This is a Bigger World: A Harry Potter fanfic

CHAPTER 2

It was a stressful three days for Harry. The man took up a decent amount of room in his dumpster, but he set up a pseudo house for himself underneath the shopping cart. The dog had stayed, and Harry fed it meat and the bones that he found behind a steakhouse. The man showed no signs of improvement, only waking up to drink the broth that Harry had decided to buy for him, and sip water. By the fourth day, the man showed great signs of improvement, and even could sit up and talk. "What's your name kid?" "I'm Harry." "Hello Harry! I'm Joe." Harry liked the man's demeanor instantly. Even though the man had just barely cheated death, he still was chipper enough to discuss his life with Harry. "I used to be a chemist, and I play the piano... my wife left me when she was young to run away with a man whom she thought was richer... I have no children, I have always wanted children, but my wife didn't want any... In 76' I saw AC/DC live." Harry was overwhelmed with the stories that the man had provided, and decided to invite him to stay with him. "If you want to live with me, that's fine. I understand if you don't want to, but..." Harry trailed off when he saw the happy smile on the man's face. "Well, I'll be. You are asking me to stay? Why not! I'll stay, just let me grab my stuff and construct something." "You shouldn't move, you might hurt yourself. Tell me where your stuff is, and I'll go and grab it." Joe smiled at Harry and said, "Wait until tomorrow. Then I'll be good enough to get my stuff. The other guys will watch over it enough. Say, do you have more of those noodles?" "Yes!" Harry aquiested, and soon, their stomachs were full of Chinese food.

Joe and Harry went to Joe's area; it was in a subway tube. Harry knew that it wasn't large enough for Joe, it had a small area that contained some test tubes and a worn lab coat, a selection of piano music, and an ancient AC/DC tour tee. Underneath a small tarp was a backpacking tent that had seen better days. The trains rushed by at an immense speed, and Harry felt their power as they rushed by him. He had left his dog, who he still had no name for at the entrance. "So Harry, what do you like? I mean, if I'm moving in with you, I should at least know some stuff about you. You were pretty tight-lipped when we were back at your dumpster. Talk to me little buddy." "Uh, I like my music. I don't know if you saw my walkman back at my place, but..." Harry trailed off. "Oh, I did see it. I didn't see any tapes, though. You got any?" "Yeah, it's inside the walkman already. I only have one." "Fine by me. What's the tape called?" "Appetite for Destruction. Isn't that a cool name?" "Sure is kid. Who was it made by?" "This band called Guns N' Roses. I don't know anything about them, except that they are American. I'm pretty sure that they haven't made it big yet." "That sounds pretty awesome. Someday, you might be able to claim that you were one of their original fans. What else do you like Harry?" "I like to run, I used to run away from bullies all the time." "How fast are you?" "I'm the fastest kid in Surrey, believe it or not. It's probably what has helped me with my acquisition of supplies." "Lemme guess... pickpocket?" "Yup. I wish I could be self-sustaining, but that's a no-can-do. At least it is some sort of training for cross-country. I actually used running as a sort-of escape from my aunt and uncle. They were really mean." "Maybe we can talk about what they did to you? It might help you even further." "I'd like that."

Harry and Joe left the subway tube, with their eyes blinking against the blinding light. Harry's dog stood smiling at him. "Whaddya call your dog?" "I haven't decided on a name for him yet. Ya wanna help me with the name?" "Sure. How about Bon?" Harry shook no. "Angus?" "I don't think so." "I assume you want something that is related to Guns N' Roses, not AC/DC?" Harry beamed at the thought, but then instantly sobered up. "I don't know anything about Guns N' Roses, but that's a nice thought." "Maybe we can find out some stuff at the music shop." "That sounds awesome! Thank you Joe!" Harry gave Joe an unexpected hug. He had seen kids of all ages get hugged, and have constant knowledge that they were loved and because of that; Harry was very touch-deprived. Joe smiled back at the young man who had seemed to capture his heart.

*Meanwhile*

Dumbledore was not happy. Not happy at all. The wards had fallen at the Dursley residence, and Dumbledore could not locate Harry anywhere. He had figured that he would put a tracking charm on Harry when he was 11 so that he would not run away to the wizarding world, but there was no use. Once the wards had fallen, he could never put them up again. He went over to the Hogwarts Student Registry. There, he could find the exact location of Harry, and start brainwashing him into doing his bidding. Yes, that might work. When Dumbledore opened the page to Potter, Harry; there was no address. It only showed London. Dumbledore's gasp was audible to Fawkes, who just turned his head and then went back to sleep. As Dumbledore's panic grew, he sent letters to Figg, the Dusleys, and the Daily Prophet. The last one was anonymous, of course. All he had to do was create a panic, and when the boy-who-lived came back, they would be ready for him to lead. Yes, then Harry would feel so overwhelmed by leading, he would then turn to the only one that he knew for help, Dumbledore. Yes, Harry would be lead like sheep to the slaughter. If only Gellert could see this...