Prelude
No sooner had the little door closed than the excited babble of voices began.
"Is he really Harry's godfather?"
"Merlin's pointy top hat!"
"A real convicted murderer?"
"Now really, Fred." said a thoroughly tried Mrs Weasley. "For the last time, Sirius Black is not really a convicted murderer. He was wrongly sentenced to Azkaban, as Professor Dumbledore has been kind enough to explain." Shaking her head at her unruly brood, she Charmed the laundry to do itself while she kept an eye on the cooking pot. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, turned and glared at her twin sons. "That reminds me, you boys are not ask him questions about Azkaban. The poor man must have had enough for a lifetime without you two reminding him. Horrible place...horrible.." She turned away and stirred the contents of the pot with her wand.
The twins, who had immediately assumed expressions of innocence when Mrs Weasley spoke, turned to each other in undisguised delight. Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance. Ginny stared straight ahead, mouth slightly open, toast lying forgotten on her plate. As soon as Mrs Weasley left the room, Ron leaned towards his brothers.
"Mum hit the nail on the head, didn't she?", he asked, smirking.
"We hadn't even thought of asking him about Azkaban!", said George, looking up from his plate and opening his eyes wide." Hermione snorted.
"I'll bet you didn't." muttered Ron.
"We didn't." said Fred. "We wanted to ask him how he became an Animagus."
"Especially an Unregistered one.", added George.
"Well, I'm rather curious about that too," admitted Hermione. "It's supposed to be very very difficult, isn't it? I mean, you can only become one after years and years of study; and then you have to Register so that the Ministry knows you're not misusing your abilities. There are only seven Registered Animagi in this century."
"McGonagall's one, isn't she?"
"Yes, a cat." Hermione cut herself a piece of pie. "She became an Animagus when she was seventeen; and that isn't a surprise because she was one of Hogwarts' most brilliant students. But to think that Sirius and that Pettigrew and Harry's father managed it at sixteen!"
Fred picked at the crumbs on his plate. "But what intrigues me is how they got away with being Unregistered.", he said. "That isn't easy, is it?"
"I don't know," Hermione said thoughtfully. "All the books I've consulted only tell you you've got to register; not what'll happen if you don't. Perhaps there was something I'd missed."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Oh stop it, Hermione. It's the beginning of the holidays." Hermione ignored him and turned to Fred. "I'll ask him; I want to know too."
"How come you didn't ask him the whole year you knew him?" George wanted to know.
"I didn't think of it." Hermione said immediately.
"We spent more time hoping he would not be found.", said Ron, and leaning across the table, tried to pinch Ginny's toast. Ginny closed her mouth, scowled, and yanked her plate from harm's way. Fred nudged George with a wink. "If our ickle Ronniekins was an Animagus, what animal would he be?"
"A pig!" George grinned. Ron's ears went pink. His fingers itched to ram a fork into one of their eyes but he suddenly remembered that they could do magic now. There was no telling what they'd do to him... Probably set spiders on him, knowing Fred. Ron shivered involuntarily.
"Speaking of pigs," Fred was saying. "How come none of you pigs told us about these happenings as soon as they happened?"
"Dumbledore told us not to." said Hermione, unsure where all this was heading.
"But we would have told you," George put in. "We always tell you our news." Fred nodded vigorously.
"You didn't tell us about that cheat Bagman!" said Ron triumphantly. George opened his mouth to retaliate but Fred sat up straighter and put a finger on his lips. "Listen." he said, his voice low. "Doesn't that voice sound familiar?" The others listened. "Isn't that Professor Lu..." Ginny began.
The door opened. "Come in, come in. Sit down, sit down", Mrs Weasley was saying. "Lovely to have you here. I've heard so much about you from the children. They're all in here; they'll be thrilled to see you. The twins and Ginny have just heard the story; Dumbledore had come to explain a little while ago." She entered, her arms full of herbs and rushed towards her steaming pot, followed more leisurely by Professor Lupin and Bill, whose long hair was all over his face.
Lupin smiled at the five excited faces. He looked older and more tired, and his clothes looked shabbier than ever. "Hello, boys; hello Hermione, and Ginny." he said, sitting next to Bill and smiling again as a babel of voices arose.
"Professor!"
"Why didn't you tell us?"
"Are you coming to the Order of the thingy place too?"
"Were you an Animagus too?"
"No, you dolt. He's a Werewolf!" This last was from Fred, as he whacked the back of George's head.
"Fred!" cried Mrs Weasley, horrified. Then turned and smiled at Lupin. "Would you like some breakfast, Professor?", she asked, waving her wand at the cutlery draw. Behind her, a knife chopped up a bundle of herbs and dropped them into the pot.
"Yes, thank you, Mrs Weasley, if it isn't too much trouble. And please call me Remus."
"And call me Molly." She smiled a motherly smile at him and turned to her eldest son. "And you, Bill?"
"I'd love some, Mum." He shook back his hair and deftly tied it in a ponytail. In a minute, Mrs Weasley had set bowls of tomato and herb soup in front of Bill and Lupin and was swiftly buttering slices of bread as fast as the knife could cut them. Lupin took a sip and his eyes gleamed appreciation. Soon, noticing that he was almost finishing his soup, Mrs Weasley placed a pumpkin pie before him. He ate hungrily and with good appetite, Mrs Weasley noted with approval. She also noticed that he looked a bit peaky. Well, a few months eating her food should do him some good. Then, seeing Fred open his mouth, shot him a glare. Let the poor man eat and then bombard him with questions.
Lupin ate his fill and then smiled at the five expectant faces watching him. Mrs Weasley turned to him and asked him if he'd like some more.
"No, thank you." he said. "I'm full. But it was lovely, Molly. I've never tasted such good food." Mrs Weasley smiled as she took his plate.
No sooner had he finished eating that that George asked him the first question. "Professor, are you also going to be staying with us at the Headquarters of the..uh..the.."
"The Order of the Phoenix", said Bill, helpfully.
"Why, yes. I will be staying there, most of the time. Not everyday, of course." he answered pleasantly.
"Why not?" asked Ron in astonishment. Both Mrs Weasley and Hermione glared at him, but much to their chagrin, he did not notice.
"I'd prefer to be alone during my monthly transformations," Lupin continued in the same steady tone. Ron flushed.
"Besides there will be work for the Order to do as well."
"We'll have our hands full." nodded Bill, pushing his plate away.
"Work?", asked Fred immediately.
"What sort of work?" asked George, curiously. Mrs Weasley, with a heavy frown on her face, swooped in to pick up Bill's plate, and Hermione, noticing, tried to change the subject. "Where is the Headquarters, Professor?" she asked.
"Have you heard of the Fidelus Charm, Hermione?" Lupin asked her. She nodded slowly as realization dawned.
"The Fidelus Charm is a very powerful spell that is cast to protect an establishment," he began.
"We know that spell!" Ron interrupted excitedly. "That was the one cast on the Potters' house, with all of those SecretKeepers and things!"
"Exactly.", Lupin said, "Only this is going to be for a larger establishment, and hiding a larger number of people."
"Who is the SecretKeeper?" Hermione asked.
"Professor Dumbledore, of course." Lupin said. "The Fidelus Charm was his idea, and it was he who founded the Order during the last war."
"I don't understand," said Ginny suddenly. "Where is this place?"
"Only the SecretKeeper can disclose the location of the establishment," Lupin explained patiently. "So though I know where it is and have been there several times, I cannot tell you its location."
Fred, who had been unusually silent all this while, spoke up. "Does the work involve You-Know-Who?", he asked Lupin.
"Fred Gideon Weasley!" Mrs Weasley's eyes were smouldering, and her face had turned red with anger. She sat down next to Ginny and her flaming eyes bore into her son's. "Enough questions about the work of the members of the Order. You all are too young."
She turned to Lupin, ignoring her son's expression of outrage. "Who else is part of the new Order, Remus?" she asked, trying to be calm.
"Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall; all the Hogwarts' staff, really." Lupin said.
"Even Snape?", Ron asked incredulously.
"Certainly," said Lupin. "Severus is very knowledgeable about the Dark Arts."
"Who else?" Hermione asked.
"Kingsley Shaklebolt: top Auror, but you may not know him; then Alastor Moody of course."
"Professor Moody?" chorused the twins. Lupin smiled.
"Speaking of Aurors, guess who we just met, Mum." Bill said, winking at Lupin mischievously.
"Who, dear?"
"Nymphadora Tonks." Bill said. "Remember her?"
"Nympha... Oh yes, Charlie's best friend at school." Mrs Weasley sat up straight. "Yes, yes. I do remember her. The little thing with the shocking pink hair. I saw her a couple of times at King's Cross and I remember being positively frightened the first time I saw that hair of hers." She smiled in reminiscence. "But she was a nice girl; helped find Charlie's trunk when some of his friends threw it in the lake."
"And was so clumsy, she fell in herself." Bill chuckled at the recollection. Then he continued soberly. "She's an Auror now and she's part of the Order. Sturgis Podmore's in the Order as well, you remember him? So is old Mundungus Fletcher. Then, you, Dad, me, Charlie.."
"Charlie?" Ginny asked, eagerly. "Is he coming back?"
Bill shook his head, regretfully. "He'll work for us from Romania. Who else, Remus?"
"Emmeline Vance," Lupin said, "Sirius, me, Hestia Jones, and Daedalus Diggle."
"Well," said Mrs Weasley. "That's a lot of people. Do you think we'll all fit in that house?"
Bill and Lupin exchanged a glance. "It's a big place." said Bill slowly. "After all not everyone's going to be residing there permanently." added Lupin cheerfully.
Mrs Weasley rose and opened the window for the ancient Errol to fly in. Instead he flopped down in the middle of the yard, amidst several clucking chickens, who all instantly vied with each other to peck out the newcomer's tail feathers. Mrs Weasley's eyes widened.
"Who left the door of the henhouse open?" she exclaimed. She shot them all a glare and rushed out, while Ron sank in his chair. In a minute, she returned, red-faced and angry. She slammed the door behind her, and fixed all her children with a beady eye. Ron was just wondering whether he should own up when Lupin smiled and rose.
"I must be heading back to the Headquarters now," he said regretfully. He turned to Mrs Weasley, who at once smiled warmly and took his hand.
"Thank you for the lovely meal, Molly." he said. "When will all of you be moving in?"
"Tomorrow morning; Albus will be escorting us.", answered Mrs Weasley. The others got up and followed Lupin out into the sunny yard. He shook hands with everyone before turning on the spot and Disapparating with a pop.
Mrs Weasley turned and immediately shooed them into the house. Ron, who had been dreading a lecture on the henhouse, was most thankful when Mrs Weasley asked them to spend the day packing their clothes and whatever else they wanted into their Hogwarts trunks.
"Bill, dear." she said, "If you've packed, will you send an owl to your father informing him that we are leaving tomorrow morning?"
"I'll go and tell him that, Mum. I've some work to do outside anyway." Bill flicked his wand and caught the cloak that came flying to him.
"Work for the Order, dear?", asked Mrs Weasley as Bill shrugged into his cloak and undid his shoulder-length hair.
"No, Mum. I need to go to Gringotts. Gornuk's found some diamonds he suspects is cursed." Bill kissed his mother on the cheek, ruffled Ginny's hair and strode out of the little house.
"Do be careful, dear." Mrs Weasley called after him. She returned to the kitchen where Fred and George, for reasons unknown to anyone but themselves, were nudging each other and winking.
Ron flopped on his bed with a groan and reached for an old edition of Miggle The Mad Muggle. Hermione perched herself on the window ledge and drew her knees up to her chest. For a moment or two the room was silent, except for a few halfhearted chuckles from Ron's direction.
"Ron," Hermione said thoughtfully, after it became evident that Ron had nothing better to do than chuckle maniacally. "Why do you think Dumbledore asked us not to tell Harry what's been happening?"
Ron looked up. "I reckon he thinks those Muggles Harry lives with might read our letters."
Hermione ran her hands through her hair, contemplatively. "I don't know, that doesn't sound quite alright, does it? If Dumbledore really was worried about our letters being read, he'd have told us so. There must be some other reason, something he hasn't told us."
"When has he ever told us anything?" argued Ron, now sitting up and glaring at Hermione. "All we know is that we're going to be staying at the Headquarters of the Order of The Phoenix. He hasn't told us why."
Fred and George Apparated into the room just as Hermione was shaking her head disbelievingly at Ron.
"I'd have thought that was quite obvious, Ron. He wants us all to be together and safe. Now that Pettigrew's returned to You-Know-Who, he'd have told him where Harry Potter comes to visit every summer and it isn't safe for us to stay here anymore."
"Don't you two know how to knock?", asked Ron to the twins, scowling. Fred laughed as he sat on Ron's bed with a thump.
"We thought we'd like to grace your conversation with our presence." he said, grandly and dodged the pillow Ron threw at him.
"By the way," said George, who was leaning against the wall, pointing his wand upwards. "We've got you a present." With a flick of his wand he Summoned a wrapped, lumpy package and threw it to Ron.
"What is it?" asked Ron suspiciously, catching it and feeling it all over.
"New dress robes".
"If they're like those old ones I had, I'll strangle the two of you."
"They aren't," assured George, gravely. "Open the package, it doesn't contain spiders, you know."
"Though that isn't a bad idea either.", Fred looked thoughtful. "We should have thought of that. We'll save it for next time." He winked at George.
Ron apprehensively opened the package and stared at the simple bottle green robes and gasped. "Merlin, it's normal dress robes; just like Harry's."
"Well, let us assume you've flung your arms around us and hugged us and kissed us, and get on with the interesting topic of Ron's being an ignoramus." Fred said, matter-of-factly as Ginny opened the door and came in.
"Don't go down to the kitchen for a while.", she said, seating herself next to Fred. "Muriel's head is in the fireplace."
"Who?" asked Hermione puzzled, as George, Fred and Ron grimaced.
"Muriel Prewett, Mum's Great-Aunt." Ron said, folding up his new dress robes clumsily.
"A pain in the neck." added George.
"She used to come around for Christmas dinner every year," said Fred. "But not ever since.."
"..We set Dungbombs under her chair." finished George. Hermione stared.
"You didn't!" she said shocked.
"They did." Ron confirmed as Ginny nodded, laughing. "I've never seen Great-Aunt Muriel at a loss for words before."
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" said Fred, "She's never visited after that."
"Exactly," mused George. "I wonder what she's come for."
"Mum was crying, so I think she must have mentioned Percy." said Ginny.
"Nice, tactful thing to do." muttered George sarcastically.
"I wish Bill were here." sighed Ginny. "He'd know how to comfort Mum."
Fred and George exchanged a glance. "Bill's not going to come home till tea." said Fred, thickly, as if he were suppressing laughter.
"What do you mean?" asked Ron. "He'll come sometime now. It's his half day off."
"He doesn't go to Gringotts only to work." Fred shook his head. "He goes there to meet somebody."
"What do you mean?" asked Ron again.
"Ickle Ronnie," said George. "I sometimes forget how thick you can get."
"Shut up." Ron threw another pillow at George who lazily caught it and threw it back.
"About time, isn't it?" said Ginny, thoughtfully. "Bill's nearly twenty six, and Mum's been pestering him to get married for a long time now."
"Mum's been pestering him to cut his hair for even longer, and that hasn't happened yet." argued Fred.
Hermione frowned. "How do the two of you know? Even I know Bill long enough to tell that he wouldn't confide in you two."
"He didn't." said Fred.
"We found out." said George, sliding to the floor and stretching his legs.
"How?" asked Ginny, curiously.
"A pile of letters had arrived for him last Monday from Egypt," began Fred
"And all the owls were driving Mum to distraction. You see, it was the day after that prat-head Percy left.." George pointed his wand at his shoes, making them change colour.
"So we offered to do Mum a favour and drop them off to him at Gringotts." said Fred.
"The extent of peace in the house was unbelievable, I expect." said Ginny to Hermione.
"Upon our arrival at Gringotts, we found that Bill was not in any of his usual haunts.."
"You know, at his desk or with the jewel- goblin, what's his name?"
"Gornuk. So we politely asked another goblin if we could meet Mr William Weasley and we were led to..."
"A very feminine looking desk in an isolated room-"
"Way down into a dungeon-like corridor-"
"Where Bill was sitting opposite a very beautiful-"
"Very bewitching witch and they were giggling." finished George.
"What?" said Ron, who had been listening to all this with a bemused expression on his face. "Bill's meeting a girl?"
"No, he was snogging a flesh-eating cabbage, you git." said Fred, exasperated. "Yes, a girl. Weren't you listening?" He Levitated a pillow and let it crashing down on Ron's head.
"How did he react when he saw you two?" asked Ginny, interested.
"He leapt on his feet, rushed out and shut the door on her." said George, sorrowfully.
"He asked us whether everything was fine at home and then what we had come for" said Fred.
"Then we gave him the letters and wished him good luck with her."
"What did he say to that?" asked Ron, seeming impressed at the latest antics of his oldest brother.
"He said he was just giving her English lessons and that he hardly knew her."
"Then seeing that we didn't believe him, he took us in and introduced us to her."
"His biggest mistake." said Ginny to Hermione, winking.
"Hey," said Fred in mock indignation. "Listen up. The best part's still to come."
"Guess who she was?" said George.
"Well, we can't." said Ginny. "So hurry up and tell us or we'll know it's just a story."
"Alright, alright keep your hair on, little sister. It's ol' Fleur Delacour, the Triwizard Champion of Beauxbatons." A shocked silence followed his words. Ron looked as if he were mourning a lost chance. Hermione and Ginny's expressions were of mixed revulsion and disbelief.
"Not her." said Ginny. "He can't!"
"Why not?" asked Ron, who looked slightly pink.
"Because she's horrible." exclaimed Hermione, dangling her legs from under the window seat. "Stuck-up, selfish and proud."
"And she hates England and Hogwarts; I heard her griping at the Yule Ball." added Ginny.
"Well, she could have changed by now." said George sensibly.
"With the influence of our good old brother." said Fred, cheerfully. But Hermione and Ginny refused to be swerved from their opinion and Ron gazed dreamily into the distance.
A moment later, George rose and sniffed the air. "Mmm. Mum's baking for tea." He looked at the others as Fred got up too. "You lot better come down too. That is if Ronnie's finished dreaming and starts packing. Otherwise, there'll be hell to pay." Ron leapt up and began stuffing clothes and books into his open trunk, hastily.
"Cheer up, ladies." said Fred kindly. "Bill knows what he's doing. Besides, we need some love and mischief in the air during these troubled times."
"Speaking of mischief," said George, with a wink. "Try not to exchange places with Bill at tea. We may have a surprise for him."
"That is if he turns up." said Ginny darkly.
"Oh he will." said Fred easily. "He always does. No one misses Mum's cooking for all the beautiful French girls in the world!" With that the twins turned and Apparated downstairs. Ginny and Hermione slowly opened the door and walked down the stairs, forgetting all about Ron, who was doing his packing as fast as he could in case Mrs Weasley decided to come up and check.
"We can't even talk about it now." whispered Ginny as they passed Percy's empty room. "I'm sure he hasn't told Mum."
"Well, we're not entirely sure now, are we?" Hermione whispered back with an alarming change of side. "He could be just teaching her, as he said." Ginny opened her mouth to retort but stopped as Bill opened the front door and entered, smiling.
"Hey, Gin. Hello, Hermione," he said pulling off a voluminous cloak and placing it on a chair. "Hello Bill." they chorused soberly and seated themselves side by side.
"Look at his face," Ginny whispered. "It's positively radiant." Hermione shot a glance at Bill. He was smiling to himself as he paused to tie up his hair before going upstairs. Fred appeared, clutching armfuls of cutlery followed by George who was levitating four bowls of soup.
"May we present," said Fred lavishly. "Your head waiters for today: Gred and Forge Weasley!" He set the spoons on the table and flicked his wand to make them dance a jig. "Here come your soups." George waved his wand and sent the bowls towards each person, each spilling a good bit of soup on the tablecloth. "Where's Ronnie?"
"Upstairs." said Ginny. "Where's Mum?"
"Upstairs." Fred grinned as he watched Hermione and Ginny try to catch their dancing spoons unawares. But the spoons, now enthusiastically pirouetting, skillfully dodged the girls' fingers.
"Fred!" growled Ginny. "Make them stop!"
"Just some entertainment before tea, is all." said Fred waving his wand. "Aha!" he cried and bowed as Bill re-entered and took a seat. "Here comes the busy Bill Weasley! How was your day...er..talking about diamonds to..ah..Gornuk?"
"A very beautiful Gornuk." snorted George. Bill flashed a warning glance at them ("See, what did I tell you!" whispered Ginny to Hermione) just as Mrs Weasley came in, her eyes red.
Wiping her eyes, she bent over a row of brass cauldrons in the tiny kitchen. Bill looked questioningly at the twins who shook their heads and mouthed "Muriel." Bill jumped to his feet and strode around the table to Mrs Weasley.
The next moment, he was soothing his mother as she sobbed her heart out on his shoulder. He led her to chair without uttering a word. George, somber for once, placed a bowl of soup in front of her and Fred handed her a spoon. After around ten minutes of a very depressed silence, Ron entered the room and sat down next to Bill. He reached for a bowl of soup, but it danced out of his hands. He stared at it in surprise and made another grab at it, but missed it completely. He looked up and caught Fred and George wrangling with silent laughter. He scowled and grabbed his soup before they could lift their wands, his ears growing steadily pinker.
Bill glared at his brothers, and resumed eating. Ron glanced at his mother, flushed and began to gulp his soup sloppily, splattering it all over the front of his robes. Fred snickered and hastily turned it into a cross between a cough and a sneeze. George stuffed his handkerchief in his mouth as an unsuccessful attempt to stifle his laughter, and glancing at his mother's woebegone face and red eyes, extracted his handkerchief and laid it on the table, ducking his head sheepishly. Ginny's eyes flickered between Mrs Weasley's face and Bill's anxiously, until Bill, catching her eye, smiled reassuringly; following which she resumed eating. Hermione shifted uneasily in her seat, beside Ginny's. The rest of the meal passed in silence.
Afterwards, George and Hermione offered to clean up while Ginny dragged Fred into the garden, demanding more information on Bill's 'New Interest', as she called it. Bill insisted that his mother rest for a few hours and took himself to the front room.
Just as Hermione was putting away the last of the spoons, Ginny crept in through the back door and beckoned Hermione to the front room.
"See!", she hissed, as they peeped around the door at Bill. "Look at how soppy he looks. It isn't a bit like him!"
Bill was seated on the low sofa, one leg swung over the other, twisting his wand around his fingers. He stared into the fire, a smile curving his lips.
"I don't think he looks soppy," Hermione said. "he looks like he's in love."
"Love!", Ginny scoffed. "I wonder if he's seen the real her."
"What do you mean?"
"She's a Veela; and you've seen how Veelas look when they get angry..." Ginny looked so hopeful that Hermione didn't have the heart to contradict her.
The rest of the evening passed uneventfully. Hermione sat in the front room, by the fire, reading a book about Animagi, while Ginny sat at her feet, nibbling on a carrot and staring morosely at the fire. Bill and Ron played Wizard Chess, with Fred and George sitting beside them, supporting Bill and teasing Ron. Mrs Weasley sat on her rocking chair, knitting fireproof socks for Charlie and staring every so often at Mr Weasley's hand on the clock. At ten past eight, Mr Weasley's hand, which was in 'traveling', swung to 'home', and Mrs Weasley rushed to the door to let him in.
As everyone was filing into the tiny kitchen, for supper, Ginny caught Hermione's arm and pulled her back.
"Does Harry still fancy Cho Chang?" she asked in a whisper.
"I think he does." Hermione said. "Is that what you've been so miserable about?"
"Mm-hm"
"I thought maybe about Bill and Fleur."
"Well," Ginny said. "I've been thinking about that. Maybe it's just temporary, you know. Maybe he'll meet someone nicer in the Order, someone more like him, and -you know- marry her. So I'm not going to worry my head about that. But tell me this," She grasped Hermione's hand tighter. "What do I do about Harry?"
"Just do what you've been doing. Spend time with other boys. Loosen up a bit, you know. Who's that Ravenclaw you met at the Yule Ball?"
"Michael Corner."
"Continue dating him. Merlin knows there are enough blokes after you."
"Everyone except the one I want." Ginny grimaced. "Either Harry must be the most thick-headed boy in school or I'm a Flobberworm."
"Well, Ron's not exactly intuitive in that aspect either."
Ginny nodded. "He's a prat," she said decidedly. Hermione laughed.