Harry Potter and a Muggle

By, Joni

Harry Potter lie on his bed alone in his room thinking to himself. There wasn’t much else he felt like doing. His past year at Hogwarts had been a difficult one and he just wanted some rest. Of course, he’d rather be resting among his friends and having some fun, but he had resigned all hope of being able to leave Privet Drive weeks ago. As he thought of returning to school, he got up and made the mark of another day on the parchment hung near his bed he was using to countdown the days until he could return there.

Harry sighed heavily to himself as he went near the window of his room and stared out of it absentmindedly. Not much ever changed on Privet Drive and he was bored out of his mind. His Aunt, Uncle, and Cousin still couldn’t stand the sight of him but at least they left him alone most of the time. The only change Harry had noticed since he arrived back on Privet Drive were the new neighbors who had moved into the house next door. Harry had seen them when he arrived home for the summer. There was a young man out in the front of the house with what looked like his wife and daughter. They had waved politely to Uncle Vernon but only glanced at Harry briefly before looking away.

Harry could easily guess why they hadn’t come over and introduced themselves to him. They already seemed to know Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and even Dudley, but he was sure his Uncle had told them already that Harry was home for the summer from St. Brutus’s Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys. Harry shook his head and knew what the neighbors probably already thought of him, not that he blamed them, he’d be wary as well. It was almost funny…but not really.

Just then there was a sharp knock on his door and Harry’s Uncle Vernon entered before being invited in.

Harry didn’t say anything and also couldn’t understand why Vernon looked so angry. Nothing had happened since he got home since Harry spent most of his time alone in his room, but it was obvious that his Uncle was quite bothered by something.

“Our new neighbors are coming over here for dinner tonight,” announced Uncle Vernon. “Do you know what that means?”

Harry grimaced. The last time the Dursley’s had had company over for dinner he had been forced to stay up in his room and pretend not to exist. Harry looked back out the window and said, “I suppose I need to stay up here all night.”

Uncle Vernon took a step closer to Harry and said angrily, “Unfortunately, the neighbors have already seen you and know you live here or I’d be more then happy to make you stay up here. However, they will wonder too much if you aren’t at dinner so you will need to come.”

Harry turned back to his Uncle and stared at him with a blank look.

Vernon came another step closer and said with a threatening voice, “Nothing had better happen, boy, or you’ll live to regret it.”

Harry couldn’t help thinking that his Uncle should know better then to make that threat by now, but he said nothing and just nodded his head.

“There will also be no mention of your…abnormality while they are here,” Vernon continued. “They have already been told that you go to St. Brutus’s so you will be expected to stick to that story.”

Harry grimaced again but just shrugged his shoulders and turned back to the window.

Vernon turned to leave the room, but barked at Harry just before leaving, “Try and wear something nice…and for cryin’ out loud COMB YOUR HAIR!”

Harry heard the door slam behind him.

Harry signed to himself again. It wasn’t his fault that all his clothes looked so grubby on him, considering all he had were his huge cousin’s hand-me-downs. For the life of him, he couldn’t think of anything nicer then what he already had on (a huge pair of baggy jeans rolled up fives times and a t-shirt that was so big the sleeves came down past his elbows). The only thing nicer he could think of were his dress robes, but the very thought of wearing those made him laugh. It would be worth it to show up with those on just to see the looks on his family’s faces, but decided against it. Harry also knew it was a lost cause to try and do anything about his hair, but he combed it a little bit just so he could say he’d tried to make it look neater. Harry also half-heartedly looked through his wardrobe to see if he could find something a little better to wear and he decided to change out of his t-shirt into a sweater that was just as big on him but maybe more appropriate for dinner. He couldn’t figure out why his Uncle cared so much about his appearance. After all, if the neighbors already thought he was an incurable criminal, why should Uncle Vernon care if he looked the part?

Harry sat back down at his window to wait until it was time for dinner. After a little while he saw the neighbors emerge out of their own house and start walking toward the Dursley’s and a minute later Harry heard the bell ring. Harry got up quickly and hurried downstairs. He figured he might as well just deal with it and try to be polite, for the sake of the neighbors anyway.

Harry entered the foyer just as his Aunt and Uncle were greeting the neighbors. Dudley was standing nearby holding open the front door and wearing a bowtie, much like the one he was always forced to wear when his Aunt Marge came to visit. Harry stood off to the side a little way, knowing it was best to keep as out of sight as possible, but one of the neighbors noticed him immediately.

“Oh,” said the young man, looking apprehensive, but trying to be polite. “This must be your nephew you told me about, Harry was it?”

“Er, yes,” said Vernon as he tried to steer the man towards the dining room away from Harry.

The man, however, wouldn’t go. He looked determined to be polite as he stepped forward toward Harry to finish a proper introduction.

“My name is Charles Donnell,” he said while extending his hand to Harry.

“Hi,” Harry answered, shaking Mr. Donnell’s hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Mr. Donnell smiled and seemed to relax a bit. “This is my wife, Michelle,” he continued and Harry stepped forward to shake hands with her, too. “And this is our daughter, Amanda.”

Amanda was a pretty girl, Harry realized, and he shook her hand as well. She was only slightly shorter than Harry and had long brown hair and large, friendly brown eyes. She seemed very nervous but smiled a little as she mumbled, “Hi.”

Vernon spoke up now, appearing to be slightly impatient, and said, “This way, I’ll show you to the dinner table.” The Dursleys hurriedly ushered the Donnells away from Harry and swept them into the dining room as fast as they could. Harry followed slowly behind; keeping his distance, knowing it was best to stay out of the way.

Harry found the seating arrangements at the dinner table almost funny. Harry was flanked on each side by Vernon and Petunia, as if they were guarding the neighbors from him. Mr. Donnell sat on Vernon’s other side and the two of them talked about their jobs. Mrs. Donnell sat on Petunia’s other side. Harry’s Aunt kept telling Mrs. Donnell what all the neighbors were like, but Harry sensed this made Mrs. Donnell uncomfortable because she kept trying to change to subject to gardening. Harry felt sorry for Amanda; she was sitting between her father and Dudley, who was on Mrs. Donnell’s other side. Dudley was obviously quite taken with Amanda and he kept talking to her about his school, Smeltings, and all of his favorite TV shows and computer games. Amanda, Harry thought, looked as if she was trying her best not to have to engage Dudley in conversation. She kept shoving food in her mouth so that she would have a reason not to talk, and although she kept nodding her head in response to what Dudley was saying, she seemed to be purposely-avoiding Dudley’s eyes as if not to encourage him at all.

No one talked to Harry, but he was far too used to this kind of treatment to care. Instead he ate slowly and carefully watched Amanda and Dudley since he found their behavior amusing.

“…And I’m at the top of my class at Smeltings,” Harry heard Dudley tell Amanda, as Dudley sloppily shoved more food in his mouth.

Amanda got a look on her face as if she found that hard to believe, and she turned away from Dudley quickly. Harry then saw her roll her eyes in obvious exasperation. Harry fought off an incredible urge to laugh, but he couldn’t stop a smile from coming to his face. A second later Amanda looked over at Harry and he quickly looked down and shoved another bite of dinner in his mouth. Even through chewing he couldn’t wipe off his smile though, and he bravely glanced up an Amanda again. He was afraid she would look angry or embarrassed, but he was pleased to see that even though she was now staring at her plate she seemed to be trying to fight off a smile, too.

To Harry’s relief, and probably to the amazement of his family, nothing unusual happened during the entire time of the neighbors visit. Even though no one talked to Harry until the Donnells said goodbye to him briefly on their way out the door, Harry had not had the terrible time he thought he would have. As he lay in bed that night, he couldn’t stop thinking of the way Amanda smiled during dinner. She hadn’t seemed angry with Harry, but amused at the situation as he was. For a moment he thought maybe Amanda was someone could make friends with, but quickly dismissed that thought. Her parents would probably never permit it, as they seemed to think he was the criminal the Dursleys had told them about. There was that, but Amanda was also a Muggle and Harry was a Wizard. Harry sighed and tried to get some sleep. No, it would never work, he though, we just wouldn’t understand each other. However, as he fell asleep, he couldn’t help hanging onto a small hope that somehow he might be able to make a friend for the first time ever on Privet Drive.

After breakfast the next morning, Harry went back up to his room and looked out his window aimlessly with boredom. This time when he looked out he saw Amanda in her garden next door. She had her hair pulled up in a big braid that ran down her back and she was on her knees in the dirt. Her legs and hands were filthy and she was sweating heavily as she pulled weeds and pruned plants. As Harry watched her he thought of all the times he was made to do such work for hours on end by the Dursleys. A minute later, he realized Amanda’s situation was much different then his own. Mrs. Donnell emerged from their house wearing a large straw hat, looking as dirty and sweaty as Amanda, and holding two large glasses of lemonade. Amanda stopped working, took a glass from her mother, and gulped down half of its contents in a matter of seconds. Harry watched as they chatted for a few minutes and laughed together about something one of them had said. He couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous of Amanda, working with her mother and having fun doing it. Harry had always been made to work alone and no one ever brought him a drink for relief.

Mrs. Donnell took a long drink from her glass, set it aside, and knelt down in the garden to continue planting some new flowers. Amanda continued to drink from her glass and then looked up to see Harry watching them out the window.

Harry was embarrassed to be caught watching them and he had it in his mind to jump away from the window. However, he’d already been noticed so he did the only thing he could think of doing. We waved at Amanda and smiled. Amanda stood staring at him for a moment and then gave him a tiny wave back. She glanced down at her mother, as if unsure of herself, but her mother hadn’t noticed Harry as she was busying herself with her plants. Amanda looked up at Harry again and smiled a little, then turned away and went to help her mother.

Harry decided to stop looking out the window in case Amanda started to think he was spying on them.

A few days later, Harry found himself in the Dursley’s garden working in much the same way as Amanda and her mother were. The difference, though, was that Harry had been out in the hot sun for hours alone and, as usual, without any drinks. Grumpily he wondered to himself how one person could be expected to do the work his Aunt had given in any reasonable amount of time, and he was sure his neck was getting badly sun burnt.

Late in the afternoon, he noticed that the shadow of someone standing nearby was upon him. He looked up and saw that it was Amanda, looking much cleaner then when he’s seen her last, and she was holding a large glass of lemonade, like the one Harry has seen her drink from when she was working in her own garden.

Harry knew he was thirsty, but when he saw the drink in Amanda’s hands his mouth suddenly decided to water furiously. However, Harry just sat there in the dirt staring at Amanda and not knowing what to say.

Timidly, she stepped forward and held out the glass to him. “Here,” she said, “You—you’ve been out here for a while and you look like you need a drink.”

Harry stood up, brushed the dirt from his hands, and said gratefully, “Thanks!”

Harry drank from the glass deeply and almost swallowed the entire thing in one gulp. He was so thirsty that at that moment he felt like he’d never tasted anything so wonderful in his whole life. As he finished his gulp he exhaled with satisfaction and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Thanks,” he said again when he had finished the rest of the lemonade and handed the glass back to Amanda. “I needed that.”

“I could tell. Don’t they ever bring you anything?” Amanda asked, nodding her head slightly towards the Dursley’s house.

Harry laughed a short laugh. “No,” he replied.

“Why not?”

Harry shrugged. “Let’s just say they don’t like me very much.”

“Oh. Well then why didn’t you go get something if you were so thirsty?”

“Because,” said Harry, “They get mad if I stop working before it’s done.”

Amanda frowned. “That’s not very nice.”

“No, it’s not,” said Harry. Then he smiled and continued, “But, when you’ve lived with the Dursleys as long as I have you get used to it.”

Amanda didn’t know how to respond to this and Harry wasn’t sure what else to say so they just stood there looking at each other awkwardly. Finally, Harry said, “Thanks again for the drink. I have to get back to work now.”

Harry knelt back down in the dirt and dug up some weeds for a few minutes when he realized Amanda was still standing there, watching him. He looked up at her again with a quizzical look on his face, still not knowing what to say to her.

To Harry’s great surprise, Amanda knelt down next to him, right in the dirt, and smiled. “You’re not really a criminal, are you?” she asked curiously, but with a doubtful look on her face.

“What?”

“That’s what the Dursleys told us right before you came home from that school they said you go to. They warned my parents to stay away from you and that you were dangerous. You’re not dangerous, I can tell. You seem perfectly nice to me.”

Harry was shocked and just stared at Amanda with his mouth open.

Amanda continued, “Even my parents aren’t sure they are telling the truth about you, but they can’t figure out why the Dursleys would make things up, so they are inclined to just believe them. My parents think you seemed nice though. We all could see the Dursleys don’t like you, that much is obvious. I think they just made that stuff up about you. You’re not like them at all, and I don’t think they like that.”

Harry couldn’t believe his ears. Never in all his years living on Privet Drive had any of the neighbors or other kids living nearby risen to his defense, no one cared that much or bothered to take the time.

“No, I’m not like them,” was all Harry could think of to say.

“So, do you really go to that St. Brutus’s or whatever it’s called?”

“Um…no,” Harry said, already knowing what her next question would be.

“Then where do you go?”

Harry sighed, “Listen, I’m sorry but I can’t tell you.”

“Why not? It’s just a school.”

Harry squirmed uncomfortably. “I just can’t tell you,” he said, in what was almost a whisper.

Amanda must have decided to drop the subject, for now, because then she said, “Listen, my Mom and I were wondering if you would join us for tea tomorrow afternoon?”

“Me?”

“Well,” Amanda said, slightly annoyed, “We’re going to invite Dudley, too. Not because we want to but because it would just be impolite to invite you and not him…sorry.”

“No, I understand,” said Harry. “I’d like to come anyway, but I don’t think the Dursleys will let me.”

Amanda smiled, “My mom is going to call the Dursleys tonight and ask them. If she tells them I already invited you maybe it will be more likely that they’ll let you come.”

Harry nodded and was mystified that Amanda would be that thoughtful towards him and his situation. Then he asked, “How did you know that the Dursleys don’t like me?”

“Well, their feelings about you are pretty obvious.” Then Amanda suddenly blushed hard and looked at the sky, “And I…er…I’ve been watching you. Sorry.”

Harry smiled again and then laughed, “That’s OK. You caught me watching you from my window the other day.”

Amanda looked relieved that Harry didn’t mind and then said, “That’s just it, you are always in your window or in your room. The Dursleys never talk to you and you never come out of the house except to do work like this,” she motioned to the ground where his weeds were waiting to be pulled.

“They never take you anywhere and I noticed when we were at your house that the walls and mantle are covered with pictures of Dudley, but there were none of you. I couldn’t even find one!” Amanda was now looking scandalized.

Harry was starting to think that maybe they could be friends. She really seemed nice and he had never had a friend while living at the Dursleys before.

He opened his mouth to say something to her but before he could get any words out Aunt Petunia’s voice sounded shrilly over the bushes screeching, “Harry! Are you done yet?”

Aunt Petunia came stomping through the garden towards him muttering, “How long can this take—“

Aunt Petunia stopped suddenly as she came into sight and spotted Amanda.

“Oh,” she said quickly putting on a pleasant, but very fake, smile. “Amanda, dear, what are you doing here? Would you like to come in for a drink?”

“No thank you, Mrs. Dursley,” she said as she stood up and brushed the dirt off of her pants. “Harry and I were just talking.”

“I see,” said Petunia with her lips pursed tightly, yet still trying to smile. She had a slightly worried look on her face and she kept looking at Harry and then Amanda and then back at Harry.

“Well,” said Amanda, in a vain attempt to ease the tension. “I should go home. Goodbye, Mrs. Dursley.”

“Goodbye then, dear,” said Mrs. Dursley.

Then Amanda turned to Harry and smiled, “Bye, Harry.”

“Bye,” mumbled Harry as he tried to smile back at her, but it was hard with his Aunt Petunia staring down at him.

Harry was afraid that his Aunt would be really angry with him for talking to Amanda, so he was preparing himself for the worst. However, Petunia merely stared at him coldly and said, “Get back to work,” before stalking back inside the house.

The next day, Harry could hardly wait for tea. He could barely believe himself, looking forward to something on Privet Drive. Still, the Dursleys had not mentioned anything to Harry about being invited to tea so he was worried that they might not let him go.

At ten minutes before teatime, he made his way downstairs. He stood at the bottom of the stairs and could hear his Aunt Petunia talking to Dudley in the kitchen.

“Dudley dear, don’t forget to be polite while you are at the Donnells. Try not to eat too much.”

“I won’t Mom, can I just go now?”

So, Harry thought, they did know about me being invited over for tea, but didn’t mention it. Quickly, before Aunt Petunia and Dudley could see him at the bottom of the stairs he slipped quietly out the front door and made his way to the Donnell’s house. He was afraid if his family saw him they wouldn’t let him go.

He arrived at the Donnells alone and rang their bell. Mrs. Donnell answered the door and smiled pleasantly at Harry.

“Hello, Harry. I’m so glad you could come. Please come in.”

Mrs. Donnell hesitated before closing the door. “Isn’t Dudley coming?” she asked.

“Er…yes. He should be here in a minute,” Harry knew it was odd for him to arrive alone, but he didn’t see any other way of being able to make it.

Mrs. Donnell shut the down, “I believe I understand. Why don’t you come and sit down while we wait for him.”

What did she understand? Harry wondered to himself. Then he realized that Amanda must have told her mother about talking with him the day before. Unlike Harry, Amanda had people she could talk to around here.

Amanda was already sitting at the table. “Hi Harry!” she said brightly when Harry came in. She motioned Harry to sit down next to her. Harry almost laughed aloud when Mrs. Donnell sat on the other side of Amanda. She must not want to get stuck sitting next to Dudley again, Harry thought, and tried not to smile. It was hard though, and when he glanced at Amanda neither of them could stifle their sniggers.

“What’s so funny?” Amanda’s mother asked, surprised at the two of them.

“Nothing, mother. I just think Harry’s figured out that I didn’t want to sit next to Dudley again,” Amanda said, in a low whisper.

“Oh, I see,” said Mrs. Donnell knowingly just as the doorbell rang. “That must be him now. And Amanda, dear, you will at least try and be nice to him, please?”

“Don’t worry mother, I will.”

Mrs. Donnell left the room as Harry and Amanda sniggered some more.

“Mom can’t understand why I can’t stand Dudley,” Amanda told Harry in a whisper. “But she didn’t hear the way he was talking to me during dinner at your house. All he could talk about was himself and how great he is! It was sickening.”

Harry smiled and said, “Well, why would you rather hang around a criminal like me when you can be friends with Dudley, who is at the top of his class at Smeltings, after all?”

Amanda quickly stifled a laugh, “You are not a criminal and I think my parents know that now.” Then Amanda snorted, “And if Dudley is at the top of his class then—“

She couldn’t finish because Dudley had just entered the room with Mrs. Donnell. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Harry and said loudly, “What are you doing here?”

“I was invited over for tea,” Harry responded defiantly. “I told them I would come and it would have been rude for me to not show up.”

Dudley just stared at Harry and looked as if he might explode until Mrs. Donnell tactfully said, “Dudley, we were just waiting for you, please sit down, won’t you?” She led him to the empty seat next to Harry.

It was a good thing that Dudley reserved his worst behavior for his parents. He would never dream of acting up in front of other people. It was this fact alone that helped Harry relax and enjoy himself with Amanda and her mother, trying as hard as he could to ignore the dirty looks Dudley kept throwing his way.

The conversation was kept simple and for that Harry was grateful. He was hoping to avoid questions about school because he knew he wouldn’t know how to respond. When tea was over and Mrs. Donnell politely suggested that Harry and Dudley go home so the Dursleys wouldn’t worry, the two boys left the house together. As soon as they were out of earshot of the Donnells, Dudley immediately started to sulk.

“You always ruin everything,” he whined.

“What are you talking about? Nothing happened!”

“No, but something could have happened. Mom and Dad aren’t going to be happy about this at all.”

“So what?” Harry muttered.

Dudley turned towards Harry and looked as if he was ready to punch Harry in the nose when Amanda’s voice rose over the garden hedges.

“Harry! Wait up!”

Amanda appeared in the garden running towards them panting for breath.

“Good, I’m glad I caught you before you got home, can I talk to you a minute?” Then she saw how Dudley was glaring at Harry and added, “Sorry…am I interrupting something?”

Dudley just turned and stormed towards his house without saying a word.

“It’s nothing,” Harry told Amanda in a low voice. “He’s just mad that I showed up at your house for tea. The Dursleys never mentioned it to me. That’s why I came alone. I had to sneak out a little early so I wouldn’t get caught.”

“I’m so sorry. At least you made it, though.” Then she glanced over at the Dursley’s house with a look of distress. “I don’t understand why those people treat you so badly. Don’t you have any other family you could live with?”

“Believe me, if I did I wouldn’t be living here. They are the only family I’ve got. Don’t feel sorry for me,” he quickly added, seeing the look on Amanda’s face, “Like I said before, I’m used to it and I can deal with them just fine.”

Amanda looked thoughtful but didn’t say anything for a minute so Harry asked, “Was there something you wanted? You ran all the way over here…”

“Oh,” said Amanda. “Not really. Mom is going to be busy and I knew I’d just get bored. Then I thought of you and knew you’d probably rather do anything then go back to that house so do you just want to stay out here with me for a while? We can talk or something.”

Harry grinned. “Sure! I don’t feel like going back right now, the Dursleys will probably be mad at me for going to your house.”

They sat down on the garden bench as Amanda stated, “Don’t worry about that. My Mom was on the phone with Mrs. Dursley when I left the house and she was thanking her for letting you and Dudley come over. If my Mom’s not upset maybe they won’t get mad.”

“That’s nice. I like your Mom, she’s nice.” Mrs. Donnell actually reminded Harry of his best friend’s mother, Mrs. Weasley. The Weasleys were the closest thing Harry had that felt like having a real family that cared about him.

“Yeah, my Mom is nice. Um…I’m curious…where are your parents? I hope you don’t mind me asking, I was just wondering.”

“They died when I was just a baby,” Harry replied, looking away.

“I’m so sorry,” said Amanda after a minute. “Should I not have asked?”

Harry looked back at her. “No, it’s OK.”

“Do you miss them?”

“I don’t really miss them, but that’s because I don’t remember them. It’s more like I wish I could have known them. I’ve heard from lots of people who knew them about how nice they were and how proud they would be of me for things I’ve done. What I miss is not knowing them.”

“Proud?” Amanda asked. “Well, you certainly can’t be a criminal if your parents would be proud. What kinds of things have you done?”

Harry realized he’s said too much and he didn’t know what to say.

“I…er…I can’t really tell you about that,” Harry stammered.

Amanda looked quite puzzled. “You can’t tell me? Oh wait, does this have something to do with this mystery school you go to? And with why the Dursleys don’t like you?” When Harry didn’t answer she declared, “It does, doesn’t it?”

“Listen, Amanda,” Harry whispered as he moved a bit closer to her and glanced in the direction of the Dursley’s house to make sure no one was listening. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, it’s that I can’t. You wouldn’t believe me anyway.”

“Try me,” Amanda challenged.

“Amanda, please! Please, I can’t tell you. I might tell you someday, but not now. I wouldn’t even know where to start explaining.”

The desperate look on Harry’s face must have convinced Amanda to stop her questioning, though from the looks of it, not willingly. “Alright,” she said. “When you are ready you can tell me anything you want.”

Harry relaxed and nodded then said, “I should go now. If my Aunt is going to yell at me I’d rather get it over with.”

He got up to leave.

“Wait,” said Amanda quickly. “There is one thing I wanted to ask you—“ she stopped when she saw Harry looking at her suspiciously. “No,” said she quickly, “It’s nothing about your secrets…I think. I just wanted to know how old you are? You can tell me that, can’t you?” she teased with a coy smile.

Harry relaxed again and rolled his eyes, “Yes, I can tell you that. I’m almost 15. My birthday is at the end of the month, July 31^st. How about you?”

“I’m 15, too,” she said. “My birthday was just last month, right before we moved here.”

She got up off the bench as well. “I should go home too, I suppose. Will you come out here and talk to me some more tomorrow? You are the only other person around here that I know that’s my age,” she added quickly. “Well, there’s Dudley, but I don’t really want to talk to him.”

Harry grinned at her. “No problem.”

“Thanks! Bye Harry,” and they both turned to leave.

Harry stopped and turned to look at her walking away and then called, “Hey, Amanda!”

She turned and looked at him.

“Thanks,” he said.

“For what? Inviting you over for tea?”

“Well, yeah, but also for…” and Harry could feel himself turning red in the face. “For being nice to me.”

Amanda smiled. “See you tomorrow, Harry.”

To Harry’s relief, the Dursleys didn’t yell at him over his going to the Donnell’s for tea. In fact, they didn’t even mention it; they merely glared at him all through dinner, which really wasn’t all that unusual. It didn’t matter; Harry had something else on his mind.

Back up in his room he paced the floor not really knowing what to do. He knew eventually Amanda would question him again about the school he went to and why he was so different. Dare he tell he was a wizard? The very thought made Harry smile and wince at the absurdity all at the same time. She wouldn’t understand and probably wouldn’t believe him either; she may even think it was a joke. He wouldn’t blame her if she did; it was an incredible and unbelievable story after all. Even he hadn’t believed it when he first found out he was a wizard, it seemed too far-fetched to be real. But there was no denying it was real and he didn’t know how to explain it to her, or if he was even allowed to tell her since she was a Muggle.

Harry decided he’d have to ask someone about telling Amanda, because he didn’t even know if he’d be allowed to mention it if it came up again. But whom should he ask? Harry knew the only person he felt comfortable asking. He sat down at his desk, turned on the lamp, and pulled up his quill and parchment to start a letter.

Sirius,

I’ve been worried about you. I hope you are safe where ever you are. So far, my summer has been boring here at my family’s house, but it has been better then usual. A new family moved in next door and they are nice to me. There is a girl who lives there who is a friend of mine. There is just one problem, and this is why I’m writing to you. This girl knows there is something different about me and she keeps asking me about it. I really like having her for a friend and I don’t like to lie to her, but can I really tell her I am a wizard? I guess what I’m asking you is if there are laws about telling Muggles about us? I don’t want to do the wrong thing and get in trouble. I’m not sure what to do, but I know you can help me. I know I can’t be the first wizard to have this problem. Please write me back as soon as you can, and thanks for your help.

Harry

Harry folded up the letter and felt stupid for even writing it, but since he didn’t know what else to do he decided to just send it and wait for an answer. He gently woke Hedwig, who was dosing in her cage and gave the letter to her. She nipped playfully at him a few times and then stretched her wings before flying quietly out the window. Harry watched her fly until she was out of sight and he felt a little bit better.

The next day, Harry went out to the garden to find Amanda. Harry looked around carefully because he knew the Dursley’s wouldn’t like it if they knew he was talking to a neighbor, but he really didn’t care what they thought any more. After a minute or two Amanda came running over.

“Hi! I’m glad you could come out. They didn’t give you any trouble, did they?” she asked, jerking her head toward the Dursley’s house.

“No…but I did sneak out. They don’t really like it when I talk to the neighbors, and I know they wouldn’t like it if they knew I was talking to you.”

Amanda rolled her eyes in disgust. “The other neighbors, besides my family and I, must know you live here. Hasn’t anyone tried to be your friend before?”

“Well, no, not really,” Harry answered thoughtfully. “When I was younger and Dudley and I went to school together no one would be friends with me because Dudley would beat them up if they were. I’m sure I would have had friends otherwise. As for the neighbors, I just don’t think they concern themselves with what the Dursleys do. I don’t think any or them really suspect or would think I’m being mistreated. They know how to mind their own business…unlike my Aunt Petunia who spies on everyone.”

Amanda listened to Harry with interest but didn’t ask any more questions. She knew Harry wasn’t ready to tell her more so they talked for most of the morning about other things. For the next few weeks they met out in the garden each day and talked about all sorts of things. Amanda told Harry about where she had lived before moving to Privet Drive and how she missed her friends. Harry told Amanda more about what it is was like growing up with the Dursleys. When Amanda asked Harry what he thought he might get for his birthday, Harry told her how his birthdays were never a special treat for him.

“They’ve never given me a cake or proper presents,” Harry told her. Then, after seeing her face fall with pity, which he didn’t want, he quickly added, “But it’s OK because my friends from school send me stuff, which is nice. I don’t know what I’ll get this year, but last year they all sent me cakes. My birthdays are more fun now. Don’t worry about it.”

Harry looked forward to meeting with Amanda each day. It was just like being back at Hogwarts with his friends and he often thought how well she’d fit in there and get along so easily with Ron and Hermione.

On the day before his birthday, he only saw Amanda briefly when she came over in the morning to tell Harry she couldn’t stay because her mother was taking her shopping in London.

“We’ll be gone all day, I’m sorry,” and she really meant it, Harry could tell.

“It’s ok, really,” Harry told her. “I hope you have fun and maybe I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Harry went back up to his room and for some reason felt a bit troubled. He wondered if perhaps he was feeling anxious because Hedwig hadn’t returned yet with a letter from Sirius, but then decided that wasn’t what was really bothering him. He paced his room aimlessly trying to think and figure out what was making him feel so uneasy. He wandered over to his desk and looked at his schoolbooks scattered about among rolls of parchment, various quills, and bottles of different colored ink. What’s the matter with me, he thought, as he realized he was behind on his holiday homework. He sat down and began to work on some, but after a time stopped because he couldn’t concentrate. Harry straightened up his desk a little and found letters from both Ron and Hermione that he hadn’t responded to yet. He’d forgotten about them, how could that be? Harry found himself feeling more frustrated with every passing moment. What’s gotten into me, he wondered when he noticed that he hadn’t placed a mark on his countdown-to-get-back-to-Hogwarts parchment for days.

Harry snatched the parchment from off the wall and went to make the marks, but it took longer then he thought it would when he realized he’d lost track of the days. Slowly, he pinned the parchment back to the wall and thought he must be going crazy. As he sat down on his bed, he also realized that he hadn’t been longing for Hogwarts like he usually did. He was still eager to get back there, as he always was—anything to be away from Privet Drive—but that desperate need that he usually felt all summer was gone.

Harry sat on his bed a little while longer, until he became so frustrated with confusion that he jumped up off the bed, shook himself firmly and went about to find something else to occupy his mind.

Harry opened up his trunk and checked the contents carefully, making sure nothing was missing, and organizing them as best he could. Then he took out his wand and gave it a much needed polishing with some polish he’d purchased in Hogsmeade last year. After finishing that task and putting his wand away carefully, he returned to his desk and straightened his parchments and schoolbooks. He even managed to concentrate long enough to complete much of his schoolwork, which he then put away safely in his trunk. He left out only the remaining books he would need to finish the rest of his work later. He also wrote quick replies to Ron and Hermione, leaving the letters folded on his desk awaiting Hedwig’s return so he could send them.

Harry was just sitting back down on his bed, munching on a chocolate frog, when he heard a car door slam outside. He looked up and only then realized how late in the day it must be. He wandered slowly to the window, noticing how low the sun hung in the sky and amazed at how he must have busied himself with all of his tasks for the entire day.

Approaching the window, he looked out and discovered whose car door he had heard slam. Amanda and her mother had just returned from London, it appeared. They were each carrying several bags and they looked tired but happy. As Harry watched them go into their house, he felt a funny twisting in his stomach. He’d only felt that way once before, or rather, around one other person—Cho Chang.

He hadn’t thought of Cho Chang all summer. In fact, he was trying not to because of what had happened to Cedric Diggory. Harry winced at the thought of Cedric. Then Harry realized that Amanda had kept him from thinking of those horrible things. In fact, all he had been thinking about was her, all summer long, and that was what had been distracting him from everything else.

Harry continued to stare out the window, but he wasn’t really seeing anything. I like Amanda, he kept thinking, I really like her! He couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t known that sooner, but he knew now that he had liked her for quite some time. And why not, he asked himself. She’s kind and smart, pretty and funny…his stomach twisted in knots again and his heart sped up just thinking about her that way.

Then, just as he was feeling fairly good about how he felt, another thought entered his mind that brought everything crashing down. Amanda’s a Muggle. Harry swallowed hard on his chocolate frog and it felt like a huge lump in his stomach. He went away from his window and lay down on his bed, thoroughly depressed. It will never work, he told himself. I could never understand her, and she most certainly would never understand me. Harry brought his hands up to cover his face and clutch at his hair. What am I going to do, he thought desperately.

Harry took a deep breath and sat up. He decided that he just would have to stop liking her. Then he rolled his eyes at himself as he thought, that’s stupid, you can’t tell yourself who you will or won’t like, it just…happens. If he couldn’t stop himself from having these feelings, he’d just never allow her to know how he felt. This didn’t make him feel any better, but he couldn’t see any other way around the situation. If only Sirius would hurry and write back, then maybe Harry would know better what to do.

Harry awoke the next morning after a very sleepless night and it took him a minute to remember that is was his birthday. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and trying to shake off the groggy feeling in his head. It wasn’t until he put on his glasses that he saw the owls in his room. He smiled and jumped up immediately, the grogginess fading fast.

Hedwig was back and he went to her first to relieve her of the package she carried. He thought of sending her to deliver Ron and Hermione’s letters right away, but then decided to let Hedwig rest after her long journey.

“Thanks, Hedwig,” Harry said, and smiled as she hooted sleepily but gratefully as she went to nestle herself comfortably in her cage.

Then he turned to the other three owls, which were waiting patiently. He quickly took the parcels from the owls and then fed each an owl treat. One by one, the owls took off back out his window to return from where they came.

Harry put all the packages aside and opened the parcel from Sirius first. Within the box he found a delicious looking birthday cake and a letter. He unfolded the letter and read it immediately.

Harry,

I am fine and still well hidden. Don’t worry about me. As for the question you asked in your last letter, I completely understand, and no, you are not the first wizard to have this problem. There are very few laws regarding the discussion of the magical world with Muggles who are your family and friends. That means, you could tell this friend of yours about it if you want, but I’d be very careful if I were you. My advice to you would be to only tell her if you must and then only if you trust her completely. Other then that, the decision is yours, and I know you’ll do the right thing. Take care of yourself. Write me again soon. And have a wonderful Birthday!

Sirius

The letter helped Harry relax a bit. Now at least he knew he could tell her if he had no other choice, but he was hoping to avoid having to do so. He quickly opened his other packages to see his other presents from Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid. Then Harry got dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. The Dursleys said nothing to him during breakfast and made no mention of his birthday, but ever since Harry’s eleventh birthday (the day he found out he was a wizard) his birthdays, for the most part, had gotten much better, regardless of the Dursleys. He ate quickly and went back upstairs to get away from his family and enjoy his presents in peace.

He was reading a book that Hermione had sent him, munching on some chocolate frogs from Ron, when he remembered that Amanda was probably outside waiting for him to come out. As he went to the window to see if she was outside, he felt slightly guilty about forgetting…or was he just trying to put off seeing her because of his feeling for her? Sure enough, Amanda was down on the garden bench waiting for him and, upon seeing her, Harry’s stomach twisted tightly again. He wished it would stop doing that. Harry watched her for a minute and noticed how the sun shining down on her made her hair look prettier then usual, bright and especially shiny. He shook himself firmly and looked away quickly. I’ve got to snap out of it and try to act normal, he told himself.

He made his way slowly downstairs and outside tying his best to breath normally and relax, which was difficult since he felt slightly ill. Amanda smiled brightly when she saw Harry, jumped and said, “Happy Birthday, Harry!”

Harry relaxed right away. “Thanks!” he said, enthusiastically. “You remembered.”

“Of course, how could I forget? I can do better then that so-called family of yours,” she said with disgust. Then she grabbed Harry by the arm and starting pulling him toward her house. “Come on,” she said urgently. “Come over to my house. Nobody is looking. Quick, before Dudley or someone sees us.”

Harry’s heart sped up a little at the touch of her hand on his arm, but he tried to ignore it. “What for?” he asked her, totally bewildered.

She smiled slyly at him as they rushed over to her house, “Oh nothing.” Harry knew she was up to something but didn’t ask what.

Amanda led Harry threw her front door and shouted, “Mom, he’s here!”

Mrs. Donnell came out of the kitchen dying her hands on a towel. She smiled kindly at Harry and said, “It’s nice to see you again, Harry. Happy Birthday!”

Together, Amanda and her mother led Harry to the same table where they had had tea several weeks before. On it was a cake lit up by many candles and several brightly wrapped gifts. Harry felt his face turning as hot as an egg on a frying pan and he was at a total loss for words.

Mrs. Donnell said kindly, “We won’t embarrass you more by singing to you, but please sit down, blow out the candles, and we can all have some cake.”

Harry sat down slowly, eyes wide in shock. Uncomfortably, and with difficulty, he blew out the candles. Somehow he finally managed to make his mouth work as he stammered, “This is all…you didn’t have to…I mean…thanks!”

“It’s our pleasure, dear,” Mrs. Donnell said as she passed Harry a plate with a slice of cake on it and a glass of what looked like punch. “It was Amanda’s idea.”

Now it was Amanda’s turn go red in the face. “I just knew you wouldn’t be getting anything like this and I wanted to make sure you did. Mom made the cake though.”

She looked embarrassed by her own enthusiasm for Harry’s birthday, but Harry smiled at her and said, “Thanks.”

Amanda kept looking at Harry and it made his heart speed up again. He didn’t know what else to say so he just started eating his cake. Amanda watched him for another few seconds and then started eating as well. Harry felt sincerely touched by the generosity given him by Amanda and her mother. His surprise at the situation increased even more when they were done eating and Mrs. Donnell handed him a small wrapped gift.

“This is from Amanda,” she said. “Go ahead and open it.”

Harry looked between Amanda and her mother several times, eyes wide in surprise again. “Oh really, you didn’t have to—“

“Nonsense, dear,” said Mrs. Donnell kindly. “You’ve been such a nice friend to Amanda since we moved here, it’s been hard for her to leave her friends. This is just our way of saying thank you. Now, go on and open it.”

Harry tore away the wrapping and opened the box. Inside was a brand new watch. Harry looked up at Amanda and smiled. He had told her just last week that his old watch broke when he went swimming and forgot to take it off, which was fairly close to being true. He had finally thrown his old watch away right after returning home to Privet Drive.

“Thank you!” he said enthusiastically, as he took it out of the box and put it on his wrist. He noticed it was already set to the correct time.

“You’re welcome,” Amanda replied. “It’s waterproof, too. You know, just in case you forget again.” They both laughed. Mrs. Donnell smiled and laughed with them as well. Harry supposed Amanda must have told her what had happened to his old watch.

Mrs. Donnell then reached over and picked another wrapped gift, larger then the first, and handed it to Harry. “This is from Mr. Donnell and I.”

Harry ripped off the paper and found a large department store box inside. Inside the box, wrapped in tissue, was a set of clothes. Harry took out the clothes, eyes wide again, and found a new t-shirt, sweatshirt, and pair of jeans that actually appeared to be his size. Never in his life, that Harry could recall, had anyone ever given him new clothes, except for Mrs. Weasley who knitted him a new sweater every Christmas. He never seemed to have anything that fit properly, besides his wizard apparel, because he was always just given Dudley’s old worn-out hand-me-downs.

“Wow. I don’t know what to say…thank you,” Harry stammered again. This was almost too much for him to handle with dignity.

Mrs. Donnell patted him on the arm and smiled, “It’s nothing dear. I just hope they fit.”

Harry had been holding up the sweatshirt in front of his chest to judge its size. “Oh, I’m sure these will fit just fine,” he said.

“Just do me a favor, will you?” she said to Harry with concern. Harry looked at her, puzzled. “You see,” Mrs. Donnell continued, “I called your Aunt the other day to talk to her about your birthday and she became…well…irritated.”

Harry got the distinct feeling Mrs. Donnell was trying her best to be polite, but she was clearly bothered by the Dursleys and their treatment of Harry.

“Mr. Donnell and I got the distinct feeling that your relatives wouldn’t approve of us buying you birthday gifts. So, if you would be so kind as to not wear these clothes until you get to school, we would appreciate it. It’s not so much that I’m worried about what they will say to us if they find out about it, I just don’t want them to become angry and take it out on you.”

Harry nodded and said, “I understand.”

Later that night, Harry tried on his new clothes and they couldn’t have fit any better. He took them off with a satisfied smile, folded them up, and packed them away in his trunk. He knew they would be his favorite clothes once he got back to school. What he really liked though was his new watch. It wasn’t a fancy watch, just plain and ordinary, but the fact that Amanda had given it to him made it the best watch in the world to him. He must have lay on his bed for hours just examining the face, watching the hands tick off the seconds and minutes, memorizing the details of it, and day-dreaming about Amanda. Harry fell asleep eventually while thinking about her and wondering if she might ever like him back the way he liked her.

The next day, right after breakfast and before he went to find Amanda, Harry wrote a thank you note to the Donnell family on a particularly nice piece of parchment. He folded it carefully and then went out to the garden. When he knew his Aunt wasn’t looking he picked a fine looking flower and then went to find Amanda. When he found her a minute later, he handed her the note and the flower and said, “Here, this is a thank you note for you and your family. The flower is for…your mother.” He had wanted to say, “The flower is for you,” but he chickened out at the last second, thinking that might look too obvious.

“Oh, I’ll give it to her right away, she’ll love it! Be right back,” and Amanda ran into her house to deliver the note and the flower.

When Amanda returned Harry told her earnestly, “I wish I could do more to thank you for yesterday. What you did was really great. The clothes fit perfectly, by the way.”

Amanda blushed, “It was nothing, really.”

Harry continued to meet Amanda as usual each day, until one morning when he went out to the garden and she wasn’t there. He waited on the garden bench for a while but she still never came. He became a little worried so he got up and started to look around for her. After a while he wandered over to her house and finally saw her sitting with her back to him on the low garden wall. She didn’t seem to notice him as he walked up behind her; in fact she looked deep in thought. As Harry got closer he noticed that her head was down and it sounded like she might be crying. He thought of leaving her alone, but he just couldn’t make himself go.

“Amanda?” he said, uncertainly.

Her head jerked up and he could see her wiping her eyes with the back of hand. “Harry…hi. Sorry I didn’t come over. I was just…thinking.”

When she turned toward him, she was trying to avoid looking directly at him, but he could see her eyes were bloodshot and knew that she had indeed been crying.

“What’s the matter?” he asked with concern as he sat down next to her on the wall.

She shook her head and replied, “It’s nothing.”

“Please tell me.”

Amanda sighed but didn’t say anything for a few minutes. Harry waited patiently knowing that if he didn’t pry she might tell him what was bothering her.

Finally she said, “Harry, when do you leave for school?”

“School?” Harry asked. He’d almost forgotten. “September first. Why?”

“In three weeks,” she muttered.

“Yeah,” Harry said, still not sure what this had to do with anything.

“Are you excited to go back?” Amanda asked, now looking at Harry curiously.

Harry didn’t answer right away. He was amazed that he even had to think about it. He always looked forward to school. It was more like home there then anywhere else. In fact, he always dreaded leaving Hogwarts and getting back there never seemed soon enough. However, going back now didn’t excite him as it usually did and he knew perfectly well why.

“Am I excited to go back? Well, yes and no,” Harry answered honestly. He was starting not to care if she discovered how he felt about her. If she figured it out and then didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, he could go back to hiding out in his room for the rest of the summer and it wouldn’t be any worse then any other summer. Not that he was hoping that would happen.

However, if Amanda suspected how he felt it wasn’t apparent and the next thing she said was, “I’m not excited for school at all.”

“I think I understand. You’ll be new and you won’t know anyone.”

Amanda nodded. “Remember on your birthday when my mom said moving here was hard on me?”

Harry nodded.

Amanda continued, “It was hard. Those first few weeks I cried a lot. I didn’t want to move here and leave all of my friends, but we had to for my Dad’s job.”

She took a deep breath, “Then…then I met you.” Amanda glanced up at Harry, but then looked quickly away and stared at her hands in her lap as she continued.

“You needed a friend and so did I. It worked out so perfectly.” She looked at him now and said earnestly, “And…and you’ve been a great friend, Harry. As great a friend as any I’ve had.”

Amanda looked back down at her hands, which Harry noticed were now wringing and twisting nervously in her lap. “But then it dawned on me last night that you’d probably be going away soon. Three weeks…”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said quietly. He’d never ever thought about how Amanda might feel after he left. He even felt guilty about taking up so much of her time when she could have been out making friends with people she’d actually be going to school with.

When Harry mentioned this to Amanda she looked up at him, shaking her head, and said, “Harry, don’t feel guilty. Remember, I wanted to be your friend and I don’t regret it, do you?”

“No,” answered Harry.

Amanda smiled weakly and looked back down at her hands again. Then she whispered in a voice Harry almost couldn’t hear, “I’ll just miss you, that’s all.”

Amanda sniffled and Harry suspected she might be crying again but he couldn’t tell because she wasn’t looking at him. Then, without even thinking, he reached out his hand and placed it softly on top of hers, which she had still been wringing together nervously.

Harry felt warmth, much like a gentle electric shock, move up from his hand and envelope his entire body. His brain was buzzing loudly because of the feeling of touching her in this way, and also because of the shock he felt for doing it so suddenly. His heart was pounding so fiercely, right in his throat it felt like, he was sure he couldn’t speak or breathe. Indeed, he didn’t breathe as he waited tensely for Amanda’s reaction.

Amanda had frozen stiff as soon as his hand had touched hers. She sat silently, like a statue, staring at her hands as if trying to decide what to do. Harry realized his action must have surprised her as much as he had surprised himself.

However, the longer she sat and did nothing, the more his heart fell as he lost hope. Finally, just as Harry was considering taking his hand away and running to hide in his room for the next three weeks, Amanda moved. At first, Harry thought she was moving her hands away from his, which made his heart sink even further, but she didn’t. Instead of taking her hands away, she moved one of them around until she could lace her fingers through his and squeeze his hand tightly.

Harry gripped her hand firmly in return and felt another surge of the electric-like warmth flow through him once more. His heart was still beating uncomfortably fast, but it had stopped sinking and felt as light as air. He still hadn’t dared look at her though, because he was at a total loss for what to do next. He could hear her breathing quickly next to him and finally his curiosity got the best of him and he had to look at her. He gulped hard and turned slowly to look at her face. Amanda was still staring at her hands, but her face was flushed and she was smiling slightly. At least she had stopped crying, Harry thought. She seemed to know he was watching her and gently ran her thumb across his knuckle smiling a little more, causing an interesting tickling sensation to run wild up and down Harry’s spine. He smiled, too, as he thought to himself that he never knew holding hands with a girl could be so nice. He squeezed her hand harder and ran his own thumb across her knuckle and along her index finger. Harry was pleased to see Amanda smile and even shiver slightly. His only hope was that she was enjoying this as much as he was.

After what seemed like hours, but in reality had only been a few minutes, Harry finally got up the nerve to actually say something. “Are you…” he croaked. He stopped and cleared his throat and then continued, “Sorry…are you feeling better now?” His voice still had a little quaver in it, but it sounded more natural then how he started.

Amanda nodded and then sighed. “I’m selfish,” she stated quietly.

“What? Why?” asked Harry, wondering where such a statement was coming from.

“I’m selfish because I wish you could stay here with me even though I know you’ll be so much happier where you are going.”

“You aren’t selfish. I wish you could come with me.”

“I’ve thought of that, too,” she said. Finally she looked up at Harry, her face slightly red and her eyes wide, “Tell me what your school is like.” Then she help up her free hand when Harry began to protest and interrupted him saying, “You don’t have to tell me any of your secrets. I just want to know what it’s like.”

Harry relaxed and smiled. He thought about what he could tell her as he moved slightly closer to her and leaned toward her a little. “Well, my school is in a castle, actually.”

“A castle? Really?” said Amanda, sounding excited.

Harry nodded, “Yes, my parents went there, too, when they were younger. It’s really far away and it snows a lot during the winter. The castle is on large grounds with lots of grass and a huge forest nearby. There’s a lake, too.”

Harry was trying his best to keep his voice steady as he talked. His heart was still beating quickly and it seemed to be interfering with his vocal cords. It wasn’t helping that as he talked Amanda leaned in closer to him so that their shoulders were touching slightly.

“There’s more I want to tell you, but I can’t right now. I’m not ready yet, but I will tell you soon, I promise,” Harry said.

Amanda shook her head, “You don’t have to.” Harry could tell she meant it.

“I think I do have to, it’s important that you know,” and Harry knew this to be true as he again became acutely aware of her hand in his. He cared about Amanda and he couldn’t keep secrets from her forever. Harry knew there were some things she needed to know and understand about him before this friendship went much further. More importantly was the fact that Amanda seemed to like him and Harry didn’t think it was fair to accept her affection until she knew exactly who he was, and what he was. Harry just needed time to figure out what he would tell her and how he could convince her that it was the truth. His biggest fear was that she wouldn’t believe him and would hate him for thinking he was telling lies. He just needed time to think things over and decide exactly what to say.

The time he needed came much sooner than he expected when Amanda said, “When you are ready to tell me anything you want, I’ll be here.” Then she sighed, “I have to go in now, my mom’s expecting me. We are going into town to meet my dad for lunch and then we are going shopping for the rest of the afternoon. We still need a lot of things for our new house.” She paused and then said, regretfully, “I wish I didn’t have to go.”

Harry blushed deeply but smiled. “It’s OK. I understand. Will I see you tomorrow?” he asked, hoping he didn’t sound too eager.

Amanda nodded and then stood up to leave. Harry reluctantly let go of her hand.

“Bye, Harry,” she said quietly and Harry watched her as she walked away slowly until she disappeared into her house.

Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm his still quickly beating heart. He opened his eyes and looked around, everything seemed different somehow. His mind was racing as he tried to remember every detail of his morning with Amanda with as much clarity as possible. He didn’t want to forget anything. When he was sure his legs would work he got up slowly and went back up to his room.

Harry remained in a daze for the rest of the day. He lay on his bed daydreaming and didn’t even eat any lunch. He only came out of his room to go down for dinner and his mind was still so busy that he didn’t even hear his Uncle Vernon grumbling at him to, “Cut that awful hair.”

When Harry returned to his room afterwards, his mind had cleared somewhat. He ambled idly over by his desk and thought that it was a good thing he had finished all his holiday homework, as there was no way he was going to be able to concentrate on it properly for the next three weeks. He gathered up his finished homework parchments along with his textbooks and packed them carefully away in his trunk. Then he sighed. Thinking of leaving now was making him feel sick and depressed. He rummaged through his trunk and started thinking of what he was going to tell Amanda about his wizard life. He needed to do it soon, before he left for school and before he lost his nerve. While looking through his things, he began to get a good idea about what he would tell her. Harry pulled out his schoolbag and began to select certain items from his trunk to put in it. When he was done, he set his bag aside. There, he thought, I’m just about ready now. All he needed was to wait for Hedwig to return from delivering his letters and he’d be ready. He sat down on his bed and took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves. The only thing to do was wait.

The next morning, Harry ate his breakfast quickly and went outside to find Amanda as soon as he could. He couldn’t wait to see her, but he was also very nervous. What if she was different today? What if she only held his hand yesterday because she was upset and needed his comfort? Harry was very afraid the whole experience had been a fluke, or even worse, a dream. Amanda was already waiting for him, sitting expectantly on the garden bench. She smiled and blushed immediately when she saw him, and when Harry sat down next to her, she didn’t hesitate to grab a hold of his hand again. Harry’s heart soared with happiness and relief.

“Hi,” Amanda said shyly.

Harry squeezed her hand, delighting in the fact that it still felt good, even though it was more comfortable and familiar now. “Hi,” he said back. Then he laughed, “I was a little nervous to come see you this morning. I was afraid everything that happened yesterday might have been a dream.”

Amanda laughed, too, and looked relieved at the same time. “I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who was a little nervous. I was thinking the same thing before I came outside. I’m so glad I wasn’t dreaming.”

Harry tried to make the best of the days he had left on Privet Drive. Each morning, he went to find Amanda as early as he could and they both would stay as long as they could, until Harry got called in to do chores, or Amanda’s mother needed her to help with something. Harry tried not to think about the fact that when he left home, it would be almost a whole year before seeing Amanda again.

Finally, one morning, when Harry had only two weeks left before he would be returning to Hogwarts, Hedwig came home. Harry woke up to her soft hooting and found her sitting proudly on top of her cage, letters from both Ron and Hermione waiting for him on his desk. He grabbed his glasses and got up to read them. Hermione wrote that she would be spending her last week with the Weasleys at the Burrow, and both she and Ron were asking if Harry would be able to join them. Harry wished he could go. Next to Hogwarts, the Weasley home was his favorite place to be. He sat down at his desk and knew that as much as he wanted to go to the Burrow, he had to stay on Privet Drive. He tried to write his answer back to both Ron and Hermione, but realized he didn’t know how to explain. They were both sure to think he’d lost his mind. Instead of writing the letters, he dressed quickly and went down to breakfast to think over what he would tell his friends.

Harry returned to his room after eating quickly and sat down to write both letters. He told them about Amanda and explained that she was a friend living next door. He didn’t say anything about how he felt about her yet; Ron and Hermione were bound to figure that out later. He finished the letters by saying that he wanted to come to the Burrow, but didn’t want to leave Amanda alone, since she was new in town and didn’t know anyone else. Harry said he’d see them on the Hogwarts Express on September first and would explain more when he saw them then.

Harry folded up the letters and Hedwig, seeing him finish writing, soared over to the window to prepare to make another delivery. Harry smiled at her and walked over to the window to stoke her feathers gently.

“Thanks, Hedwig,” he said to her, “But you don’t need to leave yet.”

Harry looked out the window and saw Amanda coming out of her house and over to the Dursley’s to meet him. He took a deep breath and became very nervous. It was time now. Harry told Hedwig to wait in the room until he whistled for her down in the garden, and when he did she should come. Hedwig hooted her understanding and nipped his fingers affectionately, as if she knew he needed encouragement. Harry relaxed a little. He turned away from the window and went over to his school bag. After digging out a letter, he lifted the bag over his shoulder. He then picked up the letters to Ron and Hermione off of his desk and shoved all three into his pocket. He took another deep breath and muttered, “Here goes nothing.”

As Harry approached Amanda outside, she immediately asked, “What’s in the bag?”

Harry set the bag down on the bench and sat next to Amanda. “There are some things I need to tell you,” he said.

“Oh…right now?”

Harry nodded. “It won’t be easy for you to hear. In fact, most of it…I mean all of it will be unbelievable. Please, just hear me out and listen to all I have to say.”

Amanda looked worried and a little scared but she nodded and said, “OK.”

Harry took a deep breath, and then just blurted it out. “Amanda, I’m a wizard.”

He turned to look at her reaction since she didn’t say anything. Amanda just stared at him with a strange expression on her face.

Finally she said, “Um…that wasn’t really what I was expecting you to say. You’d better explain.”

The look on her face made Harry very nervous and scared. She had folded her arms across her chest and looked doubtful and angry, and she was looking at Harry with an expression that was daring Harry to make her believe what he was saying. Harry was very disappointed by this, but all the same he had been expecting it. He was starting to wonder if it was a good idea to continue, but since he’d already told her everything in a nutshell all he could do was try his best to explain and convince her of his honesty.

Harry gulped down a large lump that had formed in his throat and began to tell her as much as he could. He told her that his parents had been a witch and a wizard so that when he was born, they knew he would be a wizard, too. He told Amanda that when his parents died, he had to go live with the Dursleys because they were his only living relatives left, but they hadn’t approved of his mother or father, and they certainly didn’t approve of him. Harry decided not to mention Voldemort and his role in his parents’ deaths. It just didn’t seem necessary, but he could explain all of that later if it ever got to that. Harry went on to tell Amanda how the Dursleys knew what he was, but they never told him about it while he was growing up and that they were determined to beat any magic that he might possess out of him if they could. The Dursleys had not been successful and Harry explained how, on his eleventh birthday, he had found out he was a wizard and that he had been accepted to a wizard school where he could learn magic and be with other kids that were like him.

“My school is called Hogwarts and the Dursleys don’t like to tell people about it. Not that I can really blame them, it is rather different, but they insist on telling everyone I go to that school for criminals to punish me for being what I am. They think I’m…abnormal.”

Harry was relieved to see that Amanda’s expression was softening, but she still looked skeptical. He decided it was time to show her one of the items he had in his bag. He leaned over and pulled a book out of his bag. It was a copy of “Hogwarts: A History”. Hermione had given it to him for his birthday. Harry had found this funny, because Hermione was constantly quoting out of this book to Ron and Harry and she must have been tiring of explaining everything about the school. Harry was enjoying the book, though, and it was an interesting read.

Harry placed the book on Amanda’s lap and said, “Here, you can look at this. It’s a book about Hogwarts. I don’t expect you to read it but there are some nice pictures of the castle.”

He opened the book to one particularly nice photograph of the Hogwarts castle and its grounds. “See, here is the lake, and right here in the background you can see a little bit of the forest I was telling you about before. Right here is where my dormitory is,” Harry said, pointing to one of the castle towers.

“It’s nice,” Amanda said, but Harry could tell she still wasn’t convinced.

He turned the pages of the book to another picture. It was a very old black and white photograph of several students who had gone to Hogwarts almost one hundred years ago. They were dressed in their black wizard’s robes and wearing black pointed hats. The young wizards were also waving happily up at them.

When Amanda saw the photograph she gasped, “They are waving at me!” She turned to look at Harry with narrowed eyes, “How did you do that?”

Harry smiled, “It’s a wizard photograph. There is some kind of magical solution you can develop your pictures in so that they move, but I’ve never done it.” He showed her several more pictures in the book of people flying on broomsticks, studying in their classes, and running through the corridors. Amanda stared at them all with wide eyes.

Amanda was starting to look more convinced, but Harry’s heart gave a jolt when she then asked what he was afraid she would ask. “Harry…can you…show me some magic?”

Harry looked at the ground and said, “I can’t.”

The skeptical look on Amanda’s face returned and Harry quickly said, “Let me explain. I can do magic, but only when I’m at school. It’s against the law, wizard law I mean, for any underage wizard to use magic while not at school because it’s dangerous. We are still learning after all, and I have three years left before I’m done with school. I’m not allowed to do magic in front of Muggles anyway.”

“Muggles?” asked Amanda curiously.

“Oh, sorry. A Muggle is just what we call someone who isn’t a witch or wizard.”

“I see.”

“But I do have some more things to show you in here,” Harry said quickly, turning to his bag again. He took “Hogwarts: A History” and put it back and then drew out a long wooden box. He opened the box and pulled out his wand.

“Is that…is that a magic wand?” asked Amanda, looking a little excited.