AUTHOR'S NOTES: So I was going through some of my old story notebooks from back when I used to handwrite my stories before typing them up. Some of them I junked, but this was one of the ones I deemed good.

STORY SUMMARY: After Vernon Dursley dumps Harry at the side of the road after Harry's 5th year, the teenager decides to take control of his own life. He finds his family, and learns some surprising secrets along the way.

HARRY POTTER: A Life Worth Living

The first thing that made Harry Potter nervous as he sat in the back seat of the Dursleys' car on the drive home from King's Cross Station after his 5th year at Hogwarts was the smug grin on his uncle's face.

It was the same look the portly man had worn just before Harry's 11th birthday, commenting on how wonderful Sunday was since there was no mail post on Sundays.

But Harry had a sneaking suspicion that this time, Vernon Dursley had a plan and it would not favor him at all.

The second thing that made Harry nervous was when Vernon headed off the main roads and headed down a very long stretch of dirt road. After a while, when Harry guessed that they were at least a good hour away from any town or village, his uncle sharply pulled off to the side of the road and threw the car in park, not even bothering to turn the engine off.

Harry's fears were confirmed as he watched his uncle pull the knapsack, trunk, and owl cage out of the trunk of the car and dump them on the ground before storming over to Harry's side of the car and barking, "Get out! Now!"

Not wanting to run the risk of setting of the man's temper any further, Harry complied, barely having time to slam the door closed before Vernon was back in the car, peeling off and sending gravel flying everywhere.

Setting the owl cage upright as he sat on the trunk and making sure that Hedwig was unhurt, Harry surveyed the surrounding area and estimated that he was at least an hour's walking distance from anyone's home. "Good, show, Vernon," Harry muttered, stroking Hedwig's feathery head through the bars of the cage. "You really thought this one out proper, didn't you?" The obvious—albeit, temporary—solution to the situation at hand, Harry deduced was to summon the Knight Bus and head back to Little Whinging and Number 4 Privet Drive.

But did Harry really want to go back to that? No, he decided, firmly. True, he was on his own right now and no one knew where he was, but… Harry straightened up as it dawned on him. He was on his own. No one knew where he was. He could do whatever he liked with his life now!

First, he needed to get to Gringotts Bank in Diagon Alley. Not only did he need to get some general funds, but he wanted to know if the wizarding bank held any other financial records for his family.

Pulling out his wand, Harry grinned as he saw the big, purple, triple-decker bus appear in front of him. Once he got to London, everything would change.

xxxxxxx

Step one of Harry's plan had been to get a full listing of his family's assets—since he was certain there were things Albus Dumbledore had withheld from him—but the rumbling of his stomach reminded Harry that he hadn't eaten in a while so he grabbed a quick bite at the Leaky Cauldron before arranging a room for a few days.

X

After a good night's sleep and a filling breakfast, Harry grabbed his money bag, vault key, and wand before heading out and through the hidden gateway into Diagon Alley.

Once inside Gringotts, Harry approached the first available goblin, a younger looking fellow with unusually long fingers and slightly floppy ears, and asked as pleasantly as possible, "I would like a full list of my family's assets, please."

The goblin studied Harry closely, along with the key the young man handed over, and headed towards a small room to the right of the lobby, beckoning Harry to follow him. "Last name, please," the goblin said, cordially, fitting the key into the lock of a file cabinet in the corner.

"Potter," Harry replied, watching in amazement as the goblin opened the cabinet revealing only a single, albeit filled, file folder.

"This contains a detailed account of all finances and properties owned or managed by the Potter family," the goblin explained, handing the file over to Harry. "Currently, only your school fund is acessable until you turn 16. However," he added with a smirk. "—you can appoint someone to manage and monitor your vaults which would transfer control of your assets from Albus Dumbledore to yourself."

"I definitely want to do that, then," Harry agreed, eagerly, nodding as he spoke. Out of curiosity, he asked, "Er… what's your name?"

The goblin looked embarrassed as he replied, "Skippy." At Harry's amused look, he added, "My father was actually a house elf. It's a long story, sir."

But Harry didn't press the issue. Instead, he smiled at his new account manager and offered, "How about if I just call you 'Skip'?"

Skip nodded, his ears flapping slightly. "That would be preferable, sir," he replied, smiling. "I will make the arrangements for the transfer immediately. "Please wait here for a moment."

Sitting at the small table, Harry looked at the list labeled 'Material Assets' which apparently included a multi-compartment trunk, wand holsters, a myriad of potions—including a special formula to assist with becoming an animagus—and even a few pieces of furniture.

Turning to the page listing his family's property holdings, Harry saw pictures of a studio flat in London, an ivy-covered manor in Ireland, an estate in New York in the United States, and a two level loft apartment in Canada.

Wondering where he should start, Harry was torn between the Irish manor and the flat in London. London would be the best choice to live as it was close to both Diagon Alley and King's Cross station. But he wanted to check out the manor first to see if it would be someplace he might want to move into later. Perhaps when he finally got married and started a family.

Once Skip had returned with the necessary paperwork, Harry signed as required and accepted a key ring with 7 different keys hanging from it.

"Would you like to see your vaults now?" Skip asked after filing the papers away.

"Yes, please," Harry replied, standing and following Skip to the carts. When they arrived at the first vault, Harry studied the door closely, looking for any sort of clue as to which key would unlock it. In the upper left corner of the door, he finally spotted a small hoofprint engraved into the wood. Looking down at his new set of keys, Harry found one with an identical mark. Opening the door, Harry found himself staring at what looked like a large storage room.

Walking inside, Harry found a bag hanging on a hook nearby and started grabbing some odds and ends he wanted to take with him including a few of the wand holsters, the animagus potions, a couple journals, and a very nice knife in a leather sheath.

Going over to the trunk in the corner, Harry found it to be the multi-compartment type with different locks depending on which chamber he wished to enter and a built in shrinking charm for easy transport.

After leaving the storage vault, Harry hit his regular vault to stock up on funds before heading out of the bank, thanking Skip once again for his assistance.

Making his way from shop to shop, Harry purchased all the basic supplies he needed including potions supplies, parchment, ink, and new clothes.

Before heading back to the Leaky Cauldron for the evening, he headed towards Ollivander's wand shop. Harry had been thinking about getting a second wand ever since finding out that his wand and Voldemort's had twin cores but he'd never had the proper opportunity to do so until now.

Strangely enough, it seemed, as Harry stepped into the dusty shop stacked top to bottom with wand boxes, Ollivander had apparently had the exact same thought as he greeted Harry warmly. "I knew I'd be seeing you again, Mr. Potter," the wandmaker said, smiling. "I expected to see you after your 4th year, in fact. Still… it gave me the time to fabricate another wand for you." He pulled out a pristine wand box and handed it to Harry who opened it, revealing a 13 inch wand with a mahogany handle. "Made from the Whomping Willow on the Hogwarts grounds with a core of three hairs from an ordinary stag," Ollivander explained as Harry held the wand.

"It's beautiful," Harry replied, smiling. "Thank you, sir." Withdrawing his money bag, he asked, "How much is it?"

Ollivander put a hand on Harry's forearm, shaking his head. "This wand may not be the most extravagant I have ever made, but I feel like this is my best work. Consider it my gift to you."

xxxxxxx

When Harry lay down on his bed later that night at the Leaky Cauldron, he felt very pleased with everything that he had accomplished so far. He felt like he had taken the first major steps to being on his own.

Tomorrow, he would check out the manor in Ireland before coming back to London to get the rest of his things before he to move into the flat his mother had apparently lived in with her parents when she was a teenager.

Once he got settled, he would send Hedwig with messages for Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger, and the WEeasley family.

Thinking how proud his godfather, Sirius Black would be if he was still alive, Harry turned over in bed and fell asleep.

It was nearly noon when Harry stepped off the Knight Bus at Marauders Manor, staring in awe at the ivy covered stone and the sheer size of the place. There was a large lake off to the right and as he walked around the outside of the manor, he saw a quidditch pitch in back.

Hefting his knapsack up onto his shoulder, Harry walked up the driveway, his shoes crunching gravel as he headed up to the front door which, surprisingly, was unlocked. Reaching a hand into his pocket and closing his fist against his wand just in case, he stepped into a beautiful marble and wood foyer, looking about. There was a spiral staircase to the left and a sitting room to the right connected to a beautiful kitchen.

As Harry headed towards a glass fronted maple cabinet, he was hit from behind with a stunning spell and he went sprawling onto the floor, unconscious.

Wand held out, cautiously, a woman with red hair and vibrant green eyes stepped out from behind a statue of a phoenix and slowly approached the prone figure. Kneeling down, she turned the teenager over, gasping as she saw his face. Standing up and backing away quickly, she exclaimed, "No, it can't be!"

"Lily?" A man with messy black hair and glasses said as he came down the stairs from the second level of the house, stopping dead when he saw his unconscious son lying on the floor. Looking from his wife to his child and back again, James was flabbergasted. "What the…? Lily… He's supposed to be dead!"

Lily knelt down next to Harry. She gently stroked his cheek with one hand before brushing his bangs away from his face, her breath catching slightly at the sight of the lightning shaped scar on his forehead. "He's alive," she said, happily, tears in her eyes as she looked up at her husband. "James, our little boy is alive." Wiping her tears away as she stood, she pointed her wand at Harry and said, "Ennervate."

As Harry stirred and opened his eyes, he wondered just how hard he had hit his head on the marble floor. His mother and father were smiling down at him and they looked even happier than they ever had in any of the pictures he had. Reluctant to believe his eyes, Harry slowly sat up. "Mum? Dad?" His smile faded as he tenderly touched his head where he'd hit the floor. "Am I…dead?"

Lily started sobbing as she again dropped to her knees beside her son, pulling him into a suffocating embrace as she said, "My little Harry! I can't believe you're really alive!"

"Mum, I can't breathe," Harry gasped after a moment. Also, his head was starting to throb.

"Oh, honey! I'm sorry!" Lily said quickly, easing up on the hug before using her wand to fix her son's growing headache. As mother and son got to their feet, Lily's eyes shone with a fresh wave of tears as she studied Harry. "You look so much like James. And you got my grandmother's nose, too."

James waited until Harry turned in his direction and smiled, tears shining in his eyes as well. "I can't believe I'm really looking at you. After that night… when Lily and I came to… the house was half destroyed and you were gone." Hugging Harry, James added, "We thought you were dead." Pulling away a bit, he continued. "We… We cut off all ties to the wizarding world, lived here like muggles…"

"We were in mourning for so long," Lily said, picking up the story, knowing her son wanted to know why they hadn't come to find him sooner. Looking a bit guilty, she added, "When you entered in the house, we thought you could be a Death Eater or something. I'm so sorry I had to stun you like that, honey."

Harry shrugged off the apology. "It's okay, Mum. I'm okay… and I have you back."

"What about Sirius?" James asked, suddenly wondering why Harry had arrived alone.

"He…" Harry's voice caught in his throat and he said nothing as his mother led everyone into the sitting room to sit down. "It was my fault," Harry said, finally, crying as he spoke. When he felt Lily put a comforting arm around him, he turned towards her, not wanting to look at his father for fear of how he would react. "Last year, Voldemort sent me this vision of Sirius being tortured in the Department of Mysteries and… and I went to try and save him." Harry got choked up again and he started sobbing as he said, "If it weren't for me, Sirius wouldn't be…"

"Oh, Harry, I am so sorry," Lily replied, softly as she pulled her son towards her, rocking him gently like she used to do when he was a baby. "Oh, my poor baby."

James couldn't find his voice as the news sunk in. Sirius was dead? It couldn't be. There had to be some mistake…

Hearing the front door opening again, James felt himself on high alert as he pulled out his wand, standing up and blocking Lily and Harry from whoever was intruding. But the thin piece of wood fell from his hand and clattered when it hit the floor as James just stared at the figure staggering in front of him.

"Sirius!" Harry shouted as he jumped up and ran to his godfather, hugging him tightly and not noticing when Sirius gave a grunt of pain.

"Oh, my God, look at you!" Lilly exclaimed, worried as she took in Sirius's ripped and bloody clothes and the bruises on his face. Going over to Sirius, she gingerly touched the gash on his forehead. "Come sit down. Come on. This way."

When Sirius went to take a step, his left leg buckled and James and Harry had to catch him before he fell. "Yeah, I… I think I broke it at some point," he said, vaguely. Once Lily used her wand to splint the leg, he gave her a weak smile. "Thanks."

Slowly, the group made their way to the sitting room, James helping his best friend sit down on the couch. "Sirius… What happened? Harry said you were dead!"

But Sirius passed out before he could answer, leaving the Potters with more questions than answers.

xx

While Lily worked on healing Sirius's injuries, James apparated with Harry to the Leaky Cauldron to get the rest of Harry's things. Seeing the small assortment of heavily worn muggle clothes, James looked questioningly at his son. "We didn't leave you enough money for new clothes?"

Harry avoided his father's gaze for a few moments but then sighed as he sat on the bed. This was his dad, not his uncle, he reminded himself. "Dad, I wasn't living with Sirius the past 14 years or so," he said, slowly, looking nervous. "Sirius was… in Azkaban for murdering you, Mum, and 12 muggles… and Peter Pettigrew."

James sat down on the chair in the corner of the room, shaking his head. "Harry, I am so sorry. I wish we had never trusted Pettigrew in the first place." With a dry laugh he added, "So how was it growing up with Moony?"

Harry licked his lips and said, "I… didn't grow up with Lupin, either." At his father's questioning look, he explained. "Dumbledore gave me over to Mum's sister, Petunia, and her husband, Vernon."

James stiffened and he felt a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he thought of how uneasy Harry had seemed when James had hugged him earlier, and how Harry wouldn't look at him when talking about Sirius's death. Waiting until Harry looked him in the eye, James asked, "Did they ever hurt you, physically?"

It took a while for Harry to reply. "You mean abuse? Beating me?" When his father nodded, Harry nodded in return. "Yeah. Uncle Vernon hit me whenever he felt the inclination. Dudley, my cousin, did the same." And he then proceeded to give James the short version of the past 14 years with the Dursleys.

James rubbed the bridge of his nose, eyes closed. He wanted so badly to find the Dursleys and make them pay. He wanted to tell Lily all the details, knowing that she would show no mercy to her sister, nephew, and brother-in-law. But when he opened his eyes, seeing Harry's scared look, James, strangely enough, felt the storm raging inside him quiet almost instantly. The teenager's expression said it all. Harry was afraid his father would go crazy… hurt the Dursleys… get locked up. James had just gotten Harry back. He couldn't risk losing his son again because of some revenge campaign.

Standing and going over to Harry, James put his hands on Harry's shoulders, looking down and smiling as he said, "It's all in the past, Harry. Okay? Forget everything that happened. "It's over. You're with me and Lily now, and we love you. We will never hurt you. I promise."

Harry stood and embraced his father, feeling the man hugging him back, tightly. "Don't tell Mum," Harry cautioned.

Pulling away, James laughed as he packed up the rest of Harry's things. "Harry, for the record, I would have left your aunt, uncle and cousin alive to face the muggle courts. Lily, kind and reserved as she may seem, can be as dangerous as Hellfire when provoked enough. I have no intention of telling your mother anything."

Arriving back at Marauder Manor, James and Harry found Lily in the kitchen with Sirius who looked much better than before. He sat at the counter of the kitchen island, a sad smile on his face as he watched Lily making dinner. Turning when he heard footsteps, he stood and hugged Harry who returned the embrace, happy tears in his eyes. "Harry, I'm so sorry," Sirius said as Harry apologized at the same time. But Sirius waved the apology away. "You thought you were doing the right thing, Harry," Sirius insisted. "I shouldn't have gone in the first place, or… I should have been more careful."

"It wasn't your fault, Harry," Lily insisted, noticing that her son was still feeling guilty. "No one is blaming you for any of this."

"I'm here, Harry," Sirius said, smiling at his godson. "I'm alive…your parents are alive. And you are going to have the life you should have had all along with all of us, together."

"Sounds great," Harry replied, smiling earnestly as his mother continued making dinner with Sirius and James' help.