Chapter 6: Saying Good-bye

"Harry!" Someone screamed. "Thank Merlin! You're awake!" Harry opened his eyes slowly as the lights were blinding. Everything was blurry and he didn't think it was just because he didn't have his glasses on. He felt like he had just been hit by a freight train. He ached all over and his head felt like it was split open.

As he looked around he knew that he was in some sort of hospital. Then it hit him… The Final Battle. He had defeated Voldemort and had fulfilled the prophecy. Everything had gone as planned. Everything was perfect except… where was Ginny? Where was the Order? Where were Ron and Hermione? Where were all the Weasley's? Who had lived and who had died?

"Oh Harry!" Harry could never mistake that voice. Mrs. Weasley had rushed into the room after Hermione had told her he was awake. "Oh, Harry, you're awake!" Mrs. Weasley was about to give him a hug but thought better of it and Harry was grateful.

"It's good to see you again mate!" Ron said handing him a glass of water and helping him put his glasses on. Harry could see a little better with his glasses on. He saw all the Weasley's and Remus at the end of his bed. "You've been out for a month. A lot of us were starting to give up hope." Ron said somberly. "The Daily Prophet has already reported you dead five times and then back alive the next day. You just wouldn't give up."

But Harry wasn't listening. He was looking at the crowd around him. Where was she? He thought that she would have been the first one to greet him into the world of the living again. What happened to her?

"She's not here Harry." Ron said noticing that he wasn't paying attention to him. Harry's eyes snapped on Ron bagging him to say that she wasn't dead. He couldn't handle it.

"She left Harry." Hermione said taking one of his limp hands into hers. "She couldn't handle it. After you were declared dead the third time she ran out of here and we haven't been able to find her since. That was three weeks ago."

Harry didn't know what to think. She wasn't dead and he was grateful for that but she wasn't here by his side. He had to find her. He started to try to get up.

"No Harry." Hermione said pushing him gently back down. "You have to stay in bed. We have people looking for her but her specialties were stealth and disguise. The ministry has already put out some of the best trackers in the force looking for her. They've come up empty handed."

"We can only hope that she will come back once she sees the paper that says you're on the mend." Ron said trying to reassure his best friend. "All you can do right now is try and rest so that you don't take a nasty turn so that when she does come back you aren't dying again."

But she didn't come back. Harry had been in the hospital recovering for another four months. When he finally left the hospital he had interviews galore and never had a spare minute to himself but that's all he wanted, some time alone to try and think.

What had happened to his perfect life? He had everything at one point, where did it go? It all left, that's where. His son was taken him. The love of his life had left from grief. He couldn't concentrate on his job anymore. His friends grew more and more distant from him. He had nothing left… so why should he stay?

"Harry?" Ron knocked on the door that was slightly ajar. "Harry, are you in here?" Ron walked into the small apartment. It was empty except for all of the packed boxes. When did Harry decide to move?

Ron was supposed to meet Harry at his apartment. They were going to go out for a guy's night. They were meeting Remus, Bill, and Charlie at the Three Broomsticks. But where was Harry and why were all of his possessions packed up?

"Harry?" Ron called again. Still no answer. Ron was starting to worry until he saw the note that Harry had left on the kitchen table. He knew what it was but didn't want to believe it. As he looked at the letter the first thing he noticed was the splotchy marks where his tears had hit the page.

Dear Ron,

First I want to say that I never intended to hurt you or anyone else but I can't stay here. My life used to be perfect Ron. I had a son, a bride-to-be and the best friends that any man would die to have. I love all of you but lately all I can do is think about what could have been or what was. I had everything I ever wanted and then lost it within a week. Nobody knows how that feels. I have to find her Ron. If Ginny is still out there I'm going to find her or die trying. I'll either find her, or I'll move on but I can't do that here Ron.

When ever somebody looks at me anymore all I see is the pity in their eyes. They can't imagine what I have been through and I don't want them to because in order to understand you would have to go through it as well and I don't want that for anyone. All I ever wanted was a family Ron. A home to go to after a good days work. A wife that I could hold every night. A son who I could teach how to fly and a daughter who would look just like her mother. None of that will ever be now.

I've packed up everything. I don't care what you do with it. You can keep it or give it away. I don't care. Everything is yours and Hermione's. Don't bother to write because I won't answer but if anything does happen you can send Hedwig. She'll know where to find me. Just remember that I love you guys and no matter how much I try to forget of my past I will never forget you two. You have been through everything with me and I'm eternally grateful. I couldn't ask for better friends. Say good-bye to everyone for me. I'm sorry I hurt anyone but I can't stay. I'm moving on…

Harry

Ron looked up from the letter. He knew it was coming. Harry had resigned as an Auror, had said goodbye to everyone as if it was the last time that he would ever say it. How could he have missed it? Didn't look like that guy's night out was going to be as fun as he thought it was going to be. But he couldn't blame him. Harry would have left sooner if Ron hadn't kept such a close eye on him. In a way Ron was happy for him. Maybe now he could move on and find that perfect life that he had described in his letter even if it wasn't with Ginny.

Ron took one last look around the apartment before he closed the door behind him. It would stay exactly how it was. Maybe he would come back. Did he really believe that?

!#$&()!

Ginny sat down at the booth in the diner. She got out the little money she had left after flying out here. This is where she stopped. She could go no further. This is where she would put everything behind her and not look back. She had already put her disguise on and never planned on taking it off. She didn't pass those disguise classes for nothing on the top of her class. Harry was the only one who came close to her and that was because she had helped him.

"Hello, can I take your order?" A young girl probably just turned sixteen said.

"What can I get with four dollars and fifty-eight cents?" Ginny said counting out the last of her money. The girl looked down at the crumbled dollars and few coins.

"Tell you what; I'll get your meal for you." The girl said feeling in the generous mood today. "Order anything you like."

"I can't…" Ginny said but was interrupted before she could finish.

"Oh yes you can. And you will. I can tell that you've hit a rough patch in your life and need a little help. I can help you. You know I can even put in a good word for you here. We're looking for a new waitress."

"You don't even know my name."

"Names don't really count in the big city of LA but, I'm Jackie." The girl held out her hand.

"G—Sara. Sara Jones." If she was going to start putting the past behind her mine as well start with her name and start to forget now.

"Nice to meet you Sara. Now, let's go talk to my manager and we'll see what we can do about getting you that job."

"Thank you!" Sara couldn't believe her luck. Her life took one step back on the ledge of that cliff she was desperate not to fall from. She could only go up from here. Sara got up from the table and was suddenly hit with a dizzy spell. She really needed to get her mind again and something to eat. She hadn't been this dizzy since… Oh no!

!#$&()!

Harry got out of the plane and looked around the airport. This was his first stop. He had to get his head together and then maybe he could think about trying to get a plan together to find Ginny. So far he had left his face behind and already had the credentials of his new identity. It was his last thing that he did when he was still an Auror. He had officially disappeared from the map.

Harry began his journey and called a cab. He was just about to get in when someone called behind him.

"Wait! Wait!" A young man with three suitcases was struggling toward the cab. "Where are you heading?"

"Anywhere!" Harry shrugged. "Where are you heading?"

"Downtown, Main Street." The man said struggling with his suitcases. "I've been trying to get a cab for the last half hour but trying to find an empty cab in New York is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Can I tag along with you?"

"Sure." Harry said extending a hand. "Ace, what's your name?"

"Carlos." The man said shaking his hand. "It's nice to meet you Ace. Can you help me with these bags?"

Ace helped Carlos with his bags and then got into the cab before anyone could take it. After they had told the driver their destination they settled into a comfortable conversation while they waited out the traffic.

"So, do you live in New York?" Ace asked.

"No and Yes, I'm originally from the west coast but I have a job that doesn't allow me to stay in one place for more than a few months." Carlos explained. "I just got transferred here so my current residence is here but in two or three months I couldn't say."

"Have you been to New York before?"

"Plenty of times. I know the streets of New York like the back of my hand. I love it here as long as I can get a cab but most of the time I walk from place to place. It's a lot faster but with three suitcases it was hard just getting off the plane let alone walk ten blocks with them. What about you? Here for pleasure or business?"

"Pleasurable business." Ace said. Carlos just looked at him like he was crazy.

"What ever business is, it is defiantly not pleasurable. I wish I could just get a job where it doesn't require me to travel all the time. Doesn't leave much time for a personal life. I don't have many friends and as for girls, one night stands are my specialty even though I would love to have a steady girlfriend."

"I would love to travel around. What do you do exactly?"

"Correspondence agent." Carlos said dryly. "I basically get shoved around because all I do is set up businesses with other businesses. I make sure that the president of one company gets his messages to the other president of another company. I don't see why they can't just pick up their 4,000 dollar cell phone and call the other one. Instead they give me the message so I have to call them and then they give me a message that I'm supposed to get a response to. Sometimes I'll just sit there for hours with one president on one line and another on the other."

"Sounds kind of tedious." Ace replied. "I wish I had a job that would let me travel around a lot though. I don't like staying in one spot for too long. I don't know why." Of course he did but he wasn't about to tell a stranger why.

"Well if you have a degree in anything that has to do with business you can have my job. I would love to just have a desk job were you sit and look at a screen that doesn't make any since to me with all of the different charts and tables that I will never understand."

"I actually do have a degree in business." Ace said and then the next thing he knew he was hired becoming a traveling correspondence agent for multi millionaire businesses all over the world. Carlos became a good friend considering they had worked together for a few months and then they stayed in touch afterward. Ace had finally caught a branch in the mountain that he was falling from. Now all he had to do was find his footing and start to climb again.

!#$&()!

Neville made his way through the house. His partner was on the other side of the hall and they both had their wands extended and pointing toward the room where they heard the voice of Bellatrix Lestrange.

"He's no use to us anymore." She yelled at the other death eaters who had escaped execution. "With his father and mother gone all he's good for is crying. Kill him."

"But what if he comes back?" Neville recognized that voice. He had suffered six years in school because of that voice. "What if we use him? Raise him to hate his father and then when Potter returns have his own son kill him?"

"I like the way you think Severus." Bellatrix praised. "But he's a liability. We can't hide a baby. How would we explain him?"

Neville had heard enough. He had to get in there. He gave the signal to his partner who gave the signal for the rest of their backup. Neville didn't take long to avenge his parents and kill Bellatrix. Snape tried to escape but one of the other Aurors stunned him and he would spend the rest of his life behind bars with the dementors.

"Longbottom!" One of Neville's companions called after stunning or killing all of the other Death Eaters. "What do you make of this?"

Neville turned from the Death Eater he had just restrained and saw the young auror right out of training standing over a bassinet. She was just about to pull the blanket from the baby's face to see if she could recognize him.

"Don't touch him." Neville said protectively. He knew who the baby was and didn't want anybody to hurt him more then he already might have been hurt. Neville picked up the baby from the bassinet and started toward the door.

"But Neville we need to know who he is so that we can find his parents."

"I already know who he is and both of his parents are gone." Neville said. He would bring him to the one place were he knew he would be raised properly.

"Who is he?" His partner asked. He had heard the conversation but didn't make sense of it.

"Caden Potter."

!#$&()!

Harry saw Hedwig soaring toward him but turned away from her when she landed next to him. She wouldn't leave him alone until he grabbed the letter and wrote one simple message on the front of the envelope.

I'm not coming back. I'm finally moving on.

He wasn't aware that the letter held the answer to his prays. Telling him his son was alive and he was in need of a father.

Ron had been a true friend and had left Harry alone like he had asked but when Neville had come to his doorstep not even a week after Harry left with his son in his arms he had to at least try to contact Harry and hope that he would at least read the letter.

Hedwig had come back with the letter unopened and with the clear message from Harry. He would try again of course but sooner or later he would have to give up. If Harry didn't want to come back than he would keep his promise to Harry and take care of Caden like his own. He could only hope that either Harry or even Ginny, though they had given up hope for her, might come back just for a glace at their family and see their son. Until then Caden would be taken care of and would grow up to knowing that his parents were fabulous people and he should be proud to be called their son.