-1Chapter One

The Remorseless Farewell

A large brown trunk bearing the Hogwarts crest lay closed and locked on top of the neatly made bed in the centre of the room. A well polished, though slightly worn broomstick lay on top of it, the name "Firebolt" stamped across the handle in gold letters which had lost some of their shine. Beside the trunk, a bird cage lay empty, the owl that lived in it being out on a late night hunt. The room was uncommonly tidy as most of the possessions that could usually be seen scattered across the surfaces and floor were packed in the trunk. Photographs and books had been cleared from the bedside table and the loose floorboard under the bed had been moved aside to show the space where the room's occupant had once kept items that his aunt and uncle would most certainly have confiscated or destroyed.

The only evidence that the room had not been vacated was a tousled haired boy who was sitting in an old, scratched wooden chair by the window. His eyes were fixed on a wristwatch which he had laid on the table beside him. A faint ticking was coming from it and it was on this that the boy seemed to be fixing his complete attention.

Suddenly, the near complete silence of the night was broken. The clock downstairs was striking. The small second hand on the pocket watch reached the top at the exact moment that the chimes began and the boy at last looked up. Harry Potter had come of age.

Harry got up quickly but silently and looked out of the window. At precisely the same moment he had come of age, the protection that Number 4 Privet Drive lent him had gone. Harry did not know whether or not Voldemort knew this, but he knew he'd better be on his guard just in case. The street lamps outside lit the street sufficiently to tell him that unless they were invisible or very well hidden, the street was empty of people. This information was enough for Harry and he drew back from the window, walking over to the bed. He noticed the cage and remembered that Hedwig was still out hunting. Retracing his steps to the window, he threw it open and gazed out at the night sky. The moon was not full, but it was bright and the sky appeared a dark navy blue instead of black. Harry could see the stars twinkling and for a brief moment, he wished he had paid more attention in Astronomy so that he might be able to pick out the different constellations. A moment later, his attention left the stars, as he noticed a black dot moving steadily towards him. It was Hedwig, returning with a dead mouse, expecting praise.

Hedwig landed soundlessly on the windowsill and Harry gave her an affectionate pat before bundling her unceremoniously into her cage. He had no time to waste as he was anxious to get moving. Harry had, for many years, been outstaying his welcome at Number 4 and now that it was of no further use to him, he saw no reason to stay. He pulled his wand out of his jeans pocket, feeling excited at the prospect of being able to use it outside school without receiving a letter from the Ministry of Magic moments later, berating him for under-age wizardry. He pointed his wand at his trunk.

"Locomotor Trunk" he whispered and to his delight, the trunk lifted into the air as though it was weightless. He repeated the spell for Hedwig's bird cage and his Firebolt and then with his wand held ready, he made his way to the door, his belongings floating along after him. The door was locked, just as it had often been during previous visits to Privet Drive, but this time, the key was on Harry's side of the door. The Dursleys seemed to have been affected, if only slightly, by the speech made to them by Dumbledore about their treatment of Harry. Harry had noticed quite an improvement in the way they had treated him. Dudley had stayed out of his way completely, let him choose what to watch on television and had not tried to steal food off his plate. Harry's aunt and uncle had been equally hospitable and at first, Harry had been amazed at how much they seemed to have taken Dumbledore's words to heart. This had puzzled him continually, until he remembered that he had once mentioned he would be coming of age this birthday and would be able to do magic outside school. The Dursleys were acting in fear and not out of the goodness of their hearts.

The key was in the door, but Harry did not bother reaching out to turn it as he would usually have done. He pointed his wand at the door and said in a soft voice "Alohamora". The door clicked open quietly and Harry walked through it. He now had to negotiate his way down the stairs with his trunk, cage and broomstick. It did not look like being an easy task so Harry pointed his wand at his belongings again, in order to direct them on the best course downstairs. He didn't meet any problems in doing this until he reached the bend in the stairs. Very slowly and carefully he tried to edge the trunk round it, but it was no use. The trunk hit the wall with a loud bang and Harry heard a yell from upstairs. He grabbed his trunk quickly, braking the spell and returning it to it's normal weight. In the other hand, he took the bird cage and somehow managed to grab onto his broom with a few fingers. He tried to continue on his way downstairs, but a moment later, he heard heavy footfalls on the landing and the lights came on. Uncle Vernon stood at the top of the stairs, his immense shadow casting the stairs into darkness as he blocked out the light from the landing above. He looked furious.

"What do you think you're doing, crashing around on the stairs in the middle of the night?" Uncle Vernon yelled, his face starting to turn a familiar shade of purple. Aunt Petunia appeared behind him pulling on a bright pink dressing gown, her hair coming loose from the matching pink curlers that were dotted about her head. She looked scared as though she thought the noise had been caused by Harry attempting to blow up the house.
"Vernon" she mumbled nervously, looking apprehensively at Harry. "It's his birthday"

Uncle Vernon's face seemed to drain of colour as the meaning of this simple statement dawned on him. He swallowed hard and then tried to speak. He seemed to be having difficulty stringing words together.

"Oh...I er...Oh" was as far as he could get. He swallowed hard again and Aunt Petunia, holding her dressing gown tightly round herself like a shield stepped bravely in front of him.

"Well congratulations Harry" she said, a fake and very forced smile spreading across her face. Her eyes however, betrayed the fear that Harry knew both the Dursleys were feeling. He grinned, enjoying the scene before him immensely. For years, the Dursleys had hidden behind the knowledge that any magic on Harry's part would cause him to be expelled from school and his wand to be snapped in half. They had half hoped that Harry would do magic so that they would be safe from him forever. Without a wand, Harry was not a threat to them. Now, they had to face the fact that Harry had now reached his seventeenth birthday, still a student at Hogwarts and with a wand that was in no way broken.

"Thanks" said Harry, sarcastically. "I'm touched. I never realised how much you cared." He turned his attention back to the task on hand and managed to squeeze round the corner and to the bottom of the stairs before Aunt Petunia spoke again.

"You're...you're leaving are you?"

"Looks like it doesn't it" Harry commented in way of a reply.

"Will you be back?" asked Uncle Vernon who seemed to have found his voice on hearing this news.

"I hope not" Harry replied, not bothering to hide the satisfaction he felt in giving this reply. The Dursleys did not take the trouble to hide their true feelings either. At these words, a smile had spread over both their faces. Harry ignored them. He heaved his trunk, bird cage and broomstick down the hall to the front door then put them down at his feet so that he could hold his wand. The Dursleys made noises of protest, but then stopped themselves, as though thinking that whatever Harry did to the front door before he left would be worth it, so long as he really went away for good.

"Alohamora" Harry said and the door swung open. He lifted his belongings out onto the doorstep and looked back into the Dursley's hallway for what he sincerely hoped would be the last time. "Goodbye then" he said casually and without waiting for a reply, closed the front door behind him.