Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this story other than the scienwitzists (and if J.K. Rowling wanted them, she could certainly have them). I wrote this story for pure fun and enjoyment.
Author's Note: I am so sorry I took so long with Part Three! I had final exams at school and life was just crazy in general. There is one more part that will most likely not take so long. I really appreciate your patience and hope the wait was worth it!
The Hogwarts Fugitive, Part Three
"Hey, come on now, son; wake up," A commanding voice boomed.
Harry Potter opened his eyes revealing two blurry faces above him. He stared up, squinting.
"Give him his glasses, Omnis. They fell off," A female voice instructed. "He can't see."
Harry felt a pair of glasses being shoved onto his face and the world cleared at once. He saw a middle-aged man standing over him, thickset and blond. A middle-aged woman with long black hair that was streaked with gray stared at him from farther away.
"Can you sit up?" The woman asked him.
"Yeah," Harry said feeling light-headed and very confused. He didn't know why he was lying in the grass, who these people were, or who he was for that matter. "Er, this is going to sound a bit strange, but do you know who I am or why I'm lying in the grass?"
The man exchanged a glance with the woman. "You don't know who you are?"
"No idea."
"Oh dear," the woman sighed. "It must be the effects of that fever."
"Must be," the man replied.
"What fever? Who are you?"
"We're your parents, Michael. Come on, Omnis, let's get him inside and into bed at once."
Meanwhile, at the Ministry of Magic, the atmosphere was panicked. Harry Potter disappearing like that with Voldemort on the loose was extremely frightening to all those in the wizarding world. Grover Fudge had the scienwitzists, Arthur, Samuel, Linda, Remus, and Sirius crowded into his office and everyone seemed to be talking at the same time, arguing about the next course of action.
"Enough!" Sirius interrupted, rising to his feet. "We're not helping him any by sitting here talking about it! We have to do something!"
Remus Lupin, who had been quiet since the madness began, said, "I've been thinking about this. Pettigrew's the only one who can help us. Let's unfreeze him, give him Veritaserum, and find out what happened to Harry."
The room was silent a moment before erupting in preparations.
"So I've been sick for two weeks?" Michael/Harry confirmed.
"Yes, dear, with some sort of dreadful fever. Even the doctors aren't sure what you had, but the worst is over and you should be fine. I'm sure your loss of memory is merely a temporary setback," the woman assured him.
"And you're my parents?"
"Yes, Omnis and Althea Lestrange," Omnis replied.
"And my name is Michael Lestrange?"
"Yes, Michael Patrick Lestrange. With our having odd names, we wanted you to have a more normal one."
"Where do we live?"
"We're just outside a very small town called Little Hangleton. We haven't lived here for a long time. We were living up north of the North Sea in a community called Nabakza. We moved here right after your fifteenth birthday. It was about time we got out of that dreadful place."
"What was wrong with Nabakza?" Michael/Harry asked, stumbling over the word.
"Well, let's just say enough's enough of that place, son. We wanted to bring you somewhere better."
"We stayed there fifteen years; we must have liked it."
Althea coughed. "The only reason we were there was due to our career choices. Our work sent us there."
"Oh." Michael/Harry wanted to ask dozens more questions, but didn't want to pester his parents. He felt odd somehow, like he didn't belong here. Like something was very wrong with this situation. He tried to shove this feeling aside and blame it on the illness he'd had.
"Well, Michael," Althea began, "I think your father and I will let you get some rest now. You'll be as good as new in no time."
"Your mother's right, lad. We'll wake you up for dinner."
"Okay. Er, goodnight then," Michael/Harry answered, suddenly feeling tired.
Althea kissed him quickly on his forehead and she and Omnis left the room, closing the door softly behind them.
"What do you think, dear?" Omnis asked Althea once farther down the hall.
Althea's eyes gleamed. "I think the plan is going very smoothly. Very smoothly indeed."
Wormtail sat in a straight-backed chair, staring straight ahead. "The bars were a special invention of my master's, made especially for Harry Potter. If someone tried to disapparate him out, his memories would be blocked and he would be apparated into the care of Death Eaters."
"His memories would be blocked," Remus mused.
"Which Death Eaters? Where are they? Where's Harry?" Sirius demanded to know.
"Only my master knows the location of the Lestranges and the Potter boy."
The room burst into uproar. "The Lestranges?" "Those horrible people!" "Not them!" "They'll kill him!"
"Where is You-Know-Who?" Grover Fudge asked, sputtering.
At the question, Wormtail's face began to shake violently and his eyes rolled upward. "Can't tell; no, no, no, I can't! I can't!" His speaking had become very mechanical and monotone.
"Blast, You-Know-Who put strong dark magic on that question." Grover Fudge told Remus disgustedly, "Put him on ice. Or in it, rather."
"Wait," Sirius said. He took something that had been sticking out of Wormtail's robes and gazed down at it. "Harry's wand."
Remus refroze Pettigrew quickly as the group goggled at the wand.
"If the Lestranges have Harry, and he doesn't know who he is, they could tell him anything and he'd believe it. They'll hand him right over to You-Know-Who," Mr. Weasley mumbled to himself in disbelief.
"What are the odds he's even still alive?" Carolyn wondered quietly.
Everyone's heads jerked toward her, angry that she had spoken their fears aloud.
Sirius stood up, announcing heatedly, "Voldemort is not going to get Harry. I refuse to believe that he has him already. If you decide to believe that, it's up to you, but I won't. Come on, Remus, we have to find him before Voldemort does."
"But you don't know where to look," Samuel said, standing up as well. At the steely look on Sirius's face, he continued with a sigh, "You have the full search support of the Enforcers. We'll do whatever you think is best."
"Great. We need to divide up. Little Hangleton is where Remus, some Enforcers, and I will go to look because that's where the Riddle House is, and that's where Voldemort last met Harry. The Lestranges could be somewhere near there. I want the rest of the Enforcers to search around Little Hangleton, in the small surrounding towns and in the forests. We'll find him."
Grover Fudge pounded him on the back. "That's the spirit. Samuel, get your Enforcers together and start making plans and giving out assignments. You have the Ministry's full support, just let us know what we can do to help."
"Samuel, whoever's coming with Remus and I had better get ready quick because we're leaving," Sirius said, drawing his cloak up around himself.
Linda rose and reminded, "Sirius, your trial before Wizard Council. It's in a week."
"I'll be back by then. And so will Harry."
Michael/Harry was standing in a small room filled with people. An enormous man with a dark bushy beard sat at a table drinking from a large tankard, getting quite red in the face. A boy and a girl about his age were standing nearby arguing passionately. A handsome man with dark hair laughed heartily at what must have been a grand joke with a man who looked remarkably like Michael/Harry and a beautiful woman with long red hair and sparkling green eyes. A tall man with a long silver beard gazed upon the scene as dozens of other people flitted in and out. Michael/Harry tried to figure out whether he knew anyone or anyone looked familiar, but his head felt as if in a fog and he couldn't recall seeing any of them before.
A hard rap on the door caused Michael/Harry to wake up with a start. He forgot the dream he'd been having instantly.
"Michael, it's time to eat," Althea said, opening the door wide enough to stick her head in. "My goodness, look at that hair; it's standing straight-up."
Michael/Harry got out from under the covers and peered into the mirror. Sure enough, his hair was sticking straight up. He tried to flatten his hair, but it kept flopping back up.
"It won't help, dear. Your hair has always been like that. Now, come on downstairs and let's eat." Althea guided the boy out the door with a hand on his back.
Smells of a delicious meal wafted up the stairs as they were going down. "It smells wonderful," Michael/Harry breathed.
Omnis, Althea, and Michael/Harry ate a cheerful dinner, just as a family ought to. Following the last bite of pudding, Omnis suggested they watch home movies to help Michael's memory. Althea heartily agreed and Michael/Harry agreed out of curiosity. He watched himself grow up with his parents from a toddler until pretty close to present-day. Michael/Harry felt completely at home and all feelings of not-belonging and hesitation melted away as fast as the ice cream at his fifth birthday party. He was home.
Ron Weasley was surprised when a letter dropped into his treacle pudding at dinner. "Pig's back from The Burrow." He picked the letter up quickly and wiped the pudding onto his robes.
"Is it from Harry?" Hermione asked, scooting right next to Ron.
"I don't know yet; budge over, will you," Ron answered impatiently, tearing the piece of parchment open. Hermione read over his shoulder:
Ron,
I have some dreadful news for you. It's too complicated to explain all of it in a letter, but there was an episode with Peter Pettigrew and Harry has disappeared. You-Know-Who has easy access to Harry, but hopefully does not have him yet. The Enforcers, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin are searching for him. Sirius Black is innocent, but of course you are aware of that. He has a trial coming up in about a week. Hopefully Harry will be found before then and brought back. Son, I urge you not to do anything foolish, as there is nothing that can be done right now. Your mother and I are coming to Hogwarts tomorrow night and we will discuss this with you further then. Take care of yourself and keep your chin up.
Dad
Hermione fled the Great Hall while Ron sat there stunned, letting the news sink in. Draco Malfoy chose that moment to skim the letter Ron was holding. Ron didn't even know he was there until a cruel sniggering sounded in his ear.
"So, the Dark Lord finally has Potter now, does he? Serves him right. That miserable git is gone for good," he hissed.
Ron sprang from the table, hit Malfoy squarely in the jaw, knocked him to the floor, and cursed him. Poison ivy vines began to sprout quickly from Malfoy's ears and nose, wrapping themselves over and under his robes, covering every inch of his body. Ron stalked out of the Great Hall, oblivious to the howls of laughter and applause originating from the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff tables.
He met up with Hermione in the Gryffindor common room next to the fireplace.
"I can't believe it," he told her.
"Ron, how could this have happened? Why can't Voldemort just leave Harry alone?"
Ron didn't wince at Hermione's first use of the name. "He's bungled Harry's whole life this far. Why should he stop now?"
"Ron, do you think he'll get out of this one? He's escaped all the other times," Hermione said hopefully.
"He has to be okay, he has to be." Ron slammed his fist against the wall. "I hate this! Harry needs us and we can't help him. We don't even know where he is. The last time he was away from us Voldemort almost got him. What if it happens again?"
Hermione moved to his side and hugged him tightly. "It can't. Let's not even think about it."
"It's a good thing the Enforcers didn't come with us on the train," Sirius told Remus once aboard the Muggle train, headed for Little Hangleton. "It would've looked too suspicious, several visitors arriving in town at once." Grover Fudge had ordered the Enforcers to apparate into various places in wooded areas.
Remus nodded. "Little Hangleton lives up to the 'Little' aspect. They don't get many visitors. The only reason we're on this train is because we can't do a proper search at night anyway and we'll look less suspicious coming into town the Muggle way."
Thinking about Harry being at the Riddle House with Voldemort, Sirius shuddered and closed his eyes pensively. "He'd better be all right."
Remus laid a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and they both silently agreed to try and get some sleep. The next few days were not looking good.
During Sirius's half-sleep that night, he recalled of when he had first met Harry.
Sirius knocked hesitantly on the door to James and Lily's home in Godric's Hollow. It had only been two days since Harry James Potter had been born and Sirius was afraid he was intruding, even though James and Lily had both heartily invited them.
James opened the door wide. "Padfoot, you never knock! You had me worried for a moment!" He came outside and embraced Sirius. "How are you? Come on in."
Fatherhood agreed with James. His bright, eager eyes were full of joy and his already-constant smile was wider.
"Prongs, this is going to sound odd, but I'm not intruding, am I?"
"Of course not!" James waved the thought aside, closing the door.
Sirius felt satisfied with this answer and relaxed. "How are they?"
"We're both absolutely wonderful," a melodious voice answered from the stairwell.
Sirius saw Lily, rosy-cheeked and lovelier than ever. He moved closer to glimpse the small figure wrapped up in a bundle. Lily held him out gently. "Meet Harry James Potter."
Sirius Black had never touched nor held a baby in his life, never even seen one up close. But neither had James and he was doing all right. He reached for the little boy and took him into his arms. From a peaceful little face, big green eyes gazed up at Sirius, studying him intently. Sirius became as mesmerized of the baby as the baby was of him.
"Look, James, I think Sirius has made a friend," Lily stage-whispered to her husband.
"I agree. It's a good thing, though, because it makes what we have to ask much easier."
Sirius tore his eyes away from Harry and asked curiously, "What?"
James took a deep breath and stepped nearer to his son and Sirius. "Padfoot, we want you to be Harry's godfather. I trust you with my life and I know you can be trusted with Harry's. If anything ever happened to us, we'd know he had someone to care for him. He'll be in good hands with you." James glanced at his wife and she gave him a sad yet reassuring smile in return.
Sirius gulped. He felt, in a way, unworthy. They would trust him, Sirius Black, free-spirited ladies' man and adventurer, with their son? The thought of anything happening to James and Lily was unbearable and, unfortunately, in these times, all too realistic. He looked from James to Lily to Harry and back to James before answering, "I'll always be here, for all of you. You can count on me, I swear it."
Harry broke the silence that followed with a small yawn as he snuggled into the crook of Sirius's arm, his eyes beginning to close.
"Not too impressed with his godfather, is he?" Sirius commented lightly. Godfather, he thought. How his life had taken on such a great amount of responsibility within only a few moments.
James and Lily chuckled. Lily came forward and stretched out her arms to take the baby from Sirius. "He's just tired; he's had a busy day: eating, napping, some more eating. Very tiring for an infant, you know. I'll go on up and put him to bed." A thought suddenly occurred to her as she was headed up the stairs. "Oh, would you like to see the nursery?"
"Sure," Sirius replied, glancing at James who grinned. Lily had "slaved" over the nursery for two months before it was to her liking. "Oh, I almost forgot; I brought something for Harry." He reached into his robes and handed a color-changing wrapped parcel to James. "Care to do the honors, Prongs?"
"Why certainly."
Lily came back down the stairs and propped Harry up against her shoulder so that he could see what was going on.
James let out a mighty laugh when he saw what Sirius had bought--a tiny Nimbus 200 series broomstick, just Harry's size. "We'll have to test this out soon, won't we, Harry?" They all laughed at the look of astonishment on the baby's face as he stared at the broom and reached out a tiny fist to feel the finely polished wood.
"Oh no," Lily moaned, half in jest. "Another up-and-coming Quidditch champion in the family."
Harry gurgled happily and beamed at Sirius and his parents.
"All right, young man, we were headed up to bed, I believe," Lily said. "You can thank Sirius as soon as you learn to talk." She started up the staircase once more.
Sirius made a move to follow and James clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Padfoot, thank you. For being my best friend, for being Harry's godfather, for everything."
Sirius was never too good with putting his feelings into words, so he just slung an arm around James and the two followed Lily upstairs to see the nursery masterpiece.
Sirius woke up briefly and looked out the window morosely, "I'll get him back, James. Trust me."
"Michael," a voice whispered through a thick fog. "Michael!" It repeated louder. The fog disappeared and Michael/Harry sat up in bed with a start.
"What?" He asked groggily. "What's going on?"
"It's noon. We're going into town. I have some shopping to do at the market and then we have an appointment with a family friend," his mother told him.
"Who?" Michael/Harry asked, feeling more awake.
"His name's Tom Riddle. We do business together from time-to-time," his father informed from the doorway. "He's really looking forward to seeing you again. It's been a while."
"Oh, all right. I'll get dressed."
"See you downstairs in five minutes," Althea said. She and Omnis left, closing the door behind them.
Michael/Harry wondered, while struggling to pull on a pair of trousers, if his parents were always this last minute about everything. Had he met this Tom Riddle before? He assumed he had, but for some inexplicable reason, a stab of dread pierced his thoughts. "I'm just being daft," he said aloud to himself. There was no reason in the world to be afraid of one of his parents' friends. He pulled on a baseball cap lying on top of his dresser to cover his untidy hair.
Sirius peered into the roaring fireplace in a local tavern. "Remus, any news?" He hissed quietly.
"None, keep looking," was the whispered reply.
Sirius sighed as the head disappeared with the smallest pop. He spun on his heel and left the tavern to start down a street he hadn't ventured down yet.
By the time Omnis, Althea, and Michael/Harry got into town, it was about one o'clock.
"I think Michael and I are going to go down to the pub for a bit," Omnis Lestrange told his wife.
"The pub? It's a bit early, isn't it, dear?"
"Never too early for a pick-me-up, eh, Michael?"
"Well, I guess it's all right if you're certain it's not too early. No getting sloshed now," Althea smiled and abandoned the family's car.
"Truth is, lad, I can't stand going to the market with that woman. She goes in for three items and winds up buying thirty. 'Oh, this might be good. And this over here. Wait, we're getting low on that.' Enough to drive a man mad."
Michael/Harry sniggered at his father's impression of his mother.
"Let's head on down to the Hangleton Pub now. Time's a'wastin'," Omnis encouraged.
After a few drinks, Omnis grew quite jolly. Michael/Harry hadn't had anything but water to drink yet.
"Bartender!" Omnis beckoned the greasy-haired, hook-nosed bartender over to them. "How about a little special something for the lad here?"
"Certainly," the bartender replied in a smooth voice. He turned his back and mixed up a small glass of something for Michael/Harry. When he'd finished, he handed the glass to the boy. "Drink all that down," the bartender instructed him, piercing eyes boring into him. "It'll do you good."
"Yes, lad, drink up," Omnis urged.
Michael/Harry hesitated a moment. Whatever it was he was about to drink looked awful. It was blood-red in color with a swirl of green. The smell coming from it was one of dirty socks. Well, perhaps it tasted better than it smelled. He couldn't just sit there not drinking with the bartender and Omnis watching him like hawks. Michael/Harry took a breath of air and drank the liquid in a single gulp. He sputtered and coughed. "Ugh!"
"That's the ticket," Omnis said, a wide grin on his face. He exchanged glances with the bartender. "Well, I suppose we'd better go for Althea and then go meet Mr. Riddle." He dropped a handful of money on the counter and he headed toward the door, Michael/Harry directly behind him. Upon opening the door outward into the main street, he rammed a young, black-haired man (who had been walking by) hard in the shoulder with the heavy wooden door.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry," Omnis apologized.
The man kept walking swiftly up the road, merely waving a hand in acknowledgement behind him.
Omnis and Michael/Harry left the pub and followed the man's path by coincidence, heading toward the market where Althea was sure to be coming out of at any moment.
As she emerged from the market a moment later, she bumped straight into the very same black-haired man. Cans and pieces of fruit tumbled from her basket. "Oh, I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, bending down to pick up her items rolling into the street.
Omnis and Michael/Harry quickened their step to reach her in order to help.
The black-haired man was retrieving a few of her groceries when he turned toward Omnis and Michael/Harry suddenly to reach some green beans that rolled behind him. Michael/Harry had bent to tie his shoe. Omnis goggled at the man for a moment before taking Michael/Harry's arm roughly and whirled him around so the black-haired man couldn't see his face.
"Michael, go over to that restaurant across the street immediately. Tom will be waiting for you. Go on, now." Michael/Harry wondered why his father was acting so strangely, but thought it best to follow his instructions. He headed across the street, the black-haired man's eyes on him.
"Harry?" He called when the boy was halfway across the street. He stood up and squinted his eyes, needing to see the boy's face. The hat that the boy was wearing really distorted his appearance, making it difficult to tell who it was.
Omnis Lestrange blocked the man's view and said, "Thank you for your help, sir, but my wife and I can handle this now."
The man stopped staring after Michael/Harry and now stared into Omnis's face. Light of recognition came into his eyes. "Omnis Lestrange!" He spun around to take another look at Althea. "Althea!" He looked again at Michael/Harry's retreating back and bolted across the street to him. Omnis followed at his heels and tackled him as they reached the opposite sidewalk.
"Not this time, Sirius Black," Omnis hissed in his ear.
Michael/Harry stood inside the restaurant looking around. His head had begun to throb. He tried to pass that off as an effect of his fever he'd had, but the pain wouldn't go away. "Ah, Mr. Potter," a voice said behind Michael/Harry inside the restaurant.
Michael/Harry turned around and said, "Er, no, I'm Michael Lestrange."
The man to whom the voice belonged smirked. He was tall and very thin with black hair, clad in only black from his black boots to his black sunglasses. "I really don't think so." He tapped Michael/Harry on the forehead and all of a sudden, the pain became blinding and it sent the boy reeling. All his memories came back to him in a flash and his identity was clear at once.
"Voldemort," he groaned through clenched teeth.
"Lord Voldemort." More pain struck Harry and he was aware of Voldemort using the Cruciatus curse on the restaurant workers and patrons. Everyone was screaming and everything was in confusion.
"Ah, I see your godfather has come to attempt to rescue you. No matter, we'll bring him along." A snap of his fingers and the Lestranges, Sirius, and Harry were apparated into a setting all-to-familiar to Harry: right next to the grave of Voldemort's father Tom Riddle Sr. However, Sirius was now the one tied to the tombstone, a trickle of blood running down his now-battered face. Harry stood straight and tall before Lord Voldemort. A huge crowd of Death Eaters stood in a semi-circle, whispers and speculations flying around.
"Well, Mr. Potter, this seems to be a bit of déjà vu, doesn't it? However, the outcome will be much different this time. No more fooling around. I will kill you, as I killed your parents. First, how would you like to watch your godfather die?" Voldemort laughed coldly, gesturing toward Sirius.
"Please don't," Harry said, trying to calm his racing heart and roaring pain in his scar. "I'm the one you really want; just let him go."
"Are you begging Lord Voldemort?" His red eyes glowed with pleasure, sunglasses no longer covering them.
"I will if you want me to." Harry didn't want to give Voldemort the satisfaction yet he had to protect Sirius. He would do anything that was necessary to do that.
Voldemort was disappointed. He was hoping for a bit more trouble from Potter. "Is this your dying wish, then, to save your godfather?"
"Yes."
The Dark Lord pondered this silently for a moment before saying to Sirius, "I will be merciful for now, Mr. Black. I know you will torture yourself for this for the rest of your pathetic life. Your miserable existence will continue." With a flick of his wand, Sirius was disapparated.
As soon as he made contact with ground, far from the Riddle House, Sirius sat up, stunned.
Remus Lupin spotted his friend from a distance and ran to him as fast as he could.
"Padfoot, what's happened? Where's..." Remus cut himself short as he saw tears rolling down Sirius's cheeks."
"I just failed James and Lily for the last time."
"Omnis and Althea have delivered Mr. Potter into my hands, as promised. They will have the privilege of cursing him first. I like to watch my Death Eaters at work." Voldemort paced back and forth in front of his followers.
Harry's scar was hurting so badly now that he wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be conscious. He wanted his wand. He wanted to fight Voldemort face to face, wizard to wizard. He had to get revenge for his parents' murders, for all the murders Voldemort had committed. He had to do it, but without his wand, he knew he would never have another chance. "Please, let me at least die on my feet, staring Voldemort and death directly in the eye," he thought.
Omnis's voice from under his robes said, "How about the Cruciatus, my lord?"
Voldemort chuckled. "You always did prefer that curse. You may proceed." Turning to Harry, he added, "Prepare yourself, Mr. Potter. This is going to hurt."
Omnis Lestrange shouted, "Crucio!" The pain from the curse struck Harry full-force and before things went black completely, he felt something very odd happening.
Remus sat next to his friend on the green hillside, numb from the news of what was happening to Harry at that very moment. Sirius had his head down on his knees, hopeless and heartbroken.
Suddenly, a thud behind them caused them to leap to their feet and whirl about. It was Harry! He lay unconscious but alive in the grass.
"How in the world--?" Remus began, but Sirius interrupted him, holding Harry's limp body in his arms.
"We have to get to the Ministry now. Let's disapparate, quickly."