Chapter 04
Through the door Harry went, back out into the empty dining room. This time, he turned right and went towards a door he hadn't noticed the first time through. He could hear various noises coming through from the other side and assumed it led to the kitchen.
Slowly, he reached for the knob and turned it. He opened the door just a crack before cautiously sticking his head through so he could inside the room. Immediately, he was greeted by a multitude of delicious smells that could only mean one thing: Mrs. Weasley was preparing dinner. As he cautiously stepped into what was easily the largest and most elaborate kitchen he had ever seen, he took the time to study the unbelievable variety of foods that were cooking, boiling, baking, and steaming in their respective pots, pans, bowls, and dishes.
Being somewhat preoccupied by the feast she was in the midst of preparing, it took Mrs. Weasley several moments before she realized she wasn't alone. With a huge smile on her face, she bustled over to Harry, holding a large platter of sandwiches with both hands. "Here you are, dear," she said, "some roast beef sandwiches to tide you over until dinner. They're leftover from last night, I'm afraid." She seemed legitimately upset she wasn't able to offer him anything freshly prepared.
Smiling reassuringly, he took the platter from her hands. "This is fine, Mrs. Weasley. Your food is always delicious." Mollified by his words, she smiled and hustled over to what appeared to be a muggle refrigerator. Reaching inside, she withdrew a pitcher of juice and motioned for Harry to go back out into the dining room. She followed him out and got him seated at the immense table. After setting the juice on the table and conjuring a glass for him to drink from, she patted Harry on his shoulder and turned to go back to the kitchen.
Before she could leave the room, Harry spoke. "Mrs. Weasley?" She turned back to him. "Do you need any help? In the kitchen, I mean?" He felt slightly guilty, seeing her slaving away in the sweltering kitchen without anyone around to give her a hand.
Mrs. Weasley just smiled gently and shook her head. "No, no, dear. You just eat up and go find Ron and Hermione. I'm sure you must have missed them this summer. You go on and have some fun." Once he nodded in agreement, she turned and made her way back into the kitchen, closing the door softly behind her.
Harry stared at the closed door for a moment, then turned back to the sandwiches. With the food right in front of him, Harry realised just how hungry he was. Lifting the first sandwich, he tore into it with gusto. After the first bite, he could have sworn he'd never had anything quite as delicious. After over a month of living off whatever scraps the Dursleys fed him, he'd almost forgotten what it was like to eat real food.
In a matter of minutes, Harry completely emptied the platter. He finished off his meal by draining the last drop of juice from the pitcher. Leaning back in his chair, he patted his stomach and sighed contentedly.
With that done, he was faced with the question of what to do next. His earlier promise to report what he'd learned from the Order to his friends came to mind, and he decided to go ahead with that.
Exiting the dining room, Harry started back to the bedrooms, where he assumed he'd find his friends. But when he got there, the only things that greeted him were closed doors. The only open door was the one that led to his room, and it was completely empty. Tentatively, he reached out and knocked on Ron's door. When no one answered, he turned and knocked on Hermione's as well, to no avail.
Where could they have gotten off to?
Sighing, he decided to take the opportunity to explore some more of the house, since his friends were obviously off doing their own thing. He debated for a moment on whether to go further down the hallway or go back the way he came. He quickly opted to go back downstairs. For all he knew, the rest of the rooms in the hallway were bedrooms, and he didn't want to disturb anyone who might not want to be disturbed.
Back downstairs he went, this time taking the time to investigate the grand room at the bottom of the staircase. Almost immediately, Harry noticed that there was another door several feet to the right of the stairs. It was the same colour as the wall, and under different lighting, would probably be nearly invisible. Cautiously, he reached for the ornate doorknob and gave it a slight twist. When it turned, Harry realized that it wasn't locked and took that as a good sign. To his disappointment, it only opened up into yet another long, empty corridor.
Curious to see where this newly uncovered hall led to, Harry pressed on. It didn't take him long to notice the difference between this hall and the rest of the house. This hallway was dark, with only several dim lights to illuminate the entire space. It was a little intimidating, Harry had to admit. But since it was Dumbledore's house, and Harry trusted the powerful wizard implicitly, he continued on.
A moment later, Harry was forced to stop when the hallway came to an abrupt end. Turning to his right, he scanned the wall for a moment before realising he was looking at another well-hidden door. He could just barely make out the outline on the wall. He couldn't see a knob or any kind of handle. The only thing close was an old torch holder. Since the hallway was lit by magical lights, this struck Harry as odd. Reaching out, he twisted it experimentally and grinned when it turned and a section of wall silently slid open.
Harry stepped through the doorway and paused to study the room that he'd entered. Arrayed before him were row upon row of fancy, expensive-looking cars. They were all glinting brightly in the sunlight that was shining in through the large windows lining the walls. Harry had never seen so many cars in one place before.
Mouth open, Harry started forward, studying the cars as he passed them. He had no idea why Dumbledore would have such a large collection, especially considering the fact that he'd never seen or heard the old wizard speaking about driving or even being aware of such things. Earlier, when Dumbledore mentioned his collection, Harry had envisioned two, maybe three rather ordinary cars, like the old Ford the Weasley's used to own. He never would have pictured anything like this.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Harry came to a halt beside a small, sporty-looking silver car. Harry didn't know very much about different vehicles, but he had enough sense to know that this shiny little machine was probably worth more than all of the cars his Uncle Vernon had ever owned combined.
"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" The sudden question startled Harry out of his musings. His head shot up and he began to look around, trying to find who had spoke. He quickly spotted the tall form of Jack Harper leaning against one of the larger cars, several rows over.
"Yes," Harry replied conversationally, taking another long look at the silver car. Something about the vehicle seemed to call to him. He instinctively knew that it would be exhilarating to drive it, to see just how fast it could go. He had never driven a car before, but he assumed that it would be somewhat similar to flying a broom. He remembered riding in the back of Vernon's car, but he had no doubt that the machine in front of him would easily put Vernon's to shame. "Mr. Weasley must have lost his mind when he saw all these."
Jack smiled and nodded. "That's a pretty accurate description. Kingsley had to drag him out of here a couple minutes ago. Needed him for something work-related."
"Ah. Well, if you see any of my friends, could you tell them I'm looking for them, Mr. Harper?" Harry asked as he turned back toward the hidden hallway.
"It's Jack," the tall man replied, "and I think your friends are outside. That way." He jerked his head to the main door at the front of the garage. "Some of the Weasleys passed through here while Arthur was still here. Said something about going flying."
"Oh. Thanks." Harry made to walk past the man, but paused when he drew even with him. "I saw you today, at Privet Drive. You used the Dark Arts. The Killing curse. I didn't…" He paused for a second, searching for the right words. He didn't want to offend the man; he didn't even know him. "I didn't realise the good guys did that. Can't you go to Azkaban for using curses like that?'
Jack shrugged. "I'm a special case. In most cases, yes, curses like the ones I used today would land a person in Azkaban. Or worse. But special circumstances dictate the need for drastic action. You spoke to Dumbledore?" Harry nodded. "Then you know what's coming. Tell me you wouldn't use the Dark Arts if you knew it would help."
"So you know about the prophecy then?" Jack just stared at him, unblinking. "Did Dumbledore tell the entire Order?" Harry was feeling very put out with Dumbledore at that point.
"No. Only those of us who needed to know. He wanted to tell you first, but we were here and you weren't." He shrugged. "Including you, maybe half a dozen people are aware of the full prophecy."
Harry was quiet for a moment, considering. "The people who are going to be tutoring me?"
"Yeah. He felt it would keep them properly motivated."
Having his questions answered was making Harry bolder. "So what's your role in all this, then? I asked Dumbledore, but he said you wouldn't be teaching me."
Jack was silent for a second, then he shrugged. "I'm in this because Dumbledore asked me to be. The dark lord needs to be stopped, and if I can help, I will. How long?" Harry cocked an eyebrow. "How long until Voldemort turns his attention to Azkaban?" the man elaborated. "How long until he liberates his most devoted followers? When he comes for them, the prison will fall and the Dementors will join him. It's going to happen, probably sooner rather than later. How long until he convinces the vampires, werewolves and the giants to join his cause? Dumbledore has nothing to offer them, and he can't frighten them into joining us. Albus Dumbledore is a powerful wizard, but he can't stop what's coming. You're the one who had to end this, and you'll be given all of the preparation you can handle. But it'll take time, time that no one here has. Voldemort is not an idiot; he'll focus all of his resources on killing you, before your power starts to really develop. That's the only reason Azkaban hasn't been hit yet; he's been preoccupied with getting to you. So until you're ready, I'll be here—along with the rest of the order—to keep the fight going."
All throughout Jack's speech, Harry listened attentively. He knew the man was right. In the end, it would be him and Voldemort. The prophecy said as much. Harry wasn't sure if he could ever kill anybody, but he knew Voldemort needed to be stopped. As he let the words sink in, Harry felt a fierce sense of determination and drive well up inside. He would train like never before and he would push himself to his limit and beyond. When it came time to put an end to everything once and for all, he would be ready.
"I understand," he said quietly, catching and holding Jack's eye. "I know what I have to do. I'll be ready." The tall man nodded, unblinking, even as his lips quirked up in a small smile.
The moment was broken a second later when somebody's loud laughter suddenly filtered in from outside. Jack looked to the window, then gestured towards the front of the garage. The two made their way past the rows of cars to the door. Harry opened it up and stepped out into the sunlight.
For a moment, Harry thought maybe he'd imagined the laughter. He looked around, but all he could see was the sweeping green lawn and the bright blue expanse of sky directly above him. There was nobody around. He looked to Jack, who was looking up, scanning the sky.
Suddenly, the same laughter rang out from above Harry and he looked up just in time to see two people on brooms go speeding by. It was immediately clear the two were playing some kind of game, with one in pursuit of the other. The one in the lead Harry immediately recognised as Charlie Weasley. As Harry watched him fly, he was reminded of the fact that Charlie had once been the seeker for the Gryffindor house quidditch team. Seeing how he seemed to effortlessly cut through the air, it was easy for Harry to understand how the second eldest Weasley brother had once excelled at the game.
Despite his skill, Charlie was only just managing to stay ahead of his pursuer. The long red hair and petite form gave the second flier away as Ginny Weasley, the youngest Weasley sibling and only girl of the bunch. It had been her laughter they heard, as she followed the twisting path her brother was taking through the air.
As Harry and Jack looked on, the two airborne Weasleys pressed on with their game. They continued to twist and turn through the air, until Charlie finally spotted the two observers and spiralled down to meet them. Ginny saw them as well a second later and followed her brother. The siblings landed and dismounted their brooms a couple of yards away, then walked over to greet them.
"Hi, Harry," Ginny said cheerfully as the two Weasleys drew closer. He smiled back at her and nodded to Charlie, who had a broad smile on his face as well.
"Hey, Harry," Charlie said loudly, extending his hand for the teenager to shake. "Jack," he said a moment later, nodding respectfully to the tall man. Jack returned the greeting with a nod of his own.
"You guys looked like you were having fun up there," Harry commented, gesturing up towards the sky with a smile on his face.
Ginny let out a small laugh and nodded, and Charlie's grin widened even further. "Oh, yeah, I love flying through the air like that. You should give it a go with us sometime; ever since I saw you fly against the Horntail, I've wanted to see just how good you really are."
Harry grinned. "Since we're going to be here for the rest of the summer, I think we'll probably be able to fit a few games in somewhere." Harry paused for a moment, and then looked towards the brooms the two Weasleys were holding. "Are you guys done for now then?"
"Yeah, I think so," Ginny replied. "I think I'm going to head out back and see what Ron and Hermione are doing."
Harry perked up at that. "You know where they are?"
"Yeah," Charlie said. "We saw them out there while we were in the air. They probably think the meeting is still going. Shall we go see them?" Harry nodded and the four started off around the side of the garage, heading towards the back of the house.
As they walked along, Harry took the opportunity to ask the others some questions he had. "So you'll be working at Hogwarts this year then, Charlie?"
The wizard nodded and grinned. "Yeah, Dumbledore hired me on to help out Hagrid. Well, that's the official story." His grin turned into a smirk. "Of course the Order is the real reason but that's not something everybody needs to know."
Harry nodded. "Yes, I can imagine. How is the public taking the news that Voldemort has returned?" At that, both Weasleys exchanged a nervous glance. The look did not escape Harry's notice. "What?"
"Well," Charlie said, "the Ministry decided it was in the best interest of the public that such information not be released until it could be confirmed."
He fell silent as Harry came to a sudden stop and an enraged expression appeared on his face. "What? How can they do that?" he shouted, eyes wide and blazing. "The public needs to know to be on the lookout, to be ready to defend themselves." He paused to take a breath and looked to be ready to continue on with his angry rant.
Before he could launch himself off again, Jack's deep voice interrupted him. "The Ministry is full of fools. None of them want to face the fact that Voldemort has returned. They'll do everything they can to ignore this and hope it goes away. Eventually, Voldemort will act and everything will come crashing down on them, but for now it doesn't matter."
He sounded so confident that Harry found his anger being replaced by curiosity. "What do you mean, it doesn't matter?"
"Voldemort is completely focused on you," Jack replied. "Until you're dead, he isn't going to care about the killing and terror-spreading that he did before. Many of his followers enjoy comfortable jobs within the Ministry, and they won't want to put their easy lives at risk until Voldemort makes himself known once again. The public is relatively safe at this stage, and they will remain that way until you die or Voldemort decides to move on and try something new."
Harry considered this for a moment, then nodded his head. "I guess you're right. But it's still mental. The Ministry should be taking steps to prepare for what's coming."
Both Weasleys and Jack exchanged glances at that point. Once again, Harry was left wondering what they were thinking about. Charlie noticed his expression. "A lot of the higher-ups in the Ministry really don't want word to get out," he explained, "so they've been trying to discredit Dumbledore. Luckily, Dumbledore hasn't really been pressing the issue, since he believes the public is still fairly safe at this point. They don't really have much dirt on him, so it hasn't been too bad. There've been a few nasty articles in the Prophet, but they've mostly been ignored by everybody." He paused there and shook his head, a dark look on his face. "The Ministry tried very hard to get somebody inside Hogwarts, to keep an eye on Dumbledore."
That was almost impossible for Harry to fathom. For the Ministry of Magic to try and infiltrate Hogwarts was beyond idiotic. It was a school, not an enemy camp.
Harry's shock must have shown on his face because Charlie laughed humourlessly and nodded. "Yes, they tried very hard indeed. Fudge got a law enacted stating that the Ministry has the power to appoint Hogwarts professors if Dumbledore can't find someone willing to take the job. They almost had one of Fudge's toadies into the Defence post, but Dumbledore managed to find someone willing to take the job at the last moment. You can imagine the Ministry's surprise when he told them he had found someone, especially considering there were rumours going around that the Ministry had been sending operatives around to chat with any qualified people." He shook his head again and grinned. "He won't tell us who he hired, but knowing Dumbledore, whoever it is will be great."
"I hope so," Harry said fervently. "With Voldemort back, we're going to need to learn as much about Defence as we possibly can." The other three all nodded their agreement and started off for the back yard again.
Since the house and garage were so expansive, there was a long distance to walk just to reach the back lawn. As they went along, Harry's face remained set in a disturbed expression. It was clear to the others that his mind was still on the revelations about the recent actions of the Ministry.
Ginny decided to try to turn his mind to other things. "So Harry..." He turned his head look at her as she searched for something to say. "Are you looking forward to playing quidditch again this year?" she settled on. He grinned and nodded vigorously in response, and she silently congratulated herself for taking his mind off of the Ministry and his other troubles.
"Yeah," he said, "I can't wait to play. It was hard last year, not having quidditch matches to look forward to. And it should be a great team this year as well; all we'll need is a new keeper. I expect Angelina will be the new captain. She's been on the team the longest and she's a great player."
Ginny nodded. "I was thinking about trying out this year as well. I thought maybe I could get a position as a reserve chaser."
Harry grinned at that and Charlie patted his sister's shoulder in a supportive manner. "That's a great idea, Ginny," Harry said. "Next year Angelina will be gone, so you could probably get on the team in a starting position then."
She smiled at his encouraging words. "Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Do you have any idea who could be Gryffindor's new keeper?"
Harry shook his head, and opened his mouth to speak, but the expression on Charlie's face made him pause. "What?"
The elder Weasley looked a little apprehensive, but after a moment of silence, he responded. "You can't tell him that I told you, but Ron's been talking about trying out for the keeper position. He still isn't sure if he's gonna do it, so he doesn't want anybody else to know. Just don't mention it and I'm sure he'll eventually work up the nerve to try out."
Harry couldn't keep the smile off of his face when he heard that. "That's great!" he said. "I've seen him play a lot and he's pretty good." Harry fell silent at that moment, as they finally reached the back yard. He paused for a moment to take in all that he could see, which included several gardens full of exotic flowers and plants, some muggle and others clearly magical in nature. One thing that struck him as odd was that the brick wall that surrounded three sides of the property was absent from this side. After the gardens ended, there was nothing but a small hut about fifty meters away, and then flat ground as far as the eye could see. A mountain rose high into the sky some distance away, but that was it.
As he looked around in wide-eyed wonder, Charlie and Ginny couldn't help but to laugh at his expression. "It sure is something to behold, isn't it?"
Charlie's voice broke through Harry's wonder and he turned his head to look at the red-head. "Yes, it's amazing. But why is it so bare after the gardens and that little hut? I mean, with a lawn this size, he could have a quidditch pitch or a swimming pool. Or both."
Charlie laughed out loud at that, but said nothing. Confused, Harry turned to Ginny, only to see that she too was laughing heartily. It was only when he turned to Jack that he finally got a response. "The lawn isn't really that big." When Harry's confused expression did not disappear, Jack elaborated. "The property is on a cliff. The ground drops off a few feet beyond that hut, and it's about a four hundred foot drop to the lake down below."
Understanding quickly set in on Harry's face. Now that he thought about it, it made a lot of sense. For a house surrounded by a forest of trees, it would not have made much sense for there to be absolutely no trees in the area behind it.
At that moment, a shout drew the attention of the four and Harry turned to see Ron and Hermione waving to him from over near one of the gardens. They were standing in the shade of some kind of large, leafy plant.. As the four of newcomers walked over to join them, Harry noticed that Ron was holding a broom and Hermione had a thick book in her hands. He shook his head and smiled.
I guess some things never change, he thought.
Once they were close enough, Ron spoke. "Charlie, Bill was just out here looking for you. He said he needs your help with something, but he didn't say what."
With a sigh, Charlie nodded and turned to face the others. "I'd better go find out what he wants, or I'll never hear the end of it. See you all at dinner." With a final wave, he turned and made his way over to the back of the house. Up he went onto the expansive-looking wooden deck that ran along most of the back wall. There was a set of glass doors that led into the house, and it was through these doors that Charlie went.
Once he disappeared inside the house, the remaining five people exchanged greetings, and then question period started. "So, how was the meeting, Harry?" Ron inquired. "Did you learn anything important?"
Harry hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether or not he should say anything with Ginny present. But after a moment, he decided nothing he'd learned at the meeting was really that much of a secret. Clearing his throat, he began. "Well, a lot of the Order members really didn't agree with me being there, but Dumbledore had made up his mind so..." He shrugged, not sure what else to say about that. "The arguments stopped pretty quickly once Dumbledore made it clear that my induction was not up for debate."
Hermione interrupted him at that point, though she directed her question towards Jack. "How much support does Harry have within the Order? Is he going to have to worry about any of the members giving him any trouble over this?"
"No," he replied. "A few people will undoubtedly raise their objections again at the next meeting, but they're all very loyal to Dumbledore and will abide by his orders. Harry has a lot of backers within the Order; they'll make sure nobody gives him any real trouble."
Hermione nodded, a satisfied expression on her face. "Good. Now, what else was talked about?"
Harry let out a sigh. "Well, Dumbledore told the Order what he discovered about how the Death Eaters were able to get to me at Privet Drive." He fell silent, thinking about the exchange he'd witnessed during the meeting. After a moment of inactivity, Hermione cleared her throat loudly. Startled out of his thoughts, Harry continued on. "Dumbledore said he thinks Voldemort was able to overpower the wards around Privet Drive." That simple statement had a profound effect on at least two of the others: Hermione and Ginny both gasped and went white.
Ron was the only person who didn't fully understand the magnitude of what Voldemort had allegedly done. "So what if he broke through the wards? Can't Dumbledore just put in better ones, ones that You-Know-Who can't break?"
"No," Jack said, taking pity on the teenager. "The wards around Privet Drive were blood wards. They were some of the most powerful wards in the world. To break through something like that would take an incredible amount of power, more power than anyone thought Voldemort had. There are no better wards. If Voldemort can break through those, he can break through any wards."
Harry spoke again at that point. "Yeah, Bill said the same thing. He couldn't believe that Voldemort had managed to break through blood wards. Dumbledore said he got in contact with a ward designer from North America and she'll be coming here sometime this summer to try and come up with a new ward to keep me safe." He fell silent and let the others take that information in.
"What are you going to do if they can't find another one strong enough to protect you?" Ron asked, after a moment.
Harry shrugged. "I think I'll just end up staying here again next summer. That's what Dumbledore said anyways." He paused there and grinned slightly, although the humour in it was muted at best. "At least I won't have to go back to the Dursley's next year." The others all smiled weakly and silence descended on the group.
As the silence stretched on, Harry contemplated whether or not he should inform the others about what else Dumbledore had said. It didn't take him long to decide the prophecy was going to remain secret for now. That was a personal matter, between him and Voldemort, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better. The last thing he wanted was for the news to get out that he was fated to either kill Voldemort or die trying.
Instead, Harry decided to broach a more positive subject. "Dumbledore also told me that I'll be getting special training from now on, just in case Voldemort attacks." He tacked on that last bit, not wanting to let out any hint of why he was really training. "Dumbledore wants me to learn as much as I can, so he's getting a bunch of people to help teach me a variety of subjects."
At that point, Harry paused to see how everyone was reacting to what he had just told them. Hermione looked jealous at the fact that Harry would be learning so many new things, while Ron merely looked excited for his friend. Ginny's expression was perhaps the most intriguing: she seemed to be torn between excitement, like her brother, and what looked like worry.
Before he could say anything else, Jack's deep voice cut through the silence. "You'll all be receiving training along with Harry." Everyone turned to look at him in surprise at that. "Dumbledore feels it would be wise for you all to be able to defend yourselves, seeing as you are all close to Harry." Ginny opened her mouth and appeared to be about to say something, but Jack pressed on. "Voldemort is well aware of Harry's closeness to you two, and his bond with the entire Weasley family. It's just a precaution, one you should all take full advantage of."
Hermione looked to be almost jumping out of her skin when Harry turned to look at her and Ron. He smiled widely, a gesture which was returned by both of them. "This is going to be great!" she gushed, so excited by the prospect of the extra learning she would be doing. Ron, a grin on his face, rolled his eyes at her reaction, despite his own happiness at being included.
"Will you be involved in the training, Jack?" Ginny's question drew the attention of the other three and they all paused to hear the man's answer.
"I won't be training any of you," he said, "but I'll probably be around to observe many of the training sessions. I'm curious to see how well you'll all do." He fell silent then and looked down at his wrist. It was only when he shifted the sleeve of his shirt that Harry realised he was looking at his wristwatch. Whatever time it was must have meant something to him, because when he looked up, he motioned towards the door. "We should head inside now. Unless I'm mistaken, dinner will be served anytime now." The other four all nodded and the group slowly began to make its way over towards the door.
As they walked, Harry was overwhelmed by the sudden feeling that he was home. Even though Jack was almost a stranger, he'd never been close to Ginny, and the house he was about to enter was one he'd never seen before today, he couldn't help but feel like he was in a place that he belonged, a place where he could be content. All thoughts of Voldemort and the Ministry and all his other troubles were pushed from his mind. For the moment, Harry was happy.