Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter; that right and privilege belongs to JK Rowling, her publisher(s) and whatever corporations who have bought rights to it since it was published. None of the protagonists (and many of the supporting characters, as well) are mine, either. The plot, as much as it can be (I deviate from what happened after The Department of Ministries, pretty much any of what happened in canon, after Sirius fell through the veil), is mine.

Author's Note #1: This began as a one-shot. It was going to be a fun little piece for me to write, where Harry really lets loose and digs into the Headmaster, Remus, and whoever else had the misfortune to cross his path after losing Sirius. Instead, it wrestled away from me until it will now be a story of its own. Wish me luck in taming these plot bunnies, they've been whispering diabolically! ;)

Author's Note #2: I may draw from several other AU fanfictions. I will never copy a one-of-a-kind creation of another fanfic author (ironic, since we're all shamelessly playing in JK's sandbox, but that's a topic for another day), without permission. However, those elements which I feel are basically common property (i.e. the shopping spree, Harry becoming a "Lord" and/or emancipated, developing some hitherto unknown power, etc) I will implement in my own way, IF (and it's a big 'if!') I use them. Let me know if you recognize something that is legitimately yours and want it changed or removed.

Chapter 1: Aftermath

"Harry!" Remus barked, his expression shifting uneasily between shock and fear. "Control yourself!"

Harry Potter turned on the werewolf-once, the second closest adult he had ever considered family-and snarled. His voice fell from the raw, hysterical shouting he had not stopped since Dumbledore and the Order apparated into the Headmaster's Office. It had been all anyone could do, after everything they had just went through, to watch and listen as Harry gave a tantrum worthy of the Dark Lord, himself.

But now Harry's tone was cold, low, and should have burned on contact. "What makes you think, I am not in perfect control, Lupin?"

He advanced slowly towards the werewolf, his body swaying with a grace that was inhuman and certainly out of character for the at-times shy, always brash, and oddly humble Boy-Who-Lived.

"Who says you have any say in this?" he whispered, his face intimately close to Lupin's. "You lost that-"

Harry raised his voice and turned his upper body, rotating it in the same, eerily fluid movements which were in even sharper contrast to the wild abandon with which he had been attacking the Headmaster's office and belongings before the Order arrived. "All of you—lost any rights you may have had, when you failed me. Again."

"Harr-" Albus began, his voice strained and shoulders sagging, but willing to spend the last of his energy for the evening to reclaim control of the situation, tragic as it was.

"No, Headmaster. Yet again, your words, your regrets and apologies, come too late. Yet again, my life is in ruins and I have lost another person who loved me."

Harry's tone was even and his voice grew softer as he shuffled towards the door. His body stiff with fatigue, Harry turned his back on the Order of the Phoenix.

"Voldemort may be striking the blows, but you, most of all, have been complicit in my families' deaths. I will not—I can not—align myself with the same people who are willing to sacrifice me and mine for their misguided hopes..."

The silence was profound after Harry's exit, and in his absence, no one dared move or speak. The Headmaster was the first to shake himself, followed closely by his Potions Master, and Deputy Headmistress.

The Leader of the Light marshaled his thoughts and his will, pushing his immediate reactions down. There were still important matters to address. "We must-"

"Albus." Minerva McGonagall interrupted with a weary voice, "I think we should all sleep on it." She paused and levered herself out of her seat, leaning on the back of the armchair she had collapsed into, until her feet were steady. "The Ministry is aware and will handle things outside of Hogwarts, for now. In the meantime, we have concerns within our halls to look after."

Not waiting for a reply, she turned away and walked out. For once, Snape offered no parting shot and simply followed his colleague's lead. When the last of the faculty had left, the door closed with an audible click behind them. Remus barely raised his eyes, and even then he couldn't meet Dumbledore's. Though exhausted, he reached the door under his own power, unsteady as it was, following the confrontation against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. It was like the First War all over again, except now he was alone. His pack...his family was gone.

Remus paused when Dumbledore called after him, "Remus, where will you go?"

"Hogsmeade. Rosmerta won't mind me taking a bench for the evening."

And so the room was empty except for its master. Dumbledore was left to contemplate his choices, particularly those regarding a powerful young man. His eyes traveled unseeingly around the room, absently calculating how much damage he could repair personally, and how much he would need assistance restoring.

That was work for the morning, however. He counted his blessings that Harry had been entirely physical in letting off his rage until the last outburst. Otherwise, others may have noticed Albus's pallor and slight shiver, as the boy effortlessly walked through a shield which had served since Dumbledore first became Headmaster. No one Harry's age should have been able to breach the wards surrounding his office, but with barely a thought, Harry Potter walked through them unmolested.

Shaking his head, Albus walked into his private quarters and prepared to catch as much sleep as possible before facing the new day. He did not hear Fawkes's final, mournful chirp 'goodbye' or see the Phoenix's spectacular display as it departed from its perch for parts unknown...

"Harry!" Hermoine called, setting aside the small, first edition spell book she had been reading since breakfast.

"Mate, where've ya been?" Ron asked, joining Hermoine in their bedridden welcome.

Harry gave them a half smile but couldn't maintain it for long. He hugged Hermoine and clapped Ron on his free shoulder, the other and the rest of his torso tightly bandaged as he recovered from the brains, before sitting down between them.

"I had another meeting with Dumbledore. He wants me to reconsider staying at Grimmauld..."

Ron scowled and Hermoine reached out to touch his shoulder.

"Are you alright? All things considered?" she asked softly.

Harry sighed but didn't break into tears or give any other indication that he was hiding an aggrieved meltdown. He placed one hand over Hermoine's and squeezed it before releasing.

"All considered? Yeah. Mostly, it's just...I keep feeling like he's just an owl away, or that he's gonna show up and tell us it was the biggest prank since the Marauders' prime."

His voice was almost painfully sad and there were a few moments of silence before Harry decided a change of subject was in order.

"Any news from your parents? Can you come for a visit over break?" he asked Hermoine.

Hermoine's smile was strained but there all the same. "Yes. Mum wants to see me for herself and have me checked out by a muggle doctor, run a full battery of tests, probably schedule me to see a shrink, too, while she's at it. She's-"

"She's your mum, Hermoine. I wouldn't expect any less." Harry replied, grinning at the juvenile eye roll he could tell Hermoine was trying not to indulge in. "What about the Weasleys, Ron?"

"Sorry, mate, but it doesn't seem likely. Mum's alright, just wants to know you'll be taking care of yourself, but Dad and Bill are still a bit testy about you kicking out the Order."

Another moment of awkward silence descended over the Trio, but this time no one broke it. Finally, Madam Pomfrey came over to check on Ron and change his bandages, during which Harry made his escape. He promised to see them after dinner as usual.

He took a very scenic route back to the Gryffindor Common Room, visiting old friends and landmarks which had stood witness to five of the best and worst years of his life. As he passed Sir Roger's empty frame, Harry thought back to the excitement and adventure of his First Year. He had thought all of his dreams were coming true, when he first heard about Hogwarts; that life was finally getting better and he could experience lasting happiness and friends and perhaps even love. And, honestly, he had. Harry had made friends and enemies, passed tests and trials, and learned the true meaning of family.

No matter what Dumbledore thought, the Dursleys were not Harry's family. His family were the people who'd gone out of their way, risked their lives and even their hopes for a future, to help and protect him. His family were two of the best friends anyone could ask for; a fiery redhead who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, when she thought she knew best; a Gryffindor who redefined the meaning of courage and surpassed all expectations; and, a virtual stranger-a girl who had seen Harry in his hour of need and reached out, just because she cared and understood parts of him that Harry was hard pressed to name for himself. The Weasleys were a part of his family; Dobby, excitable as he was, was a part of Harry's family.

There were a lot of other people in his life and Harry certainly wasn't going discounting all of his friends and acquaintances out of hand. But he was taking stock and reevaluating how wise it was to follow anyone blindly. It had been proven time and time again that appearances were deceiving and no one could be relied on all of the time. At least, with Harry making his own decisions, the consequences he would pay were his own to accept.

No more sitting on the sidelines; being stifled and smothered, until he was drawn away from his 'guards' and forced on the defensive. If Voldemort wanted war, if he was so desperate to be the greatest wizard of their time, then Harry was going to give him a run for his money. He was going to survive the Dark Lord and his sycophants, and Harry was going to live. Finally, he was going to justify all of the sacrifices that had been made on his behalf and earn the faith his family had placed in him.

AN: Reviews make me happy. Really, they do. I've been on this site for years and never had the nerve to post my work. Just three reviews later, I was absolutely HOOKED! If you haven't had the experience yet, BE WARNED…they will make you be as happy as a house-elf is to serve, to be a slave to the whimsy of plot bunnies.