“We’re leaving, boy,” he snarled.
“Huh?” Harry replied, opening Hedwig’s cage. Hedwig flew away hurriedly into the setting sun. At least she wasn’t going to be confined.
“I said we’re going out!” he said, irate for no reason except that Harry was there, “And I don’t want to see you here when we get back, Dumblydoor said you would leave when you turned seventeen, so I’m keeping him to his word!”
“Why haven’t you kicked me out already, then?! You seem just as eager as me to have me go!” Harry snapped, furious that he had been stuck with the Dursleys for a month.
“Petunia said you had to stay, because of that old””
“DON’T YOU DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!” Harry’s wand was now pointing at Vernon’s chest.
Uncle Vernon’s eyes filled with fear. He did his best to retort but could only muster a “Wegonow” and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind him. Harry waited for the car start and leave before he walked down to the kitchen to get some food and brought it back up to his room.
Harry tossed in his bed restlessly. He closed his eyes, hoping he would find sleep, but he couldn’t keep them shut. He walked to the window. The sky was gloomy, and there was a mist floating around some miles away. A chill swept down Harry’s spine. He shuddered. It was darker than it should be, and the moon was barely recognizable behind the thick layer of clouds. Harry wanted to leave right then, but couldn’t bring himself to leave the first home he ever knew, no matter how horrible it was.
Having nothing else to do, Harry decided to look at the note once more. He rummaged through his room for it. Finally”after making his room as aesthetically unpleasing as Dobby’s choice of socks”he had found the letter.
“Lumos!” he said, pointing his wand at the letter. Light shone from the end of his wand, through the darkness. He read it six times through, getting no closer to uncovering the identity of the author than when he first read it:
I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can.
I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more.
R.A.B.
When Harry read it the seventh time, he became desperate.
"Tell me who you are," he demanded. Nothing happened. "Show me the writer of this letter!" The letter remained the same. Fine, he acquiesced, I can figure it out myself....
Harry sat there for a moment, wondering”
Something creaked downstairs. Dudley? Uncle Vernon? Aunt Petunia? No. I would've heard the car. Who else could it be? He pondered this for a minute, sitting still on his small bed. Then it came to him. Voldemort, He thought. He’s finally gotten in. Harry checked his watch, just to make sure. It read 12:14 AM; he had been of age for about a quarter of an hour. Dumbledore said it would only keep me safe when I was underage. Harry’s heart fell. He couldn’t bear to think about losing the only person who understood his place, his fate. He could still remember that night…stunned on the Astrology tower… Malfoy cornering the unarmed headmaster...Snape coming in, killing Dumbledore in a flash of green light…I know what I must do, Harry thought, I must carry on. I must kill Voldemort; and I must kill Snape.
Whispers came from the hall. His mind snapped immediately back to Voldemort, Did he bring his Death Eaters? But…but why? Hadn’t he always tried to prove that he could kill me alone? Unless… maybe the Death Eaters are going to bring me to Voldemort. Harry stopped breathing, straining to hear something else, but it appeared the Death Eaters had done the same.
Harry stood up quietly. He was not going to go down without a fight. He was either going to escape the Dursleys to continue his destiny or he was going to die and Voldemort will rise to full power with no one to stop him. With his mind on completing the former, Harry edged to the hallway, making no noise whatsoever. He was about five feet away from the door when”
“OW!” shouted a familiar voice.
“Tonks?” Harry asked.
“Yeah. Surprise.”
“What?!”
“Surprise!” Hermione, the Weasleys, Fleur and Lupin said joyously from the hallway. Mrs. Weasley came up and hugged him, and Hermione followed suit. Harry embraced her, but pulled away once he saw the look on Ron’s face. Harry supposed Ron hadn’t told her yet. Harry wished Ron would get on with it; he would be spared some awkward moments, at least.
“Oh, it’s only you guys,” Harry sighed, “I thought it was Voldemort.” He regretted saying this immediately, as almost everyone’s face cringed in fear.
Lupin was the first to reply, “Harry, don’t worry, he won’t touch you as long as we’re alive,”
“Which is why we’re here,” Mr. Weasley added.
“Harry, we knew Vol”” Lupin continued, “”sorry, Arthur, You-Know-Who would know about Dumbledore's charm, too, and try to get here before us. Sorry we woke you up like that, Fleur thought she felt a mouse.”
“It wuz zis beeg!” Fleur pleaded, stretching her arms to emphasize the point.
“Anyway, Harry,” Mr. Weasley said, ignoring Fleur’s comment (like everyone else), “Happy Birthday.” Harry smiled, and the back of his mind told him to enjoy this moment.
They ate Mrs. Weasley’s cake quickly, hurrying to get everything done as fast as possible, and then Harry opened his presents. Mrs. Weasley had knitted him another sweater and Mr. Weasley gave him a wide variety of sweets. Fred and George had given him assorted items from their joke shop. Ron had given him the finest chess set Harry had ever seen. Hermione had given him a set of quidditch balls for the boys and Ginny to play with.
“I didn’t have enough money to get you anything, Harry, but I’ll make it up to you, don’t worry,” Ginny explained, giving him a look Harry found very familiar while saying the last bit.
Harry smiled, and the beast inside him purred triumphantly, and he was almost ready to throw it all away for her right there, but he restrained himself. I have to protect her. If I really love her, I’ll keep her safe, he finally convinced himself. Returning to normality, “I can’t tell you how thankful I am,” he said.
Mrs. Weasley came up and squeezed him, now crying, “We just want you to know that we love you. You’ve been a son to us.”
Harry’s eyes began to water. I haven’t lost everything, he realized. I still have a family. He finally got around to responding, “And you’ve been the closest thing I’ve had to a mother. I love you, too,” he replied, which was welcomed by more tears from Molly.
“Come on now, mum, don’t drown him,” George joked.
“Yeah,” Fred chuckled, “and it seems ickle Ronnykins seems to be getting lonely.”
“I am NOT!” Ron roared.
“Come here, Ronnykins,” they both mocked, opening their arms in welcome.
Ron went after them, but as he grabbed for them, they disappeared with a CRACK. “Cowards,” he muttered.
Another CRACK and Fred had appeared behind Ron, making their youngest brother jump five feet. George appeared just in time to save him from a nasty fall on the head.
“Fred, George, how many times do I have to tell you? Do not””
“Shush!” Lupin interrupted, “I think I hear something.”
A large crash suddenly echoed from downstairs. Assuming the door had been blown from its hinges, Lupin whispered to Tonks, “Get the other members of the Order! We’ll stay here and try to hold them off.” Tonks nodded and with a CRACK, she deftly apparated.
The room seemed to get darker as sets of feet were heard making their way up the steps toward Harry’s room. “Get back, kids!” Mr. Weasley breathed as he motioned for Lupin, Bill, Charlie, Fleur, and Mrs. Weasley to be at the door, wands at the ready. Fred and George moved to the door as well.
“Fred, George, listen to me and get back out of the way...” Mr. Weasley asserted.
“No!” They cried defiantly, as one does when ready to defend his honor.
“We’re of age, Dad, we’re going to do our duty and protect the others. Right, Fred?”
“Right.” His brother assured him.
“GET BACK NOW!” Arthur hissed. The twins, looking as if they had received prefect badges, obeyed reverently.
“Alohomora!” exclaimed a voice that could belong only to one person. The door flew open, revealing not only Bellatrix Lestrange, but Fenrir Greyback, Goyle, three more Death Eaters, and nine or ten dementors. “Seize the boy!” She commanded violently to the dementors, pointing fiercely at Harry.
Curses were flying everywhere, but Harry couldn’t notice. He was so engulfed in the screams of his mother and father, as the dementors were getting closer, the voices louder. Closer still, until---
“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” Hermione boomed, producing an otter that tackled the dementors nearest Harry.
Harry slowly staggered back to his senses, and, remembering his times with Ginny, summoned his stag, and promptly chased three dementors away. He looked up and saw several more closing in on Ron, it seemed their blindness was confusing them. Harry and Hermione once again called to their patronuses. They scared the dementors off, but Ron had collapsed beside Ginny.
“Harry! Hermione! What’s wrong with Ron?” she pleaded frantically.
“Nothing, Ginny. He’s just unconscious.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, probingly.
“Yes,” he said sympathetically, “Now move him out of the way before he gets hit,” as he said this he wished he hadn’t He didn’t enjoy bossing Ginny around, and was sure she didn't react well to it either.
“I can’t move him alone,” she snapped. Harry quickly picked Ron’s feet up and lifted him away from the action. “He’s safe now,” he said, hoping desperately to convince Ginny and Hermione.
Ron was pushed out of their minds when Mrs. Weasley screamed like never before.
A/N: I would like to thank my beta Sydney McLeod for doing a wonderful job.