A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any character thereof. Only the story line is mine so please don't sue! I don't own anything!

Chapter 44

Harry was going on day four of no food. Ron had called from Egypt and his Uncle had answered the phone. It had not been pretty, especially since his uncle was still upset over the police incident. Harry shuddered at the memory.

He glanced at the clock.

11:58 PM

In two minutes he would be thirteen. It looked to be a miserable birthday. Marge would be coming later that day.

Sighing, he returned to the Quidditch magazine he was reading. (It was the one that he had managed to get out of his trunk earlier that summer.)

A little after midnight he wished himself a Happy Birthday and put his magazine under the loose floorboard. He then went to the window to get some air.

Harry suddenly grinned. He recognized Hedwig flying at him with a package tied to her legs.

His birthday might not be so bad after all.

The next morning, while Harry fixed everyone breakfast, the news flashed over about Sirius Black - an escaped convict.

The sight of him stirred something deep in Harry's brain but he couldn't put his finger on what it stirred.

His Aunt Petunia however gasped and dropped her tea cup.

"Petunia, dear, are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Clean this up boy."

Harry sighed and after he placed breakfast on the table, he cleaned up the broken cup.

He had been allowed some toast before being sent upstairs. He glanced at the TV one last time before skulking up to his room to wait on Aunt Marges' arrival.

August 10th, 1993

Ripper (Marge's dog) bit me - again. Marge told my uncle that she didn't care for the way my eyes glazed over when she started talking about me, (I've been tuning her out), and the only cure for that was a cane.

However, she left her cane at home so she decided that Ripper's teeth was the next best thing. I don't know how much more of this I can take. I'm already at my wit's end.

-Harry

Harry was in a slight panic. He had just blown up his aunt, caused the cupboard to unlock with accidental magic and was now currently sitting on the side of the road in muggle Surrey.

He was also very angry at his relatives. How dare they say that about his mom and dad? They were not drunks and they sure as bloody hell were not wastrel's!

Looking around, he figured that since he was more than likely already expelled he could just cast a light weight charm on his trunk and, using his broom, fly to the Leaky Cauldron. Once he got there, he would figure the rest out.

As he was digging around in his trunk for his invisibility cloak, he heard a twig snap.

Harry stood straight up, wand at the ready but didn't see anyone.

Thinking he was just hearing things, he resumed digging until he heard it again.

When he stood up that time he raised his wand higher. Just as he saw a black dog standing in the street light, wagging its tail as if it was excited to see him, he heard BANG!

Harry narrowly threw himself out of the way of the big purple triple decker bus that had just appeared out of nowhere.

"He's not there Albus. Jankins from the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad searched the surrounding area too."

Albus frowned at the head of the Minister of Magic in his fire place.

"I don't think that he can contact his best friends at the moment so he might head for the Leaky Cauldron. He probably assumes he's done enough accidental magic that he's expelled. He will most likely fly there on his broom."

Cornelius pondered that. "I'll head there myself to check."

"Keep me informed."

The head nodded before it vanished out of the fireplace.

Albus sighed. He stood up to tinker with one of his instruments. Tuning it to Harry, he saw that it said traveling, so he hoped he was alright.

Harry could not believe his luck.

He had 3 Dursley free weeks ahead of him.

The next morning, he refilled his money bags and looked through some of the items around the vault. There were papers, books, and other random stuff scattered around the room. In the back of the vault he found a door.

"Grishnek, what's behind here?"

The goblin blinked. Mr. Potter should not be able to see that door yet.

Harry turned around to look at the goblin.

"When you turn 17, you'll get a key to open it, per instructions in your parents will."

"Why when I'm 17, why not now?"

"Because you are not considered an adult in the wizarding world until you turn seventeen."

Harry scowled but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it.

Stepping outside of Gringott's he headed towards Madam Malkin's. He needed new robes plus he wanted new muggle clothes. He hated his cousins' old things.

By the end of the day he had new clothes, new potion ingredients, his new books (plus a couple of extra defense ones), and the rest of his school supplies.

He made his way back to his room at the Leaky Cauldron and collapsed until it was dinner time with a grin on his face.

"How can there be no sign of Black?" demanded Severus. "Are all the Auror's that incompetent?"

"They're looking Severus. In the mean time Harry is safe under many watchful eyes in the Leaky Cauldron and in Diagon Alley."

"Did you ever figure out how he blew up his aunt?"

"Accidental magic from what Cornelius said."

Severus raised a brow. "A little too old for that isn't he?"

Albus chuckled. "I don't know about that Severus. When I originally told you about Sirius, you exploded a tea cup."

The potion's master growled.

A couple days later, Severus had to go to Diagon Alley for a few things.

As he was leaving the Apothecary, he saw Harry sitting outside of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour working on his homework - of all things.

The boy was really thin, like he hadn't ate a full mean since leaving Hogwarts, but surely that couldn't be right. Severus frowned. Just then, Potter looked up.

Severus simply nodded hello and headed towards Knockturn Alley - therefore missing the shocked expression on Harry's face at the simple acknowledgment.

Harry was currently sitting on his bed in the Leaky Cauldron. He was trying to forge his aunt and uncle's signature on his Hogsmeade permission form but no matter how many times he tried - it wouldn't work.

Sighing in frustration, he got up and put it in his trunk then went to bed. With the way his luck ran, he figured he would be the only third year not going.

It was August 31st and Harry assumed that he would just see Ron and Hermione on the train to Hogwarts.

He made his way out to Diagon Alley and started to head towards the shop the Firebolt was in to oogle it some more when he heard a familiar voice.

Ron had yelled at him. He was sitting with Hermione.

Before they headed off to the magical creature shop so that Hermione could get her owl, Harry spied her books.

"Are you planning on sleeping this year?" he asked her.

"Of course I am."

"When? Can you imagine how much homework you'll have with that many classes?"

Hermione shrugged. "I'll manage."

"Albus, I don't think his relatives feed him."

"Why would they not? You know how boys look when they go through growth spurts."

"Except he isn't growing," hissed Severus.

Albus sighed. The potions master had been lost in thought the past couple of days so Albus had cornered him. He was surprised when Severus had blurted out what he did.

"I'll question Harry once school starts."

Severus nodded and swept away. He couldn't stand the thought of a child being abused - especially Lily's child. That thought alone made his blood boil.

And Merlin knows he remembered how Petunia was while growing up.

August 31, 1993

Sirius Black is after me.

It's all clear now. I wasn't expelled because the Minister was just happy to see me alive.

Why is everyone so hell bent on killing me?

Do I have some sort of dark aura around me?

Dumbledore knows. I know that he does. I asked him back in my first year. He told me that I was too young to know. I'm going to ask him again this year.

I'm not too young now.

-Harry

A/N: This story will stick mostly to canon of the Prisoner of Azkaban book, and some quotes are from the book directly. However, every once in a while, a scene or two from the movie may sneak in. (All that of course aside from the fact that a lot of scenes from my own mind are sneaking in as well - evil cackle!)

A/N: Some of what's written in the Prisoner of Azkaban will change to suit my whims for my own story! Don't hate me! (Evil smirk!)

A/N: I know that some people are wondering if the secret will be coming out soon. I've decided to put you all out of your misery and tell you that someone will find out the truth ... eventually .. one of these days ... in the future. ;-)

*hides from the mob*