Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Don't sue me.
For Love and Honor
Chapter Fourteen: I Read The News Today, Oh Boy...
Daily Prophet, 25th July, 1996
FUDGE ASSIGNS 20 AURORS IN SEARCH FOR POTTER
In breaking news, Cornelius Fudge announced late last night that he has assigned the case of missing Harry Potter over to 20 of his most skilled Aurors, in hopes to find the boy swiftly. The move comes after Albus Dumbledore made a personal request to the minister for assistance in the case. Harry Potter has been missing since the 16th of July, after a major disturbance at his muggle household. The serious nature of the case escalated the night before lastwhen major suspect in the case Hermione Granger, 16, disappeared with all her family from beneath Dumbledore's surveillance.
"It is the ministry's duty to ensure Potter is found safe and sound." Fudge was quoted as saying late yesterday afternoon. "If anyone has any information regarding the whereabouts of Harry or Hermione Granger please contact the ministry immediately."
The 20 strong squad will join forces with the Order of the Phoenix in the hunt for Harry Potter and his kidnapper. Dumbledore was quoted as saying this evening "Although it may seem likely to the public, all evidence is pointing away from an attack by Deatheaters or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at this stage." When questioned regarding the blood found in Potter's room, Dumbledore terminated the interview and abruptly left, saying he had no further comment at this stage. We are now left hoping that the strong force from the ministry will find the Boy-Who-Lived before it is too late.
Griphook sighed placing the Daily Prophet on his desk and rubbed his temples wearily. He had not made it past the front page despite it being midday, as he kept reading the article relating to Harry over and over again. He had been following the stories desperately, every day hoping for the headline that read, "Boy-Who-lived Alive and Well". His current situation reminded him remarkably of one he was in almost fifteen years ago, when he scanned the papers daily for any news of the Dark Lord's attacks. The day he had dreaded had at last come in the form of the headline; "Dark Lord Vanquished: Deadly Battle At Godric's Hollow Leaves Potter Child Orphaned"
Later that day Albus Dumbledore had arrived to collect James and Lily's will, just as James said he would. He also took the letter addressed to Harry from his parents, informing Griphook that it was best Harry receive the letter from himself once he began Hogwarts. Griphook had agreed, being too saddened by Lily and James' deaths to argue with the man they had trusted most loyally. That had been so long ago now, but as he stared at the article and wondered if Harry would meet the same grim fate as his parents, he found the memories all came flooding back to him.
He was glad of one thing; It appeared that the ministry and Dumbledore were doing everything within their power to find Harry, wherever he was. But he could not bring himself to believe that the Granger girl was behind Harry's disappearance. He had dealt with her and her muggle family quite frequently as they came in to exchange currencies. She was a bright, cheerful sort of girl, and very very taken with young Mr. Potter. Griphook could not help but feel that they were chasing the wrong person in regards to Harry's disappearance, but he knew that the truth could only be revealed once Harry had been recovered.
Ever since the days that Lily and James had lived, Griphook had been extremely close to the Potter family, closer than the normal bounds of Accounts Manager – Customer. Once Harry had discovered his origins and made his way to Gringotts with that bizarre looking giant, Griphook had felt obligated to the child. He had gone out of his way at every corner to help Harry get acclimated to the wizarding world, he owed Lily and James that much. And now, as he stared at the headline regarding the boy's disappearance, he had a strange sensation of failure creeping over him.
Griphook had only been 15 minutes into his lunch break when the great door to his office grated open against the cold stone floor and a cloaked, hooded figure strode in, letting the door swing shut slowly behind him. The figure drew Griphook's undivided attention immediately. Although there was no way of determining who the person beneath the shroud of the cloak was, there was something charismatic about their presence, something he had not felt since...
The cloaked figure continued to walk over and sit himself down in the chair opposite Griphook and place his feet up on his desk. He leaned back gracefully in the rickety chair which creaked ominously under his weight. As Griphook raised an eyebrow, waiting for a reply, the figure eyed him carefully.
"Good afternoon, Sir." Griphook wattled off the correct greeting, somewhat perplexed, "May I help you?"
"I thought you'd never ask, Griphook." the figure finally replied, lowering his hood gently to reveal a shockingly familiar face.
"Don't panic, Griphook." James said hastily, "It's me, Harry."
Griphook beheld the boy in shock, his eyes darting from the newspaper photograph before him to the boy in the chair. "But – But you've been missing for days! The ministry is going ballistic..."
"Well," James said with a small grin, "As you can see I'm perfectly alright, I just needed a break, that's all."
Griphook's look of surprise suddenly dropped to a look of calculated disbelief. His beady little eyes darkened as they fixed on the boy in the chair before them. Griphook's brow furrowed shrewdly as he clasped his hands together in front of him, elbows planted firmly on the desk.
"Clearly," Griphook stated in a cold voice, "You have no idea who you are dealing with."
"I beg your pardon?" James inquired.
"I've known Harry Potter since he was knee high to a Hinky punk." Griphook stated, his eyes boring into the boy.
"Of course you have, Griphook. You manage my accounts." James said in confusion.
"I deal with cases of identity theft and fraud on a day to day basis, Sir." Griphook continued, his furrowed brow twitching slightly.
"I am certain that that is so, Griphook, but what is your point?" James asked.
"My point is; you are not Harry Potter." Griphook said darkly.
"Ah." James said in defeat, "You're smarter than I give you credit for, my old friend. Though apparently I give you more credit than Harry does, he was sure you would fall for it."
"Who are you?" Griphook asked darkly, ignoring his proclamation.
"Well now, let me see." James said as he appeared to think about his answer. "The last time you saw me... I brought in a wooden box and asked you to store it in your office, so that in the event of my death, and my wife's, you could pass it on to our only son."
"Are you trying to tell me you are James Potter?" Griphook asked preposterously, "That is even more far fetched than you being Harry."
"That box contained several items. A will, which was to be collected by one Albus Dumbledore, A letter for my son, An invisibility cloak, and my family ring. The Potter Family ring." James continued.
"You could have forced Harry to tell you that." Griphook replied shrewdly.
"But Harry never got the letter, did he, Griphook?" James probed. "My instructions to you were to give the Letter to Harry and Harry alone, along with the other possessions I left him. But the letter wasn't with them, was it?"
Griphook attempted to fire back a response but then paused suddenly, his mind ticking over the events. "Dumbledore took it..." He admitted quietly.
"Very well." James said curtly, "Do you believe that I am James Potter now?"
"Why are you assuming Harry's form?" Griphook asked suspiciously.
"Because, I am known dead, and it wouldn't do at all to have a dead man walk the streets of Diagon Alley, especially when there is so much to lose at this stage. No one can know that Lily and I are alive. Especially not the Order of the Phoenix..." James said darkly.
"Why did you abandon your son?" Griphook demanded angrily, rising from his chair.
"Dumbledore told us that he was dead." James said bitterly, looking at the floor to hide his hatred filled eyes.
"Dumbledore told you that Harry was dead?" Griphook repeated in disbelief. "Why?"
"The same reason he told Harry that we were dead, when he knew we were alive. The same reason he locked Sirius away in Azkaban for a crime he knew he was innocent of." James said angrily. "To get us out of the way."
"For what?" Griphook asked as though he barely dare think about it.
"That's what I'm going to find out..." James said quietly. "A lot of lives have been destroyed... Dumbledore will be made to answer for his actions."
There was a long pause of silence between the two as each pondered dark thoughts about the conversation just past. Griphook could hardly believe the man sitting before him was his former client and friend. The news of the Potter's deaths had saddened him greatly all those years ago, and now he had come to find out that it was all a hoax. They had never been dead to begin with. And although this thought brought him great joy, confusion and slight anger came with it, even after James' explanation. Griphook looked up at James and sighed.
"Where is Harry?"
"He is safe now. He was badly tortured and beaten, but with Lily's help, he is recovering well."
"Deatheaters?" Griphook inquired.
James shook his head. "His Uncle." He said painfully.
Griphook nodded grimly. "I should have known."
James sighed. "We never in our wildest dreams intended on Harry going to Lily's sister..."
"Why doesn't he come forward, and let everyone know he's ok?" Griphook inquired desperately.
"He's not ready." James said quietly, "And we implore you Griphook, as a loyal friend of the Potter family, please, aid us in our time of need."
Griphook let out a reluctant sigh. "What do you need?"
"You will be aware, if you have been following that," James nodded towards the Prophet on Griphook's desk. "That Hermione Granger is the major suspect in regards to Harry's disappearance?"
Griphook nodded.
"Then you will also be aware that Dumbledore has set his bloodhounds after her, and has enlisted the services of Fudge and 20 of his most senior Aurors to help track her and Harry down." James continued.
"Yes. I saw that today... But what does that have to do with me?"
"We need you to help us change Fudge's mind about searching for Hermione and Harry." James said darkly.
"And exactly how are we supposed to do that? The Wizarding community is crying out for justice over this disappearance, they want answers. Fudge won't back down on the search lightly, his title at the ministry depends on finding Harry alive and well and returning him to the people." Griphook said skeptically.
"I have one word for you Griphook." James said with a sly grin. "Blackmail."
Griphook raised his eyebrows alarmingly high. "Extortion is a serious crime, Mr. Potter."
"Indeed it is, Griphook. That's why we don't intend on getting caught." James replied calmly. "When I leave this building I will walk through Diagon Alley for several minutes un-hooded, allowing myself to be seen by many witnesses. Once people have seen that Harry Potter is alive and well, and that rumor spreads, the hype about his impending fate should die down somewhat. However I don't believe that will be enough to deter Dumbledore and the Ministry from the search for Harry and Hermione. This is where blackmailing Fudge comes into play. Dumbledore, without the Ministry is a small force we have more hopes of eluding. Once Fudge withdraws his Aurors, Hermione, Harry, Lily and Myself will be much safer than we are right now."
"And if Fudge doesn't buy into our Blackmailing scheme?" Griphook inquired.
"He will." James said darkly. "This is why we came to you. I need all the dirt you can dig up on Fudge by dusk."
"And how will I pass on this information?" Griphook asked curiously.
"Owl, of course." James said with a small grin.
James withdrew his wand and flicked it casually, and the next thing Griphook knew there was a great crack and a rustle of feathers. A tawny owl swooped down and landed softly on his desk, looking extremely put out. It glared at James then proceeded to groom itself fiercely, apparently as it had been doing in the moments before it was summoned. It ruffled its feathers indignantly as James reached out a hand to pet it, and he grinned, withdrawing his hand.
"This is Postumus." James said with a grin, "Send him along when you are ready. He knows how to find us."
Postumus squawked in indignation, turning his back on James as he rose from his chair. "There is also another matter Harry wished you to take care of. More of a financial matter." He added, noting the look of horror on Griphook's face.
The little goblin's eyes lit up at the mention of money. "What can I do, Sir?"
"Harry wishes to cease control of the Muggle company Grunnings, it's a drill company in Little Whinging. His exact words to you were; 'I don't care what it takes, find every single shareholder and buy them out'."
"A drill company, Sir?" Griphook inquired, the light gone from his eyes.
"The company his beloved Uncle works for." James clarified in a dark tone.
"Ah, I see." Griphook said in an enlightened tone. "Well in that case, I'll get right on it Sir."
"Thank you, Griphook." James said gratefully. "Also I'll be sending you the papers on the property Harry has just bought control of."
"Which is?"
"His beloved Uncle's house." James replied with a snicker.
"He bought that house?" Griphook asked, astounded.
"Bought the mortgage for the house from my bank, so in reality, yes." James replied proudly.
Griphook gave James a sly grin, "Like father like son, I see."
James returned the grin silently, then turned and walked towards the door. He stopped briefly before dragging it open and turned to Griphook.
"Remember, anything you can find before dusk."
"As you wish, Sir." Griphook replied, "It's – It's good to see you again, Sir." He added with a sad smile.
"I am glad to see you again as well, my old friend." James replied in a soft tone.
"Give my regards to Harry, won't you?" The goblin asked quietly.
"Of course, Griphook. Do not worry, he'll be in to see you before long, once everything is taken care of..."
"Good," Griphook said sadly as James exited the room, "Good..."
"I don't see why this is necessary." Remus said as he lounged back in a chair outside Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor. "Hermione is a smart girl, she's not about to parade herself down the streets of Diagon Alley, is she?"
"Perhaps she is banking on us believing she is smarter than that." Tonks said wisely, taking another spoonful of her third sundae. "I'm going to be sick at this rate."
"Slow down then," Shacklebolt said irritably. "I still think its absurd that we're chasing a 16 year old girl, Harry's best friend no less. We should be looking at the Deatheaters."
"I tend to agree." Remus said with a frown. "Hermione has no idea where Harry is. Her interrogation showed me that much. She had nothing to do with his disappearance, but Dumbledore is convinced that she is responsible. The only thing that will benefit her from being caught is that we can prove her innocence to him once and for all. The investigation of her house showed nothing."
Tonks snorted into her sundae. "Prove her innocence? To him? Remus... the man is on a witch hunt. I don't know what he's got against Hermione, but there is no way he's gong to let it slide."
"There was some inconsistencies in her story, I'll give him that. But I don't think it's anything to do with the fact that she murdered Harry in cold blood or sold him to Voldemort, I think it might be more to do with why she had gone to see him in the first place." Remus said thoughtfully.
"What are you thinking?" Tonks asked slyly.
"What's been obvious all along; She's in love with him." Remus replied simply.
"Why didn't she just tell Dumbledore that then? Or us, why didn't she tell us?" Tonks asked in disbelief, shaking her head.
'She's hardly about to trust us after we've shown we'll go to any lengths to get the truth out of her," Remus said with a sigh, "She may have been too proud to announce her feelings to us, or she may have realized that we would not believe her even if she did tell the truth."
"Dumbledore at least," Tonks corrected him, "He won't rest until he has Hermione's head on a stick."
"Yet he's ordered us to sit here, outside this shop, incognito, to eat ice cream after ice cream for twelve hours in hopes of spotting something out of the ordinary." Remus said with a bemused grin.
'Meanwhile, several more disappearances are happening every day, bodies are turning up all over the place and he has the gall to say there is no possible way this is a Deatheater attack. His disappearance is consistent with several others we have seen, but no one seems to care about that piece of information, do they?" Shacklebolt said bitterly.
"Perhaps he's finally gone round the twist." Remus suggested helpfully.
"More ice cream boys and girls?" Florean had appeared again and his proclamation nearly reduced Tonks to tears.
"Are you alright dear?" He asked in concern.
"Oh, I..."
"She's fine, she just loves your ice cream, that's all..." Kingsley replied kindly.
"Ah." Florean said with a proud, flattered smile, "Another round of sundaes on the house, then."
"You're too kind." Remus said with a smile as his stomach gurgled ominously.
As Florean disappeared back into the parlor Kingsley rearranged the Daily Prophet loudly and shook it as he began to read the inner pages. Tonks belched loudly, preparing some room for the imminent arrival of her forth sundae. The wizards at the table next to theirs gasped in shock and began furiously whispering amongst each other and casting Tonks fleeting looks. Remus groaned and hide his face behind an open hand as Tonks looked around perplexed.
"What?" She asked absently.
"Must you do that?" Kingsley asked in disgust as he peered over the top of the paper at Tonks. "You're attracting unwanted attention."
"Sorry." Tonks replied testily, "If you weren't stuffing me full of ice cream I might not have the urge too."
"That's what vanishing charms are for, Nymphadora." Kingsley said in exasperation.
"Any news?" Remus asked Kingsley swiftly, seeing the dangerous look in Tonks' eyes.
Shacklebolt grunted and handed Remus the paper, opened to a page with the headline;
Daily Prophet, 26th of July, 1996
DARK MARK LEADS TO DISCOVERY OF FIVE BODIES
In the latest in a splurge of attacks, Ministry officials discovered five bodies under the watch of the Dark Mark last night. A witch, a wizard and three small children were discovered dead in their home at approximately 10pm last night, after Aurors were alerted to sightings of the Dark Mark hovering in the sky above the outskirts of London. The names of the victims are yet to be released, but Ministry officials say that the family was known for their opposition to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Officials at the scene refuse to state the cause of death, but state it is evident that the Cruatius curse was used in the attack.
"This is a grossly heinous crime that will not go un-investigated. We will find the Deatheaters responsible for this attack and they will be brought to justice." Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge stated after hearing of the seventh attack in three days.
When asked if he thought Harry Potter's disappearance could be related to the increase of Deatheater activity of late, the Minister only said "We are not ruling anything out at this stage."
The names of the latest victims will be released once their immediate families are contacted.
"Any idea who they were?" Remus asked quietly.
"I'm working on it. Word is the father was one of the Unspeakables at the ministry. Dumbledore's been keeping me so tied up in this wild goose chase that I've barely had time to... Remus?" Kingsley had trailed off suddenly when Remus rose sharply from his seat and squinted into the distance. "Remus, what is it?"
Remus sniffed the air lightly. A familiar scent floated on the wind. His eyes were fixed on a point further down the alley where several people were walking about examining shop windows. As he looked closer he saw that a few of those people had noticed something in the street, and were whispering excitedly to each other. He sniffed the air again, catching the familiar scent and froze as his eyes at last found what they were looking for. The people were not looking at something, but someone.
"Stay here." Remus said abruptly as he strode toward the end of the alley swiftly.
"Remus?" Tonks called after him questionably.
As James stepped out of Gringotts he felt very pleased with how events were going so far. Griphook was doing everything in his power to find incriminating evidence against Fudge, Grunnings was in the process of being bought out and now he only had to stamp his approval on the sale of the mortgage for Number 4, Privet Drive, and all would be going according to plan. James took a deep breath. It was time. The riskiest part of the operation was about to begin. As he lowered his hood he recalled Harry's words; 'Do a little tour around the alley, once a few people have seen me alive and well, get out of there...'
James had figured it all out when he had entered the alley. From the moment he left Gringotts he would lower his hood and walk up and down the main alley, once each way, perusing the shop windows. Then, when he reached Gringotts again, he would double back, enter a desolate little side street about half way down the main runway, and apparate out. According to his calculations, he would have at least ten minutes in which he would be safe. If his plan went to custard, he could always apparate out immediately.
James took a deep breath and began his walk down the alley, a glimpse into what Harry's life must have been like since the day he defeated Voldemort. James went relatively unnoticed for several minutes, that is until a young witch looked him directly in the eye and squealed. James moved onward hurriedly. Trying to ignore the people around him, he realized that not much about Diagon Alley had changed since he had come here with his parents as a child. The Magical Menagerie, Gambol and Japes, Ollivanders... They were all exactly as he remembered them. But James' attention was inevitably drawn back to the crowd that he had attracted, and he soon realized that he would never make his original planned out route without being captured.
"Gawain!" Heaved an exhausted looking wiry wizard who had just rushed into the head Auror's office. "It's Potter, he's been sighted!"
"Where?" Gawain Robards replied gruffly, getting to his feet so quickly the wiry young man jumped.
"D- Diagon Alley, Sir."
"Diagon Alley?" Robards repeated in surprise. "Are you certain this is true?"
"Positive Sir, we've had numerous reported sightings, more coming in by the second..."
"Scrimgeour sure picked the perfect time to go on leave." Robards muttered. "Assemble home based A squad, now. Get them here immediately!"
"Yes Sir." The young man replied, hurrying away frantically again.
Robards paced his office anxiously, awaiting his team. He had been doing Scrimgeour's job as Head of Auror Office for three weeks now, while the senior wizard took some well earned time off, boy had he missed out on some excitement. Robards new if he was the one to bring Harry in, to capture this Granger girl, that he would have a very strong case for promotion. Gawain Robards was a very ambitious man, and he would let nothing stand in the way of his rise up the food chain.
James began to walk back towards Gringotts slowly, that's when the whispering began. That's when James found himself feeling terribly sympathetic that Harry had to put up with this sort of nonsense on a day to day basis.
"Harry Potter."
"Look! Harry Potter..."
"Is that Harry Potter?"
"Someone contact the Ministry, It's Harry Potter..."
"Get the Aurors..."
"Sweet Merlin... Harry Potter is alive!"
James tried to pass off apparent disinterest, but honestly wasn't sure if he had managed to pull it off. He found the constant nattering behind his back very off putting, and he resolved himself to turn down the empty side street as soon as he came too it. He passed Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Flourish and Blotts and the Stationary shop before at last coming to the alleyway. By this stage the whispers following him were almost deafening, and he knew he had to leave now if he ever wished too. He did not hear the single pair of footsteps chasing him down the Alley. His mind was elsewhere...
Remus had shot off down the alley before Tonks could even hope for an answer about where he was going. The boy he had seen seemed content to stroll the alley, ignoring the attention he was attracting. Remus quickened his pace. Thirty feet from his target he realized that the boy was also slightly quickening his pace. He increased his speed. As he started to move through the crowd of whispering, pointing witches and wizards, he realized that his eyes had not failed him. Harry Potter was now ten feet ahead of him, turning down a desolate street in the alley.
'No...' Remus thought desperately as he tore around the corner into the same street and came to a sudden halt. The boy was standing mere feet from him and was preparing to apparate. James stood with his back to Remus. To Remus, Harry looked remarkably well for someone rumored dead or worse. He was robed, showing good speed on foot and as it were, appeared to have nothing wrong with him. Yet still, something about this seemed strange to Remus, something seemed very wrong. James had not seen Remus' hasty approach, nor was he in the slightest bit aware of his presence until a familiar voice rang out.
"Harry, wait!" Remus called as he moved forward a step.
James stopped suddenly and turned to look upon the face who owned the familiar voice that had just rung through the alley. When his eyes found Remus' face, they widened in surprise. Although the fourteen years had aged Remus significantly, James had immediately recognized his old friend. James could not help but grin with surprise and relief to see Remus alive and well. The werewolf was the last person James had expected to run into in Diagon Alley that day.
"Remus." He said smiling, temporarily forgetting he appeared as Harry.
"Harry." Remus said relieved. "Where have you been? Are you alright?"
James was on the verge of figuring out how to answer those questions when he heard something that alarmed him greatly.
"Which way did he go?" an important sounding voice came to James' ears.
"Down there!"
"Was he alone?"
"A man chased after him not long ago."
"Quickly. Don't startle the boy whatever you do!"
"Yes Sir!"
"Remus you must come with me, immediately." James said desperately.
"Why Harry? What's wrong?" Remus asked, perplexed.
"Remus please. We must go!" James cried in panic.
"Is someone after you Harry?" Remus asked suspiciously.
"You could say that." James replied anxiously, "Please Remus, I will explain everything if you will just come with me now!"
"This way. Hurry. He may have already gone!" the distant voice came again, causing James to fidget nervously.
"Harry, we should get you to St. Mungos. You're traumatized." Remus said calmly, moving forward in a non threatening manor.
James cried out in exasperation, then calmed, looking up at Remus with a pain-filled expression in his eyes. "I am truly sorry about this, My old friend. Petrificus Totalus!"
For a split second Remus looked upon Harry in horror before he froze solid and began to fall toward the ground. James rushed forward hastily and caught him inches from the ground, before giving him a saddened look.
"I'm sorry, my old friend, but it really was necessary." James said quietly, "Soon you will understand... When you see."
James sighed with exhaustion. That was not how things were meant to have gone. He gave the alley one last fleeting look before concentrating on arriving back in his home, and apparating out swiftly. Moments later, a squad of six Aurors came tramping around the corner, wands bared ready for action. When they came across the side street completely bare of any human life, the leader of the squad cried out in anger.
"Comb the area! I want Potter found and I want him now! You there, go back and interview those wizards on the street! Find out who it was who chased him and where he is now! I want answers!" Robards ordered.
"Yes Sir." Replied the five Aurors simultaneously.
"Let me get this straight." Dumbledore said darkly as he leaned back in an armchair at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. "Harry Potter was sighted in Diagon Alley, he walked up and down that Alley twice, and you failed to see him?"
"We were looking for Granger Sir." Shacklebolt said a little too bitterly.
"Silence." Dumbledore said commandingly. "Not only did you fail to see him, you managed to lose one of your comrades? How?"
"Remus saw something, Sir. He told us to wait where we were and he took off down the Alley. He never returned, Sir." Tonks informed him boldly.
"You're partner saw something out of the ordinary, commanded you to stay behind, and you obeyed him?" Dumbledore repeated.
"Yes Sir."
"Why would you obey such an idiotic command, Nymphadora?" Dumbledore asked silkily.
"I trust Remus Sir. He implied that he did not need us, so I trusted his judgement."
"As did I." Shacklebolt said in defense of Tonks.
"I see." Dumbledore replied. "And now that Remus is Missing in Action, do you still stand by your judgment?"
Shacklebolt and Tonks remained silent.
"What do you suppose happened to Remus, Kingsley?" Dumbledore asked slowly.
"I suppose," Kingsley replied darkly, "That the boy parading the streets of Diagon Alley was an impostor. I suppose that Remus saw who he thought was Harry, and, being close to the boy, trusted that it was him. I suppose that he confronted Harry, only to discover it wasn't the real Harry. That it was a Deatheater in disguise. I suppose that the impostor then took Remus captive, to prevent word escaping. I suppose that Remus is with Harry as we speak, dead or alive, I cannot say."
"What makes you believe that the Harry in Diagon Alley was an impostor?" Dumbledore asked, a fiery glint in his eyes.
"All the reports said that Harry appeared in good health." Shacklebolt said as if it were obvious. "No limp, no signs of being harmed, no scars other than the usual lightning strike. What we saw in Number Four Privet Drive totally contradicts those reports. Harry would have been near death when he disappeared, he could not have been completely healed by now, even if he were in the hands of a healer."
"I see." Dumbledore said again, thoughtfully. "And you, Nymphadora, what is your theory?"
"I agree that the Harry in Diagon Alley must have been an impostor. Why they were there, I have no idea. Perhaps to throw us off the trail, Perhaps to draw out Aurors to pick off. I believe Kingsley is right. Remus would have confronted Harry, but whether he was snatched by the impostor or waiting Deatheaters I haven't decided."
Dumbledore nodded. "And the Prophet has no idea that Remus disappeared?"
"None." Kingsley replied.
"Good." Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "We will need to get our stories straight before we go public with the new information. I knew Hermione was a smart girl, but I never thought her capable of something this intelligent. She is very calculating..."
"What?" Tonks said in alarm.
"Don't you see? Polyjuice Potion, Nymphadora. The girl has it all figured out. Only she didn't throw us off the scent as she intended. All she managed to do was lengthened the term she will get in Azkaban by several years..."
Daily Prophet, 27th July, 1996
BOY-WHO-LIVED ALIVE: POTTER SIGHTED IN DIAGON ALLEY
It was with great surprise that residents of Diagon Alley recognized Harry Potter perusing the shop windows in the early hours of yesterday morning. Potter was first spotted outside the Magical Menagerie at approximately 9.15am yesterday, examining the contents of the shop's window. This first sighting was followed by a flood of reports being sent to the ministry of Magic, who received no less than 200 hundred reported sightings of the boy within 10 minutes. Despite a team of six Aurors being dispatched immediately under the leadership of acting Head of the Auror Office, Gawain Robards, Potter vanished without a trace just moments before the squad arrived on the scene.
"We have not given up on finding Harry." Robards commented from the scene yesterday morning. "If anything this sighting gives us new hope. Potter appeared in good health to all those witnesses who saw him, and we can only hope he left Diagon Alley on his own accord. We do not know what possessed Harry to show himself in Diagon Alley, but we hope that whatever the reason was, it will lead him to show himself again, and perhaps then we will be able to get some answers."
But after talking to several witnesses at the scene, this reporter is not so sure that Harry will be capable of showing himself again. Several reports claim that a 'ragged looking man' was seen chasing after Potter just moments before the Aurors arrived. The man ran down the same Alley Potter was seen entering, and when Aurors infiltrated the area, there was no one to be found. Had Harry Potter managed to escape his captors, only to be recaptured in front of a bustling crowd in the heart of wizarding Britain?
Witnesses say they heard someone casting a spell down the alley, and then there was a loud crack, like that of someone apparating, shortly after. Auror Robards refused to comment to the Prophet on the speculation of a second abduction, merely informing us that his team of Aurors were doing everything in their power to discover what had really happened to Potter, and where he is now. While many say this sighting comes as a sigh of relief to the wizarding world, there are others who fear something far more sinister is at work.
Aurors continue to scour Diagon Alley in attempts to find any clues that might help them with their inquiries. Witnesses have been asked to stay behind and give their accounts of events in writing to help with the investigation. Meanwhile, hunt for missing fugitive Hermione Granger and her parents Jonathan and Julia remains fruitless, as there have been no further sightings or any solidleads.
"We can only assume they have gone to ground." Robards said yesterday, "My teams are continuing their search of the Granger home and are investigating all possible leads. We will find Hermione Granger."
More news as it comes.
Author's Note: Well, I know that was well over due and I apologize, never again shall we inform you of the exact time we will update, as no doubt something always comes up to prevent us from reaching the deadline. Never the less,we shall be updating about once a week so don't panic. Sorry this chapter took so long, It took me a while to figure out how to play it out, but we got there. And then I tried to post it yesterday but the server was messing up all day. damn modern technology! Anywho, I only hope it lives up to your standards after waiting so long for it. We really had to get our ass into gear when people who never review started reviewing just to get us to hurry up. I sincerely apologize for the delay. Next chapter should be coming soon.We hope you all enjoy this chapter, and thank you all so much for reviewing and reading the last chapter. I know this has been moving kinda slow, but were getting into the flow of things now. Until next time, (You're all dying to find out about Remus aren't you?),
Lanindur Du-Undarian