He sat straight, his head reaching higher than the chair he sat in. Several years without the Dursleys starving him had giving him the opportunity he needed to grow. He and the other tall, dark haired man sat across from Dumbledore, whose hand was thoughtfully stoking his beard. They and some of the rest of the Order all watched the recording from a week ago.

The image moved, and Harry saw the animagus attack the trolls once again. He heard a few gasps and murmurs, and glanced around at all the familiar faces.

When it was over, Dumbledore asked, "Devin, do you recognize that?"

A man standing beside him in a deep red robe answered, "I think it might be a Igneus lacerta -fiery lizard- which has been rarely seen. Rumors, sightings, over many years. I'm can't believe someone had enough contact with one for it to be an animagus form, much less have seen one." He started pacing. "They only live -supposedly- inside volcanoes. They are presumably a cousin of dragons- that's about all I can say." A rather short explanation from the former Ravenclaw, considering how much Harry had heard him go on about other things.

Ayre on the far side of the room said, "I checked with the DFDL Albus, and a man with his description is a new member."

"How new?" asked Moody.

"Four months. He saved another members life, who then recommended him- that's all I could find out."

"Look, what does it matter? So there's some vigilante running around. All the better-"

Harry mused, 'maybe they'll get over me then-'

A blond haired woman asked "Aren't you curious?"

Before the man responded Snape said with a sneer, "Getting tired of their Boy Who Lived are they?"

"Severus."

Than dark man said nothing more, but Harry was still irritated. Not at Snape's comment -he'd heard plenty more and worse from the man. He was remembering that he'd won Witch Weekly's most charming smile award yesterday. 'Like they've even seen me recently!' In the middle of a war and the press was still continuing that idiotic contest without the victor's consent.

Dumbledore paused the recording. In the frozen image, the man stood with the sphere in his hand. "Hermione, Erin, I want you to research the barrier -get whoever you need. I've never seen a portable apparition barrier, and they could prove useful…"

He felt Sirius nudge him and he remembered what he was going to say, "Last night I saw Voldemort planning to attack the ministry. Since he knows it's near impossible to get in through the manual entrances, he's going to try to take over the floo network -and there's a Death Eater in the Department of Transportation. I don't know who." Paranoia was starting to build, with so many new recruits buying into Voldemort's propaganda. As before, people just didn't know who the enemy was.

Harry added all the details he could remember and they planned their counter moves; The meeting lasted several more hours. With a final discussion on preventing Voldemort from disrupting trade, Dumbledore declared the meeting over. Harry got up and said good bye to Brian.

"I hear it's your birthday?"

"Yep. I thought I'd visit Hermione's place." He nodded in her direction, where she sat engrossed in a conversation.

"Englishmen. Don't know how to party."

"Next time I'll let you plan a party."

"Sure." Something about Brian's grin worried him.

He hoped he'd be able to have a party next year. This year he was forgoing it. It was naturally a target for Voldemort, and their had been proof that Malfoy was going to try something on his birthday.

He was disappointed that he wouldn't be able to see Ron though; He was stuck in training. He might have been able to get special permission to visit, being one of the Hogwarts Trio, but Harry had told him not to.

He headed towards Hermione to offer his help with her research into the portable apparition barrier 0he had some idea of his own. "Harry." He turned to find himself looking into Dumbledore's blue eyes.

"Sir."

"Would you be willing to contact and escort new muggle born students?"

Harry blinked in surprise. "Sure. Where, when and how?"

"Come to my office on Tuesday, I'll give you the details. I've asked Hermione and a few others as well- not all the teachers are free to make trips."

Sirius came up and draped an arm around his shoulder, "Now, how come no one ever told me about what the Trio did for Halloween their sixth year?"

"What?" Harry vaguely remembered -he, Ron, and Hermione had taken to performing a few harmless pranks to cheer up the student body. He and Hermione had had to argue Ron into submission over the idea of focusing of the Slytherins. Alienation them would have been a bad idea. They were going to need everyone.

Dumbledore was smiling, "You mean enchanting the pumpkins to go bouncing around hitting people?"

"That would be it."

Harry put on a confused face. "How much did I drink that night?"

He could feel Sirius shaking with repressed mirth. "That must be why you didn't tell me. Or about the rest-"

He added a touch of innocence to his look. "What?"

"Oh, nothing."

"What!?"

When they got back to Moony's Mansion (a homely cabin), his present from Remus and Sirius made him forget everything he had been worrying about. "Sirius came up with the idea when you finally picked your animagus form."

"He's fantastic." Harry examined his new pet, which was currently resting on his arm.

"Of course, this means you'll need a Marauder's name."

"Swoop?"

"Hunter?"

"How about Feathers?"

"I don't think so!"

"Talon."

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

He rummaged around in the room of his current abode, searching for something. He wore dark blue robes today, and due to the fact that he wasn't going anywhere today, he looked like himself. His green eyes scanned the countertop on his way out of the room, still looking, and passing over something flaming red and gold.

He abruptly stopped and looked at the bird.

He frowned, perplexed at the phoenix, and not a little astonished. Stelliger was his phoenix (as much as a phoenix can be someone's) in the future.

In fact, this was how he had first shown up; One day he was just there. Harry smiled at the bird, "'lo Stell" and he let out a welcoming trill. The name was the phoenix's own choosing.

Harry shook his head in wonderment and moved into the kitchen. As far as he knew, he and Dumbledore were the only wizards that 'owned' phoenixes in Britain.