Well, people seem to like this enough to want more, so I guess I'm continuing. This one, especially towards the middle, was a bit more of a rush job to start getting to the better stuff I was more excited to write about. Still, I hope you enjoy.
Note: A new section of this chapter has now been added.
Chapter 3: Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place
"You sure you can't tell us anything else?" Maddie Fenton said from the monitor of the Fenton cousin's laptop.
"Sorry, mom." Danny replied regretfully. "These people seem to be as big about keeping their secrets as we were back in the day. I'm not sure they'd be too happy with us saying any more than that."
It had been four days since Dumbledore's visit. The Fenton cousins had spent most of their time at the hotel instead of exploring Britain like the original plan was. Whenever they did go out, one of them was always at the hotel and both always remembered to have Fenton Phones on them in case someone came to see them and they weren't within telepathic range.
Both of them were currently in their hotel room talking with a slender-faced woman with short brown hair and soft eyes that was Danny's mother over video email.
"Fair enough." Maddie said with a disappointed and very concerned look. "But whatever this new business is, just promise me you two will be careful."
"It doesn't look like we're on any 'most-wanted' list here, mom. I'm sure we'll be fine." Danny said with a scoff.
"We may end up staying longer than we thought though. We'll try to check back in the next few days." Danielle concluded before Danny logged off of the video email.
Afterwards, he and Danielle looked at each other with uncertainty. It was the truth that they were not being the ones targeted as far as they knew, but how much did they really know? Dumbledore hardly gave them much more than an introduction into a world of magic they never even knew existed. They had plenty of experience having to deal with people who couldn't accept what was different from what they considered normal. If people of this secret world were already getting suspicious of their abnormality, what could become of it?
It was after dark of this fourth day that the cousins eventually heard a knock at the door of their hotel room.
"You think it's them?" Danny asked, quietly.
"I know I didn't order any room service." Danielle put in with a shrug.
Danielle had been feeling more curious now than scared since the time Dumbledore had visited them, but Danny was still the one to get up and answer the door. When he opened it, he saw a tall, thin man wearing dark robes. He had a thin, sallow face with a prominent nose and greasy black hair. When he set eyes on Danny, he looked somewhat surprised but then looked over his appearance with a sneer that Danielle didn't understand the reason for, nor liked.
"Professor Severus Snape of Hogwarts: Sent from Albus Dumbledore to collect the Fenton children." He said slowly in a monotone and unimpressed voice.
"Collect?" asked Danielle as she approached from behind Danny where they exchanged puzzled looks.
"Time is short," Severus Snape said curtly. "I suggest packing your things and checking out of this facility as soon as possible." With that, Snape spun on his heel and proceeded to the stairs, leaving the Fentons staring after him in confusion.
"Okaaaaaaaaaaaay." Danielle said slowly, not sure of what else to say.
Danny closed the door with a snap. "Nice guy." He said sarcastically. "Wonder why the hurry. And it's already after eight. We're going to have to pay for an extra night at this hotel with how late it is already."
Danielle shrugged before striding over to her bed and pulling her suitcase out from under it. "It sounded like we better just do as he says though."
With that, Danny quickly changed into his ghost form, which consisted of a black and white jumpsuit and having green eyes and snow-white hair that matched Danielle's ghost persona. Once transformed, he began flying around the room, collecting all his own possessions and dropping them in his suitcase as he past over it. Danielle ended up doing the same when she noticed how much faster this method was, only she, unlike Danny, made the effort to organize her belongings in her own suitcase better before closing it. They had their luggage packed, the room cleaned up and everything turned off within less than five minutes before they got down to the lobby, wheeling their suitcases behind them.
Severus Snape was sitting in a chair across from the front desk when he saw them coming out of the elevator and stood up. Danielle saw him look at the clock and then back at them as if surprised at how fast they had finished, though his face was relatively expressionless.
"So why the rush?" Danielle asked Professor Snape as Danny was at the front desk, turning in their room keys and checking out of the hotel.
Snape didn't respond before Danny returned to the pair of them.
"We'll be off then," he simply said as he spun on his heel and headed for the door.
Danny and Danielle glanced at each other before falling in step behind him. Snape opened the door for them to pass through and they were walking along the beautifully lit Main Street in the next instant. A slight breeze played with Danielle's long bangs as they followed Snape at a hurry.
"I had been informed that you have your own methods of concealing yourselves," said Snape, not even looking at them as he continued his stroll. "I suggest using them at this time."
"You mean no proper introductions? No plan of action? No explanations?" Danielle asked, slowing her pace. "This 'collecting' is starting to feel more like a kidnapping, Professor Snape."
Snape slowed to a stop and turned to face them, his face still unresponsive and unreadable.
"Come to think of it, how do we know you really are from Dumbledore?" asked Danielle suspiciously as she and Danny also stopped walking. "How do we know you're not working for the Dark Wizard guy he warned us about? …Or even that he's really the bad guy?"
Snape piqued an eyebrow before facing them squarely.
"Dumbledore hadn't mentioned that you might be cynical. I have no way of proving my trustworthiness to you and personally I have no idea what the headmaster would want with two 'gifted' Muggles in the Order. If I wished to harm you however, I assure you, I would have done so whether or not you opened your door to me. Further, if I am not the one to retrieve you, someone else that may have heard of your abilities, or else your association with the Potter boy, most certainly will. And would not so willingly allow you the choice on whether to accompany them or not."
Danny and Danielle looked at each other doubtfully before Danny turned back to Snape.
"And who else may have heard, I wonder?" he asked, eyeing Snape incredulously.
Snape simply stared at them a moment. "If you do wish to follow me, I urge you again to conceal yourselves at once." He repeated.
Danny sighed and shared a decisive glance with Danielle before they checked that no one else was looking, took each other's hands and made themselves invisible, along with their luggage. Snape blinked and his eyes shifted around, confused. This became a sign that Dumbledore must have only hinted what Danielle had demonstrated to him four days ago. That, or Snape had only heard of it from some other source that wasn't meant to hear. Danielle wasn't sure which one could be more likely. She supposed, however, that the only way to find out for sure what any of these people were really after was to play along. For now.
"Lead the way, then," said Danny quietly, but still loud enough for Snape to hear.
Snape furrowed his brow in response before he turned with a whip of his cloak and started heading down the street again. Snape took such long strides that the kids nearly had to start jogging to keep up with him. They were even tempted to just Go Ghost and fly alongside him instead. It would have also been easier for them in carrying their luggage, as their ghost forms had ten times their human strength.
They found that they did eventually have to Go Ghost when Snape decided to get on a bus, still telling them to stay invisible. Paying the driver triple for one passenger and leaving two seemingly empty seats open would have seemed suspicious, so the cousins had no choice but to fly along the outside of the bus. Upon reaching a neighborhood they had never ventured to before, Snape finally got off.
"Signal if you're still here." Snape said in the corner of his mouth after the bus had left him at the stop.
"Right behind you." Danielle replied, still invisible on his right.
"This way," said Snape in a low voice as he strode ahead.
It was another ten minutes before they reached a small, run-down, yet still inhabited square called Grimmauld Place.
Charming. Danielle commented telepathically to Danny, observing the broken windows and peeling paint of several of the surrounding houses.
Snape led them across the street where he stopped on the sidewalk between number eleven and thirteen.
"Quickly," said Snape, holding a piece of paper in his hand behind his back for them to take. "Read and memorize."
Danielle wondered if he would have shoved it into their hands had he been able to see them. She took the paper and unfolded it. In the dim light of the street lamp, she read in narrow handwriting,
The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.
"But there is no twelve." Danny commented in a whisper Danielle heard from over her shoulder.
Danielle looked at the numbering of the houses along the sidewalk and found that Danny was indeed correct. There was number ten, eleven, but no twelve before the thirteen. That was odd.
"Quiet." said Snape in a warning whisper. "Give back the note."
Confused, Danielle put the note back in Snape's hand. He took out a wand, pointing it at the paper and it burst into flame, curling and drifting to the ground.
"Now think about what you just—"
"Oh wait. There it is." Danny interrupted, sounding surprised.
Danielle had already caught on. As soon as she had thought of number twelve, Grimmauld Place, a battered door emerged out of nowhere between numbers twelve and thirteen, followed swiftly by dirty walls and grimy windows. It was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing those on either side out of its way. Danielle looked through the window of number eleven where a stereo had been playing the whole time, unchangingly. Had the people in the other houses not even noticed?
"Whoa." said the Fentons in unison.
"So you see it." said Snape. "Come."
With that, he walked right up to the door of the newly materialized house with the kids in close step behind him; both gaping up at the house the whole way. Once at the door, Danielle noticed that there was no keyhole.
Snape tapped the door with his wand and Danielle heard a series of clicks and the clatter of what sounded like a chain on the other side before the door creaked open.
"Inside."
The Fentons stepped over the threshold into almost complete darkness and a damp, dusty, sweetish, rotting smell. Snape slowly began closing the door behind them, snuffing out the last of the light coming from the street lamps outside. Danielle had half a mind to turn intangible in case he had plans to suddenly round on them in the dark.
Then a hissing noise could be heard and old-fashioned gas lamps sputtered to life along the walls, casting a flickering insubstantial light over the peeling wallpaper and threadbare carpet of a long, gloomy hallway. A cobwebby chandelier glimmered overhead and age-blackened portraits hung, crooked on the wall. Both the chandelier and the candelabra on a rickety table nearby were shaped like serpents and upon the second glance, Danielle was surprised to notice that the figures inside the portraits were moving.
"You may reveal yourselves now and proceed through the doorway at the end of the hall." instructed Snape from behind them as he was stowing away his wand with which he had likely used to light the lamps just now.
"Finally," said Danielle, letting out a breath as she and Danny faded into visibility with their luggage in tow.
"So what's at the end of the hall?" asked Danny, staring at the door ahead.
Snape turned from having locked the front door and frowned, looking down his nose at Danny. "Do you always question what you're told?"
Danny turned to face him with a roll of his eyes. "Only when suddenly dragged out of our hotel room by a complete stranger that sneered at me as soon as I opened the door. Not to mention that so kindly informed me of certain powers in a way that sounded almost like a threat. Under the circumstances, you can't blame me for being slightly suspicious."
"Danny!" whispered Danielle warningly. She was getting the idea that this man was not the kind one would want to provoke. Then she added telepathically, Maybe he's not telling us anything because he's scared of the powers we have. We don't know what Dumbledore's said about us.
Danny gave her a look, showing her that he had heard and then looked down at the floor in consideration that she might be right.
Snape piqued an eyebrow at the expressions being exchanged between the two children when all three of them turned at the sound of the door at the end of the hall opening.
"Ah, Severus. You've arrived with the children." Albus Dumbledore himself came and saw them. "I trust your journey went well?"
Snape hardly responded as Dumbledore approached them, beaming and put a hand on a shoulder of each of the two children.
"At the end of the hall is the meeting-place for the Order of the Phoenix. Everyone is awaiting you beyond the door."
"You're leaving, headmaster?" said Snape in his monotone voice.
"Harry should be arriving soon and I have matters to attend to elsewhere."
Danny and Danielle exchanged looks at this information before Dumbledore turned to them and steered them by the shoulders towards the door down the hall.
"In the meantime, you'll find that people have been most anxious to meet you."
With that, as the Fentons headed towards the door, dragging their luggage, Dumbledore went out through the entrance they had just come through.
Once finally through the door, they were greeted by several people that were circled around a table in the center of what appeared to be a kitchen.
"Ah, hello. Here, let me get those for you," A man with shaggy dark hair stood up with a smile and took their suitcases from them.
When he had moved to the side, several red-haired people approached them in greeting as Snape was coming in behind them and shutting the door.
"You must be the kids Dumbledore told us about," the younger man with the long red hair tied back in a ponytail said, shaking both of their hands. "Bill Weasley. And these are my parents, Arthur and Molly." He indicated the red-haired couple behind him; the man being tall, balding and wearing horn-rimmed glasses and the woman being short and lumpy.
"Nice to meet you." Danielle responded pleasantly before being approached by the father who looked rather excited.
"So the two of you are Muggles? Well, I suppose not really Muggles, are you, as you have your own brand of magic, but you grew up in Muggle society, correct? So you must know quite a bit about them. Perhaps you could answer a few questions for me that I've been…"
"Not now, Arthur," The shaggy headed man intervened, having stored the Fenton's luggage in an unseen area.
"And you've already met our host, Sirius Black," Bill pointed out.
"This is your house?" Danielle asked, looking around the decaying place after shaking Sirius's hand.
"I know it's not much. My family's house-elf hasn't really done much to improve on it," said Sirius with a shrug as well as a bitter look at the mention of what he called a house-elf. "Not particularly fond of the place myself, but it's at least safe for headquarters. We've been doing our best to clean it up more in our spare time."
"Spare time that is not in our schedule at the moment," Snape interrupted from a corner of the room. "I believe we have business to discuss before the night is up."
"Business that will be involving these two children, as Dumbledore has said himself, Snivellus." Sirius said, shooting Snape an annoyed look. Danielle noticed Snape's return expression was a very distasteful one.
"Oh, but surely not everything. They're so young." said Mrs. Weasley. "How old are the two of you anyway?"
"Eighteen," said Danny.
"Fifteen," answered Danielle.
"Really? You look much younger than that," said Mr. Weasley.
In hearing a clicking of silverware, Danielle looked behind Bill to see a short, ginger-haired man she recognized, rummaging through a drawer like a thief up to no good.
"Hey! You're that other guy I met in Harry's neighborhood." Danielle said, making the Wizard turn. It was Mundungus Fletcher: The one Mrs. Figg said was supposed to be on watch duty when the dementors had attacked.
"Blimey, the Muggle girl!" Mundungus cried out, surprised, backing against the cupboards and making some pots fall with a clatter to the floor.
"Nice to see you again too," said Danielle, putting her hands on her hips, frowning.
"So you've met Mundungus Fletcher already," said Sirius.
"More or less."
"Is it true you can see dementors?" asked Bill with interest.
"I'm under the impression it's the reason we're here," Danielle shrugged.
"Speaking of which, I suppose we'd best get this meeting started." concluded Mr. Weasley, clapping his hands together. Sirius rolled his eyes before giving Snape another look as if suspecting cheek from him any minute.
"Have a seat, dears," said Mrs. Weasley, indicating two empty chairs at the table they were beginning to gather around. That was when a disturbance in the hall was heard that turned her head in the direction of the door.
"Oh. Must be the advance guard returning with Harry. I'll go get it."
With that, Mrs. Weasley departed from the room.
Danielle tried to get a peek outside the door at the new arrivals as Mrs. Weasley went out, but she was at the wrong angle to be looking down the hall and the door was shut before she could get a proper look. A few minutes later, several more people came through the door. The first being a young, but ill and tired looking man with patched and shabby robes. The next was a woman with a pale face, dark twinkling eyes, and short spiky pink hair. Then a bald, black wizard with a single gold hoop in his hear, followed by a man with long, grizzled gray hair, a huge chunk missing from his nose, and mismatched eyes: One of them being abnormally large, electric blue and constantly looking all over the room before resting on the Fentons, shifting up and down their appearances in an analytical way. Several others filed in behind them before the door was closed.
"Ooh. So you're the special kids Dumbledore talked about." The pink-haired girl said, looking at the two kids energetically. "Pleasure to meet you. Tonks is the name."
"Tonks?" asked Danielle.
"Interesting." Danny commented.
"Well, her real name is Nymphadora—"
"Lupin!"
"—But she prefers to be called by her surname, Tonks."
"That's twice in one night!" said Tonks with a roll of her eyes and a groan.
"By the way. Remus Lupin." Lupin presented his hand, which the cousins shook in turns.
"Kingsley Shacklebolt," said the tall, black man.
"Alastor Moody," said the one with the weird eye.
"Also known as Mad-Eye Moody," Tonks put in.
I can see why. Danny thought to Danielle mentally, looking at the big round eyeball that was still whizzing around in its socket, unceasingly.
The other adults were introduced as well before everyone finally sat down and Mrs. Weasley came back, shutting the door behind her.
"Well now. Where shall we begin?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking directly at the Fentons.
Danielle looked at him, wondering why he was asking her.
"Dumbledore had told us that you have certain…special talents, but you were never aware of the existence of magic." said Mr. Weasley after noticing her expression.
"Well, he didn't really tell us much either to be honest," Danielle shrugged. "Just that a pretty dangerous person is on the loose and that this organization of yours is trying to stop him."
"He didn't tell you anything else?"
"Well…I overheard that he's been having Harry followed, or at least was trying to before…things went a bit crazy."
Mrs. Weasely shot a deadly look at Mundungus, who shrank in his seat with his eyes shifting nervously as if afraid she would start hitting him across the head the way Mrs. Figg did back in Little Whinging for slipping away on watch duty.
"So why all the fuss about this Harry kid?" asked Danny. "Or do you always make it a point to stalk people?"
"You mean you don't know about Harry Potter?" asked Bill, looking surprised.
Danielle shrugged defensively. "We're not exactly from around here."
"My godson is quite famous in our society," said Sirius proudly.
"Voldemort's fall came about because of Harry Potter fourteen years ago," Lupin explained. "And it was Harry who warned us of his return in June."
Danielle noticed that many people in the room flinched at the name 'Voldemort', but she paid it no mind for the moment. She was too busy with the thought that she had met a fellow celebrity in person just a few days ago and didn't even know it.
"Wait a second…fourteen years…" Danny was saying under his breath before he spoke up. "But he had to have been just a baby when that happened!"
"He was," said Tonks with a bright smile.
"How did he manage that?" asked Danielle in awe.
"Potter did nothing," Snape said sourly. "He is simply celebrated for not dying when the Dark Lord turned his wand on him."
"Stay out of it, Snivellus," Sirius shot with a glare.
Kingsley ignored the two. "All most people know is that after Voldemort murdered his parents, he tried to kill Harry, but the curse he used backfired on him, leaving Harry with little more than a scar on his head and Voldemort rendered powerless."
Danielle raised an eyebrow in amazement. Then she felt a twinge of pity coming on. Harry's parents had been killed when he was just an infant; that explained why he was living with his aunt and uncle. She couldn't help but compare it to her own background. The result was the complete opposite of her relationship with Vlad. She also lived with a family that she was not born with, but at least they accepted her and cared for her. Not like the way Harry's relatives seemed to be treating him. The uncle tried to strangle him for crying out load!
"And…what do you guys know about how he survived?" asked Danny, interrupting Danielle's thoughts.
There was a pause in which several members of the Order looked between the Fentons.
"Dumbledore said you two were particularly bright for your age," Kingsley said with an impressed smile. "Quite observant."
"We've…learned to keep an eye out for certain things," Danny said with a shrug.
"How quaint," Snape said bitterly. "Another set of children just as nosey as Team Potter."
"You're one to talk about being nosey," Sirius retorted back in Snape's corner.
Danny and Danielle looked at each other wondering what about them could possibly have gotten them on Snape's bad side when they only just met him.
"Don't mind him," Lupin said quietly to them as if reading their minds. "Severus and Harry's father didn't get along well when they were young and he has a tendency to take it out on his son. I suspect his bitterness towards you is due to you reminding him of Harry, Mr. Fenton. You do resemble him in some ways."
Danny rolled his eyes. That explained why Snape had looked at him the way he did when he had first laid eyes on him back at the hotel, but that still was no excuse to judge a book by its cover.
"Wonder if he also likes his mom," said Danny wearily, looking towards Danielle who groaned repulsively.
"Pardon?" said Lupin confused.
"Oh, we just knew a crazed-up froot-loop who didn't get along well with my dad either, but he happened to also have a crush on my mom," Danny explained casually. "He was quite the character to deal with."
Danielle happened to look over at Snape by this time, whom she noticed had stopped arguing with Sirius and was now glaring at Danny with a spark of rage in his eyes equal to the loathing he was always shooting at Sirius.
Danielle didn't have time to think much more of this before Mr. Weasley clapped his hands, calling the room to order.
"Moving on," he said.
"Right," Lupin agreed. "Well, in answer to your question, Mr. Fenton—"
"Just call me Danny."
"And I'm Danielle."
Lupin nodded in acknowledgement. "Harry's parents, Lily and James Potter, sacrificed themselves for his sake. Dumbledore has his theory, (and his theory's are usually accurate) that this selfless deed left a powerful enchantment upon their son that protected him from Voldemort's killing blow."
Danny and Danielle nodded in understanding before Danielle began to realize something else.
"But…now that Voldemort's back…" she began to say slowly, ignoring the collective shudders that she still didn't quite understand.
"—Dumbledore suspected he'd try to finish what he started," Sirius finished for her with a nod.
"And he would have done already, had Harry not escaped the day he returned," Tonks put in.
"And that's why you guys've been tailing him," Danielle concluded. "You think he might have tried to jump him or something."
"Well, we couldn't risk much with Harry being the only witness of his return that was supposed to be kept quiet from anyone else besides his followers," said Bill.
"He's been trying to keep from drawing attention to himself, otherwise the death-toll around here would have already become catastrophic," Mad-Eye put in. "But he's always been particularly crafty. For all we know, a couple of his Death Eaters were also spying on Potter, waiting for an opportunity to drag him back to their leader to have him done in."
"So you think Voldemort sent the dementors after him?" Danielle asked.
"Could have. But he may have also caught wind of you two that night." When Danny and Danielle looked at him in wonder, Mad-Eye went on. "You-Know-Who may not care much for Muggles, but if there are things about you that would grab Dumbledore's attention enough to want to get you involved with the Order, they may also catch his. He might have tried to recruit you if Dumbledore hadn't gotten to you first. Assuming he didn't just kill you on the spot for being Muggles."
"Mad-Eye, do you always have to—" Tonks was saying before—
"I'd like to see him try," Danny said with an un-amused scoff, leaning back in his chair with a shake of his head.
This response seemed to earn a few stares from several in the room. Danielle noticed that Snape was sneering at him again as if taking Danny's confidence as arrogance.
"But what can we do for the Order exactly if Muggles aren't even supposed to know about this whole world of yours?" said Danielle, trying to ignore the strange looks.
"Dumbledore didn't tell us much about that," said Tonks.
"Danny, since you're of age by both Muggle and Wizarding law, I suspect he'll want you to join the Order—" said Mad-Eye.
"—don't go jumping to conclusions, Alastor," said Mrs. Weasley quickly. "They're still quite young—"
"Oh I don't know, Molly," Mr. Weasley cut in. "Dumbledore seemed fairly impressed when he was talking about them, even if he didn't tell us why. I wouldn't put it past him. He may even also have plans for the younger one even if she is Ron's age."
Mrs. Weasley sighed in frustration. "Well, I don't imagine Ron, or frankly, any of the other kids upstairs will be very happy in hearing about it either way."
A silence suddenly fell over the room, making the Fenton cousins look at each other in thought.
"We'll worry about crossing that bridge when we get to it," said Mr. Weasley, though there was also a look on his face that told Danielle that he knew his wife was correct.
00000
Meanwhile, Harry Potter had met up with his friends, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Mrs. Weasley had sent him upstairs to them while everyone downstairs was sharing information that he was still not allowed in on, even though he had finally been able to leave Privet Drive. He had been frustrated already with them not saying anything and was confronting Ron and Hermione about it with anger.
"We wanted to give you answers, mate," responded Ron, "Hermione was going spare, she kept saying you'd do something stupid if you were stuck all on your own without news, but Dumbledore made us—"
"—swear not to tell me," finished Harry angrily. "Yeah, Hermione's already said. But I still don't understand why. After all, I'm the one who saw Voldemort return! I'm the one who fought him! I'm the one who saw Cedric Diggery get killed!"
"Harry, we're really sorry!" said Hermione desperately, "You're absolutely right—I'd be furious if it was me!"
Harry glared at her, still breathing deeply, then turned away from them, pacing up and down. His snow-white owl, Hedwig hooted glumly from the top of the wardrobe. There was a long pause, broken only by the mournful creek of the floorboards below Harry's feet.
"So what have you two been doing if you're not allowed in the meetings?" asked Harry, looking anywhere but at Ron or Hermione. "You kept saying in your letters that you were busy."
"We have," said Hermione quickly. "We've been decontaminating this house, it's been empty for ages and stuff's been breeding in here. We've managed to clean out the kitchen, most of the bedrooms and I think we'll be starting on the drawing room tomo—AARGH!"
With two loud cracks, Fred and George, Ron's elder twin brothers, had materialized out of thin air in the middle of the room. Pigwigeon, Ron's small pet owl, twittered widely and zoomed off to join Hedwig on top of the Wardrobe.
"Stop doing that!" Hermione said weakly to the redheaded twins.
"Hello Harry," said George beaming at him. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."
"You don't want to bottle your anger up like that, mate, let it all out," said Fred, also beaming. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."
"You two passed your Apparation tests, then?" asked Harry grumpily.
"With distinction," said Fred, who was holding what looked like a piece of very long, flesh-colored string.
"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs," said Ron.
"Time is Galleons, little brother," said Fred. "Anyway, Harry, you're interfering with reception. Extendable Ears." He added in response to Harry's raised eyebrows, holding up the string, which Harry saw was trailing out onto the landing. "We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs."
"You want to be careful," said Ron, staring at the ear. "If Mum sees one of them again…"
"It's worth the risk, that's a major meeting they're having," said Fred.
"And it sounds like they've got a couple of younger kids in there this time," said George.
"What?" said Ron, appalled. "Then why the devil are we being left out of it? Give me that Extendable Ear!"
Just then, Ron's younger sister Ginny came through the door, noticing the flesh-colored strings. "It's no go with those." she said, nodding to Harry brightly in greeting. "She's gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door."
"How d'you know?" said George, looking crestfallen.
"Tonks told me how to find out," said Ginny. "You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact, the door's been Impertubed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it. So there's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap."
Fred heaved a heavy sigh. "Shame. I really fancied finding out what old Snape's been up to."
"Snape?" said Harry quickly. "He's here? He's part of the Order?"
"Yeah," said George, carefully closing the door and sitting down on one of the beds; Fred and Ginny followed. "Always giving these top-secret reports."
"Earlier, I saw him coming in with two black-haired kids," Ginny chimed in. "First glance from top of the stairs, I thought one of them was you, Harry."
"Perhaps two members of the Order had used Polyjuice Potion for something," suggested Hermione.
"Snape usually comes alone when he gives his reports," said Ron.
"So then why would the sound of new, strange kids with accents be coming from behind that door, I wonder?" said Fred.
"You can hear them?" asked Ron.
"Can't really tell what they're saying but—"
George's sentence stopped short at the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs.
"Uh-oh."
Fred gave the Extendable Ear a hearty tug before the voice of Mrs. Weasley could be heard calling up, "The meeting's over, you can come and have dinner now!"
Fred and George both let out a quiet whistle in relief before Ginny opened the door and she led the way into the hall and down the stairs.
As Harry himself was reaching the bottom of the last flight, he saw Mrs. Weasley.
"Well. We'll be eating down in the kitchen—OH!" Mrs. Weasley cried out as Fred and George suddenly materialized right behind her with another loud crack.
They giggled in seeing their mother jump before she frustratingly shooed them away.
"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE, YOU TWO! JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERYTHING!"
Mr. Weasley came up behind his wife, putting an arm around her shoulders as he looked at Harry. "You sure you're all right, Harry? You gave us quite a turn."
Before Harry could ask if he was referring to the dementor attack, another voice came from the door behind the both of them. "Harry Potter."
When the Weasleys moved aside, Harry saw, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, smiling brightly at him, the shaggy head of his Godfather, Sirius Black.
Harry couldn't help but smile in seeing him. "Sirius!" He said excitedly as he strode over to him where Sirius gave him a warm and welcome embrace. When they pulled away from each other, Sirius smiled back at him with an approving sigh.
"Right then. I don't know about you lot, but I'd like some dinner before midnight."
Everyone agreed with a series of nods and Sirius guided Harry with his arm around his shoulders into the kitchen. Once beyond the doorway, Harry saw Bill Weasley hastily rolling up the lengths of parchment left on the table.
"Journey all right, Harry?" Bill called, trying to gather up twelve scrolls at once. "Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?"
"He tried," said Tonks, rolling her eyes.
Harry looked past Bill to where he noticed three other figures, sitting at the far end of the table. On one side sat two black-haired teenagers he guessed were the ones Ginny had mentioned seeing earlier. They were sitting across from Lupin, nodding at something he was saying to them.
As Harry looked at the boy further towards the back, he got a proper view of his face and saw what Ginny had meant by the boy looking like him. He had the same color hair and build and was possibly also the same height as Harry, but his eyes were blue and he didn't wear glasses. Then he looked at the girl that was sitting beside him and in better view of Harry. Upon his second glance, Harry blinked, realizing that he actually recognized her.
The girl looked in his direction in noticing him starring at her. This confirmed his theory. The pony-tailed hair with long bangs that hung over half her face like a curtain over one of her clear blue eyes was unmistakable, yet also unbelievable.
"Hi, Harry," Danielle said with a shy smile and wave as she stood up from the table in greeting.
Yes. I'm having Danielle fifteen even though she turned sixteen in the epilogue of Clash of All Time. I wanted her to be the same age as Harry and his friends so I could have her a little more involved in the plot. And here comes the combination of the movie and book I told you I'd be doing, especially when it started getting into Harry's Point-of-View. Hope it doesn't make it too dull for you as the readers because that's what always seems to be making it dull for me as the writer that's constantly referring to someone else's wording. Anyway, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the chapter through your reviews. Your favorite parts, ideas to convey, things you think can use improvement, etc. Thanks.
