Chapter 7 Scouring the Pyre

Harry heard the sirens before he saw the smoke. He had run flat out for over two miles toward the sound. He made it to Privet Drive, but too late. Number 4 was a withered husk. He heard neighbors say that it was a massive explosion from a gas leak, but he knew better. It had to have been the Death Eaters. Had something in his return allowed the Death Eaters to find it? He didn't understand what they had to gain. Perhaps they were searching for some kind of win over Harry's memory. He had robbed their organization of a satisfying end. He had taken his own life in their eyes. Harry never saw it that way. He had just charged after Sirius without thinking.

He saw what had to be a body being loaded into an ambulance. 'So they were dead then.' he thought. He didn't know really how to feel about that. There was a twinge of guilt in there. They had allowed him to stay, a neglectful existence, but they didn't deserve this reward. He confunded a policeman and marched into the charred remains of the house. The rooms upstairs had been completely blown apart. That meant anything in that smallest bedroom would likely be obliterated. He checked the cupboard under the stairs. It was almost melted shut, but he got it open. He found some of his school books in there. He also found some of his school robes. He was momentarily touched that they hadn't burned it all. He searched and searched, but the Marauder's Map, the Invisibility Cloak, his Firebolt, and most importantly Hedwig's cage were gone. He doubted they would have kept those out in the open in that smaller bedroom, but he was worried that his most important possessions were gone. It seemed too selective to be coincidence. He walked into the kitchen to see most everything burned black. He lingered a moment there. He was about to turn to leave when he heard something, a small shifting of rubble and a groan. Someone was still alive.

Harry blasted the rubble off of the moaning sound. In the rubble was a blackened something roughly the size of a baby orca whale. Harry hadn't expected this. His plan had been to break in during the night to get his stuff. If anyone was likely to recognize him, it was Dudley. Harry couldn't walk around with glasses everywhere. He already had gotten a massive headache from trying that before.

"Help…" Dudley said weakly.

"Hey Big D." Harry said kneeling to at his side.

"Harry?" Dudley said weakly.

"Let's get you some help." Harry said heaving Dudley to his feet. The guy was burned, badly. He wouldn't be completely healed for months, but he would live. They staggered to the front of the house.

"They told us you were dead." Dudley breathed out.

"They exaggerate." Harry said simply.

"You came back for us." Dudley said.

"Try not to talk Dudley. Just get some rest, you are going to need it." Harry said.

Harry delivered Dudley to the ambulance. He obliviated the paramedic. And turned the wand to Dudley who flinched and then seemed to welcome whatever Harry was about to do. Harry began a wand movement but Dudley started talking.

"Thank you, Harry." he said slowly.

"You're welcome." Harry said after a moment. He then waved his wand and said, "Obliviate."

He couldn't have anyone knowing he was alive. Dudley would live, though he would have to learn to do that without parents. Harry didn't wish that on anyone. He pitied him. He could do nothing more for him. He left everything behind. It was cleaner this way. Wizards from the Ministry of Magic would be swarming on this place any moment, which meant he had to be far away from here. He didn't even know if he still had the trace, though from what he could tell, the ministry could only tell where magic happened, not who cast it, and this place had just been attacked by Death Eaters. He felt he was in the clear.

He shed no tears as he made his way to the nearest bus stop. He simply felt numb. He felt a little worried about what that said about him, but he couldn't afford to linger on such thoughts. He had to blend in with the muggle world for a while, to lie low. He would begin his work soon. He wondered if Voldemort was now fondling his invisibility cloak, or using Hedwig as target practice. He shook off the thought. He didn't need any more friends dead. He would do this alone, and no one else would have to die. The first thing he needed was books on how to destroy a Horcrux. He couldn't find any in Flourish and Blott's. That didn't surprise him, but it was maddeningly unhelpful. What he wouldn't have given to have Hermione to help out with this, but no. He couldn't involve her. He had to stick to the shadows. It was the best way to keep everyone safe.

What would seem like half a world away, Hermione was in her room. Her parents had lectured for so long that they had broken her iron will. She had told them that Harry had died. They had stopped the assault immediately. They knew that Harry was pretty much everything that Hermione mentioned when talking about school, and his loss would surely be devastating.

She hadn't had to explain who Hedwig was. Her parents knew the bird and whose bird it was. She was welcomed in their home implicitly. Hermione could stare outside at the night sky from her bed. Stars were out. She felt she had never fully appreciated them. All those hours in astronomy and she had never quite seen them.

She knew that she would have to move on. She knew that it would be impossible to function without doing it. She just didn't want to. Harry was so important to her, and she owed him so much, and she could never give that back. He was never going to come back. He had run out of tricks. He had run out of time, and she would never see him again. Hedwig hooted mournfully at the moon in a song nothing like phoenix song, but no less heartbreaking.