A/N: Special thanks to my awesome friend and beta, ClassyIsMyMiddleName. Go and check out Classy's profile! Enjoy the story :D

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Harry Potter.

PROLOGUE

"But how is the boy getting here, Dumbledore?" She eyed his cloak suddenly as though she thought he might be hiding Harry underneath it.

"Hagrid's bringing him."

"You think it – wise – to trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"

"I would trust Hagrid with my life," said Dumbledore. {B1, Ch1, p14}

35 minutes later, Midnight…

The two professors were waiting on a lonely bench across the street from Number 4, Privet Drive, sitting in an uncomfortable silence. Both had given up all attempts at conversation 20 minutes ago when the subject kept coming back to the tragic murder of Lily and James Potter. They knew that the majority of the wizarding world would be up all night, celebrating the defeat of the Dark Lord. However, celebrating was the last thing on the professors' minds at the moment, as they waited for Hagrid to arrive with Harry Potter, the poor infant who had been orphaned only hours ago.

The witch was fidgeting restlessly, crossing her legs and uncrossing them, tugging at her dark green robes, and occasionally transforming into a tabby cat and pacing irritably around the bench. The wizard on the other hand was sitting in a much more relaxed manner, although he too was getting worried. He glanced at his pocket watch every few minutes, and shifted his gaze from left to right across the calm and clear midnight sky. He popped a lemon drop in his mouth, earning him a reproachful look from Professor McGonagall. Her features became distorted as she transformed back into her human form. As she reached her full height she glared down at Professor Dumbledore through her square spectacles, her thin lips pursed disapprovingly as he offered her the bag of candy.

"No, thank you," she said pointedly. "Honestly, Albus, how can you even think about eating sweets at a time like this?" Minerva McGonagall looked up, searching the skies for the umpteenth time. Frustrated, for she saw no sign of Hagrid, she rounded on Dumbledore who was watching her with a twinkle in his eye, still sucking contentedly on his lemon drop.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore! Lily and James Potter are dead! And then you go and trust Hagrid of all people – not that I have anything against Hagrid, but you can't pretend he's not careless – with the important task of bringing their son Harry Potter safely here to Little Whinging! Not to mention that you are stubbornly forcing the boy to live with these terrible muggles! I've been watching them all day Albus, they are simply dreadful! Even dear Lily spoke of how she detested her sister, and you know how that sweet girl hated to speak ill of anyone…" Professor McGonagall trailed off, her face stricken with grief. She looked at Dumbledore who had not said a word as she ranted. The elderly wizard did not look as if he were going to say anything though, so she continued.

"Exactly what time was Hagrid supposed to be here, Albus?" Professor McGonagall said, taking a deep breath to calm herself as she realized she had just been shouting at the man who had the power to sack her from her post at Hogwarts.

"He should have arrived no later than 20 minutes ago," Dumbledore replied, starting to look unsure of himself. "He did mention that he would be travelling by a flying motorbike so perhaps they ran into turbulence and were delayed." He hopefully looked up at the sky once again. Professor McGonagall followed his trail of sight, and seeing nothing but a vast black sky dotted with twinkly stars, she drew her lips into a thin line.

"Yes, I can see how difficult it must be to fly in this sort of weather," she said, with an unmistakable touch of sarcasm. "Albus, has it not occurred to you that they might have been attacked? Perhaps the Death Eaters managed to locate them and are torturing them at this very moment! And all the while, you are sitting there doing nothing but sucking on muggle sweets!"

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at this, though he relinquished the lemon drop, and vanished it with a wave of his wand. "Ah, but Minerva, I highly doubt that they were ambushed by Death Eaters. With their master gone, I don't reckon they will risk anything. In fact, most will probably go into hiding, as I am sure you know, the whole lot of them are in fact, a bunch of cowards."

"You can never be too sure, Albus," Professor McGonagall replied quietly. Dumbledore considered this for a moment, and then he stood up decisively.

"Very well, I will send word to Hagrid. If we do not hear back from him in ten minutes, I will alert the Order to form a search party," Dumbledore retrieved his wand out from inside his robes. "Expecto Patronum!"

Dumbledore's patronus, a silvery phoenix, shot out of the tip of his wand. The graceful bird perched on the bench, waiting expectantly for its message. Dumbledore leaned down and murmured his message to the patronus. The iridescent phoenix nodded its majestic beak, and soared off.

"How is Hagrid to reply, Albus? Seeing as he is unable to do magic…" Professor McGonagall broke off, uncertainly.

"He has his ways," Dumbledore replied softly, but with a note of finality in his voice.

The two professors sat back down on the wooden bench, once again falling into that all too familiar silence. After sitting around for ten minutes, Dumbledore sighed as it became less and less likely for Hagrid to show up with Harry. Keeping to his word, he drew out his wand, and once again cast a patronus, sending a message to every member of the Order of the Phoenix. He requested for the Order to form a search party, whilst he and Professor McGonagall kept watch at Privet Drive. Professor Snape, the Potion Master at Hogwarts, sent two small vials, via owl post, of a potion that would enable them to stay alert through the night.

Five, excruciatingly long hours later, revealed nothing of Hagrid and Harry's location. Professor McGonagall had long since given up the crossword she was working on, stating that no person on Earth could possibly figure out the clues, and had taken to fretfully fiddling with the empty potion vial. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.

"Severus!" she exclaimed.

"Come again, Minerva? Do you see Severus?" Dumbledore sat up and glanced around, but seeing no one, he leaned back dejectedly.

"No, no, nothing of that sort," she said hurriedly. "I just meant that, well, Severus is a Death Eater…"

"Ex-Death Eater turned spy," Dumbledore corrected, gently.

"Er, right. Anyways, wouldn't Severus know if the Death Eaters had gone after Hagrid and Harry? And if he doesn't already know, shouldn't he be able to find out? Severus has managed to work his way into You-Know-Who's closest circle of Death Eaters."

"Minerva, I trust Severus enough to know that he would have told me if he knew, or had a chance of knowing if Hagrid was indeed attacked tonight."

"Yes, but you also said that you trusted Hagrid with your life. Enough to entrust him with bringing Harry here, and we've seen just how well that little plan worked out!" she snapped at him. She closed her eyes and took a slow, calming breath. "Just ask him, please Dumbledore."

So Dumbledore sent off yet another patronus, and they awaited a reply as the first rays of the early morning sun began to stretch across the sky. The two professors looked down Privet Drive as a gleaming patronus pranced up the street to meet them. It was a doe. Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall looked at each other in astonishment. Dumbledore was the first to speak.

"It can't be…"

"Lily?" Professor McGonagall finished for him.

The voice that came from the patronus, however, was not that of Lily Evans. It was in fact, the silky, masculine voice of Severus Snape. The message curtly stated that there was no Death Eater attack on Hagrid and Harry, and that indeed most Death Eaters and their families were going into seclusion.

This information did little to calm their worries, however, for Hagrid and Harry were still missing as every member of the Order had come up short.

"Albus, I do not believe that Hagrid will be coming to Privet Drive," it pained Professor McGonagall to say it but she knew it had to be true.

"Nor do I, Minerva," Dumbledore said, solemnly. "What do you say we head over to Headquarters to determine our next course of action with the Order? We should leave now before the muggles awaken."

"I'm one step ahead of you, Albus."

And indeed she was, for she turned on the spot, and disappeared with a crack.

Dumbledore followed suit, taking a moment to glance around Privet Drive. Only one thing came to his mind, before he disapparated.

"I trusted you, Hagrid."

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