Found
Rita Margaret Skeeter considered herself a highly successful journalist. She managed to get scandals and secrets out of high profile persons with ease that made her peers burn with jealousy. Add her acidic style of writing and she gained the power to inspire an entire world of people.
The last two years had seen her salary hiked numerous times, she was gifted bonus on top of bonus and soon, the expectations from the editor got so high that she began to find it difficult to find more sensational news reports.
It was then she resorted to fabricating stories and publishing more fiction than fact. She hated doing that, it was an insult to her investigative skills, but she was far too attached to lavish mansion and elvish foot rubs.
She patted down her dark green robes and checked if her hair was neatly bunned on her head. Satisfied, she slung her crocodile green bag and made towards the fireplace.
She had work to do, scandals to expose and news to invent.
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Hogwarts; Fourth March nineteen ninety-three
"Did you find him?"
Remus Lupin, a man with grey hair and a tired disposition shook his head wearily and slumped into the chair he was seating on. "We tracked his movement to the point of origin. Apparently he apparated, which I still do not believe by the way, to a place called the Rann of Kutch. We found traces of runic magic. Harry used runes to summon water from deep underground."
"It's still flowing?"
"It looks permanent," Remus said, a hint of awe in his voice. "There were several such runes used while Harry travelled into the Thar Desert in Indian Territory. His movements suggest he is going up North but after the sighting by the muggles his trail got cold."
Being a werewolf Remus could track any living creature with unbelievable ease.
"Indian Territory?"
"The desert stretches into Pakistan and there's this massive fence between the two countries. I didn't inquire into it and from the little I gathered, the two countries are constantly at each other's throats. I fear if Harry wanders towards one of the hot zones, he could accidentally be shot at and killed."
"We have to find him Remus."
"Sooner or later he is going to bump into locals. Now we have passed flyers in the neighbouring states, ensured people living in nearby villages and borders are aware of our search and in general covered the area all around Harry. We will find him but we don't know when."
Dumbledore sighed.
"What is he Dumbledore?" Remus asked hesitantly. He had been wondering from the moment he had been told about the boy. No witch or wizard could survive in such harsh climatic conditions for more than a week without constant food and water. He realised Harry had made a water source for himself but what about food? The desert barely had any fauna around.
"He is a game changer," Dumbledore said solemnly. "There's so much power in him that it's ridiculous. Right now he's aimless. Searching for a direction. Dreaming of a dream waiting to be realised. He has the potential to change the world and not an ounce of empathy." Dumbledore sighed. "It's been a long time since I've felt like I don't know what to do Remus. Voldemort is going to come back and our fate rests on the head of a deranged boy who apparently skips to deserts when he feels like it!"
Remus stared at Dumbledore wide eyed. It was the first time he was hearing frustration in the headmaster's voice.
Sirius who was seated quietly all this time snorted.
"Is something funny Sirius," Remus asked hotly, failing to understand what Sirius found so goddamn amusing about the situation.
Sirius barked a laugh. "I was just thinking Harry's a true Potter after all. They always did get under everyone's skin."
Remus goggled and then rolled his eyes. Amusement and nostalgia hit him hard. "Yea," he agreed with a chuckle. "The last Potter managed to royally piss of a dark lord after all. It's only fair his son does the same."
"You're calling me a dark lord Remus?" Dumbledore asked in amusement.
Remus began to stammer denials and explanations.
"He's calling you a white lord Albus. You certainly have the hair for it," Sirius retorted. "Now why don't we get back on topic? Harry is powerful – check. He's insane – check. He doesn't want to be found – check. How the fuck to we find him in the middle of goddamn nowhere!"
"Do we involve the ministry?" Dumbledore pondered. "For now they think Harry has been kidnapped."
"Have they found anything?"
"They think Harry is being held by muggle born activists," Sirius snorted.
"And they think it is a ploy by purebloods. Everybody is anticipating him being found and what he has to say," Remus added.
"And if they get their hands on him, considering his mental state, they are in for an explosive surprise," finished Sirius.
"I really didn't want to do this," Dumbledore sighed. "Fawkes!" he called out loud. "Could you spare a moment to help me?"
Sirius and Remus groaned. Resorting to asking a phoenix for help?! That was just asking for trouble.
All three waited with lumps in their throats.
"I'm not going to be involved in any deals Albus," Remus choked nervously. He glanced around as if expecting the air to catch fire any second and take him with it.
A blinding flash of fire erupted high above the room and a majestic creature of fire and gold spread it wings, flapping them lazily as it descended onto the perch beside Dumbledore.
It made a sound which had them feeling blissfully calm.
"Fawkes," Dumbledore said fondly. "It's good to see you old friend."
Black marble like eyes bored into the blue ones with frightening intelligence and the bird made another sound.
They felt amusement and curiosity and an urge to spit out what they wanted.
"We need to find Harry!" Remus blurted out and then looked horrified. "No wait! Albus will…"
But it was too late. The question had been asked. A deal was to be made. Fawkes opened his beak and Remus felt his magic pulse and change. Fawkes was speaking to him with magic and his magic understood what the phoenix wanted.
"Alright," he groaned. Any price would be fine to pay as long as they found Harry. He had a long apology to make anyway. "Alright. I'll do it!" he said loudly.
Sirius and Dumbledore looked relieved and curious as to what Fawkes had asked in return.
People always misunderstood phoenixes. Phoenixes weren't creatures of purity and light. They were creatures of the stars. And stars were not peaceful. They gave warmth to those far away and burnt those who got too close. Phoenixes were notoriously temperamental and proud. Their tears could heal the fatal wounds and came at a great price. Dumbledore was glad to have Fawkes as a familiar and he was also quite wary. Make one mistake that caused Fawkes to take offense and it would be his last. Fawkes knew this and enjoyed tormenting the wizard.
"So how will Remus find Harry?" Dumbledore asked politely, carefully wording his thoughts as well.
Fire flared in the office and Sirius had to put up a shield in alarm. It turned out to be unnecessary as Dumbledore, who didn't panic, was unharmed.
"Let's leave it in Remus's hands shall we?"
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Place Unknown
Had it been months or years? Barring sunrise and sunset, Harry had lost all semblance with the flow of time. All that mattered to him when the thirst came, followed by hunger and the need for shelter. His skill at drawing water with magic had evolved far beyond anything he could have imagined. His skill at using runes to summon animals kept growing until he was capable of summoning bigger creatures. Birds flew to the ground, attracted by his runes. When he strayed close to civilization, people came, attracted by his magic. He sent sand storms at them to get them to run away. And when the desert began to fade and replaced by mud and speckles of green. All manners of creatures came to him, attracted by magic, unaware they were prey to a dangerous predator.
Sleep as it turned out was necessary and only for a few hours. Harry had used the void to tunnel a hole under the ground and settled in to get some shut eye around midday. The heat was unbearable at that time. His skin felt like it was on fire. He had resorted to attempting conjuring a hat, clothes and even a tent like structure but they always got blown away in sand storms. It was easier burrowing a hole in the ground and hiding in there.
He would stay in one place as long as there was food to get. He would get moving once the creatures wised up and began to stay away. Sometimes he would apparate randomly and once he attempted to make a sand castle. He failed spectacularly. He had managed to make a fifteen feet tall tower and was quite excited about living in it before an unimaginable force of wind had torn apart the magic holding it together and sent tons of sand tumbling down on him.
Harry had laughed after shaking all the sand out of his clothes and hair. It had started out as a giggle before getting blown into uncontrollable laughter that had his side hurting. He gasped for air and looked into the sky with his eyes wide with mirth and life.
He was having the best time of his life!
At present Harry was contemplating turning back and heading into the heart of the desert again. He couldn't believe he was seeing an end.
A loud boom nearly made him jump out of his skin.
He looked around wildly. Where had it come from?
Harry couldn't see any activity. Everything had gone silent… like the sound before impending doom.
And then suddenly everything went to hell.
Boom's echoed all in all directions. Dirt exploded around him. There was ringing sound in his ear and another explosion sent him tumbling to the shaking ground.
Harry couldn't see the threat. He didn't know where the danger was. He knew if he stayed he would most likely be killed. Panic struck him like a torrent of ice water.
I need to get out of here!
With that desperate thought Harry apparated. The crack that accompanied it was drown by an explosion right where he was kneeling a moment before.
Harry didn't know where he had apparated too. He had wanted to get away from the danger and find shelter. He had not expected to find himself knee deep on the banks of a pond and surrounded by green.
The ringing sound was still in his ear and he worked his jaw trying to get rid of it. He tried to get out of the pond but found he couldn't. His body was shaking. The seed of fear had taken root and sprouted in him once again.
"Calm," he breathed out. "Calm down." Harry retreated to the Void where there was no emotion and only emptiness. He immediately felt the world fade and the sweet caress of darkness took him to its labyrinth.
The excessive use of magic coupled with constant hunger finally overwhelmed him and Harry fainted.
Near him a couple of spotted deer's looked at each other curiously before continuing to lap up the water. A band of crickets raised a racket from the depths of the trees that stretched high towards the heavens giving a blessed cover against the burning sun. Birds occasionally flew past, some big ones diving into the pond and resurfacing seconds later.
Among the calm activity of nature, a man walked to the bank of the pond as silent as a stalking tiger. He was not very tall, had dirty matted black hair that stretched down to the small of his back. He was wearing an orange sheet wrapped around his waist to cover the bare necessities. His skin was a dark brown and his eyes a curious shade of brown. They were murky, like those of the blind but moved with the sharpness of a hawk. He was wearing a dozen necklaces, adorned with odd ornaments and was holding a stick in his right hand.
The man used the stick to poke Harry.
Nature wasn't afraid of this man. The deer's continued to graze, one even came up to him and nestled against his neck. A panther came skulking out from the other side of the pond and after a critical look at the scene opposite it, the panther drank it's fill of water before skulking back into the forest.
The man however had eyes only for Harry. He poked him again and got no response. Seconds ticked by turning into minutes before the man came to a decision. He hoisted Harry out of the water and slung him over his shoulder with surprising ease. Harry was very underweight and small for his age as well. He barely hit four and a half feet and was as thin as the stick the man was holding.
The deer's looked at the retreating back of the man, munching on grass now, until he disappeared into the depths of the forest.