However, I see one issue with the side-along apparition
… “Second problem: You’re underage, which means you’ve still got the Trace on you.”
“I don’t —”
“The Trace, the Trace!” said Mad-Eye impatiently. “The charm that detects magical activity around under-seventeens, the way the Ministry finds out about underage magic! If you, or anyone around you, casts a spell to get you out of here, Thicknesse is going to know about it, and so will the Death Eaters." …
I’m not sure that side-along apparition definitively triggers the trace; after all, Dumbledore took underage Harry side-along to see Slughorn, and that didn’t seem to trigger the trace. So either side-along is okay, or there’s some way for Dumbledore / the head of Hogwarts (which McGonagall would’ve been at the time) to over-ride the trace.
But even if side-along does trigger the trace, wouldn’t it be triggered at the point of departure? Meaning they might know that he’d gone, but they wouldn’t know where. Then have him hole up with no magic in some unplottable / fidelius’d place for a couple days until he turns 17.
If they wanted to reinforce the idea of Harry’s presence at Privet Drive even more, they could have a polyjuiced someone stay at Privet Drive and wave McGonagall off at the door and later apparate away (or stay and occasionally be “seen” at one of the windows).
Well thought!
However, I see one issue with the side-along apparition
I’m not sure that side-along apparition definitively triggers the trace; after all, Dumbledore took underage Harry side-along to see Slughorn, and that didn’t seem to trigger the trace. So either side-along is okay, or there’s some way for Dumbledore / the head of Hogwarts (which McGonagall would’ve been at the time) to over-ride the trace.
But even if side-along does trigger the trace, wouldn’t it be triggered at the point of departure? Meaning they might know that he’d gone, but they wouldn’t know where. Then have him hole up with no magic in some unplottable / fidelius’d place for a couple days until he turns 17.
If they wanted to reinforce the idea of Harry’s presence at Privet Drive even more, they could have a polyjuiced someone stay at Privet Drive and wave McGonagall off at the door and later apparate away (or stay and occasionally be “seen” at one of the windows).