Disclaimer: As mentioned before, I just own this fanfic and OC Hailey. The OC Xander Scamander belongs to 5UP3RN0V42015. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling, no copyright intended!

Ch. 21

Leaving England

Harry and Hailey got the tent out and got it set up when they were certain their searchers may have called off the search. The runaways opted to spend a few days in the tent, to make sure that they wouldn't have to suffer anymore mishaps during the course of their journey. After a while, the Weasleys and the others searching had to call it off. Remus was stumped to see for himself how Harry and his friend were able to run so fast and slip through everybodys' fingers like grains of sand. After returning to the Burrow, Amelia turned to Remus.

"Are you sure that that was Harry who had the black hair?" she asked.

"I'm pretty certain it was," assured Remus. "I'd recognize that black hair being untidy. James' hair was also untidy."

"Now we know that black haired boy was Harry," said Arthur. "If I'd known sooner, I would've tried to help him and his friend in any way possible. When I saw them that day, I asked them if they were lost, but they just told me they were out exploring. The exploring part may have been true, but it didn't occur to me that they ran away from abusive homes, assuming that was why they've been so paranoid."

"Arthur, don't blame yourself for that," said Amelia. "You're not at fault. Susan, Hannah and Neville have also been having difficulty in trying to help Harry and his friend. Not many of us adults have gotten anywhere close to them."

"So Harry and his friend are just that paranoid, to the point where they have no idea who to turn to for help?" wondered Remus.

"Pretty much," guessed Amelia. "I do wonder how they've managed to survive! It's possible somebody may be helping them."

"Hopefully," said Molly. "But nobody knows that one for sure."

"It's like Harry and his friend will do anything to keep their distance from anybody," said Susan. "The last time Hannah, Neville and myself saw them, they kept screaming for us to leave them alone. It was like the closer we got, the more it terrified Harry and his friend."

"The poor dears!" said Molly in an empathetic voice.

"They also seem to be extremely skilled in hiding," Remus deduced. "Seeing how we tried to follow the way they took, Harry and his friend still weren't in sight… anywhere!"

"I do wonder how and where they got those skills," said Xenophilius. "When Luna spotted them that one day, she told me that she tried to think of a way to help Harry and his friend."

"I wish I knew," said Amelia. "I'd better inform Cornelius that Harry was finally identified. As paranoid as he and friend are, they can't keep running away from everybody they come across."

"Of course," said Arthur and Molly. "Thank you for some assistance, Amelia."

"You're welcome," said Amelia. "If you do spot Harry and his friend again, do anything it takes to help them. But don't try anything that could spook them into running off again."

"Okay, but the task of not spooking them won't be easy." said Arthur.

"Yes, but we still need to try." stated Molly.

"That's a must," said Amelia, then she turned toward her niece. "Come along, Susan."

"Yes, auntie." said Susan.

So Amelia and Susan apparated away while the Weasleys, Lovegoods, Hermione and Remus went back inside. Despite their efforts in thinking of solutions in trying to help get through to Harry and Hailey, nothing good was coming up. After Amelia dropped Susan off at Hannah's house, she apparated over to the ministry and notified minister Cornelius Fudge that Harry was finally identified. Since Harry and Hailey continued to stay away from cities (regardless if they're magical or muggle), combined with staying in the tent for a few days, they didn't have any knowledge that Harry was identified and that it would make it harder for them to avoid detection.

(Scene break)

It was Saturday, November 25th. Harry and Hailey ate breakfast, then after packing the necessities into their backpacks (with Hailey applying makeup over Harry's scar), they walked out and packed up the tent. They continued following River Otter, but following it upstream this time. For most of the day, the runaways continued following the river, occasionally stopping to rest up, have lunch or anything. They were even more cautious and would look over their shoulders from time to time, to make sure they weren't being followed. It was around 9:30 AM the next day when they somehow reached another river called River Culm, as mentioned on a nearby sign. They followed it east for a little bit before spotting some trees. Luckily, they weren't spotted, so they continued on.

They walked a little bit southeast of a road called B3170 when the runaways spotted a bit of wide open area that held another magical home from the looks of it. The wide open land had trees surrounding it, which made the manor unnoticeable to passing muggles driving by. Harry and Hailey saw some kids outside while spying on them from within the trees. There were quite a number of other kids, making Harry and Hailey wonder if there was some kind of party going on. Harry and Hailey got out their respective pairs of binoculars and looked through them. They discovered that there were some they recognized, such as Neville, Susan and Hannah. They even saw the girls named Daphne and Tracey, but there was a dark skin boy. The runaways tensed up when the kids started playing tag and ran by their hiding spot. The kids playing tag decided to stop playing for a bit and chat, unknowingly close to the spot Harry and Hailey were hiding in.

"So Blaise," said Neville to the dark skin boy. "Did you hear about what happened a few days ago?"

"No, what?" asked the boy named Blaise.

"Well, the runaway kids were spotted close to the Burrow," said Neville. "Ron was the first to spot them and he called down to them."

"I did hear about that," said Blaise. "Didn't those runaway kids run off again?"

"Yes," said Susan. "That was what Mr. and Mrs. Weasley told me and auntie when we went over there to help. Remus informed us that he happened to fully identify the black haired boy as Harry Potter."

"Really?" asked Daphne. "It wasn't because of the scar, was it?"

"No, it didn't have anything to do with that," stated Susan. "Harry and his friend were too far for us to notice the scar on Harry's forehead. Remus said he could tell it was Harry because of the untidy black hair, something he knew Harry's father, James had."

"So Daph and I spotted Harry after all," said Tracey. "When he and his friend strolled by my house that day, we didn't have any idea that Harry was the black haired boy. Mum and dad were impressed with how fast they were."

"Auntie even mentioned that Harry's friend's name is Hailey Brandwood," said Susan. "Since she and Kingsley saw their names on the elopement records."

Harry and Hailey tensed up some more, now realizing that the wizarding world was fully aware of their descriptions (more so with Harry). The runaways tried to walk away, but they were petrified with fright. Plus, they didn't want to possibly step on a twig and make it snap, since that would've made the kids realize that there was something within the trees. So Harry and Hailey continued spying, to see if the kids had more information.

"That's a bit weird," said Hannah. "But assuming that they ran away together, I can't really blame them for that. They may not be aware of it themselves."

"How long will Harry and his friend, Hailey continue with what they're doing?" asked Tracey.

"If only we knew, Trace," said Daphne. "Given how they react when they get spotted, they may not be willing to quit."

"Not to mention that they don't seem to have a final destination in mind," said Susan. "If anybody asked Harry and this Hailey that kind of question, it would more than likely make them run away once more."

Harry and Hailey couldn't bear to hear any more, so they tried to sneak away. With several other kids close by, it made sneaking away much more challenging. Sometimes, the other kids would look in the trees, forcing Harry and Hailey into staying in one spot. When they tried sneaking away again after a minute of waiting, Hailey stepped on a twig and made it snap. The other kids looked in the direction of the twig snapping.

"Is there an animal within the trees?" asked Hannah.

"I don't know," said Susan. "It can't be because we'd hear more twigs snapping and leaves rustling or something."

"Harry, are you and your friend out there?" asked Neville, thinking it was them.

The runaways didn't respond to the question, believing Neville was trying to trick them. Harry and Hailey just stayed right where they stopped, hoping the kids would just put enough distance between them. It seemed to be working, so the runaways tried sneaking away once more. They tried keeping watch of the kids, to ensure they wouldn't follow them. While doing so, Harry and Hailey didn't realize that they were starting to wander out of the trees and into plain view of everyone else. Thinking they were safe, Harry and Hailey turned around and began walking off, until Neville and Blaise saw them.

"Harry? Hailey?" said Neville and Blaise in unison.

Harry and Hailey quickly turned around and saw that the kids had spotted them and were now jogging toward them. The runaways gasped in horror, turned around and ran back into the trees.

"Wait, come back," Susan and Hannah called out to the runaways. "We wanna help you!"

Despite running into the trees, Harry and Hailey were still being followed. This increased their paranoia once more, believing the journey was finally over. Harry and Hailey saw the girls named Daphne and Tracey running inside, and this frightened them again (knowing that they were going to get an adult or two to come out and help). The runaways refused to give up, so they continued to try running away, but Neville, Blaise, Susan and Hannah continued the pursuit.

"We won't hurt you," assured Neville and Blaise. "We really wanna help you!"

"Come on Harry, Hailey," said Susan and Hannah. "There's nothing to be afraid of!"

But Harry and Hailey were too paranoid to listen. They felt their hearts beating in fright and tears welling up in their eyes. Meanwhile, Daphne and Tracey made it inside and over to their respective mothers (who were talking to Amelia), with Daphne's mother also braiding Tori's hair.

"We found Harry and his friend," Daphne and Tracey informed their respective mothers, as well as Amelia. "They were within the trees."

"Really?" asked Amelia.

"Positive," said Daphne. "Neville, Blaise, Susan and Hannah went after them, attempting to convince them not to run away."

"Well, why don't we go outside and try to…" said Daphne's mother.

But at that moment, Neville, Blaise, Susan and Hannah came back in, out of breath. This was a clear indication that they didn't succeed in what they were doing.

"It wasn't any use," said Susan. "They still wouldn't listen to our assurances that we were trying to help them."

"They got frightened once more," said Neville. "I think we were able to see a little bit of tears in their eyes."

"It shocked us into backing off!" said Hannah.

"Yeah, it was like they were trying to distance themselves from us in any way possible." said Blaise.

"Those poor kids," said Daphne and Tori's mother, feeling sympathy for Harry and Hailey. "They feel that they can't trust anybody."

"Will they ever trust anyone, mum?" asked Tori, who was starting to feel sad for the runaways.

"I don't know, sweetie," said Daphne and Tori's mother. "It appears that they're alot more terrified than we thought."

"Oh okay." said Tori as she turned around to face the couch. She felt some tears shedding.

"Tori, are you alright?" asked her mother.

"Uh huuuuhhhh!" Tori responded, trying to hide the fact that she was in tears. "I juuuust do-on't want anybo-ody to… thi-ink that I'm… a..."

Tori couldn't finish the rest of her response. Her mother could tell how disturbed she really was about Harry and Hailey. Amelia also knew it and she also felt some emotions. She wasn't impressed with Albus for not allowing a wizarding family the opportunity to look after Harry. She remembered Minerva telling her about the Dursleys, which made the head of the DMLE realize that Harry had been placed with the Dursleys.

"Not at all, sweetie, not at all," said Tori's mother as she went to hug her youngest daughter in a comforting manner. "Don't think that crying will make us think any less of you! It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Plus, you're not alone in feeling this way," Susan assured Tori, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Just look at what happened moments ago. Neville, Blaise, Hannah and myself tried to help Harry and his friend. But we didn't have any luck in convincing them not to run off again, even when we tried assuring them that we weren't out to hurt them."

"It's also showing that you care about them," assured Tori's mother, still hugging her youngest daughter comfortingly. "That day you offered them to play with you was proving it. Their turning down the offer wasn't anything against you personally. Harry and his friend were probably terrified that they would be lured into a trap. They may have tried getting help countless times before, but for them it just got worse every time they tried."

"That's right, Tori," said Amelia. "You're not the only one trying to help Harry and his friend. All of us here have been putting in some combined effort. Harry and his friend may not realize it, but maybe they feel grateful to you for the offer deep down."

Tori smiled a bit, even though her eyes were still full of tears. So her mother (with Daphne's help) tried to cheer her up, which was working as Tori began laughing. Amelia could also tell that trying to help Harry and Hailey was still far from finished.

'First chance I get,' thought Amelia, her anger directed at the headmaster of Hogwarts. 'I'm going to confront the ole coot for placing Harry with those wretched muggles! I just know Minerva and Lily were right, those Dursleys are the worst kind!'

Meanwhile, Harry and Hailey continued running away as fast as possible. They didn't want to think about the possibility that they were still being followed, so they didn't look behind them at all. Once they felt they were far away from the kids who spotted them, Harry and Hailey stopped to rest. As they were doing so, a black dog happened to finally spot them.

'I'm here, pup,' thought the man in his dog form. 'I wish to reveal myself to you, but I don't want to see you and your friend frightened.'

"Harry, there's a black dog over there." said Hailey, pointing in the 'dog's' direction.

"Hi, boy," Harry greeted the 'dog' (not realizing that the dog was his godfather). "Are you lost or something?"

The 'dog' walked toward Harry and Hailey and sat down in front of them. Unaware that the 'dog' was a person in an animagus form, the runaways decided to confide in to it.

"I don't know if you ran away from abusive owners," the runaways spoke to the 'dog' in unison, petting it at the same time. "But we did exactly that near the end of September because our so called families abused us. Not many of our teachers tried to get us any help and any who did were blacklisted. It's like anytime we tried getting help, it only made things worse. All we ever wanted was a loving and caring family, but that wish has never been granted. Despite our efforts, we have no idea who to trust because we don't wanna go back to any abusive environment. We do have someone helping us, but even he hasn't had much luck in getting charges filed against our respective so called families."

The man still in his dog form couldn't believe what all he was told. He especially knew that Albus underestimated the Dursleys big time that night. He was angry with Albus Too-Many-Names Dumbledore for not allowing Harry to rightfully go to him.

'I, Sirius Orion Black, vow to keep Harry and his friend safe,' thought the man in determination. 'But I shouldn't reveal myself yet, one step at a time.'

After a little while, the runaways (and their companion) got up and resumed their journey. They traveled south for at least an hour or so when they spotted something that no muggle driving by noticed. Hailey knew that it was a magical express station. This gave them a chance to get out of England (believing they weren't safe). As they approached the station, they heard some announcement that the passing muggles also didn't hear.

"Forty-five minutes left to purchase tickets for Orleans, France!" the announcement revealed.

"France!" said Hailey with fascination. "Maybe we can make it to Paris and see the Eiffel Tower!"

"I remember seeing a picture of that tower in a book back in the library at St. Grogery's," said Harry, equally fascinated. "It's always been intriguing to visit!"

"So we should get a ticket to a city in France?" asked Hailey, intending to make sure.

"Definitely," said Harry. "I'm not sure how far this Orleans is from Paris, but I don't think it's anything we can't handle."

"Okay," said Hailey, as she and Harry turned toward the 'dog.' "Sorry boy, I don't think they allow pets on trains, even magical ones."

"Sorry to cut the time with you," Harry apologized. "We don't feel safe here in England. Plus, we wanna go to this Orleans in France and make our way over to Paris. We wish to get an actual look at the Eiffel Tower."

So the runaways petted the 'dog' before going to the station. Before they were in plain view, Harry and Hailey got their tent set up, so they could disguise themselves. Hailey gave Harry some hair jelly, so he could comb his untidy black hair while Hailey undid the ponytail and began tying her hair into pigtails and then braiding them. Sirius (while still in his dog form) realized that he could leave the country himself, so he decided to go to Paris himself.

'I'll see you and your friend in Paris soon, pup,' thought Sirius. 'At the same time, I can reach out to someone who can help me get a trial I never received! But I must stay in my animagus form until then. If I want to be fatherly figure to Harry, I must do anything I can. Maybe this could be a wonderful surprise for pup and his friend.'

With that thought, Sirius ran off towards the south-southeastern coast of England. Harry and Hailey finished disguising themselves to avoid (or at least reduce) any more incidents of getting spotted and recognized. Harry saw his combed hair in a mirror and admired it, even Hailey admired it.

"That should make you unrecognizable, Harry!" said Hailey.

"Yeah, as long as my scar is also hidden, we shouldn't have too many problems," stated Harry. Then he saw Hailey's braided hair. "What kind of hairstyle is that?"

"Braided pigtails," said Hailey. "This is the first time since my mum died where I had my hair put like this. She would be the one to do it, so from the time since until now, I would just put my hair into a ponytail."

"I see," said Harry. "Hopefully, that will help make you unrecognizable."

"Yeah," said Hailey. "Are you ready to go buy a couple tickets for Orleans, France?"

"Yes," said Harry. "But, do they accept what would be called muggle money?"

"I have no clue," said Hailey. "But it seems unlikely."

When the runaways picked up their respective backpacks to check for everything needed, Harry spotted some kind of bag that he hadn't seen before and showed it to Hailey.

"This bag is full of… wizarding money!" said Hailey, surprised. "This is also called a bottomless bag. You can put as much as you want in it without worry of it getting a bulge."

"What are these coins supposed to be called?" asked Harry curiously.

"These bronze ones are called knuts," stated Hailey, showing Harry each coin. "The silver ones are called sickles and the gold ones are called galleons. Twenty-nine bronze knuts make up a silver sickle and seventeen silver sickles make up a gold galleon."

"Got it!" said Harry in understanding.

So the runaways double-checked their backpacks to make sure they had all the necessities. Despite Harry having combed his hair with the hair jelly, Hailey still applied makeup over the scar to be safe (since the scar would've been exposed as a result of the hair being combed). Once they walked out of the tent and packed it up, Harry and Hailey took some deep breaths and looked each other in the eyes.

"Well, let's do this!" said the runaways to each other, with determination in their voices.

So they began walking toward the magical train station. As they made it to the booth where tickets were sold, the witch in charge looked at the kids in surprise (raising her eyebrows in the process).

"How much are two tickets to Orleans, France?" asked Harry.

"That'll be… seventy-five galleons," said the witch. "But, aren't you two a little young to be purchasing train tickets?"

"Well, my mum was going to join us," said Hailey, using (for the first time ever since running into the man named Arthur Weasley shortly after the start of their journey) a cover story. "But, my grandma doesn't like traveling alone and she was also invited along. So my mum gave my friend and I some money so we could purchase some tickets and they would wait to join us in a few days."

"My parents are waiting in Orleans, or at least close by it," said Harry, adding more to their cover story. "So we'll be meeting them at the train station once the train ride is over."

Hailey nodded her head, so the witch in charge of the tickets shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't see any harm in that, and plus there wasn't any proof that the story was false. At the same time, she was impressed with how fit the kids were. So Harry paid for the tickets, then the witch gave Harry and Hailey their tickets. Once they approached a car, the conductor showed the runaways over to a compartment. Even the conductor was impressed with the kids' being in shape and looking healthy. The compartment revealed that there were two beds in the same room, making Harry and Hailey look a little chagrined. Harry closed the sliding compartment door, so neither he nor Hailey had to worry about getting disturbed.

"I do wonder how we'll make it out of the train station without anyone getting suspicious of us." said Hailey.

"I don't know," said Harry. "But we have some time to plan that out, assuming that the journey will take a few hours or so."

"Pretty much," said Hailey as she checked an overhead clock. "It's only 11:30 AM, and the train leaves at noon."

"Yeah, but I think France is in a different time zone than England," said Harry. "And it's like southeast, so it'll be like an hour later."

All too soon, it was nearing the time for the train to leave the station. Once it was noon, the conductor's voice was heard throughout the train.

"All aboard!" the conductor announced.

The train started leaving the platform and finally the station altogether. Harry and Hailey looked out their compartment window as the train was moving. Their hearts started beating with excitement, since they couldn't wait for the chance to get an actual look at the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The runaways were unaware that the dog was an animagus and that the man named Sirius Black was on his way to Paris himself. There were also bound to be more eventual surprises awaiting the runaways. Harry and Hailey continued looking out the window to watch the scenery as a way of distracting them from the train ride to the magical station near Orleans, France. While the train ride continued, Sirius (in his dog form) began his long journey swimming to France, so he could reunite with Harry and Hailey. Sirius knew it was going to feel like an eternity, but he was determined to do anything for his godson.

'I'm coming for you, pup. I'll be there for you and your friend soon. Just be patient, I'll be in France and find you two in no time!' thought Sirius as he continued swimming across the English Channel.

The End!

Author's note 1: Well, Harry and Hailey finally crossed paths with Sirius (despite the latter being in his animagus form). The runaways are also out of England and on their way to France, with Sirius determined to do whatever it took to find Harry and Hailey again. Will Harry and Hailey finally get their wish to have a loving and caring family? Will Xander succeed in finding the evidence to help press further charges against Hailey's father? Will Sirius reunite with the runaways? Will the runaways' searchers get a tip off on their whereabouts? Will the Dursleys finally face justice? Check my profile page for new stories if you're interested, to keep an eye out for the sequel!

Author's note 2: I'd like to give a shoutout to 'setokayba2n' for suggesting that Harry and Hailey leave England. That idea was suggested a while back and I spent time coming up with the right idea for Harry and Hailey to get out of England, but the main idea belongs to 'setokayba2n.'

An anonymous reviewer known as 'Gregory Hannsen' also suggested that Harry and Hailey somehow meet up with Sirius (even though he was in his animagus) and come trust him in some way, so I'd like to give a shoutout to that reviewer.