Disclaimer: Hey look a flying pig!  Oh sorry my mistake…well that's when these characters are mine…when pigs fly…;)

The wind howled through the trees, as the branches waved back and forth. Fallen leaves swirled around in the air, as a glowing moon shone through the misty clouds. A sliver of moonlight illuminated the weathered street sign standing at the edge of a quiet street corner.

Privet Drive.

At first glance, there was nothing unusual at all about Privet Drive. Nice, neat little houses all in a row. There were normal gardens, normal cars, normal people. There was nothing suspicious about it at all.

But then, if you looked closely, you would feel that there was something different about this street. Something hung in the air. There was a feeling of fear, and suspense...A feeling that something was going to happen…

In the mysterious fog that hung over the street, a brilliant green snake could be seen. It slithered silently behind a bush. There was a sinister hissing noise. In response, a low murmur sounded.

"Yes…Nagini…Yes, that will do nicely indeed…" A high cackling laugh broke the silence and suddenly Privet Drive was bathed in green light. Then, as suddenly as it had come, Privet Drive was silent once more, with no sign at all of the green light, and the snake…or even the person who had laughed.

* * *

In the smallest bedroom at 4 Privet Drive, Harry Potter woke with a start. He

sat up in his bed and felt around for his glasses on his nightable. He put them on, and looked expectantly around the room, as though he was ready for something to come and spring up on him. Of course, nothing happened, and Harry tried to recall what had woken him.

He wrinkled his forehead in concentration…he had been dreaming about something again. There had been a green flash… a snake…Voldemort's snake! Harry felt a sudden burst of fear…the last time he had woken like this was last year. He had been dreaming about Voldemort and Nagini, and last time his dream had not been a dream at all…Dumbledore had said himself it had most possibly happened! However, last time he had woken with his scar burning.

Now, he fingered the lightning-bolt scar etched on his forehead. It was his only remnant of his first encounter with Voldemort. He had survived with only a scar, but at the cost of both his parents' lives. Harry's mother and father had been murdered by Voldemort. And his mother had only died to protect him. At least his scar wasn't hurting now, and Dumbledore himself had said he thought Harry's scar only hurt when Voldemort was near, or when he was feeling particularly angry.

Harry shivered. He hated thinking about Voldemort, and avoided the subject if he could. Harry decided that the nightmare was nothing to worry about, and that in fact, it was just a nightmare. Harry resolved to think about happier things now. He scanned the room, searching for something that would remind him of a memory far happier. His eyes fell on the birthday cards propped up on his night table. He smiled, Voldemort now out of his mind. The cards were from his best friends, Ron and Hermione from Hogwarts, the wizarding school he went to. Harry frowned suddenly…Ron and Hermione had both said they would contact him and have him stay over the holidays. Harry had been looking forward to the invitation all summer long, and now, since there were only about two weeks left until the start of the term. He knew time was running out, but he was still anxious to hear from either one of them.

He still needed to go down to Diagon Alley to buy some new school supplies. As Diagon Alley was in London, he was certain the Dursleys wouldn't bring him. They wouldn't care if he got into trouble, because he had no parchment left to finish his schoolwork, or if he didn't have enough potion ingredients left. Harry grimaced. Professor Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin house at Hogwarts would love an excuse to take off loads of points from Gryffindor, and Harry couldn't let that happen. Gryffindor had won the House Cup three years in a row now, and he couldn't let Snape stop them while they were on their winning streak. He would find a way somehow to get to Diagon Alley he resolved. One way or another, he would get there.

Startled, Harry suddenly noticed that dim rays of sunshine were now peeking through the window. He glanced at the clock. 5:34 AM. Harry yawned…he still had a couple hours left to sleep. Voldemort and evil happenings totally forgotten for the moment, he took off his glasses, and quickly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Outside, the sky was turning glorious shades of pink and purple, as the sun lit up the street with rays of sunshine. The neighborhood looked innocent, and perfectly normal. No one would ever suspect anything at all had happened at Privet Drive that night.

* * *

By the time Harry had gotten up, the Dursleys, his abominable relatives, had all woken up, and were eating breakfast. Half the kitchen was barely visible under the mounds and mounds of bacon and eggs and toast that were meant for Dudley.

Last year, Dudley had to finally go on a diet because he was so fat he couldn't fit into any of the uniforms at Smeltings, the private school he went to. He had, in the end, lost enough weight so that he finally fit into the largest uniform (just barely). But, ever since then, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had been so proud of their ickle duddleykins for losing weight that they coddled him so much, Harry could see that he was gaining back all the weight he had lost. Harry sat down at the table, helping himself to a piece of toast. Uncle Vernon was reading the morning paper, complaining loudly about every other sentence written in it. Aunt Petunia was busy making even more breakfast for Dudley. Harry just sat there, eating his piece of toast silently.

Uncle Vernon was just getting started on a long, winded tirade about how much the price of gas had gone up, when the telephone rang. Uncle Vernon stopped talking and snatched it up.

"Vernon Dursley speaking," he said.

Harry paid no attention to this, as Uncle Vernon was always getting phone calls from business people, and fellow employees at Grunnings, whom he complained together with. It seemed to be favorite hobby of his. Harry returned to his toast.

"Oh yes…has he?" said Uncle Vernon in a malicious sort of voice. Harry looked up to find Uncle Vernon's beady little eyes boring into his.

"Yes…yes, of course you can speak to him". Uncle Vernon covered the mouthpiece of the phone while saying to Harry. "It's a Professor Mc-something. Seems you've gotten into trouble at that blasted school, eh boy? She wants to talk to you about scheduling some detentions or some kind of punishment of that sort." Harry gulped. He hadn't seen Uncle Vernon look this happy in months, so it must be something really horrible…but he hadn't done anything wrong over the summer! With a growing feeling of dread Harry took the phone from Uncle Vernon. The Dursleys were all staring at him, evil grins stretched across their vile faces. Harry turned around so they couldn't see him and nervously croaked "Hello?"

"Harry! A familiar voice said, "It's Hermione! No, don't say anything yet, let me explain. I pretended to be Professor McGonagall and I said you were in trouble so I had to talk to you! Just remember, you still have to pretend you're talking to a teacher or else your aunt and uncle will know it's not a teacher."

"Oh, er, right, Professor McGonagall." Harry said, relief spreading through him. He chanced half a glance over his shoulder at the Dursleys. They were all looking intently at him, trying to listen in on the conversation. They obviously thought it really was Professor McGonagall, and that he was getting in big trouble.

"Harry," Hermione continued, "I'm really sorry I haven't talked to you sooner. I couldn't find an owl to use to write you, and I've been…busy…with…people…" she trailed off vaguely. Then she cleared her throat and started talking again.

"Well I've only just gotten a letter from Ron. I wrote back and asked him for your phone number.

Anyway," Hermione continued, "You haven't been down to Diagon Alley yet, have you?--No of course not, what am I saying? I was thinking, maybe you could come over to my house to stay for the rest of the holidays, and we could go down to Diagon Alley together. Maybe with Ron too."

"That would be gre—um…ok." Harry replied aware that the Dursleys were attempting to listen to his every word.

"But how am I going to get there?" he said, choosing his words carefully.

"Oh, right…." There was a moment of silence. Harry could just imagine Hermione thinking hard about this. Sure enough, she had come with a solution.

"Oh Harry, I've got it! You can use the Knight Bus!" Harry just stood there for a moment, stunned. The answer was so simple he didn't know why he hadn't thought of it right away!

"Of course! Brilliant Hermione!" he whispered under his breath making sure no one else could hear him.

"I'll say I have to leave early for…detention." Harry realized he was taking an awfully long time on the phone for a teacher to assign a detention, so Harry raised his voice.

"I'll see you tonight at 7:00 PM tonight, right?"

"Right," said Hermione, "At Flourish and Blotts in Diagon Alley. Bye Harry!" Harry hung up the phone. He stood there for a minute, fighting the urge to jump up and shout for joy. He was leaving the Dursleys! Finally! And they were sure to let him go if they thought he was leaving for detention! Harry restrained himself, and forced a pained look onto his face. He turned around to look at the Dursleys. They were all looking at him, rather evil looks on their faces. Uncle Vernon was the first to speak.

"Gotten into trouble eh? Have to leave early for your detentions? WELL WE'RE NOT GOING TO DRIVE YOU! If you don't show up, you'll be even bigger trouble with that…that ruddy school. They might even expel you!"

Cackling with glee, Uncle Vernon turned and stormed out of the kitchen. As soon as they all left, Harry was tempted to start laughing. They thought there were no other ways of getting to Hogwarts! Well, he would show them! As soon as they were in their bedrooms, he would sneak out and use the Knight Bus, just as they he and Hermione had planned.

Harry made sure to look angry and depressed when he went up the stairs and back into his room. He closed the door and quietly started to pack his belongings into his trunk. He had just closed Hedwig's cage (Hedwig was off hunting) when he heard Aunt Petunia announcing dinnertime. He went downstairs, remembering to still look angry, and keeping up the charade that he was miserable over the fact that he might be expelled. Harry managed to look gloomy through dinner. Or at least he thought he must have, because no one questioned him at all.

When dinner was over Harry made sure to trudge slowly back into his room, instead of skipping, which was what he felt like doing. He would be leaving the Dursleys in a few short hours!

Once he was inside and had closed the door, he found that Hedwig was back. She was just sitting on the desk, tilting her head and staring at her cage, which was locked and sitting on top of Harry's now-packed suitcase.

"Oh," Harry said. "You're back, Hedwig. That reminds me. I wanted to write a letter to Ron." He sat down, took out his very last piece of parchment, a quill and inkbottle.

He started writing, stopping every once in a while to make sure the Dursleys couldn't hear his quill scratching on the parchment. When he was done, he put away his quill and began to re-read the letter.

Dear Ron,

Why haven't you written to me all

summer? I haven't written to you only

because the Dursleys have forbidden

Hedwig from delivering letters. But since

I'm going to be leaving tonight it won't really

matter if they catch me. Are you going

to be staying at Hermione's also? She didn't

say when she called me. I'm going to take

The Knight Bus to Diagon Alley and then I'm

meeting Hermione there. Maybe I'll see you there.

- Harry

"Feeling up to a short trip?" Harry said to Hedwig. Hedwig hooted. Harry took that as a yes and folded the letter up and tied it to Hedwig's leg.

"I'll be at Hermione's when you get back ok?" Harry told Hedwig. She hooted again and then soared out the open window. Harry watched her glide silently across the yard until she was out of sight. He glanced at the clock. It was time to leave! He tiptoed to the door and quietly opened it. The Dursleys seemed to all be in their bedrooms.

This is it, Harry thought. He closed the door again silently and turned to drag his trunk across the room. Then, he opened the door again. He peered outside into the hallway making sure the coast was still clear. No one was there. Harry turned the trunk on its side and began pulling it into the hallway.

Harry got to the stairs without any mishap. Now this would be the tricky part, maneuvering it down the stairs. Harry pushed it slowly so that it's end rested on the first stair. Then, ever so carefully he eased it down a couple of stairs, making sure it didn't make any bumping noises. He did this the whole way down, moving it just a couple stairs at a time. By the time he got his trunk to the bottom, he was sweating, and slightly out of breath from the effort.

Suddenly, he remembered that Hedwig's cage was still in his room. Quietly, he climbed up the stairs again and into his room. He grabbed the cage and rushed back downstairs with it as quietly as he could. Now that the hard part was over, all he had to do was drag it out of the house and then he would be free!

However, Harry soon learned, this wasn't as simple as it sounded. By the time Harry had pulled the trunk outside, he was running late. Panting, and out of breath, he pulled his trunk to the end of the driveway. He opened it and fumbled around inside, groping for his wand. It was now dark, so he wasn't afraid that anyone would see him. He found his wand, nestled between two books and took it out. Taking a deep breath he raised his right hand--then quickly put it back down. The last time he had used the Knight Bus, it practically run right over him when it was coming. He decided to step onto the lawn, just in case. He again raised his right hand, clutching his wand, and this time he didn't put it down.

Nothing happened. Harry looked around, confused. He stuck out his wand again…nothing. Harry was getting more and more confused by the second. Not to mention worried. Without the Knight Bus how was he going to get to Diagon Alley? Harry tried again.

Still nothing. Maybe he was doing something wrong? He switched the wand to his left hand, even though he wasn't sure why. Again, nothing happened. Harry was now very anxious. He was stuck in the darkness with a heavy trunk and nothing else. Maybe…it was running late? Feeling stupid, Harry stuck out his hand, clutching the wand in his outstretched for a full five minutes. Still, nothing happened. Harry sighed. He supposed his only option would be to try and sneak back into the house, hoping that no one would notice him. The idea wasn't satisfying. Hopefully, Harry stuck out his wand hand once more, just in case.

Out of nowhere came a flash of blinding green light. Harry heard a evil laugh…He wasn't sure if it was real or if he was imagining it. All he could see was the green light. Then, the green light and the cackling started growing dimmer and dimmer…suddenly all Harry could see was blackness…all around him…