He knew it had to be done, though he dreaded it with every fiber of his being. He'd faced dragons, dementors, trolls, and murderers, but for some reason this task seemed the most difficult. He turned the corner and stepped onto Privet Drive. His only consolation was that there was a lovely redhead walking beside him holding his hand firmly in hers. He and Ginny had arrived with Mr. Weasley, but he had agreed to let the two of them go alone. He knew he should let go of her hand. He shouldn't continue acting like her boyfriend, but with her he knew that he could face whatever awaited him behind the door where he had grown up. Buried memories resurfaced that he wished would remain in the past where they belonged. Dumbledore had asked the Dursleys to house Harry until his 17th birthday. With that eminent date being so soon after his leaving Hogwarts, the Weasley's had thought it best to house him instead. The ministry could help protect him that way. Still Harry knew that Dumbledore would have wanted him to explain the situation to the Dursleys and say goodbye. He slowly walked up the drive to the door and stood there breathing deeply. Ginny gave his hand a squeeze and he knocked on the door. He heard light footsteps walk down the hallway and then a long pause. After what seemed like an eternity his Aunt Petunia opened the door slowly and gave him an irritable look. She didn't say anything. She just stared. She looked furious, but one small tear was welling up in the corner of her eye. It slid down her horse-like face and fell from her clenched jaw. Fortunately for Harry, Ginny took it upon herself to break the silence.

"Good evening Mrs. Dursley. I'm Ginny Weasley. A…friend of Harry's. He's been staying with my family and will continue to do so until he sees fit to leave. He's facing some very dangerous situations soon and wished to apologize for not informing you about his change of plans. He also wanted to say goodbye." Ginny smiled politely. Harry could tell she had nothing but distaste for the woman in front of her, but she grinned as if she were addressing the Minister of Magic himself. Petunia seemed confused. Still no sound came from her lips, just an expression of deep bewilderment…and something else. Relief? She stepped outside and shut the door behind her. Gazing straight at Harry with an expression he could not fathom. Typically Petunia's face was quite simple to read. Anger, envy, pride. This was something entirely new.

"A friend…? Well, where's that old lunatic that took you last time?"

"Dead." Harry muttered through his teeth. It pained him beyond words to hear Dumbledore described in this fashion, but he knew it would be useless to argue.

"Dead? But didn't your godfather…just last year?"

"Passed away as well," Ginny coolly informed her. "Many Witches and Wizards have lost their lives trying to defend the world we live in. For everyone. Including you."

Petunia shot Ginny a withering glance as if to say, "Don't lecture me young lady". She turned back to Harry.

"I…I…am sorry for your loss," she stammered coldly. Harry's eyebrows raised past his hairline. Did his aunt really just say that? Then she continued. Nothing could have prepared Harry for the torrent of emotion emanating from the ordinarily prim woman in front of him.

"Why didn't you tell us? Hmm? Why? We went to the station and waited for you for hours. We watched weirdo after freak come out of the middle of that gate and not a sign of you. No note, no phone call, not even a bloody owl! Vernon may be a half-wit, but I am not. I heard that man last year mention a war. Do you think I'm completely unaware? Do you honestly think a single day goes by where I don't think of the fact that Lily was killed?" Petunia voice was shaking, her voice cracked. She was standing with her arms folded on the front step rapidly losing control. "I know the man that killed her has been hunting you down since you were born. I know he probably killed your godfather. He probably killed that old man that left you on our doorstep seventeen years ago. And I have had nightmares of him coming into my home and being powerless to protect you since the day we took you in."

"What!" Harry was growing angry. He couldn't, he wouldn't believe what she was saying. All of those years of cruelty and indifference, how could she be saying she cared? That she wanted to protect him? Never once had she spoken the kindest word to him and here she was talking about being afraid for him?

"I know you never thought we gave you a second thought, and truth be told Vernon didn't…doesn't. He'd sooner see you disappear off the face of the earth than ever see you again, but I do care. I loved Lily. Everyone did. I wanted to be her. She was the lovely one, she was the lucky one, she was the smart one, she was the brave one, she was the talented one. Our parents adored her and never gave me a second thought. I was just plain old Petunia. All she did was act…freakish and she got all the love and attention. I was bitter, jealous, I treated her badly, but I did love her and I never thought she'd end up…dead. I'm sorry I ignored you and treated you badly, but I'm still angry at her for screwing up the perfect life she led. You're the only thing I have to remember her by. Her mistakes by." Petunia paused briefly to wipe away the tears staining her long face. She went on. "She found love…a husband that genuinely loved her. And she let that perfect life go, to stand up for some silly cause. How could I possibly like having you around as a constant reminder that the life I led vicariously through was gone?"

Harry couldn't be silent any longer. "My mother died to save my life. She stood up for what was right. Not some silly cause, she was trying to save the world!"

Tears were flying from his aunt's face. Neighbors were beginning to peak out their windows and stare. Still she went on. "And look where it got her? Why couldn't she be content to just live her life in happiness, without going off to war? Or whatever it was she did. Harry, I may not particularly like you, but you are my family, and though you may not believe it, I do…love you."

"Shut up." Harry coldly hissed. He was growing angrier and more enraged with every word that left his aunt's lips. Ginny shot him a calming glance. "Why do you think I never wanted you to go anywhere? Why do you think I was so terrified when people I didn't know whisked you away in flying cars in the middle of the night? Why do you think I always made you stay with that ridiculous Figg woman? So I could find out what was going on in your…freakish world. I've had to live with the knowledge that a madman murdered my sister and could come into my life and do the same to you, my son, my husband, and my family for seventeen years. How do you think that makes a person feel? Irritable? Cranky? Bitter? Angry? Proud of the boring, but safe life she's managed to scrounge out with a horrible, but safe man. And then, after hearing your godfather had been murdered we don't hear from you at all and you don't show up at the train station. I thought you were dead too. How could you put us through that?"

Harry was about to explode. This woman he had barely known and hated his entire life was for the first time issuing words of kindness. Granted, they were layered with accusations, selfishness, and contempt, but they were well intended nonetheless. He opened his mouth to pour forth everything he had always wanted to say to this horrid woman when Ginny gave his hand a painful squeeze. He quickly looked at her and she gave him a look. He could read her so well. She was saying "Let it go. This is the best you are going to get from this woman. Be grateful and let it go." He turned back to his aunt with fury bubbling just under the surface.

"Sorry," was all he could choke out. He wanted to release his pain and anger on her, but he knew Ginny was right. This was the kindest she had ever acted toward him and he should take it for what it was. To his surprise Petunia smiled. He didn't think he'd ever seen her smile before. She'd beamed ridiculously at Dudley before, but that was more of a rather unpleasant curling of the sides of her mouth. This was an honest smile of gratitude. She gave him a vice like hug. He couldn't recall her ever actually touching him before. It was rather unpleasant. He patted her gently on the back. His rage started to subside and began to almost turn to sympathy. He looked over at Ginny. She was biting her lip trying to suppress a laugh. Petunia let him go and proceeded to give Ginny a hug as well. It nearly bowled her over. Ginny looked like she had just been mauled by a grindylow. Harry couldn't resist he laughed.

Petunia wiped the tears from her face again, and glared at the neighbors. "Come in both of you. I'll make us some tea." As he stepped over the threshold, new thoughts streamed through his mind. He had never bothered to think how his mother's death had ever affected his aunt. He had never thought about how his actions affected her, or the Dursleys as a whole for that matter. He'd never cared. And why should he have. They'd never shown him anything but contempt. Petunia had treated him the same way her parents had treated her. Why should he be sympathetic to this rigid woman just because she'd gone into hysterics a few minutes earlier? Rage began to fill him up again. Then he saw a huge photo of Dudley on the wall. He began to think about his cousin. Why had Dudley treated him so badly? It struck him that perhaps it was because Dudley was just as unhappy as Harry had been. Sure, he had every material thing he could ever want, doting parents…but no friends, or any real idea of self worth. Dudley's gang surrounded him because they feared him. He was the biggest. Did Dudley actually believe all the nonsense his parents told him about being "big boned" or was he ashamed of the fact that he was just plain fat? Had he been beaten by the Smelting stick at school? None of these thoughts excused his family of their actions, but they did ease Harry's anger toward them. They stepped into the kitchen where Vernon was avidly studying a chart on drill sales. He looked like he was in pain, but didn't seem to notice Harry and Ginny entering the room. They sat down as Petunia put the kettle on.

"VernondearHarry'sarrived," Petunia jumbled out in a rather nervous tone.

"What," his uncle barked without looking up.

"Harry…is …here," Petunia managed to say.

Vernon looked up from his chart and glared across the table like a rhinoceros. Ginny's eyes roamed from the fuming purple man, to the awkward horsy woman, and rested on the young man still clutching her hand like a frightened child. How were any of these three people connected? Perhaps it was because her entire family was so close knit, but she could not fathom how these three people could ever be associated with each other let alone related. She was shaken from her contemplation by a grunty noise from Harry's uncle.

"Decided to finally grace us with your presence I see. Well you're not wanted. Go away." With that, he looked down at his charts again and began grinding his teeth.

"I'm not here to stay, I'm-"

"I should certainly hope not. You're not wanted in this house. Leave."

"I came here to say goodbye. And to…thank you…for what little help you've given me."

"Have you now," Vernon questioned without looking up. "Well, you've said what you wanted. Go."

"Vernon. Perhaps you could be a little more polite to Harry." Petunia stated. Though it sounded more like a threat.

"I most certainly could not, after everything that boy has put us through, I've no intention of tolerating him in my house a moment longer."

"And after all you've put me through I think the least you could do is tolerate this boy in our home for just a few minutes. He may be…abnormal. But he is my nephew and I wish him to stay."

Harry sensed that things were heating up and decided to politely end this horrific train wreck of an idea. "Maybe we had better go." Harry and Ginny stood up to leave.

"SIT DOWN." Petunia bellowed. She was smiling, but she seemed half crazed. "You haven't had tea yet."

"Petunia, the boy wants to leave, I want him the leave, what the devil are you playing at?"

"Trying to regain the semblance of a decent family, that's what! Now everyone sit down! Harry, you will not leave until all four of us have had a civilized conversation! Vernon, you will sit there, be quiet, and endure Harry until I see fit for him to leave! Ginny, it's nice to meet you! How long have you known Harry?"

Ginny, rather taken aback, grinned awkwardly. She looked to Harry, who was finding the whole situation rather confusing and amusing. She looked at Vernon, who looked like he had just been farted upon by a Hippogriff. She then smiled at Petunia who was grinning in the most maniacal way. "I met him six years ago when he first boarded the train for Hogwarts, but we only really got…close…this past year."

"How nice! Vernon isn't that nice? I think that's nice. You seem very nice." They all just stared at each other in silence. "Marvelous weather we're having isn't it? Do you lot ever take magic weather changing classes or anything?" Harry gently shook his head. "Well that's nice to know. Vernon dear, ask Harry something." Another long period of silence ensued. "VERNON!" Petunia shrilly urged.

"Where's that old crackpot?"

Ginny swooped in this time to smooth over the situation. "He passed away recently."

"How sad! Vernon isn't that sad? I think that's sad. You seem very sad…tea's ready." Petunia popped up from her seat and quickly poured the cups and had them served before Vernon could even think of a response. The situation was getting stranger by the minute, and while not half as bad as Harry had expected, it was still uncomfortable.

"Vernon dear, Harry has thanked us for the many miserable years we've spent together. I suggest you apologize to him."

"WHAT?"

"NOW!"

"I will do nothing of the kind!"

"Then you shall have to make your own supper this evening." Mr. Dursley shot daggers at his wife, but begrudgingly muttered under his breath the word sorry. "There now was that so painful? Now Harry dear, would you like a biscuit?"

"No thank you."

"HAVE A BISCUIT!"

Again Harry was grateful that Ginny had accompanied him. She interjected quickly. "We're really sorry Mrs. Dursley, but we must get going. We only had a little time to spare. My brother is getting married tomorrow and there's a lot of work we have to do for the wedding. You understand. Thank you fro the tea. Good evening." She quickly stood up and rather powerfully ushered Harry to the door, not that he needed any extra urging to get out of the Dursley's home.

"Well…thank you for coming…Too bad you couldn't stay longer…I'm sorry things weren't more…pleasant for you. Sorry for…everything…If there's ever anything I can do…just…well don't send an owl, but…anything at all…Harry dear I'm sorry."

Harry turned one last time to his aunt. He had nothing for her anymore. Not hatred, pity, anger, resentment, anything. All of his anger and hatred had long ago been channeled toward Voldemort. And while she was not in the least bit a decent guardian…she had tried to make peace. Which Harry appreciated more than she would ever know. Unfortunately all he could think of to respond with was, "Thanks."

With that Harry and Ginny left the Dursley's home. Petunia stood awkwardly waving goodbye at the front door. Vernon hadn't even bothered to get up from his chair in the kitchen. They continued to walk down Privet drive and turned the corner out of sight. He doubted he would ever see his Aunt or Uncle again, but instead of feeling relieved, he felt a slight loss. A significant chapter of his life was now over. He was not walking down a suburban English road. He was walking down the road leading from adolescence to adulthood. It was strange how battling, loving, and learning, all the mature things he had done since such an early age had not made him feel like an adult. Not until the act of letting go. Letting go of his past, letting go of his pain. Thoughts of Dumbledore, Sirius, his Parents, and Cedric came rushing into his brain. He sat down on the side of the road and did something he had not done all summer. He cried.

"Harry, it's alright." She embraced him. Her light touch felt so wonderful he never wanted it to end, but he knew he had to shrug her off. He couldn't let her know he still cared for her. Not like that. It was bad enough he had held her hand. If anything happened to her he couldn't handle it, not after everything else. Just then Dudley and his gang came around the corner. Just his luck. The first time he'd allowed himself to cry since Dumbledore's death and Dudley had to see him.

"Oh look. My stupid cousin's decided to drop by and cry in the middle of the street." He noticed Ginny. "Look boys, guess my pansy cousin does fancy girls after all. She Cedric's replacement?" Piers, Malcolm, and Gordon were about to laugh when Ginny cut them short. She immediately whipped out her wand and pointed it at them.

"Don't you dare say another word to Harry. He's had to deal with more hell then you lot could ever imagine. And if I hear you say one more thing to him I'll do things with this wand you've only thought about in your nightmares."

"You can't threaten us, little girl," Dudley snarkily retorted. "We know your not allowed to use magic out of school."

"Who said I was going to do magic with it?"

Dudley laughed. The rest of the boys looked scared for a moment, then nervously laughed as well. Quick as a flash, Ginny poked Piers in the eye with her wand, kneed Gordon in the groin, and elbowed Malcolm in the gut. Then she rounded on Dudley with fury, jamming her wand under his many chins.

"Laugh again…please."

Dudley began to whimper. Harry stood up, gave Ginny a loving look, and then turned to Dudley.

"Who's crying now? I'm sorry if I ever hurt you Dudley…and I forgive you being an absolute prat my whole life. I really do genuinely hope you can lose some weight and get a little confidence in yourself. Then maybe you won't act like such a complete wanker to everyone. Goodbye. I won't be seeing you again."

He gently steered Ginny away from him and they kept walking down the street back to where Mr. Weasley was waiting. Ginny's father had insisted on chaperoning. However, Arthur had no desire to see any of the Dursley's again and thought it best to give Harry and Ginny a little alone time. Before they reached the corner where he was waiting, Harry turned to Ginny.

"Thank you."

"No problem. Harry…"

"I know."

"I love you."

"I'm not willing to risk you getting hurt."

"It's not your decision…I wanted to respect your wishes and let you feel protective, but the truth is Harry, I can take care of myself. Voldemort is going to attack my family whether you're dating me or not. I can't take this anymore. Dumbledore said that the one thing we have that will help us defeat Voldemort is love. I love you and I know you still love me. That can only make us stronger. You can't face him alone. No matter what you choose to do you are going to have Ron and Hermione by your side. You're going to have me too. And Neville, and Luna, and all the rest of Dumbledore's army, and the Order. That's how we're going to win this. Voldemort has supporters, but they won't stand next to him like we will for you. If you don't love me, then fine I won't bring the subject up anymore. But don't shut me out."

"I'm sorry Ginny…I…" he looked into her lovely eyes. She got up on tiptoe and kissed him gently but deeply. "Well I guess I don't really have a choice in the matter do I?" He smiled.

"No, you don't." She poked him in the ribs and started giggling. They turned the corner and saw her father standing there with a rather worried expression on his face.

"Right you lot…you had me worried for a moment. All finished here Harry?"

He turned slightly and looked back at the world he had never once called home. He sighed deeply and gazed into his girlfriend's eyes. He looked up at the man who was more of a father to him than Vernon had ever been, even more of a father than Sirius had been. He was looking at his life ahead. "Yah, all finished here." Arthur patted him on the back and they vanished into the next chapter of his new life.