Couple of notes:

This is set in the current time period. Summer of 2012 actually. I had quite enough with researching London and various other places without having to deal with putting it all in a different time period. Honestly how did anyone live without cell phones? I can't fathom it and I don't really want figure it out. Won't make that much difference in the grand scheme of things but I don't want reviews telling me Harry couldn't have a cell phone or have gone to see that movie. Just pretend that the books actually took place years later than they really did. Everything else is the same!

I used this story to work on imagery. So there will be a lot of description from Harry's point of view about places he visits.

I don't like Dumbledore. That being said I don't specifically bash him in this story but I do throw suspicion on him. There will be bashing in the sequel when Harry deals with what he learned over the summer.

Happy reading and thank you for taking the time to check out the new story!

For the third night in a row, ever since he'd rescued Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter was wondering the halls of the ancient castle where he attended school. It didn't matter where he walked his feet always seemed to lead him to the second floor girls bathroom, the very room that contained the opening of the Chamber of Secrets.

The Chamber, and what had happened while he was down there, were the very reasons he'd spent the last several nights avoiding his bed. Every time he closed his eyes…..He shook those thoughts out of his head, not wanting to relieve the incident once again.

Almost against his will he pushed open the door and made his way to the third sink, his attention so focused he missed seeing the bathroom's resident ghost.

"Hello Harry." Myrtle swooped down from the ceiling to bat her eyelashes at the student who'd visited her so often that year. "Have you come to say goodbye to me? Or are you here to go down that dirty old slide again?"

"I almost died down there." He answered, his voice wooden. His gaze never left the small outline of a snake adorning the faucet. "Thought I was dead for a second."

"You could have stayed with me if you died." The ghost offered eagerly as she drifted closer.

His eyes jumped to her before he hurriedly jerked them away. "Err thanks Myrtle. But I think if I were dead I'd rather find my parents, you know, have a chance to meet them."

She nodded. "It that why you're so sad? Because you don't get to be with them now that you didn't die?"

He thought about it as he found a dry patch of the floor to settle on. "No, I mean it would be brilliant to see them but I guess they would be pretty mad if I died at the age of twelve." He looked up to see her frowning at him. He inwardly winced, wondering if she was going to have one her crying spells.

"I don't understand." She said finally. "I've never seen you like this and I've watched you a lot this year."

"Err…" His mind blanked as he stared at her in horror. "You what?"

"Ohh I watched when you….." She blinked when the dark haired boy threw up his hands.

"Nope, never mind, I don't want to know." He announced, vaguely queasy.

"But you didn't tell me why you're so sad." She reminded him.

He shrugged as he picked at a frayed hole in his jeans. "Well when I was dying, before Fawkes saved me," He was quick to add as her eyes lit up. "I had one of those moments where my life flashed in front of me and well there wasn't much to it." He sighed when she stared at him in confusion. "Don't you ever think back on your life and wish you could have done certain things before you died?"

He jumped as she squealed. "You mean like kissing Jackson Pulley until my eyes rolled back in my head? Or be the star reporter for the newspaper and have all the gentlemen swoon when I interviewed them?"

"Err yeah. Umm you wanted to be a reporter?" He asked curiously, his attention diverted.

"Umhm, that way I would be able to meet all the famous people and hear all the juiciest news." She announced swooping around the room with a high pitched giggle.

"Of course." He muttered under his breath. "Don't you regret not being able to do that?"

She shrugged as she came to hover in front of him once again. "I came back as a ghost. Mostly to haunt Olive Hornby but Hogwarts always has something interesting going on, and a lot of cute guys." She waggled her eyebrows making him feel distinctly uncomfortable. "And I still get to hear a lot of juicy news."

"But you're sad all the time. Isn't that why you're always crying?" He rushed on as tears welled up in her eyes. "This is the second time I've come close, really close, to dying since I've come to the magical world. Next year it might actually happen."

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Myrtle asked sniffing wetly.

"There's so much I want to see and do." Harry pulled his knees against his chest. "I've never been anywhere besides my relatives' house and Hogwarts." He shivered as she drifted down and put an arm around him.

"You want to see other places." She surmised.

"Well yeah. I don't want to die next year without having lived." He bit his lip as he struggled to explain. "My aunt and uncle watched this movie one time…"

"Movie?" She asked interrupting him.

"A play." He answered not wanting to get into a long discussion on muggle tech. "Anyway I was cleaning the kitchen and got to hear a bit of it. It was about these two old men who were scared of getting old so they made a list of things they wanted to do before they died. A bucket list."

"That makes a lot of sense." She floated around with a thoughtful look on her face. "I'd have to think about what to put on my list."

Harry opened his mouth to point out that it was a moot point for her before thinking better about it. "I know what'd be on my list." He offered instead.

She swooped down until she was directly in front of him. "Ohhh do tell."

He smiled shyly at her. "I want to see the ocean. Visit my parents graves. Go to an amusement park and ride the fastest coaster there. Eat pizza."

Myrtle tilted her head as she studied him. "Those don't sound like very hard things to do. You'll do them this summer then you won't have any regrets when you die next year and come to stay with me." She finished happily.

Harry snorted. "My relatives wouldn't take me anywhere if I paid them."

"So pay someone else." She pointed out simply.

He stared at her in disbelief. "Even if I found someone trustworthy enough to act as my guardian for the summer I couldn't afford it. My relatives don't give me money and my vault barely has enough to get me through seventh year."

"Are you sure?" She asked with a knowing smile. "The girls toilets are always full of gossip about how filthy rich you are."

"Well I'm not." He retorted, blushing a bright red. "All I have is my trust vault. Wouldn't the goblins have told me if I had another one?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "Have you actually ever talked to one?"

"Well no." He murmured, thinking of Hagrid and Mrs. Weasley hustling him in and out. He yawned widely. "I guess I better get to bed. Thanks Myrtle, for everything."

"You'll come back and visit me next year won't you?" She asked anxiously, wringing her hands.

"Of course." He assured her, surprised to find that he actually meant it. "We're friends aren't we?"

She sniffed. "Have fun this summer Harry. And if you die next year I'll keep a toilet open for you." She gave a sudden loud wail and zoomed down into the nearest toilet, sending a large splash of water over the boy.

"Lovely." He muttered. wringing out his invisibility cloak before throwing it over his shoulders. Luckily he didn't encounter anyone on his way back to Gryffindor tower, He wouldn't have been able to hide the squeaking of his wet shoes.

"Harry, Harry get up." Ron called, shaking his sleeping friend. "Blimey mate wake up. You've slept through breakfast. They're about to start taking us down to the train."

"What?" Harry yelped, shooting up in the bed. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?" he demanded.

"I wanted to." The red head defended himself, jumping back as his friend scrambled to his trunk. "Hermione wouldn't let me. You know how she gets."

"I heard that Ronald Weasley." A shrill voice called through the door. "Harry are you decent yet?"

"Yeah." He called back as he coerced his owl into her cage.

"It's just that you haven't been sleeping lately." Hermione said as she walked in. "Here." She handed him a couple pieces of toast. "Ron grab his trunk. They've already called for us."

"Bossy." Ron mouthed to his friend causing Harry to choke on the piece of bread. Grabbing Hedwig's cage he followed his two friends down the staircases to the great hall.

"Where have the three of you been?" McGonagall barked as she swept over to them. "Never mind. Off you go before they leave without you." Casing the levitation spell on the trunk Ron carried, along with the two Ron had carried down earlier she shooed them out the front door and into a carriage. "Next year you'll work on your punctuality." She said shutting the door with a snap. Harry and Ron shared a grin as Hermione let out a huff.

Harry settled back in his seat as Ron began teasing the bushy haired girl. His thoughts revolved around the plan that had formed in his dreams. It was risky. What if the Dursleys kicked him out for good? That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, he reminded himself as he grinned inwardly. But if Myrtle was wrong and he really didn't have another vault then he'd essentially be homeless.

But he had to know. What if he did have more money? Could he pay someone to live with him for the summer? He'd be free of the Dursleys and get to do all the things he'd ever wanted to do.

The image was so enticing that he made up his mind to use his trust vault if he had too, if he really didn't have any other vaults. After all there was a good chance he'd die next year and wouldn't need the money. And if by chance he'd managed to survive once again he'd get used books and second hand robes for the next four years.

Hermione had been shooting him concerned looks but she waited until they were settled on the train before confronting him. "Harry are you okay? You've been awful quiet."

"I'm fine." He assured her, dredging up a smile. He cocked his head as he considered her. "Hermione you almost died."

"Thanks Harry." She shuddered. "It's not something I like to think about."

"Besides she didn't die. She was just petrified." Ron cut in.

Harry shrugged. "An inch more and it might have been worse. But still she lost a couple months of her life."

"Harry stop." She demanded wrapping her arms around herself. Ron patted her awkwardly on the back as he frowned at his friend.

"What are you getting at mate?"

"I was just wondering if she'd have had any regrets. Anything she would have wished she could have done." He whispered, turning to look out the window.

"Harry." Hermione reached out to grab his hand. "What exactly happened in that chamber?"

He gave her a weak smile. "I fought a giant snake." He shrugged and pulled his hand away. "It wasn't easy."

"The Louvre." She answered after a beat of silence. "In Paris. I have to go before I die."

Harry turned to smile at her.

"Exploding snap." Ron asked desperately. "I mean," he fumbled when they both turned to stare at him. "Nobody died so lets stop talking about it yeah?"

"Yeah." Harry agreed, pulling out a deck of the exploding cards. "Lets have some fun."

Hermione agreed to one game before she pulled out a book, snuggling up into a corner as the boys games got rougher and rowdier.

"Say Ron." Harry started hours later as they gathered their stuff and prepared to leave. "Do you think if I need to your parents would let me stay this summer?"

"Of course, mum would love it." Ron answered automatically. "Why though? The Dursley's aren't going to lock you up again like last summer are they?" He asked looking alarmed.

"No, at least I don't think so." Harry answered truthfully. "But you know, just in case."

"Well just in case here's my address." Hermione said handing him a slip of paper she'd scribbled on quickly. "We're going to be going on holiday but if you need me before then I know my parent's wouldn't mind."

"Thanks guys." Harry said smiling widely. "This really takes a load off my mind." He waved them off as their families called to them, pushing through the barrier with a look of determination.

"Get in the car boy." His uncle yelled as soon as he spotted him. "I've got no time to waste for you to lollygag about."

Harry took a deep breath. "Actually Uncle Vernon I'm not coming with you."

The large man turned to him, his beady eyes narrowing in anger. "What's this nonsense?"

"I've made other arrangements." Harry answered praying to merlin that it was true.

"Other arrangements." His uncle grunted. "And you couldn't inform me before I wasted all this time coming to get you?"

Harry winced. "It was a last minute thing. And you know how you hate to get mail from my kind." He added.

"And will these other arrangements keep you away all summer?" Vernon asked hopefully.

"Definitely." Harry answered firmly, thinking he'd rather sleep on the streets than go back to the Dursley house.

"Good." Another grunt. "And next year you can find your own way to the house. I won't be coming to pick you up."

"I'll try to make other arrangements next year too." Harry added hopefully.

"Hmpf. Good riddance then." Harry grinned in triumph as the large man swung around and stormed off.