Not what he hoped
Harry Potter had been at Hogwarts for a month and he already knew that it was nothing like what he hoped. After going to all his classes, after seeing how the teachers and students were like, he had begun to make plans.
When the holidays began, he was going to sneak away but he would also make sure he could stay hidden. He wasn't going to return to Hogwarts. He knew he would still need to learn but the most he could do until he was seventeen was study from books. He knew he could probably make some potions, easy potions since they don't use active magic. He could read up on some of the electives that Hogwarts offered from third year, see if they use magic or if they were like potions. He just couldn't practice spells. He figured he could get a stick and practice the wand movements. First he would have to find somewhere to hide. He would also need to get to Gringotts to get some money.
Harry worked out one thing. He put his name down to leave Hogwarts for Christmas. He wasn't going to the Dursley's. Since they wouldn't know they had to pick him up, he could sneak away and get to Diagon alley. After getting some money, he would need to find somewhere to stay and he would have two weeks to figure that out. He knew he could stay away from those holidays, but it might not give him enough time to find a place or make enough plans so he could stay hidden.
Ron had asked if he was staying over the holidays. He was because his parents were going to visit his brother Charlie. Ron was surprised when he heard Harry was leaving for those holidays. He made it seem like he really didn't want to but he had no choice. He would see Ron when he returned.
Harry had to act like there was nothing wrong so no one would get suspicious. He would have loved to just enjoy one Christmas feast since he was never allowed to join the Dursley's, not that he really wanted to. But he would rather use this time to get a lot of money out of his vault and maybe see if the wizarding world had any type of supplies he could use before shopping in the muggle world..
Harry made it to Gringotts easily and he found out that they supplied special bags to keep money it. They were charmed bags so no one could steal his money, also, no matter how much galleons he put in there, it wasn't full or heavy. Harry did change half into muggle money since he knew he would be buying some things in the muggle world, like food, clothes but also things like pens and normal notebooks. He figured he could get educational books along with magical books. He could study both in the hope it would help him when he was older.
It was while he was looking around Diagon alley that he saw a sign in the shop that sold trunks. The sign was advertising magical tents. He read a bit from the sign before going inside to speak with the shop owner. He had to make it seem like he and his friends were planning on camping during the summer holidays. They planned to camp down the back of his friends large property, there was a river, they could swim or go fishing. They were looking forward to catching a fish and cooking it on an open fire. Harry really made sure to act excited about camping.
Harry walked away from Diagon alley smiling. He had a bag that was enchanted with the same charms as the bag the goblins gave him. He had a tent that was like a three bedroom house on the inside and that tent was inside the bag. They also sold ready made meals that would keep for years. All he had to do was tap it with his wand and the pack would either heat up or cool down, depending if it was a hot dinner or a cold desert. They also sold drinks. They explained that anything they put in the tent would pack up without harming it, even if it was a muggle item. Harry knew he could get some muggle stuff, like coke, tea, coffee and sugar. He couldn't use magic so he couldn't charm any type of muggle food. He bought enough for now that would last him at least two years. He would sneak into muggle shops to buy other types of food and keep the magical food for as long as he could, in case he couldn't get out.
Now it was time for Harry to figure out where he could stay once he left Hogwarts for the summer holidays. Right now, he had a room at the Leaky Cauldron but he was mainly spending time in the muggle world.
Harry did have an idea that might help him. If he could somehow use his tent to hide but use it somewhere close to a magical shop. He figured it might allow him to get away with using magic. He would leave that for later, but try to get as much information about all the magical places in England that might have a place that he could use to hide. He would use his time during the holidays to find all the places near magical places, but somewhere that would keep him hidden.
It was two days before Harry had to return to Hogwarts when he found a place that just might work. He didn't have time now to really explore, he would do that when the holidays began. If it wasn't right, then he would use it until he found the right type of place.
Even though Harry really didn't want to return to Hogwarts, he knew going back would give him more time to work on plans. He could also order more books using Hedwig, then keep them in his expanded bag.
One thing he found strange. When he returned he found a few wrapped packages on his bed. Ron told him two were from his mother. One was from Hermione, it had been delivered by an owl on Christmas morning. He had no idea who sent the last package. Harry decided for now, to just open the ones from the Weasley's and Hermione. Mrs Weasley knitted him a nice warm jumper and made him some mince pies. Harry would write a note, thanking the women. Hermione sent him a book, the book contained information on his parents, along with the war with Voldemort. He wouldn't need to write, he would tell her thanks when she returned. He did look at the card from the other package. All it basically said was this item belonged to his father and it was being returned to him. There was no name on the card. Ron asked if he was going to open it, he said he would when he was alone since it was something that belonged to his father. Harry then explained that he never received gifts before, so he never gave any. He didn't think that would change so he never got anything for his friends.
Harry decided he would just go to class but not bother trying to answer questions or trying too hard. He would do just enough not to make anyone suspicious. He would make everyone believe he was just an average student. He just had to get through six months and he would never have to look at people like Snape or Malfoy again. He had told himself many times that when he could leave the Dursley's, he would, then he would make sure to never put up with people like that again. Right now, he had no choice but to put up with Snape and Malfoy, just until he left for the holidays, then he would never see them again.
Harry didn't know it but he was being watched, a lot by the headmaster. He had been waiting for Harry to sneak out of the dorm after curfew using the invisibility cloak, but so far, Harry hasn't left the dorm room from the time he returned after dinner. Otherwise he would go to the library before heading to his common room. Albus had been hoping that between his two friends and the odd clue slipped from Hagrid, Harry would have begun to investigate. Albus needed to know just what type of boy Harry Potter was. He knew what his teachers said about Harry. He was an average student that didn't seem to really put in the effort to his work. He thought for sure Harry would be the type of student who would want to prove there was more to him than the-boy-who-lived. Albus also thought Harry would try harder in the wizarding world just to say look, this is where I belong, not the muggle world. So far, nothing had worked out like Albus had hoped. If the boy didn't go after the clues, he would have to deal with it. He would then hope that next year he could get Harry to show more than what he was now.
Once Harry knew he had an invisibility cloak and he read more about them, he knew now he could sneak away from platform nine and three quarters without having to see the Dursley's or for anyone to stop him. He would love to use it now, just to see how invisible he was but he really didn't want to risk the teachers taking it from him. He put it in his expanded bag and it was going to stay there until the Hogwarts express was close to Kings Cross station.
Harry planned it perfectly. He packed everything from his trunk into his bag, but locked the trunk so no one would realise it was empty. He was able sneak away from everyone on the Hogwarts express using his invisibility cloak, then he just had to stay hidden there until he was sure everyone had left.
Harry had to stay hiding for just over an hour before he could finally leave platform nine and three quarters. He made his way to Whitehall, then found the tunnel. This was basically going to be his home for a few years. He had found the information on the ministry of magic and where it was in one of the books he borrowed from the library. When he worked out where it was, he realised what else was there. Tunnels and bunkers were all underground in London and some very close to where the ministry was. The rooms and tunnels were used during world war two, now he would be using them to hide from everyone.
The rooms he planned to use were basically right next to the atrium of the ministry of magic. He had used his wand when he came here during the Christmas holidays and so far, no one spoke to him about using magic out of Hogwarts. Now he knew he could learn and he could take his time.
Harry set up his tent and found that there was so much room that he realised he basically had a home. He got the kitchen set up then began to put away all his ready made meals. He also unpacked all the can and packages he had bought from the muggle world. He realised that he might be able to learn how to cook properly, not for another year or so. He only cooked breakfast for the Dursley's, but he got good at making breakfast. He also knew there was a lot of frozen or ready made meals he could get from the muggle world if he never got around to learning how to cook properly. Once Harry finished putting everything away, he decided to have something to eat before having a shower. It had been a long stressful day and he was tired. From the following day, he would begin his new life, one without the Dursley's and one where he wouldn't have to put up with Snape or people like Malfoy and Pucey. He told Hedwig she could fly whenever she wanted but he wouldn't have any letters to send. He did ask her if she could fly and hunt through the night. It would be easy to see a white owl through the day and he didn't want anyone to figure out where he was hiding. Harry didn't want to give up his owl, she became his friend. He hoped she would be happy just staying with him and flying whenever she wanted.
Ron and Hermione had both written to Harry during the holidays. They never got any reply and were beginning to worry. Ron spoke with his twin brothers, they decided to find out if Harry was alright. They took their father's flying car and flew to Surrey. They had to stay quiet as they searched the house. They saw Harry's aunt and uncle asleep in bed. They saw Harry's cousin also asleep, but they could not find Harry. They couldn't even find a room that would have been Harry's. There was a guest room that looked like it was used for an elderly person. There was another room that had broken furniture and broken muggle toys. It only had four bedrooms and none were Harry's. They searched everywhere, even under beds and in cupboards. It was when George opened the cupboard under the stairs that they finally realised just what type of life Harry had growing up. But now they were really worried. There was no sign of Harry yet they knew from the small blood stained mattress and the writing on the wall that Harry had been hurt and locked up. They were really hoping that these muggles hadn't done something serious like kill Harry.
Fred, George and Ron got back home, then decided they needed to speak with their father. Their mother was too hot headed and went off before listening. They needed their father to hear what they had to say and find someone who could investigate in case those muggles did something to Harry. Harry had explained to Ron when they got to Hogwarts about Hagrid giving Dudley a tail. That made Ron worry more, that the Dursley's might have done something to Harry for what Hagrid did to Dudley. Ron wrote back to Hermione to explain what he and his brothers had found and were working on speaking with their father who might be able to figure out what happened to Harry.
It only took a few hours before the entire auror force were ordered to look for Harry Potter and investigate his muggle relatives. The minister for magic wanted the-boy-who-lived found. He also wanted Amelia Bones to speak with Albus Dumbledore since it was him that placed Harry with his muggle relatives after his parents were murdered.
Harry had no idea the emergency that was going on while he was sitting in his tent, studying and practicing all the spells he learnt during his first year. He did plan to sneak into places like Diagon alley, to get books. He would still use his cloak and take the books, put them in his bag and leave the money on the counter. He would do the same with things like potion ingredients and maybe even the Daily Prophet. Right now, he was content and he had enough books and ingredients to last a couple of years. It would give him time to get used to staying alone and sneaking around. He was also thinking of how he could use Hedwig to take his order for things he wanted. The trouble was that Hedwig was recognisable. He wondered if he could dye her so she wouldn't stand out. He was going to get a book on owls so he could see if it was possible. He would also look at some spells that could change hair colour. He had heard Lavender Brown talking about spells to use on hair, either to dye it or curl it, you could even straighten your hair if you had curly hair. He would have to work on getting those types of books as well.
Harry found that getting food from the muggle world was easy. Harry would sneak into the shop using his invisibility cloak, put a heap of stuff in his bag, then sneak out. He didn't really like stealing but he needed his money to last, until he was at least an adult.
It was only the following day that the Dursley's were arrested. They were questioned using muggle approved veritaserum. The aurors found out exactly how the Dursley's treated Harry. He had basically been their slave and abused his entire life. But the question they wanted answered most, did they kill Harry Potter. The answer was no. They had not seen the boy since the first of September the previous year.
The Dursley's were still going to jail for child abuse and child enslavement, but they would not be jailed for killing Harry Potter. The most they would probably do is around seven years.
Albus was in a lot of trouble for not checking on those muggles he place Harry with. He was basically ordered to stay away from the boy, if they find him. The aurors also found out through seeing a lot of memories, just how Severus Snape treat Harry. It was then that the aurors and the minister for magic realised why Harry left. Being abused by the muggles then mistreated by Snape and it wasn't stopped by the headmaster or any teacher, Harry decided he wanted nothing to do with the people in the wizarding world just as he didn't want anything to do with the people he had been living with and abused.
Severus Snape who had been arrested, finally went in front of the Wizengamot for the crimes against students but since he was given veritaserum, the aurors also found out just what other crimes he had committed. When it was heard that Snape had told Voldemort about a prophecy about Harry Potter which is when Voldemort went after the Potter's, Snape was sentenced to the dementors kiss.
Because Albus Dumbledore knew what Snape had done, he lost his three jobs along with his order of merlin and was taken off the chocolate frog cards.
Time skip
It was at the end of what would have been his fifth year, owl year that Harry realised he was actually doing newt lessons. He had always been further ahead than he knew he would have been if he had stayed at Hogwarts. He just didn't realise how far in front he was. He also studied everything for his muggle education. Hedwig had allowed him to use the spell to dye her hair, so she didn't stand out. Hedwig would take Harry's order for books or potion ingredients at least once every two weeks.
It was during his second year of hiding that Harry got an idea. He began to use his invisibility cloak to sneak into a muggle school and sit in on classes. He got all the books that was needed as well, so he could study along with the muggle kids. He had tried to study alone but realised he would need a teacher, which is when he came up with the idea to use his invisibility cloak to sit in with the other muggle kids.
Harry decided he would sit the tests, but since he could not do it officially, he would use magic to get his test sheets put with in the department of education when they received all the other results. He also made sure to sneak into the education department to make sure his name was registered. He wanted to have proof that he passed his muggle education. He wished he could do the same with his magical education but he knew it would mean going to Hogwarts to sit his test and that was out since the teachers could find him hiding under his cloak. He had been hoping that maybe some students took their tests at the ministry like home schooled students did. There was no such thing in the wizarding world. All students learnt at Hogwarts and did their tests at the castle. Harry decided to just learn everything he could about magic and not bother about getting his newts.
He did get an idea of waiting until he could get his scar removed using plastic surgery, then have contacts for his eyes and also dye his hair. He could then go to another country and see if they had students who were taught at home yet they took their tests at the ministry. He would have to work on going to other countries to find out and he could start with places like France. It could mean having to learn French. It also meant that Harry would have to make a passport using magic.
That gave Harry another idea, learning different languages. If he ever did go overseas, he could at least speak the language. He decided to do what he did before and use his invisibility cloak and sit in on classes for languages. It also gave Harry more to do.
Another thing Harry decided to do was learn martial arts. He figured since he had been beaten up by Dudley and his gang so many times, if he could defend himself without having to resort to magic, it just might get him out of trouble but it would also make sure that no one in the wizarding world could find him if they tracked his magic. So far they haven't but he always used it in his underground home. He didn't need to when he went into the real world. He would, only if he had no choice. Hopefully, using martial arts will keep him protected.
During the following year, Harry did learn French, then Spanish. He decided to take a trip to those countries by sneaking onto a truck. He wanted to see what their ministry was like. It was while he was researching how they did their tests that he found out that Greece, Australia, South African and America did test home school students at their ministry. Now Harry had to work out how to make it seem like he was one of their citizens. He decided on Hawaii as it was part of America but it was also an island and Harry always wanted to visit places like Hawaii. He would need to work on how to make it seem like he lived there. He did begin to practice talking with an American accent and he also worked on more fake papers to make it seem like he moved to America years before.
By the time Hermione and Ron graduated Hogwarts, Harry was sitting his newts in Hawaii. He had taken every subject that was offered and passed every one. Most he passed with O's but just a couple he passed with E. Now he knew he could get a job in the wizarding world, if he wanted. He had already passed his muggle education. He had learnt five languages so he knew if he wanted, he could leave England for good. It was not like he had anything holding him to the country of his birth.
It took a year but Harry decided to leave Great Britain and move to Greece. He had learned to speak their language since it was one country Harry always hoped to visit. He figured he could make a home there, somewhere away from England and somewhere that no one would believe he would live. Harry believed if anyone from the wizarding world was looking for him, they would believe he was still in England or he had moved to an English speaking country.
Time skip:
By the time Harry Potter was thirty five years old and a teacher at a muggle school, he was married with two children, a third on the way. Harry taught languages at his school but also taught martial arts during sport days. Harry had stopped dying his hair and wearing different coloured contact lenses. His scar was gone and he still kept his old fake name of Orion James Evans but he was now back to his natural look. Harry had used magic to sneak into muggle places so he would be legally known as Orion James Evans. Harry would not take the chance that someone could find out that Orion was not his real name. No one ever had so he felt he was safe.
No one ever saw Harry Potter again. Not only was the English aurors looking for him but a few other countries tried to find the missing hero. Many knew he would never return but they did want to know what happened to him and if he was okay.
One man found Harry. At first he had not been sure it was Harry but studying the man for months made him realised why he looked different.
Sirius Black escaped Azkaban to make sure his godson, Harry Potter was safe. When no one would listen to the truth about his innocence and he heard about Harry going missing, Sirius decided to empty his Gringotts vault and leave the country. It took him years of travelling around the world before he went to Greece. It had only been a few weeks after arriving that he first saw Harry. Once he knew that it was really Harry, he had to work on a way to approach his godson so Harry wouldn't get scared and run off, or fight which could hurt Sirius.
Sirius would act like a tourist but he was really listening. He found out the name Harry was using and wondered how he picked the name Orion. Sirius knew no one in England would have told Harry about his godfather or his name, Sirius Orion Black. It made Sirius curious about how Harry picked Orion.
When Harry had gone to Gringotts after leaving Hogwarts, he had emptied his vault but he had found two letters for him written by his parents. They explained about his godparents and they had hoped his godparents had given him a good life. Harry had heard of Longbottom, Neville Longbottom was the same age as he was and in Gryffindor. Alice Longbottom was Harry's godmother. He had never heard from her or anything about her and it made him curious. He thought because of the war, she must have died. The other name was Sirius Orion Black, his godfather's name. Again, Harry never heard from him or heard anything about him and figured he must have died as well. It was only a week later that Harry worked on the name, Orion James Evans. He used James for his father, Evans for his mother and Orion for his godfather. As far as Harry knew, they were dead but he wanted to keep a connection to his family.
Harry was shopping for some Christmas gifts for his family. He knew what he was going to get for his wife, but it would take him a while to work out what to get his children.
While shopping, he had a few of his students say hello to him. That always made him smile. His students liked him.
'Excuse me, but I couldn't help overhearing the children. Did they call you Professor Evans?'
Harry turned to the sound of the voice to see a man with long hair and a goatee beard. He had grey eyes, which was unusual.
'Yes, I'm Professor Evan's. Are you a parent of one of my students?'
'No, no, I don't have children, yet. I hope to one day. I have done a bit of research into the schools. I suppose I'm jumping a bit ahead but I like to see what the teachers were like and if they students ever had any trouble. I went to a horrible school with some terrible teachers and students who ended up in jail. If I was still there, I would never send my children to that school. Those that spoke to you seemed friendly so they must like you.'
'I have a good relationship with most of my students, but like all schools, you will get some that just like to cause trouble. Your accent, English?'
'Yes, but I left there years ago and I don't plan to return.'
'So you went to Hogwarts?' Harry asked as he put his hand inside his pocket where his wand was.
'Yes, terrible school with a headmaster who didn't do a thing about kids being hurt. But you don't have to worry or take out your wand. I really was just curious about the students who were friendly. I will tell you the truth Professor, I have travelled for years, trying to find someone, a family member that went missing when he was young. You see, I was falsely accused of a crime and without being given a trial, sent to jail. I heard that my family member was near the one that actually committed the crime, so I escaped to make sure he was okay. I found out he was missing, so I've been looking for him ever since. What made me look at you, apart from the children, your hair, it reminds me of my best friend when he was young. Also, your eyes remind me of his wife. They made me their son's godfather, he's the one that went missing. Since I'm thought to be a criminal in my own country, I decided to leave. I came here a few weeks back but I never expected to find the one I was looking for shopping for Christmas gifts. I wasn't actually sure it was you until I heard your name, your full name. How did you come to use Orion?'
Harry had been listening and watching the man but he also did some quick scans using legilimense. He knew the man was not dangerous to him and he was telling the truth.
His godfather had found him.
'Two letters were in my vault from my parents. They told me who my godparents were, I figured they died since I never heard from them. So you were sent to jail.'
'I would like to explain it all to you but I don't think standing in the middle of a street is the best place. I'm staying in the local pub. Would you join me for lunch and a long explanation?'
'I think I should. Let me just message my wife,' Harry thought about what he needed to say then cast his patronus so it could take his message to his wife.
'Prongs,' Sirius whispered as he stared at the large silvery stag.
'What?'
'Um, I'll explain when we have a bit of privacy.'
Harry followed the man that was his godfather to the room he was staying in. It was one of the more expensive pubs so he wasn't surprised by the room. It did make him realise that his godfather must have a decent amount of money.
Sirius ordered some lunch and some drinks for both of them before he took a seat in the living area.
'Prongs was your father's nickname for his animagus, a stag.'
'I always wondered why my patronus became a stag. I mean it's a nice looking patronus but I have never seen a stag before.. I don't remember the name James Potter in the registry for animagus. I did mine here in Greece but it shows all the registered animagus around the world.'
'Your father, the one that betrayed them and me never registered. We learnt while we were still students. It's how I escaped. I used my dog form to slip passed the dementors and jumped into the sea. I swam to shore, I had to sleep for a long time after that. I made my way to Scotland. It was while I was sneaking around Hogsmeade that I found out you were missing.'
'You said I was near the real person who betrayed my family and he was an animagus.'
'That red headed friend you made, Weasley, it was his pet rat. Peter Pettigrew turned into an ordinary brown garden rat. The moment I found out he was at Hogwarts with you, I had to get to you before he hurt you. He ended up sneaking away a year after I escaped and met up with the spirit of Voldemort. They have tried a few times to bring him back, but he's still a spirit. The unspeakables were able to capture the spirit, but Peter used his rat form to escape. None of them knew he was an animagus. I knew there was no use trying to find him so everyone would know I never killed him, that's when I decided to look in other countries to try to find you. What age where you when you left Great Britain?'
'Seventeen. I had to make a lot of fake documents before I could leave the I wanted to sit my newts. I did that in Hawaii before moving to Greece. So Dumbledore didn't pick up on the fact there was an animagus in the castle?'
'No, there are no wards around Hogwarts for that because there is usually a staff member who learns to change. You probably don't know about those muggles that hurt you.'
'No, I didn't care about them.'
'Aurors arrested them. Used muggle approved veritaserum and they got the truth about how they treated you. They actually wanted to know if the Dursley's killed you, since you disappeared. You can find out a lot pretending to be a stray dog.'
'I'm sure you do. So what are you going to do now that you finally found me?'
'I might find myself a home here. I never want to return to England. No one supported me, even my old friends. I worked beside people like Dumbledore during the war, yet he never bothered to find out if I was innocent or guilty. No, I have no ties there. You're the closest I have to family. All I would like is to get to know you. I can also tell you things about your parents. They were great people, but with big tempers. Their fights used to shake the house, then I would be told to go so they could make up, meaning house shaking make up sex.'
Harry laughed. It was nice to finally hear something about his parents that wasn't, you look like your father but have your mothers eyes. He finally made a decision. He would have to explain to his wife but she knew how bad his life had been so she wouldn't be surprised to hear that his godfather was thrown in jail without a trial. If she was fine with it, then Sirius could stay with them while he looked for a house. Even though he had his own family, Sirius was a link to his birth family. Now he could finally get to know what they were like. He would finally get to know the two people who sacrificed themselves for their baby son.
The end: