Declaimer: see chapter 1

A/N: This is my longest chapter to date! Thanks to all my reviewers: Dans no 1 girl, The Gryffindor Drummer, Lady Knight Jules, ObsessedwithLOST, writrfreak15, Seirien and lanniYou guys rock!

Chapter 4: August 2nd 2002

August 2nd 2002

I'm back! Did you miss me? No? I didn't think so. I am currently at the Burrow and it is 6:30 in the morning and I can't sleep. Well I must say more happened the past couple of days then the past month! Let's start at the beginning. I spent the past month with my so-called family. Not much happened I spent most of my time staring at my ceiling thinking and waiting. I lay on my bed day in day out waiting for my birthday to come so I could leave this hell hole, or for Voldemort to come and kill me. What ever happened first I didn't really care. As to what I was thinking. I was mostly thinking about Hermione. I know it's surprising, but I can't help it. Every time I think of her my heart beats faster. I can't help it. I miss her so much. The way she always tells me off for not having done my homework, the way she smiles, the way she smells…it's like strawberries and cream…ops I'm getting of track here. Sorry. Anyways she has written once, and it's more then Ron has. I think I will paste her letter here, so it will be with me forever.

Dear Harry,

How are you? Don't you dare write back saying that you are fine, because I know how much you hate it there! You seemed so distant on the train and at the platform. I worry about you. I got your very brief letter. I'm staying with Ron so if you want to write you know where I am. Although I don't think it is very wise to send to many letters as the might be intercepted. Just think in just two weeks you will be free of your…um...family. Ron's mother told me to tell you that Arthur will come for you early in the morning, some time just before nine,to take you to your apparition license. Molly said it will be just before nine, so make sure all your things are packed before the ok? I wish you good luck with it. I know that you will pass. After you are invited to stay with us until the wedding. I am going to hope like hell that this letter isn't intercepted. I can't wait to see you again Harry there is so much I have to tell you. Oh by the way Ron says hi and not to hurt the Dursleys too much. But I wouldn't hurt them Harry. If you do, you will be in so much trouble and you need to stay out of trouble especially with the headmaster gone. I suspect that I will see you soon Harry.

Love Hermione

She sent that some two weeks before my 17th birthday day. Not much happened until the day before my birthday. Those sons's of bitches called family didn't want me to do anything. So I stayed in my room the whole time. It was on the 30th that I received an owl from the ministry. I think I will paste it in here to.

Dear Mr Potter,

It has come to our attention that as of tomorrow July 31ts you will be of age and will be able to use magic at your current residence no. 4 Privet drive. Due to this reason we have set up an apparition meeting for you at 10am in the Department of Magical Transportation. Level six. Please review all the rules and regulations prior to this meeting.

Signed,

David McPherson,

Department of Magical Transportation.

I was jumping for joy when I read that diary, I really was. I started to pack up all my stuff, until aunt Petunia called me down for dinner. I sighed with happiness. It was my final dinner with the Dursley's! I was literally skipping down the stairs! Dinner was rather quiet, it always is. When we had almost finished our puddings I decided to tell them that I would be leaving the next day. I cleared my throat.

"What?" uncle Vernon snarled at me.

"I just wanted to tell you that tomorrow I am 17, which means that I will be of age in our world. It means I can leave this hellhole you call a home and it means that I will be able to do magic. I just wanted to say even though you let me in to your house, you treated me like scum, and that you are no longer safe. The second I walk out of that door all the safety spells that had been put on this house when I was a baby, to keep me hidden from Voldemort will disappear. So you might die, if Voldemort decided to look for me here, and he probably will. So good bye, I hope to never hear or see you again." I told them, before walking out of the kitchen and back up to my room, leaving a stunned silence behind me. When I got upstairs I laughed out loud and continued to pack up my things.

I woke up the next day with sunlight streaming through my window. I rolled over and looked at the digital clock that I had once repaired. It read 8:30am. I had about half an hour before Mr Weasley came to pick me up. I headed down stairs to the kitchen to make my self some breakfast. There was no one in the kitchen, I guess that they were all still in bed, waiting for me to leave before they ventured out to the rest of the house. I quickly made myself toast with peanut butter on it. I wasn't very hungry and I figured that I would get to eat later. As I munched on my toast I wondered through the house, double and triple checking that I had every thing. I looked at my watch, it was ten past nine. Mr Weasley was late. I was heading up the stairs when I heard the doorbell ring.

"I'll get it." I shouted. I heard a distant grunt, from upstairs. I took it as an okay. I opened the door to revel Mr Weasley in his work robes, standing on the door step.

"Hello Harry. How are you? Sorry I am a bit late." Mr Weasley said to me.

"I'm good. I am so glad to finally get out of here." I told him. Mr Weasley laughed.

"Well let's go get your things and get going. Oh and by the way. Happy birthday Harry." He said. I smiled and lead him up the stairs to my room.

"Thanks." I replied. I opened the door to my room and walked into the centre, Mr Weasley followed.

"Is that all of your things?" he asked pointing to my trunk, Hedwig's cage and the few personal belongings in a TESCO'S bag.

"Yeah. Are we taking them with us to the ministry?" I asked.

"Goodness no." Mr Weasley replied laughing. "I'll take them to the Burrow." And with a wave of his wand all of Harry's belonging were gone. As we headed back down the stairs I suddenly wondered how we were going to get to the ministry.

"Um…Mr Weasley how exactly are we going to get to the ministry?" I asked.

"I managed to set up a portkey not far from here. It's about a five minute walk." He told me. I nodded and shut the door behind us. I turned around and looked back up at the house which had been my so called 'home' for the past sixteen years.

"Are you coming Harry?" Mr Weasley called from just up the street. I turned around and followed him, not once looking back.

It took us a good five minutes to get to the portkey. This time it was an old magazine. I grabbed on to it and hoped that this was the last time I had to use a portkey. We landed in a small dark ally way. I could hear the sound of traffic and lots of people not so far away. Mr Weasley and I got up, brushing our selves off.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"In an ally way. The ministry is about a ten minute walk from here. This was the closest place where muggles wouldn't be able to see us." He told me. I nodded; I was starting to get nervous. I cheeked my watch. It was nine twenty. We still had plenty of time. When we walked out onto the footpath Mr Weasley turned to me.

"What did you have for breakfast?" he asked.

"A piece of toast." I told him.

"How about I get you some proper breakfast." He told me and headed to the nearest coffee shop.

We stopped to get a coffee and a muffin for me. (I told Mr Weasley that I would eat after my test.) And headed off to the ministry. When we arrived it was quarter to ten. Mr Weasley told me he would see me after I had done my test, saying he had to go and do something. So I stepped into the phone booth by myself. I wiped my now sweaty palms on my t-shirt, picked up the phone and dialed the magic number 6-2-4-4-2.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state you name and business". Said the familiar voice.

"Harry Potter. Apparition License."

"Thank you. Visitor, please take the badge and attach it to the front of your robes".

I was Glad to see some things stayed the same as I took my badge.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and…."

"…present your wand for registration at the security desk…" I said in unison with the voice. "Yeah, yeah, I know what to do," I muttered under my breath.

"The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day," said the woman's voice as I stepped out of the box. I headed to the security desk.

"Wand please." Said the man in a bored voice. I handed him my wand and the man cheeked it over before giving me a slip of paper saying I could have my wand back when I was finished with my business. I headed for level six.

I quickly found the room I was looking for and entered a large waiting room, which was currently empty, with the exception on an old looking wizard behind a desk. I walked up to him.

"Name?" he asked.

"Harry Potter." I said. The old man glanced up at me, before shoving some papers into my hands.

"Here fill these out." He told me. I sat down and filled out the three pages. Once I had finished I gave them back to the old wizard and had just sat down, when the door opened and another wizard stepped into the room.

"Harry Potter." He called. I stood up; I was sweeting and shacking slightly. I had rarely been this nervous before. I followed the wizard into a room. It was white and in the middle was a panel of glass. I looked at the wizard.

"I want you to apparate to the other side of that glass, then go out the door and talk to the young witch that is out there. I believe you have read all the rules and regulations." The wizard said in a mono tone. I nodded. I closed my eyes and concentrated on the room next door and with a crack I found myself on the other side. I smiled to my self and headed out the door. I saw the young witch sitting at a desk. She smiled up at me.

"Congratulations Mr Potter you now have your apparition license. Have a nice day." She told me. I smiled. I had done it! I walked out to see Mr Weasley waiting for me.

"Well how did it go?" he asked. I beamed at him.

"I did it!" I told him. He smiled.

"That's great! Why don't you apparate to the burrow? I will get there after I have finished something." He told me.

"Sure." I said.

I apparated into the garden, after collecting my wand. I walked into the kitchen, but there was no one there.

"Mrs Weasley? Ron?" I called out.

"We are in the lounge." Mrs Weasley's voice called out. I opened the door to the lounge room.

"Surprise!" every one shouted. I stood there in a state of shock! There was all the Weasleys and Hermione with the exception of Mr Weasley, and Percy. A huge banner was hung up. It read: Happy 17th Birthday Harry! I was suddenly engulfed in a huge hug by Hermione.

"Happy birthday Harry. It's so good to see you again Harry." She told me. I smiled widely. She had no idea of the effect she had on me. I had missed her so much and now I didn't want to let her go. She released me.

"It's good to see you again too Hermione." I told her.

"Happy birthday mate." Ron said slapping me on my back, before putting his arm around Hermione's waist. Inside I wanted to punch him. It wasn't fair. He had the girl, the loving family and what did I have? I had a destiny that said I had to kill voldermort, before he killed me. I did want to kill him; I don't want to be a murderer. I was quickly snapped out of my thoughts by the rest of the Weasley's saying happy birthday. Mr Weasley entered just as I was about to open my presents. I got a new broom servicing kit from Ron, Ginny and Charlie. Gods know I needed one. From the twins a got a huge pill of their new products. From bill and Mr Weasley I was given my own chess set. (My other one was broken beyond repair.) Mrs Weasley had knitted me a Blue jumper with 'Harry' written on it in Gold and a pile of home made chocolates. Hermione gave me the best present of all. It was a model Quiddich pitch, enchanted so the players would actually move.

"Wow Hermione! This is great. I love it!" I told her. But not as much as I love you. I thought to my self. Yes I had come to the conclusion that I was in love with her. And it breaks my heart to know she is with Ron. At least she is happy…

"Really? I am so glad you like it." She told me, giving me another hug.

For dinner we had all my favourite foods. I ate until I felt as though I was going to burst. For desserts we had all my favourite puddings and a huge chocolate cake. I went to bed that night feeling extremely happy. It was the best birthday of my life. Even the sight of Ron giving Hermione a goodnight kiss to kill my good mood. (Although it decreased some what.)
Yesterday we didn't do much, I played Quiddich with Ron, the twins, Ginny and even Hermione! I was on the same team with Hermione (I was so happy when I found out I was on the same team with her and Ron wasn't! I know its mean but… what can I do?) And Fred. Life has been great. I don't want it to end, but they must. I have to find the Horcruxes and kill Voldemort. I know I would be saving the wizarding world but killing him, but I don't won't to do it diary. It's not fair. I am never going to be able to live with myself knowing I killed some one. I had better go, Ron is starting to wake up and I don't want him to know that I have a diary. Until next time

Harry

Hermione sat there for god knows how long staring at her wall, not really seeing it. Harry was in love with me? She thought to herself. That's when it clicked. How Harry had always acted differently to her. But he knew Ron and I broke up. Why didn't he tell me how he felt then? She wondered. It was all ever so confusing. She decided to tell Ginny all about it tomorrow, but first she was going to read another entry. This time it read:

August 29th 2002…

A/n: well did you like it? Please R&R and tell me about your favourite parts or what you would like to see in this story.