AN: I always hated how Harry faces all these challenges- Malfoy, Snape, a Troll, and even Voldemort then meekly surrenders to his relatives whims each Summer.

Harry glared at the notice that first years were not allowed to practice magic, coming as it did mere days until the end of term.

All his plans- namely the Diffindo and Incendio spells were torn to shreds, burned to ashes before his eyes.

Harry wondered if the mere threat of magic would be enough to deter the Dursleys, and scoffed. Not only did Petunia have a Sister that went to Hogwarts and might know underaged wizards aren't allowed to practice magic, the threat of magic hadn't stopped them punishing him for Accidental Magic.

"Surely if my life's in danger I'd be allowed right? Even if not, how the heck would they know? I need to find out more..." Harry nodded, it was nearly curfew but he had an invisibility cloak.

Walking through the Hogwarts Library he eventually found the small politics and law section and grimaced as he started looking through thick tomes.

None went into the depth he'd have liked- but it did explain you could use magic in self-defense. Harry didn't like the thought of having to explain just why he'd cast magic- knowing his life it'd spiral out of control and everyone would know how he grew up and that wasn't something he was willing to endure.

Still, how they tracked it was another thing entirely- the books all seemed to be gloss over it- probably not wanting to encourage underage magic use- but magic things didn't stop being magic in the muggle world.

Harry didn't have the time to brew a potion- and even if he did which potion had he brewed could help really?

A Boil-Cure Potion would just help the Dursleys, though the Forgetfulness Potion might be of use next year...

What was left, Harry wondered as he made his way out of the Library, pausing so a passing Ghost wouldn't hear his cloak moving, and the ghost idea, the terrible and wonderful idea came to him, and Harry grinned.

"Where is that good for nothing ungrateful freak?"

Harry glared, not that it could be seen under his invisibility cloak. Still, he said nothing, waiting.

Finally Vernon Dursley huffed and stomped off, dire threats mumbled under his breath.

Harry followed him back to his car, awkwardly maneuvering the broom he had been carrying underneath his cloak straddling it. He quickly flew up and hovered over the roof- no one could see up his cloak if there was something solid under it as he flew for hours- his biggest complaint was boredom of going so slow and stopping so often.

Finally he was "home."

Petunia shrieked and ran out the door of the kitchen "Vernon, Vernon, it's happened again!"

Harry muffled his laughter as an scared fat man peeked in the kitchen and meeped.

Harry didn't know what was so scary about stacking chairs on top of one another- but it along with moving around and rattling chains and other ghostly things really seemed to bother the Dursleys.

It wasn't even hard being invisible so often, though he'd had to hand wash his cloak when the Dursleys were gone and had to wear a wet cloak when they returned a bit too early a time or two, but he wasn't complaining.

They hadn't noticed food going missing with Vernon and Dudley competing to see who could eat so much they burst first, and they never went into his 'contaminated' room that had once belonged to Dudley.

Sneaking in and out was easy with a broom and an invisibility cloak too.

Sure, he was lonely without anyone writing him, but he hadn't written much either, having too much fun, mostly just letting Hedwig fly where and when she wished as he couldn't really offer a home to her, not when he didn't really have one himself. He did keep her water bowl filled out behind the Dursley's shed, and give her treats whenever he saw her, but she could mostly take care of herself thank merlin.

Most of his Summer was one that would surprise Ron and delight Hermione. After a successful visit to the library that did as much as it did to help him, Harry had decided to start learning things he wanted- no needed to know. Sure, he was stuck in the Muggle world for a while, but that didn't mean there was nothing to learn!

The public library wasn't the biggest or the best, but it had plenty to offer!

Harry couldn't check books out, but he didn't let that stop him, taking home a few each visit in a knapsack he'd nicked from Dudley. Of course, he returned them after he read them, too fearful what Hermione would say if he hadn't.

From ghost stories to give him new ideas to torment the Dursleys with to recipe books to try out when the Dursleys were gone or asleep he learned so much!

More than once he had to leave some new recipe half cooked, but he rather thought it added to the ghostly torments, a meal they didn't dare eat and had to clean up! At first they searched the house and yard for any intruders even cautiously asking neighbors if they'd seen anyone, never finding a hint of him thankfully. It started scaring them more and more when they never found him or anyone doing those things.

There were more books to be had than ones to improve his haunting and cooking of course- granted Harry mostly read fiction, but Harry delved into some books that surprised even him- Who knew muggle history could be so bloody, or that they had their own versions of magic? He had no idea if any of them would work for him, but was eager to give it a shot once back at Hogwarts.

The library even had practical things like how to throw a punch- it wasn't as good as a teacher but he was sure it would have helped immensely against Quirrelmort- and practicing punching and kicking stuff was fun and added to his haunting even when he didn't wail after hitting something too hard.

Harry was startled out of his thoughts by Vernon's shouting. "That does it, I'm calling Father Jon- he'll put an end to this nonsense, an exorcism, that's what this house needs! Knew we shouldn't have taken in the Freak, sending his demons after us after all we've done for him.."

Harry glared invisibly and plotted retribution for being called a freak yet again. So what if he deserved the scorn for once, he'd been looking for an excuse to try to make the walls bleed... A visit to the butcher's shop was in order, it wouldn't be hard to loot a few pounds from the deserving Dursleys to pay for it.

"Hello Father, thank you for coming, come in, come in." Harry rushed downstairs and watched eagerly, taking notes with one of Dudley's many blank notebooks. After all, even if they couldn't exorcise a living Wizard, it might work against Binns.

"Thank you Mister Dursley- My word!"

"You see it, thank God, thought we were going batty-" Harry muffled a snort.

"It's rather hard to miss all the blood- I see you truly need my Lord's services!" Harry watched avidly, taking notes as the Priest went room too room reading bible passages, shaking around a tin billowing out incense that Harry vaguely recognized the smell of from potions classes, sprinkling water he assumed was holy water. Cautiously waiting until they were done with a room Harry touched one of the wet spots with a finger and sighed in relief as nothing happened. He had been mostly sure but not a hundred percent. Now the big issue, how was he going to get holy water?

In the end getting Holy water wasn't hard at all. It just took following the priest's car from above invisibly on his broom back to his church and following a couple minutes later.

He quickly found and started dunking empty bottles in the holy water, before looking around, to his surprise finding a cache of incense blend the Priest used.

Harry paid for it with a single gold galleon left in their place. He didn't know if he believed in a God who would condemn stealing- not when he allowed such bad things to happen, not when magic was real and of God there was no sign, but better safe than sorry, he thought. Besides, even if God didn't exist the Priest did.

Heading back home, Harry decided it was close enough to the end of the Summer that Dumbledore wouldn't be too miffed at him leaving the Dursley's dubious protection, he thought- after all he'd need school supplies in any case.

Besides- if he left after the exorcism the Dursleys would think it had worked, how shocked then would they be when the 'ghost' came back?

Little did Harry know but an insane house elf would be trying to stop Harry Potter from going to Hogwarts- and there would only be one boy Harry's age at the Dursleys, and Dudley was in for another fright.

Harry smiled as he ate another ice cream before returning to his Potions homework, his trunk unshrunken by an all too eager to please Tom who saw no problem renting a room to a kid.

"This is how all potions homework should be done." He thought out loud, blushing as it drew a pleased laugh and pat on the shoulder from Mr Fortescue. Despite his embarrassment, it was nice to be visible again.

Sure, Boy-Who-Lived fans were a bit annoying, but they did help him with his homework when he asked questions.

Suddenly an owl winged his way to his table.

Ripping the letter open Harry scowled, 'Hovering charm my arse! I'm not even there! Incompetent bloody-' Still, it was just a warning, and if he chewed them out as he wanted to they might investigate and learn he was using his cloak...

Whoever tried getting him expelled was going to pay, Harry decided, and he bet he knew just who it was, Snape. He'd threatened it often enough after all. How he was going to get him back, Harry didn't know, but a trip to the book store and now that he had money the muggle book store was in order. 'Pranks maybe? That jinx book Hagrid didn't let me buy last time might come in handy too...'

'Maybe a new trunk too- there's got to be some trunk that shrinks and grows without a wand and that's bigger on the inside, right? Hell, lets just make it a shopping spree, I could use some muggle clothes that aren't falling apart too...' Harry thought.

To Harry's horror and confusion a few days later he was sent a letter that stated he'd been expelled from Hogwarts for again violating the underaged restriction. Sure, there came another letter stating it had been a misunderstanding and to not worry about it- but worry he did. Snape was going to pay if he managed to get to Hogwarts, something that looked less and less likely.

Harry rubbed his sore nose, the wall that should have admitted him to platform 9 3/4 inexplicably solid. "Snape!" Harry snarled, but this wouldn't stop Harry.

Harry made his way to the bathroom, and unshrunk it with a tap of his wand, quickly retrieving his broom, shutting and shrinking it again, before getting under the cloak.

Flying invisibly until he saw the Hogwarts Express he swooped in an open window and opened the door to much confusion, blushing a bright red. Maybe Slytherins weren't so bad if they could be as pretty undressed as those had been?

"Finally I found one of you, Percy, do you know where Ron is?"

Percy huffed "He and the twins have been suspended-"

Harry gaped "What, why!?"

"If you would have let me finish, they claimed they tried to rescue you- nonsense of course, if you needed rescuing they would have told an adult. In any case they ended up suspended for breaking the statue of secrecy. They were lucky their wands weren't snapped- something about self-defense though it was a clear cut case of Muggle-baiting, I've never been so ashamed of my Brothers in my life."

Harry swallowed, "Merlin..."

"Now if that's all Potter?"

Harry numbly nodded even as Percy not waiting for an answer had shut the compartment door.

"So much for my theory of the hovering charm being Snape... I've got to fix this, somehow..."