Chapter 2- Seeking Protection
A scream could be heard as Harry opened his eyes. There was a mist but it cleared up immediately. There, standing in front of Harry, was Mrs Weasley. She was stunned as she stared at the four of them. "Harry?" she asked. Grinning, Harry addressed her. "Morning Mrs Weasley. I'm sorry for disturbing you."
"Not at all! Oh. You must be Harry's relatives. My my! Please take a seat! What are they doing here Harry?" Waving her wand at them, the silence charm was broken.
"It's a long story Mrs Weasley."
"Sorry to disturb you. This boy forced us to vacant our house right in the middle of the morning!" Uncle Vernon sputtered with anger.
"Arthur! Come down immediately!" Mrs Weasley shouted for her husband. With a crack, Mr Weasley apparated before them. Aunt Petunia screamed and took a few steps back.
"Harry Potter! A pleasant surprise to see your whole family here." Mr Weasley was beaming at them.
"Harry needs to tell us something." Mrs Weasley offered seats for them to sit.
"This morning, I couldn't sleep cause I had to tell the Dursleys about me not going back to that house anymore. Then, my scar started to burn really painfully. When I looked out of the house, I saw this hooded figure walking towards the house with his wand ready. He seemed like Voldemort and I didn't want them to end up like… like my mum and dad." At the last sentence, a lump had formed in his throat.
Stroking his head, Mrs Weasley comforted Harry. "You have done us proud Harry. We will inform the Order immediately. Don't you worry. Why not you join Ron upstairs? He'll be ecstatic to see you." Mrs Weasley paused at the Dursleys for a moment. "Three of you can sleep in the guest room." Trying her best to make the Dursleys feel comfortable, Mrs Weasley smiled at them uneasily.
"Pardon me but can someone please explain to me about the situation?" Uncle Vernon's cheeks were flushed a deadly purple- a sign that he was getting more frustrated. Putting his arm around Uncle Vernon's shoulders, Mr Weasley explained.
"Voldemort is the most feared wizard in the wizarding community. He was the one who murdered Harry's parents and tried to kill Harry but failed. Now, he's hunting Harry down to kill him and we are trying to protect him. Therefore, that hooded figure was most probably Voldemort who wanted to kill the whole family. So, young Harry had the instinct to save everyone by transporting you to our home." Although Mr Weasley tried to look cheerful, his voice was grave and serious.
"So you are trying to say that this Voldemort guy wants to murder the whole family? And why did he fail in killing Harry?" Uncle Vernon was seemingly more curious. Mr Weasley observed him for a moment. "Yes. He wants to kill all those who are close to Harry so as to lure him. He had tried to murder Harry when he was an infant but the spell had backfired because he had something that Voldemort did not have." Winking at Harry, Mr Weasley turned back to Uncle Vernon.
"So you are telling me that because of Harry, my whole family is endangered by this maniac!" Uncle Vernon was practically bursting. "Hoho. Yes. But the Order will protect your family. So temporary, you will have to stay here."
Uncle Vernon seemed to be about to flare up again when Aunt Petunia nudged him and thanked the Weasleys. "I know about Voldemort and thank you for protecting us." Her face had softened and her eyes were filled with gratefulness. She knew how brutally her sister was killed and although she mistreated Harry, she finally felt grateful towards the Weasleys.