Chapter One “ The Farewell
Night was creeping over the freshly mowed grass of Privet Drive. A soft breeze whistled through the trees as a snowy white owl skimmed their leafy branches and flew into a small window in number four. Harry Potter sat anxiously as he ripped open the envelope his owl Hedwig had brought for him. He had been waiting for this letter since term had ended weeks ago.
Dear Harry,
As you are well aware, you have become of age as of July thirty-first. You are therefore able to leave your current residence of number four Privet Drive. The Weasley family has offered to take you in if you are willing.
The best of luck to you,
Minerva McGonagall,
Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Well, Harry couldn’t say he was satisfied with McGonagall’s letter, but he was relieved that he could finally leave the Dursley’s house. He wrote to the Weasley’s and sent Hedwig off immediately. Glancing at the clock, he decided to get ready for bed. He heard Dudley snort sleepily in the next room as he pulled back the covers. He sunk into a deep sleep almost instantly.
Harry was awoken the next morning hours earlier than he would have liked by Hedwig’s indignant hoot. He sat bolt up right as though Hedwig had screamed rather than hooted. He knew that she must have Ron’s reply. Putting on his round glasses and brushing his dark hair out of his brilliantly green eyes, Harry tore open Ron’s letter.
Dear Harry,
Finally! I told my mum, and she can’t wait for you to come! Now that you can legally apparate, you can come as soon as possible. You should know, Harry, Ginny hasn’t gotten over you, and I don’t think she wants to. She’s been pretty upset. I don’t want her to get even more hurt, so please be kind, Harry. Hermione’s on her way today, too. Send Hedwig back right away.
Ron
Harry reread the part about Ginny. How could he have been so stupid? Of course she was upset, so was he. She was all he had thought about since summer had started “ her dark red hair falling softly on her shoulders, her sweet laugh, the way she always smells like roses…
He gave himself a little shake. He couldn’t start thinking about her like this again, it’s too hard. Writing his response to Ron, Harry tried, and failed, to clear his head of thoughts of Ginny. When Hedwig had vanished though his bedroom window, Harry decided to join the Dursley’s for some breakfast.
His aunt and uncle made know indication that they had noticed their nephew when he entered the kitchen, but Dudley whipped around and smirked. Harry didn’t bother to find out why.
“Uncle Vernon, um, I’ve come of age, er, in the wiza… I mean my world, so I will be able to, um, leave,” Harry finished lamely. His uncle’s face lit up as though Christmas had come early.
“Leave?” he asked excitedly. “As in never come back? Ever?”
Harry wasn’t surprised by this insulting reply, but he ploughed on.
“Yes and the magical bonds that protect me while I’m here have broken.”
“It’s that ‘love’ thing, isn’t it?” Aunt Petunia asked. “The one that fool you call a headmaster wrote about in that letter?”
Harry felt his face burn at this cold remark towards the deceased Albus Dumbledore. As if he hadn’t thought about him enough. While he wasn’t having nightmares featuring Dumbledore’s blank lifeless eyes, he was brooding on how he could have saved him if there was only more time…
“Yes,” he replied through gritted teeth, “I’ll be leaving today.”
He wheeled around and headed straight back upstairs towards his bedroom, so angry at his aunt and uncle that he completely forgot about breakfast.
Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard who had ever lived, and Harry’s mentor, was dead. Harry had no idea how he would defeat Voldemort without him.
Throwing all his belongings into his trunk, Harry thought about the remaining Horcruxes that still needed to be destroyed, but his thoughts were abruptly terminated by the knock on his bedroom door.
“Come in,” said Harry, confused. No one ever visited him in his room. Dudley sidled in, still smirking.
“Off to see Ginny?” he asked in a mocking voice. Harry dropped the pair of socks he had been trying to fold.
“How “ how did you -,” he stammered.
“You should really try to clear your mind before you sleep, you have a lot of nightmares,” Dudley said, sounding unnervingly like Severus Snape, Dumbledore’s murderer. The pent up rage at Snape that had been bubbling inside him for weeks was about to explode. He whipped out his wand, and Dudley faltered, his grin vanishing instantly.
“Get out of here now!” Harry said in a voice of deadly calm. “Don’t make me jinx you!”
And to prove his point, Harry made all of his belongings fly into his trunk. Dudley raced from the room screaming as a shoe chased after him. As Uncle Vernon charged into Harry’s bedroom, moustache billowing with rage, Harry knew he had better leave as soon as he could.
“Well, bye then. Thanks for treating me like dung for the past sixteen years! Don’t bother to stay in touch.”
Screwing up his eyes, Harry concentrated with all his might on the Burrow, and apparated, clutching his trunk and Hedwig’s empty cage, just as Uncle Vernon let out a cry of fury.