The Order meeting the next morning took place in an unused classroom on the fourth floor. Rows of chairs took the place of desks. Harry, Sirius, Hermione, Remus and Tonks sat down in the second row when they arrived. Harry looked around to see who was already there.
There was Kingsley Shacklebolt next to a lovely woman that Harry realized must be his wife. Elphias Doge sat in the back row. Other members sitting by themselves were Mad-Eye Moody, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, Sturgis Podmore, and the barman from the Hog's Head. There were some people from Hogsmeade, some people Harry had seen in the Ministry the few times he'd been there, several Hogwarts professors, and Tonks' parents, Andromeda and Ted Tonks. Hagrid sat in an extra large chair in the back of the room.
The Weasleys, including Ginny, filed into the room and sat down behind them. Ron gave Harry and Hermione both hugs before sitting between Ginny, who smiled at Harry, and Percy, who was conversing with Bill. Willow and her brothers arrived moments later and took seats towards the back. When Nigel got there, he took a seat next to Sirius.
Several more people took seats around the room, until, finally, Minerva McGonagall came in. She glanced around the room at everyone there.
"Thank you all for coming. This is the first full Order meeting we've had since vacating Grimmauld Place." said McGonagall. "We have quite a few things to discuss. First and foremost, I am sure many of you are aware of Phoenix Watch, the radio program that one of our members started last night to share critical information and advice with people not allied with You-Know-Who.
"For those of you who did not tune in last night, you should know that You-Know-Who's name has been tabooed. Saying it will allow him and his followers to locate and attack you. For your own sake, do not be bold. We will be referring to him as You-Know-Who not out of fear, but out of wisdom. This is not the time to be foolish. I hope you all remember that.
"As you can probably tell, Hogwarts is still under Order control. This school is the last fortress that stands in You-Know-Who's way. I have already declared Hogwarts independent of the Ministry. Flitwick and I have sent letters to all the students' parents informing them of this. Any student is welcome to return on 1 September and classes will resume normally."
Harry knew this, as he and Hermione had received letters informing them of everything McGonagall had just said that very morning. They had also been chosen a Head Boy and Head Girl. Ron seemed a little annoyed by this, but eventually shrugged it off.
"Hogwarts will continue to serve as the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. We will continue strengthening the protective wards surrounding the school. Part of this protection will include the Fidelius Charm."
"The Fidelius Charm?" asked Elphias. "This castle is humongous. How do you plan on casting it on the entire castle and grounds?"
"This will not be the first time the Fidelius Charm was placed on the school." said McGonagall. "And as the Headmistress, I have the power to do it. I will also be the Secret Keeper. All of you will be receiving the location of Hogwarts from me later this week."
"What about the students? How will we inform them?" asked Sirius.
"I will ride the train this year, and inform students in person." said McGonagall. "King's Cross, both the Muggle and magic side, will have an Order guard to protect the students as they board the train. There will be guards on the train, and the guard from King's Cross will move to Hogsmeade once the train has departed. Both the train's guard and the Hogsmeade guard will escort the students to the school. I wish to continue our tradition of sending the first years across the lake." She paused for a moment. "Professor Flitwick, will you please explain our new refugee policy?"
Flitwick hopped off his chair in the front row and took McGonagall's place. He was hard to see but in the small, silent classroom, he was easy to hear.
"Hogwarts will be accepting refugees this year. All Order of the Phoenix members and refugees of the war may take up residence within the school." said Flitwick. "Any refugee who wishes to take refuge in Hogwarts must undergo a legilimency interview and Veritaserum interview. Both must be taken, or the refugee can and will be refused access to Hogwarts."
"What about children?" asked Nigel. "Do they have to do both as well?"
"Children over the age of six must take part in the veritaserum interview. All refugees, including children, will walk through an anti-enchantment shower. This will prevent Imperiused people from entering the school, as well as a number of other curses." Flitwick waited to see if anyone else had a question and then returned to his chair.
McGonagall stood again.
"Unless anyone has information they wish to share, I will adjourn this meeting."
Nobody moved for a moment, and then Tonks and Kingsley's wife both raised their hands.
"Yes, Tonks?" said McGonagall.
Tonks glanced at Remus who nodded, and then she turned back to the room. "Remus and I… are having a baby!"
There was a flurry of happy shouts and applause, people crying "Congratulations!" and Mrs. Weasley hugged Remus from behind.
"Wonderful news, Tonks! And Oria? What did you wish to say?" McGonagall said.
"Well, Kingsley and I are happy to tell you we are also having a baby." said Oria Shacklebolt.
"Both of you?" said Mrs. Weasley happily. "How wonderful!"
They were the last ones to leave the classroom, and as soon as the five of them were alone, Sirius pulled Remus into a bear hug.
"You're going to be a father!" He cried.
"I know…" said Remus, sounding a little nervous.
Sirius let go of him. "You don't sound excited."
"Remus is afraid he might be passing on the werewolf gene." said Tonks.
Sirius studied Remus' face. "We'll talk about that later. Right now, Harry and I need to get going."
Remus, Tonks, and Hermione left the school to go back to Crystal Cottage, while Harry and Sirius waited in the Entrance Hall for Kreacher and Dobby.
"Harry Potter, sir!"
The next second a house-elf wearing a tea cozy was hugging Harry's leg. Kreacher approached much more slowly, with dignity, but for once, they did not hear any muttering from him.
Sirius led the way down the path from the castle. The second they left the grounds, Dobby took hold of Harry's hand, and they Disapparated.
They reappeared within an old, decrepit room.
"Where are we?" asked Harry.
"The Hog's Head." said Sirius.
The bartender of the Hog's Head entered then. Harry thought something about him was strangely familiar.
"You're Aberforth!" Harry suddenly realized.
Aberforth Dumbledore gave him an annoyed look, and then pulled from his robes four vials, two full of a potion Harry knew well, and two containing strands of hair.
"Polyjuice Potion." He said. "And the hair of two Muggles."
"Thank you, Aberforth." said Sirius, taking a vial of potion and the hair labeled "35-year-old male, blonde, blue eyes."
Harry took the remaining hair labeled "16-year-old male, blonde, blue eyes."
"We'll be father and son. Rodney Gent and his son, Ralph, from Quebec." Sirius explained.
"Will we be Muggles?" asked Harry.
"No, we'll be wizards. On holiday in Great Britain." said Sirius. "Godric's Hollow is a popular magical tourist spot. One of the longest-standing wizard-Muggle settlements in Britain, and the home of Bathilda Bagshot, Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and Godric Gryffindor himself."
Aberforth harrumphed and left the room.
"Alright, Dobby, Kreacher, we'll meet you there." said Sirius. Both house-elves bowed and Disapparated. Sirius and Harry both took the Polyjuice Potion.
Harry watched as Sirius' inky black hair turned a golden blonde. It grew a few inches in length. His grey eyes gained color as they turned blue. He also shrank a couple inches. It seemed Rodney Gent was shorter than Sirius.
Harry's hair also turned blonde, and shorter. His green eyes turned blue and changed shape. Harry took off his glasses. Ralph Gent had perfect vision.
The now-blonde Sirius held out a hand. "Let's go, Ralph." His voice was slightly higher-pitched.
Harry laughed at the sound, surprising himself when he realized the Muggle he was impersonating was still going through puberty.
He took Sirius' hand and glared at the smirk on his "father's" face.
Seconds later, they were in a small village. It was very quaint, but Harry could feel magic in the air, something he'd grown accustomed to at Hogwarts and Crescent Valley.
"Lovely, isn't it?" asked the blonde Sirius.
"Very." Harry smiled at him.
Something nudged him then and Sirius stopped Harry from drawing his wand. "It's our companions." He muttered.
Then, taking Harry by the hand, he set off down the street. He didn't walk very slowly or very fast. Harry found pretending to be a tourist was very easy, as he was looking around, trying to take in everything about the place where he was born.
"Here we are." said Sirius. "The Potter house, where You-Know-Who was defeated by Harry Potter."
"Wow." said Harry.
They were standing in front of a wrought-iron gate, behind which was a two-story house that looked as though an explosion has recently occurred there. The garden was overgrown, but Harry could see that, although part of the roof and wall were missing on the second floor, the interior was untarnished.
"Why has no one fixed it up?" Harry asked quietly.
"The Ministry decided to place it under a preservation spell. Keep it as it was, until its true owner decided to return." said Sirius. "The house belongs to Harry Potter, and if he ever wants to live here again, no one will stop him."
Sirius threw an arm around him. "Now, on we go, Ralph. There's more to see in this little village."
Sirius led him to the center of the village, where a church, a pub, post office, and a few other small businesses surrounded a town square. In the center of the square, an obelisk rose out of the ground. Many names were carved into it, and Harry thought it must be a war memorial. Sirius pulled him towards it.
"All Muggles see is the obelisk, but if a magical person approached it…" said Sirius.
Suddenly, the obelisk turned into a statue of three people: a man with messy hair and glasses, a pretty young woman holding a content looking baby.
"The man and woman are James and Lily Potter." said Sirius in a slightly strained voice. Like Harry, he was trying not to cry. "The baby is Harry Potter. The wizarding population of Godric's Hollow commissioned this memorial after the end of the first British wizarding war."
Harry didn't say anything. They both studied the statue for a few minutes, and then Sirius led him to the other side of the square, where a graveyard stretched into the distance. Harry opened the kissing gate and the two of them walked along the path, reading the names as they went by.
"Here." said Sirius. "The graves of James and Lily Potter."
Harry looked at the gravestone. He read the names and dates and felt tears in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and tried to continue their tourist charade.
"Dad, why didn't the baby die, too?" asked Harry.
"Dunno." Sirius lied. "That's what makes him the 'Boy Who Lived', isn't it, Ralph."
"And who're you?" asked a voice behind them.
Sirius and Harry turned around, alarmed. Two men, armed with wands were watching them suspiciously.
"Hello, there, gentlemen." said Sirius in greeted. "Rodney Gent, at your service. This is my son, Ralph."
"And what are you doing here?" asked one man. Harry recognized him as a Death Eater, but he didn't know his name.
"We're on holiday, seeing the sights of the old country. My boy and I are from Quebec, but my parents were born here in Britain." Sirius explained good-naturedly.
"Really?" said the Death Eater. "And why did you choose to come here at a time like this?"
"A time like what?" asked Sirius. "Summer? It's quite lovely this time of year. Ralph goes back to school soon, and this is the first time all summer I've had a break from work. I couldn't give up the chance to show my boy his roots."
Harry could tell that the Death Eaters didn't quite believe them. The Death Eater looked at Harry.
"And what school do you go to, boy?"
Harry froze. He only knew the name of three wizarding schools in the world, and all of them were in Europe. He supposed he had to hope that the Death Eaters didn't have much knowledge of Canada.
"Ah, you probably haven't heard of it… Riverden is very small. Only a hundred students…" said Harry.
"You're right, I've never heard of it." said the Death Eater.
"Pardon my asking," said Sirius. "But are you two locals?"
"No, we're looking for some people."
"Who?" asked Sirius.
"Harry Potter and Sirius Black, among others." said the Death Eater.
All four of them drew their wands.
"Sorry, Dolohov." said Sirius, blocking their foe's curses. "But that's not happening.
Harry suddenly felt something touch his arm and a second later, he was sitting on the floor of the sitting room in Crystal Cottage.
"Harry Potter is safe now. Dobby brought Harry Potter home."
"Thanks, Dobby." said Harry. "But where's Sirius?"
"Over here." said the couch. Sirius appeared from behind it, his blonde hair turning dark again, and blue eyes back to grey. "We're home, Remus."
Remus was sitting in a chair by the fire, looking at them over the book in his hands. "Trouble?"
"Yeah, we met Dolohov and Rowle in the cemetery." Sirius said, sitting down on the couch. Harry joined him.
"What gave you away?"
"I'm not sure. I think they were told to be suspicious of any visitors to Godric's Hollow." said Sirius. "Nice touch with the school name there, Harry. And don't worry, there are tons of smaller magical schools out there that no one has ever heard of, especially in the Americas."
Harry felt a little bit better. "Still, I don't think we should pretend to be the Gents again, or mention Riverden."
"Is that the personas you made up?" asked Remus.
"Yeah. I thought it was quite a good cover. We at least saw Lily and James' cottage." said Sirius.
"And what did you two decide?" asked Remus.
Harry and Sirius were both taken aback.
"Oh, come now," said Remus. "Did you two think I wasn't aware that you were considering moving out?"
"Come to think of it, it doesn't surprise me." said Sirius. "We didn't really have a chance to think about it, though."
"Tonks and I just want you to know you're more than welcome to stay here, for as long as you want." said Remus, lowering his book so they could see the genuine smile on his face. "This is your home, too."
Harry smiled, too, and then turned to Sirius. "I think we have more important things to think about than moving."
"I agree." said Sirius. "Crystal Cottage is as safe as you can get, and we have people we love here."
Remus' grin widened. "Tonks! They're staying!" He called upstairs.
"Yes! Party tonight!" They heard Tonks shout.
Remus, Sirius, and Harry all laughed.
"I think that's a great idea." said Remus, standing up. "We'll have a small party, just us. And Hermione, too."
"Of course, she's family." said Sirius.
Harry turned to the two house-elves, who'd been quiet since they arrived. "And Kreacher and Dobby, too!"
And they began to celebrate.