"Students that are leaving for summer break, you must be ready to leave in two hours. I repeat, students that are leaving for summer break, you must be ready to leave in two hours."
The non-magical intercom (not everything has to be magic!) turned off with a loud beep and Harry went back to his packing. It had been quite some time since he'd last seen his friends, years even, not counting the secret visit they'd made to his room. To insure safety, Dumbledore had prohibited Harry from returning home for any breaks. Dumbledore stayed with him over the summers though, and kept Harry caught up on the Hogwarts side of magic.
But now Harry was eighteen, soon nineteen, an adult in both worlds. Dumbledore could no longer prevent him from visiting loved ones.
He folded a shirt, then a robe and placed them both inside of his trunk. Holding up the next robe, he was surprised when a familiar gaudy wand fell out of the folds. Harry chuckled softly, holding it aloft.
"Hello, my old friend," He said quietly, although no one else was currently in his dorm room. His three roommates had all been shipped off the day before. "Funny finding you here."
His wand, of course, didn't reply.
Harry smiled, then pulled out his new wand, the one that he'd just gotten. "I don't need you anymore, mate. I've got a less extreme wand now, one that shows I'm a first-level fairy, able to complete minor missions. You... you just... showed off."
The old wand glimmered a bit, as if agreeing to showing off. Harry sighed. The look of his new wand was a big improvement over the old one. The new wand was a shade of green that matched not only his eyes perfectly, but also the translucent wings that had recently sprouted. It was 11 inches long, and the handle (or 'hilt' as some kids preferred to call it) was decorated with carved ivy. How could he not love how it looked?
But he could never quite communicate with it in the same way that he had with his old wand. With it's pinkness and streamers and the star on top, Harry knew he should prefer this new one, especially remembering all the grief the old one had given him at Hogwarts. But he still carried them both around, always careful to put his old wand in his left pocket.
Harry shook himself out of his reverie. Berating himself for talking to an inanimate object again, Harry continued packing, throwing his old wand into the trunk. But as he continued folding, second thoughts struck.
Both wands were in Harry's pockets.
…...
Silence reigned in the Black household. It was, of course, time for another meeting of The Order of the Phoenix, but nobody wanted to start it.
Not without Dumbledore.
They all sat around the dining table. Chairs were empty, of course. Many had fallen. Mundungus Fletcher was in Azkaban. Arthur Weasley had been killed by Death Eaters. Mad-Eye had met the same fate, as had Charlie Weasley. Dumbledore was dead. Killed by another Order member, also not present, Severus Snape.
These were dark times, indeed.
"I … guess we'll begin, then." Minerva McGonagall was finally the one to break the silence. She had also been affected by the war that raged around them. She had a small scar on her chin, and her right arm was simply not there. "All that we know about... about Professor Dumbledore is that he had something wrong with his arm, something that caused him pain. If anyone has any new information, please speak up now."
Her eyes scanned the table, searching their faces for any sign of knowledge. As old faces had withered away, new ones had replaced them, and she saw Fred and George Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. All eyes were on the table, so she sighed and continued.
"I know that, even though it's only the early stages, this war has been difficult. We've lost so many- Arthur Weasley, a husband and a father. Augusta Longbottom, a loving grandmother. And, among others, Albus Dumbledore, a teacher to us all."
Minerva paused. There were a few sniffles around the room, and Molly Weasley dried her eyes on the corner of her apron.
"But don't give up hope." Minerva said, trying to push the nonexistent strength into her voice. "Today, Bill and Molly are going to the location where Harry Potter has been hidden. They will bring him here, and he can help."
Some looked a little skeptical. McGonagall smiled. "Remember that Professor Dumbledore left Potter secret instructions? Maybe those will help us to end this war!"
After some necessary discussions about supplies, the meeting adjourned. The Order members all planned on staying until dinner, so they could see Harry. Most of them lived there, anyway.
Molly caught Minerva on the way out of the room. "Minerva, do you really think that the instructions exist? I thought they were just a myth. And do you think that Harry will be able to find them, let alone follow them?"
Minerva smiled grimly. "I do hope so, Molly. I really do hope so."