"Wishing to be friends is quick work, but friendship is a slow ripening fruit." - Aristotle

Chapter Thirty - Dark Dinner Discussions

Ankaa twirled the wand in her hand as she waited downstairs for Harry to finish packing up. Remus and the others had arrived a few hours earlier, right when she had grown tired and irritated by Harry's incessant grumbling and questioning. While Harry gathered his things to head to Grimmauld Place, Ankaa waited downstairs with Remus.

"They're worried about you," Remus told her softly when the other members of the Order had preoccupied themselves with the Muggle contraptions around the house. "Maya just saw you facing off with a Dementor."

Ankaa snorted lightly, "I had thought she would be mad, seeing as I'd gone off by myself with no help."

Remus chuckled, "Sirius was. But I think Maya was more worried. None of us knew you could perform the Patronus Charm."

"Neither did I," Ankaa mumbled. "Ceph tried to teach me in third year, when I told him Harry faced a Dementor, but it never really worked. I've been trying ever since, and… I was so sure it wouldn't work."

Remus only smiled at her. "The charm usually takes a combination of things to work. You might have had the right memory," He told her, "But the emotion behind it needs to be just as strong."

"So it really only worked because I'm missing Ceph?"

Remus breathed in deeply, mulling over his answer for a moment before he spoke. "I suppose," he began, "But it's a lot more than that. You were driven by adrenaline and fear, and the memory you happened to choose was linked to powerful emotion."

"So it won't work next time?"

"Hopefully there won't be a next time," Remus gave her a look that bordered on scolding, but he was slightly amused, "But yes, that could be the case. With most witches and wizards, the problem isn't the memory. It's the fact that they don't believe in themselves. Doubt is your worst enemy… But seeing as you've performed the charm already, I don't think it should present a challenge to you."

"I bet you said that to Harry too," Ankaa muttered, glancing up at the stairs as the boy in question came down with his trunk. Tonks followed behind him, her tongue sticking out in concentration as she levitated the trunk in front of Harry.

Remus quickly scribbled down a note for Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, telling them not to worry. Ankaa rolled her eyes at his effort. From the couple of hours she had been with Harry, nothing about his aunt and uncle (or his lumbering idiot of a cousin) had given her the impression that they were generally caring people.

"We should probably get out into the garden so we're ready," said Remus as he placed the note on the counter. "Harry, I've left a note telling your aunt and uncle not to worry—"

"They won't," said Harry.

"That you're safe—"

"That'll just depress them."

"—and that you'll see them next summer."

"That might just give them a heart attack," Ankaa smirked.

Lupin smiled at the two but did not respond. Ankaa watched as Harry was swooped away by Moody. She turned back to Lupin, who was still looking towards Harry. His brow was furrowed in concern, and his lips turned downwards in worry.

"He'll be fine," Ankaa rolled her eyes, leaning back on the counter.

"It's not him I'm worried about," Lupin commented quietly. Turning back to his goddaughter, he gave her a serious look. "What you did today was extremely reckless. I don't know if you understand just how valuable you are. Voldemort may be after Harry, but you'd be just as important of a target to him."

Ankaa looked away in slight guilt. She hated being chastised, but a part of her recognized that Remus' words stemmed from genuine concern for her well being. Ankaa was also well aware of the fact that she had been more than reckless. In fact, her primary motivation in coming to Little Whinging wasn't because she had seen the Dementor attack, but rather, a pure hatred directed towards Dudley for daring to dishonour her brother's name.

"You're right," She whispered softly, scratching the counter with her wand. "I didn't think it through, and that's scary. But I don't regret it. You should have heard the things he was saying about Ceph, Remus. He—" Ankaa grimaced. The lump in her throat, the racing heartbeat, told her that she was becoming emotional once more. Rightly so, she told herself, since she was thinking of Ceph.

"It's alright, Ankaa," Remus gave her a reassuring smile, placing a hand on her head. "You're alright. It's ok. None of us fault you for this, but you have to understand that these are dangerous times. You're just a valuable a target as Harry. Just... be careful next time, alright?"

Ankaa nodded.

Once they were all outside, it was decided that Moody would be leading everyone back. Since Harry was still underage, and couldn't Apparate, he had to use his broom. Remus, most likely concerned that Ankaa would Apparate somewhere other than Grimmauld Place, decided to Apparate back with her.

The two stood back and watched as everyone mounted their brooms on Moody's orders. Harry, who was right in front of her, turned back once to look at her. Ankaa just shrugged and gave him a small smile. She knew he probably wanted her to come along, and pester her with more questions. But she was sure that even he had realized that Ankaa could not offer him the information he needed.

Once they had all disappeared into the clouds, Remus turned to Ankaa and held up his arm. She wrapped her hand around the crook of his elbow and nodded. With practiced ease, Remus turned slightly on the spot, and the two Disapparated from Privet Drive.

When Remus and Ankaa returned to Grimmauld Place, the Order meeting had commenced already. Remus cast a look to the upper floors, taking note of the teenagers gathered by the railing, eagerly trying to listen in. With a fond shake of his head, he motioned Ankaa upstairs.

"Go ahead," He told her, "I expect this meeting will take a while. You can catch up with the others."

Ankaa spotted Fred leaning over the railing, looking down at her suspiciously. He turned behind him and said something, and a second later George appeared next to him, looking relieved. Ankaa trudged up the stairs slowly, trying to ignore their stares until finally, she was standing right beside George.

"What?"

"Where did you go!"

"Was it Harry?"

"We overheard something about an attack!"

Ankaa shushed them all quickly. "It was a Dementor attack," She told them, "There were two of them, and they were after Harry and his cousin. Mundungus—remember he was supposed to be watching Harry?—he was gone, and they attacked him while he was walking back."

"Is he alright?" Hermione asked, gripping the railing tightly.

"Yeah," Ankaa sighed. "The both of us held them off, but when we got back, the Ministry had sent Harry a letter saying he was expelled from Hogwarts for practicing underage magic."

"What about you?" asked George quietly, "You're not expelled are you?"

"No," Ankaa shook her head, "With the Trace being off me, the Ministry doesn't even know I was there. Which is lucky for Potter, I guess."

"What's happening now?" Ronald asked, looking around at the others, "Why's the Order here?"

There was a beat of silence. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts. Fred had been outside when Dumbledore had marched in, looking downright furious. Following his entrance, almost the entire Order had assembled in a matter of minutes, all looking worried and angry.

"They probably want to know who's behind the attack," Fred suggested.

"I think we all know who it is," Ginny supplied quietly from next to him. She glanced up at Ankaa, "Did you see anything in your vision?"

Ankaa snorted. "No," She admitted, "I didn't even see the Dementors in the vision. The only reason I went to Little Whinging was because Harry's stupid cousin was mocking... Ceph... and I got angry."

Fred turned to her quickly, "You've never done that before."

"Done what before?"

"Gone to help other people."

"Other people?" Ankaa retorted, looking incredibly confused, "It was Harry. And besides, I wasn't there to help in the first place. If you recall, I went there to kick Dudley's arse."

Fred rolled his eyes, "Of course, as if you would just go out on a whim like that."

Ankaa turned away from him after shooting him a glare. George, who stood between the bickering pair, cast an awkward look to Hermione and Ginny. The girls both shook their heads.

"Can you hear what's happening with the Order?"

Just then, the door opened once more and Moody walked in quickly. Tonks followed him, stumbling along as usual. Harry trailed behind the duo, looking around at the house. The door at the end of the Hall opened for a moment as Mrs. Weasley stepped out. Ankaa could tell Sirius was on the other side, saying something, but she could not decipher it.

All the kids ducked out of the way as soon as Mrs. Weasley looked up. They heard her talking to Harry, telling him directions on where his room was. Once the door opened and closed once more, the teenagers all peeked over the bannister.

"That was close," sighed Ronald, "Merlin, if she caught us again—"

"Let's go, Ron," said Hermione. The two of them quickly raced down the stairs and into the room that Harry had disappeared into. Ankaa could hear muted conversations, but she paid them no mind. Harry was probably asking them the same questions he had asked her, except now they would actually be able to talk about the Order, and this house.

"Come on, George," Fred mumbled, moving away from the bannister as well and heading into his room.

Ankaa rolled her eyes at him as he vanished into his room. Turning to Ginny, she muttered, "Your brother is an idiot."

The girl only smirked. "Which one?"

Ankaa had spent the next few hours with Ginny. She did not have the patience to deal with Harry's questions, nor Fred's idiocy. She let Fred and George be, working on their project and no doubt cribbing about her recent adventures. Ginny and Ankaa spent hours talking about some of their favourite and most useful spells.

"How about this one?" Ginny pointed to the top of the page in the book Ceph had given her. "It changes the ink so that you can write with it on your body. And this charm lets you make it permanent."

Ankaa only hummed, pulling the book closer to her so she could see the picture on the side. "The Muggles have something like this," She remembered, "They're called tattoos. Though, their's don't move."

The picture in the book was of a rose on the inside of someone's wrist. It bloomed in spring, and changed colour according to the mood of the person, and grew in size to show that the witch or wizard was healthy, or started to fade if the person was unwell. Tattoos in the wizarding world were closely tied to the person, as well as the world around them.

"I'd like to get one," Ginny smiled, flipping through the pages, but not really seeing the spells on it. "Something that tells a story."

Ankaa nodded. She would have liked to get one too.

"Wait—"

Ankaa stopped Ginny from flipping the page as her eyes found a spell in red ink at the bottom.

"Cantio Volvo," Ankaa muttered, blinking in confusion, "What does that mean?"

Ginny and Ankaa glanced over the page, but nothing was said about the spell. It stood out, the only spell written in red ink. It also looked like it had been scribbled into the book by someone. Ankaa read over the other spells on the page, hoping that their origins would give her some clues about what the spell was meant to do.

There was a sharp knock on the door to their room, and Hermione opened it slowly. "Dinner," she told them.

Ankaa motioned her closer, "Have you ever seen this spell? Cantio Volvo?"

Hermione frowned down at the page. She quickly glanced at the other spells but did not understand. Sighing, she gave the book back to the Slytherin girl. "Sorry," she said, "I've never seen this before."

Ankaa nodded. As Ginny and Hermione stepped out of the room, she marked the page at the top and placed the book back in her trunk. As she followed the girls, Fred and George stepped out of their room, discussing something in hushed tones. Upon joining with the rest of the group, they stopped and talked about something else.

When Ankaa stepped into the dining room, Mrs. Weasley had everyone helping set up. Mr. Weasley was in charge of supervising the knives at the side that were busy chopping vegetables, while his wife was stirring the cauldron over the fire.

"Ankaa," Maya pointed to the cabinets at the back, "Help Fred with the plates."

Ankaa cast a look behind her, at Fred, who had also heard what her mother had said. They both deflated a bit, neither of them too excited to be forced to work with the other. Neither of them said anything though, not wanting to have either of their mothers' wrath turn upon them.

Silently, Fred and Ankaa worked at setting the plates on the table. Whenever Fred was at the cabinet, pulling out the plates and cutlery, Ankaa was away at the table, setting a few of them up. And when Fred moved to the table, Ankaa moved to the cabinet. This way, the two of them attempted to avoid one another and still get their work done.

Unfortunately, they couldn't keep it up for long.

The rest of the plates were stocked on the highest shelf of the cabinet. Being of average height, Ankaa stood on the tips of her toes and was still unable to reach them. With a sigh, she stepped back, only to bump into Fred's chest as he leaned over her and grabbed the plates for her.

"Here," he murmured, passing the plates off to her gently, "You set these, and I'll get the forks."

Ankaa did not turn back to look at him as she grabbed the plates. She kept her face turned away from him as she set the table as well, glaring at George who stood in front of her (filling up the goblets) grinning. Fred followed after her, neatly placing the forks beside the plates. It seemed the two of them were working in sync.

Ankaa placed the plate before Harry, who was talking to her father. Sirius was expressing his bitter opinion about being locked up in his house and not being allowed outside. Ankaa watched as her mother ruffled his hair affectionately, telling him not to worry before placing a kiss to his temple. Sirius only rolled his eyes, still irritated about being grounded as an adult.

"Sirius?" Mundungus picked up the empty goblet in front of him, "This solid silver, mate?"

Ankaa snatched it from his hand as she filled it up with water (Merlin knows Mundungus had enough alcohol in his system already).

"Yes," said Sirius, surveying the shining goblet with distaste. "Finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest."

"That'd come off, though," muttered Mundungus, polishing the goblet with his cuff, sloshing some of the water onto the table.

Casting him an irritated glare, Ankaa picked up one of the rags on the side and began to clear the water off the table.

"Fred—George—NO, JUST CARRY THEM!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.

Ankaa barely had time to look up from the table before Sirius pulled her away. Fred and George had bewitched the large cauldron of stew, along with the butterbeer, and a heavy wooden breadboard (with the knives), to hurtle through the air and towards the trio at the end. The cauldron and butterbeer were the least of Ankaa's concern because her eyes were still fixated on the bread knife that had slipped off the board and landed, point down and quivering ominously, at the exact spot where her right hand had been milliseconds before.

"FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!" Screamed Mrs. Weasley. "THERE WAS NO NEED—I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS—JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE ALLOWED TO USE MAGIC NOW DOES NOT MEAN YOU HAVE TO WHIP YOUR WANDS OUT FOR EVERY TINY LITTLE THING!"

"We were just trying to save a bit of time!" said Fred, hurrying forward and wrenching the bread knife out of the table. He glanced at Ankaa's hand, his fingers twitching as if he wanted to reach for it. "Sorry, Ankaa, we didn't mean to—"

Harry and Sirius both started laughing loudly at that point. Ankaa probably would have smiled, since the look of absolute horror on the twins face was beyond comical, but the fact that Fred looked worried for her (even if it was the smallest amount), and that may subconsciously he had wanted to reach for her, made her pause.

As Mrs. Weasley continued to berate the twins, Ankaa took a seat beside Harry and stared down at her plate. Her mother, who sat across from her and in front of Harry, kept glancing her way. Ankaa looked up once, shook her head, and then turned away. She watched as Mrs. Weasley loaded up the plates and everyone sat down for dinner.

Dinner was a blur too. There wasn't anything interesting in terms of conversation. Sirius was as sarcastic as ever, even more so in Harry's presence, Mundungus was being chastised by Mrs. Weasley for being a bad influence on her sons (though, very discreetly), and Tonks was transforming her face between every mouthful. There was one part where Remus and Bill were talking about something related to the Order, but Mrs. Weasley put a stop to that rather quickly when she noticed Harry listening in.

"Nearly time for bed, I think," said Mrs. Weasley on a yawn.

"Not just yet, Molly," said Sirius, pushing away his empty plate and turning to look at Harry. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort."

Ankaa saw her mother bristle at the comment, not in fear of his name like most did, but in irritation at her husband's lack of tact. Lupin, who had been about to sip his wine, lowered the goblet slowly, casting a wary look at Sirius and then another at Maya.

"I did!" said Harry indignantly. "I asked Ron, Hermione and Ankaa, but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so—"

"And they're quite right," said Mrs. Weasley. "You're too young."

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of Phoenix to ask questions?" retorted Sirius, "Harry's been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen—"

"Hang on!" interrupted George loudly.

"How come Harry gets his questions answered?" said Fred angrily.

"We've been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven't told us a single stinking thing!" said George.

"You're too young, you're not in the Order," said Fred, in a high pitched voice that sounded too much like his mother's. "Harry's not even of age!"

"It's not my fault you haven't been told what the Order's doing," said Sirius calmly. "That's your parents' decision—"

"Parents' decision?" Echoed Ankaa, equally angry as the twins, "You didn't tell me anything either, Father. And now that Harry's here, you've just decided to answer all his questions?"

"Harry—"

"It's not down to you to decide what's good for Harry!" said Mrs. Weasley sharply, glaring at Sirius, looking dangerous. "You haven't forgotten what Dumbledore said, I suppose?"

"Which bit?" Sirius asked politely, but with an air as though readying himself for a fight. Maya recognized the tone immediately, and her hand placed itself over his own at the table, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"The bit about not telling Harry more than he needs to know," said Mrs. Weasley.

"Molly, I don't think Sirius meant that he would tell Harry everything," Maya supplied politely, "We know where to draw the line."

"But as he was the one who saw Voldemort come back" (again, there was a collective shudder around the table), "he has more right than most to—"

"I've seen him too!" Ankaa's cry was drowned by Mrs. Weasley.

"He's not a member of the Order of the Phoenix!" She retorted fiercely, "He's only fifteen and—"

"—and he and Ankaa have dealt with as much as most in the Order," said Sirius, "And more than some—"

"No one's denying what he's done!" said Mrs. Weasley, her voice rising, her fists trembling on the arms of her chair. "But he's still—"

"He's not a child!" said Sirius impatiently.

"He's not an adult either!" said Mrs. Weasley, the colour rising in her cheeks. "He's not James, Sirius!"

"I'm perfectly clear who he is, thanks, Molly," said Sirius coldly.

"Molly," Maya looked away from her husband and to the older woman. "Let's not argue amongst ourselves. I think we all know that the position has changed. Harry will have to be filled in, at least to a certain extent—"

"And me too," Ankaa interrupted, "You might as well because I'll find out anyway."

"Personally," said Lupin quietly, looking away from Sirius at last, as Mrs. Weasley and Maya turned to him, "It's better that Harry gets the facts—not all the facts, Molly, but the general picture—from us, rather than a garbled version from... others."

Others? Who else would he be able to talk to here anyway? Ankaa wondered if Remus was alluding to the Death Eaters, and their kids at Hogwarts. No doubt they would have some comments about Potter. Even if it wasn't the Death Eaters, the threat of Voldemort being back probably affected most of the kids in the school. They, no doubt, had stories of their own to tell Harry.

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, breathing deeply and looking around the table for the support that did not come, "well... I can see I'm going to be overruled. I'll just say this: Dumbledore must have had his reasons for not wanting Harry to know too much, and speaking as someone who has got Harry's best interests at heart—"

"He's not your son," said Sirius quietly. Ankaa glanced his way, taking in the cold expression that had yet to falter. She noticed her mother's hand tighten over Sirius', but he did not even glance her way.

"He's as good as," Mrs. Weasley replied without skipping a beat. "Who else has he got?"

"He's got me!"

"Yes," said Mrs. Weasley in an uncharacteristic show of spite, "The thing is, it's been rather difficult for you to look after him while you've been locked up in Azkaban, hasn't it?"

Sirius started to rise from his chair.

"That's enough, Molly," Ankaa turned back to the hardened undertone in her mother's voice as she fixed her stare on the redhead woman. "You're not the only one at this table that cares for Harry, and Sirius, sit down." Once Sirius had settled down, and Mrs. Weasley's lower lip continued trembling, Maya continued, "Harry wants to know what's going on. And he deserves to know."

"Me too." Ankaa said for what seemed like the thousandth time, "I'm not leaving this table without knowing everything that Harry knows."

Mrs. Weasley looked ready to object once more, but Ankaa interrupted her.

"Ceph's dead because of him, and I saw it all happen. I deserve to know, as much as Harry, what is going on."

"Very well," said Mrs. Weasley, her voice cracking. "Ginny—Ron—Hermione—Fred—George—I want you out of this kitchen, now."

Ankaa barely had enough time to blink before the place was in an uproar.

"We're of age!" Fred and George bellowed together.

"Mum, I want to!"

Fred and George had been allowed to stay, seeing as they were of legal age (though Mrs. Weasley had tried her hardest to make them leave). Ron and Hermione stayed because Harry would have told them everything he found out anyway.

"Fine!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "Fine! Ginny—BED!"

Once Ginny had finished raging and storming at her mother all the way up the stairs, and Mrs. Black's earsplitting shrieks were added to the mix, the kitchen door was closed and Sirius spoke.

"So, what do you want to know?"

And the questions seemed to flow from Harry faster than ever.

"There's been nothing in the news."

"That's because there haven't been any suspicious deaths yet," said Sirius, "not as far as we know, anyway... And we know quite a lot." He glanced at Maya from the side of his eyes.

"At least more than he thinks we do," said Lupin.

"His comeback didn't go quite the way he wanted it to, you see. He messed it up."

"How?" Harry asked perplexedly.

"You... weren't supposed to survive, Harry," said Maya, reaching over the table and holding his hand gently. "No one except his Death Eaters were supposed to know he was back. But you survived and told the one person that wasn't supposed to know until the end—Dumbledore."

"But wouldn't you have seen it?" Ankaa asked her mother, "He knows you're still alive, and that you're a Seer. Wouldn't that mean that he knows you're a threat?"

"Perhaps," Lupin nodded, "But that's why your mother is in hiding now. And that's why you're here too. I don't think it ever occurred to him that Maya would be a spy for us, or that her daughter would be a Seer."

"What's the Order been doing?"

"Working as hard as we can to make sure Voldemort cant' carry out his plans," said Sirius.

"Which are?" Ankaa asked.

"He wants to build up his army again," said Sirius. "He used to have huge numbers at his command; witches and wizards and all manner of Dark creatures."

"But if Voldemort's trying to recruit more people—" Harry began, "—more Death Eaters, it's bound to get out that he's come back, isn't it?"

Ankaa rolled her eyes with a sigh. "Honestly, Harry?" She shook her head, "He's probably more subtle. He'll trick people, jinx them or blackmail them. It's probably all happening in secrecy." She turned back to Sirius then, "But that can't be it. If it was just him gathering followers, you would be running around like this. What else does he want?"

Unfortunately, just as Sirius was about to answer her question, Mrs. Weasley decided she had had enough.

"I want you in bed, now. All of you," she said, looking around at the kids on the table.

"You can't boss us—" Fred began.

"Watch me," snarled Mrs. Weasley. Turning to Sirius, she said, "You've given Harry plenty of information. Any more and you might as well induct him into the Order straightaway."

"Why not?" said Harry quickly. "I'll join, I want to join, I want to fight—"

"Of course he does," Ankaa mumbled, sliding out of her chair. "I'm out though."

Harry gave her an incredulous stare. Even Sirius seemed disappointed in her answer. Lupin and Maya, on the other hand, seemed relieved.

"You don't want to join?" Harry asked her.

"I'm not crazy," Ankaa shook her head, "And I don't think you are either. Just because you got lucky once, doesn't mean it's going to happen again. This is serious stuff—seriously dangerous stuff. And I think it's better that we leave it to the grown ups."

As she left the room, she was aware of the fact that the others had followed suit. They all gathered in Harry and Ron's room, knowing full well that Mrs. Weasley had told them to go to sleep, but also itching with curiosity.

"A weapon, then?" George wondered, "What d'you reckon it is?"

"Could be anything," said Fred.

"But there can't be anything worse than the Avada Kedavra curse, can there?" said Ronald. "What's worse than death?"

"Maybe it's something that can kill loads of people at once," suggested George.

Ankaa frowned over at him, as his speculation only led Ronald to fearfully suggest some more. As the other continued brainstorming about what Voldemort's secret weapon could be, she wondered if it was really a weapon at all.

"What's wrong?"

Ankaa glanced up to see Hermione standing before her, holding Crookshanks in her arms.

"Nothing," the Slytherin girl murmured. "Just thinking about something."

"We're all thinking about something," George gave her a smirk, "What's on your mind, oh smart one?"

Ankaa gave him a small smile before she said, "I don't think its a weapon at all. At least not in the way we're thinking about it." At Harry's confused look, she elaborated, "Look, if I was him—which I'm not saying I am—" she glared at Ronald who opened his mouth to give her a smart reply, "—I'd want to make sure that fight I was launching myself into was a fight that I actually had a chance in."

"So what's he looking for then?" Harry raised a tired brow.

"Shh!" said Fred, half-rising from the bed. "Listen!"

They all fell silent. Footsteps were coming up the stairs again.

"Mum," said George. There was a loud crack as him and Fred Disapparated out of the room. Ankaa took Hermione's arm and pulled it roughly, and Crookshanks mewed in anger before leaping away. Turning on the spot, Ankaa Apparated into the girls' room.

"You're not going to throw up, are you?"

Crouching over, clutching her stomach in extreme discomfort, all Hermione did was look up at the smirking girl and glare at her. "No," she groaned, "But if you do that without warning again, I'm going to punch you."

Note

Review!