Just a warning now, there will be Ron and Dumbledore bashing. Ron especially. I can't stand him. He is not very smart, is cowardly, hotheaded, short on patience, and is essentially a less violent Gryffindor version of Draco Malfoy with his prejudices. Oh, and some of the backstory here is not canon, but this is fanfiction, so I can do what I want. The inspiration of a two day trial comes from the story Snowpoint Academy, which I attempted to honor by mentioning its location (Antarctica) in this chapter. I read a few other good stories where Harry attends a different school. I will be honoring them by mentioning their name and locations, as well as acknowledging them and the influence they had on me at the end of the story. We are live in five, four, three, two, one… Cameras rolling. Here we go.

(P.S.) Would love for someone to volunteer to be a beta.

The Order of the Phoenix and the underage students stumped back to Grimmauld Place, in various stages of health. They entered the house before slumping down around the massive table. "Thank goodness term is almost over." Ron muttered. "I don't think I could go back to school after that." For once, Harry agreed with him. He did not remember anything, and had stumbled into a dangerous situation. He had just discovered he had a godfather before he lost him minutes later. After a traumatizing event like that, the last thing he wanted was to be forced to go to a school he knew nothing about, which was led by that crazy Headmaster.

Molly finally broke the silence. "I think we will need to get to cleaning the house soon. Sirius was many things, but a tidy person he was not." There were a few murmurs of agreement but no one seemed to want to actually get up and do anything as a somber air still hung over the house. The head of the Weasley family seemed determined not to let that stop her. She started pulling her kids up from their seats, one at a time while still chattering the whole way. "I'll start the lot of you off upstairs with some cleaner, and remember, no magic! That means you too Harry dear." She added as an aside as the raven haired boy had shown no inclination of rising to his feet.

He stayed firmly planted right where he was, glaring up at her. She recoiled from him momentarily, eyeing the levels of disgust in his eyes. He could not believe the nerve of this woman. "Really? My godfather's body is not even cold yet, and already you are taking over his house? And last I checked, I did not have red hair. That means you are not my mother, and as such, have no right to command me as you might one of your brood! Also, please refrain from phrases like honey, my boy, dear, or other such patronizing endearments. Those are for use by parents, of which you are not one of mine!"

A deafening silence filled the room as incredulous gazes landed on him. He was actually standing up to Molly and defying her? The twins started to slink towards the door, hoping to leave before Mt. Molly erupted. Snape cringed, pulling back into his seat and stuffing his ears with his cloak. This was not going to end well. The expected explosion was not long in coming.

"How dare you speak to me that way you ungrateful whelp! We have treated you like one of the family, and THIS is how you repay us? With disrespect?" Harry rose to his feet in response to the name calling, placing himself and the Weasley matriarch on equal footing.

"Yes, I do dare! You have not responded to anything I said, instead sinking to juvenile insults!" He bellowed back, green eyes blazing with indignation. "You are not my parent or guardian, and as such have no authority over my actions. And why would you have them clean without magic? Hello, earth to mother Weasley, last I checked we were in a magical building. You know, like the ones that do not record underage magic? Fools, the lot of you."

Albus also stood up and opened his mouth. "My de-" He had a wand in his face as Harry stormed over to him.

"Listen well you old codger." Harry snarled. "You stay out of this. This is between me and her." He said in a disdainful tone of voice as he made a dismissive hand gesture towards the dumpy woman. "And if you ever call me your dear boy again, I will stuff your beard down your throat myself!"

A shrieked cry of "HARRY!" echoed through the room as Molly raced up to him and pulled her hand back. SLAP! "How dare you talk to the Headmaster that way?"

Harry snapped his head to face her, with a red mark on the side of his cheek as he roared in anger. "Do that again and I will not be so generous next time." He blasted her with a overpowered stunning hex, sending her crashing into the table. Several occupants winced as they heard the snap of bone. Harry shoved the Headmaster back into his seat before spinning to face the table full of stunned inhabitants that had not dared to move.

"And that goes for the rest of you as well!" He yelled, his voice echoing through the halls of Grimmauld. "Leave me alone!" He slipped his wand back into his pocket before turning to leave the room. He was almost to the doors before Dumbledore called after him.

"I am afraid I must ask for your wand my bo- I mean, Mr. Potter. You are unsafe with it right now." Harry ignored him until he wrenched open the door, walking part way out before sticking his head back in.

"Like hell." Then he slammed the door behind him so loudly everyone flinched. After a few seconds, people started to uncurl themselves from the balls they had curled up into to try to protect themselves.

"Wow." That statement about summed it up, as the room burst into a hubbub of questions and indignation as everyone rose to their feet and surged in the direction of Albus. Someone revived Molly, and her screams of pain only added to the crescendo of noise that was building.

'Time to leave.' Snape decided. 'Best to leave while the going is okay.' He pushed his way through the crowd to Albus, grabbing his sleeve and leaning in close. "I need to go!" He yelled over the noise, gesturing to his forearm. It was the most convincing excuse he could think of in a hurry. Albus' eyes widened as he nodded.

"Good luck then my boy. Stay safe Severus." As Snape hurriedly left the room, he snarled inwardly. He so badly wanted to yell at Dumbledore about his use of patronizing names as well. Once in the entrance hall he hesitated. He so badly wanted to get out of here. But on the other hand, something had seemed off with Potter… He heaved an exaggerated sigh as he made up his mind.

"Curse my soft heart." He muttered, spinning on his heel and beginning to search for Harry.

After a little while, he found him holed up in a room on the upper levels of the house. He leaned against the doorway as he looked inside. Harry was seated on the edge of the bed, head buried in his hands. He glanced up and saw the potions master standing there. "Go away Severus." He muttered halfheartedly.

"Do you really want that? I for one applaud you for what you said. You have no idea how many people have wanted to see Molly taken down a notch or two for years." He smiled. Not a smirk, a genuine smile. "Me included."

"Really?" Harry asked tentatively.

"Really. A lot of people think she goes too far a lot, she is really good at being overbearing. Don't you remember feeling that way yourself?" Snape's eyebrows drew together into a thin line. Something was off about Potter.

"No." Harry grumbled grudgingly.

"Why not?" Snape asked curiously.

"Because I don't remember! I know almost nothing! I don't even know… know who I am." With that he broke down, sobbing as he curled into a ball and turned to face the wall.

Snape stood silent for a moment. 'Potter did not remember? Not anything?' Severus thoughts raced. 'But I made sure he didn't get hit by anything except that brief unforgivable from Bellatrix, and he was not under long enough to go crazy. Besides, he isn't mad, just lost his memories. There is a difference.' He swallowed uncomfortably. Without his memories, he couldn't act cold towards the boy over actions he knew nothing about. Even he drew the line somewhere. He briefly entertained the idea the boy had been lying, but quickly dismissed the idea. Potter was a horrible liar, and Snap had not detected any falsehood from Potter. That meant he got to play the role of nanny. How fun. Well, by nature of his position, he owed it his best shot.

Severus sat down on the edge of the bed, keeping some distance between them. This was not the first time he had comforted a child. Slytherins may project this strong exterior, but they had the same problems any ordinary kid would. "You were Harry Potter, child of Lily and Prongs, godson of the ironically named Sirius Black. Now? You are still Harry Potter, but the rest? With no memories, your future is up to you. Just think about that."

He just sat there quietly, knowing saying nothing and providing silent support was the best he could do. After a little while, the sobbing died down a little bit. "Could you tell me about who I was?" He asked Snape in a small voice. Snape winced as he heard it. Even the spoiled and entitled tone of the boy was better than that. The sickening amount of hope, trust, and need in his voice disgusted the greasy haired man. Ah well. There was nothing else for it.

"Of course." Severus said quickly. Originally, he did not like the boy. Even with his promise to Lily, he could not get how the boy looked like the spitting image of James Potter out of his head. Now, however, he was crushed and almost broken. He somehow had lost his memories. Snape's heart leaped. With no poor memories of the Potions professor, he would not instantly disbelieve anything he might say. This was his chance. A chance to start redeeming himself, both for him and for Lily. "Now, if memory serves, back in your first year…"

(Line break)

Snape slowly started to spend more time staying around Harry, constantly telling him stories for hours on end. The subject of discussion ranged from what Harry had done before he lost his memories, to stories about the Marauders. (Though Harry could see this clearly pained Snape, and quickly stopped asking for them.) He even worked on sharpening his skills and testing to see which spells he was still able to cast. The Potions Master's concern over this was unfounded, as Harry seemed to instinctively remember anything he previously earned. The conversation would stretch on for most of the day. The hours of discussion turned into days, days into weeks, and weeks into months, until it was almost time for Hogwarts to start up again.

(Line break)

"Hello Minerva. Lemon drop?" The ubiquitous headmaster asked, holding out one of the sweets he routinely handed out to those in his office. While not on the level of Arthur Weasley, who lived and breathed all things muggle, Dumbledore had developed a fondness for muggle sweets. In no small part was this because he did not risk eating an unsavory jelly bean and he knew what he was getting.

"No, thank you Albus. You wanted to see me?" McGonagall asked briskly. She had other things to worry about, she did not need to be sucked away from her job by some inconsequential happening.

The headmaster sighed and popped the candy into his mouth, eating it before answering. "Yes. It has come to my attention that Mr. Potter has not been in the best condition since the tragic death of his godfather."

McGonagall snorted, crossing her arms. "Hardly a surprise there. You try losing someone who was essentially the only family you've ever known."

"What about the Dursleys? I have no doubt they are taking good care of him."

"Good care of him? If your definition of good care involves getting beaten, starved, and locked in a cupboard then he must be in perfect shape." The Deputy Headmistress stood up and began to pace, her face downcast and her features stern. "I know you have seen the reports from Poppy. Every year Albus, every year, she checks him because something went wrong in the school and he got hurt, and year in and year out, it is always the same. There is evidence of abuse, bruises, broken bones, he even has scars across his back from where he was whipped! Have you seen him Headmaster? Every year, he leaves the school confidant and happy. Every year, he returns with his spirit crushed, emaciated, and afraid. He shies away whenever anyone even tries to touch him. He is uncomfortable with the smallest of compliments. We both know he is getting mistreated there, and inexplicably, you have done nothing to stop it! You have all those fancy schmancy detectors on that shelf!" She waved a hand in the direction of the spinning silver instruments. "That monitor anything and everything in that house. All the rooms have listening charms on them to boot as well. Every time he was hit, verbally assaulted, every time when he whimpered in pain and asked for help from someone, anyone, you heard and you knew. And you did nothing. This has to stop." She finished, her voice rising in volume.

Dumbledore winced at the noise. This could be a long and painful conversation, and he was already getting a headache. He waved his hands placatingly at her, unused to her showing her displeasure at him. "Calm down, I will do something about it. Trust me." She snorted at that. "In fact, that ties into what I wanted to talk to you. Please take a seat, you are going to wear a hole in the carpet." He said mildly.

McGonagall breathed deeply, getting herself under control before reluctantly taking a seat. "I am aware of the problems. But he needs the protection of the wards there until now, and he is perfectly capable of handling it himself. But I would like him to stay in Hogwarts for the next summer, as well as the holidays. It is simply too dangerous in the outside world for him now. The battle with Voldemort looms, and he needs to be ready. To that end I have decided to alter his schedule somewhat. I will have him drop all the courses but Charms and DADA, and have him stop quidditch."

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "And on what authority are you planning on doing that? For one thing, I believe in a well-rounded education, which he cannot receive if he does that."

Dumbledore waved a hand dismissively. "He doesn't need those. He just needs to know how to beat Voldemort. Quidditch is just a distraction and he needs all the training he can get."

"And what about post-graduation? He may be the boy-who-lived, and the defeater of Voldemort, but he needs to have his N.E.W.T.S to get a job. Also, every person needs an outlet and a hobby, and for Harry that is quidditch." McGonagall's eyebrows drew together in incomprehension, this did not sound like the Albus Dumbledore she knew.

"Wizarding Britain is more important than Harry continuing to take the other courses." Albus stated, rising to his feet. "Everything else is unnecessary. It is regrettable, but it is for the Greater Good."

McGonagall shook her head sadly. "The Greater Good. The ambiguous term that has been responsible for more casualties than any other, in the magical or muggle worlds. I was afraid of this. You just see Harry as a weapon. No, I won't allow it." Her tone was final, brooking no argument.

"But quidditch serves no purpose for-" he tried, before being cut off.

"And explain to me, Albus, why you want me to ban Mr. Potter from the quidditch team. I will not make something up to stop him. You have yet to give me a good reason." She started to pant as she talked over him, out of breath. She sighed and sank back in her chair, her arms gripping the chair arms so tightly Dumbledore was afraid she would break it. "I can't, won't, do anything to alienate him. I already lost Mr. Longbottom. I cannot afford to let another of my lions be driven away through my mistakes." McGonagall looked away from Dumbledore in a huff.

Dumbledore leaned forward, interested, eyes twinkling. "Mr. Longbottom? What happened?"

"I just got the letter Albus. He is withdrawing from Hogwarts and attending school elsewhere. He cited several reasons, including his worry about the school's safety, his unhappiness with the current subjects, his desire to prove himself to his aunt, and not least among them, the refusal of the staff to do anything to stop the bullying that happened to him for years as we all ignored his plight." She again rose to her feet and resumed pacing. "Dumbledore, you gave the orders to ignore the problems caused by the Slytherins. You are handicapping the rest of the school who attempt to defend themselves and get in trouble for it. What do you think is going to happen when word get out? And make no mistake, it always gets out in the end." Her voice dropped even lower. "We will be besieged with howlers, parents will withdraw their children, and some, or all, of us will likely be sacked over this! We also have another problem. I checked with Augusta Longbottom, and she never signed the form that withdrew Neville. She has no idea where he is! He has vanished. But I digress. Back to the original point, no, I will not ban him from playing."

"Minnie, why is this so hard-" He groaned.

"No. Either give me a good reason, or you can do it yourself." Minerva stated sternly looking away.

Dumbledore sank back into his chair, suddenly looking every bit his age. He rubbed his face with one hand tiredly. "Fine. You know the prophecy right?" He asked in a weary tone of voice.

McGonagall frowned. "Yes, you told me after you first heard it in case something went wrong. What does that have to do with anything?"

"The prophecy says neither can live while the other survives. Harry has a horcrux in his scar on his head. A poorly made and accidental one yes, but a horcrux nonetheless. For the prophecy to come true, Harry needs to die. But he also needs to be good enough to beat Voldemort at the same time. So I am going to take away the extracurricular things so he can concentrate on training. It is quite simple." He said resignedly, already bracing himself for the outrage that was sure to explode from his deputy.

At this point the listeners heard a quiet squawk of shock from something outside the window. McGonagall rushed to the window and caught sight of a bird winging its way into the night. "It's Snape!" Her cry of surprise echoed around the room as she recognized the animagus. Dumbledore also ran to the window and began casting curses and spells after the raven, hoping to disable or kill it before it got away. The black bird managed to dodge most of them, but did take a few hits as Severus landed and became a man again outside the anti-apparition wards. He vanished in a loud crack as a brightly colored light slammed into the ground he had occupied moments before.

Minerva wheeled on Dumbledore. "Why did you attack him?" She screeched angrily.

"He can't know that, he could take it to Voldemort-"

McGonagall pounced on that, sensing an opening and a chance to get some answers. "Aha! You mean, you don't trust him implicitly? You don't trust him, after all the complaints that have come your way? And that was reason to try to kill the man?"

"Minerva, this is not the time for-" The Headmaster tried before being cut off.

"It's the perfect time! You need to explain yourself right now!" She shrieked, hands on her hips.

The Headmaster sighed. "Not now Minerva. I need to catch him before he gets too far."

"After you illegally assaulted a faculty member and tried to kill him? What were you thinking?"

"I am afraid of him going after Harry Minerva." Dumbledore brushed past her and walked to the door before turning. "Come or not, I don't care. I need to go grab some Order members and check on Harry. Fawkes!" He grabbed hold of the phoenix who quickly vanished in a flash of fire.

(line break)

Months later, with Snape having vanished from magical society, and being hunted by the Order…

(Line break)

Harry was bored, there were no two ways about it. He had been stuck here on his own for a long time now, and had not been allowed to do anything interesting. He had been kept out of all Order meetings, and had not been let out of the house. In fact, they were so strict that they often had someone nearby, likely to keep an eye on him. He blamed Dumbledore for this. Every time he attempted to talk with Hermione or Ron, they would look uncomfortable and mumble something about not being allowed to talk to him before rushing away in embarrassment. He was no genius, but he was smart enough to realize that this was exactly the same thing that had apparently happened the previous summer, where on Dumbledore's orders, he had been cut off from the outside world. He growled in resentment. The only person who had dared to strike out against Dumbledore was Snape. The greasy haired man had ignored Dumbledore, and constantly visited Harry, teaching him and telling him stories about his life. Or, at least, he had, before the Order had declared open season on the man. Harry hadn't seen him in over a month and a half.

For years, apparently, he had supposedly been convinced that the headmaster knew best. After all, he was the leader of the Light, defeater of Grindelwald, and holder of half a dozen other titles. But now, after hearing about and recognizing some of his more questionable decisions, he was no longer so sure. Slowly, during his enforced isolation, his mental image of Dumbledore grew steadily more tarnished. Even without his old memories, he knew what Dumbledore was doing was wrong. From what he heard from the others, he had always followed the headmaster without question. How? He shook his head and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes as he tried to get back on track. He had to take his mind off of things. For the umpteenth time, he attempted to read through his upcoming coursework, but found his mind drifting almost instantly. He blinked and realized he had just re-read the same line for the seventh time. He slammed the book down in a huff, and crossed his arms. He may be acting a little childish, but he had a right to! He had watched his only family, his godfather, die in front of him, and had been essentially cut off from any and all people who might assist him in some way. He still struggled with the guilt and sorrow that he had been wallowing in since Sirius' death, and he couldn't take it any longer. Mind made up, he stood to his feet and grabbed his invisibility cloak. He was going to Diagon Alley, to hell with the consequences.

Now that he thought about it, there was definitely a way to catch up with the news of the wizarding world. All he had to do was play the interested 'Boy who lived' card, and surely someone would tell him what he wished to know. Finally, that useless title would actually be helpful, for the first time ever.

He donned the cloak and cautiously stalked forward and poked his head into the hall. He spotted Tonks lingering about halfway across, glancing around causally as she pretended to be interested in a copy of the Daily Prophet. He snuck past her, careful to not make any sound that might result in her auror training kicking in. He smiled triumphantly as he made it past her, the joy of adventure starting to stir him from the depths of his self-imposed lethargy. He placed his hand on the door and had started to stealthily open it when a hand closed on the back of his cloak and yanked it off him, spinning him around to face a gnarled visage. "Potter." Moody growled, his electric blue magical eye spinning around furiously in its socket. "Thought you might try something like this. Guess Dumbledore was right in posting a guard to keep you inside. What are you thinking?"

Harry stood tall in the face of his discovery, indignation fueling his responses. "Dumbledore was right? What was I thinking?" His voice rose higher with every word until he was almost shrieking. "I was trying to get some information and see what was going on in the world, as no one here seems willing to! And what gives Dumbledore the right to confine me here? This is not his house, nor is he my guardian! Under what authority are you trying to stop me?" He cried, all his anger and resentment swelling to the surface in a huge wave, sweeping away his ordinary good sense.

Moody's hand gripped his shoulder tightly. "For your own good Potter, since you do not seem to have the sense to do it yourself, which can cost people's lives!" Harry flinched violently before starting to shake in rage at the low blow.

"For my own good? And who is he to determine that? And how dare you accuse me of being the source of Sirius' death! I do share part of the blame, yet all of you deserve at least as much as me, because you handicapped me by refusing to tell me anything! This is the last straw! I am going to Diagon Alley, and you can't stop me." He grabbed Moody's hand and wrenched it off his shoulder before rudely brushing by the old ex-auror on his way to the door. He walked a few steps before he heard a shouted spell from behind him.

"Perfectus Totalis!" The body bind cursed hit Harry and he fell to the ground, stiff as a board. Moody turned him over with his foot as Harry stared back up at him with fear-filled eyes. "Sorry, no can do. We were told to keep you here by whatever means necessary. Unfortunately, you cannot remember this, so… Obliviate."

"PROTEGO!" Someone roared from across the room, as a shield snapped into place in front of Harry, blocking the spell. Harry desperately tried to wriggle onto his side to see his rescuer, but was unsuccessful. Moody whirled, but too late. Severus Snape came racing across the room, spells and curses issuing from his wand in a constant stream so fast that it was hard to tell where one ended and the next began. More than a few were clearly dark magic as Snape pulled out all the stops to take Moody down. Finally, he cast a bludgeoning hex before his right arm swung forward in a devastating right hook to Moody's nose. Moody, distracted by blocking the stream of spells, was caught unawares for a moment to long. He tried to duck but was unable to dodge quickly enough. As his nose crunched inward and blood spurted out, his blue magic eye also popped out due to the force. Snape quickly stunned and bound him before releasing Harry. He bent over and picked up the magic eye before hurling it deep into the depths of the house before turning to look at Harry. "Are you alright Potter?" He asked, with no trace of his usual sneer present, his eyes set like chips of black stone in his fury.

Harry nodded, still surprised that Snape of all people had interfered. He had heard horror stories about the man's classes. He glanced towards where Tonks had been and was startled to see she was gone. He looked at Snape with a furrowed brow. "Yes, I think so. But what about…" He trailed off, flapping his hand towards where Tonks had been. The potions master cocked his eyebrow.

"Mr. Potter, did you somehow forget that I am a potions master and completely qualified to make polyjuice?" This time the sarcasm in his voice was palpable. Harry wisely made no answer and looked away. Snape nodded in satisfaction before beginning to speak again. "Mr. Potter, could you come with me for a moment?" Snape intoned solemnly, getting himself under control with a hint of desperation in his voice this time. Harry slowly looked back at the man and cast a suspicious glance at the potions teacher. Despite his help at the Department of Mysteries fiasco, and him standing up to Voldemort, as well as his companionship and defiance of Dumbledore, Harry trusted the man more than he used to, but still harbored a wariness around the man. Snape was not looking well, now that he took the time to examine him. He had bags under his eyes, his usually plastered and greasy hair was in disarray, and he was glancing around nervously. He also had a few cuts and tears in his robes, and his left arm was bleeding. "Now Potter, curse you. We need to go to Gringotts now." He hissed, lowering his voice so it would not echo through the halls of Grimmuald place.

"Why?" Asked Harry slowly, eyeing the man. Snape was almost dancing with impatience at this point.

"Betrayal, boy, that's why. Did you somehow miss where they assaulted you and tried to modify your memory? They will be here any moment. We have to get to Gringotts, now! Grab anything of value, we leave in two minutes." The import of the situation having finally gotten through, Harry fled upstairs and feverishly packed all his most important belongings. He was back in a minute and a half. They heard several cracks downstairs and froze. "They're here." Snape whispered in dread, thinking quickly. "Grab my arm." They quickly apparated away, and not a moment too soon, as the door was knocked down by a concussive hex not ten seconds later, with uniformed wizards storming the room with wands out.

Harry and Snape reappeared in the middle of Diagon alley. Harry, still not used to apparition, stumbled and fell down. Snape grabbed him and half dragged him along until Harry regained his feet as they ran towards the goblin bank. Again, several cracks behind them signaled the arrival of their pursuers as they threaded through several dumbfounded witches and wizards. Harry had to dodge a particularly large around the middle wizard who was wearing lurid yellow robes that seared the retinas. The color was so bright he could not even look at the man's face. Being cooped up in a house for a whole summer does wonders for reducing the physical conditions of most wizards, and Harry was no exception. He was gasping for air as they neared the front façade of Gringotts and ran past the goblin guards at the doors. Snape dashed over to the nearest teller and pulled out a piece of paper with a fancy seal at the bottom, showing it to the goblin. "Get me Director Ragnok, right now." The goblin read the note and paled before bouncing to his feet, knocking a few gems and coins off of his desk with no regard for the loss. He hurried into one of the passages that honeycombed the bank. He was back quickly with Ragnok, who motioned for the two to follow him through a door in the wall of the bank before leading them into a cart. The journey was wild and twisting, and Snape looked close to throwing up by the end of it. Apparently he was not a fan of roller coasters. Ragnok quickly dragged them into the Potter Vault and instructed them to wait here for him. He quickly made his way back to the cart and emerged into the front lobby of the bank just in time to greet the couple dozen wizards that burst through the front doors.

"Dumbledore." Ragnok said coldly, leaning on a nearby teller's booth casually while glaring angrily at the armed wizards. He made a hand signal behind his back and his subordinate hurried to gather all the guards, as Ragnok sensed he would not get out of this confrontation without a fight.

"Where is he?" The Headmaster ground out through clenched teeth, the twinkling in his eyes completely gone, replaced by what could have passed for slivers of blue ice. He was furious. Snape had somehow penetrated the wards around Grimmuald place and convinced Harry to flee. This needed to be rectified immediately.

"Where is who?" Ragnok donned an expression of polite curiosity and ignorance as he said this, glancing down at his perfectly manicured nails. Dumbledore's vaults were not so massive that he was one of the customers that Gringotts paid special attention to, and as such, the brusque manner of the visitor was intolerable.

"Don't play games with me goblin. I demand that you bring your director to me and give me the boy." Dumbledore demanded, to lots of head bobbing from his followers. The old wizard was normally more polite and courteous than this, but anger overrode his instincts.

Ragnok slowly straightened up to his full height and a fire came into his eye as every goblin in the bank began to growl and slowly unsheathe their weapons. "Two things, wizard." He spat the term in derision, flicking a hand towards Dumbledore and performing some kind of hand motion that was clearly a goblin insult. It was as juvenile as the director would ever allow himself to be in public. "Actually, three. First, you still have not named this so-called 'boy' you are looking for, so even if we were inclined to help, we could not. Second, one does not order a goblin around. Third and finally, I am Director Ragnok. One more insult of any kind and I cannot guarantee your safety from my warriors. One more insult of that magnitude of ordering any of us around and you will be thrown out and your account frozen." He stated coldly. Everyone within earshot shivered as they felt the bloodlust in his voice as he lay down the law.

"Do you know who I am?" Dumbledore rang out in challenge. He could not belive the goblin was stalling! They needed to recover Harry, and fast. He had no time for this.

"Unfortunately, yes, but I also do not care. How about you try again. Start by being polite and detailing who you are looking for. Begin at the beginning, then go on until you reach the end, and then stop. Then, and only then, will I deign to consider your request." Ragnok smiled savagely, his red enameled teeth gleaming blood red in the light.

Dumbledore subtly reached for his wand in one of his flowing sleeves and instantly every goblin in the bank had their weapons out and pointing at him. "That would be the last mistake you ever make wizard." Ragnok growled. "You would be dead before you cast your first spell. You have thirty seconds to make your case before I throw you out."

"But-"

"Twenty-five seconds." Ragnok stated firmly.

Dumbledore sighed, seeming to crumble back in on himself. "I am coming to rescue Harry Potter from Severus Snape, who has kidnapped him."

Ragnok snorted in amusement. It was always funny to him when a wizard would attempt to twist the truth when they were so clearly in the wrong. "Liar. They both came to me to beg sanctuary, as you were attempting to capture them. Unfortunately, we are not a political organization and were forced to turn them away." Dumbledore started to smile at this news. "Luckily-" His smile froze. Ragnok grinned savagely, his eyes colder than the depths of hell. "He is currently counting his money in his vault. As long as he pays his fees, we do not impose a time limit on a customer being in their vault. We also bring complimentary food to valued customers, of which he is one. And no one is allowed to interfere within Gringotts. Sadly I have no idea when they wish to come out." He said, in a mock sorrowful tone. "So sorry to disappoint. And they were just starting to tell me such an interesting story about you. Imagine that."

Dumbledore drew himself up, fury shining in his eyes. "See here-"

"No, you see wizard." Ragnok growled back, cutting him off. "They are out of your reach now. And if I have anything to say about it, the son of a goblin-friend will never be turned away from Gringotts while I am in charge. Now I think you had better leave, before someone on your side does something stupid." He finished smugly, eyeing the motley crew following Dumbledore.

Sure enough, the wizards backing Dumbledore had grown surly and angry. All it would take would be a simple lumos charm and a fight would break out. The atmosphere grew considerably more tensed as a Mexican standoff ensued between the wizards and the goblins. Molly Weasley stepped forward to try and defuse the situation, as Dumbledore had brought all the Weasleys with him to help persuade Harry.

"I apologize Director, but surely you can see Harry would be better with us than Snape?" She asked tearfully.

Ragnok stood firm. "I do not appreciate the condescension at all, and no, I cannot see that."

At this point Ron stepped forward, brushing off the grasping arms and whispered warnings from the others. "Oh come on. Harry belongs with us, not with some greasy haired git."

Ragnok had fires of rage in his eyes by now, though anyone who knew him well would have seen the glimmer of amusement hidden behind the fake emotion. He was having the time of his life tearing down the wizards publicly, and he had justifiable reasons to do so. "Mr. Snape is a valued customer here, and I believe that I already warned you about anymore insults. You will leave now. Guards, if they resist, use force."

The goblins all lowered their pikes and seemed to be seeking an excuse to use it as the wizards were forced towards the exit. Ron did not budge though. "How dare you!"

"HOW DARE I? HOW DARE YOU!" Ragnok thundered, cutting a fine figure in his armor as he drew his axe. "Leave now before we send you into the street in pieces!"

Ron shoved a goblin aside that tried to make him leave. "Stupefy!" He foolishly yelled, aiming the spell at the goblin. Instantly, he was hit by several spells as he went flying back into the double doors, unconscious. The red spell simply bounced off the air in front of the Director and slammed into the ceiling. There was a shocked silence as everyone understood what he had done.

"Attack!" Roared Ragnok and the goblins charged forward. The wizards, horrified at this turn of events, attempted to fire off spells to protect themselves, making the goblins even more enraged. Unfortunately for the wizards, ever since the encounter started, Ragnok had been stalling. Goblin magic, while powerful, was slow, and took a while to take effect. The spell that had been used basically twisted all non-goblin magic. It would negate them, change the spell, have the spell change direction, or explode in the caster's face. While powerful, it could only be used for a short time on a limited area. Gringotts was just such a limited area. Soon, a massive brawl was joined throughout the bank as more security goblins flooded the room to help fight. Not that it was needed. It wasn't really a fight, more like a massacre. With their magic not working, or even worse, hurting their own side, no wizard was really able to fight back against weapons held by the very fit goblins. In short order, all of them were unconscious and badly beaten up with the exception of Dumbledore who had drawn the Elder wand and was surrounded by a thick ring of goblins. "Drop it or die wizard." Ragnok growled. "On second thought, don't drop it. I would love an excuse to kill you." Dumbledore hesitated before slipping his wand back into his sleeve.

Ragnok grimaced in disappointment. "A pity." He turned to one of his subordinates. "Escort them to the ministry and lock them all up and press full charges." He motioned to a younger goblin. "Get me Rita Skeeter; tell her she has a huge exclusive, about Dumbledore attacking goblins on goblin soil. If that doesn't get her here, nothing will. Oh, and freeze and drain the accounts of every witch and wizard here, including Dumbledore. Especially Dumbledore." then left, trusting the other goblins to make the wizards pay for the debacle. He slowly retreated back to the Potter vault where his guests were waiting for him, tensed at the sound of battle.

He pulled up a chair and sat down, facing his two visitors. "Well that was fun. I have wanted to do that for decades!" The tension broke at that, and Snape and Harry laughed fitfully. Ragnok rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Now, I may be no magician, but I do not think that you, Mr. Snape, were able to communicate to Mr. Potter here the reason for the urgency in which you left. In light of that, before we can continue, I recommend we bring a pensieve here so we can see the memory in question. Is that alright?" They both nodded and he sent a goblin running to get one.

The pensieve in question was noticeable different from any Harry had seen before. This was a tetragonal shape, with a flat bottom with runes carved into the sides. "Ready?" Snape asked. There was a pair of nodding heads. "Before I start allow me to give a little background. I made a promise to Lily Evans before she died, to protect Harry. I also have developed a habit recently of noticing when Dumbledore and Minnie leave the hall to go have a conversation. My animagus form happens to be a raven. I tend to transform and then listen from the window. I learned some interesting things today." He touched his wand to his temple before drawing the strand of memory out and placing it in the basin.

They quickly finished watching the memory then the watchers were returned to their bodies as they sat there for a moment, too stunned to say anything, except for Snape. He stood up, clenching his fist. "I promised Lily." He said in a strained tone of voice. "And I'll be damned if some twinkle eyed twit like Albus is going to make me break it. I hope you understand now, Potter, why I rushed you away." Harry nodded slowly, still attempting to process the information. Sure, he had thought something was wrong during the summers, and the behavior of the man in the DOM had been deplorable, which had resulted in a lessening of trust in the old man, but this…

He raised a hand. "Um, is it a problem that I cannot remember anything prior to the DOM? It was like I just woke up there and only knew my name." Ragnok and Snape exchanged concerned glances with each other.

"More than likely, someone has tampered with your memories Mr. Potter. Would you like to see if Mr. Snape can break the blocks?"

"Why not?"

Snape sat down in front of him. "Please be sure not to resist me, as that will cause pain. Understood?" At his nod Snape began. "Legilimens." He locked eyes with Harry for several seconds before suddenly flying backwards out of his chair, slamming into the opposite wall before crumpling to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Mr. Snape!" Ragnok cried in alarm, lunging out of his chair and trying to help the potions master back to his feet as armed goblins burst through the door of the vault. Snape waved him off as Ragnok dismissed the guards, gingerly climbing back to his feet as he gathered his thoughts.

"That is the strongest block I have ever seen." He said in an awestruck voice. He had never even heard of a block so powerful it would evict you upon contact. "Just touching it expelled me from his mind. Painfully." Upon seeing the worried expression on Harry's face he smiled. "Not to worry, look at it this way. You get to start fresh, with no previous loyalties. You can be who you want to be. Who knows, maybe they will come back over time. But there is nothing I can do for you right now."

Ragnok clapped his hands together sharply, making Snape and Harry jump. "Well then. I think we have determined that it would be in your best interests not to return to Hogwarts. From what Snape has told me of your summers, it seems very few of them are good friends. Longbottom and Lovegood, along with the Weasley twins, were the only ones who attempted to take action. They sent you letters and tried to get you out of your house but were foiled. So really, I do not see that you have many strong ties to that school. I think the first order of business is to get the rest of your things, I doubt you were able to get them all before you fled."

"No, I didn't, but if I leave Dumbledore will try to get me. I don't suppose you can provide an escort or something Director?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Well Mr. Potter, unfortunately we are only a bank." The Director said in a mock mournful tone. "However, we could send some goblins to help protect you and your cargo if you declared an intention of retrieving something, be it so little as one knut, to put in the bank, thereby making it Gringotts business. Will that be acceptable?"

"Yes Director Ragnok; and thank you." Harry said gratefully. He was beginning to appreciate the goblins even more. Any race that was so fond of loopholes and technicalities was alright with him.

"Not a problem, always glad to assist, especially for anyone related to Lily Evans. She constantly fought for Goblin rights, and for that we shall be thankful forever. Go get your things, and when you return we shall talk more." Ragnok called for some of his subordinates. He gave them some brief instructions and handed Harry a two way goblin-made portkey.

He and the goblin escort appeared just outside No. 12 Grimmuald Place, and immediately entered the building. Remus was sitting at the table reading the Daily Prophet and he jumped up in surprise when he saw him. "Harry! Thank goodness you are alright." He rushed forward, but was halted at goblin sword and spear point. He glanced warily at Harry, his werewolf instincts screaming at him. "Harry? What are the goblins doing here?"

Harry smiled grimly. He was in no mood for games. "Move aside Remus. I am here to get my things. If you attempt to interfere, the goblins will stop you."

Remus had a very confused look on his face. "What do the goblins have to do with Severus Snape kidnapping you? And why are you getting your things? School hasn't started yet."

"First off, Snape did not kidnap me. I left of my own free will, and he told me some very fascinating things about the so-called 'Leader of the Light'. I am getting my things under guard because none of us would put it past Dumbledore to try and snatch me, whether I want it or not. As for school-" Harry shrugged. "Maybe I will pull a Weasley and not return to school. All I know is I have serious doubts about this war. Now if you will excuse me." He marched up the steps, followed by half of the goblins, the others remaining behind to keep an eye on the werewolf. With his help he quickly packed everything he had been unable to grab on his first escape before exiting the house with his escort in tow. Remus made no attempt to stop him, clearly still wondering what was going on. The goblins and Harry entered the street only to meet with several wand tips from a few Order members who had not gone with Dumbledore, led by Mad-eye Moody, who had evidently recovered from his utter embarrassment at the hands of Snape.

The leader of the goblins sighed. "I was afraid o' this." He muttered. He turned to Harry. "Let me handle this laddie." He stepped forward, facing the wizards. "What is it?" He snapped. "You are interfering with official Gringotts business.

"Free Potter before we make you." Moody growled, his already savaged face creasing in frustration.

By means of an answer the Scottish goblin searched his pockets before pulling out what looked like a small remote, with a big red button in the middle. "See this?" He waved it in front of the wizard's nose. "This gets destroyed, or I press this button, you top-dwellers will feel like the world 'as ended. The goblins will take your action as a declaration of war, and unlike you, we just so 'appen ta have a standing army. We will also foreclose on all loans, arrest all clients currently doing business in Gringotts, freeze and confiscate all the accounts in both branches of Gringotts, and recall all the Galleons in circulation in Wizarding Britain." The faces of the wizards standing in their way grew steadily paler as the goblin described economic ruin for Britain. "That is what will happen if you don't back off RIGHT NOW." He bellowed at the Order members.

The wizards exchanged unsure glances with each other. No one was exactly sure what had gone down at Gringotts, and they had no standing orders from above, they had simply been told Potter had been kidnapped, and they had taken it upon themselves to be his rescuers. The goblins, seeing the uncertainty, charged forward, yelling at the top of their lungs in a Braveheart style charge. The wizards, having not been paying attention to them, stumbled back instinctively, bracing for an impact that never came. That rush forward had carried them past the wards, and the portkey activated, whisking them off to Gringotts.

After Harry had returned safely, and had recovered from his fright, Ragnok had a meal brought out. "Now that you have your stuff, down to business. Clearly you cannot return to Hogwarts. I recommend we look at some other schools, as there is still time to enroll you. I would suggest it be a great distance from here, so as to be out of reach of Dumbledore. I have here some brochures and information on the schools that are not in Europe but speak English. Look through them and see if any of them catch your interest." Harry leafed through them. There were several schools in the United States, (Great Lakes School of Magic, Tecumseh, Salem, etc.) one in Canada (The Maple Leaf School of Magic) one in Peru (In Machu Picchu), two in Africa, one in Antarctica (Snow point Academy), one in Bulgaria (Durmstrang), Seekers Academy (No one happened to actually know where it was) and one in Australia. That last one caught his interest. He checked the back for a list of the courses that they taught. The list continued off the bottom of the page. Harry unfolded in further and the list unraveled, falling to the floor. Harry looked at the courses listed and let out a whistle.

"Wow." He murmured. "How many things does this place teach?" Ragnok examined the list, doing some quick calculations in his head.

"A little over two hundred, though I expect many of them are highly specialized courses." Satisfied, Harry returned to reading the course options. It was the only school on the list to teach both Necromancy and Blood magic. He had heard of the Uluru Academy before. It was one of the flagship schools, constantly one of the best in the world. The downside was the attitude of the school. Apparently every one of the applicants had two days to make an over two hundred mile journey from Alice Springs to the school in two days. They were given a compass small enough to hang on a necklace that would always point to the school. Usually only a fourth of the applicants actually made it to the school. Of the ones who failed, very few made it back to civilization to try a second time. Then, the entire first year, the less desirable students were weeded out, as fight and duels were encouraged (but not killing). After that, it settled down, the school not wanting to waste their teaching. Anyone who survived the first year was home free, assuming they did not get caught in an 'accident'.

"This one." Harry said, tapping it with his fingers.

Snape read the information and frowned. "Why that one? Would we do if you died?"

"I won't fail. That and the blood magic and necromancy could be crucial to defeating Voldemort."

"But-"

"Let the boy decide." Ragnok proclaimed loudly, leaning back in his small chair and crossing his arms. "If we try to dictate his choices we are no better than Dumbledore. If you want to go through with this, we need to get you to leave soon. I am doing my best to stall him, but Dumbledore will post bail somehow and get out of jail. It would be better if we got you out of the country pronto. Actually, if you could take another official name you could hide behind that would be great." His eyebrows creased, thinking of possible choices.

Harry frowned. "Another name?"

Ragnok sighed in impatience. "Yes. If you officially take another name you can use said name on legal documents and such. Think of it as an official nickname. An example is Narcissa Malfoy. She is officially Narcissa Malfoy-nee Black, she is just referred to by her new name as a member of the Malfoy family. Clear?"

"Um…. I can't really think of any right now." Harry said hesitantly, expecting a sarcastic comment from either Snape or Ragnok.

"Meh." Ragnok waved a hand dismissively. "I can just draw a random first and last name out of this hat-" He pointed at a fedora that Snape and Harry were sure had not been there five seconds before. "And you can tell me if you like it. I personally recommend we pick one for each the muggle and magical world. It makes it even harder to trace you. That alright?" He got a nod, and that was apparently sufficient for him. "First name." He reached into the hat and pulled out a slip of paper. "And last name." He pulled out a second piece. "Is the name Remy LeBeau fine for you?"

Harry shrugged, not having any better ideas. "I guess."

"Good. Now for the muggle world. Is Adam Newman allowable?" Another shrug, as Harry still seemed to be trying to catch up to the current events in his head. He had been put in isolation, almost had his memory modified, was attacked, was about to flee Britain and move to Australia, and now had more things to deal with. No wonder he was overwhelmed.

"Yeah, because the name 'New man' is totally subtle and not obvious at all." Snape added sarcastically, gleeful at being able to use his favorite skill, Potter taunting.

Ragnok fixed him with a withering look. "It is called hiding in plain sight." He said loftily. "Something of which I believe you could use help in."

Snape winced, remembering his experience as a fugitive. "Touché."

"Then if you could sign these." Ragnok waved a hand and a six inch thick pile of paperwork landed on the desk. Ragnok snickered at the look on their faces. "Just kidding." He waved his hand again and a single piece was left. "If you would write your new name and sign at the bottom…"

Harry quickly did as instructed, wincing as the blood quill bit into the back of his hand as he signed and the piece of paper glowed before vanishing. "Nice to meet you Mr. Newman." Snape drawled. He glanced at the director. "I take it that the paper is now in the goblin archives and not at the ministry?"

Ragnok grinned savagely. "Indeed. I am letting it nowhere near them. Now, as to how we get you out of the country in a hurry…" A small goblin rushed in and whispered in his ear before leaving. Ragnok scowled. "Dang it. Dumbledore is out. I had hoped he would be stuck for longer. Apparently he has placed magical London on lockdown. We need to get you out of here."

Snape raised a hand, with a smirk plastered on his face. "Excuse me. By chance is the magic car of the Weasleys in their vault?"

Ragnok's brow furrowed before he smiled. "I believe it is. Arthur Weasley deposited it here a while back to hide it from his wife. Why?"

Snape leaned back in relief. "Good. Then I know what to do. Do you have a spare floo? I need to call up a favor from someone of importance."

"Sure. I will get the car ready. Griphook!" He called. Said goblin stepped forward quickly. "Please show Mr. Snape here to the nearest unoccupied floo." He turned to Harry. "Could we borrow one of your hairs? We could polyjuice one of my goblins and send him out the front doors to cause a diversion while you sneak out the back."

"No problem." Harry plucked a hair from his head and held it out.

Ragnok took it and rang a little bell as another goblin came into the room. "Take this hair and put it in polyjuice and then give it to Snarlfang. He will know what to do." He picked up the hat from the table and tossed it to the green eyed teen across from him. "Keep this. Nobody will expect the prestigious boy-who-lived to wear something muggle. Harry nodded in thanks as he placed it on his head before looking at himself in a small handheld mirror Ragnok handed him. He quite liked the look actually.

Snape came back into the room smiling. "Done. We will meet someone who will let us through. He will say something about the car attacking someone so we know it is him. Got a back door we can use?" He asked Ragnok, eyes twinkling devilishly.

The goblin smiled. "Of course. We have tons of back passageways and getaway plans. Better safe than sorry, as the muggles say. Come; let us go to the car." He led them through Gringotts, careful to avoid any human customers in the bank. He showed them to the car, which looked a little more beaten up than the last time Harry had seen it, looking like it had gone ten rounds with the Whomping Willow. "This passage leads to part of muggle London. Dumbledore has contacted the muggle police and convinced them that a man of your description-" He nodded at Snape. "-Has kidnapped a black haired, green eyed youngster with a distinctive scar on his head. They will have set up a checkpoint around the airports, so be careful."

Severus smiled. "Not to worry, already thought of that and took care of it. Do you have the tickets for the airplane?" Ragnok handed them to him before hesitating for a moment.

"Just so you know… I would not have done this for just anyone." He said solemnly. "I could count the number on one hand. The son of Lily Evans is one such. She not only fought for the goblins, but saved my life once. As she was a goblin-friend, so are you now." He passed a small locket in the shape of a galleon to Harry. "If you open this, you can talk to its twin, which I have here." He held up a matching one. "Call, and we shall answer. Fight, and the goblins of Gringotts will fight with you. Our home is your home. Our food is your food. Our weapons are your weapons." He bowed forward slightly. "Good luck and fair weather goblin-friend. May we meet again in better times. Leave in precisely two minutes, as that is when we shall make a distraction that will let you slip away." He walked away and was gone within moments.

"I hope you understand the import of what he just did Potter." Snape hissed, deadly serious, face pale as he listened to the goblin. "Take care not to betray his confidence in you, unless you wish for an eternity of suffering, for yourself and for him. Get in; we need to be ready to leave." They piled into the car and on the stroke of two minutes quietly drove out the passage and into muggle London.

(line break)

The front doors of Gringotts creaked open slowly and a couple patrons sauntered out, talking among themselves. A small boy with emerald green eyes, raven black hair, a cloak, and a lightning bolt scar followed them, attempting to avoid being seen by using them as shields. He cast a quick glace around the Alley, looking for any members of Dumbledore's Order. He slipped away from the upstanding members of the wizarding world he had been following and attempted to vanish into the crowds in Diagon Alley. He walked quickly and change direction often, attempting to throw off any pursuit. He finally slowed down, just as he caught sight of a few wizards and witches approaching him, keeping their wands unobtrusively pointed at him. Snarlfang, polyjuiced as Harry Potter, gave a small smile. Now was the time to further exploit the divides in the wizarding world. He waited till they got close then wheeled and took off running down the middle of the Alley. The followers cursed before running after him. Snarlfang smiled grimly. Just as they had planned. Now, to attract attention…

"Help!" He shouted, racing between pedestrians who turned to look at the voice. "They are trying to kidnap me! Aurors! Help!" He shrieked. Several members of the community, as well as a few aurors in earshot, started towards the commotion.

"Stupefy!" The wizard in the lead shouted, as he aimed his wand at the fleeing figure. Snarlfang threw himself to the side, allowing the red spell to streak past him and slam into an innocent bystander waiting in line at Florian Fortescue's Ice cream parlor. The child crumbled to the ground and a howl of outrage rose from everyone in the alley. Whole crowds drew their wands and raced after the wrongdoers, eager to dish out some payback. Diagon Alley now resembled a mob scene. A furious torrent of people were chasing several people who were in turn in pursuit of a small figure, who darted around a corner and down an alley, well ahead of his pursuers. He ran up to the waiting goblins hidden at the back of the alley and gave them a signal. One of them passed him a small button that was charmed to destroy magical disguises. He nodded in thanks as he morphed back into his normal form and donned a cloak that exactly matched the one he had been wearing as he ran down Diagon Alley before turning his back to the entrance of the alley. The people that had attempted to catch him rounded the curve and, seeing the small figure facing away from them, launched a series of stunners and body-binds. Snarlfang crumpled to the ground, giving a wink to the goblins nearby, just in time for the mob to see the atrocity carried out against what was clearly a goblin. The goblin warriors, who had been positioned ahead of time, ran forward in mock indignation, waving their weapons and generally causing a major ruckus. Several aurors finally managed to make their way to the front of the crowd that was howling for blood and swiftly disarmed all the Order members before placing them in protective custody, trying to prevent the goblins, as well as the mob, from trying to lynch them. They rapidly revived Snarlfang, and the aurors apologized profusely and swore up and down that justice would be done. Assuaged, the goblins agreed, giving a warning that they would be watching to see what would happen before returning to Gringotts, basking in the glow of a job well done. Nobody thought to question what goblins had been doing in a dead-end alley so far from Gringotts.

(line break)

They had driven carefully through the streets, keeping an eye out for any Order members. They had not seen any, and slowly Snape began to relax as mile after mile peeled away and no enemies were spotted. Then he straightened and cursed lightly. Sure enough, the muggle police had set up a barricade around the airport and were checking the passengers. One of the officers stood off to the side, not participating. When he saw the car he walked forward and beckoned them off to the side before walking up to the car.

"Is there a problem officer?" Snape asked coolly, having rolled down the window to talk to the muggle.

The officer shifted uncomfortably. "Who are you?"

"What do you want, name, rank and serial number?" Both of them sniggered for a moment before composing themselves.

"In all seriousness sirs, we have received several complaints of this car attempting to eat bystanders, as well as doors opening and closing under their own power. One would almost say it was… What is the word I am looking for… Oh, yes. Magic." He gave a sly wink to Severus as he said this.

"Ah. This is a clown car you see, used in the circus, and it is currently being lent to me by a friend in the circus. I will turn off the special features." Snape said, keeping a straight face and a serious tone.

"I see. That explains it. Officially, that story checks out, you are free to go." The officer winked. Unofficially…" He trailed off, smirking. "Off the record, Her Majesty says to convey the message that she thanks you for your help in the problem the castle had a while back. She says she is glad to help an old friend. She will stall Dumbledore as much as she can, and try to get immunity for your charge. Good luck sir, and stick it to that old git." The officer saluted before peeling back the coat he was wearing to show a badge. "Magic division of MI6, LSM graduate, class of '64. I always hated Albus. Wand please?" He asked Harry. At Snape's nod, Harry did as asked. The officer muttered something under his breath as the wand glowed for a moment before handing it back. "No one is going to catch you doing under-age magic now." He waved them on as he went back to his job.

Harry looked at Snape. "Her Majesty? You know the Queen?" He asked, his voice rising in incredulity

Snape smirked. "God save the Queen and all that rot. There is a lot about me that nobody knows. I do expect you to keep this a secret though." He cast a dangerous gaze at the young man sitting next to him. Harry nodded vigorously, not really having thought there was more to the potions master than met the eye.

Snape quickly got him on the plane before going to one of his safe houses he has set up for just this type of occurrence, in a place no one would ever think to look for him. He had just settled in after congratulating himself before he sat up straight. "Damn! Tracking Charms!"