"I don't like him very much." whispered Fleur quietly, her voice laced with anger, "I don't like him at all."
Harry and Fleur sat upon the two swings within the park of Magnolia Road, the latter hidden by the invisibility cloak of the former. The evening was steadily approaching; the scent of supper permeated through the air. Many children were being taken home by their parents for dinner now.
A few, however, were not yet in a rush to return home. The majority of these children were of the older sort, for only they were allowed to stay out at such a time. A few older boys and girls were littered around the park, doing whatever it was that muggle teenagers normally did.
Harry personally wasn't paying much attention to them for two reasons in particular. The first was that Harry happened to recognize the majority of these children, and they were not memories that he held with much fondness. As for the other reason -
"I didn't do anything, alright?"
Wham.
The other reason was Dudley.
Over the last few years, it had finally dawned on Dudley that he could no longer continue his favourite sport of 'Harry Hunting', or any similar activities. He had initially believed that Harry, no longer residing within Hogwarts, was therefore not allowed to use magic, and would never dare to do otherwise.
The fiasco with Aunt Marge, however, had seemingly caused Dudley to rethink his initial conclusion. It had apparently become clear to Dudley that just because Harry wasn't allowed to use magic didn't mean Harry couldn't if he wanted to.
That, combined with the fact that Harry hadn't gotten in the slightest bit of trouble for blowing up their aunt, had effectively put a stop to Dudley's optimistic views. It was with great reluctance that Dudley finally decided to switch targets.
Dudley's friends were not particularly pleased with the change of events. From what Harry had gathered (thanks to spending the majority of his time at Privet Drive within the park), they were almost beginning to miss Harry, what with how little they had seen him over the last several years.
Dudley, however, had firmly put his foot down, and not because he respected Harry. He, having seen what Harry could do firsthand, was scared of Harry.
How the tables turn.
Harry had decided against informing the boy that the Ministry of Magic would not be as forgiving as they had been in the past, should he ever use underage magic again. After all, what was the point? He could still use magic, just not with a wand. Besides, it was a matter of safety - both his and Dudley's.
But mostly Dudley's.
The sound of roaring laughter pulled Harry from his thoughts.
Lying sprawled on the ground were two boys, both of whom were significantly smaller than Dudley and his gang. The park was quiet now; only a dozen or so people were present now, and all of them were watching Dudley, his gang, and the two boys with interest.
Harry felt a significant burst of annoyance flood through him as he observed those nearby. Many of them - mostly girls, Harry noticed, although a few of them were boys as well - seemed to have a bit of sympathy lingering upon their expressions.
Yet they did nothing. They merely stayed where they were, unwilling to step in and help.
It felt far too familiar for Harry to ignore, and, judging by the intense heat from the left of him, Fleur agreed.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
The sound of Harry's faux-applause echoed through the park, causing Dudley and the others to turn towards him. Both Dudley and his many friends appeared quite shocked, although Harry knew it was for very different reasons.
"Beat up another ten year old, Diddykins?" asked Harry tauntingly, anger getting the better of him, "You really are the definition of bravery, aren't you?"
A muscle in Dudley's jaw twitched, though the boy said nothing.
He's getting better at keeping his cool.
"Potter?" said one of the boys by Dudley's side - Piers Polkiss, if Harry remembered correctly.
"In the flesh."
Piers, along with many of Dudley's friends, cracked his knuckles fiercely, a smile forming on his face.
"Well isn't this great?" said Piers with a chuckle, "It's been a while, Potty."
"Keep them in check, Diddy." said Harry, his eyes on Dudley, "You know what'll happen if you don't."
Dudley paled significantly, though his friends did not seem to notice. They continued to inch closer, slowly making their way towards Harry.
"You're not nearly this brave at night, you know?" said Dudley, causing his friends to pause.
"What are you on about?"
"I heard you in your room last night," said Dudley. Harry had to commend him on either his bravery or stupidity, whichever it was, "Talking in your sleep. 'No, not Cedric! Mum, dad, no!' Miss them already? At least Ceddy's joined them, they won't be so lonely anymore -"
Sizzle.
"Bloody hell!"
Harry and Dudley both turned to the left. The grass to the side of where Piers stood just moments ago had caught fire, slowly burning away into nothingness. Piers himself was stomping upon the grass, desperately trying - and succeeding, thankfully - at putting the fire out.
"What are you playing at?" said Dudley, his voice slightly panicked, "What are you playing at? Mum and dad, they won't let you, you can't do that -"
Harry turned to the side, his eyes momentarily landing upon the place where Fleur sat. He could smell the smoke, it was practically wafting from her hands. The fire within her was intense, exuding power Harry had seldom felt from such a short distance.
Just as quickly as it had come, the heat vanished, instead replaced by a chilly feeling of despair that lingered within the air. The clouds within the sky grew larger and darker, obscuring the sky from view. A light rain began to trickle down upon the occupants of Little Whining, glittering like ice as they fell upon the Earth's surface.
"W-what are you doing?" stuttered Dudley, no longer bothering to hide the fear in his voice, "S-stop it!"
"I'm not doing anything!"
The winds began to pick up now, the children within the park now begging to run away. Dudley, however, stood exactly where he was, ignoring the calls of his friends as they ran away.
"C-cut it out, will you?" pleaded Dudley, "I'm s-sorry about your p-p-parents, alright, it was t-to f-far -"
"I said I'm not doing anything!" roared Harry, "We can't do this stuff, you idiot!"
It was true, to some extent. Maybe he could, if he truly tried - but not to such an extent, and not for this long. That would change in the future, he would make sure of it - but this was not him, this could not be him -
"Dementors." breathed Fleur in both fear and anger, "The ministry!"
"We need to go." said Harry, grabbing Fleur's hand from under the invisibility cloak, "We need to leave, now!"
He and Fleur quickly ran after Dudley, who had seemingly found enough sense to run away from the coldness. The feeling barely weakened, however; the dementors were following them.
Wham.
Harry and Fleur both fell to the ground, the latter still covered by the invisibility cloak. Harry slowly raised his head, groaning all the while. He could hear Dudley plundering away from them, clearly trying to escape the cold.
"I am going to kill him." seethed Fleur as she helped Harry off the ground, "I am going to roast that filthy pig, and feed the remains to Hedwig -"
"He must have thought it was me." panted Harry, his eyes watering.
"Cretin." muttered Fleur, "But I shall kill him later. Right now, we need to leave."
"We can't even use magic." realized Harry, "If we do, the ministry will screw me over."
Fleur opened her mouth to respond but froze before the words could leave her mouth.
Shit, they're getting closer.
Harry and Fleur sprinted across Magnolia Road, neither daring to look back. The rain continued to pour down, the clouds above having now grown in both size and strength. The rain that poured from the sky was relentless, splashing violently against their skin.
Yet Harry and Fleur continued to run, sprinting across the mud and soil as they made their way towards the tunnel that connected Magnolia Road to Privet Drive. It was slowly becoming harder to do so, what with the violence of the wind that fought them with a relentless onslaught.
Creak.
The light of the streetlamp just metres before them suddenly dimmed, the glass of the object slowly becoming encased within a thin shield of ice. The same happened to the streetlamp before that, and the one before that, and the one before that.
Slowly but surely, Magnolia Road was purged by darkness and ice.
A sudden warmth overcame Harry, originating from his left. Fleur, who was no longer under the invisibility cloak (which she had pocketed after Dudley had knocked them over), held a bright blue flame within her palm. It warmed Harry up tremendously, both physically and mentally.
The pair pushed forward, continuing their dash from the dementors. They soon entered the tunnel, their hurried footsteps echoing quite audibly around them. Water fell from their bodies, trickling down onto the concrete floor of the tunnel before suddenly freezing, yet neither Fleur nor Harry paid any mind.
Come on now, we're almost at the other side. Just thirty feet . . . twenty-five . . . twenty . . . fifteen . . . ten, no -
Floating towards them from the entrance of the tunnel was a dementor, its ancient hood billowing in the breeze, one that the dementor itself had created.
"Harry." whispered Fleur, her hand wrapped tightly around his own, "We need to use magic."
Harry hastily pulled out his new wand, trying his hardest not to drop it as he pointed it at the dementor floating towards them. Fleur did the same, her wand pointed towards the dementor behind them.
"Expecto Patronum!"
A thin, silvery wisp of magical vapor shot from the tip of his wand, halting the dementor. But the form was not corporeal, his memories were not strong enough -
"Expecto Patronum!"
The vapor grew stronger, the magic swirling more powerfully now, yet the coldness of the dementor was too powerful; Harry could not think of something happy, he could not remember.
A chilling voice echoed through his head, one that he had begun to hear quite often as he slept restlessly through many nights -
"Harry, mama loves you . . . dada loves you . . . Harry, be safe . . . be strong . . ."
"No." Harry muttered, his wand arm lowering as his vision blurred, "No, no, no . . ."
" . . . so loved . . ."
"Harry!" yelled a voice from behind him, one laced with love and concern.
Harry lifted his wand once more, pointing it directly at the dementor before him.
"Expecto Patronum!"
An enormous form erupted from the tip of Harry's wand, sprinting towards the dementor. Its mouth opened, revealing several large, sharp teeth - all of which clamped down upon the dementor's cloak.
The dementor let out a loud screech, trying in vain to escape the Patronus' powerful bite. It finally succeeded, flying away like an umbrella lost in the wind.
Harry stood where he was, panting slightly as his eyes finally landed upon his Patronus. It was not a stag - it was far too large in size for that to be the case. It was majestic, a beautiful creature that exuded power and strength.
"Harry?"
Harry turned around. Fleur stood behind him, the dementor she had faced off against having seemingly retreated. Her lioness Patronus stood by her side, its eyes on something behind Harry.
"What?"
Fleur pointed at something behind him, causing Harry to spin around.
His Patronus was walking towards them, its silvery mane shining light upon the dark tunnel.
A lion.
The creature slowly made its way towards Fleur's Patronus, pausing less than a foot away from the silvery lioness. It stood there for a moment, the eyes of the two creatures meeting, before they came closer, rubbing their heads together in an affectionate manner.
"Harry," began Fleur, her eyes slightly watery, "You know what it means when your Patronus changes, right?"
"Yeah." breathed Harry, "Yeah, I do."
Fleur slowly made her way towards him, gently placing her lips against his own. A few tears fell upon the tunnel floor, yet unlike the raindrops from before, they did not freeze. When Fleur finally pulled back, an ethereal smile was etched upon her features.
The pair watched as the two Patronuses embraced one another, their silvery forms slowly fading into nothingness.
It was Fleur who finally snapped herself and Harry back into the present.
"We need to go." she said suddenly, her hand tightening around Harry's, "The ministry and Dumbledore, they'll know - we need to go."
"Hedwig!" whispered Harry.
An angelic white phoenix appeared in a flash of violet flames, her beady eyes trained upon Harry. Harry quickly turned back to Fleur.
"They can't link you to this, can they?"
"Non." said Fleur, "Nor can they truly link this to you. But you are the only magical within the area, this will be a very hard case to fight -"
She paused suddenly, her eyes landing upon Harry's wand.
"Does anyone else know about your new wand?" she asked quickly.
"No. Just you, me, and Ollivander."
"And you have the remains of your old wand, non?"
"Yes, but -"
Harry's eyes suddenly widened, his mind having finally connected the dots.
"Here," began Harry, hastily handing his wand to Fleur, "Go back to France. Hedwig will take me to you the first chance I get. She can stay with you for now."
Fleur nodded hastily, quickly kissing Harry goodbye. She then turned to Hedwig, who suddenly burst into flames. She and Fleur glowed violet for a moment before suddenly vanishing from view.
Harry stood still for a moment, watching the place where Fleur and Hedwig had just been. A second later, Hedwig returned. She landed gracefully upon Harry's shoulder, her head rubbing affectionately against his own.
There was a blast of violet flames, obscuring everything from view. They flickered for a moment, eventually vanishing to reveal Harry's room within number four, Privet Drive.
"Here," said Harry, handing Hedwig a strip of bacon from the plate that lay upon his desk, "I dunno what'll happen next, but I'll call you when I can. Stay with Fleur, alright?"
Hedwig hooted in acknowledgement before vanishing in a whirl of violet flames.
Harry turned around, allowing himself to fall onto his bed with poorly concealed annoyance. He was back to square one now. He didn't have a wand anymore. He could see Hedwig or Fleur. Seeing Salazar was out of the question entirely.
Harry had been lucky that no one had been properly watching him over the summer, but his luck was now spent; he wouldn't be surprised if Fudge himself showed up at his door, demanding to snap his wand.
A wand I don't have anymore.
Harry's eyes were glued to the clock, watching as time slowly ticked by. The minute hand was agonizingly slow, taking what felt like hours to move but a mere inch.
Someone should be here by now, someone should -
Tap.
Harry turned to his window, unsurprised to find a large screech owl tapping impatiently upon the window. Tied to its left leg was a letter, one which carried the official seal of the Ministry of Magic.
Harry hastily rolled the window up, allowing the owl to hop inside. He quickly pulled the envelope off, tearing it apart as he pulled the letter out and began to read.
'Dear Mr. Potter,
We have received intelligence that you performed the Patronus Charm twice this evening in a Muggle-inhabited area (first at twenty-three past nine, second at twenty-four past nine).
The severity of this breach of the Degree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery has resulted in your expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ministry representatives will be calling at your place of residence shortly to destroy your wand.
As you have already received an official warning for a previous offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Wizards' Statute of Secrecy, we regret to inform you that your presence is required at a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry of Magic at 9 A.M. on August 12th.
Hoping you are well,
Yours sincerely,
Mafalda Hopkirk
IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE
Ministry of Magic'
Harry fell back onto his bed, resisting the urge to set the letter alight. It certainly could have been worse, as Harry could, for the most part, provide reasonable excuses for his previous underage magic.
It had been Dobby who had used a Levitation Charm in his second year, and Harry was fairly certain that the elf would admit to it if asked. Although Harry had been the one to blow up Aunt Marge, Fudge had granted him a full pardon for that offense - they no longer could use the event against him.
As for tonight . . . well, Harry didn't exactly have a working wand on him. All he had was the snapped wand, which was currently hidden within his trunk, stashed away with all his other belongings. Nobody knew about his new wand, and not even Fudge would claim that Harry had used the Patronus Charm without a wand.
I couldn't do it if I tried. Not yet, and not for a long time.
Harry slowly made his way over to his trunk, pulling out the remnants of his old wand. The wood was broken into two, just barely held together by the tail feather of Caladrius. There was no longer any magic within it, nor was there any magic surrounding it.
Sighing, Harry returned the wand to his pocket. Should the ministry show up, it would be for the best that he at least had a wand to present.
Harry turned his eyes back to the clock, watching as time continued to pass at the speed slower than Harry thought possible. Barely anything of interest occurred during the half hour that he lay there, waiting for someone or something to come to him.
Dudley had returned a few minutes after the ministry letter had arrived, although thankfully the boy had not been particularly loud. Harry doubted that would have been the case had Dudley actually encountered the dementors, but he would not complain about something that worked in his favour.
And so Harry continued to lie upon his bed, waiting for something - anything - of significance to happen.
Tap.
"Again?" muttered Harry as he made his way towards the window once more. Another owl sat perched upon his windowsill, waiting just as impatiently as its predecessor.
Harry yanked the window open, taking the envelope from the owl and ripping it apart to read the letter within.
'Dear Mr. Potter,
Further to our letter approximately thirty-four minutes ago, the Ministry of Magic had revised its decision to destroy your wand forthwith. You may retain your wand until your disciplinary hearing on 12th August, at which time an official decision will be taken.
Following discussions with the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Ministry has agreed that the question of your expulsion will also be decided at that time. You should therefore consider yourself suspended from school pending further inquiries.
With best wishes,
Yours sincerely,
Mafalda Hopkirk
IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE
Ministry of Magic'
A spark of electricity from Harry's palm set the paper on fire, not that Harry particularly cared. The letter had not told Harry anything he could not have easily seen coming from a mile away.
Dumbledore helping, although not necessarily ideal, was certainly a good thing. Despite the caution Harry had with anything involving the man, he knew better than to deny his aid at such a time.
Tap.
"What now?" Harry snapped impatiently, turning back to the window.
A large black owl sat upon the windowsill, carrying what appeared to be a quick message scrawled hurriedly upon a piece of parchment. Harry quickly took the parchment from the owl, reading it carefully. The letter was divided in two, each portion carrying a message from a different person.
'Harry,
Just heard what happened, we're working on getting you out of it. Don't worry about the ministry, just stay safe.
Love,
Tonks'
Harry quickly folded the parchment, turning to read the second message.
'Dear Harry,
Dumbledore just told the Order what happened. Do not leave the house again.
Snuffles'
Harry pocketed the parchment before sinking back into his bed. Hastily pulling the sheets over his shivering body, Harry fell asleep.
The days that followed at number four, Privet Drive, were easily the worst Harry had endured over the past summer. The time had, for the most part, been spent within his room, watching the hands of the clock slowly spin. He had not left the house; in fact, the only time he so much as left his room was to use the bathroom or to get food.
He did, however, continue to receive issues of the Daily Prophet. There was no mention of the dementors within the article, however, though that did not particularly surprise Harry. After all, it would be very bad for the ministry if Harry got off, especially after feeding seemingly false information to the Daily Prophet.
That, however, was the extent of the limited freedom that Harry still possessed. He could no longer risk calling Hedwig without risking her safety, nor could he visit Fleur or Salazar. He could feel that Hedwig was fine, and was sure that Fleur was too - but it was still rather annoying, not being able to see it with his own eyes.
At least I know Salazar isn't going anywhere.
At this point, Harry wasn't even sure about that. He and Fleur had both noticed how the ancient portrait had seemed rather lethargic as of late, no longer keeping up with his usual sarcastic manner as much as he once used to. It was something Harry would have to look into once he had the chance, no doubt.
There was more than just that, however, that was poking at Harry's side. Ever since the night of the third task, Harry had been suffering from minor nightmares, something which was slowly starting to become more and more common. Harry could practically hear his mother's voice, echoing affectionately in his ears.
It took just about all of his control not to spend all of his time sleeping. He was spending most of his time in solitude now; the loving voice of his mother was certainly not something he was opposed to hearing.
Still, she was gone, and would forever remain that way.
It's like Dumbledore says, "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." One of the few things Dumbledore has said that Salazar fully agrees with.
Now, however, it was nearing night time, and Harry had nothing to do but dream. He lay impatiently upon his bead, watching as the last rays of sunlight finally faded from view.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
"What?" questioned Harry tiredly, turning to face his closed door.
"We're going out." said Uncle Vernon smugly from the other side.
"Right," replied Harry dully, rolling in his bed, "You do that then."
"You are not to leave your room while we are gone." Vernon said sternly, "I am going to lock your door now."
"Right." said Harry, his eyes upon the ceiling.
Harry heard the tinkling of metal as Uncle Vernon locked the door. The man coughed before making his way downstairs, no doubt joining his wife and son. Harry turned his head back to his pillow, falling fast asleep.
"You're so loved." the woman whispered, her voice overcome with emotion, "So -"
Crash.
"Ouch!"
Harry jumped up in his bed, his hand moving to his bedside table to grasp his wand. He found nothing awaiting him on his bedside table. Harry blinked in confusion before his eyes widened; he suddenly remembered what had happened many weeks ago.
Harry slowly retracted his hand, instead choosing to wipe the exhaustion from his eyes. He had been sleeping mere moments ago, he still remembered the dream he had been having. What had woken him up?
"Keep it down." whispered a voice from somewhere downstairs, "Best not to attract attention with these muggles."
"Relax, they're not even here." replied another voice, "We made sure of that, remember?"
"Doesn't matter." said the first voice, "You ought to remain vigilant."
Harry's jaw dropped. He happened to recognize both of those voices, the second one belonging to someone he hadn't seen in quite some time. There were others too, judging from the amount of noise Harry heard from downstairs.
The voices slowly got louder as their owners approached the staircase. Harry moved from the door, silently unlocking it with a wave of his hands. Harry slowly moved through the doorway, silently making his way towards the edge of the stairs.
"Lumos!"
Nearly a dozen voices echoed through the house, the hallway suddenly basked in light. Harry looked from one person to the next, his eyes widening as they landed upon the last.
"Wotcher, Harry." said Tonks, her eyes wide with surprise.