That weekend when Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville were working on the perfect revenge prank for Malfoy when they were approached by McGonagall.

"Mr. Potter, the headmaster would like to see you in his office." She said after a quick greeting. When they all moved to stand she said, "Just Mr. Potter."

Harry looked at his friends, shrugged, and followed McGonagall out. "Why does the Headmaster want to see me?" He asked as soon as they had left the common room.

McGonagall pursed her lips, "I'm afraid the headmaster is overstepping his bounds again. I must admit I am looking forward to seeing how you handle this." When they reached the gargoyle she said, "Acid pops."

They quickly ascended the stairs and entered the office. Dumbledore smiled at them, and pointedly ignored Harry's scoff when he said, "Ah, Harry my boy."

Harry, deciding he might as well at least try to be polite, said, "Professor McGonagall said you wanted to see me?"

Dumbledore sighed heavily and said, "I'm afraid so my boy. I would like to speak with you about the summer holidays. I know you wish to spend the time with your godfather, but I'm afraid I must insist you return to the Dursleys."

Harry raised an eyebrow, "And why must you insist, dare I ask?"

"I know that despite my clear instructions to the contrary, you have been informed of the prophecy. Therefore you must realize how much danger you are in. Your aunt's house is the only safe place for you. When your mother died she placed a protection on you, so long as you call home a place where your mother's blood resides, Voldemort cannot touch you. And so you must return."

Harry looked at the old man, wondering if he had just heard right. "That is the biggest load of crap I have ever heard. First off let's address the fact that I don't consider Privet drive to be my home. I never have. When I was younger I honestly did wish I would be taken to an orphanage. And since I found out I was a wizard, Privet Drive has become this prison I have to endure before I can return to my home—Hogwarts.

"And if this protection is in my blood, wouldn't Privet Drive be unsafe? Voldemort took my blood which means he could get into the house which means the only thing I would be protected from is Death Eaters and they have orders not to kill me.

"And how is Privet Drive safer than Grimmauld? Blood protection aside I would be completely defenseless if attacked. The only magical being nearby is Mrs. Figg and she wouldn't be much help. Let's assume the house is protected, what happens when we leave? You can't really expect all of us to never leave the house. All that needs to happen is one of us walking into the street and then we're screwed. And all they really need to do is find where my uncle works, hit him with and Imperious curse and tell him to kill me.

"And even if they don't do that, Pettigrew obviously knows a spell to blow things up, what stops them from just standing across the street and blowing the house up? And it isn't like the place is well hidden; anybody could find us by looking in a phone book.

"Now tell me how that is safer than the headquarters of the Order of the Pheonix, full of people that can use magic and unplottable and protected by you as a secret keeper. There is almost no way for Death Eaters to find me there and even if they do I will have a much better chance of surviving with actual aurors around."

Dumbledore sat there gaping for a moment before floundering for some response, "But my boy, surely you miss your family."

Harry glared at him before saying, "First of all I'm not your boy. Second, I do miss my family, that's why I want to stay with them."

Dumbledore looked confused, "But I thought you didn't want to spend the summer with the Durselys?"

Harry smirked, "I don't. I said I want to spend the summer with my family. I've never considered the Dursleys to be my family. Relatives, sure, family never."

Dumbledore frowned, "Now don't you think that's a little unfair of you? There's no reason for you to be so harsh."

Harry looked at him incredulously, "No reason! I have every right! The Dursley house has four bedrooms, Dudley was given two and I was put in the cupboard under the stairs. My aunt made me cook and clean while Dudley was able to sit around and stuff his face. I got in trouble and I would be locked in my cupboard without food. I was starved, bullied by my cousin and my uncle and my aunt has been known to try and hit me with frying pans. And this summer my uncle strangled me because he thought I'd done magic! So don't tell me I'm being harsh."

Dumbledore and McGonagall stared at Harry in shock, although McGonagall did look a lot more horrified, Dumbledore looked almost as if he had already known. Harry observed this and wondered how much of what went on at Privet Drive the headmaster knew about.

Dumbledore tried again, "Surely you exaggerate. Your aunt and uncle –"

"Hate me," Harry interrupted. "My uncle told me he would hope for the death penalty at my hearing this summer. They always tell me I'm a huge burden. My aunt hated my mother too, the first time she ever mentioned her was when she shouted that she was a freak. And the only reason my summers have been as pleasant as they have been is because first year they didn't know I couldn't use magic and after third year I never told them that Sirius was innocent. I have to blackmail them into leaving me alone; does that sound like a loving family to you?"

Dumbledore was obviously trying to come up with an argument but seemed unable to. Finally he sighed, "I suppose you are right. Perhaps your aunt and uncle are not suitable guardians for you. But why did you not mention any of this before now?"

Harry looked at him coolly, "I have, you just haven't been listening. Why do you think I never wanted to go back? Didn't Hagrid tell you they never told me what I was, how my parents died or anything about them? I've never had that look of someone who is well cared for and second year I had to be rescued from my relatives. What part of this doesn't sound suspicious? And I've talked with Ron and Hermione, they say my death defying stunts are part of my childhood because despite the fact that a lot of it is trying to help people, I really just don't really care if I get hurt. Hermione said that because of how I was raised I don't really have that self-preservation because I was raised to believe my life was worthless.

"But you know what? That stops now. I will still help people but I'm not going to throw my life away when people are there to help. And I'm not going to listen to you because you are you. Too many people just accept what you say because of who you are. You don't have any right to tell me who to live with and I really don't understand why you were the one to decide where I was placed after my parents died. But what's done is done and it can't be changed. What can be changed is how much influence you have in my life. And right now, that influence is limited to how I serve detention. If that's all I'm leaving now." And before Dumbledore could say anything, Harry strode out of the office without a single backwards glance.