The house was silent. A dark figure appeared and blended into the shadow
across the street. Like a statue, unmoving, it stood for a half hour
before disappearing, melting suddenly away into the night as silently as it
had come.
***
Dumbledore sighed as he read over the letter for a second time. It was not the response he had hoped for. Hagrid and Madame Maxime had managed to contact a few giants, but they had not managed to gain much sympathy. Most of the giants did not want Voldemort in power, but they did not care enough to act. The matter of humans was of great unimportance to them, and from the sounds of Hagrid's letter the giants were about as accepting of Hagrid's human half as most people were of Hagrid's giant half.
Dumbledore sighed again. Not a habit to foster, he chided himself as he stood up. No use worrying about problems, best to move forward and do something about them. But there were so many worries even he was somewhat confused what step to take next. Pondering his options Dumbledore paced the floor in front of the fire. The floor there was worn. Many times had Dumbledore paced this spot, and before him many headmasters had paced there also. It was as if the energy of the room was slightly more concrete there, and each headmaster in his own time had been drawn there to pace, back and forth, whenever they were troubled.
Hagrid has been trying his best, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore himself had set up every anti-dementor protection possible, Sirius had collected Remus, they were getting the old gang together and would be ready for action soon, and Professor Snape. Well, Dumbledore admitted, Severus was bothering him most. He could not expect to hear from his potions master very often, but it had been a full six weeks since his last communication, and the last one had been on the grim side.
Dumbledore pulled his thoughts back again. The best thing to do now was to come up with a new strategy for Hagrid. He simply could not fail to win over the giants. With this new purpose, Dumbledore stopped pacing and sat back down at his desk, took out a new piece of parchment and a quill and began to write.
Scarcely had he finished when he heard movement outside his office. Alert, he moved silently over to the door, and listened. To his relief there was a knock, and a familiar voice.
"Professor Dumbledore sir," the voice said, "it's me, Arabella." Dumbledore opened the door smiling broadly.
"Ms. Figg, please come in, I was not expecting you until tomorrow at least."
"I know sir, I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait. I exploded at Sirius and Remus when I found out they waited a week before coming to get me. Not that they had much choice of course, with the moon and all.." Her voice faded as she looked at him sheepishly with her big brown eyes.
Dumbledore smiled even harder. Arabella had probably given them quite a tongue lashing. She had always been like that, so quick to anger. But she always felt bad afterwards, and it embarrassed her to admit one of her tantrums, so he did not linger on the subject. "How much did the pair decide to tell you?" he asked. It was the wrong question.
Her smile faded into a snarl and the color in her cheeks flushed. "Not bloody much." She barked at him. "You'd think," she said, her voice getting louder which each word. "You would THINK, that after all these years showing up at my door, Remus and SIRIUS, an escaped CRIMINAL!"
She had really worked herself up now, her fists were clenched tightly and her teeth were bared "Even WITH your letter I was a little unsure, but I didn't have much choice really, you know. I mean who else would know about mum."
At this point she stopped abruptly and looked up at Dumbledore, who had quietly retreated behind his desk, ginning at her.
"Sorry." She apologized for the second time that night. "I guess it has been rather stressful these last few days. I don't mean to yell at you." She looked unsure into Dumbledore's eyes.
He had the insane desire to hug her. She was so passionate, but she had never quite gotten control over her temper. She had never been as close to him as some other of her friends, but he had, for many reasons, always thought of her as his grandchild. He could never tell her though, she was not an outgoing woman (he could see she was no longer a child) and her confidences were few, and hard earned.
"My dear, I do not mind at all, I assume they told you nothing."
"Only that Voldemort had returned, and that you needed to see me as soon as possible." She seemed to have regained control because she said this calmly as if they were taking about the weather. "I saw your letter was dated so long ago, I came as quickly as I could. I hope I didn't come to late."
The worry was written plainly on her face, and on closer inspection Dumbledore noted that there were bags under her eyes, and her robes were quite dirty and torn.
"There is no need to worry, if those two trouble makers had taken the time to explain you would know that there was no emergency." He caught a flicker of guilt in her face.
"They might have mentioned the fact.." She practically whispered.
"Hmmm" Dumbledore said thoughtfully, quickly looking down. He fussed with the papers on his desk, trying to hide the amused smile. She had not changed these 11 years. "Well," he said clearing his throat "I assume you have many questions, but it is too late for you to start my inquisition tonight. May I request a few hours of rest before you begin?"
She smiled inwardly; he had always been like that, joking. If Albus Dumbledore was ever serious when it was not absolutely necessary she would eat herself. "Yes of course Professor, sir." She replied formally to him out of habit.
"Arabella, you must call me Albus," he said kindly, walking over to a door that she had not even noticed. She probably was not supposed to have noticed it she realized. The most obvious things in the wizarding world are the ones most often missed. He opened the door and motioned her through to a small cozy room with a friendly fireplace with an armchair in front, a wardrobe, a small table with two chairs, and a single bed. Her few hastily packed things had been brought up by the house elves.
"It's not much, but there is a bathroom through that door, and it is safe." He said, watching for her reaction.
To his surprise her face lit up with a large smile. She walked over to him and placed her hand delicately on his shoulder.
"Thank you Albus, you know how much this means to me."
"Goodnight my dear, it is wonderful to have you back," and he slipped quietly out the door, shutting it behind him.
Well, at least one thing had gone right tonight. Sirius and Remus had made it as far Arabella's house without mishap. With any luck he would be getting an owl from Fletcher, as well as Sirius and Remus in person. Dumbledore added a quick P.S. on his letter to Hagrid and tied the letter to the owl who had been perching quietly in the corner. Not even a minute passed from when the owl carrying Hagrid's letter left, that a new owl flew into the room and took up the place on the perch. Quickly cleaning up his quill and ink Dumbledore yawned. He had not been sleeping very well, but tonight he may finally get some rest. With a final glance around the office, making sure everything was in place he turned to the portrait of a sleeping lord. "Truffle cream" he said, and the lord opened one eye lazily as the portrait swung open.
"Another late night?" Lord Dennis asked as Dumbledore began to shut the portrait.
"Yes," he answered, "but it seems as if things are finally looking up"
Lord Dennis did not answer; he had already fallen back asleep.
***
Miles away Harry Potter stirred uneasily in his bed. He had been tossing and turning ever since he had lain down to sleep. It's not as if he wasn't tired. After a week full of Dudley's new Exercise Program Harry was exhausted. The diet Dudley had been put on last summer had not quite done the trick, and the school nurse had written a threatening note along with a new exercise program that, unfortunately for Harry, involved Dudley waking up very early in the morning for a "light jog."
To Harry's surprise Aunt Petunia had not insisted that Harry jog as well, but Harry soon realized that, like it or not, if Dudley was suffering he would be suffering too. Each morning at five a small earthquake woke Harry as Petunia wrestled Dudley out of bed. The screaming he might learn to ignore, but accompanied with the shaking of the entire house as Dudley threw his temper tantrum Harry was never able to sleep past five.
At first Harry had enjoyed Dudley's early morning excursions. The sight of his bony Aunt and his marshmallow cousin in matching gray jogging suits was too much for Harry to handle. But at some point the novelty had worn off. Harry, forced to stay up late finishing his homework for school and then waking up to a mini earthquake everyday, was starting to feel a bit sleep deprived. So tonight he had decided to skip the homework and get a full night's sleep.
Unfortunately for Harry, he tossed in his bed all night. He felt chills running up and down his spine as if someone was watching him. Finally unable to lie still he got up out of his bed and walked to the window overlooking Privet drive. It was quiet, nothing was moving. Harry turned away from the window, but stopped as something caught his eye. For a split second he had thought he saw someone in the shadows.
Harry looked piercingly into the shadow, but he saw nothing. He must have imagined it. Shivering again he sat back down on his bed and grabbed his book "Flying with the Cannons" to take his mind off of the dark image. After five minutes of turning the pages blankly Harry decided he might as well use his time wisely. He got out his History of Magic book, lay back on his bed, and started reading about the Goblin rebellions of 1823. He fell asleep within 2 minutes.
***
Dumbledore sighed as he read over the letter for a second time. It was not the response he had hoped for. Hagrid and Madame Maxime had managed to contact a few giants, but they had not managed to gain much sympathy. Most of the giants did not want Voldemort in power, but they did not care enough to act. The matter of humans was of great unimportance to them, and from the sounds of Hagrid's letter the giants were about as accepting of Hagrid's human half as most people were of Hagrid's giant half.
Dumbledore sighed again. Not a habit to foster, he chided himself as he stood up. No use worrying about problems, best to move forward and do something about them. But there were so many worries even he was somewhat confused what step to take next. Pondering his options Dumbledore paced the floor in front of the fire. The floor there was worn. Many times had Dumbledore paced this spot, and before him many headmasters had paced there also. It was as if the energy of the room was slightly more concrete there, and each headmaster in his own time had been drawn there to pace, back and forth, whenever they were troubled.
Hagrid has been trying his best, Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore himself had set up every anti-dementor protection possible, Sirius had collected Remus, they were getting the old gang together and would be ready for action soon, and Professor Snape. Well, Dumbledore admitted, Severus was bothering him most. He could not expect to hear from his potions master very often, but it had been a full six weeks since his last communication, and the last one had been on the grim side.
Dumbledore pulled his thoughts back again. The best thing to do now was to come up with a new strategy for Hagrid. He simply could not fail to win over the giants. With this new purpose, Dumbledore stopped pacing and sat back down at his desk, took out a new piece of parchment and a quill and began to write.
Scarcely had he finished when he heard movement outside his office. Alert, he moved silently over to the door, and listened. To his relief there was a knock, and a familiar voice.
"Professor Dumbledore sir," the voice said, "it's me, Arabella." Dumbledore opened the door smiling broadly.
"Ms. Figg, please come in, I was not expecting you until tomorrow at least."
"I know sir, I'm sorry, but I couldn't wait. I exploded at Sirius and Remus when I found out they waited a week before coming to get me. Not that they had much choice of course, with the moon and all.." Her voice faded as she looked at him sheepishly with her big brown eyes.
Dumbledore smiled even harder. Arabella had probably given them quite a tongue lashing. She had always been like that, so quick to anger. But she always felt bad afterwards, and it embarrassed her to admit one of her tantrums, so he did not linger on the subject. "How much did the pair decide to tell you?" he asked. It was the wrong question.
Her smile faded into a snarl and the color in her cheeks flushed. "Not bloody much." She barked at him. "You'd think," she said, her voice getting louder which each word. "You would THINK, that after all these years showing up at my door, Remus and SIRIUS, an escaped CRIMINAL!"
She had really worked herself up now, her fists were clenched tightly and her teeth were bared "Even WITH your letter I was a little unsure, but I didn't have much choice really, you know. I mean who else would know about mum."
At this point she stopped abruptly and looked up at Dumbledore, who had quietly retreated behind his desk, ginning at her.
"Sorry." She apologized for the second time that night. "I guess it has been rather stressful these last few days. I don't mean to yell at you." She looked unsure into Dumbledore's eyes.
He had the insane desire to hug her. She was so passionate, but she had never quite gotten control over her temper. She had never been as close to him as some other of her friends, but he had, for many reasons, always thought of her as his grandchild. He could never tell her though, she was not an outgoing woman (he could see she was no longer a child) and her confidences were few, and hard earned.
"My dear, I do not mind at all, I assume they told you nothing."
"Only that Voldemort had returned, and that you needed to see me as soon as possible." She seemed to have regained control because she said this calmly as if they were taking about the weather. "I saw your letter was dated so long ago, I came as quickly as I could. I hope I didn't come to late."
The worry was written plainly on her face, and on closer inspection Dumbledore noted that there were bags under her eyes, and her robes were quite dirty and torn.
"There is no need to worry, if those two trouble makers had taken the time to explain you would know that there was no emergency." He caught a flicker of guilt in her face.
"They might have mentioned the fact.." She practically whispered.
"Hmmm" Dumbledore said thoughtfully, quickly looking down. He fussed with the papers on his desk, trying to hide the amused smile. She had not changed these 11 years. "Well," he said clearing his throat "I assume you have many questions, but it is too late for you to start my inquisition tonight. May I request a few hours of rest before you begin?"
She smiled inwardly; he had always been like that, joking. If Albus Dumbledore was ever serious when it was not absolutely necessary she would eat herself. "Yes of course Professor, sir." She replied formally to him out of habit.
"Arabella, you must call me Albus," he said kindly, walking over to a door that she had not even noticed. She probably was not supposed to have noticed it she realized. The most obvious things in the wizarding world are the ones most often missed. He opened the door and motioned her through to a small cozy room with a friendly fireplace with an armchair in front, a wardrobe, a small table with two chairs, and a single bed. Her few hastily packed things had been brought up by the house elves.
"It's not much, but there is a bathroom through that door, and it is safe." He said, watching for her reaction.
To his surprise her face lit up with a large smile. She walked over to him and placed her hand delicately on his shoulder.
"Thank you Albus, you know how much this means to me."
"Goodnight my dear, it is wonderful to have you back," and he slipped quietly out the door, shutting it behind him.
Well, at least one thing had gone right tonight. Sirius and Remus had made it as far Arabella's house without mishap. With any luck he would be getting an owl from Fletcher, as well as Sirius and Remus in person. Dumbledore added a quick P.S. on his letter to Hagrid and tied the letter to the owl who had been perching quietly in the corner. Not even a minute passed from when the owl carrying Hagrid's letter left, that a new owl flew into the room and took up the place on the perch. Quickly cleaning up his quill and ink Dumbledore yawned. He had not been sleeping very well, but tonight he may finally get some rest. With a final glance around the office, making sure everything was in place he turned to the portrait of a sleeping lord. "Truffle cream" he said, and the lord opened one eye lazily as the portrait swung open.
"Another late night?" Lord Dennis asked as Dumbledore began to shut the portrait.
"Yes," he answered, "but it seems as if things are finally looking up"
Lord Dennis did not answer; he had already fallen back asleep.
***
Miles away Harry Potter stirred uneasily in his bed. He had been tossing and turning ever since he had lain down to sleep. It's not as if he wasn't tired. After a week full of Dudley's new Exercise Program Harry was exhausted. The diet Dudley had been put on last summer had not quite done the trick, and the school nurse had written a threatening note along with a new exercise program that, unfortunately for Harry, involved Dudley waking up very early in the morning for a "light jog."
To Harry's surprise Aunt Petunia had not insisted that Harry jog as well, but Harry soon realized that, like it or not, if Dudley was suffering he would be suffering too. Each morning at five a small earthquake woke Harry as Petunia wrestled Dudley out of bed. The screaming he might learn to ignore, but accompanied with the shaking of the entire house as Dudley threw his temper tantrum Harry was never able to sleep past five.
At first Harry had enjoyed Dudley's early morning excursions. The sight of his bony Aunt and his marshmallow cousin in matching gray jogging suits was too much for Harry to handle. But at some point the novelty had worn off. Harry, forced to stay up late finishing his homework for school and then waking up to a mini earthquake everyday, was starting to feel a bit sleep deprived. So tonight he had decided to skip the homework and get a full night's sleep.
Unfortunately for Harry, he tossed in his bed all night. He felt chills running up and down his spine as if someone was watching him. Finally unable to lie still he got up out of his bed and walked to the window overlooking Privet drive. It was quiet, nothing was moving. Harry turned away from the window, but stopped as something caught his eye. For a split second he had thought he saw someone in the shadows.
Harry looked piercingly into the shadow, but he saw nothing. He must have imagined it. Shivering again he sat back down on his bed and grabbed his book "Flying with the Cannons" to take his mind off of the dark image. After five minutes of turning the pages blankly Harry decided he might as well use his time wisely. He got out his History of Magic book, lay back on his bed, and started reading about the Goblin rebellions of 1823. He fell asleep within 2 minutes.