This chapter is dedicated to Baby Says by The Kills

June, 1995

It was a dreadful day. Rain pounded the windows and soaked the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as an old silver-haired man spun a small object around and around in his hands inside his office. He sat facing the portraits of former Headmasters and Headmistresses, contemplating the newest news on He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Harry Potter saw him come back from the dead almost two months ago and yet there hadn't been any news on him since. He was biding his time, gathering strength and followers and capitalizing on the fact that the Ministry and its many supporters weren't believing that he had returned. Just yesterday, yet another article had come out mentioning Harry in an unflattering way.

Albus Dumbledore sighed. Voldemort may be waiting out his time now but soon he would attack. Dumbledore thought of the Muggleborns and the Blood Traitors and their families and frowned. He had a feeling that there would be a time in the not-so-distant future that he would not be able to properly protect them. He would need a plan.

He pulled a quill and some parchment from his desk and commenced a letter.

Alastor,

I know you've been through a great ordeal recently and I was pleased to learn you've been recovering well. If you could meet me at the place where I asked you first to teach and bring our trusted Auror friend next Sunday, it would be greatly appreciated.

Albus Dumbledore

A&P

Dumbledore walked into the Leaky Cauldron, waving his wand at his robes to dry them. He had two orders of business to discuss today. He searched the pub until his eyes came to rest on Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

He sat next to them at the cramped table and nodded. Moody smiled grimly.

"Alastor, Kingsley, it's a pleasure to see you," Dumbledore murmured, casting a quick spell to keep eavesdroppers at bay.

"Dumbledore," Moody grumbled, "tell me, what was so important I had to come all the way out here?"

"I think," Dumbledore said carefully, "that it is time to recommence to Order of the Phoenix."

"The Order?" Kingsley said. He hadn't been in the original Order but had heard a lot of things about it, being friends with many people who had been in it.

"Yes," Dumbledore said gravely. "Now that Voldemort has risen again, it is imperative we take action immediately. I'm here to ask you to join the Order. It is a risk to be involved in this as it would be dangerous for you if anyone were to discover your loyalty to the Order."

Moody looked at him. "Well, I'm in. I'm not being pushed around by those filthy Death Eaters. Besides, I was in it before and I lived."

Kingsley nodded. "Me, as well."

Dumbledore smiled. "Wonderful. Now, I'll admit, there's another reason I asked to meet with you. As a precaution, in case, in the future, Voldemort should get his hands on the Ministry, we need to be prepared."

"How?" Kingsley asked.

"We'll need to set up safe houses for Muggleborns, Blood Traitors and their families. I'd like the two of you to help me organize the project by overseeing the progress of finding and warding houses around the world. I'll need more people to help with this as well. If you could think of anyone that could help-"

"How about," Moody interrupted, "Nymphadora Tonks? She's a new Auror, she's got a strong sense of wrong and right. She'd be good for the Order, too."

Dumbledore nodded.

A&P

On a warm, muggy day, the door slammed behind Percy Weasley as he pulled his bag behind him into The Burrow's backyard, words replaying in his mind.

Percy, you're being ridiculous.

This whole family is wrong. Dumbledore's nothing but an old fool!

You put your job ahead of your family. It's embarrassing, Father.

Other, older words replayed too.

Percy the prat.

Percy has no sense of humour.

Ignore him, it's just Percy.

He couldn't take it anymore. He wouldn't be overlooked anymore. He was special, he was more than Bill or Charlie or Fred or George or Ron. He had a job as Junior Assistant to the Minister and his father had no right to say he got that job because of who his family was. Because the Ministry has better things to do than to spy on the Weasleys. Dumbledore was a fool, and Harry Potter was just and overindulged brat who wanted attention. It was pathetic and so was his father for believing any of it.

He would step out of their shadow.

He Apparated to Diagon Alley and hauled his bag down the street, passing various shoppers, and entered the Leaky Cauldron. He walked up to the counter and nodded to Tom, the barkeep. "Any rooms available?"

Tom nodded. "Indeed, just one person?"

"Yes," Percy grumbled. He paid Tom and was led up the narrow stairs and to a sticky brown door. He took the key and pushed the door open.

A soggy gray mattress lay on a peeling bed frame and it had a small desk jammed in the corner and a tiny bureaux painted black. The room had no windows and smelled strongly of burnt toast.

"Lovely," Percy frowned.

July

Albus Dumbledore thought over the possibilities. He would need Kingsley and Alastor and Nymphadora, whom he had met at the first Order meeting last Tuesday, to oversee the safe houses and to report to him on the progress of the houses but he would need two people to run the plan. He would need someone in the Ministry who works near the Minister and he would need a Muggleborn or Blood Traitor who would need to go into hiding who can live in the safe house Dumbledore had secured in Sky Beach, a Muggle town.

He considered Percy Weasley. He remembered him well from his time at Hogwarts as he had only graduated a year ago. He had horn-rimmed glasses, curly ginger hair and an extremely pompous manner. He had heard of the falling out he had had with his family and frowned. Though he said he didn't believe Harry or Dumbledore, Dumbledore had a feeling that that wasn't the real problem. He remembered his twin brothers various pranks on him and his siblings teasing and Percy's penchant for proving himself.

He thought Percy would like to help. He was a Gryffindor after all.

Dumbledore pulled out his quill.

Dear Nymphadora…

A&P

Click. Click. Click.

"Ugh," Percy grumbled. He pulled himself out of bed and walked to the window in his new apartment. The apartment was admittedly small but it had two bedrooms and a kitchen, bath and living room so Percy was satisfied.

He yanked the window open and grabbed the parchment of the leg of a brown tawny owl he had never seen before and rolled it open impatiently.

Percy Weasley,

I wish to speak to you regarding Albus Dumbledore and the safety of Muggleborns. I understand you don't know me but I would be honoured to speak to you about it. If interested, please meet me at the Hog's Head on the sixteenth of July at one-thirty.

A friend

Percy scoffed. Albus Dumbledore? Muggleborns? None of them had anything to do with him. He was about to rip the letter into pieces when there was a knock on the door.

He set the letter down and opened the green door. Molly Weasley stood there anxiously looking around.

"Oh, Perce-" She moved to step forward and his anger at her seeing her, his confusion at her knowing where he lived and his furiousness at the friend who wrote him a mysterious letter boiled over and he slammed the door in her face.

There was silence. Knock. "Percy?" she called. He turned and walked to his bedroom, shutting that door too. He sat on his bed and took a deep breath. No matter how mad at his father he was, he was briefly angry with himself for the pain he was causing his mother.

The safety of Muggleborns.

He thought of his brothers and knew they would meet with this unknown stranger.

Fine. He resolved himself to go if only to tell off this prankster.