On the second floor of Privet Drive, in the smallest bedroom of the Dursleys' house, a few letters were scattered on a simple desk.
The densest letter was from Hermione Granger. The summer breeze, bored and listless, blew in through the window and read the letter from head to toe, causing the parchment to tremble slightly.
Harry,
You would never guess who I met in Bath—Draco! He was visiting his grandfather in Bath and ran into me, who was visiting my maternal grandfather. I had no idea that Bath also had traces of wizarding communities. Perhaps I should buy a book on magical historical sites to study; it is an interesting topic.
Also, I finally saw Draco wearing clothes other than his school uniform and suit shirt, which answered a long-standing question of mine—he wears T-shirts too! And can you imagine, Draco learnt to skateboard like a Muggle much faster than I did? It is infuriating! Is there nothing he cannot learn?
My summer holiday plans were completely ruined because of Draco. Draco introduced me to a very talented Potions Master who knew many tricks not found in textbooks. Who would miss such a rare opportunity? I immediately abandoned my planned trip to the South of France and went with Draco to learn about potions from him. Thanks to Draco, this summer was filled with academic atmosphere.
Sorry, I get a bit long-winded when it comes to studying. How have you been lately? Are those Muggles still angry about the telephone? By the way, Draco can actually use a Muggle telephone. Oh, and did you like the sugar-free pastries I sent you last time? I have enclosed two kinds of famous round bread from Bath for you to try. Draco and I have already checked them out for you, and they taste great.
All right, enough chit-chat, I am putting down my quill now. Draco and I came to a tea house in Bath for some spring water coffee; the ambiance is quite nice. After their live performance, I will go buy you some freshly baked Bath buns and Sally Lunn buns…
Hermione
The recipient of the letter was locking his bedroom door tightly, pulling the last basil loaf from under the floorboards, and happily stuffing it into his mouth—thanks to Hermione's preservation spell, he was able to fully savour the fresh flavour of the loaf, fresh from the oven.
As he chewed, Harry Potter sighed.
He desperately wished that one day he could leisurely go on holiday to some small town like that, instead of enduring a month of sarcasm from his Uncle Vernon at his house.
However, it would not be long; his godfather would soon be coming to take him away—he would soon be completely free.
At that moment, he could not help but fantasise: maybe Sirius would take him out to play; or not, as long as he did not stay with the Dursleys, anywhere would be fine.
Harry's first birthday wish was for Sirius to get him out of this awful place.
On the same day, shortly after Draco rushed back to Malfoy Manor with his grandfather, Harry, lost in thought, met the first wish of his birthday.
That was Dobby the house-elf. Although Harry had seen him several times in the middle of the night, this was the first time he had suddenly appeared in broad daylight like this.
There he was, with a tattered little leather bag hanging from his waist, his big, round eyes staring intently at him. He proudly puffed out his chest, which was dressed in a brightly coloured little outfit, and said eagerly, "Great Harry Potter! Young master sent Dobby to deliver this message to you because he knows Dobby is reliable!"
He skipped and hopped over to Harry, his footsteps surprisingly light and silent. He pulled a large birthday cake from the small leather bag as if by magic. Harry knew there must be something special inside, probably some amazing magical item, and could not help but marvel.
"My master sent Dobby to deliver a birthday cake and lots of fruit syrup tarts to the great Harry Potter! And a gift too, which he says Harry Potter will love!" He happily pulled out a dark green box tied with a bow and placed it in Harry's hand, then shook his big ears, and suddenly, as if remembering something, handed Harry a letter.
"Dear Harry Potter needs to read it immediately!" he said anxiously to Harry, as if he had made an unreasonable request: "My master is very serious and demands that you reply to him immediately."
Harry was surprised. Everything seemed a bit unusual today.
"Is something wrong?" His fingers trembled slightly as he opened the envelope. A letter and a newspaper clipping fell out. He glanced at the picture of Peter Pettigrew in the clipping, then quickly scanned the contents next to the photograph. Harry's expression suddenly changed, and he grabbed the letter to read:
Harry,
Seeing this clipping, you can probably guess that this holiday is anything but peaceful. I suggest you set off to find your godfather as soon as possible; a house with magical protection is far safer than a Muggle house.
I got the news from some source that Peter Pettigrew has been talking in his sleep in Azkaban, repeating the same phrase over and over again, 'He is at Hogwarts...he is at Hogwarts.'
I have not figured out who he is targeting yet. It could be me. But it could also be you, after all, you are his master's number one enemy.
Even if he appears incompetent and cowardly, someone who can escape Azkaban is not to be underestimated. I expect the Ministry of Magic will send someone to protect you soon, so do not be afraid. Do not leave your residence without permission.
P.S. I got this photograph from your mother's former teacher, Mr Slughorn. I think you will like it.
P.P.S. Mr Slughorn asked me to give you his regards.
Draco
The signature at the end was very hasty, indicating that the letter was written in a hurry.
Harry quickly looked at the dark green box, on which was tied a beautiful greeting card—the first birthday card Harry had ever received.
His hands trembled as he opened the box and finally saw the photograph framed in gold. In the photograph, a red-haired woman in a white wedding dress was joyfully tossing her bouquet into the air, whilst a man who looked like Harry Potter stood beside her, hands in his pockets, striking a pose and making a face at him.
He could not help but smile at the people in the photograph, greedily gazing at the vibrant, youthful faces of his parents. If only they were still alive.
After some time, Dobby coughed and tentatively asked, "Dear Harry Potter, are you still going to write a reply to my young master?"
Harry snapped out of his daze. He glared angrily at the clippings lying to the side, then quickly picked up a blank piece of parchment and wrote:
Draco,
I absolutely love your birthday gift, the photographs are amazing! Please thank the gentleman who has kept my parents' photographs for so many years, it means a lot to me.
I saw that clipping. If Peter Pettigrew is after me, then so be it. I am willing to avenge my parents.
P.S. Sirius is expected to pick me up tonight.
Harry
Harry folded the letter in half and put it in an envelope, then handed it to Dobby. Dobby bowed to him, gave him a reluctant smile, and vanished in the blink of an eye.
At almost the same time, another messenger from the Malfoys the magnificent eagle owl was on a long flight.
Joan was to deliver a letter to a hotel near one of the pyramids in Egypt. The Weasleys had recently won the Daily Prophet's lottery and were currently travelling in Egypt.
The reply from the Weasleys took several days to reach Draco—Joan was truly exhausted from the trip.
Judging from the reply, the Weasley twins were not worried at all about the fugitive Peter Pettigrew.
"We all agreed that he wanted to capture Harry. Nevertheless, Ron was terrified when he learnt that Peter Pettigrew had escaped Azkaban. He probably thought his pet rat was about to storm into Hogwarts and elope with him or something...
There is nowhere safer than abroad. The Burrow is completely empty now, and he does not even know where we live. Of course, Dad said the Ministry of Magic members have started casting protective charms around the Burrow, so it seems they are taking this quite seriously.
P.S. We saw a lot of new spells in Egypt, they were really exciting! We can try them on you if you would like."
Draco agreed with one point in the letter—Peter Pettigrew probably was not there to see the Weasley twins, those "pet nightmares."
Otherwise he would say "they" instead of "he".
Although on the surface it appeared that Draco and the Weasley twins captured him together, the rat probably knew perfectly well who was behind his capture.
After all, Peter Pettigrew and the Weasley twins had lived under the same roof for many years without any problems; the only variable in this case was Draco.
However, Ron's reaction was also quite amusing.
It was indeed possible that Peter Pettigrew would come looking for Ron, but what did he need Ron for?
When he kept Peter Pettigrew—who was then called Scabbers—as a pet, he treated him with utmost care. It was highly unlikely that Peter Pettigrew would seek revenge for being "abused." In both his past and present lives, Ron possessed nothing that Death Eaters would find interesting; they were far more interested in Harry.
After much thought, it seemed the only way to deal with him was to focus on Harry, the Dark Lord's enemy; otherwise, it would be revenge for capturing him. This view was echoed by Abraxas.