Sirius and Remus were making good time to Durmstrang when they encountered trouble. The air was empty but for them and the wind didn't bother them much. According to the map they were only about eight miles away when they encountered the barrier. It wasn't a physical barrier, but a mental one. The first sign of it was an increasing sense of tiredness, then of despair. Soon voices seemed to whisper for them to go back, go back, ahead lay only death…. It was hard to fight; both began to feel a sense of hopelessness and lethargy. Remus caught himself, literally, as he lost his grip on his broom and pitched forward. It was only by his swift reflexes that he was able to keep from hurtling a thousand feet to his death. Obviously, they could not continue this way. They landed their brooms near a mountain lake.
"Something is trying to stop us getting there," Remus said grimly. "Perhaps it's time we went on foot."
"We'd have had to come down soon anyway," Sirius said, looking at the sun. It had almost set – and the moon hanging already in the sky was full and round. "Remus, do you think we could press on after moonrise?"
"You know I've taken the Wolfsbane Potion," Remus said shortly. " Of course we can keep on, if you can."
"It looks rather difficult." Sirius looked off into the distance. The land was steep and rocky. Very few plants grew, and the way ahead was along the side of a mountain. "Still, you as a wolf and me as a dog… we can manage it."
"If we can manage to carry my clothes and wand," Remus said firmly. "I don't want to show up at Durmstrang naked."
"Of course." Sirius opened the pack of food. "Let's eat before we go."
Before the moon rose, Remus bundled his clothes into his cloak. He stood shivering in the gathering dusk until Sirius put a Warming Charm on him. Then Sirius transformed and Remus fastened the bundle to him securely. The dog and the man both sat down to wait, anxiously, for the moon to rise.
A few minutes after moonrise, two dark, four-legged shapes hurtled toward Durmstrang together. Sirius led the way; in his dog form he was less affected by the feeling of despair that hung palpably in the air. Remus' mind was intact, and he felt the despair, but his elation at being in wolf form without having the wolf mind was enough to counter it.
They made their way quickly at first, then more slowly as the land grew more and more treacherous. The plant life died away altogether, except for hard moss and lichens that clung to the side of the cliffs. It took them most of the night to go the few miles left, but when the sun rose they looked down on a dark castle, in human form once more. It was smaller than Hogwarts, and looked grimmer, but it was the end of their trip, and so it was as welcome as the end of a long day.
"Sirius," Remus asked as they walked toward the castle, "did you smell anything odd last night?"
"Yeah, you. Do all werewolves stink as much as you do?"
"Sirius, please. There was something…"
"I didn't notice," Sirius replied. "And our senses are about the same, right?"
"I suppose." But it still occupied Remus' mind as they hurried forward.
While still a ways from the castle, they saw a slim figure hurrying toward the gates.
"Wonder who that was?" Remus said. "I wouldn't like to spend a night outside here."
"Didn't Krum say something about a werewolf teaching here?" Sirius looked at his friend. "Maybe that was her."
"Could be." It had been many years since Remus had seen any of his kind; most had left England for wilder country.
They walked up to the great gates and knocked. After a moment they swung forward on their own.
"Well," Sirius said, "Shall we?" And he led the way into Durmstrang.
Severus Snape was afraid. He didn't show it. He rarely showed his fear, hiding behind a mask of anger or hatred. Here such a mask would be deadly, but he managed to keep his feelings from his face nevertheless.
Anyone would be afraid in his place. He was standing before Voldemort and the dark lord was giving him commands. If Voldemort discovered that he was working for Dumbledore, he would die slowly and painfully. Yet if he did not do what he could to thwart Voldemort's plans, innocent people would die instead.
The Dark Mark had appeared twice in the past week, and five lives had been taken. People were frightened to leave their homes, more frightened to be alone. It was as if the fourteen years of peace had never happened. No; it was worse, for now the Dementors had joined Voldemort, something that had not happened before, and that fear added to all the others was just too much for many people.
"Tell me what is happening at Hogwarts." Voldemort's command was bone-chilling, and Snape wanted nothing more than to leave. But he couldn't.
"Dumbledore – Dumbledore is in constant conference with top Ministry officials now. They want him to take on the post of Minister of Magic."
"Will he?" Voldemort asked.
"He hasn't said yet." Snape knew that Dumbledore was for once not sure what he should do. He was torn between loyalty to Hogwarts, which would certainly be a target for attack, and his duty to wizards in general.
"You shall encourage him to take the post," Voldemort declared. "Then my other agents shall make sure you become the new Headmaster. When I have conquered, you will be in total charge of the school – and you shall teach who and what I command."
"Yes, lord," Snape said, bowing. It seemed to be called for at the moment.
"But first, before school begins, I have a mission for you." The red eyes staring from a dark face fixed Snape with a baleful gaze. "I have decided that Harry Potter is too great a threat, not because he is dangerous to me in some way, but because he is a symbol. If we take out their hero, their golden icon around which they rally, that will deal them a blow they will not shake off." The eyes narrowed. "I have set plans into motion to deliver Potter into my hands. You need not know them. You job is simply to kill Sirius Black."
"Sirius Black?" Snape asked. "He – no one knows where he is."
"You think I do not know that? But he will return, and when he does he must be killed, along with anyone else who might protect Potter."
"Yes, master," Snape said. He bowed his head.
"You are dismissed."
Snape had be so eager to leave Voldemort only once before, many years ago… the night he had left Voldemort's service forever.
For some people certain choices seem inevitable. Some young men follow their fathers into the family business without ever considering another option. People join a religious sect because everyone they know has done so, so there must be something to it. Others make more foolish choices; every day people commit suicide because they feel it's their only option.
Severus Snape became a Death Eater mostly because of a combination of such factors. It seemed all his friends had become Death Eaters. They didn't speak of it, but he knew. He had been a Slytherin, one of the best students of his year. Voldemort's supporters courted him, praising his skills and appealing to his considerable ego.
And at the time he was extremely depressed. He'd made the mistake of his life, he thought, when he'd allowed himself to fall in love with Lily. She'd never as much as looked at him, and he knew that she and James were engaged now. Perhaps that was something else that pushed him to his decision; he knew that James Potter and his friends would surely oppose Voldemort. And that might mean he'd have a chance to avenge himself…
But whatever the reason, he found himself standing before Voldemort about four months after he'd graduated, feeling scared yet proud. He could see other Death Eaters, and though he did not know most of them, he could feel, just from the way they held themselves, that many of them were very important men.
Voldemort looked at him through thin red eyes. "You know, of course, that once you join me there is no going back?"
Snape nodded, his mouth dry.
"Then give me your arm." Snape was slow to obey, but Voldemort reached out a long-fingered hand and grabbed his left arm, baring it to the shoulder. His wand touched the skin lightly.
"Now, this could be thought of as a test," he hissed quietly, so that only Snape could hear. "I judge you on how well you do here, you know… and if you do badly, you die." He smiled cruelly. The tip of his wand was cool on Snape's skin, but Voldemort whispered a word and it began to glow. Sudden pain began to blossom from the point where the wand touched his arm. It wasn't too terrible, not as bad as the time Black had spilled a Scouring Solution on him in Potions class.
But the pain got worse; he bit his lip so as not to cry out, turning away so that he would not have to watch the wand eating away at his arm. It felt as if a hole was being drilled into him with acid. His other hand was curled into a fist, and he could feel blood beneath his nails, he was clenching so hard. He was going to cry out at the pain, but he remembered Voldemort's words and knew he could not, knew at that moment that if he cried out, he would die.
His mind searched for something, anything, to take his mind off the pain. Faces whirled past his now shut eyes, faces of people he had known. His mother and father, his friends from school… thinking about them did not help. Then other faces. Potter. Lupin. Black. How he hated them, for he could see them sneering at him as they had always sneered at him. He gave his whole awareness to hating them, the hate that should be directed at the one who was hurting him but was instead directed to a safer target…
And then the pain stopped. Snape gasped for breath and opened his eyes. Voldemort was staring down at him – somehow he had sunk to his knees during the ordeal.
"Now you are one of mine," he said coldly, and Snape looked at his left arm. The Dark Mark stood out against his skin, which was red and puckered around it. It had the look of a half-healed burn. "That will never come off," Voldemort said softly. "Nor may your loyalty to me ever waver. The moment it does, I shall know. And I shall destroy you." He turned then, carelessly, and walked a few paces off. Snape just remained where he was, staring at the brand, and thinking how much he hated Potter, Black, and Lupin.
Would it have cheered him to know that his enemies were at that moment battling for their lives against some of his friends? For two hundred miles off, in London, the three young Aurors were in serious trouble.
It had seemed forever to them before James, Sirius and Remus were given a change of assignment. They were at last to do something mildly interesting; the Ministry had detected a spy and they were to help try to identify him.
"We've caught the contact he's been reporting to, but unfortunately he cannot reveal anything to us," the official who briefed them had said. They knew that this meant, most likely, that whoever it was was dead. "We do know that he's to report to this contact around midnight tonight. You three will be waiting for him. Don't think that we're giving this job all to you; we've got a squad of Hit Wizards positioned outside the building where you are to meet. But someone higher up thinks you're ready to try a harder task – and you can't screw this one up too badly."
" 'We can't screw this one up too badly,'" Sirius mocked once they'd left. "Honestly, that idiot is just too full of himself. I think we're going to have to catch this spy single-handed just to show them."
"You've got to admit it's a bit reassuring, though," Remus said, "knowing that there's someone there to back us up."
"Blast." James stopped dead in the middle of the street. "We've got to let the girls know we won't be able to make it tonight."
"Oh, right," Remus agreed. "And I'd been looking forward to introducing you all to Reesa, too."
"I can't wait to meet her," James said. "Maybe over the weekend. See what she thinks, okay?"
"Right," Remus agreed. "If you don't mind, I'll go and write her a note, explaining, now." He set off quickly. James and Sirius watched him go.
"You know, Jenny was telling me she thought she'd seen Reesa somewhere before," Sirius commented. "But she couldn't remember where. Said there was something funny about her, though."
"Funny?" James asked. "Did she meet her?"
"Both Lily and Jenny called on Reesa last week," Sirius said, grinning. "You mean there's something Lily hasn't told you?"
"I haven't had many chances to talk to her recently," James said, frowning. "What did Jenny say?"
"Just said she thinks there's something odd about Reesa… that she seems not quite real, somehow."
"Well, Remus doesn't seem to think so," James pointed out. "Come on; if we hurry we can catch the girls as they leave work."
Jenny and Lily worked in different departments that were housed in the same building, and they usually left together; James and Sirius were hoping that today was no different. At five after five, they saw the girls exit together.
"James!" Lily said as they crossed the street. "What are you doing here?"
"Sirius, I really hope you're not planning to go for dinner looking like that," Jenny said, looking at his robes, which he had torn yesterday while traveling and forgotten to mend.
"Ah, that's why we're here," James said. "I'm afraid something's come up and we're going to have to cancel our date tonight."
"What's happened?" Lily asked concern in her eyes. "Anything wrong? I mean, anything to do with Voldemort?"
"No," James assured her. "Just work. They've got something for us to do."
"And you couldn't ask to put it off?" Jenny asked. Her eyes weren't full of concern; they were rather angry. "We haven't seen you in ages!"
"I know," James sighed. "But no, we have to do this tonight."
"We'll make it up," Sirius promised. "This weekend, maybe."
There was a rather uncomfortable break in the conversation. Then Jenny looked thoughtful.
"I'm disappointed, of course," she said, "especially since I really wanted to hear what you have to think of that Reesa." Her voice held a curious note.
"What about her?" Sirius asked.
"She – I just don't like her," Jenny said firmly. "I don't think she's telling the truth about something."
"Jenny, you're too suspicious sometimes," Lily said mildly. "I didn't think there was anything odd about her, did I?"
"That's just because you always see the good side of everyone. Even people who don't have good sides, like Snape."
James laughed. "She's got you there, Lily. I'm afraid I have to agree with that."
"Just don't say anything to Remus about it," Jenny asked. "I mean, all right, so I'm being too suspicious here… and I don't want Remus to be upset."
"All right," Sirius agreed. "We'd best be going, James. It's almost time for us to get to – ah, well, anyway we have to go."
"We'll tell you all about it when we can," James promised. "Maybe this weekend, like I said."
"All right," they chorused together, grinning at each other as they did so.
"Take care of yourself," Lily told James, kissing him.
"And try not to be heroic or anything," Jenny instructed Sirius. "I'd rather have you alive than in heroic pieces." She smiled and kissed him too, then they started off in opposite directions.
The room where they were supposed to meet the contact was in Knockturn Alley. They'd been down it once or twice during the day, but never at night, and at night it seemed far worse. Dimly lit shop windows were like eyes, watching them. Dingy witches and wizards in shabby robes hurried past, never making eye contact. A general sense of uneasy pervaded the place, and the three wizards kept close together for moral support.
"This is the place," James said at last, pulling out a key and unlocking a door. "Sirius, what time is it?"
"Only ten thirty," Sirius said after a moment. "We've got forever."
"Let's see what's in here, then." The room was pitch dark; three wands lit simultaneously and reveled a very shabby place. There was a wooden table and five chairs, none of which matched, a bare floor covered in dust, three lamps, and nothing else. James grimaced.
"Well, we might as well make ourselves at home. We've got a long wait ahead of us." He lit the lamps and extinguished his wand, seized a chair and pulled it up to the table, which, he noticed, was lopsided.
"This is not quite how I pictured this evening going," Sirius said as he too took a chair. "Ah well, at least I'm prepared." He pulled out a deck of cards. "Exploding Snap?"
They passed the first hour this way, but around eleven thirty the game just dropped off. They kept stealing looks at the door and Sirius checked his watch continuously.
At five to midnight James rose from his chair and began to pace the room. His wand was out and he looked ready for anything. Sirius had his wand in hand as well and Remus' lay on the table in easy grabbing range.
Midnight came and passed. Five after. Ten after. No one spoke.
Finally, at twenty after midnight, Sirius gave voice to what everyone was thinking.
"Maybe he's not coming, maybe somehow he found out about the trap."
As if his words were a signal, the door burst open. As it did, the lights went out, leaving the room in total darkness.
"Stupefy!" at least five voices yelled, and beams of red light came darting across the room. Then the lights came back on, to reveal five black-clad figures standing in the room – and three wizards sprawled on the floor. The lead figure put his wand into his belt and approached James, who was closest. He was bending over James' body when –
"Stupefy!" James suddenly shoved his wand in the man's face.
"Expelliarmus!" Sirius and Remus yelled together, jumping to their feet. All three had thrown themselves to the ground as soon as the lights had gone out, just as they had been taught in training. James' target keeled over, Stunned, but Sirius and Remus had gone for the same man. He had been knocked unconscious as well, but there were still three other enemies left, all in possession of their wands. One threw a hex at James, who blocked it easily; Sirius returned the favor but missed, scorching a hole on the wall. Remus used a curse he'd learned while studying up on how to defeat Grindylows; the man was blasted off his feet and slumped senseless to the ground. Meanwhile, James and Sirius finished off a fourth man together, but the fifth, seeing that he was now outnumbered, made a dash for the door and escaped into the night.
James hurried to the door and peered out. "I can't see anyone," he said. "Where are those Hit Wizards anyway?" By this time Sirius and Remus had bound the four unconscious men tightly and levitated them.
"Let's get them to the Ministry offices now," Remus suggested. "Then we can work out just what happened."
(present)
"Professor Dumbledore, you must help us!" The man who was speaking looked desperate. "We would have had a hard time even if You-Know-Who wasn't coming back, what with two of our department heads vanishing. But now, after these last deaths, and Fudge disappearing – you have to help!"
"Mr. Patil, please calm yourself and tell me exactly what has happened." Dumbledore smiled benignly at the man, who took a deep breath and began again.
"Minister Fudge has been acting erratically ever since the Dementors left, but this morning he didn't show up at all. We sent someone to his home around midday, and he wasn't there. He left signs of a hurried departure, though, and several bags of Galleons from the Ministry are also missing. We've got Croaker from the Department of Mysteries looking into it now, but you know how Unspeakables are, it could take weeks to find out… and I don't suppose we'd want him leading us after this, anyway."
"Is there no one else capable of taking command?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
"No one that we can agree on… of course, Lucius Malfoy and some of his friends didn't want you, but some of us reminded him that he didn't want the public thinking he was helping You-Know-Who in any way, not after the way he was under the Imperius Curse last time, so he agreed."
Dumbledore seemed to be thinking for a long time. Then he said, "Mr. Patil, you will please ask the heads of all the departments to be waiting for me at the Ministry, tomorrow at ten o'clock."
"Yes, sir." Mr. Patil nodded his head and left. Dumbledore waited five minutes, and then summoned Snape and McGonagall. He explained what Patil had told him.
"Then you'll be taking over the Ministry?" McGonagall asked. "Well, I suppose you must." She did not seem to entirely approve of this; there was an unspoken question in her voice.
"I will not abandon Hogwarts," Dumbledore said mildly.
"But you must control the Ministry," Snape said. "The incompetents there have already landed us in trouble; if you leave them alone they'll ruin things completely."
"I have more faith in people than you do, Severus," Dumbledore said, fixing Snape with his customary half-smile. "But I do agree with you that someone must lead them. I simply said I was not going to abandon Hogwarts, nor am I. I shall simply divide my time between each." He held up a hand to stop their comments. "Of course, that means I will be relying on the two of you a great deal once term begins. I know you are more than capable of the task, or I would not be giving it to you."
"Of course, Albus," McGonagall said. But Snape looked grim. "May I speak to you alone?" he asked. Dumbledore nodded.
"If you would excuse us, Minerva…" She gave them a curious look but left the room. "Now, Severus, there was something you wanted to say?"
"Yes. As you know, I met with Voldemort last night." He made a grimace at the name, but Dumbledore did not react. "He –gave me instructions."
"And they are?" Dumbledore prompted, for Snape had fallen silent. His face looked harder than it usually did.
"First, to encourage you to take over the Ministry. I don't know why he wanted you to, but I think that you really should do the job, whatever it is he wants."
"I have made my decision," Dumbledore reminded him, "and it has not changed."
"Yes, of course."
"And was there anything else?"
"Yes." Here again Snape paused. "He wants Potter dead."
"He's wanted that a long while," Dumbledore said ruefully. "Fortunately he's not had too much success so far."
"He's determined to succeed this time. I don't know what his plan is, but he has ordered me to – to kill Sirius Black." The last four words came in a rush. Then he stared at Dumbledore, black eyes piercing blue. Dumbledore was not the first to look away.
"We must try to discover a way to make sure you fail him without it jeopardizing your status," Dumbledore remarked. "Since of course you will not be killing Sirius. It is unfortunate that I need him, or I would simply tell him not to return."
"You are not concerned about Potter's safety, then?"
"I have taken precautions to ensure his safety. I concede, however, that Voldemort may have found a way around them. From the Ministry I will be able to strengthen Harry's protections." He smiled. " And I think I know someone who would be willing to help look out for Harry unofficially." He stood up. "Now, Severus, I for one am going to bed. We'll worry about things tomorrow; that's always a better time for them anyway." And he smiled vaguely at Snape and opened the door of his office. "I suggest you get a good night's rest too."
Number Six Privet Drive had been for sale for about six months, but seemingly overnight someone moved in. Harry didn't know who his new neighbors were, because the Dursleys didn't like him going outside, and he didn't really care, because most of the people in the neighborhood were vaguely Dursley-ish, or they were like Mrs. Figg. Aunt Petunia, however, was thrilled to have a new target for her spying, and monopolized dinner conversation with her news.
"There's only one," she said, looking disappointed – no doubt she'd been hoping for a nice big family with plenty of nasty children and marital problems for her to gossip about. "A woman. Probably around our age, Vernon. I can't see anything odd about her, but the shades are down in most of the rooms. She could be hiding something."
Harry had a sudden vision of Aunt Petunia peering in windows, and using his Firebolt to spy in the top ones. This was so ridiculous he almost choked with suppressed laughter.
"I looked in one room though and there was a huge mass of odd plants. Do you suppose she could be growing illegal drugs, Vernon? If she was, I'd have to notify the police." Her face lit up; apparently the idea of her being some sort of hero delighted her. "I'd best keep an eye on her." Of course she'd do that anyway, Harry knew; she just liked having an excuse. "Maybe she's one of that gang that was in the papers the other day. You know, Vernon? The one they said just came in from Germany or somewhere?" Uncle Vernon grunted. "There was a woman with that gang, I think. Maybe it's the same one. Are they in the evening paper, Vernon?" He grunted again and handed her a section of newspaper. "Ah, yes! Says they may be armed and are very dangerous, and the public is to avoid them at all costs." She spread the paper out wide, right into Harry's meager plate of cottage cheese. He sighed and moved a bit, but his eyes fell on a name that froze his blood: Lestrange.
He did his best to scan the article sideways, but couldn't make out much of it. He did see some other names, though, names he knew he'd heard before. Names of Death Eaters who had been locked in Azkaban, and who were apparently locked no longer.
"Excuse me," Harry mumbled, getting up. "I'm going upstairs now." None of his relatives as much as glanced at him.
As he had hoped, Hedwig was in her cage when he got to his room, her leg bearing a fat letter with Hermione's writing on it. He ripped it open and about six newspaper clippings fell out. The first he picked up told the whole story; the Dementors had left Azkaban and taken many prisoners with them, just as Dumbledore had warned.
Hermione's letter sounded very worried. She begged Harry to be careful, to stay with the Dursleys, and not to do anything foolish. "I'll send you more food, if you need it, but please don't try to leave. You know Dumbledore thinks you're safe there, and these people are really dangerous."
No doubt Pig would show up tomorrow bearing similar warnings from Ron, Harry thought gloomily. It was his birthday tomorrow, but other than a quick 'Happy Birthday' scrawled at the bottom of Hermione's letter he'd had no greetings, let alone gifts.
Harry didn't think it likely that his new neighbor was one of the escaped prisoners, but he still thought it would be a good idea to get a look at her. So the next afternoon he went out to the garden with one of his spellbooks, the one for Herbology. He could always pass that off as a Muggle thing if he tried hard enough. Aunt Petunia had taken Dudley to London to see a specialist about his diet, and Uncle Vernon was at work, so Harry had the place to himself. It was, therefore, better than most of his birthdays had been.
To his disappointment his neighbor seemed to be inside, so he sat down and began to study. Time passed.
"Good afternoon," came a friendly voice. He jumped a bit, turned, and saw a dark-haired woman, about Aunt Petunia's age, as she had said. Immediately he felt sure that she'd never been to Azkaban; her eyes were too alive, compared to Sirius'.
"Er, hello," he said. She seemed to be staring at him, her eyes fixed on his. "Nice day, isn't it?"
"Yes," she agreed. "Lovely day for a birthday, I'd say."
"How did you know it's my birthday?" he asked suspiciously.
"I know a lot more about you than you think, Harry. For now, let's just say I'm a friend." Seeing that his gaze did not grow any more friendly, she added, "Dumbledore sent me, you see. He's worried about you since Voldemort's supporters escaped."
Harry gaped at her. She must have noticed, for she continued, "Surely you aren't afraid of his name?"
"Ah, no," he said quickly, "but most people are."
"And neither of us are most people, are we?"
"Who are you?" he asked finally. "And how do you know so much about me?"
"I knew your parents," she said. "And I'm not going to tell you more than that right now, because it would take more time than we have right now. Just listen to me. Do not leave the house – well, you can come into the garden, but don't leave the property until it's time to go to school. We'll worry about that then. If you get letters and you don't know who sent them, burn them without opening. And put this over your door and any windows in your room." She handed him a bunch of some sort of dried plants.
"What are they?" he asked, staring at them.
"Some general anti-Dark plants, mostly. Holly, for one, and there's some garlic too. It might not help, but it's best to be prepared. Sorry, no aconite; you'll have to deal with any werewolves yourself." She smiled at him. "I know you can't trust me yet, but please listen and be careful."
"I'm not a baby," he said fiercely. "I can look after myself, you know." For some reason, she laughed. Harry opened his mouth angrily.
"Oh, no, I wasn't laughing at you," she said, holding up a hand. "I'm sure your father would have said about the same thing. And no, you're not a baby, but Voldemort's no laughing matter. And I'm sure you know I'm right." She turned then and began to return to her house. Harry stared at the bundle of plants in his hand.
"Who are you?" he called after her again. She didn't turn around.
"You can call me Jenny," she said, and went in.
That was a lot of help; he'd never met anyone named Jenny, and he didn't know who she might be. Sighing, he went back inside. He wasn't sure that he trusted this mysterious woman, but she was probably right. And he did recognize a few of the plants from Herbology, and they were all effective against Dark forces. He hung most of the bundle over his door and put the rest on the window. Then he noticed that the snowy owl asleep in Hedwig's cage was not Hedwig. The strange owl also had a parcel around his leg. He pulled it off and looked at it. It was addressed to him, and it was from the Weasleys. Grinning, he opened it. Ron had sent him a birthday card full of warnings, but also full of news.
"Pig was just too small to carry this, and Errol died last month, and Percy's using Hermes for work, so I sent it through the local Owl Post Office. Hope you like it!
"Dad's been really busy, and Perce has stopped talking about his work at all, just looking important. Which probably means he's now regulating cloak lengths or something equally urgent. But Bill's staying here now, and he goes out at strange hours and comes home days alter, sometimes, and Charlie's been up to see the Ministry several times this month. Things are happening, Harry, and I wish we knew what they were.
"Mum still says you have to stay at the Dursleys' for a while. She said to tell you 'We'd love to have you, dear, but Dumbledore doesn't think it's wise right now. If you need anything though write at once, and be careful.' That's her exact words. Bill and Charlie have offered to fly up on a dragon if need be – of course they're joking, even Fred and George wouldn't do anything that illegal.
"Well, see you at King's Cross if not before!
"Ron."
Harry stared at the letter and sighed. He'd been afraid Ron would say to be careful. Everyone said the same thing. And unfortunately he knew they were all right.
What had the Weasleys sent him? He looked into the box. It was rather full of chocolate frogs and Every Flavor Beans, with Mrs. Weasley's homemade goodies and a chocolate cake near the bottom. Ginny had sent him a card – like the one she had made him when he'd been in the hospital wing, it sang – and there was a book of great Quidditch plays that he opened at once to see the pictures of famous players diving after Snitches, dodging Bludgers, and executing impressive saves. He spent the rest of the afternoon reading and almost forgot about all the warnings he had received.
The next day, Uncle Vernon ripped open a letter, looked at it, and turned white. He shoved it at Aunt Petunia who read it and screamed. She dropped the letter as if it were corrosive, grabbed Dudley, and pulled him out of the room. Harry snatched up the letter. It bore only one line: We are watching you. Beware. It was written on parchment and obviously with a quill.
"Is this something of your doing, boy?" Uncle Vernon asked, rounding on Harry, his great shiny face red with anger.
"No," Harry said. He saw the envelope in Uncle Vernon's hand. Instead of a return address, it bore a strange mark that he couldn't quite make out. But Uncle Vernon shoved it under his nose.
"What's this supposed to mean, boy?" Harry's jaw dropped.
"The Dark Mark!" he exclaimed.
"What nonsense is that?" Uncle Vernon asked.
"It's – the wizard who killed my parents, that's his sign." Harry spoke very rapidly before Uncle Vernon could become angry about what he was saying. "I don't know who's writing to you, but I think it's a bad sign."
"Is one of your friends playing a bad joke on us?" he asked, sneering. "Like your mother's friends did?"
Harry would have given a lot to know what he was referring to. It sounded like something Sirius might have dreamed up.
"No." Uncle Vernon looked as if he needed more persuading. "Ah, most wizards are afraid of that, and certainly none would put that on a letter."
"So who sent it?" His red face got somehow still more red, and though he spoke quietly he reminded Harry of a volcano that might exploded at any minute.
"Voldemort, I guess." Harry shrugged. Inside he didn't feel calm, but he kept his composure and let Uncle Vernon lose his own.
"He's after you?" The red was being replaced by white; Harry was sure that Uncle Vernon knew something about Voldemort, he just wasn't sure how much. Or it might just be his general fear of wizards that made him look around quickly as if expecting Voldemort to be staring in the window at them.
"Probably. He's been trying to kill me for years, you know." At least he was safe while he was here. Voldemort couldn't get him, he'd said so himself.
Uncle Vernon left the room, looking both angry and scared. Harry shrugged and finished eating, then went upstairs to read.
He was interrupted around mid-morning by a banging from downstairs. Curious, he went down and saw a workman in the hall, installing a security system, while Uncle Vernon stood over him.
"Are you sure this will tell me if anyone so much as sets foot on the property?" he asked anxiously.
"That's what the infra-red sensors are for. And if anyone opens a door or window while the alarm is engaged, the siren goes off and the police are notified."
"Good, good." Uncle Vernon was pacing up and down the hall, looking very upset. Harry hurried back to his bedroom, avoiding his gaze.
He wished he could tell someone about that letter, but Ron and Hermione would no doubt panic, and he hadn't heard from Sirius in weeks. He hadn't even sent a birthday card. So Harry just sat down on his bed and read more Quidditch.
The next day, another letter came bearing the Dark Mark. Uncle Vernon ceremoniously burnt it, holding it by an edge and watching the flames eat the envelope. He held on a minute too long and burned a finger, though. Then he left the house.
He returned several hours later, his car full of canned food, and had Harry carry it all down to the basement and stack it in piles. Then Uncle Vernon locked the doors and turned on the security system. Dudley was so frightened by this, and by his father's grim expression, that he hid under his bed. Uncle Vernon hadn't remembered to have Harry's window hooked up to the system, so Harry opened it and let a cool evening breeze soothe his face. He wondered just where all his friends were now.
Sirius and Remus were eating dinner at Durmstrang with Headmaster Acimovic. They'd been warmly received, and the new Headmaster had insisted on showing them the castle and grounds. The feelings of despair that had stopped them from flying in were a new part of the castle's defenses, Acimovic explained, one which he had neglected to tell Dumbledore about.
"Doubtless that is what stopped your owls," he said in his flawless though accented English. "I had not realised that it prevented birds as well as people from flying through. I shall modify it to make sure owls can get through. Of course I can drop it for a few hours to let you leave tomorrow when you go."
"Thanks," Sirius said. He'd been envisioning the trip back through the wild countryside with some distaste. He might not have much trouble, but Remus couldn't transform at will.
"Do not mention it," the headmaster assured him. "I will give you a message to take back to Dumbledore. Make sure he knows that he can count on us."
Remus was rather disappointed that they did not meet the staff; he'd been hoping to speak with the Herbology teacher – the werewolf. Perhaps another time, when the need to return was less urgent, he could come back here and speak to her. But the next morning they started off around dawn, bearing the letter for Dumbledore with them.
"Three days and we'll be home," Sirius said optimistically. "Then maybe we can convince Dumbledore to let us hunt down Wormtail."
"I just hope everything's fine back there," Remus worried. "Anything could have happened, you know. We haven't heard a word."
"I'm sure everything's fine," Sirius reassured his friend. "We'll get home and you'll see."
Famous last words and all that!
Of course JK owns everything that she thought up. More to come soon, I hope – let me know what you think, please. Plenty of thanks to Blaise for beta-ing this for me.
KB