After the trouble at Kartley, Harry and Hermione were sent back to Privet Drive without a chance to speak with the Council. They tried their best to tell them what the two Death Eaters said. From the sound of it there was a leak somewhere, and it had to be plugged up.
They did try and get Ron to bring forth their claim, but the Council shot him down. Apparently, they were still sore about Draker.
So the next week was spent in relative peace. The Dursleys followed their same routine—so much so that only Hermione took into account their actions. Then one morning Harry was having a nice dream about his short time with Ginny back at Hogwarts.
“HARRY! RON!” yelled Hermione from the hallway. “GET OUT HERE NOW!”
Harry bolted out of bed and opened the door to see Hermione pulling on some pants under her nightgown.
“What’s going on?” Ron said, coming out of his room wand drawn.
Hermione shoved a letter into Harry’s chest and went into her room. Harry read the letter with Ron over his shoulders. The letter was written so fast that it was almost illegible:
Death Eaters are coming. Evacuate to headquarters now. No time to wait for back up.
In the envelope there was a second letter in McGonagall’s handwriting that told them the location of the Order. Harry and Ron made to go into their rooms at the same time and crashed. After recovering, they put on their regular clothes over their pajamas, and put on their trainers. They met Hermione back in the hall.
“I have bad news,” she said, going downstairs with them. “Harry, I was listening to the wireless before the letter came. Your uncle left for work half an hour ago. Also, Dudley went off with his friends.”
“This early in the morning?”
“They said something about getting a jump on a Willard Brokes, or something,” she said impatiently. “Look, you’re going to have to Apparate to your uncle’s office and get him. Ron and I—”
“How can I? I don’t know where to go!” Harry shouted.
“You don’t,” she groaned. “How can you not know?”
“You think Uncle Vernon actually took me along on something like take your child to work day?”
“What are we going to do,” Ron said desperately. “I bet the Death Eaters have been planning this, and they would know where to go.”
Harry looked out the window for an idea, and found it.
“I’ve got it,” Harry said. “You two agree that magic is necessary right now?”
“Yes,” said Ron and Hermione, looking at him.
“Let’s go.”
Harry opened the door and sprinted outside into the cool and breezy November morning, Ron and Hermione behind him. The few neighbors that were outside were beyond shocked to see Harry come out of nowhere with two strangers. He ignored them and was soon across the street. He jumped the gate and made to the front door. When Ron and Hermione caught up, Harry banged on the door until it was answered.
“Did you forget something, Diddy?” came Aunt Petunia’s voice. She opened the door and when she saw them she was about to let out a scream. But Harry covered her mouth before she could make a sound, and pushed her inside.
“Promise not to scream?” Harry asked, looking right into her eyes. She nodded and Harry let go.
“What…what are you doing back here,” she choked. “You promised to never come back.”
“Do you really think I want to be here?” he snarled. “I’m here because your life is in danger!” She was about to scream again, but was silenced.
“What do you mean my life is in danger?” she cried.
“I mean that Voldemort is sending his cronies to come here and do in you and your family.”
Aunt Petunia was petrified. Harry shook her. “We are here to save your life!”
“We have to go to Piers’ house to get Dudley,” Aunt Petunia said urgently when Harry removed his hand. “He’s having early morning tea.”
“Hermione,” said Ron, “I thought you said….”
“I’ll explain later!” Harry shouted. He turned back to his aunt and said, “Are you willing to do what ever I say so that you can all live?”
“Yes,” said Aunt Petunia, “but how are we going to get to Vernon’s office and get him? He has the car!”
“I have an idea, so don’t worry.”
Harry opened the front door and ushered everybody out of the house. He led them next door where the neighbor’s van was parked outside. He took out his wand and tapped the van. “Alohomora!”
The van clicked open and Aunt Petunia was stopped from screaming by Ron.
“Shut it, will you?” he asked patiently. They were gathering curious looks from others outside.
Harry opened the driver’s side door and turned to Aunt Petunia again. “Are you okay to drive?” She nodded again.
She got into the car and then said, “We have no keys.”
Harry tapped his wand on the dashboard and the engine started.
“What’s going on here?” asked owner of the car when he came out of the house. “How did you start my car…? Potter?”
Without thinking, Harry blasted a whole in front of the neighbor’s foot. The neighbor screamed and ran into the house. The people who were on the streets also ran screaming.
“This is bad,” Hermione said nervously.
“Forget him,” Harry said. “You and Ron go with my aunt to my uncle’s office. As soon as you find him take them to headquarters.”
“What about you?” Ron asked.
“I’ll find Dudley. I have a good idea where he is. And you take this,” he said, giving the parchment with the location of the Order to Ron.
“But what’ll happen if you get to Dudley first?” Hermione asked.
“And what if you get to my uncle first?” Harry asked back.
When Ron and Hermione got into the van, Aunt Petunia still looked hesitant. When Harry shouted, “Go!” she was off.
After they disappeared, Harry went back inside number four and went into Dudley’s room. There he found just what he was looking for: Dudley’s bike. Whenever Dudley had gotten to fat for a bike, the Dursleys would dump it on Harry. So he knew how to ride one fairly well. Harry was now starting to regret his decision to give Ginny his broomstick, which would have been much faster.
He grabbed the bicycle and headed off downstairs. Once outside, Harry got on the seat and rode down the street. He rode up and down Wisteria Walk, and checked the alley. He also checked every nook of Magnolia Crescent and Magnolia Road. The park was also completely void of life. Harry searched all the streets in the neighborhood where Harry knew Dudley’s gang would hang out. After half an hour of searching, Harry didn’t find him.
Then, Harry decided to stop and concentrate. Where would Dudley go after beating somebody up? The answer came in a second: food. Before Dudley’s diet there would have been enough snacks at number four to satisfy the entire gang, but not anymore. Harry also doubted that any of the other gang member’s houses stored enough. So, Harry went with his gut feeling and headed for the nearest corner store.
Within five minutes Harry spotted a group of people coming his way down the sidewalk. They were all laughing and whooping at what they have just done.
“Did you hear that little pest squeal?” Harry heard one of the people in the group say. “Nice right hook, Dud!”
“He had it coming to him,” Dudley sneered. “Little maggot, making fun of me behind my back.”
“How did you know that he was making fun of you?” asked another excitedly.
“Well….” His voice disappeared when he saw Harry coming his way on the bicycle. Dudley’s gang, who were all looking admirably at their leader, didn’t notice Harry. When they noticed Dudley’s shocked expression, they all turned and saw Harry coming their way.
Each and every one of them wore a look of confusion but at the same time glee. It looked as if Harry came back to them for the sole purpose of getting the stuffing knocked out of him. Dudley, on the other hand, was scared out of his pea-sized brain.
Harry stopped, jumped off the bicycle, and ran the rest of the way. “Dudley!” he shouted. “You have got to come with me!”
“I thought you were supposed to be in France, Potter,” said Piers, making his way to the front of the group. “But if you want to relive old times, we’re more than happy to help. Right, Dud? Dud?” Piers turned and saw that Dudley had a greenish tinge his face.
“Is he really that fun to smack around?” asked a member of the gang Harry didn’t know.
“You betcha,” Piers said devilishly, apparently thinking Dudley’s sickness was due to excitement.
Harry pulled out his wand, and shouted, “Dudley, come here now! We need to get out of here!”
“Ooh,” said one of them, balling up in mock fear, “a stick. P—please don’t hit me with it.”
Dudley went white.
Crack. “Avada Kedavra!”
Harry reacted instinctively by throwing himself to the ground, pointing his wand at Dudley’s gang, and yelling, “Cuerpo Dropa!” Harry tugged his wand as if pulling a rope, and every member of the group had their feet pulled from them and fell to the ground. A jet of green light zoomed above Harry, missed one of Dudley’s friends by and inch, and hit a nearby tree, which withered and burst into flames on impact.
Harry turned and stood up to face his opponent, wand up.
“It seems fortune favored me today, Potter,” said the Death Eater.
“And why would that be?” asked Harry coolly, not dropping his guard.
“Because I can now get back at you for what you did to my darling Bella!” he shouted, pulling off his hood to reveal Rodolphus Lestrange. He wasn’t too different from when Harry had seen him the in the Pensieve, but he didn’t age as gracefully as his wife. “Avada—”
“Stupefy!”
Rodolphus abandoned the Killing Curse and blocked Harry’s spell. Harry suddenly noticed that behind him Dudley and the others weren’t running.
“What are you doing?” he yelled at them angrily. “Get the heck out of here!” They didn’t listen.
“Avada Ked—”
“Stupefy!” Harry shouted, causing Rodolphus to block again. “I thought Voldemort wanted to do me in himself.”
“You sent Bella to Azkaban! I saw you duel her back at Godric’s Hollow! I don’t care what the Dark Lord does to me!” he roared. “Impedimenta!”
Harry deflected the jinx.
Crack. “Stupefy!”
Harry looked to his right, but wasn’t fast enough to avoid getting hit by the spell. He was knocked back against the wall of the house, and blinked to try and clear his vision. He then saw another Death Eater crossing the street and coming over to him.
“Good job holding off Potter, Rodolphus,” said the Death Eater. “He was here just like we were told.” Those words caught Harry’s complete and full attention. “Yes, the Dark Lord will be pleased. Now let’s kill the great lump like we were told, and then deliver Potter.”
Rodolphus immediately stepped between Harry and the Death Eater. “No, Jacobs! The only reason I asked to be put on this was for the chance to get Potter,” said Rodolphus. “I’m going to kill him myself!”
The Death Eater let out a loud groan. “Is this about that wife of yours?” Jacobs said, annoyed. “Boo-hoo, so your little Bella got sent to Azkaban. You’ve been talking about how you were going to kill Potter behind the Dark Lord’s back for months now. Count yourself lucky I haven’t turned you in. Besides, do you really think that Bellatrix was as angry as you are when you got sent to Azkaban last year? She didn’t shed a tear. She knew that you would be out soon enough.”
Jacobs and Rodolphus were now arguing, leaving Harry to ponder the extent of his stupidity. Why did he send both Ron and Hermione with Aunt Petunia? He didn’t want either of them in danger, but some back-up would have been really nice. Also, he should have known that Voldemort would have taken pleasure in killing the Dursleys by sending one for each of them. The third one was likely to show up at Uncle Vernon’s office, but the other two would have stayed in the neighborhood to finish off Aunt Petunia and Dudley.
But they aren’t here, he thought, and I’m going to have to make due without them! He looked over and Dudley and was miraculously able to catch his eye. He was shaking with so much fear, that neither he nor his gang could muster up the energy to run.
The force at which Harry had hit the house seemed to have really scrambled him, so he could only feebly raise his wand. He got it to point at the turned back of Rodolphus and thought, Levicorpus!
“Aaargh!” Rodolphus was raised from the ground and was hanging as if invisible ropes were holding him up by the ankles.
After Jacobs got over the surprise of what just happened, he said, “Nice trick, but that only going to cost you your—oof!”
Jacobs had momentarily dropped his guard and that was the signal for Dudley to press the advantage. He had run up quick as lightning and punched Jacobs right in the face sending his the ground a few feet away, and his wand even further.
“C’mon!” Dudley yelled at his gang. They all got over their shock and automatically went over to Jacobs and started to beat on him. Dudley picked him up by the collar and continuously punched Jacobs. After Dudley dropped him, Piers started to kick him in the side along with five other. Soon enough, Jacobs was lying bruised and bloody on the sidewalk.
“Damn you, Potter,” Rodolphus struggled to say.
“Shut up,” Harry said, standing and supporting himself against the house. “Stupefy!” The spell hit Rodolphus in the face and knocked him unconscious. Harry thought the counter spell, and Rodolphus toppled to the ground.
“What the hell, Potter,”’ said Piers, coming up to Harry and inspecting his work. “What are you?” The rest of the gang wasn’t too far away.
“A wizard,” Harry said shortly, binding Rodolphus and Jacobs with ropes. And to further display his power, Harry pointed his wand at them shouting, “Obliviate!” If the spell worked properly, they wouldn’t remember what month it was.
“Did you know that?” one of the members of the group asked Dudley.
When Dudley nodded they all looked frightened of Harry.
“You’d better count yourself lucky I didn’t know about this before I was eleven, Piers,” he told him nastily. “Also, that my school didn’t allow me to use magic unless I was in danger.”
“So that’s how you climbed the school that one time me and Dudley were chasing you,” he said awed. “You can use that stuff.”
“Now,” Harry told them, “as I was saying before, Dudley, you have to come with me. These two came here to do you and your family in. Trust me, these won’t be the first if you stay here.”
“Okay,” Dudley choked.
“As for the rest of you,” he said to the rest of the gang, “people from my government will be coming here soon. You’ll know them when you see them. Tell them everything that just happened here. And…whatever you do, don’t mention my name!” Harry didn’t know how much trouble he would be in if the Ministry found out that it was him who had performed serious magic. “At the moment,” he lied, “they are looking for me because I caused a bit of trouble elsewhere. And if they find out I was here they will torture you for information about my whereabouts, which none of you will know.”
He then looked at the fallen enemies. The Death Eaters had to have a source of information that was being tapped. But where was it? And why didn’t they attack until now? Harry considered taking one of them in, despite how angry the Council would be. Unfortunately, he couldn’t. Ron and Hermione had taken the slip that told the headquarters’ location.
Harry regained his strength during his talk and went over to Dudley, the members of his gang stepping back. He then grabbed Dudley on the arm tightly.
“Also, if these two move beat them up some more…. This’ll feel weird, get ready,” he told Dudley.
Harry turned on the spot and everything became black. Gripping Dudley as hard as he could, they reappeared in front headquarters. When he let go Dudley fell to the ground breathing hard.
“Told you,” Harry said.
“Where are my mum and dad?” he gasped, standing back up.
“In there,” answered Harry, pointing at headquarters
“Where?” Dudley said, looking right through building.
“Harry!” shouted a nearby and relieved voice. Ron, who had a black eye, came running up to them.
“You’re okay,” Harry said delightedly.
“Here,” he said, giving the parchment to Dudley.
Dudley read it and then looked up at the headquarters and screamed, “Where did that house come from?”
Without responding, Harry and Ron pushed Dudley inside just in time to hear Uncle Vernon yelling, “I want my son now!”
“Dad?” Dudley said weakly, Harry and Ron closing the door.
“Diddy!” Aunt Petunia shrieked, breaking away from Tonks, who had pink hair down to her shoulders, and ran up to give her enormous son a hug.
“Dudley,” Uncle Vernon croaked, joining his wife.
“Lucky you got here when you did, Harry,” Tonks said. “They were here only ten minutes and were already going mental.”
“You okay, Harry?” asked Lupin, who had come downstairs. “Any trouble?”
“Yes,” Harry said. “Two Death Eaters showed up!”
“Whoa!” exclaimed Ron. “Only Alecto showed up at the company. She was the one who threw one of those metal sticks with the hole at the end. Got me,” he said gesturing at his eye.
“What about Hermione?” Harry said, noticing that she wasn’t around.
Ron grinned slightly.
“What happened?” Harry asked anxiously.
“It’s only a little amusing because it didn’t work properly. Alecto was shooting at us while we were trying to run away. I think she restrained from the Killing Curse because of all the machinery around. Anyway, Alecto sent a scalping hex that just grazed the top of her hair. She’s getting that bald spot fixed right now by Trenton, the bloke from your Polyjuice Potion.”
“He works at the Department of Magical Catastrophe, so he’s had practice with minor incidents,” Lupin added.
“What’ll happen to them?” Harry asked, nodding his head at the Dursleys, who were still huddled together.
“They’ll have to go into hiding, obviously,” answered Tonks. “They’ll have to have little or no contact with the outside world.”
“Wait just one bloody minute,” shouted Uncle Vernon, who had overheard. “Listen here, Pinky, my wife and son can hide, but I have a business to run! I will not be intimidated by some wacko,” he said defiantly.
“Then that wacko is going to have you killed,” argued Tonks unflinchingly. “I think your wife and son would prefer to have you safe than out risking your life to keep some crummy drill company in order.”
“Isn’t there somebody who can take your place, Mr. Dursley?” Lupin said reasonably.
“I wouldn’t trust anybody with it,” he said, turning purple at the thought of his drill company being in the hands of others.
“We’ll think of something,” Lupin said. “We’ll make sure that you can somehow keep working.”
Not wanting to stick around, Harry and Ron left. Ron led the way over to a room on the ground floor and found Hermione inside inspecting her hair with a hand mirror.
“Perfect,” she said. “Thanks, Mr. Perch.”
“No problem,” said a voice Harry recognized. A few feet away stood a man with tanned skin and blonde hair. “And call me Trenton.”
“How did the patch work go?” asked Ron, going over to Hermione to get a better view. “Nice work. You wouldn’t be able to tell that she was as bald as my dad.”
“Thank you, Ron.” Trenton then spotted Harry and went over to shake his hand. “Did my body suit you well, Mr. Potter? I was of course more than happy to help.”
“Well, you don’t look like me, so it did work well,” Harry said. “And call me Harry.”
After about an hour Mr. and Mrs. Weasley swung by headquarters. Mr. Weasley had obviously heard about the disturbance in Surrey, so he figured exactly what happened. Also, Mr. Weasley informed Harry that Dudley’s gang told them everything that happened, expect for who saved them, and they had their minds successfully modified. Lucky for Harry, the Obliviators thought they got enough information out of Dudley’s gang, and didn’t bother ask questions to anybody else.
There was far more trouble, it turned out, at Uncle Vernon’s drill company. It may have only been one Death Eater who attacked, but all the Muggles cramped inside one building along with so much machinery made it almost impossible to make a clean getaway. Fortunately, the Ministry only got very vague descriptions of Ron and Hermione from the Muggles interviewed. And they also had no idea which Death Eater it was that attacked, since Alecto wore her cloak the entire time. The Ministry had a hard time wiping the memories of everybody present, and had an even harder time making up a story.
As for the Dursleys, they had been relocated by the end of the day. Uncle Vernon was allowed to continue personally working at his drill company on the condition that he allowed a witch or wizard to be with him at all times for security.
Though Harry, Ron, and Hermione had once again proved themselves capable members of the Order, the Council saw it fit for them to once again return to Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Weasley had offered to take them for a few days to the Burrow, but the suggestion was struck down.
A/N: For all those displeased with them going to Privet Drive, they are out and won't come back! That is all I am saying about future chapters.