12 Targeted
Atop the ancient, massive, and sprawling castle known as Hogwarts sat a number of towers, all reaching for the stars as if to display complete dominance over the surroundings. One of the least prominent, a mere shard protruding from one of the largest towers, however, was owned by one Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
An uncountable number of owls were wildly flying around the headmaster's tower in a frenzy to deliver their payload to the man himself. Why were they there and not in the owlery, or the Greathall, you may ask? Well, both locations had already been filled to the limit by the birds.
If that were not bad enough, the sheer panic of the delivery animals caused by the claustrophobic condition set about by the ridiculous number of them had caused many to evacuate their bowels, painting much of the locations in question the yellowed white of refuse.
The Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore himself was in such a tizzy at the news that he barely noticed the sound of heavy white 'raindrops' colliding against his window, so focused was he on the letter before him.
---
BOY-WHO-LIVED MISSING!?
By Rita Skeeter
Hello once again loyal readers of the Daily Prophet, unfortunately the usual pleasantries can wait as I'm sure you've all seen of gaudy title. It seems my earlier articles decrying Albus something-something Dumbledore were not entirely 'over-sensationalised tripe', as spoken by Professor Minerva McGonagall, Hogwarts Deputy Headmistress.
As many of you remember the war between the good peoples of Wizarding Britain and the Dark Lord You-Know-Who, which started February 1st, 1970, and finally ended October 31, 1981, due to the actions of a very famous, special, and now, missing boy.
We were all horrified to hear of the unfortunate deaths of James and Lily Potter, and conflictingly relieved and elated at the Dark Lord's defeat at the hands of Harry Potter. And I for one remember it as if it were yesterday when Albus Dumbledore assured us all that Harry Potter, the saviour of Wizarding Britain would be "taken care of with the most dear and loving care".
Yet, where is he now!?
Well! Where he should have been, where he'd been left by the addle-minded, dementia-ridden goat Albus Dumbledore. Harry Potter, contrary to what all the books would have you believe has been living with his Muggle relatives this entire time! Unfortunately, we'll never know what state his condition had been as their house had recently been burned down by reportedly 'Dark magic'!
This occurred just around the time of the 'Owl Incident', which claimed the lives of many family pets, all of which had attempted to send the Boy-Who-Lived letters as thanks for his public service!
The bones of Harry Potter's Muggle relatives had been found within the property, yet the boy himself is nowhere to be found! If he is not dead, I dearly hope a good samaritan took him in... Otherwise, the only other option is that a follower of the Dark Lord had taken him as revenge!
Tragic, horrific, and an outright abomination of justice! Yet! Who is responsible for this!? The only person who had any control of the situation of course! The wrinkled, lemon-sucking Albus Dumbledore!
I leave this question to you, Readers! Who else could possibly be responsible for this catastrophic tragedy that may see the greatest young wizard of our time dead before his prime!?
----
Albus sighs deeper into his chair as Fawkes does his best to cheer him up with melodic chirps. Unfortunately, any relief he could find in his companion was vastly overshadowed by the article's reception by the public.
The moment the rag hit their breakfast tables an apoplectic wizarding populace had dropped everything to write their grievances. Had he not erected an anti-howler ward he'd have likely been deafened by now.
Already an emergency Wizengamot Meeting had been called, and inquiries from the ICW calling for his position to be stripped were circling. Call wizards and witches what you wish, but they were quick to make their anger known.
All his investigations into Harry Potter's disappearance had come up empty, all his enchanted items, blood magics, and wards linked to the boy had all simultaneously been shattered on that fateful day. Even Tom Riddle wouldn't have been capable of it without months of planning, which is why he was so astounded and stupefied by the whole thing.
All of his plans concerning the boy and the prophecy referring to him had been upended. Torn into thousands of pieces and incinerated with liberal usage of Fiendfyre, or whatever the cursed flame that'd been used to burn down the Dursley's home had been.
Thank goodness the state of the boy's living conditions had been burned with his relatives, otherwise the current calls for his arrest would be attempts on his life instead. One did not facilitate the abuse of a mythical saviour child without severe repercussions.
Unfortunately, this left him with few options. He was sure the boy was dead at this point, but if he was not found within a year or two he'd have to alter his interpretation of the prophecy... If not Harry Potter, then the chosen child would have to be Neville Longbottom...
He sighs once more and decided to indulge himself with a calming-draft-infused lemon-drop candy on his desk, rolling it over his tongue and-
*Crash!*
Crunching it into fine powder at the sudden intrusion into his office.
"ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, YOU CANNE BE REAL ABOUT THIS!? SAY THAT IT'S NOT TRUE THAT LILY AND JAME'S BOY IS MISSING, OR SO HELP ME MERLIN I WILL HEX YOUR ARSE UNTIL YOU'RE SHITTIN' OUT THOSE ACCURSED MUGGLE SWEETS!" Minerva McGonagall erupts into half-Gaelic, half-English, and half-understandable curses. The Scottish witch appeared ready to chuck him out the window...
Following behind the manic witch was more of his staff, faces pale and suspicious. Professors Filius Flitwick, Pomona Sprout, and Severus Snape, though the latter appeared more disappointed and tired than anything.
"I'LL WRING YE' FROM YOUR BEARD IF YOU DON'T-... ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME, ALBUS!?" Minerva all but wails opposite his desk, manners and decorum all but forgotten as spittle collides with the Headmaster's face.
"P-Please calm yourself Minerva, if you'll allow me to just explai-"
"EXPLAIN!? YOU NEED TO TELL ME THAT HARRY POTTER ISN'T MISSING, THAT'S WHAT WANT!"
Filius steps to Minerva's side and quickly nods, "You told us he would be safe, what happened to all the protections you erected!? I looked at them myself! They should all still be functional!"
"Yes... Seldom do I agree with my colleagues, but this isn't something you can brush under the rug, Headmaster." Snape drawls, though the dark rings under his eyes speak to his own distress at the news...
Albus takes a breath and drops his spectacles to his desk, "Unfortunately, I'm as baffled as you all are. There were far more protections than even Filius here knew about, I'd even gone so far to lower myself to illegal blood wards to ensure his safety, yet some powerful witch or wizard destroyed everything in a single moment.
I hope I don't have to remind you all what power and planning this would take. Not even the Dark Lord would have been able. If this person had instead targeted Gringotts we'd be panicking over our destroyed economy." he folds the Daily Prophet to shield himself from its title. "I'd been keeping a close watch on young Harry, yet this person took the opportunity of my absence in an important Wizengamot meeting. I fear the one responsible has deep ties with the government..." he conspiratorily utters, shifting the blame elsewhere.
"T-that doesn't excuse your negligence, Albus! Harry shouldn't be missing at all! I had offered to take him in to my own home-"
"And you'd have died, like the Dursleys had, Minerva. Or do you think yourself powerful enough to compete with someone potentially above me and Voldemort?" he harshly retorts, taking in their grimaces at the Dark Lord's name.
"What could I have possibly done to avoid this? The only way I see even in hindsight would be to keep him under lock and key in a fidelius-protected property..." he scans their faces but only finds reluctant acceptance, all except Severus who was deep in thought, "I wished for him to have a proper childhood, away from the book signings, meetings, and drudgery that fame brings, away from a wizarding world that would fill his head with arrogance and nonsense.
A child's mind is fragile and easily manipulated. How long would it have been for someone to have taken advantage of him..." he lets out a breath and shakes his head, "Even had he been living inside the Auror's office this situation could not have been avoided."
"Then, let's get the Order back together and find the boy!" Filius exclaims.
"Under my current scrutiny?" Albus remarks, trying to keep derision out of his tone. "They would think I was attempting to form an army to rebel or some other silly notion. No. I will continue looking alone, and try to come out of the inquiries with my head attached to my neck. If any of you wish to search for him be my guest, just be wary of this third party that caused all of this."
...
"I-... I..." Minerva choked before breaking into a sob, Filius and Pomona quickly guided her from the office and left Snape alone with the Headmaster.
"Was anything you just said true...?" he slowly inquires.
Albus lets out a shuddering breath, "Much to my shame.
...
"Fix this, Albus." he grouses before turning and leaving, robe fluttering behind him.
...
"I don't think... This is something that can be fixed." Albus mutters.
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Within one of a dozen huts hidden in a forest somewhere around Eastern Europe a thin, dirty man hurriedly waves a paper as he makes his way through the room. Dimly lit by candles and lanterns, men and women, more young than not were tied up and bound, awaiting their doom on full moon.
"D-did you hear, Alpha!?" Joss exclaims and he looks upon a man standing above the captives, a truly hulking brute with a face half-mutated from indulging in his affliction. Greyback was a monster, one that any true Werewolf respected at the highest order.
"Hear what!?" the man growls through gritted, animalistic yellowed teeth, angry at behind interrupted from tormenting a young woman before her family...
"T-this!" Joss politely hands the paper, the Daily Prophet. "T-the Boy-Who-Lived is missing!"
...
"He is, is he..." Greyback mutters in thought, as a vicious grin splits his face.
------------------
The sound of locks being hastily disbarred, chains being released, and Patronus being cast to ward away Dementors sound in Padfoot's ears, the dog quickly turning back to man as many footsteps approach.
"Here he is, Minister." Veteran Auror Rufus Scrimgeour states before shining a Lumos light over Sirius' cell.
Millicent Bagnold peers inside, nose wrinkling at the smell of the bedraggled and emaciated man.
"Heh... Finally decided to give me a trial, have you...?" Sirius weakly jokes.
She snorts, "You have your time, Death Eater. No, we're here to find out what your friend have done with Harry Potter."
Sirius eyes light up at the mention of his godson, before quickly becoming dim at the implication of her words, "W-what... What did you just say?"
"Don't try and fool us, Black. Potter's missing and we're sure you have some part in it." Scrimgeour states.
"H-Harry... Missing...?" his heart pumps, "Harry's missing!?.... HARRY'S MISSING!?" he leaps to his feet and throws himself at the bars in a reckless and manic panic. "WHERE IS HE!? WHERE IS HARRY!? WHY HAVEN'T YOU DONE ANYTHING!? WHY-"
"Stupefy." Scrimgeour knocks black unconscious and turns to the Minister, "I doubt we'll find anything from him, Minister. The madness that runs in the Black family is infamous. We saw how ineffective Veritasium was on Bellatrix Lestrange." he shakes his head, "I doubt it's got any better with the Dementors, not that I believe he had anything to do with it anyway. A mad dog only plans to chase its tail, after all."
...
Millicent Bagnold lets out a huff and reluctantly nods, still somewhat shaken by the encounter, "Maybe the others will know something."
