- INTERLUDE THREE -

Fugitives

Albus Dumbledore felt every single one of his one-hundred-and-thirteen years as he tiredly sat down at the head table in the Great Hall for breakfast. A terrible night lay behind him after the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, and his morning hadn't started much better.

The Ministry was in an uproar at the disappearance of Viktor Krum, who had vanished without a trace after activating the Portkey in the centre of the maze – the Portkey that he, Albus, had created the day before. Cornelius had been quick to blame him for the disastrous end to the Tournament, but this annoyance paled in comparison to the horrible news that Severus had brought back to Hogwarts later that night.

It was only thanks to Severus's courage to step back into his former role as spy in Tom's inner circle that they knew what had happened. Tom had abducted Viktor Krum with the help of Peter Pettigrew and had successfully used the boy's blood in a dark resurrection ritual. With his body restored, Tom had immediately called his servants to his side again, and together, they'd attempted to start their new reign of terror with the murder of their captive Viktor Krum. That the poor boy had fought back bravely and had even killed several of Tom's servants before his own demise was no consolation in Albus's eyes.

Horrified by Snape's account, Albus had immediately Floo-called Cornelius to inform him and urge him to take action, but the Minster had dismissed him out of hand.

Albus dearly hoped that Amelia would be more willing to listen once he got a chance to speak to her, and maybe the two of them together could convince Cornelius to not bury his head in the sand. Unable to reach her via the Floo, he had sent a letter to the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement a few hours earlier, but she hadn't replied so far.

There had been another curious letter among his morning correspondence, however, written in Miss Granger's neat hand. Among all the distressing news, the fact that Harry and Miss Granger had finally decided to get in touch with him was the sole silver lining of that night's events. Yet the contents of Miss Granger's letter only added to his worries. Her account of Harry's vision mostly confirmed what Severus had reported previously, but it was the vision itself that was truly troubling. It was another piece of evidence that added to his worst suspicion about Harry's scar, which would spell a terrible fate for the poor boy if true. Albus also feared that Harry's connection to Tom might easily put his missing students in grave danger if they didn't soon return to the safety of his school.

He prayed the children would come to their senses in time. It was a step in the right direction that they had informed him of Harry's vision, despite all their grievances with him, which they had laid out to Sirius in excessive detail several months earlier.

Albus frowned at the memory. Sirius had been most wroth with him when he had received that particular letter. Harry's godfather had stormed into Albus's office to demand explanations, even at the risk of being captured and imprisoned again, though he had at least shown enough sense to only enter Hogwarts in his Animagus form. It had been near impossible to calm the man down, and Albus had been forced to admit to far more mistakes than he felt fair in truth, but even then, Sirius's trust in him had remained severely shaken. Albus had been especially annoyed when Sirius had shared Harry's letter with several of the former members of the Order of the Phoenix. He had been on the receiving end of more than one irate Floo call after that. None of his old friends had been impressed with his decisions regarding Harry, and many had made their displeasure known, often loudly so.

Still, with the news of Tom's return, Albus hoped they could leave the past behind and focus on the threat ahead. He had already called on the Order of the Phoenix to meet again at Sirius's new hiding place later that day. But with the Order in a much worse shape than at the end of the last war, Albus was unsure how many former members would even answer his call and turn up this afternoon.

These thoughts had him in a bleak mood as he poured himself a much-needed cup of Earl Grey, hoping for a short respite before he'd have to leave for the Ministry to try to meet with Amelia. Yet, only a moment later, the doors to the Great Hall were slammed open, and Albus knew his morning was about to get even worse.

Madam Umbridge, Fudge's Senior Undersecretary, came sauntering into the Great Hall, followed by over a dozen Aurors.

"Headmaster Dumbledore," she called as she neared the head table.

"Dolores," Albus responded wearily and rose from his seat to meet the uninvited guests. "What a pleasant surprise. What brings you to Hogwarts this morning?"

"You, Headmaster," she announced with a sickly sweet smile and paused for a moment, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Albus Dumbledore, I'm placing you under arrest for gross neglect and reckless endangerment that led to the death of a student in your care."

Albus blinked in surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

"Viktor Krum disappeared when he used a Portkey that was set up by you personally, Headmaster," the Undersecretary explained, sounding almost gleeful. "Clearly, you botched the spell and the poor boy paid for it with his life."

"As I tried to explain to Cornelius last evening, it was Lord Voldemort who-"

"Preposterous!" the woman snapped, flinching at the name. "The Ministry doesn't care for your outlandish excuses to cover up your own mistakes!"

"Of all the-" Minerva started as she moved to his side, but she halted when Albus put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"It's all right, Minerva," he said quietly, pleading with her to stand back and not draw the Ministry's ire, too. His deputy nodded reluctantly, and Albus turned back at the Senior Undersecretary.

"I assure you-" he began but was interrupted again.

"Enough! I will hear no more of it!" the unpleasant woman shouted. "Your wand, Dumbledore, hand it over now! Or will I have to ask the Aurors to disarm you?"

Albus knew he could easily defeat the Aurors surrounding him, but he worried about the students in the hall. Besides, it would not be wise for him to throw the first spell. After all, he had nothing to fear from a hearing in front of the Wizengamot. In fact, he might even use it to spread the word of Tom's return.

"That won't be necessary, Dolores," he said amiably and handed his second wand to the closest Auror – his old wand that he always carried as a backup. "I'm willing to accompany you and these fine gentlemen to the Ministry and get this sorted out."

Umbridge didn't deign to reply as she turned to the Aurors. "Cuff him!"

"Is that really necessary?" Albus asked disapprovingly when two Aurors stepped forward and grabbed his arms.

The Undersecretary glared back at him. "Of course it is! We can't allow a dangerous criminal such as you to escape and hurt even more innocents, can we?"

Albus only gave a low sigh as the manacles were closed around his wrists. In truth, he wasn't sure which was the greater insult: That he got treated like a common criminal, or that these people apparently thought the cuffs would in any way restrain him.

Looking back to his assembled staff, he barely had time for a reassuring smile before the Aurors pushed him forward and he was marched out of the Great Hall under the eyes of his shocked students. The group traversed the entrance hall in silence, but when they made it past the castle gates, the Senior Undersecretary gave a girlish giggle.

"Oh, Dumbledore. Look at you!" she exclaimed. "How the mighty have fallen!"

"Oh, I wouldn't go that far, Dolores," Albus replied colloquially. "As far as I'm concerned, Cornelius has far more to lose from questioning me in front of the Wizengamot than I have."

"Oh," the woman tittered. "Didn't I tell you? We're not taking you to a hearing at the Ministry. No... You're going straight to Azkaban."

"Am I?" Albus raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "I believe that somewhat exceeds your authority, Dolores."

"But not the Minister's," she gloated as she produced a sheet of parchment from her pink robes and waved it in front of his face. "Here's the signed order."

"Ah..." he mumbled, trying to make out the names on the parchment. "Well, I might be mistaken, but this document seems to lack Amelia's signature. Only the Minister and the DMLE Head together can issue this order, and even then, it's only meant as a temporary measure to-"

"Wrong again," Dolores proclaimed gleefully. "Amelia was fired this morning for her own part in the horrible security breaches surrounding the Tournament and the World Cup before that. Cornelius appointed me to step in for her temporarily, though I'll soon move on to a position more befitting my talents."

"Ah, well, my congratulations to your promotion, Dolores... That still doesn't relieve you of your duty to actually arrange for a full trial," he reminded her gently, but Umbridge only smiled coldly at him.

"Oh well. You know how it is. How easily these things get lost in the cracks of the system..."

Albus sighed. "I see. It appears the Ministry will once again not adhere to its own laws."

The Undersecretary's eyes darkened as she lowered her voice. "Some people understand the necessity not to let oneself be shackled down by narrow rules when those stand in the way of the betterment of society!"

"Betterment of society," Albus repeated, halting his steps. He had heard enough to know there was no hope to reason with Cornelius or his lackeys. "Yes, well, I wish you the very best with that, Dolores. But, charming as your company is, if there won't be a hearing, I think the time has come for me to take my leave."

"Take your leave?" the woman laughed. "Are you growing senile? You're coming with us, old man!"

"I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree on that," he said with a polite nod towards her, which infuriated her further.

"You- What-"

Ignoring her sputters, Albus finally reached out to Fawkes, who immediately responded to his call. The Phoenix materialised in a ball of flames before him and grasped his right shoulder in its talons.

"Aurors! STOP HIM!" Umbridge screeched just as Albus disappeared in a swirl of his Phoenix's flames.

His vision shifted as he reappeared in his office a second later.

"Thank you, Fawkes," he said, his Phoenix giving back a low trill.

With the Aurors likely on their way back to the castle already, Albus knew he had no time to lose. With a flick of his wrist, the Elder Wand was in his shackled hand, and with the second flick, the manacles turned to sand.

"Expecto Patronum!" he cast next, summoning his Phoenix Patronus. "Inform Minerva and Severus to come to my office at once," he instructed the silvery bird, which promptly shot away through the closest wall.

While he waited for his colleagues, Albus gathered several books and personal belongings and put them in a space-expanded travelling bag. Only half a minute later, the door to his office was pushed open.

"Albus!" Minerva exclaimed as she entered the room with Severus following behind. "What happened?"

"I'm... on the run, I suppose you could say," he replied. "Cornelius, unfortunately, has no intention of giving me a proper hearing, and I decided I'd rather not spend my time in Azkaban."

"They wouldn't!" she gasped.

"I'm afraid to say that they would, Minerva," he said quietly and turned to Severus. "You know what you have to do?"

The Potions master gave a grim nod in reply.

"Thank you, Severus," Albus said as he approached the fireplace. "Keep me appraised. Minerva, I'll see you at the meeting in the evening. You too, Severus."

"Where will you go?" his deputy asked.

"I was hoping that Sirius might host me for a while, after he has graciously agreed last night to let us use his house for our meetings."

"He's still rather put out with you about Mr Potter," she reminded him.

"Yes, he is," he acknowledged. "But I'm grateful he understands the need to put our disagreements behind us to stand united against the reemerging darkness."

"Very well, Albus." Minerva nodded. "Good luck."

"I shall see you soon," he said as he activated the fireplace and grabbed a handful of Floo powder from a box on the mantelpiece. "No. 12 Grimmauld Place!"

Albus stepped into the fire and was whisked away in a whirlwind of green flames. His usage of the Floo would get picked up at the Ministry, but as Grimmauld Place was both unplottable and under a Fidelius charm, the monitors wouldn't be able to determine his destination. Still, he much preferred to travel via Fawkes' flames over those of the Floo. As he got whirled around, he lamented not for the first time that Fawkes only allowed him to make use of his gift in true emergencies.

A short but dizzying Floo ride later, Albus stumbled out of the fireplace in the salon of the Black ancestral home.

Silently, he vanished the ash from his robes and took in his surroundings. The house was just as dreary as when he had visited the last time to set up the Fidelius. It was evident by the thick cobwebs and layers of dust that the place had been abandoned for over a decade, and Sirius had done little to make his home more hospitable over the last weeks.

The sound of voices from one of the adjacent rooms brought him out of his musings.

"Who's there?" a male voice called from the kitchen.

"Good morning, Sirius," Albus answered and entered the room.

He was greeted by the surprised looks of Sirius and, unexpectedly, Remus Lupin, who were sitting at the breakfast table and had apparently been jointly reading a letter that lay between them. While their surprise and curiosity at his unannounced arrival were evident, neither of them appeared particularly happy to see him.

"Albus," Sirius said curtly as Albus joined the two men in the room.

"Good morning, Albus," Remus greeted him more politely, but his tone wasn't much warmer than Sirius's.

"Remus, a pleasure to see you here, too," Albus tried to break the ice, but he wasn't rewarded with a verbal response.

"What are you doing here this early?" Sirius asked into the tense silence.

"I was hoping I might impart upon your hospitality for a while."

"Why?" Sirius wondered.

"Because as of this morning, I, too, am a fugitive of the law," Albus told them. "Or of the not-so-lawful Ministry in any case."

Both men appeared genuinely shocked by the news.

"What!?"

"What happened?"

"Our Minister decided he'd rather close his eyes to the truth and ignore my warnings. He refused to hear about Voldemort's return and instead tried to pin the death of Mr Krum on me and a malfunctioning Portkey. His lackeys arrested me in the Great Hall this morning. They had every intention to transfer me straight to Azkaban, so I had to make a somewhat hasty retreat. Naturally, I didn't find that destination very appealing."

"Well, you're right about that," Sirius muttered, shuddering slightly.

"This was the first place for me to go that sprang to mind," Albus went on. "I'm afraid I have not maintained my old family home, and none of the other Order members have a place as big and secure. Perhaps I could've asked Aberforth, but I fear I'd be even less welcome with him than here..."

"Fine," Sirius huffed. "You can stay. There's plenty of space as it is. And with your help, at least we'll hopefully make this house inhabitable again much faster."

"I shall be happy to assist in any way I can," Albus said gratefully. "It's the least I can do."

The uncomfortable silence ensued when Sirius only gave a stiff nod in response.

"Well, may I sit down?" Albus asked after a while.

"Please," Sirius allowed.

"Tea?"

"Thank you, Remus," Albus said as he sat down at the table and gratefully accepted the cup of tea. He motioned towards the letter that lay on the table. "Have you heard from anyone else already?"

"From the Order, you mean?" Sirius clarified, folding the letter. "Alastor sent a Patronus. He'll be here soon. And Molly and Arthur will join us for lunch."

"Good. Anyone else?"

"No, at least not yet. But it was you who sent out the invitations," Remus reminded him.

"Very well," Albus said with a nod. "We'll have to wait and see. I haven't got any replies yet. Minerva and Severus will join-"

"Not Snivellus," Sirius interrupted him forcefully.

Albus frowned. "Sirius, this is not the time to hold on to old grudges."

"Tell that to him!" Sirius shot back. "After how he treated my godson for the last four years, he's not welcome in this house! And what he said to the poor girl was inexcusable, too! "

"You're right, Sirius," Albus tried to placate him. "I assure you, Severus has been reprimanded for his behaviour and he has promised-"

"Reprimanded?" Sirius scoffed. "You should've fired him! You should've never given him a job in the first place. I can't fathom how you ever thought he'd make a good teacher!"

"Sirius, I understand your anger, but we all need to work together now," Albus tried to reason with the irate man, but Sirius only glared back at him. Seeing that he wouldn't make any headway in this discussion, Albus relented, "Very well. I see that it might be too early to ask for your forgiveness. You are our host, and I'll abide by your request."

"Thank you," Sirius replied stiffly.

The tense silence resumed when neither of the younger men said anything more. Eventually, Albus tried to make conversation again. "Well, will you also be staying here, Remus?"

"No, I just took the day off," Remus replied. "I got your missive and wanted to get here early to try and learn more of what happened."

"Much is still unclear, but I'll share what I can. As far as I know, Voldemort successfully performed a ritual that-"

"Yes, we know that part already," Remus interjected, to Albus's surprise. He hadn't deemed it safe to share that information with the Order yet.

"I've got an owl from Harry earlier," Sirius explained, pointing to the letter before him. "Apparently, he had a vision that showed him what happened."

Albus nodded in understanding. "I see. Yes, I received a similar letter from Miss Granger this morning."

"Oh?" Sirius asked, both men sharing a surprised look. Albus knew they hadn't expected that, given the teens' well-documented distrust of him.

"Yes," Albus reiterated, "though Miss Granger said little we didn't already know from Severus. However, the information she did share only underlines the importance for them to return to Britain with all haste. We still have to find them. If only they had given us a way to communicate with them..."

"Yes..." Sirius mumbled and exchanged another look with Remus.

"Well," Albus mused aloud, ignoring the interplay, "if they stay in Europe, there are maybe two or three dozen magical quarters they could realistically visit, and even fewer that would be attractive destinations. As far as we know, they never travelled beyond France and Italy over the last months..."

"Albus..." Sirius began slowly, but Albus continued with his thoughts.

"We'll send out people to look for them," he decided. "Travellers always stand out. The children would disguise themselves, most likely, but they'll still speak English. If we ask around for couples speaking English in the magical quarters in France and Italy, maybe also Spain or even the Confederation, then-"

"Albus," Sirius interrupted him more forcefully. "I doubt that will be necessary."

"Pardon?"

"I suppose your letter didn't contain that part," Sirius scoffed. "I wonder why..."

"What are you speaking about, Sirius?" Albus asked, letting the sarcastic remark slide.

"As I said, I got a letter from Harry. He and Hermione want to meet me in London in three days."

That revelation took him by surprise, but it was a very welcome one. "Truly?" he said brightly. "They're coming back? Have they decided to return to Hogwarts, then?"

"Well, I don't know," Sirius replied. "Harry only wrote he wants to meet. Actually, he didn't even say that much. Only that they want to talk and that I should be at a certain place in the city in two days."

"Wonderful," Albus proclaimed. "Where will we meet them?"

"We?" Sirius repeated in a disapproving tone. "Harry wants to meet me, not you. If the kids wanted to talk to you, they'd have told you."

"Please, Sirius. Is this really necessary?" Albus asked tiredly. He knew he had failed the kids, much more than he had realised – Harry, especially, with his placement with his relatives, and later with his hands-off approach at school, too. But with Tom's return, it was high time to move past these old mistakes. He was prepared to make amends if only Harry and Miss Granger were willing to listen to him.

Sirius appeared rather reluctant to answer. "I trust you with my life, Albus. We all do. You know that. I'm just not so sure anymore that I trust you with Harry's."

"I admit that I made mistakes, but truly, I'm only trying to look out for Harry's safety," he assured him.

"We don't question your motives. Just your actions," Remus said darkly.

Albus had hoped they had cleared up this topic, but it was evident his old friends' trust in him was still severely shaken. "I did what I thought best at the time..."

Sirius huffed. "Sure you did..."

"Please, Sirius," Albus pleaded, "let us not reopen this discussion again. This is getting us nowhere."

"Well, you're probably right about that," Sirius said derisively. "We don't need to hear your excuses for a second and third time..."

"They aren't excuses-"

"Of course not," Remus tried to assuage the rising tempers, "But the fact remains, Albus, that there have been a lot of instances where your judgement seems to have been severely lacking when it comes to the school and Harry especially."

Albus nodded resignedly. "I'm aware of my mistakes. If you don't trust me with Harry's safety, I'll have to accept that and shall work hard to earn back that trust... But all of this hardly pertains to the question of whether Harry should get back and return to Hogwarts."

"You're the..." Sirius began but trailed off into silence.

"You were about to say I'm the headmaster," Albus guessed. "But right now, I'm a fugitive like you, Sirius. It seems highly unlikely that I'll be headmaster of Hogwarts come September. Even if Harry returns to the school, I won't be there..."

"That's true," Sirius admitted.

"I only ask of you to let me speak to Harry when you meet him," Albus requested. "Because all our disagreements don't change the fact that Harry has to return to us for his own safety. You know it's for the best. I shall do what I can to convince Harry and Miss Granger of that..."

"You know they don't trust you," Remus cautioned. "It might be better if only Sirius and maybe some others go and meet with them."

"Maybe," Albus allowed. "I believe it would be best for me to be there, so I can directly address the concerns Harry and Miss Granger so clearly have about me."

The two men exchanged a long look before Sirius came to a decision. "Fine..."

"Thank you, Sirius," Albus said, much relieved.

"But I can't blame the kids for not feeling safe at Hogwarts or anywhere else in Britain," Sirius went on. "To no small part thanks to you, Albus. If Harry doesn't want to stay here, I won't force him to."

Albus only gave a resigned nod in response. Harry's godfather still didn't trust him, but he would take what he had for now.

"Now, when and where do they want to meet us?"

#

Three days later, Albus followed along as Sirius led their small group of four wizards and one witch through the noisy streets of Muggle London.

They had apparated to the Leaky Cauldron, from where they had to find their way to the meeting point described in Harry's letter. Luckily, they were accompanied by young Nymphadora Tonks, who was somewhat familiar with this part of the city. The young Auror was reading a city map and occasionally gave instructions to Sirius when he was about to make a wrong turn at one intersection or another.

The other two wizards in their group, Dedalus Diggle and Arthur Weasley, had also been selected for the small escort because of their familiarity with the Muggle world. Apart from Nymphadora, Kingsley – who was currently on Auror duty – and Remus – who was en route for his own mission to the werewolf packs – they were the ones who knew the Muggle world best. Still, Albus thought they appeared similarly lost as him while they walked along the busy streets. In fact, without Nymphadora forcefully yanking him back, Arthur would've walked straight into oncoming traffic not once but twice during their short walk.

"Righto, almost there," Nymphadora announced as they turned into a street that was thankfully not clogged by loud automobiles for a change. It led to a lively plaza that was dominated by a large hall built of white stone and topped by a glass roof somewhat akin to a greenhouse, and Nymphadora halted just at the corner of the plaza a few yards away from two red phone boxes.

"Covent Garden Market, corner James Street. That's the street leading to the Underground station. I guess this is the right spot, then?" she asked Sirius.

"Yeah, that's what it said in the letter," he confirmed.

"Thank you, Nymphadora," Albus thanked the latest Order member for her assistance, but he only got a disgruntled look in response.

"You're probably the only one who can call her by her name and get away with it, Albus," Sirius chuckled and grinned at his relative. "Right, Nymphy?"

"Har har," the young woman responded dryly. "You're lucky we're in the middle of Muggle London, or else I'd hex your arse off!"

"Ah, speaking of which..." Albus mumbled. While the banter between Sirius and Nymphadora resumed, he quickly cast Muggle-repellent and Notice-me-not Charms on their group.

It was a sensible precaution, given the countless Muggles milling around, even when he thought they blended in quite well, with Sirius and Arthur dressed in back and grey suits and Nymphadora in her ordinary Muggle clothes. Dedalus wore a brown tweed blazer but had foregone his trademark top hat, which Nymphadora had insisted he'd leave behind at Grimmauld Place. Albus himself had wanted to dress more colourfully, but Nymphadora had only taken one look at him before she had transfigured his attire into a dreadfully dull suit similar to Sirius's.

In addition to their muggle attire, he and Sirius had disguised themselves with several charms to change their appearances to any onlookers outside their group. This was especially important for Sirius, who was a wanted fugitive in the Muggle world, too. Albus only had the Aurors searching for him, so he mostly needed to be careful around the Leaky Cauldron and other wizarding areas.

At least they apparently didn't have to worry about Death Eaters yet. After the crushing blow dealt to him at the hands of Viktor Krum, Tom had reportedly decided to lay low for the time being. Albus was glad for it, as it gave him and the Order more time to prepare for the inevitable. His efforts to call the Ministry and Cornelius to reason had failed, but at least he had been able to reach out to many of his allies and spread the word of Voldemort's return.

With a low sigh, Albus brought himself out of his musings. He was starting to get worried, as it was a minute past noon by now and Harry and Miss Granger were nowhere to be seen yet.

While Dedalus and Arthur stayed back to keep watch of their surroundings, Albus stepped closer to Nymphadora and Sirius, who had stopped their bickering and were talking in hushed voices.

"You really think they'll come?" Nymphadora asked in a low voice, making it difficult for Albus to overhear them over the noise of the city.

"Well, they said so, didn't they?" Sirius replied, though he didn't sound fully convinced. "You know, I still think it might spook them, all of us being here. I'm not sure if it was a good idea to bring you lot along with me."

"Sirius, we've been through this," Albus joined the conversation. "I'm sure the children will show up soon."

"Well, we're right where we're supposed to be," Sirius grumbled. "It's the right street, and we're right near the pair of phone boxes... Where are they, then?"

"Wait..." Nymphadora interjected with a puzzled look. "They told you specifically to be at the phone boxes?

"Yeah?"

"What exactly did they tell you?" she inquired.

Sirius frowned at her. "They told me to be right here so we could talk."

"Talk?" she repeated.

"Yeah?"

"Oh, I see," the young Auror laughed, a look of realisation on her face. "I reckon it's safe to say the kids won't show up then."

"What?"

"Why?"

The girl only smirked knowingly. "I think you'll see..."

"See what?" Albus asked.

"Well, not them, apparently," Sirius muttered. "It's past noon now..."

"Nymphadora, why do you think-" Albus began, but he stopped at a sudden sound coming from inside the phone box.

Riiiiinnnggg! Riiiiinnnggg!

"What's that noise?" Dedalus asked apprehensively.

"It's coming from this small red house!" Arthur exclaimed from behind them and approached the phone box. "Ah, I recognise it! It's a feletone! Many muggles have them at home. But they also like to put them in these small red houses for some curious reason! I've seen them before..."

"This is a phone box, not a house!" Nymphadora exclaimed with exasperation. "Weren't you listening at all? Never mind. Someone's calling, and I bet it's Harry. I think you should answer it, Sirius."

"Ah, right." Sirius nodded and opened the door to the phone box.

The telephone inside looked much different than the last time Albus remembered seeing one of the fascinating devices, but Sirius apparently knew what he had to do as he stepped into the cabin and carefully picked up the handset.

"Hello?" he called.

Albus didn't hear if anything was said on the other side, but Sirius broke into a smile a moment later.

"Harry!" he called out brightly.

Albus raised his wand, and after a quick Sonorus charm on the handset, they could all hear Harry's voice coming from the speaker.

"-really you, Sirius? It's great to hear you again!"

"Where are you, Harry? I thought we were supposed to meet here?"

"Ah... No?" Harry responded, sounding slightly confused at the question.

"No? But you said we'd meet here..."

"We didn't write that, actually," another voice that had to belong to Miss Granger chimed in. "We just told you a time and place for us to talk."

"Yes, we just told you to be at the phone box," Harry reiterated.

"But maybe we didn't make it clear that we only intended to call," Miss Granger went on. "I thought it was obvious."

"Yeah, right, sorry about that..." Harry apologised.

"Oh, all right. Don't worry about it," Sirius replied. "And hello, Hermione, by the way. How-"

"Harry, Miss Granger, where are you?" Albus interjected loudly.

There was a short silence at the other end of the line.

"You're with Dumbledore?" Harry asked, sounding less than pleased.

"Look, Harry, I know you're cross with him. I am too, honestly," Sirius tried to explain, causing Albus to grimace slightly. "But we've all been very worried about you."

"Listen, Harry, Miss Granger, it's imperative that you come back as soon as possible," Albus tried to appeal to the kids as he stepped next to Sirius. "I'm sure you realise that, too, now that Voldemort is back."

"Why?" Harry demanded. "We're safe where we are."

"You will be in grave danger when Voldemort learns where you're hiding," Albus insisted. With the connection between Harry's scar and Tom, Albus feared such an outcome was only a matter of time, but this was a topic that could only be spoken of in person.

It was Miss Granger who answered this time. "Professor, have you been trying to find us?"

"Yes, I-"

"And have you found us?" she interrupted him.

"No, but-"

"Then you can probably agree that we're quite safe and well-hidden where we are," she concluded.

"You won't be. You'll only be safe-"

"At Hogwarts?" she completed his sentence, though it wasn't what Albus had wanted to say. "Don't be ridiculous. The madhouse that you call your school is probably the least safe place in all of Britain!"

"Actually, Miss Granger, I'm sorry to say that this madhouse is not my school any longer," Albus attempted to redirect the discussion.

That brought them up short, and there was a short pause on the other end of the line before Harry asked, "What?"

"You might have missed the news, but I'm no longer the headmaster of Hogwarts," Albus told them. "In fact, I'm a fugitive from the law, after Minister Fudge ordered my arrest for Viktor Krum's disappearance."

"Why would he arrest you?" Harry asked incredulously.

"It was my Portkey that was used to abduct Mr Krum. Unfortunately, the Minister wasn't ready to hear about Voldemort's return. This is his attempt to pin the blame on me and undermine my credibility."

"They aren't doing anything about Voldemort?" Miss Granger asked, sounding appalled.

"I'm afraid not," Albus confirmed reluctantly.

"But we gave you a list of all the Death Eaters!" Harry exclaimed. "Weren't they arrested?"

Albus exchanged a contrite glance with Sirius. "That would've likely been difficult in any case, without much more tangible evidence, but as it stands, the Minister refuses to even hear about it."

"Well, what are you going to do about them, then?" Miss Granger asked. "About the Death Eaters, I mean?"

"Unfortunately, our hands are tied at the moment," Albus tried to explain. "The Ministry won't look kindly upon a group of vigilante taking the law in their own hands. We'll have to stay back and observe, at least until Voldemort makes a move. But I assure you that we will do everything in our power to protect the population from any attacks."

Judging by the silence on the other end of the line, the children weren't very impressed by his response. "Anyway," he attempted to steer the discussion back on track, "haven't we gotten a bit off-topic? I trust with me no longer the headmaster, you won't object to rejoining classes at Hogwarts?"

When he didn't get an answer, Albus pressed on, "Minerva- I mean Professor McGonagall, who'll hopefully be instated as the new headmistress soon, would be glad to welcome you back. And I'm sure your friends would be overjoyed to see you again, too."

"However," Sirius interjected, "if you truly don't want to return to school, there are other options available, too."

"Oh? Like what?" Harry asked.

"Well, if you insist on it, we could maybe arrange for the two of you to get tutored," Sirius offered.

"That doesn't sound too bad, I suppose," Harry replied slowly. Albus was beginning to hope they had made a breakthrough before Harry continued, "Except, why would we want to return to Britain at all, with Voldemort running around and the Ministry refusing to fight him?"

"Even so, you won't have to rely on the Ministry for your protection," Albus tried to alleviate his concerns and went on to lay out how the Order would ensure the kids' safety, "You'd be perfectly safe with us. We-"

"With you?" Miss Granger interrupted him again, and he was surprised by the anger in her voice. "How many times did Harry get attacked by Voldemort or one of his Death Eaters in your school, in your care, in the last four years?"

"I admit that I made mistakes-"

"Mistakes?" she repeated scathingly.

"Yes-"

"It's curious, isn't it? Everyone says you're the greatest wizard alive, and yet, when it comes to Harry, somehow you make nothing but mistakes. Makes one wonder if there's maybe a more sinister reason for this sudden... incompetence. Some purpose, maybe? We'd be pretty stupid to return to that."

Albus grimaced, wondering how to salvage the situation. "I understand that you're upset, Miss Granger, I really do, but I'm hurt that you would think so lowly of me. I've always tried to do what's best for Harry. I-"

"Like when you let him fight a basilisk on his own? Like when you sent us to fight werewolves and dementors? Like when you left him with abusive guardians? Like when-"

"Miss Granger, please, there are many things you don't understand," he tried to calm her. "I'm prepared to answer all questions you might have, but this isn't the place for this conversation. Why don't you come back and we can talk about everything?"

There was another long pause until Hermione spoke up again.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but no," she said with finality. "We're doing great – thanks for asking, by the way – and we're safer than we've ever been in Britain. Especially now, with Voldemort and all the Death Eaters walking around. We'll stay where we are."

"Don't you think that's also Harry's decision to make, Miss Granger?" he reprimanded her, his patience wearing thin. "Do you really want to keep him away from the many people who hold him dear and miss him very much? And surely your parents are also very distressed about-"

"Albus, leave it be!" Sirius hissed just at the same time as Harry's voice erupted from the speaker.

"Bloody hell, that's it! Sirius, I'll write again soon. But next time we talk, don't bring along old gits who just want to lecture my girlfriend."

"Harry-" Sirius began, but there was a muffled bang on the other side of the line as the connection ended, the speaker only sounding a continuous beep.

With a deep sigh, Albus turned to his companions. Dedalus looked scandalised, and Arthur appeared slightly embarrassed, while Nymphadora was failing to hide an amused smirk.

Sirius, still standing inside the phone box with the speaker in his hand, was giving him a cold look.

"Bravo, Albus, bra-vo. Very well done!"

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Albus said resignedly.

He knew he had misjudged the situation and Harry's and Miss Granger's response. But while part of the fault lay with him, he also couldn't help but long for easier times when teenagers were less selfish and still listened to the council of their elders. Until the next time they spoke, he had to seriously reconsider how to get through to them. He only hoped they would see reason before they were met with the consequences of their reckless actions.

A/N: I know, it's been a while... Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone! As a New Year's resolution, I shall attempt to publish more chapters in 2024 than in 2023... :)