Disclaimer: I'm not British, even if I wish I was, so therefore I am not JK. I don't own Harry Potter, the characters, or anything like that.
This story takes place a couple days before Harry's 17th birthday. After HBP.
"Crash!"
Harry sat up, with a confused look on his face. He saw his bed right next time him, and the wood floor underneath him. From the looks of it, he had rolled off his bed.
Suddenly he heard footsteps running down the hallway. "Please, no." He thought to himself, knowing full well who it was. The door of his bedroom flew open, there stood his aunt and uncle, both carrying a look of fake concern.
"Are you alright, dear?" His aunt asked, being a horrible actress. It was all too obvious that she really hated how Harry had interrupted her wonderful as usual day. Behind her, Harry's Uncle Vernon echo her fake sympathy. "Harry, son, didn't hurt yourself did ya?" He asked gruffly, not able to keep his displeasure out of his voice. He most likely wanted to tell the boy off for making such a racket.
Ever since he had gotten back from his sixth year at Hogwarts, his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had pretended to care about him. They hadn't realized that basically everyone that would threaten them was either dead, or not there for Harry.
Lupin was still off with the pack of werewolves, trying to get some inside information for the Order. Mad-eyes was working around the clock with the Ministry of Magic's Auror department, either training future aurors or off somewhere gallantly saving muggles and wizards alike. Dumbledore was dead. Sirius was dead. Mrs. Weasley was busy with helping Bill plan the wedding, and Mr. Weasley's job at the Ministry had gotten at least ten times more hectic with the war in full swing.
Harry sat on the floor Indian-style, looking at them, glaring inside. "Yea-- I'm fine." He muttered and climbed back onto his bed. He looked at his aunt and uncle again, hearing more footsteps, this time it was the elephant baby. His uncle was like the Papa elephant, and Dudley was his equally as large son. Petunia, Harry's mother's sister, was the giraffe. From pictures of his mother, Harry secretly wondered how they could possibly be related. The red hair beauty and the horse-toothed fiend.
Dudley stepped into the doorway, he was shaking noticeably, probably thinking if he didn't act like he cared about Harry, a tall, cloaked wizard, probably resembling Voldermont or Moody would poof in a give him another pig's tail or something. "A-are ya al-alright, Harry?" He stuttered fearfully.
"Yeah. Perfectly dandy." He replied in a rather annoyed tone. This seemed to be enough for all three of them, because the words barely left his mouth before they all high-tailed it out of the way. "Only three days." He thought, not sure he could survive that long.
He glanced at his watch, and it told him that it was exactly 8:19. He decided this was too early, so he laid his head down, wishing to go back to sleep. This didn't work too well because try as he might, sleep just didn't come. He decided to try to occupy himself, at least, until it was an okay hour and he could actually go outside and do something. He walked over to his trunk and pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill. Quickly he scrawled down a note to Ron.
Ron,
Hey, I was wondering if maybe one of your parents could take me to the ministry in a couple of days so I can take my apparation test. If not its fine, I can wait until Bill's wedding. I can't wait to see you and Hermione, though. We got some serious planning to do.
Harry
At first Harry thought that was good, but then he realized that it said a bit too much, and in a time of war, that was not a good thing. He quickly ripped the paper up and burnt it in the candle on his desk, the tall white one that he always kept lit, and was spelled to never burn out or catch onto anything, a gift from the always thoughtful, Hermione.
Harry went back to his trunk and grabbed another piece this time writing a short, cryptic message.
Ron,
I was wondering if you parents could take me for my test. If not I'll see you and Hermione in a little bit.
Harry
Harry was satisfied with this. He walked over to his window, opening it up. Hedwig was probably out hunting, he decided, but it wasn't safe for him to allow any straight entrances into his room. He looked around his desk and nightstand, not finding it, he looked on his floor. He was a seeker, he was used to following glints of light, which was how he found the silver whistle, snurkled under his bed.
He went back to the window and whistled sharply, waiting for Hedwig to respond. Almost instantly he heard a deep hoot, then the sound of flapping wings. The white owl landed on his shoulder, looking at him expectantly. "Deliver this letter, and I'll give you an owl treat when you get back." He replied to her look. She gave him another look, this time a dissatisfied look, but nibbled on his ear, a little harder than usual, to show that she understood.
With that done, it left Harry with not much left to do, so he decided to throw on a pair of jeans that actually fit him for once, since his aunt decided a 'fine young man like himself' shouldn't have to walk around in clothes about ten sizes too big. Harry was glad for this, because since then the neighbors stopped looking at him like a delinquent, and more like a normal, lower class, almost-human. Except for the new neighbors. They seemed almost out of the 'stuck-up people loop' because they were always nice to Harry, and their son, who was Harry's age, stopped by a couple times to ask Harry to hang out. He always declined, making up some fake excuse, but the boy never questioned it.
In fact, it didn't even seem to bother him, always being refused. Harry felt slightly bad for this, and afterwards always decided to go with him next time, but he always did the same thing. He just was never in the mood to do anything with anyone. But every so often he did meet up with the boy when walking around and they would talk a little. Or the kid, Joseph, would talk. Mostly about his life, friends, etc, before he moved, and Harry would listen.
Harry went down the stairs, he looked out the door and saw Joe walking along the side of the street. Harry walked out the door just in time to catch him, he was actually in the mood to talk to someone at the time, even if he wouldn't do much talking besides the occasional nods and 'I sees.'
"Heyya Harry!" The boy greeted in a way that rivaled Colin and his brother. Harry smiled at this memory. He was really going to miss Hogwarts, and all the people that came with it. Including Colin, and even Pansy and Malfoy, but only because they came with the package.
Harry walked up to him, "Morning, Joe, why are you up so early?"
"Couldn't sleep," he replied, rubbing his sneakers in the grass, probably wiping of dog poop, belonging to one of his family's three dogs, "I could ask you the same thing though."
Harry smiled at this, this kid was the only person in his muggle world that actually cared, without just pretending.
"Fell outta my bed. Couldn't fall back to sleep." He explained simply.
Joe nodded, accepting this. He started walking again, Harry followed him wordlessly. "I was thinking, I've told you everything about my friends, and my family and my old school, but I don't know anything about you."
Harry looked up at him and shrugged. "I have my friends, they live pretty far away, and, well I'm not going back to school this year, so it doesn't really matter."
Joe looked shocked, "How are you planning on making a living as a drop-out?" He asked, quite surprised, "I never thought you would be the type of person to quit."
Harry smiled a little. "Don't get me wrong, I love school, but my school got shut down, anyways, I have other plans this year." He was going to say something like 'traveling the world' but he didn't want to say too much, Moody's 'Constant vigilances' was stuck in his brain, Harry didn't want to risk trusting anyone.
He nodded a little, obviously disappointed that a person he looked up to so much all the sudden seemed like some low-life, too lazy to go to school. "What about your family? You live with your aunt and uncle, don't you?"
"Yep. The Dursleys. My mother's sister, her husband, their pi-- son." He looked at Number 4 and sighed. He would be gone from there in a couple days with any luck.
".. Do ya mind if I ask .. I mean .. If it doesn't bother you .. about you parents." Joe seemed cautious about this, like he was expecting Harry to attack him for asking, or burst out crying.
Smiling, Harry replied "They died in a car crash .. that's where I go this scar on my forehead." He pulled his bangs away and showed Joe, as if it proved it was true. The same lie the Dursleys let his believe for eleven years.
The boy nodded, "I see. How long ago was it?" He asked, wondering this because Harry seemed so okay about it.
"I was only one, I'm going to be seven-teen in a couple days, so about 16 years ago." It didn't bother Harry, at least not like it used to. It seemed, since Dumbledore died, Harry stopped paying attention to pain, but almost like put it off until the Dark Lord was dead and Harry could finally live a normal life.
Joe nodded just as Harry looked up and saw a white figure fly across the sky in the direction of Number 4. He realized that it was probably Hedwig with a reply from Ron, and she would get pretty impatient if he made her wait.
"Well I'll be seeing you later, Joe, I have to go now." He waved simply before he started walking towards his aunt and uncle's house.
"Gbye Harry!" The boy called after him, then started walking by himself going who knows where.
Harry walk into the house and up the stair without a word to either his aunt or uncle, but he couldn't avoid Dudley, who was standing at the top of the stairs, just about to go down.
"Er .. Heyya Harry." He said, sounding like he had to force himself to say it. Harry gave a nod in reply then walked right past him, but he was stopped.
"Y-you th-think j-j-j-just be-because you're a freak, you can make my whole family serve you to you heart's content?" Dudley seemed scared to say this at first, but by the end he had an air of almost fearlessness.
Harry had to laugh at this, "I never asked them too. You all just did."
"B-but Dumel-dir .. or whoever he--"
Harry stopped him, he face stony, "Dumbledore's dead." He said in a rough tone, then noticing Dudley's obvious pleasure at this, he added, "Don't be happy about it, he was the only person standing between you and Lord Voldermont. Now, ironically, I'm the only thing left." Harry chuckled a little at this, and even more at Dudley's perplexed face that could definitely rival Goyle or Crabbe.
Harry walked past Dudley, who was too confused to say anything about it. He walked into his room, and sure enough, there was Hedwig. She gave a hoot of displeasure as she stuck out her foot stiffly, waiting for Harry to take it. He untied it with some difficulty, obviously Ron and his family were hoping that having to take the time to untie the letter would discourage anyone else from trying to read, even though he was willing to bet it was heavily spelled.
Finally, when Hedwig was free from the letter, she looked at Harry, waiting for her promised treat. He grabbed something off his desk and threw it to the owl, who caught it in her beak and swallowed it quickly.
Harry opened the letter, it was from Ron, just as he expected.
Harry,
Sorry, mate, my parents can't come and get you, but Bill's wedding is two days after your birthday, you should be getting an invitation soon, someone will come get you then.
Ron
Harry sighed, he was going to have to wait two more days than he wanted to, but at least as soon as he did leave, it would be permanent.
AN: There you have it. My longest chapter I've ever written. Tell me what you think.