Chapter 1: Harry Hunting

May 29th, 1995, The Graveyard

Harry cursed his luck. Every year. Every damn year. Somehow, some way, something managed to go spectacularly wrong! Quirrell in first year, the Basilisk in second, and the dementors last year. Now, he and Cedric had been kidnapped by a slagging cup!

"Primus, my life is bloody complicated." Harry muttered.

"Did you say something?" Cedric asked.

"Eh… I was just thinking we should have our wands out."

Cedric nodded. "Good idea."

Just as Harry had retrieved the small piece of wood, the small energy source near his Spark began to scream. Harry had worked out long ago that this energy, whatever it was, was from Voldemort, and acted as an early alert system. Harry's optics snapped in the direction of the 'danger' feeling, spotting Wormtail carrying a small bundle.

He heard a high, cold voice speak. "Kill the spare, Wormtail."

Harry saw Wormtail's wand being drawn and, with inhuman speed, pulled Cedric out of the way of the AK. It impacted on a gravestone just behind where the Hufflepuff had been standing.

"Whoa!" Cedric exclaimed. "How did you…" He trailed off when he got a good look at Harry. The younger boy's face had changed. Actually, to be accurate, his entire body had changed.

His entire body seemed to be made of gleaming metal. For the most part, he was a brilliant gray color, but here and there, white would crop up, with stripes of green and red. His feet had been replaced by two wheels, complete with tires. And on Harry's chest, which seemed to be made of several joined, armor-like pieces, there was an odd symbol. It looked like a rather angular face.

Harry, meanwhile, turned to glare at Wormtail. He raised his right arm, a large cannon appearing on it, and fired at the small man.

Wormtail, still keeping his grip on the bundle in his arms, dove for cover.

Harry kept his weapon trained on where Wormtail had disappeared to for a moment, then did something that Cedric considered truly odd. He kicked his left leg straight up into the air. A few seconds later, Cedric understood why. Harry's body rearranged itself completely, and in next to no time, a dirt bike stood where Harry had been.

"How… What… Huh?"

"Get on, Cedric!" Harry's voice commanded.

"… Harry?"

"Yes! Now bloody well get on!"

Cedric broke out of his stupor, and jumped onto the bike. He'd taken Muggle Studies, so he knew something about their forms of transportation.

Harry's back wheel spun to life, and they took off from the graveyard, roaring away onto a nearby road.

"Harry!" Cedric cried over the wind they were generating. "Where are we?!"

"Not sure yet!" Harry said. "Hold on!" Harry linked up to a Global Positioning Satellite, searching for his position. He'd discovered the satellite some time ago, and found this particular ability useful. "Looks like… We're in England! A village called Little Hangleton!"

"Never heard of it!" Cedric called back.

"No surprise there!" Harry laughed. "Strictly a Muggle town, from it's looks!"

Cedric nodded, and was silent for a few moments, before he finally couldn't stop himself. "Harry, what the hell is going on?!"

He heard Harry sigh. "Hold on! I want to put some distance between us and Wormtail, and this isn't a conversation I feel like having while I'm driving!"

"Fine, but can you hurry up?!"

"You got it!" Harry poured on the speed, moving much faster than any motorbike should be able to, even a full size. Cedric almost thought he was going to lift off from the seat.

Finally, Harry pulled into a small petrol station. Cedric climbed off, and Harry transformed.

"Um… Can you go back to how you looked before?" Cedric asked. "This is making me very uncomfortable."

Harry laughed. "You're uncomfortable?" Cedric hadn't noticed before, but Harry's voice had a metallic quality to it now. "No one was supposed to find out about this. But, if it'll help…" The light around Harry shimmered, and he looked like his normal self. "Better?" he asked, his voice normal again.

Cedric nodded. "Much. How did you…?" he waved at Harry's appearance.

Harry grinned. "Hologram. Not difficult."

"Oh." Cedric sat down on a bench, mostly to keep himself from falling over. "Okay. Now, the obvious question. Just what in Merlin's name are you?"

Harry took a deep breath. "Cedric, I need your word, your magical oath, that you won't tell anyone what I'm about to say."

Cedric took out his wand, and swore the oath.

"Okay." Harry nodded. "I'm what's known as a Cybertronian. More specifically, an Autonomous Robotic Organism."

Cedric nodded. "Oh. Okay. The supposed savior of the Wizarding world is a robot." He laughed, sounding somewhat maniacal. "Forgive me if I pass out at some point."

Harry gave him a sympathetic look.

"Okay…" Cedric took a calming breath. "Have you always been… what you are?"

Harry shook his head. "No. I was born to human parents, just like you were."

"Then… how?"

Sighing, Harry sat on the ground, getting comfortable. "It happened like this…"

***

The Nevada/Arizona Border, August 6th, 1986

Six-year-old Harry Potter was having the time of his life. His aunt and uncle, having no other options since Mrs. Figg was on vacation for once, had finally taken him on one of their summer trips. They'd gone to America this time, seeing all the biggest sights they could. So far, they'd been to Disney World (Harry had been confined to the hotel room, where he finally got to watch television), the Grand Canyon, and Universal Studios.

Now, though, they were visiting the place that had fascinated young Harry the most: The Hoover Dam. Harry knew something about how electric power was produced, and loved learning more about it. He absorbed everything the tour guide told them about the dam, filing it away for future use. That was, until his cousin poked him.

"You've got a ten second head start." Dudley said.

Harry groaned. "Can't you just wait until he's done?"

"Nope. Ten seconds. Starting now!" Dudley grinned cruelly.

Harry sighed, and snuck away from the group, before bolting away. Dudley always gave him a head start of some kind when he felt like 'Harry Hunting.' He said it added a 'sense of the chase,' something Vernon had claimed was important.

Harry silently ticked the seconds down in his head. 'Three… Two… One… Here he comes.' Sure enough, he heard Dudley's heavy footsteps coming after him. Looking around quickly, he spotted a door marked 'employees only.' Harry didn't particularly care if it was restricted. If it got him away from Dudley, he was all for breaking a few rules.

Wishing silently, but with no small amount of desperation, Harry tried the door's handle. It was unlocked. Slipping through quietly, he locked the door behind him, and walked down the dimly lit path the door led to.

There weren't many people on the pathway, and Harry easily hid from the few that did appear. One thing Harry had mastered in his short life, driven from a need to escape his family, was the ability to hide in plain sight. He didn't fully understand it himself, but if he stopped moving, and wanted it badly enough, he could stop people from noticing him.

After a short walk, Harry found himself in a large cavern. It seemed to have been carved right out of the rock. Harry was amazed by the sight, but not half as amazed as what he felt when he saw what the cavern held.

In the center of the room, was a gigantic cube. The cube itself didn't appear all that remarkable, but Harry could see energy rippling across it. He climbed up on the railing, trying to get a better view.

The energy danced across the cube's surface, making beautiful patterns, and tracing the small symbols etched into the cube. Once in a while, a spark of the energy would arch outward, striking the various metals around the cube. The metal seemed unaffected, other than having a shinier surface.

So entranced was Harry, that he didn't notice when the railing beneath him began to creak under his weight. It broke from under him, and he fell, hitting the cube with a sickening SMACK!

***

The AllSpark stirred. What was this? A human? Where had he come from? The AllSpark was aware of all the humans in this compound, but somehow this tiny one had escaped it's notice. How was that possible?

And more importantly, why had none of the other humans noticed him?

The child was still alive, but barely. Unless something was done, he would die, and soon. The AllSpark was incapable of communicating with those outside it's vessel. The only way would be to take one of them inside, but… 'Wait. That is a possible solution.'

The AllSpark opened the side of it's vessel the child had landed on, letting him fall into the AllSpark's energies.

'Child. Child, you must awaken.'

'What… Hello?'

'Hello.'

'Am I dreaming?'

'If you are, then we are sharing the dream, for I am also here.'

'Oh. Okay. I don't think that's possible, so I'm awake.'

'Quite so, child.' The AllSpark chuckled.

'Wait… are you the cube?'

'Perceptive, aren't you? You are close. The cube is my vessel. It contains my essence. I am the AllSpark.'

'Are you? Well, I'm Harry. Does that mean you're the energy I saw on the cube?'

'Yes. My energy grants life to what you call "machines." Those lifeforms are called Cybertronians.'

'Wow.'

'Indeed.'

Harry was silent for a moment. 'Why am I in here?'

'Ah. To the important question. Your body was damaged. For some reason that I have been unable to discern, you are invisible, or perhaps simply unnoticeable, to the humans in this compound. As such, they did not try to help you.'

'Yeah. I do that sometimes. I don't really understand it myself. It just sort of… happens.'

'I see.'

'Can you help me? Can you fix my body, or something?'

The AllSpark considered it's options. 'I believe I can help you, but not in the form you asked.'

'Well, what can you do?'

'I can reformat your body. This will, essentially, turn you into a Transformer Protoform.'

'A what?'

'In simplest terms, a living robot. Your essence, what you might call your personality, or soul, will be converted into a Spark.'

'Oh… Then what?'

'After that, I'm afraid I cannot help you. Given your current size, you will be unable to use a traditional alt. form.'

'A what?'

'As the name suggests, Transformers are capable of changing their shape, the practical upshot of which is, you can hide your true nature from organic life-forms.'

'Oh. Okay. So… I can't do that?'

'That's not what I said. I said you won't be able to use a traditional alt. form. There are other options available to you. You should be able to use a Pretender mode, or make use of your holographic projectors, until you become large enough to assume a vehicle shape.'

'What are those?'

If the AllSpark had been human, it would have been rubbing the bridge of it's nose right then. 'Suffice it to say, you will look human. Do you wish for me to reformat your body?'

'Sure. It sounds nice. And maybe then Uncle Vernon will like me. That'd be nice, too.'

The AllSpark wasn't entirely sure what that meant, so didn't comment. 'While your body is being altered, I will be teaching you what you need to know about your new form. You will no longer be human. Instead, you will be an Autonomous Robotic Organism, or Autobot for short…'

***

Two days later, just as the Dursleys were leaving their hotel, Harry wandered up to the car as if nothing had happened. Oddly, this didn't earn him a beating. Vernon just grumbled about only getting two days away from the boy, and they continued on their vacation.

Unbeknownst to any of the Dursleys, Harry was looking at the world around him in a fresh light. Any motor vehicle he saw was immediately scanned, and filed away for when he was old enough. For now, Harry simply used a holographic projection to maintain his normal appearance. His body would have to process raw metals in order to increase his size, and harden his armor, but Harry wasn't concerned with that right now. If he intended to maintain his cover with the Dursleys, he'd have to grow only at the normal human rate. For that, he only needed a few ounces per week. That wouldn't be hard to maintain.

The only thing that did concern Harry were the two strange energy sources the AllSpark had detected in his body. One was rather large, and seemed to have potential for growth. The other was smaller, though of a similar composition. The AllSpark had been hesitant to remove either one, since it had no idea what either of them did. The larger source integrated easily with Harry's Spark, while the other had seemed content to orbit around the Spark, like a moon. Harry was suspicious of the second source. He didn't fully understand either one, but that one made him wary.

Sighing, he settled into his seat. Perhaps it would become clear in time…

***

1995, The Petrol Station

"The first energy source turned out to be my magic. The second is, I suspect, a piece of Voldemort that broke away from him the night he killed my parents. It gives me the ability to speak Parseltongue, but doesn't seem to have any other uses."

"Wow…" Cedric shook his head. "So, for nearly nine years, you've been hiding like this?"

Harry nodded. "I don't have much other choice. If anyone in the government were to find out what I am, I shudder to think what would happen to me. Or what I would be forced to do to stay free."

"Why would the Ministry try to capture you?" Cedric asked.

Harry laughed. "I was talking about Muggle government, though the Ministry is a concern as well. My fear is that they might try to dissect me, trying to figure out what makes me tick."

Cedric nodded, understanding. "I see. So, now what? We can't exactly go back for the cup, so we can't get back to Hogwarts tonight."

Harry thought for a moment. "Well, it'll look suspicious if we both make it back by tomorrow morning, which is how long it'll take if I simply drove us there. I suppose we find a place to stay tonight, and hope that someone finds us. If not, we'll try to get back by tomorrow evening, and say we hitched a ride."

Cedric nodded, then frowned. "How? I don't have any Muggle money. And unless those pockets can actually hold anything…"

Harry smirked. "They can, actually. The hologram is solid. But, I don't carry Muggle cash either. However, given the circumstances, I think I can fix this particular problem." Harry stood, and walked over to the ATM just outside the station. He put his hand on it, and began speaking in electronic tones. After a few seconds, several bills popped out of the machine.

"There. See?" Harry grinned.

Cedric shook his head. "Great. The robot's a thief…"

"Oi! There are mitigating circumstances!" Harry replied, glaring at his companion.

Cedric laughed. "Here, give me the money. I don't think we need to lose it while you're in… what do I call it when you're a dirt-bike?"

"Vehicle mode." Harry said, handing the cash over. "Simple, but descriptive."

"And what you're in now?"

Harry shrugged. "Robot mode." The hologram fell away, and Harry transformed. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be." Cedric muttered, climbing on.

"Pansy." Harry said, a smirk in his voice, before taking off into the night.

***

Cedric fell onto the bed in the motel room they were occupying for the night. Harry had assured him he didn't need a bed for 'recharge mode,' so they'd gotten a single room.

"Merlin I'm tired." the Hufflepuff mumbled into the pillow. He rolled over staring up at the ceiling. "It's been an interesting day, hasn't it?"

Harry, who was sitting in a chair, chuckled. "Shall I give you a crown, oh King of Understatement?"

Cedric rolled his eyes, before sitting up, and giving Harry a serious look. "Harry, there's something I want to ask you."

"What?"

"A dirt-bike?" he asked, before breaking into a grin.

Harry chuckled. "Unfortunately, yeah. It's all I'm big enough for, at least for now. In time, I can probably manage a full sized motorcycle. With more time, maybe a car, or even a truck."

Cedric nodded. "So, you do grow?"

Harry nodded. "The AllSpark told me that it carried over from when I was human. It's just something I have to maintain control over. Humans have a slow growth rate, so I've had to maintain a rather small size."

"Oh?" Cedric sat up. "How large can you get?"

Harry grinned. "As large as I want. I'm only limited by two things: Conversion material, and Energon. Conversion material is, more or less, food. The major difference is, I have to 'eat' metal, and other basic elements, in order to grow. Energon is just what it sounds like, energy, but in it's purest form. My body can convert almost any energy source into Energon. Solar power, electricity, even my magic, which is what I typically use."

Cedric nodded. "So, why haven't you? Why didn't you just grow as large as you wanted to, and just… drive off?"

Harry shrugged. "Don't know, really. At first, I thought I was too young, so I decided to stay with my relatives until I was mature enough to handle things. Then I found out about magic, so I decided to wait until I had a decent handle on it." He frowned. "I've done both, and yet…"

"Maybe you're afraid? Of what You-Know-Who will do to you, or your friends?" Cedric suggested.

Harry shook his head. "No… I think I'm more afraid of being alone." He sighed. "There aren't any more of my kind on this planet, at least that I know of. My family's no prize, but Hogwarts is more of a home than I've ever had, and my friends are closer than any family I could hope for. If I can't maintain my cover, I won't be able to be with them anymore."

Cedric nodded, and yawned. "Well, that's enough heavy stuff for tonight. I need to sleep, and you need to… recharge, or whatever." He kicked his shoes off, and lay down, turning the lamp next to his bed off. "Night."

"Night, Cedric."

***

Lord Voldemort, sitting in his father's home, pondered over what he'd seen tonight. It was one of the most curious things he could remember. Potter, if that had actually been Potter, wasn't human. As far as the Dark Lord could tell, he wasn't anything resembling natural life.

"I'm so sorry, Master." Wormtail said, quivering. "We should have gotten Potter, but it appears he had… rather odd means of escape."

"Yes, Wormtail. Rather odd, indeed." Voldemort frowned. "If that was Potter, then he is useless for the ritual. If he has no blood, then we cannot…" he trailed off as he realized something. "He has no blood. No blood whatsoever."

"Yes, my lord." Wormtail agreed.

"If he has no blood, then…" Voldemort began to laugh. "Then he has no protection! He is completely open to my attacks! Wormtail, bring in the spare. I know we intended to put her under the imperious, but circumstances being what they are, I think we should move ahead quickly."

Wormtail nodded, and went to a nearby closet to retrieve the prisoner they kept there. He threw her in front of the Dark Lord.

"Madame Bones." Voldemort smiled cruelly at her. "Tonight, you will aid in my resurrection."

"I'll never help you with anything." she spat. "I'd rather die!"

Voldemort merely laughed. "Later, my dear. And I do not require your help. Only your blood. Tonight, Lord Voldemort will rise again."

***

Cedric yawned as he woke up. He hadn't slept that heavily in years.

"Finally awake, are you?"

Cedric sat up. Harry was looking at some kind of picture frame, which was displaying images of a large fire. "Why would someone take a picture of a burning building?"

Harry snickered. "It's not a picture, Ced. It's television. This is a news report."

Cedric nodded. They'd covered television in class, but he'd never actually seen one of the devices. "I see. What happened, then?"

"Seems there was a fire in town. One of the older buildings, called the 'Riddle House' by the locals, caught fire. They claim it was an old furnace."

"You don't seem convinced." Cedric observed.

"Voldemort's real name is Tom Marvolo Riddle." Harry explained.

Cedric's eyes widened. "Riddle?"

Harry nodded. "Yep. I saw that mansion from the graveyard last night. Best I can figure, he's been hiding there, and decided not to keep it anymore."

"Sounds logical." Cedric agreed. He looked at the face clock hanging on the wall. "It's almost noon. Why didn't you wake me earlier?"

Harry shrugged. "You needed your rest, so I let you. I only have to recharge for a few hours a night."

"Oh." Cedric was silent for a moment. "So, You-Know-Who's really alive, is he?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah. He never really died. He lost his original body, to be sure, but he never crossed over, and he never became a ghost. I don't know how he survived, but he did. From the looks of things, he's slowly making his way back to normal. Well, as normal as he gets, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember the bundle Wormtail was carrying? I don't think it was his laundry."

Cedric thought back to the previous night. The little man who attacked them had been carrying something… "Who is he, anyway? This Wormtail."

"Peter Pettigrew." Harry said.

"Pettigrew?" Cedric looked confused. "Isn't he dead?"

"Aren't I a normal Wizard?" Harry asked cheekily.

"Okay, point." Cedric conceded. "But, if Pettigrew's alive, doesn't that mean…?"

"My godfather is innocent?" Harry finished. "Yeah. But without proof, I can't do anything about it."

"What about showing them your memories in a pensive? Or taking verituserum?" Cedric reconsidered the last point. "Wait, that won't work on you, will it?"

Harry shook his head. "No. And I tried extracting one of my memories once. It didn't work. It was as if my processor didn't want to let it go."

Cedric shook his head. "Well, damn. That's no good." He stretched, and stood. "I'm going to take a shower, then I need something to eat." He disappeared into the bathroom.

Harry, meanwhile, sat thoughtfully. He'd been receiving several sensations from Voldemort during the night. He hadn't mentioned them to Cedric, since the other boy had dealt with so much during the night before, but Harry got the distinct impression that Voldemort was extremely pleased about something. That gave Harry great reason to worry.

Harry's thoughts also drifted to the small piece of Voldemort that resided in his Spark chamber. It was clearly his connection to the evil Wizard, and Harry was almost positive that it was doing more harm than good in there. And if Voldemort somehow managed to gain control of him, especially with his Cybertronian abilities, it could be disastrous.

"I need to get rid of it." Harry decided. "But how? It's not as if I can just…" He smacked his forehead with a CLANG! His magical core resided in his Spark. The piece of Voldemort was in his Spark chamber. All he had to do was convert the piece into Energon! Harry chuckled to himself. Why hadn't he thought of that before?

With a thought, it was done.

A little while later, Cedric came out from his shower. He spotted the grin on Harry's face. "What are you so happy about?"

Harry shrugged. "Nothing. Come on, let's get you something to eat."

***

Hundreds of miles away, in the mansion of Lucius Malfoy, the Dark Lord Voldemort was writhing in pain.

"My lord!" Lucius knelt at his master's side. "What is it? What's happened?

"The boy." Voldemort hissed. "The boy… has done something… It's as if… he ripped out a piece of my soul!"

At his own words, Voldemort realized exactly what happened. In effect, Harry had ripped out a piece of his soul, it had simply happened many years ago. And now, that piece had been destroyed.

As the pain subsided, Voldemort climbed to his feet. "I… I must check on a few things, Lucius. First, where is my diary?"

Lucius winced. "Ah… About that, my lord…"

***

Cedric and Harry sat in a small diner, eating a stack of pancakes each.

"Do you actually get anything from that?" Cedric asked.

"Remember when I said that my body can convert any form of energy into Energon?" Harry asked. "That includes the energy inside the chemical bonds of food. Something else that carried over, I suppose. I try to limit myself to what I see others eat."

Cedric nodded. "Right. What about…?"

Harry smirked. "Waste?" Cedric nodded. "It's broken down into it's base elements. Anything my body can use is converted, and everything else is vaporized. Machine efficiency."

Cedric let out a low whistle. "Not bad. Bet that saves on toilet paper."

Harry laughed, and nodded. "It's not enough, of course. I still have to convert some of my magic into Energon, even considering the solar energy I absorb. My processes are more efficient, perhaps, but my body runs a bit 'hotter' than a human's. It's all give-and-take, I suppose."

Cedric nodded. "Sounds like." He glanced at his watch, only to realize it was broken. "Ah, dammit. Must have happened when you grabbed me… What time is it?"

"12:14:36." Harry answered.

"36?"

"Seconds."

Cedric shook his head. "That'll take some getting used to…"

Harry smirked. "What can I say? Being an advanced alien robot has it's advantages."

Cedric rolled his eyes, and dropped his fork onto his now-empty plate.. "Come on, Autobot. Let's get back to school. I'm sure we have throngs of fans just waiting for us."

***

As it turned out, Cedric was right. But fans weren't the only people waiting for their return. Amos Diggory had almost gone mad when he found out his son had disappeared, and pulled the young man into a tight hug as soon as they saw each other. And Harry… Harry had to deal with Mrs. Weasley.

"Harry Potter!" she embraced him even more tightly than Mr. Diggory held Cedric. If it hadn't been for the fact that Harry was made of very solid metal, he suspected that she might have accidentally crushed something. As it was, he barely maintained his hologram.

"Don't you ever do something like that again!" Mrs. Weasley cried. "What on Earth were you thinking?! You could have been killed!"

Deciding that he'd rather have the ability to move, Harry caused his holographic face to turn blue. He was released immediately. Putting on a show of catching his breath, he said, "I didn't exactly plan on going anywhere, Mrs. Weasley." He thumped his chest a few times. "I don't fully understand what happened, but when Cedric and I grabbed the cup, we were transported to England."

"You and Mr. Diggory both grabbed the cup?" Ludo Bagman asked. "Hah! Well, that makes a Hogwarts' victory!"

"Everyone, everyone, please." Dumbledore held up his hands. "I'm sure our champions are exhausted from their ordeal, and I must speak with them for a few moments concerning their victory. Boys, if you would come with me?"

Dumbledore led them up to his office. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Harry broke the silence. "Professor, I received an impression from Voldemort last night. He was happy. Really happy."

Dumbledore looked surprised. Not at the sentence itself, but that Harry had said it. "Harry… Perhaps we should discuss things like that in private?" He shot a pointed look at Cedric.

Harry snorted. "Don't worry about it, Professor. I've recently discovered just how loyal Hufflepuffs can be."

Cedric gave Harry a thankful look.

Dumbledore nodded. "As you wish, Harry. Please, sit." Dumbledore went behind his desk, and the boys sat across from him. "I believe I know why Voldemort was so pleased. He returned, fully returned, last night."

Harry's optics widened. "How?"

"He used an old ritual. It's so old, in fact, that it's name has been lost. But there is the rare individual who knows how to perform it. It involves using a bone from one's father, flesh from one's servant, and the blood from one's enemy."

Harry cursed silently. "That's what he wanted me for."

"Indeed. The protection your mother's sacrifice gave you lives in your very blood. Given that you escaped, I assume this wasn't successful?"

Harry shook his head. "No. Cedric and I ran before he and Wormtail had the chance." Harry closed his optics before asking, "Who did he use in my place?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Madame Bones, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

Harry shook his head. "Damn it all…" He looked up. "How do we know that he's back? I mean to say, how did you find out?"

"Severus was called, via the Dark Mark, late last night. He informed me as soon as he was able to." Dumbledore looked at Harry curiously. "He also said that the Dark Lord had discovered something. It wasn't revealed to any of the Death Eaters present, but Severus claimed that it would, apparently, allow Voldemort to kill you with ease. Do you know what he might have meant?"

Harry shook his head at first, before something clicked in his processor. "Wait. You said that 'my mother's protection lives in my blood'?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Harry. Those protections fuel the blood wards around your aunt and uncle's home."

Harry and Cedric exchanged a significant look. "Oh, slag…"

"What?" Dumbledore asked. "Harry, what do you know?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry, Headmaster. I can't tell you."

"Harry…"

"No." Harry said firmly. "I can't take the risk."

Dumbledore turned to Cedric. "Do you know what he's talking about?"

Cedric nodded. "Yes sir, but I can't tell you. I swore an oath that I would tell no one."

Dumbledore sighed. There was no way around a magically binding oath. He turned back to Harry. "Please, if it will allow me to protect you…"

"That's just the thing, Professor." Harry interrupted. "It won't. In fact, all it will serve to do is put you in danger, and me in more danger."

"From Voldemort?"

Harry snorted. "If only it were that simple. I'll be in danger from everyone else." Harry stood suddenly. "I've got to go. Voldemort will be able to find me here. I've got to disappear."

"Can you do that, Harry?" Dumbledore asked. "Or rather, can you do it alone?"

Harry smirked. "Better than any student or professor in this school. Don't worry about me." He turned to leave.

"Harry, wait." Cedric stood. "Meet me at the Leaky Cauldron in two days. I won't let you do this alone."

Harry shook his head. "I can't put anyone else in danger."

"You won't be." Cedric smiled. "I'm a grown man, in the eyes of the law. I can do what I wish. And you said it yourself, 'Puffs are loyal. Besides, I'm the only one who knows your secret. It's not as though you've got anyone else."

Harry sighed, and nodded. "I'll be there. My hand to Primus." At Cedric's confused look, he said, "I'll explain later." He turned back to Dumbledore. "Professor, I wish you luck. I'll contact you, if at all possible." He snapped off a salute. "'Til all are one." He left.

***

Harry quickly made his way to the dorms. He'd suspected this day would come, and he'd prepared for it. As soon as he reached his room, he flew open his trunk, and pulled out a knapsack. He'd managed to enchant it to hold more than it should, though his inexperience made it less than a professional job would have.

Since he didn't need clothes, he packed all his books (Sans the pieces of crap from second year), his cauldron and potion ingredients, his invisibility cloak, and his broom. It was true that he could move much faster than any human, but not even he could fly. Well, not yet, at least…

"Harry?"

Harry looked up to see Ron and Hermione in the doorway. He sighed. "I don't have time for this." He lifted his pack. "I've got to go."

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "Can't tell you. Mostly because I don't know. Probably hide out in London for a couple of days, and after that…" he shrugged.

"Does Dumbledore know?" Ron asked.

"He knows I'm leaving." Harry said.

Hermione looked confused. "But Dumbledore is—"

"Only human." Harry interrupted. "Look, I don't know if he's told you, or if he was going to tell you, but Voldemort's back. He made himself a shiny new body, and he's coming after me. I'm going to take care of it."

"'Only human'?" Ron quoted. "What, you think you're something better?"

Harry chuckled. "No. Not better." He slung the pack onto his shoulders. "Just more suited to the task ahead of me." He moved to leave.

Hermione blocked his path. "If you're leaving, we're going with you."

Harry looked into her eyes. 'I could, I suppose… I'm taking Cedric.' That thought caused him to close his optics. 'No. I'm already putting him in danger. I won't do it to them as well.' He shook his head. "No, Hermione. I can't allow it. I won't have you die because of me."

Hermione got an indignant look on her face. "Allow me?! Harry, you're not—"

"I said no!" Harry roared. For a split second, the green eyes of his hologram flickered, letting his equally green optics show through.

Hermione cringed back in fear. "Harry…"

"I'm going alone!" Harry said. "It's bad enough I probably won't see any of you ever again, I won't have you die!"

"Harry," Ron said, "what makes you think you won't see us again?"

Harry ignored the question. "Good-bye, both of you. Have good lives, have lots of kids, and above all, stay alive." He moved past Hermione, and left Gryffindor tower.

"What the hell was he on about?" Ron asked.

"I don't know." Hermione said. "But I intend to find out."

***

Two Days Later

Cedric stood outside the Muggle end of the Leaky Cauldron. He had everything he needed in a small pack, and he was now waiting for Harry to arrive.

He checked his repaired watch for the tenth time since his arrival. He'd been here for two hours. He and Harry hadn't set a time to meet, and he had arrived somewhat early, but still…

He looked up as he heard an engine roar up the street. A black motorcycle pulled up in front of the small pub. It's rider's helmet vanished, and Cedric's eyes widened. "Harry?"

The hologram smirked. "Hey, Ced. Like the new look?" he asked, waving his hand at the motorcycle.

"You mean…" Cedric looked at the bike. "That's you?"

The hologram nodded. "Yep. I just spent the last two days in a steel mill, converting as much metal as I could. It wasn't as much as I'd like, but it was enough for this." The hologram flickered away. "Get on. We've got a long way to go."

Cedric nodded, and settled into the seat. "Where are we headed?"

"America." Harry replied. "More specifically, the Arizona-Nevada border. I've got an old friend who might be able to give me some good advice."