold onto them.
Harry wrote quite firmly that he is preparing for his O.W.L.'s. (I thought that I was reading wrongly, but I didn't! This was quite a surprise; I never thought that I would live to see the day!) He presently has some unexpected guests living with him, so he sent Hedwig to stay at Hogwarts. Don't worry; Harry will be on the Hogwarts Express on September 1st. He will not be able to get his schoolbooks at Diagon Alley, so I have bought him his books. So you need not worry. He has also asked me to buy him some very advanced books on spells, hexes, curses, healing and potions.
I understand that all this would certainly come as a shock to you, as it has for me. He hopes that you will understand.
And before I forget, Ron: you (along with Mr Harry Potter, Miss Hermione Granger and Miss Lavender Brown) have been made a prefect. There are also twenty exchange students from Salem Witches' Institute and Salem Wizards' Institute coming to Hogwarts; I hope that you will help make their stay comfortable.
Yours Sincerely,
Professor Dumbledore.
p.s. I have sufficient reasons to believe that Harry's unusual concerns and preparations have something to do with the resurrection of Lord Voldemort.
"How could he! This is his holiday, and he really shouldn't be worrying about the resurrection of You-Know-Who!" Ron said angrily, unable to keep his temper in check, and - "Boom!" the kitchen was suddenly raining shattered pieces of glass and china, thanks to Ron's anger.
"Ron!" said Mrs Weasley reproachfully, as she calmly repaired all the shattered pieces of glass and china with an easy swish of her wand. "What does that letter say?"
"Mum - it says that Harry doesn't want to come and stay with us - he says that he doesn't want us to be put in danger, as he is first on You-Know- Who's hit list," said Ron. Looking back at the parchment, he continued, "He doesn't want us to write or send him anything." When he said that, Mrs Weasley's face was clearly crestfallen. A grin crossed Ron's face as he said, "And Harry, Hermione, Lavender and I have been made Prefects of Gryffindor!"
"That's great, Ron!" she said, and grabbed Ron into a bone-crushing hug.
*****
Meanwhile -
The moment Harry stepped into his room on 10 August, he found himself in a void. He tried to look around.
*Harry - you are now in what I have named the Hall of Infinite Light.*
"Are you joking? All I can see is pure, undisturbed darkness."
*No, Harry; close your eyes and feel the world around you. Good. Now open them.*
Harry was suddenly overwhelmed by the brightness that surrounded the place. He could barely keep his eyes open.
*Do you believe me now, Harry? This room is only open to the chosen one who can and will defeat the Dark Lord of his time. You, Harry, are entrusted by fate to destroy Lord Voldemort - the most powerful Dark Lord of all time.*
"Then is Professor Dumbledore a member of this - er - what is the name?"
*The Order of Light, Harry. Yes, Albus Dumbledore is a member of the Order of Light. That is why he could defeat Grindelwald. Now enough of history; I'm getting tired, I hated history.* At this Harry grinned; he remembered how he also hated history, as it was taught by Professor Binns at Hogwarts.
*Now Harry, there are a lot of things that you have to know before you join the Order of Light. I'm The One, The Light. After you have joined the Order, you cannot jump over to the Dark side. You will gain the ability to communicate with creatures of all types: dragons, phoenixes, elves, dwarves - and you can speak all kinds of languages. You will be able to feel and detect magic of all types. You will also unlock your Creature Elemental powers; you are the only one since Merlin who is able to control all the four Elements.*
"Merlin?! Is he in the Order as well?"
*Yes, my boy. Not only that, the Hogwarts Four are also members. You will have a photographic memory and will be able to do wandless and ancient magic, and gain knowledge of both old and new magic. I have updated myself each time I have a new recruit, so don't worry that your training will be too outdated. I will also stay with you until you defeat Lord Voldemort. I will start the training now; you do not have a choice.*
"I also don't WANT to be given a choice!"
The voice chuckled.
*Very well. I will now begin, first, by giving you your staff.*
*****
"Wake Up! Potter, Wake Up!" screeched Aunt Petunia. "Potter, I'm warning you! Today the Heselwoods are arriving; they'll be here in an hour's time. Any funny business, and you will find yourself in the cupboard for the rest of the summer!"
"All right, all right Aunt Petunia!" a deep voice answered her. Surprised, Aunt Petunia opened the door and entered Harry's room. She glared at him sternly and left.
"I'd better cast the magical signature cover spell now, so I can use magic to clean up this room," Harry thought. "Incantatem magicus subnotatio tegere Harry Potter!" Harry could feel the spell he had just cast take effect. Then with a swish of his hand, the entire room arranged itself properly. Things that could be easily recognised to be magical were transformed - like the hovering Firebolt, which had been turned into a wind chime. All toys had been transfigured into a pile of pens that lay in a corner.
"Potter, please come down and prepare to welcome the three Heselwoods."
Sighing to himself, Harry walked down to the front door. Uncle Vernon was startled when Harry came down the stairs. Instead of the short, skinny boy who had almost dragged himself up the stairs after all the chores he had done yesterday, Harry was now a tall and well-toned young man. His black hair lay in an unruly tangle with several errant locks falling over his forehead in an equally unkempt fringe; but his tanned features were sharp, almost chiseled, and matched his trim figure. His eyes were oddly sparkling with mischief. "Well, Uncle Vernon, are your friendly neighbours, the Heselwoods, coming soon? I have a lot of homework from Hogwarts to do," Harry stated calmly.
As soon as Harry mentioned Hogwarts, Vernon Dursley's face changed from an expression of shock to rage, and the colour of pale white changed to an angry red, black and purple. "How dare you talk about that - that - school of unnaturalness in my house! I swear, after the Heselwoods have move into their new house, you will be in -" Uncle Vernon suddenly stopped as he gazed down at the tip of Harry's wand pointed at the very centre of his chest.
"I am warning you, Vernon Dursley. One more bad word from your mouth about me, my parents, Hogwarts or anything connected to the wizarding world before the Heselwoods arrive, and I swear that you will be in for the treat of a lifetime. The Ministry will not know that I have been doing magic; I have tidied my room with magic a half hour ago, and there was no letter. So you'd better stay behind the line until they come." Harry said in a voice that could have frozen boiling water solid. "But after they have arrived, you can say what ever you want. I will keep my promise to say that I go to St. Brutus' Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys, and I will keep a civil tongue in front of them. Is it a deal, Uncle Vernon?"
"Yes, Potter. You have my word."
"Ding-Dong!"
"Harry, the Heselwoods are here. Get the door for them," said Aunt Petunia.
Harry opened the door, and came face to face with two adults and a young lady about the same age as he. "Hmm - this young lady is a witch. Better keep it from Vernon Dursley or he would throw a fit," Harry mused. He looked with amusement at Dudley, who drooled over the young lady.
"Harry, would you be kind enough to show them the way to the guestroom before you go and do your schoolwork?" asked Aunt Petunia in a sticky-sweet voice that made Harry feel sick.
"Now I know why they have so few guests, this is horrid," Harry said under his breath as he single-handedly carried all the Heselwoods' luggage to the guest room.
Unknown to Harry, the Heselwoods were staring at Harry. "Er - Vernon, I have a question to ask you, is that all right with you?" asked Mr Heselwood.
"Of course! That is no problem at all. Er - David? Is that right?"
"Yes; who is that boy and where does he go to school, Vernon?"
"Oh! He is my nephew, and he goes to the St. Brutus' Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. That's how he got his strength; at St. Brutus', they train the boys to be disciplined men."
"Mr & Mrs Heselwood? Your luggage is in the guestroom, and if you please, can you come up here and I will show you the way to your room now." After Harry led the Heselwoods to their room, he said, "There you are, sir. If you have any requests, please feel free to ask my cousin, Dudley, as I have a lot of work to do. Thanks, and see you at dinner." Harry bowed and turned, walking out of the room briskly.
The Heselwoods started to unpack their things as they talked. "Mom? Dad? Do you think that Mr Vernon is telling the truth about this Harry? I have a strange feeling that there's more here than meets the eye, and I don't like him or his family, with the exception of Harry," said Janet Heselwood.
"Yes, my dear girl. I also don't like him any more than you do. But Mr Calvin told us to live here for business purposes; otherwise I would rather kill myself than to come here. It's a good thing that your school has arranged for you and 19 of your friends to come to England to study magic at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, so you could continue your magical studies - all thanks to Professor Dumbledore."
"Yeah. Look, I can't write in my diary in here. I'd better go downstairs and write," Janet said, turning and walking towards the stairs. But Janet did not walk down the stairs. Instead, she turned left and gently knocked on Harry's door.
"Yes, come in. The door isn't locked." A voice from behind the door answered. Silently, Janet pushed open the door to find Harry busy writing on a piece of paper. When Harry saw her come in, he quietly placed the paper into a drawer and stood up and moved towards the window.
"Er - Harry?"
"Yes?"
Janet moved towards the window and stood beside Harry.
"Your Uncle, Aunt and cousin don't like you, do they?"
"No, they don't."
"And you don't like them either, do you?"
"Let's just say it is a mutual and silent agreement on both sides, okay?"
"And this is my last question: do you - "
"Go to that St. Brutus' thingy, is it?" Harry continued for Janet.
"Yes. Hey, how did you know what I was going to ask?"
"My dear lady," Harry chuckled. "Every visitor who has come into this house has asked me the same question. So naturally I knew what you would ask. And NO. I do not go to St. Brutus' Secure Centre for Incurably Criminal Boys. I go to a private school. And may I know your name, your Royal Highness?" Harry mocked a bow. He looked up and saw a beautiful oval face framed by black hair. Her eyes were a sparkling light-blue colour, and her face was well-defined. Harry could clearly see that she was struggling, trying not to laugh.
"Oh, yes! Sir Harry, my name is Lady Janet Heselwood, but you can call me Janet. And what is that on your forehead?"
"Oh, this is my scar. It is shaped like a lightning bolt. An unwelcome reminder of the car accident in which my parents were killed," said Harry, deciding he would use the lie that Uncle Vernon told him. "Now, will your Royal Highness please leave the room? I have some things to do; if not I'm afraid that I may have to throw you out."
"Of course, Sir Harry." With that, Janet exited gracefully and walked down the stairs. Dudley saw her coming out of Harry's room and went to have a talk with her.
"You go and talk to that - that - jerk?"
"Hey, watch what you're saying! He didn't say anything offensive about you."
"He is a total freak! He goes to a centre for boys with criminal records!"
"At least he was more polite than you. Although he told me that he didn't like your family, he did not insult you or any of your family. And here you are scolding him!" Janet took a deep breath and continued, "Mr Dudley Dursley, would you please be quiet and leave this room while I write in my PERSONAL DIARY?"
"All right, I'll leave you alone and go into the kitchen. Do you want anything to eat or drink?"
"No thanks, I'm all right."
Dear Diary, Today I moved into a house on Privet Drive. I met this really disgusting muggle family who are all out to please my family. But there is this really nice muggle boy who is very polite, charming, humorous - and not to mention very CUTE & HANDSOME! I really wish that I could tell him that I am a witch. I wonder what his surname is. His scar looks rather like that of the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry Potter - I wonder if there is a connection between the two of them? But he told me that his parents died in a car crash. I do feel sorry for him; besides, he looked very different from the photo I had cut out from the Daily Prophet. Maybe I am thinking too much about that. Anyway, I can hear that horrid woman calling me for dinner.
Well, Dear Diary, that's it for today.
"Harry dear, it's time for dinner," said Aunt Petunia in the same sticky- sweet voice.
"This won't last too long, I hope," Harry mused. Silently, Harry walked down the stairs and saw Janet writing in a book. Harry's eyes zoomed in and saw Janet's diary entry just before she shut it. Quickly, Harry's eyes went back into focus. "What are you writing?" Harry asked as Janet walked past him.
"Why do you want to know?" was the reply he received.
"Let me guess - maybe there is a connection between me and another boy?" Harry teased Janet.
Immediately, Janet flushed a bright red. "NO!" she replied quickly.
"From your now-reddening face, I can tell that I'm right," Harry taunted, as he walked into the kitchen. He saw that on the table were four roasted chickens, along with a lot of other food. Automatically, Harry sat himself at the far end of the table. The very moment that Janet came into the room, Dudley jumped up and pulled out a chair, motioning Janet to sit beside him. But Janet sat between her parents, ignoring Dudley's frantic waving. Harry was amused but he did not show it. Quietly, Harry devoured half the table's food while the rest of the Heselwoods and Dursleys were talking.
Once dinner was over, Harry headed for his room and sat down on the floor and started meditating. Harry meditated for about ten hours. When he stopped, he saw that the clock now read four in the morning. Unshrinking his trunk, Harry took out a nice outfit of a muggle T-shirt and a pair of track pants. He pulled the clothes on and walked downstairs. Harry was surprised that he could see in the dark. Silently he tried to open the front door, but he found it locked. Pulling out his wand, Harry whispered, "Alohomora!" and off he went for his morning jog.
Days passed peacefully.
On September 1st at ten-thirty in the morning, Harry collected his things and apparated to King's Cross station. He saw Janet and a group of American students standing near a guard.
"Sir, can you tell me where Platform 9¾ is?"
"Platform 9¾? Think you're trying to be funny, do you?' and he walked away.
"Come with me, Janet," called a voice behind her.
'Hey, that sounds like Harry's voice!' thought Janet, and she turned around.
"Harry! How come you're here? I - I - "
"I think you haven't introduced your charming friend here, Janet," a another girl teased her.
"My friends, this is - " Janet started.
"Harry Potter," continued Harry. There was a shocked silence as the group tried to take in what they had just heard. The-Boy-Who-Lived? Impossible! This boy is nearly seven feet tall! And -
"I can see his scar!"
"Ok, enough about me. Let me show you to Platform 9¾." Harry led them towards the division between Platforms 10 and 9. "Follow me, and don't be scared, or you'll crash into it." And in a line he led them through the barrier and onto Platform 9¾. A scarlet steam engine greeted their sight. The group was speechless.
*****
Meanwhile, at Hogwarts -