CHAPTER THREE (B)--THE LIES
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore waited for any news from the past couple days. Everyone possible had been out trying to search for Harry Potter. The day after the disappearance Albus had written his two best friends and godfather that he had Harry taken from his relatives to an unplotable safe house. He had lied to the three most important people in the young man's life. But he couldn't allow them to know that Harry had been taken from his home, injured. But he did allow them foolish hope that young Harry would arrive at Platform 9 ¾ for the new school year.
A prim knock interrupted his thinking. "Come in."
Professor Minerva McGonogall swept inside. "Any word, Albus?" The old wizard bowed his head. Tears pricked at her eyelids as she collapsed into a chair before the large desk. "Where can he be, Albus? Who could have taken him?"
Albus could offer no comfort to the grieving professor. He knew the Head of the Gryffindor House wanted to know that one of her students was safe. "We don't know. The Aurors did find a strong residual of a magical aura but nothing can trace it back to the source. Severus was already here. As far as he knew, Voldemort does not have Harry but he can't be sure just yet."
"What can we do now?"
Sighing in heavy tones, he began to look his age, "We can only hope Harry is safe and will return soon. We will do anything to keep the truth from coming out. Alastor and Tonks have already begun the process of changing memories. They will be our only contact in the ministry. We will maintain the lie that Harry is safe and hidden at the moment in fear that Voldemort is after him."
Minerva stood carefully, desperately holding the sobs inside. "You do realize that Ms. Granger may realize something's wrong. She won't stop until the truth is revealed. Both her and Mr. Weasley will try to weasel out the truth."
"We will not tell them anything. They cannot know despite their friendship with young Harry."
"I hope so, Albus. We really need Mr. Potter here. He has no one to help him except those of us here at Hogwarts and Sirius Black." Without another word, the transfiguration professor and head of house, swept out the office to be alone.
Blue eyes tiredly watched the witch flee. With the absence of the boy's owl and items, they couldn't search for his magical signature. They only hoped his use of magic could help since the other signature in his home led to nowhere. "Please, come home, Harry. We need you here."
A golden phoenix sang a sorrowful song as he watched his owner silently grieve over the loss of the saviour, Harry Potter.