Chapter 1

Harry Potter sat in the living room of Number 4 Privet Drive. Petunia was in the kitchen cooking lunch. Uncle Vernon sat watching television. Dudley was out somewhere with his gang causing some sort of noise.
"What you doing, boy?" yelled Vernon.
"Thinking."
"Thinking about what?"
"My parents, my friends, and my life."
Harry was starring out the window. It was still light outside. It should be July the 31st. Harry was hit with a hard bound of realization. Today was his seventeenth birthday.
As he looked out the window he noticed four owls flying in the direction of the house. Harry sprinted up the stairs to his room to find the same four owls waiting on him. Hedwig had a small package and note from Remus. Pig had a letter and a big package from the Weasley family. The other two owls he didn't recognize. The first owl, a small barn owl, gave Harry two small packages on from Hermione and the other from Hagrid. There was a chocolate cake inside Hagrid's. Hermione's had a book on Charms and 'what they were for.'
Harry opened the one from the Weasley's to find a new pair of muggle blue jeans; some chocolate frogs; a picture of Ron, Hermione, & Harry; and at the bottom the were two things Harry could not explain. One was a picture of three people Harry didn't yet again recognize from afar. As he lifted the picture out of the box he noticed one person. His Mother. She stood with another red head in front of what Harry thought to be the fire in the Griffindor common room. Between the two was a boy with messy brown hair and liquid brown eyes. Harry was sure he had seen those eyes before somewhere. They were all dressed in the red and gold uniforms of the Griffindor house. They all laughed and were smiling. At the bottom of the picture wrote in sloppy manuscript was: Red, Carrot-top, and Bookworm Together Forever.
Harry read the letter attached to the package.
Dear Harry:
I hope you like your gifts. Happy Birthday.

I found this picture in our attic. The other
Thing are for you and Hermione.
Ron
Harry looked down into the box again to find a small box of condoms. Harry laughed at the crude humor. Hermione and he had been dating for a year now. At the end of the year last year Harry had kissed Hermione and she tripped. Ron walked into the room and every since had told Harry not to go 'all the way.' Hermione and Harry had already set that limit. They wouldn't 'do it' until they were engaged/married.
Suddenly the last owl flew at him. The owl had a letter addressed from an Olivia Snape. Harry opened it. It read:
Your presence is requested at Number 3 Godric Hollow tomorrow afternoon. The estate of Lily and James Potter is to be divided among those who knew them.
Harry noticed the owl didn't go away. Instead it flew out the door that leads to the stairs. Harry chased after it. The owl landed in front of Aunt Petunia who had just come into the living room to tell Vernon of lunch. The dropped the letter and flew of out an opened window.
Aunt Petunia starred at the letter before opening it. She looked horrified. She didn't read the letter out loud, but Harry knew it was the same letter he had just received.
Later, after supper when darkness began to fall Harry heard noise coming from his aunt's and uncle's bed room. He knew better than to sneak-a- peek and listen to their conversation. He couldn't help it he grabbed some of Fred's and George's Extendable Ears that they had sent over the summer.
They were arguing about the letter. It sounded as though Petunia was trying to defend Harry's mother, Lily.
"Vernon, I don't like it either but she was my sister. No matter what I still love her; in the tiniest bit."
"She was a freak, Petunia. All that stuff she did. It wasn't normal."
"I agree. However, she is still.... was still my sister." Her voice softened to almost a whisper. "I still loved her."
"Whatever, you can go. I do have one question though. Why do you stick you up for her all the time?"
There was a moment of silence.
"When we were older about the time she started at the 'freak' school. Dad started drinking more...."
"I don't want to hear this. Your father didn't do that and you know that. It was your 'sister' and her involvement in that freak school that killed your parents."
Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing, this was impossible. Harry listened again. How had his grandparent's died? Petunia spoke again.
"Let's just go to bed it's getting late."
Vernon yelled for Harry. Harry ran into the room trying to hide the Extendable Ears. Harry was sure Uncle Vernon had heard him listening.
"Boy, this later came for you in the NORMAL MAIL."
He handed the letter to Harry. Harry red it quickly.
Harry
Can you come to our house for your birthday?
We'll pick you up at 9 o'clock July 31st.
Ron
Uncle Vernon looked at him. He grabbed the letter.
"So they're picking you up tonight. And it's your birthday. So your 17 years old? How it feel?"
Uncle Vernon was a little put-out when Harry started to walk back to his room, completely ignoring what he had just said. As Harry walked into his room he heard his aunt tell his uncle.
"Let him go, Vernon. Let him go."