SEQ CHAPTER \h \r 1Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all its characters belong to J.K. Rowling and not me. I own nothing except the plot, Harry's snake, and any other characters you don't recognize. Stan's speech belongs to J.K. Rowling.

A/N: This chapter is my longest chapter by far until now—almost double as long as usual! A lot of things happen in it and it's one of my favorites so far. I hope you guys like it and please let me know if you do. I worked hard on it and a little feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Wow…25 reviews!!! That's awesome. Thanks to everyone for their encouraging words! I started to do review responses for those of you who want to read them, they're at the bottom.

Here's the next chapter of Harry Potter and Lucifer's Reign. Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Hide and Go Seek

The Boy-Who-Lived breathed the fresh air in deeply.

In the last 20 minutes, Harry had packed all of his things and put them into his trunk. He didn't want to take his heavy trunk, but he, most likely, wouldn't come back to the Dursley's, and if he did the Dursley's would have surely gotten rid of his things in any way possible; knowing them, probably burned them.

Walking away from his childhood home—no, more like place of residence, because Harry could never consider Privet Drive his home— probably for the last time, dragging his trunk behind him, Harry realized that he didn't even know exactly where he was going. He knew he needed money because he only had wizarding gold, and the only place to get money was Gringotts, or in other words--Diagon Alley. He really didn't want to go into Diagon Alley.

Since it was still early—4 a.m.—Harry decided to hail down the Knight Bus. He knew that wasn't the smartest thing to do, but he didn't have any other options. It was still too early to get a taxi or any other muggle transportation, and London was a huge city; Harry had no idea where the Leaky Cauldron was. Plus, Harry didn't think he could drag his trunk any further anyway.

Setting his trunk down, Harry took his wand from his jeans' pocket, and raised it in the air like the last time he remembered accidentally calling the Knight Bus. Last time...last time Harry had been on the Knight Bus was because he tripped and accidentally called it because he saw Padfoot...'C'mon get yourself together Potter, are you gonna start crying like a crybaby every time you think about him?'

Shaking his head, Harry frowned at his wand. Nothing happened. Was he even supposed to use his wand for this? Perhaps he didn't do it right? 

BANG!

Jumping a foot into the air, Harry noticed the huge triple-decker bus in front of his eyes.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard, just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name is Stan Shunpike, and I will be your conductor this eve—Neville! I mean 'Arry. 'Arry Potter! Hey Ern, come see, i's him." a wizard that looked a few years older than Harry said excitedly.

"Shhhhhhhhhhh!!!" Harry hissed. "Stan, be quiet! Listen, I need to go to Diagon Alley, BUT" Harry added the 'but' when Stan opened his mouth as if to say something, "BUT, you can't tell anyone I took the Knight Bus if anyone asks, okay?" Stan looked unsure at this so Harry went on, "Please Stan, I need to get to Diagon Alley but no one can know. Please." Harry pleaded.

"Look, 'Arry, I wouln' tell anyun but it's my job an' tell if someone asks. 'm sorry" Stan said looking remorseful. At Harry's dejected look, Stan went on in a secretive whisper, "I can' make no promises but I'll try, n'kay?"

"Thanks Stan, you're the best." Harry said enthusiastically.

"Yeah well." Stan blushed. By now Harry and Stan were seated on the first bed next to the driver. "Take 'er away, Ern."

With another mighty BANG! the Knight Bus was off. The bus was empty since it still was very early in the morning. Harry looked out the window while the bus was going down narrow country roads that it shouldn't have been able to fit through, and watched half-amazed and half-amused when houses had to jump out of the way of the bus. He'd been in the wizarding world for over five years now, and some things still never seized to amaze him. Thinking about the wonderful wizarding world, Harry couldn't help but feel sad about leaving. He would definitely miss it, but with a quick inconspicuous sniff, Harry decided it was for the best. He knew this was most probably the only way to protect his friends from Voldemort and getting hurt or worse.

BANG!

The Knight Bus once again stopped, this time in front of the Leaky Cauldron. With a quick 'thanks again' to Ernie and Stan, Harry was left outside in front of the shabby looking Leaky Cauldron with nothing but his trunk. The sky was slowly waking up and it was no longer completely dark outside. Deciding to hurry up in case anyone noticed him, Harry pulled the hood to the sweatshirt he was wearing over his head and opened the door to the dark pub, still dragging his trunk behind him. Immediately the wonderful smell of scrambled eggs and pancakes overwhelmed him, but with a protest of his stomach, Harry ignored the lure and made his way quickly to the back of the Leaky Cauldron before anyone could see him. Tapping the respective bricks with his wand, Harry stepped into the broad and colorful lane that was Diagon Alley. All of the shops were still closed, but Harry noticed that at the end of the alley where Gringotts magnificently stood, were some brightly shining lights.

Once Harry had finally gotten to Gringotts, he was pleased to see that it was indeed open. Stepping inside, he saw there was only one goblin working behind the counter. Harry made his way over while taking his key out of his pocket, preparing himself for a ride that could rival any roller coaster.

~*~*~*~

"Uh-huh." Harry said unenthusiastically.

Harry shifted in his uncomfortable fake-velvet seat. Next to him sat an old lady wearing a frilly green and pink dress that looked like it was from the '60s and way too much perfume. She kept ranting on and on about her Fabergé egg collection and offering Harry mints every few minutes.

 "Wow." Harry responded even less enthusiastically.

Trying to block out the droning voice of the old lady next to him, Harry turned towards the windows thinking about the day so far and where he was going next.

Upon reaching his vault, Harry decided to leave his trunk in his vault knowing he couldn't drag it around with him wherever he went; it would obviously be safe at Gringotts. He had fished an old backpack from the bottom of his trunk and filled it with a few essentials including his father's old Invisibility Cloak--just in case. After getting enough money to last him a while and converting it to muggle pounds, Harry left quickly and walked around muggle London for a while until he came to a bus station. Harry bought a ticket to the bus that left the quickest, which just happened to be driving to somewhere in bloody Wales.

Looking out the window, Harry saw they were currently in the middle of nowhere, and occasionally would see little farmhouses with cows grazing the fields around them. 'Just fan-bloody-tastic' Harry thought with a scowl. 'If it wasn't for the stupid prophecy and Voldemort, I wouldn't be in this damned mess.'  Harry thought angrily. Maybe if the prophecy hadn't been made, he would be just waking up right now in a warm home with his mother calling him for breakfast. With this thought in mind, Harry fell into a light sleep.

***

Harry was seated comfortably at a round oak table. The table was covered with a simple white lace tablecloth and in the middle of it stood a vase with beautiful white lilies blooming. The room around him seemed to be some type of kitchen. It was spacious and was decorated in warm tones with attractive colored tiles bordering the wall just above the counters.

"C'mon Lily, how much longer is breakfast going to take?" asked an impatient voice but clearly with a playful tone. Looking to the source of the voice, Harry saw his father's handsome body seated on a chair next to him. His face seemed so…alive with a jovial expression on it.

"Oh breakfast is finished, dear." His mother said with an innocent smile on her beautiful face. Her long auburn hair was currently flowing down her back in gentle waves and she was wearing an apron over a white summer dress. She began serving the wonderful smelling blueberry pancakes to Harry and put some on her own plate as well. When James raised his plate expectantly, Lily merely ignored him and returned the plate to the kitchen counter. At James' indignant 'hey!', everyone laughed merrily.  

"Hey Harry, guess what? I got us tickets to the European Quidditch Cup next Sunday, isn't that great? It'll be a men's night out; just you, me, and Sirius." Harry's father beamed and continued in an excited tone. "It's going to be Spain vs. Luxemburg. You know for being such a small country, Luxemburg does have a good team. I mean the way their Chasers cooperate as such a team is spectacular. Especially that woman, Rosa Koerner, she's a good find. You know the Chasers are the most important part of Quidditch." James began the argument raising his eyebrows suggestively at his son.

"Yeah right, Dad. You and I both know that without the Seeker the game would never end, so the Seeker is the most important part of Quidditch!" Harry answered triumphantly. Lily rolled her eyes at their antics and continued eating her breakfast with an amused glint in her bright emerald eyes.

"Ah, but you're forgetting who makes all of the goals. Without the Chasers, Quidditch wouldn't even exist; there'd be no point to it!" James argued grinning the whole time.

Harry opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by his mother's voice. "Well I for one think that the medi-witches are the most important part of Quidditch, because without them, among the two of you, you'd probably set a new record for the most broken bones." Lily said putting her own two cents into the conversation. Harry's mother laughed gleefully out loud at both the men's blushing cheeks and after a moment they joined her as well.

"Would you like another mint, dear?"

"Huh?" Harry asked confused.

***

"I said would you like another mint, dear?" the old lady next to him asked, effectively snapping him out of his light sleep.

With a sad sigh, Harry realized it had just been a dream. He politely declined the mint and returned to staring out the window.

BOOM!

Harry had just been drifting back to sleep, desperate to finish his dream, when he fell out of his seat after hearing the loud noise. With a steady *bump, bump, bump* the bus slowed to a stop. Harry pushed himself back up onto his seat and looked out his window. His eyes widened. 'Shit!' Harry thought, and ducked back down.

Outside, about 50 yards from the bus, was the person Harry had least expected to see right about now---Professor Severus Snape. He was dressed in his usual billowing robes and had the biggest scowl set on his face. He was currently making his way toward the bus.

Looking back to the people around him, Harry saw all of the people on the bus were walking grumpily toward the exit because of the flat tire.

Joining them quickly, Harry pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head, and grabbed his backpack from his seat. Trying to blend in was hard considering half the bus consisted of a tour provided by St. Mary's Nursing Home for the elderly.

When he got off the bus, Harry, trying to hide his panic, noticed Snape was among the crowd now, looking around no doubt for Harry. Making up his mind, Harry ducked down, right as Snape looked his way. He rolled quickly under the bus. 'Shit!' Harry thought for the second time in just a few minutes. The bus was fairly large, so Harry was able to crawl around underneath it. He crawled so he was crouching in front of the huge front wheel just as Snape's face lowered to look under the bus. Breathing in deeply so Snape wouldn't hear him, Harry closed his eyes. He didn't want to risk looking around to see that Snape still hadn't left his place from looking under the bus.

After a minute, Harry figured it should be safe. Knowing he couldn't stay under the bus forever, Harry started crawling on the ground again almost in a fashion similar to the way the military trained their recruits to get through the obstacles set up for them. He reached the other side of the bus that was facing the street and looking around himself, Harry saw with some amount of panic that they were still in the middle of nowhere. In front of him, across the street, was a large field with a few cows grazing lazily. Harry looked both sides, and saw a bright red truck moving slowly in his direction. Right when the truck was about to pass him, Harry made up his mind, and taking a deep breath, he jumped right on the back of it into the huge mound of hay. Burying himself in the hay, Harry sneaked a peek out and saw a grumpy Professor Snape raising his wand to the muggels, no doubt 'obliviating' them.

Letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, Harry finally managed to relax at least a little. 'So they know I'm gone now.' Harry thought. This certainly made things a harder. He had been counting on at least a few days where no one noticed he was missing. That might have given him enough time to run.

Harry was so exhausted that he didn't notice his eyes slowly drifting shut.

~*~*~*~

~Wake up, Sleepy Head!~ an overly cheerful voice hissed.

Groggily, Harry opened his eyes and spit out the hay that had made its way into his mouth. At hearing the snake laughing, Harry glared at it.

~Sheesh, someone's in a bad mood today.~ the snake stated.

~Yeah, well, you'd be in a bad mood too if you just slept in a mound of hay and have no idea what you're going to do or even where you're going for that matter.~ Harry hissed back scathingly.

~Excuse me, your Royal Highness, but might I remind you, that I have also slept in a 'mound of hay' as you called it, and I also have no idea what we're going to do, as well as where we are going, but you don't hear me complaining, do you?~ the snake hissed back turning away from Harry haughtily only to slip and fall through the gaps in the hay. Hay, apparently, wasn't the best surface to slither on the snake was quick to realize. Quick as lightning, Harry grabbed it so it wouldn't slip further and allowed it to attach itself around his wrist.

~Look, I'm really sorry, you're right.~ Harry responded, sighing. With a triumphant look, the snake rested its head on Harry's wrist. ~Oh, I was thinking.~ Harry started trying to change the subject looking a lot happier. Ignoring the snake's snort and dubious expression, Harry went on, ~Well I was thinking about Hogwarts. Um…remember how I told you about the four Houses? Well I was thinking that Slytherin was founded by Salazar Slytherin and its House animal is the snake. Since we still need to find a name for you, maybe I should name you Salazar. Except that's a little cheesy, so how about I'll just call you Sal?~ Harry finished in happy tone looking at the snake expectantly.

~Yes, Salazar is a suitable name, much better than Harry at least.~ the newly dubbed 'Sal' answered resting its head once more on Harry's wrist preparing to doze off.

~Good then, Sal it is.~ Harry said and then added under his breath, ~Not to mention your personality certainly resembles a Slytherin.~

After a few minutes of silence Harry remembered something. ~Wait a minute,~ he started in an annoyed tone, ~why did you wake me up anyway?~

~Oh, well I just wanted to tell you that the big red monster stopped moving.~ Sal answered tiredly.

~Huh?~ Harry asked with a quizzical expression on his face.

If snakes were able to roll their eyes, Harry was sure Sal would have done just that. ~You know, we stopped, as in we're not moving anymore.~ Sal answered as if he was trying to explain something complex to a five year old.

Raising an eyebrow, Harry looked around himself and gasped in surprise. The truck really had stopped moving. 'Big monster?' Harry shook his head in amusement and decided not to comment and hurt Sal's pride. It seemed like the truck had stopped in front of a place people go to eat. The shabby looking three-story building was badly in need of a new coat of paint and had a wooden sign with the words 'Cherwell Café & Inn' in cursive letters hanging crookedly above the door. Looking down at his watch, Harry noticed with mild surprise that it was a little past five in the afternoon. Harry gingerly got to his feet and ducking, quickly made his way off the truck, grabbing his bag along the way. He reached his arms high above his head and stretched with a groan. He then moved his neck from side to side trying to crack it. 'I guess sleeping in hay isn't very good for your bones.' Harry thought, wincing, while wiggling his legs trying to shake off the pins and needles while ignoring Sal's laughter.

Hefting his backpack over his shoulder, Harry made his way over to the door while Sal curled himself tighter around his wrist under Harry's sweatshirt's sleeve. It wouldn't be very good to walk into the place with an unusual silver and gold snake clearly in view.

~*~*~*~

Harry threw himself on the bed with a *creak* in return from the bed and a heavy sigh from himself.

After stepping into the café, Harry was immediately overwhelmed by the scent of tobacco and alcohol. Everyone was staring at him strangely, surely seeing a kid in there for the first time in ages. He had calmly walked over to a counter where a chubby surly woman with frizzy black hair put upward into a messy bun, was serving a customer. He had asked for a room and she eyed him suspiciously until he took out his money, whereas her expression softened somewhat.

Right now, Harry was lying on the uncomfortable bed ('at least it's more comfortable than hay') thinking while trying to ignore the noise from the bar downstairs. He sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day, and thought about the events of the day so far. 'It could have gone worse.' Harry reasoned. Besides the run-in with Snape, things could have gone a lot worse. He was disturbed that they already figured out he was gone. With a scowl on his face, Harry again blamed the damned prophecy that just seemed to love making his life hell. '...they're still all going to die...' The cold little voice in the back of his mind kept repeating that annoying song. With an anguished expression on his face and a frustrated noise in the back of his throat, Harry shook his head, and focused back on his previous train of thoughts. He didn't know how he was supposed to murder someone, even if it was the Dark Lord that had basically ruined his life. He couldn't be a murderer, could he? 'How do you know you have to be a murderer, Potter? A little overconfident, aren't we? How do you know you won't be the one to be murdered?' the annoying voice in the back of his mind (that sounded suspiciously like Snape) asked. Pursing his lips in annoyance, Harry refused to think of that possibility. His main priority right now was getting as far away from his friends as possible so they wouldn't have to suffer because of him; he had enough blood on his hands.

With another sigh, this time a sad one, Harry reached across his bed to the bedside table and turned the light off, closing his eyes and sliding once more into his usual nightmares.

~*~*~*~

Six o'clock had Harry Potter, the famous Boy-Who-Lived, leaving the Cherwell Café & Inn and making his way north to only Merlin knows where by a hitched ride he managed to find.

Half an hour later, a scowling Nymphadora Tonks left the inn with her wand in hand.

Facade1 - Woah you reviewed like less than 3 minutes after I posted! That was wicked, thanx! Of course I took your idea into consideration!! I hope you're not disappointed by my choice in the snake's name. Thanx for your awesome comments and keep them up!

FireCracker2000 - Thanx for reviewing all of the chapters so far! Yes! I've found a fellow obsessee (i know that's not a word, but oh well...it is now)! I'm obsessed w/ Sirius too (as you can probably tell from my name...lol) PoA is my fave book too, and I was honored you compared the beginning at least a little bit to it. I've thought briefly about naming the snake Sirius but i dismissed the idea quickly...the snake is just nothing like him. Hope you're not disappointed.  Thanks again!

Myra - Thank you so much for your review and your suggestion. Your snake's name is Salardeficimonsretunansin?? Wow....lol...how in the world did you come up w/ that, not to mention pronounce it? Well I solved my name problem a few nights ago while i was in the shower...lol...that's the best place to think sometimes...well anyway, I hope it doesn't look like i copied you or anything. Thanks again!

JadeLMSkywalker - Hey! Thanks for reviewing!! Thanks for your complements on the song...everyone thankfully seemed to like it, myself included. It was really fun to come up with. I hope you like the snake's name.

Celtic55 – Thank you so much!! Those comments made me feel all tingly inside. I really, really appreciate them. I'm a fan of disturbing scenes as well (that sounds terrible…lol), so I'm glad you liked it! Keep up the good reviews!

Okay everyone, next chapter is probably my favorite until now and another long one. It's the kind of chapter that has to be absolutely perfect before posting, so it might take just a tiny bit longer than usual. But knowing me, I'll be too excited about it so I'll wanna post it quickly. lol

Thanks again to everyone that reviewed! You don't know how much the reviews mean to me---honestly!