Dodging Prison and Stealing Witches

Chapter 57: Nature Red - Part 1

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text
Storm clouds gathered over Harry's return to Hogwarts after the Winter Festival Holiday was over.

Many people tried to stop him.

Lord James Potter was the first, hiring a group of hit-wizards to intercept Harry at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. This didn't work, because he wasn't there. But he certainly got off the Hogwarts Express at Hogsmeade Station.

The second people to give it a shot were the Magical Department of Family Affairs. They stopped Harry's coach as it made its way to the gates of Hogwarts, making their intention to escort him back to Potter Manor perfectly clear. For their trouble, they got three wands shoved in their faces, a quick nap on the icy-cold ground, and a new appreciation for what a trio of noble witches could do, even if the girls in question barely stood up to their chests.

Finally, there were the teachers of Hogwarts themselves.

Harry was, technically, no longer a student.

"I'm sorry, Mister Potter," Professor McGonagall said at the front doors. "We cannot allow you any further."

The problem with barring Harry from the school though, was that Lord Slytherin had taken back control over the wards just a few weeks earlier in defence against a free house-elf. And Lord Slytherin had granted Harry Potter asylum.

What followed was a rather ridiculous game of cat and mouse, where the mouse was more of a whisper on the wind.

Severus Snape and Lily Potter were the primary frustrated antagonists of this little game. Polyjuice potion, notice-me-nots, self-transfiguration, secret passageways, the Marauder's map, disillusionment charms, the actual invisibility cloak of Death, and general access to the wards, influencing such things as staircase direction and which doors led where — between all of these, Harry was about as hard to pin down as the last sliver of soap in the bathtub.

This gave him plenty of freedom to accelerate many plans in many directions. He even went to classes sometimes, usually in disguise and signing himself into the register afterwards. For fun.

And so, storm clouds gathered.

This went on for nearly four weeks.

And now the storm clouds that gathered were not nearly so metaphorical.

Blackness rolled over the country like a blanket — black clouds from what had, only an hour before, been crystal blue sky.

In a grand manor house in Wiltshire, many hundreds of miles away from Hogwarts, a wizarding wireless was urgently giving a warning that was being repeated up and down the country.

...Winds of up to 100 miles an hour are expected for the next few hours along with random bolts of magic. The Department for Magical Disaster Control has issued a statement that all magical beings should under no circumstances leave shelter during the event, and that the muggle Prime Minister has been informed of the storm's nature and that it poses no direct threat to muggles, outside of the wind. Again, we highly advise wizards and witches not to venture outside, especially to aid muggle relatives.

Rome is also responding to the emergency. A special team of ICW obliviators has been dispatched from Paris, where they were on training exercises, and is currently flying over the channel. The Minister says the British Ministry of Magic welcomes the aid and again urges the population to remain calm during the unexpected magical event—*click*

Lord Lucius Malfoy flicked his wand away from the wizarding wireless and stared up at the darkening sky through the large windows of his private study.