"Vernon ?" Petunia asked her husband as the two of them were siting side by side on comfortable seats.

"Yes Pet ?" the fat man inquired curiously while looking away from the window.

"Where are we going to lodge ?" His wife asked him with some nervousness.

"In a hotel at Billings… Then we will take another transport to Columbia Falls… That's where we are supposed to go… " Vernon asked her with a shrug before looking back at the window.

"I wish we were already there…" Petunia lamented to herself with a sigh.

At their rights, sat Harry and Dudley. One was looking through the window while the other was bored to death, grumbling something under his breath. However, he had been warned to not throw a tantrum or they will all be kicked out of the plane !

Of course, the pig-like boy would annoy his cousin instead, knowing that he would get away with it but another passenger (a Texan by the accent) having enough of it, menaced both him and his parents to complain to the pilot.

Vernon and Petunia instantly promised a large amount of sweets if they staid still which he wholeheartedly accepted.

However that didn't stopped the brat for being bored. Meanwhile, Harry, after silently thanked the passenger, was currently looking outside, enjoying the trip in silence.

After landing at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, the rest of the trip was mostly uneventful. In fact, once arrived on New York's ground, the Dursleys picked back their luggages and converted their moneys to dollars, they decided to stay around to visit New York City.

After all (in their minds and maybe yours) it would be a waste to leave so quickly after arriving right ?

Anyway, the little family got to visit the 'City that never sleeps' as New York City was nicknamed and most of them had enjoyed the tour so far. They got to visit many famous places such as Central Park, Times Square, Empire State Building and so on.

They staid there 4 days in total (they staid in a hotel for the time). Petunia, being her, bought many 'souvenirs' to bring back home while Vernon was happily taking pictures… or buying food for himself and Dudley. Speaking of Dudley, the pig-child totally fell in love with American food… due to the fact that portions were larger than in England.

In short, their first days at America were really amazing.

However, a certain raven haired boy was the only one who hated the area.

For him, it was too loud and there were too many people. In his mind, it was NOT a place to live in. Along with that, there were no plants in this city (if you don't count plant pots or Central Park). It was a place without any REAL form of Nature.

But there were also good things : during those four days, Harry didn't had to cook for his relatives seeing that they mostly feed on the things they bought. The young boy could understand it as himself had drolled more than once to the scent of American food. Sadly for him, he wasn't allowed to eat it…

That or he never got any scraps to eat once his relatives were done.

When he heard that it was time to leave the place, Harry was ecstatic because they will FINALLY go to their destination and, hopefully, not linger in another crowded area. The Dursleys were not as enthusiastic because they greatly enjoyed their time in the City but they had a reservation so they had to leave.

Later, Vernon had to buy four other tickets to take another flight this time from New York to Billings Airport in Montana.

It was almost a 9 hours flight !

Harry, like Petunia and Dudley, weren't really thrilled by it (for different reasons of course) but went along with it as they had no choice. Vernon ,of course, would take pictures as souvenirs of the area they passed and Petunia would just enjoy the ride.

It was Dudley who was the less happy of the trio about all of this. Being the spoiled brat he was, he wanted either this trip to be over as quickly as possible or to have another American food to wolf down. His parents tried to reason him but it was futile… until he was promised sweets that it.

Harry James Potter, him, was disappointed to not already be in Montana but he would be a fool to not at least, enjoy the trip. After all, it is everyday you get to go in America… unless you are a rich person that it.

Sighing deeply, the raven haired boy closed his eyes as he decided to at nap for a bit… only to feel someone poking him rather roughly on his side. Grunting, he used his left arm to push away whatever was poking him and it seemed to work… only for a few seconds before it started again.

Starting to be annoyed, he opened his eyes to see that the annoyance was, without surprise, his cousin Dudley.

"Can't you see I'm trying to sleep there ?!" Harry sharply inquired the obese kid who recoiled in surprise at the reaction he got from his cousin.

However, his surprise quickly turned into anger as he spat back "You can't talk to me like that you Freak !"

Having enough of the 'Brat-Who-Annoy-Him-To-No-End', Harry turned a sharp glare toward him that caused the pig-like boy to recoil in fright. This glare was filled with anger, annoyance and coldness.

"Watch me !" the raven haired boy hissed at him coldly before going back to his nap, not caring anymore about his cousin.

Speaking of Dudley, he was still staring at Harry with disbelief and fear on his round face. But then, he started shaking in rage before stopping. An horrible grin had grew on his face, which was sadly unseen by the napping boy, before he turned his face toward his parents

"Mom ! Dad ! The Freak is mean to me !" he whined pitifully to them as he pointed at the sleeping brat.

Narrowing their eyes at the raven haired boy and thinking that the brat was fake-sleeping to look innocent, the two parents were stopped by another passenger who declared firmly

"The boy did nothing but stopping this one from bothering him !" by the accent, the passenger, a man in his thirties, was without a doubt from the South.

Petunia and Vernon wanted to retort that there was no way Dudley would do something wrong as he was a little angel but had to stop when many other passengers said the same. In the end, it was decided that Vernon would seat beside Harry while Dudley would be with his mother who will hopefully discipline him.

Much to the passengers' disgust and/or disbelief, Petunia, instead of lecturing her son, comforted him while giving him a chocolate bar from inside her purse ! Vernon glared defiantly at the people present before turning it toward the sleeping form of his nephew

"Just you wait Freak..." He grumbled softly to himself to not be heard by the closest passengers.

However, one of the passengers was glaring daggers at the couple while shooting concerned glances toward where Harry was sleeping.

The passenger was a young woman in her late twenties with long light brown hair and dark green eyes. She had been among the ones who defended the boy against this obese brat as ever since she first laid her eyes on them, she had a bad feeling about the entire family… minus the black haired boy.

Shaking her head, her mind went back to the outside as an expression of pure sadness and sorrow slowly appeared on her face.

She didn't know it but it won't be the last time she will see those people.

00/(Time Skip : 9h later)/00

The flight was pretty good but the Dursleys were OVERJOYED to have finally reached their destination after almost TWO FUCKING DAYS ! After arriving at Billings Airport, they took a taxi to the nearest hotel where they paid for a night.

Which take us to our current situation.

"I'm glad we are not in this damn plane anymore..." Vernon moaned in exhaustion as he literally fell on a sofa.

"And to think we are not over yet..." Petunia inquired (more like whined) as she sat next to him, sweating profusely.

"It IS almost over Pet ! From what I heard, Columbia Falls is 7h from Billings… Tomorrow morning, I will buy a car and we will go there afterwards..." Vernon explained to his wife.

"Why buying a car when we can take a taxi ?"

"Didn't you see how much it coast me ?! I prefer to be the one driving..." Vernon inquired with a red face as he thought back of the amount of money he had to paid for the taxi-man.

Petunia barely had the time to nod in reluctant acceptance that something or rather someone caught their attention.

"Mom ! I'm hungry !" Dudley's voice echoed as the pig-like child magically appeared in thin air in front of his parents, wailing loudly.

" Alright ! I will call the Room Service ..." Petunia inquired gently to her beloved Duddykins as she went to one of the counter where laid a phone. At her side, her son was jumping around, excited to have some food.

At the same time, Vernon was glaring down at the tiny form of his nephew who upon seeing his uncle's gaze cowered in fright. Ever since he woke up from his nap, he had been the victim of glares and hateful looks from his uncle.

Harry knew why the walrus-like man was angry : because of how harsh he had been to Dudley. Knowing the little annoyance, he had surely invented a story just to have him in trouble. And because of how stupid and spiteful they were, Petunia and Vernon surely believed him.

"Boy… come here now..." Vernon ordered the raven haired child in a stern and furious tone despite how soft it was.

Swallowing his fear, Harry slowly stepped closer but was growing more and more nervous at each step he took toward his large uncle whose glare only seemed to harden as the small child stepped closer. Soon, he was standing in front of the towering figure of his uncle as the latter rose back on his feet, glaring down at him.

"Yes Uncle Vernon ?" Harry asked him in a tiny voice as his emerald green eyes looked up at him.

The man didn't respond and instead, fiercely backhanded him on the cheek. The blow sent the small child on the ground and left a red trace behind. Harry whined as he was then suddenly picked up by the back of his shirt before dangling in front of the angry face of his uncle who started yelling at him

"HOW DARE YOU ?!"

Without remorse, the large man literally threw the tiny figure to the ground where he tumbled for a bit before laying on his stomach.

"First you have the gale to bully MY perfect son !" Vernon roared in anger as he kicked the child in the stomach with his boot, earning a painful grunt from his victim.

"Then with your little act of fake-sleeping, everyone in this damn plane believed that DUDDERS was the one bothering you ! My son is a perfect child unlike you, you ungrateful brat !" The walrus-man snarled in anger as he approached the boy.

Harry, him, was in pain. His side hurt like hell and because of it, he had difficulties to get back up. The raven haired child didn't even have the time to react when his uncle fell on him like a wave on the beach… only it wasn't water on sand but fists on flesh.

"You are nothing more than a pathetic child that no one want ! Your worthless parents ABANDONED you because you were not like them ! We only took you in for the GOODNESS of our hearts but did you show even once a sign of thankfulness ? NOOOO ! You had been nothing but ungrateful to us !"

As he said this Vernon repeatedly punched and kicked the boy. Harry was in a world of pain but he wouldn't scream despite how much he wanted to. He had learned to his depend that screaming would only make things worse for him.

After a minute of this, Vernon was breathing heavily in exhaustion as he stood above his victim, sweating a lot. On the ground, covered in bruises, laid Harry. He now harbored a black eye (the right one) and his nose was bleeding.

He tried to stand up but due to the pain, he fell back on the ground, whining a bit.

"I hope you learned your lesson Freak !" Vernon spat hatefully at the bruised boy as he picked the latter up by the collar of his over-sized shirt.

"Now stay in your room and no meal for you !" The walrus snarled in the child's face before tossing him inside one of the three bedrooms.

Harry barely had the time to raise his head when Vernon locked the door. Slowly and painfully, the small child made his way toward the rather large bed before climbing it. His muscles had protested rather painfully at him moving but he ignored it in favor of climbing on the mattress.

Grunting, he let himself falling on his back and was delighted by how soft and comfortable the bed was. It was as if he was laying on a cloud. Because of this and the exhaustion caused by the beating he just received, his eyes slowly closed as consciousness drifted away.

Barely 10 seconds later, Harry James Potter was in the arms of Morpheus, sleeping peacefully.

In the living room, sitting around a table, the Dursleys were happily feasting on the food a Room Service bring. Dudley was eating like life depended on it… or like a pig would.

His parents were eating as well but slower but they sometimes glanced at their sons with either love or amusement.

"Vernon when are we going to… you know…" Petunia asked her husband while shooting glance toward the room Harry was currently in.

"Tomorrow…" Vernon replied with a dark grin that his wife soon mirrored.

"Huh ? What's going on ?" Dudley inquired with his mouth full as he noticed the look they sent at one another.

"Nothing important Dudders…" Vernon inquired to his son in a dismissive manner.

Shrugging in acceptance, the pig-like child went back to eating without a care in the world.

Vernon and Petunia, after sharing a glance of amusement at their son's antic, smirked to one another : soon the biggest pest of their life will be deal with permanently.

If only they knew what the Universe had in store for them.

00/(Time Skip :Next day; 1pm)/00

The next day, our favorite family were now comfortably seating in a yellow car Vernon rent earlier in the day. The road was clear and they hadn't met any other vehicles for a while now. The walrus was driving , his wife was at his side while at the back, sat Dudley and Harry. They were heading to their final destination : Columbia Falls.

The city was, apparently, surrounded by forests and National Parks such as the Flathead National Park or the Glacier National Park. Currently, our little group was not far from the first park. It had been more than 5h30 than they left their hotel at Billings.

A certain raven haired boy had been kinda surprised when neither his Uncle or Aunt menaced to do anything to their little Diddykins but he wasn't complaining.

Speaking of the pig-like child… well…

Dudley hadn't stop asking his parents about "When will we be there ?" or "Are we there yet ?" or even better "When are we going to eat ?"

It was really annoying to hear this whining brat at this point.

Worse was that none ONCE did Vernon and Petunia tried anything to stop him. Instead they just answered him as if it was nothing important

"In a hour or two Diddykins..."

"Not yet Dudders..."

"Soon Popkin..."

That was their answers to his stupid questions about the time. For the food it was more like this

"When we arrived Diddy..."

That or Petunia would simply hand the obese child some chocolate bars (Don't ask where it came from as I don't know myself) which seemed to satisfy him for the moment… or until the sweet was gone and he wanted another one.

Harry, him, wanted nothing more than to pummel his cousin but the latter was bigger and physically stronger than him. Beside, his main attention was focused on the outside.

Why ?

Because as our little group approached the western part of Montana, the road was surrounded by tall pines trees ! Harry was mesmerized by the walls of trees around him and from time to time, he could see animals hanging on the branches.

He then saw a magnificent bird with a dark brown feathered body , a white tail, and a white head. Along with that the bird had bright yellow eyes, a large, hooked yellow bill and powerful yellow legs and talons.

"Whoa..." he gasped to himself as he realized he was looking at the emblem of USA : a Bald Eagle.

The great Bird, as if it had heard him, turned its white head toward him just as the car passed in front of the tree it hanged on. Their eyes locked into one another and despite it being brief, Harry felt nothing but excitement.

But soon it turned into disappointment as the bird slowly disappeared out of his sight. Sighing deeply, Harry pressed his back and head back into his seat, ignoring his cousin who was, once again, asking stupid questions to his parents.

"DAD ! Are we there yet ?"

"Soon Dudders..." Vernon responded to his son while not looking away from the road.

However, if we could see his eyes, we would see how annoyed he was. Not at his son mind you but of the fact they WEREN'T arrived yet despite HOURS in this car. At his side, Petunia was looking at the outside with boredom. Herself wanted to be there yet as she wasn't a strong fan of Nature in general.

For at least 5 minutes, silence was the only thing you could hear as none said a word. But it was quickly broken by Dudley (again) as he opened his mouth to ask something that even Harry didn't saw coming.

"Mom ? Dad ? Can we stop please ?"

Blinking the parents turned their heads to look at their son. Well, Petunia did, Vernon used the rear-view mirror to look at Dudley. They both saw him holding his 'nether region' with both hands while he seemed to bounce in his seat.

"Oh ! Of course Dudders !" Vernon cried out in alarm as he parked his car on the side of the road.

Quickly opening the door, Petunia instantly rushed toward her son before opening the back door to let out Dudley. The fat child literally flew out of the car and the horse-like woman had to step aside to avoid the collision.

Petunia then led him toward a bush so he could release himself, leaving behind Harry and Vernon.

The raven haired child didn't seemed bothered by the fact they stopped but was bothered him was the strange look of disgust mixed with glee Vernon sent his way.

"Get out of the car..." the walrus man ordered him after a few seconds of silence.

"Wh-" Harry began to say but was interrupted by the man again who roared forcedly.

"OUT !"

Filled with fear and no wanting to anger the man, the small raven haired child quickly opened the door before bursting outside. Vernon stepped out of the car as well, closing the door behind him before advancing toward the boy who cowered as his Uncle's shadow fell upon him.

Without saying anything, Vernon grabbed the boy by the back of his shirt before punching him in the guts, knocking the air of the small boy. Harry tried to scream but this time he received a sharp slap on the face.

The poor child tumbled on the ground for at least a meter or two before stopping. As he tried to get up, his Uncle slowly advanced on him with a look of contained satisfaction.

"I have been waiting a long time for this boy… We have put up with you for TWO DAMN YEARS ! No more !" Vernon hissed as he kicked the boy's midsection with his right foot.

Harry yelped in pain as another wave of pain passed through his body. But the pain was nothing against the terror he felt at those words : did his Uncle plan to kill him ?! But barely a second later, his terror turned into acceptance : maybe Death wouldn't be so bad...

After he had nothing left to lose… His parents abandoned him because he was different (and weak), people in England saw him as a delinquent and his relatives saw him as nothing more than a burden…

Closing his eyes, he waited for the fatal blow to come… but after a minute or two, nothing. Instead, he heard footsteps, surely his aunt and cousin returning back, and then then he heard the sound of closing doors.

Blinking in confusion, he opened his eyes to see something that filled him that surprised him greatly : his Uncle Vernon was walking toward the car where his aunt and cousin were already seating.

From her seat and despite being behind the window, he could clearly see the look his aunt Petunia gave him : her face had a dark grin on it… filled with malice and happiness.

This look alone filled him with dread as his instinct was telling him that something bad was going to happen. His fear were confirmed when his walrus of an Uncle said those words after opening the driver door.

"May you die in those woods like the pathetic vermin you are !"

Harry's green eyes widened in horror as realization passed through his mind : they were going to abandon him !

"NO PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME !" he cried out to them as he went back on his feet.

Vernon didn't even looked at him as he re-entered the car and before the child could step any closer, the yellow car quickly moved out of its previous spot. From his seat, Dudley made a grimace toward Harry as if mocking him but the raven haired child was too stunned to care as his eyes followed the vehicle as it slowly turned smaller and smaller.

Harry couldn't believe what just happened : the Dursleys, the only family he had, just abandoned him.

They left him without any remorse…

He knew they hated him but he never thought they would do something so vile as to left to fend for himself in the woods !

What about the Dursleys ? Let's just say they were having a good moment.

"Finally ! We have to deal with this freak anymore !" Petunia cheered her husband before kissing him on the cheek, making sure to not distract him too much from the road.

"I know Pet ! Once we arrive at Columbia Falls, we are all going to the restaurant to celebrate it !" Vernon inquired joyously while looking at his wife who smiled tenderly back at him.

"YEAH ! But can't we go to a fast food instead ? " Dudley asked his parents with an eager look on his fat face.

His mood was already good when he realized they just abandoned the freak but it went better with his father's words.

"Of course ! As many as you w-" Vernon began to say to his son before his wife screamed loudly in alarm

"WATCH OUT !"

A deer was standing a few meters away from the car. Seeing the animal, Vernon tried to avoid colliding with it but because of how fast they drove (mainly to go as far away from the freak as possible), the car ended up going sideways down the road before crashing against a tree.

The front part of the car was completely destroyed because of the impact and the windows were shattered. Sadly, the car was not the only thing damaged in this accident. When they left Harry behind, none of them had their seatbelt on…

The horse-woman, Petunia Dursley, was halfway through the windshield and rivers of blood streamed down the wounds she got. She wasn't moving nor breathing.

Her husband was no better : his head was laying on the wheel and blood could be seen falling down his forehead. For some reason, the airbags didn't worked and he took the full blow of the accident. The wheel stopped him from ending up like his wife but in the end, both were dead.

What about Dudley ?

He wasn't in the car anymore. In fact, when the vehicle crashed against the tree, the obese boy went flying through the windshield and his lifeless body laid on the ground some meters away from the crash.

A long dead silence followed the crash as nothing could be heard echoing in the air.

The animals had been scared by the sound so they without a doubt went into hiding under things were safe.

But then a figure approached the smashed car, it was the same deer that almost got run over !

The brown animal inspected the vehicle as if seeing if there any survivors before the sound of someone approaching caused him to run away into the forest.

The someone in question was a tiny child with raven haired boy and emerald green eyes we all love.

Harry Potter's stupor broke when he heard a loud crash from where his relatives disappeared and he went there as fast as he could. It was a difficult task because of the bruises he got from Vernon's brief beating but he kept moving. It took him a moment before he finally reached the car and he was shocked to find it in such a state.

"Uncle Vernon ? Aunt Petunia ? Dudley ?" he called out in a soft tone as he stepped closer.

The young boy felt a small pang of sorrow when he looked inside the smashed car. All of his relatives were there and unmoving. Heck, he couldn't even HEAR them breathing ! Harry knew that they were either unconscious or dead. And seeing the amount of blood splattered all around the inside of the car, it was clear they were not among the livings anymore.

Harry was surprised to feel tears falling down his cheeks but brushed them away with a hand. While they did abandoned him, they were still family either he liked it or not.

"Karma is a bitch..." He whispered harshly to them despite knowing that it was futile before turning his attention toward the car boot.

He had heard his uncle seeing this once and seeing the situation, it was appropriate to say it.

Because of the collision with the tree, it opened and some of the Dursleys' personal object were laying on the road. Harry picked up Dudley's backpack before filling it with some things he gathered after a few minutes of searching the car : a bit of food (tin cans, breads and some chocolate bars), a towel and some water. He even took a knife his Uncle had brought this morning.

He took the strict necessary.

With the backpack on his back, Harry stood at in front of the walls of trees. The raven haired child decided that it wasn't a good idea to stay near the car as scavengers will soon appear to feast on the dead bodies of his relatives. And the last thing he wanted was to face either coyotes or Timber wolves thank you very much !

Instead he decided to go into the forest.

Sure it was dangerous but maybe the city was on the other side. Or at least a village of some sort. Before entering the woods, Harry looked one last time at the car and the dead bodies of his relatives.

He had thought about moving them but decided against it he wasn't strong enough to pull them out all by himself… especially his Uncle.

"May you be tasty enough for the scavengers..." Harry whispered coldly to his relatives' lifeless bodies before facing the forest again.

It seemed to call out for him for some reasons…

Taking one deep breath, the raven haired child entered the woods without once glancing back at the spot his relatives died. Instead, as he walked, Harry felt nothing but freedom : no more insults, no more beatings… he was free ! Free from the Dursleys, Free from a miserable life !

A smile appeared on his face at those thoughts as in his mind, things will get better from now on. As he walked, he didn't see that he was being followed : flying above him, was the Bald Eagle he saw earlier. The Noble Bird had been present since the accident and decided to keep an eye on him.

Harry didn't know it but things WILL turn better in the hand.

(To be continue…)

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A/N : I hope you enjoyed this chapter ! The last part of it was the one I enjoyed writing the most ! Stay sharp because the next chapter will be intense !

As for why I choose Montana… Let just say I wanted a state not far from Washington (the state not Washington DC). Later in this story, Harry will head to Forks but not now.