Wait, That Isn't Right

It was the middle of Harry's fifth year that he realized something. He woke up one morning after a detention with Umbridge and had a thought. It was like a lightning bolt hit him and he was berating himself for being so damn passive. He didn't used to be this way. He stood up to his uncle many times in the past so why was he letting this school torture him? Did he fall for what most magicals did and lose his logic somewhere? Well, I'm going to start using it now, he thought as he threw back the covers and started pacing. His dorm mates were snoring away, so he had time to think.

He was being tortured by two of his teachers… wait—that isn't right. Neither is being ridiculed by the papers. Logically speaking, Harry should be able to tell the papers his side of the story. He should also be able to tell his Head of House and his Headmaster what is going on with Umbridge, and they should have stopped this. But he was told to keep his head down and not cause trouble. That wasn't right; the school should be supporting its students when there was evidence that something was wrong. And the words carved into his hand were such evidence.

His lessons with Snape were just as bad, if not worse. Plus, they weren't working, so it was complete crap that he should have to continue with them. When he complained to that greasy git that he didn't know what he was talking about, he was told that he just wasn't trying hard enough. What was happening with these Occlumency lessons was akin to mind rape and nothing less. That asshat wasn't teaching him a damn thing, and now he was dreaming more and more about Voldemort instead of blocking him out like these lessons were supposed to be doing.

He would go to Dumbledore, but the Headmaster wouldn't even be in the same room with him, and that wasn't right either, because now he had no one to turn to. Not that he ever really could before.

The way he was being treated here and in the general Wizarding World was really starting to piss him off. Now, all he needed to do was come up with a plan to show the school what he had been saying was the truth. Ideas formed as he stopped pacing. He got dressed and headed out as plans came to him. He just needed a bit of help.

Harry snuck down into the kitchens to talk to Dobby. When he tickled the pear and entered, he was immediately surrounded by several house elves asking what they could do for him.

"I was wondering if Dobby was here, and I would like to talk to the head elf. I want to ask a few questions," Harry said, beaming a smile at the only friendly faces he had seen in weeks. His friends were there for him, but they were looking at him with pity. He didn't need pity; he needed friends to boost his morale.

"Dobby is being here, Harry Potter, sir. What can Dobby be doing for the Great Harry Potter?" Dobby asked as he attached himself to his friend's leg. He was ever so glad that Harry Potter came to see him.

"Dobby, it is great to see you," the messy-haired boy stated as he gently removed him and patted the hyper elf on the back. "I was wondering if you're still a free house elf. I also wanted to ask the head elf if they are bound to the Headmaster or the school," Harry stated, looking at all those eager to please faces.

"Dobby is still being a free elf, sir," the excitable house elf said, jumping in place, making his ear flop. "Why is the Great Harry Potter wanting to know?" he asked, with hope in his bulging eyes.

"Misty is being the head elf and we is being bound to the school, Harry Potter sir," an old female elf said about the same time.

"Great. Misty, I need a few things, and it'll probably benefit the school in the long run. So I was wondering if you could help me," he said in a questioning voice.

"As long as it is not hurting the students we can be doing anything you is asking," Misty said, wringing her hands together. She was bound to protect the students after all.

"Lovely, let me talk to Dobby and then I'll get back to you," Harry smiled at the female elf, who just nodded and backed way. Then he turned his attention to his friend, "Dobby, I was wondering if you wanted to work for me when I leave the school. I can pay you what you are making here or I can pay you more. It depends on what you want," he offered with a smile. Dobby would be a great asset to have around, not to mention a good friend.

"Dobby would be very happy to be working for Harry Potter, sir. Dobby is not asking for any more than Dobby is making now," said the excitable elf.

"Thanks, Dobby," he made sure to say. He got a bit distracted, because right now, if he wanted to be heard, he needed to have the elves help. What he wanted was out of his power to do, and he knew the elves had far more power than people gave them credit for.

Harry looked around and saw that there were more than enough house elves to do what needed to be done. Then he turned to the other elves and said, "What I need to know is if you can freeze and hold the professors and students without hurting them." The elves gasped and he hurriedly added, "Just long enough for me to say what I need to say. Only about a half an hour, I promise that this will not hurt anyone. When I'm done and have left the castle, you can release them," he promised.

"We can be doing that, Harry Potter, sir. I is warning you though, if yous hurt anyone, we will be protecting them." Misty wagged her pointer finger at Harry sternly.

"I won't, I swear," he said quickly with a nod of his head at the warning. He then turned to his little friend, "Okay, Dobby, I will hire you on for two galleons a week," he offered.

"One galleon a week," the little elf countered. They soon settled on one galleon, fifteen sickles. "What can Dobby be doing for Harry Potter," his excitably friend asked as he bounce on his stocking feet.

"Dobby, after I'm done with my plan, I would like it if you would pack all my things and move them to my aunt's house. Stay in my room and out of sight, and I'll join you as soon as I can," Harry said, as he knelt down and patted the little guy on the shoulder.

"Dobby will be doing that right away, Harry Potter, sir. I will be waiting for Harry Potter to tell Dobby when he is wanting all his things to be moved," Dobby replied, more than happy to finally be working for his hero.

"Dobby, you're a very good friend, and I think we'll work well together," Harry beamed at the hyper elf. With that, he turned and started planning with Misty.

Hphphp

It was at dinner the next day when the professors and students alike found themselves unable to move or talk, except Harry of course. This was part of his plan.

The messy-haired teen made his way to the front of the hall, cast a Sonorus, and started talking. "You all know who I am. What you may or may not know is what I have done. I know that rumors fly through these halls faster that Peeves. I also know most of them are false," he said, sending accusing glares at some of the worse offenders. "I'm tired of being a hero one day and an attention-seeking brat the next. I want to point out a few truths to you people and you can make up your minds from them. First, I, Harry James Potter, do swear on my magic and my life that what I'm about to say is the truth. I hold this vow for the next twenty minutes. So mote it be," he incanted, lifting his wand up and when he was done a light encompassed his body to show that the vow took. He then scowled at the student body.

"Most of you were raised on the books that were sold about me growing up in a castle and fighting dragons and such at the age of three. I'd like to inform you that those of you that believed that are complete idiots," he sneered at them. "You were also raised to believe that I defeated Voldemort at the age of fifteen months. Again, if you believe that, you are complete morons. All I remember, thanks to the Dementors, is my dad telling my mom to take me and run, and then my mom begging for my life and for Voldemort to take hers instead. There was a flash of green light and a laugh, and then it was all black. I don't remember much after that." This time he jeered at those who were firm in their beliefs that he was some magical prodigy.

"I was taken to my mother's sister's house and was raised basically as a house elf," he turned and met Albus Dumbledore's eyes and glared at him. "I even spent ten years living in a cupboard under the stairs. My Hogwarts letter was addressed there. I was moved to the smallest bedroom after that. I was locked up, starved, and made to do chores that no one should have to do in one day," he spat and then turned to the students. "So that was my life growing up. Lumos, Nox." The light flared from his wand and then went out with each spell.

"Now here is a quick rundown of the last five years in this school. In my first year," he started in a monotone, not really wanting to do this, but they needed to know. "There was a troll in the castle on Halloween. A friend of mine and I went to find a girl since she didn't know about the troll. We didn't intend to fight it. All we wanted to do was get the girl and go back to the common room. We did wind up engaging it, and it was my friend that finally knocked it out, but for some reason only I was given credit. My question is where were the professors? They showed up pretty quick after the troll was knocked out." He once more turned and lifted his eyebrow at the teachers. He knew if Snape could move then he would be receiving detention and point loss, but right now he really didn't give a rat's ass.

Once more he looked to the children and teens, who were still frozen. "And then there was the Philosopher's Stone, hidden in this school behind not-so-hard traps," he scoffed, with a look of disgust on his face. "Three first years went through these 'traps' with little to no problem. I was alone after the last trap and found Quirrell with Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head. We argued, and my hands burned his flesh and probably killed him." He did a full body shudder at the thought of taking a man's life. He never got counseling for that.

"Why, you ask? Well Dumbledore says it was the protection of my mother that gave me the ability to do that. I don't know for sure, so I cannot say that this is true. I woke up in the hospital wing days later, after Voldemort's disembodied form rammed through me. I asked our vaunted Headmaster why Voldemort wanted me dead and was told I was too young to know." He was angry about that still. He then snapped his fingers as if just remembering something. "Oh yeah, let's not forget that the professors sent four first years into the Forbidden Forest to find something that can kill a unicorn. If it had not been for the centaurs, I would have died then too. That makes it three times I almost died. Wait, no, four. I forgot someone cursed my broom during the first game. I do want to thank Snape for saving my life," he said sincerely with a nod of his head to the dour man. "However, had the possessed teacher not been here in the first place, none of this shite would have happened."

He really started getting into it now, rubbing all the faults in these so-called authority figures' faces. They made his life much more complicated than it had to be.

"I'd also like to point out the unfair points given at the end of that year," he added, looking at the green and silver table. "Slytherin should have won the cup, but the Headmaster showed his bias to all the students and put the limelight on those of us that broke the rules. Yeah, I fought Voldemort, but he should have given an award to me instead. I had nothing to do with that, and I didn't want the attention that followed. So ended my first year." He once more lit his wand and put it out.

"Second year, I put the blame for that nightmare on the whole fucking school," he glared at everyone, making sure to turn and catch all their eyes. Well, not Ron and Hermione they stood by him, for the most part. "Anyway, one of the students here was possessed by a dark object created by Voldemort. They released the Basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets. I was shunned and tormented for most of that year, called the Heir of Slytherin because I'm a parseltongue." His glare intensified. "I didn't even know what that meant. None of the professors stopped the harassment, and I have to wonder why? It was not me. Lumos. Nox. As you can see, I'm still standing and have not lost my magic.

"I was attacked by a charmed bludger, a teacher made my arm bones vanish. This was a teacher that should have never been hired. Later, another student and I were told to go into the forest told to follow the spiders. Did you know there were giant spiders there?" he asked the frozen teachers. "Anyway, we almost died," he said turning around again. "Had it not been for an enchanted car, we would have." He didn't even look at Hagrid. "Right before that the Minster was here to arrest one of the staff, so he could be seen 'doing something', just like a fucking politician," he spat.

"It was almost the end of the year when a student found out what the creature was. Another student, that fop Lockhart and I went into the Chamber of Secrets to rescue the possessed student. We were attacked, by a teacher and due to a cave-in, caused by that teacher, I had to go alone. I found a sort of ghost of a younger Voldemort draining the student's soul and trying to come back to life. This ghost told me his name was Tom Marvolo Riddle Jr., and that if you change the letters around, it becomes the sentence 'I am Lord Voldemort'." He waved his wand and put the name up and then moved the letters to form the phrase. "He told me that he was a half-blood born from a Muggle father and a squib mother." He shrugged, and looked to the Slytherins, knowing if they could move they would be protesting, hence the reason he had everyone frozen. They were going to hear him out whether they liked it or not.

"So, he released the Basilisk on me and had full control of it. My parseltongue didn't help at all. It was only with the help of Fawkes, the sorting hat and Godric Gryffindor's sword that I fought it and won. I stabbed the dark object with the tooth that had been embedded in my arm, and the ghost disappeared. Fawkes cried in my wound, I lived. We left the Chamber of Secrets, and I told my story to the Headmaster. I tell you this to point out that I, once again, almost died, and you people turned on me without any proof that I had done anything wrong. I also want to point out that I have a Muggle-born student as my best friend, so me being the Heir of Slytherin made absolutely no sense. So ended my second year." He reached over and snagged some pumpkin juice and took a long drink. It felt like he had been talking for hours, but a quick tempus showed it had only been about ten minutes.

"Third year," he started again, this time with a huge sigh, "Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban. Dementors were placed around the school. I almost got kissed three times," he all but bellowed, on this recounting of his life, it was pretty damn obvious that this school didn't give a damn if he lived. He took some deep breaths and continued, "One of the students in this school had a pet that was an Animagus. That Animagus had been living with this student's family for over ten years. His name was Peter Pettigrew. Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, I, two other students and a teacher one way or another, found ourselves in the Shrieking Shack. I heard Peter Pettigrew confess to selling out my parents, framing Sirius and hiding with this student's family." His hand gripped with rage at the memory of that fucking rat.

"That night was a full moon and, as all of you know, Professor Lupin is a werewolf, and in his hurry to protect me and my friends, he had not taken his Wolfsbane potion. If it had not been for the professor that was with us, we would've died. So my thanks go once again to Snape. Anyway, Pettigrew escaped in the confusion. When I told the Minister what had happened, he told me we were Confounded by Black. Another student and I, with magical aid, helped Sirius to escape. This year, I was a hero that needed to be protected and, again, I almost died. So ended year three." He took another drink, his voice was starting to crack and he wanted to get through the next two years without sounding like he was whinging. He cast a quick tempus and saw he was running out of time.

"Year four, what a fucking nightmare that year turned out to be," he spat as he once more glared at the entire Hall. "The Tri-Wizarding Tournament was brought here. I didn't enter my name. Lumos. Nox. I didn't want to be in the Tournament. Lumos. Nox. I was entered by a Death Eater posing as one of our professors. This professor was told by Voldemort to make sure that I won the tournament so that I could take the cup. Cedric and I both took the cup at the same time, and it port-keyed us to a graveyard." He was speaking quickly now, just to get through the horrid year. "Pettigrew, on the orders of Voldemort, killed Cedric. I still have nightmares where I hear him say, 'kill the spare'. I watched Cedric die for no reason other than he was there, and Voldemort didn't need him." He stopped took some more deep breaths and calmed down.

"After he died, I was stunned and tied to a headstone. I was used in a ritual that brought Voldemort back. He called his Death Eaters to him—I saw them—and he called them by name and ridiculed them for not believing he would come back. The ones that I saw were Malfoy Sr., Goyle Sr., Crabbe Sr., Nott Sr. and McNair." He scowled at each child that had a parent by those names. They had been determined to make sure he suffered this year, like he needed their help.

"He had them release me, give me my wand, and we fought," he was glossing all this over and still spilling out the words as fast as he could. "Our wands connected and the spirits that Voldemort killed started coming out of his wand and gave me encouragement to win. Cedric's spirit asked me to return his body to his parents. With the help of these spirits, I got the chance to get to the port key and Cedric's body and returned to Hogwarts. I was confronted by the Death Eater and was saved by the staff. Once again, I told my story to the Minister, including who I saw with Voldemort, and was again told I was lying. It was during that year; you turned on me again and didn't believe me when I said that I didn't enter myself. Again, I almost died four times, you prats, and did you believe me, of course not. So ended my fourth year.

"Now, it's my fifth year. I was also set upon by Dementors this past summer. For this, I had to go to trial to keep from being expelled for protecting myself and my cousin. I'm going to say this and then you can decide if you believe me or not, I'm done caring. Anyway, so far, I have been tortured by one professor, mind raped by another, vilified in the paper and ridiculed by my fellow students—again. When I went to a professor to explain how my detention was given to me unfairly, I was told to 'keep my head down and not cause trouble'. I couldn't talk to the Headmaster because every time I tried, he left the room and would not even look at me. I don't have a guardian that can come and get me, so I'm stuck at this school with no support and no help," he stated as he once again took in the whole Hall and looked at each student and teacher. "Well, I was," he smirked.

"So I ask you, why the fuck should I stay and help you fight a war that you don't believe is happening? Oh, it looks like my time is up. Lumos. Nox. I can still do magic, and I'm still alive. So, I say to all of you that have not believed me: piss off. I'm leaving, and when you discover that all I've said is true and try and make me your hero again, I say: too bad. You should have thought of that while you were treating me so poorly." He once again took a drink from the goblet of juice. Now he was going to give them some facts.

"Now that my vow is over, I want to point out a few home truths to you biased pure-bloods. One: pure-bloods make up one quarter of the population of the Wizarding World. Half-bloods are half that population. That leaves Muggle-borns as the last quarter. So, to all you pure-bloods: you are outnumbered. The only reason you stay on top of the food chain is because the bigoted Ministry likes to take bribes. You are nothing special. You are the same as everyone else in this room," he cut a glare to Umbridge, wondering if she even was a pure-blood. He then shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't his problem anymore.

"A few more things, and then I'm done. Two: There are around 5.7 billion Muggles worldwide and only around a couple million magicals. That is roughly a 2850 to 1 ratio. So, you Death Eater wannabes might want to remember that," he sneered, knowing they were shocked at those numbers. Stupid sheep.

"Three: The Muggles have walked on the moon. They are also exploring space to see if they can understand the planets up there. All magicals do is look at space through our telescopes. We have never even broken the atmosphere. I'm not even sure that most magicals know what an atmosphere is," he said as an afterthought, rubbing his head. Then he shook himself out of that thought and moved on.

"Four: Muggles have communication devices that they can carry and talk to anyone in the world with just a few pushes of the buttons. Right now, these are new, but I hear that they are getting better and cheaper soon everyone will have one. Magicals are still using the Floo, which you can't use on the street. There are some magical devices that can be used like the phones, but I hear that most magicals won't use them because they aren't traditional." He smiled a vindictive smile.

"Five: computers will soon be in most homes and at the touch of their fingertips they can find out anything in the world. Meaning if they want to know about China, all they have to do is look in this 'computer' and type a few words. Then, many pages of information will show them everything they want to know about China. Magicals have nothing like that. You don't even have a spell that can search the libraries to find the book you need. How soon until a fed up Muggle-born makes an entry in these computers and lets the whole world know about magicals?" he smirked, knowing the adults were gobsmacked, even the Muggle Studies Professor.

"Six: There will soon be cameras on almost every corner of the streets in Britain that will film everything that happens on those streets twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Someone will always be watching and reporting anything that looks like a crime. If they see a magical cast a spell on someone, they will report it to the police and they will have a recording that it happened. You can't Obliviate a recording. I've also heard that the phones that they carry will soon have cameras on them that can record and those recordings can then be downloaded on to the computers for the whole world to see. How soon will it be until the Wizarding World in all its wisdom will be recorded and exposed just because of the false belief that Muggles are stupid and lower than magicals?" he asked, knowing what he was stating was fact.

"Seven: Muggles have weapons that can wipe out thousands of people at a time. Whole cities—Boom—gone with the push of a button. There isn't a spell that will stop that. These weapons release gas and fire that will kill anyone who breathes the gas or is near the fire. There is no shield that will stop it, no potion that will cure it. You people have no clue to what you could be fighting if the Muggles think you're a threat. Don't believe me? Ask a Muggle-born," he said with a shrug. If they were too stupid to listen, well it wasn't his fault.

"Eight: The Muggles also have what they call satellites that are in space and can see the whole earth. They can focus on people from the sky. And unless you find a way to block your hidden areas, you will be seen. If they see you as a threat, you will be destroyed. Don't believe me? Get off your lazy asses, go to a Muggle library, and see for yourselves." He took another drink, set down the goblet and concluded his speech.

"I'm leaving now. I wish you all the best. You'll all be released after I have left Hogwarts." With that, Harry Potter stomped out of the Great Hall and left Hogwarts. He called Dobby and had him get his stuff.

Hphphp

Then the very angry teen made his way to Diagon Alley via the Knight Bus. He went to Gringotts and hired the goblins to put wards on his relatives' house to keep away all wizards and wizarding mail. He then closed his account and took his money to the Muggle World. He returned to his relatives' house and talked to his aunt and uncle. "Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, I have a proposition for you," he said as he came in to the living room where they sat.

"What do you want, boy? And why are you here, shouldn't you be at your freaky school?" Vernon snarled, very put out that his nephew was home early.

"I left, I'm going to have more wards put up here that should keep the… freaks away," Harry stated as he got comfortable in his chair.

"You left? Can you even do that?" Petunia asked, wondering if the boy was going to start being normal.

"Well, I can't give up… my… well you know, but I don't have to go back to that school. I checked the laws and as long as I have a teacher, well, I'll be okay," Harry stated as calmly as he could. If they didn't agree then his plans were ruined.

"What is your proposition?" Vernon asked a greedy look in his eyes.

"Well, my parents left me a bit of money, and before you think about trying to take it, you can't," the messy-haired boy said firmly. "You have to be a…well, my kind to get to it. Now I will pay you to leave me alone and I will stay out of your way." It was a little lie, but he'd be damned if this fat bastard was going to get his money.

The couple thought about it and they had a silent conversation with lifting of eyebrows and gestures. Finally Vernon said, "Okay, we will let you have the attic for £200 a month. But you will be responsible for you own meals and you will make sure you don't give your aunt any extra housework," he said, pointing his meaty finger at the skinny boy.

"Deal," Harry said and he left the room to move his stuff to the attic. He looked around at all the junk and then called Dobby. He had Dobby clear out the attic and set up his room. The little guy was ecstatic to be working for his hero.

Hphphp

A few weeks after he left, Harry made his way to St. Mungo's Hospital, because of the pain in his scar. His nightmares were getting out of control. He kept seeing Voldemort torturing his followers because they couldn't find Harry. He wanted it to stop. The hospital workers found the soul piece and called in the Department of Mystery to remove it. The Ministry curse breakers identified the horcrux, removed it, and placed it in another container to find out if there were more. Harry washed his hands of the whole deal. Let the adults handle it for once, was his thoughts as he made his way home.

Harry was going to night school to bring him up to date on his Muggle studies. He had already purchased the books he needed to further his study on magic. Now all he had to do was find a tutor. If he didn't get one soon they would drag him back to Hogwarts, or they would snap his wand and bind his magic. He went to Diagon Alley and asked around. He found a general tutor to work with him, for now. The man had other obligations and would have to leave in a few months, but he needed the money for his move.

About a month later, Sirius Black called him on the telephone and asked to meet. They met in a café in downtown London. "Hey, pup, how have you been?" Sirius asked, giving Harry a hug. His godfather looked much better than the last time Harry had seen him.

"I'm good, Sirius. Is it safe for you to be here?" a concerned Harry asked. He might have left the Wizarding World, but he still cared about his friends and a few others.

"I am a free man—it happened just yesterday. It was your speech in the Great Hall that did it. A lot of the students wrote home that night, and the world turned on its head. The Daily Prophet wrote the whole thing. And even though you didn't name names, a lot of students figured out who you were talking about. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement came and took statements from the students and staff alike. Fudge and Umbridge are in Azkaban. Dumbledore is on probation. If he puts any more students in harm's way, he will be ousted as Headmaster. Snape was fired and taken in for questioning. He might get off; who knows?"

"Really? That's bloody fantastic," Harry said all but bouncing in his chair. It wasn't what he was expecting, but he was glad those people got what was coming to them.

"Yeah, and that's not all," Sirius stated, glad to see his godson happy. "The Board of Governors went through the school like a dose of salt. Binns was exorcised. Filch was fired. Because he never graduated, Hagrid was demoted from a professor, back to groundskeeper. Muggle Studies was completely overhauled, and a half-blood is teaching it now. They even brought in a curse-breaker to see if they could remove the curse on the DADA class," he counted off everything on his fingers.

"Really?" the teen asked in awe. That was much more than he thought they'd do.

"Yep, and the school was closed for a month to find new professors. All the wards were updated to keep Dark objects out. All because you made a vow in front of the students and staff. What you told them scared the hell out of the Governors. They really thought that the Muggles were lowly creatures, even though Muggle-borns have been telling them for years that the Muggle Studies were completely behind the times. Now the real question is—do you want to go back?" Sirius asked with a serious look.

The dark-haired man had already made up his mind to stand by Harry, no matter what the boy decided. He had seen the memory of Harry's speech in a pensieve and had been moved by all that had happened to his godson. He was ashamed that he had not been there for Harry when he had needed him the most. But he vowed to himself he would be there from now on.

Harry got a contemplative look on his face as he thought about it. He knew he was safe at the Dursleys or else Tommy boy wouldn't be torturing his minions. He wanted to get his Muggle schooling done. He also knew that if he went back, they would treat him the same way as before, and he felt that he had a better chance at getting a career in the Muggle World.

Oh, they might like him now, but the slightest thing would make them hate him again. He wasn't going to put up with that shite again. He knew if he went back to the Wizarding World, he would never find peace, so long as Voldemort was still terrifying everyone. Everyone would want him just for his name, and he wouldn't know if he was actually good at any job he got.

"Well, I've already hired a temporary tutor," he shrugged. "Speaking of which, do you know of anyone looking for work? Never mind, back to the point," the teen waved the question away, "you have to realize I have been through hell in the Wizarding World—almost worse than with my relatives—and I just know that if I go back, it will be the same. Love me, and then hate me. I shouldn't have to put up with that shite, no matter how famous I'm supposed to be." He folded his arms and stared at Sirius as if daring him to tell him different.

Sirius gave him a deep look. "You're right, pup. You shouldn't have to put up with that. Now, Dumbledore sent me here to drag you back. But…" he paused, holding up his hands to stop the protest, "if your relatives will put up with me, I want to see if I can stay with you for a little while."

Harry got a gobsmacked look on his face. Sirius wants to deal with the Dursleys? But he hates them, he thought still staring at his godfather, and then his eyes narrowed. Was this a prank?

"I know, I know, and no I'm not joking," Black said as if reading his mind, "I just want to make sure that you are being treated right and whether or not I can help you in any way. I want to be there for you. If I go back to Grimmauld Place, Dumbledore will try and find a way to keep me there even though I'm a free man now. He still feels that he has to be in control of everyone and will not listen to opinions that aren't the same as his, though he does seem to be paying more attention to the school since the Board of Governors put him on probation. He is so irritating at times," Sirius said as he pouted.

"Yeah," was all the response he got, since Harry was still mulling over what the man was proposing.

"Now, if your relatives don't want me around, how about you, me, Remus, and any of your friends that want to join us leave this country and let them fend for themselves?" the dark-haired man offered. "They haven't done you or me any favors, so I don't see why we should have to stay and fight for them. I have only been waiting until I'm free, then I wanted to see what you wanted. I'll stand by your side no matter what you want. If you want to stay, we will stay. If you want to leave, we will leave. It's all up to you, pup." He made a gesture in an 'it's up to you' way.

"Well, I kinda want to stay here. Not that I like my relatives or anything, but I have an agreement with them and pay them enough to leave me alone," Harry stated.

"They are really not bothering you?"

"Well, money talks and all that," the teen smirked.

"Right, so do you think they will put me up?" the man asked.

"I don't know, you know how much they hate magic," Harry said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Maybe if you tell them that you'll only use it in self-defense and pay them enough money they might. There is a guest room you can rent. I've hired Dobby to bring me meals and do my laundry and stuff, and I'm sure he will serve you too."

"Better than that blasted Kreacher," Sirius mumbled.

Harry ignored him and continued, "You might want to ask him though, because he's a free elf and he'll want to be paid."

"I can do that," his godfather said, though it was a new concept to him.

"Anyway, since you know very little about Muggle living, you'll need his help. Just remember—don't do anything to hurt or destroy anyone or anything, and you should be okay." Harry stated with a smile.

The young man was thankful that he had someone on his side. He had been rather lonely with only Hermione to talk on the phone with. Ron and Ginny both told her to tell him that they were sorry that they thought of him as the Boy Who Lived. And now that he was gone they missed his friendship. He was still debating that with himself.

He did tell Hermione that she could give his number to anyone that asked; he knew she wouldn't try to make him go back. However, they had to give a vow stating that they only wanted to talk. Sirius must have made such a vow, even though he was Harry's godfather. The teen would've loved to been a fly on the wall when she taught this pure-blood how to use the phone. He was sure it was hilarious.

"Okay, pup, those statements all make sense. Let's go ask them. We can get Remus to rent something nearby, and the two of us can share, that way it won't be long. I don't really know how to work the Muggle real estate, but he does. We will find something close so you don't have to travel far to see us," Sirius said as he stood, threw some money on the table and guided Harry away.

They went to talk to Harry's aunt and uncle. Needless to say, they weren't happy with a wizard wanting to stay in their house, especially one that could legally do freaky things. However, they were greedy people, so they did let Sirius rent the guest bedroom until Remus had a place for them. They did say that they weren't putting up with him and his 'unnaturalness' past that.

Sirius threatened Vernon, informing him that he had better behave or Sirius would make him disappear to a place where no one could ever find him. He proceeded to show him how by turning Dudley into a tea cup, then back again. The threat worked well, and for the time he was there, they all avoided each other.

A few weeks later, Sirius and Remus rented a house a few blocks away and stayed there until Harry graduated from his Muggle schooling. Remus replaced the tutor when his time to move came about.

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The Department of Mysteries worked hard to find Voldemort's horcruxes so that he could finally be killed. They found them months after Harry left. They did have a hard time negotiating with the goblins, but with the return of many goblin-made artifacts, they finally got the second-to-last one in the Lestrange vault. They still needed to get the snake, though. After a month of negotiating, they later teamed up with the Muggle army and wiped out the snake, along with Voldemort. While Voldemort was dying, he drew the Dark Mark on himself to keep himself alive. All of the Death Eaters bearing the mark died with him. This reduced the pure-bloods to one-sixth of the population.

Harry felt it couldn't have happened to nicer people. Though he was conflicted over the death of Snape, the man had saved his life and then turned around and made that life a living hell. So, yeah, conflicted.

The now attentive Headmaster added Muggle classes of math, English, and history for all those who wanted to keep up with their Muggle education; of course, it was open to all students. He did encourage the pure-blood students to take these classes so that they could learn more about Muggles than if they took only Muggle Studies, despite the fact that it had been updated.

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Years went on and without Voldemort the Wizarding World grew. During that time, Harry finished his studies and had a full time job as a barrister. He relished taking down criminals without violence.

Ron and Hermione married and worked for the Ministry after they left Hogwarts. They kept in touch with Harry via the phone and, later, email. Hermione worked for the Department of Magical Creatures; she wanted to try and pass laws that would help all sentient creatures to have rights and privileges. Ron got his dream and became Keeper for the Cannons. He had a good career. Harry maintained his friendship and forgave the two younger Weasleys. He often invited them to dinner.

Dumbledore stayed on as Headmaster until he died at the age of 135. In that time, the school became one of the top five schools worldwide, due to the fact that he didn't take up his political positions again after the fall of Voldemort and dedicated himself to the school. He realized after Harry's speech that he really had let the school down and was surprised that he still had magic left, since the vow he took when he became Headmaster stated that he would watch the school and protect all who were in it. The teachers took a similar vow.

Harry's speech had shown how close they had come to losing their magic; the only reason he could find that they had not lost it was because of the many times he and the ex-Professor Snape had rescued the boy, just in the nick of time. Had the boy died, half the staff would have been taken with him. They were very, very lucky.

The Wizarding World took Harry's words to heart and started looking at how to hide themselves better from the Muggles. To do this, they had to go to the Muggle World and learn just how advanced the Muggles were. This, of course, shut up the wizard-raised, as these findings were posted in the paper and broadcast on the Wizard Wireless. Soon enough, they did have a way to hide from the cameras and the heat from the satellites.

They worked together with the Muggle government to find other ways of protecting themselves. The Muggle government knew of the Statue of Secrecy and knew that the Wizarding World had to stay hidden because of an age old treaty between the two governments. The Ministry of Magic created a new department to keep track of Muggle technology. It was led by Arthur Weasley.

In the end, Harry did return to the Wizarding World, after his friends begged him, telling him of all the changes and that he wouldn't be treated as a hero anymore, since he wasn't the one that had taken down Lord Voldemort. He still worked as a barrister in the Muggle World, but now also tried cases before the Wizengamot. A few years later, he married Ginny Weasley. They had a few kids and sent them to Hogwarts.

All in all, bigotry was finally brought down, due to one fed up wizard teenager. The British Wizarding World thrived for thousands of years without another Dark Lord rising.