CH20

Dumbledore had just received a floo call from Molly that two owls they'd attempted to send to Miss Granger, both Pigwidgeon and old Errol, had failed to deliver and asked that he go and make sure she was 'alright'.

He was not informed, however, that Ronald had taken it upon himself to invite the girl to the Burrow; only that they'd tried to contact her.

Knowing that, as a member of the so-called Ministry Six she was now considered an 'important person' to Magical Britain, instead of informing Bones and having aurors check it out he decided to go himself.

After a quick check of his private address book, he transfigured his robes into 'appropriate' dress and apparated to the laneway near the house for which he already had the apparation co-ordinates. After a quick twist, squeeze and pop, he was there.

Following a quick look about to ensure he wasn't seen apparating in, Dumbledore gave a firm nod, slipped his wand into his belt and headed for the end of the laneway and into the street on which the Granger girl lived with her parents.

Five minutes later and he was standing outside the property, looking in shock at the large 'For Sale' sign sitting in the middle of the lawn and facing the street.

He hurried onto the property and quickly made his way to the front door. He knocked. When there was no answer after fifteen seconds he looked about once more to see if he was being observed before he moved over to the nearest window with its curtains slightly apart.

A look inside told the story. Beyond the window was the sitting room; it was empty of all furniture.

He returned to the door, a quick Unlocking Charm and, "Alohomora," he was inside the house.

A few moments later he could see it wasn't just the sitting room that was empty, it was the entire house. The house was, as the sign proclaimed, vacant.

He apparated directly from the floor in the top hallway back to his office, wondering what to do next.

He decided to summon Minerva to his office to speak about it. As Miss Granger's Head of House he hoped she had some idea of what was going on with the Grangers. He sent her a message via Fawkes.

As soon as she arrived he immediately asked, "Minerva? Do you have any idea where Miss Granger has gone?" "No, Albus," she returned.

That she did not seem surprised, he stared at her for a moment before he said, "You know something, though."

"Oh?" she asked.

With a barely concealed huff he explained, "You did not seem surprised when I asked you where Miss Granger was."

"That is because Miss Granger is no longer our concern," she returned.

Surprised, he asked, "What do you mean?" "Like quite a few others she has withdrawn as a student of Hogwarts, Albus," said McGonagall. "As such, she is no longer our concern."

Angry at both how his Deputy was continuing to behave towards him with poorly concealed disgust and a succinct lack of respect, he demanded, "Why was I not informed?"

"You were," she flatly replied. "I told you I have already received over two dozen withdrawals, so far, this break. When I asked if you wanted them listed for you, you brushed me off as if it was unimportant.

"As such, it is your fault you did not know the girl had withdrawn."

"She has to attend!" he glared.

"No, she does not," she snapped back. "She has successfully completed her OWLs and, as such, her parents were fully within their rights to withdraw her from Hogwarts with no penalty. That is what they did." That annoyed him as, legally, she was correct. "Did they inform you to where they were moving?" he demanded.

Somewhat surprised he'd asked, she replied, "No. Then again, they were under no obligation to do so. And I had no right to ask."

That last was a verbal slap at the old man and they both knew it.

"Ahhh...!" he growled. "Thank you, Minerva. You may go."

"Thank you, ever so much, Headmaster," she snarked back, before then spinning on her heels and stalking from the room.

Realising he was still dressed in his version of muggle wear, Dumbledore rose, cancelled the transfiguration and apparated to the Ministry. He was headed for the WEA to see if they had a new address for the girl. He was annoyed to find that he was no longer receiving the fawning adoration he was used to. And the WEA, after first flat-out telling him he had no right to the information - to which he'd returned he needed it as Headmaster - finally informed him they had no forwarding address for the girl. (And, as she was a muggle-born, none of the staff could care any less they didn't.)

Foiled in his search, he headed down to the DMLE to report her as a missing child.

However, that didn't work when the Master Auror, who was reluctantly willing to hear his complaint, told him they 'would accept that under advisement. However, as he was not the lawful guardian of the girl, he had no right to any information relating to her'.

He needed the girl to be his unwitting spy on young Neville, as she was on young Harry, once the young man was made aware of his destiny; but she'd disappeared. It wasn't until the next day, when Molly floo-called him again to inquire about the girl's safety, when Dumbledore finally admitted to her that the girl had withdrawn from Hogwarts at her parents' behest and the family had moved homes. He'd completely forgotten that it was her contacting him that sent him to go and speak with the girl.

And, no, he did not know where they had gone; but suspected it was somewhere overseas. That was why the owls couldn't locate her.

When Ron found out, he panicked. And, in his panic, blurted how he wouldn't be able to, "... Complete my homework if Hermione doesn't do it for me!"

That earned him another bum-paddling and him then finding himself restricted to his room and the bathroom at all times, other than meals, until said homework was completed and checked over by either of his parents. He'd even had his magazines, chess set and other, non-school, texts removed from his room for the duration.

He also had to give a report before each dinner time to his father about what he had completed and what he was currently working on, in detail, before he was allowed to eat. And "Yeah, it's going good," and similar non-answers where flatly rejected. He had to give specifics.