Well....I think I've been dawdling a little too much. I should update now, don't you think? Many many many reviews......they make me happy ^_^ so I'm going to continue with the story now....dum dee dum dee dum....and I don't exactly know what I'm going to do with Vanessa....I guess I'll just find out, eh?

Er....one big note, and I hope everyone who reads this pays attention: THIS IS THE BIG CHAPTER WITH SPOILERS IN IT! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX AND YOU DON'T WANT THE STORY SPOILED FOR YOU, DO NOT READ ON!!!

Chapter Thirteen: Sixteen and Passing

Vanessa watched as many things happened at once: James turned the hourglass twice, the rest of the marauders tightened their holds on the hourglass's chain, Lily Evans ran forward and took hold of the chain, and Severus Snape ran forward to take hold of it at the same time.

And then they were gone.

* * *

Harry lay up in his bed, feeling the hours pass by but not tiring with them. They sagged and dwindled as they grew older, and as he lay through them he almost felt his insides sagging with them. His mind was not tired out, as his body was, but roaming...ever roaming....

Professor Dumbledore had sent him a letter only the day before. Harry was to be sent to Hogwarts for the summer, as it was the safest place for him to be, since Dumbledore lived there and recently the Order of the Phoenix had been meeting there. Grimmauld Place had shut itself up against everyone from the Order. Since Sirius, its last remaining heir and owner, had died it no longer lay open and welcome (or at least open).

Sirius.....

Dumbledore had written that Harry would only be staying at Hogwarts for a few days, then he would be sent to the Burrow, but while he was at Hogwarts with Dumbledore he was to be trained.

For what? was Harry's only question.

But he knew what. So he need not ask.

A guard was going to be sent to collect him. He couldn't help but use that word, even in his own mind. Collect. It wasn't as if he had any say in all of this. They were all just shuffling him along, hoping that no problems came along the way.

But Harry knew that he shouldn't think that way, so instead he shook his head and looked over at the clock by his bed and received a slight jolt in his stomach. He had been sixteen years old for almost two hours now.

He yawned.

Sure, he might never get much of birthday presents, but it was still nice to be a bit older.

Then there was a searing pain in his head, across the scar in the middle of his forehead, and a surge of anger in the pit of his stomach, the type of sick, cruel anger that leaves a person feeling resentful and annoyed, and it was gone as quickly as it had come. He swallowed, reminded abruptly of the person who's emotions he was so easily and unwillingly channeling.

* * *

The next morning Harry received birthday presents from Ron, Hermione, and Dobby the house-elf. He smiled at the pair of socks that the ugly little elf had probably hand-knitted himself for him and went down to breakfast in a slightly better mood than what he waken up with.

"Good morning." He said cheerfully as he sat down.

Dudley, who was looking groggy and annoyed glanced up with a scowl and went back to reading a kick-boxing magazine while Vernon Dursley growled a short disapproval of the state of his nephew's hair.

"I'm leaving tomorrow." Harry said, while the others were silent.

His Aunt Petunia, who had just stepped into the room with a pan full of bacon stopped in her tracks. His Uncle Vernon looked up, and while his wife stood silently behind him, he asked "How?"

"Somebody's coming for me."

And that was that. Harry finished his orange juice and bacon then went back up to his room to pack.

Boring boring boring. What a boring chapter. But I do have something for you reviewers to be interested in!

Okay, add two capitals, four commas, and two periods to make this line make sense:

that that is is that that is not is not

Have fun! I'll update again soon!