Chapter 1: Nope; I'm Gone

Opinions, reviews, and suggestions are always taken into consideration. They tickle my muse.

I don't own Harry Potter, anything you recognize doesn't belong to me. This is the disclaimer for the entire fic.

Rewrite to fix errors 9/16/24 I added a bit and fixed some glaring errors.

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Harry Potter was sitting with the rest of the school waiting for the Goblet of Fire to spit out the names of the champions. He was on the edge of his seat, worried that something would happen to make his name come out. He was hopeful that it didn't, and so far, he got the impression that this year would be nice and quiet.

After all, there had been no reason to believe differently. Ron had been in a good mood, and a good friend. Aside from his quidditch obsession. There was only so much one could take, and Ron had pushed that envelope.

Hermione was by his side as usual, though her nagging was a full throttle with the whole house elf thing. Her obsession with their slavery was a bit daunting. Still, she was a good friend to have.

The rest of the student body had been indifferent to him. He was having a good year thus far and he didn't want that to change with this Goblet spitting out his name.

This summer had been good as well. Sure, it had been a scare with the Death Eaters, and the Dark Mark, but they had made it through, and the rest of the summer had been great. The hints that the older Weasleys had dropped said something was happening, and Dumbledore confirmed it at the Opening Feast. Still, that didn't mean Harry had to be involved. Right? He could have a nice year.

However, this was Halloween and something bad always happened on this night. His parents died this day and since he started this school every year something happened. First year, the troll. The next year, the basilisk. Third year, Sirius. So, he was sitting there with his fingers crossed, hopeful that just this once the day would ignore him. Still, if the worst happened, then he had a plan. He didn't want to do it, but if it came to it, he would. It was the only way.

Well, he and Sirius had a plan. They had thought it out as a contingency. Something to do if the worst happened.

They had kept in contact, and he made sure to let his godfather know all the things that had happened to him in this school. Sirius was not impressed, and they made plans in case something else happened. There was a good chance, and they didn't want to leave anything to fate.

Harry had made sure to stay far away from the Goblet of Fire. He wanted to have an alibi if his name came out. Well, he wasn't planning on sticking around for the fireworks. If it did happen, he was gone.

He watched as Krum, the Bulgarian seeker, was called. The older boy just shrugged as if it had been a forgone conclusion and judging from his headmaster's reaction, it was. Harry wondered for a moment if the man hadn't jinxed the cup to spit out Viktor's name. Not that it mattered. The older boy was probably the best the school had to offer.

A French girl, whose name was called next, Fleur Delacour, or something, was an arrogant person. The smug look on her face showed, as she gazed at her classmates, informed him that she didn't make friends well. The rest of her peers were glaring at her, so he felt that she would have no support from them. He had to wonder why she was so hated. He remembered her coming to get some soup yesterday, and the effect she had on the males at the table. He had been immune, but all the other boys were drooling over her. He remembered that the girls had been unaffected, but that was something to do with her creature inheritance.

The Goblet flared again, and now was the moment of truth. Which Hogwarts person would be called?

Everyone in the Great Hall leaned forward, most hoping for their favorite person. When Cedric Diggory's name came out, Harry gave a huge sigh of relief. He relaxed for the first time that evening. He was happy that Diggory was called. Cedric was a good man, and a kind Hufflepuff. He exuded that House's traits.

Then the Goblet spit out another piece of parchment. Harry felt a cold chill run down his spine. He was chanting under his breath, 'Please, no.' He said it repeatedly.

Dumbledore caught the paper and read, "Harry Potter." The headmaster looked at him like he was to jump and run up there.

"Nope," Harry said, standing up. "I'm gone." His face was passive, and his mind was going a mile a minute, thinking over the plans he and Sirius had made. "This is just another year you want to see me fight for my life. That's not going to happen. I'm gone," he stated firmly.

"Harry, my boy, join the others," Albus Dumbledore said, ignoring him as usual, and looking at the boy as if he was a child, and not a young adult. "You will lose your magic if you do not compete," the old man added, his eyes twinkling as if he had a reason to be happy with the outcome.

The other two Heads of the foreign schools were standing and glaring at the boy. He could see that they didn't believe him either. Harry glanced at the students from all the schools and saw very little support there as well. Not much different than every other year.

Even Ron, his best mate, was staring at him with jealous eyes. Hermione was looking at him with great pity, like she knew he didn't enter, but was once more sucked into danger just for being the Boy-Who-Lived.

"Nope," he repeated, "I'm gone." He nodded to Hermione, and without another word started walking to the doors of the Great Hall.

"Stop," came the voice of many adults, with Bagman's being the loudest.

"Harry," Hermione said, getting up to follow, only to be stared down by Ron. She was torn as to what to do. She stood there watching her best friend leave. Confusion was apparent on her face.

"Nope," Harry said again. "I'm gone." He kept walking. He was almost at the door now. He wasn't going to stop.

"You can't leave," Crouch said as if his word held weight. "If you do, you will lose your magic," he reiterated what Dumbledore said.

"Watch me," Harry said bluntly, still walking. He didn't even turn around. He shoved open one door, and then closed it. Once that was done, he threw magic at them to lock them. Sure, Dumbledore could probably open them in a second flat, but it gave him a moment to call Dobby.

"Harry Potter is calling Dobby," the elf said, appearing in front of the teen. He was dressed in little boy's clothes and had a large number of hats on his head.

Harry now knew where all Hermione's knitting had gone. He was glad that her plan didn't work. He knew that freedom was a death sentence to house elves. Dobby had bonded with him the moment he was freed. When he had told Harry that, Harry gave him leave to act as a free elf. He could work for whomever he wanted and get paid. So far, Harry and Dumbledore were the only takers.

Winky was also bonded to him. He did it as soon as he heard that she was drinking herself into a stupor. It was the only course of action in his eyes. She would be a great help to him and Sirius. They would need the extra help when they got to where they were going. He would call her once he was established.

"Yes, time to execute the plan," Harry said, his face grim.

"That is being bad news," Dobby said sadly, but snapped his fingers anyway, causing Harry's trunk to appear. He snapped them again and it shrunk. He looked very reluctant to do these things, but Harry knew he would do anything asked of him.

"Thanks, Dobby," the teen said, picking up his shrunken trunk and putting it in his pocket. All of his worldly goods were in there. He knew that Dobby had gathered everything that had even the slightest of his magical signature on it from the castle. Hair, skin, blood, even old school papers. Harry wanted nothing to be left behind that could trace him. He knew with magic, even the barest fleck of skin would be used to track him down. He didn't want that to happen.

"Can Dobby bes doing anything else for Harry Potter?" Dobby asked, hope filled his eyes. His master didn't give him nearly enough work.

Hogwarts didn't really need another elf. There was little enough to do here as was. The school had the highest elf population in all of Europe. As it was, they had Dobby cleaning unused classrooms. Which meant dusting. A lot of dusting. Not that the elf minded dusting, but he would rather do other work as well. He had told Harry Potter this many times.

Winky liked working at the castle as long as she knew that Harry would make use of her when he needed.

"When I've left, tell Hedwig to leave, then can you go to the Dursley's and get everything of mine from there? Be as thorough as you were here," the teen asked, knowing his little friend would comply. "Don't let them know you're there," he added, making it clear that Dobby was not to confront them. His tiny companion was very revengeful of him. He hated the Dursleys as much as he did. However, Harry didn't want him to take that revenge. He'd rather just be shot of that family.

"Dobby will bes doing that," the elf said, bouncing on his toes. He was ecstatic that he got to do more, but disappointed that he couldn't take the Dursleys to task for the mistreatment of his master. Then again, what his master didn't know… and the teen hadn't outright ordered him not to do anything mischievous.

"I guess this is goodbye for now," Harry said, nodding his head at the tiny being, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Dobby will bes seeing you later?" the elf asked, his eyes watering a bit.

"I'll call for you, and Winky, when it is safe," Harry assured the little guy, patting him on the back, like he would any of his friends. Not that he had many friends left after tonight, but it was the thought that counted.

"Dobby wills bes waiting," Dobby said, and popped away to do what he had been ordered to. He would erase the very existence of Harry from everywhere in England.

With that Harry left Hogwarts. He was upset that it had come to this, but he wasn't going to play anyone's game this year, or ever again. He had plans to prevent that. If all went well, then he would never set foot on Britain's soil again. Maybe his descendants would, but he would not. They had just lost themselves a national icon.

Sirius had already pulled all their gold from Gringotts. While his godfather was still on the run, the bank knew the man was innocent, and had no problem dealing with him. That was until he closed both accounts. Each account was rich in gold and knowledge, and the goblins were affronted that Sirius didn't trust the bank to keep them safe. However, they complied when his godfather pointed out that the treaties they had with wizards might tie their hands. So, it was with ill grace they allowed the emptying of the vaults.

Sirius did tell the goblins that if Harry wasn't in danger they would reopen the accounts, and that did make it easier. The goblins would then blame the people behind the Triwizard Tournament if the worst happened. They were ruthless when it came to recovering lost revenue. And this was quite a loss of profit. It wasn't just money sitting in a vault, there was a loss of interest, and bank fees.

Harry and Sirius didn't care that it might hurt the economy. They just wanted to be able to erase their existence from the British magical world. They knew they would come after them. They would never find peace here. Sirius was a wanted man, and Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived. No one would stop looking for them. Ever.

Now, they had a plan, and it didn't involve putting Harry's life on the line for all the haters. Or lovers. Sure, he would miss his friends, but they would get over it. This way was better in the long run. This way they couldn't be used against him.

Harry quickly left the castle and made his way to the Whomping Willow. There he threw a knockback jinx at the knot on the trunk and when the tree stopped moving, he hurried to the tunnel. He hit the knot again to start the tree moving again. He rushed down the tunnel and met with his godfather at the end.

Sirius was looking much better than he had last year. He wasn't as gaunt and was dressed in better clothes. Though he was in dark clothes to hide, like he was in stealth mode.

"So, it happened," the solemn man said, a look of pity on his face. When they had made these plans, they were hoping not to need them. Well, Sirius would go on the run, but he hadn't wanted to take Harry with him. It might be dangerous, though he didn't think so. Lonely, yes, dangerous, no.

"Yeah," was all Harry said, his eyes filled with tears of sadness and anger. Sadness that he might not see Ron and Hermione again, and anger that it had come to this.

"Come on," Sirius said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder and twisting them a bit. With a loud pop, they disappeared to where they needed to go. They would never be seen on the British Isles again.

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Back at the castle there was chaos. The Heads of all three schools were shouting at one another. Well, the two visiting Heads were, but Dumbledore was staring at the doors where Harry had left. He was gobsmacked, flabbergasted, dumbstruck, stunned, and just plain shocked. Never in his wildest dreams would he have thought the boy would walk away. It was unfathomable to him. No one put their magic on the line like that. It was part of who they were. Yes, it was unthinkable, and any other word for mindboggling. It just wasn't done.

This was not supposed to happen. Harry had always rolled with the punches. Hadn't he? Albus was sure of it. No matter what life had thrown at Harry, he always faced it. In all the years the boy had been here, he met challenge after challenge. Nothing got in the teen's way. He faced things that most adults would not. Albus was so proud of Harry Potter for meeting it all with his head held high. So, what was different this year?

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Dumbledore lifted his wand and caused loud banging noises to issue forth. "The Champions will retire to the antechamber, and the first task will be told to them. When we have found Mr. Potter, it will be explained to him," he said, ignoring the boos and jeers coming from the student body. They were just children after all. Surely, they didn't think Harry had put his name in. They had to know that it was impossible, right?

Harry had saved the lives of everyone here at least twice, if not three times. They should know by now that he would never enter into a deadly contest. Or maybe it is because he had put himself in danger that they thought that. He would have to sort this out when the boy was found. Or he might just let it go. After all, it would either make or break him. He was sure that a bit of controversy would help in the long run.

Once more pulling himself from his woolgathering, he moved to the room with the other Heads and government officials. It was hard getting on in years. Sometimes he thought it was time to retire, then his hubris would come, and he would think that there was no one to replace him. He feared for what was to come when he died. Not that he planned on dying for many years.

The champions were all gathered, standing apart from one another, like they were better than the person next to them. Well, not Cedric, but he was confused as to what was happening with the Potter kid. He had heard the name called right before the door closed. He had expected the younger teen to come into the room. That boy was continuously in trouble. There wasn't a year since he showed up, that something didn't happen here. The rumors were constantly changing as to whether or not it was him looking for trouble, or just his rotten luck. Cedric was leaning towards the latter.

"Gather around," Bagman said, making the young adults look at him. "Gather around," he repeated, waving his hand in a 'come here' motion.

They did as he bid, and they stood next to their respective Headperson. They all did note that the Heads seemed to be upset over something, and Cedric had a thought that it was Potter. It seemed this Halloween didn't miss him after all.

"Yes," Crouch said, pulling himself up to his rather short height, his mustache quivering as he talked. "You must be informed of the rules," he added, straightening up his robe. "You cannot get help from the staff of any of the schools. You can only bring your wands to the tasks," he said, going over the only rules they needed to know. There weren't many, most were to prevent things like Harry Potter from happening. They had been so careful too. He had no idea how the boy had circumvented the precautions they had put up.

"Vat of Potter?" Karkaroff asked, standing next to Krum, both glaring at Dumbledore.

"He will be found and given the rules and what we will tell you about the task," Crouch answered, nodding to the two other Heads, but glaring at Dumbledore like it was his fault.

"As for the first task," Bagman said, hoping to prevent arguing, "it will be a testing of your daring and courage," he said with a smile that indicated he had given them the key to passing said task.

"That's it?" Cedric inquired; his eyes were wide with amazement. "That's all you can tell us?" he asked, miffed that there wasn't more. He couldn't believe that was it, there was no hint as to what the task was.

"Well…" Bagman stuttered, not sure what else to say. "Yes, that is all you need to know," he said, turning his confused look to Crouch, as if Bartemius would back him up.

"Wait, I thought this was supposed to be less deadly. That is how it was advertised," Cedric said, folding his arms over his chest.

"There is nothing more that we can say that will not give away what the task is about," Crouch grumbled, a look of determination on his face. "We have nothing to add," he said, firmly, looking to the Heads to dismiss their students.

Which they did, though there was a lot of grumbling about cheating, and crooked politicians.

The five adults were joined by McGonagall, Snape, and Mad-Eyed Moody. That trio had just finished examining the Goblet of Fire.

"Someone confounded the thing," Moody said, his eyes taking in everyone. His magical eye looking through the back of his head at Snape. It was creepy to only see white in the one eye. "Something only an adult could do," he added, fixing his good eye to gaze at Karkaroff.

"It vas not me," the Bulgarian said, glaring at the ex-Auror. "I never vent near da cup," he stated, looking away from the other man's penetrating gaze.

"Someone did it with the intention of killing the boy," Alastor insisted, this time turning to Snape.

"I have taken a vow to do the opposite," the dour man stated, looking to Dumbledore to confirm it.

"Severus has my deepest confidence," the old man said. "We need to find Harry. We have already taken too much time with this. Who knows how far he's gotten," he added, stroking his beard in a thoughtful manner.

"I'm sure the brat is in Hogsmeade," Snape said, turning to leave the room and go there to retrieve the boy himself. "He is not smart enough to have planned further than that." He sneered at McGonagall as he left, who sniffed at him, but said nothing.

"Yes, probably so," Albus said, following his Potions Master out the door. "I bid you good evening," were his parting words.

The two made it to Hogsmeade, but the child was nowhere to be found. It was two nervous men that returned to the castle. One because he couldn't protect the boy if he didn't know where he was. The other because he knew that Harry was necessary if they were to vanquish Tom. Yet, the child was nowhere to be found. Now what?