Disclaimer:I think you all know it bynow. If not, look at theother chapters.
(A/N:Well, I have like 1.3 days of school left. And that'safter the weekend. See, I don't have to take finals, so I only come like anhour a day for three days! Maybe I'll spend some of that time writing a few chapters, if my readers are kind and lift my spirits with a few reviews hint hint Anyway, here's the next chapter!)
Chapter 5: The Unflappable Dumbledore flapped? You'd better believe it!
"He WHAT?" came the cry from at least three throats. No, Remus Lupin, Molly Weasley, and Minerva McGonagall were not pleased. That cry was only the loudest, though. Some other, softer, similar exclamations of disbelief were heard, and pandemonium reigned.
Back at Order Headquarters, things were not going well. After calling an emergency meeting, Dumbledore broke the news about Harry's escape to the Order. After that, everything more or less went down the drain.
Professor Dumbledore held up a hand, and waited for them to quiet down. In a minute or so, the Order members did. "Mr. Potter has gone. Run away. Flown the coop. Left. Escaped. Take your pick." The Headmaster decided that right now, he wasn't feeling particularly patient, so Petunia Dursley's words suited him.
Some of the Order members blinked, shocked. After all, they had never heard the elderly Headmaster sound irritated. Others decided that the Headmaster had gone completely insane. And a select few smothered grins. They silently congratulated Harry on managing to do what no one had done in over a hundred years; irritate Albus Dumbledore, as well as escaping without anyone being the wiser. Among those select few, surprisingly, was Professor Severus Snape. He still hated Harry, of course, but came almost close to feeling neutral at the sight of the unshakable Dumbledore snapping back, irritated. The Potions Professor decided to, discreetly, of course, award Gryffindor House ten points when school started back in session. Potter had earned it by annoying the man that had so irritated him, Snape thought inwardly, and smirked.
Remus Lupin decided to ponder this new development later. "Headmaster, what are we going to do?"
"First, we are going to search Diagon Alley. That would be the most natural place for Harry to go. Remus, gather a small group of five and start the search. Since Harry could not have escaped by Floo or Apparition, we will search other possible routes. Kingsley, you and Tonks check the Knight Bus. Make any excuse necessary. After that, check for Portkey usage anywhere near Harry's house. We must check all possibilities. The rest of you, wait for their reports. We'll make more plans once they've come back."
The Order nodded, and began to move. Volunteers went to Remus, to try and join his group. Tonks and Kingsley went out, and started their investigations. The rest sat and waited, anxious about Harry.
As Dumbledore went off into farther into Headquarters, a paper fell out of his pocket. Snape Summoned it, and read Harry's note to Dumbledore. He smirked. Maybe he would have to award Gryffindor twenty points instead of ten.
"You know, I don't know whether to applaud you or scream in frustration." Hedwig said almost conversationally from her perch atop a statue.
Harry looked at her and grinned. "What for?"
Hedwig preened her wing. "You managed to find a spot where no one could find you, without putting yourself in danger, and a place where if the spell from Ollivander's fails, the Ministry can't really tell. Even I didn't think of this place."
Harry grinned again, his hand stirring the potion he was making in his cauldron. "And you're galled because you didn't think of it first. Okay, I get it."
Hedwig glared at him, then turned her attention to her other wing. "What is that potion you're making anyway? Shouldn't you be cleaning up all this mess? Or preparing for your trial that's in two weeks?"
Harry wrinkled his nose, and, looking quickly at the textbook in front of him, added the next ingredient. He stirred it again, this time in the opposite direction. "It's a potion to help me find out my Animagus form. I figure the sooner I find out, the sooner I can transform, and I'll have another advantage on Voldemort. As to cleaning up this mess, I'll get to that. I now have plenty of time, remember? And that trial will be a peace of cake. Trust me Hedwig, I've planned for this ahead of time. They can't get me on a thing."
Hedwig watched as Harry carefully added some other ingredient, and stoked the fire burning beneath the cauldron with his wand. Wiping his sweating forehead with his sleeve, Harry leaned back and stretched. It was a difficult potion to make, but Harry thought he had done it perfectly. It was a lot easier to make potions without Snape breathing down his neck, or Slytherin students distracting him, Harry mused.
Hedwig finally spoke. "And the Order? They're probably not very pleased right now."
Harry's lips curved as he removed the cauldron, and filled the vials on the small, transfigured table right next to the cauldron. For what the Animagus and Potions books recommended, the potion would have to sit at least a day for it to be effective.
"Oh, you're probably right, Hedwig. All I can say is, I don't care. They can search all they want, and they won't find me."
Hedwig was right. To say that most of the Order members were displeased was an understatement. They were furious. Kingsley and Tonks' search turned up fruitless. The Knight Bus hadn't been summoned anywhere near Privet Drive, nor had the conductors seen Harry Potter aboard. No traces of Portkey usage had shown up, and there were no reports of a flying broomstick. It seemed as if Harry had just disappeared.
Nor had anything turned up in Diagon Alley. Harry wasn't in the Leaky Cauldron, and shopkeepers told the searchers that there wasn't any big rush of crowds around Diagon Alley, which there would have been, had Harry been spotted. Harry was not at the Burrow, either.
To all appearances, Harry had vanished into thin air. That didn't deter the Order, and instead, they brainstormed, trying to find a way to find Harry.
It was Remus who thought of Fawkes. They all watched as Dumbledore called the Phoenix to him, tied a letter to his leg, and asked Fawkes to find Harry.
Harry was making good use of "Scourgify," when his ears heard something. He cocked his head and listened for a moment. Then he grinned.
"Hi, Fawkes. Let me guess, the Order is basically running around like headless chickens, furious about my escape, and they sent you to find me?"
The Phoenix swooped into a landing next to Hedwig. If he were a human, he would have smirked. "Pretty much. And you don't want to be found."
Harry paused to transfigure a bit of wood into a little chair. It was steady enough, so he turned it to face Fawkes and Hedwig, who were both looking at him with amusement in their eyes, and sat down. "Pretty much. And you aren't going to tell them." He smirked. It was more of a statement then a command.
Fawkes trilled his laughter. "No, I won't. I guess I could lend credence to my story by sticking around a bit. They'll think I've been searching everywhere for you, and I couldn't find you."
Harry smiled. "That would be fine with me."
"And me." Hedwig stated.
Fawkes was about to speak, when Harry held up his hand. "One question though: can you tell me a bit of what you and the Council transferred into me?"
Fawkes shook his head. "Sorry Harry, but I'm not allowed to tell you what the Council put into you, as it is their gifts. I choose not to tell you what I gave you."
Harry's mind worked at that. "Then could you introduce me to the Council members? I'd like to thank them. I have no doubt that during the Death Eater attack this morning, their gifts enabled me to survive."
Hedwig stuck out her chest. "I've tried to explain what the transfer is Fawkes. He's already made some educated guesses about what kind of gifts were transferred into him."
The Phoenix chirped. "You're very smart, Harry. And I think the Council members would be honored to meet you. There is not enough time to take you to all of them, but I'd be glad to transport you to meet some."
Hedwig ruffled her wings, and Fawkes touched her with one of his. The Snowy Owl smirked inwardly. That touch was a brief acknowledgment and thanks from Fawkes for her helping Harry out.
Harry shook his head, wondering what that was about. Fawkes flew over to him, and landed on his shoulder. Hedwig had just landed on Harry's other, when Fawkes took them both to the Forbidden Forest.
They landed right in front of something Harry knew very well. "Aragog?"
The old spider started. "Fawkes? And this human… I know you."
The Phoenix nodded. "He is the one at the other end of the transfer. I believe you met him over three years ago."
Harry gulped, remembering their meeting. If he wasn't mistaken, Aragog had wanted to eat him. He gulped again when Aragog rose on his legs and turned his head towards Harry, all of his eyes looking at the teen. The young wizard thought he saw his life flash before his eyes when Aragog's pincers started clicking in a rhythm.
In response to the beat, Acromantulas began pouring into the little glade where Aragog's lair was. They formed almost a half-sphere around Harry, finding spots all around him, even in the trees above. Harry desperately wished he could make a grab for his wand without making it seem too obvious.
Then, the ancient spider spoke. "Young one, I know I was in the wrong the last time you visited my lair. You came in peace, at the insistence of my dear friend Hagrid, to try and help him. I ignored the law of the forest in desperation, for my children were starving and dying. I apologize." The spider waited, obviously for Harry's response.
Harry shifted nervously. "Err… I accept your apology. After all, I'm alive, aren't I?"
The lair was filled with the sound of soft clacking, which Harry guessed to be the spiders' way of laughing.
Aragog continued. "Yes, you are. And for that, I am glad. When we last met, you and your… friend spoke of an ancient creature that we fear to even name. Its presence was the bane of our existence, for it fed on our prey, killing us in more ways than one. And you, young one, killed it. For that, we are eternally grateful. I pledge this to you, that you will be safe in the forest, and anyone with you. You have saved many lives by defeating that monster, and for that, you will be called our kinds' friend." From the sound of all of the spiders, they agreed.
"Thank you, Aragog. I'm glad I could help you." Harry couldn't help but feel relieved. Then he grinned. Ron would probably freak if he were in Harry's place right now.
"I hate to interrupt this, Aragog, but I promised to take Harry to more of the Council members. Harry, any questions for Aragog before we leave?"
Harry nodded. "Yes, I have one. What gifts did you give me in the transfer?"
The elder spider shifted, as if considering whether to answer or not. When he spoke, he spoke thoughtfully. "That is a tough question for me to answer. Right now, I cannot. I sense that my gifts haven't awoken in you yet. When you visit me next, perhaps it will have awakened. Until then, you will have to figure it out yourself."
Fawkes nodded in approval, and Harry couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. He sighed. "Then until next we meet, Aragog. Thank you."
The old spider nodded his head, and watched as Fawkes took Harry and Hedwig away. Aragog sighed. It was tough, not telling the boy the answer to his question, but it was for the best. This way, the young one would have to search for it, and perhaps learn more about himself in the process. And that, Fawkes had told them all right before the transfer was performed, was what Harry needed to do before he took on the Evil One.
Fawkes took Harry to many of the Council members. Each one was asked by Harry to reveal the gifts they had given him. And each one refused. They all believed as Fawkes and Aragog did, that Harry would need to go on a self-discovery to find the answers, and that he would find more in the process.
As the Phoenix landed Harry back at his new home, Fawkes noticed Harry looked sad. "I'm sorry you're disappointed, Harry, but they all had their reasons. I will tell you this, though. The answers you seek are inside yourself. I must go now, but remember what I said." Fawkes disappeared.
Hedwig flew to what was becoming her usual perch, and Harry started transfiguring items lying around. The result was a nice, comfy bed, a bedside table, a dresser, and a little lamp. His normal bedtime was far off, but right now Harry wanted to sit and think about the events that had happened.
"The answers are inside myself?" Harry mumbled, trying to make sense of what the Phoenix had said. After about ten minutes of thinking, Harry grabbed some parchment and a quill, and started writing.
He put down all the weird events that had happened (was it only this morning?), like waking up in the middle of the night, and being able to see everything in his dark room clearly. His suddenly extraordinary sense of smell and hearing, his sensitive sense of touch joined the list. As he recalled the events of that morning, Harry jotted the weird things down, like being able to understand Hedwig. Then waking up again, and hearing a charm cast on the outside side of the front door from the top of the stairs. Time seeming to slow down as Bellatrix was about to cast that curse, and Harry hearing everything in minute detail. Him ducking and dodging curses almost unnaturally.
Harry looked at his list a few minutes later, in deep thought. Frowning at it, Harry decided to think about it later, and picked up one of the books he'd bought on Occlumency and Legilmency. The book took his mind off his weird day until it was time to go to sleep.
All of the Order members, Dumbledore included, were leaning back in their chairs, exhausted. Nothing had been found in the case of the disappearance of a Mr. Harry J. Potter. No one had seen or heard from him since that morning, when Harry told his Aunt he was leaving. Not even his relatives had any idea where he might have gone. No one had come up with any good ideas to find him.
Dumbledore sighed and closed his eyes. He was as tired out as any of them. When he felt the claws on his shoulder, he sighed again. "Not now Fawkes, I'm tired."
The room, which was quiet except for the whispers of a few of the Order members, grew dead silent. Everyone froze. Dumbledore's slowly turned his head to see the beady eyes of Fawkes staring at him. The Phoenix gave a small chirp.
"Fawkes is back!" Suddenly the room was filled with chaos, as everyone began talking at once. The Phoenix flew up as a great number of people tried to crowd around him. He had an unmistakably scolding tone as he chattered at them. Dumbledore motioned everyone back.
"Fawkes, did you find Harry?" At the Headmaster's question, the room fell silent once more. Whispers of excitement broke loose as the Phoenix, hovering, held out his leg to Dumbledore, a parchment attached.
With great care, Dumbledore opened it, and glanced at it. His face fell, and he threw the letter on the table. There was a scramble to grab it, that Mrs. Weasley won. All ignored the Headmaster, who had buried his face in his hands. The letter was passed around in disbelief.
Dear Harry,
I hope this letter finds you well. Please, respond. The Order is looking for you, and we are really worried about you…
There you go! A nice chapter for all my nice readers! And if my nice readers would give me some nice reviews, I'd be so happy that I'd write another nice chapter! (hint HINT)
Anyway, on to my reviewers!
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Well, that's all for now! Please, if you've read, review! Little comments make make my day, and make me more eager to get the next chapter up as soon as I can so I can hear more from you! (If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm trying to majorly hint that reviews make me happy, and a happy author means another chapter posted quicker. The morereviews, the happier the author.)