Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, surprising as it may seem. The lyrics at the beginning are offspring' s and hence, are also not mine.
A/N: Err...Hello...Anyone there? Probably not...Umm, yeah, this fic kinda died for a couple of months there. So, to anyone who actually cares, I really am sorry! After school started I kinda went crazy for some reason that I'm still trying to figure out. But, in any case, I'm back and writing again, so, believe it or not, this fic WILL continue. Right now in fact, as I have every intention of shutting up and allowing you to read. And if you should want to leave a review at the end....;) *Ahem* See ya at the end!
***
The Edge of Forever
Chapter Three: Cut and Run
***
~You can't take back, the one mistake that still lives on after life it takes~
Harry's heart fell into his stomach. His was mouth slightly a gape and he was suddenly finding it quite difficult to breath. This couldn't be happening. It simply couldn't be happening! It took every ounce of his resolve to blink back the wide-eyed look of shock and horror now dominating his face--Schooling his features had never been harder. It was all he could do not to visibly panic.
If what Fudge was saying was true, then Sirius was done for. Over. Harry had just sent his godfather a one way ticket back to Azkaban, and any hope either of them ever had of living a happy, simple life was gone forever. No, Harry shook his head very slightly, this could not be happening!
But it was.
"Out with it, Harry." Fudge said quite forcefully. "How long have you two been in contact?"
Harry opened his mouth to reply, but it quickly fell shut. How was he supposed to answer *that*? He didn't want lie, not to the ministry, but the truth meant...the truth meant the end. The truth signed away everything he'd ever hoped for. The truth was something he simply could not give. Not to Fudge, not to anyone! He simply couldn't, wouldn't do that to Sirius. He'd already been through so much.
Every time Harry thought about Sirius, his godfather, the only family he had, locked away in that awful prison...Trapped in a place that held criminals, Death Eaters, under the control of the dementors...He never could have survived that. And if Sirius went back there he knew he'd never see him again. Handing him over to the dementors was like signing a death warrant for the man, and Harry could never live with himself if he did such a thing. Not to Sirius.
And so he just stood there, staring back at Fudge quietly, a look of determination burned plainly into his features. There was nothing he could say. Anything that came out of his mouth now would be a lie.
When it had become apparent that he wasn't going to answer, Fudge gave an irritated sigh, and dropped his arms at his sides. The boy clearly wasn't going to make things easy for him. "C'mon, Harry. Stop playing dumb!" The minister demanded, standing over the boy, letter clutched tightly in his right hand. "How long, Potter? Do you know where he is?"
Harry chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, as far as he knew Sirius was hiding out at Professor Lupin's right now. But if Fudge thought he was getting *that* out of him he needed some serious mental attention, because he would never hear such a thing from Harry. The thought of giving Sirius away was bad enough, he hardly needed to drag his old defense against the dark arts teacher into it all too.
Fudge sighed again, running his free hand through his thick gray hair. "Harry, he's a murderer!" He reasoned. "We're only looking after your best interests, here."
At that, Harry's eye's flashed dangerously, but the words that came out of his mouth then did nothing to betray his godfather. "He's not!" He said firmly, shaking his head in defiance. "He didn't do it! Your just trying to save your own neck! You don't really care about-"
"Harry!" The minister exclaimed at the boy's words, the acknowledgment that briefly clouded his eye's being quickly replaced frustration. "That's no way to speak to-"
"Then I wont speak to you at all!" Harry cut the man off, truly intending to remain silent this time.
"Harry, I don't think you understand the importance of this situation." Fudge said, staring down at the boy as though he really didn't get it. Harry sighed and shook his head slowly. Did this man really think he was going to talk? "Lives could be at stake here. You don't want to be responsible for any deaths, do you?"
Harry just gaped at the ministers words. He was seriously trying to guilt him into telling him where his godfather was. No deaths had been linked to Sirius since the day that he escaped, people had practically forgotten him by now. He was just about to point this out, despite his vow of silence, when they were interrupted by a rather sudden, and frantic knocking on the door just behind him.
"Yes, what is it?" Fudge looked extremely irritated at the untimely interruption. Surely he had been just on the verge of getting an answer out of the distraught boy across from him.
"There's been an attack, sir." Came the unfamiliar voice of a nervous sounding ministry aid.
"An attack?" Fudge asked getting quickly to his feet. Harry noted with some frustration that the minister sounded more annoyed than he did upset.
"I'm afraid so, sir. On the Keller's, luckily the children weren't at home the time." The aid explained.
"Yes, that is lucky, isn't it?" Fudge said, and the aid nodded his agreement. "Still, this wont look very good for the ministry."
"Lucky?" Harry asked, visibly bewildered by the way the minister was taking the situation. Fudge didn't appear to care at all for the family at hand. Some poor kids had just lost their parents and rather than worry about them he seemed to be working out how it would all affect him. But if either of them had noticed Harry's discomfort, they said nothing to acknowledge it.
"Do we know who's behind it?" Fudge asked, making his way towards the door and effectively ignoring Harry.
"No sir." The other replied. "Nothing definite."
Harry just stared at them for a moment wondering if he'd heard correctly. A family had been attacked for no good reason and they didn't know who was behind it. How could they be so blind? "You know it was Voldemort." He said as though it were obvious, knowing that it should have been. Fudge glared down at him, disgusted by the boy's short outburst. The aid looked rather pale.
"I'll ask you to stay out of this, Potter." Fudge's words left little room for argument, but Harry found that he couldn't just sit there quietly.
"I'll ask you to come to your senses." He retorted bitterly. "Voldemort's behind the attack, he's been behind everything. Him and his damned Death eaters!"
"You-Know-Who is dead. You of all people should know that."
"Voldemort's alive. I SAW him. He tried to kill me!" Harry shouted, his tone laced heavily with an anger that Fudge's oblivious gaze effectively fueled. "I saw him." He repeated slowly.
"You really have lost it." The minister said, shaking his head slowly and feigning pity.
Harry's hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He looked as though he was about to say something more, but the overly nervous aid--who, by the way, had been fidgeting madly just inside the door through out the short lived argument--beat him to it.
"Sir, you really do need to be going." He said taking a deep breath as the minister turned his attention back to the situation at hand.
"Right." Fudge said, decidedly annoyed that something had gotten in the way of his latest project. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this, Potter." He said, over his shoulder. "I can promise you that." Harry wasn't the only one who looked a bit frightening just then. "Go on home for the night and calm down those muggles you live with. I'll send someone by early to collect you tomorrow."
Harry almost smiled then, but stopped himself lest the oblivious man think that he was up to something. Quickly nodding his understanding, Harry followed him through the door, but stopped quite suddenly as he realized he'd forgotten something. "What about Hedwig?" He asked looking up at Fudge, barely able to calm the anger still present in his voice.
"She'll stay here." He stated simply. "You can reclaim her when you come back tomorrow. Now go up front and ask about getting a portkey home."
Harry looked like he was about to protest, but thought it better not to push his luck. Hedwig would be in good enough hands with the ministry, he only hoped that she wouldn't be mad at him when he didn't return. Because he had no intention of coming back the next morning. There was no way that he would ever let them question him about Sirius. No way in hell.
***
It had only begun to rain when Harry appeared on the front lawn of number four, the slick grass barely illuminated by the minimal amount of light shinning through the living room window. "So much for not wanting to attract attention..." He shook his head at the irony of it. If anyone on Privite Dr had been looking out of their window just then they'd have been in for an awful surprise. Aunt Petunia would be so embarrassed... A tiny smile played across Harry's face at the thought.
But as he slowly approached the front door that smile rapidly faded into a worrisome frown upon remembering his uncle's dangerous promise just before he'd gone with Fudge. But he couldn't just stand out there all night, not if he wanted to help Sirius. He had to go in there some time. He had to go in there now...
Taking a deep breath and dragging his feet as he went, Harry made his way to the closed front door. Might as well get it over with now. He turned the knob slowly, hoping not to make much noise. Perhaps if he was quiet, maybe if he was quick...Harry crossed his fingers as he stepped cautiously though the doorway. Maybe, just maybe, he could get in and out without being noticed. Harry closed the door very carefully behind him. If he could just stay quiet...
Unfortunately the boy's hopes were dashed all to quickly, the soft sound of breathing evident just right of him. Harry turned his head slowly, cautiously in the direction of the noise, shying away slightly as he locked eye's with his uncle. Oh, this was not good...
"What did I tell you boy," Uncle Vernon began, his voice deathly calm. "about letting YOUR freakish kind into MY house?"
"But I didn't." Harry reminded him, staring back defiantly. "I wasn't even down here when you opened the door."
"Are you suggesting that I'm the one at fault for that...man being here?" His uncle asked, glaring murderously into his nephew's emerald eye's.
"No." Harry replied shortly, but his uncle only seemed to get angrier.
"How could you let someone like that come to my house? Don't you have ANY regard for rules?! Scaring my poor Dudley like that, he's going have to have therapy someday because of you! You're nothing but a worthless freak! You could be out on the street right-"
"I didn't break your damn rules, Uncle Vernon! I'm not the one who let him in!" The boy said defensively. He knew that his choice of wording and tone weren't the best, and that his uncle would surely throttle him if he continued, but Harry found that he no longer cared. All those years that he'd kept his mouth shut, kept his complaints to a minimum, stayed calm and reserved...All those years that he'd endured his relatives horrible treatment of him...It was all over now. He was leaving, and he wouldn't be coming back this time. They couldn't make him, no one could! Not anymore. The very thought was enough to make him reckless, he could say whatever he wanted now. He could do whatever he wanted! And right now he wanted to explain a few things to his uncle. "Your the one who opened that door, your the one who let Fudge in! I didn't do anything wrong, and I AM NOT A FREAK!"
The result was instantaneous. Harry cried out softly as his uncle's fist connected cleanly with the side of his head, sending the hapless boy flying into the nearest wall. Unable to catch his balance, he crumbled on the spot, blinking in confusion from his place on the floor. His head throbbed from the blow and he was sure that there would be a nasty bruise on his cheek by the morning.
"YOUR A FREAK IF I SAY YOUR A FREAK!" Uncle Vernon screamed down at the boy, purple faced and positively shaking in rage.
Harry only glared for a moment as he regained his bearings. He wasn't really sure what had come over him just then, he just knew that it wasn't the brightest thing he could have done. Still, he cared little about his actions, he had much more important things to worry about right now. Far more pressing things to attend to. And so, standing up slowly, legs only a bit wobbly beneath him, Harry simply shook his head at the enraged man before him. "I'm not." He whispered simply, more conviction in those two words then anything he'd ever said to one of the Durselys. He'd already wasted to many years on his neglectful relatives, he wouldn't let them get to him now. "Your wrong."
Uncle Vernon advanced on him again instantly, but skidded to a rather abrupt stop as Harry drew his wand. "Stay away from me!" His nephew exclaimed, holding it before him defensively. There was a dangerous gleam in his emerald eye's that Vernon had never seen before. For a moment the large man just stood there, staring down at the boy with a mix of fear and anger flashing in his eye's. But then a tiny smile crept over his lips, a thoughtful look quickly coming over his face.
"Don't think that you can scare me, boy." His voice was calm again, eerily so. "You don't want to be expelled from your precious school now, do you?"
Vernon hardly expected to see his nephew dawn a smile of his own at his words, and he certainly didn't expect the boy to say what he did then. "Frankly, Uncle Vernon, I don't really care anymore."
His eye's flashed then with a brief but very distinct terror as Harry whispered "Stupefy!" It was strange, but oddly satisfying for the boy to watch his uncle crumble to the floor then. He wasn't sure whether he should be horrified by what he'd just done, or if he should be proud. Either way the tiny smile on his young face stayed with him as he sprinted up the stairs and into his room.
It didn't take Harry very long to grab what he needed. He knew he couldn't take much, and when he left the small room it was only with his firebolt under one arm, his invisibility cloak under the other and a tiny sack of wizard gold he hadn't gotten around to spending last year in Hogsmeade. But the more he thought about it, wizard gold wasn't going to get him very far. By the morning the whole of the wizarding world would surely be aware of his disappearance, and if anyone saw him...
Harry shook his head slowly, as though the simple action would make that thought go away. No one was going to see him, he decided as he reached the bottom of the stairs, because he wasn't going to give them the chance.
"What did you do?!" Harry suddenly heard Aunt Petunia shriek. She was staring down at her husband white as a ghost, Dudley trying rather unsuccessfully to hide his gargantuan form behind her back. "Vernon wake up!" She looked quite afraid to approach his motionless form, as though whatever had taken the man down might be contagious.
"Stay back." Harry warned his aunt, inching cautiously toward his stunned uncle. Bending carefully over the man, Harry retrieved his uncles wallet from his side pocket, reaching in and pulling out an uncertain amount of money before backing quickly away.
"What do you think your doing?!" Aunt Petunia exclaimed frantically as her nephew fled towards the door. "You get back here! You can't just leave him like that!"
Harry, choosing to ignore his aunt merely ran out the door and onto the street, shivering as he felt a few icy rain drops connecting with his flesh. It was time to surprise the neighbors again he mused sardonically as he threw his invisibility cloak over himself and mounted his broom. The boy didn't even take the time to glance over his shoulder as he took to the air. He never wanted to set eye's on number 4 Privet Dr again...
A/N: Well, there it is. Hope it didn't suck as much as I'm beginning to think it did :) Well, hopefully if anyone actually read this they liked it. And hey, if ya did read it, thanx a lot! Any constructive criticism would be much appreciated (!) as I'm pretty sure my writing quality went a little down hill in the middle there. Anyway, the next part wont take half a year, I promise. It'll probably be up sometime next week. So until then, see ya later!
A/N: Err...Hello...Anyone there? Probably not...Umm, yeah, this fic kinda died for a couple of months there. So, to anyone who actually cares, I really am sorry! After school started I kinda went crazy for some reason that I'm still trying to figure out. But, in any case, I'm back and writing again, so, believe it or not, this fic WILL continue. Right now in fact, as I have every intention of shutting up and allowing you to read. And if you should want to leave a review at the end....;) *Ahem* See ya at the end!
***
The Edge of Forever
Chapter Three: Cut and Run
***
~You can't take back, the one mistake that still lives on after life it takes~
Harry's heart fell into his stomach. His was mouth slightly a gape and he was suddenly finding it quite difficult to breath. This couldn't be happening. It simply couldn't be happening! It took every ounce of his resolve to blink back the wide-eyed look of shock and horror now dominating his face--Schooling his features had never been harder. It was all he could do not to visibly panic.
If what Fudge was saying was true, then Sirius was done for. Over. Harry had just sent his godfather a one way ticket back to Azkaban, and any hope either of them ever had of living a happy, simple life was gone forever. No, Harry shook his head very slightly, this could not be happening!
But it was.
"Out with it, Harry." Fudge said quite forcefully. "How long have you two been in contact?"
Harry opened his mouth to reply, but it quickly fell shut. How was he supposed to answer *that*? He didn't want lie, not to the ministry, but the truth meant...the truth meant the end. The truth signed away everything he'd ever hoped for. The truth was something he simply could not give. Not to Fudge, not to anyone! He simply couldn't, wouldn't do that to Sirius. He'd already been through so much.
Every time Harry thought about Sirius, his godfather, the only family he had, locked away in that awful prison...Trapped in a place that held criminals, Death Eaters, under the control of the dementors...He never could have survived that. And if Sirius went back there he knew he'd never see him again. Handing him over to the dementors was like signing a death warrant for the man, and Harry could never live with himself if he did such a thing. Not to Sirius.
And so he just stood there, staring back at Fudge quietly, a look of determination burned plainly into his features. There was nothing he could say. Anything that came out of his mouth now would be a lie.
When it had become apparent that he wasn't going to answer, Fudge gave an irritated sigh, and dropped his arms at his sides. The boy clearly wasn't going to make things easy for him. "C'mon, Harry. Stop playing dumb!" The minister demanded, standing over the boy, letter clutched tightly in his right hand. "How long, Potter? Do you know where he is?"
Harry chewed his lower lip thoughtfully, as far as he knew Sirius was hiding out at Professor Lupin's right now. But if Fudge thought he was getting *that* out of him he needed some serious mental attention, because he would never hear such a thing from Harry. The thought of giving Sirius away was bad enough, he hardly needed to drag his old defense against the dark arts teacher into it all too.
Fudge sighed again, running his free hand through his thick gray hair. "Harry, he's a murderer!" He reasoned. "We're only looking after your best interests, here."
At that, Harry's eye's flashed dangerously, but the words that came out of his mouth then did nothing to betray his godfather. "He's not!" He said firmly, shaking his head in defiance. "He didn't do it! Your just trying to save your own neck! You don't really care about-"
"Harry!" The minister exclaimed at the boy's words, the acknowledgment that briefly clouded his eye's being quickly replaced frustration. "That's no way to speak to-"
"Then I wont speak to you at all!" Harry cut the man off, truly intending to remain silent this time.
"Harry, I don't think you understand the importance of this situation." Fudge said, staring down at the boy as though he really didn't get it. Harry sighed and shook his head slowly. Did this man really think he was going to talk? "Lives could be at stake here. You don't want to be responsible for any deaths, do you?"
Harry just gaped at the ministers words. He was seriously trying to guilt him into telling him where his godfather was. No deaths had been linked to Sirius since the day that he escaped, people had practically forgotten him by now. He was just about to point this out, despite his vow of silence, when they were interrupted by a rather sudden, and frantic knocking on the door just behind him.
"Yes, what is it?" Fudge looked extremely irritated at the untimely interruption. Surely he had been just on the verge of getting an answer out of the distraught boy across from him.
"There's been an attack, sir." Came the unfamiliar voice of a nervous sounding ministry aid.
"An attack?" Fudge asked getting quickly to his feet. Harry noted with some frustration that the minister sounded more annoyed than he did upset.
"I'm afraid so, sir. On the Keller's, luckily the children weren't at home the time." The aid explained.
"Yes, that is lucky, isn't it?" Fudge said, and the aid nodded his agreement. "Still, this wont look very good for the ministry."
"Lucky?" Harry asked, visibly bewildered by the way the minister was taking the situation. Fudge didn't appear to care at all for the family at hand. Some poor kids had just lost their parents and rather than worry about them he seemed to be working out how it would all affect him. But if either of them had noticed Harry's discomfort, they said nothing to acknowledge it.
"Do we know who's behind it?" Fudge asked, making his way towards the door and effectively ignoring Harry.
"No sir." The other replied. "Nothing definite."
Harry just stared at them for a moment wondering if he'd heard correctly. A family had been attacked for no good reason and they didn't know who was behind it. How could they be so blind? "You know it was Voldemort." He said as though it were obvious, knowing that it should have been. Fudge glared down at him, disgusted by the boy's short outburst. The aid looked rather pale.
"I'll ask you to stay out of this, Potter." Fudge's words left little room for argument, but Harry found that he couldn't just sit there quietly.
"I'll ask you to come to your senses." He retorted bitterly. "Voldemort's behind the attack, he's been behind everything. Him and his damned Death eaters!"
"You-Know-Who is dead. You of all people should know that."
"Voldemort's alive. I SAW him. He tried to kill me!" Harry shouted, his tone laced heavily with an anger that Fudge's oblivious gaze effectively fueled. "I saw him." He repeated slowly.
"You really have lost it." The minister said, shaking his head slowly and feigning pity.
Harry's hands clenched into tight fists at his sides. He looked as though he was about to say something more, but the overly nervous aid--who, by the way, had been fidgeting madly just inside the door through out the short lived argument--beat him to it.
"Sir, you really do need to be going." He said taking a deep breath as the minister turned his attention back to the situation at hand.
"Right." Fudge said, decidedly annoyed that something had gotten in the way of his latest project. "I'm going to get to the bottom of this, Potter." He said, over his shoulder. "I can promise you that." Harry wasn't the only one who looked a bit frightening just then. "Go on home for the night and calm down those muggles you live with. I'll send someone by early to collect you tomorrow."
Harry almost smiled then, but stopped himself lest the oblivious man think that he was up to something. Quickly nodding his understanding, Harry followed him through the door, but stopped quite suddenly as he realized he'd forgotten something. "What about Hedwig?" He asked looking up at Fudge, barely able to calm the anger still present in his voice.
"She'll stay here." He stated simply. "You can reclaim her when you come back tomorrow. Now go up front and ask about getting a portkey home."
Harry looked like he was about to protest, but thought it better not to push his luck. Hedwig would be in good enough hands with the ministry, he only hoped that she wouldn't be mad at him when he didn't return. Because he had no intention of coming back the next morning. There was no way that he would ever let them question him about Sirius. No way in hell.
***
It had only begun to rain when Harry appeared on the front lawn of number four, the slick grass barely illuminated by the minimal amount of light shinning through the living room window. "So much for not wanting to attract attention..." He shook his head at the irony of it. If anyone on Privite Dr had been looking out of their window just then they'd have been in for an awful surprise. Aunt Petunia would be so embarrassed... A tiny smile played across Harry's face at the thought.
But as he slowly approached the front door that smile rapidly faded into a worrisome frown upon remembering his uncle's dangerous promise just before he'd gone with Fudge. But he couldn't just stand out there all night, not if he wanted to help Sirius. He had to go in there some time. He had to go in there now...
Taking a deep breath and dragging his feet as he went, Harry made his way to the closed front door. Might as well get it over with now. He turned the knob slowly, hoping not to make much noise. Perhaps if he was quiet, maybe if he was quick...Harry crossed his fingers as he stepped cautiously though the doorway. Maybe, just maybe, he could get in and out without being noticed. Harry closed the door very carefully behind him. If he could just stay quiet...
Unfortunately the boy's hopes were dashed all to quickly, the soft sound of breathing evident just right of him. Harry turned his head slowly, cautiously in the direction of the noise, shying away slightly as he locked eye's with his uncle. Oh, this was not good...
"What did I tell you boy," Uncle Vernon began, his voice deathly calm. "about letting YOUR freakish kind into MY house?"
"But I didn't." Harry reminded him, staring back defiantly. "I wasn't even down here when you opened the door."
"Are you suggesting that I'm the one at fault for that...man being here?" His uncle asked, glaring murderously into his nephew's emerald eye's.
"No." Harry replied shortly, but his uncle only seemed to get angrier.
"How could you let someone like that come to my house? Don't you have ANY regard for rules?! Scaring my poor Dudley like that, he's going have to have therapy someday because of you! You're nothing but a worthless freak! You could be out on the street right-"
"I didn't break your damn rules, Uncle Vernon! I'm not the one who let him in!" The boy said defensively. He knew that his choice of wording and tone weren't the best, and that his uncle would surely throttle him if he continued, but Harry found that he no longer cared. All those years that he'd kept his mouth shut, kept his complaints to a minimum, stayed calm and reserved...All those years that he'd endured his relatives horrible treatment of him...It was all over now. He was leaving, and he wouldn't be coming back this time. They couldn't make him, no one could! Not anymore. The very thought was enough to make him reckless, he could say whatever he wanted now. He could do whatever he wanted! And right now he wanted to explain a few things to his uncle. "Your the one who opened that door, your the one who let Fudge in! I didn't do anything wrong, and I AM NOT A FREAK!"
The result was instantaneous. Harry cried out softly as his uncle's fist connected cleanly with the side of his head, sending the hapless boy flying into the nearest wall. Unable to catch his balance, he crumbled on the spot, blinking in confusion from his place on the floor. His head throbbed from the blow and he was sure that there would be a nasty bruise on his cheek by the morning.
"YOUR A FREAK IF I SAY YOUR A FREAK!" Uncle Vernon screamed down at the boy, purple faced and positively shaking in rage.
Harry only glared for a moment as he regained his bearings. He wasn't really sure what had come over him just then, he just knew that it wasn't the brightest thing he could have done. Still, he cared little about his actions, he had much more important things to worry about right now. Far more pressing things to attend to. And so, standing up slowly, legs only a bit wobbly beneath him, Harry simply shook his head at the enraged man before him. "I'm not." He whispered simply, more conviction in those two words then anything he'd ever said to one of the Durselys. He'd already wasted to many years on his neglectful relatives, he wouldn't let them get to him now. "Your wrong."
Uncle Vernon advanced on him again instantly, but skidded to a rather abrupt stop as Harry drew his wand. "Stay away from me!" His nephew exclaimed, holding it before him defensively. There was a dangerous gleam in his emerald eye's that Vernon had never seen before. For a moment the large man just stood there, staring down at the boy with a mix of fear and anger flashing in his eye's. But then a tiny smile crept over his lips, a thoughtful look quickly coming over his face.
"Don't think that you can scare me, boy." His voice was calm again, eerily so. "You don't want to be expelled from your precious school now, do you?"
Vernon hardly expected to see his nephew dawn a smile of his own at his words, and he certainly didn't expect the boy to say what he did then. "Frankly, Uncle Vernon, I don't really care anymore."
His eye's flashed then with a brief but very distinct terror as Harry whispered "Stupefy!" It was strange, but oddly satisfying for the boy to watch his uncle crumble to the floor then. He wasn't sure whether he should be horrified by what he'd just done, or if he should be proud. Either way the tiny smile on his young face stayed with him as he sprinted up the stairs and into his room.
It didn't take Harry very long to grab what he needed. He knew he couldn't take much, and when he left the small room it was only with his firebolt under one arm, his invisibility cloak under the other and a tiny sack of wizard gold he hadn't gotten around to spending last year in Hogsmeade. But the more he thought about it, wizard gold wasn't going to get him very far. By the morning the whole of the wizarding world would surely be aware of his disappearance, and if anyone saw him...
Harry shook his head slowly, as though the simple action would make that thought go away. No one was going to see him, he decided as he reached the bottom of the stairs, because he wasn't going to give them the chance.
"What did you do?!" Harry suddenly heard Aunt Petunia shriek. She was staring down at her husband white as a ghost, Dudley trying rather unsuccessfully to hide his gargantuan form behind her back. "Vernon wake up!" She looked quite afraid to approach his motionless form, as though whatever had taken the man down might be contagious.
"Stay back." Harry warned his aunt, inching cautiously toward his stunned uncle. Bending carefully over the man, Harry retrieved his uncles wallet from his side pocket, reaching in and pulling out an uncertain amount of money before backing quickly away.
"What do you think your doing?!" Aunt Petunia exclaimed frantically as her nephew fled towards the door. "You get back here! You can't just leave him like that!"
Harry, choosing to ignore his aunt merely ran out the door and onto the street, shivering as he felt a few icy rain drops connecting with his flesh. It was time to surprise the neighbors again he mused sardonically as he threw his invisibility cloak over himself and mounted his broom. The boy didn't even take the time to glance over his shoulder as he took to the air. He never wanted to set eye's on number 4 Privet Dr again...
A/N: Well, there it is. Hope it didn't suck as much as I'm beginning to think it did :) Well, hopefully if anyone actually read this they liked it. And hey, if ya did read it, thanx a lot! Any constructive criticism would be much appreciated (!) as I'm pretty sure my writing quality went a little down hill in the middle there. Anyway, the next part wont take half a year, I promise. It'll probably be up sometime next week. So until then, see ya later!