The Brave New World

by Harry-Draco-Freak

Growing tired of the constant pressure and pain of losing those that he loves. Harry decides that enough is enough, making the decision of leaving it all behind for a chance of a relatively normal life without a manipulative headmaster and a murderous dark lord. USA here he comes.

4. Crap Hitting the Fan

Tuesday, July 24, 1996

Grimmauld Place

Remus hadn't had much to do lately, with so many of the known Death Eaters in Azkaban, thanks to Harry and friends. So the only thing he had to do with his time is pace. That was what worried him, that now Voldemort would be staffed by people that they hadn't pegged. At least with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle and their ilk, they knew who they were dealing with. This quiet was very disconcerting, Remus too had noted the lack of visions that Harry was getting. He had to admit that if he was in Voldemort's position he would be reminding Harry about Sirius' death every chance he could, to hopefully drive the boy to do something regrettable.

As it was, he was worried about Harry's mental health anyway. He wasn't convinced by Harry's bland assurances that things were better with the Dursleys, this was the second summer in a row that Harry was forced to go there soon after witnessing a death. Dumbledore amazed him sometimes, the man had spent a lifetime around children, but did not seem to understand how to handle them. Remus was not alone among the Order in wondering what Dumbledore was going to do next summer when Harry turned 17. Remus and Tonks both had dropped a few hints about it, but if Dumbledore even knew himself, he was keeping mum. He again thought that Voldemort too wasn't handling his end of the war well, not that he was complaining of course. If Remus had been in charge of the dark side he would have forced the final confrontation as soon as possible, before Harry got any better training.

No, Remus didn't know the Prophecy. That said, both Dumbledore and Harry would have been horrified to know how many Order members had guessed its content, if not its exact words. All the clues pointed to some sort of final showdown between Harry and Voldemort: the hiding of Harry at Privet Drive, the lack of information Harry was given about both current events and his past, and Dumbledore keeping Snape so close. What Remus couldn't figure out is why Dumbledore had been so tolerant of the shoddy Defense Against the Dark Arts teaching over the last five years. There had been two good teachers Remus thought, himself and Barty Crouch Jr. posing as Moody... Death Eater though he was, Harry and his friends swore up and down that they learned loads from him, Harry now knew how to throw off the Imperious Curse, something few wizards could do quickly... another puzzling happening as far as Remus was concerned, why would a Death Eater have gone to so much trouble to make his enemy better? On the other side of the balance sheet, there were three years when almost nothing was learned, what with Quirrel and his stuttering, Lockhart and his preening, and Umbridge... Remus couldn't think about Umbridge without wanting to rip something apart, so he stopped that line of thought.

Dumbledore had been hinting to him that he might be getting the Defense job back this year. Since once again there was a problem filling the post and Dumbledore seemed quite reluctant to give Snape the job... if Snape truly wanted the job. Remus had heard the rumors along with everyone else, but Snape had never made any indication of it in front of him. He wanted the position, he liked being around kids and being able to spend some time with Harry. He felt that if he'd at least gotten another year at Hogwarts that he and Harry would have a much better relationship, and the last wouldn't be so untrusting. Maybe this year would be different, quiet. He knew this was wishful thinking.

Privet Drive Noon

Dear Harry,

Did you see those OWL scores? An 'A'! What are those examiners thinking? Either that or Hagrid, I knew we should have had a proper teacher all this time. I know if that Professor Grubbly-Plank had been there the entire time I wouldn't have gotten an 'A'. Honestly, teaching us about all those monsters didn't help us one bit! And Defense! I messed up on one spell! It wasn't even that big of a mistake, so I mispronounced Relashio, did I deserve a grade lowering just for that?

Two Ravenclaws beat me, not one, but two! How can I ever show my face in the library again? I sent my protest off just now with Errol, this is going to get fixed if I have to howler the entire Ministry of Magic. At least we both did better than Malfoy, the git didn't even get the Potions award. Maybe if we had classes with Ravenclaws I would have been challenged more, I just know I'm smarter than Lisa Turpin and Terry Boot. Ugggghhhh.

I hope you're doing well Harry, I'm not sure how much I believe your letter. I'll see you when Dumbledore allows you to leave your relatives, hopefully, it will be for your birthday, I know that Ron and I both miss you, please write to us more often. I hope you are doing what the Headmaster says and that you're not arguing with him, he knows best.

Yours,

Hermione

Harry read this letter with a resigned kind of attitude. This was so typical of Hermione, competitive to the end. It was so nice of her to congratulate him on how he did. That girl... Harry gritted his teeth. Harry agreed with her about Hagrid, in principle, but notwithstanding the man's unwavering faith in Dumbledore, Harry would always have a soft spot for the half-giant who had first told him about how he was a wizard. He would never tell Hagrid that he wasn't that good of a teacher though, even if he wouldn't put it past Hermione to go spare on the guy when she got to school.

The line about not being challenged by anyone in her classes had rankled him quite a bit, after all, he had beaten her in three of the seven classes that they shared, Defense, Charms, and Care of Magical Creatures, though she had solid victories in the other four, as well as O's in her other elective classes, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Harry knew that Hermione was very smart, but that in wizard life there was book smart, and practical smart. Harry realized that in terms of book smarts, Hermione was way ahead of him, but that he was capable of narrowing that gap somewhat if he worked harder, as he certainly planned to do. Practical-wise they were about even; Harry being better in Charms and Defense, and Hermione in Transfiguration and Potions. He figured he could have closed that gap in Transfiguration if he studied harder, though that didn't matter now that he has chosen to leave.

It obviously hadn't escaped his notice that there was no mention of her relationship with Ron, so much for the 'you told us not to write you' excuse. He knew he wasn't going to bother writing back to her, after all, what was there to write back to? Response to one of her rants? Harry felt that he'd rather do something productive, like going outside to watch the grass grow. That was a good idea now that he thought about it, he probably should at least get some fresh air, even if he stayed in the yard. He would do that after he read Ron's letter.

Hey Harry,

Good job on your OWLs mate, Bill showed them to all of us when he stopped by for breakfast this morning. 12 OWLs, that's as many as Percy got, you know, and he made Head Boy. Mum and Dad said to send their congrats too. Mine were better than I had feared they would be but not as good as I'd hoped for. I wanted at least one 'O', but I guess it wasn't to be. No Auror training for me it looks like, but I bet they'll still let you in, even if you don't take Potions. No more Snape anyway, that's the one bright spot.

Mum thinks Dumbledore will let you out of there for your birthday, she says we'll have some kind of party at Headquarters. Oh yeah, we're moving there on Thursday, for the rest of the summer. Mum is doing more and more work with the Order, now that there's just Ginny and me at home. Work is going fine, I have more money in my pocket than I ever had before, it's hard not to spend it, but I've been good. I know that Hermione has a letter here for you, she wouldn't let me read it but I can guess what it says. Oh well, I'd better floo off to work, Fred and George won't like it if I'm late. See you soon Harry, don't let the muggles get you down

Ron

Harry noted the sad tone of the letter, it didn't make him feel too good either after reading it. Ron's shot about his Auror chances hadn't gone unnoticed by Harry, but he dismissed it, he would have been somewhat bitter too if he had gotten those marks. Harry couldn't think of anything that he could write to Ron that wouldn't sound like he was rubbing his marks in Ron's face. Even a 'cheer up, they weren't that bad' likely wouldn't go over too well. Ron's pride was very touchy most of the time, and it had taken quite a blow yesterday. Plus, from what Bill had told him and from the undertone of Ron's own letter, Hermione hadn't helped anything with her whining. Harry knew that this might be the last straw with Ron, especially after this weekend. The two of them did most of their studying together and his scores had been much better, Ron only beating him in Potions. He felt sorry enough for Ron that he could hardly be mad at him for hiding his thing with Hermione.

He put his likely soon-to-be former friends to the side for the moment and headed outside. No sounds went off when he touched the front walk, and no wizards appeared out of the ether, so he assumed he was allowed out. He went to the middle of the lawn and had a lie-down, soaking up the fresh air and the sun.

Thursday, July 26, 1996

Privet Drive 5:00 pm

Peter walked up to Number 4 Privet Drive lost in thought. His Occlumency lessons with Harry the last two days had gone very well. It was pretty clear that the kid could learn quickly with a decent teacher. He knew that Harry still wasn't quite ready to face Snape and Dumbledore for any extended period of time, if for no other reason than Harry might well try to curse them the moment he saw them. He had always had good control of his emotions, outside of a few notable incidents, but just hearing the word 'Snape' put a look on his face that would boil cheese.

He rang the doorbell, and Petunia let him inside. On Tuesday Peter had realized that he needed a cover story in case Dumbledore or one of the minders approached her about his frequent visits. He and Petunia had kicked around ideas and came up with the plan of telling them that she was taking an exam to get her Real Estate license in a couple of weeks, and he was the brother of one of Vernon's co-workers that they hired to tutor her for it. It sounded fairly odd to Peter, but he figured it would pass muster with any wizard. So far so good though, Petunia hadn't seen or heard from a wizard outside of Harry's new circle since King's Cross. She and Vernon had been reasonably friendly toward him in the last week, but it was never far in the back of Peter's mind how they had treated Harry for 15 years.

He agreed with the lad that they were being nice merely because the end was near. Another factor was the fear that Harry would do something to him when he reached his majority, Harry had introduced Dobby and Winky to them on Tuesday and made it clear that they would protect him from any attacks. When he had said the word "any" he looked straight at Vernon, causing the man to flinch noticeably. Nothing had happened though, Vernon had not thrown one insult his way since he had been back... there were so many wizards and wizard 'friends' threatening him that he didn't know who to fear most.

The muggle emancipation hearing the day before had gone as well as could be expected. Peter had brought his wand with him just in case he had to do a little helping, but thankfully he was not forced to use it. The civil servant they dealt with seemed to almost not care about their story, and after a few cursory questions and checking Harry to make sure he had not been beaten in any way, issued a ruling that conditionally emancipated Harry come his 16th birthday the next week. The condition was only that he not get into any trouble with the police over the next two years, if that happened, then his situation would be revisited. The six of them left the government building with large smiles on their faces, and compliments flew around the car (which Peter had enlarged) all the way home. Peter had never seen Harry more relaxed, he now had the freedom to not return to Privet Drive after this was all over, and not to return to Hogwarts if he was willing to go strictly muggle for a year. He made his way upstairs into Harry's room, which he had enlarged on Tuesday so that the two of them could pace around in it if need be.

"All right there Harry? How's your reading coming?"

"Pretty well all told, I'm just reading the books now to get a handle on them. Once I've done that, I'll go through them again and take notes. Since I can't practice the spells for a few more weeks, I might as well learn the theory a bit better."

"Good plan, the theory may be a bit boring, but it will help you put more power into the spell if you understand why. Remember, spellcasting seems to be your strength, and you should always hone your strengths. It will help with Transfiguration too, I know you got a pretty decent score, but that's the other main spell-casting subject and you can always improve."

They spent the next hour doing Occlumency, Harry getting better and better at forcing Peter out of his mind. It wasn't so much that Harry was getting quicker at it, though he was getting better at that too, but that his force-outs were much more powerful. After one of his sessions, Peter needed a few minutes to recover, given that he was knocked back about five feet from the chair he was sitting in. Rubbing his elbow where he had nailed it on the edge of the desk, he congratulated Harry.

"Ok, let's stop there, I think you have the hang of it now. I'm confident that you can resist Snape if need be, at least for a minute or two anyway. I have some big news for you, and I wanted to wait until your lesson was over so as not to distract you."

"What is it?"

"I have a meeting set up for us with Minister Fudge, for tomorrow appointed at 10 am, the subject of which will be to discuss your emancipation petition, which I hand-delivered to him about three hours ago."

"How did he react?"

"He wasn't the least bit shocked Harry, which only confirms my opinion that one of the watchers outside must be from him, not that he admitted it when I asked him. Ever since that first day, I've been using some disguising charms so that I wouldn't be recognized by any Order members, but his person or persons must have pegged me from that first day. Trust me, Fudge can't hold a poker face that well."

"Ok, so he wasn't shocked... did he seem pleased at all?"

"He looked satisfied, and that's good for us."

"How much is his help going to cost me?"

"Probably nothing, if you convince him that you are North America bound sometime next month. Fudge is not quite so bold as to openly ask for a bribe, so I don't think you need to bring any money with you. Now the thing to remember is this: Whatever happens, don't lose your temper with him. The man is obtuse sometimes to be sure, so we just have to roll with those punches and let the situation unfold in a very calm way. I can tell you that he no longer believes that you made up the Voldemort revival, but please resist the temptation to rub his nose in it. I repeat this is not a time to settle scores. If you really are taking on Dumbledore, we can't have Fudge as an enemy too."

"I understand... can I taunt him if he turns us down?" He smiled saying that, which relieved the other man greatly.

"No Harry, no gloating... unless you want to make total peace with Dumbledore... which of course means total surrender to the old man..."

"Great way to spoil my fun, but I'll be nice to Fudge if that's what you're telling me."

"That's what I'm telling you. Now I've already talked with your aunt, she's going to drive you to London tomorrow so that you can keep the appointment, I'm willing to bet that they don't have muggle transportation with which to follow you directly, they'll have to rely on their tracking charms, you're not leaving this place yet this month has probably made them somewhat complacent. We're going to meet at the Leaky Cauldron and floo over to the Ministry from there. Right before we floo, I'll remove the tracking charms that are on you right now. I will give you this warning though once the tracking charms are removed Dumbledor will be alerted immediately, he won't know where you're going until it's too late."

"Am I really coming back here afterward? What if Dumbledore comes with Snape?"

"Then you run out the backdoor and use the emergency portkey I'm going to give you after our Fudge appointment, it will take you straight to my office, and I have a plan from there. Now the letter, did you write it?"

Harry nodded as he pulled it out and handed it to the other man.

Dear Professors Dumbledore and Snape,

This is to inform you that Professor Snape is not welcome in our home under any circumstances. We would prefer no wizards at all but we know that given your callous disregard for our wishes in the past that that is unlikely. However, you will respect our wishes on this. We're not concerned with what supposed lessons that Harry must take, you have him 10 months out of the year at that school, plenty of time to teach him whatever you think is so important.

Vernon Dursley

Petunia Dursley

Dudley Dursley

PS: I should tell you Professor Dumbledore that I agree with this, do not send that man to our home.

Harry Potter

"Nice Harry, your uncle's handwriting?"

"Yeah, I wrote out the text and we had him copy it, then we all signed it. I think he had a good time with it."

Both of them smiled, indeed Vernon Dursley had been itching to write a letter like that for five years. Now he was doing so with Harry's consent and active participation. It was a world gone mad.

"You obviously had that well in hand." Peter chuckled as he handed the letter back to the boy."Go ahead and send that off. As it stands the quaffle is in their hands. Only time will it's what they plan to do with it."

Harry walked over and gave the note to Hedwig, "You remember how to get to Headquarters girl? Make sure this goes right to Dumbledore, and no one else. Don't wait for a reply, just come right back here, Ok?"Hedwig hooted twice and took off out of the window.

"Harry, it's not too late to back out of this scheme. You have until Snape gets here to change your mind."

"I won't change my mind, I'm in this all the way. Snape deserves payback for what he's done to me all of these years. I'll never forgive him for goading Sirius, I won't back out."

"Fair enough Harry, I just wanted you to know that you have choices, you're not locked in. I can safely speak for the rest of us when I say that we're in too. Easy for me to say of course, since I have no ties to Dumbledore as the rest of you do. Whatever happens, should be interesting."

Friday, July 27 1996 8:30 am Little Whinging

Harry and Petunia left the house very nervously and got into the car, though no one stopped them or even tried to interfere. This was the first time Harry had left the property and the protections of the wards that surrounded the house and yard, and he was fairly surprised that nothing happened, maybe his watchers were being fooled. He was not wearing his glasses, as part of a last-second inspiration to try to throw his watchers off the trail. They drove off in the direction of London, saying almost nothing to each other as they made the trip... perhaps waiting for the ride back if all went according to plan. They arrived at The Leaky Cauldron, and Petunia agreed to wait in the bookstore across the street until Harry was done.

"Good luck Harry."

"Thanks Aunt Petunia." This was almost a hugging moment, but the détente between the two of them hadn't quite reached that level. He walked into the pub as casually as he could, where Peter was waiting for him by the front door, it was now 9:45 am. Tom the barkeep was not in sight, and Harry and Peter took a table in the corner, away from the front door.

"Did you notice anyone following you?

"

"No, and I was looking behind us all the way over here. No one followed us in a car that I could tell. How quickly can they follow us with the tracking charms?"

"Not quickly enough, we'll be at the Ministry before they get here, though they will know we were here. We have to hope that they think you went into Diagon Alley to visit the twins or to go to your vault at Gringotts."

"What about when we get to the Ministry? Someone there will tip off Dumbledore won't they?"

"Good point, and one that Fudge and I have already planned for. At precisely 10 am the floo here will fire, initiated from Fudge's office on a direct connect. We'll hop in there and go right to the man himself, bypassing the corridors and all the prying eyes who might make a beeline to call Dumbledore."

"I really hope this works... what about Tom? What will he say?"

"Tom is Fudge's man through and through Harry, he always has been, it's the only way he would be allowed to be the keeper of the gateway to muggle London." Peter then proceeded to eliminate the tracking charms on Harry's person and checked himself out again for the same kind of charms, finding nothing. They sat there for a few minutes and contemplated things, and at the appointed time the floo flared up. The two walked over and in turn entered the floo since it was directly connected, no address needed to be called out for any hidden listeners, though there did not appear to be any.

Office of the Minister of Magic for Great Britain

10 am

Harry tumbled out of the floo and was caught by Tyson, who had gone first. They brushed themselves off and Harry looked around at Fudge's very impressive office, which was very large and quite well decorated... as befitting the head of a government, even Harry could admit that. The man himself was standing up in front of his desk, with a smile on his face.

"Good day Mr.Potter, Peter."

"Good day Minister," They both said at the same time. Harry took a deep breath and walked over to the Minister, holding out his right hand to shake. Fudge's smile widened a bit before the man took the offered hand and shook, then extended his own hand to Peter.

"I can appreciate the ambivalence you must be feeling right now, I was half wondering if you'd come out of the floo cursing me."

"Peter wouldn't let me, sir, he said I have to appear calm and cool." Harry smiled when he said that, and Fudge and Peter both had a laugh, though only Peter knew how close to home that joke actually was.

"Well I'm glad you're here anyway, and under friendly circumstances."

"Will Percy not be joining us, sir?"

"No, he will not, we can't have Dumbledore knowing about our little meeting can we?"

Harry's jaw hung wide open at hearing that, and even Peter looked astonished.

"So he was working for Dumbledore the entire time?"

"Of course he was, the whole break was fabricated by Dumbledore, Arthur, and Percy to try and spy on me... let's just say Percy should check his apartment for listening charms a little bit more often."

"Yet you haven't sacked him, or Arthur."

"Not at all, Percy is useful in his own way, and he tells Dumbledore nothing that I don't want him to know. All my private business is conducted privately, without him there. As for Arthur... well loyalty to Dumbledore aside, I have a certain fondness for the man, and he does do an excellent job in his department. Besides, from what Peter told me yesterday at least three of his sons are on your side in this, perhaps his loyalty won't be as absolute as it has been."

Harry decided to cut to the chase. "Are you inclined to grant my application Minister?"

"I am, but first I would like to know whether or not you are truly set against returning to Hogwarts."

"I will not be a student at Hogwarts as long as Voldemort is alive and Dumbledore is Headmaster there."

"So even if we removed the old man, you wouldn't stay there?"

"No sir I wouldn't. He would still be controlling things from behind the scenes."

"What about your friends, I know you won't want to leave them. Are you wanting to leave to keep them out of danger?"

"That's part of it, yes sir... but I just have the feeling that I'll be much safer if I'm as far away from Dumbledore as I can get."

"Why is he so obsessed with you Mr.Potter?" Harry and Peter looked at each other for a second. They had discussed this the night before and had decided that Fudge might need to know about the prophecy concerning him and Voldemort.

"He is under the impression that I'm the final weapon against Voldemort."

He was surprised to see Fudge chuckling. "Oh come now Harry, I had that part figured out long ago. As soon as you started Hogwarts I've known about the old man's coddling of you, I always thought he was keeping you in reserve for something. He never believed that He Who Must Not Be Named was gone, and even though I disagreed with him, I knew he had something planned for you."

"You didn't think his concern for me was just me being 'The Boy Who Lived?"

"I'm sure that was some of it, yes, but no one monitors someone as closely as he does you without a better reason than that. I take it a prophecy in the Department of Mysteries talks about this final weapon status?" For crying out loud, Harry thought... if Fudge of all people could figure this out, why had Dumbledore gone to so much trouble to hide things?

"There is, yes. It's what Voldemort wanted so badly, only he or I could touch it, so he tricked me into going in there."

"Yes I know, he was planting visions of Black being tortured... Dumbledore told me, don't look so surprised."

"Yes, that's why I went to the Department of Mysteries." "And how are you coming with your Occlumency?"

"Peter has me almost where I need to be, after only four days of lessons. I don't know if I can keep Voldemort out yet, but I'm much further along than I would have been otherwise."

"Good enough. Now there is something I need to know: Do you believe in all, this Mr.Potter? Do you believe you're the final weapon against him?"

Harry was silent for a moment as he thought about this. Even Peter, in a week full of long conversations with Harry, had never asked him this... perhaps on purpose, perhaps not. He had asked whether Harry believed the Prophecy... but that wasn't the same thing necessarily. "No Minister, I don't. I don't believe the source of the Prophecy, I don't believe that someone like that could predict something like this."

"Who is the source?"

"Trelawney." Fudge burst out laughing again, and almost fell out of his chair.

"No, seriously Mr.Potter, who is the source?"Harry's facial expression didn't change, and Fudge realized that he wasn't kidding.

"Well, well, isn't that interesting? Hmmmmm... let me ask you another question young man, one that you must have thought of: If you do go abroad, a lot of people are going to call you a coward, that you're too afraid of Voldemort to stick around. What would you say to that?"

"They never liked me anyway, most of our public is so fickle they wake up on a different side of the bed every morning. Even if the Prophecy was real, I don't want to risk my life for them."

"That's very cynical of you Mr.Potter... it's quite accurate of course but very cynical."

"The press, Dumbledore... and yes you Minister, you've all trained me quite well."

Fudge's smile was reduced a little bit, but he was nodding in agreement.

"Indeed we have. Where will you go from here?" Peter handled this one since Harry had no concrete idea.

"My wife Jennifer has relations in the United States, and through her efforts and some of my own, I've comprised a list of the pros and cons of the various magic schools over there. There are four of them: one in northern California, one in western Oklahoma, one in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and the last one in western Massachusetts. The one in Michigan seems to be our best bet Harry, the Headmistress is no fan of our friend Dumbledore and will protect you from him."

"What about Canada? I have that vault in Toronto after all."

"True, but the Headmistress at the Maple Leaf School of Magic is a longtime friend of Dumbledore and I doubt she'd be willing to enroll you there if the old man objects. Admission of foreign students is taken on a case-by-case basis at most schools and is not often granted. I doubt there are more than two or three foreigIt'students at Hogwarts at any given time. Great Lakes is the second best academically of the American schools, but the Salem Witches Institute, which does take boys despite the title, is run by another ally of Dumbledore. No, our best bet is in Michigan Harry. What do you think Minister?"

"I agree, Maple Leaf and Salem are more likely to hand you back over to Dumbledore than to keep you, whereas there is some enmity between Dumbledore and Madam Murray, who runs Great Lakes. It's not going to take the old man long to figure out what you're up to once he finds out about your emancipation... yes, I'm going to grant it."

Harry had rarely felt more relieved in his life, and then something occurred to him. "Why does he need to know at all? Can't we keep this quiet until I'm long gone?"

"We can probably hide it for the rest of the day, but not after that. All legal decrees made by the Ministry, which this is, must be filed with the Wizengamot to be considered legal and binding. So we have a choice here: I can have it filed within ten minutes of your leaving here, which would tip Dumbledore off if he reads his mail promptly; or I can hold off until the end of the day, though as a consequence you would not be able to use magic until I have the decree filed."

"Best to wait, if Dumbledore knows you have wand rights then he'll either come with Snape tonight or send others who'll try to force you to do what he wants. He might even send Molly to tug on your emotions, and I know you won't use your wand on her." Harry was in agreement with this but wondered about telling Fudge of the plan for Snape.

Fudge anticipated this. "Just don't use any Unforgivable curses against him and you'll be fine... though it would be better if he fired first if what you truly want is to have him arrested... oh yes, don't kill him either, that would be hard to explain away, no matter what he did to provoke you."

"You're not opposed to what we're doing?"

"Of course not, having Dumbledore's favorite professor arrested would suit me just fine."

"I won't do anything, illegal Minister, you have my promise on that."

"Good, now on to another subject, the trials of Lucius Malfoy and his gang. They are to take place the first week in October, and we will need you back to testify."

"Why the long delay?"

"It's the first week we have available for the volume of evidence that will be presented." Fudge looked so smug saying that.

Harry couldn't resist. "And another three months in Azkaban for them wouldn't be so bad either eh?"

Fudge winked at him. "I don't have total control of the schedule Mr.Potter it's what the Wizengamot wants. I'm going to arrange to have the defendants put under the influence of Veritaserum... and if more than one of them admits to seeing Peter Pettigrew live and in the flesh, I'll immediately write a full pardon for Black." That rocked Harry a little bit, who had been waiting for a chance to bring Sirius up.

"Thank you, Minister, that's very kind of you. I'm guessing that's why Sirius' will is being allowed?"

"In a manner, we have little jurisdiction over Gringotts matters as you might know, and I'm not willing to bargain the influence we have over something like a will."

"That makes sense."

"We have our moments. Now Peter, what are your plans for this young man tonight after Snape is dealt with?"

"We're going to hide you in muggle London Harry, at one of the chain hotels, and under a different name. When I get back to the office this morning I'm going to set up a meeting with Madam Murray from Great Lakes, hopefully, to take place as soon as possible."

"I'll arrange for as many portkeys as you need Mr.Potter, though you might want to take muggle air transport to get over there."

"Why is that, sir?"

"The younger you are, the more dizzying the effect of international port keys, it can cause some ill effects."

"He's right Harry, I've always had it in mind for you to leave here via Heathrow Airport or Shannon Airport in Dublin. Even if they find out about it, they can't risk doing anything in a muggle airport." Fudge nodded his agreement, and took a piece of paper out of his desk.

"Best that I don't know any more than what you've told me, that way I can be more convincing to our friend." With that, he signed the paper and pointed his wand at it "Duplico Duplico."

There were now three copies of the paper, and Fudge handed Peter and Harry one each. Harry looked at it and saw that it was his emancipation petition, now officially approved by the Minister. "As soon as this is filed with the Wizengamot, you are legally an adult Mr.Potter. I'll send you an owl right after I do the filing, so don't use your wand until then."

"Yes sir, and thank you, sir."

"You're welcome, I'm sure we'll talk again after your Snape encounter."

"I hope we'll both be smiling when that happens Minister."

"As do I, as do I."

Peter stood up, and Harry followed suit. "Minister, if we may use your floo one more time, Harry and I need to do some business at Gringotts."

"Certainly, good luck tonight."

"Thank you, sir."

"Oh yeah, Minister, if I may ask a question?"

"Certainly."

"What happened to Umbridge? Peter says that she hasn't been seen since the centaur incident."

"That madwoman is in St. Mungos where she belongs Harry. Her mind was clearly breaking even before the beasts got to her, whatever it is that they did. Rest assured that if she does recover sufficiently she will be brought to trial for what she did to you and the other students of Hogwarts."

Harry doubted this very seriously, but he was hardly in a position to call the man a liar to his face. He was having difficulty reconciling this conversation with his recent history with Fudge, and this cooperation was making him feel dirty, he would have to take another shower the moment he got back to Privet Drive. "Thank you for telling me, sir."

Fudge activated the floo a security measure in this office was that only the Minister could activate the floo system from this end, and after another round of handshakes, Peter and Harry tumbled into Gringotts. Peter took a shrunken cloak out of his pocket and enlarged it. "Here, put this one and pull the hood over your face. Now we need to go to the foreign exchange counter and get you some muggle money. Do you need any galleons for the time being?"

"That depends on your fee, I have a thousand galleons in Gringotts' drafts, will that be enough?"

"That will be sufficient, and I knew about them from reading that letter remember. Do you need any for another reason?"

"Do the Americans use the same kind of money? I have about thirty galleons and some sickles and knuts left in my money pouch."

"Don't worry about the Americans just yet, there's plenty of time to prepare there. That should be enough wizard money to get you by for a week, given that you'll be in muggle London the entire time. Let's go, it's right over here." They headed over to an area that was far away from the front doors, but near the east floo as there were two of them, and one never knew which floo you would come out of, a counter that Harry remembered seeing Hermione go to before second year. He pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, and it indeed made it very hard to see who he was. Peter led him over to the counter and the goblin appraised them casually, he was used to men skulking in here. Peter addressed him quietly. "My friend here would like to change some galleons into muggle pounds, and we would like to get a muggle credit card and driver's license for him as well."

"Let me have your key, 'friend'." the inflection on the word friend denoted anything but. Harry handed it over and the goblin had a very slight reaction when he saw whose it was... but so slight you had to be looking for it.

"How many muggle pounds will you need young man?" Harry looked at Peter for the answer.

"I think we'll go with two thousand pounds for now, we may be back at a later time for some more."

"And the spending limit on the credit card? You can have from two hundred up to five thousand pounds."

"The maximum please."

"Very well. The current exchange rate is one galleon for two and a half British pounds. There will be a fifty galleon charge for the driver's license, add our exchange fee of two percent, and your vault will be charged 4,170 galleons. The muggle credit card of course can only be used in the muggle world, and the five thousand pounds are non-refundable, you must spend them out there to utilize them. Go into that door over there so we can take your photograph for the license." He pointed to a doorway off to the right. Harry and Peter went over to it.

"Why do I need a credit card and a driver's license?"

"You need them for the time you'll be living as a muggle next week, as well as any time in the future you need to hide."

"Won't that give me a paper trail that Dumbledore can follow?"

"Not this time, the hotel room is already reserved for you, under my wife's name. I have some muggle and squib clients, so I have uses for muggle money and credit." They entered the room and Harry was directed by a different goblin to stand against the wall. He gave a nervous smile as his picture was taken, and they were then told to have a seat, as the goblin brought out some forms for Harry to fill out. The forms called for an address... an address?

"What address do I give? I don't have a home."

"Just use Privet Drive, I'll set up a postal box for you to get your muggle mail forwarded." Harry shrugged and finished filling out the forms, handing them back to the goblin.

"Wait here for ten minutes, then go back to the foreign exchange counter, your things will be waiting for you there." Without waiting for a response, the goblin left with the forms and the camera.

"Where do we go after we're done here? Back to the Leaky Cauldron?"

"Not exactly. I have a portkey that will take us to the loo inside the bookstore where your Aunt is waiting. The Leaky Cauldron is liable to be crawling with Dumbledore's people right now unless he doesn't know that you've been anywhere that you shouldn't have." However, Peter didn't look hopeful that that would be the case.

After another few minutes of waiting, they left the room and went back to the counter that they started at. The goblin, who did not introduce himself, handed Harry an envelope. "All the things you requested are in the envelope. I have been instructed by Fortrap, the manager of your account, to ask you when you might be ready to hear the reading of a certain will."

"Tell him that any time he sets for next week will be fine, he can reach me at my solicitor's address."

"Very well, good luck young man."

"Thank you." They walked back into the photography room and used the portkey. Thankfully there was no one in the loo when they got there, and it was wide enough. "Sit tight, I'll go arrange things with your aunt." He reappeared a few minutes later. "I put a disguising charm on her and sent her round back, where the car is parked. You go back there in five minutes and she'll be ready to go... and for Merlin's sake don't tell her about the money, we've come too far for them to flake on us now. We'll see you tonight, and we'll be ready."

"Thanks, Peter, I'll see you then." Harry ran around to the back and climbed into the car... a car that he now had a license, though not the knowledge of how to drive. After an hour in the car, Peter's disguising charm dissolved and Petunia was back. Few words were exchanged, only an acknowledgment that everything had gone to Harry's satisfaction. When they pulled into the driveway, Harry stopped her from getting out of the car right away. He leaned over to her, put his hand over his mouth, and muttered quietly. "Are you three going to be here for this tonight?"

She mimicked his actions and replied. "Yes, this is our home, we won't be driven from it."

"Just keep out of the line of fire." She nodded, and after Harry put on a different pair of glasses ones that he had gotten on the sly two summers earlier they got out of the car. It was now just shy of 1 pm.

Flashback to 8:30 am, in the middle of Dursley's front lawn.

Hestia Jones, sitting in a lawn chair under a Disillusionment Charm, watched Petunia and Harry drive off. She did a scan of the house to make sure that no one was still inside. She then moved outside the anti-Apparition ward and popped off to tell Dumbledore, who ironically enough was at the Ministry, doing some Wizengamot business.

"Did they have any bags or anything with them? Harry's trunk perhaps?"

"No sir, the only bag being carried was Petunia's handbag. I checked the car last night, and it has about 34 of a tank of petrol in it."

"Enough to make it to London and back at least."

"That's not the direction they were headed sir, the main road to London is northeast, and they made the turn in the opposite direction, toward the new mall in Little Whinging." Dumbledore thought about this for a minute, but he wasn't unduly worried.

"They may just be doing some food shopping."

"There was one curious thing sir."

"Yes, Hestia?"

"Harry wasn't wearing his glasses. He bumped into the car twice while trying to enter it." Dumbledore looked rather relieved at hearing that.

"Well that should explain it then, he was going to get a new pair. It should take a couple of hours to get that accomplished. Be back at Privet Drive by 11 am Hestia. I have to be here the rest of the afternoon, I doubt I will be returning to Hogwarts before this evening. I'll see you at Headquarters."

"Yes sir."

Back to the present

Hestia revealed herself and approached them. "You were gone quite a while Potter, I was getting worried." Harry kept himself as calm as possible, and reminded himself that he had four more hours before he could use his wand... that said, there was nothing forcing him to respond, so he didn't, he kept right on walking.

"Harry?"

"Get away from us freak, come no closer or I'll call the police. I'm sure someone there knows about your filthy kind." Harry just walked inside like there was no witch outside, followed by Petunia.

"You haven't done that in a while, must have felt good." She gave him a tight-lipped smile and disappeared into the kitchen to make some lunch.

At 4:55 pm Harry got the promised owl from Fudge, who wrote him that he filed the decree five minutes after Dumbledore left for the day. Harry was praying that Dumbledore wouldn't be going back to his Hogwarts office, which is where both he and Peter figured the hub for the tracking and listening charms were. As soon he got the owl he went upstairs and removed the tracking charms from his trunk and Hedwig's cage. "Ok girl, go to the twins' shop and stay there for a few days, I'll either collect you there or they'll tell you where I am. I'm sorry Hedwig, there's no other way." She nipped his finger lightly and flew out the window. He shrunk her cage and put it in his trunk, along with his clothes and other things as his books were already in there. He put the trunk by the door and went downstairs to watch television... never letting his wand leave his hand the entire time.

Grimmauld Place, 6:30 pm

The bustle around Headquarters was loud as people moved in and out of the halls. If the portrait of Mrs. Black had still been hanging there she would have been shrieking like crazy. The problem of the portrait had been solved by Bill and his curse-breaking experience, he simply took out the wall around her. As she came off the wall she started screaming with a fervor that would have made a banshee proud, it had taken an all-at-once Reducto by Bill, Remus, Tonks, and Hestia to put her out of their misery. Kreacher had been sent off to Narcissa Malfoy after a massive memory wipe by Dumbledore, afterward, Kreacher knew his name and that he was to serve the House of Black, but that was about it. Snape strode through the house as if he owned it, looking for Dumbledore, sneering at those he passed by. The irritable Potions Master had returned from Halifax, Canada the day before from his conference. He ignored those who asked how it went and seemed to be in a worse mood than usual.

Remus noted that the house didn't seem quite as full as it could have been. Notably missing were Bill, Fred, George, and Charlie Weasley. Charlie had arrived that morning from Romania after an owl from Bill, ostensibly on a visit to his family, something he did a couple of times per year. He had immediately gone into a huddle with Bill, and then gone with him to work, not to return yet. Fred and George were at their shop presumably, since both Ron and Ginny were here, as well as both Molly and Arthur, and Hermione. Tonks and Kingsley were the only significant absences, they were on guard duty at Harry's house, they had volunteered for tonight, understanding that Snape would be there. He followed Snape into the kitchen, where Dumbledore was talking with Molly Weasley.

"Yes Molly, Harry will be coming here for a visit tonight so he can have some quality time with his friends."

"Oh really, and how am I to get your golden boy back here Albus? Or have you taught the brat how to Apparate?"

Dumbledore answered that by taking out a portkey and giving it to Snape. "Just have him say Headquarters while he has hold of it, and it will take him here. I have another one ready for his return."

"How long am I expected to waste my time there?"

"An hour should suffice Severus, we don't want to overwhelm him the first time. Just review the basics and have him practice. The spell I gave you, Temparo Indulcli, will only disable the blood protection for one hour, then you must be gone from the house."

"Fine, just so you know I believe this is a complete waste of time, that idiot has no aptitude for this." He made to leave and Remus called out for him to stop.

"Oh Snape, if Harry doesn't come back with you I'm immediately going to apparate over there to find out why... and if you've had anything to do with it..." Remus trailed off, leaving the threat a bit more than merely implied.

Snape patted back a yawn and left the room. Molly looked after him with a slightly fearful expression, she was aware of what he might do to Harry.

"Molly, Remus, everything will be fine, Harry will be here by 8:00 pm and we can enjoy ourselves for a few hours. I'm sure Ron, Ginny, and Hermione are eager to see him."

Remus and Molly nodded, though he wasn't so sure about that. Ginny was eager to see Harry of course, though she had only recently been able to say a complete sentence in his presence. Ron and Hermione, Remus knew, were ready with some hard questions about what Harry had been doing, or not doing. Remus knew that Harry rarely appreciated being under the third degree, so he was grateful that no one would be able to use their wands.

Privet Drive 7:00 pm

Snape strode up to the door at Number 4 Privet Drive, and after he used Dumbledore's spell, didn't bother to ring the doorbell or knock on the door, he simply grabbed the knob and tried to turn it, only to find it had been locked. He didn't turn a hair and took out his wand, "Alohomora." The door clicked open and Snape strode inside, seeing no one in the living room he yelled out: "Potter, present yourself to me now!"

Meanwhile, Dobby had apparated to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, his instructions were to find the Auror on duty. After a polite, but hurried question, he was directed to the office of Senior Auror Travis Biller. Dobby introduced himself as Harry Potter's elf Biller's eyes shot right up when he heard that and gave Biller the note.

Dear Auror,

Please help me, I'm in trouble. There's a wizard in my house, Severus Snape, he's yelling at my nephew and threatening him with his wand, my husband and I are muggles and we can't help him. Please hurry.

Petunia Dursley

Biller reacted immediately, after the fiasco last summer it was standing orders that anything to do with Harry Potter be acted on immediately. Biller ran out of his office. "Graham, Westbrook front and center, we have a Potter emergency, MOVE!" Rob Graham and Sarah Westbrook ran into the room and assembled in front of Biller and a very wide-eyed Dobby. "Ok Dobby, are they still at the address in Surrey?"

"Yes, sir Mr. Biller, the same house and everything."

Biller grabbed a cricket bat that was clearly a Port-key and the other Aurors grabbed on. He looked at Dobby, who nodded and popped back to Privet Drive, right at the front door. Biller activated the Port key and the three Aurors disappeared.

One Minute earlier.

Winky did her task and popped out to the back hedge, there she saw Harry's allies: Peter Tyson, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and George, Fred, Bill, and Charlie Weasley. She nodded fearfully, the expression on her face was all they needed and they silently ran up to the kitchen door, which was already ajar, done by Dudley at Harry's request. Fred and George led the way, and they all assembled in the kitchen, joining a clearly frightened Dursley family as they listened to Harry and Snape yell at each other. Fred and George were next to Dudley and motioned to him that everything would be ok. Dudley looked around at seven very tense wizards, who all had their wands drawn, and decided that if he wasn't safe now he never would be. He looked at his parents and silently communicated that message to them, they nodded and looked less afraid. George stared hard at Dudley for a few seconds and seemed to come to a decision, he conjured a beater bat and offered it to Dudley. Dudley took the bat without hesitation, this was his home, and he wanted to defend it.

Nothing happened after Snape's yell, he repeated it. "Potter, in here NOW! Or I swear I'll deduct 200 points from Gryffindor on the first day of classes."

This got a response out of Harry not that he cared about points in the grand scheme of things, walked downstairs, wand in his back pocket, right where Moody said not to put it, but stealth was more important here. He was really going to enjoy this "What are you doing here? I thought we told you that you weren't welcome in this house!"

"Do you honestly think that the Headmaster or I care about what you think Potter? So like your dead father, thinking that everyone should bow and scrape to your whims."

"Don't you dare talk about my father, he was 10 times the wizard you've ever been, Death Eater."

"Yet somehow I managed to live while he is rotting in a grave... a grave that you're not even allowed to visit."

It took every ounce of self-control for Harry not to pull out his wand and yell out Avada Kedavra, he wasn't sure if it would work, his Cruciatus hadn't been very good, but it would shut Snape up at least. He concentrated on the fact that he needed Snape NOT to shut up, at least until the Aurors got here. He mentally counted the seconds, it must have been at least a minute, they should be here any second now.

"Be that as it may Snivellus, you are not welcome here, so told by the owners of this house. Leave now."

"As if I would stoop so low as to accept orders from muggle trash like your family, they must be scum if the same bloodline bore you!"

"Get Out!"

"The Headmaster has insisted that I waste your time by teaching you Occlumency Potter, if you had learned it last term your hound might still be licking his balls clean."

Snape really knew what buttons to push, didn't he?

"I'll never let you teach me anything if you call your incompetence 'teaching'."

"Sit down Potter and we will begin this."

"Are you hard of hearing? Get your oily head out of here!"

"If you do not sit down, I'll force you to Potter, it will give me great pleasure."

Harry was roaring with laughter on the inside, this pensieve memory would be perfect for DMLE use, this couldn't have gone better if he'd written Snape's script for him. "I'll never again do anything you say, if you think I'm going to let you into my mind you're crazy."

"Very well, if you insist." Snape raised his wand and shouted "Petrificus Totalus."

There was only one problem, Harry had dodged out of the way, and was standing four feet to the left of where he had been before. Snape looked furious, cursing that old fool Dumbledore for putting him through this torture. He decided to up the ante. "Stupefy."

Harry ducked this time and did a roll on the floor, the spell making a large black mark on the living room wall. Snape took advantage of Harry being on the ground and fired again, just grazing his leg and sending him to the floor. Snape walked up to Harry, as the lad was quickly rubbing his now numb leg. "And now I have you, Potter, I'm so going to enjoy this... I've been waiting for this moment for years." He raised his wand." Re-..."

But he raised his wand just a bit too leisurely, Harry had spent a week practicing his quick draw technique, hoping for just such a moment, he let the hate flow through him and give him even faster reflexes. "EXPELLIARMUS!" Snape had been just one meter away was hit with so much force that he practically flew back three meters and crashed against the wall next to the kitchen door. Harry quickly leaped up and fired again. "PERCUSSIO!" The percussion hex hit Snape just where Harry intended, on his right shoulder... the same side of his body as his wand arm... not that he had his wand anymore, it was lying on the floor next to Harry, who hadn't tried to catch it as it flew toward him. He had just two more spells to use. "Incarcerous!" Magical ropes flew out of his wand and wrapped themselves around Snape, binding him very tightly. Harry picked up the wand at his feet and snapped it in half... and then walked over to Snape and stuck the pieces carefully up Snape's nose. He then drew his wand with a large grin. "Rictusempra" Snape was only barely conscious but started twitching anyway. Harry just stood there panting and looked to the door, wondering where the Aurors were... and speaking of the devil.

The door burst open, and Travis Biller, Sarah Westbrook, and Rob Graham ran into the house. Biller didn't even look at what was going on before yelling. "Ministry of Magic, I want everyone to put their wands on the floor... Immediately!"

Harry put his wand slowly and carefully on the floor, the tip pointed at himself, and held his hands in the air in a muggle fashion. Snape was still only semi-conscious on the floor and twitching. Biller looked around and saw Harry standing there, he easily noticed the mark on the wall and the one on the floor. He walked over to Snape and looked him over... and did his professional best not to smile it worked, but only barely.

"Mr.Potter, my name is Travis Biller, I'm the Senior Auror on duty tonight, we came as soon as we got your message. What happened here? For Merlin's sake put your hands down."

Harry put his hands to his sides and tried to catch his breath. The 40 seconds he was dodging Snape's spells and firing back seemed like 10 minutes. He took a series of deep breaths as the three Aurors all stared at him. "Snape came into my house, without knocking I might add since the door was locked, to supposedly give me Occlumency lessons. My family sent a note to him yesterday telling him very clearly that he was not welcome here, but he came in anyway. I repeatedly told him to leave, but he refused and mocked the deaths of my father and godfather in the process. When I refused to sit down for his 'lessons' he started shooting spells at me, one Petrificus Totalus and two Stupefys if I remember correctly. I was busy dodging them so I might be wrong. He grazed me with the last stunner and let his guard down, that's when I responded. I used one disarming charm, one percussion hex, and the tickling charm that's on him right now... I did that to try and distract him from any wandless magic that he might be capable of. You came in ten seconds after I used the tickling charm."

Biller, Graham, and Westbrook just stood there in shock and were a little impressed. "Harry, I was under the impression that you are over a year away from your majority... and I don't see any Ministry owls here. How is it that you used magic?"

"I was emancipated this afternoon, I have the document if you would like to see it, signed by the Minister."

"Yes please, I would." Harry had the document he had copied a couple more times that afternoon in the other back pocket of his jeans and he gave it to Biller, who quickly read it over, and recognized Fudge's signature.

"This looks legitimate, but we had better check anyway. Sarah, go back to the Ministry and make sure there were no underage magic warning alarms going off for this house. I don't see any of their owls in here, but make sure anyway." Sarah nodded and walked outside to apparate to the Ministry.

"Don't get the idea that I don't believe you, Mr.Potter, we just have to make sure." He then turned to Snape, Graham's wand had never left the now fully conscious Potions professor the tickling charm had not been a powerfully cast one and had largely worn off. Biller had always hated this man, the 35-year-old former Gryffindor had been a target of Snape and his Slytherin cronies while he was at Hogwarts. Like everyone in the Auror Command, he knew that Snape was a former Death Eater who had somehow regained Dumbledore's trust, and a job at Hogwarts. Biller had no children, the reason he was on duty tonight, and was glad that he would never have to send any of his progeny to a Hogwarts staffed by Snape. He pointed his wand at him, and was rewarded with a look of fear." Finite Incantatem."The magical ropes disappeared, and though Snape could barely move his right side, he managed to bring himself up to a sitting position, as well as remove the wand pieces from his nose.

"Ok Snape, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"I am here by order of Headmaster Dumbledore to teach this fool Occlumency, I didn't want to, but I did as I was instructed." He even looked a bit smug at that, as if saying that would solve his problems... he hadn't fully heard the part about Harry saying he was legal now, and assumed that the Aurors were here to arrest Harry.

"And...? That's it? Dumbledore ordered you here, so you illegally entered a locked house that you were previously told you weren't welcome in and then proceeded to fire curses at a defenseless kid who didn't have his wand out?"

"I am here under Headmaster Dumbledore's orders. The brat wouldn't sit down for his lesson so I attempted to force him to, and then he attacked me and snapped my wand, I'm pressing full charges." For his own part, Harry just stood there fascinated at this exchange, was this really Snape's defense? Be arrogant and dismissive and count on the old man to rescue him?

Sarah had returned from the ministry and walked up to Biller. "Travis, no instances of underage magic have been reported for this house. The last magic performed here before tonight happened this afternoon, a series of spells by an adult wizard." Harry raised a hand acknowledging that it was he who had used the spells.

"Thank you. Well, Mr.Potter..." Biller took a minute to think..."Where are your relatives? Can they confirm this letter you sent?"

"Yes, sir they can. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon! Could you come out here please!" Biller handed back the paper and motioned to Harry that he could pick up his wand... and Snape's eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

In the kitchen Peter motioned Petunia and Vernon to go to the living room, they were needed to put the final nail into the coffin of Severus Snape. They had listened to the sound of spells hitting the floor and walls, but no cries from Harry and no words of triumph from Snape, so they knew Harry was getting out of the way. Fred and George had quickly handed out Extendable Ears, even the Dursleys used them once they were shown how. They heard Harry fire off his spells, and the snap of Snape's wand. They then heard Biller and his group come in the door and the discussion that followed.

Petunia and Vernon walked into the living room and immediately noticed the black marks on the wall and floor (they were so large it was hard to miss them), as well as the injured wizard on the floor. They looked at Harry, who was none the worse for wear, having caught his breath. "Hello, I'm Vernon Dursley, this is my wife Petunia, Harry's Aunt." They shook hands all around and Biller introduced himself and his crew.

"Mr. Dursley, where were you when this was going on?"

"Umm... well we were hiding Mr. Biller, we knew that that man was coming and we wanted to stay out of the way... we're not wizards you know, we wouldn't know how to defend ourselves from him. Harry hasn't painted that nice a picture of the man... as you can see. Harry wanted us to stay out of the fray, and we agreed."

"Harry said that you all sent a letter to Snape, telling him not to come here. Is this true?"

"Yes, sir it is, though I think that the letter was addressed to Dumbledore as well as this man. We all signed it, even Dudley and Harry. We didn't want him here and we still don't."

"Was the door locked Mr. Dursley?"

"Yes, Mr. Biller it was, we always lock our doors at night."

"Mrs. Dursley, is there anything you would like to add?"

"No sir, it's how my husband and nephew said... we were listening at the door after you came in."

Biller looked around at the people in the room, it was obvious what had happened, he just wanted a minute to consider how to do his next actions. This was going to be huge, the arrest of a Hogwarts professor for attacking Harry Potter. Unbeknownst to him and the others, Winky was hidden behind a window outside taking pictures with Peter's camera, as she had since Snape had started firing spells.

He took the end piece of Snape's wand and pointed his own at it. "Priori Incantatem!"The spells Snape used to attack Harry quickly came out, as well as the spell to open the door and the one to disable the Blood Protection... which was all the Auror needed to see."Well, it's clear that the law was broken here, and it's just as clear that you fired first Snape... Mr. and Mrs. Dursley are you pressing a complaint against Snape here?"

"Yes sir we are, we want him prosecuted to the fullest extent of your law," Vernon answered.

"Harry, what about you? Are you making a complaint at him for attacking you? You're willing to testify against him at the Wizengamot?"

"Yes Mr. Biller I am, I want him in Azkaban for what he did. I'm not even safe in my own home."

That was all Biller needed to hear, he turned to a still-sneering Snape. "Severus Snape you are under arrest for unlawful entry into a muggle residence and assault on a person who you believed was unable or not allowed to use magic. If convicted of both these charges you may receive 10 years in prison. Anything you'd like to say?"

"Are you crazy! There is no way that brat is legally an adult! I want him arrested now!"

"Harry Potter is now a legal adult Snape, he has the paperwork, and there are no owls to scold him or other Aurors here to arrest him. Do you have anything relevant you'd like to say?"

"Dumbledore will have me out of your control before the night is over, this is not the last of this."

"Not on my watch Snape. Harry, do you need any of us to stay here with you? Do you feel safe enough now that he's being taken away?" Harry didn't get a chance to answer that question, as the front door was opened by a wizard for the third time in less than fifteen minutes.

Flashback to the minutes previous.

Outside the Dursley home, Nymphadora Tonks and Kingsley Shacklebolt had watched all of this go down with a mounting sense of confusion. They saw Snape enter the house unbidden, and each of them sighed, as this was not the right start to the session. They knew about the letter to Dumbledore and Snape, demanding that Snape not come tonight... and while both of them fully agreed with Harry who they felt had put the muggles up to writing it, they knew that Dumbledore would do what he wanted, and that would be to dismiss it. They heard the insults and they crept closer to the house, and then they heard the breaking point, Snape's Petrificus Totalus. They were under orders from the old man not to intervene in the lesson, but this was beyond the pale.

"Ok Tonks, get back to Headquarters and tell Dumbledore what happened, get him over here, I'll make sure Snape doesn't actually harm the kid."

Tonks nodded and ran to the Apparation point, then disappeared, just getting out before a muggle car came into view. Tonks burst into the front parlor of Grimmauld Place and screamed. "Dumbledore!"

The entire house came streaming into the parlor, Molly in the lead, she grabbed Tonks. "What happened, is Harry ok, what did that man do to him?"

Dumbledore came up to Tonks and much more calmly asked her what happened.

"Snape and Harry started yelling at each other as soon as Snape walked into the house... and then he took out his wand and started firing curses at Harry."

There was a hushed, silence as they waited for Dumbledore's reaction. Molly lost the tiny amount of composure that she had left and she rarely had a lot, to begin with lately. "I told you not to send Snape in there, you knew something like this was going to happen eventually! I swear, if anything happens to Harry you will regret it for the rest of your short life!" Ron and Ginny froze immediately, their mother had just threatened to kill Dumbledore.

For reasons passing understanding, Dumbledore ignored the screeching woman and didn't even take his wand out. He closed his eyes and said a quiet prayer, fully expecting that he would soon find a dead body of some sort. Without opening his eyes, or even acknowledging what Molly had said, he spoke. "Don't say it, Remus, yes you told us so. Let's just get over there and fix this. It's obvious Harry panicked somehow and Severus took something he said the wrong way. Children, you come too, maybe you can talk to Harry better than we can." Albus said as he motioned to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny. He summoned two cleaning brooms from the closet and made them into port keys. The 10 of them Dumbledore, Remus, Hermione, four Weasleys, Hestia, Tonks, and Moody grabbed onto the brooms and vanished at a command from Dumbledore.

Kingsley watched the battle inside unfold with an unreal sense that he was at some Quidditch match. He saw Snape down Harry... and was amazed at Harry's quick draw response. He let out some laughs as Harry did his thing with Snape's wand... and then he saw his Auror colleagues appear, and the subsequent conversation, all the while wondering if he should intervene at some point... but he eventually decided to do nothing until Dumbledore got there, cursing them for taking so long.

They soon appeared outside Privet Drive, and Kingsley threw off his invisibility cloak to go meet them. "Come with us Kingsley, let us see what has happened here." Dumbledore looked very tired at that moment Remus thought. He was privately ecstatic at the mess Snape had caused, and he was probably going to get himself arrested to boot. Dumbledore would have a hard time covering this up, whatever it was.

They filed up to the door and Dumbledore entered the unlocked door, he found Harry and the Dursleys talking to the Aurors,

End Flashback

Harry saw the robes and white beard and whipped out his wand, screaming out. "Stay where you are! If you move one meter further into this house I will attack you! And I will fight to kill!"

The Order members and youngsters stood crowded in the doorway as they clearly heard what Harry said, but just as clearly could not believe their ears. Dumbledore saw the look of pure hatred on Harry's face and wisely decided not to move, but Harry hadn't said that he couldn't speak. "Harry put your wand down, you are underage and cannot use it."

Harry saw the group behind the old man, but not all of the people who it consisted of, and said his next salvo loudly enough for them to hear. "As of 5 pm today I am a legal adult, signed, sealed, and delivered. Your best friend attacked me and I took him down easier than I could any first-year Hufflepuff... don't test me, old man!" He took out his emancipation form and banished it right at Dumbledore, who took notice that the Aurors weren't doing anything to stop Harry... who noticed them as well.

"Mr. Biller, this man has come here to kidnap me, I formally request your protection and your help in removing him from this property, he is not welcome here, as you have heard in detail." This was news to most of Dumbledore's group, as he had not shared the existence of the 'stay away Snape' note with most of the Order... all of whom were still processing Harry's emancipation and the fact that he sounded like murdering Dumbledore was next on his to-do list.

Travis had no clue of what to do here, he had no love for the Headmaster, but the guy was the Head of the Wizengamot... but laws were laws, and Dumbledore was not above them, and Harry could not have made his request with any less ambiguousness.

"Headmaster, a check of Snape's former wand indicates that he did attack Harry first, using one Petrificus Totalus and two stunning spells, and I can confirm from his own statements that he was under the impression that Harry could not fire back." Oh, this was just wonderful, thought Dumbledore. He needed a moment to think through, and threw out a delaying question.

"His former wand?"

Harry handled that one. "I snapped it after I almost put him through the wall. You should teach your pets about overconfidence. I told you, I warned you: Don't send him here! But you did, and look what happened. I'm pressing charges, maybe Snape can teach Potions via owl post from Azkaban... I thought I told you not to move Dumbledore!" The old man had in fact moved, due largely to Molly and Remus pushing their ways forward.

Molly got a look at the scene and looked set to try to go to Harry to embrace him, not to attack him, except for one small detail... Harry hadn't lowered his wand an inch., it was still pointed at the doorway and those in it.

"I have had it with you people trying to run my life! Though it wouldn't be so bad if you hadn't all made such a botch of it! Leave!"

Molly's mouth closed, and Remus just stood there looking sad.

"Harry, are you sure you know what you're doing?

"I am Remus, I'm sorry that you couldn't have been there for me when I really needed you." That was like a slap in the face to Remus, but he managed to respond in soft tones like before.

"Are you sure the water isn't over your head?"

"No Remus, the water is exactly at my head."

Remus turned and walked back to the door, and once outside the anti-apparition zone, popped away. Finally, Dumbledore couldn't take the silence anymore. "So what has happened here, Harry? Why was it necessary to attack Professor Snape, to have him arrested?"

Harry glared at Dumbledore, but said in a quiet and very hate-filled tone of voice, "I told you he wasn't welcome here Professor. We," he motioned at his aunt and uncle, "even wrote it down for you so there would be no doubt of our wishes. Snape knew about the note, so I know you got it."

"Professor Snape Harry. Yes, we did get your note. However, your need to learn Occlumency is more important than your dislike for Professor Snape or your relatives' disdain for our kind."

"I'll call him professor when he earns his title. I repeat I don't want him here, they don't want him here. Period. I told him to leave and he attacked me. Surely even you can't overlook the curse marks you see. He thought I could not fire back, but he still attacked me. You have some kind of ridiculous trust in him, but I don't. Be grateful I didn't kill him... and if I hadn't sent for the Aurors, I could easily have ended him... and if they weren't here it's not out of the question that I could have gotten the drop on you too, and who knows what might have happened."

Dumbledore went visibly white at hearing that, and it took considerable self-control on his part not to draw his wand on his young charge. "Harry, may I please come in and talk with you." The old man knew that this was beyond salvaging, at least for tonight, so he geared the rest of his performance to the people standing behind him.

"No, you may not. I have no interest in hearing anything you have to say, and you've proven that you have just as little interest in listening to me if past events are any indication. Leave now, I will not say it again."

"All right Harry, if you insist. I hope you will change your mind soon, it appears as though we have much to discuss."

"Says you, we're finished Dumbledore. Oh yeah, Ron? Hermione? I hope you like being a couple, it was so nice of you to tell me about it." Ron and Hermione were in the middle of the crowd behind Dumbledore, and in fact, were not holding hands or showing any outward affection, they were still too stunned... the more so because they wondered how Harry had known about them.

Biller took a deep breath and turned to Graham and Westbrook.

"Rob, Sarah, please escort the Headmaster and his companions off the property," another deep breath, " if any of them resist, arrest them." Dumbledore and his people took the hint and backed out the door, all of them trying to get a last glimpse of Harry... and then immediately wishing they hadn't, as his wand was still pointed at them.

The adults in the group all congregated in the Dursley driveway, but Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were still on the stoop. Ginny had motioned the other two to stop and called out to Harry. "Harry, what's wrong? Can we please talk with you?" Harry walked to the doorway, with Biller at his side. The hate had left his face, and he was looking very tired, his wand no longer directly pointed at them, but still not pointed downward.

"Not right now Ginny, I'm sorry. I hope you can understand eventually."

"Please let us help you."

"I wish you three weren't caught in the middle of this if the middle is truly where you are right now." Ron had rarely looked more insulted, while Hermione just looked troubled.

Ginny remained their spokesperson. "You've obviously been planning this for a while, Harry, why couldn't you trust us to tell us about it?"

There was enough anger still burning in Harry that part of him wanted to go into great detail about why he couldn't trust the three of them as opposed to his crew, still hiding in the kitchen... however, Harry knew that he was not out of the woods yet tonight, and didn't dare give the old man any insight into what might be coming next. "That's a conversation for another time, Ginny, now its time for you and the lovebirds to go back to Dumbledore's lair, where he can ask you some pointless questions about what I might be up to. If it means anything to you, I'm sorry it had to be like this." He turned and walked back into the house.

The three kids, seeing as there was nothing else to be done, walked over to Dumbledore... who had rather obviously been listening to the exchange. The only two people not grabbing onto the brooms were Tonks and Kingsley.

"Look Travis, we need to stay here to watch over the place, to make sure no Death Eaters decide to drop by."

"That's acceptable, as long as you don't set one toe on the Dursley property Kingsley, you heard what the kid said. However, if you really want to take him on, just walk back into the house, I'll send word ahead to St. Mungos for you."

"C'mon Travis, we will acknowledge that however much muggle torture experience Snape has had, taking him out is not the same as dealing with one of us."

Travis looked at Tonks with some exasperation. "Tonks, the thing to remember about Harry Potter, and I say this having met the kid 15 minutes ago, No one in the world knows just what he is capable of magically. You and your little Order have obviously done something to piss him off, and I highly advise you not to provoke him right now. Our government is dealing with enough issues right now without the Boy Who Lived being involved in yet another duel against a government official meaning to do him harm. I am the ranking Auror on site, and I'm officially forbidding the two of you to enter that house or interact with him in any way unless he initiates contact with you first. I want to hear a verbal acknowledgement from both of you."

An acknowledgment that they both reluctantly gave. Biller was the third-ranking person in the DMLE, behind only Amelia Bones and Head Auror Rufus Scrimegour, and Azkaban was full of Dark Wizards and Witches that he had put there. After Dumbledore's group was gone, he went back into the House, passing Rob and Sarah, who were escorting Snape out the door. Travis 'accidentally' bumped Snape on his injured shoulder, and had a happy moment when the grease ball winced in pain.

"Harry, if you want some free advice, get lost. Dumbledore will probably be back here very soon."

"Five more minutes Mr. Biller, and I'll never see this house again. Thank for you everything tonight."

"You're welcome Harry, the DMLE will let you know about Snape's trial, assume it will happen sometime early next week, it won't be that complicated a trial. If Shacklebolt or Tonks come near you, send your house elf to me again, and I'll take care of them." He said goodbye to the Dursleys and walked back outside. The three Aurors made sure that Kingsley and Tonks were not on the Dursley property, and apparated away with Snape.

Harry ran into the kitchen and saw his friends waiting for him. The four Weasleys were all leaning against the kitchen counter, with Luna, Dudley, and Neville sitting at the table. Peter was coming in the back door, he had been doing a scan outside. Harry's grin could be seen in Bristol, it was that large. "Did everyone hear the show?" The tension in the room had long been released once they realized that a battle wasn't going to be taking place, so there were some easy smiles.

Peter walked over a patted Harry on the back. After politely asking Dudley to go wait with his parents, and throwing a Silencing Charm at the kitchen door. "That was masterful Harry, you did everything just fine."

"Thank God the Aurors got here when they did, I guess there were some Order people outside, they must have tipped him."

"We were ready, just in case." Bill nodded at Peter's statement and started to smile.

"I think it was much better that Dumbledore didn't know about us, it will be harder for him to predict things if he thinks it's just you calling the shots instead of a committee advising you."

"Anything that keeps him off balance is fine with me, and it only has to last a week... but now I've got to get out of here, he'll be back any minute."

Peter took a small book out of his pocket. "This is a portkey that I got from... well that I got from a reliable source that I do business with a lot. It will take you right to Room 214 of the Sheraton Hotel in London, the room that we have reserved for you. I sent an owl off today to Great Lakes, I should hear back from them sometime tomorrow or Sunday. All I told them is that I had a client who was interested in transferring from Hogwarts, and was under some security concerns... which doesn't flat out tell them who it is, but narrows the list down considerably."

Bill took over. "Now ideally we would like two of us to go with him and stay there tonight. There is very little chance that the old man can track him there, but we can't risk otherwise. Fred, George, it can't be you. Once Dumbledore finds out that he's not here and moreover has taken all his things with him, your shop is probably the second place he'll look, after The Burrow. Unfortunately, Dumbledore knows where I live, so that will be a place they might look to, and I don't dare deny him access, I don't want to make them too suspicious."

Neville stood up. "I'll go, I kind of figured that we might be doing something like this, so Gran knows that I might not be coming home tonight."

Charlie cleared his throat too. "I'll be the other, we need the other person to be able to use their wand in a fight, and I'm pretty good with alarm and surveillance charms." Peter handed Harry the book, and sent Dobby to collect Harry's things, he would meet them there.

"Winky!" She popped in.

"Yes Peter sir, the pictures are all taken, I got a good look at all the spells being fired. I used five rolls of film sir."

"Terrific, you come with me, we have a trip to make to the Daily Prophet, they don't go to press for another two hours. The rest of you, head back home, we'll meet in Harry's hotel room tomorrow afternoon."

Harry went up to all of them and hugged them in thanks, obviously enjoying Luna's the most and mildly chastising himself for letting Neville get there first. Soon all had left but Harry, Neville, Charlie, and the Dursleys. Charlie sat the muggles down on the living room sofa, one last thing needed to be done.

"Now I need all three of you to be very still for a moment. I need to remove the memories of a few things from your minds, this will not hurt one bit, and will help in throwing Dumbledore off our trail, ok? I am very good at this kind of thing, so there is no need to worry."

There were a lot of aspects to this business that all three of them wanted to forget, but they knew that Charlie wasn't going to go that far. Before the redhead could begin though, Harry walked in front of Vernon and Petunia and squatted down to face them... for the last time. "I know we've been sort of getting along the last few weeks, but that does not excuse the fact that you physically and verbally abused me for fourteen years, all over something that I had no control over whatsoever. Right now you're more afraid of me than of Dumbledore, but that might change, you might be tempted to tell him things, give him insight into what I might be doing. Someday Voldemort might come by here, and want to know a few things... Just know this Vernon, Petunia: I hate you both, I hate you just as much as I hate Dumbledore, for the childhood that I was never allowed to have. Do I need to remind you to forget about me? Because I will not forget, not for one second." Harry stood up and motioned Neville to go into the kitchen with him, while Charlie did his work.

"Harry, are you ok mate?"

"I'll be fine Neville, leaving this house forever will make a lot of things better."

"Is it forever, or are you coming back to settle with them?"

"No Neville, it's forever... I won't give them the satisfaction of becoming like them."

Charlie came into the kitchen at that point. "It's done, let's get out of here." They took hold of the book, and at the command, disappeared. Tonks and Kingsley noticed fifteen minutes later that there were no wizards in the house.