Clarification: Can we use polyjuice at all, or just not like they used it in the books?
Honestly, they’ve known Harry’s coming of age date for 17 years, and they’ve known Voldemort was coming back for 6 years, and the Death Eaters are ascending for … what, a year or so? They really should’ve been better prepared. [Perhaps they were, and Dumbledore’s death and Snape’s disappearance screwed things up?] Even if they didn’t know this specific situation was coming up, they should’ve been stocking up supplies for at least a couple years now.
Let’s see. I’d go with something a lot simpler. And it has to be passive magic. I’m not sure how multiple potions would interact with each other, so one potion each.
I’d do it several days before his birthday (seriously, why wait until the last day?), and I’d use Lupin, Mad-Eye and McGonagall: Mad-Eye because he’s the most paranoid and effective one left; I’d give him that potion that makes your magic stronger. Lupin to keep Mad-Eye in check, and give him that potion that makes you smarter. McGonagall both because she’s powerful and can transfigure herself; she gets an invisibility potion. Everyone except McGonagall gets invisibility cloaks, plus invigoration and healing potions and a backup portkey in case those are needed.
Send Hedwig out the night before “hunting” and get her to safety. Cast a narrow-focused muffliato on Mad-Eye’s leg, so it’s no longer noisy. Early the next morning, before someone might get concerned about Hedwig not being back yet, McGonagall (as herself) with cloaked Lupin and cloaked Mad-Eye visit Privet Drive. McGonagall enters, the other two stay outside (to prevent the door from being open too long to any watchers).
Inside with McGonagall, Harry puts on his own invisibility cloak and drinks felix felicis. They use that bag of holding thing Hermione has to stuff the contents of his trunk into a bag that Harry carries. He’s also given a set of healing and invigoration potions and a backup portkey (in case needed), as well as a polyjuice potion with McGonagall’s hair in it.
McGonagall leaves with lucky invisible Harry. Everyone walks to the end of the block or wherever she usually apparates from, and apparates away as a group (one bang!). Only McGonagall is seen coming to or leaving from Privet Drive. Harry is protected by felis and three very powerful, very smart wizards.
If there’s a problem, they hide, McGonagall takes the invisibility potion and maybe turns into a cat to get away safely, while Harry turns into McGonagall. He also has his broomstick in the bag of holding and a backup portkey or two, in case he needs a different way to get away.
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).
Clarification: Can we use polyjuice at all, or just not like they used it in the books?
Honestly, they’ve known Harry’s coming of age date for 17 years, and they’ve known Voldemort was coming back for 6 years, and the Death Eaters are ascending for … what, a year or so? They really should’ve been better prepared. [Perhaps they were, and Dumbledore’s death and Snape’s disappearance screwed things up?] Even if they didn’t know this specific situation was coming up, they should’ve been stocking up supplies for at least a couple years now.
Let’s see. I’d go with something a lot simpler. And it has to be passive magic. I’m not sure how multiple potions would interact with each other, so one potion each.
I’d do it several days before his birthday (seriously, why wait until the last day?), and I’d use Lupin, Mad-Eye and McGonagall: Mad-Eye because he’s the most paranoid and effective one left; I’d give him that potion that makes your magic stronger. Lupin to keep Mad-Eye in check, and give him that potion that makes you smarter. McGonagall both because she’s powerful and can transfigure herself; she gets an invisibility potion. Everyone except McGonagall gets invisibility cloaks, plus invigoration and healing potions and a backup portkey in case those are needed.
Send Hedwig out the night before “hunting” and get her to safety. Cast a narrow-focused muffliato on Mad-Eye’s leg, so it’s no longer noisy. Early the next morning, before someone might get concerned about Hedwig not being back yet, McGonagall (as herself) with cloaked Lupin and cloaked Mad-Eye visit Privet Drive. McGonagall enters, the other two stay outside (to prevent the door from being open too long to any watchers).
Inside with McGonagall, Harry puts on his own invisibility cloak and drinks felix felicis. They use that bag of holding thing Hermione has to stuff the contents of his trunk into a bag that Harry carries. He’s also given a set of healing and invigoration potions and a backup portkey (in case needed), as well as a polyjuice potion with McGonagall’s hair in it.
McGonagall leaves with lucky invisible Harry. Everyone walks to the end of the block or wherever she usually apparates from, and apparates away as a group (one bang!). Only McGonagall is seen coming to or leaving from Privet Drive. Harry is protected by felis and three very powerful, very smart wizards.
If there’s a problem, they hide, McGonagall takes the invisibility potion and maybe turns into a cat to get away safely, while Harry turns into McGonagall. He also has his broomstick in the bag of holding and a backup portkey or two, in case he needs a different way to get away.
What am I missing?
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).