Ignorance Isn't Bliss

Chapter One - The Great Escape

To Harry Potter the world: Muggle, Wizard, or otherwise just wasn't fair. Here he was on another hot July day pulling weeds. Harry never knew his parents, who were murdered by the most powerful Dark Wizard of the century. He somehow managed to destroy said Dark Wizard when he was just a baby, before being sent to be a friggin house elf for his relatives. He then found out he was considered the savior of the Wizarding World, only to be later shunned by said Wizarding World. And now he was dealing with the death of his godfather, the only decent person he had ever known in his short life.

Yea, he had friends. But he didn't feel like he belonged with them. They were more Hufflepuff than Gryffindor sometimes. "Are you okay Harry?" "Can I get you anything Harry?" "Can I wipe your arse for you Harry?" And now he was pulling the stinking weeds out in the blazing mid July sun. So much for the being the glorious, brave Gryffindor. He'd known all along that he was more Slytherin than Gryffindor anyway, didn't he. Harry knew he was above such menial labor. But what now? Run away? What about the aforementioned Dark Wizard who happened to return a year ago and happened to want him dead? "Screw this," he muttered as he threw the weeds to the ground. "I'm outta here."

Later that day, Harry waited until the Dursleys went out for a dinner show and gathered his belongings together. Although Harry wanted to get away from everything, he knew that he'd have to finish school, so using magic was out the window. He loaded up his trunk, walked out to the curb and extended his wand hand. In a few seconds he was rewarded with a loud bang and the purple, offensive knight bus sat in front of him.

"Hey Ern! 'Arry Potter's back. Hop right on. Where will it be to 'Arry?"

Harry heaved his trunk onto the bus, "I suppose the Leaky Cauldron. And don't tell anyone you saw me, okay?"

"Sure 'Arry. You ain't in trouble are ya?"

"No, I just want to be alone. Celebrity and all."

"I understand sir. Hang on."

Harry sat down by a window and tried to figure out what to do. If he didn't want to be shipped right back to the Dursley's he'd have to stay hidden in Muggle London. But, first, a trip to Gringotts. 'I'll take out plenty of money and change half of it to Muggle money.' He smiled inwardly. 'This will be easy. And I only have a little over a month to go.'

The bus came to a stop and Harry drug his trunk off. He first stopped to speak with Tom the bartender. He slipped him a few galleons and whispered, "I need a room for the night, and I kinda like it to be a secret."

Tom nodded and led Harry up the stairs and put him in the first room so that he wouldn't have to walk by many people to get in and out. Harry thanked him and went in the room, closing the door behind him.

What would his friends say now? Hermione would definitely scold him while Ron would want all of the juicy details. He left everything in the room except his wand, which he always carried, and his vault key. Harry walked back downstairs and then into the back courtyard where he tapped the appropriate brick to gain entrance to Diagon Alley and made his way directly to Gringotts.

"I need to go into my vault please. And this needs to be kept a secret," he said, fiddling with the edge of his sleeve.

"Mr. Potter you have nothing to worry about. We are just bankers. We care not about ministries or teachers."

"Thank you," Harry said, grinning, instantly relieved.

Harry removed more money than usual from his vault and exchanged about half of it for Muggle money. Eagerly, he slipped into Flourish and Blotts to pick up a few darker books that he'd always wanted to have. Nothing old Dumbledore would approve of, that's for sure.

After spending that night at the Leaky Cauldron, Harry headed out into Muggle London the next morning and rented a hotel room. The concierge was thrilled when he said he'd need the room for over a month. A boy no older then himself carried his trunk up to the room.

_________________________________