Disclaimer: I own nothing. Harry Potter and World belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling.

(A/N: I love y'all, I really do! All those wonderful reviews... it made me want to update sooner... hint Anyway, School is almost out, and I'm eagerly counting the days (6, if you want to know, as of this moment) Thanks for being patient, and I'll try to get the next update as soon as I write it.)

Chapter 4: There he goes…

The Headmaster of Hogwarts looked at Petunia Dursley in shock. "Harry did what?"

Petunia straightened and glared at the old man. Her husband, right behind her, put his hands on her shoulders. After the incident with the Death Eaters, and Harry's departure, the two of them were actually starting to like Harry. And they both decided to protect Harry.

"Is your hearing bad? I believe I said that Harry's gone. Ran off. Flown the coop. Left. Escaped. Take your pick." Petunia was actually slightly enjoying herself. Aside from Harry, she still didn't like wizards. Or witches for that matter.

"Where did he go?" Albus Dumbledore was having a bad day. That morning, as he was eating his early breakfast, Hedwig had flown in, red ribbon between her talons. The Headmaster immediately alerted the Order. When everyone was clamoring for answers, Kingsley Shacklebolt appeared in the fire, or rather his head did, and told his audience that there were reports of underage magic going on at Number Four Privet Drive. And according to the underage detectors, the spells that Harry was performing were battle spells. Also detected in Harry's house were all three of the Unforgivables. The room had gone silent at that news.

Alastor Moody, retired Auror, volunteered to go with the Auror group that was being sent out to investigate the "disturbance," as the Ministry called it. Kingsley accepted Moody's help, as it was well known that Moody was a superb Auror in his time, and was still pretty good. Dumbledore watched them go, silently afraid for Harry.

When they got back, however, Kingsley and Moody were stunned. Not magically, of course. It appeared that Harry had taken on twenty Death Eaters on his own, managing to knock out twelve, injure one, and duck Killing Curses, which killed two. The Aurors Stunned the last five, although it looked as if Harry was ready to finish them off as well. Moody was also full of praises for Harry's cautiousness, demanding Kingsley's wand before letting go of his own, and retorting quickly when Moody asked his identity.

The gathered Order members were in shock. First, taking on twenty Death Eaters was a feat that even ten fully trained Aurors had trouble with, and Harry managed all on his own with ease. Second, Kingsley had reported that Harry didn't have a scratch on him, although based on magical signatures; he had narrowly avoided the Cruciatus and Killing Curses, as well as several Dark Curses, which should have been possible to avoid. He was also hit by the Imperius, which no one was really worried about, since Harry had been able to throw that off since fourth year. But what really put the Order members from stunned to downright shock was Moody's praise of Harry. It was well known that Moody never, ever spoke well of anyone who wasn't at least fifty behind their backs, much less to their face. For Moody to tell everyone that Harry was the best fighter he'd ever seen, and the brains to back it up was just… unnatural.

Then Dumbledore had decided to visit Harry, and ask what in the world happened. Reasoning that Harry would need the morning to calm down and relax, the Headmaster approached in the afternoon, after the time which Harry should have had lunch. He was welcomed inside politely, offered tea, and was told that Harry had run off. The Dursleys' hostile attitude toward him was understandable to him, but the way they spoke of Harry bordered on hero worship. The Headmaster realized that Harry's performance earlier that morning had impressed them, but had hoped that they would be more civil to him. His hopes were in vain, it appeared.

"I don't know, and I wouldn't tell you if I did." Petunia practically spat at him. Vernon stood behind her, glowering at Dumbledore, and giving her his silent support.

"Please, my lady, it is vitally important that we find Harry. Bad… people are looking for him." Dumbledore tried to stay calm.

"I tell you, I don't know. He did leave you a letter on his dresser though." Petunia remembered Harry's request that the people who came looking for him get the letter.

Dumbledore sighed in relief. This was good news. As Petunia led the way up the stairs and into Harry's small bedroom, he believed that soon Harry would be safe.

Professor Dumbledore picked up the letter on the dresser, addressed to Professor Dumbledore, or whoever's looking for me

Breaking the seal, Dumbledore read:

Dear Professor Dumbledore, who whoever is reading this now,

I'm sure you're shocked that I ran off. I'm sure you only want me to be safe. I'm sure that you think that I'm probably lying in a dark, cold alley somewhere. You're wrong.

Here's what I have to say to you: Bugger off. I'm perfectly fine. I handled twenty Death Eaters all by myself, and lived to tell the tale. I'm probably safer where I'm going then at Number Four. In fact, I know I am.

So don't worry about me. I have my wand, and I'm perfectly capable of using it. I don't need your "help," and I don't need to be treated like some child that did something wrong. I'm fifteen, soon to be sixteen. I've seen more, done more, battled Voldemort more, than probably anyone in the bloody Order. I'm only young by age, not experience. So leave me alone, and don't try and find me.

Oh, and if it's you, Dumbledore, Hedwig doesn't like you much. I'm afraid I don't like you that much either. I'm not a child; so don't treat me like one. Get that through your head.

Harry

Dumbledore collapsed on Harry's old bed, head in hands. No, this was not a good day.

Harry was having a wonderful day. He was finally free from the Dursley's (although they weren't that bad, those few weeks), free from Dumbledore, and free from the bloody Order.

Diagon Alley wasn't that full, as the Hogwarts supply lists were far from coming out. Still, there was a healthy crowd. After convincing Stan and Ernie, the two people conducting and driving the Knight Bus respectively, to keep quiet, he was driven to the Leaky Cauldron, the gateway to Diagon Alley. Thanks to a bandana that was left on the Knight Bus, Harry's scar was covered, and so he could walk amongst his fellow wizards and witches without fear of being discovered. And now, he was free.

His first stop was Gringotts, to withdraw enough money for what he had in mind. The goblins there were very helpful, setting up a special bag for him that would link straight to his vault. All he had to do when buying something was reach straight into the bag, say how much he wanted, and withdraw that amount. It would only work for him, though, thanks to some security spells the goblins put on the bag. All in all, it looked just like a regular moneybag, without the bulge and weight. Considering how much he was going to buy, this was a good thing.

Harry went straight to Flourish and Blott's, the bookstore. If he were going to need to fight Voldemort, he'd need to study and train. And that meant books. He bypassed the schoolbooks section: he'd get those later, and went straight to the more advanced books. Marveling at the selection, Harry picked up a few books on Occlumency and Legilmency, a few on Advanced Spells, and one on Animagi. A book on a shelf about all types of Potions also went into his hands.

The clerk at the counter barely looked at him or the books as he rang them up. Harry was glad that he had gotten the moneybag: carrying that much on him regularly would have weighed a ton. The books went into a weightless, bottomless shopping bag.

Harry's trunk also went in, as soon as he was outside. He had been lugging it around, receiving some very odd looks. When the trunk disappeared, he stopped getting such curious glances.

Harry then visited the Apothecary, stocking up on Potions ingredients, and then the Cauldron shop, making sure that he would get a good, sturdy cauldron for when he went back to Hogwarts. His old one was getting bad, becoming more unreliable, and would be used for his practice potions.

His last stop in Diagon Alley was Ollivander's, the wand shop. Stepping inside, he looked around. Mr. Ollivander was nowhere in sight, but Harry kept his guard up.

Mr. Ollivander was surprised to find his favorite "I'll sneak up behind them" trick didn't work. Right before he was about to step into the light, and scare the living daylights out of his customer, he blinked, and found a wand pointed straight between his eyes. He recognized it, and followed the wand to the owner's hand, and then to the face.

"Mr. Potter, I wasn't expecting that. I see you're making good use of your wand. Holly, eleven inches, Phoenix feather. Nice and supple. Is there anything wrong with your wand, Mr. Potter?" The old man tried to keep his breathing steady. It had been a long time since any of his customers had been able to find out where he was before he chose to reveal himself. And even longer since he'd had a wand aimed at him.

"Not really, no. Well, its brother is a problem, but my wand is behaving beautifully." Harry said, slowly smiling. Thanks to whatever the Beast Council gave him, he had heard Mr. Ollivander coming before the old man had had the chance to sneak up on him.

Ollivander breathed a sigh in relief as the wand was pulled away. "Oh yes, yew, thirteen and a half inches, Phoenix feather. Very powerful wand. What do you need, Mr. Potter?"

Harry sighed, and looked at his wand. "First, I need to know how I can perform underage magic without the Ministry knowing. Second, I either need a new wand, or I need to find a way to work around what happens when brother wands meet. Last, I need to pay for a wand that one Neville Longbottom is going to buy in the future."

Mr. Ollivander was quiet for a moment as he utilized his special talent. It wasn't very common, but in his line of work, very useful. One of the reasons he could match up one of his wands to a customer was that he could see their magic. Then he would go and get a wand he believed would match that person's magic.

Mr. Ollivander had to sit down in his chair after he looked at Harry's magic. "Mr. Potter, I can help you with two out of three, and give you advice on the third. First, there is a spell, closely guarded by the Ministry, that when cast, could allow underage magic users to go undetected. I will cast that spell, and teach you the countercharm, in case you need it. Second, I'm afraid, I can't really help you with a new wand. It's illegal for me to sell a second wand without Ministry approval. I will tell you, however, that you don't really need any of my wands. You have it within yourself. Last, Mr. Longbottom's wand will be free of charge, since I have heard, rightly, that he broke it in your defense."

Harry cocked his head. "That's all well and good, but I suppose the real question is, will you tell Dumbledore?"

Mr. Ollivander smiled. "Do you want me to? No? Well then, let's get down to business. Stand still while I cast the spell…"

A while later, Harry exited Ollivander's, able to do magic, but confused about the wand maker's comment about him and a second wand. With a shrug, Harry exited Diagon Alley, and once again called the Knight Bus.

There it is! The chapter you've been waiting for (now you'll be waiting for the next chapter, I suppose... but still...)! I'm still writing this story as I go, and school is starting to wind down (and I'm trying to pass...), so I'm pretty busy these days. Please be patient, and I'll post the next chapter ASAP!

Now, on to my lovely reviewers...

bandgsecurtiyaw: Thank you! Little comments like those brighten up my day!

athenakitty: I hope I answered some of you questions in this chapter... And I didn't say that it was bad to be curious... in fact, sometimes I'm curious myself. Please, continue with your questions! It makes me think (although some of my friends would say that that's a dangerous thing... ;-) ) about what to put in the next chapter.

Bloodless Ace: Thanks! I really love comments like those...

PsychicLunar: Poor child, 4 AM? How do you live? I think it's hard getting up at 7! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter... I found it somewhat amusing, and hope you do to.

HellsMaji: Thanks! It's always a pleasure to hear people love my story. And I do try to update, but with school rearing its ugly head, and me trying to pass everything, it gets kind of hard. hopefully once the summer starts, I'll have more free time to work on it.

Larail: Thank you! I'm glad you like it.

FairyQuilan: I well understand hyperness... the greatest state of being to be in! Anyway, like I said, I'm trying to update as soon as I write the next chapter...

Well, that's it! If you've read, and liked, please review, I really love to hear from you! Seriously, your little comments brighten up my day! And I'll try to get the next chapter up soon!