Chapter 15:

Pettigew felt himself floating along...
'Don't even try to transform, you won't make it long,' said the man who was guiding him along.
Pettigew could not see the man, for he was behind his head. All around them was trees, endless amounts of them. They stopped, and for a brief second, Pettigew was lowered to the ground. He sprang up, but still being bound he could not move. He had been so busy fingering in his pocket for his wand that he had not noticed that there were no more trees, nor did he notice that they had been aparated.
'Where are we?' he shouted.
'Paying a couple of old friends a visit...'
A cave lay ahead, and Petigew turned into Scabbers. He fled north, however, the man pointed his wand and muttered, 'Petrificus Totalis!'
Scabbers froze, and was easily picked up.
'Ha! Should have thought of that before,' said the scraggly voiced man, as he picked Scabbers up and placed him in his pocket.
He walked over to the cave entrance. Standing there was Dumbledore and Sirius.
'Where is he?' asked Dumbledore.
'I am afraid he has been captured Albus, however, after hours of hunting I have found our little Wormtail here... Sirius, consider yourself free.'
He threw the stiff rat at Sirius, who let him fall to the ground before kneeling down to pick him up.
'Tisk, tisk, Peter, you made a foul mistake...' Sirius said, walking back to the cave and placing him inside.
'What do we do about Harry?' said the man to Dumbledore.
'I do not see any other thing to do, other than to start a search.'
Pop, came a sound to their left. It was Remus Lupin.
'Albus! Dudley Dursley has been kidnapped!'
'The Auror's couldn't even stop them!' shouted Dumbledore.
'No, because it was the Minister of Magic himself, who ordered clearance. He was gone by the time they found out from Severus that he is not to be trusted. We should have seen that weak link...'
'Fact is, Remus, we didn't,' said Dumbledore.
'Who is this?' asked Lupin to Dumbledore, pointing to the man who had brought Pettigew.
The man drew forward, his face was now visible. He had long scraggly black hair, and wore a pair of glasses, which showed vast intelligence. He looked horribly old, aged if you will, but yet young. His skin was pale white, as pale as a morning sunrise. Yet he looked to have no skin at all, just a faint white glow, if the eyes deceived. He looked to be a man scarred by many a years as a cat.
He spoke, in his raspy far away voice, 'I have many names... but the one I will give you is, Esmot Jeptaer.'
'How do you know him, Albus?'
'Well, his story dates back not too long ago,' said Dumbledore. 'If he wishes I shall tell the story that we know of him. It was Arabella who first gave me his name. She had heard of him just days after Voldemort's first defeat at the hands of young Harry Potter.'
Jeptaer looked away, troubled. He walked over to the cave entrance and waited.
Dumbledore continued, 'she struck up a deal of sorts, if you will, for him to stay at the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley, until he could get in a situation where he could be in Hogwarts and near Harry. He waited, what, twelve years? No... that is only said to be. He waited thirteen years, perhaps... well, twelve or thirteen years, whatever... and finally he found home with Hermione Granger, dear friend of Harry's of course. Remus, I don't know anything about him, but I know that he is on our side. We must not be standing here questioning loyalty, we must begin some kind of search. I must talk to Severus Snape.

Ron and Hermione were worried, at best you could say. Headmistress McGonagall assured the students that nothing was wrong, and that Dumbledore simply took Harry out for a brief trip. She barely kept the tears back as she announced this, learning just before what had really happened, Snape telling her. Ron and Hermione were the only ones left in the common room that night, neither could sleep.
'We have to talk to somebody,' said Hermione.
Then, Ron got an idea. He sprang up, returning just minutes later with something silvery and long in his hand.
'This is Harry's invisibility cloak, I think we should sneak over to Hagrid's and ask him somethings, I am pretty sure he is back now, because the lights are on in his shack.'
'I don't know Ron, don't you think that is a bit dangerous?'
'We have to, for Harry's shake.'

Snape stood in the dungeons, looking in his ingredient room. Sure enough, all the ingredients to make Polyjoice potions showed signs of being tampered with. Normally it was a time consuming potion to make, however, he no doubt figured that it must have been someone who has been in the castle that either took the ingredients weeks ago, or has been brewing them for weeks now. He hadn't noticed anything missing until just now, because everything was neatly put back, so it took some investigating to figure it out. Snape needed now to speak with Dumbledore, and he knew exactly where he would be. In Snape's letter from Dumbledore the day he was fired, it said to meet in Snuffles cave, and Dumbledore even took the risk to write directions on it. Snape made a dash for the oak front doors.

The oak front doors moved slowly and quietly opened by seemingly no one at all. However it was a cloaked Ron and Hermione. They crept swiftly out onto the lawn, and were startled to hear the doors open once again, seeing Snape run out. He seemed to be coming in their direction, when he stopped and vanished with a pop some distance away from the grounds.

Voldemort stood in the dark cave, after the person who posed as Dumbledore under the Polyjoice potion left. He had Harry propped now against a large rock, and tied. To his delight, Fudge and Mr. Malfoy appeared at the entrance of the cave, carrying a sleeping Dudley in midair, for he was too heavy to carry.
'Very good indeed! Bring the large boy over here, he will now rest next to his cousin.'
Dudley was placed on a rock some three feet to the side of Harry, and tied.

Ron knocked on Hagrid's hut. The door slowly opened, with Hagrid peering out, tears streaming on his face.
They took the cloak off and startled Hagrid, but he motioned for them to come in.
'What's wrong Hagrid?' said Hermione. She looked around, but Hagrid and Fang were the only ones in there.
'I have failed!' boomed Hagrid between sobs.
'I was sent on a very important mission, by Dumbledore, and I failed! How can I be so stupid!'

Snape came up to Dumbledore.
'Indeed, ingredients to make the potion has been stolen.'
'Severus, do you still have ingredients for more?' asked Dumbledore. Snape shook his head yes.
'Very well, perhaps we will need that somehow.'
Arabella Figg appeared.
'I have news,' she said. 'The Auror's have now begun an all out search of Great Britain, Muggle and Wizard parts. They also have sent out a request to the Wizardry police to arrest Fudge on the spot.'
'Wow,' said Lupin, 'how did you get enough evidence to have Fudge arrested?'
'The Aurors have plenty of evidence left over.'
Esmot came from the shadows, where he was speaking to Sirius.
'Ah, Mr. Jeptaer, we meet again,' she said.
'I have just spoken with Sirius Black, and we wish for you to take this piece of garbage over to the Aurers,' he said, holding up Wormtail, who was still stiff, yet his eyes moved wildly.
'My goodness! How did you ever find him?' she said, taking him in her hand.
'He made one grave mistake on his way to his master, I spotted him with ease.'

Voldemort waited for Fudge to arrive yet again, after just an hour ago seeing him off. He did return, with a string of Dementers following behind. Much like the Giants did to Wormtail. The Giants now slept under big tents in the far corners of the field. The Dementers out counted the Giants by many times, and the vision on the hilltop was littered with countless numbers of them. It was quite a spectacle.
Fudge came to Voldemort's side, and began to sob as he fell to his knees.
'Please, I have done all you have asked, please just let me go.' He begged.
Voldemort stepped back.
'Yes, you have done all I have TOLD! You, not asked. But now, I wonder... perhaps I should reward you in a far better way... yes, for your life means nothing now... I hope you like green, it is my favorite color.'
Voldemort pulled out his wand and aimed.
Fudge put his hands in the air, 'Please! No! You promised to let me go! I won't tell anyone!'
Voldemort smiled, 'Never believe Lord Voldemort.'
Fudge screamed, and turned, and heard one more sound before nothingness.
'Avada Kedavra!'
There lie, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic. His own self image was his downfall. And as Dumbledore warned him, if he did not take action, Voldemort would rise again, making it Fudge's fault.
'Now,' said Voldemort to no one, 'We attack, nothing is to hold us back... I have my Giants and Dementers, soon... the World...'
He chuckled, and headed in the cave, toward Harry.