The Stress of Being Harry Potter

Chapter 1

Harry sat dismally in the back seat of the Dursley's car as the train station, and his link to his friends passed out of sight. With a deep sigh of resignation, he turned his face forward and accepted his fate. The ride passed in silence as the Dursleys wrestled with their normal inclination to berate the boy, and the fear of doing so, because of the threats just given to them by the Order.

It isn't difficult to follow the train of Harry's thoughts. They went in a loop from replaying Sirius's death in the Department of Mysteries to replaying Dumbledore telling him of the Prophecy. After watching these things in his mind over and over, Harry came to one clear and startling revelation, if he continued to rely on Dumbledore to guide him in this stupid war, then a lot more people were going to die. With his silly moral high ground, and inability to see when other people had needs that conflicted with his master plan, Dumbledore's guidance was a liability that Harry couldn't afford anymore if he was to succeed.

Upon arriving in Little Whinging, however, it seemed that Vernon was regaining some of his normal bluster, and began cursing the other drivers, as he made his way towards Number 4 Privet Drive.

As Vernon began to regain his bluster, some color returned to Petunia's cheeks, and Dudley became more and more alert, as if expecting something to occur.

Once, they actually got to the house, Harry slowly got out of the car and retrieved his things from the trunk. So lost in his own thoughts about Sirius, Harry failed to notice the nearly identical smirks that Vernon and Dudley were wearing. Although, in the state of mind that Harry was in, it is highly doubtful that he would have even cared.

Although, as things have a way of catching up with us whether we notice them or not, the situation Harry found himself in upon entering the house was not one that he could have fathomed.

A cuff from a Dudley size fist in the shoulder brought Harry's attention back to the present, and he noticed the change in the house. The cupboard under the stairs had been cleaned out, and there were bars covering the entrance to it.

Once, they had Harry's attention, Vernon bellowed, "This is what you get for setting those freaky people on us, Potter. I had this work done, just in case we needed it, and you have already proven that you can't help being an abomination, so this is where you will be spending your summer. I won't have you upsetting the family with your freakish ways, so I've had it soundproofed as well. We'll see how well your freakishness works when you don't eat for the summer."

Vernon grabbed Harry by the collar, and began to drag him towards the cupboard. At first, completely shocked, Harry didn't even resist, but as realization sank in, the scrawny fifteen year old began to struggle, and then yelled in a voice filled with power and rage, "I don't think so!" Then, the rage exploded out of Harry in a vortex of power that sent Vernon Dursley flailing through the air to land in an unconscious heap at the end of the hall.

Harry spun in his rage to glare at Petunia and Dudley, to find Petunia cringing back in fear, while Dudley tried to hide his massive bulk behind her thin frame, all the while covering his backside with his hands.

A/N: As you will note, there is very little that changes in this chapter. Since it was the teaser introduction, I didn't feel that a lot needed to be done. However, some of the chapters have changed a bit more dramatically.