Havoc at the Leaky Cauldron

Rhea and Voldemort made their way through the crowded London streets. It wasn’t long before the worn and ragged looking building. Although it certainly didn’t look like much with it’s tarnished paint and chipped woodwork, the Leaky Cauldron was actually one of the most extraordinary of places.

They walked into the building filled with many small, round tables and a counter where you could order drinks and food of delicious proportions. Many witches and wizards of all shapes and kinds bustled about the building talking and laughing or drinking.

Of course, all this bustling and laughing ceased within moments as all eyes fell on the newest intrusions of the tiny building.

"Hello!" said Rhea brightly, waving her hand cheerfully.

"Oh my gosh! Look It’s a witty and effective diversion!" screeched an elderly wizard suddenly, standing up, his eyes wide as he pointed at something unseen outside the shop.

"Where?" asked Rhea, turning in unison with Voldemort to find nothing.

"I don’t see a diversion!" yelled Voldemort threateningly, turning back to the room. The two turned to find the room flat empty, food and drinks untouched, a couple chair turned over. Nothing but a piece of paper falling to the floor moved.

"Well…that was weird," said Rhea blandly. She looked at the piece of paper that was on the floor to see that it was a newspaper cutout from non-other than the Daily Prophet.

Rhea picked it up to see an ad for magickal toe nail growing potion. Grow them right in your backyard! claimed the ad beneath an unwavering picture of a blonde woman holding a bottle of Euphoria’s Toe Nail growth as she smiled and winked, tossing her hair in a showy way.

Rhea turned it over, discovering that what the ad paper was cut out for was most likely the story on the other side.

In large bold, black letters it read Catastrophe: Harry Potter Kidnapped!

"Harry Potter…that sounds familiar…do I know him?" asked Rhea aloud.

Voldemort arched an eyebrow, obviously beginning to questionnaire the girl’s secure sanity.

Underneath the bold words, was a color, moving photograph of members from the Ministry of Magic perilously searching what looked like the insides of a castle. The Ministry police scattered and doubled back, searched recklessly for hidden clues and every now and then stopping to talk to one another about there finds.

Off to the corner, Rhea noticed that the Minister of Magic himself, Cornelius Fudge stood chatting nervously with Albus Dumbledore.

Rhea found small print beneath the picture and she began to read it out loud. "Ministry police have been recklessly searching Hogwarts [School of Witch craft and Wizardry] for nearly two days inherently, over the more than mysterious disappearance of none other than the famed, Harry Potter."

Rhea continued on to read the full article written by someone known as Cyrus Democritus.

"Harry Potter. The boy whom we all have surely read about in textbooks or even newspapers [the Daily Prophet most notably]. At the age of not-yet one years old, young Harry Potter escaped the wrath of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named with but a lightening bolt shaped scar of his forehead, accomplishing something that every full grown witch and wizard had not managed to do for nearly a decade; escape the wrath of He-Who-Must- Not-Be-Named with their life.

"This incident, about fifteen years ago, is now world famous in the wizarding world, and we all owe ourselves to Harry Potter [the boy who lived] for allowing us all to walk down the street without fear, and come home without worrying whether or not our families are alive. But of course, we have all put such fears behind us and try and live as normal lives as possible; but still, that distant fear may never leave this generation.

"But fear may be on the instant verge of returning, threatening to loom from the darkest corners of our mind, for two days ago, at approximately 2:45, tragedy struck in the form of a disappearance.

"Taken from the safest place on earth [besides, perhaps, Gringotts bank] under the watch of the most powerful wizard alive, the boy whom we all believed to be almost invincible [after all, he survived five notable encounters with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named] mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

"Cause for this untraceable mystery? No one can quite be sure yet, but rumors are flying like Quidditch players through the air. Some say that young Harry Potter needed a break from the fame and took off for some ‘Harry’ time. Others say that the Dark Lord himself kidnapped him, yet, still others say, Harry Potter lost his way trying to find the bathroom in Hogwarts.

"Until some solid lead or evidence can be found, we will not know what happened to our beloved national landmark. For now, all we can do is pray."

Rhea arched an eyebrow, holding the paper away from her.

"National Landmark?" asked Voldemort quizzically.

"Yeah, you know, I could swear I’ve heard his name somewhere before," was all Rhea could think of saying. Voldemort rolled his eyes apprehensively.

"Anyway," continued Rhea, folding the article and putting it in her pocket for safe keeping. "Voldie, I’ve been thinking," said Rhea, looking at him thoughtfully, "You kind of cause some panic when out in public. We should probably get you a disguise."

"A…disguise…" trailed Voldemort slightly fearfully.

"Stay here," started Rhea, "I’m going to go get you a disguise in Diagon Ally with the money I have left. Then we can go anywhere." Without waiting for an answer, she walked off towards the back of the store where she would find the secret entrance into Diagon Ally.

"All right," said Voldemort none-too-happily as Rhea disappeared from view. He sat down at a table where its previous guests had left their things as they were. In front of Voldemort, a stack of wizard playing cards sat.

~~~

Rhea walked back through the gateway and into the Leaky Cauldron. She held two large bags in her arms as she walked into the restaurant.

"Here," she said, dropping her bags, "I think we can find a decent disguise from the stuff I boug…what are you doing?"

A card tower rising more than seven feet into the air stood in the middle of the room, nearly touching the ceiling. Voldemort levitated yet another card, guiding it with his wand to the top of the tower, carefully placing it.

"Building," said Voldemort, not looking away as he levitated the last card, guiding it to the top of the tower. He managed to place the card on top without collapsing the structure.

"Wow."

"I have talent," said Voldemort proudly.

"Yeah…" said Rhea, not impressed. She took out what at first looked like a ferret and tossed to Voldemort, who caught it but held it at arms length, and shied away from it, looking at it as if it might attack it at any moment.

Upon further examination whilst Rhea continued to rummage, the thing was discovered to be a wig. A blonde wig.

"Am I supposed to wear this?"

"Yes. You can’t exactly go out in public being…well…you." She walked over and handed Voldemort a powder blue wizarding robe.

The corners of Voldemort’s mouth turned down drastically when he put the horrid, ferret-like obtrusion on his head. The bright blue robe was just as displeasing. Rhea stood back, and tilted her head to the side, viewing him studiously. She walked a circle around him, viewing his new ruse from all angles from apparently making her final deduction.

She walked up to Voldemort, pulling something from her robe pocket. "One finishing touch," she claimed as she slid a pair of purple-tinted glasses onto Voldemort’s face.

"More people will probably run screaming form me now," snapped Voldemort.

"Don’t be silly," said Rhea, waving her hand nonchalantly, "You’ll blend right in!"

"Blend in with what?" mumbled Voldemort, under his breath as he followed Rhea out the back of the Leaky Cauldron.

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