Chapter 1

"No," Harry said bluntly and adamantly.

"I beg your pardon?" Dumbledore said, as if he had never heard the word before.

"I said 'no'. I will not be returning to the Dursley's loving care this summer. Or ever again," Harry replied.

Professor Dumbledore had just had Harry come to his office to advise that he would have to stay at the Dursley's for the whole summer this year, as they didn't believe it would be safe for him to go to the Burrow with Voldemort and his Death Eaters being fully active again. As soon as he had finished, Harry had stopped and his face had gone hard, his gaze cold. Then he just firmly told him 'no'.

Dumbledore arranged his features into a kindly, wise expression and shook his head gently. "I'm afraid, my boy, that you will have to return, for the protection of the wards, you understand."

Harry snorted. "Protection? Just what are they protecting me from? The Death Eaters? Voldemort himself? Considering that Voldemort took my blood to resurrect himself, and was then able to touch me without causing himself any pain in the graveyard, I hardly think the wards are worthy of consideration at this point. And those wards that you are so fond of, do nothing to protect me from the people living in that house. No, I'm sorry Professor Dumbledore, with all due respect, I will not be returning to that house. I have never considered it my home and I never will. For that reason alone, I don't believe the wards were ever as strong as you believed them to be."

"Harry, you will just have to accept that in matters concerning your safety, I know considerably more than you. I do, after all, have over a hundred years of experience behind my decisions. You have to trust my judgement on this," Dumbledore said firmly.

Harry looked at the Headmaster and shook his head. "That's just it Professor. I don't trust your judgement, on this matter especially," Harry said gravely, making the old wizard look at him with shock. "I'm afraid you are going to have to face the fact that you have repeatedly made mistakes and flawed decisions where my life and well-being are concerned. You have consistently seen me as a weapon to be used at your will against Voldemort and his forces, to be kept away from everyone until you are ready to use me when the time is right. You set up tests for me here every year, to make sure I have learnt to protect myself, in what should be the 'safest place in the wizarding world'. You have never protected me when it counted and I have yet to have a normal life, either here or at the Dursley's. Your reasoning is flawed in every matter pertaining to me, and I will no longer grant you the unconditional loyalty and trust that I have previously.

"I have spoken to the goblins when I was in Gringotts last. I know now that I have many houses that are very safe where I can reside during the holidays. Several are even already covered by the Fidelius charm held in trust by the goblins, and are much safer than the Dursley's. I will select a new residence from one of those. I will also select an adult I trust to stay with me during my time away from the school. I trust you understand that this will not be you, Professor," Harry finished firmly.

Dumbledore looked at Harry, his jaw unhinged at being spoken to this way, by a child! He didn't think anyone, ever, had spoken to him like that. People just tended to agree that he knew best and he wasn't used to being questioned anymore. He watched as Harry shook his head again, more as if to clear his thoughts this time.

"Professor, I trust and respect you as the Leader of the Light and as a mentor for my studies. However, I will no longer allow you to make consistently flawed decisions about my life. I am almost 16 years old and will be returning after the summer to begin my 6th year at Hogwarts. I am no longer a child. I have had to look after myself and raise myself from the time I was left at the Dursley's – by you, I might add. I have never been allowed to be a child and that certainly has not changed here at Hogwarts. The only things I learnt from the Dursleys over the years were how to duck and how to run fast to get away from either Dudley or my Uncle when they are looking to get some aggression out of their system. I refuse to be a target at the place that I am supposed to be able to call 'home'.

"You did no one a service when you dumped me on their doorstep all those years ago. You left a toddler in a basket on a doorstep in the middle of winter, with only a note to inform Aunt Petunia that her only sister had died. You made no effort to ensure that I was being looked after or cared for, and, indeed, I was not. But what did you expect? They had a perfectly normal life until you dropped me there. Aunt Petunia had made a personal choice to stay away from all the craziness that was the magical world after she lost her only sister to it. She was never comfortable with 'abnormality' and you made no effort to attempt to assimilate her to the challenges she would have to face raising a magical child. What could you possibly have expected to have happened? Of course they didn't raise me with any love or genuine caring. They had no idea how to deal with my 'freakishness' and were given no support in order to do so," Harry stopped, panting for breath after realising his voice had risen to an almost-shout.

"Professor, I apologise for my harsh words, but surely you can understand that you levelled a grave injustice on that family and on myself. You said you knew that you had sentenced me to some very unhappy years but left me there anyway. You forbade anyone from the magical world from having contact with me when said contact may have actually helped matters. I guess now we'll never know, but I'll always wonder if I might have had a happier childhood had things been done differently."

Harry returned to his seat then, not having realised he had even stood and paced throughout his previous speech. Dumbledore sat there looking at Harry, suddenly looking every one of his years, his eyes missing their customary twinkle. Harry suddenly felt bad for going off at the Headmaster the way he had, however he firmed his resolve to stand by his decision. He would not return to that house. It wasn't fair to him, and neither was it fair to the Dursley's. Although he didn't like them, he could certainly understand that they had not had any positive interactions with the magical world. First they had Harry dumped on them unexpectedly, then Hagrid gave Dudley a tail when he came to retrieve Harry. Then the exploding fireplace when the Weasley's arrived at Privet Drive, and the ton-tongue toffee that the twins had left for Dudley to find. It's no wonder they didn't trust magical people at all.

Dumbledore finally seemed to rouse himself from his stupor and leaned back in his chair. "Harry, I am unsure if this is the right decision for you, but on top of that, I don't see how you are going to be safe anywhere but there. The blood wards…." He trailed off as Harry started speaking again.

"The blood wards are not going to help, Professor. Didn't you hear me before? Voldemort can touch me now, he can hurt me with impunity. My mother's protection is nothing against him anymore since he used my blood to rebirth himself. I will state again that I categorically refuse to return to that house. I will make a new home for myself at one of my other properties. I will be safer there since Voldemort will have no idea I even know about them, let alone have access to them. He could not possibly know that I have been able to get myself emancipated, with the aid of the goblins, and access my family vaults and properties. After all," Harry said with a small smile, "I managed to keep it from you all this time."

Dumbledore startled at hearing that. "Merlin Harry! Do you have any idea what you've done? The Ministry is looking to take you out of the picture however they can. You have lost the protection that being a minor can offer you! Do you not see how foolish that was?" He gasped out in desperation.

"Where was this 'protection' when I was tried as an adult for a bout of underage magic Professor? Or when I was forced to take part in a competition that was designated solely for 'of age' competitors? Seriously, Professor? Protection? My minor status has never done anything other than harm me and limit my ability to protect myself. I now have the ability to protect myself in ways I never did before. I will use that ability to ensure that I am never victimised again. Surely you can understand my point of view?" Harry asked pleadingly. "I do respect you Professor, and I believe there is much you can still teach me, but I will not allow you to continue to put me in harm's way in some vague plan you have of making me stronger," he finished firmly.

Dumbledore looked sadly at Harry and nodded his head. "Very well, Harry, I can see you are not going to back down on this one. I will do my best to ensure that you have a happier life from now on."

Harry then looked sternly at Dumbledore. "I do not need you to ensure anything Professor. I need only for you to accept that you will have to allow me to make my own choices from now on. And no more tests at Hogwarts, are we clear? I find it hard to believe that you didn't know that Quirrell was hosting Voldemort or at least in league with him, or that you hadn't realised that one of your best friends was replaced by a polyjuiced Death Eater. How could you not have realised that they were both acting oddly when you had known them and worked with them for so many years? I also find it hard to forgive you for not even attempting to get Sirius a trial. You are the head of the Wizengamot for Merlin's sake. You can't expect me to believe that you couldn't have pushed to have this done."

Dumbledore simply sighed sadly, admitting nothing but looking shamefaced at the mention of Sirius. That was still a bone of contention between Harry and himself. He had honestly believed that Sirius was the Secret Keeper, and had been so angry at Lily and James' deaths at Sirius' hands that he had not pushed as hard as he should have, even if only to find out the reason why Sirius had betrayed his supposed best friends.

Harry gave Dumbledore a moment to think before continuing. "And I want to be begin training too. If I am to be made responsible for bringing down Voldemort, it's irresponsible of you not to have been giving me training since I have been back in the wizarding world. I understand you wanted me to have time to be a child, but really, Voldemort is not willing to wait until I reach a suitable age to attempt to take me on, as evidenced by his constant attempts to kill me over the last 5 years. While I may not personally believe I have what it takes to bring him down, at least not right now, the wizarding world seems to prefer to rely on a teenager rather than fight their own battles, so I must be as prepared as possible when the time comes. I feel like I have wasted the last 5 years when I should have been preparing," Harry finished. He then calmly waited for a response from Dumbledore.

As he waited, he watched the many emotions chase themselves across his Headmaster's face. He saw sorrow, exasperation, mild anger, then resignation in quick order. At that point he knew that the Headmaster had accepted Harry's proclamation.

"Alright Harry. So where will you be staying this summer and who will stay with you?" Dumbledore asked tiredly.

"I will be staying in one of my properties in France. I will provide you with the means to contact me while I am there before I leave for the summer. And Remus will stay with me, if he accepts when I ask him, of course," Harry said gently, recognising that he had won this argument and having no reason to turn it into a more heated exchange than it had to be. He didn't want to rub the Headmaster's face in it, he just wanted him to accept that he would make his own decisions from now on.

Dumbledore looked up quickly and balked at the prospect of losing Remus' aid as an Order member. "Harry, no. I need Remus to speak to the werewolves, to try and turn them away from Voldemort. We need to rally as many allies as we can for the final battle!" He said urgently.

Harry sighed. "I understand that Professor, but the werewolves that Remus is meeting are ones that are already staying away from Voldemort, he is not making any headway with the ones that have already allied themselves with Voldemort at all. There is no point to continuing the discussions as they have made up their minds and he is unable to sway them at this late stage. Remus will do more good helping me with training, and guiding me where needed. He will be one of my greatest assets as I get ready for the confrontation with Voldemort. He is a Defence master and will be able to teach me some advanced duelling moves. He also knows how the Death Eaters fight and will be able to help me with learning to fight against them specifically. I have spoken to Tonks and Kingsley, and they have agreed to assist with my training should I need them. Obviously, as they are both full-time Aurors, they will not be going away on missions anyway, so it won't disrupt their Order duties or their liaison between the Order and the DMLE."

"Well you seem to have this all figured out Harry. I can see you hardly need my input at this stage. I will have to think on how best to provide you with training of my own. I know it may not seem like it Harry, but I really have only ever wanted the best for you. I do care for you, you know that don't you?" Dumbledore pleaded.

Harry smiled at the old man. "Of that I have never had any doubt Professor. You have always shown me that you care, and I have known that you would always look out for me, in your own way. My problem is that your interest in me seemed to be limited to keeping me strong and alive for the final battle. You seemed caught up in the "greater good" and didn't really appear to see the individuals anymore. I am hoping that we can work together from now on, to ensure that the light will come out ahead in the upcoming battle. I don't want to cut you out of my life Professor, I care for you too. I just need to know that I have someone who is looking at me and seeing me, not "The Saviour", or the "Chosen One" or any other rubbish the wizarding world chooses to call me. I am just Harry, and I will do my best to defeat Voldemort, but I will not allow myself to be sacrificed for the 'greater good' or steamrolled into believing that I am to give up on my dream of a future for myself. I would like to work to make sure that I live to have a life and a family of my own and see my children come to Hogwarts one day too. That is my ultimate dream Professor," Harry said wearily.

"OK Harry, then we will work to ensure that this future happens then. I am truly sorry that I spent so much time looking at the bigger picture and that you believe I have lost sight of the fact that you are still worthy of my consideration. You are right, to an extent, in that I have spent so much time preparing for Voldemort's return that I think I just forget that the players I see on my board are actually still people. I apologise for ever making you think that you weren't important to me Harry. I never meant to do that," Dumbledore whispered.

Harry stood and went to stand beside Dumbledore, placing an arm hesitantly across the old wizard's shoulders. He gave a small squeeze and then knelt beside the chair. "I really don't want to fall out with you Professor. You have been a mentor to me for so long. I just want you to treat me with respect and take into consideration that I might actually have a good idea now and then," he smiled wryly.

Dumbledore huffed a small laugh then stood, pushing his chair back. He turned to Harry and opened his arms. Harry went into them without hesitation. Dumbledore embraced him and rested his chin on Harry's head. "I am sorry Harry. I will try to do better by you from now on. On this you have my oath."

A bright glow illuminated them both briefly and Harry felt the magic wash over him. It was a powerful feeling, one he only felt when in the presence of his mentor. He hadn't realised how much he had missed that presence until now, with how Dumbledore had distanced himself from Harry in the last year. He basked in the feeling for a little while longer before gradually stepping back. Harry smiled up at the Headmaster, then turned and walked to the door to let himself out.

"Harry?" Dumbledore called out. "My door will always be open for you. Please don't hesitate to seek me out, should you need anything."

Harry looked at the Headmaster over his shoulder and gave a cheeky smile. "You got it Professor. You might regret giving me open access one day though," he said as he left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

Dumbledore gave a delighted laugh as he stood there looking at the door as Harry left. This would be a very interesting time, he mused to himself. He would have to learn to share information, something which he had always compartmentalised as much as possible within the Order. However, he understood now that Harry had as much, if not more, right to any information he could provide than anyone else he could think of in the Order. Maybe it's time to think about inducting him into the Order too, if we're going to be actively training him from now on, Dumbledore thought. Yes, he would have to think about that one.

Dumbledore thought back over everything Harry had said. As he pondered the information Harry had provided tonight, he realised that he needed to change every plan he had in place, and was unsure how to go about it. He would also need to share this with Severus, as he was their spy in Voldemort's ranks and he would need to be aware to keep an ear out for any hint that Voldemort or the Death Eaters might have an idea that Harry is not at his relatives this summer. He would have to let the Dursleys know that Harry would no longer be returning there, and that they may need to look at relocating in order to protect themselves, since they would no longer have the protection of the blood wards now that Harry had denounced the house as his home. Although, to be honest, he was unsure if there had been any meaningful protection in place for the past year or so, given what Harry had said about Voldemort being able to touch him now. It's possible the wards had been weak or failing for some time and he had just not noticed with his many duties and responsibilities.

Oh well, time to make a list, he thought as he returned to his seat behind his grand desk. He popped a lemon drop into his mouth as he pondered where to start.