A/N: Random . . . sort of a second go at an Identity Crisis plot, but focused on the leaving part rather than the coming back. And as you can see, this is a one-shot, meaning no sequel, please don't pm me for more . . . the whole Identity Crisis mess turned me off of Harry Potter for a while. Thank you in advance for complying. Hmm . . . well, this is another go at a potential early rescue for Harry based off of the information discovered in HPatDH, although you don't need to read the final book in order to understand it, although I'm sure just about everyone has by now. I didn't want Snape to be OOC, but I did want him to have finally seen Lily in Harry.

Disclaimer: JKR's Universe. I'm just rearranging the stars.

Harry was very quiet as he packed his things into a second-hand book-bag. Only his most valuable possessions . . . there was no room for extras in his book-bag and he couldn't take his trunk. No magic over the holidays and he hadn't learned the shrinking charm yet anyway.

Harry tucked his photo album, his flute, and his father's invisibility cloak into the bottom of the bag along with his two most important textbooks (The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) and Magical Drafts and Potions). Then he hid them under a change of clothes and some extra underwear. He'd already tucked his wand up his sleeve, tying it into place with the shoelaces for Dudley's expensive-but-never-used running shoes.

Once he got outside, he was going to fly away on his broom . . . maybe to London . . . he hadn't decided yet. First, he had to get himself and Hedwig outside.

Unfortunately, Hedwig was still locked inside her cage and Harry lacked the key or the ability to use alohomora. So he had to carefully drop his broomstick to the ground below and hope it didn't make too much noise. Uncle Vernon and Dudley could sleep through a hurricane, but Aunt Petunia had truly sharp ears. He waited a full ten minutes after it hit to swing himself out the window, the top of Hedwig's cage clutched tightly in one hand.

The book-bag alone wouldn't have been a hindrance, but the cage unbalanced him more than once on his climb down the ivy trellis. He didn't dare jump. He might hurt Hedwig and while the owl had been obediently silent through this whole procedure, he couldn't blame her for protesting if he banged her around in the cage. The noise would give them both away.

Harry let out a soft sigh of relief as his feet touched the solid soil of Aunt Petunia's rose garden. "We did it, girl," he whispered jubilantly to Hedwig.

"Fool child . . . it's a wonder you didn't break your neck."

Harry jumped a foot in the air and Hedwig bit off a hoot of distress, understanding the gravity of the situation. A moment later, when he was still alive, Harry turned hesitantly towards the speaker.

Professor Snape stood at the edge of the yard, feet firmly planted on the very edge of the sidewalk and both hands shoved deep into the pockets of his outer robe. "Good evening, Potter."

"I'm not going back," Harry hissed fiercely. "Don't try and make me."

"I assure you, Potter, that even if I had the intention of doing so, I'm incapable of stepping one foot onto your muggle relatives' property. Why on earth didn't you use the front door?"

"How come you can't step onto the grass?" Harry challenged.

"I made a mistake long ago that Albus Dumbledore insists I keep paying for," the man answered him dangerously.

Harry swallowed. "Aunt Petunia leaves her door open so I can't sneak out of my room for food or the bathroom or running away."

"Incompetent muggle," Snape snorted. "So what's the plan, Potter? Flying to Hogwarts? The Weasleys? Don't be daft . . . you'll be sent straight back."

Harry didn't answer. Snape continued to glower at him. The staring contest was broken when Hedwig cooed softly and Harry ducked his head to comfort the owl.

"Set the cage on the sidewalk, Potter. The poor beast needs to stretch her wings."

Harry cautiously climbed over the rose bushes and set the cage on the sidewalk about ten feet away from where Snape stood, hastily darting back to the grass and recovering his broomstick. He was surprised when instead of using a spell, Snape crouched and withdrew a lock pick from his robes to free Hedwig. As soon as the owl soared into the sky to practice some daring acrobatic maneuvers, Snape lifted the cage and returned to his previous spot on the edge of the sidewalk.

"I should hope the next time you decide to run away, you have a plan or owl for help first," the professor suggested scathingly.

"No one would come," Harry declared. "None of my friends have sent me any letters . . . and Dumbledore wouldn't help me either."

Snape nodded. "I heard. That's why I came."

"I'm not going back."

"Good," his least-favorite teacher replied promptly. "Make sure you get far away and hide very well. Dumbledore has a long reach. I found out first-hand."

Harry felt rather brave. The professor hadn't spelled or poisoned him yet. And if Snape was merely keeping him here until it was too late to run away, Harry wasn't falling for it. He had four hours until sunrise and he only needed one to get to London. Besides the man was actually encouraging him. "What mistake did you make, sir? The one Dumbledore insists you keep paying for?"

Snape was quiet for a long moment, looking up at the stars, before returning his unforgiving-gaze to Harry. "I've made a lot of mistakes," the man finally said.

Harry blinked. That had been more honest than he expected. But Snape had always been that . . . honest . . . blunt, cruel, unforgiving, insistent, and impatient, but brutally honest. Harry never got honesty from Dumbledore, only riddles and secrets. Maybe there was only thing that Dumbledore had been right about, and that was Harry's misjudgment of Professor Snape.

"I think I've made a lot of mistakes too," Harry said softly, offering the peace branch. "But this . . ." he gestured to his bag, the ivy trellis, his professor, and the road ". . . this isn't a mistake."

"No," Professor Snape agreed. "No, it's most certainly not."

"I don't really have anywhere to go."

Snape held out one hand, still balanced on the edge of the sidewalk where some invisible line divided the two. Harry reached out without hesitation and took it, stepping onto the sidewalk. Snape crouched, spelling a warming charm at Harry and a shrinking charm at the cage and broomstick. Then with a sweep of his cloak and a muttered word, both Professor Severus Snape and Harry Potter disappeared from #4 Privet Drive.

By the time the Ministry of Magic notice arrived, they had already left England.

Finite Incantatem.