Okay, folks, I'm warning you now, this is a shorty chapter. It probably should have gone on the tail end of the last one, but it just didn't feel right. So I didn't put it there. And...well, there is a bit of a cliffie at the end, and that's why I'm waiting to post this along with the next chapter. You'll understand when you've read both.
CQ
Chapter Fourteen: Secrets
They returned to the house in near silence. Maura stared moodily out the window, while Luna shuffled papers beside her.
"Harry, are your wards up to date?" she asked as she read.
"Luna, relax. There's no danger."
"You've just invited armed military personnel into the headquarters of the Order, Harry. Forgive me for being concerned," Luna commented dryly.
"Luna, their weapons will be useless the minute they enter. Relax." Ron was leaning his head back against the headrest. Maura watched as Luna glared at him.
"Do you want me to be there tomorrow night?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Harry sounded surprised.
"I know you prefer to keep the Order separate from your legal counsel."
"Luna, this goes beyond that. We'll need you there tomorrow."
"Six?" She inquired.
"Better make it five," he said. "I want plenty of time to discuss this before they show up. Can you look into contract law on..."
The conversation continued like this, with the odd comment from Ron, until they pulled into Harry's driveway. They were met by both Molly and Ginny at the door.
"Well?"
"Molly, we're going to have some guests tomorrow evening." Harry said.
"And Maura?"
"I'm fine, Molly. It was... a token warning. But I don't expect them to enforce it. Apparently, you people are everywhere."
Molly looked curiously at Harry, then Ron.
"The officer who questioned Maura turned out to be Colin Creavey," Ron said.
Ginny gasped, "You're kidding?"
"Not even a little bit."
Luna left shortly thereafter, and Maura retreated to the kitchen for a desperately needed cup of tea. It was nearly noon, and her stomach was doing back flips.
"I'll have lunch on in a minute, love," Molly bustled through. "You must be starved."
"Actually, Molly, I could kill a cup of tea."
"I just brewed a pot," Molly said. "Help yourself."
Ron came in just as she was pouring out and she looked up at him, indicating the pot. "Tea?"
"Love some," he said, sitting down at the table. "Well, that was a... surprising morning."
"Gee, how so?" she teased, adding the milk and two teaspoons of sugar she knew he liked and placing the cup in front of him.
Ron laughed. "So, how do you know Colin?"
"I'm a foreign correspondent who works in war zones, he's a military tactician. How do you think?"
"Known him long?"
"About four years, I guess. I can't remember when I first met him, and that's how long I've been doing this."
"Know him... well?" Ron stared into his cup, absently stirring his tea.
"As well as can be expected," she retorted stiffly. She didn't like where this was going.
"Oh? How well would that be?"
"Ron?" Maura watched him closely, "I didn't even know his first name. Does that tell you anything?"
Ron sighed. "Sorry, Maura, it's just..."
"Colin Creavey and I have met a handful of times, always in relation to our work. I've never been in his company in any private, personal way."
"Ah," Ron blushed.
"I don't believe it."
"What?"
"Your can blush."
"I am not blushing," he denied.
"Oh, really? Are you overly warm, then?"
"No... I... I didn't blush!"
"You did."
"You have got to be the most annoying woman! Do you always have to have the last word?"
"Now, now, children," Molly called from the pantry. "Stop bickering!"
"We're not bickering!" Ron called back.
"No. We aren't." confirmed Maura as Molly came into the kitchen. She picked up her tea and headed for the door. "You are, Ron."
"See?" she heard him yell. "The bloody last word again! See?"
"Whatever, Ron!" she called back over her shoulder, heading up the stairs to her work room. She had a lot of work to do by tomorrow evening.
The Order of the Phoenix met, en masse, at six o'clock the next evening. Harry had spoken to both Minerva and Arthur privately that day, and the meeting was more to share with the group what would be happening than to get input.
It was agreed that those coming didn't need to know the identities of the entire group, so many left before seven. Those who stayed were mainly those who had been revealed as members during the last war: Minerva, Harry, Ron, Molly and Arthur and their children, and Severus Snape. Maura and Luna's attendance was assumed.
By the time their guests arrived, the group was well versed in how they wanted this to play out. They recognized the benefits of an alliance with the muggle military, but knew too that the price might be too high.
When Colin Creavey arrived, he was accompanied only by Lieutenant Howell. He greeted Minerva and Ginny fondly, and offered a handshake to Snape, whose sneer was badly hidden.
"Still haven't forgiven me, huh?" Colin smiled at the older man, ruefully.
"Are you still as disrespectful as you were at fifteen, Mr Creavey?"
"I joined the military, professor. What do you think?" Colin grinned. "You know, it really wasn't that bad a picture."
"Yes. If I'd been clothed at the time, it would have been quite lovely," Snape said sarcastically, with his trademark sneer.
"Oh, you were clothed, professor," Colin grinned slyly.
"I do not consider my nightclothes to be... suitable attire for a photo session, Mr Creavey."
"Oh... was it the fact it was your nightclothes? I always thought it was the purple bunnies that did it."
Snape looked like he was about to explode. The others stared, shocked speechless. Colin had gotten a picture of Snape in purple bunny pajamas?
"That I have to see," Ron stared at Colin in awe. "And here we always thought of you as the geeky brown noser."
Colin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Not on your life, mate. You'd be surprised at how much fun a bloke with a camera and an uncle who is a fashion photographer can have in a school full of girls."
Ron's eyes almost popped. Harry cleared his throat and indicated for them to move into the War Room.
"Bloody hell," Maura heard Ron mutter as he followed Colin in. She tried to hide her grin, and failed dismally.
The following discussion lasted for over three hours, and centered mainly around the logistics of teaching military tactics at the school. Minerva was quite concerned about the reaction of the parents of her current students to the change in curriculum, and how it might be perceived.
"So offer it as an elective," Maura finally said shortly, frustrated that silly details were taking up so much of the discussion. "Like the DA was..."
They all stared at her. Colin's eyes assessed her coolly.
"You know... from the books?" she flushed. "What?"
"Nothing," Harry said. "And an excellent suggestion. Minerva, you could send each student's family a notice that electives will be offered for summer study and into next year. People will talk either way, but this will give it a totally different feel than suddenly insisting every student take such training."
"But will it be required curriculum for the... alternative students?" Minerva asked.
"Absolutely. They're coming to learn how to defend themselves and their families. This is part of it."
"I would suggest," said Colin, "that we have a modified curriculum for the younger students. I'm not sure the smaller ones would be able to handle the physical requirements of the full training."
"That would, of course, be entirely up to you, Mr Creavey, and your best judgment." said Minerva. "So long as it is not perceived as harmful to the students in any way."
Colin nodded.
"Which brings us to the crux of it," Severus sat forward as he spoke. "What about your instructors?"
"What about them?"
"Are they... what will their qualifications be?"
"Army drill instructors. The best there are, Professor."
"That's not quite what I meant, Mr Creavey."
"Then please, explain."
"We have a duty to keep Hogwarts... secure... from the outside world. I would like to know how you would suggest having muggle instructors there without revealing to them the location of the school."
"You certainly don't mean to suggest, Professor, that I would endanger the security of Hogwarts by revealing it to the muggle public?"
"I mean, Mr Creavey, that not just anyone can even see the buildings."
"Ah, well, none of us attending ever had any problems."
"Only because the wards recognized your magic," explained Bill.
"Then we won't have any problem."
"We won't?" Snape asked.
"No, professor, we won't. All of those who have been selected to be exposed to Hogwarts are wizards or witches."
Harry's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Colin?"
"You didn't think I was the only wizard in the military, did you?"
"Of course not, but..."
"Relax, all of you. I have fourteen instructors already lined up. Two for each year teaching one of the two subjects that we have discussed. All attended either Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, or Durmstrang. Well, except for one who was home educated. They are all exception in their fields, and are all already fully aware of Hogwarts' existence."
Colin undid the sleeve of his shirt and rolled it up. There was a dark tattoo on his left forearm.
"This is something we do," he stated, showing the tattoo around the table. It was of a rose wrapped around a baton... a wand, Maura realized. Under neath, there was a small lion's head and a scripted 'H'. "This tells anyone who knows what it means that I am an English wizard, the rose and the wand, and I attended Hogwarts, and was a member of Gryffindor House. Howell?"
Lieutenant Howell proceeded to roll up his own shirtsleeve, showing a fleur des lis and a wand, with a scripted B with wings.
"Beauxbatons?" Harry asked. Howell nodded. "So you're able to identify other witches and wizards without saying a word?"
"Yes."
"And what if others ask you what it means?" Maura asked.
"It's amazing what can be explained away by a three day bender," Colin grinned.
"So," Snape cut in, "You have appropriate personnel, then?"
"Yes," Colin confirmed, rebuttoning his sleeve.
"And are they trustworthy?"
Colin's eyes snapped up to his old Potion's professor. As a member of Gryffindor House, he'd also been on the receiving end of Snape's detentions more than once. He respected the man as an adult, but there was a lot of angst left over from the adolescent that Colin had been.
"As trustworthy as Dumbledore considered you, Professor."
"Very well," Minerva interjected, sensing a situation about to degenerate. "The accommodations for the additional students and staff is ready. I see no reason why we shouldn't proceed."
"Thank you, professor," Colin said. "I appreciate that."
"You will be one of the new staff, Mr Creavey?"
"I had hoped to take the senior students tactical instruction."
Minerva nodded, "I will require a list of your instructors names and outlines of the curriculum you intend to follow for each class."
Colin shuffled through his papers and handed a folder over.
"Thank you, Mr Creavey," Minerva placed the folder with her other materials. "you can let me know when to expect you?"
"By the end of next week, if you can have the students ready by then."
Maura looked around the table. The faces of the people there showed varying degrees of concern. Arthur an Bill seemed to be most concerned, but all that told Maura was that they were the least skilled at hiding their true feelings.
Harry's face showed nothing. He sat with one ankle resting on the opposite knee, playing absently with a pencil on the table.
Ron stared blankly at the papers in front of him. Maura could tell that he was listening, hearing every nuance in every person's voice. She had learned in her time here that Ron had amazing auditory skills. He could hear things that others couldn't. He used that skill a lot, seeming to be Harry's silent back up or sidekick, when in fact, he often told Harry later about what he'd picked up from the way in which people said things, or the tone in their voice when they spoke. He was half of the team, and nothing less.
They finished off the meeting, and Harry invited Colin and Howell into his study for a drink as the others left. Maura and Ginny went into the kitchen, the others dispersed, and Ron followed Harry and the two soldiers into the den.
Once the door was closed, Ron took his usual place in the chair in the far corner, and Harry cast a quick privacy charm while pouring out firewhiskey for each of them.
Colin observed him silently as he handed them around, and waited until they were all seated before he spoke.
"How did you find her, Harry?"
Harry looked down into the glass he held and smiled sadly. "Don't worry, Colin. It had nothing to do with your ability as a secret-keeper."
