The Ministry of Magic's Floo Network led straight to an abandoned village near Azkaban. The place was deserted, the dried manure in the chicken coops and sheep pens merging with the earth. The few Aurors who should have been stationed there were nowhere to be seen; presumably, they had joined the search for Sirius.
After Dumbledore said, "Expecto Patronum," a silver Phoenix Patronus skimmed over the sea, heading straight for the opposite shore. Several waterbirds tried to follow it, only to be left far behind after a few beats of its wings.
"The Order of the Phoenix," Brian muttered. He had always thought Fawkes was the origin of the name, but now it seemed the phoenix actually referred to Dumbledore himself. He wondered whether the rumors that generations of the Dumbledore family had ties to phoenixes were true.
"My Patronus will coordinate the messages and notify everyone." Dumbledore conjured two small boats and gazed into the depths of the fog. "Before then, let us set off. Be sure to keep yourself safe, Chet."
"I will." Brian stepped into the boat on the right and enchanted it to sail itself-a spell Hagrid had taught him-
Then turned back and said, "You too, Albus."
Dumbledore, who usually carried a smile in his eyes or on his face, always put people at ease. Now, however, worry lurked in his expression. That meant a master of magic had a bad feeling: something unpleasant had quietly happened.
The unpleasant development came sooner than Brian had imagined, even faster than the thickening fog. He had only traveled a few kilometers toward the right-hand side of Azkaban's island-certainly less than ten-when he saw something that made his heart tremble.
Whatever else, Brian had to admit that his first thought upon seeing the motionless black dog floating on