Return to Privet Drive
Authors: Elisabeth and Michelle
The whole of Magnolia Crescent was empty, or at least appeared to be by the dim glow of the streetlamps. The rows of houses were dark, except for a few lights here and there in a window or a porch light left on by a careless owner. Cars zoomed by on the busy nearby street, flashing lights onto the dark court.
Suddenly, a popping sound echoed down the street of Privet Drive. It was soon followed by another, then another. Three young people – a girl and two boys by the looks of them – all of a sudden appeared on the sidewalk in front of Number 4 and 5. It became clear that their destination was the neat, primly-kept Number 4 Privet Drive, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Dursley.
Rather nervously, one of the boys stepped up to the doorstep. He pulled back the hood of his dark robes to reveal a mop of messy jet-black hair and startling, bright green eyes hidden behind round glasses. Harry Potter pressed the doorbell, eager to get the experience over with. He had no great desire to return here; it was only his loyalty to a promise he had made, it seemed, so long ago. The 'ding-dong' sound of the doorbell startled Harry out of his reveries and another of his companions as well. A gangly, ginger-haired boy jumped in surprise. Ronald Weasley was a pureblood and not very wise in the ways of Muggles. Harry's other companion, the only girl of the three, rolled her eyes. Hermione was a Muggle-born and always found it rather funny that Ron had no experience whatsoever with non-magical appliances like plugs and televisions.
The door creaked open and a thin, horsey-looking woman poked her head out. "Who is it?" she called into the darkness, her blonde curls trembling slightly in their fluffy curlers. Dressed in rubber galoshes and a housecoat, she stood on the threshold. Petunia Dursley had been up late cleaning again. "What do you want?"
"It's me, Harry," Harry said.
"Harry?" Mrs. Dursley asked, sounding more relieved than upset. She surveyed the trio standing on her doorstep.
"Yeah, it's me," he replied. "And my friends." His aunt disappeared through the door and a light snapped on somewhere inside the house. "I've got something for you," he added, handing her a letter as she reappeared in the doorway.
She took it with a heavy sigh and a, "What now?" and fumbled with it a bit before breaking the embossed seal and pulling out the folded sheet of parchment. Her face turned white as she scanned the page up and down. "Dead?" she whispered, her voice suddenly hoarse. "Dead? Dumbledore?"
She stared at them as though they were lying, carefully studying their faces. Harry's face was blank, but if one was to look closely enough, his eyes seemed much brighter than they usually did. Ron looked at his feet and there was a tear rolling down Hermione's cheek. Mrs. Dursley's own eyes filled with tears, for she had never thought such a thing possible.
"It's true then? It's really true?"
"Yes," said Harry.
For a moment, all was quiet on Privet Drive.