The moment Lucius Apparated out, Mad-Eye Moody burst into the room only to watch them turn to regard him as one who was always the last person to arrive. They could see Moody's face slacken in disgust at having one of the inner circle escape.
"I wish I could get just one of those inner circle buggers.. ", moody said forlornly. Dumbledore returned a look of sympathy to Moody. He turned to Harry and smiled. "You have done well and bravely today, Harry. I doubt some of our best Aurors could have pulled off a more daring rescue attempt", dumbledore turned to Charlie and Bill. Both blushed and looked saddened by what they ended up doing. "What are you doing here?", Harry asked Bill and Charlie. They both looked to him and saw a nervous Harry looking at them like a small lost child. "We were coming to surprise you and take you to a Quidditch match that was on in sussex.", bill replied. Harry then had a disastrous thought. "Where is Ron? Why isn't he here now? He wouldn't miss a Quidditch match for anything.", Harry's eyes started to water in panic. "Harry, Ron and Hermione were with us in the van when we were coming." "Are they ok?", Harry barked. Not waiting for an answer, Harry burst through the Weasleys and the aurors and ran out to the front of the house. He promptly fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Ron was lying on a stretcher beside Hermione and the Dursleys and four body bags with the dead death eaters and three other stretches for the ones beaten and battered by his Quidditch Bludgers. Medi-Wizards were treating them both for the injuries they sustained in their drive-in assault. "All because of me.. 'cause of me...", he chanted, swaying from side to side. Hermione sat up on her stretcher, awakened by Harry crying in despair.
"Harry", she beckoned. "Harry, We're alright. Just some bumps and scrapes. Nothing that won't heal."
Harry looked up at her, jumped up, ran over to her and hugged her and just held her there a few minutes. He was pulled away by Ron who wanted to know how he had faired against his own assailants. Harry burst with joy and enthralled them with how he subdued three death eaters by himself. Harry explained how he had thought of the Bludgers being able to smash his elbow back in the second year and knew they didn't attack people who were only spectators. Hermione was taken back by Harry's idea of using Bludgers as a formiddable weapon. Ron burst into laughter at the idea.
"What did you do to the front of the house?", Harry queried. "The Dursleys will be furious", he added with a huge smile on his face.
A small look of remorse flashed across Ron's face. "We did what we needed to", he said quietly. Hermione saw that Ron wasn't capable of finishing telling Harry what had happened. "Ron drove the van into the door. We expected them to jump aside. I guess switching the van from invisible to visible surprised them so much they didn't react in time." Harry sensed Ron wasn't happy with something. "I ended up killing two people. They're going to send me to azkaban for it." Ron felt like crying over the hopelessness of his situation.
A thought occured to Harry. He stood up and ran over to Dumbledore.
"Sir, how did they find us? I thought that the familius charm protected us from them?", Harry enquired.
"I'm not sure how they did it, Harry." Albus Dumbledore responded.
"Professor, I felt the barrier on our way in. Its different somehow.", Bill Weasley added.
"Could you describe how different?", Albus asked.
"I could feel the power of the spell still there, but it was like the reason for it to be there was gone.", Bill replied.
"Hmm. Interesting.", was all that Dumbledore said.
A witch familiar to Harry jogged over. It had been some time since he had last seen her.
"Mr Moody, the containment team say that the familius is missing the family component.", she said.
"Hmm, that would explain why it feels like there was something missing. Without the family component the spell is just a waste of magical energy.", Bill mused.
"Ah Mrs Figg, how nice to see you again.", Dumbledore said with a smile to the witch.
"Albus, it is good to see you again after all these years.", she said.
"Harry, you remember Mrs Figg? She used to be a babysitter for the Dursleys. Arrabella Figg.", Dumbledore said to Harry.
"You're a witch!?", Harry blurted.
"Not just any witch, Harry. She's second in command for the Ministry Safehouses."
Harry's mind drifted away from the conversation at hand. His surprise turning into curiosity and then anger as he realized that Mrs Figg had never told him she was a witch.
"All those years growing up with the dursleys, whenever i was sent here you were just as nasty and terrible to me as they were."
"And for that I am truly sorry. I never wished to decieve you. But if i had showed you I was a witch or any form of favortism they would have thought me as being soft on you and found someone else who wouldn't have been able to care for you as I was capable of."
"Fat lot of good you did here then. It's just fortunate that the Dursleys aren't dead or worse", Harry said harshly before walking out of the room before anyone could say any more. Dumbledore sighed as he watched Harry storm away. Bill and Charlie followed Harry out.
"He keeps finding out people arn't what they always portray themselves to be", Mrs Figg added.
"I just wish there was a way to include him in our struggle", Dumbledore said, "but I don't want to put him into unnecessary danger."
"He seems quite capable of putting himself into enough danger as it is", Moody quipped.
"What can we do?", Mrs Figg queried.
"I 'spose we could start his training instead of after his seventh year", Moody said.
"Training? training in what exactly?", Mrs Figg asked looking rather prepared to throw daggers at Alastor Moody.
"His Auror training of course!", stated defensively.
"What? He's only fifteen! He hasn't even done any of his O.W.L.s yet", She blurted at him.
"So he should be unarmed for the next time, eh?", Moody spat back.
"The best protection we can give him is knowledge and the ability to handle himself in all situations", Albus Dumbledore said to both of them with a smile.
"I shall arrange some people to teach him this summer before he returns to hogwarts", Alastor said before he walked out of the front of the house and Apparated away.
"I shall insist on being present on any training he goes through", Arabella Figg promptly stated before also walking outside to Apparate home.
"I wonder if the two of them can overcome their past to actually help Harry", Albus mused to himself.
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"YOU DID WHAT?", Mrs Molly Weasley screamed at Bill and Charlie. Her husband Arthur Weasley sat in his chair fuming over having found out about the attack on Harry's previously well hidden home.
"We did what we had to do. We also believe that if we hadn't acted when we did that Harry would be dead and so would his cousins, the Dursleys", Charlie answered.
"Did you think about the consequences of what you were planning on doing before you did it?", Molly lectured them.
"Yes, and we didn't know it would have turned out like it did. We only knew what would have happened if we didn't react", Bill replied.
"Ron is under a heavy potion to make him sleep and not dream about the horror of what he did today. I can't guess at how Hermione's parents are at having received a daughter home who has been responsible for someone dying", Arthur added somberly.
"It seems pointless for us to fight over the past. We need to focus on the future and what dark times are coming now. Voldemort did not wait long before he struck out at Harry", Arthur said to all in the room.
"Then we should all be careful, Its not only on Harry himself that voldemort can strike to hurt Harry", Bill added to his father's dire words.
The room quietened sharply in responce to the fact that no one wanted to carry on this conversation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Those of you present here have been chosen to teach select students in some questionable ways", Albus Dumbledore began, "Your role here is to teach primarily Harry Potter how to defend himself from attacks physical, magical and mental. You will also be teaching some of his friends from the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, which I am headmaster of, and to also provide extra protection to various people involved in Harry's life. I must make one thing clear. In your teachings, make sure Harry and those who are being taught beside him are aware that you are teaching them to be independant of us in times of great need."
"Also upon the end of the training they will be issued wizarding licences to perform underage magic away from Hogwarts"
"Will they be required to demonstrate their new skills in simulations?", asked a large black man.
"Yes Mr Brooks, they will be. I don't think they will like it though", said Albus.
"It can't be helped", Arrabella Figg added.
"When do we start the training?", one of the professors asked.
"In two days, Professor McGonnagal", Albus said to the professor.
"So soon after the unfortunate tragedy in Little Whinging?", McGonnagal asked.
"I would have it sooner, but for having to wait for the location to be secured", Albus stated.
"Now i should suggest you all get some rest and be prepared for travelling on a chartered KnightBus tomorrow night", Albus informed the room, "We have firstly made it so you can not Apparate into the facility."
The look of disgust from all in the room was apparant as they had all disliked travelling on the KnightBus.
"Where is this facility? Can we know that much?", Professor McGonnagal asked Albus.
"I guess that knowledge will be fairly safe, considering it will be very obvious when we get there."
The room all looked upon Albus Dumbledore with anxious eyes. Albus could feel all the eyes in the room penetrating his skin. After a period of suspence Albus smiled and stood up. He reached the door and opened it, turning to face back to the table with his captive audience, he spoke.
"Hereford. Its a muggle facility in hereford."
"I wish I could get just one of those inner circle buggers.. ", moody said forlornly. Dumbledore returned a look of sympathy to Moody. He turned to Harry and smiled. "You have done well and bravely today, Harry. I doubt some of our best Aurors could have pulled off a more daring rescue attempt", dumbledore turned to Charlie and Bill. Both blushed and looked saddened by what they ended up doing. "What are you doing here?", Harry asked Bill and Charlie. They both looked to him and saw a nervous Harry looking at them like a small lost child. "We were coming to surprise you and take you to a Quidditch match that was on in sussex.", bill replied. Harry then had a disastrous thought. "Where is Ron? Why isn't he here now? He wouldn't miss a Quidditch match for anything.", Harry's eyes started to water in panic. "Harry, Ron and Hermione were with us in the van when we were coming." "Are they ok?", Harry barked. Not waiting for an answer, Harry burst through the Weasleys and the aurors and ran out to the front of the house. He promptly fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. Ron was lying on a stretcher beside Hermione and the Dursleys and four body bags with the dead death eaters and three other stretches for the ones beaten and battered by his Quidditch Bludgers. Medi-Wizards were treating them both for the injuries they sustained in their drive-in assault. "All because of me.. 'cause of me...", he chanted, swaying from side to side. Hermione sat up on her stretcher, awakened by Harry crying in despair.
"Harry", she beckoned. "Harry, We're alright. Just some bumps and scrapes. Nothing that won't heal."
Harry looked up at her, jumped up, ran over to her and hugged her and just held her there a few minutes. He was pulled away by Ron who wanted to know how he had faired against his own assailants. Harry burst with joy and enthralled them with how he subdued three death eaters by himself. Harry explained how he had thought of the Bludgers being able to smash his elbow back in the second year and knew they didn't attack people who were only spectators. Hermione was taken back by Harry's idea of using Bludgers as a formiddable weapon. Ron burst into laughter at the idea.
"What did you do to the front of the house?", Harry queried. "The Dursleys will be furious", he added with a huge smile on his face.
A small look of remorse flashed across Ron's face. "We did what we needed to", he said quietly. Hermione saw that Ron wasn't capable of finishing telling Harry what had happened. "Ron drove the van into the door. We expected them to jump aside. I guess switching the van from invisible to visible surprised them so much they didn't react in time." Harry sensed Ron wasn't happy with something. "I ended up killing two people. They're going to send me to azkaban for it." Ron felt like crying over the hopelessness of his situation.
A thought occured to Harry. He stood up and ran over to Dumbledore.
"Sir, how did they find us? I thought that the familius charm protected us from them?", Harry enquired.
"I'm not sure how they did it, Harry." Albus Dumbledore responded.
"Professor, I felt the barrier on our way in. Its different somehow.", Bill Weasley added.
"Could you describe how different?", Albus asked.
"I could feel the power of the spell still there, but it was like the reason for it to be there was gone.", Bill replied.
"Hmm. Interesting.", was all that Dumbledore said.
A witch familiar to Harry jogged over. It had been some time since he had last seen her.
"Mr Moody, the containment team say that the familius is missing the family component.", she said.
"Hmm, that would explain why it feels like there was something missing. Without the family component the spell is just a waste of magical energy.", Bill mused.
"Ah Mrs Figg, how nice to see you again.", Dumbledore said with a smile to the witch.
"Albus, it is good to see you again after all these years.", she said.
"Harry, you remember Mrs Figg? She used to be a babysitter for the Dursleys. Arrabella Figg.", Dumbledore said to Harry.
"You're a witch!?", Harry blurted.
"Not just any witch, Harry. She's second in command for the Ministry Safehouses."
Harry's mind drifted away from the conversation at hand. His surprise turning into curiosity and then anger as he realized that Mrs Figg had never told him she was a witch.
"All those years growing up with the dursleys, whenever i was sent here you were just as nasty and terrible to me as they were."
"And for that I am truly sorry. I never wished to decieve you. But if i had showed you I was a witch or any form of favortism they would have thought me as being soft on you and found someone else who wouldn't have been able to care for you as I was capable of."
"Fat lot of good you did here then. It's just fortunate that the Dursleys aren't dead or worse", Harry said harshly before walking out of the room before anyone could say any more. Dumbledore sighed as he watched Harry storm away. Bill and Charlie followed Harry out.
"He keeps finding out people arn't what they always portray themselves to be", Mrs Figg added.
"I just wish there was a way to include him in our struggle", Dumbledore said, "but I don't want to put him into unnecessary danger."
"He seems quite capable of putting himself into enough danger as it is", Moody quipped.
"What can we do?", Mrs Figg queried.
"I 'spose we could start his training instead of after his seventh year", Moody said.
"Training? training in what exactly?", Mrs Figg asked looking rather prepared to throw daggers at Alastor Moody.
"His Auror training of course!", stated defensively.
"What? He's only fifteen! He hasn't even done any of his O.W.L.s yet", She blurted at him.
"So he should be unarmed for the next time, eh?", Moody spat back.
"The best protection we can give him is knowledge and the ability to handle himself in all situations", Albus Dumbledore said to both of them with a smile.
"I shall arrange some people to teach him this summer before he returns to hogwarts", Alastor said before he walked out of the front of the house and Apparated away.
"I shall insist on being present on any training he goes through", Arabella Figg promptly stated before also walking outside to Apparate home.
"I wonder if the two of them can overcome their past to actually help Harry", Albus mused to himself.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"YOU DID WHAT?", Mrs Molly Weasley screamed at Bill and Charlie. Her husband Arthur Weasley sat in his chair fuming over having found out about the attack on Harry's previously well hidden home.
"We did what we had to do. We also believe that if we hadn't acted when we did that Harry would be dead and so would his cousins, the Dursleys", Charlie answered.
"Did you think about the consequences of what you were planning on doing before you did it?", Molly lectured them.
"Yes, and we didn't know it would have turned out like it did. We only knew what would have happened if we didn't react", Bill replied.
"Ron is under a heavy potion to make him sleep and not dream about the horror of what he did today. I can't guess at how Hermione's parents are at having received a daughter home who has been responsible for someone dying", Arthur added somberly.
"It seems pointless for us to fight over the past. We need to focus on the future and what dark times are coming now. Voldemort did not wait long before he struck out at Harry", Arthur said to all in the room.
"Then we should all be careful, Its not only on Harry himself that voldemort can strike to hurt Harry", Bill added to his father's dire words.
The room quietened sharply in responce to the fact that no one wanted to carry on this conversation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Those of you present here have been chosen to teach select students in some questionable ways", Albus Dumbledore began, "Your role here is to teach primarily Harry Potter how to defend himself from attacks physical, magical and mental. You will also be teaching some of his friends from the Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, which I am headmaster of, and to also provide extra protection to various people involved in Harry's life. I must make one thing clear. In your teachings, make sure Harry and those who are being taught beside him are aware that you are teaching them to be independant of us in times of great need."
"Also upon the end of the training they will be issued wizarding licences to perform underage magic away from Hogwarts"
"Will they be required to demonstrate their new skills in simulations?", asked a large black man.
"Yes Mr Brooks, they will be. I don't think they will like it though", said Albus.
"It can't be helped", Arrabella Figg added.
"When do we start the training?", one of the professors asked.
"In two days, Professor McGonnagal", Albus said to the professor.
"So soon after the unfortunate tragedy in Little Whinging?", McGonnagal asked.
"I would have it sooner, but for having to wait for the location to be secured", Albus stated.
"Now i should suggest you all get some rest and be prepared for travelling on a chartered KnightBus tomorrow night", Albus informed the room, "We have firstly made it so you can not Apparate into the facility."
The look of disgust from all in the room was apparant as they had all disliked travelling on the KnightBus.
"Where is this facility? Can we know that much?", Professor McGonnagal asked Albus.
"I guess that knowledge will be fairly safe, considering it will be very obvious when we get there."
The room all looked upon Albus Dumbledore with anxious eyes. Albus could feel all the eyes in the room penetrating his skin. After a period of suspence Albus smiled and stood up. He reached the door and opened it, turning to face back to the table with his captive audience, he spoke.
"Hereford. Its a muggle facility in hereford."
