Harry Potter: Thinking like a Thief.
Albus Dumbledore strode gravely into the kitchen and meeting area of the Order of the Phoenix. The rest of the Order was already there and now the younger Weasleys and Miss Granger had been sent out of the room for the kitchen, the stage was set. The old wizard did sometimes wish they had found a different place for their meetings, but Grimmauld Place, despite being seeped in dark magic and despite Molly's best efforts to cleanse the place although even he wished she made use of her son's curse-breaking skills to truly make the house safe for them instead of forcing the children to clean the dump with muggle means, was truly the safest place for them.
The Blacks had ensured that every known ward was applied to the property, short of using the Fidelius charm, and now he had finally accepted they'd need the place, Sirius had become master of the wards. The house had numerous safeguards placed on the fireplaces which meant only authorised people could use the floo, which ensured there was that degree of safety and security, and because of the steps he and Alastor had taken, none of the Order really knew the exact place in London where Headquarters was located. Dumbledore was more than aware that aside from Voldemort and perhaps to a degree Severus, none of the Death Eaters knew their way around the muggle city.
It was beneath them. They believed that foolishness which stated purebloods were above muggles in every way, and while he understood and even shared some of their ideals, he knew more about muggles than the average wizard or witch.
He even knew more than Molly and Arthur, and they seemed determined to transform their family into muggles for some reason he did not comprehend.
Sometimes Molly's attitude did more harm than good. Instead of allowing her children to practice magic freely - she knew the Trace did not work around magical houses so she should be encouraging her children to become better trained and confident with their powers - she instead shouted them down.
Dumbledore sat down gravely and he spoke without preamble. "I'll get to the point," he noted the raised eyebrows from the rest of the Order; he usually always made small talk before the meeting began to put everyone at ease, but the more senior and experienced members of the old guard recognised the signs to know what he was going to say was not good. "I have just received word from Arabella Figg from Privet Drive; dementors have attacked Little Whinging."
Everyone gasped and whispered to each other before Dumbledore created a noisemaker with his wand. "This is not the time for debate," he said, "and I'm not finished. The Ministry is currently trying to mitigate the worst of the mess, and Cornelius is also trying to sweep the whole attack under the rug."
Sirius licked his lips. "How many were kissed?"
Dumbledore sighed and looked down. "Forty muggles were kissed," he forced himself to say; this was precisely what he had been hoping to avoid ever since the day when the Ministry, proving just how stupid they were by having a number of the foul dark wraiths assigned as the guards to Azkaban instead of using some better alternative. The Ministry might claim people slept more soundly in their beds because the Dementors were guarding the prison, but truthfully Dumbledore and many of his supporters knew how dangerous the vile things were. "That's bad enough, but since three of them are Harry Potter's muggle relatives, it's a disaster."
Everyone chatted among themselves, all of them wondering what the outcome would be before Moody growled out, "What happened, Albus?"
"The Ministry detected the Dementor's presence and sent a team of Aurors. By the time they got there half of the muggles in the neighbourhood around Privet Drive were kissed. They got there too late."
"Merlin's beard!" Hestia Jones gasped.
"How the hell did the Ministry miss it?!" Bill Weasley snapped.
"Incompetence on Fudge's part; the Ministry really needs to change."
"When I heard the news, it was too late for me to do anything myself; the Dursleys have been kissed meaning for next year Harry won't have the benefit of the blood protections placed on their home," Dumbledore went on with a tired sigh, silently acknowledging the Ministry did need to change, as he recalled the monumental mess Fudge was creating. "The Ministry is doing their best to suppress all word of this, and the Magic Reversal Squad has been trying to come up with a plausible excuse. It's a massive mess. Amelia is trying to investigate how the Dementors left Azkaban in the first place."
Tonks scoffed in her seat.
"And Fudge is just trying to sweep it under the rug, I wish him luck. It won't happen. Fudge will need to squeeze the DMLE and any other department involved in clearing up this disaster to keep it quiet, and the more he squeezes, the more chance there will be of somebody talking. This is just too big to not be talked about since everyone in their right mind hates Dementors, and the last thing they'd want to do is keep something like this secret. They're gonna talk. And when they do, that's when things will go to hell. And fast. Dementors in a muggle neighbourhood are big news and it will send shockwaves through our society since we don't want the Dementors anywhere near us so this will certainly make people worried, and even if they can stop the news of Harry's muggle relatives being there, Fudge will be hard-pressed to keep the fact Dementors were kissing muggles secret. Someone will likely talk or leak it out deliberately," Tonks pointed out. "I hope it's the latter, personally."
"I hope it happens," Sirius growled. "Many people hate the Dementors, especially those who can't produce a Patronus to drive them away. Plus, there is a good side to this whole mess; aside from the loss of life, this is a major blow to the Statute of Secrecy and it also makes Harry's story of Voldemort being back more plausible since anyone with sense will know the moment he asks them, the Dementors will join without hesitation since a Dark Lord will allow them to satisfy their urges in ways the Ministry will not allow them to. But the damage to the Statute will certainly cause problems. The Minister's primary goal is to ensure the Statute is airtight in their country, and with even one or a dozen muggles kissed, it will show Fudge just isn't suited to being Minister. Such a large number will certainly seal his fate, and no amount of bribery will stop Fudge from being ousted from the position. And there's the bonus, that this could be the final end of the Dementors. If it happens we'd be depriving the magical world of a real menace the Ministry has never bothered stopping in the past."
Everyone agreed, especially those who'd been near Dementors at some point. Nobody would be sorry to see the back of them given how ruthless and disturbing the wraiths were. The problem was there was the chance the Ministry would not be enlightened enough to take that step, but they were optimistic. The Dementors were a nightmare for the Statute, and if the ICW heard about it, and they hoped it happened, then they might personally ensure the end of the Dementors for good.
Nobody would miss them.
"Yes, but was it Voldemort, though?" Remus countered. "I mean, from what we know Voldemort is keeping things low, recruiting quietly. I can't see him doing this."
"Even if it was or wasn't Voldemort, this will mean trouble for Fudge, and it should make someone like Amelia Bones or someone in the Ministry with brains see something is definitely wrong," Sirius argued.
Dumbledore rubbed his beard and chin thoughtfully while he tried to work out a way of using this to their advantage. "It's likely going to be happening right about now," he said while his mind went through all the potential plans. "Amelia is incredibly angry with Fudge's interference, and understandably so, in trying to keep this hidden. I could perhaps find a way of capitalising on it."
It wouldn't be easy. Thanks to Fudge kicking him out of some of his higher positions, and with being accused of being a charlatan Dumbledore had lost a lot of his credibility, but he did have friends. But he hoped Amelia could make enough noise to cause problems herself; the fact the Dementors had attacked the street Harry Potter lived at would cause enough of a racket in itself. Harry might be getting dozens of ridiculous stories written about him in the Daily Prophet, but many still saw him as their only hope.
But then again, Dumbledore was more than aware Harry had long since stopped caring about the magical world. The boy had said it himself, that he had long since lost innocence and was now approaching apathy, and that the constant hope in times of darkness was nothing more than a frivolous game, and that somehow, somewhen, the magical world would need to wake up and smell reality.
Dumbledore did not like that. He needed Harry to be an unthinking hero, but he could understand where the boy was coming from given how frustrated he had likely become over the last few years.
"I don't think it was Voldemort," Dumbledore commented at last while he kept his innermost thoughts to himself about what he planned to do with Harry later. "I believe Voldemort is keeping low to buy the time needed to build up his forces again. That will certainly take him a lot of time and even if he gained their loyalty, Voldemort wouldn't risk using the Dementors."
"Are you sure about that, Headmaster?" Remus asked frowning. "Wouldn't it be like him to create chaos and panic? And if he tries going after the Boy Who Lived with them-."
"Voldemort wants Harry dead. But he wants to do it himself, but regardless of his mental state, Voldemort is not a fool. He knows if he goes after someone as prominent as Harry Potter then it will send up numerous red flags and attract attention while he is keeping as low as he can," Dumbledore interrupted.
"Do we still have no idea where Harry is?" Molly asked wringing her hands with worry, not once thinking that because she'd only had him at her house twice she had the right to mollycoddle and mother a boy who didn't think much of her.
Sirius shook his head. "No," he replied. "I think Harry's found a way of getting his mail screened, so tracking charms are hopeless to find him. I have the feeling he's told someone to hold back his letters, to give him better security. I have to admit, it's clever although I wish he hadn't used it."
X
Harry didn't hear about the Dementor attack until the morning in his hotel. He had just returned to the hotel following a nice little breakfast out in the city, and he had been in the middle of deciding what he was going to be doing in the meantime when Dobby popped in unexpectedly.
"Dobby, what is it?" Harry was surprised, he hadn't expected his house-elf to appear in his hotel room without being summoned. But he instantly knew something was wrong. Despite their orders, Dobby and Winky had been instructed to come to him the moment there was something wrong, and judging from the little elf's expression something was seriously wrong.
"Oh, Harry Potter sir. Dementies have attacked yours neighbourhood!" The little elf squeaked.
Harry needed a minute to translate what Dobby was saying to him but even when he realised what Dobby had said he could not believe it. "Dementors have just attacked Little Whinging?!" He hoped desperately the elf hadn't meant that. While he despised the Dursleys and wasn't fond of anyone else in Little Whinging, he did not want them to lose their souls.
"Yes, Harry Potter sir," Dobby was wringing his hands.
Harry ran a hand through his hair, surprised by what he was hearing. "What happened, was anyone kissed?"
Dobby shuddered at the mention of the most feared weapon of the Dementor's arsenal. "Yes sir. You're muggle family and many others. The Ministry be investigating it."
Scratch that. He could not believe what he was hearing, and he looked into Dobby's large tennis ball-sized green eyes. "Dobby, how much do they know about the attack, both the Ministry and the Order?"
"Nothings, Harry Potter, sir. Bad Minister be hindering Amelia Bones' investigation."
Harry knew enough about the Ministry to know who Amelia Bones was. The no-nonsense head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, a powerful witch and not one to be underestimated.
Fudge was playing a dangerous game. But it was one he hoped would come back to bite him hard. Harry knew the prime job of the Minister, any Minister, was to ensure the Statute of Secrecy remained active and that the magical world remained undetected by the muggles. If Dementors had been let loose on muggles, it would be a major breach even if the muggles did not know what was happening.
On a level, he could understand why Fudge was taking such a risky step but there was little doubt in his mind Bones would go over Fudge's head and cause problems, and word would get out to the ICW. If that happened then Fudge could kiss his glorious career goodbye.
But how the hell had the Dementors got out in the first place? They were supposed to be kept in one place. How hard was that? Okay, the irony of the question did not escape him. But there was a difference between a prisoner and a wraith-like a Dementor.
Harry went through the whole matter in his head, trying to contemplate the tantalising but horrific meanings behind this latest mess while he tried to think of what it would mean for the future.
Scenario One: The Dementors had become tired of being confined to Azkaban prison and they'd managed to leave whatever protections the Ministry had in place to keep them there unless they had the authorisation to be somewhere else. That was the first idea Harry had in his head because he knew that because of the incident in his third year the Dementors were like a capped oil well just waiting to burst. And he knew, despite what the Ministry claimed in their spectacular synaptic firework displays of genius, Azkaban security was very lax since the Ministry depended on the Dementors too much. It wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility for a Dementor to get free. Their behaviour at the first Quidditch match of the year when they'd attacked him spoke volumes about how much they loved the opportunity for freedom.
The Dementors had had a swell time. They had the freedom to swarm around Hogwarts, making everyone's year a misery. Fresh meat compared to the prisoners they had to guard. They would jump at the chance of escaping, and they'd take advantage of any opportunity to escape their confines.
Unfortunately, the idea hit a snag, but he would get Dobby and Winky to check with the muggle news outlets to see if there were any more cases of people being cold, depressed, or their souls being sucked out in other parts of the country.
Another snag was the fact he hadn't heard anything; Harry might have been in America, but he had access to news; he was bombarded with it everywhere, on the radio, the TV, and newspapers. International news was broadcasted around the planet every minute. A Dementor might be unknown to a muggle, but their effects would be visible and felt. So why hadn't he heard anything?
Scenario Two: The attack was not down to Dementors but by a similar form of magic which replicated the Dementor's kiss exactly. But why this would happen led to a mass of possibilities that had him dismiss it entirely.
Scenario Three: Voldemort had made a secret alliance with them. That was the most terrifying possibility. But at the same time, he dismissed it completely the moment it popped into his mind. Voldemort wanted him dead, yes, but Harry got the feeling Voldemort would prefer to do it personally instead of leaving it to others although an attack on muggles would be appealing nonetheless. But then again there was still the chance Voldemort had become sick and tired of cooking up plans only for them to be thwarted. There was still some doubt there since he knew Voldemort wanted to keep his head down if he wanted to take the magical world by storm.
Scenario Four: Voldemort's inclusion was logical enough, but at the same time Harry knew he had made enemies in the Ministry itself. Had one of them opted to make the stupidest decision ever and roped in the Dementors to kiss him and shut him up? The idea someone in the Ministry had taken such a murderous course that would cause more harm than good frightened him.
Four scenarios with not a drop of proof for any of them, not yet anyway.
"Dobby, I want you and Winky to collect muggle and wizarding newspapers for the next day over there. Also, I want you to collect a few editions from the Little Whinging Echo while you're at it," Harry said at last as he decided what to do about this mess. "I want to see if there has been any further incident involving this kind of attack, but I also want to see what the Ministry's doing about it. While you're at it, I want you to keep spying on both the Ministry and the Order; I want to know what they're doing, especially after this."
It was likely a waste of time with the Order, but since one of his suspicions involved the Ministry of Magic there was a chance of learning the truth.
Dobby nodded and he clicked his fingers, leaving Harry behind in his hotel room, concerned and more than a little worried.
Someone had wanted to kill him. Nothing new there, but the method was beyond terrible. God, what in the name of Merlin was whoever responsible thinking?
Early in his third year, Harry had learnt how dangerous Dementors were, particularly the ones who were unsupervised. He had doubts it was Voldemort considering the Dark Lord's pride and arrogance in his own abilities. But if it was someone in the Ministry, they would have to be incredibly stupid and nonchalant about the dangers.
Whoever it was behind this, Harry wanted to find them and he wanted to find them quickly. He didn't know it, but like Sirius and members of the Order, Harry hoped this mess did get to the ICW and they used it to really investigate the British Ministry of Magic and not only got rid of Fudge, but they also did something against the Dementors.
For the next nine hours, alternating between quick breaks where he went out of the hotel and went for something to eat or just to get a breath of fresh air Harry checked the muggle newspapers as well as the sources from the Ministry and the Order. Scenario One was dismissed as soon as he checked the newspapers over time. Aside from Little Whinging, none of the newspapers was reporting anything so big. As he read the local Little Whinging newspaper he'd asked Winky and Dobby to get, the story was big news. In comparison, nothing was being reported in the bigger newspapers. That meant the Dementors hadn't swept over London, so they'd just been sent to Little Whinging. But why, what was the point?
After ten hours of getting newspapers from various outlets, Harry decided he had seen enough.
"Dobby, Winky. Don't bother bringing me any more newspapers. It's clear the attack only happened in Little Whinging and only a few major newspapers have caught wind of the attacks by now. The magical world is useless, but it's more hopeful now. Fudge has blocked it off thoroughly at an official level, but somebody became tired and began speaking. Now there's a wave of panic in the magical world; people are demanding answers about why Dementors attacked my neighbourhood, and are worried about it happening to their own neighbourhoods. I can't blame them."
Even as he finished speaking, Harry knew he would need to return to Britain. His holiday was over.
Unitl the next time.