A/N: Once again, I am bothering to thank everyone who is still reading this story. I would like to thank Giesbrecht for also pointing out that The Creeveys were actually muggles. This officially makes me the only person in the world who has forgotten that point. As I asked in chapter Seven, please ignore that little error. As for the other errors that Giesbrecht pointed out, I will be going back to correct them.
Chapter 15: Manchester
Dennis Oakley sat in class, trying to do two things at once. He was failing in his efforts to pay attention to the teacher, who was proving that you did not have to be dead to make History boring. The second thing was to figure out how send a message to his family. He was failing in that as well. Then he heard his name called, as Jennifer whispered 1862. He called out, "1862," and went back to his thoughts. He didn't even hear the teacher comment that he was paying attention after all.
After class, Jennifer asked him what his problem was. Then she asked again, to show that she did want to know. Dennis tried to explain without telling her the actual problem, and Jennifer smiled.
"So, you want to go somewhere where people will recognize you, but you don't want them to know who you are. Do I have that right?" She asked him.
"That's about it," Dennis said, without a smile.
"That's easy," Jennifer said, "but if you want me to tell you, you have to tell me the truth."
"What truth?"
"Your great dark secret, that no one can know about."
"I don't have any secrets."
"OK, then what is your real name?" Jennifer laughed at his reaction. "Dennis, you are so easy to read. We all know that you're hiding something. Even my brother knows, and he's only eight."
"It'll only cause you trouble," Dennis said.
"Good," Jennifer said, "You're invited to dinner tonight, and you can tell me then."
*
"And you must be Dennis," the old man said when he answered the door. "I am Jennifer's Grandfather, if you remember."
"Yes, Sir," said Dennis, warily.
"Good. Come in then." The old man held the door open for the boy to enter.
Dennis said hello to Jennifer, who then introduced him formally to Grandfather Aaron. Then she led him to the kitchen, where the three sat down.
"You will now tell us why I lied to a government man," Aaron said, smiling as Dennis gave him a confused look. "Two weeks ago, a not very nice man started asking questions about you. I interrupted the people he was talking to, and asked if you had run away again. That got his attention, and he began to ask me some very interesting questions." Aaron paused to see what reaction his statement would bring.
"What kind of questions?" Dennis asked. Aaron and Jennifer both noticed that Dennis was very frightened.
"Questions about your name. Was it always Oakley? Had I ever heard the name Creevey." Dennis paled on hearing that. "I lied and said yes to the first question, but I told him the truth and said no to the second question. Then the man asked a very strange question. He wanted to know if you had always had blond hair. I told him no, that when you were born you were bald. He laughed politely, then cursed under his breath, and left. Now, Mr. Dennis who is not this Creevey, Why did I lie?"
Jennifer reached out and took Dennis by the hand, trying to smile. Dennis looked back and tried to return the smile. "They're after me, because of what I did," he said.
"Did you kill anyone?" Aaron asked.
"No," Dennis answered in surprise, "I flew up and saved Hermione, and . . . " Dennis faltered as he realized what he had just said.
"What do you mean, 'flew?'" Jennifer asked, "like Superman?"
"Who?" Dennis asked, causing Jennifer to groan, and her grandfather to laugh.
"Dennis, Creevey or Oakley," Aaron said, in a stern voice, "You will now tell us everything, because you know we are you friends, and we will help you."
Dennis nodded, and to his surprise began to do just that. He talked for almost two hours, with little interruption, concluding on the note that his parents, the Oakleys, did not believe him either, until recently. He watched Jennifer for most of the time, as her look gradually changed from unbelieving to a glassy stare. Her grandfather listened carefully to him the entire time, asking an occasional question for clarification. As Dennis finished, Aaron stood up and filled the tea kettle, putting it on the stove.
"When the tea is ready, we will talk," Aaron said, and then furrowed his brow in thought. A few minutes later, the three were drinking their tea, and Aaron began, "You have an active imagination, young man, and that is a good thing. I believe you, but only for one reason, Superman."
"I told you, I don't know who he is," Dennis reminded him.
"And that is why I believe you," Aaron said. "You have a simple problem, as it is, and, with help it can be easily solved. Jennifer told me earlier, and she has the right of it. You look differently enough that if people who know you do not look closely, they will not recognize you. All you need is to take someone with you, and let everyone look at him instead. You talked about going to the magic marketplace, Diagon Alley. Why don't you bring your muggle grandfather? His reaction to all these new sights will definitely attract attention. We make our purchases, and we leave. The Holiday break begins after school is over tomorrow. We could go as early as Saturday."
Dennis stared in awe at the old man. He had outlined the solution and even offered his services to help. He glanced at his girlfriend and saw that Jennifer was also looking at her grandfather in admiration. He looked back, and asked Aaron a simple question, "Why?" then added, "Why are you helping me? Why do you even believe me?"
Aaron stared at the boy, and said, "We help you because you need help. Jennifer believes you because I do, and I believe you because I once refused to believe that a government would hurt its own people." The old man unbuttoned his cuff, and pulled his shirt sleeve up to reveal a faded tattoo of numbers. Dennis did not understand what it meant, but he felt a chill run down his spine.
*
Mary Oakley was having a hard time dealing with events. Will had been in Iceland for the past two weeks, monitoring seismic disturbances under some glacier. He had talked the university into letting him bring an assistant with him, and then he asked Ron to go. Mary almost hit the wall, when Will told her why. The disturbances began at the same time that Ron said his hobbit appeared.
Will thought it was too much of a coincidence, and wanted Ron there on the off chance that his story was true. Will then added that Ron agreed, if he was wrong about this, to prove magic was real, or go into therapy. Mary thought the last part was a good sign, that Ron was offering to confront his problem.
Mary was amused by the code Will told her about. If Ron turned out to be right, he would tell Dennis that the trip was exciting. If he was wrong, the trip was boring. That was fine as far as she was concerned. Then things began to get strange.
Just after Will and Ron left, a man started asking around about Dennis, but old Mr. Schmidt said he had gotten rid of him. Then he said, "All of us must keep our eyes open." Mary decided not to bring it up with Dennis, since the old man was not going to say anything, but she began to get paranoid.
Yesterday, Dennis said he HAD to go to Jennifer's house for dinner. He came home with Mr. Schmidt, who told her he had offered to take Dennis Christmas shopping on Saturday. Mary had to demand an explanation for the unusual offer. After all, old Jewish men, to her knowledge, did not celebrate Christmas. She was not prepared for his answer. Dennis said that the old man believed him.
Now, she had to deal with the blow that struck her hardest. Will had call, saying "Mary, I have to read you the press release we're about to send out. The Nordic Volcanic Institute announced that the Grimsvotn Volcano erupted today, December 18, 1998, at 9:20 local time. The Grimsvotn is a subglacial volcano in the Vatnajokull Ice Cap . . ." He concluded the phone call by saying in a somber voice that both he and Ron were very excited.
Mary had written down the information, and thanked Will. She then cried until Dennis came home. Magic was real. Dennis was telling the truth. When Dennis arrived, he asked what was wrong and she pointed to the message.
She calmed down once she had to start talking to Dennis, and adjusted to the situation with speed. Once she accepted magic, everything else was easy to deal with.
"Dennis, do you still want to go through with your plan?" Mary asked.
"I have to, now," he answered.
"And you do know what to do?" she asked.
"Yes, Mom," Dennis said, and then stopped. "It's over, isn't it?" he asked.
"Not yet," Mary said, and then sat next to him. "What I hope, Dennis, is that we can get you back to your family as soon as possible. I love you enough to want that."
Mary hugged her son and prayed that everything would work out. She could survive, even thrive on the fact of his returning to his real parents. What she feared was that the men who were looking for him might find him first.
*
They were as well prepared as they could be. Dennis had touched up his dyed hair, and worked it to a different style. Jennifer did the same, so they would look as much like a brother and sister as possible. She also practiced calling him Kyle. To be safe he would be called by her brother's name. Grandfather only had to be himself, which was a harder job than he wanted to admit. He also had to act amazed, which turned out to be easier than he thought.
The first thing after arriving in London, was to find a parking space near enough to where they wanted to go, but not too near. Then Dennis led them to The Leaky Cauldron. Aaron Schmidt started to object that they were walking into a wall, when it suddenly became a doorway. He was in a strange looking pub, with people in robes, and pictures that moved. He stammered, "Mien Gott," as he looked around, then heard Dennis/Kyle calling him. He looked down at the boy and said, "I was warned but this is still a surprise"
"You're a muggle, then," the bartender said with a grin, "the name's Tom, if you need anything."
"Thank you," Aaron said. He heard some whispered remarks against him, and a few retorts back at the complainers. "Could I have some water, Please? And directions to . . ."
"Diagon Alley, Grandfather," Jennifer reminded him.
"Yes," Aaron said, then taking the water, said to Tom, "I volunteered to take them shopping. I am sorry to make a scene."
"S'alright," said Tom, "It was fun watching your reaction." The bartender took a break, and led them to the back, opening the gateway for them. Diagon Alley appeared, and their adventure began.
Grandfather Aaron stood out like a sore thumb. Everyone looked as he stared in awe around him. They laugh, most in a kindly way. A few people even helped him, by giving explanations about things that he would stop to look at. Jennifer hung close to him, as though to help him, but more for support. It was all new for her as well, yet she tried to act as though she was used to it. Dennis walked next to her, whispering whenever a familiar face appeared. Most of them barely glanced back at him, but would look at Grandfather. He was an excellent distraction.
At one point, Cho Chang noticed them, and stopped to offer some help. Dennis, out of fear, stood still and said nothing. Jennifer, trying to be helpful, said, "Grandfather, This is Cho Chang, she's the captain of Ravenclaw's Quidditch team."
Dennis almost died. Cho Chang replied politely to Grandfather's question about 'that flying game.' She apologized for not recognizing Jennifer, who said she was Jenny Stillwell, a Hufflepuff. Cho smiled politely when she said that, but excused herself, and left.
"I'm sorry I opened my mouth," Jennifer said, "I thought if I said something she wouldn't look at you. Dennis, what did I say wrong, at the end there."
"I didn't think to tell you," Dennis said to her and Aaron, "She used to have a boyfriend, Cedric, who was the captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team. He was killed in the spring of last year by, uh, the man I told you about. And Harry Potter, the boy I told you about, was supposed to be her new boyfriend. I guess you reminded her of old times."
"Isn't this fun," Grandfather said in a bitter tone, "all of this wonderful magic."
As they approached the bank, they passed by a stall set up outside a small shop. A hand reached out and said, "Do you need a wand?"
Jennifer shrieked as the wand handed to her suddenly became a dead rat.
"Only eight Sickles, three for a Galleon," a red-haired man said, picking up the dead rat which became a wand again.
He glanced over at Dennis, who found himself staring right at George Weasley. The first thought that passed through his mind was, "It could be Fred."
"And how about you, young gentleman," George said, suddenly, "you liked the joke we played on your sister. You will love the things we have to show you." George grabbed his arm and pulled him into the store. He led the way as he walked them through the small shop, making it a point to say, "Your order is right back here, Sir, if you and your children will follow me. If you want to get rid of them, I could give you a good price."
No one gave them a second glance, not even the clerks behind the counter. As they walked into the back, George closed the door, and called for his brother. Fred appeared out of a small office, and stared at Dennis. "What the hell are you doing here? Where's Ron?"
"Excuse me," Aaron began to say, "but . . ."
"You're a muggle," Fred said with a grin. He looked at the girl and said, "so are you. But I like the dye jobs, you do a good sibling act. So, Dennis, Where's Ron?"
"I can't tell you, but he's fine," Dennis said.
"He doesn't know," George said to Fred, then asked Dennis, "Have you and Ron stayed in touch with anyone?"
"No, we couldn't," Dennis said, "But I've got to get a message to Harry Potter. We came to buy an owl. Could we borrow yours?"
"Can't chance it," Fred told him, "besides, it will be quicker to buy one. Ours is out on delivery right now. So you have money?"
"We are on the way to the bank," Aaron said, "We will exchange our currency for yours, and then go shopping."
"Don't," George said, "Goblins can be very suspicious. We'll give you a small loan . . . until things get settled."
George and Fred handed over a good number of Galleons, enough for a family doing Holiday shopping. They gave them tips on where to shop and what places to avoid as they made their way to the Owl Emporium. As the three turned to leave, Aaron asked to speak with the twins, alone. As Dennis and Jennifer waited, the three went into the small office.
"I need to know," Aaron said, "what it is that Dennis does not know."
Fred and George looked at each other, "His parents," George said, shaking his head. "His brother is fine," Fred told him, "He was rescued."
Aaron nodded, hiding the anger he felt at the enemy he could not fight. "I will have his. . . ." He stopped before he said the word 'Mother.' Instead he said, "When Dennis fled, he was in bad shape. He was taken in by a couple, who have been treating him like their own. I will have Mary break the news to him. If it is safe, here is his address. He would like to see his brother, and his brother will have a new home as well."
As he stepped back into the storage room, he said, "I do need to buy something. It would look funny if I walked out with nothing."
George and Fred threw together a small box of things and wished them a lot of fun. As a parting gift, George handed Jennifer a small bag, saying, "Sweets for the sweet."
"They're Canary Creams," Dennis said, "You should wait until you get home before you try them, and I would be careful, even then."
Relieved of two burdens, the trio headed toward the emporium. Aaron, as the muggle grandfather, continued to attract attention, and they ended up having a wonderful time. Jennifer did cause a small scene by trying one of the small pastries she was given, which not only embarrassed her, but caused a good number of shoppers to rush to F & G Jokesters, International.
Jennifer also caused a small scene at Eyelops Owl Emporium when she wanted to buy a cat, but she was persuaded not to by Dennis, who let her choose the owl. She picked a Great Horned Owl which had a reddish hue. At the last minute, she forced her grandfather's hand, and ended up with a white kitten. As they headed out with their packages, Aaron suggested that Dennis get a gift for his brother, just in case. They made a short stop at the book store for a book on photography.
Jennifer hugged her kitten, trying to pick a name. She decided to ask Dennis, remembering to call him Kyle, and he said he didn't know, but he knew what he was going to call the reddish brown owl, "Manchester."
"You like them, don't you," Aaron chided.
Dennis nodded, "I've even seen them play. Too bad Sheffield won."
Before they left, Dennis took the owl out of its cage, and gave it the message, after adding a hasty postscript. He then whispered to the owl to find Harry Potter, and to stay with him in case he needed to send a message to anyone. The owl nodded, and flew off. Dennis sighed in relief, knowing he had done all he could.
The three, four counting the cat, left and returned to their car. They managed to pull it off, with unexpected help, and no one spotted them. As they drove back to Cambridge, a man standing just inside Gringotts Bank looked at his watch. No one on his short list appeared, again, nor did any unusual costumers (like a muggle grandfather). He would report to his master, once more, that he had nothing to report.
*
Mary greeted the three upon their return, sitting with Aaron as the two teenagers went to the Den to look over the things in the box that Fred and George gave them. There were occasional noises and small explosions, always followed by laughter. Neither adult smiled, however.
Mary was reading the back issue of the Daily Prophet that had been slipped into Aaron's pocket. Aaron had looked at the headline, and that was enough for him. The headline was, "Creevey's Murdered, Imprisoned, Lost." The article told, in sensational detail, of the discovery of the body of Dennis's father, and of the remnants of his mother. It went on to tell about his brother being thrown into Azkaban without trial, followed by a graphic description of what Azkaban was like. The article concluded in an ominous tone, saying that Dennis was still missing, and was probably dead.
"I was told that his brother was rescued," Aaron said, "and I took the risk of trusting the people who told me. If it is safe, they will contact you."
Mary crushed the paper, and threw it away. "I'll have to tell him," she said, wishing Will was home. "How do you tell someone that they can never go home again?"
Aaron reached over and grabbed her hand. "Madame Psychologist, take your own advice. Let him know, first, that he is home, and that he is does not have to deal with this alone. I remember someone giving that advice to me, when my wife passed away."
Mary smiled, and asked, "When did you become so wise?"
"I didn't," Aaron answered, "but I have wise friends, and I am smart enough to listen."
*
Jennifer was confused by her grandfather's insistence that they leave, although she was to know why, soon enough. As he said goodbye, Mary came up behind Dennis and put her arms around him. "I love you," she said, "I want you to know that." She took a deep breath and said, "We received word about your family."
*
It was two days before Christmas, when there was a knock at the door. Mary opened the door to see a teenaged boy and an old man. "Mrs. Oakley?" the man asked, smiling, "My name is Albus Dumbledore."
"I've heard all about you, Professor Dumbledore," Mary said.
"Albus, please."
"Albus it is, and you must be Colin. We've been expecting you." Mary ushered the two inside and then called out, "Dennis, you have company."
The sullen blond boy walked down the stairs, and saw who was standing there. He jumped the last few steps and rushed into his brother's arms. Mary wiped her eyes at the reunion, letting the two boys have a quiet moment. As the silence grew, Albus looked around the room.
"What a beautiful tree you have," he said, walking to it, and giving the two brothers their privacy.
Mary followed, thanking Albus for his kind words. "I've always thought of Christmas trees as pictures of hope. Things might be bad, but if I can have a tree, I feel that I can make the future brighter as well."
"What a beautiful thought," Albus said, "I will always look at Christmas trees in a different light"
"Mom's a psychologist," Mary heard Dennis say, "She always talks like that."
"Mom?" she heard Colin ask.
Mary turned around and said, "We've given your brother a home here, Colin. He's become a part of our family. We've also got a place for you, if you want, and for as long as you want."
Colin looked at her and then at Dennis, who gave him a red-faced smile.
"Dennis," Mary said, "Why don't you show Colin your room, while the two old people talk. And Colin, if you like, he can show you your room as well."
As the two left, Marry sighed. It was a rocky start, but it was a start. "I have so many questions, Professor, I mean Albus. Is it really safe for Dennis, now?"
"Not really," Albus said, "But soon it will be, or it won't matter."
"I gave Dennis the message to send," Mary said, "and I assume it was received. My husband is there, with Ron."
"And the Ring will be on its way, soon," Albus assured her, "unfortunately, the ones that Dennis was hiding from are still active. I do hope for the best."
"Should we hope?"
"Always. But I understand what you mean. I think we have a very good chance. I will tell you that, in the midst of all of this, between us and them, there is a third party, and he has plans of his own. The ring, however, interferes with his plans, whatever they might be. I feel assured because he has stepped in on our behalf, when we needed help, and now he has taken a back seat."
Mary gave a critical laugh, "You are confident of beating one enemy, because another enemy thinks you will. Why?"
"Because he is powerful, in his own way," Albus answered, "And, for a brief time, he wore the Ring of Power. Yet, now, he has placed himself so that, regardless of what happens, he will never come in contact with the ring again. Unless it is on someone else's hand. That is why I trust someone who cannot be trusted."
"Albus," Mary said, "I trust you because my . . . son . . . trusts you, and I pray that you are right. Would you like some tea?"
The two shared stories about the two boys upstairs. Albus described Dennis practicing his quidditch, and in turn listened as Mary told him how the frightened boy opened up, and took to playing football, noting that the perfect gift for him would be a red shirt, especially if it had the Manchester logo on it. Albus chuckled and said it explained the name of the owl.
As the day grew late, Albus invited Mary to bring Dennis to the school for Christmas Dinner, telling her it would give her a good view of what she would be getting into. She paused, and agreed, asking if she could impose and invite two others as well. Albus agreed, and said he would be in touch by way of the fireplace, and that Dennis could explain.
Dennis and Colin were called down, and Colin was asked to stay, at least through Christmas. He reluctantly agreed, annoyed that Dennis wouldn't be returning to the school, at least until after the holidays. Albus asked to speak to Dennis privately, giving Mary a knowing smile. Mary took Colin into the kitchen, grabbing the every ready tea pot.
"Colin, can I ask you a question?"
"What is it?" he asked coldly.
"It has to do with Dennis, and you I guess. Because of circumstances, we never talked about his, about your parents, except when I had to tell him what happened. What were they like?"
"What do you mean?" Colin asked suspiciously.
"I know from Dennis that you were very close, and I know he misses them, greatly. I only want to know what they were like. For example, did they have a tree for Christmas."
"Of course they did?"
"What was it like?" Mary asked as she poured two cups of tea. "After all, the two of you are from a wizarding family. Your tree must have been different from what I have."
"Well," said Colin, hoping that Dennis would show up, "We had lights, but not strings of them. My father would place candles around the tree," Colin said, thinking back, "each candle would be a different color, and they would float around the tree. Dennis and I would try to figure out the pattern but we never could."
Colin paused, and looked at Mary. "No one asks about my parents," he said, his eyes growing moist.
"I don't know why," Mary said, "You've only told me one thing about them, and it makes me want to know more."
Dennis came in to find them talking about Christmas, and he joined in as well, sharing some memories of his own. They talked late into the night.