Chapter 1

Harry woke with a start. It was pitch black in his room! He could hear a loud thumping above him. When he went to sleep last night or this morning, whatever, it was nearing dawn. It had been years since he had gotten more than four hours of sleep without a nightmare. Why was it so dark?

"Boy,get out here and fix breakfast. It's Duddy's birthday and I want everything to be perfect! And while you're at it, get the mail."

Harry blinked. It had been a long time since he had lived with the Dursleys.

Harry felt around and realized he was back in the cupboard under the stairs. How had he gotten here? Last thing he remembered was fainting after the death of Voldemort. He had lost consciousness because the adrenaline rush was gone and he had been running on fumes for the last few hours. His last thought had been that he wished it hadn't come down to this, that he was the only one left after Voldemort's death.