To Have a Home

By Ammie Hawk

Summary: After first year, Harry Potter is tired of his treatment at the Dursleys and decides to run away and join the Avengers. Little does he know the surprises that are in store for him when he arrives.

AN: So this is the start of a new fic that has come up and bit me hard on the ass. I'm only posting this chapter for the time being, seeing how everyone responds to it. If my flow continues, I may have another chapter or two posted before too long, but otherwise, I'm holding off on all other postings of this fic and all others until my twelve days of Christmas project, but let me know what you think.

This is also my first attempt at an Alpha/Beta/Omega fic, so please bear with me as I come to grips with the genre. As usual, please enjoy my descent into madness.

Prologue

Eleven year old Harry Potter peeked around the doorframe to the living room of Number Four Privet Drive. His wide green eyes were glued to the television set the Dursleys were currently watching. The screen was showing an intense battle between some evil creatures coming from a hole in the sky and a group of people they were calling the Avengers.

"Bunch of freaks, if you ask me," his Uncle Vernon snorted at the set. "Bringing their problems down on us normal folk."

Aunt Petunia made a noise of agreement. Dudley's eyes were glued to the screen, his entire being focused on the devastation unfolding. Harry shifted slightly, hoping to get a better view, when a floorboard squeaked under his weight. He froze, hoping his relatives hadn't heard.

"Boy!" his uncle roared, and he knew he was in trouble now. "I know you're there, come here, now!"

The raven haired boy shuffled into the living room, his head bowed and eyes glued to the floor. When he was within arm's reach of his uncle, he felt a beefy hand close around his forearm and yank him forward.

"What do you think you are doing?" Vernon snarled, giving him a firm shake.

Harry gave a faint whimper, but knew nothing he could say would appease the obese man.

"I asked you a question, boy?" a firm smack landed across the side of his head, causing stars to dance across his vision.

"I was just passing, and—and I saw," he stuttered slightly. "I didn't mean to watch, Uncle Vernon, I—I'm sorry."

"Oh, you will be," Vernon said, hefting himself up, not letting go of his nephew's arm.

He dragged him up the stairs. Harry stumbled slightly on the steps but his uncle didn't seem to notice or care. When they reached the smallest bedroom, he was thrown unceremoniously onto his bed. Vernon slammed the door closed behind him and flipped on the light.

"You ungrateful little freak," he said, spit flying from his lips as he undid his belt. "Looks like you need to be reminded of your place. And you'd better not use that freakishness."

He punctuated the last word with a lash from the belt. Harry barely managed to throw up his arms to protect his face, something he learned long ago kept others from asking questions, before he felt the sting of the leather across his chest. Hoping to avoid any visible damage and muffle his screams of pain, he curled up into a ball and buried his face in the pillow, the belt still licking every inch of him it could reach.

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"You didn't tell us you weren't allowed to use magic outside school," said Uncle Vernon, a mad gleam dancing in his eyes. "Forgot to mention it…. Slipped your mind, I daresay…."

He was bearing down on Harry like a giant bulldog, all his teeth bared. "Well, I've got news for you, boy…. I'm locking you up…. You're never going back to that school… never… and if you try and magic yourself out—they'll expel you!"

And laughing like a maniac, he dragged Harry back upstairs, where he proceeded to work him over once again.

Later that night, Harry lay in the dark, in too much pain to actually sleep. He didn't think he could deal with much more of this. He was all alone here, and true he hadn't had any correspondence from the wizarding world and that was because of Dobby, but they obviously didn't care enough to check on him. He had to get away, otherwise he might not live to make it back to Hogwarts anyway. But where could he go? And could he even get away?

Wait. Dobby wanted him gone from Hogwarts, didn't he? Well, couldn't he promise not to return to school and still leave the Dursleys? But how could he get the house elf to help him when he wasn't here?

He carefully pushed into a sitting position, wincing with every movement. From what it sounded like the little creature had to be watching him, so maybe he was now as well. It was just a thought, right? But it couldn't hurt to try.

"D-Dobby?" he said in barely a whisper, not wanting to risk waking the Dursleys.

"Harry Potter called for Dobby?" the house elf appeared with a soft pop.

"Shh," Harry held up his hands, his ears straining to hear any sound from his relatives. "I don't have a lot of time. If I can get you to do me a favor, I promise I won't go back to Hogwarts."

"Dobby is listening, Harry Potter," he nodded slowly.

"If you can get my stuff from under the stairs and get me far away from here, I won't go back to Hogwarts, I promise," he sniffed back a sob.

The small creature nodded and snapped his fingers. Harry's trunk with all his school supplies appeared in the room. He sighed as he lifted the latch and opened the lid. With another muffled sob, he turned to his wardrobe and began throwing everything inside as fast as he could in his current state.

It took him over half an hour to gather all his belongings. He had just placed Hedwig's cage on the top of his trunk, when he heard a floorboard creak in the hallway. Wide green eyes turned to the house elf in panic. If he was going to do this it had to be now.

"Dobby, please take me to New York."

Ammie: So I'm alive, and kinda on a writing streak at the moment, but as I stated before, I'm compiling for my twelve days of Christmas. I'm over halfway there at the moment, so it's looking good. Anyway, please let me know what you think.