The next day, Harry formed his plan. With the new additions of Ratatoskr and Auggie, he and Luna had an excuse to go shopping. And even though Harry had already finished his Christmas shopping, he planned to try and use it as an excuse sneak away for a bit.
He got dressed, fresh from a shower, and walked back to his bedroom to wake up Luna. When, he walked in, he was surprised to see that Luna was already awake and dressed.
"I know you left the house yesterday, Harry," she said in a small voice. "I won't tell Mrs Figg. "I know you'd only leave if it was important."
Harry was shocked. "How did you know?" He asked.
"The house told me," is all she said.
Harry paused. He knew she had a special ability thanks to her family magic, and that she had witnessed his own family, or the remnants they'd left behind, come to his aid so he shouldn't be shocked... "What do you mean?" He asked. "Like when Healer Juniper was here?"
"Yes, but it's not quite the same. It's hard to explain," she said. "I can pick up on auras, and I've always felt comfortable with the auras in this house, but ever since that day with Healer Juniper, I've felt more close... like I've been accepted into the family... adopted maybe."
Harry nodded. He knew that his own feelings about Luna had changed that day and he now thought of her as a sister. Maybe whatever they'd done... when his family came to his aid, and Luna helped as well, they'd formed a familial bond.
"Ever since then I've felt the auras here more strongly and it's like the house... talks to me," she said. "It's not a voice, but I know more or less what is going on here."
Harry was growing worried. If Luna was right, then he'd have no way of keeping his thieving or his involvement with the Guild a secret.
As if she knew what he was thinking, she said, "I know you have a secret and that Mrs Figg has lots of secrets." Luna looked uncomfortable. "But I don't know the details. I trust both of you and I know you'll tell me when you're ready."
Harry nodded. He was grateful that Luna was so trusting. He decided to go ahead and let her in on his secret, but he was going to avoid talking about the Guild or his initiation mission.
"Thanks for being so understanding, Luna," he said. "I've been trying to figure out how to bring it up and I've been worried what you think of me once you find out, but I trust you too so I'll just tell you."
Harry to a deep breath and looked at Luna. She looked more curious than anything. She didn't seem worried or apprehensive and so he said, "I'm a thief. I like to steel things, but I try to only take from people that are bad."
Luna nodded simply. "That's not so bad, really," she said. "Kind of like Robin Hood? He only stole so he could give to those in need."
Harry nodded and said, "Exactly! Although I don't feel like I'm as generous or useful to anyone else just yet."
Luna frowned. "I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit," she said. "You took me in after just a few hours of meeting me. And you are helping the shop owners in Hogsmeade. And then you helped me with Auggie when you saw he needed help..."
"Thanks Luna, I guess I've just been feeling bad about lying to you and Mrs Figg sometimes that I forget the good stuff I'm doing too," he said. "There is more that I can't tell you because I promised Mrs Figg, though."
"That's OK. Everyone has secrets sometimes. I know you're a good person so I'm not worried," she said.
Harry's stomach growled loudly and they laughed. "Let's go get breakfast," she said with a smile. "Thanks for telling me, Harry."
Mrs Figg joined them just as they were cleaning their dishes. Harry watched as she poured herself some green tea and grabbed a slice of buttered toast. She seemed like she was in a good mood.
"Good morning, Mrs Figg," he said.
"Good morning, you two," she said in return with an eyebrow raised. "Go ahead and spit it out... I can tell you have a request."
He huffed. She away knew what he was doing... he guessed he still needed to work on his poker face.
"Well Luna and I... adopted an augury yesterday..." he started. "And then I found Ratatoskr, so we need to go to Diagon and get them some supplies."
Mrs Figg was giving him a look and he wondered whether or not she was guessing he had ulterior motives. He remembered what she had said about giving Dumbledore certain information so he wouldn't get suspicious. So he added, "And I may have forgotten to get a gift for you."
It was a lie. He'd finished shopping for Christmas, but he thought it might be a good excuse for his less than forthcoming behavior.
It seemed to take ages for Mrs Figg to lower her skeptical eyebrow but she finally did.
"Alright," she said. "We can go after your morning lessons."
"Oh good. I want to get Auggie a proper perch and some treats," Luna said.
"While we're there I want to buy some potions ingredients... and that reminds me of a question I had about my mother," Harry said. "What happened to her friend Severus Snape?"
Mrs Figg tensed up a bit at that. "They had a falling out around 6th year before she got together with your dad," she said. "Then he got mixed up with a bad crowd and joined the death eaters. He teaches Potions at Hogwarts."
Harry was instantly angry. "Whose brilliant idea was it to hire a death eater at Hogwarts?" Harry asked, fuming.
Mrs Figg laughed and said, "Professor Dumbledore hired him. Apparently Snape switched sides before the end of the war and joined Dumbledore's little group."
"Oh. Still... it sounds like Snape joined willingly. Why did he switch sides?" Harry asked.
"Dumbledore has been pretty tight lipped about why but he vouched for him at his trial and assures he's reformed and was vital in several key events."
"Did my mother and him ever reconcile?" He checked.
Mrs Figg shrugged and said, "Not that I know of, but I lost touch with James and Lily towards the end when they went into hiding."
"Ginny Weasley told me that Professor Snape was a bit of a bully towards the Gryffindors," Luna cut in. "Her brothers complained about it in a letter home."
Luna didn't often talk about her life before her parents died so Harry was very curious. "Who's Ginny Weasley?" He asked.
"She's an old friend from... before. They lived close by so I got to hang out with her occasionally," she said.
"Oh okay," Harry said. He often forgot that Luna had a whole different life before they'd met. "Will Ginny be joining us at Hogwarts next year?"
"Oh, no. Ginny is a year younger than me so she'll not be attending until the year after us. Her brother, Ron, is our age though. He's nice enough, except he'd make fun of me sometimes when I talked about nargles or wrackspurts."
"I've heard that Snape isn't very popular among the students, except the Slytherins," Mrs Figg said, returning to the original topic. "Your dad and his friends did bully him quite a bit so he might be prejudice against Gryffindors in general."
Harry thought he could understand that. He was kind of worried now that Professor Snape would be harder on him than the other students because of his dad. He hoped he'd be able to continue succeeding in Potions.
Harry remembered that he'd wanted to ask about Remus as well. Sirius was in prison and Peter was dead and possibly a traitor.
"What about Remus? Is he still alive?" He asked.
Mrs Figg tensed a bit at that. "He's alive. I think he travels a lot to find work. His condition makes it difficult," she said.
Harry could tell that Mrs Figg was uncomfortable talking about Remus.
"What's wrong, Mrs Figg, do you not like Remus?"
Mrs Figg jumped as of shocked. "It's not that, laddie," she said.
"If anything it's the other way around," she murmured quietly.
Harry was confused. He doubted very much that a werewolf would be prejudiced against a squib. "Why wouldn't he like you?" He finally asked.
Mrs Figg frowned heavily and poured herself another cup of tea. "Because my husband is the one that bit him as a kid," she finally said.
Harry thought back to what he knew about Remus from his dad's journals. He thought he remembered reading that Remus had been bitten as a young child by a werewolf named Fenrir Greyback.
"Your husband is Fenrir Greyback?" Harry checked.
"Aye," she spat. "That's the name he gave himself after he was infected. His real name is Gerald Figg. He was a good man when we met. And a good father."
Mrs Figg sipped her tea. "Things changed after he was infected. He had to be registered with the ministry and then he lost his job. Couldn't find work after that and we struggled.
"He fell in with a pack that was hell bent on turning more people into werewolves. Thought they were the superior beings and wanted to be in charge.
"They convinced him to turn our daughter, Sara," she said Sara with a smile he'd never seen on her face before. Like it was reserved just for her. "He took her far away into the woods and then transformed. She didn't survive the attack.
"I divorced him after that. He got better at controlling himself during the full moon and became obsessed with infecting children. And that's when he attacked poor Remus," she finished sadly.
Harry felt bad for Mrs Figg. To lose her daughter like that to a man that was supposed to protect her... they both deserved better. He didn't understand how a man could do something like that to his own family. Greyback was now added to Harry's list of enemies.
Harry snapped out of his thoughts of revenge and noticed that Luna had moved over to Mrs Figg and the two were embracing each other.
The three of them made quite the group. Two orphans and a woman that had lost her husband and daughter.
"I'm sorry, Mrs Figg," he said. "You deserve better and it's not your fault that your husband attacked Remus."
"Thanks lad," she said with a small smile.
After breakfast, Mrs Figg insisted that they follow through with their scheduled lessons that day. Mrs Figg was made of stronger stuff and wouldn't let the memories of her past drag her down. Harry and Luna each silently vowed to do the same.
After the lessons, they headed out to Diagon Alley through the floo. Harry followed along with his plan and they went to the Magical Menagerie for supplies.
They got a nice perch for Auggie, along with some treats that the shop owners insisted would be great for him. The shop owner was a bit stumped on how to care for a bowtruckle, but told him to check with Mr Olivander, who as a wand maker had developed a bit of a relationship with the creatures.
Harry agreed to go check in with the wand maker, but told Mrs Figg and Luna that he'd like to go alone so he could get Mrs Figg a present as well.
Mrs Figg looked hesitant but Luna interrupted and said, "It'll be fine, Mrs Figg, and I'd like to go shopping for a brazier and I know Harry won't want to tag along for that."
Harry knew that Luna was going out of her way to help him and was grateful.
"Oh, alright, meet us at the Leaky Cauldron when you're done, but no skulking down Knockturn Alley... and be quick."
Harry smiled and ran off towards Olivander's without agreeing to Mrs Figg's demands.
The shop was empty when he walked in. Long narrow boxes were stacked unevenly throughout the store.
"There must be hundreds of wands in here," he mumbled to himself.
"Over a thousand, actually," a voice said from behind a large stack of boxes in the counter.
The owner of the voice stepped out from behind the counter. He had large gray eyes that seemed to pierce right through him. His hair was wild and gray. The man looked ancient.
"You're Harry Potter," Olivander said. "And you're early."
Harry nodded. "I'm not here for a wand, Mr Olivander," he said. "I met a bowtruckle and the little guy decided to come home with me. The shop owner at the Magical Menagerie was at a loss and told me to come here."
"Oh my," Mr Olivander said as his eyes grew wide. "Bowtruckles can be pretty picky about associating with wizards. You must have impressed the little guy."
Harry told Mr Olivander about his quest into the woods for wiggentree bark.
"Marvelous!" Mr Olivander exclaimed. "Bowtruckles are fierce protectors of their trees. It was rather clever of you to ask about a fallen tree."
Harry blushed at the compliment, but smiled, pleased.
"You'll want lice or fairy eggs. Some apothecaries have them in dried form, which will do, but fresh is better," the man explained. "Other than that as long as they have a tree or bush to live in, they're pretty easy to appease."
"Thanks, Mr Olivander," he said happily.
"No problem at all," the man replied. He was now looking at Harry rather oddly as if he could see something that Harry couldn't.
Harry was about to excuse himself when the man spoke suddenly, "You've been doing magic. Your core is very strong."
Harry thought about lying to him but didn't really see the point. He chose to be vague and silly said, "I can't say I've been doing magic like I've seen others do but I have been working on my family magic."
Mr Olivander smiled shrewdly. "Oh you know about family magic? I've known the Potter family for the last few generations. Fleamont used to send me the best wand wood from the forest when he was still alive."
Harry thought for a moment before offering, "I'm sure I could continue sending you wand wood. How much did you pay him?"
Mr Olivander excused himself to a back room and then came back with a scroll.
"Look this over with your guardian and if you agree sign it and send it back," he said. "I'd love to continue business with you if you can find the high quality wood like Fleamont could."
Harry took the scroll. He'd like to help Olivander but then he remembered that Mrs Figg had said it was dangerous.
"I'll need a wand first," he said. "The forest is dangerous and Mrs Figg will never agree if I don't have a wand."
Mr Olivander chuckled. "You're very much a Potter, through and through. A light family that skirted the rules when it suited, the lot of them."
Harry simply smiled.
"I suppose I could get you your wand early and just file it with the ministry later, but if you're caught with it before school starts then I'll have to deny selling it to you," Mr Olivander said.
Harry agreed and they shook on it. After that they set out on finding him a match.
The first several wands reacted violently and Mr Olivander put them away quickly.
They'd gone through several more before Mr Olivander started grumbling to himself. Finally, he put a holly and phoenix feather wand in front of him.
Harry grabbed the wand and felt a pleasant hum vibrate up his arm. This one has felt differently than any of the others so far. He waved his wand and a few sparks shot out.
Harry smiled but when he looked at Mr Olivander, he was frowning.
"So close," he said, "but not quite a perfect match."
"It felt good," Harry said.
"And it would likely work well enough, but it's not a perfect match."
He left into the back room and came back with two more boxes.
"I made these as a bit of an experiment using materials I don't use very often," he said while opening one of the boxes. "This one is cedar with phoenix father."
Harry pulled it out and felt the familiar hum that the last wand had gave off. He waved the wand and large red and gold sparks came shooting out.
Mr Olivander clapped happily. "Cedar makes for very protective wands and are suited for people that are fiercely loyal. Phoenix feather cores support a wide variety of magic but are very picky about their owners.
Mr Olivander pointed at the other box and said, "Try the other one, I'm curious."
Harry lifted the lid off the other one and pulled out the wand.
"This one is Hawthorn and nachtkrapp feather."
Harry again felt the hum vibrating up his arm. He didn't know what a nachtkrapp was but he was intrigued.
He waved the wand and bright green and gold sparks came shooting out like a fountain.
"Hawthorn doesn't typically work well with all but a couple wand cores," Mr Olivander said. "I didn't count on this particular combination working together but the wand guided me to, so I did. Hawthorn is suited for both healing and combative magic. And nachtkrapp feathers are adept for healing, dueling, occlumency, and divination."
Harry inspected both wands and said, "They both felt really good, but..." he held up the Hawthorn and nachtkrapp feather wand, "This one feels particularly good. I think this is my match."
"I agree, but both suit you. You should be aware that hawthorn wands tend to be more... troublesome."
Harry nodded. "Thanks for the warning but I'm content with this one."
"Ah, good. That'll be seven galleons," he said, returning to his professional mode, "and I look forward to working with you."
Harry left with the wand hidden up the sleeve of his robe. He'd spent longer than intended at the wand shop and he needed to hurry down Knockturn if he was going to scope out Borgin and Burke's.
Before he knew it, he was standing outside the shop. He tried looking through the windows but they were so dusty that he couldn't see in. He took his chances and turned the door handle. A bell on the door rang as he pulled the door open and he walked in. If he was confronted, he'd just say he was curious and looking around.
There was no one else inside, but he was sure the shop owner would likely come greet any prospective customer soon.
He heard footsteps approaching him and he scanned the room for somewhere to hide. He didn't want anyone to know he was here in case they weren't friendly. He saw a large cabinet not too far from him and he bolted towards it.
He climbed in and looked through the tiny slits in the door. He held his breath as an old man limped into the gallery. "Hullo? Is anyone there?" A deep voice announced.
Harry heard the old man limp around the gallery out of sight. "I could've sworn I heard the bell," the old man said. "Must be hearing things."
the old man limped back into the back room of the shop with a lot of grumbling and swearing.
When Harry was sure it'd been long enough, he opened the cabinet and stepped out. He perused the room carefully, to not make any noise.
The gallery was filthy. Cobwebs and dust covered most every surface. Display cases were filled with random items, from rusty shackles to human bones.
He found several books that looked to be bound by human skin and he shuddered.
Next he saw a pack of playing cards covered in dried blood.
What he was seeing inside the shop didn't make sense. What could Mr Malfoy possibly want from this shop? Maybe the stuff out here was just a distraction and the really interesting stuff was stored elsewhere...
He was about to give up when he saw a large hand with old leathery skin resting on a pillow inside a glass case. The description card next to it read, 'Hand of Glory - Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers!'
Harry knew this was the object he was meant to steal. He tried to open the display case but it didn't budge. There must be some kind of lock or spell on it.
Harry thought for a moment. Maybe he could try and sense for the spell and get a reading on it. Then he might figure out how to counter it.
He focused and reached out with his senses, expanding his consciousness just enough so that he could read the object and not much else. He didn't want to be overwhelmed inside the shop.
What he felt was similar to what he felt back in Mrs Figg's house on her bedroom door. His magic reflected off of the surface. He continued to probe for a weakness or a difference. There has to be a way to access the Hand of Glory after all.
The little probes he sent continued to bounce off the display case one by one. He was sure he'd checked every inch by now but still nothing. Maybe the case was triggered open remotely.
He extended his focus downward towards the floor until he encountered sobbing odd. There was a line of energy running from below the table the display case was on and back behind the counter.
He guessed that there might be a switch or some kind of way of opening the case from back there. He continued to probe but it was getting harder to focus on a small area the further out he went with his consciousness.
He didn't want to risk walking too close to the counter in case he was spotted. He stopped and thought again. Hadn't he been able to focus is magic in one spot when he'd been attracting those bugs off of Auggie?
Maybe if he focused on the line of energy he'd felt beneath the table he'd be able to trigger it. He sent his probes out and found the line. Then he focused directly onto the line and pushed a little bit.
He heard a click and the glass case opened slightly. He pulled the glass pane open a bit wider, reached in, and withdrew the gnarled hand. He stuffed the object quickly into his expendable bag and then closed the display case.
This was a mistake because an alarm started going off. Loud shrieking reverberated off the walls. 'Shit!' Harry thought. 'I can't get caught or I'll fail my task!' He ran towards the door and pushed, but it didn't open.
He thought quickly and pulled out his wand. "Alohamora!" He said with a wave. Nothing happened. He could hear heavy footsteps and loud swearing coming from the back room.
He began to panic and reached out with his senses. He was initially overwhelmed by ask the magic in the room but quickly focused on and around the door.
He felt another line of energy extending from the door frame and focused on that. He pushed on it like he had before and the door cracked open. The alarm stopped. And he stepped out just as the door from the back room opened.
Harry pulled his hood up and walked quickly, but didn't run, and blended in with a crowd heading towards Diagon.
He heard a commotion coming from Borgin and Burkes and then he saw a tall slender witch in red robes followed by a stockier wizard in matching red robes walk past him towards the shop.
When he cleared the Alley, he lowered his hood and ensured his expandable bag, his wand, and his coin purse were still secure. Once he determined everything was where it should be, he headed towards the Leaky Cauldron to catch up with Mrs Figg.
When he walked in, he found his companions right away sitting at a table sipping butterbeer. Luna was talking animatedly while waving her hands. Mrs Figg was laughing quietly.
"Hey, you two," he said.
Mrs Figg looked at him with a knowing look and just shook her head. "We should go before the aurors block the floo," she said.
She pointed over to a group of people at the table next to them talking loudly about a caterwauling charm going off down Knockturn and aurors running down the alley.
Harry didn't argue and let Mrs Figg guide him and Luna over to the fireplace. She threw in some powder, pushed them all in together, and called out "The Three Broomsticks!"
Harry didn't have time to be confused as everything began to spin. He was launched out of the fireplace and into a nearby wall when they finally stopped spinning. Luna came flying out next and flew into him, which was lucky for her since he was able to break her fall, but unlucky for him because... ouch!
Mrs Figg stepped out normally.
Everyone was looking at them so Mrs Figg simply apologized for the interruption and then picked him and Luna up off the floor.
She whispered in Harry's ear as she did so, "There better be a damn good reason for that little stunt."
Harry glanced at Luna pointedly and whispered, "There is but I can't talk about it right now."
Once they were outside, Mrs Figg guided them to a nearby bench that was secluded.
Aright spill, "I caught Luna up to speed on what I could tell her about the Guild you don't need to worry about that."
Luna just sat quietly and waited for Harry to answer. She seemed completely unbothered by everything.
"Won't you get in trouble?" Harry asked.
"Let me worry about that. I assure you that you won't be in any trouble for my actions," she said.
He nodded and then said, "It had to do with the job the Guild Leader wanted me to do. I can't tell you, she said not to."
Mrs Figg huffed. "Were you at least successful?"
He nodded, "I got the hard part out of the way but I still have one thing left and it happens to be nearby... why did we come here instead of home anyways?"
Mrs Figg sighed and said, "When the aurors shut down a floo, they usually check where the people went just before they shut it off. I'm trying to keep them off our trail by going somewhere public."
That made sense to Harry and it was lucky for him that they'd come here.
"This just happens to be where the next part of my task needs to be done. I think I need to do it alone," he said with a little bit of shame. He'd lied to Mrs Figg and now he was kind of asking for permission to continue after he'd been caught. It felt weird.
"Go on then," she said irritably. "We'll go visit with the Flumes for now. You can meet us at Honeydukes when you're done."
"Be safe, Harry," Luna said with a smile. "We can catch up later."
Harry nodded and walked towards the entrance to Hogwarts. It was a long walk, but it was the only way he knew for sure to get into the Shrieking Shack. School was still in session. He hoped he'd be able to get onto the grounds all right, otherwise he'd have to sneak in another way if that were even possible.
Harry's watch had stopped working after Healer Juniper had helped him. Whatever they did had made the watch all wonky and it no longer worked. Harry gauged that it was early evening by now. He hoped it got darker when he got closer to the gates. It would be hard to sneak around in the daylight.
After a long while, he finally made it to the gates. The sun was setting, but there was still a bit of twilight left. He guessed security wasn't a big issue right now because the gates were wide open. That was rather lucky for him. He walked through the gates and felt a weird tingle run up his spine. He reckoned there were probably wards and that he'd just triggered them, alerting whoever… probably Professor Dumbledore that somebody had crossed them.
He picked up his pace and stayed within the tree line of the forest. He could see the castle so he had a good idea of where he was and he knew the general direction of the shack, so he just kept chugging along. He knew the whomping willow was a large tree and that it was in a clearing on top of a hill between the forest and the lake, so he figured he couldn't miss it.
He slowed down when he saw a small hut just outside of the forest. He wondered who lived there. He got a bit careless and stepped on a twig, which snapped loudly. A dog, probably pretty large from the sound of it, started barking loudly.
"Calm down, Fang," a booming voice said from within the hut. "It's probably nothing."
Harry could see a very large silhouette through the window and he froze. Whoever lived in that hut was huge and he didn't want to be discovered by the man.
After a while, the silhouette moved and Harry felt it was probably safe to start moving again. He walked through the trees, keeping the castle in view. Harry shivered. It was getting really cold out here. He should have dressed more warmly, but he hadn't really planned on this part of the trip. Mrs Figg was probably going to ground him until the school year after this, he reckoned. At least he'll have completed his little job for the Guild Leader.
He heard some rustling coming from the forest and he froze.
"Who goes there?" a deep voice bellowed out.
Harry looked towards the voice and found himself face to face with a large brown centaur.
"Students aren't supposed to be in the forest, young man," the centaur said.
Harry didn't know what to say… he knew the centaurs were proud creatures and he doubted they reported to anyone in the school.
"I mean no harm, sir" Harry said to the centaur.
The centaur chuffed, but didn't say anything initially. He just looked up at the sky and said, "The stars told me that someone would visit our forest."
Harry didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure how much he bought into divination.
"You should be careful. There are things in the forest that would harm you," the centaur said as he walked away.
Harry shook his head. He knew there were dangerous creatures in the forest. He figured he was safe as long as he stayed close to the grounds.
As he came up on a small hill, he was able to see a large tree swaying in the moonlight. "That must be the whomping willow," he said to himself.
He walked towards it cautiously. He felt confident that even with the moon shining so bright, he was far enough away from the castle that he wouldn't be seen. They'd had to put the secret passageway somewhere no one would see after all.
As he got closer, the tree must have sensed him somehow because it started swinging its branches violently. Harry continued to walk around, out of reach, to see if he could find the opening. Harry reached out with his senses to see if he could detect the passageway. He was overwhelmed almost instantly. There was magic literally everywhere, as if the grounds were imbued with magic. He shook his head to clear it. His gift wasn't likely to be very useful here if he couldn't stand the level of ambient magic. Hopefully he'd be able to get used to it over time.
Perturbed by his failure, he continued to watch for an opening as he walked around the tree. It looked like there might be a passageway at the root of the trees. Maybe if he ran he could make it through in time. There was probably an easier way but he didn't have time to figure it out. He'd suddenly wished he'd spent a little more time reading through his dad's journals for a hint at what to do. Lesson learned, he guessed. He needed to be more prepared in the future if he was going to avoid these kinds of situations. He needed to be the very best if he was going to be a member of the Guild.
A memory of what the Guild Leader had said came to mind, '...nerves of steel will only get you so far. You need knowledge to understand your enemies and the wisdom to know when to act. That kind of thing only comes with time and experience.' He guessed he was starting to understand more what she meant. Harry simply didn't know enough and would need to work harder to catch up.
As things stood, all he had was nerves of steel at the moment so the only thing he could do was run and hope he made it in time. He leaned down and pushed himself in the direction of the base of the tree as fast as he could. Instantly, giant club like branches started smashing into the ground around him. He rolled to the side and pushed forward each time. Then a large vine like branch came sweeping horizontally in front of him. He decided to try and jump it this time, but it raised at the last moment and he tripped to the ground.
He took a deep breath and flinched as he saw a large phone pole sized limb raise up over him before crashing back down towards him. He rolled out of the way just in time and gathered his strength. He was really close to the base of the tree now. He could do this. He pushed himself forward dodging limbs as they came crashing around him. He was nearly out of breath at this point, but he was determined not to lose. He'd made it too far to back out. The only way was forward.
He dove towards the base of the tree and landed roughly on his butt. He was pretty sure he'd just bruised his coccyx, but now he was sliding down a hole in the ground. When he rolled to the bottom of the sloped hill, he just laid there to catch his breath. That was way too close. It looked like he needed to add physical fitness to his regime too. He inspected his arms and legs and found that he had dozens of scratches all over him. He hissed as sweat dripped into open wounds all over his face and neck.
He felt around in the pockets of his robes. Luckily, the vials of wiggenweld potion were spelled not to break. He removed the cork and drained the potion down his throat with a grimace. It didn't taste awful but it definitely wasn't pumpkin juice. He felt the potion take affect and his wounds started to heal. His vigor restored, he trudged on through the secret passageway.
After a long while, he saw what looked like the end of the tunnel and it started sloping back upwards. He felt the strange tingle again and realized he must have triggered the wards again. He looked up and saw a large wooden trap door overhead. He reached up and pushed it open and climbed through the passageway. The floors were covered in dirt and dust. All of the furniture was broken and Harry saw obvious signs of chewing and scratching on nearly every surface. The drapes were ripped to shreds. This was not a happy place and he suddenly felt very sad for Remus having to go through this once a month throughout his childhood.
We walked through one of the doors and into a room. In the center of the room was a small table with a note. He picked it up and read it out loud to himself, "Turn around."
He turned around and came face to face with the Guild Leader, who had a large smile on her face. "Well done, Harry. You completed the job with time to spare."
"How did you know when I would be here?" he asked.
The old witch chuckled and said, "I have my ways but I won't share them. You'll have to earn my secrets and they don't come cheap.
Harry shook his head and grinned. That was fine by him. He'd do whatever it took.
"I heard things got a little too close for comfort in Knockturn Alley today…" she said.
Harry gulped. "But I wasn't caught," he said.
"You weren't," she said in return, offering him a bow, "I'll grant you that."
She began to walk around him, studying him. "And what of Mrs Figg and your… sister… Luna?" she asked.
Harry tensed when she revealed that she knew that he thought of Luna like a sister. Nearly nobody knew that.
"Don't worry, Harry. As a member of the Guild you are granted certain protection from other Guild members, even me. I won't ever harm you or anyone you care about so long as you do the same."
"I'm in, then?" he checked.
"You are, after you swear the oaths," she said with a grin. "There's a little ceremony with some of the other Guild members. I'll even let you invite Luna." She was still walking around him like a predator playing with its food. "With her gifts, there's no use trying to hide things from her, anyway," she continued. "She'll be offered to swear some oaths to ensure our secrecy and protection, but she won't be able to join… not that I think she'd want to."
Harry nodded. He hadn't talked to her about it but he doubted she was interested in the Guild at all.
"Thank you, Guild Leader," he said with a bow.
"You're very welcome. You've done well overall and I am impressed," she said. "As a gift, you can keep that," she said gesturing to the Hand of Glory. "… It might just come in handy."
Harry didn't even grown at the terrible joke.
"Thank you!" he said excitedly as he placed it back within his bag.
"Take my arm," she said, offering him her arm. "I know that Mrs Figg and Luna are waiting for you in Hogsmeade and I don't want you to have to go back the way you came. You're too… valuable… to waste."
Harry did as he was told and grabbed onto her arm gently. He was surprised when his fingers came in contact with silky smooth skin instead of the leathery skin he saw. She must be wearing a glamour of some kind.
"Tighter, Harry," she said with a wicked laugh. "I don't want to lose you."
He tightened his grip and she spun. He heard a large crack and then felt like he'd been squeezed into a tiny ball before being wrung out like a wet towel. He thought he was going to be sick for a minute before he finally recovered with a small shudder.
The old woman leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodbye Harry," she said and then she spun and disappeared with a loud crack.
"What in the world was all that?" he asked out loud, touching his cheek. Her lips had felt full and not at all what they looked like.
He was standing in front of Honeydukes. He saw the 'closed' sign in the window but walked forward and checked the door. It was open, at least, and he was grateful. He walked inside and then upstairs to the apartment. Mrs Figg and Luna were sitting on the sofa talking to Mr and Mrs Flume. They turned and took in his haggard appearance.
"Harry!" Luna said, "are you all right?"
"I'm fine, I promise. I had some wiggenweld potion and that helped a bunch," he said.
"Your clothes are a mess, laddie," Mrs Figg said. "We should get you home so you can get some rest."
Mrs Figg made some excuses to Mr and Mrs Flume so they didn't ask too many questions and before he knew it, they were all arriving through the floo back home.
Harry was so exhausted that he didn't even want to eat, but Mrs Figg made him and Luna something small and quick anyways.
Since his job was done, and the Guild Leader said he was basically in at this point, he didn't feel like he needed to keep everything a secret any longer. He told them about the letter, Borgin and Burkes, the whomping willow, and the shrieking shack. He didn't hold anything back, relieved at finally being able to share his experiences with his family.
"Oh, and I got my wand from Mr. Olivander!" he exclaimed. After everything he'd been through, it felt like a side note and he nearly forgot to mention it. "He said he wants me to sell him wand wood from time to time so I'll need to be able to go into the woods." He handed the scroll that Mr Olivander had given him over to Mrs Figg.
She took it with a sigh and said, "Only after you get some spell practice and I feel confident you can handle yourself. The woods are dangerous!"
Harry laughed, relieved that she wasn't putting up much of a fight.
"Don't think you're getting off scott free, laddie," Mrs Figg said with an evil glint in her eye. "I'll be ramping up your training now and you're going to be so busy that you'll be begging me to ground you to your room just so you can take a break!"
Harry stopped laughing instantly. "Yes, ma'am," he said with some trepidation.
All right, you two," Mrs Figg said, "up to bed with you."
The two made their way to their room and Harry was so tired that he didn't bother leaving to change into his pajamas.
Luna had been pretty quiet today, Harry thought. He hoped she was okay. When he turned to look at her, he saw that she was sitting on the bed with a smile.
"I'm glad you're okay, Harry, and that you told me your secret today," she said. "After you left, Mrs Figg and I got a chance to talk too and I was able to convince her to tell me about the Guild."
"What do you think about the Guild, Luna," he asked.
"I think they're an important part of the magical world and I'm glad that you get to join them if that is what you want to do," she said simply.
"But you don't want to join?" he checked.
"No, I don't think it's for me, but I'm okay with all of it. You can count on me, Harry. I'll keep your secrets and I'll be there when you need me, no matter what."
Harry breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't realized how worried he was what she thought about everything. She hadn't really been a factor when he'd made his decision to follow in his mother's footsteps and join the Guild. But now, he wasn't sure if he'd want to join if Luna didn't like it. "Thanks Luna, that means a lot to me," he said and then he walked over and gave her a hug.
They embraced each other for a long time and then finally tucked in to go to sleep after a very long day.