Ok, I finally got around to putting this up here :cheer: Finally. :glare: Anyway, this is the first chapter of a story that was supposed to be a NaNoWriMo. But, as it is December, and it's nowhere near 50K words, I wasn't a winner. Blame it on the muse. :aghast: R&R!

±°±

Vernon and Petunia Dursley of Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey, were very happy as they reflected over the past 16 years of their lives. When they took that ungrateful brat of a nephew in to their home, they swore he wouldn't be a… a freak like Petunia's sister. Sadly, they hadn't succeeded. They considered that the biggest failure in their lives. Although, they weren't sure what they were so upset about. Yes, they had to live with a freak, but he was gone most of the year.

Yet, here they were at Kings Cross, two weeks before they should be. They had gotten an urgent owl - bloody things, why couldn't they just post their damn letters like normal people? – that term had ended unexpectedly, and they had to be here to pick that freak up. It had been signed by the Headmistress – when did they get a Headmistress? What happened to that Bumblebee person? Didn't they do enough dropping him off and picking him up every year, but now they had to come out of their way – Vernon had to take a day off work – to come pick him up. Then they were expected to feed him over the summer! Where was the justice in that?

As they stood waiting outside that blasted barrier, they got the shock of their lives when their nephew appeared before them.

Harry Potter surreptitiously cast a featherweight charm on his trunk as he lugged it to the train. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his beast friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger doing the same to their trunks. "Let's go find a compartment before they fill up." He was mostly saying that out of habit, however, as most of the students had been removed by their parents directly after the funeral. Mrs. Weasley had wanted to take Ron home when she took Ginny, but Ron had insisted on staying with Harry. In a bout of rule-breaking, Hermione had 'forgotten' to inform her parents of the current war, and simply told them she was staying at a friend's house for the summer.

As Harry and his friends boarded the train, they looked back at Hogwarts. Hermione mused aloud, "Do you think we'll be back here again?"

Harry paused, then nodded. "Yes. I think we will." He led the way through the train car, pausing outside a compartment. With his back facing the door, he pulled the small doorway open. A gasp from Ron made him look inside the compartment. "Ginny!" Harry rushed into the compartment, barely noticing her luggage having been placed on the train. "What are you doing here? Is something wrong? Is it your parents?"

Ron mane a noise of agreement as he and Hermione followed Harry. "I thought Mom took you back to the Burrow with her."

Ginny laughed slightly. "I'm here because I'm coming with you. I told Mom that if she didn't let me come, I'd take my broom in the middle of the night and track all of you down."

Harry shook his head. "No, Ginny. It's too dangerous. I can't let you come. What if-"

Ginny cut him off. "What if, what if. What if I don't care about it being dangerous? What if I just want to be with you? I'm coming with you, Harry James Potter, and you can't stop me. I don't care how noble your intentions are, I love you and I'm going to stand by your side."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, only to be silenced by a glare from the fiery redhead in front of him. "Ginny, I just want you to be safe and happy."

Ginny walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She murmured with her head buried in Harry's shoulder, "I can't be happy if I'm not with you. Besides, there's nowhere I feel safer than with your arms around me."

Hermione let out a soft sigh as Harry pulled back slightly. He gazed searchingly into her eyes, seeing only determination and love. "I wish I wasn't saying this, but okay-" The rest of his sentence was drowned out by an excited squeal from Ginny followed with a kiss.

"Ok, Harry, Ginny, we get it. You're sickeningly in love. Now Harry, please stop snogging my little sister!" Ron looked extremely disgusted as they broke apart. Laughing at Ron's expression, the four settled into their seats for the ride back to Kings Cross.

As they disembarked the train, Harry warned, "I 'forgot' to tell my aunt and uncle you were coming, so don't be surprised if you don't get the warmest welcome… In fact, don't be surprised if you get screamed at or told you won't be fed."

Hermione and Ron grinned somewhat maniacally. As the only ones who were of age, and consequently able to use magic, the Dursleys had better not try anything while they were there.

Vernon and Petunia watched as Harry appeared through the barrier with his friends. As they followed him over to where they stood, Harry greeted his relatives. "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, you remember my friends Ron and Hermione, and my girlfriend Ginny, don't you? They're staying with us for a few weeks, but only until Ron's and Ginny's brother's wedding. After that we're leaving." As his relatives stared after them, their pallid faces open-mouthed, Harry led the group out to the car, warily anticipating what would happen after the Dursleys got over their shock.
Thankfully for Harry and his friends, the group had made it into Number 4 before his relatives came to their senses. Vernon became lucid first, and announced this to the world. "BOY! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE WITH THESE… THESE FREAKS! I THOUGHT WE TOLD YOU THAT WE DIDN'T WANT FREAKS LIKE YOU IN THIS HOUSE! DON'T THINK WE'RE GOING TO FEED THEM… OH NO, BOY. THEY AREN'T STAYING HERE, AND YOU'RE GOING BACK IN THAT CUPBOARD OF YOURS FOR THE REST OF THE SUM-"

Vernon was cut off by a cold voice – Ginny's voice. "Cupboard? What do you mean, cupboard? Harry, what does he mean by cupboard?"

Harry shrugged. "He means my old bedroom. Ron knows what I'm talking about. Remember – second year – my trunk was in it?"

Ron paled. "I-I-I didn't know th-that was your bedroom! Harry, your trunk barely fit in there!"

Ginny grew angrier as Ron spoke. She rounded on Harry. "Show me." Harry opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off. "Show me." With a resigned sigh, Harry walked over to the staircase and threw the cupboard door open. Ginny strode over to him, leaned over, and peered inside. When she straightened back up, her eyes were blazing. "You-you horrid monsters!"

Harry walked over to Ginny, resting his hands softly on her shoulders. "Ginny, love, calm down. It's okay."

Ginny shrugged his hands off while turning around. Her eyes blazed as she spoke. "And you! Why didn't you tell anyone! Mom and Dad would have helped you!" By this time, Hermione had seen the inside of the cupboard, and was sobbing.

Harry shook his head, his brilliant emerald eyes beginning to dull. "It's not that big of a deal, love. It really isn't. Just drop it."

Ginny's eyes began to water with angry tears. She brushed them away, screaming at him. "But it is a big thing, Harry! Did they really not feed you? You! Of all people, Harry Potter!"

Vernon snorted. "What's so special about him? He's just a worthless freak."

A collective gasp was heard from three of the four teenagers in the room – Harry excluded. Ginny was the first to gather herself together enough to speak. "Worthless! You don't even know who you're talking about, do you! Did you know that the only reason you're alive right now, is because of Harry? He's the bloody savior of the world! He's a hero! He's everything any person could aspire to be. Famous… rich…"

Vernon began to laugh maniacally. "Rich. That's likely. He knows any money he has he has to give to us. We've done enough for him over the years…"

Ginny shook her head at him, becoming more enraged. "I'd like to see you get past the goblins to get to his money. Besides, do you know why he's famous? Because he's faced the greatest evil in this world. Five. Separate. Times. And lived. That's the most anyone on this earth can say. Only four people have even faced him three times. You know what happened to them? Two of them – Harry's bloody parents! – died the fourth time they faced him. The other two are insane because of his followers. Harry is the only person who can say they dueled face to face with V-V-Voldemort," Harry was shocked that Ginny said his name after her encounter with Riddle, but his face glowed with pride, "and lived to tell the tale. Most people don't even get the chance to raise their wands to him before they die! Harry risks EVERYTHING he has to save people, and what does he come home to at the end of every year! YOU PEOPLE!"

Petunia was pale and shaking by this point, while Vernon was still laughing maniacally. Seizing the opportunity, Vernon spoke. "Yes, but what about all the people he's killed? Ced-something, and something serious-"

If possible, Ginny was becoming more enraged. "HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT ABOUT HIM! HE'S NEVER KILLED ANYONE NOT COMPLETELY EVIL!" Harry laid his hand on her shoulder, attempting to calm her. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Harry, but they need to know! Do you know what Harry's been through, how many people he's seen die? Let me tell you, although I assume I can leave the encounter when he was one out.. His first year – he was eleven – he worked his way through a series of obstacles, albeit with Ron and Hermione's help, that most adults wouldn't be able to get through, only to meet this man and have to kill the man Voldemort was possessing! Second year, he slew a Basilisk and defeated a – what are they called again? Oh, yeah, a Horcrux – to save my life, nearly dieing in the process. Third year was fairly quiet, if you can call helping a falsely accused criminal escape and nearly getting your soul sucked out by a dementor quiet. Fourth year – what can we say about fourth year. Well, Harry got entered into a deadly tournament by someone wanting to kill him, he got transported to a graveyard to witness Voldemort's rebirth, and dueled Voldemort, after having seen Cedric killed by Voldie's servant. Fifth year, Harry was tortured by his teacher with a blood quill – see," Ginny held Harry's scarred hand up for his relatives to see, "- just for telling the truth. He was taunted by the media. He was sent visions by Voldemort. Then, he led us and two others into battle after breaking into the ministry, and he had to watch his Godfather die. This year, he went in search of more Horcruxes, and had to watch Dumbledore die in front of him!"

At this point, Harry lifted his head from the embarrassed position it had been in. Vernon had finally begun to pale, and Petunia had tears running down her face. Ginny shook her head, disgusted. Harry took her speechlessness as an opportunity. "Ok, here's what's going to happen this summer. All four of us can do magic this summer." At his companions shocked looks, he clarified. "Just a little fact I learned from Dumbledore last year. You two, and Dudley when he gets home, are not going to bother us. At all. We'll only be here for a couple weeks, then we're out of your hair for good."

All Vernon could do was nod dumbly as the teenagers walked upstairs.

There was a tense silence as the group walked into the smallest bedroom. Harry was the first to break the silence. "Look, guys, I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm not exactly proud of this part of my life… Please forgive me for not telling you about it… Once I got to Hogwarts, it was easier to just forget about it during the year. I didn't want to bother Dumbledore or your parents with it. They already had enough to do. Then, once Voldemort came back… well… everyone was even busier." Harry ran his hand through his hair, looking sheepish.

Ginny wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head on his shoulder. "It's okay, Harry. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at them for doing this to you."

Harry pulled her closer to him. "I know, love." Pulling away, but not letting go of her hand, he addressed Ron and the still-teary Hermione. "Hermione, do you know any charms to enlarge rooms?" At her nod, he continued. "Great. Would you enlarge this room so we can fit some bookcases, a desk… You know, just enlarge it a lot. We can always change it if we need to. Ron, help her with that, will you? I need to go to Diagon Alley and Muggle London… Actually, I'm going to go to Gringotts and Muggle London. I'll leave Diagon Alley for another day. Ginny, do you want to come with me?"

Ginny grinned. "Must you ask?"

Ron looked confused. "But… isn't Gringotts in Diagon Alley?"

Hermione shook her head. "Honestly, Ron. He's going to Gringotts, but he's not shopping while he's there!"

Harry started toward the door with Ginny, but paused when he considered how he was going to get there. "Uh, Hermione? What are my chances of getting in trouble with the Ministry if we Apparate to Diagon Alley?"

Hermione appeared as if she was going to admonish him for even suggesting it, but then paused. "Just go ahead."

At this, Harry grinned and the two left the room. Harry started down the stairs, pulling his girlfriend with him. At Ginny's questioning look, Harry mouthed, "Trust me." Ginny nodded and followed him downstairs where his relatives were still standing. Harry tugged on Ginny's arm, leading her over to his relatives. "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon? We just wanted to know if you needed us to pick anything up for you in London. We're going shopping. No? Ok, see you later." Having figured out what he was doing, Ginny grabbed his arm. Harry turned on his heel, there was the sickening feeling of being squeezed through a tube, and they Apparated.

±°±

Next update: Aiming for around two weeks. Poke Brit for a faster one.