Disclaimer: I do not own any of this, nor do I claim to.
A/N: This is in answer to a challenge posted by harryhurts. Also, thanks to FaymosAmos for coming up with the title for this!
A Misplaced Past
By: 62442almystery
Chapter One: Leaving the Wizarding World
Dead bodies lay all around him, the stench of blood hung in the air, and he stood there, not believing that it was over. How could it be? How come he hadn't died? How had he defeated Voldemort? He didn't want to dwell on the final battle anymore, but rather on the loved ones he had lost. Mrs. Weasley… Hagrid… Dumbledore… Even Mr. Weasley had had severe injuries and was going to be at St. Mungo's for a long time to come.
He couldn't take it. The destruction and death had consumed him fully, and he was ready to let it all go, put it all behind him. He couldn't live in the wizarding world anymore. No, not without going through all this pain every day for the next one hundred fifty years or so. He decided to go to the Ministry, turn in his wand, have his memory modified, and be sent to live in the wizarding world. Just so he wouldn't be found by Hermione or someone of the likes, he decided to leave the country, too.
Not knowing how to Apparate, he aimlessly wandered around, finally reaching a deserted, broken-down house. Walking up to it, he pushed the rickety door aside, and then walked straight ahead, and that was where he found a fireplace. He cast a spell, and fire immediately started burning in it. He reached in his pockets and brought out some Floo powder, and threw it in the fire carelessly. Putting one foot in after the other, he yelled, "Ministry of Magic!"
Harry felt the familiar sensation as he traveled through millions of fireplaces before making a rough landing at the Ministry. His glasses slid down his nose a little, but he fixed them quickly and got up.
Looking around, he saw that the Ministry seemed deserted, but he knew that Fudge would be around somewhere, and he was right. Fudge had just turned the corner out there in the hall, and Harry started running towards him.
"MINISTER… er… MR. FUDGE!" Harry yelled, knowing that if he did not, he might lose sight of Fudge.
Cornelius Fudge stopped in his tracks and gasped before turning around. His eyes were wide, and it looked as if he was in deep shock.
"You," Fudge whispered, not believing what he saw, "What are you doing here? And where is," Fudge paused, and then went on in a voice even lower than before, "You-Know-Who?"
Harry sighed and said, "I-I defeated him. He's gone."
A smile slowly crept onto his lips, and he twirled in his spot, merriment in his eyes, and next he walked towards Harry and patted him on the back. Not caring who had died, or what else had happened, he said to Harry, "Well done, my boy, well done!"
Harry rolled his eyes, though Fudge didn't notice.
"I'm going to throw a party, right here at the Ministry. It'll be the biggest party you'll ever have seen, and it will all be in honor of you!"
Harry shook his head, "No, sir, that's kind of what I came here to talk to you about. I don't want to be a part of this anymore. I want to leave the wizarding world for good, I want to forget about all of this, and I want to be left alone."
Fudge, at first was confused, but then he laughed, "You're joking! But you don't have to be a part of the festivities if you don't want. You can just receive your Order of Merlin, First Class and then leave. You don't have to stay at the party the whole time."
Fudge didn't understand what Harry meant at all, so he tried again, "No, sir, I want to leave this place for good. I can't stand all this destruction and all the deaths. I've done my part, and now I want to leave it all behind me, if it's possible."
Finally understanding, Fudge nodded solemnly and said, "Well, if you're sure, then follow me," and he lead Harry to his own private office.
Harry quietly followed, trying not to think of anyone or anything, and trying not to think of what he would be leaving behind. Reaching their destination, Harry entered behind Fudge, and he spoke again, "I think, if you don't want to be spotted, then you might want to do something about your scar and your hair."
Harry had forgotten about his scar. He felt his forehead with his hand to check to see if it was there, and it was. For some reason, he had thought that maybe it would disappear after Voldemort was dead, but it hadn't. It would remain there forever. He shrugged his shoulders again, and then he pulled his wand out and made his hair a shade of light brown.
Fudge, seeing that Harry was done, spoke up again, "You're ready now." He stated it as more of a statement than a question, and Harry soberly nodded his head and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Okay, first thing I'm going to do is make you unconscious, then I'm going to cast the Memory Charm, and then I will transport you to…" Fudge paused, and then switched over and asked a question, "Where is it that you want to live now?"
"Er, I was thinking… America," Harry replied hesitantly.
"Are you ready then?"
Harry mustered up the courage once more, "Yes," he said firmly.
"Okay then, on the count of three… one… two… three."
Harry saw a light shoot towards him, and then he knew no more.
He moved around slightly in his full-size bed, and then his emerald green eyes fluttered open, taking in his surroundings. There was a brand new computer sitting on a desk on one side, and on the other side of the room, there was a television set, and a love seat shaped like lips. In front of him was a dresser with a mirror, and on his floor, clothes were scattered everywhere, and the walls were covered with posters of cars, movies, and even some girls.
A/N: Just so you don't get confused about the last part, Fudge made some arrangements with some friends in America-who were childless-to adopt Harry, and they were the ones who had decorated his room to make him feel at home.