Chapter 11: The Order of the Phoenix
Dumbledore led Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Melissa to his office with Shelbie and Remus following them in, still dumbstruck. They entered the headmaster's office to find McGonagall and Snape waiting for them there. Snape stood up and swept over to Dumbledore's side as soon as the Headmaster stepped into his office.
"Professor, are you really going to do what I believe you are?" Snape asked quietly, as though to exclude the other teachers and students in the room.
"Yes, Severus, I am creating a special branch of the Order in which students dedicated to the war may join," Dumbledore answered, loud enough for everyone to hear, much to Snape's distaste. "What happened to Ms. Potter could also have happened to any other person in the wizarding world."
"We want to be the first members," Harry and Melissa said suddenly.
Dumbledore looked sharply at them before disappearing into a side room. There was a flash of white light and then Dumbledore reappeared a moment later carrying a large orb with what looked like a glass bird inside. To help the headmaster, Shelbie conjured a table into the middle of the room for him to put the orb on. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Melissa cautiously and curiously gathered around then glowing sphere.
"Professor, what is that?" Hermione asked finally, still staring at the orb in incredulity and unbelief.
"That, my dear girl…is the Orb of the Phoenix," Dumbledore replied. "What you are to do is place your right hand on the top of the Orb. If the Orb glows an electric blue, you will be initiated into the Order."
"Dumbledore, I'm sorry, but this is absurd," Snape broke in. Harry glanced at him sharply. \/Harry, am I going crazy, or did I detect a hint of panic in Snape's voice?\/ Melissa's voice echoed curiously in Harry's head. /\Don't worry, dear sister, you're as sane as any of us in the room. Well, with the exception of Snape. He's definitely panicked/\, Harry replied with satisfaction in his voice. Dumbledore observed him with slight amusement.
"Really, Severus? Why is trying to save the only world all people, wizard, witch, and Muggle alike, have ever known absurd?" Dumbledore asked him.
"No, not that, initiating these…children," Snape spat out.
"Severus, these children, as you say, are some of the most powerful witches and wizards of their generation," Dumbledore answered him, much to the astonishment of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Melissa. Simultaneously, all four mouths on the Gryffindors dropped open in pure shock. Dumbledore continued. "We need all their help."
"Professor, a—about that 'powerful' part," Harry said weakly. Dumbledore smiled at their shocked expressions.
"Yes, Mr. Potter, whether you know it or not, you and your friends are among the more gifted of your class."
"Okay," Ron choked out. (A/N: Like in the first movie when they're all in the Forbidden Forest and they're about to split up.)
"Now, Harry, step up here and place your right hand on top of the orb," Dumbledore instructed. Tentatively, Harry did so and immediately, it seemed as though he was struck frozen. He stayed that way for about a minute before the Orb released him from the trance. Hovering in the air above the Orb was a tiny replica of it. Harry caught it and pocketed it after a moment of amazed examination.
The same thing happened to Melissa, Ron and Hermione as it did to Harry. The only difference was the color of the miniOrbs. The phoenixes inside Harry and Melissa's were a brilliant, glittering emerald-green while Ron and Hermione's were of a deep blue hue.
"Remus, Shelbie, students, please leave Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and I alone," Dumbledore requested after Hermione pocketed her miniOrb. Shelbie, and Remus exchanged knowing glances before sweeping the curious sixth-years out of the room, closing the door behind them. As soon as the six of them reached the hallway, Harry spun around to face the adults.
"What was the all about?"
"Yeah, that was kind of rude," Ron added.
"Listen to me. I want you to understand that you are not to be spreading this around," Remus replied quietly, almost menacingly. "The reason Snape was so nervous was because he's a spy for us. Voldemort thinks Snape is loyal to him and is spying on us for him."
The expressions on Harry, Hermione, and Melissa's faces were identical to the ones they wore in the office. Ron just looked confused.
"Wait…what??" Remus rolled his eyes and repeated his statement. "Ohhh, okay, go ahead."
Remus sighed exasperatedly and continued.
"Snape will almost definitely report false information about anything, but especially this. He's still questionable in my eyes. I just don't like him. Either way, you four, I want you to be careful now more than ever."
"Wait a moment, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Ron exploded. "Almost definitely?! The man could be a freaking Death Eater! What d'you mean, he'll almost definitely report false information?! He could be telling Voldemort top-secret defensive tactics!" Ron raged as the others rolled their eyes at his vivid imagination. (A/N: Yeah, I'm one to talk…) "Or—or even worse, he could pull out his wand and use a curse to kill any of us at any time! I say get rid of him!"
"Ron, shut up," Shelbie snapped. A loud scraping behind them made everyone in the hall whirl around. Dumbledore and McGonagall, following a shaky Snape, emerged from the hidden office. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the scene he saw before him.
"Remus, I would like to speak with you. Harry, Melissa, Hermione, Ron, Professor McGonagall will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower. Shelbie, you know what to do," Dumbledore told them. He motioned to Remus to follow him. He stopped and turned to face the feminine half of the Potter twins. "Melissa, I believe you have homework to catch up on?"
Melissa let out an audible groan before grumbling miserably about how late she'll have to stay up for the next couple of days to finish all the homework and class work she just knew was piled up on her bed. Firmly, McGonagall steered them in the direction of their dorms while Shelbie went the opposite way; Snape headed down a side passage; and Remus walked up the stairs behind the gargoyle to talk with Dumbledore
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day, Melissa walked into the Great Hall at breakfast with her friends, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. They had stayed up until around midnight discussing Snape's double-agent role and other aspects of the day. Melissa had completely abandoned her work as to be able to participate in the argument, much to the disapproval of Hermione.
"You're going to get so far behind in your work, you're not going to be able to catch up in time for exams," she had said.
"I'll catch up," Melissa had retorted. She then, with a huge grin on her face, added mischievously, "just not tonight."
"Like brother, like sister," Hermione remarked to no one in particular.
"That's the way it's meant to be," Harry told her, grinning, as he gave his twin a high five.
Now, several hours later, they stumbled sleepily into the Hall and found their places at breakfast. Hermione looked up at the High Table before turning excitedly to her friends, now wide-awake.
"You guys, look up at the High Table," she instructed. "Tell me who's missing." The other three glanced blearily up at the teacher's table and saw Remus smiling at them from the same place he sat in two years earlier before turning back to talk with Professor Sprout. For several seconds, they stared at the table, scanning it, before they realized the most loathed teacher in the school had disappeared.
"He's gone!" Ron crowed, doing a little victory dance in his seat.
"And will you check out who's taken his place?" Melissa told them, staring at Snape's replacement. The others followed her gaze and they, too, stared in astonishment when they saw.
"Tonks?!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione breathed as the young woman walked to her seat, grinning happily. They scrambled from their seats and ran up to Tonks. Melissa had met Tonks near the end of September when she had come to speak privately with Dumbledore about the Order. She still refused to tell them what they talked about.
"Tonks, what are you doing here?" Harry panted/asked her.
"That's Professor Tonks to you, Mr. Potter," she replied severely. The four Gryffindors stared in disbelief at her before she grinned.
"You mean…Snape's been sacked?" Ron asked hopefully. Tonks shook his head.
"Nope. I'm a substitute. Snape is taking some time off. He was called for a meeting and a special assignment by…" Tonks left the statement dangling. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Melissa quickly caught his drift. "I'm here for about a month and a half, starting in two weeks. Albus owled me yesterday, I arrived last night, and he invited me to stay the night."
"Yahoo!!!!!" Ron began to dance wildly, earning him many wondering stares and, finally, an audience.
A/N: Hehehe…Ron dancing…hehe…funny sight…
Dumbledore led Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Melissa to his office with Shelbie and Remus following them in, still dumbstruck. They entered the headmaster's office to find McGonagall and Snape waiting for them there. Snape stood up and swept over to Dumbledore's side as soon as the Headmaster stepped into his office.
"Professor, are you really going to do what I believe you are?" Snape asked quietly, as though to exclude the other teachers and students in the room.
"Yes, Severus, I am creating a special branch of the Order in which students dedicated to the war may join," Dumbledore answered, loud enough for everyone to hear, much to Snape's distaste. "What happened to Ms. Potter could also have happened to any other person in the wizarding world."
"We want to be the first members," Harry and Melissa said suddenly.
Dumbledore looked sharply at them before disappearing into a side room. There was a flash of white light and then Dumbledore reappeared a moment later carrying a large orb with what looked like a glass bird inside. To help the headmaster, Shelbie conjured a table into the middle of the room for him to put the orb on. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Melissa cautiously and curiously gathered around then glowing sphere.
"Professor, what is that?" Hermione asked finally, still staring at the orb in incredulity and unbelief.
"That, my dear girl…is the Orb of the Phoenix," Dumbledore replied. "What you are to do is place your right hand on the top of the Orb. If the Orb glows an electric blue, you will be initiated into the Order."
"Dumbledore, I'm sorry, but this is absurd," Snape broke in. Harry glanced at him sharply. \/Harry, am I going crazy, or did I detect a hint of panic in Snape's voice?\/ Melissa's voice echoed curiously in Harry's head. /\Don't worry, dear sister, you're as sane as any of us in the room. Well, with the exception of Snape. He's definitely panicked/\, Harry replied with satisfaction in his voice. Dumbledore observed him with slight amusement.
"Really, Severus? Why is trying to save the only world all people, wizard, witch, and Muggle alike, have ever known absurd?" Dumbledore asked him.
"No, not that, initiating these…children," Snape spat out.
"Severus, these children, as you say, are some of the most powerful witches and wizards of their generation," Dumbledore answered him, much to the astonishment of Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Melissa. Simultaneously, all four mouths on the Gryffindors dropped open in pure shock. Dumbledore continued. "We need all their help."
"Professor, a—about that 'powerful' part," Harry said weakly. Dumbledore smiled at their shocked expressions.
"Yes, Mr. Potter, whether you know it or not, you and your friends are among the more gifted of your class."
"Okay," Ron choked out. (A/N: Like in the first movie when they're all in the Forbidden Forest and they're about to split up.)
"Now, Harry, step up here and place your right hand on top of the orb," Dumbledore instructed. Tentatively, Harry did so and immediately, it seemed as though he was struck frozen. He stayed that way for about a minute before the Orb released him from the trance. Hovering in the air above the Orb was a tiny replica of it. Harry caught it and pocketed it after a moment of amazed examination.
The same thing happened to Melissa, Ron and Hermione as it did to Harry. The only difference was the color of the miniOrbs. The phoenixes inside Harry and Melissa's were a brilliant, glittering emerald-green while Ron and Hermione's were of a deep blue hue.
"Remus, Shelbie, students, please leave Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and I alone," Dumbledore requested after Hermione pocketed her miniOrb. Shelbie, and Remus exchanged knowing glances before sweeping the curious sixth-years out of the room, closing the door behind them. As soon as the six of them reached the hallway, Harry spun around to face the adults.
"What was the all about?"
"Yeah, that was kind of rude," Ron added.
"Listen to me. I want you to understand that you are not to be spreading this around," Remus replied quietly, almost menacingly. "The reason Snape was so nervous was because he's a spy for us. Voldemort thinks Snape is loyal to him and is spying on us for him."
The expressions on Harry, Hermione, and Melissa's faces were identical to the ones they wore in the office. Ron just looked confused.
"Wait…what??" Remus rolled his eyes and repeated his statement. "Ohhh, okay, go ahead."
Remus sighed exasperatedly and continued.
"Snape will almost definitely report false information about anything, but especially this. He's still questionable in my eyes. I just don't like him. Either way, you four, I want you to be careful now more than ever."
"Wait a moment, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Ron exploded. "Almost definitely?! The man could be a freaking Death Eater! What d'you mean, he'll almost definitely report false information?! He could be telling Voldemort top-secret defensive tactics!" Ron raged as the others rolled their eyes at his vivid imagination. (A/N: Yeah, I'm one to talk…) "Or—or even worse, he could pull out his wand and use a curse to kill any of us at any time! I say get rid of him!"
"Ron, shut up," Shelbie snapped. A loud scraping behind them made everyone in the hall whirl around. Dumbledore and McGonagall, following a shaky Snape, emerged from the hidden office. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow at the scene he saw before him.
"Remus, I would like to speak with you. Harry, Melissa, Hermione, Ron, Professor McGonagall will escort you back to Gryffindor Tower. Shelbie, you know what to do," Dumbledore told them. He motioned to Remus to follow him. He stopped and turned to face the feminine half of the Potter twins. "Melissa, I believe you have homework to catch up on?"
Melissa let out an audible groan before grumbling miserably about how late she'll have to stay up for the next couple of days to finish all the homework and class work she just knew was piled up on her bed. Firmly, McGonagall steered them in the direction of their dorms while Shelbie went the opposite way; Snape headed down a side passage; and Remus walked up the stairs behind the gargoyle to talk with Dumbledore
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next day, Melissa walked into the Great Hall at breakfast with her friends, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. They had stayed up until around midnight discussing Snape's double-agent role and other aspects of the day. Melissa had completely abandoned her work as to be able to participate in the argument, much to the disapproval of Hermione.
"You're going to get so far behind in your work, you're not going to be able to catch up in time for exams," she had said.
"I'll catch up," Melissa had retorted. She then, with a huge grin on her face, added mischievously, "just not tonight."
"Like brother, like sister," Hermione remarked to no one in particular.
"That's the way it's meant to be," Harry told her, grinning, as he gave his twin a high five.
Now, several hours later, they stumbled sleepily into the Hall and found their places at breakfast. Hermione looked up at the High Table before turning excitedly to her friends, now wide-awake.
"You guys, look up at the High Table," she instructed. "Tell me who's missing." The other three glanced blearily up at the teacher's table and saw Remus smiling at them from the same place he sat in two years earlier before turning back to talk with Professor Sprout. For several seconds, they stared at the table, scanning it, before they realized the most loathed teacher in the school had disappeared.
"He's gone!" Ron crowed, doing a little victory dance in his seat.
"And will you check out who's taken his place?" Melissa told them, staring at Snape's replacement. The others followed her gaze and they, too, stared in astonishment when they saw.
"Tonks?!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione breathed as the young woman walked to her seat, grinning happily. They scrambled from their seats and ran up to Tonks. Melissa had met Tonks near the end of September when she had come to speak privately with Dumbledore about the Order. She still refused to tell them what they talked about.
"Tonks, what are you doing here?" Harry panted/asked her.
"That's Professor Tonks to you, Mr. Potter," she replied severely. The four Gryffindors stared in disbelief at her before she grinned.
"You mean…Snape's been sacked?" Ron asked hopefully. Tonks shook his head.
"Nope. I'm a substitute. Snape is taking some time off. He was called for a meeting and a special assignment by…" Tonks left the statement dangling. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Melissa quickly caught his drift. "I'm here for about a month and a half, starting in two weeks. Albus owled me yesterday, I arrived last night, and he invited me to stay the night."
"Yahoo!!!!!" Ron began to dance wildly, earning him many wondering stares and, finally, an audience.
A/N: Hehehe…Ron dancing…hehe…funny sight…
