Disclaimer: The characters that look familiar to you belong to J. K. Rowling. The ones you cannot find in any of her books are mine. I don't intend to make any money out of this. I'm just having some fun.

The Volunteers

Ginny helped Fred lay a bit on his stretcher and then turned to look around. Lots of people were moving between the beds and stretchers, healing small wounds and bruises. She didn't know where to start, so she searched for a familiar face while putting on the apron and the badge.

"Hi!" Someone said to her right. She turned to see the boy who had helped her brothers. "You've decided to join us?" He asked with a smile.

"Yes," Ginny said timidly, "my parents and my older brothers have taken Bill to a quiet place. The rest of us decided to stay with Fred, and while we wait..."

"Right. I just checked again about the potion. I'm afraid it's not ready yet. They are working on other more needed potions. I hope it won't be long, now. Do you have much experience healing wounds?"

"Well, not really, basically Fred's and George's," Ginny admitted.

"Oh, well," Benjamin replied amused, "I dare say that's probably more than enough. Come with me, you can work with someone else at the beginning, just look at what the others do and then you can go on by yourself. Let me see, who can teach you..." he said, scanning the room. "Right, follow me."

They went to the far right corner of the room and approached a girl whose back was turned on them. She was talking to an old woman whose face was covered in green bubbles.

"Cho?" Benjamin called her, and the girl turned. Ginny tried to smile politely, but it was very hard. Of all the people she could have worked with, it had to be precisely Cho Chang, the pretty Ravenclaw that had stolen Harry and then Michael Corner from her. The day was turning out to be just unforgettable.

"Cho, Miss Weasley has just joined the volunteer team. Why don't you show her how you work so that she can follow your example?" Benjamin asked, and then added, looking at Ginny: "Cho has helped us a lot. It turns out she has a knack for healing charms. I'm sure she is gonna be a good teacher too."

Ginny and Cho just smiled, both feeling very awkward.

"Ben," Cho said, "I'm not sure how to cure this woman's face, could you have a look at it, please?"

The boy nodded. "No problem, I'll take care of her, just go on to another patient."

Cho nodded and then said to Ginny: "This way, follow me, please."

***

Hermione descended the stairs and reached a landing where she could see three doors. There were no signs saying what was going on in each of them, and she had no idea where the potions lab could be.

"Miss Granger," a deep velvety voice said from behind her. Hermione turned to see none other than Professor Snape himself. "Nosing around?" The man asked.

Hermione felt a little bit offended, so she just pointed at the badge on her chest.

"I see... potions?" Professor Snape asked.

"Yes," Hermione said, "but I cannot find the lab."

"Lab?" The man asked. "I'm afraid that's only a muggle term, miss Granger. If I'm not mistaken, we are supposed to work in there," the man said pointing at the door to the left. "I've just arrived, but I've been helping some colleagues in St. Mungo's before, and that's usually where they work. Follow me."

He opened the door and stepped inside the room. It was dark, humid and filled with a nauseating mixture of different smells, like the Potion's class in the dungeons of Hogwarts. Hermione guessed they must be below street level here too. An old man with a beard and glasses approached them eagerly.

"Professor Snape!" He exclaimed gleefully. "What an honour, Sir. I presume you've come to help?"

Snape looked for a moment as if he was going to snap a sarcastic comment back like "No, I was just walking by, goodbye," but refrained in time and just nodded.

"Ok, let me see," the man said, and took a long parchment out of nowhere. "We have five people working on the Skelegrow Potion, five more on the Sneezefree Potion, five more on the Insomnus Potion and ten on different mild restoratives. We still need ten different kind of potions, and should probably start making some others we're running out of by the minute."

"May I?" Snape inquired, and took the parchment from the man's hands. He looked at the list of potions and then to the people working in the room. Hermione looked around likewise, and could see many familiar faces. Even... wait a minute? Wasn't that Pansy Parkinson?

"Do we have cauldrons enough?" The Potions Master asked.

"Yes, Professor, as many as you want." The man waved his wand and at least twenty cauldrons appeared in the far left corner of the room. Professor Snape nodded in approbation. "Miss Parkinson! Miss Zucchini!" he cried.

Pansy and an albino girl with long soft curls stopped preparing ingredients and looked at their professor.

"Those cauldrons at the end of the room, NOW!" Snape roared, and both girls complied immediately. Then he turned once more to the older man: "Those girls can do much more than just prepare ingredients, they are pretty good. Miss Granger here will be working with us too. We'll start with this four potions, he said, and pointed at four names on the list." The other man nodded his agreement and then Snape strode across the room to where the other two girls were waiting, Hermione following in his wake.

When they reached the cauldrons, Snape waved his wand and suddenly four tables appeared between the cauldrons, all of them together, forming a big square. Five cauldrons stood ready next to each table.

"Miss Parkinson, you'll be making the Bubbitis Potion. Miss Zucchini, you'll be working on the Blood Replenishing Potion, Miss Granger, you'll be doing the Dreamless Sleep Potion."

All girls nodded nervously in turn. Pansy approached the table in front of Snape's, Hermione was at his side, and the other girl was in front of her, next to Pansy. Snape waved his wand once more and the ingredients they would need for the different potions appeared on the tables, together with a parchment with the instructions.

"You're all clever enough to make those potions just following the instructions, although you've never attempted them before. I'll be surveying your work. If you make a mistake, I'll tell you. If I say nothing, just go on working, you don't need to show me every little thing you make. And if you tell any one I said you were 'clever', you can be sure I'll make you regret it for the rest of your lives."

Without another word, he started lightning fires under his cauldrons and then turned his attention to the ingredients on his table.

Hermione looked at the other two girls, they were already reading their instructions, so she turned her attention to hers.

***

Penelope reached the children's floor and looked around, wondering who could be Ms. Guillaume. The corridor was full of people, mostly injured children and healers. He saw the black woman who had helped the Weasleys and went over to her.

"Excuse me, Madam Pomfrey sent me to help. Do you happen to know who..." Penelope didn't finish her question, because just then the woman turned to her and she could read her name embroidered on her uniform. She was Ms. Guillaume.

The woman smiled at the girl. "You were looking for me, right?"

"Yes," Penelope said.

"Do you have any experience with children?"

"Well, I've been working in a kindergarten for the last two years, but I'm afraid I don't have much practice healing curses, just small bruises and the likes," Penelope explained.

Ms. Guillaume thought for a moment. "Go to that room at the end of the corridor," she finally said, pointing to her right. "You'll find a girl with green hair there..."

"Sha-adi?" Penelope asked. There weren't many people with green hair, were there?

The woman smiled at her. "I see you've met her already. She is looking after the healthy kids now. They are ok, but very scared. Most of them have seen their parents being attacked or even die. We are trying to distract them for a while and help them overcome the shock and the fear they feel. Tell Sha-adi I sent you to replace her. Ask her the information you think you need about the children and any other questions you may have, and then send her to me. She's got more experience with healing charms, so she can help me cure the injured children."

Penelope nodded and turned to go, but Miss Guillaume's voice stopped here.

"And dear," she said, "thanks for your help." Then the woman turned again and went on regrowing the leg of the little boy she had been tending.

***

Ron and George were already making their way to the people they were supposed to levitate to another place. It wasn't an easy task. People kept on stopping them to ask them to take their relatives first. It was difficult to leave them there waiting, but they couldn't do otherwise. They had to follow a kind of priority. If they waved their wands in a special kind of circle, a name appeared on a parchment they were carrying, the name of the person they were supposed to go to next. Then an orange flame would appear above that person, so that they could recognise them. Sometimes the flame wasn't even needed, many names were familiar to the Weasleys.

Ron took an unconscious Dean Thomas to the fourth floor, then Lee Jordan to the third one and Mrs. Finnigan, Seamus' mother, to the room where Ginny was working. Little by little, the volunteer team was getting bigger and bigger. Seamus joined the boys levitating people. Lavender Brown joined the small injuries team while she waited for his older brother's recovery. Susan Bones came alone, just to see if she could help, and Madame Pomfrey sent her upstairs to the children's floor.

***

It turned out Ginny and Cho worked very well together, though none of them would have ever guessed it. Cho was indeed a very good teacher, and Ginny learned very fast and even proposed some alternatives now and then. Cho decided Ginny could do very well on her own, so they split, but still kept on working on parallel beds, in case they needed to help each other.

After some time, Ginny finally found the courage to ask Cho about Michael Corner. The Ravenclaw turned a little bit red, but answered in a neutral tone:

"I don't know and I don't care. I didn't really like him, you know? It was a sort of strange affair. I think I just needed a shoulder to cry on, I wanted something to comfort me." She paused, and then added in a low voice, "I still dream of Cedric every night."

Ginny didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry," she finally uttered.

"That's ok," Cho said shrugging, "I need some time, that's all. Cedric was the first boy I ever fancied, and I lost him so soon and in such a sudden way... But I'm recovering now."

"Michael is not really that special," Ginny said boldly, "but I really thought you and Harry were bound to end up together, you know. He's been mad about you for the last three years."

Cho's head shot up at this: "Has he?" Then she lowered her eyes again to her patient and said: "No, I don't think so. You must be mistaken. We dated on Valentine's Day, and he kept on talking about that Granger girl, I think he fancies her if you ask me."

Ginny laughed a bit at that.

"What?" Cho asked a little bit annoyed.

"Nothing," Ginny said, "it's just that I think Harry doesn't know how to treat a girl, that's all. Hermione and him are only good friends, you can be sure of that." Ginny lowered her voice and leaned over her patient's bed to talk to Cho. "She fancies my brother Ron," she whispered conspiratorially. Cho's eyes rounded with surprise. "And he fancies her too," Ginny added with a mischievous smile.

"Wow! But they are not together, are they?" Cho asked, a little amused now.

"No," Ginny sighed, "but they will, just give them time."

"Ok, so Hermione fancies your brother," Cho said, "but that still doesn't mean that Harry does not fancy her."

Ginny shook her head. "No," she said," I'm positive about that. They are just very good friends, that's all. If he's ever had eyes for a girl, that's you. I should know, because I spent three years of my life watching his every move and look, hoping he would look my way and notice me, but he never did. At the beginning he didn't seem to care about anyone, he just didn't see me. But since you played that quidditch match three years ago, he's only had eyes for you."

Cho was feeling very guilty now. "Oh, Ginny, I'm sorry, I..."

"Wait a minute! The old woman Ginny was tending sat on her bed and asked nonplussed: "Do you mean she stole that block Michael from you and then this Harry-guy you liked?"

Ginny and Cho turned very red and looked at each other. Ginny took her wand and mouthed "Morpheus!", and the woman fell back on her bed and started snoring soundly.

"Good one," Cho muttered.

"Thanks!" Ginny said, and winked at her. "Maybe we should leave our love lives for a more convenient time."

They both giggled, and then went on talking about quidditch while they worked.

***

Sweat drops were running down Hermione's face. She had tied her hair up in a knot with her wand and was now busy checking her potion. She had added all the ingredients now, but she would have to wait still some time, because the potion had to simmer for a while. She looked up and around: Professor Snape was adding something revolting to a cauldron, Pansy was reading again her instructions while biting her upper lip in concentration. The girl in front of Hermione was stirring a cauldron. Her eyes were very red, and Hermione wondered if it was due to the potion's fumes or because someone she cared about was injured. She looked again at Professor Snape, he seemed to be absolutely concentrated on his work, so she decided she might as well try and speak to the girl.

"You finished Hogwarts last year, didn't you?" Hermione asked.

The girl looked up, surprised at being addressed by someone after so many minutes of complete silence. "Yeah," she said, "Anastasia Zucchini." And extended her hand above their cauldrons to shake Hermione's.

"Hermione Granger," the girl said smiling.

"I know," the girl smiled back, "who doesn't know the famous trio, Potter, Weasley and Granger?"

Hermione turned a bit red. "What house were you in?" She asked after a moment.

"Hufflepuff," the girl answered.

Hermione hesitated for a moment and then asked: "What brought you here?"

"To St. Mungo's?" The girl asked. Hermione nodded. "My mother was injured. Death Eaters attacked our home."

"How is she?" Hermione asked.

The girl looked down at her cauldrons and started stirring again their contents. "I'm not sure. She was hit by a freezing spell," she explained, "her lungs are frozen inside her chest. When they took her to a room they didn't know yet what to do about it." She paused, and then added as a matter of fact: "I offered myself as a volunteer right away. Waiting makes me nervous. I'd rather be busy while I wait."

"What about your father?" Hermione asked. "Was he injured as well?"

"I have no father," the girl said.

Hermione's eyes rounded for a moment, and the girl couldn't help laughing a bit.

"No, don't worry, my mother didn't create me with a strange spell if that's what you're afraid of. I have a father, but I've never met him. My mother told me he was a muggle. He couldn't cope with the fact my mother was a witch, so my mother obliviated him and then moved to England, she needed a change of scenery."

"So you are not English?"

"Well, I was born here, but my mother is Italian."

"I've never been to Italy," Hermione said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Me neither," the girl said, and shrugged.

"I hope you're able to work and gossip at the same time," a nasty voice said from Hermione's right, "because your potions should be ready by now, and they'd better be." Professor Snape looked as intimidating outside class as in it.

Both girls stepped aside to let him check their cauldrons. The man looked approvingly at their contents. "Very well, yours is ready Miss Granger. Do bottle it up carefully in this tiny bottles behind you." Hermione turned and saw for the first time a huge box with lots of small translucent bottles inside of it. "Then carry them carefully to Madam Pomfrey, she'll know what to do with them." He then turned to Anastasia. "Yours must simmer a couple of minutes more. Then you can bottle it up in the bottles behind you and take them to Madam Pomfrey too." The girl turned. Her bottles were twice as big as Hermione's. "When you finish," Professor Snape went on saying, "come back here and you'll start preparing different potions. I dare say there is enough of those now."

Hermione levitated the cauldrons off the fire and said the complicated spell to make the bottles fill and label themselves. She stood there surveying the process to make sure everything was ok. When the last bottle was filled and there wasn't any more potion left, she levitated the box and left the room, Anastasia was right behind her.

Madam Pomfrey was glad to see them. "Oh, dears, excellent job! Here," she said, "take these to Fred Weasley, will you? He must drink all of them," she said, handing Hermione three of Anastasia's bottles. "Dear," she added looking at Anastasia, "your mother is awake now, I was just going to go downstairs myself to tell you. You can go up and visit her. Fourth floor, second room to the left. Those ashanriis are just marvellous. I don't know what we would do without their help. Don't stay long, though, she needs to rest and you need to eat something."

"Professor Snape said we had to go back and help prepare some more potions," Hermione said.

"Nonsense, you have to eat and rest too. If you faint, you're not gonna be of much help. I'll talk to him. You just go to the refectory. It's in the top floor, I'm gonna send the other volunteers there in a moment."

Both girls went in separate directions. Hermione was walking carefully, she didn't want the bottles to fall. She looked up for a moment a saw Percy Weasley come in through the main doors and start searching for someone.

"Percy!" She called.

He saw her and went over to where she was standing. "Bill is ok!" he said without preamble.

"Oh!" Hermione said delighted, "how is he feeling? Are you bringing him back?"

"No, he's never looked better. When I left he was eating some roasted beef mum cooked in a flash. It's his favourite dish," he said smiling.

"These are for Fred," Hermione said, "right out of the cauldron."

"Ok, let me help you." Percy took a couple of bottles from Hermione's arms and then started searching for Fred.

"Look, there's Ron, he might know where Fred is," Hermione said, pointing at his friend.

Ron had seen them too and approached them. Percy and Hermione told him the good news and he took them to Fred. The boy was lying asleep. He looked very weak.

"Fred?" Hermione said, while Ron shook him a bit. The boy opened his eyes slowly and blinked. "Fred, I have your potion, you have to drink all of this."

Fred rolled his eyes, he was a wizard, not a desert. Ron helped him to sit and then he took the first bottle and drank it. He felt much better all of a sudden. Percy handed him the other two bottles, and he swallowed their contents without a grimace, then stretched and yawned.

"Do people never eat here? I'm starving!" He said, but then seemed to remember something and turned deadly serious. "How is Bill?" He asked, looking at the sheets covering his legs.

"He's ok," Percy said, slapping his back, "better than you, in fact, because he's already eaten."

They all laughed a bit, but then they heard a sob and turned around. Ginny was there, crying. She had never been so happy in her life. Their brothers were ok. Percy hugged her tenderly.

"I'd rather go and tell George," Ron said. "I'll be back in a minute."

***

Mrs. Weasley was so happy to have Bill back and Fred almost recovered, that she cooked the most wonderful meal anyone present had ever tasted. They all had second helpings, and some even a third. Harry felt at home, sitting between Sirius and Remus and in front of Moody. It didn't matter that the Dursleys were sitting at the same table, and strange enough, they looked quite relaxed, the company notwithstanding. Harry wasn't sure the wine didn't have something to do with it, though.

When they finished eating it was almost midnight. Most of them were unable to suppress their yawns any more, but Harry felt completely awake. He didn't want to go to bed, he was afraid of waking in the morning and realising it had all been a dream.

The wards went down once more, and Percy and Fred Weasley came in. The Weasleys rushed to welcome Fred. Percy explained that Hermione and the others had stayed in St. Mungo's. Mrs. Weasley looked a bit worried.

"It's ok, mum," Percy said. "When I left they were eating sandwiches and enjoying themselves. They've met a lot of friends from school there. I just came to bring Fred, but I was thinking in going back. There is still a lot to do there, although Madam Pomfrey said everything is under control now. There have been no attacks in the last hours, and many injured people have gone already back to their houses or to another safe place."

"Of course, dear, I'm being selfish," Molly said. "I should go myself and help in any way I can."

"No, Molly," her husband said. "You need to rest. You're gonna be more of a hindrance, you've been through enough for one day."

Mrs. Weasley sighed, but didn't complain. She was really tired.

"May I go with Percy?" Harry asked not knowing who to look at. It was strange to have so many people to look up to. Who should he obey? His godfather? Professor Lupin? The Weasleys?

"No, Harry," Dumbledore said, and that settled the matter. Harry didn't look happy at all. He wanted to see Ron and Hermione, and he wanted to help too.

"Harry," Lupin said, "I need your help here. I wanted to talk to you, if you are not too tired."

Harry had the suspicion Lupin was just trying to make him feel useful, but he had no other choice, so he said 'Good night' to everybody and went upstairs with Remus.

They went to the last room in the top floor. Lupin opened the door and lighted some candles with his wand. Harry stepped inside and almost fell. He managed to keep his balance at the last moment and looked surprised at Lupin. The werewolf was smiling.

"Soft, isn't it? We've treated the floor and the walls magically so that you won't hurt yourselves during class." Remus explained smiling.

"Class? What are you talking about Professor?"

Lupin took a parchment out of his pocket and gave it to Harry, it read 'Dumbledore's Army', and a list of names followed.

Harry knew that list, but why did Professor Lupin have it? He didn't need to ask him though, because Remus was more than willing to explain.

"If it weren't for the attacks today, tomorrow I would have started giving you Defence classes, basically duelling, although I plan on covering other subjects as well. What happened today is gonna delay our plans a bit, but Dumbledore still thinks I should teach you during the summer. No exams, no tests. It's up to you how much you are willing to learn." Remus paused for a moment. "At the beginning Dumbledore only had you in mind. I was supposed to teach only you, Harry. But then Sirius' return made him change his mind. My friend has been out of practice for very long, and so the Headmaster thought some training wouldn't be bad. So it was going to be you, him, and me. Just the three of us. I then pointed to him the fact that the Weasley kids and Hermione would be here too, so Dumbledore included them, and then Professor McGonagall reminded him of your little group at Hogwarts, and asked why shouldn't we include more people in the group. She didn't put it exactly like that, he said something like 'Albus, why don't you let other loyal students benefit from Professor Lupin's wonderful skills?'. As you may suppose, I couldn't object to such a compliment, and Dumbledore thought it was a good idea, and now we are going to be a big group."

Harry was feeling much better now. Classes with Lupin! That would be cool. And Sirius would be there too, wow!

"What do you need my help for?" Harry asked.

"Well," Lupin said, "I like to know my pupils' weaknesses and strengths from the beginning if possible. I know all of the people on the list, because you were all in my classes some years ago at Hogwarts, but I'm sure you have all learned a lot since then, and I wouldn't like to loose time with things you already know. So I thought you might be able to tell me how this people were doing in your class, if we should contact them all, and if you think there would be more people interested."

Harry thought for a moment, he could do that. "But what about the security of the house?" Harry asked. "Isn't it a bit dangerous to have so many people coming and going?"

"It's ok," Lupin said, "you see that door opposite to the one we got through?" Harry nodded. "The other students will come in and leave through it. They'll think at first they are in a room in The Leaky Cauldron. That's where they will be told to go. When they open a certain door there and step inside, though, they'll find themselves inside this room. The door in The Leaky Cauldron will be protected by a Secret Keeper, myself," Lupin said, pointing at himself, "so that only those we decide to allow to join our classes will be able to see it. Then, they all will stay here. Of course, we still have to ask your friends..." Lupin said, indicating the parchment with the names of the members of Dumbledore's Army, "if they are interested and if their parents allow them to come. Some of them may be able to stay the whole summer, others maybe just a couple of weeks."

Harry could find no objections to the plan, so he sat on the soft floor and started examining the list. Professor Lupin took a sit at his side, and they spent many hours talking about the old Dumbledore's Army and the future one.

*****

Thanks for the reviews!

Thanks all for reading and reviewing!

First of all, let me tell you that this fic is going to be classified under Sirius Black and Harry Potter from the next chapter on. I guess it shouldn't matter much, but it will probably help you find it more easily. ;-) What do you think of the conversation between Ginny and Cho? In Chapter 12 the Order meets again and we'll know some more details about the Death Eaters' attacks and Dumbledore's plans.

Kady Rilla Wholi: Ok, as you see, I'm going to follow your advice. Thanks! Don't worry too much about the ashanriis. There aren't so many, and you'll be seeing them in later chapters. I plan to write a chapter in which all the important ashanriis meet, and that should be enough to 'get to know them' a bit.

hermionegreen: Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter too.

hermionita: Thanks for your review. You don't happen to be Spanish, do you? The "-ita" in "Hermionita" is highly suspicious. ;-) You are the first one to realise -or at least comment- that there might be something between Sirius and Amanda in later chapters. It's still too early to know for sure, but I think there is some interest there, at least on Sirius' side.

Makalani Astral: You're right about 'Sandrine' and 'dansarine'. I just wanted the words to have a French 'touch' and I liked that ending very much, so I just used it. ;-) Sandrine and Neville will meet in a later chapter, and you'll see then why do they know each other.

Believe: Thanks for your review. I'm glad you enjoyed all the action. In the following chapters the characters will take their time to recover from all the tension, but there will be some more spell-work soon.

luv4snuffles: Wow! Thanks very much for taking the time to review several chapters at once. Don't worry too much about the ashanriis nor the other words related to them. I have just mentioned them so that they sound familiar to you when you see them in later chapters, but I will explain things in more detail later on. I think you're right about Muggles not being able to use the Floo network, that's why I made Harry throw the Floo powder and utter the destination. I hope Rowling doesn't mind. ;-) I don't really think the fireplace in Grimmauld Place is connected to the Floo network either, because it would be too risky for the Order, but I'm playing with the idea that people in the Order or related to them -like the younger Weasleys and Harry- could use it in case of emergency.

Jade121: Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter too.

Smiley: Well, here you have it. Did you mean 'how long more' until the next update or until the end of the story? I try to update every two or three days. I really don't know how long the story will be, but it's probably gonna be very long, because I'm already writing Chapter 13 and not even a week has passed yet. The story in this fic is supposed to go on until the end of October or the beginning of November, and we are still in the first week of July, so... Other weeks might not be as intense for our friends, though. ;-)

angelwings6117: Oh, please, don't cry, they are fine, you see? The mood was a little bit lighter in this chapter, I hope you liked it too.

SunnyChika: Thanks! If you are afraid I could stop writing after the summer, you have no reason to worry, because I will definitely go on writing as long as people seem to have an interest in my fic. ;-)