A/N: This story is being re-uploaded after being beta read to fix my atrocious spelling errors and other mistakes. I would like to give a shout out to the lovely MsKitty94 for being my Beta and for being my wife :D. Everyone please give her your thanks. She is also offering to be a beta for anyone in need, look to her profile for info on contacting her.

Chapter 1

Not Really Home

Harry Potter sat in the back sat of his uncle's company car, watching out the window as they zoomed down the motorway out of London. They were heading home to Number 4 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. "Well not really" Harry thought; Number 4 had never been a place Harry called home. The only place Harry ever called home was Hogwarts, but right now he did not want to be there either. Right now Harry did not want to be anywhere, least of all Number 4 Privet Drive. "Stupid blood protection anyway" Harry thought. It was the only reason he had to keep going back to his aunt and uncle's. His mother had died to save his life and Dumbledore had used that as basis for the blood magic. As long as Harry stayed where his mother's blood lived he would be protected and his aunt Petunia Dursley was his mother's sister.

The Dursley's – Harry's aunt Petunia, uncle Vernon and cousin Dudley – were the only family he had left alive. Not that they were much of a family, anyway; always yelling, screaming or beating him in one way or another. To say they did not like him much would be the understatement of a lifetime. Harry often wondered why they took him in, in the first place – he knew they did not want him there... "Must be money involved for them" thought Harry as he kept watching out the window. Merlin knows they wouldn't have took him for any other reason.

Thinking of family was putting him into a funk, so he started to think about his mother and father – both killed by Voldemort, one of the most evil dark wizards of all time, just for being his parents when Harry was 15 months old. It seemed to Harry that he was destined to be without a true family. Just a few weeks earlier he had lost the closest thing to a father figure he had ever had. Sirius Black, his godfather was killed trying to save Harry from a trap set by Voldemort to get a prophecy about Harry and himself. Sirius was killed by his own cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, one of Voldemort's Death Eaters. That death hit Harry very hard. "I never even got to tell him I love him or even say goodbye" thought Harry as he wiped away a stray tear that slipped down his face.

It was dark by the time they reached Number 4, but none of the passengers in the car had said a single word for the entire two hour trip – the Dursley's because they were afraid Mad-Eye Moody might show up at their perfectly normal house for treating Harry in a way he didn't like, and Mad-Eye was the farthest thing from normal one could get. Harry didn't say anything because, to be honest, he didn't want to talk to anyone at all, let alone the Dursley's

When the car finally stopped in the driveway of Number 4, Aunt Petunia and Dudley nearly tripped over each other trying to get through the front door on their way to get as far from Harry as possible. Uncle Vernon got out of the car made his way to open the boot so Harry could get out his trunk. Harry was just reaching for his trunk when Vernon grabbed his shoulder with his meaty hand,

'Let's get this straight, boy,' said Uncle Vernon 'Those freaks at kings cross think they can scare me, but I can assure you I'm not scared. I don't want to even see you this summer. If you want food, you eat after we do, when we have left the kitchen. You will make it yourself and clean up after yourself. You stick to your room or outside the house, I don't care which but you're not welcome in the same room as us. You got that boy?' Uncle Vernon glared down at Harry with utter loathing. 'You stay out of our way, keep sending those freaks letters every three days and there will be no problems understand?'

'Yes Uncle Vernon' said Harry. It was more then he could have hoped for. "At least I will get descent meals if I can cook them for myself without them around," thought Harry.

'Remember boy, stay out of our way and keep sending them freaks letters' Uncle Vernon said as he stormed into the house and away from Harry

Harry grabbed his school trunk and Hedwig's cage out of the boot and headed for the house. Hedwig, Harry's owl hooted fiercely.

'I know girl. I hated to put you in there too but Uncle Vernon just wouldn't let me put you in the front with me,' said Harry as he put down his trunk on the front porch and opened Hedwig's cage to let her out. 'Tell you what girl, why don't you go and stretch your wings and hunt awhile since you've been cooped up for so long.'

Hedwig still looked irritated but hooted her approval. As Harry watched as she flew off into the night sky, his eyes fell onto the Dog Star, Sirius. A few more tears ran down his face as he stared up at it. 'I'm sorry Sirius.' he said softly. 'I'm sorry I was so stupid to fall for that trap. I'm sorry I didn't check better to make sure you were alright. If I had only used the mirror you gave me for Christmas, I'd have known. If I had only learned Occlumency better, then I would have never had those dreams. You would still be alive.' Harry sniffed and wiped away more tears. He looked back up to the Dog Star and said, 'I wanted to tell you Sirius... I wanted to tell you that I... I love you and I'll miss you dearly. You were the best godfather I could ask for.' Harry then took a deep shaky breath to try and steady himself, picked up his trunk, Hedwig's empty cage and walked inside to another summer alone at the Dursley's.

Harry woke up the next morning to an odd sensation in his body. It was like his entire body had fallen asleep and was starting to wake up. Like the pins and needles sensation you get after your foot falls asleep. It took nearly 15 minutes for it to stop enough to allow him to move without almost screaming. After he was able to get up he went to get a shower, and as he stood under the relaxing warm water he felt what was left of the pins and needles slip away from his body and his mind.

After his shower he went back to his room to get dressed. He was really starting to get tired of Dudley's old hand me downs; they might be five sizes too big for him in width but now they were about 2" too short. "Some time this summer I have got to get myself some new clothes" he thought, "this is getting ridiculous." After getting dressed he glanced at the clock on his beside table; it was now 8:00am, and his uncle would have already left for work, so he decided to get himself some breakfast.

Harry made his way down to the kitchen. After making sure his aunt was not in there he started making himself a big breakfast. For some reason he was extra hungry. Eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast and a glass of orange juice later Harry washed up and made his way back up to his room.

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