Hi there everyone!! Umm....this is my FIRST ever Harry Potter fanfic, which I decided to write because my very good friend suggested I should (she knows who she is lol). Well anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this story and don't forget to Review at the end please!!

WARNING: I suggest that you should only read this story if you've already read the 5th HP book, Order of the Phoenix since my story is based on what has happened from that and I don't wish to spoil any surprises in the 5th book that you might not have known...Well, ENJOY!!!!

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling nor do I own any of her characters

CHAPTER 1: The Dursleys' Change of Heart

Harry Potter, a teenage boy with untidy, dark hair, and glasses, sat on his bed smiling with a look of joy on his face. For the first time in his life, Harry was actually happy to be home at Number 4 Privet Drive with the family that he despised so much, the Dursleys. Ever since the members of the Order of the Phoenix had that discussion with Uncle Vernon about treating Harry properly, his aunt, uncle and even his cousin, Dudley had been treating Harry very differently that summer. They were kinder to him, which was quite a shock to Harry at first, but he eventually grew accustomed to their forced compassion since he knew that they would have to answer to Lupin, Tonks, or maybe even Mad-Eye Moody if they ever stepped out of line.

As Harry sat on his bed, he stared at the array of birthday presents that he had just finished opening on his 16th birthday. All around him were bits of crumpled pieces of wrapping paper scattered on the bedroom floor, and spread all over his desk were the numerous birthday presents that he received from his many friends he'd met over the past few years in the wizarding world: an over baked chocolate cake from Hagrid, a book called, 'Quidditch Teams of the World' from Hermione, and an assortment of wizard sweets from Lupin. He even received a few gifts from the Dursleys that seemed to be a lot more thoughtful than the usual pair of old socks that he had gotten in the previous years. Included with one of his presents (a miniature Quidditch playing field with tiny figurines bewitched to seem like they were actually playing) was a letter from one of his best friends, Ron Weasley, which he began to read.

Dear Harry,

How are those Dursleys treating you these days now that Moody and the gang told them off? Hope you had a wonderful birthday. Fred and George's shop in Diagon Alley is doing rather well. I mean mum still is a little shocked at the fact that they quit school for it, but they help out by lending money so I guess it's okay. Listen, my parents say its okay for you to come and stay with us for the rest of the summer so ask your uncle if it's all right and send Hedwig with an answer. Well I better go, mum's going berserk! Fred and George just gave Ginny one of their new experiments and her tongue is swelling up. See ya Harry!!

-Ron

P.S. Hermione of course will be coming to stay with us too, I don't know if I can stand her much longer though! She keeps talking about that crooked- nosed, Viktor Krum! It's getting very annoying!

Harry began to laugh under his breath after reading the last few lines of the letter. Ron and his other friend, Hermione Granger have always been at each others throats for the past 6 years that they've known each other. Harry was beginning to think that maybe Ron was jealous and really did fancy Hermione but setting that thought aside, Harry immediately tore off a piece of parchment and began writing.

Hi Ron,

I'm pretty sure it'll be okay for me to come and visit you for the summer. The Dursleys probably want to get rid of me anyway. I think they're tired of acting nice to me really. Okay, well, send word when you're going to come pick something or me up. Can't wait to see you.

-Harry

He then walked over to Hedwig's cage, unhooked the door and let her fly around the room for a few minutes before attaching the rolled up parchment to her leg. "Okay Hedwig, go send this to Ron," he told his snowy, white owl as he released her and let her fly gracefully into the pale, blue sky.

Then he walked back over to his bed and turned on the television that he had gotten from the Dursleys as an early birthday present to the Muggle news station. An anchorman with what appeared to be a very cheap, brown toupee was now talking. "In other parts of the world, people in Britain are now able to relax a little with word that the escaped criminal, Sirius Black has been pronounced dead..."

At hearing this, the happiness of receiving all those gifts left him and Harry's eyes began to fill up with tears, though he told himself not to cry. He knew that the man on the TV was right, but it had been very hard for Harry to accept that his godfather was gone and begin moving on with his life. He was aware of Sirius's bravery before he died, trying to rescue him from the Dark Lord's Death Eaters. But Harry always heard a little voice in the back of his mind that told him "if only he, himself did not feel the need to be a hero, Sirius would still be alive."

He remembered towards the end of the school year, he and 5 of his other friends had rushed to the Ministry of Magic in hopes of saving Sirius, only to find that it was a trick to lure him there by Lord Voldemort. Yet Harry knew not to blame himself for the death of Sirius and even Dumbledore assured Harry that it was not his fault. So, he dried his eyes the best that he could, turned off the TV, and laid back onto his pillow still thinking about his godfather.

Harry must've dozed off for a while because before he knew it, his Aunt Petunia was sitting on the bed and was shaking him gently, though Harry could feel a sense of tenseness in his aunt's grip. He knew that she wanted to shake him harder but was bound by the promise her husband made. "Wake up you foolish boy! It's time to eat and the food is getting cold," she began to yell, but then trailed off to a more reasonable volume. "And pick up all this junk on the floor! It looks like a storm came through here!!" she said, pointing at the scattered wrapping paper on the floor.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry replied, still a little bit drowsy from his small nap and sat up on his bed. He stretched out his arms, stood up, and then began to pick up all the mess on the floor, and threw it in the garbage bin sitting in the corner. Then he walked out of his room and down into the kitchen where Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley were already digging into their dinner.

Harry walked over to his chair and sat down. The Dursleys could no longer feed Harry just bread or other meals that were an 'insufficient' source of nutrition according to Lupin, who had recently came to check up on them to insure that the Dursleys were treating Harry with respect. He was now entitled to as much food as Dudley. However Harry never ate such large amounts of food like his pig-like cousin, but could definitely say that he was never hungry while living in Privet Drive.

During their meal, Harry brought up the subject of going to Ron's for the rest of the summer. "Sure, you can go stay with your kind," Uncle Vernon began to say with food in his mouth, and continued under his breath, "those no good--poor excuse of--rubbish....."

"What's that you said there uncle?" Harry asked with the sound of sarcastic mischief in his voice. "You don't want me to tell that man with the funny eye that you've been insulting us and our kind do you? I bet he wouldn't be very pleased with that." He continued realizing that he was really annoying his uncle because he could see that round face of his turn a dark shade of purple. Harry was pleased with himself; he enjoyed the fact that he could push the limit of his family's patience knowing that the Order of the Phoenix would back him up if they ever did anything to harm him.

When dinner was finished, Harry went back up to his room and sat on his bed once again, full of the delicious meal he'd just finished eating. He had just sat down when he heard a tap on the window and a blur of white came to rest on the sill. Quickly, he went to go open the window and let Hedwig inside. She dropped a piece of parchment onto the desk as she went to go land on Harry's shoulder. He opened the letter, which read:

Harry,

Great, so dad and I will come and pick you up tomorrow. Be ready with all your stuff packed. See you then!

-Ron

"Wonderful Hedwig, we get to leave this house for the rest of the summer! Aren't you excited?" Harry asked his owl who nipped gently at his ear to show her affection. Then he went to go put her back in her cage and got dressed in his pajamas. He got into his bed and turned on his TV to his favourite Muggle television show before going to sleep a few hours later with the pleasant thought in his mind of being back with his friends for the remaining weeks before the start of school.
Well that's chapter 1 for now, I hope you enjoyed it and don't forget to Review.