Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to the gifted Joanne Kathleen Rowling so don't sue me! All I have are my plot and my computer =).

A/N: This chapter is mainly information. Next chapter would hopefully be more action. =) After a long break when FF.net was down, I got pretty lazy but now the story's back. Sorry for the long time I took to write this chapter. R/R.

Learning More

Unable to sleep, Harry grabbed his Invisibility Cloak and the Marauders Map and went for a walk to organize his thoughts. Hearing so much new things at one go really messed up his mind. He did not know what to think anymore. How could Hermione be bad? She was his best friend. She had even fought Voldemort with him. Something must be wrong somewhere. She couldn't intentionally hurt him, right? Ah…he himself did not know anymore. This was all so darn confusing. Without his knowledge, Sirius saw him leaving the castle and decided to follow him for fear that he might be harmed.

As he strolled around the grounds, Harry ran through all the times he had been with Hermione. He knew that she kind of liked him but she wouldn't resort to such drastic means, would she? It was as if he did not know her anymore. Then he remembered the incident with Cho's broomstick. It couldn't be Hermione, right? Thinking about the broomsticks, he remembered that he had the match against Hufflepuff the next day and should be getting to sleep. He tried to forget all he found out earlier that night and tried to focus on the Quidditch match as he made his way back to the castle. He was shocked when he turned and saw a black, shaggy dog.

"Sirius, what are you doing here?" Harry exclaimed.

"I saw you leaving the castle and felt worried." Sirius changed into human form.

"Oh…" Harry said.

"What's wrong?" Sirius inquired with concern on seeing his godson's troubled face.

"It's just…" Harry poured out what had been bothering him.

"Don't think so much about it. From my knowledge, Hermione would not do something like that but then again, love can change someone, especially if she loves you." Sirius ended teasingly.

"But I don't love her." Harry moaned.

"That brings me to the next point, when am I going to meet the girl who has captured my godson's heart? I heard that he's become quite a heartthrob lately." Sirius teased.

"I had better be going back to my dormitory. I might be missed." Harry tried to change the subject.

"Don't think I won't pursue this. But since it's late and you have already been through a lot tonight, I'll let you go for now." Sirius warned cheerily.

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Harry woke up with a groan. He was still tired from lack of sleep after the late night. But he remembered that he had to see Dumbledore before his Quidditch match and hurried. He made his way to the Slytherin table during breakfast to tell Draco that Dumbledore wanted to see them both after breakfast. After eating a hurried breakfast, Harry rushed out of the Great Hall. Seeing Harry leave, Draco followed. Some students were still shocked to see Harry socializing with Draco but they kept quiet after having been snapped at before.

"What does Dumbledore want to see us about?" Draco asked when he finally caught up with Harry.

Harry explained what he had learnt the night before and Draco was shocked to learn that his father was no longer held in Askaban. He was now practically homeless, as he knew that his mother would follow his father. He also never expected to be part of this Order. He had heard about it from his father before and learnt that this group of people is more powerful than even the Ministry of Magic. The Ministry even enlisted their help at times. Their identities were all kept hidden and only those who are part of the Order knew who each other actually were.

"Sugar Quill," Harry said upon approaching the gargoyle.

"How do you know the password?" Draco asked, rather amazed.

"I've always been a frequent visitor," Harry joked.

"Good morning," Professor Dumbledore said as they entered.

"Morning," Harry and Draco said rather tentatively, not knowing what to expect.

"You both know that you are part of the Order of the Phoenix?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

Seeing them nod their heads, Professor Dumbledore continued, "The Order's main aim is to rid the world of all evil and at the moment, that evil is Voldemort. We are a secret group of people and no one, I repeat, no one is to know of our actual identity. When we go on missions, we take on a completely different identity so that nobody would recognize us."

"Do we use the Polyjuice potion?" Harry asked.

"No. The Polyjuice potion only lasts for an hour or so and we can't be drinking it every hour during missions. We use a completely different potion that only needs to be taken once to change our identity for an indefinite period of time. This potion allows a person to change into a person of another identity once taken. You only need to focus on that person in your mind. To change back to your original self, you take another potion. The only side effect is that if there is no counter potion, so we do not know how long one would have to stay in one's 'new' identity until one can change back."

"So now that we are in the Order, what do we do and…" Harry began questioning.

"Your parents were also part of the Order, Harry. From your linage, we already know that you are a very powerful wizard, in fact the most powerful wizard living when your powers develop. If I'm not wrong, you are the core of the Order. You would be the one leading in the attack against Voldemort. As for Draco, your mother is Voldemort's sister, and being his nephew, you are also powerful in your own right. You chose right not to follow the Dark Side and I believe you would also be vital in the defeat of Voldemort."

Both Harry and Draco were shocked when they heard Dumbledore. All Harry wanted was to be 'ordinary' and now it seemed less and less likely. Draco never even knew that his mother was Voldemort's sister. He just thought that his father supported Voldemort. Now what was going to happen to him?

As if he could read their minds, Dumbledore said, "Draco, you will be taking some of Harry's extra classes, especially in Defense and Transfiguration. You will need to protect yourself and being an animagi would also be useful. Harry will tell you when you are needed for the classes.  As for your living conditions, you would be living at Hogwarts during the holidays."

Draco could only stare at Dumbledore's twinkling eyes dazedly.

"Why can Draco stay at Hogwarts and I have to go back to the awful Dursleys?" Harry exclaimed.

"It is safer at the Dursleys." Professor Dumbledore said.

"Isn't Hogwarts just as safe or even safer?" Harry replied.

"Voldemort would think to look for you at Hogwarts first. Anyway, you have a secret keeper at the Dursleys who would keep you safe there." Professor Dumbledore explained.

"Who? Dudley?" Harry asked.

"No, Mrs. Figg. She's also part of the Order." Professor Dumbledore said.

"But she's so old and…" Harry started to argue.

"Haven't you heard a word I said? People who are part of the Order never give away their true identities." Professor Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling.

"Er…" Harry said.

"You boys had better be going. You have a match against Hufflepuff right, Harry?" Professor Dumbledore dismissed them.

"Yeah," Harry said, disgruntled that Dumbledore was not going to tell him more.

As they left Dumbledore's office, Draco and Harry carried on talking rather animatedly about the Order. They both found it unexpected, yet excited about their place in the Order.

"Well, at least I have someone else to confide in such stuff in now." Harry stated.

"Don't you have your girlfriend for that?" Draco teased.

"I think that stuff on the Order are confidential, but I still might tell her eventually." Harry replied.

"What about Ron and Hermione?" Draco continued.

"Ron might be jealous. He was when I was chosen for the Triwizard Cup last year. Hermione…er…" Harry's voice faltered.

"What about Hermione?" Draco asked as Harry told him what he had learnt the night before.

"I refuse to believe that." Draco stated.

"I don't know. It all points to her but my heart tell me that it can't be her." Harry said.

"She won't do such a thing to you." Draco insisted.

"Well, you'd obviously support her." Harry teased.

"What do you mean by that?" Draco had a faint flush on his cheeks.

"Need I spell it out? Draco likes Hermione." Harry grinned.

"Hey…" Draco exclaimed, not denying it, before continuing, "Nobody else knows right."

"Well…er…no." Harry cheerfully tortured Draco.

""You better not tell." Draco threatened.

"Make me." Harry grinned mischievously.

"Potter…" Draco muttered.

"Okay…your secret is safe with me." Harry promised.

"So tell me, what're night classes like?" Draco changed the subject.

"Tiring, but you'd get used to it after a while. You only take the Defense and Animagi classes. I have to do stuff like Telekinesis, Telepathy and Apparition too." Harry said.

"What? You get to do all the cool stuff. Wow, wandless magic. Also, isn't it illegal for under-aged people to apparate?" Draco asked enviously.

"These new subjects are tough all right. We'd already be illegal animagi to give us an edge over Voldemort. Guess knowing how to apparate will help me too." Harry said.

"G'luck against Hufflepuff." Draco said as they approached the school entrance.

"Thanks." Harry said as he left for the dressing rooms.

******************************

Harry rushed into the Gryffindor dressing room where everyone was already in his or her Quidditch robes and waiting for him, "Sorry, I'm late. Dumbledore wanted to see me."

When he finally finished changing, everyone just stared at him expectantly, and not knowing what to do, he stared back in return.

"Speech please, captain," Fred called out.

"Well, I didn't prepare anything…" Harry replied haltingly.

"Just say something," George teased.

"Er, I guess…let's all go out and just play a hell of a game." Harry said after a while.

"Got to work on your speech a little, captain." George again joked as they left the dressing room.

Seeing Ron trudging alone, Harry went up to him, "Hey, don't worry, you'll do fine."

"What if I don't? This is nerve wrecking. How did you manage your first time?" Ron asked.

"I feel the same exhilaration and nerves every time before a match. But trust me, it'll all be fine once you're in the air." Harry tried to calm him while Ron just looked on in disbelief.

Just as Harry was about to say more, he heard his name being called. Seeing Cho, he told Ron to go on first without him.

"How's it going?" Cho said as she came up to him.

"Just the same as before every Quidditch match." Harry grinned.

"Nervous?" Cho asked.

"A little…" Harry replied with a smile.

"Just wanted to wish you good luck and…" Cho faltered.

"And what?" Harry asked.

"Don't feel that you have to let Hufflepuff win. None of them would want it." Cho said in a rush.

Harry was amazed that she could guess his thoughts, "Well…"

"They would feel worse if you do that." Cho stated.

"I'll play like I normally do, all right?" Harry said, though he was not really sure if he could do as he said. After all, Cho might be wrong.

"All right." Cho said before giving him a peck on his cheek. "I'll be cheering for you."

Harry made his way to the pitch, thinking over what Cho had said. When he shook the Hufflepuff captain's hand, he was still unsure but then the Hufflepuff captain also repeated what Cho had said earlier.

"Don't be guilty over Cedric. We all miss him terribly but nobody blames you. We don't want you to purposely lose this game to us because you felt that you owed us after what happened last year."

Harry just kept silent as the whole school observed a moment of silence in memory of Cedric. Harry felt a pang of guilt wash over him again but he resolved to play as normally as he could and not let Gryffindor and even Hufflepuff down. This all just reminded Hermione of what she planned to do. Seeing Harry and Cho becoming closer each day, she felt a need to do something soon. She had a feeling that the book she found the day before could help her. She just had to figure out how to use it. Once Cedric is alive again, Cho would forget all about Harry and Harry would be hers.

The match started and Gryffindor scored many goals without any Hufflepuff reply. Ron wasn't even tested once. Hufflepuff was a totally different team without Cedric and it seemed that none of them was really into the match. Suddenly when Gryffindor was eighty points up, the snitch came into sight. Harry chased after it and was hesitant as to whether to take it or not. In that few seconds of contemplation, the snitch disappeared again.

"Don't do this! Grab the snitch the next time round if you have reached it. We won't be grateful to you if you let us win." The Hufflepuff captain flew up to Harry and shouted at him.

"I would if you at least showed some interest in this match. You guys just seem to be going through the motions, not trying to score or anything at all. Seeing you all making no attempt at all only makes me want to lose this match even more." Harry yelled back.

"It seems that the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff team captain are having a quarrel up there. Go on Harry, punch him." Lee Jordan, the commentator exclaimed.

"Lee…" Professor McGonagall said warningly.

"Sorry, Professor. Anyway, they are off again." Lee resumed his 'unbiased' commentary.

The Hufflepuffs could be seen making more attempts at the goals and even managed to put one past Ron who had overcome his initial nervousness to make a few rather spectacular saves. When the snitch next appeared, it was 120 - 30 Gryffindor's way. Harry again reached the snitch, and finally grabbed it after a moment's hesitation. The Gryffindor team descended, happy at the win, though Harry was still a little concerned over winning against Hufflepuff.

******************************

"Draco, ready for your first night class?" Harry asked upon meeting Draco the coming Monday night.

"Well, what are we going to learn tonight?" Draco inquired.

"Transfiguration. You would probably start with the basics of Animagi." Harry replied.

Walking into the Transfiguration classroom, Harry was shocked to see Dumbledore and Snape there with Professor McGonagall. They had never come during his lessons before and he did not know what to expect. Seeing the teachers there, Draco was pretty nervous too. This was his first time here and he was not sure what to do and such. At least he had Harry here to help him around. He wondered how Harry had coped with all this and started to admire him even more.

"Now that you're here, we can start. Harry, you're going to try and change into your animagus form today. As for Draco, we will work on your transfiguration on some parts of your body first." Professor McGonagall said.

"But how am I supposed to transfigure when I don't even know what animal I will be?" Harry asked.

"Well, Professor Snape has kindly brewed a potion that would reveal your animagi form once taken." Professor Dumbledore answered.

"Oh…all right." Harry replied.

"Once you know your animagi form, you'll spend the rest of tonight trying to change to the animal and then back to human form while Professor McGonagall works with Draco." Professor Dumbledore continued.

"Okay," Harry said, wondering what animagi form he would take.

"Severus, the potion," Professor Dumbledore motioned to Snape.

Snape handed Harry the potion that Harry drank in one gulp. He could feel himself constantly changing, one moment he had feet and another moment, he felt as if he was flying. He saw the Professors and Draco looking at him in surprise and was about to ask what was wrong but the words never came. Instead a roar sounded. Nobody did anything until Professor Dumbledore finally snapped out of his reverie and transfigured a mirror for Harry to look at himself. He himself was shocked when he saw his animagi form. He himself had never expected it. As he examined himself, he soon felt himself changing back to human form.

Both Snape and McGonagall were still speechless and Draco only let out an envious, "Wow", but Professor Dumbledore acted as if nothing extraordinary just happened, "Harry, I believe you can remember how you looked like in animagus form. Try and picture it in your mind and focus on that image and you'll eventually change."

"But how…I mean which animal?" Harry asked.

"As shocking as it is, I believe you are the first dual-animagi in magical history. Moreover, being a magical creature in animagi form is also very rare. But being you, it doesn't seem that unexpected." Professor Dumbledore explained.

"What do you mean by that Professor?" Harry asked.

"As I said before, you are the core of the Order of the Phoenix, therefore being a phoenix in animagi form is unexpected for many but not you. Having inherited Gryffindor's powers, I thought you might have been a lion, of which you did not prove me wrong. But you are beautiful in your animagi form, unlike some people who take the ugly aspects of an amimal when they change."

"So how am I supposed to change if I'm a dual-animagi? I suppose I just have to think of which animal I want to be and I'll just change to it but can I change from one form of animal to another?" Harry inquired.

"I couldn't have put it better myself. I believe that you can change from one form of animal to another but since you're the first dual-animagi, even I'm not sure myself." Professor Dumbledore replied.

"Oh…" Harry said.

"I only came to see what animal you would change into. Now I have to go. Do work hard at these classes. Severus, are you leaving too?" Professor Dumbledore swept out of the room with Snape following after him.

"Well, Potter, I never expected that. We had better get down to work." Professor McGonagall said.

Before the end of the night, Harry had mastered changing back and forth from human and animagi form. He found that he could really change from one animagi form to another. He was elated with both his animagi forms - the strength of the lion and the power in the flight of the phoenix. Draco also got over his awe over seeing Harry in animagi form. It only made him more determined to learn faster and become animagi himself as soon as possible.

"I can't believe you are a dual-animagi." Draco said as they left the Transfiguration classroom that night.

"I found it hard to believe myself, especially when I became a phoenix." Harry replied.

"Are you going to tell anyone about this?" Draco asked.

"I guess Dumbledore would notify Sirius (A/N: Draco knows that Sirius is innocent.) and Professor Lupin but I don't think I'll tell anyone else yet. Maybe later. Ron and Hermione don't even know that I was training to be animagi. They all think that my classes are Defense."

"Oh. So how's Hermione been lately? Have you found out if it's really her who…" Draco started to say.

"Shoot…Dudley and Jess wanted to meet us after our lessons tonight." Harry suddenly remembered.

"Huh. What for? And where?" Draco questioned.

"I don't know. I guess I could use this to find them." Harry pulled out the Marauder's Map.

"What's that?" Draco asked, surprised to see such an old piece of parchment. Furthermore, it was blank.

"It's a map of Hogwarts. Watch." Harry muttered the words to reveal the map.

"Cool. Where did you get this from?"

"Sirius and Lupin. They are the makers of this map, together with my dad and Pettigrew." Harry spat the last name out.

"Look, Dudley and Jess are in the kitchen. How are we to get there?"

"I guess your eyes are about to be opened tonight." Harry chuckled.

Harry led the way to the portrait of the fruit basket and tickled the pear them led to the kitchen while Draco just stared on wide-eyed. As they entered, the house-elves immediately pounced on them, wanting to serve them, but they declined, making their way to where their friends were waiting for them.

"See, I told you he would find us." Dudley smirked to Jess.

"Yes, oh great one, I should have believed you." Jess replied sarcastically.

"Hey, so what did you guys want to talk about?" Harry asked as they approached.

"You guys know that we are part of the Order too right?" Jess asked.

"Yeah. By the way, are you guys who you really are? Dumbledore was telling us about different identities and such…" Draco curiously asked.

"We didn't change our identity because nobody knew who we actually are except those in the Order, but we will when we start going on 'actual' missions." Dudley replied.

"We wanted to formally welcome you guys into the Order and also to let you know that you can come to us if there's something about the Order you are unsure off." Jess explained.

"Don't tell me you made us come all the way here just to tell us this?" Harry said in disbelief.

"Uh, not really." Jess replied.

"Then?" Harry and Draco both exclaimed at the same time.

"I think you guys better sit down first." Dudley said with a smile, noticing that they were still standing.

"Now can you tell us?" Harry asked as soon as they made themselves comfortable.

"It's about Hermione…" Jess mumbled.

"We know but we still find it difficult to believe." Harry said indignantly while Draco kept silent. His mind was thinking furiously. Maybe this was a plot of Voldemort's. He knew Hermione wouldn't do this.

"But what about the evidence we have found?" Dudley retorted, thinking how obstinate Harry was.

"You guys probably made a mistake. You know that she lives in the library and books are like her mean of survival." Harry replied.

"Wait a minute. Dudley and Jess might have a point." Draco cut in.

"Aren't you supposed to be supporting me?" Harry cried out in frustration.

"I think that Hermione is under a spell of Voldemort…" Draco explained.

"You mean the Imperious?" Harry was taken by surprise.

"No. Over the holidays, my er-Father was saying something about Voldemort having found a new spell that would be useful. Everybody longs for something they can't have and this spell sorts of uses that idea to make a person obsessed with acquiring that longing. I don't know what's the use of the spell though. But I think he might have used it on Hermione to get to you." Draco continued.

"Let's say you are right. What are we going to do?" Jess said, trying to absorb all Draco had been explaining.

"I guess we should just keep an eye on Hermione. We can't do much else." Draco replied hesitantly, knowing that this was the girl he loved they were talking about.

"Yeah, we should just do that." Harry conceded that Draco might be right.

With that, they discussed their lessons that night. Dudley and Jess were amazed to hear about Harry's animagus form. They themselves were animagi but they refused to say their animagus form, saying that Draco and Harry will know when the time is right. With that, they made their way back to their respective dorms, each absorbed in each's own thoughts, especially Harry who was worried about his friends.

******************************

Unknown to them all, at that moment, there was someone in an empty classroom, preparing to do a spell. She had fallen asleep earlier and the knowledge on how to use the black book just came to her. She just had to give details on what spell she wanted, mutter an incantation and the knowledge would be indelibly etched in her mind. Harry would finally be hers.

******************************

Lord Voldemort laughed evilly. His plan was slowly falling into place. She didn't know that to bring a life back, she had to offer a life in return. He would be the one to give his life and when good and evil lives are exchanged, they would swop identities. Since he was immortal, he wouldn't die. He would effectively be a pupil in the school inside the other's body. There, he will slowly take the lives of everybody the Potter boy loves, torturing him before he finally takes his life. He didn't care about the life that would be in his body. Lucius and Wormtail would be in charge of that. And then there was Severus. He had been his most powerful Death Eater in the past. Now he was not sure if Severus could be believed. He was a crafty one and his pledge of loyalty might not even be true. Being at Hogwarts would give him a chance to keep an eye.

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Zenya: I'm so glad you liked the story. Hermione would be better soon. Don't worry.

Alexia Black: Well, I don't mind H/G much but never H/H. Then again, my preference is H/C =).

Kitty: It's an honour to have this compared to a book of J.K. herself. Well, your guess is kind of on the spot.

Mrrichley: Thanks for reviewing. Love your story as well.

Faraway: As you would now have read, Hermione is not blinded by love but by a spell. It's nice to know of another H/C supporter. Aren't many around.

I do hope for more reviews. I'd like to hear to opinions and suggestions as well. It would make my writing better. Exams are coming soon so my updating will be pretty irregular. Thanks for being so patient.

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