A/N: Ok people, I only got 2 reviews; I hope I have more readers than that, so when you're done reading, please review. It's not hard, I swear.
Harry glared around King's Cross station looking for the Dursleys. He spotted them waiting by the car in the parking lot. Of course, they had parked as far away from the station as possible. Before Harry could reach the parking lot, a half-dozen members of the Order intercepted him. Moody, Tonks, Charlie, Molly, Fred, and McGonagal blocked his path. Harry raised an eyebrow at the sight of McGonagal. Molly pulled him into a rib-cracking hug, and Fred patted him on the shoulder. An awkward silence fell over the group, until Moody spoke up. "Now Potter, you watch yourself, you'll be at your aunt and uncle's for less than two weeks. Make sure you're ready; our window of opportunity is finite. Be careful," he ended gruffly.
"Yes, Potter. I'll be by soon. You will receive all the details by owl," MsGonagal stated calmly. He looked at her for the first time since that night on the tower. She looked as if she had aged five years in one day. Her eyes were red and swollen, her clothes were dirty and frayed, and her usually tight hair bun was frizzy and unkempt. The other Order members spoke their good-byes, and Harry darted off before his classmates could find him. He climbed into the Dursley's new SUV without a word. He noticed Dudley has gained more weight, and glared in disdain.
They arrived on Privet Drive in less than an hour. Vernon had sped down the highway and given more than a few drivers the universal sign. Harry pulled his trunk and Hedwig's cage out of the back of the car without any help from the Dursley's. The Dursley's were congregating at the dining room table, and Dudley was tuning the television to his favorite channel.
Harry slung his possessions into his room, and roughly placed Hedwig's cage on the dresser. Hedwig squawked in protest and nipped Harry's finger. He swore loudly and wrapped it tightly in a dirty sock. He sat down on the floor and drew out the calendar until Bill and Fleur's wedding, when he would be free from the Dursley's forever. His bed had no sheets on it, and everything was covered in a layer of dust.
Without dusting anything off, or going to get sheets from the linen closet, he flopped on top of the bed. He tried to fall asleep, but thoughts berated his mind. The thought that kept coming back into his mind was his encounter without Hermione on the train. He pored over the event over and over again. Slowly, his eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and he drifted into sleep.
That Same Night
Hogwarts
Minerva McGonagal was sitting at her desk in her office, preparing for the meeting of the governors of Hogwarts. Her quill suddenly snapped and she threw it into the waste bin in frustration. She pulled a drawer open to find a new quill. She reached into the drawer, but found an envelope instead of a new quill. In spidery, flowery writing on the front of the envelope was "Minerva." McGonagal pointed her wand at the envelope and whispered "Aperio aliquis maligro." A pinprick of light shot from her wand and danced across the envelope. It rose in front of McGonagal's eyes and glowed white. McGonagal set down her wand and peel opened the envelope. She drew the letter and read the letter:
Dearest Minerva,
If you have received this letter, then death has finally found me. Hopefully, I have not left you in too dire straights. If I have, I apologize with all of my heart. I wish you the best of luck as the new Headmistress of Hogwarts. I hope if you have any questions, you will consult the portrait of me in my former office.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore
McGongal let the letter fall to the floor as she wept. Dumbledore had been the one member of the staff who she was closest to. Suddenly, she felt cold and alone. Part of her wanted to go up to her new office and ask Dumbledore the questions that burned inside her mind. However, she could not make herself move; she did not feel as if the office truly belonged to her. She transfigured her broken quill into a handkerchief and dabbed her eyes. Her face was red and hot, and her eyes were swollen. She would have to leave the work for the governors until tomorrow. Mcgonagal conjured the door to her office sleeping quarters, and tried to fall asleep. After almost an hour and half, sleep found her weary and covered in tears.