AN: Uffda. Get ready for some dialogue, folks. This is what I like to call a 'necessary evil' chapter. I more or less combined two of Canon Harry's chapters so I could move on quicker. Let me know if something doesn't sit quite right.
Chapter 6 – Puzzles
Not a moment passed between Apparating to Diagon Alley, muttering Muffliato with a flick of his wand, and hearing Hermione's frantic words.
"We're—How is this—we're in another dimension!"
"Yeah," Harry said, thankful she had cottoned on. "You wouldn't happen to know how to get back to our own, would you?"
"No," she said hysterically. "I don't! It's not supposed to be possible!"
"Haven't you learnt anything from hanging out with me over the years?"
"This isn't funny, Harry." She stamped her foot in frustration. "I've been all over England trying to figure out what was going on. At first I thought I—or we—had gone back in time and I didn't know if I was the only one and I couldn't find anyone and then I found a Prophet—but this—this, Harry—oh god—this isn't possible!"
Harry gave her a rueful smile. "Calm down," he said gently. "People are staring."
There weren't many people still shopping. It was becoming late in the day and many of the shops already looked to be closed, but Hermione's wild hand gestures were still attracting some attention. She looked around and took a deep shuttering breath. "Diagon Alley?" She said. "Are you sure we should be somewhere so…public?"
"Zabini is here—at Fortescue's—waiting in case the others show. Besides, no one gives me a second look here."
"No one knows you?" she said in surprise. "But then that means—"
"I know."
And if possible, Hermione looked more worried than before. But her worry quickly morphed into annoyance. "How long has Zabini been at Fortescue's?—I've looked there twice. And where have you been, I've been looking everywhere!"
"We've must have been missing each other," he said, gesturing her to follow him. They began striding down Diagon Alley together as he began explaining his afternoon. She gave him a sympathetic look when he got to Sirius and Remus. Then her eyes grew impossibly wide as he mentioned the Order meeting.
"So it's true," Hermione whispered. "He's still here..." She took in the shops and people of Diagon Alley with a furrowed brow. "But why does everything seem so normal?"
"Because he's not out in the open—or maybe he is dead. I don't know. The Lovegood's didn't seem to know much—"
"The Lovegoods?"
"Yeah, I went there looking for Luna and I found her along with parents—yes, both of her parents and her counterpart," he added when she gave him an inquiring look. "I asked them about You-Know-Who and—don't give me that look. I'm taking no chances. We don't need another Malfoy—Augh! If he isn't up ahead I swear I'm going to—"
"Harry!" Hermione said sharply. "Focus."
"Right," he said, shaking his head. "Sorry." So much had happened that he needed to convey to her and his thoughts were disorganized and confused. "Wait, there's Fortescue's up ahead. We should find Zabini first. He'll want to know as well."
The fewer times Harry had to explain this, the better.
But Hermione seemed to have other plans. She reached out and grabbed his arm causing him to stumble to a halt. When he turned to look at her questioningly, he found desperation etched all over her face. "You haven't found Ron have you? Our Ron?" she clarified unnecessarily.
"No," he said quietly. "That's why I was following the other Ron. I couldn't find the Burrow."
"Neither could I," she said anxiously.
"I—I wasn't thinking. I was just so happy to find you. I should have asked Mr. Weasley or—"
Hermione shook her head at him. "We're not going to find him that way. You know that, Harry."
Harry ran a hand through his hair and blew out one long breath. "We'll find him, okay?" he said with as much confidence as he could muster. "He might even be up ahead at Fortescue's." Hermione gave him a weak smile and nodded, but her eyes were brimming now with tears.
"Come on," he said, pulling her aside. "Over here." They leaned against a length of wall where they stood in silence. This past year, he had learned Hermione only allowed herself to lose control around a handful of people and Zabini was not included on that short list. He was giving her time to compose herself. After a long minute had passed, Harry glanced at her. A single tear was slowly escaping down her cheek and as Harry watched a nagging thought returned to him.
"Hermione," he said carefully. "There's something I need to ask you…you know, without Zabini being around."
Hermione wiped her cheek and looked over her shoulder at him, urging him to continue with a nod.
"'The Calling of the Phoenix'...have you read it?"
"The children's story?" she said, taken aback.
"Yeah," he said, nodding.
"Yes, I've…" Then she trailed off and her eyes grew round. "Harry! You can't possibly be considering this!"
"Just hear me out, okay?"
Hermione crossed her arms and pursed her lips, but didn't say anything. Harry took his cue. "Fawkes was flying towards us moments before we disappeared and I found a feather—a big red one—on the ground at Grimmauld Place. It was only feet from where I landed."
Hermione, though, didn't look convinced. Any hint of sadness had vanished from her expression. "Did the Lovegoods put you on this?"
"Yes," he grumbled.
"How did I guess?" Hermione scoffed. "Look Harry, I know the whole Deathly Hallows thing was real, but that doesn't mean every children's story is literal. 'The Calling of the Phoenix' is about hope, about not giving up even when things seem—"
"Impossible?" Harry finished.
Hermione let out a short laugh. "Yes. But in a metaphorical sense."
"Don't worry, I don't really believe it—I don't want to believe it."
Hermione's expression softened and it had too much understanding in it for Harry's comfort. "Come on," she said, "it's getting late."
If Harry was honest with himself, he wasn't really expecting anyone other than Zabini at Fortescue's and judging by Hermione behavior, she wasn't either. But when they spotted Zabini sitting at a table—alone—lazily twirling a spoon in what looked to be a half empty ice cream dish, Harry's stomach plummeted and Hermione let out a pitiful groan.
Ron and Malfoy were officially lost in this world.
Zabini was scowling as he scanned his surroundings and his expression only deepened when he spotted them. He dropped his spoon and met them in the street. "Unbelievable," Zabini greeted. "You were gone all of this time and you only managed to find Granger?"
"It's nice to see you too," Hermione said bitingly.
"I found Luna as well," Harry said quickly, trying to ward off a fight. "She wanted to stay with her parents. She has a coin."
"So they know then? That we aren't from here?" Zabini asked. "Are you sure that's wise?"
"It's fine—don't worry about it. We should go back to that alleyway. I don't want us to be overheard."
As they walked, Harry desperately tried to organize his jumbled thoughts, but the short walk to the alleyway was not enough time to do so. He felt even more overwhelmed when he realized both Zabini and Hermione were watching him, clearly waiting for him to begin. And that's when it hit him, that there he was again being a leader when he didn't want to be. He pushed down the surge of annoyance though and cast another 'Muffliato' over the alleyway. He had more important concerns.
"Okay, so more likely then not, You-Know-Who is still alive."
"Which we already figured," Zabini said with his arms crossed, "based on that 'Order' comment."
"Right," Harry said, nodding once. "I asked the Lovegood's about him and according to them, he mysteriously disappeared about twenty years ago."
"Mysteriously disappeared?" Hermione said and then she gasped in realization. "Harry! No one knows you."
"That's right," Zabini said. "There's no Boy-With-A-Scar in this dimension."
"But why would he just vanish?" Hermione said as Harry shot Zabini a look. "That was during his height of his power—twenty years ago. Perhaps someone else destroyed him?"
"I don't know," Harry said. "Maybe. Point is, the general public doesn't know, hence the mystery. But there have been some rumors of his return milling about."
"What sort of rumors?" Hermione asked.
"Again, I don't know," Harry said, feeling more and more clueless. "We're going to have to do some research. Maybe we can go through old newspapers tomorrow."
"I can hardly wait," Zabini drawled.
Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's something we need to do anyway. The more we know about this world the better."
"I know, I know," Harry said. "But first we need to find Ron and Malfoy. We're not doing anything else until we do."
Hermione didn't reply right away. She worried her lip and exchanged a fleeting look with Zabini. "Harry," she began uncertainly, "I don't know if that's going to be possible."
"Of course it is," he said more firmly than he felt. They couldn't give up now. "We just have to think this through. Okay. I appeared at Grimmauld Place, Zabini at his flat, Luna at her home, and Hermione—you appeared back at your flat, right?"
Hermione exchanged another look with Zabini before letting out a begrudging sigh. "I did," she said. "A young couple lives there—Muggles."
"I know. I met them when I went looking for you," he said, nodding. "Okay, so I think it's safe to assume Ron and Malfoy appeared at the Burrow and the Manor. The Burrow must be under the Fidelius because both Hermione and I couldn't find it."
"Grimmauld Place as well," Hermione added. "I couldn't find it when I searched earlier."
Harry nodded again, he had suspected as much. "Then there's Malfoy Manor…"
"Which I have already told you is off limits," Zabini said. "That is a disaster waiting to happen."
"So then what do we do? Not look for Malfoy at all?" Harry snapped. "Your plan obviously didn't work out. He never showed up!"
"And what exactly is it that you wish to do?" Zabini said coolly. "You think the Malfoy's will welcome you with open arms like the Lovegood's?"
"No. It's just we haven't evenlooked. We could at least go looking around Wiltshire for him."
Zabini opened his mouth to retort, but then closed it with a sigh. "I already did."
"You what?" Harry said indignantly. "You were meant to stay here, in case anyone showed up! What if Ron or Malfoy—"
"Or me," Hermione, interjected. "This is really explaining a lot."
"Look," Zabini said in irritation. "You were taking forever and I was only gone for ten bloody minutes. There's this cafe in town Draco frequents, so I thought I check there and ask around. It obviously didn't work out."
"And the Manor?" Harry asked.
Zabini rolled his eyes and head in annoyance. "You're a bigger idiot than I thought, Potter."
"You have a better chance than Hermione or me!"
"And why is that? Because we were in Slytherin together? Just because we're dorm mates in our world doesn't mean anything about this one. Besides, if Weasley or Draco had any experience as our own, I doubt either of them are where they originally landed."
Harry let out a noise of frustration. He could see Zabini's first point, but he was beginning to doubt the second. The idea of Malfoy landing himself in a home full of Death Eaters kept playing through his mind. Had Malfoy been able to escape? And then there was Ron. If Ron had landed at the Burrow unexpectedly, what would he have done? Harry honestly didn't know, Ron was a lose cannon. But the more time that passed, the more he dreaded the answer and his meeting with Mr. Weasley and this world's Ron did little to improve these feelings of dread. Had Mr. Weasley been searching for Ron because something had happened? Harry was beginning to think it was very possible.
And it seemed Hermione agreed with him.
"I don't know, Zabini," she said. "I think it's still a possibility—I mean, I don't know about Malfoy, but I've looked everywhere for Ron. And if you think about it we were lucky really. You and I were sent to places that were obviously no longer our homes. Nor did we have to fend off people we thought we knew. And Harry—"
"Fought off a couple of dead people," Zabini said causing Hermione to wince. "But that doesn't mean anything. We have no evidence suggesting that Weasley or Draco are still where they landed. We don't even know for sure where they landed. It's all speculation. And we're not risking anything on speculation."
"Remind me never to rely on you," Harry said, bristling.
"You have Weasley and Granger for that," Zabini said unfazed. "I'm here to hex some logic into you."
"And what I'm saying is logical," Hermione argued. "Don't you think Malfoy would have come back to Fortescue's by now if he could?" Zabini didn't answer, he looked down and shrugged. "And as for Ron, I'm nearly positive he's been captured."
Harry's stomach did an odd sort of flip. "Captured?" he repeated. "You think the Weasley's are holding him hostage?"
"I don't know, Harry. What would you have done if someone that looked like you—or your son or brother—popped into your home? A home that is heavily warded. You'd probably not let them escape, right?"
She was right. Of course she was, but it didn't make him feel any better. He ran a hand through his hair and blew out a frustrated sigh.
"Probably this, probably that," Zabini said, looking back up. "We still don't know anything for sure."
"Well I do know one thing for sure," Hermione said hotly as her cheeks tinged pink. "Ron always has the Deluminator with him in case we get separated. And we're obviously separated and he obviously hasn't used it."
Harry blinked at Hermione, unsure if he had heard her right. Then Zabini quietly snorted and Harry had to duck his head to hide a smile of his own. He had wondered what Ron had done with the Deluminator, the gift that Dumbledore bequeathed to him and the very thing that led Ron back to Harry and Hermione after the trio's split. Ron, however, had never brought up the object and Harry didn't feel it was his place to ask.
This confirmed it though, his best mate was whipped.
"Don't you dare say anything to him," Hermione chastised.
Zabini let out another snort and Harry grinned. "Oh you bet your knickers I'm going to say something."
"Well I think it's sweet."
"Yeah, too bad it's not doing us much good."
Hermione bit her lip. "I know," she said anxiously.
"Maybe he lost it?" Zabini said. "Sounds like something Weasley would do."
Hermione shook her head. "No, he can't of. He keeps it in a charmed pocket. It can't fall out and the only person who can remove it is him."
"Ron charmed all of his clothes?" Harry said dubiously.
"It was important to him," Hermione said flippantly.
Harry exchanged a smirk with Zabini. "Important, eh?"
"Would you concentrate? This is serious!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "I was just caught off guard." Hermione rolled her eyes at him before he continued on, "Okay, so if he can't get to the Deluminator, it means he's… tied up—or naked—"
"Or unconscious," Hermione added, her eyes narrowed at Harry.
"Or dead."
The lighter mood that had been slowly building instantly vanished with Zabini's words. Harry glared at Zabini, unwilling to accept this possibility and yet unable to deny it. A heavy silence hung between them until Hermione let out a strangled sort of whimper that goaded Harry into speech.
"He's not dead."
"I was merely listing a possibility," Zabini said.
"No—there's no way," Harry said, shaking his head.
"I don't think he's dead either, Harry," Hermione said quietly. "But I do think he's been captured—Malfoy too, maybe—and if that's the case, we're not going to find them tonight."
"We have to find them tonight," Harry said. "The longer we wait, the more complicated this gets."
"And how do you reckon we do that?" Hermione challenged. "We can't access the Burrow or the Manor or even the Ministry if the Aurors were called, which I hope to Merlin is not the case."
"Me too," Zabini muttered.
"We can't get into these places, Harry. Not tonight, without any sort of plan. We need to get a grasp on this world and come up with something. But right now we need to figure out where to stay. As lovely as this alleyway is, I don't think we should sleep here."
Harry groaned. He had been so focused on Ron and Malfoy that he hadn't even been worried about where they would sleep that night. Not that Harry was going to sleep, but he could still appreciate Hermione's point.
"Just as I thought," Hermione clucked. "It's getting late and as much as it pains me to admit, I don't think we're going to find Ron or Malfoy tonight. So maybe we should focus on finding a place to stay right now."
"Yeah, okay," Harry reluctantly agreed.
"One of the smaller inns, perhaps?" Hermione suggested. "There should be Talons and Toes down the way."
"No, you're right," Harry said. "We don't know anything about this world. We should stay low before we know more. Besides, we need to be more careful. Zabini already had a run in with my counterpart and—'
"You what?" Hermione cried, whipping her head towards Zabini.
"Jealous, Granger?" Zabini drawled.
"What happened? What was he like—this other Harry?"
"A better looking version of our Potter," Zabini said. "And nothing happened because I Obliviated him."
"You're rather proud of that fact, aren't you?" Harry said.
"I'm just informing Granger that we don't need to worry about him following our tails. At least, that was my intention. You botched it up by running into Lupin and Black."
"Yeah and that's exactly why we can't stay in an inn," Harry said, getting annoyed. "I've also come across Mr. Weasley and this world's Ron."
"And you cast a Patronus," Hermione added, looking suddenly worried.
"You did what?" Zabini snapped. "Are you completely brainless?"
"Dementors. Muggle children," Harry retorted. "Need I say more?"
"Merlin's balls, Potter," Zabini said exasperated. "Can you turn off the heroics for two seconds? Do you know how much attention that's going to bring to you? Did anyone see you do it?"
"Mr. Weasley," Hermione said.
Zabini scowled and muttered a string of words under his breath.
"Tell me then, what I should have done!" Harry said, his temper rising.
"Not be so bloody obvious!" Zabini shot back. "Do you know what will happen to us if they find out we're from another dimension?"
"And you do?" Harry challenged.
"No and I have no desire to find out!"
"Boys," Hermione interjected. "Can we wait to argue until after we figure out a place to stay?"
"We should obviously stay out of the wizarding world due to Potter's blatant need for attention," Zabini spat, glaring at Harry.
Harry let out a short laugh. "Don't tell me you want to stay with Muggles?"
"You have left us no choice!"
Harry rolled his eyes in response.
"I don't think we can stay at a Muggle establishment either," Hermione said. "I personally don't have much Muggle money on me."
"Nor do I," Harry added.
"And we can't just go waltzing into Gringotts to convert our money over."
Zabini cursed loudly. "I didn't even think about that! We have no access to our funds. We don't even exist here!"
"Yes we do...or at least Harry does," Hermione said thoughtfully. Zabini, however, looked less than amused.
"We don't need to worry about money," Harry said. And they really didn't. He kept a large amount of gold on him at all times. It was a nightmare for him to go in and out of Gringotts due to the extra security that was required to escort Harry to and from his vault. He stocked up well whenever he went and he had gone to Gringotts only the week before. He would be set for months.
"And why is that?" Zabini asked suspiciously.
"Because I have plenty on me," Harry replied and that's when he realized he had lots of things on him.
Inspired by Hermione and desperate to hide the Elder Wand, Harry had charmed his moleskin pouch just as she done with the beaded bag she had carried around the months they had been on the run. Harry hadn't expected it to work, but it had. It had been the last time he had used the Elder Wand before stashing it inside the pouch.
No one could get the wand out besides him.
Then slowly over time, Harry began stashing other things in his pouch in the name of preparation. Hermione, though, called it 'an unhealthy dose of paranoia.'
"You have plenty on you?" Zabini repeated skeptically.
"Yeah…" he said, turning to Hermione, "such as a tent."
Hermione let out a long groan. "There has to be another option."
"I'm not staying in a tent, Potter," Zabini said. "And I don't even want to know why you're carrying one around—or where you're keeping it, for that matter."
"Fine," Harry said. "My only other suggestion is staying with the Lovegoods. I'm sure they would be more then happy to host dimensional travelers."
Hermione and Zabini exchanged a pained expression.
"Camping it is," Hermione muttered.
After shopping for food and other supplies at Hermione's insistence, Harry found himself once again setting up camp in the Forest of Dean. It was then that Harry realized Hermione still had a small inclining of hope that Ron was still able to return to them on his own free will. Zabini was under the impression that they were in a random Muggle forest, but the significance was not missed by Harry. Hermione had chosen the location for a reason. And Harry took it as permission to continue his search for Ron and Malfoy.
But it proved to be pointless.
And of course it was, Harry wholeheartedly agreed with Hermione's theory. Yet he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep knowing he hadn't tried. He returned to camp around midnight and was pleasantly surprised to find both Hermione and Zabini waiting up for him. They were both staring absently into the fire. Hermione was the first to notice his arrival; she didn't say anything but her eyes told Harry everything he needed to know.
There was nothing he could say. He could only watch her disappear into the tent.
"No luck then, Potter?" Zabini said as he stood from a plush black chair he must have conjured.
"Nothing," Harry confirmed.
Zabini sighed and looked towards the tent. "We better get some sleep."
But sleep evaded Harry and when he did finally drift off hours later, he dreamt of endless corridors and crimson eyes.
~sSsSsSsSsSsSsSs~
A long silence hung in the air after Ron's proclamation.
Harry felt completely thrown. His mind was whirling in confusion. This guy—this Ron—did know him. There was no mistaking the look Ron had given him. Not knowing what else to say and feeling he needed to break the silence, Harry dumbly repeated Ron's words.
"You don't?"
"Potter," Moody growled. "Stay out of this. You are only here to watch."
"Alastor," Dumbledore said. "It is quite alright. Harry's question would have not been my next, but it has certainly raised an interesting issue." He turned back towards Ron. "Mr. Weasley, I must ask, do you know any of us in this room?"
Ron stared blankly at Dumbledore for a moment before shifting his gaze around the room and once again, Harry saw an enormous struggle occurring behind Ron's eyes.
"He's fighting the potion," Gideon exclaimed.
"Don't be ridiculous," Moody barked. "Unless it's brewed incorrectly, it can't be fought."
"The potion is fine," Harry's dad bit out.
"We have evidence to suggest otherwise."
"Shall we test the rest of the batch on you, Moody?" Harry's mum said evenly. "Goodness knows I wouldn't want to give botched Veritaserum to our prisoners."
"Evans," Moody growled and Harry could practically hear his mum roll her eyes. Moody had always reverted back to calling her 'Evans' when he was particularly frustrated with her. The interaction, however, seemed to be causing Ron some distress. He was staring at Harry's mum, looking faint.
"Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said loudly, bringing everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. "Do you know any of us in this room?"
But Ron kept looking between Harry's mum and Moody. Then he scrunched his features as if he were in pain and began shaking his head wildly. "N—No!" he cried out, sounding strangled.
Harry exchanged an alarmed look with Neville. This guy—Ron—did know them. All of them, that much was clear based on his previous reaction.
"Yes you do!" Fred yelled. "It's obvious that you recognize all of us! What business do you have at the Burrow! Haven't you done enough damage!?"
"Fred—"
"He is not Fred!" Ron yelled out, cutting off Bill. His features were slack, but his eyes were set. "None of you! Not—anyone—Not Harry—Not Neville—Not Fred—Not—"
Then Ron stopped, seeming to choke on his very next words. His eyes bulged as he fought to speak then a moment later his head rolled back and he began jerking violently in his seat.
Several cries of concern sounded around the room, but Harry had been stunned into silence. He could only watch in horror as Ron thrashed against the bindings that held him.
Then just as quickly as it started, Ron went still. His head lolled over to one side as his body slouched against the bindings. "Perhaps that is enough for this evening," Dumbledore said, his still wand pointed at Ron.
"Enough?" Neville's mum said incredulously. "I certainly hope so. What in Merlin's name just happened?"
"The young man had a seizure. As to why, well that is a different matter entirely."
"Albus," Harry's mum said. "I swear—the potion…"
Dumbledore held up his hand. "Lily please, I do not think this had anything to do with your potion."
"But uh…" Fabian said hesitantly. "The guy was clearly fighting it. Moody's right, you can't fight a correctly brewed Veritaserum."
"He wasn't fighting at first," Bill said. "When he said his name…"
"You can't really think this bloke is Ron?" George said. "We saw Ron—the real Ron—in a bloody pub!"
"Then how do you explain this," Bill retorted, gesturing towards Ron. "If he was really an impostor he wouldn't look like Ron anymore! No disguise lasts this long and withstands Revealing Charms."
"He had a different wand!"
"A nice one," Fred added, "not the rubbish one with the unicorn hair poking out—"
"And he was flinging out curses out like he had done it a time or two—"
"He even got me with a Stinger—Ron's never done that—"
"And I repeat we saw the real Ron in a bloody pub!"
"And I repeat," Bill argued with the twins, "no disguise lasts this long and withstands Revealing Charms."
"Gentlemen, please," Dumbledore said, "this is getting us no where."
"I understand, Albus," Bill said. "But you must admit I have a point. If this is an impostor it's a bloody good one."
"But he said he didn't know any of us," Neville said. "Ron would know us."
"He did know us," Harry added. "He recognized all of us…"
"He just didn't want to admit it," his mum said.
"Or he didn't know," Remus added quietly.
Harry whipped his head towards Remus and noticed Sirius shared his confusion. "What?" Harry's godfather said. "That doesn't make any sense."
"No," Dumbledore exclaimed happily. "It makes perfect sense."
Harry turned back around and stared at the Headmaster. He was beaming at Remus, obviously thrilled that someone had voiced his thoughts. Harry hated when an Order meeting started to feel like a classroom and it happened all of the bloody time.
"Those were my thoughts exactly, Remus," Dumbledore continued. "The boy doesn't know the truth. His mind lives in a different reality then what he experienced in this room."
"So his mind is addled?" Neville's dad said.
"It is very possible. The only account of Veritaserum causing seizures that I am aware of involves its use on individuals experiencing hallucinations. The battle to determine the actual truth often causes seizure activity in these individuals. This of course means that what this young man shared with us was what he believed to be true."
Harry stared at Dumbledore, more confused then before.
"So this bloke thinks he's my nephew?" Gideon said.
"Indeed," Dumbledore said nodding.
"Codswallop," Moody said. "You're telling me someone addled his mind into believing he's a Weasley? That still doesn't explain him getting inside the Burrow or Potter's strange appearance earlier."
"You're right," Dumbledore said. "It does not. I still have yet to reach a conclusion on how those two events occurred… but I do believe the two individuals know each other. It certainly explains why this young man recognized Harry but then claimed to not know him."
"Does that mean you think the bloke that appeared here earlier thought he was Harry?" Sirius asked.
Dumbledore peered at Sirius over his glasses and gave him a small nod. "I think it's a reasonable conclusion to have reached, but I could be wrong."
"But what's the purpose of that?" Harry's dad demanded. "And as Moody said before, it doesn't explain how they got inside of the wards. Nor does it explain why they look the way they do."
"Nor does it explain how he was able to say the location of the Burrow," Fabian added. "How is it possible that he not only broke through the Fidelius, but is also able to say the location? Ron isn't even the Burrow's Secret Keeper."
A murmur of consent and concern sounded around the room.
"I'm not sure," Bill said. "But the Fidelius around mum and dad's is intact. The charm is still working as it should...it's just not working on him." He awkwardly gestured towards Ron.
"But why?" George said. "We've never had a problem with the charm before."
"I don't think any of us know for sure," Dumbledore said, "It is one of the many riddles of the day that I have yet to solve. From the breached wards that remain intact to—let us not forget—Harry being Obliviated. I have yet to conclude if that was a random mishap or if that too fits somewhere in this ever growing puzzle." He sighed, looking older and more tired than before. "I'm afraid I have no conclusive answers right now. This was all quite unexpected and during such a troublesome time…"
"So what are we going to do?" Sirius asked.
"We go home and get some rest. I know of some literature I'd like to consult before I reexamine our dilemma with a fresh mind. I don't think we will be reaching any answers tonight. I'm afraid I was relying on this young man to answer many of our questions, instead he has raised more of them."
"And what do we do with him exactly? You want me to keep him here at Headquarters?"
"I think that is the wisest course of action until we know more. Perhaps he will be more willing to talk about his situation tomorrow."
Both of the twins snorted. "Not likely," Fred said.
"Do you think he needs to remain tied up?" Sirius asked.
"Sirius!" Harry's mum exclaimed. "I think he's been through enough."
"What? You heard the bloke earlier."
"Keep him tied," Moody said. "There's no telling what he'll do."
"And that's really going to encourage him to open up and tell us his life story," Harry's mum said sarcastically.
"He's doesn't get a choice!" Moody barked. "We're in a war, Evans! And we're on the losing side if you haven't noticed. This scum broke into one of our safe houses. We don't need to be taking any chances!"
The room went silent after Moody's tirade because in the end he was right. Even Harry's mum couldn't say otherwise. They were in a war—a silent, underground war—and the other side was winning. But how were they supposed to defeat something that hid so well? How were they supposed to kill something that allegedly couldn't die?
The Order didn't know. No one did.
So far, they had only managed to hold off their eventual demise. Winning had never seemed like an option to Harry, he had only hoped to avoid a full fledged defeat.
The Order didn't need to be dealing with these two strange appearances. There were so many other things to worry about. The rampant use of the Imperius Curse. The daily attacks on Muggles all over England and throughout scattered parts of Europe. The sudden increase of Dementors throughout the countryside…
And the wizarding public didn't know a thing. Daily life continued per usual, despite the tragedy that ensued.
Then, of course, there were the Death Eaters hidden among everyone else—firmly planted within wizarding society—impossible to remove. And then there was You-Know-Who, their enemy, safely hidden away along with the rumors of his immortality and his equally immortal son.
There were so many things to worry about and Harry was just one person. He could only do so much…
The Order could only do so much.
"I think it's best that we keep him here," Dumbledore said quietly. "And to keep him tied up for now. That is all we can do at the moment. As for the other strange occurrence today, please remain diligent in the upcoming days and watch for any unusual events or persons."
"Stun anyone that looks like Harry," Gideon said, trying to make light of the situation. "Got it."
Dumbledore smiled politely. "That is one way to approach the situation." he said, "but for now, let us call it a night. Let me know if you think of any possibilities and I shall do the same."
Slowly, people began leaving. Harry left without his parents, knowing they'd want to stay to talk to Remus and Sirius. Perhaps it was because he had been Obliviated earlier or maybe it was because so much had happened that day, but the idea of rehashing out the days events again made his head throb. He was inwardly happy that Dumbledore had ended the meeting. They could run circles all night, but in the end the day's events were a mystery.
A mystery he hoped to solve tomorrow after a much needed headache tonic and some sleep. But sleep didn't come easily to him that night. Black smoke and green eyed strangers plagued his dreams and kept him tossing all night long.
