Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters and in this case I don't even
own the story, I'm just translating it from Khari, who has been so kind to
start translating Dangers in the Past to Spanish and I've decided to return
the favour. So, now, read and enjoy.
Weird greetings:
Harry was looking outside from his place in his uncle's car while they drove towards Privet Drive. In his mind the images of the last Tri-wizards tournament kept repeating themselves. Once again he felt all the feelings from that moment and once again, since all that happened, he blamed himself for having told Cedric to take the cup with him. If he had taken the cup alone, Cedric would still be alive. if he hadn't said anything, he would still be alive. still be alive. alive.
Through the car's mirror, Uncle Vernon saw how tears felt down his nephew's cheeks, and for the first time in his life he was worried about him. After all, he hadn't seen him cry since he had been a baby. No matter how many things the boy went through, no matter how many insults or how many times Dudley hit him, he hadn't seen him cry again. That wasn't normal, after all, when he returned from school, he was always happy. Sad because he had to leave his school during the summer, but happy because he had been there. What could have happened for him to be in such turmoil?
"Mmmm. How was school? Everything ok?" Uncle Vernon asked, not very sure.
Harry's reaction made him uncomfortable, but after all it was normal. The boy had been so surprised at the fact that his uncle was worrying that he couldn't help but stare at him. Even so he nodded. After that, he kept looking for a while, but then returned his gaze towards the window and Uncle Vernon saw he became sad again. The older man sighed, it didn't really matter, he had all summer to find out, but even so he would have to talk to Petunia about it.
When they arrived at number 4 Privet Drive, aunt Petunia was waiting for them, she seemed to be very anxious to talk to her husband. Harry, knowing he wasn't wanted there, quickly made his way up the stairs thinking that he would take the trunk up later, at least, if he was allowed to have it in his room.
"Something wrong, Petunia?" Uncle Vernon asked.
"I have to talk with you right now. its about Harry." Answered Petunia quickly and low, as if someone could be listening in on them.
"Well, I wanted to talk to you about him too. earlier in the car, he was acting very strange, he seemed sad, Petunia,. I even saw him cry."
"I know."
"How comes you know?" Asked her husband without understanding how she could know.
"Here, read this." She answered, giving him a piece of parchment.
Uncle Vernon looked at the piece of parchment cautiously. He knew it had to be from that school, maybe from the same person who had left Harry on their door nearly fourteen years ago. He thought it would be a complain about something the boy had done during school, but seeing his wife's face he knew it had to be something really important. So, he took the letter and started to read. As he read, his eyes became larger and his face paled.
"No. no, it can't be true." Said Uncle Vernon nearly softly. "In that letter they told us he had died!! That Harry had killed him!! He can't be back!!"
"But he is, Vernon." Said Petunia. "The murderer is back, he killed that boy and is after Harry. He wants to kill him as he killed my sister and her husband."
"Now I understand why the boy was behaving that way in the car, he probably blames himself for that boy's death, but it's not his fault."
"Vernon, what are we going to do? I may not have got along with my sister but I didn't want her dead. Harry is my nephew and I don't want to lose him like I did my sister."
"Don't worry, the letter says he'll be safe as long as he remains in the house. Voldemort won't be able to harm him, so we're going to take care of him." Then, he reluctantly added. "And we should accept his abno. I mean, his.gift."
"Do you mean, treating him right and accept he's a wizard?" Asked Petunia astounded.
"Yes."
Uncle Vernon decided to start by carrying his nephew's trunk himself, while Petunia warned Dudley. When he reached Harry's room, he found him deeply asleep, so he left the trunk of the bed's feet, opened the window and Hedwig's cage. Then he walked towards his nephew and tucked him in.
It was late that night when Harry woke up with a start because of his nightmares. He touched his scar, it didn't hurt, actually it hadn't hurt since that night in which Voldemort had come back. It was then that he noticed something strange, he was tucked in but he couldn't remember doing it. Looking through his room carefully, he also saw the open window and Hedwig's empty cage. He didn't remember opening the window, it was then that he saw his trunk. Had Uncle Vernon done all that? No, that was impossible, the Dursleys hated him.
"I'm starting to imagine things." Said Harry before burying his head in his pillow. "It's impossible that Uncle Vernon would do something nice for me." He whispered before falling asleep.
The next morning, Harry woke up late. It was already half past nine and Aunt Petunia hadn't come to wake him so he could make breakfast. Dudley hadn't even started to yell at his door to get food. He listened carefully, maybe his watch was broken but the silence on the first floor showed that his uncle had already got up, same as Dudley, and if they were up, that meant Aunt Petunia was too. Then... why hadn't they woken him up to make breakfast?
He went down to the kitchen confused, expecting to be shouted at by everyone when he entered. The sight that greeted him left him stunned. Aunt Petunia was making breakfast and Dudley was helping her while Uncle Vernon calmly read the paper. The most surprising thing was that no one said anything to him for having got up so late.
"Go..Good morning." He said, without really believing what he was seeing.
"Ah, good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?" Asked Aunt Petunia.
"Yes."
"Well, sit down for breakfast. You too, Dudley."
"Yes, mom."
Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Had they changed his family while he was in school or something like that? Aunt Petunia was being kind, Dudley hadn't complained for having had to help his mother and Uncle Vernon hadn't said anything to hurt him. What was going on? Had Sirius paid them a visit? No, if that had been the case, they wouldn't be acting kind but rather terrified. So,... What was happening?
The whole day was pretty much the same. The Dursley were kind to him and the strangest thing was that they took care of him, and were interested in what he did. Harry nearly had a heart failure when halfway the evening his Uncle entered his room and saw him doing homework. That really scared him, but what really kills him was when the man didn't scream at him but instead calmly asked:
"Harry, what are you doing?" Asked Uncle Vernon, entering the room.
"Er... Homework, Uncle Vernon." Answered Harry horrified at the fact that his uncle had caught him doing homework.
"Ahh, already doing homework? The first day of holidays? I'm impressed."
"You... you're not angry?" Asked Harry, ready to faint.
"No, should I get angry?" Asked the man calmly. "What subject are you working on?"
"Charms.
"Well, then I'll leave you alone so you can concentrate." Answered his uncle.
Harry watched in shocked silence as his uncle left with a smile on his lips. He was about to write to Ron, asking if he knew what was going on and what he should do, but immediately changed his mind. Probably the situation would only last a few days, two at most, there wasn't any reason to write to Ron for something that wasn't going to last. Or at least, that was what he had thought, because three days later the situation hadn't changed, so he finally wrote the letter. He picked up a quill and a piece of parchment and began to write.
"Hey Ron:
How is the beginning of the summer going? Everything alight? I guess your father has a lot of work with the whole thing about Voldemort. Has Fudge told everyone about what really happened or is he hiding everything, as he wanted to do? I hope he has finally seen reason and has told the truth.
I'm doing fine, actually, too well. I don't understand what's going on, but since I came back from school, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has been really kind to me. Dudley has allowed me to play with his video-games a lot of times, and my aunt and uncle have changed. They take care of me and they are even interested in school things!!! It's really weird. I thought it would only last a few days but it doesn't seem like it's going to change anytime soon. This morning, when I got up, I found lots of new clothes! And later, after lunch I saw that Dudley's old rags had disappeared. Everything now fits me and it's all new. I really don't know what's going on, do you thing they may be under a curse?
Harry."
Once he had finished writing the letter, he read through it again and nodded. He walked to Hedwig's cage where his owl extended his claw, waiting for him to tie the letter.
"Bring this to Ron, ok?
Hedwig nipped his finger gently and flew out of the window. Harry watched her fly away and hoped she wouldn't take too long to come back. Indeed, he didn't have to wait long. That same night, when he was about to go to sleep, Hedwig returned with Ron's letter.
"Hey Harry:
The summer has been great so far, even if Fred and George seem to be working more than usually, you can hear lots of explosions coming from their room, much more than last year. It seems they have invented a lot of new things and my mother doesn't yell at them as much. I think she is not so obsessed about having them work for the Ministry of Magic anymore. My father has a lot of work there, he's trying to warn everyone who is not stupid enough to believe Fudge about You-Know-Who's return, because the Minister keeps denying it. But well...
You say the muggles have changed the way they treat you? Really? Uau! Better for you! No? I'm really happy about that change even if I think it's weird that it has been so sudden. I asked Bill if there was any curse that could change the way they acted without being one of the unforgivables, but he said that that wasn't possible, so I don't know what can have changed. I'm going to write to Hermione maybe she knows of something that could explain it and I'm going to ask Dad.
Well, take care and be careful.
Ron W.
Well, it seemed that it hadn't been a curse that had made the Dursley change, so the only thing he could do was enjoy it as long as it lasted. He gave Hedwig some water and food and laid down, not knowing if the next day would be back to normal.
When he woke up it was still dark outside, it had barely been a few hours since he went to sleep. What had woken him up was a sharp pain in his scar and someone shaking and calling him.
"Harry... Harry... wake up, Harry. What's wrong?"
It was aunt Petunia's voice. He opened his eyes but he was barely able to see his aunt, uncle and cousin. Reaching out, he tried to find his glasses and was grateful when someone placed them in his hand, but by the feel of it, it seemed to be Dudley. He put them on but things didn't really change. The pain in his scar made his vision completely blurred, besides, he could hardly breath, He stood up shakily and walked towards the window. He had felt that much pain once before, it had been two weeks ago, when he saw Voldemort's revival.
"Harry... What's going on? We suddenly heard you screaming and when we came in we saw you practically writhe in pain." said Uncle Vernon.
Harry didn't answer him, he had reached the window and was staring fixedly at something outside. When the Dursley looked, they saw a man covered in a cloak. He was tall and for what they could see, he was carrying a wand.
"Who is that man?" Asked aunt Petunia, fearing she already knew the answer.
"Voldemort." Answered Harry in a quiet voice.
They saw Voldemort approach the house, it was clear that he intended to come in and kill the boy, but when he was about to reach the garden's door a big, blue shield arose around the whole house.
"You don't honestly think this is going to stop me, do you, Dumbledore? You know I have now got back my power and I can easily destroy it." Said Voldemort to himself.
Voldemort raised his wand and started to slowly push it inside the shield, which started to produce small blue sparks at being broken by Voldemort. When the dark wizard's hand touched the shield, this broke down completely in a show of blue lights and sparks. Voldemort was about to come in when something claimed his attention. It was a beautiful bird covered with long red and orange feathers, seemingly like fire. The bird started to sing and Harry felt how the pain in his scar started to recede and that he was able to breath again. It was Fawkes.
"Fawkes... what are you doing here?" Said Harry when the bird landed on his shoulder and brushed his head against the boy's cheek. "Is Dumbledore on his way?"
As an answer to his question, the old mage appeared suddenly, accompanied by Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Arthur, Bill and Carlie Weasley, a which and a wizard that Harry didn't know. Together, the eight of them formed a defense in front of the house.
"I should have known..." Mumbled Voldemort. "The shield was a signal to warn them I was attacking the house and so be able to defend it with the old man leading it." He raised his head towards Harry and the Dursley and with a cruel smirk he added in a loud voice. "You may be safe for tonight, but next time I'll kill you." After those words, the dark wizard disappeared in a soft puff.
The eight people forming the defense sighed relieved and turned towards Harry smiling before entering the house. It hadn't been more than two minutes when Harry, followed by the Dursley, walked down to the living room, where the other eight were already waiting. They were all torn between curiosity at the muggle things (specially Arthur Weasley who was only restraining himself from touching everything due to the seriousness of the situation) and worry.
When Harry came in and saw Sirius, he ran up to the man and found himself in a protective embrace from his godfather and felt a few pats on his back coming from Remus and the Weasleys.
"Sirius,... I'm so happy to see you." Said Harry, still in Sirius' hug.
"Harry... Are you alright? Did something happen to you?" Asked Sirius worried.
"No, don't worry, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" He said with a worried look at his now red scar. "And this?" He added while he passed a finger over the scar lightly.
"Auch. Really, I'm fine Sirius. This is normal, right, Professor Dumbledore?"
"Yes, Sirius, it's normal." Said Dumbledore, and to Harry he seemed to be much more worried than usual.
Everyone sat down in the couches of the living room while aunt Petunia kindly offered them to make some tea, which caused some surprise. Everyone was looking extremely serious. When Aunt Petunia returned with the tea, Dumbledore looked straight at Harry.
"I'm sure you're aware how serious this situation is, Harry." He stated seriously. "Voldemort not only knows where you live but he has also been able to easily break the shield I put around the house years ago. You're no longer safe here."
"I know."
"Then you also know that you can't stay here much longer." Harry nodded. "Between Professor Flitwick, Severus and I we are working on something that will get you to a safe place, a place that no matter what Voldmort tries he won't be able to reach."
"Where can I go so Voldemort doesn't find me?" Asked Harry surprised.
"You'll know it soon." Answered Sirius with a smile.
"And why are you so happy?" Wondered Harry. "If the ministry catches you here, you will be in a lot of trouble."
"You'll know soon." Said Remus. "Now, the most important thing is to bring you to a safer place. Go get your things, we're leaving."
"Where to?"
"Home." Said Mr Weasley. "You'll be coming with us."
"Yeah, by know mom will have Ron's room ready." Said Bill.
"Yes, and everyone else is bound to be waiting for us." Added Charlie with a smile.
"And how are we getting to the Burrow? Through Floo powder or with a... portkey?"
"Neither." Said Dumbledore. "Both things are easily tracked so you'll be going by muggle means, by car. Sirius, Remus and you are going to take a cab."
"A cab?" Asked Harry incredulously.
"Correct."
"But what if someone recognizes Sirius, then what?" Asked Harry worriedly.
"I doubt anyone is going to recognize me in y dog form, Harry. Don't worry about that."
"Oh, ok." Then he looked towards the which and wizard he didn't know. "Emmm... who are you?"
"Well Harry, he is Mundungus Fletcher." Said the witch calmly. "And you should really recognize me."
"It's the first time I see you."
"Are you sure?" Asked the woman with a small smirk playing on her lips. "It seems that if you don't see me with white hair, muggle clothes and lots cats around you're not able to recognize me."
"White hair, muggle clothes, cats." Mumbled Harry. "White hair and a lot of cats! That's not possible! You're Mrs Figg!"
"BINGO!" Laughed the woman. "I'm Arabella Figg, you can call me Arabella."
"But..." Harry looked her over closely, she was about Sirius' age. Her hair was blond and her face didn't held a single wrinkle. "But..."
"I believe you've learned about the aging potion, haven't you, Harry?" Said Dumbledore smiling. "If I'm not mistaken it was at the beginning of last term, Mr. Fred and George Weasley" The other Weasley sitting around the room listened closely. "tried to go through the age line with an aging potion and..."
"And after crossing the line they got a large, white beard." Said Harry. "Yes, I remember. Does that mean that you...?"
"Potions was always one of my favorite subjects." Said Arabella. "And now that the introductions are done, you should go get your things."
"Yes, of course."
Harry went up to his room and started to gather his possessions as quickly as possible. Well, his luck with the Dursley hadn't lasted much. Now that they were behaving like a normal family he had to escape to some unknown place so Voldemort would not be able to find him.
When he returned downstairs he found his aunt and uncle dressed and ready to go, it seemed they had decided to bring them themselves instead waiting for the taxi. Dudley didn't seem to be very fond of the idea, he probably still remembered the tong-ton toffee Fred and George had given him last year. They picked up Harry's trunk and put it in the car. Everyone climbed in and following the directions of Charlie Weasley, who had decided to go with them, they started to make their way towards the Burrow.
To be continued.
Weird greetings:
Harry was looking outside from his place in his uncle's car while they drove towards Privet Drive. In his mind the images of the last Tri-wizards tournament kept repeating themselves. Once again he felt all the feelings from that moment and once again, since all that happened, he blamed himself for having told Cedric to take the cup with him. If he had taken the cup alone, Cedric would still be alive. if he hadn't said anything, he would still be alive. still be alive. alive.
Through the car's mirror, Uncle Vernon saw how tears felt down his nephew's cheeks, and for the first time in his life he was worried about him. After all, he hadn't seen him cry since he had been a baby. No matter how many things the boy went through, no matter how many insults or how many times Dudley hit him, he hadn't seen him cry again. That wasn't normal, after all, when he returned from school, he was always happy. Sad because he had to leave his school during the summer, but happy because he had been there. What could have happened for him to be in such turmoil?
"Mmmm. How was school? Everything ok?" Uncle Vernon asked, not very sure.
Harry's reaction made him uncomfortable, but after all it was normal. The boy had been so surprised at the fact that his uncle was worrying that he couldn't help but stare at him. Even so he nodded. After that, he kept looking for a while, but then returned his gaze towards the window and Uncle Vernon saw he became sad again. The older man sighed, it didn't really matter, he had all summer to find out, but even so he would have to talk to Petunia about it.
When they arrived at number 4 Privet Drive, aunt Petunia was waiting for them, she seemed to be very anxious to talk to her husband. Harry, knowing he wasn't wanted there, quickly made his way up the stairs thinking that he would take the trunk up later, at least, if he was allowed to have it in his room.
"Something wrong, Petunia?" Uncle Vernon asked.
"I have to talk with you right now. its about Harry." Answered Petunia quickly and low, as if someone could be listening in on them.
"Well, I wanted to talk to you about him too. earlier in the car, he was acting very strange, he seemed sad, Petunia,. I even saw him cry."
"I know."
"How comes you know?" Asked her husband without understanding how she could know.
"Here, read this." She answered, giving him a piece of parchment.
Uncle Vernon looked at the piece of parchment cautiously. He knew it had to be from that school, maybe from the same person who had left Harry on their door nearly fourteen years ago. He thought it would be a complain about something the boy had done during school, but seeing his wife's face he knew it had to be something really important. So, he took the letter and started to read. As he read, his eyes became larger and his face paled.
"No. no, it can't be true." Said Uncle Vernon nearly softly. "In that letter they told us he had died!! That Harry had killed him!! He can't be back!!"
"But he is, Vernon." Said Petunia. "The murderer is back, he killed that boy and is after Harry. He wants to kill him as he killed my sister and her husband."
"Now I understand why the boy was behaving that way in the car, he probably blames himself for that boy's death, but it's not his fault."
"Vernon, what are we going to do? I may not have got along with my sister but I didn't want her dead. Harry is my nephew and I don't want to lose him like I did my sister."
"Don't worry, the letter says he'll be safe as long as he remains in the house. Voldemort won't be able to harm him, so we're going to take care of him." Then, he reluctantly added. "And we should accept his abno. I mean, his.gift."
"Do you mean, treating him right and accept he's a wizard?" Asked Petunia astounded.
"Yes."
Uncle Vernon decided to start by carrying his nephew's trunk himself, while Petunia warned Dudley. When he reached Harry's room, he found him deeply asleep, so he left the trunk of the bed's feet, opened the window and Hedwig's cage. Then he walked towards his nephew and tucked him in.
It was late that night when Harry woke up with a start because of his nightmares. He touched his scar, it didn't hurt, actually it hadn't hurt since that night in which Voldemort had come back. It was then that he noticed something strange, he was tucked in but he couldn't remember doing it. Looking through his room carefully, he also saw the open window and Hedwig's empty cage. He didn't remember opening the window, it was then that he saw his trunk. Had Uncle Vernon done all that? No, that was impossible, the Dursleys hated him.
"I'm starting to imagine things." Said Harry before burying his head in his pillow. "It's impossible that Uncle Vernon would do something nice for me." He whispered before falling asleep.
The next morning, Harry woke up late. It was already half past nine and Aunt Petunia hadn't come to wake him so he could make breakfast. Dudley hadn't even started to yell at his door to get food. He listened carefully, maybe his watch was broken but the silence on the first floor showed that his uncle had already got up, same as Dudley, and if they were up, that meant Aunt Petunia was too. Then... why hadn't they woken him up to make breakfast?
He went down to the kitchen confused, expecting to be shouted at by everyone when he entered. The sight that greeted him left him stunned. Aunt Petunia was making breakfast and Dudley was helping her while Uncle Vernon calmly read the paper. The most surprising thing was that no one said anything to him for having got up so late.
"Go..Good morning." He said, without really believing what he was seeing.
"Ah, good morning, Harry. Did you sleep well?" Asked Aunt Petunia.
"Yes."
"Well, sit down for breakfast. You too, Dudley."
"Yes, mom."
Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Had they changed his family while he was in school or something like that? Aunt Petunia was being kind, Dudley hadn't complained for having had to help his mother and Uncle Vernon hadn't said anything to hurt him. What was going on? Had Sirius paid them a visit? No, if that had been the case, they wouldn't be acting kind but rather terrified. So,... What was happening?
The whole day was pretty much the same. The Dursley were kind to him and the strangest thing was that they took care of him, and were interested in what he did. Harry nearly had a heart failure when halfway the evening his Uncle entered his room and saw him doing homework. That really scared him, but what really kills him was when the man didn't scream at him but instead calmly asked:
"Harry, what are you doing?" Asked Uncle Vernon, entering the room.
"Er... Homework, Uncle Vernon." Answered Harry horrified at the fact that his uncle had caught him doing homework.
"Ahh, already doing homework? The first day of holidays? I'm impressed."
"You... you're not angry?" Asked Harry, ready to faint.
"No, should I get angry?" Asked the man calmly. "What subject are you working on?"
"Charms.
"Well, then I'll leave you alone so you can concentrate." Answered his uncle.
Harry watched in shocked silence as his uncle left with a smile on his lips. He was about to write to Ron, asking if he knew what was going on and what he should do, but immediately changed his mind. Probably the situation would only last a few days, two at most, there wasn't any reason to write to Ron for something that wasn't going to last. Or at least, that was what he had thought, because three days later the situation hadn't changed, so he finally wrote the letter. He picked up a quill and a piece of parchment and began to write.
"Hey Ron:
How is the beginning of the summer going? Everything alight? I guess your father has a lot of work with the whole thing about Voldemort. Has Fudge told everyone about what really happened or is he hiding everything, as he wanted to do? I hope he has finally seen reason and has told the truth.
I'm doing fine, actually, too well. I don't understand what's going on, but since I came back from school, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has been really kind to me. Dudley has allowed me to play with his video-games a lot of times, and my aunt and uncle have changed. They take care of me and they are even interested in school things!!! It's really weird. I thought it would only last a few days but it doesn't seem like it's going to change anytime soon. This morning, when I got up, I found lots of new clothes! And later, after lunch I saw that Dudley's old rags had disappeared. Everything now fits me and it's all new. I really don't know what's going on, do you thing they may be under a curse?
Harry."
Once he had finished writing the letter, he read through it again and nodded. He walked to Hedwig's cage where his owl extended his claw, waiting for him to tie the letter.
"Bring this to Ron, ok?
Hedwig nipped his finger gently and flew out of the window. Harry watched her fly away and hoped she wouldn't take too long to come back. Indeed, he didn't have to wait long. That same night, when he was about to go to sleep, Hedwig returned with Ron's letter.
"Hey Harry:
The summer has been great so far, even if Fred and George seem to be working more than usually, you can hear lots of explosions coming from their room, much more than last year. It seems they have invented a lot of new things and my mother doesn't yell at them as much. I think she is not so obsessed about having them work for the Ministry of Magic anymore. My father has a lot of work there, he's trying to warn everyone who is not stupid enough to believe Fudge about You-Know-Who's return, because the Minister keeps denying it. But well...
You say the muggles have changed the way they treat you? Really? Uau! Better for you! No? I'm really happy about that change even if I think it's weird that it has been so sudden. I asked Bill if there was any curse that could change the way they acted without being one of the unforgivables, but he said that that wasn't possible, so I don't know what can have changed. I'm going to write to Hermione maybe she knows of something that could explain it and I'm going to ask Dad.
Well, take care and be careful.
Ron W.
Well, it seemed that it hadn't been a curse that had made the Dursley change, so the only thing he could do was enjoy it as long as it lasted. He gave Hedwig some water and food and laid down, not knowing if the next day would be back to normal.
When he woke up it was still dark outside, it had barely been a few hours since he went to sleep. What had woken him up was a sharp pain in his scar and someone shaking and calling him.
"Harry... Harry... wake up, Harry. What's wrong?"
It was aunt Petunia's voice. He opened his eyes but he was barely able to see his aunt, uncle and cousin. Reaching out, he tried to find his glasses and was grateful when someone placed them in his hand, but by the feel of it, it seemed to be Dudley. He put them on but things didn't really change. The pain in his scar made his vision completely blurred, besides, he could hardly breath, He stood up shakily and walked towards the window. He had felt that much pain once before, it had been two weeks ago, when he saw Voldemort's revival.
"Harry... What's going on? We suddenly heard you screaming and when we came in we saw you practically writhe in pain." said Uncle Vernon.
Harry didn't answer him, he had reached the window and was staring fixedly at something outside. When the Dursley looked, they saw a man covered in a cloak. He was tall and for what they could see, he was carrying a wand.
"Who is that man?" Asked aunt Petunia, fearing she already knew the answer.
"Voldemort." Answered Harry in a quiet voice.
They saw Voldemort approach the house, it was clear that he intended to come in and kill the boy, but when he was about to reach the garden's door a big, blue shield arose around the whole house.
"You don't honestly think this is going to stop me, do you, Dumbledore? You know I have now got back my power and I can easily destroy it." Said Voldemort to himself.
Voldemort raised his wand and started to slowly push it inside the shield, which started to produce small blue sparks at being broken by Voldemort. When the dark wizard's hand touched the shield, this broke down completely in a show of blue lights and sparks. Voldemort was about to come in when something claimed his attention. It was a beautiful bird covered with long red and orange feathers, seemingly like fire. The bird started to sing and Harry felt how the pain in his scar started to recede and that he was able to breath again. It was Fawkes.
"Fawkes... what are you doing here?" Said Harry when the bird landed on his shoulder and brushed his head against the boy's cheek. "Is Dumbledore on his way?"
As an answer to his question, the old mage appeared suddenly, accompanied by Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Arthur, Bill and Carlie Weasley, a which and a wizard that Harry didn't know. Together, the eight of them formed a defense in front of the house.
"I should have known..." Mumbled Voldemort. "The shield was a signal to warn them I was attacking the house and so be able to defend it with the old man leading it." He raised his head towards Harry and the Dursley and with a cruel smirk he added in a loud voice. "You may be safe for tonight, but next time I'll kill you." After those words, the dark wizard disappeared in a soft puff.
The eight people forming the defense sighed relieved and turned towards Harry smiling before entering the house. It hadn't been more than two minutes when Harry, followed by the Dursley, walked down to the living room, where the other eight were already waiting. They were all torn between curiosity at the muggle things (specially Arthur Weasley who was only restraining himself from touching everything due to the seriousness of the situation) and worry.
When Harry came in and saw Sirius, he ran up to the man and found himself in a protective embrace from his godfather and felt a few pats on his back coming from Remus and the Weasleys.
"Sirius,... I'm so happy to see you." Said Harry, still in Sirius' hug.
"Harry... Are you alright? Did something happen to you?" Asked Sirius worried.
"No, don't worry, I'm fine."
"Are you sure?" He said with a worried look at his now red scar. "And this?" He added while he passed a finger over the scar lightly.
"Auch. Really, I'm fine Sirius. This is normal, right, Professor Dumbledore?"
"Yes, Sirius, it's normal." Said Dumbledore, and to Harry he seemed to be much more worried than usual.
Everyone sat down in the couches of the living room while aunt Petunia kindly offered them to make some tea, which caused some surprise. Everyone was looking extremely serious. When Aunt Petunia returned with the tea, Dumbledore looked straight at Harry.
"I'm sure you're aware how serious this situation is, Harry." He stated seriously. "Voldemort not only knows where you live but he has also been able to easily break the shield I put around the house years ago. You're no longer safe here."
"I know."
"Then you also know that you can't stay here much longer." Harry nodded. "Between Professor Flitwick, Severus and I we are working on something that will get you to a safe place, a place that no matter what Voldmort tries he won't be able to reach."
"Where can I go so Voldemort doesn't find me?" Asked Harry surprised.
"You'll know it soon." Answered Sirius with a smile.
"And why are you so happy?" Wondered Harry. "If the ministry catches you here, you will be in a lot of trouble."
"You'll know soon." Said Remus. "Now, the most important thing is to bring you to a safer place. Go get your things, we're leaving."
"Where to?"
"Home." Said Mr Weasley. "You'll be coming with us."
"Yeah, by know mom will have Ron's room ready." Said Bill.
"Yes, and everyone else is bound to be waiting for us." Added Charlie with a smile.
"And how are we getting to the Burrow? Through Floo powder or with a... portkey?"
"Neither." Said Dumbledore. "Both things are easily tracked so you'll be going by muggle means, by car. Sirius, Remus and you are going to take a cab."
"A cab?" Asked Harry incredulously.
"Correct."
"But what if someone recognizes Sirius, then what?" Asked Harry worriedly.
"I doubt anyone is going to recognize me in y dog form, Harry. Don't worry about that."
"Oh, ok." Then he looked towards the which and wizard he didn't know. "Emmm... who are you?"
"Well Harry, he is Mundungus Fletcher." Said the witch calmly. "And you should really recognize me."
"It's the first time I see you."
"Are you sure?" Asked the woman with a small smirk playing on her lips. "It seems that if you don't see me with white hair, muggle clothes and lots cats around you're not able to recognize me."
"White hair, muggle clothes, cats." Mumbled Harry. "White hair and a lot of cats! That's not possible! You're Mrs Figg!"
"BINGO!" Laughed the woman. "I'm Arabella Figg, you can call me Arabella."
"But..." Harry looked her over closely, she was about Sirius' age. Her hair was blond and her face didn't held a single wrinkle. "But..."
"I believe you've learned about the aging potion, haven't you, Harry?" Said Dumbledore smiling. "If I'm not mistaken it was at the beginning of last term, Mr. Fred and George Weasley" The other Weasley sitting around the room listened closely. "tried to go through the age line with an aging potion and..."
"And after crossing the line they got a large, white beard." Said Harry. "Yes, I remember. Does that mean that you...?"
"Potions was always one of my favorite subjects." Said Arabella. "And now that the introductions are done, you should go get your things."
"Yes, of course."
Harry went up to his room and started to gather his possessions as quickly as possible. Well, his luck with the Dursley hadn't lasted much. Now that they were behaving like a normal family he had to escape to some unknown place so Voldemort would not be able to find him.
When he returned downstairs he found his aunt and uncle dressed and ready to go, it seemed they had decided to bring them themselves instead waiting for the taxi. Dudley didn't seem to be very fond of the idea, he probably still remembered the tong-ton toffee Fred and George had given him last year. They picked up Harry's trunk and put it in the car. Everyone climbed in and following the directions of Charlie Weasley, who had decided to go with them, they started to make their way towards the Burrow.
To be continued.
