The Art of Peace

Chapter 14

Leave-takings

...a goodbye is such sweet sorrow...

For the second time in less than a week Severus Snape came storming into the Hogwarts Great Hall. Fortunately for his dignity there were only a few students whiling away the weekend, but those who were there were treated to the sight of a Professor Snape even angrier than he usually was. He brushed past them without a word, not that they would have tried to stop him anyways.

His mood had not improved by the time he reached Dumbledore's office; if anything it was worse. He had slammed open the door and was in front of the Headmaster's desk before he had finished telling him to enter.

"I take it from your expression that it did not go as well as we could have hoped?" Dumbledore asked.

"Of course it didn't! When has Potter ever made our lives anything other than difficult?"

"What happened, Severus, I need to know. Where are the others?"

"I don't know where your pet aurors are. I left after I was taken out by a muggle, who SNAPPED MY WAND!"

Severus voice had grown to an almost hysterical shout and he was out of his chair pacing the room. Albus understood his pain now; for a wizard, the wand was an extension of the body. For Severus, to get a new wand now would be difficult, but it could be done. With the loss of his wand, however, Severus had now become a liability. There was no reasonable explanation to give to Voldemort for the loss of his wand. Now they would have to protect Severus from both trigger happy aurors and Death Eaters too. He could not think about this now; the situation Harry had gotten himself into needed to be resolved.

"I need you to calm down and tell me everything, Severus. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course I can. We apparated to the flat Potter and the muggle had been in before but they were not there so we settled in to wait. They came through the door and saw us, so they ran. We chased them into an alley and told Potter he was wanted here. The muggle was in charge from the moment we saw them. He took out one of the aurors and used him as a shield as he gave us some speech about how Harry didn't need to go anywhere he didn't want to. The aurors weren't having any of that though so he took out two aurors and snapped my wand. You have to have been there to understand it, Albus," Severus said as desperation started to tinge his voice. "I didn't have a chance. He was there before I could move. As soon as he snapped my wand he left me alone like I wasn't worth his time. When I had my breath back I ran. I should have stayed but by that time Potter was turning the last auror into a walking injury and I did not want that to happen to me. I made it to an International Floo Station and flooed to Hogsmeade. As for what happened to the aurors, I don't know, but it is obvious Potter is a threat now. We can't keep going after him or something will happen that is even worse than what has happened already. It's not worth it!"

"I understand your reservations, Severus, but we need Harry here. He is the only one who can kill Voldemort now, and he certainly cannot do that from France. It is quite obvious he does not wish to return, but I think we can convince him still. I will send Sirius and Remus when they return. You can go back to your rooms, Severus. I would suggest that you go see Olivander as quickly as possible to get a replacement wand. I think that will help much of the indecision you are experiencing."

Severus turned without a word and left the office. Dumbledore remained behind, a pensive look on his face as he contemplated this new development. He had hoped that Harry's previous reactions were a result of Severus' less than perfect diplomatic skills, but now he was forced to admit the truth. Harry Potter had left those who needed him. The Headmaster sighed in sadness as he planned ways to bring Harry back. As much as he liked the boy, he was just that, only a boy, and his desires were nothing compared to the needs of those lives he affected. As long as he was useful, Dumbledore needed Harry around. Only after he had outlived his purpose could he ever expect to have a life of his own. He was Dumbledore, Savior of the Wizarding World, after all, who could tell him nay? Without hesitation he turned to the fireplace and threw in a green powder.

"Remus? Sirius? I have a job for you."

Harry just wanted to curl up and die, and from his expression, Sifu did as well. Sure, they had beat off the aurors, but now they had no choice but to leave. Just as he was making new friends again he had to leave them because it was too dangerous. Maybe it was his destiny to live through life as a fellow warrior but never a friend. Whatever his purpose was, though, Sifu had made it an easier burden to bear. With sorrow he turned to his sensei.

"I have to leave now, you know. They'll be back now that they know where we are and there is nothing we can do to stop it. I can't let your lives be ruined because of me. You understand that right?"

"What I understand is that you have a martyr complex. Yes, your departure would be the noble thing to do and maybe it would make it safer for Claude and me if we weren't with you anymore, but you need us and we need you. We're a family now and no one is going to break that up. I understand the danger and Claude does too. Where you go, we go, and that is the way it will stay. You understand?"

Harry could not keep the smile off his face now. Maybe he did not have to be alone anymore.

"Where will we go then? What will we do?"

"Well, I know some people in Tibet that would be more than happy to meet someone like you. There is a lot you could learn from them, and probably a lot they could learn from you. You think you would be up for a walk through Asia?"

"Up for it? I'd love it! Would Claude make it alright though? And what about school?"

"Well, I know Claude could make it, he's a tough kid, and it wouldn't take as long as you might think. A few months at most, and I know people on the way that would be more than willing to speed us on our way. As for school, I can get books and things to bring along, and I am sure your magic could help us carry it all, couldn't it?"

"Yeah, I know of some spells that I could work on. When do we leave?"

"As soon as possible. We can start packing everything tonight. Is there anyone you need to say goodbye to before we leave? I am going to take Claude to say goodbye to a few of his friends now, so if there is anyone you should say goodbye to as well it should be now."

"Alright then, I will see you this evening. I guess I'll go see Inès to tell her goodbye. Thank you, Sifu. I don't know where I would be wihout you."

"Don't worry, Harry; we're family now, remember?"

Harry flashed Sifu a grin as he headed out the door. He was not looking forward to saying goodbye to Inès and the others. In the few weeks he had known them they had gotten closer than he had thought possible. It was like his friendship with Ron all over again, except this time he could say goodbye. It was with trepidation that he knocked on the door. A few seconds later it opened, Inès standing there with a wide grin plastered on her face.

"Harry! What's going on? Come on in!"

Harry followed her inside hesitantly.

"Sit down! You want any... What's wrong, Harry? You look like someone just died!"

"We need to talk, Inès," he started miserably. "You remember how I was staying with my uncle after moving from England? Well, I didn't move away, I ran away. There were some people after me, and they found me again, so I have to leave again. Sifu, Claude, and I are leaving tonight. I doubt I will ever see you again because we are going to the other side of the world. I'm sorry."

Tears filled Inès' eyes as she listened. She had not known Harry long, but she him well enough to know that he was good. Whoever was after him therefore had to be bad, and out to hurt him. They also had to be powerful, because Harry was not weak; she knew that for a fact. It was not just that he knew martial arts either. He had a strength that she had never seen before. He was a natural leader, but at the same time he did not want to be one. That in itself had caught her off guard initially. She had seen many people try to be important to get power over their peers, but here was someone who had the power and did not want it. It made Harry the most amazing person she had ever known despite all the secrets he was obviously hiding.

"Are you sure you have to leave? Maybe they don't really know where you are! Maybe they are looking somewhere else, or maybe..."

"No, they did find me Inès; I just spent the afternoon trying to get away. I'm sorry, but we have to leave."

"You'll write won't you? Even if I can't write back, you had better write me, you understand? If you don't I'll find you and you won't have to worry about those other people anymore because I'll kill you myself. Understand?"

Harry smiled at her fondly.

"I understand. I'm sorry, but it will work out for the best. Tell Nicolas and Sylvie I said goodbye, all right? We don't have the time to say goodbye to everyone. Tell them I will miss them and the letters will be for them too."

"Of course I'll tell them, Harry. You take care of yourself, all right? Tell Claude I said goodbye too."

They smiled at each other in understanding as Harry hugged her goodbye. It was with a heavy heart that he walked back down the street to a place he would soon no longer be able to call home. Once there he started gathering their things in the kitchen and practiced the shrinking, expanding, and lightening spells from his books until he was sure he had them right. It definitely would not do for their supplies to get stuck in a shrunken state when they needed them. By the time Sifu and Claude returned from saying goodbye to Claude's friends and picking up the school supplies, Harry was almost done packing everything. A few hours later, after they had eaten and paid the rest of their rent, the three of them headed out the door into the night. They boarded a train at the station for Rome; Harry's conjured passports giving them safe passage. Yet another stage in his life was over, maybe this one would end better.

It was midmorning of the following day when Remus and Sirius knocked on the door of the flat to which Snape had directed them.

"Do you think he will come back with us, Remus?" Sirius asked.

"Well, not right away, but I'm sure he will understand that he is needed. He's a good kid, just afraid right now."

"Why isn't anyone answering? Snape said they lived here. If he was lying..."

"Calm down, Sirius; I'm sure they are just out. We'll just check to be safe."

Remus then tried the door, looking at Sirius in puzzlement when he discovered it to be unlocked. Cautiously they entered the flat, only to find it devoid of any signs of life.

"Where are they? It looks like no one has lived here at all."

"No, they were here, I can smell them," Remus replied. They must have run away after what happened yesterday. Come on; let's try to follow the scent while it is still fresh."

With that, Sirius transformed into his dog form while Remus used his werewolf senses to follow Harry's fading scent. It became more difficult as they hit the streets full of weekend shoppers, but their keen senses did not let them down. It was not until a half hour later when they came into a train station that the scent disappeared.

"Do you think he...?"

"Yeah, it looks like Harry left. I think we lost him this time, Sirius. A train station this big could have taken him anywhere. We can keep looking, but I wouldn't get your hopes up."

The last two Marauders sat there despondently, trying to figure out what to do. If Harry was gone, they were lost, and not just because he was the one to fight Voldemort. Harry had been their last link to James, their only way to keep their childhood alive. With him gone, it was like they had to grow up. With him gone, the world seemed to lose its shine. Finally they got up, ready to face Dumbledore's disappointment for their failure. He knew how they felt about Harry and how much it hurt to lose him like this. In a way, it was worse than when they thought he had died. At least then his fate was not in doubt. Now, however, anything could happen to him. He could die and they would never know. He could live a life of misery and end up like Lord Voldemort and they would have no say in the matter. Unless they found him, it would be out of their hands forever, and little James lost. With a newfound determination to continue the search they began the long apparation back to Hogwarts.