Chapter 1

For the first time Harry Potter was happy while returning to Durzkaban. Harry's year had been surprisingly good. Sure Wormtail managed to escape because of the actions of the greasy git known as Snape, but all in all he had worse years. Like the year his DADA professor was possessed and tried to kill him, or the year a giant basilisk was released in the school and he had to fight it. This year ‒despite several attempts to the contrary‒ he had survived, his godfather had been freed, an innocent animal had escaped unjust execution at the hands of a sadist, and despite problems with his friends they managed to grow closer than ever.

Those are all good reasons to be happy, but no they were not the main reason he was happy. The main reason he was happy involved the Quidditch Cup. Their captain, Oliver Wood, was in his final year and was ecstatic after they won. The huge party in the Gryffindor common room lasted well into the night ‒or rather morning‒and Professor McGonagall didn't seem to care. The real reason for Harry's happiness occurred during the party. In fact, it was the key memory he used when he sent out his Patronus to fight off around one hundred Dementors.

While recapping the events of the game, Katie Bell had kissed him full on the lips for a good thirty seconds. It was his first kiss and nothing ‒not even his impending return to Durzkaban‒ could take away the happiness he felt from kissing a beautiful girl like Katie. After the kiss they had talked frequently between classes and she had even given him her floo address even after he told her that he most likely wouldn't be able to use it. She wanted him to have it "just in case." He had thought about sending owls back and forth but the risk was too great that the Dursleys would be angered. As it was his other friends, Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger, could only send letters once a month. It was a shame because he really wanted to see more of Katie. At first they were only teammates, but after the kiss and talking to each other frequently they had become good friends.

He was surprised to say the least when she put her arms around his neck and kissed him. It took him a few seconds to realize what she was doing before he put his arms around her slender waist and kissed her back. He was lucky to have been kissed by such a beautiful girl. Beautiful ‒that was the only way to describe her and even that didn't quite do her justice. She had silky brown hair that was usually tied back in a ponytail, a slender waist with curvy hips, full pink lips, fair skin, long shapely legs that‒

"Boy! What are you smiling about!?"

"Nothing important Uncle." Harry said as his smile immediately fell into a more neutral expression.

Your damn right its nothing important boy. You're nothing but a freak and you will amount to nothing, just like the rest of your freakish kind. So wipe that damned smirk off your face this instant.

"Yes sir." Harry responded to his 'uncle' Vernon Dursley. Ah, the Dursleys, the bane of young Harry's short existence. For nearly eleven years Harry was treated as a slave b his 'relatives' ‒he used that term loosely. His name was freak until he reached primary school. He would never forget his embarrassment when he had to introduce himself to the class and gave his name as 'Freak'. The teacher was surprised and talked about it to his 'aunt' Petunia Dursley when she came to pick Harry and Dudley up after school. Petunia told the teacher that Harry was just trying to get attention and to make nothing of it as he did this sort of thing a lot. He received an extra beating and the name Harry James Potter for his troubles.

He would never be able to thank Hagrid enough for rescuing him from Durzkaban to tell him he was a wizard and bring him to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He spent nine months out of twelve at the greatest magical school in Europe. The worst part of going to Hogwarts was that he had to return to the Dursley's house for a three month summer break. He would gladly deal with Snape all year long if it meant he wouldn't be forced to return to Durzkaban again. Sadly he was on that three month prison sentence starting today. He could see the house at Number Four Privet Drive now and really started to dread his slave labor sentence handed to him by the same cruel Fates that robbed him of his parents and his childhood. 'Crap we're here,' he thought.

"Boy, put your freak stuff by the cupboard under the stairs and then come to the front room so we can give you your list of chores for this summer. You're thirteen now so you better be ready to do more of your fair share."

"Yes sir." Harry replied dejectedly. He hated talking to his 'relatives' like that, but it was easier ‒not to mention safer‒ to do so anyway. As he walked over and put his stuff by the cupboard he called his own for nearly eleven years, he contemplated snaking some of his books into his room ‒really it was Dudley's second bedroom‒ so he could start on his summer assignments. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard Petunia shriek from the front room.

"BOY!" Vernon yelled. "Get in here now!"

As Harry walked in he noticed an owl perched on the sofa and a red faced Vernon with a letter clutched in his pudgy hands.

"What the bloody hell is this you freak?"

'Ah, it was freak now was it? That meant he was due for a beating' Harry thought. "I don't know sir. If you tell me what the letter says I might be able to help you better."

"Don't use that tone with me freak. This letter says that you have a godfather."

"Oh I do sir." As he said it Harry started thinking about why his knew found godfather, Sirius Black, would send a letter to the Dursleys. 'Maybe they stole my mail' he thought.

"Well then where the bloody hell was he when your freak parents were died?" Vernon shouted out as his face turned a shade best described as puce.

Harry barely managed to keep his anger under control as he responded. "He was convicted of thirteen accounts of murder sir, but he broke out of prison this past year so that he could check up on me. You know, make sure I'm safe and happy and all that."

Vernon paled but then proceeded to smirk as an idea somehow managed to form in his normally empty skull. "Well freak we're just going to have to make you unhappy so that when he comes to check up on you we can turn him over to the authorities and collect the ransom money. We can kill you and blame him for the murder so that we get the sympathy of everyone in Britain and then we wouldn't have to deal with you ever again."

Harry knew that he would be beaten within until he was comatose to prevent him from doing anything to stop Vernon. Even though he only got average grades in school, Harry was smart. Perhaps even more so than Hermione, as he had to hold himself back but still do well enough that the professors didn't notice. It was something he was forced to do in primary school as he was beaten if he ever got better grades than Dudley the Whale, and he was beaten if he ever did a lot worse than Dudders. When he was on his way to Hogwarts he thought that he would finally be able to work to his full potential in school, but once he met Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger he realized that if he wanted to keep them as friends he wouldn't be able to. Since Dudley drove anyone who talked to him away, he didn't have any friend till Ron and Hermione and he didn't want to drive them away. Most people knew about Ron's jealousy streak, but Hermione's was just as bad ‒if not worse. Ron was jealous of anyone who had more money or fame than him, while Hermione hated anyone who did better than her in anything involving learning. Using his knowledge to his fullest, Harry came up with a plan ‒albeit a risky one. He would have to wait until Vernon threw him into his room first. The main problem would be holding onto his consciousness and hoping that the magic wouldn't be detected.

Harry came up with his plan in the seven or so seconds it took for Vernon's meaty paw to connect with one of his ribs. As that rib audibly cracked he thought 'Shit, one punch and I already have a broken bone. He's not gonna waste any time with this beating.'

As expected, the beating was the worst Harry had experienced. For about twenty minutes Vernon punched Harry all over his body while slamming him repeatedly against the wall. Twenty minutes was all it took for Harry to have both his legs, both his arms, both his shoulders, his jaw, and a bone near his right eye broken. It took all his willpower to hold onto the slipping thread he called consciousness. After the twenty minutes were up, Vernon grabbed Harry by his neck and dragged him forcibly up the stairs into Dudley's second bedroom.

"That's what you get for being a freak!" Vernon shouted as he threw Harry at the back wall.

'Oh fuck!' Harry thought as his back made contact with the wall and he heard a cracking sound. 'If that was my spine then not even magic will be able to fix it.'

After Vernon slammed the door shut and padlocked it from without, Harry knew it was now or never to enact his plan if he wanted to save Sirius and himself.

"Dobby.'' Harry managed to whisper out of his broken jaw.

Dobby appeared with a 'pop' and did a double taken when he saw the state his friend and master was in. "Oh Great Master Harry Potter sir what happened?" The House Elf cried out.

"I'll explain later Dobby, but right now I need you do something. Put me in stasis and take me to the address that's on the slip of paper in my back pocket. Once you do that I need you to take all my school stuff and bring it there as well." Normally Harry wouldn't want the crazy House Elf to put his hands anywhere near his pockets, but Harry was too busy almost dying to really care.

"Of course Great Master Harry Potter sir!" Dobby cried out as he proceeded to do just what Harry told him to.

Harry's last thought before he lost consciousness was 'So much for an easy summer before I returned to my real home and saw all my friends again. The Fates must really fucking hate me.'

AN: Read and Review