A month before harry gets his letter
A brilliant red phoenix sat perched on its golden stand, preening its shimmering feathers. Fawkes, ever calm, let out a soft, haunting trill that echoed through the circular office.
Below him, Albus Dumbledore paced restlessly in front of the fireplace, his usual serenity cracked by deep concern.
His voice was a low murmur.
Dumbledore:
"Where are you, Harry?"
Dumbledore (murmuring):
"Where are you, Harry?"
The Boy-Who-Lived had vanished — not in the literal sense, but beneath the notice of every magical tracking system they had placed for his protection. Arabella Figg reported that the Dursleys had "no idea" where he was. No muggle police report had been filed. No one had seen him in months.
He stopped by his desk, where several copies of the Daily Prophet were spread out in disarray.
The latest headline read:
📰 "Fox-Masked Vigilante Strikes Again – Another Dark Wizard Den Taken Down in Knockturn Alley!"
By Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent
Below the headline was a magically moving photo of a masked figure — dark vest, silver-white hair sticking up behind a fox-shaped ANBU mask, mid-leap as spells exploded around him.
There were at least five similar articles. All describing a lone shinobi appearing in the dead of night and dismantling dark wizard operations with uncanny speed and precision.
Wands shattered. Targets taken down silently. No Unforgivables used — just… clean efficiency and terrifying accuracy.
Dumbledore (to himself):
"Too disciplined for an ordinary wizard… and not one of ours. And that chakra-based energy—"
He paused, narrowing his eyes.
The style… the precision… even the non-lethal mercy shown to prisoners. It reminded him of something. No—someone.
One parchment on his desk caught his eye. Not from the Prophet — but a letter from Hermione Granger's parents.
"Dear Headmaster, we felt compelled to thank whoever it was that saved our daughter last month. She was nearly hit by a car when crossing near the library, but a boy in strange clothes pulled her away just in time. He vanished before we could thank him. She says he wore a fox mask and called himself… 'Shinobi.'"
Dumbledore's expression darkened slightly.
He had cross-referenced that day with magical surveillance records. There was no trace of apparition, portkeys, or magical interference. Whoever this masked figure was, they operated completely outside the boundaries of wizarding detection.
Dumbledore (thinking):
"Fox mask. Small stature. Green eyes beneath the mask… Could it be…?"
He moved to the fireplace and tossed in a bit of Floo powder.
Dumbledore:
"Minerva. Come to my office. Urgently."
The flames flared green.
Cutaway – Daily Prophet Sidebar (Optional Insert)
Who is the Fox-Masked Vigilante?
Targets: Dark Wizards and Criminal Traffickers
Methods: Unknown foreign magic, possibly Eastern
Affiliations: None detected. Not Ministry-sanctioned.
Speculated identity: Male, teen or pre-teen, short, highly trained
"He moves like a ghost," one survivor claimed. "No spells, just… blurs and blades. Then I blacked out."
Scene Return: Hogwarts, Moments Later
Professor McGonagall arrived, adjusting her shawl.
McGonagall:
"Albus? What is it? Have you found Harry?"
Dumbledore didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned the newspaper around to show her the front page.
Her eyebrows furrowed.
McGonagall:
"Don't tell me you think that's—"
Dumbledore (calmly):
"I don't know who he is. But he saved Hermione Granger. He freed muggles from Knockturn Alley. He's showing restraint, precision… and, strangely, compassion. That is not the behavior of a killer."
He looked toward the window, out into the night sky.
Dumbledore (quietly):
"But if that is Harry Potter… the world is not ready for the kind of wizard he may become."