Harry entered the door of the Dursley's home with dread. His heart already felt like it couldn't bear any more stress, fear, or grief than what he had already suffered and now he was entering the least likely place where he could find relief. There was an aching void inside him where Dumbledore had once been. There was no promise at the end of this summer. Harry's entire vision of Hogwarts had been centered around everything that Dumbledore represented. Even with McGonagall as headmistress nothing would ever be the same.

As soon as he turned seventeen and the spell that bound him to the Dursley's was broken, he knew he would fly from them like he'd never flown before. He'd already planned it all. He would steal out of the house on his broomstick, doing whatever magic he had to in order to remain safe and hidden until he reached the Weasley's. Expulsion didn't mean anything anymore. The life he had known at Hogwarts was a shadow and a memory now. O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s seemed like petty stupid trifles now. Looking back he could hardly understand how he had spent so much effort and stress concerning himself over them. He should have found out from Slughorn sooner. He should have found more Horcruxes…He should have done everything and anything that he could have to stop what happened on the tower that night from happening. His body still felt frozen there…Watching.

"Mind the carpet!" Petunia's voice barked as she whipped around the corner of the corridor into the living room, hardly taking notice that he was home. He realized he'd been standing in the doorway a bit too long. Vernon had already thundered ahead of him and Harry could hear him in the next room rumbling around and pouring himself a glass of port.

Pulling his trunk behind him, he closed the door stepping into the coolness of the air conditioned house. He dragged his trunk up the stairs behind him thudding steadily. He went into his room and sat down on his bed. He looked up at Hedwig's empty cage. She was off delivering letters to Ginny, Ron, and Hermione and at a time when he felt he needed a companion more than anything else in the world, he was alone.

When Sirius had died all hope wasn't lost. Even though the grief had been overwhelming he still had some sort of parent there watching over him. Dumbledore had always been a sort of paternal guard to him. Watching him, counseling him, and keeping him safe when things seemed impossibly bleak. And now…there was no one. The world felt horribly empty in Harry's little room as he stared out over the hundreds of identical rooftops of the homes on Privet drive and beyond.