Chapter 5
That night, the night before his 17th birthday, Harry twisted and turned in his sleep. He had been lying awake for a long time, and when he finally fell asleep, he couldn't ignore the hunch that something was going to happen.
It seemed as though he wasn't wrong.
As the first gong for midnight struck, time seemed to stop. Not a sound was heard, except for the chiming of the clock. On the twelfth gong, at the dot of midnight, as Harry's 17th birthday came to be, Harry Potter had a vision in his sleep.
As he tossed and curved in his bed, a searing pain shot through his scar, and then he saw it. A tall man with unruly jet-black hair stood in an empty lot. Harry recognized the tall man; it was he. In front of him were two shimmering, shadowy forms. The two forms were the spirits of his parents, James and Lily Potter. Harry didn't know how he knew this, he just did.
The vision lasted only for a few seconds. As soon as it was over, Harry awoke, his emerald eyes bright with fear and confusion, and something that could almost be called understanding.
While such visions weren't unusual for him, this was the first time something this strange had happened before.
However, he understood the message behind it - he had to go to Godric's Hollow, the place from where it all began.
Something important was to happen there…he just didn't know what.
Harry groaned, and thrust his hand towards his side-table blindly. His hand found his glasses, and he put them on with shaking hands.
While he would never admit it out loud, he was very nervous about this. What if this was also a false vision, like the one Voldemort had planted to lure him into the Ministry? What if he was walking straight into a trap again?
There was nobody to even go to, to consult with. He couldn't afford to place his friends in danger again…not after what happened in the Ministry.
Yet, something told him that it was true. Call it his gut instinct, but he knew that he was supposed to go there. The sooner, the better.
Yes, Harry decided. He would go. But after the wedding was over. Till then, he decided that he better get a good night's sleep, for his friends and he had decided to leave early that morning.
As he settled down once more on his bed, he was reminded of a line that his godfather Sirius had once spoken, a long time ago, on a rare moment when he had been allowed to stay with him for one day.
He could still see Sirius's frame silhouetted in the moonlight, as his godfather had looked out of the window. A look of such extreme sadness was seen on his face that Harry forgot every other thing, except that moment.
"The past is over, now is the time for the present. A force has risen, and it will revolt. Our efforts will not go in vain, for that time is not far in coming. So be strong, and hold on. We cannot afford to let go now, with success so near."