Chapter 4

Only the sounds of the clock ticking and the crackling fire emitted from the otherwise silent office. No movement had been heard within as the minutes slowly turned to hours. Drew McIntyre sat in front of his fireplace with a glass of firewhiskey in his hand. His mind travelling miles away to another place, thinking over the plans for the upcoming week. He was consumed by worry for Harry, taking him in when he was young and helping to raise him all these years had a profound effect on him. The young man felt like close family to him, almost like a son. Drew only wanted what was best for the younger.

Sighing softly, Drew's eyes flickered over to the clock to find it was minutes away from midnight. He quickly sculled the rest of his alcoholic beverage before pulling out his wand and casted his patronus. The silvery figure of a unicorn seeped from his wand to fill the middle of the room, the majestic creature looking stunning in the gentle moonlight shine. Drew stood up and approached his country's national animal, patting it affectionately on the head below the long, pointy horn.

"Go find Charlie and deliver this message for me please," Drew's thick Scottish accent filled the quiet room. "It's time. Meet in the foyer when you get this."

The silver unicorn bowed to its creator before majestically prancing out of the office window and in to the dark night sky. With a soft smile, Drew made his way to the chest that sat in the far corner of the room. After tapping his wand three times on the lid, it creaked open and a large wooden structure arose from the depths. It held an array of weapons varying from guns, to knives, to swords, and even to a crossbow. Drew carefully pulled off three knives, his V42 Stiletto, combat knife and survival knife. Laying them out neatly on his desk, he pushed the weaponry structure down and closed the chest lid.

This time Drew tapped on the lid two times and a new wooden structure arose, holding a range of clothing he used specifically for training and missions. He firstly pulled out two double sided holsters for his weapons. He unclipped the holster already on his leg that held his trusty dagger before replacing it with one of the new ones. Placing the sliver handed dagger and V42 Stiletto on his left leg, he placed the combat and survival knife on his right leg. Drew left the holster he just took off on his desk as he moved back over to the chest. He grabbed out a big black coat with a fur hoodie, swinging the heavy item on and fastening up the first three buttons. Satisfied he had everything he needed, he pushed the wooden structure down and closed the chest once more.

Without any more delay he placed his wand back in its holster on his right forearm, walked out of his office and headed down the stairs as quietly as his big, black, leather boots would allow him to. He paused briefly on the second floor and looked at the closed door where Harry was meant to be asleep. His eyes caught the slight shimmer of a spell that hid a certain person from view. Shaking his head with a smile, Drew continued to walk down the stairs.

"Go back to bed, Harry," he said quietly but loud enough for the youngster to hear.

A soft chuckle filled the air as Drew continued walking which made him smile even more. He heard the creak of a door being opened before it got closed a second later. It was so typical of Harry to be out of bed and wanting to sneak around when there was something going on. Drew thought back on all of the memories fondly, ever since he had first arrived here. The young inquisitive mind had always been curious about everything from the mundane household chores to high profile missions. Drew and his team found it hard to keep anything secret from Harry.

As he reached the first floor, he was pulled out of the memories by a disapproving click of a tongue. His eyes laid upon Charlie Poole lazily lounging on one of the couches. The young lad was shaking his head with a cheeky, yet stern look on his face. Drew couldn't help but chuckle at the antics of the other.

"You're punctuality is getting later and later," Charlie chuckled as he stood up and walked closer. "We don't want you becoming too sloppy, now do we Drew?"

"Hush and do your finally checks," quietly laughed Drew in response.

The two men stayed silent as they pulled out each weapon to check over, fasten all sheaths and holsters, made sure they had any other items properly secured, and finally checked their clothing to ensure there would be no foreseeable interferences. Finding everything was in order, Drew swiftly walked out of the house without looking back to see if Charlie was following. They continued walking up the engraved driveway until they made it far enough away to apparate without disturbing the household residents.

With no warning, Drew grabbed on to Charlie's arm and immediately apparated the both of them to a street not too far from Privet Drive. Drew led the way to the house silently, preferring to be overcautious than foolishly confident. For all he knew an Order member could be anywhere. With this in mind, he put up his hoodie, it hanging low over his face to hide his identity in the dark night. The surrounding streets were quiet; eerily so. The fluorescent street lamps and soft moon light lit their path, casting shadows that kept them alert and on guard.

Finally Drew and Charlie reached their destination; Privet Drive, Little Whinging in Surrey. The two stood at the entrance of the street and stood there for a few seconds just observing the area. Drew was scoping out a safe spot to retreat to once the wards were activated, while Charlie was searching for any out of the ordinary things such as wards, charms or glamours. Drew pointed towards the house directly opposite from the Dursley's house as he begun to walk.

"We apparate to that roof the moment the wards shift," he said in a hushed tone. "No excuses."

Charlie merely nodded in agreement before they stood at the edge of the wards on number 4 Privet Drive. He closed his eyes as he begun to access the log for the wards, deciding which ones to take down first and which ones to leave. It was a bit of a lengthy process as it seemed new ones had been added for extra protection in the last few weeks. Finally he disabled the first one, a ward to detect any magical use or signatures. Followed up by the alarm if trespassers were on the property, then the anti-intruder ward, the ward to trap unauthorised personnel, and the ward that alerted the Order members to any potential trouble makers, just to name a few.

Drew remained silent as Charlie was busy taking them down, he busied himself in thinking of the next step. His wand subconsciously sliding down in to his hand and ready for action the moment he was given the signal. He luckily didn't have to wait too much longer as Charlie finally opened his eyes and nodded, staying still and waiting for him to make the first move instead. Not even hesitating, showing he fully trusted the other, Drew begun walking to the front door. The two of them looking over their shoulders the entire time, keeping an eye out for any signs of trouble.

Casting a nonverbal 'Alohomora', the door quietly clicked before slowly opening to reveal a living room clouded in darkness. Drew turned around and observed the street once more to make sure the coast was clear. Satisfied, he entered the soundless house and stood in the middle of the large room. He held his wand up before the tip illuminated the room with a blue light, casting long, crazy shadows as he moved around. The first thing that caught his eyes was the slightly ajar cupboard under the stairs. Anger filled him and his fingers clenched tightly around his wand. This was the cupboard Harry had told him all about. On his previous visits here, it blended in so easily. Yet here tonight, in the forbidding darkness, it stood out like a sore thumb and reminded him why he was doing this.

Shaking the anger away, desperate to not let his emotions cloud his judgment, he turned his head in time to see Charlie close the front door. Drew pulled down his hoodie in the safety of the house. He nodded at the other before casting a nonverbal 'Homenum Revelio'. His eyes followed as a maker was placed upon Charlie's head, smirking a little when the younger shivered from the strange sensation. Averting his gaze, he looked up to find three makers on the roof, indicating the human presence upstairs. Although there was only meant to be three residents, he couldn't help but quickly scan the rest of the house downstairs. Relief when there was no other sign of human life.

"All upstairs," Drew whispered extremely quietly. "Kitchen first then we'll go find the adults."

In silent agreement, the two travelled soundlessly in to the dark kitchen. Drew signalled for Charlie to stay at the entrance while he ventured further in, slowly searching around in the drawers and on the bench top as quietly as he could for a sharp knife. His efforts soon paid off as he opened a drawer to find a stash of cooking utensils, including a rather overly large butchers knife. He made sure his presence had not disturbed too much of the kitchen, not giving away their little scavenger hunt during the middle of the night.

Drew who held his wand in one hand and the knife in the other, carefully walked back towards Charlie while showing off dangerous looking object. Charlie merely shook his head in amusement as he followed his boss back out in to the living room. The two paused near the cupboard under the stairs as they heard movement from above. Drew looked up and saw the marker that had been in a separate room from the others moving around. He watched with intent as the marker came out in to the hallway and moved towards the staircase.

Quickly casting a Disillusionment charm over them both and turning off his light, Drew stayed completely still while watching the marker move with a calm beating heart. Closer and closer the marker came to the stairs, louder and louder the footsteps became. But then it turned and walked in to a separate room. Drew dared not to move as he listened for anything, for signs of movement or what that person was doing. Then he heard the weak stream of a piss and he sighed in relief.

"The fat whale is peeing," Drew leaned over to whisper in Charlie's ear.

Charlie tried his hardest not to laugh from the comment. If it wasn't for the training he had undergone for years, he definitely would have been roaring with laughter by now. Drew leaned back with a satisfied smirk and looked up at the ceiling upon hearing the running water from the sink.

"Gross, he didn't flush," Charlie whispered just before they heard a door open.

The two stilled, not talking as the footsteps got quieter. Drew watched the marker travel up the hallway and back to the original spot it had been in beforehand. He waited another minute before he dared move once more. With the coast clear, he lit up the tip of his wand as he started to ascend the stairs one at a time. His body, his mind, his eyes, his senses, everything was on high alert after that close call. Pausing at any little sound, cautious beyond reason.

Finally after an agonisingly long five minutes, the two stood in front of the closed door to the room where Mr. and Mrs. Dursley hopefully soundly slept. Drew looked over at Charlie before waving his wand over him. The other's blue eyes turned to brown, his short, blonde hair turned to long, wavy brown hair, his facial structure turned slightly from sharp and angular to soft and round. Nodding, he watched as Charlie held his own wand up and waved it over him. He felt a warm flow of magic rush down his head that indicated the successful casting. Now with their glamours in place, Drew and Charlie entered the bedroom.

Drew held his wand and knife out, ready to strike. While Charlie pulled out two short swords from their sheath on his back, their silver metal catching in the blue light and reflecting on to the walls as they both moved closer to the bed. Laying in the bed with their backs to each other, were Vernon and Petunia Dursley. The disgusting, fat husband snored so loudly that water in the nearby glass reverberated. The tiny frame of Harry's maternal aunt was the closet to the two, she was curled in to herself on the edge of the bed. She obviously didn't want to be near her husband while he slept, probably afraid he'll suffocate her.

Just as Drew took one more step closer, he saw Petunia's eyes begin to slowly open. Not taking a chance since they only just arrived, he quickly shot a nonverbal 'Stupefy' at her. Both men simultaneously paused as they waited to see if she would stay asleep. Luck was on their side as the skinny lady continued to lay there unconscious. Drew turned around slightly and leaned in to Charlie, his mouth directly next to the others' ear.

"Stay at the door. Keep an eye on the kid and the wards," he whispered as quietly as he could. "As soon as they change, let me know and go. We'll meet on that roof top."

Charlie nodded as he walked back to the doorway, keeping a look out for his boss. He didn't just keep a look out on those two things, he also kept checking back on him to ensure he was okay and didn't need assistance. He was nervous to immediately leave once the wards changed, leaving him behind. But he knew that if anyone could handle a situation like this and get out scot free that it was Drew McIntyre.

With Charlie on guard and Petunia safely back asleep, Drew begun the fun part. He firstly ensured the fat whale and lame excuse of a human was also sound asleep by casting another 'Stupefy'. Now with the two of them out cold, Drew could manoeuvre them to a position that would set the scene and not give away his devious presence to the stupid Order members. He levitated Vernon a few inches off the bed before rotating him to face his wife. With the heavy lump back down, Drew approached Petunia. He placed the butchers knife and his wand on the bedside table before he manually turned her over in bed to lay flat on her back. He chuckled to himself as he thought about how even a man his size would have broken his back trying to move Vernon.

Drew stood back up once he was satisfied the two were in a suitable position. He reached down and grabbed his SP1 Marine combat knife, the perfect one to do his little experiment with. The dark grey metal didn't reflect the light, instead engulfing it to be extra discrete. The curved, sharp edges begged to be used, to be slid across the blemished skin of its next victim. Drew did not deny the knife its wish as he sat down on the bed and brought it down to the right side of Petunia's face, hovering it inches above the skin. Specifically choosing her right side as it was the side closest to her husband who will be playing the part of the culprit later in the play he had written for them.

He lowered the knife and dug the cold metal in to her skin before quickly pulling it in a straight line. A red streak appeared in the tracks of the combat knife, and soon small dots of blood appeared along the line. Petunia flinched in her sleep, moving her face away from the knife subconsciously. The cheek soon had a small stream of blood running down it, threatening to spill on to the pillow below. Now was the moment of truth; would be unconscious and being attacked still trigger the alarms?

"Charlie?" he asked in to the quietness. "Any change?"

"No," he simply said, eyes never leaving the hallway.

A satisfied hum rung through the room as Drew turned his attention back to Petunia. He wanted to cause a bit more of a deeper wound to the foul woman before he left. Looking from his combat knife to the butchers knife, it was clear in his mind which one would do more damage. So without another thought Drew holstered his knife before grabbing the giant kitchen knife from the bedside table. His evil smirk reflected on the silver surface as he moved it around to inspect every inch of it. Yes, indeed, this knife was quite perfect for the job.

The bright moonlight that streamed through the window bounced off the knife to create a silver glow along the wall. Drew watched it in fascination as he brought it closer down to the still body beneath him. The reflection moved down with it, slowly coming to shine brightly on the closed eyes. He watched as Petunia frowned subconsciously in her sleep and twitched, almost as if she knew what was coming next. Before creating any new lacerations, he decided to toy with her and see if it provoked any reaction to the wards. Dragging the knife along her delicate skin, digging in to sensitive spots, leaving red marks from the sharp edge, smearing the already drawn blood around on her cheek.

As much as he truly was enjoying this little revenge session, Drew must get back to the task at hand. He adjusted himself slightly on the bed so he was hovering over Petunia. He grabbed firm hold of her right upper arm and pinched the skin to protrude what little fat she had outwards from the bone. Drew positioned the razor-sharp tip in the middle of his grip before applying enough pressure to pierce the tainted skin. He went only a tiny little bit more deeper, the knife about two centimetres in her flesh, making sure to steer clear of the humerus bone. Without flinching or grimacing, he then pulled the knife upwards towards the shoulder, cutting easily through the fat and muscle.

The only sound he could hear in this present moment was the tearing of the skin, the gushing of the blood rushing from the cut, and the heavy, pained breathing from Petunia. She didn't seem to be waking from the spell, nor consciously aware of the danger and harm that was being subject to her. He looked back over his shoulder to Charlie to see him staring blankly at the wound. After whistling at him, Charlie's brown eyes focused on Drew's face. He waited patiently with an expecting look, as the other closed his eyes and analysed the wards.

"They are completely fine," Charlie breathed in surprise, looking at Drew a moment later.

"I suspected as much. They are not so smart for an organisation that is meant to be aiding the war against Voldemort," Drew laughed lowly.

Turning his attention back to the unconscious pair, Drew begun to set the stage. He dragged over Vernon's closest hand and pried open the fat little sausage fingers. He guided the hand over the open wound, allowing it to soak up an acceptable amount of blood. Once the blade of the knife had also been smeared in a little more blood, Drew discarded the hand back down on the bed and delicately placed the knife under Vernon's blood drenched hand. He forced the fat fingers to curl around the handle securely, making it appear to have been in his grasp the entire time.

"Get ready," Drew said as he stood up from the bed.

Picking up his wand from the bedside table, Drew pointed his wand at Petunia. He was entirely pleased with how the wound and cut looked as well as the placement of the offending 'weapon'. Both muggle police and the Order wouldn't know he or Charlie had been there. He would make sure this was the perfect crime scene. An open and shut case. Perhaps a confusing one for the dim witted muggle cops, but that wasn't his fault. With a smirk firm on his face, he casted a silent 'Rennervate'.

"Wakey-wakey," Drew's low voice echoed throughout the room, sending shivers down Charlie's spine and enticing Petunia from slumber.

Petunia's eyes slowly begun to flutter open. She swore she had just heard a strange voice in the room. Which would be impossible. Those blasted wizards had ensured no one could enter their house unless it was Harry Potter or themselves. But nonetheless, when she focused her eyes to the dimly lit room she found two strange men standing in the room. As more of her senses came back to her, she realised her right arm was on fire.

"Hello Petunia darling," he whispered as he leaned directly over her, getting right in her face. "How have you been?"

"What, w-who are you?" Petunia's groggy voice filled the room as she turned her face to the right away from the intruder.

When she looked down at her arm, Petunia saw a rather large and deep cut which was actively bleeding. Panic filled her even more so when her eyes laid upon the blood ridden knife her husband, Vernon, was holding on to. She felt her breath disappear and tears pool as her body shut down from the shock. Petunia managed to turn her head slightly to be staring in to the malicious dark green eyes that had been changed, unbeknownst to her, from a dark brown colour.

"Drew, they've shifted," Charlie suddenly said before a loud bang was heard.

"So sad I can't stay around and watch the show. We have so much to catch up on Petunia. Maybe one day, very soon, I'll visit again," Drew chuckled darkly as he stood back and took in the view. "Not that you'll be remembering any time soon."

Before she could utter a single word or make sense of what was happening, the stranger had lifted his wand to point directly at her. Through the daze Petunia was able to put two and two together enough to realise what was going to happen next to her. Utter terror flashed in her eyes before she squeezed them tightly shut. In this moment Petunia Dursley thought she was well and truly about to die. What had she done to deserve this?

"Obliviate," Drew whispered, erasing this encounter for safety. Not like he needed to since he and Charlie did have glamours on. But it was better to be safer than sorry.

Drew watched as the green light shot from the tip of his wand and hit Petunia in the middle of her forehead. A few seconds later, a blank look overtook her brown eyes. This was the cue he needed to know his spell had indeed worked like he intended. He quickly shot a 'Rennervate' to Vernon before he knew it was time to leave. With one more smirk at the empty looking Petunia, he apparated out of the bedroom from 4 Privet Drive.

Landing on the roof with nothing more than a mere soft thud, Drew crouched down beside Charlie. They hid on the other side of the roof, behind the crest so they were almost completely out of view from the street below. He closed his eyes and begun to draw back any of his DNA, magical energy or magical signature that had been left behind. A tingling sensation filled his chest to let him know the process was complete and the Dursley house was clean of any evidence he had been there.

There was no need to ask if Charlie had already done it because he trusted the other to stick to the training he taught. They stayed silent as the two of them watched the street with intensity. The seconds turned to minutes as the street continued to be void of all movement. However, it didn't remain that way for much longer when a loud bang alerted them to the presence of someone new. They eyes roamed the street, looking for the person. Drew frowned as he continued to struggle locating them.

A second popping sound indicated a new arrival which was closely followed by two more. Distant voices floated to their ears from the left, drawing their attention to the very start of the street. Four silhouetted outlines stood under a street lamp, talking and pointing to the Dursley's house. Drew looked down at his watch to find it had taken them eight minutes to arrive since the alarm first started. Typical. Drew was glad there was no actual sense of urgency from the Order, it just confirmed his suspicions of the man in charge.

>_<      >_<      >_<

It was late at night when an alarm had been ringing loudly in his quarters, waking him abruptly from his peaceful sleep. Dumbledore tiredly got out of his bed and made his way to the bathroom. As he relived his bladder, his sleepy mind was thinking of the potential exciting situations he would find upon arriving to the muggle neighbourhood. Aching bones slowed him down as he changed from his colourful pyjamas to one of his colourful robes. His foggy mind clouded his judgement, making him walk down several flights of stairs before he realised he could simply apparate from inside the castle to Privet Drive.

Without wasting any more time than he already had, Dumbledore shifted the Hogwarts wards to allow him to leave. He quickly apparated away, landing at the start of the quiet street. He wasn't alone either by the time he arrived. Severus Snape, Arthur, Fred and George Weasley stood in a small circle under a street lamp nearby. He swiftly made his way over to them, annoyed the stupid alarm had woken him up and frazzled the common sense out of him.

"Have any of you been over?" Dumbledore said with a sense of urgency about him.

"No," replied Severus, sparing a glance at the house in question.

Nodding his head, Dumbledore moved passed the group and headed over to the only house with lights on. He controlled his breathing and kept his heart from beating too quickly. Anxiety flared through him. This could only be one thing; an attack on the Dursley's from Voldemort and his lackies. The biggest fear he had was to find them all dead. Once he found Harry, he would have the unfortunate news of telling the poor boy his only living relatives were perished. He needed the boy to be able to concentrate on training rather than grieving.

Dumbledore held his breath as he opened the door and stepped inside the house. The first thing he noticed was how noisy it was upstairs. He could he a somewhat infuriating wailing sound as well as hurried footsteps. Looking over his shoulder, he found all four men had followed and were equally as intrigued to the sounds as he, himself, were.

The small group made their way up the stairs and towards the bedroom where it all seemed to be happing in. Dumbledore was the first to walk in to the chaos. He froze at the entrance of the doorway as his cold, disappointed eyes laid upon the family of three. Dudley Dursley was kneeling on the floor in the middle of the room, an inconsolable mess. Petunia Dursley was pacing back and forwards, holding a small, blood soaked cloth to her arm. Vernon Dursley was sitting completely still on the bed, staring numbly ahead with tears in his eyes. What got his and the other four's attention was the bloodied knife he was loosely holding on to.

"Dear Merlin," Arthur whispered from behind Dumbledore.

Snapping out of the shocked daze he was in, Dumbledore entered the room fully followed by the red headed family. He walked up to the ghostly white woman pacing around the room and gently guided her to sit on the other side of the bed away from her husband. Nothing was adding up in his mind. The alarm should not have gone off if it had just been an altercation within themselves. Something seemed off and there was only one way to determine what caused the alarm to trigger.

"Arthur, tend to her arm while I have a look in her memory," he said calmly. "Severus go make some tea for them and put a calming draught in."

Both men nodded before the room disappeared from Dumbledore's view. He sunk deeply in to Petunia's mind, feeling the emotions tenfold from the distressed woman. Flickering through the last few moments, he arrived finally to the intended destination. He watched intently as the memory played out in front of his eyes. Petunia turned her head to the side to see her Husband slowly waking up as well, a soft smile settling on her face. Until she spotted the knife covered in blood in his hands.

The memory Petunia let out a massive screech as she caught sight of the massive cut on her arm. She sat up in her bed and looked down to find a pool of blood on the sheets. Almost falling out of bed, she numbly walked away until her back hit the wall. She let out another scream which truly roused her husband from his sleep. Dumbledore could feel the fear that she had held in this moment. Vernon held up the knife in front of his face, it shook in his trembling fist.

"Tunie?" Vernon's scared voice echoed around his mind. "Tunia what happened? Did I do something?"

Without saying anything, Petunia nodded her head. She removed her hand that had subconsciously grabbed her bleeding arm. Her now tainted hand shook as her eyes couldn't leave the gushing wound.

"Dad? Mum?" the sound of her son's voice brought her back to the present moment.

The rest of the scene sped by as Dumbledore watched how the three family members spent the next few minutes. Nothing was out of the ordinary a part from the fact this incident seemed to be self-inflicted. No sign of magic. No sign of foul play. No sign of anything. Dumbledore watched the son break down in tears and the husband walk around the room in a daze. He watched as Petunia was the only one to start cleaning up the mess Vernon had made, looking after the cut as much as she could.

Dumbledore pulled out of the memory abruptly, shaking in rage at being called here for nothing important. He looked around to find George and Fred handing cups the two shaking males now sitting on the other side of the bed. Arthur had just finished wrapping Petunia's arm with some muggle medical supplies. Too furious to be in the same room as these imbeciles, he stood and made his way down stairs.

In the kitchen stood two new people, Minerva and Nymphadora, as well as Severus. They must have arrived not long ago since he walked in to their conversation of what the other male had seen as of yet. Dumbledore sighed heavily as he stood amongst the group. They all looked expectantly at him, awaiting to hear what he had found.

"It was self-inflicted," he said finally after musing on different thoughts.

"Preposterous," Severus dismissed immediately. "The alarm would never trigger if it was caused by themselves."

"Severus, I watched as she awoke to Vernon holding the knife soaked in her own blood," sighing, Dumbledore poured a cup of tea for himself. "Perhaps her fear was so great it caused the alarm to activate."

"So you are saying we got called here for nothing?" Nymphadora asked while crossing her arms over chest, her hair subconsciously turning a fiery red.

Dumbledore merely nodded his head, already deep in thought. It didn't make sense, it didn't add up. Yet it was reasonable enough to believe she was so terrified it had set it off. Was it possible that someone had been there? If someone had and erased her memory, then he would have felt their magical signature in the vicinity. But when he was up there, there was no such thing like that. He trusted the memory he saw. He trusted his head, even though his gut was saying something was wrong. And alas, it was not the first time he had witnessed Vernon harm his wife physically.

"Does that mean I can leave?" Minerva interrupted Dumbledore's thoughts.

"Ah yes, my dear Minerva," he hummed before taking another sip. "Since you are not needed, you may leave. You too Nymphadora."

The two women didn't need to be told twice as they disappeared out of the house within seconds. Severus and Dumbledore stayed in the kitchen in silence, both consumed by their own thoughts. The remained there like that until the three red heads walked in. Arthur came to stand next to Dumbledore, while the twins awkwardly stood near the door way.

"They just want to be left alone," Arthur said with a massive sigh. "I've cleaned her cut up as much as I could and made sure they all drunk a decent amount of the calming draught."

"Thank you, Arthur," solemnly said Dumbledore.

A sombre silence fell upon the group of men. The sense of urgency long gone at no sign of the missing young man. Any hope that four of them had, washed away with each second. While Severus had remained the only one of them that never had hope of finding Harry Potter. He knew that the boy would have already been found by now if he was still in this country. But there was a small part of him, deep, deep down, that didn't want to entirely give up the last living connection to Lily.

"I'll be taking my leave now," Severus spoke in to the mostly silent room, soft voices floating down from upstairs.

"As should we," Arthur gestured to his two boys, waving a goodbye before walking out the room.

Dumbledore was left on his own in the tiny muggle kitchen. He listened to the soft talking from the family that had caused him so much distress and anger over the years. Here he was helping them when they had failed in the one task he asked them to do; ensure the boy lived until he could go to Hogwarts. It was not a hard task. It was not an inconvenience. It was not a burden on them. It was why he offered to compensate them generously with the boy's money. He despised being in this house or anywhere near them.

Gulping down the last of his tea, Dumbledore swiftly left the house without another word to the family. After he had closed the door behind him, he marched up the dark street with his robes swirling out behind him in the gentle breeze. How he wished that this night had turned out differently, if only he was walking away from the house with the Potter brat in his grasp. His body took him towards the end of the street while his mind was preoccupied in dark thoughts.

Dark thoughts about how he would make the brat pay for all the hassles he caused, not only to him but to the entire wizarding world. Thoughts of how much he would love to see the kid die with his own eyes, for the cause of course. Sacrificing his life to save thousands of others. Oh the pleasure it would give him as he would watch Voldemort take the little monster's last breath away, ending the painful existence that was Harry Potter.

>_<      >_<      >_<

A loud bang signified the final departure of Albus Dumbledore. Drew looked at Charlie with a tired smile. The two continued to sit there staring at the house in front of them. Wondering what had happened inside for the past fifteen minutes. Charlie suddenly begun to chuckle, gaining a curious gaze from the other.

"Sorry," he laughed even louder. "I just realised I didn't put the wards I disabled back up. And they still haven't been, meaning they don't know someone has messed with the warding."

"Really?" Drew chuckled in surprise.

"I'm not going to even bother to put them up. Stuff them," he snorted while shaking his head.

"Might make Harry's job that bit easier if they still haven't noticed in a week," he mused, also shaking his head.

Charlie nodded his head in agreement as they settled back in to a comfortable silence, his eyes training back on to the only house with lights on. They stayed crouched on the top of the roof and waited patiently for any other signs of Order members or muggle police. But time went by and nothing happened. No one else turned up, meaning the mission had been a success.

"Well we might as well head home," Charlie let out a small yawn. "I'm exhausted."

"You can just head straight home instead of back to base if you would prefer," said Drew, standing up and stretching.

"Yeah, I'll probably just head home," he nodded as he too stood up. "Well thank you for inviting me along."

"Of course, thank you for your help," he smiled as he reached out to shake hands. "I'll be in touch soon for your next mission."

"Have a good night," Charlie smiled, shaking the offered hand.

And just like that, Drew was left alone on the roof top. He looked around the surrounding area illuminated softly by the moonlight, a scene of serenity filled his eyes and ears. He felt a sense of relief at how well the night had just gone. He looked at number 4 Privet Drive one last time to find all of the lights had been turned off. Not needing to be there anymore, he apparated from the spot and headed straight to the property.

Landing far enough away to not disturb the sleeping occupants of the house, he begun to walk slowly towards the door. Thoughts of the nights event and the reactions he had witnessed replaying in his mind. He was confident that when Harry leaves to execute his plan of revenge soon, he'll be fine and get away with it all. He didn't need to be there to baby sit him anymore because Drew could positively say Harry had grown in to a strong and independent young man. He was proud to have him in his life.

When Drew opened the door, his eyes were drawn to the crackling fire in the living room. Rolling his eyes and closing the door softly behind him, he walked further in to find Harry laying on the couch closest to the fire, fast asleep. Taking off his coat and laying it on the younger, he shook his head before walking over to the opposite couch. He sat down just as Harry begun to stir from his sleep.

"Couldn't stay awake?" he asked with a soft smile upon his features.

"Apparently," Harry yawned as he slowly sat up.

With a foggy mind, Harry placed the warm coat upon his shoulders and wrapped the comfortable material around his cold body. He looked at Drew sheepishly before settling in, looking expectantly at the other. He was eager to hear how the night turned out.

"Is that envelope for me?" Drew asked after spotting an unopened, yellow envelope on the coffee table.

"Yeah," he nodded and rubbed his eyes. "Came not long after you two left. So I left it there for you."

"Thank you," he nodded his head before relaxing back in to the couch. "Well I'm sure you are keen to know about tonight."

"I am," he chuckled lightly.

"It went well," Drew smiled in return. "Charlie took down a few wards and forgot to replace them when we left. Turns out they didn't check the wards when they arrived."

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes at the stupidity of the Order members who had been called. It wasn't like checking the warding was a massive task, it was quite simple in reality.

"I used a stupefy on Petunia and gave her a deep cut on the arm. No wards changed," he continued on. "It is safe to say you can cause as much harm to them as you would like while they're unconscious."

A dark glimmer flashed in Harry's green eyes as a smirk settled on his face. His tired mind suddenly awake and thinking of all the things he could do. All of the revenge he could carry out. He would make sure all three of them paid for what they did to him over the period of almost five years. They weren't family. They weren't relatives. They were nothing but horrible people that don't deserve to live. His mind was overtaken by plans of who he would do what to and with what weapons. It would not be long until their suffering would take place. And Harry Potter could simply not wait for that day.