OLD MAGIC
A/N: Thanks to NatWest for catching my massive error in this story. I had moved from the night of the event to Harry six years later than went back again in the next chapter. Really Bad Miss On My Part. So very sorry. So I've fixed chapter two and now have to write more to three before posting. Will try to do so quickly. Thanks to the many who have reviewed and like this story. I promise to do the best I can with this and I will finish it, never fear.
Chapter 2: Dark Forebodings
It was a grimmer than normal meeting of the Order of the Phoenix that met in Grimmauld Place two weeks after the tragedy at Godric's Hollow. A lengthy search turned up no sign of the Potter's child, Harry and, at first, they thought he'd been taken by Voldemort.
However, they had since learned Voldemort had destroyed his physical body when he tried to kill the child after dispatching the parents. Apparently the Avada Kedavra cast on Harry boomeranged back on the Dark Lord but somehow failed to take the child's life as well. They did know Harry was injured by the small spot of blood found under the rocker in the nursery that proved to be his but did not indicate how badly the baby had been hurt.
"So we're free of the Dark Lord at last?" An anxious and hopeful Doge asked.
"Extremely doubtful," Moody grunted, his face set in grim lines, his magical eye roving restlessly as it monitored everything around them.
Doge eyed the old auror with anger and confusion. "How can he be alive with no body?"
Dumbledore grimaced. His blue eyes that usually twinkled with warmth and good humor, now reflected sorrow and cold fury making the other members shiver a bit, reminding them just how powerful and intelligent the man truly was despite his facade of being slightly dotty. He cut in before Moody could respond, his voice heavy with certainty.
"Alas, Tom Riddle spent far too much of his life in magical research, searching for ways to become immortal. He has succeeded in mastering many dark and evil magic so it is with more certainty than I wish, that I know he has found a way to remain in this world despite being only a spirit. He will be focused on keeping his spirit alive through heinous and dark methods while he locates a way to regain a body."
Everyone except Moody, shuddered at the thought of that evil regaining a body to continue his reign of terror.
"Until he does, his spirit can still cause all manner of misery. His death eaters are very much alive and still following his last orders," Moody added.
"Then what of little Harry? How had he managed to survive the killing curse?" Molly Weasley asked, more concerned for the baby now lost to them than Voldemort's present whereabouts.
"Old magic! Lily's sacrifice of herself for Harry created a protection Voldemort could not break through which is why the unforgivable rebounded," Dumbledore explained, patiently.
"Then he's alive." Molly's voice held a hesitant note.
"The Hogwarts Attendance Book still lists him as a prospective student so Harry is alive. But where he is and who has him, is a mystery which our members have tried to solve without success since the incident occurred." Dumbledore looked even graver as he reported their failure. "If we don't find him before that time, we must hope he will appear at Hogwarts when he reaches eleven."
"But, that means someone else will raise him! How do we know he's not in evil hands?" Molly exclaimed, very upset.
"We won't stop looking for him, Molly, my dear, but other than what's being done now, there is nothing else we can do. I sincerely hope he is in gentle, caring arms this moment. I refuse to entertain otherwise." Dumbledore prayed he was right though it had ruined his own plans for molding the boy into the weapon they needed him to be. He only hoped he could make up for lost time when little Harry attended Hogwarts.
None of them were happy with that answer but as the Headmaster had said, there was nothing more any of them could do.
Just as the meeting was breaking up, the front door slammed open and moment's later, Sirius Black charged wildly into the kitchen of his ancestral home where everyone was gathered.
"Has anyone seen Peter Pettigrew?" he demanded, fairly thrumming with anger and concern.
Moody and Lupin eyed him in surprise.
"Not recently. Why, is he missing?" Remus Lupin asked his best friend.
"He was James and Lily's secret keeper."
"What? But I thought you were..." Arthur Weasley blurted in shocked surprise.
"I was supposed to be but I told James it wasn't a good idea with the death eaters sniffing closely on my heels so we decided Peter should take the responsibility. When I discovered what had happened at James' home, I raced to Peter but could find no trace of him." Sirius was practically pulling his hair out as he paced the kitchen.
"This is grave news. I want a search made for Peter immediately. We need answers," Dumbledore ordered. Remus, Moody, and Doge hurriedly went out to do his bidding. Sirius began to follow them when the Headmaster halted him.
"What do you think has happened?" he asked.
Sirius stared longingly at the door but forced himself to stay still and answer. "I think those bastards have done something to him otherwise they wouldn't have found James and Lily." Suddenly, a horrified look crossed his face. "Harry! Dumbledore where's Harry?"
"Unfortunately, someone spirited away the boy before any of us arrived on the scene..." Dumbledore began to say when Sirius nearly screamed in fear and frustration. "Sirius! Calm yourself. The boy is not with the death eaters...that much we were able to ascertain but who has him is a mystery. We can only hope it is someone who cares for him and before you say it...no...he is not dead. We are certain of this."
Sirius' shoulders slumped in relief. "Then it's more important than ever we find him and Peter. Let me go, Dumbledore! There are other places I know of to search."
"Very well, but be careful. Report to me on anything you find."
"I will." With that final comment, Sirius whirled around and raced from the room. The sound of the front door was heard, slamming.
"Oh headmaster, I dearly hope they find little Harry," Molly said.
"I hope they do to, Molly and soon."
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
It had been a bleak October when Harry Potter went missing and now it was August and a new school year was about to begin. The Headmaster stared down at the latest report he'd received in the hunt for the Potter's son. Shaking his head in angry dismay, he flashed the missive into ash with a muttered word then turned to stare pensively out his window at the sunny day.
With the school year about to begin, may of his hunters would be forced to return to prepare their lessons and classrooms. The rest of the Order of the Phoenix would have to continue the search on top of their normal duties of ferreting out marauding death eaters and traitors to the light.
He worried how the boy was doing and in whose hands he was now residing. The thought that someone could be abusing him right this moment snuck into his thoughts, sending shivers down his spine but he squashed it and did what he had told Molly to do, think only positive thoughts about Harry's guardians.
It frustrated him deeply that not a whisper came their way of the baby's location. As he replayed those first few days after the horrible discovery, two things disturbed him, where had Hagrid been? And where was Peter Pettigrew.
Hagrid had been tasked with delivering an urgent message to James and Lily that very night. Recent intelligence had told them there was a strong possibility Voldemort was on the move and that they might be the target.
The fact Hagrid was not at Godric's Hollow when the Order arrived was worrisome, even more so when it took nearly twenty-four hours before he suddenly appeared at the castle as the morning light of another day was rising.
He had called an early meeting with a few of the members of the light to discuss what happened. Moody, McGonagall, and himself, were in his office when Hagrid burst in.
"Where have you been?" Moody barked, slamming his staff on the floor in angry agitation. "You were supposed to have been there to warn James and Lily."
"Yes sore, I know...I'm sorry. But I was pulled away by an urgent plea for help by the centaur leader. I had to respond. We need them on our side you know. Anyways... I got free as fast as I could but it were too late," Hagrid said, anguish and distress plain on his face and in his voice at his failure while displaying more skill at hiding the real truth of that night's events than any there would have guessed or believed possible.
"Then where were you when we arrived?" Moody demanded, not placated, his magical eye scanning the half-giant for any whiff of a lie but detecting none.
"Fang and me went hunting in the Forbidden Forest hoping we'd catch a scent of who might have taken the wee tyke or encounter any of the forest dwellers that might have seen what went on. Unfortunately, whoever it were, left nothing behind to track and none noted their passing. Finally gave it up about dawn this morning. Took me this long to get back. Sorry."
The story sounded totally plausible and none felt the need to press the giant further, though Dumbledore couldn't shake the feeling Hagrid wasn't telling them the complete truth but that just wasn't possible. Everyone knew Hagrid as a simple soul, not given to lying nor doing it well when he did. He sighed and shelved his misgivings on that subject.
Another problem also vexed him. During that first week's search, Sirius had come to them asking where was Peter Pettigrew? Since that night, he searched over the past months for the man with no luck.
Checking Pettigrew's home after the incident at Godric's Hollow, found nothing disturbed...it appeared he had left for the day but never returned. A thorough canvas of the area and all his contacts could find no one who had seen him recently which was suspicious in and of itself.
The suspicion that Pettigrew might have had a hand in what happened to the Potters was growing among his former colleagues. His best friend couldn't believe it but the evidence was mounting that Peter wasn't innocent and a slow fury was beginning to build within Sirius.
When the order met at Grimmauld Place, more than two months after the event, he arrived looking worn out and angry. At this meeting he had nothing good to say about his former friend.
"What little I've been able to gather is he's been distant, almost secretive of late. When I asked him, the last time I saw him in the Three Broomsticks what he'd been up to lately, as none of us had seen much of him the past few months...he'd said he was trying to keep under the radar of You Know Who."
"What? Why would he think he was under observation? He wasn't involved in the Light's work and his job certainly wouldn't have gained him any watchers," Arthur Weasley asked, frowning.
"I asked him that and he said he'd heard rumors that somehow the Dark Lord had learned he was the secret keeper. It terrified him so he kept a low profile to avoid any death eaters," Sirius told him, though his voice clearly said he was skeptical.
"That's nonsense. Peter had only been made the secret keeper a month before. We'd hoped the Dark Lord's minions would believe Sirius was the keeper and go after him, keeping our friends and their baby safe," Remus objected.
"But no one did...come after me that is, and it appears Peter conveniently vanished after our friends were killed and hasn't been seen anywhere since," Sirius snarled. "He was always a follower and bit of a coward. It's possible he was captured and spilled the beans without much force being used." Disgust oozed from his voice.
"Humph...I have to agree with you. It's entirely possible he was taken. Everything is pointing to that possibility. He might have even decided to change sides," Moody scowled, not liking the thought of a former Light member turning traitor. They needed to find out if this was true or not and deal him quickly before more damage was done.
By this point, all of the members were dismayed and angry that one of their own could turn on them so easily. Those that knew Peter personally knew him to be a timid and cowardly person so taking the side of the one he would have thought would win in this conflict was certainly something he might be tempted to do.
"We need to prove his guilt first before going off half-cocked," Arthur warned them, trying to cool the rising anger filling the room.
"Agreed. But we have to find him first," Moody grunted. "We need to intensify the search. There is someone else who has been missing a rather long time as well," he added.
"Yes, where is Professor Snape?" Arthur asked.
"I haven't had word of him since a month before that night and am growing concerned," Dumbledore said, grimly.
"Then we best search for him as well. Though knowing Severus, he does manage to take care of himself fairly well but with the Dark Lord out of commission, he might have run into trouble," Moody said, thoughtfully.
"Yes, that is my fear as well. It's quite possible Severus has the information we seek on Pettigrew so it is imperative that we find them both and soon," Dumbledore said.
"Aye, we'll be off then." Moody gave a curt nod then apparated out as did the other members leaving only Dumbledore behind. He prepared to leave when suddenly a man slipped into the room and stood before him.
"Severus!"
"Not here...in your office!" Snape whispered, then apparated away before Dumbledore could respond.
The headmaster sighed in relief, thankful the man was alive and apparently unharmed. Anxious to hear what the potion's master had to say, he apparated to the gates of Hogwarts then strode hurriedly over the wet grass to the main doors of the castle. When he walked into his office some minutes later, there was Snape, waiting near the fireplace warming his long, slim fingers.
Nodding at the man, Dumbledore walked past him to go to his desk and sit down in his comfortable swivel chair. He took out his tin of sherbet lemons and offered one to Snape who shook his head then he took one of the comfortable chairs sitting before the huge desk and folded his hands. The old wizard popped a lemon in his mouth and waited for Snape to speak.
"Seems the information I came by just before the death's of the Potters, will confirm Black's suspicion about Pettigrew. I'm only sorry I couldn't get it to you sooner. MacNair, as nominal leader, decided to keep us holed up in Riddle Manor until the search parties of the Light and aurors had died down. We were only allowed to leave late last night." Snape's voice and eyes betrayed the anger he felt at being kept mewed up with a bunch of angry, upset death eaters for two months.
"I'm just relieved you are alright Severus. It must have been an extremely difficult time for you," Dumbledore said, a questioning eyebrow raised.
"I managed to stay out of everyone's way by working in my potion's lab. None but MacNair, dare to disturb me there. So here is my report, late as it is: I was completing a task for the Dark Lord just a few hours before the attack took place and overheard Rookwood and MacNair whispering outside the room I was working in. They'd obviously not realized I was even there as they didn't bother to guard their tongues. This is what I heard:
Rookwood: (happy voice) I won our Dark Lord's favor tonight.
MacNair: (sour tone) And what did you do to make you so giddy?
Rookwood: Why I brought in that little mouse the Lord has desired for so long. He squealed so sweetly and the Lord didn't even have to raise a hand to frighten him into spilling what he knew. The coward gave away a secret that had the Lord beside himself with joy. So much so he allowed that fool to live and rewarded me.
MacNair: With what?
Rookwood: (sniggering nastily) I'm not telling you.
MacNair: (grumbling angrily) So what was this big secret the coward gave up?
Rookwood: (smirking) The whereabouts of those troublesome Potters.
MacNair: (voice stunned) Truly? Well hell looks like we'll be hunting tonight!"
Rookwood: We are indeed. Better ready yourself for the call, it could be within hours.
They moved off down the corridor and I heard no more. I had hoped to slip away as soon as I finished my task, but Avery arrived to warn me I was expected to join the hunting party and it was leaving now. Having no choice, I hurried back to the Dark Lord's meeting room. He signaled me to stand beside him then apparated us all to Godric's Hollow. He wasted no time charging the house, killing James then going upstairs to kill Lily. There was nothing I could do." Snape halted, his voice suddenly too tight with emotion to continue, a stricken look, laced with helpless fury, cracking his normally stern features.
"I'm sure you would have prevented it had you been in a position to do so, Severus," Dumbledore murmured softly, trying to comfort the obviously distraught man.
He knew how much Lily meant to Severus. She had once been his closest friend until he said an unforgivably, nasty thing to her when they were students, costing him that friendship. He could see Lily's death was fairly eating Snape up inside but there really wasn't anything he could have done to prevent it as to do so would have destroyed his usefulness as a spy for the order.
"Except it would have uncovered me as the spy I am and ruined my use to the Light," Snape choked angrily, echoing Dumbledore's unspoken thought. His eyes shone as if unshed tears hovered there but he recovered himself and continued his report. "I myself never entered the house but moments later MacNair came running out, fear and anger on his face.
"His body has been killed! I don't know how! We need to get out of here before the order gets here! Everyone to the manor...NOW!" He shouted then apparated away. I had no choice but to follow the rest of them but I didn't go back to the manor right away. It was a great risk but I had to know if the baby was alright. When I reappeared, I dared not go inside and leave my scent inside but I did use my wand to see if I could detect the baby within but there was no sign of him nor of who took him then I quickly apparated back to the manor. Luckily, no one noticed I wasn't there right away...too much arguing and chaos going on. I listened to what was being shouted about and learned a bit of what happened when the Dark Lord's body died."
"What did you find out?" Dumbledore asked, tensely. He'd detected the unforgivable curse being used three times but the last one cast had a strange flavor to it, now maybe he'd find out why.
"For reasons MacNair was unable to guess at, the unforgivable cast on the baby backfired and struck the Dark Lord instead, leaving the baby unscathed except for a scar which was all MacNair had time to note before he fled the scene, leaving the child there."
Sitting back in his seat, Dumbledore frowned in thought, his hand caressing his long beard. After several minutes he said, "we already know it was a bit of old magic that saved the child. Lily's love cast over the child at the moment of her death was why the curse was deflected back on its caster."
"Ah, I've not heard of that before but it makes sense," Snape sighed, nodding.
"I see that you too, do not believe the Dark Lord is no more.
Snape snorted derisively. "His body is gone but his evil soul did not. I know he's out there still. My tattoo is not gone and he was involved in to many dark magics to allow himself to be killed so easily. No, he's around but now his focus will be on staying in this world and finding a way to return. At least we now have a brief break in this interminable war..." He sighed, letting his sentence drift off.
"Yes, a much needed one that will hopefully allow us to find a way to end him permanently before he succeeds in finding a new body. It is also hoped the child, Harry, is in good hands and will appear at Hogworts on his eleventh birthday. Though I would hope we find him sooner than that."
Snape just glowered at that. He personally cared not if the child was alive or not. It was because of the prophecy that said Harry would end the Dark Lord, that made him continue trying to locate him. It was Lily he had wanted but she was gone. Shoving that grief aside, he said, "so there's been no word of who has the child or where he's gone?"
"No. We've been searching everywhere with no trace of the child being found."
Silence fell for a long moment. The only sounds were the fire crackling as it burned low and the faint chirp the Headmaster's familiar made in his sleep.
Suddenly, Dumbledore spoke, "what did you feel when you went back to the scene, Severus?"
"What do you mean? I told you I picked up nothing," Snape asked, confused.
"I want what you felt as you stood there...your impressions...you're not exactly human so it's quite possible you may have detected something we could not."
Snape scowled. He didn't like to be reminded of his mixed parentage. It was a secret his family kept tightly guarded from others. He was the last of his line and except for Dumbledore, none knew he wasn't completely human, with the possible exception of the goblins (they seemed to know everything) but they weren't given to lose lips.
Huffing out an irritated breath he was about to repeat his previous statement that he hadn't sensed anything when Dumbledore held up a hand.
"Easy, Severus. I know very well how you feel about what you are but it is that difference I'm praying will give us some clue. Think...go back in your mind and listen closer to what you felt at that moment. It's important."
Sighing, Snape rubbed his face. Much as he hated it, the Headmaster was right. He might have sensed something that his conscious mind hadn't listened or paid attention to in that moment.
"Very well, I'll try." He agreed reluctantly. Closing his eyes, he relaxed his body and sent himself back to that moment in the woods.
The night air was crisp but over that was the pall of death. He listened with all his senses ... the feel of dark magic was the first thing he detected...it nearly overshadowed everything else but he persevered and finally managed to detect the faintest whiff of some odd magic. He tried to pin it down but there was too little of it. Giving up after another few minutes, he returned to himself and glanced over at the old man who was watching him keenly.
"You found something," Dumbledore said with certainty.
"Well, yes but it was still too faint for me to identify. Also, it was not like the magic we or the Dark Lord uses," he admitted softly.
"It was old magic. Something I've not sensed in a very long time as it isn't used much anymore by wizard kind, though that is not true of the rest of the magical population that isn't human..." Dumbledore murmured more to himself than his companion.
"You think the forest dwellers might have had something to do with the child's disappearance?" Snape asked, surprised.
"It's possible...I just don't know for certain. The forest dwellers harbor only bitter feelings for wizards now and have become more distant...more secretive..."
"Can you blame them? We have turned our backs on the old ways and treat those not human as something undesirable. I do not blame them for snubbing wizard kind," Snape said coldly.
"Aye, I well understand your anger at that injustice, Severus," Dumbledore murmured, sympathetically.
Snape's dark, fathomless, eyes hid what he thought of that statement and asked blandly, "if there is nothing else, Headmaster, I would like to get some sleep tonight."
"No, we're finished. Thank you for bringing this invaluable information to me and welcome back. Sleep well."
The potion's master nodded, got up and left the room with a swirl of his robes.
Dumbledore stood up and approached his familiar, Fawkes...a red and gold Phoenix. The bird had only pretended sleep so was not startled when his master petted his head. He raised it and stared intently with his beautiful eyes at the old wizard.
"So, what does the old ones want with Harry, my friend?"
Fawkes gave him a knowing smile but shook its plumed head.
"Somehow I knew that would be your answer," Dumbledore sighed in disappointment. "Then I sincerely hope Harry is being treated well and is happy."
Fawkes gave a trilling cry giving his friend as much reassurance as he could.
Dumbledore sighed again, he would just have to be happy with that. However, he still hoped his own people might get lucky and find the boy and bring him to Hogwarts. Tired, he gave the Phoenix another gentle caress then headed to bed. Tomorrow he would have to send word that Severus had returned and what he'd learned to the members of the light.