Harry landed gracefully from the portkey, for which he was grateful. Of course, he'd been portkeyed into an empty room so no one saw his graceful entrance, save Mrs Figg and Luna who both chuckled while shaking their heads.
Harry saw a candle waiting for him on the table. Next to the table were three hooded robes and a note that said, 'put these on.' Harry handed out the other robes and then they proceeded to put them on over their existing clothing. When he put his hood on, Luna gasped.
"What's wrong?" he asked. His voice sounded funny… like it was being modified somehow.
"Your aura changed… I can't feel it anymore.," Luna said. "I don't like it."
Harry turned to look at Luna, who still had her hood down. Curious, he asked her to pull her hood on. She complied and Harry saw that all of her distinguishing features were hidden by a cowl that appeared out of nowhere. "Say something," he said.
"Something," Luna said bluntly. Her voice was distorted so he could no longer recognize it. "Oh weird," she said.
Mrs Figg said, "These robes, as far as I know, are unique to the guild. Many members have tried to recreate them, but have always failed. Only the guild leader knows how they are made."
"I'm guessing we don't get to keep them?" he checked.
"No, not right now at least," Mrs Figg said. "You can earn them later."
"Do you have a set?" he asked Mrs Figg.
Mrs Figg just laughed and said, "No, I haven't been given that privilege."
Harry instantly made a mental note to figure out how to make a set of his own.
"I don't like them one bit," Luna said. "I can't feel anything."
Harry hummed. "They must block out all the ways there are to identify someone."
Harry tried to reach out with his magic. His brain was running wild and it took a while for him to be able to focus. He soon found his consciousness flying around the room inspecting areas for magic. He picked up a few things in the room and outside of it, but he didn't even get a reading on the robes. It was like they were shrouded by emptiness. It almost reminded him of how Mrs Figg felt when he sensed her. Like an empty vessel.
"I can't pick up on anything either," He said.
Just then, three knocks were heard on the door and then it opened.
A hooded figure dressed the same as them walked into the room.
"Follow me, please," a distorted voice said. Mrs Figg nodded to Harry and Luna as if to reassure them and then took the lead behind the new person.
They walked down a long dark hallway. The walls were made of stone, the only light coming from equally spaced torches that lined the walls. Eventually, after what Harry felt was an eternity, they found themselves in front of a door. Their escort opened it and they walked through.
Harry looked around in wonder. They were inside a large dome building. Harry could see that it was snowing outside through a large skylight window. There were no other windows to hint at where they were. He didn't know the limits of portkeys, so as far as he knew they could be in a different country entirely.
Towards the center of the room was a small circular platform and surrounding that platform was a bunch of raised seating.
"Initiates please enter the platform. Everyone else find a seat!" A distorted voice said loudly. Harry saw someone lower their wand that was previously placed against their own throat.
His escort grabbed Luna and Mrs Figg and led them up to the seating, leaving Harry alone to enter the platform.
Harry was suddenly very nervous, but he pushed it aside and walked onto the platform. He stood, pretending that it wasn't awkward and waited.
A few moments later, another person entered the platform as well. It looked like he wasn't the only new member.
Harry looked up into the crowd, and noticed there were several empty seats. He started to count. There were only a couple dozen people seated, looking down at him. Everyone was silent.
Harry was suddenly very grateful that he was hooded and his face was covered by the cowl because he was feeling decidedly nervous.
The familiar voice of the Guild Leader reverberated down onto the platform from one of the high seats. "Initiates, kneel."
Harry knelt, his right knee planted firmly on the ground while his left foot remained in place. He heard the person next to him kneel and he was tempted to look to see if they were kneeling in the same fashion. He was suddenly worried that he was somehow kneeling incorrectly. He managed to keep his face forward towards the voice.
"We are gathered here tonight to welcome two new members into our fold," the Guild Leader said. "The Guild of Shadows has existed for centuries. Our purpose is to watch over all magical kind and ensure the well-being, safety, and fair treatment of magicals all around the world.
"These fledglings represent our future. They have both proven themselves to be capable and are ready to join us."
Harry felt his pulse quicken in anticipation.
"Initiates," she continued, "We will now begin with your vows. Consider your answers carefully. The consequences of breaking these vows are severe."
He felt the pressure in the room increase. Magic swirled around the platform and Harry felt his magic reach out. It felt similar to his encounter with his family magic and the horcrux, as if the two magics were assessing each other.
"Initiates, do you vow to never betray the Guild?" She asked.
"Yes," Harry and the other initiate said together.
"Do you vow to never harm or kill another member unless out of self defense?" She asked.
"Yes," they answered together.
"Do you vow never to steal the possessions of another Guild member?" The Guild Leader asked.
"Yes," Harry and the other initiate repeated.
"Do you vow never to betray the Guild?"
"Yes," Harry said clearly.
"Good," the Guild Leader said. "In return, the Guild offers you its support, resources, and will work to ensure your success."
The swirling magic lessened, but remained in the room. He felt his magic withdrawal back inside his core.
Harry had not been able to pinpoint the source of the voice, but now he saw the crowd part as a figure walked down the steps in front of the two initiates.
Harry looked up at the face of an extremely attractive woman with curly brown hair and hazel eyes. He guessed she was probably in her 40's. He was putting everything together and guessed she was either spelled to look different when he'd met her before or was possibly spelled now.
He was interrupted from his thoughts when she said, "Fledglings, please rise and remove the glove from your non-wand hand."
Harry did as commanded and saw the other initiate do the same. His eyes caught sight of a well manicured hand that was obviously female. He logged that bit of information away.
"This year, after much debate and deliberation between myself and other members of the Guild, we are welcoming two of the youngest members in recent history into our fold," the Guild Leader said.
There was loud murmuring in the crowd as they processed the information. Harry thought it sounded incredibly odd due to the voice altering spells.
"Both fledglings will be attending Hogwarts next year," she continued through the murmuring. "I'll admit I still have my reservations, but it's been pointed out that our numbers have dwindled over the years after the war. We must work to ensure our sacred organization is restored to its former glory!"
Harry heard some cheering from the crowd, but a large portion was more reserved. He didn't think they were convinced. The Guild Leader must have noticed it too because she added, "To those that doubt my decision, I ask that you help our fledglings become the best of us." She paused for a brief moment, allowing the crowd to quiet down. "Competition has always been a part of the Guild, and I'll never attempt to change that, but we mustn't let it get in the way of the overall success of the Guild. Any success or failure, to a degree, is shared by all of us so it behooves us to help each other, but especially our fledglings that still haven't learned to fly."
Harry was a bit confused. He digested her words as the crowd cheered. Did that mean that he'd be in competition with everyone in the Guild? He had thought the Guild was more collaborative, but it sounded like it was more or less everyone for themselves and the Guild Leader was attempting to change that. He was starting to worry that his list of enemies had just grown, but reminded himself of the vows. They shouldn't be able to harm him… at least not directly.
The noise died down as the Guild Leader turned and faced the initiates once again. The Guild Leader approached him first and took his ungloved hand in hers with a sly smile. He felt heat rise in his cheeks and was grateful again for the cowl. She pulled out her wand and placed the tip to the top of his hand.
He felt his magic respond and mingle with the magic exuding from the Guild Leader's wand as if inspecting it. A moment later, his magic returned to him.
It took everything in him to hold in his cry as he felt an intense white hot pain on the top of his hand as it glowed. When she removed her wand, he saw a mark that looked like an hourglass tipped on its side. His magic began to respond as it assessed the new mark and then, as if accepting it, his magic swirled around the residual magic and then pulled it in so it became a part of him. A moment later, the mark vanished completely.
Harry looked up into the eyes of the Guild Leader, who he noted looked quite impressed at his display of willpower.
The crowd murmured again, but Harry couldn't make out a word of it. Someone in the crowd began to clap and soon more cheers were heard.
Harry watched as the Guild Leader repeated her actions on the other fledgling. Harry was a little satisfied with himself as he heard them cry out in pain, clearly unable to bear it any longer.
Harry saw that the mark on the other initiates hand was exactly the same as his. A moment later, the other initiates' mark vanished too.
The crowd cheered loudly.
"Welcome, fledglings, to the Guild of Shadows," The Guild Leader said with a bow, her arms extended with her palms up. Soon the cheers morphed as each member in the audience made a fist with their right hand and then beat it against their chests in unison with each other.
Harry wasn't sure what made him do it, but he returned their salute in the same fashion. It was the right thing to do apparently as every single member of the crowd stood and started cheering at him. He noticed the Guild Leader looking at him oddly.
"You sure are full of surprises," she said to him fondly.
He looked towards the other initiate and even with the cowl he could feel their frustration directed at him.
Harry was standing in the entry hall of his home with Mrs Figg and Luna as they embraced in celebration of his successful initiation into the Guild.
"I'm really happy for you, Harry," Luna said with a smile.
"Thanks Luna!" He replied happily.
He felt really good and was excited to get started. He'd thought there would be more direction after his initiation but they'd just sent him home with a promise that they'd be in touch with instructions soon.
"Mrs Figg, do you think I'll have to wait long to hear from the Guild? What's next?" He asked.
Mrs Figg held back a yawn. "I'm sure you'll be contacted soon but I wouldn't count on a mission anytime soon… probably not until Hogwarts really."
"But that's practically a year away…" he complained.
"And you'll be plenty busy with me until then, don't worry," Mrs Figg said with a laugh.
Harry just groaned at that.
"It's late," Mrs Figg said. "Let's go to bed. Don't forget we have a rat to catch soon."
Harry nodded and they all went to bed.
Harry was sitting at the table in the dining room, enjoying a cup of tea with Remus. He'd filled the werewolf in on Kingsley's involvement and the pair were altering their plan to capture the rat.
Harry was pleasantly surprised at how well Remus had responded to the news. Apparently, Kingsley had attended Hogwarts with the marauders, but was a few years ahead of them. Remus had no problem working with the man and considered him a great addition.
Once they both felt like they'd addressed everything, Remus left to contact Kingsley. Harry was tasked with setting up a "play-date" with the Wesley's under the guise of Luna catching up with old friends and dragging Harry along.
He headed to the library where he'd seen her last. On his way there he ran into Hermes and Loki walking together. He rarely saw Hermes and pretty much never saw them together.
"Hey, you two," he said. "How's it going?"
Loki turned and looked at Harry, "Hi Harry, we should probably talk."
Hermes didn't say anything and just walked away towards Mrs Figg's quarters.
Harry approached Loki and sat down on the floor just outside the library. "What did you want to talk about?" He asked.
Loki sat in front of Harry so he was looking right at him. "What do you know about familiars, Harry?" Loki asked.
Harry thought for a minute. He'd heard that magical pets were sometimes considered familiars but he didn't really know the difference between a pet and a familiar.
"Nothing, I guess," he answered.
"A familiar bond with a witch or wizard can enhance an animal's life expectancy as well as their ability to perform magic."
"You mean you could cast a spell if you were to become someone's familiar?" Harry checked.
"No," Loki said. "It's not like that. An animal's magic is more intuitive or… it's just like a natural ability… it's something we instinctively do."
Loki hummed mentally, "Like a post owl is naturally able to deliver mail to someone, even without an address. A post owl that becomes a familiar might be able to find their owner no matter what or will better be able to follow through on their delivery in the way their witch or wizard intends."
Harry thought about it for a moment. "So they become more in sync with each other?" He asked.
"Right, and my gifts and abilities are different so when I form a familiar bond, I might be able to communicate with my bond mate from further away like Hermes or I might be able to read auras like…" Loki said and trailed off when he realized he let slip his intentions.
And finally Harry understood what Loki wanted to talk about. "So you want to be Luna's familiar instead of mine?" Harry asked in a dull voice. Honestly, he shouldn't be surprised and he wasn't really upset… but it still kind of felt like a rejection and it hurt.
"Yes," Loki said. "It's not personal, Harry, you'd make a great bond mate… it's just, a bakeneko typically bonds with the opposite gender. I was trying to ask my dad why, but he just said that's how it's always been. My bond will be stronger with Luna because she's a girl."
"It's OK, Loki, I understand," Harry said. It explained why Loki had so easily attached to Luna after she arrived. He would be happy for Loki and Luna if they bonded and hoped they'd benefit from it.
"Thanks, Harry," Loki said. "Are you looking for Luna? I can wait to talk to her about it if you want."
"I'll just be a minute," Harry said. "I need Luna's help with the plan to bring down the rat. In fact, I was hoping you could be part of it too, if you're willing…"
Loki tilted his head to the side and his tail twitched in what Harry interpreted as anticipation. "Sounds thrilling," Loki said. "I'd love to."
Harry laughed, "You haven't even heard the plan," he said as they walked through the door.
"I'm a cat. He's a rat. What more do you need to say?" Loki asked. "I'm in."
"Fair enough," Harry said as he scanned the room.
He finally found her standing on one of the ladders as she reached for a book. "Hey Luna," he said. "Need any help?"
"Yes, please," she answered as she climbed down the ladder. "It's the blue one up there on the very top shelf."
Harry wished he could manage the summoning charm, but it was still outside of his abilities. He climbed the ladder and was just barely able to reach the book. He read the spine, 'Flora and Fauna of the Forbidden Forest'.
When he got down, Luna and Loki were sitting together on one of the sofas.
"This looks interesting. Leave it down when you're done with it, please," he said as he handed it to her.
He took a seat next to her.
"I will," she said with a smile and then kissed him on the cheek as thanks.
Harry blushed, not used to physical displays of affection. "Hey, knock that off," he said as he wiped his cheek.
"I love how easy it is to get you flustered," she said with a laugh.
Harry promptly changed the subject by asking for her help getting invited to the Wesley's house… tomorrow if possible.
"Sure, can I use the floo?" She asked.
"Of course," he answered.
They walked together towards the entry hall. Loki ran ahead of them, leading the way.
When they got there, Luna grabbed some powder and threw it in the fire and said, "The Burrow!"
The fireplace flashed green and Luna climbed into her knees so she could stick her head in the fire. Harry waited as Luna talked with someone on the other side.
Luna climbed back out of the fireplace. He noticed some soot in her cheek and tried to wipe it away. It didn't budge so he licked his thumb and then tried again.
He laughed at Luna's cries of protest. "You're pretty easy to get you flustered too, you know," he said.
"I miss being an only child," she grumbled in jest.
He ignored her jibe. "So…?" he said, trailing off waiting for her to tell him what the Weasleys said.
"They said we could come over tomorrow afternoon," she said.
"Great!" He said, excitedly.
'Hold on, Sirius. We'll get you out in time for Christmas,' he thought.
Harry was incredibly restless at breakfast the next day. His nerves were firing on all cylinders and he was even a little short with anyone that talked to him.
Mrs Figg finally had enough and sent him to the potions lab to unwind.
Harry grumbled as he pulled a cauldron out from one of the cupboards. He inspected it and found that it had been put away a little bit dirty and that irritated him.
With a curse, he carried the cauldron over to the sink so that he could clean it. Harry scrubbed and scrubbed until the cauldron was spotless. He dried it with a towel and then carried it back over to the workstation where he'd left Ratatoskr.
He felt a little bit better after cleaning the cauldron. He popped open an advanced potions book to the Wolfsbane recipe. He knew he wasn't capable of brewing it just yet but he wanted to review the ingredients. Mrs Figg had purchased enough ingredients for a year and it had been expensive. Maybe he could find an apothecary owner that was a dirtbag so he could justify stealing from him. He wondered how hard it would be to find out which apothecaries Malfoy owned.
"Wolfsbane, mandrake, dragon blood, moonstone, hellebore syrup, murtlap tentacles, sopophorous beans… what the hell are those?" he said to no one. "Oh and just a bloody occamy egg… Those are common." Ratatoskr appeared to be chuckling at him, which he ignored.
No wonder it had been so expensive. He might just start growing these plants and raising the required animals… save the dragon… he doubted he could get that cleared with the ministry since raising dragons was restricted in England. Maybe he could work something out with a reserve back on the mainland. If he could grow all these things, he could probably sell a lot of these ingredients to apothecaries that needed them AND steal from Malfoy just for fun. It would certainly speed things along if he did both.
He had come to the lab to try and relax but he was finding himself getting wound up again. He should probably just brew something instead. Maybe a calming draught, but those were pretty difficult to get right. He flipped the pages until he found the potion.
"I should be able to pull this off," he said to himself as he read over the instructions.
He pulled out the ingredients he needed and got to work. Overtime, he felt himself relax as he got into his potions brewing groove. Chopping, peeling, slicing, and stirring over and over again. The repetitiveness was calming.
He talked with his stick friend while he waited for the potion to finish. Mostly, he just talked and the bowtruckle walked around inspecting everything. Ratatoskr enjoyed pulling ingredients out of jars and sorting them in some fashion Harry didn't always understand before putting them back inside. Every now and then, Harry would give him a fairy egg just for fun.
At the end, his potion turned out just as the book said it should. He felt he'd probably done a passable job and that it would do its job. He poured the potion into several vials and labeled them. He had calmed down significantly after his brewing session, but he still decided to try some potion to make sure it worked. He figured, worst case, he'd have an upset stomach or maybe be a little emotional.
He downed the potion and instantly felt relaxed. Then he got to work cleaning up after himself, making sure the cauldron was clean this time.
Finally relaxed, he and Ratatoskr made their way back to the kitchen for lunch. He owed everyone an apology for his crabby behavior.
When he entered the kitchen, he was greeted by not only Mrs Figg and Luna, but also Remus, Kingsley, and Professor McGonagal who were all eating and chatting together.
"Hey Harry," Remus said. "Feeling better?"
Harry nodded and said, "Yes, much better. Sorry for earlier."
"No matter," Remus chuckled. "You should see me the day before a full moon… I would be a giant hypocrite if I got upset because you were a little cross."
"I think I recall a few times you earned detention for your lip, Mr Lupin," Professor McGonagal said.
Everyone laughed at that and Harry felt a lot better. He went over and hugged Luna after that. "Are you ready?" He asked her.
"Oh, I think so. I'm actually looking forward to seeing everyone," she said. "It's been a long time."
The plan was that Harry, Luna, Loki, and Mrs Figg would floo over to the Weasleys. Remus, Kingsley, and Professor McGonagal would apparate nearby with Hermes to monitor the situation. They'd close in on the Burrow after Harry gave the signal through Hermes and Loki.
Harry looked at Remus and nodded. Rebus returned the nod and got everyone's attention.
"Thanks for coming, everyone," Remus said. "Today is the day we not only capture the man responsible for selling out James and Lily to Lord Voldemort, but also ensure an innocent man is released from Azkaban prison after being unjustly imprisoned almost 10 years ago."
Harry looked around the room. Everyone looked just as determined as he was to see justice done.
"Alright, let's do this," he said resolutely. Ratatoskr stood in his pocket on his outer robes and folded his arms, mimicking Harry.
The group walked over to the floo. Harry watched as Luna held Loki close and walked through the fireplace in a flash of green light, followed by Mrs Figg.
Remus, Kingsley, and McGonagal disapparated with a bang that reverberated off the walls.
Harry entered the fireplace, determined to stick the landing this time and vanished in a flash of green light.
He came spinning out of the fireplace and stopped firmly as he stepped out, only slightly stumbling as he reoriented himself.
He looked around the room quickly. A grandfather clock stuck out as he saw each hand had a name and there were locations in place of numbers. What a neat piece of magic!
He didn't have much time to look strong as a redheaded woman approached him to greet him. He'd gotten used to purebloods greeting him in the traditional way and was thrown off when she pulled him into a hug instead.
He didn't mind it though. Not even when his back cracked as she squeezed him tightly. This was a proper hug and he returned it as well as he could.
"Welcome, Harry dear," she said with a warm smile. "Luna was just telling me that you tend to struggle a bit with the floo, but it looks like you made it through alright."
Feeling awkward, Harry put his hand on the back of his neck and said, "It's a bit hit and miss."
Just then, a cute red headed girl walked in.
"Did I hear Luna arrive?" She asked as she walked around her mother, who had been blocking her view.
She saw Luna and ran over and gave her a hug. When she saw Mrs Figg, she looked confused. And then she noticed Harry and her eyes traveled up to the scar on his forehead. She made a weird 'eap!' sound and ran out of the room.
Luna ran out of the room after her redheaded friend.
Mrs Weasley stood there awkwardly. "Sorry about that," she said. "She's developed a bit of a…" she paused, "crush on you."
Mrs Figg laughed, "By the looks of things you'll be fighting girls off you left and right… unless you're enjoying the attention?"
Harry felt the heat rise in his cheeks and didn't say anything.
"Already?" Mrs Weasley asked. "You're only 10 years old, after all."
Harry sighed. He'd started noticing girls already and a couple seemed to be noticing him as well. He didn't know why or what to do about it so he just shrugged.
Mrs Weasley looked thoughtful. "Well, I'm sure Ginny will settle down. She was probably just surprised," she said. "A few of my boys are just outside de-gnoming the garden if you want to join them."
Harry nodded. "Thanks Mrs Weasley," he said and then he headed out the side door. On his way out, he noticed pots and pans washing themselves in the sink and he wondered what other things were commonly done by magic.
He walked outside and was astounded by the wild and seemingly disordered garden. He liked it because it just seemed so natural. The Weasleys seemed like a practical bunch and he approved.
He saw a group of redheads standing off in the distance. One of them was spinning in a circle and when they suddenly stopped, a small creature went flying through the air before landing with a thump.
The other boys cheered. It looked like they'd made a game of their chore. As he got closer, one of the boys saw him and waved him over.
"You must be Harry," he said. "I'm George and this is Fred," he said pointing to the identical boy next to him.
Fred shook Harry's hand and said, "Mum said you'd be coming with Luna today. Where is she?"
Harry thought the boy looked disappointed that Luna wasn't there.
"She's err, with your sister Ginny," Harry said, purposely not bringing up that Ginny had kind of freaked out when she met him.
Harry was happy to see that the boys didn't seem to care at all that he was the boy who lived.
The last boy walked over and offered his hand. "I'm Ron, it's nice to meet you," he said. "Hey, where's Looney?"
Harry glared at that and Ron quickly apologized.
"Sorry, where's Luna?" He asked sheepishly.
Harry repeated what he'd told Fred.
"Oh, alright. Well mum said you'd been coming and then told us to de-gnome the garden before you arrived," Ron said. "We haven't quite finished…" he trailed off with a hint of hesitation. "Would you care to join us?"
Harry smiled. "Looks like fun to me," he said. "I'll give it a go."
The brothers all shared a pleased look. Apparently he'd passed a test of sorts with his answer. He suspected that the Weasleys had been worried he might judge them for their home, but he thought the place was great.
They spent the next little while taking turns flinging the ugly little creatures as far as they could. Harry only got bit a couple times before he figured out how best to avoid it.
Harry saw Luna with Loki and Ginny exit the home as he managed a particularly good throw. Fred and George whistled in appreciation.
Luna was within earshot and Ginny was hiding behind her at this point.
"Hey Luna," Fred said to the blond girl.
"Long time no see," George picked up.
"Hey, you two," Luna said. "I hope you lot aren't being too mean to the gnomes."
Loki chose that money to jump out of her arms so he could chase the gnomes around at which Luna grumbled.
The boys laughed and then Fred said, "Of course not, I'd hate to incur your wrath."
"Fred fancies her, I think," Ron whispered to Harry with an eye roll.
Luna walked by Harry. She took Ratatoskr from him and whispered to him that Percy was upstairs studying Runes.
Harry nodded and signaled Loki to follow him inside.
"I just remembered that I'd wanted to meet Percy. Luna told me he was taking Runes and I wanted to ask him some questions," Harry said.
Ron groaned and said, "But that's so boring. I thought you were cool but you sound like a Ravenclaw."
Fred and George both punched Ron in the arm.
Harry laughed and said, "Nothing wrong with Ravenclaws, and I'll just be a minute."
He walked back to the house with Loki at his heels, and walked into the empty kitchen. He asked Loki to update the group so they knew he was closing in.
Deciding it might be a good idea to use his magic to search out for the rat in case he got away, he focused and reached out.
There were plenty of magical objects around and the residual magic of a family home was quite overwhelming. The Weasley home felt happy and warm, he thought.
He allowed himself to get used to it and then sent out some probes to see if he could find anything that stood out.
He could sense subside, who he could safely assume was Mrs Weasley, in the sitting room and assumed Mrs Figg was there with her. Upstairs he thought he sensed another person as well as something a tad dark close by that sort of reminded him of a lesser version of the horcrux. It had nearly the same magical signature he guessed.
He reached out further, just to make sure there wasn't anyone else in the house. He did pick up on something wild and… he thought maybe hungry… in the attic, but that was it.
Loki let him know that the others were just outside the property line. They'd wait there unless called on to avoid the risk of signaling to the rat that something was amiss.
He headed upstairs and knocked on the closed door to Percy Weasley's bedroom.
"Come in," he heard from the other side.
He opened the door and saw Percy crouched over his desk as he was writing something down with a fancy looking quill. He sensed Loki run in and under the bed, hopefully undetected.
Harry scanned the room for any sign of the rat. Percy's room was not very large, but it had everything a teenage boy might need. There was a bookshelf filled with books and a good sized desk with a comfortable looking chair. The bed was only a twin and took up a lot of the room.
There was also a large corner shelf that hung on the wall over the desk and onto the adjacent wall. In the corner, on that shelf, was a small cage. Harry could see the beady eyes of the rat starting back at him. It took all his self control not to react.
Instead, he cleared his throat to get Percy's attention.
Percy turned and looked at Harry who he obviously wasn't expecting.
Harry watched as Percy's eyes widened in surprise and then traveled up to the scar on his forehead.
"Oh, right," Percy said. "Mum mentioned you'd be coming."
He walked over and held out his hand, "I'm Percy," he said while shaking Harry's hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Percy," he said in return. "I heard you were studying Runes and I had a question."
Percy then went into a long explanation about the subject, completely unprompted by Harry who hadn't technically even asked his question yet. Harry could tell that Percy was academically minded and liked to show off his knowledge.
While Percy was talking, Loki let Harry know that the anti-apparition wards had been put in place. Harry continued to nod and act like he was paying attention while he told Loki to ask the others to move in.
A moment later and just as he expected, he heard Mrs Weasley's voice as she called for Percy to come down real quick. Percy looked like he was going to ask Harry to come down with him, but Harry quickly moved as if interested in a particular book.
Seeing that Harry seemed truly interested in one of his favorite subjects, he told Harry that he'd be right back.
While Harry continued to pretend to read the book, he let his wand fall from his sleeve so it was resting against the palm of his hand.
He scanned the room quickly as he adjusted his glasses and saw that the rat seemed to have fallen asleep. He placed the book gently on the desk, carefully to make as little noise as possible.
Wand in hand, he stood ever so quietly and faced the rat in the cage. He raised his wand and slid it through the bars before casting a quick stupify. He watched the rat's eyes open in panic before the spell landed and the rat passed out. He then cast a strengthening charm on the cage so that it hopefully wouldn't break. He picked up the cage and put it on Percy's desk.
Loki came out of his hiding place and inspected Harry's work. A moment later, Kingsley walked into the room in his red auror robes.
Kingsley walked over and inspected the cage with his wand. "I won't ask how you cast that stunner and what appears to be a strengthening charm?" he checked. Harry nodded sheepishly. "Good work," Kingsley said with a grin. He cast another charm that Harry didn't recognize in any case.
"Unbreakable charm," Kingsley answered. "I'll take the rat from here straight to Madam Bones so we can begin an official investigation."
Harry nodded and said, "Thanks, Kingsley."
The pair walked back down the stairs and into the sitting room where everyone was waiting.
Professor McGonagal was consoling Mrs Weasley. Apparently the Weasley's had just been told what was happening.
"I'm sorry for coming under false pretenses," Harry said. "I did enjoy meeting all of you and I'm sorry for ruining a pleasant afternoon."
Percy shook his head, "I think you just did us a huge favor if Scabbers is really who you say he is."
The rest of the Weasley's nodded their agreement.
Professor McGonagal cast a spell on the sleeping rat and confirmed he was in fact a wizard in disguise. "We'll force the transfiguration later, I think," she said with disgust. "That's definitely an animagus and probably a dangerous one at that."
Mrs Weasley sobbed at the revelation and the rest of the Weasley's looked sick.
Mrs Figg interjected, "Maybe you could all come to our place for dinner and we can get to know each other better… without all the cloak and dagger."
Harry and Luna nodded hopefully at that.
"I think we could do that. What about Boxing Day?" Mrs Weasley said in a shaky voice, clearly still upset.
"That would be great, Mrs Weasley," Harry said with a smile.