The Long Hot Summer
"So", asked Hermione, "what will we do now?"
"Honestly, I haven't the vaguest idea. Take Hagrid's advice, and what comes, comes, then we deal with it. As for me, as soon as I get back, I'll be packing for ten days in Majorca before summer school. After that, I… just don't know…"
"What about our families? What about us?"
"We still have the goblin wards, so our families will be safe. One thing: we get in touch with Remus, and intensify defense training. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it".
"What about Dumbledore?"
"I'd keep him out of it. Remember, he's proven himself quite unworthy of our trust. Like Uncle Vernon says, he's highly irresponsible, and of questionable competence. Look at all the shit that he allowed to happen under his very nose. He didn't do a damn thing about Quirrel".
She shuddered at the mention of his name.
"You OK?"
"Unpleasant memory, that's all".
"Don't forget about that mountain troll that got inside the castle. Then there's the whole Triwizard Tournament clusterfuck. Then there was Ginny and her possessed dairy. She just walked through the doors of Hogwarts with one of the darkest products of the Dark Arts, and nary a peep from the wards. How does shit like this happen? I don't like it… I don't like it at all…"
"How about how he rescued the muggles at the World Cup?"
"You weren't there, but I was and heard Barty Crouch junior tell us they weren't Death Eaters, that no Death Eater would call such attention to themselves while Voldmort was in the process of regaining his strength. That makes sense, they wouldn't, they would want as little attention paid to their Dark Lord as possible. I wouldn't put it past the old bastard, staging that attack. Convenient how that happened at a major public event, just what the doctor ordered to give him back the Headmaster's position. Oh, and Barty's casting the Dark Mark that sent them fleeing? That was the cherry on top. Interesting how all these Death Eaters run amok at the World Cup and not a single one gets arrested".
"You think he would?"
"Hell, I don't know, I can't prove anything, but I'll tell you this: I'm not ruling out the possibility".
"What about his reconstituting the Order of the Phoenix?"
"You mean the Order of the Sycophants? You were there: Hagrid, Lupin, Molly and Arthur, Arabella, Mundungus, Mad Eye, etc, etc, etc ad infinitum – every last one thinks Dumbledore shits gumdrops and lollipops… Merlin, help us".
"So what will you do?"
"I have some owls to get off, then I'm gonna lay on a beach, soak up some sun and fresh sea air and let my troubles wash away with the tide".
"We're going to Paris again", Hermione told him.
"There ya go, I suggest you do the same".
"At least we won't have to worry about Rita Skeeter and her nasty articles. She agreed to my conditions".
"I dunnow, I kind'a liked Alessandra's nail polish remover cotton ball idea".
"You can't mean it".
"Not really, hell, who knows? Skeeter might even prove useful".
4 Privet Dr
"I'm hooooome!", Harry called out after the portkey dropped him off just outside the wards.
"You OK?", Vernon asked. "Must've been a shock… about your classmate".
"It was", he agreed. "Never thought I'd see that, losing a classmate. Never happened before Hogwarts...".
"Ready for Majorca?", Petunia asked to head off the rant she knew was coming.
"Lookin' forward to it, I just need to pack and send Hedwig to the Burrow".
Harry took out a normie pen and normie paper to write a short message:
Dear Mr. and Mrs Weasley:
We're off to Majorca tomorrow, so would you look after Hedwig for the next ten days? We'll appreciate it (well Hedwig, not so much). Since we'll be gone, could you hold any owlposts until we get back? Will send post cards.
Regards,
Harry
"Here, Hedwig, take this to the Burrow", as he tied the missive to a leg, and offered an owl treat. "They'll take good care of you", as he sent the snow-white owl off.
The Burrow
Fred's, George's, Ron's and Ginny's summer was shaping up to be a good deal less pleasant. Ron thought this would be the worst summer since he nearly flunked out of Hogwarts.
"So good to see you so soon, Professor", Molly greeted the arrival of Dumbledore.
"I'm afraid this isn't a purely social call, Molly. The Order is in need of a headquarters".
"Have you found a place so soon?"
"Indeed I have. It's the old Black home in London…"
"Black, as in Sirius Black?"
"Indeed. Sirius was the black sheep of the family, as he had no interest in the Dark Arts, unlike his younger brother, Regulus. He was driven out when he was sixteen and moved in with James and his parents. Sirius' mother, Walpurga, thought she had disowned him, but it was Sirius' grandfather's part of the will that left the house to Sirius. She put up quite the fight, but to no avail. Sirius, being the only surviving male heir automatically became Lord Black. Shortly before he left for Azkaban, he offered me the use of the house whenever I thought I might need it. He had no desire to ever live where his childhood was so bad.
"As Sirius has been away for over ten years, the house has stood unoccupied, except for the Black family house elf: Kreacher. I would like for you to make it livable again. Being that it was the home of a well known dark family, there are already considerable defenses in place, which I shall be reinforcing. I hope I'm wrong, but I want to have a safe house up and available should we need one".
"You're sure Sirius won't mind? Have you heard from him?"
"It would seem Sirius has dropped out of sight. Perhaps he's fled the country? Being that he was originally with the Order, I don't see his objecting".
"Of course, Professor, we'll do what we can. I did say you can count on us back at Hogwarts".
12 Grimmauld Pl.
Grimmauld Place was in Islington Borough, about a half-hour from King's Cross. During the 19th century, this was an upscale neighborhood. It had fallen on hard times, and was now working class, many of the mansions converted into town houses and apartments. One of these homes was built in the 1860s, home to a successful industrialist. Sirius' Black's great grandfather had taken a liking for the home, and somehow persuaded its normie owner to sell it. How this was accomplished is today unknown, so likely involved something illegal. The house of three and a half stories, is remembered today only by the skip in addresses. The place between 11 Grimmauld and 13 Grimmauld looks like nothing more than overlapping side yards. The Black home appears only to magi, and only those magi who are permitted to see it, as it's protected with an Unplottable Charm, Notice-Me-Not Charms, and an array of formidable wards. When it appears to those who are allowed to see it, it looks like it's pushing the houses on either side off their foundations. Of course, the muggles notice nothing.
The front door lacked a lock, but opened for Dumbledore, as only a wand unlocked it. For the first time in over ten years.
"Oh my!", Molly called out.
"What a sh… dump!", Ron pointed out.
"It's not so bad", she said as she ran a finger over a very dusty table top, "nothing a little sprucing-up can't fix".
"A little…", the Twins were going to say something sarcastic.
"Fuck're you and what the fuck are you doing in Mistress' house?"
They'd met Kreacher. He was very old, looked like his skin was three sizes too big, his bat-like ears filled with hairs, and every bit as filthy as the rags he wore.
"Kreacher, I am your master, and I order you to serve and obey the people you see before you. You will follow their orders as you would follow Sirius' Is that understood?", Dumbledore said.
"Un… derstood", Kreacher said with no trace of enthusiasm. He could activate Kreacher's enchantment as Sirius had delegated that ability to Dumbledore.
"How could you let the house get like this?", Molly asked.
"Mistress gone, Regulus gone, Sirius – the breaker of Mistress' heart – abandoned Kreacher, leaving Kreacher only Mistress' memories for company. It suits Kreacher just fine", there was a hint of defiance in his voice.
"Well, let's see what we're dealing with", Molly said.
The drawers and cupboards claimed by boggarts; the drapes lousy with doxies, this wasn't going to be an easy job…
All of the Black heirlooms were intact, as no one knew about the house, and so didn't loot it. Nothing much had changed since Victorian times. The lamps and chandeliers were gas jets, and not the more modern gas mantles still used these days with petrol or propane fired lanterns. The old house had never been wired for electricity, the "ice box" was a literal ice box. No central cooling other than open windows, though it was equipped with stream radiators for central heat. The boiler room in the basement, just off the dining room that could seat at least a couple dozen guests, was Kreacher's living quarters where he slept on piles of filthy rags.
Molly decided to keep the bedrooms above the third story as they were as these were the bedrooms of Sirius and Regulus. The door to Sirius' bedroom was decorated with a Gryffindor banner. Regulus' with a Slytherin banner and a sign: "Entry forbidden without the express permission of Regulus A. Black". The two bedrooms couldn't be more different. Sirius had covered the walls with pictures of motorcycles and pin-up girls clipped from muggle magazines. There were Iron Maiden posters (the muggle power metal band, not the medieval torture device) and a banner of House Gryffindor. It must have pained Walpurga greatly, seeing this. Regulus' bedroom walls still had articles clipped form the Daily Prophet about Voldemort and his activities, now gone yellow, pinned up. There was a portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black – the only Headmaster from Slytherin – on the wall next to a House Slytherin banner. There were guest bedrooms on the second and third floors that would serve for overnight stay-overs if that were necessary.
"How is Arthur doing?", Dumbledore asked.
"He's been discreetly asking around the Ministry", Molly informed him.
"How about you?", she asked.
"So far, all the original members are coming back. I've asked so much in the past, but they're ready to do more", Dumbledore told her.
"Kids!", Molly called out, "let's get started"
Owlery Holt
"From everything I've learned, everything you and Harry have told me", Lucius was explaining, "we can't count on Dumbledore".
"Do you know what you're saying?! The Professor was the only one to stand up to the Dark Lord in a country where almost everyone was afraid to even say his name. He saved us…"
"Actually, Harry saved you…"
"You have no idea what it was like!"
"Then why don't you enlighten me?"
"OK, then, imagine Voldemort's in power. You don't know who his followers are. Your classmate, your co-worker, the friendly counter man in a shop in Diagon Ally could be one. You dare not express an honest opinion without that furtive look all around, and then, only in whispers, lest you be overheard. You can't trust anyone. Every day, the Prophet brings stories of murders, torturing, no one seems safe, and muggles are dying too. You know the Dark Lord can control people, make them do the most horrific things, and they can't help themselves. The Ministry's in disarray, they have no idea as to what to do, and they're burdened with the additional task of keeping the muggle public in the dark. You never knew if today was the day you'd return home, see the Dark Mark above your home, and you knew what you were about to find inside. Terror, panic, confusion: everywhere. That's how it was.
"Then a hero stepped up. It's times like this that either bring out the worst in everyone, or the best. Albus Dumbledore and his Order of the Phoenix were those who showed their best. I can say I am proud to have been one of the original members, recruited just before the end of my final year at Hogwarts. The rest of the Marauders, and James, and his fiancee Lily Evans, united with our Headmaster to oppose Voldemort. The cost was high, as you well know. We lost James and Lily, along with all too many good people. Far too many… We kept track of known Death Eaters, and other dark magi who might join his ranks. We fought them to rescue many a potential victim. We dogged Youknowwho's every step, slowing him down, forcing him underground. We prevented his take-over of the Ministry, and likely the muggle government soon after. Our efforts restored faith where there was none.
"You see, this is what Albus Dumbledore did for us. He, and he alone, was the only wizard Youknowwho ever feared. He held Magical Britain together. After Voldemort lost his power, he was first in line to become the next Minister of Magic, but he repeatedly declined to accept the position. He explained that his devotion was Hogwarts and the education of the next generations. The people will look up to him as a natural leader".
"That was then, but this is a new time and a new problem", Lucius explained. "Yes, I've heard Vernon Dursley complaining about Dumbledore's irresponsibility, incompetence, and foolishness. He's blinded by his parental concerns for Harry's well being, and I can hardly blame him. That doesn't change the fact that Dumbledore, himself, is blinded by his Harry fixation, and that damned prophecy. It never seems to occur to any of you geniuses that treating the damn thing as if it has written the future in stone makes it self-fulfilling. That's one thing Voldemort and Dumbledore have in common. Dumbledore has focused with laser-precision monomania on the idea that Harry Potter must defeat Voldemort. He has been actively shaping Mr. Potter's entire life to that end, no thought for Harry's well-being, regardless of how that affects his future prospects. Putting all one's eggs in one basket is a strategy that will get all your eggs broke in one fell swoop, wouldn't you agree?"
"I… suppose…", Sirius said. "But… Dumbledore loves Harry!"
"Like he loved you when it slipped his mind for eleven years that one of his first recruits was rotting in Azkaban without ever having his day in court? Like that, Sirius?"
"What are you saying?"
"How is it that the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, the Supreme Mugwump of the International Conference of Wizards, etc, etc, etc, couldn't get you a fair trial? How is it that he so frequently pleads 'my hands are tied' when we need his help?
"Sirius: Dumbledore is a user. I doubt he's ever dealt with anyone honestly in his entire life. He's filled his Order of the Phoenix with fawning acolytes, and yes-men who won't dare tell him anything he doesn't want to hear. If we rely on him, well, we should go to Voldemort right now and negotiate the best possible terms of surrender".
"I… find it hard to believe".
"I understand, but I think you can believe this", Lucius pulled a manila folder from his desk drawer.
"What is it?"
"Just read"
Sirius' jaw slowly dropped farther and farther, eyes widening. He slumped as he handed the file back.
"Where did you get this?"
"From the office of the First Secretary to the Minister of Magic: Miss Dolores Umbridge: his consigliere who does all the dirty hands work for him.
"That's right: all the while Dumbledore was promising Harry he was doing everything to get you out of Azkaban, he was working to prevent the reopening of your case. When he failed, and Madam Bones got you a trial, he made it clear he didn't want your leaving Azkaban Island, and he didn't care how".
"But… why?!"
"You knew too much, especially what was in the Last Will and Testament of James and Lily Potter, especially regarding their wishes for Harry's guardianship, and the extend of the Potter family assets. Sirius, Dumbledore is not your friend, and he certainly isn't Harry's".
"So what do we do now?"
"First thing: who do we have?"
"Well, there's Amelia Bones, but, I dunnow… I'm considered an escaped felon. Fleeing Azkaban before my trail, everyone's gonna assume I'm guilty as charged".
"Would she talk with you? Could you convince her?"
"I honestly don't know… I could try".
"I'll give you an emergency portkey just in case she tries to detain you".
Bones Manor
Well after dark, Sirius came calling.
"Good evening, Amelia", he said.
"Get in here!", she said as she pulled him through the front door. "I never… no one saw you?"
"No one, I can assure you". He'd gone most of the way in his Padfoot form, reversing only after passing the wards.
"I must say, you've certainly dropped out of sight. Kingsley hasn't come up with a clue; nothing from the muggle police".
"Kingsley?"
"Shacklebolt, under special assignment from Pius Thicknesse himself. He's leading the investigation for your apprehension. I may have resigned as Minister of the Department, but I am still an auror. I should turn you in right off. You must know that, so I wonder: why are you taking such a chance? You go back to Azkaban and it's the Kiss".
"Is that what you're going to do? Hand me over to them?"
"That depends on what you say in the next sixty seconds".
"Have you heard? Hewhomustnotbenamed is back?"
"It's all over the Ministry, how Albus is putting all credibility to Potter's absurd tale of seeing the reincarnation of a man known to be dead for a dozen years now in a vision. He's determined to incite the panic that will allow him to depose Minister Fudge".
"You can't seriously believe that?"
"I could, had I not known he could have had the position for the asking after Millicent Bagnold retired. It makes no sense that he, all of a sudden, would change his mind. As for Hewhomustnotbenamed, I don't know. I've heard all the rumours, how he claimed he wouldn't be going away so easily should the unthinkable happen, but he also cultivated a cult of personality that would be enhanced by wild claims. That, I do not believe, and as for Potter, he's been playing me for a fool ever since that incident with the Philosopher's Stone. Wanting the fame of being the Boy Who Lived to go on, now that we have actually seen him as a person, not as a legend, well, I see that as perfectly plausible. So what's this about?"
Sirius knew he was treading on dangerous territory here. Amelia made it quite clear she was in no mood to be co-operating with Lucius in any way. He couldn't claim to be with Dumbledore's Order, lest he give it away, and that was the last thing he needed Fudge hearing: that his rival was organizing a secret society. Fudge would immediately assume its purpose was to work against him.
"I know my godson, and I don't believe a word about his being mentally unstable, or that he's seeking fame. He wouldn't be the Boy Who Lived had his mother and father not died when he was a baby. He'd trade all the fame and fortune that comes with it to have James and Lily back. There's no one in the Auror Corps I thought I could trust; I'm here to ask if there's anything you can do to keep him safe. You know he'll be starting summer school when they return from Majorca? It doesn't matter whether you or I believe – or don't believe – he's returned from the dead. There are sure to be plenty of his followers out there who will believe, and who knows what they will do".
"So that's it?"
"Harry is, after all, my godson, and the closest he has to magical relations".
"I can assure you, there will be a detail of undercover aurors looking out for him while he's at muggle school. Resigning my position hasn't changed that, as we know the threat is very real".
"So do you still want me to come along quietly?"
"I'll forget we had this conversation, but I warn you: this had better be the last".
"Good evening, Madam Bones".
"I'm guessing your conversation didn't go so swell since you returned alone?", Lucius said after Sirius' return.
"No, it didn't. At least Amelia didn't try to arrest me on the spot. She did make it clear she's very much the skeptic concerning Youknowwho's return. She's not buying into Fudge's paranoid fantasies, but she's not convinced that Harry's vision holds any water. I suppose it was too much to ask that she would accept such a fantastic possibility on such tenuous evidence? I did learn that a Kingsley Shacklebolt is heading up the man hunt for me, that mean anything to you?"
"Harry mentioned that name: Dumbledore mentioned him as a possible member. I don't know what that means, but it's something to file away for future reference".
"So what do we do now?", Sirius asked.
"We wait. We wait and hope Amelia comes around. Sooner or later, she will learn for herself, and will be more persuadable".
12 Grimmauld Pl.
"Wake up call!", George called out loudly. Mum wants us to breakfast before taking care of the drawing room".
"You have any idea what time it is?", Ron complained.
"It's 8:00, c'mon, you don't want to keep Mother waiting".
This was a bad summer and getting worse, Ron thought. No fun, no sleeping in mornings.
After breakfast, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George assembled in the drawing room. This room had a high ceiling, olive green walls covered with tapestries long gone dingy with dirt, though the golden thread, which on closer examination, was actually fine gold wire still shined brightly. The carpet sent up puffs of dust with every step.
"Gather around", Molly said of the dark green curtains that were drawn over the windows looking out onto the street. "I've never seen a doxie infestation this bad before. What that house elf's been doing…"
The curtains buzzed as though covered with invisible bees.
"Grab a mask and a spray bottle".
She'd been to the hardware store in Ottery St Catchpole to buy spray bottles and dust masks. The spray bottles were filled with a black liquid looking like India ink.
"Just spray them with Doxicide, but you don't want to be inhaling it yourselves. I have the antivenin, but it's best to avoid their bites. Any questions?", she waited.
"No? Then let's get started".
She demonstrated: as soon as the Doxicide hit the curtains, a doxie flew out of a fold in the curtain, quite upset, baring its needle-like fangs, shiny beetle black wings whirring, its body covered with thick, black fur. It shook its four tiny fists in rage at the invasion of its domain. One faceful of the Doxicide spray and it dropped to the floor with a surprising "thunk". Doxicide, despite the name, didn't actually kill them, just rendered them unconscious.
"Drop them in the bucket", she pointed out a five gallon plastic paint pail.
It quickly became a game, dodge the doxie.
"Fred! Will you stop fooling around?", she reprimanded. Fred had a squirming doxie held between his thumb and forefinger. "Just give it a spray". He did, and the doxie passed out immediately. Making sure Molly wasn't watching, he pocketed the inert doxie. George was doing the same. Doxie venom just might have its uses…
"There, finally", Molly said, three refills later, and three five gallon pails filled with inert doxies. The curtains well dampened with Doxicide. "Now we can open the curtains, let some air in here".
"Now what do we do with them?", Ginny asked.
"Take them well outside of town, and let them go. No sense killing them for being what they are", she explained. It had taken until mid morning to get the job done. "I think we'll tackle those after lunch"
She was referring to two glass fronted cabinets that stood on either side of the mantle. Inside were a variety of unusual items: daggers, a coiled snake skin, tarnished silver boxes that had inscriptions in a foreign language they couldn't read, and a crystal bottle with an ornate stopped with a large opal set in the top, and filled with what looked all too much like blood.
The items in that cabinet didn't want to be taken out. One was some sort of silver instrument of unknown purpose that looked like tweezers, but with multiple grips. When touched, it sidled up Fred's arm, like a spider, until it tried to jam an end into his arm. Molly threw it to the ground just in time before smashing it with a heavy book: Nature's Nobility, a Genealogy of Wizarding Families. One of the silver boxes got Molly, biting her hand which grew a think, brown crust, like a heavy glove. A touch of her wand fixed the problem.
"Wartcap powder", she explained as she tossed it into a trash bag. George wrapped his hand in a rag before retrieving it to join the doxies filling his pocket.
There was a music box that when wound up played a vaguely sinister tinkling tune that had everyone suddenly feeling very sleepy. Ginny figured it out, and slammed down the lid. Ron wondered if a similar music box was used on Fluffy. Other items included a heavy locket that wouldn't open, and a dusty box containing an Order of Merlin, First Class, awarded to Sirius' grandfather. "Services to the Ministry", was the only explanation given for the award.
All the while they had to deal with Kreacher, who claimed he was "cleaning", but what he was really doing was fetching items from the trash to hide in the boiler room.
It took three days to clean out the drawing room, leaving just a writing desk that held something as it constantly quivered slightly.
"Probably just a boggart", Molly explained, "but we'll leave it to Mad Eye, just to be safe, not sorry".
The drawing room was ready to serve as the conference room of the Order of the Phoenix.
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Upon returning from Majorca, there was a thick stack of Daily Prophets awaiting.
"You should have put a hold on your subscription", Vernon said.
"I didn't do that since I want to see if there's been any Voldemort activity I missed", he explained.
"What can you do about it?", Petunia asked.
"I need to know", he explained, "for myself. For my sanity".
Ten days worth of Daily Prophets, and not one mention of anything having to do with Voldemort, no mention of statements from the Ministry, no reports of strange deaths or Death Eater attacks, nothing. There was something, however: an article about a Chudley Cannons Chaser who'd been beaned with a Bludger during a game. The article said: "If that leaves a scar on his forehead, will we have to worship him too?"
Another article from another day had a snide comment about a "tale worthy of Harry Potter" regarding some preposterous claim. It didn't take too long for Harry to figure he was the object of a psy-op. The Prophet, likely at the behest of Minister Fudge, was doing everything it could to destroy his credibility. There was nothing he could do about it as the Prophet, as always, skated the thin line between opinion and slander. One other thing he noticed: Rita Skeeter's byline was missing completely, so she was holding up her end of the bargain she'd made with Hermione.
Hedwig returned from the Burrow, but came bearing no mail. That was strange, as he was hoping to hear from the Twins on how their plans for Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes were coming along. He usually got something, even if only complaints about too many chores and Molly's insistence that they show more ambition to get as many OWLs as they could to be more like their older brother: Percy.
He met up with Hermione the next day for the first day of summer school make-up classes.
"You heard from the Twins?", Harry asked.
"We just got back from Paris, but, no, nothing. You see the latest Prophets?"
"Yeah, I saw 'em all right. They don't need Skeeter to do a job on me. Nothing about Voldemort either, seems he's lying low for now".
"I don't understand how Fudge can make so light of the situation".
"Competence isn't one of the Wizarding World's strong suits. Fudge should call a meeting with Voldemort to negotiate the best possible terms of surrender if he's going down that road. Might as well try to get something rather than nothing".
"Denial: it ain't just a river in Egypt".
"No, it sure ain't. I wonder what everyone's up to?"
"No idea…"
Harry owled postcards to the Burrow, Malfoy Manor, Longbottom Manor, and the Rookery. Every time, Hedwig returned empty. When Hedwig was in his cage, no owls except for the one that dropped the Daily Prophet on the door step.
He tried again, sending Hedwig out with letters. Again, he returned with no replies. It wasn't until Lucius called. Petunia recognized the high pitched, screechy voice on the other end. While Harry was home, Lucius used muggle communications.
"Harry!", she called out, "your furry friend"
"How's it goin'?", Harry asked.
"Sent Snuffles out to see Amelia to make sure your protection will be there".
"Yeah, we saw the weirdos who'd come to class, figured it was them".
"Unfortunately, Snuffy says she's not on-line just yet, but we're still hoping she'll come around. Oh, he says he misses the Hogwarts chow. Can you send more?"
"I… don't know…"
"What do you mean?"
"I've sent owls to my friends, but I'm getting no replies. Not a single one, and that's not like the Twins to be avoiding me, especially since I'm an investor. I was expecting to hear from them on how the joke shop's shaping up".
"That's not good, not good at all… I'd consider the owl network compromised. Better to stop using it".
"I'm sure Hedwig'll like that… until he gets bored, that is. Who do you suppose… Dumbledore?"
"That's a good possibility, especially since he's revived his old organization. There's the possibility Fudge is behind it as well. You've seen the Prophet? It looks like he doesn't want word getting out".
"Always interfering, every fucking time!"
"I understand, best to go along for now, don't do anything that may tip them off you're onto them. We're taking care of things from our end. Will visit soon".
"OK, until then".
"Until then".
Harry and Lucius were still code talking in case the muggle authorities were listening in, as they were still looking for the fugitive Sirius Black.
The rest of June dragged on through July: summer school, homework, summer school homework… no owl posts from any of his friends, whether from Hogwarts or Beaux Batons. More snide remarks in the Prophet, though no overt character assassinations. No word from Sirius or Lucius.
The normie news broadcast a story about a gruesome murder of an unidentified woman just a block from 10 Downing, the Prime Minister's residence. No suspects, and the victim wasn't carrying any identification. No suspects, which was a bit unusual for a daylight assault. Nothing in the next morning's Daily Prophet. Just another of Vernon's rants about how the whole country was going to hell in a handcart.
Things didn't get interesting until three days later: the whole family was awakened in the middle of the night as the klaxon sounded: the warning that someone tried crossing the wards.
"Stay here!", Harry ordered. "Whatever it is, this is wizard work".
Whoever it was had attempted to apparate or portkey across the wards and would have been ejected. Harry slipped out the back door, wand ready. He slipped around the house and took a look from around the side yard.
Looking quite perplexed stood a girl about his age, wearing nothing more than a night dress.
"Lumos", he lit his wand. She noticed, watched his wand.
"Harry… Harry Potter?", she asked, obviously disoriented.
"I've seen you before, haven't I?"
"I… I… guess so… maybe..."
"Yeah, you went to Hogwarts? I thought I saw you there when I was a Firstie"
"Sssssusan… Bones"
"Amelia's niece?" She said nothing, just nodded.
"Here", he touched one of the runestones with his wand, causing them to glow blue for a second or two.
"Come inside", as he made an opening through the wards.
All the lights were on now. Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley wondering what was going on, and who this strange girl was…
"Susan Bones from Hogwarts", Harry announced as he escorted her through the front door. "Has something happened?", he asked the girl. It was pretty obvious from how she was acting that something had happened, and it wasn't good.
The girl was so distraught she could hardly speak.
"I'll get a glass of water", Petunia volunteered as she headed for the kitchen.
Harry escorted her to the sofa in the living room.
Petunia returned about a half minute later: "Here, drink this". Susan took a few gulps, and did her best to compose herself.
"What happened?", Harry asked.
"Iiiiiiit… was… Hhhhhhim…", she barely got out.
"You mean Voldemort?"
"Attacked Bones Manor… They came…"
"They?"
"The Ddddddeath Eaters… aunt Amelia shoved an emergency portkey in my hands, said I'd be safe… He and Aunt Amelia… duel… Aunt… Amelia?"
"You're safe here", Petunia offered.
It was obvious that the brave front was crumbling…
"If you have to let it out, let it out", Petunia said. She and Susan hugged tightly as Susan wept. What could Petunia say? That it was all right when she knew it probably wasn't close to being all right.
"What's going on?", Vernon asked.
"It would seem that Voldemort has decided to become more proactive. He apparently attacked her aunt Amelia, the auror and former Directrix of the DMLE".
"Why did she come here?"
"I haven't a clue… Said something about a portkey, so Amelia must've sent her".
The klaxon sounded again; Susan jumped. Harry went to look out the front window.
"It's her", he announced as he went out… Amelia's robes were torn with scorch marks, her face and arms with cuts and bruises now swelling.
"Aunt Amelia!", Susan called out with happy tears replacing sad tears. They ran to hold each other tight. "I thought I'd never see you again".
"I know… I know…", Amelia said to her niece.
Harry was finally able to take care of the introductions.
"I have no one else to turn to", Amelia explained, "no one I can trust. I… we… need your help, Harry. I know you aren't doing everything all by yourself, that you've been getting outside help that you refused to talk about…"
"You're right, I do. If you will recall, I said that he would come forward when the time was right, and it looks like it has. If you'll excuse me".
Amelia expected anything but for Harry's picking up the telephone.
"Hello, Lucius"…
At first, she wondered if he was referring to Malfoy and why he'd be using muggle telephone to call Malfoy Manor…
"...Yes, I know what time it is. Something's happened, and Amelia and Susan are here. It would seem Voldemort's gone hot…"
"...That's what they said: he attacked Bones Manor. They used emergency portkeys to bring themselves here…"
"...Come at once…"
"...Snuffles too, I'll put up the Muffliato. See you in a few…"
Harry waved his wand: "Muffliato!", as he cast the anti-eavesdropping charm.
"They'll be here any second"
He barely finished saying that when Lucius and Sirius apparated into the living room.
"Sirius!", she greeted in surprise, "and you brought…"
"Lucius Lutra, and pleased to make your acquaintance", he offered a hand, and Amelia bent down to take his rough, webbed, hand-paw. "You're an animagus?"
Lucius went through the whole story once again.
"So you're the mysterious mentor?!"
"Not exactly, I'm the second in line: my Master, through me, through Lucius Malfoy and Draco".
"And who is this Master of yours?", Amelia asked.
"I can't say the name as I'm under the Fidelius".
"Of course, I should have guessed… He had Emmilene Vance assassinated in broad daylight. Being a magician, she wouldn't have muggle identification, or records for that matter".
"Emmilene Vance, you said?", Sirius asked.
"You know her?", Amelia asked.
"She was with the original Order of the Phoenix", Sirius explained, "I remember her well".
"Are they targeting former members?", Harry asked.
"It's highly possible", Sirius explained, "Voldemort would see them as a special threat, and the last thing he'd want to see is a new Order arise. He'd want to make examples of them to discourage others from getting similar ideas".
"What does this mean for us?", Vernon asked.
"I'm not going to say there is no danger", Lucius said. "However, I don't anticipate any immediate threat just yet. Voldemort won't come after Harry until he's certain to have eliminated the opposition. Harry is too much of a sympathetic character for now, and he doesn't need martyrs the public can rally around. No, he'll wait until he's consolidated enough power where that no longer matters. He'll wait until that damn fool Fudge destroys his image as the legendary Boy Who Lived.
"As for you and Petunia and Dudley, he could use you to get to Harry. It's something I'll be keeping an eye on".
"What about Harry? What about his education?"
"You may have to put it on hold. I don't know when or for how long.
"Amelia, Susan, you can't go back to Bones Manor. I'll put you up at Owlery Holt with Sirius. It's the only way to stay off Voldemort's radar. If you're ready…"
"Shouldn't we pack?"
"I'll take care of that, but for now, we need to get you out of sight. Later, when the coast is clear, I'll fetch you things from Bones Manor, but that can wait".
He and Sirius apparated Susan and her aunt away to North Devon. Harry knew he was in for a rough day at school tomorrow as there would be no more sleep tonight. The constant prickling of his scar made that difficult enough.
At school, Harry told Hermione: "Shit's goin' down", he said. "Amelia and Susan Bones showed up last night. Voldemort attacked them. Didn't waste a whole lot of time".
"So what do we do now?"
"I have no idea, given the owl situation, what? Send Hedwig to warn the Weasleys and the rest of our friends? If that f'kin Dumbledumbass hadn't interfered…"
"Maybe he knows already?", she suggested hopefully.
"I wouldn't count on that, he's gotten awfully unreliable lately, and I don't trust him any further than I could throw him. Look at what he's done: kept us incommunicado from all our friends ever since the start of the summer break. If we didn't live so close, attend the same school, I bet it'd be the same for us".
"So what do we do now?"
"Forch, Sirius is working on it".
"What can he do? Isn't he still on the run?"
"I have more faith in my godfather than my former Headmaster, that's for sure. We wait until I hear back. So far, that's all we can do, without the ability to owlpost".
12 Grimmauld Pl
The doorbell rang, setting off the portrait of Walpurga:
"MUDBLOODS! IN MY HOUSE! THAT BLOOD TRAITOR BITCH AND HER BRATS! WHAT WOULD OUR ANCESTORS THINK! …"
"I keep telling them to not ring the bell!", Molly was complaining as she and her husband struggled to get the curtains closed to silence the portrait. They would have gotten rid of it, but for the Permanent Sticking Charm.
The usual crowd was filing in. Some like Dumbledore, Snape, Mad Eye, they recognized, but most of the others, they did not. Molly, Arthur, and Albus were determined to keep it that way.
"You kids", Molly called out.
"We know, up to our rooms…", Ron said.
"Why can't we…", Fred and George started.
"You know the rules, the Professor said no one under age…"
"We're sixteen!", Fred began.
"Close enough, if you ask me", George completed that thought.
"Not according to the Professor, now scoot! All of you, now!", their mother ordered. "Not another word!"
They had no choice but to head upstairs to their bedrooms.
Fred and George took out what looked like flesh coloured string. "She didn't get them all", they announced.
"You can't use those", Ginny said.
"Why not?".
"Mother has put an Imperturbable Charm on the drawing room door. She figured you'd do something like that".
This was another invention, the Extensible Ears, the Twins came up for the product line of their joke shop. They worked by placing one end in your own ears and the "string" would elongate, slide across floors and under doors where the far end would flare into a horn to collect sound and conduct it back to the listener. Not as sophisticated as Lucius Lutra's bugs, but just as effective for short ranges. Fred and George discovered their sister was right: the far end of the Extensible Ears wouldn't go under the door.
"Could I ask a favour?", Molly said to Mad Eye, "there's something in a wardrobe upstairs".
His cybernetic eye rolled upwards, until only white showed: "It's a boggart", he said.
"Dammit!", he called out, "would you fetch me a glass of water?"
He removed the cybernetic eye with a sickening squelching sound.
"Do you have any idea how disgusting that is?", asked a young lady with electric pink hair.
"Here you are", as Molly handed over the water-filled glass. Moody dropped his eye in it and prodded it up and down as it whirled in every direction.
"It gets stuck ever since that scum wore it", he explained as he was putting it back in.
After settling around the conference table, Dumbledore started the latest meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. He announced his latest activities:
"I have been intercepting Harry's owlposts", he said as he showed all the correspondence that was never delivered. "We have post cards from Majorca, a letter to Fred and George. Letters to France, to Mr. Longbottom, Mr. Malfoy, and Miss Lovegood. None mention anything about Sirius".
"This doesn't seem right, invading his privacy", Molly said.
"It is an unfortunate necessity", Dumbledore explained, "the less Voldemort knows about his friends, the safer they will be. It is unfortunate that he is attending that muggle school with Miss Granger".
He didn't mention how much Harry didn't trust him, that he didn't want Harry's saying anything to his friends that might tell everyone that he lost the confidence of the Boy Who Lived.
"What have we learned since our last meeting?"
"The Ministry is still insisting that the murder of Emmeline Vance was just a random street crime, committed by muggle criminals or terrorists", Kingsley Shacklebolt, the insider with the Auror Corps reported. "I don't know, but it's possible that's all it was as whoever did this used knives, not the Killing Curse. It is curious, however, that there were no muggle witnesses on a crowded street in midday. That doesn't seem too probable.
"The former head of the Department, Amelia Bones and her niece have disappeared. That wasn't in the Prophet. The reports say there was an attack at Bones Manor and no one has any clue as to where they are, or even if they're alive or not. She or they put up one helluva fight. We can only assume the worst: they're in Voldemort's hands now. Even if Amelia wouldn't say anything, I wouldn't put it past him to use the Cruciatus on Susan".
"This is most disturbing… Have you learned anything, Severus?"
"Only what we suspected, that the Dark Lord has ordered the elimination of known members of the Order. This time, he is not taking chances. He is still not completely convinced I can be trusted, which is to be expected", Snape drawled. "As for Bones, she would be a likely target, and poor Susan would simply be eliminated for being in the wrong place at the wrong time".
"How about you, Arthur?"
"Fudge has ordered everyone to stop talking about Youknowwho, or we can clear out our desks. I'm sorry, but I am unable to make any progress in convincing others inside the Ministry of the truth of his return".
"That is quite all right, Arthur, we still need eyes and ears inside the Ministry for Voldemort certainly does", Dumbledore reassured him.
"Fudge is keeping the pressure on the Prophet to keep up his campaign to destroy Harry's reputation. Unfortunately, it seems to be paying off. Public doubt about Potter's credibility is on the rise".
"As for Sirius?"
"As you know, I'm heading up that investigation", Shacklebolt said, "but we have nothing. I haven't needed to feed my investigators false leads as it's as if he'd dropped off the edge of the earth. The muggle authorities have no more idea as to where he is than we do".
"He hasn't made any attempt to contact Harry?"
"Not that we know of".
"I've been using my abilities as a metamorph to look after Harry and Hermione while they attend muggle school", Tonks reported. "Fudge wants me to keep him informed as to what he's doing. So far, no one suspicious has shown up".
"And has he said anything?"
"Once, I overheard him complaining that his owlposts aren't being answered. As for Fudge, I just tell him what he's doing in class, which isn't of much interest to him. Other than that, I have nothing really to report".
"How about you, Arabella?", Dumbledore asked.
"I invite Harry over for tea, but all he ever talks about is summer school, about how he'd like to have an actual summer break like his brother Dudley. He hasn't mentioned anything note worthy, but I don't expect he would as all he knows is that I'm the slightly dotty old catlady".
"How about you, Remus?"
"Harry and his friends are progressing well with their defense lessons. As for any mention of Sirius, nothing. I've asked, reminding that we were once Marauders and friends of James and Lily, but so far Harry's said nothing. He hasn't mentioned his vision, Cedric, not a word".
"If there's nothing else, we can wrap up this meeting", Dumbledore said. "Till next time".
Owlery Holt
"Feeling better?", Lucius asked of Amelia and Susan after they'd had a good night's sleep.
"Yes", Amelia said.
"Much", Susan added. "What's going on here?"
"That's what I'd like to know", her aunt said.
"Very well, you need to know…"
Lucius explained everything, going back to Harry's Tenth. The suspicions about Dumbledore and his manipulations. Amelia didn't need much convincing on that point. The possibility that Dumbledore was using Harry as a weapon against his will, without any regard for the rest of his life. His doubts as to Dumbledore's competence to be leading an organization of yes-men as an effective counter to Voldemort's legions of Death Eaters. He explained about the prophecy which she already knew about, that he hadn't agreed completely there was anything to it, but that both Voldemort's followers and Dumbledore took it very seriously. He described Harry's pre-Hogwarts instruction under Malfoy. He explained he had his doubts about Voldemort's returning, but that he believed Harry's vision was of a real event, and that he had reincarnated himself somehow. He described his part in the rescue of Ginny Weasley, and that it was he, not Harry, who'd cast the Fiend Fyre spell.
"Now you know as much as I do", he concluded.
"What do we do now?", Amelia asked.
"Who do we have?", Lucius asked.
"There's John Dawlish and Clive Williamson, my two best aurors", she explained. "We all resigned together when Minister Fudge told us to end our investigations. Their cadets resigned with them".
"Would they be willing to work with you?"
"I'd have to ask, but if it was important enough, they were my best investigators, I don't think they'd refuse".
"May I impose on you to see if they will?"
"Certainly. It's much better than to be stuck here, doing nothing, even though it would be the safest course of action. If it will keep Susan safe, I'd do anything".
"You can trust them", Sirius said, "Lucius and Harry".
"No promises", Amelia said, "other than I will ask". She disapparated.
0xFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
August arrived with a heat wave. There was a temporary ban on lawn watering and car washing due to a drought that was causing reservoirs to fall to dangerously low levels. The once pristine suburban lawns were turning yellow and brown of thirst. The cars, dusty. In addition, the Dursleys' air conditioner had broken down, putting Vernon in an especially foul mood. To get away from the breezeless heat in the house, Harry had excused himself after dinner to walk around Little Whinging.
He was headed back home, well after sundown. Half the way down Magnolia Rd, he saw Dudley and his gang near the entrance to Magnolia Crescent. He stepped into the shadow of a lilac tree. He didn't like these cronies of Dudley's any more than they liked him. This was one blind spot Vernon and Petunia had: their overindulgence of Dudley, and his lack of choosing his company more wisely. When they weren't screwing off with video games, their other entertainments included throwing rocks at cars, then running off before they could be caught in the act, or tormenting the younger kids, or vandalizing the play park.
"He squealed like a pig, didn't he?", asked Malcolm. The rest laughed at hearing that. Harry had a pretty good idea as to who was doing the squealing.
"Nice right hook, Big D", Piers congratulated.
"Same time tomorrow night?", Dudley asked.
"Better at my place", George suggested, "the 'rents'll be gone all evening"
"Coolies!", came a chorus.
"And…", George paused for dramatic effect, "...I copied a key to the wet bar…" George produced the key from a back pocket.
"Awesome!"
"Anyway, 'night guys", Dudley said.
"'Night Big D"
They went their separate ways, and when they'd disappeared from sight, Harry ran to join up with his step-brother by the narrow alley that connected Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk.
"You really shouldn't be hanging with that crowd, they're bad news", Harry told him.
"I'll thank you to mind your own business", Dudley protested.
"So you been beating up ten year olds again? I know you did Mark Evans two days ago".
"Look, Harry, the little shit had it coming, especially after he cheeked me in front of my friends. What was I supposed to do?"
"For FUCK'S sake, Big D", he said his nick with extra sarcasm, "you're fourteen! Isn't it about high time you started growing the fuck up?! They're little kids: ignore them".
They headed down the alley that was quite dark as it had no street lights, just garage walls on one side and a tall fence on the other.
"Let's get one thing straight step-brother, if I wanted to hear a damn sermon…"
He shuddered as if suddenly doused with a bucket filled with ice water. The indigo sky filled with stars had gone completely black, the street lights at either end, gone from sight, as had the Moon. The whispers of the trees, the distant rumble of traffic, all silenced. The sultry summer late evening had become piercingly, bitingly cold.
"What the fuck…", Dudley began.
"Shut up!", Harry ordered.
"I've gone blind!"
"I said, Shut! Up! I need to listen!"
Harry knew what this was, he'd seen it from a distance before, back after Sirius escaped. They couldn't be still hunting Sirius, could they? He knew he couldn't see them, he'd have to hear them. That's when he and Dudley heard the long, hoarse, rattling breaths. Dudley panicked, running down the alley.
"NOT THAT WAY YOU MORON! YOU'RE RUNNING RIGHT INTO IT!"
He felt an additional coldness at his back, so there was more than one. He pulled his wand, cursing, to see his student wand in his hand. Dudley screamed, his footsteps stopped.
"KEEP YOUR MOUTH CLOSED, WHATEVER YOU DO! NOT! OPEN! YOUR! MOUTH!", Harry called out. He caught sight of the one behind him, long flowing black robes, hood over the eyeless face, as it glided forward. Its putrid, rotten breathe filling his nostrils. Concentrate, he told himself, you did it for Remus, you can do it now…
"Expecto patronum!"
Silver smoke streamed from his student wand, and the dementor backed off, before resuming his advance as the silvery smoke dissipated.
"Expecto patronum!", he tried again, the silver smoke even feebler than the last time. The dementor was nearly on him, reaching forward with its dead decaying hands. He felt like drowning in its putrid breathe. Its hand at his throat.
Happy thoughts, happy thoughts – he told himself.
It was too late, there were no happy thoughts, he'd never see Hermione and Pansy again… He saw their faces, his best friend and girlfriend.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
This time, the stag erupted from the tip of his wand, slamming the dementor in the gut with its antlers. The dementor fled, defeated.
"This way!", Harry called the stag's attention further down the alley. By its glow, he saw Dudley on the ground, the dementor with both hands around his face, as it was taking its time, forcing his mouth open for the Kiss that would steal his soul.
"Get him!"
The silvery stag hooked the dementor with his antlers, flipped it up and away from Dudley. This dementor, too, knew when it was licked and followed its companion off into the sky. The silvery stag cantered to the opposite end of the alley before dissolving into silvery vapour and disappearing.
Crisis passed, the stars, Moon, streetlights, lights in windows, the night sounds, returned.
"Dudley! Dudley! You OK?!"
He was curled up in a fetal position, whimpering. "Say something!"
He heard running feet, and looked up to see Arabella Figg, the old neighborhood catlady running towards them. Her tartan carpet slippers flip-flopping, tufts of gray hair peeking out from under a hair net. Up until he heard Dumbledore mention her name, Harry believed Mrs. Figg was just another elderly lady who had out lived all her relations, leaving her no company other than her cats. Sometimes Harry stopped by for a visit, as it didn't seem as if she ever had any company. Lately, she had been inviting him over for tea when they met around town. Harry quickly put away his wand.
"No! You idiot boy! Keep it out, we don't know if any more are coming! I'm a squib, so there's nothing I could have done. Albus sent me to keep an eye on you… When I get my hands on that irresponsible 'Dung… He deserted his post when we needed him the most! How am I to fight off dementors? I haven't transfigured so much as a tea bag. I told him I'd flay him alive if he left before his relief showed up. He left anyway. It's fortunate I put Tibbies on the case…"
"Who's Tibbies?"
"My smartest cat, he came to get me right away as soon as 'Dung disapparated".
Harry wondered what it was about squibs and cats? She shared that with Argus Filch, a near magical connection with a cat.
"We have to get you back right away. When Dumbledore hears about this, I hope he murders that 'Dung", Arabella raged on.
"C'mon, Big D, try to stand willya?", Harry said.
Dudley made an effort to get upright, but nearly fell over when Harry let go. He looked like he was going to feint any moment.
"Need a hand here", Harry said.
"When I get my hands on that Mundungus Fletcher… I don't know what Albus was thinking, sending…"
She was interrupted by the materialization of a squat, shabbily dressed man, and the scent of drink and stale tobacco. He looked in desperate need of a shower and a shave. His skraggly ginger hair long, his bandy legs short, his overcoat tattered. He had an invisibility cloak with him for some reason.
"S'up, Figgy", he greeted.
"You irresponsible, skiving, sneak thief! Harry and his brother were just attacked by dementors, and you weren't here to do your damned job!"
"Blimey! 'Menters 'ere? 'Ere?"
"Yes! Here, you useless pile of bat shit!"
"Dass innuff uv dat! Ain nuttin been 'oppenin awl summer long. 'Ow's I supposter know? Whudder ter odds, inniways? 'Ad a line onna buyer fer me cauldrons. Man godda make a libben doan 'ee?"
"You were conned", Harry said, "lured away"
"What Harry said, but that thought never occurred to you…"
Harry thought to himself this Mundungus Fletcher wasn't very bright.
"You deserted your post to peddle your stolen cauldrons? Do you know what could have happened here tonight? Do you?! Harry and his brother were this close (finger and thumb together) to the Kiss, and there isn't a damned thing I could do to prevent it!"
"Dey wuzzen stole, dey dropped outta ter sky, loss from a broom, mefinks".
"A likely story! No more excuses! I don't want to hear another word!"
"'Kay", he took Dudley's other arm. "C'mon", Harry encouraged, "not that much farther"
"Bleedin squib gibben errders", he said under his breathe
"Would you care to repeat that?", Arabella said.
"Nuttin, juss nuttin".
"Oh my word! What a catastrophe! Dumbledore told us we were to see you didn't work any magick", Arabella kept on ranting.
"So he's been spying on me?", Harry complained.
"In a word, yes, the Ministry will know, they always know when there's underage magick. Good Lord, boy, they told me you were intelligent. Did you expect he'd let you wander about on your own after what happened last spring?"
"I don't see how to avoid magick, how else are you gonna drive off dementors?"
"We were supposed to keep you from doing magick at all cost… You had to fight them off by yourself… No use complaining about spilt potions. The cat's among the pixies now..."
Between them, they managed to stagger to 4 Privet Dr.
"You get inside and stay there", Arabella ordered Harry, who struggled Dudley to the door. "I have to go back home to await further instructions".
"And you! To Dumbledore right away, and no more side trips!"
Mundungus disapparated.
Harry rang the doorbell, and could see Petunia coming oddly distorted through the rippling glass…
"Diddy! It's about time, we were beginning to…"
Then she realized: "Diddy! What's happened?!"
Harry ducked aside just in time, as Dudley threw up all over the doormat.
"Vernon!… VERNON! NOW! THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH DIDDY!", she called out.
Vernon came galumphing from the living room, walrus mustache blowing hither and thither as it always did when he was agitated. He helped his wife negotiate Dudley over the threshold while avoiding the puddle of sick he just made.
"He's ill, Vernon", she informed him.
"What's wrong, Son?", Vernon asked. "Did Mrs. Polkiss give you some of that foreign tea?"
"Why are you all covered in dirt?", Petunia asked. "Have you been rolling around on the ground?"
"Maybe he's been mugged?", Vernon suggested.
"Vernon! Quick! Call the police!
"Diddy, Dear, speak to me. What did they do to you?"
"Don't you worry", Vernon reassured, "we'll get to the bottom of this. Give us their names".
They said as they helped Dudley into the kitchen.
"SHHHH!", Petunia silenced Vernon, "he's trying to say something…
"Tell us what happened…"
"Not muggers", Dudley said, "cold… so… cold… Dark, couldn't see anything… no light… no sound… voices…. In my head… so… HORRIBLE…"
"OH MY GOD!", Vernon exploded. "He's on a bad trip! Those boys! Dudley! WHAT DID YOU TAKE?!"
"It felt… it felt…"
"Like you'd never be happy again", Harry finished that thought.
He addressed his parents: "He's not on drugs. It was dementors, two of them, we were attacked in that alley that connects Magnolia Crescent and Wisteria Walk…"
Petunia gasped, both hands over her mouth.
He was interrupted as a screech owl flew through the open kitchen window. It circled, dropping an envelope at Harry's feet. Wings skimming the top of the 'fridge as it turned around to fly out the window.
"What the…", Vernon began.
Harry tore open the envelope:
Dear Mr. Potter:
We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm at twenty three minutes past nine this evening in a muggle inhabited area, and in the presence of a muggle.
Due to the severity of this breach of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery a Ministry representative will arrive shortly at your residence to confiscate and destroy your wand.
As you have previously received a warning for a violation of Section 13 of the International Statute of Secrecy of the International Confederation of Wizards, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing scheduled for 9:00AM on 12 August at the Ministry of Magic.
Hope you are well.
Sincerely,
Mafalda Hopkirk
Office of the Improper Use of Magick
"What's it say?", Vernon asked. Harry said nothing as he handed it over. Petunia and Vernon read it together.
"Nice while it lasted, the hocus-pocus", he said.
Vernon thought this would solve a lot of problems, but he didn't say that. Harry was headed out of the kitchen…
"What will you do now?", Petunia asked.
"Call Lucius…"
Just then, a barn owl landed on the window sill, hooting for attention. Harry saw it had a roll of parchment tied around a leg, which it held out as Harry approached. He untied the message, and the owl flew off. He unrolled the parchment:
Harry,
Dumbledore's just arrived at the Ministry to sort this out. Do not leave your aunt's and uncle's. Do not work any more magick. DO NOT SURRENDER YOUR WAND!
Arthur Weasley
"That doesn't reassure me", Harry said, "Arthur's a good man, but he places way too much faith in Dumbledumbass. Likely, he'll just claim his hands are tied, just like he did when they came to behead Buckbeak".
"So, this is good news?", Petunia asked.
"I still need to inform Lucius"
He dialed Lucius' cell phone number, it rang. "C'mon, c'mon, he said under his breathe.
"Evenin', Lucius", Harry said.
"...Some very bad news, I'm afraid…"
Harry told him all about what happened in the alley, the letter from Hopkirk, Arthur's reply…
"...Arthur puts too much faith in him…"
"...I agree, smells like a set-up: too convenient how 'Dung just happened to find a buyer just an hour before the dementors showed up, if you ask me…"
"...'Bye…"
Seconds later, Lucius popped into the kitchen.
"Let me see those letters", he requested. Harry handed them over.
"This is bad…"
"How bad?", Vernon and Petunia said at once.
"Harry needs to come with me to Owlery Holt right now before those Ministry assholes arrive"
"Hold on! What about his summer school?"
"Harry's through, he's not going back…"
"His education...", Vernon was complaining.
"...Is now on hiatus. Vernon, Petunia, you have no idea how brazen an act this was. There is no such thing as a wild dementor. All of them are in the employ of the Ministry, so this wasn't just some random accident. If dementors were here, and they attacked Harry, it was on the orders of officials in the Ministry, and you can be sure very high up the food chain, perhaps, as high as the Minister's office itself. Then we have that 'buyer' (finger quotes) of Fletcher's cauldrons – just when he's needed the most. That was not an unfortunate coincidence.
"It's a win/win, so far as they're concerned. Harry gets the Dementor's Kiss, loses his soul, and he's out of the way permanently. He works magick as an underage sorcerer, gets sent to Azkaban and he's out of the way permanently".
"Dudley?"
"Was in the wrong place at the wrong time. They didn't care, not the dementors and whoever sent them. They would have Kissed him all the same, and you could have lost both Harry and Dudley: everything that makes Harry Harry and Dudley Dudley. If he walks into that 'hearing' (finger quotes) it's all over. That kangaroo court will send him straight to Azkaban, and I fear for his soul if that's allowed to happen. I don't have any more time to explain…"
They were interrupted by the arrival of yet another owl:
Dear Mr. Potter:
Re: the letter of twenty two minutes ago, the Ministry of Magick has revised its order that your wand be destroyed forthwith. You may retain your wand until your hearing on 12 August. An official determination will be made at that time.
Wishing you a good evening
Yours sincerely,
Mafalda Hopkirk
Office of the Improper Use of Magick
"So that solves that…", Vernon said.
"This changes nothing, besides giving us some breathing room", Lucius explained. "It will still be a show trial where Harry's guilt and punishment are already decided. We will be leaving for Owlery Holt. You DO NOT want to be trusting these assholes, not with your son's life on the line. I can't emphasize that enough".
"When will we be seeing Harry again?"
Lucius sadly shook his head: "In all honesty, I don't know. Harry: pack up what you need and we'll be on our way…"
"Like HELL you will…", Vernon started.
"Vernon, Dear", Petunia explained, "Being a squib whose sister was a full-on magician, I know exactly what they're talking about. That the dementors came here, HERE, of all places, is more than enough to convince me. He'll be with his godfather, and he's more able to take care of our Harry than we are. It's hard to admit, but it's beyond us".
Yet another owl arrived with a brief message:
Arthur's just told us what happened. Whatever you do, do not leave the house
– Molly
"Are you still so sure?", Petunia asked.
"They mean well, but Mrs. Weasley, especially, thinks Dumbledumbass can do no wrong. The only reason they didn't go straight to Dumbledumbass after we saved Ginny was because of the Life Debt they owe us. Lucius is right: I have to go. I trust Lucius onehelluvalot more than I'll ever trust him".
After packing, Harry brought his trunk into the living room.
"Ready?", Lucius asked.
"Let's do this", Harry agreed.
"I'm sorry, but I have to do this", Lucius said.
"What…", Petunia started.
"Obliviate!"
Another owl dropped off a scarlet envelope, this one at Petunia's feet. She picked it up.
"Who's that from?", Vernon asked.
"I don't know, but it's addressed to me", she showed the address:
Petunia Dursley
4 Privet Dr.
Little Whinging, the Kitchen
The envelope began to smoke, then it burst into flame: "REMEMBER MY LAST, PETUNIA!" roared through the house.
"What was that?!", Vernon asked.
"It's called a 'Howler'", she explained. "Used for important messages that the sender doesn't want ignored".
"And what does that mean?"
"I think it was from Dumbledore… he wants Harry to not leave…"
"Where is Harry anyway?", Vernon asked. "He was here a minute ago…"
"He disappeared with some dark haired man and a ferret", Dudley said. "Right there, in the living room".
"But…", Petunia said, "where is he?"
