Now that his decision was made there were only a few more things Harry needed to do before leaving for school. Namely shutting down the house for a long period of unoccupation. Luckily, he'd seen Vernon and Petunia do it often enough to know exactly what to do. Even when they knew they'd be leaving him here while they went on whatever trip they planned to go on, they'd always shut down the house before they left.
The last thing Harry did was to make sure the kitchen was sufficiently well packed away. What foods could be frozen had been packed into the deep freezer and the refrigerator cleaned out before it was shut off. He'd even remembered to go through the pantry making sure all the bags and containers were tightly closed to keep out the bugs and other vermin. He made sure the gas to the range, water heater and radiators was also turned off since he knew he wouldn't be back before the springtime. If ever. And then he turned the water down to a mere trickle. Just enough water flowing through the pipes to keep them from freezing in the winter and provide the hose in the shed with fresh flowing water for Hedwig. But not enough to be a real problem if something did go wrong.
Through the goblins, which had been tricky to arrange since he didn't want to let them know his guardians had flown the coop, he'd already hired a realty company to come by and keep an eye on the house while he was away at school. While the goblins tended not to care too much about their human patrons, they were under several different treaties and Harry couldn't be sure one of them didn't deal with abandoned children. He did know they were smart and just cagey enough to figure it out if he gave them even the slightest hint.
But the realty company would handle things here at the house for him while he was away at the Hogwarts Training Ground for Murder and Mayhem. They'd also keep the electricity flowing so the freezer wouldn't defrost. And Steve from across the street would keep an eye on the place while the family was gone. He'd agreed to mow the grass and rake the leaves as well as collect any mail that came for him so it'd look like someone was living in the house.
Harry hadn't told him the Dursley family no longer lived there but he suspected Steve knew it already. Steve was like that. He knew things even if he never commented on them or did anything to try and change them. After all, it was Steve who bought Harry hotdogs, sticky buns or crisps sometimes when he noticed Harry was looking thinner than usual. He'd always been there to lend a hand when a hand was needed but wouldn't be given by anyone else. So it was to Steve, Harry had turned when he knew he'd need someone keeping in eye on the place while he was away. He even gave Steve a spare key to the house so Steve could let himself in if a problem arose. Steve would call the realtors if he noticed a problem. He'd also keep the neighborhood kids from vandalizing the house. Harry knew without asking Steve would stay in the house from time to time for a couple of hours turning on and off the lights, radio or television. He might even make himself a meal or two. Just so the neighbors would think the family was back from their trip. People around here were easy to confuse. So long as they heard the right sounds, they'd never think it might not be the right people making them. They never had before when it had been Harry himself pretending the family was in residence while they were on one of their trips.
Steve was a quiet man who kept to himself. He didn't gossip as so many of the residents around here did. He was observant but he never told anyone what he saw or heard in the neighborhood. He didn't care for gossip because he said those who gossiped quite often missed the forest for the trees. Nor were they any better than the people they talked about behind their backs. Quite often the very things they trashed others for doing they themselves were also guilty of. Harry often wondered if that was why Steve never spoke of his family. If he even had one.
Harry knew he was divorced but also knew he took care of his ex-wife and made sure she had a comfortable life. And when she'd passed away last fall, Steve had made and paid for her funeral arrangements according to her specified wishes. They didn't have any kids together and as far as Harry knew, Steve had never had any from anyone else either. Nor did he seem to have any brothers or sisters. Which might actually account for why he had taken to providing food for Harry when he noticed him looking pinched. Because in his own way Harry was just as alone in the world as Steve was. Yes, he had the Dursley family but everyone knew they didn't care for Harry and would be delighted if he was someone else's problem. So Steve had quietly stepped in when they were failing in their duty to Harry. Never quite doing enough to put their hackles up but always making sure Harry remained alive and reasonably healthy.