:Disclaimer: I don't own any of the HP characterz...JK Rowling does.

Number Four, Privet Drive:

June 1, 10:00 am

Harry was up in his room still, refusing to go downstairs and cook breakfast for people that he hated. He was fed up with being their slave. And he was fed up with being lied to about things. It was time for him to lead his own life, the way that he wanted to. No matter what other people said or thought. And he was going to, starting today. The first thing on his agenda had been writing to Dumbledore, requesting help on finding his sister. At the moment he was awaiting Dumbledore's return owl. He knew the the professor wouldn't put this off very long, as Harry had been very direct in his letter. He wanted to find her today, so that they could both leave, if she wanted to, and live in London until September 1st. He had already packed his trunk and had sent Hedwig off to stay in Ron until further notice. It was too much trouble traveling with an owl. She had understood and had flown off without any argument. Silently he had thanked her as he had watched her fade into the distance. Turning now back to the window to return to his vigil, he saw a dark shape flying closer to him. With his new eyesight, he could clearly see that it was an owl, and from the looks of it, a school owl. Opening his window he stepped back and waited for the owl to enter. As it did, he could barely contain his excitement when he saw the the letter addressed to him in untidy scrawl. 'Obviously Dumbledore was in a hurry.' The writing on the inside of the letter was much the same.

Harry,

I understand the urgency in your letter, and am most anxious to get this over and done with. Your sister, Aryrica, has also written to me. Surprisingly, almost at the same time as you did. I suppose the twin thing really is true. Although I should have learned that by now from the Weasley twins. Aryrica will be coming to Hogwarts for the next school year. For the past school years, she has attended the American School for Witchcraft in New Orleans. I suppose she will be up to date with her lessons, as she had very high marks in all her classes…even potions. She will be sorted on September 1st with the first years. However, she will room with her year. I'm sure she'll be put in Gryffindor, no need to fret Harry. Now…on to more important business. Today, you are leaving the Dursley's (although I assume that you were going to anyways). I would like you to please meet me at the Leaky Cauldron at say…12:30? Yes…12:30 that's a good time. I will be bringing your sister with me. You can catch the Knight Bus to get there, at the moment I don't have anyone to spare to send as an escort for you. I would come myself, but I don't know how long it will take me to get Aryrica out of America. I believe that the school there is rather, possessive, shall we say. Well, I'm off now, remember meet me at the Leaky Cauldron at 12:30. If we're not there when you arrive just order a drink and take a booth for us. See you then.

-Dumbledore

Folding the letter up Harry looked at the clock and groaned. It was still two hours until he was to meet up with Dumbledore and Aryrica. Flopping back down on the bed he groaned again. 'How am I supposed to stand being here for two more hours?' Standing up he began to pace the room. "Perhaps, I could go ahead and leave? I could do the shopping that I want to do, and the other things that need to be done. I can wait to get my school supplies until Aryrica is with me, so we can shop together. It would take up time. And I would already be in London. Yeah, that's what I'll do." Nodding decisively he turned to his bed, picked up his wand and tucked it in his back pant pocket, grabbed his trunk and turned towards the door.

Hearing silence he slowly opened it and began the trek down the stairs. Coming to the front door, he listend again for any signs of the Dursleys. Hearing the tele on in the living room he set his trunk down by the door and went to announce that he was leaving. To his annoyance it was only Dudley. 'Oh well…at least I'm telling one of them that I'm leaving.' "Oh Duddykins?"

Turning his massive face away from the Tele long enough to scowl at Harry he asked, "What do you want scarhead?"

"Only to tell you that I'm leaving early for school. Tell Vernon and Petunia will ya coz?"

Shrugging was Dudley's only reply.

Assuming that his cousin would tell the rest of the Dursley clan that he had left, Harry turned back to the door, picked up his trunk and walked out the door. They could figure out for themselves that he wasn't coming back. Maybe, after he killed Voldemort he would write to them and not thank them for the horrible years he had spent in their care. This thought caused him to smile the biggest smile he had in a long while. 'I'm not coming back, I'm really not coming back to this hellhole! Bloody hell.'

About three blocks down the road he saw an empty alley and turned into it. Taking out his wand he held it up in the air, and said lumos. Suddenly he had to jump out of the way as the Bus came to a screeching halt in front of him. In exactly the same spot he would have been standing in. 'bloody hell that was close.'

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport-"

"You really don't have to continue Stan…I know who you are, and you know who I am, and I'm kind of in a hurry and need to get to the Leaky Cauldron." Harry interrupted Stan's welcoming speech.

"Well blimey, if it isn't Mr. Harry Potter! Ernie! Look it's Harry Potter again! Wow, Mr. Potter it sure is a pleasure to assist you again sir. It sure is. Said you had to go to the Leaky Cauldron eh? Well right then, hop on board, and pay your fee and all that. Lets god Ernie!"

Harry hurriedly stepping on the bus, Stan closing the doors after him. After handing Stan the correct change he walked back to a seat and held on for dear life, remembering the last time that he had been on the bus.

The bus lurched as it took off, speeding down the streets of Little Whinging, narrowly missing most of the houses and cause almost all of the mailboxes to jump out of the way. Countryside passed by and then the bus lurched to a stop in front of the Leaky Cauldron.

"Thank you for choosing the Knight Bus as your transportation unit. We hope you choose to use us again. Especially you Mr. Potter. Enjoy your stay at Diagon Alley!"

Nodding his thanks to Stan and Ernie he jumped off the bus, thankful to be on solid ground again, and entered the Cauldron. Walking to the bar he nodded to Tom and gestured to his trunk, "Can you please hold this behind the bar until I return? I have some shopping to do, but I'm not sure if I'm staying here or not."

Tom grinned happily at Harry and agreed that he would hold it until "Mr. Potter" returned.

Gratefully nodding his thanks, Harry slipped out the back way and entered Diagon Alley. Walking down the street he saw many of the familier shops that he always entered with his friends. Seeing a street that turned off from the main Alley, he turned there and saw to his amazement that there was a while other street to Diagon Alley that he had never been in. Luckily this seemed to be the sort of place that he was looking for as there were many regular clothing shops that weren't wizards robes. Although he would need new robes this year too. Seeing a shop that seemed more to his taste he entered and began looking around.

Most of the clothes were black, and the shirts all had funny sayings on them; however, there were some dress shirts that Harry thought he would enjoy wearing. Just then a girl around his age came up to him, smiling and had a name tag on her shirt front.

"Hey there, My name is Laurie, is there anything I can help you find today?"

Smiling back Harry answered, "Well at the moment I'm just looking…but I'm not really sure what exactly I'm looking for. I need a whole new wardrobe. If you're not too busy at the moment, perhaps you could help me? I seem to be lacking in the fashion department." Shrugging helplessly Harry looked to her imploringly.

'He really does need help.' Looking around and seeing that there were no other customers at the moment she nodded her asent. "You don't have any idea what you want to buy though? You just know that you want clothes in this style?"

"Yeah…I just need help knowing what will go good together and look good on me and all that."

"Alright, lets get to work!" Smiling evily at Harry, Laurie began taking shirts, pants, and boxers of the shelves and shoved them into his arms. Try all these on, so I can have an idea of what looks good on you. Although I'm guessing that almost everything here will. And while you're in the dressing room, I'll start looking for different shoes."

Slowly she pushed Harry into the changing rooms and as the door closed Harry could've sworn that he had heard her cackle. 'What have I gotten myself into?'

Finally, an hour and a half later Harry emerged from the shop with his pockets full of shrunked shopping bags. 'That was bloody exhausting!' he thought. Heading down the street a little ways he saw a small tattoo parlor by the name of Electric Voodoo. Seeing on the window that they also did piercings he entered the shop.

"Hello, how may I help you today?" asked the assistant.

"Uhm…well, I think I want a piercing."

"You better be more sure than that if you really want one you know. Do you perhaps know what you might want pierced?"

"My ears for sure, three times in the left lobe and twice on the right lobe and a cuff."

"You sound pretty sure about that. Is there anything else? We can do a charm to show you want you would look like with whatever you're thinking about getting."

Harry shuffled his feet as he stood there thinking, "Yeah, yeah lets do that."

"Okay, so lets show you you're ears first. EyriLaDom, and the guy waved his wand at Harry's ears then held up a mirror. There, I like it."

Looking in the mirror Harry saw that it looked exactly as he had thought it would. Nodding his approval, Harry stepped back and took off his shirt. "My tongue and both nipples." Turning red at the last part, he stubbornly looked above the man's head as he said it.

Laughing at his discomfort the man said the spell and then led Harry to a larger mirror in the back. "Yet, again I like it. Makes your chest look very sexy." He let his hand slide down Harry's chest and linger at his pantline.

Smirking and blushing at the same time (if that's possible) Harry pulled away from the stranger's touch and looked into the mirror. Raising his eyebrows at the way the nipple rings looked, he had to agree with the man. It did make him look sexier. Sticking out his tongue he examined the tongue ring.

Beside him the man sucked in a breath at the sight of Harry's long tongue. His pants getting slightly tighter as he imagined what it would feel like to have that tongue with that ring do amazingly wicked things to his body.

Turning back to the man, not noticing the effect that he had had on him, Harry nodded his head and smiled. "I want all of it done please. I have plenty of money for however much it cost."

The man smiled and motioned Harry to follow him to the back, "Come with me and we'll get it done then."

Thirty minutes later Harry left the shop with his new piercings, and a couple handfuls of earrings to replace the current ones. Heading towards the Leaky Cauldron, Harry checked his watch he saw that it was only tweleve o'clock. He still had thirty minutes to waste before he had to meet Dumbledore. Feeling a bit peckish, he stopped by Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour, and purchased an ice-cream sundae with whip cream, nuts and a strawberry on top. Then walked the rest of the way to the Leaky Cauldron, eating his ice-cream slowly, enjoying the exquisite taste.

Upon entering the pub he nodded to Tom and went and sat in a booth in the far back, awaiting the arrival of Dumbledore and Aryrica.