A/N: So, I'm back. Writing during the summer is extremely hard for me, what with working, and watching a four-year-old, leaves little time to write. But somehow, I have managed to get this chapter out. No fear I am not abandoning my lovely readers.

Fun fact, the full moon this month is called the sturgeon full moon for the fish found in the great lakes here in the United States, other names for August's full moon include the corn, fruit, or grain moon for when many of these crops become ripe.

And this is big, when looking for info on the full moon this month I saw that there is going to be a total solar eclipse also this month. For those of you interested it will be during the new moon on the 21st, visible in the United States (sorry for those of you who don't live in the States). If you want more information about its path or just about solar eclipses in general, look it up, it was interesting to find out.

Now, back to our story…

Chapter 3 Harry's Guard

"How long do you think it will be before they actually send someone to come get me?" Harry asked Emma from his spot laying on the bed.

Emma glanced over at him from her spot further down the bed where she was looking out the window.

"Oh, not too long. Anywhere to a day to five."

"Really, that's your definition of not too long?" Harry asked raising a brow.

It was already midafternoon the next day, and the two of them had just been sitting waiting their time.

His Aunt had come by a few times to leave some food for them, never staying long to talk. Just a bit before, Vernon had come up to the room to inform them that they were leaving for Marge's and taking Dudley with them.

They were locked up when they left and told to never come back.

Harry wished that none of this had happened to his relatives. To have a son taken away like that, even being his cousin whom he had never gotten along with, it was still hard to process. He couldn't believe that this had happened.

It was the second night that they were there that things changed.

Harry had fallen asleep after a while before he was suddenly jolted awake.

"Whah?" he asked blearily looking around in confusion and sitting up.

"Shh. Everything's alright." Emma said quietly from the other end of the bed looking intently at the door.

"Did you get any sleep?" Harry asked looking out the window and seeing that it was already dark outside. He rubbed his eyes and put his glasses on.

"A bit. Not important right now. There's people downstairs." Emma said.

"Someone breaking in to steal Aunt Petunia's china?" Harry joked but was cut off by what sounded like a crash in the kitchen.

"Hope they weren't too expensive." Emma commented getting up and picking up the few items they had with them, which really was just their jackets that they had worn the day before.

"Do you know who's down there?" Harry asked getting up and slipping his trainers on.

"Our escort most likely." Emma replied lightly, but Harry noticed that she still fingered her wand slightly in her hand.

Harry supposed that she was right. It was unlikely that anyone trying to break-in would make that much noise. Whoever it was downstairs was externally clumsy Harry thought as there was another crash in the kitchen as someone moved about. He could hear other voices join in as the people moved about.

Doubting that Harry would know anyone that Dumbledore might send to get him, he took his wand out and held it loosely at his side just in case.

They heard a click as his door was unlocked. Glancing at Emma, Harry crept towards the door and slowly opened it. The dark hallway making it hard to see anything. Compared to before, all was now quiet. Hesitating, he glanced back at Emma, reassured that she was right behind him. At her nod, he crept out onto the upstairs landing towards the stairs.

Harry started as he glanced down at the hallway bellow, his heart beating frantically. Illuminated in the streetlight from the window, stood seven or eight people, wands lit lightly and all staring at him.

"Good to see you cautious, but lower that before you poke someone's eye out." A voice growled out.

"Moody?" Harry asked incredulously recognizing the voice. He kept his wand in front of him however, still tense from the unexpectedness of this visit.

Although Harry supposed that he was also tense, because the previous Moody he had known hadn't really been Moody at all, but a crazy Death Eater in disguise that was working to bring Voldemort back and posing as a crazy professor.

The man below him, Harry didn't really know, having been locked in a trunk all school year and never really having the chance to teach. He didn't know how he felt about having the man in front of him.

"Why do we still have it so dark." An unfamiliar woman's voice asked before making her wand glow brighter. "Wotcher Harry. Aww shit, it's you." the woman complained catching sight of Emma behind Harry.

Emma sniggered.

With the brighter light, Harry was now able to make out more of who had come to get him.

With bright purple hair, the young woman who had spoken looked like the youngest in the group. With her spiky hair, heart-shaped face, and twinkling eyes, Harry was reminded of a purple-haired cross between Dumbledore and the Twins.

There was slight recognition when he gazed at her, but he was unable to place who she was.

"Hey Nymphadora, how's it going?" Emma asked leaning over the railing.

The woman snarled at Emma.

"Don't call me Nymphadora!"

"Right." Emma snorted and began descending the stairs.

Harry remembered where he had seen the woman before. The day of Sirius' trial she had been the Auror to check in their wands. Though she had pink hair at the time.

"He looks exactly like James." A bald black wizard commented from the back of the group. With a slow deep voice and a single gold hoop in his ear, the man made a striking picture. Add the, what Harry thought were traditional African wizarding robes, the man really stood out.

"The eyes though, Lily's eyes." A silver-haired wizard commented in a wheezing voice.

"Are we sure its him though? We don't want to bring back some Death Eater impersonating him." Moody growled.

Harry blinked stupefied that they would question that he wasn't him. Moody with his long-grizzled hair and chunk missing from his nose, looked suspiciously at him as he and Emma reached the bottom of the stairs. He took a step forward, his wooden leg making a large clunk on the floor as he looked at them, his magical eye focused intently on Harry.

"Did anyone bring Veritaserum? We could ask him something only the real Potter would know."

Bristling Harry looked at Moody. "You spent the majority of last year trapped in your own trunk after being taken out in your own home by Barty Crouch Jr. and Peter Pettigrew. It has seven layers and when you were found you were shivering in your underpants with large chunks of your hair missing. Barty Crouch Jr. who impersonated you, and apparently did a well enough job that Dumbledore didn't question him too much, was killed by a dementor sucking out his soul because the Minister was afraid of a restrained Death Eater without a wand."

Emma laughed beside him at the heavy scorn laced into Harry's words. His barbs were quite harsh after all the time spent with Draco.

Harry watched impassively as Moody growled at him.

"You're lucky that we're here on behalf of Dumbledore and not the minister. There are a few Aurors in this group after all." A square-jawed wizard with thick straw-colored hair told Harry.

Harry shrugged not caring as the group moved towards the kitchen.

"So where are we going?" Harry asked.

"We're taking you to headquarters, and mind you, that's you only, not your little friend." Moody said with a sneer.

"Aww, that's too bad." Emma said sarcastically rolling her eyes. "Because Harry doesn't go anywhere without me."

"And who exactly are you?" the Black wizard asked curious, but Harry caught the hint of authority in his voice. If he made a guess, he would assume that this man was also an Auror.

"Emma Lance, Ward of the House of Black, and Harry's honorary sister." Emma replied placing a hand on her hip and doing her best to look haughty. Harry thought she pulled it off well enough. She reminded him of Narcissa a bit in her act, with a flare of Sirius' dramatics.

"And what were you doing here?" Moody asked suspiciously.

"Visiting with Harry. I came early and we went out for a walk around town. When we got back we found the mess that you lot we're assuming let happen." Emma replied.

"It's unfortunate what happened to the cousin, but we have no control over Mundungus Fletcher." Another woman in the group replied.

"And yet it was someone's bright idea to have him watching Harry when he leaves at the drop of a hat and can't even produce a proper patronus charm." Emma said with a snort.

"That's neither here nor there. None of us oversee the rotation. Let us get back on task, getting Harry out of here. Since you are here, and we can't just leave you here, you can come with us. Sirius hasn't accepted coming back into the Order, so he might as well know where Harry is being moved. You can go back home later." The Black wizard replied to Emma. Harry really wished that someone would do some introductions, he felt uncomfortable having nothing to address the man with.

"Shacklebolt." Moody warned.

"No, she is here, let her come, I see no harm in it. And before you protest, I did check her over, no enchantments or glamor's on her." Shacklebolt argued shooting Moody's protests down before turning to Harry. "I suppose introductions would be appreciated?"

"Yes please." Harry replied with a grateful smile.

"You know Alastor Moody of course." Shacklebolt said pointing towards Moody. "Nymphadora— "

"Don't call me Nymphadora!"

"Who prefers to go by her surname Tonks."

"Oh, Aunt Andromeda's daughter. Sirius is a bit upset that she hasn't contacted him much." Harry said glancing at Tonks who shrugged.

"Not my problem, she refuses to let me see Sirius. Don't know what she's hung up about, then again, there's also the problem that he hasn't shared where he's staying yet."

"It's under Fidelius, she actually has to come out and met him if she wants that." Emma said with a shrug.

"My name is Kingsley Shacklebolt." The man said continuing in his introductions. "This is Elphias Doge." The Wizard with the wheezy voice. "Dedalus Diggle— "

"We've met before." Diggle said excitably dropping his hat. Harry wished he could remember when that was.

"—Emmeline Vance— "the witch who had commented about Mundungus to Emma. "—and Sturgis Podmore— "the square-jawed wizard who had spoken earlier. "—and lastly Hestia Jones." Shacklebolt said gesturing to a pink-cheeked, black-haired witch that waved from next to the toaster.

Harry nodded as each person was introduced, a bit surprised that so many had come to get him.

"We're are just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to leave, then we'll be on our way to headquarters." Shacklebolt told Harry and Emma.

"Headquarters for what? Where are we going, the Burrow?"

"No, too widely known. This place is more secure." Moody announced gruffly.

"Took a while to set up." Shacklebolt added. "As for the Headquarters— "

"Not here!" Moody hissed. "It's not secure enough."

Harry huffed at being kept out of the loop and went to stand by the window turning away from the others. The comforting presence of Emma right behind him.

"Damn it." Moody snarled suddenly. "It keeps sticking!"

A sudden nasty squelching sound drew Harry's reluctant eyes towards Moody, he had just about everyone watching him. Popping out his magical eye he glared with his remaining eye at it.

"Someone get me a glass." He demanded.

Sighing, Nymphadora walked over to the kitchen cabinets looking for a glass and filled it with water. She handed it to Moody and Harry watched as he dropped the magical eye into the glass where it swirled around whizzing around and staring at them all.

"I want complete viability on the way back. No surprises." Moody grumbled.

"No one has said yet where were going." Harry said. "And how are we getting there?"

"Not safe yet to say." Shacklebolt replied. "However, as for how we're going, we're going by brooms. None of the other methods are safe or easy to set up in such short time. Besides, it would be hard to do anything with magic to get you out because they are monitoring the area to see if there are any more spikes in magic. Don't really want to draw attention to ourselves as we leave."

"Makes sense I guess." Harry replied.

"Heard your good." Harry looked over at Hestia who had spoken and nodded, not feeling much like talking.

"Best get your things packed while we wait." Diggle said speaking up.

"No need, I took care of that already." Emma said from her spot leaning against the counter.

"What do you mean?" Moody asked glaring at her.

"Had a house elf come and pick up any non-essentials when we found out everything. Figured that someone would be sent to get Harry. Didn't think it would take two days for you to actually get here though." Emma replied with a shrug.

"Hang on, I don't have my broom here with me, and neither does Emma. How are we supposed to fly with you?" Harry asked.

"Why don't you have your broom?" Tonks asked curious.

"Lent it to Emma this summer. She wanted to learn how to fly. Sirius would have bought a whole teams worth of brooms if given the excuse to buy brooms, so I just let her use mine." Harry replied. Which was true, he had lent it to Emma this summer. And Sirius would have really used the excuse to buy brooms for everyone in the family if he hadn't. Remus had looked horrified when Sirius lit up at the prospect of teaching Emma.

"No matter, we can just have two people double up, the brooms should be sturdy enough for it. And if she's as inexperienced as you say she is on the broom, this might be better." Shacklebolt told Harry. "Tonks, you can ride with Hestia, you'll crash into less this way also. Harry, you and Emma can fly together."

"Sounds good." Emma replied.

"I wrote out a letter for your relatives. Letting them know your safe and will be back next year." Doge told Harry.

Grimacing he looked at the letter. "You didn't need to really. They won't appreciate it in the slightest. Especially after not what happened. And they don't really want me back…ever again."

The others looked at Harry with a little worry mixed in. He heard a few soft replies that he was exaggerating which caused him to bristle. His relatives' mistreatment of him is not something he exaggerated on and it angered him that they would apply that it was so.

"We're going to disillusion the both of you also. It will disguise you better while flying." Moody announced walking right up to Harry and tapping him over the head with his wand.

Harry spluttered at the feeling that washed over him. It felt like an egg had just been smashed over his head and everything was trickling down his body. It was extremely weird.

Harry watched as Moody went over and did the same thing to Emma, who was still scowling at Moody. He watched interested as Emma seemed to just meld into the background. She didn't get invisible per say, but more like a human chameleon, taking in the texture and coloring of the things surrounding her.

After that Moody ushered them all outside having them wait. He didn't seem to be too glad that the night was as nice as it was. He seemed to think that flying through the clouds would have been better.

Harry didn't know how brilliant that idea sounded. It seemed like an extremely wet idea. It had been bad enough flying through the storm that one quidditch game in third year. he didn't particularly like the experience. And flying in and out of clouds wouldn't be much better, no matter the fact that it wasn't raining.

Moody then went on to explain how they would be flying. Tonks and Hestia in-front of Harry and Emma, Shacklebolt under him, and Moody behind. The others would be circling around him. Moody kind of freaked Harry out when he started talking about not breaking ranks for anything, and then started going off about what they should do if one of them was killed.

Was the crazy old Auror really expecting them to die or be attacked in this?

Moody even had another guard that was positioned somewhere to take over if something happened to everyone else in this group.

Suddenly sparks flew up into the air.

"That's the first signal. Mount your brooms!" Moody barked out.

Tonks handed over her broom to Harry for him and Emma. Mounting the broom, he positioned himself for Emma to sit behind him. This would be a little difficult, he had never ridden a broom with another person on it. But he was a good flyer and it wasn't like he and Emma weighted a whole lot, even put together so they should be fine.

If Moody didn't want them to push the brooms to hard.

"Second signal. Let's go." Shacklebolt announced as more sparks shot into the sky.

Harry kicked off, adjusting as quickly as he could to the feeling of added weight on the broom and an added person.

The neighborhood shrank bellow them and all the worries that went with it. It felt amazing to be back in the air again. He hadn't much time over the summer to fly. Neville still wasn't that keen of flying, especially after first year. he did a few times with Harry, but most times when they hung out, they spent it in the greenhouse that he had set up at his home. It really helped with refreshing Harry's memory and they tried to connect the plants from herbology to how to use the ingredients in

Emma clutched tight to Harry on the broom as they zoomed through the sky. Harry could make out the little lights of the cars as they passed over the landscape.

Over the course of the flight, Moody had them going all over the place. Harry half wondered if the man knew where he was going.

After a while he wondered how long they had been flying. It felt like hours, his hands were starting to get numb. He wished that he and Emma had heavier cloaks or jackets that they were wearing out here than what they had come in.

Eventually Moody called out that he wanted to double back. A collective groan went out through the group.

"ARE YOU MAD?!" Tonks screamed. "It will take forever if we keep going off course like this. We're all frozen to our brooms. We need to get there already."

A few minutes later and they were starting their decent, Moody having given in.

Harry followed Tonks, heading into some town. He could see the lights and layout of a city bellow him.

They landed in a small square and Harry started, realizing that they were only a few blocks over from Grimmauld place. He shared a look with Emma when he noticed wondering if she did also. Seeing the sharp expression on her face, he figured she had caught on.

They would have to be careful if Dumbledore's group was so close.

The area looked only slightly more welcoming then the area around Grimmauld place. Not as many abandoned homes or unkept lawns or broken windows.

Harry looked over at the others of their group. Shacklebolt was surveying the area, while Tonks did the same. The others were standing on guard as if waiting for an ambush. If that happened, Harry didn't care, he was running straight home.

Moody, he noticed was digging around in his pockets looking for something. With the way he was digging around, Harry wondered if the cloak was like Hagrid's, pockets that were deeper than they were supposed to be. Because, as Harry watched, half of Moody's arm seemed to disappear into his pocket as he searched for whatever he was looking for.

"Found it." Moody mumbled, lifting, what to Harry looked like an ordinary cigarette lighter.

However, when he clicked it, instead of a small flame appearing, the closest street lamp went out with a pop. Moody kept doing this until all the lamps on the street had gone out. The only light left on the street was that from the various windows of other houses and the moon.

"Dumbledore lent it to me." Moody told Harry catching him looking as he put it away. "Take care of anyone looking out the windows. Now let's go."

Harry caught Emma scowl as Moody grabbed him by the arm and led him across the pavement towards the houses. He had a feeling he knew what was going to happen next.

"Here." Moody whispered jamming a piece of parchment towards Harry's hands. He held his wand up and lit it so Harry could read what was written, Emma leaned over his shoulder, seeing as how Moody wasn't going to give her a paper... "Read and memorize."

Harry looked down and saw narrow handwriting that looked familiar. It was just like when he had come home to Grimmauld place earlier that summer. The address to a house under Fidelius adorning it, the secret ready to be shared.

The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number 14 Old Pride street.

Harry jolted when Moody ripped the parchment out of his hand and set it on fire. Harry wanted to ask about the Order, since he didn't know a lot about it, he guessed it was the organization of Dumbledore's that she like to refer to as the glorified chicken club of the great Bumblebee. First time he had heard her say that he had looked at her puzzled as Sirius laughed in the background. All she had said was that Dumbledore's name meant bumblebee. He didn't really understand but chose not to press the issue.

"Think about what you've just read." Shacklebolt said quietly coming up to stand next to Harry.

Thinking about number 14 Old Pride, Harry watched as a house started to appear between numbers 13 and 15. A door, dirty walls, and grimy windows appeared.

Shacklebolt walked up to the door as soon as the house finished moving in and tapped his wand against the wood once. Harry glanced at the peeling green paint and silver doorknocker that was in the form of a twisted serpent. It reminded him a lot of the door to Grimmauld place, just without the fresh coat of paint on the door. Harry heard a loud click and the sound of the clatter of chains as the door creaked open.

This was obviously a wizarding home, one that he thought belonged to a Pureblood family given its outward appendence to Sirius' house. He wondered who it was, and how Dumbledore had convinced a Pureblood, no doubt a Slytherin to give up their home for his use.

He knew from listening to a brief argument late at night one night, that Dumbledore had approached Sirius about his house. Sirius and Remus had been talking about it, and Sirius was upset at the nerve of Dumbledore asking such a thing, like he needed watching or something.

Stepping over the threshold, Harry looked around. The house had a neglected feel to it, but didn't look as bad as Grimmauld place had the first time he had visited. He could tell that there was some work being done around the house to get it in a more livable condition.

He stood still as the others filled in around him talking in hushed whispers.

An old-fashioned gas lamp spluttered on as they walked farther into the house. He could see the spots where portraits had once hung on the walls, and a serpent shaped chandeliers and candelabra could be seen from where he stood. Harry frowned, this house reminded him of Grimmauld place to much for mere coincidence, especially given how close it was.

Hurried footsteps caused Harry to look up, Mrs. Weasley could be seen emerging from a door at the end of the hall. Beaming at Hurry and sparing the time to glare at Emma she hurried towards them.

"Harry, lovely to see you." she whispered, pulling him into a hug. "looking a bit peaky, don't worry I'll have dinner ready in just a bit. He's just arrived, the meeting is getting started. Thank goodness you all made it on time." Mrs. Weasley said to the others.

Excitement and interest coursed through those behind Harry as they all surged forward and through the door Mrs. Weasley had just come through.

Harry looked towards the door wondering if he should follow and what these meetings were like. He saw Emma's face close off, he knew that she wasn't interested in joining, and neither were Remus and Sirius.

"Sorry Harry dear, meetings for members only. You and…Emma… will just have to wait upstairs. Ron and Hermione are up there. You can head on up, just try and be as quiet in the halls as you can.

"why?" Harry asked looking around.

"I don't want to wake anything up." Mrs. Weasley said in a whisper. "I've got to get to the meeting, go on up those stairs and find the others."

With that she walked off and disappeared down towards the basement of the house.

Harry looked at Emma who shrugged.

"why do we have to be quiet?"

"I suspect it's so you don't wake me."

Startled the two went further down the hall to where they could see a portrait previously hidden. In the portrait, they could see a regal looking woman, with a head of blond curls that flowed down her back.

Harry thought she looked familiar but couldn't place it.

"if you don't mind me asking, who are you ma'am?"

"Polite, everyone here is so rude. I curse my granddaughter for bringing in all this filth and rift raft into my home. They have no respect for an ancestral house, getting rid of my house elf and insisting on doing the cleaning themselves. As if they know how to take care of such a dwelling." The woman responded giving a fond look to Harry.

"And you, though I can't say you have the best lineage, being a Potter, don't give me that look, the hair gives it away, it is still better than most of what I've seen walk through my doors."

"Excuse me, but you still haven't introduced yourself." Emma said speaking up.

"Ah, where are my manners, it's been so long since anyone has properly talked to me. Druella Black Nee Rosier. Nymphadora is my granddaughter from my daughter Andromeda. This house was a gift to her before she ran off and married that Muggleborn husband of hers. We had moved to the Black Manor once all the children were older. My husband and I saw no point in staying in London anymore. Honestly, I was ever so glad about the move, I couldn't stand to live so close to Walburga anymore." Druella Black told them.

Harry beamed at her. "It's nice to meet you ma'am. It's so nice to meet a relative of Sirius' that is…as sophisticated as you." Harry said not really knowing what to say beside it was nice to meet her.

"And who are you comparing me to young man?" Druella said arching a brow.

"Not many, Sirius had a portrait of his mother in the house, but he's gotten rid of her. She wasn't the best to interact with. And I've only met Narcissa and Draco, though they are very polite, but you just seem more refine somehow I guess." Harry said trying to explain.

"Humph. Walburga was always a bit uncultured. Always going about raising those boys wrong I said. Now my girls, they were raised right despite the way some of them turned out. Bellatrix was a perfect little girl until she started spending too much time with her aunt unfortunately. Andromeda was the perfect pureblood daughter, despite her choices in life, she still maintains that poise I instilled in her. Now Narcissa, she turned out just as expected and how I could have hoped for. Married how we expected and produced a wonderful little heir. I wish I could talk with her again, it's been so long." Druella expressed.

"Maybe I can try and do something." Harry told the portrait, after all, it's not like it seemed anyone wanted the portrait in the house. It might be better to take it somewhere where it was more wanted. Assuming that is that Narcissa would want the portrait.

"Oh, yes that would be appreciated. Until then, you better be going. Wouldn't want them to see you talking to me. They won't like it." Druella said dismissing them.

Thrown off kilter by the abrupt dismissal, Harry nodded and glanced at Emma. She nodded and they made their way up the stairs towards the second landing where the others were waiting.

"and cue tense and awkward conversations." Emma said with a snicker as they walked up towards a bedroom door.

"must you?" Harry asked shooting a look at Emma.

Emma just laughed and motioned for Harry to open the door.

Sighing, Harry moved and opened the door only to be met with a loud shriek.

"HARRY!"