If Plan A Fails, there are 25 more letters in the Alphabet

Hermione Granger was not a happy young woman. She had just finished her fourth year of schooling at Hogwarts and had returned home to her parent's house. She should be happy, thrilled in fact at being able to spend time with her parents after ten months and two weeks apart, but she wasn't.

The reason for this was the parchment paper laying on her desk with the untidy note written by her Headmaster. He had returned the letter she had sent to Harry via a post owl, stating that it wasn't safe to send mail to her best friend, at least not currently and that it was best for Harry to be kept in the dark of things going on in the magical world.

The young woman didn't agree and knew that Harry relied on post from Ron and herself to keep from going insane while stuck living with his miserable relatives during the summer after a so-called normal school year, this year, after the Triwizard tournament and the death of Cedric Diggory compounded by the return of Lord Voldemort, she was rather certain that he needed his friends more than ever.

So if sending a note via magical means didn't work, maybe what she needed to do was to get creative. Taking her note from the top of her dresser to her table, she sat down and wrote it on some of the stationary her grandmother had purchased for her a few years before. Walking to the post office, she mailed the letter and went back home to settle onto her bed, picking up one of her favorite novels to keep herself busy until she heard from Harry.

Three days later, there was a knock on the front door and Hermione went to answer it. Seeing Professor Lupin with a strange looking woman with purple hair, she doubled checked his identity and then let them in.

When the woman with the purple hair who had identified herself as Tonks, just Tonks handed her the unopened letter from herself to Harry and then she was lectured by one of the very people who should have known that Harry needed contact with the outside world against mail even muggle mail, Hermione shook her head and replied. "If you really believe that it is better for Harry to be kept in the dark the entire summer, you don't know Harry at all. Please leave."

"We are here to take you to the Weasleys," Tonks replied with a smile.

"I am staying here, my parents are planning a trip to Wales for us this month." She replied.

"I am sorry, Ms. Granger, but it just isn't safe for you to stay home." Remus Lupin replied. "The Headmaster talked to your parents already and they have agreed to let you stay with the Weasleys for the summer."

Hermione who knew how upset her parents had been the previous year at her choice not to spend more time with them, narrowed her eyes as she looked at her former professor and saw that he had the good grace to look ashamed and realized that her parents hadn't truly been given a choice, that something magical had been done to them more than likely on the orders of her headmaster.

Already plotting out plan c, she reluctantly allowed Tonks to pack up her trunk, then grabbing one last book being sure to keep the title hidden as she wasn't sure how much the auror new of its history, gave in to their demands thinking that if she seemed like she was listening to their directions she would have a better chance at helping Harry.

When plan c which was to enlist Ron's help, didn't work, in fact, it backfired as Ron made it clear that he agreed with the Headmaster's plan, she returned to the room she was sharing with Ginny.

Later that evening, she was seated on the floor in the hallway eavesdropping on a conversation in Ron's room between himself and his sister that made it pretty clear who she could and couldn't trust in this house.

Ginny felt that Hermione was too interested in Harry and wanted the Boy Who Lived to turn towards her for comfort and Ron made it pretty clear that he felt if he dated Hermione, he would win her as some sort of prize that Harry wanted. Unable to trust the younger Weasley siblings, Hermione went outside for a walk around the small pond on the property. Arriving back at the Burrow, she was returning to her room and found Molly Weasley going through her trunk.

The woman's rather easy lie about looking for dirty clothes to wash had Hermione struggling to contain her anger as she replied "Thank you, but I just arrived today, Mrs. Weasley. I would never be so rude as to impose myself on your family with dirty clothes."

Walking over, she closed her trunk and deftly locked it with a gift she had received the previous year from an anonymous benefactor that she was sure was Sirius Black. A lock that could not be undone with magic. The red-headed woman left the room and Hermione gritted her teeth as she tried to figure out what Molly Weasley had been up to.

Later that night, after realizing that Molly was watching Fred and George as closely as she was watching herself, she gave up asking the two of them for help. "So much for plan d, Ginny won't help. The twins can't, so plan E is out, but maybe I can trick Mr. Weasley..."

The next morning, Hermione and the other school-age inhabitants arrived down to breakfast just in time to find out that Arthur was feeling dejected after learning of Percy's choice to put his career over his family by working directly for Minister Fudge. So much for plan f.

The elder Weasley then announced that there had been a meeting the evening before and it had been decided that the entire family was moving into the Headquarters of something called the Order of the Phoenix.

Hermione played her part, but never let down her guard as they moved into the dark and dank house on Grimmauld Place. Thanks to some subtle eavesdropping, she soon realized that there were several very big secrets being kept from the so-called children regarding the war, Harry's part in it and something in the Department of Mysteries and that there were plans in play that were rather dark in nature regarding Harry and his future.

That it was coming from people Harry nor herself would have ever suspected had Hermione becoming even more determined to free Harry from this mess. She also paid attention when the entire group was gathered for meals and realized that while they were a united front against Voldemort, there were factions within the group.

She soon realized that there were those who believed every single word that the Headmaster said and would follow the man without a single question, that there was those like her Potions Master who trusted no one else then there were the few, like Sirius Black, like Kingsley Shacklebolt who questioned things. Kingsley, however, was a complete stranger and Hermione after mere days at headquarters realized that Sirius Black was broken, mentally and emotionally as a result of his time in Azkaban and would be no help to her plan to free Harry.

A few days into their stay and more than a bit sick of cleaning and dealing with having no privacy even in her room as she was stuck rooming with Ginny in spite of the many bedrooms in the house, Hermione refused dessert after their meal, saying she had a new muggle book to read. Having to deal with Ron's scoffing and acting like her wishing to read was a crime, she eventually ended upstairs in her room and unlocked her trunk. Picking through her books, she found one that she had forgotten about and sank against her pillows to read.

Within minutes, Ron and Ginny pushed their way into the room and were loudly playing gobstones. Sighing loudly, she asked. "Can't you do that elsewhere like Ron's room, I am trying to read."

"Mum sent us up to keep you company," Ron replied as he went back to trying to beat his sister at their game.

"I don't need company." She crossly replied.

"Besides, this is my room, too," Ginny said as she glared at the girl she wished wasn't here. She had overheard her mum asking the Headmaster when Harry was coming and had heard the man saying that he wished to keep Hermione and Harry apart as much as possible for now, so the only way her Harry was coming was if she managed to get Hermione to leave.

"Fine." Standing, Hermione was about to storm out of the room but realized that her trunk was unlocked and that she wouldn't be able to leave without locking it. So walking over, she picked up the books on top and then placed them inside, casually locking the trunk.

"Hey, why did you do that? Ron asked, clearly surprised. "It's not as if anyone here would touch your trunk, Hermione."

Playing it off, she pretended to be surprised knowing it was important to act as if she still trusted him. "Sorry habit. I spent most of the school year keeping it locked after all the lies in the Daily Prophet, I just lock it out of habit."

When she continued towards the door, she heard "Well, aren't you going to unlock it?"

Looking at Ron wondering why he was so concerned about her locked trunk, she asked "Why? I will just do so in the morning, now if you will excuse me, I am going to the kitchen to grab an apple."

"Wait, I will go with you," Ron said as he stood and walked away from the game he had been playing.

Hermione inwardly groaned but said, "Sure, maybe you should grab some of your homework you have done and I can check it."

"Homework? It's too early to be doing homework, Hermione." Ginny replied.

Hermione looked at the other girl and said "I already have mine done. Anyhow, I thought that the two of you were so determined to play gobstones."

"Nah, that's okay, Ron is probably hungry." Hermione saw through the ruse and knew that they were keeping on eye on her for either their mother or the headmaster but followed the redhead back to the kitchen and to the bowl of fruit.

Molly saw them coming and with a slight smile offered the fruit bowl to Hermione and a slice of trifle to her son. Hermione was about to grab the apple when she saw a peach sitting on a nearby counter.

Reaching for it, she wiped it on her shirt and sank onto the bench and pretended to read, sure enough, not even five minutes later, Ron was trying to interrupt her.

Sirius Black returned to the kitchen, followed by Remus Lupin and Mad-Eye Moody and the dim grew louder and Hermione who had been considering her latest plan to reach out to Harry was a bit surprised to hear someone suggesting a letter be sent.

"I will do it." She said and reached for the parchment that was in the center of the table. A nice long letter later, she was getting ready to seal it when Molly reached for it.

"Oh dear." The red-headed woman fretted then taking out her wand eliminated over two-thirds of the letter before sealing it and handing it over to Mad-Eye. "There that is just perfect."

A disbelieving Hermione could not believe that Molly Weasley had removed so much of her letter. What little that remained sounded like something she would send to a cousin she wasn't close to, and worse sort of made it sound as if Ron and she were bragging about getting to spend time together without Harry.

So much for a plan, I. Plans J and K were tossed out when Hermione realized that flying Buckbeak the hippogriff was rather foolhardy and that she was getting desperate when she was looking at Professor Snape as a viable option for K.

Now, it was the end of July, Harry had been left alone for almost a month and Hermione was just about ready to stand in the middle of the kitchen and announce a, she was a death eater, b, she was in love with either Severus Snape or Lucius Malfoy to escape Ron's sudden attention, or maybe c, maybe announce that she was the illegitimate daughter of Tom Riddle, just to get left alone.

Between Molly Weasley using the kids as unpaid cleaning staff, the disappointment when she realized that the ragtag group she was with was all that there was to stand between the magical world and Voldemort and his forces, and the realization that her Headmaster wasn't the great man she had always believed him to be, Hermione Granger was growing more and more desperate as concern for Harry grew.

Finally after one more day spent cleaning rooms that weren't needed, after deftly avoiding Ron's sudden attention and Ginny's angry glares when she wasn't looking and friendship when she was, after hearing the inexcusable platitudes she could hear former Professor Lupin offering to Sirius Black about Harry's absence, she had had enough.

As they sat down to dinner, another meal of carbs, overcooked meat, and sticky sweet desserts. A meal where Ron inhaled not only his share but the share of a few others, she pushed her chair back unable to stomach eating anything else.

She listened as Molly Weasley insulted Sirius Black in his own home, as her potion's professor made snotty comments about Black, Lupin, and Harry.

As the others gathered bitched about trivial things, as Ron's little aside comment to Ginny regarding how at least Harry didn't have to deal with Snape and the rest of their professors at every meal burnt at her soul.

The Headmaster never put a stop to taunting and instead seemed to subtly encourage the troubles, Hermione had had enough. Looking at the cover of the red book she was reading, she thought about what she had researched and decided that there goes nothing.

Standing she used her book to smack the table, then when the crowd quieted then began to shout again, she slammed it two more times and said: "Will all of you please be quiet for a minute."

The crowd went silent and turned to stare at the teenage girl, all except for Molly who inhaled hot air and began to speak only for Hermione to hold up her hand and say "ENOUGH! I said enough, I wish just once all of you could hear yourself. You should be ashamed of yourselves."

"How dar-." When Hermione saw lips moving but no words coming out from anyone's mouths, she gave a nervous chuckle as she realized she had somehow either used wandless magic or had performed accidental magic as only their heads were moving and no sounds were coming out.

"Now, if I may have your attention. Sirius, first of all, I am not so sure you are the best person for Harry to be around right now, you have your own issues and you are the only one who doesn't see it. Yes, you love Harry, but frankly, love isn't enough. If you really wish to take care of him, do something about your situation and stop moping. In fact, start with dealing with your complaints about Mrs. Weasley. Do I need to remind you that this is YOUR HOUSE, not hers? If you don't wish her to do something, tell her. Even someone as OBTUSIVELY PUSHY as she will have to listen if you don't give her a choice."

The entire group was staring at Hermione then looking at Sirius to a very angry and red-faced Molly Weasley but had no choice but to be silent.

"As for you, Mrs. Weasley. You are not my mother, I have a mother, so stop ordering me about and trying to tell me what I can and cannot read. That is my parent's job, not yours. You are not in charge here, and frankly, the way you raised your own children make it very clear that you are not the great mother you think you are."

There was some stirring and it was clear that Ron and Ginny along with Arthur were upset with her statements but Hermione could tell by the way that Bill Weasley and the twins were looking at their plates they understood what she was saying.

"Your eldest sons, all three of them got jobs and fled as soon as they graduated. The twins, while there are good parts to them, are merely bullies on our side. Sorry guys, but pranks aren't so funny when you are the one being pranked and you both take things too far. As for Ron, the first year he saw himself as head boy and quidditch captain and has done nothing towards earning either of those honors. In fact, I would bet that when Harry or Neville are named Prefect this year, he will turn green with envy and attack them as not deserving the honor when Neville gets better grades than him without help and has a better school record. As for Harry, well he has saved the school three of the last four years, his grades are tons better than yours, Ron, he just hides it for some reason I truly don't understand and is a leader, not a follower like you, plus he has been on the Quidditch team since the first year, so of course he will be captain."

Hermione happened to look at Minerva McGonagall who looked embarrassed and then saw something in the twinkle of the Headmaster and realized something. "Or maybe I am wrong, just what was your excuse going to be Headmaster for not giving Harry the honor he deserves? Especially after he won the Triwizard Tournament you forced him into?"

She could almost hear the heads turning as they looked at the Deputy Headmistress and Headmaster. "Yes, you were going to give it to Ron. Ron Weasley, the only person in Gryffindor who doesn't deserve to be a 5th-year student, let alone prefect. I wonder why that is? Maybe in exchange for your promise to Molly?"

She saw the older witch flinch and said with a slowly growing smirk. "Yes, I was already in the room, hidden so I could read in privacy when the two of you had your little meeting. Just so that you know, I switched out the potion vials. I know everything."

Seeing the questions in the eyes of the others and how hard the Headmaster was trying to throw off his body bind and silencing charm, she said "A deal was made between the Headmaster and Molly that Harry will be pushed to date and eventually marry Ginny and that I am to be given to Ron in exchange for her not fighting the Weasleys being part of the Order of the Phoenix. It won't be happening. I would marry Draco Malfoy before dating Ronald let alone marrying him."

"As for you, Professor Snape, I am not sure why you have hated Harry since the minute you met him. I don't believe it is just because he looks like his father but if that is all it is. Grow the fuck up! Your an adult, taking your own messed up psyche out on a teenager, and it started when he was barely eleven." Hermione was so upset, so frustrated as swear words she would normally not use flowed from her lips with ease.

Turning to Remus Lupin, she smacked her book again and said "As for the rest of you, and I mean this double for you, Professor Lupin. I am so disappointed in all of you. None of you have any sort of a plan to win this war except to depend on a child, a fourteen-year-old boy. All of you have turned on him at one point or another, abandoned him to the hell he has lived within Privet Drive or believe that the Headmaster can do no wrong. Either way, I am done and I am leaving and taking Harry with me."

Standing, Hermione went up to the open area near the door and said "Goblin King, Goblin King, please listen to me. I wish for you to take fourteen-year-old Harry Potter away for me."

Hermione saw that nothing had happened and that there were smirks on faces at the table and a few looks of relief but she knew better, after all, she had researched this option as a last ditch, nuclear option since the past school year and had been seriously considering it since arriving at the Weasleys.

Three minutes later, a rainstorm began, the Headmaster was about to free himself from the bind and then there was darkness in the room. Hermione felt a tingling of magic surrounding her like the book said she would and she watched as Dumbledore tried to stun her but nothing happened.

The Headmaster quickly freed the others in the room and they were no longer petrified and began to yell when a white barn owl flew into the room. The room went dark and when it was lit up again, a man was standing where the owl had been.

"Who the bloody hell are you?" Ron belligerently demanded as he came to a stop from where he had been lunging for Hermione.

The tall man with the blond hair, strange and mismatched eyes looked at the redhead and shook his head. "No, it wasn't you."

"What are you talking about?" Lupin asked while across the room, Severus Snape, usually one to offer his unwanted opinion at any time, was suspiciously silent as he remained in the back of the crowd.

The eyes scanned the entire room before landing on Hermione. Holding up a crystal, he froze everyone in the room and said: "Normally the wishing away is done in private."

"Not in this case. Did your goblins take Harry?" She asked struggling to hide her fear, well aware that this choice could blow up in her face.

"The wished away is in my castle." He replied as he looked at the girl standing there calmly staring back at him. All around him, there were adults and a few other younger ones standing with frantic expressions on their face, some angry, some confused but he sensed anger from the adults at the young woman standing in front of him.

"Have you come to give me my dreams?" Hermione quietly inquired.

Holding out the crystal, he said: "All you have to do is reach out and take them."

"What if I choose to run the Labyrinth, what happens when I win? Can you send Harry and myself wherever I choose?"

The Goblin King blinked when she added: "I know that there is a downside to taking my dreams now, but after I defeat your maze, I want Harry and myself freed from all of this."

"You know, you will be running without your magic, that if you just take your dreams..."

"I won't go without Harry." She replied firmly.

"You are a strange one, girl," Jareth stated.

"I know that one and only one has ever defeated your Labyrinth. This was my last option and frankly, I didn't wish to take it because Harry is much better at this hero stuff than I am. I am the brains, he is the instincts, the magical power and the one who puts everything together."

"You intrigue me." Jareth looked at the girl and then said: "As you wish."

The lights flickered and when darkness was lifted in the house on Grimmauld Place, Hermione and the odd man was gone. There was chaos left behind and only the dark bitter man who didn't so much as offer an opinion had any clue what was going on.

Thirteen hours later, time was moved back and those gathered had forgotten that Hermione had been there let alone had wished Harry and herself away.

Across the county, in a 'normal' house in a neighborhood with identical houses all around, there was a married couple seated in front of a television. They noticed that it was growing colder and that it was darker earlier than usual but thought only of their son, not the other boy who lived there.

Midnight came and they were calling their son's friends and were being told that none of the boys had returned home that evening. That the other boy hadn't returned home went without comment as parents made empty threats against their children and went to bed.

All except one, Petunia Dursley had had an odd feeling of Deja Vous all evening and when the sun began to appear on the horizon, she quickly dressed and was out the door, determined to locate her Dudders.

He wasn't at Piers house, nor any of his other friends, so recalling that he often went to the park, she went there to find nothing except broken swing sets and a hobo asleep on a park bench reeking of liquor.

She was on her way back down the street, crossing Magnolia Lane when she saw that there was a gathering of constables and hurried their way.

Breathing a sigh of relief when she saw that it was the only the dotty old lady who used to watch Harry when he was younger, she returned home, wondering if someone had hit the woman with a car.

Still, where was Dudley? And come to think of it, where was the freak? If he had done anything to her little boy, she would let Vernon do as he wished, like her husband had often complained about wanting to do to the unwanted freak.

Mid-morning came and her frantic worry turned to fear as the other parents had contacted the police. To her shock, they took the reports and then told Vernon and her that it looked as if the boys had hit Ms. Figg.

"That isn't possible, my Dudley is a good boy." She replied angrily. "It could have been my nephew, he lives here too."

"Madam, may we speak to your nephew." The officer asked.

"He is missing too." She admitted. "I am sure that it was him and that poor Dudley and his friends only chased after him to keep him from hurting anyone else."

"Madam, why did you not tell us that there were two missing boys in this house?" The second officer asked.

"Harry probably ran away, Dudley is the one missing." Vernon snapped. The two officers looked around the living room, at the photos on the wall of the same boy at different stages of his life, at the kitchen table, clearly set up for three, not four and were getting a clearer picture of things.

Showing her the photo she had given them that was of Dudley, the officer stated: "We need a photo of this second boy."

"Don't have any. Kid hates having his photo taken, clear proof of a guilty conscience." When the Dursleys offered no more information other than to tell them stories of how bad this Harry was, they exited the house leaving behind a nervous Petunia Dursley who realized that there was something off.

Outside the two officers split up and returned to talk to the parents of the other boys and to a few of the neighbors. Hearing stories of the delinquent Harry Potter, the boy who was so bad he attended a school for others like himself, they went back to the station and made a few calls.

Hanging up they went to speak to their superior. "Boss, we have a problem."

Once settled in, the senior officer explained. "The hit and run in Little Whinging. Five boys are missing. Four of whom if you ask the neighbors and the parents are angels who would never harm anyone and a fifth who if you listen to them he is trouble, all except one neighbor who swears that there is something odd going on in the Dursley house. She also claims that there have been a bunch of oddballs hanging around the neighborhood"

"Explain."

"Just strangely dressed people acting weird and that they have a connection to the dead woman. She also says that her nephew attends school with the Dursley boy and that he is a bully and should have been expelled from school and would have been without a sudden reversal of fortune at the school due to a donation from his parents."

"Not the first time we have heard that, Frommer."

"Yes, but the Dursleys can't afford it. They are middle class at best. He works at Grunnings as a sales manager, she is a housewife. No inheritance but a modest one from her parents."

"I ran the other boy, sir," Taggis added. "The school that the Dursleys claim he attends, St. Brutus has never heard of him. There is no evidence he has attended school past primary school. Now, I ran the boy's birth certificate. He is listed as the son of James and Lily Potter, nee Evens. Petunia Dursley is his mother's sister.

"Where are the Potters?"

"Dead," Taggis replied grimly. "Terrorist incident in Wales. Now, the odd part is this, the boy is their only child, and the Potters were a very wealthy family. There is also no records stating how Petunia and Vernon Dursley got custody of the boy. It's as if he was dropped off by the stork. Nothing exists on him except his school records. No medical history, no paperwork with Child Protection Services, no police records and considering the stories that the neighbors tell, if he was as bad as they say, there should be."

"In fact, it's mere word of mouth, none have ACTUALLY ever seen the Potter boy committing a wrong act. All that the most they could say actually seeing is the boy working in the gardens outside the house on Privet Drive during the summer. The Dursleys claim it keeps him out of trouble."

"And..."

"This other boy, no one but no one has ever seen him lift a finger, the Dursleys live outside of their means. Middle of the road public boarding school for their son, vacations twice a year, including to Europe. Dudley and his wife spend money as if they are printing it and the way Mr. Dursley talked, I wouldn't put it past them to harm the boy." Taggis replied. "I would like to get a search warrant for Potter's trust and see if it has been active."

"This is outside the purview of this investigation, Frommer."

"There is a connection, this Figg woman, used to watch the boy and was seen outside looking for him last night."

"Sir, Madam. Sir." The communications geek rushed into the room waving something. "You need to see this."

Putting the disk into his bosses computer, he turned the heavy monitor to show them the black and white videotape. On it, they see Arabella Figg crossing the street, looking up in terror, collapsing and getting hit by an American SUV. "The Hummer was reported stolen this morning. The owners have a security video machine."

Starting the second disk, the trio saw the four young men breaking into the garage, stealing some equipment and could be heard talking about selling it to buy marijuana.

As they debated stealing the bright lime green vehicle, they heard the fattest of the boys say that they could blame it on the freak, that he was home for the summer from his school.

"We should catch him, take him down to the old quarry, beat him up and toss him in." The skinny rat-faced kid was laughing as they hot wired the vehicle, then pulled out of the garage, hitting the edge and scratching the paint.

While Taggis and Frommer went with some uniformed officers to the abandoned quarry, their boss, Detective Constable Wright made a few calls to a judge and then a couple of financial institutions and was soon being sent a record of all Potter family transactions.

Two hours later, the parents of the boys were demanding to see their sons in the middle of the police station as the quartet were lead in wearing handcuffs and loudly shouting their innocence.

A showing of the videotape later and the boys were each ratting out the other, but all stories ended the same with the boy just being surrounded by weird looking creatures and just disappearing.

In spite of Petunia and Vernon attempting to say that it was magic, the amount of THC in the blood of the teenagers had the police believing it was a drug-induced excuse of why the Potter boy was missing.

They were booked and placed in cells and when Vernon demanded his son, he yelped when threatened with arrest himself. As they exited the station, Vernon was loudly making threats against the 'freak' and never noticed the undercover police following them home where they intended to call to hire a solicitor.

Vernon was still raging as he exited his car and slammed the door shut never noticing the odd shimmer of an invisibility cloak as he railed against Harry and threatened to end his life. He never noticed the loud boom nearby, but Petunia who recognized the sound inwardly fumed.

Entering their house, stunned at the mess they found, they were calling the police station to demand answers when there was a knock on the door and two officers with a warrant.

An abusive argument later, Vernon was restrained in cuffs and Taggis who marveled at the mess, went up the stairs to search with the Crime Scene team. The first bedroom, with a huge bed sagging on one side, was clearly the master bedroom.

They quickly located the safe and proof that Vernon Dursley was a crook who had stolen from his nephew. The second bedroom was clearly a guest room and from the scratches on the furniture and the smell of urine, one that had recently held a dog.

The third bedroom was trashed even more than the rest of the house. Locating illicit drugs, quite a bit of stolen property and pornos, they shook their head and labeled Dudley Dursley's bedroom as a result of the over-sized clothes all over the floor.

The last bedroom was a mess but there was no proof of a bed or anyone sleeping there so they went up to the attic. Once again no proof of human habitation.

As they returned downstairs, Frommer was watching with narrowed eyes as Petunia Dudley kept looking from the cupboard door to under the stairs to her husband with fear.

Finally, after this happened yet again, he went over and knelt down and finding a lock on the door, frowned. "Why would anyone lock their boot closet?"

Asking the crime scene team to cut the lock, he frowned at the smell of old urine and blood. Placing a handkerchief over his nose and bending further to look inside, finding the words Harry's room on the ceiling and the thin mattress, he pulled back and ordered a team to process everything.

Standing, he walked over and grabbing an attempting to escape Petunia Dursley, he arrested her and ordered them taken to the station.

An hour later, there was a group of oddly dressed people letting themselves into the house which looked as if a war had happened in it. Mad-Eye Moody was not in a good mood as he took in the small room under the stairs which was wide open. The twins story to him about finding Harry's trunk locked in there three years before had him frowning as he began to put pieces of the puzzle together.

Remus Lupin could smell Harry's blood and urine and after sticking his head in, bleakly shook his head before following the others up the stairs as they told of what they had personally seen in the house.

When they couldn't locate Harry nor the Dursleys, Madeye appointed himself on watch and Remus stayed with him, unable to face Sirius without answers as to where his godson was. He had been playing the all too accepting of everything order member on Sirius' suggestion just as the other wizard had been playing the not so stable wizard to find out the answers to their questions, but clearly they had not gone about this the right way if Ms. Granger was to be believed before she had left with her parents.

It was dawn when a boy rode a bike down the center of the street tossing newspapers at doorways. Madeye was only casually interested in this muggle ritual until he saw the photo of Arabella Figg's bloody face on the front page.

Grabbing one of the rolled newspapers, he ordered Remus to gather a few more and then with grim expressions on their faces they went back to Grimmauld Place. Entering the kitchen, Madeye ordered Tonks to send for the Headmaster.

Gathering everyone, he waited for Remus who had sunk into a nearby chair and read the paper from front to back to speak. Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall entered the room followed by the Weasley parents. Molly had been venting her frustrations at the elderly wizard regarding Sirius Black's latest edict about the house.

"Molly, perhaps now is not the time," Arthur suggested when he saw the pale expressions on the faces of those gathered.

Remus merely handed the paper to Mad-Eye then went upstairs to speak in privacy to Sirius, knowing that this latest news was going to destroy his friend. He could barely deal with it himself, but he knew that Sirius would need him.

Mad-Eye looked around the room and announced. "Arabella Figg was hit with a muggle car by Harry Potter's cousin."

"Was he imperioed by death eaters?" Doge asked.

"No, not all crimes are magically related," Mad-Eye said in a subdued tone which had even Snape frowning. "Turns out that this boy was using muggle drugs and he and his friends stole the vehicle. The police have video, essentially photograph proof of them speaking of stealing the vehicle and the hit and run."

"We must fix this. Harry needs his family." The Headmaster said only for Moody to push him back into his seat. "I must..."

"Listen to ME!" Moody roared scaring everyone in the room. "They kidnapped Potter afterward, beat the shit out of him and tossed him into a quarry. Potter is dead."

There was an uproar as all denied this was possible. Moody used his wand to shoot off sparks then said "Yes it is possible. We found that the girl was right. The twins were right, Harry has been living in an abusive home for years. The Dursleys have been stealing from him and starving him. It's all in the papers."

"We must obliviate..."

"It's too late, Albus. It is on the muggle news, it is in all of their papers, it is everywhere, you can't remove that many memories." Moody said shaking his head as the old man said that he had to do something, that he had to return Harry to his family.

Tonks and Shacklebolt were staring in shock as Albus kept talking as if Harry were alive as if being beaten and drowned couldn't happen to the boy who lived. As if he would just turn up and things would go back to how they had been.

"There is more," Moody replied with a heavy sigh. "The one thing the police have wrong is how Arabella Figg died. She was run over, but it looks as if a dementor got to her first."

The uproar at that news had the entire room shouting over one another yet again. Into this mess, Bill Weasley and his girlfriend Fleur Delacour exited the floo network. "What is going on?"

Tonks handed her former classmate the newspaper and went to check on her cousin and his friend. Both had been very unhappy with how Harry was being treated since the beginning of summer. She had figured out that something was wrong with the way they were acting and had agreed to stay quiet about it, she herself was finding that she wasn't so sure she was doing the right thing after the trip to get the Granger girl.

Lupin had not been happy but after Hermione Granger had laid into them the other night then disappeared with her parents the werewolf and the fugitive had been making plans to kidnap Harry and bring him to headquarters themselves.

Downstairs, Bill Weasley read the paper and shaking his head and holding his now sobbing girlfriend, looked around at those gathered in the kitchen and hated that he was about to bring them a whole lot more bad news.

"Mad-Eye." When the former auror looked his way, he handed him the note he had been given when he had reported for work that morning.

The auror grimly looked into the eyes of the curse breaker and said "This is not good news. Did they know about Potter?"

"No, not that they shared with us," Bill replied. "At least they aren't joining with Voldemort."

"Weasley...well, this might be even worse," Mad-Eye said as he waited until there was a lull in the hue and cry over a boy that most of them had never met and who most only cared about for what he could do for them. When the room was marginally quieter, he told Minerva McGonagall. "Tell Snape to get some calming potions ready."

Seeing her confusion, he coughed then said: "Weasley, here, has news."

"It's Harry, he's at the bank," Molly said with a grin on her face while many of the others also cheered up.

"No, Harry wasn't at the bank at least that I know of." Bill replied then looking at his own family then Dumbledore said: "The Head of Gringotts bank at the order of their King has shut down the British branch of the bank."

"They can't do that, we have treaties." Doge and Vance insisted.

"Not only have they done so, they sent a message to the Ministry and then fired all magical human employees before locking everything down. They declared magical Britain under a qubit" Bill replied. "I barely had enough time to get what I have in my vault out."

"Why would you have to clear out your vault?" Ron asked. "I mean, they will open again tomorrow."

"Ron, did you ever pay the least bit of attention in History of Magic or read the textbook?" Ginny asked annoyed with her brother. "They have never declared a qubit before. It means that no branch of the bank may have anything to do with a British citizen."

"It's more than that. If the tribunal finds individuals have harmed the goblins, their vaults are declared null and void and all monies confiscated. If they find the government has harmed goblins, well all vaults owned by its citizens are declared null and void." Bill stated. When he saw Ron's confusion, he said: "Basically there is no money left."

"But they can't do that, the Ministry won't allow it." Emmaline Vance stated from her seat. "Truly this is much ado about nothing."

"The Ministry had 12 hours to send a representative to meet with them, they sent Umbridge," Bill replied. Seeing Vance shrug, he said "She managed to insult them and when she demanded to be allowed inside, they locked everything down. Quite literally, all of magical Britain has whatever galleons, sickels, and knuts that they have in their pockets and homes."

Ron laughed out loud, chuckling until his eyes teared up in spite of the glares coming his way.

Molly walked over to her son and dumped water over his head. "What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, I just think that this is the greatest news ever. Now Malfoy can't make fun of me anymore for being poor, He is poor too. In fact, we have more money because dad at least has a job and gets paid."

"With money, that is deposited from the Ministry accounts to my own, Ron." His father replied as he removed his glasses and cleaned them, his mind on how on earth they would pay for school this year if he couldn't access his funds or get paid. All thoughts of Harry having fled their minds, except for Fleur and Bill.

Ron frowned and said, "Well can't they just pay you in coins."

"Ron, with what coins? Do you really think that the Ministry just keeps that kind of funds laying around?" Tonks asked.

There was silence in the room as they pieced together exactly how bad things were, for most, all more worried about how they were going to get through the week. Those who truly understood things realized this would crash the magical economy within days.

"Bill, did they say why they are issuing the qubit?" Shacklebolt asked.

"It's on order of the Goblin King."

"The goblin king is a myth that parents use to make their child behave. Only muggleborns swots like Granger would believe that he is real." Bill listened to his sister's derogatory remark and realized just how bad the History of Magic education at Hogwarts was. He had only learned of the Goblin King when he had gone to work for them.

"Ginny, there is a king and he or his ancestors have existed for thousands of years. He lets each branch run itself until such a time as he is needed. They even fight wars on their own until such a time as they have need of him or he feels that he needs to intervene."

"I need to find a way to meet with this goblin." Albus Dumbledore announced. "Clearly he will be a powerful ally and if the Ministry continues to offend..."

"Sir, the Goblins made it very clear that it wasn't only the Ministry or Voldemort they hold responsible for this current mess, they included you personally in the qubit. They locked down your vaults and the vaults of Hogwarts."

"All magicals have been given 24 hours to send a letter of intent or there will be no vault for them to retain when the qubit is over with the exception of the three main parties in this confrontation. Hogwarts is a special case and they are sending out a letter to the Board. There is to be a special letter sent out to each bank customer."

Albus Dumbledore did not like this but put a calm expression on his face as he looked around at those gathered.

Meanwhile in the Underground,

Harry Potter was once again giving his best friend an admiring glance as she blushed. Hermione had beaten the Labyrinth, but she had done it in a typical Hermione fashion. She had done her research even before wishing Harry away. After purchasing the red book with the story at the end of her second year, she had tried to locate it's author and had done research on the newly developing muggle computer network.

On it, she had located the name, Sarah Williams. Sarah as in the Sarah the book described. Exchanging letters had given her a better understanding of the story and research done in their fourth year had given her all she had needed.

Unfortunately, she had not been sure of things until it was too late to change what had gone on at Hogwarts the end of their fourth year, but with her back to the wall that summer, she had wished him away then had bargained with the Goblin King while standing at the entrance to the Labyrinth.

She had kept the secrets, big huge life-changing secrets she had learned about Sarah Williams and the Goblin King to herself until such a time as to help not only Harry but Sarah.

Now, Sarah and the king had been missing for almost a whole day, both clearly thrilled with being in the same world as each other. Meanwhile, Hermione had filled Harry in on everything that had happened.

"Anyhow, I waited until the Goblin King returned to the castle then went to find this Hoggle who helped call out to Sarah who came through the mirror."

"So the two of you crossed through the Labyrinth together and what?" Harry asked.

"She was nervous about facing Jareth again but promised to help me keep us here for now," Hermione replied. "She knew how to go through the maze and other than a few obstacles that all wishers must face by themselves, helped me get to that odd staircase room."

"If we ever go back to Hogwarts, I will never again complain about the moving staircases," Harry vowed. The two magicals sat in the large chamber assigned to them as they contemplated what to do next.

"By the way, what did you wish for?" Harry asked as he looked over at Hermione who blushed yet again. "I heard the Goblin King laughing."

"I merely said that I wished for those who had harmed us to get what was coming to them." She said with a shrug.

"Oh." Harry replied then after a few minutes silence said: "Would I sound too much like Ron if I said I was hungry?"

Later, much later that evening, Hermione and Harry were eating dinner with the happy couple who announced their plans to get married. Sarah grinned at Hermione and thanked her for helping her cross the void to return to her king while Jareth filled the teenage boy on the happenings above.

"You can do that? You can shut down the bank?" Hermione asked as she got caught up in their conversation. "But there was nothing about that in the Care and Feeding of Goblins book."

"Ms. Granger, not everything is written down for everyone to learn." He gently stated. Seeing her eyes narrowing, he said: "What was said was said."

"But... innocents will be harmed." She said her eyes beseeching him to tell her that she hadn't condemned everyone in the magical world to the poorhouse or worse.

"No, in the short term, yes, there will be damage but down the road, Ms. Granger this will short circuit not only the plans of the one known as Voldemort but the rather unhealthy interest your headmaster has in Mr. Potter. Now, we need to talk."

With that, he waved his hand and a goblin appeared. "Please bring the dessert to the library where my queen and my guests will be joining me."

Holding Sarah's hand, he led the way to the large book-filled library, he stepped back and watched as the teenage girl walked around dazed as she took in the miles upon miles of bookshelves. "Remind me again, why I am helping a teenager, no two teenagers who aren't wishers or wished away, not really?"

"Because I asked you to," Sarah whispered into his ear. "Besides, this way you get to wreak havoc on some who truly deserve it. Think of it as a gift to the goblins who will be able to wreck havoc above and give us time alone."

"Speaking of that, I need to check on the goblins I sent to deal with Mr. Potter's family." Jareth replied then with a smirk said: "If you hadn't come back to me, I might have considered keeping the boy, his magical strength is astounding for a boy of his age and health."

"Speaking of his health..." Sarah dangled that out in front of Jareth, knowing he was keeping something from her.

"I will inform you of what is going on with the scar when we tell them." He replied then once all were seated, he nodded at the two magicals from above and said: "My tale starts with the four your school refers to as it's founders."

"Is this about Salazar Slytherin and his hatred of muggles," Hermione asked as she leaned forward.

"No, because Sally didn't hate muggles," Jareth replied.

"Sally?" Harry asked a bit surprised at the nickname.

"The history books are incorrect, the four founders came from the Underground. They were chosen by our ruler to go aboveground and teach those with mortal magic how to control it. They founded your school and were to age as mortals then return, but something went wrong."

Hermione was dying to ask what had gone wrong but Harry gasped before she could. "The basilisk, it came from here, didn't it? They suddenly existed in our world, but have been becoming very rare as time has passed."

"Yes, it did Mr. Potter. However, the original basilisk, or as we know him, King Adelphia of the caves region, was always too eager to learn about the aboveground and had no idea that he would be able to kill mortals by merely looking at them as he never saw mortals in the Underground. He unknowingly left one of his offspring behind. He was the father of the basilisk you dealt with."

"One who had been driven to insanity by being kept in that underground cavern. Salazar had intended to bring him back, but unfortunately, merely forgot. Basilisks aren't meant to be loners, they live in squirms. As for why the founders didn't stay, by the time that Salazar hated it aboveground, not because of the mortals but because many of the plants he used in his experiments couldn't be replicated above. His mortal wife died because he couldn't save her as a result. So bitter and disappointed he broke his pact with our Underground King and returned only to go to the Great Fade so that he could rejoin his mortal wife."

"But history says...why is it so wrong?" Hermione asked puzzled.

"Your history changed about three hundred years ago when a book supposedly was written by Salazar was located. The problem was that it was a fraud. Salazar never kept a journal, I believe that is the word you use above."

"Why would anyone create such a journal?" Sarah asked Jareth.

"Money, magicals paid a small fortune to the man who found it who also just happened to be the only person who could supposedly decipher the runes it was written in."

"Malfoy. Graphim Malfoy." Hermione said as a realization hit her. "He put his own beliefs in the book and lead an entire nation into believing that it was truly Slytherin's beliefs."

"It's more than that, Hermione." Harry grimly replied. "I always wondered why other than his gold Lucius Malfoy was so valuable to the dark wanker. It's because of this book. Lucius and his son are two of the same type, Lucius might be a bit more cunning than Draco but he doesn't hide his beliefs which as a true Slytherin he should."

"I have no knowledge of that but I do know that the man who is currently terrorizing your lands is in possession of this book. It's why he is alive in spite of his battle with your mother." Jareth replied his eyes on Harry as he remembered the note that had been waiting for him when he returned from the Aboveground with the Granger girl.

"The ritual he used to keep himself alive, but I thought that the book is a fake," Harry replied.

"It is but the man who wrote it used obscure potions and spells lost to most in the book but just enough existed to prove it's supposed authenticity, this was his proof of it being real. You should know, the founders have asked to meet the two of you and if you are up to it, we will be visiting them tomorrow." Jareth replied. "Now, returning to the problem at hand."

Jareth continued "After the battle in which your parents passed to the Elysian Fields, you were placed against their wishes with your aunt and uncle. According to the goblins of Gringotts, they were told that all other options were exhausted and that the funds arranged for your upkeep during your childhood were to be paid out to the Dursleys.

"Wait, they have been getting money to raise me?" Harry asked in an agitated tone.

"Yes from what was explained to me, it was a rather extraordinary amount from some muggle accounts kept for you when you are an adult," Jareth replied thinking on what he had learned during the thirteen hours Sarah and Hermione had taken to cross the Labyrinth. "Its why they are the first to suffer, that and their treatment of yourself."

"Suffer?" Hermione asked.

"The Goblins will be out to play most of this evening," Jareth replied with a sideways look at his beloved. "Back to Hogwarts. After the undeath of Tom Riddle, Albus Dumbledore was offered the job of Minister, he turned it down because he knew that this darkness wasn't over, but rather than search for answers, he put his faith in a prophecy."

"Like we learned about in Divination?" Harry asked doubtfully.

"Unfortunately, just like you learned about in that class because the one who gave it is your teacher. The problem is, that it was as if she had intercepted a phone call and she only got half the prophecy that your headmaster is relying on."

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... either must die at the hands of the other for neither can live while the other one survives...

Seeing the two teenagers frowning, Jareth repeated the prophecy and saw them turning green. "Enough, I just told you that it wasn't the full prophecy nor was it correct."

"What do you mean?"

"The first part of the sentence the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches... was what she heard as the words floated in the netherworld, she missed the rest of the sentence which states that the one with the power approaches the Aboveworlds.

"Meaning he comes from someplace else like...here?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know, nor do you. It could be anywhere that someone can visit your world from." Jareth replied. "Borne to those who thrice defied him, borne as the seventh month dies."

"Surely this means Harry," Hermione asked.

"Or Neville," Harry replied softly. Seeing her looking his way, he said "Neville's birthday is the day before mine and his parents were also harmed.

"Except what does the words the seventh month mean?" Jareth replied. "Because there are multiple calendars that all have different months as the seventh in your world. In fact, Sept comes from the word seven. As for thrice defied, many, many people defied that particular wizard, your headmaster is defining his options by his very small circle of acquaintances."

"You are also missing the part where she didn't hear the entire sentence. Dies is where it ends for her, but the rest of it is more complicated. If she had said ends, it would have been more accurate but due to the waxing and waning of the moon, the actual time a month cycle dies isn't at midnight on July 31st, more likely it is a few days before or afterward."

"Neville?" Harry asked grimly thinking of his shy and kind classmate.

"Maybe, maybe not, but the thing is, your headmaster took it to mean you and decided to raise you as Tom Riddle was raised, without love or tenderness. I don't think he counted on you, Ms. Granger." Jareth replied. "Now for the next bit which is the part that angered the goblins so badly. The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal but he will have the power the dark lord knows not."

"My scar?" Harry asked, his hands going to the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead.

"That isn't a scar, Mr. Potter, It is in fact basically the lid on a container that the goblins could have removed from you years ago if you had been brought to them immediately but your headmaster in his hubris took the prophecy a certain way and didn't have it looked at."

"Wait, are you saying that you know how to make this go away?" Harry asked as he pushed his hair back from his forehead.

"Certainly if you wish but it will have to wait until we have visited with the founders of your school as they wish to see it and verify for themselves what your headmaster allowed to happen," Jareth replied. "Oh, one more thing, the power he knows not, any guesses what your headmaster believes it to be?"

Seeing the girl frowning as she struggled to figure it out, he turned to the boy who said: "The Headmaster said that my greatest strength is my power to love and forgive."

"Once again he is projecting what he wishes you to be upon what and who you really are. You are a very powerful wizard already young man and that power will grow, but love and forgiveness never has and never will win the battle with a megalomaniac wizard bent on the destruction of the magical world."

After a few minutes, Jareth looked at the teenagers and said "As for the next line, she garbled it completely when she repeated what she heard. I have been asked to let Sally and the others tell you what it means. You give yourself some time to think upon it and tomorrow morning we will talk again."

Jareth watched Sarah escort the two teenagers back to the chamber he provided for them, a bit unhappy that he wouldn't create another. He had his reasons and for now, just in case, he wasn't going to share them with his beloved just yet.

TBC