It did not take him very long to reach the small gateway that led to platform nine and three-quarters. Harry used his unnatural grace and cat-like agility and reflexes to deftly swerve and side step incoming people as he moved ever closer to the gateway that was illusioned to look like a wall. He walked directly over to the wall, prepared for the tingling sensation as the magic washed over him...
...And then walked right into it.
Into it. Not through it.
"What the...?" Harry blinked in confusion several times as he looked at the wall before him. He pressed his hands against the brick and gave it a firm push. Nothing. His hands did not slip through the wall like it was made of some kind of quicksilver. He was not allowed passage through to the other side of the gateway... because the gateway was apparently no longer there. Harry couldn't even feel the small tingle in the back of his neck that signified a place that was heavily saturated in some kind of magic.
Harry ignored the strange looks he got from a few of the people around him as he turned around and pressed his back against the wall. He slid down it until he was sitting, then crossed his legs underneath him and began to think.
Reviewing the past few seconds in his mind, Harry determined that, for whatever the reason, the magic that opened the gateway to platform nine and three-quarters was gone. Or maybe it was blocked. But then, if that were the case, whoever or whatever was blocking the gateway had to be incredibly strong. The magic around this place had been awfully powerful.
But why would someone that strong want to block the gateway in the first place? What purpose would that serve?
"Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts. He must stay where it is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger."
Harry immediately remembered the small house elves words several nights ago. His eyes narrowed in thought as he recalled the words spoken that night. He had not been able to learn much about the plot, namely because the house elf, Dobby he had called himself, had taken to bashing his head against something every time Harry asked him to extrapolate on the 'terrible plot to make bad things happen at Hogwarts'.
While Harry had not learned anything of use besides there being some type of evil plot that would be unleashed at Hogwarts this year, he had been able to determine that the house elf's family, or someone in his family, was the one who had concocted this plan. He had also determined through common sense that this person was likely a Death Eater, if only because Dobby had inadvertently implied that Voldemort was indirectly involved.
Unfortunately, that still left him with nothing to really go off of. There were a large number of Death Eaters who had escaped punishment. Two hundred in total. Most of them were just fodder, purebloods who had nothing to their name and would never be the Head of their families, but a good number were powerful pureblood Lords on the Wizengamot. Even if he were inclined to accuse them, doing so, especially without evidence, would be foolish.
The only thing Harry felt was certain of was that whoever was creating this plot was not one of the Death Eaters who had a child at Hogwarts. As callous as they were, he did not think they would be willing to risk their own heirs to complete their master's plan, especially when, as far as they knew, Voldemort was dead.
Sighing, Harry stood up. There was nothing he could do about the plot going on at Hogwarts, and even if this was in some way tied to that plot, there was little he could do about whoever had closed the gate.
What he needed to do was find a way to get to Hogwarts on his own, or maybe catch up to the Hogwarts Express. It was unfortunate that Hedwig was traveling to Hogwarts on her own. He could have really used her to send a message to Professor McGonagall to inform her of what happened.
Well, there was nothing for it. He had to do this on his own. It was just another challenge on his road to becoming the greatest wizard to ever live.
XoX
"Where the bloody hell is Harry!?"
"Language, Tracey!"
"Ugh... right, sorry. I'm just..."
"I understand that you're worried about Harry," Lisa added before Hermione could make another comment. "We all are. But there's not much we can do about that, you know."
"I know."
"In any event, if we knew where Harry was, don't you think one of us would have probably told you by now?"
"...What is this? Gang up on Tracey day?"
"That's every day."
"Oh can it, Lisa."
.
.
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