A/n: Hey! I'm finally back with a new fic, and I'll be working on this one a lot, I promise! I have no idea where the idea came from, or why, but it did, so I started writing. And I really hope my writing has improved some from my previous fics. Please let me know if you think so! I love you all! (hugs)

Rain spattered the window as thunder rolled, startling the snowy owl on the desk. The boy looked up at her slight jump and smiled softly.

"It's all right, Hedwig. It's only a storm." He poked his fingers through the bars of the cage and stroked her beak comfortingly. "It'll be over soon."

Harry looked back down at the letter he was writing to one of his best friends in the wizarding world, Ron Weasly.

Ron-

Has your mum said anything about letting me come for the summer? The Dursley's are worse than ever and have locked me in my room again and Hedwig in her cage.

Thanks a load for the sweets. They really helped (Aunt Petunia has put Dudley on another diet, and so the rest of us have to suffer too), thanks for the book. I've read all of mine-even the school ones. Did you know that Crups could be found here in the Muggle world? They look like regular dogs once you cut their tails off. Great, I'm starting to sound like Hermione (not sure if that's a good or bad thing, though).

Ask your mum and SAVE ME!

-Harry

P.S. You haven't gotten your letter yet, have you? I'm thinking nobody has.

Harry folded the letter into a tiny square and tied it to Pigwidgeon, Ron's tiny owl, who hardly stood still long enough for him to secure it to his leg.

"You're not going out before the storm stops," Harry told the over-excited owl. "Don't need you getting hurt."

"POTTER!"

Boy and owls all looked towards the door as Harry's Uncle Vernon came storming up the stairs towards his room. Quickly stuffing Pig into a pair of socks and tossing him into the trunk that was sitting at the foot of his bed, Harry shut it and flopped on his bed, staring at the ceiling only a moment before his uncle burst in, his face a vivid shade of plum.

"You...You've been talking to them! Those things like you!" Vernon waved a letter in Harry's face. "They sent a letter by the postman. Somebody named Granger."

Green eyes went wide at the sound of Hermione's last name. Why on earth did she send it through the normal post? She had gotten an owl over the summer and could've sent it that way with no interference.

Vernon smirked at the slight panic on his face. "So...you know this...this Granger do you, boy?" He thrust the letter in his face. "Open it. Read it aloud."

Taking the letter with a shaking hand, Harry opened it and unfolded the parchment folded within the envelope.

Dear Harry-

I hope your aunt and uncle are treating you right, especially after everything you went through only weeks ago. Mum and Dad sent their best wishes.

Have you heard from Ron about spending the majority of the summer holidays at the Burrow? Last I heard from him was that Mrs. Weasly was in a panic over the travel issues now since Snape and Malfoy are out there, along with the Ministry watching the Floo Network.

You're probably wondering why I sent this normal post. Artemis got sick from eating a sick mouse a few days ago and isn't quite up to flying that great distance yet (although he's doing much better). Terribly sorry if this causes any trouble with your aunt or uncle.

I've sent a few things to you through catalog, seeing as how your last letter seemed written out of pure boredom. I do hope you'll write back, and I'll send my reply with Hedwig. And let me know when you get your letter for this year. I still haven't gotten mine and I'm beginning to worry. Did Professor McGonagall close the school for good? If so do you think she would've notified the students, or at the very least the parents (or guardians in your case)? Please write back quickly.

Love from,

Hermione

"So...the school closed, did it boy? And the Weasly's want to take you in." Vernon had a nasty smirk on his face as he watched Harry, who was still holding the letter, reading it again. "In that case, go. You go to the Weasly's, and leave my family alone. You've burdened us for sixteen years, you ungrateful imp, so go and leave our life forever!"

"But that isn't fair!" Harry protested, jumping to his feet. "I don't even know if I can go there! Mrs. Weasly hasn't said anything!"

Vernon hit him across the mouth, sending him toppling back onto his bed. "Don't you dare speak to me like that. You will gather your things and leave! I never want to see you near this house again!" Turning on his heel, the man waddled from the room, slamming the door behind him, Harry's alarm clock falling off the desk in the after shock.

Green eyes glistened with unshed tears, tears of anger and hatred for that man. Dudley and Aunt Petunia he could live with, as they would at least stay out of his way and ignore him. But Uncle Vernon had gone too far. After digging his wand from the bottom of his trunk-and letting Pig out to zoom around his room, hooting annoyingly-Harry wrenched his door open and stomped downstairs to where the other members of the household were sitting down to dinner.

"Sit down, the ham is getting cold," Petunia snapped, setting a piece of the meat she had spent hours to prepare on a plate for him.

"No, Aunt Petunia. I'm not hungry tonight." Harry turned his gaze to Vernon, who had his back to him.

Petunia watched him warily, then looked at Vernon. "Well, I'll leave it for you for later." She continued fixing everyone a plate, glancing up at her nephew every once in a while.

"I hate you...you've treated me like dirt ever since I came to live with you! ALL BECAUSE OF WHAT I AM!" Harry took a step towards him, his angry tears streaming down his face. "EVERY TIME I DO ANYTHING YOU LOCK ME IN MY ROOM FOR IT! YOU'RE LUCKY I'VE NEVER GONE TO THE POLICE AND REPORT CHILD ABUSE!"

Vernon slowly turned around and glared at him. "You do that boy...and I'll make you wish you had never been born."

Harry did something he had never had the bravery to do for as long as he could remember.

He punched Vernon.

The man fell backwards out of his chair and rubbed his jaw, staring upwards in shock.

Petunia shrieked and ran to her husband's side to help him. Dudley just sat there, staring at Harry, his mouth hanging open.

"Bloody hell...That was brilliant!" Dudley grinned at Harry, fork still in his hand.

Casting a weak grin back at his cousin-with whom he had grown to tolerate, almost befriend-before looking back at his uncle, the portly man getting to his feet.

While the other two in the family had warmed slightly towards Harry, Vernon had grown colder, meaner. Petunia even gave him small amounts of pocket change a few times a week, saying even though he had money in his world, he'd need some for theirs, and bought him a new bookshelf to house his things while he was home. Dudley had stopped tormenting him and they spent time with each other, watching TV in comfortable silence or playing video games with friendly arguments.

Vernon, however, treated Harry worse than ever, saying he should have been the one to have been killed, not the "crack-pot old fool" as he called Dumbledore. His presence had darkened his family's good name and he was tired of him never doing anything.

"Damn it, boy... You'll regret you did that..." With a shout of rage, Vernon leapt at Harry and clamped his hands around the teen's neck, strangling him easily with his large hands.

"Vernon let go of him!" Petunia shrieked, running to attempt to pry his hands from her nephew. "Let go!"

The man rounded on her and snarled, "Stay out of this, Petunia!" With a swipe at her, his wife backed away and took Dudley with her to the corner, both trembling with fear.

Harry vision blurred as his glasses were knocked from his face and skittered across the floor to where his cousin picked them up. "I've got them, Harry!" All he wanted was Vernon to let go of him, so he could strike back, to run, to help his aunt and cousin.

As he gasped for air, he thought he saw Hedwig fly down the stairs and into the sitting room, but it must've been his imagination; she was still upstairs, locked in her cage.

"HARRY!"

He was shoved to the floor as a slew of voices bombarded his hearing, his uncle shouting, his aunt and cousin shrieking in terror, and a few small explosions. The tile came up to meet him as he smacked his cheek against the cool surface and stayed there, not moving, panting from his small scuffle.

In a matter of minutes everything was over, and someone was helping him to his feet.

"You all right, mate? You look bloody awful!"

Dudley came closer-he could tell who it was from the shape of the blurry outline-and gave him his glasses. Putting them on, he saw Ron, his twin brothers Fred and George, their older brother Bill, and their sister Ginny standing around the kitchen, Mr. And Mrs. Weasly tending to Vernon and Petunia.

"How-what-Ron?" Harry babbled, confused at why they were there.

Ginny hurried over and hugged him tightly. "Oh Harry, we were worried! All your letters sounded dreadful and Mum was having kittens about you. After your reply to the last letter never came, we panicked!"

Harry stroked her hair, holding her tight. "I'm fine, now that you're here."

Molly Weasly hurried to him after magicking up a cup of tea for Petunia. "Harry, dear, come on, let's get your things and go. You're staying with us until term starts. Arthur and I already have permission from McGonagall and Fudge for you to come with us. And Hermione will be coming as well. Her parents would rather her be with fully trained wizards than in the Muggle neighborhood if an attack should come."

Fred and George were watching him curiously. "Gee, Harry, you didn't have to kick us while we were helping, you know," George muttered.

"I...I kicked you?" Harry ran a hand through his hair, his head hurting. "Sorry about that, really am."

"It's all right, mate. No damage done. But wow, you should watch that." Fred was speaking this time. "Almost got George in the head."

He grinned sheepishly at the twins, identical in every way, and started towards the stairs to his room.

Bill followed him, chuckling. "You sure you're all right? Dad almost got you with the Leg-Locker. And Ginny just barely missed you with one of her Bat-Bogeys."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Honest."

They entered the room and Harry started to toss his belonging into his trunk, letting them lay there haphazardly as he piled items on top of each other. Hedwig's cage was empty. So it hadn't been his imagination when he thought he saw her fly by. One of the Weaslys must have set her out.

Ron gaped at how the room looked. "Bloody hell, Harry, what'd you do, get this stuff from a rubbage dump and magic it better?"

"Aunt Petunia bought them for me," he replied, pulling trinkets off his bookshelf. "Vernon doesn't know she did it though. Thinks they're from the garage from before." Harry untacked his calendar from the wall above his bed and stuffed it in the trunk between books. "Just get me out of here."

Pig had attacked Ron as soon as the boy had entered the room, hooting happily to see his owner. Now he was sitting contentedly on Ron's shoulder, nestled against his neck. "Sure thing. We'll be taking Floo Powder though, because of the owls and your trunk. Can't Apparate yet with other things, can we?" Ron grinned lopsidedly at his friend who laughed for the first time since Christmas.

"Right you are, mate." Harry replied, lifting his trunk with the help of Bill, and started out the door to go down stairs.

Back in the kitchen, Vernon was propped against the wall, legs glued together, arms clapped to his side tightly, looking angrier than ever. Apparently one of the Weaslys had used the Full Body Bind on him, most likely Arthur. Mrs. Weasly was soothing Petunia at the table, saying that he could be put right with no harm done to him. Dudley was picking at a few carrot sticks, listening in on Fred and George as they spoke together in a corner. He was still wary of those two after a few summers ago when they made his tongue swell.

"Harry!" Arthur exclaimed, turning away from Vernon to embrace the young wizard. "Hope you've been better than we thought."

"I'm fine, Mr. Weasly. can we go now?" Harry returned the hug and backed away.

The balding man cast a glance at Vernon and nodded. "Yes, well...why don't you tell your aunt and cousin good-bye first."

Harry gave his aunt a hug and a warm smile before shaking Dudley's hand. "See you next summer. But don't worry Aunt Petunia. I'll be out and gone then. I'll just be coming back for my things."

Petunia nodded tearily and sniffed. "Be careful, Harry."

"So...after this year you're of age?" Dudley asked. He got a nod. "Cool!"

The wizard grinned and grabbed his trunk. "I'll write to you."

Vernon's eyes widened at the statement. Making noises of protest, his face began to change to an ugly shade of puce. Harry snickered at him and turned towards the living room so he could get to the Burrow with his trunk and Hedwig. Taking a bit of the green Floo powder offered to him by Mr. Weasly, he tossed it into the fire. The flames turned green and as high as he was and he took a deep breath.

"THE BURROW!" He shouted, stepping into the flames. A second later, he was traveling through the network of fireplaces towards the Weasleys' home.

A/n: There you go! My return chapter of my return fic! I hope you like it, and I will hopefully update regularly. Review, if you don't mind