Chapter 3

"Harry Potter."

Sirius Black appeared before his godson, smiling brightly.

"Sirius!" Harry said, happy for the first time in a long while. The two met in an embrace, with Sirius clapping him on the back affectionately. Harry closed his eyes in contentment, breathing out a deep sigh as he leaned heavily into the hold of his godfather.

Katie and Alicia both cooed quietly as they noticed the love and affection between the two of them, while Angelina, Hermione, and Ginny fought back tears.

But no sooner did Harry and Sirius pull apart, Harry heard his name again as a greeting. He looked over Sirius's shoulder to see Oliver Wood standing there, beaming, hazel eyes bright.

"Wood," chuckled Harry, smiling even wider.

"Potter," grinned Wood, extending his hand outward.

The two went to shake hands, only to pull in for what was meant to be a short, brotherly hug. But it quickly morphed into a group hug between the two of them and the rest of Harry's original Quidditch team. Huddled together, the seven of them closed their eyes, sighing deeply, as if they'd just won a Quidditch match together.

"I'm so glad we're all under one roof again," mumbled Katie, who was pressed into Wood's other side.

"I've missed this so much," mumbled Alicia in agreement.

"Quidditch isn't the same without ye guys 'round," Wood said.

"It'll be a nightmare trying to find a replacement for you, Wood. No one is going to be as good as you are," Angelina said as they all pulled apart, beginning to head down towards the kitchen for dinner. Only they were interrupted by the sound of a loud crash.

"Tonks!" cried Mrs. Weasley as a large umbrella stand, which looked like a troll's foot, toppled over, ripping off black curtains that were covering the portrait of a large, yellow-skinned, sallow-looking woman.

"Not again!" moaned Katie, shaking her head.

"Bloody hell!" Ron cursed.

"Molly, I'm so sorry!" Tonks gasped as she rose to her feet, just as the woman in the portrait began screaming loudly.

"Blood traitors! Filthy half-breeds! Mudbloods! Who dares enter my home?!"

"Oh, shut up!" snarled Sirius, glowering at the photo as Angelina whipped out her wand, raising it.

"I'll get her to sleep," she said, dignified as she stalked towards the portrait. She flicked her wand and yelled, "Accio!" With a fierce tug of the curtains, they covered the portrait once more and put the portrait to sleep. Only they continued hearing the muffled screams and curses.

"Silencio!" Alicia said, firing the charm at the portrait. To their relief, silence filled the room.

"Thank God that's over," sighed Katie in relief as she leaned into Oliver's hold.

"Well, Harry, you've met my mother," Sirius said, a grimness to his tone.

"What's a portrait of your mother doing here?" asked Harry.

"This is my parents' house," Sirius explained as he led them down to the kitchen, keeping Harry closely at his side, his arm around Harry's shoulders. "I offered it to Dumbledore as Headquarters for the Order. About the only useful thing I could do from where I sit."

Harry nodded along.

"We've tried taking down my dear old mum's portrait for weeks, but we think she put a permanent sticking charm behind it," Sirius explained further.

"And she's a nuisance to listen to," offered Katie in a sympathetic voice. "First night I arrived here she cursed me, my father, my mother, and my brothers' names. Just our presence alone annoys her. Goes to show how 'dirty' we are in her eyes."

"Ye're worth ten of 'er, love," Oliver told her sternly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. Katie responded by lovingly kissing him on the cheek.

"I think we all annoy her, Katie," said Fred as they entered the kitchen, to see Mr. Weasley and David Bell sitting at the table, engaged in conversation.

"Hi, Harry," Mr. Weasley said. "How are you? I heard Mad-Eye almost had you all take a shortcut through Greenland."

"He tried," grinned Tonks as she took her seat at the table as Bill Weasley got up to shake Harry's hand.

"Luckily we convinced him otherwise," David said. He had the Daily Prophet open in front of him as he drank a glass of brandy. That was when Harry noticed the woman sitting at his side; a woman with soft, greying caramel-colored hair like Katie's, an identical smile, and a pair of glasses on her nose. She had a glass of wine sitting before her and a Muggle newspaper, as well.

David cast his wife a smile before glancing towards Harry. "Harry, this is my wife, Cheryl."

The woman peered up from the Muggle newspaper she was reading, and cast Harry a smile along with a nod. Her sons had inherited her smile and her eyes. Cheryl Bell's eyes twinkled. Katie walked around the table to sit with her mother, Oliver on the other side of her.

Cheryl turned to Mrs. Weasley, saying, "Molly, it really isn't any trouble if you need my help preparing dinner."

"Cheryl, you've done enough," Mrs. Weasley said as she prepared to bring the food out. "You already are a big help with dishes, which you do by hand."

"I tried convincing her to let me use magic to speed things along in our home," David said fondly. "But she insists on doing it the old-fashioned way."

"You don't always need magic for a quick fix in life," Cheryl insisted. "Besides, I for one think we sometimes need something a little old-fashioned."

"Tell that to Fred and George, Mrs. Bell," Angelina said with a roll of her eyes, taking her seat near Bill as she grabbed a bottle of butterbeer.

"Mum, why do you need the paper at the table?" Katie asked.

"It's the only way I can keep track of what's happening," Cheryl said, pushing her glasses up her nose. "It isn't like I can get the local news here."

"You know we can bewitch a TV if you want," offered George.

"No bloody way, George," Katie said, shaking her head. "Remember the last time you tried doing that? It was a fiasco."

"Thank you for having some common sense, Katie. You're the most level-headed sixteen-year-old I've ever met," said Mrs. Weasley as she prepared to carry a pot of stew into the dining area as Ginny, Ron, and Hermione all took their seats. Harry and Sirius sat near the head of the table, with Lupin close by.

"When you grow up with two Muggle brothers, you learn a thing or two about staying in control of yourself," Katie agreed.

"What?" Campbell inquired.

"The number of times you two would pick on me every time I came home the summer, it's a miracle I didn't break the law and transfigure you into rats," smirked Katie.

"Really? You?" Harry asked her, surprised. He knew Katie quite well; she was normally a very sweet, quiet girl with a gentle nature; she would never hurt a fly off the Quidditch pitch. He never heard of her having a temper.

"It takes a lot to get her that mad," Angelina grinned.

"That's news to me," said Wood, raising an eyebrow at his girlfriend. "Are ye trying to turn me on?"

"I have to try now?" Katie laughed. She quickly leaned in and kissed Oliver on the lips, which got Fred and George turning their heads the other way, and Alicia and Angelina giggling quietly as Ginny and Hermione sat with Tonks, who began entertaining the girls with her metamorphmagus powers by transforming her nose. She changed from a duck's beak, to a pig snout (which laughably reminded Harry of his cousin), and a dog-like nose. Fred and George chatted it up with Mundungus Fletcher, wearing identical, mischievous smirks on their faces until Mundungus announced he would be leaving, with Mad-Eye following him closely behind, growling. Kingsley was talking quietly with Arthur and David.

Dinner went on to be a quiet affair, with Harry conversing between Wood and Sirius. Looking at his godfather, Harry could see that Sirius hated being stuck in his old, family home, but at least his presence there seemed to lift Sirius's spirits a bit. He saw genuine happiness etch his godfather's face as they talked softly.

"At least you being here must beat staying with the Muggles," Sirius said.

"It does," said Harry. "But I'd prefer it if I not get expelled, let alone arrested."

"They let you off free even when you blew up your aunt," agreed Ron.

"She's not technically my aunt," Harry said irritably. "It's like Fudge is looking for any excuse to drag my name."

"He is, unfortunately," said David, passing Harry the Prophet. "Look at that bottom paragraph, on page five. I don't think you'll like what you see."

Harry reluctantly glanced down at the paper, seeing exactly what David was talking about. It read:

If he didn't have a scar on his forehead, we wouldn't have to worship Potter. Given how much Potter complained last year of that scar of his hurting, the Ministry is quite frankly surprised he hasn't foreseen this.

Harry felt a flare of anger rush through him as his hands began to shake.

"Now, they've been attacking Dumbledore as well," said Lupin calmly, reaching over to lean a hand on Harry's arm. "Fudge believes Dumbledore is after his job."

"But that's insane! No one in their right mind could believe that!" Harry said, giving David the newspaper back.

"Exactly," said Mr. Weasley. "Fudge isn't thinking clearly; his mind has been twisted and warped by fear."

"If only he hadn't had his personal dementor kiss Crouch Jr. at the end of term," spat Harry. "And how come is my word not good enough?"

"Fudge has it convinced that Diggory's death mentally scarred you to the point where you're delusional; that you want the fame and the attention," Hermione said, shaking her head.

"He says that a traumatized fourteen-year-old's word isn't convincing enough," said Angelina across the table.

"And we know it's ridiculous," Oliver told Harry firmly, yet quickly, hoping to appease his former Seeker. "I would know. Ye were on my Quidditch team for three years, I would've known from our first private session whether ye were an attention-seeking prat looking for trouble. And I know ye're far from it and that ye don't want anyone worshiping ye."

Harry felt some relief rush through him at hearing that. Oliver's words made him feel a little better, but it surprised him that Wood wasn't talking out of his arse like he normally did, and that he was actually being helpful and comforting.

Wood would typically speak with little tact and just say what was on his mind without thinking. And Harry recalled all the times Wood would be so oblivious to the way others were feeling; how he'd make Harry late for classes and have such little regard for how Harry felt.

But Harry also knew that Wood had a softer side, as well; he remembered how Oliver had cursed Marcus Flint when Flint tried hexing him before a practice, how Oliver and the whole team would defend him from people's comments in regards to him being a parslemouth. His thoughts drifted to a time shortly before the Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor match, when almost the whole Hufflepuff House would run away from him and not want to associate with him, when normally, he would be on good terms with them. He was certain the Gryffindor team would desert him, except, they didn't.

Harry rushed through the Transfiguration courtyards, determined to make it to the Herbology greenhouses. Except, he wasn't looking forward to needing to attend class. Between the Hufflepuffs running away from him, thinking he'd petrify them, and the Slytherins making hissing noises and harassing him more than usual, his mood had soured significantly. And knowing the Hufflepuff-Gryffindor Quidditch match was approaching, Harry hated knowing he needed to be on the same field as them. Knowing the Hufflepuffs, they'd probably fly away from him and allow him to catch the Snitch if they were even close to him.

Shouldering his school bag, he barely managed to make it out of the courtyard when he heard a sneering taunt from two familiar voices, ones he did not want to hear.

"I'm surprised you're still here, Potter," sneered Peregrine Derrick, who was joined with his fellow Slytherin Beater, Lucian Bole. Neither one of them were particularly bright; they were big, ape-like, and just as nasty as Crabbe and Goyle. Harry thought Derrick had horse teeth, personally, and that Bole looked like he rammed headfirst into a tree more than once.

"But we suppose we should be thanking you," smirked Bole. "The less filthy Mudbloods around here, the better this place will be. But I shouldn't hope too much. You reek of filth; we heard your mother was one of 'em. It explains the bad smell."

Harry felt sick to his stomach. It hadn't occurred to him until now that he was a half-blood wizard; then again, his mother had been Muggleborn. He wondered if whatever that monster was, if the Chamber had opened when his mother had been in school, would the monster have petrified Lily Potter? The thought alone made him nauseous. But he was mostly too angry with Derrick and Bole. Hearing them call his mother – who'd died protecting him – a "Mudblood" left him outraged; they might as well have called him that.

"Don't you dare talk about my mother!" snapped Harry, glowering at them in loathing.

"Well, your filthy Mudblood of a mother screwed up the Potter bloodline; it used to be perfect until you were born to that worthless whore and that blood traitor," sneered Derrick, as if he were daring Harry to punch him and land himself in detention.

It took Harry everything within him to not jinx them or punch them. But he knew if he did that, he'd be giving these two gits the satisfaction. He was shaking, nonetheless.

"Shut up!" Harry hissed.

Bole and Derrick roared with laughter, while Harry just decided to push past them. Neither one of them was worth his time. Only Bole and Derrick weren't letting him go. They blocked his pathway.

"Next time the Chamber of Secrets reopens, say hello to the monster for us. And be sure that your little girlfriend Granger is next. Or maybe that Bell girl you run around playing Quidditch with. I'd never seen a more pathetic Chaser in years," laughed Bole.

"I told you to shut up!" Harry snapped. "I don't give a damn what either of you thinks! You're vile, cruel, and pathetic! Go do something useful, like take some Beaters lessons from Fred and George Weasley since your aim's so pitiful, I'd think you were sending the Bludgers towards the commentator's box. Now, get out of my way! I've got classes to attend!"

But before he could shove them out of the way, Bole whipped his wand out and yelled, "Flipendo!" The force of the knockback jinx was enough to send Harry flying backward into the grass.

Pushing himself upward by his elbows, he sat up and was about to get back onto his feet when he noticed Oliver Wood, Katie Bell and Fred and George rushing towards him.

"Are you alright?" Katie asked him as Wood grabbed Harry's hand to pull him to his feet.

Harry nodded. "I'm fine," he said, as he heard Derrick and Bole continuing to laugh.

Fred and George pulled out their wands. "Are they giving you trouble?" asked Fred, eying the Slytherin Beaters as if he were deciding what jinx to use on either of them.

"If they are we can engorge their tongues times two," added George as Derrick called out, "Scared, Potter?"

"Yeah, you wish," spat Harry, glaring at the two of them as he felt Wood placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Careful, Bole, he might petrify us!" taunted Derrick.

"If he does, then good riddance! I'm surprised either of ye can find your way onto the pitch without sign posts," retorted Wood, which got Fred and George howling with laughter, and Katie giggling fiercely. Even Harry managed to crack a smile. "I'm sure ye heard what Alicia did to your captain earlier today. So, unless ye want to gargle soap suds, close your mouths."

"I don't get why you bother with these losers, Wood," snorted Bole. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy, that's up to you."

"I thought Slytherins were supposed to be cunning and smart. I guess ye fell short on the smart part," Wood said heatedly. "Now shove off. Leave 'im alone!"

"Well, if you aren't the Heir of Slytherin, Potty, then we'll hope for the next best thing," Bole taunted.

"And what's that?" Harry demanded.

"That your skeleton lies next to your dead, filthy mother and your blood-traitor father by the end of this year," Derrick said, loud enough for Ernie Macmillan and Hannah Abbott to overhear as they passed. At least Hannah had enough sense to look a little sympathetic when she heard what Derrick had said about Harry's mother. But Ernie still looked terrified of just being in Harry's presence; his face was white as a sheet.

Harry was about rush towards Bole and Derrick and whip his wand out, but Fred and Oliver both grabbed either of his arms to hold him back.

"What did I tell you, Derrick? A total nutter," laughed Bole as he and Derrick walked off.

"Stay away from me!" Harry snapped angrily, feeling Wood's grasp tighten on his arm. That was when Katie noticed Ernie and Hannah watching on in apprehension. Surprisingly, she rounded on them with a glare on her face, her caramel-colored hair flying as she whipped her head in their direction.

"What are you looking at?!" she asked, an angry edge to her voice. "Don't just stand there!"

Ernie and Hannah both looked surprised at Katie's outburst. She normally never got angry. But apparently, her fierce words were enough to send Hannah and Ernie away.

"Ignore 'em, they're not worth it," Oliver whispered in Harry's ear. "We'll see who's laughing when we win the Quidditch Cup. We'll wipe their slimy smirks off their faces this year. Think of how brilliant that's going to feel when this is all over."

Harry closed his eyes, picturing himself holding the Quidditch Cup aloft, with everyone cheering, Wood's face glowing with happiness for his young protégé. He would finally make Wood proud of him. The thought of that alone left him feeling a little better. But it didn't leave him feeling any less sick to his stomach over Derrick and Bole's comments, especially their comments about his mother.

"They're pathetic, if you ask me," Katie said, her arms crossed her over chest as she turned to face Harry. "Are you going to be alright?" she asked him.

Harry didn't know. All he could do was lower his shoulders in defeat, sighing. "Honestly?" he asked. "I'm used to it, at this point."

"Ye shouldn't have to be," said Oliver. "I'll see ye for practice later tonight, I take it?"

Harry nodded. Satisfied that Harry was calmed down enough, Wood and Fred released him and the twins, Katie, and Wood proceeded to head off to their classes. But Wood turned in Harry's direction.

"And Potter?" Wood said. "If ye need to stay on the pitch later after practice, I'll leave ye the change room's key. I know flying usually helps clear your head."

Harry was taken aback slightly by how kind Wood was being. But he was grateful, nonetheless.

Thinking back on that day reminded Harry that Wood really did care about his teammates. And no one could say otherwise. But thoughtfulness was never something Oliver was good at. Hearing him put some thought into it, Harry could tell that Wood had really matured through his time at Puddlemere United.

"Who are you and what have you done with Oliver Wood? The same ruddy bloke who told me to knock Cho Chang off her broomstick if it meant catching the Snitch, and 'get to the Snitch or die trying?'" Harry inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Time with Puddlemere made me realize back then, I was a bit of an idiot. I had to learn to think before I talk. It was quite humbling," Oliver said.

"So, it took going out into your career to realize that? I'm shocked!" said Fred.

"Shut up," Oliver hissed at Fred, shaking his head, before returning to his stew as Katie rested her head on his shoulder.

Dinner continued quietly, and after at least three helpings of rhubarb crumble and custard, Harry felt as though he'd eaten enough to last him a week.

"Nearly time for bed, I think," announced Mrs. Weasley.

"Not just yet, Molly," Sirius said. Turning to Harry as he pushed his plate away, he said, "I believe you've been looking for answers regarding Voldemort."

"I have!" Harry said indignantly. "I want to know where he is, what he's up to, and what he plans to do! I've asked Ron and Hermione, even Angelina, Katie, and Alicia, and they all told me we're not allowed in Order meetings, so –"

"They're quite right," Mrs. Weasley said sternly. "You're too young."

"But don't I deserve to have some answers?" Harry demanded. "I saw him! I was the one who had to watch him return and fight him. I was there to see Cedric Diggory get killed!"

"And since when is he too young to ask questions?" rounded Oliver, coming to Harry's defense. "He's right! I'm sorry to break it to ye, Mrs. Weasley, but he's not a kid anymore. That ended last year when he had to see someone get murdered!"

"He's still just a boy!" said Mrs. Weasley.

"A boy who killed Professor Quirrell with his bare hands, killed a basilisk and closed the Chamber of Secrets for good saving Ginny, stopped a horde of dementors by mastering a Patronus, completed all those tasks in the Triwizard Tournament . . ." listed Fred, counting on his fingers the number of things Harry had done.

"He's got a point. This concerns him. He's got every right to know a little bit," Sirius said.

"But someone here has to have Harry's best interest at heart," said Mrs. Weasley.

"He's got me!"

"But he's not James, Sirius! You're acting as though you just got your best friend back!"

"But he's not your son," Sirius said quietly.

"He's as good as!" Mrs. Weasley argued. "And he may have you now. But you haven't been able to be around, locked up in Azkaban, haven't you?"

Sirius got quiet upon hearing, but Lupin said, "Now, hold on, Molly. You aren't the only one here who cares about Harry. We all want what is best for him. And frankly? I don't see how him knowing a little bit could hurt. If James were here, that's what he'd want."

"And I would have raised him myself if Pettigrew hadn't decided to rat out James and Lily to Voldemort!" snapped Sirius.

"Maybe I should've let you kill him that night in the Shrieking Shack," mumbled Harry. "Maybe then, Cedric would still be alive, and Voldemort wouldn't have –"

"It's not your fault, Harry," Alicia said gently.

"Don't talk like that," said Hermione quietly. "You did the right thing."

"Okay, fine!" snapped Mrs. Weasley. "The rest of you, off to bed, now!"

"But hang on for a second," Katie piped up. "If he gets to know something, what about us? Come February I turn seventeen!"

"And we're of age!" spoke Fred and George at the same time.

"Us, too!" agreed Alicia, gesturing to Angelina.

"And my sister Danielle wrote to me telling me she's planning on joining the Order, too," spoke up Angelina indignantly. "I want to know what she's getting into here!"

"Molly, they've got a point. They are legally adults. And Katie's family is involved in this; she's got every right to know what's going on," reasoned Mr. Weasley in a tired voice.

"Us too," said Patrick from where he sat near his brother. "We might be in college but both our parents are involved. You can't expect us to just not know anything!"

Mrs. Weasley's lips were thin with anger. She had her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Fine. But Ron, Hermione, Ginny, bed. Now."

"Whoa, hold on!" Ron said. "How come Harry gets to be here and not us?"

"You're too young!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.

"But if Harry hears anything he'll just tell us everything later anyhow!" Ron pointed out. "Won't you, Harry?"

Harry considered this for a moment. He considered keeping Ron in the dark just as he had with him. But looking at Ron and Hermione's faces, he could tell they wanted to know just as much as he did.

"I will," he said to them.

"Fine!" Mrs. Weasley snapped. "Ginny. Bed. Now."

"But Mum –!" Ginny argued.

"No discussion. Off to bed with you, Ginny," ordered Mrs. Weasley.

Ginny left in a huff, slamming the kitchen door and stomping up the stairs loudly, not even seeming to care if she woke Mrs. Black's portrait. With Ginny now out of the room, everyone turned to Harry.

"Alright, Harry, what do you want to know?" Sirius asked his godson.

"What's Voldemort planning?" demanded Harry, ignoring how everyone flinched harshly, all except Sirius and Lupin, who remained calm.

Sirius, Lupin, and Mr. Weasley all shared a glance with Kingsley and Tonks, as if they were debating how much information they should give. Even Oliver looked as though this was killing him, staying silent about what he knew. Katie kept throwing him a few blazing looks, as if she were begging him to tell her.

"Well, Harry," began Sirius, "as you know already, that night in the graveyard, the night that Diggory boy was murdered, that was all orchestrated from the beginning of last summer. But Voldemort, Wormtail, and Barty Crouch Jr. didn't count on you telling everyone the Dark Lord has returned."

"Ye weren't supposed to survive that night," said Oliver. "Apparently, ye screwed up his element of surprise. It was only supposed to be his followers who knew, no one else."

"And by listing all the Death Eaters who were there that night, they were all people whom You Know Who views as his weakest members," David said, his hands folded in front of him.

"What do you mean, 'the weakest,' Daddy?" asked Katy, who was cuddled into Oliver's side.

David closed his eyes briefly before saying, "You Know Who feels that his more loyal servants were the ones who'd gone to Azkaban in his name; the ones who didn't try to hide, like Crabbe, Goyle, Lucius Malfoy, Igor Karkaroff. They're all most undesirable to him. But that doesn't mean they'll stop. No one stops being a Death Eater once they're in."

"Malfoy has got one more chance at proving himself, or so I believe," Mr. Weasley said coldly.

"But Snape was part of that the first time," pointed out Fred. "So, why's he here?"

"He's acting as a double agent. If Voldemort thinks Snape is on his side, then that makes it far less suspicious on his part," said Sirius, but Harry could hear the contempt and disgust in his godfather's voice.

"And we also believe Voldemort has been recruiting," continued Lupin. "Several of us in the Order have jobs we must fulfill."

"And what's that?" asked Harry.

"Well, my role from years ago has been reinstated," Lupin said, not even trying to hide his sardonic tone. "I need to go and seek out the werewolves, convince them otherwise. See if they'll be willing to side with us."

"I doubt that will go well," said Angelina. "With the laws against werewolves in effect, and those registrations? Even creatures like wild centaurs, and giants, and half-giants. They're viewed as filth in the eyes of certain individuals in the ministry!"

"Exactly, Hagrid was accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets because he was accused the first time, all because he's half-giant! Who's to say Fudge won't write off anything that goes wrong as their doing again?" added Katie, a hint of anger in her voice.

"That's what we're hoping to avoid this time," Lupin said sternly. "But aside from that, we're hoping to counter Voldemort's plans by building the Order back up to what it used to be. Even back in the First Wizarding War, our numbers were small."

"But how come we can't join?" asked Fred.

"Because for one, you must be seventeen, and you must be out of Hogwarts," said Bill.

'And that's especially since we're taking extra precautions this time around," Kingsley said. "We suspect another war is coming. And You Know Who is going to make sure he goes about it quietly. He's far more careful this time around."

"Which makes him that far more dangerous?" guessed Campbell, clenching his fists.

"Yes," said Sirius. "We also believe Voldemort is after something. Something he didn't have last time."

Harry took a moment to consider, before saying, "Like . . . a weapon?"

"But what kind of weapon?" inquired George. "Something worse than the Killing Curse? Something that could kill loads of people at once?"

"No, that's enough," Mrs. Weasley cut in. "You all have heard enough. If you say any more, you might as well induct them all into the Order now!"

"Good! I want to join!" Harry said, raising his voice slightly. "If Voldemort's ranking an army, I want to fight!"

"No, end of discussion," Mrs. Weasley demanded. "Off to bed, all of you, now!"

"But Mum!" Ron protested.

"No," said Oliver. "I think we've said enough for one night. Besides, we've got cleaning duties tomorrow. And I need to go into work, and prepare for my resignation."

Harry thought he was going to choke on his pumpkin juice he'd been sipping. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was this the same Oliver Wood who'd spent his entire Hogwarts career vying for a spot on a professional Quidditch team? And here he was, resigning from his dream job? He was convinced the world had ended. Because there was no possible way Oliver Woold could give up the glory and potential fame he'd gain from a professional Quidditch career.

"Wait, you're – you're resigning from Puddlemere?!" spluttered Harry. "H – How? Quidditch is your life!"

"Who said I'm giving it up completely?" grinned Wood, giving Harry a wink. "Say hello to Hogwarts's new, temporary flying instructor while Madam Hooch takes a little 'leave of absence.'"

Harry felt the surprise settling in. While he was happy that Wood wasn't giving up Quidditch completely, knowing Wood was going to be stationed at Hogwarts for the school year wasn't something he expected to hear at all.

"Blimey, Wood," Harry said, shaking his head. "I never thought I'd ever hear that."

"Me neither, but apparently, Dumbledore wants me in the school to keep an eye on things," Oliver said. "And I've got an idea why. I just hope that I'm wrong."

"You rarely are, Ollie," sighed Katie as she rose to her feet, grabbing his hand so they could start going up the stairs and to bed.

"Let's just hope when we go to sleep tonight, Kreacher doesn't go wondering about in our rooms," grumbled Ron as he and Harry led the way up the stairs to their room.

"Who's Kreacher?" asked Harry.

"The Black family house elf," sighed Fred. "He hardly does a thing 'round here. Sirius can't stand having him here."

"I still think we should set him free," Hermione said.

"We can't," Katie said irritably. "He harbors the same pureblood mania his old mistress did."

"And he knows too much," added George. "If he gets set free, he'll rat the Order out first chance he gets."

"You don't know that," Hermione argued.

"Hermione, take my advice," Angelina said sternly. "Give it up on S.P.E.W. If you set free every house elf a lot of wizarding families will lose a whole lot more. And Hogwarts treats them arguably better than most; at least they get payment upon request. And they live to work. They will continue to serve until the day they die."

"But if it's a house elf like Dobby, who worked for the Malfoys, I'd say make an exception," said Alicia. "I wouldn't want to breathe the same air as them."

Hermione went silent at that as they all climbed the stairs, off to their bedrooms. Hermione entered the one she was sharing with Ginny, while Campbell, Patrick, Oliver, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina went off to theirs. Ron and Harry quickly went into their own bedroom.

As Katie began changing into her pajamas, she thought about what the members of the Order had revealed. Hearing that Voldemort was after a potential weapon left her uneasy. As she quickly removed her t-shirt and bra to slip her grey tank top on, she felt Oliver leaning a hand on her shoulder.

"Ye al'ight?" he asked.

Katie sighed. "Hardly, Ollie," she whispered, slipping her night shirt on before undoing the buttons on her jeans.

Oliver kissed her barren shoulder gently. "It's going to be okay, love," he murmured. "Whatever ends up happening, we'll take care of it. I swear."

"Don't promise anything," Katie whispered, turning to face her boyfriend. "If it weren't for You Know Who my dad's parents might still be around."

"I know." Oliver gently brushed his thumb over her lips. "But ye need to trust me. I know what I'm doing. Besides, what I'll be doing is far safer. It's going to be okay."

Katie nodded, leaning her forehead against Oliver's. "I trust you," she whispered, moving to wrap her arms around his neck in an embrace before proceeding to continue changing. Oliver turned away for the sake of her privacy and stripped to his boxers, before pulling on a white t-shirt and climbing into his sleeping bag. Katie proceeded to lie down on the window seat, propping her pillow behind her head and grabbing her blanket, draping it across her shoulders before falling into an uneasy slumber, her hand never leaving Oliver's.

FanFictionFanGirl59 –

Well, it's here. And you'll be getting plenty more.

D.J. Scales –

Well, the Quidditch team isn't stupid. They know hiding stuff from Harry isn't going to help anything.

A/N:

And as for the name "Danielle" being dropped for the name of Angelina's older sister, that's a reference to Angelina's original actress, Danielle Tabor, who portrayed her in the first two movies.