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Chapter Eight: Descent of the Dursleys.

The two bodyguards exchanged looks before pointing their guns towards Dumbledore and his fellow members of the Order of Phoenix.

“Now, I’m afraid there is no need for violence, if you would just come along quietly and surrender Harry and Remus to me,” declared Dumbledore, a twinkle in his eye but Harry noticed that he had his hand on his wand.

“Well, you see, the boss wouldn’t like that much,” declared Antonio. “I assume you’re Dumbledore.”

“You would assume correctly,” said Dumbledore calmly.

“Then, we have orders to shoot you on sight if you meddle in the plans of our boss,” declared Antonio as the bodyguard pointed their guns right next to the crooked nose of Albus Dumbledore, who to his credit didn’t back down. “Besides, I don’t think Harry wants to come with you.

“I am only concerned for the boy’s safety,” remarked Dumbledore, turning slightly to address Antonio. “He just got into a mild argument with his relatives and ran away, where he unfortunately ran into you. You could do the decent thing and let the boy go and I might help you get a reduced prison sentence.”

“Wait, my name’s Harry?” asked Harry in a tone of mock confusion. “I always thought it was boy or freak or you’ll never amount to anything and get yourself killed like your parents. At least that’s what Uncle Vernon always called me. Right before he abused me”

“The brat was obviously denied a toy or perhaps some sweats, so he is throwing a little tantrum by running away,” said Snape snidely, pointing his wand at Harry. “Someone who was spawned by the arrogance of James Potter would classify such as abuse. These Muggle mobsters shouldn’t be much of a problem to modify and we can drag the boy back to his relations.”

“That will be sufficient Severus,” said Dumbledore, as the other members of the Order of the Phoenix stood in the background.

“Dumbledore, I’m a sporting man so I’ll give you and your little associates two minutes to leave us, or I’ll give the word to open fire,” declared Antonio, who now had a gun pointed right at Snape.

Harry, meanwhile was taking advantage of the diversion by undoing the work done on the tires behind his back. It was putting a strain on his small body.

“Come Harry, you need to return to your relations, because as long as you call that place home, you’ll be safe,” declared Dumbledore kindly, hoping that the boy would hear reason.

“I don’t call that Number Four Privet Drive home and never will,” said Harry moodily and a look of horror began to appear on Dumbledore’s face, as he turned to members of the Order of the Phoenix.

“The protection will have dropped, we need to get the Dursleys to a safe location before the Ministry can find them,” remarked Dumbledore quickly before adding due to the inquisitive looks by the other members of the Order of the Phoenix. “By disowning the house of his aunt and uncle, Harry has knocked out the wards created to keep him safe.”

“The foolish brat did that on perhaps!” snapped Snape, angrily. “Just as arrogant as his father was…”

“Snape, he is just a child,” replied a female member of the Order in a fretful voice but Snape seemed beyond reason, muttering curses under his breath, directed towards James Potter.

“Hit the gas,” hissed Harry, as the Order of the Phoenix argued amongst themselves, with most of them wanting to hex Snape, with Dumbledore trying to vainly maintain confusion.

The bodyguard that was driving hit the gas, speeding away from Dumbledore, who sent a pair of light curses towards the car, trying to stop it rather than wreck it but both of his attacks bounced off.

Harry slumped back on the seat, breathing heavily with sweat dripping down his face.

“Harry, are you okay?” asked Remus.

“I’ll be fine after I lay down for a few hours,” said Harry weakly. “I put a powerful shield charm over the car, should repel most of what Dumbledore could do, including tracking charms.”

“Putting a shield charm over an object is very advanced magic, Auror level in the Ministry,” replied Remus lightly.

“Yes, I realize that,” replied Harry weakly. “It’s also extremely draining on a six year old who shouldn’t even really be doing much beyond a few small bits of emotionally charged accidental magic.”

Harry paused, before answering the unasked question.

“I’ll be fine,” declared Harry calmly. “I just need bed rest, fluids, and I’ll be on my feet, faster than you can say Snivellus is a greasy git.”

Vernon Dursley had seen better days for sure. His meddlesome nephew had caused him to lose his job and it seemed the details of his terminate was spread to all of the businesses in the area that he might have been qualified. Vernon grunted as he had a half finished bottle of beer in his hand, his eyes glazed over, having not bathed for days. His wife Petunia and son Dudley had wisely kept their distance from him, as Vernon had snapped at them since the boy left.

Vernon looked up as the front door blasted open and a group of Ministry of Magic Aurors appeared the entrance, lead by the current head of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch.

“Ministry of Magic!” barked Crouch, as a pair of Aurors pointed their wands at Vernon.

“Vernon, what is going on?” asked Petunia but more Aurors moved to secure Petunia, who began to realize what is happening.

“Freaks, the whole lot of you, get the hell out of my home!” yelled Petunia but she found a pair of wands pointed just inches away from her throat.

“Vernon and Petunia Dursley, you are wanted in the disappearance of Harry James Potter!” thundered Crouch in a loud voice. “You are also charged for reckless endangerment and abuse of a magical child. If convicted, you will be sentenced to the Dementor’s Kiss for your crimes against the Magical World.”

“D-d-d-ementor’s Kiss!” shrieked Petunia in a horrified voice, knowing fully well exactly what Dementors were but Crouch ignored her stammering.

“Show us the child’s room,” ordered Crouch and Petunia’s knees began to shake in horror of what was to come.

“Listen here, you can’t just walk into my house and flaunt your abnormalities!” yelled Vernon, his face turning purple. “I have half the mind to call the….”

“Silence, Muggle,” declared one of the Aurors causing a jet of sparks to bounce off of Vernon’s face in warning.

This would have caused Vernon to stop, but unfortunately for the oafish man, alcohol played a role in his next decision. Vernon reached his beefy hands to the throat of the Auror, managing to throttle him for a brief second. A stunning spell ended any feeble attempt for an attack by Vernon Dursley, as Vernon dropped to the ground, shaking the house.

“Lead us to young Mr. Potter’s room, now!” declared Crouch in a forceful voice and Petunia slowly turned on the spot, hastening to obey, walking forward a short distance, before shakily pointing towards the Cupboard under the stairs.

“He lived right there,” said Petunia, afraid of what was going to happen to her, Vernon, and Dudley once these Ministry of Magic people inspected the cupboard.

Crouch tapped the cupboard door with his wand and it swung open. Several of the Aurors moved in to look closely. The cupboard looked as if it was the only part of the house that had never been cleaned. It was filthy with several tattered pieces of clothing strewed about and a small dried up puddle of what appeared to be blood. Crouch jabbed his wand at the dried up puddle and it glowed a bright green, indicating that it was in fact the blood of a magical person that was spilled in this cupboard at one point.

“Were you aware Mrs. Dursley that the abuse of a magical child by Muggles carries a severe penalty?” asked Crouch.

“It wasn’t my fault!” yelled Petunia angrily. “Dumbledore threatened me, saying that I had to take my sister’s son or…or…”

Petunia’s throat became suddenly dry and found herself unable to communicate what Dumbledore asked.

“Lily would have never wanted him to come here anyway, she knew my distaste for her lot, but he forced him on us, threatening us!” yelled Petunia quickly, once her voice returned.

“That still gives you no call for abusing a magical child,” declared Crouch coldly. “Your husband will be given the Dementor’s Kiss and you will be asked to testify against Albus Dumbledore, as he has violated the last will and testament of the Potters by placing their young son in your care. In the meantime, a high security cell in Azkaban will be your new home.”

“What about my son?” asked Petunia in a small voice. “What about Dudley?”

“Do you or your husband have any relations that he can be sent to?” asked Crouch curtly.

“My husband’s sister, Marge,” said Petunia in a small voice.

“Modify the boy’s memory, making him believe his parents died in an automobile accident and find this Marge Dursley, so she can take the proper custody of the Dursley boy!” barked Crouch to a pair of Aurors, who quickly moved off to search the house for Dudley Dursley. “We’ll take this filth the Ministry.”

The Aurors dragged the unconscious body of Vernon out the door and Petunia reluctantly joined the Aurors, looking fearfully up the stairs over her shoulder.

“Hurry up!” barked Crouch, wanting to get these Muggles safely to Azkaban before Dumbledore saw it fit to interfere.

Recent events could have not gone better for one Bartemius Crouch. Up until this Harry Potter scandal, he was on the verge of being removed as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, due to the fallout of the debacle a couple of years ago involving his son being caught with the Lestranges. Now, he could bring in the magic intolerant Muggles who had abused the Boy-Who-Lived, thus endearing himself to the people of the Magical World. Crouch realized he had to play this game carefully, as this was his last chance to make a play to become Minister of Magic, leapfrogging over Cornelius Fudge, who appeared to be the favorite to get the job next. It didn’t matter who he stepped on towards his goal. Crouch could care less about what happened to Harry Potter in the long run. All he cared about was about achieving his lofty ambitions and ruling the Wizarding World with an iron fist as the next Minister of Magic.

In the Riverfront Hotel, Harry looked bit weary and tired, after the escape from Dumbledore and members of the Order of the Phoenix the previous evening. He leaned on a chair, sipping on the tea that he had been brought up to him. It would be a couple of days yet before Harry’s body fully recovered by the extremely advanced magic that he was forced to do in order to narrowly escape from Dumbledore. Harry felt right now as if he had a mild case of the flu.

Harry’s head jerked up slightly at the sound of a knock on his door.

“Come in,” replied Harry and the door opened to reveal Sirius and Remus entering the room. Sirius shut the door behind him. “Ah, Sirius, Remus, how are you two today?”

“Fine, Harry, but you still look like hell after yesterday,” replied Sirius.

“Feel like it too actually, but I don’t think Dumbledore expected us to slip away from him like that,” replied Harry.

“He still thinks you and I are victims of a kidnapping by the members of your mob,” declared Remus.

“It’s better he thinks that, otherwise he might start thinking a bit too hard about the circumstances of my departure from the Dursleys,” said Harry. “The same Dursleys that I might add that Dumbledore still wants me to return to.”

“Actually, that’s the reason why we came up here, Harry,” said Sirius.

“I’m afraid I’m not following you,” answered Harry a bit of a confused voice.

“What Sirius means is that it is highly unlikely Dumbledore will be able to send you back to the Dursleys when the Ministry is through with them,” remarked Remus lightly, handing a Daily Prophet to Harry. “Have a look for yourself.”

Harry took the copy of the latest Daily Prophet, looking at the headline on the front page of the paper

Abusive Relatives of Harry Potter Brought to Justice

By Rita Skeeter

The mysterious disappearance of Harry Potter has been foremost on the mind of everyone in the Magical Community. No new information was released on the case since the day that Lucius Malfoy had requested to adopt Harry Potter but shocking information had come to light that Lord Malfoy had been a follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named before the procedure could be finalized. Ever since the arrest of Malfoy, no new information has come to light on one of the most baffling incidents to hit the Wizarding World since the height of terror of the reign of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. That is until the officially Ministry of Magic report detailing the arrests of Vernon and Petunia Dursley were released in the early hours of the morning.

In an odd occurrence, the Ministry had trouble locating the Dursleys, until a large burst of magical energy around their residence signaled a ward of some sort collapsing. This reporter could not even begin to guess the reasons why wards protecting the Dursleys from being found by the Ministry were erected around the premises and as I write, Ministry of Magic Officials are holding their own investigations on the appearance and disappearances of said wards.

Aurors were quick to respond to the spike of magic, in the general area where the Ministry had records of location of the Boy-Who-Lived. Lead by the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Bartemius Crouch, they quickly surrounded the two adult Dursleys. A drunken Vernon Dursley attempted to maim one of the Aurors through Muggle methods but was promptly subdued. At the request of Crouch, Petunia Dursley led the Aurors and Crouch to where Harry Potter slept, a foul smelling, rat-infested cupboard that looked as if it had not been cleaned in years. As Crouch prepared to order for the Dementor’s Kiss on both Dursleys, Petunia broke in with a sob story, claming that “he” had forced her to take in Harry Potter, under threats that Mrs. Dursley was unable to speak of, due to magic preventing her from doing so.

The “he” in question was of course Albus Dumbledore. Yes, the same Albus Dumbledore who I reported had sent the young defeater of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named to his magical phobic Muggle relatives against the wishes of Lily and James Potter. (see page eight for other questionable decisions in recent years by Albus Dumbledore) Petunia said that she knew her sister would never have allowed Harry to be sent to live with her and Vernon. “Lily knew how we felt about her lot.” Yet, Harry Potter was sent to the Dursleys and lived in horrid conditions until he ran way recently.

What kind of man is Albus Dumbledore to allow Harry to live with filthy, alcoholic, magical hating Muggles? Many in the Wizengamont may be asking that question soon, Dumbledore will be asked to come before the Wizengamont to defend his actions. Several Ministry officials are calling for Dumbledore’s wand. The hearing is rumored to take place in the new year, as the Ministry wishes to collect further evidence before putting Dumbledore on trial for his handling of Harry Potter.

As for the Dursleys, Vernon Dursley was promptly given the Dementor’s Kiss for his role in the living arrangements of Harry Potter. Petunia Dursley will be asked to give information against Dumbledore when he goes before the Wizengamont before receiving a similar punishment. Her current whereabouts are listed as classified. Also, the son of Petunia and Vernon was sent to live with relations, with his memory modified to believe his parents had died in a car (a form of Muggle transportation) accident.

The Ministry of Magic is still searching desperately for Harry Potter and this reporter will bring to you more information as it comes out.

Harry broke out laughing weakly at the article.

“Rita’s not all too bad when she’s destroying the reputation of someone I’m not too fond of,” replied Harry, looking at the article with a smirk. “Truth was contorted slightly, but it’s not like she butchered anyone important. Just the Dursleys and Dumbledore.”

“And what if she decides to try to destroy the reputation of someone you’re fond of?” asked Sirius. “Or you, for that matter.”

“I’ll have to put her down with a can of Raid, naturally,” replied Harry in a cryptic voice, causing Sirius and Remus to exchange baffled looks. “Plus, the unintentional irony of Dudley being lied to about his parents dying in a car accident, when that was the same lie that the Dursleys used on me against my parents.”

Harry took a deep breath, looking oddly thoughtful for a six year old.

“The Ministry might keep Dumbledore in check by taking away his Dursleys card,” said Harry, taking a sip of his tea to stall for time. “But, I haven’t seen the last of Dumbledore.”

“You mean he might try something else,” said Remus.

“Dumbledore doesn’t know when he’s not wanted,” said Harry. “I’ve gotten on fine for years without him the first time around when he was killed. I’ve gotten along fine without him so far this time around. I don’t need or want his input.”

Harry took a bit a breath, reflecting on what he perceived to be a couple of the more important pieces of information that he read in the article.

“Still, the Dursleys getting the Dementor’s Kiss might cause a few other alterations with the timelines, and Crouch seems to have wormed his way into a chance for a nice little power play by bringing the evil Muggle relatives of the Boy-Who-Lived to justice, to raise his stature within the Ministry,” said Harry.

“If Crouch gains too much power, he could a problem,” said Sirius in a worried voice. “You know he has sent quite a few people to Azkaban for disagreeing him for him under the guise of being a Death Eater, without a trial.”

“Yes, Crouch could be a problem but I have an ace up my sleeve regarding him and what an ace it is, to keep him in line” said Harry casually causing Remus and Sirius to wonder what the young Potter boy had up his sleeve. “Enough about Barty, I need to go figure out a way to steal the Philosopher’s Stone, so I can just muddle the waters of the timeline even more.”

Peter Pettigrew busied himself digging a hole in the graveyard in Little Hangleton as the floating mist that was Lord Voldemort looked on. The Dark Lord had demanded that Wormtail dig up the graveyard of Tom Riddle Senior using the Muggle methods, just because he felt particularly evil on this day.

“Must, I do this the Muggle way, my Lord,” grunted Peter, as he shakily threw another shovel full of dirt into the air.

“Wormtail, you are to cease your complaining or there will be severe consequences,” hissed Voldemort angrily. “Quickly, before we are seen by Muggles. My father’s bones are essential for the ritual to be a success.”

Wormtail looked into the grave which had been completely dug up but there wasn’t a trace of any bones.

“My Lord, I’m afraid we might have a bit of a problem,” whimpered Wormtail. “Your fathers bones…well…they are…”

“Out with it, vermin,” declared Voldemort with an angry hissed that caused Wormtail to cower in fear.

“The bones aren’t here,” replied Wormtail meekly, in obvious fear of the Dark Lord’s reaction to this setback.

“What!” exclaimed Voldemort, the black mist glowing a deep shade of read, nearly blinding Wormtail. “That’s impossible.”

“I’m only telling you what I see Master,” declared Wormtail meekly before adding desperately. “Couldn’t you use the bones of another relative to complete the ritual?”

“No I cannot Wormtail!” snapped Voldemort angrily. “The ritual says clearly that it must be the bones of my father. No other relations will do”

Wormtail leaned against the gravestone, cowering against the spooky mist that was the Dark Lord.

“This is an unfortunate setback,” hissed Voldemort with regret. “However, there is more than one dark arts ritual to return myself to full power but I need capable minions to collect the items necessary to return to full power.”

“I’m here, my Lord, I’ll do anything that my Master asks of me, I humbly place myself at your service,” said Wormtail.

“I’ll make myself clear and indicate that I require competent minions to carry out this task, hissed Voldemort before thinking briefly. “Yes, yes, you can be of some use to me through Wormtail. Do you wish to serve Lord Voldemort no matter what?”

“Y-y-es,” stammered Wormtail

“Good, I require your body,” hissed Voldemort and Peter looked confused.

“M-my body,” stammered Wormtail

“Yes, I trust there is not a problem with that, Wormtail,” replied Voldemort calmly.

“No of course not, my Lord,” replied Wormtail. “I’ll let you into my heart, my body, and my soul, if it means it will assist your success.”

“Excellent Wormtail, just keep thinking that and before you know it, you’ll feel like a new man,” hissed Voldemort and the mist swirled around Wormtail, wrapping around his body before a loud squelching sound echoed throughout the graveyard.

The body of Peter Pettigrew dropped to the ground for a matter of minutes, registering the shock of such powerful magical inhabiting a not so powerful body. When the eyes flickered open, they were red slits and a very sinister smile contorted on the face of Wormtail, one that looked out of character for anyone who knew the rodent.

“The possession was a success,” hissed Voldemort, through Wormtail, as the Dark Lord used his body to get to his feet. The Dark Lord wasn’t too pleased with the shoddy structure he had to use to house his power but until he could complete the proper rituals, this solution would have to do until the items could be collected. A process that unfortunately would take months or even years to complete, but Voldemort had no other operations because someone had apparently either stolen or destroyed his father’s bones. They would pay the ultimate price when the Dark Lord found out about them “A few alterations to my personal appearance and I’ll be able to use this temporary solution to summon my forces and return to a body that would be better equipped for someone of my stature.”

Voldemort waved his wand, adding a few well placed charms to project a fearful aura around him, before pulling up his hood to obscure his face. Reaching towards Wormtail’s forearm, the Dark Lord pressed the Dark Mark, summoning his Inner Circle or whatever was left of him to his current location.

A few seconds later, a couple dozen pops echoed through the graveyard, as a combination group of Death Eaters that wormed their way out of Azkaban and those who had just recently broken out of Azkaban appeared in the graveyard, looking highly confused. That confusion turned to a mixture of fear and pleasant surprise depending on the Death Eater, they saw the hooded form of what they can only be their master.

“Welcome, my followers,” hissed Voldemort, as all the Death Eaters seemed unable to speak due to residual amounts of shock. “Lord Voldemort has called you all back to his service, as he requires your insistence for a crucial ritual that will spell the end to all that oppose us.”