quote: (post)

Originally posted by DarkC
"Oh, look, he sees us." Ron Weasley's voice said. "Come on, mate. Off your hunkers."

Harry strode to the window quickly and opened it. He noticed that both of them were seemingly levitating on brooms. "How're you two?"

Hermione beamed at him through the darkness. "Great. I'm allowed to use magic at home; Mum and dad were quite impressed, I must say."
"And dad said that mum and Fleur would go ballistic if you couldn't make it to the wedding. So we're here to fetch you."

Harry beamed. "Good....I suppose I'd better pack..."

"Oh, we'll help!" Hermione said brightly. She tried to crawl in, but some of her bushy hair caught on the windowsill. "Ah. Ow."
Ron chuckled and patted her back. Hermione was forced to use a Severing Charm to undo her hair.
Harry started packing all his books and belongings over the years. The bundled Sneakoscope he had gotten from Ron for his thirteenth birthday, the photo album of his family from Hagrid in his first year, his Firebolt...all those piled into a rather battered old trunk in the corner of his room.

Ron stared blankly. "Harry, what're you doing?"
"Packing." Harry said, perplexed.
"You know you're of age now, right?"

In the excitement of the moment, Harry had forgotten that he was allowed to use magic now that he was seventeen.

"Oh - right." he stepped back, picked up his wand, and racked his brains as to how to pack with magic. He had seen Tonks do it once.
Finally, he complied with a wide sweeping motion of his wand towards the truck; everything went wild and missed completely. Ron was hit in the face with several pairs of underwear.
"Really." he muttered, throwing them off his face into the trunk.
"Sorry." Harry could not help sniggering.

Hermione stepped forwards. "Oh, let me have a go, Harry. I've practised it before."
She went through the exact same motion, and everything rose up and piled neatly into the trunk. Harry took a quick peek and decided that even Mrs. Weasley would be hard pressed to make it neater.
He bewitched the trunk to make it super light, and handed it to Ron, who quickly dipped to the ground.
"Here, give me Hedwig." Hermione said urgently. Harry handed her the cage. Finally, Ron hovered outside Harry's window. "Well, come on then."

Harry was halfway to the window when suddenly he remembered something and froze.
"What?" Ron hissed impatiently.
"The Dursleys. I'll probably never see them again."
Ron was incredulous. "You're not going to wake them up and tell them, are you?"
Harry laughed. "Of course not. But I need to write them something, it's the least they deserve. I don't suppose you have any parchment on you?"
"As a matter of fact, I do." Ron recalled, and tossed a slightly crumpled sheaf of parchment in Harry's direction. It turned out to be the remnants of a failed letter, but the recipient's name was scribbled out.

He ran to the desk, took out a spare bottle of ink and a quill from his pockey and wrote a quick note.

To the Dursleys...

We may never see each other again, so I bid you farewell and good luck for the future.

--Harry

He couldn't think of anything else to write, but added a cheeky postscript.

P.S. You should really get an electronic lock so that Dudley can't get at the larder.

Smiling slightly, he recalled the former Minister of Magic's words. I'm sure you are fond of each other...er....very deep down.
"Let's go." he told Ron, after clambering onto the back of his broom.
"Excellent." Ron said. "Oh, we need to get you your Apparating License after. Dad's taking you."

They landed. Ron gripped his broom and Harry's trunk in one hand and Harry's forearm in the other; as did Hermione, carrying her borrowed broom and an anxious Hedwig in the other.
"Ready?" Hermione asked.
Harry took one last look back at Number Four, Privet Drive.

"Ready." he said, not looking back, and bracing himself.
They disapparated.