Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 29: Losing Hope
Dumbledore and Madam Bones were currently at the Leaky Cauldron, talking to Tom about what he saw.
A group of aurors entered from the Diagon Alley side, and Madam Bones went to speak with them.
"It was 'Him', right?" Tom whispered to Dumbledore.
The Headmaster glanced at Tom. "Him?"
"The Boy Who Lived… he said his name was Harry, and I thought he looked very familiar with those green eyes and round glasses. He was Harry Potter, right?"
Dumbledore sighed. "I'm afraid so, Tom. But I would appreciate it if you don't tell anyone about this."
"Of course! You don't have to worry about me, Headmaster. Working at a tavern, I'm used to keeping people's secrets." Tom said with confidence.
"I appreciate it." Dumbledore's eyes moved to Madam Bones and the aurors she was talking to. "If you excuse me… I need to—"
"Yes, yes. Go ahead, Headmaster. I hope you find the boy. Ten years ago, he brought us hope. It would be terrible if something happened to him…" Tom said with a sad tone. "If only I had known back then…"
Dumbledore arrived in time to hear the last of their conversation.
"Did you question the goblins properly?" Madam Bones asked.
"We did, ma'am. Not only is the boy missing, but no one has visited the bank since yesterday." One of the aurors said.
"We also searched the area around the bank and asked some of the locals, but no one saw any person passing by either."
Madam Bones frowned. This meant that Harry Potter did not go to the bank as Tom had recommended.
Just then, she saw Agent Cassius and his partner return from their trip to Knockturn Alley.
The sliver of hope Madam Bones had quickly vanished when she saw the expression Cassius was wearing.
Dumbledore was now at her side, waiting for the news.
Agent Cassius approached, and without wasting a second, he spelled out all his findings.
"Collectors?!" Madam Bones brought a hand to her mouth.
"No… this…" Dumbledore couldn't believe how quickly things had escalated. Harry being captured by Collectors was almost as bad as if he had been captured by Death Eaters.
"He was supposed to be safe…" His mind kept going over the events of last night and this morning.
No matter how much he thought about it, this situation made no sense to him.
"Ehm… there is something else." Cassius then spoke about his encounter with the witch.
"You went there by yourself?! What were you thinking?" Madam Bones became furious.
"The urgency of the situation requi—"
"You follow the protocol, no matter what!" Madam Bones interrupted him. "That's what it's for. You should have notified me immediately so I could prepare a proper meeting."
"I understand." Cassius nodded.
"And? What did she say?" Dumbledore asked.
Cassius shook his head. "Apparently, she had an altercation with some drunk wizards last night. But I inspected her shop, and there were no signs of Harry Potter having been there. At least nothing obvious." He couldn't really perform a proper check, given the special situation surrounding Madam Yafel.
"Then… she could still have something to do with Harry's disappearance," Dumbledore said.
Madam Bones glared at him. "Albus, don't even think about starting anything with that witch. The consequences could be catastrophic. We already have enough problems."
Dumbledore frowned. He was well aware of the dangers.
"And besides, I don't think she could have any interest in the Boy Who Lived. She hasn't even left the Alley for the past century. The witch is a complete recluse who cares little for what is going on in the country."
Dumbledore could not argue with that. Madam Yafel had never shown any cooperation with the most notorious criminal groups in Magical Britain.
"I say we follow the clue about the Collectors. There are a few hideouts that we can raid. Hopefully, the boy will be in one of those, or we can capture someone who has some information. That is our best chance right now." Madam Bones didn't want to say it, but the chances of finding Harry Potter alive had now been drastically reduced.
While the Director of the Auror Department began to organize the raids with her men, Dumbledore sat down in one of the nearby chairs.
The old wizard was feeling overwhelmed with emotions and thoughts.
He felt regret for not having tried harder to keep an eye on the boy. Perhaps he should have placed a witch to watch him, instead of that old Squib woman.
Perhaps he could have put a permanent tracking charm on the boy.
Or maybe even left Harry living with a magical family, one that could offer him better protection than the Muggle house could, even with Lily Potter's spell.
Now it was probably too late for any of that, unless they actually found him.
'But what if they don't… what is going to happen then?' He was one of the few who knew just how important Harry Potter was.
For the rest of the country, he was merely a national hero. A symbol of hope.
But he was much more than that. He was also their best chance of victory when the Dark Lord made his return.
The prophecy given to Dumbledore said that much. Harry Potter was the chosen one and the only one who could stop Voldemort.
'No… I cannot give up yet.' Dumbledore decided. He could not stop until that boy was found and fulfilled his destiny.
He was sure that even if Harry was taken by someone else… destiny would not allow Harry to die. Only the Dark Lord was capable of such a thing.
'He will somehow survive, and then… I just have to find him.'
Unbeknownst to everyone present, a small black crow with amber eyes had been watching them and listening to their conversation while standing on one of the high wooden beams near the rooftop.
Once it was satisfied, it left the tavern and flew into the alley, toward the roof of one particular shop.
Before the crow touched the ground, it transformed into a beautiful woman with long black hair.
'Looks like I'm going to need to take a few extra precautions after all,' Morgan thought.
"My Merlin is back, and I am not giving him to anyone."
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