How To Cancel A Contract:

The large group called the order of the phoenix had just finished another meeting. Many instantly left the dark house, others stood together and talked.

Kingsley Shacklebolt was an auror. He was trained to go after dark witches and wizards. The order of the phoenix worked in secret so no one could interfere. Now that Voldemort was back and his death eaters had joined him, Kingsley wanted to do more than just what the ministry allows, which is why he joined the order.

He knew some of the people personally but most he only met during their first meeting. He got on well with most and one of the people he took too straight away was Sirius Black. The man was thought of as an escaped murderer. The first meeting, Albus and Sirius explained to the group about Peter Pettigrew. Albus had even used his pensieve so everyone could see what had taken place in the shrieking shack right before Peter escaped.

Kingsley had been put in charge of finding Sirius and arresting him. Now he knew the man was innocent, he would put out fake sightings, away from England. The first thing he found out about Sirius was how worried he was about his godson, Harry Potter.

The order of the phoenix was using the Black home that had been placed under the fidelius charm with Albus Dumbledore as secret keeper. There is no place safer than the Black house. Sirius could not understand why Harry wasn't brought straight there. But Albus made him return to the muggle house. As Sirius said, what could muggles do if Harry found himself in danger. But he was also worried about his godson's state of mind. Harry had gone through something terrible, he needed support, he needed to be with people he cared about and Harry had wanted to live with Sirius and get away from the muggles.

Hearing what Sirius said about Harry had Kingsley confused. It seemed Harry hated the muggles he lived with and they hated him. With Harry going through such a traumatic experience than the worse place for him was with the muggles. He would be better off with Sirius even if he was in hiding. Kingsley heard all this after their first meeting, from then on, he had been listening and watching. He was using his auror training to get information because he believed that something more was going on, especially about Harry Potter and why he wasn't brought straight to the Black house.

Five meetings on and Kingsley knew there was more going on that the order wasn't told about. Albus wasn't giving them all the facts and for some reason Albus allowed Snape to say cruel things to some of the members. Kingsley knew Snape had been a death eater who turned spy for Albus. But the way he was acting towards some of the good people that had joined, told Kingsley that Snape was still a death eater. He couldn't understand why Albus Dumbledore trusted the man.

One thing Kingsley had seen that made him curious. He had seen Albus and Molly Weasley whispering, they did that a lot. One time Kingsley overheard them say something about Harry. He didn't hear what only that Harry's name was mentioned. Now the meeting had broken up and Kingsley had seen Albus give Molly a look, who nodded. He knew those two were about to talk in secret again and he wanted to find out what they spoke about. He ended up borrowing Mad-eye's second invisibility cloak before making it seem like he was leaving. He knew Albus had charmed glasses, it was so he could see people who were disillusioned or using invisibility cloak. But Kingsley found out that Albus would not see him if he used both together, which is what he did.

As the rest were leaving, Kingsley quietly followed Albus and Molly into the drawing room. Sirius and Remus were still in the kitchen talking. Kingsley stood and listened to what Albus and Molly were saying, about Harry Potter and he knew right then that he could not be loyal to Albus but he also knew he had to do something to help Harry.

When Kingsley left the order of the phoenix headquarters, he didn't go straight home, he went to the ministry. He had some research to do, on magical betrothal contracts. He had found out that after Sirius was sent to Azkaban, Albus became Harry Potter's legal guardian even though he left the boy with his muggle aunt. Now he finds out that Albus had made a deal with Molly Weasley. They had signed a contract so Harry would have to marry Ginny Weasley, the youngest and only girl in the Weasley family. Kingsley hated those types of contracts, mainly because it involves children. They had the freedom to choose who they wanted to marry taken away from them. He might be a pure-blood and it was mainly pure-bloods who use these types of contracts, but he never believed forcing two people to marry was a good thing. Everyone deserves to make their own choices. A young couple should be able to date and fall in love like everyone else and not be forced to be with someone just because two people made a deal.

It took a few nights, but Kingsley was able to find out exactly how someone could break one of these contracts. He had to work on a few things but now he was done, he planned to speak with Harry Potter the next time he did guard duty at the muggle house, which was in another two days.

Kingsley waited until the Dursley's were asleep before he snuck into the house. He had to move through the house quietly while he found Harry's room. He ended up furious when he saw that there were four locks keeping Harry locked in his room. Harry Potter was basically a prisoner in the house he was supposed to call home. Through Sirius, Kingsley found out that Harry hated the Dursley's and this house. Now he knew why.

Kingsley quietly used magic to unlock the locks. He destroyed them than vanished them. He lit his wand then let himself into the room. He looked around he knew he was right. Harry Potter was basically a prisoner.

Harry knew nothing about the order of the phoenix and he had never met Kingsley. The man knew the moment Harry woke Kingsley would have to explain but also get the boy to listen. It would be natural for Harry to wonder if Kingsley was an enemy just pretending to be someone good.

Just as Kingsley was about to shake Harry away, the boy began to moan in his sleep, he also began to toss and turn. He realised that Harry was having a bad dream. He quickly shook the boys shoulder then stood up.

'Harry, I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt and I'm an auror. I came to see you to explain something that involves you. I came to help you.'

'Is this about Fudge lying about me?'

'No, even though he's going to do all he can to make people believe you're crazy. He plans to put his undersecretary at Hogwarts as the defence against the dark arts teacher who will be making sure you don't go around telling people Voldemort has returned. The woman is a nasty piece of work and is hated by most people at the ministry.'

Harry groaned, 'Great, that's all I need. I already have Snape making my life hell, now I'll have another.'

'Yes, Snape, he should be locked up. I would do it but Snape is being protected by Albus Dumbledore. No one will go against that man.'

'The old goat should go onto his next great adventure,' Harry mumbled, 'So if this isn't about Fudge, why are you here?'

'First let me explain. Albus put together a group called the order of the phoenix. The group existed when Voldemort was here before. I had only just began my training at the time, so I wasn't approached to join. I found out that your parents were members, along with your godfather. I met Sirius, he's a good bloke. I'm also the auror in charge of arresting Sirius, so I make it seem like he's gone overseas. He is back and using his old families home as headquarters. He wanted you to go there to be with him but Albus wanted you here. Arthur, Molly, Bill and Charlie Weasley have joined as well, along with many others.'

'So, this group is to help fight Voldemort and his death eaters?'

'That is the general idea, yet so far, I don't see it. They are mainly talking and not really doing much else. But this isn't about them and what they are doing, this is about something I overheard, in regard to you.'

'Me?' Harry's brow furrowed, 'what did you hear?'

'Before I explain, I want you to tell me what you think of Ginny Weasley?'

Harry was confused, but for some reason, he knew he could trust this bloke, 'Well, she's nice enough, but to be honest, she creeps me out. She stares at me all the time, she can hardly talk to me without stuttering. She's what Hermione calls a fan-girl. She likes the-boy-who-lived. She likes the big hero, which I'm not, I'm just Harry, a kid trying to survive this strange world I found I belong to. Now why did you ask about Ginny?'

'I overheard Albus and Molly Weasley talking. It seems that Albus is your legal guardian. That happened when Sirius was sent to Azkaban. I don't understand why Albus didn't keep you but also why he sent you here, of all places. You would have powerful protection if he kept you with him at Hogwarts. That's what the castle was originally built for, to house and train young witches and wizards how to use their magic. But it also kept them safe from the muggles. Those laws are still in place. From what Sirius told me and a bit of research, I found out you aren't treated well here, so you should have stayed at Hogwarts.'

'I asked Dumbledore if I could stay there or somewhere else, he said I had to stay here because of my mother sacrificing herself. It's linked to blood somehow. As long as I stay with my mother's blood, I'm protected. I explained to Dumbledore that Voldemort now has my blood running through his veins. I keep expecting that maniac to turn up.'

'If that's true than you are in danger. Hopefully with what I worked out could help you. Now as to what this is about. Albus and Molly signed a betrothal contract for you and Ginny. The moment the youngest, Ginny, turns seventeen, you have to marry or have your magic bound.'

'Oh god,' Harry grimaced, 'I don't like her, I can't marry her.'

'I have a way for you to get out of it, if you want to. It will mean leaving this country though.'

'No one in this country has helped me since my parents were murdered so I don't have any loyalty to it. I have friends who have turned on me and now they are ignoring my letters. I don't really have anyone or anything keeping me here. I would rather leave then be married to her.'

'Good. Now, to break this, legally and magically, you will need to do a few things. First is you have to leave the country, then you have to become a citizen of that country. Second, no one can find you until after she has become an adult. If they found you and if they wanted to make sure you two still marry, she would have to become a citizen of the same country as you. If you are an adult by then than no one can force you to return or make you give up your citizenship of that country. To marry and make this marriage binding, both of you have to be citizens of the same country and it has to be done the moment she turns seventeen. If they found you then she could become a citizen of that country then you would be forced to marry her.'

'So, all I have to do is make a home in another country, with a citizenship and stay hidden until I'm just over eighteen years old. Okay, problem, first is I have to get to Gringotts and clean out my vault. Second, I'm only about to turn fifteen, they won't let me become a citizen without some type of parent to approve this. Third, how do I get away when there are people keeping me prisoner here?'

'I can help with all that. Once it's done in the muggle world, it instantly crosses over to the wizarding world. An easy confundus charm on a muggle, with some fake papers making it seem like I'm your guardian, whether an uncle or parent, it doesn't matter, as long as they believe I'm your guardian they will have the legal paperwork. As for Gringotts, there are Gringotts in every country and they are linked. The moment you show your key and that you are a citizen of that country, they will have the contents of your vault transferred. As for the guards, we work in on a night that Mundungus is here. He gets drunk and falls asleep. Also, he has a habit of sneaking off to conduct his illegal business. It's harmless, so Albus told us to let him do what he wants. Albus gets a lot of information from Mundungus since he hangs around some nasty people. Anyway, this is all easy to work out.'

'When can I leave?'

Kingsley saw just how anxious Harry was about leaving, 'Tomorrow night, which is good as Albus plans to have some of the order come here to get you at the end of the week. I want you to leave a letter saying that since no one cared and forced you to stay here as a prisoner, you decided to leave the muggles. Don't write anything else. This will make them believe you left the house but are still in this country. With Voldemort back, most of the order will need to deal with that so they won't have a lot of time to search for you. It will take a long time just to search this country. I believe it would be a year or two before they might begin to search other countries. They also have to be careful if they do go overseas to look for you. They will have to follow that countries laws. You'll be a citizen and some countries give their citizens emergency portkeys in case of danger. They are only to be used in a life-threatening situation. It takes the person into the auror office of that country. If say you had one and say one of the order found you and was trying to force you to return, you use the portkey and tell the aurors you're a citizen and some people in England are trying to kidnap you. Many people here wish our ministry would do the same thing.'

Harry smiled, 'It seems you've worked everything out. You also know stuff I wouldn't have dreamed was around.'

'When I heard about the contract, I researched, a lot. I hate those types of contracts. I figured I would find out everything there is and what could help you before finding out if you might like the girl or not. See, Molly told Albus she thinks you and Ginny make a nice couple. She said she had seen you look at Ginny a lot, which shows how you feel about her. I think that woman is delusional.'

'She is, I try not to look at Ginny. Sometimes when she's talking, I ignore her. If Hermione asks why, I say I wasn't paying attention. Then I answer her with short answers or just one word before ignoring her again. I never go near her, even when I stayed with the Weasley's. Because of the fans of the-boy-who-lived, I sort of make girls believe I like Hermione. I always sit with her, talk with her and we walk together all the time. It's worked, most believe we're a couple but we just keep saying we're friends so Ron doesn't get angry. He likes Hermione. They will never work. Anyway, will you get me tomorrow night?'

'Yes, the moment Mundungus is here, I'll sneak in using the borrowed invisibility cloak then we'll sneak out the same way with you using yours. Sirius told me you had one and he hopes you use it to keep yourself safe. You just need to tell me which country we're heading too. I will need to get a portkey for a country that isn't linked to the one you plan to go to. We'll buy another once we're there, then another, using false names. We have to break the trail so three or four countries before we go to the one you want to live in.'

'Oh, um, well, an English speaking country would be best. I mean I could learn another language but I would have to do that before I lived in that country. America has millions and millions of muggles, I could easily get lost there,' Harry's brow furrowed, then he grinned, 'No, not America, but a country further away, a lot further. Australia or maybe New Zealand.'

Kingsley laughed, 'They will never think to look in either of those countries. One, both are on the other side of the world and takes around fifteen hours to fly there on a muggle plane. Two, you are not linked to either country in anyway, neither were your parents. I know your father had friends in America, I think he also had a great aunt that lived there as well. I don't know much more than that. American would be the first place they would look if they believe you have gone overseas. It's English speaking, it's not that far and it has a huge population that you could get lost in. You've also got a small connection to it. Albus would believe you would go there. Then they might think of Canada. Australia and New Zealand will not be on his list at all so it's the perfect choice. I believe Australia would be better as it's a very large country. It just doesn't have the population as England but still has millions of people, muggle and magical. Okay, I'll be here tomorrow night at eleven.'

'Okay, Australia it is. What about my stuff, how will I take it?'

'An easy shrinking charm, along with a space expansion charm. You'll be able to put your broom in your trunk along with your owls cage then keep it in your pocket. Your owl can fly, it will take her a while, but owls don't like portkeys. Once she arrives in Australia, she will sense you. Now I better go, I have to act like a guard until Hestia takes over.'

'Thanks, for everything. I owe you.'

'No, you don't, son. It's time the people of our world help you. They should have done that the moment your parents died. I'll see you tomorrow night.'

Harry watched the big black man leave. He couldn't help smiling. Now only will he be escaping the Dursley's, but Snape and now other's like Dumbledore and Mrs Weasley. They wanted to force him into a relationship with someone he doesn't like. He would like to get to know Sirius more, but right now, he couldn't take the chance. For all Harry knew, Dumbledore could lie to Sirius so he would make Harry remain. If that happened then he would be forced to marry Ginny Weasley.

It took Harry a while to get back to sleep. He was exited and anxious to be gone. He was also a little nervous. He would be going to a strange country where he wouldn't know anyone. He would rather be in a strange country and alone than married to Ginny. He got a flash of what his life would be like having her as a wife. She would be like Molly Weasley. That though made Harry shudder. It also gave him an idea of how to be the one to control her, not the way Molly controls her husband. Harry didn't think he would ever deliberately hurt anyone, let alone a girl. But if he was forced to marry Ginny and she was like her mother, Harry would control her by force, if he had too. He hated himself for thinking he would need to do that, but to get a decent life, he would. For now, he just hoped none of that happened. He would rather be alone than have to live that type of life, a loveless marriage and forced to hurt someone.

When he did finally fall asleep, he never had any more bad dreams of skeletal men or of rat men. He didn't dream of men in white masks and of a boy just older than him being murdered just because he was there.

Harry woke early the following morning. He could tell the Dursley's were still asleep. He decided to sneak downstairs and get something to eat before the Dursley's woke up. They never gave him enough but normally he was locked in his room so he couldn't sneak out. Harry stayed in his room until he heard his Aunt's screeching voice, only then did he go downstairs.

Right after he finished cooking the Dursley's breakfast, Harry was given a list of chores by Petunia. Even though Harry hated doing all the jobs at the Dursley's, this time he didn't mind. It kept him occupied while he waited to be rescued. He noticed the locks were gone from his door and figured Kingsley did it. The Dursley's never said anything, nor did they put new locks on. He had seen Vernon and Petunia glance at him a few times. Harry had the feeling that the Dursley's believed he used his freaky power to get rid of them and if he did, he didn't get caught or in trouble with the ministry. It would make them wary in case Harry used that freaky power on them and he wouldn't get into trouble with the ministry. It was either that or one of the other freaks had been in the house and removed the locks. It made Vernon and Petunia too scared to do anything to Harry, in case they did turn them into pigs.

Harry couldn't stop staring at the clock he had fixed since he had been back in his room. He had packed his trunk, the cage was sitting empty on top of it, along with his broom. Hedwig was sitting on the windowsill, waiting to be told to leave. Now Harry just paced and every time he turned, he glanced at the clock.

To Harry, it seemed like hours before Kingsley turned up. He had begun to believe the man wouldn't show or someone found out what he was planning. He was so relieved when the man stepped into the room.

'Are you packed?'

'Yes, everything is in my trunk, except the broom and cage.'

'Then let's get them in there,' Kingsley enlarged the trunk, placed the cage and broom inside then shrunk it, 'It's time for your owl to fly.'

'Okay Hedwig, you know where you're going. I'll see you when you get there. Remember though, take your time and rest along the way,' Harry gave his beautiful owl a pat then opened the window. He watched her until she was out of sight before he turned back to the tall man who was reading the short note he had written so people like Dumbledore would know he was gone. Kingsley smiled as he nodded. Harry knew that he liked what he had written.

'Okay, we're going to slip out using the invisibility cloaks. We'll go into the next street then I'll take you by side-along apparition to Ireland. We'll rest for about fifteen minutes, then we'll take a portkey to France. Once we get there, we'll get portkey to Spain. We'll rest for a few hours, have something to eat before going on.'

Harry put his small trunk in his pocket, he picked up his invisibility cloak then followed Kingsley down the stairs and to the front door.

'Put your cloak on, I'll do the same, but reach out and grab me so you know where I am. We'll walk slow and keep our footsteps light. Mundungus is already drunk, so I doubt he will hear us.'

Harry nodded then did what he was told. He was holding the back of Kingsley's cloak then they walked slowly and quietly out of the house. They didn't speak or stop until they got to the next street.

Harry didn't like apparition. He realised it was one thing he knew he would have to learn to do. Being able to get around so easily would be needed. He hoped being able to do it himself would be better than being taken by side-along apparition. He hated portkeys as well. The first portkey they took was from Ireland to France. They apparated three times around France before resting. They then took a portkey to Spain. They apparated to different parts of Spain before taking a break.

After resting for a few hours and having something to eat, Harry and Kingsley took a portkey from Spain to Greece. They got another that would take them to Libya, then Kingsley took Harry by side-along apparition to South Africa. They were tired, but they only had one more portkey to get. Kingsley had four days off from the ministry and the next order meeting wasn't until Friday night. He planned to stay with Harry and make sure he was okay and had everything done before he returned to England.

Kingsley had done a bit of research on Australia and found that their weather in winter was no where near as cold as England, they also only get snow in certain areas. Kingsley thought this could give him time. If Harry stayed in a muggle camp-ground for the time being, it gave them time to organise a few other things. Kingsley had found out that Harry had enough in galleons in his trust vault that it would buy him a basic three bedroom house. He also had the Potter family vault, which he could live on for the rest of his life, if he wanted to. Due to Harry being only fifteen, he wouldn't be able to buy a house, so Kingsley planned to return in two weeks to help Harry out. The next couple of days will be organising Harry's fake papers and getting his citizenship done. Once Harry had that, he would be safer. Then all he would have to do is stay hidden from the wizarding world until the day after Ginny Weasley turned seventeen, which was just over three years away. Kingsley also found out that the Australian ministry of magic does not have restrictions on underage wizards, as long as they did not use magic in front of a muggle that doesn't know about magic. This will help Harry. He could continue to learn and practice magic without having to worry about the ministry finding out. He would need a new wand, one that wasn't linked to England. He would take Harry to get a new wand before he returned to England. The wand and the citizenship was the two most important things and had to be done straight away.

On Friday evening, a group of people appeared not far from number four Privet drive. They stayed quiet as they let themselves into the house. They had worked on a trick to make the Dursley's leave, so they didn't have to worry about anyone being at the house.

Remus went upstairs while the rest waited near the front door. It only took him a few minutes to return, holding the note Harry wrote.

'This is not good,' Remus handed the note to Mad-eye.

'Albus was told he could react badly, especially after what he went through. Well, there's no use hanging around, let's go. We'll just apparate from here.'

Once the people at headquarters found out that Harry Potter left, shouting began. Mad-eye had contacted Albus, now they were trying to figure out where the boy would go. He was raised in the muggle world, so he could easily blend in. He also owned an invisibility cloak so he could easily hide. Finding him won't be easy.

Albus spoke with Hermione and Ron first. He thought if anyone would know where Harry might have gone, it would be them. They didn't.

'Did either of you know he was thinking of leaving?' Molly asked.

'No and since we were told not to write, he probably got angry so he wasn't going to tell us,' Ron said.

'He would see us as keeping him in the dark, so he decided to do the same,' Hermione said.

'He shouldn't be that hard to find, I mean, he has the scar and everyone in the wizarding world knows what he looks like,' Hestia said.

'He won't go near the wizarding world because of who he is,' Mad-eye said, 'He will lose himself in the millions of muggles. He grew up in the muggle world so finding one teenage boy in amongst the millions of muggles will be impossible. He also knows that most witches and wizards do not blend in that well. He would see us coming which would give him time to disappear. Then you have to remember that he owns an invisibility cloak.'

Kingsley stood beside Sirius. He wanted to make sure Sirius didn't go upstairs. Before Kingsley had left Harry in his magical tent, the boy had told him about the house elf that was loyal to him. Dobby was going to drop letters into Sirius' bedroom during the meeting. Dobby was doing that now with a letter from Harry. He wasn't going to tell his godfather where he was only that he would write occasionally. Harry did write that he got sick of Dumbledork's pet death eater, how innocent kids at Hogwarts ended up punished when the bully's got away with everything. He wrote that he knew the dark lord that pretends to be a headmaster has plans for him. He was going to make sure the old goat never found him. He wrote he had no one to count on and since he had basically been taking care of himself since he was four years old, he will continue to look after himself. He did write in Sirius's letter that he would like to get to know his godfather but he just couldn't trust him, not when he was close to people like Remus who was loyal to the old man.

Kingsley knew what Harry had written and why he had written those things. Harry's life had been terrible with the muggles and just as terrible at Hogwarts. He was having a bitch, but Kingsley believed Harry had the right to bitch about his life and how people ignored the fact he had been living in an abusive house since his parent's were murdered. No one helped him, so he left.

Kingsley returned to Harry two weeks later. He had worked on some more fake papers so he could buy a home, legally, for the teenage boy. Over the two weeks before Kingsley returned, Harry was to look at all the homes for sale, but one that was isolated. People could not see a teenage boy living alone, if they did, they would ring the police.

Harry had found a nice size house that was within walking distance to a beach, but there were no other houses close by. It was a good price, yet it did need a bit of work. Harry planned to do the repairs himself, using magic. He would study up on those spells now he had time and he was away from England. He could live in the house since it only needed some basic repairs. He knew in a few years, when he was older, he would get the kitchen and bathroom modernised. But they worked for now and that's all he needed. He would also add more to the house. He would love an office combined library, but also a decking off the back of the house. Even though he only just bought the house, he already had a lot of plans for his home.

Kingsley liked the fact that Dobby planned to remain with Harry now that he had bonded with the elf. He wouldn't be alone, but the house elf could also look after Harry. He could go to Gringotts for him, in case Albus had worked for order members to watch every Gringotts around the world. Kingsley didn't believe Albus would go that far, especially when he had no idea where Harry was or if he was even in the country. The people in the order did have lives and they did have jobs. They could not take time away from their jobs or families to watch for Harry at some Gringotts in the hope he turned up.

Kingsley would act as Harry's uncle and guardian so he could get anything the teenager needed. He also found all the information from the ministry on where apparition sites were and where the magical shopping district was. He got as much information for Harry as he could.

Even though Kingsley was leaving, he said he would pop in to check on Harry, in a few months. He would do it more often but he didn't want anyone to get suspicious when they couldn't contact him. If he needed to get information to Harry, he would write. Harry could also write to him but not to use his owl, use a post owl from the shop.

Harry was grateful for everything Kingsley had done to help him. He had helped him escape the forced marriage to Ginny Weasley. But he also escaped a war that was about to start. With the rotten teachers Dumbledore hired, Harry knew he wouldn't have a hope of surviving, especially when Voldemort wanted to kill Harry himself. His parent's had died so he would live, he was going to do all he could to make sure he lived. He had a new life, one he wasn't giving up for anyone.

Albus thought they would have found Harry by now, but it's been more than a year and no one had heard anything about him. Albus had people at Gringotts, yet there was no sign of Harry. He even had Bill Weasley check every day to see if Harry's vault had been visited. Harry had left that vault in England open with a few galleons, just to throw everyone off. They would believe he was still in the country if he still had a vault in Gringotts, in England. Dobby had removed almost all the money in his vault and had most of it changed to muggle money. He kept a few thousand galleons so he could still buy things like spell books and potion ingredients. He wanted to keep learning but he didn't want to have to go to Gringotts very often, in case Dumbledore had people watching all the Gringotts around the world.

The ministry found out Harry Potter was missing, so they also had people looking for Harry. The only good news was that Voldemort was finally seen and Fudge was chucked out of office for denying that fact, which placed people in danger.

Remus stepped into the drawing room in Grimmauld place, 'I remembered something Albus, about James. It could help finding Harry.'

'I hope it does.'

'James had an aunt who was born in America. Sirius told me that Harry was doing a lot of research into his family. There is a chance he found out about this aunt and went to America. He might not have contacted those people but it might have given him the idea of what country to go to, especially since it's an English speaking country.'

'It's over a year since he left and we've searched everywhere. I've even had Dora helping search the muggle world. A teenage boy couldn't buy or rent a place to live. But she did find out that teenagers will often put tents up in muggle camp-grounds during holidays. Even if he left England, he may be using a tent in America. Do you know any more about his American aunt?'

'No, James never even said her name. The werewolves will side with him Albus, so my time would be better spent on finding Harry.'

Albus sighed, 'Alright, but before you leave, speak with Sirius about this aunt. James and Sirius were very close, he may know the name.'

'I will, but Sirius just doesn't want to do anything. I think still being thought of as a criminal has finally gotten to him. If he could get his name cleared, I believe he will be the one that will find his godson. He wants to go looking now, but it's just too dangerous for him to be out.'

'Since Cornelius is finally gone, I may be able to get Rufus to listen. I will speak with him tomorrow, then we will know whether you go or Sirius will go.'

'I can still go but I believe the only hope to finding Harry is Sirius and he can only go look if he was free,' Remus left the room and the house. He had seen the change in Sirius since Harry disappeared. Remus had no idea that Sirius just didn't want to have anything to do with the people who forced his godson to leave. Sirius couldn't go to Harry because Harry refused to say where he was. He only said he would remain hidden until he knew he was an adult and no one could force him to do anything he didn't want to. Harry was sixteen now, he only had a year before he was an adult. Then, they could not make Harry return.

The few order members who could spare some time, began to search America. They decided to search every muggle campground in the country. Hermione had mentioned to Albus that Harry told her that he would have liked to see the ocean, so the order were going to check campgrounds near the ocean first. None of them realised that they will never find Harry because they were looking in the wrong country. It would be the only country they would search as they believed he would be in either England or America.

The day Harry turned seventeen, Albus and Molly spoke. They realised they had just over a year to find Harry or he could have his magic bound. Neither of them knew that would not happen because Harry was a citizen of a different country to Ginny Weasley. Now that they knew he was definitely not in England, Kingsley knew they might research more on America but they could research other English speaking countries, like Australia. He planned to visit Harry again, just to see how he was and also update him on what was going on in England, but also anything he heard from Albus and Molly.

Harry had self studied and practiced spells while he was in hiding but he had also practiced potions. He found that he could make a potion easily. He always knew it was Snape that caused his problems in that class.

Harry was able to take his newts at the Australian ministry. He did that the day after he turned seventeen. Even though the name Harry and the name Potter was not uncommon, Harry wasn't taking any chances that someone from England would be staking out the different ministries around the world. If they heard the name Harry Potter, they might try to find out if it was their missing Harry Potter. Since he waited until he was seventeen, no one could force him to leave with them. He ended up getting O's in every subject he sat, including potions. Harry slipped into the ministry a couple of times over the following weeks, just to see if anyone was asking about him. So far, no one has. He hoped he and Kingsley had been right, the order wouldn't believe Harry would be in a country so far away from England.

Harry was able to get an emergency portkey from the Australian auror office. He explained that he just got a feeling that he might need it. He hoped he didn't, but now he would be safe, in case anyone of Dumbledore's followers found him. Harry had spoken with the aurors about these portkeys. They explained to Harry that they were offered to everyone for a small fee and to only be used in emergencies. Harry thought it was a brilliant idea and believed everyone should carry one, just in case.

Harry had joined the Australian racing league after he turned seventeen. He was told he would have to practice for a few months to get himself up to the standard of the other flyers. Harry didn't mind that, he loved flying.

Harry had just finished another practice and headed home. As soon as he walked inside, he saw Kingsley.

'It's good to see you Kingsley.'

'You too Harry. Have you been flying?'

'I joined the racing league. I just got back from practice.'

'At least you're not just hanging around. But maybe you should be careful, they are getting desperate. It's only two months before she turns seventeen. The girl has been going off every time she is only with her mother and Albus. She wants the aurors to spend their time finding you instead of fighting Voldemort and his death eaters. She put on a big act to her older brothers and she now has them ready to leave to check out some other countries.'

'Then I'll stick to the house until after her birthday. The racing league isn't like quidditch, I can train alone if I want. I can skip it and if I don't do well this year, then I'll work harder next year. I can tell them that there's been a family problem that I would try to keep training but it might be best if he restarted next year. I would rather stay isolated than to be forced to marry her. Beside, I think my girlfriend would frown on that.'

'You are being careful, aren't you?'

'Yes, she doesn't even know my real name. I use makeup on my scar and I use coloured contact lenses when I'm out so no one see's my green eyes. It's amazing how just those two things makes me unrecognisable. She has no idea who I am, just some boy she met while watching a race. I use the name Evan James. I already decided to keep my identity a secret until after she turns seventeen.'

'Good, it's been more than two years now, so it's not much longer. Have you considered having muggle surgery done to get rid of the scar?'

'It crossed my mind not long after I got here. Now, I'm an adult, it might be time to look into it.'

'I think you should. It will give you a bit more security.'

'Alright, I'll work on it. Are they making headway with Voldemort?'

'Yes, slowly, but they are. Rufus enacted an old law. Aurors and hit wizards can use the killing curse on death eaters. Now if they do kill someone that isn't marked, they have to show the memory of why they killed them. Oh, I have news you would probably like, I know I did. Snape was killed when he decided to try and fight some aurors. Albus went right off, but the auror proved that Snape used dark spells on him. It was just lucky he missed. It was right then they used the killing curse. Their memory was watched and they were cleared.'

'Whether he was working for the old man or not, he was still dark.'

'He was, none of us trusted him, only Albus did. Oh, another bit of news, Rufus cleared Sirius, he's free. The moment he was told, he packed up and left. He left a note for Albus and the order, saying he blamed all of them, including your old friends for you leaving. He hopes one day he gets to see you again, but he really just hoped your okay. Since he left, he hasn't had anything to do with the order, Albus, Remus, none of them. They aren't sure if he's in the country or left. Now they know why he was acting like that. They just figured it was because he couldn't get out to find you.'

'I'll write to him, but I still won't see anyone until after her birthday.'

'Good but I think Sirius will be the one person who would fight to make sure you were free to make your own choices. Anyway, I only dropped in to let you know whats going on and it's best to stay hidden until after her birthday. Remember, Australia is a day in front of England so her birthday will be the following day here.'

'I'm glad you reminded me, I forgot about that. But I'm going to give myself a few days after, maybe even a couple of weeks, just to make sure.'

After Kingsley left, Harry cleaned up then sent Dobby to tell Sally to join him at the house for dinner. Harry had to make sure his scar was hidden before she turned up. He already had his brown contact lenses in. He would have to figure out what to tell her if she asks why they weren't going out over the next two months.

He would write to Sirius after Sally went home. He wanted to see his godfather, but he still felt it would be best to wait until after Ginny's seventeenth birthday before he told Sirius where he lived. He wouldn't put anything past Albus Dumbledore, including finding some way to track Sirius.

Over the next two months, Harry had received many letters from Sirius. Harry did write that he had a good reason for not saying where he was, but very soon, that reason would no longer exist. The moment the reason was gone, Harry would write and tell Sirius where he was so his godfather could visit. Harry really wanted to see his godfather and hoped Sirius would want to stay in Australia, with him. He might be an adult, but it would be good to have someone he thought of as family close by.

Sally was curious and asked Harry why they weren't going out anywhere. She even asked if he was trying to tell her he didn't want to keep seeing her. Harry assured him it had nothing to do with her, it was a bad feeling he had. He explained that he felt that if he left the house, something terrible would happen. He also told her that the feeling was not as strong as it was, it seemed to be easing. He asked her to give him a bit more time but no matter what, he still wanted her in his life. He only needed another week, officially, until Ginny Weasley turned seventeen.

The day Ginny turned seventeen in England, Harry couldn't settle. He stayed inside the house the whole day. He wouldn't even go out into the garden. He had Dobby go to England to spy for him, until after midnight, their time. Even though he knew they couldn't force him to marry her if they found him before midnight since she wasn't a citizen of Australia, Harry just couldn't relax. If they found out where he was, she would need to become a citizen of Australia and that still takes time. They couldn't force the marriage even if they kidnapped Harry since he wasn't a citizen of England any longer. He would be forever thankful to Kingsley for finding this out. If the man hadn't found out, he would be married to the red head by now and he knew he would end up miserable. Harry even had a feeling that if he had been forced to marry Ginny, he would have turned into a drunk and probably an angry drunk.

Harry had worked on a few things just to make sure that Ginny couldn't get his money if they had found him. Harry had opened a muggle bank account using his fake id. The day he turned seventeen, he had Dobby go to all his vaults and empty them, including the one he had left a few galleons in so no one would realise he left the country. Dobby had it most of it changed to muggle money then Harry deposited that into a muggle bank. He kept the wizards money in a charmed box in his house. It was under the floorboard inside his wardrobe.

Dobby appeared before Harry and he was smiling. 'She is angry master Harry and her mother said it's too late now. Old whiskers said you were now a squib. What did he mean master Harry?'

'If I was still a citizen of England and I still didn't marry her, then I would have lost my magic. They don't know I left the country, they might be suspicious that I'm in another country but wouldn't know if I became a citizen of that country. Kingsley found out that it was the only way to break the contract, we have to have different citizenship's by the time the contract was due for both of our magic to be safe. It's all good Dobby, I'm finally free but I didn't lose my magic. It's time I saw Sirius and it's time I took my girlfriend out to celebrate. I think it's also time to send them a letter explaining that I knew what they tried to do and found a way out of it. They were now classed as his enemy. That makes me smile Dobby.'

Dobby smiled as he jumped up and down. He liked it when his master Harry was happy.

That night, Harry wrote his letter to Dumbledore. He made sure the man knew that he had found out about the marriage contract. He said he would never have married her anyway, he had a better life as a squib. He wrote that Dumbledore had caused all his problems since his parents deaths and one of the biggest was Snape. Harry wrote that he had laughed when he heard that Snape was finally dead and hoped Dumbledore would hurry up and follow. He had Dobby take it to Spain and post the letter from there. Harry wanted the old man to believe he had lost his magic so hopefully, he would never come looking for him. He didn't think the old man would but he was still laying false trails just in case.

Sirius was nervous and kept twisting his hands as he got closer to the café where he was to meet his godson. When he received the letter from Harry, he said they could finally meet and he would explain everything. Harry did write that he trusted Sirius, but he knew that Dumbledore might have found some way to track Sirius and Harry was determined not to be found. Now was different and he would explain all that to Sirius when they spoke face to face.

Sirius stepped into the café and looked around. Even though Harry had written that he would not have a scar or be wearing glasses, he also wrote that he would have brown eyes. Harry did write that he would wear something that would tell Sirius it was Harry. Sirius spotted the man straight away. He did resemble Harry but with different coloured eyes. The man had a bandanna around his head that said prongs. He hurried over to his godson, pulled him to his feet and hugged him.

'Don't worry, I kept checking to make sure there were no tracking charms on me,' Sirius whispered, 'Since they didn't know I was planning to leave, the didn't add any to me. I did find one on my bike. I removed that then put it in storage, in the muggle world.'

'I knew they would try something. We can either sit and talk here, or you can come back to my place?'

'It's your decision pup. I'm just glad to finally see you.'

'Then let's head out.'

Harry paid for his coffee, then left the shop. 'So, do you live close by?' Sirius asked as he looked around.

'Yep, the moment I saw the pacific ocean, I knew I wanted to live here.'

Harry and Sirius didn't talk until they got into the house, 'Nice and close to the beach. Do you swim a lot?'

'Every day. The first year here, I ended up swimming all year round, even winter. Now I'm acclimatised so I don't swim as much in winter, just on nice warm sunny days.'

Harry handed Sirius a muggle beer, he took one for himself then had them sit on the front porch.

'You said there was a reason you left.'

'Someone I trust found out that after you were sent to Azkaban Dumbledore was able to get legal guardianship of me. He signed a marriage contract for me, Molly signed for Ginny. I can't stand her because of the way she kept staring at me or stuttering when she tried to talk to me. This person found out that if I didn't marry her by her seventeenth birthday, I would become a squib. This friend did some research and found out that there was one way to break it without it affecting my magic. He was the one that helped me escape, he also acted as my guardian in the muggle world so I could buy this place and become a citizen of this country. He helped me so much and he continues to drop in or sends letters so I know what is going on. We knew we could trust you but he also knew that the old man would do anything to find me and you were stuck in that house with them.'

'It's good you did that, half the people in the order began to distrust him so they left. He wasn't doing anything about Voldemort or the death eaters, nor did he stop the student death eaters inside Hogwarts. Three muggleborns were cursed, one almost died, yet nothing was done. All he was interested in was finding you. Remus would have told him if he knew anything. At first, I didn't want to believe Remus would be more loyal to the old man than me, but he is. It's the reason why I basically stayed away from everyone, until I was free. So, can you tell me how you were able to break the contract without losing your magic?'

'It was actually easy. All I had to do was be a citizen of a different country to her. The moment she turned seventeen, it broke,' Harry waited until Sirius finished laughing, 'She would have had to find me, then become a citizen of this country. If I was found before I turned seventeen, the old man couldn't have forced my return or cancel my citizenship. If they found me after I turned seventeen, then she would have to become an Australian citizen, if they knew about it. My friend said that this information isn't known because most don't ever leave the country so he didn't believe any of them would have known about this. That would have been the only way to be forced into marriage.'

'It is simple and brilliant. I knew Albus and Molly were up to something but I couldn't never work out what. I also noticed the Weasley girl always seemed to be angry. She had a go at Hermione and Ron often. She blamed them for being lousy friends which made you leave.'

'The moment this person explained about going to another country, I realised I had no one to count on. I care for you Sirius, but you were not in the position to help, in any way.'

'You don't have to explain. I wasn't able to help. I like the fact you left the country. Fudge at first tried to get the aurors to arrest you for causing panic by lying about Voldemort. He found out that only one auror supported him who happened to be his nephew, so he had to change his plans. But I didn't want you anywhere near Voldemort and his death eaters. Let the ministry and Albus take care of them. You did your part and lost your parents because of it. You also ended up having a rotten childhood. You didn't have anyone to count on and that's another reason why I stopped trusting Remus. He never once tried to visit you or even send you a letter. James and Lily would be furious with everyone but especially him for deserting their son. They would be angry with me, but they at least would know it was out of my hands once I ended up in Azkaban. So, tell me pup, you've made a life for yourself here, what do you do? Are you working?'

'I joined the professional racing league. They only play quidditch for recreation, it's the racing league for competition. I joined right after I turned seventeen and because I could train alone, I didn't have to worry that someone would find out who I was.'

'I've heard about it but never seen one. You can take me to one and show me how it works. Anyway, this person who helped you, can you tell me who it is without putting him or her in danger?'

'He's in danger anyway, he's an auror,' Harry smiled at his godfather, 'It was Kingsley. He really hates contracts like the one signed for me, but he especially hates them when they involve children. After he found out what the old man and Molly had done, he went to the ministry and researched so he could find a way to get me out of it. Once he had the information, he snuck into the house to see me and explained everything. A couple of days later, we left. We apparated and used a few portkeys in case someone tried to track me or him. He stayed with me for two days, helped me get a new wand and my citizenship done by the muggles. He returned two weeks later to help me buy this place. I used those two weeks to look for a place. It needed some repairs but the price was good and I love where it is. He returns every few months just to check on me and fill me in. Dobby bonded with me so he would occasionally go over to England and listen in. He would then tell me and Kingsley what he heard.'

'I liked Kingsley from the moment I met him. He was good at making the ministry believe I was in other countries. So, did you finish your education or just stay in hiding?'

'I self studied since they don't have underage magic here. I took my newts and got eight O's.'

'I'm proud of you pup, I'm sure your mum and dad are as well. Okay, so now there is no more worry about this contract and you've made a life for yourself here, I hope I can be part of it.'

'I would like you to be, I just wasn't sure if you would want to live in another country.'

'Like you pup, no one there helped me. I worked beside Albus and others from the order yet they believed I would betray your family, even Remus. No, I have no loyalty to them or the country. Again, like you, I'm going to start a new life here, in this country with you. I just need to look for a house to buy.'

'Until you do, you can stay here and then take your time. I'm here alone, Sally stays sometimes or I stay at her place occasionally so there's plenty of room.'

'So, you have a girl?'

'Yep, and that's an interesting story. See, at first, she had no idea who I really was. I used a fake name when we began to date. I used Evan James. I had different coloured contact lenses and my scar was always covered when I left the house. I noticed straight away that she didn't have a full-on Aussie accent. She's English, did one year at Hogwarts and was in the same year as me but sorted into Hufflepuff. She had some trouble with people like Malfoy and Parkinson since she's a muggleborn or first born they are known here. Her parents had been talking about immigrating over here where her father has family. Once we became serious, I explained who I was and why I was hiding my identity. She offered to make a magical oath so I would know she would keep my secret. I knew I could trust her. You'll like her, apart from being beautiful, smart, she likes the occasional prank. The first time she pranked me, this was after she knew who I was. I said to her my father and godfather would be disappointed that the son and godson of a marauder would end up pranked. I had to hide in the house for a week because I had orange skin. She called me a Oompa-loompa,' Harry growled when Sirius began laughing. He couldn't stop and ended up on the ground. Every time he looked up at his godson, he broke again.

'Alright, enough Sirius.'

Harry ended up huffing because Sirius just couldn't stop laughing. It took him nearly half an hour to get himself under control. Finally, he said he would have to teach Prongslet how to prank. He also said he couldn't wait to meet Harry's girlfriend and talk over some of the pranks they pulled.

They spent the day together, then Sirius went to the hotel he stayed at the night before. He packed up his belongings and apparated back to Harry's home. He explained that he left a small section unwarded so he could come and go without anyone seeing him. He had Kingsley do that for him since it could be dangerous if anyone noticed a teenager living alone. He only kept it now for security.

Sirius unpacked in the room his godson said could be his, which had his own bathroom. Once he was done, he went downstairs to see his godson snogging a blond woman. He knew that she was his girlfriend, Sally and the one that pranked him. He already liked the woman and he hadn't even officially met her yet.

Even though it had been more than fifteen years since Harry Potter disappeared, Albus never stopped trying to find him. His reputation had been shredded because people blamed him for the-boy-who-lived disappearing. The aurors were taking care of the death eaters but Albus still believed only Harry could kill Voldemort.

The moment Ginny turned seventeen and she couldn't marry Harry, she knew he was now a squib. She turned her attention to trying to have a quidditch career and work on which man would end up her husband. He would need to be good looking, have money and be able to give her the life she knows she deserves.

Ginny did end up being picked up to play quidditch but because of her temper and jealously of other better looking girls, she ended up sacked. Ginny never found a man with money that would date her, let alone marry her. She ended up with many partners, just for sex but none wanted a permanent relationship with her. Because she didn't last in quidditch and didn't do well in her test at Hogwarts, she ended up working as a waitress at the Three Broomsticks.

Ron ended up basically alone once he returned to Hogwarts. He tried to get close to Dean and Seamus but neither of them wanted to get close to Ron. They didn't like the way he ate or his temper and he always put down their muggle relatives and their muggle sports. Ron tried to get friendly with Neville, who basically ignored Ron and spent all his time in the greenhouses. Ron ended up doing his last few years at Hogwarts staying completely alone. He tried to join the aurors but he didn't have anywhere near the right newt scores, so he was rejected. He only got one E, three A's and failed the rest. He tried to play professional quidditch but he was told he just wasn't good enough. Ron ended up working part time for his twin brothers in their joke shop.

Because muggleborns were being killed, Hermione and her parents escape England and went to Australia. Hermione ended up going back to her non magical education. Even though she was a witch, she would self study but remain in the muggle world. She ended up going to university where she followed her parents footsteps and became a dentist.

It was years later that Hermione heard about the famous racing league player named Harry Potter. She wasn't sure if it was the Harry she knew or just some man with the same name. She decided to find out so Hermione went to the next game. She was shocked to see that it was Harry. He was basically the star of racing league and never lost a race and competed all around the world. What did surprise Hermione, even though she should not have been, Harry wasn't alone. A few discrete questions and she found out he was with his wife and five children. Hermione spotted Sirius and found out that the woman and children with him was his wife and children. There was another familiar face, he wasn't with a partner but she could tell he was very friendly with Harry and Sirius's family. Kingsley Shacklebolt, the auror who used to be part of the order of the phoenix. She realised it was Kingsley that must have helped Harry escape. Hermione only found out the reason years after she left. Harry escaped so he wouldn't be forced to marry Ginny, which Albus Dumbledore and Molly Weasley had planned.

Hermione couldn't help smiling as she saw how happy Harry was. She had been upset when he left and never said anything to her. She realised that Harry would see her actions of not writing to him during the holidays as betrayal. She could not stay angry with him. Now she was just happy her old friend had a family that he clearly loves.

As Hermione watched Harry and his family, she wondered if she should contact him. Then she realised that he had his own life now and she hadn't be part of it for a long time. She gave another smile, turned and walked away. Just like Harry, she also had her own life. It was time to allow Harry to have what he always wanted without any interference by anyone from his old life.

Harry got a sense that someone was staring at him. As he turned he saw an old familiar face, one that was older, like he was. He noticed that Hermione smiled towards him before she turned and left the stands. All Harry could do was smile as he nodded. His old friend was leaving him to his new life and he would do the same. There could be a time in the near future he might contact her. For now, he was let her leave. He had his life with his family and that's all he needed.

The end: