The Hidden Army

隐蔽军队

A Harry Potter Fanfiction Story by Gfyuwatr7

Hey, boys! I'm back!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter in any way, shape or form. It all belongs to J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. All other works referenced in this story belong to their respective owners.


Chapter 2: The Order of the Phoenix

I've just been attacked by Dementors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what's going on and when I'm going to get out of here.

Harry had written that note and sent it to his friends three days ago. Still no reply. He was starting to crawl the walls at this point. It was bad enough that the Dementors had attacked him and his cousin, but the Ministry of Magic had seen fit to expel him from Hogwarts for using magic defensively. By some miracle, however, his expulsion had been postponed. He was no longer expelled, but he was still under strict orders not to use any more magic, or to leave the house for that matter. Apparently, Dumbledore was sorting things out for him. Again.

Harry knew he should be feeling grateful that the headmaster was helping him, but he was so sick of not knowing what was happening that his sense of reason had abandoned him. That seemed to be happening very often.

He had spent the last three days alternating between anger and anxiety, to exhaustion and listlessness. He would just lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, his mind a complete blank. It was during one of these moods that Uncle Vernon had announced that he, Petunia, and Dudley were going to be away for a while. After setting some ground rules, they had left him alone in the house.

Looks like Dudley's feeling better, at least, Harry thought gloomily. The night of the Dementor attack, Dudley had puked all over the welcome mat. As the days went by, he felt progressively better. His temperature had returned to normal, and he was eating like his usual self again. Some things would never change. Oddly enough, he felt more grateful to his cousin than he did to Dumbledore. While the headmaster was keeping him in the dark, Dudley was a sort of opposite. Despite not knowing that much of the world of magic and how it all worked, he'd had enough sense to realize that Harry had saved his life during the attack. He trusted Harry. That was enough to bring a bit of warmth to his heart in his darker moments.

Harry's musings were cut short when he heard a loud banging noise in the kitchen downstairs. Alert, he picked up his wand.

Who could that be at this hour? he thought.

He heard hushed voices in the hallway outside. A young woman was speaking.

"Very neat, these Muggles, aren't they?"

Harry stood up, his wand at the ready. Suddenly, a burst of white light appeared behind his door, and it swung open. As Harry stood there, blinded, he heard another voice, a gruff male.

"For God's sake, Tonks!"

As Harry's eyes cleared, he took a closer look at the group of people who were outside his door. At the front of the group was a pretty young woman with purple hair, and standing next to her was a man he wasn't sure he knew all that well.

"Professor Moody? What are you doing here?" It was disconcerting to see this man standing in his room, for the Death Eater who had infiltrated Hogwarts and entered Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire last year had taken on his appearance. Harry knew he could trust Moody, but it was still strange to see him here.

"Rescuing you, of course," Moody replied casually, as thought it were the most obvious thing in the world.


The English Countryside

The wind streaming past them in a blur, Cho and her parents flew on their broomsticks to an unknown location in England. Cho watched the English countryside flash by below her. The wide, green fields, even in the dark, were a sight to see. The moon was illuminating their path, in a place where smog could not block its brilliance. It was a truly beautiful night. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to appreciate it as much as she normally would.

The night of Professor Lupin's late arrival to their home, Cho had overheard a conversation between him and her parents discussing Harry's possible expulsion from Hogwarts. As soon as her step-father had left, she barged into the dining room, demanding answers. Unfortunately, her mother was not in the mood to explain things any further than what Cho had already overheard. Professor Lupin (she couldn't think of him in any other way) had tried to reason with her mother that some information might be necessary. But she was adamant. She sent Cho back to her room, and that was that.

Cho fumed for three days. She refused to speak to her mother, and if she had to, she would say only what was absolutely necessary, and leave it at that. Her father wasn't much better. In private, he would calmly try to reassure her that her mother was just doing what she felt was best. Cho knew that her behavior was childish, but she couldn't help it. She was worried about Harry, and though her father claimed that Harry wasn't in any serious trouble, she remained unconvinced. Her owl had returned the following morning, looking very disheveled. Most worrying of all, however, was that her letter was missing. It was stolen, no doubt. She knew something was wrong, but she felt powerless to stop it.

Then, after three days of uncomfortable silences at the dinner table, Cho's mother knocked at her door. Politely, she told her to pack a few things into a trunk, and to fetch her broom. They were leaving for an important errand in London, and they might stay there a while. Cho didn't argue and did as she was told. By this point, she wasn't angry at her mother anymore, simply frustrated by her behavior the other night.

That had been a few hours ago, and now they were descending slowly. They alighted in a small, wooded courtyard, surrounded by apartment buildings on either side. Unbelting their trunks from their brooms, they stood silently in the courtyard, as a group of young hooligans passed them by on the opposite side of the street. They didn't see the family hidden by the trees. They were too preoccupied describing an encounter with an old man who had bested them in a fight on the London Underground. As soon as they disappeared from view, Cho and her family crossed the street quickly, but quietly. They stopped in front of a gap in between apartment buildings. Cho couldn't see anything in the shadows of the alleyway. Was this really their destination?

"Cho, take this," her father whispered, handing her a small piece of parchment. She took it uncertainly. "Read it quickly, and memorize it."

She unfolded it carefully, and read,

The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.


Grimmauld Place

"They simply can't expel you, they just can't!" Hermione said hotly. As Harry walked further into the room, trying to keep his rising anger inside, she continued. "It's simply not fair!"

"Yeah, there's a lot of that going on at the moment," he replied without thinking. The words came out quietly, but they carried the weight of his frustration nonetheless. Ron and Hermione heard it in his voice, and they exchanged worried glances with each other. It only served to anger him further.

Harry had arrived only a few minutes ago, relieved to have been rescued from the lack of news at the Dursley's. Immediately, he had been ushered upstairs by Mrs. Weasley. He'd only managed to catch a glimpse of his godfather, Sirius Black, in what he supposed was the dining room, before Ron's mother closed the door and greeted him. The building was dark and depressing to look at, but just the thought that his friends were there had been enough to lighten his mood. Now, however, that warm feeling was gone, to be replaced by the anger that was always just beneath the surface. These two had been here since the summer holiday began, he assumed. They must have been privy to all the information that Harry had been deprived of. He tried to hide his frustration, but it was becoming more and more difficult. He turned to them, and opened his mouth to speak, when they all heard a creak outside the door.

There was a knock, four small raps, and a timid voice asking, "Hello? They told me to come up here, do I have the right room?" It was a voice Harry would recognize anywhere.

"Cho?" he said, his anger and questions vanishing momentarily, followed by the familiar swooping feeling in his stomach whenever he caught sight of his beloved. The door opened, and Cho Chang walked into the room. She paused in the doorway, glancing at the others briefly before catching sight of Harry. As soon as they locked eyes, they walked towards each other as quickly as they could. Harry was for the second time engulfed in a hug that left him gasping for breath, for Cho had him in a surprisingly strong grip. Separating just enough to look each other in the eyes, they stared at each other for a moment.

Wait, how did she know I was here? Harry thought quickly. Has she been here all along too?

Just before he could ask her himself, she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. All questions disappeared from his mind again. Separating, she smiled at him.

"Harry, 多想你呀! (I missed you so much!)" she said gently. Before Harry could even say he didn't understand everything she'd said, she looked around and asked, "Where are we, do you know? Did someone bring you here after the Dementors attacked you?"

"How-how did you know about that?" he asked quickly, his brief moment of happiness beginning to disappear. If she knew about what had happened, that would mean she had been here all along…

"Professor Lupin came to my house a few nights ago," she explained, still holding him tightly. "He only told my parents though, I only heard about it because I was at the door. They said you'd been expelled." She looked up at him earnestly, her eyes bright with emotion. "They can't expel you, Harry, they just can't! If the Ministry follows its' own rules, there's no way it can happen!"

"Yeah, so I've heard," Harry said, relieved. She had no idea what was going on either. Gently extracting himself from Cho's grasp, he turned to Ron and Hermione. "What is this place, anyway?" he asked them pointedly.

Their moment of reprieve over, they glanced at each other once more, before they answered him.

"It's headquarters," Ron shrugged.

"Of the Order of the Phoenix," Hermione said. "It's a secret society, Dumbledore formed it back when they first fought You-Know-Who."

"And you couldn't put any of this in a letter?" Harry asked shortly. Frustration at all the secrecy, the cloak and dagger antics, was overwhelming him once again.

"We wanted to, mate, we really did," Ron said earnestly. "Only…"

"Only what?" Harry asked impatiently.

"Only Dumbledore made us swear not to tell you anything!" Hermione said in a rush.

Silence filled the room. Harry could feel everyone's eyes on him as they waited for his reaction.

"Dumbledore said that?" he said in disbelief. "But why would he do that, why would he keep me in the dark? Maybe I could help. After all, I'm the one who saw Voldemort return-"

A loud SNAP interrupted his rapidly rising voice, and Fred and George Weasley appeared out of thin air on either side of him.

"Harry, thought we heard your dulcet tones," one of them said cheerfully.

"Don't bottle it up though, mate," the other said. "Let it all out."

"Now if you're done shouting, do you want to hear something a little more interesting?"


In the stairwell, Fred (or was it George? Cho didn't know them enough to tell them apart yet) lowered a piece of flesh-colored string with an ear made of rubber on the end of it down over the handrail. Down three flights of stairs it went, finally stopping just in front of the dining room. A jumble of voices came through, but it was difficult to discern what they were saying. Finally, one voice cut its way through the interference, in spite of its low tone.

"How very paternal of you, Black. Perhaps Potter will grow up to be a felon, just like his godfather."

"Is that Snape?" Cho asked in alarm. Harry also wore an expression of disgust and surprise.

"Snape's part of the Order?" he asked incredulously.

"Git," Ron answered tersely. They paused to listen more closely. Unfortunately, Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, mistook the ear as a treat. He promptly ripped it from its connection and proceeded to eat it. They would have to find another way to find out what was going on.

It wasn't until quite some time later when the Order emerged from the meeting. A great commotion of hurried whispers and farewells could be heard from their place a few floors above them. Cho's stomach fluttered unpleasantly when she heard her mother calling for her. Reluctantly, she walked down to the ground floor. Her parents were waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs.

"We're leaving," her mother said briskly, checking her bag to see if she had everything. Her father was standing silently beside her, his expression worried.

"What happened at the meeting?" Cho asked.

"Nothing, dear," her mother replied wearily. "Just a little reunion with some old acquaintances. Hardly anything groundbreaking."

"Wouldn't put it like that," Mr. Chang said quietly, looking up at the ceiling with what seemed to be exasperation. Her mother gave him a look, and his face became unreadable.

"We brought you here to make sure Potter was alright," she said calmly. "He's fine, he's not expelled, and that's good. But we really need to be going."

"I want to stay," Cho said quietly, her head slightly bowed. She had learned from experience to not directly disobey her mother (for the most part), but to make her opinion known in the most polite way possible. "I want to make sure he isn't expelled. He still has to go to the hearing, right?"

"Yes, but your father will be going to the hearing as well, he can tell you what happens when it's over," her mother replied. "I know you still care for Harry, but it doesn't mean you have to be with him every step of the way. I thought we made it clear you weren't to get involved with him in that way any more."

"It's not like that, mother," Cho said impatiently. "He's still my friend, I don't want to leave and have him think that I don't care about him. I want to stay."

"Marian," Mr. Chang said gently, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Let her stay for a while. Remember we talked about this? Cho's made new friends, she needs to give them her support. Let her stay, and she can even help out with the house cleaning that Molly was talking about."

Mrs. Chang took a deep breath, exhaling from the nose. "That's not what worries me, and you know it," she whispered sadly.

"I know, but she was bound to find out sooner or later," Mr. Chang replied just as quietly.

Cho wanted to interrupt and ask them what they were talking about, but she kept her impatience in check. If what they said was true, she would find out for herself soon enough.


August 18

"He'll be okay, Cho," Hermione said bracingly as they filled bags with enchanted items from the drawing room of Grimmauld Place. It seemed that the whole building was at war with them over their cleaning, trying to literally kill them on certain occasions. When her parents had agreed to let her stay, under the condition that she would help clean the place, she hadn't been expecting giant spiders in cupboards or drapes that were enchanted to strangle whoever tried to remove them.

"The law is on his side," Hermione continued. "As my parents like to say, 'truth will out'."

"I'm not sure the Ministry's very interested in the truth these days," Cho replied sadly.

When Cho first arrived to Grimmauld Place, she'd had no idea what kind of business her parents were up to. That same night, she had learned that they were part of some sort of secret organization dedicated to fighting You-Know-Who. This was the information they had tried to keep hidden from her all along. But that had been only a small portion of what they had concealed from her.

You-Know-Who was on the move, and the Order of the Phoenix were doing all they could to counter his plans without drawing to much attention to themselves, as well as recruiting. Unfortunately, they constantly found themselves at odds with the Ministry's current agenda of "keeping the peace", which consisted mostly of defaming Dumbledore and Harry at every opportune moment. They would also make claims that all was well in the wizarding world, and would blame many of its problems on Sirius Black.

"It's been all over the Daily Prophet," Cho had said quietly the morning after their arrival, as she and Harry removed old china cups from the shelves and threw them into bags. "I thought you'd seen them by now."

"No, I didn't bother looking through them once I'd seen the front page," Harry said bitterly. "I just can't believe how anyone could be so blind."

"Fudge can't afford anyone believing you or Dumbledore, Harry," she said. "Until You-Know-Who makes another move, no one at the Ministry's going to change their minds. It's not just Fudge. Too many people have become comfortable. They'll try to ignore or discredit anything that threatens to rattle their cages."

"That's what Sirius said," Harry said. And that was all he had to say about that. Now, she wondered if maybe she just added to his problems. She had only been trying to understand how and why the Ministry was using its power to cover up the whole matter. Perhaps he thought she approved of their tactics. Over the next few days before his hearing, he grew more and more distant. Not just from her, but from his friends as well.

"He knows you care about what's going on," Hermione said when Cho confided in her this worry. "And he knows we're on his side. He's just been frustrated lately, and I can see why. He's been cooped up for so long without any news, and it was our fault. Harry knows you had nothing to do with that, but sometimes his emotions get in the way."

Cho nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She didn't want to sound like some desperate housewife, totally dependent on Harry's wellbeing. But she was a caring person, she couldn't help it. She wanted to help him. If it had been up to her, she would have accompanied Harry and Mr. Weasley to the Ministry. But she wondered, with the way Harry had been treating everyone, whether or not he even wanted help.

"Besides, I have it on good authority that he's glad you're here to stay," Hermione said, smiling slightly. "Just last night, he asked me to let you know he's sorry about the way he's been acting. I told him he should tell you himself, because there's no way he's getting expelled."

"You're right," Cho said resolutely. "He aught to tell me himself, and he will." All that was left was to wait, and hope for the best.


Ministry of Magic, Courtroom 10

Harry watched, fascinated at the verbal duel that Dumbledore and the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, were having. If Dumbledore hadn't arrived when he had, Harry would surely have been expelled already. Looking around the large courtroom, he realized it looked quite similar to the one that had been in use when Barty Crouch Jr. was captured and brought to trial over the torture of Neville Longbottom's parents.

All of the other judges present were also watching the back and forth between the Headmaster and the Minister with great interest. There were a few that caught Harry's attention. There was Dolores Jane Umbridge, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister. She was a stout, unpleasant looking woman. She looked quite similar to a toad in his opinion. While most of the people in the room were interested or angry, she was impassive.

This woman looks like trouble, Harry thought. If he was honest with himself, he was only distracting himself from what he felt was the inevitable. Eventually, he could no longer hear Dumbledore and Fudge debating underage wizard laws. The room had gone silent. However, he did not dare to raise his head.

Eventually, one of the judges, Madame Bones, said in a booming voice, "Those in favor of clearing the accused of all charges?"

Harry's head snapped up, scanning the crowd frantically. There were many hands rising into the air, more than half. His eyes lingered on Madame Bones, whose hand was also raised. But someone else caught his eye. A judge who seemed to be of Asian descent also had his hand raised. Catching Harry's eye, he nodded subtly. Looking away, Harry wondered if he had met the man before. He seemed oddly familiar.

"And those in favor of conviction?"

The Minister raised his hand, as well as the toad witch and a few others. With a jolt, Harry realized that hardly anyone had raised their hand. Fudge looked around him, and, realizing he had been defeated, lowered his hand. His voice distorted by suppressed rage, he said, "Very well, very well…cleared of all charges."


Grimmauld Place

Harry was so relieved. He wasn't expelled, and despite all the uncomfortable moments he'd had with his friends as of late, he now felt a familiar warmth spreading through him as he saw how happy they were that he was cleared. This feeling persisted throughout the next few days. Their temporary home was still in need of constant cleaning, but without the looming threat of expulsion, Harry felt that he could overcome anything. It was a far cry to how he had been feeling all summer. He had forgotten his earlier frustration at his friends for keeping him in the dark. And when he had the chance, he approached Cho to apologize for his distance.

"I'm sorry, you know?" Harry said awkwardly. "I've just been…it's just…"

"I know, Harry," Cho said. She put her hand on his arm. "You've had too much pressure on you lately. But you need to know, you're not alone anymore. You can talk to us about anything." She hugged him tightly and said, "Especially me."

As the time drew nearer for them to return to Hogwarts, they each received their lists for the materials they would need that year. Advanced spell books, potions ingredients, and a few surprises were among their letters. Ron and Hermione had been chosen to become prefects for Gryffindor House that year. In spite of his initial disappointment at not being chosen, Harry truly was proud of them for their appointments. He realized he didn't need any more responsibilities on his plate this year.

Mrs. Weasley, on account of these developments, decided to give them a proper send-off. After she returned from Diagon Alley with their new books and items, she prepared a large, delicious dinner. She had invited as many of their acquaintances as she could. By the afternoon, Moody, Tonks, Kingsley, and the others had already arrived. Before going downstairs, Cho pulled Harry aside into an empty room, so as not to be overheard.

"Harry, my parents are here!" she said in a panic. She was wringing her hands nervously, and her forehead was slightly wet.

"What's wrong with that?" Harry asked. And then it dawned on him; her parents had almost not allowed her to stay at Grimmauld Place at all. Judging by the letters he had received from her over the summer, they had disapproved of their relationship. It was her father who had managed to convince his wife to allow Cho to stay. In a moment, he understood her worry.

"Your parents don't want me to see you anymore," he said quietly. She nodded, eyes downcast.

"It took a lot to convince them to at least let me stay friends with you," she said. "I didn't listen, of course. And I still won't, but at least in front of them, I have to pretend. I'm really sorry about this."

"Yeah, no, it's fine," he said quickly. Doubt lingered in his mind. Maybe he should try to convince them himself. Then he remembered his own dismal attempts at trying to convince the Wizengamot of his innocence. If Dumbledore had not intervened, he surely would have been expelled. He knew that if he tried to plead his case now, he would only make things worse for them.

"Really?" she asked. "You're not…mad?

"I know why we have to hide," he said. "I don't really like it, but I'll do it for you."

"Thanks," she said, hugging him close and kissing him briefly on the cheek. "I'll promise I'll make it up to you someday." She said this with a mischievous look in her eyes.

She left the room, but Harry waited for a while. He wanted to make sure no one saw them coming downstairs together. He sighed heavily. This was becoming difficult very quickly.


Down in the basement, Mrs. Weasley had hung a scarlet banner over the heavily laden dinner table, which read:

Congratulations Ron and Hermione-

New Prefects

Everyone toasted to the new prefects, then moved toward the table to help themselves to food. Soon, everyone was engaged in their own conversations. Ron was showing off the specifications of his new broomstick to anyone who would listen. Hermione was speaking to Lupin about the unfairness of the segregation of non-magical creatures from wizards. Bill, Ron's elder brother, and Mrs. Weasley were arguing about Bill's hair again. Fred, George, and Mundungus Fletcher were talking "business". To Harry's discomfort, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Moody, Sirius, and Cho's mother (Harry believed he had heard someone call her Mary) were all discussing why Harry had not been chosen for prefect.

Looking around, he caught sight of Cho with Ginny and Tonks, marveling at Tonks' shape-shifting abilities. She had taken Cho's form, and they were completely identical. He smiled at the way the real Cho reeled back in shock from her doppelgänger.

"She's having fun, isn't she?" a voice said behind him. Turning quickly, he found Cho's father looking at her as well. Facing him, he extended his hand. "I don't believe we've been formally introduced. My name is Ken Chang, I'm Cho's father."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Harry said nervously, shaking his hand. An awkward pause followed, before Harry realized he had forgotten to introduce himself as well. "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

"I know," Ken said. "I was at your hearing."

"You-you were?" Harry stammered.

"I was," he replied. He smiled at Harry's confused expression. "When we first heard you had been attacked and were about to be expelled, I went to the Minister himself to propose a fair trial first. I'm a senior member of the Wizengamot."

"Wow. I-thank you!" Harry said. He was relieved; he had believed that Ken was one of the few who had wanted him expelled from Hogwarts. Now that he had time to reflect on the trial, he realized that he must have seen Ken in the courtroom, but not recognized him due to his own nerves. He had not realized that he had seen him the night he arrived at Grimmauld Place.

"No need," he replied. "You've done many things for the Wizarding world that deserve more praise than I do." He glanced across the room, and saw his wife still talking Sirius and Kingsley. Turning back to Harry, he asked in a low voice, "Do you have a minute? I'd like to have a word."

Harry nodded, and they left the basement discreetly. They stopped halfway down the hall, where the only thing they could hear were the endless mutterings of the portrait in the entrance hall.

"Cho's been very taken with you all summer," Ken said. "I've noticed all the letters she's been sending you. And I've also noticed all the replies you've been sending her, as well. I suppose you two thought you were being careful about it."

"Oh-I see," Harry mumbled awkwardly. He wasn't sure whether he was being reprimanded or not. Looking up, he was surprised to see him smiling knowingly.

"Don't worry, I didn't read any of them. Your secret is safe with me." A peal of laughter came from the basement, and they turned briefly towards it. Turning back to Harry, he continued. "To be honest, I think my wife and I have pushed Cho too hard to focus on her studies, at the cost of her social life. When she came back from Hogwarts, I was surprised by how happy she was." He smiled briefly. "What I'm getting at, Harry-may I call you Harry?- is that for my part, I have no problem with you seeing my daughter at school. By the way she spoke of you, I knew you were the reason why she was so happy."

Harry couldn't believe his ears. He was receiving Mr. Chang's blessing to continue dating Cho. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.

How very wrong he was.


AN: And I'm finally back! I am so sorry this took so long to write. To make a long story short, life happens. Again, really sorry. I will do my best to write more frequently. These chapters aren't going to write themselves.

To Irishdanceringgrulz1776: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the first chapter! From your comment, it seems you've read my other stories as well. As for Cedric surviving, I did originally plan to have him survive somehow. My editor did not think it was a good idea, but I think there's room for his survival in case I change my mind.

To .archanfel and riogetsuki: I'm glad you guys are enjoying my writing so far! I'm truing to add as many differences as is realistically possible. I'll also try to focus the story so that it doesn't become just a rewrite of the book. Any suggestions are welcome.

To Kyu9930: Mr. Chang is Cho's step-father. I did as much in the same chapter that she had one. Thanks for your comment, I should have made it clear that this was her step-father.

I've skipped over a lot of details, and that's because either I felt they were unnecessary, or I'm saving them for the next chapters. Either way, let me know if there is anything that you guys would like me to include in the next chapters. Harry's temper will definitely flare up a lot more than it has so far. Cho's managed to keep him in check, but as we all know, sometimes even the beauty can't tame the beast. Let me know how I'm writing Cho as well.

What Cho said: 多想你呀 (duō xiǎng nǐ yā) 。 Rough translation: I've missed you so much.

This chapter is not my best work, but under the circumstances, I think it turned out alright. Your comments, constructive criticisms, and reviews are very important to me, so please let me know what you think over all. I hope to update this and my other stories with more frequency, but I can't promise anything. Please hang in there!