Vignettes

Operation: Dunderheads Vacate

Agent 009 snuck into the office of Deputy Headmistress McGonagall. On her desk he placed a copy of the school's charter and bylaws. Policy 398.X-073 was circled.

Policy 398.X-073

In the event that 30% of the student body is unable to attend classes the school will be closed and the students sent home until such time that the cause of said event has been resolved.

Worry

Harry sat in the Great Hall slowly, methodically consuming a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of clam chowder. He palmed a packet of oyster crackers and slid them into his pocket. He had unconsciously slipped into survival mode, nicking non-perishable items and eating though he didn't feel like doing so.

His best friend, Ron Weasley, had gone to detention Friday night and hadn't come back. An hour after Ron left Professor McGonagall had come and collected Ron's siblings. Since then numerous other students had left the school.

Harry pulled his feet up onto the bench, wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his head on his knees. It was Sunday afternoon and he was all alone. Hermione was still in the hospital wing, petrified. Neville's Gran had picked him up yesterday. And there were rumors going round the school that if twelve more people went home the school would be closed.

Dealing with the Dursleys had been easier before he came to Hogwarts. Sure he had a bed now and a room that wasn't a cupboard. But when you'd never had better it was easier to accept the neglect than when you knew what it was like to have plenty of food and friends and a place to be where at least some of the adults didn't treat you like you were less than human. Why hadn't the Headmaster helped him last year when he'd begged to not be sent back there?

Harry steeled himself. Moping wasn't getting him anywhere. He could plan for how to make life at the Dursleys' as tolerable as possible or he could plan for how to keep the school open. Harry looked over as three children were hugged by their parents who had come to take them home. It looked like he better plan for how to deal with the Dursleys as his chances of staying at Hogwarts seemed to be decreasing by the minute.

Needs

Harry sat on his windowsill and looked out at the grounds. What do I need while at the Dursleys'? Warm clothes. It was spring, so the weather was getting warmer, but there were still some chilly days. He had a few sweaters as part of his school uniform but they all had Hogwarts or Gryffindor insignia on them. The Dursleys would burn them if they saw them. Perhaps an older student could remove the patches without damaging the sweaters.

Absentmindedly he reached his hand in his pocket and began to fiddle with whatever was in there. He pulled out the cracker packet. Harry frowned, he didn't remember picking that up. The Dursleys did allow him to eat, they just limited how much he got. Severely limited. Maybe he could get some more crackers to take with him. Harry recalled his conversation with Professor Snape earlier in the week, when you need information ask the portraits and ghost.

Harry grabbed his book bag, dumped its contents into his trunk and then put his invisibility cloak on and left the tower. He wandered until he found a deserted corridor on the first floor. Harry stood before a portrait of Sampson the Strange. Sampson wore a purple top hat with green swirls and a yellow and orange stripped robes. "Why hello! May I help you?" asked Sampson when a head appeared from out of nowhere in front of him.

"Yes sir. I was wondering if you could tell me how to find the kitchens?"

"Why they are just around that corner. Find the portrait with the bowl of fruit and tickle the pear. The door to the kitchens will appear."

"Thank you," replied Harry as he pulled the hood back over his head. Harry found the picture and tickled the pear. He was surprised to find dozens of house elves.

"What can we do for you sir?" chorused several of the elves.

"I was wondering if I could get some crackers?"

"Crackers sir?"

"Crackers don't rot, so they are a good snack to have around."

"We can give you crackers sir. But wouldn't you like fruit as well? Our fruit has charms on it to keeps it from rotting." The elves helped Harry fill his book bag to the brim with crackers, and fruit.

Harry made his way back up to the tower. He found a sixth year girl that generally spent a lot of time perusing fashion magazines. She was willing to remove the school insignias from his sweaters. Her nose crinkled as she removed the offensive things. They were so unfashionable.

There wasn't much else he could do about the rest of the things he hated about living with the Dursleys. He'd just have to survive as best he could.

The policy mentioned in this chapter is a real policy in many school districts. I discovered it one year when so many students in my district had come down with the flu that we only needed four more students to call in sick district wide to cause all of the schools in our city to close.