Summary: Harry Potter's been missing for seven years but he's been found. However, this story isn't about him. This is about the people sent to find him. Watch as an unlikly group of people discover the truth abouth the past and the present. Watch as they learn what it means to be Muggle, the beauty and the horror. Watch as enemies are made, amends happen, and the search for a missing hero becomes the ultimate life lesson.

Discalimer: I do not own Harry Potter

It had been both a miracle and a complete pain that the boy had been found. He'd disappeared from his Aunt and Uncle's home when he was eight and seven year later, they'd found him. Severus didn't know how and, in all honesty, he didn't care.

When the Headmaster had all but danced into his private Potions Labs, Severus had instinctually known it had something to do with the Potter Brat. The twinkle in the old man's eyes, as well as the subsequent conversation, only confirmed his suspicions. Severus had long expected for the boy to be found, what with almost every witch and wizard looking for him, but what he hadn't expected was Albus convincing him to be apart of the party that would go and collect the boy from some rundown apartment building in the heart of London. The old man's reasoning had been since Snape had spent an incredible amount of his life in Muggledom, he would be the best person to guide the group of wizards. He cursed the man for being right.

While Albus himself had to go to the Ministry and inform the Minister on the current Potter situation, McGonagall had gone. Also, to Severus's utter dismay, Remus Lupin and the newly acquitted Sirius Black were in attendance. The two Weasley parents and the two youngest of their brood were also asked to go, although Severus couldn't for the life of him figure out why. Minerva had explained that the teens were there in order to better relate with Potter.

Severus strongly believed that this point that the only one who could relate to Potter, on any level, was Satan. Upon entering the boy's rat infested excuse for a home, Severus had easily recognized several types of Muggle drugs and alcohol. He knew instantly that this wasn't going to be easy.

The carbon-copy of James had demanded they leave and never return, even after being told and shown that magic was indeed real.

"But Harry you have to go Hogwarts. You're an extremely powerful wizard," Molly Weasley had tried to coax him with the most motherly tone she could manage.

"No! I'm not about to leave so I can chase fucking fairytales!" he'd shouted at her before promptly taking off. They'd been following him from place to place for over three hours, only to lose him completely, and Severus was in a very foul mood which was saying something.

"He has to go; it's not safe out here," Molly said to the group at large. They'd stopped outside a small corner store in order to use the restrooms and were currently trying to decide the best way to approach the boy again. Severus felt a good smack upside the head was in order but considering his present company, he kept the thought to himself.

"He's not going anywhere he doesn't want to," Severus said with a bored expression on hi face. All he got in response were several confused expressions. "The brat doesn't like change," he tried to clarify.

"What makes you say that?" Lupin asked.

"His reaction to what he was told and shown. He doesn't want to leave here because it's comfortable to him," Severus replied.

"How do you know that?" Arthur asked, thoroughly curious.

"It's obvious," Severus replied through his teeth, staring at his boots. Of them all, he was the only one who looked decently normal with black motorcycle boots, black jeans, a plain grey t-shirt, and a leather jacket. His long hair was tied back making it seem less greasy. Severus had sneered at Black's gaping look when he'd first seen his clothes, which were so obviously Muggle. The Weasley children had both had very similar reactions.

The other wizards were all wearing very mismatched clothing, looking like they'd dressed in the dark. The Potions Master had to suppress a snort of laughter every time he looked at one of them.

Black rolled his eyes at Severus's last comment and opened his mouth to say something when a gasp from the Weasley girl made them all freeze. They followed her wide eyed, slightly horrified, stare to a group of kids standing about 10 meters away from them.

At first Snape had absolutely no idea what had caused such a scandalized look on the Weasley girl's face. Then he saw her; she was dressed in tight Muggle jeans that barely covered her hips with a tube top that left her stomach (and belly ring) exposed. Her make-up was dark and her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. As they watched she stamped out her cigarette with the heel of her black and purple skater shoe. It was at this point that McGonagall found her voice.

"Miss Granger?" she gasped, just loud enough for the girl to hear. The normally bush haired bookworm looked at them, a sudden horrid realization crossing her face.

"Shit," the girl said under her breath before walking over to them, completely ignoring the fact that the kids she was with were leaving. "What the hell are you people doing here?" she practically snarled. Severus noted that Ron's ears went a tinge pink with anger. Trouble in Gryffindor paradise, Severus thought.

Of course it was no secret that Ronald Weasley was one of Granger's least favorite people. Well, her's and the other two gossip queens, Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil.

"Us?" the Weasley boy asked indignantly. "What about you?" Granger looked at him like he was the stupidest person on the planet, which Severus could easily agree to.

"I live here. Muggleborn remember?" she replied sarcastically.

"What are you wearing?" the Weasley girl asked, her voice tinged with disapproval.

"I could ask you the same thing," Granger replied vehemently. "I know your poor, but I'm sure even you could afford to dress in the light." Severus was impressed by how much the girl sounded like Draco Malofy; but then, he'd probably said something similar at one point or another.

"Miss Granger!" McGonagall exclaimed, looking horrified. "That is no way to speak to your house mates!"

"This isn't school. I can say whatever I want." Minerva opened her mouth to argue that point when Severus held up a hand to silence her.

"Save it," he said. "You're only going to lose that argument." Granger was surprised to hear the Potions Master interfere but still managed to cross her arms in satisfaction. Minerva, on the other hand, sent Severus a perturbed look which he easily ignored.

"Granger," he said and the girl turned towards him with her eyebrows raised, a sign that she was listening. "Have you ever heard of Harry Potter?"

"Of course, who hasn't?" she replied, wondering where this could possibly go.

"Yes, well, he's been found," Severus said.

"Shit!" the girl exclaimed, completely thrown by the surprise announcement. It had long been a favorite conversation point of the students to try and guess that fate and/or location of the Brat-Who-Lived. "Are you kidding?" The potions Master shook his head calmly, no, he did not kid. "Why tell me?" the girl asked.

"Yeah, why tell her anything?" Ron Weasley butted in. The glare from the Potions Master quickly silenced him. Everyone else was either too shocked or too confused to jump into this conversation.

"I am telling you," Severus said, once again turning back to his smartest pupil. "Because it has been a long time since I have been to this city. I no longer know where the runaways hide."

"And you think I do?" Granger replied. "I'm not a runaway Professor."

"Surely you have some idea of where they might congregate," Severus pushed. The sooner this was over the better.

"Well," Granger said, looking highly nervous. Severus simply waited for her to continue. He knew she'd answer eventually; she was incapable of not answering any Professor. "There is one place but it's only supposed to be an urban legend. I would check the normal places first. You know abandoned buildings, soup kitchens, and the shelters."

Not entirely the answer he'd been looking for, but what had he expected? The girl had said she wasn't a runaway; she would have no idea where those kids hid. There was also the fact she was gone nine months of the year and wouldn't know what had happened in the streets of London in her absence.

"So that's it?" Black finally spoke up. Severus was wondering when he'd crack. "Sorry, no can do? Thanks for the huge help kid."

"Sirius," Lupin scolded. "This is hardly Miss Granger's fault." The girl in question just rolled her eyes at the pair.

"Look," she said, instantly gaining all ears. "I can't take you to him directly but I know someone who might know where the runaways go. If Potter is a runaway, he might be there."

"What do mean if Potter is a runaway?" McGonagall asked. "He ran away from his relatives' home; of course he's a runaway."

"But if he's found another family he wouldn't be," Granger replied.

"There was no family living in that apartment," Black told her.

"Who's to say he lives there? A lot of kids go to Creeps in abandoned buildings," she said with a shrug.

"What's a Creep?" Remus asked, completely bemused by the girl's terminology. Granger looked thoughtful, as if trying to figure out what and how much to say. Severus couldn't blame her; he'd done his fair share of Creeps with Lily when they'd been friends. That was before everything split apart and before James Potter. The girl looked at him as if asking for guidance on breeching this subject. He simply looked away. It wasn't his problem; she'd been foolish enough to bring it up.

"Um, it's a kind of party," she said. The others still looked confused but seemed to let it go for now.

"So, who's this person who would know where the boy is?" Severus asked, successfully steering them away from the subject of Creeps.

"An old buddy of mine," Granger replied. It appeared as if that was all she was going to supply.

"And that would be?" Arthur asked, finally jumping into the conversation. Apparently he'd only just now gotten past the girl's attire and the insult to his family; his ears were still a tinge red though.

"His name's Glitter," she said. The Weasley boy gave a sarcastic laugh gaining Granger's full attention and anger instantly.

"What kind of name is that?" he asked with what Severus assumed was supposed to be a sneer.

"It's a nickname, Weasley!" she spat. "Runaways don't use real names. It helps keep the fuzz away."

"Granger," Severus said, noting the extremely confused looks all around. "They don't know what the fuzz is."

"That's their problem," she retorted, gaining a raised eyebrow from the Potions Master.

"Just take us to him please," Remus intervened quickly hoping to quell whatever argument that would eventually erupt.

"You're not going anywhere," Granger said with an amused tone.

"What do you mean?" Black asked.

"Oh what does it matter? She's only going to have us running in circles," the Weasley boy practically shouted while his sister attempted to hush him. Granger narrowed her eyes in anger.

"You don't want my help Weasley? Fine!" The girl turned to leave. "I have better things to do."

"No! Wait!" Black's voice sounded desperate; more desperate than Severus had ever heard it. "Please, help us find Harry." Granger turned back around to look at Black more fully. She stared at him head on and back at her, unwavering.

"What is he to you?" she asked suddenly.

"Excuse me?' Black asked confused.

"You heard me. What is he to you?" When Black didn't answer Lupin did.

"Sirius is Harry's godfather."

"I'm aware; I can read." Granger had completely lost the group of wizards but Severus had a vague idea of where this was going. "What. Is. He. To you?" she asked again, slowly.

Black eventually found his tongue. "Everything."

"Wait here," was Granger's reply before she turned and entered the phone booth halfway down the block.

Hermione Granger was freaking out; what was she doing? She had no intention of leading these people on a wild goose chase all over London in an attempt to find a runaway teen hero. What was she? Batman? Yet she was still in the phone booth, dialing a number she probably shouldn't be and all for some kid she'd never even met.

Sure Harry James Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, was extremely famous in Magicdom but what did that mean to her? Not much. Hermione couldn't stand most of the Wizarding world with its wanna-be Hitler Dark Lord, its ridiculous fear of a fucking name, and its prejudices against the world she'd grown up in. Maybe Potter was better off where he was. London wasn't so bad; she'd always loved it here.

"Hello?" the voice sounded the same as ever; tired, stressed, and unnaturally happy. Hermione had never understood how such conflicting emotions could be present in one person at the same time, all the time.

"Hey Glitter, it's Hermione," she said feeling unsure of herself.

"Moine! What's up stranger?" Glitter sounded happy to her from her but she knew better.

"Um, nothing much. Look, I'm actually calling to get some information."

"What kind of information?" he asked, his voice was serious sounding. After all this was no longer a social call, this was business.

"I need to know where to find a runaway," she said rather quickly.

"Um, why?"

"I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"Noneya," she snapped, turning slightly to eye the group of people behind her. They looked fairly tense and uncomfortable. All except for Snape. Hermione distinctly remembered him saying he hadn't been here in awhile. He also said he wouldn't know where the runaways were anymore. Had he known once? Had he been one?

"Okay, Okay! Yeah, I know where most of them go," Glitter's voice said, cutting into her thoughts.

"Where?"

"Yeah right. What's in it for me?"

"Gold," she said seriously and was answered by a short, shocked silence.

"Real gold?"

"Of course. You know I don't do fake." Hermione could almost hear his smirk after she said that.

"How much?"

"Five coins, rare, one of a kind," she said.

"You must want to find this runaway pretty badly," he commented.

"Yeah."

"Why?'

"He means everything," she said.

"To who?"

"To someone and, no, it isn't to me," she said.

"Ah, so you're doing a favor for someone. A big favor by the sound of it."

"Would you stop stalling!" she snapped at him.

"Fine, it's a deal. You know where to go." He didn't say good-bye but she hadn't expected him to.

She exited the booth and strode back to the group exuding confidence but still freaking on the inside.

"Well?" Lupin asked.

"He says he knows where they go but we have to pay," she said.

"Pay?" Ginny asked. It had been about the only thing she'd spoken and she sounded shocked.

'Yes, pay," Hermione told her. "Why so shocked?"

"Didn't you tell him that it was important?" she asked.

"Yeah so?

"He still demanded pay? To find a missing kid?"

"Of course. Information ain't free," Hermione snapped, completely over the girl's naïve attitude.

"How much?" Snape asked reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet.

"Five galleons," Hermione said wondering why Black wasn't paying as he dropped the coins into her hand. Looking around she could see she wasn't the only one. Everyone was staring at Snape with open shock.

"Where do we meet him?"

"The tube station near Gaillis," she replied and the two headed off in that direction. The remainder of the group followed, confused about the happenings of Muggledom.

The ride to the Gaillis station was awkward at best. Severus and Granger were at complete ease on the Underground but the others were different. Arthur had practically squealed at the sight of a train, gaining several strange looks in the process. Granger rolled her eyes at the man and distanced herself from the group as a whole. The rest were plain uncomfortable and clearly nervous; none of them had ever been on the tube.

When they reached the station they all followed Granger up to the street and over to a boy sitting on a bench, talking into a mobile. When they reached him he held up a finger to give him a minute. Severus took the moment to take in the boy in front of him.

He was wearing blue jeans with different quotes written on them in different colored Sharpies, multicolored shoes, and a plain white t-shirt. His fair hair was shaggy with blue streaks and he had a lip ring. When the boy laughed Severus also caught sight of a tongue ring. By the sniffs of disapproval, he guessed that both Minerva and Molly had seen them too.

"Okay, bye," the boy finally said standing up so he was in front of Granger. "Hey, Moine."

"Hey Glitter," came her stiff reply.

"You got the gold?" he asked, then winced when he realized how much he sounded like a clichéd pirate.

"Yeah right here," Granger said taking it out of her pocket and handing it to him. He took one and bit it to make sure that it was indeed gold before slipping it into the pocket of his jeans. When his hand came back out he was holding a slip of paper, which he handed to Granger.

"Thanks," she said without looking at it.

"You're just going to trust him, just like that?' the Weasley boy asked hotly. Clearly Granger could do no right in the eyes of the Weasley clan.

"Shut up Weasley!" Granger hissed, her eyes going wide. Severus looked at the Muggle boy in time to see his eyes narrow.

"She knows me," Glitter told the red head coldly. "My information is always solid."

"We don't know you," Molly pointed out.

"That's cause your nobody," the boy snapped at her. "Please tell me these aren't the people," he said to Granger, who shook her head.

"No, he is," she said pointing to Black. "It's his godson." The boy looked Black up and down taking in his strange clothes but seemed satisfied with the mutt overall.

"Okay. Look, Moine, I'm not gonna lie to you, this place is tough. You're likely to leave empty handed, if at all."

"Thanks for the warning, Glitter, but we can handle it," she told him. "Are you sure this is the right place?' The boy faked a hurt look.

"Of course. Don't forget, this is my London," he said before turning and going into the tube station. Granger looked at the address and smiled.

"What?" Black asked.

"I know this place," she said turning back to them.

"You do?"

"Yes, I was just about to head over there before I saw you guys," she informed them.

"So we paid that kid for nothing," Weasley asked.

"You didn't pay for anything," Severus reminded him harshly.

"Yeah, why did you pay," Black asked a little cautiously.

"No reason," Severus told him although there was of course a reason. The brat may be a Potter but he was also a piece of Lily and he didn't want her child out on the streets of London. "So why were going over there Granger?' he asked, bluntly moving the conversion away from his reasons behind the payment.

"Um, there's a Creep there tonight. It's supposed to be the biggest one of the year."

Severus heard himself groan unwillingly. Perfect, just perfect. So much for getting this over with quickly.