Chapter 2: Enter Phoenix Knights Five
Harry woke up on July 31st, still not really believing that he might get any presents. He still would think that once he woke up, that the fact that he was a wizard would have just been a dream, and that he would have to live w/ the Dursley's until he was old enough to move out. He always dreaded waking up like this, because it sometimes would ruin his day, no matter how beautiful it was outside. Yet, when he turned to face away from the wall, there were six owls waiting, all perched on various items around the room. Out of the six, he only recognized one, Pigwidgeon, who was Ron's owl, and Pig was literally bouncing off the walls. Hedwig was glaring at Pig, thought it could have been because she was still in her cage. But, the other five owl's expressions were unmistakable; they were showing how a delivery owl was supposed to. As he climbed out of bed, all of the other owls, sans Pig, dropped their packages on the bed and took off. "I'm glad they didn't drop them on me," Harry said to Hedwig. Some of the packages looked a bit heavy. First, he let Hedwig out of her cage to have freedom, and then he got Pigs gift from him, pinning him to the bed. After opening it, he saw that it was a box of Chocolate Frogs, also w/ a letter from Ron.
Dear Harry,
How are you? Hope you like the frogs. I would have called you with
the news, but I remembered what happened last time and also, it'd be
better to write it to you. Dumbledore said that you couldn't come over
and spend the rest of the summer with us.
Harry stopped reading right there. He had to stay at the Dursley's for the rest of the summer? This is going to suck. He went back to reading:
His reason was that you had something more important to do there, so
that's why. He wouldn't say what it is, but I bet it's bloody
brilliant! You're probably going to have more fun than I do. Anyway,
we all miss you. They day before we go to Hogwarts, we're going to go
to Diagon Alley to get our new supplies. Dumbledore said that we could
pick you up to take you. See you then!!
Sincerely,
Ron Weasly P.S Happy Birthday Harry!!!
Harry read and re-read Ron's letter just to make sure that what he read was correct. How could he last so long at the Dursley's? He moved onto the next package, which he saw was from Hagrid. The untidy scrawl was the first clue, and the wrapping job was the other. I was done w/ butcher paper, and tied with a brown string that shouted Hagrid's doing. He read the letter first.
Dear Harry,
'appy Birthday! I 'ope that you like your present! Made it me-self!
'eard about you not goin' to Ron's house this summer. Don't be sad,
Dumbledore's got a special thing to do. Can't say much. I've been
sworn to secrecy. Well, see you soon!
Sincerely,
Rubeus Hagrid
Harry was a bit cautious about opening Hagrid's gift. He'd been known to give you things that could kill you, but thought they were harmless. He opened it, and saw that it was a set of carved figurines. Looking closely, he saw that there was one of him, Ron, Hermoine, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Fang, Sirus, and his parents. "Thank you Hagrid" was all that could come out. It was such a wonderful present, that he almost didn't want to put it down.
He moved on to the next present, which he recognized as Hermione's handwriting.
Dear Harry,
Hello! How are you and Hedwig? In case you didn't know, my parents and
I are in Scotland, studying the ancient magic of the druids. It's so
fascinating! I saw a wild elf in the forest today, when we were
traveling to one of the Druid stone circles. The guide said that he
was an elf, but he didn't look like and elf. It was peculiar because
he was wearing the clothes of the wild forest elves that live in that
area, but he looked like a human boy. When we approached him, he
looked scared and then started to sing. Before I knew it, he vanished.
I think that he did some kind of spell. Maybe I was wrong and he is
and elf. Anyway, he dropped something before he vanished; I think it's
some kind of charm.
An object dropped out of the envelope, and accidentally rolled under
the bed. Harry suspected it was the object Hermoine was talking about,
so he went back to reading.
I don't know what it does, but I know that it has some good use. It's
got a mixture of ingredients, but I can only identify unicorn hair,
faery hair, elf hair, and leprechaun hair. I think that there's also
some oak and beech wood, but I cannot be sure because the woods are
all fused together. Also, I got you something that you might like, and
it's also useful.
Sincerely,
Hermoine Granger
P.S. I heard about Ron and your plans falling through. I'm so sorry.
But, I'll see you at Diagon Alley!!
Harry took the book-sized package next to him, opened it, and saw what Hermoine meant. It was a book about Druids, called Druids, the Ancient Wizards of Scotland by: Lugh Fragarah. Harry thought that this was a great gift, because it would be an interesting read, as well as useful if they ever studied druids in History of Magic class.
Harry moved on to the next letter, which was from Sirus, and surprisingly Lupin. The whole summer, Sirus had been at Lupin's on Dumbledore's orders, but Lupin had never written him before.
Dear Harry,
Happy 15th Birthday! I'm sure your parents would be proud at how well
you've turned out. It's real nice here at Lupin's, and Buckbeak is
doing fine. I got to mix the potion that make's him safe in the
werewolf form a few times. He also helped me to go and get a new wand
in Diagon Alley. It's so great to be able to do magic again. It's oak,
dragon heartstring, 10 inches, and good for charm work, which is what
we'll need in the battle against Voldemort. Anyway, I hope you like
our gifts. Have a great birthday.
Sincerely,
Sirus Black and Remus Lupin
Harry picked up one of the packages that were with the letter. He saw that it was Sirus', and then he opened it. It had to be the most confusing gift that he had ever gotten. It was an encyclopedia about all living things from bugs to mammals, from fish to birds. It even had a section about magical creatures. He could see it's use, especially for Care of Magical Creatures, but why would Sirus send him a book for school? When he opened the book, on the inside cover was another note that said:
Happy Birthday Harry! Hope
this helps you decide! Work hard
and you'll be able to get it!
Sirus.
Harry was even more confused about why Sirus would send him a gift like this. It was almost expected out of Hermoine, but Sirus? Well, he'd ask Sirus later, but for now he set the book down and began to open Lupin's. Harry gasped and almost dropped the package. It was another book, but it explained Sirus' gift. It was a book called Becoming an Animagi; everything that you need to know from A to Z by Winny, Willi, and Khani Change.
"They want me to become and Animagus, like my father and Sirus," thought Harry. He couldn't wait to get started, but he made himself set the books aside to go onto the next letter. The fifth letter was the usual letter that he got from Hogwarts, telling him what supplies he needed to get that year if he already didn't have them. After reading the letter, he realized that he didn't need a bunch of more stuff because he could use what he already had for some of the things, so he put that letter aside to read the last letter, which was accompanied by two packages.
When Harry read the title on the letter, he gave a start and thoughts began to cross in his mind so fast, that he was becoming dizzy. It was from Dumbledore, but he wondered why he had sent him anything? He still couldn't figure it out, so he opened the smaller gift first, and saw that it was a birthday cake with the words, Happy 15th Birthday Harry on it. Harry was excited because he didn't usually get birthday cakes, his first one from Hagrid when he turned 11.
Harry moved on to the next package, which was about the size of a small trunk, and opened it. It turned out to be a trunk, kind of like an instrument case. When he opened the case, he saw that its contents were a full set of Quiddich equipment, sans the balls. It looked at least twenty- five or so years old, so he wondered why Dumbledore would send him old equipment, when he read the letter.
Dear Harry,
Happy Birthday. You're probably confused about why I sent you the
Quiddich equipment. Well, it was your father's. He told me to keep it
until his son grew old enough to wear it, or to give it to anyone I
thought worthy. You're the only one I thought would be worthy, so I
saved it for you. I know that you are the only one fit to wear this.
I suppose that it is correct to assume that Mr. Weasly has already
informed you of my decision for your summer plans. I have a very good
reason, because you shall have a special assignment to do starting
tomorrow. I will explain more upon arrival at you house at 12:00
sharp! See you soon.
Sincerely,
Professor Albus Dumbledore
(Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft)
(And Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class,)
(Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump,)
(International Confederation of Wizards)
All of a sudden, Harry got a sinking feeling, and looked at his bedside clock. It was 11:30! He had thirty minutes to clean up, eat, and tell the Dursley's about Dumbledore coming over. He jumped up and quickly began to get ready...
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At 11:45, Harry went downstairs to break the news to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. All Uncle Vernon could say was that Harry had waited long enough to tell them, and Aunt Petunia began closing all of the drapes so that no one could see in. Harry new that if any of the neighbors saw Professor Dumbledore, then Aunt Petunia would never hear the end of it. But, their reactions were just great comparing the one Dudley gave; he ran up into his room and locked the door! It was perfectly reasonable considering how every wizard he ran in to; he had become the object of a spell or trick. Harry was sitting downstairs when Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia finally gave up and came back into the living room. It was 11:57. The next two minutes that past was in complete silence, and it unnerved Harry. At 11:59, Uncle Vernon sat up and asked Harry the dreaded question. "How will this Dumbledore be arriving?" "It's Professor Dumbledore, and I don't know. He didn't say in his letter to me," Harry replied back, "I think that he'll apparate, since he can, but he might use Floo powder like the Weasly's did last summer."
Uncle Vernon looked confused, and a few seconds later, "Floo what? Apar-what..."
"POP!"
All of a sudden, Professor Dumbledore was standing right next to Harry, and he said a-matter-a-factually, "Apparate means to travel from one place to another in the blink of an eye."
Uncle Vernon gave a very loud, startled shout, and Aunt Petunia fainted dead away.
"It seems that he apparated," Harry stated sarcastically.
"I see that boy! We're leaving now to take Dudley to a movie. I don't trust you to be alone in the house, but Petunia also needs to get away. Good Day!"
Uncle Vernon got Aunt Petunia to wake up, and she went to get Dudley while Uncle Vernon went to start the car.
After they left, Dumbledore sat down and began to look around as if inspecting. As he motioned to Harry to sit, he said, "What a lovely bunch they are, ey?"
Harry was still trying to recover from the shock of Dumbledore appearing right next to him, that he almost missed the chair by sitting down very fast. His mind was reeling and questions were coming and going so fast, that he blurted out, "Why can't I go stay with Ron? You've seen how they treat me; I hate it here!"
"Why?!?!" asked Dumbledore, who looked shocked as to why Harry would ask such a question, "My boy, it's because I have more important plans for you."
"If they take me away from here, I will almost go to Azkaban itself!" Harry said vehemently, "I'll do anything!!!"
"Well, the plans do involve you leaving here, but you're not going anywhere as serious as Azkaban. Although, I suppose that it wouldn't be so bad now that the dementors have been sent away." Said Dumbledore seriously.
Dumbledore got up and began to pace back and forth, with a terrified look on his face that would exchange with reluctant acceptance. He was acting as though he didn't want to continue this conversation anymore.
"What I am about to tell you is of the most utmost importance!" Dumbledore looked so serious that even the ever-present twinkle in his eye was missing. "Only the Hogwarts teachers and I know about the Order of the Phoenix, and the Phoenix Knights."
As Dumbledore began to explain everything to Harry, his jaw dropped at every single detail. After Dumbledore finished telling him about Professor Dippet's foretelling, Dumbledore collapsed on the couch as if he was drained of energy.
"I assure that this is not a hoax, Harry. The strain of the foretelling and seeing many futures killed Professor Dippet. I was the only one present, but Professor Snape fixed a Veritaserum so that we could get all of the details." Dumbledore said vehemently, "Now, after we at Hogwarts learned of the Phoenix Knights, we swore that we would never talk about it to anyone but ourselves for the fear that it would get out into he open. It it did, and then Voldemort would be able to research just like we did for many years. I read all of the books I could, and all of the teachers would bring me new material every day." "Finally, after five long years of research, I came upon a book of prophecies that was so old that no one could tell the age. Not even the oldest ghost would be able to, even if we had asked. This book did not have a name, and it was in some language that I could not decipher, so we had to spend more time, that we barely had to spare, on making a spell that would translate the book for us. We tried spell after spell, but nothing seemed to be working until your father and mother asked if they could have a go at it," Dumbledore got up again and began to pace. "Of course, all they knew was that we were trying to decipher an old book, but we told them everything. On their first try, they did something that none of us had thought to do, they used the most basic translating spell on the book, and it worked!!" By this time, Dumbledore had a crazed look in his eyes and his whole face looked as if he was about to go on a rampage. "We were all overjoyed, but it didn't last long. The book told us that the Phoenix Knights had to be taken care of by the first savior, and that's where you come in Harry. You will be staying in the Leaky Cauldron until the school year begins, so now you see why we cannot allow you to go stay with Mr. Weasly." Dumbledore said, with a finished, relived sound in his voice. "But why must I take care of them?" Harry asked, sounding despaired, "Now that Voldemort can touch me, I can't protect them like you could!" "Why, my dear boy, who said that you had to protect them?" Dumbledore asked. "While reading the ancient book, we came across startling news that the Phoenix Knights would have to protect the Savoir, or he would die the first year that Voldemort returned to power. So that is why we must hurry and go to the Leaky Cauldron. Your stuff will be taken over right now, so grab this." Dumbledore took something out of his pocket that looked like an old soccer ball, and Harry knew that it was a portkey. When he touched it, two seconds later the room blurred and he felt a tug at his navel.
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Harry felt disoriented for a couple seconds, and then a room began to appear. When his vision cleared, he was in the room that he had stayed in after blowing up his Aunt Marge. Hedwig was in her cage in the corner, though the door was open. Harry looked at Professor Dumbledore, and then sat on the bed.
It was too much for him to take in right now. First he finds out that he is just fulfilling a destiny, then that if a bunch of amateurs do not watch over him, then he would die. He just wanted to curl up in a little ball under the bedcovers and go to sleep... in his sleep was when he had peace.
"Now Harry", said Dumbledore, "you will stay in the Leaky Cauldron until the Phoenix Knights are found and brought here. We know where most of them are, but we are having a trying time to find the fifth one. It seems that he has been living in the wild for a time and is afraid of most humans, and the elves that he has been living with do not want to give him up"
"I want you to promise me that you will stay here! I know that you have taken good care of yourself and that you think that you can handle anything they throw your way, but there is still danger. There will be guards outside of your room and in the Leaky Cauldron's downstairs, so you will be safe. There are the strongest charms possible on the windows and doors, so anything that tries to get in can be repelled until someone can get here to help you. I want your wand on you at all times, just in case."
"When the Phoenix Knights get here, their training will be up to you for a while. At Hogwarts, you will have a time set aside so that you can teach them what they need to know... I hope that you don't mind giving up Divinations. Also, you have unrestricted wand use, as will the Phoenix Knights, but only because we expect you to practice and teach yourself, to help pass the time. Anything you need will be brought to you and books about things that we think you need to know also."
"How am I supposed to teach these kids?" Asked Harry. "I am only a fifth year... I am still teaching myself... why doesn't Hermione teach them?"
"Because Harry, you have an excellent aptitude for most spells, though your homework may not show it. You have the innate talent that most wizards would die for, and you don't give up when you cannot do a spell, as you showed when you perfected the Patronus charm in your third year. Most wizards cannot even produce a full one, and the fact that you were a third year and do just that proves your potential.
"I guess, if you think that it is best, then I will teach them. I am allowed to ask for help, right?"
"Of course Harry! Also, we are going to be there every step of the way to make sure that you don't run into any difficulties while teaching the Knights. Well, I hate to leave you like this, but I must go. Remember, have your wand on you at all times! Tom will bring up some reading material for you in a while. Bye Harry!"
And with that, Dumbledore left the room. Harry could not believe that he was being trusted with all of this, but he was also excited that he was going to be able to spend the rest of the summer at the Leaky Cauldron. Also, he wasn't going to be in Divinations anymore... Ron was going to be so jealous!
There was a knock at the door, so Harry went over to the door and opened it.
"Hello Harry! Dumbledore asked me to bring you these books to study. I asked some friends of mine which ones they thought you would get the most out of and not be too bored with, and they suggested these. Have fun! You can come down to the bar if you want and practice there... I don't mind and there may be some wizards and witches in there that can help you if you need it."
"Thanks Tom... right now, I am just going to stay up here and work... I don't want them to see me if I fail... but, I promise to take breaks and come say hi! Also, I will ask for help if I need it."
Tom left the room and Harry closed the door. With his arms full of books, he went to the desk in his room and put the books down. He skimmed the titles... Protections from Evil by Noah Hit-a-mee, The Standard Book of Curses by U. Mean, The Best Offensive Spells by I. Fight, and others like that.
"Sigh... I always seem to be learning more than the others... oh well.... this might be fun to teach... so I have to be smarter than the students... Better get to work."
With that, he chose a book at random and began to read...
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Harry woke up on July 31st, still not really believing that he might get any presents. He still would think that once he woke up, that the fact that he was a wizard would have just been a dream, and that he would have to live w/ the Dursley's until he was old enough to move out. He always dreaded waking up like this, because it sometimes would ruin his day, no matter how beautiful it was outside. Yet, when he turned to face away from the wall, there were six owls waiting, all perched on various items around the room. Out of the six, he only recognized one, Pigwidgeon, who was Ron's owl, and Pig was literally bouncing off the walls. Hedwig was glaring at Pig, thought it could have been because she was still in her cage. But, the other five owl's expressions were unmistakable; they were showing how a delivery owl was supposed to. As he climbed out of bed, all of the other owls, sans Pig, dropped their packages on the bed and took off. "I'm glad they didn't drop them on me," Harry said to Hedwig. Some of the packages looked a bit heavy. First, he let Hedwig out of her cage to have freedom, and then he got Pigs gift from him, pinning him to the bed. After opening it, he saw that it was a box of Chocolate Frogs, also w/ a letter from Ron.
Dear Harry,
How are you? Hope you like the frogs. I would have called you with
the news, but I remembered what happened last time and also, it'd be
better to write it to you. Dumbledore said that you couldn't come over
and spend the rest of the summer with us.
Harry stopped reading right there. He had to stay at the Dursley's for the rest of the summer? This is going to suck. He went back to reading:
His reason was that you had something more important to do there, so
that's why. He wouldn't say what it is, but I bet it's bloody
brilliant! You're probably going to have more fun than I do. Anyway,
we all miss you. They day before we go to Hogwarts, we're going to go
to Diagon Alley to get our new supplies. Dumbledore said that we could
pick you up to take you. See you then!!
Sincerely,
Ron Weasly P.S Happy Birthday Harry!!!
Harry read and re-read Ron's letter just to make sure that what he read was correct. How could he last so long at the Dursley's? He moved onto the next package, which he saw was from Hagrid. The untidy scrawl was the first clue, and the wrapping job was the other. I was done w/ butcher paper, and tied with a brown string that shouted Hagrid's doing. He read the letter first.
Dear Harry,
'appy Birthday! I 'ope that you like your present! Made it me-self!
'eard about you not goin' to Ron's house this summer. Don't be sad,
Dumbledore's got a special thing to do. Can't say much. I've been
sworn to secrecy. Well, see you soon!
Sincerely,
Rubeus Hagrid
Harry was a bit cautious about opening Hagrid's gift. He'd been known to give you things that could kill you, but thought they were harmless. He opened it, and saw that it was a set of carved figurines. Looking closely, he saw that there was one of him, Ron, Hermoine, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Fang, Sirus, and his parents. "Thank you Hagrid" was all that could come out. It was such a wonderful present, that he almost didn't want to put it down.
He moved on to the next present, which he recognized as Hermione's handwriting.
Dear Harry,
Hello! How are you and Hedwig? In case you didn't know, my parents and
I are in Scotland, studying the ancient magic of the druids. It's so
fascinating! I saw a wild elf in the forest today, when we were
traveling to one of the Druid stone circles. The guide said that he
was an elf, but he didn't look like and elf. It was peculiar because
he was wearing the clothes of the wild forest elves that live in that
area, but he looked like a human boy. When we approached him, he
looked scared and then started to sing. Before I knew it, he vanished.
I think that he did some kind of spell. Maybe I was wrong and he is
and elf. Anyway, he dropped something before he vanished; I think it's
some kind of charm.
An object dropped out of the envelope, and accidentally rolled under
the bed. Harry suspected it was the object Hermoine was talking about,
so he went back to reading.
I don't know what it does, but I know that it has some good use. It's
got a mixture of ingredients, but I can only identify unicorn hair,
faery hair, elf hair, and leprechaun hair. I think that there's also
some oak and beech wood, but I cannot be sure because the woods are
all fused together. Also, I got you something that you might like, and
it's also useful.
Sincerely,
Hermoine Granger
P.S. I heard about Ron and your plans falling through. I'm so sorry.
But, I'll see you at Diagon Alley!!
Harry took the book-sized package next to him, opened it, and saw what Hermoine meant. It was a book about Druids, called Druids, the Ancient Wizards of Scotland by: Lugh Fragarah. Harry thought that this was a great gift, because it would be an interesting read, as well as useful if they ever studied druids in History of Magic class.
Harry moved on to the next letter, which was from Sirus, and surprisingly Lupin. The whole summer, Sirus had been at Lupin's on Dumbledore's orders, but Lupin had never written him before.
Dear Harry,
Happy 15th Birthday! I'm sure your parents would be proud at how well
you've turned out. It's real nice here at Lupin's, and Buckbeak is
doing fine. I got to mix the potion that make's him safe in the
werewolf form a few times. He also helped me to go and get a new wand
in Diagon Alley. It's so great to be able to do magic again. It's oak,
dragon heartstring, 10 inches, and good for charm work, which is what
we'll need in the battle against Voldemort. Anyway, I hope you like
our gifts. Have a great birthday.
Sincerely,
Sirus Black and Remus Lupin
Harry picked up one of the packages that were with the letter. He saw that it was Sirus', and then he opened it. It had to be the most confusing gift that he had ever gotten. It was an encyclopedia about all living things from bugs to mammals, from fish to birds. It even had a section about magical creatures. He could see it's use, especially for Care of Magical Creatures, but why would Sirus send him a book for school? When he opened the book, on the inside cover was another note that said:
Happy Birthday Harry! Hope
this helps you decide! Work hard
and you'll be able to get it!
Sirus.
Harry was even more confused about why Sirus would send him a gift like this. It was almost expected out of Hermoine, but Sirus? Well, he'd ask Sirus later, but for now he set the book down and began to open Lupin's. Harry gasped and almost dropped the package. It was another book, but it explained Sirus' gift. It was a book called Becoming an Animagi; everything that you need to know from A to Z by Winny, Willi, and Khani Change.
"They want me to become and Animagus, like my father and Sirus," thought Harry. He couldn't wait to get started, but he made himself set the books aside to go onto the next letter. The fifth letter was the usual letter that he got from Hogwarts, telling him what supplies he needed to get that year if he already didn't have them. After reading the letter, he realized that he didn't need a bunch of more stuff because he could use what he already had for some of the things, so he put that letter aside to read the last letter, which was accompanied by two packages.
When Harry read the title on the letter, he gave a start and thoughts began to cross in his mind so fast, that he was becoming dizzy. It was from Dumbledore, but he wondered why he had sent him anything? He still couldn't figure it out, so he opened the smaller gift first, and saw that it was a birthday cake with the words, Happy 15th Birthday Harry on it. Harry was excited because he didn't usually get birthday cakes, his first one from Hagrid when he turned 11.
Harry moved on to the next package, which was about the size of a small trunk, and opened it. It turned out to be a trunk, kind of like an instrument case. When he opened the case, he saw that its contents were a full set of Quiddich equipment, sans the balls. It looked at least twenty- five or so years old, so he wondered why Dumbledore would send him old equipment, when he read the letter.
Dear Harry,
Happy Birthday. You're probably confused about why I sent you the
Quiddich equipment. Well, it was your father's. He told me to keep it
until his son grew old enough to wear it, or to give it to anyone I
thought worthy. You're the only one I thought would be worthy, so I
saved it for you. I know that you are the only one fit to wear this.
I suppose that it is correct to assume that Mr. Weasly has already
informed you of my decision for your summer plans. I have a very good
reason, because you shall have a special assignment to do starting
tomorrow. I will explain more upon arrival at you house at 12:00
sharp! See you soon.
Sincerely,
Professor Albus Dumbledore
(Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft)
(And Wizardry, Order of Merlin, First Class,)
(Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump,)
(International Confederation of Wizards)
All of a sudden, Harry got a sinking feeling, and looked at his bedside clock. It was 11:30! He had thirty minutes to clean up, eat, and tell the Dursley's about Dumbledore coming over. He jumped up and quickly began to get ready...
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At 11:45, Harry went downstairs to break the news to Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. All Uncle Vernon could say was that Harry had waited long enough to tell them, and Aunt Petunia began closing all of the drapes so that no one could see in. Harry new that if any of the neighbors saw Professor Dumbledore, then Aunt Petunia would never hear the end of it. But, their reactions were just great comparing the one Dudley gave; he ran up into his room and locked the door! It was perfectly reasonable considering how every wizard he ran in to; he had become the object of a spell or trick. Harry was sitting downstairs when Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia finally gave up and came back into the living room. It was 11:57. The next two minutes that past was in complete silence, and it unnerved Harry. At 11:59, Uncle Vernon sat up and asked Harry the dreaded question. "How will this Dumbledore be arriving?" "It's Professor Dumbledore, and I don't know. He didn't say in his letter to me," Harry replied back, "I think that he'll apparate, since he can, but he might use Floo powder like the Weasly's did last summer."
Uncle Vernon looked confused, and a few seconds later, "Floo what? Apar-what..."
"POP!"
All of a sudden, Professor Dumbledore was standing right next to Harry, and he said a-matter-a-factually, "Apparate means to travel from one place to another in the blink of an eye."
Uncle Vernon gave a very loud, startled shout, and Aunt Petunia fainted dead away.
"It seems that he apparated," Harry stated sarcastically.
"I see that boy! We're leaving now to take Dudley to a movie. I don't trust you to be alone in the house, but Petunia also needs to get away. Good Day!"
Uncle Vernon got Aunt Petunia to wake up, and she went to get Dudley while Uncle Vernon went to start the car.
After they left, Dumbledore sat down and began to look around as if inspecting. As he motioned to Harry to sit, he said, "What a lovely bunch they are, ey?"
Harry was still trying to recover from the shock of Dumbledore appearing right next to him, that he almost missed the chair by sitting down very fast. His mind was reeling and questions were coming and going so fast, that he blurted out, "Why can't I go stay with Ron? You've seen how they treat me; I hate it here!"
"Why?!?!" asked Dumbledore, who looked shocked as to why Harry would ask such a question, "My boy, it's because I have more important plans for you."
"If they take me away from here, I will almost go to Azkaban itself!" Harry said vehemently, "I'll do anything!!!"
"Well, the plans do involve you leaving here, but you're not going anywhere as serious as Azkaban. Although, I suppose that it wouldn't be so bad now that the dementors have been sent away." Said Dumbledore seriously.
Dumbledore got up and began to pace back and forth, with a terrified look on his face that would exchange with reluctant acceptance. He was acting as though he didn't want to continue this conversation anymore.
"What I am about to tell you is of the most utmost importance!" Dumbledore looked so serious that even the ever-present twinkle in his eye was missing. "Only the Hogwarts teachers and I know about the Order of the Phoenix, and the Phoenix Knights."
As Dumbledore began to explain everything to Harry, his jaw dropped at every single detail. After Dumbledore finished telling him about Professor Dippet's foretelling, Dumbledore collapsed on the couch as if he was drained of energy.
"I assure that this is not a hoax, Harry. The strain of the foretelling and seeing many futures killed Professor Dippet. I was the only one present, but Professor Snape fixed a Veritaserum so that we could get all of the details." Dumbledore said vehemently, "Now, after we at Hogwarts learned of the Phoenix Knights, we swore that we would never talk about it to anyone but ourselves for the fear that it would get out into he open. It it did, and then Voldemort would be able to research just like we did for many years. I read all of the books I could, and all of the teachers would bring me new material every day." "Finally, after five long years of research, I came upon a book of prophecies that was so old that no one could tell the age. Not even the oldest ghost would be able to, even if we had asked. This book did not have a name, and it was in some language that I could not decipher, so we had to spend more time, that we barely had to spare, on making a spell that would translate the book for us. We tried spell after spell, but nothing seemed to be working until your father and mother asked if they could have a go at it," Dumbledore got up again and began to pace. "Of course, all they knew was that we were trying to decipher an old book, but we told them everything. On their first try, they did something that none of us had thought to do, they used the most basic translating spell on the book, and it worked!!" By this time, Dumbledore had a crazed look in his eyes and his whole face looked as if he was about to go on a rampage. "We were all overjoyed, but it didn't last long. The book told us that the Phoenix Knights had to be taken care of by the first savior, and that's where you come in Harry. You will be staying in the Leaky Cauldron until the school year begins, so now you see why we cannot allow you to go stay with Mr. Weasly." Dumbledore said, with a finished, relived sound in his voice. "But why must I take care of them?" Harry asked, sounding despaired, "Now that Voldemort can touch me, I can't protect them like you could!" "Why, my dear boy, who said that you had to protect them?" Dumbledore asked. "While reading the ancient book, we came across startling news that the Phoenix Knights would have to protect the Savoir, or he would die the first year that Voldemort returned to power. So that is why we must hurry and go to the Leaky Cauldron. Your stuff will be taken over right now, so grab this." Dumbledore took something out of his pocket that looked like an old soccer ball, and Harry knew that it was a portkey. When he touched it, two seconds later the room blurred and he felt a tug at his navel.
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Harry felt disoriented for a couple seconds, and then a room began to appear. When his vision cleared, he was in the room that he had stayed in after blowing up his Aunt Marge. Hedwig was in her cage in the corner, though the door was open. Harry looked at Professor Dumbledore, and then sat on the bed.
It was too much for him to take in right now. First he finds out that he is just fulfilling a destiny, then that if a bunch of amateurs do not watch over him, then he would die. He just wanted to curl up in a little ball under the bedcovers and go to sleep... in his sleep was when he had peace.
"Now Harry", said Dumbledore, "you will stay in the Leaky Cauldron until the Phoenix Knights are found and brought here. We know where most of them are, but we are having a trying time to find the fifth one. It seems that he has been living in the wild for a time and is afraid of most humans, and the elves that he has been living with do not want to give him up"
"I want you to promise me that you will stay here! I know that you have taken good care of yourself and that you think that you can handle anything they throw your way, but there is still danger. There will be guards outside of your room and in the Leaky Cauldron's downstairs, so you will be safe. There are the strongest charms possible on the windows and doors, so anything that tries to get in can be repelled until someone can get here to help you. I want your wand on you at all times, just in case."
"When the Phoenix Knights get here, their training will be up to you for a while. At Hogwarts, you will have a time set aside so that you can teach them what they need to know... I hope that you don't mind giving up Divinations. Also, you have unrestricted wand use, as will the Phoenix Knights, but only because we expect you to practice and teach yourself, to help pass the time. Anything you need will be brought to you and books about things that we think you need to know also."
"How am I supposed to teach these kids?" Asked Harry. "I am only a fifth year... I am still teaching myself... why doesn't Hermione teach them?"
"Because Harry, you have an excellent aptitude for most spells, though your homework may not show it. You have the innate talent that most wizards would die for, and you don't give up when you cannot do a spell, as you showed when you perfected the Patronus charm in your third year. Most wizards cannot even produce a full one, and the fact that you were a third year and do just that proves your potential.
"I guess, if you think that it is best, then I will teach them. I am allowed to ask for help, right?"
"Of course Harry! Also, we are going to be there every step of the way to make sure that you don't run into any difficulties while teaching the Knights. Well, I hate to leave you like this, but I must go. Remember, have your wand on you at all times! Tom will bring up some reading material for you in a while. Bye Harry!"
And with that, Dumbledore left the room. Harry could not believe that he was being trusted with all of this, but he was also excited that he was going to be able to spend the rest of the summer at the Leaky Cauldron. Also, he wasn't going to be in Divinations anymore... Ron was going to be so jealous!
There was a knock at the door, so Harry went over to the door and opened it.
"Hello Harry! Dumbledore asked me to bring you these books to study. I asked some friends of mine which ones they thought you would get the most out of and not be too bored with, and they suggested these. Have fun! You can come down to the bar if you want and practice there... I don't mind and there may be some wizards and witches in there that can help you if you need it."
"Thanks Tom... right now, I am just going to stay up here and work... I don't want them to see me if I fail... but, I promise to take breaks and come say hi! Also, I will ask for help if I need it."
Tom left the room and Harry closed the door. With his arms full of books, he went to the desk in his room and put the books down. He skimmed the titles... Protections from Evil by Noah Hit-a-mee, The Standard Book of Curses by U. Mean, The Best Offensive Spells by I. Fight, and others like that.
"Sigh... I always seem to be learning more than the others... oh well.... this might be fun to teach... so I have to be smarter than the students... Better get to work."
With that, he chose a book at random and began to read...
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