Chapter 17

Planning was the hardest part.

Harry wanted to rescue Mr. Short, but he was unsure of how to do that without him finding out their secret.

There was that, and busting him out would kill the slim hope he had that the witch hunters weren't on to them yet. If Harry helped their prisoner escape, they were bound to catch him. He wasn't ready; they weren't expecting the kidnap have been so soon.

Still, he couldn't miss that meeting. It was the only opportunity he had to see what the witch hunters were planning. Why had they kidnapped Mr. Short? Why not one of them?

Tonight was the meeting, and he still hadn't figured it out.

I mean, he was no genius, but Harry was pretty sure that witch hunters hunted witches, not high school English teachers.

Harry couldn't wrap his head around it. He probably wouldn't have believed Mr. Short's disappearance was intentional if it weren't for the substitute.

He knew Mr. Gled wasn't really a teacher. Five years of Voldemort impostors gave you a sense of knowledge when something seemed fishy.

The lack of sleep wasn't a big help to the whole situation. At one point he thought saw a flash of light, just out the corner of his eye. Harry didn't think much of it, and passed it off as a trick of the light mixed with exhaustion.

An unscheduled D.A meeting was held at the end of the day. Harry explained all then new information of the kidnap to team A, warning them to be extra cautions around Gled.

Harry knew it was about time he told Amber of their plan and suspicions of Cole.

It wasn't that he trusted her (he didn't), but if she knew this information, she could probably do better spy work for them.

He'd thought of inviting her to the meeting, but then decided against it. Partially because Dean and Seamus were there. He wasn't in the mood or wolf whistling and suggestive stares.

He did, however, inform her of the situation later on during the day.

Harry ran into her just before lunch.

Amber didn't look too shocked about the whole witch hunting dilemma.

Harry wagered that after finding out that the entire group of exchange student were actually wizards, not much could surprise her by now.

She also suggested that they might need a ride. Cole was probably going on bike, or getting picked up from school. Harry wasn't risking taking their brooms near witch hunter.

Amber said she'd have a ride ready for them around 10 pm, about half a mile from school grounds.

Harry could've hugged her, but then remembered the whole 'keeping fear on their side' thing.

Either way, it didn't seem to be working too well now. He could tell the fear had begun to fade; she was partially into helping them for the broom rides and muggle curiosity.

Of course, fear was still the core of her assistance; she'd just begun to have other reasons.

"So, when are you taking me flying?" Amber asked.

Harry raised an eyebrow. "We're about to possibly be slaughtered by a witch hunting society. Are serious right now?"

"Well... pretty much, yeah."

"Just stay focused," Harry sighed.

She wasn't shaken. Amber intended to get that ride eventually, Harry could tell.

"Aye aye, captain," she saluted him.

She turned away from him and walked back to her dorm. Her long black hair swished behind her.

Harry couldn't help but wonder just how much conditioner that girl used.

Harry trode outside the school grounds, constantly peering over his shoulder. Even though he was positive no one noticed them leave, he wasn't taking any chances.

He regretted wearing short sleeves. It was only the beginning of October, but he felt winter right around the corner. It was cold enough for him to see his breath in the night air.

He was looked nice, not like he was trying, all the clothes Amber got him fit him great. He wore a black button-down shirt, and designer jeans. The only thing he carried was his wand stashed in his socks, and a backpack filled with small bombs of knockout gass (courtesy of Dean and Seamus).

No stars shone tonight. Only the dim glow of the moon behind the clouds provided them light. The only other sound besides the gang's footsteps was the cold breeze through the autumn leaves, and the nearby car engine.

Amber hadn't just gotten them a ride. She'd gotten them one of the most expensive cars of the year.

A couple yards away sat Amber in the driver's seat of a shiny, black, Lincoln Town car. It was under a bunch of trees. Harry wouldn't have noticed it if Amber hadn't texted him specific instructions of where to find it.

Harry had the urge to drop the mission, drive to his uncle's house, and rub this car in his face.

He decided the mission was probably more important, and got in the car.

Harry sat up front with Amber, immediately turning the heat up.

"Should've worn the jacket I gave you," she noted.

Harry shrugged and placed his bag on the floor.

He hadn't brought much, just his invisibility cloak and phone. His wand was tucked safely in his socks.

Amber turned the engine off, leaving the heat on. They couldn't risk Cole spotting them. Harry only hoped he wasn't going to the meeting by bike.

Sure, Harry could put a Disillusionment charm on the car, but the sound of the engine was bound to bring about some suspicion.

Hermione got out of the car and proceeded with the charm. Amber shrieked when she herself 'floating' in midair.

"You can change it back later, right?"

Harry placed his hand on the now invisible car door. "No, this is permanent."

Just when Amber was about to wrap her hands around Harry's neck, Hermione assured her it wore off.

"You know how to drive?" Ron asked.

Amber adjusted the mirror. Not that it made much difference in an invisible car. "Well... I believe in learning on the occasion."

Ron nodded. "I drove a flying car once. I'd say I did pretty well for my first time."

Hermione looked at him skeptically. "Didn't you crash it into a tree?"

"Car," Amber said.

Harry looked up.

Not far off where a bright pair of headlights making their way near them.

The car parked a couple yards ahead of them.

Harry took out his phone.

It was almost time. That had to be Cole's ride.

He was right. Not even five minutes later, a short kid with a black hoddie walked toward it.

"Looks like the universe is on our side," Harry said.

"It's about bloody time," Ron laughed.

Although they were invisible, Amber still let the other car get a decent head start.

It was a good thing too, given that not long after she knocked over a bunch of trashcans.

The car ride was rather quite. Harry knew they couldn't really be heard if they talked, but there wasn't much to talk about either. He was only minutes away from entering into a wizard slaughter house.

Three car spaces behind Cole was a pretty safe zone. He couldn't make out the driver from that distance, but Harry had a pretty good idea of who it was anyway.

They wound their way through narrow streets, surrounded by a handful of trees on both sides.

With no other cars in sight, Amber was having a hard time seeing the road clearly. Turning the headlights on was out of the question, the only way to know where they were headed (that being off a cliff, or the next turn), was by following Cole.

The further they followed him, the more country side was revealed. It wasn't too far from the school, but still a rather long trip by bike.

Less houses where visible by the second. They'd entered a very forest-like territory.

Finally, reached a large log cabin. It looked both like those types of houses Harry would see advertisements of in vacation pamphlets, and also like the ones that usually have a sign saying 'danger' .

In other words, it was a nice looking death trap.

About four other cars were parked near it, signaling that some other members had arrived.

Harry got out his invisibility cloak and slowly opened the door.

"Wait!" Amber whispered.

Harry turned back.

"Give me your phone, if anything goes wrong, I'll call the D.A."

Harry shook his head. "If anything goes wrong, drive to safety."

Harry paused, quickly realizing he sounded concerned. "And go get the D.A, I mean."

Harry handed her the phone, hoping she wouldn't have to use it.

The three of the got under the cloak and walked forward into the mouth of the beast.

Getting into the house was a rather hard task. The three of them had to carefully slip in before the door was closed behind Cole. Lucky it worked, or else they would've gone Santa Clause style in the chimney. Everything after it was simple enough.

Hermione showed Harry her phone. They still had about half an hour before midnight.

The house was just as large on the outside as on the inside if not, bigger. The furniture was exactly what you'd expect from an expensive log cabin, lots of leather with animal skin rugs.

Harry spotted a nicely crafted wine cabinet. I'd been left open, with several bottles littered around the house. The smell of alcohol was fresh in the air.

There were plenty of breakable looking trinkets positioned in the various shelves. Numerous paintings hung on the walls, most of tropical places and its wildlife. It didn't match the country-like style of the house. That was really the only thing that appeared out of place. It looked like an ordinary house, not the kidnapper den of doom.

The only other thing that appeared odd was the lack of cleaning. Lots of cobwebs hung from place to place, along with dust. It made the house appear older than it was.

Chatter could be heard somewhere further into the house. About five people at most.

Just as Harry suspected, Mr. Gled was the one driving.

Harry wished he could say he was satisfied with the answer he got. Yes, Mr. Gled was a witch hunter, they'd probably sent him to the school to further investigate the students. Maybe even the reason why Mr. Short was kidnapped in the first place, mystery solved. Yet, he felt there was something more to it.

Not to the kidnap/spy plan itself, but Gled. He never appeared particularly interested in the exchange students. Harry would think a witch hunter would be more attentive to them, to show a particular interest or hatred, but it was never there.

Cole left him in the living room and went upstairs. The gang followed cautiously.

Cole's room was overly organized, so far the only place in this house that appeared to be so. It looked older than the other rooms. Childhood toys were still on the shelves, along with cartoony posters and bedsheets.

The only thing that seemed new was the book collection. From what Harry could tell, it was mostly science & technology books.

He had all the newest gadgets in his room. Everything from the new computer models to gaming systems.

Harry wondered when was the last time he'd been back in his room. From what Amber had gathered, he rarely left school on weekends.

Harry knew his father couldn't be as bad as the Dursleys, Cole's room was far from a closet.

He sat on the bed staring at the nearby window.

Harry guessed he was bored, probably waiting for the meeting to start. Then he could suck up to the members. If he wasn't an official witch hunter already, he'd make sure they made him one.

Harry disliked him more and more by the minute.

However, Harry wasn't expecting what happened next.

Cole stopped staring at the window, and grabbed a nearby pillow.

Harry thought for a moment that Cole had spotted them, that he knew they were there. He grabbed Hermione and Ron's arms and ducked, sure he would throw the pillow.

Yet, nothing happened.

The three of them slowly got back up.

First thing Harry noticed was that Cole had the Pillow to his face. Then, the muffled sobs.

Cole was crying?

Cole wanted to be a witch hunter. He went to the extent of trying to expose them. If he hadn't wanted to, he could've simply failed at the attempt, lied to the W.S.S, and told them that there were no witches on campus.

The open hostility towards them said so too. So, it wasn't that he was being forced into this.

Why could he possibly be upset?

Harry didn't understand.

Cole wiped his face.

He pulled off his hoddie, revealing a fancy black dress shirt. Cole sighed and unzipped his backpack, pulling out pictures and slightly wrinkled pieces of paper.

He read over them several times, mouthing the words, and looking as stressed as ever.

"Cole," a man's voice said.

Cole looked up, startled. A short man with dark gray hair stood in the doorway. He had the same pale blue eyes as Cole. Harry assumed it was Cole's father, the W.S.S leader.

"The last member is almost here, head downstairs."

Cole nodded and grabbed his papers and backpack.

Harry let Cole get a headstart in leaving the room. He didn't want their footsteps to be too audible near the leader. Cole might not think much of it , but Harry was sure his father was more attentive of the little details.

The meeting room was nothing more than the dining room. It was far from what harry expected this scene to be.

He'd pictured barbaric old men sitting in a circle on the floor with guns and stakes in hand. Somewhere dark and scary like in horror movies. A possible witch or wizard tied up ready for sacrifice.

Harry didn't think it would be average people in suits sitting at a table with papers and teacups. It reminded him of government meeting he saw on television.

The room was large with white walls, dull paintings, and a glass table. It didn't match the rest of the log cabin. An old wooden door was visible in the corner of the room. Harry wouldn't have paid much attention to it if it hadn't had ginormous steel lock in the center. He wondered it that was where they were keeping Mr. Short.

There were about six people altogether. Five men and one woman, including Gled. They all stood up when Cole and his father arrived.

Cole and took a seat, the room remaining in a deathly silence, until the last member( a man) arrived.

The meeting began.

Mr. Quinn looked at his son. "Your reports?" he asked.

It was the first time he'd addressed Cole directly. Cole turned pale and looked shuffled with the papers in his hand.

"R-Right," he stuttered.

Once he pulled out the correct sheet, Cole cleared his throat and addressed the table.

"Amber Clarck, age 14.

October 1st, also known as the day the 'exchange students arrived. She was found in the hallway paralyzed from head to toe. Similar to what one would describe as the 'Petrificus curse'."

Cole held up a photo of Amber and showed it to the table.

"The other witness described it as 'a flash of lighting, then Amber was on the floor'," Cole continued.

He sounded more confident than Harry had ever heard him, but the nerves were visible in his quivering hands.

"She was rushed to the nurse's office?" Cole's father asked.

Cole nodded. "I believe they wiped her memory of the incident, along with black mailing her actions."

He shuffled through the papers once more, pulling out a picture.

The picture was blurry, but Harry could still make out his Firebolt.

"Not long after this picture was posted on the school newspaper, Amber used her 'authority' over the students to convince them it was a hoax." He finished.

The table was silent as the documents were passed around for each member to see.

Cole looked at his father, waiting for his reaction.

His father smiled and nodded approvingly.

The burly man with the blond beard spoke up. "are you sure all the students are witches?"

Before Cole had a chance to reply, Gled answered.

"How often do you get a bunch of kids showing up from an unknown school in the middle of a school year?" He said simply "After all, they're well accompanied by one wizard in particular, aren't they Mr. Cole?"

Cole looked at Gled, understanding what he meant. He bit his lip and nodded.

Mr. Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Cole reached into his backpack reluctantly, pulling out a picture.

"Harry potter," he said. "No records of him, along with any of the other witches are at the school. I took this picture between classes."

Harry thought back to the bright light he saw just before lunch. He cursed himself for being so careless.

Mr. Quinn's eyes narrowed as he turned to Cole. "You know about Harry Potter?"

Cole froze, looking like a deer in the headlights. He nodded slowly.

"How exactly is it you came to know about him?"

Cole looked away from his father as he spoke.

"This summer I-I wanted to learn more about your job, so... I-"

"You snuck into the lab," he finished. "I forbade you from going in there!"

"But, dad! I-"

He signaled for him to be quite. "We'll discuss it later," he said sternly.

"As I was saying," Gled continued. "This 'field trip' is nothing more than a soon to be attack on the town. I suggest we invade the school as soon as possible."

There was a murmur of agreement.

A member from the far side of the table spoke up. Harry couldn't see him from where he sat. "How many are there exactly?"

"There's about... 60 students all together, not counting their teachers," Gled sighed. "We'd need to call the rest of the members in for a successful operation."

Mr. Quinn looked from Cole to the rest of the table. "It'll be weeks before they get here. It gives us time to deal with the critical threat."

"Critical threat?" Cole asked.

Harry knew the answer before it was said.

It all always came down to it. Even before his first year at Hogwarts, nothing had ever truly been safe.

"Abducting Harry Potter."