Beta's: 5/8/2015
Mistress Polgara nodded. "You made me laugh, Author. You get a cookie."
Author jumps in the air pumping his fist, "I LOVE COOKIES!"
Chapter 4: Catch us if you can!Dear Mum and Dad,
I know that I wrote you just a few days ago, but as we are leaving the country in a few moments, Harry asked me to write to you. I am still very angry with the both of you, but Harry asked for me to try to reconcile my emotions. So, here I am.
Harry took me to Newgrange yesterday. Harry had been having dreams about it for a while. So, we went to see if a real-life visit would trigger an epiphany of sorts. We took the tour and had a marvelous time. I copied down the astronomical (arithmatic) equations that were woven throughout the structure. Harry and I were able to see the hidden runes that completed the equations, and which are only available to magical eyes. It was an enlightening experience.
As we were walking through the site, I was explaining the meanings of some of the solstice and equinox equations to Harry. That sparked a revelation. He asked me whether the solstice or equinox could affect potion making. It is a well-known fact that several potions can only be brewed during these times. So, I answered with a simple, 'yes'. We had stopped in front of a particular set of equations when Harry got excited. He started to theorize that Neolithic farmers used these equations in the past to decide the best time to make certain potions or to harvest specific ingredients.
As we continued our tour through Newgrange, we decided to check Longhcrew and Knowth. They both supported his hypothesis. We spent the rest of the day tossing back and forth ideas. If Harry is right, it could revolutionize the potion-making industry! He has gathered quite a bit of information, but we need to test it out.
Harry has extended his theory to include: climate, sea-level, seasons, time of day, longitude, latitude, and ambient magical energy and how these factors might affect the end-result of the brewing process. Of course I know all about how ingredients affect potions. I'm aware of proper ingredient storage, cauldron maintenance, and proper preparation. It's quite similar to Chemistry. There is even a Wizarding equivalent to the periodic table. But, no one has ever researched the effect of environment upon potion-making. There are a few exceptions to this, but it is simply due to undesirable reactions between certain ingredients at certain times of the year. I can barely contain myself! I keep thinking of different experiments that could prove or disprove Harry's hypothesis. Unfortunately, we probably won't have the time to brew or distill potions to observe this effect.
One of the reasons I'm so excited about this is that Harry generally hates magical theory. He is much more of an 'on the fly' type of guy. This trip has revealed sides of Harry to me that I've never seen before. It was a really wonderful idea. I've always known that Harry is intelligent, but he rarely shows it. I think it has to do with the Dursleys, those horrible people he grew up with
…
I'm sorry about the break. I started the letter in Ireland, but we ran into a spot of trouble. Harry's just now reminded me that I need to finish this letter.
Don't worry, nothing bad happened…well…not to us. I will admit that it was close, but Harry handled the situation brilliantly. We haven't had any trouble since we arrived in here. There's no use in denying where we are since you will be able to tell from the postmark, so we are in the States.
Harry and I have toured around New York and Virgina. We have dropped in to see the Statue of Liberty, the Library of Congress, and a few other historical landmarks. Of course, you know which one was my favorite. I had never really given much thought to the United States, but I have to admit, after visiting some of the important founding locations, I'm impressed. This country is just so different and vibrant from England.
Harry seems quite affected by some of what we have learned here. I think it has to do with subjugation and the desire for independence. Strong themes here, especially around the founding locations. He wants to be able to choose his own path. He hasn't talked very much since we arrived, and I am worried about him. He's been even quieter since we visited Arlington National Cemetery. It was very moving to see the fields of American heroes who had died while trying to defend this young nation. It seemed to affect Harry a great deal. I hope I can help him.
Tomorrow morning, we set of for our first destination here in the States that has to do with magic. It's going to be very exciting. I am trusting you two with the knowledge of which country we are in. Harry insists that I keep writing these letters. So, please, whatever you do, do NOT tell anyone where we are. Not Dumbledore, not anyone from our world. No one. I will never forgive you if you betray Harry's trust. Trust me there are very good reasons why secrecy is important. I'll try to send another letter next week to let you know how we are doing.
P.S. Here are several pictures of us at Newgrange, the Statue of Liberty, and one Harry insisted I had to send you of me pouting because they would not let me in the back to look at some of the books at the Library of Congress. If I didn't love him so much, I would have to hex him for this.
Love you,
Your Daughter, Hermione
Jake lowered the letter in his hand sighing. They somehow made it across the pond. He didn't know whether to be enraged or impressed. Somehow they must have found a way to do magic without anyone knowing. That nebulous explanation was the only thing that could somehow explain how they managed it.
Was this what Miranda felt back then? Did Ellen's father feel the same thing as he was? Hopelessness, powerlessness, rejection? Would the pain ever go away? Jake Granger looked to the phone hanging on his kitchen wall. Did he have the courage to ask?
He looked to the small stack of photos trying with all his might to ignore the smiling young man holding his little girl. She looked so happy. Could potions do that? Was this situation really what it looked like?
Sitting in his kitchen Jake asked himself a seemingly never ending stream of questions as he looked into the pictures. No answers came to him.
XxXDaRXxX
Moody pushed open the door to the muggle room with his wand drawn and ready for anything. There was a curse on his twisted lips as he took in the scene with his normal eye. His magical eye spun about randomly, also registering nothing of note. He limped his way inside, looking around at the clean room for clues. Potter had come a long way, either that or the Granger girl was good for him. The room was clean. Real clean. There was almost no trace of anyone having stayed here, much less the pair of them.
He was standing in the middle of the room when Lupin walked in with a slight smirk on his face to match Mad-Eye's. He grunted, half turning to look at his partner. "Well?"
"Rooms paid for another couple of days, but the desk clerk hasn't seen either of them since the week before."
The old, ex-Auror chuckled. "Scamp wanted us to find the room empty. Look there, those are potion vials with Hogwarts stamps embossed in the crystal. Albus said Granger was taking potions for her injury, three a day. Girl left them there to taunt us that they had stayed here two days, and then Potter paid for the room for an extra week to make sure we found it. They cleaned the room out, leaving nothing else. They're toyin' with us. I love this kid. Like my own son he is. I can just see him and Granger somewhere, laughin' at us while we're scratchin' our heads, wondering where the hell they are."
Remus chuckled to himself while he walked into the bathroom to see if anything else could be found. Mad-Eye heard him bark in laughter a moment later. When he walked back into the room Remus was holding a different vial in his hand. Moody just raised an eyebrow at him as he took the envelope off the table.
"Find somethin', Lupin?" The gruff, older man asked while still chuckling at how things had worked out.
"Yes, now I know I owe my friend fifty galleons." He replied holding up a different vial that was embossed with a stamp he did not recognize.
In reply, he held up the letter Potter had left for them to find. "Think we ought to do this at Headquarters? Dead end here, aside from the things they wanted us to find. Albus'll be chompin' at the bit to know what we found, not that it's much."
Remus smiled widely. "Yeah, it should be worth a laugh just to see his reactions to what I found."
Mad-Eye took one more look around before he walked up to the window and looked down the way. Smiling insanely, he turned to Lupin. "Still got that Prophet on you?"
Remus nodded and took the folded paper out of his robes while walking up to Moody. The Auror had moved the curtain out of the way and pointed down to where a boarded up window was.
"Look. I told you Potter was the tipster. I'll lay odds he and Granger sat right here and watched the whole thing, taking pictures."
The werewolf snorted but nodded as well. "No bet, Mad-Eye. I have this feeling Harry set up the whole thing just to make Ms. Granger laugh. I can honestly say if he did, it's the greatest prank ever, and considering his father, Sirius, and I were known for our pranks, that says something. Come on, let's go report in and see what Dumbledore decides is next." Mad-Eye laughed and nodded; a mischievous look in his eye.
Two cracks later found the two-man team appearing just shy of the Burrow and walking up to the door. They walked in and took seats at the table, which was already pretty full from the rest of the Order. The Kitchen of the Burrow was packed with members and had been since the morning's Prophet had been delivered.
Dumbledore was not sitting at the Head of the table, as was usual. No, Arthur Weasley was, as was his right, as this was his house. Dumbledore was sitting at the other end of the table, ever the grandfather-looking gentleman. However, no twinkle in his eye could be discerned. The Order had taken notice of the subtle power play between the jovial Head of the Weasley Clan and the Supreme Mudwhump.
Once everyone was seated and quieted down, Dumbledore asked, "What news do you have of young Harry, Alastor?"
Sitting in the middle of the table was a copy of the Prophet that had started today's events. Front page showed a picture of three men in dresses trouncing the prone bodies of both Crabbe and Goyle Sr. The Headline read, 'Muggle Attack or Lover's Spat?'
Of course, Rita Skeeter wrote the article. She had gone on quite a bit into the supposed perverted desires of the two men that ended up with both men being put in a muggle hospital before they were found and transferred to St. Mungo's for treatment. Long lists of injuries were listed, but a lot more was a go on about their 'tastes' in entertainment. Both men were being charged with serious breaches to the Statute of Secrecy, as well as various other charges stemming from the items found in their possession.
Moody pulled out the envelope Potter had left behind and tossed it to the Headmaster for him to read which he did, silently, before he threw it on the table in anger. The whole Order looked down to see the only line written on the parchment.
Catch us if you can, you tosspot.
It became clear within the following moment who sided with whom. The Order had long been divided for individual reasons, but all were normally united in purpose in this war against Voldemort. However, since Harry and Hermione had done a runner, a new faction had shown itself. The anti-Dumbledore-faction-who-backed-Harry-in-all-things were making a strong showing.
The muffled snickers that broke out from the letter showed the lines quite clearly. Remus, Tonks, McGonagall, Mad-Eye, Fred, George, and Arthur Weasley made up this contingent. The Pro-Dumbledore crowd showed themselves to be quite small in number consisting of only Diggle, Molly Weasley, and a few of the older crowd. The rest were silent, they were the neutrals who only wanted to be a part of the Order to fight Voldemort and had little to no interest in either Dumbledore or Harry. However, several of them had to hide smirks or snickers behind their hands.
In a tired voice, that those who knew him could tell was laced in rage, Dumbledore asked, "Was there anything else in the room? Anything that could tell us where they were headed to so that we might catch them before Voldemort does?"
Failing to hold back his glee, while several people shuddered at the name of the enemy, Mad-Eye shook his head. "The only other thing I found was six potion vials that tell us they were there for at least two days, even though the clerk said they paid for a week and a half. Remus found something else, but other than that, it was cleaned out properly. Couldn't even find a trace of their magical signatures about the room." The pride in his voice was clear to hear to all in the room.
The old man looked at Remus who was smirking as he pulled out a vial and placed it where all could easily see it on the table. One look at it and most of the younger Witches, and a few of the older unmarried Witches, bursting out in laughter. Every one of them immediately understood the message conveyed by the little bottle.
Tonks looked at Remus with obvious delight in her eyes and voice; "Find that in the trash Wolfie?"
Still grinning, Remus shook his head. "No, it was set on the counter in plain sight. I get the impression it was a message from Ms. Granger."
Dumbledore leaned forward picking up the vial and turning it to look at the crest embossed on the front. He frowned after a moment with narrowed eyes before he set it down and made to stand.
Molly Weasley huffed at the vial. She recognized it and did not like what it clearly spelled out. "Did you find anything out at Gringotts when you checked with the goblins?"
Dumbledore sighed. "Mr. Potter has, unfortunately, already been and gone. He emptied his trust vault the same day he disappeared. Unfortunately, this means he has more than enough resources to keep himself and Miss Granger going for some time as his Trust Vault was quite full. The only other thing I was able to get out of the goblins was the amount he took, which amounts to well over five hundred thousand galleons after he liquidated several gems and other precious stones that rested within..."
Just at that moment, an envelope appeared in the center of the table with a loud crack. It gently fell to the table in the stone quiet kitchen of the Burrow. The address was to 'The Burnt Turkey Club'.
His gruff laughter sounded as Moody reached forward. With his magical eye he noticed a few smirks and people getting comfortable for the show. Most however seemed gob smacked which just made him chuckle more. He pulled out a clear disk of some kind from the envelop. There were no other letters or notes with it. Still chuckling, Mad-Eye placed it on the center of the table placing his wand on top of it saying only, "Activate." Rightfully assuming Potter wanted them to see whatever was on the strange device.
Directly above the disk, an image began to form. It was clearly a recording of the event depicted in the Prophet. He heard Minerva muttering to herself seemingly impressed with the spell work. Mad-Eye had to nod to himself along with her, it was by itself an impressive bit of magic. More so considering the kids were only just post O.W.L.S.
The Order watched, stunned, and then burst into various bits of laughter as the Death Eaters were trounced by the Muggles. After it had played out, a different image appeared. It was Harry standing tall with Granger curled up into his chest half facing forward. It was a crystal clear message as to how the two felt about each other. Potter's arm was around her, clutching her upper back while Hermione's hands had fisted the front of his robes. Granger's defiance raged in her eyes. Harry gave a sneer worthy of Snape at his most dour.
"Three muggles took down two Death Eaters. What the fuck have you done lately?"
The moment was spoiled almost as soon as it built when Granger lightly slapped his chest and whispered quietly, "Language, Harry."
Various members roared in laughter as he rolled his eyes looking down at his lover. "Sorry, dear. You ruined my moment. You know that, right?" His voice clearly amused by her antics. She chuckled unfazed.
He looked back up as he raised his hand and coughed. Then in a deeper voice behind his hand Harry said, "This message will self-destruct in five seconds."
With laughter in her eyes she looked up at him lightly shaking her head. "I swear. No more spy movies for you."
Smiling lovingly, Harry replied. "Come on! It's one of the best lines in the mov…" Just then the image disappeared and the disk flared bright red before rending itself to ash, ending the playful banter between the two.
Despite the laughter around the room, Dumbledore was not happy at his weapon's antics. He addressed the room sternly. "We will continue our searches abroad. Post sentries at ports for the surrounding countries with emphasis on France and Bulgaria, where we know that they might find persons willing to take them in. They will attempt travel by Muggle ways, thinking we won't find them. Check airports, train yards, taxis, boats and bus stations. That is all." With that, he walked over to the fireplace and after a call of Hogwarts disappeared in a gush of emerald flames.
The rest of the crowd dispersed through the door to Apparate or to the queue at the floo for various places. It took some time, but after a while, only the pro-Harry members were left. Mad-Eye picked up the first envelope looking at the address, still smirking. It was addressed 'To The Manipulative Wanker'. He chuckled.
"I am really starting to like this kid. It takes serious stones to take the Mickey out of Dumbledore. You've got to admire the kid's gall. The room, vials, and those letters. Potter's thumbing his nose at anyone trying to track him down. Voldemort's Death Eaters are almost a laughing stock right now. Ministry can't prove those two are Death Eaters, but people know."
Tonks picked up vial, showing the others, still snickering. "Madame Midnight's. Hermione's not packing light either. Leaving behind a contraceptive vial in plain sight sends a nice message to everyone. Girls in my year at Hogwarts would leave them out on their nightstands for their dorm mates to see. She's given herself to Harry. He's hers. Separate them at your own risk. And the way she was clutching to him in the message. It doesn't get much clearer than that."
After a moment of chuckles and snickers, the Weasley patriarch looked around and leaned in with a knowing smile that showed where the twins got their sense of mischief from. "Did you see Albus's face when Harry and Hermione appeared at the end of that message?" The room roared with laughter again while the Weasley twins fell from their chairs.
XxXDaRXxX
All throughout the isles, the Post-Owls of Hogwarts were busy. They carried not the usual letters of acceptance or course lists. These letters were similar to the one just viewed by the Order of the Phoenix. The difference was the end message. Each message ended with Harry saying, "Three Muggles took down two Death Eaters. If Muggles can do it, why can't you?"
Similar messages were tied to the flock of Post Owls that left Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. The recipients: every non-Death Eater in the British Isles.
A House-Elf stood and watched the latest flock disappear into the sky. A poorly-made pink tea cozy on his head, massive glassy eyes shining in mirth, and laughter in his heart. His Master will be pleased.
Authors Notes:
Okay, Chapter Four revision is done. For those of you interested in the story instead of my drivel, by all means leave a review telling me what you think of this chapter, and then hit that 'Next' button. Enjoy the read. As always thank you to all reviews and readers. You are noticed and appreciated.
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