Chapter 25: Agenda's.
Dumbledore looked over at the assembled group at the center of the maze. It was a very diverse representation of most aspects of Wizarding Society. `A society that is going to have to band together to make sacrifices in order to defeat Voldemort.' He thought idly.
Deciding that the upcoming conversation would be best suited for someplace private, Dumbledore said, "Why don't we all head up to my office to discuss the situation." He turned and headed out of the maze, a quiet, thoughtful, group trailing behind him sedately.
When he reached the entrance of the maze, Dumbledore stopped and turned to face the gathered crowd. He used the Sonorous Charm and began speaking in an upbeat tone, "Ladies and gentleman, Harry Potter has won the Triwizard Tournament." The applause from the Hogwarts students was loud, but it was thunderous from the Gryffindors. When the applause had died down, Dumbledore continued, "Please head up to the Great hall for the awards ceremony and the following party."
Dumbledore waited for everyone to begin filing from the stadium before he began leading the group up to his office. It was easier to blend in with the crown to hide the fact that Harry Potter was not among them.
When they reached the confines of his office, Dumbledore conjured chairs for everyone and proceeded to seat himself behind his desk. He lamented that `It's a shame that Minerva removed the charms from Mr. Potter. They would have been ideal for locating him.'
After a few more minutes silence, an annoyed Remus finally snapped, "This is getting us no where. Albus, why don't you send your Phoenix to find Harry?"
Before Dumbledore could answer, Hermione blurted out excitedly, "Of course. Fawkes helped Harry in the Chamber of Secrets!" Expectantly, she looked over at the Headmaster, only to be disheartened by the solemn look on his weathered face.
Resigned, Dumbledore admitted, "I am afraid that Fawkes will not be able to locate Mr. Potter in the same manner as before." He deliberately didn't explain the reasons why in the hopes that Cornelius wouldn't find out that he and Harry were at odds with each other.
"Why not, Albus? You use him to send messages to people all of the time." Minerva McGonagall asked in confusion. She had witnessed Fawkes deliver messages to various people over the years.
Hermione was looking shrewdly at the headmaster. She was putting the pieces together about what Dumbledore hadn't said earlier. She narrowed her eyes at him when she realized that his statement was really about Harry's lack of faith in him, not the Phoenix's lack of ability at finding someone.
Dumbledore caught the look on Hermione's face and realized that he had to do something quickly or she would expose that secret to Fudge. Returning to his doting grandfather voice, he said, "Of course, Minerva. That merely slipped my mind." He turned his back to everyone and quickly penned a short missive to Harry, while silently spelling the note into a Portkey. When he was finished, he turned to Fawkes and said, "Please take this to Harry Potter and wait for a reply if he is not in danger. If he is, bring him here at once."
He knew that everyone would see through the ruse except for the ones that it was put on for. Fudge and the three Triwizard Champions needed to believe that he would take care of things. The last thing that he wanted was for Fudge to get wind of the rift between himself and Mr. Potter. That could lead to Lucius Malfoy using Fudge to make inroads into Harry Potter's life. It was something that he desperately wanted to avoid, especially with the darker path that the boy had been traveling lately.
Hermione stood up abruptly, she had an idea but it was not something that she wanted anyone other than Remus, Sirius, and perhaps Ms. Tonks to hear. In a shaky voice, she said, "Headmaster, would it be alright if Mr. Lupin escorted me out for a bit? I need to take a walk to help me calm down."
Dumbledore gave her a calculating look, he knew that she must have some type of idea but she didn't want to expose whatever secret she was protecting in mixed company. Deciding that he would rather have Harry Potter back safe and sound, rather than know her secret, he replied, "Of course, Ms. Granger. Do you want anyone else to go with you?"
She answered immediately so no one else would volunteer, "No thank you, sir." She proceeded to the door with Remus and Sirius in his Animagus form following her. Hermione figured that if they left behind Ms. Tonks they would hear everything that was said later.
Quickly, she made her way to the Room of Requirement and thought about a secure location. When the door appeared, she led them inside.
While they were walking towards the Room, she had gotten a fresh wave of feelings from Harry. She sensed his relief, exhaustion, and remorse from the ordeal. During the third task and beyond, she had been clamping down on her feelings, only letting her love and support pour through so she wouldn't distract him. Now that she knew he was safe, she let the other feelings flow through their bond as well.
Turning to the perplexed duo, she said, "Harry is fine. My guess is that he is at my parent's house, the library to be specific." Seeing the questioning looks on the two men's faces, she continued, "Please hold your questions about how I know until we are with Harry and my parents." She paused and then called out, "Dobby!"
With a small pop, the tiny little elf appeared in front of them and said despondently, "Hello, Miss. How may I assist you?"
Hermione said in a kind voice, "Can you take us to my parent's house please? Harry is there."
Dobby immediately perked up in relief when his mistress confirmed Master Harry's safety. His relief was audible in his tiny voice when he spoke, "It would be my pleasure! I will have to make two trips though." He clasped hands with Hermione and Sirius and vanished from Hogwarts before quickly reappearing to grab Remus.
Voldemort's rage at the boy's escape quickly turned to cold calculation. `Perhaps it is better if the boy is free to confront Dumbledore and divide the attention directed towards my activities.' he thought idly as he twirled his wand through his fingers.
He needed time to reassess what had happened this evening. Something had gone wrong, he could feel it. He felt different somehow, more whole than he had before.
The death of Wormtail would not be a loss. Voldemort knew that only one other person knew what he looked like without the glamour, Harry Potter. The incompetent fool of a servant would never have been able to keep that a secret. He had planned on killing the idiot before the night was through anyway; Potter had just done the job for him. Now the only one with the correct information about the ritual would be the boy and he decided that he would worry about that later.
Turning his attention to his assembled Death Eaters, he said in his low sibilant tone, "Lucius make sure that Fudge thinks that all of this was the work of Sirius Black. I want him so hunted that he will either be killed or kissed by Dementors on sight."
Shifting his focus to McNair, he hissed out, "Black's Animagus form is similar to a large black Grim. Quietly spread that around the law enforcement division."
Voldemort paused in thought, he knew things would move quickly and he wanted to be prepared as best as he could. Stepping up some of his plans would work to his advantage. "We will free our comrades in Azkaban by the end of the week and Black will take he blame for that as well. Anyone not given a specific assignment is to be working on this plan as well as gathering information inside the Ministry of Magic. If you have a clear chance to use the Imperious Curse and not get caught, do it. The only ones I don't want touched are Fudge and his immediate staff. They are going to do all of our dirty work on their own under Lucius' influence. That way if we need to pin something on them later, we can."
Lucius Malfoy stepped forward and kneeled down before Voldemort. His aristocratic voice was crisp, even behind the white mask, as he spoke, "My Lord, my family would be honored if you were to take up residence at our family manor."
"Thank you, Lucius. Your offer is most kind but I must decline." Seeing the confused and disappointed look in his servant's eyes, he continued in a lecturing tone, "Dumbledore suspects you of being a Death Eater. No, I will require a safer place to call home. I need someplace where Dumbledore would never suspect me to reside. Now, arise, Lucius and see to your assignment."
Turning to gaze at the rest of his followers, he hissed out, "Begin your tasks. I will contact everyone in a few days. I want Dumbledore looking for me. Do nothing to tip your hand to him or the Order of the Phoenix."
Focusing on the entrance to the Ministry of Magic, Voldemort turned on the spot and vanished with only the softest of pops to mark his departure.
Annabelle Granger was lying in the window seat of their library, reading, when a thunderous clap startled her from her isolation. She gazed up in time to see Harry fall to his hands and knees with a groan. Urgently, she cried out, "JOHN! Get in here. Harry just appeared out of no where!"
Her book forgotten, she rushed over to the fallen teen, her mothering instincts kicking in. Softly, so as not to startle him, she reached out and lightly touched his shoulder as she crouched down in front of him. Her voice was full of concern as she spoke softly, "Harry? Are you alright?"
When he looked up at her, she gasped. The look of despair on his face and in his eyes was something that should never grace the visage of a young boy. She held her arms open to him, and to her surprise, he practically launched himself into her embrace.
That was how John Granger found them two of them when he rushed into the library followed closely by the tiny form of Winky.
Harry was crying silently, more in relief than anything. His silent sobs and shaking shoulders told a tale that concerned both adults.
John's voice was soft, yet apprehensive, when he finally spoke from his spot on the floor next to them, "Are you okay? Is Hermione alright?"
Harry lifted his head to meet Mr. Grangers. Tilting his head slightly to the side in concentration, he croaked out, "Yes, she's fine." He paused a moment and closed his eyes while focusing on Hermione, "She is anxious and I think that she is on her way here."
Before either of them could question his statements, there was a pop and Dobby appeared with Hermione and Sirius.
Hermione cried out in relief, "Harry!" as she rushed forward to embrace him.
Annabelle had sat back to let her daughter hug Harry. She was a bit shocked by this turn of events.
John was reaching towards his wife when he noticed the blood covering her side where Harry's arm had wrapped around her. Very calmly, he said, "Winky, please fetch my first aid kit, Harry is injured."
That simple statement sparked everyone into action.
Hermione immediately held Harry at arms length so she could get a good look at him.
Sirius stepped over to the two teens and gently separated them while saying softly, "Harry, lie down so we can check you over for injuries."
Annabelle was silently berating herself for missing any signs of injury when Harry first appeared. He wasn't in any obvious pain and his clothes were too dark to show any blood.
Before any of them could get too deep into their examinations, Harry croaked out, "My left arm was slashed with a ritual knife and I banged my head on a gravestone when the Portkey slammed me into the ground."
Dobby had just returned with Remus in time for both of them to hear Harry's explanation of his injuries.
Remus stepped over to Harry's prone form and knelt down next to his pseudo nephew, "Let me see your arm please, Harry."
Slowly, and very carefully, Harry pulled up his left sleeve. There was a long cut where the blade had sliced through the skin. It was fairly deep and still bleeding slightly.
Everyone was a bit surprised that Harry hadn't said anything sooner about the injury. It was obviously painful but he didn't as much as flinch when he rolled up his sleeve.
Tentatively, Remus asked, "Harry, you said that the cut was from a ritual knife?" When Harry nodded yes, he continued speaking calmly, "I'm afraid that it's going to leave a scar. I can heal it but that wound is highly magical."
Harry mumbled softly under his breath, his voice was resigned and bitter, "What's one more scar for the collection?"
Everyone had heard him clearly but no one quite knew how to respond to his comment so they all stayed quiet while Remus healed the wound. A long thin purple scar was left behind as a permanent reminder of Harry's horrifying experience as part of Voldemort's resurrection.
Hermione had been holding Harry's right hand the entire time that Remus was healing the wound. She could feel a change in him, and in their bond. He felt stronger magically and their bond was deeper, clearer than before. She looked up into his beautiful green eyes and found him looking directly back at her. The same thoughts were mirrored in their thoughtful expressions.
Annabelle had been watching the interaction between Harry and Hermione. Something was different from before. They were close when they had visited last time, now they seemed to be able to sense each other and their thoughts. Curious, she said aloud, "How long have you two been able to sense each other's thoughts and locations?"
John, Remus, and Sirius were stunned into inactivity by her statement. When neither teen moved to disabuse the notion, they all knew that something was going on.
Sirius and Remus realized that Hermione mentioned knowing where Harry was right before Dobby brought them here, proving that she knew exactly where Harry was at the moment.
Not the most patient of men, Sirius blurted out, "Okay you two. What is going on here? Does this have to do with Voldemort's return?"
John and Annabelle were worried at the news of the Dark Lord's return. Through their long talks with Sirius, Remus, the two elves, and Dora they picked up quite a bit about the Wizarding World and Voldemort's reign of terror.
Harry and Hermione shared a look, an entire conversation passing in the blink of an eye, before Harry spoke in his low, modulated voice, "Partly, our connection became clearer after Voldemort was returned to his body."
Concerned, John asked, "What do you mean; your connection?"
This time it was Hermione who spoke. Her tone was crisp and clear, "We've been able to feel each other's emotions since just before the first task. Everything became clearer after Voldemort got his body back. Now we can tell roughly where the other is located at any given moment if we concentrate hard enough."
Deciding that it would be best to come clean before the questions started, Harry said, "As soon as I severed the dark tendrils of magic from my scar, I felt something leave me and my connection to Hermione became clearer. I wasn't able to focus on it until I was safe here though."
Turning to Hermione, Harry grasped both of her hands in his and said, "He's gone. I don't get any more flashes of his emotions and I'm positive that I heard him screaming in rage when I Apparated here."
Hermione, Remus, and Sirius were all flabbergasted. Harry had Apparated hundreds of kilometers and then through the Fidelius Charm on his first attempt while being chased by Voldemort.
Before anyone else could speak there was a brilliant flash of flames and Fawkes appeared on the mantle. He had a letter clasped in his beak and everyone was sure that it was for Harry.
Tentatively, Harry stretched out his magical senses and scanned the letter and Fawkes. The letter was magical and that concerned Harry but the feeling he got from the Phoenix was entirely different. He could feel the magical energy pouring through the beautiful bird.
Fawkes gave an indignant squawk when he felt Harry's magic wash over him. When the feeling withdrew, he ruffled his feathers to show his annoyance.
Harry said apologetically, "Sorry about that, Fawkes. I'm still learning how to control that skill." Reaching into his vest pocket, he pulled out an owl treat and offered it to the Phoenix as a gesture of peace.
Before anyone could touch the letter, Harry warned, "Don't pick up that envelope, it's highly magical. My guess is that Dumbledore made it into a Portkey." While Fawkes was munching on the treat, Harry was absent mindedly scratching the swan sized bird gently like he would with Hedwig.
He knew that Hermione was highly amused with his antics and concerned about the Portkey but he couldn't figure out why everyone else was staring at him. Confused, Harry said, "What?"
The Grangers had only seen pictures of a Phoenix before. Seeing one in person was entirely different. They felt heartened by its presence and a bit awed at Harry's comfort level with the magnificent bird.
Remus was beginning to put together the pieces of the puzzle in his mind. So many little things were falling into place now. He was amazed that he hadn't spotted it before. With a touch of envy in his voice, he said wistfully, "How long have you two been bonded?"
Annabelle's confused voice rang out, "Bonded?"
John's heart leapt into his throat upon hearing Annabelle's question. His discomfort only grew when Sirius spoke up.
"They're too young to be bonded, Remus." When neither of the teens moved to deny, or clarify, anything, Sirius slumped into a chair and mumbled, "Married at fourteen, Lily is gonna kill me."
Hermione and Harry cringed when they heard what Sirius had mumbled. Their plans for breaking this to everyone gently went up in smoke like one of Neville's potions.
Harry forestalled any more discussion on their marriage by saying, "Dumbledore wants me back at Hogwarts pretty badly. My guess is that if the Portkey didn't work, Fawkes would teleport me back. What do you think I should do?"
In all of the excitement, everyone had forgotten about the Headmaster. Annabelle could see that her husband was going to need some time to come to grips with everything. Turning to face the two teens, she said in her authoritative parent voice, "Please be safe and you will both return soon so we can talk about this bond and marriage later." She stepped over and gave each of them a hug before returning to her equally shocked husband.
Remus broke free of his stupor and said, "Harry, I think that you should go back in a few minutes. Let the three of us return to Dumbledore's office first. That way we are all there when you show up."
Harry glanced at everyone and hugged Hermione before stepping back to let Dobby bring them back to Hogwarts. He waited in uncomfortable silence with Hermione's parents for five minutes before he drew his wand and stepped over to the Portkey. With a flick of his wrist, he incinerated the letter turned Portkey so no one would touch it by accident.
Turning to face his in-laws, he said, "I love Hermione and I would do anything to protect her. Thank you for being here for me; this was the first place that I could think of that felt safe." Facing the Phoenix, he asked, "Are you ready to take me back?"
Fawkes trilled and launched himself into the air above Harry.
Harry reached up and grabbed a handful of tail feathers and they were gone in a flash of flames leaving behind two very confused, shocked, and concerned Grangers.
Voldemort was making his way through the Ministry without any opposition. No one was looking for Tom Riddle, Jr. so he was able to move about unopposed.
There was only a skeleton crew on duty this evening due to the Triwizard Tournament's final task. That was why no one noticed a lone figure entering the Department of Mysteries on a mission.
He knew of the existence of the Hall of Prophecy, deep within the Department of Mysteries, thanks to Rookwood. He had never been able to visit the Hall before because of the heightened security due to his reign of terror. Now that everyone believed him to be dead, things had gotten lax. Voldemort saw no one during his casual walk into the Department of Mysteries.
The total lack of security made his task that much easier. He knew exactly where the Prophecy Sphere was located and when he arrived at the shelf, he reverently removed the tiny glass orb.
The unearthly voice that emanated from the sphere was both chilling and exciting at the same time. `Finally, I will know the entire contents of the prophecy.' He thought to himself excitedly. When the prophecy was completely recited, the sphere went dark and he carefully placed it back on the shelf in the exact spot.
Voldemort didn't know whether to be angry at himself or at Severus for not hearing the entire prophecy. He had inadvertently marked Harry Potter as his equal, something that he firmly believed he didn't have before that fateful night in Godric's Hollow. The troubling part was that the boy now had a power that he didn't know. They might be magical equals now but experience was still on his side.
If the whole situation wasn't so serious, he would have broken down laughing at the idea of Sybil Trelawney giving an actual prophecy. Unfortunately, he had made it an active one by attempting to murder the Potter boy before gathering all of the facts.
As he made his way out of the Department of Mysteries, Voldemort was deep in thought about what to do about this entire mess. Prophecies were tricky things. He had activated this one but the question was; did it have to go any further? The boy may not come after him, especially if he made no further attempts on his life. The problem was that he hated having an equal, especially one that could destroy him. For now, he would let things develop and he would watch Harry Potter as close as possible.
He smiled at the night guard and waved goodbye as he left the atrium. Chuckling at the thought of what the guard's reaction would have been if he knew who had just wished him a good evening, Voldemort Apparated away to find a place to stage his operations.
Fudge was getting nervous, what was he going to do if the Boy-Who-Lived died on his watch? There was no way that Voldemort could be back no matter what these people said, he died thirteen years ago. Sirius Black was an at large, deranged killer, that he was sure was behind this entire mess. Peter Pettigrew found out, along with a street full of muggles, how insane and destructive Black could be.
Turning his attention to the Headmaster, he said in his annoyingly nasal tone, "What are we going to do, Dumbledore? Black is a mass murderer that will stop at nothing to finish the Potter boy. I know, I met him in Azkaban and he was mumbling about getting to the boy while in Hogwarts."
Just as Dumbledore was about to answer, Hermione, Remus, and Sirius in dog form returned to his office. None of them had that distressed look about them that they had before they left, so he figured that they had been successful in whatever they were doing to locate Mr. Potter.
They were all settling back into their seats when Fawkes reappeared in a flash of flames with an obviously irate Harry Potter.
Harry fixed his fiery gaze upon Dumbledore, his voice had a low melodic timbre when he spoke, "Voldemort is back."
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