Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well….
Becky (rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)
P.S. Please read and review!
In general to all of my fans – I am still working out all the bugs in my computer… unfortunately there are still problems…. But I'm going to try to post the rest of this a little faster… cause this is very close to the end now! I hope you will all enjoy the ending that I have planned!! :-D
The Keymaker – WOW! what can I say!! I'm very happy that you enjoyed my ficcy enough to post a response to almost every chapter! Especially near the end! I'm glad to have your opinions on the many things that I have written that were not exactly canon… I can truly tell you that I pondered over much of what was written to get it all just right! I've tried very hard to be convincing! Oh and I'm sure you've discovered that Lina is only seven years older than Harry… ;-D Here is the next installment! I will try hard not to leave you hanging for too long after this… cause now it's getting pretty close to the end! Tee hee! Oh and btw… I got your email! I totally understand what you mean and agree with you! Thanks! :-D
Tim – What can I say my friend! It is always great to see your reviews! You always make me feel so good! I'm glad you're my friend! And I did get MOST of everything back… just a bit more needs to be gotten! I hope! :-D
Athenakitty – Thank you for all the questions… Next chapter with more answers! :-D
Manateegirl524 – Woo hoo! I'm so glad you thought that chapter was good! I hope you enjoy this next chapter just as much! So here you go!!! :-D
Ash17920 – WELCOME! I'm glad that you liked what you've read so far! I hope that you keep enjoying it and come back for more! As for Hermione and Ron moving too fast… well… I have found that often a relationship is best between best friends…. But they haven't gone TOO far…. Yet and they won't for a while yet… But I agree with you that it could seem like they are moving too fast… but they have known each other for four years now! Lol! :-D
Butler – Thank you very much! Tee hee! :-D
Kelzery – WELCOME! You are quite right… but think of it this way… Snape didn't see everything that happened…. So since you are only hearing the story from his point of view you won't get the whole picture! However you will see the whole picture if you follow me through the two fics following this one…. Of course I have finished writing them yet… but the whole picture will be seen before the end of year seven! Thanks for reading! :-D
Texasjeanette – Thank you so much for your wonderful comments! I'm glad that someone noticed that! I worked very hard to keep that a surprise! But as you wanted here is the next installment! I hope to put up the chapters a little faster from here! :-D
Sweet Sakura Curls – WELCOME! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and compliments! Here is the update for you! :-D
Dnd4ever – I think you are new so WELCOME! Thank you fo reading my ficcy! And yes I did have a bit of fun writing that scene! I just love torturing Draco! Lol :-D
Spiffycool – WELCOME! And thank you so very much for your wonderful comments! Yes their relationship is going to get rather interesting… but not right away… tee hee! :-D
Gaul1 – WELCOME! Thank you! Here's more! :-D
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE – THE ORDER AND THE MINISTRYTwo days later as Ron and Hermione sat in the Great Hall eating dinner quickly, anxious to get to class to find out everything that had been going on. Most of the rest of those in their class were watching them curiously, wondering what they were so excited about.
Suddenly the doors to the hall flew open and Neville ran in yelling. They hadn't even noticed that Neville was not at dinner. Neville came over and was flapping a paper in their faces yelling, "It 's true! It worked! I was right! I did it!"
"What are you on about, Neville?" asked Fred.
"My parents, they're awake!" Most of the Gryffindors in the area stood up and were rubbing his head, patting him on the back, or shaking his hand. Ginny was hugging him. Voices sprung up around him.
"That's great, Neville…."
"That's wonderful, Neville…."
"Congratulations, Neville…."
"Wicked, Neville, Wicked…."
After a short time Snape entered the Great Hall and broke up the commotion. Neville quickly ate, though most everyone left before he was finished giving words of congratulations as they got up and left the hall. Soon it was mostly just the Advanced Class left waiting for Neville. Though there was one person left that made himself a most unwelcome guest at the table.
"So the parents return from their eternal sleep… just in time to become dead. Don't worry, I'll make sure that the graves are still open for them."
"Shove off, Malfoy," said Ron.
"Okay, I'll leave, but heed this warning… you're times will come… all of you." He sauntered off.
Ron muttered something obscene under his breath at the retreating back of Malfoy that earned him a gentle elbowing in the ribs from his girlfriend. He turned back to the table and said, "Come on, Neville. Hurry up…. Tonight's class is one that you are going to want to see!"
With that comment Neville sped up eating and when he was done, they all took off toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. When they got there they saw Lina Clovis' new assistant for the second term sitting correcting essays.
"Oh, Fargeeve me. I deed not know zat zis classroom would be een yoos tonight," said Fleur Delacour. Fleur had been one of the four Champions in the Triwizard tournament. She had hoped to come back and teach at Hogwarts, but the Governors of the school would not allow her to teach under the age of eighteen, not even as an assistant.
So when she turned eighteen she re-contacted Dumbledore who pushed her application through and got her the job as an assistant to Lina. Lina had actually requested the help anyway, as they were getting into more difficult types of defense that needed to be observed more closely for mistakes.
Fleur smiled, collected her things, and left the room swiftly, most of the boys in the group watching her go. She was part Veela, a creature that radiated extraordinary beauty that made men try to outdo each other to win the affections of. Between Fleur and Lina, most of the fifth year boys hardly paid attention to the class material.
All of the boys, save Ron and Harry, stood watching the door that Fleur had left through for several moments after she was gone. They all sat down excitedly awaiting class to begin. Professor Fletcher walk into the room levitating a large cauldron in front of him. He put it down.
"Good evening, everyone. Tonight's class will be conducted a little bit differently, as it is time for you all to understand why you are here. The first half of the class we will be brewing a very important potion, it is essentially a cure-all for all ancient magicks. The second half of the class will be lead be the Headmaster. Now as we do not have a lot of time we must get started, so gather round…
"This potion is quite simple to make, really… It is made from ten parts dragon blood to one part phoenix tears. It will keep away the Curse of the Unicorn Blood, help release someone from the Elf's Magical Hold, and even, surprisingly, help to keep the control of the Dragon's Stare from taking one's mind over…"
Professor Fletcher proceeded to tell them about all of the things that the potion protected against. Harry was surprised to note that Hermione was not taking notes. She in fact did not even seem to be paying attention to what was going on in class. It had been like that since they had come back from their trip inside the book. She and Ron were so lost in each other that they barely noticed anything or anyone else.
When they were finished making the potion, Professor Fletcher nodded at Harry, who called to Dumbledore mentally. They finished cleaning up just as Dumbledore entered the room. Harry brought out his book with the Phoenix Emblem on it, and sat at the front of the room with Dumbledore. For the first time all term it seemed like everyone's attention was fixed on the front of the room and what was about to be said.
Dumbledore looked at each person seated in the room before he began. "What you are about to see and hear must stay amongst ourselves. If you would please all stand up and come to the front of the room…."
Dumbledore and Harry put their books down on the desk. They both put their rings into the notch in the emblem and turned to the left. The emblems popped off of the books. Harry and Dumbledore brought the emblems to the empty wall and placed them against it. Then they turned their rings upright again and removed their rings. They pulled on the two emblems and the wall opened into a room with a huge oval table.
Harry and Dumbledore held the doors open while the others filtered into the room. They closed the doors and went back to the desk to grab the books.
"Are you ready, Harry?" asked Dumbledore in a tone that said that he already knew the answer.
Harry nodded. "There is just one thing I still don't understand…"
"Ah, yes. You wish to know about why there were so many doors that you had to go through for your test, am I right, Harry?"
Harry nodded. "For any other Gryffindor Heir, they would not have been tested like I was…."
"You are correct, Harry. But you are not any ordinary Gryffindor Heir…. There is much more to your story than you know. All I can tell you at this time is that you are the One True Heir. What this means is that you needed to be tested in more ways than your ancestors. We will talk again more another time. Now we must go and initiate the group that are willing to join."
Harry nodded and they went to the wall with the books. Harry removed his emblem from the wall and walked through the door that Dumbledore held open. As Dumbledore continued to hold the door open he removed the emblem and walked through. The wall shutting with a bang and sealing behind him.
When Harry entered the room, he saw everyone over by a window. They were all looking out and marveling at the view. When Harry went to the window, he realized that he had seen that view before. He was looking out underwater to a brilliant white castle. He knew for some reason they were in Atlantis where somehow this had all begun. He wasn't sure how he knew that, but he was absolutely certain that that was where they were. From the murmuring around him, he was not the only one that thought this to be true.
"If everyone could please take their seats, we must begin, as this will be a long night of explanations," said Dumbledore commandingly, but quietly, above the din of the room.
As Harry turned around he realized that while he had seen the marvelous view out of the window, he had entirely missed the rest of the room getting to the window in the first place. The upper walls of the room were lined with group paintings of the previous groups of the Order. And the walls were lined with the Books of Knowledge.
"Oh my!" exclaimed Hermione who was standing next to Harry. "We are in the Lost Library of Atlantis."
"That is quite correct. Full marks," said Dumbledore, who was standing on the other side of Hermione. "You will have many chances to explore these volumes at another time. Please we must commence." He indicated that they should sit down at the long, oval, mahogany table with intricately carved legs.
Everyone came to the table and sat down. Harry was the last to get to his seat as he was still marveling about the size and beauty of the room. He, in fact, gasped when he realized all over the doomed ceiling were Phoenixes flying back and forth. He was about to sit down, when he realized with a start that everyone that was present, was sitting in precisely the same spots that they had been in his vision. Harry sat and looked at everyone and waited.
Everyone was staring between Harry and Dumbledore. They waited for several more moments before Fred had had enough. "Okay I thought you said that we were starting. Well, start already!" There seemed to be a nervous snigger that traveled about the room. Even Dumbledore seemed amused.
"Quite right, I did say that Fred." Fred looked shocked, that was the first time in all of the seven years at Hogwarts the Headmaster had addressed him by his first name.
"Professor Dumbledore…."
"Please Fred, all of you in fact, if you choose to stay here and join us after what you hear tonight, call me Albus while we are here in this capacity…."
"But why, sir? Aren't you the leader of what ever group it is that we are training to be a part of?" asked Nicholas.
Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent deduction of reasoning, Nicholas. I am very impressed that you were able to figure out that you were in training for this group, this Order. And while I understand why you would feel that I would naturally be leader for the Order, I must tell you all that I am not…"
"Then who is?" asked Neville.
Dumbledore looked about the room at all of the students, noticing that they were all anxiously awaiting his answer. "Whom do you think is the leader among you? You need think about whom you would follow into any dangerous situation with complete trust. And then you tell me."
Slowly every pair of eyes in the room landed on Harry.
"Your intuition serves you all well. That is correct. Harry is the leader. I am merely here in a capacity to help and guide Harry, as are the rest of the Heirs."
"Heirs?" asked George.
"Yes. That will all be explained in due course. But I must start with a slight disclaimer, if I might be permitted to do so."
Everyone nodded slowly.
"You are all here by your choice. Though there are a few reasons why you were chosen to become part of this group."
"What are those reasons, sir? If you wouldn't mind telling us," said Ginny.
"Not at all. One, if your parents or ancestors were part of the Order. Two, you are an Heir. Three, you were chosen by an Heir to be in the Order. And four, you were already a part of the group to begin with, though none of you, save Professor Fletcher here and myself fit the last category. It is also possible that you are here for a combination of those reasons."
"Thank you, sir."
"You are quite welcome. Now, if any of you are, at all, ever uncomfortable with what we are about to tell you, then by all means let us know and you will be allowed to return to your normal everyday routines. However with one small change. You will have all of your knowledge of this place, what you have been taught in the advanced class, and everything that you have been told here stripped from your mind. Do you all agree to those terms?"
Once again everyone nodded.
"Then it is indeed time to begin. To answer your question Neville, just as Lord Voldemort is the Heir of Slytherin, the other Heirs are part of this Order. This Order is older than you are aware of. It was begun at the fall of Atlantis and in fact was inherited by the founding four at Hogwarts when the line of the others died out. Each generation of the Heirs since the founders had taken over, were permitted to reestablish the Order if need be. Due to the rise of the Heir of Slytherin, I, along with the other Heirs, believe that it is now time to reestablish the Order of the Phoenix once again."
"But if the Order is just for the Heirs, then why are we here?" asked Hermione.
Dumbledore smiled and a twinkle entered his eyes. "As I said, the Heirs have chosen you to join the Order, through an implicit trust in you. They believe, as I do, that you are worthy of holding the secret and protecting the foundations of the wizarding world. That is in essence what we will be doing. Is there any other questions before we begin?"
Silence met his question.
He looked at Harry. "I believe that we are ready now. If you would let them in, through the door in the back of the room."
Harry got up from his seat and went to the door on the opposite side of the room. He opened it and in walked Professors Snape, Clovis, Arabella Figg, Amelia Figg, and Hagrid. They, too, took the seats that Harry had seen them in, in his vision. Next came in Lupin with a very fluffy haired black dog, two cats, an owl, a Phoenix, and the rest of the Weasley family. And finally came…
"Mom, Dad!" yelled Neville as he knocked over his chair to get up and run toward his parents. He ran into their arms. They all sat for several moments watching the tender scene. For some time there were no words said between parents and son. Ginny got up and stood off to the side waiting, supporting her boyfriend, who was shaking with emotion.
Dumbledore too got up and came to them. "I realize that you need some time to reunite, but I must ask if you can put off the reunion for but a few hours. Neville will be excused from classes for the rest of the week so that he may spend some well needed and deserved catch up time with you…"
They five of them came to the table and sat down. And after a few more moments they finally appeared to be ready.
"Proceed Harry," said Dumbledore.
"Forgive me. There are some of you who know everything just as much or more than I do about my past, but I ask you all to have patience with me while I recount my life and what I have recently found out for those who do not know everything." Harry began with what he remembered of his young life, the abuse and mistreatment of his aunt and uncle, knowing he was different but not understanding why until Hagrid came and explained to him why. He recounted his first four and a half years at Hogwarts, only pausing once when he asked Sirius to reveal himself.
There was a bit of fear at first until Harry reassured them, "If anyone should fear him, it should be me. He did, after all, according to the rest of the world kill my parents and then supposedly cold-heartedly killed a street full of people including one Peter Pettigrew. But I do not fear him. We found Peter alive that year and it was revealed that he did in fact support Voldemort.
"I see that some of you still flinch at Voldemort's name, as well. And while I understand the fear, I also believe that if I have had the ability to overcome him four times and I did not know my past, then so shall you be able to. He is not to be feared by us. As Albus has told us, we are as strong as we are united and as weak as we are divided. If we unite against him, he will not stand a chance." Harry then continued until he had reached the present. He had talked himself hoarse, but the beam of pride that radiated from Dumbledore was enough to make every bit of it worth it.
"Now that you have heard Harry's story, I would like a show of who is willing to stay and fight for the very salvation of the Wizarding world with us." Every single hand shot into the air resolutely. "Very good. Now I'm sure that all of the new members are curious as to whom the Heirs are, so without further ado…. Would all of the Heirs stand up, please, and introduce yourselves? I'll go first, shall I? I am Albus Dumbledore, Heir of Godric Gryffindor."
Amelia and Arabella stood up. "I am Arabella and this is my twin sister, Amelia. We are the Heirs of Rowena Ravenclaw."
Hagrid stood up and blushed. "I'm Rubeus Hagrid an' I'm da Heir of Helga Hufflepuff."
"But how is that possible Hagrid? You told us you were in Gryffindor when you were here at school," interrupted Ron.
"I will take this one, Hagrid, if you wish," said Dumbledore.
Hagrid nodded.
"You see, Ron, when Hagrid sat with the Sorting Hat upon his head, there was quite a long debate that the hat seemed to be having with itself. The debate was between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. It knew that Hagrid was the Heir of Hufflepuff through his kind, generous, loving father. But he also had his Giantess mother in him. And because it seemed that this side was strongest…. The hat placed him in Gryffindor."
Ron nodded, as he took it all in.
Finally, it was Harry's turn to get up. His voice still scratchy from before, Harry croaked out, "I am Harry James Potter and I am the One True Heir." He sat back down and everyone just stared at him.
Mrs. Weasley, who had kept quiet until that very moment turned to Dumbledore. "Albus, you can't seriously believe that Harry is ready for the burden that that title holds."
"He passed the tests, Molly."
"Tests? What tests?" asked Sirius.
"Relax Sirius. It is the battery of tests that all Gryffindor Heirs must go through to prove they are able enough to lead the Order."
"Like what?"
"The ability the work through pain; to take risks; to make the proper choices when under pressure; to use his other senses, in case one is impaired; and finally to be willing to sacrifice everything to save another, including his own life. All are good qualities of a leader."
Sirius had to admit that Dumbledore was right. "But what makes him the One True Heir?"
"I'm afraid that even Harry has not discovered all of the reasons behind that, so it is only fitting that we do not know yet either." Sirius was about to protest, when Dumbledore held up his hand. "I believe that we should save the rest of the questions to the next meeting. We need to complete the initiation of the new members and leader now, as I am certain that they are all overwhelmed with information and would just like to go to bed."
They all nodded.
"Then let the ritual begin…."
Dumbledore stood up and everyone else followed him. They stepped away from the table and Dumbledore levitated the table to a ledge above the bookcases that Harry hadn't noticed before. All of the chairs were pushed to the outside of the room against the bookcases revealing an ornate marble floor with the symbol of a Phoenix on it. Fawkes flew to the middle of the now forming circle. The two cats stood in the periphery by Harry, and Hedwig landed on Harry's shoulder.
"Before we begin, I feel that it is important to mention that the animals that you see around Harry are his protectors as well as his messengers. They will become a mere extension of him once his roll as the leader has been established. They will know his every move and can and will die trying to save him if they must.
"Fawkes, the Phoenix, is the symbol and protector of the whole group. He will fly above and rain his healing tears down upon the injured and because he is a Phoenix, he is immortal and cannot be killed, unless he is close to his burning cycle of death and birth. Now with that out of the way…. Let us begin. If you would please take out your wands and place them on the floor in front of you facing inward toward the center of the circle and then all join hands and close your eyes."
Everyone did as they were told, though Cho and Nicholas balked a bit when they had to hold Sirius' hands, but trusting Harry implicitly with what he explained earlier they took his hands and found them warm and gentle. Fawkes turned toward Dumbledore as Dumbledore began speaking to the mind of all standing in the room.
I am here today with the other Heirs to reestablish the Order for the protection of the world, Wizarding and Muggle alike. Gathered in this room are those who have stated their willingness to vow allegiance of the Order for the good of all.
It is essential that we once again establish that you all come here freely without coercion and that you are willing to take on this immense responsibility without hesitation. I ask that you each individually state your names, what your current status in the Order is, if there is one, and willingness to be a part of this Order. Severus, if you would please begin….
"Severus Snape, I am currently part of the Order and I am willing and able to participate further."
"Mundungus Fletcher, I am currently a member of the Order and I am willing to participate further."
"Amelia Black Figg, I am one of the Heirs of Ravenclaw, currently a member of the Order, and willing and able to participate further."
"Arabella Black Figg, I am one of the Heirs of Ravenclaw, currently a member of the Order, and willing and able to participate further in the Order."
"Cho Chang, I am willing and able to participate."
"Sirius Black, I'm one of the Heirs of Ravenclaw, currently a member, and I am willing and able to participate further."
"Nicholas Rockley, I'm willing and able to participate."
"Remus J. Lupin, I am currently a member of the Order and I am willing to participate further."
"Frank Longbottom, I am currently a member and I am willing and able to continue further."
"Eunice Longbottom, I am currently a member of the Order and willing and able to continue to participate."
"Neville Longbottom, I'm willing and able to participate in the Order."
"Harry James Potter, I am the One True Heir and willing and able to participate in the Order."
"Lina Clovis, I am willing and able to participate in the Order."
"Hermione Granger, I am willing and able to participate in the Order."
"Ronald Weasley, I'm willing and able to participate."
"Fred Weasley, I'm willing and able to participate."
"George Weasley, I'm willing and able to participate in the Order."
"Ginny Weasley, I'm willing to participate in the Order."
"Molly Tarrent Weasley, I am willing and able to participate in the Order."
"Arthur Weasley, I am willing and able to participate in the Order."
"Charlie Weasley, I'm willing to participate in the Order."
"Bill Weasley, I'm willing and able to participate."
"Percy Weasley, I am willing to participate."
"Rubeus Hagrid, I'm da Heir of Hufflepuff, currently a member o' da Order, an' willin' and able ter continue."
"Albus Dumbledore, I am the Heir of Gryffindor, currently a member and the Head of the Order, and I am willing and able to participate further."
In so much as we have all come here willingly and agreed to participate I now declare that this is the new Order of the Phoenix. Please repeat after me…
"I vow to uphold everything that the Order stands for…"
"I will follow the Head of the Order until his death or until he designates a new Head should be followed…"
"I will maintain the secrecy of the existence and all of the knowledge of the Order to my death…"
"I will maintain my loyalty to those within the Order…"
"I will give protection to those who need it…"
"And above all I vow not to take any unnecessary risks that could put my fellow members at risk, for personal gain…"
As they repeated the vows, Fawkes turned to each of them in turn and a beam of light came out of the wand of the person that he was facing, connecting with each of the other wands that had come before it. Soon Fawkes was surrounded with a bright swirling light that connected every wand in the room.
"Please pick up your wands and lift them above your heads."
When everyone picked up their wands they all received a jolt and were able to feel everything and everyone in the room. They knew whatever unguarded magical knowledge was in their souls, as well as the current state of wellbeing and emotions of all of the others in the room.
As they lifted their wands above their heads the knowledge of all of the others began to fade and they were left with only themselves again.
"What was that?"
"That, Neville was your initiation. You are now bound to every other member of the Order. You were able to briefly see what every other member of the Order has been through to bring them to this time and space. To know everything that they know and be able to draw on that whenever it needs to be, but only in a situation that is related to the Order. You cannot draw upon the knowledge of a Professor to take a test. You are all very intelligent students, or you would not be here in the first place. I expect you to all act responsibly."
Dumbledore looked around the room at all of the students. "Now, as you know I am no longer going to be the Head of the Order. I designate for all those present that the new Head of the Order is Harry Potter, the One True Heir. Do you accept this to be true and vow to follow him without question?"
Every person present said, "Yes." simultaneously.
"Harry, do you accept this role and all of the responsibilities that come with this role?"
"Yes."
"Then I declare that the Order of the Phoenix is herewith and henceforth been reestablished until the death of Head and/ or all of the Heirs present." Fawkes flew to Dumbledore's shoulder and sang a note that hung and quivered in the air, calming all of those present. Then he flew to Harry's shoulder where he repeated the same note.
"This initiation is complete. Please return to your rooms. Tomorrow you are all excused from classes."
The circle broke up and Harry turned to Sirius. "Why didn't you say that you were an Heir before the initiation?"
"Because with my aunts still living, I don't really hold the responsibility of being the Heir yet."
Amelia and Arabella came forward. "I knew you were innocent," said Arabella. "I mean, you gave up going into Ravenclaw just to be with your best friend James in Gryffindor. I remember you telling me that the hat gave you a choice, and you said that you wished to go into Gryffindor, so that is where the hat put you."
Dumbledore got Harry's attention away from Sirius and his aunts. "Harry, we need to set up a schedule for meetings of the Order."
"I was thinking about every two weeks and also and as needed through emergencies."
"Sounds like a very good plan… Well, you should return with the others. Get a good night sleep."
"Thank you, sir."
Harry went to the wall and opened it where they had come in. Everyone filed out, leaving the room empty and waiting.
~~~~~~~~
The next few weeks at Hogwarts were some of the toughest that Harry had ever had. The professors all continued to pile on the homework, as if there were no other class in the world but their own. Defense Against the Dark Arts had even gotten so tough that Lina was beginning to crack the whip, so to speak. Most of the class seemed to rather sit there ogling either her or Fleur. She was getting so annoyed by it that she seemed to become almost hostile to them.
On top of his studies, Harry also had the Advanced Classes, Quidditch practice, and planning the very first Order meeting. He still wondered about why he was the One True Heir, but he truly had no time to even consider going to Dumbledore for an explanation.
Harry was amazed at Neville though. He had never seen his friend happier. Neville seemed to thrive form the love and doting that his parents were giving him. He began to have more confidence and doing much better in all of his classes, including Potions, much to Snape's chagrin. At one point, Snape accused Neville of being irresponsible. And though no one else knew what that meant, as Neville was doing very well on the silencing potion that was assigned for the day, the other Order member's knew that Snape was accusing Neville of cheating by reading Snape's mind.
"You're just upset because now I'm good at potions and you don't have anyone to pick on!!"
Snape looked as if he were as mad as a Hippogriff. "Fifty points from Gryffindor for giving me cheek. And twenty-five for being irresponsible."
"The best bloody 75 points I ever lost," muttered Neville so quietly that only Harry and Ron, who were sitting next to him, heard it.
Some relief came to him after mid-February when Gryffindor had played Hufflepuff in Quidditch. Harry and Angelina had planned for a very tough fight from them, believing that they would try to come out and win a game for Cedric. But it seemed that with Cedric Diggory, who had been their captain and seeker, gone their hearts simply weren't into the game anymore. Gryffindor flattened them 250 to 10, and the only reason why Hufflepuff even got that one goal at all, was because Ron knowing that Harry was about to catch the Snitch, let them slip one goal through out of pity.
After the game for a couple of weeks they backed off from practicing, waiting to see who would win the match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Which gave Harry a bit more time to do his homework and plan for the next meeting of the Order.
In the first meeting, Harry had designated roles to each of the members. Sirius and Lupin were to keep their ears to the ground to see if there were anything that they could find out about Voldemort, as he had been quiet for far too long. Snape had just received word that Voldemort wanted to see him at his Manor once again in the beginning of March. Harry gave him the task of collecting as much information as possible from Voldemort while he was there and to bring back a report of what he found.
Dumbledore was to assist him in the leadership role in whatever way he could. Neville's and Ron's parents were to start trying to spread the word about the possibility of an attack from the returned Voldemort without initiating a widespread panic. The rest were to go about their regular business, but with one slight change, they had to be ready at a moment's notice to drop what they were doing and assist the Order, when it was needed.
Then it happened. 3am on a Saturday morning in early March, Harry got a message by Hedwig. She landed softly on Harry's pillow, which made him sit up and look about. His scar was burning from a nightmare he had just been having about an attack from Voldemort. He couldn't tell exactly where it was, but there were a lot of people around that Voldemort was randomly killing anyone he thought he should, pure-blood and Muggle-born alike. He was saying that he wanted Harry to come out and fight, and until he did he was going to keep killing his hostages.
Harry rubbed his eyes and shook his head to erase the carnage from his mind. He put on his glasses and jumped when he saw Hedwig on his pillow. He got a strange butterfly feeling in the pit of his stomach, when he saw her. She stuck out her leg and nipped his finger affectionately when he reached for the note. With a sense of foreboding he unwrapped the note and lit his wand to read it by. He gasped and ran to wake up Ron and Neville. He told them to get dressed and get the other members of the Order together quietly.
When they reached the Order room with most of the members were there.
"What is all of this about, Potter?" asked Professor Fletcher grumpily.
"I awoke to find Hedwig on my pillow this morning with a message for me." He passed around the note that he had pulled from Hedwig's leg. Hedwig, who was sitting on Harry's shoulder, puffed her feathers importantly and hooted softly.
When the note reached Dumbledore his eyes lost their twinkle and he suddenly looked very old and tired. As he passed on the note he asked, "So what do you feel we should do about this, Harry?"
"Well, if Voldemort intends to attack London… we need to find out when and where and stop him. I had a dream this morning just before I woke up to Hedwig on my pillow…." Everyone stopped and was suddenly listening. They had all learned not to take Harry's dreams and visions lightly. "In this dream Voldemort was killing everyone, because he wanted me to come out and fight him."
"So what do you propose?"
"I think that we need a little more information before I make my decision about what to do…. We need to find out if in fact this is what Voldemort intends to do, or if this is merely an elaborate hoax, cooked up to scare people."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
When the note was passed back to Harry, he quickly grabbed the quill that instantly appeared on the table, from where, Harry wasn't sure. He wrote on the back of the note that he had received….
Snuffles,
Can you please confirm this to be true? Or is it merely rumor and speculation? We need to know specifics before any decision can be made on how to proceed.
Harry
Harry attached the note back to Hedwig's leg and she took off and flew out of the room the way that they had come in.
"Well, as there is nothing further that can be done tonight… I believe that we should return to our beds." They slowly went back to bed, but Harry was too wired, and Hermione was stressing about everything and found that she too was wired. They decided to stay and look about the room and it's many volumes of knowledge.
Harry pulled out a particularly frail looking book and was surprised to see how very strong the book was inside.
"Harry! Don't flip through that book! I recognize it!"
"So what is it?"
"It is a Sheastman portal book."
"A whosey-whatsit?"
"A portal book! You know you use it to get to another time and place."
"You mean to tell me that I could open this book and end up in another time?"
"Yes. There are so many interesting things here in this library. I would love to spend hours just reading every book in here!" Harry knew that she wasn't lying and knew that she could do it too. Harry put the book back and took out another interesting looking one. Soon Harry found himself with his head in the book. He didn't know how long he was there, but he knew that Hermione was directing him back to his dorm where he fell into bed and slept away most of the morning.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Not much was heard for that next week. Even Harry's dreams and visions were eerily quiet and tame, which worried Harry a little. But as the next weekend approached, so too did the match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Harry and Angelina had planned to go with the Gryffindor team to watch the match and find the weaknesses of whichever team they would be playing in the final. As Harry headed down to breakfast though that bright Saturday morning, he heard a voice that he had not expected to hear ever again the castle. He followed the sound of the voice and found himself standing at the gargoyle guarding the entrance to Dumbledore's office. He went up to just outside the office and listened to the conversation going on inside
"But Dumbledore," said Cornelius Fudge. "You cannot possibly believe that You-Know-Who is back!"
"We have had this conversation before, Cornelius…. I do indeed feel that it is true. Or I would not have taken the appropriate action that has kept us all safe from harm."
"But there hasn't been a single word or anything from anyone amongst those who were deemed his followers in months."
"That is true. But I firmly believe that that is because he is biding his time and gaining strength to attack more effectively."
"I simply don't believe this to be true."
"That is your opinion, and as I said almost a year ago, this has brought us to a parting of ways. Now I must bid you good day as I have a Quidditch match to prepare to watch. Good day, now Cornelius."
Harry ran down the stairs, not wanting to get caught overhearing the conversation. He waited for the Minister of Magic to come down the stairs. He didn't know why, but he felt strangely like the conversation that The Minister of Magic had had with Dumbledore was just for show, that there was another reason entirely as to why he was there. Harry followed the Minister out of the castle.
He walked quite a large distance behind the Minister, fearing that he would get caught. But Fudge never turned around. But that was not the strangest thing. What struck Harry the most was the fact that Fudge was not going anywhere near where he should have been going: back to Hogsmeade. In fact he was going in the opposite direction and heading straight into the Dark Forest….
Harry continued to follow Fudge into the Dark Forest, all thoughts about the Quidditch Match pushed from his mind. He drew his wand just as he took his first step into the forest. He was extremely careful to put a silencing charm around his feet so that there would be no sound as he walked behind the Minister, who seemed still to be completely oblivious to what was going on around him. If Harry didn't know better, he would say that Fudge was in a trance of some sort.
Harry stopped as he saw the cloaked figure that had haunted his dreams and who had attacked Neville and him on the day that they had gone to Hogsmeade before Christmas, standing in a clearing in the forest. Harry hid behind a tree and listened to what was said, though he could only hear some bits and pieces of the conversation.
"Report," said the cruel, high pitched voice of the cloaked stranger.
"Dumbledore refuses to believe that the Master is not back. He would not tell me what he intends to do about it. He stated only that everything would be in order soon." Fudge was speaking in a strangely monotonous voice. Harry suspected that he was very much under the influence of the stranger, who, quite obviously, worked for Voldemort.
"That Muggle-loving fool is going to be the downfall of the entire wizarding community. Shh. What was that? Are you sure you weren't followed?"
"Yes, sir."
"Just the same…"
It grew deathly quiet and Harry felt that he was about to get caught. He took a deep breath and held it in fear of what was coming.
"Apareo!" yelled the cloaked stranger. The spell hit the tree next to Harry. He got very nervous now. He could feel the mind of stranger coming closer. Harry closed his eyes and tried to figure out what to do. Strangely though he began to feel like he was above the mind.
As he thought he heard a voice, "I guess I just imagined it." But the most odd thing was that it was below him. He opened his eyes and realized he was now floating above the man in the cloak. He watched as the cloaked figure went back to the clearing where Fudge was standing very still.
Harry moved closer to be able to hear better.
"The Master was very pleased that you collected the information that you have on that secret Order that James Potter used to run. You have used your time in office as the Minister very well. Very soon he will find out how to access the secret location. He needs only to capture an Order member to find out how it is accessed, then he will bring the Order down. He had plans of capturing young Potter, as he is most likely part of the new Order."
"You are absolutely certain then that they have restarted it?"
"Yes, I've told you I have my ways of knowing."
"Then forgive me for saying so, sir, but why don't you go and capture the boy yourself."
The cloaked figure lifted his arm. "Crucio." The cloaked man delighted in the screams of the Minister for several minutes. Harry began losing his concentration from the burning pain in his scar. He began to float back down to the ground, behind the tree that he had been floating by. It was not that big, though, and he feared being caught. Finally, the cloaked figure released the curse. Harry took a few seconds to recover and then floated back up out of view.
He looked at the scene before him. The Minister was on his knees and the cloaked figure loomed over him. He leaned over him Minister and picked him up by the collar. He lifted Fudge clean off the ground. It was then that Harry noticed that the hand was not a human hand but a metal one.
Wormtail, his mind screamed.
Wormtail pulled Fudge close to his face and said through gritted teeth, "Because, you squib, if I went in there I would get fried. There are stronger wards of protection around the school this year. I can only travel around the periphery, where the wards are not as strong. If I ever go beyond the edge of the forest it would not be a pretty sight."
He dropped Fudge who landed on the ground whimpering. Fudge lay there on the ground for several moments. Suddenly the minister began to convulse and shake uncontrollably.
"Ah, yes, it is time for your medicine, isn't it?" Fudge sat up the best he could and almost started acting like a dog begging for its food. Wormtail pulled out a vile and started waving it in front of Fudge. Fudge made a grab for it and Wormtail cruelly yanked it out of his reach.
It made Harry sick to see Wormtail, who was one of Voldemort's weakest minions, exert such cruel power over a man that was clearly under his control. After teasing the Minister for a few more times, he finally allowed Fudge to take the bottle from his hands. The Minister gulped it down greedily. After a few moments Fudge was on his feet again.
"Go, return to your duties as Minister, acting as you normally would, and prepare for the attack on Diagon Alley. You know what to do…"
Fudge turned around and left the forest stiff legged. Once he got to the edge of the forest he looked toward the Quidditch field and noticed that everyone was at the game. He silently turned toward Hogsmeade and walked away from the crowd.
Harry had stuck around with Wormtail to see if he could find out more. Wormtail began laughing and muttering to himself. Harry got a little closer still. He landed on the ground not too far from Wormtail.
"….come April 1st, Potter, you will be in my hands and I will be back in my Master's good graces, and then we will be able to attack Diagon Alley without your interference at the end of May."
Harry had heard enough. He backed away. Unfortunately, when he landed he had forgotten to put the Silencing spell back on his feet and he stepped onto a stick. It snapped and Harry horrified looked down to his feet to see the offending stick. When he looked back up he was looking into the eyes of Wormtail….
Harry flinched and thought that he had been caught. He pulled out his wand, but Wormtail didn't move, he didn't even blink.
"He is-s-s-s under my power, my friend," said a familiar voice behind him.
Harry turned around and saw Norbert staring at Wormtail, with Hagrid holding onto his leash.
"His-s-s-s-s mind is-s-s-s-s s-s-s-s-so weak, that I did not have to do much-h-h to hold him, s-s-s-s-so that he knows-s-s-s noth-th-thing that is-s-s-s-s going on around h-h-h-h-him."
"Norbert 'ad insisted on a walk. Now I understan' why. Hop on. We'll 'ead back to the groun's."
Harry hopped on and Norbert took off. During the Triwizard tournament when he had had to go up against the dragon, and even earlier when they were learning about Dragons in Care of Magical Creatures, he had failed to notice the grace and beauty that these animals moved with. He could almost see why Hagrid liked them so much.
With a swift smooth dive and landing they were back in the paddock behind Hagrid's home. "There is-s-s-s no need to worry about that evil man having s-s-s-seen you…. He will not remember what h-h-h-happened to h-h-h-him."
"How did you know that I was there in the forest and would need your help?"
"C-c-c-centaurs-s-s-s are not the only creatures-s-s-s-s that can read the s-s-s-signs-s-s-s of-f-f-f the f-f-f-f-future." If Harry didn't know better he could have sworn he saw Norbert wink and smile before turning and curling up in the back of the paddock.
Harry then turned and looked at Hagrid, who had a very grave expression behind his bushy beard. Harry pursed his lips and nodded his head. With that, Hagrid knew that they needed somehow to very discreetly assemble the order without alerting anyone at the match to what was going on.
Harry sent a mental message to all of the members that he could reach, just as Cho made an amazing catch of the Snitch by hanging upside down only holding onto her broom with her legs to catch it. Ravenclaw had won and everyone was filtering out of the seats and leaving the field as Harry and Hagrid had reached it.
The Order members slowly began standing aside waiting for the rest to get there. When Cho came out with the rest of her teammates she said she would catch up with them later and came to the side with the rest of the Order. They walked around the field and found a quiet place where they were able to make a door to get to the Order's room.
Once they were all settled once again around the table, Harry told them all what he had learned. "Please forgive me for eaves dropping, Albus, but I simply had a very bad feeling when I saw that he was here."
"I, too, felt that there has been something different about him for the last three years, but until you told us this, I had had a very difficult time putting my finger upon it."
"The past three years?" asked Harry.
"Yes, Harry. Starting with Hagrid's removal from here at the end of your second year. Then when he knew where you were going and greeting you as you came off the Knight bus. Beside that him believing Severus instead of Hermione, you, and myself that same year. Not to mention when you returned last year from the ordeal after the third task, he called me away at precisely the right moment so that Young Barty Crouch could take you back to his office. And his total disbelief of any of us that Voldemort had indeed returned. The signs were all there, it was just a matter of seeing them through the right lens." Dumbledore smiled at Harry with pride.
"Where is Severus anyway?" asked Professor Fletcher.
"I dun know Professor… I tol' him meself dat der was a mee'in'."
"Hmmm…. Interesting…," stated Dumbledore cryptically.
"Well, now that we know for sure what Voldemort plans to do in London, we should begin planning a counter strike," said Harry getting directly to the point.
"I believe that you are correct, Harry."
"The only thing that is missing right now is the information from Severus. Perhaps we should go and get him so that we can have the full picture before we begin."
"I believe, Harry, that we have enough information to go on right now. Perhaps you had best leave questioning him to me, " said Dumbledore.
Harry nodded and they began.