Author's Note: This bit drags some, but it needed to be done. In case anyone out there has too high an opinion of me, JKR owns every proper noun in this story, and some of the improper ones as well. Also, big thanks to those who reviewed. Now you just need to start up a lil fan club and start mailing me some membership fees so I can afford a less evil computer…whine whine whine, that's enough o that fer now
Chapter Ten
Harry had been blissful the past few days. It was wonderful to be around Professor Lupin again and the werewolf had become as good a friend as Sirius was. Harry was, of course, still worried about the entire situation, about Dumbledore's and Sirius's absences, but spending days with his friends and his real family, when he should have been suffering at the hands of the Dursleys, was a welcomed release. He had also been free from any other mental attacks from Voldemort, which certainly enhanced his good mood. But he returned from a day at the Weasleys' to the sound of shouting from the living room of Remus's home. Being as discrete as possible, he made his way down the hall, walking in on a bizarre sight: the heads of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Snape, McGonagall and Sirius, all floating in Lupin's fireplace in a kind of wizard conference call.
"I haven't been able to find Arabella. I think we should just assume that we've lost her and call Dumbledore back immediately. This has gone on long enough." The sight of his godfather worried Harry. Sirius looked so drawn and tired, much to weakened for a man who had only been gone less than a week.
Lupin must have noticed this too. "Sirius, come on home. You look wretched.
Sirius then stepped through the fireplace, shaking the soot out of his hair in a canine manner before collapsing onto the couch closest to the fire and turning his attention to the ongoing conversation.
"How has Potter been?" Snape was asking, shocking Harry with his apparent concern, or at least curiosity, with the state of his well being.
"He hasn't had any attacks, right Remus?" answered Mrs. Weasley. "He should be there any minute at any rate."
"I'm here now, actually," broke in Harry, finally feeling too guilty to listen in any further. He walked into the living room and sat himself opposite of Sirius, who brightened significantly at the arrival of his godson.
"Have you found anything more about how Voldemort was able to attack Harry?" asked Lupin.
Snape shot Harry a look, obviously not keen on including him in the conversation, but continued just the same. "I may have an idea, something was mentioned by McNair, but I'd like to read up on it more before I commit to it. Right now, all I know is that Voldemort is back in Britain and that he hasn't made a presence at any meetings since the initial attack. Perhaps it took more out of him than he let on, or perhaps he's preparing for something else. Besides that, there's a whole new list of Death Eaters recruited two nights ago that might interest you. But perhaps that should wait until we are in more limited company," he concluded, again flashing a sneer in Harry's direction.
"Perhaps. My real concern now is this situation with Harry and Dumbledore," broke in Professor McGonagall, sounding much to preoccupied to deal with an argument between Severus and Sirius, which was almost inevitable whenever Harry was brought into the conversation.
All eyes turned towards Remus Lupin, who had taken on some authority in Dumbledore's absence. Harry couldn't believe that Snape was actually taking advice from his old enemy, but never the less, no one else quite knew what to do. After a long moment, Lupin glanced at Harry and then turned back towards the fire. "Harry says we should move the entire family to safety until we can think of a better plan. Minerva, will you see to added security around the school? I'm going to Harry's house with a portkey to collect them. Have Hagrid meet us at Hogsmeade in an hour. If they're awake, I'm sure he could manage them, and if I have to stun them, he can help me get them to Hogwarts."
Suddenly, Dumbledore's head joined the others in the fireplace. "No need for all that. Everyone meet at Hogwarts immediately. We'll be there shortly and we'll all discuss what to do next."
Moments later, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Professors Snape and McGonagall, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Hagrid, Fred, George, Ginny, Ron and Harry were all in the Great Hall, nervously awaiting the arrival of Dumbledore and whatever news he had. Mrs. Weasley had been reluctant to leave her children and her houseguest Hermione alone at The Burrow, something that Harry was rather grateful for. With all of the adults whispering off in the corner, Harry was glad to have some company.
"What's going on, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry smile as he noticed Ron grab hold of her hand in a comforting manner.
"I'm not sure. Dumbledore looked very upset though. Either something's happened to one of the Dursleys or they've heard about Mrs. Figg."
"At least we know Professor Dumbledore is alright," said Ginny. Harry hadn't seen her look so scared since his second year, down in the Chamber of Secrets. For some reason, looking at her reminded him of the Yule Ball and watching her dance with Neville. Then a picture of Cho and Cedric dancing together came into his mind and he remembered why they were all there and who they were all worrying about.
"You said it was Dumbledore's face, right?" asked Hermione.
"Yeah, why?"
"I was just wondering if the Polyjuice wore off or if he had some kind of antidote."
"Leave it to you to think about something like that at a time like this," teased Ron. Harry noticed that more and more lately Ron had found Hermione's relentless intellectual curiosity less annoying and more…adorable.
"Enough of that, you two!" scolded Fred, after watching Ron and Hermione tickle each other for what seemed like an eternity. "Honestly, Harry, count yourself lucky that you didn't have to witness this smut all summer."
Harry was about to reply when a horrifying sight met his eyes. Dumbledore had just walked in, followed by the Dursleys, who looked as if they were about to jump out of their skins for fear. Now, Harry had suggested this temporary solution, but actually seeing it materialize was a bit more difficult to swallow. After all, Hogwarts was something of a sacred place for Harry, and the thought of that fat twit Dudley ordering the house elves about for more food and Mr. Dursley bellowing insults at his friends and Mrs. Dursley reacting God knows how just sickened Harry to no end.
Mr. Dursley was so preoccupied sizing up his surroundings that he didn't even notice Harry until he was right next to him, at which point he turned a brilliant red. "Why you!" he growled, and then boxed Harry hard about the ears, catching him off balance and sending him straight towards the hard stone floors. Of course, it was the wrong sort of environment for this type of behavior, as Mr. Dursley soon found out. Almost instantly, Sirius, Lupin, Hermione and all of the Weasleys present had drawn their wands and shot a varied array of curses at him, while Snape and McGonagall focused their energy on trying to hold Hagrid back and Dumbledore bent down to help Harry to his feet. When the magic had cleared the air, Vernon Dursley looked like an octopus with a hangover and a bad case of acne. Seeing her husband in such a state, Mrs. Dursley let out a small scream before fainting dead away, and Dudley made and about face and started running, smacking right into a door and knocking himself out cold.
"Well, that takes care of that particular predicament for the moment," said Dumbledore, surveying the damage. "Are you alright, Harry?"
"Yes, sir," Harry answered, more embarrassed than anything.
"Then will you please come with me to my office, along with my staff. Children, please see that the Dursleys make it to the hospital wing. Of course, if you feel the need to practice any other relatively harmless curses in the name of academic advancement, I'll have no objections."
With that, Harry left Ron, Hermione, Ginny and the twins and followed Dumbledore with the rest to his office. Once everyone was seated and Sirius examined Harry's bruise and got a few profanities about Vernon Dursley off his chest, Dumbledore explained what he had found earlier that evening.
"Arabella Figg is dead. When we had returned from an afternoon out, the Dark Mark was hovering above the house. There were no Death Eaters present, only Arabella's body. As hard as it is for me to believe, she must have broken and given Voldemort the location of Harry's residence. Even though there are other safety measures in place, Harry, when in the presence of your family, I think most of us will agree that leaving you alone with them is not the best idea at this time."
"At any time, I'd say," broke in Lupin, who looked nearly as angry as Sirius at the mention of Harry's family.
"Yes, well, we may have to consider alternate housing options for next summer. Be that as it may, we have two months until the start of term and the Dursley's will have to be moved. In the meantime, I'm afraid they'll have to stay here with Harry. Or, rather, relatively close to Harry. We can house them across the castle from you, as long as they're in the same building you will have the protection they come with. Minerva, will you and Molly please contact Moody and find a new home for the Dursleys? Preferably in the same neighborhood, as to not upset them too much, as tempting as that does sound. I've already taken care of the memories of their neighbors. Now they just need a new location and a new secret keeper." McGonagall and Mrs. Weasley both nodded reluctantly, not really wanting to help Vernon Dursley out in any way.
"Arthur, I'll need you to take that trip to America now, and bring in those people you trust from their ministry. Arabella is only the first from our side to disappear and she will not be the last. Your children and Miss Granger can stay here with Harry during your absence."
"Now, Severus, what have you found out?"
"McNair mentioned something last night, the Blood Stone. I've finally found a reference to it in the library. There has never been a confirmation of its existence, but it is said to have been built by Third Century Eastern European vampires, a kind of magnifying lens for their mental abilities. Maybe Lupin knows more about this," Snape concluded, being unusually accepting of Lupin's expertise.
"All I know is that such a stone would be very useful. A vampire is very drained when it must resort to hypnosis or mental attack in order to subdue its prey. There are several documented cases in which a vampire has been so exhausted by this technique that they have fallen asleep, only to be burned alive once the sun rises. This Blood Stone, depending on how it is used, could really halve a vampire's hunting time." Lupin did not look happy about what he just said, nor did anyone else in the room.
Dumbledore just sighed. "Anything else to add, Severus?"
"There has been a string of new recruits, but I think it best if we discuss this later."
"Why? Are there many Hogwarts students on the list?" When Snape didn't answer, Dumbledore sighed again. No matter how hard he and his staff tried to instill a moral background into the student curriculum, it was of no use. Very few professors could turn the heart of a born and raised Death Eater. Even Dumbledore hadn't succeeded in showing Tom Riddle the light.
"Severus, just go ahead. I'm sure there will be few surprises on that list, and these students will not be staying at Hogwarts for long."
"Albus, you can't just expel them with no proof!" scolded Professor McGonagall, looking decidedly dejected that this was the case. Professor Snape couldn't very well attest to the loyalties of these young Death Eaters; it would expose him.
"But there is proof!" broke in Snape. "Voldemort is still fond of burning the Dark Mark into the forearm of his supporters."
"How can we just go up and say, 'Excuse me, Malfoy, can I see your arm to see just how evil you are'?" Lupin started, forgetting for a moment that Harry was sitting behind him. Harry continued. "I mean, wouldn't it be obvious that we knew who to approach about it? Professor Snape could get himself killed." Ron probably would have said that last sentence a bit more enthusiastically, but Harry, despite his general dislike for the slimy git, could not ignore the fact that Snape was putting his life on the line for their cause.
"Very touching sentiment Potter, but it won't earn you any points at the moment," sneered Snape. Harry could have sworn he heard a growl from Sirius's corner of the room (well, if there could be "corners" in a round office).
Lupin, as usual, ignored the barbed comments that so frequently came from the mouth of Severus Snape. "We can do a random inspection, say it's for the safety of the students. We'll just make sure it's not so random."
Hagrid nodded at Lupin's suggestion. "Just throw in a few Gryffindors an' nobody could say you was singling them snakes out."
"And what makes you think that most of these new recruits are Slytherin?" scowled Snape. Hagrid just blushed and clamed up.
"Well…they are, but it's possible," conceded Snape, shocking Harry yet again when he let out a soft laugh.
"Just give me names, Severus, and we'll go from there."
Harry wasn't very surprised to hear Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Flint, but there were a few names on the list that did shock him. Malcolm Baddock was a Slytherin second year starting in September. Harry didn't think Voldemort would use someone so young. And there were a few students outside the Slytherin house as well. Susan Bones from Hufflepuff and Mandy Brocklehurst from Ravenclaw were both in the same year as Harry and had always been perfectly friendly with him. At least, Harry thought to himself, there aren't any Gryffindors.
After Snape finished reading off his list, McGonagall, Sirius, Lupin and Dumbledore all sat silent for a few minutes, shaking their heads and wondering if these kids had any idea about what they were getting into. "Well," Dumbledore said, "Harry, would you please stay and talk with me for a moment. The rest of you can bunker down in Hogwarts tonight, everything can wait until morning. Oh, and Severus? If you are called, all you know is that Harry is with his family and that you can only assume that they are either in Little Whinging or out on a summer holiday." With that, and a whisper from Sirius and Lupin that they would wait up in the Gryffindor common room, they all left Harry and Dumbledore to talk alone.
After an uncomfortable minute in which Dumbledore stared Harry down with his sparkling, and very sad, blue eyes, the headmaster broke his silence.
"Harry, I knew that your life with your aunt, uncle and cousin had not been an easy one. But does what happened in the hall just now happen often?"
"No, sir, not like that. I suppose that Uncle Vernon just had enough today." Harry could truly only remember a few minor scrapes with his uncle. He normally just tried to keep his distance.
"Well, at least that's a relief. Honestly, that cupboard you live in his horrible! And I owe you about a dozen chocolate frogs. But I saved you these," he said, passing Harry a hand full of wizard cards.
"Wow, thanks," Harry blushed, suddenly feeling very odd at the professor having lived his life for a few days. He felt a strong urge to apologize for it. "Will Sirius be staying here as well? Or does he have some things to attend to?"
"No, I think his place is with you, for now. Remus will be asked to stay on grounds as well, in case you fall prey to any more mental attacks. He was going to move into the staff quarters once term started as it is. In the meantime, I'll set your family up in the Slytherin rooms. Perhaps some cold air and the company of Professor Snape will do them some good," Dumbledore chuckled. Harry laughed, picturing Dudley whine about Snape and his greasy hair.
"I'm not sure that Professor Snape deserves such a harsh punishment," Harry laughed, and then wished Dumbledore a good night.
Harry wanted nothing more than to join all of his friends in the Gryffindor common room, but a nagging sense of guilt led him to the hospital wing.
"You again, eh? What is it this time? You're not dying, are you?" Madam Pomfrey was never the cheeriest of witches.
"No, I'm here to see to them," Harry mumbled, pointing to where the Dursleys were encamped on the furthest cot from the mediwizard.
Madam Pomfrey gave a disdainful snort. "Professor Dumbledore has just sent word for me to see them to the Hufflepuff House, and I was going to just hand them off to the Fat Friar, but seeing as you're here, would you mind taking them off my hands?" Harry nodded and made his way over to his family, trying his best not to notice the anger flushing through Mr. Dursley's face.
"Don't you come any closer, boy" he breathed, and Harry couldn't tell if his uncle was more afraid or angry.
"I'm not going to hurt you. Nobody here is going to hurt you," Harry said, letting on his disappointment.
"Yeah, and that's how I ended up with tentacles a few minutes ago!"
"Well, that's your own bloody fault. These people here are my friends and they don't have any quarrels with sticking up for me."
"We just want to go home, and don't think for one minute that you're welcome there!" screamed Aunt Petunia, a little more brave now that there weren't a handful of wizards about.
"Well, you can't," sneered Harry, seeing how easy it must be for Snape. "Listen to me, you all have to stay here. I don't know how long it will take, but they are finding you a new house, somewhere in Little Whinging but safer, and until then, you're stuck here. Unless you want to take your chances out there and be hunted down by the most evil wizard alive." Dudley paled considerably.
"I am not staying another minute with you ABNORMAL people!" shouted Uncle Vernon, getting up to leave. As much as Harry disliked his uncle, he wasn't about to let him walk out that door.
"Fine, have it your way. We'll just reinstate the neighbors' memories and let the word spread that you had a giant skull with a snake hanging out of it flying above your house. I'm sure that'll get you invited to all sorts of dinner parties." Seeing that his uncle had stopped in his tracks, Harry went towards the door, motioning them to follow. After a five minute walk through the castle, Harry showed them into the Hufflepuff common room, explaining that the password to get past the painting was "Helga". Mrs. Dursley had been making funny squeaking noises every time they passed something magical, so Harry didn't bother to explain the concept of house elves. "Now just stay here until morning. You shouldn't run into anybody, unless it's the Fat Friar. He's harmless. I've already pointed out the Great Hall, but I can come and get you for breakfast if you'd prefer." Harry had no idea why he was being polite to the Dursleys. Maybe something got knocked loose in that mental attack. Mr. Dursley just grunted and made his way to one of the dorm rooms, leaving Harry to escort himself back to the Gryffindor common room.
"Oh, dear, how are you feeling?" cooed the Fat Lady.
"I'm fine, thanks, just a slight head ache," Harry admitted, rubbing the spot where his head had hit the floor.
"Well, they're all up and waiting for you inside. The password is 'oddment tweak', by the way."
Once inside the common room, Harry was surrounded by all of his favorite people, and he spent a good twenty minutes listening to them all throw every curse word at the Dursleys that they could imagine, Mrs. Weasley coming up with some very imaginative ones.
"That bloody fat oaf of a git, I'll drag him through the Forbidden Forrest by his entrails if he so much as looks at you funny!" bellowed Sirius.
"And I'll be the one to rip out his entrails," joined in Lupin.
"I'll take a leaf out of Harry's book and blow that evil horse woman up so full of hot air that she'll float all the way to Venus!" shrieked Hermione.
"No, she'd burst in the atmosphere, and then I'd make that piggy cousin of yours eat what's left of her," said Ginny. At this, everyone had to suppress a gag.
"Don't you worry, Harry, we've got you covered," whispered Fred.
"Yeah, Fred and I have brought enough nasty surprises to keep your family odd colors for weeks," finished George.
"Where are they, anyway?" asked Ron, once everyone had got the good-natured violence out of their systems.
"In the Hufflepuff rooms. I think I'm supposed to get them in the morning for breakfast."
"Why don't you just send down the house elves?" asked Ron, earning him a sharp whack on the back of the head from Hermione.
"I think they'd rather starve than face Dobby. I mean, Uncle Vernon thinks I'm abnormal."
Everyone stayed up for another hour, winding down from a very interesting evening. Eventually, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny made their ways up to the fifth year boy's dorm and fell asleep, one by one.