Harry Potter and the Dangerous Choice

Harry Potter and the Dangerous Choice

Chapter Two: Disaster Strikes

As Harry left the park he heard a muffled boom like the noise of distant fireworks. Harry felt a sudden shiver pass through him, and with it came apprehension. He turned the corner and hurried through the alley at Magnolia Crescent. Suddenly he stopped short, cursing himself, remembering the ambush there the previous summer. Harry pulled out his wand, and kept moving. He knew that if he was forced to use magic again, he would lose his wand for sure. The alley was dark and forbidding, but there were only shadows. As he rounded the corner of his street, he choked back a cry. Smoke was rising from Number Four, Privet Drive. It looked as though the top floor of the house had exploded. Debris was lying everywhere. Worst of all, hovering above the wreckage, in faintly glowing green mist, was the Dark Mark. Harry cursed again, his aunt was in there. Harry had seen the mark once before as it hovered over the woods at the World Cup Tournament. He knew what it meant.

The street was totally dark. The street lamps were not shining. It made the Dark Mark stand out even more. Harry dashed toward the house, his wand raised. As he reached the front gate a black figure sprang out of the shadows and grabbed him, pulling him back. Harry spun pointing his wand.

"Careful now," said a voice from within the dark cloak. It was then Harry noticed that there were at least 7 other cloaked figures lurking in the darkness around the smoking house. "Why don't you put that wand down," the man said as he extended his hand to shake. "I'm Mordoc Brogan, and I hope that you're Harry Potter."

Harry answered warily, "Yes...But what happened here, and who are you people?"

"I just arrived," said Brogan, "I'm attached to the hit wizard squad. The Ministry can sense the use of the Dark Mark, and immediately dispatched us to this site. We were actually combing the wreckage for you. Glad to see you were not hurt."

Harry could sense Mordoc staring at his scar. He tried to ignore this and said, "My aunt... she was in there."

"We found a Muggle woman and we have sent her on to St. Mungo's. We expect Dumbledore momentarily, and if you were found alive, we were to protect you until he arrived."

"But the house...," said Harry, still feeling very shocked. Aunt Petunia would be furious. He could not imagine what kind of punishment he would get for this. He was sure they would never allow him back in their house, and at this moment, he wouldn't blame them. I'm a danger to everyone, Harry thought angrily.

"The Ministry will be sorting the house out soon, and we have already blocked this site from view of the Muggles living in the area. If they look out their windows, they won't notice anything is amiss," said Mordoc.

Harry looked up and down the street. It was true that there were no faces at the windows, as one would have expected on Privet Drive, if a house had just blown up. Just then, Piers Polkiss, Dudley's friend, rode down the street on his bicycle. He seemed totally unconcerned and never even looked toward the Dursley house as he passed. Harry, however, noticed one of the cloaked wizards standing near the street, with raised arms and wand in hand, as Piers passed on.

Now Harry slumped down on the garden wall. With a popping noise, Albus Dumbledore appeared in the street. He was dressed in dark robes with silver runes down the front.

"If I had been here, I might have stopped who ever did this," muttered Harry.

Mordoc shook his head, "No young man, I'm afraid you would have been no match for the Death Eaters who did this."

"If you believe that Mordoc, you would be quite wrong," said Dumbledore as he approached.

Mordoc looked quizzically at Dumbledore but did not respond. Dumbledore immediately came to Harry's side and looked him over as if inspecting an item at a flea market. "Are you alright then, Harry?"

"Yes, I wasn't at home when this happened," said Harry.

"Of course you weren't, because such an attack would not have been successful, or even possible if you had been in the house," said Dumbledore quietly, in a matter of fact way.

Harry wasn't sure if that was an accusation, and he began to feel guilty. "Do you mean that this couldn't happen if I had stayed at home?"

"Yes, Harry. When you are linked to this house, your aunt's home, the various protections function to shield you, the other residents, and the house itself. But right now, I need to speak with Mordoc. Harry, please collect anything you can easily salvage, that you need for school. Anything missing or destroyed can be replaced later. I'm sending you somewhere safe, momentarily." With that, Dumbledore strode off toward Mordoc who was standing near at hand.

Harry stumbled toward the house, over chunks of roof and wall that were strewn on the ground. Another one of the cloaked figures approached him. "Harry!" said Arthur Weasley. "Thank the stars you are all right. You ARE alright?" he asked, looking Harry over.

"Yes, I was walking in the park just now, and I heard the explosion," said Harry.

"I'm sure Dumbledore wants you away from here as soon as possible. Can I help you collect some things, if any are left?" asked Arthur.

"Sure," said Harry, still somewhat dazed. "How's my aunt?"

"Don't worry about that now," said Mr. Weasley. "She's in good hands. Let's get your things collected so we can get you to safety."

Harry stared at Mr. Weasley for a moment and saw that he appeared to be very nervous. If he's worried, then I guess I should be too, thought Harry. He tried to focus on the problem at hand. Harry looked mournfully at the ruins and thought about the one thing he really wanted.

"My broomstick, my Firebolt," Harry blurted out.

"Accio Firebolt," said Mr. Weasley. Out of the rubble, came Harry's prized broomstick. It looked fine, just needing a little polish and clean up.

"Can you do the same for my trunk, school books and robes?" Harry asked. Soon he had his trunk. It was quite scarred, but still useable. Most of his books would be alright although many had torn pages, or burnt edges. Miraculously, his wizard photo album had flown into the back garden and landed in the hydrangea bush. It appeared to be in perfect condition. His robes had been destroyed in the blast, but because he had grown so much over the past several months, Harry suspected he needed new ones anyway.

"Oh, and my invisibility cloak. I almost forgot about it," gasped Harry.

"Your what?" asked Mr. Weasley, in surprise.

"My dad left it to me. Dumbledore gave it to me my first year at Hogwarts," said Harry.

Arthur shook his head slowly. "Should have known," was all he said. The cloak was rescued from the rubble. Not much else had escaped serious damage. Harry wondered that so many of his things were still in tact. The beds, chairs and the knick-knacks of the Dursleys' appeared beyond repair.

Hedwig's cage was mangled, but she had been out hunting, and was not hurt. Harry spied her sitting up in a neighbouring tree, surveying the situation, and hooting softly. The cage was repaired by a simple spell from Mr. Weasley, and Hedwig was coaxed into it. Harry was sure some things were lost or missing but he couldn't think too clearly about that. Mr. Weasley performed the Accio spell once more and what was left of Harry's clothes flew out of the rubble and into his trunk. Harry didn't really care about Dudley's old hand me down clothes but he guessed he needed something to wear.

Soon Dumbledore appeared at Harry's side. "Are we ready?" he asked.

Harry nodded and Mr. Weasley said, "Let's call the car." Dumbledore held out his hand to indicate that Mr. Weasley should proceed. Arthur turned his back to them, extracted something from inside his robe, and spoke quietly to it.

Harry turned to Dumbledore. "So, what about my aunt, and the house?"

"Harry, I'll explain later, right now we need you safely away from here," said Dumbledore.

Out of nowhere, three cars pulled up. The cars were driven by odd looking drivers in purple robes. One of them collected Harry's belongings and loaded them into the car. Harry was ushered in, and Mr. Weasley got in beside him. Mordoc got into the front seat. Harry noticed that three cloaked figures got into each of the two other cars. Dumbledore had not gotten in. Then the cars sped off. Mr. Weasley still seemed very tense and Harry did not know what to say, so he just watched out the window. Harry wanted to know what was happening, but know one seemed to want to talk about it right now. The cars sped down the nearly deserted and darkened streets. The three cars seemed to pass each other and then fall back, in a confusing sort of way. The way they were moving seemed rather unnatural, for when they passed each other they never seemed to move into the passing lane. This continued as they approached London.

"Pardon me, Mr. Weasley, but what are the cars doing?" asked Harry finally.

"Diversionary tactics, Harry. We want anyone following to be confused about which car you are in, but with all this Ministry protection, no one is likely to attack anyway. Dumbledore wants to conceal your location because this incident indicates that Privet Drive is not safe any longer. Once you were out of the house, they attacked. It's a warning."

"A warning about what?" asked Harry.

"They want us to know they are close by. They also want to frighten you," said Mr. Weasley.

"Why didn't they just jump me in the alley or something?" continued Harry.

"We don't know Harry, but we suspect that You Know Who is unsure about you since you've escaped him several times now. He may be acting with caution until he knows more," said Mr. Weasley.

Harry thought that Voldemort would certainly like to know the prophesy.

Once inside London, the cars suddenly split off and went in different directions. Mr. Weasley leaned in and said, "More diversionary tactics," and he smiled.

The car neared the corner with the phone box that led down to the Ministry of Magic.

"Ok Harry, I have an idea,'' said Mr. Weasley. "Throw that cloak of yours over yourself. When the car stops, I'll get out and you get out too, under your cloak. Then we'll get into the next car."

"Ok," said Harry.

The car pulled up to the Ministry entrance and Mr. Weasley and Harry got out. Harry stood silently, feeling quite foolish. The first car sped off. The second soon arrived and Mr. Weasley made a show of leisurely getting in. Harry thought he looked rather conspicuous, but went along with the plan. Mr. Weasley opened the car door and whispered to Harry to climb in first, and then he crawled in. The car slowly pulled away as if the passengers had all the time in the world. Harry began to pull off the cloak.

"No," said Mr. Weasley sharply. "Leave it on until we're inside headquarters." Harry watched streets fly by. He wasn't sure, but it seemed that they passed the same spot more than once, but from different directions.

"Why didn't we fly, like last time?" asked Harry finally.

"Much too dangerous. The Dursley house was sure to have been watched, they would have seen us leave. They could easily have followed us, or attacked us during the flight." Mr. Weasley looked briefly out the back window. "We should have thrown off any pursuers by now," he said, in a confident tone.

Mr. Weasley had the driver stop two blocks from headquarters. He and Harry got out and Arthur gathered up Harry's things. Harry wondered briefly, if the drivers were human or not as the car sped off into the darkness. Harry and Mr. Weasley hurried down the street. As usual, Harry could not see Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Dumbledore was the headquarters' secret keeper and so it was hidden from the view of those that Dumbledore had not told of its location. Harry and Mr. Weasley soon melted into Sirius Black's family home.

Harry's first impression was that they had stepped into the wrong doorway. He turned to question Mr. Weasley but Arthur was moving past Harry and down the hall with Harry's things. "I'll just set them here for the moment, until we find out which room you're in," and Mr. Weasley, disappeared toward the kitchen. Hedwig hooted loudly as he passed.

Harry moved further into the house. The first thing he noticed was that Mrs. Black's portrait was gone. No curtain flying open, no hysterical screams. The biggest change, however, were the rather gaudy bright colors everywhere. The walls in the hall were now a yellowish gold color and the banisters had been painted red. There were purple drapes outlining the doorway to the sitting room. Harry looked into it, where the walls were a dark rose color and the furniture was bright green. There was a large rug that looked hand knitted on the floor, and it was multi-coloured. The house resembled a cheerful circus, but not like any house Harry had ever been in. The house had a cleaner smell, so that although it was still closed up, it didn't feel so stuffy. It had a much more wholesome air. Lots of candles lit the spaces and hung in mid-air in the hallway.

"Harry Potter! So good to see you, sir!" said Dobby. Harry spun around to see Dobby, the house elf, standing in the doorway. He was dressed in his usual outlandish combination of clothes. He had a shiny green vest, a bowtie of paisley and some velvety purple pants. Of course he had outstanding socks. One appeared to be striped yellow and pink, while the other was bright blue with the initial "E" embroidered on the side. The socks were pulled up over Dobby's pant cuffs.

"Hi Dobby," Harry grinned. "What does that "E" stand for?"

"Why...'Elf'," said Dobby proudly.

"I didn't know you were here," said Harry.

"Someone must look after Harry Potter's house," said Dobby. "And it needed quite a lot of looking after. I hope you like the decorations, sir?" Dobby looked expectant.

"It's excellent," said Harry, "but what do you mean about it being my house?"

Just then, Dumbledore arrived. "Harry, would you join me in the kitchen?" Harry was very confused about the incidents of the last few hours. He felt as though he was moving through a dream. He smiled down at Dobby and followed Dumbledore into the warm kitchen. There was a smell of freshly baked bread and some sort of savory stew that was steaming on the table. Sitting at the table were Remus Lupin and Arthur Weasley.

"Hi Harry," said Remus. Harry smiled, and nodded.

"Lets sit and eat, and then we can talk," said Dumbledore.

Harry looked from face to face as he sat down at the table. He couldn't wait until after he ate to ask some questions. "Can someone tell me what's happened to my aunt?"

"At this moment, Harry, your Aunt Petunia is being cared for in a private room at St. Mungo's," said Dumbledore. "Even if St. Mungo's is less than secure, she knows little that could really benefit the enemy, and so I believe this is a safe arrangement. I know that you have little love for the Dursley family, but if you wish it, we can allow you to visit her tomorrow."

"Actually," said Harry "I think I'd like to, if it's OK."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded. "Your aunt will be cured, and her memory...corrected...before she is returned to the house. I believe your uncle and cousin are away, which makes it somewhat easier," said Dumbledore.

"What about the house?" asked Harry.

I can see that eating will have to wait for a bit after all," laughed Remus, putting down a plate of bread.

"First, Harry, the attack on the Dursleys' house was not anticipated by the Order," began Dumbledore, as he intertwined his long fingers. "The protections your aunt's house provides are tied to your presence in the house. Otherwise, it is just another house. Unfortunately, we never considered the possibility that Voldemort would choose to locate and destroy the house in an attempt to 'flush you out', so to speak. Voldemort has not been using his disciples in any organized sort of way, to mount attacks. Your location, that is, your aunt's house was not exactly a secret, but was difficult information to get. The Order should be able to track the leak, but the damage is done. The house itself has already been set to rights. In addition to the repairs, we have added some protection features to the house to prevent such a reoccurrence. However, I have not decided whether the protection provided by the house is worth the increasing risk. I am not returning you to it this summer. You should remain here for the time being." This, of course, was good news to Harry as he would be close to the Order, and might even be allowed to help in some way.

"Dobby said something in the parlor about this being my house now," Harry began.

"Yes," said Dumbledore. "Sirius had the foresight to protect this house from a claim by any other relatives, by making a will, and deeding the property to you, in the event of his death. Under wizard law, you are not entitled to own property until you have reached the age of seventeen. As is the custom, Sirius also appointed a guardian, in the event that one would be required."

"And who is that?" asked Harry.

"Me, Harry," said Lupin, smiling. "I hope that meets with your approval."

"Sure!" said Harry happily.

"Remus has kindly allowed the Order to continue using the property as our headquarters until you could be consulted in the matter, so we'd like to know if this arrangement is acceptable to you," asked Dumbledore.

The three men looked at Harry. Harry felt a moment of power and control. He felt that he was being consulted as an equal and that he was making a contribution to the Order. "Yeah, sure it is," beamed Harry.

"I took the liberty of bringing Dobby here to manage the house for you, since you have a special connection. Again I hope this is acceptable," continued Dumbledore.

"It's great, really." Harry said, enthusiastically. Harry turned toward the corner of the room and saw Dobby jumping up and down happily. "Plus, I love what he's done to the place," added Harry.

"Yes," said Lupin with a smile, "it's very...what's the right word?....cheery!"

"What happened to Kreacher?" asked Harry.

"We don't know for certain, however, we suspect he has gone back to Narcissa Malfoy," injected Arthur Weasley. "There has been no sign of him since the night of Sirius's death. Dobby has used the charms of his kind to seal the house against Kreacher's return. Kreacher cannot give away the location, nor can he return here." Harry nodded slowly, taking in this news. He imagined how very right it was that Kreacher and Draco Malfoy should live in the same house.

"Let's eat now before this wonderful meal gets cold, shall we?" asked Dumbledore.

Harry realized suddenly, how hungry he was. The table was quiet as they all served themselves and ate their fill. Harry slowed down as he reached the pumpkin pie. He was quite stuffed, but he thought he could nibble a little more. Besides his aunt's injury, for which Harry felt a twinge of guilt, he felt quite good to be here at headquarters again. Then he pictured Sirius sitting at the table with them, and the problems he was facing came back into focus.

"What's going on with Voldemort, and have the Death Eaters tried to break out of Azkaban yet?" asked Harry.

Remus and Arthur both looked at Dumbledore, but it was Arthur who answered. "Well Harry, the dementors have abandoned Azkaban, and now the Ministry is trying to contain the prisoners by other means. It is difficult though, because the prisoners could act as a unit and perform certain magic, if their jailers are not constantly on guard against it. The Ministry is not allowing anyone to visit there."

"The interesting thing is there haven't been any dementor sightings yet. We don't know how Voldemort is managing it, because he would need to feed the dementors somehow, so we should be getting reports of attacks," added Lupin. "We have been watching the Muggle news as well. Voldemort is not above using them to feed his dementors."

"We are quite worried, because the dementor is a vile and unnatural creature, strictly a parasite," said Mr. Weasley.

"Can you tell me more about the dementors?" asked Harry taking another bite of pie. This talk was very interesting, and Harry was reluctant to see it end. He was being given loads of information, and no one was saying he was too young to hear it.

"Not right now, Harry," said Dumbledore. "I need to talk to you about some serious issues." Harry looked at the worried faces of the men. "Remus and Arthur have been told the full extent of the prophecy." Harry's buoyant mood suddenly shifted and he felt as though a heavy weight had dropped into his stomach. "That means that only the 4 of us are fully informed of its contents," said Dumbledore.

Harry looked around quickly. "And Professor Trelawney," said Harry.

"Actually, although she gave the prophesy, she does not remember it. I have endeavored, over the years to insure that she doesn't remember it, or venture out where she could be caught and forced to divulge it," said Dumbledore in a matter of fact way.

"But she gave me a second one. You remember, Professor Dumbledore," said Harry.

"Yes, yes," said Dumbledore in a tired voice. "And luckily, you were alone with her, so no one else heard it." Dumbledore paused. "There are more important things to discuss at this time."

Dumbledore continued, "I have confided in Arthur and Remus because, Harry, you may require special help in future and you will need to have some Order members in whom you can confide completely. You need people you can turn to so that Voldemort can not set a trap for you, such as he did in the Department of Mysteries. I think you understand how very dangerous this information is."

Harry swallowed hard. He felt great guilt rise up in his throat. Before he could venture his apology and excuse for that night, Dumbledore continued speaking. "Up until that night in the Ministry, I had kept the secret of the prophesy completely to myself but now I do not feel that is the right course of action."

"This brings me to the subject of Occlumency lessons," said Dumbledore. "Clearly your lessons last term were not achieving the maximum result. I see no purpose in continuing down that same path this year. However, it is key that you master this technique if you possess any talent for it at all."

Harry felt another sting of guilt that he had not tried harder during his lessons with Professor Snape.

"Harry, there are two critical issues concerning these lessons. First, we want you to be able to block out Voldemort, or any mind intrusion from any source, if possible. Second, if you experience the sense that your mind has been probed or if you are having repetitive dreams, such as those concerning the Department of Mysteries last year, you should report this to one of the three of us immediately," said Dumbledore.

"Yes, sir," said Harry obediently. "But, who will I study with this year, if it's not Snape?"

"Professor Snape," corrected Dumbledore. "I am trying to find someone capable and trustworthy."

"Harry," said Arthur looking him in the eye. "After the events of the last year, and given the prophecy, we feel that we must provide you with more information than we are really comfortable giving someone your age. Having said that, we cannot share everything we know. It has nothing to do with your intentions or your trustworthiness, but in order for you to be able to go on with your education, learning the skills needed to... well.... succeed, we don't want you worried about events on the outside. We want you focused on learning as much as you can, so you have the best chance for survival." Arthur looked away uncomfortably. "This is an awful burden for one so young to have to bear," Arthur's voice trailed off and he shook his head slightly.

"A great burden MAY eventually be yours, Harry. It will, in some ways, be your choice," said Lupin. "If the worst comes, we want you to be prepared and we want to be there to help you. In the mean time, we can not let on that we think there is anything special about you, beyond what Voldemort already knows, or you would be in even greater danger. We need you to keep your head down and stick to your studies." Lupin stared at Harry until Harry solemnly nodded his assent.

"I'm going to have Molly bring Ron here tomorrow," said Arthur. "I'll come around in the afternoon and take you to see your aunt. We have resigned ourselves the fact that you will probably tell everything you hear from us, to Ron and Hermione. We think it unwise for you to repeat everything we tell you. Please consider carefully what you reveal to them. Remember that there is danger to everyone who knows."

"I haven't told anyone about the prophecy, if that's what you mean," said Harry in a quiet voice. The men exchanged looks around the table.

"That's probably just as well Harry, but please feel to confide in any of us, at any time," said Lupin.

Arthur rose and said, "I have to go now. Goodnight all," and with that, he left the room.

"I, too, must be leaving," said Dumbledore. "Remus will be staying here with you, Harry. I know I need not remind you of the serious nature of this situation, but please try not to worry over much. Our job is to protect you, and yours is to finish your education." Dumbledore rose, rather stiffly and bid them good night.

Harry thought for a moment about what Dumbledore had said. Lupin and Dumbledore left the room together, leaving Harry alone. His head was swimming with the days events. Soon Lupin returned. He looked tired, with lines of care etched into his face. Harry studied his father's old friend for a moment. "Professor....I mean Remus, I would very much like it if you would consider this your home, as much as it is mine."

Lupin looked at Harry with surprise. Then he smiled and ruffled Harry's hair, "You are your father's son, Harry. Thanks for the offer. I will be staying here for awhile at least." Remus paused, "You must be tired. I know I am. What do you say we turn in?"