Chapter Four
O.W.L.s and House Elves
Harry sat stunned, barely aware of his mouth hanging open. Sirius left him the house? He shook his head to get his brain started again. Through his mumbness, he felt a surge of affection for Mrs. Weasley. She was the kindest person he knew, and if anyone deserved to inherit half of a huge fortune, it was the Weasleys. He became dimly aware of Lupin speaking.
"I hope, Harry, that you will still allow the Order to use the house for headquarters."
"What? Oh-of course, why wouldn't I?" As Harry slowly came back to his senses, he saw Lupin grinning and realized he was being teased.
"Well, now that that business is settled, I suppose you'd like to see your O.W.L. results." Lupin handed out the envelopes. Hermione practically ripped open the envelope before it left Lupin's hand. Harry and Ron opened theirs a bit more slowly. Hermione let out a squeal of joy.
"All ten O's! I had hoped, but I wasn't sure about ancient runes...I can't wait to tell Mum and Dad...Oh, Ron! How did you do?"
Ron? Why was Hermione so interested in Ron's O.W.Ls? What about him? These thoughts floated past the fog in Harry's brain as he stared at the letter in front of him. He had received seven O.W.Ls. He knew he had blown his History of Magic and Divination exams, but he had received an A in Astronomy, E's in Charms, Herbology, and Transfiguration, and an O in Care of Magical Creatures. He expected the O in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and also received an O in....Potions?
"I got an O in Potions?" he croaked disbelievingly. "How? Why?"
Meanwhile Ron had gone from pale to being redder than his hair as he gazed open mouthed at his letter. He looked up.
"Eight. With two Os. And blimey...I got an A in History of Magic..."
Hermione leaned over and hugged Ron and gave him a rather long kiss on the cheek. "I knew you could, Ron. That's wonderful. Oh, and I'm proud of you too, Harry"
Harry looked up and glanced at Hermione. She was sitting very close to Ron, and had done so all through dinner, he recalled. They both met his glance, blushed fiercely, and slid apart slightly. Harry glanced at Ginny, who was rocking back and forth in silent laughter. Harry shook his head. It couldn't be...He turned instead to his letter, thinking about how he could have managed an O in Potions. Perhaps it was the absence of Snape during the exam...he did feel more confident when he wasn't there, his dark eyes boring into him, feeling his sneering hatred of Harry.
Mrs. Weasley was beside herself with joy. "Oh, Ronnie...eight O.W.Ls! A prefect, and now eight O.W.Ls! We just might have another Head Boy here...and Head Girl as well," she added, beaming at Hermione.
Both Ron and Hermione blushed, if possible, even redder than before under the smiling gaze of Mrs. Weasley. Ginny choked back a laugh and got up to help clear the table. After the table was cleared, they all sat down with bottles of butterbeer.
"Okay", Harry said, looking around at all of them. "What's been going on all summer with the Order and everything?"
Mr. Weasley wiped his glasses on his robes. "Well, Harry, you already know part of our plans, and I must implore you not to tell ANYONE who doesn't know." He looked pointedly at Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who immediately raised a storm of protest at this. Mr. Weasley made an impatient gesture and cut them off. "I'm sorry, you three, but this plan is very delicate, and innocent people's lives depend on complete secrecy. So I want you to swear right now, Harry, that you will speak of the plan to no one not in the order. Plus, we need you to sign this statement to that effect." He held out a piece of parchment and a quill. The parchment said "I, Harry Potter, do swear that I will not reveal any plans of the Order of the Phoenix with which I am involved." Harry read it, and hesitantly signed it.
"Well done, Harry" Mr. Weasley said. "Now, you are probably aware of Hermione's ability to jinx a signed statement." Harry nodded, remembering what happened to Marietta Edgecombe when she told Professor Umbrige about the DA. "Be assured that worse will happen if you tell anyone about what happened tonight before you left the Dursleys. I don't mean to threaten you, but this is vital."
Harry nodded, slightly frightened by the serious tone and authority of Mr. Weasley's voice. He had never heard him speak that way before. Mr. Wealsey turned to the others.
"However, we CAN tell you all a few things. First, the reversal of the Ministry is making our plans go much smoother. We are able to recruit a bit more openly, as well as pass on information. Fred and George have been inducted into the Order, of course, and their shop is being used as a central spot for passing along information."
"But Fudge is still Fudge," said Lupin, "and now that the Ministry is involved, he feels that Dumbledore, however noble his intentions, should leave the fight to the Ministry. Therefore, recruiting more help is still difficult. However, we have gotten an even bigger head start. Thanks to Harry's interview, the Death Eaters that weren't captured at the Ministry are having to lie very low and move slowly, as everyone now knows who and what they are. Even Lucius Malfoy, when he escapes, will be almost completely powerless to act openly."
"But the Death Eaters are only one arm of You-Know-Who's followers", said Mr. Weasley. The Ministry's being hard put to it in dealing with the dementors and others of that sort."
Harry suddenly remembered that the muggle news had reported an increase in the amount of coma patients in the past month. "They're attacking muggles, aren't they?" he piped up.
"Yes, but not as many as one might think, and there haven't been very many attacks on wizards, either" replied Lupin. "We're not quite sure yet what they're up to, but they seem to have had very specific orders."
Ron spoke up. "Um, Dad, what about the giants? Hagrid told us about his mission last year."
"They haven't moved yet. You know that, according to what Hagrid said, there may be some division within the few giants left. Thanks to Charlie, the valley where they live is being monitored. If they move, we'll know."
Lupin sighed. "The hardest thing of all is to try to convince those we've always oppressed to fight on the side of good. I mean, why fight with those who have always thought you inferior or only worthy of being servants? The best we can hope for from the goblins is neutrality, thanks to Bill, and we're pretty sure they won't go over to Voldemort en masse. There'll be a few power hungry ones, but there always are, and can anyone say any better about us humans? Dumbledore himself has been in constant communication with the centaurs and merpeople, but we aren't expecting anything positive for quite some time. And as for--"
Here Mrs. Weasley cut Lupin off. "I think that's enough information for one night. Harry has had a busy day, and the others only got here today. Harry dear, we'll of course be staying here with you for the rest of the summer, as Remus will be gone often doing work for the Order and we don't want you to be alone. Now, all four of you--BED."
As they started to get up from the table, Harry turned to Lupin.
"Wait. I almost forgot. Where's Kreacher?"
Kreacher was the Black family house elf. He, under orders from Sirius' cousin Narcissa Malfoy, had lied to Harry and made him think Sirius was a prisoner of Voldemort at the Ministry.
Lupin sighed heavily. "Kreacher isn't here anymore."
"Did he go to the Malfoys? I don't want him in this house anymore after what he did--"
Lupin lowered his head. "You know that part of the house elves' enslavement is complete loyalty to the family they serve. Narcissa Malfoy, although a close relative of Sirius, and part of the Black family, did not belong to the house to which Kreacher was enslaved. Sirius, as the last of that family, was entitled to the obedience and loyalty that is part of the enslavement. There is a price to pay for betraying that loyalty, and when the house elves were enslaved, it was made sure that the price was high. When Kreacher found out his actions led to Sirius' death, and that they were ordered by another member of his family, well, the price a house elf pays for betraying his master to his death is death. We found Kreacher in his den with a knife through his heart and the pictures he kept in there smashed."
Hermione and Ginny clapped their hands over their mouths in horror, but Harry felt, to his regret, a kind of grim satisfaction.
"You see, Harry, when Kreacher realized that not only had he betrayed his family, but that he himself had been betrayed by them, he destroyed all reminders of that family before he destroyed himself. All reminders, that is, except of the one he betrayed. In his madness, it was his last gesture of loyalty. Sirius may have despised him, but he never betrayed him."
And Harry felt something he never thought he would--a spark of pity for Kreacher.
"So, the portrait of Sirius' mother--?"
"Destroyed. As well as the tapestry. Everything except Sirius' things and Phineas' portrait. It's not that easy, even for a house elf, to destroy the portrait of a Hogwarts Headmaster. Well, good night to you four, and sleep well."
"Arthur will be staying mostly at The Burrow," said Mrs. Weasley, "but he'll be here for dinner. I'll have breakfast ready for you early--We need to do some final cleaning in the morning."
As they made their way upstairs, Harry saw that indeed, the place where Sirius' mother's portrait had hung was bare and empty. Meanwhile, Hermione and Ron were discussing Kreacher and house elves.
"But to have to kill yourself! That's horrible! How could house elves do that to themselves!"
"Remember, Hermione, Dobby had to punish himself whenever he tried to warn Harry"
"Well. I'm going to use my O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s to get the highest grades, enter the Ministry and do something about house elf enslavement. And don't try and stop me, Ronald Weasley!"
"As if I could" Ron muttered so that Harry barely heard him.
As they approached their rooms, Hermione and Ron seemed to slow down a bit. Harry caught Ginny's eye, and they both grinned and went in their rooms. Ron joined Harry a couple of minutes later.
"Well, happy birthday again, mate. Quite the busy day. Good night"
Harry's head was swirling. So much indeed had happened. Harry's last thoughts before he drifted off to sleep were of Lupin talking about family. His heart swelled as he realized that his friends wanted to be his family and that they all cared for him. His sleep was, for the first time in over a year, uninterrupted by nightmares. In fact, his sleep was so deep that he didn't feel the hands on him until they jerked him awake.
O.W.L.s and House Elves
Harry sat stunned, barely aware of his mouth hanging open. Sirius left him the house? He shook his head to get his brain started again. Through his mumbness, he felt a surge of affection for Mrs. Weasley. She was the kindest person he knew, and if anyone deserved to inherit half of a huge fortune, it was the Weasleys. He became dimly aware of Lupin speaking.
"I hope, Harry, that you will still allow the Order to use the house for headquarters."
"What? Oh-of course, why wouldn't I?" As Harry slowly came back to his senses, he saw Lupin grinning and realized he was being teased.
"Well, now that that business is settled, I suppose you'd like to see your O.W.L. results." Lupin handed out the envelopes. Hermione practically ripped open the envelope before it left Lupin's hand. Harry and Ron opened theirs a bit more slowly. Hermione let out a squeal of joy.
"All ten O's! I had hoped, but I wasn't sure about ancient runes...I can't wait to tell Mum and Dad...Oh, Ron! How did you do?"
Ron? Why was Hermione so interested in Ron's O.W.Ls? What about him? These thoughts floated past the fog in Harry's brain as he stared at the letter in front of him. He had received seven O.W.Ls. He knew he had blown his History of Magic and Divination exams, but he had received an A in Astronomy, E's in Charms, Herbology, and Transfiguration, and an O in Care of Magical Creatures. He expected the O in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and also received an O in....Potions?
"I got an O in Potions?" he croaked disbelievingly. "How? Why?"
Meanwhile Ron had gone from pale to being redder than his hair as he gazed open mouthed at his letter. He looked up.
"Eight. With two Os. And blimey...I got an A in History of Magic..."
Hermione leaned over and hugged Ron and gave him a rather long kiss on the cheek. "I knew you could, Ron. That's wonderful. Oh, and I'm proud of you too, Harry"
Harry looked up and glanced at Hermione. She was sitting very close to Ron, and had done so all through dinner, he recalled. They both met his glance, blushed fiercely, and slid apart slightly. Harry glanced at Ginny, who was rocking back and forth in silent laughter. Harry shook his head. It couldn't be...He turned instead to his letter, thinking about how he could have managed an O in Potions. Perhaps it was the absence of Snape during the exam...he did feel more confident when he wasn't there, his dark eyes boring into him, feeling his sneering hatred of Harry.
Mrs. Weasley was beside herself with joy. "Oh, Ronnie...eight O.W.Ls! A prefect, and now eight O.W.Ls! We just might have another Head Boy here...and Head Girl as well," she added, beaming at Hermione.
Both Ron and Hermione blushed, if possible, even redder than before under the smiling gaze of Mrs. Weasley. Ginny choked back a laugh and got up to help clear the table. After the table was cleared, they all sat down with bottles of butterbeer.
"Okay", Harry said, looking around at all of them. "What's been going on all summer with the Order and everything?"
Mr. Weasley wiped his glasses on his robes. "Well, Harry, you already know part of our plans, and I must implore you not to tell ANYONE who doesn't know." He looked pointedly at Ron, Hermione, and Ginny, who immediately raised a storm of protest at this. Mr. Weasley made an impatient gesture and cut them off. "I'm sorry, you three, but this plan is very delicate, and innocent people's lives depend on complete secrecy. So I want you to swear right now, Harry, that you will speak of the plan to no one not in the order. Plus, we need you to sign this statement to that effect." He held out a piece of parchment and a quill. The parchment said "I, Harry Potter, do swear that I will not reveal any plans of the Order of the Phoenix with which I am involved." Harry read it, and hesitantly signed it.
"Well done, Harry" Mr. Weasley said. "Now, you are probably aware of Hermione's ability to jinx a signed statement." Harry nodded, remembering what happened to Marietta Edgecombe when she told Professor Umbrige about the DA. "Be assured that worse will happen if you tell anyone about what happened tonight before you left the Dursleys. I don't mean to threaten you, but this is vital."
Harry nodded, slightly frightened by the serious tone and authority of Mr. Weasley's voice. He had never heard him speak that way before. Mr. Wealsey turned to the others.
"However, we CAN tell you all a few things. First, the reversal of the Ministry is making our plans go much smoother. We are able to recruit a bit more openly, as well as pass on information. Fred and George have been inducted into the Order, of course, and their shop is being used as a central spot for passing along information."
"But Fudge is still Fudge," said Lupin, "and now that the Ministry is involved, he feels that Dumbledore, however noble his intentions, should leave the fight to the Ministry. Therefore, recruiting more help is still difficult. However, we have gotten an even bigger head start. Thanks to Harry's interview, the Death Eaters that weren't captured at the Ministry are having to lie very low and move slowly, as everyone now knows who and what they are. Even Lucius Malfoy, when he escapes, will be almost completely powerless to act openly."
"But the Death Eaters are only one arm of You-Know-Who's followers", said Mr. Weasley. The Ministry's being hard put to it in dealing with the dementors and others of that sort."
Harry suddenly remembered that the muggle news had reported an increase in the amount of coma patients in the past month. "They're attacking muggles, aren't they?" he piped up.
"Yes, but not as many as one might think, and there haven't been very many attacks on wizards, either" replied Lupin. "We're not quite sure yet what they're up to, but they seem to have had very specific orders."
Ron spoke up. "Um, Dad, what about the giants? Hagrid told us about his mission last year."
"They haven't moved yet. You know that, according to what Hagrid said, there may be some division within the few giants left. Thanks to Charlie, the valley where they live is being monitored. If they move, we'll know."
Lupin sighed. "The hardest thing of all is to try to convince those we've always oppressed to fight on the side of good. I mean, why fight with those who have always thought you inferior or only worthy of being servants? The best we can hope for from the goblins is neutrality, thanks to Bill, and we're pretty sure they won't go over to Voldemort en masse. There'll be a few power hungry ones, but there always are, and can anyone say any better about us humans? Dumbledore himself has been in constant communication with the centaurs and merpeople, but we aren't expecting anything positive for quite some time. And as for--"
Here Mrs. Weasley cut Lupin off. "I think that's enough information for one night. Harry has had a busy day, and the others only got here today. Harry dear, we'll of course be staying here with you for the rest of the summer, as Remus will be gone often doing work for the Order and we don't want you to be alone. Now, all four of you--BED."
As they started to get up from the table, Harry turned to Lupin.
"Wait. I almost forgot. Where's Kreacher?"
Kreacher was the Black family house elf. He, under orders from Sirius' cousin Narcissa Malfoy, had lied to Harry and made him think Sirius was a prisoner of Voldemort at the Ministry.
Lupin sighed heavily. "Kreacher isn't here anymore."
"Did he go to the Malfoys? I don't want him in this house anymore after what he did--"
Lupin lowered his head. "You know that part of the house elves' enslavement is complete loyalty to the family they serve. Narcissa Malfoy, although a close relative of Sirius, and part of the Black family, did not belong to the house to which Kreacher was enslaved. Sirius, as the last of that family, was entitled to the obedience and loyalty that is part of the enslavement. There is a price to pay for betraying that loyalty, and when the house elves were enslaved, it was made sure that the price was high. When Kreacher found out his actions led to Sirius' death, and that they were ordered by another member of his family, well, the price a house elf pays for betraying his master to his death is death. We found Kreacher in his den with a knife through his heart and the pictures he kept in there smashed."
Hermione and Ginny clapped their hands over their mouths in horror, but Harry felt, to his regret, a kind of grim satisfaction.
"You see, Harry, when Kreacher realized that not only had he betrayed his family, but that he himself had been betrayed by them, he destroyed all reminders of that family before he destroyed himself. All reminders, that is, except of the one he betrayed. In his madness, it was his last gesture of loyalty. Sirius may have despised him, but he never betrayed him."
And Harry felt something he never thought he would--a spark of pity for Kreacher.
"So, the portrait of Sirius' mother--?"
"Destroyed. As well as the tapestry. Everything except Sirius' things and Phineas' portrait. It's not that easy, even for a house elf, to destroy the portrait of a Hogwarts Headmaster. Well, good night to you four, and sleep well."
"Arthur will be staying mostly at The Burrow," said Mrs. Weasley, "but he'll be here for dinner. I'll have breakfast ready for you early--We need to do some final cleaning in the morning."
As they made their way upstairs, Harry saw that indeed, the place where Sirius' mother's portrait had hung was bare and empty. Meanwhile, Hermione and Ron were discussing Kreacher and house elves.
"But to have to kill yourself! That's horrible! How could house elves do that to themselves!"
"Remember, Hermione, Dobby had to punish himself whenever he tried to warn Harry"
"Well. I'm going to use my O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s to get the highest grades, enter the Ministry and do something about house elf enslavement. And don't try and stop me, Ronald Weasley!"
"As if I could" Ron muttered so that Harry barely heard him.
As they approached their rooms, Hermione and Ron seemed to slow down a bit. Harry caught Ginny's eye, and they both grinned and went in their rooms. Ron joined Harry a couple of minutes later.
"Well, happy birthday again, mate. Quite the busy day. Good night"
Harry's head was swirling. So much indeed had happened. Harry's last thoughts before he drifted off to sleep were of Lupin talking about family. His heart swelled as he realized that his friends wanted to be his family and that they all cared for him. His sleep was, for the first time in over a year, uninterrupted by nightmares. In fact, his sleep was so deep that he didn't feel the hands on him until they jerked him awake.
