A Better Alternative

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm a poor college student, do I look rich to you?

Summary: Harry thinks his summer is going to suck. Well, someone's going to give him a much better outlook than his current one.

A/N: Thanks to Ie-Maru my loyal reviewer. Glad you liked the last one, and yeah they are little psycho cupids now aren't they? Maybe they could start a matchmaking agency. If you wanna do that one it'd be cool. And as for the rest of you, please review. It takes no more than a minute to jot down a comment or two. Please?

Harry was running through the halls of Hogwarts at breakneck speed. He had to hide. There was no way in hell he was going back to Privet Drive for the summer. Not after what had happened just two days ago. The Dursleys would kill him, especially if they found out his Godfather, his one trump card, was dead. He soon went flying however, when he tripped over the toes of one of the suits of armor. Instead of getting up, he laid there on the floor, face down, letting silent tears roll down his face.

He wasn't there no more than ten minutes when he heard footsteps coming, but instead of panicking he just kept on laying there. He was past the point of caring, even if Snape was the one who came around the corner and saw him crying like a baby. But it wasn't Snape, or anyone he expected for that matter. He looked up into the face of the diminutive Charms professor, Filius Flitwick.

The tiny man got down on his knees and peered into the obviously troubled teen's face. "You don't want to go back there do you?", he asked softly.

Harry swallowed audibly around the lump in his throat as he shook his head. Flitwick nodded, seeming to have expected that answer. He got back up, motioning for Harry to do the same. When he complied, the professor motioned for him to follow. Despite his small stature, Flitwick could move quite fast, and Harry found himself walking briskly to keep up. When they stopped at Flitwick's office, the professor motioned him in, and followed his student inside.

"Please have a seat Harry," he spoke softly. Harry sat, wondering why his professor was calling him by his first name. He noticed however, that many of the pictures around Flitwick's office were of various students, the majority of the pictures containing his Mum. Harry also noticed the smile on Flitwick's face when he looked at a picture of what he guessed to be his Mum and Dad's graduation.

"Harry, I never told you this, but your Mum was more than just my favorite student, she was like a daughter to me. I know a lot about your Aunt since your Mum often confided in me when she studied under me for her Mastery. After your parents' deaths Minerva told us where you'd been left, and I was just as horrified as she was. We both knew you'd be in for a rough life with your Aunt and Uncle's hatred of magic. I know all about Sirius' innocence since I was privy to a lot of Order information. I'm sorry you had to lose him Harry, he was a great man. And I know of what happened in the DoM. And there is no way it was your fault that Sirius died."

Harry looked like he was about to contradict that statement when Flitwick held up a hand for silence. "I knew Sirius Harry, and I was there at the ceremony that made him your godfather. Without it being asked of him, he took out his wand and made an Unbreakable Vow to give his life to save yours if the situation ever called for it. He wanted nothing more than to see you happy Harry. He wanted you to live. It is so hard to live in this world Harry. But you have to pick yourself up, and you have to move forward. Just sitting on your arse moping isn't going to get anything done. And if you constantly blame yourself and if you refuse to go out and live, to waste your life, you are throwing the sacrifices of your parents and godfather away. Don't throw it away Harry. Live, for them, but most importantly, for yourself."

Harry hung his head, wiping the tears away with his sleeve, thinking on what Flitwick had said. He supposed the tiny professor was right. Sirius died so he could live. His parents died so he could live. Sitting around in a pity party and moping wasn't living. So he would just have to get over it. It would still hurt, but he could learn to deal with it. He had to. Not for anyone else, but for himself. He looked up, meeting Professor Flitwick's gaze through messy bangs. Emerald green locked on icy gray.

And then they smiled. Flitwick cleared his throat, suddenly looking a little nervous. "I have a proposition for you Harry. I have noticed over the years that you seem to have inherited Lily's talent with charms. I was wondering if you would like to become my apprentice? You could start right after term, and then you wouldn't have to go back to the Dursleys'. I know all about the supposed blood protection. But I also know of the ritual used to give Voldemort a body. He used your blood didn't he?"

"Yes," Harry answered, and it began to dawn on him. "If the protection was in my blood, since Voldemort used my blood, the wards would let him by because he would have that protection wouldn't he?"

"Yes, they would. Why Albus didn't think of that I'll never know. But Harry, if you accept this apprenticeship, you will live with me and become my ward since you have no living guardians. Would that be acceptable?"

Harry thought about it for a minute, wondering if he would like to do an apprenticeship. He'd never really thought much about his future, since he didn't believe he'd have one ever since he heard the prophecy a few nights ago. If he accepted, he would live with Flitwick and become his ward, thereby escaping the Dursleys. And his Mum had done an apprenticeship with Flitwick. Maybe he could tell Harry more about her. Everyone was always talking of his father, and he had yet to hear anything substantial about his Mum. This could be a way for him to be closer to her.

"I'll do it," he said.

"Excellent. Meet me in my office with your things the night before the leaving feast. We must not let anyone know where you are or what you are doing. Not even Mr. Weasley or Ms. Granger. Understood?"

"Yes sir," he said. "I'll meet you here around midnight maybe?"

"That'll be fine. I have hall duty that night so there's little chance of someone else catching you out of bed. Filch will be taking a tea break at that time so there's no threat from him. But still be careful. You never know who might decide to go wandering about at night."

Harry nodded, and with a final handshake he left Professor Flitwick's office, already beginning to mentally plan out the next few days in his mind. 'This is definitely going to be a better summer than the alternative. We'll just have to see where it leads.'