A.N. This is a confusing chapter. If you have any questions (which many of you probably do) feel free to e-mail me them at
Malena
"How long has he been out?" Asked an unfamiliar female voice.
"This will be his second day," replied the voice of a young man. "Remind me, why did you asked me to do this?"
"Because he knew you, and he'll be more comfortable around you than any other of the Agents. You are sure that you gave him the antidote potion?"
"I'm sure." Harry felt groggy and his head was hurting. It felt ten times heavier than it usually was. Suddenly, a bunch of memories came flooding back. Quidditch… Angelina… Avada Kedavra… falling… Harry's eyes snapped open. Someone had removed his glasses, but Harry could tell that he was in a room with the walls painted pure white. He could also tell that there was someone else in the room.
"I'm dead, aren't I?" Harry said quietly to the person.
"No, actually you're far from it," said the male voice from the other side of the room. It was oddly familiar. Harry sat up slightly and looked at the person, but his face was blurred.
"Your glasses are on the table beside you," he said. Harry reached over and pushed the glasses onto his face. Then he gave a yell.
"Cedric!" he exclaimed. "What-how-you-" Cedric gave a laugh.
"You're wondering how I'm alive," Cedric said. He stood up and started pacing at the end of the bed Harry was lying in. "I can't tell you yet. First you have to make a choice."
"A choice?" Harry repeated. "What do you mean?"
"Okay, I don't normally do this. I'm not a Greeter…"
"A Greeter?"
"Agents who greet recruits. But anyway, here are your choices, Either join us or die. For real."
"Who's 'Us'?"
"I can't tell you that. Not until you promise to join," Cedric said. "I'm sorry Harry, I went through this too."
"All right, I'll join," Harry said uncertainly.
"Good." Cedric grinned. "Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix."
"The Order of the Phoenix? Is that what I'm joining?"
"Yep," Cedric said. "Okay, now I am going to explain some stuff. It's going to be a little confusing at first, but you'll understand it all eventually.
"The Order of the Phoenix is a large group of agents that is made up mainly of… dead people."
"Dead people?" Harry asked.
"Well, to most of the world we're dead. You see, the Order of the Phoenix has a special potion that revives people after they are killed by Avada Kedavra. When someone that we want as an agent is killed by Avada Kedavra we send a Scout. After the funeral, the Scout steals the body from the casket and takes the body here. After they are injected with the potion they are alive again, and their body is just how it was before they were "killed"."
"So all this happened to me?" Harry asked.
"Yes, and it happened to me a few months ago. Anyway, after a day of touring the Order you are going to start school and training and your job."
"What do you mean?"
"Young recruits, and agents that were born into the Order (that means they were born after their parents were recruited) go to school from age 10 to 17, since you are starting in the middle of your school-life the Order of the Phoenix put knowledge into your brain. That might be why it feels a little heavy and it aches a bit. I had a bunch of knowledge injected in me too."
"So, I know a bunch of new stuff now?"
"Yep. Comment Cava?"
"Je vais pas mal. Merci, et tu?" Harry said, then his eyes widened. Cedric smiled.
"You also know four new languages," Cedric said. "You also know how to dance in various ways, you know various forms of martial arts, and a whole lot of other stuff. Over the next few weeks you will be practicing these and dueling."
"Dueling?"
"Yeah, every Order of the Phoenix agent knows the basics of dueling. We also know all of the Unforgiveable Curses."
"Wow."
"We can block any of them, even Avada Kedavra. But for Avada Kedavra (or A.K as we call it) we have to take a potion everyday, that's the only way we're immune to it. . Usually we only get a cut, burn, or a severed limb, but those can all be fixed easily."
Harry was in a daze, all of this information was astounding to hear, but he couldn't help blurting out a question that had been bugging him.
"Will I ever see Ron and Hermione again?" Harry asked. Cedric's face fell slightly.
"That's the thing. The only time you will be able to see them is if you're in disguise. They won't recognize you. Only three days ago I was on a mission and I saw my dad. He didn't recognize me of course."
Harry nodded.
"Oh," Harry suddenly thought of another question. "Is Angelina…"
"In the Order? Yes. She's in the room next to this one. Sometimes it takes a few days for the person to wake up after being dead for a few days.
"I know what you're really wanting to know," Cedric said in a sort of singsong voice.
"You do?" Harry said, not knowing what Cedric could be talking about.
"You want to know if your parents are still alive," Cedric said slyly. Harry's heart gave a leap. It hadn't occurred to ask about his parents.
"Are they?" Harry asked urgently. Cedric only grinned.
"They are! Aren't they?" Harry exclaimed happily. Cedric grinned some more and then said, "I was the person who told your parents that you had "died". Your mom is one of the nicest people in the world. She's a Greeter. Your dad works in the head office. He's busy on a mission right now."
"When can I meet them?" Harry asked.
"Tomorrow, you have to spend the night here though," Cedric said. "But you do get to meet someone else. He's going to show you around a bit today."
"Who is it?"
"Jimmy!" For the first time Harry noticed a little ear piece that Cedric was wearing. He was speaking into a small microphone connected to it that was right in front of his mouth. "He's ready. Come on in." The door opened and a boy with curly dark red hair and brown eyes walked into the room. He was about Harry's height and he had a few freckles on his nose.
"Hey Harry," Jimmy said. Then he did the oddest thing. He went straight up to Harry and hugged him. When he pulled away he said, "You have no idea how good it will be not to be the only man in the house. With dad gone half the time and two little sisters and-"
"Whoa! Jimmy, I haven't told him all that yet!" Cedric exclaimed. "I suppose that you should introduce yourself first."
"Oh, right," Jimmy said. "I'm Jimmy."
"It's-er- nice to meet you Jimmy," Harry said, shaking Jimmy's hand.
"Actually, my name is James. James Potter Jr. But everyone calls me Jimmy," he said. "I'm your brother." Harry's jaw dropped.
"My-my brother?" He sputtered. He turned to Cedric. "I have a brother?"
"Yes," Cedric said.
"I'm only 11 months younger than you. Mum "died" right before she was expected to give birth, but when she was recruited I was fine! Oh! And we have two sisters! Victoria is 11 years old (and a brat) and Olivia just turned 1."
"I-I can't wait to meet them," Harry said, feeling slightly overwhelmed.
"84 here," Cedric said suddenly. He was talking into his microphone. "Yeah… uh huh… Yes I can be there… No, Jimmy has control of the situation. 'Kay, be right there." Cedric turned to Harry and Jimmy.
"I gotta go. Jimmy, you're okay with showing Harry around?"
"You forgot it is my job?" Jimmy said.
"Right." Cedric disappeared with a small ping. Harry stared at Cedric's empty seat.
"Don't worry, you get to learn that too," Jimmy said.
"It's your job to show people around?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, we call it the After-Greeter job," Jimmy replied. "Sarge decides what jobs recruits get, but I got to choose my job. She's already chosen your job."
"Really? What is it?" Harry asked. Jimmy shrugged.
"No idea, she keeps that confidential until you meet her." Jimmy clapped his hands together. "Okay, first things first. You need new clothes." Harry looked down at the clothes he was wearing. They were black dress robes and he had no idea where he had gotten them.
"Stand up, I need to see if you're close to my size." When Harry had climbed out of bed he felt a little wobbily.
"Don't worry about it," Jimmy said. "After not using your legs for a few days they always feel that way. It'll wear off." Jimmy then waved his wand and a pair of jeans and a black tee shirt appeared in his hands.
"I'll leave you alone. Come out that door when you're done." After Harry had changed he slowly walked out of the door to where Jimmy was waiting.
"Harry these are the recruiting rooms," Jimmy said, pointing to a long line of identical doors. "That is where the new recruit stays until they get a home (if they're adults) or they get a dorm (if they're children or teenagers). This way." Jimmy led Harry to a row of doors.
"Okay, this room is the Scout's office. Personally, I would NOT want a job that involves touching dead people. Anyway, this is my office the After-Greeters office. That's the Greeter's office. That's where Mom works. That is the A.A.-"
"What? Alcoholics Anonymous?" Harry asked. Jimmy laughed.
"No, it's the Alternate Agents. That is where you create a- oh man what is that word…well you create a disguise that you wear every time you go out into public. Of course, recruits are the only people who bother with A.A. usually. The rest of us were born into the Order and people don't usually recognize us."
Jimmy led Harry down a circular room that had many doors and walls covered with pictures of people skateboarding and doing all kinds of extreme sports.
"This is what we call the leisure dome. Of course, that's a misnomer. We hardly relax when we're here. That door leads to the rock gym. That one leads to the pool. That one leads to Ashley's-"
"Who's Ashley?"
"Ashley's is the name of the dance club. The dances start every night at 8 and go until 1 am. Unfortunately for some people, people under 12 are not admitted. Okay, the room next to that is the gym…" Jimmy told Harry about all of the rooms. They even had a track, a skateboard park, and an ice rink.
"Okay, now I have to take you to meet Sarge," Jimmy said. Harry followed him down a long corridor and into another domed room full of wizards and witches bustling around. As Jimmy walked through the crowd, several people turned and looked in Harry's direction. Jimmy and Harry walked up a large metal staircase up to two iron doors. Jimmy took out a card and slid it through a little slot. There was a beep and the doors immediately opened.
"Harry only," came a voice from inside.
"See you soon. Good luck on the job," Jimmy said. The office that Harry walked into had enormous windows overlooking a rocky cliff and an ocean. There were leather chairs and a large desk, surrounded by file cabinets.
"Harry Potter?" Said a woman's voice. The chair that was sitting behind the desk turned around and revealed a black woman with wild, curly hair, and a black leather business suit under a cloak that was dark red.
"I believe that you have been shown around a bit," said the woman. "My name is Sarge."
"Er- yes, I was shown around by my brother Jimmy," Harry said.
"Mmm," said Sarge. She got up and walked over to Harry and said. "Well, you're going to do fine at the Order of the Phoenix. Let me tell you a bit more about the way things are run around here. Our wardrobe: We wear muggle clothes because we often have to go undercover as muggles in order to spy on people. They never suspect muggles. We wear ear pieces and microphones so we can communicate at any time. The ear piece also plays music when no one is talking to you. The music is programmed to read your emotions and it plays music that suits you. You also get a cloak, that you get to design yourself. You can do all of this tonight, before you start your job and school tomorrow.
"Okay, your ID card-" She waved her hand and an ID card appeared in it. It had a picture of Harry smiling on it.
"Your ID number is on it. You are agent 5097. We're just going to call you Agent 97. This card enables you to go almost everywhere in the Order of the Phoenix. It also enables you to go to your house. Every so often you will find a door that says Transporter on it. If you stick your card in the slot and tell it where you want to go you will be immediately transported there. Got it?"
"Yes," Harry said. She handed him the card.
"Are you aware about the Unforgivables?"
"Yes, Cedric explained them to me."
"Good. Okay, you have the same class schedule as all of the 15 year old agents, just contact them and they'll help you find where you are supposed to go. After school you are to report to your job…" Sarge walked over to her desk and pulled a piece of paper out of one of the drawers.
"97, you are to be working at the V.D, that is a section of the Order that is specialized with fighting Voldemort and Death Eaters. It's called the Voldemort Defense, but we just call it V.D. for short."
"Okay, but what do I do there?" Harry asked.
"We'll figure that out later. Mainly for now we just fight Voldemort where ever he attacks. We are also trying to find a spell that will kill Voldemort, because A.K will be too weak to kill him soon. Of course, that's the Dueling Master's business…" Sarge looked thoughtful for a moment. "Did anyone explain about Masters yet?" Harry shook his head.
"Every few years we have what we call Transfer. During that day people who wish to become Masters fight or challenge the Master of what they want to become. If you want to become Dueling Master you have to duel with the Dueling Master and knock him or her unconscious. If you want to become Combat Master you have to beat the Combat Master in a pretend war. There's the Intelligence Master, the Language Master, and a whole bunch of others. Don't worry, you'll get a book all about the Order of the Phoenix and it will explain all of this thoroughly."
Sarge clapped her hands together. "That's about all that I can think of to say. If you have any questions ask your brother."
"O-Okay," Harry said.
"Goodbye." Harry walked out of the room. Jimmy was standing by the door, waiting for him.
"What'd you get?" Jimmy asked. He took Harry's ID card.
"V.D! That is one of the coolest places to work. Follow me." Jimmy led Harry over to one of the doors that said Transporter. Jimmy stuck his card in and said, "V.D!" He stepped through the door and disappeared. Harry stuck his card in too and repeated after Jimmy. He stepped through the door and felt the oddest sensation. Harry stepped out of the door and into another room.
"Welcome to your job," Jimmy said. "This is the V.D." It was by far the coolest room Harry had been in so far. The wall was a giant aquarium with brightly colored fish swimming around in it. There were several large cubicles scattered around the room with people working in them.
"Why are there computers? I didn't think wizards bothered with them."
"Oh, those are data sources. All of the info that we know at the Order is stored in those. You have to know a special password to access most of the information though. Don't worry, you'll learn them soon."
"Jimmy…" Said a woman's voice behind him.
"Ah! Hello Sphinx, how're you?" Jimmy asked. Standing before Harry was the very same woman who had come to Harry in his dreams.
"I am fine Jimmy." Sphinx replied.
"Oh, let me introduce my brother-"
"We have met," Sphinx said. Harry smiled slightly.
"I must go," Sphinx said. She disappeared with a small ping!
"You've met Sphinx before?" Jimmy asked.
"Yeah, she came into one of my dreams," Harry said.
"Oh. She's really mysterious isn't she? She's from Egypt you know. That's where she got the nickname. Okay, I'm going to show you to your office." Before Jimmy could say something else a boy about Angelina's age came from behind Jimmy and tackled him.
"Will! Get off me!" said Jimmy.
"Make me." Jimmy flipped over so he was pinning the boy named Will to the ground.
"Oh stop it you two," said a girl coming up behind them. She had an American accent. She pulled Jimmy off of Will.
"You're no fun Max," said Will, getting up off of the floor. Harry got a good look at the girl. She was about 15 years old and had dark brown hair that was extremely curly and pulled back into a high ponytail. Will had his hair in braids zigzagging across his head.
"Who's this?" Max asked, motioning to Harry.
"This is my brother, Harry," Jimmy said.
"So I finally get to meet the great Harry Potter," Will said, holding out his hand for Harry to shake. "This is Maxine, but be call her Max."
"Oh my god, it's, like, so nice to meet you!" Max said, putting on a valley girl voice.
"Shut up Max," Will said. "So, are you working for the V.D? Max and I do too."
"Yep, meet the newest agent of the V.D," Jimmy said, clapping Harry on the back. "Max, he's going to have his classes with you. Do you mind showing him around a bit? I have to go."
"Why?" Will asked.
"It's almost time for dinner. And it's Macaroni and Cheese night. You know I can't miss that," Jimmy said. He said goodbye to Harry and then went over to the Transporter.
"Why aren't you going with him?" Will asked.
"I'm meeting the rest of my family tomorrow," Harry said.
"Oh," Will said. "I need to go get something, be right back."
"So Harry, I guess we're supposed to show you your office," Max said, "Follow me."
She led Harry up a metal spiral staircase and up to the second floor of the V.D.
She and Harry went up to a cubicle and Max said, "This is your world." There was one of the computer thingys, and a bunch of other stuff.
"This is your ear piece," Max said, holding up one of the ear pieces. "You'd better put it on now." Harry took his glasses off and put it on.
"These are no ordinary sunglasses. These can see any magical object on someone. Push this button-" She showed Harry a little button on the side of the glasses, "-And you have x-ray vision. Push this one and you can see metal objects. Push this button and they turn into regular sunglasses."
"Cool," Harry said.
"Hey Harry!" Will had come into the cubicle. "Here is your brand new wand and attachments." Will held up a case with a wand and several other things. He was about to leave when he said, "Whoa, Max! You will not believe what just happened."
"What?" Max asked.
"Celeste just looked at Harry." Will said in a whisper.
"Who?" Harry asked. Will pointed to the cubicle diagonal from Harry's. Sitting there was a girl about a year older than Harry, with blond hair and crystal blue eyes.
"So?" Harry asked.
"So! Celeste never looks at anyone unless they stand a chance with her. All of the boys are dying to go out with her. Trust me, it is a great honor to be looked upon by the great Celeste." Max said with a hint of bitterness in her voice.
"Damn man! You are the luckiest guy here!" Will said, patting him on the back. "Anyway, back to work…"
Harry had had an overwhelming day. He had been introduced to everyone in the V.D, and he had started working on a tracking system that would help the V.D find out where Voldemort was going next. The next day he would be going to school, designing a disguise, finishing up some work, and meeting his parents. After getting lost on his way to the recruiting rooms, Harry flopped onto the bed.
He missed Ron and Hermione, and he was wondering what they were doing at that moment. Then he thought of him meeting his parents. What would they be like? Would they like him? Will he like his new siblings? Eventually he fell asleep, thinking of his family…