Harry walked through the hallways with unseeing eyes, dodging in and out of secret doorways and passages. Even though it had been many months since he had last walked the corridors of Hogwarts, he made his way easily up to McGonagall's office. In an effort to focus himself for his conversation with the new Headmistress, he began to review what had happened since he had last seen her.
As instructed by Dumbledore, Harry had returned to the Dursley's until his 17th birthday. It had been an uneventful few weeks. Harry mostly stayed in his room, coming out only occasionally to use the bathroom, shower or sneak downstairs for a snack. The Dursleys maintained their distance, neither talking to Harry, nor acknowledging his presence.
Harry was grateful for the quiet and used his time to reread his old textbooks. He was amazed at the things that now seemed so elementary, but which had been a true struggle from year to year. He also read through the defensive books given to him two Christmases prior by Sirius and Remus. Tirelessly, he tried all of the defenses, hexes, jinxes and curses until his knowledge, speed and ability to use them were flawless. He didn't use his wand because he could not stomach the thought of another ridiculous charge of use of magic by an underage wizard by the Ministry. However, he figured that if he perfected them without his wand he would be that much more effective once he did use it.
At least once a week Hermione sent him a volume or two to look over. Each was tediously marked by extensive notes made by her, carrying questions or suggestions she wanted Harry's opinion concerning. These were sent by regular Muggle post as they had decided Voldemort's followers were unlikely to take much notice of something of that nature, let alone intercept their communications.
Harry spent the day before his birthday packing up all of his books, notes, clothes, and other items into his trunk. He was surprised by how many things he had gathered in his six years at Hogwarts and was grateful he had had Hermione magically enlarge the trunk before they had left the Hogwarts Express. He received birthday greetings from Hermione, naturally, and Ron, Hagrid, Remus and Tonks, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Fred and George, Luna, and Neville.
On July 31st, Harry left the Dursley's for good. He got up early that morning, before the sun had risen. Thinking back to Mr. Weasley and Lupin's suggestions of politeness, he left the Durlsey's a note, in effect, saying that he was leaving and would not be returning. He took his packed trunk, walked around the corner from Privet Drive and rode the Knight Bus to London– to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, to be exact. This was now his home. Although it was no longer headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, he felt the need to have some added protection and appointed Dobby as the new Secret-Keeper for the mansion.
When he took a break from practicing dueling with Dobby, he spent time cleaning the old manor again, preparing it as his own. There seemed to be no end to rooms in the vast house. Nor did there seem to be an end to the dark surprises within each room, each more unpleasant than the next. Harry was often grateful for the time he had spent there two summers previous, as it had given him a good preview of what was now a daily struggle for survival. He frequently wondered how Sirius had spent so much time here while hiding with Buckbeak.
An unexpected pleasure had come when, among Kreacher's hoard, Harry had found Slytherin's locket. It turned out to be easier to destroy a piece of Voldemort's soul than to retrieve it and the locket now hung around his neck, along with the fake Horcrux. During the encounter, Harry received injuries that left a prominent scar running across the top of his left hand, but it was a small price to pay. Besides, he had told himself, it balanced out the scar on his right hand that he had received from Umbridge's detentions two years earlier.
He had also attended Bill and Fleur's wedding at the Burrow mid-August. Despite some awkward moments with Ginny, it was well worth the trip. Ginny had smiled politely when he arrived, but had hurried away rather fast. Naturally he was overwhelmed by the welcome from the rest of the Weasleys (including a rather subdued Percy) and Hermione. During the ceremony Harry kept his eyes fixed on the back of Bill's head in an effort to avoid looking at Ginny. He had allowed himself a quick glance as she walked down the aisle and felt his heart stop for a moment. He also found his mind fast forwarding through a film that began with him waiting for Ginny to walk down the aisle towards him and ended with them kissing as husband and wife.
After Bill and Fleur left for their honeymoon, Remus and Tonks were married in a quick, small ceremony since everyone was already at the Burrow. Remus actually blushed when Tonks enthusiastically kissed him at the end of the ceremony, causing them all to laugh.
Harry stayed long enough at the Burrow to invite Fred and George to move in with him, as well as Remus and Tonks. Harry couldn't stand being in such a large house all alone and enjoyed the constant company. Fred and George were always up to something. And Tonks turned out to be surprisingly good at making the Wolfsbane potion for Remus each month when he transformed. Greyback had seen him fighting the night of the attack and he was no longer living with the werewolves.
Harry had also spoken to Ron and Hermione about their plans to find the remaining Horcruxes. In the end, it was decided that his two best friends would return to Hogwarts and he would contact them at a later time when they were ready to begin their journey.
Occasionally members of the Order would stop in for a brief visit or update. All things considered, life was panning out better than he could have hoped. And now it was time to continue the journey he had begun so long ago.