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Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of its characters...
Chaos. Sheer chaos. The lawn of Number Four Privet Drive was packed with Order members who were rushing around like chickens who had had their heads chopped off.
Most of them had been fast asleep when they had gotten the sudden, unexpected call to head over to Privet Drive, and they had all done so, unaware of what was waiting there. They had figured Harry had just done something wrong, or had gotten in a fight with neighbourhood teenagers, or in an argument with his relatives and they were needed to diffuse the tension a little.
Instead they discovered the three Muggles slaughtered brutally, and one Boy-Who-Lived missing. Well shit. This was going to be a very long night.
Some in their group dealt with the Dursleys, others began searching the house, and more still pulled out their wands and performed various spells, searching for magical signatures and residue.
It was clear that the Death Eaters at least, had been here-had been behind this, seeing as the Dark Mark had been floating in the sky above the house when they had arrived (which also meant a flew obliviates had needed to be thrown out too), though they had managed to get rid of it.
Still, it came as a surprise to them all when Dumbledore solemnly announced that only one person had been here, that only one person had done all this-the Dark Lord himself.
Remus, still hunched outside, was not at all happy to hear that. Voldemort shouldn't have been able to even step foot onto the property, and yet, he had. And not only had he done that, but he had killed all three of the Dursleys, and very likely kidnapped Harry as well, and to Remus, that was the worst thing that could have possibly happened.
When the foul smells in the house had been taken care of somewhat, Remus was finally able to enter and look around properly, although nothing he discovered meant anything good either. He learned that Harry hadn't, in fact, been lying about the cupboard under the stairs, or Dudley's second bedroom. He hadn't been exaggerating either, and that only made the man feel worse.
And all of that only doubled when he realized there didn't appear to be any signs of a struggle on Harry's part. If he really was with the Dark Lord right now, it really seemed like he had-had gone willingly. ...How bad were things for the teen that he had willingly chosen to go with Voldemort after he had killed his family?
Remus found that he honestly wasn't sure if he even wanted the answer to that, and with Moony howling in his ear, decided to keep his findings and thoughts to himself for the time being. He would attempt to contact Harry on his own, and form opinions later.
"What on earth have we let happen to our godson, Sirius?" he murmured to the dark sky. He wasn't expecting an answer. Sirius couldn't reply from where he was. Not anymore...
Severus wasn't at all surprised when he was called by Dumbledore in the middle of the night, and was even less surprised when he was asked to meet him outside Number Four Privet Drive. After having given his Lord the information he had been seeking, Severus hadn't expected to him wait for long before going after Potter.
But what the Dark Lord had done to the Dursleys? Now that was surprising. And messy. Dark eyes flicked across the remains, taking in their gory detail, the man's lip curling in disgust. The Dark Lord must have been quite upset with what he had discovered. Still, there was no sign of Potter in the, er, gore, so Severus reluctantly supposed that was a good thing. He had no doubt the Dark Lord had taken the boy with him. That was the point in removing the tracers, after all.
Still, Severus found it to be quite ironic, when he was asked to search the Dark Lord's manor for the boy, and attempt to 'rescue' him should he actually find him. Rescue, eh?
Either way, he was curious to know what exactly the Dark Lord wanted from Potter. He didn't see any sings of force here, which told him Potter had either been incapacitated quickly, or gone willingly. Was the boy even still alive? There was no way of knowing unless he went to the Dark Lord's manor and checked for himself.
He sighed inwardly and fought the desire to rub his temples. Salazar, he was exhausted. Bidding Dumbledore a curt farewell, he left the Muggle's house and headed off to once again do as told...
Bill Weasley was not a happy camper. He stood alone in the kitchen of Number Four Privet Drive, leaning against the wall with his head in his hands, trying to control his breathing. Not because of what had clearly happened to the Dursleys, but because of what had clearly been happening to Harry in this house.
Fred, George, and Ron had all come to him more than once, with concerns about Harry and the way he was living and being treated by his Muggle relatives. Bill felt quite ashamed and guilty about it now, but he hadn't actually believed them at first. The three were known for exaggerating things at times, but as their oldest brother, he should have been able to know when they were telling the truth.
And then he had seen Harry with his own eyes. The kid would have only just turned fourteen, but when Bill had first laid eyes on him, he had thought that the boy was only eleven or twelve. In many ways, he had looked younger than Ginny!
He still remembered it clearly, seeing that tiny boy, peering up at him with those wide, green eyes from under his dark hair in shy curiosity. When he had been introduced as Harry Potter, Bill had been shocked indeed and, for the first time, realized that his younger brothers had, in fact, been telling the truth.
After returning from the Quidditch World Cup, he had tried talking to his parents about his own suspicions and the things that Fred, George, and Ron had told him, but he had been told that they were all exaggerating and nothing was wrong, and that Harry himself was exaggerating what was happening because he didn't like his relatives.
Since his parents appeared to care about Harry so much, judging by their behaviour the last few days, he had hesitated and backed off, and hadn't really been very sure what to believe. So he had waited for more proof, and every time he had grown more suspicious, again spoke to his parents, and even Dumbledore, and each time he was assured nothing was wrong.
Bill slid down the wall to the floor, frowning deeply. It wasn't until right now, this very minute, that Bill realized he had never once heard 'It's alright, I'm fine' from Harry's mouth himself. Only from others speaking for him.
And now the Dursleys were dead, and Godric only knew where Harry was and what he was going through. Why hadn't he listened to his brothers? Why hadn't he listened to himself? Why hadn't he tried harder to help when he was so sure something was wrong?
Merlin, he could only hope Harry could forgive him. If he lived through this, that is...
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