Catch Them Completely Off Guard

Diagon Alley.

Percy walked down the street with a girl. Both of them looked a little shy. Percy straightened his back, trying to make sure she saw the Head Boy badge on his chest.

Scabbers, the rat, lay listlessly in Percy's pocket. He'd been like this ever since the summer holidays—or, to be precise, ever since Sirius Black escaped from prison.

Nothing was more terrifying than hearing that a madman who wanted you dead was roaming free.

"He's at Hogwarts."

Arthur, Fudge, and even Dumbledore all believed that "he" meant Harry Potter.

But Peter Pettigrew—Scabbers the rat himself—knew Sirius wasn't looking for Harry Potter.

"He" meant Peter Pettigrew himself.

Sirius would find him and kill him.

Just as Voldemort had killed James.

This time, there would be no unexpected twist when he faced Sirius.

With his life in such danger, even Peter Pettigrew had lost his appetite and grown thinner by the day.

Ron was a sentimental boy. Seeing his pet rat in such a state, he'd asked his brother Percy to bring Scabbers to Diagon Alley to see a healer.

There was a Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley. They might have a potion for magical rats.

Unfortunately, Percy didn't care enough about his former pet.

At least, it wasn't high enough on his list of priorities.

He was chatting away with his classmate and had completely forgotten that he was supposed to take the rat to the healer.

Percy saw the girl off to buy books. When he returned, the Leaky Cauldron seemed to have erupted into chaos.

Ministry of Magic officials, along with witches and wizards from all over, were talking in alarm and shouting.

"What happened?"

Percy cocked his head, puzzled, and tried to catch more of what was being said.

Harry Potter had just returned from the ice cream parlour, too.

"Hi, Percy."

He spotted Percy and greeted him.

"Harry."

Percy greeted him warmly and stood beside him. He was just about to speak when a wizard declared emphatically, "I think—I mean, the Ministry of Magic is being far too lenient. How can they let Sirius and Dewey run wild like this?

"And those idiots at the Ministry shouldn't have sentenced Dewey to forty years in prison! A bastard like him deserves to have his soul sucked out by Dementors!"

He shouted, waving his arms vigorously to drive his point home.

He was worked up into a frenzy.

Harry and Percy's attention was drawn to him. Even Scabbers silently poked his head out of Percy's pocket.

A livid face appeared on the stairs, looking in their direction.

Harry recognized it.

It was Fudge.

The Minister for Magic was still in the Leaky Cauldron?

"Excuse me, coming through," said Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron.

The wizard had his back to the stairs and was still ranting. Tom gave him a gentle shove.

"The Minister wants to see Harry Potter. Please move aside."

The wizard immediately fell silent. Pretending nothing was amiss, he hummed a little tune and left the Leaky Cauldron without looking back.

Fudge gave a cold snort and disappeared upstairs. Harry looked up after him, wondering why Fudge had come back.

More importantly, why did he want to see Harry?

"Percy, you come up too."

Fudge's voice rang out from above. It sounded as if he'd used a spell like Sonorus.

Percy was a little nervous.

He'd always wanted to work at the Ministry of Magic.

What he meant was, he wanted to restore his family's glory.

He wanted to become an administrator at the Ministry.

Not a field agent.

The thought of meeting the Minister for Magic made him nervous. He smoothed the wrinkles in his clothes and asked Harry to check that he looked presentable.

Fudge didn't bother looking at the two boys below. He returned to the private room and shut the door.

Inside was Scrimgeour, Head of the Auror Office.

He looked grim.

"This is a challenge to the Ministry of Magic," Scrimgeour said. "We have to protect Harry Potter while stepping up the hunt for them! Especially Dewey. We completely underestimated him. In my view, he's now almost as dangerous as Sirius Black."

Behind him, Mad-Eye Moody's Magic Eye darted around.

"Moody, tell us what you think," Scrimgeour said, asking Moody to back him up.

Fudge shifted his gaze to Moody. Mad-Eye Moody said, "It's not just my opinion. It's what all my colleagues think.

"Sirius Black is certainly dangerous. He's a madman, but he's a madman with a goal. His goal is, well, that man."

Mad-Eye Moody gave him a look that said, You know who. Fudge told him to get on with it.

Of course he knew Sirius's target was Harry.

"Harry Potter's almost here!" he urged.

Harry Potter and Percy were on their way up the stairs. Mad-Eye Moody cut to the chase and took out what he was holding.

"Out at sea, we found the six Hit Wizards who were supposed to have returned and reported in. Last night, two Azkaban prisoners attacked them and took their wands.

"Thank goodness they're alive, but they were mauled and beaten as if by a Werewolf."

In the photographs, the six Hit Wizards looked furious, their faces battered and bruised. They glanced at Fudge, then stepped aside, revealing the words behind them.

Fudge seethed with anger. At first, the words filled him with rage. Then fear took hold.

This was a declaration of war against the Ministry of Magic!

How dare they? How could they do this?

"Where's Dumbledore?"

He lowered his voice as he asked them.

In his mind, if Dumbledore got involved, victory was assured.

He felt deeply uncertain and needed someone powerful to lean on.

There was no doubt that Dumbledore was that person.

He didn't know exactly how powerful Dumbledore was, but he felt the man had to be at least a little stronger than the rest of them.

"He's gone to Romania or Black Mountain to look for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Mad-Eye Moody said. He looked at his boss. "Hogwarts is always short of Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers. You know that."

Fudge had no comment.

He didn't want to mention that accursed name at all. The curse on the Defense Against the Dark Arts post? Just thinking about You-Know-Who's name made him tremble!

He wanted to swear, but thought better of it.

He anxiously rubbed his chin, then motioned for them to leave.

Before they left, he even considered ordering the Leaky Cauldron sealed, with no one allowed in or out.

Dewey had frightened him.

He realized he'd underestimated Dewey.

The man was the maddest Death Eater he'd encountered in eleven years.

Ordinary Death Eaters, like Sirius Black, came out just to kill Harry Potter.

Some Death Eaters came out looking for You-Know-Who.

Dewey was the only freak who didn't seem particularly obsessed with finding You-Know-Who.

He only wanted revenge on the Ministry of Magic.

That was a pain Fudge couldn't bear.

You-Know-Who is dead, he told himself. He kept trying to convince himself. Voldemort is dead, so right now, Dewey is the most dangerous person.

I'd love nothing more than to take down that delusional madman. You-Know-Who is dead. He can't come back.

Just as his head began to throb, Harry and Percy came upstairs.

"Oh, boys, sit down."

He gestured for the two of them to sit. He didn't even have the heart to notice Percy's carefully groomed appearance. Collecting his thoughts, he said, "Boys, I have something very troubling to tell you. Er, Harry, this doesn't concern you.

"Now, Percy Weasley, is that right?

"I'm very sorry to tell you that your parents were attacked by escaped prisoners from Azkaban in London. Oh, oh, oh, don't worry, my boy. They're all right. They've only suffered a few cuts and bruises..."

The Weasley family were all taken to St Mungo's Hospital. A large number of Ministry officials cast Obliviate on the Muggle witnesses, making them forget everything that had happened.

Elite Aurors began using spells that were normally forbidden to search for Dewey and Sirius.

Meanwhile, Sirius and Dewey were flying through the sky.

"Terrifying, isn't it, Sirius? I mean, they've shut down the entire Floo Network, banned Apparition, and sent Hit Wizards out on patrol everywhere. Even the Muggle police are stepping up their patrols. They've effectively sealed off London on the magical side.

"But unfortunately, they can't do the same on the Muggle side."

Dewey spoke to Sirius. It was his first time riding a broomstick, and it didn't look comfortable. It felt just as bad as it looked.

It hurt, you know? It made him feel deeply uneasy.

No one had expected them to attack the Weasley family right in the middle of the street, then leave London without hesitation, using Apparition and a car to get away in broad daylight.

Even Sirius wouldn't have thought Dewey would be so audacious if he hadn't heard his plan beforehand.

Dewey's whole strategy was to catch them completely off guard.

Sirius had also come to appreciate the Muggles more.

"Does that thing look familiar to you?"

Dewey brought up something else.

He spoke to Sirius.

"Of course. 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.' The Marauder's Map. I never thought those two boys would have it."

At the mention of it, Sirius felt a little nostalgic.

Fifteen minutes later.