kbinnz - Harry's New Home

Unfortunately for his waistline, while Dudley wasn't bright, he did have a certain animal cunning, especially where treats were concerned. For the next two years, Petunia was convinced that her Duddykins was the number one target of Britain's pedophiles, as Dudley happily invented dozens of mythical strangers, all trying to lure him into their caravans with bags and bags of lollies. It was around that time that Harry had begun to realize just how stupid his relatives were.

As a result, and coupled with Dumbldore's track record thus far, it would take more than a few lemon drops to convince Harry of the Headmaster's kindly nature.

"Since Professor Dumbledore has seen fit to abolish corporal punishment тАУ a sad misjudgment in my opinion тАУ I believe the only appropriate penalty for cheaters is expulsion," Umbridge purred, sounding like one of the kittens in the numerous pictures that hung on her classroom walls. "Dear me, how the mighty have fallen."

Expulsion! The word rang in Harry's ears. He clutched the desktop, feeling the blood drain from his face. Umbridge smiled even more maliciously at the child's obvious terror.

"Oh, yes, Mr Potter. You have outdone yourself this time. I'm afraid this offense is too severe for mere points and detention. You will have to be removed from Hogwarts before you can contaminate the other students with your nasty little Muggle habits. I suppose this is what happens when you allow undesirables into institutions of higher wizardry education," she sighed.

"Please, Professor. Really, I didn't," Harry begged. "I swearтАж"

Umbridge waved a dismissive hand. "Gather your things, Mr Potter, and remove yourself from my classroom. I will meet you at the Headmaster's office after class is over. You have already taken enough time away from the other students who are here to learn the material, not to cheat and lie their way through life."

As if in a dream, Harry blindly stuffed his things into his bookbag and stumbled out of the room, oblivious to the anxious looks of his friends. Expulsion! He would have to leave Hogwarts! Even if the Headmaster only suspended him for a while, he'd still have to go back to the Dursleys in the meantime, and suddenly Harry knew with an absolute cold certainty that he would do anything to avoid going back to Privet Drive.

It wasn't just the smackings and the Harry-hunting and the chores and the stingy rations and the thin mattress, grudgingly given. It was the disdain and the dislike and the daily reminders that they all wished he'd never been born. It had been hard enough to bear when he knew no other life, but nowтАж No. He couldn't do it.

But what choice did he have? Once he was expelled, he would have to leave the school and his da тАУ maybe forever тАУ and the Headmaster would probably take him straight back to the Dursleys as if the last six months had never happened. After all, the Headmaster hadn't wasted any time in removing those four expelled Ravenclaws from school grounds.

Harry tried to think, but it was hard when every instinct was screaming at him to get out, get away before the Headmaster caught him.

He didn't have much money тАУ a few galleons left over from the shopping trip Hagrid had taken him on тАУ and even if he did, what could he do? No one was likely to rent a room to a kid his age, whether he tried the Muggle world or the Wizarding. He was stuck in the middle of Scotland, in a castle that the Headmaster must know intimately, with no means of escape. He could retrieve his broom, but in the winter weather he'd be frozen before he got ten miles.

He knew there was a Wizarding village nearby тАУ he'd heard the older kids talk about it тАУ but that wouldn't be big enough to hide in. No, he needed to reach London. He'd heard about runaways living on their own there. Thanks to the Dursleys, he knew how to do a lot of things and could probably earn some money doing odd jobs. Certainly no one would be able to find him among all those millions of people.

But how to get there? He couldn't just stroll aboard the Hogwarts Express тАУ he didn't even know if the train came to Hogwarts when it wasn't picking up or delivering students for the holidays. Harry shook himself. He couldn't stand here dithering. He was wasting time. The first thing he had to do was get away. He could hide in the Forbidden Forest until he figured how to get to London, and once there he'd be safe.

Harry ran up to his dormitory. He knew he'd need to pack lightly. There wasn't much point in lugging many things along with him. Once he got to London, anything nice would probably be stolen. He dressed in his warmest clothes (including the jumper Auntie Molly had knitted for him) and pulled on the winter boots his da had bought him, sniffling at the thought of having to leave his da behind, along with the rest of the Wizarding world.

He put his few remaining Galleons in his pocket and scribbled a quick note to Ron to please look after Hedwig for him. Eventually maybe he'd find a way to send for her, but for now, it would be safer to leave her here. And Ron needed a new familiar, so it seemed only fair that he should get her. Then Harry tucked his favorite pictures of his parents and Professor Snape into his heaviest cloak, wishing it was a bit more Muggle in design, and tugged on a knit cap. He left his Gryffindor scarf behind. He guessed he wasn't a Gryffindor anymore, or wouldn't be as soon as Professor Umbridge talked to the Headmaster. He stuck his wand in its holster. He knew from stories about Hagrid that when you were expelled, they snapped your wand, and he wasn't about to give up his without a fight.

He checked the time. Only about 15 more minutes of class. He needed to hurry if he was going to be safely within the Forest by the time the Headmaster started to search for him, but he knew he wouldn't get far without food. He figured he'd be pretty safe if he sneaked into the kitchens and begged the house elves for some snacks. It wasn't like the Headmaster was likely to ask their help in finding him.

####

Meanwhile, Ron was getting progressively more worried about Harry. The look of utter desolation on his mate's face as he turned to leave the room had been frightening, even worse than the stark terror he'd shown when Umbitch first mentioned expulsion. He finally threw down his quill and waved his hand frantically. "Please, Professor, I need to go to the loo!" he blurted. "Really bad!"

Ignoring the professor's disgusted look and the giggles from some of the class, Ron bolted from the room and hurried out to the corridor to find Harry. He thought the other boy might be hanging around nearby, hoping to plead his case further once class was over, but there was no sign of him. Ron chewed his lip. Where would Harry go? Ron knew that if it had been him in that position, he would have run straight to his brothers and parents, but would Harry? He was used to taking care of himself, not having adults fix things for him, and Ron had a sneaking suspicion that Harry hadn't headed to the dungeons.

He couldn't see Harry meekly heading up to the Headmaster's office either, no matter what Umbitch had told him to do, but where would he go? Scared, alone, terrified of his upcoming punishmentтАж? Ron decided to head to the Tower. If Harry wasn't in their room, then he'd find his brothers. They'd know what to do.

Upon his arrival at the dormitory, Ron let out a curse that would likely have led to his introduction to the wooden spoon if his mother had heard him. Harry wasn't there! He turned to go, intent upon seeking out the twins and Percy, when a piece of parchment on his bed caught his eye. He grabbed it and seconds later was streaking to the dungeons. There was no time to find his brothers тАУ he needed his Uncle!

####

Snape was wearily contemplating suicide as he watched yet another class of fourth years mangle a simple potion. If the students weren't ogling each other, they were ignoring his very clear instructions and doing their best to explode their cauldrons, themselves, and his dungeons.