Disclaimer: Most of the characters mentioned in the following story are borrowed from JK Rowling and are not of my own imagination. Any characters in this story that are not mentioned in any of the Harry Potter books are my own.

Chapter 4

Harry looked around his small room in the Leaky Cauldron. He couldn't wait to go back to Godric's Hollow, but for now he needed a place to stay.

The first place he went to was Gringotts. He pushed open one of the heavy doors, not even bothering to read the words of warning on the door. He made his way to the far counter of the main room, stopping in front of an aged goblin who looked down at him sternly from his high seat. Harry rummaged through his pockets, pulling out a small golden key and placing it on the desk in front of the goblin who picked it up and looked at it carefully then nodded at another goblin near him.

"Follow him," the older goblin told Harry, turning back to a roll of parchment in front of him.

On the ride to Harry's vault, he thought about what to do next. He put the key in the door of the vault, waiting as it opened. To his suprise, the piles of gold in the huge vault seemed to have grown.

"Is there more in there?" he asked the goblin, pointing at the towering piles.

"Interest," the goblin grunted.

Harry turned back to the vault. "Oh" was all he said.

He withdrew quite a bit, putting it all in a bag that he hung securely around his neck, slipped under his shirt. When they arrived back at the main room he exchanged half of it for muggle money and returned to his room at the Leaky Cauldron.

Remembering the letters and gifts he still had not finished opening, he opened his trunk and pulled out what remained. The letter containing the Hogwarts seal caught his attention. He opened it nervously, wondering it said.

Dear Hogwarts Student, it began,

As you are probably aware, after the passing of former Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, there has been some debate over whether or not Hogwarts should stay open. It had been decided that Hogwarts will remain open. A list of required book and equipment has been included.

Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Headmistress

Harry folded the letter back up, not bothering to look at the equipment list. Only one more letter remained. Harry knew from the untidy scrawl that it was from Hagrid.

Harry,

Happy birthday. Can't believe you're of age now. Your parents would be proud of how far you've come. Hope you decide to return to Hogwarts for your seventh year, I know you weren't planning on, but I reckon you should. At times like these you need all the training you can get.

Hagrid

Harry sighed. They were all on to him about it. He knew he should return, but he wanted so badly to find and destroy the remaining horcrux's. As he stared out through the small window into muggle London, a thought occurred to him. Maybe he could do both. He rummaged through his trunk to find a spare piece of parchment and a quill. Sitting at the small desk in the cramped room, he penned a letter to Professor McGonagall.

Professor McGonagall,

I know this is an unusual request, but please keep an open mind while you consider it. I regret not being able to tell you much about what Professor Dumbledore and I had discovered, but he made me promise not to tell anyone. I have had a hard time deciding whether or not to return to Hogwarts this year as I would like to continue the work that I started with Professor Dumbledore but I am also somewhat reluctant. As I am now 'of age' in the wizarding world I was thinking of returning to Godric's Hollow and buying a house near where my parents used to live, but I have been told by many people that I should return to Hogwarts and continue my training. Perhaps we could make arrangements for me to return to Hogwarts to continue my studying, but return to Godric's Hollow some weekends to continue other work via the floo network. Once again, I know this is an unusual request but I ask that you consider it. I know that if I worked hard I could do both. If for some reason this is impossible, I will be unable to return to Hogwarts.

Sincerely,

Harry Potter

He put the letter in an envelope and addressed it. After putting a few things in a backpack and locking his room, he made his way downstairs. He sent his letter with a grey barn owl from the post office, then went into the Leaky Cauldron and tapped his wand on the far wall, stepping back as the archway opened. He made his way through the bar to the door at the far end of the room and opened it, squinting in the light. Stepping out into muggle London, he closed the door behind him and wondered where to go first.