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Chapter Eight - Run Away

The weeping child could not be heard;
The weeping parents wept in vain;
They stripped him to his little shirt,
And bound him in an iron chain.
Little Boy Lost - William Blake (Songs of Experience)

Harry stood up soon after the announcement and walked out of the hall quickly, ignoring the whispers that were following. Lyca ran after him, trying to keep up with her older brothers large strides.

"Mr Potter!! Please would you kindly tell me where you are going? This is an important announcement."

"I have to send out a warning. I will be back in a minute, come Lyca." He said, looking at the little girl. Dumbledore looked as though he was going to say something else, but one look from Harry soon shut him up and he sat back down, watching as Harry picked Lyca up and walked out of the Great Hall.

*

Once Harry was out of the Great Hall he walked out of the doors of the entrance hall and walked down to the forest, Lyca still in his arms and moaning.

"Lyca, shut up. If you want to walk, just ask."

"I want to walk."

"Fine." Harry said, placing Lyca on the floor, and then walking off towards the forest at the same pace, making it difficult for Lyca to keep up, though she wasn't going to say anything when her big brother was in this mood.

They finally reached the edge of the forest and waited, knowing that someone would be coming to speak to them in minute. They didn't have to wait long, Harry grinned when he saw Johnno and Antonio coming to them, still bickering.

"Hey! False alarm, no attack. Well yet anyway." Harry shouted at them, stopping them mid-argument.

"Right-o, are you two coming in to join the clan meeting?"

"Yep, come on Lyca." Harry said, holding his hand out for his little sister to hold.

*

"This is an emergency meeting of the Elemental Elvin Clans of Great Britain. As everyone here knows, the villages surrounding our forest have been destroyed, killing everyone who was in them. However, the elders have all discussed that we will need to go back, people may have run into the forest for protection, if we go back now we may be able to find them, and help them to return to an almost normal way of life, we can even help them to rebuild their villages again, or maybe join all of the survivors together to create one large village. However, this creates a problem with our youngest son, Salazar." Harry looked up sharply at his name and frowned.

"Yes, Sal. We are going to have to leave you here, but we do not know if we should. I realised that if we try to take you with us, they may retaliate, so have you any suggestions anyone?" Harry's father asked.

"Why do we not leave someone here to watch over him, they can have Delio or Lyca's room in the castle and can stay with him all the time?" Someone at the back asked.

"Yes, how would you feel about that Sal?"

"Er... I don't want to put anyone out."

"I'll stay with him, I mean I don't need to return to Little Whinging as I knew no one there and no one in their right minds would attack Werewolf colonies." Johnno said, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Right, the Johnno will stay and we will be leaving as soon as possible. I assume Salazar, that it wasn't an attack on the school."

"No, Dumbledore just wanted announce some sort of group against Voldemort."

"Ah, well see if they will let you join, you will be able to see what Voldemort is up to then."

"Okay. Well I'll go back to the castle and tell them that you are leaving. No doubt they are looking for me. Johnno, are you coming with me?"

"Yep, kiddo. Er... where should I stay on Friday?"

"Er... well, have you bought the Wolfsbane with you?"

"Yeah, but I haven't got much left. I need you to make me some more kid."

"Okay and stop calling me kid. Actually that's another thing; don't tell anyone, not even the two I am staying with, that I can make Wolfsbane. I don't think it will go down well."

"Okay K-Sal."

"I'm just going to say goodbye to my family and then we can go back."

"Right-o kid, take your time, and don't worry about them back at the castle, they can't stop you doing anything."

"Yeah, thanks." Harry said with a small smile, he then turned and went over to his family, who were talking with each other.

"Sal! We were just going to come over and see you. We are so sorry to have to leave you, but you know that whenever you can, you can come to visit, and we will do the same whenever we can. Of course at Christmas we will come and see you. No matter what, Sal, you can always send us letters, in fact, we want you t send us a letter at the end of every week, just so we know you are okay."

"Fine. I will miss you, but at least I know that you know where I am now. I will try to get away from them as soon as I can, but to be honest I am surprised that they even let me in here. Though the fact that they don't actually know may have something to do with it."

"Hmm, Salazar, try at least to respect their wishes and get on with them, that is the only way that they are going to loosen up on all of these rules."

"Yeah yeah. Well anyway, I should be getting back, please take care of yourselves."

"Sal! We will be fine; you should be the one who takes care of himself. Come on, I have never met anyone who doesn't have to find trouble; they just have t stand and wait. I mean how many times in the last year, before you came here, had you had a brush in with old Mouldy Shorts himself?"

"Yeah, well, take care of yourselves anyway, I mean if it gets out that I am part of your family then you are all going to be bumped up on the hit list."

"Yes we know, take care of yourself Salazar, and start up your training again; I know you have stopped since you arrived here. Ask Dumbledore to return all of your weapons, and if he doesn't then make your own, you know you have the uncanny ability to make metal, and so you will sure as hell be able to make your own weapons. Just no guns again, you know what happened the last time you tried to make a gun."

"How was I supposed to know that it would fire magically? It wasn't my fault!"

"You shot Antonio in the leg! And stop laughing Johnno, it doesn't help things." Julia said, Scowling at Johnno, then turning back to look at a scowling Harry. "We are going to be leaving now, so go back t the castle, and promise us that you will continue with your training and behave yourself."

"Yes mother. I'll go back with Johnno now and tell them that you have gone. See you when I see you. And Lyca be good for Delio in your lessons." He added, kneeling in front of the small child and hugging her, he then hugged everyone else in turn and then left the forest with Johnno trailing behind.

"This is going to suck."

"I still can't believe that you shot Antonio, why didn't you tell me!!"

"Er... because you would have used it against him and then I would have never heard the end of it. Do you know what element Antonio controls?"

"Well judging by the red hair and eyes, fire?"

"Yep. And I only have control over my own fire, not any other elementals. I am a water elemental, meaning that I may be able to douse out his fire, but he can make it so hot that he evaporates my clouds before they can put the fire out. It damn well hurts!"

"Ouch!! Well you know what your mum always tells you, never play with fire."

"Actually, seeing as Julia is the only motherly figure that I knew, she kinda encouraged us to play with fire, being able to control it and all."

"Yeah well, normal families are taught not to play with fire."

"How do you know this? I mean you are hardly normal."

"Why you little- actually you have a point, I mean both my parents were werewolves so once a month we would go and play in the big old mean forest in little whinging. Then when the ministry found out that two werewolves had bred they came for us. I escaped, very much like yourself and have lived there ever since. Though I was sixteen at the time, so unlike you I had the means to survive."

"What! The ministry tried to kill you and your family? Why was I never told this story?"

"You never asked. I told I was born a Werewolf, and you just accepted it, didn't say anything about my parents. In fact you never rejected anything about me, you just accepted who and what I was. That was one of the reasons I told you to go to the Werewolf colony if the ministry ever came near."

"Oh. Well I am really sorry to hear about your parents."

"Nah, don't worry about it, though if I ever see that Umbridge bitch ever again, I may bite her."

"Hehe, turn her into what she hates. Good one."

"Thank you. I know." Johnno laughed, happy to keep his charges mind off of his leaving family. He ruffled the hair on Harry's head and then ran back the rest of the way to the castle, Harry shouting obscenities behind him. When he reached the door, he stopped and waited for Harry, not wanting to go inside without him.

"Wanker. Don't ruffle my hair up again. You know I can set fire to your trousers and then soak the rest of your body with a click of my fingers, so don't mess with me Werewolf!" he said, smirking at the horrified look on Johnno's face.

"You wouldn't"

"Try me."

"Meany. Come on, I bet they're all panicking."

"Yeah, lets go and be shouted at for running away." Harry said, the smirk now gone and his eyes looking dead again. He pushed the door open and went straight to the Great Hall. When he threw the doors open and stepped inside, Johnno following behind, chuckling at the looks on the faces of the people sitting around a large round table in the middles of the hall, the house tables having been moved.

"Harry! We were just about to send groups out to look for you."

"Well I'm here now, so call off the search. I assume that this is the Order?" he asked, conjuring a chair up for himself and one for Johnno when prompted by a cough behind him. "I don't see why you couldn't have done one for yourself." He hissed at Johnno, making the Werewolf laugh.

"What? And make you miss out on giving a show."

"Hmm, well you pretty much ruined that by this little fiasco. Sit down Johnno and lets here the rest f the meeting." He said, with a pointed look at Dumbledore, who sighed and then nodded.

"Surely you can't be serious about letting this child join the order!" A large woman with bright red hair said angrily,

"I can assure you madam, that I have plenty of experience."

"Plus, along with Harry comes the Vampires, Werewolves and Elementals. The elves just won't because Harry turned their hair bright red for a month. They can hold grudges for a long time, can elves." Johnno added, shutting up straight after when Harry glared at him

"How can you be sure that the werewolves will join our fight?" Remus said, looking interested.

"Well Werewolf. I never said anything about joining your fight; I said they would join Harry's. and I can be sure because of what Harry has done for them." Johnno said, his anger beginning to show, and making Harry groan and bang his head down on the table.

"What has he done exactly?"

"Well, he has been adopted by the only elemental Elvin clan left in Great Britain, by the leaders of said clan no less. He had homes at all of the werewolf clan and lets not forget about Anne waiting at one of the werewolf's clan." he added with a smirk, making Harry groan again.

"Who's Anne?"

"What about the Vampires?"

"What things has he done?"

"Er...can I answer one question at a time? Anne is an old werewolf at one of the colonies and has a soft spot for our little Harry here, watching him like he is one of her own cubs, not being able to have children of her own. He has put wards around our villages, making it so that we know if any ministry official or anyone meaning us harm comes near the village, and I think it also 'teaches them a lesson' I believe is what he said when he put them up, though we never asked what.

"The Vampires all love Harry because of his morbid humour; he has also gotten rid of the rift between werewolves and vampires, pointing out that we are equally hated by the ministry and wizarding community and that if we hated each other then we have no one. He also has homes with five of the largest Vampire clans in Britain, France and Germany. So if you want to know why they will follow Harry to war, I will tell you, my kind, and those alike have all been treated like equals by the 'boy-who-lived' himself, he had no prejudice towards any of us and as mentioned before he joined all of our kind together. No one will follow he ministry or Voldemort to their deaths because they are not offering anything."

"Neither am I." Harry pointed out, though it came slightly muffled through his arms.

"Yeah, but if you win, we know how and what we will be treated like. In all honesty, every Werewolf, Vampire, goblin, centaur and magical creature out there would follow you to the death. They like you."

"Goblins? Centaurs? They don't fight for wizards." One Auror said, snidely.

"Er... yeah. There's your problem. Fight for wizards. Why the hell should they? What have you ever given them except abuse?" Johnno said, harshly, making the Auror blush in shame.

"Sit down J. You're scaring the poor little Auror."

"Don't threaten me again Werewolf. I can get you arrested straight away." The Auror said, recovering from his shame quickly.

At this statement, several things happened in succession. Remus jumped up and shouted at the Auror, pointing out that he was a werewolf as well, Johnno leapt across the table to grab the Auror, another Auror froze Johnno, Sirius held Remus back, whilst also yelling at the Auror, Dumbledore shouted trying to get order in the room, other members joined in the fighting and arguing and Harry groaned and shook his head. He realised that someone would have to get order in the room soon, or someone was going to get hurt. Harry frowned in concentration and put his hand in the air, making a phoenix of fire appear above the table and successfully shutting up the whole room quickly. Everyone looked at the phoenix and then looked at Dumbledore, who shook his head.

"I never did that."

"Then who did?" Remus asked, frowning. Johnno however knew and looked at Harry with a raised eyebrow.

"Always have to show off. I thought your signature symbol was a crow holding a snake in his claws."

"It is, but seeing as this is the Order of the Phoenix I decided to improvise. I think it looks quite good. And watch." He said, he pointed his other hand at the apparition and made the mouth open and water spout out of it.

"Show off. I could do that if I tried."

"Johnno, you aren't an elemental. You have no control over anything."

"I do!!"

"Oh yeah sorry, you can talk to rabbits. How is that supposed to help anyone? I mean they only talk to you if you promise not to eat them, so you can't even hunt them. What are you going to do? Train them and then set them on everyone. I can see that side of the war winning."

"Well no one would expect it." Johnno said defensively.

"Yeah, but one good hex and the whole thing would collapse around you, both Voldemort (the order flinched at this, making Johnno snigger and Harry roll his eyes) and I can set a number of snakes on the rabbits, well I can anyway and mouldy shorts can set er... oh no I have Nagini don't I. okay, well it wouldn't work against me in any case. So... can I join your side of the war?" he asked with a smirk. Johnno grinned and then burst into laughter.

"Er... gentlemen? If you have quite finished, can we carry on with the meeting?"

"Oh sorry." Harry said, only noticed the members looking at them in morbid fascination around the table, all feuds forgotten in the midst of this rather bizarre argument about fighting rabbits.

"Right, well Harry I am afraid to say that most of the members do not think you are old enough to join. So I am going to have to ask you to leave, however Mr... er, well, Johnno, you can join, heaven knows we need more support from the werewolves." Throughout this small proposition Harry had steadily gotten angrier, only being noticed by Johnno, who was now sitting further away from Harry as possible. "Mr Potter! You must understand this is no war for a child."

"Oh god, so the wrong thing to say." Johnno muttered to the alarmed women in front of him, who hadn't noticed that Johnno had moved behind her.

"WHAT!! A CHILD!! I HAVE BEEN THROUGH MORE THAN MOST OF YOUR PETTY ORDER PUT TOGETHER!! HAVE YOU TOLD THEM ABOUT THE PROPHECY? NO? I DIDN'T THINK SO!! SHALL I? NO I'LL LET YOU DO THAT, ONCE I HAVE LEFT, AND I WOULDN'T WORRY ABOUT SPIES, THOUGH HE HAS THE DARK MARK BURNED ON HIS ARM, I WONDER WHY HE IS SITTING HERE (at this he looked pointedly at Snape), AND YET I'M NOT ALLOWED. BUT NO, DON'T WORRY ABOUT SPIES. VOLDEMORT ALREADY KNOWS WHAT THE PROPHECY SAYS. IN FACT HE WAS THE ONE TO TELL ME. WELL DUMBLEDORE! YOU HAVE LOST YOUR BEST WEAPON IN THIS WAR. GOODBYE!" Harry yelled, making many order members flinch and the rest to glare. Though the thing on all of their minds was "What Prophecy?" Once Harry had finished yelling he stood up and walked to the doors, turning around before leaving to glare at Dumbledore, then he glanced at the table, nodded and left as the table erupted into flames, banging the door behind him.

"I should have warned you about his temper. Have any of you tried to grab him yet?" Johnno asked, receiving many confused looks.

"I have and I don't think I will be doing it again." Sirius said, looking at his hands that had been burnt quite literally by his godson's fury.

"What happened?" one member asked, curiosity gaining the better of her.

"He became surrounded by bright green flames."

"Green? Wow he must have really been quite scared, what did you do? Normally when he's angry the flames are blood red." Johnno asked, frowning at Sirius' shamed face. "Oh, I get it, it was the day you found him and then forced him to come here. Well I thought I would warn you, the Vampire's are quite angry and no one thought to tell them were he is, we thought it would be funnier for them to find you. See it as a lesson." Johnno said, grinning at the horrified looks on the faces of everyone around the table.

"Shouldn't one of us see where he has gone? He might get hurt." Another woman at the table said, motherly instincts showing.

"Get hurt! Are you kidding, many of the creatures in the forest would protect him from you, never mind hurt him. though he may get lost in this castle. But I think he would have run straight from the castle. If I were you I would accept that you have lost your saviour." Johnno said standing and leaving the hall, followed quickly by Remus and Sirius.

*

Harry stormed out of the doors and onto the grounds, furious. How dare they treat him like a child? He had survived in some of the most dangerous forests in Europe, what had they done? He had faced Voldemort five times and survived each time, had any of them actually seen Voldemort? I don't think so. Well if they didn't want him to join their silly little resistance, then he would create his own. Harry smirked as his eyes fell on the forest; he looked behind him and then walked off into the forbidden forest, being missed by Sirius, Remus and Johnno by seconds.

Harry walked deep into the forest, wondering who to ask for allegiance with first, then an arrow shot through the air, missing his head by inches, and the answer to his questions was answered as he was surrounded by centaurs.

"Mars looks bright tonight." He said smirking at the centaurs faces.

"What do you want human?"

"Well Centaur, I would like to ask for your clan's allegiance in this upcoming war, for if you do not think it will affect you then you are to be greatly surprised. This war is going to affect every single being, magical or not. I would like to ask, therefore for your clans support in this.

"Now I don't ask you to fight, if you would prefer, then you can be around to help the injured, for those of you who do wish to fight, then I can supply you all with what the ministry has prevented you from getting. I have already provided them for the werewolves and vampires. I can get you wands." Harry said, eyes sparkling in malevolence, aimed at the ministry.

"How would you provide these for us human?"

"One, it's Harry, or Salazar, I prefer the latter and two, I can make them myself. Just provide a hair from you tail for your wand and I can make them from the wood in this forest. Just don't tell the ministry until I ask you to."

"We will need to run this by the whole clan and then elders of our clan. come with us and you can tell us who we will be fighting with, and what we will get for winning this war." The leader of the group said. Harry nodded and followed the group of about eight centaurs; he counted now that he had a chance. The leader was the tallest of this group and had black hair and body. Harry heard the rest of the centaurs call him Bane.

The walk through the forest took almost two hours, until they reached a clearing were it seemed the whole clan lived. Harry could see many families of centaurs watching him, as he was lead to the edge of the clearing, where many more centaurs were gathering.

"This is the human that wishes for our allegiance. I have asked him to come and tell us what he can offer us." Bane said, walking into the centre of the group and leading Harry there, then he motioned for Harry to stand on a long dead tree stump and moved back to the group of centaurs that had brought him here.

"Well human. What is it that you can offer us?"

"Well, as I told the group that bought me here, my name is Harry, but I prefer to be called Salazar, Sal to my friends. I also told the group that bought me here that I can make wands for all of those that wish for one, I just need a tail hair for the centre of the wand.

"If we win this war, then I can only offer you what I offered the vampires and werewolves, equality. The magical community treats you all like animals, and things to own in the case of elves. But I see you all as equals. House elves have more power than most wizards and only do not fight them because of the curse set upon them hundreds of years ago, making them slaves for the wizarding world.

"To the centaurs I offer you the freedom to practice magic again, and the freedom to visit your families and friends in other clans around Britain, Firenze, I know that Malcuchio would like to see you again. He was forever talking about you to me in our lessons.

"What humans have done to you is despicable and know one can justify it, but we can stop it. I only ask for you help in this war in return. For you to either fight or help teach people how to heal, and help the injured fighters in this war as well."

"Is that all?"

"Yes."

"Then we will think about it. Has anyone got a question to ask?" The eldest looking centaur asked, having all white hair and a long beard that made Dumbledore's look like a few chin hairs.

"Yes, how do you know Malcuchio?" a centaur asked, who Harry took as Firenze.

"I lived with his clan for a year whilst I was taught Divination. He helped me to get an 'O' in my NEWT, much to his surprise. He swore that I had no ability in the art at all. Though I think he was just bitter because I turned his hair bright pink." Harry added, making many of the younger centaurs snigger and the elder ones the grin, thinking about their old friend with bright pink hair.

"Well, if Malcuchio's clan sees you worthy enough to teach you then I see no problem with joining your allegiance. However we will not fight for anyone. We will only fight with you."

"I understand, and have already told the wizards at the castle that that is their problem, expecting you to fight for them and not with them, especially after what they have done to you."

"Well then Salazar, we accept your offer, when, may I ask, can you make our wands?"

"Well I can make them pretty quickly, I was quite slow at first, but I have made over three hundred now for most vampires and have bought quite a few for werewolves. I can now make about two a day. So I will make them for the elders first, if you wish for them, then work my way down, until all of the children that are permitted to have them by their parents, do so."

"That is very well. I assume that first you will need to collect wood. Most of the trees that have wood suitable for wands is deeper in the forest and they are guarded by bowtruckles."

"Oh I have a deal with most bowtruckles. They seem to like me. so that won't be a problem. First however, I ask that I am allowed to continue my quest for allies in this forest, whilst making your wands. Also I would like to know an estimate of how many wands I will need to make."

"Well there is one hundred and forty-eight centaurs in this clan, and I know that forty of said number are children. Nine being too young for wands at under five years old. Some may not want a wand and so I would say one-hundred and thirty at least."

"Well at two a day that would mean it would take sixty-five days to make, which I think is too long. Hmm, I can try to teach people how to make wands. This will shorten the gap and also mean that in later years you will be able to make you own."

"That seems fair. I can let ten Centaurs learn the art of wand making and in return we can teach you how to hunt and archery if you need to."

"Well I am hopeless at archery, my strength having been sword fighting, so I will gladly take lessons, but I am pretty efficient in hunting, so I can help the groups whilst I am here."

"Okay then. Well may I ask who you are going to ask for allegiance with next?"

"Well I will stay here for a week to teach how to make wands, then I will go to the Unicorn herd, and ask fro their assistance in healing as well. Then I am not sure."

"Very well. Each of us will give you a tail hair when asked for and will test your wands, though I am not sure if the standard wizarding wand will work."

"It should. But we will see. Is there anywhere that I can work?"

"Yes. Firenze will let you stay with him, and you will be able to work there. Firenze if you will take Salazar to your home and I will ask who would like to learn how to make wands. you should have a list by tonight." The elder said. Harry nodded his consent and then followed Firenze out of the group.

*

Harry had been missing from the castle for almost two weeks now and Sirius and Remus were slowly becoming frantic. Johnno had already stopped them from sending an owl to his family, asking them if he was with them, for he knew that Harry wasn't and it would create panic in their clan.

Johnno's words at the end of that eventful meaning had been proven true and whenever Hagrid had asked a centaur if they had seen Harry in the forest they would look at him sharply then gaze at the sky and tell him that 'mars was bright'. Which infuriated the large man no end.

Harry meanwhile had taught ten centaurs how to make wands and had already made half of the centaurs wands, and was now teaching them several defensive and offensive spells, whilst also promising them that he would give them a few books once he returned back to the wizarding world.

He had also managed to gain allegiance with the Unicorns, giving them protection that they had never received from any human before. He had also raised wards around both the Centaur and Unicorn settlements, like the ones around the Werewolf and Vampire settlements.

He also knew what was happening up at the castle, and found it quite funny that they had no control over him anymore. He wasn't sure whether he would tell them about his allies when he returned or not, but he did know that he was semi-prepared for the impending war.

A/N - Well things are beginning to heat up at Hogwarts now that Harry has escaped their clutches, he has several more allies to make, though giving Centaurs wands means that he has gained quite strong allies. Now I have no idea whether Centaurs need wands, or even if they can use them, but I decided that being magical creatures must mean that they have some sort of magical capability and so I have given the wands. I also thought it would be pretty funny to have Harry give the werewolves and vampires what the ministry has refused them. Making them even more dangerous. Hehe. Well tell me what you think, even if you hate it, though if you do, please make the review constructive so that I can hopefully make it better. Thanking you!!!! : )