Harry managed to get the owl out the window before the water turned off in the kitchen, and walked back to his chair with the note open in his hands. He frowned. It was just the usual supply list for the year from Hogwarts, and not a note from Hermonie or Ron.
Nothing all summer, he thought. There's only a week or two left. What gives?
The door to the kitchen swung open, so he quickly folded the note up, placing it in his pants pocket before Ed could see him fully. Harry knew he'd have some difficulty explaining where the note had come from. Dealing with his relatives were hard enough without adding anything else to his plate.
He watched Ed as the blond looked around, then settled his eyes on him.
"They gonna be gone for a bit?" Ed asked softly.
Harry nodded his head, and even smiled.
"Good. Vant something to eat vhile I'm in here? I'm starved, myself. Your..family..."
Harry chuckled.
"Sure."
Ed smiled widely before returning to the kitchen, soon emerging with a tray of goodies. He then sat on the couch.
"Is there...really a test tomorrow..?" Harry asked after swallowing a mouthful.
"No. I believe your..uncle...vouldn't know it even if there vas. I've..known the type before. " Ed said, while chewing on a sandwich.
"Then why.."
Ed stopped chewing, then swallowed. His golden eyes seemed to burn into Harry's skull.
"I..vas. Concerned."
Harry blinked.
"I heardz him slap you. Zat is never a good ting."
Ed looked down quickly and reached into his coat. He pulled out a notebook, and handed it to Harry.
"Anyvay. This should cover my debt to you."
"Huh?"
"Equivalence."
"You're...a funny guy." Harry said as he quickly flipped through the blank pages, half expecting a spell to suck him in. He decided it was what it appeared to be...just a blank notebook, likely bought just around the corner.
Ed snorted. He finished his sandwich, and then headed to the door.
"Uh...Wait..! You don't have to..."
Ed looked over his shoulder, then his head tilted down.
"I..shouldn't have come here. It vas vrong vithout asking you first."
"That's..alright, I guess. How did...?"
Ed chuckled, glanced back with smile somewhere between a smirk and a frown.
"See you tomorrow, klass partner."
With that Ed turned the knob and stepped out into the night. It was only then that Harry realised the time. It was very late indeed.
Harry sat on a swing in the local playground. He wasn't really doing much of anything, just enjoying the warm summer afternoon, and watching as the last of the children were gathered by their mothers and fathers.
I wish I knew what that was like. He thought idly. I suppose a real family's...
He spotted his portly cousin, in "Big D" mode, marching towards him with his two big goons flanking him closely. Harry sighed.
Here we go again. Harry thought, lowering his hands to his knees. Closer to his wand, should he need it.
Dudley Dursley stopped right in front of him, with his arms crossed. Beady eyes glowering. His goons followed his lead and did the same.
"Find any more ten year olds to pick on, Big D?" Harry said.
Dudley grunted.
This wasn't going to be a pleasant confrontation, Harry knew. It never was. Dudley was twice as nasty without adults around.
His wand was at Dudleys neck before he realised it, about the time Dudley predictably mocked his parents. Oh how Harry hated that. Then something changed in the very air. The warm summer...was suddenly very cold
Dudley's beady eyes widened.
"What did you do? " Dudley whispered.
"N-nothing. I swear!"
Both Harry and Dudley looked up, and beheld the swirling malestrom of clouds above them. Harry's mouth fell open, and he felt his arms and legs trembling. He glanced quickly to his cousin, and his cousin met his own eyes. Neither would admit it to the other, but both were shaken to the core. Only Harry knew what it meant, and knew worse was to come.
"Run for it!" Harry yelled. He heard his voice crack, and winced inwardly at the absurd sound. But it didn't matter. They were in trouble. Big trouble. And the only safe place was over the hill. Back at the house.
Ed was laying in the long grass, with his right hand held over his head. The day was quite warm, but he still had on long sleeves and gloves. At the moment, he looked through his fingers at the sun. It was a rare moment for him, and he took it mostly to clear his head of frustration.
Just...in the right place...He thought idly, and smiled a smile halfway between a smirk and a frown. Between one moment, and the next, the sun was just...gone. He lowered his hand and saw a great swirling mass of clouds.
That was...quick. Ed thought, and narrowed his eyes. He soon sat up and watched as the massive clouds...moved. The grass around him crinkled, and he felt a dull ache in his right shoulder and left thigh. He glanced down and saw the the blades around him were icing over, like in a winter frost. Part of his mind..the detached scientist in him, cooly analysed the entire process as it happened before his eyes, and several possible equations to do the same thing occurred to him.
'If only.....', he thought.
Then he quickly stood up and stamped his feet, golden eyes lifted to the approaching ominous cloud formation.
'That feels...No. Can't be. They're not here.' Ed thought. 'And they can't DO that...'
In the distance, he saw two people running..almost too quickly, down a steep path on the hill.
'Almost like their lives depended on it', he thought.
It wasn't long before he recognised who they were. And the fact that they were headed right for him.
"Don't just stand there!!! Run!!!" Harry yelled breathlessly.
"From vhat?!?" Ed yelled back.
"Just!! Go!!" Dudley added, which earned him a sharp look from Harry.
It wasn't long before the three of them found themselves breathless in a tunnel, and every battle instinct Ed had was ringing in alarm.
"Not good.." Ed muttered, and crouched into a fight stance, ignoring his fatigue from the mad dash. He slowly turned about. He heard the other two boys as they swore under their breaths. The artificial lights began to flicker and fail all around. It was getting increasingly harder to see anything coming in the darkness. And the cold...no frozen air bit at his shoulder and leg ports, making moving a battle against increasing aches.
:::
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