CHAPTER 3

Man-Who-Conquered; Missing

Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, the Man-Who-Conquered, has been reported missing. Ministry officials have been working around the clock to find Mr Potter, who was due to be in his office at eight o'clock on Christmas Eve morning. "He said to me just the other day, 'I'll see you tomorrow at work, Merry Christmas, Jane, he said' then he left," his co-worker, Jane Roberts revealed earlier this morning. His friends, both members of the highly famed, 'Golden Trio' all war heroes, are desperate for information.

"I know it sounds a bit desperate, but he's been hiding away from everyone for ages, we thought it was better to just leave him. You know, let him mourn." Hermione Granger said to us as we entered the house.

In the Final Battle of Hogwarts hundreds of students and families lost countless loved ones, it is believed that Mr Potter was one who lost the most. Since losing his parents at fifteen months old, he has further been the survivor of numerous attacks from Death Eaters and Lord… well, You-Know-Who himself. We at the Daily Prophet hope that this is not an attempt to bring back to life He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

Report continued page 9

For a further history on Harry Potter turn to page 4

Reported by Paul Frankfurt

I looked up to Harry. His shocked face turned to one of mirth. Only a week ago, he had apparated to the front doorstep and let himself in. As I helped him to unpack his possessions in the dark of the night, it amazed me at how little there was. It was only days ago that Witch Weekly included an article "Most Eligible Bachelor". Harry Potter was listed as the wealthiest man in the country and one of the most sought after. But now, after reading a single article, it seemed as if that past had been left behind. It was almost like… magic.

The first few days he was with us were a little awkward. Harry was unsure of how to act around Daddy and I, I for one was too. When I first came up with the idea of inviting him along, I never thought it would be this hard. We soon fell into a routine. Early mornings I would take the shower, Daddy would cook breakfast while Harry ran around the mountains. He said that it was a good idea to maintain his form even if he was no longer playing Quidditch. Soon enough, I joined in and it became a morning habit to meet at the lake and run for an hour before showering and eating breakfast. The rest of our day would differ. There was a village down the road from our house and that is where we spent a lot of our time. For a while there was a minor language barrio. The people of this particular village were a lively bunch, and spoke rapid Italian. We were relatively fluent after a month of hard working and practice. It sure helps to be around the people.

Daddy originally decided the trip to Italy would help the Quibbler. Maybe the Italians were more open minded than the English. Who knew? Certainly neither of us did, and neither did Harry. So we took the chance. And it seemed to pay off. Either the people around here were simply being polite, or they truly did enjoy reading about the many creatures that together we had researched and written about. Even so, the people of our town knew of the controversies that Daddy's magazine had caused back in the UK. In their own newspaper, the story of the Second War had made headlines, even though they weren't exactly in the line of fire. But that is beside the point. One thing I do know for sure, was that with the sales being boosted, we had news that THE Newt Scamander, author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was coming to our village. To see us.

Daddy, Harry and I stared at each other in shock. He was coming here. To see us. Wow.

News spread about the village like wild fire. Daddy was hoping to meet the famed author and possibly get an interview for the magazine. I was simply over the moon to get the opportunity and Harry, he was just plain curious. I mean, how many times to you get the chance to meet your biggest idol? Not many I would say.

Shall we get back to Harry now? Yes, I think so. The village. I believe that was one of the first places that he wanted to visit when he caught up with us. And undoubtedly, it was within instants of stepping foot into the place that he made a friend. A young girl called Carrie. Carrie was four, barely came up to his hips and was very cute, I guess. After an hour of questioning and playing, we both learned that Carrie was like Harry. An orphan. When we asked where her parents were, midway through pushing her on the swings at the local park, we expected her to say something normal, maybe they were down the road, at the shops, at home. But not for her to point the sky and say, "Up there, with Merlin and Dumbledore." I had to turn away. My eyes were burning at the simple, innocent comment. She was obviously brought up to understand that it was normal for her parents to not be around with her. Further, discreet, investigation told us that she was living at the orphanage with Signorina Giovanna. Harry's eyes burned and he picked her up and held her, just held her. It was a sweet moment, but it showed me exactly how he felt at that moment. But as soon as he put her down, he swung an arm around my own shoulders.

"Are you marwied?" she asked. I turned a bright red. Harry crimson.

"Er… no, we're just… just friends," he stuttered.

"Oh," she looked unfazed by our embarrassment, "You should be, you look like you are."

"Trust me, we're not married. Just good friends." I explained carefully.

"What 'bout girlfwend and boyfwend?" she asked cutely. Ok, maybe not as innocent as we thought.

"Where would you get that idea, Carrie?" Harry asked, trying not to laugh at the look on my face. I'll admit it now; my face was a ridiculous shade of red.

"The big boys at the orfinige saids so," she explained. Suddenly I giggled. Both Carrie and Harry looked at me oddly. I waved it off, silently explaining that I'd share with him my thought of mirth later. He agreed with his eyes and turned back to the little girl.

"We should get you home, d'you know the way to the orphanage?" Harry asked, praying she would answer in the affirmative.

"Yep, it's this way!" Carrie skipped down the cobbled streets, Harry and I having to run to catch up to her. Obviously I had forgotten how fast four year olds could go when filled with energy.

When we got back to the orphanage, Harry talked to Signorina Giovanna while I looked around. I knew enough about a proper orphanage to know that it was supposed to be clean, spacious and … well it filled all my requirements in any case. No matter. I'm sure she received proper care. Until I saw what happened next.

The Signorina Giovanna that Harry had been speaking to suddenly showed us to the door and took a firm grasp on Carrie's wrist. It was obvious from the girl's facial expression that it was hurting her, and I told the lady that. More like screamed it at her. In return, the lady slammed the door in our face and dragged the girl off. Who knows what happened to her then.

Harry looked at me. Tears were streaming down both our faces from the treatment of our friend. It was clear that Carrie was not wanted in the orphanage. It couldn't have been from financial problems, no the building was quite beautiful, just the neglect and improper care was surrounding it. Distrust was in Carrie's eyes as we disappeared behind the heavy door. She was counting on us, to save us from them. But now, now it was too late. Now we had to tread up the mountainside to get back to the cottage. The house. Whatever it was called. As we walked, I leant into Harry's arms. He tightened them against me, not caring that both our faces were turning bright red from the cold and from the amount of crying that had happened that day. I was glad for his being there. I felt safe in his arms, unlike those poor children down at the orphanage. Tomorrow, tomorrow a new day would rise, and tomorrow, we would set about fixing the problem that was taking over a whole lot of children's lives. Potentially turning out a new set of Lord Voldemorts.

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AN: Thank you sooo much to all my favourite reviewers... and for your information, that is every single one of you who click on that little blue 'GO' button below. I'm assuming all of you recieved the cookies I sent to you... WHAT?? you didn't? Oh yeah, how could I forget... Well, you see... we were making some cookies the other day and I got a bit hungry and...

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