Harry Potter and the Eye of Isis

Chapter 19 - Capture

May 17, 1997

"Mum?"

"Percy?" Molly could hardly believe the face that was hovering in her firebox. "Oh Percy, it's so good to talk to you again."

"I'm sorry for how I've behaved, Mum," he said with feeling and a hint of a tear in his eye. "I've been such a prat. I should have believed you and Harry. I just got so caught up in trying to advance my career I forgot everything that is important."

"Percy, dear, it's all right." She was beyond ecstatic to hear from him and receive an apology.

"I wanted to tell you that I've resigned my position at the Ministry. Maybe I'll go back to work there at some point in the future but right now it's just too awkward to have Dad as my boss after how I behaved."

"You're father will understand. He's not treating you differently is he?"

"No, Mum, really it's just me," Percy explained. "I need to get my priorities straightened out before I can continue at the ministry."

"I understand, dear."

"I really miss you, do you think it would be okay if I dropped in the evening to see you? With Dad working late all of the time, I'm sure you must get terribly lonesome."

"Oh Percy, I'd love to spend the evening with you!" Molly was so excited about making amends with Percy she could hardly think of anything else. "You'll have to Apparate to a specific point though. We've got wards on the house now."

"That seems reasonable now that Dad is the minister."

"We've had them in place long before that," she informed him.

"Where is the Apparation point?"

"Five meters due east of the orchard. Then you have to walk to the big oak, you know which one don't you dear?" He nodded. "And the house will appear to you in the northern direction."

"Thanks for understanding, Mum. I'm going to clear out my office a bit more but I'll see you in a couple of hours all right?"

"Splendid. Percy, I can't wait to see you."

*

"Can I get you anything special at the market, Vernon?" Petunia asked as she slipped her purse onto her forearm.

"No, dear."

"I'm going to pick up those items that Duddy asked for so I can get them into the post on Monday."

Petunia gently kissed Vernon on one of his many chins before departing. It was a beautiful May day and she delighted in driving slowly down the street with her window down, hoping to pick up on any conversation that could be happening outdoors. Her stroll through the market was equally appealing. Gossiping with neighbors and eaves dropping on other conversations.

She returned to Number Four carrying several brown bags of groceries. She found it odd that Vernon wasn't sitting in his favorite chair watching the evening news but assumed he had gone upstairs for something. She carefully began putting the food away, neatly stacking and lining up each item in the refrigerator and cupboards. She was halfway done with her last bag when she heard what seemed to be a muffled shout.

Curiosity brought her to the foot of the stairs. She cocked her head as she tried to listen for the noise again. "Vernon?" She called. "Are you all right?"

There was no answer so Petunia decided to find him. She looked in their bedroom first then Dudley's but he wasn't in either. She was walking right passed Harry's bedroom door when she heard a thump. It startled her but the noise certainly came from the bedroom that had been vacant for the last ten months. Her hand was shaking as she touched the doorknob afraid of what she would find, but then she thought to herself that perhaps Vernon had simply decided to give the room back to Dudley when he got home and was making it up.

With a bit of confidence and arrogance Petunia turned the knob and entered the room. Her eyes widened at her husband lying on Harry's bed bound and gagged. She rushed to side to untie him as he motioned with his head incisively. She wasn't getting the message so he began grunting.

"What?" She ripped the tape from his mouth.

"It's a trap! They're here for that bloody boy!"

"Harry's at school." She reasoned but saw no one else in the room.

Just then ropes wrapped themselves around Petunia. She struggled but they only wrapped tighter. "We know where he is Muggle." A cold voice told her. "But we're certain he'll come for you when he learns of this."

"You aren't supposed to be able to be here!" Petunia shouted through her tears. She doubted very much that Harry would fight for her life. "This house is protected!"

"Only by the blood you share with him." A man with long blond hair finally appeared in front of her. "And the Dark Lord shares that blood as well. He was reborn of it."

"No!" Petunia could not believe it. "No! That power is absolute! He can't possibly break the charm."

Another man appeared in the room. "I told you she was a witch too, Lucius." The stocky man spoke to the blond. "I told you. How else would she know how the charm works?"

"My wife is not a freak!" Vernon shouted. "She is not one of you."

Petunia grew red with fury at their remarks. "How dare you accuse me of being... being... like her!"

"Because you are. You're a witch the same as your sister. If you weren't Dumbledore would have never hid Potter here. He knew you had some magical power."

"No!" She wanted to cover her ears but her hands were pressed to her side. "I'm not a witch."

Lucius watched in amusement as her anger grew. He didn't think she was really a witch but she appeared to be pooling energy. After a few moments the ropes that bound her unraveled and went flying in all directions.

"You were right," Lucius looked at his companion. "She is a witch."

"No." Petunia cried as she realized she had freed herself. No one helped, she broke free of the ropes. Her sobs brought her to her knees and she buried her head in her hands.

"Told you she'd be easy." Lucius pointed his wand at her. "Stupefy!"

Petunia's body seized up in her curled position and she was easily picked up. The men holding Vernon's wife disappeared with her at half past six. He could do nothing but squirm and scream on Harry's bed.

It seemed like an eternity before the police were finally at his door. Vernon continued screaming until his front door had been bashed in and police were raiding the home. They were in the bedroom quickly.

"They took my wife." He was breathless and hoarse from all of his screaming. "Two men, one tied me up and the other took my wife."

"The wife has been taken!" An officer screamed down the stairs.

The police began questioning Vernon but he just didn't know what to say. He couldn't tell them the truth about the men who'd abducted his wife, clearly they were wizards, knowing that the police would find the story absurd and believe him to be mad, or involved. And he certainly didn't want anyone to think him to be in leagues with those freaks.

"The men said they were taking your wife because of your nephew?" The detective asked him. "Why do they want your nephew?"

"He's some what famous in his own... Right." He could think of nothing better to say than that. "Look, I'm not sure how to describe why some people feel he is special, you would really need to talk to one of his kind."

"One of his kind?" This perplexed the man. "What do you mean by that?"

It was then that there was a knock at the kitchen door and a junior officer stuck his head in. "Detective, there's a Mrs. Figg here, she says she must speak with Mr. Dursley."

"She must be one of them!" Vernon shouted triumphantly.

"Show her in."

Mrs. Figg entered the room looking at Vernon. "Who was it, Mr. Dursley?"

"Tall skinny man with whitish hair--"

"Malfoy," she muttered under her breath.

"Mrs. Figg, do you know who took Mrs. Dursley?"

"The man that he described is Lucius Malfoy, but you won't find any record of him, Detective. He doesn't exist in your world. There's nothing you all can do to get Petunia back."

"Are you delivering some sort of ransom, Mrs. Figg?"

"No," she turned her attention to Vernon. "I'll go call Professor Dumbledore straight away."

The detective was going to ask who that was but Vernon answered before he could ask. "The headmaster at my nephew's school. He'll bring their authorities and then I'll be able to tell you everything."

Mrs. Figg returned ten minutes later with three people wearing long robes over their clothes. They walked into the house trying not to pay attention to the men staring at them. Moody closed the kitchen door behind all of them.

"That was fast," Vernon observed.

"Who are you people?"

"These are..."

"I'll explain Arabella," Arthur assured her. "Detective?"

"Wainwright."

Arthur embraced the hand that was extended. "My name is Arthur Weasley, I am the Minister of Magic--"

Wainwright immediately began laughing. "Sure mate, and I'm the queen."

"He's quite serious, Muggle," Moody growled.

"It's all right, Alastor. Mr. Wainwright has no idea that wizards really exist. But I wonder how much Mr. Dursley told you about his wife's abduction."

"I couldn't tell him much without him thinking I was mad." Vernon ruffled his moustache. "How could I tell him that two men popped into my house, tied me up and then popped out with Petunia?"

"Where Mr. Dursley?"

"Harry's bedroom."

"Come with me, detective." Arthur motioned and Wainwright followed him. The three other magical people did as well. "You might want to clear these people out of here." He suggested at the forensic collectors. "You don't want a lot of people to see this."

"You heard the man, clear off for a moment."

When the room was cleared Tonks closed the door and Arthur gave his wand a wave. Suddenly silhouettes appeared in the room. Two men standing, a woman on her knees and Vernon on the bed. "These are magical signatures. They last for a while after magic has been performed."

"Arthur," Moody nudged him, "look at the aunt's residue."

"She did magic..." Arthur wouldn't have believed it if he didn't see the purple hue surrounding her silhouette.

"That's Malfoy," Tonks pointed at one of the silhouettes. "And this one is McNair."

"My god," Arthur looked at it. "It certainly looks like it."

"They're going to lure Harry to him again." Tonks concluded.

"I'm not following any of you." Wainwright stated skeptically. "There's no such thing as magic."

"I'll call your minister." Arthur stated. "Do you have one of those portable telly things?"

Wainwright handed the strange man his cellular phone just waiting for him to attempt to call the prime minister. He was truly shocked when Arthur seemed to get into an immediate deep conversation with him. Arthur didn't let Wainwright talk to the prime minister instead he hung the phone up and handed it back to him.

"You're going to get a call in a few minutes."

It didn't take long for the phone to ring and Wainwright to simple have little choice but agree with and to everything his superior was saying. When he tucked his phone back into his pocket he just stared at the magical people with wide eyes.

"I was told to release a statement that we have reason to believe this is an international abduction and that we will be working with officials from another ministry to locate Petunia Dursley. He told me that Harry Potter is the presumed target." Wainwright rubbed his head. "Is that the nephew?" The strangers to him just nodded. "What is he, some sort of dark witch catcher?"

"Yes," Moody nodded. "Now if you don't mind going and making your statement, we'd like to look around for a few minutes." When the detective left the room Moody spoke freely. "How did they get in here?"

"The charm must get weaker the longer Harry is away." Was all Arthur could think of. "He hasn't been home in nearly a year."

"Harry won't fight for her." Tonks said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, he will," Moody growled, "he shouldn't, but he will."

*

The house was unusually dark as he approached. Molly was usually in the kitchen when he got home at night. She always waited up for him wanting to make sure he was all right. Arthur pushed open the kitchen door wondering where she could be.

"Molly?" No answer. "Dobby?"

When Dobby didn't answer Arthur's heart jumped into his throat. Molly might not have been able to hear him if she were in bed but Dobby would be able to answer a summons even if he were kilometers away.

"Dobby!" He tried again with urgency but still there was no answer. His mind began to spin as he could think of nothing but Petunia Dursley's disappearance earlier. It would make more sense to him if Molly were taken. She was Harry's mother for all intensive purposes. If they took Petunia why wouldn't they take Molly as well?

"Molly!"

The thought swarmed in his mind as he ran to the clock. Bill and Charlie were both pointed at work. Fred and George at traveling. Ron, Ginny and Harry at school but Arthur's fear became real when he looked at the last two members of his family. Percy and Molly were both pointed at Mortal Peril.