Fetching Harry on the Motorcycle

[Steve <bboy_mn@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 51697

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Cindy C. <cindysphynx at c...>"
<cindysphynx at c...> wrote:
> ... We can be ... confident that Harry will not spend much 
> time at Number Four in OoP; he'll get to Hogwarts somehow.  But 
> how?
> 
> Well, the last four books do give us a pattern.
> 
> - ...whisked away ... by Hagrid.
> 
> - ... whisked away ... by Ron, Fred and George.
> 
> - ... whisked away ... by the Knight Bus.
> 
> - ... whisked away ... by Mr. Weasley.
> 
> Yup, that's a pattern, all right.
> 
> So who will whisk Harry away in OoP, do you think?  
> Sirius is an interesting choice, ...
>
> Mrs. Figg would work, ....
> 
> But what about Lupin? ...
> 
> Yeah.  Lupin it is!
> 
> Cindy -- wanting to see Remus on page 3 if at all possible

bboy_mn:

Of course, how he gets to Hogwarts is always the same... the train.
The real question is, how will he get out of Privet Drive?

Well, we know somehow Mrs. Figg will be in this story, the question
here is how will she be introduced. I thought it would be cool for
Harry to walk into DADA and find his baby sitter teaching the class. 

The alternative, is for Harry to meet here at Privet Drive (Magnolia
St. or where ever). Uncle Vernon gets a call from Mrs. Figg ask if
Harry can come and help her out; cleaning the cat boxes, trimming the
hedges, mowing the lawn, whatever; a task which Harry is certain to
dread. But he's consents to go over (he's such a polite boy). He walks
in and Mrs. Figg say a mutual friend has come to visit them. Harry
walks in and faints dead away at the sight of Sirius and/or Lupin. 

If it's Sirius, he tells Harry that he has a surprise for him and
takes him out to the garage, and what do we find, lo and behold, it is
the flying motorcycle. 

That flying  motorcycle HAS to come back into the plot at some point.
Anybody know what the age is in UK to get a motorbike license???
Either Hagrid will give it to him; Hagrid has had it stored all these
years, or the bike is back with Black's relatives. So who could this
relative with the motorbike be??? Maybe it is Sirius Black's maternal
grandmother .... (drum roll please) .... Mrs. Arabella Figg!

Sooo.... after a long heart-to-heart talk, Harry is whisked off to the
Weasley's on the back of Sirius's motorcycle. Black and Mr. Weasley
exchange the latest news and Black heads back to Hogwarts/the Cave.
The only question is, does he take the motorbike with him, or does he
leave it at the burrow for Harry and the Weasley brothers to raise
hell on?

Alternative- 
It's not Sirius but Lupin at Mrs. Figgs. Mrs. Figg is either his
Mother using her maiden name or she is his maternal grandmother. Same
story minus the motorbike; heart-to-heart then off to the Weasleys. 

Alternate alternative-
Scene: The Dursleys ... the telephone rings... Uncle Vernon answers...

Vernon: Dursley residence.

Caller: Is Mr. Harold Potter there?

Vernon: Harold? You mean Harry?

Caller: Oh sorry, let me make that correction to our records. May I
speak with Mr. ... Harry... Potter then.

Vernon: What do you want with him?

Caller: This is Granger Dental Clinic. Mr. Harold ...er ...Harry
Potter has been randomly selected to recieve one of a limited number
of free dental check ups and teeth cleaning.

Vernon: I haven't got time to cart him across half the country side
then spend all day waiting in a dental office.

Caller: Not to worry sir. Our courteous pick-up service will be by to
pick him up and will drop him off after the appointment. 

Vernon: Free you say??

Vernon thinks about it and realized he can get something for nothing.

Vernon: All right then. HARRY! TELEPHONE!

Harry enters the room. Since Uncle Vernon isn't yelling and having a
fit, Harry can't imagine who might be calling him>

Harry: Who's calling me? Hello.

Caller: Harry it's me, it's Hermione. Pack your bags, my parents are
going to come and pick you up on Thursday at 1:00. Ron's going to join
us a my place, you can both stay here until school starts. Isn't that
great?

yada yada blah blah blah.... come on we are all dying to find out
about Hermione's home life and her parents.


The second alternate alternative:
Harry get to the Weasleys by some insignificant and inconsequential
method only to find Sirius and Remus waiting for him at the Weasely's.
Mrs. Figg comes later in the story.


Side note: Dumbledore sent Sirius to stay with Remus among other
things; so where does Remus live??

Some have speculated in a foreign country. I think he lives with his
mother who has a special room in the cellar that Remus uses when he
transforms. The rest of his time, during the course of his life and
unable to work, his mother encouraged him to spend his free time
continuing his study of wizardry, which is how, after being a werewolf
all these years, he was able to gain the title 'Professor'. Mrs. Lupin
lives very much like the Weasley's; she has an extremely modest
secluded house in the country. I'm thinking that maybe it might be
near Bristol not too many miles from Godric's Hollow (cue the creepy
organ music). 

Then again, maybe not.

bboy_mn