DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of its characters or make any money from this.

WARNINGS: Yaoi (male x male), Yuri (female x female) adult topics, swearing, sexual scenes and violence.

This has not been Beta'd.

PAIRINGS: Ron x Hermione


'text' is thought

"text" is talking


Hidden Element

Chapter 2: A New Beginning


The house was rumbling with laughter as they both landed soundly in the kitchen. Hermione laid a finger to his lips to keep him silent, and he instantly understood her want for an unvoiced surprise. This way, his sudden arrival would be softened for all of them.

She slipped through the small opening in the doorway and entered the cosy warmth of the living room, which consisted of a fluffy dark green carpet and light brown two-seat sofas on either sides of the sturdy fireplace, directly opposite each other. There were also two single brown chairs of the same make completing the room, other than the wooden tables with memories and assorted beverages. It seemed no one was bothered to enter the kitchen any time soon and had brought the bottles of coke and lemonade into the living room with them.

Ron lay spread out across one of the sofas, Ginny and Luna were comfortably curled in their respective positions on the single chairs, albeit Luna being somewhat upside down in hers. Neville sat on the other sofa with his legs tucked neatly beneath him.

If she herself hadn't been initiated to this group earlier on, she would have thought herself incapable of being part of a friendship so intense. One never really knew where your own thought began and someone else's logic ingrained in your cranium began.

"Mione?" Ron asked cheerfully "You look tired, come rest your feet here with us lazy folk. Where have you been?"

He moved quickly so that she could lie across the coach, head in his lap.

Given the circumstances, yes, she was tired from all the travelling and research she'd done trying to find Harry, but she couldn't let that get in her way now. There was some celebrating to be done.

"I had a lead on Harry." Ron's smile fell and the room trailed into awkward silence at the thought.

"Hermione, Harry won't just..."

"Ron!" she growled angrily, making him blink in shock. Of course, this sudden outburst was more of an attempt to stop Harry from hearing his friends' desperate thoughts than it was chastising Ron.

She smiled radiantly at him and it caught his breath. He'd seen this smile on many occasions, mind you, he was her fiancé after all; it had just never been directed towards this subject of her research for a very long time. He stood up hesitantly to the puzzlement of the other three, Luna turning to lay sideways rather clumsily in her attempt to see what was happening.

"You don't mean..."

"I found the perfect house, one that matched everything. I went there today."

The abated breath gave way to a flurry of "and?", "what happened?", "what did you find?"

Walking noiselessly towards the kitchen, she slowly pushed the door backwards. Harry caught the handle and revealed himself. The room was instantly a blur of movement and sound as Harry was immediately flocked and pulled into the living room. Hermione laughed and put out her hands to stop the barricade of news and questions aimed at her long-lost friend. Once they were all seated, ever so slightly leaning towards Harry eagerly; 'Mione and Ron on a three-seater, Ginny and Neville in the other three-seater, leaving the other two in the single chairs, the questions and relieved laughter increased.

"OK, OK." Harry laughed softly. "I'm sorry; I truly am, for leaving you all. I know that everyone suffered, I just... everything just happened so fast and I didn't know what to even try coping with first. I mean, everything with Sirius, me actually killing someone, Dumbledore being dead, thinking Snape was a traitor, then he wasn't but ended up dying too, then Draco... I needed to sort a lot of things out in my life. I still need answers to a few but I am here to stay now, for better or for worse, no matter what."

That last statement brought cheers and laughter from the congregated teens. Harry scanned the group fondly. Apart from having grown and lost their high school physiques, nothing too major had changed about them. However, they weren't exactly like he'd left them. He grinned as he thought they were all probably thinking the same thing.

Ron was the first to tackle the issue: "Mate, this might be strange to hear, but looking at you now, I can't completely see the old you. I guess, that was the point in sorting things out though. What I mean is that even though you've changed, you will always remain the same Harry to me. You needed to sort things out, and I'm assuming you did, well, sort of. Look, I'm still working on the deep and meaningful here; don't look at me like that! Oh what the hell, Harry, you made me what I am today, and I most likely had some influence on you as well, and I realise that it might not have been the best influence.

"You can't blame me for your whole attitude though, I'm not an excuse! I might not have been the best support or guidance in a time where you needed it most. I am to blame for that. It's just as much my fault you felt like you had to leave and sort all this out on your own. Yeah I was angry for a long time, I didn't even try to understand for a while either, but I do now. You're the same Harry with an attraction for trouble and added hero-complex. The difference is, this time, you ran in to save yourself."

He felt guilty at the relief he felt once again, that Harry wasn't one of those famous-for-killing-the-villain people who loved the glory they gained through the title. A small part of him also said that it made him appreciate his life more, though he would never tell Harry that fact in a million years.

"We're not going to bombard you with questions, or give you the talking to you probably deserve. We've talked about this, all of us." Ginny leaned forwards and offered a gentle smile, paying her own contribute to the Weasley speech.

"We have no reason to be upset or badger you for answers. What kind of friends would we be then? You had problems and we probably had problems too, though I admit yours was a lot more dire. You knew you had problems though, and we didn't. What you did took a lot of courage, and after all the thought we gave it, we began to notice them. See, even when you were gone, you were playing the hero. Now, we can work everything out together."

Harry could only lean back and bask in the glow of friendship. He laughed internally, thinking of how much a mother he felt right now, wanting to cry and ask 'when did you grow up to be like this?' He'd missed a lot of their lives, had missed the moments that made them who they were today. In that instant, he vowed to make sure he gave them the same focus and loyalty he had been given by them repeatedly.


They'd stayed up till 05:00 in the morning exchanging stories and reforming their steel bond once more.

Hermione had earned a high ranking job at the ministry of magic's mysteries department almost straight after the defeat of Voldemort. She had taken the job as soon as it had been proposed.

With the new access to information, Hermione had quickly become a think tank, and had been sought upon on numerous occasions for opinion and advice. She had not really grown in height, nor had her stature changed all that much. Her hair brushed just passed her shoulder blades in tight ringlets, her slight waves all but forgotten. She had also gained a new appreciation for black and white as seen in her taste of wardrobe. Her family had returned to their normal lives, and had even taken it upon themselves to become more immersed in the wizarding for their daughter's sake.

As for Ron, he'd grown taller again. He still remained pasty and freckled, but what had changed most was his personality. It was still there, lurking in the background, the will to speak brashly and thrash whomever stood against him with his fuming temper; yet with it came a new found understanding. Thought before action, patience and new perspectives. The war had dangled him over a chasm and had forced crude gestures and remarks to the back of his skull.

He had gained an understanding of both sides of the war, perhaps because his brother Percy had all pushed them to rethink values.

His family still had some of their problems to contend with, having been involved in mauling, attacks and more, it would perhaps take a lot longer than five years to cover the gap that war had made. He had, however, found a new sense of friendship with Ginny. She had been there no matter what, and he had grown very fond of her.

He had become an auror with a desk job, cosy and safe as he'd always wanted work to be. It was not that he was a coward, mind you, after all, he did thrive for adventure now and then, but with his family, and a new family on the way, why would he needlessly put himself in danger. It wasn't as if Voldemort was still around.

Ginny had gone rather muggle in the time he'd missed. She rarely did magic nowadays, yet her spells still had a ringing kick when she used them. Her red hair was dusted with timid brown and strawberry blonde streaks, yet had been kept neatly cut the same as always.

She had always seemed mature for her age. She was soft spoken, which led others to believe she was shy, yet she had taken up her brothers habit of blurting out what she thought, though threw more caution to the wind.

She had chosen the profession of an interior designer, and loved her work to pieces, doing both muggle and wizarding houses. Recently, she has developed a crush on one Neville Longbottom, who has returned this feeling for a lot longer than she would imagine. Not dating, but batting eyes at each other all day long.

Neville had been offered an apprenticeship for herbology, which he eagerly took. It had been a five year course which he had just finished and is currently weighing his options in whether he wanted to teach in the school of his previous torment, or relocate to a different one.

He has procured a slight tan, and somewhat childish features have smoothed out nicely. Not to mention that he was perhaps even taller than Ron now. His courage has grown as well as his insecurities blasted away much like he did Belatrix Lestrange.

Luna was the same in every way but one. With the end of the war, a new deep-found anger had rested on the innocent soul. When it came to spell casting, she could be vindictive and violent, she had even used her own loonyness to strike fear into many death eaters, perhaps the same way Bellatrix herself had.

Of course, not many people knew about this, and even then, these episodes were rare and far in-between. She had gained a new insight in life, and has been mistaken for a seer on many occasions. She would have preferred to remain jobless, but Ginny had gilded her into being a co-worker with interior designs. Many people had thought her ideas to be quite modern and unique.

As well as interior design, she has taken to working with her father at the quibbler, and was thus absent most days.

After their long discussions, they felt closer than ever, and more tired than previous when they woke up later that same day.

Harry sighed for the fifth time that morning as he finished his cup of coffee. He hadn't seen the rest of the gang since they'd finally gone to sleep. He was sure they wouldn't leave him by himself in an unknown house and town, but as he searched the house from top to bottom, found it increasingly hard to believe. He was being left out again, he was certain of it. He stood angrily, impressing himself with his own dramatic flair, and went to put his cup in the sink.

It was not until Harry had calmed that Neville approached him tentatively at the kitchen table, the others had already moved to what they deemed their 'secret cove'. Neville didn't say much, only asked for Harry to follow and that all would be explained when they got there. Harry didn't comprehend why there was a secret door behind the fireplace, nor did he understand why the 'see-me-not' and alteration spells were cast around it either. He followed Neville through the door, watching the fireplace slide back shut without a sound behind him.

This room had no windows, doors, nor fireplaces. It was lit by a bright array of torches pressed tightly against the stone walls, letting heat seep through fastened rock towards the floor. It looked much like the Hogwarts's library.

Further into the room, past rows of books, stood a round oak table adorned by numerous wooden chairs. The aforementioned people had spread themselves out around the table, silence still resuming as the other two occupants sat down.

Hermione let out an agitated sigh. Of course, she would have to start the explanation, simply because no one else would. Harry couldn't help but chuckle at the relieved expressions from the congregated group that came with that sigh.

"Like I said before Harry, many things have changed. I guess, this room and our whereabouts should be answered first. This house is in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, still in England. Three years ago, the order started to become active once more. But they wouldn't tell us anything. You know, when we were left out of every meeting, and everyone would hush when you walked in on a conversation? Just like that. We decided we'd had enough of being excluded, so we ransacked their office in an orderly fashion."

This comment got many raised brows and some sniggers.

"There were letters addressed to you, me and Ron from Dumbledore, which they'd neglected to tell us about. The letters explained that by the time we read them, something huge would be happening in the world once more and that we would need to stop it. There were clues and instructions intended for us to follow. Still to this day, the Order thinks we know nothing, and don't plan on telling us any time soon.

"Part of Dumbledore's plan was to create a second order just for this purpose, and that's what we've done. The 'adults' know we're in this town, but the house itself is protected by a secret keeper. They think we're on vacation. We've only just finished creating this place, so the den is safe for now. So, Harry, let me be the first to welcome you to the Order of the Ashes."

"Order of the Ashes? Is this Dumbledore's doing?" Harry snorted, although the name did sound pretty cool.

"We came up with it ourselves," Neville explained. "The new order, reborn from the ashes."

"Why would they purposely leave us out when we were chosen to perform a task from Dumbledore? We've all defeated countless death eaters and protected many villages, not to mention that gruelling task of the horcruxes. I think we're fit enough to do whatever Dumbledore wanted us to do!" Harry growled. He hated being left out of things that concerned him, it made him feel like such a child.

"It's because we did those things that they won't allow us in on anything," Neville moaned in frustration. "I mean, who lets a child fight their battles for them twice? I get it, they want to protect us, let us have normal lives after the whole dark Lord ordeal. But we can't be classified children anymore, that's something they don't get about us."

Harry pursed his lips, genuinely interested in the situation now. "What exactly is going on?" Harry asked incredulously. The group fell silent guiltily, once again knowing that they would have to fling Harry in the flaming pit head first.

"A year after you left and Voldemort was defeated, unnatural things started happening. All across the globe, natural phenomenons were occurring. Well, they seem natural at first, but nature itself can't do the things that were happening. Thousands of people were getting massacred, and they think it's all global warming!"

"Magic?" Harry asked dejectedly. Magic did have the potential to ruin everything, as much as he loved it.

"No." This got Harry's attention "Well, not any form of magic we can do. No flood can appear on a warm summer's day when there's no rain or lake in sight. No hurricane can be conjured that big out of nowhere. We've researched this, and we believe they're elementals. It's the only possible explanation. A person able to use a natural element with a lot more success than a normal witch or wizard. We can use the elements to a small degree, but they have to be there for us to make them.

"Elementals can conjure mass quantities of elements out of nowhere with the snap of a finger. The problem is, that they suddenly stopped these last two years. We think it means they're up to something, and we think the Order may be thinking the same thing."

"Wow." Harry sniggered "So what do we know?"

"They've been active for almost five years, which means they only started moving once Voldemort died. They went on a rampage, but have suddenly calmed down, not a good sign." Ginny listed.

"We also know that Dumbledore knew something," Neville threw in his own two cents. "He wanted us to create the order, and sent letters to the three of you in particular. Which means he also might have known how the order would react to the new situation. The next question is why us, and what he intended for us to do."

Hermione suddenly perked up as she remembered something. "Or find! In the letter he stated that Harry had something in his possession that could tell where things in Hogwarts were, but I was thinking that perhaps he meant the marauder's map. The only one that knows you have it is Moody, and even then he only thinks it can show people, not things."


PteraWaters: Thank you so much for the review! I didn't know if I'd made him a bit too unbelievable as a character, so it's great to hear you say you thought him to be just that. As for the numbering, I was unsure about whether to write them or use numerals. I went with the one I saw the most in other fanfics. I can change it though; it does seem more professional that way.

Maikenkris: That means a lot to me! I've always loved writing. Thank you!

Fireartheartoday, GhostLawsOfDoom, and MutantNinjasGotNothingOnMe: Thank you for the lovely comments!

.pie: I hope I don't disappoint!

Kat: Thank you for your concern, but rest assured that this is indeed a HxD fanfic.