Chapter 1: Exploring No .4 Privet Drive

Japanese Proverb: 'The beginning of love is the end of Happiness'

After Harry received a clap on the back from Ron, Hermione said good-bye. Then she did something that Harry had never expected her to do- she leaned in close and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

Harry did not have time to think about the kiss as Fred and George materialized next to him. While George whispered a thanks, Fred at his side nodded his head very fast. Harry was afraid that if Fred continued to do what he was doing, something inside Fred's head might come loose. Then he thought otherwise as he remembered the countless things that the twins had done. He winked at them and then turned to Uncle Vernon.

Harry's uncle, the plump, bull-headed man with no neck, started heading towards the station exit. Harry followed, giving a last wave to his friends. He looked out the window as the car quickly passed the station and then the busy streets lined with shops. As the car continued slowly into the residential district, Harry comforted himself with one thought.

There's no point in worrying about it ... like Hagrid said, what would come, would come...

A look of harsh determination passed his face for a few seconds, before he finished his thought.

And I'll meet it when it comes...

Harry's back ached as he sat upright on the back seat of his uncle's car. Though it was quite an expensive car and had plush leather seats, it really wasn't comfortable for Harry to sit on. He was feeling tense from the events of the past year. He looked out the window and watched the number of shops along the streets decrease while the number of houses increased, until there were only houses on both sides of the road with the occasional corner dairy.

Vernon Dursley looked several times at his nephew in the rear view mirror. The statement on Harry's face was that of a person in great pain and even he did not dare rile the boy. However, it was not because he actually gave a damn about his nephew. No—it was because he was afraid that Harry would lose control of his powers and blow him up like Harry did to his sister Marge two years ago.

Harry had to make two trips to the get all his school things back into his room. His trunk went to the closet in his room as Vernon wanted the cupboard under the stairs free that year to house some of the materials he ordered for the company that he directed. Once his second trip was finished, Harry locked himself into the room and fell onto the bed. He brought up his knees up to his chest and started to shiver slightly as he rocked back and forth.

It's been three days already, thought Vernon as he nervously paced outside the door to his nephew's room.

Today was the fourth day since Harry's arrival back at his house. As much as Vernon loved locking Harry up in his room, he was really quite afraid of what his nephew was doing in his bedroom. Several times that morning, he had knelt down beside the cat flap that he had been using to put meals inside Harry's room. Petunia would usually do this sort of thing but she refused to even look at her nephew this summer.

For the last three days whenever he opened the flap, he saw that the food was still there, uneaten. He was facing a very tough dilemma. If he broke into the room and forced his nephew to eat, Harry might send a letter to Sirius Black, his godfather who was known for murdering good ordinary people, explaining that he'd been forced to do something. However, if he died of starvation the whole of the magical community would come after him. Vernon knew Harry was some kind of celebrity among those he called "the freaks." Also there was no telling what Black would do to him if something happened to Harry.

After pacing for a few more moments, he finally had enough courage to kneel down and check the cat flap. He was simply overjoyed when he saw that the food that had been piled up at the door for the last three days was now all gone. There wasn't even a crumb of that horrible meatloaf his wife had made left on the plate.

Vernon did not know exactly why he didn't just go into Harry's room and give him chores to do but he suspected that it had something to do with the fact that his company's share price had tripled and the dividend that was due to come this week would be almost three times his monthly pay. His delight could be seen as he walked to the kitchen. There was an unmistakable spring in his step as he walked.

Unknown to Vernon, Harry had spent most of the last three out of four days experimenting with something, in his opinion, so wonderful that he could not be bothered to eat. It had all begun with the nightmare he had on the day he got back from Hogwarts.

Four days earlier...

Though Harry had felt that he could meet the challenge of what was to come, he really had no idea that, once back in his bedroom, his optimism would shatter so quickly. Unable to bear the pain of holding back all that he was feeling, he moved to the bed. He tucked his knees against his chest and started to rock back and forth slightly. Shivers passed through his body with each memory that assaulted his mind. Harry didn't know when he finally was able to sleep but he did fall asleep very soon afterwards.

Yet slumber did not hold the key to Harry's salvation from the memories as his mind played the events of the TriWizard Tournament with vivid details. As that horrible scene kept replaying in his mind, Cedric's face was constantly being replaced by other faces that Harry had seen in his life. Try as Harry might, he was unable to wake up from his nightmare until he saw the death of one person that he could not bear to live without.

That was Hermione.

However, once he was awake, he could not remember who the last person who had died was. The pain of loss had awakened him from the nightmare, but it also took away the cause of pain, the fragment of the dream that had ultimately caused him to wake.

Sitting up on the bed, with his blanket covering him from the waist down, Harry considered telling Ron or Sirius about his nightmares. He decided against it seeing as his scar had not been hurting. He did not want to bother them or Hermione to worry about him. Specially since, there was not cause to.

To get his mind off his bad dream, he flicked his gaze to the side of his bed. His bedside alarm clock read 3:00 am. Not wanting to go back to sleep and feeling a bit thirsty, Harry decided to go to the kitchen. In order to avoid awakening the Dursley's, Harry silently got out of his bed and very gently opened his bedroom door.

Half-way down the corridor, he noticed a blue glow coming from Dudley's room through the door, left slightly ajar. After the events of TriWizard Tournament, Harry had taken to heart the advice that 'Mad Eye' Moody, or rather Barty Crouch, had dished out often — "CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" — and always kept his wand with him. He reached into his pocket and retrieved it. He shifted his wand from one hand to the other as he moved towards the door. He took a deep breath and poked his head into the room, slowly, attempting to see if — really — he was in danger, without any idea as to what he'd do should he be.

Dudley had grown even larger than the last time Harry had seen him and that was almost a year ago. Harry noted that the double bed in his room looked a bit stressed under his cousin's overwhelming weight, as he lay there on his stomach, sleeping.

Harry was surprised to see the source of the blue glow. It was the new 29" plasma-whatever TV he had acquired while Harry was gone. But the real surprise came when he actually noticed what Dudley had been watching. It was a late night soft porn flick called "Return of the Arse Avenger." Harry, being at Hogwarts all year, had never seen anything like it. Naturally, he was intrigued but after a few minutes of stupid pickup lines and senseless plot, Harry lost interest. He felt his stomach make a low rumbling noise. He was thirsty again.

It seemed odd to him that just because a man showed up at the doorstep of a woman, they would immediately engage in sex. It was unrealistic. He had asked Cho but she hadn't wanted to go the ball with him and he had only asked for a date to the ball — it was far less then sex. It made him wonder if people who made the videos actually knew any girls. Real girls like Hermione, Fleur and Cho, seemed to him like mysteries. Hermione with her odd ideas and love for adventure, and then wearing the pretty blue dress and going to the dance — a very girl-like things to do, since she always seemed to like things the boys do. Fleur seemed like a snobby girl in the beginning, but once he got to know her, she was kind and nice.

Harry realized the only way to stop Voldemort from ruling over his life and ruining his childhood was for him to defeat the Dark Lord once and for all. He would never be able to get involved with a girl otherwise. Hermione was just a friend, but she was in a lot of danger because of it. Harry was suddenly glad that Cho had said no. Otherwise, she might have been targeted by Voldemort.

To do what so many had failed to do before, Harry knew that he would have to be more serious in his studies and probably do a lot of extra work. Extra work could mean that he would need more time for his study. Time he would only get if he stopped going to Quidditch practices — and therefore the end of Quidditch playing! He really didn't want to do that, because it would take away the only way he'd relax and means of getting back to Slytherins, like Malfoy, who took pleasure in making his life a living hell.

Harry was surprised at his own determination to face his parent's murderer. With his nightmare now forgotten and a new resolution for the future, Harry quickly headed to his room. He made sure that he turned the TV off noiselessly as he left. He wasn't sure that was a wise move, as it could very well have woken Dudley up. Even if it didn't, it might have made Dudley realize that he had sneaked into his room, when he had been sleeping. Turning the television back on was a risk that he simply did not want to take. It might have been more trouble then it was worth.

Approaching the kitchen, he stepped on a particularly old, squeaking floor board. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest, almost sure that his aunt or uncle had heard it and would be soon barging out of their bedroom. Harry turned and walked back to his room, as fast as he could, without making anymore noise – his thirst would have to wait.

Lying in his bed Harry tried actively to think of other things to keep his mind off the nightmare and his increasing thirst. Transfiguration ... everything in there. I need to work on Potions — Snape isn't going to continue making life difficult for me; more chances of him shaving his greasy hair off. Harry mentally smiled. Maybe Hermione can help me in Charms and Defense against Dark Arts ... I'm going to need to focus on those. I'm going to be of no use in a duel, if I'm not in those two.

Thinking of Voldemort again was not helping him go back to sleep, so he decided to think of his friends. I wonder if Sirius is okay. I hope Remus knows where to keep him safe. I don't want him hurt. Maybe he'll stay over at Ron's house. It'd be wonderful. I could see him, if I went there. Then Harry's mind turned sour. Or not. Maybe I should send him an owl, telling him to stay far away from this country altogether.

His thoughts then focused on Hermione. I hope she's having fun on her holiday. Harry knew that Hermione's parents usually took holidays when she was home. He was sure she was overseas — far from trouble. He remembered how worried she looked at the station. Harry's hand moved unconsciously to where she had kissed him, rubbing that spot gently. Hermione had surprised him with the peck on the cheek, but it was probably because she was really concerned, he thought. It had to be, he reasoned, Hermione seemed to like Ron, and that broken arm on the Krum doll must have meant something...

His thought trailed to the Weasley clan. I wonder how long before Ron gets his new dress robes. Fred and George, I'm sure, have already been to Diagon Alley for supplies ... Should I owl them about the dream? I guess not. They won't know what to do anyway – Hermione then? ... no. I don't want to worry her again.