A/N: JKR owns all of these characters, I own the plot only.
Chapter 7 Our Order
"SIRIUS!" Harry shouted while hugging his godfather for the second time in two days. "What are you doing here?"
Sirius laughed and hugged him back. "It's good to see you again. But don't seem so surprised. I'm back in your life and I plan on staying involved. You're not getting rid of me again so easy so don't even try it."
"So easy? You call following you in to the Shrieking Shack via the Whomping Willow, being attacked by Pettigrew, watching my DADA professor turn into a werewolf, fighting off a horde of Dementors, and attacking my Potions professor easy? I admit that parts of it were fun but I wouldn't call any of it easy."
The two wizards laughed and fell into an easy chitchat.
Dumbledore didn't say anything as he watched two of his favorite wizards embrace and begin their relaxed conversation. He couldn't help but to remember Sirius as a happy go lucky student here at the school and even though he never could completely come to terms with believing Sirius had actually been the one to give Lily, James and baby Harry to Voldemort, the evidence had been overwhelming.
He blamed himself to this day for not using his influence to get Sirius a trial. He wasn't sure that it would have made any difference, in fact, he was sure that it wouldn't have made any difference. He still couldn't help but feel badly for the boy he once knew. It had been easy for him to believe Sirius' version that night over a year ago when he had finally learned the whole story. Part of him felt that his heart had been lifted when he had learned of the boy's innocence.
However, another part of him felt his heart rip open as he thought of all that Sirius, Remus and Harry had lost all because an innocent man had been sent to Azkaban. He often reflected on what his life must have been like behind the bars of Azkaban all those years. He was glad to see even just a little bit of happiness brought to that innocent man's life.
After a few minutes Harry and Sirius sat down and turned their attention to the Headmaster. Harry had finally turned the discussion to his new class and Sirius had directed him to ask Dumbledore.
"What is this class, sir? What am I to learn here?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore eyed him for a moment before smiling at him. He turned his attention to Sirius and said, "Perhaps you'd like to tell him?" Sirius smiled glad to be the one to tell his godson the news.
"Harry," Sirius began, "you are a member of an order known as the Order of the Phoenix." As was often the case, Harry found himself speechless and could only turn his gaze to the Headmaster.
Dumbledore nodded for Sirius to continue. Sirius started speaking again but stopped abruptly when he realized Harry wasn't hearing him. He snapped his fingers a few times before calling, "Harry."
No response.
"HARRY!"
"Huh? What? I'm listening."
"Sure you were."
"I was," he insisted. "Ask me anything."
"All right – I will. What time did I say we would meet tomorrow?"
Harry was shocked. He had been listening. At least he thought he had. But he didn't remember Sirius saying anything like that. He was trying to decide what a good guess would be when Dumbledore interrupted his thoughts.
"Sirius, perhaps you should ask him something which you had mentioned and not something out of the blue."
Harry's head spun to face the snickering wizard to his right. "WHAT? What exactly does he mean by that Sirius?"
Sirius tried to wear an innocent expression just like Fred Weasley had done earlier. It was just about as effective. Harry didn't fall for it for a second. He folded his arms over his chest and grunted.
Sirius struggled to hide his smile and continued. "Harry, when you turned fifteen, you were voted into the Order of the Phoenix. You see if both of a person's parents are or were at one time members then that person is voted on when they turn fifteen. If only one of the person's parents was a member then that person gets voted on when they turn seventeen. Although there are students at this school who will become eligible for the Order on their seventeenth birthday, you are the only Hogwart's student who is currently a member."
Sirius stopped as he realized Harry's mouth was yet again hanging wide open. He shook his head a little wondering how he could break his godson of that very flattering habit of his.
Harry's mind was once again exploding with questions and this time he let loose.
"What is the order of the Phoenix? What does the Order do? Who else is in it? How big is it? Who are the students that will be eligible in two years? Can I tell Ron and Hermione? Is Snape in it? Are there membership dues? Are both of you members? Do we meet weekly? What must I do?"
Harry was just getting started and could have continued for another thirty minutes but Sirius' laughter finally cut him off.
Harry was taking turns staring between the two men in the room while Sirius was still chuckling and trying to regain at least some composure.
Dumbledore took this opportunity to interject before Sirius got too carried away. "Harry, it's obvious that you have a question or two for us but allow me to provide you with a little information first."
Harry merely nodded, still open-mouthed. Sirius put an arm around Harry's shoulder and sat proudly beside him.
"The Order of the Phoenix is similar to a secret Muggle service organization. We're a group dedicated to learning and teaching advanced magic."
Harry was starting to grow accustomed to the feeling of questions exploding in his head and the associated headache. "Secret? Secret as in I can't tell anyone? That kind of secret?" Those few were the only questions out of the hundred or so in his head that he had time to voice before Dumbledore continued.
"Harry, the best way I can explain this is to liken it to the muggle organization of MENSA. We're an order of talented wizards and witches who usually want nothing more than to study and practice advanced magic for the sake of studying advanced magic. You can see the value in that right?"
Harry didn't say anything.
Sirius walked behind Harry and grabbed the top of his head and his chin. He forced it up and down trying to help Harry answer.
Harry swatted at Sirius' hands. "What are you doing?"
"Just trying to help," he answered with a shrug.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. Sirius returned to his seat. He began again, "However I do have to admit that I say 'usually want nothing more than to study and practice' because in times of conflict, like we're in now, the significance of this Order grows. The more people on our side that know advance magic, the better off we are. Are you following this so far?"
Harry nodded dumbly if only to stave off Sirius from getting up and trying to "help" again.
The Headmaster continued, "Excellent. Now there are a few requirements to this Order. The first is that at least one of the other of the person's parents must have been a member. Secondly, the wand that has chosen the wizard or witch must contain a feather from a Phoenix."
Dumbledore could see that Harry looked puzzled at this so he elaborated. "A wand containing a Phoenix feather is meant for only the strongest magical powers. That's one of our screening processes to ensure all our members have the utmost magical abilities. Obviously not just anyone could study advanced magic because them it would just be magic right?"
As Harry nodded, Dumbledore continued. "Now there are a few more things we should discuss right away. All of our members must pass the entrance exam no later than at the end of one calendar year from the day they were voted in."
"WHAT! A test? I don't know enough magic to pass an advanced test. I'm not even the best in the class. If there's a test you should get Hermione. She's the test taker of the group. I wouldn't be able to pass an advanced magical test. Sirius, why didn't you tell me this first? I can't...."
Dumbledore cut him off again. "Harry, that's what this class is for you; we're going to get you ready for this test."
"And remember that we know what it is," Sirius whispered with a wink just low enough that Dumbledore couldn't hear what he said, or at least a normal person wouldn't be able to hear what he said. No one ever really knew with Dumbledore.
His brain was flooded with questions again. Most of them were about the test but then something else popped into his head, something completely different. Now a whole different set of questions and thoughts were bouncing around in his head. Harry narrowed all of his questions down to just one immediate one, "But doesn't Voldemort meet all of these requirements as well?"
Dumbledore sighed. He steepled his fingers and looked out the window for a little while. After a few moments, he turned back around and looked at Harry over his half-mooned spectacles.
"My my, you do ask the tough questions don't you?"
Harry couldn't think of an appropriate answer so he just remained silent. Oddly enough, so did Sirius. Harry thought he might want to hear the answer to this just as much as he did. They patiently waited for the Headmaster to gather his thoughts.
"Yes Harry, Tom Riddle was once a member of the Order. He was voted in when he was seventeen. He was still with us here at Hogwarts and it was I who told him about the Order. He was eager to join; in retrospect he was too eager. That should have been enough to --- but I digress.
"Although some of us had our doubts about him, he was a brilliant wizard and hadn't done anything overtly questionable enough yet to preclude our including him. However, the Order does have provisions for choosing to remove members and he is no longer a member. It is still sad to know that he did once benefit from our lore." Dumbledore fell into a silent quiet reverie.
Harry wanted to ask about Lucius Malfoy and other Death Eaters but seeing the grim look on the Headmasters face, he decided to wait and ask Sirius later. The Headmaster was obviously still reflecting on Voldemort and everything that he and others had taught their former student. Who or what Voldemort became was no one's fault besides Voldemort. Harry trusted that Dumbledore knew that but he knew that it must still be difficult to carry around the burden of having taught Voldemort anything. It's amazing how many lives were affected by one dark wizard.
"Now," Sirius began oblivious to anything unusual going on as only he could be, "the only thing you can tell Ron and Hermione and anyone else that asks about this class is that you're working on advanced shielding charms. When they don't seem to believe that any more, we'll come up with something else."
"All right but I really don't like keeping secrets from Ron and Hermione. Hermione would understand but I'm not sure Ron ever would."
Sirius smiled, "It'll be fine Harry. By the time anyone finds out about it, they'll be old enough to understand that you didn't have a choice."
Just as Dumbledore started to speak again, Harry realized that he never did finish telling him about the probation period or whatever it was called until he past the test and fully joined the Order.
"As I was saying, there will be a test where you will have to do three different things."
Harry groaned, "A three part test – terrific."
Sirius elbowed him in the ribs, "Just like one of McGonagall's eh?"
Harry glared at him but Dumbledore continued speaking before Harry could get his quip at Sirius out. It was too bad to because he had a good one this time.
"The first task will be for you to Apparate, which you will learn in your other new class. The second test will be for you to become invisible without a wand, which we'll work on after the holidays. And then that only leaves us with the final of the three task."
Although Harry was getting used to surprises this year, he couldn't close his mouth on the gasp that came from within when Dumbledore told him the last test he would have to pass before the end of the year.
A/N – Please R/R – let's hear what you think and we'll see if it changes anything.
Chapter 7 Our Order
"SIRIUS!" Harry shouted while hugging his godfather for the second time in two days. "What are you doing here?"
Sirius laughed and hugged him back. "It's good to see you again. But don't seem so surprised. I'm back in your life and I plan on staying involved. You're not getting rid of me again so easy so don't even try it."
"So easy? You call following you in to the Shrieking Shack via the Whomping Willow, being attacked by Pettigrew, watching my DADA professor turn into a werewolf, fighting off a horde of Dementors, and attacking my Potions professor easy? I admit that parts of it were fun but I wouldn't call any of it easy."
The two wizards laughed and fell into an easy chitchat.
Dumbledore didn't say anything as he watched two of his favorite wizards embrace and begin their relaxed conversation. He couldn't help but to remember Sirius as a happy go lucky student here at the school and even though he never could completely come to terms with believing Sirius had actually been the one to give Lily, James and baby Harry to Voldemort, the evidence had been overwhelming.
He blamed himself to this day for not using his influence to get Sirius a trial. He wasn't sure that it would have made any difference, in fact, he was sure that it wouldn't have made any difference. He still couldn't help but feel badly for the boy he once knew. It had been easy for him to believe Sirius' version that night over a year ago when he had finally learned the whole story. Part of him felt that his heart had been lifted when he had learned of the boy's innocence.
However, another part of him felt his heart rip open as he thought of all that Sirius, Remus and Harry had lost all because an innocent man had been sent to Azkaban. He often reflected on what his life must have been like behind the bars of Azkaban all those years. He was glad to see even just a little bit of happiness brought to that innocent man's life.
After a few minutes Harry and Sirius sat down and turned their attention to the Headmaster. Harry had finally turned the discussion to his new class and Sirius had directed him to ask Dumbledore.
"What is this class, sir? What am I to learn here?" Harry asked.
Dumbledore eyed him for a moment before smiling at him. He turned his attention to Sirius and said, "Perhaps you'd like to tell him?" Sirius smiled glad to be the one to tell his godson the news.
"Harry," Sirius began, "you are a member of an order known as the Order of the Phoenix." As was often the case, Harry found himself speechless and could only turn his gaze to the Headmaster.
Dumbledore nodded for Sirius to continue. Sirius started speaking again but stopped abruptly when he realized Harry wasn't hearing him. He snapped his fingers a few times before calling, "Harry."
No response.
"HARRY!"
"Huh? What? I'm listening."
"Sure you were."
"I was," he insisted. "Ask me anything."
"All right – I will. What time did I say we would meet tomorrow?"
Harry was shocked. He had been listening. At least he thought he had. But he didn't remember Sirius saying anything like that. He was trying to decide what a good guess would be when Dumbledore interrupted his thoughts.
"Sirius, perhaps you should ask him something which you had mentioned and not something out of the blue."
Harry's head spun to face the snickering wizard to his right. "WHAT? What exactly does he mean by that Sirius?"
Sirius tried to wear an innocent expression just like Fred Weasley had done earlier. It was just about as effective. Harry didn't fall for it for a second. He folded his arms over his chest and grunted.
Sirius struggled to hide his smile and continued. "Harry, when you turned fifteen, you were voted into the Order of the Phoenix. You see if both of a person's parents are or were at one time members then that person is voted on when they turn fifteen. If only one of the person's parents was a member then that person gets voted on when they turn seventeen. Although there are students at this school who will become eligible for the Order on their seventeenth birthday, you are the only Hogwart's student who is currently a member."
Sirius stopped as he realized Harry's mouth was yet again hanging wide open. He shook his head a little wondering how he could break his godson of that very flattering habit of his.
Harry's mind was once again exploding with questions and this time he let loose.
"What is the order of the Phoenix? What does the Order do? Who else is in it? How big is it? Who are the students that will be eligible in two years? Can I tell Ron and Hermione? Is Snape in it? Are there membership dues? Are both of you members? Do we meet weekly? What must I do?"
Harry was just getting started and could have continued for another thirty minutes but Sirius' laughter finally cut him off.
Harry was taking turns staring between the two men in the room while Sirius was still chuckling and trying to regain at least some composure.
Dumbledore took this opportunity to interject before Sirius got too carried away. "Harry, it's obvious that you have a question or two for us but allow me to provide you with a little information first."
Harry merely nodded, still open-mouthed. Sirius put an arm around Harry's shoulder and sat proudly beside him.
"The Order of the Phoenix is similar to a secret Muggle service organization. We're a group dedicated to learning and teaching advanced magic."
Harry was starting to grow accustomed to the feeling of questions exploding in his head and the associated headache. "Secret? Secret as in I can't tell anyone? That kind of secret?" Those few were the only questions out of the hundred or so in his head that he had time to voice before Dumbledore continued.
"Harry, the best way I can explain this is to liken it to the muggle organization of MENSA. We're an order of talented wizards and witches who usually want nothing more than to study and practice advanced magic for the sake of studying advanced magic. You can see the value in that right?"
Harry didn't say anything.
Sirius walked behind Harry and grabbed the top of his head and his chin. He forced it up and down trying to help Harry answer.
Harry swatted at Sirius' hands. "What are you doing?"
"Just trying to help," he answered with a shrug.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. Sirius returned to his seat. He began again, "However I do have to admit that I say 'usually want nothing more than to study and practice' because in times of conflict, like we're in now, the significance of this Order grows. The more people on our side that know advance magic, the better off we are. Are you following this so far?"
Harry nodded dumbly if only to stave off Sirius from getting up and trying to "help" again.
The Headmaster continued, "Excellent. Now there are a few requirements to this Order. The first is that at least one of the other of the person's parents must have been a member. Secondly, the wand that has chosen the wizard or witch must contain a feather from a Phoenix."
Dumbledore could see that Harry looked puzzled at this so he elaborated. "A wand containing a Phoenix feather is meant for only the strongest magical powers. That's one of our screening processes to ensure all our members have the utmost magical abilities. Obviously not just anyone could study advanced magic because them it would just be magic right?"
As Harry nodded, Dumbledore continued. "Now there are a few more things we should discuss right away. All of our members must pass the entrance exam no later than at the end of one calendar year from the day they were voted in."
"WHAT! A test? I don't know enough magic to pass an advanced test. I'm not even the best in the class. If there's a test you should get Hermione. She's the test taker of the group. I wouldn't be able to pass an advanced magical test. Sirius, why didn't you tell me this first? I can't...."
Dumbledore cut him off again. "Harry, that's what this class is for you; we're going to get you ready for this test."
"And remember that we know what it is," Sirius whispered with a wink just low enough that Dumbledore couldn't hear what he said, or at least a normal person wouldn't be able to hear what he said. No one ever really knew with Dumbledore.
His brain was flooded with questions again. Most of them were about the test but then something else popped into his head, something completely different. Now a whole different set of questions and thoughts were bouncing around in his head. Harry narrowed all of his questions down to just one immediate one, "But doesn't Voldemort meet all of these requirements as well?"
Dumbledore sighed. He steepled his fingers and looked out the window for a little while. After a few moments, he turned back around and looked at Harry over his half-mooned spectacles.
"My my, you do ask the tough questions don't you?"
Harry couldn't think of an appropriate answer so he just remained silent. Oddly enough, so did Sirius. Harry thought he might want to hear the answer to this just as much as he did. They patiently waited for the Headmaster to gather his thoughts.
"Yes Harry, Tom Riddle was once a member of the Order. He was voted in when he was seventeen. He was still with us here at Hogwarts and it was I who told him about the Order. He was eager to join; in retrospect he was too eager. That should have been enough to --- but I digress.
"Although some of us had our doubts about him, he was a brilliant wizard and hadn't done anything overtly questionable enough yet to preclude our including him. However, the Order does have provisions for choosing to remove members and he is no longer a member. It is still sad to know that he did once benefit from our lore." Dumbledore fell into a silent quiet reverie.
Harry wanted to ask about Lucius Malfoy and other Death Eaters but seeing the grim look on the Headmasters face, he decided to wait and ask Sirius later. The Headmaster was obviously still reflecting on Voldemort and everything that he and others had taught their former student. Who or what Voldemort became was no one's fault besides Voldemort. Harry trusted that Dumbledore knew that but he knew that it must still be difficult to carry around the burden of having taught Voldemort anything. It's amazing how many lives were affected by one dark wizard.
"Now," Sirius began oblivious to anything unusual going on as only he could be, "the only thing you can tell Ron and Hermione and anyone else that asks about this class is that you're working on advanced shielding charms. When they don't seem to believe that any more, we'll come up with something else."
"All right but I really don't like keeping secrets from Ron and Hermione. Hermione would understand but I'm not sure Ron ever would."
Sirius smiled, "It'll be fine Harry. By the time anyone finds out about it, they'll be old enough to understand that you didn't have a choice."
Just as Dumbledore started to speak again, Harry realized that he never did finish telling him about the probation period or whatever it was called until he past the test and fully joined the Order.
"As I was saying, there will be a test where you will have to do three different things."
Harry groaned, "A three part test – terrific."
Sirius elbowed him in the ribs, "Just like one of McGonagall's eh?"
Harry glared at him but Dumbledore continued speaking before Harry could get his quip at Sirius out. It was too bad to because he had a good one this time.
"The first task will be for you to Apparate, which you will learn in your other new class. The second test will be for you to become invisible without a wand, which we'll work on after the holidays. And then that only leaves us with the final of the three task."
Although Harry was getting used to surprises this year, he couldn't close his mouth on the gasp that came from within when Dumbledore told him the last test he would have to pass before the end of the year.
A/N – Please R/R – let's hear what you think and we'll see if it changes anything.