A thick drop landed on his forehead and then another on his arm. He sat up quickly, looking around. He was in a lush forest, surrounded by trees and moss and wet wood. The leaves above him were so clustered together that there was very little sky to see from where he was. Where the hell… He began to question his whereabouts when he remembered the apple. He stood up, searching wildly for it. It was a Portkey. How on earth did a Portkey end up in his room? In a place he was supposed to be safe, no less. He searched the ground near where he had landed, noting that more drops were falling on him from above now and more rapidly. The rain was there but the apple was gone.

2. Ancient Trucks Welcome You

"Bloody hell…" He murmured after giving up looking for the apple. If it was still there he would have seen it. It would have definitely stood out seeing as it was the only thing that wasn't green or brown in the entire area. He checked his pockets, finding that his wand and his wallet were still there. At least those hadn't disappeared like the Portkey did. Of course something like this would only happen to him. Seamus Finnigan had never been tricked into using a Portkey twice in less than three years. "Why is it always me?" He sighed, kicking a mossy tree stump. Stop moping, you idiot, you need to find your way out of here.

"Oh, right…" Harry probably knew little more than Draco Malfoy did when it came to surviving in the wilderness but he knew he wasn't far from a road. He could hear cars passing when he listened very carefully. He began heading in the direction the sound was coming from, making sure to look behind him every once in a while to ensure he wasn't going around in circles. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

It was getting darker and for every bit of light he noticed fading his speed increased until he was literally hurtling himself through the forest.

He wasn't sure where he was, so doing any sort of magic was out of the question. He was still underage. But he couldn't very well go on without any source of light. He resolved to do what he had to if he didn't reach the road. The passing cars had gone silent and he had no idea where he was going. If he was still heading toward the road it would be a miracle.

All at once that forest gave way and he hurled himself onto the slick gravel of the road side, where he immediately lost his footing and fell, sprawling to the ground. Coordination has always been a problem of mine. He thought sourly, pushing himself up off the ground. His knee was throbbing but he paid it no mind and stepped onto the road. The darkness around him was eerily uncanny to the shadows that had swallowed Hedwig and had enveloped him as he walked to the Dursleys' house. He checked his watch only to see that it was cracked and no longer working. The hands were stuck on 8:13 pm. How long was I out there? What he would give for a working clock right now.

"Alright... So I'm at the road. What do I do now?" He swallowed and looked up, reaching up and locking his hands behind his head. It gave him something to do other than just stand there. The night sky was covered by clouds. If it had been visible, he was sure that the stars would have shone brightly without the lights of a city nearby. Instead all he saw was clouds. All he felt was the light rain that fell every now and then. There seemed to be no cars on the road and the longer he stood there, the longer he wondered which direction the nearest city was and if he should start walking toward it. It was potentially problematic to walk in one direction and not find anything but road when the other direction was probably where the closest town was.

His knee was beginning to bother him, throbbing and shooting darts of pain up his thigh. He had experienced worse pain before but none had been as... troublesome. It was like someone was poking him with a quill nonstop just to get his attention. It was annoying.

He leaned down, immediately seeing that his jeans were torn at the knee. And that he was bleeding. It wasn't a bad wound, it could have been worse and deeper, with his luck it probably would get infected soon. He made a face at his leg, wishing that there was a spell to heal cuts. He would probably be an expert at that one by now. And Madame Pomfrey wouldn't look at him with a bored expression every time he ventured into the infirmary.

He heard the vehicle before he saw it. The sound of an ancient engine roared behind him, taking him by surprise. Harry jumped and fell backward onto the pavement as the headlights of truck came around the corner. Not a very good place to be. The truck came closer and Harry jumped up from the ground, still standing in the road. The driver noticed him immediately and stepped on their brakes, a loud scream emanated from the truck as it came to a halt. The driver door opened immediately and a young girl around his age jumped out. She stopped by the front of her truck, eyeing him as Hedwig had when she left. I look a mess; I wouldn't be surprised if she thinks I'm an axe murderer.

Harry swallowed hard, not sure if he should say something to her. He knew that he needed to say something, but what? A cheerful hello didn't seem to fit the occasion.

"Are you alright?" She finally asked, her voice flat but filled with concern. So he wasn't in the U.K. anymore. She spoke with an American accent and drove on the right side of the road. How the bloody hell did I get here?

She came closer when he didn't answer, something he didn't expect her to do. At least he could see her better now, though. She had thick brown hair that fell past her shoulders in soft curls and pale skin. He couldn't see her face perfectly due to the headlights being behind her. He closed his eyes behind his glasses and swallowed again. "To be honest, " He began, his voice hoarse, "No, I'm not..."

It turns out that an apple can do more harm than expected.

Yes, I know, this chapter is shorter but the next one is longer, don't worry about that. And I promise, if I can get up to 30 reviews by the time I post chapter four, it will be one longg chapter! So get to reviewing!

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