DEAD?

The trees lushed and crushed as he forced his massive bulk through the constricting, deep woods. His enormous feet trudged and banged through the silken debris that last night's floodwaters had left behind. When his big body burst into the clearing, he was drenched in sweat and nearly tripped over the tangled roots beneath him.

"He is dead, Dumbledore, dead! I saw it meself."The giant's enormous chest heaved with a suppressed sob

"calm down hagrid"

The tall man perched on a log in the centre of the small clearing said as he hurriedly stood up. A black cat that had been accompanying him vanished, and in its place was a tall, stern-looking woman with piercing eyes and raven black hair knotted in an unruly bun.

"Hagrid, are you confident you weren't followed?" dumbledore asked, as his sparkling eyes concealed behind round glasses scanned the shadows behind the giant. Hagrid barely looked up, tears were now streaming from his eyes. "It doesn't matter, sir, does it? they have already killed him. "Poor Harry is dead," he sputtered as he broke down in sobs. Hagrid covered his sunken face with his large hands in an attempt to halt the torrent of tears but in vain.

After hearing Hagrid's response, the man addressed the woman seated next to him, "Help me scan the coast, Minerva." The lady nodded, and they both disappeared, leaving the giant grieving by himself in the clearing.

Before the woman came back, some time had gone. She rushed straight for the bewildered Hagrid, who was now sitting on the log. Professor McGonagall had never seen the giant so agitated before. let alone crying.

"Hagrid, are you sure of what you are saying?" McGonagall asked as she patted the giant's back.

"You might have interpreted the circumstances incorrectly," she added kindly.

"Can't be wrong professor," Hagrid puffed as he pulled a scruffy-looking rag from his pockets and blew his nose loudly. He rubbed his, hazy, eyes and added: "I heard the doctor say they could do nothin more and they wheeled his covered body ter the morgue."

McGonagall was ready to continue her questioning when a cracking echoed, and dumbledore materialized next to her. she turned to him instead.

Is the boy really gone, Albus? she asked in the vain hope that the answer would be no. however, the headmaster's eyes with their calm, unwavering gaze said it all. She knew Hagrid was correct. Harry had perished.

McGonagall felt her strength fail her, and her legs began to sag. "How could this be, you claimed that his mother's blood protected him as long as he stayed with his aunt. She asked, perplexed, as she sat down next to Hagrid."Curse them all," the tall witch said, burying her face in her hands. "He was only four years old".

Dumbledore was pacing slowly around the area, stroking his long beard in contemplation.

"He wasn't attacked at the privet drive, Minerva; the Dursleys took him on one of their picnics, away from that protection, and Mundungu, who was on watch, never alerted me," the headmaster said after a brief pause.

"According to the Dursleys," Dumbledore continued, "it was some muggle, probably a death eater in muggle clothes if you ask me, and they injected him with an ancient blood poison that even St. Mungo couldn't figure out," Dumbledore added, his bright eyes growing dim beneath the glass.

a mournful silence befell the small group as each revered in his sorrow. However, if a close friend happened to be watching dumbledore at the moment, it wouldn't be hard to tell that the headmaster had perhaps foreseen this incident long before it happened, either that or the events had unfolded exactly as he had planned.

A week later in a tearful ceremony attended by hundreds of mourners, they buried little Harry in the Godric hollow in a tiny mould between Lily and James potter.

And as Dumbledore's wand sealed the grave with a tombstone bearing the boy's last respect, a sad glint played in his eyes, and in his genius mind, he knew the war between the dark lord and the boy who lived had just begun, exactly as the prophecy foretold. His job having been done, the tall wizard blended in with the crowd of mourners and disappeared. Knowing that the hope of the wizarding world lay in Harry Potter, the headmaster's bearing was set. He was going to Rome.

........................................................

four years later

ROME

St Xavier children's home

On a grassy lawn in one of the children's home gardens, three kids sat surrounded by uncaring pigeons which were feeding on grains from a bowl held by a young boy of about four years. The other two, a boy and a girl appeared to be of the same age.

"Harry, where is beaky, I haven't seen him today", the girl asked, stroking one of the pigeons.

The boy being addressed was the taller of the three with a lightning bolt scar on his forehead, it made him look strange and peculiar. and so were his habits.

"I don't know Gwen," harry answered

He paused for a while as he stared at the pigeon the girl was holding.

"according to your pigeon, beaky is brooding, we shall have to take some food for her later harry said "

"What is brooding?" Gwen queried in confusion.

"it means, she is going to have little Beakies, Gwen," harry said with a smile playing on his face"

Gwen's yell of happiness made a few pigeons scamper away in fear,

"That means Mark and I are both going to have our Beakys" Gwen paused and patted the small boy who had looked up to see the pigeons flee. she went through a series of rapid gestures and the boy began jumping with joy as well.

Mark had arrived at the children's home four years after Harry and Gwen. and though he was deaf, they had formed a friendship with Harry and Gwen who seemed to understand him. The two had their problems as well due to strange incidents that seemed to haunt them often. These troubles were what created a bond between the three.

"Can we go see them tonight? Gwen asked. Harry smiled mischievously.``Of course," he said, "after lights out."

sister Mirian and father Andrew stood on the second floor in the matron's office watching the kids play blissfully down below." I shall never get used to that father, how does he do that?"sister Mirian asked, pointing at Harry and his friends.

"Do what sister?", the priest asked with an empty look.

"talk to all that," she said with her finger indicating the birds surrounding the kids.``He talks to them, I know. I have even caught him at it."Sister Mirian said, looking at the priest as if expecting an explanation.

the priest seemed taken aback for a while by his colleague's answer... he paused momentarily in deep thought.

"our lord works mysteriously sister, wouldn't you agree?" the priest said calmly.

"Certainly father, but those two are strange, "sister Mirian said with a disturbed look in her eyes.

"Why would you say that sister," the priest asked, equally alarmed. the woman appeared to recollect her thoughts. She had known the priest only for four years but it had been enough to know that he was a reasonable man. but that was her fear. what she was about to share with him was beyond reason. it simply defied the laws of reality. it went against nature itself. but it was better to share with someone than to carry the secret alone. having made up her mind she went on

"It's just that strange things have been happening since the boy and the girl arrived" she faltered for a while before continuing. The priest was now listening to her with interest. this gave her some confidence, she knew she had his attention

"Lately though, things have escalated,'' she said, shaking her head. Sometimes when they are sleeping they seem to create things from their dream, or sometimes their body floats on their beds, and hundreds of strange things." she stopped to see if the priest was comprehending. he shook his head disbelievingly, "are you certain sister, are you feeling well"

Sister Mirian smiled sadly, she had known he couldn't believe him and she didn't blame him for that. who would anyway, she was having trouble believing her own eyes after all.

"you should pray and rest sister".the priest said kindly standing," I will talk to you later"

Father Andrew left fast. it was evident that this information had disturbed him greatly. reaching his office he opened it and checked whether anyone was watching him before shutting it and locking it from within. reaching inside his robe he drew a small smooth wooden rod.

it seemed the kids' time in Rome had eventually run out. He had to inform Dumbledore before the Vatican found out. God knows magic and religion could never cooperate. magic was the Vatican's greatest threat. the boy and the girl would have to leave. and fast!