Ch.1: Behind the Horizon

The three individuals sped down the alley as the echoes of their feet bounced off the brick walls. They stopped to catch their breath, looking around to make sure they weren’t being followed.

There was a man, a woman, and a boy. The man wore a brown jacket, with black trousers astride his thin legs. His hair was short, and patches of gray lay here and there. The woman wore a long, dusty blue dress that seemed to be almost brittle. Her hair was also gray and wispy, as if, if it were to be touched, it would break off.

The round-faced boy, who was breathing heavily as though suffering from an asthma attack, walked forward. He pulled out his wand from his navy blue trousers, then faced the brick wall that made the alley a dead end; it had chipped paint graffiti on it, although anyone passing by could still make out the words etched on it: The Horizon.

The boy turned his back to it, walked backwards, and vanished behind the wall. The other two quickly followed after him. Inside was an old, dusty shack. In the front was a main desk; an old register lay on. Next to the desk, there was a tall, black shelf that was empty and clearly needed a good cleaning. The remaining floorboards in the shack were moldy and disintegrated. There were also four short, waist-high shelves, all with white cloths covering them.

“Did you retrieve it?� asked the man, addressing the woman who stood in front of him. She pulled a plastic case containing a tear-shaped, metal object out of her right pocket, and a small sack of pink powder out of her left.

“What’s that?� the boy questioned, pointing to the pink powder.

The woman slipped them back into her trousers and replied, “Well, nothing, dear. I think it best that we don’t discuss such things. At least, not here.� She rubbed the boy’s brown hair and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

His eyes left her smiling face and saw a moving figure in a dark corner on the other side of the shack. The only things that were visible from this distance were his crystal blue eyes. The two older wizards raised their wands and illuminated the room.

“Hold on! It’s me!� A man with dark red hair advanced into the lit area. He wore a long, red cloak and had hair that met his thick, black belt. His face held a few scars, and his eyes were livid.

“We don’t have that much time. If he knows, we won’t have any hopes at all.� The red-haired man spoke with great seriousness, pausing at the end of his statement as if he did not want the boy to hear the rest.

“Relax, relax, Phelyx. We’ll have enough time,� the other man reassured him. “Maybe you should pay your old friend a visit…?�

With a quick nod, Phelyx Apparated out of the room, leaving the other three behind in the old shack.

A street about a mile long stretched out before him when he reappeared. He looked to his left and read the nearest sign: Fingle Frankleton. Phelyx set out down the street, searching for a familiar house. At long last, he stopped.

He stood before a large-sized house. It was dark green, with silver borders around the windows. The shrubbery was trimmed and the grass were neatly cut. He walked up the driveway stealthily.

The crackling of a fire reassured him that there was someone still awake in the house. His hand pushed back his hair, and he pulled out his wand to guide himself down the path of the twisted driveway. He heard a voice that was not quite what he had expected. He looked down at the residence, one belonging to ‘Yaxley,’ to make sure he was at the right address.

He slowly peeked his head through a window on the side of the house. Once his eyes saw the two people in the room, he immediately knew whose voice it was that he has heard. The second man in the room, the person Phelyx had actually been expecting, bowed before a black-cloaked man with piercing scarlet eyes.

“I apologize for the inconvenience, my Lord. My daughter, Rebecca, is a little distraught this evening,� Yaxley said in a fearful tone as he lifted himself up. dusting his blue-and-white striped pajamas.

“All is forgiven, Yaxley. I presume everything is in order?� Voldemort looked up at him in a curious fashion, as if he was expecting a negative answer. He rubbed his long fingers on his pale, lifeless skin and rested his arms back on the sides of the chair he was sitting in.

“Of course, my Lord. I made sure of it.� Yaxley gave a little smile, clearly hoping for an approving remark from the man before him.

“Lastly, your daughter, I suppose, is keeping quiet.� Voldemort spoke again, this time in a very sarcastic tone. “I would hate to return over spilled secrets.� His cold and distorted voice filled the room.

Yaxley was apparently lost for words, but nevertheless made sure to show no emotion to the Dark Lord.

“Surely you don’t expect me to allow a traitor to live, do you?� Voldemort looked right into Yaxley’s eyes, as if all his thoughts were written there for the world to read. Luckily for Yaxley, however, his high proficiency in Occlumency prevented that from happening.

“I’m sure she is able to be trusted,� Yaxley breathed, in what felt like his last breath. He didn’t completely stand by what he said, but he planned to make sure this, at least, was factual. There was a sudden silence; it felt like a cold knife slicing open a sensitive part of his skin. Yaxley couldn’t bear to look Voldemort in his eye for shame on behalf of his daughter.

There was a sudden noise at the window that caught the attention of both Yaxley and Voldemort. Voldemort nodded his head in the direction of the window as if ordering Yaxley to check it out. Yaxley, therefore, made his way toward the window with his wand pointed in its direction. Everything seemed normal outside, as far as he could tell.

He looked out at the small, red bird sitting on the nearest branch of a tree hanging over the window. He gave it one last look before returning to the sitting room where the Dark Lord was.

Yaxley glanced back at the velvet armchair; this time, no one occupied it. He looked around for a minute before dashing down the hall, hoping to get back up to bed without making a disturbance.

After returning to his human form, Phelyx started towards the door before he heard another voice whispering inside the house. He let out a long sigh, and returned to the side window.

A very uncomfortable-looking woman with a purple nightgown and black slippers came into sight. Her lengthy jet-black hair swayed back and forth while she guided Yaxley back into the sitting room.

“Yaxley, what in Merlin’s beard are you doing down here?� she asked in a raspy voice.

“Preservia, why are you out of bed?� Yaxley replied. The questioning response aroused her temper.

“How dare you wake me from my sleep with your nonsense? I heard voices. Who was in here?� Her raspy voice developed into a yell that didn’t lessen in volume.

“We received a visit from the Dark Lord,� Yaxley said. All of a sudden, she returned back to a calm state - the constant visits from the Dark Lord were no surprise to her, but she still showed no remorse for her uprooted argument.

“Well, goodnight.� She climbed back up the stairs.

After waiting a few seconds for more possible interruptions, Phelyx advanced to the front door and proceeded inside.

Ch.2: The Vanishing Necklace

It was nearing the crack of dawn at the Burrow. The end of July was finally here. Harry awoke to the sound of Mrs. Weasley’s hoarse, stricken voice - she had been screaming at the gnomes all morning for destroying her tulips.

“Happy birthday, Harry! Ron, for Merlin’s sake, wake up! It’s time for breakfast.� Mrs. Weasley chucked a pillow that lay by her foot at Ron’s head, then closed the door behind her left. The squeaking that the stairs made as she went downstairs faded away.

Harry swung his feet to the edge of the bed and opened the curtains. The bright sun’s rays sprayed throughout the room. A head filled with red hair finally made its way out of orange covers. Ron let out a yawn, stretched his arms, and then snuggled back into his bundle of sheets.

Harry looked down at the letter that he had written to the Dursleys last night that was lying by his bed. He felt a tad bit remorseful for having left Privet Drive without their knowledge, for they were out taking a new family portrait today. Not that it mattered, though, Harry thought - naturally, he wasn’t included. The letter read:

Dear Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia,
Hope that you’re all right. I’m writing this to let you know that
I will be staying with the Weasleys for my birthday - and the rest of the
summer. Alastor Moody will be keeping a close watch on you for your safety.

Best,
Harry

He sealed the letter into an envelope and snapped it into Hedwig’s beak, then watched as she flew out into the distance and faded away behind trees. Harry then made his way downstairs, where everyone was eating breakfast in the kitchen. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Lupin, Moody, Fred, George, Ginny, and Tonks were all sitting at the table; when he came in, they all smiled up at Harry. Their greetings gave Harry a warm feeling inside, and maybe a little hope. Mrs. Weasley directed Harry to a seat next to Mr. Weasley, which was his usual seat.

On his other side was Ginny; he noticed that she had a disgruntled look upon her face. Harry felt the need to ask about it, but thought it was better he not touch the subject in a public place – besides, he wasn’t sure he wanted to talk about it.

Harry’s presents were levitating over his head; they whisked around the room before returning to lay by his feet. He reached for the one on the top; it was brightly colored, with red and blue stripes. Harry stripped away the wrapping and opened a white rectangular box. Inside was a dim silver watch. It had paint chipped off it, and the second hand moved every three seconds.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley stood by each other with very proud expressions on their faces, awaiting Harry’s response. Harry clutched it in both of his hands and thanked them as if he were holding a watch of top-notch quality.

Then, he returned to grab at Fred and George’s various assortments of items from their joke shop - his gift hamper included things like Basic Blaze Boxes, Bruise Remover Pastes, Extendable Ears, and Wildfire Whiz-Bangs.

Ron, the last out of everybody in the Burrow, made his way down the stairs to the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He handed Harry a small green box. It contained an amulet.

“You like it?� Ron said.

“Yes!� Harry replied. Ron smiled at him and took a seat next to Ginny.

The last present occupied three names on it: Moody, Tonks, and Lupin. Harry tore away its silver wrapping and saw that it was another watch, but this one was golden and possessed many hands, almost like Dumbledore’s watch. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley’s proud expression faded to embarrassment - as did those of Tonks and Lupin. Moody sent a “Grr� and a nod in Harry’s direction. There was a moment of silence before Harry thanked them and began on his breakfast.

Before Ron could load a plate for himself, a brown and black-feathered owl made its way in through the window above the sink with a black, somber box tied to the end of its leg. With an astonished look on his face, Mr. Weasley grabbed at it, and the owl snapped back to make its way towards Harry. After it dropped the box on the table, Harry reached for it, and the owl left, flying out of the window.

He looked at it in a mysterious way, shaking it and trying to figure out what was inside. He pulled at the binding, but it wouldn’t open. The box was closed tight. No address - or names - were written on the box.

“Who sent that, Harry?� Mrs. Weasley asked.

“It doesn’t say, and I can’t open it,� said Harry.

“Here, let me see it.� Mr. Weasley took the box from Harry and tried to open it also. As soon as he pulled out his wand to charm it, there came a knock at the door. Mr. Weasley put both the box and the wand down to see who it was at the door. He turned the small golden doorknob and swung the door open to reveal a man with a very bleak look upon his face. He had long, wild, tangled black hair and beard, and appeared to be very frustrated. He gave Mr. Weasley a nod as greeting, and plopped straight on the couch.

His eyes looked as if they were going to escape from his face and release the steam he had locked inside him. His piercing eyes softened at the sight of Harry.

“Hagrid…� Harry paused for a second. “What’s the matter?�

Hagrid plummeted up from the couch, “S’those damn Death Eaters,� he replied, while gritting his teeth. “They tried ter get me ter tell ‘em where yeh was at. You-Know-Who sent ‘em to capture me. I came ter make certain you were all right, Harry. With it being your birthday an all…�

Hagrid pulled a book out of his enormously large pocket. “Here you go,� he said, shoving the book into Harry’s hands. Harry looked at the title; it read: Redgie Hamstone’s Complete Collection of Mystical Creatures . After Harry’s accepting smile and thank you, Hagrid returned to his dilemma.

“An’ when I refused, then they… they…,� Hagrid stopped suddenly as tears raced into his eyes. “THEY KILLED FANG!� he yelled suddenly, his sadness giving way to frustration.

“Fang nev’r did nothin’ ter nobody,� Hagrid sniffled.

“Oh, Hagrid, it’s all right. Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.� Mrs. Weasley grabbed Hagrid by the arm and took him into the kitchen.

Harry just stood there with a very worried expression. The thought came to his mind that it was his entire fault that his loved ones were in danger - Hagrid could have been murdered had it not been for his bravery and toughness. He dreadfully wanted to end this situation.

Another owl with black and white feathers came through the window; this one, however, went straight to Ron. The owl had a long rectangular box tied to its beak. After dropping it into Ron’s hands, it flew back out the window.

He pulled at the top, hoping that this one showed no difficulty opening. It lifted right off; inside, there was a golden, jeweled necklace. The necklace immediately clamped around Ron’s neck once it was freed from its box.

“Oh, bloody hell!� Ron started panicking and attempted to remove it, but the necklace would not budge, and Mrs. Weasley almost threw a fit trying to help him. Then, all of a sudden, the necklace vanished on its own.

“Is…Is it gone?� Ron said, his disbelieving tone implying that he didn’t think it was.

The room was silent for a minute. Something very strange is going on here, Harry thought.