The day had finally come.
July thirty-first.
Harry Potter was seventeen.
His bags had been ready since the night before, neatly packed and waiting by the door. In the end, he had written to Ron, telling him he planned to leave that very day to join him. The reply had arrived quickly, carried by an express owl.
They would come and get him.
Safer that way.
Ron hadn't said whether Harry would stay at the Burrow until Bill and Fleur's wedding. Without it, Harry wouldn't have hesitated. The moment the clock struck midnight, he would have left for Godric's Hollow without looking back.
But things were never that simple.
That morning, Harry went downstairs for the last time.
The kitchen felt strangely quiet.
As he sat down, he felt Aunt Petunia's gaze on him. When he looked up, she immediately turned away, her hands plunging into the sink as if she had been caught doing something she shouldn't.
Harry frowned slightly, then broke the silence.
"I'm leaving around eleven. They're coming to get me. My things are already packed. I… I won't be coming back."
He spoke quickly, his eyes fixed on his bowl of cereal.
Minutes passed.
Only the faint clinking of cutlery filled the room.
Finally, Uncle Vernon cleared his throat.
"Very well," he said gruffly. "I suppose you'll be going to that house you inherited?"
"Yes… I think so," Harry replied, avoiding his gaze.
He didn't want to talk about that house.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Aunt Petunia still standing at the sink, scrubbing the same perfectly clean pan over and over again.
"There's something else," Harry added after a moment. "Dumbledore is dead. He was murdered."
The pan slipped from Petunia's hands and crashed loudly into the sink.
She turned slowly, her face pale.
"He… he's dead?" she asked, her voice unsteady.
"Yes. At the end of June."
She stared at him, her lips trembling slightly.
"And… him? The one who killed your parents?"
"Voldemort?" Harry said, surprised she even understood.
"He's still alive. And he's still trying to kill me."
A heavy silence followed.
"Is he the one who killed… Dumble… door?" Vernon asked awkwardly, clearly unsettled.
"Dumbledore," Harry corrected. "No. One of his allies did. Snape."
"Severus?" Petunia said suddenly.
She froze, one hand flying to her mouth.
Harry's eyes narrowed.
"How do you know him?"
She hesitated.
For a brief second, she glanced at Vernon and Dudley, who were both staring at her in confusion.
Then she sighed, as if giving up.
"Severus and your father… hated each other," she said quietly. "Your mother used to tell me about it. The things they did to each other…"
Harry felt something tighten in his chest.
"My mum… told you things?"
Petunia closed her eyes for a moment.
"Not much," she said. "And I've forgotten most of it."
Harry wanted to ask more.
He needed to.
But he already knew she wouldn't say anything else.
So instead, he finished his breakfast in silence and went back upstairs.
At a quarter to eleven, Harry carried his trunk and Hedwig's cage downstairs.
He had left his room almost empty.
In a few days, he thought, it would probably be Dudley's second bedroom again.
This time, he waited in the living room.
Not on the stairs.
Not like before.
For once, he wanted to leave properly.
Petunia sat across from him, silent. Harry hoped she would say something else about his mother.
She didn't.
At ten past eleven, the doorbell rang.
Harry stood up and opened the door.
Charlie was there, along with Tonks and Lupin.
"Hi!" Tonks said brightly, her bright pink hair glowing in the sunlight.
Charlie and Lupin both smiled.
"Hi," Harry replied, genuinely happy to see them.
"Let's not waste time," Lupin said. "Where are your things?"
Harry stepped aside and pointed at the pile.
They entered quickly.
"Hello," Tonks called toward the living room.
The Dursleys appeared, but none of them answered.
"Ron told me you can Apparate now," Charlie said.
"Yes, but I don't have my license yet," Harry replied.
Charlie shrugged.
"That doesn't matter. We'll take your things ahead. You follow us, alright?"
"Where?" Harry asked, trying not to sound too eager.
"The Burrow, of course," Charlie said. "Didn't Ron tell you?"
Relief washed over Harry.
"He… forgot that part."
"You're coming to the wedding, obviously," Tonks added with a grin.
Lupin picked up the largest trunk.
"We'll go ahead."
Charlie and Tonks grabbed the rest. Hedwig hooted softly as Charlie lifted her cage.
One by one, they disappeared with sharp cracks.
Lupin lingered for a moment.
"I was glad to see you again, Petunia," he said quietly. "Lily spoke of you often."
Petunia stared at him as he vanished.
Silence returned.
Harry turned back to the Dursleys.
"Well… goodbye."
He turned, focusing on the destination in his mind.
"Goodbye, Harry," Petunia said softly behind him. "Write to us… with your new address."
Harry turned back, stunned.
Her eyes were shining.
He nodded slowly.
He gave one last look at the room… at the cupboard under the stairs.
Dudley looked away, closing his eyes.
And then:
Harry vanished.