Harry landed on a stone floor with a thump. Taking a few moments to catch his breath before standing up, he was pleasantly surprised at what he saw: a large oval-shaped table in the center of the room, with a throne at its head and seating for up to fifty people and numerous fifty-nine Wizarding portraits hung on the wall, with one hanging above the throne, bracketed by lit torches.

Harry also noted the complete absence of any people in the room, which seemed unusual to him since the letter had contained multiple uses of the plural form, indicating multiple people were there.

"Hello?" he ventured, hoping someone heard him. All that seemed to happen was the awakening of all the portraits in the room.

"Harry?" one of them asked, the nearest one it seemed. Harry looked and was surprised to see his father looking back at him from the portrait.

"Dad?" Harry asked, astonished that he was talking to his father. Well, a portrait of him, anyway.

"Yes, it's me," James Potter's portrait replied. "What are you doing here? You can't be much older than 16, how is it possible that there's another Dark Lord already? It's only been fifteen years, there's no way the former Death Eaters would simply swear allegiance to a new Lord."

"Well," Harry began. "I just turned sixteen two days ago, and there's not a new Dark Lord. Voldemort managed to resurrect himself last summer, and he and the Death Eaters killed Sirius just two months ago in the Ministry," Harry informed his father.

"Oh bloody hell," James said. "How? How'd they get Sirius?"

"We were in the Department of Mysteries," Harry said. "Bellatrix LeStrange hit him with a stunner, but the impact of it sent him through the Veil." His father looked horrified.

"Her own cousin…" he murmured, before noticing something behind Harry. "Harry, as much as I'd love to catch up with you, son, Godric is getting rather impatient, I'm afraid."

"Godric?" Harry asked, looking behind him. "Surely you don't mean…"

"Oh yes, he does mean Godric Gryffindor," said the man in the portrait above the throne. "This is indeed me, and you, Lord Harry Potter, are standing in the Convocation Chamber of the Scarlet Knights of Avebury."

"The what of the who?" Harry asked. He'd certainly never heard of this group, and wondered briefly how they even knew who he was.

"The Convocation Chamber of the Scarlet Knights of Avebury," Gryffindor repeated. "An order of knights originally founded by yours truly in 1066 to combat the French Dark Lord Amenoir who had invaded England alongside William and the Normans and sought to conquer the English Wizarding community, and re-born any time there exists a Dark Lord on English soil to resist and destroy him."

"Or her, as the case may be," the twenty-second portrait said.

"Yes, that one time…" Gryffindor acknowledged. "You stand in this magically constructed chamber beneath the henge of Avebury in Wiltshire, because as the last remaining light-side heir of William Peverell, you have been chosen as the one who will lead the Knights against the reincarnated Voldemort."

"William Peverell?" Harry asked. "How am I an heir to him?" Various portraits began to shout at him, exclaiming his lineage, and Godric had to yell several times for quiet.

"Sorry, Harry," his father's portrait said once the silence had been restored. "This is the sort of thing Lily and I would have taught you during your primary school days. William Peverell was Godric's lieutenant in the original Knights. When Godric died without male issue, the magic of the Knights' Charter devolved upon the Peverell family, marking his light-sided heirs as those who would lead future iterations of the Knights. Unfortunately for the Magic, only one of William's three sons – Ignotus – stayed with the Light. When one of his daughters married into the Potter family sometime in the late 1400s, that mark was transferred unto our family, and for the last 500 years we have led the Knights against all sorts of Dark Lords. My father fought with Dumbledore against Grindelwald in the forties, and I led them against Voldemort the first time 'round."

"Oh," Harry said. He wanted to kick himself for being so meek in his responses, but he did have quite a lot of information to process.

"So, where are the Knights?" he asked Godric. "I mean, there's seating for about fifty people here, where are they all."

"That's for you to find out," Gryffindor replied.

Harry was confused, and said so.

"Each leader reconstitutes the ranks upon his assumption of leadership," Gryffindor explained.

"When I was chosen, Harry, most of the light-sided wizards I knew were in the Order of the Phoenix," James said. "Dumbledore seemed to have a good handle on running the war, so my Knights – myself, Sirius, Frank Longbottom, Edgar Bones, and the Prewett brothers – concentrated our anti-Voldemort work on helping them. Unfortunately, Eddie, Gideon and Fabian died before I, and now Sirius…I never found out what happened to Frankie."

"After you and Mum died, and I apparently killed Voldemort, the LeStranges and Barty Crouch Junior paid a visit to the Longbottoms. They tortured Frank and Alice until they went insane. They're both in Saint Mungo's, they don't even recognize Neville when he visits them," Harry told his father.

"Well then, Lord Potter, it seems you have some recruiting to do!" Godric exclaimed. "You can't be expected to go up against Voldemort all by yourself, after all."

Harry went red, and muttered something that sounded like the word "prophecy."

"Oh come off it," James scolded him. "That prophecy is obviously bollocks. Neither can live while the other survives my foot. You killed him once, that should have been the bloody end of it."

"But it wasn't," commented the twenty-seventh portrait. "The Dark Lord did not die, James. He had Horcruxes, remember? Your boy survived. If you applied just a bit of logical thinking, you can read that clause as 'The Dark Lord cannot live while Harry Potter survives.'"

"But that still doesn't make sense, Hadrian," the thirty-third portrait replied. "If the Dark Lord could not live while the boy is alive, then how did he return? I agree with James, the prophecy no longer applies. Voldemort circumvented it when he resurrected himself, why should young Harry be expected to abide by it?"

"Perhaps Hadrian had it backwards," said the thirteenth portrait. "Perhaps it means that 'Harry Potter cannot live while the Dark Lord survives.'"

"Well that's obviously bollocks," argued the fortieth portrait in an irate and irritated tone. "Because the boy is standing right in front of us, and I think we can all agree that he's neither a ghost nor any other sort of apparition."

"Enough!" yelled Gryffindor. "All this is doing is distracting us from our purpose here and reminding me why I regret to this day allowing Rowena to talk me into allowing Divination to be taught at Hogwarts!"

Harry grinned at that. He hated the subject too.

"Now, Lord Potter. Should you accept the position as Knight Commander of the Scarlet Knights of Avebury, your first duty will be to seek out Light wizards to fill your ranks. You may select as many Knights as you wish. While your father only had himself and five others, your great-great-great Grandfather had twenty-seven, and I myself had an additional fifty Knights," Godric said.

Harry immediately began thinking about how many Light wizards he knew, wondering how much convincing would be needed to bring them into the Knights. As he went over the list, a question struck him.

"Wait, just wizards?" he asked.

"Yes. As it was 1066 when the Knights were founded, the Charter prevents ladies from joining as Knights. I understand, however, that as time has passed, witches too have become forces to be reckoned with in combat. It was your father's idea, actually, to create the Auxiliary Knights: a group of witches that served as Healers, potions mistresses, spell researchers and crafters, amongst other things," Godric informed him. James smiled at the recognition.

"Alright," Harry said. "Now, what about rank structure? I'd be the Knight Commander, but what would the rest of them be? I know a little bit about the Muggle Orders of chivalry, and with the exception of the Order of the Garter, you have ranks like Knight Grand Cross, Knight Commander, Knight Lieutenant, so on and so forth."

"Ah, this is the fun part!" Godric exclaimed. "You can have up to two Knight Lieutenants, who help you manage the Knights, up to ten Knight Companions, and the rest as Knight Members. All, of course, would be entitled to the honorific "Sir" before their name, unless you recruit other Light sided nobles."

"Got it," Harry said. "2 Lieutenants, up to 10 Companions, and then Members."

"And of those Knights Companion, you must select an Armourer and a Chaplain," Godric informed him.

"OK," Harry said. "Erm, how do I accept the leadership?" he asked.

"Come forward," Godric informed him. "There is a circle in front of my portrait. Kneel there, and I shall tell you the Oath you must swear."

Harry did so, circumnavigating the chamber by walking around the huge table and finding the circle in front of Gryffindor's portrait. Once there, he knelt before the portrait and bowed his head.

"You, Harry James Potter, being chosen to be Leader of the honourable company of the Most Noble Scarlet Knights of Avebury, shall promise and swear by the holy evangelists, by you here touched, that wittingly and willingly you shall not break any statute of the Charter, or any article in them contained, the same being agreeable and not repugnant to the will of God, and the laws of the realm, as far forth as to you belongeth and appertaineth, so help you God and his Holy Word," Gryffindor intoned. "Do you so promise and swear?"

"I, Harry James Potter, do so promise and swear, by the holy evangelists that wittingly and willingly I shall not break any statue of the Charter, or any article in them contained, the same being agreeable and not repugnant to the will of God, and the laws of the realm, as far forth as I belongeth and appertaineth, so help me God and his Holy Word," Harry replied. A flash of magic, and Harry felt something attach itself to his waist.

"Arise, Lord Potter, Knight Commander of the Scarlet Knights of Avebury, and draw your blade!" Gryffindor called. Harry, realizing that he now had a sword strapped to him, stood up and drew it gracefully from its scabbard.

He recognized it immediately. "I've got the Sword of Gryffindor?" he asked Godric, swishing it around to re-acquaint himself with the feel of it in his hands.

"But of course!" the portrait said with a smile. "What better way to legitimize your claim than to give you my Sword?"

Harry grinned. "Are we all going to fight with swords?" he asked.

"It is a time-tested method of battle," the twenty-sixth portrait answered him. "Spellwork can be quite dodgy in close quarters, whereas a blade will do what you want, wherever you want."

"Cool," Harry said. "I can just imagine the look on Ron's face when I tell him. He'll probably join straight away just so he can get one."

"One last important thing I must tell you, Lord Potter," Godric told him. "It is of paramount importance that you complete your recruitment by the Christmas holidays at Hogwarts. At that time, you and your Knights are to come to Avebury to train, and allow your Knights to swear their Oaths."

"I understand," Harry said, sheathing the sword. "Is there a way for me to speak with you or some of the other Knights at Hogwarts for advice or anything of the sort?"

"There is a portrait of me in the Headmaster's Office, of course," Godric said. "However, Albus may not always be able to let you in to have a chat with me. Your first source for information at Hogwarts should be the Ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"Nearly Headless Nick was a Scarlet Knight?" Harry asked, incredulous.

"Yes he was," replied the sixteenth portrait. "And a more honourable gentleman you will never find than Sir Nicholas. Such a shame about that Muggle woman's teeth…"

"Will that be acceptable?" Godric asked.

"Yes. I know Sir Nicholas well, he should be able to help me with most things."

"Excellent, son. Now, it's time for you to return home," James' portrait said. "Just take the Portkey on the letter and say 'retourner'."

"I don't suppose there's any chance of you having a portrait in Hogwarts that could help me?" Harry asked his father.

"Not in Hogwarts, I'm afraid," James replied. "I do have one there somewhere, since I was Head Boy, but I didn't become a Knight until after I left school. There is a portrait of me and your Mum at the Manor that was made after I became a Knight, if you want to visit us there though," he added.

"Which one?" Harry retorted.

"Prat," James answered. "The one in Shropshire."

"Well then, perhaps I may move out of the Leaky Cauldron sooner rather than later," Harry replied. "Be a shame not to be able to talk to your witty self again until Christmas," he added with a cheeky smile.

"You keep that tone up mister, and I'm going to have a talk with your parents," James scolded, earning him a Look from Harry.

"Oh wait," James said with a sudden grin. "I am your parent!"

"Have fun talking to yourself, Dad!" Harry exclaimed, quickly activating the Portkey and disappearing from the Chamber before James could retort.

Reappearing in his room at The Leaky Cauldron, Harry grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, hastily writing a note to Ron and Hermione, telling them he needed to see them as soon as possible, and let them know where he was. Hedwig was more than happy to deliver the note, and not long after she was gone into the night, Harry lay down on his bed and went to sleep, exhausted.