Chapter 3 – The Flight
It was only three hours later that Harry had woken himself up by reliving the car accident, he could see it clearly now and it was his fault his cousin turned out like he was, it was his fault everything happened, just like it was his fault Cedric was dead, why Sirius now hated him, the Weasleys too.
Then came the letters from the ministry yesterday, he didn't understand why they accused him of something that he didn't do? Was it because of Rita Skeeters articles last year of him having trouble with his scar, or was it that the ministry wanting to quench everything severely to ensure that they were indeed acting as they should be?
At least he was not expelled from Hogwarts, but he couldn't help thinking the amount of hurt he caused. He was trying to the right thing and save his blasted cousin, was that such a bad thing. Harry didn't think of a positive, he used his wand threateningly, what kind of person was he? The cloud of negativity was suffocating him and was heavier than ever, thoughts swirled around his mind, useless, freak, pathetic, worthless, he should be dead, he should be punished.
Without thinking Harry grabbed his muggle razor from his trunk (usually his uncle would lock everything he owned in the cupboard under the stairs but they had made use of the storage for Dudley's boxing gear and so Harry had it locked in with him) Harry then unwrapped the bandage on is left arm and examined the three deep cuts stitched from the car. After a few moments examining and hesitating he place the razor onto his delicate skin, pressed hard and dragged the blade across.
Blood rushed to the surface, small bubble of blood first and then so much that it dripped onto the wooden floor. Harry did this twice further before watching the blood harden after it escaped his arm, the third cut was significant, the negative cloud that had been so overwhelming lately had been lifted and he felt numb. Harry used some water from his glass to clean his arm before wrapping it snugly back in its bandage. Not knowing how long this numb feeling would last Harry placed his razor back in his trunk.
Hedwig came swooping through Harry open window, a dead frog in her mouth, she came and landed on Harrys good leg. "Did you catch that all by yourself?" Harry asked stroking the back of her head. Hedwig hooted affectionately as she ate the frog in two quick gulps. Harry picked up his glass of water and allowed her to drink out of it gratefully. "Rest up a minute, I have some work for you" as Harry stood up on his good leg and using his crutches made his way across to his desk. Parchment and quills lay across it as many letter demanding answers were scrunched up in his overflowing bin.
They had to give him answers now, they must know what had happened. If Ron's Dad knew he was bound to have told Ron and Hermione who seemed to be residing in the same place. A surge of anger broke through the numbness, they were out probably at the Burrow, having a laugh together knowing what was going on and he, Harry, the person who saw Voldemort returned was stuck in Privet drive with his Aunt and Uncles, being attacked by dementors and being run over by cars.
Harry wrote three letters, each the same except for the addressee 'I've been attacked by dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going on and when I'm going to get out if here.' One to Ron, one to Hermione and the last to Sirius.
"Come here Hedwig" Harry called to his crystal white owl. Hedwig flew across the room and onto Harrys desk, she held out a leg sturdily and allowed him to attach all three letters to her leg. "Go find them and make sure they give me lengthy answers" exclaimed Harry clearly. Hedwig nipped finger affectionately and hooted in a reassuring way before spreading her wings ad flying out of his window.
Four days after Hedwig left Harry was again laying on his bed, he couldn't do much when he was locked in his room for hours on end, only allowed out to use the bathroom. His aunt pushed food thought the cat flap in his door twice a day if he was lucky and his leg was becoming too painful to move. Each day when the heavy, dark, negative cloud got too much, Harry cut, it helped and that's all that mattered, he knew he must stay alive because of Sirius' trial the same day as his disciplinary hearing, which gave him something to hold on to.
That evening his uncle shouted through his cat flap "We are going out, do not leave your room, do not touch anything, understand"
Harry gave his uncle a sound to say he understood, his uncle then left with Dudley and his aunt. It was not an hour later when crashing could be heard downstairs. The door didn't unlock, it wasn't the Dursleys, it must be some sort of burglar. Harry didn't care, but he also didn't want to get punished when his uncle came home. Harry picked up his wand from his bedside table and made his way towards the door.
"Why so many locks!" exclaimed a voice Harry didn't recognise.
"Shush Nymphadora!" growled a deep voice Harry recognized as Alistor Moody
"Don't call me Nymphadora!" shouted the woman.
"Professor Moody, is that you?" asked Harry through the door.
"I don't know about Professor but let's get this door open. Stand back Harry" Harry hopped back and let the door open. Three people came through the open door, Professor Moody, Professor Lupin and a woman he didn't know.
"Harry! What's happened to you?" exclaimed Lupin coming over to Harry and looking at his braced leg.
"Run over by a car, the night the dementors came, I thought you knew Professor?"
"No, please call me Remus, I am no longer your Professor, Mundungus left that small piece of information out! I'll kill that ugh!" growled Remus, his wolf showing slightly
"Lupin, not the time, we need to get Harry out as soon as possible, the first signal will sound in 15 minutes and we need to pack his things up and get him on a broomstick! Are you sure its him?" growled Moody also
"Harry, the very first time you came into my office, what was the creature in the tank?"
"A grindylow"
"Yes, that's him"
"Right, Nymphadora, help Harry pack up his things, Remus with me" Moody growled as the two men left the room.
"I hate being called that, Please call me Tonks. I don't think brown suits me, maybe blonde" Tonks squeezed her eyes shut and gradually her hair became blonde "No, I dt think so, hmm pink!" she did it once again and her hair became pink"
"How'd you do that?" asked Harry
"Oh I'm a metamorphmagus, I can change my appearance at will, got top marks in the disguising part of my auror assessment"
"You are an auror then?"
"Yes only qualified last year, Kingsley is my senior, he is downstairs with everyone else, ooh I forgot, let me pack" with the flick of her wand Tonks had packed all Harrys things into his trunk, "come on let's get downstairs"
The two made their way downstairs where many wizards stood waiting for him. After shaking hands with each of them Moody explained what was going to happen.
"in two minutes the first signal will sound, we are your guard Harry, if anything happens to us there is a rear guard waiting if you fly south-east. We will be circulating around you, Myself lupin, Shacklebolt and Tonks will be flying close to you, do not break ranks. I need to dissolution you before we start and transfigure those things into something that will support that leg on your broom. Now outside everyone!"
Everyone made their way outside, Harry took his broom and rose up slightly from the ground allowing Moody to transfigure his crutches into a support before a sensation of a cold egg had splatted onto his head, he was now the colour of the grass and the house behind him. Green sparks appeared over the horizon.
"Off we go!" growled Moody as everyone took off into the night. They rose up and up, it was a clear night so they had to go higher into the sky so they couldn't be seen, everyone kept on rotating around Harry though Lupin and Tonks stayed sticking to his side at all times. They swerved right and left, mostly over fields to avoid the busy towns and cities. "Let's go back on ourselves!" shouted Moody to ensure we haven't been followed.
"Don't be ridiculous, we are almost there now and most of us are frozen to our brooms already" exclaimed Tonks. Tonks who had taken the words out of Harrys mouth as he was as cold as the time thy played quidditch in a storm two years ago.
"Alright, descend!" shouted Moody from the rear. Everyone went into a steep dive, each landed with grace. Harry remained hovering. Moody de-transfigured the support on his leg into the crutches and brace allowing Harry to stand. Remus took his broomstick as Moody shoved a piece of paper in front of Harrys eyes. The familiar loopy writing read
'The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve Grimmauld Place London'
