A/N: Figure that disclaimer out, and I'll dedicate the next chapter to you.
The chapter you've all been waiting for, and no, it's not Hermione!
July 31, 1996
Harry's 16th Birthday
Dear Harry,
I truly hope that you are alive to read this, and that I shall not be reading this at your funeral, but if things do not turn out the way I wish, always remember, death is but the next great adventure.
So, I would like to take a moment to express my deepest sympathy if you do happen to be lying dead, and I do hope that you will remember me, and everyone else who has impacted your live. And also, tell your parents and Sirius that I miss them dearly.
Any way, back to business. Your parents left you their house in their will, so if you will come and see me after reading this, I will be very happy to give it to you, seeing as Professor McGonagall has been pestering me for the last month about giving you the key.
Also, today is your sixteenth birthday, and the Dursleys have one last present they wish to give you. Seeing as you were brought back to the Headquarters early this year, I have been given this gift. I do hope that you use this present wisely, but by the time I give it to you, Voldemort will be dead, and you will be a grown man.
Now, on a happier note, I am pleased to tell you that, once you turn eighteen, you will be given full ownership of all of your bank accounts, all of your parents' property, and everything that belonged to either them or Sirius, so you will be a very rich man.
Harry, I happen to not be one for emotion, but I need to tell you this, you have been like a son to me, the son I never had. I know you viewed Sirius as a father, but I do hope I was some sort of close relative to you. I would like you to know that I, too, am a descendent of our dear Godric Gryffindor, which means that, somewhere along the line, we were related.
Harry, I survived the first war, but I am not sure if I will live through the second, so if I am not alive to read this with you, remember, I love you like a son.
Sincerely Yours,
Albus Dumbledore