Chapter 2: Escape

Disclaimer: I hereby affirm that I do not own any of the content of this story that I didn't create myself.

A/N: Damn! I wasn't expecting such positive feedback this early. Thank you! Also, I am using metric measurements in this story because that's what Britain uses. Anyways, since I have nothing else to say, let the story commence!


Magical Detection Log #5,208

Magical Energy Types:

Raw Magic

Unknown Magic*

Enchanting Magic

Ritual Magic

Soul Magic

Other Magics**

Strength: Unable to obtain accurate reading

Source: Unknown, magical emissions semi-consistent with objects #408, #1,763, and #2,028

At 16:02:55, a large amount of magic appeared 113.86 kilometers above a prairie and moved northwest at a very fast speed. As it moved, the diameter of the signature decreased. At 16:05:24, the signature finished shrinking and stopped moving northwest and started moving directly downwards. The signature disappeared from detection 62 kilometers above the surface. See Addendum 1-A for a map of the signature's movement.

In accordance with procedures regarding unknown sources of large magical signatures and unknown types of magical signatures, this log is to be filed to the Department of Mysteries.

*Seven unknown types of magic were detected. See Addendum 1-B for currently known details on these types and similar types of magic.

**Several types of magic made up less than 1% of the signature. See Addendum 1-C for types of magic detected.


Artifact: Infinite Box of Food

Instances of Artifact: 212

Retrieval Difficulty: 1

The Infinite Box of Food is a 29 cm x 18 cm x 16.5 cm metal box that opens from the top. The only distinctive marking on the box is an indent of a feather with the base of the feather replaced by a bamboo chute. On the inside of the box, there is a 18 cm x 18 cm metal tray, a 15 cm tall wine glass, a 9 cm tall glass cup, and various metal eating utensils. All of the box's contents have the aforementioned marking on them.

This artifact can create an infinite supply of food and water. It should be noted that the material created by the artifact is not transfigured or conjured. To make the artifact create food, you must make physical contact with the tray and think of the food you want created. If the food you think of is too big to fit on the metal tray, another tray will appear outside of the box that has the necessary dimensions to hold the food with the food on it. To create water or any other liquid, you must be in physical contact with either the wine glass or the glass cup and think of the liquid you desire. One notable drawback to this function is the fact that you have to have consumed the food or drink you want at least once in your life for the artifact to be able to create it. Once you are finished, closing the box will make any leftover food and liquid disappear, along with the expanded metal tray if it manifested itself. It is also able to shrink to one tenth of its original size if you say 'diminish' and will return to its original size if you say 'grow'. The box cannot be opened in its shrunken state.

The Infinite Box of Food was created by Johnson and Alice Araea and were sold by Oriental Enchantments, a small shop in Diagon Alley, London that was open from February 17 to May 26 of 1908. The Box of Infinite Food was put up as merchandise on the 23rd of May, only three days before the British Ministry of Magic seized the shop for using dark magic to create their merchandise. Before the shop was taken, For clarification, it should be noted that the Araeas didn't use dark magic, but used very old magic thought lost, and the Ministry was using the charges they made against the Araeas to simultaneously silence political dissent and to seize the families vaults and old family tomes. For further clarification, it didn't work because the Araeas anticipated this and had already transferred their vaults over to magical France, they portkeyed their merchandise to Alice's old home hours before the shop was seized, and had left the country right after they finished.

As Harry read on, he felt more and more giddy. The artifact he was reading about provided for two of the three basic necessities of life, and if what he read about the history was true, then all the basic necessities, food, water, and shelter, would be provided for. And best of all, he didn't need to live with the Dursleys to have those. He was able to finally escape.

When he backed up and looked at the whole page, he first noticed that there were less words on the page than he had read. Confused, he read it again. He read the exact same words as he did the first time, but he had definitely read more words than there were on the page. The next thing he noticed was the map taking up the bottom left corner of the page, and the empty box right next to it which took up the rest of the bottom of the page.

On the map he noticed several hundred bright red dots scattered around the world, with most of them in Europe. He also noticed the turquoise dot which signified his (or is it the book's?) location with a rusty red arrow pointing away from it, and how the arrow matched exactly with the one at the top of the page. He also noticed that one of the red dots seemed to be overlapping with his own. On impulse, he touched that red dot.

Harry was surprised when the map changed to a different map, with him at one end and the red dot at the other end. He also realized that the map showed Surrey on his end and a small forest at the red dot's end. Then, he noticed that the once empty box had filled with information, like coordinates, distance, an address, traps (or lack therof, in this case), and the like.

As Harry's excitement grew, one stray thought made his blood run cold.

'How will I be able to hide this from the Dursleys?', he thought to himself. Then he realized that he didn't need to return to them, and that he could immediately start making his way towards the artifact. He looked at the map. Only 50.37 kilometers. He knew from a random trivia book from the library that it took about 15 minutes to walk a kilometer. Harry did a quick calculation in his head and found out that he could make it there by tomorrow morning! And with that thought, he started moving towards his destination.


Saul Croaker sat at his desk and groaned. Today was a very slow day in the Department of Mysteries. He looked up at his clock. It was 5:00 PM. He continued being bored until a paper appeared on his desk. He looked at it, hoping it would give him some sort of excitement on this dull day.

And excitement it would give him.


At 5:20, a squad of Unspeakables arrived at the place where the signal ended (or 62 kilometers below it, at least) and immediately started conducting various tests in the area. They were so focused on their task that they didn't one Unspeakable sneak away and turn onto a street called Privet Drive.


Saul Croaker sat at his desk and groaned. It had been a positively terrible operation. He looked up at the clock. It was 7:37 PM. He and his Unspeakables had looked all over, but they could only find the faintest of magical signatures, and that was directly under where the signature disappeared. Worse still, the latter hour of the operation wasn't even spent investigating the unknown phenomenon. You see, the faint residue didn't match the signature of the unknown phenomenon, but that of a human magical; and likely a child at that. Judging by the strength of the magical residue, the child had stood in that spot for 3 minutes and had left about 1 hour and 20 minutes before they arrived. The timeframe that the child had been in that spot lined up with when the magical signature would've hit the ground had it been contained in a solid object, which he was forced to concede that that was likely.

So, a magical child had run off with a strange and powerful magical object. Oh well, it could be worse. After all, the child could've turned out to be Harry Potter, and he could've run away from his home, taking the object with him. Also, there could have been a Death Eater in his ranks trying to break into Harry Potter's home. Oh, wait, that's exactly what happened. Saul Croaker slammed his head against his desk as he remembered.

How did that happen, you ask? Well, he first noticed that Rockwood was missing from his ranks. He ordered the Unspeakables to find Rockwood, and they quickly found him trying to break down a set of blood wards, on a muggle household, no less. Needless to say, Rockwood was immediately captured and questioned under veritaserum, and then stunned, obliviated of all information from the Department of Mysteries, and locked in one of their holding cells for later arrest. He got the previous information from Rockwood. Well actually, the part about Harry Potter running away from his home was inferred, as they questioned the residents of the warded home as well, and found out that they were his relatives. He also found out that Potter usually returned home a lot later than the time they were questioned.

Saul Croaker once again groaned. Why did he want an interesting day, exactly?


Arabella Figg walked out to her porch, and saw Unspeakables crowding around No. 4, Privet Drive. When she saw this, she ran inside; she had to inform Dumbledore.

She tried contacting him via floo call to no avail, then she remembered that Dumbledore would be out of the country until tomorrow morning.


Harry Potter, with his book in hand, momentarily stopped and looked up, and, sure enough, saw a treeline bordering the midnight sky. Newly motivated , he set forth to the forest with renewed vigor. He was so focused, in fact, that he didn't notice the momentary tingling sensation on his body and the single faint single blue pulse of his book.


In the early morning, as the sunlight only touched the tops of the highest trees, Harry looked down at his book and found that the artifact was really close to him now. As he got closer, he felt himself stop momentarily, but then the book flashed brightly, with an almost white blue color, and he was able to move again.

As the spots cleared out of his vision, he noticed that the scenery around him had changed.


Edit 8/9/17: Changed a thing for consistency in future chapters.