Suppression

Aftermath

Lord Voldemort was a happy man. His plan had worked out to success. With the rest of his death eaters and himself attacking Azkaban and freeing his imprisoned followers, he was able to draw all of the attention away from the series of attacks taking place in the muggle world. Having sent Lucius and his allies to bring the boy to him, and Caldwell and the rest to kill the mudblood, he knew there would be little to no protection for them because the ministry and Dumbledore were preoccupied with him. The attack on three fronts proved successful even though Harry Potter wasn't delivered to him as promised. Lucius nearly paid dearly for that but was spared when news got free that Minister Fudge and Dolores Umbridge had designated Harry Potter as 'Undesirable Number One.'

The Dark Lord laughed to himself at the thought of the bumbling fool that was Cornelius Fudge. The idiot had done everything he could to deny the rumors of his return and allowed him to act with impunity. Now, to save face even further, he had opted to blame Harry Potter for the attacks. It was something that he, in all his glory, could not foresee. Yet, it turned out perfectly. Harry Potter was now being hunted by the ministry and him alike. He was inching ever-so closer to ultimate victory.

"Bella my dear," Lord Voldemort stroked his newly freed follower's cheek, "how does it feel to be free once more?"

"Wonderful, my master. I am ready to do as you command. My life and soul are yours evermore," Bellatrix Lestrange spoke with a maniacal laugh as she knelt at her lord's feet.

"Excellent, you and I have much to discuss." The Dark Lord rose from his throne, silently beckoning Bellatrix to follow him, and entered his room with her behind him.
———
Albus Dumbledore was decidedly not happy. Despite his best efforts to convince the man otherwise, Minister Fudge had ordered the aurors and the DMLE to treat Harry Potter as a criminal. Voldemort had won this battle without any difficulty. Albus suspected something was wrong when Azkaban was suddenly assaulted but nevertheless gathered his team, the Order of the Phoenix, to help the ministry in retaking Azkaban. They failed and suffered heavy casualties as the dementors renounced their allegiance to the ministry and joined the Dark Lord. They were forced to retreat as the Dark Lord's followers were freed and rejoined him almost immediately.

Then, as if to compound the loss, Albus learnt of the attacks in muggle London and it's outskirts. A large shopping centre had been attacked, ending with the massacre of dozens of innocent muggles, and the Granger family residence was attacked. That was when Albus figured out Voldemort's game. The attack on Azkaban forced him to pull his protective forces away from Harry and Hermione in order to stem the tide at Azkaban and, thus, left them completely vulnerable to the Death Eaters. He wasn't a stupid man, he knew that Harry Potter was at that shopping centre.

Forcing himself away from his thoughts, Dumbledore settled in to begin finding the boy. According to reports, he made a quick escape on a motorcycle before being spotted by several more aurors at the Granger residence with Hermione Granger in tow. The two of them were together, he knew, and so if he found one of them, he would find both. Knowing that Harry and Hermione had no clue of Grimmauld Place, the Order's headquarters—and that nearly everywhere in the magical world would be on the lookout for them—Albus predicted that they would most likely hide out in a completely muggle area. It wasn't much but it was a start.
———
Harry slowed down until the bike was cruising along before hunger and fatigue started to set it. Having rode for nearly two hours, he knew they desperately needed a break. He spotted a nearby supermarket and turned into the parking lot. Once the bike was at rest, he allowed himself to breathe deeply as Hermione's arms thankfully released their tight grip.

"Where are we?" he muttered as the area around him looked decidedly unfamiliar.

"We're in Bournemouth, Harry," Hermione softly spoke, her voice belying all of the pain and sadness she was feeling.