Chapter 1
Uncertain Expectations
"Every man's life lies within the present; for the past is spent and done
with, and the future is uncertain." – Marcus Aelius Aurelius
With his graduation behind him, Harry woke on the morning of his 18th birthday with a sigh, to the twittering of owls at his bedroom window. The house was still the meeting place for the Order, but Harry's godfather, Sirius, had left him the deed to 12 Grimmauld Place in his will. He dragged himself from the bed to relieve the birds of their burdens, somewhat disappointed; he'd half-expected the letter containing his Hogwarts school list to arrive. But, unfortunately, Harry's seventh year had ended, thrusting him into the wizarding world as a full blown adult.
On the brighter side, Harry could now join the Order. Though he, Ron, and Hermione had wanted to join at the age of sixteen, and were adults by wizard law, Lupin decided id would be better if they waited until they were out of school. (With Mrs. Weasley constantly nagging him that they were still far too young an age, not to mention.) And today was the official induction and celebration. The three of them were to become official members that night. Harry grinned with anticipation as he pulled on a set of fresh clothes. He then sat on his bed to open the freshly delivered packages.
The first was a birthday present from Hagrid. He had sent a letter saying that he would be there that afternoon for the induction. Hagrid had accompanied the letter with a tin of his homemade treacle tart, which Harry knew enough not to bite into, lest he wanted a chipped tooth.
The second owl had delivered a letter from Dumbledore. Because Harry had not returned to his aunt and uncle's house as he did every year in order renew the protection spell, and also because he was out of the country at the moment – a mission for the Order – Dumbledore was always dropping a note to Harry, to check up on him. Asking what he was up to and how he was feeling. It was the same-old-same-old note, as usual, but with a gift, too. He had given Harry a silver pocket watch, with an engraving on the inside cover. He squinted at the words to see them more clearly, but still could not read what was written, since it was written in runes. Harry closed it and put it in his pocket; he would translate it later.
The final package had taken four large barn owls to deliver. Harry laid it on his bed and began to untie the packaging. A small gasp escaped his lips as he tore away the last piece of wrapping.
A stained oak box lay before him, with an intricate carving on the lid. It was that of a forest, with a small clearing in the center. A large lily grew alone in the middle, drenched in light from the full moon in the sky above. To the right of the flower lay a stag lying peacefully; to the left sat a large, shaggy dog. Both were intently staring at the lily between them. Harry passed a trembling hand over the figures, his eyes welling as he named each one of the carvings silently. He lifted the lid to find a green, satin lined interior. The bottom was molded in the shape of a broomstick, and the inside of the lid was lined with pockets for, or Harry assumed were for, broom care products.
A piece of parchment stuck out from one of said pockets. Harry plucked it out and read:
Dear Harry,
Happy Birthday! I do hope you like the present. It was originally
a plain box, but I thought you might like it a bit more personalized.
you had better use it, too. I've seen the way you keep your Firebolt.
I should be arriving at about lunch time for your party and the induction.
Tell everyone that I say Hello, if you would. I had better start
packing. See you at noon.
Love,
Hermione
"Oh, Hermione," Harry said to himself, "how did you manage to outdo yourself?" He put the parchment back in the pocket. He strode over to his closet, dug out his Firebolt, and carefully laid it in the case. He picked it up, and with a soft crack, Disapparated, only to Apparate in the room next to his own; Ron's room.
"Ron, wake up," Harry said, shaking Ron's shoulder gently. A groan escaped the bundle of blankets rolled up on the bed. His bright red head emerged, and Ron tried to focus his eyes on his visitor.
"Harry?" Ron asked groggily. "What's the matter?"
"Ron, get up. You have to see what Hermione got me for my birthday."
Ron sighed as he untangled himself and sat up. "Alright then," he said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Let's see it."
Harry placed the case gently on Ron's lap, and then sat down on the foot of the bed. He smiled to himself at his friend's reaction to the gift, as it so closely mirrored his own. Ron's eyes danced as he investigated the box further, opening it and reading the note from Hermione. He let out another groan.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"The induction," Ron replied. "I'd forgotten it was tonight. I'd also forgotten how nervous I am about it all."
"Don't worry about it. Hermione and I will be there, too. It's just a dinner and a swearing in by oath. It won't be that bad." "That's easy for you to say," Ron said. He threw off the covers and got out of his bed. "You're used to being in the spotlight all the time. You don't go red when more than two people are looking at you. You don't have the balance of a one-legged hippogriff when you're nervous. And, you have got decent enough clothes to wear. He'd been rummaging through his dresser and throwing clothes about his room, irritated that couldn't find anything he deemed appropriate.
"Ron, you need to calm down. We have got more than twelve hours until we have to be ready. Besides, your mother will more than likely choose your clothes for you, so you don't need to worry about that. Just breathe."
Ron looked thoughtful. "Yeah. I guess that is true. Maybe I'm just making too big a deal about this."
"Definitely. We'll have some breakfast; maybe go for a walk or something. Just put tonight out of our minds for a while."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll be down in a few minutes." Ron was shuffling through his closet now.
Harry gathered up his box and left Ron to carpet his floor with clothing. After carefully storing his case in his own room, he headed downstairs to get something to eat.
Even though it was early morning, the dining room was abuzz with people eating and bustling about. Lupin stood at one doorway, wand out, straightening a banner that read: "Congratulations Harry, Ron, and Hermione!" A smaller banner hung under that one, reading: "Happy Birthday Harry!" Harry cringed, thinking about the party being blown out of proportion because of the induction happening at the same time. Mr. Weasley and Mundungus were sitting at the table, eating eggs and toast, happily chatting each other up.
Harry's hope that he might be able to get to the kitchen and back to Ron's room unnoticed died the moment Mrs. Weasley burst through the kitchen door. Their eyes locked, and just as Harry turned to head back, Mrs. Weasley was already across the room next to him, cutting off his ability to breathe in her tight embrace.
"Oh, Happy Birthday, Harry. I am so happy for you. The cake is baking, people are already arriving for the induction tonight, but there is still so much to do. And I've just received an owl from Dumbledore saying he will be arriving later on for the celebration." She let out a high pitched squeal, making Harry wince at the ear piercing noise. "Oh, it's all so exciting, isn't it? I've never been so proud of Ron."
"What about when he became a prefect?" Harry asked.
"Oh yes, that. Well, I was proud of him then, and I'm proud of him now, too." You might want to check on him. He's having a bit of a breakdown worrying about what he should wear."
Mrs. Weasley released Harry, and he filled his lungs with precious air. "Yes, he would at a thing like that." As she left the dinning room, Harry went into the kitchen to make something to eat. As he was buttering a muffin, he heard "I DO NOT NEED YOUR HELP!" echo above his head; apparently Ron wasn't thrilled at the idea of his mother still picking out his clothes. He went back into the dining room, and sat down just as Mrs. Weasley boomed out: "I'LL JUST WIND UP DOING IT THE END, ANYHOW!" Silence followed, and Harry guessed that Ron had backed down; a smart move on his part.
Uncertain Expectations
"Every man's life lies within the present; for the past is spent and done
with, and the future is uncertain." – Marcus Aelius Aurelius
With his graduation behind him, Harry woke on the morning of his 18th birthday with a sigh, to the twittering of owls at his bedroom window. The house was still the meeting place for the Order, but Harry's godfather, Sirius, had left him the deed to 12 Grimmauld Place in his will. He dragged himself from the bed to relieve the birds of their burdens, somewhat disappointed; he'd half-expected the letter containing his Hogwarts school list to arrive. But, unfortunately, Harry's seventh year had ended, thrusting him into the wizarding world as a full blown adult.
On the brighter side, Harry could now join the Order. Though he, Ron, and Hermione had wanted to join at the age of sixteen, and were adults by wizard law, Lupin decided id would be better if they waited until they were out of school. (With Mrs. Weasley constantly nagging him that they were still far too young an age, not to mention.) And today was the official induction and celebration. The three of them were to become official members that night. Harry grinned with anticipation as he pulled on a set of fresh clothes. He then sat on his bed to open the freshly delivered packages.
The first was a birthday present from Hagrid. He had sent a letter saying that he would be there that afternoon for the induction. Hagrid had accompanied the letter with a tin of his homemade treacle tart, which Harry knew enough not to bite into, lest he wanted a chipped tooth.
The second owl had delivered a letter from Dumbledore. Because Harry had not returned to his aunt and uncle's house as he did every year in order renew the protection spell, and also because he was out of the country at the moment – a mission for the Order – Dumbledore was always dropping a note to Harry, to check up on him. Asking what he was up to and how he was feeling. It was the same-old-same-old note, as usual, but with a gift, too. He had given Harry a silver pocket watch, with an engraving on the inside cover. He squinted at the words to see them more clearly, but still could not read what was written, since it was written in runes. Harry closed it and put it in his pocket; he would translate it later.
The final package had taken four large barn owls to deliver. Harry laid it on his bed and began to untie the packaging. A small gasp escaped his lips as he tore away the last piece of wrapping.
A stained oak box lay before him, with an intricate carving on the lid. It was that of a forest, with a small clearing in the center. A large lily grew alone in the middle, drenched in light from the full moon in the sky above. To the right of the flower lay a stag lying peacefully; to the left sat a large, shaggy dog. Both were intently staring at the lily between them. Harry passed a trembling hand over the figures, his eyes welling as he named each one of the carvings silently. He lifted the lid to find a green, satin lined interior. The bottom was molded in the shape of a broomstick, and the inside of the lid was lined with pockets for, or Harry assumed were for, broom care products.
A piece of parchment stuck out from one of said pockets. Harry plucked it out and read:
Dear Harry,
Happy Birthday! I do hope you like the present. It was originally
a plain box, but I thought you might like it a bit more personalized.
you had better use it, too. I've seen the way you keep your Firebolt.
I should be arriving at about lunch time for your party and the induction.
Tell everyone that I say Hello, if you would. I had better start
packing. See you at noon.
Love,
Hermione
"Oh, Hermione," Harry said to himself, "how did you manage to outdo yourself?" He put the parchment back in the pocket. He strode over to his closet, dug out his Firebolt, and carefully laid it in the case. He picked it up, and with a soft crack, Disapparated, only to Apparate in the room next to his own; Ron's room.
"Ron, wake up," Harry said, shaking Ron's shoulder gently. A groan escaped the bundle of blankets rolled up on the bed. His bright red head emerged, and Ron tried to focus his eyes on his visitor.
"Harry?" Ron asked groggily. "What's the matter?"
"Ron, get up. You have to see what Hermione got me for my birthday."
Ron sighed as he untangled himself and sat up. "Alright then," he said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Let's see it."
Harry placed the case gently on Ron's lap, and then sat down on the foot of the bed. He smiled to himself at his friend's reaction to the gift, as it so closely mirrored his own. Ron's eyes danced as he investigated the box further, opening it and reading the note from Hermione. He let out another groan.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked.
"The induction," Ron replied. "I'd forgotten it was tonight. I'd also forgotten how nervous I am about it all."
"Don't worry about it. Hermione and I will be there, too. It's just a dinner and a swearing in by oath. It won't be that bad." "That's easy for you to say," Ron said. He threw off the covers and got out of his bed. "You're used to being in the spotlight all the time. You don't go red when more than two people are looking at you. You don't have the balance of a one-legged hippogriff when you're nervous. And, you have got decent enough clothes to wear. He'd been rummaging through his dresser and throwing clothes about his room, irritated that couldn't find anything he deemed appropriate.
"Ron, you need to calm down. We have got more than twelve hours until we have to be ready. Besides, your mother will more than likely choose your clothes for you, so you don't need to worry about that. Just breathe."
Ron looked thoughtful. "Yeah. I guess that is true. Maybe I'm just making too big a deal about this."
"Definitely. We'll have some breakfast; maybe go for a walk or something. Just put tonight out of our minds for a while."
"Sounds like a plan. I'll be down in a few minutes." Ron was shuffling through his closet now.
Harry gathered up his box and left Ron to carpet his floor with clothing. After carefully storing his case in his own room, he headed downstairs to get something to eat.
Even though it was early morning, the dining room was abuzz with people eating and bustling about. Lupin stood at one doorway, wand out, straightening a banner that read: "Congratulations Harry, Ron, and Hermione!" A smaller banner hung under that one, reading: "Happy Birthday Harry!" Harry cringed, thinking about the party being blown out of proportion because of the induction happening at the same time. Mr. Weasley and Mundungus were sitting at the table, eating eggs and toast, happily chatting each other up.
Harry's hope that he might be able to get to the kitchen and back to Ron's room unnoticed died the moment Mrs. Weasley burst through the kitchen door. Their eyes locked, and just as Harry turned to head back, Mrs. Weasley was already across the room next to him, cutting off his ability to breathe in her tight embrace.
"Oh, Happy Birthday, Harry. I am so happy for you. The cake is baking, people are already arriving for the induction tonight, but there is still so much to do. And I've just received an owl from Dumbledore saying he will be arriving later on for the celebration." She let out a high pitched squeal, making Harry wince at the ear piercing noise. "Oh, it's all so exciting, isn't it? I've never been so proud of Ron."
"What about when he became a prefect?" Harry asked.
"Oh yes, that. Well, I was proud of him then, and I'm proud of him now, too." You might want to check on him. He's having a bit of a breakdown worrying about what he should wear."
Mrs. Weasley released Harry, and he filled his lungs with precious air. "Yes, he would at a thing like that." As she left the dinning room, Harry went into the kitchen to make something to eat. As he was buttering a muffin, he heard "I DO NOT NEED YOUR HELP!" echo above his head; apparently Ron wasn't thrilled at the idea of his mother still picking out his clothes. He went back into the dining room, and sat down just as Mrs. Weasley boomed out: "I'LL JUST WIND UP DOING IT THE END, ANYHOW!" Silence followed, and Harry guessed that Ron had backed down; a smart move on his part.