Chapter 13 The Mystery

After excusing himself to his friends and the little Raven girl he and his guard made their way up to McGonagall's office.

Although he should have expected it by now he never did when he left behind another bedazzled fan ready and willing to start and spread more wild rumors about daring exploited he had supposedly engaged in and this little girl was no exception to the rule. Before she even made her way out of the library she had told three friends that Harry had been called away on important business taking his six Apprentice Evil Wizard Hunters with him. She wasn't sure because he didn't tell her but she though it might be the rise of another Dark Lord that the seven had gone after and so the rumors flew and the myth grew…

Once Harry reached McGonagall's office he handed her the note she had sent him. "Do you know if there is anything else I need to know about what's going on Headmistress?" He asked politely.

"Umm no, not to my knowledge. I received the floo message and wrote down verbatim what I was told then sent it on to you. I take it you'll be leaving for the Leaky Cauldren to find out more?" At Harry's nod she asked, "Are you finished with classes for the day? I seem to recall that you have Spell Crafting later today."

"Yes ma'am but not for another 43 minutes." Harry said after a quick glance at his watch. "I'll try to get back to school in time for my last class but I'm sure you understand that I have to go. This is family after all."

McGonagall smiled at the boy, "It's alright Harry, I do understand. If you get back late I'll write a note excusing you for being tardy but please do me the favor of letting me know if you'll be gone overnight. I do tend to worry about my students you know."

It only took a few moments for the small group of seven to floo to the Leaky Cauldron and an even shorter amount of time to find Harry's family as the three were in the common room finishing up what appeared to be either a late lunch or a very early tea. What surprised Harry the most was his uncle. Vernon wasn't known for being 'loud or flashy' well yelling didn't count but today he was dressed in one of the loudest shirts that Harry had ever seen. In trying not to stare or laugh or even just gap at the man Harry found himself looking almost constantly at the floor after taking in the almost florescent green button down short sleeved shirt that was covered with big bright orange flowers and dark green ferns. His wife and son were a direct contras. Aunt Petunia was dressed in a tasteful designer two piece blouse and skirt set with obviously new pumps on her feet and the name brand jeans and polo shirt Dudley was wearing were also brand new. Come to think of it Vernon's clothes looked new too although not what he would ever wear without someone holding a gun to his head or at least that's what Harry would have said before today.

Despite his best efforts not to stare Vernon's cheeks began to turn pink and he glared at his wife before saying as softly as he was capable of saying anyhow which just meant that only those close to the group in the common room heard him instead of people passing on the street, "See what you've done dressing me like this? I look like a fool." At her quick mischievous grin he growled low in his throat before telling her. "I need to find a telephone and ring up my job to let them know why I haven't come in today. I have some personal time due me so I'll just take a few days off to settle things down." Looking around the inn as if expecting to see a phone tucked into a corner he hesitated long enough for his wife to reach in her bag. She fished for a few moments before pulling out one of those new fangled cell phones and handed it to him.

"I got them yesterday so that we could all stay in touch easier. Just dial the number of your job and talk to them. I signed up the family on a plan and got phones for you, Dudley, myself and Harry. This one is mine. Yours hasn't been charged up yet." He gave his wife an enigmatical look before taking the phone and turning away from the room in a semblance of privacy to make his call.

Dud pushed himself out of the chair he had been sitting in came over with his hand outstretched toward his cousin. Harry raised an eyebrow before taking the hand and shaking it. "Hey Duds, I understand you three had some sort of trouble today at your home?"

Dudley gave a ruthful grin back before he explained, "It wasn't today, it was yesterday morning. Really early too. I had just got back from my morning run and saw those little white creatures in the house when I went in. They were all over the place so I ducked back out real quick and went to the shed and got the ladder to get mum and dad out. They climbed out of their bedroom window but mum remembered after we got out that she left that amulet on the kitchen table and I don't know where she keeps that teleportation thing you gave her but she didn't have it." Duds shrugged "I suggested coming here to try and find someone to help us find you and there we are."

"You said that the creatures were in the house? Not just in my old bedroom right?"

"Yah, not just the bedroom. They were – well, cleaning I guess, you know - scrubbing stuff. It was weird. There must have been thousands of the little things."

"Alright." Harry sighed and glanced over at his body guards before turning back to Dudley. He appeared to be thinking before sighing once again. Rubbing his face as if a bit tired he repeated himself. "Alright. Can your family stay here for a bit longer? We need to go check this out." He motioned toward his body guard when he said the last.

Dudley nodded his head. "You'll come back and let us know what's going on?"

"Yah I will. Look, do you all have everything you'll need for a few hours? Hopefully this won't take any longer than that." Petunia came up to the two just as Harry asked the last question and he greeted her. "Hi Aunt Petunia."

"Hello Harry." She said.

"Umm, you heard what I asked Dudley?" At her nod he continued, "After we find out what's going on we'll come back and let you three know what we find out. If you stay here you'll be safe." Harry reached in a pocket and pulled out a check book. Opening it he wrote a quick check and handed it to her. "If we aren't back in a few hours get some rooms here. Ask Tom to take you to Gringotts to get this cashed. It's enough to pay for a few nights here as well as your meals."

She smiled as she pushed the check back to her nephew. "We don't need your money Harry. I have Vernon's credit card and I know how to exchange pounds for gallons. I learned how to do that yesterday."

Harry smiled at the mispronunciation but didn't comment on it. "If you're sure then we'll be going now." He turned to his body guard and grabbed the amulet from around his neck. "Give me a few minuets to set the portkey landing and we'll go." Six nods were received and Harry got an intense look of concentration on his face that lasted for almost two minutes. The amulet glowed a bluish color before it flared with a brilliant white light. Once the light faded he held it out toward the others. "It'll land us in the back yard." Each of the six reached out a finger and without a sound the seven vanished.

Only to reappear in a vastly changed back yard to number 4 Privet Drive. Looking around Harry gaped with surprise. It was beautiful. Magical flowering plants flourished, trees that had been small were now tall, and a stone wall ran along the length of the backyard and sides covered with honeysuckle, hummingbirds and fairies flittering from flower to flower. The garden shed was gone as if it had never existed and a serene pond sat in the center of the yard croaking frogs heard in the background. The yard now sported a wild and untamed beauty that never could have existed in nature if for no other reason than that it simply wasn't possible to have so much beauty without its equal and opposite ugliness and here nothing was ugly. Not a blade of grass out of place, not a wilted flower thirsting for water all was perfect.

LaRay whistled softly in appreciation. Who would have thought those muggles were capable of producing something like this? David held his arms out away from his sides and closing his eyes he breathed deeply of the sweetly perfumed air. Morgan and Shelby both felt the urge to kick off their shoes so they could feel the grass between their toes but resisted the urge. Kingsley and Duncan both looked at Harry as if he could explain this wonderful garden.

Harry, after taking in the garden looked at the house and gaped again. It to had been changed. Where once a back door had stood leading out to a small concrete slab with three steps ending on a concrete walkway that went around the back of the house and along the side to a gate in a chain link fence and then out to the driveway in front now stood an opening that must have been all of four and a half meters wide that lead to an extension of the garden. This area under the shelter of the house itself had a natural looking fountain and a normal sized bench made of wood silvered with age. A table made of the same wood sported a feast set out under a preservation dome of energy, Several miniscule houses fashioned out of fronds from plants were along the sides of the shelter and most amazing of all was the mural being painted on the wall that had once held the twin sinks and refrigerator.

Twelve of the little white creatures were immortalizing Harry and the baby that he had helped the other day. Only in the mural Harry was bigger than life. He looked a little more majestic and wise, a little more regal. He looked in short like a god.

Harry reached out and poked the nearest man and without a word pointed. So far the creatures didn't seem to be aware of the seven that had appeared but at David's startled "What the…" that changed.

At first it was two and then five and then all twelve had turned from their painting to look at the interlopers. One of the twelve scrambled down the scaffolding and with impossibly wide surprised filled eyes it started toward the seven never taking its eyes from Harry. Three of the creatures hugged each other and started talking to each other in obvious excitement. Another two climbed down and ran further into the house. The last six just got to their knees and watched Harry's every move.

Harry on the other hand was watching the lone creature making its way over to him

The neighbors had watched the transformation of the house from the front. After the driveway was taken out and replaced with a grass lawn and a path made of crushed quartz that lead to a simulated grotto in what was once the garage they decided that calling the police might not be such a bad idea and so Little Whinging's finest finally arrived only to be as stumped as everyone else as to what the hell was going on here.

Currently the television camera crews were taking a break and the reporters were talking to the MI6 investigators assigned to the case but no one had any new information. All anyone really knew as a matter of fact was that a family of four lived in the house. Vernon Dursley, husband to Petunia Dursley, father and mother to Dudley Dursley. With the small family a nephew lived there part time and was reported to be enrolled in a school for juvenile delinquents although that had been proven to be false.

The nephew was perhaps the strangest one of the whole family. He had a bad reputation in the small village and although no one could remember ever seeing him doing anything wrong it was assumed that he had by all and sundry. He had no birth certificate, no school records past the age of ten, no medical records past the age of ten, no records of his parents except his supposed mother and her records also stopped at the age of ten. All that was really known about the kid was that he had come to live with the Dursleys around the age of one or two years old. After his eleventh birthday he only came home during the summer and most curious of all he had what was reported by some to be a pet owl.

Well regardless, the whole family was now missing and had been missing since yesterday or even the day before that. Vernon Dursley never went to work today and the family car was missing. The whole thing was a mystery begging to be solved…