Ok, I still own nothing.......(except Fiona, she is mine)
Please review if you have a chance! Please....
And special thanks to my betas, Lyds and dreamermarie!!
Chapter Four: Stretching Senses
While Harry, Ron, and Ginny dutifully waited for their next letters from Hogwart's and Hermione, Mrs. Weasley put them to work.
"I thought we already cleaned out every room! How is it possible that there are more? I swear- this door just appeared here today. It definitely wasn't here when I went down for breakfast," Ron complained.
"Shut it, Ronald," Ginny said as soon as their mother huffed out of the room for the second time. Apparently, the Black family had not been big on dusting- this room was one of the dirtiest yet.
"Eww!" Ginny suddenly screamed as a spider, somewhat quaffle sized, fell onto her lap and scuttled across the floor. Ron seemed glued to the spot where he was standing until he suddenly darted out of the room.
"Honestly," Harry said. "I'm going to find your mum, why don't you come with me?" Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her out the door, "Shut the door quickly, before it gets out!" He bit back a scream as the huge, black, hairy insect started towards the door. Ginny shut the door just in time.
"Whew! That was close!" Ginny said.
Then, Ginny screamed even louder than before. When she had closed the door, she had closed it on one of the spider's legs. The severed leg lay twitching on the floor in front of her.
"What's all the racket?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she came up the stairs carrying several brooms in one hand. The other held a large garbage bag. She stopped when she saw the detached leg on the floor. "Oh come now, Ginny dear- it's not so bad. I can take care of this in a second! You know you can't be that loud- Fiona and Tonks are downstairs studying for Fiona's O.W.L.s!" She turned to Harry. "Now exactly how big is this thing?"
"Er- well, it's pretty big. Ron ran off- no idea where he went, though."
"That's alright, he'll come back later. Ok, let's just open the door a smidge and- OH MY GOODNESS!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked. Apparently, Ron wasn't the only Weasley with a fear of spiders. "Petrificus Totalus!" The spider froze in its position and rolled over. Harry watched in amazement as Mrs. Weasley mumbled something and the spider- detached leg and all- disappeared.
"Way to go, Mum!" Ginny said, thoroughly impressed.
"Well that wasn't so bad- now was it?" Mrs. Weasley said, ignoring her shaking hands. Then, acting as if nothing was wrong, Mrs. Weasley walked into the room. Harry walked in behind her, reluctantly. Ginny followed behind, using Harry as a human shield. Ron was nowhere to be found.
"Hmm, this room seems a little dangerous," Mrs. Weasley said- spying some metal hooks and chains on the walls. "I think I'll have Alastor walk through the rest of the rooms before we continue on. Don't worry, no more cleaning in this wing today. Harry, dear, why don't you go to the kitchen and begin studying for your History of Magic exam? Ginny, go find Ron and then meet me in the hall- you two can help me clean up some other rooms I know are safe." Both Harry and Ginny grumbled as they walked back into the hallway.
As Harry neared the kitchen, he heard giggles getting louder and louder. He walked into the room to find Fiona hysterically laughing while Tonks sat across from her at the table. Tonks, a metamorphmagus, was changing different features on her face. At the present, she had an absurdly long nose and two beady little eyes. She quickly changed back when she saw Harry walk into the room.
"Where is Molly?" She asked, knowing she'd get a good scolding if Mrs. Weasley caught her making faces while she was supposed to be tutoring. "We were just taking a much needed break. Fiona, apparently, is very good with Potions and Charms. Her Astronomy is excellent. Her transfiguration however, needs a little bit of work." Tonks added with a smile.
"Mrs. Weasley's still upstairs, cleaning every room she finds- with Ginny in tow. She sent me down so we can start studying for History of Magic," Harry answered. Fiona frowned.
"She had me transfigure a wooden box into a flying bird. I got the bird shape alright- it's just a shame wooden birds can't fly," Fiona said. Tonks laughed behind her.
"The thing fell to the ground like lead!" Tonks said, not even suppressing her laughter. Harry began laughing and the three soon began the next lesson. They stopped after an hour or so for a snack of chocolate frogs before continuing on.
"Don't mind me, dears- keep on working. I'm just going to start dinner. Tonks- don't forget that there's a meeting tonight," Mrs. Weasley said as she slipped into the room.
"That's alright, Mrs. Weasley. We're about up to the 1800's anyhow. We'll finish the rest tomorrow. Make sure you two rest up today. Fiona, you still need to study for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. We'll work on those tomorrow, after we're done with History of Magic."
"Thank you. I'll see you later," Fiona said, before getting up from the table. She picked up all the books that Tonks had given her and went upstairs.
"Who takes Arithmancy and Ancient Runes?" Tonks asked.
"Hermione," Harry answered. "Speaking of, I think I'm going to see if she sent us anything. Thanks for all your help, Tonks." Harry himself got up from the table and briskly walked out of the room.
"Harry, good fellow, you're still here!" George boomed, as soon as Harry walked into his bedroom.
"We're comforting Ickle Ronniekins over here because he got scared by an itty- bitty spider, right Ronnie?" Fred said, taunting his brother.
"Shove it, will you," Ron yelled in exasperation.
Apparently, Fred had become bored with his youngest brother, because he turned to Harry. "Anyway, Harry, we figured we'd offer you a gift. As our greatest benefactor, we will expect you to test out some of our more prestigious products," he started. Harry looked a little wary.
"Now, we all know that tonight there is a very big, very important meeting downstairs and so, Fred and I have come to assist you. Professor Lupin has contacted us and said he has made it so that mother couldn't possibly stop us from using our Extendable Ears. Besides, we fixed them up. They are virtually unrecognizable and they offer something that few other of our products do- vision," George said triumphantly.
"Yes, our Extendable Ears are now part of our collection called Stretching Senses. This particular set, the second of its kind, comes with our Expandable Eyes. Catchy isn't it?" Fred said, smugly. "Now you can see and hear what is going on around you. There are still some glitches, though. Watch out because if you use it too long you'll get a message that says 'Peeping Toms are no fun, they could really hurt someone!' I don't know how that got there, but it flashes in big green letters. And if you still don't stop after that- well let's just say the results aren't pretty."
"You should get about two hours or so on this pair, though. Possibly more," George said quickly, after he saw the disgusted looks on the faces of Harry and Ron. Out of his pocket, George produced several little cards.
"Those look like the cards from Chocolate Frogs," Harry said incredulously.
"Yep they do, old chum. And yet, they are nothing like those boring, useless child's cards. Now, if you noticed- which you probably didn't, hanging in the two rooms most likely to be in use tonight, are two other cards very similar to this. They are hidden and out of sight, but they will transfer sound and images to these very cards right here. To use the cards, simply hold the card and say, 'One, Two, I'll spy on you!' and then they should work. Unfortunately, there is no way to change the dim-witted charm," Fred said, frowning.
"When you are done you simply say, 'Spying accomplished' and they will return back to their usual appearance. Oh look- this one's Dumbledore," George said, amazed with himself. Ron looked at the card in shock before walking back over to his bed.
"Harry, our letters came from Hogwarts. We're going to have to get our books much earlier this year- there is so much work to do in everything already. In Potions, we have to do the first two lessons! I don't know how Snape expects all of this, I really don't! Here's your letter, though," Ron said, handing Harry his letter.
"Way to be the bearer of bad news, Ronald!" Fred scoffed.
At least we give him cool stuff," George added. Ron glowered at him.
"Seriously now- this isn't even your room!" Ron barked.
"Alright, alright- we hear you. But we'll be back after dinner," Fred said, winking in Harry's direction. Harry opened his letter and began reading.
'Dear Mr. Potter,
Congratulations on choosing your classes for next year. Enclosed with this letter you will find a list of books and materials ("You should see all the junk Snape's requiring!" Ron said in the background) that you will need in your next year at Hogwarts. It is suggested that you begin your summer work as soon as possible since there is such a short time left already-'
The letter went on to talk all about the N.E.W.T.s that the students would begin preparing for in the fall. Harry read each long paragraph before he turned to the next page. Ron was right- the amount of work that Snape wanted them to do was unbelievable- but in addition to the regular N.E.W.T. level potions work, Harry had some assignments from his old book as well.
"He gave me extra lessons!"
"Guess all the people that got Exceeded Expectations have to do some extra, eh?" Ron asked. Ron decided he wasn't going to be the one to remind him that Harry's first letter already told him this.
"Still a Prefect?" Harry asked. Ron was hoping he had forgotten.
"Yeah, I'm pretty rotten at it though, so I don't understand why."
Harry understood perfectly. That just meant that Dumbledore had something else for him to do. Hopefully, he'd learn what that something else was tonight.
The meeting started as soon as dinner ended. Dumbledore sent Dobby to Grimmauld Place for the night to help clean up so the meeting could be started right away.
While the members of the Order gathered together downstairs, upstairs a similar gathering was taking place in Ron and Harry's room.
"We need a new meeting place- you simply can't keep barging in here," Ron complained.
"Oh, hush up you great git," George snapped. "They're about to start."
Fred and George had only brought five cards with them. Ginny and Fiona shared a card, while Fred, George, Harry, and Ron each had their own.
"Look there's Snape! The biggest git of 'em all!" Fred exclaimed.
"Shh! They're starting the meeting!" Ron said, his patience with the twins was wearing thin.
It was true; downstairs various members of the Order were beginning to sit down. There seemed to be so many people there. Severus Snape stood up to talk first.
"Boring!" George called out. Everyone laughed but quieted down as he began speaking.
"The most apparent business at hand; the attack in Italy. The meeting with the Italian Ministry has been a success-"Snape started.
"You can sure tell how successful by the joyous expression on his face," George said sarcastically, hooting with laughter.
"-It seems however, that although we no longer have an enemy with the Italians we are having problems with our own Ministry. Dumbledore is currently having a meeting with Cornelius Fudge as we speak. He has sent me here to talk in his place. He is trying to convince Cornelius that reinforcements- especially in the form of mediwitches and basic supplies are greatly needed in Diso at the moment. Also, the 'refugee camp' that has been set up needs some help. Fewer and fewer victims are being found alive. In fact, the total number of survivors that live in the camp is only around twenty people. However there have been casualties to the other side as well, some of them reckless," Snape said, pausing to glare at Mundungus. Dung, who wasn't even paying attention, kept staring at one of the pictures on the wall and silently calculating its worth.
"There have been four arrests made because of this attack, but they can not be tried in the Wizengamot courts here in England, instead the trials will take place in Italy. We are in the process of sending a representative to Italy, especially since Narcissa Malfoy was spotted walking through Rome early this morning talking to a member of the Italian Ministry. When Dumbledore gets back from his meeting he will tell us our next course of action." Snape sat in his seat and next Tonks stood up. She didn't begin as smoothly as Snape.
"Uh, can everyone hear me?" She asked a little nervously at first. Mrs. Weasley gave her an encouraging smile from her seat. "Right well um, I would just like to say good job on successfully finding Fiona and bringing her to safety. Dumbledore has decided that it is best if she attend Hogwarts this fall. She will be enrolled as a sixth year student and has already expressed excitement about going to school. Her O.W.L. testing will begin the day after tomorrow and I'm sure academically she will be very ready, however there comes the issue of her wand. Her last wand was lost in Diso, it's presumed to be destroyed. There is not enough time for her to get a new one before testing, so she will take her tests using Harry's wand," Tonks paused, waiting for a reaction. Upstairs, there was definitely a reaction.
"WHAT? Who said this? I did NOT give permission for anyone to use MY wand-"Harry shouted.
"No offense or anything," Ron whispered to Fiona. "He gets like this sometimes."
"I can not BELIEVE-"
"Harry shut up! She's about to start talking again!" Ginny warned. Harry quieted down quickly but one look at his face and Fiona shifted farther away from Harry- and ended up right next to Fred.
"That's alright- you can share with me," Fred said smiling at her. "Don't listen to him." He added, putting his arm around her and giving her a squeeze.
"A witch, or wizard for that matter, can not get along without a wand and so it has been suggested that the children take a trip to Diagon Alley in order to purchase their school supplies as well as a new wand for Fiona. Of course Molly and I would accompany them to Diagon Alley and we are assuming that we can use Fred and George's shop as a lookout where there will be members standing guard. The day trip is scheduled for the day after Fiona finishes her exams, which will be in a week's time. Dumbledore has decided that Lupin and Moody will be in the apartment above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," Tonks said before walking to her seat.
"Hey Harry- at least no one's stealin your home!" Fred said, frowning.
"Shh! Moody's standin up!" Ginny said. The room fell silent as everyone stared at the little cards intently.
'Peeping Toms are no fun, they could really hurt someone!' The message appeared on Ron's card first. He immediately started yelling. Then it appeared on Harry's.
'Peeping Toms are no fun, they could really hurt someone!' Then it spread to Ginny's, Fred's, and last was George's.
"Alright, everyone quiet!" George said. "Seriously Ron, stop screaming! Nothing will happen if you just shut up!" Ron stopped his whimpering.
"Spying accomplished," Fred said.
"But the meeting's not over!" Ginny protested. "I want to keep watching! Have you at least got any Extendable Ears?"
"Nope, honestly we didn't even think to bring any extras."
"Yeah, we just took a couple cards- didn't even count how many we had when we left," Fred said.
"How are we supposed to know when Dumbledore arrives?" Harry asked.
"I wouldn't worry," Ginny said. "He'll probably come talk to you anyways. After all, he did order you to be taken from the Dursley's house. But I'll see you later. If we're going to Diagon Alley early, I want to write Dean!" Ron rolled his eyes at her as she walked out the door.
"Ok so now where are you two off to?" Ron inquired.
"What are you talking about, we're staying right here all night," George said, laughing.
"Oi, come on!" Ron said.
"Don't worry, we're going. Come on Fiona, we'll take you on a tour!" Fred said, grabbing her hand and practically pulling her out of the room.
"Harry- how was your birthday? Accept my apology for not being there, but I'm sure you've heard of the current predicament."
"Professor Dumbledore! I didn't hear you come in," Harry started.
"I can not stay for very long, I was just stopping by to see how you were doing," Dumbledore said, walking over and taking a seat next to Harry. "Of course you are not feeling the same yet, but do not worry- soon you will be able to deal with certain- circumstances. Have you been having any trouble recently? Professor Snape could make you a sleeping potion." Harry just looked at him, deciding if he wanted to tell Dumbledore about the dreams, the constant misery.
"Actually Professor-"Harry began.
"A potion will be delivered to your room before you sleep tonight- drink the whole thing at once," Dumbledore cautioned him, not even giving him time to finish. Harry looked at him and was surprised to see him looking rather upset.
"Now I wanted to talk to you about a certain army of yours," he added with a smile. "I have decided to reestablish Dumbledore's Army. You will still be in charge, of course. However, it will be run a bit differently. So that this does not look like an act of treason, as the Minister seems to consider it- we will make it appear as if it were a class. I have already found a teacher and there will be short examinations that simply test the skills that will be learned. There will be a definite class time, of course. What I need you to do is notify the existing members- and possibly some new ones- of the status of the army. I think you should be able to do that tomorrow with Hermione of course."
"Hermione's here?" Harry asked, surprised. He hadn't even received a letter from her in a long time.
"Yes, she is just downstairs. Her parents were a little anxious to part with her, but I calmed them. She will come up to see you after I leave. There is one last thing, Harry-"Dumbledore said. "You should continue your Occlumency lessons this summer. I will personally be taking over your Occlumency training. The first lesson will be on after your History of Magic exam during tea."
"Thank-you Professor," Harry said, remembering how horrible lessons with Snape were.
"Now, I must be leaving but before I go, is there anything you wish to ask me, Harry?"
"Well, sir. I was wondering if you could tell me about Fiona," Harry asked quietly. For a second, he thought he saw a glimmer in Dumbledore's eye, but he blinked and it was gone.
"Harry, I do not think it is I who should be telling you about Fiona- but I will ask this of you. Befriend her- it's what she needs most right now. None of her friends survived. She is very confused in her new surroundings. I think the two of you could learn a lot about yourselves by being together. And with that, I must leave you Harry. I will see you in two days time. Now, where have those Weasley twins gone off? I can never seem to find them-" Dumbledore smiled at Harry before he turned to leave. Harry sat on his bed, thinking. Dumbledore had not given him new information on Fiona- but he had asked Harry to be her friend.
"Harry! How are you?" Hermione said, racing into the room and pulling Harry off the bed to give him a hug. Ron walked in blushing from ear to ear and Harry guessed he got a hug too. "I heard about your History of Magic exam- that's just terrible, Harry, really! At least you get to take it over! Do you need help studying?"
"How did you do?" Harry asked ignoring her inquiry, because he knew she was dying to tell him her own scores. Ron was snickering behind her.
"Ten 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations'. Honestly, I don't know why they're even counting Astrology at all!" Harry laughed; having only one Exceeds Expectations would upset only Hermione. "But don't worry- I'm leaving you now because I know you need to get some rest. Here, this is from Snape." Hermione added, shoving a goblet in his direction before dragging Ron out the door.
Finally the day had come for Harry to retake his History of Magic examination. As he sat in the kitchen waiting for the exam to begin he looked over and noticed that Fiona looked extremely nervous- she was taking her exams in half the normal time with hardly any preparation- compared to what most fifth years at Hogwart's had. Harry wasn't so nervous- he couldn't possibly get a worse grade this time than the last. Besides, Tonks had given them a pretty good review. He just had to sit there and wait.
The test wasn't so bad. He finished a couple minutes early and was silently laughing to himself about all the names he had made up for a goblin revolt he had never heard of. He looked over at Fiona who was furiously writing pages and pages of essays. He probably wrote half as much as she did but he didn't let it worry him. After the test, Harry went to meet Dumbledore in a room on the third floor.
That's all for today...I hope that you liked my chapter. If you did, please review....
Please review if you have a chance! Please....
And special thanks to my betas, Lyds and dreamermarie!!
Chapter Four: Stretching Senses
While Harry, Ron, and Ginny dutifully waited for their next letters from Hogwart's and Hermione, Mrs. Weasley put them to work.
"I thought we already cleaned out every room! How is it possible that there are more? I swear- this door just appeared here today. It definitely wasn't here when I went down for breakfast," Ron complained.
"Shut it, Ronald," Ginny said as soon as their mother huffed out of the room for the second time. Apparently, the Black family had not been big on dusting- this room was one of the dirtiest yet.
"Eww!" Ginny suddenly screamed as a spider, somewhat quaffle sized, fell onto her lap and scuttled across the floor. Ron seemed glued to the spot where he was standing until he suddenly darted out of the room.
"Honestly," Harry said. "I'm going to find your mum, why don't you come with me?" Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and pulled her out the door, "Shut the door quickly, before it gets out!" He bit back a scream as the huge, black, hairy insect started towards the door. Ginny shut the door just in time.
"Whew! That was close!" Ginny said.
Then, Ginny screamed even louder than before. When she had closed the door, she had closed it on one of the spider's legs. The severed leg lay twitching on the floor in front of her.
"What's all the racket?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she came up the stairs carrying several brooms in one hand. The other held a large garbage bag. She stopped when she saw the detached leg on the floor. "Oh come now, Ginny dear- it's not so bad. I can take care of this in a second! You know you can't be that loud- Fiona and Tonks are downstairs studying for Fiona's O.W.L.s!" She turned to Harry. "Now exactly how big is this thing?"
"Er- well, it's pretty big. Ron ran off- no idea where he went, though."
"That's alright, he'll come back later. Ok, let's just open the door a smidge and- OH MY GOODNESS!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked. Apparently, Ron wasn't the only Weasley with a fear of spiders. "Petrificus Totalus!" The spider froze in its position and rolled over. Harry watched in amazement as Mrs. Weasley mumbled something and the spider- detached leg and all- disappeared.
"Way to go, Mum!" Ginny said, thoroughly impressed.
"Well that wasn't so bad- now was it?" Mrs. Weasley said, ignoring her shaking hands. Then, acting as if nothing was wrong, Mrs. Weasley walked into the room. Harry walked in behind her, reluctantly. Ginny followed behind, using Harry as a human shield. Ron was nowhere to be found.
"Hmm, this room seems a little dangerous," Mrs. Weasley said- spying some metal hooks and chains on the walls. "I think I'll have Alastor walk through the rest of the rooms before we continue on. Don't worry, no more cleaning in this wing today. Harry, dear, why don't you go to the kitchen and begin studying for your History of Magic exam? Ginny, go find Ron and then meet me in the hall- you two can help me clean up some other rooms I know are safe." Both Harry and Ginny grumbled as they walked back into the hallway.
As Harry neared the kitchen, he heard giggles getting louder and louder. He walked into the room to find Fiona hysterically laughing while Tonks sat across from her at the table. Tonks, a metamorphmagus, was changing different features on her face. At the present, she had an absurdly long nose and two beady little eyes. She quickly changed back when she saw Harry walk into the room.
"Where is Molly?" She asked, knowing she'd get a good scolding if Mrs. Weasley caught her making faces while she was supposed to be tutoring. "We were just taking a much needed break. Fiona, apparently, is very good with Potions and Charms. Her Astronomy is excellent. Her transfiguration however, needs a little bit of work." Tonks added with a smile.
"Mrs. Weasley's still upstairs, cleaning every room she finds- with Ginny in tow. She sent me down so we can start studying for History of Magic," Harry answered. Fiona frowned.
"She had me transfigure a wooden box into a flying bird. I got the bird shape alright- it's just a shame wooden birds can't fly," Fiona said. Tonks laughed behind her.
"The thing fell to the ground like lead!" Tonks said, not even suppressing her laughter. Harry began laughing and the three soon began the next lesson. They stopped after an hour or so for a snack of chocolate frogs before continuing on.
"Don't mind me, dears- keep on working. I'm just going to start dinner. Tonks- don't forget that there's a meeting tonight," Mrs. Weasley said as she slipped into the room.
"That's alright, Mrs. Weasley. We're about up to the 1800's anyhow. We'll finish the rest tomorrow. Make sure you two rest up today. Fiona, you still need to study for Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Arithmancy, and Ancient Runes. We'll work on those tomorrow, after we're done with History of Magic."
"Thank you. I'll see you later," Fiona said, before getting up from the table. She picked up all the books that Tonks had given her and went upstairs.
"Who takes Arithmancy and Ancient Runes?" Tonks asked.
"Hermione," Harry answered. "Speaking of, I think I'm going to see if she sent us anything. Thanks for all your help, Tonks." Harry himself got up from the table and briskly walked out of the room.
"Harry, good fellow, you're still here!" George boomed, as soon as Harry walked into his bedroom.
"We're comforting Ickle Ronniekins over here because he got scared by an itty- bitty spider, right Ronnie?" Fred said, taunting his brother.
"Shove it, will you," Ron yelled in exasperation.
Apparently, Fred had become bored with his youngest brother, because he turned to Harry. "Anyway, Harry, we figured we'd offer you a gift. As our greatest benefactor, we will expect you to test out some of our more prestigious products," he started. Harry looked a little wary.
"Now, we all know that tonight there is a very big, very important meeting downstairs and so, Fred and I have come to assist you. Professor Lupin has contacted us and said he has made it so that mother couldn't possibly stop us from using our Extendable Ears. Besides, we fixed them up. They are virtually unrecognizable and they offer something that few other of our products do- vision," George said triumphantly.
"Yes, our Extendable Ears are now part of our collection called Stretching Senses. This particular set, the second of its kind, comes with our Expandable Eyes. Catchy isn't it?" Fred said, smugly. "Now you can see and hear what is going on around you. There are still some glitches, though. Watch out because if you use it too long you'll get a message that says 'Peeping Toms are no fun, they could really hurt someone!' I don't know how that got there, but it flashes in big green letters. And if you still don't stop after that- well let's just say the results aren't pretty."
"You should get about two hours or so on this pair, though. Possibly more," George said quickly, after he saw the disgusted looks on the faces of Harry and Ron. Out of his pocket, George produced several little cards.
"Those look like the cards from Chocolate Frogs," Harry said incredulously.
"Yep they do, old chum. And yet, they are nothing like those boring, useless child's cards. Now, if you noticed- which you probably didn't, hanging in the two rooms most likely to be in use tonight, are two other cards very similar to this. They are hidden and out of sight, but they will transfer sound and images to these very cards right here. To use the cards, simply hold the card and say, 'One, Two, I'll spy on you!' and then they should work. Unfortunately, there is no way to change the dim-witted charm," Fred said, frowning.
"When you are done you simply say, 'Spying accomplished' and they will return back to their usual appearance. Oh look- this one's Dumbledore," George said, amazed with himself. Ron looked at the card in shock before walking back over to his bed.
"Harry, our letters came from Hogwarts. We're going to have to get our books much earlier this year- there is so much work to do in everything already. In Potions, we have to do the first two lessons! I don't know how Snape expects all of this, I really don't! Here's your letter, though," Ron said, handing Harry his letter.
"Way to be the bearer of bad news, Ronald!" Fred scoffed.
At least we give him cool stuff," George added. Ron glowered at him.
"Seriously now- this isn't even your room!" Ron barked.
"Alright, alright- we hear you. But we'll be back after dinner," Fred said, winking in Harry's direction. Harry opened his letter and began reading.
'Dear Mr. Potter,
Congratulations on choosing your classes for next year. Enclosed with this letter you will find a list of books and materials ("You should see all the junk Snape's requiring!" Ron said in the background) that you will need in your next year at Hogwarts. It is suggested that you begin your summer work as soon as possible since there is such a short time left already-'
The letter went on to talk all about the N.E.W.T.s that the students would begin preparing for in the fall. Harry read each long paragraph before he turned to the next page. Ron was right- the amount of work that Snape wanted them to do was unbelievable- but in addition to the regular N.E.W.T. level potions work, Harry had some assignments from his old book as well.
"He gave me extra lessons!"
"Guess all the people that got Exceeded Expectations have to do some extra, eh?" Ron asked. Ron decided he wasn't going to be the one to remind him that Harry's first letter already told him this.
"Still a Prefect?" Harry asked. Ron was hoping he had forgotten.
"Yeah, I'm pretty rotten at it though, so I don't understand why."
Harry understood perfectly. That just meant that Dumbledore had something else for him to do. Hopefully, he'd learn what that something else was tonight.
The meeting started as soon as dinner ended. Dumbledore sent Dobby to Grimmauld Place for the night to help clean up so the meeting could be started right away.
While the members of the Order gathered together downstairs, upstairs a similar gathering was taking place in Ron and Harry's room.
"We need a new meeting place- you simply can't keep barging in here," Ron complained.
"Oh, hush up you great git," George snapped. "They're about to start."
Fred and George had only brought five cards with them. Ginny and Fiona shared a card, while Fred, George, Harry, and Ron each had their own.
"Look there's Snape! The biggest git of 'em all!" Fred exclaimed.
"Shh! They're starting the meeting!" Ron said, his patience with the twins was wearing thin.
It was true; downstairs various members of the Order were beginning to sit down. There seemed to be so many people there. Severus Snape stood up to talk first.
"Boring!" George called out. Everyone laughed but quieted down as he began speaking.
"The most apparent business at hand; the attack in Italy. The meeting with the Italian Ministry has been a success-"Snape started.
"You can sure tell how successful by the joyous expression on his face," George said sarcastically, hooting with laughter.
"-It seems however, that although we no longer have an enemy with the Italians we are having problems with our own Ministry. Dumbledore is currently having a meeting with Cornelius Fudge as we speak. He has sent me here to talk in his place. He is trying to convince Cornelius that reinforcements- especially in the form of mediwitches and basic supplies are greatly needed in Diso at the moment. Also, the 'refugee camp' that has been set up needs some help. Fewer and fewer victims are being found alive. In fact, the total number of survivors that live in the camp is only around twenty people. However there have been casualties to the other side as well, some of them reckless," Snape said, pausing to glare at Mundungus. Dung, who wasn't even paying attention, kept staring at one of the pictures on the wall and silently calculating its worth.
"There have been four arrests made because of this attack, but they can not be tried in the Wizengamot courts here in England, instead the trials will take place in Italy. We are in the process of sending a representative to Italy, especially since Narcissa Malfoy was spotted walking through Rome early this morning talking to a member of the Italian Ministry. When Dumbledore gets back from his meeting he will tell us our next course of action." Snape sat in his seat and next Tonks stood up. She didn't begin as smoothly as Snape.
"Uh, can everyone hear me?" She asked a little nervously at first. Mrs. Weasley gave her an encouraging smile from her seat. "Right well um, I would just like to say good job on successfully finding Fiona and bringing her to safety. Dumbledore has decided that it is best if she attend Hogwarts this fall. She will be enrolled as a sixth year student and has already expressed excitement about going to school. Her O.W.L. testing will begin the day after tomorrow and I'm sure academically she will be very ready, however there comes the issue of her wand. Her last wand was lost in Diso, it's presumed to be destroyed. There is not enough time for her to get a new one before testing, so she will take her tests using Harry's wand," Tonks paused, waiting for a reaction. Upstairs, there was definitely a reaction.
"WHAT? Who said this? I did NOT give permission for anyone to use MY wand-"Harry shouted.
"No offense or anything," Ron whispered to Fiona. "He gets like this sometimes."
"I can not BELIEVE-"
"Harry shut up! She's about to start talking again!" Ginny warned. Harry quieted down quickly but one look at his face and Fiona shifted farther away from Harry- and ended up right next to Fred.
"That's alright- you can share with me," Fred said smiling at her. "Don't listen to him." He added, putting his arm around her and giving her a squeeze.
"A witch, or wizard for that matter, can not get along without a wand and so it has been suggested that the children take a trip to Diagon Alley in order to purchase their school supplies as well as a new wand for Fiona. Of course Molly and I would accompany them to Diagon Alley and we are assuming that we can use Fred and George's shop as a lookout where there will be members standing guard. The day trip is scheduled for the day after Fiona finishes her exams, which will be in a week's time. Dumbledore has decided that Lupin and Moody will be in the apartment above Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," Tonks said before walking to her seat.
"Hey Harry- at least no one's stealin your home!" Fred said, frowning.
"Shh! Moody's standin up!" Ginny said. The room fell silent as everyone stared at the little cards intently.
'Peeping Toms are no fun, they could really hurt someone!' The message appeared on Ron's card first. He immediately started yelling. Then it appeared on Harry's.
'Peeping Toms are no fun, they could really hurt someone!' Then it spread to Ginny's, Fred's, and last was George's.
"Alright, everyone quiet!" George said. "Seriously Ron, stop screaming! Nothing will happen if you just shut up!" Ron stopped his whimpering.
"Spying accomplished," Fred said.
"But the meeting's not over!" Ginny protested. "I want to keep watching! Have you at least got any Extendable Ears?"
"Nope, honestly we didn't even think to bring any extras."
"Yeah, we just took a couple cards- didn't even count how many we had when we left," Fred said.
"How are we supposed to know when Dumbledore arrives?" Harry asked.
"I wouldn't worry," Ginny said. "He'll probably come talk to you anyways. After all, he did order you to be taken from the Dursley's house. But I'll see you later. If we're going to Diagon Alley early, I want to write Dean!" Ron rolled his eyes at her as she walked out the door.
"Ok so now where are you two off to?" Ron inquired.
"What are you talking about, we're staying right here all night," George said, laughing.
"Oi, come on!" Ron said.
"Don't worry, we're going. Come on Fiona, we'll take you on a tour!" Fred said, grabbing her hand and practically pulling her out of the room.
"Harry- how was your birthday? Accept my apology for not being there, but I'm sure you've heard of the current predicament."
"Professor Dumbledore! I didn't hear you come in," Harry started.
"I can not stay for very long, I was just stopping by to see how you were doing," Dumbledore said, walking over and taking a seat next to Harry. "Of course you are not feeling the same yet, but do not worry- soon you will be able to deal with certain- circumstances. Have you been having any trouble recently? Professor Snape could make you a sleeping potion." Harry just looked at him, deciding if he wanted to tell Dumbledore about the dreams, the constant misery.
"Actually Professor-"Harry began.
"A potion will be delivered to your room before you sleep tonight- drink the whole thing at once," Dumbledore cautioned him, not even giving him time to finish. Harry looked at him and was surprised to see him looking rather upset.
"Now I wanted to talk to you about a certain army of yours," he added with a smile. "I have decided to reestablish Dumbledore's Army. You will still be in charge, of course. However, it will be run a bit differently. So that this does not look like an act of treason, as the Minister seems to consider it- we will make it appear as if it were a class. I have already found a teacher and there will be short examinations that simply test the skills that will be learned. There will be a definite class time, of course. What I need you to do is notify the existing members- and possibly some new ones- of the status of the army. I think you should be able to do that tomorrow with Hermione of course."
"Hermione's here?" Harry asked, surprised. He hadn't even received a letter from her in a long time.
"Yes, she is just downstairs. Her parents were a little anxious to part with her, but I calmed them. She will come up to see you after I leave. There is one last thing, Harry-"Dumbledore said. "You should continue your Occlumency lessons this summer. I will personally be taking over your Occlumency training. The first lesson will be on after your History of Magic exam during tea."
"Thank-you Professor," Harry said, remembering how horrible lessons with Snape were.
"Now, I must be leaving but before I go, is there anything you wish to ask me, Harry?"
"Well, sir. I was wondering if you could tell me about Fiona," Harry asked quietly. For a second, he thought he saw a glimmer in Dumbledore's eye, but he blinked and it was gone.
"Harry, I do not think it is I who should be telling you about Fiona- but I will ask this of you. Befriend her- it's what she needs most right now. None of her friends survived. She is very confused in her new surroundings. I think the two of you could learn a lot about yourselves by being together. And with that, I must leave you Harry. I will see you in two days time. Now, where have those Weasley twins gone off? I can never seem to find them-" Dumbledore smiled at Harry before he turned to leave. Harry sat on his bed, thinking. Dumbledore had not given him new information on Fiona- but he had asked Harry to be her friend.
"Harry! How are you?" Hermione said, racing into the room and pulling Harry off the bed to give him a hug. Ron walked in blushing from ear to ear and Harry guessed he got a hug too. "I heard about your History of Magic exam- that's just terrible, Harry, really! At least you get to take it over! Do you need help studying?"
"How did you do?" Harry asked ignoring her inquiry, because he knew she was dying to tell him her own scores. Ron was snickering behind her.
"Ten 'Outstandings' and one 'Exceeds Expectations'. Honestly, I don't know why they're even counting Astrology at all!" Harry laughed; having only one Exceeds Expectations would upset only Hermione. "But don't worry- I'm leaving you now because I know you need to get some rest. Here, this is from Snape." Hermione added, shoving a goblet in his direction before dragging Ron out the door.
Finally the day had come for Harry to retake his History of Magic examination. As he sat in the kitchen waiting for the exam to begin he looked over and noticed that Fiona looked extremely nervous- she was taking her exams in half the normal time with hardly any preparation- compared to what most fifth years at Hogwart's had. Harry wasn't so nervous- he couldn't possibly get a worse grade this time than the last. Besides, Tonks had given them a pretty good review. He just had to sit there and wait.
The test wasn't so bad. He finished a couple minutes early and was silently laughing to himself about all the names he had made up for a goblin revolt he had never heard of. He looked over at Fiona who was furiously writing pages and pages of essays. He probably wrote half as much as she did but he didn't let it worry him. After the test, Harry went to meet Dumbledore in a room on the third floor.
That's all for today...I hope that you liked my chapter. If you did, please review....