Chapter 6! This is where things really start to pick up -- don't worry if you're confused, you shouldn't be able to understand how my wacky brain works :) Really, though, everything will make sense eventually, just give me a couple more chapters :D
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Albus Dumbledore stood before the assembled Order Members, all twinkle now gone from his eyes as he listened to their reports.
He didn't want to say this, didn't want to break their happy mood, after the lull of Boldemort's attacks. He had just suddenly ... stopped. Nobody knew why.
Until now. Now, he thought he knew. Nay, he was sure of it.
Harry was missing. Gone. Without a trace. His magical signature could not be found, and any tracking spells he had attempted thus far had gone haywire.
Raising his hand fo rsilence, Albus Dumbledore looked around the room at his most trusted confidants, eyes lingering on Molly and Arthur Weasley as he smiled sadly.
"Harry Potter is missing." The effect was immediate -- Arthur was stunned, Molly was loud and hysterical, and Severus was amused. And Remus ... Remus was angry. Albus could see, even from here, the wolk lurking just beneath the surface, the golden glow that had entered in to his eyes.
"I have been unable to detect his magical signature -- Severus, I believe you know the potion I require? Good. Molly, he may be injured when we find him. I take it your house will be open for him?" At her energetic nod, Albus smiled birefly, inclining his own head. "Good. Everybody else, you know what to do. Spred out, ask questions, do whatever you have to do. Just find him. Remus, come iwth me."
Once safely barricaded away in his impromptu study, Albus turned to watch his former student, pacing back and forth throughout the room in long, angry strides. Lik a caged animal.
"Remus, please, sit down." When Remus grudgingly obeyed, Albus gave a small, but heartfelt sigh, settling gratefully in to his own seat.
"I need your help, Remus, and you can't offer that if you can't control yourself."
Remus took a deep breath, holding it for several deconds before releasing it and focusin gohis attention on the Headmaster. "What do you know so far?"
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It had been two day's since Harry's breakdown with James in the hospital room, an dstill shied away from Lily's touch, no matter how many cookies she tried to bribe him with.
He was nibbling on one right now, crumbs littering his chest and lap as he watched his ... parents ... talking quietly at the door. James was carrying a duffel bag, and Harry idly wondered if it had more book in it. Or maybe that 'Game Boy' his father had mentioned ...
Sitting up straighter in his bed, he watched as James came closer, a broat smile lighting up his face. Lily was smiling boradly, as well, standing close behind her husdband and watching Harry with a slight twinkle to her eyes.
James merely grinned wider at the quizzicle look Harry gave him -- and the bag -- however, choosing instead to move over to the bureau and star tstuffing clothes in to the bag.
Lily have a small laugh at that, shaking her head over her husdband's antics. "The doctors have released you, Harry. They're letting us take you home." Lily smiled at the way Harry's expression lit up at that, eyes widening in surprise as he glanced between the two of them.
His grin only got wider as the nurse wheeled in a wheelchair.
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Albus Dumbledore stared out the window of his Hogwarts office, idly twirling a quill around with his fingers.
Severus would be up soon, when the potion was finished. I twas almost done now, if he had done his math right.
But there was a part of him -- a large part, larger than he cared to admit, even to himself, that didn't want to potion to ever be finished. Because he was afraid of what the answer would be. Afraid that, for once, Harry was normal, and his lack of magical signature meant what it was supposed to.
Glancing up at th esound of somebody riding his moving staircase up, Albus smiled bitterly as he recognised Sever Snape's magical signature.
It was out of his hands now, then.
kSeverus stopped just outside the door, a small frown marring his otherwise emotionless face. He could already feel a small tingling in his arm -- not a true summoning, but a request. Take your time, it said. I'm in no great hurry.
Pushing open the heavy oak doors, Severus set the potion on the headmaster's desk with an unceremonious thump, stepping back and crossing his arms as he stared at the older man with a narrowed gaze.
"Thank-you Severus. That will be all." It was a clear dismissal, and Severus frowned, wondering if the folder manknew how much he'd sounded like the Dark Lord just then.
Lips twisting adn pressed tightly togeather intoa t hin line, Severus descended the staircase, pausing in the hallway to straighten his robes before heading for his private chambers. His Lord had called, and he knew better than to leave Voldemort waiting. Those that did generally had a very short life span.
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Harry watched as James loaded his few belongings in to the trunk of the car, fidgeting nervously in the wheelchair they'd made him sit in yet again.
Lily was already in the car, twisted around to watch as James fought to fit the few boxes in to the trunk of their tiny car. James finially sighed, slamming the hood of the trunk with a small smile, turning to his son. Harry coouldn't hep but smile back, rubbing his hands up and down his arms as he shivered.
James frowned at that, quickly helping his son in to the seat -- more like carried him there, to be honest.
The last thing they needed was for Harry to catch cold -- his body was still weak, not used to being without the meds that had been constantly pumped in to his bloodstream.
He kept glancing back at his son as he drove, worrying his bottom lip as the dark-haired boy nodded off after only a couple of minutes.
"He'll be fine, James. He's just tired." Lily smiled at her husdband, laying a hand gnetly on his arm before facing forward. James reluctantly followed suit, but his ey es continued to click up to the rear-view mirror every couple of minutes.