A/N: Harry Potter and the Dark Uprising is the sequel to Harry Potter and the Guardians.  It is rated PG-13 for very infrequent, mild oaths and occasional violence.  I reserve the right to change the title in the future.

Welcome to a new story!  I hadn't planned on posting quite so soon, but with everyone wanting to take my head off I thought that perhaps I should.  I have the beginning of the story pretty well planned out anyway.  Some people were pretty cheesed off by the end of Guardians while others were kinder.  Let me just say that I didn't do that to be evil; it was simply the end of the fifth year.  Besides, most of you know that I'm a pretty fast updater.  Chapter 2 may not come up too quickly – we'll see – because I want to get the whole plot fleshed out more thoroughly before I get too far in.  I'm not going to respond to individual reviews to the last chapter of Guardians because this is a whole new story, but many thanks to everyone who commented, even those of you who had nasty things to say.  And now, I hope you enjoy!

 

Chapter 1: Kidnapped

Harry felt his feet slam onto hard stone.  The impact reverberated up his spine and into his head where a headache instantly bloomed.  For a moment he was dizzy and disoriented.  When Uncle Vernon let go of his wrist he swayed and almost fell.  When the dizziness passed, Harry looked over at his uncle.  Vernon had a hand pressed to his own head, obviously not yet recovered from the portkey trip.

Harry was already furious with his uncle from his callous insult to Harry's parents.  Though he was still reeling with shock, Vernon's actions were horribly clear.  He'd broken Harry's wand and taken him somewhere against his will.  He'd broken Harry's wand.  Harry had been about to go to the Burrow to see Sirius.  The Dursleys were going to give up custody of him; he was going to be free of them forever.

And now Uncle Vernon had gone and done this.

For the first time in his life, Harry let his hatred of his family rise to the surface.  He'd kept it under wraps for years; he'd been a child, uncertain of how to fight back against years of neglect and rejection.  But Harry didn't feel like a child anymore, and he wasn't about to be under Uncle Vernon's thumb for one more minute.

"AAAUGH!"  Harry leaned back and threw a punch as hard as he could.  His fist landed on his uncle's jaw with a painful jolt.  Vernon staggered backwards and grunted.  He was a very massive man, and Harry's hand stung from the impact.  He resisted the urge to nurse his aching knuckles.  "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Harry bellowed.

Vernon shook his head hard and raised a hand to his jaw.  "You'll pay for that, boy," he said hoarsely.

Harry planted his feet firmly on the floor.  The only member of the Dursleys to ever raise their hand against him had been Dudley, who liked to tussle and always won due to his sheer bulk.  Uncle Vernon was half as big again as his son, but Harry knew he'd be damned before he let him win.  "Just try it, you big, fat tub of lard," he spat.

Vernon went purple.  "Why, you –"

"Maybe you've forgotten that I don't have to live with you anymore!" Harry shouted.

"I haven't signed those papers yet," Vernon hissed.  "Until I do, you're mine."

"You hate me as much as I hate you," Harry snapped.  "Why try and keep me around?"

"Because I'm not done with you yet.  And believe me, you're not going anywhere."  Vernon walked backwards a few steps, never taking his eyes off Harry, and threw open a rickety wooden door.  On the other side was nothing but gray ocean.

For the first time, Harry took a good look at his surroundings.  The longer he looked, the more certain he was that he'd been there before.  The cold, dusty stone floor beneath his feet, the rickety wooden staircase, the moth-eaten sofa on his right…

"Welcome back to the hut on the rock," said Vernon, slamming the door shut again.  "And without your wand, I don't think you'll be able to best me."

Harry wasn't so sure about that.  He was sensitive to his uncle's every move thanks to an adrenaline rush.  Harry's mind was racing, taking stock of the situation.  The hut on the rock?  Hagrid had found him there once, almost six years ago.  Harry had never heard how he'd done it, and now he wished he knew.  Still, Hagrid had been acting on Dumbledore's behalf.  If they could find him once, they could find him again.

"You broke my wand," Harry said tightly.

"I should've done it a long time ago," said Vernon.  "If I'd known that was all it would take to cow you –"

"Who's cowed?" Harry snarled, clenching both hands into fists.  "If it hadn't been forbidden, I'd have taught you a lesson as soon as I knew how."

"Aha!" Vernon crowed.  "I always knew you harbored violent feelings against us.  I knew I should have done everything in my power to keep you away from that school!  We're all much better off without that wand, thank you very much!"

"Do you understand what you've done?" Harry shouted.  "That wand was brother to Voldemort's!  It was one of my few advantages against him!"  His voice shook as he finished.  The full implications of the loss of his wand were beginning to sink in.  That shiny length of wood had been the only barrier between himself and Voldemort last year – that and his strength of will, and now it was gone.  No other could ever give him so much protection.  He still didn't understand why, but it seemed he was destined to face Voldemort again, and his wand had been only one sign of that.  His wand had chosen him, and time and usage had made it a part of him.  Losing it was like losing an arm.

"Who?" Vernon said smugly.

"You're an idiot," said Harry.  "He won't stop with terrorizing the magical world.  He hates Muggles, especially Muggley ones like you!  If we don't defeat him, you'll be next.  Not that I would care very much if he rubbed you out.  I've got every reason in the world to hate you."  Harry was more than a bit shocked at his own vehemence.  He had never said anything so horrible to anyone, but the tide of his anger was unstoppable.  "And I'm not stupid - you know who Voldemort is.  I know Professor Bellaton gave you a talking-to after last summer."

Vernon scowled.  "I know who he is.  And I don't care if your abomination of a teacher says it's your destiny to face him, because I know what you are – a skinny little nobody.  There's no way you could be that important."

Harry was beginning to feel concerned.  His uncle was a buffoon for sure, but he had never spoken so openly of the magical world before.  He didn't even like to acknowledge its existence, and now he wasn't just talking about magic, but he had used it on Harry just moments before.

"Who helped you do this?" Harry said cautiously, looking at the black glove on his uncle's left hand.

"I did," said a voice behind him.

Harry spun on his heel to see a witch with a very sharp nose and chin standing a few feet away.  She was wearing dark robes and a pointy hat with a wide brim.  Her own wand was aimed straight at him.  It was Madeleine Jenkins, the witch from the Wizengamot who had opposed Professor McGonagall so vehemently.

"You!" Harry exclaimed.

"Perhaps you thought I'd just fade into the woodwork?" she said tartly.

"Yeah, I guess so," Harry retorted.  "Fudge is dead.  All those people he was blackmailing are finally free to speak."

Madeleine sneered at him.  "Those people are fools, just like the ones who stand behind that old crackpot, Dumbledore!  Cornelius knew what was best for the people."

"I'm not so sure he did," said Harry.  "Anyway, it doesn't matter.  He had a change of heart before he died."

"I doubt that," said Madeleine.  "Cornelius was very firm in his convictions."

"He saw Voldemort with his own eyes!"

"Voldemort does not exist."

"Are you insane?" cried Harry.

"I don't think so – but your guardian is," she said.  A cold smile dawned on her lips.

Harry stared at her.  "How do you –"

"I was present at the first interrogation of Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange," she said.  "They explained how you had been immune to their curses.  I put two and two together."

"But… no one else…" Harry stammered.

"Do you think that Celeste Thornby is the only person who reads old books?" she said in tones of deepest satisfaction.  Harry could only goggle at her.  "Well!" she said brightly.  "I think we should get down to business!"

The hairs on the back of Harry's neck stood up.  "What are you talking about?"

Vernon stuck his hand back in his pocket and pulled out one shiny, golden Galleon.  "I found this wedged in the floorboards beneath your bed," he said.  "It's pure gold."

Harry's wrath bubbled up again when he saw the greedy gleam in his uncle's eyes.  "Is this about money?"

"You've got more.  I'm sure of it," said Vernon.

"You kidnapped me for MONEY?"

"Your parents died rich," said Madeleine.  "They left you a vault bursting with silver and gold."

"You owe me, boy," Vernon rasped.  "You owe me for all those years of upkeep!"

Harry narrowed his eyes.  There was something else in his uncle's face besides greed.  Unless he was very much mistaken, it was desperation.  "You're in trouble, aren't you?" he said suspiciously.

Vernon blinked.  "What makes you think that?" he said in a too-casual tone.

Harry's brain was still working overtime.  His uncle wanted money.  He was desperate enough to commit a crime and use magic in the process.  And that meant… He thinks he's got nothing to lose.  The memory of his trip to the Wizengamot suddenly came flooding back.  "I saw you coming out of the Magistrates' Court!" Harry shouted triumphantly, pointing his finger at his uncle.  "You are in trouble!"

Vernon went purple.  Whether it was in anger or embarrassment, Harry couldn't tell.  "That's none of your business."

"What happened?" Harry said.  "Did you get fired from Grunnings, or did the company go bankrupt?  Did you do something illegal?  Steal from the company?  Tax fraud?"

Vernon's face went even darker at Harry's last guess.  "Watch yourself, boy!"

Bingo, Harry thought.  "So not paying your taxes wasn't enough," he taunted.  "You thought you'd dig yourself an even deeper hole and kidnap me in order to steal my inheritance."

"What kidnapping?" said Madeleine.  "He's still your legal guardian."

"Yeah, well, seeing as he knew that was about to change, I think it's not quite so cut and dry," Harry said.  Vernon's lip curled and Madeleine paled a bit.  Hah! Harry thought.

The witch regained her composure.  "We demand the contents of your parents' vault."

Harry couldn't believe their audacity.  Unable to help himself, he laughed out loud.  "And you think I can just walk in there and get it?  I don't care what you say, he took me and now there are probably a hundred people looking for me with a fine-toothed comb.  Besides, I haven't got the key on me, and there's no way either of you can get your hands on it without getting caught."

"Oh, we don't expect you to get it yourself," Madeleine said sweetly.  "You're being held for ransom.  You will instruct Remus Lupin to withdraw the contents of your parents' vault and deliver them to a location we will specify.  If all goes well, you will be Obliviated and released, unharmed.  In addition, you may be assured that neither one of us will ever interfere in your life again."

Harry snorted.  "And if I refuse?"

"I will have your friend Neville's parents killed."

Harry went cold.  "They're being watched," he said carefully.

"Hmm," said Madeleine.  "Dumbledore should be more careful about who he trusts.  Gold is a very effective means of persuasion."

"You've bought a Healer?" Harry said, completely horrified.

"Not just Healers," said Madeleine, her smile widening.  "I've got friends all over the place.  The Wizengamot, the Assembly, the Auror corps…"  She trailed off and let the implication sink in.  "Believe me, there will be no warning.  The Longbottoms will simply be found dead.  And should you continue to refuse, your poor, mad guardian will be next.  I thought about making her first, but then I wondered how you'd feel knowing that you could have saved your friend so much pain."

"What's in this for you?" Harry asked.

"Forty percent of your parents' fortune and a new life," she replied.  "You ruined me, you know.  You and Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall.  Oh, and let's not forget that damned barrister, too.  You took my legs out from under me that day.  After that, Cornelius looked for someone else to be his number one witch on the court.  And now I've been forced to resign!  You can't imagine the humiliation I've suffered!"  Her smug smile had been replaced by a twisted snarl.

"You can't blame us," said Harry.  "You're the one who blackmailed people, so the consequences are your own."

"Only because they were dangerous fools set on plunging the magical world into a needless panic!" she snapped.  "We had to control them for the good of all!"

"Liar!" said Harry.  "Fudge loved power, and so do you!  Both of you," he amended, turning to look at his uncle in turn.  Harry opened his mouth to harangue him further, but stopped when he saw the look on Vernon's face.  It was one of absolute panic.

"You never mentioned killing anyone," he said.

"What better leverage could you ask for?" Madeleine Jenkins said coolly.

"You said no one would get hurt.  We'd both get new starts and Harry would be returned to the station," said Vernon.

Harry looked back and forth between the two adults.  Some part of him was relieved to hear that his uncle wasn't completely black-hearted.

Madeleine put one hand on her hip in irritation, but she kept her wand trained on Harry.  "Do you want the money or not?" she said.  "Without it, you're ruined."

"I'm not prepared to go to jail for murder!" cried Vernon.

"No one's going to jail, you stupid Muggle!" Madeleine retorted.  "A few well-placed Memory Charms, and everything's hunky-dory!"

All of Harry's attention was focused on Madeleine Jenkins.  As she argued with Vernon she was paying less and less attention to him.  Harry tensed, ready to spring.

"I snatch Harry from Kings Cross in front of dozens of people, he gets held for ransom, and his friend's parents turn up dead?" Vernon exclaimed.  "Put this… guardian on top of that, and they'll certainly trace it back to me.  You're the one who gets off scot-free!"

"You kidnapped him because I couldn't afford to be seen doing it!"

"What's to stop you from erasing my memory and taking my part of the money?"

"You know, that's not a bad –"

Harry saw his chance.  He leapt at Madeleine Jenkins, his hand outstretched and grasping for her wand.  Just as he'd hoped, she was too surprised to react in time.  Harry's fist closed on her wand and he yanked it right from her grasp.  But even as he won the weapon, she began to fight back.  She twisted her body and pulled Harry off balance.  He fell to the ground and she lunged at him.

"Immobulus!" he cried.  Madeleine collided with him and the spell flew past her shoulder.  She stretched out one hand, scratching at Harry's face with her nails as she tried to reach her wand.  He yelped and twisted, trying to push away from her.

"Rictusempra!" he shouted, but he couldn't get the wand pointed at her.  The spell shot toward a wall, striking a broken mirror and ricocheting off.  As he struggled with Madeleine, Harry briefly saw Vernon duck behind the moth-eaten couch.

One of Madeleine's hands closed on her wand, but Harry still had the handle.  "Atterius!" she screamed, and a burst of green light flew up and struck the ceiling.  She and Harry grappled for a moment longer, and then they both heard the support beams above them creak ominously.  Old plaster trickled down in flakes.  The ceiling groaned as if it were beneath a weight to great to support.

"Fractisto!" Madeleine shouted, trying again.  Harry heard a great BOOM behind him and a salty wind blew into the small room.  He didn't have to look to know that part of the wall was gone.

At that moment, the sound of splintering wood filled the air.  Madeleine looked up, and Harry kicked out with his right foot, catching her in the stomach.  She tumbled away and he barely managed to keep his grip on the wand.  Harry scrabbled backwards as the ceiling above them gave way.  In a cloud of dust and plaster, an old, rotting wardrobe came crashing down right where they had been fighting.

For a moment there was silence save for the soft sound of plaster trickling down onto the rubble from the gaping hole in the ceiling.  Then Vernon coughed from his hiding place behind the sofa, and Madeleine Jenkins sneezed.

Harry got to his feet.  Miraculously, he was unhurt and the wand was still whole; the only thing broken was his glasses.  He backed up toward the door, wand at the ready, so he could cover both his attackers.  He spared one brief glance to his right, where a huge, circular hole had indeed been blown out of the wall.  Good thing that one missed me, he thought.

Madeleine began to rise.  Harry stretched her wand out before him and said, "Don't even think about it."

She curled her lip.  "Ruination is too good for you, Potter."

"You think being poor is the same thing as being ruined?" he said incredulously.  "I've got friends.  They'd never let me starve in the hedgerows."

"Not everyone is so lucky," Madeleine said coldly.

"It's not luck," said Harry, "but I think it has something to do with the fact that I don't go around blackmailing people."

She sneered at him.  "What exactly do you plan to do now, Potter?  You're stuck on this miserable rock.  You can't Apparate, you have no Floo powder, and you can't make a portkey.  I, on the other hand, can Disapparate whenever I please."

At that moment a large, tawny owl flew in through the hole in the wall and let a letter fall from its talons.  Harry snatched it out of the air.  Without taking his eyes off either Madeleine or his uncle, he broke the seal one-handed and unfolded the parchment.  He backed up a little farther to broaden his field of view.  Only then did he look at the paper.

Dear Mr. Potter,

At seven fifty-three in the evening of 9th June, an unauthorized Immobilizing Charm was used at…

Harry jerked his eyes back toward Madeleine Jenkins, who had thrust her hand into her robes.  Quick as lightning, she threw something down on the floor which shattered into a thousand tiny pieces.  Vernon howled in fright at the sudden sound.  A chill breeze wafted over the floor for a moment before the wind from the sea blew it away.

"What was that?" Harry said tightly.  She merely smiled back at him.  "WHAT WAS THAT?" he shouted, and her smile broadened.  Harry's eyes scanned the room, looking for any change at all in his surroundings.  After a few seconds passed and nothing had happened, a terrible suspicion began to form in Harry's heart.  "It was a signal," he whispered.

"I'd say you're too late already," she said.

White hot rage surged through Harry's veins.  He pointed the wand at Madeleine, intent on cursing her into oblivion.  Vernon whimpered and cowered by the sofa.

There was a loud CRACK, and the small room was suddenly full of witches and wizards.  A small forest of wands pointed at Madeleine and Vernon, and a dozen voices shouted things like "Freeze!" and "Don't move!"  More than one cried "Nectiris!"  Harry didn't know what it meant, but Madeleine Jenkins screamed in frustration.  When she didn't Disapparate, Harry realized that the spell had prevented her from doing so.

"Harry, are you all right?" said Sirius as he and Lupin pushed their way to his side.

"St. Mungo's!" Harry said.  "The Longbottoms!"

"What?"  Dumbledore strode out of the crowd.  "What do you mean?"

"She said – she gave a signal!"  Harry was having trouble getting the right words out, but Dumbledore seemed to understand.

"Emmeline, Nymphadora, Arthur, with me!" he ordered.  His gnarled hand clamped firmly down on Harry's shoulder.  Harry saw a white flash and found himself standing back in the waiting room at St. Mungo's.

The witch on duty at the desk opened her mouth when Dumbledore, Harry, and the others hurried toward her, but they didn't stop.  They went straight past the desk and into the hallway.  "Hey, you can't go back there!" she shouted.

"Find Healer Bigelow!" Dumbledore bellowed, otherwise ignoring her.

Lupin, who had followed, walked beside Harry on either side as they charged down the long hallway toward the closed ward.  More than one Healer opened their mouth to ask what on earth they were doing, but one look from Dumbledore silenced them.

They reached the doors to the ward just as Bigelow came hurrying up.  "Rest for the Weary," he said, and the doors swung open.  Halfway down the ward, they could barely see a young Healer trying to get Frank Longbottom to drink from a half-empty glass.  His wife was leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed.

The young Healer looked up when the doors banged open.  He dropped the glass and backpedaled, falling over his own feet in the process.  He fumbled with his robes as the group advanced, looking for his wand, but Dumbledore stopped him.  "Petrificus Totalus!" the headmaster said in a commanding voice, and the Healer's arms and legs snapped tightly against his body, leaving him unable to move.

"Damn it!" Bigelow swore when he reached the Longbottoms.  "He's poisoned Alice!  Torbitt!  Scorley!  Get the antidote for Blackwater Poison!"  Two white-robed Healers jumped and ran for the doors.

Harry looked down at the broken glass on the floor.  The puddle that had formed around it looked just like water, but it certainly wasn't black.

Bigelow hurried over to a large cabinet on one wall.  He waved his wand and the doors sprung open.  Bottles of all shapes and sizes lined the shelves inside; Bigelow knocked several of them to the floor in his haste.  He muttered as he searched.  "Dringle's Soothing Salve, extract of moonflower, salted iodine… where is it?"

Suddenly, Harry was struck with an inspiration.  He reached inside the neck of his shirt and found the talisman given to him by Sirius and Lupin.  He tugged on it, and with a tearing sound it came free, a piece of his shirt still attached to the pin.  Harry reached out and took Mrs. Longbottom's open hand.  He dropped the green jewel into it and closed her fingers around it.  Immediately a soft green glow began to seep between her fingers.

The adults all looked at Harry with a mixture of interest and appraisal.  "You are full of surprises, Harry," said Tonks, shaking her head.  Lupin beamed at him, clearly pleased that he was still wearing the gift.

"My word," said Bigelow, who had finally found what he was looking for.  "Harry Potter, you are a godsend!"

"Will it help?" said Harry.

"Indeed," said Bigelow.  "It could sustain her for hours if need be.  We used to keep a few emeralds in wards around the hospital for use in an emergency, but they were always being stolen, and they're not easy to replace."  He put down the vial he was holding.  "I don't need to use this now.  She will be all right until Torbitt and Scorley return."

Harry suddenly remembered something else that Madeleine Jenkins had said.  "Professor Thornby!" he exclaimed.  "Is she all right?"

"She is well," said Bigelow.  "Bertram Hill is standing guard, and if he isn't loyal to Dumbledore, no one is."

"It's just that Madeleine Jenkins threatened her, too," said Harry.  "She said she'd be next."

"She is well," Bigelow repeated kindly.  "I was at her side when you arrived.  No one has poisoned her, though a few scratches have appeared on her face."  Harry was relieved to hear it; considering what he'd just been through, he'd been able to hold well to his promise and avoid injury.  At least he'd managed to avoid being blasted by Madeleine's spell or squashed by the falling wardrobe.

With the immediate danger averted, everyone began to relax.  Dumbledore wearily sank into a chair and rubbed his forehead.  Healer Bigelow went to clean up the mess of bottles he'd knocked to the floor, and Tonks and the witch called Emmeline stood guard over the traitorous Healer.

Harry took his first good look at the petrified figure on the floor and jumped.  It was the young man who had first examined him right after the battle in the graveyard.

"I'd never have thought that Brian Murphy was capable of this," said Bigelow with a shake of his head.  "To think that Healers could become murderers… I can't fathom it.  We go into this field to help people!"

"He might not be the only one," said Harry.  He turned toward Dumbledore.  "Madeleine Jenkins said you should be more careful about who you trust.  She says she's got friends everywhere."

"It looks like it is time to move Celeste," said the headmaster.

"What about the Longbottoms?" said Tonks.

"I do not think they can be moved," said Dumbledore.  "Another guard can be arranged for them here.  Besides, if my suspicions are correct, they were nothing more than leverage to Miss Jenkins.  Celeste is more likely to be a target for others."

Harry nodded.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning," said Dumbledore.

Harry did so, starting with his uncle's unexpected appearance in Kings Cross, their odd conversation, and the destruction of his wand.  When he described how the black glove had portkeyed both of them to the hut on the rock, he stopped to ask a question.  "It had to be a portkey, but how could Uncle Vernon be touching it already and not be transported?"

"Possibly only part of the glove was charmed," said Dumbledore.  "Most have an outer covering and an inner lining.  It would have been a tricky piece of work, but it could have been done."

"It gave us a terrible fright," said Mr. Weasley.  "All of a sudden there was nothing left but the pieces of your wand on the ground.  I have them here, if you want them."

Harry stretched out his hand and Mr. Weasley dropped the remains of his faithful wand into his open palm.  Harry regarded them sadly for a moment before tucking them back into his pocket.

"Wands can be replaced," said Tonks.

"But mine was brother to Voldemort's," said Harry.

"Well, Fawkes has not given a feather in more than twenty years," said Dumbledore.  "If we ask him very nicely, he may consent to give another."

Harry's heart lifted.  "Really?  You think so?"

"You proved your loyalty to me in the Chamber of Secrets," said Dumbledore.  "Fawkes will not have forgotten, as he has a very long memory."

The doors to the closed ward suddenly burst open, and the two Healers came rushing back in with a large bottle.  Bigelow took it and poured a small amount into a new glass, which he administered to Mrs. Longbottom.  "Done," he said, stepping back.  He retuned the antidote to the two Healers and thanked them.  Then he opened Mrs. Longbottom's hand and retrieved the talisman, which was barely glowing now.  Harry pinned it back to his torn shirt.  "I am not looking forward to speaking with Magnolia Longbottom," said Bigelow.

Everyone chuckled.  "At least they are both still alive," said Dumbledore.  "Now – if you will finish your tale, Harry?"

Harry related the rest of his experience, including his captors' demands and the fight.  "There's something else I don't understand," he said when he finished.  "How did you find me?"

"The owl," said Mr. Weasley.  "The Ministry keeps tabs on all underage wizards.  If you cast a spell outside of Hogwarts, you are immediately sent a letter of warning."

"I know," said Harry.  "I got one just before second year, when Dobby levitated a pudding at my house."  Emmeline and Tonks looked at Harry curiously, but then was not the best time to tell the whole tale.

"I myself am not certain of how the owls know where to find you, but they can," said Mr. Weasley.  "As soon as the letter was sent, Kingsley knew."

"But how did he know to watch?" said Harry.

"I can mobilize the Order very quickly," said Dumbledore.  "Within three minutes of your disappearance, most members were doing their preassigned tasks."

Harry frowned.  "You mean –"

"Ensuring your safety is just one of the goals of the Order," said Dumbledore.  "For months we have had a contingency plan to use in just this situation."

"This is my fault," said Lupin, looking down at the floor.  "I shouldn't have let Harry go off with Dursley.  He'd done too much harm to be trusted."

"You didn't trust him," said Mr. Weasley.  "Neither did I.  He was a Muggle, and they were only ten feet away where we could see them.  Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine he could possibly do such a thing."

"Me neither," said Harry.  "He hates everything to do with magic.  He hardly ever talked about it before today."

"Calm yourself, Remus," said Dumbledore.  "No one is holding you responsible.  Perhaps I shouldn't ever sit beneath a tree, because a large branch might unexpectedly fall on my aged head."

Lupin smiled a bit, seeming reassured.

"Well!" said Dumbledore.  "Who's ready for a nice, uneventful summer vacation?"

"Wait!" said Lupin.  "What about the papers Dursley was supposed to sign?"

"And what's going to happen to him?" said Harry.

"I am sure he has signed by now," said Dumbledore.  "He will be turned over to the Muggle authorities.  As for Miss Jenkins and Mr. Murphy here, they will be sent to Azkaban pending trial."

"But I thought the dementors were gone," said Harry.

"They are," said Dumbledore.  "The prison is being reinforced with all manner of spells and wards.  These could be assaulted, of course, but it would take time to break through them, and the Ministry will be able to respond in time."

"You look a fright, Harry," said Lupin, swiping at Harry's unruly hair.  A small shower of white plaster rained past Harry's face.  Harry looked up at one of the windows that lined the closed ward.  It was now quite dark outside, and he could see his reflection plainly.  He was disheveled; his hair was gray from the dust, his robes were torn, and one of the lenses of his glasses was broken.

"It takes a better pair than Vernon Dursley and Madeleine Jenkins to kidnap you," Lupin said proudly.  "Come on – let's go home.  Sirius couldn't come here, of course, but he'll be wanting to see you."

Harry grinned.  Despite what had just happened, he was feeling good.  Lupin was right; two people had tried to capture him, and he'd fought them off with his bare hands.  The Longbottoms and Professor Thornby were safe, and the three attackers were under arrest.  For the first time in what felt like ages, it was a complete victory for the good guys.