CHAPTER THREE: MY IMMORTAL

Harry bounded off the Knightbus with his belongings in tow. Quickly he scrambled out of harms way as the Knightbus jerked and stuttered before careening around the corner out of sight. Wearily, Harry grabbed Hedwig's cage (where the snowy owl was sleeping peacefully despite the Knightbus' tremulous ride) and his trunk handle in the other hand and made his way slowly up the drive to number four Privet Drive. Despite his subdued manner, Harry felt as if another weight had been placed on his shoulders and he reminded himself that it would be his last time here.

Before he'd had the chance to knock upon the front door, it flew open and the reddening face of Vernon Dursley poked out, his head swivelling from left to right just to make sure that there were no prying eyes.

"Well what are you waiting for boy? Get in here before someone sees you!" Vernon Dursley whispered furiously, hustling Harry into the house with a mixture of great loathing and fear. They stood there in the hallway, uncle and nephew, staring at each other, the eldest at a loss for contemptuous words and the younger of the two merely careless if there were words to be passed between them at all.

A shadow fell and Harry's Aunt Petunia stepped into the hallway. Her long nose wrinkling, as if a foul stench had entered her immaculately scrubbed house.

"Oh, I see you've managed to find your way home, have you?" she spoke with disdain before she turned on her slippered feet.

"I have some good news," Harry at last spoke, making sure his aunt could hear her as she made her hasty retreat. "I've only come to say until my birthday and after that, I won't be coming back here anymore. So things should be looking up for you," Harry said monotonously without a hint of emotion in his voice. He turned as his uncle Vernon cleared his throat, a look of pure delight and triumph in his eyes.

"Well then, get upstairs with you! And if it's possible, don't let me see you until you have to leave again!" Uncle Dursley's beady eyes were already darting from Harry to the door as if he'd like nothing more than to shove him out at that moment, so Harry tightened his hold on his belongings and dragged them upstairs to his bedroom.

Harry sat at his window, staring out at the town of Little Whinging. Despite the fact that he'd never once felt that he'd belonged there, his eyes appreciated the immaculately kept lawns and homes, all glowing brightly under the sky's velvety blanket encrusted with stars. It had been a little over a week since Harry had arrived, and once more, his home-made calendar with the large X's was up on his wall, counting down to his departure. This time, it didn't go all the way up to September, which would have been the start of Hogwart's, but up to his birthday, which was the next day. One more 'x' and he would leave here, without the desire to return ever again.

I'm so tired of being here
Suppressed by all my childish fears

Beside his trunk, a pile of his belongings sat discarded for he was only going to be taking the absolute necessities for his journey. He crossed his room to let Hedwig out of his cage and nearly tripped over an old pair of his Uncle Vernon's socks. A metallic compact came skidding out where his foot had kicked it and clattered before coming to a halt, gleaming in the moonlight creeping through Harry's window.

As his eyes landed on the familiar and almost forgotten object, Harry felt his heart jump into his throat. With trembling fingers he gingerly picked up the object, turning it absently over and over in his hands. Against his wishes, his fingers opened the compact until his gaze met his own staring back out at him through the mirror's reflective surface. Sadly, knowing that nothing would come of it, he whispered Sirius to his reflection, waiting a half moment before tearing his eyes from his reflecting and snapping the compact shut.

And if you have to leave, I wish that you would just leave
'Cause your presence still lingers here
And it won't leave me alone

There were just too many of them for Harry to carry in his head. His parents, Cedric, Sirius and now Dumbledore. How many more would there have to be before he could put a stop to all of this? For he was now certain that it would be he, Harry, who would put a stop to Voldemort's darkness. He would not rest until it was done and by following Dumbledore's last quest, he would find Voldemort's Horcruxes and destroy them, one by one until all that Voldemort had left was the final piece of his soul. And Harry would destroy that as well, in vengeance for all those he had taken away from Harry.

Moving quickly, Harry squeezed the compact mirror in his hand one last time before diving under his bed, wriggling slowly as he had grown over the years. Prying the loose floorboard with his fingers, he threw the compact into the awaiting darkness and pressed the floorboard down, sealing his long-ago hiding place. He would not be coming back for that mirror either. Sirius was gone and so too was Dumbledore. They had given up everything so that Harry could go on - he just couldn't let their actions go in vain.

Dust clinging to his tears, Harry once again made his way to the window, leaning his head out to catch the cool breeze on his heated face. He understood what they had done for them, but why couldn't his feelings just go away. Why did it have to hurt so much?

These wounds won't seem to heal
This pain is just too real
There's just too much that time cannot erase

How he had looked up to both Sirius and Dumbledore. As mentors, as friends. Their deaths together made Harry feel like he was swirling in a world of loneliness. He closed his eyes as the words 'Chosen One' echoed in his mind. Here he was, fated to save the world from the most evil of all wizards, to carry their hopes and fears with him. The whole of the wizarding world was relying on Harry to succeed. And alone Harry stood, wondering who or what in all the world would Harry rely on? Who would carry his hopes and fears?

Opening his eyes as fresh tears made their lazy path towards nowhere, Harry stared helplessly out his window, catching his breath as his gaze landed on a spot that moments before was empty.

When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears
When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears
And I held your hand throughout all of these years
But you still have all of me

There Ron and Hermione stood on the lamp-lit street below his bedroom window. Staring up at him silently, Ron and Hermione raised their eyes, their gazes wordlessly telling Harry that they would not be sent away.

Dumbfounded, Harry blinked once more, hoping that once he opened his eyes, the figures would still be there. But once again, only emptiness met his stare. His heart dropping, Harry leaned out further through his window, frantically searching anywhere his eyes could reach.

"Don't fall now, mate." Harry nearly did tumble out of his window at the sound of Ron's sarcastic voice rising up out of the darkness behind Harry. Scrambling to pull back from the window, Harry whirled around to face his two best friends. His heart suddenly lifting as it had not done 'in a while,' he thought to himself.

He steadied himself as Hermione hurtled into his arms and over her shoulder, grinned widely at Ron who stood awkwardly in the middle of his room.

"Don't even say it Harry. We're staying and there's nothing you can do about it. I don't care if you think you have to do this all alone because you're not going to. Ron and I have always told you that we're - " she stopped short as Ron's hand clamped down over her mouth, effectively stopping the flow of the words tumbling from her lips.

"Somehow, even after all I said before we left, I sort of knew you guys would be around somewhere," Harry said.

Cautiously, Ron removed his hand from over Hermione's mouth, revealing a satisfied grin spreading across her face.

"Harry, we' ve been with you ever since you got on the Hogwart's express that first year. We saw what being friends with you was like every year after that. We know what we're in for Harry. But we still want to help you," Hermione said earnestly, her voice rising as she warmed up to her subject. Ron inched forward again, his hand outstretched but Hermione batted it away.

"Can you shout any louder, Hermione?" Ron whispered furiously. Harry too had been glancing nervously at the door, listening intently for any sounds coming from the Dursley's.

"Oh stop it, Ron," Hermione once again pushed her hair out of her face, whipping Ron, who was standing quite near to her in the eye. "I put a silencing charm on the room right after we apparated in here, didn't I?" Hermione flopped down onto Harry's unmade bed and looked at her two friends with an air of superiority.

Rubbing his eye, Ron sat on Harry's desk chair while Harry perched on the bed beside Hermione, his back against the window sill.

"So what's the plan, mate?" Ron asked, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

And so, Harry outlined to his best friends in greater detail his plan to finally visit Godric's Hollow to see his parents before setting out in search of the rest of the Horcruxes Dumbledore believed to still be out there. He amended his plans when Ron interjected and said that they all had to attend the wedding or Mrs. Weasley's wrath combined with Fleur's would be even greater than Voldemort and his Death Eater's combined.

Into the night, the three friends talked, gaining strength and comfort from each other's presence. The sun had already begun it's ascent into the brightening sky when in a heap of tangled limbs, the trio fell asleep.