Finding a Place to Call Home

By: TheGirlWithFarTooManyIdeas

Fandom: harry potter

Summary: "Haven't you wondered if there's more to the world then a backwards, prejudiced society?" When Harry asks Astoria Greengrass this question in a fit of temper after he's forced to compete in the tournament, he wasn't expecting her answer - or that he'd go along with her decision to run away with him and see the world. Can two different people find happiness? HarryxAstoria

Status: Completed

Fic type: Books/Harry Potter

Pairings/Main char.: [Harry P., Astoria G.]

Published: 2013-11-29

Last updated: 2015-02-08

Words count: 61,129

Chapters count: 13

Converted using www.FF2EBOOK.com
Date: 2020-11-22

1. Chapter 1

Finding a Place to Call Home

Moon: Hello, I'm back in the name of alternate pairings and new stories! Welcome to Finding a Place to Call Home, my second HarryxAstoria fic if you count Trouble (which was my first and possibly only harem). I've modified several parts of the story to keep from hitting cliches and common happenstances to make a more original story. I hope you like it! I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 1: Wild Child

"All the lies and pain you put me through, and now I know its not me its you." -Skillet, It's not Me its You

Harry wondered what prompted him to snap at Astoria Greengrass.

His last few weeks – ever since his name had come out of the Goblet of Fire – had been stressful and extremely unhappy. Walking out of yet another summer with the Dursleys, he had at least been hoping to keep up with his studies and stay out of the spotlight for his fourth year at Hogwarts. For once, there had been no warnings of impending doom, or threats to his person before he reached the school, which fooled him into thinking that nothing would go wrong this year.

He was looking forward to just sitting back and learning new things. Even Quidditch being cancelled didn't dampen his mood, despite how much he enjoyed the sport. Because he was so certain that, for once, nothing bad was going to happen to him. He was away from the Dursleys and with his best friends. Even classes with Severus Snape didn't threaten to ruin his year.

Of course, then he had gone to the Quidditch World Cup. And Death Eaters had attacked. Harry was beginning, at this point, to wonder if he was jinxed. Voldemort was supposed to be gone, he had beaten him twice. Now his followers were attacking an actual settlement, and for some reason no response teams had met them. Either way, the dark mark was in the sky and Harry was almost blamed for it. Like he was blamed for all kinds of stupid things.

He got to Hogwarts, and with the buzz of the Tri-Wizard Tournament and the arrival of two other schools, Harry could almost forget about the disastrous end of the World Cup. For once, the other students and teachers would be watching someone else to incredible things.

Coming up to Halloween, Harry had begun to get nervous. He had a lot of bad associations with this day, the day his parents were murdered and he was consigned to life with the Dursleys, a short, bitter life with no friends and no safety, even when he got to a school where he should have been safe. The people there – they would have been friendly, and they usually were. Until something happened.

Like when McGonagall docked him and Ron over 100 points trying to save Hagrid from getting into serious trouble. Or when he was accused of being the Heir of Slytherin. And now.

Now, someone had put his name into a Tournament.

A Tri-Wizard Tournament, the winner getting eternal glory. Good grief. And they had Ron believing it this time, too. Hermione hadn't said she believed it, but she hadn't said anything, which was as good as the same thing.

Hufflepuff had been most vocal in their outrage, because clearly he was just there to upstage them now that they finally had a high-profile house member. God knows that no one would ever put Harry's name in without his permission. That had never happened. It wasn't like he had been in life-threatening situations before that no one could be bothered to protect him from.

What would Harry want with eternal glory? He was already the bloody brat-who-defeated Voldemort, that was more then enough for one person. Especially since it had earned him an assassination attempt when he was eleven.

He had enough of eternal glory; he despised it at this point. He would rather be Harry nobody then Harry Potter, boy-who-lived-to-have-a-target-painted-on-his-back.

Finally, after one particularly nasty taunt from Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot – those buttons that said Potter Stinks – Harry was fed up. He decided to isolate himself.

He didn't join the classes for meals; he ate in the kitchen with the help of Dobby. He stayed invisible in the hallway. He sat at the back of the class, never talking to anyone.

The task with the dragon had almost killed him. Some people seemed to be resentful that it hadn't. Ron and Hermione had tried to talk to him afterwards, but he had deftly dodged them. Just thinking about them hurt.

He barely slept at all these days, just going outside and staring at the sky or hiding away in the library, reading books. Trying to numb the pain and loneliness. Wondering if there would ever be a place where he would be accepted, and not having to constantly look over his shoulder for the next wannabe dark lord supporter who wanted him dead in the name of blood purity.

Harry gave a bitter chuckle one dark night. Hadn't Vernon told him? Just before Vernon had sent him to Platform Nine and Three Quarters, he had told Harry that the wizards wouldn't want him either. Harry hadn't listened to him.

Now, obviously, he should have.

Harry hated it when Vernon was right about something.

It would be worth having never heard of magic, he thought, if it meant an end to this pain.

The very next day, as if someone had overheard his wish, Harry ended up meeting someone. Someone different.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

Harry was reading in a corner when he heard footsteps approaching. His eyes flicked up just over the rim of the Potions textbook he had been reading to pass the time. If Snape hadn't been such a cruel teacher, he probably would have enjoyed the subject.

The green trim of her robe identified her as a Slytherin, and he couldn't repress a groan. Great. She was probably one of Malfoy's fangirls, or Pansy's group of followers who lashed out with cruel words and curses for the chance to be her friend. And he'd had been so certain that the Slytherins wouldn't come into this part of the library.

"Oh, please don't sigh like that." The Slytherin said, sounding a little hurt. Her voice was nicer and gentler then he'd been expecting. "I'm not a bully."

Harry blinked, and looked up at the girl's face.

She was young, perhaps a year younger then Harry himself. And she was beautiful. Her skin was light, and her face had an aristocratic carve to it characteristic of a pureblood. She had high cheekbones and bright green eyes. Her hair was wild and blonde, very meticulously pulled together by two long braids going down her back. The school robes made it a bit difficult to tell, but she was well-built for a girl her age. There were a pair of sparkling ruby earrings dangling from her ears.

"I can't remember the last time I had a conversation with someone who wasn't." Harry responded after a few minutes. His voice was scratchy, because he hadn't been using it very often over the past few weeks.

The girl looked sympathetically at him. Harry wondered if he was imagining things – that this girl was just a figment of his mind, trying to stave off his loneliness. "I was wondering where you were disappearing to – I mean, I used to see you all the time in the halls, but now, it's like your a ghost."

"It's not worth being anything else," Harry said.

He hadn't meant for the words to be so bitter, but he could taste it on the words as soon as they left his mouth. In front of him, the girl's green eyes became sad, through there was a warmth in them Harry never would have associated with a Slytherin. Or a pureblood, for that matter. Of all the pureblood girls he had seen – Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor – they all had a frigid, controlled coldness to their eyes. He found it profoundly unsettling.

"I'm sorry to hear that." She said, and she actually sounded like she meant it. Not like Hermione these days, who's sympathy had some contempt dripping off it. The girl looked around the pile of books. "Do you mind if I stay here for a little? I thought you might be getting lonely."

Now Harry was really taken aback; no one had asked about his wellbeing or his feelings ever since he was picked as the 'Fourth Contender'. No one had worried about how he might have been suffering. And he didn't even know this girl.

"Uh..." What a question. Harry was momentarily confused, he had gotten used to being alone and he wasn't sure if this was some sort of deception. But he couldn't deny that his isolation was wearing on him quite hard. After a second, he made up his mind. "Thank you."

The girl smiled and delicately picked her way through the books he had accumulated, careful not to knock anything over, and sat on the floor next to Harry. "Reading up on Potions?" She asked lightly, "I don't blame you. Professor Snape is a slave driver; I've never heard of a teacher working us so hard."

"Are you kidding? Your the class he likes," Harry said resentfully. "He's extra hard on us, and Merlin alone knows why he hates me. I'm surprised I've managed to pass his classes at all."

The girl shrugged. "My dad told me a few times that Professor Snape had been bullied really badly by the Gryffindors when he was in school here, because he always seemed so battered and messy."

Harry's eyebrows shot up. He'd never heard of Gryffindor bullies; whenever something went wrong at school here the Slytherins were always the ones who 'started' it. The Gryffindors were always the noble gryffins getting retribution on 'dark' wizards. Now he wondered if the gryffs were being allowed off the hook on a few things that the other houses wouldn't have been allowed to get away with.

"Who are you?" He asked her eventually, realizing he still didn't know who he was talking to.

"Astoria Greengrass," The girl responded, smiling at him. "Hello, Harry."

"Greengrass." Harry muttered, placing the name. He stood up abruptly. "Is that why you're talking to me?"

"Huh?" Astoria asked, looking baffled.

Harry scowled at her. "Your sister Daphne is always in with Pansy Parkinson when she's bullying people, and Pansy's hated me since first year."

Astoria's eyes widened in understanding, "No, no Harry, it's not what you think. I promise, I'm just here by myself. You can preform a supersensory charm if you don't believe me."

"Supersensory?" Harry repeated, temporarily derailed.

"You don't know it? I was taught it during summer after first year. It allows you to hear everything around you even if you can't see it. Aurors often use it to root out criminals."

"I-I never learned it." Harry said, baffled. This only served to confirm his suspicions – pure blood children got training that others didn't. And once again, the stacked nature of the society he was in reared its head.

Astoria stood up at this point, "I can show you." She offered. "It's easy."

Harry slowly raised his wand hand. This conversation wasn't going the way he had expected it too; he would have expected Pansy to have tried to hex him at this point. But Astoria seemed to genuinely be alone, and she was offering to prove it. Astoria told him the incantation, and he got it on his first try. Supersensory felt different; his hearing felt so sharp he could hear a bird flapping its wings out in the yard. But no sign of Pansy or her groupies.

Harry cancelled the charm. "Wow," He murmured.

Astoria smiled. "See?"

Harry looked back at the blonde girl. "Look, I'm sorry-"

Astoria shook her head. "It's okay. I know my big sister's been hanging around with Pansy. Dad is always telling us to network with other children of our class, to build important ties to the future pure-bloods."

Harry sat down again. He let out a frustrated growl. "High standing this, purity that! God, do they really think that's all the world has to offer?"

"But it's my family's tradition. The tradition of the country." Astoria said in confusion.

Harry scowled up at her. "Haven't you wondered if there's more to the world then a wannabe dark lord and a prejudiced, backwards society?"

He hadn't meant to shout it, but his words rang through the hallway with the force of a gong. Astoria stared at him. Her eyes seemed glassy for a second – like an inner certainty had just come crashing down. Harry took in what he had just said, and groaned.

"I mean..." He muttered, "Is bloody squabbling over whether or not your blood is pure enough to be a 'real' wizard all the magical world has to offer? Is violent powerplays between two equally manipulative old men a world-wide thing? Is being an Auror the only career you can really look forward too? Is a lifetime of avoiding the next dark lord all I have to look forward too...?"

He stared at the wall, almost forgetting Astoria was there, his heart sinking.

Was there anything else out there? To him, there was always only two choices in his life. Dumbledore and Voldemort. Blood purity or being a blood traitor. Being the boy-who-lived. Growing up to be an Auror, just like his dad.

Did he have any plans that weren't based in Britain's past? He'd come to Hogwarts because it was the school his parents had grown up in...but what did he actually know about his parents? What ties did he have to the world they had lived in? Why did he have to live his father's life out? Everyone kept telling him about how he was just like his father...

Was there any Harry inside him? Or was he just the boy who lived and the son of James Potter?

What about his mother? Did he know anything about her? All he knew – all he truly knew was that she had died for him. Why, exactly, did he have to stay where she had gone to school?

All Harry really wanted were friends and a loving place to call home. It was all he ever wanted when he finally had an escape from the Dursleys. This place wasn't loving.

So why was he staying.

There was a soft rustle as Astoria sat down next to him.

"You know?" She murmured. "That's a good question."

Harry glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

Astoria sighed. "My big sister...my big sister is like a glass doll. Sit here, sit there, find yourself a good match, anyone as long as his blood is pure. Go to dances where people will yammer on about mother's new mansion and father's new position, and come home to an empty house full of gold and jewels colder then ice.

She wrapped her arms around her legs. "Daphne wasn't always like that. She wasn't always like Pansy. But she's growing colder like she's turning into glass. She doesn't smile as much anymore."

"You mean..." Harry hesitated. He couldn't remember Daphne as ever having a smile on her face. Had she not always been like that? And if so, why would she change? "Women are like trophies in pureblood society?"

"We're instruments to the family's legacy, as Pansy's dad says." Astoria sounded like she had recited the phrase many times. "It's our honour and our duty." She sighed and leaned back against the bookshelf. "I keep telling myself that I won't be like the other girls. I'll get a career and find something I love doing. Go out and see places. My mum was like that too; she was a lot of fun. But dad's starting to put pressure on me. Find someone, anyone upstanding. Like he's thinking something bad is going to happen."

"Something bad did happen at the Quidditch World Cup," Harry said darkly. "Voldemort-" Astoria flinched when she heard the name "-'s followers attacked, they came out in the open. They wouldn't have that kind of confidence unless they thought they could get away with it." He scowled. "And I bet a lot of those purebloods he wants you to 'network' with are in his pocket."

Astoria lowered her head, staring at her knees. "My dad didn't support him," She muttered. "There aren't many options left."

"Of course you have options!" Harry exclaimed.

"I think-" Astoria raised her head slightly to look around, as though she feared what she was about to say. "-I mean, I've been hearing...that pureblood society is getting smaller. I haven't met very many families as pure as mine. There are more balls, and some older girls hardly leave their houses anymore because they're afraid of miscarrying."

"Then leave," Harry said. "Get close to a half-blood if marrying a muggleborn is such a horrifying thought."

Astoria giggled. "I think Pansy would have a stroke if you suggested that." She said. "She only has eyes for Draco. She can have him, frankly. My dad seems to think that Draco would be a safe bet for my future."

She made a face when she said this. Harry gave her an exaggerated expression of horror, though it wasn't entirely comical. He tried to imagine being married to Draco Malfoy and winced. "The horror! You poor, poor girl."

Astoria started laughing again, and for some reason her laugh made Harry's insides tingle. "I said something similar to that when he first suggested it. Daphne looked at me like I'd gone mad. She said, 'who's your other choice? A Weasley?'"

"She makes it sound like that's a bad thing," Harry said dryly. "Though if she was referring to Ron, I can see where she's coming from..." There was a pause and then they laughed again.

Astoria looked wistfully at Harry. "It's funny, I guess." She said. "There really isn't much there for the purebloods, despite how much they talk up their lives. The rooms in our mansion just feel empty."

Harry looked out the window. "I wonder if other places do it differently." He said. "I mean, other countries."

Astoria paused for a second. Then her eyes lit up. "That's it! We can run off together!"

Harry was so startled by this declaration that he simply stared at Astoria for a moment. "W-what?"

"Really, Harry!" Astoria rolled onto her knees and put a hand on his. "You don't want to compete in this tournament. I want to see the world. Neither of us want to put up with these selfish jerks talking trash about you. We can run off and go to other countries and see how the rest of the world works!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Harry protested. "We only know each other through an hour long conversation! This is crazy!"

"I know!" Astoria said brightly. "That's why it feels so right! And no one will see it coming. There's got to be some way we can pull this off. We should access your vault!"

"Wait!" Harry exclaimed. Astoria looked like she was going to run off any second, and the sheer enormity of what she was suggesting was enough to send his mind spinning. "Won't people be watching my vault at Gringotts? I mean, it can be traced, right? And I'm still a minor."

"Oh," Astoria seemed to deflate for a second, and then suddenly she was energized again. "How about your mother?"

"What?"

"I might be remembering wrong, but I think Lily Evans didn't feel comfortable leaving her only vault in Gringotts for some reason. So she set up her personal account with the Gnomes."

"Gnomes?" Harry echoed blankly.

"Yes! They operate out of...Switzerland, if I'm remembering correctly. It'll be yours now because your her only child." Astoria said, the gears in her brain clearly turning.

"How would you know about that?" Harry asked, blinking and wondering why he hadn't heard about this account before.

"She's not the only muggleborn who felt that way; I heard about it from others." Astoria explained, her eyes were shining now.

"B-But what will your father think? You, running off with me to Merlin knows where for a long period of time?" Harry protested, trying to find some way of addressing the insanity of her plan.

"Me and Daphne are his only children. And he said he would never remarry. He'll be mad for a little, but he'll take me back." Astoria sounded confident when she said this, but her eyes twitched slightly. "I want to do something before I have to be a glass doll for the rest of my life."

Harry thought about that. Those words stuck a chord in him. He had never really lived his life – life with the Durlseys really didn't count as life. And here...here he was always dodging resentful looks, bullying and attempted murder.

Why shouldn't he run off with some girl he barely knew? Sure, it might seen certifiably insane, but really, compared to other things he had done it wasn't the worse. After all, it wasn't any more insane then helping a wanted criminal escape from dementors – it was probably a little safer, actually.

Could it really be as bad as everything he's had to put up with in his life?

It would get him away from here – away from the pain of the betrayal of his friends, away from the anger and away from the near deadly tasks. He could leave it all behind and see the sights with a pretty wild girl.

Harry stood up and asked Astoria, "Where do you want to go?"

Astoria's eyes lit up. "Australia! I want to see the beaches! And the attractions!"

Harry gestured vaguely with his hands, still not quite believing he was actually agreeing to this, and said, "Alright. How exactly do I contact these gnomes?"

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

Harry turned over a travel pamphlet for Australia. There were magical railroads that crossed the countryside, leading to a ferry that would take them there. He and Astoria had bought their seats together – first class.

He traced the path with his finger. Seemed simple enough; they weren't likely to get lost. The problem was getting far enough outside the Hogwarts ward lines that they could use the portkey he had bought.

Getting in contact with the Gnomes was a bit of a hassle, including confirming his identity, but he'd reached them eventually. They'd connected him to Lily Evans and he'd been able to make a withdrawal. His mother had done quite well for herself, apparently, but that was likely because some of James's money had been moved there as well. There was plenty for an around the world journey.

Harry had decided they would travel by pseudonyms. The Gnomes had them listed on all travels as Harry Evans and Astoria Dursley, cousins. If he could just hide that scar, no one would be wiser. He sat up in the middle of the night, his stomach alive with nerves, as he memorized the glamour spell on the page in front of him. Then he grabbed his trunk.

It was hard, keeping the invisibility cloak over him and his trunk as he headed for the entrance. The trunk's wheels seemed much louder then usual.

Eventually he got to the front gate. For a second he thought Astoria wasn't coming, but then she scurried down the hall, trunk skidding silently behind her.

"Sorry," She whispered. "Nearly got caught by that wretched cat." She smiled at him. Her hair was out of those tight braids, falling around her face like a messy halo. Harry's heart skipped a beat.

"Shall we go?" Astoria whispered.

"Yes." He said, pushing the door open. "Let's."

End Chapter

What do you think? If Astoria's decision to take off with Harry seems very sudden, good - that's part of her character. She's a wild thing, willing to make sudden decisions with long-lasting ripples. She wants to get away from her future and go somewhere with Harry - someone different, someone interesting, someone her father wouldn't approve of. Harry decides to go along with it because a) he's tired of the way he's being treated and b) he feels drawn to Astoria's spur of the moment decisions.

Next chapter deals with the characters reacting to Harry's disappearance. They'll be getting their dues in good time.

Read and Review please!

2. Chapter 2

Finding a Place to Call Home

Moon: And I'm back real fast with the second chapter! Thank you to everyone who commented, and if I may politely ask - more please! I crave your commentary! Try to make it lengthy, so I know what's working and what isn't! I promise, longer chapters as they actually get into the different wizarding countries, and I promise on a variety of differences! I do not own Harry Potter...and enjoy!

Chapter 2: Realizations

Professor McGonagall was the first person to realize that Harry was missing. And it took her almost an entire day.

In retrospect, it was a clear sign of just how badly they had failed the boy, but noticing that would have been beyond almost everyone inside the school at that point. There was a saying that kids could be cruel and nowhere was that currently truer then a good portion of the students in Harry's fourth year. If muggle parents had been looking in on the situation, they would have assumed Harry's situation had to be exaggerated – this level of bullying was something usually only seen in movies. But a single look from the boy would have confirmed it. Most parents would have clamored for the staff to do something about it. It would be considered appalling. But Britain had become rather lax in those areas, and Dumbledore figured that it would be a good way to toughen Harry up for his inevitable battle with the Dark Lord. He figured the other students would come around in time, and that it was just schoolyard arguing.

It was a pity Wizarding Britain didn't have child psychologists. They would have had a word for Harry's treatment – bullying.

Ron had basically become a de facto leader of the fourth year Gryffindor boys after Harry's name came out, but many of them quickly became frustrated with him. He had a loud voice and louder opinions, and got into fights easily. He started serving more and more detentions. Hermione was still putting her hand up in all the classes, but found that fewer people were prepared to tolerate her domineering and perfectionist attitude for very long.

Some of the other Gryffindors began throwing them resentful looks, looks they would have held back if Harry was still part of the house. The Slytherins never failed to throw snide remarks at the two of them and fewer people payed attention to them. Ron and Hermione started to realize that without Harry they were a trio adrift, and they didn't have the same weight that they did before they had turned on him. Hermione was mostly wondering why Harry would cheat; she had thought that she was a good influence on him. Ron was still burning over the fact that Harry couldn't be bothered to tell his 'best mate' how he managed to enter himself in the tournament.

Neville Longbottom was in a quandary. He was a timid boy and too afraid to stand up to anyone in Harry's defense. He just hoped his grandmother wouldn't find out that he'd failed to uphold his sworn duty as she'd taught him from birth – to be at Harry's side in all things. The Potters and the Longbottoms had a longstanding alliance that was birthed from this. With any luck, he thought, this entire mess would blow over and be forgotten about.

The Hufflepuffs were pleased that Harry was isolating himself and avoiding everyone. They figured this was the best way for their champion to get back the attention he would have received sooner had Harry not been chosen. They had been remarkably vindictive towards him considering that their house trait was loyalty, something that you'd think they'd show another member of their school. Ravenclaw either sat on the sidelines or joined in while Slytherin watched in silence.

It would be good for them, if Gryffindor was taken down a peg by their treatment of their star seeker and the boy who lived. Then the school might stop seeing them as social pariahs and they would be able to return to their roots as an intelligent, cunning group instead of a bunch of loudmouthed Voldemort supporters.

Dumbledore was a bit disconcerted by the sheer fury of the student response. He had been certain that this was the best way to go – to keep Harry isolated, to keep him focused on his goal instead of becoming placid or big headed. Sure, perhaps some of them were being a bit overzealous, but Harry was a good boy with a lot of love in his heart. It would all blow over likely before Christmas and he will have learned to rely on his friends, and that he couldn't expect to stand on his own.

He'd avoided his friend's first attempt at apologizing, sure, and he'd done better at his fight against the dragon then he should have, but that wasn't serious. He'd stop his moping before the ball and ask someone who might become his later romantic mate – either the Granger girl or the youngest Weasley would do nicely in that area, Dumbledore thought. He'd be even more popular with his house then before.

Sirius Black was getting worried. He hadn't heard anything from his godson ever since he had started school, which was unusual. Perhaps he should send him another letter.

McGonagall was the first one to go looking for Harry. She knew the boy had been avoiding everyone , but she had a good idea where to look and he needed to know something.

But then she checked the kitchen, the library, the Quidditch pitch and the common room, and she still couldn't find him. She went looking for Hermione and Ron, figuring they would know where he was.

"Ms Granger, may I have a moment of your time?" She asked, catching the young girl arguing with Ron in the hallway.

"Yes Professor?" Hermione said, a little irritated that she'd been interrupted from another attempt at convincing Ron of the importance of SPEW.

"Have either of you seen Harry? I've looked all over the school to tell him that he would be in need of a date to the Yule Ball, and I can't seem to find him."

Ron scowled. "He's probably hiding somewhere, making a martyr out of himself. Oh look at me, I'm Harry Potter and I suffer so much! Pity me and give me all your attention!"

McGonagall fixed Ron with a withering look. "Now now Master Weasley, is that any way we talk about our friends?"

"I tried to apologize to him, and he's making a great big deal out of it," Ron continued to mutter, ignoring the transfiguration professor. "Doesn't even talk to the Quidditch team anymore. What more does he want?"

Hermione decided to intervene at this point. "We haven't seen him, Professor." When she said this, she realized that she hadn't seen very much of Harry at all over the past few days. "In fact I'm not exactly sure of where to look for him."

"Why's that? I thought the three of you were inseparable," McGonagall said in surprise. She new intellectually that Harry had been facing some unpleasantness from the other students over his unorthodox picking as the fourth member of the Tournament, but surely it couldn't be that serious. After all, she'd gone to Dumbledore about it and asked what she should do about it when she saw those unfriendly buttons going around, but he'd said it was just a typical schoolyard argument and nothing serious.

"Usually," Ron said sulkily, "It's great having him around, with all the attention and the Quidditch victories he racks up, but now he's probably sulking somewhere. He's been doing it for weeks. He's in the Tri-Wizard Tournament? What's he playing at?"

"I think," McGonagall said sternly, "That he's having a bit of trouble dealing with those Buttons I've seen students wearing. Is that really how you're going to treat a fellow student?"

"I didn't make them," Ron said like a child being reprimanded. "Probably some Hufflepuff throwing a tantrum because their champion should be representing Hogwarts. They should be used to being overshadowed by now."

"For goodness sakes Mr. Weasley! This is a school, and it's unbecoming of a Gryffindor to speak such low opinions of your fellow students!" McGonagall exclaimed. She never would have expected this sort of behavior out of the boy in front of her. She'd known many Weasleys and they were usually quite decent people.

Neither Hermione nor Ron had anything to say to that. "Now, where do you think I should look for him?"

Ron shrugged. "Try his dorm, I suppose. He's been crying up there a few times, like he's six years old or something. It's embarrassing."

McGonagall didn't like Weasley's tone, but she was more concerned over this allegation that Harry had been crying a few times. Why would he do that? She had never seen Harry cry, even in the many times he'd been sent to the hospital wing for the injuries he tended to attract. She pursed her lips. Was he taking the existance of these buttons harder then Dumbledore had believed? Perhaps she should have a talk with Professor Sprout later about controlling her house. With that thought, she made her way to the Gryffindor tower.

McGonagall made her way inside and up to the boy's dorm. Neville and Dean where in the common room, but there was no sign of Harry. She walked over to his bed and stopped.

The boy's trunk was gone, the bed made and the curtains pulled. It looked as though no one had ever slept in it. Concerned, McGonagall walked around it. Had someone taken his trunk?

She pulled the curtain open. No Harry. Now McGonagall was truly stumped. Where on earth was the boy? She had looked absolutely...everywhere...

Could it be? No. Harry had never left the castle before unless it was an absolute emergency, or one of his mad adventures. He wouldn't simply abandon Hogwarts, that just wasn't like him.

Finally, McGonagall noticed that there was something sitting against the pillow of the neatly made bed.

There was a small note with no address and a small signature, written in Harry's handwriting. It looked rushed, as though he'd printed it at the last second before rushing off somewhere. She picked it up and read it quickly.

I've tried all I can imagine

I've begged and pleaded in true lover's fashion

I've got pride. I'm taking it for a ride.

Don't look for me.

-Harry Potter

McGonagall's eyes widened, she stared at the contents of the paper for several long seconds before their meaning registered. Strangely enough, the first thing she realized was that it sounded rather like a muggle song she'd heard somewhere before understanding that it meant Harry was gone.

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Dumbledore was sitting in his office, turning the Elder Wand over in his hand and deep in thought. It had been hard for him to get his hands on this, as well as locating the other two Hallows. To think that after all these years, Death's gifts had finally reappeared. It was good that he, one of the most beloved light wizards ever, had found out about them, rather then some other, more unscrupulous individual.

Dumbledore figured that once Tom identified his wand as the Elder Wand, he would start searching for the stone and the cloak as well. The cloak was with Harry, who was Dumbledore's protege and therefore in good hands, while the stone he had sealed inside the boy's first snitch. It was all perfect, and part of his ever expanding plan.

There was a brisk knock on the door. Dumbledore glanced at Fawkes, he hadn't been expecting any visitors tonight. Perhaps it was another student here to complain about Harry's placement in the tournament. He was growing tired of dealing with them.

As it turned out, it wasn't a student, it was Minvera McGonagall, looking pale and worried. "Ah, McGonagall. Have you found young Harry? It would be rather embarrassing for Hogwarts if he were to appear at the Yule Ball without a date. Perhaps you could suggest Ms Granger or-?"

"He's gone." McGonagall gasped out, glaring at Dumbledore.

Dumbledore wasn't sure if he had heard that right, "I beg your pardon?"

"I mean he's gone. Disappeared. Vanished. No where in the castle that I have seen! His bed is made, his trunk is gone, and no one, not even his friends know where he is." McGonagall snapped, her glare intensifying.

Disappeared. Gone. Those words echoed in Dumbledore's head. He stood up immediately. Had the boy gone to Gringotts? Had he discovered something, and kept silent with the knowledge? "Where did you last see him?"

"In class, yesterday." McGonagall retorted. "I'm beginning to think that the students treatment of him was more serious then you were saying! The things Ronald Weasley said to me-"

"He must just be upset, Minerva, it will blow over," Dumbledore said the false reassurance with little enthusiasm, he was more concerned about where his most valuable student was. "Summon the ghosts and the other teachers. Have them search everywhere. He's a student, he couldn't have gotten far.

Wizard Express to Magical Paris, France

Harry examined the map in front of him – or at least, pretended to. He was mostly trying not to look at Astoria, because he was pretty sure he'd start blushing if he did.

His main concern once they'd hit the streets of London was that a pair of oddly dressed, unrelated children wandering around after dark would catch them attention they couldn't afford. Luckily, he'd been able to find a clothes store quickly enough.

Astoria had been absolutely fascinated with everything inside the shop, and had taken almost two hours to pick two outfits out and only left reluctantly at the promise that they would shop more after they got out of London. Harry wasn't sure how long it would be until the staff realized they were missing and had Aurors out searching London for them. She'd asked him almost endless questions about every muggle thing she saw, from light fixtures to the cash register. She stared at passing muggles as if they were something she'd never seen before, and she'd accidentally set off an alarm when leaving one shop. She asked him what kind of creature could possibly cause the screeching of the alarms.

Astoria had stepped out of the change room, dressed in a black t-shirt with a Mockingjay on it, jeans and black shoes. Seeing her in the Hogwarts uniform had been one thing, but muggle clothes were much less concealing. Her happiness made her seem to radiate, almost, and Harry had barely been able to look straight at her without feeling his face burning. As an emotionally repressed child, he hadn't really understood girls before, even when Hermione entered his life.

Astoria seemed to be inducing new feelings in him – just like she'd given him the nerve to run away.

Then there was his scar. Astoria had offered to cast a glamour, but Harry found that muggle make up concealed the scar with less strain on the pair of them. He was tempted to dye his black hair as well; but the train they wanted to catch left in a quickly approaching deadline and he decided to do so later.

The Wizard Express was almost like the train to Hogwarts, in that it was concealed within a real muggle subway system. They'd stumbled around London for a while before Harry realized he was holding the map upside down. Nerves could do that to you. Harry had never truly run away before, except last year, and his stomach was a knot of anticipation.

They had followed the crowd downstairs, dragging their trunks along and vanishing seamlessly into the crowd. Hedwig had squeaked in distress as they went underground; Harry silently promised her that he'd let her out at the first opportunity.

"Well, it says here, Wizard Express, train to Paris. In between North and South," Astoria read aloud as they stepped downstairs. A nearby muggle looked strangely at her but said nothing.

Harry had nearly jumped out of his skin when a doorway opened up through the floor between the north and southbound train platforms, something that made Astoria giggle. It was a short stairway leading down onto another floor, and when Harry looked around none of the other muggles paid them mind.

"That's incredible!" He said, surprised. Astoria giggled.

"This train station's probably older then the muggle one," She said, "Built by the International Confederation of Wizards when the muggles first invented them. It's a mostly underground one, see. The muggles ended up building on top of it."

"I didn't realize there was an international train line," Harry said in amazement. "Where else does it go?"

"I'm pretty sure it goes to all the countries that are part of the ICW, at least all the ones connected by land. Then you take a muggle ferry or an oversea portkey." Astoria said. She looked oddly at Harry. "You really don't know any of this, do you?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Tell me more, please?" He asked pleadingly.

Astoria giggled and nodded, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders as she did so. "Sure, Harry."

"Excuse me," They looked down to the steps. There had been a man waiting for them to take their tickets, too. "Are you coming or not?"

Harry and Astoria blushed. "Sorry, got a bit caught up in it all." Harry said apologetically.

The man chuckled. "Ah, muggleborn, eh? They're always a bit starry-eyed before they get used to it. Charming, really."

The two former Hogwarts students entered the Wizard Express, the door closing behind them. Astoria gave their tickets to the man, who paused and looked critically at them. "Off to Paris, both of you?" He said. "A bit late for a train for ones your age, huh?"

"Early, actually." Astoria had said, a beaming smile on her face. "We're going to my family reunion, and I just couldn't sleep tonight with excitement! Mum got us the earliest train possible; she'll be coming along later with Grandmother, I imagine."

Harry wondered if all Slytherins could lie that easily. The ticket man smiled at Astoria, "Harry Evans aaaaand Astoria Dusley. Right, these are your seats, breakfast will be served in a few hours." He pointed in the direction of their train.

It was further down a bustling platform, a long, sleek silver snake twice as long as the Hogwarts Express. There were many doors, and if Harry looked inside he could see tables and chairs almost like a restaurant on the inside. There were large windows and it had an expensive and expressive flare to its appearance. Wizards and witches were already boarding it, looking tired, eager or determined.

Harry and Astoria smiled at each other and rushed off to the doorway. They handed their tickets to the boarding manager. "Would you like those taken to the cargo hold?" He asked, indicating their trunks."

"That would be nice," Harry said, lifting Hedwig's cage and a smaller bag containing his maps and the memo pad he'd be using to keep track of their plans off the trunk. The man yelled at another, and the trunks were magically lifted up and moved further down the train.

"They'll fly back to you as soon as your off the train." The doorman said cheerfully.

"Thank you!" Astoria said happily, and the two of them stepped on. Harry was impressed, once again, as he took in the inside of the train.

It seemed bigger on the inside, with many, many personal compartments going down on either side of the red-carpeted hallway. People walked in and out, talking to waiters and people in the bunkers across from them. Harry glanced inside the nearest one and saw the table turn into a comfortable-looking bed.

"I love magic," He said wonderingly.

Astoria gently tugged at his wrist and lead him down the hallway, muttering "Bunker number eighty-eight, it says..." she murmured. "Further down the hall." Hedwig chirped, her cage swaying slightly as Harry made his way down the hall until they finally found their seats.

Astoria pulled the door open, and Harry looked in and smiled.

There was a table and two long chairs, it could seat eight at full capacity but it would be just them. Four warm lights lit up the room from the ceiling chandelier. There was a rug and a window with a nice view of the station.

Astoria looked speculatively at the table. "I wonder..." She glanced down at her pamphlet and then at the table. "Bed, please!" She said.

There was a flash, and Harry couldn't help but laugh in amazement as the table and chairs turned into a large, fluffy bed with a nightstand. Curtains fell across the window, blocking out outside view. The lights dimmed and the door locked. All automatically and in less then a minute.

"I could get used to this," He said admiringly.

Astoria looked critically at the bed. "Is it big enough for both of us?" She asked.

Harry blinked, and then blushed bright red. Sleeping arrangements hadn't occurred to him, and now he wanted to melt into the rug. Astoria looked equally embarrassed. For a second, they both just stood there, staring at the floor as they considered their options.

"..."

Harry scraped together all his Gryffindor courage and turned to Astoria. "Do you want the right?" He managed, nearly choking on the words.

Astoria looked relieved. "Uh, sure!"

Back at Hogwarts

Dumbledore was furious and frantic. He had all the teachers and all the ghosts going around the clock looking for Harry, and they hadn't turned up a single thing.

How had the boy left? Why had he left? Surely he knew about the Tournament and how important it was! The Yule Ball was tomorrow! Hogwarts would be extremely embarrassed if one of their champions didn't turn up to the event. His credence as a Headmaster would go under questioning if it was suggested that he couldn't keep track of one of his most important students. It was Harry Potter, after all, the one student he had put so much effort into keeping track of.

An entire day of fruitless searching – where many students of all houses were interrogated ruthlessly – Harry still hadn't been found. Malfoy was still looking rather windblown after Minerva's interrogation. Everyone seemed as confused as he felt.

Dumbledore hated being confused or lost. The first war had taught him that every little bit of control mattered, no matter who or what it was. Especially if it was one of your most important assets.

Now why would Harry run away from the school? He'd taken his trunk and his owl with him, and left no indication in his letter of where he was going or why, at least nothing concrete. I've tried all I can imagine – clearly Harry had taken his schoolmate's reactions much harder then he should have.

He would have thought the boy would have developed thicker skin by this point.

Where could he have gone? Not to Little Whining; Dumbledore couldn't imagine the boy running away from the school that was his new home, back to a place where the muggles mistreated him and belittled him, and were probably in worse temper then usual after Arthur's unorthodox visit to their house.

"Must you keep me here, Dumbledore?" Snape said, sounding frustrated. "I have business to attend to. Obviously the Potter brat has gone off somewhere. Let Minvera deal with it, he's in her house."

"Now now, Severus, a student is missing. We must keep looking until we find him," Dumbledore said in the usual kind grandfatherly voice he had used for years. His frustration didn't show, which was impressive even considering his years.

Flitwick and McGonagall returned to his office, looking worn. "Any news?" Dumbledore asked them as gently as he could, trying not to let his impatience or panic show.

"The Fat Lady says she let Harry leave the Gryffindor Common Room with his trunk last night." McGonagall reported, looking worn and worried. "But he didn't tell her what he was doing or where he was going. He just said that he had to meet someone, and walked off."

"The other ghosts say that they never saw him in the hallways, either," Flitwick added. "None of the other students seemed to understand what happened either. It's as if he has disappeared into thin air. I don't quite understand it myself."

Disappeared into thin air...of course. The boy must have left the castle with the help of his invisibility cloak. Dumbledore hadn't thought much of it when he had returned the cloak to Harry, now he was beginning to regret it. No wonder no one had seen him.

"Did Harry seem...disquiet in any of your classes?" Dumbledore asked.

Evidently this was a sore spot for McGonagall, because she erupted like a volcano. "Disquiet? I suppose that's the word for a boy who's being lied to and continually abused by just about everyone in this castle! He always seemed so distressed and so unhappy ever since his name came out in that thrice-damned goblet, and you wouldn't even let me stand up for him. He's rarely seen in the halls anymore, and in class he always sits and the back and rarely speaks to anyone!"

"I agree with Minerva," Flitwick said, his voice squeaker then usual. "Harry seemed exhausted, angry and worn down whenever I saw him in class. I called on him a few times but he rarely said more then that. I never see him with Ms Granger and Mr. Weasley any more, and a few times I've seen some of my own students being cruel to him in the hallways. Forgive me, but I'm beginning to question your management of this entire tournament situation."

Dumbledore pinched the bridge of his nose and resisted the urge to groan in annoyance. The tournament was important to the boy's growth as a person, he was certain of it. Harry had more maturing to do before he faced Voldemort and a real-life crash course in battles against incredible odds would be good preparation for that. They wouldn't understand if he told them though. "I'm sure they will get over it."

"They haven't gotten over it, that's the problem!" McGonagall exclaimed. "Even I haven't been helping him, which is a point of shame for me, because you asked me to! I can't imagine what you think having him compete in this tournament will accomplish!"

"I told you before Minerva, my hands are tied in the matter."

"But you heard what Alastar said! Only an extremely powerful wizard could have Confounded the cup into forgetting that only three schools were involved with the tournament! There's only a handful of people who could have done so, how many of them were in that room that night?" McGonagall demanded.

There was a sharp scream from somewhere further down the hall. It was followed by another, and then by a cacophony of screaming and stomping feet all coming from the great hall.

Dumbledore followed a racing McGonagall, Flitwick and Severus into the Great Hall, where most of the students were pressed against the walls staring down at something.

There was a body on the floor dressed in Mad-Eye's coat. A body, however, that didn't resemble the grizzled old auror in the slightest.

Severus stared at the body for a long moment. "Barty Crouch?" He said in disbelief.

Later

Dumbledore was glad he had a glass of firewhisky on hand later that night. It was going way past the time he usually got to sleep, and he was no closer to a reprieve then he was when Barty's body was first found in the hall.

The other Headmasters were in the office, Karkeroff looking extremely unnerved and put on the spot. Snape was standing by the doorway, trying not to shoot Dumbledore yet another look that would plainly say 'I told you so'. Minvera was pacing like a caged cat. They were being joined by Amelia Bones and Cornelius Fudge.

"This will make it the third time you've managed to let someone with close ties to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named into this school," Amelia Bones informed Dumbledore dryly. She had to be informed of everything that had gone on since the start of the tournament, and she wasn't pleased with her niece's behaviour, for starters. The news that Harry was missing and that they had found the man who had put his name in had just made her worse.

"You're sure its him?" Fudge asked for the third time.

Snape let out an impatient snort. "Yes, Minister. The Goblet's reaction was watched by the Hogwarts ghost the Bloody Baron, never mind that the resulting explosion was heard ringing from the walls inside the school. I checked the signature and confirmed. Barty Crouch Jr., was the one who put Harry's name in the goblet. Ergo, he's the one who lost his magic."

"An' this killed 'im?" Maxine asked, her voice heavy with concern. Now that she knew that Harry truly hadn't been entered by his own design, she was looking back badly on the way she and her students had been behaving towards him.

"He seemed rather frail." Fudge said. "But how? How did he get out of Azkaban?"

"Perhaps you should ask that of the senior Crouch," Amelia said tartly. "But I understand that's not the matter of concern right now. Now the student in question – who was entered illegally" Dumbledore fought the urge to wince. "-has gone missing?"

"Yes," McGonagall said, hanging her head. After she'd realized that Harry was truly missing, she was starting to feel extremely guilty over the happenings of the past few weeks and that she'd done nothing to prevent it.

"And you have no idea where he might have gone." Amelia added, scorn becoming evident in her voice. "There's no trace of him anywhere."

Dumbledore did wince this time; this was not going to reflect well on him if or when it hit the news. Given what a magnet Harry was, it was only a matter of time before it hit the airwaves if they didn't find him before that.

Dumbledore wondered if the boy was holed up somewhere, burning with resentment, speaking with Rita Skeeter or anyone who would hear him out for a few galleons.

Fudge glanced at Dumbledore. "And why would he leave, exactly?" He said with a searching look. Fudge's opinion of Dumbledore seemed to be dropping lately, as Dumbledore had begun to voice his concerns over Voldemort's potential return and his insistence that Dementors not be used as prison guards.

Maxine and Karkeroff looked at each other and shrugged, though it didn't escape Amelia's notice that the Drumstrang Headmaster looked like he wanted to be just about anywhere else at the moment.

"He competed in one of the tasks, did he not? Why would he suddenly decide to leave after facing off against a dragon?" Fudge pressed.

"I think..." Dumbledore began.

"Many students were less then receptive of Potter's unusual inclusion in the Tournament." Snape cut in, his voice heavy with his usual iciness. "And I'm referring to all the students, though the worst of it came from the Hufflepuff wizards."

"Can you elaborate on that?" There was a note of sarcasm in Amelia's voice; Dumbledore knew she was quite cross with him for not allowing her to investigate some of the questionable goings-on inside Hogwarts and didn't expect to be given information.

There was a look of surprise on her face when Severus actually responded; "There were buttons passed around that would say 'Potter Stinks' on them. He was regularly harassed, ridiculed and occasionally hexed in the hallways. His food was often stolen or overturned when he tried to eat at the table, and no one would sit near him, even those who had been his friends before this. People seemed to believe anything said about him – as long as it was negative."

"My boy, surely you exaggerate the situation slightly-" Dumbledore tried again, but Snape shook his head, his trademark sneer in place.

"I hardly exaggerate, Headmaster, you can ask Ronald Weasley or Hannah Abbot if you don't believe me. I was in the hallway when Ronald told Potter he wasn't welcome in the Gryffindor Common Room. And I saw Abbot send a curse at his back when he crossed the hallway once."

"And you didn't step in?" Amelia asked, her tone flinty.

"I released him from the curse, if that's what your asking," Snape responded. "And I took the information about the attack and what Weasley had said up to Dumbledore and McGongall, who said they'd handle it. I heard nothing more of it, though Weasley's attitude in my class continued to be poor, while Potter was starting to isolate himself from the rest of the school."

Dumbledore shot a brief glare at Snape. He knew that his spy didn't agree with all his plans, but was that really necessary? He thought he'd made it clear only to tell the Ministry what they needed to know.

"So he was being bullied." Amelia summarized. "Shunned. Told he was unwanted. And he took the hint and left, to who knows where. The only child of two people who sacrificed themselves to protect him and this country from Voldemort."

Her voice had gotten dry as a desert. McGonagall was staring at the floor. Fudge looked vindicated, while the other Headmasters watched the scene grimly.

There was a knock on the door. Dumbledore grabbed at the reprieve gratefully and said, "It might be a student coming with news. Come in!" He called, waving a hand. The door opened.

"Um, excuse me..."

A timid voice sounded from the doorway. The adults turned around to see a frazzled looking Daphne Greengrass standing in the doorway, looking intimidated by the people inside.

"Ah, Miss Greengrass, I believe? We're a bit tied up at the moment, if you don't mind holding onto your questions for a little." Dumbledore said pleasantly.

"I might know what's going on..." Daphne said, shifting from one foot to the other.

"You think?" Amelia echoed. "Do continue. What exactly do you think you know?"

Snape nodded at his student to continue. Daphne swallowed, walked inside and placed a note on Dumbledore's desk. "My sister – Astoria – disappeared from school. I've been looking for her, and she's gone. Just yesterday. Around the same time."

There was a pause in the office. Dumbledore's mind worked furiously. Astoria Greengrass...her father was Lord Daniel Greengrass...he'd been neutral in the last war. Was this an abduction? Had he changed his loyalties and wanted to prove it? He took another pull of firewhisky as he considered the possibilities, none of them good.

Daphne gulped again, and murmured, "I think..."

"They eloped?" McGonagall said incredulously. Daphne nodded uneasily.

Dumbledore nearly choked on his mouthful. McGonagall continued. "Astoria, right? Astoria Greengrass? But – but they've hardly ever exchanged a conversation! I declare, I don't think I ever saw them talk in class! I don't know if they even share classes!"

"Has your sister spoken of him?" Dumbledore asked Daphne, leaning over in his chair, looming over her like a judge.

Daphne shifted, her fingers clasping and unclasping. "My sister...she's different from other girls. She's different..." She paused. "She doesn't want to settle down. I keep telling her to network, to prepare for her role as Lady Greengrass, but she keeps telling me that she wants to get a job, to see the world. She's always so wild. Father's been searching for ways to get her to settle down, but nothing seems to work. But...but I didn't think she'd run off. Oh, I hope father won't be too angry..." She swallowed again, clearly worrying over the ramifications of her sister's decision.

Dumbledore knew that if her father was a staunch pureblood, and he'd thought Astoria had eloped with a halfblood, he wouldn't be able to banish her from the family fast enough. However, Daniel was a quiet man after he lost his wife Angela, and swore he'd never remarry. It seemed unlikely that he'd want to leave himself with only one Heir.

But was that what this was? Elopement? He'd been so sure that he was controlling Harry's ability to form romantic attachments – or even think about such things – had he missed something while Harry was isolating himself?

"If they left at the same time, it stands likely that they left together." Amelia mused, clearly thinking the whole situation over. "It's only been a day, and they're still minors. I suggest we go to Gringotts; I doubt they've gotten far."

In the Common Rooms

"So, Harry's eloped with Astoria, huh?" Tracy Davis asked Su Li.

"That's what I heard!" The Ravenclaw told the other girl enthusiastically. "Astoria was such a wild girl she didn't want to live in a pureblood world, and when she saw how everyone's been treating him she offered to run away with him! Isn't that romantic?"

The two girls giggled over this as Hermione walked past, her fingers digging into the cover of her book. She glanced in the direction of Daphne Greengrass and her grip on her book grew tighter still, determined not to cry or get angry.

She had thought, when Harry started distancing himself from her, that she might have made a mistake by letting Ron influence her opinion of him after he was chosen for the Tournament. She'd fooled herself into thinking that what she was doing wasn't serious, and they'd be back hanging around together once the boy's initial tempers had run their course.

Then Harry had avoided her after the first task, when she would have tried to apologize to him. She was seeing how foolish she had been – clearly he wouldn't want to fight a monster like that by choice, and the cold shoulder the other students had been giving her was another indication that she might be doing things wrong.

And now Harry was gone and reality hit her in the face with the finesse of a dead fish. She'd abandoned him. Her first real friend, who she thought she might have been developing feelings for, and she had abandoned him.

And now – now he was running away with a girl? With a Slytherin girl? Hermione's stomach burned. Had he been seeing this girl while he was isolated from Hermione? When she hadn't been looking, he'd been talking to this other girl...

Astoria – Hermione had a vague recollection of that girl, she was in Ginny's year and her sister Daphne was known as the Ice Queen of Slytherin.

Hermione glanced at Daphne. She was beautiful, more beautiful then the plain bookworm who talked to much in class. Her sister probably looked a lot like her. Suddenly, Hermione's brain was filled with images of Harry talking and laughing on a playground somewhere with a pretty blonde girl, and her eyes began to burn.

Ron watched as Hermione darted into her dorm, angry and bewildered. Harry was gone? Ran off? Just like that? Why would he do that? He was part of the tournament. He had all the girls. All the attention. Was that just not enough for him? He had to get more attention by running away, playing the wounded fragile orphan. And Hermione was more worried about him then she wanted to have conversations with Ron. It was an annoying state of affairs.

Susan knew she was in trouble when her auntie fixed her with a glare before going towards Dumbledore's office. Auntie Amelia rarely glared at her. Was she on Harry's side to? Harry...Harry had run away from school. Maybe she'd gone too far? She hadn't imagined him running away. It was just school stuff. Would he take it that personally?

Well, her aunt would find him, right? He couldn't be that far.

With Harry, most of the way to Magical Paris

Warm golden rose light streamed past the curtains, drawing intricate designs on the walls and ceilings as Harry opened his eyes. There was light rumbling of the wheels whistling over the tracks. Blinking rapidly, he tried to focus, finding his mind a little sluggish. The bed was wonderful, he thought distantly. Considering how little sleep he'd gotten since the night he and Astoria had left Hogwarts, it was more then welcome.

At that thought, Harry looked down at the bed next to him. Astoria was still asleep, her hair splayed out over the pillows and sheets and gleaming in the dying sunlight. Harry felt his heart thumping in his ribcage; it hadn't been that hard to fall asleep next to her, to his surprise. The soft rhythm of her breathing had actually helped him get to sleep.

Hedwig was chirping eagerly and batting at the sides of her cage. We must be close, Harry realized as he put a hand on the cage. Hedwig often got like that when she realized the end of a drive was getting closer; she didn't have a great fondness for Vernon's car.

He glanced out the window and had his breath taken away.

Gently, he reached down and touched his companion's shoulder. "Astoria, wake up. You've got to see this."

Astoria sighed and sleepily opened her green eyes. "What..." She pushed herself into a sitting position and saw Harry kneeling at the window. "Are we there yet?"

"Not quite. But look at this."

Astoria blinked and then followed Harry's finger. Her eyes widened. "Oh Merlin."

The dazzling City of Lights lay out on the ground below them, glowing like crystal. The train was zipping along a highly elevated track, one that lead into...

Harry had to blink a few times before he saw it, and when he did he laughed and laughed. "Wow." He said. "I knew the French did things differently, but...wow."

The magical portion of France seemed to exist directly on top of its muggle counterpart, like layers on a cake, or veils between a window and the road outside. Buildings built on top of buildings, platforms stretching across roads. Shops that were muggle at first glance rearranged themselves into wizard stores in the blink of an eye. What looked like cars at first glance were actually giant wolf like creatures with young riders tearing down the road, with muggle police vehicles struggling to keep up. Tall spires appeared from some buildings, clearly observatories of some sort. Streets turned into long green pathways. Some buildings actually seemed to float in the air, above the oblivious muggle's heads.

And it all vanished like ripples in water if Harry wasn't concentrating.

"This was a brilliant idea." Astoria whispered. "If this is Pairs, Australia can wait."

End Chapter

They'll get to Australia eventually, but as you'll see next chapter they decided to stop off in some other places while they're on their way there. Suggestions for possible locations are perfectly welcome! Also - should I keep following what's going on back in Britain, or should I stick solely with Harry and Astoria and have them come back to a radically different Britain?

Read and Review please!

3. Chapter 3

Finding a Place to Call Home

Moon: Welcome back faithful readers, and thanks to the reviewers! You guys are wonderful. In this chapter, mostly Harry and Astoria with a little bit of Britain at the end. There will be a little more Britain next chapter, but I'm bone tired and couldn't quite fit it into this one. So, here you go...enjoy and tell me what you think! I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 3: City of Lights and Magic

"This way, everyone!" A young man with a heavy French Accent called out to the crowd. There was a light chatter as the group of wizards that had taken the International Confederation line to Paris headed in the direction of the exit. Astoria and Harry stood near a family of seven headed to a birthday party, making themselves look innocuous. Harry looked around the train station. Here, the flag he had seen with the Beaubaxon students was hanging from the rafters, and there was a noticeable change in color to the walls and ceiling. It looked decidedly more festive then the practical, silver British station.

"Look Harry," Astoria whispered. "Fairies!"

Harry followed Astoria's gaze and marveled. Sure enough, there were sharp bursts of multicolored light as fairies seemed to pop into existence among the roof, and flew down among the travelers to many cries of delight. Soon, the station was filled with fairy dust and laughing wizards. The fairies giggled mischievously as they darted through the crowds, playing lighthearted pranks on wizards who looked overly stuffy. Parents gently told their children to refrain from grabbing at the fragile creatures while a few businessmen protested vainly as their briefcases were covered in fairy dust and began to rise towards the ceiling, quite without their permission.

Astoria laughed as a small, ruby-red fairy appeared in front of her and Harry. It giggled and flitted in front of them. Astoria held out her finger. The fairy grabbed it, put some dust on it and then flew up, around Harry's head and then up to where the other fairies were gathering at the ceiling.

Turning to Harry, Astoria giggled and said, "They're beautiful..."

"Yeah..." Harry agreed, looking up to the ceiling. A window magically opened, and the fairings zipped off, to the disappointment of many young children.

"I see the fairies have welcomed the new arrivals!" The young man from before said cheerfully. He was met with laughter and some applause. "You'll see some more of those little ones around the gardens in Paris, if you know where to look."

In high spirits, the incoming wizards walked up a long staircase that ended in two doorways.

The young man said, "Now, this is the important part. Those of you who are headed into muggle Paris should use the door on the right. Magical Paris is the door on the left. The Shifting Plates will feel a bit uncomfortable as you pass through them, but don't panic if you feel a bit of a squeeze! That's perfectly natural, and I assure you its safe. The Plates are what separates our France from the muggle France, and there are scant few entrances! If you have business in the muggle world first, you'd best take the right door."

The guy took out his wand and waved it twice. The two huge doors swung open. There was a glowing blue veil in between the stairs and the streets. On one side, Harry could see muggle cars and streets. And on the other...it looked like Diagon Alley. Actually, no. Diagon Alley paled in comparison to what he could see from here."

Hedwig made a noise, and Astoria squeezed his hand. "Well?" She murmured, bringing Harry back to the present. "Let's go!"

Harry nodded, and steeling himself for the mentioned pressure and followed the crowd through the blue veil.

There was a feeling of pressure that made Harry's stomach feel greatly unsettled, and he had to squeeze his eyes shut as he stumbled forward on to the pavement. The ground under his feet felt like it was about to be pulled apart, with one of his legs on either side.

As quickly as the feeling came it was gone, and Harry was left blinking in the city of lights. Astoria was standing and looking on in amazement.

Magical Paris seemed to...glow, for lack of a better word. Both torches and streetlamps lined the streets – streets where huge wolf-like creatures bounded along, carrying their masters and their children along with them, the kids often screaming with excitement.

"What are those?" Harry asked in amazement. A nearby woman chuckled.

"Never seen a warg before, darling? They look fearsome, but if you raised them domestic they're wonderful to have around." She said. "They've become the primary mode of transportation when their population exploded."

"Wow," Astoria whispered, watching as one of the Wargs. "I heard that someone had bred a new species from werewolves and normal wolves, but I hadn't thought there were so many in one place!" She clutched the handle of her suitcase. "Let's find our hotel Harry, there's so much to see!"

They started walking down the streets. Harry couldn't help but stare at almost everything he came across. There were huge shops containing magically altered muggle equipment, the most amazing of all being the sheer number of muggle electronics that were functioning perfectly well despite being surrounded by wizards! There were Television sets in windows playing parts of the new Transformers show and Star Wars: A New Hope. Harry could see Sony's new game system also for sale in another.

Astoria was thrilled. "What's that?"

"It's a television. How to explain...well, they show you a series of imagines, like a Pensieve."

"What's that?"

"That's a computer. It's kind of like a TV combined with a writing quill of sorts. You can store writing and information on it."

"What's that?"

"That...is an NES system. Uh, I'm not entirely sure how to describe it. It's something that allows you to play games on a TV."

The winding streets were extremely friendly, though a lot of the wizards going around only spoke French, often leaving the two children confused. Lights glowed and danced overhead. Trains rushed past on elevated platforms. It was as if the city itself was constantly in motion.

"If this is the City of Lights, I can't help but wonder what the magical version of the City that Never Sleeps looks like." Harry mused, mentally adding New York to their potential travel list.

"The what?" Astoria asked, biting into her bottom lip. She was realizing very quickly just how very little she knew about the world outside of Britain, and now she was starting to feel rather foolish when she had to ask Harry what something was.

Harry caught her expression and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll tell you more when we reach our hotel. Then we can work out our travel plans into something a little more streamlined."

Astoria smiled again at this. "I like that. Do you suppose we can find a map written in English?"

As it turned out, looking for a map that was just English was unnecessary. A friendly clerk pointed them to a magical map that changed it's language to whatever the reader needed it to be. Harry located their prepaid hotel and the two of them set off down the street again.

It was an elegant place, with floating lightbulbs to guide the way. Harry felt extremely self conscious walking in and once again worried that someone would question two clearly unrelated children travelling together, but they got to their hotel room without much fuss. This one, thankfully, had two beds. It had a carpet and a large desk.

Harry immediately sat down with Astoria next to him and opened Hedwig's cage. The bird chirped happily, finally allowed to fly around freely, and left to hunt. After that, Harry quickly emptied the contents of his smaller backpack onto the desk and grabbed himself a pen.

"So, shall we create a trail to follow?" He suggested.

Astoria nodded eagerly. "Oh yes! I can't wait to see where else there is to go."

With that, they opened a good number of maps and reference books. Hours ticked by as they read, occasionally speaking up when they spotted something that interested them. Harry wrote down short notes whenever he saw something that he should keep in mind. Eventually, he turned to his travel journal and nodded, having come to a potential decision.

He pointed to several travel guides on the desk and turned to Astoria. He smiled. "So, aside from Australia-" He pointed to the island on the far right of the world map he had opened. "-I was thinking we should also go to Italy. Did you know that the person who discovered the cure to Dragon Pox was born Italian?"

"No," Astoria said, eyes lighting up. "Oh, how about after that, we go to Germany?" She pointed to the country. "I'd like to see the parts of Grindelwald's prison that we're allowed to visit. Oh, and we can also see the Duelling arenas! Duelling is an official sport there," She explained for Harry's benefit, "out there it's almost as popular as Quidditch. I think most German schools have it as a compulsory course from the beginning."

"That would have been nice," Harry said to himself. He studied the map. "How about Norway? It says here that it's supposedly Rowena Ravenclaw's birthplace." He put his fingers on one of the guides. "Also, it says that there are ancient Healing Springs in that area too."

"I heard about that!" Astoria said eagerly. "It's said that the pilgrimage there is treacherous, but if you were an innocent that no matter how severe your wounds or your sickness you could walk out healed!"

"It also has a Hippogriff national park," Harry said in interest, looking at the guide. "I didn't realize they were endangered."

"They were considered a status symbol back in the seventeenth century," Astoria said. "People tried to capture them, and they were hunted until only a few of them survived in the wild."

Harry sighed. "Well, there's one thing that muggles and wizards have in common."

Astoria drew lines on the map, connecting a flight path to Italy, Norway and Germany. She looked back at the world map. "You said New York?"

"Yeah," Harry said. "Wow, look at this. The City that Never Sleeps, central magical trade and triumph of the world. Merlin, that is such an American statement to make. What's their other slogan? One nation under Merlin? Well, it couldn't hurt to see if it lives up to its high opinion of itself huh?"

"Harry, what are the Smithsonian Museums?" Astoria asked, squinting down at the muggle guide.

Harry thought about that for a second before remembering that the wizards thought going to space was a mere fairy tale. He smiled. "Oh, I think you'd like to see those. In fact, I think while we're there I'll take you to Los Angelos and to Hollywood. There are two amazing muggle places."

"How about we go to Brazil after that?" Astoria suggested, following a trail on the map with her finger down to South America. "I heard its a really exotic location."

"Sure," Harry said, spinning through one of his reference guides. Astoria made a noise and pointed to one of the pictures. "Look at that! Someone actually has a few live Manticore there. I thought they had gone extinct!"

"There's also the Memorial of Emma Zhang up in Northern Canada. She exterminated the Windigos that were slaughtering everyone magical and muggle. We can stop by Alaska and see the island of the Minator. We can catch that before going to Tokyo." Harry suggested, gesturing to another guide. "Some of the greatest Transfiguration artists alive live there." He read this aloud from the page.

"And some of the oldest dragon breeds." Astoria added solemnly. "I heard that some of them are old enough that they can speak the human language."

"You're kidding." Harry said, looking up at her. In the candlelight, Astoria's eager green eye seemed to sparkle.

Astoria shook her head. "No jokes. I wonder what they would have to say if we're allowed to talk to them."

Harry drew the line along until it reached Tokyo. "Africa? For sightseeing?" He suggested.

Astoria looked at some of the pictures and said, "Sure." She took the pen from Harry and connected the travel path. "And then to Australia."

The two sat there in silence for a second, contemplating their travel plans. Astoria glanced at Harry and said, "I think that covers it for now." She said. "I can't wait to start."

Harry nodded, standing up and walking over to the window. He stared down at the gleaming streets, watching as young children ran past, tugging their parents along with them. People just stopping at the corners to chat. He felt a tug at his heart and smiled softly.

Why hadn't he done this before? He was away, away from his troubles and the things that had been stalking him. Perhaps it had been fear of his aunt and uncle that had kept him in that house, but if he'd known then what he had known now would he have ever stayed in that place? Harry wondered if the Dursleys, his only living family, were the least bit bothered by his disappearance from Hogwarts – if they had been informed at all. Somehow he didn't imagine Vernon or Petunia were crying very much over that. And even after how they'd treated him for thirteen years that thought stung him.

What was going back at Hogwarts, Harry wondered idly. Was anyone really worried that he was gone? Or were they just happy that they had him out of their hair?

"Harry? Is something wrong?" Astoria's voice was warm with concern. Harry gave a start when she put her hands on his shoulders. Her touch was gentle, and it felt different from what he'd experienced with Hermione or Mrs. Weasley.

"Just thinking," He said.

"Want to talk about it?" Astoria suggested. "It always made me feel better to talk about the things bothering me instead of keeping them in."

Harry thought about that, and to his surprise the lump that should have come up in his throat was completely absent. "You know what? That would be nice. To have someone who's willing to listen."

He turned from the window and walked over to his bed, running his fingers through his messy black hair. He sat down, feeling the mattress groan slightly under his weight. A deep sigh escaped his lips, causing his entire body to shake slightly before relaxing. He kicked his shoes off as Astoria sat on her bed, right across from him.

Her green eyes were so open. Harry thought in wonder, that a girl he had met two days ago was giving him the patience and understanding he'd only really gotten from Sirius, over a few letters. "Let me tell you a story, Astoria. It's not a very happy one. At one point, there was a child with two loving parents. One of them was a muggleborn who was famously talented in magic. The other was the son of an old family, or so I've been told. They loved each other, and they loved their child. But then a dark wizard decided to go after them. The parents didn't survive the battle. But their son did, for no particular merit of his own – he was saved by the love of his mother. You probably know this part already."

He smiled coldly. "Want to hear the part that you probably don't know? The parents were betrayed by one of their close friends. Someone who Dumbledore had expressed confidence in. This person framed the other friend for betraying the parents and faked his death, scurrying to safety in the oblivious safety of another wizarding family. He was a coward, but he was also an opportunist. He hadn't fled out of any regret for what he had done, but because the things he had done were so he could have the protection of the biggest bully on the playground, and he wasn't about to waste his time on a wreck of a wizard that had no power. Oh, he knew that the dark wizard had not, in fact, been vanquished that fateful night when the boy lost his parents. There are a few people who knew, although how he did it is beyond me. And the great caring Dumbledore did not step in on the betrayed one's side, to give him the decency of a trial. He was simply thrown into Azkaban because everyone assumed he was guilty with no further investigation. There was a fourth friend, but he was not allowed anywhere near the boy either. Not because he was a bad person, but because he had a condition that made people irrationally fear him. A condition that didn't affect his ability to care for anyone."

"Now, the boy was an enigma. The boy who lived, everyone calls him. They think he must have it all. The papers blather on about his wealth and his alleged power. Everyone whispers when he walks past, people stare at in him envy or in lust or in other ways that I probably don't want to imagine. They all have an image about him that they think is the truth. And there's the important word there. An image. A falsehood, and the utter opposite of the reality that existed for that boy."

Harry took a deep breath. "The boy was dropped on the doorstep of his mother's sister, who hated magic and above all hated her sister. She was married to a walrus of a man who was even less tolerant of things that didn't fit into his worldview then he was. They had a fat bully of a son that is quickly shaping up to have all of their worst qualities in one big package."

"I wonder if people would still accuse that boy of being attention seeking and big-headed if they knew he spent the first ten years of his life sleeping in a cupboard under the stairwell that most people reserve for keeping old books and antiques." He said savagely. Astoria gasped and stared at him in shock. "The boy had never had friends because his cousin would beat up anyone who went near him. The boy was rarely fed anything decent; he was always told that he was a freak, a burden, a monster, unlovable, unwanted, and worthless besides. He spent his formative years with people who despised him, who cared nothing for him and used him for slave labor, for lack of a better word. No one ever stepped forward to help this boy. No one offered comfort or respite from the loneliness. He didn't even know how his parents really died – his aunt told him that they were drunkards who had died in a car crash."

Astoria made a noise of anger and distress. "They didn't," She said in disbelief. "No one treats their family that way."

Harry gave her a brittle look. "With all due respect, that's your family. You don't know what the Dursleys were like." His jaw locked. "You don't know what they can do."

"But..." Astoria looked like someone who was just coming to realize something. "That's why you were always dressed shabbily when you weren't in your uniform?" She said in distress. "That wasn't a ploy to mislead people on how you operated?"

Harry blinked. "That's what people thought? Huh. I thought they just didn't factor that in when they constructed their version of reality."

"That's what a good number of the Slytherins thought." Astoria said. "After all, you're actually really smart in class, and on a broomstick you've never lost a match. I mean, there were the Dementors, but that really wasn't fair." Her voice grew timid, "It hadn't even occurred to me..."

Harry just gave a weary sigh. "It's fine, Astoria. You didn't really know me before this, and even the people who I thought were closest to me didn't seem to realize it either."

"But why?" Astoria asked softly. "Why would your aunt and uncle treat their own flesh and blood that way?"

"Oh, I don't know. Why do pure bloods treat muggleborns like dirt?" Harry asked dryly. "Why are house elves nearly routinely tortured by their masters? They think magic is unnatural and twisted. They're biased and acting on it. There's really not that much of a difference between them and Draco Malfoy."

He gave a short chuckle. "It's funny that Malfoy keeps telling everyone that muggles are stupid and barbaric and yet he acts just like two of them."

"I hadn't thought about it that way," Astoria said thoughtfully. "Father doesn't engage in pure blood philosophy, but he doesn't seem to think that muggles are very important in the grand scale of our world."

"A thought process that seems to be common back there," Harry said. "I bet if you took away Draco's wand, have him gain a few pounds and made his hair a lighter blonde he could be adopted as Dudley's twin.

"Well, at least you have Hogwarts to go to, to get away from those muggles," Astoria said hopefully. Harry smiled sadly.

"That was what I had thought, for a while anyway."

Astoria looked questioningly at him, and Harry said, "Shall I continue my story?" He smiled when she nodded, looking very serious now.

Harry kicked his legs out a bit, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the edge of his bed. "The boy had bouts of accidental magic whenever he was stressed enough, and his aunt and uncle would always punish him severely for it. He didn't understand any of it, and after a while he started to think that he must really be a freak. Why else would these things happen? Why else would his aunt and uncle hate him so much?"

Astoria made another angry noise in her throat, though this time it was mingled with distress instead of disbelief.

"Then a miracle happened. The boy got a letter from a school that told him that he was a wizard. The aunt and uncle did their very best to keep the knowledge from the boy, but it would not be deterred. Eventually the boy found out, and he was told the truth about his parents. He was introduced to a new world, one that seemed so beautiful and perfect in comparison to the one he had been trapped in for so long. He ran into it with vigor." He smiled sadly. "The joy of being accepted made him gullible."

"He made friends with people who would turn on him so easily. He even risked his life for one, when a troll entered the school. Their dysfunctional arguing all the time also made him uncomfortable. He often felt like they included him in these fights to make him choose between them, and this put unwelcome pressure on his emotions. And even without that to think about, the boy's life was in danger. The supposed greatest wizard since Merlin allowed a man into the school who was supporting the wizard who had killed the boy's parents, and he tried to finish the job multiple times. The boy went to teachers with his suspicions and was dismissed. The supporter nearly succeeded in his task at the end of the first year, but through luck and his mother's protection the boy survived – only to be shuttled back to the same cruel environment that he had been living in for so long."

"The Dursleys, if possible, were colder then they had been before the boy knew the truth about his magic. I bet those Daily Prophet articles that have been talking about me didn't mention that I spent my summer before my second year locked in my room like a prisoner of Azkaban. Or that I was fed even less then before. Or that I was blamed for magic that a house elf had caused in a bid to keep me from going back to Hogwarts."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "In retrospect, the boy would likely have been better off if he had heeded the elf's warnings. Once again, he was in life threatening danger. He was blamed for being the Heir of Slytherin. The whole school watched him with suspicion and anger. It bothered him more then anything to be treated like an outcast, because it brought back one too many painful memories. It was as if he had never left the Dursleys at all."

"Then he had to save a young girl who had been ensnared by a dark artifact because apparently an entire school full of wizards of many years of talent can't tell that the attacks that were turning students to stone were caused by a basilisk. Something that a second year could figure out by just spending an hour in the library. Against all odds, he managed to kill the monster and save the girl."

Astoria squeaked in horror. "You had to fight a basilisk?" She whispered.

"Yeah," Harry said evenly. He rolled up his sleeve and ran his finger down his forearm. "I almost died too. One of its fangs got buried in my arm. The Headmaster's familiar came down and saved me in time."

"The Headmaster's phoenix?" Astoria echoed in confusion. "But if he knew where the chamber was and the phoenix could get down there, why didn't he come down and help you himself?"

Harry shrugged with a certain amount of anger. "I don't know. Dumbledore actually hasn't helped me a whole much. Two times I've been hated and feared and he hasn't said a single word, though whenever someone gives Malfoy exactly what he deserves there's always a teacher right around the corner who will deduct points from the people he'd been bullying and mistreating."

"The other students didn't understand why you're getting all these points at the ends of the years," Astoria admitted. "A lot of them seem to think that you were Dumbledore's pet or something, and that made them resentful. At least, the Slytherins I knew were resentful of it."

"Really?" Harry exhaled, gritting his teeth. "I would have liked no better to have made friends with some Slytherins. But it's like Dumbledore and the Gryffindors set me up to be a loner with no one else to turn to whenever they decided to leave me hanging. Because everyone has these warped images of me that have come about through things that have happened that I have no control over, or when I try to do the right thing and they don't seem to like that."

"I think you're amazing, Harry." Astoria said. "I heard rumors about what happened with Quirrel, and I heard a few things about the basilisk and the spell you cast that could deflect hundreds of dementors."

Harry, despite himself, felt a smile coming to his face. "Thanks Astoria, that's nice to know." He said. "I wish a few other people had that kind of confidence in me."

"Third year. He's being dogged by the betrayed fried of his parents, who finally managed to escape the hell he'd been trapped in years before. Everyone thought he was the betrayer and that there was a mass murderer after the young boy. Was this boy given any extra protection? No. He was surrounded by monsters that he had no way of defending himself against, and the friend was seen walking in and out of the school as though he earned it. Did they move the boy somewhere safer? Did they look the betrayed friend up to see if there was anything that might be helping him? No, they just left him hanging. Through sheer luck and chance, the boy discovered that the betrayed friend was innocent – and his godfather – and the true murderer was uncovered. Unfortunately, because of some really horrible timing the other friend, who had helped, was overcome by his condition and in the following chaos the rat managed to get away."

Astoria listened to this and asked, "The other friend was a werewolf, wasn't he?"

"Remarkable intuition." Harry remarked. "What gave it away?"

"Well, you said 'horrible timing', and that there was chaos afterwards, so that was the first thing that came to mind," Astoria responded. "Also, Professor Lupin resigned citing 'health reasons', and the night that Sirius escaped was the night of the full moon."

"Smart," Harry said. "Pity that Snape had to be so biased, or he might not have let it slip at the table during breakfast, and Lupin would still be teaching us."

Astoria frowned at this, "I wonder why Professor Snape would do that." She seemed to realize something else. "Sirius Black is your godfather?"

"Yes."

"And he's innocent of the mass murder thirteen years ago?"

"Yes, he is." Harry said. "That's what happens when you don't give people a trial. Little things like him not actually being guilty might pop up."

"Oh Merlin!" Astoria exclaimed. "This kind of misdemeanor is just incredible! And for it to have happened to the last living member of the House of Black...locked up for thirteen years with the dementors...dear Merlin! This is a disaster! The poor man!" She looked anxiously at Harry. "But he escaped alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine." Harry said. "He was in the Bahamas the last time I heard from him. Safe and sound, though no closer to having his name cleared."

Astoria bit her lip. "I can't imagine why Professor Snape..."

"Oh, who knows." Harry said. "I don't understand Snape and I don't have a whole lot of incentive to start trying. And of course, all this brings me to this year. I'm dropped illegally into a tournament I don't want to compete in, and suddenly everyone's acting like I'm worse then Draco Malfoy. I'm tormented even worse then Dudley's gang ever did, and to cap it all off it was coming to a head because of my two best friends. I had to isolate myself. I couldn't bear the way I was being treated. It hurt so much. It hurt like the aura of a Dementor."

He looked up at Astoria. "And then another miracle happened. He met a girl who didn't treat him like everyone else was. Who didn't believe in the fallacies that everyone else were taking as gospel truth. Someone who offered to make an incredibly insane, risky and wonderful decision that he decided to go along with. And they escaped the building together."

"That boy has only been away from the source of his pain for nearly two days, and he's already happier then he has been in months. And it was all thanks to her."

Astoria blushed bright red. She got up off her bed, walked over to his, sat down and clasped his hands in hers. For a second, they just sat there in silence.

"It's not fair," Astoria said after a minute.

Harry just sighed. "It's not fair. If I had a nickle for every time I said that, or every time I thought that..."

"A nickle?"

"Sorry. Muggle currency. American, as it is. It's just a phrase." Harry said.

"You deserve better then this," Astoria murmured.

"Thanks, Astoria." Harry said. A thought struck him. "Do you mind if I call you Ash? Or Tori? Your name's a bit of a mouthful."

Astoria smiled softly at him. "I like Tori. My sister calls me that sometimes, when she remembers what its like to feel emotions." Her grasp on his hands tightened just a bit. "I guess my sob story isn't quite as dramatic as yours. You probably know a little bit about pure bloods. How wealthy they are. How spectacular their lives are. How much power they wield. Well, let me ease your mind about one thing. It's all a lie." She said this quietly, almost coldly, which was such a strange thing from her that Harry looked down at her in concern.

Astoria just met his eyes with her deep green ones. "You told me your story. It's only fair," She said softly. She reached up and undid one of her ruby earrings. Carefully she took it down and cradled it in her hands. "See this?" She whispered. "There's a story about a little girl. She was born into an old family, one with a father, mother and a sister. Now, they were a respectable family, and they didn't get involved in some of the uglier aspects that pure bloods these days engage in. The mother of the house was kind and compassionate and a firebrand in the sky. She ran with the wind and took her daughters with her. She told them funny stories and wasn't afraid to let her emotions lead her down different paths them what might have been dictated for other girls of her stature."

Astoria closed her eyes. "But one day, the mother fell very sick. Even her bonded house elf wasn't sure what was wrong with her. She cried foul play, but no one believed that the elf was telling the truth. The two sisters and the father could only watch helplessly as she deteriorated out of unknown causes. One day, the mother called them to her bedside and told them that the pure bloods had to change. That if we didn't accept life in all its aspects, shapes and forms, we would destroy ourselves and condemn our children and their children to lingering deaths."

The blonde swallowed and said, "She died a few hours later. But the young girl was allowed to hold onto her earrings, and with them she could pretend that she still heard her mother's voice in her ears and her touch as she brushed her hair or her cheek. She was determined that she wouldn't let her mother's spirit be lost. In...in many ways, she was the most like her mother."

"The father was crushed by the mother's death. Something inside him changed. He never smiled again. He seemed lost, detached, like he was floating through the motions. Like he had lost a part of himself, and had never really recovered. He became more like the other pure bloods that we met with for dances and other things. The older sister sought for solace. She could not bear for things to be uncertain anymore, so slowly the younger sister watched as she fell in step with the other heirs. She became colder and quieter, and disappointed that the younger sister wasn't following with tradition. She went to school keeping potential future husbands in mind, as though she was already eighteen. The younger sister tried to bring back the sister that she loved, but it was as though she had turned to glass."

Astoria gently rubbed the earring with her thumb. "The younger sister watched helplessly as her sister was assimilated. And as her father changed, and began to put pressure on her. Find a husband. Befriend the Malfoy scion. Become more demure. But the younger sister hadn't forgotten her mother's last words. She watched as violence brewed on the horizon, listened to rumors that echoed the dying words. She didn't want to be a baby maker who never left her house. She didn't want to become ... some glorified doll to be put on display by some rich man!"

She paused and gulped, as though trying to steady herself. "Over the years, she couldn't help but watch a boy. A Gryffindor boy, so there was an unspoken rule that she was not allowed to attempt to befriend him. But she couldn't help it. He seemed so kind, and so strange. She saw the people of Hogwarts drive him away the way her sister had begun to drive her away. So she reached out to him one day. And he made her think, truly think, about how trapped she was. And in an instant, she decided to run away, to escape the beautiful home that had become her prison."

Astoria smiled. "And he's been so kind. He was willing to come with her. It...it was like she's free now. Free as a bird. Like mother would have wanted."

Harry was speechless. After a second he impulsively wrapped his arms around Astoria. For a second he thought it might have been a bad idea, but Astoria leaned into the embrace. "God, I'm so sorry Astoria. I...it didn't even occur to me. I've been a real brat, if I think that bad things only happen to me. I hadn't thought that there might be other things going on with a pureblood scion then what I know from Malfoy. That there might be emotional reasons compelling you to run away."

Astoria sniffled slightly and said, "It's okay Harry. It...it feels good to talk about it. I miss my mother, but as long as I have these she'll never really leave me." She reattached her earring to her ear. "I'm just glad I'm out here..."

"So am I..."

For a moment, they sat in silence, just leaning into the long needed comfort of the embrace. Harry wasn't sure how long it was until he released his grip on Astoria.

The blonde looked curiously at Harry and said, "Maybe I should have thought of this earlier, but should you contact Sirius? I mean, if we've disappeared, he must be worried."

Harry thought about that for a second and his eyes widened. "I...Merlin, I hadn't even thought about...oh bloody hell, Sirius! What am I going to...argh, I knew there was something I wasn't thinking through." He ran a hand through his messy black hair. "What am I going to do about this?"

Astoria thought for a moment. "Do you have a house elf?"

"A house...oh. Dobby." Harry said, his brain nearly shorting out. "Why hadn't I considered...why...oh! Lord, I'm stupid," He said sheepishly. "How exactly am I supposed to call for Dobby though?"

"Master Harry Potter Sir calls for Dobby!" The elf proclaimed, appearing in their room with a crack. Harry yelped, but Astoria hardly blinked, as though this were a perfectly ordinary occurrence.

"Dobby! How..." Harry started in confusion.

"Oh Harry, house elves work by strange magic. You just need to call the one that's bound to you and he'll come, no matter what." Astoria explained, smiling at his expression.

"Great, Dobby you can be of help to me but first you have to promise not to tell anyone where I am or where to look for me. Okay?" Harry said.

"Dobby promises Harry Potter Sir that he will be safely hidden."

"Great." Harry grabbed the pen from the desk and scribbled a quick letter to Sirius, saying that he was safe and not to worry. "Here, I need you to take this to Sirius. If he sends a reply bring it to me okay? And don't let anyone else see you."

"Yes sir, I will do as you ask." Dobby took the letter and vanished in a crack.

Harry let his breath out. "Well, there's that. Funny, I didn't realize elves could do that."

Astoria's brow furrowed and she studied Harry. "No one told you about these things?" She said. "Why wouldn't any of the houses you're family is aligned with tell you about your history and how the world works?"

"Houses?" Harry echoed blankly, sitting down next to Astoria again. "Alliances? This is the first time I'm hearing about this."

"Well," Astoria said, "Your parents weren't deeply involved in pure blood politics, but they had alliances with other families. Some were passed down from Potters who were more involved in pure blood society, and others were formed more recently just out of friendliness. The Longbottoms and the Potters, for instance, have been having children standing side by side for centuries. Charles Potter and Orion Black were close in their youth before the first war drove them apart. Amelia Bones was a close friend of your father and mother. And that's just the few I know of. To uphold their old friends and bonds, they should have been there to tell you these things when you returned to the wizarding world."

Harry blinked. "But I barely know Neville. He's never been close, though we were at least friendly before my name came out. Amelia Bones...her niece Susan has been cold towards me thanks to the Hufflepuff hive mentality of 'Harry's-trying-to-overshadow-our-champion' party line."

Astoria sighed. "Good lord. All over one tournament. People really do turn on a knunt." She smiled up at him, her eyes warm. "Well, I guess it will be a trade-off then. You'll teach me about muggles and I'll teach you about magic."

Harry smiled back at her, his chest feeling warm. "I like the sound of that."

Back in Britain

The Aurors appeared in front of the school very close to nighttime. Dumbledore went out to meet them, and despite his strenuous insistence that no one else listen many Hogwarts students including Hermione and Daphne slipped out of the castle to hear the report.

"There's no sign of him." Kingsley Shakabolt said gravely. He was a good auror and sometimes he questioned the logic of the things Dumbledore did, this time being one of them. "Anywhere. I talked to the goblins, but according to them there's been no withdrawals from his or Greengrass's bank accounts. That suggests that they haven't gotten far, but we've gone through all the nearby areas and they're nowhere to be found."

"Checked back with his muggle relatives," Nymphadora Tonks added. "Nothing from them either, so he's probably not moving around by muggle means. I didn't think that was likely anyway, given that Astoria probably wouldn't last long trying to pretend to be a muggle." She scowled. "They didn't seem to worried about him vanishing. I don't like them much."

Dumbledore made a mental note to steer any further investigation away from the Dursleys. It could potentially give way for them to air some unwelcome truths about the way they were raising Harry. Just the way they threw around the word 'freak' was likely to raise eyebrows. "Then where could he possibly be?" Dumbledore demanded. "Britain is his homeland. He can't have gotten too far, as you said."

"The search is ongoing," Kingsley said with a hint of annoyance. "We don't have a whole lot to go on though."

Dumbledore pinched his nose. "Why would they run away?" He asked himself aloud.

Tonks snorted. "Maybe it has something to do with the really crappy way everyone's been stomping all over him ever since Halloween?" She suggested in a tone dripping with sarcasm. It made her sound like Sirius had prior to his imprisonment. The younger Black's constant sarcastic remarks had always been a sore point for Dumbledore in earlier years, one he'd tolerated out of needing the boy's assistance and bloodline.

Dumbledore shot Tonks a scowl. "Mere school ground shouting. It's never driven a schoolboy away before."

"Mere?" Tonks echoed with distaste, "From what I've been hearing they treated him like a worse pariah then they do the Slytherin students."

"His name came out of the cup, my hands were tied. I expected that it was simply one of those falling outs that actually strengthens the relationships in question by the time it blows over."

Tonks stared at him. "Sir, with all due respect, I highly doubt that that was the nature of this particular treatment, and I've hardly witnessed any of it! It's my understanding that he wasn't welcome anywhere around other students. That everyone treated him terribly."

"I admit I agree with Tonks," Kingsley said. Seriously, he added, "And I'm getting the sense that Amelia Bones is starting to think along those lines as well. She's very suspicious of the fact that Harry has chosen now to run away, after the other things that have happened to him."

Dumbledore whitened slightly. "I think I should to go the Ministry tonight," He said. "Perhaps I can be of assistance to Madam Bones in this pressing investigation."

Tonks mouthed out something that looked like 'yeah, right', and the three of them left the grounds and disapparated.

End Chapter

I realize some people are worried Harry and Astoria are falling too fast, so I've slowed it down a bit. They'll have a few real talks before they have their first kiss. Also, most of the places that they'll be visiting have been outlined! I'm really looking forward to it. First, they'll be moving around Paris. The World is an interesting place!

Read and Review please!

4. Chapter 4

Finding a Place to Call Home

Moon: Hello, I'm back! Thank you once again to everyone who was lovely enough to review! Thanks for offering your opinions! Anyway, this chapter deals a little more with Harry and Astoria's relationship, a little more from Sirius, and then a look at where the two of them will be going next! I do not own Harry Potter...enjoy!

Chapter 4: Breakfast and a Show

Tri-Wizard Tournament Cancelled! Harry Potter entered Illegally by Barty Crouch Jr!

Harry Potter vanishes from Britain!

Harry Potter ate a mouthful of his chocolate croissant while he watched Astoria scan the paper in her hands. They were sitting in a muggle restaurant, enjoying the French's delicacies under a slight dillusionment charm. The sun was high in the sky and Dobby had just come back with a letter from Sirius. It had gone on for about two pages about disappearing and worrying him and leaving him behind in Grimmauld Place, but that he was glad he was okay. He asked why Harry had run off anyway and Harry was trying to scribe his letter while he ate breakfast.

Harry had almost forgotten what it was like to write with a pen. It had also occurred to him that he was missing out on four years of muggle schooling, something that irked him to no end. Muggle studies couldn't be bothered to keep them up on that, huh? Well, he thought, at least I'll have something to do on the longer train rides.

Astoria took another bite out of her fruitcake, the sun glinting off her ruby earrings. She had poured over the menu for almost thirty minutes trying to choose what to eat, and the food had proven to be a success. They had almost missed the newspaper – if Beaubaxtons hadn't been in the tournament, they probably wouldn't have found out at all. But Harry had seen it out of the corner of his eye and grabbed it.

"They think we're still in Britain," He said. Was it strange that he found that more amusing then anything else? "Why would they think I stuck around?"

"Because they never bother to think from your perspective," Astoria said, flipping the page over before continuing with breakfast. "You said so yourself. Look, apparently your aunt and uncle have declined to comment."

Harry snorted. "Which is probably another way of saying that they said something that Dumbledore had to hush up in fear of getting in trouble. I can't imagine Vernon passing up an opportunity to rant about me." He finished his croissant. "Any comments from the staff?"

Astoria scowled down at the paper. "Apparently McGongall is at a loss to understand your disappearance. She says that the Gryffindors are usually a very tight-knit group, and that one of their own would do something so drastic is beyond her understanding. Professor Sprout is expressing her disappointment in her Hufflepuffs, but she has very much downplayed on all the stuff they actually did. Dumbledore says that they're making every effort to find 'one of their dearest students'."

"Wonder if he managed to say that with a straight face." Harry said sarcastically. "Then again, he seems to be really good at that."

He sat back in his seat and drank from his milk glass. "I kind of expected better from Professor McGonagall, though. She seemed so strict and understanding before this. A good, supportive teacher. I suppose her loyalty to Dumbledore really does come before anything else. Even the safety of a student. Or their lives, depending on what the next task would have been for me. As for Sprout – huh. So Hogwarts reputation is more important then telling the truth."

"They have no reason to tell the world why you left," Astoria said tartly. "Having to cancel something as big as the Tri-Wizard tournament because one of their two champions disappeared is already a huge blow to their public image, Harry. It's considered very prestigious and will stir up a lot of controversy. Rita Skeeter's probably having the time of her life printing up articles."

"Probably," Harry said darkly. He knew the name Rita Skeeter. She had been responsible for a large portion of the public trashing he had been getting from the Prophet. His so called friends fed her the lies and she printed them to the public.

"This is going to make waves," Astoria said uneasily, glancing around the shop. "Beaubaxtons will feel it too."

"That would be nice," Harry responded. "Those students treated me badly along with acting like I was beneath their notice."

Astoria bit her bottom lip, something Harry had come to associate with her being nervous. It was a rather cute gesture. "Maybe we should leave Paris early, just in case they think to look for us here. There will be a media storm here too."

"Mmm, not just yet." Harry said. "I doubt Dumbledore thinks I'm capable of getting that far. He says here that Hogwarts is supposed to mean more then anything to me, like it did for my parents. As if the parents I can't remember should be my only reason to immediately return to the school. If that's supposed to be emotional blackmail, he'll have to do better then that."

Astoria made a noise of agreement. "The man has no shame," She said angrily. "He hasn't even told you anything real about your parents, and he tries to use that to control you."

"There's a lot else that he's been using." Harry muttered darkly. "I think he's done more then that, but I don't know about it. I'm not sure what's real and what's a lie these days." He closed the paper, his fingers brushing against Astoria's. "Speaking of my family, how about you tell me about these alliances."

Astoria smiled and sat up straight. "Well, alliances are usually made from one pure blood lord to another. Promises of protection or financial help or closeness between the houses. The Potter and Longbottom alliance is a famous one, for instance. The two lords that were alive when the alliance was formed were closer then brothers, and lived side by side for years. They saved each other's lives more times then anyone could count. They fought together and acted together in society. Lord Longbottom stood beside Lord Potter at his wedding and Lord Potter did the same two years later. When they were going to die, they told their daughters to have their children at the same time, so this would always be so. It's been that way ever since, right down to James Potter and Frank Longbottom."

"But not with me and Neville," Harry said, starting to frown at this. Neville hadn't outwardly joined in on his cruel treatment, but he had been staying at Ron's side through almost the entire thing, as if seeking his protection from something. That didn't exactly warm his opinion towards the other boy.

"The Bones family was a political ally of the Potters, when your great-grandmother Catherine Potter decided to marry a muggleborn. The treatment of muggleborns was much worse then, and Jonathan Bones worked alongside Catherine's brother John to make some of the first changes, that allowed Catherine to remain in her family and retain her noble status despite her marriage. In return, John Potter paid to construct Bones Manor as a gesture of goodwill, and Jonathan swore that his children and his children's children would always be an ally of the Potters." Her eyes darkened. "Evidently, that didn't work out either."

"Charlus Potter saved the life of George Spinnet, and instead of forcing him to complete a Life Debt Charlus offered to make him an alliance instead. It bumped the Spinnet family house up to Noble status, when they had been floundering before. Your father paid for Alicia Spinnet's dad to become a lawyer just after he graduated from Hogwarts."

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly. "I've been playing Quidditch with Alicia for three years, and she never thinks to bring this up?"

Astoria frowned a bit. "Some people would rather not have the obligations that go along with alliances, obviously."

Harry grumbled for a minute. "Anyone else I should know about?"

"Then there's the Moon family," Astoria shook her head.

"Moon?" Harry cycled through the students of Hogwarts in his head. "Lilith Moon? Slytherin in my year? She was in school for the few weeks before my name came up, but she disappeared. I haven't seen her for over a month."

"Well, that doesn't surprise me that much."

"Why?"

"Harry, the Moon family is cursed." Astoria said.

"Cursed? Cursed how?"

"No one knows why. There's a lot of hearsay going on, but some people say that they were cursed by the Moon spirit. This isn't the first time Lilith has had to leave the school during the year. The Moon family has been isolated for centuries because of this curse. Charlus Potter was the first person who dared approach them in a long time. He did something for Lilith's grandfather that allowed Lilith to attend school at all. I've rarely heard Lilith talk at all, and she won't say why she has to leave school at random intervals. But bad things have happened around her. Everyone avoids her. I asked her why she didn't have any friends and she said, 'to protect them'." Astoria said grimly.

Harry thought about that. He was frustrated and disappointed with the other people Astoria had mentioned, especially Neville after what she'd just told him, but Lilith hadn't been at school when it all unfolded. It also sounded like she wasn't a very happy young girl. Maybe he should think about getting in contact with her when he eventually returned to Britain.

"Those are all the ones I know about." Astoria finished. "I think there are more, given how prolific a Light family the Potters had been, but I wouldn't know about them. They're all probably listed in your account at Gringotts, among other things your parents have left for you."

Harry gave a slight nod. "I see."

Astoria tucked stray strands of blonde hair behind her ear and examined Harry's expression carefully. "I know you don't think much of the way pure bloods operate, but I'd like to give you my opinion – breaking an alliance is considered a very serious slight. You're welcome to claim restitution, if you want."

Harry shook his head. "I'll think about it, Astoria. Thank you, but I'd rather not sink to Malfoy's level by letting this get to me that badly."

Astoria watched Harry in wonder. The other students had treated him so badly and yet he didn't jump at the chance to claim retribution.

He really did deserve better then what he had gotten over the years, and Astoria hoped that she'd be able to heal his broken friendships and give him support that he should have gotten years ago. It was a pity that the other students hadn't realized what they were loosing when they had driven Harry away; if they did understand it would be too late. She would take care of him now.

"You're nothing like what they've said," Astoria said. Darkly, she added, "Weasley says that you can't be bothered by anyone other then your so-called 'friends', when it sounds to me like he's projecting. You deserve better then that Harry."

Harry smiled at her, feeling a little warm inside. Quietly he said. "Thank you Astoria. Hey, how about I pay the bill now and go sightseeing?"

Astoria's green eyes lit up. "Sure. I'd love that."

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Paris was a beautiful place to walk around in. Harry and Astoria wandered around the city just watching everything they came across, walking alongside streams and up tree-lined paths, talking about nothing in particular and enjoying each other's company. Harry kept his promise and started telling Astoria about muggle culture, and after a while she was begging him to show her some movies or amusement parks. Astoria was a good listener and skipped along as Harry told her about the courses at school, what muggles were like and some of their history, all of which she was unfamiliar with. Harry was astounded by just how little the wizards thought of their nonmagical counterparts; you'd think that the muggles were still cavemen instead of pioneers in their own rights and in some ways more progressive then the British wizarding community.

Eventually their conversation went in other directions and Harry realized just how much he enjoyed Astoria's company and presence. He had meant to go it alone in the beginning after loosing his original friends but now he was glad that he had taken Astoria's suggestion of running away. She was infectiously cheerful and curious that he couldn't help but laugh along with her when she found something funny. When she teased him he could tell that she being playful, as opposed to sardonically questioning something he had done. She was like a warm beam of light breaking through the smothering, dark clouds that had surrounded him long ago.

Harry wondered that if given a little more time Astoria could become more then just a friend. Maybe the stirrings inside him were the same as the ones he had once started feeling for Hermione, and that with her help he'd be able to move on from this point in his life. She was different from anyone he had ever known, as uncertain and exhilarating as the rushing wind. He just hoped that she'd be willing to have him, if that was the case.

Astoria always had so much energy, and many times Harry ended up getting pulled along to a muggle attraction he had just finished describing to her a moment ago. By the time the sun was starting to set she still had energy. They headed back to their hotel and found Dobby waiting for them. It had been Astoria who suggested that Harry take Dobby on as his personal elf to keep him from being tracked or ordered to give up information by the headmaster.

Dobby had another letter from Sirius. His godfather was outraged by the story he had gotten from Harry about his disappearance. He had guessed that something had gone wrong but the scale was much higher then he had expected. Sirius knew that Harry was a good and selfless boy, and he was immensely disappointed with how far gone the school he had adored had become.

In the letter Sirius told Harry that he was pulling away from Dumbledore and was headed for Cuba, meaning to sever ties with the manipulative old man for good. After getting out of Azkaban Sirius had been pondering some of the things that Dumbledore had decided to do, he might have been able to rationalize being left in Azkaban but Harry's mistreatment had proven to be the proverbial straw. He didn't mention if he had Remus with him in the letter, but Harry figured that he did. There had to be a country with lighter laws on lycanthorpy, and Remus was the only teacher who'd really managed to teach him a way to defend himself.

Sirius added in the letter that the Aurors were still searching Britain, though they were beginning to get frustrated. He approved of Harry widening his rage around the world, saying that James and Lily had intended to do something similar with the mauraders some time when the war against Voldemort had ended. He also said that he would meet up with Harry and Astoria at their earliest convenience, seeing as both of them would be wandering around.

Dobby had bad news too. He had gone through Hogwarts to keep the other elves from explaining his absences. He had stayed for a little to hear if the Aurors and the old man were onto Harry's trial. He had heard some of the usual grumblings but some other distressing things had come up. Dobby fretted over how to tell Harry that people who had been his friends thought that he was just seeking attention by leaving the school instead of fleeing out of fear and pain, and the full story of everyone's warped image of him. Harry had been stunned that the other students had thought he had been setting himself above them, because he had truly never meant such a thing and had wanted as many friends as he could possibly have. The emotional stress of all these years caught up with him and he broke down, Astoria sitting next to him and hugging him until he tears went away. When he finally stopped crying, she firmly said that they weren't worth his tears.

Harry slept more easily that night then any before.

That night, Astoria knelt down in front of Dobby when she was sure Harry was asleep. "Dobby," She whispered, "can you do something for me?"

"Dobby would be happy to Mistress Tori, what can Dobby do?"

"I hate what those teachers did to Harry," She said angrily, "Harry is noble and kind, and he doesn't deserve what they did. He doesn't seem to believe in restitution but I do, as my father did. Can you tell the DMLE how the Dursleys have treated Harry? I want you to do something that will set a fire under Dumbledore's arse and that's where I would start."

Dobby nodded so hard he almost fell over. "Dobby will do that Mistress Tori, Dobby knows that Master Harry is a good wizard. Dobby will tell Minister about bad whale people."

Astoria's green eyes had become flinty. "While your at it I'd like you to curse those awful muggles as well. Curse then so that they can only be thin and get thinner no matter what they eat, become weak and get weaker the more they try to force their way. If the wizards try to help them, they'll be forced to confess everything they did to abuse Harry. If they still refuse to admit it, then confund Petunia Dursley into thinking that her husband and son are displaying magic. In her horror and disgust she will disown them – because all people like her do – and when she does this to them, in the muggle divorce system make sure that Vernon and Dudley get nothing, while she keeps everything. When they are done and gone, left on the streets or in a jail, lift the confundous charm from her eyes and leave her in her bitter loneliness. May she be alone a bitter for the rest of her life for what she did to her nephew out of selfish pride."

Astoria could be kind but she was still the daughter of a pureblood lord. Vengance was something she understood well.

"And if Albus Dumbledore tries to cover it up I want you to take this -" she gave him an envelope that contained her memory of Harry telling her about the Dursleys. "-to the DMLE. And have Amelia Bones know that if she refuses to make the contents public, that the House of Potter will make it known that neither she nor her dark master have honour."

"Yes Mistress Tori." Dobby disappeared with a pop. Astoria stood up and looked down at Harry.

"They'll be sorry they hurt you Harry," Astoria murmured before walking towards her bed.

A surge of protectiveness had flared up inside her; she may not like being a pureblood but she was more then willing to use it to help someone she had come to care about.

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The next day, it was like someone had taken a weight of Harry's shoulders. He and Astoria slipped back into Magical Paris and went to the library. They spent the day there pouring over books and answering letters from Sirius, who kept them up to speed on what the Aurors were doing. Harry snorted when he heard that they were still searching the Little Whining Area, these people really didn't know him at all. Even at his lowest point he would never turn to the Dursleys for comfort, he had absolutely no ties left in Britain.

Astoria taught him more about house elves, and other dark creatures from the trolls that lived in the north to Leviathan, who slept in the darkest pits of the see and caused hurricanes, tidal waves and tornado whenever awakened. As they walked through the national parks, she told him more about recent history, including Dumbledore's battle against Gellert Grindelwald and the events she had been told of leading up to Voldemort's first demise.

Harry had merely listened and marveled about how truly little he had known about the world he had thought was his new home. It turned out that Wizarding Britain was an isolationist country because they seemed to believe that they had the best of everything, and many muggleborns had been alienated by their lack of protection and other anti-muggleborn sentiment. Magical Paris had proven to be more welcoming then Britain had been to him in four years.

One day, Astoria even told him about wandless magic, which she knew to a limited extent of but wasn't very proficient at. Harry had heard of it, but hadn't thought that many could do it. Astoria rolled her eyes and explained that it was because the texts existed, but in Britain they were restricted to reading only by old pureblood families, and few could be patient enough to learn it because they had become used to things coming to them without much effort.

Harry rolled his eyes when told this. "I really shouldn't be expecting anything less at this point. They're keeping magic to themselves and then they can't be bothered to learn it. What a sorry bunch."

Astoria raised a hand, causing the books around him to hover in the air a few feet of the ground. "Want to try it?" She suggested.

Harry smiled, nodded at her and focused on a nearby book. He thought about it rising from the ground, and to his surprise it lifted right off the ground with little effort. Astoria smiled eagerly and clapped, making him feel warm once again.

"On your first try!" She said in amazement. "I knew there was something different about you, if you could cast a Patronus that drove back over a hundred Dementors, but wandless magic on your first try!"

Harry gave an exaggerated groan. "Oh, don't you start seeing me as something special too. I've had enough of being special to last me a lifetime." He gave her a false disparaging look, and they both cracked up laughing a minute later.

They decided to rent all the books on wandless magic that this library had to offer, and study it back at their hotel. Two weeks they studied it, slowly struggling to get better as it grew more difficult along the way. Harry decided that they should go to Switzerland soon, because the media was indeed getting more concentrated in Paris as the French students had returned to their home and were being questioned on the closing of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Astoria agreed, she would miss France but more then anything now she wanted to keep Harry happy and safe, and there was a chance that they could be seen.

Sirius was pleased that Harry was keeping up learning magic even though he had left Hogwarts. Currently he was working on a way to get his name cleared, and had appealed to the German government about his lack of trial. He realized that he was of no help to Harry as long as he was a wanted criminal and had buckled down to find a way to become a free man again. He realized that his temper was the main reason that Pettigrew had managed to get away from him, and he was ashamed of that because that was the reason he hadn't been there for Harry sooner. Now he was vowing to be more responsible and get himself off a different way.

Germany was the first one to pick up his appeal, and he was given asylum in Germany as the details were being worked on and the trial set up.

Harry wrote him a letter wishing him luck, while Astoria added on at the end that he should give them Pensieve memories, because that was considered viable evidence in Wizarding Germany. Plus, it was the strongest evidence on his side because they still didn't have Wormtail.

It was the first time she had sent something to Sirius and she was a little nervous about it. Harry assured her that Sirius would appreciate the input.

"I hope this works for him," Astoria fretted. "Azkaban is a truly wretched place."

"I think it will," Harry said with some confidence as he packed his trunk with a few gestures. Hedwig chirped happily from a corner. "After Grindelwald, Wizarding Germany put a lot of effort into reworking their judicial system so that no one like him would ever appear again. If there's a place where Sirius might be able to gain his freedom outside Britain, that's where it is."

"You think we should meet up with him if he's granted a trial and gets off?" Astoria suggested, as she shut her own trunk. "He'd be happy to see you."

"I'd like too," Harry responded, "But if Sirius manages to get off it will be one of the most highly publicized events of the last ten years, and it will be crawling with reporters and other media. It would be hard to get in without being found out. I'd rather we be able to finish our world tour."

"We could go in invisible," Astoria said thoughtfully. "Or later in the evening."

Harry smiled at her. "Let's keep that in mind. For now, let's get to Switzerland. I, for one, am really excited to see the alps."

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Harry and Astoria were holding hands as they stepped through the plates and back into the train station. They had just managed to duck past a large number of reporters and it had cost them some time to get to station.

"We better learn Apparate and get ourselves licences!" Astoria had laughed as they stumbled into the station. "That was close!"

"Apparate?" Harry repeated.

"It's a transportation spell, allows you to move quickly from one place to another." Astoria chuckled.

"That does sound useful." Harry laughed along with her. "Would have been nice to know that years ago! I really could have given Dudley the run around!"

They were a little bit late, so they jumped right onto their train five minutes before it was going to leave.

"I'll have to take you to dance sometime!" Astoria said brightly as they settled down in their compartment and the train began to move. "There are some wonderful ballrooms open to the public in Germany. You'd love it."

"I don't know Tori," Harry responded, his fingers twitching slightly on the desk. "I've never danced before, and I don't want to step on your toes."

"Oh, just try it Harry! For me?" Astoria said, turning her green eyes on him and making puppy dog eyes at him, causing him to laugh. "Really, once you've got some good music it's like you can't tell that time is passing."

"Alright," Harry said. "I'll try it out. But don't blame me if your feet are hurting like crazy afterwards because of my sloppy dance skills."

"That doesn't sound that bad at all," Astoria said with a smile, causing him to blush. She sat down next to him and put her head on his shoulder. "I think you sell yourself short sometimes Harry. You're a quick learner when it comes to magic."

"Magic is different from dancing. I'll probably make a fool out of myself." Harry said with a slight scowl. Astoria smiled slightly and nuzzled his shoulder slightly.

"Then we'll both look silly. People will think it's charming Harry. We are still teenagers, remember? It'll be fun. We can even look back and laugh at ourselves."

Harry smiled, his heart threatening to twist into knots. Yes, he was pretty sure he had strong feelings for Astoria by this point, though he dreaded confronting them. These kinds of things never went well for him once he had admitted to them. "Tori?"

"Yeah?" Astoria said.

"I know you said you didn't care for getting a romance by contract," Harry began delicately, "But did you ever think of marrying?"

Astoria's brow furrowed. "I thought about it, but I didn't think that a free marriage would be possible," She said. "I figured I would end up like Narcissa Malfoy, in a marriage of convenience. That's how things worked in pureblood society." Her hair trailed down Harry's back and shoulder, shifting slightly as the train raced down the rails away from Paris.

"Oh." Harry said, feeling slightly foolish."

"Don't get me wrong," Astoria said. "I'd like to have someone I could live my life with. But I hadn't met anyone at Hogwarts who would have been considered acceptable who was also kind and interested in the sorts of things I was. None of the purebloods really were."

Harry could see that. Granted, his best exposure to the pureblood heirs was Draco Malfoy, but if he was considered a standard for purebloods he doubted that many of the others were much better.

"Why do you ask?" Astoria asked curiously. "Did you have...anyone you thought you might like?"

"Well..." Harry hesitated, but he knew that Astoria had never jumped to conclusions when he told her something like the other people had, so he barrelled on. "When Hermione and I saved my godfather, I wondered if something more could come between us. She was the only girl I really knew besides Ginny, who could hardly talk to me because she blushed so much. I thought we might be able to make something work."

Astoria stirred slightly, and her grip on Harry's hand tightened. She remembered Granger, both insufferably smart and one of the first people to abandon Harry along with Ron Weasley when his name came out of the goblet. "Did she know about this?"

"I never told her directly," Harry admitted. "I was so used to having things go really wrong for me that I didn't tell her about it. Softened the blow of what happened to me this year, I guess. Probably would have been worse if I had told her. What she would have done with that..." he swallowed. There was something he didn't want to think about.

Astoria snorted. "It doesn't change that she abandoned you. I really would have expected better from someone as supposedly smart as Granger. Especially since she had you for a friend. I think any girl with a bit of sense would have been happy to have you." She hadn't really meant to say the last bit out loud, but she had been lost in thought and it had slipped out.

She sat up straight and blushed, looking sheepishly at her feet. Harry did the same, to her surprise, instead of looking at her like she had lost her sanity like she had half expected him to.

"For what it's worth, I think any guy would be lucky to have you too," Harry managed to say this without stammering, and was pleased with himself for it. "I mean, it's their loss that the other purebloods looked down on your personality. They're welcome to go and bore themselves to death by marrying other unpleasant people."

Astoria smiled. "I like you, Harry. I really do."

"Thanks Tori," Harry said, smiling back. Maybe he could ask her later, when they had reached Switzerland. Once he had finished collecting his Gryffindor courage.

When they went to sleep in that bunk, neither of them noticed the close quarters.

Back In Britain, a few days later

"Freaks! My husband and son, freaks! How could I not have seen this? It's my worthless sister's revenge for me not being at her and her freak husband's wedding, understand? I won't have it! I won't!"

The two young police officers charged with watching over Petunia Dursley exchanged long suffering looks. They wished they could have gagged their charge, or at least stood in the other room while she ranted on. "No promotion is worth this!" The younger of the two complained. The elder nodded in pained agreement.

Little Whining, usually a boringly ordinary town, was lined with police vehicles and fire trucks. Tape was set up and the neighbours could only watch the scene unfolding before them in dumbfounded shock and confusion. Certainly, it was understandable. The Dursleys were, on the outside, a perfect example of the middle-class family. Perfectly ordinary in every way. What had transpired over the last few days had proved to be anything but.

Strange things started happening around the house – and the results of these strange things became immediately obvious. Vernon and Dudley, once freakishly overweight, were slimming down fast, despite pouring on more and more food then usual. Vernon had gotten fired from work after demanding a promotion he'd figured he had earned the very next day. He had applied for almost every job around their area, and for some reason none of them would take him, citing 'inability to work peacefully' as their reasons for rejecting him.

Then on the third morning, Petunia walked into the dining room to see Dudley apparently transform a carrot into a stick of chocolate. The boy seemed very pleased with himself, since he had been put on a diet. But his mother evidently didn't share the sentiment. In fact, she had the exact opposite reaction.

She went off on an explosive tirade, screaming that her only child was a freak, a magical monster and tainted by her younger sister. Dudley had been in shock, but when he tried to hit her with his Smelting stick for shouting at him, she turned his chair over dumping him on the floor. Vernon had come downstairs when he heard this, causing Petunia to shut the door and throw a plate at her once overweight son, screaming that this was no child of hers and that the abomination had to go. Vernon then seemingly made the door between him and kitchen disappear, causing Petunia to scream louder and start throwing plates at him.

"I've been surrounded by freaks this entire time! My sister paid you to do this didn't she? She put you up to this to make a fool out of me! She was always out to get me after she got those freaky powers and this is what I get for being the one to see her for what she is!"

No one knew exactly what Petunia was going on about, only her close friends knew that she had had an younger sister who she had cut ties with a long time ago. But what the 'freak' thing meant – well, that was lost on everyone else.

Enraged, Vernon had attacked Petunia with the first thing he had gotten his hands on – the frying pan on the stove. He smashed it against her temple with violent force and knocked her out.

A woman living nearby – Arabella Figg – had heard all the ruckus and called 999. Had she walked by any later and Vernon probably would have killed his wife.

The police arrived in time to restrain Vernon, who was still in a rage, and an ambulance arrived minutes later to take care of Petunia and Dudley. The kitchen had been turned into a battlefield and was completely wrecked by the time they had gotten there. The young bully had been hurt by the glass and the plates while Petunia was concussed.

A few hours later, Petunia had come to, but the minute she regained consciousness she went straight back to ranting and raving though her explanation of what had happened in the house that night.

The police seriously considered dumping the woman in a psychiatric hospital, or perhaps into a cell next to Vernon, but it was eventually agreed upon that she had been fooled into a marriage and attacked by her husband.

The court saw the case through in record time – especially when it was revealed that Vernon and Dudley had sometimes violently abused Petunia's currently missing nephew Harry Potter, which included leaving him in the cupboard under the stairs for days to beating him up. Dudley was sent to Juvenile Hall for a spell, upon his release he would go to an orphanage for troubled children, because Petunia had refused to acknowledge him as her son. Everything went to Petunia Evans, as Vernon was thrown in jail.

The neighbors were at a loss to understand the change, but eventually they decided that they had clearly not known the Dursleys as well as they thought they had, especially when the news about Petunia's abused nephew came to light. It was all over the newspapers and some people were now thinking more carefully about how they had treated the boy before. Many were ashamed.

What none of them noticed was a small elf popping away after pointing his finger at Petunia and whispering one more spell.

At the Ministry

Dumbledore majestically swept into Fudge's office. "You asked for me, Minister?" He asked simply, he always spoke in simple terms when he was dealing with Cornelius Fudge. The man really didn't understand any others.

Amelia Bones was standing next to the man, tight-lipped. Cornelius glared up at Dumbledore and said, "Dumbledore, my voters are demanding answers! Why didn't you figure out that the Dursleys were abusive to Harry Potter?"

"What?" Dumbledore said, shocked. He had been so certain that he had put a lid on that. What had happened? "What on earth do you mean Cornelius?"

Amelia Bones gave Dumbledore a humorless look. "Dumbledore, I just received a memory from Astoria Greengrass via an anonymous source that has Harry richly detail how badly the Dursleys had treated him. So either you'd have me believe that your blind or willingly stupid, neither of which is going to bode very well for you in front of a court. You said that as Potter's magical guardian you would put every effort into his upkeeping and wellfare, and obviously neither of these things have happened."

She paused and then said, "Frankly some of the other things he's said about Hogwarts aren't looking good for you either."

"You got this memory from Astoria Greengrass?" Dumbledore said sharply. She was the girl Harry had run off with. Why would he pick her? He would have told Harry in no uncertain terms that Astoria was not a suitable choice for him! A pureblood girl from a neutral family, bah. Certainly not for an heir of Dumbledore. He had already decided on someone for him. "Have you found them, then?"

"No." Fudge said flatly. "The memory was delivered by a house elf who refused to disclose where the two of them are. Orders from his master, which as you know a house elf cannot defy."

"You didn't stop it?" Dumbledore asked incredulously.

"That's not the question right now!" Fudge snapped. He thought it was high time that someone brought Dumbledore down off the pedestal that everyone had put him up on. Then perhaps people would start turning to their actual Minister for solutions to their problems. "The question is Harry's placement at the Dursleys. Clearly you are not an adequate magical guardian for the boy because he's come to so much harm at that house."

"But please, Cornelius! You would condemn me on the words of a young pureblood girl?" Dumbledore said in his usual grandfather voice. "You know pureblood politics. She's likely forged this so she can have an opening to seduce poor Harry. I'm willing to wager she's the reason he ran away from the castle."

"Dumbledore, this is a memory. Someone as young as Astoria Greengrass does not have the power to forge memories!" Amelia snapped, the revelation of how cold Susan had been to someone she should have been friendly towards let alone a member of a house they were allies with had been weighing quite heavily on her shoulders and she had no time for Dumbledore's word and misdirection games right now. "Besides, have you seen what's on the muggle news? Those muggles almost murdered each other not fifteen hours ago."

"What?" Dumbledore nearly rocked back on his heels, this was new information. Why hadn't Figg contacted him, if something that bad had happened? He thought he had compelled The Dursleys to direct all their animosity towards Harry. If that had happened, it was a clear sign that something had slipped in his neatly made web, and he had to do something about it.

"Yes. They're clearly a very unbalanced bunch, and I'll wager that that is part of the reason Harry ran away from Hogwarts. The other part being the way your students and your teachers have treated him. I understand the Tournament has been cancelled?"

"You insisted," Dumbledore responded heavily. Her along with the Ministry individuals from the other schools. It had been a blow to Hogwart's public image that he was struggling to seal up. It would only truly close once he had the boy-who-lived back within its walls. He would put love potions in that boy's drink to keep him back in that school and with the girl of his choosing once he found the lad. Where hadn't he checked.

"Obviously we should have stepped in sooner," Amelia said bitterly. "I hope Harry Potter has come to no more harm then he already has."

"Minister?" Kingsley walked into the room with an international newspaper in hand, looking grave once again.

"What is it Kingsley?" Cornelius said impatiently. "Can you not see that we're in an important conversation right now concerning Harry Potter?"

"It's about that. And Sirius Black." Kingsley said.

"What? Have you seen Black?" Cornelius demanded. It would be a huge boon for his office if they were the ones who finally brought in Black.

Kingsley said nothing at this point. He placed the newspaper on the table.

Sirius Black Innocent? Injustices Revealed! Black Heir never received a trial!

Sirius Black to receive a trial before the German Ministry!

End Chapter

Yes, the official Harry/Astoria trigger will be pulled soon. Also, yes for Sirius getting a trial! I do like Sirius as a character, and I also think Remus got wasted in the last book. Anyhow, there will be a little from the students of Hogwarts and Astoria's father next chapter, as well as our first look at Wizarding Switzerland! I know we didn't spend long in Paris, but it was kind of a pitstop before their journey kicked off in my head anyway.

Read and Review please! :)

5. Chapter 5

Finding a Place to Call Home

Moon: Welcome back! Sorry for the wait, but I had a couple things to do. Happy New Year everyone! Let's hope 2014's a good one. Anyway, here's the next chapter and finally, the confession! I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 5: Nightmares and Mind Magic

Harry was walking down a dark isle, dull pain throbbing in his forehead. Glowing spheres surrounded him, row by row, like a Divination teacher's supermarket. There was no other light, and the hall was completely deserted as far as Harry could see. He didn't recognize this place, but something in his head told him that he was in a lower area of the Department of Ministries. Something in his gut, however, told him that there were other people here.

Just coming here was dangerous. Fear was building up in his throat, although he wasn't sure why. His footsteps were staggered, as though he were walking on marionette strings.

He was dreaming, that much Harry was sure of. It was, in many ways, similar to the nightmare he had during the summer of the man in Riddle's house. The same feeling of confusion and dread was building up in his chest.

A scream sounded from deeper in the hallway. A familiar one.

"Harry! Harry!"

It was Sirius. He was screaming in pain, so much pain,, and then Harry heard the laughter. He would know it anywhere, because it had haunted him ever since the death of his parents. It was Lord Voldemort, and he was torturing Sirius.

"Harry!"

"Die, mongrel."

A horrible pain burst in Harry's head, burning like the stove when Petunia had pressed his hand against it, he had to get to Sirius but there was so much pain everywhere and he didn't know what was going on-

"Harry!" Someone was shaking him.

Harry jerked up in his seat and nearly hit Astoria, who was sitting right in front of him on the train's bed. The blonde squeaked in surprise and ducked, sliding to one side out of the way.

Harry's breath was shaking, his fingers clenching and unclenching, the cold nails driving into the palm of his hand. He forced himself to relax. He wasn't in a cold hallway, he was on the train with his friend. Voldemort was far away from him, and even if he was nearby he didn't have the strength to hurt anyone.

"I'm sorry Tori," he murmured distractedly. "Are you alright?"

"Me? What about you?" Astoria asked shakily, pushing herself into a sitting position. Her green eyes were wide with worry. "You started moaning and thrashing, like you were having a fit or something. I tried to wake you, but you wouldn't respond for the longest time..."

Harry ran his fingers through his messy hair, taking a deep stabilizing breath. This wasn't the first time this had happened. He hadn't told anyone but Ron and Hermione about his nightmares because he didn't want to give the impression that he was weak. He knew now that Astoria wouldn't think any less of him for it. Plus, the contents of his dream worried him greatly. "It was a nightmare." He said. "About Voldemort. I've had them before."

"You have?" Astoria whispered, sliding a little closer and wrapping her arms around Harry's shoulders. She had taken to touching him reassuringly whenever she thought he was emotionally stressed out. Harry welcomed the gesture and her warmth.

"Yeah. They didn't really get bad until this year...until after Wormtail escaped. During the summer I had a dream about Voldemort killing an old man. I don't know who or where. But I can't shake this feeling that its something that actually happened."

"They're different from usual dreams. How?"

"You can tell?"

"Harry, I could feel magic rolling off you. Even normal nightmares don't usually provoke a response like that...and something about it feels wrong, forced somehow." Astoria responded, sounding pensive.

"Forced? You can do that?" Harry questioned.

"There's a branch of magic that deals explicitly with the mind," Astoria responded. "Mental magic. Its difficult to master...few people use it...and a lot of it is forbidden because it can be abused so easily and the effects are long term."

"Great," Harry muttered.

"I wondered if V-Voldemort," she tripped over the syllables, the blonde was still adjusting to saying Riddle's chosen name, "left traces of something when he tried to kill you back then."

Harry grimaced, "thanks for putting that thought in my head. Now I need to shower. Repeatedly."

"Can you tell me about the dream?" Astoria asked. Harry nodded and then explained everything that he had seen, up to the pain in his head.

Astoria frowned when he finished. "But Harry, Sirius is in Germany right now. And V-Voldemort is a barely living thing in a shack out in the wilderness. He can't have caught Sirius."

Harry let out his breath. In the panic that the dream had brought on, he had almost forgotten that. "R-Right. Of course."

But after he thought about that for a second, something more disturbing occurred to him. "He can send me dreams?" He muttered. "Is that even possible?"

Astoria put her hand on top of Harry's, her fingers brushing against his. Her brow was creased slightly, as she was in deep thought. "It's highly irregular," she said eventually. "We all know that V-Voldemort turned to some of the darkest magic in existence...but I can't imagine...there are a few spells that affect the subconsciousness while you dream...but they wouldn't have been anything he would have thought useful..."

Harry reached up and rubbed his scar. "It's mental magic of some kind," He decided, remembering text from some of the books he had read back in France. "What I don't understand is how? How could Voldemort do this to me if he's been so weak for so long?"

Astoria bit her lip. "Maybe it was part of the scar all along. From the day he tried to kill you.

"Hell...is that even possible?"

Astoria nodded. "I think..." She paused. "I think we should take you to see someone."

Harry frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I can't imagine going into a doctor's office without people asking questions we can't answer."

"If you ask for confidentiality as the last Potter heir, it probably won't matter," Astoria said thoughtfully, "I know you don't care for it but your position does have some perks out in the world. But your problem with these dreams is real and beyond anything I can do to help it."

Harry leaned back against the wall. They were headed over the mountains into Switzerland, and the scenery would have been a spectacular viewing if he had felt inclined to watch it. But the dull throbbing pain in his head and his current situation distracted him.

He could count on his fingers the number of times he had gone to a psychiatrist or a hospital outside of the number of times Poppy had had to treat him at school. The Dursleys would have been hard pressed to give him anything to ease his pain unless he required intensive care. And anyone who had been willing to treat him had been in Vernon's pocket, meaning that they would give him no assistance outside of their jobs.

Coupling those experiences with what happened at Hogwarts during the Tournament left Harry with a very dim view of most authority figures. They were corrupt and manipulative and he'd be better off taking care of himself. Hadn't he and Tori just run away from the only thing they had that resembled a home just to get away from it all?

A bitter feeling welled up in his stomach. He'd always had to take care of himself, because no one thought him worthy of it outside of his mother, who had left his life so long ago. He had protected others because the teachers couldn't have been bothered to evacuate the school, leaving him as the only one prepared to save a comatose girl from a dangerous monster.

He'd felt lonely. So lonely, all the time. Until Tori had approached him and rescued him and given him new, warm feelings to wash away the pain of his earlier years. He didn't need the teachers that had tormented him or the friends that had turned their backs on him! He would get along just fine on his own.

But Harry couldn't deny that he didn't understand exactly what was going on inside his head, and it was beginning to frighten him. He had to do something about it and he wasn't sure where to start or what to do. Astoria touched his cheek with her slender fingers and watched him.

"It'll be alright, Harry," She said, as if she could read his thoughts. "We're in Switzerland. We're far away from Dumbledore, and he has no power in a neutral country. He won't think to look for us here anyway. The people here will be able to give you the help you need without bias."

Harry smiled at her. "Thank you Tori. Still getting used to that," He said.

Astoria scowled, as she always did when he said something that made her think about the Dursleys or the teachers back at Hogwarts. It made her green eyes harden like cold, cut emeralds. Harry couldn't help but think about her brainwashed sister, Daphne Greengrass, whenever she looked like that. That had pretty much become Daphne's default expression at the start of second year; she had seemed more uncertain before that but Pansy's influence had (mostly?) solidified her attitude.

Remembering what Astoria had told him about her family, Harry wondered if there was a time when Daphne was more like her younger sister – warm, friendly and full of life. The image wouldn't quite form in his head as he equated it with the cold girl he was familiar with.

"It shouldn't have been like that," Astoria muttered darkly.

"Well, it was," Harry said, reaching out and brushing a few stray strands of her golden hair away from her eyes. "And it isn't anymore, thanks to you. Are we at Switzerland yet?"

Astoria blushed and seemed relieved for the change of subject. "Yes. Just another twenty minutes."

"Great. I was starting to get bored of Science," Harry said, putting his hand on the large textbook on the beside table.

Astoria pouted. "Don't remind me. Just thinking about it makes my head hurt!"

"I did warn you," Harry said, laughing when Astoria pushed his shoulder in mock indignation.

Considering the real possibility that he would have to move back into the muggle world to avoid Dumbledore and those looking for him, Harry had decided that there was no better time then now to catch up on the muggle curriculum. Astoria's curiosity had gotten the better of her and she decided to join him.

Currently they were struggling through sixth grade science. Astoria had complained that wandless transfiguration was easier then this.

Within Magical Switzerland

Magical Switzerland seemed a bit more...grounded then Magical France, for lack of a better term.

Harry and Astoria were walking down a cobblestone street through the strait roads of the city. Carts and cars floated and warped from one place to another. The atmosphere of the city seemed more relaxed, as if there was nothing out there that they found troubling. Astoria had explained to him after they had taken their trunks of the train and started walking that Magical Switzerland had been a neutral country since almost the time it had been created, for longer then its muggle counterpart. This was a smart move, because it was one of three places that managed to stay untouched in the first and only magical world war.

"I didn't know that there had been a world-wide war between the magical communities." Harry said, surprised once again at how little he knew about the world.

"There was only one, just two decades after the muggles went at it for the first time." Astoria said. "It was a such a mess. The world barely recovered. It's taken decades to repair all the damage done, and most people are just trying to forget it ever happened, especially because Grindelwald came right on its heels. Magical Germany was a mess for the longest time because of it. I understand that the muggles call the time the Great Depression."

"Yeah," Harry said. He tried to imagine wizards doing a full-scale war like the first and second ones. The idea was almost too terrifying to comprehend.

"There's a reason there are laws in tact now that are supposed to mediate how much magic wizards are allowed to do." Astoria said. "During that war, the secrecy of the wizarding world was almost blown open. They had to do so many alternations in the eyes of the muggles...hurricanes, gas leaks, things like that...and even that didn't cover everything. That's why the Minister of Magic interacts with his or her muggle counterpart now."

"I wondered about that," Harry said. "Considering how little most wizards seem to think of muggles I wondered why they bothered at all."

Astoria tilted her head in agreement.

Switzerland certainly had the shape and feel of a safe house, Harry decided after long. It was a feeling in the air as you walked down the streets. Probably part of the reason everyone else seemed so relaxed. It was considered a haven to those who were escaping unjust laws and dictations from their homelands, because Switzerland's neutrality protected it from political standoffs. Unfortunately, this went both ways; the Minister of Magic here had rooted out several Grindelwald and later Voldemort supporters who had come here to hide when their masters fell years after the fact.

Blood purity didn't mean very much in this country, outside of a few benefits her and there. Some wizards were even walking around in muggle clothes, cats and dogs running across the streets with children chasing them. Astoria paused at a tourist box and began searching through the pamphlets and flyers, and Harry took the moment simply to look around.

Hedwig chirped and flew around Harry's head, causing him to chuckle. "At least someone's having fun," He said teasingly. His familiar chirped at him before flying in the direction of the prepaid hotel.

"I think I've found someone who can help us with our problem," Astoria announced. Harry blinked, drawn back to the present. Astoria was holding a flyer.

"Doctor Branstone, Physical and Mental Healer." Harry read aloud, before blinking. "That name sounds vaguely familiar..."

Astoria nodded. "I think there was a Branstone sorted at Hogwarts this year. But it might just be a coincidence."

"It couldn't hurt, I guess."

Safferon Hospital

"Heir Potter, your confidentiality is assured." Andrea Branstone said. Her tone was polite and official, but there was a spark in her hazel eyes reminiscent of Fred and George that suggested a strong sense of humor. Her caramel colored hair was pulled back in a bun for work. She was wearing a white shirt and dark pants, flat black shoes clicking on the tiled floor of the hospital. She was fair skinned and had an elfish face.

"Thank you," Harry said.

"Can you tell me when your last visit to the hospital was?" Doctor Branstone asked, turning a page on her clipboard.

"The end of last school year at Hogwarts." Harry said.

He had been surprised at how easily this was going, and how friendly his doctor was. They hadn't been walking for long before they found the nearest hospital. Harry had been fairly nervous as he tried to properly recite the instructions that Astoria had told him about beforehand, but to his surprise the secretary accepted it without question. It must be one of the upsides of being considered noble, Harry thought. He didn't imagine things going that easily for Hermione or another muggleborn.

Andrea Branstone had been waiting for him inside the examination room. She told him that it wouldn't take long. Astoria was sitting outside in the hallway, waiting for him to finish. "I had a bit of an altercation with something dangerous." Harry added.

"Dementors," Andrea snorted. "Hogwarts is going to become the laughingstock of the magical world if it keeps up like this. It's already halfway there after that spectacular mess they made out of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. I wish David would be willing to listen to my letters." She cast a diagnostic spell over Harry, who was lying on his back on the table.

"You've caused quite a stir by disappearing Mr Potter," She said. Harry tensed, but her tone was light and caused him to relax. "My daughter was quite put out by this whole fiasco. She would have liked to meet you."

"Her name's Eleanor, right?" Harry said, the vague image of a girl who looked like Andrea sitting on the chair with the hat, getting sorted.

"Yes." Andrea said, waving her hands. Harry felt warm and tingly as a wave of golden light passed over his body. His fingers felt warm and his breathing less labored. His muscles relaxed. This must be a healing trance, he realized.

Harry watched as Andrea flitted back and forth around him, before stopping at his head. She put her fingertip on his scar and said, "Harry, I'm sorry but I'm going to need to put you out to deal with this."

A surge of uneasiness swept through Harry. "What exactly is in there?"

"Your partially possessed, Harry. I can get it out but it requires a careful hand."

"Oh, hell. Of course! Please, just get rid of it."

%&%&%&&%&%&%&%&%&%&

Harry wasn't aware of time as he floated in the darkness of unconsciousness. But he could tell when something changed. It was like the darkness around him was lifting slightly, and he heard something scream in anger. The sensation of two tightly gripping hands being removed from the sides of his head sent a shiver of pain and disgust through him, but it was over quickly.

Slowly he opened his eyes, feeling oddly cleansed, and saw Astoria hanging over his bedside. Doctor Branstone was standing right behind her, holding a crystal in one hand and looking pleased with herself.

Astoria leaned over and hugged Harry. "I was getting worried," She said. "They were taking so long."

"It's fine, Tori," Harry said with a smile, pushing himself into a sitting position. Astoria let go and he turned his attention to Andrea Branstone. "Thank you, Healer Branstone," He said formally. More naturally he asked, "What exactly was it?"

Andrea held up the crystal, where a small black gooey looking shadow was milling around, trying to find its way out. "It was extremely stubborn, very stuck," Andrea said. "But it's out now. It seemed to have been leeching on your magic, so you should be a bit stronger now. There doesn't seem to be any long-term damage caused by it. All in all, you're extremely lucky Mr. Potter. Any longer and who knows what might have happened."

Harry shrugged. "I was constantly told that they were just headaches." He said. "I would have gone to a Healer soon if I had known what it was. Thank you, again."

%%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&&

"Sirius's trial has a date," Harry told Astoria happily. He gently ruffled Hedwig's feathers and placed a dish of water and food in front of her, turning his godfather's latest letter over in his hands. Sirius had been in quite good cheer when he had written it. "It's two weeks from now."

"That's wonderful," Astoria cheered. "Does he have any details?"

"Yes." Harrry chuckled. "His defense attorney and the private investigator he hired have looked into the events that got him accused and apparently they're really not happy with what they've found. The ICW is turning a disapproving eye on Fudge and his administration because they have denied people trials. Dumbledore's tried to obstruct them a few times but that's gotten him in a good deal of trouble, apparently."

"Oooh, do tell," Astoria said eagerly. She was sitting at the edge of her bed, kicking her feet, her wild hair out of her braids again.

"Sirius's attorney, her name's Jane Pritchard, has charged him with obstruction of justice." Harry said, smirking. Astoria laughed out loud, green eyes gleaming. "She helped Cornelius Fudge start a movement to get him removed as Supreme Mugwump of the ICW because he was clearly abusing the post to his own ends. The people in Britain have protested on the grounds that he's 'the great Albus Dumbledore' but apparently Dumbledore's overseas reputation has taken a big hit with the Tri-Wizard Tournament fiasco, so not very many people are agreeing with them. Apparently there was an investigation into some of the 'irregularity' over the past twenty years and at the end of it Dumbledore was 'politely' asked to resign with his dignity in tact."

"They must have found out about the Dursleys and about his little habit of just letting dangerous situations at the school continue." Astoria remarked. "Pity they didn't decide to put that on the international post."

"Sirius says, 'in good time'," Harry read aloud, stepping back and sitting down next to Astoria. "Apparently he also got a letter from your father."

Astoria stiffened. "He did?" She said nervously.

"Yeah. Says that he wanted to send it straight to you but his owl couldn't find you. He heard Sirius was getting a trial and that he was my godfather so he sent it to him by proxy."

"What did he say?" Astoria murmured, watching Harry with wide eyes.

Harry squinted at the printing for a second before smiling and saying, "Well, according to Sirius he says that your dad said that he understands why you left," He began. Astoria smiled, a bit teary, she had been sure her father wouldn't forgive her for running off. "And he misses you. So does Daphne. He meant to blend in to pureblood high society to protect the only family he had left, not to loose them to prejudice and hate. He wants you to come home."

He squinted again and did a double take. "And apparently he's under the impression that we've eloped, because he's offering to establish a contract since Sirius will be my magical guardian once he's cleared."

Astoria let out a squeak and blushed fiercely. "But – I don't – I'm not sure – I mean, it's a bit early for that, isn't it? I mean! Oh, Merlin" Overcome with embarrassment, she buried her face in her hands and groaned.

Harry looked over at her, and decided that this was the moment where he would ask. "Would you mind that terribly?" He asked as casually as he could muster.

"What?" Astoria squeaked out.

"Marrying me, sometime in the future."

Once the words were out, Harry almost wanted to take them back, but it was too late. Now he was staring at his shoes while Astoria stared at him.

"Y-you'd ask me?" Astoria managed. "Me? You like me that much?"

"You," Harry pronounced the words very carefully to avoid deteriorating into babbling and gibberish, which was extremely tempting. "are different from anyone I've ever known. You've given me support that I never got from anyone, not even my two best friends. I'm not sure exactly when I started feeling this way about you, but it was probably when I realized that you saved me by running away with me, despite anything that might happen. It got stronger the more I got to know you."

Astoria blinked, her hands clenching together. She was hearing Harry's words...she just wasn't quite sure she was understanding them. "Y-You really think so?"

"Yes," Harry said, finally getting up the courage to meet her eyes with his own green ones. "I do...care a great deal about you Tori. I admit I don't know much about love, you'll have to be patient with me. But I'm feeling...now, something I thought I was starting to feel for Hermione a lifetime ago."

He paused and then waited, Astoria's eyes were still wide but there was a dawning look on her face and she smiled. "I really liked you from the start Harry. I really started thinking about it when you asked me about marriage contracts just after we left France."

Harry blushed. "I wanted to know what your opinion was and how you'd go about it. I wanted to ask you then but I lost my nerve."

Astoria laughed, relaxing a bit and smiling warmly at Harry in a way that only she could. It still gave Harry butterflies in his chest. "A noble Heir, asking his intended's opinion on love and marriage. Completely unorthodox, unheard of, but your Harry Potter. That would be just like you, wouldn't it? You have so much that you could do for other people and yet you choose to let the people around you choose for themselves."

Harry shook his head and smiled. "I'm just a simple orphan."

Astoria's eyes misted slightly. "Not at all."

They sat there in silence for a moment before Astoria leaned over and kissed him. This time Harry didn't flinch, it had taken him a long time to adjust to accepting affectionate gestures. Harry gently slid his arms around her small frame and stroked her blonde hair.

Harry wasn't sure how long they stayed like that but eventually they broke apart. Astoria was smiling contently and resting her head on his shoulder. One of her hands was clasped in his. Harry's chin was resting in her hair; she murmured "has Sirius have anything else to report?"

Harry remembered that he hadn't quite finished reading Sirius's letter yet. He looked down at it and found where he had left out. Once he'd read a little he smiled again; it was the most he had done for as long as he could remember and it was like removing weights from his shoulders, one at a time. "I was right before, Remus is with him, and he's taken up a job as a local Auror."

"I liked Professor Lupin. He was the best defense teacher we had," Astoria said. "It's too bad that he had to resign." She shifted slightly in Harry's arms. "Do they know he's a werewolf?" She asked in concern.

"Yes," Harry said with a grin. "Doesn't mean a damn thing to them, now that he has wolfsbane to keep him sane during the nights of his transformation. Apparently in Germany this is considered a disability as opposed to making him a dark creature, so he gets compensation or it too for the days when he can't work. Good payment, friendly colleges. Remus is having a really good time. If this keeps up, he might even start talking to witches." They both got a good chuckle out of that.

"That's nice." Astoria said. "Professor Lupin could use more money. Though I have to wonder why Britain hasn't adopted those policies."

Harry snorted. "And stop oppressing and abusing people they consider below them? Really Tori, you should know purebloods better then I do,"

Astoria snorted. "Unfortunately for me, I do. I know far more then I'd like to. It's called a rhetorical question, silly."

Harry carefully folded up Sirius's letter and said, "I think I'm going to start learning Occlumeny next. There's nothing in my head anymore but I don't like the idea of leaving my mind unguarded now."

Astoria nodded. "I have decent mental shields," She said. "I can help you out."

"Thanks Tori."

Back In Britain

Hermione Granger was staring at the copy of the Daily Prophet in her hands, tears stinging at the edges of her eyes. The dress she had meant to wear to the Yule Ball before the Tri Wizard Tournament was cancelled sat forlornly on her bed, reflecting her mood quite handily. The Headline Sirius Black's trial will be held two weeks from now, Albus Dumbledore resigns from the International Confederation of Wizards in Disgrace stared back at her like an accusation. Even though she'd already absorbed all the information, ultimately at the end of the day she ended up reading the newspaper once again.

Dumbledore had been her idol ever since she entered the wizarding world. When he told her to stop interacting with Harry and to report the things he did to him, Hermione had been willing to do so, despite part of her that was nagging that she shouldn't do this to her first best friend. Dumbledore always seemed so in control, and with the pureblood wannabes bearing down on her it seemed like he had all the solutions that she would need for later in life. All she had to do was follow his instructions to the letter.

His getting removed from the ICW in disgrace, following Harry's disappearance from the school, was like a slap in the face following the one she had already received. The quotes from Sirius's prosecutor rang in her ears, "he's clearly using his status as international wizard to his own benefit. It didn't matter to him that there was an innocent person in jail. It also didn't matter to him that he was consistently putting the children in the school in mortal danger on various occasions by either ignoring the very clear dangers within the school or refusing to evacuate for reasons that are not clear at this time, for the sake of...what? His ego?"

Hermione drew her legs up onto the chair she'd been sitting on, her orderly world now in chaos. She hadn't believed this article when it first came out, she would have thought it was a supporter of Voldemort or Fudge behind this if Sirius's name hadn't been in the headline.

Instead she was given the stone cold fact that Dumbledore had done something wrong. Terribly wrong.

Not long after Harry had left the school, Hermione had begun to realize that people mostly tolerated her and Ron's prominence in the school because they were friend with him. And now that he was gone, and people were becoming ashamed of the way they had bullied him, most people were avoiding her or sending her spiteful glares at the best of times when she entered the hallway.

Her encounter with Daphne Greengrass in the hallway earlier that day had made that much perfectly clear to her.

She had stopped Daphne in the hall by cutting off the doorway and asked her if she had heard anything from her sister. The more she thought about the Slytherin girl being with Harry at all times, the most upset she got, and it must have leaked into her tone.

Daphne had stared at her for a second before raising one hand and slapping Hermione, hard, across the face. Hermione had stumbled backwards, blinking in pain.

Daphne fixed her with her famous ice princess glare and said, "How dare you ask me that?"

Hermione's cheek stung and she stared at Daphne. "What?"

"If I had thought you were actually worried about your friend, I would have answered that. But it's perfectly clear that you never cared, that you want him for your own selfish reasons." Daphne's fists clenched, she looked very unlike herself.

Daphne seldom showed much emotion at all outside of her dorm, much less anger. Few people other then Draco had directed such clear scornful fury at Hermione like she was now, perhaps that was another thing Harry's friendship had protected her from.

"You're acting innocent, but I've caught onto your act by now. You're not worried about Tori's disappearance, you want to know if she and Harry have really eloped. Am I right Granger?" Daphne asked curtly.

"That's not true," Hermione argued, pressing a hand against her stinging cheek. "I'm sorry about what happened and I want to know where he is."

"No, your not. You're not stupid Granger, you've gone out of your way to prove that over the years. Are you actually going to say to my face that you don't understand how he was treated? That you were taking advantage of his vulnerability and his need for friends because he'd never had any before?"

"W-What? What are you talking about? Harry was shy but he was a normal boy." Hermione argued.

Daphne's green eyes narrowed. "Going to play dumb? Don't insult my intelligence, Granger. Anyone who's looking – really looking – can tell that those muggles that Harry was living with abused him badly. I figured that out a month into my first year, and you're expecting me to believe that 'the smartest witch since Rowena Ravenclaw' can't tell? Even after the uncle's abuse became front page news in the muggle papers?"

Hermione's jaw dropped and she stepped back a bit. "But I was always his friend," She stammered. "It was just a stupid manliness thing."

"you really didn't know him at all did you? And you still think that you haven't done anything wrong, that this is just Harry overreacting, and that it was just a little mistake?" Daphne said scornfully.

"Just a mistake," Hermione argued, starting to get angry, "Like the one you made, right?"

"At least I realized that my stupid insistence of acting like Pansy Parkinson scared my sister, that I wasn't there for her because of it, and that it was pressuring her to be something she wasn't. I regret that and I'm going to be living with it until I see her again!" Daphne snarled. Her hand tightened on her wand and Hermione mentally prepared herself to get defensive. It would be just like a Slytherin to make her point with a hex.

Daphne gave Hermione a hard glare full of contempt, pointedly putting her wand away. "But you, your best friend leaves you after you manipulate him for four years and your only concern is that he might be considering romancing a girl other then you. He was so alone and bullied that he decided to run away, and you're making it all about you."

Tears stung the edges of Hermione's eyes. "I felt something change between us last year, I thought that he felt the same way. I just didn't want to get alienated again."

"So your admitting that you set your own concerns over someone you claim to care about," Daphne said coldly.

"But I'm sorry! Where is he? Don't you know?"

"If I had to guess, I'd say he's hiding in a place where he can wait until Sirius has been cleared." Daphne said coolly. "Then he'll join his godfather, and if he has any sense at all, he won't be coming back here. If he and Astoria have eloped, and Merlin willing Tori decides to forgive me and father, we'll be joining them. Do you understand that? You think you can just say 'oh, I'm so dreadfully sorry, be my friend again?' and he'll just forget the way the Gryffindors treated him?"

Hermione stumbled backwards a bit. She understood that perfectly well. Harry would never want to see her again. She'd betrayed the fragile trust he'd been building up after years of being completely alone and unwanted. She would be replaced by Daphne's sister in his life.

"His redhaired stalker understands that better then you, and you were a closer friend of his," Daphne said mockingly. Hermione remembered Ginny hexing Ron in the hallways and closed her eyes tightly. "Don't wait up, Granger." She pushed her way past Hermione and headed for her next class.

Hermione stood rooted to the spot in the hallway, when a few Hufflepuffs laughed at her, at which point she ran off in tears.

Hermione sighed and came out of the memory, the newspaper still in her hands. Daphne had been right on multiple levels. Gryffindor had suffered a sharp drop ever since Harry had run away. Without their star seeker, and with Oliver Wood having graduated last year, the team was steadily loosing matches. Ron had tried out, intending to take Harry's place but he had failed quite badly. The House Cup was going to the Slytherins this year for certain. They were no longer considered the strongest house because they had abandoned one of their own.

I never should have listened to Dumbledore, Hermione thought sadly. From now on, I will make my own decisions. I won't listen to the authority that makes me turn my back on what is right. I should write to my parents. There must be a magical school that I could transfer too.

Having decided that, Hermione pushed herself to her feet and walked towards the owlery. Ron tried to get her attention but she ignored him, he was the other main reason she had abandoned Harry. This place was corrupting her, and she had to leave before it consumed her entirely.

Dumbledore was in a quandary of his own. He had lost his position at the ICW. He was disgraced in the eyes of the other nations. Sirius was getting a trial and questions about the man and his godson were being asked that he was no longer in a position to divert answers from. This was not the way he wanted things to go! If there was going to be a wizard more powerful then him, he would go down in history as the boy's mentor and father figure who gave him the power and the knowledge needed to strike down the enemy. But how could he turn this around?

Severus seemed to think that the situation was out of Dumbledore's hands, and he was cooperating with that Pritchard woman to give information about Harry's school days. Dumbledore had threatened to expose him but Severus had simply said that he owed it to Lily, and time in Azkaban was worth that – he, at least, had committed crimes that he had come to regret, unlike Black who'd been left to the dogs.

Apparently Pritchard was in talks with Amelia Bones regarding Harry, Sirius and Severus. He never should have accepted that woman's son into Hogwarts. The boy had learned too much.

Dumbledore decided that it was time for him to talk to the newspapers. That way he could start on getting this PR nightmare turned around. He just needed a scapegoat for Sirius's imprisonment...Barty Crouch would do well for that.

End Chapter

I promise a lot more Harrry/Astoria fluff next chapter. Hermione comes to an important realization and she'll be transferring to get to a better part of her life. I maintain that Hermione's a very flawed character and that she needs a realization like this, even if its a bit harsh, to start doing something about her character flaws. She'll recover. Not everyone is going to be that lucky because they refuse to recognize what they did wrong. Dumbledore's like that, he's so used to being right about everything that he can't accept it when he isn't about something serious. And yes, both Eleanor Branstone and Graham Pritchard are named characters in the book - I saw the names and thought, why not? Don't worry - it doesn't mean Harry's headed back to Britain. He has more places to see, after all!

Read and Review please!

6. Chapter 6

Finding a Place to Call Home

Moon: Hello everyone, I'm back! I do apologize for the fact that this is a) later then usual and b) shorter then the last chapter, but I haven't been having the greatest week, culminating in getting hit by a car (thankfully I didn't get seriously hurt, but it was a bad shock) but I managed to throw this together. Meeting up with Remus and Sirius again, also meeting Jane Pritchard and her son Graham, who will be somewhat plot-important. I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 6: Meeting Up With Remus

Harry woke up slowly the next day. It was late and he knew it, but he couldn't help it. His dreams had been undisturbed by nightmares; in fact he had some of the most pleasant dreams ever last night. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept so well. It wasn't just the spirit in his head that was helping him sleep better, though that was certainly a factor. He almost couldn't remember a time when his dreams weren't rent by nightmares, either of Voldemort doing something or of dark memories of the cupboard under the stairwell where he had spent his nights. So the sleep without these troubles was glorious.

That was just one factor, of course. The other thing was obvious as well. It was the bigger bed and the person next to him.

He turned his head slightly to see Astoria's blonde hair splashed over her face and the pillow, one arm around Harry, her chest rising and falling softly with her breathing. She looked like an angel asleep, a ray of heaven's light. Her hair was glowing slightly in the mid morning light. She's beautiful, he thought. How'd I ever end up with someone like her?

Harry looked up at the ceiling of their hotel and smiled to himself. Warmth had sprung up in his chest like a well that had been filled to the point of overflowing. The feeling of bliss had followed him persistently after he lost the darkness of his old life and he intended to ride that wave for as long as he could. Harry had come to realize it wasn't just the change of scenery that had changed him. It was putting behind him the things that had held him down.

He was at peace with himself and that was reacting with his magic. He felt stronger and more fulfilled then ever before. Having shaken off all the abuse he had suffered for so long, it was like being born all over again.

I'm almost a normal boy now, Harry thought with some amusement. Normal. There was a word that he thought he'd never be able to associate with himself. And yet here he was.

Well, not completely normal, perhaps. Most normal boys couldn't take round the world trips, nor did many find love as assuredly as the the sun rising in the morning before they became men. But he could finally stop wondering when Voldemort or one of his followers was going to jump out from around the corner and try to kill him, or if one of the people he cared about and trusted was going to turn on him and call him attention-seeking, crazy or dangerous. He could just do his homework, see sights and learn new things without people staring at his forehead or expecting him to be something he wasn't.

He could stay with the one who now held his heart, and would treasure it and cradle it as if it were made of glass. She would not break it or torment it the way everyone else had, but she would return his feelings with equal affection.

And there was the whole thing with his godfather's trial, which was coming up very soon.

It was almost surreal, having a life as a normal boy. Harry found that he had trouble sitting with his back to a closed door sometimes, as if he was still expecting someone from his old life to catch up with him. Despite the fact that he followed news from Britain to make sure that they weren't being followed, he kept thinking that something would come crashing down and take away the happiness he had been given.

He was thinking about going up the mountains to sight see, like they had been over the past few weeks. Switzerland was one hell of a pretty country, he had decided. The only place that could possibly beat it out was New Zeland, which they would be seeing after Germany and Japan.

There was a tapping at the window. Harry looked up from Astoria and saw Hedwig at the window, a letter in her beak. Smiling, Harry got up carefully as not to disturb the sleeping girl next to him. He ran a hand through his messy hair and walked over to the window, letting the snowy owl in. "Hey there girl," He said warmly. Hedwig chirped and brushed against his hand.

Harry took the letter and opened it.

Dear Harry,

I understand you might not have planned to move onto your next stop yet, but as you know Sirius's trial is fast approaching. The trial itself is less then a week and Sirius would like you to be here for it. I promise that it will be completely safe for you here – minimum press coverage at my flat and no one will try and take you back to Britain. We'd like to meet Astoria, as well. I understand the two of you are getting closer, according to the letters you've been sending. Sirius approves, by the way. I knew her parents in passing when we were at school, and I know that they were never involved with Voldemort's crowd. Her father is coming here for the trial, though Astoria has the call on whether or not she wants to meet up with him.

Jane's currently fighting to get your custody moved back to Sirius. It was meant to be there in the first place and the Dursleys have been declared unsuitable. It probably won't take her that long. The woman's got a spine of steel and I think the envoys from Britain are terrified of her by this point. She's a tough witch. Married young, lost her husband not long after they were married. I think Sirius is starting to fancy her, personally. Would do him some good, to have normal interactions with someone after spending years in Azkaban and then with the Order. It'll be an interesting watch, she seems immune to his usual charms.

Her son Graham was starting his first year at Hogwarts but she pulled him out when she found out about its history looking through your files. He's a very serious boy, startlingly intelligent. It's the way he applies it that can be a bit unsettling. The first time I met him he told me half my life story just looking at the way I was dressed, the way I walked and the way I held myself. He seems rather lonely, though, possibly because of this.

Also, I'm starting to date. Her name's Beverly Cavil, she's an expert Potions Master. She's a lovely young woman and I hope you'll like her.

From, Remus.

Harry did his best to restrain his glee. Remus was dating! He was so pleased. Remus's life was definitely taking a positive turn and he was glad of it. He also liked the sounds of Sirius possibly getting involved with Jane Pritchard; anyone who put Albus I-know-what's-best-for-you Dumbledore on probation was good enough for his eyes.

Harry's only real quandary was how to address the issue of Astoria's father and sister. Judging from the letter he sent last time he was genuinely sorry for what he had done, but Harry didn't think he'd be able to forgive the man for how lonely, threatened and alienated he had made Astoria feel for the years since her mother's death. How the man had tried to put out the light that had saved him.

However, he also understood how his wife's death could have affected him and Daphne as well. Maybe in time he'd be able to forgive him. Either way, Astoria had the final decision on the matter. He wouldn't make it for her.

He scribbled the beginnings of his reply on a paper and then turned his attention back to Astoria.

Harry leaned over and nipped at Astoria's ear lightly. "Wake up, Tori," he said lightly.

Astoria giggled and blinked her eyes open a few times. She smiled up at him. "Hi Harry. I think I like waking up that way."

Harry smiled at her, "You're welcome. I enjoy waking you up like that."

Astoria gave him one of her bright smiles that never failed to illuminate his heart and whatever room they were in. "It's not fair that you have such a pretty smile," He said sadly, "You could brainwash me with it. I only wish I had a weapon like that,"

Astoria laughed outright at this, "A weapon, me? Hardly. You're the knight in shinning armor and we both know it. My smile is hardly the most dangerous thing you've ever faced. You've sat through Granger's study hours! That takes a hardy spine."

Harry chuckled. "I suppose it does."

His angel pushed herself into a sitting position, still giggling, and said, "Oh, Hedwig's back. What's the scene?"

Harry smirked, "Remus got himself a girlfriend."

Astoria clapped. "Wonderful! Muggle or magical?"

"Magical. Potion's Master." Harry said. "You know Sirius's trial is in a week. Well, Remus was rather hoping we'd come early and be there for it. I know it means leaving her a little earlier then we intended, but I hoped you wouldn't mind."

Astoria shook her head, causing her hair to fall in front of her eyes, "Harry I know how important Sirius is to you. Of course we can go."

"There's more," Harry said, sitting down next to her again. He showed her the point in the letter where it said that her father was coming to see it. "What do you think, Tori?"

Astoria paused for the longest moment. Then she smiled, more slightly this time, and said, "I'm ready to forgive papa. He was scared for our future. After he lost mama, he lost his light. We all did. Its like trying to find your way on a moonless night. He was scrambling for a path and hit the first hard-worn one that presented itself to him. Before he really realized where it lead to." She turned and smiled at him. "But when he did he and Daph have chosen me over that path. That's more then the other girls parents would have done."

Harry just watched Astoria for a second, causing her to blink at him. "What?"

He smiled wryly and shook his head. "You still surprise me, Tori. But I think I believe you."

Astoria looked beseechingly at Harry. "You'll give them a chance, won't you Harry? Daddy and Daphne. I know Daphne might not have been very nice to you but she'll be different now. I promise."

Harry took a deep breath and met Astoria's green eyes steadily. "Of course I will. It's just a bit to take in, alright? I'm not sure how I feel about your dad just yet. I will meet him, with you."

Relief filled those pretty green eyes. Astoria leaned over and kissed Harry on the cheek. "Thank you Harry for giving him a chance. Now, when do we have to be there?"

"Any point during today."

Sirius and Remus's Flat, two blocks away from the German Ministry of Magic

Remus smiled warmly at his now-girlfriend Beverly Cavil, the sunlight was catching on her heather colored hair as she moved about in the kitchen, preparing lunch for him, the kids, Sirius and Jane. The young woman was in her late twenties, which made Remus think that he might be too old for her but when he brought this up she wasn't having any of it. Beverly had told him in no uncertain terms when he tried to protest that he was the one who deserved better, and she would love no better then to be that person for him. Humbled, Remus forwent any further objections and began to see her on a regular basis.

Beverly was a perfect contrast to Jane Pritchard, Sirius's lawyer and potential girlfriend. Beverly was gentle, kind, thoughtful, and patient. Jane was hot tempered, snarky, wickedly intelligent in law, had no tolerance for stupidity and no time for those who fancied themselves something lofty. Beverly often had to sooth the other woman's temper when she stormed into the flat, cursing out Albus Dumbledore or the British Envoys or the Magical Britian in general, or whoever else had the misfortune of setting her off. Which was quite frequent these days.

Beverly was a calming presence, and a good help to Graham whenever he stayed over at the flat, which was becoming increasingly common. Remus couldn't help the feeling the Graham was trying to grow up to fast. Perhaps it was simply that his mind matured to quickly, sort of like Hermione, though decidedly more reserved and pointed then the abrasive bushy haired Gryffindor. A number of times either Beverly, Jane or Remus had found Graham asleep on a table past his bedtime with huge stacks of books sitting on either side of him.

"I don't know what to do with him," Jane had complained one day. "He can hardly interact with other children these days, and when I talk to him it's like dealing with a stranger. Graham is so smart, but he can't be bothered to study and he says that it will forever be impossible for him to make friends. He's becoming so moody and I have so little time to help him."

"He just hasn't found his niche yet, Jane." Beverly said soothingly, putting a hand on the attorney's shoulder. "Besides, with all this news I really don't think Hogwarts is best equipped to handle a child who's different in the way Graham is. Really, with their history I'm surprised he's been doing as well as he has. I bet he'll do better in a different environment."

"You got that right," Jane said belligerently. "I can't imagine what I was thinking, enrolling him there. Must have been some bad firewhiskey! Glad I pulled him out after this Tri-Wizard nonsense, greatest wizarding school there is indeed! With the way they treat children who dare to be gifted. Ugh. I do need to find him a new school..."

"Maybe Drumstrang?" Beverly suggested.

"That bloody school was the third involved with that disaster of a tournament, over my dead body...besides, I wouldn't trust that Headmaster as far as I could kick him..." Jane grumbled, starting to sort through the various papers regarding Sirius's trial and very likely release while Beverly continued to calm her down.

Sirius actually agreed with Jane later that day, which would continue to be a source of marvel to Remus. He couldn't imagine the younger Sirius he had once known hearing a single bad word about the school that had taken him away from his fanatic family or its headmaster. Then again, himself, Sirius and James hadn't been the brightest young boys around, however clever they had thought themselves to be. If they had been a bit brighter, James and Lily wouldn't have died due to a knife in the back from the last place they were expecting and none of this would have happened.

Shaking the memory off, Remus glanced over at Graham, who was sitting on the couch reading, dirty blonde hair framing his young face and storm grey eyes. The boy put up a good show, especially whenever he was in public, but Remus knew that he was lonely.

Harry had a knack for bringing together lost souls, making friends in unlikely places. If anyone could help the young Pritchard, he could.

There was a knock on the door. Graham looked up from his book and said casually, "They must be here now, Remus, Beverly."

Remus found a grin spreading across his face even before he strode over to the door and swung it open to reveal his friend's son and nephew in all but blood Harry Potter standing on the doorway, smiling. Standing next to him was a smiling blonde girl who could only be Astoria Greengrass. There was a warmth to her eyes that Remus never would have associated with a girl of pureblood upbringing these days.

"Professor Lupin!" Harry said happily, throwing himself into the older werewolf's arms. Remus let out a woof and then smiled affectionately down at the boy with messy dark hair. Astoria trailed in behind him, watching Lupin with a nervous smile.

"Just Remus now, Harry. I'm not your Professor now. Just family," Remus said warmly, rubbing Harry's back. Harry let him go and grinned up at him. Remus then turned his attention to Astoria, "And this is Astoria Greengrass. I remember you; you were a good student despite some of your classmates obvious contempt for my classes."

Astoria blushed, "I didn't understand why Draco was so determined to throw away his first year with a competent teacher just because you couldn't afford good robes. It's not very fair of him either, but he doesn't understand that. Not when he's born with a silver spoon in his mouth."

"You seem to have escaped that noose," Remus remarked. "Makes you stronger then him."

Astoria blushed harder, and Harry put an arm on her shoulder. "Is Sirius here?" He asked hopefully, he had missed his godfather a good deal over the summer holidays.

"Not yet," Beverly said, emerging from the kitchen and walking over to where everyone was standing. "He and Jane were sitting through some more things regarding his trial and whatever connections to Britain have to be filed. Personally, I think it's almost guaranteed that he'll get acquitted. Poor Jane almost had an aneurysm over the blatant miscarriage of justice that had occurred in Britain that no one could be bothered to correct."

Harry smiled hesitantly at her, "You're Beverly Cavil?"

"Yes, I am," Beverly confirmed, offering Harry her hand. "It's nice to finally meet you Harry."

Harry shook, his smile growing more confident. "This is Astoria."

"Charmed," Beverly said warmly. "I don't know if the two of you know, but Jane's son Graham will be staying with us for the time being. He will have just started his first year at school." She turned her attention to the couch. "Graham, come and say hello."

Graham, who had been watching Harry and Astoria's entrance with unfathomable dark eyes sat up and very deliberately marked his place in the book. He stood up slowly and walked over. He was slight and almost waif-like in size, slender and lean. But there was a hardness and a silent intelligence behind eyes the color of a raging storm. His dirty blonde hair was carefully brushed and fell down the sides of his face in slight waves. "Hello Harry," He said calmly. "Astoria Greengrass."

"Hello Graham." Harry said with the most sincere warmth he could without sounding phony or condescending. He'd had good experience with both, so he must have done something right because a flash of surprise went past Graham's eyes.

"We're working on dinner now," Remus said, "How about you help them get settled, Graham?"

"Alright," Graham's response was crisp and unemotional, and he nodded to indicate the stairwell before walking off in that direction. Astoria shot Harry a curious look, the younger boy's behavior was obviously somewhat unnerving. "Let's give him a chance," Harry said softly. She nodded and they followed him up the stairs.

Graham was waiting for them at the top, Harry said, "So you're Graham Pritchard, I saw you sorted into Slytherin this year," Internally he winced, not much of a conversation starter. Probably made it look like he was being forced into this conversation as well.

Graham paused, and after a moment he looked at Harry and said without preamble, "Going to ask my mother to add abuse of a minor to Dumbledore's obstruction of justice charges?"

Harry was so taken aback he took a step backwards. Whatever he'd been expecting Graham to say or do when meeting the boy-who-lived, this certainly wasn't it. "What?"

"After the Tournament? I would have sued beforehand," Graham continued, gazing unblinkingly at him. "With Hogwarts having been a death trap ever since you entered it, I'm surprised it took you as long as you did to make a break for it."

"I-how?" Astoria stammered, blinking.

Graham looked them up and down. "It's obvious, isn't it, if you're looking carefully enough?" He gestured at Harry and then started to talk, "I saw you once in passing on the train to Hogwarts. You were already wearing you Hogwarts robes despite almost everyone else waiting until they got much closer to the school before putting them on, most people find them uncomfortable but you looked quite happy to be changing into them. You were putting a shirt in your suitcase, but it was three times your size, could have been a hand-me down from another relative but your lip was curled in disgust as you put it away. Factoring that in with what came out in the muggle papers and its clear you've never been bought anything your own size until the uniform, this also makes sense with several passing comments in the halls that you're often seeing wearing a Weasley Jumper despite the youngest boy's constant complaints that they were embarrassing. Likely they were once warn by your cousin, the added bonus being that they covered you so completely the muggles didn't notice the number of bruises on your body. The nurse's more advanced healing eliminated most of the scars, however the healing magic she uses is yet to be perfected so your fingers and some of your skin are slightly crooked and off colour, they've been broken multiple times and never seen to properly prior to this."

Graham pointed a finger at Harry's neck. "Yes, despite the school nurse having you visit her wings with frankly alarming frequency no one thought it was odd that you had arrived at school looking as though someone had tried to strangle you. By the size of the bruises it was likely your uncle's fault. Along with that was the consideration that whenever you spoke to someone you didn't know, or someone who was taller or higher in authority you go tense at the shoulders but keep your leg muscles relaxed, I saw that both with the students of the other schools when your name was called during the selection and when you just spoke with Beverly."

He paused, and then continued heedless to Harry's dumbstruck stare, "Now another muggleborn in your place would have probably been taken aside to ask what was hurting them, but not you. This, of course, is the crucial point that sends you under the radar. You're the boy-who-lived, so most people already had a pre-existing image of you and seemed prepared to factor out whatever reality their faced with to meet this image. This covers most people in the school but there are several people at the head table who were old enough to have known and taught your parents, most noticeably Albus Dumbledore. Now, your very first year here and something is moved from Gringotts to Hogwarts itself? And Albus [happens] to be away the night you investigate it? This was his way of testing the waters to see what you were capable of, the defenses were downgraded to the talents of the two groupies he'd assigned you-"

"Assigned me?" Harry interrupted, startled, "How could you possibly know about that?"

Graham blinked and raised an eyebrow, "It's obvious, isn't it? I heard the story, out of an entire train of nearly six hundred students and the first person you meet is the latest son of a family of Dumbledore's most prominent supporters? Now, this could seem innocuous since the rest of the family treats you normally, but you apparently felt compelled to remain friends with someone who was constantly trying to undermine you and grabbed at your fame? And the Granger girl, oh so talented, determined to become the best, slowly degenerating into a pushy harpy – with them as the closest thing you had to friends you wouldn't notice the things happening to you were out of line. Second year, a man who had seen the Chamber opened last time apparently didn't think to evacuate the school despite the fact that the last opening ended in murder; he wanted to see you kill the beast and take another step closer to the hero he wanted you to be. Ignoring the fact that most twelve year old boys in that situation would have been devoured or turned to stone. Third year, actually allows Dementors to be near a school full of energetic children who pour vitality and life, after living on a diet of a few good thoughts a year from insane prisoners? And then the Tournament, meant for adults, somehow getting you enrolled and are completely isolated from the general student populace and any teacher who might have helped you otherwise. Dumbledore has everything to gain from this, you would depend on him for support of any kind which you would undoubtedly see as the generosity of a man who could see you for who you really are. Couldn't you see his body language when he took the fourth paper? He was expecting it. Hoped for it. You would be forced to grow more powerful and closer to whatever he wanted you to be, and he remains under suspicion."

Graham drew his monologue to a close and looked expectantly at Harry and Astoria. After a minute Astoria was the one who regained her voice, "You were only at Hogwarts for a few months. How could you learn all this?"

Graham smirked slightly with no humor. "As the benefits of a good Slytherin, unlike Malfoy who's more of a Gryffindor then anything else, I waited, watched, listened, and observed. Everything else I could piece together by virtue of what I knew happened and what I had just learned. Unfortunately, it seems that most people can't be bothered to pay attention to what happens right in front of them."

He snorted and tossed his hair over one shoulder. "Adults claim to know what's best, but we're constantly handed obstructive lies, manipulations and half-truths as they bumble their way through situations they can only escape feet first. Getting them out of the way when you need something done can be so cumbersome." Graham said this as though it was a fact of life. Snarky. Arrogant. Indifferent.

Harry watched Graham for another long moment. "That was amazing." He said flatly.

Graham blinked and took a startled step backwards. "It was?" He blurted out, loosing his casual tone.

Astoria grinned at the young boy, the wheels in her brain already turning. "Can I go next?"

Graham shook his head slightly, "that's not what people usually say."

Harry raised an eyebrow. "What do people usually say?"

Graham shifted on one foot. "Get lost, runt." He said uneasily.

Harry understood in a moment. He'd guessed from Remus's letter and from the way he had greeted him that Graham was...different, and people in his experience often resented such people. Graham had thought they were talking down at him, or expected something of him that he wasn't, and this was obviously a sore point for him. So he showed off what he could do, expecting them to get angry and defensive or to shun him. Whatever he had just said about expectations, he had clearly had his own about how Harry would act around him, and he had just disproved them. "Is it that easy for you? You can just look at someone and guess half their life story?"

"Well, not just a look," Graham said, uncertainty now plain in his tone. "It takes a bit longer then that." His eyes flashed again, clearly angry he had admitted such, and then that cool cockiness was back in his voice. "But people can't hide their thoughts from me for long, no matter how strong their mental magic is. It's a matter of observation."

"I've never seen anyone do that," Astoria said admiringly.

Graham looked up at her and Harry, and there was a ray of hope creeping into his eyes. Harry felt sympathy, here was another young boy who had spent who knew how long certain that he would never be accepted, being offered kindness and genuine friendliness. "Thank you," He said softly.

Now Astoria's smile was becoming predatory. "I think you can help me with something Graham. I mean, if you don't mind."

Harry repressed a shiver. Astoria may be the light in his life, but she was still a Slytherin, and she had no love of Albus Dumbledore. He could only wonder what she was planning now.

End Chapter

I freely admit that the character of Graham walked into my head after I watched the first season of Sherlock, though Graham is not meant to be a carbon copy of the famous detective. He's just a too-intelligent for his age boy (in a different way from Hermione) who can see more then most. I promise more hard examination of the failings of magical Britain next chapter, but I wanted to write something lower-key while I walk of the shock of my accident. However, next chapter will deal with Sirius's trial and there will be plenty of blame to go around on a certain too-perfect-to-be-true professor and his groupies.

Read and Review please!

7. Chapter 7

Finding a Place to Call Home

Wanda: Welcome back everyone! Now, I'm introducing Lilith here as part of the overarcing story arc that this story will eventually follow involving Voldemort and likely a few other things before its over. Now, I'm not moving away from the travelling around the world aspect. It's just part of the theme of this story is that the world is bigger then any two people, which is why Harry and Astoria now have Graham and Lilith along with them. Other things will be happening, as Voldemort is going to turn to other options now that he knows Harry is out of Britain and that they aren't connected anymore. I do not own Harry Potter...enjoy!

Chapter 7: Plans and a Trial

Lilith Moon stepped into the grand mansion her family had called home for twenty generations, eyes closed, because the building never changed no matter how many times you counted the floorboards for every day you were trapped here. She slid her schoolbag off her shoulder and stepped out of her shoes. One hand went to the golden shackles on her left wrist and brushed against it, grimacing as the familiar chills entered the air around her.

Lilith let her hood down, silver hair coming out of its braid and falling around her face. She hung up her coat, the hot air in the house blasting her and bringing feeling back into her fingers and cheeks. She stepped out of the doorway, closing it behind her, and stopped not far into the mansion.

Her father was sitting with his back to her, completely absorbed in the newspaper that was their one link to the rest of the world. Lilith sat down on the step and said nothing. The silence in the house was pervading, but it was almost always this quiet, so no one inside took notice of it.

The air in the house was warmer then most people would have found comfortable, but the Moon family weren't most people. Not by a long shot. The floors, walls and stairs were a volcanic stone instead of wood; she could feel the heat drumming under her bare feet, creating an artificial summer that bordered on heat warming. Most people would have found it near-unbearable after a few hours, but for the Moons, it was a necessity.

Lilith locked her fingers together and sat down on the stairwell, thinking about the confusion she had felt when she returned to Hogwarts to see it in a state of complete disarray. And then everything that had been explained to her.

Harry Potter had left the school with Astoria Greengrass, the Headmaster was under obstruction of justice accusations, the entire school was being reviewed for bullying and safety measures, and you couldn't walk ten feet without running into an Auror who was questioning how a class was run or why something had happened in an earlier year. It hadn't taken Lilith very long to find the entire situation overwhelming and for one of the more competent Aurors to recommend that she go home.

Mind you, this was after one of the less intelligent Aurors, clearly put up to the job by Lucius Malfoy to keep his son in the school, had bullied her until she had her first episode in public since she was six...it was lucky that it got blamed on stress-induced accidental magic.

Earlier members of her family hadn't been that lucky.

Lilith had gone back to school a while after the start of the Tri-Wizard tournament, but the things she had missed became apparent very fast and the quickly mounting stress sent her right back home, before she hurt someone.

Specifically, the only person who's presence might have helped her was conspicuously missing from the school itself. He went by the name Harry Potter. Being raised by muggles meant he hadn't known about the promise made by Charlus Potter or by the words of the spirit that had visited the two families decades ago. Lilith had meant to try and approach him in his first year, but she hadn't been stable enough, and the boy had quickly been absorbed by the Gryffindors, who were more interested in making themselves the top of the school then helping anyone less fortunate then themselves.

Harry himself hadn't been like that, and this had reached its nadir during this year with the Tri-Wizard mess that was drawing international attention.

The fickle nature of wizards. Perhaps there was something to having muggles influence their world ever so much. Not that the purebloods would ever stand for that.

Lilith had realized this year that she might finally have the time and the strength to talk to Harry, ask him about helping her, and he had taken off during one of her recuperation periods. Just like that. Her only chance was gone.

She bit her lip and resisted the urge to cry. She had learned a long time ago that crying would never help her, it wouldn't take away the curse that had destroyed all her ancestors one by one. the helplessness was nothing knew to her, but the feeling of carrot and stick was.

Her grandfather had said that a younger Potter would be the one who could wash away her curse. Make her a normal witch. She would be able to make friends without worrying about accidentally killing them, finally control the storm inside, be able to leave this house and join the rest of society.

But she had never been able to approach Harry during the short periods she had actually been able to attend school, through a combination of her own uneasiness regarding the control she currently had, the prejudice against Slytherins, and the boy's own closed-off personality.

"Lilith?"

Lilith blinked out of her swimming thoughts and looked up. Her father, Richard Moon, was looking up from his paper. He gently gestured for him to come over.

Trembling in her hands, Lilith stood up and walked across the floor, welcome heat washing up her legs every time she took a step. "What is it papa?" She asked, sitting down next to him.

"How are you feeling, Moonbeam?" Richard asked gently. "Do you think that you'd be able to sit in the car in a crowded street?"

"Maybe..." Lilith said as she looked down at her shaky fingers, and then looked up questioningly at her father with eyes like the deepest, darkest waters. "Why papa?"

Richard held up the paper and said, "Sirius Black is getting a trial...and since this is outside of Britain its safe to say that he'll get off, as he should have years ago. I told you that he was Harry's guardian, didn't I?"

"Yes." Lilith responded quietly, unsure of where this was going.

Richard looked down at his beautiful child, thinking about how much he'd wanted her to have the life that had been denied to him, ever since their ancestor betrayed the Moon spirit generations ago. "I think it's time we spoke with him and Harry personally, Moonbeam. Your episodes are getting worse, and the magic stated that the youngest Potter is the one that can help you."

"...do you think he will?" Lilith asked softly. She was far too used to disappointment to truly get her hopes up, and she wasn't sure that anything she knew about Harry Potter was true giving both the biased Hogwarts rumor mill and the fiasco of this year.

Richard gently ran his fingers through his daughter's silver hair. "I think so, darling. I hope so."

%&%&%&%&%&%&&%%&&%

"What the hell is HE doing here?" Astoria hissed out under her breath, staring in disbelief at Graham, who was watching her solemnly and with a bit of agitation.

Harry wasn't sure whether to be afraid of his girlfriend or equally angry that Albus Dumbledore had the nerve to appear at his godfather's trial after the fact that he hadn't stepped in and given him one back when it really mattered.

The Old Man, as (formerly) part of the International Confederation of Wizards, would have been aware of Sirius's pending trial even if it hadn't been all over the newspapers. Back in his day it would have been within his power to intervene and give Sirius a trial, though he didn't. And now here he was, walking right into the building as though nothing was wrong.

You'd think that alone was bad enough, but then you remembered that the Lestrange brothers and their mad sister in law Bellatrix were given trials when they were caught red handed torturing the Longbottoms, but Sirius was just tossed in prison under circumstantial evidence.

All in classic double standard fashion – they were purebloods, no matter what their crimes were, while Sirius had renounced pureblood philosophy and everything pertaining to it. Merlin, how had he ever managed to live in Wizarding Britain?

"To get himself a better image, especially with his trial on obstruction charges coming up," Graham responded matter-of-factly. "And to attempt to bring Sirius Black, one of the richest and most powerful wizards in the world now that he's ascended into Lord Black, back under his wing for his little schemes. What else?"

Harry gritted his teeth, and Astoria put her hands on his shoulders. The betrayal of the man who had set himself up as a grandfatherly figure to the boy burned him almost as badly as what Ron and Hermione had done. Seeing him again was almost enough to turn Harry's vision read, it was clear now that he wasn't doing this out of kindness but because he wanted to reactivate his ridiculous chess games with Voldemort, who wasn't even powerful anymore but a barely living thing in a shack in the middle of nowhere.

Harry shook his head and brought himself back to the problem at hand. He had to focus now.

"Does he know we're here?" He asked Graham tensely. He and Astoria had taken to the highest balcony, which was reserved for family members (so there weren't any here for Sirius, Jane was part of the trial and Remus was a witness) of the accused.

They had meant to observe alone and leave just after the verdict, so they could avoid the camera men but still remain assured of Sirius being vindicated.

And then Albus Bloody Too Many Middle Names Dumbledore had shown up and their plans had ground to a halt.

"No," Graham reported, peering down over the balcony to where Albus was standing talking to a jury member. The member was looking very annoyed with him, and was pointing sharply towards the visitor seating.

Graham's eyes narrowed as he read Dumbledore's body language. He'd volunteered to be their scout while they got themselves seated in these topmost seats, to make sure that no one had seen them or picked up on their scent.

His attitude was quite standoffish, and Harry had seen several people walk away or scurry around him (fully grown adults at that, to Astoria's consternation) but he had done his job quite diligently.

Now he was being the bringer of bad news, though deep down Harry had known that Dumbledore would try to interfere once he had known that Sirius was getting a trial. He had hoped that things would simply go smoothly for once. Sirius at least deserved that much.

"He doesn't know, but he's hoping that you would have gone to Sirius. He'll try and interrupt the trial but he's aware that he doesn't have the international acclaim that he used to so he probably won't be able to get Sirius moved back to Britain for domestic justice. But either way he wants this to lead him to you." Graham explained, flicking his eyes between Dumbledore and his angry looking mother. Jane Pritchard looked like she'd be all to happy to slap the old man or do something equally damaging, but wasn't allowed to. Eventually she sharply pointed to the back of the room.

"Mother won't let him be a witness for either side, citing his own approaching questioning, but that unfortunately doesn't stop him from hanging around." He added.

"Damn it!" Astoria spat. Harry jumped a bit and looked blankly at her. Astoria almost never used salty language, even in the few times when she was upset. "I knew we should have left earlier." She stuck her head over the railings herself, scowling as if she hoped doing so would make Dumbledore leave – or catch fire.

"You're probably right," Harry said with a sigh, "I just wanted to make absolutely sure that Sirius got off. I should have known that he'd turn up."

Astoria took a deep breath to calm herself down, and then put her hand on his. "Of course you did Harry, you two are very close. There's nothing wrong with that. Now we just have to find some way to adjust to this new situation."

"You can likely escape him during the media frenzy of the verdict." Graham suggested, pointing downwards towards the doors which were currently sealed against entrances. There were people with all sorts of cameras flashing through the two large windows. "There will be a swarm, and while most of the focus will be on Sirius Black a lot of reporters will be stalking Dumbledore over his criminal negligence among other things. And even if they don't, Astoria your father, sister and Lupin will do their best to hold them off while we escape."

"Thanks Graham," Harry said. Graham almost smiled, but kept his eyes down.

Harry was familiar with that feeling, so used to disappointment that you weren't sure how to accept praise. Hopefully Graham would be able to pull his way out of his self dug hole if they stuck with him.

"Oh, I hope my family won't be too upset if I have to skip a potential meeting with them," Astoria said unhappily. "Oh...wait...Harry, look."

Harry and Graham blinked in concert and walked over to Astoria's side. She was staring down at a young man with restraints on his arms speaking with Sirius. He was tall, but had a willowy look to him, something that oddly reminded Harry of sunlight on the snow in winter. His hair was white, almost like it had aged ahead of him. He was well dressed and moving quite animatedly as he spoke to Harry's godfather. Sirius didn't seem upset to see this man...mostly surprised. And maybe even a touch concerned.

"Tori, who's that?" Harry asked, glancing over at his girlfriend.

"Harry that's Richard Moon, Lilith's father," Astoria said, sounding a bit stunned, "He's out in the open? Morgana, something must have changed for Lilith, if he's all the way out here."

"Wait, they're the family that's cursed, the one my grandfather allied with," Harry said, remembering his conversation with Astoria in France about the Potter alliances.

"He's worried," Graham supplied, watching Richard carefully. "He's not here because he has the luxury of being able to move around freely, he's afraid of something that he needs help with." His eyes narrowed and he focused on Sirius. "It's involves you, Harry."

"Is that a bad thing?" Harry asked tensely.

Graham studied the conversation for another minute as Richard gestured anxiously. "Bad for them." He responded. "He likely needs your help."

Harry expelled a long sigh. His compulsion to save people had taken a beating thanks to the fallout of the Tournament, but he could still feel the urge in his heart, and something was telling him that Lilith really did need his help.

"Dobby," He called quietly.

It was rather like swapping notes under your teacher's nose back in primary muggle schooling, but Harry managed to get an explanation out of Richard. It wasn't a particularly happy one either.

"Wash away her curse?" Harry said blankly. "How exactly am I supposed to go about that?"

"We'll figure that out later," Astoria suggested. "When we leave, we'll go out the back and take her with us as we move on to Tokyo. Then we'll have Dobby summon a few books from one of the Moon or Potter libraries to figure out what she needs."

"Right," Harry exhaled. "And here I thought that running away from Britain would make things less complicated."

"Of course life is complicated for you Harry. You're a Potter," Astoria said fondly. Harry smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her waist, sitting down and pulling her into his lap.

Graham wrinkled his nose in a true preteen fashion and scooted down to the edge of the seating balcony.

Astoria wrapped her arm around Harry's neck and kissed him, the touch deepened as the court began to fall into order. "It'll be alright," She said softly as the judge called for order in the court. Harry nodded slightly, to show he understood because he was too dazed to talk.

Then he lifted his head ever so slightly and a moment later they were snogging. Harry had never done this before but it was such a sweet sensation. It was love, and experiencing it washed away any bad feelings he'd had about the day, allowed his mind to drift out of time and space. How did I survive as long as I did without something like this? He wondered.

Astoria paused and said, "Are you alright Harry?"

He smiled up at her. "Better then alright, Tori. Don't worry about me."

He leaned in and kissed her this time.

Graham cleared his throat twice, but after that gave up and focused on the carvings in the wall across from him to avoid seeing or hearing Harry and Astoria making out.

%&%&%&&%%&%&%&%&%&

"Sirius Black, you are hereby cleared of all charges and will be given compensation for spending twelve years wrongly accused within the walls of Azkaban Prison." The judge declared, before banging her grovel on the desk. "Case closed!"

A great cheer went up in the crowd; many hopping out of their seats the give a standing ovation. Cameras went off everywhere and reporters were pushing to get closer, to find another angle of a world wide story. Justice was being served, old wrongs were being righted, and a victim of political cruelty was being set free. Witches and wizards all around the world had been hanging on this trial out of interest and the desired outcome had been reached.

It was a denouncement of both Wizarding Britain's backwards and sometimes self-contradicting policies regarding the Death Eaters and their hubris, and considering the country's growing unpopularity in the world-wide setting, this was considered something to be celebrated with a bottle of champagne, particularly in Magical America.

And of course there was the victim himself, having quickly become a newspaper and tabloid favourite in the days coming up to his trial, and likely going to continue as such in the foreseeable future given his situation as basically, a martyr. A lot of people were going to be asking for interviews, questions or even for books about his experiences. A picture of noble suffering, something that impressed young boys and caused young women to swoon collectively.

Sirius sprang out of the witness chair and pumped his fists above his head, grinning like a maniac. Remus looked the happiest that he had been in a long time, his girlfriend Beverly looking extremely happy for the both of them, because she knew how close they had been.

Jane Pritchard was collecting her files on the case, looking tired but elated and satisfied, having won her first cross-border case and hopefully the first of many. Jane had always felt driven to see justice served, even before she left Britain, and it was with great pleasure that she saw to the 'not guilty' verdict that should have been given to her client twelve years ago.

Speaking of whom...Jane watched Sirius whoop and spin around, taking in his new freedom, and though she would not have admitted to it out loud, something uncoiled in her chest much like when she had met her first husband.

Quickly she forced it down and returned to her work, determined to maintain a professional mindset while she was dealing with her client. If her luck held, it would keep her going through her involvement with Albus Dumbledore's obstruction of justice trial. She certainly hoped it would, after everything she had heard about what he'd done with the boy.

Harry and Astoria happily clapped along, while Graham simply watched the scene intently, like he was trying to drink the emotion of the scene in. His eyes followed Richard Moon as the man tentatively looked in from the doorway, before quickly pulling out again.

Graham was curious about the Moon family curse, so he was watching Richard quite carefully to see if he could peace it together before he met the man's daughter. Then his eye caught Albus Dumbledore pushing his way through to crowd towards Sirius and muttered, "Time to go,"

Astoria nodded, and she and Harry and Graham hurried towards the door and down a long set of spiralling staircases. Harry could almost hear Dumbledore saying his usual tripe to Sirius, struggling to be overheard over the reporters and camera men, as they pushed their way out the back door.

Lilith Moon was standing there waiting for them. Harry heard Graham suck in a breath and did his best not to chuckle. Some people recognize beauty younger then others, evidently. He thought with amusement. Perhaps it comes with having a mind too mature for your body.

Lilith was beautiful, like a captured moonbeam, but he only had eyes for the blonde girl next to him, who had given him true love for the first time he could remember.

"Hello, Lilith," He said with a smile.

"Hello, Harry." Lilith responded softly.

"How does Tokyo sound to you?" Harry suggested, his tone welcoming. "We're going to see some of the great transfiguration experts. Interested in coming?"

Lilith regarded Harry very carefully for a moment, and Harry was given the strange, sincere feeling that she was looking right into his soul.

"Okay," She said softly.

Harry and Astoria both smiled, and Tori offered the other girl her hand. "Off we go then," She said. "I'd like to get to know you for real, Lilith. If that's alright with you."

Lilith smiled softly, giving a look of falling snow. "Thank you."

End Chapter

Long rambly author's note ahead!

So yes, there's Lilith, as part of the alliances mentioned a few chapters ago. While Harry doesn't really want to act like a pureblood those things did exist for a reason, and as mentioned above it has more to do with the increasing arc that's coming towards them regarding Voldemort and the past and a few other things. After all, as this is a Road Movie esque story it will leave that formula in the sense that there will be a main antagonist for it, whether or not that antagonist is Voldemort in the end...well, we shall see.

Because this is a way alternate pairing story, there will be an -eventual- Graham/Lilith ship, just because I also started this story in the name of doing things way out of the ordinary. He'll have to get a bit older though, he's mentally mature but not quite as physically or emotionally mature, so he'll be very confused about her until later in the story. I'm on the fence on whether or not to ship Daphne with anyone, though. I'd be happy to hear thought about that, while the story will still be focusing on Harry and Astoria as the theme goes the world is bigger then just two people. Plus, I have something planned for Daphne to do later on that's very much plot important.

Next chapter, more about death eaters and Voldemort's new plans because he's not quite as stupid as Dumbledore would like to think he is. He might actually be a bit smarter then in canon here, but there's a reason to all this madness, I promise! Oh, and there's some speculating on the nature of muggleborns in the next chapter as well.

Read and Review please!

8. Chapter 8

Finding a Place to Call Home

Wanda: (collapsed on the floor) Ugh. Agh. Groan. Okay, I owe all of you lovely readers two apologies. Firstly, I'm sorry that it took so long to get this up, but school reared it's ugly head and saddled me with both a good deal of work and a stress induced breakdown. Secondly, said stress induced breakdown is the reason this is a good deal shorter then last chapter. However, all this is important to establishing the dramatic arc of this story, and hinting at some of the plot that will occur in one of my other planned stories Coming Winter. Again, sorry, but I barely managed to scrape this together thanks to the stress I've been going through, and I hope that over March Break I'll be able to get more out for you guys.

Anyway, I don't own Harry Potter. Enjoy!

Chapter 8 Interlude: Higher Magic

The ghosts that haunt Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry aren't the only spirits in the world, even if many haven't been seen in dozens of generations.

Ghosts were always a staple of muggle stories, though they couldn't see them the way that wizards were able to. The ones that most non magicals were familiar with where the kind that haunted the halls of Hogwarts. They're the lost spirits. They are the ones that cannot leave for heaven because of personal grievances, barred from the afterlife, trapped in the anger of the last days of their lives. Some times this is inflicted as a punishment on one who has committed a grave sin, forced to haunt the earth forever until the time of their repentance.

It's a painful and lonely experience, not able to rejoin your loved ones in the afterlife, or move on from the bad things that happened to you. The only way to leave that existence is for an empath or a gypsy to address the past grievance and help them move on, or for an exorcism to take place.

Of course, there are other spirits in the world, and many are far more dangerous then the ones who watch over the children.

Malevolent spirits stalk unwary muggles and curse them with bad luck, giving long and difficult lives to many. Some end up in asylums because they can't explain what's happening around them, and the only explanation is the one that normal people don't have access to. Imps and poltergeists both fall into this category, depending on how malicious they are. Peeves, for instance, is a fairly low-functioning poltergeist, virtually harmless compared to the more dangerous ones that have stalked the shadows before his time.

And then there are the spirits that ascended to higher existences.

One of such spirits was the Light of the Moon.

One of the oldest myths in the world, forgotten by most except a select few. The Moon's spirit was once a young woman, free and gentle, who drowned in the sea under a black sky because she couldn't see her way. As she passed on, she wished that no one else would have to die under the lightless sky, and she became the Moon, spreading silver light across the night so fewer people would die before their time as she did. Others who had died during the light less night became a number of the stars.

Years went by, and eventually the Moon became lonely. One night, she looked down from the sky and saw a boy walking along the shore of the sea she had drowned in. He was beautiful, and a dreamer, and she fell in love instantly. She appeared to him, and he returned to that beach every night afterwards to see her.

The boy's name was Julian Moon.

Now, Julian's father was a pureblood traditionalist with seven sons including Julian himself, and he was part of a war between a number of pureblood families. He had tried to gain control of what is modern day Norway by seducing a young Katelyn Potter, but she caught onto his deception and cost him a handhold in the war.

Angry, Kaius Moon began to seek out ways to defeat his enemies and become the supreme power of the magical world. When he overheard his son talking about his love for the Moon spirit, Kaius came up with a wicked plan – he would use his son to enslave the Moon and force her to do his bidding.

Kaius approached his youngest and demanded he be lead to the moon. However, Julian suspected his father's less then honourable nature and refused, repeatedly. Kaius grew increasingly enraged. One night, he followed Julian to the beach where he usually met the Moon spirit and, upon Julian's seventh refusal to enslave the spirit, killed him in a fit of rage.

As the sun had not yet set, the Moon could only watch in agony. When she rose to the sky, however, she had become very angry and vengeful. She told Kaius that she would give him and his family her powers – and he would be the sight of all those mortals who dared to try and control a spirits power.

Kaius froze to death, and four of his remaining sons died as well, bringing many with them as winter winds and the pull of the ocean tides was too much for their weaker bodies all at once.

Ironically, the family's hope of salvation lies in the blood of one Kaius tried to wrong. Katelyn Potter spoke to the Moon and asked if she would damn an entire family for what Kaius did. Remaining ever vengeful, the Moon responded that the curse would only lift when one the Moon family had wronged decided to save them.

-Story Fact

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"Remember to take your shoes off in certain buildings, Harry."

Harry turned towards Graham in confusion. The younger boy elaborated, "It's a tradition in Japan, and a sign of respect. Some of them don't like foreigners, so you'd best remember these little things."

Harry blushed in embarrassment, "Right." He quickly kicked his boots off and followed Astoria and Lilith into the living room of their current apartment, Graham following behind him. The younger boy looked nervous, and he kept looking at Lilith like she was something he hadn't seen before. Lilith looked distinctly out of her element, and Harry wondered if she'd been able to go anywhere with this curse hanging over her head.

That alone was enough to make both him and Astoria sympathetic to her, they knew what it was like to feel trapped. Harry still wasn't sure exactly how he was supposed to lift the Moon curse; he'd asked Dobby to bring him some of the books from his parent's vaults but he hadn't had a chance to look at them yet and he wasn't sure they'd have exactly what he needed. But he knew he wasn't going to leave her to hang like what had happened to him.

"I invited Daphne over," He said, "She should be here tomorrow. I hope you don't mind another person in here Lilith."

Lilith said nothing for a moment before, "It is fine. I...don't mind the company."

Astoria squeezed Harry's hand and said, "How about I go see if there's anything in the fridge. Maybe you and Lilith can figure something out in the meantime."

Harry leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. "Thanks Tori. I'll come and help you as soon as I can."

Astoria smiled and said, "Come on Graham, let's see what's there. You didn't tell me what kind of stuff you liked to eat..." She left the room with the youngest in their group reluctantly following along behind her, shooting one last look at Lilith before turning the corner.

Lilith sat down on the couch, Harry taking a moment before deciding to sit down next to her. "I'm sorry I didn't talk to you before this," He said.

Lilith shook her head, the late sunlight coming from the window making her look even paler then usual; Harry could see the veins on her neck.

"You wouldn't have," She said. "You were new to the world and didn't know the story. I would have terrified you. You would have stayed far away from me. It's better this way."

"I wouldn't say that," Harry said. "I wouldn't have left you hanging if I knew that you were in trouble. That's not what I do."

"I know," Lilith said. "But we're not like most people."

"Can you tell me more about this curse?" Harry asked.

Lilith sighed. "A long time ago, a member of my family fell in love with the Moon spirit. But the head of the family was greedy and cruel and tried to corrupt and use the spirit to his own ends through that son. The son refused and the head killed him. The Moon was furious and decided that if he wanted a spirit, he could try and control her powers."

She looked down at her hands, the golden shackles looking as forbidding as the scar on Harry's forehead. "Mortals were never meant to have Higher Magics like this. It burns us out. Destroys everything around us. Most of my family has died because of this."

"Higher magics?" Harry repeated.

"Magic that works and exists on the cosmic level," Lilith responded. "It belongs to nature spirits, and gods. Mortal people covet the power, but in reality most can't control it. It destroys them, brings the exact opposite of what they want. Voldemort wanted power like that, back in the day. He would have approached us if he had known where to look."

She looked at the ceiling. "Maybe I would have been bitter enough about how little I can live that I might have joined him. It would have been a mistake, and I would have destroyed most of what he wanted to rule before he put me down. But it would have killed anyone near me."

Harry shook his head. "I don't think your like that, Lilith. You just haven't had a chance to be anything else. I'll give you that chance if I can."

Lilith looked up at him with frigid ice colored eyes, but there was a spark of warmth in them that Harry hadn't seen before, and took as a sign of success. "You are a hero," She decided. "Even if you're not what Britian wanted or was expecting. Pity for them."

Harry smiled. "Thank you."

Dinner

"So you think Riddle was trying to access Higher Magics back during the first war?" Astoria summed up during dinner. Lilith nodded as she cut up her steak. Harry was frowning over a plate full of pasta. Lilith had shared what she had talked to Harry about and everyone was chewing it over.

"It makes sense," Graham remarked before taking a drink of milk. "Voldemort bragged that he was going to master death, back in the old days. Common knoweldge states that there's no way for magic to interfere with death, but that doesn't account for higher or cosmic magic. That must be why Voldemort seemed so powerful – he was turning to magics that most people didn't use, or were even aware existed."

"Master death..." Lilith echoed slowly, "Oh, he couldn't have."

"Couldn't have what?" Astoria repeated, startled.

"The Deathly Hallows," Lilith responded. "My family is familiar with Higher Magics because of our history. The Will of Peverell stated that whoever united the three Hallows would become the master of death."

"What are the Hallows?" Harry asked.

Lilith set down her cutlery. "A long time ago, three brothers used their magic to cross a raging river, only for Death to appear before them. She was angry that she had been cheated out of three new souls, but she was canny, and she offered them gifts for outsmarting her."

"Death is a girl?" Graham asked, sounding a bit hung up at this particular bit of information.

Lilith nodded. "Yes. The eldest brother asked for a wand that could never loose a battle. Death gave him one, and it became known as the Elder Wand."

"Did it work?" Graham asked curiously.

"It did," Lilith responded. "But one night the eldest brother got drunk, and a thief, desiring the power the wand gave him, murdered him in his bed and stole the wand. And later, that thief was murdered for the wand. The wand as a bloodsoaked history and even my family lost track of it a few generations ago because whoever carried it was usually killed."

Astoria turned slightly green. "No wonder Riddle wanted something like that."

"The Second brother asked for a stone that could bring back the dead," Lilith continued the story, "Because he had lost the woman he loved out of tragic circumstances. The stone could bring her back, but not entirely, and they could not truly interact, the woman calling for him to simply cross the border and join her so they wouldn't suffer this way. Eventually the second brother despaired and hung himself so he could properly rejoin his beloved."

"Charming," Harry said weakly. He imagined coming across a stone like that, and taken by the chance to see his parents for real, using it... "And the third brother?"

"The third brother did not trust Death. When she asked him what he wanted, he simply asked that he be allowed to continue on his way without her following him. Most reluctantly, she gave him his cloak. This cloak could hide one person forever, though eventually the third brother gave his cloak to his son and walked away with Death, who he had come to feel affection for."

"A cloak..." Harry's heart began to beat heavily in his chest as something occurred to him, "Wait one... but it couldn't possibly..." He stood up and hurried to his trunks, the baffled calls of Astoria following him. He quickly dug out his father's invisibility cloak and rushed back into the dining hall.

"That cloak. Did it look like this?" Harry held the cloak up for everyone to see.

Lilith was so startled she dropped her glass, causing it to shatter and spill on the table. Graham vanished the mess, but the action was purely perfunctory, as his attention was on Harry.

"How...where did you get that?" Lilith stammered, loosing the emotionless face she had worn ever since Harry had seen her.

"It was my fathers. It's a family heirloom." Harry explained.

Astoria's jaw dropped. "But then...oh my goodness...but that couldn't...Harry, your ancestor is the youngest Peverell?"

"Of course," Lilith said softly, as all of this was coming together for her. "Harry. You're the one spoken of in the Peverell Will. You're meant to unite and unlock the Hallows."

End Chapter

And there's that. Just as a quick warning, the meaning of the Master of Death is going to be slightly different from in canon, because I don't like the suggestion that the only people 'worthy' are the ones who choose to do absolutely nothing, even in the face of stuff like having to walk out and kill themselves. Plus, in the context of this story it means something different, and is tied to Lilith's curse. And I'll try not to have another long delay for the next chapter.

Read and Review please!

9. Chapter 9

Finding a Place to Call Home

Wanda: (groaning) I hate school. Hello everyone and sorry I kept you waiting. This is the second interlude, and there's a change that's going to happen because I feel like I've made things too easy for my protagonists. Also, I finally get Daphne back into the cast.

Chapter 9: Interlude Part 2, Death Itself

"Peverell's heir?" Daphne echoed, slowly sinking onto the couch, staring at her younger sister and Harry. Astoria nodded, rocking back on her heels, watching her older sister with excited green eyes. Graham looked bored. Lilith looked distant. Harry just held up his cloak with both hands for the blonde haired heriess to see.

Daphne stared at it for a long moment before slowly brushing a stray strand of blonde hair away from her eyes. "The Deathly Hallows? You, Harry?"

"Yes." Harry said simply, blinking. He had switched his glasses for contacts, and his eyes were still adjusting to them. He had decided that it was too dangerous to try and learn how to duel with his glasses, because his enemies just had to summon or break them and he would be blinded.

Daphne made a strangled noise of shock and incredulity, her heels tapping against the floor. She was still wearing her travel coat; Astoria had hardly let her enter the apartment before she dropped the news on her. Her hair was a bit messy thanks to the wind. She had been relieved that her sister had let her in, but that was currently taking a backseat to disbelief.

Daphne turned and looked between Harry, Graham and Lilith. Lilith was silent and watching her with her default piercing gaze while Graham was beginning to become impatient, occasionally looking at the girl next to him as if he was expecting her to disappear if he looked away for too long.

"That's impossible...everyone knows that the last heir of Peverell died years ago." Daphne said numbly.

"So they think," Graham said, rolling his eyes. His hair fell in front of his eyes and he pushed it back with a growl of annoyance. He scowled at Daphne. "Haven't you figured out by now that 'what everyone says' means absolutely nothing?"

Daphne winced and looked down at the floor. "Graham," Astoria said chidingly. Graham frowned slightly, as though he wasn't sure what he had done wrong. Smart he may be, but Graham's inability to interact normally with people was still very much a problem.

Harry put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. Graham suffered from some sort of emotional disconnect, though he wasn't sure what it was. Harry considered having him see a muggle psychiatric or suggesting it to Jane, and filed that away for further consideration. Right now, he had other things to be worrying about.

Right now, he had to finish filling Daphne in if she was coming with them.

"It's true," Lilith said quietly. Daphne turned towards her, looking a little nervous but questioning.

"The Cloak is unmistakable; my family is familiar with all the higher magics, including the Hallows. The Peverells dropped off the map many years ago because one of three children had become a Dark Wizard. One of those families was the Potters. They were descended from the Third Brother." Lilith finished.

"Dear Merlin," Daphne exhaled, trying to regain her equilibrium.

"That was about my reaction," Harry admitted. "It makes a weird sort of sense, I guess. I mean, my dad's cloak has lasted longer then the usual ones are supposed to, and it's saved my neck a lot. There had to be something special about it."

"And you're always in trouble and getting involved with weird crap," Graham added dryly.

"That too," Harry agreed immediately. Astoria giggled, and even Daphne tipped her head in barely restrained amusement. Harry hadn't seen her smile before this, and the effect was a lot like her younger sister. She should smile more.

"So You-Know-Who was looking for the Hallows as well?" Daphne asked.

Harry bit his lip at the mention of his nemesis. He had left the man behind, but the dreams he had had before loosing the piece of him that was inside his mind implied that he was still there. And if he was, had he found some way of surviving when his body was destroyed?

Harry didn't like the thought at all. He had intended to simply leave without looking back, but the idea of leaving while the man who killed his parents survived and continued to do as he pleased made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Whoever possesses all three Deathly Hallows becomes the Master of Death," Lilith explained. "Presumably, that means you cannot die unless you allow it, among other things. Even my family isn't certain of everything that entails."

"That would make him the most powerful wizard alive," Graham said matter of factly. "Unless there are setbacks that we don't know about because no one's managed to unite the Hallows before." He tapped his fingers against the back of his right hand, eyes narrowing. He was coming to a decision, and Astoria turned her head towards him. Graham could be very intuitive, and his deductions were often right, as they had found out quickly.

"I don't know...that sounds too easy. All that power, with no setbacks like Lilith, who also uses Higher Magics? The ability to control when you die or when other people die? With gifts from Death, there has to be a catch." Graham finished, looking apprehensive.

"You're probably right," Harry admitted. The thought had crossed his mind, and Graham was probably right. Considering what had happened to two out of the three brothers who had received the gifts in the first place...

"But Harry, if you're meant to be the Master of Death, why don't you have the wand and the stone?" Daphne asked at last.

Harry frowned. "I don't know. They weren't in my vault, or I think the goblins would have brought them to my attention."

"How about you ask the old meddler?" Graham asked cynically. "If he was going to cripple Harry's education, there's no way he would have let him hold on to something as powerful as the Elder Wand or the Resurrection Stone. He would have figured that no one would have been 'careful' enough to handle them. Besides himself, obviously."

Astoria stiffened and glared out the window. Lilith closed her eyes with something like resignation; as if she was already certain that Dumbledore was involved.

Harry let out a frustrated groan. It was like Dumbledore was a part of every aspect of his life whether he wanted it or not. Even when he was halfway around the world and many miles were between them, the old man was still keeping things from him. It was maddening.

Daphne's eyes narrowed and she pushed herself to her feet. "You know, you're probably right Graham. I could ask father to interrogate the old man over it; the ground is shrinking beneath his feet and he knows it. With luck, he'll decide to cut his losses and at least talk to him about it."

"Don't hold out on it," Astoria muttered darkly. "He's still insanely controlling. If he has the Elder Wand, he won't give it up to anyone for anything."

"It's Harry's interference," Daphne exclaimed, eyes wide. As a pureblood heiress, even considering illegally stripping someone of their inheritance was shocking to even consider. And for someone like Dumbledore, high society would never trust him again after doing something like that. "He has no right to withhold it. Even he should know it."

"It's Albus Dumbledore. He does as he pleases and everyone's fine with it," Graham said laconically, crossing his arms again.

"I should write to my father and ask him to tell Sirius to look into it," Daphne murmured, half to herself. "It would do good for someone to address these last things he's been doing. Besides, Fudge would be delighted to have more dirt on him."

"Fudge?" Harry echoed. "What's this got to do with Fudge?"

"Ah," Daphne nodded, "I forgot the two of you haven't been in Britain for a while, so you don't know how things have gone toes up lately. Someone died in Hogwarts two weeks ago."

"WHAT!" Everyone cried together. Hogwarts, despite its pretty bad safety record, was still a school, and hearing someone killed inside, right under the noses of the teachers, was disturbing. No one had died there in years, since the first time the Chamber was opened. "Who was it?" Harry asked.

Daphne studied his face for a long moment. Nervously, Harry said, "Daphne? What happened? Who was it?"

Daphne gave him a near sad look, before answering reluctantly, "Ron Weasley."

Harry felt the ground lurch underneath him, and he stumbled backwards. Astoria caught his arm, and helped him sit down on the other couch. She held his hand tightly as he shook, struggling to process this information.

Whatever his behaviour had been like since the start of the Tournament, Ron had been Harry's friend through his three years, his first friend ever. They had gone through life threatening situations together and come out as companions. The idea of him dying, of him being murdered, was enough to knock the wind out of Harry. Out of all the things, he hadn't expected it.

Harry swallowed hard over the lump that had formed in his throat. "How?" He said, his voice rasping.

"The information wasn't released to the public," Daphne said, "But I heard from father through Sirius that it was Pettigrew. He must have used his rat form to get back into the castle. Weasely wasn't in his bed in the morning, but they...found him, in a graveyard near a place called Little Harlington."

Harry sucked in a breath.

"Riddle's birthplace?" Graham asked, surprised, uncrossing his arms and sitting down, watching Daphne carefully.

"Yes," Daphne nodded. "Pettigrew must have had a portkey on him and gotten him outside. The tournament itself had been a plan to give him the cover he needed to bring his master back, but he had to improvise when things went south."

Astoria shuddered. Lilith moved her hand to the golden bands on her wrist; Harry had come to associate that with her being nervous.

"Dumbledore said that Voldemort used him as part of a resurrection ritual. Fudge doesn't believe him. He says that Dumbledore has no witnesses and that he's just trying to stir up trouble so he can look like a hero again, after all the bad publicity that Hogwarts has gone through over the past few months."

"Is it true, though?" Harry asked, his throat closing.

"According to Sirius and Remus, yes." Daphne said gravely. "He's not very powerful right now, and a lot of his followers are scattered – not many showed up to his return in person. However, given time – any respectable amount of time – and he'll return to his original strength. The only thing he'd need now with Britain in turmoil would be a weapon he didn't have last time.

"Such as the wand of his supposed greatest enemy." Graham decided. "The old meddler may be one of the greatest wizards alive – supposedly – but he's an old geezer now. Voldemort's a corpse that's potentially capable of much more then that. He'll probably loose if he turns up again."

"Well, what if he can't get the Hallows?" Astoria suggested. "I mean, Britain's a mess, most of his followers are scattered or dead, if he can't get the Hallows, how bad can he be?"

"What do you suggest?" Lilith asked quietly. "Sneak back into Britain and snatch the Hallows?"

"I have to get them somehow." Harry decided. "If I am meant to be the Master of Death or something like that, I can't leave those objects idle. Let me figure out a gameplan that can get us in and out, and back here, without drawing too much attention to ourselves."

End Chapter

Yeah, it won't be that easy this time. I'm sorry its short, but I've been having a hard time at school including slipping grades and that stole priority. Again, sorry, but I promise I haven't abandoned this story. There will be more.

Read and Review please!

10. Chapter 10

Finding a Place to Call Home

Wanda: Whew! It took me a while to work this chapter out and I'm not sure why, but its finally here and I'm sorry I kept you guys waiting! I promise I know what I'm doing. The problem in this story I realized is Voldemort. I mean, after a while it becomes increasingly difficult to find creative ways to off the bastard, and he's such a big part of the story he's impossible to ignore to pass off to someone else as I found out when I was trying to write this part. I finally came up with something, so here's the start of it.

Chapter 10: Run Down

Harry, Astoria, Graham, Lilith and Daphne stepped out into the Britain station and looked around. It took a few seconds for the sights they saw to register, and another few seconds for them to sink in. For a second, the lot wondered if they had taken the wrong portkey, but a few sights made it clear that this was the alley they had wandered in and out of for the better part of their young lives.

Harry sucked in a shocked breath, Graham grimaced, Daphne gasped, and Astoria made no attempt to hide her disbelief.

"What happened?" She said, stupefied. She waved vaguely in the direction of the streets, which had people bustling in and out, mostly out, grabbing things and looking around as though they expected to be set upon by Demetors.

"Wizarding Britain's oversea reputation has taken a big hit over the last few months." Graham responded, looking around.

"I know that!" Astoria exclaimed, stepping out into the streets. "But...all this? We haven't been away for that long, have we? How could this have all happened...so quickly?"

Harry followed after her mostly on instinct, he was still looking around and trying to reconcile the sights with the last time he remembered seeing this place. It was difficult; Diagon Alley was now a ghost town. Most of the shops were closed, the tone of the atmosphere was harried and mistrustful, and it looked as though it were on its last legs.

"Some of the trade partners might have decided to pull their support. Their less savoury laws came to light during Sirius's trial. Word and gossip spreads now that people are looking with a critical eye." Graham said with a matter of fact shrug, being the first to recover from the sight.

"What most of the people who think they ran the world didn't realize was that not everyone was just going to accept this, especially if they realized that there were places that didn't. The muggleborns knew by now that they weren't wanted, so if there were better places to be...why stay?" He added, nodding towards the closed shops.

Lilith nodded. "People do not bear the weathering of the world the way the earth does," She said. "It was foolish of them to expect such. Borders would break down. People would move out. Their money looses its value. Things happen."

Graham looked unduly pleased that she agreed with him, and wandered back to a place not far from her left. If Lilith was aware of his desire for her approval, she hadn't seemed to register it yet. Harry had suspected as much if her only steady human companion before this had been her father and other family members.

"I know...but this..." Astoria gestured vaguely with her hands. "I never imagined it would happen this quickly."

"Neither did I," Daphne admitted. She looked almost wistful as she took in the devastation of the streets. Harry realized that this was the only world she had known before this. Despite the flaws it had possessed, he felt sympathy for her – she had matured thinking that it was simply how things were meant to go. Saying goodbye to your former home couldn't be easy, even if it was the best thing to do.

Daphne acknowledged this, sighing and turning to stare up the main road where most people were headed. "I thought that it was just another scandal that would pass just as quickly as it came, but this is...permanent. The damage has been done."

"I guess I expected something," Harry said, "But not this fast, or this easily. I suppose I was used to this kind of environment, so I didn't expect people to question it much. There must have been a lot of people just waiting for an extra reason to leave...or they were already thinking about it and this was just the proverbial straw that broke the camels' back."

Diagon Alley was a shadow of its former self and a warning to the wizard sect of Britain of what was to come. Once a bustling, full of life corner, it was now the outdated corner of every city that no one visited anymore. Like a goodbye to an older age, but one that was passing with less fanfare then earlier times.

The longer Harry looked about, the more it felt like an evacuation, an exodus, albeit one that the citizens were undertaking themselves. He could see a lot of families moving about, gathering provisions that wouldn't look out of place on a long trip. There were a lot of children that would have been in Hogwarts standing next to their parents, acting almost like lookouts.

That might not be entirely inaccurate conclusion, he realized, given Voldemort's return and the continued silence from the Ministry and the Order. For a country that had quasy-confirmed the return of a dangerous maniac, it looked as though certain people were trying very hard to pretend that nothing had changed.

A lot of familiar landmarks that Harry had seen when he first arrived in the Alley with Hagrid were closed, including the familiar shop. Harry had a brief feeling of sadness that the happy memory would now be mixed with these sights, but he remembered what the rest of the world was like and his heart was assured, if no less surprised.

The air was hot and tense like the silence before a storm. Lilith had told Harry that the emotions of wizards can be felt in their magic, and after a few days with the moon-cursed girl Harry started to see what she meant. He thought that this might be part of releasing Lilith's curse, and he kept that in the back of his mind.

"Good lord," Daphne whispered. "I wondered why father was talking to me about moving before the trial. I need to get outside more."

Daphne looked distinctly out of her element as she looked around. Harry didn't blame her for needing some time to take everything in. Her world had been roughly uprooted not long ago by the disappearance of her sister, then Dumbledore had gotten in hot water with the ICW, international opinions were turning against Britain, and finally the corrupt and unsafe school that nevertheless had functioned as a staple of her old life had been infiltrated and one of the students killed.

Older people had needed longer times to accept and process such things, and she had struggled to do it in half the time that most had taken.

Harry was just happy that Astoria's family had come back to their senses after he and Tori had run away. They had turned to the philosophy as a means of comfort and stability without really realizing the dangers of it. But now they knew. And they weren't going to be sucked down in this dredge along with the fanatical purebloods who were going to waste away in this devolving population.

He knew enough about history to recognize what had happened to this place and to see where this was going. Contrary to what a lot of purebloods thought, muggleborns and half bloods made up a significant portion of Britain's population.

Now a lot of them were leaving, having taken in the unjust laws of the pureblood-controlled Ministry and were fed up with the treatment they had received. And they were the people doing all the simple and menial work that the 'pure in blood' had deemed beneath them but was vital to the country functioning.

A glance over at Graham and Lilith told him that they recognized this too, though he had expected as much. Lilith was observing the damage with a look of utter dispassion while Graham looked somewhat amused and even a little satisfied.

"I think it's less a matter of going outside then it is a matter of circumstance and casualty coming to roost," Harry told Daphne. "People don't put up with being mistreated forever, Daphne. Eventually they'll get angry and leave. That's what they're doing now."

"Well, not all of them are leaving," Astoria noted, glancing across the road. She just saw a couple of Gryffindors who had been a part of the bullying campaign against Harry disappearing into one of the remaining stores. "The ones who were a part of the system don't understand why its breaking down, so they're staying."

Graham snorted in contempt, before looking around to see if he could get any recent news that might help them while they were stopping here.

Daphne frowned. "Of course they would...they still don't see why what they were doing was wrong, even when its staring them in the face. Just like Parkinson and Malfoy and their cronies."

"That's what's so simple about these sort of people." Harry said with a certain amount of satisfaction. "They're so twisted and petty that they burn themselves out and destroy each other. Give them enough rope, and they hang themselves."

"If you're referring to the imbreeding and driving away all their international allies, I know exactly which rope you mean Harry," Daphne said. Then she added with a sigh, "I can't believe why I ever thought it was a good idea to be a part of that. That this was how life was supposed to be like for the noble people."

Astoria walked over to her sister and clasped her hand in a small gesture of forgiveness. Daphne smiled gratefully at her.

"They were good at fooling people into thinking they were powerful," Lilith said, partially in answer to Daphne and partially in a tone of prediction. "And making themselves look powerful. But without people believing that or accepting that, they have no power."

At this, the silver haired girl touched her restraining shackles and looked skyward. She would know what real power was, especially in comparison to those who thought they possessed it but were mere posers and pompous ponces.

"They always...beget their own destruction. If there's any salvation for them, they throw it away with both hands. They've already done that." Lilith finished, nodding towards Harry. "Once their world has finally broken down, they'll realize that, and it'll be too late."

A few years ago, Harry would have shivered at Lilith's cold, calculated theory. But now, he could see only people who didn't deserve to be saved, people who mistreated him and anyone they thought was below them. Everyone else had read the writing on the wall and bolted to safety on their own power. The rest had made their choice...and now they could live with it.

Graham walked over to the nearest newspaper stand and grabbed the first issue.

Astoria frowned and looked in the direction of Gringotts, which was only a few blocks away. "It looks like the bank is still open," She said.

Graham hurried back over to the group and held out the paper. "Hogwarts is closed," He said. "I'm not surprised after Weasley's death, but it means the old man won't be there. I don't know where he goes when he's not at the school."

Harry huffed. "I don't know where he lives either."

"Father might know," Astoria said thoughtfully. "He worked with the Ministry, and he did some inspections of the school after the year with the basilisk."

"Let's go to Gringotts first," Daphne suggested. "If the Hallows are Harry's inheritance, they'd be the first person to know about it. The goblins might not like wizards much, but they hate liars and thieves much more. If we want help finding the Hallows, that would be a good place to start looking."

"Good idea." Harry said decisively, and the group put up their hoods and walked rapidly in the direction of the large goblin establishment.

At Gringotts

"Can I help you?"

"I have a question about my inheritance. I believe the cloak my father passed down to me once belonged to the Peverells." Harry began, but as it turned out he didn't need to explain much further – every goblin in earshot turned and looked at him.

"Show me," Griphook said firmly after a moment of silence. Harry glanced back at Astoria, who nodded. With a little reluctance, he pulled out the invisibility cloak which at one point in time had been his only link to his mother and father, who had died so long ago.

The goblin looked it over for a minute and ran his fingers over the edges. "...Indeed it is. Come. Only Mr. Potter, if you will," He said.

Astoria nodded in understanding, while Graham scowled his disapproval. Daphne put a hand on his shoulder. Harry glanced back at them before continuing after Griphook.

The cart whisked further down then Harry had ever been before. "I have a feeling that someone was trying to keep these from me," He started to say, but the other goblin, Greeva, raised a clawed hand.

"We understand your concern, Mr Potter, indeed I have a fairly good idea who you're referring to. But we're going to check the records to see if any deals have been violated before we can seize anything."

"Understood," Harry said politely. The cart pulled to a stop in front of a particularly old looking vault that had two trolls guarding it. Griphook took the lantern and the three walked into the vaults, the trolls grunting at probably the first living beings they had seen in a while.

"This is the Peverell vault." Griphook explained as Harry stepped inside. It looked different from the vault his parents had left for him – there was gold and silver, of course, but it was also filled with old artifacts, picture frames, and three boxes at the very end of the vault.

"We confirmed in your father's time that the Potter family is descended from the Peverells," Greeva said in a low voice as Griphook walked towards the boxes. "The Will of Peverell was created by the youngest, Ignoitus, in order so that the Hallows would never be united by the wrong person."

"Do you know exactly what would happen if the Hallows were united?" Harry asked curiously.

Greeva smiled just a bit, his goblin constitution making it look more like a frightening snarl. "I wouldn't know, Mr Potter. No one has dared do so since the time of the Peverells."

That didn't give Harry good feelings about the 'Master of Death' title.

"The Wand isn't here." Griphook reported. He had turned around and his voice was that of grave seriousness. "Neither is the ring."

"What?" Greeva demanded, walking over. Griphook handed him the boxes. Greeva snarled something in the goblin tongue that Harry was willing to bet shouldn't be heard by first graders.

"Mr. Potter, I'm afraid we're going to need you to do an inheritance test." The goblin stated angrily.

Harry started. "Right now? What's the problem?"

"Two people have breached the sacred contract involving the Peverell's greatest artifacts." Greeva responded testily. "We'll need to activate the failsafe to recall them, but for that we need a living heir to the Peverell family."

"...which is me." Harry said with dawning understanding. "Right. But I thought-"

"It's simply confirmation, Mr Potter." Griphook interupted, as though he had read Harry's mind. "To root out potential thieves and leave no loopholes. The goblins do not appreciate either, though that hasn't stopped the wizards from attempting it."

There was a dangerous glint in his eye, and Harry bowed his head. "Understood."

The Gaunt Shack

Dumbledore felt very weary by the time he had worked past the last of the traps Riddle had lain on the shack where his family had once lived. Now, complicated spells were nothing too strenuous for him. It was everything else.

Despite his increasing attempts to hold everything together, the world he had sworn to maintain was falling apart at the seams! They had had more wizards emigrate from their lands then any point before, even during the last war. Dumbledore didn't understand it. Even last time, people stayed and fought. Why were they leaving now?

Harry...even Harry, who he thought had every reason to stay and fight, had chosen to up and leave and hadn't been seen despite his best attempts to track the boy down. Then Granger had left the school, and the muggleborns in the Ministry had almost simultaneously quit their jobs in the following of Sirius Black's international trail. And this was all with his own impending case of obstruction of justice hanging over his head!

Dumbledore sighed and drew the Elder Wand. At least, even if he was the only one (in his mind) who cared about the future of wizardkind, and the defeat of Voldemort, he still knew the whole story (or so he thought) of the Hallows and what they meant. Riddle thought he understood it – it was why the stone was part of his ensemble.

Albus uncovered the box and opened it. There it was, the ring with the stone on it. The Elder Wand in one hand, Albus reached out for it -

Suddenly, the ring shimmered, and then broke with a mighty crack. Stunned, Albus turned it over. The stone had ripped itself clean off the horcrux and vanished into thin air.

Frantically, Albus looked around, before realizing he was no longer holding the Elder Wand.

With Harry

"So..." Daphne said slowly, looking at the table. "These are the Hallows."

Harry nodded. The items in question were spread across the table, the kids surrounding them. After the two Hallows had been recalled, they had doubled back to Japan through a portkey network set up by Sirius – it had been dangerous enough to stay in Britian for as long as they had. Harry had organized the Hallows and rather looked as though he expected the roof to come down.

But so far, the mysterious items had been quiet.

"I admit, I was expecting a bit more..." Graham trailed off as though searching for a word.

"Fanfare?" Harry suggested. "Maybe an explosion, where it blows up in my face and puts the mark of death on me, or something like that?"

Graham looked incredulously at him and said, "Muggle fantasy movies are only right half the time, Harry. I merely expected some sort of reaction."

"..." Lilith was looking at the table as though seeing something else.

"Maybe there's some sort of ritual we're supposed to do?" Astoria wondered.

"He's ready," Lilith said.

"What?" Harry asked. "Whoa!"

Suddenly, a pulse of magic rushed through the room, nearly knocking Harry off his feet.

Stars spun in front of his eyes, seasons whirled around him, time lost its meaning, and when he came back to himself he was standing on the edge of a beach in a dark night. He looked around, and the first person he saw was Lilith, glowing like the moon, standing next to him. But before he could ask her what had happened, a new voice broke the silence.

"Are you my master?"

Harry turned to see a young girl standing in the water...or more correctly, on top of the water. She had long mass of black hair hanging down her back, her clothes were all black and torn as though she had been in a vicious fight. Her eyes were red and burning, and Harry's entire being flooded with fear and astonishment.

He was meeting Death.

End Chapter

I...was honestly expecting Harry to meet Death in canon. I mean, with all the buildup for the Hallows I expected them to be the Reaper's calling cards, which would drag Voldemort off to the underworld or something. Instead, what kills Voldemort is random wand rules.

Read and Review please!

11. Chapter 11

Finding a Place to Call Home

Wanda: And I'm back again! and...yeah, that took forever and day...(ducks a barrage of curses). Okay, I'm really sorry about the scheduled slip. A lot of things have changed for me over the past few months, and it proved difficult to deal with. I'm not officially diagnosed with depression, but it's pretty clear that's the source of the kinds of problems I'm having now. Also, high school really sucks. As in, movies-about-highschool levels of suck. I haven't really been able to write for a while thanks to it. But I've been feeling better the last few days, so I was able to write this. Apologies, that it took this long, but...here you all go! I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter 11: Angelic Shadows

"Are you my master?"

Harry stared blankly at Death for a long time after she said this. His mind reeled and simply refused to compute with what he was seeing. The feeling of fear and reverence was strong and thudded in his chest like a drum. Almost in a trance, he walked towards the water and stopped when it washed up against his feet. It was like plunging into a freezer.

"Don't come in." Death said softly. Her red eyes pierced him and sent shivers down his spine. "Only the dead stay here."

Hastily, the boy backed up. He stared down into the water. Faces flashed past inside it, of people asleep or afraid appearing and disappearing between the ripples of the waves.

"I...I guess. Are you..."

Harry groped for words, wondering how to address the entity before him. "W-What should I call you?" He asked eventually.

Death tilted her head slightly, her messy hair shifting and falling in front of her face. She looked a little surprised at the question, but also...pleased. "I've had many names over the years...though your ancestor referred to me by one of my older ones. You can call me Hela."

"Hela." Harry repeated softly. "I...well, I have the three Hallows, but I don't think I'm anyone's master."

"I answer to the one who has all three." Hela responded. "No one has succeeded in bringing all three together since your ancestor. Many have tried...but I managed to prevent it. Time and time again."

"Prevent it?" Harry murmured, half to himself, staring back at Hela.

Hela stepped out of the water and onto the beach. Lilith walked up beside Harry – he'd nearly forgotten she was there – watching Hela. There was a spark in her eyes Harry hadn't seen before.

"Yes. Ill health, sudden falls, unlucky encounters...strange things conspire when you try to cheat someone who holds your life in her hand." Hela said quietly.

"...But why did I get them?" Harry asked in bewilderment. "Why let me?"

"Because you were meant to have them." Hela responded. "After your ancestor befriended me on his last days, it was decreed that the most worthy of his descendants would have me as a guardian until the end of his days."

A guardian...? Harry wondered, his mind wandering back to old stories he used to hear about guardian angels who took care of people who were depressed or in hard times. His was the Grim Reaper?

"You would save and change the world in ways you already have and still will. Your destiny is a bright and shining candle in the dark." Hela said.

"...I don't understand." Harry stammered. "You're talking about me...? But why me? I mean, I managed to defeat Voldemort before...but I was just getting lucky mostly!"

"True enough." Hela responded bluntly. "I had to watch over you closely up until now. I protected your life when those oafish relatives tried to snuff it out..." She shook her head. "The number of times I had to intervene was enough to disgust even my Reapers."

"Uncle Vernon would have killed me?" Harry asked, shocked.

"Yes, though in truth, it was your aunt who put your life in danger the most." Hela replied, eyes narrowing and starting to glow ominously. "She worked you to death more then once. I had to stand over your bed night and day to sustain you."

"I...I don't understand." Harry whispered. "I knew she hated me. She always did. But...but how could she hate me enough to want to kill me?"

"Every time she looked at you, she saw a life she thought was meant to be hers." Hela answered him. "It poisoned her, made her bitter and hateful. To the point where she has driven away the very family she sought out as a prize."

Harry thought back to his life at the Dursleys. There were times when he was very young when he thought he might die, shovelling the driveway in the freezing cold or having to walk through darkened alleys to get groceries.

"They have enough negative karma that the Morning Star has set up rooms for them." Hela said tonelessly. "They thought you deserved it...but they'll learn who deserves it soon enough."

Harry closed his eyes as he thought about that. He had been free of the Dursleys for several months now, and it was only in this time that he felt any sort of permanent escape from them. They would finally be punished for hurting him the way they had for so long...

"The last two men who tried have submerged themselves in darkness trying to escape me. But it will be for nought."

"Last...two...you mean Voldemort and Grindelwald." Harry realized. "But...didn't Voldemort do something to break his soul apart?"

"Yes." Hela said coldly. "Now he will have no afterlife to go to because of it. All I need is for you to say the word, and I can destroy his Horcruxes. Grindelwald will pass away soon...I ensured his defeat and drew out his life for as long as a wizard could. He sought powers that didn't belong to him...and now he can spend his last days powerless until his reckoning arrives."

"I...is it really that simple? I mean, I thought Dumbledore..."

Hela made the most human gesture Harry had seen so far. She pressed one hand against her forehead and gave him a look not unsimilar to Astoria's patented 'why-do-you-believe-that' look.

"Albus Dumbledore made an art form out of being an unwitting accomplice to people dying before their lives were fulfilled." Hela said angrily. "Ever since Tom Riddle entered his school. Don't speak to me about Albus Dumbledore, especially after the premature death of your mother."

"What?" Harry asked, eyes wide.

"Lily Evans-Potter was meant for much more then what he allowed her," Hela explained testily. "If he had bothered to tell her about the prophecy that he had known for over a year straight away instead of waiting for a week before Halloween, she would have been able to survive, raise you and do great things. Even telling her a single month before would have made all the difference in her choice of secret-keeper. Instead, her life was cut short long before its prime."

Harry's shoulders started shaking. "Wait...you mean I could have had a mother? All these years...I could have had..."

His vision blurred and became tinted with red. Lilith put a chilly hand on his shoulder. It wasn't as comforting as Astoria; the idea he could have lived with his loving mother, that she was meant to live a long life...and Dumbledore had taken that away from him because he thought 'he knew best'...

"Dumbledore's eventual fate will not be too different from that placed upon Grindelwald." Hela spoke again, sounding calm once more. It was as if she had read his mind.

"Is that all?" Harry asked bitterly.

"That would be enough for me," Lilith said softly. "The one thing I feared the most would be that I would spend my last days locked up and alone...like my grandmother..."

Harry calmed down and took Lilith's hand in a way he hoped was reassuring.

"I cannot cut him short just yet because of the upheaval it would cause. People are too used to depending on him, but that has begun to change. Not to long from now, he will melt into obscurity and spend his last days alone."

Harry let out his breath. "I see." He said. Glancing over at Lilith, he asked, "Speaking of futures, I was told that I'd be the one to wash away the curse the Moon put on Lilith's family. How?"

Hela looked between him and Lilith before saying, "You'll have to go back to the beach where Julian Moon was slain by his own kin. When you arrive there, you'll understand."

"Okay." Harry looked over at Lilith. "As soon as we deal with Voldemort, we're getting on the first train towards your birthplace. I promise."

Lilith smiled hesitantly. It changed her entire face, making her look younger and radiant.

Returning his attention to Hela, Harry asked, "How should we deal with the Horcruxes?"

Hela spread her arms and said, "You are my master, Harry Potter. Give me a command, and it shall be done."

"Okay..." Harry said nervously. "Can you – erm, I command you to destroy the soul containers of Tom Marvalo Riddle and remove him from the mortal plain, so he may never torment another living soul again."

Hela bowed. "As you wish," She whispered before the beach blurred and disappeared.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&&%

Harry reappeared in same room he had been standing in before. Astoria and Daphne gasped in tandem before falling to their knees, while Graham remained standing but watched with wide eyes. Harry looked to his right and saw Hela standing there in her full glory. She looked among his friends, an oddly satisfied expression on his face, before she pulled up a black hood and vanished into shadows.

"That...that...Harry..." Astoria stammered out as Harry reached down and pulled her to her feet.

Harry kissed her on the forehead and said, "It's okay, Tori. Hela isn't going to hurt any of us."

"You really are the master of death..." Daphne whispered.

"Where's she going?" Graham asked curiously, still staring at the spot where Hela had disappeared.

"To deal with Tom Riddle." Harry responded with a smile. "We, on the other hand, are headed out to find the first boat to Denmark."

"Why Denmark?" Graham asked, baffled.

"Because there's a beach we need to go to." Harry responded, turning back towards Lilith. The white-haired girl clasped her hands together and returned the smile just like she had at the crossroads. For the first time, she saw Graham's eyes widen at her expression, and she smiled at him.

Astoria's eyes widened, and she beamed at the three of them. "Harry! Have you figured out how to lift Lilith's curse?"

"As a matter of fact...sort of." Harry responded sheepishly. "Hela told me I needed to go to the beach where the Moon Spirit first cursed the Moon family."

"There's a specific spot, but I know where it is." Lilith added. "I also have a feeling we need to go at night when the moon is full."

"Good thing full moon's in a few days then!" Harry said cheerfully. "Let's get going, everyone."

Daphne nodded. "I think my father knows some of the international travel agents. If we can't find a quick boat, we might be able to portkey. I'll owl him."

"Right. Let's get going." Harry said determinedly.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

Albus Dumbledore had been pacing around the ring, wondering how the stone could have possibly disappeared, when his office suddenly went dark. Quickly drawing his wand, expecting an attack when he came face to face with the phantom.

A young woman, hidden mostly in a pitch black cloak, held one hand out over the ring. Before Albus's stunned eyes, it crumbled into dust, a shrill scream emitting from it. A shade appeared in the air for a moment before the girl's pale hand grabbed it, setting it ablaze. Another moment and all was silent again.

Dumbledore couldn't explain it, but this girl terrified him down to his very bones. He opened his mouth to form a question when the girl pointed a finger at him. Immediately his tongue stilled as though it had stuck to the roof of his mouth.

"Keep your forked tongue between your teeth, snake." The girl snarled. "Your meddling has caused more damage and despair then you could possibly imagine. If your untimely death wouldn't cause much more, I would kill you now."

Dumbledore immediately tried for justification, but his mouth wouldn't obey him. The fact that this girl wouldn't have welcomed his council in any year didn't seem to occur to the old man.

The girl regarded him coldly for a moment before saying, "You were the one who struck down your sister. If you never intended to do such a thing again, you have failed utterly. By your hand, many others have died before their time just like her."

With those words, she was gone.

%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&%&

Voldemort was sitting at the head chair in Malfoy Manor, a number of his worst death eaters surrounding him. The self-proclaimed most dangerous wizard in the 20th century had been experiencing terrible period pain over the past few hours, and only he knew what it meant – someone was systematically destroying his horcruxes.

He had been furious at first, throwing around Curcios at everyone who was supposed to keep his treasures safe. But as the last one other then Nagini vanished, he started to feel something he hadn't experienced since he first became a wraith.

He was afraid.

Wormtail had realized it; and tried to slowly sneak his way out, find someone else to protect him. He had gotten just past the Malfoy wards when Bellatrix noticed, and brought him back sobbing in pain.

Voldemort had nearly killed him for it, the only thing more humiliating then loosing his horcruxes would be if a man as worthless as Peter Pettigrew just walked away from his services.

Severus Snape was sitting between Lucius and Evan Rosier, wishing once again that he had chosen a different path in life. Dumbledore had told him to keep him informed on Voldemort's movements, but the man's only interests were pursuing the prophecy that had been made about him and Potter. His followers were given free reign as long as they were discreet, and there was nothing Snape could do about that.

The group of dark wizards were all seated at the long table, having eaten their fill, when a dark shadow filled the room. Voldemort felt a sudden icy pit in his stomach; what could have passed through the wards of the Malfoy family? And what in this world could cause him to feel dread?

When it faded, a young black cloaked girl was standing in the centre. She was hardly taller then Draco, but when her eyes swept around the room all levity vanished in an instant.

Lucius gasped while Narcissa fainted dead away. The girl's right hand was rotted and decayed, bone visible as she clutched the wooden shaft of a farmer's scythe. Her eyes glowed a dark red, and the stench of death lay heavy in the air. The atmosphere had grown as tense and grave as an old graveyard.

After a short pause, all the death eaters threw the killing curse at the girl driven by terror. The girl shook her head and waved her left hand, which while clean was paler then any living creature. The green lights diverted from their target and came to form a sphere in her hand.

With a flick of her fingers, every wand in the room turned to ash.

"I see you have eaten your fill." The girl spoke after a moment of stunned silence. "As you ever have. Eating the spirits and the lives of others."

She began to walk down the table towards Voldemort. Her footsteps rang in the silence following the attempted attacks; no one yet had the courage to interrupt her. Nagini hissed and shed away from her. "You have slaughtered and devoured others in a mad scramble for powers that were never meant to be yours." She continued. "You cut lives short in the name of your own power, and you think that you are invincible. Above all powers in the earths."

She came to a stop before Voldemort and regarded him for a moment with contemptuous eyes.

"You have fled from me for too long, Tom Riddle." She stated.

Voldemort's eyes widened, and Severus Snape was greeted by the sight of his supposed lord and master looking afraid. But the fear was fleeting; for whatever else he was Voldemort was ruled by his arrogance.

"Nagini!" He commanded. The snake horcrux shot forward, hissing. Voldemort had a moment to feel triumphant before the girl snorted and swung her scythe. With a flash, the massive snake's head rolled down the table and came to a stop at Draco Malfoy's plate. The boy immediately turned white and then green.

The girl straightened up and let the end of her scythe bang against the table. "The containers of your shredded soul are gone, Riddle."

"That is no longer my name!" Voldemort thundered, whether in false bravado or genuine arrogance Snape could not discern.

The girl's eyes narrowed. "The name you have chosen is an affront to me." A slight smile crossed her face. "Not to mention impossible. You should have taken council, Tom...for none can run from Death."

A wave of fear swept through Severus as he understood what was occurring. He and every death eater was staring Death in the face.

Hela turned towards the end of the table and fixed her eyes upon Bellatrix Lestrange. "Lestrange. You have lived as a mad dog unleashed upon those who couldn't hope to fight you. Now you can die like one."

With a wave of her hand, Bellatrix twisted and shuddered and began howling. Severus watched in awe as the vicious woman transformed into a dog, barking and howling and foaming from the mouth. "You will cry for the mercy you never gave anyone before when you face your death at the hands of muggles." Hela declared. "But you will receive what you have sown."

The dog howled one last time before vanishing, leaving drips of poisoned foam on the floor.

Hela turned to her right, where Wormtail was cowering in his seat. "Pettigrew. You threw your blood brother and his wife before my blade to escape my judgement. You cower behind murders and vermin to save your own skin, to gain things you never could have without them. You were always a rat."

She snapped her fingers. Wormtail twisted and transformed, unwillingly, into his animagus form. "And now everyone will see you for what you really are," Hela stated. Her lip curled into a slight smirk. "A dirty rat with the mind of a man. That is, if you don't get eaten within the day."

The rat squeaked and backed up. Severus stared into those eyes, eyes that still spoke of human intelligence, before being pulled back to the show when Hela's voice demanded attention again.

"Lucius Malfoy." Hela looked down with special contempt upon the cowering pureblood lord, who was looking as though he required a second set of pants. "You incurred a great wrath with the crime you attempted against the Weasely family." She said softly. "So your punishment shall be more severe."

She pointed her scythe at him. "You schemed and tortured and assisted in a planned genocide so your twisted legacy may last forever. But above all else, you nearly robbed Ginerva Weasely of her soul when you handed her that cursed diary. As I speak, you will become a pauper and a begger with no name, who will wander the streets for years and years as the very urchin you despised so. The Malfoy name will vanish from history, remembered by none but a few who will let it fade it nothing."

Lucius let out a horrible scream and attempted to strike Hela with his cane. This proved to be a grave error; when he touched her nearly all the flesh on his right arm rotted away, revealing blood and bone. There was a ripple and a fearsome flash, and the manor was gone. All that remained was the table and an empty plot of land. Lucius's fine robes turned into rags.

Narcissa, who had recovered from her first shock, stared at her husband for a moment. Hela turned her eyes to her, and clenched her free hand into a fist. Then her eyes bugged out, and she collapsed once more. Only this time, she wasn't going to get up.

As a now-beggar fled in shame and horror, leaving his wife's body, Hela turned her attention to the last Malfoy. Draco was sitting next to Narcissa, his eyes glazed over with shock.

"Draco Malfoy." She intoned. "You were born into a life of privilege, and you abused it terribly. You think that your heritage gives you superiority. But...you are also a child." She pointed her finger at him. Draco gasped and clutched at his chest. "Your magic is bound, Draco. You are now a muggle. Live well, and you may earn back what you once had."

Draco, following his mother's example, whitened when he heard his magic was gone. He promptly collapsed in a dead faint. Hela rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the table.

"Yaxley, Rookwood, Rosier...you are thugs who used your strength to assist a genocidal madman. You will spend the rest of your lives just barely clinging to it." Hela set upon them terrible ailments and withered bones; they would just survive long enough to make it to the hospital, where they would remain in limbo until their bodies finally gave out.

And so she continued, until all the death eaters were slain or irrelevant, their magic gone and their fangs ripped out. They would never harm another person, muggle or magical, again.

Finally, only Severus and Voldemort remained. Her scythe beginning to glow an eerie green light, darker even then the avada kedavera, Hela walked back across the table until she was standing in front of Tom Riddle, who for the first time in his life was looking utterly terrified.

"I'M NOT READY!" He shouted desperately as he tried to back away from the approaching spectre. "I'M NOT READY! I WANT MORE TIME! I NEED MORE TIME!"

"You have long forsaken any chance of redemption." Hela said coldly, raising her scythe. "You mutilated your soul in an attempt to hide from me. Now, you do not even have an afterlife to go to – you will be trapped in the sea of crossroads forever."

Hela swung the farmer's blade. The spectral weapon tore Tom Riddle in half; with one final scream he collapsed on the ground, where many rotten hands reached up and pulled him under. Hela watched, unmoved, as the spirit that caused so much destruction finally passed on from the living world.

There was a moment of silence. Severus sat unmoving in his chair, waiting as the Grim Reaper turned around and walked over to him. She stopped and looked down at him with a furrowed brow, tapping the end of her weapon against the the table.

"...You have mixed karma, Severus Snape." She spoke eventually.

"Aren't you going to do away with me?" Severus asked before he could stop himself.

"Do you wish that?" Hela asked mildly, examining him with glowing red eyes. "If you die as you are now, you will not be able to rejoin Lily Evans."

"Of course not." Severus said, the words choking him. "I never could. I was never worth her."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." Hela answered in a tone the potion's master swore was almost thoughtful. "... But you wish that you could."

"Always. Always." Severus responded fervently.

"..." Hela looked critically at him for a long moment. "Stand up, Severus Snape." He jumped to his feet immediately, heart hammering. Hela pointed to his right arm, the arm that held the dark mark.

"That is the thing that prevents you from reuniting with Lily Evans-Potter." She stated. "This is the mark that claims all the bad deeds you have done over your short and difficult life. However. You are free of your dark master and your evil father, and I say to you – if you begin to save lives instead of end them, that mark will begin to fade away. One day, if you have finally washed the stain off of your soul, that mark will disappear entirely. Lily Evans-Potter will come to you then, and bear you away to the next world."

"I..." Severus stammered, completely at loss for words. Hela regarded him for a moment longer before turning her back and stepping away.

"My master's order is complete." She said. "I shall see you again at the end of your time, Severus Snape."

With that, Death melted into the shadows, never to be seen by the man seeking redemption until many years later.

Little Whining, Surrey

Petunia stuffy continued to stack the plates from the dinner she had served for her bridge club. The silence in the house stood out to her more then ever now that neither Dudley nor Vernon was there with her. She had figured after a few days she would stop noticing, but it seemed to simply become more oppressive every day.

She wasn't sure what had happened that day. Oh, she was still riding the high of the sympathy she was getting – sympathy for having a brutish husband and a bratty child who didn't return the love that she had shown him over the years – but more and more she was beginning to wonder what she had actually seen that night.

The fact that her son and husband had both preformed magic – supposedly – had been the unwelcome intrusion of a world she had left behind her long ago when she cast her sister away. A world she had been forced to be a part of when her nephew landed on her doorstep, despite the fact it had never welcomed her.

The bitterness she had almost forgotten was now here to stay. To think she had married a magical man without realizing it...Petunia could hear Lily laughing at her. He had lied to her about being normal, when that was all she wanted in the entire world.

But what about what Dudley wanted? A small voice was nagging at her now. What about what Harry wanted? Doesn't that matter?

Petunia scraped angrily at a particularly greasy pan. No matter how many times she wondered this question at night, she would look at Harry and see the green eyes of the girl who had gotten everything someone could want while she got nothing. Lily had been beautiful, intelligent and magical, someone who everyone loved.

Petunia, meanwhile, had gotten nothing, despite being the eldest! Her parents had given Lily all their love, sparing none for her because she hadn't been the right kind of special.

She had thought she'd finally gotten over that when she left that cursed house...when she had met Vernon. He had made her feel special, and for once in her life she felt like she had gotten something better then Lily who's husband got her killed.

And now...this. Magic took everything from her.

I should have sent Lily's child away, she thought angrily, no matter what that old coot said. He brought magic into this house, and without him I'm sure I could have gotten what I always wanted.

Petunia let the water drain and placed the last dish in the sink. She turned around and screamed.

A black-clad girl with rotting skin and a farmer's scythe had appeared in her kitchen. The temperature seemed to have dropped twenty degrees and there was a malevolent glow in her eyes. Petunia stumbled back against the counter, jamming her hip, staring in fear at the new arrival.

Petunia, who in childhood had always adored fairy tales, thought that the girl here looked just like the evil fairies she had dreamed of long ago.

"Petunia Evans." The girl stated. Her voice was frigid. "Come with me."

Without waiting, she turned and walked down into the hallway. Trembling, driven by fear and apprehension, Petunia followed her.

The girl walked slowly and came to a stop in front of the boot cupboard that had used to be Harry's sleeping room. Petunia looked between her and the door and choked.

Blood was pooling under the door, spilling out from the inside of the cupboard. It rushed up to the girl's shoes.

"Kinslaying is a very grave sin, Petunia Evans." The girl said coldly.

"How...how dare you accuse me of that..." Petunia whispered fiercely, her hands beginning to shake. "I have never killed..."

"If not for my presence," The girl cut across her, causing Petunia to flinch backwards, "You would have killed your own nephew. Worked him to death at the tender age of six."

Petunia gaped at her. The girl merely looked at the door. Petunia followed her eyes as the door opened. A howling bizzard was rolling by, even though it was March and the weather had begun to warm up. Harry, skinny and small and utterly dwarfed by the bags he was carrying, carefully set them down by the foyer and limped towards the cupboard.

Petunia's lips parted. She remembered this. She had forgotten several of Dudley's presents one Christmas, but she had been waiting for Vernon to finish at work so they could get the last one together. She had ordered Harry to pick up the ones she had mail-ordered.

Little Harry was frostbitten and crying silently. A thick trail of blood followed him from the door, and when Petunia got a closer look she realized a large piece of glass had torn straight through his old, shabby boots and pierced his foot. The boy stumbled into his cupboard and collapsed, breathing faintly.

After a few moments, Petunia saw a reflection of the girl standing in front of her appear at his bedside. She waved a hand, and the bloody glass slipped onto the ground. The bleeding stopped. The girl lightly touched Harry's face and disappeared.

The image faded. The girl turned back to face Petunia fully, eyes glowing a dark red. Low light illuminated part of her face, which was paler then snow and full of cold anger.

"What mother sends a child out into that kind of weather, with nothing but her brutish son's leftover clothes?" She asked coldly.

"That was not my fault!" Petunia cried. "Those were perfectly good boots! He just wasn't being careful, he never was!"

"Oh?" The girl responded, her eyes darkening further. "How about the time you sent him away to find a wrench when the car broke down on the wrong side of town? He never would have escaped the scrapyard if I hadn't intervened."

"I couldn't have known-"

"Yes you could have." The girl interrupted. "You never fed him well, never clothed him with anything other then your son's scraps, never showed him any love despite being of your blood."

"Lily never loved me, she was too special for someone like me." Petunia spat.

"YOU PUSHED HER AWAY!" The girl thundered suddenly, the entire house shaking with the force of her voice. Petunia shrank back against the wall, whimpering. "YOU CURSED HER BECAUSE YOU RESENTED THE FACT YOU DID NOT HAVE MAGIC! THE DIVIDE IN YOUR FAMILY, WHICH CAUSED MISERY AND GRIEF, WAS ENTIRELY BECAUSE OF YOUR SPITE!"

Petunia stammered wordlessly.

"And it wasn't enough that your sister died a hero's death for her son, though she was meant for more," The girl continued coldly, "You had to send her only child to join her for no reason other then your own petty grudge."

She swept her scythe over her shoulder. Petunia flinched. "You will not die," She stated, "Because you did not succeed in killing him. But everyone you meet shall forever know what a bitter, miserable and cruel woman you are." She pointed at Petunia, who shuddered as a silver line appeared on her forehead. "A woman who drove away her muggle husband and son out of paranoia."

Petunia's heart stopped cold.

"Goodbye, Petunia Evans." The girl said, turning away. "Bitterness was your weapon. Now that very bitterness shall be your prison."

And with those words, she disappeared.

End Chapter

(shrugs) Sorry Petunia, I just can't feel sorry for you after what a bitter hag you've been over the course of the books. Astoria gave you some comeuppance earlier, but now it has come full circle.

The reason Lucius Malfoy is in extra trouble over what he did to Ginny is because my headcannon is that the diary would have turned her soul into life energy for Riddle and basically consumed it, destroying her very identity. Since Hela takes her job seriously and is the one who makes sure that all souls reach the crossroads and pass on, she took that personally.

Next time, we deal with Lilith's curse and head for Australia again! Also, Tori writes a book on having a Reaper as a roommate.

12. Chapter 12

Finding a Place to Call Home

Wanda: Hello wonderful reviewers, it is with both happiness and sadness and all mixed emotions that I tell you that this story is being drawn close to it's finale. After this chapter, there will be a flash forward a few years to glimpse the destiny Hela was talking about last chapter and who has managed to get to a better place in their lives and those who have not. I'm so happy that you all stuck with me through this story and I hope you like some of my upcoming ideas as much as this one. I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 12: Peace

Astoria was standing out on the deck of the ship heading out for Denmark. The sun was hovering just below the horizon, casting a beautiful amber light across the sky. A soft breeze washed across her face, her hair blowing out behind her. Her hands rested on the railing as the ocean rushed past them.

It's beautiful out here, she mused. I love travelling with Harry and the others. But I wonder...if we were going to live with someone, where would we stay? Somewhere like this?

Her mind strayed to the moment back in the house where Harry had summoned Hela for the first time. The moment had been both exhilarating and frightening for her. The eyes where what she remembered – those glowing ruby eyes that spoke of thousands of years and more lives then Astoria could ever imagine.

Harry had told her about what Hela had told her. Does that mean she'll be protecting our entire family, or just him? She wondered. Who would have thought...I would have thought that death would be more frightening. But...apart from the shock of her appearance, I wasn't scared of her.

"We're getting closer," Lilith murmured. Astoria turned around in surprise; she hadn't heard the other girl come up behind her.

The blonde smiled at the other girl and said, "Are you nervous, Lilith?"

Lilith put a hand on her chest and muttered, "Yes. I always felt as though this would be something I could never escape. And now that there's a chance...it's too good to be true...I'm afraid I'm going to wake up from a dream now."

Astoria looked back towards the gleaming ocean. The two girls stood in companionable silence for a few minutes before Astoria spoke again.

"You ready to go to Australia after this?"

Lilith nodded and a ghost of a smile passed across her face. "Yes. I...I'll finally be free. It...It will be..." She placed a hand over her mouth and lowered her head, her hair falling across her face.

Astoria gently placed her hands on her shoulders; after a moment she pulled her into a hug. Lilith was trembling like a leaf, but there seemed to be a confidence to her frame that hadn't been there before.

Letting go, Astoria brushed stray strands of silver hair behind the other girl's ear. "Would you mind if I go inside? I'm going to talk to Harry."

Lilith nodded and Astoria turned away, walking towards the cabins. She smiled when she reached the door to find Graham hovering just inside the frame, watching Lilith with an apprehensive expression. He glanced up at her and scowled slightly, but a red tint coloured his cheeks when she said, "You know if you go out and talk to her, she'll probably strike up a conversation."

She took a few steps down the hall to give the illusion that she was leaving, and a quick glance over her shoulder made her giggle with delight. Graham had left the door and was slowly walking across the dock.

Turning back towards the hallway, Astoria briskly skipped down the hallway and entered Harry's room. The boy was lying down on his bed staring at the ceiling, twirling a seashell between his fingers.

"Hey," Astoria said with a smile as she sat down on the edge.

Harry tilted his head to the right. "Are we almost there?" He asked sleepily.

"Yeah." Astoria said. She reached out and placed her hand on his chest; after a moment he clasped his hand over hers. "Are you thinking again?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Was it that obvious?" Astoria just looked down at him and smiled playfully. The boy who lived groaned theatrically and let his head drop against the pillow. "I can't tell a lie to save my life, can I?"

"No," Astoria giggled. "And you know what people say – you can't lie to someone that you love."

"Wouldn't that be nice," Harry grunted. "If I had known that, I would have known about Dumbledore from the start."

Astoria shook her head and stroked her boyfriend's hair. "You don't ever have to see him again." She said softly. "What you went through is over forever, I promise."

"I know you mean it," Harry said lightly. "I guess I was just bored and my mind wandered off."

"Where's Hela?" Astoria asked, glancing around the room as though she expected to see the bloody, childlike spectre napping peacefully on the rocking chair. The grim reaper had often appeared at random during the day, standing motionless in the shadows while watching Harry interact with the living world.

"At the crossroads," Harry said thoughtfully, tossing the shell in the air and catching it. "It's where she watches over the souls as they move on."

"...That's where Voldemort is now, right?"

"Yeah. He'll never haunt anyone else ever again."

"Good."

"...I guess I'm just wondering what happens now."

"What do you mean?"

Harry sat up at this, leaning back against the headboard. "Well...before all this," He pointed between her and himself, causing her to smile again. "My entire life was a long string of misfortune. The only thing that mattered was escaping the Dursleys...and then putting an end to Voldemort so he couldn't hurt me or anyone else anymore. But now, now that's all gone...and I'm..." His brow furrowed. "Well, I'm not entirely sure what to do with myself."

Astoria looked at him in silence for a few moments. "How about...anything?"

Harry laughed. "I should have expected you to say something like that." He remarked. "I'm so glad I got to be with you."

"So am I," Astoria said softly.

She slipped onto the bed and curled up next to him, resting her head against his chest. Harry put an arm around her shoulder and the two caught a few hours of rest before the boat arrived late in at night.

Harry stepped out onto the beach, the sand soft between his toes. He had taken off his shoes; he wasn't sure exactly why but he felt like it was a good idea. Hela had said to him that he would know what to do when he got onto the beach.

Astoria, Daphne and Graham both remained behind at the bridge while he and Lilith stopped near the water. It was dark, since it was nearly midnight. The beach was dark, but the beautiful silver light coming from the moon and the stars kept the beaches from being completely dark.

"It's beautiful," Harry murmured.

"Not everyone thought so," A beautiful soft voice reached his ears from behind him.

Harry turned around to see a shimmering girl in a golden dress. She had silver hair not unlike Lilith's. Her eyes were also silver, but gleaming diamond like tears slid down her cheeks. She was tall and willowy, inhumanely beautiful. The only thing that was wrong was her utterly heartbroken expression, the sadness mixed with anger that Harry remembered experiencing after his name had been called out for the tournament.

"You...you must be the moon." He whispered.

Lilith bowed deeply before the spirit. Harry remained standing, but he lowered his head.

"Why?" The moon whispered. "Why him? Why?"

"I'm sorry," Lilith whispered, her voice shaking slightly.

"Kaius was a twisted man," Harry agreed.

"Is that supposed to change anything?" The moon asked bitterly, turning her head away. She clenched her fists, diamond tears flowing faster. "he's still gone where I can never follow. And for what?"

Silence was held between the three for a painful moment. Harry half expected the weeping spectre to attack him and Lilith but she just stood there, lost in her own sorrow.

"...Kaius was a terrible man, but Lilith is innocent." Harry said softly. "Would you punish her for something Kauis did years ago? Will this make you feel any better?"

The Moon was silent for a moment. "...You sound like Kathryn." She said eventually. "Tell me, Harry... could you ever forgive someone who took the one you loved more then anything away from you?"

Harry, for a moment, was unsure of how to answer. Astoria had become a beacon of light for him, and the idea of loosing her to someone's selfish whim made his heart become cold as ice in his chest. He wondered, for a moment, if he could have lost her because of Dumbledore's schemes to defeat Voldemort. He wondered in that moment how he would have felt about the Order of the Phoenix. What would he have done? What would have been right? How did he feel about those who had supported Dumbledore because they believed him to be right?

The Moon was looking closely at him now. Harry felt as though she could see all of his thoughts.

At last, the answer rose inside him "I wouldn't forgive the one responsible," He responded slowly, "But I couldn't hate the ones who's only crime was their proximity to him. People can't choose who their family is, or who they care about."

"..."

"I am the Master of the hallows," Harry continued, shivering slightly as the weight of that title settled upon him once again. "I don't know if its possible for Julian to join you permanently."

The Moon's gaze intensified, a myriad of emotions the younger boy couldn't identify skating across her flickering face. "But...I think Hela might be able to arrange something if you can find it in your heart to revoke your curse."

Another long silence. The Moon looked between Harry and Lilith before quietly walking towards the latter. Lilith froze, standing straight up and staring as the higher spirit took her wrists in her cool hands.

"...I spoke a long time ago that my curse would lift if the wronged ones wanted to rescue your family," The Moom murmured. "...And so it has come to pass. My mark may be on your soul, but the burden of the sky shall torment you no longer."

Lilith's golden shackles came unclasped and dropped to the beach. Warmth spread through the girl's normally cold skin. Harry smiled. The Moon glanced back at him one more time before disappearing, flashes of light streaking up back to the silver disk that hovered above them.

The only sign she had been there at all were the twinkling diamonds in the sand where her tears had fallen.

Lilith stared at her hands as though she was seeing them for the first time. A tear slipped down her cheek, then another, and then she wept with joy while Harry stood by her as support and their friends rushed down the hill to greet them.

Freedom at last, how strange it was.

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Sirius was telling Jane, Beverly, Richard Moon and Daniel Greengrass stories of the Maurader's exploits in past years when the owl came. Remus, not wanting to break up the roaring laughter of the room, opened the window and took the letter. The owl, looking rather windblown from a long journey, hopped down and drank from a bowl while the werewolf examined the letter.

"It's from the kids," He said from the kitchen.

Those were magic words. Sirius, Jane and Daniel all immediately crowded into the kitchen to see what their children had been up to last.

Dear Sirius,

We're all free.

Richard clasped a hand over his mouth, tears at the edges of his eyes. He understood immediately what that line meant; he had felt the burden lifting off his shoulders hours before but this confirmed that it was not simply wishful thinking.

Now that all this madness is behind us, we're finally heading for our last destination – Australia. How about meeting us there? Travelling is nice, but a permanent home would be too. And we'd like a place where we can all enjoy our new lives together.

Sirius let out a whoop when Remus finished, causing the werewolf to roll his eyes affectionately. "Well, what are we standing around for?" The man thundered, bolting out of the kitchen towards the front door. "Let's go grab a train!"

End Chapter

Whew! My stories always seem to end up longer then I was expecting originally. Would you believe me if I said this was originally intended to be a fluffy oneshot not necessarily meant to be taken seriously? I really have to do something about letting all my ideas explode in my mind.

Read and Review please!

13. Chapter 13

Finding a Place to Call Home

Wanda: And another story comes to a close! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited and enjoyed this story so much. I had a great time writing it and I loved all the feedback I got and the fact that so many of you liked it. I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter Twelve: Free

Twelve Years Later

"Does anyone have any questions?"

The Australian government liason and Albus Dumbledore, who now looked aged beyond his many years, were standing in the waiting lobby while a tour group filled with precocious children bombarded their guide with questions about the history of the magical world.

"I told you he'd be busy," The young agent said irritably. He didn't want to be the one saddled with the latest attempt of a corrupt society's attempts to rejoin the world at large, but the job had fallen into his lap when his two friends (the traitors) had suddenly called in sick. "Do you magical Brits have something against making appointments."

"I'm very sorry about the abruptness," Dumbledore answered in a way that was meant to be serene, but came out sounding tired. "But I'm afraid I'm short on time and opportunity."

The young man raised his eyes to the ceiling. The best attempt of Dolores Umbridge's reign over the British Ministry of Magic to convince countries to remove their embargo on her country was to trot out a disgraced has-been wizard who had served criminal time to use his former reputation to their advantage.

He straightened up when a young man with black hair, a laughing blonde and three adorable children scurried into the room. The young man pulled up short when he saw Dumbledore, blinking as though he had seen a ghost. The blonde tensed while their three children looked curious.

"Professor Dumbledore," The young man said neutrally, his green eyes flicking between them. He nodded in thanks to the agent, who smiled and left the room.

"Daddy? Is something the matter?" The youngest child asked, craning her neck to look up at him.

A smile quickly reappeared on his face. "Nothing, Lillian. Hey, I've got an appointment, how about you, Leah and Jace go and find Emily, Uncle Sirius and Teddy? I may be here a while."

The girl, Lillian, smiled once again, her concerns evaporating. "Okay!" She took the older girl's hand and all but dragged her out of the room, while the boy followed them looking exasperated.

Silence fell over the room for a moment after the door closed. The blonde woman was regarding the former headmaster with a fairly cold expression.

Dumbledore pulled out one of his infamous tranquil smile. "Ah, Harry...it's good to see you again after so many years."

"I'm not sure I feel the same," Harry Potter responded, staring emotionlessly at the other man. "I had been under the impression that our Prime Minister had already rejected your proposal."

"I had been hoping to speak to you." Dumbledore admitted, his eyes shifting away.

Harry snorted and shook his head. "You're asking the wrong person. I only work in social services." He stated. "I'm not that important and I trust our premier's decisions."

"I can't believe it," Astoria Potter nee Greengrass said disbelievingly. When Dumbledore glanced at her and balked, she crossed her arms. "All these years, and you're still expecting Harry to do things for you?"

"Tori," Harry murmured, but the blonde put a hand on his arm and looked seriously at him.

"Harry, let me handle him." She whispered. Turning her attention back towards the old man, she snapped out, "I can't believe you still haven't let this go. Everything that you meant for Harry to be has no purpose now. You always meant for him to be your martyr and accept whatever you believed to be right as what the world needed to do, and even now that your world as you knew it no longer exists you still haven't changed. How did you go from being a highly respected man to this?"

"My dear miss Greengrass-"

"Potter," Astoria interrupted. She clenched her fist, the golden band around her finger glinting. "I am his wife, and those were our children. Please, use my married name."

Dumbledore didn't look happy at this, but he conceded. "Miss Potter, everything I did was to make our world better. But after Harry left, everything fell to pieces."

Astoria stormed forward until she was nose to nose with her former headmaster.

"How dare you blame Harry for what happened after he finally escaped from his miserable past!" She shouted, green eyes blazing. "Your 'world' was already falling apart when you were trying to make him your pawn, and he had nothing to do with it! The purebloods made their bed, now they can lie in it. They drove away everyone they saw as lesser then them, and now they have no one to oppress and no one to use to build themselves up. That cesspool you call a society was doomed to failure from the very beginning because of that hubris."

Astoria's eyes narrowed into slits, as the speech she had been saving for years came out in full. "You made such terrible, almost evil decisions and refused to let anyone question them. You didn't see anything wrong with the way you treated Harry, from forcing him to live with those evil non magical people to letting people treat him like a pariah."

Jerking her hand away from the old man's attempt to placate her, she went on, "You wanted to protect the world, but you didn't want it to change. You had the power to try but that was too much for you, wasn't it? You didn't really want things to be different, if it had mattered to you so many things would have been different – including the way the Ministry was run. But you were too nearsighted to let any of it happen. No, you were too busy giving out compassion in all the wrong places."

"You misunderstand me miss Potter," Dumbledore said, sounding pained. "I recognize I made mistakes back when you were my students. I came here today to make things right in our country."

Harry sighed, gently pulling his wife back towards him. "Sir, go look out the window."

Confused, the former headmaster walked over to one of the parliment building's large windows and looked outside.

The weather, as usual for the country, was spectacular – the sunlight was bright and beautiful against a clear blue sky and a grassy lawn. Playing out in the yard were Lillian, Leah and Jace, who were being chased everywhere with a young girl who looked like a female mirror of Sirius Black.

Sitting on a bench and clearly talking intently about something was a young boy, a grey haired boy and a silver haired girl. Graham was discussing new developments in mental magic with a deeply interested Teddy Lupin listening, because the breakthroughs made were giving more insight into the minds of magical creatures including werewolfs. Lilith Moon, soon to be Pritchard, was sitting in the light of day without a trace of fear, her skin tanned and healthy.

A few feet away, Sirius Black was entertaining a laughing Jane and Beverly with tales of his youth while an amused Remus and Richard were standing nearby, keeping an eye on the children.

"This is my home." Harry's voice sounded from behind Dumbledore, causing the old man to turn around.

The young man was regarding him with something between happiness and a flash of old anger. "Magic Britian was never my home," He said firmly. "I was always adrift there. I had no real anchour – my friends gave me up over what should have obviously been a lie, my aunt and uncle hated me and made it clear I didn't belong. I never belonged there."

He turned and smiled at Astoria. "If it wasn't for my dear Tori, I doubt that I would have survived." He remarked. "If the tournament hadn't killed me, the downward spiral I had been sent on upon realizing how truly alone I was probably would have."

Dumbledore stared at him. While the old man had meant for Harry to be fairly marginalized to prevent him from getting a big head – hence why he had sent him to live with the Dursleys – he hadn't realized how dearly the boy had taken being so alone.

"But my dear boy, I'm here to fix this."

"It's too late, Professor." Harry said. His brow furrowed. "But you're not a teacher anymore. Sorry, force of habit."

Dumbledore flinched.

"It's far too late for you to try and change what you did," Astoria said angrily. "You abandoned Sirius, you abandoned Harry and let horrible things happen to him, and you could have done so much more to help people but you refused to."

"And even if I decided to say yes, there's nothing I can really do to help Britian." Harry remarked. "Voldemort is a fading memory. He died in ingomity, never to haunt anyone ever again. People may still know me as the boy who lived, but only in passing – now I am known for Disaster Rescue and Repair. I doubt my appearance would make the purebloods feel any different."

"This was always going to happen," Astoria added. "Even back when I was young, I knew that the society the purebloods vaunt as perfect was going to fall to pieces. I could see the cracks in it...I have a hard time understanding why you didn't."

She glared at Dumbledore.

"Besides, didn't you consider that Harry and I might have our own lives to live now? We have children, jobs and people to look after. Did you really expect Harry to just up and abandon that to try and fulfil your idea of a legacy?"

Harry nodded. "I couldn't leave my kids. Sirius definitely wouldn't want to go back and I know Leah would be heartbroken to live away from his daughter Emily. They're very close friends."

With his piece said, Harry walked over to a nearby table and levitated the briefcase he had left there before his tour. "It's time for you to move on, Dumbledore." He said quietly. "The world is a different place now. A different, better place. And none of us can go back."

With that, Harry left the room. Astoria shot Dumbledore one last venomous look before leaving too.

Dumbledore simply stood there, stock still with shock and despair. He stared out the window, where Harry was greeting Sirius and his children.

When he turned around, he was face to face with Hela. The girl said nothing to him this time. She merely regarded him coldly for a moment before swinging her scythe in a wide arc.

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"Hey dad, can we go to the Quiddich World Cup?" Jace asked as the group walked home. "I'd really like to see the Romanian Team head for their first international victory!"

"No," Emily dawled, "You just want to drool over their seeker. That Weasley chick."

Jace flushed immediately. "I do not. And her name's Ginny!"

Sirius laughed and ruffled Jace's blonde hair. "She's a bit old for you, kid, but you're headed in the right direction. Potter boys always love firecrackers!"

"You wouldn't have a chance anyhow," Emily chuckled as Jace sputtered indigently. "Rumor has it that lady Weasley bats for the other team."

"Really?" Harry said, looking at his godsibling in surprise. "Did you hear that from a tabloid?"

Emily wrinkled her nose. "C'mon uncle Harry, you know I have better taste them that. Nah, one of her teammates kissed her during a party. Their chaser, Amanda."

Astoria smiled, "Good for them," she said sincerely. Turning her attention to her son, she added, "To answer your question, of course Jace. I'll be sure to get us some good seats."

"Lovely!" Sirius said. "I was beginning to fear that me and Jane would have to go alone."

"What about Graham?" Harry asked.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Do you have to ask? You know he's not into that kind of stuff. No, he'll probably be taking Lilith to another amusement park."

"She really loves those rides." Astoria shivered when she recalled the run down Thunder Mountain at Disney World. "I still don't understand why."

"I'm not surprised." Harry remarked. "After being so repressed for a large chunk of her childhood something so wild and dangerous feeling is probably europhic for her."

Lillian squealed in delight when she caught sight of Daphne. The older blonde was waving at the doorstep, having finished her day job an hour earlier. She was Lillian's 'favourite aunt', as demonstrated when the youngest child bolted towards her. Leah yelled at her sister to wait up while hurrying after her, having caught the scent of freshly made cookies.

The rest of the family laughed as they ran to keep up. Right before they went into the house Harry stopped in front of the door with Astoria right behind him.

The blonde smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

Harry smiled and brushed his fingers against her cheek. "I'm so glad I met you," he whispered.

Astoria returned his smile before putting her arms around his neck. "I know," She whispered. "You, Harry Potter, are the best thing that ever happened to me."

The two kissed once more, this time on the lips, before heading inside to join their family. Standing at the end of the street, Hela smiled for the first time in centuries before turning and disappearing, not to be seen until many years later.

End