Chapter 239
"I was attacked by Dementors a short while ago, and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's happening, and when I'll be coming to you."
Harry copied these few words onto three separate sheets of parchment when he reached the desk in his dark bedroom. He addressed the first letter to Albert, the second to Ron, and the third to Hermione.
His owl, Hedwig, had gone out hunting. Harry paced his room back and forth while waiting for her return, his head spinning and his mind too occupied to allow sleep, despite his eyes being swollen with exhaustion. His back still hurt from dragging Dudley home, and the two bruises on his head—from hitting the window and colliding with Dudley—were throbbing painfully.
He continued pacing while anger, frustration, and resentment gnawed at him. His teeth were clenched, his fists tightly closed, and furious looks escaped him toward the star-filled sky.
And what had that howling voice in the kitchen been talking about? Whose voice had echoed so horribly with that threatening tone? Why was he still trapped here without any information explaining anything? Why was everyone treating him like a naughty child?
Don't do any magic. Stay inside.
He kicked his schoolbag as he passed it, but instead of feeling better, he only felt worse after adding pain in his toe to all the rest.
As he limped near the window, Hedwig flew into the room with the soft flutter of wings, like a tiny ghost.
"Perfect timing," Harry muttered as she landed lightly on top of her cage. "Drop the prey. I've got work for you."
Hedwig's large amber eyes stared at him over the dead frog clutched in her beak.
Harry picked up the three rolled parchments and tied them carefully to her leg.
"Take these to Albert, Ron, and Hermione. And don't come back unless you're carrying long replies from all three of them. Peck them if you have to until they write proper letters. Understand?"
Hedwig gave a muffled hoot through the frog.
"Go on, then."
She took off immediately.
The moment she disappeared, Harry threw himself onto his bed without changing clothes and stared up at the dark ceiling.
Besides all the miserable emotions consuming him, he now felt guilty for bothering Hedwig. She had been his only friend in Number Four, Privet Drive. But he would make it up to her when she returned with answers from Albert, Ron, and Hermione.
Surely they would answer quickly. They couldn't possibly ignore the Dementor attack. Most likely, he would wake up tomorrow to find three long letters full of sympathy—and plans to move him immediately to Albert's house.
---
His uncle entered the room.
Harry slowly looked up. Vernon Dursley was wearing his best jacket and had an unbearably smug expression on his face.
"We're going out," he announced.
"Sorry?" Harry replied flatly.
"We—your aunt, Dudley, and I—are leaving."
Harry returned his gaze to the ceiling.
"Going out? At this hour?"
Vernon answered stiffly, "Because my sister is ill and needs help."
Harry glanced at him briefly.
"Fine."
"And while we're gone," Vernon continued, "you are not to leave this room."
"Understood."
"And don't touch the television, the radio, or any of our belongings."
"Clear."
"And don't steal anything from the refrigerator."
"Of course."
"And I'm locking your door."
"As you wish."
Vernon stared suspiciously at Harry because he hadn't argued. Then he left and shut the door behind him.
Harry heard the key turn in the lock and his uncle's footsteps descending the stairs.
A few minutes later came the sounds of car doors slamming, the engine starting, and finally the car driving away through the front garden.
Harry didn't feel any happier because the Dursleys had left. Their presence or absence made little difference.
He lacked the energy even to turn on the lights. Darkness surrounded him as he lay listening to the night sounds through the window he always kept open, waiting for the moment of salvation—for Hedwig's return.
The house creaked quietly around him. Water pipes groaned.
He lay in numb misery, too exhausted even to think.
Then—
Bang!
Something struck the kitchen window downstairs.
Harry sat upright instantly and listened.
The Dursleys couldn't have returned so quickly; he hadn't heard the car.
Silence followed for several seconds.
Then voices.
Burglars, Harry thought.
He rose from bed, but after only a second another thought occurred to him: burglars usually tried to keep quiet.
Whoever was downstairs wasn't making any effort at all.
Harry snatched his wand from beside his bed and stood facing the door.
Suddenly—
Click!
The lock made a metallic sound and the bedroom door opened.
Harry froze.
He stared through the doorway toward the top of the staircase, straining to hear more sounds.
Nothing.
After hesitating briefly, he moved silently toward the stairs.
His heart pounded against his ribs.
People were standing in the hall below—eight or nine figures visible only as shadows against the light shining through the glass front door.
A deep growling voice called upward:
"Lower your wand, boy, before you take somebody's eye out."
Harry's heart leapt.
He recognized the voice—but he didn't lower his wand.
"Professor Moody?" he asked suspiciously.
"I don't know whether I'm a professor or not," the voice growled. "Never did much teaching, did I? Come down here. We want a closer look at you."
Harry lowered his wand slightly but kept a firm grip on it.
He had plenty of reasons to be suspicious. He had spent nearly nine months believing he knew Mad-Eye Moody, only to discover that the man had been an impostor all along.
Before Harry could decide what to do, another familiar voice spoke softly from below.
"Don't worry, Harry. We've come to take you with us."
His heart pounded.
He knew that voice, though he hadn't heard it in a year.
"Professor Lupin?" Harry whispered. "Is that really you?"
A third unfamiliar voice said:
"Why are we standing in the dark? Lumos."
The tip of a wand lit up, flooding the hallway with magical light.
Harry blinked.
Remus Lupin stood nearest to him.
Though still young, he looked exhausted and ill. More gray had appeared in his hair since Harry last saw him, and his robes looked even more worn and shabby.
But he was smiling warmly.
A witch holding the glowing wand exclaimed:
"Wow! He looks exactly how I imagined!"
She had a heart-shaped face, bright black eyes, and short messy purple hair.
"Hello, Harry!"
A tall dark-skinned bald wizard added in a deep voice:
"Yes. I see what you mean, Remus. He really does resemble James."
From the back, a buzzing voice spoke.
Apart from the eyes—which resembled Lily's—this silver-haired wizard seemed rather odd.
Mad-Eye Moody himself stood there with his thick silver hair, the large chunk missing from his nose, and his magical eye spinning suspiciously.
"Are you sure that's him, Lupin?" Moody growled. "Wouldn't it be funny if we brought back a Death Eater in disguise? Ask him something only the real Harry Potter would know. Unless you've brought Veritaserum."
Lupin asked calmly:
"Harry, what shape is your Patronus?"
"Stag," Harry answered immediately.
"It's him," Lupin said.
Harry descended the stairs while everyone stared curiously at him.
He slipped his wand into the back pocket of his jeans.
"Never put your wand there!" Moody barked. "What if it goes off? Plenty of better wizards than you have lost their backsides that way!"
The purple-haired witch asked curiously:
"Who do you know that lost their backside?"
"Never mind that," Moody snapped.
Lupin stepped forward and shook Harry's hand.
"How are you?"
"F-fine."
Harry could hardly believe it.
After four weeks of isolation and silence, suddenly a crowd of witches and wizards stood inside the Dursleys' house.
He felt embarrassed about his uncombed hair.
"You're lucky the Dursleys went out," he muttered.
"Lucky?" the purple-haired witch laughed. "I'm the one who got them out. I sent them a Muggle letter saying the husband's sister was seriously ill—written in her own handwriting so they wouldn't suspect anything."
Harry imagined Uncle Vernon's face when he discovered the forgery.
"We're leaving, aren't we?" Harry asked eagerly. "Right now?"
"Immediately," Lupin replied. "But we're waiting for the security signal."
"Where are we going? The Burrow?"
"No," Lupin said. "The Burrow is too dangerous now. We've established headquarters somewhere else—a place no one knows about."
Moody sat at the kitchen table drinking from a large flask while his magical eye spun around the room.
"This is Alastor Moody, Harry," Lupin said.
"Yes, I know," Harry answered awkwardly.
"And this is Nymphadora—"
"Don't call me Nymphadora!" the witch interrupted. "Just Tonks."
Lupin smiled.
"Nymphadora Tonks. She prefers her father's surname."
"You would too if your mother had named you Nymphadora," Tonks grumbled.
Lupin introduced Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, and Hestia Jones.
Harry nodded politely to each of them.
Then Lupin explained:
"Dumbledore sent them. They were guarding you. Now they'll help us get you out safely."
"That's right," Moody growled. "The more people, the better. We're your escort, Harry."
"We have fifteen minutes until the signal," Lupin said.
Tonks looked around the kitchen.
"These Muggles are so clean! My father was a Muggle too, but he wasn't nearly this tidy."
Harry finally asked:
"What's happening? I haven't heard anything from anyone. Did Vold—"
Several people hissed loudly.
"Quiet!" Moody barked.
"We're not discussing anything here. Too risky."
Then he cursed and pulled out his magical eye with a horrible squelching sound.
"Don't you think that's disgusting?" Tonks asked.
"Harry, fetch me a glass of water."
Harry did so.
Moody dropped the eye into the water and swirled it around.
"Need full three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision for the trip."
"How are we getting there?" Harry asked.
"We're flying by broomstick," Lupin explained. "You're too young for Apparition, and the Floo Network is being watched."
Kingsley nodded.
"Remus is an excellent flyer."
Lupin checked his watch.
"Go pack your things, Harry."
"I'll help!" Tonks said brightly.
She followed him upstairs.
Inside Harry's messy room, Tonks studied her reflection.
"You know, I don't think purple suits me."
A moment later, her hair turned bubblegum pink.
"I'm a Metamorphmagus," she explained proudly. "I can change my appearance at will."
"Can that be learned?" Harry asked hopefully.
Tonks laughed.
"No. People like me are born this way."
Then she magically packed all his belongings into his trunk.
After cleaning Hedwig's cage with a quick Scourgify, she admired Harry's Firebolt broom with envy.
"My broom's still a Comet Two-Sixty!"
Together they returned downstairs.
"We've got one minute left," Lupin announced.
"I left a note for your aunt and uncle. They'll know you're safe—and that you'll be back next summer."
"Will I?" Harry asked.
Lupin merely smiled.
"Come here, boy," Moody growled. "Time to hide you."
"Hide me?"
"Disillusionment Charm," Lupin explained. "Your Invisibility Cloak won't work while flying."
Moody tapped Harry sharply on the head with his wand.
Harry felt as though a cold egg had been cracked over him.
Looking down, he saw his body blend into the background like a human chameleon.
"Nicely done, Moody," Tonks admired.
"Let's move," Moody ordered.
Together, they stepped into Uncle Vernon's perfectly trimmed back garden.
To be continued...