Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, alright?
Chapter 1: Last Day of Dursley
Dawn was just breaking on Number Four Privet Drive as sunlight hit Harry Potter full in the face through a gap in his curtains. He tossed and turned on his bed, a pained expression on his face. A haphazard pile of books which lay next to him fell to the floor with a flutter and a thud. Pages from The Daily Prophet scattered around and books fell open on their sides. Many of these books were on Defense Against the Dark Arts. One of the books was his Advanced Potion-Making text, which he had once thought about burning. After a few days of deliberation he had decided it would be useful in his fight against Voldemort, no matter who the Half-Blood Prince was. A half-torn Daily Prophet headlined; "Death of The One You-Know-Who Feared Most." Another one was open to the article; "Hogwarts Closed Forever?." And the last Daily Prophet was folded in an obscure way from the fall, yet one could barely make out the headline; "Harry Potter: Our Last Hope."
Realizing he could not fall back asleep, Harry Potter sat up in his bed, rubbing the crust from his eyes. He blinked stupidly for a few moments before reaching for his glasses on his bedside table and putting them on. As he made his way to the bathroom with a towel and a change of clothes, he realized with a mixture of different emotions that today was his seventeenth birthday; the last day he would spend in Privet Drive. He would finally be free of his damned relatives and he would be able to do magic as he pleased, "yet," he thought with a pang of sadness, "I've missed out on so much as a child..."
As he stood motionless under the hot water, memories of Dumbledore's last day plagued his mind. Every night he would dream about Snape mouthing the words Avada Kedavra; Dumbledore recoiling as he was hit by the spell. He could still see his lifeless body floating in midair under the Dark Mark, still see his lifeless corpse on the grass, the fake Horcrux lying next to him. Harry still couldn't stand thinking about his death, and the fact that now his parents and Dumbledore was gone, he was alone. There was no one to protect him. No one to guide him. Harry shook his head, knowing that thinking about it would make matters worse. He distracted himself by going over his plans to visit Godric's Hollow and continue his search for the remaining four Horcruxs. Now that he could apparate (he had taken his apparition test with Ron a week before, accompanied by Arthur Weasley, and passed with flying colors) it would be easy to travel. Before he could get carried away by his thoughts, he shook his head and remembered that Bill and Fleur were getting married, and he had told Ron and Hermione he wouldn't miss the wedding. He rinsed the soap from his tall, maturing figure and stepped out of the shower, drying himself with his towel. As he left the bathroom, now dressed in Dudley's old clothes, he passed Aunt Petunia who completely ignored him as usual and entered the bathroom, muttering something about "taking too long in the shower."
Harry entered his cluttered room and sat down on his unkempt bed. He was just about to open a book concerning wizard duels when he heard a tap on his window. He looked over and saw a Errol, Pigwidgeon, and a black spotted owl he did not recognize, all looking tired and hot from the summer heat. Harry wondered how his friends had time to send him presents when the war was still going on. He shrugged to himself and unlatched his window to let the three in. He untied the parcels from their eager talons and, after a gulp or five of Hedwig's water (Hedwig gave them a threatening look) they gave a hoot of thanks and flew off into the clear morning sky. Deciding to open Hermione's first, he unwrapped the packaging and opened the letter on top of a fancy-looking box.
Dear Harry,
I heard you passed your apparition test from Ron. Congratulations! I'm going to the Burrow tomorrow (which, by the time you're reading this, will be yesterday) to help with the preparations for Fleur and Bill's wedding. I hope you come, Harry, we miss you. Anyway, happy 17th birthday. I hope you like my present, I couldn't think of anything better to give you.
Love,
Hermione
P.S. We have much to talk about, especially about Ginny.
As Harry read the last sentence, he winced. A mixture of guilt and burning desire roared inside of him. Harry had thought he could forget about Ginny by occupying his mind with plans for Voldemort's downfall, yet every time he dropped his guard her beautiful, smiling face would appear in his mind. He yearned to once again taste the sweetness of her soft lips, to feel every curve of her body pressed against his in her loving embrace. He knew he could not have these things, yet that made him desire her even more. He wondered if Ginny felt the same way about him, did she spend her days thinking of him? "Face it," he thought to himself, "she probably already replaced you with someone interesting and much, much more handsome. There were many guys at Hogwarts that had their eyes on her." His chest tightened; the thought of Ginny with someone else was unbearable.
After a minute or two Harry finally got a grip, shook his head of these thoughts, and opened Hermione's box. Inside was a vial containing a sparkling baby blue liquid. He picked up the vial and noticed a small piece of parchment underneath. As he read the parchment, his eyes widened, whispering, "Hermione...how did you get your hands on this?"
Breath of Life
This potion will cure any poison, mend and replace any broken or lost bones, and heal any physical wound of any kind in an instant, even magical wounds such as Werewolf bites (though you will still be cursed as a Werewolf). If you find yourself near death, one gulp of this will bring you back to full health. However, the Breath of Life will only work on wounds that are fresh. Scars cannot be healed. Additionally, once someone has taken the potion, it will have no effect a second time.
Harry sat there for a moment, thanking Hermione silently. He knew it would be useful in the battle against Voldemort, though he would have to inquire as to how Hermione had come across it. It couldn't have been cheap.
He turned to Errol's massive package, which was from the Weasley family. He wondered how the hell Errol managed to lift the package, let alone get it to Privet Drive. He opened it to find a pile of sweets from Mr. And Mrs. Weasley, an arsenal of magical items from Fred and George (there was a note saying these were prototypes for a new line of protective charms), a handsome formal dress robe from Bill, Charlie, and Fleur along with an invitation to their wedding, and a small box which Harry hesitated to open from Ginny.
Deciding to open Ginny's present last, he turned to Pigwidgeon's package and tore open the parcel. Inside was a silver ring, though it was about five times too small for any of his fingers. With a raised eyebrow he examined it, then, picking up and reading the parchment next to the ring, he finally understood.
Harry,
Oi, mate. I thought you might like this one. You slide it on the tip of your wand and it enhances minor jinxes and spells. I saw an add for it one day in the Daily Prophet and thought you might like it. Happy 17th birthday.
Ron
P.S. See you at Bill and Fleur's wedding.
Harry smiled. Ron wasn't much for words, but Harry knew he meant well. Realizing he could perform magic legally now that he was seventeen, he excitedly dashed to his wardrobe, pulled it open, and took his wand out of one of his robe pockets. He slid the small ring onto the tip of his wand and thought of a jinx. An idea popped into his head and a mischievous smile formed on his face. Deciding his plan would be carried out best during breakfast, he slowly opened Ginny's small package.
Inside was a note and what appeared to be a velvet engagement ring box. He picked up the note, noticing her light, flowery scent on the paper.
Dear Harry,
It took me a while to find a worthy present for you. I got the idea from Fred and George. It's an enchanted stone which has the same effect as chocolate. It will give you energy when you're tired, keep you warm in the cold, keep you cool in the hot sun, and give you encouragement in the toughest of times. Harry, it's a reminder that you're not alone. Ron, Hermione, and I will always be there for you when you need us most. Happy 17th birthday.
Love,
Ginny
Harry felt touched by Ginny's words, and felt his love for her grow. His desire to hold her became almost unbearable now. He picked up the velvet box and stared at it for a while. Finally, he opened it to find a small, flat, transparent stone. The minute Harry picked it up he could feel the raging pent up emotions inside his heart lessen a bit. He felt comforted by the soft glow now emanating from the stone. He decided that he would carry it around with him until the end of his days and pocketed it, thoughts full of Ginny.
Harry went down to breakfast, beaming. The bemused trio of Dursleys just stared. As Harry sat down and helped himself to a muffin, Uncle Vernon cleared his throat and said, "So it seems you're in a good mood today. It's your seventeenth birthday, isn't it boy?"
Harry knew where he was going with this. He took a bite of his muffin before answering, "Yes, and you want me out of the house as soon as possible, am I right?"
Uncle Vernon smiled a big, toothy smile and said, "It seems we're on the right page. I want you out of this house the minute you're done with breakfast."
Harry smiled inwardly and said, "Do you know what else being seventeen means?"
Uncle Vernon frowned for a moment, then said, "Explain what you mean, boy."
Harry drew out his wand in a flash and used a curse that stuck their tongues to the top of their mouths. Uncle Vernon immediately realized what Harry had meant. Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were horrified. Uncle Vernon, not being able to yell, gave Harry a look of total rage and charged at him like a rhinoceros, knocking the kitchen table over. Harry thought in his head "Levicorpus" and instantly Uncle Vernon was hanging upside down by his ankle like a pinata. Harry laughed as Dudley and Aunt Petunia struggled to get Uncle Vernon down. It would seem that the spell enhancer worked, usually the spell that stuck their tongues to the roof of their mouths would have worn off by now. They probably wouldn't be able to speak for a couple more hours.
Harry knew he didn't have much time until the jinxes wore off, so he sprinted up the stairs into his room. He packed using the same spell Tonks used to pack his things two years ago and strapped Hedwig's cage onto his trunk.
"I have nowhere to go..." he realized. He thought for a moment about the Burrow... he definitely couldn't go there. You see, he understood that he was basically one of the family. Hermione was there too, but... Ginny was there, and he couldn't bare to be in her presence without being able to touch her. Plus, his presence there would endanger the whole family. Harry didn't want that. So finally, after a few minutes of deliberation, he decided. His trunk in one hand, his wand in the other, he said a silent, joyful farewell to Privet Drive and apparated with all his belongings to The Leaky Cauldron.
Yes, yes I know it was horrible. I'm not much of an author... but anyway, please review. I'd really appreciate it!