Here is the beginning of The Order of the Pheonix and the start of even more trouble form Nox! I hope you all enjoy it. It's not very far into the book/movie but reveals some changes and some of the tensions within the Headquarters. And for those who wanted more creature interactions, the next chapter will be a fun introduction to Nox's creature reserve :)
Hope you all enjoy it and curious as to your thoughts on the big changes I've done here. Let me know what you think and if there's anything you'd like to see Nox change (just out of curiosity, as I have plans but love listening to your opinions to get my mind working).
Harry was lying outside the kitchen window tucked behind a hydrangea bush as he tried to listen to the news for anything about Voldemort. He knew it wouldn't be obvious since it was the muggle news, but if Voldemort was up to something, then there would be signs even here. The other thing that was frustrating was how unhelpful his friends were being. They sent him letters still, but when he asked about anything in the hopes of hearing something important, they were constantly saying how busy they were, how telling him anything would be bad should the letters get intercepted, and that they'll explain when they see him.
His only hope really was Nox. And that felt like an odd thing to say, really, since they had broken off the previous year. Harry had been hopeful though because Nox's hint about seeing him soon meant he should be escaping from the Dursley's before the next term. Yet, Harry felt uneasy about it. He still wasn't sure what to think of Nox informing him that he was some sort of Seer. It was one thing to say that and do something to help, but another for him to claim he was helping only to allow Harry to step into danger. Still, he had apparently saved Cedric from dying and Harry was grateful for that, not knowing how he'd handle it if someone died in front of him like that. But he hadn't heard a word from him since summer began. So maybe what he'd said was just a cruel way of getting his hopes up.
Harry sighed and peered out from the bushes, before jerking upright. A large man in a coat and hat was walking up the street and checking the addresses of the homes, nearing ever closer to the Dursley's. Now, while this wouldn't normally be odd, it was rather hot this summer and the figure's face became very familiar the closer they got.
"Nox?" Harry breathed, mouth agape as he finally stood up and into full view, drawing the person's attention.
It was in fact Nox, using some sort of aging potion that had made him taller and more formidable looking even as he brought a finger up to his lips and waved Harry over. Harry dove out of the bushes and rushed towards him as Nox stealthily looked around the street.
"Nox, what are you—"
"I'll explain later, but we need to be quick," Nox said quietly. "Get inside and grab your things. We need to be on our way before they notice."
"Who?"
"Go, Harry," Nox hissed, not providing him an answer, but at the moment, he couldn't care less.
He was leaving the Dursley's for the summer and he might even get to see Sirius! He nodded and hurried inside, startling Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia, who saw Nox in the doorway and paled.
"Who the bloody hell are you?"
"I'm here to pick up Harry for the summer," Nox said simply, removing his hat and making Uncle Vernon take a hesitant step back. "And I don't suggest arguing about it, because it's already been decided and I'm sure you'd enjoy not having to worry about him. We'll only be a minute."
As much as Harry enjoyed seeing his Uncle quake at the sight of—technically—a fifteen-year-old, he was more eager than ever to leave and rushed upstairs for his trunk. He was quick about it, stuffing everything in and grabbing Hedwig before hauling the trunk downstairs. Nox hadn't moved from the doorway—much to the Dursley's relief—but reached out and grabbed Harry's trunk with ease before replacing his hat.
"Goodbye, Dursley's."
The door was closed, and Harry shuffled awkwardly with his broom and Hedwig as they stepped down the drive.
"But how did you get here, Nox?" Harry asked, struggling to keep up with Nox's long strides as they half-jogged further away. "How are we going to go anywhere?"
"You have far too many questions," Nox grumbled. "Just shut up and wait a second, would you? You'll understand once we get to the park."
"The park?"
"I needed tree cover. Ah, here we are."
They strolled into the park and Nox gave another look around, ensuring no one was there before slipping into the few trees that had been left for shade in the deserted park. Harry then saw what was tucked away there and felt his mouth drop open for the second time that afternoon.
"W-What…"
"Thestrals," Nox reminded him, taking off his hat and opening up a satchel on one of the Thestral's back, pulling out a bottle and stuffing his hat and—much to Harry's surprise—his trunk. "Broom."
Harry hastily handed over his broomstick to get put away before Nox idly waved at Hedwig.
"Let her out. She can fly with us on her own and I'll put her cage in here. And before you ask, yes. It's bigger on the inside."
Harry closed his mouth—which had just been opened to ask— and let Hedwig out before handing over his cage.
"Now, I'll be quick. Get on his back. His name is Shade," Nox said, handing Harry the reigns. "The reigns are useless and are just for you to hang onto. He knows where we're going, and Fred and George better not have been lying about this."
"About what?" Harry asked, hesitantly getting on the reptilian-horse as Nox did the same on a separate one.
Nox didn't answer though, opening the bottle in his hands and holding it up. A cloud of thick grey smoke billowed out of it before shooting off into the sky, which was quick to fill with clouds and a low rumble of thunder. Nox nodded and told Harry to hang on before they both took off up into the clouds. They flew in relative silence for a while before breaking the cloud line and Nox seemed to relax some, allowing Harry to speak up.
"Nox, what was that?"
"Weather in a bottle," Nox explained, gaze drifting over to him with a small smirk. "One of Fred and George's prototypes. It's basically an atmospheric charm in a bottle. They wanted proper testing on it outside and I offered to take it."
"But how? Aren't they at the Burrow?"
"Oh, Harry," Nox hummed. "You've been properly missing out. And I know you still don't trust me completely or anything, but you will definitely owe me for this. I'm going to get a right ribbing about it once we get there."
"What do you mean? Nox, what's going on?" Harry demanded, wincing slightly when Nox's old gaze shifted to him.
His eyes eerily matched his older appearance.
"You just told the wizarding world that Voldemort has returned, and you think Dumbledore is just going to sit round and do nothing?" Nox scoffed, turning back to face the front and squinting at the sun's direction before the Thestrals turned slightly. "Dumbledore has been preparing for what his return is bringing. I, of course, thought him stupid for not mentioning anything to you and demanding we stay silent in our letters. Which is why I'm going to get in so much trouble for this."
Harry gaped. "You… I don't understand. I thought you said they decided this."
"No, I said it's been decided. By me," Nox shot him a cheeky grin. "I'm breaking every rule they put on me to get you away from the Dursley's."
"But… But why? I thought—"
"What? You thought that just because you don't entirely trust me anymore, that I'd just give up on helping you? Please. If anything, you deserve to know about this more than we do, since you're the one involved. That, and…" Nox grew more serious then, making a knot form in Harry's stomach. "It's better than what was supposed to happen."
"What do you mean?" He stiffened when the creature under him shook its head. "And why Thestrals?"
"They're invisible unless you've seen death," Nox explained. "And they know exactly where they're going with little direction from us. It's not like I could just look up your address or Apparate. This was easier and more inconspicuous… As it is, they'll know before we get there what I've done, and they most certainly won't be happy with me, but the alternative was they get you out of there anyway."
"So, why didn't they?" Harry asked, curious about this future that hadn't occurred because of Nox.
"Because I have already. When's the hottest day of the summer supposed to be?"
"End of the week," Harry said, having listened to the news often enough lately that the weather was something he heard far too much of.
"Yeah, you were sort of supposed to encounter dementors with your cousin. The Ministry would have argued with Dumbledore and set up a whole court trial thing, and you would have been picked up and brought over anyway. I figured you didn't need to deal with all that and just scooped you up early."
"Hold on. Dementors? At the Dursley's?"
"Not there, but close enough. Not far from the park, I think, but yes. Dementors. They're under Voldemort's control now that he's back, though don't tell anyone I said that. The Minster is in denial about everything anyway though, so it's not like anyone will believe you," Nox grumbled. "They sure aren't believing me and they let me join the stupid Order."
"Order? What order?"
Nox shook his head. "You'll see when we get there. I don't want to risk anything, even up here." He took out a pocket watch from his coat and hummed. "We're making good time though. Should be back before dinner if we're lucky."
"But why aren't they telling me anything?" Harry asked. "This is about me like you said. Why keep me out of it?"
"Because that's how adults are," Nox replied simply. "And technically, you're a fifteen-year-old just like Hermione and Ron, and even Fred and George are getting left out. They see it as children getting involved in an adult's fight. They've been in a war, grew up in one, and know what it's like to watch children lose their innocence in something like this. So, they don't want it to happen to us. Keeping us out of the loop means they don't have to see that, and it prevents mistakes from being made by out naiveté."
"But you said—"
"They let me join because I'm not like you, Harry," Nox said shortly, making Harry bristle. "Don't give me that look. We've gone over this. I know things, more than I should. Dumbledore isn't oblivious and he knows that. I've only been allowed to help because of my father's old connections, my future knowledge, and the fact that I've been through enough shit to make the rest of you look like five-year-olds. I get that it's frustrating, but this is me doing my best to keep you in the loop. And I'll keep doing that because I feel that you and the others should be prepared for the war that's coming and not just shunted to the side because of your age or the misguided notion of innocence that they're all placing upon us."
Harry wasn't sure what he could say about that, going quiet for a bit before Nox sighed heavily.
"Also, Hermione and I are fighting."
"What? But you were fine last term," Harry said, grateful for the topic change.
"Yeah, well, that was before she found out I have a house-elf."
"You have a house-elf?"
"My father's, actually, but I inherited him when father died, and I didn't even know he existed until last summer. And you know how Hermione is about house-elf rights."
Harry cracked a small smile. "I bet she's furious."
"More than furious," Nox grumbled. "I told her I offered to set him free, but he started crying and begging me not to, so I didn't. I still made him take a bath though and gave him clothes to wear but told him if he didn't want to be free, he didn't have to. Ah, he's mute too. Shy little thing even after I taught him how to write. You'll like him, I bet." Nox smiled, an easy-going expression that Harry hadn't seen on him in ages. "And I can show you around too. I've got some creatures you'll love. Dragons and everything."
"Um, I don't know about the dragons…"
"Nah, it's fine. They're not like the Hungarian you dealt with. I told you, didn't I? She was mine but was one I couldn't handle. These ones are more decent. Oh! You'll like the Occamies! They just had a clutch last week. They're adorable, honest."
"What, um… what's an Occamy?"
Nox gaped at him before pointing a stern finger. "I am so getting you caught up on magical creatures. Hagrid would be appalled."
So, much to Harry's mild amusement, they spent the rest of the day speaking about various magical creatures both on and off Nox's reserve. It was nice to talk about something more mundane than the troubles of the wizarding world or their still uncertain friendship but as night fell and their talking faded, Harry's mind drifted back to what Nox had said about the dementors and Dumbledore demanding that he be left out of the loop.
It was frustrating, as Nox had said, and a part of him was bitter than Nox was allowed to know more than any of the rest of them. It made sense why, but it still felt unfair. And as much as Harry was glad that Nox had risked himself to get him away from the Dursley's, Harry couldn't help but feel that Nox hadn't done it for him. Knowing that Nox held all this knowledge about the future still made Harry uneasy and untrusting. He couldn't fully believe any of the reasons Nox was giving and—despite the fact that they could talk normally—there was still that uncertainty in Harry's gut telling him that Nox was doing these things for himself or for some bigger purpose that he didn't understand.
"Nox, the clouds," Harry warned, seeing the clouds had all but vanished, but Nox waved him off.
"It's fine now. We're flying over the more rural bits of Scotland. Small towns at best and they're farming towns, so most people are already asleep. We're nearly there."
Harry peered down, careful not to slip off the Thestral's back as Nox let out a yawn and tousled his hair. All Harry saw were rolling green hills and the occasional lights of small farmhouses in the dark. It was a nice change from Privet Drive where everything as concrete or manicured lawns.
"Ah, there it is. We must have passed through the barrier," Nox said then, pointing out ahead. "Can you see it, Harry?"
Harry saw the lights of a decent-sized house in the distance and felt joy spread through him. He could finally see his friends, see Sirius, and feel less left out in everything that's been going on. That was the one thing he could admit. He really did owe Nox for this.
Said boy—as his potion had apparently worn off—was already guiding the Thestrals lower so their hooves just brushed the tips of the trees of the forest below. Harry peered again over the side, hoping for a glimpse of some of the creatures Nox had mentioned, but the trees were too thick to see through and he gave up not long before they touched down in a clearing just before the home.
Harry slipped off the Thestral, faltering a bit as he tried to get his legs used to functioning on solid ground again, and Nox unloaded the Thestral of his things before sending the creatures off into the forest. Hedwig swooped overhead before slipping into an open window of an upper level of the home, and the second she did, the front door slammed open and Nox let out a heavy sigh.
"Here we go," he muttered under his breath as a group of furious people stormed out onto the grass.
"Nox Morpheus Sterling! Do you have any idea of what you've just done!" Lupin roared as he stormed forward, and Harry shot Nox a look.
Morpheus? He mouthed and Nox rolled his eyes.
Don't ask. "I'm pretty sure I did something you lot were bound to do within the next day or so," he answered Lupin, only to wince when Lupin's hand whipped around and smacked the back of his head harshly.
"You kidnapped Harry despite our repeated orders not to try anything, stole two creatures—"
"They're my creatures," Nox grumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
"—flew to a Muggle residence and broke every bit of trust I had in you!"
That seemed to be the one thing Nox looked guilty about as Mrs. Weasley clicked her tongue in disapproval and greeted Harry pleasantly.
"We are so sorry, Harry. We suspected he was up to something when he didn't turn up for lunch, but we never would have thought he'd do something so reckless."
"I'm surprised he waited this long," Moody grumbled, leaning on his cane and drawing Harry's attention to him and the other adults who'd gathered. "I'd suspected he'd break ages ago."
A woman with vibrant purple hair elbowed the wizard next to her who grumbled and handed over some money, making Harry crack a hint of a smile until Lupin's roar grew even louder.
"You could have gotten yourselves seen! Or even worse, killed!"
"Why do you think I took Thestrals?" Nox argued, looking more annoyed than anything. "And I did a Disillusionment Charm on top of ensuring there were clouds to cover us and I did it smack dab in the middle of the day without getting us spotted once! If anything, I think this proves that his guards were useless, seeing as they didn't realize what had happened until we were already gone. If you wanted to protect him, then he should have stayed here in the first place—"
"That's not up to you to decide, Nox! This! This is why I told Dumbledore not to involve you! You're too reckless and always assume you know what's best, acting before you tell anyone what you're up to!"
"Well, it's too late now, isn't it!" Nox shouted back, bristling. "Harry's here! He's safe! You lot were gathering to go pick him up anyway, so ta-da! Saved you the trouble! You're welcome!"
Lupin looked furious. "I'm telling Dumbledore to remove you from the Order!"
"Oh, like that's going to stop me?" Nox scoffed. "Mind you, the Order is meeting at my house and has already asked to use my contacts for information. I get that I did something without telling you, but you weren't letting me have any say! Harry deserves to know at least some of what's going on, as it involves him! Leaving him out is just going to make him do things out of spite! That's why I brought him! So, can we all just come to the understanding that even those underage should have some clue as to what to prepare for?"
"That isn't your decision!"
Nox groaned loudly, throwing his hands up. "Then, I don't know why you bothered to have them here in the first place!"
"This isn't even about them, Nox! This is about you bringing Harry here!"
Harry was rather surprised by all this shouting. Yes, Nox had mentioned that he's done this without telling anyone, but this made it seem a bit more than that. This showed that Nox hadn't just decided this on a whim, but had repeatedly demanded that Harry and the others be let in on what was happening, only to be told "no." That and Harry hadn't seen Nox fully shouting at someone like this since the last time he'd argued with Lupin. Nox doesn't just get angry out of nowhere. He's logical, providing his side of an argument and expecting equal feedback. It's only when he's not seeing a rational response that he starts to get angry.
"Now, now. Nox is right, Remus. Harry's here and there's nothing we can do about things now," Sirius hummed, placing a hand on Lupin and Nox's shoulders only for Lupin to jerk him off.
"No, Sirius. Nox has broken the rules and in the worst way possible! We can't just let this slide."
"So, what? You gonna ground me?" Nox scoffed, earning a glare from Lupin. "Take my wand? Shut me in my room or make me do chores by hand?"
And while these seemed like decent punishments for normal people, for Nox, they were nothing and even Harry knew that. Nox liked being hands-on and didn't care for using his wand unless it was necessary. And grounding him or shutting him in his room when there were dangerous creatures all around the house that only he could deal with was automatically a poor decision. And with his foreknowledge, he doesn't even have to be in the Order to know what's going on, does he? So, Lupin and Nox were at a stand-still. After all, how do you punish someone who has had far worse punishments their entire life?
I huffed in annoyance as I helped Mrs. Weasley with dinner preparations, much to the shock of Duffy, who fidgeted uneasily at my side, eyeing the knife in my hands with worry. I'd told him to let Mrs. Weasley make dinner while she's here since I knew she was anxious about everything and liked her hands busy. I was much the same, though Lupin confiscating my wand ensured I'd be doing the work by hand anyway.
Much like Harry though, I was frustrated. Even though I was technically in the Order—due to Dumbledore obviously knowing more about me than I'd like—I was still being left out of things. They scheduled meetings around the times that I had to be outside feeding the creatures or had me doing other things that would only allow me to catch bits and pieces of them. I wasn't allowed to go and make deals with my contacts or informants without someone else there with me, and even then, we were handing letters back and forth and I never got to see the inside.
The Order had also gotten in the way of my relationship with Lupin. He was constantly being sent on missions that dealt with the other werewolves in the country and when he'd come back, it was only to argue with me about something before he signed himself up for another mission—typically a more dangerous one. This meant our fights were edging into more dangerous territory. More than once we'd said something we couldn't take back. There was a particularly nasty one we had when he returned the night after a full moon where I'd mentioned him acting like my father, and I'd felt that guilt ever since.
A flash of pain and a slim hand on my wrist made me stop cutting the vegetables and scowl at the bit of blood leaking from a finger I'd sliced. Duffy had it bandaged in a second, his small hands pawing at it in worry before Mrs. Weasley noticed and sighed heavily.
"You shouldn't be getting so distracted, dear," she lightly chided. "Why don't you go upstairs with the others, hm?"
I frowned, knowing that she was kicking me out for more than that. A meeting was going on just next door and I could clearly hear them with their raised voices.
"And what are we supposed to do now that he's here?"
"We'll just have to see what Dumbledore thinks."
"It shouldn't be a problem. Your boy was right about that much. We were just about to nab him anyway."
"He's not my boy, Alastor."
Again, the guilt hit me, and I dropped the knife on the cutting board with a "clang," silencing those in the other room as I stormed out of the kitchen.
"Duffy, get my work-out clothes set up in my room, would you? I'm going to need a run in a little bit."
The house-elf nodded, vanishing with a "crack" as I moved on upstairs and into the large room I'd had set up for the boys to sleep and relax in. It was a nice change from being my father's old bedroom, now with a nice table, sofas, chairs, and beds set up around it. The girls got my mother's old bedroom and the adults had been split into guest bedrooms while they were here. It took Lupin and Sirius some doing to add some more rooms, but it was done, and the Order had made my house feel more like a home with the added commotion.
"Hey!"
"If it isn't Mr. Morpheus!"
I rolled my eyes at Fred and George as they swooped over and draped their arms over my shoulders.
"So? How was it?"
"How'd Weasley's Weather in a Bottle work in the great old outdoors?"
"Fine," I informed them. "It did a bigger radius than I expected, but the power behind it was lessened some. It was supposed to be a big storm, right?"
They nodded.
"Came out more like some clouds and a thunder rumble or two."
"Hm, what do you think George?"
"Dunno, Fred. Bigger bottle?"
"Better charm?"
The two shrugged before settling me down in a chair as Ron, Hermione and Harry leaned in.
"So? Spill the dirt."
"What are they talking about down there?"
"I didn't hear much," I grumbled, waving them off so I could get the tea that appeared on the table before me. "They were trying to figure out what to do now that Harry was here instead of over at the Dursley's. You get anything more on the Extendable Ears?"
"Nah."
"Not with Harry here yelling up a storm."
Harry flushed a bit, embarrassed for having shouted but I waved it off, suspecting that it was about him getting left out of things.
"You want to be careful," Ron warned them though. "If mum sees one of them again—"
"It's worth the risk. That's a major meeting they're having," Fred countered before the door swung open and Ginny rushed in.
"Oh, hello, Harry! I thought I heard your voice." She looked to the twins then. "It's no-go with the Extendable Ears, she's gone and put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door."
"How'd you know?"
"Tonks told me how to find out. You just chuck stuff at the door and if it can't make contact the door's been Imperturbed. I've been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it, so there's no way the Extendable Ears will be able to get under the gap."
I shot her a look. "I thought I said no Dungbombs in the house. Do you know how long it takes to get that smell out of the furniture?"
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes, mum."
The twins chuckled as Ron frowned.
"I wanted to know what Snape was up to though."
"Snape? Is he here?" Harry questioned, surprised.
"Yeah," George replied. "Giving a report. Top secret."
"Git," Fred added.
"He's on our side now," Hermione scolded him but the Weasley's didn't seem to care.
"Doesn't stop him being a git. The way he looks at us when he sees us."
"Bill doesn't like him, either."
I leaned towards Harry. "Bill took a desk job so he could work for the Order. Rumor has it, he's been giving Fleur Delacour private lessons to help her with her English. She works at Gringotts now."
George beamed. "Charlie's in the Order too but he's still in Romania. Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought in as possible, so Charlie's trying to make contacts on his days off."
"Couldn't Percy do that?"
Everyone exchanged dark looks before Ron stepped in to explain.
"Whatever you do, don't mention Percy in front of Mum and Dad."
"Why not?"
"Because every time Percy's name's mentioned, Dad breaks whatever he's holding and Mum starts crying," Fred elaborated.
"It's been awful."
"I think we're well shot of him."
Harry looked concerned. "What's happened?"
"Percy and Dad had a row. I've never seen Dad row with anyone like that. It's normally Mum who shouts."
"It was the first week back after term ended. We were about to come and join the Order. Percy came home and told us he'd been promoted."
"You're kidding."
"It's the Ministry," I explained. "The Minster won't believe Voldemort's back until it's slap bang in his face. So, he thinks Dumbledore is trying to boot him out with his influence. The Ministry is keeping sharp eyes on anyone they think might be on Dumbledore's side. Percy getting promoted to work in his office means they wanted to use Percy as a spy."
Harry let out a low whistle. "Bet Percy loved that."
"He went completely berserk," Ron informed. "He said… Well, he said loads of terrible stuff. He said he's been having to struggle against Dad's lousy reputation ever since he joined the Ministry and that Dad's got no ambition and that's why we've always been—you know… not had a lot of money, I mean."
"What?" Harry gaped.
"I know, and it got worse. He said Dad was an idiot to run around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore was heading for big trouble and Dad was going to go down with him, and that he—Percy—knew where his loyalty lay, and it was with the Ministry. And if Mum and Dad were going to become traitors to the Ministry he was going to make sure everyone knew he didn't belong to our family anymore. And he packed his bags the same night and left. He's living here in London now."
Harry let out a swear under his breath as I sighed.
"I thought he'd be smarter than that, honestly. Shame."
Ron nodded. "Mum's been in a right state. You know, crying and stuff. She came up to London to try and talk to Percy, but he slammed the door in her face. I dunno what he does if he meets Dad at work—ignores him, I suppose."
"But Percy must know Voldemort's back," Harry tried. "Like you said, Nox, he's not stupid. He must know we wouldn't risk everything without proof."
"You've got to remember, Harry, it's literally just your word that's proof right now," I reminded him. "That, and with the Daily Prophet spewing out falsified articles about you, people are skeptical."
"What? What articles?"
I gave him a look. "You were just looking at the first page, weren't you? Voldemort wouldn't allow information on him to be on the front page, you know. Plus, the Daily Prophet is controlled by the Ministry. The only thing in it is slander against you and Dumbledore right now."
"It's quite nasty, actually," Hermione told him. "They're just building on Rita's stuff and adding more."
"Though, we don't have to worry about her," I hummed, sipping my tea. "I'm blackmailing her to keep her silence and stay out of the Daily Prophet."
"Blackmailing her with what?" The twins questioned, curious.
"She was an unregistered Animagus. A beetle. It's how she's always able to get the scoop without people noticing. That, and she's technically working under me now. I pay her to pretend she's still writing articles to get information on people and how things are going."
"No wonder you're the only one of us in the Order."
"You're bloody terrifying, Nox."
"We love it," the twins grinned.
The door opened then, and Mrs. Weasley smiled at everyone.
"The meetings over, you can come down and have dinner now. Everyone's dying to see you, Harry. And who's left all those Dungbombs outside the dining room door?"
"Crookshanks," Ginny lied easily. "He loves playing with them."
"Oh. I thought it might be one of your creatures, Nox. I think you've got some Doxys in the curtains just down the hall, by the way, but we can deal with them later. Ginny, your hands are filthy, what have you been doing? Go and wash them before dinner, please."
Ginny trailed out with Fred and George and I headed for the door too, looking over my shoulder at the others.
"I can show you some of the creatures tonight, Harry. I want to get a jog in though, and they won't let us stay outside too late, so right after dinner if you want."
"Sure," he replied, and I nodded before stepping out with a sigh.
I was not looking forward to having dinner with Lupin still home and angry with me.
"We're eating down in the kitchen," Mrs. Weasley smiled at Harry as he, Hermione, and Ron met her at the bottom of the stairs. "Harry, dear, if you'll just go across this hall, it's through this door here—"
There was a crash and she whipped around.
"Tonks!"
"I'm sorry!" Tonks apologized, getting helped up by Nox as she pointed at the umbrella stand. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, that's the second time I've tripped over it!"
Nox didn't look bothered though, more amused if anything. "I'll move it more out of the way. Sorry for the noise, Mrs. Weasley."
"Well, it's your house dear," she muttered, smiling back at Harry as they made for the dining room.
A figure stepped into his path though, smiling. "Hello, Harry."
"Sirius," Harry said in relief, rushing forward and hugging the man who looked far better than he had when he had escaped from Azkaban.
"Sorry about all the noise earlier, Harry. Things have been a bit tense around here if you haven't noticed," Sirius muttered in his ear before pulling back. "How are you?"
"I'm good. Great, actually," Harry replied, actually feeling much better than before with his Godfather here to greet him.
"Just between you and me," Sirius leaned in again, giving a wary look around. "I won't say I encouraged him, but I'd been hoping Nox would snatch you up."
Harry cracked a smile at that. "Well, I'm glad he did."
"Course you are," Sirius smacked his back lightly before Lupin stepped into view, making Nox stiffen.
"We'll introduce you to everyone once we're all seated, Harry," he explained, managing a small smile himself before his gaze settled on Nox. "Did you take your potion yet?"
Nox frowned. "No. I'll have it with dinner."
"But you've been taking it, yes?"
"Every day," Nox drawled, though Harry could see his frown softening into something with more guilt. "Look, Remus, I—"
"We'll talk later, Nox," Lupin dismissed, waving Harry into the dining room. "Come on then, Harry. No use standing in the hallway."
Harry spared Nox a look, feeling bad as it seemed he'd been about to apologize for something, but Nox sighed and just slipped into the room after him. He hadn't really been paying much attention to the house since arriving but marveled at the long dining room table with a fireplace at one end and empty patches on the wall where either paintings or some other decoration must have hung. Harry hadn't actually seen any portraits since arriving and had the painful reminder that Nox's father hadn't exactly been a kind, caring man. Still, the sight of food and goblets lining the table had his stomach grumbling eagerly and he was soon swept away by the others.
"Harry!" Mr. Weasley greeted, rushing forward and shaking his hand happily. "Good to see you."
Harry spotted Bill sitting behind him rolling up parchment and said Weasley smiled.
"Journey all right, Harry? Heard you got to ride the Thestrals. Sounds exciting!"
"Oh, no! Sorry!" Tonks apologized, having knocked over a candle on the table onto the last piece of parchment.
"Here, dear," Mrs. Weasley sighed, fixing the parchment and snatching it off the table to give to Bill, though not before Harry saw building plans. "This sort of thing ought to be cleared away promptly at the end of meetings," she hissed at Bill, who took out his wand and vanished the scrolls.
"Sit down, Harry," Sirius smiled then, gesturing to a seat. "This is Mundungus."
Said man snored and jerked awake, tucked in some tattered robes that reminded Harry of a pile of rags. "Someone say my name? I agree with Sirius," he murmured sleepily, raising a hand and making Ginny snicker.
"The meeting's over, Dung," Sirius informed him. "Harry's arrived, no thanks to you."
"Eh? Blimey, so he has. I was worried when we lost track of ya. You all right, 'arry?"
Harry nodded, a bit confused before Nox spoke from the other side of the table.
"He and Miss Figg were supposed to take shifts watching you."
"Miss Figg?"
"A Squib," Nox informed him, reaching for his goblet and swallowing a mouthful with a grimace. "Ugh, this damn potion."
Mundungus had started smoking and said something about apologizing before Mrs. Weasley scolded the man.
"For the last time, Mundungus, will you please not smoke that thing in the kitchen, especially not when we're about to eat!"
"And outside, preferably," Nox tacked on. "Smoke doesn't come out of the furniture well."
"Ah, right. Sorry Molly, Nox."
"And if you want dinner before midnight I'll need a hand," Mrs. Weasley called out to the room, before stopping Harry. "No, you can stay where you are, Harry dear, you've had a long journey."
"What can I do, Molly?" Tonks asked eagerly and Mrs. Weasley hesitated before Nox spoke.
"Duffy."
There was a sharp crack and a small house elf appeared at his side.
"Would you mind helping Mrs. Weasley with dinner while I show the others where the silverware is?"
"You don't have to!" Hermione protested, shooting Nox a look, but Duffy was already bounding into the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley. "Nox, how many times do I have to tell you—"
"And I've already said he gets upset if he's not allowed to work," Nox sighed. "Trust me, he'll be sniveling all night if I don't let him do something." He looked to Harry then as Hermione huffed and sat down. "Really, he does. He just stands beside you the whole night with big doe eyes, begging for something to do. You should see him when I tell him to take the day off. It's like I kicked a puppy."
Harry cracked a small smile at that, knowing Nox's weakness for creatures had everything to do with his fondness of Duffy, though Harry was glad the small house-elf was nothing like Dobby. As Nox said, Duffy was wearing proper clothes and looked more like a small child in a far-too-large shirt than the servant most house-elves were. He supposed that was why Hermione wasn't completely screaming at Nox for having a house-elf, though he was glad he hadn't been there when Nox had first announced it.
"Had a good summer so far?" Sirius asked him.
"No, it's been lousy," Harry answered, making a grin flicker over Sirius's face.
"Don't know what you're complaining about, myself. I've been stuck inside for a month, though Nox's little barrier means I can at least stretch my legs a bit."
"How come?"
"Because the Ministry of Magic's still after me, and Voldemort will know all about me being an Animagus by now, Wormtail will have told him before he died, so my big disguise is useless. There's not much I can do for the Order of the Phoenix, or so Dumbledore feels. Helping Nox with the creatures has been all I can do, really."
"At least you've known what's been going on," Harry grumbled.
"Oh, yeah," Sirius scoffed. "Listening to Snape's reports, having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life while I'm sat on my backside here having a nice comfortable time. Still, better than my place, really. Hasn't been lived in for ten years. Had to drop by just last week to pick up some things. Nox went with me too, surprisingly. Wanted to look around, I suppose. Don't know why. Place is a dump."
"Fred—George—No, just carry them!" Mrs. Weasley shouted from the kitchen and the guests looked round only to dive away from the table.
Fred and George had sent a cauldron of stew, a flagon of butterbeer, and a wooden breadboard and knife flying towards the table. The cauldron slid to the end of it, leaving a black burn across the top; the flagon crashed and spilled everywhere; and the bread knife slipped off the board and jammed itself into the table, narrowly missing Sirius's hand.
"For heaven's sake!" Mrs. Weasley screamed. "There was no need! I've had enough of this! Just because you're allowed to use magic now, you don't have to whip your wands out for every tiny little thing!"
"We were just trying to save a bit of time," Fred whined back, yanking the knife out of the table as Duffy scrambled to fix the scorch mark. "Sorry, Sirius, mate. Didn't mean to."
Mr. Weasley was also trying to help, putting the cauldron in the center of the table. "Boys, your mother's right, you're supposed to show a sense of responsibility now you've come of age."
"None of your brothers caused this sort of trouble!" Mrs. Weasley snapped, entering and slamming down a fresh flagon of butterbeer onto the table. "Bill didn't feel the need to Apparate every few feet! Charlie didn't charm everything he met! Percy—"
The room went quiet at the mention before Bill spoke quickly.
"Let's eat."
"It looks wonderful, Molly," Lupin added, passing her a plate of food before Sirius nudged Harry.
"Said I'd introduce you, right? Woman with the bright hair is Nymphadora Tonks. She's a Metamorphmagus, so she can transform her physical appearance however she likes. Then, there's Kingsley Shacklebolt. He works in the Ministry as an Auror, so he's our eyes and ears there. You already know Alastor, Remus, and now Mundungus. There's also Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, Emmeline Vance, Hestia Jones, and Sturgis Podmore."
"Sirius," Mrs. Weasley spoke up then. "I was telling Nox earlier, there's a set of curtains full of Doxys upstairs and a Boggart I believe in the writing desk in the study. I thought we ought to ask Alastor to have a look at it before we let it out and that we might try and tackle to Doxys tomorrow."
"Why tell me? It's Nox's house."
She shot him a look, glancing over at Nox as he gave Tonks requests for her to change her appearance, before hissing under her breath. "You know as well as I do that he shouldn't be left to handle everything on his own."
"He's not like other kids, Molly," Sirius countered. "And I'm sure he'd be able to handle them better than we could anyway."
She shot him a glare and he held up his hands.
"But I suppose I'll talk to him, all right?"
She nodded with a huff, moving away to scold the twins about something again as Sirius let out a sigh.
"I feel worse for Nox than anyone," he muttered, giving Harry a look. "She's been going off like that about him since she got here. Nox is a bright kid, mature, right? He's handled more than half of us and better than half of us too. She just sees him as a kid though, so they're not quite seeing eye-to-eye. Doesn't help Remus has been siding with her on things. Dumbledore trusted him enough to allow him in the Order, so I thought we should give him a chance. No one wants to let him though." Sirius nudged Harry when he saw his frown. "Hey, I wanted you told too, ya know. I figured if Nox proved his worth we could slip you in as well, but… well, you see how that's going. Closer to the full moon it gets, the worse it is too."
"When's the next full moon?" Harry asked, having never really been good at astronomy.
"The tenth. So, about four days from now. He's been outside as much as he can be lately. Running helps him with stress," Sirius hummed, and Harry sighed softly, remembering Nox mentioning how he wanted a jog later. "Still, the shouting only lasts a bit before he steps out. Like I said, he sometimes seems more mature than the rest of us."
"Tell me about it," Harry muttered, focusing on his food and after three helpings of dessert, Mrs. Weasley announced it was time for bed.
"Ah, I promised to show Harry some of the creatures," Nox cut in, standing and nodding towards the door. "I've got to feed the Mooncalves anyway and check on the Occamies. Anyone who wants to come, can."
"Just be careful," Mrs. Weasley warned as all the students got up to join him.
"They're my creatures," Nox said shortly, showing Harry a glimpse of his frustration with her. "I know what I'm doing."