Chapter 2: Owls, Cats, and Dogs
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Headmaster Dumbledore's Office
10:30 P.M. on August 10th, 2010
The back wall was covered from top to bottom with enchanted portraits of past Hogwarts headmasters. No one was stirring inside the portraits, in fact they were all asleep, except for the current headmaster Albus Dumbledore who was currently looking over a long list of names. The elderly wizard wore bright pink robes with a matching cap sitting on top of his head, which was already covered with long white hair that passed down his shoulders. A pair of half moon spectacles sat across the bridge of his nose, somewhat enlarging his light gray eyes, and a long white beard with an accompanying mustache covered his upper and lower mouth. As the headmaster kept on reading through the list, he didn't seem to notice the head poking out of his fireplace.
"Albus!" Dumbledore looked up from the list of names and now noticed the minister of magic's head floating in his fireplace with green flames burning around the round and portly face.
"Albus, thank Merlin you haven't gone to sleep yet" The minister's face showed shock, fear, anxiety, and some little bit of joy.
"Minister Fudge, what can I do for you at this late hour?" Dumbledore's voice was calmed and collected, not showing any sign of tiredness from the late hour.
"Have you had any chance to look over the mailing list for this year's new students?" Fudge spoke quickly, almost stuttering over his own words.
"I was just doing so, I was most happy to see that the Longbottom boy ended up showing some signs of magic" Dumbledore replied.
"Yes, that's all fine but have you seen any errors in the list?" Dumbledore strode back over to his desk as Fudge stared at the old wizard as he lifted up the list and began to move his eyes quickly across the list. Dumbledore started a small cough as his eyes read the names Harry and James Potter.
"The boys have been found, where Fudge?" Dumbledore moved back over to the fireplace now staring directly at the minister.
"We don't know yet. We're tracing the multiple owls that were sent but the trail dies cold at the sea. Stand back, I'm coming in" The fireplace started to spew out green flames and soon a small, roundish man entered Dumbledore's office. The two wizards walked over to a set of chairs to sit down on but before Dumbledore took his seat, he removed his wand from his robes then casted a spell silently, sending out multiple paper airplanes that folded together while flying through the air and out through the opened door.
"We shall have guests in a couple of minutes, so if there's anything private you need to talk to me about first, let's speak of it" Dumbledore now took his seat then flicked his wand over to the door and instantly the door closed.
"Right, Well… I guess keeping this on the hush-hush is going to be impossible with the ministry taking things into action. I'll try and keep the mess to a minimum but the Aurors have been reckless as of late" Fudge pulled a brown cloth handkerchief and began to pat away the sweat that was forming on his brow. "Fourteen wizards missing Albus, Fourteen. I will say that this news will cover up some of the drama but it's only a matter of time before people start asking questions again" The man's voice shook, more sweat poured down his face, his hands couldn't stay still, fidgeting with his wand every couple of seconds.
"One often finds the light during the darkest of times, remember when everyone thought the last war wasn't ever going to end, then one day the dark lord is defeated, leaving his followers behind with their tails tucked between their legs. I remember the celebrations that day. So many people worried about the increase in owls, the shooting stars, and most importantly where they could find a good drink" Dumbledore chuckled to himself then clapped his hands together and a swift breeze came rolling through and cooled the burning Minister.
A loud knock was heard from the closed door, Dumbledore stood up and flicked his wand towards the door and an elderly hand pushed the door open before it could open completely on its own. Minerva McGonagall wore green robes and hat, her hooked nose having been completely fixed made the older witch look ten years younger. She held in her hands a handwritten note from Dumbledore that asked her to come to his office immediately.
"Ah, Minerva. Please excuse me Minister but I believe we must start some planning of our own" The two chairs that the men had sat on started to walk themselves over to the office walls and stopped once the back of the chairs rested against the wall.
"Planning… of your own?" Fudge sputtered out as Professor Severus Snape walked through the door.
Hours Later
Standing around the desk of Albus Dumbledore stood Lily Potter, Severus Snape, Minerva McGonagall, Rubeus Hagrid, Cornelius Fudge and Sirius Black. Sprawled out on the desk was an enchanted map, showing over a hundred different trails of owl posts sent to Harry and James Potter. The lines all led to the same spot in the United States, Texas. Since the map had been placed down, not a word had been said between the onlookers, until Dumbledore came bustling through the office door carrying an ordinary backpack. He placed the pack on the desk and then flung open a drawer on the right hand side.
"I trust that the Aurors can be preoccupied for a matter of time before departing to the United States" Dumbledore was now holding a key that hung from a rusty chain.
"Yes with the paperwork and my numerous questions, I should get you about 30 minutes at most" Fudge was now heading back towards the fireplace, the orange flames turning an eerie green, then he stepped into the flames spouting out "Auror office". The flames swarmed around the Minister and with a loud whoosh, the man was gone.
"Now, I will need Severous and Hagrid to stay behind, the rest of you can handle this I'm well assured. The backpack is set to go in about two minutes and will return in exactly thirty minutes, if the inscribed wards fail, the American Ministry will be there within the hour, so make sure you get everything" Dumbledore pushed the backpack towards Sirius and then sat down in his chair, slouching a little to give his back a break.
Sirius shouldered the backpack and went to grab Lily and Minerva's hands but before he could reach Lily's hand, she moved towards Dumbledore. "And what if it's all wrong, another dead end that only leads to muggle obliviation and this time foreign government involvement" Lily stared down Dumbledore, not letting any emotion show.
"We must have hope Lily, ten years is a long time just for this to be nothing" Dumbledore moved his eyes across the room, taking in everyone that was currently standing in front of the desk. "Seeing everyone here reminds of a book, but now's not the time" As soon as Dumbledore finished talking, Sirius grabbed the hands of Lily and Minerva, then they disappeared into the air. The three wizards were now left in the office with one thing left to discuss, one thing that required the utmost secrecy between them. "I trust Severus that you've read about the sorcerer's stone".
Houston, Texas, USA
James awoke in the morning to the sounds of owls hooting nonstop. The past two weeks outside in the pit were nothing less than hell. James walked past the still sleeping Harry and used the so-called bathroom, that was just a bucket. Between the hoot of owls, James could hear a set of footsteps approaching the dugout.
"Feeding fucking birds" A loud thump followed Dudley's voice. "Next time think before you waste any good food, we have horses that need feeding" The fence was pushed aside and a figure was pushed past the moldy tarps onto the floor. A boy about the same age as James and Harry had entered the dugout, covered in bruises and cuts.
"Oscar, what did you do this time?" James put a hand out to help the injured boy, who took it gracefully. "Feed the owls outside, you should see them, hundreds just sitting there" Oscar stood up and leaned his back against the wall, using his shirt to soak up the blood. More hooting followed the humid morning and as the boys leaned against the wall, they could hear another set of footsteps approaching the dugout.
"I'm tired of this shit, I've told everyone to stop making these dumbass letters and you guys just won't stop" The blue tarp was pulled aside and another boy was shoved into the dugout. "Where's the Potters!?" Vernon's voice tore through the owl's calls and the blinding light from the sun made everyone's eyes squint in reaction to seeing the sun for the first time in days. James and Harry stepped forward, only to meet a letter addressed to them. The front of the envelope was written in green ink, perfect calligraphy, addressed to the boy's room under the stairs, and sealed with red wax and pressed in with a crest.
"What's this?" Harry asked, rubbing his eyes from just waking up.
"How long did it take you both to organize this little prank. Wizarding school! Owls every ten feet! Letters stacked higher than the building itself!" Vernon was now standing directly in front of the boys, his great big gut merely inches away from their noses.
"Been in here for two weeks, don't know how to befriend animals, way to nice of handwriting for anyone here, and a wizarding school, I could do better than that!" Harry now stood to the side of Vernon, averting the sun from his eyes, and spreading the chances that both James and Harry would get hit to a lesser amount.
"I'll be back for you boys" Vernon turned back around, leaving the dugout, when suddenly the owls stopped making noise. Everything was still for what felt like hours, Vernon started to move slowly around the owls, each one turning its head towards the large man. The man got to the outside of the baseball field and saw his path forward blocked by owls. "Move! Get away!" The owls did not move, they didn't even make a sound in response. Vernon pulled out a cellular phone from his pocket and dialed up his son. "Dudley, get my rifles, we've got some birds to shoot" As the man finished speaking the owls all started to rise into the air forming a massive cloud of feathers. Vernon yelled out, he fell to the ground from shock. The owls all retreated into the air, appearing to take off.
"Damn birds" Vernon stood back up, dusting off the dirt from his clothes, then began to walk back to the orphanage. As he approached the steps leading up to the front door, he could hear the sound of a hundred wings flapping towards him. Soon, Vernon was going to be attacked by owls, he reached for the door but as the door pulled open, it slammed back shut. All the doors seemed to suddenly lock on their own and the windows didn't seem to budge at all.
The Opposite side of the Baseball Diamond
Sirius, Lily and Minerva appeared next to the nearly torn apart dugout and took in the sight of the state of Texas. Their wands were in their hands, at the ready, when they noticed the cloud of owls above.
"I guess we know we're in the right place," Lily said, now moving forward towards the other side of the baseball diamond.
"I don't understand any of this, why in Merlin would the boys be in America? We've searched for years for them and we're supposed to believe some old schooling list? I've given us ten minutes before we don't find anything" Sirius was sporting a grim look on his face, the years of failed searches had taken a toll on the man and he had clearly given up hope.
"Homenum Revelio" Minerva waved her wand around, not wasting any time, when four bodies were highlighted across the dusty baseball field. "Over there, it looks like four kids are in that dugout".
The trio moved across the field and looked over at the giant building that was blocking out the rising sun and saw the cloud of owls swoop down towards the building. A man's scream could be heard but there was no time to see what that situation was about.
Inside the dugout the four boys were sitting down on the cracked concrete, playing a game of cards from a pack that Oscar had kept in his pocket. The sound of the owls had died down to a distant background noise but the scream that could easily be recognized as Vernon's tore their attention away from the game.
"What the hell was that?" Harry asked. "Sounded like Vernon" Replied Oscar. "Maybe he finally crushed himself from his own weight," James said, moving towards the tarp and moving it aside to see three adults speed walking across the baseball diamond towards the pit. "Oh crap, I think some traffickers are back to steal some kids" James turned back around and grabbed Harry by the hand then moved them both back into a corner, holding broken concrete in their hands for defense.
The tarp began to move and a hand could be seen pulling on the fence outside. Each boy now held something in their hand to defend themself but nothing inside the dugout would be of use. What little light that could peer through the opening from behind the orphanage showed the faces of two ladies and a man that looked into the dugout.
"James? Harry? We're here to save you, please don't be afraid" A woman's voice spoke past the tarp and James answered back "Yeah, cause that's reassuring". "Accio" The tarp and fence were pulled away from the dugout and the boys came charging out, trying to run for their escape. "Keep running Harry" James was trying his best to run for his life and keep a hold of Harry's hand at the same time but the Texas heat caused his hands to sweat and his grip was becoming loose.
As Lily casted the Accio spell, she was expecting to see the boys in the dugout coward in fear, but when they began to throw rocks at them and run off in every direction, they couldn't help but laugh a little. "We've never had that happen" Lily said after clearing her throat from the small laugh that she uttered. The trio started towards the pair of boys that ran off together and we're glad when the pair tripped and fell. As the trio approached the boys, Lily and Sirius almost fell from the sight of the two boys who resembled James so much.
"James, Harry, calm down, we are here to save you" Minerva slowly approached the twins, her wand at her side just in case she needed to use it.
"We don't want to be put into the ring, kill us instead" James grabbed a nearby branch and started to swing it at the trio of adults. "You shall not pass, these are not the droids you're looking for, There's no place like-" Before James could finish his defense of movie quotes, Minerva casted "Stupify" at both James and Harry knocking them unconscious and turning back to the other adults and saying "I'd figured we'd explain later". Lily and Sirius both picked up one of the twins and started to prepare for the trip back.
"Wait… I wanna find the bastard responsible for this" Lily started to walk towards the giant building that was currently covered in owls and the sound of a man screaming had died down to complete silence.
"Lily we need to go, let the Ministry deal with the rest of it, we need to get the boys back safe" Sirius stood in front of Lily, blocking her path with Harry laying across his right shoulder.
"Sirius, ten years I missed out on, a decade I will never get back, throw on top of that, that they will be attending Hogwarts this year…" Lily paused trying to steady her voice and not break down in tears. "I just want to make sure this person doesn't escape, that's all" Lily then moved around Sirius and began back towards the orphanage.
As the sun rose up, starting the new day in America, the trio could see it as they approached the tall building. Owls sat on the lawn, pecking at the ground for any kind of grub they could find. The group approached the front steps and were shocked to find a pile of torn apart flesh and bones. A man that had been as big as a baby rhino had been killed by the magical owls of Hogwarts. The pile of flesh that was left was nearly covered in flies and ants could be seen crawling away from the carcass.
"Great scott!" Lily said, taking in the sight of the dead Vernon Dursley.
"I guess we have our answer," Sirius said, putting a hand on Lily's shoulder.
As the owls began to fly away from the orphanage the trio and the twins disappeared from the United States. Ten minutes later, a group of Aurors arrived and had to deal with hundreds of kids gathered around the pile of flesh and bones.