Author's Notes: Thank you for the reviews! ) I'm afraid this path only gets darker. Read on.

Keeping secrets was something he was always good at, brilliant even. He thrived on secrecy, on deception, the less people knew, the better off he was.

Let the bastards think he was all right, normal as can be. Let them. But he was at the point where he didn't care what anyone thought anymore. Not like anyone of them took the time to actually get to know him.

He wasn't sure if he really knew himself. His past was too haunted, his present currently screwed up, and his future didn't look too bright either.

And thus, something new arose in him.

There was no need to hide from them. He was so sick of hiding, so sick of the deception and the false smiles.

No, he needed to feel real again. Not briefly, not like those brief moments with his shiny friend, but actual moments.

'They won't accept this 'new' you, I'm afraid, you're not thinking logically,' warned the voice, for the first time--sounding utterly concerned about something he was going to do.

'Perhaps, but then again, why should I run? If they think of me as their savior, why they can't accept I'm not perfect?' he questioned.

'Because, heroes are suppose to everything they aren't, which includes suicide cases,' the voice leered.

'It's not suicide, I don't want to die,' he confessed.

He didn't want to die.

Strange, he never had admitted this to himself until now.

Did he truly mean it?

"I'm worried about Harry,"began Hermione. "More and more he is acting more...strangely...more withdrawn, I'm afraid to the point where he can't come back."

Hermione Granger didn't want to see at first, didn't want to believe it.

But she couldn't deny what was right in front of her.

She only wished she could be blind.

She was confused, for this situation wasn't one to be easily solved in books.

"I know, he's having dreams too," confessed Ron sadly, chewing his bottom lip. "He's changed, Hermione, into someone I don't recognize."

"But he's still our Harry, I still see the same old Harry, we have to make sure we don't lose that part of him," she replied. "We're his friends, Ron; we can't just stand and watch, we need to take action."

"But what can we do, Hermione? We need...experts," he admitted, hating the fact that it had gotten so worse, now Hermione and he couldn't even fix it.

"You're right, of course," she responded. "We need to inform an adult--"

"But Harry will found out--and when he does--"

"It's for his own good, maybe even his life," she replied sadly, taking out a piece of parchment.

"Who?" he said, for a second he wanted to say Sirius, but then remembered.

"I know, I wish he were still here," she said, "but honestly, he wouldn't have been able to help Harry anyway--"

"You be surprised how similar their family history was, Hermione," he said grimly.

"Nonetheless, we need to contact someone else," she said determinedly.

And Hermione began writing--

Dear Professor Lupin...

Hermione always sucked at lying.

Harry couldn't help but grin for her trying.

Useless really.

'The secret will soon be out,' said the voice. 'Aren't you the least bit concerned?'

'No, why should I? I'm not afraid anymore,' he admitted. 'I've realized that life is precious, yes, but eventually we all die out. Just some sooner than others.'

'You're thinking irrationally, come to your senses. Don't you know what they will do? Lock you up, label you a nutcase--you're probably never see daylight--' urged the voice, sounding truly terrified

'If I didn't know better, I say you're more scared than I,' he said, now mocking the voice.

'Silly boy, I am you, remember? I am apart of you, embedded within you, the real Harry Potter,' the voice said.

'Time to show them the real Harry Potter then,' he laughed, going to his truck and piling all his clothes and textbooks into it.

'A trip? Where to?' asked the voice.

'Somewhere---quiet, where nobody will find me, of course,' he replied.

'I give them at least a day,' replied the voice.

'A day?'

'You underestimate the Order, they will find you, be rational,' urged the voice. 'And when they do, it will be the perfect excuse to lock you away from society.'

'All the more reason to make sure I pick the right location,' he replied swiftly.

With a click, he was packed and ready.