Evening summer sun and birdsong trickled through the open french doors in the Slytherin Estate's informal sitting room. The air, kept cool and fresh with an enchanted ventilation system, had the barest of movement, just enough to turn the pages of the books left abandoned on the gold-filigree coffee table. The only sound was the occasional soft sigh from the room's occupants.
Asleep in a pool of sunshine upon one of the fainting couches, Voldemort lay. His head was turned into the cushions as he crumpled against the arm of the sofa, his breathing steady and relaxed, and he seemed for all the world to be the picture of peace.
Head pillowed against the Dark Lord's thigh, Harry was similarly sprawled. His hands were softly tangled with Voldemort's robes, his cheeks held a soft sunburned flush, and his green eyes were fluttering between open and closed. His glasses had been gently removed and set aside, and one of Voldemort's hands was draped over his hair limply.
Half a country away, Severus Snape was welcoming Nymph Tonks into his home for dinner. He seemed… lighter somehow. The stress of working as a teacher for so long, finally lifted from his shoulders. He was still a young man, really.
The polluted air hung hot around their bodies as they awkwardly conversed, each one clumsy and new to this kind of relationship, and the sound of children playing echoed from the nearby streets. Tonks, in their cleanest robes with a bottle of Ogden's Finest, tried not to think about whether this could count as a date. Anything that happened, they would simply hope for.
The sleeping wizards in the room would be found soon, by a snowy owl carrying a desperate letter, but for now we shall let them sleep, unknowing of the storm brewing on the horizon.
THE DAILY PROPHET
July 5th 1996
"Harry Potter Still Missing!"
To the concerned readers of our Paper, it is with a heavy heart that this reporter must share that there is still no news on our Chosen One. It has now been over two weeks since our Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter, went missing.
(To those who are unfamiliar with the title 'The Chosen One', it refers to Harry Potter being the subject of a prophecy - given by a descendant of Cassandra of Greece around two decades ago - wherein he is referred to as the one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord. As the readers might guess, this Dark Lord is likely He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself, who returned to our world last summer at the conclusion of the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts.)
On the fourteenth of June, Mr Potter was reportedly inside his home with his relatives. While the timeline is hazy, as there are no witnesses, it is likely that he was resting after dinner when the confrontation happened. It is unclear which person in the house began the argument, but it ended with Harry storming out of the house - the last confirmed sighting of the boy. His wand has been recovered and his Trace has not been alerted, meaning he is not using magic.
Dear readers, this is, of course, extremely worrying. As, without our saviour, who will be the one to lead us and unite us against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Many are turning to Albus Dumbledore, defeater of Grindelwald, for answers, but imagine this reporter's surprise when they discovered that it was Albus Dumbledore who placed Harry Potter with his muggle relatives. Our Saviour, raised by muggles! A Hogwarts student commented on this information, stating, "It all makes sense now, why [Harry] never responded politely to any traditional greetings. He never knew them."
The avid reader of the Prophet might recall that on the day Harry Potter was to travel to Hogwarts for the first time, we ran a short article chronicling what we knew of his life so far, including Albus Dumbledore's comments that he was "being raised in a way benefitting of one of his station." One might question why that statement somehow covered being raised by questionable muggle relatives. This reporter also reminds readers that Mr Potter is the heir to substantial titles and land in our world. Albus Dumbledore has always been an advocate for the rights of muggle and squib relatives and their importance in the lives of their magical family, so it should not really come as a shock to our audience that this influenced his placement of our Saviour.
Mr Potter's muggle relatives, who will remain unnamed in this paper, are reportedly also missing. Witnesses placed Mr Potter's Uncle leaving the house the morning of the 15th for work, but some time during the day all three of Mr Potter's relatives were taken, or fled, and none have been seen since.
And with the house being left empty, this reporter was able to gain access and investigate the scene of the crime.
For, dear readers, there most certainly was a crime committed within those Four walls. A Privet abode, holding three souls, or you would guess so from the photographs on the walls - a mother, a father, and their teenage son, a blond muggle boy. This reporter could find little-to-no evidence of Mr Potter's existence in this house but for a recently-cleaned empty room upstairs. In the laundry machine, stained bedsheets were beginning to mould. In the cupboard under the stairs, Mr Potter's school things were locked. And in the diary upstairs, written by Mr Potter's Aunt, the last ten entries had been removed. This reporter was unable to locate them.
Could it be that Harry Potter's relatives had something to do with his disappearance? Or is it more likely that this is the work of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Or has Mr Potter simply had enough of being treated like he does not exist in his own home, and flown the nest, or even the country? Will Albus Dumbledore have anything more to say on the matter of his mishandling of the Boy Who Lived?
This reporter could not dare to speculate further on the fate of our Saviour, but encourages Readers to do their own research and report anything untoward to the Prophet.
We remain ever vigilant.
Rita Skeeter
