You're My Density (Completed)

Chapter 11: Night Terrors

An invisible Albus arrived at the scene, not sure what to expect. That there were no curses currently flying through the air was a bonus, as was everything being bathed in artificial light. The multiple floodlights attached to the Grangers' home were turning night into day, though that piercing noise would leave Albus needing a headache potion if he remained here for any length of time.

A quick search revealed no current threats, yet the wards did register that they had very recently been attacked by magic. The levels of noise and light were then added to by a rapidly approaching vehicle. Albus carefully watched as a couple of uniformed muggles left the vehicle and proceeded to search around the property. With his wards preventing the spells cast doing any damage to the building, there really wasn't anything for the investigating muggles to find.

After recognising that fact, one of the muggles spoke into a device that squawked back at him. It was mere moments later however that the spotlights went out, and silence once more returned to the night. The flashing lights on their vehicle were also extinguished and the pair eventually left at a pace greatly reduced from the one they'd arrived at.

Not being able to raise anyone in the house, and seeing no signs of forced entry, they obviously reached the conclusion that no one was home - and the house's defences had scared whoever was attempting entry away.

Albus thought at least part of that was true. Whoever attacked the Grangers' house would have gotten an almighty shock to discover it was warded. If that attack also triggered the muggle defences, then shock wouldn't really be a strong enough word to describe the wizards who were doing the attacking's reactions.

What really intrigued the headmaster though was the whereabouts of the Grangers. Yes they could simply be spending the night elsewhere but Albus didn't think so. He certainly believed Miss Granger was capable of providing her parents with a means of emergency escape yet Albus couldn't see how she would get her parents to accept something like that - unless Harry and Hermione had gone down the route of full disclosure?

The fact Miss Granger's parents were missing the afternoon he'd erected the wards at her home hadn't troubled Albus at the time. Now it was beginning to appear that their absence might have been deliberate. If so, it was almost certainly to stop him gleaming any information he shouldn't have from them. If she did indeed provide her parents with a means for an emergency escape, Miss Granger was sure to be monitoring that system.

He would need to head back to Hogwarts and see if he was correct. If Albus was, the young couple might already be looking for him.

-oOoOo-

Harry and Hermione needed to get out of the castle that was locked for the night. They were under Harry's invisibility cloak as Hermione practically dragged him to the statue of the one eyed witch. Speaking the password saw both of them descend into the tunnel and hurry along it. With wands lit, they soon spotted Dobby waiting on them at what they assumed was the edge of the Hogwarts wards. They had no sooner reached him when Dobby popped the couple away.

Emma was sitting wringing her hands with worry. Dan however was far too wound-up to sit. He was stalking up and down behind Emma, the broken wooden chair leg in his hand at least making him feel slightly less defenceless. That improvised weapon was raised and ready for action at the pop he heard, only for it to be instantly lowered the second he recognised it was their daughter calling for them. Emma's answering shout had Hermione bursting into the room and both his girls were soon wrapped up in each other. Harry followed on behind, his wand still held ready. He noticed the chair leg in Dan's hand and nodded his approval before asking the obvious question.