“I’m going back to the Dursleys’ once more, because Dumbledore wanted me to,” said Harry. “But it’ll be a short visit, and then I’ll be gone for good.”“But where will you go if you don’t come back to school?”

“I thought I might go back to Godric’s Hollow,” Harry muttered. He had had the idea in his head ever since the night of Dumbledore’s death. “For me, it started there, all of it. I’ve just got a feeling I need to go there. And I can visit my parents’ graves, I’d like that.”

“And then what?” said Ron.

“Then I’ve got to track down the rest of the Horcruxes, haven’t I?” said Harry, his eyes upon Dumbledore’s white tomb, reflected in the water on the other side of the lake. “That’s what he wanted me to do, that’s why he told me all about them. If Dumbledore was right- and I’m sure he was- there are still four of them out there. I’ve got to find them and destroy them, and then I’ve got to go after the seventh bit of Voldemort’s soul, the bit that’s still in his body, and I’m the one who’s going to kill him. And if I meet Severus Snape along the way,” he added, “so much the better for me, so much the worse for him.”

There was a long silence. The crowd had almost dispersed now, the stragglers giving the monumental figure of Grawp a wide berth as he cuddled Hagrid, whose howls of grief were still echoing across the water.

“We’ll be there, Harry,” said Ron.

“What?”

“At your aunt and uncle’s house,” said Ron. “And then we’ll go with you wherever you’re going.”

“No-“ said Harry quickly; he had not counted on this, he had meant them to understand that he was undertaking this most dangerous journey alone.

“You said to us once before,” said Hermione quietly, “that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We’ve had time, haven’t we?”

“We’re with you whatever happens,” said Ron. “But mate, you’re going to have to come round my mum and dad’s house before we do anything else, even Godric’s Hollow.”

“Why?”

“Bill and Fleur’s wedding, remember?”

Harry looked at him, startled; the idea that anything as normal as a wedding could still exist seemed incredible and yet wonderful.

“Yeah, we shouldn’t miss that,” he said finally.

His hand closed automatically around the fake Horcux, but in spite of everything, in spite of the dark and twisting path he saw stretching ahead for himself, in spite of the final meeting with Voldemort he knew must come, whether in a month, in a year, or in ten, he felt his heart lift at the thought that there was still one last golden day of peace left to enjoy with Ron and Hermione.(1)

The ride on the Hogwarts express was a subdued one; Harry was preoccupied with thoughts of the summer to come while Ron and Hermione were lost in their own bittersweet memories of their sixth year. Halfway back to London, Harry noticed a fluff ball hovering next to the window of their compartment, feathers buffeting in the strong wind. Nudging Ron, he opened the window and watched with half-hearted amusement as the owl flew straight at the redhead, knocking him in the forehead.“Pig!” shouted Ron. “Honestly, learn to fly.” Ron grumbled a bit more before pulling a rolled up scroll from Pig’s leg. He looked up at Harry with discomfort in his eyes. “This is from mum,” he began slowly, “She says that we are to leave you to go stay at your uncle’s for the next two weeks. She says Dumbledore sent her a message with instructions for you-” Ron paused for a moment looking perplexed.

Harry, too, was puzzled- Dumbledore was dead. How could he possibly send a message to Mrs. Weasley? Curious to see what else the letter said he simply shrugged and motioned for Ron to continue.

“Hermione, you are to go home with your parents and, in two weeks time, we will pick you up. Harry, you too. Bill’s wedding will be three weeks from yesterday,” Ron paused as if coming to a decision. He nodded, more to himself than Harry, “Well, that’s settled. You go to the Dursley’s, get your stuff ready, two weeks- that’s it. After the wedding the three of us,” he motioned to Hermione, “can go to Godric’s Hollow. What do you think?”

Harry did not know why but he had a sudden surge of hope. The plan was perfect. He’d never had to spend such a short amount of time at the Dursley’s- and it would be the last time he’d ever set foot in their house again. Grinning like it was Christmas, Harry nodded. Hermione too affirmed her consent.

Harry saw Vernon Dursley waiting for him at the train station; the look of contempt on his uncle’s face was only deepened when Harry’s friends appeared next to him. The teen saw surprise register on his uncle’s face and realized it must be a bit of a shock for him. ‘After all,’ Harry thought mournfully to himself. ‘Last year the entire Order was with me trying to protect me during the summer.’“Hurry up, boy,” Vernon huffed, squinting at the large trunk and owl that the teen before him was trying to juggle.

Harry turned to Hermione and Ron for a quick embrace. “See you soon,” he said lightly. Seeing Ginny chatting with her friends by the barrier, Harry gave a feeble wave and genuine smile that was returned before hurrying off with his uncle.

Uncle Vernon was surprisingly nice, even taking Harry’s trunk from him to put it in the boot of the car before telling him to get in. Harry didn’t take much time to ponder this though as he quickly had to scramble into the car to avoid being left behind. The ride to Privet Drive was quiet, punctuated only at rare moments by Uncle Vernon coughing nervously and checking his watch. Harry preferred the silence to the brusque comments he knew would issue from his uncle’s mouth if he spoke, so he entertained himself by watching the scenery out the window.

It was nightfall before they pulled into the driveway that hugged the perfectly manicured lawn. Harry wondered bemusedly who cared for their lawn whilst he was away at Hogwarts. His uncle crudely interrupted his reverie. “Get your trunk, boy, and don’t take all day,” Vernon muttered darkly before stalking inside, leaving Harry alone in the dark.

Struggling with the weight of his trunk, Harry was unaware of the presence of another being behind him and was unconscious before his attacker dared to make a sound.