Harry Potter and the Return of Black

CHAPTER 1

Aunt Petunia's Secret

Harry Potter was an unusual teenage boy, in fact, he was a wizard - a wizard who was due to start his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and was now spending his 'lovely' summer with the 'friendly' Dursleys who happened to be the only family he had left now.

One evening.

'Take this - finish it upstairs,' said Aunt Petunia tonelessly without looking at Harry, pointing at a plate of sandwiches, which lay miserably beside plates of pork chops, boiled potatoes and apple pies on the dining table.

Harry looked from his horse-faced Aunt Petunia, whose eyes hadn't met his since he got back from Hogwarts, to his beefy Uncle Vernon, whose face was hidden behind something (this time, a newspaper) whenever Harry saw him ever since they came back from King's Cross.

'All right,' said Harry rather angrily, thinking that the Dursleys must have forgotten about Mad-eye Moody.

He took his miserable supper and stepped out of the dining room. He was heading towards the stairs while an argument broke out from where he had just left.

'I thought you were Petunia Dursley?' roared Uncle Vernon. 'Are you asking me to treat that boy rightly?'

'Oh, Harry deserves it, doesn't he? H-he's our nephew, Vernon,' said Aunt Petunia, trying to calm Uncle Vernon down, but in vain.

'Are you losing your marbles?' shouted Uncle Vernon in a voice that shook the whole kitchen. 'You've been telling me that nothing's wrong with that scarhead. And now you're actually asking me to treat him rightly? What's wrong with you?'

'Yes! Nothing's wrong with Harry. I'm the one who's got something wrong!'

'W-what?'

'I'm a Squib,' said Aunt Petunia shortly.

Harry dropped a piece of his sandwiches at these words, but he took no notice.

'You're a what?

'A Squib. It means an improper witch or wizard.'

There was a long silence...

'Vernon, dear, I didn't mean to hide it from you. It's just that I don't even want to admit it - don't even want to be reminded that my sister was a perfect witch, who'd married to a perfect wizard and had a perfect wizard boy.' Aunt Petunia sobbed.

'Vernon, you don't understand how elated I was, when I received the letter telling me that I'd been accepted to attend Hogwarts, just like Lily, and - and how terribly upset I was, when I was sent home, being told that there'd been a mistake.' Aunt Petunia was now sobbing even louder. 'Until last summer that only I've realized how wrong I had been. Treating Harry like that, just because I couldn't accept the truth that I'm not a witch while Lily was. I was jealous of Lily and I couldn't forgive Potter.

'I understand, Petunia. Of course I understand. Now, don't be silly, dear, don't cry. You've got me and Dudley sweetums, after all.'

Standing rooted to the spot, Harry's heart was swelling uncontrollably. After the lost of his newfound Godfather, Sirius Black, he'd been feeling so depressed. But now, somehow his sadness abated. He was like re-finding his long-lost aunt, as now he knew that his Aunt Petunia was related to the Wizarding World.

CHAPTER 2

The Biggest Joke

'Come, Harry, let me trim your hair with a little bit of magic,' Aunt Petunia was persuading Harry, a wand clutched in her hand. Harry wanted to run away but it was too late. Aunt Petunia grabbed the back of his shirt; next moment, he could feel wand tapping on the top of his head. 'Oops...sorry, Harry. You know, I'm a squib, can't do magic properly...' said Aunt Petunia ruefully. Harry ran his fingers through his hair. No. There was no hair! It was all gone!

Harry felt anger surged within him. For a split second, the scene before his eyes changed. He was now in a dark, merely candles-lit room and he could see a hooded figure kneeling in front of him.

'Did I not make myself clear, that the Prophecy was the only way for Lord Voldemort to destroy Harry Potter?' Said Harry in a high, cold voice.

'Yes...Master did...yes...' said the figure in a voice that belonged to a woman, twitching.

'Did I not command my Death Eaters, to bring their Master back the Prophecy untouched?' said Harry threateningly.

'Please - Master...I - I'm greatly sorry -'

'Why then, my dear Bellatrix? Why were you telling your Master that the Prophecy was SHATTERED TO NOTHING?'

Bellatrix jumped and gave a loud hiccup.

'Then you shall be given your punishment,' Harry raised his white, long-fingered hand in which a wand held. 'Crucio.'

'AAAAAARRRR.........'

An anguish scream split the silence, and at the very same moment, a terrible pain seared Harry's forehead; his scar was burning like hell...

Harry woke up abruptly; cold sweats covered his face and were trickling down the back of his neck. He realized instantly what had just happened - he saw Voldemort's vision, in his dream. It happened before, very often indeed, and the only way to stop this was to study Occlumency off by heart. Unfortunately, Harry didn't, and he paid dearly for it - the death of Sirius Black.

Harry's heart sank deep into his stomach. His parents died when he was one, leaving him feeling miserable occasionally when he needed their loves, until about two years ago while things changed. He reunited with his Godfather, Sirius who pathetically, too died months ago.

It was in the morning of 17^th August, the day Harry was about to be brought to The Burrow. Ron told him so in a letter, which was brought by Hedwig a couple of days ago. Don't brood about - it now, Harry told himself, as he wiped sweats off his face. After pulling on his worn T-shirt and frayed jeans, he opened his wardrobe for the mirror inside, wanted to examine his still prickling scar. A tall, broad-shouldered teenager with brilliant green eyes and untidy jet-black hair looked back at him. Harry had grown much during the summer and was now looking rather handsome. His lightning-bolt scar was standing livid on his still sweaty forehead. He shook his head hard as tough wanting to shake the stinging pain off his forehead before putting on his round-glasses. He then went downstairs, looking forward to breakfast.

*

'How on earth are they going to get here?' asked Uncle Vernon, as Harry left the dining room, carrying his breakfast.

Harry was as dumbfounded as Dudley, whose mouth fell open as big as a football could have been stuffed into.

'Er - well - ,' said Harry, 'maybe Apparating here.'

Uncle Vernon tore his eyes from his newspaper and fixed them on him.

'I mean, they'll just appear out of nowhere,' said Harry. 'It's a branch of Magic - '

For one moment, he thought Uncle Vernon would have gone blasting off, bawling at him, for he had just mentioned the ever forbidden word under the Dursleys' roof. But he didn't. He merely carried on to his newspaper.

'CRACK!'

'CRACK!'

'CRACK!'

The Dursleys all jumped. Aunt Petunia let out a scream and Dudley dropped off his chair. Harry, on the other hand, remained calm, for he was used to those loud shooting noises: it was made when someone Apparates or Disapparates.

'They're here.' said Harry who hurried to the living room, while Dudley hurried upstairs.

'Hello?'

'Morning, Mr Weasley,' said Harry.

'Harry! It's good to see you're in perfect condition,' said Mr Weasley delightedly.

Harry frowned slightly, wondering if Mr Weasley thought he was not able to take good care of himself.

'Hey, mate, we've brought you the Floo Powder,' said Fred.

'Yea, got your trunk ready?' said George, who was identical to Fred as they were twins.

' Ingenious!' exclaimed Mr Weasley, fascinated by the Dursleys' brand new TV set. 'Teller-vision, isn't?'

'Er, television,' said Harry. 'My Hogwarts stuff's upstairs.'

' We'll get it, then!' chanted the twins.

'No jokes around, young men,' snapped Mr Weasley.

'Oh. No,' said Fred.

'No. Of course,' followed by George, evil grins on both of their faces. And off they sped up the stairs.

'Where's your uncle, Harry?'

'Honestly, Mr Weasley,' Harry began. 'They won't be happy meet-'

'Good day,' said Uncle Vernon, standing at the threshold of the dining room, and was fighting to keep his expression neutral.

To Harry's great surprise, Aunt Petunia had flung an arm around his neck.

'Goodbye, Harry,' said Aunt Petunia breathlessly. 'Have a nice term.'

'B-bye,' choked Harry, still feeling downright shocked.

'Well, well, well,' said Mr Weasley. 'Lovely, isn't?'

Harry had no idea how much time had passed before Aunt Petunia let go of him.

'Hey, you.'

It was Dudley Dursley, who had just come downstairs.

'See you,' said the big-sized Dudley. 'And don't forget to mind yourself.'

It was the first time ever that Dudley had smiled at Harry, no matter how it looked more like a sneer.

'Damn heavy this, Harry,' said Fred, coming down the stairs, hitching up Harry's trunk. Following up was George, who was carrying Hedwig in her cage.

'Oh, hello Mug - '

Mr Weasley cast a threatening look at his son.

' - A mug of hot chocolate would taste nice, wouldn't it?'

'Not to bother,' said Mr Weasley. 'We've no time for it, we'd better be hurry or your Mum'd be worried.'

'Why isn't Ron here?' said Harry, who had wanted to ask this ages ago.

'He's waiting for us, at Diagon Alley,' said Mr Weasley, rummaging his robes for something.

'He'd been dying to come,' said Fred. 'But he can Apparate.'

'Good for him, though' said Fred brilliantly. 'He can help in our shop.'

'Your shop?' said Harry. 'So your jokes shop has been opened?'

'Not now, Harry,' said Mr Weasley. 'Ah, take this, would you?'

Mr Weasley handed a drawstring bag of Floo Powder to Harry. He had taken out his wand, and was now pointing it at the Dursleys' fireplace.

'Incendio!'

Flames sprang up at once in the fireplace.

'We'll bring your stuff back to The Burrow,' said Mr Weasley. 'And you'll go straight to Diagon Alley to meet Ron and Hermione.'

'In Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!' said Fred in a singsong tone.

'It's true, then,' said Harry happily.

And for the first time during the whole summer, he was grinning, from ear to ear.

*

'Stop it, Ron! STOP IT!'

'Ha! Hah! Don't you like it?'

'Immobillous!'

'Hey, HARRY!' declared Ron, who had just noticed him standing in the fireplace, soot-covered.

Once again, before Harry could stop it, his neck was again flung an arm by a lady.

'It's so great to see you, Harry!' said Hermione blissfully.

Harry was able to take a good look at where he was now as Hermione had finally let go of him. He was in a bright and merry looking wizard's shop. Many colourful and funny looking goods were piled up on the floor, on the cabinets, on the old-styled tables and even dangling dangerously from the ceiling. People were busy examining the variety of items ranging from items as small as needles to items as huge as two Hagrids, and were deeply impressed by them. There, however, was something very peculiar: some different-coloured big-mouthed fish were stunned in mid-air; Hermione's whole face and hair were covered with vivid red lipstick marks.

'W-what happened to you?' stammered Harry. 'Who - ' Harry suddenly turned to Ron, whose eyebrows raised and looked another way.

'Don't you dare think him - kissed - me!' snarled Hermione.

She took out her wand and pointed it at herself.

'Scourgify!'

All lipstick marks vanished instantly. Harry was kind of shocked; not that because of Hermione's brilliant idea of clearing but because of her appearance. She too had obviously grown much during the summer and was looking like a pretty, little woman now. Her hair was no longer bushy but sleek and was curling naturally. Harry thought Viktor Krum definitely had better knack of spotting pretty girls.

'B-brilliant -,' said Harry awkwardly.

'Ron asked me to open that box,' said Hermione, scowling at Ron. 'And when I opened it - all these things came out and attacked me!' Her fingers were pointing shakily at those stunned fish.

'Kissed you,' Ron corrected her.

'RON WEASLEY!'

'CRACK!'

'CRACK!'

'Woo...' said George. 'Who's shouting?'

'Your shop's a great success,' said Harry truthfully.

'Yeah, thanks to you,' said Fred.

'And Mum too,' said George, nodding at the counter's way, at which a kind-faced plump woman was busy collecting Galleons and Knuts from a long queue of customers. 'She was furious at first.'

'Ever wonder why we left our shop at this peak hour for your house, Harry?' said Fred, raising one of his red eyebrows.

'In love with Harry?' Ron suggested.

'We had been thinking about doing Muggles' business,' said Fred, ignoring Ron.

'Tell you what, Harry,' said George. 'Your cousin bought our Fainting Fancies and Nosebleed Nougat!'

'Bet he wants to show them to his little girlfriend,' said Fred.

'That pig-headed fatty has a girlfriend?' said Ron, nearly choked as he was sipping from a cup of tea while Fred was talking.

Little did Harry know that Dudley's dating a girl and he stopped meeting his gang for that girl's sake.

'Do you think it's legal?' said Hermione disapprovingly. 'Selling those things to Muggles.'

'It is, young lady,' said Fred, acting like a gentleman. 'We've checked on it.'

'By the way, Harry,' said George. 'Your cousin told us he'd be dead if you hadn't saved him. Kind of thankful - '

'My name is Ronald Weasleys. I am sixteen.' Ron blurted out, his face was expressionless and his eyes were unfocused.

'My first crush was Fleur.'

'My biggest crush is - '

' - Hermione.'

Harry's jaw dropped and so did Hermione's. Her eyes were open as big as Dobby's.

'My best friend is Harry.'

Harry had clapped his hands on Ron's face.

'Stop it, RON,' said Harry worriedly. 'What are you talking about?'

'Har - Ry loves -,' said Ron through Harry's hands, in a muffled voice.

' - Ch - O - Ch - Ang...'

'Looks like someone's gonna pay for what he'd said,' said Fred, shrugging.

'A-ha,' said George. 'Drank our Crushes Exposing Elixir, didn't he?'

'Sorry, young bro,' said Fred, not showing the slightest sign of sorry at all.

He forced droplets from a small bottle into Ron's mouth. Within seconds, he fell asleep.

'For your information,' said Fred slyly. 'Our new invented Crush Exposing Elixir will only expose the true crushes of the drinker himself and of the one who touches him.'

'It'd be really expensive,' said George, shaking his head in fake dismay. 'Why did you test it on Ronnie, Fred?'

*

'OH, MY DEAR BOY!'

Mrs Weasley shrieked in an ear-splitting voice over the delicious dishes-full dining table of the Weasleys, on the very last evening of the holidays.

'EIGHT!' said Mrs Weasley rapturously as she bent down to kiss his youngest son, Ron, who was rigid with shock on the kitchen chair, a parchment clutched in his hands. 'Eight Outstandings!'

Mrs Weasleys was now hugging his son so tightly that it seemed to be suffocating him. 'MUCH more than I'd expected!'

'Mum...!' said Fred protestingly. 'You're overreacting! It's nothing!'

'Just like what I'd expected,' came Hermione's satisfied voice from the sofa, which was situated far from the dining table and, by the fireplace. She was smiling sweetly at her obviously all-Outstandings result slip.

Harry's heart churned horribly. He had forgotten all about the O.W.L exams, which he took in a not-very-good-state during the last school term until now that he got his letter from Hogwarts only he remembered it. Clutching the letter with his numb fingers, he kept telling himself: come on, open it. It's going to be all right, no matter what it is. Open it, Harry.

After what seemed like minutes, he had finally moved his trembling fingers with great force towards the letter's sealed opening, and tore it open.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY

Dear Mr Potter,

Please note that the new school year will begin September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock.

Last school year's fifth years' results for O.W.L, Ordinary Wizarding Level exams had come out. Please refer to the enclosed result slip.

Harry unfolded a second piece of parchment, which happened to be his result slip.

ORDINARY WIZADING LEVEL OF MR HARRY POTTER

SUBJECTS RESULTS

Astronomy Exceeds Expectations

Care of Magical Creatures Outstanding

Charms Outstanding

Defense Against the Dark Arts Outstanding

Divination Outstanding

Herbology Outstanding

History Acceptable

Potion Exceeds Expectations

Transfiguration Outstanding

Well, not too bad, thought Harry, feeling relief all over. He was quite surprised that he had got an 'O' for Divination, an 'E' for potion, and an 'E' too for Astronomy as he thought he would have failed the three of them. He was glad to have got an 'A' for History as well. Folding up his result slip, He noticed that there was something in his letter, which he hadn't gone trough.

We thought you would like to know that your lifelong ban for playing Quidditch has been cancelled. As you are now allowed to rejoin the Gryffindor Quidditch team, we are pleased to inform you that you have been chosen to be the new captain of Gryffindor Quidditch team. Please find your enclosed Quidditch Captain badge.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

At that moment, a long thin package fluttered in through the Weasleys' kitchen window, carried by three screech owls.

'THUT!'

The package landed hard on the dining table in front of Harry, knocking several dishes over.

'Firebolt's back!' said Ron in astonishment. 'So this means - '

'I'm in the team again,' said Harry, finding his heart racing. 'And - I'm the - the captain.'

'WOW!' exclaimed Ron.

'Congratulation, Harry!' said Hermione, scuttling towards Harry to shake his hand. 'I just knew it!'

'CLUNK!'

Hermione jumped. Sitting next to Harry, Ron had dropped his knife. He quickly and clumsily ducked under the table groping for it while Hermione, who had obviously noticed what she was doing, suddenly dashed back to her sofa by the fireplace.

It is true that Ron and Hermione hadn't looked at each other since that day in Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes after Ron had aware of what he had declared, let alone spoke to each other. The point was that they kept blushing furiously whenever they saw each other. There was something that had been troubling Harry: Cho Chang. Ron had told that he loves Cho, after taking the Crushes Exposing Elixir, which was said to be telling only true crushes. Harry, however, was not sure about that, as now he was desperate to want Sirius back at the first place.

'Good Evening, Weasleys!' said Mr Weasley happily, standing in the doorway. 'Look who's here?'

Mr Weasley stepped aside, revealing who was standing right behind him: Percy Weasley.

'I - er - I'm sorry,' said Percy, looking at his own feet.

'Perce!' said Mrs Weasleys, as she darted towards her perfect Percy and pulled him into a tight embrace.

'Oh...I knew you will come back. I knew you will, Perce!' said Mrs Weasley, sobbing into Percy's chest. 'It's too much for today, oh, my sons!'

'Mum,' said Ginny in excitement. 'There's more. I - I made a prefect.'

Mrs Weasley let go of Percy and went to hug his daughter.

'Oh, Ginny, dear,' said Mrs Weasley breathlessly. 'Our family has become a family of prefects!'

'Is it so?' said the twins indignantly.

Mrs Weasley let go of Ginny and this time, turned to hug Harry, whom she regarded as good as a son.

'Gryffindor is so proud to have you as Quidditch Captain, Harry,' said the sobbing Mrs Weasley.

'How wonderful!' said Mr Weasley happily, urging Percy to join the family dinner.

'Well done, Hermione,' said Mrs Weasley, who had gone hugging Hermione by the fireplace. 'I'd always knew you'll do well. Come, let's have some chocolate éclairs together.'

'Er...' said Hermione. Harry saw her throw a fast glance at Ron and flushed. 'Thanks, Mrs Weasley, but I - er - I'm full. Sorry, I think I should have gone sending an owl to my parents. They might want to know about my results.'

She had gone speeding up the stairs before anyone could have stopped her, leaving Ron staring at his sparkling clean dinner plate, immensely.