Today was Friday. Seven days ago, Harry had scored too well on a math quiz and been locked in his cupboard for over a day. Six days ago, Harry had experienced the worst beating of his life at the hands of his drunk uncle. Five days ago, Vernon had tried to scorch Harry's hand and shoved him into a stone countertop, and Harry had been unharmed. Then, three days ago, Harry had consciously used magic for the first time. And now, Harry was about to be let out of his personal prison.

Ever since that first time, Harry had been experimenting. He discovered that his magic was unable to affect anything besides Harry directly, but he could still do many things simply by using his magic on himself. He couldn't levitate anything, but if it was something heavy he could power his muscles using his magic and lift it anyways. He was always drained after this, but if used correctly today he wouldn't have to worry about needing to protect himself constantly.

"Let's go, freak. Time to make dinner," Petunia said as she unlocked the cupboard and pulled it open. Harry stepped out and leveled a glare at his aunt.

"Yes, Aunt Petunia," Harry replied. He was furious, more so than he could ever remember being. After some thought, he had realized that his relatives knew about magic. That was the only reason he could think of for why they were so set against anything "unnatural," and even avoided the word "magic." They must have known, and deliberately hid it from him.

Reeling in his emotions, Harry turned away and moved towards the kitchen. He had a plan, but he could not afford to lose his cool. If things went the way he hoped, he would never have to go back to that cupboard again. With luck, he could even try to make friends. Arriving at the kitchen, he realized that Petunia had not told him what the meal would be today. He turned around, but she had left, apparently going back upstairs. Shrugging, Harry moved to the refrigerator and took out some food to make a sandwich. Since being locked away, Harry had only received two slices of bread each morning, so he was ravenous.

He quickly made a corned beef sandwich and wolfed it down. Hearing the stomping on the stairs that could only mean the arrival of his bulky relatives, he ran to the dining table and stood behind the extra wide chair at the head. Seconds later, the door banged open, and Vernon and Dudley Dursley waddled in. Vernon's eyes narrowed at the sight of Harry behind his usual chair.

"Boy, that food had better be ready…" Vernon trailed off, seeing the unrepentant look on Harry's face.

"Sit down, Uncle. I have some things to say to you all," Harry said coldly.

"You think you can order me around? In my own house? You're mad, boy. Get back to the kitchen before I make you," Vernon growled in response.

"Sit. Down. I won't ask again," Harry said in a calm voice, portraying much more confidence than he felt. This was the critical part of the plan, and could not afford to fail.

Vernon's small eyes narrowed even further. He would not be disrespected like this, not in his own home. This was his territory, and he would not be threatened by this puny creature. With a snarl, Vernon advanced on the child before him.

Harry focused on one thing as his uncle approached. I will not move. He could feel the magic within him moving at his command, enveloping his entire body. Vernon's fat hands reached out, the sausage-like fingers grasping for him. Harry's eyes closed.

Dudley was confused. First, he saw his wimpy cousin standing behind the dining table, which he knew he was not allowed to do. The only time the freak was allowed in this room was to serve them food, and there was none on the table. After his cousin and father exchanged some words, his dad started to stomp towards Harry. Dudley smiled with glee. He knew this would not end well for Potter. However, when his dad reached the freak, he simply collided with him. The grin slid off his face.

Harry opened his eyes and almost laughed at the view before him. Vernon had bounced off him as if he was a stone wall, and was now doing his best to push Harry to the ground, to no avail. Harry raised a single eyebrow at his uncle, then shoved him away with one hand.

"Ready to listen, now, Uncle?" Harry inquired, still in a calm voice.

"You… Freak! What did you do? How dare you do this in my house! I ought to throw you out on the street like I wanted to years ago! Ungrateful brat… You'll wish you had never been born!" Vernon sputtered with impotent rage.

"Uncle, I've decided that it's time for some changes around here."

"You've decided? Boy, the only decision-"

Harry snapped. He grabbed the edge of the table nearest him and lifted with all of his magically-enhanced might. The table flipped once before smashing into the ceiling with a crash, and falling back to the floor, spreading bits of plaster and shattered wood throughout the room. Vernon and Dudley pressed their backs to the nearest wall, wide eyes taking in the destruction before them.

"What in God's name was tha-" Petunia's voice cut off as she came into view. "Vernon, what-"

"It's time we had a talk," Harry cut her off.

Later that night, Harry settled into his new bedroom on the second floor. After his demonstration showed that he had more to offer than idle threats, the negotiations had gone relatively well, at least, through his perspective. He had "convinced" his relatives to give him the unused bedroom on the second floor, and to give him more freedom. His grades would no longer be their concern, and he would be free to come and go from the house as he pleased. In return, he would cook for them a few time per week and perform a reasonable amount of chores. The Dursleys were obviously not pleased by the turn of events, but had little choice after seeing that they no longer had any leverage over Harry.

Now that he was free, Harry began to plan for his future. With his newfound freedom, he would be able to do almost anything he desired. First and foremost in Harry's mind was learning. For as long as he could remember, the Dursleys had actively damaged his education, handing out punishments when he scored higher than Dudley and not allowing him access to his school materials for homework. Now, he would be able to perform to his capabilities without worry of repercussions.

Step one would be to bring his grades up to an acceptable level. Currently, he was enrolled in a summer school program for students who failed their previous grade. Dudley had failed, and so of course Harry had as well. This way, his summers would be open for him to do whatever he wanted instead of attending school every day. Perhaps he could also join a sports team if he had enough free time, but that would have to wait and see.

Step two would be to explore his newfound abilities. While his demonstration had sufficiently cowed the Dursleys into caving to his demands, he had been exhausted to the point of collapse. This was obviously unacceptable, as there was little point to having power if he passed out after using it. Training was in order, both to discover new aspects of his power and to increase his stamina while using it.

Harry smiled to himself. Life was starting to look up.