It wasn't until the convoy reached Privet Drive that Lyra realised what was different. The house had been cared for by Mrs Figg while the Dursleys were 'working abroad', so that wasn't it. The house hadn't been destroyed, so again, that wasn't it. That Charlie was with her as they approached the prison of her childhood? That was new, but it didn't quite fit the niggling feeling in her chest that was telling her something had changed.

And then she realised.

When the Dursleys approached their corner of Little Whinging, and the houses became ever more identical with their matching interiors and immaculate front gardens, Lyra and Charlie rose up, sweeped across the immediate vicinity of the Dursleys house, and then after Lyra called to her partner, and he touched her shoulder, they dove, gracefully, to land in the back garden of Mrs Figg's semi detached little house.

Lyra's old childminder met them with hugs and kisses on the cheek, beckoning them through her small house and apologising for the mess, inviting them back some point soon, maybe that afternoon, for 'a proper catch up'. Lyra and Charlie, now both visible again, and dressed in their most suitable mugglewear, gratefully left Mrs Figg and strolled, hand in hand, to Privet Drive. Wands close to hand, they appeared relaxed but the slightest noise, if an onlooker looked closely enough, made them both flinch and look around carefully.

They met the Dursleys at number 4, Privet Drive, and together, the seven people unloaded the car and moved the boxes in to the house. It was safe, they had checked, and as the sun shone high above their heads, the Dursleys returned home. Though they moved the luggage in to the house manually to protect from prying eyes, once inside they dispatched each case magically. Dudley watched in awe as the boxes containing all his belongings whipped up the stairs and piled themselves neatly by the door.

When they turned to leave, Dedalus and Hestia disapparated first. They had been away from their friends, their families, their entire world for almost a year while taking care of Lyra's family. Lyra and Charlie were going to fly back - to fly properly back, flying high above the towns and villages so that none below could see them - so they could fly as they hadn't been able to for the last few days when following the car.

But as they walked down the garden path, they were stopped short by Dudley's call. He came rushing out, or as much as one can rush out when they have spent the last two days sitting in a car, and stopped them as they neared the end of the driveway.

"Lyra!" He called, and they turned and waited for him to join them. Lyra's only cousin stood before her, his hands in his pockets as he stared at the ground.

"I just wanted to say sorry again.. For everything." He said quietly, before looking up at his cousin. To his shock she was smiling at him, her long black hair in plaits framing her face. Dudley had never noticed how kind she looked, had never looked beyond 'Freak' and 'Dangerous' and 'Weird'. How he had grown up believing the girl in front of him was to be detested, he did not know. How she had grown up being detested and still ending up as the kind faced girl in front of him, he had no idea.

"Thank you" Lyra said softly. As Charlie took her hand to lead her back to Mrs Figg's house from where they would depart, Dudley couldn't stop himself.

"You'll keep in touch?" He asked, desperately. Lyra looked at him incredulously.

"You want to?" She asked, turning back to him. He nodded, before realising he didn't know how to get hold of her. Upon voicing this thought, Lyra's face creased slightly as she pondered.

"Tell you what" she said finally, "I know where you live, so I'll set up a PO Box that you can send post to.. I doubt you'd want an owl, or that you'd want to rely on me sending Hedwig for you to write me a letter... So I'll set up a PO Box and post you the details? Then we can go from there?"

Dudley grinned and nodded, before bidding them farewell.

It wasn't the look of the house that was different, and it wasn't that it had been destroyed, as neither had changed. The house was still part of its street, with gossiping women on all sides, so that hadn't changed either. It was, as Lyra said to Charlie, that she had arrived in an entirely magical way, and been accepted, and welcomed, and respected, by Dudley at 4, Privet Drive.

An experience she had never had before.

Now they were leaving, flying out on broomsticks without escaping for their lives from Voldemort or his Death Eaters. This was different. This was new, and it felt good. As the duo soared above the hills of Surrey, Lyra felt completely, entirely happy. Completely, entirely free.

No longer held back by the restrictions her relatives had placed on her, or those Dumbledore had, no longer held back by the weight of the Wizarding World upon her shoulders. Lyra could finally do what she wanted - which at that moment in time meant racing Charlie at full pelt across the English countryside.

A/N it's complete! This chapter took a while to write as I couldn't decide whether their return to Little Whinging would be peaceful - or whether a random rogue Death Eater would appear and the Dursleys would have the opportunity to see Lyra's skill and power and real personality. Eventually I chose the peaceful way.