Chapter 2 ~ Capture and Escape

 

            It had been three days since Harry disappeared.  Three peaceful, normal days and the Dursleys were beginning to hope they had gotten rid of the unwanted pest.  They never noticed the falcon perched on the roof of their home.

 

            If the falcon had been human, he would have been described by the word 'confused'.  However, confusion is a human title for a human state of being.  But, it is certain that the bird was confused, meaning that the bird was also unusual.  The falcon was human, but still a bird; it had the thought processes of a falcon, and yet held the same state of emotion as a human, which, in turn, caused eternal confusion in the subconscious.

 

            Such is the cursed gift of the animagi.

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            To say that Hermione Granger was shocked would be an understatement.  One minute she was out shopping with her parents (and wondering what to get Harry for his birthday), and the next she was being dragged away by a large, black dog.  Panicked, she withdrew her wand, barely stopping herself from casting a spell once she recognized Sirius.

 

            "Snuffles!" She exclaimed.  "You shouldn't drag me from my parents like that, they'll worry!"

 

            Padfoot shook his head, looking from side to side before transforming back to his human persona, Sirius Black.  "Hermione, has Harry...written to you lately?"

 

            "Harry wrote to me about a week ago, congratulating me on getting the prefect position.  Why?"  Her eyes narrowed, a nagging suspicion making itself known in her head.

 

            "Did he mention anything else?  Any...plans?"

 

            "No."  She paused.  "Something happened to Harry, didn't it."

 

            "N - " Sirius paused, then sighed.  There was no use lying to her - Hermione could be like Moony when she wanted to.  "Harry...Harry disappeared three days ago.  And we can't find him."

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            This place was confusing, the falcon decided, flying down to perch on the windowsill of a familiar house.  This nest appeared normal and familiar, but emitted a feeling that was most decidedly unwelcome.  There was a strong urge to leave, yet an even stronger urge to stay.  He sang out his agitation, ruffling his feathers.

 

            But the sound attracted unwanted attention as Dudley and Vernon Dursley bowled into the room.  "What is that bird doing in here?!" Vernon bellowed.  The falcon shrieked in response - it didn't like this man.

 

            Dudley's mouth was agape.  Didn't his cousin's freak friends send owls?  And then he remembered that book.  "Dad, I think that's Harry!"  He blurted out.

 

            "WHAT?!" Vernon's face suddenly became pale.  "Dudley, m'boy, how would you know that?"  His voice came out as a hoarse whisper.

 

            “Ah…” Panicked, the boy’s eyes searched frantically around the room, latching onto the book laying open on the bed.  The book, which was conveniently open to a picture of a woman transforming into a panther.  “He left his book open!” He exclaimed hastily, pointing.  Vernon stared as if it were a poisonous snake.

 

            Then, he began to laugh.  “Thought you could escape us, did you, boy?”  His eyes shone with a malicious light as they scanned the room, coming to rest on an empty birdcage.  It had belonged to the parrot Dudley had traded for an air rifle.  “Get that cage.  We’ll put him in it so he can’t change back.”

 

            And as Dudley stepped forward to retrieve the cage, Vernon advanced on the screeching falcon.

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            “Ron, please eat,” Mrs. Weasley whispered, staring at her youngest son.  He had been like that for a week now, never speaking, never eating.  He had finally left his room two days ago, delighting the rest of the Weasley family.  But since then, he had made no improvement.

 

            It had been a sad day for those inside the Burrow when Lupin had turned up, informing them that Harry couldn’t be found.  Ron had been angry then, yelling himself hoarse as he raged about Fudge, the Ministry, Harry’s relatives, and even Dumbledore.

 

            “Everyone claims he’s the greatest wizard in the world!” He’d yelled as he stomped up into his room.  “But, he can’t even keep one person safe!”

 

            “May I be excused?”  Ron’s soft voice broke Mrs. Weasley out of her retrospect of the past few days.

 

            “Yes, of course you may,” she answered automatically, stunned.  He had finally talked!  However, her elation dimmed as she realized he had not touched anything on his plate.  But, she sighed, it was a start.

 

            It was definitely a start.

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            Hedwig hooted, exasperated as the caged falcon beside her let loose another screech, futily trying to knock the cage over.  All it succeeded in doing was drawing the attention of the large, angry man, who promptly acted on his threat of no food.  Hedwig shifted her grip on the perch, if her master had been here he would have made sure to secure some food.

 

            The falcon’s thoughts, however scattered, never landed on food.  He, in a very human-like gesture, was glaring fiercely at the lock.  ‘Damn you, open!’ A strange voice muttered, startling the poor bird.

 

            Ducking under Peeves, they ran for their lives, right to the end of the corner where they slammed into a door – and it was locked.

           

“This is it!” Ron moaned as they pushed helplessly at the door, “We’re done for!  This is the end!”

 

They could hear footsteps, Filch running as fast as he could toward Peeves’s shouts.

 

“Oh, move over,” Hermione snarled.  She grabbed Harry’s wand, tapped the lock, and whispered, “Alohomora!”

 

The lock clicked and the door swung open –

 

The bird screeched in surprise as the sudden vision assaulted him, the strange voice screaming ‘Alohomora!’  A warm, tingling feeling swept through him as the cage finally toppled over, landing on its side.  A metallic ‘click’ resounded through the room as the lock sprang open, granting the falcon his freedom.

 

But unfortunately, it once again drew the attention of Vernon Dursley.  The wooden floorboards vibrated as the beefy man thundered up the stairs, roaring “Those ruddy birds!” 

 

Hedwig screeched and took flight; she didn’t like the tone of his voice.  Even with her wingspan she cleared the opening with ease, circling the air above the window.  The falcon, on the other hand, was a bit more reluctant to leave.  But he, too, took to the air – clearing the window just as Vernon came barreling through the door.

 

The big man threw himself at the window, nearly unbalancing as his hand failed to get a firm grip on the falcon’s tail feathers.  His face, an angry red, suddenly transformed into a pasty white.  What is the boy told any of those other freaks?  What if…What if he told that godfather of his?

 

“Petunia!” He roared, his voice slightly shaky.  “Dudley!  Pack up – we’re going away!”

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Hedwig was – well, not quite confused – but certainly unsure about what to do.  Her master was gone and she was unable to stay at the place he’d be most certain to return to.  But where was she to go now?

 

An image popped into her head – an image of a tall, odd home.  A home with a laughing, smiling family; too many impossible angles; and a warm, fiery aura around it.  Her master loved that place, and always sent her there before leaving himself.  Perhaps he was there!

 

And so she took wing into the twilight – unaware of the shadow following.

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            Ron stared out of his bedroom window, the moonlight washing his face in pale silver.  He realized his family was worried – but he didn’t care.  Harry was gone!  You-know-who could be torturing his best friend even as he sat there!  And yet, no one cared that the famous Boy-who-lived was missing!

 

            Harry was gone…

 

            It sounded corny, but there really did seem to be a piece of him missing.  Harry was one of his best friends – one of his only friends.  It wasn’t that Ron never had friends before Hogwarts, but his companions only stayed with him out of pity.  Poor Ron Weasley, a deprived full-blooded wizard…

 

            But Harry didn’t care, didn’t befriend him out of pity.  Ron thought that might have been the case, at the beginning of first year, but then he realized that, in some ways, he was truly better off than Harry, the golden saviour of the wizarding community.  Ron might not have a family fortune, but at least he had a true family.  A family that deeply cared about him; a family he could count on.

 

            Harry didn’t have anyone, except for him and Hermione, which was why Ron was delighted when the other Weasleys had adopted Harry as their own without a pause – the look of joy on his best friend’s face was one of his more happier memories.

 

            But that didn’t stop him from becoming jealous, though…

 

            Ron was brought back to the present as an indiscernible shape flew in the moonlight’s path, creating an eerie shadow on the dim, green grass below.  He took a step back, gasping in surprise (and relief) as the light illuminated snowy-white feathers.  “HEDWIG!”

 

            The owl in question faltered in mid-flight before free falling into the grass below.  Ron gazed stupidly at the fallen bird below for a moment before rushing out of his room, thundering down the stairs.

 

            Mrs. Weasley poked her head out of the living room, her mouth set in a thin line.  “Fred!  George!  How many tim – RON?!”

 

            “It’s Hedwig!” He called back, sprinting out the door.  A grin started creeping up on his face – Harry was back!  He had to be!

 

            But alas, there was no not attached to the owl’s leg.  He kneeled beside the fallen bird, despair creeping back into his heart, only vaguely noticing the horrible condition she was in.

 

            “Oh, my goodness!” Mrs. Weasley breathed, coming to stand behind her youngest son.  “These poor birds!”

 

            Ron blinked – birds?  He tore his eyes from the owl’s battered form, glimpsing a struggling falcon merely a foot away.  The bird-of-prey gazed at him with a familiar, emerald green eye, jolting the boy out of the numb cloud that had wrapped itself round his head.  He stumbled to the bird as it gave out a weak cry, closing its tired green eyes.

 

            “ – poor birds have been mistreated!  Ron, bring them in!  Quickly!”

 

            Gingerly, the redhead picked the falcon up, wincing at the feel of bones underneath the skin and feathers.  Fire erupted inside his stomach – who could abuse a bird like this?!  Grimacing, he squashed the anger inside – that could be dealt with later, but right now the birds needed care.

 

            He drew himself upright, his stance drastically altered from the slump he had used not an hour ago.  But these tiny indications of change went unnoticed, for while it is human nature to see what we want to see, it is also human nature to be truly blind until the last possible moment.

 

            And so, through twists of fate, the doors of what might have been weld themselves shut, even as the doors of what could be open.  And what could be had a more dramatic flair as it impacted many more lives, and through many more twists.

 

            Both Irony and Fate have a great love for drama.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author’s Notes ~ Thank you to the...err…two who have reviewed so far. *Sweatdrop*  Hopefully, more people will review as time goes on (=P)   So, how do you like?  This is much more like my usual style than what I wrote first chapter (I swear I had to’ve been on something ^^;;)

 

            Anyway, I’m usually sporadic with updates, but I’ve decided to push myself and update this story every other Friday – every other because on the Fridays I don’t update this I’ll be updating my IY fanfic, “Confidential”.  But, if you want me to email you with updates, send an email with the subject “Fanfic Notification” or something like that in the subject (so I don’t erase it).  And tell me in the body of the email at lest some indication of the fic you want me to notify you about.  My e-mail is [email protected]

 

            Oh, and just to warn you guys, I’m not having any ships until close to the end (except for a mentioned R/Hr, but that doesn’t last forever).  I’ll warn you when I’m about to start the ships, and trust me I have plenty of ways to go. *Insert Evil Cackle Here*

 

Disclaimer ~ HP, it’s universe, characters, etc. etc. Belong to J.K. Rowling (as well as one passage up there– see if you can spot it. ~.^) The story concept is my idea, however.