The Wand and The Floo

Chapter Eight

Petunia and George stepped into the Leaky Cauldron. Petunia still had a hold on Pig. They walked into the small, walled courtyard. Petunia watched George count the bricks and then tap one of them. She remembered Lily showing her that the first time she had been there.

"Come on Petunia," said Lily. Lily took Petunia by the arm and pulled her out of the dingy pub. Petunia, Lily, and Lily's friends had been drinking Butterbeers. They had all enjoyed Petunia's reaction to the warm drink.

"Do you like it Pet?" asked Sirius.

Petunia shot him a nasty look. "Don't call me that!" she whined. Sirius mimicked her, and soon everyone at their table was calling her Pet. Petunia tried to laugh it off, but she couldn't.

"Leave her alone guys," said Lily wrapping one arm around Petunia's shoulders.

"Yeah, call off the dogs," joked James. That comment sent Sirius, Remus, Peter, and James into a fit of laughter. Lily shook her head at their childish antics.

They finished their drinks, paid the tab and headed out to the courtyard. Petunia looked around the small courtyard, but couldn't come up with a reason for being there. All she knew was that it needed a good dusting. "What are we doing here?" she asked.

"Just wait and see Petunia." Sirius gave her a very cocky grin. She smirked back at him. He pulled out his wand and counted some bricks, and then tapped one of them. Petunia watched in amazement as a large archway formed in the once solid wall.

"Oh my god." Petunia breathed when the archway stopped growing and she could see into Diagon Alley on the other side.

"Petunia, Hun, the proper wizard saying is 'For Merlin's sake," 'Sirius said in a high voice.

"Come on you guys!" Lily called over her shoulder. Sirius grabbed her hand to pull her through the archway. She followed looking over her shoulder.

"For Merlin's sake!"' she said as the Archway closed so quickly after her. Lily grinned at her.

"Catch on quickly, don't you?" teased James. "So Petunia where do you want to go first?"

"I have no idea," Petunia said looking around the crowded alley.

"Well, there are so many stores that you can choose from. Do you want to go to the robe shop, the pet store, the wand shop, or would you like something to eat?" James listed off some of the stores he though Petunia might like.

Petunia's eyes lit up. "The wand shop," she squealed. Once again all of Lily's friends laughed at her reaction. Petunia didn't mind. She had heard from her mother how excited Lily had been the first time she had gone shopping here.

The group of kids made their way down the packed alley to Ollivander's:

Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C. Petunia pulled out of the memory.

Oh, how she missed that day.

"So how many times have you been here?" asked George.

"Only the once with Lily, Sirius, and the rest of their friends. We had so much fun that day." She told him. She didn't want to go into the details with him; she wanted to keep them for herself.

"I bet that was fun." George led the way to Eeylops Owl Emporium. When they got there he held the door open for her, and he bowed her inside with a flourish of his arm. He grinned at her when she laughed at him.

"That was something Sirius would always do for Lily and me," she told him. She had to blink her eyes many times until she could see in the dimly lit building. Everything was a bit fuzzy and she could hardly see George. A lot of yellow eyes looked at her, giving her the creeps.

"It must have been fun hanging out with them."

"It was, but James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were big time trouble makers. Lily would write me and tell me all about their last prank. Boy did they do some funny pranks."

"My brother Fred and I worship them," George said.

"You're kidding, right?" Petunia said sounding a bit skeptical. "How do you know about them? Harry couldn't have told you much."

"Well," George launched into his story about getting the Marauder's Map and how they figured out how to use it.

"Oh, but how do you know that the people you are talking about are James and his friends?"

"Harry told us their nicknames from school," George told her.

"I see, you should tell that story to Sirius, he would really like to hear that, Remus too." Petunia added as an after thought. "Remus is still around, right?" George nodded as he led her through the store to the counter.

George tapped the bell that sat on the counter. One clear note rung out through the store, making the owls squawk and hoot, Pig on the other hand didn't do anything.

A plump lady with gray hair, large eyes, and pointed nose came out of the darkness to stand behind the counter. She had startled Petunia with her sudden appearance. "Yes?" She drew out her 'S' making a hissing nose.

"Um," Petunia didn't know what to say. She didn't want to tell the lady the she had clubbed the owl over the head with a very heavy cast-iron frying pan, but she did anyway. The lady behind the counter looked aghast at Petunia. She had then swooped down on Petunia and snatched the owl right out of Petunia's hand.

"You may leave him with me and come back tomorrow, but before you go I need the birds name?" George told her that its name was Pig and she gave him a very reproachful look. George led the way back out of the store and back onto the alley.

"So where do you want to go now?" George asked her.

"The wand store," Petunia said without hesitating. She was so excited. They walked along in silence, not knowing each other well enough to uphold a long conversation. They had gone by a few stores before either one spoke again.

"Why were you always so mean to Harry? What did he do to you?" George had stopped walking and he was glaring at her.

"What?" Petunia was shocked by his question. Anger flashed in her eyes, making George take a step away from her. Petunia had to fight the desire of wanting to hit him. "You would never understand!" She hissed at him. She turned away so she wouldn't have to face him anymore, and she found herself looking into the face of Mr. Ollivander himself.

She jumped with fright. "Good afternoon, M'dear," he said in a soft voice. He looked just like he had when she had first meet him.

"Good afternoon too you Sir," she replied.

"I'm glad to see you again, Petunia. Please come in. Why don't we have a cup of tea before we find your wand," he turned and pulled open the door to his shop. Petunia could hear a bell tinkle somewhere in the back of the store.

"How do you remember me? It was years ago that I was here."

He looked back at her, studying her to see if she was worthy of the answer. "M'dear, how do you remember me, after all these years?"

Petunia was a taken a back by his question. "I guess because I've never meet someone like you before. You're so different then anyone that I have ever known, even other wizards."

"That's right M'dear, now just think about what you said for a moment. You are unique, special like you said. I've known my fare share of Muggles and you're not like any of them." He smiled at her. "Now why don't you come into my office and we can have tea and talk a bit.

Mr. Ollivander led her through a maze of wand boxes and through a beaded door. His office was also crowded with long skinny boxes no doubt containing a single well-polished wand. A small table sat in a corner with three chairs around it. One dingy window looked at another building. Lamps glowed orange on the walls. A shiny, metal teakettle set in the middle of the table. Mr. Ollivander tapped the kettle with his wand, and as soon as he touched it, steam gushed from its spout, giving off a shrill whistle. He poured two cups of piping hot tea into two lustrous, blue teacups with matching saucers.

"Sit down, M'dear," he told her. "So tell me about yourself, did you ever think you had any magic in your blood?" Petunia shook her head. "Well isn't that curious. Something must have triggered it sometime along the road of life. Some kids have something happen to them and they use their magic. Let me tell you about this one boy. His family thought he was a squib, so I believe his uncle dropped him out of a window and the boy bounced. Magic!" he cried. "Some people, like Harry, have strange things happen to them, and others still don't know until they get into a magic school. So tell me M'dear when you found out that you're a witch."

"Well the first time I came here and grabbed hold of that wand. I felt something," Petunia said.

"No, that wasn't the firsts time. Think back farther. What was the first sign that Lily showed?"

Petunia couldn't think of anything. She looked up from her steaming cup of tea at Mr. Ollivander. He smiled at her, encouraging her to go back farther. He watched her eyes grow wide as she remembered. "Lily made something fly at me. It was a glass dish or something like that. I made it stop in mid air and it burst sending broken glass all over the kitchen. We both got cut, but Lily was really bleeding. I went to her to help her. I put a towel on her gash to stop the bleeding, but she cried out when I touched her. I had to take a piece of glass out of the cut, before I could stop the bleeding. The cut heeled before our eyes. We never told anyone about that day," Petunia was scared by that memory. She had spent so much time trying to forget.

"That's right, M'dear," he said. They talked over four more cups of tea. He told her all about the Wizarding world. Petunia listened with rapt attention.

It was starting to grow late as he led Petunia back into the main part of the store. "Do your remember what I promised you the last time you were here?" They were standing in front of the window that had the sign in it and one wand on a faded purple cushion.

"Yes. You said the next time I came in here, you would have my wand ready for me." Petunia was shaking. She was dying to feel the wand in her hand again.

"Yes, that is what I told you," he said. Petunia's heart sunk, she didn't have any money to buy the wand. Her disappointment must have shown on her face because Mr. Ollivander looked worried. "M'dear what is it?

Don't look so heart broken."

"I don't have any money for the wand!" she wailed, tears were threatening to spill down her checks.

"Oh pish, posh. Don't be silly!" He said merrily. Petunia watched as he took the purple cushion from the window, wand and all. "Sorry the cushion faded a bit, but the wand is as good as ever. I polished it once a week." He handed the wand to her.

"Go on, try it out. If my memory severs me, and I do believe that it does, you didn't get to test the wand when you were last here," he said.

"No Sir. Remus took it away before I had the chance," she replied. She didn't have to wave the wand around to know it was the one for her. She could feel it.

"Right, Remus Lupin. He must have sensed it. He is also one that I would say is special, but I can't tell you that story. You'll find out if you need to know. Now go on and give it a wave. I've kept you from your friend long enough."

At first Petunia didn't know whom he was talking about, but then she saw George sitting outside the shop with his back to them. Petunia lifted her hand high above her head, and brought her arm swishing down. Silver and gold sparks shot out of the wand. The sparks lit up the store, and so bright that George looked in through the window and could only see two silhouettes standing in front of a window. People came running thinking the building had blown up, most just ran away, not wanting to get hurt.

Petunia couldn't see, the light was so bright, she feared for her eyesight. Then the show of silver and gold died down, and was gone completely. "For Merlin's sake!" she cried.

"Pardon me?" Ollivander asked her.

"Um, nothing," she said. She was blinking her eyes trying to get them to focus, but they wouldn't. The bell sounded again. George came into the store.

"Are you all right Petunia? Mr. Ollivander?" George asked. They both nodded.

"Well, shall I wrap that wand up for you M'dear?" Petunia handed it to him. He put it in a spare box and wrapped it up for her. When he gave it back he suggested that they all go outside to get some fresh air. They walked over to the ice cream pallor, and Mr. Ollivander ordered them all an ice cream cone.

Petunia's eyes quickly adjusted to the light as she ate her ice cream. As soon as Mr. Ollivander finished his cone, he bid them farewell. He told Petunia not to use her wand until she had proper training. And then he left Petunia and George alone eating their dripping cones.

"So, um, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier." George didn't look at her when he apologized.

Petunia looked at him. He didn't sound like he was really sorry. Petunia knew that he had meant what he had said, but he had a point, and she knew it. "That's okay," she said. They finished their cones without talking.

They headed back towards the pub, walking a different way so Petunia could see more of the stores. "Does this place look like it did when you were first here?" Asked George.

"Oh no. Not at all."

"Really? What's different about it?"

"Well," said Petunia, "For starters the wand shop didn't use to be there. It was a few stores down. There was no ice cream parlor, the street didn't have as many turns, and that big white building over there was not in

Dragon Alley at all."

"What happened to make it all change?"

"Well, about a week after I came this evil wizard guy with a peculiar sounding name, Voldemort, or something like that-" George gasped, and he was staring at her with his mouth hanging open. "What?" asked Petunia confused "What did I say?"

"You said You-know-how's name, and you mocked him."

Now Petunia was really confused. Whose name? Voldemort?"

"Stop saying that name!" George practically bellowed at her. George could tell she had no idea what he was talking about, so he told her about him being the most feared dark wizard. "Not very many people will say his name. We call him You-know-who."

"That's silly," Petunia said laughing a bit. George laughed a bit too, but it was clear he didn't think it was that silly.

"Do you want to go anywhere before we leave? Maybe the robe store so you can have some robes to wear?"

"No, that's okay. I have some old robes that I wore to Lily's wedding.

That was the last time I saw her. I didn't bring the robes, I'll have to go home to get some things."

"All right." They made their way back to the Leaky Cauldron and used Floo Powder to get back to The Borrow.

* * *

Harry groaned, for what seemed like the hundredth time. He was awake, but he didn't remember ever waking up, or going to sleep. He put his hand to his head that ached, and he found a lump on it. He groaned again.

He sat up on the small sofa and looked around the room he was in. He had no idea where he was. He recognized nothing in the small room. He looked at the plane white walls, with a few photos on them. The people in the pictures moved a bit, but Harry didn't care, he wanted to know where he is. He looked at the odd objects covered in white sheets. He looked at the shabby furniture and Davey Gudgeon who was sitting in a chair next to the red sofa that Harry sat on.

"Hullo," Gudgeon said.

"Hi," Harry said.

"Do you know who I am? What about the Quidditch tryouts? Do you remember them?" Gudgeon asked Harry.

Harry's head felt foggy and he didn't know what to make of Gudgeon. Harry though he know him from somewhere, but he wasn't really sure, and that was what he told him.

"I see. My name is Davey Gudgeon-" Harry cut him off.

"Professor Lupin talked about you once. The Whomping Willow gave you that scar," Harry said triumphantly.

"Gudgeon looked surprised. "He did, did he?" Harry nodded. "Well the story about my eye is true, but I don't think I need to tell that story, saying that you already know it. But Harry, I want you to tell me everything you can remember about the Quidditch tryouts. I want to know everything you can remember."

Harry told him everything about the tryouts. As he got farther into the story about the tryouts, the memories became clearer and easier to describe. Gudgeon stopped Harry when he started to tell him about his encounter with the twins and Bill.

"How many people know that you were there, Harry?"

"Oh, just everybody who had come to the tryouts, and those three. They said they were going to come back for me on the second day of the tryouts. They promised not to tell anyone."

"I see." was all Gudgeon said for a moment. "Please continue, Harry," and Harry did. For about a half hour Harry talked, seldom interrupted. When he did finish his story, ending with falling of the carpet and knowing that he was safely hidden, his voice was raw.

"Sounds like you had quite a little ordeal, if I may say so Harry." He gave a gruff laugh. "I contacted Dumbledore. I sent him an owl before you woke up. You are welcome to stay here until Dumbledore comes to get you." Harry looked around the room again and saw no windows.

"Are you hungry Harry?" Harry shook his head no. Even though he couldn't remember the last meal he ate he wasn't the less bit hungry. "All right then. I have to go out for a while. I would like you to stay in this room; I don't want you wandering about until I get time to show you around. Perhaps you can get some much need rest?"

"All right." Harry didn't feel like poking around in Gudgeon home, even if he did have energy to drag himself for the sofa. Gudgeon bid Harry farewell, he then disappeared through a door that was across from Harry's place on the sofa. Gudgeon went into the room beyond the door to fast for Harry to see what lay beyond it. Harry could have sworn he heard a lock switch, locking him out. That did get Harry's interests.

Harry didn't want to sit on the sofa anymore, but he had to until he was sure that Gudgeon had left. When he was sure he was alone, Harry got up off the sofa and started to explore the room he was locked in. It turned out that, after a few minutes of poking around, Harry decide that the room wasn't that bad off a place to be stuck in. He found many wired things under the white sheets. Many of the things under the sheets, Harry had never seen before. Harry did, however recognize a Foe Mirror that was hidden. When Harry looked into the glass all he saw were whips of shadows, no real foes.

When Harry had finished peeking under each sheet he moved on to the pictures. Harry was shocked when he felt that he had been there before. Everything in the pictures brought back a hazy feeling, like memories hanging on the wall. He stood transfix looking at them. Not for the life of him could he bring the haze into a crisp memory, but yet he knew that he had been there, yet he couldn't think of a time he had ever gone to a party like that. Harry didn't think he had ever been to a party, besides the one the Weasley's gave him. After standing under the pictures for a long while he concluded that he had gone to a party like that with his mum and dad.

Harry crossed across the room; back over to the sofa to sit down he wished he knew what time at was. No clocks hung on the walls, or anywhere. Harry had gotten hungry, but he had no food. Harry got up off the sofa again and passed around the room.

He walked around and around the table. He stopped to look at the door that lead out of the room he was in. "I wonder..." Harry didn't finish his thought. He went over to the door and tugged on the doorknob. The door wouldn't budge. "Oh come on, open up," Harry whined, tugging on the doorknob again. To his surprise the door opened, and throw Harry backwards into the table.

"Well that's more like it," he said as he went into the room. As soon as he stepped into the room, the heat for the fire blasted him, making him gag. With the hot air came back all the memories of his dream. Harry staggered back out of the room like he was hit in the stomach.

When Gudgeon appeared in the fireplace by means of Floo Powder, Harry was sitting on the sofa where he could see into the next room. Gudgeon stared at him, and Harry glared back.

"I want to know who you are," Harry said fiercely. He no longer trusted Gudgeon. Gudgeon looked taken aback.

"What do you mean Harry?"

"You know what I mean." Harry said. "Getting by the Death Eaters, the dream, the guy you were talking to in the fire, and the memory charm"

"Harry, Harry. You should be on bended knee thanking me for getting you out of harm's way." He studied Harry. "But yes, I suppose you do have reason to be fearful of me."

"Why? What did you do? I want to know," Harry said. He got up off the sofa to face Gudgeon face on. The large table was between them, keep them a safe distance apart, or so Harry hoped. "Who were you talking too, the guy in the fire?"

"Don't worry about him, Harry. Why don't you tell me what got you so worked up." It wasn't a question, but a demand.

"No," Harry said. "You answer my question first. I want to know who you really are, and what kind of party that was that I dreamed about. The people were talking about the tryouts; they seemed to be planning something and the wanted to know if some one was there yet. They were talking about me, weren't they?"

"Come know Harry. Try to calm down," Gudgeon said. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, and he was wringing his hands. He started to move around the table to get to Harry, but Harry started to go around the table too.

"I will not calm down!" Harry thundered at Gudgeon. "Those people were in on what happened yesterday, or what ever day I was at the tryouts. You were in on it somehow. Was it your job to get me to that inn, to make sure I would be there when Voldemort showed up?" Harry was still yelling.

"So Harry, you must have gotten good at putting puzzles together when you don't have all the pieces. Those people in that dream they are all Death Eaters. That room in you dream, same as the one just beyond that door. Those pictures on the wall, there were taken that night you dreamed about. I had gone up in rank in the Death Eaters, so it was my duty to hold a get- together. I am working my way up the ranks.

"I was in charge to bring you to the tryouts, out of Dumbledore's reach, away from everything that protects you. I had sent to fellow Death Eaters to that party of yours to find some one you care about and curse that person. We used that girl, Hermione, to get at you. And you were easy to manipulate. You went there guilt ridden, physical and mentally fatigued, and pushed almost to the breaking point.

"We only needed you to get chewed out by that friend of yours. I've never seen a girl easier to control, or one so good at slapping the Boy Wonder in the face. We had to make it look like she was sorry for hitting you, so we made her collapse into a fit of tears. It worked rather well." Gudgeon was about to continue to tell Harry what they had done next, but Harry stopped him.

"Why do you all have to be such cowards? Even Voldemort is too afraid of a scrawny sixteen-year-old boy. He has to get stupid fools to do his bidding for him. Has to get fools like you to manipulate people who have nothing to do with it. If Voldemort really wanted to show off his powers, make everybody fear him, he would have come to find me himself."

"Harry, you should know that Voldemort has no intention to show his powers by getting ride of you. He wants you to join him. He has great plans for you." Gudgeon stayed perfectly calm.

"We didn't know if you had snapped yet when you had gone off to sleep, so your dear old friend Wormtail-"

Harry longed at him. He had tried to jump over they table to attack Gudgeon, who pulled out his wand. Gudgeon, using a spell shot Harry back into the sofa. "As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, Wormtail was distorting your dreams, but then that red head kid woke you up. Dumbledore had to put a sleeping charm on you.

"The two Death Eaters that were there had to come up with a new way to get you to that Inn. They came up with the idea to enchant that broom of yours. They made it so it would bring you to me. You didn't even have to think about where you were flying, all you know was that you had to leave. I believe you felt the dark magic that we were using, but you just put it out of your mind.

"Two times we thought we lost you, but as it turned out your were reading the paper, and the second time you were in a joke shop."

"You're lying!" Harry shouted, "The guy at the joke shop told me go to the inn, you and your Death Eaters had nothing to do with it!"

Gudgeon studied Harry. "You're wrong boy. True the owner of the joke shop told you to come to the Inn, we had nothing to do with that, but we did bring you there. It didn't matter where he told you to go, you would have gone to the Inn.

"After we had attacked, we spent hours trying to find you. We combed the grounds off the Inn. We know you were there, we saw you fall, but we weren't prepared to fight the overgrown underbrush that covered you."

"What about that dream? Did you do that too?" Harry was in a state of mind numbing shock.

"I was about to get to that Harry. Don't make me teach you a lesson. The food I gave you when you woke up, it was laced with a sleeping potion. The potion made you have that dream, but somehow it went wrong. The dream didn't go as planed. He-who-must-not-be-named never told me what was to happen.

"I had just come from a conference with him. He is ready for me to bring you to him. He warned me that the Imperius Curse doesn't work on you, so I've been told just to use force." Gudgeon walked over to Harry, who was to stunned to get off the sofa, he had nowhere to go. Using his wand, Gudgeon made ropes spring around Harry's wrist, and feet.

Gudgeon pulled Harry up to his feet. Harry could walk, the binds at his feet were so tight he could even creep along, but somehow they were standing in front of the fireplace. Gudgeon tossed Floo powder into the flames; he pulled Harry into the fire. Gudgeon spoke, but Harry didn't understand what he said, but he tried to remember what it sounded like.

As Harry was spinning he could feel Gudgeon tight grasp on his arm. Something knocked his arm, and it gave him an idea. Harry started to twist and wiggle. He yanked his arm out of Gudgeon grasp. Harry fell out of the Floo network, leaving Gudgeon to spin around until he reached Voldemort empty handed.

Harry fall out of a fireplace. He landed face down on a wood floor. A Wizarding family looked down at him form the table were they were eating a meal. "Untie me!" Harry yelled.



A/N: Oh, I'm so mean too you guys. I can never not end on a cliffhanger. Coming up soon: Can Harry elude the Death Eaters after escaping Gudgeon? Harry struggles to find not only a safe place where he can rest and get a good meal, but also one where his presence doesn't bring up any unwanted dinner guest. Petunia's return to Privet Drive, where she finds her dusty hope chest in the attic. Upon opening the chest, she not only finds the robes she wore at Lily's wedding, but a gift from her sister.

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