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Chapter 1:
Of Dreams and the Dark Mark.
'Dumbledore invoked an ancient magic, to
ensure the boy's protection as long as he is in his relation's care. . .'
~ Lord Voldemort, on Harry's protection
Harry knew where he was immediately. The Forbidden Forest, outside his
school, Hogwarts. This was a dream; it had to be, for he was at his Aunt and
Uncle's house during the Summer, and he knew why he was dreaming of this place.
Voldemort .
It was night-time in this dream place, and the thick foliage prevented any light
that would pass through. Harry reached into his pocket - his wand was there .
"Lumos." he muttered, and the end of the wand lit up, allowing him to see a
clearing ahead of him. No-one would see the lighted wand; Harry was not, after
all, here, but only his dream self.
But even dream-selves need to see.
Sensing the presence in the clearing, Harry stepped towards it, his heart rate
quickening.
And there, in the centre, was his goal. The sight of the Dark Lord made him
hesitate, but he continued on.
Voldemort stood dressed in black robes, his snake-like face nearly obscured. by
the hood, which drooped low, covering his eyes.
On either side, his followers, the Death Eaters, forming a tight circle.
They too, had their faces hidden by dark robes and hoods, and stood slightly
bowed in the company of their Lord. One Death Eater stood behind Voldemort, his
hood down so his rat-like face could be seen.
Peter Pettigrew, shaking madly, stayed behind his master, who calmly said,
"The boy was found long ago, Wormtail. I do not see what you point
is."
"We... we have f-found a way in, my Lord," he quivered, "Although
he w-was, as you say, found long ago, we now know how to enter. His Key has been
found."
Harry knew they were talking about him- it was a shock to know they had known
where he was. He'd assumed that he had a Secret Keeper, to protect the
information of where he lived; but now it seemed Dumbledore had used a different
spell to protect him - a spell which involved a Key . . .
He switched his mind back to Voldemort, and was glad he had. "The Key must
be joined with the Lock as soon as possible."
"Y-yes, my Lord. We shall have the boy within two days."
The Death Eaters around Voldemort started to laugh.
Voldemort and his followers had been in the Forbidden Forest (But that's in the school grounds, Harry thought with a jolt, And no-one can get past the wards of the school. . .), and they had found a key- no, the Key to someone; that someone was him. . . and they would join it with a Lock. . . and then. . .
Then they would have him.
The pain in his head had subsided now, as he found when he leapt to his feet.
"Sirius," Harry muttered to himself, grabbing a quill and parchment from his bedside cabinet. He paused for a second to plan a message.
Dear Snuffles,
(he finally decided)I'm afraid this isn't a letter to see how you are. Just this night, I had a dream of Voldemort and the Death Eaters in the Forbidden Forest. I know, they shouldn't be able to get in, but I dreamt they were there - whether they really were, I don't know.
Harry paused, and sped up the pace to get to the point.
Anyway, (he wrote) they said that a Key had been found, which would be put with a lock; and that this meant they would have me within two days.
Well, I'm not sticking around here. I'll take the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley, as I'll be a lot safer there.
This wasn't just a nightmare; my scar was hurting when I woke up.
The problem is, I don't know about the Muggles I'm living with. I don't like them, but I don't want Voldemort to kill them either.
I'm sure you or Dumbledore will know what to do. Can you send this to him after you're done with it?
Love, Harry.
He woke up Hedwig, his snowy owl, by tapping lightly on her cage. "Sorry,
Hed'," he whispered, "but it's an emergency. Take this to Sirius as
fast as possible. I'll be at the Leaky Cauldron if there's a reply. Okay?"
Hedwig was not accustomed to being woken up in the middle of the night (mainly
delivering messages in daytime had made her almost diurnal) but she complied,
and pecked his ear in an affectionate way.
As soon as Hedwig was out the window and out of sight, Harry collected his trunk
carrying his school books and equipment (he had finally convinced the Dursleys
to let him keep them out of the cupboard, with the casual remark that his
Godfather probably wouldn't like it), and grabbed his wand and Firebolt; one of
the best racing brooms on the market.
He stopped for a moment to decide - did he really want to leave the Dursleys with
no defence? But shook himself out of it. Against Voldemort or the Death Eaters,
the Dursleys would have just as good a defence from a drinking straw; and
Dumbledore would relocate the Dursleys somehow as soon as Sirius sent him the
letter.
He listened for his Aunt and Uncle, Petunia and Vernon Dursley, and for his
cousin Dudley. They were all asleep, no doubt about it. He could hear Dudley's
gigantic snores from in the garden, never mind a few rooms away, and Vernon and
Petunia were never up at - he checked his watch - three am.
He gave a slight smile. In just less than a day he would be fifteen and he was
already on Voldemort's 'most wanted' list. He fingered his green, lightning bolt
shaped scar restlessly, his other hand clutching his Firebolt.
The pain had completely gone now, like it was never there. . .
He snapped to attention, scolding himself for letting his mind wander. Be
careful! He reminded himself, Voldemort could break into your house and
kill you, and the last thing you'd ever accomplish would be touching your scar!
With that thought he took his large trunk in his hands, and balanced the
Firebolt on top of it. He knew it was stupid, taking his broomstick when there
was a mass-murderer hunting him, but it somehow felt like a friend.
He made it downstairs and into the street, sticking his wand out into the road.
A sudden bang nearly knocked him over, but he was ready for it this time;
"Hello Stan." Harry smiled as the teenage bus conductor stuck his head
out of the Knight Bus' door. Harry saw he still hadn't lost his acne.
Stan Shunpike's eyes opened wide as he saw Harry. "Cor, Nev- 'Arry! I
didn't expect to see you again!" He rushed down from the bus and helped
Harry put his trunk and Firebolt in.
"Hang on!" Harry remembered, "I've got something else. Back in a
sec."
He made his way to his bedroom, and collected Hedwig's cage.
Slipping downstairs he closed the door behind him, and entered the bus.
Ernie Prang was still the driver, Harry noticed, and now Stan was talking
excitedly to him. He turned around as Harry entered.
"'Ere 'e is!" he said proudly, as though Harry was his prize-winning
racehorse, "I told you it was 'Arry, didn't I Ern?"
Ernie nodded his approval to Harry.
"Forgot my cage." Harry said, holding the object up. "What were
the prices again? I just want to go to Diagon Alley."
He insisted on paying the eleven sickles for the fare (Ernie and Stan were
disappointed that he wouldn't accept a free ride), and settled down for the
night in one of the large brass beds.
~ ~ ~
It was five o'clock in the morning before they reached Diagon Alley, as the
Knight Bus was exceedingly busy.
After a farewell to Stan and Ernie, and eventually giving in to the next trip
being free. Harry knew his way around Diagon Alley well; during his third year
at Hogwarts, he had spent nearly his whole holiday there.
He found his way to the inn and pub, the Leaky Cauldron easily enough - dragging
his chest, his Firebolt and Hedwig's cage to it was quite another matter - and
reserved a room for the next two days with some of the gold Galleons and silver
Sickles in his chest.
It was only when he came back downstairs after unpacking his things (and
finishing his Potions homework), that he had a rather nice surprise.
A snowy owl and a large black dog were sitting by stairs to the first floor, the
owl perched on one of the wall lights.
"Hedwig!" Harry gasped, and glanced at the dog. Sirius' Animagus form
was unmistakable.
Tom, owner of the inn glanced over at Harry. "Is that your dog, sir? I
recognised the owl, so I thought I'd best not throw the dog out.. Looks a bit
intimidating anyway, tell the truth."
"Oh, yeah. He is mine, thanks." Harry held out his arm and let Hedwig
flutter onto it.
"You can take him to your room but mind he doesn't make a mess." Tom
allowed, turning his attention back to pouring a drink for an old witch, who sat
half asleep at one of the tables.
Sirius followed Harry to his room, Hedwig still perched on his shoulder.
As soon as Harry had closed the door and locked it, 'Snuffles' returned to his
true form.
He had been eating well, Harry noticed. No longer was he the starving, dirty man
Harry had known, but clean-shaven, looking more like the man from the wedding
pictures.
Sirius Black took a letter from his robes. "I made a copy of it," he
explained, "and sent the original to Dumbledore like you said." He sat
next to his Godson on the bed. "I was staying at Lupins', so it reached me
quickly. I'm glad you managed to get out as quickly as possible after that
dream."
Harry frowned. "What do you mean, 'managed to'? Has Professor Dumbledore
got the letter?"
"I don't know about Dumbledore yet. Lupin sent an owl to him as soon as
we'd read the letter." He sighed and rubbed his head. "I'm guessing
you haven't seen the news?"
Harry looked at him blankly. "It doesn't usually arrive here until seven or
so. But if it's so important I'm sure I'll hear about it from Tom."
Hedwig gave a low hoot, and Sirius shook his head. "I think you'd better
hear about it now." he said, reaching into his robes and pulling out
another piece of paper.
Harry took it from him - it was a clipping from the Daily Prophet, the Wizarding
newspaper - and started to read.
THE BOY WHO LIVED; AGAIN!
At ten to four this morning, Death Eaters attacked the home of Harry Potter, the boy who caused He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's downfall.
Thankfully, (the reason is not known why) Mr. Potter had was not in the house at the time.
The Minister Of Magic comments "We do not know how the Death Eaters found Harry; we believed he was well protected." When questioned whether this was evidence of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's rising, the Minister declined to comment.
Although Harry Potter is said to have escaped unharmed - one early-rising Muggle, who later had his memory modified, stated he saw him leave the residence an hour earlier - Harry Potter's Aunt, Uncle and cousin were not as lucky.
Although Aurors appeared in time to save Mrs Petunia Dursley (38) and Dudley Dursley (17), Harry's uncle Vernon Dursley (41), was killed by Death Eaters as he tried in vain to protect his family.
The remaining Dursleys (Muggles) were taken to St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, in case of traumatisation.
An Order of Purity member, Mrs Arabella Figg, (72) who lived at thirty-three Privet Drive was first on scene, and it is due to her intervention that Muggle civilians were not killed.
Below was a picture of number four, Privet Drive in flames. As magical
pictures do, it was moving - the flames were not so much licking the house as
roaring round it, and nearly half had been consumed by it.
Although there was no sound to the small picture, Harry could imagine the
screams of his 'family' as the Death Eaters came.
He slowly folded the cutting and handed it back to Sirius, who was watching him
carefully.
"He's dead." Harry said, knowing the full impact of this could sink
in at any second. "He was Hell to live with, and I wouldn't have minded
getting revenge - but dead? By Death Eaters?" He looked at the Animagus for
confirmation, and was shocked to see that he got it.
"It was Avada Kedavra. Arabella told me." He sighed again. "Your
Aunt and cousin are alright though. Just some major bruising and a few cuts. I
think your Uncle delayed them enough for the Aurors to get there." He put
the clipping away. "Are you alright?"
"Yes." lied Harry. He paused. "I wish I was there." he said
softly. "I could have done something. I could have saved Uncle Vernon. Or
at least killed whichever one did it."
Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Don't be stupid. If you'd been
there, you'd've been the first the die. At least you got out in time, and you're
safe. I suppose Voldemort felt like going ahead immediately rather than waiting
a day or so."
Harry stared at the wall. Suddenly, he looked at his Godfather. "Did they
get any of the Death Eaters?" he asked.
"I don't know. You saw how recent this was - the Daily Prophet must have
working all this morning to get it out in today's paper; they only just managed
to get this information. They'll probably have more knowledge about it once
they've done some research, so I'll be getting the paper tomorrow. Are you sure
you're okay?"
Harry put his head in his hands. "I don't know. I think I'll be alright -
it's not as though we were best friends or anything."
Sirius gave a small, sad smile. "Yeah. Guess not. Anyway, we need to talk
about what's going to happen now. Dumbledore will be checking up on exactly how
the Death Eaters found you, if I know him, so he won't be here for a while yet.
I don't even know whether he's got the letter." He stood up and patted
Hedwig absentmindedly. "You obviously can't go back to your house - it's
nearly completely destroyed, and the Ministry's checking all the wards, and
other simple protections. There were a lot of them put on your home.
"I'm not sure about you going to Hogwarts either. Your dream had Voldemort
inside the Forest. That may not be a part of school, but it's within the
grounds, which means that until new, stronger spells and wards are put up, you
can't go back, and that will take a couple of months.
"Also, Lupin and I aren't happy with you staying here. All it would take is
one Death Eater to come up at night and you'd be finished. There's only a few
anti-burglar charms on this place, nothing powerful."
"What about Ron? His dad works at the Ministry." Harry volunteered.
Sirius shook his head. "No offence to him, but I don't think a few wizards
are going to be much use if Voldemort decides to pay a social call himself. Bill
and Charlie wouldn't be there, Ron and Percy probably wouldn't be much use
-"
"Fred and George have left home and started their own joke shop, eagerly
wishing they weren't going to be at school this year.." Harry added.
Sirius looked surprised. "How'd you know that?"
"It's only been their life-long ambition." he replied, rolling
his eyes.
Sirius smiled. "Well, anyway, they're not there, and Mrs Weasley wouldn't
be much use. Plus, her husband would only be limited protection.
"Hermione's family are Muggles - not an ounce of safety there; so I think
it would be a lot safer if you stayed with me and Lupin."
Harry nearly choked. "Stay with you!"
"Certainly. Until school starts, or the wards at Hogwarts are increased,
whatever's sooner. Lupin and I agree that you'd get more protection there.
Although, if you don't want to, I understand - " he added.
"What!?" Harry interrupted, "Of course I want to stay with
you and Professor Lupin. When can I move in?" he rushed.
Sirius let out a real grin this time. "Great! I'll send an owl to
Lupin." He glanced at the window. "But talking of owls. .
."
Harry looked in the direction of his gaze. Out side the window, perched on a
street light, two owls waited looking in.
They couldn't see Sirius' face, so he moved out of sight and changed into a
large black dog.
Harry opened the window, and the Tawny owl, and Hawk owl flew in and perched on
the bed, looking nervously at the great canine.
Harry untied the letter from the first owl - it bore the Hogwarts seal, so it
was obviously his list of supplies for the next year.
The Hogwarts owl flew silently out.
Just as he was about to take the letter and package off another owl (who Harry
recognised as Percy's owl, Hermes), a fluttering caused him to look up.
An ink black raven swooped low into the room and fixed a beady eye on Harry.
"Ow!" Harry clapped a hand to his scar, as a jolt of pain shot through
it, and was gone as quickly as it came.
Sirius turned his shaggy head towards Harry, and then to the raven, growling.
The bird was larger than most other ravens, Harry guessed - ravens were a usual
sight down Privet Drive, in Surrey, so he couldn't make an accurate statement
regarding it - but there was something about it that didn't belong - not
least the fact that its beak was silver coloured. Just looking at it gave Harry
an uneasy feeling.
It was looking through him, not at.
Sirius growled again, and paced towards it. Hermes looked ready to fly away in
fright.
The raven held out a leg. Harry realised, with shock, that it was carrying a
letter. The dog paused and looked at Harry as if questioning him.
Taking a chance, Harry undid the letter from the bird's leg (Hermes didn't look
too happy about being forgotten) and read aloud;
Dear Harry,
This is Sterling, an Aldor Raven. Quite a rare species - they have magical
powers, unlike other raven types.
I have given her to you for your safety. I know Snuffles will be with you by
now, but Sterling can protect you just as well. She's a lot more powerful than
she looks. Keep her close, all the time.
Dumbledore
A list of what Harry would need for the next year of Hogwarts followed.
Sirius - or Snuffles - relaxed, and Harry breathed a sigh.
"That's that then, Snuffles. It's another guardian." Harry said,
stroking Sterling's feathers. It still gave him a feeling of uneasiness, but he
trusted Dumbledore's judgment..
Sirius gave a reassuring bark.
"Yeah, I know." Harry sighed, and went to take Ron's message from
Hermes.
Sterling preened herself.
Harry!
(the letter read)
PLEASE, answer this! We know you're safe (Mum got the kitchen clock redone
whilst we were at school with you on, and since it didn't say you were dead or
in danger, we're guessing you're okay.) but we have NO IDEA where you are!! You
have to answer this as soon as you get it, okay?
In case you didn't know, you're home's been attacked. We don't know what's
happened - we only know because Dad was called out early this morning. Nearly
everyone in the Ministry's been pulled off regular jobs to check all the wards,
how the Death Eater's got in, whether Voldemort was really was behind it, and
all. Mum's going mad with worry.
I hope no-one's hurt,
Ron.
Write back NOW!
Harry re-read the letter. It was written in a hurry: the ink was smudged
badly and Ron sounded like he'd nearly forgotten how to use full-stops.
Harry scribbled a reply, telling that his Uncle had been killed, where he was,
and asking whether Dumbledore had gone to the house. When he had finished, he
sent it on Hermes.
Sirius changed back once Hermes had gone and moved closer to Sterling who gave
him a disdainful look.
"She's not like any normal bird," Sirius confirmed, "She's
certainly magical. I don't know how, though." He looked closer at Sterling.
"She's got something on her head." he told his Godson. "A gem or
something - a little silver one."
The raven gave a small caw as Harry leaned in to look closer. A small silver
jewel, the size of a pea was placed in the bird's forehead, which glittered
lightly.
"Do you know what it is?" Harry asked Sirius, who shook his head and
petted the bird lightly. "It might be some kind of a magical amplifier.
There are some objects that can be worn, or put inside you, that makes your
magic stronger. They're pretty rare though, and aren't used much. Most wizards
see them as dishonourable - you might be better than your opponent in a duel,
but because he's got an Amplifier, he wins. Most regard it as cheating. I
wouldn't be surprised if Voldemort had one. It's about the only way he 'd be
able to win anything, the slime bag."
Harry laughed, but didn't voice his doubts about the jewel.
He suddenly realised that it wasn't the bird that was making him uneasy - it was
the jewel. And hadn't he been looking at the bird's head when the pain ran
through his scar?
He chased the thoughts from his mind. If Dumbledore thought he would be safer
with it, then it couldn't possibly be dangerous to him.
~ ~ ~
At twelve o'clock they went downstairs. Sirius was parading as the dog
Snuffles and Sterling had insisted on coming, sitting on Harry's shoulder. Harry
guessed this was what Dumbledore told her to do.
"Snuffles," he said suddenly, "I have a bone to pick with
you." The dog looked at him questioningly. Harry raised an eyebrow,
"Why didn't you tell me Mrs Figg was a witch? And what's the Order of
Purity? You're going to tell me that as soon as you turn back, alright?"
Harry could have sworn Sirius' dog-face turned into a grin.
~ ~ ~
Harry's first stop in Diagon Alley was to Gladrags Wizard-wear (he found it
had a larger range than Madame Malkins). From there it was Eeylops Owl Emporium
for Hedwig's food, and then to Flourish and Blotts for his books; Harry was not
sure whether he was happy or sad that Defence Against The Dark Arts was still on
the subject list, due to his unfortunate relations with three quarters of the
previous staff (as they had a new one every year); i.e., mostly they tried to
kill him or erase his memory (something he wasn't too pleased about).
Thankfully, wizards were used to pet birds so Sterling didn't gain too many
funny looks - although a few of the more superstitious people dropped their
shopping when they saw Sirius, whose form looked like the Grim, a warning of
impending death.
It was only when he went to Quality Quidditch Supplies ('Snuffles' couldn't come
in) for new elbow pads that he found himself in love.
There, the owner of the store, Eric Vander, was placing in the window, a
Firebolt.
That wasn't.
It's handle was not ash, like Harry's broom, but a beautiful mahogany. It was
graceful, beautifully streamlined - Harry may not have been a broom expert, but
he knew that this broom was the closest to perfection he had ever seen.
A sign was placed beside it, but Harry preferred to get his answers straight
from the source.
"Mr Vander," he queried, moving towards the proprietor as he tried to
control his racing heartbeat, "What is that broom?"
The man looked in the direction of Harry's gaze. "That's the Lightning
Bolt. The Firebolt was just a prototype of it.
"It goes a lot faster - from a still start to two hundred and eighty miles an
hour in six seconds. Will you be buying one, Mr Potter? Just eight hundred
Galleons, and you'll never lose a game."
Harry was sorely tempted - he knew he had enough money - but he went with his
common sense, which told him he still had two years left at Hogwarts after this
year. "No thanks." he said, "It's a possibility," he added
to be polite, "but I'd like to think about it a little more."
Eric smiled. "Think quickly. There are only two thousand and two made, and
there'll never be any more. Plus, each of them comes with it's own name, as well
as number."
Harry frowned at the idea of calling a broomstick Jane or Maurice, but Eric saw
his puzzlement and explained. "They have descriptive names; nick-names of a
sort. The one I just put in the window is number seven hundred and seventy nine,
Wild Storm - don't ask who thinks these names up." He looked at Harry.
"There's only one more here, just out back - four hundred and sixteen,
Rapid Fury. You'd better decide whether you want one as fast as possible."
He excused himself to deal with a customer, who was eagerly looking at the
Lightning Bolt every few seconds; Harry recognised him as Oliver Wood, the
previous Quidditch captain of Harry's House (Gryffindor), although he had left
Hogwarts two years before.
The conversation between Oliver and Eric was short - Oliver, it seemed had only
entered to check out the Lightning Bolt's price, nothing more. After Harry had
bought his pads, he hurried over to Oliver, who had stopped to look at some
broom polishes. "Recognise me?" Harry grinned, and laughed as Oliver
gaped. "Harry? You're not a midget anymore!"
This shut Harry up. "Hey!"
"I said you're NOT, didn't I?" Oliver argued. "So, who's the new
captain? Oh, yeah, there wasn't any Quidditch last year, with the Triwiz-"
He cut himself off. "Oh, God Harry, I'm sorry: I don't know why I said that
-"
"It's alright." Harry said, "Just please don't mention it."
He changed the subject, "How's the job going?"
"Great!" Oliver replied, perking up. "I'm not a reserve anymore -
the keeper of Puddlemere United retired last year, so I got his place. Have you
seen that Lightning Bolt, Harry? They say it's even better than the Firebolt -
there was a review in 'Which Broom?', but it's expensive. Nearly a thousand
Galleons, Quality Quidditch Supplies was lucky to get hold of two. . ."
Their conversation continued in this vein for some time, and then switched to
the subject of Hogwarts (Oliver proudly announcing his younger sister would be
starting this year), until Eric told them that if they weren't at least going to
make a pretence of looking at the stock, could they please leave.
Harry and Oliver complied, Sirius meeting up with Harry outside the shop.
"Hold on," Harry noticed, causing Sirius to stop, "I'm out of
money. We'll have to stop by Gringotts." Sirius agreed (Harry realised how
funny it was to see a dog nodding it's head), and went to the bank.
No sooner had they entered, than someone leapt upon Harry, flinging their arms
around him.
"Oh, Harry!" sobbed the unknown assailant, "I thought you were
dead, I thought you were taken, I thought you were beaten to a bloody pulp and
tortured to an inch of your life, I-"
Harry rolled his eyes. Hermione did tend to go on. "Herm, I'm fine."
he said, detaching her from himself. "Look! I even have my head."
Sirius gave a small bark, and Sterling pecked Hermione's hand. She pulled her
hands away and stared at the bird. "Harry, have you got a raven?"
"However did you get that idea, Hermione?" Harry laughed.
The witch frowned. "Why didn't you write to me? I was just at home, and my
Daily Prophet arrived. And on the front page they said - they said. . ."
Harry smiled ruefully. "It's all right, I know. Snuffles is guarding me for
a while, as is Sterling." he said, touching the bird that sat upon his
shoulder.
Realising they were getting a few funny looks from the goblins that ran the
bank, and other wizards, Harry and Hermione collected some money and left
together. Sterling seemed to have taken an immediate liking to the bushy-haired
girl.
"My mum and dad are looking 'round the shops," Hermione explained.
"When I thought you were - you know, I needed to be around wizards."
She shrugged miserably, "It just seemed so wrong that no one knew who you
were, so I wanted to be with people who knew what you did."
Harry nodded slightly. "What does everyone think?"
"Well, the Muggles think there was an arson attack on your house, but you
had gone out for a midnight stroll or something. You can't hide a house suddenly
bursting into flames from Muggles, unless you're forewarned.
"Everyone in Diagon Alley knows you're alive; after all, they've seen you.
I'm guessing they're not saying anything, because of your uncle."
Harry gave a visible wince. "I wondered why no-one said anything. What
about Ron?"
"Well, I only got the Daily Prophet this morning. I haven't had time to
write, but I'm guessing he thinks you're dead, unless his dad's found out you're
not." Hermione gave a sigh.
"I wrote to him to tell him I was okay actually, so that shouldn't be a
problem. Herm', do you know what the Order of Purity is?"
Snuffles looked up suddenly at Harry in surprise. Harry looked back. "I'm
not going to wait forever. I just want to see whether she knows."
"She has a name. And yes, I know a little." Hermione smiled.
"I suppose you want to know because of that part in the news?"
"Yeah, actually. If you feel like telling me what they are any time, let me
know will you?"
"There's no need to be uppity." Hermione paused a moment, and Sterling
watched her intently. Sirius seemed happy just to let her go on.
"The Order of Purity works alongside the Order of the Phoenix."
