Chapter 6

Harry slowly started waking up from his deep sleep. The sun streaming in through his curtainless window, blinding his vision as he looked around his quite room. Today was his 16th birthday, a day he never really enjoyed much thanks to his childhood. He knew that downstairs were a small pile of presents from the people that dared give him a gift as well as a pre-made birthday breakfast fir the household. In all honesty, Harry wanted to delay going down there for as long as possible. The attention he received always felt weird despite the many years he had been through it.

With a deep sigh, Harry throwed the covers off of him and sat up on the side of his bed. He sat there for a few more seconds, basking in the early morning coldness broken up by the warm sunlight. The dull contents of the room came in to focus as his eyes finally started adjusting from sleep. Harry finally pushed his tired body off of his bed, stretching his joints and muscles before making his way directly to his private bathroom. Turning the taps of his shower on, he firstly unfastened his wand holster and calf holster and placed them on the bathroom sink. He then begun to get undressed from his pyjamas, a plain grey t-shirt and short grey pants, and discarded them in to the clothes hamper in the corner of the bathroom.

As the water slowly warmed up in the cold morning air, Harry stared at his naked body in the mirror above the sink. His smooth, slightly tanned skin was flawless, barely a mark to be found. Strongly built frame with well-defined muscles from all of the workouts. He was neither short, nor tall, but rather average height. A healthy diet and healthy lifestyle helped him overcome the short spell he had from when he had lived with the Dursleys. Thinking back on how he was treated on his birthday, Harry clenched his fists in anger. He imagined if he was still living with them, he would look very underweight and the short complex would have continued.

Harry didn't want to linger on what could have been, so he turned his attention back to the present, turning around and hopping in to the steamy shower. Warm water flowed down his body, instantly relaxing him. Breathing in and out through his mouth as he just stood there in silence, not even a thought floating through his mind. Goosebumps rose on his arms at the calming sensation. Seconds turning into minutes, slowly waking his sleepy mind.

Harry grabbed the bottle of shampoo, pouring a small amount into his palm as the sweet scent of strawberry filled the air. He stepped out of the stream of the water as he thoroughly rubbed the liquid into his short, messy hair, massaging it into his scalp. Ducking his head under the water, he washed out the soapy shampoo and wiping his face clean of any residue. He decided against conditioning his hair today, instead planning on doing it tomorrow. He turned off the water before he grabbed the body wash. Pouring a large amount in his hand, he lathered up his entire body with the fruity smelling liquid.

His hands ran over every inch of his body, the liquid being rubbed in to make sure he was completely rid of any dirty. Hands ran over smooth skin as strong muscles flexed and contracted under his touch. For a moment, Harry allowed himself to close his eyes and imagined it was someone else he was touching, yearning for someone to be there when he opened his eyes. Sighing to himself, he quickly finished lathering himself up before turning the water back on and ridding himself of that unfathomable desire. He knew full well that he would probably never find someone, someone to share his life with, share his aspirations with, share his worries with.

Taking his sweet arse time, he lingered underneath the warm water, not wanting to get out. Yet he knew the day waited for him to move on. Turning the taps off, Harry stood still for a few seconds to allow the water to drip off of him. Opening the door, he stepped out into the misty room. The warm air from his shower steaming up the entire bathroom. Holding out his arm, he summoned a towel to him from his clean pile. Making quick work of drying himself down, Harry dried his hair before hanging the towel around his lean shoulders.

Harry wiped some of the mist away from the mirror, finding bright green eyes staring back at him. Lifting up his damp hair from his forehead, he stared directly at the faintest scar shaped in a lighting scar. He traced his finger over the scar, thinking back on the memories of how it got to this point. When he had come into Drew's care, the older noticed small little signs that something wasn't right with Harry's magical core. Something was lurking within that was draining his magical core, something that was dark and dangerous. Through one of his many connections in the wizarding world, he was able to discover two different, very old, branches of magic had been used on the night of his parent's death; a sacrificial protection and an accidental creation of a Horcrux.

Together, him and Drew gathered a small team to research as much as possible into these ancient forms of magic. They took notes on the history of any documented cases where a sacrificial protection was used. Many hours were spent going through parchments, some took months to translate from other languages. But one thing they had seen in all of the cases were the long lasting benefits for the person being protected. It was a very common occurrence that the murderer could not touch the protected without experiencing unbearable pain. There were even some cases where if the murderer tried to cast any spell on the protected once the sacrificial protection was in place, it would simply rebound back to the caster.

Moments of that fateful night flashed in front of his eyes. For a second he was transported back in time as the shouts of his father trying to fend off Voldemort for as long as possible. The hurried scrabbling of his mother as she prepared for the inevitable. Soft whispers of reassurance from his mother filled his ears. Telling him his is loved, to be strong, to be safe. The loud explosion rang piercingly throughout the room, protected from shrapnel by his mother's body as the door was blasted to smithereens. Numb words fell upon his ears as he watched Voldemort face his mother. The scene slowed down in front of his eyes as the green curse flew towards his mother, her life instantly draining from her body.

It was the next moments that would forever define his life, his existence, his fate. Voldemort turned his wand on Harry, no remorse in the cold eyes. The green curse leaving the wand for it to only engulf the entire room as it rebounded. In that moment, a part of Voldemort's already utterly fractured soul, once more split and attached itself to him. Those actions leading him to be the first known 'Human Horcrux' in history. From that moment on, Harry lived with a piece of Voldemort within him. Harbouring it for years to come until the fatefully encounter with Drew. The older making it a priority to purge the dark, foreign soul from the scared, young boy he took in. He openly made it his mission to shelter the younger from the impending war until he was properly healed and properly trained.

It had been just over ten years since Drew and his wonderful team of people had successful removed and transferred the soul fragment out of him. Harry's magical core healing the scar over the years, each year it diminished in visibility until it was barely detectable. Not only had they discovered the piece of Voldemort had been draining his magical core, but they realised his mind had been tainted. He was infected by strange dreams and hissing sounds, memories and feelings that didn't feel like his own. That's when Drew had realised that his connection with Voldemort ran deeper than just a piece of soul within him.

Harry had inherited abilities from harbouring a foreign soul fragment within him. He was able to access the mind of Voldemort at any time, more so when he was in a relaxed environment. It aided him in the process of learning both Occlumency as well as Legilimency. Having that pre-existing exposure to know what it feels like to have an intruder in his mind. In having his magical core drained, it only helped him strengthen his core, learning to expand his power. Before the soul fragment was removed, he practised on building up a powerful core, stronger than any other young wizard out there.

While he may have lost the ability to access his enemy's mind, not that he was complaining, he thankfully did not lose the unique ability to communicate in Parseltongue. Why that was a surprise to everyone that had been a part of the extraction process, Harry was thankful he didn't lose the ability. At the end of the day, he saw it as just another advantage he had over people. Not only in his line of work, but in the looming war. Continuing to practice regularly as to not get sloppy. Over time he figured out and understood how he could quickly form relations with snakes of all kinds in case of a need in the future.

Smiling, Harry shook his head at how easily distracted he had just became over a silly old scar. He held out his hand and a second later a pair of clean jocks flew into the bathroom. After he put them on, he grabbed his wand and knife plus their holsters before he walked out into his bedroom and discarded the items on his bed. He turned around with a heavy sigh and headed to his wardrobe. Shuffling through the many dark coloured tops hanging next to his leather coats, he selected a long sleeved, black shirt. Sending it floating over to his bed with a mere wave of his hand, he turned his attention to the bottom drawer in his wardrobe. He opened the drawer to reveal an array of neatly folded pants, shorts, socks and underwear. Wasting no time, he grabbed out his most comfortable tracksuit pants he had and sent them over to his bed.

Grabbing the towel from around his shoulders, he dried the last of the damp tips of his hair. Throwing the towel towards the bathroom without a glance, he closed the doors to his wardrobe and walked over to his bed. He knew he had delayed going down for as long as he could. If he took any longer, he might be rudely dragged downstairs by the ear like had happened in the past. Harry hastily got dressed into his clean clothes, the material sticking to his still slightly wet body. Reattaching the weapons to their rightful place, feeling better when he knew they were never leaving his side. He turned around and looked in the mirror, checking his appearance was suitable enough before he prepared to head down stairs. His messy, dark brown hair sat with slight curls on his head. The clothes he wore snugged his body in all of the right places.

Harry took a deep breath before he finally opened his door and started descending down the stairs slowly. With each step, his heart beat increased as did his anxiety heighten. He reached the bottom step and turned to face the lounge room and kitchen that were full of familiar faces. His eyes roamed the room, unconsciously still on alert for any dangers. He stood there as his presence went undetected for the moment. The room was decorated with party strings, banners with words, balloons pumped with helium floating on the ceiling.

"Harry!" someone yelled, bring all attention to Harry as he stood at the bottom of the stairs.

Everyone in the room turned to him, all eyes trained on him and his reactions. Soon enough, the group broke out in to the birthday song. Some singing dramatically, while others sung normally. He couldn't help the smile that managed to surface, a slight blush on his face at all of the attention. This was by far the biggest turnout he had ever had in all the years he lived here. A feeling of sadness overcame him, seeing the faces of many he came to enjoy the company of. He knew deep down that he wouldn't be seeing many of them for a while, it could even be a year depending on how his mission went.

Loud cheers deafened him as the song came to an end. Shaking his head, he pushed aside the intruding emotions and focused on the present. He walked forward into the crowd of people, handing out hugs, handshakes, and high fives with his friends and family as he made his way towards the kitchen. His eyes bugged out of his head as he saw the small pile of presents laying at the head of the table, next to plates upon plates of delicious, mouth-watering food. The group had made his favourite chocolate chip pancakes, an occurrence that didn't happen often. There was also a selection of other breakfast foods such as bacon, eggs, sausages, fresh fruit, and pastries. Harry looked around with a shimmer in his eyes, glad to have them all in his life.

Drew stood at the head of the table, watching Harry with a kind smile. He gestured for the younger to come and sit down at the table, as it was indeed time to open the gifts. Harry complied with the silent orders, as much as he hated receiving gifts and presents from others, he didn't want to disappoint them all by not opening them now. Sitting down at the head of the table, he took a second to compose his thoughts before he reached forward and grabbed the closest wrapped gift. He saw a neatly scrolled 'To Harry. From Grayson' on the front of the wrapping paper. Smiling he opened the gift cautiously, finding inside an array of books on different subjects. He could tell just by looking at them how old they were, no doubt costing the youngster a lot.

"Thank you, Grayson," Harry looked up and found the shy teen standing off to the side of the group. "This means a lot."

"It's no problem Harry. Anything for my big brother," whispered Grayson shyly, but loud enough for everyone in attendance to hear.

Harry smiled as he looked at the slightly younger, feeling extremely protective over the kid. The fact he had been through the same, if not a slightly worse childhood than Harry, and still managed to live life with happiness was amazing. It showed his true character. Harry swore ages ago to protect his adoptive, younger brother at all costs. Harry may have been stripped of his family, but that didn't mean he couldn't rebuild one. One that he knew would cherish him, love him, protect him no matter what. Unlike certain blood related family members he was going to be visiting soon.

Harry continued opening the rest of his small pile of presents. He received them from only those that dared give him one. Many knowing how uncomfortable the whole process and day made him. He was grateful for having such understanding people in his life. He had received some more books to add to his collection, an array of candy for his devilish sweet tooth, the 12 piece set of Black Kunai Throwing Knives with two sheaths that Drew insisted on getting him, as well as a few new bullseye targets for his practice. That left him with one small, unopened gift. The group what in anticipation as Harry tore away the wrapping paper to reveal a key card for Madam Malkin's Robes. Frowning, he looked around for an explanation as to what he was holding in his hands.

"It is a gift card so you can buy new attire when you leave here," Drew spoke up, smiling as a confused Harry looked at him. "Each and every one of us pitched in some money so you can buy whatever you desire. We thought it would be nice if you didn't have to spend your money on that when you have so much else to purchase."

"I-" Harry tried saying, feeling a lump get stuck in his throat. "I really appreciate this, thank you all so much."

"Enough soppy emotions, let's eat!" Parker exclaimed only to be hit on the back of his head by Charlie who was standing next to him. "What? I'm hungry."

The group laughed in unison, leave it to Parker to ruin the moment with his insatiable appetite. Harry led the charge by being the first to fill up his plate. Although he didn't mind opening presents this year, he was rather keen to eat and get on with his day. His mind filled with a plan on what he was going to do for the rest of the day. He wanted to train with his new weapons, wanting to get used to them in advance for tomorrow night. He also needed to get ready for leaving, a process that would take quite some time. Harry looked around the room as he ate in silence, observing conversations and silently thanking all of the people there for their continued support and love.

>_<      >_<      >_<

The slick black knife spun through the air, hurling towards the bullseye target strapped to a tree trunk. With a thud, the tip of the knife landed perfectly in the middle of the bullseye. A small chunk of the wooden target flying out as the impact collided with previous cuts, creating a small crater in the middle. Harry stood a decent amount of distances from the tree breathing heavily with slight sweat dripping down his forehead. He stood in a strong stance, his front foot facing the direction of the tree while his other foot faced straight ahead. Every time he threw the knives, he would use his back leg to give him extra power in the throw as he twisted his top half to travel with the movement. He had found the perfect amount of power in both movements and throw to not stumble around clumsily and for a clean execution each time.

Instead of walking over to grab the knife, Harry simply levitated it back to him. The knife had been thrown countless of times since he received them this morning, utterly destroying one of the handful of new targets. He looked down at his red, irritated hand. The cord wrapped around the handle started to rub away at his skin, the repetitive movement and tight grip not helping for this extended target practice. He ignored the stinging pain as he plucked the floating knife from thin air. He steadied his breathing, focused his eyes on the bullseye, listened to the surrounding environment and cleared his thoughts from his mind. Bringing his arm back, he flung the handle of the knife with force, causing it to spin in fast circles before it once again hit the target impeccably in the middle.

Clapping from behind Harry brought him out of his own world. He turned around to see Drew walking towards him with an impressed smile. Harry couldn't help but smile at his mentor, feeling a little less anxious now that he had run off some pent up energy. He had thoroughly been enjoying his time training with his new weapons. With not much room on his body to strap on the sheath, he decided to place them just above his ankles. Tightening them to fit snuggly on his black pants, he found it quite natural to pull them out when he was in a crouch as well as nonverbally summoning them with an 'Accio' for when he was standing straight. He was feeling very fortunate that Drew got him these small throwing knives, it was an excellent addition to his artillery.

"How are they?" Drew asked as he came to stand next to Harry, looking at the dented target with a smirk.

"Brilliant," Harry smiled genuinely up at the taller.

"That's superb," he looked down at the flushed face with knowing eyes. "How about you come have some late lunch. You have been out here for hours."

"Always bossing me around, aye McIntyre," he chuckled as he walked over to the target and pulled the knife out, placing it in its sheath on his right leg, and unstrapping the target from the tree trunk.

"Come on, you little brat," Drew shook his head, reaching out a hand and ruffling Harry's messy mop of hair in affection.

The two begun to walk towards the house in silence, Harry still regaining his composure from his relentless training session. The aching feeling in his muscles was a strange comfort to him. Knowing that he pushed himself to work as hard as he could in that session made him feel ecstatic. As he walked, Harry looked around the property, catching himself smiling at the serenity that lay before his eyes. This place had become his home, his personal paradise, his heart and soul. There was not an imperfect factor about this land or house. Everything was perfect in his eyes. The unkempt grass, the clearing in the field that they used for training, the tree line surrounding the entire property, the farm-styled house, and of course all the people that both lived here as well as worked with the team.

"I've got one more surprise for you," Drew said, bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

Drew stopped walking and reached in to his thick, grey, furry coat. He pulled out a small, silvery-green pouch just bigger than the size of both his hands combined. The fragile scales it was made out of looked delicate in the sunlight, shining slightly, almost as if they could fall apart at any time. It looked very familiar to Harry, yet he couldn't quite put his finger on it. The item reminded him of this rare item he had only read about, since they were so hard to get a hold of. He stared at it curiously for a little more until he looked back up at Drew in wonder, finding a smirk firm on the others face..

"Do you know what this is?" asked Drew.

"I have a faint idea as to what that is," Harry nodded his head slowly, looking back down at the pouch.

"This is a Mokeskin pouch. I got it for you to take to Hogwarts with you," he said, holding it out for him to take.

It was exactly what he thought it was, a Mokeskin pouch. A pouch made from the skin of a Moke, made to store items that only the owner can retrieve once placed inside. He knew it looked small in size, but if it had an Extension Charm placed upon it, it would allow for extra room. Already thinking of all the precious items he could store in there while at Hogwarts. Harry carefully took it in to his own hands. He felt slight uneasy as he felt the cool scales move in his hands as if it was still attached to the animal it was made from. He opened the top that was closed by thick, black drawstring. Peering inside, he saw the inside was lined with a soft, beige leather material. He ran a finger along the soft leather, loving the sensation of it.

"Thank you Drew," he said, looking up with a massive smile on his face. "I can't believe you did this."

"You're welcome," Drew chuckled, reaching forward and brining the younger into a firm hug. "You deserve it."

"I don't, but thank you," Harry laughed as he pulled away.

"You do," he said with a frown.

"We'll agree to disagree," he shook his head as he stared back down at his gift in amazement.

"Mmm," disapprovingly shaking his head, Drew started walking inside. "Go to your room and start getting ready, little brat."

Harry chuckled as he followed Drew inside the house. He parted ways with him on the first floor, heading to his room as he was instructed. After closing his door for privacy, his smile dropped and his demeanour changed dramatically. A sombre, heavy air sat upon his shoulders as Harry looked around his room. This would be his last full day and his last night sleeping in this room before he would be leaving. Walking solemnly over to his bed, he placed the new gift gently on his made covers before turning around and walking over to his thin bookcase.

Running his finger along the spines of his neatly stacked books, debating which shall be chosen to make the journey with him. Grabbing book after book with the topics of combat, spell work, duels, and muggle special ops techniques, he levitated them over to his desk. Forming a decent pile of books to reread in his spare time, he turned his attention over to his weapon artillery stored in his wardrobe. Wondering if he should just take everything as he opened the middle drawer to reveal the many sparkling clean weapons. Deciding he could never be over prepared, he simply flicked his hand and sent the entire lot over to lay in neat rows on his desk, repeating the process with all his holsters and sheaths.

Turning his attention to his clothes, he considered what he would actually need. He wondered if he should take only a few outfits to save the limited space. Not only that, but he didn't need to take much considering he would be getting an entire new wardrobe from Madam Malkin's Robes as part of his birthday gift. Keeping this in mind, he grabbed all of his pairs of underwear and socks, followed by two pairs of sweat pants, two plain black shorts, five plain black and white, short sleeved shirts, and finally four of his black, leather cloaks. That should get him through until he gets the chance to make a trip to Madam Malkin's.

Harry looked over to his desk, reviewing his selections that were neatly stacked in small piles. The only items he would want to add were his money pouch, his two way mirror and his new collection of candy he had received for his birthday. Summoning the candy stash from his bed and his money pouch and mirror from his bedside table, he added them to his pile. Satisfaction filled him for a few seconds as he looked over his packing, before sadness once again overcame him. He just was not ready to leave, not ready to leave behind everything he had here. He would miss this easy style of life; the quietness of being missing.

>_<      >_<      >_<

Wind roared loudly in Harry's ears, the ground a green blur to his eyes as he whizzed passed on his Nimbus 2000. The polished wood gripped tightly in his hands as he travelled at great speed. His body positioned close to the handle to help him swiftly navigate the property. Swivelling skilfully in and out of the tree line, parting the tall grass as he flew through it, running circles around the entire inside edge of the property line. It was refreshing to fly in the cool summer evening air, nothing to disturb his peace high up there. His mind was empty as he slowed down his movement, coming to a stop above the training grounds.

The sun was setting slowly behind the tree line, light still illuminating the fields of tall grass surrounding him. A deep calm overcame him as he caught his breath. Harry wondered to himself how long he had been out flying for as he looked around the quiet grounds. He had decided to burn off some nervous energy after sorting everything in to piles ready for tomorrow. It would have to be well and truly over two hours that he had been out here, just flying. The tranquillity of being outside by himself helped him relax his previously racing mind. Being able to just do the movements without needing to think, without needing to focus, was a skill he had required over time.

As he looked around the orange tinted sky, he thought about how this time tomorrow he would be departing and making his way to the Dursley's. How this time tomorrow would be the last time he would lay eyes on this very sight for a long time. How in over 24 hours, he would be facing the very scenario he had been dreading ever since he was kicked out of the Dursley's residence. How he would be getting his long awaited revenge on the family that tried to destroy him. And soon enough he'll be able to get his revenge on the old fool that had placed him at 4 Privet Drive that faithful night.

Flinging the broom's handle up without another thought, he ascended into the sky with great speed. He levelled out the handle and sat amongst the colourful clouds, overlooking the property below. His mind was stuck on the mission, it never straying too far from the thought, lingering in the back of his mind like an annoying insect bite. Harry thought about what he would be doing right now if this was just any other ordinary mission. Right now he would be scoping out the property, making sure he had committed all details to memory. Such as escape routes, places to hide, possible neighbours that could be troublesome, the routine of the victim or in this case, victims.

Seeing why he shouldn't continue acting accordingly to normal missions, Harry slipped his wand into his hand and casted a Disillusionment charm to hide himself from the view as he made his way to his relatives place. He felt his heartbeat begin to quicken as he flew closer and closer to the house filled with nightmarish memories. Shivers traveling down his spine as memories resurfaced that he had tried so hard to supress and forget about. The sky seemingly darkened along with him as his thoughts turned violent. Rage bubbled dangerously under the surface.

Harry slowed down as he approached the quiet town of Little Whinging, knowing exactly where the street in question was located from where hovered. Having travelled this route many times, he could have probably navigated his way to the Dursley's house with his eyes closed. Quickly descending from the sky, his eyes were trained on the roof he was about to land on. Before he crashed into said roof, he pulled up the handle of his broom, floating inches above the dirty, red tiles. Softly climbing off of his broom and onto the roof below, Harry made his way immediately to squat beside the chimney.

Not only moments after he had arrived did the Dursley's make their nightly appearance in the neighbourhood. Vernon and Dudley loudly opened the front door, in the middle of a shouting match with each other. Petunia came rushing out behind them, trying to simmer down the loud, waddling lards to save them from anymore embarrassment then they had already caused throughout the years. Harry couldn't help but chuckle as he saw numerous neighbours angrily slam their windows shut and shoot dirty stares towards the family of three. Some lingered by their windows with angry glares, knowing exactly what would happen next.

Like had happened every night since the bigger pile of lard had purchased the sports car, the father and son duo got in before noisily taking off to run the same route they always did. Harry narrowed in on Petunia, following her movement as she tried to sheepishly waved across the street at the neighbour who had stuck their head out their door. Inadvertently being the very same house on which Harry hid on the roof of, behind the chimney and safely out of view. He watched as Petunia hastily made her way back inside, seeing her settle in on the couch in the living room. The curtains that were wide open showed perfectly what the layout and future looked like within, a helpful advantage he had over them.

Through the window from where he as perched, he could see several places to hide within just that room alone. There was a spot behind the chair placed in the corner of the room, facing the television situated in the opposite corner. There was plenty of space behind the chair and wall, easily enough to slide in and out of. Harry also reckoned he could squeeze himself behind the television itself. It's thick, boxy size enough to cover his body for long enough. And if he wanted to be lazy he could temporarily hide beside the arm of the couch. It would still give him the element of surprise, regardless if it wasn't as cool as the other two.

As for exits in the case of an emergency, on the ground floor he could flee through the back door or the window above the kitchen sink. Upstairs there were a few windows he could jump out of. Dudley's bedroom as well as the spare bedroom both faced the backyard, meaning the windows were above the flower gardens and small bushes that Petunia so desperately tried to maintain for appearances only. He of course wouldn't be attempting to run on foot tomorrow night. No. He would be apparating safely away to this spot. It wasn't far enough away to drain his magical core while cleansing the area of his traces, and it had a excellent view advantage of the whole street.

The sun had completely set by now, resulting in the darkening of the surrounding streets. Harry closed his eyes as the wind softly blew his hair around. Reaching out to across the road, he sensed the wards placed around number 4 Privet Drive. He couldn't believe it as he made his way through the list of protection. No one had tampered with the wards since the night that Drew and Charlie had visited. The dismantled mess of a system was laughable, with one thought, he could have it all erased and out of his way. Something he will surely keep in mind for tomorrow night.

>_<      >_<      >_<

Today was the day. It was the moment he hadn't been waiting for. Harry stood at his desk in his room, placing the stacks of clothing into the scaly mokeskin pouch. The items immediately disappearing into the dark depths of the endless pit. His mind elsewhere as he continued packing while on auto-pilot mode. Nervous thoughts over took his mind, anxious for the upcoming events. Moving on to his weapons, he overlooked what he needed to pack and what he needed for the night. He separated them into two piles with ease, leaving out only the 12 set Black Kunai Throwing knives and his two small knives that usual sat on his bicep. His wand and Blackhawk Tatang knife already strapped on him.

Before he could place the weapons away, he needed to cover them so that when he summoned them back up, he wouldn't get cut. He sorted through all of the sheaths and holsters that matched their rightful weapons, making quick work of covering the sharp objects. A heavy sigh left his pinkish lips as he started packing his collections of combat and fighting weapons. At least he could easily summon them tonight if he needed them, since he would be carrying the pouch with him. He moved on to packing his books, luckily there weren't too many he was taking with him. Anyway, he knew he could always go to the library at Hogwarts if he needed to study up on anything.

With the big piles of items now put away, there was only three things left to pack; the two way mirror, his candy and money pouch. It took him less than thirty seconds and then he was all done. He had officially finished packing up his life and was now ready to leave this life behind. The daunting meaning behind being finished weighed on him. To know soon he would have to go down stairs for the last time and face his chosen family, terrified him. Harry turned his head to look out the window, sighing as he saw the sun once again setting over the land he would miss. A sign time was ticking closer and closer, unrelenting and cruel.

His room seemed so empty with the missing items he was taking with him. Seeing the gaps on his bookshelf and half of his wardrobe missing, pained him. His heart sunk as he walked over to his wardrobe. He stared blankly at his only remaining black, leather clock, not wanting to put it on as it would mean one step closer to departing. Yet Harry had to push his nerves and sentiment aside for the time being, he needed to be focused. He could always grieve once he was successfully in the wizarding world, surrounded by the blundering idiots. Already dressed in his black shirt, long black pants, and thick black boots, he completed his look with the signature cloak. Reluctantly he walked over to his wardrobe before he draped the clock around his shoulders, fastening the clasp around his neck.

With a resigned shake of his head, he walked back over to his desk. Grabbing his mokeskin pouch, he tied the drawstrings through a loop on his pants where belts normally sit. He hung it off a loop to the right side, so it was out of the way of most of his movements. Harry sighed heavily as he grabbed his first small knife, attaching it to his bicep with the aid of magic. Repeating the same with his other small knife, before grabbing the first set of six throwing knives. He squatted down, pulled up the pants to reveal his tanned skin and attached the holster tightly around his ankle. Covering them with the pants, he reached up and blindly fumbling around until he found the second set of six throwing knives. Quickly switching legs, he attached the holster on top of the pants instead, but just as tightly wrapped as the other one was.

Harry stood up and slowly looked around his room. He studied each piece of furniture, each sentimental present he had received, each fond memory that was etched in to his mind. A soft smile couldn't help but grace his lips. As much as he was dreading leaving, he couldn't help but be so grateful for being able to grow up here. He was so grateful to be loved, to be cared for, to be wanted. A shiver travelling down his spine as he imagined what his life would have been like growing up with the Dursley's. No doubt it would have been a terrible, painful childhood. Considering what he went through in that short time as a young boy with them.

Ridding anymore thoughts along those lines for now, he snatched the small box that held his shrunken Nimbus 2000 from his bedside table. With one last longing gaze, he turned sharply on his heel and left the room. Closing the door softly behind him, Harry took a deep breath to compose himself before finally descending the stairs. As soon as he had reached the last few steps, people begun to stand up and make their way over to the staircase. He smiled at the glum faces that surrounded him, knowing this was as equally hard for them as it was for him. A small figure pushed through the small crowd to stand at the front.

"Do you really have to go, Harry?" Grayson asked, looking up at Harry with sad puppy dog eyes.

"Unfortunately I do," Harry sighed as he held out his arms for the younger to come and hug him.

Grayson wasted no time, immediately rushing forwards and tightly wrapping his smaller arms around Harry's back and stomach. His head resting on Harry's steadily beating heart, find it comforting to listen to. Wrapping his own arms around the younger, Harry felt his heart break. He and Grayson had never been away from each other since Grayson had been taken in. Harry knowing what the younger had been through only made their bond stronger. He didn't know how the other would cope without him here to turn to, to be there in the dark moments, to talk to late at night when everyone else was asleep.

"I wish you weren't leaving," Grayson sighed, still hugging Harry.

"I know, me too," he sighed as he squeezed the other a bit tighter to comfort him.

"I'm going to miss you more than words can explain," he choked, tears forming in his eyes as he hid his head further in the elder's chest. "Please come home safely."

The entire group stayed silent as the words from the youngest member of their family hung heavily in the air. Their hearts sunk as the seconds dragged on, neither boy wanting to let go of the other. The silence was soon filled with soft sobs as Grayson let out his pent up emotions. He broke down crying for the first time as he squeezed all of the air out of Harry. His heart broke for the younger. He tried to soothe him by rubbing his back gently, knowing he craved caring and gentle touches since he was so deprived of them as a child.

Harry managed to pry Grayson off of him just long enough for him to kneel down in front off him. The other immediately attaching himself to him again, arms wrapped around his neck and shoulders. Harry continued rubbing his back softly, noticing the calming effect it had on the younger. He looked over the group and saw the many tears welled up in the eyes of these adults. Their hearts breaking at the sight before them. His eyes catching Drew's brown ones, an intense sadness deep within, the only sign of emotion on the man's face currently. Harry couldn't maintain eye contact with his mentor, or he too might start crying. Closing his eyes, he hugged Grayson tightly as he rested his chin on the other's shoulder.

"I have to get going, Grayson," Harry whispered next to his ear as soon as the younger had calmed down.

"Okay," he hiccupped, finally relenting and standing up straight in front of Harry.

"I promise I will write to you as soon as I can. And do not be afraid to send me a letter whenever, for whatever, even if it just to chat. Okay?" Harry said, wiping away the tears from his adoptive brother's small face.

Nodding his head as he took over wiping his own face dry, Grayson stepped back and stood close to Tina who he thought as a mother figure. As Harry stood up, the small crowd begun to exchange hand shakes and hugs. Wishing him a safe mission and to behave as much as he could. The last person to say their farewells was Drew. It made sense. He was the one to take in Harry, he was the one to mentor him, he was the one to bring him up all these years. The two men stood there for a few seconds, green eyes staring into brown eyes, both filled with sorrow. Without a word, the two embraced each other in a strong hug. Drew pulled away after a minute and patted the younger on the shoulder.

"Be good," Drew's deep voice filled the room.

"I will. You be good too," Harry smiled up at the tall Scottish man.

"Little brat," he laughed as he ruffled the messy mop of hair. "I'll have my mirror with me for the next few days. Just call me through that if you need anything at all."

Harry nodded his head as he took a step back. He smiled at each and every person standing there before him. His heart full of love and contentment. Before he psyched himself out of leaving, he silently opened the door and exited the house. The group followed him out and watched as he took out the broom from its box. With his stomach in his throat, Harry swung his leg over the broom handle and took a deep breath. He longingly looked over his shoulders at his family and friends before kicking off the ground. He waved as he started rising up and soon enough, they were nothing but tiny little dots on the ground. Clearing his mind of all thoughts, he quickly checked over his attire and weaponry before placing a Disillusionment charm over himself. Harry flew over the quite towns and cities of England, knowing he was merely minutes away from his destination.