Harry Potter woke up panting; beads of sweat rolled down his face. He had just relived Dumbledore's death. Harry could see every detail, hear every sound, and feel every feeling that he had felt that terrible day. Dumbledore had been the best thing that had happened to him. Although a bit vague at times, he had always done what he thought was best for Harry. He had, in a sense, become Harry's father. Losing him made Harry feel that there was nothing left in his life except pain.
It had now been a month since Dumbledore's death. And every night, the same scene played out in his head. It was as if the dream was trying to tell him something. Although the death had been very hard on Harry, it had filled him with a new energy and purpose. He knew now, more than ever, that the only way to help the souls of Sirius, Dumbledore, his parents, and the countless other people who had died due to Lord Voldemort, was to destroy him forever. He had to make the prophecy come true, in his favor.
Knowing it would be a futile attempt to go back to sleep, Harry got out of bed and walked to the open window. He noticed that Hedwig wasn't back from her hunting yet. "She'll be back; she always is. She's just about the only thing in this world that I can count on not to go dead on me," Harry said to himself while leaning out the window and feeling the soft breeze. While thinking about Hedwig, Harry realized, yet again, how long Ron and Hermione were taking to send a detailed letter to him. How hard could it be to say things clearly? Harry felt the anger build up inside of him. He needed to do something! He couldn't just sit here and mope around like he had been for the past month. He kicked the bed in frustration. "Ow!" yelped Harry, "Great! Now even my own bed is against me!"
Suddenly, Harry heard an owl coming through the window. He immediately recognized the snow-white owl, Hedwig. "Hope your night was better than mine, Hedwig," Harry muttered while absentmindedly stroking the beautiful bird. It took a few sharp pecks from Hedwig for Harry to notice that she had brought a letter. "Finally! A letter! Hopefully this isn't like all those other letters that I have gotten; which all say 'Don't worry Harry. We'll come get you when it quiets down here. Just sit tight and don't do anything stupid!'" He quickly scanned the letter:
Harry,
We are sorry for keeping you in the dark for so long, but we had doubts that the owls were being searched. (As a matter of fact, we still do.) But we have finally arranged for a way to get you out of there (hopefully unscathed). Have your trunk packed and be ready to go by 3:00 am today. You'll only have to survive a few more hours with the Dursleys, mate. (I never could believe that there were such vile muggles, but I must admit that your aunt, uncle, and cousin certainly do fit under that category.) Anyway, stand in front of the fireplace and we'll come and get you. I suppose you should leave a letter for your aunt and uncle. Okay, well we've got to go help Mr. Weasley. See you in a while. Oh, and sorry again Harry, we couldn't do anything about it.
Ron and Hermione
"Yes! Finally, I get to get out of this place and never come back!" Harry smiled. He hurriedly packed up his stuff and made sure not to forget anything because he would under no circumstances come back here ever again. Not bothering to place his belongings neatly in his trunk, Harry finished and scanned the room one last time. It was 2:40, only 20 minutes till freedom. He reread the letter to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. When he got to the part about leaving a letter for the Dursleys, he said, "It's not as if they would care anyway. They would probably just get a cake and celebrate my leaving. Whatever, not my problem anymore. I'm just as happy to get them out of my life as they are, perhaps more." He grabbed Hedwig's cage and went downstairs to wait out another ten minutes until Ron and Hermione came to get him. Hedwig had already flown out the window, probably to the burrow.