Single Day Crisis

by Tvillinger

Voldemort makes his move and captures Harry right after school's out. Unspeakables, reporters, and explanations follow and informants are on a rampage. The crisis lasts only a day but has the makings to change the Ministry as we know it.

Single Day Crisis

"It's too easy," Voldemort murmured, watching the small house with interest. His Death Eaters eagerly nodded, not wanting to risk their lord's wrath. He turned to the one beside him and asked, "You know what to do. Bring the boy to me."

The Death Eater nodded quickly, bowing low and hurrying away.

-

*Ding-dong*

"Who could that be?" Petunia asked, pausing midway in breakfast, a spoon of oatmeal halfway to her mouth.

Vernon shrugged, turning to the next page on the paper. "Probably some solicitor or something," he guessed, reaching one hand to stab at an egg and swallow it hungrily. "Ignore them and they'll go away."

*Ding-dong*

"At this hour? Beside, it couldn't be a solicitor," Petunia argued. "There's a sign on the door."

"Like they'll listen," Vernon grumbled, munching on a crisp bacon slice. He looked around. "Where's my Dudley? Ain't he up yet?"

"Shhh," Petunia put a finger to her lips. She tiptoed to the kitchen's doorway, looking down the hall to the front door. "Vernon, I see someone!"

*Ding-dong*

Still grumbling, Vernon got up from his chair. "Fine, I'll go get it then."

"And tell them to stop ringing that doorbell!" Petunia whispered. "Dudley didn't sleep well last night. You know how hard these first few nights are for him. He swore he felt that boy's... you-know-what coming from the room."

"We'll just have to send him back to the cupboard," Vernon grunted, sparing a sad look up the stairs. "We can't have Dudley not getting his sleep."

*Ding-dong*

"I'm coming!" Vernon hollered, losing his patience. He stomped the last few steps to the door. "I'm coming. Just a second." Undoing the many locks on the door, Vernon opened it with a suspicious look.

The look vanished as soon as he saw who it was: a middle-aged man, complete with a strict suit and who's dark hair was gelled back and holding a black briefcase.

"Um, yes, good morning sir," Vernon held out a hand. "How can I help you?"

The man smiled slightly and shook Vernon's hand. "Hello, sir. I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time. I'm from the London Daily, and I'm running a survey of Britain's population. All you'll need to do is answer a few questions and I'll be on my way. There is," he added in a slow, knowing way, "a cash reward, of course."

Vernon's eyes went wide and greedy, and he looked back and forth at the street. "You doing a house-to-house survey?"

The man smiled apologetically. "Yes, sir. But, no one had opened his or her door yet. I was afraid that everyone was still asleep, and if they were," he pulled out a small check, "this money would be wasted."

Now Vernon's eyes went wider at the sum of money offered and he hurriedly said, "Of course, come in!" When he stepped back, he looked at Petunia and said, "Get the man something to drink. Here, why don't you take a seat in the living room. Yes, well I-"

"Dad?" Dudley came down the stairs, rubbing at his eyes but dressed in his good clothing (Vernon had promised to take him out for ice cream as soon as he woke up, and Dudley wasn't about to forget it). "What's all this?" His eyes spotted the man and he froze. "Who's that?"

"Dudley!" Vernon smiled widely and he patted the seat beside him. "Come here, son and meet Mister--I'm sorry, sir, I didn't catch your name."

"Bilius, Troy Bilius," and Bilius turned to take in the bulk that was Dudley as he placed his briefcase down on the floor. "I must say, that your boy is a fine young man," he purred. "He most certainly looks like he's filling out. Going to follow your father's work?"

Dudley glanced at his father, who nodded, and answered, "Yes, sir. Father's on his way to the top, and when he's the president, he'll hire me. I won't have to go through all those scruffy jobs to get to the top. Father says that when he retires, I'll be there to take over."

Bilius smiled. "That's quite some ambition, young man."

"Nothing but the best for our Dudley," Petunia replied as she entered the room, bearing a class of cool lemonade.

"Thank you," Bilius took a sip. "This is very good. Homemade?" Petunia nodded, beaming at the compliment.

"Well, let's get this survey out of the way," Vernon started. "Don't want to waste any more time than necessary. I'm sure you have many things to do, Mr. Bilius."

"Mmhm." Bilius looked around as he took out a sheet of paper and pen from his briefcase. "Is this all for the family?"

Petunia smiled uncomfortably and Vernon nodded. "We only have our Dudley but he's our pride and joy."

"Oh," Bilius frowned. "I had thought that there was another child, a son or daughter. You see," he added at the looks on the Dursleys' faces, "the newspaper doesn't want to interview a single-child family. The statistics show that most families have two children, mostly boys, and the chief wants to keep this survey as normal as possible."

"What about Harry, dad?" Dudley asked, ignoring the sharky smile on Bilius' face.

"Harry?"

"Our nephew," Petunia cleared up. "He's, um, well you see he's staying with us. He's not really in the family-"

"Nephew?" Bilius tapped his pen and smiled. "I'm sure I can just say that you have two healthy boys, and let the boss infer what he will. Yes, this will work just fine."

"But-"

"Petunia, why don't you go get our nephew," Vernon smiled, thinking again of the check.

Petunia looked deflated. "He's at the store right now. I sent him out this morning to get some bacon since we ran out and Saturday is Dudley's breakfast day. But he should be back any moment."

Just then, the back door slammed shut and Harry's voice echoed from the kitchen: "Aunt Petunia? Hello?"

"Harry, in here!" Vernon smiled wider as Harry walked into the living room, a confused look on his face. "Come here, boy. Take a seat and say hello to Mister Bilius here. Bilius, this is our helpful nephew Harry."

Harry had frozen in the doorway, a look of horror on his face. Vernon frowned. "I said get over here, Harry. You'll have to forgive him," he added to Bilius. "He doesn't take kindly to stranger..." Vernon trailed off when Bilius stood up, smiling wickedly at Harry.

"Potter."

"Flint!" Harry back away, eyes going back and forth between his family and the graduated Slytherin before him. "What are you doing here?"

"My Lord is hosting a party, and you're the guest of honor," Bilius--Flint? was slowly advancing on Harry.

"What is going on here?" Vernon shouted.

"He's a wizard!" Harry yelled back, ducking as Flint transformed his pen to a wand and shot a curse at him.

"WHAT?"

"Get out!" Harry continued desperately. "Get out now!" He didn't need to waste his breath again because his family was already running out the door.

"Stupid muggles," Marcus Flint muttered and turned his wand to the fleeing family. "Petrificus Totalus!"

"Leave them alone," Harry ducked into the hall. "They didn't do anything to you." Vernon's face seemed to be bulging in its frozen state, his eyes swirling around the room.

"Be glad I didn't do anything more permanent, Potter. If my Lord didn't want you so soon, I'd take my time and advance myself in muggle torture."

Harry didn't stay to listen to the taunt, running to the small cupboard beneath the stairs. It was locked! "Come on!" Harry started to kick it open but felt the slightest twinge in his scar and he ducked instinctively as a curse shot over his head.

"What's wrong, Potter? Lost your wand?" Flint's laughter followed him down the hall and into the kitchen as Harry tried to get away.

It was early morning. Harry started running down the street, yelling for help, but he didn't get any answer. Taking a chance, Harry ran up to one of the door, knocking. To his immense shock, the entire door fell of its hinges. Inside, the house looked frozen, down to the woman who lived there looking like she was on her way to answer the door.

She didn't move but her eyes swirled around to stare at Harry, silently begging for help.

Harry took a disbelieving step back, so focused on the lady that he almost didn't see Flint run from the house, shooting a curse at Harry. It missed, hitting a window and breaking it into a thousand different pieces, but it got Harry going again.

"Potter!" Flint's scream echoed down the street as Harry took a turn, looking for a house he could get to. Everyone he passed looked normal but for the doors, which hung limply on their hinges.

Two streets down, Harry heard a scream and stopped short as old Mrs. Figg ran out of her house, followed by a dozen Death Eaters. He was about to try and help when she pulled out a wand and sent several well-aimed hexes back at her pursuers.

"Mrs. Figg's a witch?" Harry could hardly believe it but didn't waste any more time staring. "MRS FIGG!"

Figg turned, eyes widening as she saw Harry. "Duck!"

Harry fell to the floor as another curse went over his head, nipping the hairs on the back of his head.

"Keep running, Harry!" Figg yelled, attention lost to the Death Eaters again. "Don't stop!"

Harry scraped his hand as he pushed against the pavement, shooting to his feet and taking off again. He took a turn, trying to lose Flint, and started running down a back street back to his house where his wand was.

If he could get his wand out of the cupboard, he'd be able to help. That thought fueled Harry's feet and he leaned his head down, legs pumping and going so fast that Flint's yell was inaudible.

Back door! Harry almost plowed it down, his mind silently thanking Flint for leaving it open after chasing him through it the first time. He shot into the living room where his relatives were still frozen in place, save for their eyes. "K-key!" he huffed, breaths coming in with a ragged edge. "W-where's the key?"

Vernon was trying to glare at him but Harry wasn't about to take it. "Listen!" he screamed. "Those people are out to kill me! Where's the key, I need to get my wand and-"

His scar seemed to jump from his head and Harry fell over with a scream, clutching at his forehead. It was burning! The Dursleys' eyes went wide as Harry screamed louder, curling up into a fetal ball, trying to stop the pain.

Everything seem to go quiet at once, Harry's screams as well, when a tall, dark robes figure stepped into the doorway. The arms went up, white slivers of fingers appearing to pull back the robes' cowl and Voldemort's face came into view. Harry, one hand still at his forehead, back away, other hand reaching around for something to throw.

"Now, now, Mister Potter," Voldemort waved a hand and Harry froze in place just like everyone else. "I don't think there's much time for struggling." He waved another hand and three Death Eaters entered. "Take him to the mansion, but see that he's not injured. And find that idiot Marcus. He's displeased me."

"M-master," Wormtail scrambled forward, head bowed low. "The M-Ministry's on their way-"

"Good. Leave me, now!" The Death Eaters all bowed and disapparated, leaving Voldemort alone with the wide-eyed Dursleys. He waved his wand hand and removed the body-bind spell, taking a seat as the family rushed to the other side of the room.

Voldemort smiled wickedly, showing off fang-like teeth. "So frightened, and we haven't even been introduced?"

"S-stay away from us," Vernon stuttered, pushing his son behind him. "We-we're armed and-"

"Stop your blubbering, muggle," Voldemort commanded and Vernon shut up, paling at the frown on Voldemort's face. Voldemort tapped his bony fingers on the chair's arm. "I can just as easily kill you as let you live, if you do not follow my every order."

Vernon nodded quickly, giving no resistance, and the smile was back on Voldemort's face. "Excellent. Now, the only reason I don't kill you where you stand is because I need a message delivered to that muggle-lover Dumbledore-"

"But I don't know who Dumbledore is," Vernon broke in and then, realizing his mistake as Voldemort's face darkened in rage, backed up with a whimper.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Voldemort hissed. "Crucio!"

Petunia screams joined Vernon as her husband kneeled over in pain. Dudley was shaking in fear, sweating so much that the room stank up as he shook his father's shoulders in panic.

Lazily, Voldemort recalled the curse and Vernon stayed, twitching, on the floor. His nose wrinkled. "Woman, take that blob of fat out of here," he commanded, motioning to Petunia and Dudley with his wand. Petunia cast one look to Vernon and left in a hurry, struggling to remain as far from Voldemort as possible as they left.

"Have you learned your lesson?"

"Y-yes-"

"Fool! I did not give you permission!" Voldemort shouted again, and Vernon was screaming in pain as the curse returned in full force. When he took it off and asked the same question, Vernon remained quiet but for his shaky breath.

"Good. Dumbledore is the headmaster of Hogwarts, the school that Potter goes to. Has he told you nothing?" Vernon didn't try to answer, skin still quivering in remembrance of the torture. "Speak."

"W-we don't let him talk about his s-school," Vernon blubbered, face close to the floor. "T-there's no mention of any of t-that in this house."

"You mean magic?" A shiver went down Vernon's spine at Voldemort's heartless laughter. "You truly are a fool, muggle, trying to deny magic even when you know of its existence." He leaned his head to the side and Vernon, who dared to raise his eyes, noticed a small snake wrapped around Voldemort's arm.

"The Ministry will be here soon. You will tell them that Lord Voldemort has risen again, and is preparing an army of the dark ones even as they reach you. Tell them that you have a personal message for Dumbledore." Voldemort's eyes flashed at the thought of his old nemesis. "And when they take you to that old man, tell him that I have Potter, and that Potter's luck runs out here."

Voldemort looked down and Vernon averted his eyes, feeling those blood-red orbs overlooking his very soul. "You can do that, right muggle? Such a simple task. Answer my question!"

"Y-yes!"

"Yes what?"

Vernon gulped and his cheeks burned in shame but he added, "Yes, I can deliver the message. I can tell the Ministry that Lord Voldemort is back, and I can tell Dumbledore that you have Potter."

Voldemort tapped his chair again, staring at Vernon until the man was shaking and added, "Yes, Master." He shivered again as Voldemort laughed, standing to pat Vernon's head like one did a stupid dog.

"Muggles truly are good for something," Voldemort whispered, a snake-like hiss to his words. "Crucio!" And he left among Vernon's screams.

---

"What in the--Malfada, you might want to have a look at this."

Malfada Hopkirk, of the Improper Use of Magic Off ice, looked up from her desk to see her best detector David Phelps motioning for her wildly from his own desk. David was in the underage wizard section, so Malfada grabbed a pre-printed warning letter on her way over. "Who is it this time?"

David's desk was a regular desk, the only thing on it being a muggle-looking computer. But instead of a monitor, there was an illusion charm that looked like a glowing, floating map of Britain. As she got there, she saw the green dot on the map blinking, a sign of magic being used. But the color... "David, what does green mean?"

"It means that magic's being used, but it's not by any underage wizard," David replied, a confused look on his face. He muttered some words under his breath and the illusion focused on the green dot, zooming in until the charm shimmered and showed a normal muggle street. "I don't see anything."

"Where are we being showed?"

David whispered a locating charm and the words appeared besides the illusion like a cloud of smoke. "Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey," David informed her, reading the words.

"Sounds familiar," Malfada brought her hand up to wrap around her chin in thought. "Well, keep watching. Something's up."

"MALFADA!"

Malfada's head jerked up to see Naomi Pascal at her desk with a panicked look on her face. Which was odd; Naomi was in the muggle-protection section. Leaving the warning letter at David's desk without a name, Malfada ran over to Naomi's desk, where a small crowd had gathered. "What's going on?"

"Attacks on muggles, on Privet Drive in Little Whinging," Naomi read the smoky words quickly. The group gasped and Malfada was stopped in her tracks, heart caught in her throat. "The whole neighborhood is involved, and its spreading! One street, two streets-" On her illusion screen, there was a red dot that was now spreading like a plague, engulfing the street and moving as though Naomi's words were guiding the attacks on.

"Malfada, message!" Peter Kipling, from his section of Auror contact. "Arabella Figg, the witch who retired fourteen years ago and she's in the attack!"

The whole office stopped as Figg's face appeared in the fire, eyes panicked. "Death Eater attack!" she screamed, and there was a sound behind her. "They're everywhere! I-" She was cut off so suddenly that a quiver of panic went through the office.

Malfada was young for her high status, only thirty, but she was old enough to have lived through the dark years of war and now she felt an alarming sense of déjà vu. For a moment, she could hardly breath as Naomi's illusion turned almost completely red as Death Eaters overran the entire town of Little Whinging.

"Contact the Ministry, now!" she screamed, snapping everyone out of their trance, "They might already know but do it anyway. Someone, find out what in the world's going on! What are Death Eaters doing showing their faces now, attacking now?"

"M-Malfada," David called her attention and the uneven tone of the very even man startled everyone. "T-the student. It's Harry Potter."

Malfada paled. "G-get me the Minster! And for the light, get moving!"

No one needed to be told twice, and the normally dull office was turned into a beehive of activity, Malfada Hopkirk standing in the middle of it looking like she was about to faint.

---

In the Department of Mysteries, William Croaker sat back in his very comfortable leather recliner, slowly exhaling the cigar smoke from his mouth. He watched the smoke spiral up and with a child's interest, he reached a hand up to tangle the smoke up, trying to give a feeling to the cloudy vapor.

He jerked to his feet at the sound of knocking on his door, wand out and a spell on his lips. Calm down, calm down... "Yes?"

"Croaker, we got action."

"What?" That was a phrase that hadn't been heard in awhile. He was at the door in an instant, pulling the thick oak open to see his Alexandria Bode smiling at him as she leaned against the doorframe. "You pulling one on me?"

"No, this is for real." She opened the folder in her hands. "Fresh off the stacks. Death Eaters attacking Little Whining."

"Harry Potter."

"Exactly." Her smile vanished and she looked the very epitome of mystery.

"At this time?" Croaker glanced at his unhelpful clock ("Time for breakfast!"). "Can't they wait awhile, at least until I get my coffee?"

"Got it," Allie summoned a cup of steaming coffee, raising an eyebrow. "Anything else, oh your greatness?"
He sniffed the steam and sighed in admiration. "Black, oh you're a goddess, Allie."

"Let's go, then." She apparated and Francis sputtered before disappearing as well.

They came up about half a mile away from the streets under fire. "Anti-apparation field," Allie explained quietly. "We can't apparate any closer--What the-"

"It's gone down," Will observed as the magical barrier became visible just a moment, an orb of bright blue over the whole neighborhood, then cracked and disappeared. "Send up the sparks; the Aurors down there need to know that we're here."

Allie nodded and raised her wand, sending out three short, sharp sparks of dark blue. The symbol for mystery, "We got assigned for lay-up duty," she informed him as they started running towards the house on Privet Drive. "After the Aurors get all the bad guys, we have to find out why they attacked."

"Obvious," Will scoffed.

Allie nodded. "Hey, do you hear that?"

"I don't hear anything."

"That's what I'm-"

"Allie!" Will shoved her down as a curse went flying over her head, striking a tree on fire behind them. "Shit, get down."

They ducked behind a muggle car, curling up behind the wheels. Allie waited for the fire of curses to die down a bit, then she started to crawl under the car, wand in her teeth. "Where are they?"

"There's one to your left," Will whispered. Another curse shot out and he added, "I think he's hiding under something metallic, there's this sound that comes every time he tried to hit us-"

Allie looked for something a saw a trash can. "Got it," she whispered back. "Triamote!"

A small orb appeared at the end of her wand and disappeared, reappearing beside the trash can before it exploded. Someone screamed, running out from behind the can, hitting at the flames on his robe.

"Stupefy!" Will shot out from the car, hitting the fleeing Death Eater. As soon as the Death Eater went down, he conjured up a pair of titan handcuffs. Allie added a silencing charm and they left, bringing the Death Eater's wand along with them.

A block down and the pair stopped as the whole street was crowded with Aurors and Hit Wizards. "Halt!" one yelled. "Identification, now."

Bode and Croaker glanced at each other and silently fell back into Unspeakable Mode. Croaker held out his hand, showing a glove with the insignia of a raven. "We're from the Department of Mysteries," he informed them, voice low. Allie, with her straight face and all, was about an inch from breaking down with laughter.

"Ah, Unspeakables, well," the witch looked very uncomfortable all of a sudden. "I'm sure you'll be wanting to see the muggles before their memories get erased. This way, sir. No, wait. You can go on by yourself. First room on the left. Good day."

Allie's silent laughter died down as well as she saw the carnage of the street. "The Accidental Magic Reversal officials are going to be having a heart attack over this mess," she murmured to her partner as the muggles from other houses gawked at them in fear. The Unspeakable outfit wasn't much different from the Death Eater one, both cloaked in black robes that seemed to exude a intimidating air.

The glove that marked an Unspeakable was one of the only ways they were distinguished from the Death Eaters. It had been magically crafted right onto an agent's hand, fitted and spelled so that no matter what, the glove could not be removed, copied, or corrupted in anyway. It marked the lifetime ties to the Department, because just as glove, agents were agents forever. And there was no agent in history that turned, because the glove was also a dark magic detector. The simple pain that it would cause was more than enough of a reason to keep agents on the side of the Ministry.

"Please, everyone, calm down!" An Obliviator on the scene looked exhausted. He kept trying to direct the muggles' attention away from the obviously magical wizards but was having little success as more and more official apparated in, destroying whatever memory charm he'd set.

"Poor chap. He'll be at this all day." Will took a look around and shook his head. "The Prophet's going to have a field day over this. Come on, let's go see those muggles."

They walked across the lawn, burnt to a black crisp, and stepped over the hanging front door to get inside. I looked like everything, from the glass windows to the china plates, had been broken. Allie stiffened as her senses picked up some old magic traces, not at all connected to the attack, and she followed it to a small cupboard under the stairs. It had been busted into, all its contents thrown hazardously around the room.

The two leaned in, pulling through the pile of old clothes, holiday decorations, and broken toys, trying to figure out what was so important that a Death Eater had ravished the small room looking for.

"That's where we kept his school things."

"What-Ow!" Will jumped at the voice, hitting his head on the stairs. He rubbed the sore spot and turned to see a pale woman, thin and tall but worn down, hair a mess and dirty spots on her face. Allie turned around without getting hurt, taking in the woman's ragged appearance as well. As they watched her, she watched them, her eyebrow twitching.

"His school things," she repeated and held out a hand to point to the broken door. "It had been locked, of course, but they just blew it open and ruined everything. Took everything, even his stupid owl."

There was no question about who they were. "You're talking about Harry Potter, right?" Allie asked, and the woman nodded. "Who are you?"

"I'm his aunt. Petunia." Petunia rubbed her arm, looking around the room with a dead look in her eyes.

"Can you tell us what happened, Miss Petunia?" Will asked, going for the polite approach.

Wrong choice. Petunia's eyes flashed and she hissed, "What happened? That boy's what happened! I never asked for him, tried to get rid of him whenever I could, actually. I knew he'd bring trouble. Now, look at my house." Her voice cracked and her eyes watered, wandering around the destroyed room.

"Miss-" Allie cut Will of with a look and, with one last glance at the cupboard under the stairs (utterly ruined forever) the two started to another room.

"I'm telling you, that's what happened!"

The loud voice attracted their attention, coming from up the stairs. Turning the corner, they found themselves in a room where one large, purple-faced man was shouting at the top of his lungs at the crowd of Aurors gathered around him. When he caught sight of them, his eyes widened and he could only point, choking.

His reaction drew the attention of the Aurors. Will hurriedly showed them his glove and they calmed down. "What is going on?"

"This man," one of them shoved a thumb at the man, "claims that You-Know-Who came in and had a chat with him and his family."

Allie and Will shared a look, and Allie briskly announced, "We'll take it from here."

"Suit yourself," the wizard shrugged and the group left.

The man was still in a panic, and Allie told him in the same voice, "We're not Death Eaters, so just calm down."

"I-I'm telling the truth," the man suddenly started, sweat pouring down his face. He wiped at it and settled onto an old bed beside the wall. It groaned but held. "He told me-"

"First, sir, I'd like to have your name," Will interrupted. "And how you are connected to this attack. Then you will give us a comment-free version of what happened." His cool manner left no tones for argument.

"I'm Vernon, Vernon Dursley. The owner of this house-"

"Would I be correct to assume that you are Harry Potter's uncle?" Allie asked.

Vernon's face clouded over. "Not by choice." The room fell silent after that comment. If she could, Allie would be growling.

"The story, sir," Will prompted coldly.

"Right." Vernon wiped at his forehead again. "I was up, getting my breakfast, when this chap comes by, rings the door, saying that he just wants us to take a survey. Offered us money too. I invited him in, told him to take a seat, the best host I could be--I even got Petunia to get him a drink. Then the boy gets here, and, and-"

"And?" Allie raised an eyebrow, shooting Will a look over the man's head. Will rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know the man was a, a-"

"Wizard?" Will asked.

Vernon nodded. "That boy gets home, and they start fighting. Put my whole family under this, this spell! Couldn't move at all! The boy gets up, starts running, just leaves us there, the brat. Never should've taken him in. Should've just tossed him right back the day we got him. So we're stuck there then the boy comes back and has the nerve to yell at us!"

He took a deep breath. "Then he starts screaming. I thought he'd gone insane, wouldn't surprise me. This man," and Vernon shuddered, something both Unspeakables took note of, "tells the others around him-"

"Death Eaters?"

He nodded quickly. "Yeah, them. Tells them to take him. They do, and he comes and sits down. Threatens to kill us, then, then," Vernon shuddered again, sweat pouring down his face and he shook his head. His eyes were focused on some far off point and his voice changed to one of horrid confusion. "I-I don't know what happened. He says something and... I never felt anything like it. I can feel it now, like my bones are trying to get out and my skins shrinking and-"

"The Cruticus curse," Allie nodded, her tone professional. "It's a spell that inflicts the worst pain a body can endure."

"He-he told me to take a message, but now no one believes me-"

"Tell us," Will commanded.

Vernon paled but said, "Lord Voldemort is risen again. And I'm supposed to find Dumbledore and tell him something, too."

"Voldemort?" Allie's eyebrows knit together in worry. "This man, was he Voldemort?"

"I don't know. He was really tall, scared me worse than anything before. And he was talking to that snake on his arm."

Allie took a deep breath, then let it out in a hiss. "Shit."

Will glanced at her and she took another breath and calmed. "Did you tell anyone else about the snake part?" he asked fervently. Vernon shook his head. "Alright, here's what we're going to do: you and your family are going to go on a little vacation-"

"But-"

"No buts!" Allie rubbed her forehead. "Listen, the man you talked to is very powerful, and very evil. He's killed thousands of muggles for no reason what-so-ever! What's to stop him from coming back and killing you? And he has a reason: you're related o Harry Potter."

"What's that got to do with anything?" Vernon demanded.

"He doesn't know," Will started to pace around the room. "There's no time to waste! Vernon, you are coming with us whether you like it or not."

"Harry Potter is Voldemort's worst enemy," Allie informed him quietly, watching as his eyes got real big. "He'll kill you to get to Harry. Any objections?" Vernon shook his head, a sick expression on his face.

"I never asked for any of this."

"Dumbledore's got to be told," Will said to Allie, who nodded. "And we can't leave the muggles behind. They'll be able to testify, if no one believes us. If we leave them here, they'll get their memories erased."

Vernon gave a squeak but the Unspeakables ignored him. "With the barriers down, we can take him right away," Allie argued. "Straight to Hogsmeade, then to Hogwarts."

"Right. You go down and collect the kid and wife. I'll come up with some legal excuse." Allie rushed downstairs and Will fixed Vernon with a glare. "We're going to the only magical town on the planet, then we're going to the best magical school. Since you seem to have a problem with magic, I just thought I'd tell you, so you don't have a heart attack when we apparate."

Vernon couldn't say anything, just goggled as the Unspeakable pulled his cowl back down, checking to make sure that his wand was in place. He walked around the small room then asked, "Who's room is this, anyway?"

"Harry's."

"Really?" Will ran a finger across a dusty bookcase, then looked around at the broken mess and wreck. There was an owl cage in the corner, so it must be true.

"But if he ever gets back, it's back to the cupboard," Vernon added, a hint of pride in his voice.

Will froze and slowly turned to look the man in the eyes. Surely he couldn't mean that same cupboard under the stairs?

"Let's go. The son's at an aunt's house, so we'll just have to leave him," Allie interrupted his thought process, bustling Petunia in before her. She took a quick glance at her partner, then pulled her own hood up. "The Death Eater we caught is being brought in, credit to the Mystery Department," she added in a whisper.

"Any idea who it is?" Will asked. She shook her head. "No matter, we'll find out later."

"Right." She took hold of Petunia's unwilling hand as Will grabbed Vernon's hand and they were gone a second later.

---

The Daily Prophet's chief editor, Barney Mann, could hardly believe his luck. He sat at his office, thirty-nine and one-half floors up, leaning into the telephone excitedly. "You're sure about this?"

"Absolutely," the voice on the other end answered. "I was there. But you better hurry; the Ministry's already trying to cover this all up. If you're not down here soon, they'll have fixed everything."

"Snap me a picture, alright?" Mann asked. "I want to get several shots. And a couple shots of the house afterwards. We can compare the before-and-after pictures, do another report on how well the Ministry cleans up." He stood up and started getting ready to leave, putting the phone on speaker.

"You say anything wrong and Fudge's going to come after you," the voice advised.

"Let him. I got the support of the people behind me."

"Right. And you better keep Skeeter away from here."

Mann paused. "Why? She's my best undercover worker."

"I heard a rumor going around that she's getting blackmailed by some student. Don't know what she'll write under those conditions."

"Hmm. Alright, but only because this story's so big." Mann threw a robe on, bearing the Daily Prophet's identification. "I'll get McKish and O'Neal down there, instead. Do the other papers got this?"

"No, and I made sure that you're the only leak. You're subscriptions are going to go up after this."

Mann smiled. "Of course. Now get to work."

"Right away boss."

As the telephone disconnected, Mann left his office and ran to his secretary. "Page McKish and O'Neal, tell them to get here now!"

"We're right here, boss," Nancy McKish tapped his shoulder, a camera on her back. Richard O'Neal stood behind her, a Quick Quotes Quill pad stuffed in his pocket.

"Excellent. We leave now."

"Excuse me, sir, but where are we going?"

Mann was at the elevator and waved the question away until the door shut. "There's been a Death Eater attack-"

"WHAT!?"

"Shhhhhhhhhhhhh." Mann looked around, as if he thought someone else might hear. He turned back to them. "And you'll never guess where. Harry Potter's house."

"This day just gets better and better," Richard complained.

"We're the only paper that know it, yet. So, you two are my best team: you're going to be the ones out there, getting the info. Leave nothing! Daniel's already there, snapping pictures, but he says the Ministry's already there, cleaning up."

"Was anyone hurt?" Richard asked, his notepad already going.

"No idea. That's what you two are going for." Mann looked down at his watch. "You were supposed to be there thirty seconds ago, I might add." When he looked up, the team was gone. "Excellent..."

---

When they reappeared, the first thing the muggles did was to kneel over and choke. Allie groaned. "Don't die on us now!"

"Get up," Will hissed, and succeeded in getting the two to their feet. "We're just outside of Hogsmeade-"

"What did you just do?" Petunia screamed.

"Apparate, of course," Will replied, eyes stony. He was getting tired of these muggles. "I already told your husband. We're not in Hogsmeade, again the only magical town anywhere."

"We're only going to be here a short while, so don't be too displeased about it," Allie added sarcastically.

Petunia glared at them. "I will not be treated in such a way!"

"Now, Petunia," Vernon started but shut up as his wife turned to glare at him.

She turned back to the two Unspeakables. "I demand to be returned to me house or I'll-"

"Silence!" Allie straightened her back, her bright eyes boring into Petunia's. "Do you know what I am?" Dumbly, Petunia shook her head. "I am a full blooded witch, of the purest of bloodlines. The power of over ten generations of witches resides in me. If I wanted to, I could turn you into a bug and put you in a bucket for the rest of your life. And you dare threaten me?"

Will turned from the spectacle, keeping an eye out for the passing wizard.

Petunia had gone completely white, shaky slightly as Allie advanced on her. "If you think that I care the least bit for you, you're mistaken. I would rather leave you in the hands of Voldemort than bring you to such a spectacular place as Hogwarts. But I have no choice in the matter. I-"

"Allie, let's go," Will stopped her as a red-headed family started their way. Allie shut up but glared at Petunia.

"Hey, looks. It's those Unspeakables!" one of the sons exclaimed. "Man, hanging around Hogsmeade! Wait until I tell Harry!"

"Quiet!" his mother shushed, nodding respectfully as they passed. "Wait until I tell your father! I swear; I try my best to be a good mother, to teach you good manners, and you go and act like you were raised in a barn!"

"But mum, we were-"

"That's enough of you!" She had gone red. "We're here to buy Harry's gift and be done with it. Go one-and remember to check the prices!"

The Unspeakables hurried passed them, going into the town.

Vernon and Petunia could only look around in wonder as they beheld the magical community at work.

Thatched cottages and shops sprawled along, looking as though someone had sneezed and sent the village into a disordered mess. But try as she might, Petunia couldn't find it in her to disapprove of the way the village was set up. Even in its chaotic state, the wizards and witches in it seemed to have come to an agreement that had the place working like a dream.

Everything was decorated for summer. Giant umbrellas were grown, some coming with magical extras ("This one even squirts some water on you if your hot, but you really shouldn't drink it"). Seashells were scattered around the place, mixed with the sand that was being set in by-

"Are those fairies?" Petunia asked, wonder tinting her voice.

Allie glanced at her and nodded sharply, avoiding a sand-totting fairy as it came her way. Petunia lost her voice to speak, watching the beautiful creatures with amazement in her eyes. She lost her stern, disapproving look and actually looked, well, nice for once. Not even her horse-like face or long neck looked out of place with that childlike wonder in her eyes.

Honeydukes looked as full as it always did, its many shelves of candy tempting the passerby. They passed the post office with its thousands of owls hooting and flapping their wings. Vernon nearly jumped at the sight of them, pulling back and bumping into several people behind him who all smiled and moved out of the way, startling him even more. Then they went past Zonka's where two of the redheaded sons were in a fierce conversation with the owner.

"Let's stop for a drink," Will suggested as they reached the Three Broomsticks. Vernon and Petunia took one look at the name and wordlessly shook their heads. "Your loss."

Little children ran around in swimming suits, heading to the enormous Hogwarts Lake. Allie and Will directed the muggles to follow, and both nearly had a heart attack when as the lake's merpeople rose to the surface, smiling and playing with the children. "That's a mermaid!" Petunia whispered to Vernon.

They walked around the lake on the trail, getting stopped at the gates by a suspicious Fang who barked and strained at his chain trying to get at them.

"I heard that Hagrid is down visiting his mother," Allie whispered.

Will nodded as they got around the dog. "Fang looks rather underfed." He said this loud enough for the muggles to overhear him, chuckling as they paled.

Allie rolled her eyes and they went on.

Hogwarts loomed ahead, magnificent and breathtaking. It sat on a high mountain, towers and turrets sprouting like many arms to the sky. The crowds of tree pressed against the castle heightened its unreal feeling. It looked much better when seen during the night, on one's first time, Allie decided to herself. But it was still a beauty.

"This way, now," Will started. "Not much further. If we're lucky, Dumbledore will have seen us and think to come talk to us instead of leaving us to find him." But his eyes were filled with the wonder of Hogwarts as well, and he didn't seem to mind when no headmaster came down to greet them.

The front doors opened before any hands touched them, and Allie stepped back into the marvel of her childhood. Hogwarts hadn't changed a bit from the time she had graduated. The Dursleys said nothing, gaping at the simple magnitude of the magical school. They kept going, entering the Great Hall where the tables floated in the air as house elves cleaned the room, giving big gasps when they were seen.

"There's something that bothers me," Allie whispered. Will glanced at her. "Hogwarts has been enchanted to be invisible to muggles, but they seem to be having no trouble seeing it." Indeed, Petunia and Vernon were walking around, touching the walls and brushing their fingers along the suits of armor, giving a start when one sneezed.

Will shook his head. "Maybe there's more to them then we know," was his only explanation.

They wandered around the castle for nearly a half hour, reacquainting themselves with the sheer beauty of it, before someone cleared their throat. All four turned around, looking like they'd been caught doing something wrong.

Dumbledore smiled. "You look very innocent, I assure you."

"Professor." Allie couldn't help smiling and she gave a small bow. "It's good to see you again."

"Alexandria, how are you?" He clasped her hand. "You have done well since your days as a 'seeker of truth' here at Hogwarts. And you, William. I trust that you're well?"

"I am, but feel much better simply by coming here," William grinned, pulling down his hood. He shook hands with the old headmaster. "I hope you don't mind us dropping by with no notice."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Of course not. Anyone who can get by Fang is welcome here at Hogwarts. But I see that you have a reason for coming..."

The wizards and witch all turned to see Vernon and Petunia, still frozen with confused expressions. "Come along, now," Dumbledore greeted. "I don't bite. Especially not those with relations to two of my favorite students." He held his hand out, shaking Vernon's hand energetically. "You must be Petunia, Lily's sister. I'm delighted to meet you at last-"

"Headmaster, this is Vernon Dursley, Petunia's husband," Will corrected.

Dumbledore squinted his eyes and gave a jump. "Oh, of course. Forgive me, but it makes sense now for Petunia to have such a strong grip." He turned to Petunia and held his arms out. "Petunia! This is you!"

Petunia didn't know how to respond and too late she realized what was going to happen so she couldn't escape Dumbledore's hug. This is the school's headmaster?

Dumbledore turned back to the Unspeakables. "Now, you'll join me for lunch, of course. Your journey from Whinging must have been exhausting."

"How did you know about that, sir?" Allie asked.

Dumbledore waved her question away. "Answers later. There's a delicious course planned for this occasion, I believe. How would you enjoy a nice picnic out on Hogwarts' front lawn? The elves are busy cleaning, but I'm sure they'll be more than willing to move our lunch to the sunshine."

Not a word of protest could be said as Dumbledore shooed everyone back through the front doors. He walked behind them, a thoughtful expression on his face and his hands in his pockets. As they walked, he'd point out the odd fact about a particular place, stone or landmark.

"This, yes, I think that this rock right here," Dumbledore said as he picked up one stone from the ground, examining it. "This stone was the first thing of Hogwarts that I fell in love with."

"Sir?" Allie glanced at Dumbledore quizzically.

"The first day I arrived to Hogwarts," he went on to explain, "many years ago, I had missed the rest of the students and was running up this path, trying to catch up when this stone came out of no where, tripping me." He laughed a little, twirling the stone in his hand. "It happened again, for every year of my education. The last day of school I would spend hours looking for it, trying to make sure I didn't fall the next year, but I never found it and I always fell. When I came here again as a teacher, it happened all over again. Extremely embarrassing, I tell you. I finally discovered that this particular stone actually had a thing for me, and after hiding itself the entire year, it would come out and wait for my feet to trip." He smiled again, keeping the stone in his hand. "There's never been a year I haven't tripped over it. But it no longer hides itself."

They walked on in silence, the Dursleys not sure whether to believe his story or not, when Dumbledore gave a small gasp. "Here's where Harry Potter faced down a dragon, not too long ago," he informed them. The grass was still trampled down by so many feet during the Tournament.

"I heard about his involvement," Will said in a comfortable tone. "Congratulations."

Dumbledore nodded but went on for awhile longer. Petunia looked behind her and was surprised to see a long trail of those little elves following them, picnic baskets in their hands.

"And this is the exact spot that young Tom Riddle first saw Hogwarts," he said, eyes crinkled in sadness. "He was very ambitious, determined to prove himself worthy of magic, as if his being a half-blood had somehow tainted him." Dumbledore sighed. "I think this would be a good place to picnic, considering the topic."

The elves perked their ears and settled out like a small army, attacking the chosen ground with enthusiasm. Within minutes, a giant-sized picnic had been settled out, enough food that even Vernon would be able to satisfy his hunger.

Grilled sandwiches were the main course, with hamburgers and cheeseburgers for those of different taste. Fresh salads and fruits were waiting to be eaten, cool lemonade and ice water served in goblets. A blanket was spread on the ground for comfort, and they feasted. For some reason, Dumbledore set aside an extra plate piled with much food.

"Before you speak, I would like to explain some things to Harry's relatives," Dumbledore announced as they finished up. Vernon and Petunia looked up in surprise. "I understand that you forbid Harry from speak of his school experiences?"

For some reason, Petunia felt utterly guilty by his words, thought she had no reason to feel so. "Well, we, uh, aren't very comfortable with m-magic," she replied.

"This is Harry Potter we're talking about," Allie snorted. "He is magic."

"Now, now," Dumbledore chided. "They do not know of Harry's history. Perhaps if they did, some of the hatred they feel towards their nephew would fade."

'Hate?' Allie mouthed to Will who looked just as clueless as she. The muggles blushed.

Dumbledore set aside his plate (where it was quickly picked up by a house elf) and cleared his throat. "Harry Potter is a unique young man. His magical powers are greater than many grown wizards and witches, even at this young--as demonstrated as his participation and success at the Triwizard Tournament. The Tournament had an age limit, 17, but Harry was able to bet the competition. If he heard me say such a thing, he'd blame his win on such factors as Cedric Diggory or--but I'm getting ahead of myself. I should begin with Harry's first brush with the extraordinary.

"By now, you should know that the man you met today was in fact Lord Voldemort. Voldemort is one of the most powerful wizards in the history of magic, and his legacy does not stop there. As a young man, Voldemort decided to follow the darker path, a decision that caused much grief and lost many lives. Fourteen years ago, Lily and James were attacked in their homes by Voldemort, who was at the height of his powers and very near to conquering the wizarding world.

"After killing James, he went after Harry. Lily gave her life calling up an ancient spell that momentarily made Harry invincible so that when Voldemort attacking him, the curse was sent back. Harry got his scar from that encounter, which is now a celebrated symbol in the wizarding world."

Dumbledore turned to Vernon with a smile on his lips. "You remember the day, I'm sure. The day the wizards and witches discarded all secrecy and celebrated. All the things that you have always considered signs of your misfortune are actually just the results of a celebrating magical world. Thousands of owl sightings, people dressed in funny cloaks, the excited whispers-"

Vernon's face had bloated to a giant purple grape and he bit out, "I remember-"

Dumbledore smiled, silencing his rage. "As I said, Harry is a unique young man. Even with your harsh treatment, he never lost that streak of goodness in him."

The Unspeakables turned to the muggles with a look of horror on their faces, 'harsh treatment' repeating itself over and over in their brains. Harry Potter? During Harry's childhood, many articles had been published, guessing of the many comforts and pampering young Potter must been receiving. There had even been a toddler's line of clothing dubbed the 'Potter Picture,' with outfits that "Harry Potter wore." The company had made a fortune, but from what Dumbledore was saying Harry didn't have near so good a life.

"During each of his years here at Hogwarts so far," Dumbledore was saying, "Harry has faced down many challenges, each involving Voldemort. His first year, one of his very teachers tried to kill him. His second, Voldemort's diary came to life and tried to kill him. His third year, his godfather broke out of Azkaban, the wizarding prison, and everyone thought he was trying to kill Harry as well-"

"Sirius Black?" Vernon laughed. "Yes, I've heard of him. Potter threatened to tell his godfather if he wasn't perfectly satisfied."

"We believed him at first, but lately we think it's just some imaginary person Harry invented," Petunia said. "Are you telling me that this godfather is a real person?"

"Sirius Black is an escaped murderer," Will deadpan. "The reward for his capture is up in the millions, now."

Dumbledore laughed, surprising them. "Sirius, a murderer? Oh, I admit that I was once convinced of that same belief, but I assure you that Sirius couldn't kill anyone; he once confided in me that he can't stand the sight of blood."

"Are you saying that Black's innocent?" Allie narrowed her eyes. "But all the evidence-"

"Is either false or planted to blame him," Dumbledore reaffirmed solidly. "I have also gathered enough evidence to prove his innocence, something that I had planned to start campaigning on later this summer but it seems that I will have to do so sooner. The light side will need all the help it can get... Ah, here comes Sirius right now."

Allie and Will leaped to their feet, wands out. "Where!"

All they could see was a black dog, trotting down the path towards them and looking quite weary. It stopped and tilted its head at them, panting heavily.

"Sirius, come and have a seat," Dumbledore called and the dog came forward, moving with suspicion on its face.

"Professor, sir... that's a dog."

Dumbledore laughed and stroked the dog's ears. "Nonsense, this is my friend Sirius. Sirius, meet Alexandria and William of the Department of Ministry, and Vernon and Petunia Dursley, Harry's relatives."

The dog looked up and growled at the Dursleys who backed away, fear on their faces.

"Stop that," Dumbledore commanded gently. "Look, I've brought you some food." He pointed to the extra plate and the dog gave up its verbal attack and pranced to the food, eating up hungrily.

"That, that is Sirius Black?" Petunia wrinkled her nose. "To think that this is what Harry threatened us with-"

"That's not Sirius Black," Allie contradicted. "Black is a wizard, not a, a dog!"

Dumbledore watched them with an amused expression. "Please put down your wands, Will, Allie. Thank you. Now, if your promise not to move... Sirius, now come on. It's not a good sight, you eating that food like that." The dog whined, still stuffing its face. "No, Sirius. Now. If you keep that up, no one will trust me, then where will I be?"

The dog, finished eating, sat on its heels and whined louder, catching Dumbledore's eyes but he shook his head. Then it got to all fours, sneezed, and shook. Dumbledore's face turned serious. "Sirius."

The dog sat back down, whined one last time, then stopped. It cast a dirty look at the two Unspeakables, and-

Changed!

It only took a moment, but the dog's fur disappeared and its paws transformed into human hands and legs. In an instant, Sirius Black sat on the ground before them, looking bone tired and very pale, but not at all like the picture featured in the Daily Prophet two years ago.

Allie and Will drew back with a hiss, only Dumbledore's presence stopping them from cursing Black into a pile of dust. The Dursleys jumped to their feet, letting out screams and gasps.

"As you can see," Dumbledore explained, "Sirius here is an animagi."

"Sit down, all of you," Dumbledore's tone left no room for complaints and so they all sat back down reluctantly, eyeing Black with mistrust. "Sirius is innocent, again I tell you. The story is a complicated one, but if you truly want to know I shall tell you." The Unspeakables nodded and so Dumbledore sighed and related the story told to him the year before.

"Yes, sir, we can see that," Will bit out, hand twitching to his wand. "Would you please explain why you haven't turned him in? Black killed thirteen people! Does that mean nothing?"

When he was done, he went on to tell them of Harry's fourth year, leaving out little and handing out many surprises. Sirius remained silent this whole time, eyeing the ones before him with as much mistrust as they showed him. The last of the house elves cleared off his plate, and it was close to evening when Dumbledore finished his speaking.

He glancing to the sun, coming close to the horizon, and made a soft noise of surprise. "How time flies. I'm afraid that I've talked all our time away. Why didn't anyone stop me?"

"Your story is very fascinating," Will replied softly. He brought a hand up to his chin. "And full of possibilities not thought of before. You've known that Voldemort has returned, yet you still sent Harry back to those muggles?"

And Dumbledore, for the first time that day, looked his age. "It was one of my better ideas, and my worst," he confided to them. "There is great magic on Harry's house. So great that, while it had still worked, not even I could break into it. But it was based on so many things, and I hadn't given a thought to what would happen if one of those things left.

"The main thing keeping the protection up was that Harry had to want to stay at his relatives house. To assure this, I sent an owl to the Dursleys, requesting that they treat Harry with comfort and love. I never thought that they would flat out ignore that plea."

The Dursleys squeaked as Sirius fixed a murderous glare on them, and the Unspeakables didn't object.

"I also asked Harry to remain at his relatives for the entire summer. He has always shown great respect for me, so I thought that he would respect this as well. Alas, while he stayed, he never wanted to stay. Because of those feelings, the protections were weakened greatly.

"Another spell guarded against unwanted intruders. No one not specifically invited into the house could enter. To enhance that spell, I added that the guest must be given something in a show of friendship or they would be magically removed. However, Voldemort was able to bypass this protection by using Vernon's extensive greed to invite one of his followers in. You also gave him a drink of lemonade, which allowed him to stay in the house unbothered.

"Other charms and spells were also put in place: any magic performed anywhere on the neighborhood would appear on the Ministry scanners; Harry's magic, if he did any in the house, would be increased greatly as long as there was need; I myself would be instantly informed if an attack occurred. Each of these measures were thwarted. The Ministry never received my owl about the scanner magic; Harry was unable to get his wand, as it was locked under the cupboard; I was too immersed in increasing the protections around Hogwarts to notice the alarm until far too late.

"One last protection was the placing of Arabella Figg, a retired Auror, within walking distance of Harry's house. She would be able to contact help if it was necessary. And again, our efforts went out the window to speak. Voldemort had attacked her almost immediately with such force that she had to flee. Which is how Harry was captured."

Dumbledore fell silent, an oppressing thing in the wake of his words. No one wanted to break his meditation, but finally Sirius cleared his throat.

"Dumbledore, everyone's waiting at Remus's. Even Arabella made it. They've already started searching, looking for the latest areas of dark activity." His voice was very low and sent shivers down the muggles' spines.

Dumbledore nodded, eyes closed in rest. He opened them suddenly and gave everyone a tired smile. "I'm sure that Voldemort left you with a message to taunt me with. No matter. His words are hollow and pointless to my old ears. He has Harry, but we shall get him back."

---

"That was Sirius."

"What?" Molly looked over her shoulder, jumping a little at the sight of the Grim-like dog racing down the trail to Hogwarts. "Odd."

"Hey, Mum. Didn't those Unspeakables head up there too, with those two others?" Fred asked, watching the dog race out of sight.

Molly nodded absently, then glanced around. "Percy," she called out, and Percy turned from the outdoor stall selling magical seashells ("Just touch them and it'll be like you're on the shore! Send them to your friends!"). "Watch your brothers, I have to go check something out."

Percy started to protest (and the twins started to grin) but Molly had already started away, out of hearing distance. She wanted to run but knew that she was already too tired from the day's shopping. Every time she came to Hogsmeade, it was the same: she came with one thing in mind to buy, and ended up wasting the day, window shopping until she forgot what she came for in the first place. It did her no good when the twins disappeared, only to be found shaking hands with Zonka's manager.

She took her time reaching the lake, stopping to tell Ginny, who was swimming, to be careful. Ginny pouted but agreed, diving under the lake's surface.

Fang growled, but after a sniff backed off, letting her pass. Molly swallowed hard but gave the vicious-looking creature and pat on the head as she rushed off.

"Screech!"

"What?" Molly ducked as talons shot past her head, barely missing her. She looked up to see Hedwig--a very weak and bloody Hedwig climb the skies again, wings barely hanging in the air.

The owl gave another screech before its wings collapsed and it began to fall.

"Oh no," Molly dug into her robes, cursing softly until she found her wand. "Uh, Aul, shlop!"

The spell worked, slowing Hedwig's fall until Molly was able to pluck the injured bird from the sky, bringing it close for an inspection. "Oh dear," she murmured to the bird that hooted weakly in reply. "You're injured very badly, now aren't you?"

"Looking up, Molly could see the sun beginning to set. "Is it really that late?" she wondered. Hedwig stirred in her arms, bringing her attention back to the owl. "No flying for you, dearie," she chided. "I don't know if Poppy can heal animals, but she's the closest healer we have. Come on."

She lifted her robes and began running despite her weariness. Her whole attention was focused so firmly on the castle in the distance that she nearly passed the group of picnickers until Dumbledore called out, "Molly!"

Molly barely stopped from falling over in shock. "Albus!" she breathed. "I had just seen Sirius and was coming to see what was going on when Hedwig--the poor thing, she's bad, Albus, very bad. I haven't the slightest idea what's happened to her, but she plum fell from the sky a minute ago. I had thought Poppy could help her, but I don't know. She's Harry's, and--oh no, has something happened to Harry?"

"Molly, dear, take a breath," Dumbledore ordered gently. Molly did so, tears tugging at her eyes. "Now, I'm sure that Poppy can heal Hedwig." His tone was calm but his eyes were worried as they fell over the owl's mangled body. "This doesn't mean anything's happened to Harry," he murmured, mostly to himself. "This is Voldemort's way of laughing at me." He gently took the owl from Molly's arms.

He looked at the others, who Molly hadn't even seen in her panic. "We must get to the castle at once."

"What's the hurry over a bird?" a large man complained, and Molly gasped as she recognized them.

"You're Harry's relatives!" she exclaimed, making it sound like an accusation. "Bloody starve him, lock him in a room-"

"Molly, let's get to the castle," Sirius murmured so quietly that only she could hear. Molly trembled with rage but followed Dumbledore, who'd gained a distance on them already.

"It's just that, with the way Harry treats that bird--I can just see him when she gets back," Molly gushed. "She's his only company in the summer. He's going to be heartbroken. And why are those muggles here? Aren't they supposed to be watching Harry? I swear, Sirius, if I didn't know that you were watching out for him, I'd have gone over to that house as soon as the summer was over and camped out on the front lawn."

Sirius smiled thinly at the woman's rumblings and they reached the castle, rushing down to the hospital wing. Poppy had been vacationing, but she was always on call and had arrived in no time. Already, Hedwig lay on one of the beds with Poppy leaning over her, worry on the nurse's face.

"It's not good," she was saying as the others entered. "It's lost a lot of blood."

"Please try," Dumbledore urged but the nurse shook her head.

"If it were a human, I'd be able to do a blood transfusion. But an owl?"

Dumbledore's face darkened and he looked to everyone. "I must ask you to leave," he announced quite suddenly.

Sirius gave him a look but left, exhaustion still written on his features. The others followed him out, Molly being the last to leave. She barely caught Dumbledore's words to Poppy before the door shut: "What you see now, you must keep to yourself and tell no other, under no circumstance."

Sirius gave the two Unspeakables an uneasy look. "I'm off to raid the kitchens," he told Molly, and the two raised their eyebrows.

Molly snorted. "I remember your tricks, Sirius," she warned him. "I was only two years ahead of you. Don't get in too much trouble."

Sirius gave her another weak smile and took off.

Molly rounded on the four left. "Now," she stated, hands on her hips. "Someone is going to tell me what's happened. Where's Harry?"

"What do you mean?" one of the Unspeakables asked, her face blank.

"Sirius is worrying his head over something. I can tell, I'm a mother. And the only thing Sirius cares about now, besides food, is Harry. Something's happened, and someone's going to explain."

"Well, we can't," the other Unspeakable replied coldly. He looked at his partner. "We have a Minister to report to. Tell Dumbledore not to worry; we'll help him any way we can." He nodded and the two took off, robes billowing after them.

Molly huffed but turned on the last two, an angry look on her face. "You two aren't going anywhere until I get an explanation.

Petunia gave her a dirty look and turned away. Letting it go, Molly fixed Vernon with a look that screamed, "Mess with me and you're head's on my plate, baby."

He gulped and mentally drowned in self-pity even as he related the morning's events, again, to the rather mean looking woman. Petunia rolled her eyes when he related the Cruticus curse incident, but the woman shivered.

"The worst pain a person can take," she muttered. "You know Harry's been under it before? Very bad business. Well," she brushed her robes when he finished, "nothing worse than sitting around, wasting time. When Albus gets out here, tell him that I'm ready when he needs me."

Vernon scratched his nose, annoyed. "I'm not a bloody messenger," he growled.

"Well, you act like it," Petunia sniffed. "Get a back bone, stand up to these, these wizards! They're trying to walk all over us. Did you hear that? Like Harry could do such a thing, he's only a child."

"Well, he's very odd," Vernon said. Petunia rolled her eyes again.

"I wonder when we'll get home. I want to see my Dudley."

Vernon put a meaty arm around his thin wife's shoulders. "There, there. It's better that Dudley not have to go through all this. The less he knows, the better. Marge can take care of him until we get back."

Petunia let out a muffled scream. "Home!" she moaned. "How are we going to explain all this to the neighbors?"

---

Nancy took another shot of the houses, with their broken doors and the blank-looking muggles staring back out from behind them. Richard's notepad was awhirl, listing the inadequate responses from the Ministry and the failure to capture more than one of the attackers. The facts were greatly exaggerated, the report based to play off a reader's feelings, and it sparked rebellious thoughts in the people's minds; in short, it was a master piece.

Even now, the last of the muggles were having their memories erased and a group of Ministry workers were doing their best to clean up the mess, repairing everything so that the attack could be denied to the fullest.

"Take another one of his house," Richard whispered quietly from his place under a car. Nancy, right beside him, nodded and arranged the camera to snap another picture of Potter's burned and broken house. She caught a phrase from Richard's notepad: Harry's house groans under the attack, some parts still on fire from the fierce attack early this morning. Though this reporter has bot doubts in the Boy Who Lived, one can only wonder what has happened to the hero, and why Minister Fudge ever allowed the boy to live in such a poorly defended house in the first place. Is a life with muggles preferable to one with a wizarding family, in the wizarding world? We should think not!

She smiled wickedly, taking a shot of a weary Obliviator erasing yet another muggle's memory. "Don't leave that part out," she whispered. "Show how the Ministry's overworking their good workers, letting their Elite wear down while the lazy ones stay in their comfy offices."

Richard's face mirrored her grin. "Good one, you should be a reporter."

"Naw, I couldn't handle the stress of fame."

"Is that it?" Richard asked, glancing around. "I think we've squeezed this lemon dry." Nancy snorted and the two quietly slipped away from the scene. "I think I'll add how easy it is to get through their defenses," he added as they ducked behind as bush when the patrols went by.

By the time they got to the office, it was dark. "Great. He makes us miss breakfast, lunch, and dinner," Nancy groaned, collapsing onto a chair in the main lobby.

Richard looked around. "Everyone's gone but us." He yawned, stretching his back until it popped. "God, I haven't worked late since that time the dragons got out and sank those ships in the Pacific a few years ago." He fell into the chair beside her, and she snuggled against him.

"I hope you know," she muttered sleepily, "that this means you're buying dinner."

"After my nap," he promised, closing his eyes.

"Ah!" a new voice interrupted their sleep and both of them opened their eyes groggily. "I was wondering if you two were ever going to show up."

"Mann," Nancy growled, getting to her feet "If you ever give me a job like that again-"

"I'll give you another raise, like the one I'm giving you now," Mann replied cockily. He waved the pictures and the report in his hand. "This is bloody brilliant, you know that right?"

Nancy was about to say something but yawned and waved her hand in annoyance.

Mann smiled widely. "I'll take that as a 'Yes, sir.' Daniel already got back, and his pictures compared to yours will have us selling millions." You could almost see the cash registers ring in his ear. "This calls for a celebration! I'm taking you two out, on the house. Anywhere in London. Even that fancy Italian restaurant you always wanted to go to, McKish. I don't care how much-"

"Give me a pizza and let me call it a day," Richard groaned from the couch, face buried beneath the pillows.

"Wonderful!" Mann rubbed his hands together. "I'll get a commentary on you two: the best reporters in history! Honest, generous, hard working, and willing to make the sacrifice for the better of the people!"

"Stop," Nancy whined. "You're making me out as a Hufflepuff."

"Hey, I was a Hufflepuff," Richard shot out, raising his head from the couch.

"Well, I was a Ravenclaw," Nancy replied, sticking out her tongue. When he stared, she groaned again. "Listen, boss. Just let me go home and take a shower. I promise you can pay for the expenses that's going to cost-"

She was cut off as a phone rang, echoing with a ghost-like quality in the nearly empty building. Mann raised a hand to pause the conversation as he went to the secretary's office, muttering, "Who could be calling at this hour?"

He hit the speaker button and called out, "Hello?"

"Barney?"

"Speaking," Mann replied. "Who's this?"

"Not important," the man on the other end replied in a hurry. His voice was slightly muffled by static, a sign that magic was being used to cover the identity of the person. "I'm dreadfully sorry to bother you, good sir, but I have recently uncovered some information that will be helpful for that report you plan on publishing tomorrow morning."

"What article?"

"On the attack. You know that Potter's missing, correct?"

"Yes," Mann replied, drawing out the word.

"I'm calling to say that, minutes ago, the Order of the Phoenix, under the orders and information of Albus Dumbledore, recovered Potter. He was locked in the basement of the Riddle Mansion, Little Hangleton."

Mann glanced over to see his star reporter scribbling this information down, all traces of weariness gone in the sudden excitement of the moment.

"I would suggest that you also publish an article on the Third Task from last year," the voice went on to say. "If you did, you would find that this is not Potter's first time in the town."

"Was he alright?" Mann asked worriedly.

The voice scoffed. "He'd just spent the day locked in a small cabinet in the basement of an unknown house after being kidnapped. Starved, dehydrated, a little bruised but otherwise just fine."

"Where is he now?"

"He won't be sent back to those muggles, for certain. There's talk of him going to stay with the Weasleys, his friends, but there's also talk of a professor who's willing to watch him for the time being."

"Mmhmm. And how did Dumbledore get this information? If I simply write that he just came out and rescued Potter, it'll be like he's the one behind it all. Fudge will certainly press that point."

The voice paused, then answered, "You are placing the blame on Death Eaters, right?"

"Right."

"And have you given thought to the idea that Voldemort has risen again?"

"W-what?" The three stopped all movement, staring at the phone in horror. Mann gulped. "T-that's impossible."

"The muggle family Potter lives with are witnesses. Find them and drag a testimony out of it. Not only will you be helping yourself, but you'll be able to do your world a great favor. It will be better that they know and be prepared for the war that's coming."

"What, this doesn't have anything to do with that Triwizard Tournament, does it? Fudge already denied that-"

"If you look through the Ministry records, I'm sure you'll find many examples of Fudge's idiocy," the voice cut in smoothly. "Look up the Sirius Black case if you need a start. I've given you enough information to keep you ahead of the competition for the next few years. Just do me a favor and use all of it."

The phone hung up and Mann tapped at his chin for a moment before turning to his star team. "We'll need to get on this in... a... hurry-- by Jove, I think I'll give them another raise," he exclaimed to the empty room.

---

Single Day Crises:

Ministry in a shamble

Special Report by Richard O'Neal

Photographs by Nancy McKish

This story begins yesterday morning and lasts only a day, but its possibly influence may spread to last the next few months.

Yesterday morning, at about seven, the town of Little Whining was attack by a group of Death Eaters, headed by none other than You-Know-Who.

For those of you who are reading this, thinking of throwing it away as another piece of garbage, I would like to add that there are many witnesses to this event. There is even a witness, none other than Harry Potter, to the Dark Lord's rebirth. In fact, Harry Potter, who lived in Little Whinging, was the target of this attack.

We'll start at the beginning of the morning, write this report in the form of a narrative so that readers can understand how we came to believe the previous statements, and feel our shock at the Ministry, Minister Fudge in particular.

As previously stated, the town was attacked at 7:00, but the Ministry was not aware of this attack until nearly an hour later. The underage wizarding sensors in the Improper Use of Magic Office of the Department of Accidental Magic Reversal had detected some faint signal of magic being used in a house of Little Whinging, but five minutes passed before it was discover that a Death Eater attack was going on. How many more minutes passed before this news spread and with it the realization that the town in question was where Harry Potter lived, we do not know, but us here at the Daily Prophet did not hear of it until fully two hours after the attack had stared.

Strike one against the Ministry.

When we did arrive, the entire area was under restriction. Understandable, as there was concern for further attack. At first, my partner and I were willing to turn away when she suggested that we test the Ministry's defense, perhaps to find some good news to report. No such luck. It was child's play sneaking past the hordes of Hit Wizards and Aurors patrolling the streets, and the entire day was spent, taking photographs and listening in on officials' conversations.

If two amateur reporters from a newspaper office could sneak past the Ministry defenses, how much harder--or should we say, easier?--would it be for a hardened Death Eater to do the same? Strike two.

During the day, we heard disturbing reports of how long the Death Eaters had been allowed to run rampage on the town, as well as the damage reports. The entire town had been overrun, every Muggle placed under a full body bind or knocked unconscious from pain. For that to happen, the Death Eaters must have been at it for well over an hour. Where was the Ministry during this time, we ask you because we ask ourselves the same question with no answer.

The "elite" officers working were tired, worn down. A simple stunning spell would have knocked the entire force off their feet. While they are hard at work, their superiors were enjoying late breakfasts and early lunch, compliments of our taxes. And when their superiors did show, they didn't bother worrying about the Muggles and simply apparated into the town, ruining precious memory charms and working the elite even harder.

We heard rumors that not even the Minster knew that Harry Potter lived in the town. Which is more disturbing: the Minster allowed Potter to live in a defenseless Muggle town, or he didn't even know?

When we returned to our office, late in the evening, a nameless informant told us that the Order of the Phoenix, the famous fighters against You-Know-Who in the last war, had been deployed and had in fact rescued Harry Potter, under the leadership and information of the great Albus Dumbledore. They did this with no help or even acknowledgement from the Ministry, making us wonder. If a private group can do better than the country's leadership, what kind of leaders are we following?

We all remember Dumbledore's great leading skills in the war against Grindelwald and You-Know-Who; are we following the wrong person?

Other than being starved and dehydrated, Harry was physically fine, save a few bruises. According to Minister Fudge who had no hand in the matter aside from welcoming the distressed Potter back, this was a "great achievement of the magical community as a whole." It looks like the Minister was simply trying to gain some hold in the matter to boast about later on.

The informer also encouraged us to look into the matter of the muggle witnesses. We did so with no little suspicion but found, to our surprise, that Potter's own family, who'd returned to their homes late in the evening, were able to provide enough evidence that shows that it was indeed You-Know-Who who'd leaded the attack early in the morning.

You don't believe? I ask you to read the next few comments, taken directly from Harry's uncle Vernon:

"His was tall, dressed in complete black. As soon as I saw him, I was struck dumb. His presence... just being in his presence was like being in a dark room with no hope of ever seeing the sun."

"The other wizards [the Death Eaters] all bowed to him, calling him master."

"His skin was so white, I almost thought that he was dead. But his eyes were the color of blood..."

"If that wasn't enough, he seemed to smell my fear."

"He told me to deliver a message to the wizards who'd come, telling me to tell the Ministry that Lord [You-Know-Who] has risen again. When I heard the name, I knew, that he was talking about himself."

"He also told me to tell Albus Dumbledore that Lord [You-Know-Who] had my nephew, Harry Potter."

If these aren't enough, I add one last comment, guaranteed to remove all guilt:

"Just before he left, he rolled up his sleeve and there was a snake on his arm. I didn't believe it at first but... he was actually talking to the thing. You can't talk to snakes, but he did."

Richard took one last look at the report before handing it in. Nancy shook her head. "You know, anyone who's ever talked to that muggle will know he didn't say those words."

"So I beefed them up a bit." Richard shrugged. "It won't matter in the end." He grabbed a clean copy of the Daily Prophet and skimmed through the articles. There was his, front page and center.

Others included:

Fudge's fudges: Mistakes the Ministry's hidden

The Cycle of the Dark Arts

You-Know-Who's rebirth?

Harry Potter's history at a glance

Sirius Black--The Man without a Trial

In the middle of the paper was a pull-out section with nothing but photos, Nancy's pride and joy. Another section was included, this one focused solely on the Triwizard Tournament. Commentaries were everywhere, each carefully monitored so that none contradicted each other.

Richard sighed and pulled Nancy close. "What a night."

"Better than our last night alone."

"Shut up, you."

The wizarding community was in for a whirlpool when this paper got out.

---

Fudge looked at his early edition and immediately his eyes widened. Headline after headline...

This was going to be a long day.

Author's Note: I seriously only wrote this in one day. I started out, sitting at my computer, determined to start the next chapter of Divided Four, but no idea came. Then I was like, all right, and tried to work on Dimension Wander but no luck there either. So I just sit down and start typing and idea after idea flowed from my head. Took me about two hours but I'm finished and who knows, I might even keep this story going! May you enjoy.