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"State you name and purpose" she ordered Natalie and Harry, they still hadn't turned around yet.

"Natalie Hawkins." Natalie answered, "I'm here on business with the American branch of International Correspondence."

Harry sighed, "I'm with Nat here" he replied.

"Name?" Hermione prompted.

Harry sighed and answered; "Harry Potter"

Chapter Fourteen: Escaping the Past

Once Harry replied, he turned slowly to face the two people from his past that he'd rather forget and the one greasy git that believed him.

Hermione was looking at him in disbelief, as was McGonagall. When Hermione managed to get a good look at his face; she gasped. In shock, she dropped her wand and stumbled backwards slightly. The clatter of her wand falling to the wooden floor resounded throughout the silent room.

"Harry!" McGonagall asked hopefully.

Harry spared her a quick glance and nod.

"Oh sweet Merlin" she exclaimed again.

"Har…Harry?" Hermione asked weakly, "is it really you?"

Snape snorted behind Hermione, "and I thought you were supposed to be smart Granger…the again, you're marrying a Weasely. Didn't you just hear him say that his name was Harry Potter?" Snape drawled.

Hermione squealed joyfully and flung her arms around Harry's waist. Harry froze and in a calm, dangerous tone he addressed the owner of the bushy brown hair.

"Granger, or is it Weasley now? I'd advise you to get off me now before you force me to do something I might regret."

Hermione let go of him in alarm. McGonagall had the same expression of distress on her aged face as Hermione. Why would Harry threaten her like that?

"Harry…it's me…Hermione; one of your best friends from Hogwarts…" Hermione explained tentatively.

Snape snorted behind her, jeez, Granger really is asking for it…haha, I wonder what Potter will do? Oh no, judging by his expression; this should be a very sweet moment. He thought savagely.

Harry's face remained expressionless when Hermione let go. Natalie quickly realized that Harry might lose control so she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, letting him know that she was there for him.

Harry drew in a long breath before answering Hermione's bland statement. "Look Granger, answer me this; if we truly as good friends as you claim we once were, then where the hell were you when I was sent to Azkaban!" Harry's voice got increasingly louder as he carried on. Hermione opened her mouth to answer before Harry cut her off. "No wait; I know where you were; testifying against me…tell me where my so called 'best friend' was then when I needed her the most!"

Harry stormed past her and McGonagall, Natalie on his tail as he marched through the door out into the hallway.

"Harry! Wait!" Hermione called desperately after him.

"Fuck it Granger! I don't want to hear your pathetic excuses!" Harry exclaimed as he left Hermione, McGonagall and Snape in the drawing room where the Black family tapestry was.

Harry shot down the stairs leading to the ground floor of number 12 Grimmauld Place with Natalie right behind him. He made it to the entrance hallway forgetting momentarily about the portrait of Mrs. Black; Sirius's 'lovely' mother. Harry was painfully reminded of her presence when she awoke to the sounds of his and Natalie's footsteps.

"FILTHY MUDBLOODS IN THE MOST ANCIENT AND NOBLE HOUSE OF BLACK! YOU DESECRETE THE HOUSE OF MY NOBLES! I BET MY UNGRATEFUL FOUL SON LET YOU IN!" she screeched at them. It was the last straw for Harry, insulting Sirius just pushed him too far.

"SHUT UP YOU OLD HAG!" he yelled as he shoved his magic at the portrait successfully demolishing it. Natalie stood stock-still next to him as he drew in shaky breaths; trying to regain his composure. Harry rushed forward to the door trying to wrench it open but to no avail.

"We'll just have to wait till that Snape character finishes reprimanding those two women so he can open the door for us." Natalie suggested sensibly.

"I guess so" Harry agreed. He leant against a wall and slid down it. Natalie rushed to his side, drawing him into a reassuring embrace. As they sat in silence they could both her Snape having a go at Hermione and McGonagall, bits of their heated conversation where loud enough for them to make out that it was about Harry.

"Harry needs to know! You've kept too many bloody secrets from him!" Harry heard Snape yell.

"Since when did you care so much about him anyway Professor? You hated him since he first stepped in Hogwarts! I've been his best friend from when we were 11 years old; I know what he wants and doesn't want to know!" Hermione yelled back.

Harry clenched his jaw angrily, how dare she presume she knew what was best for him! And she was supposed to me smart!

"Firstly Granger; remind me; who out of the two of us believed him to be a murderer? Then; who out of the two of us condemned him to hell! I admit, I made a mistake hating him because, I couldn't let go of a childhood grudge against his father, wasn't the smartest thing I have done in my life but at least I never turned my back on someone I considered a friend when they needed me the most!" Harry and Natalie heard Snape retort. Both were grateful of his support. "I don't give a damn what you think or McGonagall or even Albus thinks. Harry deserves to know the truth! I even tried owling him a couple of days after he left the wizarding world but it seems he managed to mask his Aura well."

After that, Harry and Natalie could hear footsteps thundering down the stairs. Snape, Hermione and McGonagall were all on their way down when Harry saw the front door swing open across from where he and Natalie were seated on the floor.

In walked one of the most powerful wizards in the world and yet he was also the man that Harry despised the most.

"Albus!" McGonagall cried, "what are you doing here?" McGonagall, Hermione and Snape were all standing at the bottom of the staircase looking at Albus in varying degrees of alarm. Harry grabbed Natalie, pulled her into a corner and quickly blanketed them in the shadows.

"Well, I came to check on Severus…how are you my dear boy?" Dumbledore asked; his shocking lime-green robes swirling around him as the wind blew into them from the open door behind him.

Shit, Harry thought, this is just what I need…can my day get any crappier?

"I'm fine Albus" Snape replied curtly.

"Albus! It's Harry! He's here!" Hermione exclaimed excitedly.

"What?" Albus looked at Hermione sharply, "Harry Potter?"

"How many other Harry's do we know?" Snape drawled so only Harry and Natalie who were hidden in the shadows behind him could hear. Harry couldn't help but grin and appreciate Snape's sharp sarcastic humor.

"Where is he?" Albus asked desperately.

"He came downstairs but I don't know where he's got to now. He's got to be in the house because only Order members can open and close the door!" Hermione stated.

Damn, so that's why we can't get out! Harry thought with annoyance.

"Spread out! We have to find him!" Albus ordered as he closed the front door behind him; trapping Harry and Natalie in the house. Hermione went down to the basement, McGonagall and Dumbledore to the upper stories of the house while Snape was left to search the ground floor.

"Damnit," Harry cursed softly when Snape quickly left from in front of him, "almost got him! Damn git, can't he stay still?"

"We'll just have to wait for him to get back, shouldn't be long." Natalie replied.

Harry sighed.

"Harry hun; promise me you won't do anything stupid or rash if you see those people again. As soon as Snape gets here, we're out of here; got it?" Natalie said sternly.

Harry looked into her eyes, kissed the women he loved softly on the cheek and nodded reluctantly; she knew him too well.

Harry tried apperating and elemental traveling out but the wards kept them stuck in the Order Headquarters. They resigned to waiting for Snape to get them out. Five minutes later showed that lady-luck wasn't on their side. Snape got back to the front door cursing the Potter family line. Just as Harry was about to call him over to Natalie and himself, Hermione showed up looked apprehensive.

"Have you found him?" She asked Snape.

"Obviously not otherwise I wouldn't be standing her cursing his damn name would I?"

Before Hermione could reply to the sarcastic jab from Snape both McGonagall and Dumbledore came down the stairs.

"We can't find him" McGonagall said disheartened, "he probably found a way out."

"But Professor, you can't get out of the house without an Order member's help! It's too heavily warded." Hermione replied, distressed that Harry got away.

"The normal rules of magic don't apply to Potter; he makes his own rules." Snape said.

Hermione looked at him suddenly, "it was you!" she accused, "you let him out didn't you!"

Snape raised an eyebrow at her, "if I did Granger, then I wouldn't be standing here with you wondering how he got out…"

"You wanted to tell him!"

"You're ability to point out the obvious and well known, continues to astound me." Sanpe replied dryly.

"Children please! That's enough." Dumbledore said.

"I hardly qualify as a child Albus; I'm well over half a century old," Snape replied.

Dumbledore beamed at Snape's statement, "never-the-less, compared to how old I am; you are a child…now, we've wasted enough time.It is imperative that we find Harry!" and with that Dumbledore swept out of the hallway to check in the basement again. Hermione and McGonagall followed his lead and rechecked upstairs. Harry realized that this may be the only chance he gets and he wasn't going to let it slip away again. Just as Snape walked past him, Harry latched onto the back of his robes and pulled him into the shadows. Before Snape could open his mouth to call for help, Harry had clamped his hand over Snape's mouth. He turned Snape to face him and whispered hurriedly at him, "It's me; Harry, get us out of here now!" Snape nodded and Harry let go. The three of them; Harry, Natalie and Snape speed to the front door. Snape whispered harshly at the door; "I, Severus Snape of the Order of the Phoenix command you to open." As soon as the last word was whispered the door swung open.

Before Harry and Natalie could leave, Snape grabbed onto Harry's arm. "Potter, I've got to tell you…"

"Snape are you trying to get us caught! Let go of me man, if it's really urgent meet me at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow at midday." Harry cut him off.

"Ah Harry, there you are my dear boy! How are you?" Dumbledore had just clambered back up the stairs from the basement when the wards on the house alerted him that someone had opened the front door. He spotted Snape holding onto Harry's arm and was ecstatic that he had managed to find Harry.

Oh damn! Potter's going to hate me after this! Snape thought with a bit of fear of Harry. Snape quickly let go of Harry's arm hopeful that in this gesture Harry would realize that he wanted him to escape.

Harry glanced at Snape and quickly nodded thanks and understanding before he started back out the door.

"Harry wait!" Dumbledore cried. When it became apparent that Harry wasn't going to wait for him; Dumbledore, in desperation, pulled out his hand. "Petrificus Totalus!" The spell rushed at Harry faster then anyone could ever imagine. The spell's beam was much larger and brighter then Snape, or Natalie had ever seen before. It showed how powerful Albus Dumbledore truly was. The spell hit Harry and covered him in a light so bright that the others had to look away.

"Harry!" Natalie cried. Angered, she whipped out her wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore. "Look you meddling old coot! You stay the hell away from Harry! He wants nothing more to do with you, be thankful that I'm not planning on pressing charges for assault!" Natalie snarled at the old man, acting braver then she felt.

While Natalie had Dumbledore distracted, Snape, too, drew out his wand. He pointed it at the glowing mass that was Harry determined to release him from the spell that Dumbledore had cast, only to find that it wasn't necessary. The light dissipated allowing Snape to see a perfectly fine Harry Potter that looked extremely pissed off but amused at the fact that Natalie was threatening Dumbledore.

Hermione and McGonagall chose to return from their search for Harry only to find their 'esteemed' Headmaster being held at wand point by Natalie while Snape and Harry stood idly by. They could only stand in disbelief and watch the scene un-fold.

Harry reached over to Natalie's shoulder and grasped it firmly, "Nat, forget about it, let's just go…"

"NO Harry! Not after all the shit they put you through…you're willing to just walk away?"

"Nat, all this; my past; all I want to do is forget it and leave it behind me…please Nat, let's go, the others will be wondering where we are…" Harry pleaded, his self control was about to snap; just seeing the people that betrayed him emotionally drained him. The wounds caused by their betrayal, were just being healed while he spent time among his new friends and family in America, and were being painfully ripped open again.

Natalie noticed the desperation in her fiancé's voice and immediately agreed.

"Alright Harry, let's go…"

"Harry, my boy, I must insist you stay…" Dumbledore called in desperation.

"Insist all you want old man but I'm not staying another minute near you. And for the record; I'm not your 'boy'" Harry turned his back to Dumbledore and the others.

He and Natalie were just about to apparate out when they heard Snape yell out; "WAIT!"

"What the hell do you want Snape? I mean I appreciate your support of me and all but are you trying to test me patience as well!" Harry snapped back at him.

Snape winced at the thought of an enraged Harry Potter on his ass.

"Professor! You can't tell him!" Hermione yelled out from inside the house; she came rushing past a dumb-struck Dumbledore to Harry, Natalie and Snape.

"Shut up Granger!" Harry snarled at her. Hermione flinched at the hate in his voice and stepped back.

"You can't…" She repeated weakly.

"Do shut up Granger if you know what's good for you!" Snape told her sharply. He turned back to face Harry; "Harry…he's alive! We managed to bring him back!"

"Who?" Harry asked.

"Sirius Black is alive!"

Authoresses Notes: Hooray for me! I got this chapter up pretty fast for my standards! Sorry for the evil cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter but I just couldn't resist… I know that some people may not like how this chapter went but I can't please everyone…I try though. If there are any major peeves that you may have with this chapter, let me know and I'll try to answer your questions in the next chapter. BIG thanks again to all my readers and reviewers!

Fire-Pawz