Okay, this is what I want to happen in Harry Potter 7. This will be a trilogy. Please review and let me know what you think!

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Chapter One: Goodbyes

It was a fairly warm night of the summer and Harry Potter was lying on his bed, in the dark, at Number Four Privet Drive.

He got up, walked over to the wardrobe, opened it, and stared at his reflection in the mirror.

He looked ordinary enough; bright green eyes with a mass of untidy black hair which hung low, carefully covering a lightening bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

He was, indeed, not normal at all. The scar on his forehead was what Lord Voldemort had given him the night Voldemort had murdered Harry's parents.

If Wormtail hadn't betrayed James and Lily Potter to the Dark Lord, his parents, Sirius, and Albus Dumbledore would still be alive.

Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Harry's best friends, said that on his seventeenth birthday, they would take him from his aunt and uncle's house forever to begin their quest to find Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes, objects which Voldemort could store his soul in to become immortal.

He had only three hours until he finally turned seventeen.

Strange things had been happening ever since Harry had come home from school that summer. When they were in the car, coming home from King's Cross station in London, Aunt Petunia had actually asked him how his term was.

Ever since, his aunt had been pleasant towards him; they actually had a civilized conversation without his aunt snapping at him or snapping about his parents, and without Harry sneering at her rude comments.

She asked him about his friends, about what the castle looked like, even if he had a girlfriend at Hogwarts.

Harry absolutely hated it when she'd bring up the girlfriend subject. especially since he'd broken up with the only person he ever truely loved in that manner only a few days before that conversation took place.

When Harry had told her about breaking up with Ginny Weasley for her own safety, Aunt Petunia actually had sympathy in her eyes and voice. Finally, though, one day, Harry had to break the politeness and ask, "Did you get hit by a spell or something? Because you were never nice to me before."

She responded, "Harry, I understand what you have to do when you find him again. I know that I haven't been the greatest aunt, but I truely am trying to make it up to you before you have to leave."

She gave him a photo album which she apparent had hidden in the dusty old attic for the past seventeen years. It had pictures of his mother and Aunt Petunia together, his father, himself, Dumbledore, and even the original Order of the Phoenix members.

The night Dumbledore died still made Harry feel as if acid were burning a hole in his stomach whenever he thought about it.

It made him so angry to even think about that night, that all he wanted to do what hunt down Severus Snape, cause him as much pain as humanly possible and then get sweet revenge.

But Hermione's voice kept creeping into his head every time he got those thoughts. "Honestly, Harry. You can't let your emotions take over. You have to stay focused on the task ahead. No matter how much you want to hurt Snape for killing Dumbledore, you can't do that; you may end up hurting youreself more than him..."

A sharp tapping noise brought him out of his thoughts. A small owl was pecking on his bedroom window. Ron's owl, Pig, had a letter clamped in his beak.

Harry hurried over to the window, opened it, and let the small, yet annoying owl fly around his room.

Harry opened the letter to find Hermione's neat handwriting.

Dear Harry,

I'm at Ron's house. We're coming to get you,, so make sure you're ready to leave at 4:30 on the morning of your birthday.

I know it's a bit early, and I'm sorry about that, but you'll no longer be safe once the clock hits midnight. 4:30 is the earliest Mrs. Weasley would allow Ron and I out without protection from the Order.

I suppose Ron and I will see you soon then.

Love from,

Hermione.

Harry read the letter through several times to make sure he didn't mistake the time of their arrival.

It was already ten till eleven; he thought he'd better go down and say goodbye to Aunt Petunia.

Harry first sent Pig back out the window, then turned to go downstairs. When he came into the gall, he took a deep breath, this was probably the last time he would ever see his Aunt again. He didn't give a damn about his Uncle Vernon or Cousin Dudley though, who made no move to be nice to him at all.

He entered the living room; Uncle Vernon was sitting on the couch watching the ending of the ten o' clock news, along with Aunt Petunia.

"Er...Aunt Petunia?"

"Yes, Harry?" She turned around to look at him.

"Listen, my-my friends are coming to get me at 4:30 in the morning. I'm going to Ron's house."

"Oh," she said sadly. "Your mother's magic ends at midnight, doesn't it?"

Harry nodded.

"You're not coming back, are you?"

"No," Harry said quietly.

"Yes!" He heard Uncle Vernon mutter under his breath, though both Harry and Petunia heard him.

"Well," Aunt Petunia, standing up off the couch. "If you ever need me, you know where I am."

Harry nodded again; he had never seen her this sad that he was leaving.

"I just came to say goodbye..." Harry explained hoarsly.

"Goodbye," She replied. She took a step towards Harry and, to his surprise, gave him a hug. "Be careful," she whispered as she let go.

"I will." He said. "Bye, Uncle Vernon," he added to his uncle. All the man ddid to acknowlege that was to grunt.

"I'm sorry he wasn't nicer to you as well..." Aunt Petunia said, gesturing to her husband.

"It's okay," Harry said. "Well...see you."

He started towards the stairs when Aunt Petunia called after him. "Oh, Harry!"

He turned and looked at her.

"You look just like you're father. And Happy Birthday."

"Thanks," he said and continued up the stairs. before he shut his door, he heard his aunt say, "I'm going to miss him..."

He smiled to himself.

Harry awoke a few hours later at 3:30 AM with his trunk alredy packed. He got dressed, made sure Hedwig's cage had been properly shut, then sat down on his bed, waiting. Waiting for some kind of sign that would announce the arrivals of his two friends.

It was 4:25 when he finally heard it: the click of of a lock downstairs at the front door. He then remembered that Ron and Hermione were both seventeen and had come of age, so they were allowed to use magic outside of school.

Harry picked up his heavy trunk with diffculty because it was crammed with all his belongings. He then picked up Hedwig's cage and his Firebolt, and made his way downstairs, remembering to skip the bottom creaky step.

He then came face to face with a beaming Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

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R&R please!