Abandoned Chapter 3: Reconnaissance, a harry potter fanfic

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated in any way with the Harry Potter franchise nor the great author, J.K Rowling! This story was just created for fun, not to impersonate the lovely author herself.

Chapter 3: Reconnaissance

It was a morning, when an elderly man was reading a note with great concentration while huddling over his desk. Not even his phoenix, perched on the window of the antiquated office, had dared to interrupt him. He stroked his very long silver beard, and his blue eyes framed with normally clear half-moon glasses, was as of now, fogged with the sweat of worry. He took his glasses and wiped the fog off of it and then grabbed the newspaper off of his desk. Deciding to look for any signs of turmoil, he scanned the newspaper for any report of what he read in his letter, but the moving pictures and words only insinuated the latest deceit from the Ministry. They did not know, yet. He let the newspaper plop on his cluttered desk and turned his attention back to the real dilemma he did not want to face. Looking down on the crinkled note with a shaky sigh, he read the report once again.

ᕔ,

Harry Potter is missing. I came to take my turn guarding the house on Privet Drive, but when I came over, I noticed that the wards were down. The home is vacant, and it seemed that it was as if the family was in a hurry to leave. The Dursley family and Harry Potter must have left.

It doesn't seem that his followers were involved since there are no signs of dark magic within the house nor was there any signs of trespass, but it does not mean that the family was not provoked. It seems, at this point, that the odds of finding Harry is very minuscule without intervention from the muggle government and the ministry. It is your decision whether to get the muggle police and ministry aurors involved.

-Ϡ

There was a knock on the door. Albus quickly hid his letter in a drawer and abruptly rose from his weathered throne.

"Come on in." The elderly man boomed.

The head professors of Hogwarts's four houses had entered the office.

"Please, have a seat," he summoned four chairs to appear right before him, and the professors sat down.

"Albus, you have been isolating yourself in this room for far too long. What is going on?" She spoke with a Scottish accent, bearing the crest of a lion on her robes.

"It seems that they have gone missing," Albus replied with an aloof expression.

"They?" A very short man with the crest of a raven furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Harry Potter and the Dursleys are not in Privet Drive."

Three of them shown signs of worry, while the fourth sneered. Headmaster Dumbledore could have gone inside the mind of the Slytherin Professor, to hear a snarky comment such as, 'The old crook surely must have made great plans in regard of Harry Potter.' That was the nature of Severus Snape, after all.

Worry was not of Dumbledore's natural temperament, for positive thinking was a preferred mindset. However, the news would not bode well for the others, and he was the only one to give it, hence his recent withdrawal into his office.

"Well, are the Dursleys and Potter unharmed?" The Scottish lady snapped.

The headmaster spoke with great trepidation. "The disappearance of Mr. Potter and the Dursleys is very troubling. We don't know where they are."

If words and sound could be explosive, the office would have a eruption, leaving behind a gaping hole. The professors argued with one and another, though they were mostly shouting at Headmaster Albus Dumbledore as well. The heat of the outburst had simmered down but the professors' latent passion to murder the Headmaster still lingered in their eyes.

"Gone?" A woman with a badger crest had a horrified expression on her face.

"Had the Dark Lord's followers taken part in the disappearance of Potter and the Dursleys?" Professor Snape blankly stared at Dumbledore.

Even the stunted Professor, Head of Ravenclaw, crossed his arms and sighed in a huff. They were all upset with Albus in one fashion or another.

"There are no traces of Dark Magic within the empty house. We can assume nothing, though it is interesting that the tracking charms are broken. Due to this great mystery, the Order of the Phoenix has been reconstituted. I called for the order to aid in tracking the Dursleys and the boy, and as we speak. I-" The Headmaster was cut off.

"Albus, if Potter and his family aren't found," the plump woman with the badger crest lingered.

"Pomona, they will be found. The order will make sure of that. Soon." The twinkling eye of the Headmaster was long gone in the discussion. "As for now, we can wait. The four of you should return to your duties. I hear that the first-years coming this fall will be an interesting group." The headmaster stood up to show them the door, not wanting to continue the conversation at hand.

The last thing he needed was doubt, for only hope is the key to a more brighter future.

"Albus, I told you that muggle family was no good for the boy. How were you able to reconstitute the Order in such a short notice? It is preposterous!" Professor McGonagall burst out of the room in disgust. The Head Professors of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had stormed off in the same manner as well. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore had waved his hand and the door slammed itself shut.

It was bound to be on the papers the next morning, when the rumors would start about what happened to Harry Potter and the Dursleys. The Headmaster had to keep on wraps and quickly amend the situation. Unfortunately, news like this never stays hidden very long, especially if one has the influence and money to find out. Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic, would be a new hurdle he would have to face. He'd have to send an owl to explain why there was a sudden shortage of floo powder missing, trailing to muggle London, and that, was not something he wanted to do. He had his own influence on some of the aurors and it may be enough to steer away Fudge, but that was unlikely. Someone in the Ministry would find out and then, the secret will be plastered all over the news.

Severus Snape stayed behind, and he acted as if the Potter and Dursleys incident was of everyday occurrence. An outsider would have pointed his or her finger at the man, and cried 'Traitor.' Albus knew better that the Potions professor had nothing to do with the incident.

"I bring additional concerning news, with more impediment than of the spawn of Potter," spat the oily-haired Slytherin.

Albus Dumbledore usually would have called out on Snape's insolent behavior. However, the expression of him quieted the Headmaster.

"Yes?" Albus Dumbledore was flummoxed. "What news?"

The potion professor rolled up the long sleeve of his robe while staring intently at the Headmaster. It used to be a faded, weathered mark, however the shades were more striking as if this was a fresh tattoo once again. The oily, slimy green and black ink bled into his forearm, depicting a skull and intertwining snakes. It was the Death Eater's mark.

"The Dark Lord is weak, but certainly alive. It was only this morning when I felt the mark. It perplexes me that coincidentally the mark appeared when Potter had vanished." Snape had a countenance that rarely showed emotion. Ideal for a man with a career of spying.

Dumbledore did not speak. He only quickly looked upon the abomination that was on Snape's forearm, turning away from Voldemort's mark, to ponder over what he should do. The old man walked by his window, petting his Phoenix with a plume of striking, fiery reds.

The incident with just the boy's disappearance was already stressful. However, with the volatile combination of both Potter and Voldemort, it in turn, contributed to an entirely new level of disaster. The controversy would be the type to appear on the front page of The Prophet. Written by Rita Skeeter herself, the nastiest of all reporters, local wizards in Diagon Alley would be in complete outrage. Fudge would have to deal with the incident himself, and Dumbledore needed some more control. Political power only in the hands of Fudge, a fool himself, would only lead to the danger of innocents' lives. Fudge could not be trusted, and Dumbledore was to make sure that he constantly challenged him. As with during the times before Grindelwald had rose to power, Harry's disappearance and the appearance of Voldemort could be the keg powder of Europe. It could not happen, not again.

History could repeat itself, as it had countless times, however, the future may not be set in stone if Dumbledore could help it.

"Thank you, Severus. You may attend back to your duties as the Potions Professor. I must ponder over this but you will hear more from me soon," the Headmaster waved his hand in dismissal.

Severus Snape's black robes billowed as he left the office and shut the door behind him, back to the dungeons,where he came from.

Deep within thought, Dumbledore planned carefully how he would deal with the situation on hand. Rita Skeeter and the rest of the Ministry could not know the truth. If they knew, then the Ministry could become a equivalent of a dictatorship in one swift motion. It was a great irony, as the ministry was first designed to fend off Dark Wizards and possible dictatorships. He could handle having the Wizard public knowing about Harry's disappearance, but not of the rise of Voldemort. Cornelius Fudge would only deny such allegations and Dumbledore would lose his position, preventing him from saving them all. It was all for the greater good, in the end, after all.

"Fawkes, I need you to send a message."

The Phoenix chirped.

Taking a slip of Parchment, the Headmaster scrawled a note back to the sender.

"Cornelius may have some eyes and ears within the Auror ranks, but so do I. Whatever it takes, the news of Voldemort or Harry's disappearance will not appear in the Prophet," Dumbledore mumbled, not really sure if he was reassuring himself or Fawkes.

Ϡ,

Send a message quickly if you hear of anything concerning the Potter and Dursleys.

Keep an eye out for any signs of their whereabouts and who is involved.

Sincerely,

ᕔ

He rolled up the parchment and sealed it with candle wax. As wise as the old man was, he charmed the seal to only break for its intended eyes.

The seal wasn't blank but had a peculiar, but mostly unrecognizable symbol:

ᗖ

The bird open its claws up, then snatched the sealed roll. Soon, there are a burst of flames, and the Phoenix was gone.

Albus Dumbledore went back to pacing in his office. It wasn't just the disappearance of a boy with magic and a funny looking scar, it was the disappearance of the Boy-Who-Lived. Not only that, but also Voldemort was no standard Dark Lord; he was dangerous, and if he rose again, the Wizarding world, as it was known, would end. Only chaos and anarchy would be lead by a crazy man with dangerous influence.

The raven-haired boy was missing. It was his fault for not checking on the boy more. However, what was in the past, is in the past. The only thing to do now was to be patient and hope that Voldemort had not already gotten to the boy.

Dumbledore's mantra was to have optimism, and expect things to be sorted out in the end. However, doubt had crept to the Headmaster, and the uncertainty was taking its toll. He moved to the window again, waiting for his familiar to bring news, although his mind was lingering towards the dilemma of having the boy missing.

"Where are you Harry?" whispered the old headmaster.

The moon hanged high, accompanying many twinkling stars in an otherwise empty sky. It was almost peaceful except for the disturbance of a flyer in the middle of the night. A tawny barn owl was gliding in the air, like it was taking a brief pause from flying ferociously for its furry meal. However, any wizard would have seen a string and rolled up scroll to know that the owl was not searching for a meal, but rather a person. The owl was a messenger, and its owner was eager to give the message to the sender as soon as possible. It flew fast, but not fast enough.

Clink. A green light of some sorts enveloped the owl.

The owl was so entranced with heading to its destination, it never noticed the blond man staring back at it intensely, with a raised, polished stick in hand. Falling now, the bird could make out a man with very long blond hair, pale skin, and eyes of steel. The tawny owl submitted to the charm and became unconscious.

Lucius Malfoy was patient. He waited for this particular owl in order to intercept any message with anything to do with Harry Potter. Usually, he would make his house elf do this peasant tedious work, but he could not afford a slip up. His master, although frail, would be very pleased to find that his nemesis would be defeated, and any and all information before his return would be vital for rise. This owl in particular looked nothing out of the ordinary, but attached to its claw, was a letter with a peculiar crest with hastily created charms.

ᗖ

Whatever the message was, it was not for any prying eyes and it was sent urgently. Luckily for Lucius, his experience in the previous wizarding war had gave him skills, especially the kind for spying and charm work. The seal was made with great haste and inefficiency: the work of an average wizard. Lucius Malfoy had pointed his wand on the seal and focused.

"Alohomora Duo." Malfoy whispered.

The waxy bland seal had curled and folded. The paper had unbound to reveal its contents.

ᕔ,

-Ϡ

Lucius Malfoy was pleased, finally there was some news of interest. As of now, he knew where that drat Potter boy, and his mudblood family lived-wherever this Privet Drive was. Malfoy was an already influential man who could easily organize a raid upon the household and search for information in regards to the whereabouts of the mudbloods and the Prize. It was the time to call for old friends and relive the old days of excitement. The days of the Dark Lord's reign.

Of course, the Headmaster must not know that someone intercepted the message. Lucius had quickly copied the letter with a handy charm and stuffed the copy into his robe pocket.

"Reparo."

The waxy seal that once was sealed once more. It was as if none had touched the wax. Lucius turned towards the bird. If any other bird had shown up to the window of Hogwarts, then there would only be suspicion. Lucius Malfoy was a man of caution; a Slytherin. While other death eaters would have simply not let the owl continue its journey, the blonde man had seen the fallacy of that decision. In comparison to the enemy not knowing about the brat's disappearance briefly, but knowing that the enemy is watching, or where there is no suspicion from the enemy that the Dark Lord's followers know, it was not hard to make the decision to play the silent game. The enemy would receive this letter, but their guard would be down too, an advantage. Then he could snatch the boy under the nose of Dumbledore and the Light wouldn't even know. Once captured, he would decide whether to end the boy's pitiful existence or to raise the half-blood in the ways of the Malfoys. For now, he had to first find the boy before they do.

Lucius Malfoy had the re-rolled and re-stamped the parchment in hand. He turned his attention to the stiff tawny bird in the dirt. Then, taking out his wand, Lucius had pointed it at the bird.

"Obliviate!" Lucius had been careful to only remove the memories of the bird crossing with him.

The owl would assume it had taken a little nap, if it remembered anything at all the ordeal. Lucius had tied the letter to the claws of the creature in its deep slumber. Then, the blonde man had slipped behind a boulder, away from the eyes of the bird.

"Episkey." Its eyes had opened, and its claws clutching the scroll even tighter.

The bird had gotten right up and flew into the sky to send the message. The tawny barn owl was oblivious of what had even happened.

Lucius Malfoy had apparated back to the confines of his mansion. With his dazzling wife and child tucked away in slumber, he made his move. He did, after all, have a meeting with some politician, but no one had to know when he would get back. He had gone to his home office and conjured up a Lumos spell.

"Dobby!" snarled Lucius.

"Yes Master?"The small house elf had popped into the office. His voice was small, suiting his timid personality.

"Fetch me some parchment, quill and ink."

"If it pleases Master." Dobby disappeared in a flash.

It was only a couple of seconds later when many sheets of parchment, an ink bottle and a primed feather were on his desk. There was a flash of Dobby bowing to his master. Lucius Malfoy made a gesture that he wished of no more that evening from the little house elf, and Dobby had disappeared once more, to his quarters.

Lucius had made many letters to his good friends of dark families. He needed sympathy from them so they would join in the hunt for the bane of his lord. From these letters, there was one of particular importance: the Malfoy himself had spent extra care to write this letter with extra precision.

Murchadh,

Your knowledge and expertise is needed. The grant is 100 galleons if you are interested. Respond quickly for further information on this assignment.

Helleborus,

Lucius Malfoy

Lucius Malfoy, a man with high standing had no need to remember anything from muggle studies. It was more suited for a man like Murchadh to deal with the Potter boy, but he needed all the help he could get with the dark families knowing the situation; Lucius could simply wait and toast with a glass of firewhiskey, knowing that Dumbledore and his crude friends had failed. His master would rise once more and purge the world of mudbloods, and he would have a promotion, granting future Malfoys greater status and influence. More power to his side. He cast a reducio charm upon all the letters he wrote and gave the bundles to his owl. The owl systematically sent the letters to its intended receivers. Anyone suspicious of the large amount of letters would have thought the Malfoy was having a dinner party of some sorts.

It was the perfect trap.

Author's Note:

I know those characters are from language(s) native to North America, but I have decided to use them as identifiers of the members who are in the Order of the Phoenix.

As established:

ᕔ = Albus Dumbledore

ᗖ = The Order of the Phoenix

Ϡ = An unknown member that was reporting to Albus Dumbledore

Helleborus is commonly recognized as the Christmas Rose and is also known as an allusion for sports and games during the Victorian Age.