It was about a week before Hogwarts was set to start its fall term. Professor Dumbledore entered the staff room and found most of his staff waiting for him to arrive so they could start the pre-term meeting.
"Ah, I see almost everyone is here. Good" said the headmaster who took a seat near the front of the room where he could see easily see everyone, "Professor Lupin will be arriving with the students next week. Now let's begin the meeting. Before I tell you certain things I first want to know of any concerns you may have regarding the upcoming year."
"I think I speak for everyone here" said Professor McGonagall, "when I ask about what we're going to do to protect the school, especially Harry Potter, from Sirius Black."
"That's one of the items I have to discuss with everyone" said Dumbledore as he leaned back in his chair, "I suppose now is as good a time as any. First you should know that Mr. Potter will not be in any danger here from Mr. Black as he has left Hogwarts and gone abroad to continue his education at another school."
"WHAT?!" demanded Professor McGonagall. The rest of the staff also made noises wanting to know what had happened, even Professor Snape. Hagrid was the only one who didn't show any surprise at the announcement, something most of the staff noticed but no one commented on it. It was well known that he was good friends with Harry so no one was surprised that he already knew about him not coming back to Hogwarts.
"Please" said Dumbledore, "calm down. Yelling at me won't help. Now all I can say is that a, situation, with Mr. Potter arose at the end of last year which made this move necessary. There is help he needs that he can't get at Hogwarts."
"What kind of help?" asked Professor Flitwick, "and why can't he get it here?"
"I'm sorry" said Dumbledore, "I'm afraid I can't answer that as it's not my secret to tell. There are other people who would be affected if that knowledge was known. Rest assured, however, that Harry is fine. Yes, I know where he is, in fact I helped make the arrangements to get him to where he is now and I've seen him several times this summer."
"Leave it to Potter to demand special treatment" said Snape with his usual sneer, "as usual. Just like his father."
"Severus" said Dumbledore with an unusual amount of sternness, "this is not the time for you to be making disparaging comments. I'd have thought you'd be glad that he's not coming back considering how often you've said he should be expelled." Snape just glared at Dumbledore but didn't reply.
"I would assume" said Professor Sprout, "that it isn't well known yet that Mr. Potter won't be at Hogwarts this year – and that if it were made public where's he gone that Black would find out and try to go there."
"That is correct" said Dumbledore, "at least that's the assumption we're making."
"Does the minister know about this?" asked McGonagall.
"Yes" said Dumbledore, "he isn't happy about it but he's accepted it since it will help keep Harry safe from Black."
"And what about Black?" asked Professor Vector the arithmancy professor, "since he won't know Potter isn't at Hogwarts he'll still try to come here. How do we protect the students from him?" Dumbledore's countenance became stony, even angry.
"That has been taken out of my hands" said Dumbledore, "Minister Fudge has decided to send some of the dementors of Azkaban to guard the school and try to catch Black." This news caused a storm of protests from the staff.
"I know" said Dumbledore when the others had quieted down a bit, "I don't want them here any more than you do. I asked for a contingent of aurors to patrol the school but the minister overruled me and ordered that we accept the dementors. I was able to wring one concession from him. The dementors are to patrol the school borders but they are not allowed to enter the school itself or even the school grounds. He agreed only when I threatened to withdraw my support for him and call for a no confidence vote in the Wizengamot on the grounds that he was putting the students in danger."
"Why not threaten to do that over the dementors coming here at all?" asked Flitwick.
"Because unfortunately a reasonable argument can be made" said Dumbledore, "that confining the dementors to patrolling the school boundaries keeps the school safe but also keeps the dementors away from the students. It's a silly reason but a lot of people will accept it. A no confidence vote would not succeed under those circumstances and the safety of all of the students still has be considered."
The staff had to accept this although none of them liked it. All of them who could agreed to brush up on the patronus charm in case of emergencies. The meeting then moved on to other subjects.
September 1st had finally arrived and the students were returning to Hogwarts. On board the Hogwarts Express Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger had met up and taken a compartment that was unoccupied except for a sleeping man whose trunk declared him to be one R. J. Lupin whom Hermione theorized would be the new Defense professor. They were soon joined by their classmate Neville Longbottom and Ron's younger sister Ginny. Neville asked where Harry was and was quite put out when he was told that Harry wasn't going to be at Hogwarts that year.
"Why?" asked Neville sounding a bit shocked.
"We don't really know all that much" said Hermione, "he wrote to us saying that something had happened and he urgently needed to be transferred somewhere else for some special lessons he couldn't get at Hogwarts. He didn't say what it was that he needed to learn. He said that the subject was sensitive and since there were others involved he really couldn't give us details."
"He did say that Dumbledore knew where he was" said Ron, "and that the headmaster had even helped to make the arrangements but that we shouldn't ask him because he wouldn't tell us anything beyond what Harry had told us."
"Wow" said Neville.
"It still sounds kind of fishy to me" said Ginny, "how do we know it's true? Maybe he was kidnapped and forced to write what he did."
"Ginny, not this again" said Ron rolling his eyes, "mum confirmed the whole thing with Dumbledore. What more do you want?"
"Honestly I thought that too at first" said Hermione, "but the letters were delivered by Hedwig and she seemed quite relaxed. You know how smart she is. If she thought something was wrong with the situation she would have found a way to let us know. I also wrote to the headmaster after I got Harry's letter and he confirmed everything but he wouldn't tell me any more than what I already knew."
"Harry did say he wanted to keep in touch" said Ron, "and that he would write regularly. Maybe he'll be able to tell us more in a future letter."
"And there's one good thing of his being away" said Hermione, "if Sirius Black does come to Hogwarts he won't find Harry there."
With that Ginny and Neville had to be content.
Not too long afterwards they had some unwelcome visitors when Draco Malfoy showed up flanked by Crabbe and Goyle.
"Well, well" sneered Malfoy, "what do we have here? A squib, a mudblood, and two blood traitors."
"Hello to you too Malfoy" said Ron, "what do you want?"
"Just looking in on my inferiors" said Malfoy, "but someone's missing. Where's Potter? Did he finally come to his senses and decide that he had enough of all of you?" Ron clenched his fists but Hermione put a hand on his arm.
"Harry didn't come back this year" she said to Malfoy, "he's transferred to another school."
"What?" said Malfoy, genuinely shocked, "he can't do that."
"He can and he did" said Ron, "perhaps he got sick of looking at your face so often. I wouldn't blame him for that." Malfoy turned his sneer back on Ron.
"I heard your father finally got his hands on some gold this summer, Weasley," said Malfoy. "Did your mother die of shock?"
Ron stood up so quickly he knocked Crookshanks's basket to the floor. Professor Lupin gave a snort.
"Who's that?" said Malfoy, taking an automatic step backward as he spotted Lupin.
"New teacher," said [Hermione], who got to her feet, too, in case she needed to hold Ron back. "What were you saying, Malfoy?"
Malfoy's pale eyes narrowed; he wasn't fool enough to pick a fight right under a teacher's nose.
"C'mon," he muttered resentfully to Crabbe and Goyle, and they disappeared.
"I like our new professor already" said Ginny, "and we haven't even had a class with him yet."
They would find another reason to like their new teacher before they reached Hogwarts when the train was stopped prematurely so it could be searched for Sirius Black by some of Azkaban's dementors. Professor Lupin had woken up by then and, much to the students' collective relief, he drove away the dementor that had stepped into their compartment.
At the welcome back feast that evening, among other announcements which included warnings regarding the dementors guarding the school, Dumbledore told everyone that Harry had left Hogwarts.
"His situation is unique" said Dumbledore, "which required this move. Yes, I helped arrange his transfer and yes, I know where he is. I have been in touch with him several times over the summer and will remain in touch with him for the foreseeable future. He's perfectly safe but unfortunately I'm not at liberty to say more than that. I'm only telling you this much in order to minimize the rumors that will no doubt proliferate throughout this school about him. I should remind you all that it's not really anyone else's business if a student decides to leave Hogwarts or why they have done so. If anyone wishes to send him a letter please give it to me and I will arrange for its delivery. You won't be able to send your own owls because there are wards where he is which will prevent any owls from reaching him except for his own owl and certain official owls. Thank you."
After the feast was over Professor Lupin asked to speak to Dumbledore in his office so the two of them went there.
"Is it true?" asked Professor Lupin, "that Harry's really left Hogwarts?"
"That's right" said Dumbledore, "you weren't here for the staff meeting. I'm sorry Remus, but it is true and I'm afraid that I can't tell you why or where he is because the situation affects other people besides just him."
"I was looking forward to teaching him" said Lupin, "I was looking forward just to seeing him again after all these years."
"I know" said Albus, "it's not fair that just because you're a werewolf the law banned you from contacting him unless he contacted you first."
"And since he probably didn't even know about me he never did" said Lupin, "at least if I was his teacher the law wouldn't be able to stop me from interacting with him then."
"You could write to him" said Dumbledore, "I meant what I said at the feast that if people wished to send him letters I would arrange for them to be delivered. While I can't tell you exactly where he is I can tell you that he's not in Britain. The law stopping you from contacting him doesn't apply where he is."
"Are there really wards to stop owls from reaching him?" asked Lupin.
"Yes" said Dumbledore, "I put them up myself so that he couldn't be found by owls with tracking charms on them possibly carrying cursed letters. The only owls that can pass those wards are his own owl, owls from his new school, Gringotts, or government owls from where he's living. All other letters must go through me."
"Things must be very serious if you've gone to such lengths" said Lupin.
"They are" said Dumbledore, "but Harry isn't in any danger. I really think you should write him a letter. Introduce yourself to him and tell him why he's never heard from you before. I'll add a note vouching for you. I think he'll probably contact you after that."
"Thank you headmaster" said Lupin, "I will."
Meanwhile up in Gryffindor tower Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean had arrived back at their dorm room. When they got inside they all saw that there were only four beds in the room now.
"Huh" said Seamus, "if I needed any more convincing that Harry really wasn't coming back this would be it."
"Me too" said Dean while Neville nodded in agreement. Ron said nothing but he also agreed with Seamus.
Dumbledore was right that his announcement wouldn't stop the school rumor mill as to where Harry had gone and why but it did at least stop people from thinking he'd been abducted. The student body would discuss Harry's disappearance for a while but eventually when there was no more news about him the gossip died down and normal student gossip was restored.
At Xavier's school Harry was in a pensive mood on September 1st. He knew that Hogwarts was starting up that day. All of his friends would be on the train headed toward the school. He would miss everyone – well almost everyone. He wouldn't miss Draco Malfoy and he definitely wouldn't miss Professor Snape.
There was still time before Ilvermorny was set to start. Like most American schools it didn't begin its year until a few days after the American holiday of Labor Day which was the first Monday of September. That year it fell on September 6th. Ilvermorny would open on Friday September 10th but classes wouldn't start until the following Monday. That was the day Harry would finally begin his studies there. In the meantime he kept up his exercise regimen and continued training with his teammates. After two months in the U. S. Harry knew he was getting stronger. He could now telekinetically lift over 600 lb. and Professor X said that level was still far below his ultimate potential.
When Monday September 13th finally rolled around Harry was ready. As usual he was up early for his daily workout followed by a shower and then breakfast. After that he trained with the X-Men in the Danger Room under the watchful eye of both Professor X and Cyclops who was becoming the designated field leader of the X-Men and had started helping Xavier run the training sessions. That ended just before lunch. Once lunch was finished Harry said goodbye to his teammates and went back to his room to prepare to take his portkey to Ilvermorny for the afternoon. He'd be there from 1 PM until 5 PM when he'd portkey back to the mansion.
Some days before September 13th Harry had gone back to Colony Alley where he bought the supplies he would need for Ilvermorny. Unlike Hogwarts Ilvermorny also taught muggle subjects, in fact they were required of all students. This made the school more rigorous than Hogwarts (which is really saying something). On the other hand it allowed witches and wizards to attend muggle universities after graduation if they wished as Ilvermorny was accredited by the state of Massachusetts. Their records were usable in the muggle world although not under the name of Ilvermorny. For people applying to muggle institutions the school maintained a cover as an elite private muggle school called the Adams Greylock School.
What this meant for Harry was that his magical lessons would have to be delayed for a few weeks while he was given a crash program to bring him up to speed in his muggle subjects. Harry knew it wouldn't be easy but he thought if he could handle the Danger Room he could handle the accelerated learning.
Harry finished putting on his new Ilvermorny robe. It was colored blue and cranberry and was fastened by a gold fastener which showed the same complicated knot that Harry had seen at his sorting and which he now knew was called a Gordian Knot.
Just before 1 PM Harry picked up his portkey. It was a small thunderbird figurine.
"Ilvermorny Massachusetts" he said and was quickly whirled away. He arrived seconds later at the entrance to the school – and proceeded to fall flat on his face.
"I see we're going to have work on your landings" said a voice. Harry pushed himself up to see Headmaster Pope standing above him.
"I hate these things" muttered Harry as he got to his feet, "hello headmaster."
"Good afternoon Mr. Potter" was the reply, "I'm glad you got here relatively safely and on time. Come with me and I will get you your schedule and introduce you to your teachers.
"Yes sir" said Harry and followed him into the school.
Harry met his first teachers and began his first classes. Sometimes it was just him working with a tutor but other times there were one or two other students who needed the same help to catch up in a subject as he did. He also met a few of the other students during the day. Nobody, whether teacher or student, reacted to his name or his scar at all. It seemed that as far as Ilvermorny was concerned he was just Harry, at least for now. He was very glad about that.
When 5 PM rolled around Harry took his portkey back to Xavier's school. The activation word this time was "Xavier's New York." Seconds later he was back in his room at the mansion – and he proceeded to fall flat on his face again.
"I really hate these things" grumbled Harry.