Chapter 3: The Aftermath

I'm going on vacation tomorrow for a week, so I don't know when I will update again. I might do so while I'm away, pending on if my tablet behaves. Or I might have to wait until I get back. Either way, I have over 30 stories, you can browse them while you wait. Some are short, some are very long. Some are good, some not so much. To each his/her own.

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Very early the next morning at Hogwarts, before the students were up, there was still a bit of chaos as it was noted that Harry Potter still wasn't there. The ministry officials were up in arms about that. They, along with some teachers, were all gathered in Dumbledore's office. It was a tight fit.

"I thought you said he wouldn't get far?" Crouch stated, his anger showing in his voice and face. It was like a slap in the face to the British Government. How dare the boy embarrass them like this. He would see the boy punished to the fullest extent of the law. Not that he had broken any laws, but that never stopped Bartemius Sr.

"He must have planned his getaway," Moody said, his voice was calm, but there was wariness in his eyes. Most put it down to his paranoia. Barty Jr. knew he was in trouble. The Master would be most peeved with him. His job had been simple. Get the boy's name in the goblet and then guide him to victory. He had failed, and now he was going to have to face the consequences.

"Why? Why would he have a plan for this?" Bagman asked, not sure what would have caused Potter to run. He would have thought the Boy-Who-Lived would have thrived on such an event. Most celebrities did. Look at Lockhart, before his tragic accident. That and Harry Potter's name had been in the Prophet yearly. There was always some rumor or another that involved the boy. Surely, this was no different.

"Harry Potter has been in danger every year he has attended this school," McGonagall stated, very upset that Harry felt the need to run, but she did understand why. "Usually by the DADA teacher," she added, giving Moody a look like she was wary of him. Even Remus had almost killed the teen. And he was a childhood friend of the boy's father. Then again so was Pettigrew and Black. She still wasn't sure what was going on there.

"I've never even met the boy before this year," the man said honestly, his fake eye whirling around and his real eye focused on her.

"Neither had the others," she said in a way that everyone knew she was going to be watching Moody closely.

"Now, Minerva," was as far as the headmaster got when she slashed her hands at him, shutting him up quite effectively.

"No, not this time," she stated, standing with her hands on her hips. "He left. Because you could not keep him safe," she accused. "Who only draws an age line to prevent this from happening? Anyone could have dropped his name in. Fix this," she finished and stormed off.

"I'm sure she will see reason once she's calmed down," Albus said, his tone lace with hope. He didn't want to have to deal with an angry McGonagall on a daily basis.

"Perhaps we should concentrate on finding Potter," Snape said, very worried about his vow. He cared little for the boy, but he needed him here to make sure he stayed alive. That didn't mean happy, just living.

"I have no leads," the headmaster said, holding up his hands to maintain quiet. "There is nothing left in the castle that can trace him. Even his bed had been cleaned of all hair and skin," he said a bit sadly. "Every scarp of paper with his name on it, is gone. Including the piece that came out of the goblet. There is no record of Harry Potter at this school."

"How?" a few people asked, not sure that was possible for someone Potter's age.

"I fear he had the help of a house elf or two," was the answer. He had tried to call Dobby, but the elf did not respond. He then tried Winky on a whim, but she was gone too. That was the last of the efforts he had spent a good part of the night before doing. Every attempt he tried to find the boy was in vain. Harry Potter was gone. As was Sirius Black. Remus had told him they had a plan that he had not agreed with. However, the werewolf was not privy to said plan.

That was not good news. That meant he could not use Remus to keep an eye on Sirius. Black was just too volatile. He needed watching, but that was a moot point now. He was gone, probably with Harry. And with the money they have, who knows where they are. One of the first things he checked was the bank. The goblins told him nothing, except that there were no clients by those names. That was the worst news they could have said.

"Well, that's that then," Bagman said, getting up to go back to the ministry. He wasn't needed here. He was just glad he hadn't bet on Potter winning. It looked like the boy didn't want to be found.

"We must do something," Crouch said, banging his fist on the table.

"What would you have us do? We have no leads," Dumbledore said once again.

"Get in touch with the other ministries, maybe they know something," Bartemius said, going over who he could contact, and who Dumbledore could. If they split it, they might be done by the day's end. "Get on the floo and start with those you know on the ICW," he all but ordered the other man.

"That is a sound plan," Albus stated, getting up to do just that. He was surprised that he hadn't thought of it. He was just so sure the boy would stay in his home country. Thinking about it now, Sirius Black would leave. To where was the question.

They all got up and went their separate ways. Each having their own thing to do to find the boy.

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Hermione was not having a good time. She had been bombarded since dinner last night with questions about where Harry was, why he left, or what his plans were. He had never told her anything, so she could answer honestly that she didn't know. She figured that was probably why he didn't tell her. Still…

The twins cornered her this morning, so she answered. "Why don't you ask Ron. He is, or was, his best friend?" she said to George Weasley.

She was angry at the redheaded boy for stopping her the night before, but not as angry as she was at herself. She had no idea how Harry must feel that no one came to him to say goodbye when he left. She had been such a state of shock that she let her best friend just disappear.

"We already did. He's too mad at Harry to answer us," the older teen said, his face lined with confusion.

"Well, Harry didn't say anything to me," she huffed, slightly upset that Harry hadn't told her, and just as miffed that he needed to get away in the first place. She knew he had a good reason, but it still hurt.

"Not even a letter?" Fred asked, nudging his brother aside.

"No," was all she said with tears in her eyes, turning away from the twins. Her heart broke a bit over that. She had checked for Hedwig the first thing after dinner the night before. She was gone, along with everything else Harry owned.

"I'm sorry," Fred and George said together. "I know he was your friend," Fred added, looking at the back of her frizzy head.

"Don't speak of him as if he was dead. The headmaster will bring him back," she said, though there was little hope in her tone. She really didn't believe that. She knew if Harry didn't want to be found he wouldn't be. "Let's just get to breakfast, maybe the headmaster will know something," she said sadly.

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Harry and Sirius woke up that night, having slept the day away, feeling much better than they had the day before. Harry was coming to terms with what they had done, and a good 'night's' sleep put it into better perspective for him. He was now thinking more clearly about it, and he knew they had done the right thing.

Sirius was also feeling better about their situation. He was going to have the staff go part-time. Weekends only. He'd have to talk to Dobby and Winky about leaving some work for them to do. Dusting and the like. The staff would think they were just tidy men. However, he didn't want rumors of an eccentric man living with a teenage boy. Well, that might happen anyway, but if they had locals around, they might not get out of control.

He was also not going to tell the magical government that he was here, yet. That would just lead their enemies to their door. And that was the last thing he wanted. He could face down the officials, but he might kill Dumbledore if he showed up on their doorstep.

They would stick with the plan for awhile and go muggle. They would keep their names, and use tutors this year, until Harry got caught up with the non-magical studies.

"So, how are you feeling this evening?" Sirius asked Harry as the teen cooked breakfast, even though it was nighttime.

Harry felt like cooking breakfast. Dobby and Winky were not happy with him cooking, but they did understand the need to do housework. It was relaxing to all three of them. Something that Sirius didn't understand but left them to it.

"Much more clear-headed," Harry said, flipping a pancake. "I get that we did the right thing. I just wish that I could write to at least Hermione. Even if it's only once," he lamented. "There's bacon in the oven," he said, nodding his head to the appliance.

"Got it," his godfather said, getting the plate out with a potholder and placing it on the trivet on the table.

"Thanks," Harry said, serving up the pancakes and taking them to the table.

"No problem. Anyway, you can have Dobby take her a note. But you will have to stress that it will be the last one," Sirius said, knowing what it was like to leave friends behind. He was still upset over Moony picking Dumbledore. They had been good friends for years, so it hurt. A lot. He wasn't going to forgive the werewolf anytime soon. This would be two of his friends that betrayed him. He needed to be more careful in choosing friend in the future. If he even tried making any.

"I can do that," Harry said, perking up a bit. He knew it would be a goodbye note, but it would be closure for both of them. He hoped that she would forgive him, but it had to be this way. He just didn't see any other way. They might brainstorm ways later, but for now…

"I wish I knew what was going on at Hogwarts," Sirius said with a grin. "They must be losing their minds," he said, taking two plates and cups to the table.

"Dobby can check every now and then. He has a friend in the kitchen. They can come here and let him know what's happening. He can tell them when he delivers the note," Harry said, he too wanted to know. "I don't want him popping there, they might find a way to trace him. Winky too. They are safer here," he added as an afterthought as he placed the condiments on the table.

"That'll work," Sirius said, serving himself up some of the hotcakes. "Or he, or his friend, can grab the Daily Prophet every now and then," he added, pouring syrup on his pancakes, and getting some bacon. "Not that I trust what they say, but between the two we should get the gist of what's going on."

"Sounds like a plan. Do you want coffee or tea? I made both," Harry asked, pouring himself some coffee. He had always wanted to try it, but the Dursleys were as British as they thought British should be. He knew they were not normal. He had acquaintances whose parents drank coffee. Hogwarts didn't serve either coffee or tea. Only pumpkin juice, water, and milk.

"Tea, please, and you be careful drinking that. I've heard it's pretty strong around here. I don't want you bouncing off the walls," Sirius said, taking a bite of the delicious breakfast. He was glad Harry knew how to cook because he sure didn't.

"I'll try to keep it to a few cups. I don't want it to go to waste," Harry said, putting a ton of sugar in his cup. He had already tried a sip, and it was bitter. He doctored his tea similarly when he drank it.

"We'll see," Sirius said, laughing at the amount of sugar the boy used. If the coffee didn't get him the sugar would. He'd just have to put up with a hyper Harry for the night. It was better than a mopey one.

"Hey, did you ever find out what happened to the staff?" Harry asked, taking a sip of his overly sweet coffee and grinning at the taste.

"There's a huge celebration on Halloween here," Sirius said, cutting up his pancakes. "I had Dobby pop over to the mainland and check. They have a three-day festival, Halloween, and some celebrations for the dead. So, I'm assuming the staff takes all those days off. It's not like I told them when I was going to be here."

"Sounds fun, do you think we can go and see a bit of it?" the teen asked, more than willing to have a party.

"Sure, tomorrow, if we can stay awake long enough," Sirius said, teasing Harry for sleeping so late. He had only slept for a few hours, having tried to figure out where everyone was. He was glad he did. Harry and he could use a break.

"Sounds great," Harry said, then turned back to his breakfast/dinner.

Hopefully they'd get the sleeping schedule down soon. Breakfast at night was just weird. The caffeine and sugar that Harry was consuming would help with that. Sirius just hoped the boy didn't crash too hard.

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Things were still not going well that morning at Hogwarts. Harry Potter was still a no show, and everyone that Albus had contacted didn't know anything. He made sure to ask that if they did see the boy, or his godfather, then to floo him immediately. Many laughed at him and said they didn't have extraditing treaties with Britain. He asked that they let him know anyway.

It was after breakfast, so he stood to give a speech. "Harry Potter had disappeared, and we don't know where he is. I am sure that he will be found soon. When he is, I am convinced that you will show him the support that he is due. However, I am shocked to think that there are some amongst you that think that a boy Harry's age could hoodwink the Goblet of Fire. It would take an adult to do such a thing. We examined the goblet and concluded that it was indeed an adult who confounded it. I am appalled at the lack of support that you showed for one of your own," he stated, looking disappointedly at them all. He nodded his head and went back to his seat.

Didn't they know that they now looked bad to the visiting schools? Who were looking smug for some reason. The two Heads were particularly self-righteous. Like butter wouldn't melt in their mouths. He'd like to see how they fared if they had Harry Potter in their school. The boy was a trouble magnet.

The few teachers who had thought the boy guilty, Sprout, Snape, Babbling and Vector, of cheating looked ashamed, but most kept a stoic face as to not show they were less than perfect to the students. The rest that didn't think Harry had put his name in, were looking at their students with dissatisfaction. Especially Hagrid, who was blowing his nose from crying that his friend was gone. He trusted Dumbledore, in that he would find the boy, but would Harry come back was the question.

McGonagall was vindicated, she glared at everyone. She knew that Dumbledore was covering his own arse, and she would be taking him to task for his lack of responsibility later. He would know that she still blamed him for putting the boy in trouble again. It fell to the headmaster to keep the students safe, and Dumbledore failed at that spectacularly. Not that she didn't hold her own blame, however she copped to it.

Many students hung their heads, thinking they might be the reason the boy had run. They thought back on all that Potter had done for the school, according to rumors. No one knew the full truth, except his friends, but it had been stated every year that Harry Potter had saved the school. Heck, he even got points for it in his first and second year. Many were ashamed of what they thought the night before.

Ron was the worst. He felt like someone had kicked his puppy. He knew Harry, and how the boy hated his fame. He just reacted. It was like it was hardwired into him to be jealous of anything that Harry had that he didn't.

There were others that thought the boy was a coward. That he cheated and then chickened out. They didn't hold a shred of guilt that he was gone. They ranged in all the houses. Mostly Slytherin and Hufflepuff.

Hermione felt justified. She knew from the start that Harry didn't enter himself. Her smug look at those that had vilified the teen, looked away from her when she turned her look to them. Well, some. Others just glared back.

"I will be doing my best to find out lost lamb," Dumbledore continued from his seat, still looking at the student body with his best grandfatherly look. "Until then you had best get to class," he said, putting all thoughts of Harry aside for the moment. He had a school to run.

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After the dinner/breakfast, Harry sat down to compose a short note to Hermione. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, but he needed to let her know that she was the only one he was contacting to let know that he was fine.

Dear Hermione,

I just wanted to let you know that I am fine. I am in a place that cannot be found. Sirius is with me, and we've made plans to live a full life.

You are the only person I am contacting, but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't say goodbye to the only person who has supported me in everything. Well, you and Hagrid. Also tell Hagrid that I will miss him and his classes. But no other teacher needs to know anything about me.

Ron was a good enough friend, but his jealousy was daunting. You can tell him that I didn't put my name in the Goblet of Fire. He doesn't need to know anything else.

This will be the only note you will receive from me. I cannot be found by owls, and I will not put Dobby in danger by being a letter carrier. I hope you understand.

If I do find a way to contact you, I will. As of right now, this will be my last communication.

I'll miss you.

Goodbye,

Harry.

It wasn't a great letter, but it got the point across. He only hoped she forgave him. He did wonder if she and Ron would remain friends. He hoped they did, but knowing Ron, probably not.

"Dobby," he called after the ink had dried.

"Harry Potter is calling Dobby?" the elf said as he popped in.

"Can you take this to Hermione's bed? Don't be seen, and don't wait for a reply," Harry said, handing the letter to his elf. "You can contact your friend in the kitchen and get some of the news of Hogwarts. Maybe they can come and keep you up to date, also ask them to get you the paper," he added, hoping that both elves agreed. They really needed to keep abreast of what was going on in Britain.

The elf looked sad, but said, "Dobby can be doing that." he took the note and disappeared.

"I'm sorry," Sirius said from the doorway. "That must have been hard for you," he added at the sad look on the boy's face.

"It has to be this way," Harry said, valiantly holding back the tears. "She's the one I'll miss the most," he said, blinking a few more times. "Well, and Hagrid, but he's an adult. She has so few friends."

"You'll make more friends," Sirius said, coming up to his godson and putting a hand on his shoulder. "You weren't romantically inclined on her, were you?" he asked, hoping that wasn't the case. That would complicate things if he was.

"No, just friends," Harry said, still sniffling. "I hope she can take care of herself," he said, thinking of all the flack she'd get by being his friend.

"I'm sure she can. If not, she has other friends to help her," Sirius said, removing his hand and sitting on one of the chairs.

"Maybe," was all Harry could say to that, knowing how hard it was for Hermione to make friends.

"I'm going to enroll you in muggle school," his godfather stated, changing the subject. "There's a private one here on the mainland. We'll magic you to speak Spanish. It'll give you a headache, but it is well worth it in the end," he added, clapping him on the shoulder.

"Alright, I'd better revise some. It's been years since I did any muggle work. Well, I had to help Dudley, but it might be different here," he said, thinking on all he knew from Dudley's summer work.

"I'll get you some books and we'll get tutors for the rest of this year. You can go next year," Sirius said, then perked up a bit. "How would you like to go clothes shopping? After we check out the celebration tomorrow. Everything you have is for Scotland weather, and I don't have anything that wasn't left here decades ago."

"Sounds like fun," Harry said, thinking that this might just work out for them after all.

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It wasn't until after dinner that Hermione found the note. At first, she was going to tell the headmaster, then she read it and realized that it was futile. There was nothing there that indicated where Harry might be, and it stated that he was gone. Forever. Maybe, there was hope that they could find a new way, but right now…

Her heart broke at the loss of one of the few friends she had. Maybe she would try harder to get along with the girls in her dorm. They weren't bad now that they have matured a bit. They did have some interesting things to say about her hair that she might talk to them about. She was interested in looking good, now that she was seeing boys in a different light. Besides, having only male friends was tedious and boring. And she didn't want to be stuck with just Ron, who she was still angry with.

No, she would keep this note to herself. Well, she'd mention it to Hagrid, and hope that he'd keep it to himself. It was a risk, but one that Harry wanted her to take. She'd show him it, and he could see that there was nothing telling where the boy was. That's what she'd do.

Ron could just rot for all she cared. His stopping her last night didn't endear him to her one bit.

As far as everyone else was concerned, Harry Potter was just a memory. He was gone. What that meant for the wizarding world, remained to be seen.