The Disappearance

Chapter One

It was a dark and stormy night when Hermione Granger went to Professor Dumbledore with some bad news.

"What do you mean Harry's missing?" replied Professor Dumbledore.

"I went to collect Harry to go to Diagon Alley. When I got there, the house was a blackened ruin. I then went and saw Mrs. Figg, to ask her what had happened. She told me that two nights ago, some men were seen entering the house, they left and about twenty minutes later, the house went up in smoke killing all three of the Dursley's and Hedwig. The only evidence that showed another person lived there was Harry's glasses and books, which Mrs. Figg removed from the scene, before anyone had noticed them*." explained Hermione.

Professor Dumbledore told Hermione to go back home and that he would contact her if anything came up.

After Hermione had left, he called Professor McGonagall to come to see him. She hurried up to Dumbledore's office wondering what had happened.

When Minerva McGonagall arrived at Dumbledore's office, she knocked and entered. Upon entering, she saw Dumbledore standing facing out towards the lake. When Minerva entered he turned, and at once, she saw that Dumbledore had aged about ten years since she had seen him at breakfast. She wondered what news could have done that to him. Dumbledore motioned for Minerva to sit; Dumbledore then walked over to his chair and sat.

He then related to Minerva what Hermione had told him that morning; at the end, Professor McGonagall was speechless,
"Do you think this was the work of You-know-who?" uttered McGonagall.

Dumbledore nodded his head, to McGonagall this was like a death knell.
"But how could this have happened, all the spells that were in place around the house, should have stopped him from being taken?"
"I know, but I don't know what to do about it" Dumbledore replied.

McGonagall looked at the man who had been her mentor, with pity because it was not often something came up that he could not solve.

"Wasn't Katherine meant to be going round for Harry to bring him to school?"

"Katherine?" enquired Dumbledore.

"You know Katherine Potter, James' cousin. You know Katherine, who is married to the Minister of Magic in America."

"Oh yes, Katherine. I have not heard from her. I better send her an owl to let her know what's going on".

After this conversation took place between Hermione, McGonagall and Dumbledore, they had all agreed to an article in the Daily Prophet, to see if anyone had heard anything or had seen Harry, the article appeared in The Daily Prophet:

MISSING: Male, Age: seventeen, Description: five foot eleven inches, black hair, emerald green eyes. Last seen five days ago by Mrs. Arabella Figg.
Any information, send an owl to Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Nothing was mentioned about whom it was that had gone missing, the only people to know that was Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore, Hermione Granger and the Minister of Magic, Arthur Weasley and his family.

After one month, the students were back at school. Draco Malfoy for one was rejoicing in the fact that Harry was no longer within the school.

After the first years had been sorted, Professor Dumbledore stood up to give his start of year speech. When to everyone's amazement a large screech owl came swooping in through the window. It headed straight for Professor Dumbledore. He took the letter and read.

He turned to Professor McGonagall to tell her what was in the letter, but just before he told her, he noticed that the whole student body was trying to find out the contents of the letter. So to distract them he got the feast to appear before the students.

"Minerva, that letter was from the Headmaster of Durmstrang, he is transferring his son to Hogwarts"

"Why?" asked Minerva

"He does not give a reason, but I better get on with my speech" Dumbledore turned back to the students "Welcome to a new year, our new head girl is Hermione Granger and our head boy was going to be Harry Potter, as most of you will not be aware, Harry went missing during the holidays."

A gasp went up through the hall. Dumbledore continued unabated "So this year I will choose a head boy once the whole school is here. We are gaining a student from Durmstrang. His name is Karl Vagstav and his father is the new headmaster. He will be in the seventh year. Goodnight everyone"

When all the students got up to leave the hall, Hermione had just turned to talk to Ron. When a boy walked into the Great Hall, his hair was brown and the most extraordinary thing about him were his piecing Violet eyes. The whole school just stared at the boy. Whispers started going round

"Who is he?"

"Do you see the colour of his eyes?" the whispers ceased as the boy approached Dumbledore. The boy spoke to Dumbledore "Are you Professor Albus Dumbledore?"

"Yes I am" replied Dumbledore

"I am Karl Vagstav from Durmstrang Institute" the whispering started up again. Hermione turned back to Ron and said "I going to the common Room" and with that she strode out of the hall, into the entrance hall and up the marble steps to Gryffindor Tower.

A lot of first years were waiting outside, turned as Hermione approached. As they had arrived at the portrait hole after the rest of the first years had been led inside by the prefect, so they had not been told the password by any of the prefects. Hermione asked them what they were doing outside the common room. One first year replied that they had arrived after the prefect had led the other first years inside and therefore were not told what the password was to enter the common room.

"What's your name?" Hermione asked the first year, who had just spoken.

"Leia Pascal, I already know who you are, your Hermione Granger, the head girl and one of Harry Potter's best friends." Hermione told the first years that the password to get through the portrait hole was "best friend". They all trooped through the portrait hole into the common room, heading for their relevant dorm rooms.