Chapter 11: Return of Messrs. Jump T. Conclusions and Didnot G. Thefacts-Wright
Harry's
heart gave a leap and he ran with a newfound energy.
"Potter! Potter, slow down!" Draco yelled, struggling
to catch up.
Harry
ignored him. 'He's be captured,' he
kept thinking, 'Sirius was captured and now…'
He
could hardly bare to think about it. Relieved to find the password unchanged, Harry raced into Dumbledore's
office far ahead of Draco. Dumbledore was
sitting behind his desk, the pensieve before him.
"What
is it, Professor?!" Harry burst out, "Is it Sirius? Is he all right? Where is
he?!"
"Whoa,
Harry. Calm down; Sirius is fine."
Harry
felt lost. "Then why the urgency? In the middle of the night, no less."
"I'm
afraid something is about to happen that we've been expecting all year…"
Draco
suddenly burst into the room, panting. "You're faster than you look, Potter," he managed to say as he slumped
into a chair.
Harry
glared at him, but quickly turned back to Dumbledore. "What is it, Professor?"
"I'll
tell you when I return," he said, placing the pensieve back in its cupboard,
"Right now, I must send an owl, before it's too late."
Harry
gave him a quizzical look, but Dumbledore just smiled, motioning for Harry to
follow him to the door.
"In
the few moments I'm gone, Harry, don't sit in silence. Try talking to him. You never know what gems you might find in
slate."
With
that, Dumbledore left. Harry walked
wearily to a chair and sat, looking cautiously at the boy next to him. Draco sulked lazily in his chair, a deep
scowl etched on his face. Harry
remembered, with a bit of guilt, the comment he had made to Draco just that
morning. He had gotten a very
unexpected reaction, but now realized why.
"Hey
Malfoy," he said cautiously.
"What?"
Draco answered, his voice full of loathing.
Harry
took a deep breath.
"Malfoy,
I want to apologize."
Apparently,
this wasn't what the boy had expected.
"Apologize? You? To me?"
"Yes. For letting it slip that you had turned on
Voldemort. I swear I didn't mean
to. No one deserves to be uprooted like
that, to have his life turned upside-down. I've never liked you, Malfoy, and probably never will, but I've never
wanted you dead."
"You're-you're
apologizing for that?" Draco murmured, looking suddenly perplexed, "For taking
me from a family that I'm never sure loved me? For snatching me from the servitude of a heart-less murderer? You're apologizing for that?"
Harry
stared at his shoes. "Well, yeah. I mean-"
"Out
of all the people in this school, I should be the one apologizing."
Harry
looked up sharply. Was he hearing
things right?
"I'm
sorry, Potter. I'm sorry for all the
rude remarks I've made over the years. I'm sorry for all the times I tried to get you expelled. I'm sorry for all I put your friends
through, especially Weasley. I-I could
have killed him… I destroyed his whole
lifestyle…his family…"
The
two boys just sat there a moment, the silence thicker than Harry had ever
known. It wasn't long before Dumbledore
came back in, his face grim.
"Draco,
you may go to your room now."
Draco
nodded, walking over to the fireplace. He muttered something at it and it opened, revealing a stone staircase
beyond it. Dumbledore waited until the
fireplace took its normal position before turning back to Harry.
"I
won't mince words, Harry. The Ministry
is out to arrest you."
Whatever
Harry had expected him to say, it wasn't this. "What? Why?"
"The
Dursley's home caught on fire yesterday night. Above their house was left the Dark Mark and another symbol. A lightning bolt."
Harry's
eyes widened.
"The
Ministry has a muggle witness that testifies she saw a black-haired boy running
from the scene after the fire started."
"But
it wasn't me. Surely the Minister knows
that."
Dumbledore
sighed heavily. "I have told him that
you couldn't possibly have been there, but Fudge won't listen. He wants people to think you are a boy
capable of horrible lies and deeds. It's his last-ditched attempt at convincing everyone that Voldemort
hasn't returned."
Harry
just stared. "He's mad. He's utterly and completely mad…"
A
ghost of a smiled flitted across Dumbledore's face. "For now, Harry, you'll stay at Hogwarts, living as Draco
does. But, when everything is ready,
we'll have to send you to a safer location. Somewhere Fudge won't be able to find you."
"Can
you tell me where?"
"Not
yet. When the time comes, you'll
know. Now, let's find you a room, shall
we?"
He
walked to the fireplace, telling it, "lightning bug". It opened and he led Harry down the narrow, torch-lit
stairway. They reached the hall and
Dumbledore opened the second door to the left.
"Good
night, Harry. I should probably say
good morning, though. The house elves
will bring your meals to you, so don't worry about that. Well, I must go. Good bye, Harry."
"Bye,
Professor."
He
walked in the room, looking around. The
bed was a four-poster, like his own, but Harry didn't feel like sleep right
then. With a sigh, he headed for the
bathroom.
"Aaaaaaahhhh!"
"Aaaaaaahhhh!"
"What
are you doing in my bathroom, Potter?!" Draco yelled, clutching a towel around
his waist as water dripped from his hair.
"No,
what are you doing in my bathroom?!"
"Taking
a shower! Don't tell me we have
adjoining rooms," Draco groaned.
"Looks
that way," Harry sighed, "This has been a great day."
"Just
stay out of my room," Draco grumbled, stomping out of the bathroom and slamming
the door.
Harry
leaned over the sink, looking glumly at his reflection. "Just great."
****
The
day passed uneventfully and Harry found it extremely dull. He explored the hall a bit, but most of the
doors were locked. He even contemplated
barging into Draco's room just to get a reaction, but decided that if he had to
live a wall away from the boy for a long while, they may as well be on good
terms. Well, better terms than they
were normally on. He went to bed early,
having nothing better to do. However,
he didn't sleep for long.
"Harry? Harry, wake up!" a voice hissed at him,
giving him a shake.
Harry's
eyes snapped open and he found himself staring into the wizened face of Mrs.
Figg. He gave a yell of surprise, but
Mrs. Figg quickly clapped her hand over his mouth.
"I
know I'm old, but I'm not that frightening, am I?" she smiled, removing
her hand.
"Mrs.
Figg! What are you doing here?"
She
gave him a perplexed look. "Don't you
know? I'd swear Sirius told me he had
told you about me…"
"Oh! Yes, he had. But what are you doing here?"
"There's
been a slight change of plans. Get
dressed and then hurry out with your cloak and wand. I'll explain to you on the way."
She
went out of the room and Harry hastily dressed, wondering what it was all
about. When he joined her in the hall,
cloak and wand in hand, she started down it with the firmness not expected of
one so old.
"The
Ministry decided to pay a visit tonight, Harry."
"What?!"
"Yes. Apparently they decided to arrest you over
Christmas Holidays. Heartless little
halfwits… So, this means you'd better
get out of the school right now, before they find the entrance to this
hall. Dumbledore's out there, stalling
them no doubt, but we must be quick lest they catch up with us."
She
stopped abruptly at a door and rapped it with a very familiar beat. It swung open and she pulled Harry in,
closing the door behind them. They
found themselves in a very cramped room. Well, it could hardly be called a room. It only had three walls. The
fourth led to one of Hogwarts' many corridors. Harry looked up at Mrs. Figg, wondering why they didn't just keep going.
"Uh,
why don't we-"
She
quieted him, holding one finger to her lips. She stared intently at the hall, as if listening. Harry soon heard it, too. Voices in the hall. Harry recognized one as Dumbledore's, and the
other two sounded familiar as well.
"Where
is he, Dumbledore?" a nasal voice came sharply.
"I
assure you, gentlemen, I don't know where he could be at this moment."
"I'm
sure," a snooty voice answered.
"The
Minister gave us permission to use any means to get the boy. We request to search your office."
"Be
my guests. I'll lead the way."
Suddenly,
the three figures appeared in front of them. Harry recognized the two men in black, one tall and the other with a
mustache. He made for the door, but Mrs.
Figg stopped him and gave him a knowing smile. To Harry's surprise, the men just passed, as if they didn't even see the
two hiding in the small recess.
Mrs.
Figg watched them disappear around a corner, then led Harry out into the
corridor. He looked at where they'd
just come out, only to see a simple rug hanging on the wall.
"A
Top-Secret Tapestry," Mrs. Figg explained, "Very useful illusion."
They
went down the hall a little ways more before disappearing behind another
Top-Secret Tapestry. Mrs. Figg led
Harry through a labyrinth of turns and passageways before they came to a
seemingly dead-end.
"Okay,
now to tell you the rest. Harry you are
going to Ireland to live with a muggle family called the Rileys. There's Mr. and Mrs. Riley, Edward and Margaret,
and then their two children, Eric, fourteen, and Janie, eleven. They are friends of mine and have agreed to
house you, though, for a different reason than the truth. They don't know that you're a wizard, and I
want you to keep it that way. Now, I'm
going to let you into the Hogwarts grounds from here. In your cloak, go straight to the patch of Forbidden Forest near
the Whomping Willow. There you'll find
Sirius. Any questions?"
Harry
stared dazed for a moment. "Um…yes. Mrs. Figg-"
"Call
me Arabella, Harry. I'm sure that soon
enough you'll be calling us all by our first names."
Harry
raised an eyebrow at this, but went on.
"Uh…okay,
Arabella. Ron and Hermione and Azar,
will they know where I am?"
Harry
could see the answer in her eyes.
"I'm
sorry, Harry, but no. We can't take any
chances. Only Sirius and I will know
where you are; no one else."
"But,
what will they think happened to me?"
"The
same thing the rest of the school will think; the ministry was out to arrest
you and you ran. It's best that
Dumbledore not know where you are so he can honestly speak with the
Ministry. An honorable man, that
Dumbledore."
She
pulled out her wand, tapping a brick. The wall opened, reminding Harry of Diagon Alley. He put on his cloak and stepped out, heading
for the Whomping Willow.
Arabella
stared after him, a weary expression on her face.
"Good
luck, Harry," she whispered.
Harry
rushed across the grounds as silently as he could. It was a dark night, for the moon wasn't out and the stars were
poor lamps. He reached the Forbidden
Forest and looked around cautiously, removing his cloak.
"Sirius!"
he called in a whisper, "Where are you, Sirius?"
A
rustling came at Harry's right and Sirius suddenly appeared from behind a tree,
taking Harry into a strong embrace.
"Good
to see you, Harry," he smiled, "It's been a while."
"Good
to see you, too. So, what do we do
now?"
"You
put on your cloak, I transform into a dog, and we go to Hogsmeade via the
Whomping Willow. After that, you take a
train ride to London, where you get a taxi and go to the airport. There you have a six o'clock flight to
Dublin's airport. Here's the
ticket. The Rileys ought to meet you
there."
"Meet
me? How do they know I'm coming?"
"Er…"
Sirius looked a little uncomfortable; "Let's just say Arabella had some time on
her hands. Come on, then. We have to hurry."
Sirius
quickly transformed and headed for the Willow. Smiling, Harry slipped on his cloak and hurried after him. It was interesting to see adults break the
rules for a change.
They
hurried through the Willow entrance and into the Shrieking Shack, where Sirius
showed Harry a window with loose boards that the Marauders had always
used. They rushed to the station, where
Harry took off his glasses and bought a ticket, hoping he wouldn't be
recognized. Then he and Sirius found a
shadowy corner of the station so they could talk.
"A
few more things, Harry. The Rileys know
you as 'Gary Trotter.' Remember that
name."
"
'Gary Trotter'?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow, "What, were all the original
names taken?"
"Well,
that's what you get on such short notice," Sirius smiled, "Besides, you'll be
able to remember it better. Ron is
'John' and Hermoine is 'Harmony', if you ever need to refer to them. Keep referring to me as 'Snuffles'. I'll keep in touch, but by muggle mail
only. And, so the Rileys don't suspect
anything, I'll always write as though I'm one of your parents, Jamie or Daisy
Trotter."
Harry
stared at him. "Wait…they think my
parents are alive?"
Sirius
slapped his forehead. "Oh my gosh, I
almost forgot to tell you. Er…well, we
needed a really good excuse for you to need to go live in a stranger's home so… Harry, don't get mad. We told them your parents are going through
a nasty divorce and that we felt it would be better if you were away from
home."
Harry
felt as though his heart had dropped to his feet. "A divorce…?"
"Oh,
Harry, believe me, that is the last thing James and Lily would have ever
done. They loved each other more than
life itself. You just must pretend,
okay?"
Harry
nodded, bringing himself out of his shock. "…okay…"
"We
sent some muggle clothes for you to their house, so don't worry about
that. Oh, and here's some muggle
money. It'll probably be useful,"
Sirius said, handing Harry a wallet, "Well, your train should be coming soon
and I can't have people seeing me. Goodbye, Harry. Hopefully I'll
see you soon."
"Wait,
Sirius. Why can't you come with
me? We could tell the Rileys that
you're my dog."
Sirius
smiled. "I'd love nothing more,
Harry. But I have, as you could say, a
bone to pick with Wormtail."
Harry
gave an involuntary shudder at the thought of Sirius digging up Wormtail's
bones. "My dad forgave him, you know,"
he said softly, "I said the words, but I know my dad made them come out."
"Your
dad was always a very forgiving man, Harry. That's one of the traits I've never had," Sirius smiled wanly, putting
his hand on Harry's shoulder, "But he did save your life. There must have been a little 'Peter' left
in him after all."
Sirius
transformed and, with one last look at Harry, disappeared. The train pulled up a few minutes
later. Harry took a deep breath and
then walked aboard. He spent the trip
reminding himself that he was a muggle named Gary Trotter with divorcing
parents, friends named John and Harmony, and a dog named Snuffles. Harry Potter was no more.
~*~*~
A/N: I
finally got this up!!! *cheers* I hope
you like it, and that it was a bit unexpected.
Thanks
to all my reviews!!!
Jess: Teehee…thanks.
Abbey: If you think I'm evil now…*grins menacingly*
Sweets: I promise we'll find out more about Sirius
before the end of this fic. (lol)
Lady
Grizabella: "yummy"… *rolls eyes* But you will get more.
Jona: Yep, I'm full of it. lol, sorry. Thanks!
Vmr: I will! Thanks!
Daydreamer:
*g* Oh wow, Franny. Thanks… Wow.
Allison: Alicia…may or may not be more significant. Unlike J.K., I tend to change my story
thanks to reviewer ideas or suggestions. ^-^
Princess: Yeah, quite a few people thought Azar would
be evil. Who says she isn't…? Mwa-ha-ha…
Phobiac0: Thanks!
Rachy: Now that's overreacting. Besides, you can't die! I need to read your stuff!
Julia: Er…you may have to wait a bit…^-^
Thank
you all!!! I love reviews to pieces!!!
Be
excellent to each other!
-Ady
