DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything, and it's still really bad, I was reading the last chapter, and *Ugh* I was ready to throw up, but then again this was my first story... *shudders at the thought of H/H*
Saturday came in no time. Harry and Ron went down to the Quidditch field
ten minutes before tryouts were to begin. Harry and Ron were shocked that
Lavender was standing there waiting for them at the door to the Quidditch
field.
"Lavender? What are you doing here?" Ron asked.
"I have as much right to be here as much as you
do Ron."
"No, it's not that, I'm just making sure that my
girlfriend isn't competition for the Keeper position."
"Nope, I'm trying out for the extra Chaser spot."
"Oh good," Ron said relived.
"You weren't scared, were you?"
"No," Ron said. Harry found it hard to believe,
especially seeing how Ron's ears had turned pink.
"Well let's go in, shall we?" Harry asked.
"Sure," Lavender and Ron said.
"Okay, well I've got to go to the team, you guys
go over there, by Angelina, where she'll give you directions. She's the
new captain after all."
"See you," Ron called as he and Lavender walked
off with there brooms over their shoulders. Ron had talked his parents
into buying him a new broom, a Firebolt at that. Ron had been so happy
when that had came in the mail two days ago. He had also gotten robes that
were the right length and new. He looked as if he couldn't hold it in;
he switched into them right away. Of course Malfoy wasn't nice about it,
but what did you expect from a stinking Slytherin, Harry thought.
"Hey Harry!" Katie called from the middle of the
field.
"Hi guys!" Harry called back.
"We are going to start with the Keeper position,"
Fred told Harry.
"Okay great, we've got five more minutes until we
said we'd start. Now how are we going to do this?"
"Katie and Angelina will be trying to score on the
person and the one who blocks the most and plays the best will get the
part. You, Fred and I will be watching and trying to figure out which one
it is. Then after that we will hold tryouts for the other
Chaser position. And Oliver is here to help us, but not for anyone
to know that he's helping us decide, hey look there he is," George said
pointing at a blue jay that was sitting on one of the goal posts, "he's
an anigmus."
"That's cool, now Harry you understand that no one
is to know, not even Ron or Hermione."
"Okay, I got it."
"He's going to tell us which ones he likes better,
he told me his signals. So whoever I suggest is the best bet," Katie told
them.
"Great Katie," Harry said.
"Well lets get started." Angelina said, who had
come up with out Harry noticing.
"Oh hi, Angelina," Harry said.
"Okay, all of you aspiring to be the new Keeper,
please come here," Angelina said to the group of kids that were standing
across the field from them. Three students came over to where the team
was standing. "I assure you that there is no guarantee that Ron here will
get the spot, even if two of his brothers are on the team and his best
friend, but there's no saying that he won't. Plus Professor McGonagall
is sitting in the stands there; she will help make the decision. I'm just
telling you that it is all up onto how well you play. It doesn't matter
on what type of broom you have either; Fred and George were on the team
with Comet260s last year, so don't worry. Good luck, all of you. Well lets
start with the youngest, that would be you Sharon." A girl with blond hair
hopped on a Nimbus 2000 and flew in to the air by the goal posts.
"Would the rest of you please go into the stairwell,
so there is no pressure, Professor Lupin will be in there," Katie told
the other people trying out for either position. So the nine hopefuls went
into the stairwell.
"In the air we go," Fred said. Harry positioned
himself near the goal posts and waited for the tryout to begin. Harry looked
at the blue jay, which would be Oliver, he saw Oliver give him a wave,
well sort of, it must be hard with wings, Harry thought.
After all the tryouts were finished, Harry personally thought that
Ron was the best Keeper and Lavender the best Chaser, but what did Oliver
think?
"To the ground we go," Fred said after the last
person was done trying out for the Chaser position.
"I'm going to go tell them that we'll have the names
posted tonight," Angelina said, and flew off to where the stairwell was.
"So what do you think?" Harry asked as soon as Angelina
returned.
"Let us call Professor McGonagall over so we can
here what she thinks, I know what Oliver thinks, but lets get her opinion
too," Katie suggested.
"Okay, I'll fly over there," Harry volunteered.
"Okay Harry."
" Professor McGonagall, we're ready to discuss who
we think should be appointed to the team, we want your opinion too."
"Thank you, Potter." And with that Harry flew back
to where the team was talking, and Professor McGonagall got up and started
walking to the stairwell to meet the team on the field.
"So what did Oliver think?" Harry asked before Professor
McGonagall reached them.
"He liked Lavender for Chaser and Ron for Keeper.
But lets se what she has to say," Katie said as Professor McGonagall came
on to the field.
"Well who does the team feel should be placed on
the team," she asked as she reached them.
"Umm, we like Ron and Lavender," Angelina said.
"Well, I have to agree with you, but this isn't
biased is it? I do know that you are 'involved' with Mr. Weasley here,"
she said pointing at Fred.
"What?" Harry asked. Harry also notices that Fred
was turning the same color that Ron's ears turn when he's embarrassed.
No one seemed to hear Harry because no one responded.
"It's not biased at all, Professor," Angelina said.
"Good, well then appoint them, hurry up now, your
first game is in a month. October 16th to be correct. It's against Hufflepuff,
but even that, they're not to be taken lightly."
"Okay Professor," the team chorused.
"It's time for dinner now, it's five o'clock. Now
don't tell them, I'll go post their names in the Common room, I'll see
you in the Great Hall."
"You and Angelina are going out?" Harry asked again.
"Yes we are, hey look at that it's official. No
more running around. But I wonder how she knows?"
"I have no idea," Angelina said. She took Fred's
hand and walked up to the castle.
"I knew," George told Harry.
"Well, no duh, you are his brother, twin brother
at that."
"Oh yeah, I forgot…" George said jokingly.
Dinner went by and Ron barely ate anything, which
is incredibly odd, as you might know. But he was so nervous he was afraid
it might come back up, and he wouldn't want to ruin his new robes.
"Are you going to tell me or not!" Ron demanded as the pudding vanished
from the table.
"You'll find out in a few minutes, the names are
posted in the Common Room. Go now!" Harry told him.
"Okay!" Ron said and started sprinting out of the
Hall, up to the stairs before barely anyone had got up from the table.
"Well did he make it?" Hermione asked.
"Yeah," Harry whispered in her ear.
"Oh, I'm so happy!" she said, and shocked Harry.
How? Well, she kissed him right there in the Great Hall.
"Well let's go up there, before he dies of happiness,"
Harry told her.
"Okay."
When they reached the Fat Lady, Ron was still standing
outside her.
"What's wrong Ron?" Hermione asked.
"I'm to nervous. I don't want to go in there."
"Oh come on, you have nothing to worry about," Harry
told him.
"Okay," Ron said, "sylvestris pinus."
"Ron that's not the password," Hermione said, "its
pinus sylvestris." And the Fat Lady swung open.
"Okay Ron, you are going to look at that bulletin
board," Hermione said taking him by the shoulders, and steering him towards
the bulletin board, "now read it."
"Chaser – Lavender Brown, oh well that's good. Keeper
– Ron, Ron, Weasley. Hey that's me! I made it! Yeah! Okay Harry down to
the kitchen, I'm starving!"
"Fred and George have already taken care of that
look," Harry said. Fred and George had just walked in with some eclairs.
"Here you go Keeper," Fred said handing Ron some
eclairs.
"And for you Chaser," said George handing Lavender
some eclairs too. Lavender was sitting on the couch writing a letter, with
the biggest grin Harry had ever seen on her face, even bigger than the
one that she had on her face when Professor Trelawney had told her that
she had the makings of a true seer.
"He congratulations!" Ron told her.
"You too!" Ron bent down and hugged her.
"Well I guess there, public too, eh Fred?" Harry
told him.
"Yeah, you and Hermione are too, aren't you Harry."
"Umm, yeah I guess so."
***
Harry didn't think that September the 18th could have come any faster.
It seemed as no time had passed since school had started, but Harry wasn't
complaining. So at quarter to 7 on the 18th Harry, Ron, and Hermione headed
downstairs to the
Transfiguration classroom to attend their meeting.
"Hello, you three," Dumbledore said as they entered
the Transfiguration classroom.
"Hello Professor," the three chorused.
"We just need to wait for Professor Lupin, he should
be here soon. He said he had a few tests to finish correcting, the full
moon is in two days so he has to get ahead in his grading."
"Totally understandable," Harry said.
"Yeah, totally," Ron said he seemed preoccupied,
but Harry didn't notice.
"Sorry I'm late, but I had problems reading a first
year's handwriting, and then it came to me make it read it to me... ah
the way the mind works..." Professor Lupin said stepping into the classroom.
"Yes a trully facinating subject, sometimes the
best ideas come late....well, would everyone sit down?" Dumbledore said.
So Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Professor Lupin sat down around the circular
table that Dumbledore had set up in the middle of the classroom. "I'm sure
you all know the task in front of us. Clearing Sirius's name is eminent
to win the battle against Voldemort." Harry saw Ron jump at the sound of
the name; he really needs to work on that Harry thought.
"The first task isn't that hard, but it is incredibly
important. So are you ready?" Dumbledore asked.
"Yes!" Harry exclaimed, that made Hermione jump,
who was sitting next to him. But Harry wanted to get away from the Dursleys
so badly; he couldn't wait to start.
"I know that Harry and Professor Lupin know what
a pensive is and what it does. Ron and Hermione, have you ever seen or
know what a pensive is, what it looks like, and what it does?"
"Yes, I've read all about them. They come in many
different variations. Some are copper, gold, silver, stone, or pewter.
Basically any metal you can think of they come in. But all pensives have
the same inscription around the mouth of the basin. Which needs to be deciphered
in order to activate and use the pensive."
"That is correct Miss Granger."
"They store your thoughts so that you can recall
them at any given moment. They let you see the similarities and other things
that might help you figure out something else. But everyone can see them
this way. If someone else looks into your Pensive, they can see your memories
and thoughts. So you've got to be careful what you put in there. If someone
is looking in it but not requesting information of it, the pensive will
read the person's thoughts and the Pensive will show them something that
the owner thinks or remembers about that topic. Like when Harry used yours
last year, Professor, he was concerned about who the Death Eater was here
at Hogwarts. Well what did he see? He saw trials of the accused Death Eaters
that you, Professor, were at and remember. But you had to have put them
in there. For Harry to see them."
"I'm impressed Mr. Weasley! You are definitely living
up to your brother's standards if not surpassing them," Dumbledore said.
Harry saw Ron grin so big that Harry was sure that
his face was going to split in two. But at that moment Ron saw Harry looking
at him he tried to cover it up. So Harry looked to Hermione who looked
proud but yet upset. Harry was sure that this was because she hadn't gotten
to say all that she wanted to about pensives, but Ron had finished it so
beautifully Harry was close to saying that she was in awe. But he wasn't
quite sure he was going to go that far.
"You will each need to buy your own Pensive, no
silver of course, unless you feel like killing your teacher that is,"
Dumbledore laughed at his own joke, which Lupin joined in so Harry,
Ron and Hermione did too, "you all will probably all want one when you
are older anyway. So please tell me when you've got one. Is there something
I'm missing?"
"The Order, Professor," Lupin said.
"Oh yes, the Order. Well how do I begin telling
you three about the Order?"
"Uh, the beginning," Harry said.
"Very good idea Mr. Potter, the beginning. It all
started at the beginning of Voldemort's rise in power. I along with 18
other witches and wizards felt that we needed to join together to fight
him. He had to be stopped! He had his Dark Order, so we have ours; the
Order of the Phoenix. Fawkes to be precise, we knew that Voldemort's wand
possessed one of the two feathers that Fawkes had given. I also thought
that the person the other wand chose would be his downfall, which has proven
itself true, well at least partially. He has not yet been completely defeated,
but Harry you even as a baby were able to strip him of his powers and body.
We in the Order want you to join up with us, you too Hermione and
Ron. What do you say?"
"Harry! Your wand has the same core as 'You-know-who'?
Why didn't you tell me?" Ron asked.
"I thought you'd hate me for it, I don't want any
connection with that thing!"
"NO! My parents are in the Order and I've heard
for my life that we are waiting for the boy or girl to have the brother
wand, and you Harry, you've been in my house countless times and there
you are!"
"Your parents are in the Order? Professor who else
was in the Order?"
"Well there's me, Ron's parents, Professor Lupin,
Sirius, Mundgus Fletcher, Hagrid, Dedalus Diggle, Mr. and Mrs. Jordan
those are Lee's parents, Professor Snape, Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom, Amos
Diggory, Matthew and Melissa Turpin, Lisa Turpin's parents, she's in Ravenclaw,
she's in the same year as you three, your parents Harry, Doris and David
Crockford; David was killed by Death Eaters two weeks before your parents
were killed, Harry, and Arabella Figg. Of course the three that are dead
aren't part of it, but they were. And Mr. Diggory, he just joined last
month, he decided he needed revenge against the man that killed his son.And
both of the Longbottoms, well you know..."
"Mrs. Figg? You mean my baby-sitter?" Harry interrupted.
"Yes, that one," Dumbledore said looking amused.
"She's a witch?"
"Oh yes and a very good one," Dumbledore said, "She's
your secret-keeper Harry, that way Voldemort can't get you when you are
at your aunt and uncle's."
"Really?"
"Yes, but it's not as safe as it used to be, that
why we've got to get Sirius's name cleared. I think that that is all I
need to say, oh Remus don't forget to take your potion."
"I already did, and I'm using that Muggle thing,
a refigeigator, to keep the rest at the right temperature."
"A refrigerator, Reamus."
"Yes that. I'm just so surprised how well Muggles
can get on with out magic, it's so fascinating."
"Professor, you just sounded like Mr. Weasley,"
Harry said. Ron and Hermione laughed at Harry's remark.
"You did just sound remarkably like Arthur, Reamus,"
Dumbledore said while getting up from the table, "Now to bed all of you."
"Where are we going to find three different pensives?"
Harry asked as they reached the portrait of the fat lady.
"I'm sure that there are order forms in Witch Weekly,"
Hermione said.
"Or in the Daily Prophet, we already get that,"
Ron said.
"You are on a roll today, Ron," Harry said, "pyrus
malus." And the fat lady swung open.
