Chapter 1- The Beginning

Flashback

Harry stood on the front lawn of #4, Privet Drive, and sighed as he watched his friends wave goodbye from the back seat of a car that was speeding off.

"Have a good summer..."

"We'll be sure to write everyday..."

"Don't do anything rash, o.k.? Be careful..."

He snorted derisively to himself as the blistering sun beat mercilessly onto his broad shoulders. Did they really think he would do something stupid and reckless, like hunt down Snape, the murdering bastard, or runaway to Diagon Alley? The minute an attempt would be made venture out on his own, he would be forced back into 'safety'. He could almost hear his friends' warnings.

"You can't leave, it's too dangerous! You'll get yourself hurt, or worse..."

"You can't do it alone, you need your friends by your side..."

The hell he did. However, the last thing he wanted was repeat of the end of his fifth year, so he would be a good little boy and do what he was told. For now. Harry winced as his aunt's high-pitched voice called to him loudly, interrupting his thoughts.

"Oh, you're back, are you? Well, stop staring into nothing like that! Heavens, what will the neighbors think? That you're some sort of a drug addict, that's what they'll think! Get inside; I have a list of chores for you to do! First, the lawn needs to be mowed..."

Harry groaned and ran his fingers through his newly shoulder length black hair. This was going to be a long 'vacation'.

End Flashback

"I had thought the summer would go smoothly," continued Harry tonelessly. "Why shouldn't it have? I would get through it easily enough if I kept to myself and did what I was told. Sadly, my hopes for peace and quiet were effectively ruined later that very same day..."

Flashback

Harry yawned tiredly and glanced at his watch. The display read nine 'o clock p.m. He had finished all of the grueling chores his aunt had assigned him, and had decided to get some fresh air by taking a stroll through Little Whinging. It was cold and dark in the streets, and a sense of foreboding hung on the strangely frigid summer air. He slowly made his way to the park, marveling at the cruelty of the remainder of his 'family'.

'I can't wait to turn seventeen,' Harry thought to himself idly. It would be a whole different ball game when he would be able to use magic legally. He knew he would end up in Azkaban if he took revenge on decade of misery he had suffered at the hands of his relatives, but he still liked to fantasize about it. He even dreamt about it sometimes. Harry sighed inwardly as he reflected on dreams. They weren't normal... they were like visions, almost. He could practically taste the blood that shed from the wounds he inflicted in them; he almost... enjoyed the agony he caused.

"No, not almost," Harry realized. ' I do enjoy it...'

Harry sighed as he eased himself into the seat of an empty swing set at the vacant park, his beat up black Converse resting comfortably on the hard dirt. What was wrong with him? He could make excuses; say it was the Dark Lord's influence that made him feel that way. But he knew deep down that was a lie. It was like there was another part of him, a part completely unaffected by the morals and boundaries of the wizarding world, a part that was desperate to claw it's way to the surface. In all honesty, Harry was tempted to let it, and not worry about the consequences. But that would be 'wrong', and he didn't do things that were wrong. He wasn't allowed. Not even allowed to leave the fucking house, because it was too dangerous; wasn't allowed to go out on his own and hunt down Voldemort. No, he was being forced to go back to school. Meanwhile, people were dying, being killed, because he was too weak to do anything it.

' Just like Sirius...' Harry thought sadly to himself. Over a year later, and he still hadn't truly accepted his godfather's death. Not to mention Dumbledore. Although he would never voice his thoughts to anyone, Harry privately believed his old mentor had brought his demise onto himself by trusting Snape.

"Nice one, Big D! You really showed that little cocksucker you meant business, didn't you?"

Harry groaned inwardly at the interruption. His cousin and his little gang were out, no doubt beating up twelve year olds again in between swigs of whiskey stolen from their parent's liquor cabinets. And by the sounds of it, they were heading straight for him.

'I should leave,' thought Harry worriedly. His cousin had gotten even more violent as the year progressed, and he really did not want to get in the way of his fists.

End Flashback

"I wish I had left then. If I had, maybe things would have been different. In any case, I stayed, and I have regretted it ever since."

End Ch. 1