After a solid minute of trying and which he knew was just him venting his rage, he eventually lowered his wand, glared at the castle where he knew the Headmistress's office to be, turned away and stomped up the path to the village. He'd be taking rooms at the Three Broomsticks until he could figure out what to do next and get back into the castle.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After organising a room, Dumbledore then donned a strong disillusionment charm and made his way to Honeydukes. There, he silently made his way down to the basement, located the hidden access to the underground tunnel that led back to Hogwarts and slipped within.
Once inside he dispelled the disillusionment charm and lit his wand with a strong Lumos, light, charm. And firmly strode down the tunnel.
However, just as he reached the ward line above, he smacked into an invisible wall - a ward. It caused him to break his nose in the collision and send him ten feet back up the tunnel the way he'd come to yet again land him on his arse.
Shocked, he climbed to his feet and cast his best detection charms. They immediately returned to him the same ward signatures as the main, above ground, wards at the gate/fenceline. Someone had extended the wards far enough below ground to also block the tunnel.
"Gods... damn it!" he snarled in anger, lowering his wand.
With a minor healing charm to his nose first, he gave a final huff up the tunnel towards the school and retraced his steps.
There was no point in trying the one in the basement of the Shrieking Shack as the tunnel between there and the whomping willow was the same depth as the Honedukes tunnel. It, too, would be blocked.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
As dinner was winding up at the Grangers, Harry looked to the clock in the kitchen and said, "The Express should be arriving at Hogwarts about now."
That had everyone else look, too.
Hermione, again fretting a little, asked, "Do you think people would have already noticed we're missing?"
"The other Heirs would have, of course," he replied. "So would the Weasleys." He then gave a snort and added, "So, too, might Malfoy and his pet bookends."
He'd forgotten about Luna, but so had Hermione.
She gave a sigh and said, "At least Madam Marchbanks knows what's going on."
He gave a firm nod and turned to one of the aurors sitting at the table with them.
"If what I think is going to happen, happens, we should expect Dumbledore trying to get in here... in about half an hour to forty five minutes, tops."
The auror looked back, smirked and said, "Then I'm glad we'll be able to finish dinner in time."
From the expression on Harry's face, the other auror chuckled and said, "You timed it that way, didn't you?"
Harry suddenly sat up straight, raised his left hand as if to give a muggle oath and firmly said, "Guilty, Your Worship!"
Wendell nearly coughed out his mouthful of cheesecake in amusement when he reflexively snorted. And had to rapidly resort to using a napkin to cover his mouth while looking over it with eyes filled with mirth.
While Harry grinned at him, he said, "Please, don't do that. It gives me the sudden urge to pick up my gavel."
That just made Harry grin even more.
After a few moments he turned back to the auror and replied, "Yes; I timed the meal so that there should be about fifteen minutes between finishing it and Dumbledore's earliest likely time to get here and try to get in."
Smirking back, the auror softly said, "Clever."
With his own smirk Harry shot back, "Planning."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After demanding and getting the 'best' room in the Three Broomsticks, Dumbledore had tried to visit his brother. However, as soon as his brother, Aberforth, saw him step in through the door the old man had to duck a thrown metal tankard thrown at his head before his brother then snap-cast curses at him liberally sprinkled with intervening invectives.
He immediately retreated back out the door, knowing there was no talking to his brother when he was in this sort of a mood.
Returning to the Three Broomsticks, he then spent the next couple of hours preparing things elsewhere, or trying to figure out what to do with his immediate future.
As the sun was setting, he had a fair idea.
Since trying to visit his brother he'd already been to the Dumbledore Cottage in Godric's Hollow and quickly set his personal house elf to cleaning it. He prepared it for him moving back in with an 'unwilling' guest. He'd had to erect certain security wards, used by the DMLE for the temporary restraint of prisoners 'in the field', but erected overpowered and rune-based to be permanent.
Now, he was standing just outside the small picket gate to Hogsmeade Station, but under an invisibility charm with an overlaid Notice-Me-Not charm so even the slight ripple in the air that was a sign of a disillusionment charm to those trained to see one would not be noticed.
What he had no idea about was that Alastor Moody was standing under an invisibility cloak and his own Notice-me-Not charm not far away, but also obscured by a tree as he stood behind it. And was keeping an eye on him with his magical eye.
With years of experience, Dumbledore knew just when the train would arrive, as did many of the long-term residents of Hogsmeade or the castle.
While he stood there Hagrid, riding in a smaller, single-axle buggy up front, led the lead Thestral-drawn carriages out onto the station external concourse, just outside the gates. The Thestrals followed along and lined up one behind the other and three deep behind him, ready for students to board.
Once sure the carriages were ready, the big guy moved through the gate and onto the platform to make sure the station was clear and ready for the Express to pull up. He had no idea just how close he had come to Dumbledore as he walked through the gate, but did wonder why he had the sudden scent of lemons in his nostrils for a moment.
He gave one last look about before he walked back out the gate and made his way back to the smaller 'buggy' wagon.
A quick "gee-up!" and he was returning to the castle.
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