Disclaimer: We do not own HP characters they solely belong to JK Rowling.
AN: A little helping note – The first three chapters will be set during the same time just set in different places. That way we can introduce our characters clearly. – EnJoY!
~Just wanted to say THANK YOU to our awesome beta, ersatz erasion~
Chapter 2: The Search
As dusk set in, candles flickered on, exposing a rather large and beautiful circular room. The walls were scattered neatly with portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. All over the room, sorted in a neatly organized fashion, stood many old artifacts and an assortment of gadgets that sparkled in the candlelight.
The only noise in the room was coming from an enormous fireplace, in which a tiny fire was crackling. In the middle of the enormous office stood a grand desk. Albus Dumbledore, the current Headmaster, was seated there in a comfortable chair. His desk was scattered with an assortment of papers.
After finishing up and sealing a letter to Minister Fudge, Dumbledore was pulled out of his thoughts by a rather loud chime.
Moving quickly, the old wizard opened his top desk drawer and pulled out a misting black orb. As soon as his long, slender hands touched the orb, the sound ceased. "Harry!" was the only word that escaped his lips as he made his way for the fireplace. Grabbing some floo powder with haste, he called, "Minerva's office!"
Within seconds, Minerva McGonagall's head appeared in the green fire, looking panicked. "What is it, Albus? Has something happened?"
Taking a deep breath, Dumbledore spoke calmly. "Bring everyone you can to Headquarters now. It's urgent."
"Very well. I will be there soon." Minerva ended their connection.
After calling for several Order members, Minerva quickly waved her wand over her royal red nighttime garments, changing them into fashionable black robes. Grabbing some floo powder and stepping into the fireplace, she clearly stated, "Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place," and was gone in a flash of green.
When she arrived at her destination, Minerva brushed off her robes with a flick of her wand, and after quickly spotting Dumbledore, she scurried towards him.
There was loud chatter as everyone was getting settled, some even asking their neighbors if they knew the purpose of this impromtu meeting. Only when the last straggler came in and sat down did Dumbledore stand up.
The room became eerily silent as all eyes focused on their leader. Noticing their full attention, Dumbledore began. "Thank you all for coming on such a short notice. It has come to my attention that Harry Potter is not in Privet Drive anymore."
There was uproar of cries.
Holding up his hands in an attempt to create order, he called out, "Silence!" Then, as everyone quieted, he continued. "Now, I don't know how this transpired, but my sources say that he is still alive."
Dumbledore then proceeded to look around the room until his eyes focused on one person.
"Mundungus, I was hoping you could explain what happened." Dumbledore addressed a grimy Mundungus Fletcher.
All eyes turned to Mundungus, and everyone waited in bated silence.
"Well, sir…Harry was very quiet today. He only came out at dusk. I heard some commotion from Number Four, and then, Harry came outside with his aunt following closely behind. She was looking very irritated. She then gave Harry something and hurried back into the house. So I followed him to the park, from where he proceeded into town. Then I…er...lost him in the crowd," Mundungus explained.
"What do you mean you lost him!?" someone bellowed.
"Sirius, calm down. Now, Mundungus, please continue," Dumbledore directed.
"Um...yes, well, I stayed there until he came back. It appears his aunt sent him out to get something at the store 'cause he had a bag with him. As I followed him home, I think Harry realized he was being followed 'cause he kept looking around, so I made more space between us. As we reached the tunnel to Privet Drive, I decided that he was safe. There was just a short walk back, you see, so I Disapparated 'cause my shift was over, and I knew Moody would already be at his post, so Harry would be just fine," concluded Mundungus.
"Constant vigilance! Never Disapparate, you fool, without informing me of the situation," interrupted Alastor Moody.
"Yes, I agree with Alastor, Mundungus. That was not very smart on your part, but now we at least know that something happened between the time you left and the time that Alastor came," said Dumbledore.
"Albus, what are we going to do?" asked a very tired Remus Lupin; the full moon had been a couple days ago, and Remus was still recovering from its effects.
"Severus, I would like you to look for any clues. Find out what Voldemort knows, then report back to me," Dumbledore instructed.
With a curt nod, Severus Snape got up and then left the room in silence.
"Do you think You-Know-Who has Harry?" a very worried Molly Weasley asked.
"No, Molly, I don't think it was Voldemort, but it never hurts to make sure. Now, we need to investigate what happened at Privet Drive in order to find Harry. Tonks, Minerva, and Arthur, could you please go to Privet Drive and look for any signs of what happened? Also, ask the Dursleys what they know. I will inform Arabella that the three of you will be there shortly. Everyone else, keep your ears open to anything and everything. With all that said, this concludes the meeting of the Order of Phoenix," said Dumbledore, dismissing them.
Tonks, who at the moment was sporting bubblegum pink hair, got up to leave with Minerva and Arthur to their assigned task.
One by one, the three took turns flooing to Ms. Figg's house.
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Arabella Figg, a slender, old woman, was busily cleaning her nice, cozy home, moving her many cats out of her way as she did so. Hearing lots of commotion in the front room, she hurriedly made her way over and entered the room where she saw that her visitors were already congregated.
Eyeing her mother's china vase, now scattered into many pieces on the carpet, Arabella looked over to a guilty-looking Tonks.
"Oh!! Sorry about that. I lost my footing," apologized Tonks, while quickly casting a reparo spell to fix the vase.
Raising a questioning eyebrow at Tonks and Arthur, who was at the moment hungrily looking around her home, Arabella then warmly greeted the arrival of her guests. "Ah, Minerva, Arthur, Tonks, how nice it is to see you all! Albus informed me that you three would be coming to check up on Harry."
Minerva nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, my dear, there seems to be a problem with Harry. When was the last time you saw him?"
"Hmm...let's see, I saw him just yesterday afternoon out front, washing his uncle's car. Dreadful they are, having that poor boy out in this heat. He could have fainted," Arabella babbled on, and she pointed out which house belonged to the Dursleys.
Soon after, the Order members changed their robes into Muggle attire and left the house, heading straight for the Dursley residence.
Walking up to Number Four, the three wizards couldn't help but notice how identical all the houses on the street looked.
"Are all muggles like this?" Arthur asked, breaking the silence.
"No, Arthur, just this neighborhood and the Dursleys, I think," said Minerva.
Once the three reached the front door, Tonks pounded on it, and before Arthur could ring the doorbell, Petunia Dursley opened the door. "Yes, how can I help you three?" she said in an almost nasty voice, eyeing their choice of clothing in disgust.
"Hello, Mrs. Dursley. We were wondering if we could have a quick word with you about Harry, your nephew," Minerva cut in.
At hearing her nephew's name, Petunia hurriedly opened the door to let her unwelcome guests in. Before closing the door, she quickly scanned the street to make sure that no one saw the three. Hesitantly, she led the three wizards into her unnaturally clean living room.
"What do you want!?" she snapped finally, folding her arms.
"When was the last time you saw Harry?" Minerva asked, going straight to the point of their visit.
Tonks was leaning against the wall lazily and eyeing a very funny Arthur. He had found the remote for the television set, and he started pushing many of its buttons in awe.
"Excuse me, but you will refrain from touching any of my possessions!" screeched a very upset Petunia as she snatched the remote out of Arthur's hands.
"I must say, what is this lovely contraption called?" asked a bemused Arthur.
Before anyone could answer, there was a loud, thudding noise that was coming from up the stairs. Following it were loud stomping noises that signaled someone large coming down them.
"Pet, my darling, who is at the door….YOU!" Vernon Dursleys shouted once he recognized the redheaded man from the disaster in his home just one year previously.
"WHAT ARE YOU FREAKS DOING IN MY HOUSE! THE BOY IS NOT HERE! YOU HAVE NO PURPOSE BEING HERE!" roared a very purple Vernon.
Taken aback by his rage, Minerva tried to continue calmly. "Mr. Dursley, please calm down. Now, all we want to do is ask if you know where your nephew is," Minerva said in a stern voice..
"The boy is not here, and we don't care if he's gone," Petunia hissed. "Good riddance, I'll say. Anyways, we thought your people took him away. Now leave at once. You're not welcome here."
"You're meaning to tell us that you don't care about the whereabouts of your nephew?" asked a shocked Tonks.
"My wife has calmly told you lot to GET OUT!" interrupted Vernon rudely.
Minerva lost her mental fight of staying calm. "No, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley. We will not leave until we have answers, and I would like to remind you both that I do not appreciate your attitudes toward us," Minerva ground out as she took out her wand and signaled for the others to do so, too.
The Dursleys became still in fright. "Now that I have your complete attention, I'll ask again. When the last time you saw Harry?" Minerva continued on with force politeness.
"I sent that lazy boy out to the store around ten to eight, but that was the last I saw him," explained Petunia shakily. She was eyeing the three wands that were pointing at herself and her husband in fright. "He never came back. He even forgot his belongings and that wretched bird."
"That was over two hours ago. Why didn't you call the police?" Tonks interrupted.
"We never wanted him. We took him in out of the goodness of our hearts. Now, take his things and be on with it, and NEVER come back!" said an angry and terrified Vernon.
"If that is all, then, we will do just that. Where is his room?" Minerva asked sternly.
"Upstairs...the one on the far left," chirped Petunia.
"I'll go. You two, stay here," stated Arthur calmly, and he began his ascent of the stairs.
As he did, Arthur noticed that all the walls were covered with pictures of a very fat boy from early age, and then on to what was probably present time. With disgust, he saw that none of these pictures had Harry in them.
Taking a left as instructed, Arthur found Harry's room at the end of the hall. He entered the small room, and he saw that it was only furnished with a small, lumpy old bed with a matching nightstand, a worn wardrobe on the opposite wall, and a small desk that looked like it would fall over any second.
While looking around for any of Harry's own possessions, Arthur found his trunk on one side of the room. It wasn't completely packed, and there was a small amount of clothing scattered about the room.
After picking up what he could find, he opened Harry's trunk and neatly stuffed the clothing in. Then, as he was taking one last scan of the tiny room, Arthur noticed that just under the bed, there was a displaced floorboard.
Out of curiosity, he reached under the bed and moved the board out of the way. Reaching into the rather large gap, he pulled out Harry's invisibility cloak, a bounded photo album, and an assortment of school books.
After stowing all the items away and grabbing Hedwig's cage, Arthur hurried downstairs, making the trunk follow behind him with his wand.
Arthur entered the living room and saw that no one had moved. The Dursleys were still staring at the wands. Minerva had seated herself on the couch and was sipping some conjured tea, and Tonks was playing with her appearance. Her famous bubblegum pink hair was now blond with pastel blue highlights, and it was tied into a ponytail.
Upon Arthur's arrival, Minerva stood up and spoke once more to the Dursleys. "Well, then, we will be leaving. Good day." With that said, Minerva and Arthur were out the door with a scurrying Tonks in their wake.
Once out front, Tonks asked, "So, what's the plan?"
With a smile to the young one's obvious question, Minerva answered, "A tracking spell, of course." Tonks blushed a bit at this.
"Will you two perform the tracking spell while I go back with Harry's trunk and inform Albus?" said Minerva.
"Yes, that would be just fine," Arthur replied, and they split up.
Laying her wand flat on the open palm of her hand, Tonks said clearly, "Point me Harry James Potter."
Her wand suddenly started turning in a clockwise motion, then settled on pointing north down the street.
Making sure no one would see them, Arthur cast a quick disillusionment charm, and they were on their way. Following the wand point down the road, the two came to a dark tunnel under a major roadway. Arthur took out his wand and said, "Lumos." The tunnel was lit in a flash.
When they got to the middle of the tunnel, Tonks' wand started spinning in fast circles. "We lost the direction," she said. "I'm going to continue on to the other side."
"What's this? Wait, Tonks!" Arthur called.
"What is it?"
"Look over there. There are egg shells all over, and there's a paper bag laying there, too," said Arthur, pointing.
Tonks was reminded of Mrs. Dursley's words, and she remembered her saying that Harry had been to the store. "Could this be Harry's?" she asked.
"Yes, I think so, but that means…" said Arthur, thinking out loud.
"He was kidnapped," finished Tonks.
"Quick check for any more signs." said Arthur, and he started waving his wand around the area, saying specific spells and charms silently.
"Harry was here, maybe two hours ago. I'm not sure," he concluded. "Also, there was someone else here. I can't tell who, but there's a slight signature marking." He stood there silently for a moment before saying, "Well, there's nothing more we can do here. Let's go to Albus."
Tonks nodded, and the two Disapparated back to Dumbledore to deliver the depressing news.
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The sun rose beautifully. It slowly crept over the horizon, showing the first rays of the day. The horizon was filled with many colors of reds, oranges, and yellows. At Grimmuald Place, the younger occupants rose from bed, content. With the smell of a hearty breakfast making its way through the cracks of the doors, the teenagers emerged from their rooms.
"Good morning, Ronald," chirped a very happy Hermione Granger.
Wondering how someone could be so cheerful in the morning hours, Ron's responded with a grunt.
They entered the kitchen to find it swelling with noise. Molly was, as usual, cooking breakfast, sending bangs and clanks throughout the kitchen. Cooking utensils were flying all over in an organized fashion with the guidance of Molly's wand. Moody and Bill were discussing something heatedly. Sirius was quietly talking to Remus. A few minutes later, the rest of the group slouched in, and Ginny, Fred, and George Weasley joined the table, taking seats next to Ron and Hermione.
Within a few seconds, the table was full of delicious breakfast foods. Not wanting to wait any more time, Ron dove in and grabbed a stack of pancakes and a handful of eggs. After drowning his plate in syrup, he took a huge bite.
Shaking her head at Ron's antics, Hermione ate slowly and said, "This tastes great, Mrs. Weasley."
"Oh, thank you, sweetie," said Molly, smiling.
Then, all of a sudden, a loud screech could be heard from up the stairs. "That must be my mother," Sirius said to no one in particular, and he got up and made his way to quiet her.
"And Tonks," laughed Remus, and he too followed.
"I really am sorry. You know, it's just too dark in there. How am I supposed to see the coat stand?" Tonks' voice traveled down to the kitchen.
The door opened, revealing Sirius and Remus, followed closely by Tonks and Arthur.
At seeing her husband, Molly lost it and ran over to embrace him in a hug. "Arthur, where have you been? I've been so worried. Did you find him?"
Breaking the hug, Arthur shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, my love, for worrying you. Tonks and I just got back from talking with Albus, and Severus came by later. He told us that You-Know-Who knows nothing about what happened," stated Arthur in a hushed voice.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Molly broke down, crying, and Arthur embraced his wife lovingly, trying to comfort her. The occupants of the kitchen table stopped what they were doing when they heard Mrs. Weasley's crying.
"Mum, what's wrong?" asked a concerned Ginny.
"We have something to tell you all," Arthur said calmly, guiding Molly back to her seat. The younger people of the room noticed that all the adults had grim faces.
"What's going on?" asked Ron, confused.
Taking a deep breath, Arthur continued. "Last night, something really horrible happened." He paused. He didn't feel like he had the heart to tell his children such bad news, but sighing, he continued. "What you need to know is that Professor Dumbledore has informed us that something has happened to Harry."
"What? Where is he?" Hermione interrupted.
"Professor Dumbledore sent Tonks, Professor McGonagall, and I to investigate what happened," Arthur went on, getting to her question. "We arrived at the Dursleys and found out that Harry wasn't there. Apparently, Harry's aunt had sent him on an errand earlier. We did a tracking charm, and that led us to a tunnel. That's where we lost Harry's signature."
"What do you mean, Dad? Where's Harry?" said Ron.
"He's gone, Ron. We don't know where he is, but…we know one thing. We know that You-Know-Who doesn't have him," said Arthur, trying to comfort his son.
The room fell into an eerie silence. Everyone was deep in their own thoughts.
"I'm going upstairs," said Sirius quietly, breaking the silence.
"Are you okay, Padfoot?" Remus asked him sadly.
"No, Moony, I'm not okay."
Sirius made to leave, but before he could, Dumbledore came in. "Good morning, everyone," he greeted. "Ah, I see that everyone has been informed of recent events," he said calmly.
"Oh, Albus, is there any news?" Molly asked.
"That's what I was just going to inform you about. We will be having an Order meeting shortly, as soon as the kitchen is cleared," Dumbledore announced.
"Well, you heard the Professor," Mrs. Weasley told her children, signaling them all to leave.
"If this is going to be about Harry, though, shouldn't we be able to hear?" Fred commented.
"No, I will have none of it. Now, out, before the rest show up," Mrs. Weasley finished.
The group left reluctantly, feeling defeated.
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Up in the living room, Hermione and Ginny had made themselves comfortable on the couch, and the three boys sat in the comfy chairs by the fire. In silence, they watched as many witches and wizards ran by and disappeared into the kitchen. When the last person had been by and the kitchen door was shut, George spoke up. "What's with all the gloomy faces? Just because we can't attend the meeting doesn't mean we can't hear what's going on." He gave his twin a knowing wink.
"Yes, come on, then. Quiet…this way," Fred added.
"What are you two talking about?" Hermione asked.
"Well, Hermione, just come over and see," laughed George.
Fred took something out of his pocket and stuck it by the door. Then he proceeded back up the stairs, where everyone was waiting.
"What are you doing?" Ginny whispered.
"They're called Extendable Ears. George and I invented them. Here, just listen."
The hall was then filled with the sounds that were coming from the kitchen.
"…The Dark Lord is keeping quiet. He does not act as if he knows anything about Potter. I think the Dark Lord is more interested in gaining more followers at the moment. I heard that he plans on approaching the vampires soon," Professor Snape concluded.
Looking at each other in curiosity, they continued listening, and Dumbledore's voice rang out.
"Thank you, Severus." There was a pause, and then he continued. "Now, on the matter of Harry Potter, we can rest safely, knowing that Voldemort does not know about Harry's whereabouts. How long it will take him to find out, we don't know, but Harry will need to be found before that situation arises. Now, I want to remind you all that this must stay quiet. If someone from the Ministry finds out about it, it won't be long until Voldemort does."
There was another pause, and then Dumbledore spoke again. "Well, I think that is almost all, but we will need to set up the searches for today. Snape, continue to be watchful around Voldemort, and if at all possible, please check Malfoy Manor. Mundungus, watch Privet Drive again with Mrs. Figg. Remus, Moody, Tonks, Kingsley, and Arthur, you will look in downtown London or anywhere else you think Harry might be. Look for any details that could help, and try to figure out what happened in that tunnel. Molly, if you would please remain here, to make sure things run smoothly. If that is all..." Another pause. "…then this concludes the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix."
Fred yanked the Extendable Ear out as they heard the scratching of benches on the stone floor. Before anyone could see the five eavesdroppers, they sprinted to Ron's room to talk about what they had heard.
"So they're nowhere close to finding Harry," said Hermione. "I'm worried…what if something bad is happening to him?" She started crying.
Ron came over and gave her a hug. "Don't worry, Hermione. I'm sure Harry is just fine."
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AN: So what did you think about this chapter? Please review we would LOVE to hear our reader's thoughts. Thank you!