The Snake in the Lion's Den

Chapter Fifteen -- Rescued by a Flying Car

Dear Ms. (or Mrs.) Hopkirk,

Is there anything in the Decree of Underage Wizardry that allows underage wizards to be condemned because of the acts of a lunatic house-elf? I was not the one who performed the Hovering Charm -- a house-elf, who did not tell me his name, had been stopping my letters and used the charm to drop a pudding onto one my uncle's guest's heads. If you don't believe me, give me Veritaserum. I will not be kicked out of Hogwarts because of actions that were not my own.

Sincerely,

Harry J. Potter

-----------------------

The letter, which got him out of trouble with the Ministry, did nothing to sooth the Dursley's anger. His uncle had inconveniently forgotten that they were terrified of Storm and had locked him in his room, put bars on his window, and locked up all of his magic spellbooks, wand, broom, and anything else magic-related in the cupboard under the stairs (minus Noctis, who wouldn't let the Dursleys near him). His aunt installed a cat-flap on his door to bring him one meal a day, usually whatever was leftover from dinner the day before, and let him out twice a day to use the bathroom.

Dobby returned very briefly with a reply from Draco the next day, which only had three words:

I want in.

This lifted Storm's spirits slightly, but he couldn't reply to the boy, as he was not allowed to use Noctis to send letters, and Draco had no mirror for him to contact him with. The mirror was locked in his trunk in the cupboard, anyway... so he was stuck.

A week after the fiasco with the house-elf (full of planning Dobby's murder, which would be slow and torturous) he was lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling, when he heard the sound of a car.

Storm sat up. It was midnight! Who on earth would be here this late?

He went over to the window to look at the street, but to his shock, the car wasn't on the road. It was flying through the night sky over to his window, where it stopped. Three familiar red-heads sat in it.

"Thank Merlin," he growled. "I was this close to breaking out of my room with magic and murdering my relatives."

"What happened, Storm?" Ron demanded in alarm as all of them glared at the bars.

"I will explain once I'm out of this horrid muggle house. And keep it down! Do either of you know how to pick locks? Most of my things are locked in the cupboard under the stairs."

"What?" all three of them hissed with fury.

"Lock pick," Storm whispered sharply.

George climbed out of the car and squeezed through the bars, a lock pick in his hand. Malnourished and skinny as the boy was, it took a lot to get into Storm's room.

"Lion, help Jester," Storm whispered as a click sounded, and Ron followed his brother down the stairs. "Joker, do you have any rope?"

Fred grinned. "It's us," he said, mock affronted. "'Course we've got rope."

A moment later, the bars were off the window. Luckily, they landed in the bushes below, so the crash was muffled.

George and Ron returned with the trunk, and Ron reverently handed Storm "Harry Potter's" wand. The three boys pushed all of Storm's things into the trunk of the car, bar his mirror and three vials of blood, and then hopped in themselves.

Noctis refused to stay in the car, so Storm told him to fly ahead to the Burrow. The owl did as told as Fred moved the car away from the house.

"I will explain in a moment," Storm said when George and Ron stared at him expectantly. "I have to contact my father first."