Disclaimer: Other than the plot, I just don't own it. Go JKR!

Title: Come Back

Author: Alive at Midnight

Summary: After the war, Harry detached himself from the wizarding world, hiding away from prying eyes. Only the cleverest witch had a chance to find him. When she does, can she convince him to return?

Prologue

Harry rolled out of bed, shaking off the residual feeling of sleepiness. He crossed the small space to his bathroom door and stood at the sink. He turned on the faucet and reached down, filling his hands with cold water to splash on his face. Grabbing a towel off the shelf, he stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror as he dried his face.

His black hair was still unkempt and in need of a cut. He was taller by a few inches, his body lean and muscular. His green eyes were dull, having lost their life over the years. The stubble on his chin was becoming more defined. He was tan, brought on by the amount of time he spent outside.

Sighing, he tossed down the towel and quickly brushed his teeth. He reentered his bedroom and pulled on a pair of shorts, opting out of a shirt. His bedroom was huge, a definite improvement over that small bedroom he used to have with the Dursleys. He didn't have much filling the space though. A king-sized bed sat in the middle of the room. A dresser was against the wall to the left of the bed and his old trunk was shoved into a corner. The walls were a light blue, a color that originally came with the place.

He stepped out of his bedroom into a large open room. The kitchen was on the opposite side, decorated with pale green marble countertops and white cabinets. Filling the space between was a black leather couch and black coffee table. He had a large Muggle flat-screen television mounted on the wall next to his bedroom door. He had Muggle video game systems stored in the black cabinet sitting under the TV. To his left were the sliding doors leading to the large deck and his backyard. To the right of this was desk, with random things and a rarely used laptop scattered across its surface. His front door was situated next to the desk between two large windows that easily allowed the sun to stream in.

He headed toward the door, grabbing his shoes and sliding them on. He fished through the mess on the desk until he located his MP3 player. He left out the back door, wand-less. He hurried across the deck and down the stairs and did a few stretches. Pausing to watch the sunrise, he slipped his earphones into his ears, set his list on shuffle, and took off at a jog.

Harry ran every morning, just as the sun was rising. It was truly a beautiful sight, but one he had gotten used to over the years. He let his mind wander, something he had found difficult at first. There were many things he didn't want to think about: what was lost, who was lost, the events following the war…He understood that in order to have a future, he would have to come to terms with his past. And so, he thought. He thought long and hard every day. He gained new meaning and understanding from his past and became more content as he reached his resolutions. There were just a few issues that were unresolved, but he wasn't ready to face those yet.

Six years ago, he had packed up his stuff and left his home, or what he called home at the time. He had given the much-improved Kreacher to the Weasleys, boarded up Grimmauld Place, nearly emptied his Gringotts vault, and apparated to the nearest airport. He hadn't been sure where he was headed, but knew he had to get away. He abandoned magic at that point, not wanting to attract attention from Muggles and wizards alike.

He had travelled to America first, spending a few months sightseeing. One day, as winter was slowly transitioning to spring, he had seen an ad for a cruise and immediately signed up. The cruise also served as transportation for those travelling to Euphoria Island. It was a large island owned by some vacation corporation called Paradise Inc. Half of the island was for tourists, a vacation spot with a large hotel, plenty of beach, and constant entertainment. The other half was covered with beach houses spaced comfortably apart that were available to rent.

It was here that Harry settled. He was the only tenant that was there year-round, but he didn't care. He liked the peace and for six months out of the year, the beach was his. For the most part, the tourists never made it to his side of the island, which he was grateful for. He occasionally travelled to the village to pick up supplies, but seeing as how he only had a bike and the ride usually took an hour, he only made the trip when necessary.

Human contact for him was rare on the island. Of course, there were a few locals that knew of his existence and checked up on him from time to time to make sure everything was alright. He ran into tourists when he ran any errands to the village. He only ran into his "neighbors" during the vacation season whenever he was traveling up and down the beach, and he usually didn't speak to them.

When he first moved in, he performed the first bit of magic he had done in months. He set wards around his house. He didn't want just anyone to be able to walk in on him and he still had the trouble of owls finding him with mail. (His first birthday after the war, there were owls covering the Burrow and the land around it with birthday wishes. Mrs. Weasley hadn't been happy with the mess that was left behind.) A ward was placed at a 50-foot radius around the house preventing anyone or anything magical from crossing into his area. Owls that attempted to get through this barrier never made it. Instead, they were instantly covered in ink, the word "trespasser" printed all over its body. (The birds weren't injured, and a quick bath removed the ink.) The only bird that was able to get through was the Daily Prophet bird, which learned to drop the paper from the sky. (He was paying for his subscription through an automatic withdrawal from the funds remaining in his Gringotts vault.) He also spelled the doors and windows to only react to his touch, shocking any potential unwanted guests that try to get in. He also made the house untraceable, hidden from the world.

Yes, he spent most of this time in seclusion. There was no communication with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, or anyone else. He ignored any letters that managed to reach him before he settled on the island. And now, no one could reach him. For all intent and purposes, Harry Potter existed only in name and he wouldn't mind if it stayed that way.

A/N: This isn't the first story I've written, but it's the first story I've posted under this account. Updates should come once a week, but since this is just a prologue, I'll post the first chapter a little sooner. In the mean time, please R&R!