Escape

Lucius sat behind his desk in his library poring over yet another book on magical wards. Nothing. He slammed the book shut in frustration. He’d come up with nothing to guard Harry should he take him from underneath the not inconsiderable wards of Hogwarts. Obviously, there was something he missing here. He couldn’t re-create the magical wards of Hogwart’s because the founders had lent their considerable talents…

Lucius smacked his hand down hard on the desk. He was a fool! Of course he couldn’t equal the power created by the founders working together to create the Hogwart’s wards, but he could find duplicate part of what they did.

He stood up quickly and ran his eyes over the shelves looking for a certain thin book bound in red leather. Ah there. He quickly pulled the small book out of his considerable library of magical history of both dark and light persuasion.

He sat back down and began to pore over the ancient tome.


Harry had mechanically gone through his classes over the past few weeks waiting the turn of his fate. He’d hoped to hear from Malfoy, but so far nothing. Was he being toyed with? Set up?

Harry finally drew blood from his bottom lip as he’d been nibbling almost continually for the past few days. His friend’s happy chatter faded into the background as he contemplated the enormity of what he was about to do. He would either find his freedom finally or he would die, probably in a very nasty fashion.

Ron’s horse-like laugh drew his attention to his friends sitting beside him in the Gryffindor Common Room. Hermione has said something wryly funny and Ron had delighted in her sly take on their new DADA teacher.

Harry felt a stab of envy at his friend’s high spirits. They would grow up and experience all the normal mileposts of wizarding life. Well, as normal as any wizards or witches could be. On the other hand, he had since his birth been singled out for some of fate’s most capricious cruelty. Attacked as a baby by the most dangerous dark wizard of their generation, abused by his muggle relatives, taken into Hogwart’s and trained by another powerful wizard; Harry’s life had been like a runaway train and he’d had wanted off for quite some time.

“Harry? Harry?” said Hermione.

“Oh, sorry Mione. My mind was wandering a bit,” said Harry.

Hermione frowned in concern.

“If you don’t mind me saying so, you’ve been a bit off for a while. Anything the matter, Harry? You know you can talk to us,” Hermione said nodding Ron’s direction.

Harry blushed. Had he been that transparent to his friends? He wasn’t supposed to be attracting attention at all. That was the whole point.

“Nothing is wrong Mione. It’s just…” Harry began.

“I know!” Ron crowed. “Harry’s got a girlfriend, that’s it isn’t it?”

Harry felt his face heat even more remembering his reaction to Lucius Malfoy.

Ron grabbed Harry around the shoulders and nearly pulled him off his chair.

“Good going mate,” Ron said heartily.

“Err…thanks Ron,” he said.

Hermione didn’t look as convinced but she smiled encouragingly.

“Come on, let’s hear the details you great git,” Ron said, punching Harry playfully on his upper arm.

Harry pulled away unconsciously from his friend, trying to put physical distance between them, his mind scrambling for a reasonable explanation. Damn, being secretive was harder than he thought.

His inner Slytherin chose that moment to take control.

“I’d really rather not Ron, it’s all too new and we’d like to keep it quiet for now,” Harry said with a calm expression he wasn’t feeling.

Ron looked shocked.

“Hey, Harry we’re your best mates. We won’t tell anyone.”

Hermione sent a mini-glare Ron’s way that he completely missed.

Ron chuckled.

“I’ve seen you scribbling away in your journal. Been creating some love sonnets for her have you, eh?” said Ron elbowing Harry.

Harry’s green eyes widened enormously at the idea of sending poetry to Lucius Malfoy.

“Ron!” Hermione said, finally digging her nails into his hand to draw his attention.

“Ouch!” said Ron. “Cut it out, that hurts.”

Harry finally let out a crack of laughter. He couldn’t help it. The tension eased in his body as the absurdity of the situation hit him.

Ron and Hermione would never change. They weren’t bad friends, and they were good people but they’d never really understood the exceptionality of Harry’s life. It wasn’t their fault he’d come to this point in his life. He barely understood it himself.

Harry wiped away tears of laughter from his eyes. He’d miss this, he’d miss *them* but if he had any chance at all of saving himself he had to take it.

“Come on, let’s call it a night,” he said getting up from the table.

“Okay, but you know you can always talk to us Harry,” Hermione said seriously looking up at him.

“I know, Hermione, I know,” said Harry with quiet sadness.

Draco quickly took the message from the extended leg of the eagle owl that had come to him at breakfast. It was from his father. It contained only a short message. I am sending you a ‘special’ gift for our friend. He fed the owl a tidbit from his plate in reward for its efforts before the great owl flew off to return to Malfoy Manor.

Draco murmured something to his classmates and arose from the Slytherin table. He unhurriedly walked gracefully towards the dungeons. He was surprised but let nothing show on his face. It was unlike his father to be so obvious but, by now, any actions to do with Potter-related madness failed to shock him anymore. After all, the two greatest wizards of their generation, Voldemort and Dumbledore were trying with various degrees of success, to maneuver the Gryffindor. Granted, Voldemort wanted to destroy him, but that in itself was recognition of just how dangerous Potter was to his plans. And Dumbledore, the old fraud, had been using him as his personal cats-paw since Potter had entered Hogwarts. Some days Draco blessed the fact that he hadn’t been marked by fate as Potter had.


Lucius finished chanting the spell with his wand hovering over the gold necklace. He smiled with satisfaction at the lion’s head insignia that was the center of the piece and would turn this jewelry into a port-key at the appropriate time. Until the appropriate time it would remain dormant with no trace of magic to it. His cloaking spell wrapped tightly over the original transport spell would provide cover from all but the most discerning of wizards. Lucius grimaced. Needless to say he’d give instructions to Draco that Potter was not to display this but to keep it safe under one of his horrible jumpers.

Lucius took the jewelry and proceeded to walk out of his mansion and over to the owlery. He would use a simple barn owl to take this his contact in Hogsmeade. His servant would ensure that it reached Draco on the next Hogsmeade weekend.

As he entered the barn-like structure that held his owlery and walked up the stairs he felt his adrenaline surging throughout his body. It had taken some research but he knew he could hide Harry successfully until the moment came to take down the snake king—Voldemort.

He reached the top of the stairs and called to his barn owl.

“Athena,” he said and held out his arm. http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=562

The owl flapped over from her perch and sat quietly on his extended arm.

“Deliver this to Portis in Hogsmeade and no one else,” he said quietly.

Lucius bound the small cloth-covered package to the owls leg and then walked to the open skylight. Athena quickly flapped off silently into thsk. sk.

Lucius stared after her for some time. He was committed now. The place he’d chosen to hide Harry was almost completely unknown to both muggles and wizards alike. A forgotten part of the magical ley lines of Great Britain but still able to provide sufficient background magical ‘white noise’ to hide Harry from Voldemort even with their magical bond. The magical pulses from the deepest and oldest of magics that the earth provided were still potent. Yes, the Rempstone Stone Circle in Dorset would enable his plan to have a solid chance of success.

Lucius drew and deep breath and calmed himself. He still had much to do. He turned and went back down the stairs and head bto mto mansion.

Notes: Yes, there really is a Rempstone Stone Circle and for those interested here is the link: http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=562