Never Look Back
The moon sat, full and bright over Little Whinging. Despite this fact, it was still a very dark night, and the presence of the moon only made the shadows cast by the buildings below longer and more ominous. One house in particular, Number 4 Privet Dr., seemed even more dark and gloomy than any other on the street. Maybe it was just the shadows of the neighboring houses blocking out the moonlight, or maybe it was simply a trick of the imagination. Either way, one got a bad feeling walking by that house on this night.
Six people currently occupied the house. Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were sleeping in the largest upstairs bedroom. Across the hall there son Dudley was snoring loudly. Next door, three teenagers sat crammed in a corner of the smallest room in the house. They had been talking for the better part of several hours, but now as midnight approached they all fell silent. Ron Weasley sat on the floor, his back rested against the wall, and his arms folded across his chest. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping. Across from him, Harry Potter sat on his bed, clearly deep in thought, staring out the window. Hermione Granger sat beside Ron on the floor. She too leaned against the wall, but her eyes were wide open, continuously moving between Harry and the clock on the wall, her hands kept fidgeting nervously.
The clock on the wall struck 12:00 am. Even from upstairs the chime of the old grandfather clock downstairs could be clearly heard. Ron was suddenly alert. Hermione, who could barely sit still by this time, looked uncertainly at Harry. The tension in the room was so thick; it seemed to be pressing down on them.
"Happy birthday, mate." Ron said, desperate to break the silence. Hermione glared irritably at him.
"Thanks." Harry mumbled in reply and he continued to stare out the window. He had been dreading this moment ever since he had arrived at the Dursley's. At this moment, he was no longer safe. No matter where he went, there was nothing protecting him any more. Any adults that he could have looked to for protection were gone. The ancient magic that had protected him for the last 16 years as long as he remained in his aunt and uncle's house had expired. There was nothing standing between him and the most powerfully evil wizard of all time any longer.
He was stirred from his thoughts by a sudden loud tapping on his bedroom window. Quickly, he opened the it to allow a large grey owl to fly into his room. It gazed at him with large yellow eyes as Harry removed a letter from its outstretched leg. Ron and Hermione got up to see who the letter was from.
"McGonagall?" Said Ron, "What's it say, Harry?" Harry read it through; it was barely a sentence long and hastily written. It said:
Be ready to leave before dawn.
Professor M. McGonagall
Author's Note: So what did you guys think? I know it's a pretty short/slow chapter, but it will get better! This is my first fanfic and I need feed back so please review!