Beta's: 5/8/2015

Solo

Chapter 10, Deep Thoughts and Ruined Plans

Headmaster Dumbledore leaned against the great cabinet, which housed a most curious item. The pale luminescence highlighted his aged visage while he idly circled the tip of his wand a hair's breadth above the swirling quicksilver liquid that rested within. The contents themselves poured its pale light from within this curious item which was a great and quite intricately carved stone bowl.

Even Dumbledore did not understand the meaning of the markings but he did understand what the device did. He was one of few people who did, and one of even fewer who owned such an item. Every now and then the thoughtful man would place the tip of his wand to the side of his head and lower a ghostly silver strand into the bowl. These strands would blow about minutely in the invisible air currents of the room before being placed within the liquid. Only the sounds of his breathing and the soft whispers coming from these strands broke the silence of his quarters.

This would continue for a while before Dumbledore would pace within the Headmasters Suite. Something he did quite a bit, though usually with less agitation. For the last month or so the topic of his restless night was the ever elusive and almost impossible to track, Harry Potter.

Granted, he was well aware of young Harry's abilities to avoid detection having played a small part in their development. However the boy's ability to avoid detection for the length of time he had so far was nothing short of impressive, and very inconsiderate. It proved very well that Harry was ready for the role he was needed to soon play, but now was too soon. No, Harry was not quite where Dumbledore needed him to be yet.

This particular night was not much different than the previous nights in the Headmaster's concerns and actions. On the contrary, since Potter's disappearance this was becoming his new routine. It was distracting to say the least and delayed other plans he had in motion. Dumbledore was having an easier time tracking Riddle's Horcruxes than he was tracking Harry.

Tracking Mr. Potter was compounded several degrees due to his special circumstance. Take for example Mr. Longbottom. Had it been he who had decided to run away in this manner, his illustrious Grandmother could have contacted the Ministry and made use of the special men and women who specialized in finding errant children. Yet he could do no such thing with Harry. Dumbledore had already risked as much as he could by conscripting a few back channel agents through his ICW contacts.

It was highly possible that even those measures will not be adequate. It was imperative that no one know of his absences. If word got to Voldemort that he lost control of Potter events would spin out of his control and that would be disastrous for everyone.

After the Ministry debacle Tom had decided to lay low. The loss of twelve of his best and most influential had crippled him for the moment. Not to mention the damage done to him when he tried to possess Harry. With Riddle licking his wounds the Ministry had much needed time to organize a defense against him. Not that Albus expected much, but anything was better than nothing.

Should Tom find Harry missing he would search for him and kill him. There was no doubt in the Headmaster's mind that Tom would and could do it. That would ruin everything. It was too soon, besides he still did not know for sure how many Horcruxes Riddle made, what they were, or where. He was hopeful that Tom still did not know of Potter's disappearance, Severus was due to return to the castle soon and he would know if the enemy knew of the current developments.

Already the boy had cost him much needed support within his Order. Alastor, Nymphadora, and Arthur all had Ministry contacts, contacts he needed. Since Harry begun his little rebellion the information they usually passed to him had slimmed. Granted they still passed on critical information but that was all.

Harry's ability to inspire loyalty, trust, and the need to follow him was another trait Dumbledore had successfully fostered. Again, now was not the time for them to show themselves. It was ruining everything. Three years of planning were being destroyed because the boy would rather enjoy the comforts of the Granger Girls charms than do what was necessary to end the nightmare that was Tom Riddle.

He knew of at least one Horcrux, or at least, he was sure of where one was. It had taken him nearly six months of effort but he managed to finally track it down. He was sure it was the Gaunt Family Ring and there was only one place Voldemort would have stowed it. The Gaunt Family Home. Dumbledore was even fairly sure of when it was made and whom Riddle had killed. He had meant to already have gone and retrieved it but with Potter missing he had declined in order to focus his attentions on finding his way ward charge. It didn't matter. It wasn't going anywhere for the moment and he could retrieve it later, after he found and regained control of Harry.

The headmaster stopped his pacing and looked out into the black night. He was proud of the boy. Truth be told he had grown very fond of him. So full of life and so willful. Nothing in his life had yet to break his spirit. Yes, in the quiet of his mind he was very proud of all that Harry had done, even his running away.

As it always did the guilt of his secrets began to eat at him. Dumbledore squashed it as soon as it manifested. Hundreds of Wizards and Witches or one boy? It was a gruesome choice but it was the only way to save their world.

"Well done Harry. But you cannot run from Fate. I am sorry things must be this way, but for the Greater Good, you must be brought to heel."

XxXDaRXxX

The Grizzled ex Auror stepped from the heavy woodland into the clearing. Moody had been traversing these woods for most the night and all of the day trying to get a whiff of who took the boy. This settlement, while a completely unexpected find, was not unwelcome. It had an old feel to it. If he had to put it into words he would have said he felt like he had somehow fallen into the deep past when the world was young. A strange feeling but not unpleasant. Hogwarts had a similar feel but nowhere near as powerful as this place.

Whoever took Potter would have most likely would have taken him here. It wasn't as if there were a lot of other places in the area. Moody's slow progress was due mostly to the fact he was constantly looking for any signs, no matter how small, of magical transportation. So far nothing had come up so he was pretty confidant those that took the boy would have done it the muggle way. The fact he couldn't find any traces of it did not detour the determined hunter. He trusted his gut, and his gut said Potter was here.

His magical eye didn't see him in any of the buildings. Nor did he see the Granger girl. However, that didn't mean much, his eye wasn't infallible. He personally knew of at least four spells that could have concealed him from it. What he did see however kept him from advancing any more than he already had.

He was warned when he told Garrison where he was going that the local people had a community somewhere in this forest. More importantly he was told if by some miracle he managed to get as far as their town's boundaries to not enter until bidden to do so. They were very protective and had a tendency to kill trespassers. Garrison mentioned there was little the Government could do about it since it was apart of their peace treaties that dated back to colonial times. Mad-Eye had no quarrel with these people. Yet. Hopefully he wouldn't.

He didn't have to wait long before a lone man started to make his way to him from one of the log cabins. Moody kept his real eye on him while his magical eye looked for threats behind. The man walked with powerful strides and a gait that spoke volumes about him before he even began speaking. If he wasn't a leader here, he was someone important. More important to Mad-Eye, he looked like the man who would have answers. He didn't make any noise when he walked. Nor did his feet leave even the slightest dents in the soft grass he traversed. Though the ex Auror did not see anyone about him the man walked as if he held the upper hand. He was confident and sure of himself yet his face held nobility rarely seen by a retired Auror who spent his life chasing the scum of the earth. He assessed all these things quickly as the long legged stranger didn't take long to reach him.

"Stranger, you were not invited to come here, but you were not unexpected. What do you want?"

Mad-Eye nodded. There was no arrogance in his voice, nor any threat. Just the statement and question. "I'm looking for a couple of kids. I have reason to believe one of your people may have found them in the forest."

The tall stranger before him kept a stony expression giving away nothing. Moody couldn't tell if he knew anything by his eyes or body language at all. He handed over the two pictures that he had brought with him. "The lad there is Harry Potter. The lass is Hermione Granger."

"Why do you hunt these children?"

His assessment of the man had him answer honestly. Something in the back of his mind warned him not to lie to him. "The lad has enemies. Dangerous enemies. I've been trying to find him for over a month and tracked him here. I found evidence of a fight in the ridge line and the boy could have been hurt. Maybe both of them. I am trying to find him so I can protect him. He's too young and inexperienced to do so himself. His trail went cold, too cold. Someone found them and then hid the fact they did. He's in danger whether he wants to admit it or not. He needs more than just the lass to keep him safe."

The entire time the man did not so much as bat an eyelid. When he looked at the pictures he gave no expression at all. The fact he was almost impossible to read told Moody he knew something. What he knew was the mystery. A few moments passed while the man before him looked into his eye seemingly judging what he saw.

"They are not here."

"But they were?"

He nodded. "Yes, I found them by the outer boundaries of our lands. Two of your kind hunted them. They managed to get away from their pressures but there was an accident and I brought them here for healing. They left this morning."

Alastor sighed. They had at least a twelve-hour head start on him. Maybe more. He already knew these people took credit for the dead Hit Wizard. Since the man before him was their rescuer he was the one to do the deed. You've got to give Potter his due; the boy had an uncanny knack for finding the right kind of friends when he needed it. "Do you know to where they went to?"

The dark haired man before him shook his head. "No."

He had a feeling there was more to this. Granted Potter hated anything to do with Hospitals, or so he was told, but Granger wouldn't have let him run until he was fully healed. "How did they leave? Magical methods or Muggle?"

The man tilted his head slightly to the side at the term Muggle but didn't say anything. After a few moments of silence Mad-Eye spoke again. "You're not going to tell me."

"No." was his informative response.

"Why?" he grunted.

"They are being hunted. By you and by others. I can feel your desire to help them, but you can't. They are destined to fly free and you wish to cage them. Others wish to harm them. They won't for the same reason. I don't know where they went. I know how they left but once beyond the valley, they could have done anything. I have told you what I can. I will tell you no more. Now, you must leave. Outsiders are not welcome in the valley on this night."

Moody frowned at his comments. "Why is that?"

The other man had already turned away but stopped to answer his question. "One of our own has passed and we do not share such times with anyone not of our own."

"Before I go can I at least talk to the healer that patched them up? They might need me more than ever trying to run with their injuries."

The dark haired man was quite a moment. "No, our Shaman is who passed." He seemed to be considering something but it was hard to tell with his back turned to him. Eventually he spoke. "You can see the room where they were healed. That is all I can do but I cannot give you much time. By sunset you will need to be gone."

Moody looked to the horizon. Sunset was only a handful of minutes away.

XxXDaRXxX

Lord Voldemort, the greatest wizard to ever walk the world since Merlin himself sat in his great throne like chair staring straight ahead of him. The soft hissing of his snake the only sounds aside from the wood burning in the grate. The last few months had been full of surprises. Most of them unpleasant.

Yes, the Ministry debacle was the start of his ill fortune. He had reasoned that since he used Potter's blood to reconstitute his body the old magic that protected him had been nullified. He had proven it when he touched the boy and suffered no ill effects. However when their wands had connected later he became concerned again. He knew of no magic that would cause such a thing to happen.

This outcome led him to seeking out the Prophecy. It was foolhardy of him back in 81' to seek the boy out without knowing the full context of it. A problem he planned to remedy. It was proving to be rather difficult until he discovered the link between himself and Potter. With the information gained from Bode after he released him from Azkaban he learned only Potter or himself could retrieve it. Everything came together perfectly when the House Elf showed and gave Bellatrix the last piece to the puzzle. Then Lucius allowed six underage children to outsmart him.

Luck and Chance ruined his plan that day for that was all that saved Potter from being destroyed after the prophecy was lost. Even Dumbledore was not in his league magically anymore. He had grown old while he, Lord Voldemort was still young, strong, and Immortal.

While recovering from the mental wounds he received from his possession of Potter, a thing he had yet to understand, he sent out his people to find where he lived. He planned to place one of his relatives under the Imperius Curse and send them as an assassin to deal with the boy once and for all. It also allowed his people to gather information on muggle soft targets. With the Ministry fully accepting his return it was time to begin openly destabilizing the muggle Ministry. With the Ministry of Magic busy Obliviating muggles and working to keep their existence a secret they would be stretched too thin to raise any kind of organized resistance when he struck against them. Confusion and terror were old well-bloodied weapons in his arsenal.

This plan had proceeded well until those fools Goyle and Crabb managed to almost get themselves killed by Muggles. His fury from the Daily Prophet's Headlines was great and three of his new recruits were regrettably sacrificed to order to quell it. They dared to mock him! It mattered not they mocked two of the most moronic of his people the fact was someone had Dared to do so. The attack on Bones Manner was only one of several assaults he had ordered in retaliation. However, that assault was one of few that did not succeed.

He was surrounded by the sounds of spell fire and their explosive results. The magical backlash of his minions spells sent eddies of magic swirling around them lending the illusion of a multi directional wind. If any of the muggles could have seen it they would have thought Bones was celebrating Bonfire night several months early. Amidst the carnage taking place Lord Voldemort stood tall with his black cloak billowing about him and felt his inhuman heart beat faster while he watched. It was glorious.

The wards his people fought were well done but not good enough to keep them out. This assault was the product of two weeks of planning, a small fortune for the blueprints of her Ward Schemes, and infiltration into several sections of the Ministry. Fudge was easily going to be kicked out of office and the last person he wanted at the helm of magical Britain was Bones. The others he could deal with, but this woman was far too knowledgeable, forceful, and driven to be allowed to live. It was unfortunate she would not support him; she would have made a formidable ally. Better than most of those he currently commanded. So far the attack had gone according to plan. However, it was the only thing so far in the last few months to go as well. Nothing had gone to plan since Potter at the Ministry foiled his plans.

The wards had almost fallen when the stabbing pain struck him. It started deep within his bones and seemed to explode throughout his entire being within moments. The pain was so swift and great it dropped him to his knees ripping an inhuman scream from his lungs. Then he heard the voice.

…Hear my thoughts, Great Darkness across the Waters, and listen well. I am TwoMauls of the People of the Flint and I know your secret. Raven knows your secret and is free. Take this knowledge upon yourself and tremble for though this is the last battle of TwoMauls, Raven flies free and comes for you…

The voice was unnerving in that it sounded within his own mind. Then one great piercing pain as if his very soul was pierced rendered him unconscious. He had awoken later being tended to by some healer his people kidnapped for this purpose. He quickly dispatched the idiot woman when her blubbering stutters announced she was unable to discover what had happened to him. He called for Severus to continue for though he was no healer he was a Master Potionier and was the only one of his people he trusted to tend to him. Severus was only able to find a slight alteration in his magic, most likely due to some weakness that existed in this body. Though the ritual was a success Wormtail must have caused this issue with his blundering inability to do anything correctly. Whatever it was Severus assured him that it shouldn't happen again and began brewing various potions to strengthen this body. He would build a new one after he dealt with Potter. Until then this body was more than up to the task.

His people retreated from Bones Manor after he fell and he lost his chance to kill her. However he now had a more pressing problem. The voice he heard mentioned it knew his secret. Lord Voldemort had a lot of secrets, but he had one more important than any others. His Horcruxes. His red eyes looked to the sleeping Nagini before he nodded to himself in the dark confines of his bedchambers. He would leave in the morning to check on his remaining anchors. The Diary was lost and until he took over the Ministry he would be unable to check on the one at Hogwarts but he could check on the Locket and Ring. He was completely confidant no one would be able to find the one hidden in the Lestrange Vault. He was just as confident no one would be able to find the others. Still, he wanted to be absolutely sure neither the Locket nor the Ring had been discovered. He would lay a few extra wards over each just to be sure it stayed that way.

XxXDaRXxX

The old brown Dodge truck barreled down the highway close to seventy miles per hour. To most people that wasn't very fast but considering the old truck shook and sounded as if the driver was navigating a hurricane, it gave such an impression. The Driver himself was a large man. Had he been standing he would have measured a little over six foot. Mixed with his broad shoulders and large frame he easily took up a third of the cab. A football cap concealed his brown messy hair. A black tee shirt and worn faded blue jeans stretched across the acreage of his body while rectangular glasses and a half smoked cigarette completed his attire. The frown on his face barely visible under the dark goatee detailed he was not having the best of days.

Shifting his bulk slightly he reached into the front pocket of his jeans and pulled out a cell phone quickly dialing a number while slowing down to the posted speed limit. The last thing he needed at this moment was to get pulled over by some middle town cop looking to make his quota in speeding tickets. He had enough troubles to be going on with. The cell rang a few times before it was picked up.

"Hey Bro, you back home already?" came a male voice.

"Not really." The driver grunted.

"How long?"

"Extended. Passing through Arkansas right now. I hate this state."

The man on the other end of the line laughed. "You're just pissed they gave you a speeding ticket last month."

"Fifty five on a four lane road in the middle of nowhere is fucking stupid."

"You never said if the Judge bought that."

"No he didn't. And a hundred and fifty dollars for a first time offense is ridiculous."

Laughter greeted his comment. The man frowned. "Hey, Mr. Giggles, when you're done laughing at my misfortune I need to talk to you. I've got a situation."

The laughter died quickly. "Hey, what's going on?"

"My old place down in the holler still empty?"

"So far as I know. No one lives down that way anymore. All the kin left not long after you did. No one was willing to do the work to keep it up except Dad. You know how it is with him; he can only get down there once a month, if at all. They keep him pretty busy at the Manor."

He grunted. That Nursing home was gunna kill him one of these days. As it was he was the only thing keeping them in business. If not for the old-timers there he was pretty sure he would have quit that place years ago. "Good. Think you can head down that way and unlock it for me? Wouldn't say no to a couple of beers either. I'll bring the Jack."

"Bro, what's going on? Something happen with you and Missy?"

"No, nothing like that. We're fine. Just had a deal buck sideways if you know what I mean. I'll tell you all about it when I get there. Can you get away from Cis for a few days? I know you're on vacation but I'm kinda in a bind."

"Yeah, it'll piss her off but she'll like spending more time with her Mom. It's been awhile since we were back in town ourselves."

"I'll owe ya Bro. I left the keys at Big en's house. I'm still about five hours away so you got time. Tell Cis I'll take you guys to Cowboys or Rodeo's before you head back to Texas."

"All right. Hey, are you okay man? You in some kind of trouble?"

He paused for a moment looking up at the ceiling of the truck's cab as if he could see through it and into the sleeper of his camper shell and the two teens sleeping there. "You know me Bro. Its all about the Spirit of Adventure."

XxXDaRXxX

Moody sighed as he took in the scene before him. Potter and Granger were definitely here. Their magical signatures were all over the room. However the only thing there of them was a pile of bloodied sheets, bandages, and such from when they had been healed. One or both must have been hurt badly judging by the stains. He pulled out a small mirror from his robes that Lupin gave him back when they first started hunting for Potter.

"Tonks." His gruff voice spoke to his reflection. After a moment it was replaced with the blurry-eyed visage of the pink haired Auror. He frowned, she looked smashed.

"You have any idea what time it is Mad-Eye?"

"I lost him. We'll need to go to Plan B."

Just as quickly as his gruff voice finished speaking Tonks seemed to wake up completely. Her head turned to the side while blowing out a great gust of air. "Damn it. I told you why it won't work Mad-Eye."

"You promised him Tonks. Remember, you brought this up to me in the first place. I tried but I don't think I can find him before the will is read. This day is about done and he's got a good head start on me. Not to mention I have no idea where he went from here. It'll most likely take me a couple of days to get another lead on him. If not longer."

"I may be a Metamorphmagus but you know I can't change my gender. Even if I could it wont be enough. I can make myself look like him but even Polyjuice won't fool the goblins. They sign everything with Blood quills. Especially anything involving House stuff."

Moody looked to the pile of bloody sheets. "What if we had some of his blood? The boy got in a bad way and needed a healer. Can we trick the quill to take it instead of yours?"

Tonks shocked face looked back at him from the little mirror. "Are you seriously suggesting we move forward with trying to highjack the reading? You do realize if we are caught the both of us will most likely end up in Azkaban for a couple of month stay. You know as well as I do what the penalties are for trying to wholesale rob an ancient house."

"Its not theft and this was your idea Tonks. Sirius asked to you make sure Dumbledore and Malfoy did not get their hands on his estate and to do whatever it took to make sure Harry got his inheritance. You know how paranoid he was about that. Especially considering what his theory was on James and Lilies will."

She sighed. "Yeah I know. Sirius was adamant that Dumbledore somehow manipulated that one so Harry would go to the Dursleys."

"It's your call Tonks but I won't cry over hoodwinking Malfoy or Dumbledore. So, can it be done?"

She thought a few moments. "Maybe. I'll need to convince Remus to help though."

Mad-Eye snorted. "Like that would be difficult to do."

"What about Dumbledore? You know he's going to try to grab 'Harry' after the will is read regardless of what happens. Crap, not to mention he'll be very suspicious when Hermione doesn't show."

"Who says she won't? Send Arthur over to the Granger place to get a few hairs from her brush and someone can pose as her. She's not the heiress so they won't be checking her over for potions and such. Harry's the problem."

Tonks bit her lip but nodded. It was a weak plan but it was all they had since they couldn't get Harry himself. "Still how do we get 'Harry and Hermione' away from Dumbledore before he captures them."

Moody smiled which made Tonks grimace as it through his scars into stunning clarity. "I got a plan for that, just get everything else ready. Expect my package tomorrow and keep me updated. Hopefully I'll find the lad soon before Hogwarts starts. You know as well as I do that if we don't find him before then, there's no point looking anymore. We'll be too busy with Voldemort and his ilk."

Tonks gave Moody a smirk. "I wonder if they will give us adjoining cells when we're caught?"

Authors Notes:

Okay, Chapter Ten revision is done. For those of you interested in the story instead of my drivel, by all means leave a review telling me what you think of this chapter, and then hit that 'Next' button. Enjoy the read. As always thank you to all reviews and readers. You are noticed and appreciated.

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