Disclaimer: WE DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER!
A/N: yay! Only a week between updates! That's good for us….. on with the story! This chapter is way longer than the last one!
Chapter 2
The next morning came quickly for Harry and Ron, and they made their way out of the Hogwarts grounds, before apparating out.
Peeking around the edge of a particularly shabby house, Harry checked to make sure the coast was clear before hurrying along the deserted street, frequently glancing over his shoulder uneasily. Suddenly Harry heard a popping noise directly in front of him, and snapping his head forwards again, Harry was able to see Ron apparating out of thin air.
"Ron!" Harry sighed in relief, his face splitting into a grin. "You scared me, I thought you a Death Eater or a muggle."
"A muggle?" Ron asked, bewildered. "Why would you think I was a muggle?"
"Well this is a muggle street Ron." Harry pointed out, gesturing to the line of shabby houses and unkempt lawns on either side of them.
"I know that." Ron snapped irritably. "But muggles can't apparate, and since you were obviously startled by the sound of someone apparating….."
"Speaking of which," said Harry, frowning slightly. "what do you think you're doing apparating in the middle of the street like that, anyone could've seen you! I apparated too, you know, but at least I was smart enough to do it in a hidden spot around the corner…"
Ron surveyed Harry for a bit, then, grinning, said "That was a great impression of Hermione, mate!" Now let's get inside before they start the meeting without us."
Rolling his eyes, Harry followed Ron towards a house that had appeared between number 11 and number 13.
"So how's your head?" Ron asked conversationally, indicating Harry's scar with a nod of his head while ringing the doorbell.
"It's fine." Harry replied truthfully. "You know how it works, there's always a dull throb there these days, but you should've heard Pomfrey when I told her it still hurt this morning. She just can't understand that it's nothing unusual…."
Ron shook his head exasperatedly, though the grin still remained on his face; Harry could tell that Ron was amused by Madame Pomfrey.
The door suddenly flew opened, and Harry and Ron were greeted quite enthusiastically by Mrs. Weasley, who was beaming at the pair of them.
"Well if it isn't our two new graduates of Hogwarts! Now we can finally say you're officially part of the Order! Come in, come in, everyone's waiting in the kitchen as usual. You two are the last to arrive…" Mrs. Weasley strode briskly across the hall towards the kitchen, Harry and Ron following a little more slowly. Looking idly around the hall, Harry thought the Order had quite successfully managed to turn Number 12, Grimmauld Place into a quite suitable, even comfortable headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Filth no longer carpeted the floors and walls, now gleaming with cleanliness. Most of the dark and sinister looking portraits and objects had been thrown carelessly into a storage room in the attic, and the portrait of Sirius' mother had finally been successfully torn down and destroyed by none other than Harry, Ron and Hermione themselves in their sixth year, when her constant shrieks and insults about Sirius had finally pushed Harry over the edge. His heart sank slightly at the thought of Sirius, but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside as Ron nudged him and they entered the brightly lit kitchen.
A huge crowd of people were crammed around the large wooden table that took up most of the kitchen. Every face turned towards the pair of newcomers. Beaming at the pair of them at the nearest end of the table were Hermione, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Lavendar, Parvati and Ginny, who had bullied her mother into letting her attend the meetings, pointing out that now that Ron was allowed, she would be the only one in the family left out. Along the left side of the table sat Ernie MacMillan, Hannah Abott, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, Cho Chang, Susan Bones and the rest of the members of Dumbledore's Army that were of age. On the right hand side were the Weasley's and all of the original members of the Order, including "Mad-Eye" Moody, Tonks, Mungundus Fletcher, Arabella Figg and Remus Lupin; Lupin winked at Harry as his eyes fell upon him, and Harry returned the wink before letting his eyes rest on the three people sitting at the head of the table. Severus Snape and Minerva McGonnagal sat on either side of Albus Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his half-moon glasses and his fingertips pressed together.
Harry smiled at Dumbledore who smiled back, before taking a seat between Ron, (who had just sat down beside Hermione) and Neville.
"You're late!" Hermione hissed at Ron and Harry menacingly, but they were spared having to answer as Dumbledore rose to his feet, drawing everyone's attention to him effortlessly.
"Welcome, everyone, to a most important meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. In light of recent events-" here, Dumbledore paused to glance at Snape briefly before addressing the entire group again, "-we must make immediate decisions and take drastic action. Open War is finally upon us." Dumbledore paused again, letting the effect of the foreboding words sink in before continuing. "Severus has witnessed the beginning of this war, and I will now allow him to share details of this new information with you." Dumbledore sat down again and was instantly replaced by Snape.
"Albus, I've been a Death Eater for 21 years, and never have I seen things like this." Snape's eyes held a look of disturbance and utter despair. "I went to last night's gathering, thinking it would be just another of Voldemort's rallies to raise our spirits and tell us that the time would come when we would prove ourselves loyal. But when I arrived, He informed us that out 'Judgement Day' had come; that today we would prove ourselves loyal. A small wizarding village just outside of Hogsmeade was chosen as the test. Together, myself and 11 others set out to decimate the village. The other Death Eaters know that I do not like to kill, that I rather like to gather information or scavenge anything to help our Lord, so my staying back from the bloodshed was nothing new. One house at a time we broke into. 12 against 5 or 6 hardly being fair. Some fought back, others begged and pleaded for life. But none were given a choice. Individual torture began. First a round of Cruciatus was cast. Next, after disarming the victims, a series of muggle weapons were used to cut the victim. They were left to bleed a while longer, before the youngest were stood in front of their families and subjected to Cruciatus over and over. I could see the pain in the families eyes, and while my colleagues believed that I had finally decided to be part of the activities, I killed them to put them out of pain. 2 hours were spent at every house. They didn't even know we were there until it was too late. After all 15 houses were eradicated, the Dark Mark was sent into the sky. All the bodies were collected and placed in the town square as a warning. Voldemort is ready to fight, and he is ready to win." Snape sighed as he finished.
Hermione's hand was clasped tightly around her mouth and Ron held her other for support.
Harry stood up violently. "Then what the hell are we going to do about it? How much longer must the Order postpone a plan of action? Voldemort's already begun his reign of terror, while we're sitting around, doing nothing!"
Snape sat down again, and the Order was quiet for quite some time.
"I agree with Harry. So- er- what do we do now?" Ginny asked, nervous about being the one to break the silence, yet still determined.
"We take drastic actions, just as Dumbledore said earlier." Said Lupin quietly from the far right-hand corner.
"Drastic actions?" repeated Ron curiously. "What sort of.." but he broke off as he caught Mrs.Weasley shooting him an extremely nasty look.
"Yes, Ron," Dumbledore replied in a quiet voice that nevertheless carried across the silent room. "We must take drastic actions. We must go to war."
Another dramatic silence spiraled around the room. Harry was becoming restless. Why didn't they just hurry up and tell them what to do? Obviously they had to go to war now, it was plainly inevitable, so why didn't Dumbledore just explain their roles and how he planned to win it so they could just get it over with?
As if Dumbledore had read his mind, he suddenly started talking again. "I know some of you are eager to hurry into this war.." here he gave Harry a meaningful look, "..but this is one of those things you can not rush, or it will lead us all to our demise." Dumbledore slowly scanned the group, looking into each individual face before continuing. "Everyone in this room will contribute in this war in some way, some more than others, but each role still essential to a victory against Lord Voldemort. We now have almost an equal amount of Order members as the number of Death Eaters. The Order's main task will be to fight the Death Eaters. With his most faithful and powerful supporters occupied with saving their own lives, Lord Voldemort will be hard pressed to find suitable followers to protect him. For Voldemort himself will probably not fight until the very end, whether that end be to his liking or not." Dumbledore paused yet again, seemingly allowing them time to register all this information. The Order, however, erupted into an immediate bombardment of questions.
"What about all the other creatures You-Know-Who has behind him?" Neville shouted squeakily. "What about the Dementors and Giants and such?"
"What the hell's the Ministry going to do, eh?" Justin Finch-Fletchley roared.
"If You-Know-Who's left on his own to have a clean path to kill us all, how do we plan to destroy him? In the end, we'll have to kill him…" piped up Ernie MacMillan earnestly.
Harry, however, was scanning the Order hurriedly, registering one fact as he peered at all the blank faces. None of the adults looked at all surprised at Dumbledore's battle plan; in fact, the only people who had any reaction at all, were Harry's fellow graduates. Even Fred and George were just staring passively at the outburst of questions from the recent seventh-years.
"Why is nobody else shocked about your plans?" Harry shouted across the table at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore raised a hand for silence, and was given it instantly.
"To answer two of your questions at once," Dumbledore began calmly, "all of Voldemort's other supporters and creatures will be dealt with by the Ministry, or at least as many of them that will consent to fight. I think I have most of them persuaded. As to your question Harry, the Order has been planning for such an event as this for years, and so consequently, anyone who has been in it for a while would know these plans already, as they helped create them."
"Harry," Charlie stated. "we know you. If we had said anything, you would have been out of Hogwarts in a flash, looking for a way to join."
"Yeah, mate." Bill added. "You need to finish your education. You'd be no use after you defeat Voldemort without it." He smiled.
Here Dumbledore sighed heavily, before fixing Ernie with a calculating, thoughtful look, causing Ernie to recoil slightly in his chair.
"And here we come to the question every one of us dreads, for it concerns the defeat of a man who started this all, the most feared and the most hated- and unfortunately, the most powerful. Lord Voldemort."
A shudder passed throughout the room at the utterance of Voldemort's name in that ominous tone, but Dumbledore proceeded as though he hadn't noticed it.
"Now I have already heard many remarks about how I should be the one to face Lord Voldemort and kill him. I assure you, that is quite impossible."
A murmur of interest rose at these words, even among the eldest members of the Order. This time, Harry was the only one who wasn't riveted by the news, for he knew why Dumbledore could not kill Voldemort. He knew the only person who could… an immense weight pressed in on him from all sides, and he seemed to have lost his insides… he suddenly fully understood his role in this war…
Dumbledore let the murmuring die out before plunging on in a grim, sad voice.
"You all know the story of Harry Potter surviving Voldemort's killing curse when he was just a baby." Here Dumbledore looked away from Ernie and settled his piercing gaze on Harry instead, who felt his face suddenly burning as every head in the Order turned sharply to gaze at him too. "But none of you," Dumbledore continued in that same grim tone, "knows why, except for myself and Harry." Harry could feel Ron and Hermione watching him closely, and kept his eyes determinedly away from theirs, meeting Dumbledore's eyes instead. "Before that fatal night, I witnessed a prophecy being told; a prophecy about Voldemort, and how he could possibly be defeated."
Dumbledore then proceeded to tell the prophecy to the Order and what it meant, all the while gazing steadily into Harry's eyes. Harry continued to stare back, more so he wouldn't have to meet anyone else's eyes than for any other reason.
"…therefore," Dumbledore said, sighing heavily, "Harry Potter is the only person who stands a chance of killing Voldemort and ridding the world of his evil deeds. That will be your task in this war, Harry, though there will be plenty of other fighting to do before you eventually fight Voldemort."
"Yes, I know all of that already. But what will my position in the Order be?"
Tonks began "You're going to lead the Order to victory. When they find out that Harry Potter is to guide them, their spirits will rise and they will fight even harder."
"How am I supposed to lead the Order?" Harry asked exasperatedly.
"With my help." Mad-Eye Moody replied.
"Harry, Moody is the best damned Aurour there is. He'll teach you everything you need to know. Don't worry." Charlie reassured him.
The longest silence yet followed this speech, as they all stared transfixed at Harry as though they were now just seeing him in a new light for the first time.
Feeling extremely annoyed with the Order's behaviour, Harry cleared his throat and stared pointedly at Dumbledore, thinking as clearly as possible: Say something. Anything to direct all this attention away from me.
Dumbledore seemed to get the message. Clapping his hands together loudly so that everyone jumped as if suddenly snapped from a trance and turned to Dumbledore again, he opened his mouth to speak again.
"In order for Harry to achieve this and finally triumph over Voldemort, he will need Slytherin's Bane. For in addition to having that prophecy, Harry," Dumbledore said somewhat more brightly and with a distinct not of pride in his voice, fixing his gaze on Harry again, "you are Godric Gryffindor's heir, just as Voldemort is Salazar Slytherin's. So you see, you are his natural opponent."
Some of the weight he had been feeling only moments ago seemed to vanish a bit, and his heart leapt. He, Harry Potter, Gryffindor's heir? It was absurd, it was impossible… but then he remembered the name on the sword he had pulled out of the sorting hat in his second year. 'Only a true Gryffindor could pull that out of the hat', Dumbledore had told him. At the time, Harry had assumed Dumbledore had merely meant that he belonged in Gryffindor House… could he have meant more?
Looking up, Harry suddenly realized that Dumbledore was beaming at him- and he wasn't the only one. Ron and Hermione had ecstatic grins on their faces, Lupin was winking and smiling so broadly it looked as though his lips were going to crack any second, and every single previous member of Gryffindor House was beaming at him. Feeling the heat crawl steadily back over his face, Harry noticed that there was one person definitely not pleased with this news; Severus Snape was looking murderous, scowling heavily at Harry, the look of utmost loathing reserved just for him planted firmly on his ugly face. (A/N: That last comment was made by Weasel…. Personally, Ferret loves Snape!)
"This means," Dumbledore continued happily, "that in order for Harry to win, he needs Slytherin's Bane, as I said before. For those of you who don't know, Slytherin's Bane is in the form of a necklace, and was worn by Godric Gryffindor in his day. Unfortunately, it appears that this necklace was not passed on with his other possessions before he died. Consequently, the only way to retrieve this necklace is to go back in time 875 years, and get it from Godric himself."
Another flurry of murmurs ascended upon the Order as everyone wondered aloud who would be appointed this difficult and essential task.
"I entrust this task," Dumbledore announced loudly as everyone held their breath, "to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."
Hermione gasped and Ron jumped slightly in his chair, gazing at Dumbledore with an enraptured expression. Harry beamed.
"875 years? To the time of the founders? Professor, are you sure we're the right one's for this important of a mission?"
"Miss Granger, I believe you two are, in fact, the only one's capable of carrying out this mission." Dumbledore reassured.
"What if the necklace comes into the wrong hands?" Hermione asked.
"It can't. The necklace can only be found and used by a Gryffindor who is pure of heart and truly wishes to rid the world of evil. And while you two will be able to find it, only Harry is powerful enough to use it."
Hermione again had a question. "How do we prove to Gryffindor that we only intend on using the necklace for good?"
"You will need to contact Godric and explain your situation to him. It may be difficult to convince him, but I suggest you get Harry to make a pensieve of his thoughts of how desperate and important this mission is. This will be a difficult and dangerous task, but as you are Harry's best friends, I know you will be determined to achieve your goal."
"I- er- what?" asked Harry, confused. "Make a pensieve? But… how?"
"It's quite simple laddy," growled Moody, who was sitting beside Lupin, and Harry started slightly… he had forgotten Moody was there. "just find a bowl, any bowl, and use your wand to put thoughts and images in it. Just place the wand to your head, concentrate hard on a thought, picture it clearly in your mind, and then place your new thought in the bowl. It's dead simple."
"Er, okay… right." Harry replied lamely.
"Harry," said Dumbledore warmly "why don't you go get that ready for Ron and Hermione right now? There's nothing more to learn at this meeting, and I'm afraid Ron and Hermione will have to leave today."
"Today?" Ron croaked.
Dumbledore nodded and Ron exchanged a terrified look with Hermione, whose mouth was slightly open. As Harry got up to leave the room, he heard Dumbledore giving further instructions to Ron and Hermione. Harry felt as if everything seemed surreal; after so many years of the Ministry being in denial, of him being forced to do small tasks for the Order, such a huge task was suddenly burdened on him and his friends….
Half an hour later, Ron and Hermione were following Professor Snape deep down into the dungeons.
"You two will be leaving almost immediately. I hope you know the rules of time travel?"
Hermione nodded. "The first rule is to not tell anyone about the future, because it could change vital things. But…"
"Yes, very good, but forget that. If what you say in the past changes something now, it's really not going to matter, as long as we get rid of Voldemort."
"Alright. Makes sense." Ron said.
"You won't need to take any personal effects with you, as everything is different back then. I suppose extra clothing will be provided."
They reached Professor Snape's private lab and he grabbed a large vial off of a shelf and they began walking again.
"I developed this potion myself and specifically modified it to travel exactly 875 years in the past. This potion does not need to be drunk. Once in an open area, you will bring it to a boil and if you are within 10 ft. of the cauldron you are transported back in time. I believe you will only feel slightly dizzy."
"I still can't believe we're actually going back in time. Thank you Professor. For taking the time to do this."
"Don't mention it. This has always been a last resort for Dumbledore, but I suppose it's gotten so bad that it's the only thing left to do."
Draco,
With yesterday evening's entertainment in town, I am almost certain that Dumbledore will be planning something to counter this. I want you to stay at school an extra few days to find out what it is. Keep a close eye out for Potter, Weasley and Granger, as I know thay are staying a while as well. I need some news soon, son.
Your father,
Lucius
"Of course father, as you wish." Draco waltzed out of the Slytherin common room, in search of things to spy on.
"Harry," Dumbledore started. "do you think yo can handle the task given to you today?"
"If it involves getting rid of Voldemort, then I can handle it."
"Alright. Let's go wish Ron and Hermione luck before they leave."
Harry and Dumbledore all made their way down to the Entrance Hall.
"Ron, Hermione." Harry called as he approached. "Here, it's a pensieve of thoughts to show Gryffindor."
"You be careful, Harry." Hermione hugged him. "We wouldn't want to come back too late."
"Don't worry Mione. I'll be careful. You guys be cautious as well. How long do you think you'll be gone?"
"I have no clue." Ron replied
"Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, you can start the potion now. Here's a vial to bring you back when you need to. Come Mr. Potter, we need you in this time."
Harry gave Ron and Hermione one final hug before retreating back onto the steps, 50 ft. away.
Draco had no clue what was going on, as Hermione lit the boiler under the cauldron. He moved so he was only about 5 or 6 ft. away so he could hear what was happening.
"Good luck." Potter yelled at the two.
"You too!" they yelled back.
Draco could tell the potion was almost boiling, but what still at a loss as to what it did. As soon as it reached boiling point, a green gas shot out in all directions, swallowing everything within 10 feet. Instantly, 3 teenagers and a small pensieve disappeared with a 'pop'.
"Well Severus, it certainly worked." Dumbledore complimented.
"Yes, but now all we have to do is wait."
"Well," said Hermione. "I can't believe we've made it. This is definitely Hogwarts, except it looks really new. There's the Forbidden Forest and the lake. I guess we made it."
"Where the hell are we?" a voice whined from behind them.
They spun around to face a very stunned looking blonde Slytherin.
"Malfoy?! What the bloody hell are you doing here?"
"Well, I guess I got trapped in your ruddy little potion. Where are we!" he demanded.
"You mean 'when' are we. Don't you see the castle? This is Hogwarts, except we're in the year 1122, two years after it was built."
Malfoy's face turned from shock, to rage.
"When my father finds out about this….."
"Oh, shove it!" Ron insulted as he and Hermione began to make their way into the castle.
"Oh boy. This trip just got a whole lot better." Hermione whispered sarchastically.
A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed that long chapter! Review, review, review….. the next chapter will be out in about a week and a half….
~The Ferret and the Weasel~
A/N: yay! Only a week between updates! That's good for us….. on with the story! This chapter is way longer than the last one!
Chapter 2
The next morning came quickly for Harry and Ron, and they made their way out of the Hogwarts grounds, before apparating out.
Peeking around the edge of a particularly shabby house, Harry checked to make sure the coast was clear before hurrying along the deserted street, frequently glancing over his shoulder uneasily. Suddenly Harry heard a popping noise directly in front of him, and snapping his head forwards again, Harry was able to see Ron apparating out of thin air.
"Ron!" Harry sighed in relief, his face splitting into a grin. "You scared me, I thought you a Death Eater or a muggle."
"A muggle?" Ron asked, bewildered. "Why would you think I was a muggle?"
"Well this is a muggle street Ron." Harry pointed out, gesturing to the line of shabby houses and unkempt lawns on either side of them.
"I know that." Ron snapped irritably. "But muggles can't apparate, and since you were obviously startled by the sound of someone apparating….."
"Speaking of which," said Harry, frowning slightly. "what do you think you're doing apparating in the middle of the street like that, anyone could've seen you! I apparated too, you know, but at least I was smart enough to do it in a hidden spot around the corner…"
Ron surveyed Harry for a bit, then, grinning, said "That was a great impression of Hermione, mate!" Now let's get inside before they start the meeting without us."
Rolling his eyes, Harry followed Ron towards a house that had appeared between number 11 and number 13.
"So how's your head?" Ron asked conversationally, indicating Harry's scar with a nod of his head while ringing the doorbell.
"It's fine." Harry replied truthfully. "You know how it works, there's always a dull throb there these days, but you should've heard Pomfrey when I told her it still hurt this morning. She just can't understand that it's nothing unusual…."
Ron shook his head exasperatedly, though the grin still remained on his face; Harry could tell that Ron was amused by Madame Pomfrey.
The door suddenly flew opened, and Harry and Ron were greeted quite enthusiastically by Mrs. Weasley, who was beaming at the pair of them.
"Well if it isn't our two new graduates of Hogwarts! Now we can finally say you're officially part of the Order! Come in, come in, everyone's waiting in the kitchen as usual. You two are the last to arrive…" Mrs. Weasley strode briskly across the hall towards the kitchen, Harry and Ron following a little more slowly. Looking idly around the hall, Harry thought the Order had quite successfully managed to turn Number 12, Grimmauld Place into a quite suitable, even comfortable headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. Filth no longer carpeted the floors and walls, now gleaming with cleanliness. Most of the dark and sinister looking portraits and objects had been thrown carelessly into a storage room in the attic, and the portrait of Sirius' mother had finally been successfully torn down and destroyed by none other than Harry, Ron and Hermione themselves in their sixth year, when her constant shrieks and insults about Sirius had finally pushed Harry over the edge. His heart sank slightly at the thought of Sirius, but he quickly pushed those thoughts aside as Ron nudged him and they entered the brightly lit kitchen.
A huge crowd of people were crammed around the large wooden table that took up most of the kitchen. Every face turned towards the pair of newcomers. Beaming at the pair of them at the nearest end of the table were Hermione, Neville, Dean, Seamus, Lavendar, Parvati and Ginny, who had bullied her mother into letting her attend the meetings, pointing out that now that Ron was allowed, she would be the only one in the family left out. Along the left side of the table sat Ernie MacMillan, Hannah Abott, Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson, Cho Chang, Susan Bones and the rest of the members of Dumbledore's Army that were of age. On the right hand side were the Weasley's and all of the original members of the Order, including "Mad-Eye" Moody, Tonks, Mungundus Fletcher, Arabella Figg and Remus Lupin; Lupin winked at Harry as his eyes fell upon him, and Harry returned the wink before letting his eyes rest on the three people sitting at the head of the table. Severus Snape and Minerva McGonnagal sat on either side of Albus Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his half-moon glasses and his fingertips pressed together.
Harry smiled at Dumbledore who smiled back, before taking a seat between Ron, (who had just sat down beside Hermione) and Neville.
"You're late!" Hermione hissed at Ron and Harry menacingly, but they were spared having to answer as Dumbledore rose to his feet, drawing everyone's attention to him effortlessly.
"Welcome, everyone, to a most important meeting of the Order of the Phoenix. In light of recent events-" here, Dumbledore paused to glance at Snape briefly before addressing the entire group again, "-we must make immediate decisions and take drastic action. Open War is finally upon us." Dumbledore paused again, letting the effect of the foreboding words sink in before continuing. "Severus has witnessed the beginning of this war, and I will now allow him to share details of this new information with you." Dumbledore sat down again and was instantly replaced by Snape.
"Albus, I've been a Death Eater for 21 years, and never have I seen things like this." Snape's eyes held a look of disturbance and utter despair. "I went to last night's gathering, thinking it would be just another of Voldemort's rallies to raise our spirits and tell us that the time would come when we would prove ourselves loyal. But when I arrived, He informed us that out 'Judgement Day' had come; that today we would prove ourselves loyal. A small wizarding village just outside of Hogsmeade was chosen as the test. Together, myself and 11 others set out to decimate the village. The other Death Eaters know that I do not like to kill, that I rather like to gather information or scavenge anything to help our Lord, so my staying back from the bloodshed was nothing new. One house at a time we broke into. 12 against 5 or 6 hardly being fair. Some fought back, others begged and pleaded for life. But none were given a choice. Individual torture began. First a round of Cruciatus was cast. Next, after disarming the victims, a series of muggle weapons were used to cut the victim. They were left to bleed a while longer, before the youngest were stood in front of their families and subjected to Cruciatus over and over. I could see the pain in the families eyes, and while my colleagues believed that I had finally decided to be part of the activities, I killed them to put them out of pain. 2 hours were spent at every house. They didn't even know we were there until it was too late. After all 15 houses were eradicated, the Dark Mark was sent into the sky. All the bodies were collected and placed in the town square as a warning. Voldemort is ready to fight, and he is ready to win." Snape sighed as he finished.
Hermione's hand was clasped tightly around her mouth and Ron held her other for support.
Harry stood up violently. "Then what the hell are we going to do about it? How much longer must the Order postpone a plan of action? Voldemort's already begun his reign of terror, while we're sitting around, doing nothing!"
Snape sat down again, and the Order was quiet for quite some time.
"I agree with Harry. So- er- what do we do now?" Ginny asked, nervous about being the one to break the silence, yet still determined.
"We take drastic actions, just as Dumbledore said earlier." Said Lupin quietly from the far right-hand corner.
"Drastic actions?" repeated Ron curiously. "What sort of.." but he broke off as he caught Mrs.Weasley shooting him an extremely nasty look.
"Yes, Ron," Dumbledore replied in a quiet voice that nevertheless carried across the silent room. "We must take drastic actions. We must go to war."
Another dramatic silence spiraled around the room. Harry was becoming restless. Why didn't they just hurry up and tell them what to do? Obviously they had to go to war now, it was plainly inevitable, so why didn't Dumbledore just explain their roles and how he planned to win it so they could just get it over with?
As if Dumbledore had read his mind, he suddenly started talking again. "I know some of you are eager to hurry into this war.." here he gave Harry a meaningful look, "..but this is one of those things you can not rush, or it will lead us all to our demise." Dumbledore slowly scanned the group, looking into each individual face before continuing. "Everyone in this room will contribute in this war in some way, some more than others, but each role still essential to a victory against Lord Voldemort. We now have almost an equal amount of Order members as the number of Death Eaters. The Order's main task will be to fight the Death Eaters. With his most faithful and powerful supporters occupied with saving their own lives, Lord Voldemort will be hard pressed to find suitable followers to protect him. For Voldemort himself will probably not fight until the very end, whether that end be to his liking or not." Dumbledore paused yet again, seemingly allowing them time to register all this information. The Order, however, erupted into an immediate bombardment of questions.
"What about all the other creatures You-Know-Who has behind him?" Neville shouted squeakily. "What about the Dementors and Giants and such?"
"What the hell's the Ministry going to do, eh?" Justin Finch-Fletchley roared.
"If You-Know-Who's left on his own to have a clean path to kill us all, how do we plan to destroy him? In the end, we'll have to kill him…" piped up Ernie MacMillan earnestly.
Harry, however, was scanning the Order hurriedly, registering one fact as he peered at all the blank faces. None of the adults looked at all surprised at Dumbledore's battle plan; in fact, the only people who had any reaction at all, were Harry's fellow graduates. Even Fred and George were just staring passively at the outburst of questions from the recent seventh-years.
"Why is nobody else shocked about your plans?" Harry shouted across the table at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore raised a hand for silence, and was given it instantly.
"To answer two of your questions at once," Dumbledore began calmly, "all of Voldemort's other supporters and creatures will be dealt with by the Ministry, or at least as many of them that will consent to fight. I think I have most of them persuaded. As to your question Harry, the Order has been planning for such an event as this for years, and so consequently, anyone who has been in it for a while would know these plans already, as they helped create them."
"Harry," Charlie stated. "we know you. If we had said anything, you would have been out of Hogwarts in a flash, looking for a way to join."
"Yeah, mate." Bill added. "You need to finish your education. You'd be no use after you defeat Voldemort without it." He smiled.
Here Dumbledore sighed heavily, before fixing Ernie with a calculating, thoughtful look, causing Ernie to recoil slightly in his chair.
"And here we come to the question every one of us dreads, for it concerns the defeat of a man who started this all, the most feared and the most hated- and unfortunately, the most powerful. Lord Voldemort."
A shudder passed throughout the room at the utterance of Voldemort's name in that ominous tone, but Dumbledore proceeded as though he hadn't noticed it.
"Now I have already heard many remarks about how I should be the one to face Lord Voldemort and kill him. I assure you, that is quite impossible."
A murmur of interest rose at these words, even among the eldest members of the Order. This time, Harry was the only one who wasn't riveted by the news, for he knew why Dumbledore could not kill Voldemort. He knew the only person who could… an immense weight pressed in on him from all sides, and he seemed to have lost his insides… he suddenly fully understood his role in this war…
Dumbledore let the murmuring die out before plunging on in a grim, sad voice.
"You all know the story of Harry Potter surviving Voldemort's killing curse when he was just a baby." Here Dumbledore looked away from Ernie and settled his piercing gaze on Harry instead, who felt his face suddenly burning as every head in the Order turned sharply to gaze at him too. "But none of you," Dumbledore continued in that same grim tone, "knows why, except for myself and Harry." Harry could feel Ron and Hermione watching him closely, and kept his eyes determinedly away from theirs, meeting Dumbledore's eyes instead. "Before that fatal night, I witnessed a prophecy being told; a prophecy about Voldemort, and how he could possibly be defeated."
Dumbledore then proceeded to tell the prophecy to the Order and what it meant, all the while gazing steadily into Harry's eyes. Harry continued to stare back, more so he wouldn't have to meet anyone else's eyes than for any other reason.
"…therefore," Dumbledore said, sighing heavily, "Harry Potter is the only person who stands a chance of killing Voldemort and ridding the world of his evil deeds. That will be your task in this war, Harry, though there will be plenty of other fighting to do before you eventually fight Voldemort."
"Yes, I know all of that already. But what will my position in the Order be?"
Tonks began "You're going to lead the Order to victory. When they find out that Harry Potter is to guide them, their spirits will rise and they will fight even harder."
"How am I supposed to lead the Order?" Harry asked exasperatedly.
"With my help." Mad-Eye Moody replied.
"Harry, Moody is the best damned Aurour there is. He'll teach you everything you need to know. Don't worry." Charlie reassured him.
The longest silence yet followed this speech, as they all stared transfixed at Harry as though they were now just seeing him in a new light for the first time.
Feeling extremely annoyed with the Order's behaviour, Harry cleared his throat and stared pointedly at Dumbledore, thinking as clearly as possible: Say something. Anything to direct all this attention away from me.
Dumbledore seemed to get the message. Clapping his hands together loudly so that everyone jumped as if suddenly snapped from a trance and turned to Dumbledore again, he opened his mouth to speak again.
"In order for Harry to achieve this and finally triumph over Voldemort, he will need Slytherin's Bane. For in addition to having that prophecy, Harry," Dumbledore said somewhat more brightly and with a distinct not of pride in his voice, fixing his gaze on Harry again, "you are Godric Gryffindor's heir, just as Voldemort is Salazar Slytherin's. So you see, you are his natural opponent."
Some of the weight he had been feeling only moments ago seemed to vanish a bit, and his heart leapt. He, Harry Potter, Gryffindor's heir? It was absurd, it was impossible… but then he remembered the name on the sword he had pulled out of the sorting hat in his second year. 'Only a true Gryffindor could pull that out of the hat', Dumbledore had told him. At the time, Harry had assumed Dumbledore had merely meant that he belonged in Gryffindor House… could he have meant more?
Looking up, Harry suddenly realized that Dumbledore was beaming at him- and he wasn't the only one. Ron and Hermione had ecstatic grins on their faces, Lupin was winking and smiling so broadly it looked as though his lips were going to crack any second, and every single previous member of Gryffindor House was beaming at him. Feeling the heat crawl steadily back over his face, Harry noticed that there was one person definitely not pleased with this news; Severus Snape was looking murderous, scowling heavily at Harry, the look of utmost loathing reserved just for him planted firmly on his ugly face. (A/N: That last comment was made by Weasel…. Personally, Ferret loves Snape!)
"This means," Dumbledore continued happily, "that in order for Harry to win, he needs Slytherin's Bane, as I said before. For those of you who don't know, Slytherin's Bane is in the form of a necklace, and was worn by Godric Gryffindor in his day. Unfortunately, it appears that this necklace was not passed on with his other possessions before he died. Consequently, the only way to retrieve this necklace is to go back in time 875 years, and get it from Godric himself."
Another flurry of murmurs ascended upon the Order as everyone wondered aloud who would be appointed this difficult and essential task.
"I entrust this task," Dumbledore announced loudly as everyone held their breath, "to Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger."
Hermione gasped and Ron jumped slightly in his chair, gazing at Dumbledore with an enraptured expression. Harry beamed.
"875 years? To the time of the founders? Professor, are you sure we're the right one's for this important of a mission?"
"Miss Granger, I believe you two are, in fact, the only one's capable of carrying out this mission." Dumbledore reassured.
"What if the necklace comes into the wrong hands?" Hermione asked.
"It can't. The necklace can only be found and used by a Gryffindor who is pure of heart and truly wishes to rid the world of evil. And while you two will be able to find it, only Harry is powerful enough to use it."
Hermione again had a question. "How do we prove to Gryffindor that we only intend on using the necklace for good?"
"You will need to contact Godric and explain your situation to him. It may be difficult to convince him, but I suggest you get Harry to make a pensieve of his thoughts of how desperate and important this mission is. This will be a difficult and dangerous task, but as you are Harry's best friends, I know you will be determined to achieve your goal."
"I- er- what?" asked Harry, confused. "Make a pensieve? But… how?"
"It's quite simple laddy," growled Moody, who was sitting beside Lupin, and Harry started slightly… he had forgotten Moody was there. "just find a bowl, any bowl, and use your wand to put thoughts and images in it. Just place the wand to your head, concentrate hard on a thought, picture it clearly in your mind, and then place your new thought in the bowl. It's dead simple."
"Er, okay… right." Harry replied lamely.
"Harry," said Dumbledore warmly "why don't you go get that ready for Ron and Hermione right now? There's nothing more to learn at this meeting, and I'm afraid Ron and Hermione will have to leave today."
"Today?" Ron croaked.
Dumbledore nodded and Ron exchanged a terrified look with Hermione, whose mouth was slightly open. As Harry got up to leave the room, he heard Dumbledore giving further instructions to Ron and Hermione. Harry felt as if everything seemed surreal; after so many years of the Ministry being in denial, of him being forced to do small tasks for the Order, such a huge task was suddenly burdened on him and his friends….
Half an hour later, Ron and Hermione were following Professor Snape deep down into the dungeons.
"You two will be leaving almost immediately. I hope you know the rules of time travel?"
Hermione nodded. "The first rule is to not tell anyone about the future, because it could change vital things. But…"
"Yes, very good, but forget that. If what you say in the past changes something now, it's really not going to matter, as long as we get rid of Voldemort."
"Alright. Makes sense." Ron said.
"You won't need to take any personal effects with you, as everything is different back then. I suppose extra clothing will be provided."
They reached Professor Snape's private lab and he grabbed a large vial off of a shelf and they began walking again.
"I developed this potion myself and specifically modified it to travel exactly 875 years in the past. This potion does not need to be drunk. Once in an open area, you will bring it to a boil and if you are within 10 ft. of the cauldron you are transported back in time. I believe you will only feel slightly dizzy."
"I still can't believe we're actually going back in time. Thank you Professor. For taking the time to do this."
"Don't mention it. This has always been a last resort for Dumbledore, but I suppose it's gotten so bad that it's the only thing left to do."
Draco,
With yesterday evening's entertainment in town, I am almost certain that Dumbledore will be planning something to counter this. I want you to stay at school an extra few days to find out what it is. Keep a close eye out for Potter, Weasley and Granger, as I know thay are staying a while as well. I need some news soon, son.
Your father,
Lucius
"Of course father, as you wish." Draco waltzed out of the Slytherin common room, in search of things to spy on.
"Harry," Dumbledore started. "do you think yo can handle the task given to you today?"
"If it involves getting rid of Voldemort, then I can handle it."
"Alright. Let's go wish Ron and Hermione luck before they leave."
Harry and Dumbledore all made their way down to the Entrance Hall.
"Ron, Hermione." Harry called as he approached. "Here, it's a pensieve of thoughts to show Gryffindor."
"You be careful, Harry." Hermione hugged him. "We wouldn't want to come back too late."
"Don't worry Mione. I'll be careful. You guys be cautious as well. How long do you think you'll be gone?"
"I have no clue." Ron replied
"Miss Granger, Mister Weasley, you can start the potion now. Here's a vial to bring you back when you need to. Come Mr. Potter, we need you in this time."
Harry gave Ron and Hermione one final hug before retreating back onto the steps, 50 ft. away.
Draco had no clue what was going on, as Hermione lit the boiler under the cauldron. He moved so he was only about 5 or 6 ft. away so he could hear what was happening.
"Good luck." Potter yelled at the two.
"You too!" they yelled back.
Draco could tell the potion was almost boiling, but what still at a loss as to what it did. As soon as it reached boiling point, a green gas shot out in all directions, swallowing everything within 10 feet. Instantly, 3 teenagers and a small pensieve disappeared with a 'pop'.
"Well Severus, it certainly worked." Dumbledore complimented.
"Yes, but now all we have to do is wait."
"Well," said Hermione. "I can't believe we've made it. This is definitely Hogwarts, except it looks really new. There's the Forbidden Forest and the lake. I guess we made it."
"Where the hell are we?" a voice whined from behind them.
They spun around to face a very stunned looking blonde Slytherin.
"Malfoy?! What the bloody hell are you doing here?"
"Well, I guess I got trapped in your ruddy little potion. Where are we!" he demanded.
"You mean 'when' are we. Don't you see the castle? This is Hogwarts, except we're in the year 1122, two years after it was built."
Malfoy's face turned from shock, to rage.
"When my father finds out about this….."
"Oh, shove it!" Ron insulted as he and Hermione began to make their way into the castle.
"Oh boy. This trip just got a whole lot better." Hermione whispered sarchastically.
A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed that long chapter! Review, review, review….. the next chapter will be out in about a week and a half….
~The Ferret and the Weasel~