Chapter 1: Escape From Number Twelve
Deafening Thunder rocked the countryside. Rain splattered the ground, yet this did not deter Mundungus Fletcher, Operative for the Order of Phoenix.
He'd been tracking the Lestranges for a few days. Everything they'd done seemed normal... until now.
Two figures in dark robes, undoubtedly the Lestranges, walked through the stormy weather, into the middle of an unused field. Mundungus crouched behind a tree, and he had a sinking suspicion of what they were doing there.
And sure enough, his suspicions were confirmed. Another hooded figure approached the Lestranges. This figure's hood extended over his face, shadowing his features, but Mundungus knew who he was. Voldemort. Unfortunately for Mundungus, the wind picked up, unabling him to hear what was being said.
'At least these can be used for something,' he thought to himself as he pulled out a pair of extendable ears he had...er...borrowed from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Using a simple levitation charm, he moved one end into hearing range of the three dark shapes. He heard a woman's voice. Bellatrix Lestrange's Voice.
"Here, my Lord." she said, handing Voldemort a small looking card. "I picked it up from the Department of Mysteries."
Voldemort, took the card and read it silently, "At last! Thank you, my faithful servant," Voldemort said, but the voice that said it was eerily high pitched, and sounded like a blast of icy wind. Mundungus sunk lower behind the tree. "I want this done tonight. You know what to do." And with that, the figure suddenly dissapeared.
Suddenly, the wind picked up even harder. The Lestranges walked off. Mundungus drooped to the ground, a sinking feeling washing over him.
All of a Sudden, his eye caught a small card fly toward him. It was the note that Bellatrix had given to Voldemort! He quickly jumped up and grabbed it. He squinted against the rain and read it.
All of the color drained from his face. His hand, shaking, dropped the note. It read, "The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London." It was the note from Dumbledore! He had to warn the order... before it was too late.
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Number Twelve, Grimmauld place was bustling with activity. The Order was in a meeting, meaning that Ron, Ginny, and Hermione were trying to amuse themselves. Hermione was reading a book in the corner, Ginny was listening to the Wizarding Wireless, and Ron was feeding Pigwidgeon, who was hooting happily in his cage.
The only difference from the previous year was that the twins had joined the Order, dwindling the number of kids to three. This really left Ron out, because this meant he was the only boy who was not in the Order left in the old house. With the twins gone, he had nothing to do.
The front door burst open. A very wet, very serious looking Mundungus Fletcher stood in the doorway. He ran through house to the back room where the Order was meeting. Not having time to break the Imperturbable spell, he just blasted the door open. "Ah, Mundungus, how did your mission go?" Dumbledore asked him.
"Must...all...get...out...now!" he wheezed, breathing hard. Albus Dumbledore stood up.
"What happened, Mundungus?" Dumbledore asked, looking solemn.
"No...time...must...get...out...now..." he wheezed again.
"Everyone, I officially declare this meeting over." Dumbledore told the entire Order of the Phoenix, sensing the urgency in Mundungus's voice. Molly Weasley hurried out the door, a little bit startled at the sudden appearance of Mundungus.
"Ron, Ginny, Hemione, dears, there has been a change of plan." Mrs. Weasley told the three kids. "We're going back to the Burrow. And we need to leave immediately. I'll explain this to all of you when we get back."
The order by Mrs. Weasley was obeyed at once. Without a word, the three kids ran up to their rooms to get their things, but as they did, there came a scream from the kitchen.
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The rest of the Order had been hurrying through the kitchen. Mrs. Weasley had run back into it to get a handful of floo powder. Suddenly, four figures apparated into the room, blocking off the door. Mrs. Weasley screamed.
"Avada Kedavra!" a woman's voice shouted at once, while her comrades spread out. The person she'd been aiming at, an old man with white hair, feel to the floor dead. Mundungus stayed down.
Fred and George Weasley, however, did not stay. They both lunged at the woman in the robe at once, but were quickly stunned by one of the other Death Eaters. Mrs. Weasley made for the living room.
Lupin and Snape were the only stragglers left in the meeting room. Upon exiting, they were confronted by a rather large man in a hooded robe. Snape and Lupin, surprised at the mans sudden appearance, froze in their places. The burly man seized this opportunity, "Impendimenta!" Both Order Operatives were stopped dead.
Back in the Kitchen, Arthur Weasley had taken up the defense of his sons. Two hooded Death Eaters were standing over the body of Mundungus, opposite of Arthur, who was guarding the stunned bodies of his sons.
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Ginny, Ron, and Hermione grabbed their things and ran back downstairs. Mrs. Weasley was holding handful of floo powder that she, upon seeing her children and Hermione come back downstairs, chucked into the fire. The fire roared with an emerald flame, and Mrs. Weasley hurried them all in.
When all of the kids were gone, she ran to the kitchen, to see what had happened. A horrible seen met her eyes.
Two dark, hooded figures were standing over the body of Mundungus Fletcher, wands held out, looking at the man that faced them. It was Arthur Weasley. He was guarding the stunned bodies of his sons, Fred and George. Molly Weasley, her maternal instincts taking over, pulled out her wand.
"Stupefy!" she shouted at the closest figure to her. The dark robed fiend fell down, stunned. His partner disapparated in a flash.
Molly Weasley hurried over to the twins and quickly revived them. She glanced one last time at the pale body of Mundungus Fletcher. Her husband levitated the body of the stunned Death Eater. They rushed to the fire to find that everyone else had already gone. Arthur took the body through the floo network (it was like carrying luggage), and was gone. The rest of the Weasleys quickly disapparated back to the Burrow.
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Bellatrix Lestrange apparated right onto the second floor of the Order of the Phoenix headquarters. There had been a lot more witches and wizards than she and her fellow Death Eaters had expected.
"The Dark Lord won't be too pleased." she said to herself. "I guess I'll have to do the next best thing - Destroy the headquarters." she grinned evilly, before taking out her wand again. She pointed at the old carpet and whispered, "Incendio." A flame whipped to life in the blink of an eye. She lit a few more fires around the house before finally shooting the Dark Mark over the Order Headquarters.
She apparated down to the end of the street, and looked back at number twelve to admire her work. It was covered in flames, smoke rising into the air.
The neighbors next door saw only smoke.