Author's Note
So I'd like to address something that came up in one of the reviews. One of you guys said that muggles would notice the Dragonfly.
Now in the previous chapter, as Apollo was thinking about replacing the Hogwarts Express, he thought of Mr Weasley's car.
Thing is, unlike Mr Weasley, Apollo actually is an Enchanter. He's not an amateur in other words.
The car could become invisible, though the invisibility booster was faulty. What makes you think that Apollo couldn't do a better job?
" Harry, Professor Dumbledore is on his way to my office. Likely to push the issue of you returning to your relatives. I'm not sure how he found out, but he did. "
" I'll do most of the talking. Just remember, don't let him try and guilt you into listening to him. I promised you that you could stay at Hogwarts over the summer. "
" A power that's vested in me as Headmaster. There's nothing that he, the Board of Governors or the Ministry can do about it so take heart. "
The wards alert me to the fact that Dumbledore is walking towards the entrance to my office. With a mental nudge, the staircase is revealed and it starts to rotate upwards.
My lips twitch slightly because I can feel Professor McGonagall running towards my office in her cat form. I wonder why.
A perfunctory knock sounds on my door and then it opens. Professor Dumbledore enters my office. Wearing sweeping scarlet robes, the expression on his face is serious. Not long after that, Professor McGonagall enters as well.
" Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, this is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure? " Neither of them take a seat though. Professor McGonagall looks slightly confused, both as to why she's here and as to why Harry is as well.
" Apollo my dear boy, just what is going on here? I received word that young Harry wasn't on the Hogwarts Express and I immediately rushed here. Why isn't he on his way home? "
I snorted. Dumbledore raised a brow at the sound. " I'm not quite sure how that's any of your business to be honest. Harry's home life is none of your concern. "
" According to him, last year was the first time that he met you. Despite the fact that it was you who left him with his muggle relatives. That is very peculiar. "
" Particularly because I fail to see who gave you the authority to make that decision. Harry did have distant relatives in the Wizarding World, yet he was left with none of them. "
I raise a hand then, to stop his interruption. " Please, don't patronise me by using the excuse of not trusting anyone. Oaths could have taken care of that. The fact that you ignored all of that and placed him with muggles and then did not even have the decency to check up on him is concerning. "
Professor McGonagall looks like she's about to interrupt, but I keep on speaking. " The fact of the matter is that his muggle relatives were abusive. They are not fit to be his guardians and so I have decided that he won't be returning there. "
When I finish, Professor McGonagall is looking at Harry in shock. Dumbledore however only sighs.
" They are young Harry's family. He is safe there. The wards... " I cut him off, he looks slightly affronted.
" Whatever wards you've cooked up to protect a muggle house is nothing compared to the wards of Hogwarts. Unless you're saying that you're more powerful than the Founders combined? "
He shakes his head slightly. " Of course not my boy, nevertheless, I must insist that Harry return to his family. I've kept this quiet from the Ministry but if you persist in your endeavours then I will be left with no choice. "
I can't help it. I laugh. All three of them look at me. " The Ministry? The Ministry has no power here. Regardless of whatever you or they think. "
" This school predates the Ministry by over six centuries. It's independence was confirmed by the very first Minister of Magic. Not that his opinion mattered. "
" The Founders built this school to be a fortress. A refuge for magical children and adults if needs be, against the savagery of the muggles of the day. "
" As Headmaster, I have the authority to offer sanctuary to any student magical adult. The fact that you never offered sanctuary to any abused student or safe haven during the previous war, speaks volumes of you Albus Dumbledore. "
" The same can be said for your predecessor. The Second World War was the most devastating conflict in history and yet, despite the fact that all the muggleborns and many of the half-bloods were in mortal danger, Armando Dippet did nothing. "
" I'm not either of you. When I became Headmaster I vowed that I would protect this school and it's students and I intend on keeping my word. "
" But I digress. My mind is made up and so is yours. It is my decision to make however and I've made it. Now, I'd like you to leave please. "
Dumbledore is slowly shaking his head. I don't wait to see what he'll say or do however. I mentally activate one of the functions of the wards, a function it hasn't possessed in centuries.
Dumbledore shimmers with light. Before he can react however, a loud crack, almost like a thunderclap sounds. When the sound fades, he's gone. Ejected to outside of the gates and beyond the wards.
Professor McGonagall looks absolutely shocked. I eye Harry and tentatively, he walks towards her and starts to speak softly.
I'm focused on outside however. Dumbledore seems to be trying to get a reading on the wards. My lips twitch slightly.
I focus my mind and suddenly I'm looking out through the eyes of the statues flanking the gates. A second later the protective dome of magic around the school becomes momentarily visible.
Dumbledore suddenly looks wary. He's right to be. A bolt of pure magic flies from the dome, right towards him. He gasps in alarm and flicks his wand.
A golden barrier appears around him. Then, a deafening boom sounds. We can hear it from my office. Harry and McGonagall rush towards my window.
Before my mind's eye however, I see the results. Dumbledore's shield fractures and breaks. He looks stunned. A ten foot wide crater surrounds him.
Luckily, he doesn't try his luck further. With a twist, he apparates himself away. I stand then and assure the two of them that everything is fine.
Once they leave my office, I call upon an elf and ask him to go and fix the damage before the gate. Giddily, the elf pops away. I shake my head. Elves are so strange.
Luckily for me, the rest of the summer progresses without any other major issues. The Dragonfly has come along beautifully.
It was very labour intensive though. Thousands of runes had to be carved into it, so that it could have all the features I wanted.
Among them is an invisibility function that activates as soon as all its passengers are on board. Not just invisible to eyes however. Invisible to any means of the detection the muggles possessed.
Harry was having the time of his life however. He was using magic for every little thing. I'd given him a book on household charms, so that he'd be able to keep his own house one day.
He took to it well. Professor Flitwick was impressed. Naturally, both of his friends were jealous. Ron wasn't for long though.
Bill had left for Egypt, to tie up a few loose ends. His family went with him. Turns out that before Mr Weasley resigned from the Ministry, he had won a thousand galleons in some contest. The Weasleys were all in the Daily Prophet because of it.
All things must come to an end eventually though. Before I knew it, 1 September dawned and with it the new school year.
It hadn't been as difficult as I supposed. Finding a new place for students to embark and disembark.
In Kent, just outside of Sevenoaks, was a ruined manor house that belonged to a half blood wizard who died decades ago.
He was killed when German bombs dropped on his home during the war. The pilots had likely misjudged their location.
Not that they would have actually seen the manor. It had a pretty well done ward scheme, that hid the house from prying eyes.
It didn't take much for me to repair the manor with magic. It was a muggle building after all.
There was nothing inside it though. It was merely for the sake of the muggles. It's not like they'd drop their children off in the middle of a field.
Included in the letter that was sent to the students this year, was instructions to come here instead of heading to King's Cross. They were told that the children would be using alternative means of transportation.
When the time came for the new school year to reopen, I was glad for my foresight. The week before school opened, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban Prison.
As if that wasn't enough, things escalated when that buffoon who happens to be the Minister, decided on despatching Dementors to recapture Black.
I refused to have them on Hogwarts grounds however. Not that I could let them in the grounds, even if I wanted to. With the wards at full strength, no danger to the students would be able to pass.
The Ministry was unaware of that though. I intended on playing my cards close to my chess in this instance. Sadly however, there was nothing I could do to prevent the stationing of those horrors in Hogsmeade.
Regardless, on the morning of the 1 of September, after breakfast, I apparated Harry to Kent with me. Minutes later, a number of the other Professors started arriving as well.
Those that weren't part of the project exclaimed in awe as they saw what we had created. The mouth of the Dragonfly was open and it's ' tongue ' was extended outwards and touched the ground. The tongue rippling and creating stairs into the interior.
The interior of the ' mouth ' is merely a large, well lit cavernous space that leads to the rest of the interior. The ' throat ' is where the passages are. There are three levels to the ' body ' of it.
The lower level is where the First to Third years are seated. The second level is where the Fourth and Fifth years are and the top level is where the Sixth and Seventh years are.
There are glowing signs that point to who sits where. The staff and the trolley lady sit in the head. Speaking of which, because of the stairs, I'd created a new hovering trolley to give to dear old Doris to use.
I'd be piloting us. Only for today however. The rest of the staff on board would be watching to see how it's operated.
In the next few hours, four of the staff members went to go and stand by the entrance to the house, that way they could direct the children the right way.
The interior of the construct was sound proofed, but based on a few of the enchantments, I could see the children exclaiming in awe and wonder as they beheld our new transport.
On the bronze panelled walls of the control room, were dozens of mirrors, with a crystal affixed upon the top of each.
Within the mirrors, we could see around the entire ship, as well as down each passage. The crystals would flash with light if the students attempted to fight.
When the time came, a quick scan of the interior revealed that all the students were on board. I tapped my wand on a couple of knobs and the entire construct shuddered slightly as it rose.
The tongue was retracted and the mouth sealed close. We rose to about five thousand feet and then took off at 150mph.
It wasn't even felt. Tea and sandwiches popped onto the tables before the couches in the control room and the staff happily chattered amongst one another.
This was only a fraction of the speed we were capable of, but I didn't see the point in rushing. Many children make their first magical friends on this journey after all.
It was not to be however. An hour later, a crystal above us started flashing red. I got up to peer through the massive ' eyes ' which were the windows. To my surprise, frost started appearing at the edges.
An exclamation by one of the Charms Professors made all of us rush towards one of the mirrors. They all looked horrified.
Dozens of Dementors were starting to surround us. Unlike them however, I didn't panic, despite cursing internally. I rushed back to the control panel.
The Dragonfly doesn't need any kind of steering mechanism, for the destination is already programmed into it, but there are a number of things, which can be controlled.
Among them, is the speed. In the centre of the control panel, are six levers to control speed. I pull the first one down. A moment later, we double our speed and the Dementors are left behind.
The others curse as we lurch a bit but I only chuckle. It will take far more than Dementors to bring us down.