Chapter 3

As soon as Amelia was gone, Harry sprang into action. Hedwig had arrived the day after Harry had arrived at the Ministry, and he was allowed to take her out into the garden to give her exercise. It was an underground garden, but couldn't he find someplace that led to the outside? If he could take her out and let her fly, who said that she couldn't take a letter for him? He wrote quickly, biting his lip, and praying that he wouldn't waste time with stupid mistakes. That Caedmon guy would be here tonight, he had to get word to his friends before then. Maybe they could bust him out.

Dear Lupin, he wrote. The court's decided that Caedmon gets me. Break me out before he gets here and I promise to start working harder at Potions, anything, just get me out of here!

Harry

He folded up the letter, grabbed Hedwig, and hurried out into the hall. He had permission to explore the building if he wished, as long as he didn't leave. Well, he'd have to bend that rule a little if he wanted to contact the Order. He wandered through the halls, trying to find a way that led outside, but that was more difficult than explaining the alphabet to Goyle so he would understand. He was thoroughly lost when a letter appeared from the air right in front of him and dropped to the floor. On the back of it was his name. Praying that it wasn't greetings from Voldemort, Harry picked it up and opened it.

Dear Harry, he read. We know all about the decision, don't panic. We don't know how he knew, but Caedmon showed up at Grimmauld Place just now and swore into the Order, to reassure us, he said, that he meant no harm to our ward. How do you like that? From what we could tell, he arrived by using Sidhe magic, and Sidhe magic such as Caedmon has can stand no taint of evil. He said that we may visit you, but the reason he put in his bid to become your guardian was because of Sidhe protections. You'll automatically have the protections he has simply by living with him. There's very little known about Sidhe magic, so Voldemort is powerless. Don't worry. We'll be in touch soon, so don't try running out of the Ministry. You take care.

Lupin

Feeling thoroughly foolish, Harry turned around and headed back to his room. Maybe Lupin didn't understand that he didn't want to live with this Caedmon person. He preferred Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and the other members of the Order. Why couldn't he just live with them?

"Well, I don't know where he went," Harry heard Amelia saying as he turned a corner that looked familiar. Oh good, he wasn't as lost as he thought. "He was here when I left."

Harry spotted a crowd gathered outside his room: Amelia, Fudge, a few other wizards and witches he'd seen hanging around the Ministry, a reporter and photographer from the Daily Prophet, and one man he didn't recognize that had to be Caedmon. As soon as Harry got a good look at him, he knew that this was no one to mess with. He turned and looked Harry dead in the eye before saying, "There he is."

It was if Caedmon had uttered the words for a mob spell. Every person there surged towards Harry, shaking his hand and congratulating him, Amelia gushed and said she was so happy that he was all right, Fudge clapped him on the back and tried to introduce him to Caedmon, and the reporter babbled questions at him while the photographer tried to get a picture of Caedmon shaking Harry's hand. When asked by Fudge, Harry stammered an explanation that Hedwig had wanted a little exercise, and Harry thanked Amelia's insisitence that they let him go, he needed to get ready for his trip.

Soon, everyone but Fudge, Amelia, and Caedmon were gone, and numbly Harry went through the motions of packing. He didn't realize that Caedmon was helping him until he bent to pick up the same thing that Caedmon had and had bashed his head against his.

"Ooops," Caedmon said, rubbing his head. "Sorry, Harry, didn't mean to brain you. Are you all right?"

"Fine," Harry muttered, trying to feel it. He couldn't remember a time when he'd been less fine.

Amelia made him sit down so she could check him over, and he sat still and let her fuss. He wasn't in the mood to protest. She finished packing for him, and Harry got the shock of his life when Hedwig flew to Caedmon's arm to be stowed away in her cage.

Traitor, Harry thought.

Space

Caedmon gazed at the boy sitting next to him in the back seat of the Muggle car he'd had bought for him while he'd been in London last year. He'd had a feeling he'd need it then, and now he was glad he had it. He couldn't use his usual forms of transportation with a young wizard, that was for sure. Harry had fallen asleep some hours ago, and was resting like the first child ever made. Caedmon smiled. It wasn't often he had a poetic thought. He hoped Taleisin had taken that one down.

The neigh of a horse brought him out of his reverie. Startled, he glanced out the window and spotted a coal black horse running alongside the car. When he looked more closely, he realized that the car was surrounded. He chuckled, gave a grim smile, and allowed his car to move just a little faster, to give the horses competition.