Don't Mess With The Chosen One....

19

July 28, 1996
12:00 AM

Harry's trunk was packed.
Hedwig was asleep in her cage.
Harry was snoring on his bed, his face pressed against a book, with a loose grip on the flashlight he'd been using to read.

Harry jerked awake, as if someone had used a pair of cymbals near his ear. He looked around his dark room, wondering what had pulled him out of his dream. It had been a nice dream: Harry'd been riding a broom, and Sirius and Remus were cheering him on. Then he'd seen Draco and had run over to him, about to hug him, when he'd woken up.

Harry closed his book and righted his glasses. It was midnight, but he didn't fall back asleep. Instead Harry got up, and snuck onto the landing to see if his uncle and aunt were still awake.

From the light in the living room, and the low noise from the television, Harry guessed that they were indeed still awake. He was about to head back to his room, when the doorbell rang.

Uncle Vernon stomped over to the front door, muttering "what people are making house call at this hour?"

Harry heard his uncle answer the door, and a cheerful voice said, "Good evening! I'm sure Harry's told you that I'm taking him to stay with his godfather? Or you haven't been told..."

Harry ran down the stairs and saw Albus Dumbledore standing in the doorway.

The professor smiled at Harry, his eyes twinkling. "Are you ready, Harry?"

"Y-yeah, Professor. Let me just grab my stuff...." Harry said, and he went back to his room. He picked up Hedwig and his trunk, and carried them downstairs.

"We'll be off now," Dumbledore said, and Harry followed him out the door.

≈•≈•≈•≈•≈•≈•≈•≈•≈•≈•≈•≈•≈•≈

3:00 AM

Dumbledore and Harry Disapparated from the muggle home that Slughorn was staying at, to a modest blue house in the woods.

On their way up a walkway, Dumbledore said, "Harry, I'd like for you to take private lessons with me this year."

"Private lessons, Sir?" Harry asked. He felt a thrill go through him- Could this have something to do with the prophecy? "What kind of lessons?"

"Oh, a little bit of this and that." Dumbledore said cryptically.

Before Harry could ask any more questions, Dumbledore knocked on the door, and a minute later, Remus answered the door.

"Harry! We weren't expecting you until the afternoon."

"Things worked out smoother than I'd expected," Dumbledore said. "I will see you at the start of term, Harry. Have a good night."

Dumbledore walked off the property before he Disapparated.

"We've set you up in the second bedroom." Remus said softly, as he helped Harry carry his trunk inside.

Harry looked closer at him; Remus had dark circles under his eyes, and he looked peaky. The full moon was in a couple days.