Pole Position
Written by Chibikan
Summary: Another Harry Leaves the Wizarding World story. And in this one, boy does he leave the wizarding world. Heck, he leaves Britain for America, where he soon after finds a world that he likes more than the wizarding world. Cars and Racing! As a successful racer, who'd expect that he'd ever return to England. But when his agent gets him in on the first ever International World Racing Championship Cup, he may just have to. After all, he wants that cup. What'll happen when his old friends and enemies find out he's back? Inspired by Cars, Set after fifth year, because that's where it fits best. BTW in the prologue, I will be redeeming Harry's uncle to the best of my ability, so he will be OOC. I thought since Harry was leaving for good, he should at least have the opportunity to tell his uncle what had been happening, if only to get it off his chest.
Prologue:
Harry celebrated his sixteenth birthday alone as usual. In Privet Drive, on July thirty-first, in his small bedroom, being ignored, as usual. He didn't care, honestly. He'd stopped caring about everything when Sirius had died. Why should he care? Why should he care about three people who despised him? Just because their family?
Why did he even stay? Because Dumbledore told him to? That was another thing. Why should he listen to Dumbledore? The balmy old codger had been keeping things from him since first year. Knowledge that could have prevented Sirius' death. Forget what the Ministry did, although they were also responsible for what happened. But if Dumbledore had only told him what he needed to know in the beginning, Sirius would not have been killed. He had come to the conclusion that Dumbledore didn't really care for him at all. Despite what the man said. It was what he was supposed to say.
And the Ministry. If the Minister had just listened to him at the end of fourth year, all of this may have been avoided. All of it. If the Minister had ordered Sirius to be given a trial when his parents were killed, Sirius would not have gone to Azkaban and would not have been on the run. Instead the Minister only did what benefited him. The Minister had terrible things written about him in the Daily Prophet. Had his name smeared through liters of mud. And then he'd had Umbridge come to Hogwarts and abuse her authority, not to mention HIM. Why should he care about the Ministry? Why should he care about the Wizarding World when there were only a handful of people that he actually liked in it? Why should he bother fighting for it's survival when there seemed to be hundreds of others willing to let it go to hell in a hand basket. They seemed to WANT it to be destroyed. They sure weren't doing anything to stop it. And yet they expected him, a SIXTEEN YEAR OLD to do it. To do what even Dumbledore, an ancient old wizard, couldn't do.
Harry shook his head. He was a fool. Well, he wasn't going to let them use him anymore. Inwardly he apologized to Ron, Hermione, Remus, and Ginny, and the other few that he would miss. He just couldn't stay apart of that anymore. He got up from his bed and went downstairs, where he saw his Uncle Vernon.
"Uncle Vernon," he started, getting the fat man's attention, "I need my trunk please." he said it as casually as he could.
Vernon smirked, the little freak seemed to honestly expect him to comply with that. "And let you do that freaky stuff here? Not on your life."
Harry returned the smirk, he was not going to back down. "What if I said I was leaving here, and getting out of your hair, for good?"
This intrigued his uncle clearly, "I'd ask what's the catch?"
Harry decided that, his uncle, however cruel he had always been, deserved to know why he was leaving. "I'm sick of the world I've been a part of for the last five years. I want to go far away from here. It's not right that they ask me to do what even a full-grown wizard can't do and is even too afraid to try, especially after what they did to me. I won't allow it to continue." He held up his scarred hand for his uncle to see. "This was done by one of my teachers."
Uncle Vernon read the words out loud, "I Must Not Tell Lies'? And what were you lying about exactly?" he didn't know why he was asking. But seeing the scars on his nephew made his blood boil for some reason. Oh, he never pretended to like the boy, but he was his nephew, family even if only by marriage and very reluctantly. He pictured what he'd do if some teacher, freak or normal, did that to his Dudders. No one, but no one hurt his family.
Harry sighed, "The man who killed my parents came back end of last year. I tried to warn them, but they didn't want to believe me. The Ministry took over our school and the woman that was appointed to fill the missing teacher position decided that anything I said must be a lie because I kept trying to warn them that the evil man was back. Because of it, my godfather died end of this year. My headmaster lied to me, since my first year. He allowed me to continually fight the man who had killed my parents. Allowed me to face a hell-hound for heaven's sake. But enough of my sad pathetic life story. The point is I need to get out, before they end up killing me too. And it's not right that they keep forcing you to take in someone you hate, year after year." he lowered his head at finishing that last thought. Although he said he didn't care that they hated him, he did. And it hurt to admit that they hated him. "And don't worry, I'll see to it that you're properly paid for it." Even though you never spent a quid more than you had to, he thought to himself.
Vernon said nothing, but sneered. He also was not a fool, although he might pretend to be. He knew quite well what the old freak had expected to happen by dumping the boy here. And things were now backfiring on the old man. And if it meant striking a blow against those freaks for ruining their previously normal lives, then he would indeed help his nephew escape. As he got the trunk out of the locked cupboard, he couldn't resist asking, "Where will you go, boy?"
The boy just shrugged, surprised that Vernon was suddenly so amiable. "Don't know. Out of England that's for sure. The man wants my world HERE. And if he wants it so badly, he can have it. I won't be a part of it anymore, it's not my business. Maybe I'll go overseas to the States."
"Then you'll need a ride to the airport." he stated simply.
Harry looked up, "Are you offering?" That was unexpected. It was good thing that he had already closed his account at Gringott's after he started thinking these thoughts prior to leaving school for the summer. With his vast funds, boosted by the money he'd claimed from the official family vaults and the money he'd inherited from Sirius, he had more than enough to start over in a whole other country.
"Well considering the airport's in London, you can't exactly walk there from here can you?" he wanted to add an insult but the boy was doing them a big favor by leaving after all. Better to get him out of there quickly before he changed his mind.
Without another word, Harry accepted his uncle's offer. He loaded his stuff into the boot and got in the back seat while Vernon got into the front and started up the car. The ride was quiet. This was it. He was getting out. Hedwig sat in her cage beside him, not making a sound.
At the London International Airport, Harry got out of the car with Hedwig and got his trunk out of the boot. "Well Uncle Vernon, thanks I guess, for putting up with me for the last fifteen years. And it might be a good idea to move. It's too dangerous at Privet Drive."
His obese uncle simply nodded and drove off. After he was gone, Harry let Hedwig out of her cage. "Find me in New York, girl." Surely there would be a flight to New York available. After all, according to the magazines he'd stolen glances at, New York was a pretty popular place. Hedwig took off and he went inside.
He was right, there was a flight to New York, leaving in just fifteen minutes. He was in luck, as he was getting the last seat available.
Two hours later (because flights are usually late) he was seated on the plane and waving down at his former home. He supposed he might come back someday, but he really didn't intend to. Let those Ministry fools screw themselves. Let the Wizarding World find another poster boy to rally around. He didn't care anymore.
AN: Another plot bunny that's been bothering me since last September when I went to Florida for vacation. Now I've finally put it to print. Tell me what you think, please, and if I should continue it. Oh, and what type of car should Harry drive? And what number?
