Just wanted to say thanks to Harmonic Friction for giving me my first ever
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4. The First Attack
Within the span of ten minutes the rest of the Weaslys, along with Hermione, had safely made it through the Floo Powder system. Harry looked around quickly and found themselves in the basement kitchen of the headquarters. With everyone considerably dirtier, Mrs. Weasly sent Charlie and Bill up to the upper floors immediately to stow away school trunks, suitcases, owl cages, and the like in the spare bedrooms.
"Remember to be extremely quiet. I still don't know if they've taken Mrs. Black down from her wall," Mrs. Weasly explained to her two eldest sons. They both nodded and muttered a spell to make the luggage considerably lighter before they walked up the steps and into the front hall.
"Mum.what are we doing here? I don't understand!" Ron exclaimed stepping in front of his mother, not moving until he got an explanation.
"I don't believe I'm the right one to tell you what happened Ron dear. I'll have Moody explain it to you.yes that would be best," said the red haired woman as she sat down tiredly on one of the benches at the table. Ron gave Harry a questioning look before they set off to the sinks, trying to wash off the soot and dirt as best they could.
Harry looked around the kitchen and sighed again. Here he was, standing in Sirius' house. He looked over at the table and remembered when he and Sirius had been sitting there, the twins running in with the cauldron of butterbeer levitated in front of them. Harry smiled at the memory when the cauldron slipped off the table, Harry and Sirius jumping away just in time.
"Harry! Harry, Moody's here!" Hermione said in a rather loud voice right in Harry's ear. He turned around and saw the ex-Auror turned newly re- employed Auror. Alastor Moody, or Mad Eyed Moody as he was more commonly known, had hobbled down the stairs looking at the group before him. Harry could see all the deep scarring that surrounded his face, years from fighting and capturing Dark Wizards. His one leg still had the peg and he still had his magical eye, which was rolling around in every direction. Harry almost laughed when he realized Moody reminded him of some sort of demented pirate.
"What happened Mr. Moody? What happened?" George and Fred asked immediately bounding up to the elder wizard. Despite the seriousness the atmosphere held Moody let out a small chuckle offering all of the Weasly children, Harry, and Hermione a seat.
"The others'll be arriving soon. But I must tell you lot that what is going to be discussed in this room, must. . . stay. . . in this. . . room. Understand me?" Moody said his voice reaching a deadly serious tone that meant he wasn't joking around at all. Seven heads nodded simultaneously and Moody smiled grimly at them.
Within five minutes Charlie and Bill had made it back from the top floors without waking the portrait of Sirius' long dead mother. And soon a few more wizards joined them. There was Nympahdora Tonks or Tonks as she liked to be called. She seemed to have been released from St. Mungo's hospital after her stint in the Ministry of Magic, trying to rescue Harry and his friends from Voldemort and his servants. Kingsley Shacklebolt also joined them along with Elphias Dodge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Hestia Jones, Author Weasly (Ron's father), and finally Remus Lupin shuffled hurriedly into the kitchen all of them immediately taking seats around the table.
"I'll be starting the meeting," Moody explained as he stood up from his seat. "Seeing as Dumbledore is. . .there." Harry looked at Moody with utmost interest. It seemed as if this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix was extremely important and if Dumbledore wasn't there to head the meeting then it must have been an enormous event to stop him from making it.
"I know the young one's don't know.being taken away from the Weasly's home but seeing as it isn't safe at this time."
"What do you mean the Burrow isn't safe?" Ron said in a sudden outburst that made Hermione scoff.
"If you would stop interrupting and let me explain Weasly then maybe you'll find your answer." Moody growled his magic eye swiveling around. "I know this will come as a shock to many of you sitting here but, he's finally made a move." The entire room grew quiet, all eyes (non magical of course) on Moody. There was an eerie silence, broken only by the crackling of the fire.
"He. . . you mean. . . Voldemort attacked somebody?" Tonks said incredulously.
"Yes he did. About half past two o' clock today. We had some spare Aurors over there as soon as possible but we were too late. He had gone and left the house in shambles. Was a bit of a nasty shock for the Muggles in the area. Didn't know how the house had blown up for no good reason."
"Do we know who the victim. . . dare I say it. . . victims were?" Lupin asked watching his words carefully.
"I'm afraid its victims Remus. It was a half blood family. Their twin sons had just gotten a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts. Second line of wizards in the family, apart from their mother, she was a witch. Voldemort sent some of his remaining Death Eaters into the place and had them all killed. Entire family dead, all six of them." Someone blew their nose in the background but Harry didn't notice, he was too busy listening to Moody.
"Who was the witch?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked solemnly.
"Delilah Grant." Moody said shortly. There was a short gasp from some of the witches in the room gasped, especially Mrs. Weasly.
"But.but Delilah Grant was the editor of Witch Weekly!" Mrs. Weasly cried out as Tonks pulled out an annoying handkerchief of a sort of acid yellow color. The young witch blew her nose quite loudly. "How could she be dead?"
"And her entire family too.what a tragedy!" Dedalus Diggle squeaked out as he shook his head.
"But why isn't it safe at the Burrow?" Ron asked again and everyone looked at him as if he had completely not heard the conversation. It looked as if Mrs. Weasly was going to start one of her famous rants and Harry could tell Ron was bracing himself when Moody laid a hand on Mrs. Weasly's shoulder.
"The children should know Molly. After all, they were forced away from their home. Maybe permanently until we can get rid of the Dark Lord again,"
"What? We aren't going to be able to go back to the Burrow? But that's our home!" Ginny and Ron yelled loudly. Harry felt like he should stand up and join their argument. The Burrow had been a home to him during the summer holidays and the home had such an atmosphere that would make Aunt Petunia positively faint at the sight of it.
"Ronald, Virginia, close your mouths and let Alastor explain," Mr. Weasly barked before Ron and Ginny took their seats, each had a pinkish tint on their faces.
"We feel, Ginny, Ron," began Moody who nodded to both of them, "that the Burrow isn't safe anymore due to the attack your father suffered at the Ministry of Magic a few months ago. We have a feeling that Voldemort," Ron and some of the younger Weasly children flinched which made Hermione roll her eyes, "knows that you are in league with Harry. If I am not mistaken a certain mole in Voldemort's inner circle overheard one of his fellows talking about the Weasly family and their association with Dumbledore and Harry. That and the fact that half a dozen Death Eaters saw you Ron, and you too Ginny trying to help Harry in the Department of Mysteries just a month ago. This is why we have decided that you will make Number Twelve Grimmauld Place your home until we can finally get rid of Voldemort." Moody finished to the astonished faces of Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Hermione, and not to mention Harry.
Harry was shocked. Because of his ties with Voldemort he had dragged the Weasly family away from their home. It was his entire fault that the Weaslys had to shove off and come to the Black House.and even though it was slightly tidier than it had been since last year, it still wasn't the comfort and disorder that the Burrow had.
"And of course, Hermione," Moody said gruffly and Hermione looked up suddenly a look of fear on her face.
"Yes Mr. Moody?" Hermione asked in a trembling yet dignified voice.
"We have decided that it would be better for your parents to come here where they will be under exceptional protection. They are on their way right now with Percy Weasly. They have told their patients.your parents are muggle dentists are they not?" Moody asked slurring over the word dentist as if it were a foreign word. Hermione nodded, "Your parents have closed their clinic and have told their patients that they would be touring the world for as long as it took. We are taking this as a necessary precaution since you are of muggle decent."
"Dumbledore also instructed me to inform all of the children attending Hogwarts this year that you are not to leave this home until it is time to go to the train on September the first," Moody explained and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all stared at him mouths open wide. Stay in this musty old house for an entire month? What was there to do besides clean up the house? Harry exchanged looks with Ron. They were going to die of boredom, "I will go to Diagon Alley along with Tonks, Diggle, and Mrs. Weasly to collect your necessary school things. Dumbledore has sent your school supply list to me personally. We will also be accompanying Mr. and Mr. Weasly to their joke shop where they are to stay in Diagon Alley until they are further instructed." Fred and George smiled widely before they bowed their heads, massive grins on their faces. "Now.I will ask that only the members of the order stay behind. I will kindly ask the rest of you to return to your rooms. You'll find that the place has cleaned up quite a bit since you left for school last year." Moody explained. Taking this as an immediate dismissal; Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny all walked out of the kitchen but not before Fred and George nicked some food from a cooking cauldron.
The group went to the drawing room which they found was bright and airy a large contrast from the Doxie infested, boggart invaded gloomy place it was before. The group sat on a variety of large squishy arm chairs all of them looking extremely swamped.
"I can't believe we won't go back to the Burrow. And who knows how long You-Know-Who is going to be around! We might be eighty years old by the time we set foot in the Burrow ever again!" Ron complained as he inspected the foot rest at the end of his armchair. He put his hand on the dark red fabric and yelled out loudly as it tried to bite him.
"I can't believe they're confining us to this place for an entire month! What are we going to do? I reckon we'll die of boredom before You- Know-Who even decides to go after us!" Ginny complained.
"You could always read a book.I'm going to start reading our new books as soon as Moody gets back from Diagon Alley," Hermione said as if being confined to a house for one month wasn't that horrendous as long as you had a book by your side.
"All you think about is books Hermione and school! It's almost like we're under house arrest with nothing to do but clean and walk around this boring old house and listen to Mrs. Black scream at us about how we're filthy blood traitors every time someone tries to ring the bloody doorbell! And all you can think about is school!" Ron shouted as he rose from his arm chair the foot rest trying to bite his leg again. "I hate it here!" Ron yelled before he stormed out of the drawing room and headed for the room he was probably sharing with Harry.
"Hermione! Your parents have just arrived!" Tonks called from the front hall.
"FILTHY BLOOD TRAITORS. . . STAINS OF DISHONOR TO THIS HOUSE! YOU FILITHY LITTLE HALF BREEDS RUNNING AROUND RUINING MY HOUSE! GET OUT AND DON'T CONTAMINATE IT ANYMORE!" Mrs. Black's portrait began to scream from downstairs.
"See what I mean?" Ron called from the landing above before it was followed by the slamming of the door.
4. The First Attack
Within the span of ten minutes the rest of the Weaslys, along with Hermione, had safely made it through the Floo Powder system. Harry looked around quickly and found themselves in the basement kitchen of the headquarters. With everyone considerably dirtier, Mrs. Weasly sent Charlie and Bill up to the upper floors immediately to stow away school trunks, suitcases, owl cages, and the like in the spare bedrooms.
"Remember to be extremely quiet. I still don't know if they've taken Mrs. Black down from her wall," Mrs. Weasly explained to her two eldest sons. They both nodded and muttered a spell to make the luggage considerably lighter before they walked up the steps and into the front hall.
"Mum.what are we doing here? I don't understand!" Ron exclaimed stepping in front of his mother, not moving until he got an explanation.
"I don't believe I'm the right one to tell you what happened Ron dear. I'll have Moody explain it to you.yes that would be best," said the red haired woman as she sat down tiredly on one of the benches at the table. Ron gave Harry a questioning look before they set off to the sinks, trying to wash off the soot and dirt as best they could.
Harry looked around the kitchen and sighed again. Here he was, standing in Sirius' house. He looked over at the table and remembered when he and Sirius had been sitting there, the twins running in with the cauldron of butterbeer levitated in front of them. Harry smiled at the memory when the cauldron slipped off the table, Harry and Sirius jumping away just in time.
"Harry! Harry, Moody's here!" Hermione said in a rather loud voice right in Harry's ear. He turned around and saw the ex-Auror turned newly re- employed Auror. Alastor Moody, or Mad Eyed Moody as he was more commonly known, had hobbled down the stairs looking at the group before him. Harry could see all the deep scarring that surrounded his face, years from fighting and capturing Dark Wizards. His one leg still had the peg and he still had his magical eye, which was rolling around in every direction. Harry almost laughed when he realized Moody reminded him of some sort of demented pirate.
"What happened Mr. Moody? What happened?" George and Fred asked immediately bounding up to the elder wizard. Despite the seriousness the atmosphere held Moody let out a small chuckle offering all of the Weasly children, Harry, and Hermione a seat.
"The others'll be arriving soon. But I must tell you lot that what is going to be discussed in this room, must. . . stay. . . in this. . . room. Understand me?" Moody said his voice reaching a deadly serious tone that meant he wasn't joking around at all. Seven heads nodded simultaneously and Moody smiled grimly at them.
Within five minutes Charlie and Bill had made it back from the top floors without waking the portrait of Sirius' long dead mother. And soon a few more wizards joined them. There was Nympahdora Tonks or Tonks as she liked to be called. She seemed to have been released from St. Mungo's hospital after her stint in the Ministry of Magic, trying to rescue Harry and his friends from Voldemort and his servants. Kingsley Shacklebolt also joined them along with Elphias Dodge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Hestia Jones, Author Weasly (Ron's father), and finally Remus Lupin shuffled hurriedly into the kitchen all of them immediately taking seats around the table.
"I'll be starting the meeting," Moody explained as he stood up from his seat. "Seeing as Dumbledore is. . .there." Harry looked at Moody with utmost interest. It seemed as if this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix was extremely important and if Dumbledore wasn't there to head the meeting then it must have been an enormous event to stop him from making it.
"I know the young one's don't know.being taken away from the Weasly's home but seeing as it isn't safe at this time."
"What do you mean the Burrow isn't safe?" Ron said in a sudden outburst that made Hermione scoff.
"If you would stop interrupting and let me explain Weasly then maybe you'll find your answer." Moody growled his magic eye swiveling around. "I know this will come as a shock to many of you sitting here but, he's finally made a move." The entire room grew quiet, all eyes (non magical of course) on Moody. There was an eerie silence, broken only by the crackling of the fire.
"He. . . you mean. . . Voldemort attacked somebody?" Tonks said incredulously.
"Yes he did. About half past two o' clock today. We had some spare Aurors over there as soon as possible but we were too late. He had gone and left the house in shambles. Was a bit of a nasty shock for the Muggles in the area. Didn't know how the house had blown up for no good reason."
"Do we know who the victim. . . dare I say it. . . victims were?" Lupin asked watching his words carefully.
"I'm afraid its victims Remus. It was a half blood family. Their twin sons had just gotten a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts. Second line of wizards in the family, apart from their mother, she was a witch. Voldemort sent some of his remaining Death Eaters into the place and had them all killed. Entire family dead, all six of them." Someone blew their nose in the background but Harry didn't notice, he was too busy listening to Moody.
"Who was the witch?" Kingsley Shacklebolt asked solemnly.
"Delilah Grant." Moody said shortly. There was a short gasp from some of the witches in the room gasped, especially Mrs. Weasly.
"But.but Delilah Grant was the editor of Witch Weekly!" Mrs. Weasly cried out as Tonks pulled out an annoying handkerchief of a sort of acid yellow color. The young witch blew her nose quite loudly. "How could she be dead?"
"And her entire family too.what a tragedy!" Dedalus Diggle squeaked out as he shook his head.
"But why isn't it safe at the Burrow?" Ron asked again and everyone looked at him as if he had completely not heard the conversation. It looked as if Mrs. Weasly was going to start one of her famous rants and Harry could tell Ron was bracing himself when Moody laid a hand on Mrs. Weasly's shoulder.
"The children should know Molly. After all, they were forced away from their home. Maybe permanently until we can get rid of the Dark Lord again,"
"What? We aren't going to be able to go back to the Burrow? But that's our home!" Ginny and Ron yelled loudly. Harry felt like he should stand up and join their argument. The Burrow had been a home to him during the summer holidays and the home had such an atmosphere that would make Aunt Petunia positively faint at the sight of it.
"Ronald, Virginia, close your mouths and let Alastor explain," Mr. Weasly barked before Ron and Ginny took their seats, each had a pinkish tint on their faces.
"We feel, Ginny, Ron," began Moody who nodded to both of them, "that the Burrow isn't safe anymore due to the attack your father suffered at the Ministry of Magic a few months ago. We have a feeling that Voldemort," Ron and some of the younger Weasly children flinched which made Hermione roll her eyes, "knows that you are in league with Harry. If I am not mistaken a certain mole in Voldemort's inner circle overheard one of his fellows talking about the Weasly family and their association with Dumbledore and Harry. That and the fact that half a dozen Death Eaters saw you Ron, and you too Ginny trying to help Harry in the Department of Mysteries just a month ago. This is why we have decided that you will make Number Twelve Grimmauld Place your home until we can finally get rid of Voldemort." Moody finished to the astonished faces of Ron, Ginny, Fred, George, Hermione, and not to mention Harry.
Harry was shocked. Because of his ties with Voldemort he had dragged the Weasly family away from their home. It was his entire fault that the Weaslys had to shove off and come to the Black House.and even though it was slightly tidier than it had been since last year, it still wasn't the comfort and disorder that the Burrow had.
"And of course, Hermione," Moody said gruffly and Hermione looked up suddenly a look of fear on her face.
"Yes Mr. Moody?" Hermione asked in a trembling yet dignified voice.
"We have decided that it would be better for your parents to come here where they will be under exceptional protection. They are on their way right now with Percy Weasly. They have told their patients.your parents are muggle dentists are they not?" Moody asked slurring over the word dentist as if it were a foreign word. Hermione nodded, "Your parents have closed their clinic and have told their patients that they would be touring the world for as long as it took. We are taking this as a necessary precaution since you are of muggle decent."
"Dumbledore also instructed me to inform all of the children attending Hogwarts this year that you are not to leave this home until it is time to go to the train on September the first," Moody explained and Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny all stared at him mouths open wide. Stay in this musty old house for an entire month? What was there to do besides clean up the house? Harry exchanged looks with Ron. They were going to die of boredom, "I will go to Diagon Alley along with Tonks, Diggle, and Mrs. Weasly to collect your necessary school things. Dumbledore has sent your school supply list to me personally. We will also be accompanying Mr. and Mr. Weasly to their joke shop where they are to stay in Diagon Alley until they are further instructed." Fred and George smiled widely before they bowed their heads, massive grins on their faces. "Now.I will ask that only the members of the order stay behind. I will kindly ask the rest of you to return to your rooms. You'll find that the place has cleaned up quite a bit since you left for school last year." Moody explained. Taking this as an immediate dismissal; Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, and Ginny all walked out of the kitchen but not before Fred and George nicked some food from a cooking cauldron.
The group went to the drawing room which they found was bright and airy a large contrast from the Doxie infested, boggart invaded gloomy place it was before. The group sat on a variety of large squishy arm chairs all of them looking extremely swamped.
"I can't believe we won't go back to the Burrow. And who knows how long You-Know-Who is going to be around! We might be eighty years old by the time we set foot in the Burrow ever again!" Ron complained as he inspected the foot rest at the end of his armchair. He put his hand on the dark red fabric and yelled out loudly as it tried to bite him.
"I can't believe they're confining us to this place for an entire month! What are we going to do? I reckon we'll die of boredom before You- Know-Who even decides to go after us!" Ginny complained.
"You could always read a book.I'm going to start reading our new books as soon as Moody gets back from Diagon Alley," Hermione said as if being confined to a house for one month wasn't that horrendous as long as you had a book by your side.
"All you think about is books Hermione and school! It's almost like we're under house arrest with nothing to do but clean and walk around this boring old house and listen to Mrs. Black scream at us about how we're filthy blood traitors every time someone tries to ring the bloody doorbell! And all you can think about is school!" Ron shouted as he rose from his arm chair the foot rest trying to bite his leg again. "I hate it here!" Ron yelled before he stormed out of the drawing room and headed for the room he was probably sharing with Harry.
"Hermione! Your parents have just arrived!" Tonks called from the front hall.
"FILTHY BLOOD TRAITORS. . . STAINS OF DISHONOR TO THIS HOUSE! YOU FILITHY LITTLE HALF BREEDS RUNNING AROUND RUINING MY HOUSE! GET OUT AND DON'T CONTAMINATE IT ANYMORE!" Mrs. Black's portrait began to scream from downstairs.
"See what I mean?" Ron called from the landing above before it was followed by the slamming of the door.