Escape from Privet Drive

Note: an unanswered question in the series for me is why Lily's protection dint break when Harry thought he was leaving the Dursley's forever. I hope you appreciate my answer to that in this one!

Second Note: The large selection of italicized text is J.K. Rowling's from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Harry Potter headed down Privet Drive, dragging his trunk behind him. His ears were dulled to Marge's muffled screams, as well as to the crowing of a few birds settling into their trees for the night. The rustling of the leaves would have sent chills down any one's spine, yet in Harry's anger no fear could reach him.

Turning down Magdona crescent, Harry reached a park, abandoned for the night. The scent of earth lingered, and Harry had the brief thought of what his childhood could have been. Playing in parks, scraped knees with a mother to fuss over bandaging, or indeed healing the wound.

What now? Where can I go from here?

Sighing, Harry sat his trunk down on the curb, and sat on the edge. He brushed his hands off on his jeans. The ministry is going to expel me for sure… but what if they arrest me too. I'll run away. I can get my gold out of Gringotts, that'll help if I'm going on the run. What will Ron and Hermione think? How will I get to London? Fly? I could make my trunk feather-light.

Plus after I get my gold… I could stay with Victoria. I could hide out at her place, and use the cloak to get around without Snape seeing me! Yeah, that's perfect. She wouldn't betray me to Snape if she knew I could get arrested, and no one would look for me anywhere near Snape. It's perfect!

Harry sat in silence for a moment, wondering how he would find where Victoria lived. Follow Hedwig? How fast exactly did owls fly? Would Hedwig stop for rest breaks if Harry needed sleep or to catch up?

A creak came from the swing set, and Harry wiped his head around to look. He felt a tingling from the hairs on the back of his neck, so he pulled out his wand and stood, turning to find a large black dog staring at him from a bush across the street.

Harry pointed his wand towards to dog, in case it rushed him, before hearing a loud bang and a rush of air pushed him onto the grass behind him.

A large and deeply purple bus was suddenly parked right in front of him. Large gold letters glittered across the front reading 'The Knight Bus.' A scrawny man in a purple uniform stood in the entranceway to the bus holding some index cards, which he read off.

"Hello and welcome to the Knight Bus, here to help any stranded witch or wizards, just raise your wand over the road and…" the man trailed off. He looked over his index cards, to the right, to the left, and then down.

"What cho doing down there?"

"I fell," said Harry, recovering from the shock and standing up.

"And what did cho fall over for?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," said Harry indignantly. "Who are you, any way?"

"Um," the man said, shuffling through his index cards, "I'm Stan Shunpike, and I'll be you conductor this evening. Watch your step and be careful of the candles; they do radiate heat."

Stan looked up at Harry again. Harry peaked around the bus. The dog was gone.

"What cho looking at?" Stan said, looking over Harry's shoulder.

"Nothing," said Harry.

"Then get in, no, I'll get that, go." Stan shoo'd Harry into the bus.

"Woah," Harry said as he stepped inside. There were beds everywhere, lining each wood panelled side of the bus, and there were witches and wizards both sleeping and reading in the beds. There were candles burning in brackets beside each bed.

"So where will you be going?" Stan asked, as the bus lurched into motion, and as Harry looked out of the window several street signs and houses leaped out of the way.

"Uh, where does this bus go?" asked Harry.

"Anywhere and everywhere. On land that is, this bus can't do nafink underwater, eh Ernie?"

The bus driver grunted.

"Right," said Harry, "well I need to get to London."

"Whereabouts in London?"

"The Leaky Cauldron."

"We'll let you off after the Lady from Bohemia. She'll be getting off in Edinburgh. So, that'll be eleven galleons. Unless you want hit cocoa. Then it's fourteen, but you also get a coloured toothbrush and a chocolate frog," said Stan, reading from another index card."

"Uh," said Harry, "here." Harry dug through his pockets and fetched out eleven galleons.

Stan counted out the money and deposited it into a slot which looked suspiciously like a mouth.

"Sirius Black? He was on the muggle news," observed Harry, noticing a copy of the Daily Prophet in a stand behind the bus driver. The article read in big bold letters, 'BLACK STILL AT LARGE.'

"Black?" said Stan, "course he was. Where've you been, uh, what did you say your name woss?"

"Neville," said Harry, naming the first person he could think of, "Neville Longbottom."

"Yeah," said Stan, "where've you been, surprised to see Black on the muggle news. They'd do anything to catch him, The Ministry. Big supporter of You-know-who."

"How'd he break out of Azkaban?" asked Harry, grabbing a copy of the Prophet.

"Well wouldn't everyone like to know that," said Stan. "But he knew himself a great lot of dark magic, didn't he? Killing thirteen people with one curse."

"He killed thirteen people with one curse?" asked Harry, staring down at the rugged photo of Sirius Black.

"Blimey Neville," said Stan, where have you been? When You-know-who was vanquished after killin' Lily and James Potter, Black was mad with rage! He wanted revenge, so he goes and kills a friend of the Potters' and a bunch a muggles with him! Laughing like a maniac when the Ministry came 'an got him."

"And now he's broken out of Azkaban," said Harry. He turned the newspaper over, blood pumping furiously through his veins.

"We ain't safe crossing the street," said Stan, "who knows where Black will show up."

One by one, or in one case a group of three, the witches and wizards left the bus, looking very pleased to go.

"Right," said Stan, after a lady from Bohemia got of the bus, or at least Harry figured she was the lady from Bohemia because they were in Edinburgh. "Next stop London."

The bus flew into motion again, and after a couple long moments Harry recognised the narrow streets of London. They pulled up in front of the Leaky Cauldron, and Harry jumped out of the bus quickly, before helping Stan lower his trunk.

"Thanks," said Harry, "goodbye then."

But Stan wasn't paying attention. Standing in the doorway of the bus, he was goggling at the shadowy entrance to the Leaky Cauldron.

"There you are, Harry," said a voice.

Before Harry could turn, he felt a hand on his shoulder. At the same time, Stan shouted, "Blimey! Ern, come 'ere! Come 'ere!"

Harry looked up at the owner of the hand on his shoulder and felt a bucketful of ice cascade into his stomach – he had walked right into Cornelius Fudge, the Minister for Magic himself.

Stan leapt onto the pavement beside them.

"What didja call Neville, Minister?" he said excitedly.

Fudge, a portly little man in a long pinstriped cloak, looked cold and exhausted.

"Neville?" he repeated, frowning. "This is Harry Potter."

"Ern, Ern! This is Harry Potter! I can see his scar!"

"Well," said Fudge, "I thank the Knight Bus for getting him here safe, but Harry and I need to be getting along now…"

Harry waved a half hearted goodbye to Stan, as Fudge guided him into the Leaky Cauldron.

"Well Harry," Fudge said, smiling as he surveyed Harry in the light of the bar. The place was empty, and Harry wondered how late it was.

Tom, the barman, hobbled over and offered the Minister and Harry tea. Harry refused, but Fudge accepted a cup.

"My Aunt–" begun Harry, but he closed his mouth not sure if he should say more. Maybe he would be getting a lawyer or something.

"Is back to normal, don't worry m'boy," said Fudge, "and your other Aunt and Uncle are prepared to take you back, provided you remain at Hogwarts over Christmas and Easter."

"I always do that," said Harry, thinking it better not to mention that he did not want to go back there.

"And as for the rest of the holidays, I think you should remain here at the Leaky Cauldron. I've went ahead and arranged for Tom to get you a room."

"Oh," said Harry, "um, but what about my punishment?"

"Punishment?" repeated Fudge, "what do you mean?" Fudge raised the cup to his lips and took what appeared to be a long sip of tea.

"I've broken The Decree for the Restriction of Underage Wizardry!"

"Oh that," said Fudge, wavering Harry off with his left hand, "the ministry doesn't expel people for a small matter such as blowing up their aunts!"

Fudge let out a rather high pitched laugh.

"But," said Harry, tilting his head slightly, "last year the ministry sent me an official letter saying I'd be expelled if I did any more magic outside school, after a house elf smashed a cake in the living room!"

"Erm," said Fudge, "things change. You don't want to be punished do you?

"No," said Harry.

"Well then, what is the fuss about?" said Fudge, "the ministry is just glad you got here safe. Which reminds me, it's best you don't go out into muggle London while you're here."

"Alright," said Harry.

Tom walked into the bar with a set of keys. He handed one set to Harry, then begun to take the trunk upstairs.

Fudge turned to leave.

"Any luck with Black?" asked Harry.

Fudge dropped his tea cup, than muttered something before using his wand to fix the cup and clear off the tea. "Sirius Black? No, Why do you ask?"

"I've seen him on the news," said Harry, "good luck catching him."

"Oh," said Fudge, "thank you."