The Power Within Us

A Rude Awakening

August 27th, 1995

It was a relatively quiet August morning in Devon. The only sound to be heard was the light drizzle of summer rain against Olivia Fox's bedroom window. It was in the early hours of the morning and the sun had only begun to rise. A still-burning candle from the previous evening half illuminated the cream-colored walls of the young witch's room. Olivia slept peacefully beneath her royal blue bed covers. She had always loved those sheets. They reminded her of her cozy blue bed in the Ravenclaw dormitories. Despite currently residing in the house she was raised in, Olivia often felt homesick for Hogwarts.

Hogwarts. The Stone-walled corridors lit only by bright torches lining the walls, the crackling of the fireplace lighting up the concentrated faces of students studying in the Ravenclaw common room, and the magnificent view from the astronomy tower. These things and more were what home meant to Olivia. The house she slept in didn't feel much like home. The hallways weren't lit with torches, nor were they flooded with the loud commentary of oil paintings eager to share their opinions about those who walk past them. This place felt like a shell more than anything else.

Olivia was an only child, and she had lost her mother at a very young age, so it sometimes got lonely during her summer holidays. Her father spent most of his time working, whether it be in his home office, or the Ministry of Magic itself. Either way, Olivia didn't see much of him anymore.

The sun seemed to be moving slowly that morning, and Olivia would have likely had a wonderful time sleeping had it not been for the large grey owl crashing through her bedroom window. Needless to say, the young witch did not sleep in.

Olivia sat up, shocked, and stared at the very disoriented owl. She could have sworn she recognized him.

The bird stared back for a moment, and then just as briskly as it had arrived, it steadied itself, stretched its wings, and took off through the window. Confused, Olivia sleepily threw her legs off of her bed, stretched her arms above her head, and began to assess the damage this clumsy creature had caused.

Her window was broken, but it wasn't anything her father couldn't fix with a tap of his wand. Olivia wished she could just repair it herself, but she was not one for breaking rules, and breaking the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery certainly wasn't an option. She sighed heavily. This was not the start of the day she had hoped for. She turned to sit back on her bed when she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. It was a letter.

Well, that explains the owl.

She lazily shuffled to the crash site, picked up the parchment, and examined it. Most of the envelope was wet from rain and the address written on it was smudged and unreadable. She slowly opened the envelope, careful not to tear the parchment. She began to read the contents of the letter, her breath catching in her throat at first sight of its intended recipient.

Harry,

I know you must be going mad, with what's going on with your hearing and such. Don't worry about it though mate, I'm sure Dumbledore and my dad will have it all sorted out soon enough. Hermione says that Wizarding Law will protect you, and she's usually right about this sort of stuff.

Don't tell her I said that.

I'm sorry we haven't been able to tell you what's going on around here and all, but you'll see soon enough. Big things ahead I think...

See you soon.

Ron

Olivia was right, she had known the owl, or at least the home from which it came. The owl, though she did not know its name, belonged to the Weasley family, who also lived in Devon, and only a few miles down the road. Olivia didn't know the Weasleys personally, but she knew of them from school, and she occasionally saw them in town. A red headed clan of their size was difficult to miss. Not only did they stand out physically, but the Weasley siblings seemed to have an affinity for causing trouble, something that Olivia actively avoided.