Realizations

Chapter 4 - Hogwarts

Saturday, July 1, 1995

Hogwarts! Arabella Figg thought with a pleasant sense of nostalgia. How I've missed the old place! She looked around the large meeting room from her place between Remus Lupin and Arthur Weasley. They, along with several others were seated around a large table.

Curious, Arabella looked around at the faces of her companions. She had fought shoulder-to-shoulder with most of them during Voldemort's first rise to power. There were about a dozen witches and wizards currently present. Arabella noted small smiles on other faces besides her own, and listened to the quiet chatter. Obviously she was not the only one reminiscing fondly about her school days. The atmosphere would likely change, once the meeting started, but for now the old witch was content to sit back and enjoy the warm feeling of homecoming. Hogwarts always seemed to welcome its alumni back, no matter how many years had passed since their graduation.

After a few travel-stained latecomers and some of the Hogwarts staff arrived, Minerva McGonagall stood, and called for quiet. Her next words were both chilling and strangely exhilarating to all present:

"The Order of the Phoenix has re-convened."

The Order of the Phoenix was not new, of course. It had existed since the time of the Hogwarts founders. Its purpose was to protect the wizarding community from the threat of evil witches and wizards. There were hints that it might have existed even before then, but no written records were kept before the days of Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin.

Membership in the Order was not to be taken lightly. At the lowest level, membership meant fighting until the current threat was neutralized, or the member could no longer fight because of death or grievous injury. At the highest level, the level she and many of those present held, membership meant that she would fight until the current threat was neutralized, and she would be called on, as long as she was able, any time a new threat reared its ugly head.

The deputy headmistress turned the meeting over to Albus Dumbledore, who stood, and began to speak. He advised them that this was a war council, and Voldemort had regained his body. Before proceeding, he offered anyone who wished it, a chance to leave...no questions asked. When no one moved, he smiled gratefully, and thanked them for their continued support.

After the Order members renewed their pledge of service, and oath of secrecy, Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix flew majestically into the room, and landed on the table. Slowly, he moved to stand before all present, staring them intently in the eye, as though measuring their worthiness for the task at hand. When he had finished, Fawkes lifted his head, and trilled a strangely triumphant sounding note before spreading his beautiful red and gold wings, and flying over to his perch on the back of Dumbledore's chair.

The Hogwarts Headmaster stroked the phoenix fondly, seeming to gather his thoughts, before turning to face the assemblage. Speaking concisely, and clearly, he began to sketch out the truth behind the Potters' betrayal, and events of June 24th. The story wasn't completely new to Belle, of course. Remus and Sirius had told her the short version when they came to her almost a week ago.

After Remus had stopped her from hexing Sirius, that is.

They had told her about Sirius' innocence as well as the Third Task. Arabella shook her head. Switched secret keepers...illegal anamagi...death eaters posing as professors...poor Harry facing Voldemort again...

It was enough to give a person a headache.

She still couldn't believe Peter Pettigrew had been the traitor. It wasn't that she still thought Sirius was guilty, indeed, she was fiercely glad he wasn't, but Peter Pettigrew of all people! He just didn't seem to be capable of it.

Peter had always presented a pleasant exterior, and appeared to be very malleable and low key. He was quiet, almost to the point of seeming timid, didn't have much in the way of looks, and wasn't exactly brilliant at magic. Arabella frowned slightly. Peter Pettigrew evidently had more layers than they gave him credit for. Belle sadly wondered if anyone had truly known him.

Sirius Black, on the other hand, was almost a perfect counterpoint to Peter. He was exceptionally bright, devastatingly handsome, and loyal to a fault. A Gryffindor to his toenails, Sirius was sometimes brash and reckless, and could be alarmingly volatile, acting first and thinking later. He had a formidable temper, and was not above holding an occasional grudge. Some had always thought him a bit mad. It had been entirely too easy to believe that Sirius had made a rash decision in a fit of pique. Or, as others speculated, that he'd cracked under the pressure of being the Potters' Secret Keeper.

Looking back, Arabella couldn't believe they'd been duped the way they had. Sirius might have his faults, but he was absolutely transparent. He made no excuses or apologies. What you saw was what you got. If anyone had taken even one moment to think they would have remembered that Sirius was absolutely devoted to his friends! But no. It had seemed to be an open and shut case. No one had suspected. Even Dumbledore hadn't known.

Albus had reached the point in the story where Cedric and Harry had been portkeyed to Voldemort. Belle listened, stunned anew, as Dumbledore filled in all the details. Harry had managed to throw off the Imperious Curse after being wounded in the tournament, stabbed in the arm, and held under the Cruciatus Curse twice?! Arabella shook her head in stunned disbelief. She wasn't sure she would--or could--have done as well if put in the same situation. Then again, Harry had always been an exceptional child.

James and Lily's bright-eyed baby had possessed a calm, easygoing nature. He rarely cried, and was absolutely fearless, which pleased and horrified his parents by turns. Since Harry had inherited his parents' most striking features, people, magical and muggle alike, seemed drawn to him. Whenever they went out, the Potters would be stopped repeatedly and told what a beautiful baby they had. James and Lily, though pleased and proud, had initially worried that all the attention would spoil Harry. Luckily, the baby seemed quite able to take all the gushing praise in stride.

Though remarkably tolerant of strangers, the boy's reactions to people varied. Sometimes he would take to a new person right away, at other times he seemed to reserve judgement, and occasionally, he would get quiet and wary. James liked call it "The Potter Approval Rating." Harry had accepted all his parents' friends immediately, of course.

Everyone except Peter, that is.

Now that she thought about it, Harry would become agitated, sometimes even cry when Peter tried to hold him. She had witnessed it herself on more than one occasion, and Lily had mentioned it quite a few times over tea. The Potters had tried to get Harry to warm up to Peter on numerous occasions with no success. He would tolerate being in the same room with Pettigrew only if others were present. If someone would hold him, so much the better. Remus and Sirius thought it was hilariously funny, and would tease Peter about pinching the baby, and needing to bathe regularly, but Harry's reaction bothered James and Lily to no end. Especially since he seemed to love Sirius and Remus as much as his parents did.

Lily had quietly confessed her frustration to Belle on one occasion, unable to figure out why her son hated Peter so much. Arabella remembered laughing at the young witch, and accusing her of becoming spoiled herself because Harry was normally so easy to care for.

"You're reading too much into it," she had scoffed, while pouring tea. "All babies fuss." She gestured fondly at the topic of their discussion, who was making short work of the biscuit he'd been given. "He doesn't even know what hate is." Lily had grinned a little sheepishly, and conceded the point. They had moved on to other subjects, and not spoken of Peter again.

Arabella sighed quietly. Less than two months later, Lily and James had been killed. As improbable as it sounded, she had to wonder. Had Harry somehow sensed the coming betrayal? It was all so obvious, now that the fog of shock, anger, and grief had lifted. There had been subtle little hints and clues, but no one had caught them, or appreciated their significance.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and dragged her attention back to the present. This had already been a long session, and they still had a lot to cover. Of course, initial meetings always tended to be lengthy affairs. When Dumbledore finished laying the groundwork, it would be time to hear from any informants, and decide on a course of action. Belle groaned inwardly. They would probably spend the better part of the first hour just introducing themselves. Hopefully, Albus would finish soon, and if he had any kindness in his heart at all, he would let them have a short break before continuing. Arabella wanted to floo back to her house and check her locator clock.

For the last few days, she and Mundugus Fletcher had been helping Sirius and Remus track down many of the others seated around the table. It had been a lot of work, and almost constant traveling, but she had made time to floo back to her house in Surrey earlier that evening when Harry was due back from Hogwarts. It had been her intent to verify that his clock hand was pointing to 4 Privet Drive, before dashing off to the meeting Dumbledore had called.

She had gotten a bit of a surprise when she had stumbled out of her fireplace, however. The clock hand with Harry's name on it was still pointing to "Traveling."

Mrs. Figg hadn't known what to make of it. The circumstances were highly irregular. Vernon Dursley usually stopped by the train station on his way home from work, collected Harry, and came straight home. Always before, Harry had been safely sequestered behind the wards and protective spells surrounding #4 Privet Drive before suppertime. He should have been home by now. Why wasn't he? Belle had considered the clock again before moving to the fireplace. The situation was unusual, but Harry didn't seem to be in any immediate danger. His clock hand was pointing to "Traveling" not "Mortal Peril," or "Hospital," or "Prison." All that meant was he had not reached his final destination for the evening. It was possible that he and the Dursleys had been detained.

Arabella frowned lightly as she listened to Dumbledore field a question about Rita Skeeter's "Disturbed and Dangerous" article. If the reporter had been present, she would have cheerfully strangled her. Minister Fudge, too. Albus was right. They needed to band together quickly, and rally as much support as possible before Voldemort gained a strong toe hold. Lack of Ministry support would make the task more difficult, but they'd have to manage, somehow. The alternative, Voldemort regaining full power, was just too terrible to contemplate.

Mrs. Figg found her attention wandering again, as Dumbledore was interrupted by yet another question. Obviously, some of the people here were hearing the story for the first time.

Discreetly, she peeked at the last sheet of parchment in the stack in front of her. Before she had flooed to Hogwarts from Surrey, she had cast a quick spell that would notify her when Harry's hand moved, and where it moved to. The information was supposed to appear on that sheet of parchment, but so far there had been nothing.

Arabella frowned lightly. It was ridiculously late, now. Something should have happened. Perhaps she had made a mistake with the spell in her haste to leave.

"...and those are the events before, during, and immediately following the last task of the TriWizard Tournament. If there are no further questions, we'll take a short break, then we can re-convene and discuss our options." Albus Dumbledore paused, and looked around the meeting table. His blue eyes twinkled with amusement as he watched Arabella Figg practically leap from her seat, and make a beeline for the fireplace. "Are you leaving us, Arabella?"

The witch turned to face him, her hand already full of floo powder. "I just need to check something, Albus. Won't be a moment." She threw the glittering powder into the fireplace, and was gone in a flash.

Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, and Arthur Weasley traded glances. "What's she on about?" Sirius wondered aloud, as the three men moved closer to the fireplace.

Remus shrugged. "I don't know, but I think something may be up," he said with a concerned frown. Arabella had been unusually tense during the first part of the meeting. It showed in her body language, and her scent.

Sirius felt his anxiety rise up a notch. He had a healthy respect for Remus Lupin's werewolf senses. Several minutes ticked by in silence, as the three wizards waited for Belle to return. When the meeting attendees began wandering back to their seats at the table, Dumbledore strode over to the fireplace.

"Arabella Figg!" he called, throwing a handful of floo powder in the fireplace.

Mrs. Figg's head appeared in the fireplace almost immediately, but her attention seemed focused on the far wall. "Albus," she said tensely, "I think we may have a problem."

She spoke quietly, but Sirius caught what she said. Remus and Arthur had their ears pricked up as well.

"Harry hasn't arrived at his aunt and uncle's house yet," Arabella reported. "He's never been this late coming back from Kings Cross station."

Dumbledore frowned, then turned to Arthur Weasley. "Did Molly tell you when Harry's uncle arrived?"

"No, Headmaster." the red-haired wizard responded. "She just mentioned that he was over an hour late, and if he hadn't showed up when he did, she would have taken Harry home with her."

Albus nodded absently. "Arabella, do you know where Harry is now?"

The witch shook her head. "Not precisely. The clock still says 'Traveling.'" Before anyone could respond, she bristled defensively. "I know it doesn't appear to be a cause for alarm, but he's never been this late before, and I don't like it!"

Dumbledore held up a pacifying hand. "No one is accusing you of being alarmist, Belle. I am merely trying to gather all available facts."

"I apologize, Albus, I just feel a little edgy--wait! It's moving!" Arabella watched expectantly as Harry's clock hand rotated until it was resting on "4 Privet Drive." She turned back to the fireplace, beaming. "He's there. He's safe."

Her words broke the tension that had begun to build. Sirius released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and traded relieved grins with Albus, Remus and Arthur.

"Headmaster? Are we ready to continue?" Severus Snape, the Hogwarts Potion Master asked, as he approached the group by the fireplace. He jumped back when the fire blazed, and Arabella Figg tumbled out.

"Of course, Severus," Dumbledore said, leading the way back to the conference table. "Mrs. Figg was concerned because Mr. Potter had not been taken back to his relatives' home. He only arrived just now."

"I fail to see the cause for alarm," Snape sneered dismissively. He stopped when he noticed Arabella and Sirius glaring at him. "I merely meant, Potter's family probably took him out to the muggle cinema, or some other inane distraction to distract him from his recent misfortune," he clarified. When the others stared at him like he'd grown another head, the potion master grew irritated. "Albus wrote the boy's family did he not?" he demanded, as he and the others followed Dumbledore back to the meeting table.

"Harry's aunt and uncle don't usually take him out," Belle growled softly as they reached their destination, her hand itching to slap the superior smirk off the other wizard's face.

"I apologize for the delay," Dumbledore said as they rejoined the others at the table. "Severus has some information for us, then we will entertain suggestions on the best way to proceed."

Snape stood up at his place, and scowled at the others around the table. "I have been successful in contacting Voldemort, and am working on getting back into his inner circle. He does not trust me yet, so I do not know his plans, but he has tasked me to make a strong memory potion..."

As Arabella listened to Snape's report, she relaxed. As much as she hated to admit it, he was probably right. Since it as the weekend, Vernon could have brought his entire family to London for the day. After collecting Harry at the station, they could have had plans before returning home. While it wasn't a usual circumstance, the Dursleys had been known to take young Potter out on occasion, especially when she wasn't available to look after him. They'd taken him along on their outing to the zoo a few years ago, after all.

At any rate, Harry was safely back at Privet Drive, and as soon as she completed one more mission she would be back in Surrey as well. I'll check on him as soon as I get back, she promised herself, as she picked up her wand and quietly canceled the notifying charm. I'll invite him to tea, or ask Petunia if he can run an errand for me. Mollified for now, she put her wand away, and returned her attention to the meeting.

Unnoticed, in her little house in Little Whinging, Surrey, the locator clock hand marked "Harry Potter" moved to "Wisteria Walk," then "Traveling," before finally coming to rest on "Unknown".