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Chapter 39: I Kidnapped Myself!
Ravenclaw prefect Penelope Clearwater strolled leisurely to the carriage door. She glanced inside, then turned to Percy.
"Weasley," she asked calmly, "what do you make of this?"
Percy stiffened slightly. He genuinely didn't know how to respond.
Left with no choice, he decided to stall for time.
He confiscated the two masked men's wands first, then used a Binding Charm to restrain them.
"Penelope," Percy said after racking his brains, "investigating this sort of thing should really be the Aurors' responsibility. What we ought to do now is preserve the scene."
Penelope cast a disdainful glance at the rainbow-coloured mess splattered across the floor and hesitated.
"Are you certain?"
"At least until the Aurors arrive," Percy muttered. "I've already questioned everyone here. They didn't see anything."
George and Fred were stunned.
Percy was actually cooperating with them.
Percy was cooperating with them.
For once, the twins didn't joke around.
"Yes, Senior Clearwater," Fred said solemnly.
"By the time we realised something was wrong," George added, "those two had already collapsed."
It wasn't a lie—just a carefully selected truth.
The train conductor repaired the shattered window with a quick Reparo and addressed the prefects.
"I've already contacted the Ministry through the Two-Way Mirror. Aurors will be waiting at Hogsmeade Station."
"As for preserving the scene," he added, giving Percy a look usually reserved for hopeless cases, "there's no need. We're wizards. We have plenty of ways to reconstruct events."
"Now hurry up and clean that vomit. It's making my carriage stink."
Percy: ...
---
The damaged track was quickly repaired, and the Hogwarts Express resumed its journey.
The attempted kidnapping of Audrey Astray became nothing more than a footnote.
The outcome had been decided from the very beginning.
Three wizards barely at post-graduation level trying to abduct a humanoid fire-dragon—
Absurd didn't even begin to cover it.
The only reason they had dared was because Audrey's disguise was too convincing.
A Muggle-world pop star?
Magical awakening at sixteen?
Weak, naïve, easy prey.
That was the assumption.
---
The Hogwarts Express rolled into Hogsmeade Station at dusk.
Audrey didn't bother changing clothes. With a single thought, her outfit shifted smoothly into Hogwarts robes.
Stepping onto the platform, she took a deep breath.
Hogwarts—
The place she had dreamed of in her past life,
And avoided like the plague for the first sixteen years of this one.
And yet—
She had come.
Hogwarts.
---
"First-years! This way, please!"
"Harry! Harry—over here!"
Rubeus Hagrid, towering and unmistakable, was already herding the new students together.
Audrey watched as Aurors clamped glowing restraint cuffs onto the two masked men and escorted them away.
The cold gleam of the restraints reminded her abruptly of Barty Crouch.
Ah.
There was still that matter.
If those two old men hadn't been squeezing every spare second out of her for the past two months, she'd already have dumped a report onto the Minister's desk.
Barty Crouch Sr. had swapped his dying wife for his son—
Azkaban prison break, plain and simple.
If she submitted a whistleblower report, father and son could share a cell.
But Audrey dismissed the thought.
Too troublesome.
Wouldn't a beauty nap be better?
Besides—Barty wouldn't survive past 1996 anyway. His own son would see to that.
As long as he stayed out of her way, she'd generously let him live a few more years.
How magnanimous.
---
Magnanimous Miss Audrey Astray now faced a different dilemma.
Should she go through the first-year orientation with the new students?
Ride the carriages with the upper-years?
Or just fly there herself?
As she pondered, a translucent pair of gloves appeared in mid-air.
They waved politely.
Then pointed towards Hogwarts Castle.
Tapped three times.
Finally—offered a handshake.
Audrey blinked.
"…I'm supposed to shake hands with it, aren't I?"
She'd seen Dumbledore do this in Fantastic Beasts.
So she reached out.
The moment her fingers closed around the phantom glove—
Fzzzt!
The world warped.
She vanished.
---
Audrey reappeared in a small chamber beside the Great Hall.
…Wow.
All familiar faces.
Dumbledore stood at the centre, flanked by the four Heads of House.
Snape.
McGonagall.
Flitwick.
Sprout.
"Welcome to Hogwarts, Miss Astray,"
Dumbledore said warmly, giving her a wink before immediately pretending they weren't close.
"Entering the wizarding world can be overwhelming. What you experienced today was unfortunate—but quite rare."
Audrey noticed Kingsley Shacklebolt standing in the corner with several Aurors.
Ah.
So that's the play.
Audrey shrugged.
"So being nearly kidnapped on my first day just means I was unlucky?"
Dumbledore chuckled.
"Under the Ministry's current leadership, the wizarding world is far safer than in the past."
Audrey shook her head lightly.
"Headmaster, I wouldn't know. I've always lived among ordinary people."
Dumbledore's eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
Audrey continued calmly—
"But I was nearly kidnapped. When I accepted Hogwarts' invitation, I gave up tens of millions of pounds in annual income."
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the room.
"And you persuaded me by saying the Ministry was very keen on my enrolment. Was that not correct?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"Then don't you think the Ministry owes me an explanation?" Audrey asked evenly.
"I can't accept 'bad luck' as an answer."
Dumbledore said nothing—only looked at Kingsley.
Kingsley stepped forward.
"Miss Astray, we've identified the organisation behind the attack. They call themselves The Teeth of Hydra."
Audrey's pupils shrank.
Kingsley continued,
"Their leader is a wanted Dark witch—Hydras Lestrange. We are pursuing her and believe she will soon be captured."
Audrey: ...
…Did I just kidnap myself?
She looked at Dumbledore, utterly baffled.
First he encouraged her to complain.
Then he told her she was the culprit.
What was this chess move?
Dumbledore said mildly,
"I believe the Ministry bears responsibility for Miss Astray's safety—especially if assassin organisations are involved."
Kingsley nodded vigorously.
Audrey stared at them.
You're both Order of the Phoenix.
Stop acting.
Kingsley conferred briefly with his colleagues, then spoke.
"Hogwarts is unquestionably safe. Therefore, Miss Astray's protection off-campus will be prioritised. Elite Aurors will be assigned to guard her."
Absolutely not.
Audrey nearly exploded.
An Auror tailing me would ruin everything.
She frantically winked at Dumbledore.
He almost laughed outright.
"The concern," Dumbledore said smoothly, "isn't Miss Astray. It's her brother—an ordinary Muggle—who might be targeted instead."
Kingsley reacted instantly.
"I see."
After confirming with his team, he nodded.
"We will ensure Rick Astray's safety."
Audrey froze.
Then warmth spread through her chest.
…So that was the point.
Dumbledore wasn't protecting her.
He was protecting Rick.
For the first time, Audrey felt genuinely moved.
Maybe the old man wasn't so bad after all.
"Miss Astray," Dumbledore asked gently, "anything further?"
She shook her head.
"No, Headmaster."
"Very well. The Sorting Ceremony awaits."
The Heads of House filed out quietly.
As Audrey followed, Dumbledore called softly—
"Child, come to my office after the feast.
Password: Sizzling Bee Sugar."
Audrey blinked.
"But Headmaster, I don't know where your office is."
Dumbledore smiled.
"Someone will guide you."
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