"Boy! Get down here. " bellowed Uncle Vernon from the sitting room. It was a couple of minutes till nine on Harry's last day with the Dursleys. A lanky young man appeared at the bottom of the stairs with a wand in his right hand.
"Yes, Uncle Vernon?"
"How many times have I told you to keep that thing hidden! I won't have you parading your unnaturalness about our home for anyone to see. That thing stay upstairs at all times. Understand"
Hiding a smirk, and slipping his wand into his back pocket the boy nodded.
"Was there anything else you wanted to tell me? I need to finish packing for school." Harry had crammed the last of his belongings into his trunk before coming downstairs, but thought it made a convenient excuse to leave Vernon's presence.
"Make sure you don't leave anything behind. Can't have you traipsing about our house looking for things just because you were too careless to remember them. In fact, anything you leave behind will be burned. We won't stuff up our basement with your kind's rubbish."
Harry had stopped listening soon after his Uncle began speaking and was caught off guard when Vernon stopped talking.
"Well boy, get up there and finish your packing. Can't have those kind at the house all day just because you were to lazy to get your things together at the proper time. They will be on time this year? Petunia is having her society over for tea and we don't want you here when they arrive."
"Actually I'll be leaving by myself." At the look of surprise on the large man's face Harry decided to give a parting shot. "You see, when a wizard turns seventeen they are of age in the magical world and as such are allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts . I haven't yet passed my apparition test-"
"Will you shut up! While under this roof, any talk of those things is strictly forbidden. Get out! I want you gone within the hour!"
This time, the boy didn't even try to hide his smirk.
"Fine by me" he responded as he turned to ascend the stairs. It wasn't much, but after sixteen years of repression and neglect, it would have to do.
Harry settled on his bed to wait for the temporary floo connection to open. He was set to leave at 9:30 sharp and had only to keep himself occupied for thirty minutes or so. Taking a small parcel from his pocket, he reversed the shrinking charm on it and opened the cover. It was the album Hagrid gave him during his first year. After the death of his godfather, Sirius, Harry had taken to carrying the book with him. So few knew Sirius' real story, Harry wanted to make sure he never forgot. The death of his godfather haunted Harry in more ways than one. Piled on top of the grief and guilt that Harry felt for was fear. Fear that he would end up like his godfather. The last of his line, with no to remember the man behind the stories and the scandal. Sirius' death had marked the end of the house of Black, Harry didn't want the same to happen to his family.
Glancing up from the pages of his scrapbook, Harry realized it was nearly time to go. Casting a quick levitation charm on his trunk he picked up Hedwig's empty cage and gave the room a final sweep with his emerald eyes. Closing the door behind him he went downstairs.
Mumbling a "Thanks" to his Aunt and Uncle (Dudley was having "tea" with a member of his gang) Harry quickly produced a fire with his wand. Throwing the contents of a small packet into the flames he shouted "The Leaky Cauldron!" and disappeared.