Chapter 24: An Unexpected Turn Of Events

"What are you doing here?!"

Mrs. Figg was gazing down at Harry, who was still laying on the ground.

"I wanted to make sure that Ellie got home safely." Harry responded curtly.

Mrs. Figg eyed him suspiciously.

"So, you have everything under control, do you?" She asked in a demeaning tone.

"Yes, I do." Harry answered confidently.

"Then I guess there is no need for me to hang around."

"I guess not."

"It was nice to see you again Mrs. Figg." Ellie said politely just before Mrs. Figg walked away.

The old woman gave her a slight nod in acknowledgment, before continuing on towards Wisteria Walk.

Ellie's home was only six houses down on the opposite side of the street.

"Well, this is it." Ellie said, standing at her front door. She felt weird being back home.

Ellie tuned the knob and pushed on the door. It was locked.

"I forgot it was still early afternoon." Ellie rolled her eyes at herself.

Before she could even bend down to get the spare key, which was hidden under a rock in the flower bed, the front door flew open.

In the door way stood Ellie's father, holding a cricket bat. His hair was very messy, and his eyes were red with a terrified look in them.

"Dad? Are you alright?" Ellie asked baffled at her father's appearance, and why he was home so early. Instead of giving her an answer, Mr. Richards pulled his daughter into a tight hug. Ellie thought she was going to suffocate against her father's chest, but managed to free herself in time.

"Dad, what's going on?" She had never seen her father act like this before.

"When I couldn't find you to tell you about your mother, I was worried they had taken you too."

"What are you talking about? What about mom? Who's 'they'?" Ellie's head was beginning to spin.

"The wizards."

Ellie stared at her father, dumbfounded at what he'd just uttered, but it was nothing compared to what he said next.

"The evil Lord Dumbledore has taken your mother."

"WHAT!?!?" Ellie and Harry exclaimed loudly in unison.

Mr. Richards suddenly glanced at Harry, as if noticing him for the first time.

"Dad, where are you getting this from?"

"The news." Mr. Richards replied, not taking his eyes off of Harry. "Scotland Yard managed to capture one of the wizards after today's attack. After hours of interrogation he finally told everything. Who is this?" He pointed the cricket bat at Harry.

"Oh, this is Harry. He lives over on Privet Drive." Ellie explained quickly. "So, this wizard said that Dumbledore is responsible for these attacks?"

Before Ellie even knew what had happen, her father lunged forward and grabbed Harry's wand from his pocket. A small part of the handle must have been exposed for him to notice.

"I knew it!" Mr. Richards yelled. He was pointing the wand at Harry, as if it was a loaded gun. "I knew you were a wizard! You've come to take the rest of my family, haven't you? Well, I'm not going to let you!"

Ellie stared at her father in shock. He sounded like a raving lunatic, and his hands were shaking terribly.

"I think there's been a misunderstanding Mr. Richards." Harry said trying to remain calm, but Ellie could see the panic in his eyes.

Harry couldn't return to the magic world without his wand, and the portkey would be taking him back at any moment. There was only one plan that entered into Ellie's mind, and she didn't have time to think of a better one.

With little thought to what she was about to do, Ellie gave a swift kick to her father's shin. While her father was doubled over in pain, she snatched the wand out of his hand, and shoved it into Harry's.

"Go now. I'm safe here." She whispered to him.

Harry had only taken a few steps down the walk way when he disappeared.

Ellie let out a sigh of relief. When she turned to face her father he was staring wide eyed at the spot where Harry had just been.

"Get inside." He said in a frightened whisper, and pulled Ellie into the house.

The door slammed shut. Mr. Richards locked it, and took one more glance out the window to make sure that everything was safe before turning to his daughter.

All fear had vanished from his eyes, he was now looking furious. Ellie stood quietly by the stairs, waiting for her father's wrath to bear down on her.

"You lied about where you were going.....you had me worried sick.....and you let a wizard get away." Mr. Richards rested the cricket bat against the door. "I'm sure you were brainwashed or hypnotized, but I want you to go to your room until whatever spell you're under wears off."

Ellie didn't make any arguments, or even mention that she had acted under her own will. She had been expecting a much bigger punishment. As she walked upstairs she could hear her father limping into the living room.

Ellie flopped onto her bed, and buried her head in her pillow.

What is going on!?

It seemed the entire world had turned upside down in a matter of minutes. Her father was a complete wreck, her mother was missing, and Dumbledore was being blamed for it all.

"It's a set up. It has to be a set up." Ellie thought to herself. "No wizard would allow themselves to be captured by Scotland Yard, and expose the wizarding world. And only a Deatheater would be underhanded enough to give Dumbledore's name as his master's."

The more Ellie thought about it, the more she realized how cunning this plan was.

While the Ministry of Magic is occupied doing damage control with the muggle world, Voldemort and his Deatheaters have less eyes watching for them, and more freedom to wreck havoc. And if their plan is to create chaos in the muggle world, Dumbledore wouldn't be able to help without being attacked by the very people he is trying to protect.

Ellie then started to worry about her mother, and wondered why Dumbledore didn't tell her. Maybe he thought it would be better if she heard the news from her father. Or maybe he didn't know at that point in time. After all, he did mention that he was waiting for more information.

Ellie's mind continued to wander until she finally drifted off into sleep.

"Ellie, you can come down stairs! It's time for dinner!"

Ellie immediately awoke at the sound of her father's voice. As she got out of bed, it hit her. It was always her mother's voice that would call her for dinner. For the first time Ellie realized that her mother was really gone.

"It's true. It wasn't a nightmare after all."