Disclaimer: I still don't own any of it
I apologize for the mix-up - I had no idea it uploaded so weirdly. So, here is the new, improved, and readable version. Thanks for all of the reviews - you all are so nice!
Chapter Four
Jane didn't know what to do. It was awkward enough that she, a stranger, had barged in on a private argument, but now she was staring at the most famous teenage boy in the wizarding world, and she could only stand there and gawk. She felt horribly stupid, and the fact that her mind was screaming "saysomethingsaysomethingsaysomethingཀ" left her unable to think of anything to say. Except-
"Hi," she managed lamely.
Harry opened his mouth, presumably to ask who she was. His eyes were still angry, but not at her, which she was relieved with. He didn't look like someone she had the urge to cross. She felt Ginny's presence behind her, and was grateful for it.
"We were coming to make sure you were all okay," Ginny said. She apparently had no problem with her voice or brain.
A pop sounded and Jane jumped as the twins appeared. She still had not gotten used to this whole Apparating concept. She had been in the presence of magic for quite awhile when Mary Poppins had been her nanny, but having someone appear floating on an umbrella was far less unsettling than having someone appear where there had been nothing before. Apparently, she wasn't the only surprised one - Harry had also jumped.
"Erm - I'm sorry, but - is there a reason you're staring at me?" Harry said to Jane, looking a little unsettled.
"You're Harry Potter?" Jane asked incredulously.
He was far from the gargantuan she'd expected. A little shorter than Ron, and thin - but not gangly, he was still far taller than she, but then, she was eleven and he fifteen. His black hair fell untidily in front of his startlingly green eyes.
"Well, that's a nice break," Harry said. He sounded genuine, but there was still a trace of the annoyance in his voice. Jane flushed. "Finally, someone who doesn't recognize me and want to stare at my forehead."
"Sorry," Jane stammered.
He smiled ruefully. "It's okay." He struggled with himself for a moment, and then finally said, "Sorry if I'm being rude, but who the heck are you?"
"Her name's Jane," Ginny said. "She's going to Hogwarts next year, and her brother's staying here during-"
"-Okay, now that you're all done prattling, they're having a meeting," Fred broke in.
"Who?" Jane asked.
"The Order," George clarified. When the silence made it clear she was still mystified, he rolled his eyes. "The Order of the Phoenix is a group of people founded by Dumbledore. They work to fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."
"Sorry - who?" Jane asked, flushing.
The twins rolled their eyes simultaneously, making them even more alike. Jane felt herself blush even redder.
"Honestlyཀ" Hermione said. "She's Muggle-born. How should she know?"
"You did," Fred pointed out.
"Well, maybe she doesn't like to read as much." Hermione seemed to struggle coming up with her response, attempting not to be unkind. "Anyway, Dumbledore's the headmaster at Hogwarts, and, erm, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named-"
"Voldemort." Harry said quietly. Everyone flinched. "Do you recognize him by that name?"
Jane nodded silently. Mary Poppins had explained what had happened to Harry on his first birthday. Yes, Jane recognized the name, and she'd never forget it, because it instilled such fear in her that she would never be able to, even if she'd tried.
"You never wondered why random people kept coming over here for dinner? Why the house was hidden?" George asked curiously.
"I had other things to think about," Jane said. She liked the twins, but they didn't tolerate idiocy well. But, then, did anyone?
At dinner, there was another row, this one the adults against the teenagers. Harry seemed to want to hear what the Order was planning, and Sirius and Mrs. Weasley were having a very heated argument over whether he ought to hear.
In the end, Sirius and Harry won out, but not without Mrs. Weasley having her way. Ginny was not going to be allowed to stay, and to Jane's disappointment, Mary Poppins stepped in and firmly declared that Jane and Michael would stay over her dead body, and they were marched up to their respective bedrooms.
"It isn't fair, is it?" Ginny fumed as Jane closed the door behind her. "Why does age always have to do whether you can do something? I can handle whatever they're saying. Anyway, I'm only a year younger than they are."
"Won't Hermione tell us anyway?" Jane asked mildly, climbing onto Hermione's bed since the other girl was absent, and Jane's cot was, in a word, uncomfortable.
"That's not the point," Ginny said. "Of course she will, but why won't Mum ever let me hear the interesting things?"
"Well, we will hear them. We just have to wait." Jane said diplomatically.
"You're no fun to complain to, do you know that?" Ginny said, flopping back on her bed. "Don't you ever stop being perfect long enough to live?"
"My father wants perfect children," Jane said in a low voice. "Is it so bad to try to be what he wants?"
"Yes, if it interferes with who you really are," Ginny said in a no-nonsense voice. "You realize that, right?"
"Sort of," Jane said. "Now."
"Sorry," Ginny sighed, rolling over onto her stomach. "I didn't mean to be rude."
"We've got time to kill," Jane said, changing the subject. "What do you want to do?"
"Wizards' games don't have a reputation for being quiet." Ginny explained. "Take Exploding Snap and Wizarding Chess, for example. Have you got anything Muggle?"
"Not really," Jane said, opening her trunk to peer into it. "A deck of Muggle cards," she offered. "Not as exciting as Exploding Snap, but they'll be quiet enough. How about Go Fish?" Ginny didn't know how to play, so Jane quickly explained and dealt the cards.
"Wickedཀ" Ginny exclaimed, examining the cards. "So what do these heart things mean? And how come there are three sevens, but only one two? What's a K?"
Jane felt her heart sink. This was going to be far more complicated than she'd originally thought.
"Okay, so the pictures right there are called suits, and there are four," she explained. "There are also four of every number, even if you don't have them all..."
When Hermione came in, she looked dead tired, and slumped when she saw Jane and Ginny looking at her expectantly.
"All right, I owe it to you," she sighed. "But, honestly, it's after midnight. I'm exhausted. How can you not be?"
"Because we've been deprived of all the interesting stuff," Ginny said matter-of-factly. "Please, Hermioneཀ"
Hermione collapsed on her bed and threw an arm over her eyes and began to talk. Neither Ginny nor Jane would have expected the explanation to take so long, but Hermione had to have been talking for quite awhile. When she had finished, she propped herself up on her elbows and looked at them through sleepy eyes.
"So?" she asked.
"Wowཀ" Ginny whispered. "I'm never going to forgive Mum for leaving me out of that all."
"Well, you heard it, in the end," Hermione reminded her. "I haven't even opened my O.W.L. book today," she groaned.
"You do know it's summer, right, Hermione?" Ginny asked incredulously.
"Of course I do," Hermione said indignantly. "I-"
"Go to sleep," Jane interrupted. "When do you take your O.W.L.S.?"
"At the end of the year," Ginny said when Hermione didn't answer.
"You have months," Jane reminded Hermione. "You haven't got to study now!"
"You have five years," Hermione murmured, half-asleep.
"We're going to have to clean again tomorrow," Ginny said. "If you don't go to sleep now, you're crazy," she pronounced.
"You're right," Hermione sighed. She pulled on a pair of slippers and shuffled out the door.
Ginny yawned and crawled under her quilt, and Jane moved to her cot. She was exhausted - even though the cot wasn't comfortable, she was able to fall asleep quickly. In fact, she didn't even hear Hermione's return.
The Order had some kind of important meeting today, so everyone under eighteen was being kicked out of the house. Hermione was going to Diagon Alley to browse the bookstore, and Ron was going with her to pick up forgotten school supplies. Fred and George had been invited to a Quidditch game by their friend Lee Jordan, while Harry, Ginny, Jane, and Michael were all going to the Ministry of Magic with Mary Poppins.
Harry looked nervous to be back again. After all, only a week ago he'd been here on trial for an act of self-defense. Now, however, it was merely a leisurely visit. They went into a small phone booth, crowding in so that the door would close. Miss Poppins pulled the phone off of the hook and quickly pressed 6-2-4-4-2.
"Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business," A nasal voice said from the receiver.
"Mary Poppins, reporting for work, escorting Jane and Michael Banks, Harry Potter, and Ginevra Weasley, visitors."
The voice asked them to take identification badges, which each of them attached to their shirts. The floor of the booth sank, until they were in a fountained hall with dark wooden floors. In several fireplaces, a merry fire was burning. The ceiling was a beautiful and startling blue.
Each of them presented their wands (including Jane, who had one made of oak with a unicorn hair core) to the security guard standing where the lobby led to the Ministry proper. He quickly checked them and returned each, beckoning them to go through a pair of golden gates.
"I am the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation." Miss Poppins said, leading them towards an elevator. "So I'll be on Level Five. If you like, you may come with me. On the other hand, Jane and Michael, I believe there's someone you'd like to see. He works on Level Three, the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes. He's on the Committee on Experimental Charms."
"Level Three?" Jane asked. She was at a loss as to how to get there.
"I know Level Three," Ginny offered. "I've been all over the Ministry - I come with Dad all the time."
"So will you all be going to Level Three?" Mary asked. "Harry?"
He shrugged. "Sure, I'll go."
Ginny thrust her thumb onto a button labeled in some odd language as Miss Poppins stepped off the elevator.
"Invite him to dinner if you like," she called as the doors began to close. "Anyone can tell you where to find my office when you're finished. Go where you like, but you know where to stay away from, Ginny. Don't cause any trouble."
They all promised not to, and were left alone in the elevator with several fluttering paper airplanes.
"Who is it, Jane?" Michael asked, tugging at her sleeve.
"I don't know, Michael," she said shortly. The apprehension was bothering her, too. It had been surprise enough to realize this whole new world existed, and that people she knew were a t of it, but now the amounts of people were increasing.
As they stepped off the elevator on level four. Ginny led the way through whizzing objects, offices, spells gone awry, and magical objects, until they reached an office door labeled "Committee on Experimental Charms", under which was a small plaque that said "Head: Gilbert Wimple" (A/N: Check the book... there really is a Gilbert Wimple in the CoEC).
"Oh, Jane, come on!" Michael cried, grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the door.
"What's wrong?" she protested.
"I know who it is, Jane, now hurry up!"
Jane pushed through the door, excited, just as a huge explosion rocked the floor. She fell back on Michael, who caused Ginny to topple, leaving Harry as the last domino in the row. Jane clambered to her feet first and helped her brother up. She turned to see the source of the explosion.
A man stood in the center of the room, clutching his wand. His eyebrows were singed, but the color was no different. His hair, on head and above eyes had always been dark. He saw her and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Jane!" he said.
"Bert!" she cried, and ran forward. "You left the park, and Michael and I couldn't find you. You stopped coming, and no one knew where you'd gone."
"I had to come back to work," he said. "I've missed you two." He caught sight of Michael. "Do you still have your kite?"
Michael shook his head. "Father doesn't fly kites any more. He got promoted at the bank, and he forgot all about us again."
Bert shook his head. "A pity."
Michael looked hopeful. "Are you going to come back and fix things again?"
"No, we aren't - his promotion was actually our goal. Last time, as much as it pains me to say it, we didn't come to fix things between you and your father." Bert hesitated. "I'm not sure how much I'm allowed to say. I trust we're in trustworthy company?"
Ginny stepped forward. "Sir, he's Harry Potter,"
"Great Scott, so he is!" Bert said. He stared intently at Harry's scar for a moment, and then nodded. "And you?"
"Ginny Weasley. I'm the daughter of Arthur Weasley... Department of-"
"I know Arthur Weasley. I suppose it might surprise you to know I'm in the Order as well," Bert said, sitting down and leaning back in his chair. "But that's not to do with what I'm telling you. Perhaps, Jane, Michael, you remember the man who was president of your father's bank?"
Jane nodded. "I remember him."
"And the bird woman?"
They both nodded.
"My tuppence," Michael said ruefully with a small smile.
"Her real name is Mafalda Hopkirk. She prevents the misuse of magical powers. The men at your father's bank were embezzling money from the wizarding bank, Gringotts. That was the main reason Mary and I came. The man hadn't died - he's in Azkaban, the wizarding prison. We wanted your father to become promoted - he was the only remotely trustworthy one who was high up enough in the bank to become president. But there was another reason we came, according to Dumbledore."
"Who's Dumbledore?" Michael asked brightly.
"Shh, Michael, don't interrupt," Jane hissed, elbowing him.
"Father's not here," Michael reminded her, smiling mischievously.
"Dumbledore's the headmaster of Hogwarts, and the only wizard You-Know-Who was ever afraid of," Bert said. "As I was saying, according to his list, you and Michael had just come into your magic, and, because of the unusual strength of your powers, he was worried that you would lose control and end up injuring someone - or worse. So Mary was sent to help you discipline yourselves, while at the same time helping me with the men at the bank."
"But you're the head of the Committee for Experimental Charms," Ginny said. "What does that have to do with catching Dark wizards?"
"You'd be surprised at how much reorganization the Ministry went through after You-Know-Who's defeat," Bert answered. "I was an Auror, too - you'd be surprised at who they let through those days, they were that desperate. No one wanted to be an Auror - it added to the risk that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would come after you. So they'd take anyone, no matter what their training level. But after he was defeated, they decided that I wasn't qualified, despite the work I'd done. So I was relocated to this department. I was one of the lucky ones, though. A lot of them were just fired."
"They might take you back, though, right?" Harry asked, finally speaking up. "Once they figure out Voldemort's back?" Everyone visibly flinched, and he looked borderline annoyed.
"I doubt it,"Bert said. "It's really up to the Order, now."
"Well, I'm sorry I lost you your job."Harry said awkwardly.
Bert grinned. "It's not that I mind it here. Plenty of explosions, of course. Always keeps things interesting."
"Mary said we could invite you to dinner,"Jane said, remembering her manners now that the enthrallment of the story had ended. "You'll come, won't you?"
"Certainly,"Bert said. "If Molly'll have enough?"
"More than enough, if I know Mum,"Ginny said ruefully. "We'd better go, though."
"I'll see you all later tonight, then." Bert said. Ginny and Harry filed out of the room, followed by Michael. Jane started to go after them, but then paused when she reached the door.
"Bert,"she said. He looked up from his desk, where he was leafing through some papers. "What is it?"
"When you were talking about me and Michael,"she said. "You said something about our magic - unusual strength."
"I did,"he agreed."
"What - what did you mean?"
"I thought that was perfectly clear, Jane," he said, looking surprised. "You and Michael are exceedingly magically gifted. You'll remember the time you cleaned the nursery?"
She nodded, smiling a little at the memory.
"You had an amazing grasp of your powers at that stage. Most children that powerful and that young would wreak havoc. You and Michael had control."
"I don't understand, though. I can't possibly be that good at magic. That's the only thing I ever did that was remotely magical."
"Albus Dumbledore is a man that rarely makes mistakes, Jane. If he says you've got the aptitude to be an amazing witch, I thoroughly believe his word." Bert said with finality. "You're in the company of a great many talented witches and wizards."
"You mean the members of the Order."
"Not just them. Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord, as you've heard, I'm sure. The twins are exceedingly gifted at inventing new spells and items - something I can admire, based on my own career. Hermione Granger, I hear, is one of the most intelligent witches ever to enter Hogwarts. And according to Dumbledore, Ronald and Ginevra Weasley have their own talents, although they've had little opportunity to prove it yet."
Jane was awestruck. "And I - I'm supposed to be good at this, too?"
"You will, Jane,"Bert said calmly. "Just give yourself a chance."
"Thanks, Bert,"she said quietly as she turned towards the door. "It's good to see you again."
"You too,"he said. "I've missed you and Michael." Jane shut the door behind her, feeling more muddled than before she'd attempted to clarify things for herself.
"What took you so long?"Michael groused.
"I had to ask him something,"Jane answered. Ordinarily, she might have snapped at him (as long as her father hadn't been around), but she was too lost in her thoughts to be annoyed with her brother.
Jane pushed her trunk ahead of her on the trolley. She was nervous. Somehow, staying at Grimmauld Place had seemed very different from attending wizarding school. What if they threw her out? Said it was all a big mistake, and tore her away from the first adults who had given two cents about her in a long time. She was following Harry, since he was easy to keep in sight, being one of the few people at Kings Cross Station with an owl. They came to the wall between platforms 9 and 10, then stopped.
"What's going on?"she asked Harry. "Won't we miss the train?"
"We're heading for the platform,"he said, as though he were preoccupied with something else. "Nine and three-quarters."
"What did you say?"she asked, amazed.
He repeated himself. "Nine and three-quarters. Just run at the wall and you'll go through onto the platform." Jane wondered if he were joking with her. He didn't seem at all the type to think it funny to send a girl careening into a wall for entertainment, but she hadn't known him very long.
"Look, there go Ron and Ginny."He said, nodding. Jane turned around and, to her amazement, saw the two go right through a brick wall. So Harry wasn't lying... she felt ashamed for having doubted him. "Come on," he said briskly, wheeling his trolley towards Hermione and the twins. Jane hurried after him.
The twins dashed towards the wall. They seemed to take particular joy in running so quickly that if the wall didn't let them through, they'd probably end up with concussions.
"Ready?"Jane heard Harry say to Hermione. She nodded, and they both tore towards the wall. Jane felt a burst of something, and realized, to her horror, that she was a smidge jealous of Hermione. Oh, no, Jane, she told herself. No, you don't.
Mrs. Weasley appeared at Jane's elbow to lead her through to the platform. As she boarded the Hogwarts Express, Jane was still feeling horrified. This could not be happening.