Ch 7:- The Old Order Changeth

It was getting dark before the Order of the Phoenix had gathered at Number 12.

Fred and George had joined the order after their famous escape from Hogwarts and were there first. Bill and Charlie Weasley were next, followed by Mundungus Fletcher, Emmeline Vance, Hestia Jones, Doris Crockford! Amelia Bones!! Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle and Sturgis Podmore who was still looking slightly pale despite being out of Askaban for almost six months. Kingsley Shacklebolt arrived with Remus Lupin and Tonks finally turned up with Arabella Figg. Tonks studiously avoided Harry's eye when she arrived.

Harry was definitely not reassured.

Mrs. Figg had brought Crookshanks instead of one of her cats, and the reunion between Hermione and Crookshanks took about ten minutes, after which he took off on a hunt for small furry things to pounce upon. Harry reckoned Crookshanks was onto a loser. Dobby and Winky had wreaked havoc on the rodent population in the few days they'd been there.

The meeting of the order was taking place in the study. It turned out to be the biggest room, just, now the library was visible again. Chairs had to be scrounged from all over the house, including the kitchen. Harry and the others went upstairs to his room to await the meeting conclusion. They'd already gone upstairs before Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall arrived with another person who Mr. Weasley called Artemis – at least that was what it sounded like through the partly open bedroom door.

Harry was just about to start the usual grumble about being left out, when Mrs Weasley appeared at the bedroom door.

'Harry, can you come downstairs.' she asked apologetically. 'The Professor needs you in the meeting to start with.'

Harry looked at the others. They looked back blankly. He shrugged his shoulders and went down stairs.

The study was packed with people. Harry knew all of them with the exception of a middle-aged man, who looked vaguely familiar. Professor Dumbledore had begun the meeting already, but turned as Harry entered.

'Ah Harry, please, over here in front.'

Harry squeezed between Kingsley and Moody then moved to stand beside Dumbledore who smiled at him.'

'Harry, you know everyone here I believe, except our friend Artemis Lovegood. Artemis, - Harry Potter.' The middle aged man smiled at Harry, who smiled back uncertainly. No wonder the man had looked familiar, he had to be Luna Lovegood's father!

Professor Dumbledore looked around and addressed the meeting.

'Harry has been bequeathed this property by Sirius Black and he has agreed that the Order may continue to use it as headquarters.' There were murmurs of gratitude from several directions. 'Harry also prevailed upon the painting which resided in the hallway to relinquish it's position. I am sure we are all grateful for the peace and quiet.' There were further murmurs, together with nodded heads.

'Now then, Harry,' continued the Professor after a pause. 'We were about to consider the evidence regarding the whereabouts of Lord Voldemort and I believe you can help us. Have you suffered any more headaches or pains in your scar, since the episode in the Ministry of Magic?'

'No, Professor'

'Have you suffered from any more dreams or hallucinations since the episode?'

Harry hesitated.

'Harry?' prompted the Professor. Harry's gaze was drawn inexorably towards Tonks. She was looking anywhere but at him and trying not to giggle. Harry looked at the Professor again.

'Nothing of the sort I experienced before, Professor!'

Professor Dumbledore looked a Harry silently for a second or two then turned to address the room in general. 'So, Harry has felt no indications of the presence of Lord Voldemort, which suggests he is not in this country, at all.

Kingsley Shacklebolt spoke up. 'Voldemort may simply not be trying to contact him.

'I believe Harry is affected partly by Lord Voldemort's general thoughts and emotions, as well as by specifically directed thoughts. I do not believe Lord Voldemort realises the extent of his link with Harry. Unless Lord Voldemort has specifically tried to blanket all his thoughts and feelings, I suspect Harry would feel them.'

'You can't be absolutely sure, Albus'

'Indeed not, but taken with other evidence, I believe we can be sufficiently sure to form our plans. Now Harry, Perhaps you would be good enough to leave us, Thank you for your help.'

Harry glanced at Moody and Lupin. Neither would meet his eye. He suddenly felt disgusted, dragged in as a mobile Voldemort locator and dismissed as easily. He sighed and started for the door. There seemed to be no point in making a scene, not with a large proportion of the Order here.

He'd almost reached the door when, to his immense surprise, a voice called out, 'Albus, he should stay!' - It was Mrs. Weasley!

Harry turned, stunned.

'Stay, Harry.' She repeated then she turned back to the Headmaster with a peculiarly intense look on her face.

'Albus' she said firmly, 'We all know Harry is vital to our plans. We also realize that only you know the details, but the time has come for him to know all that we know.' She hesitated. 'Maybe even all that you know. How can he be sure of making decisions which accord with our needs, without all the information we have.' Mrs.Weasley lowered her voice to a whisper, her face drawn with sadness. 'Look what happened last time.'

'There was a general murmur of agreement round the room. Harry looked around. Moody and Lupin were looking uncomfortable. Tonks was nodding slowly, as was Mr. Weasley, and Fred and George looked truculent; even Artemis Lovegood was nodding. Harry wasn't surprised, his only daughter had been in mortal peril due to Harry's mistake.

Only Dumbledore and McGonagall were impassive.

'Very well.' murmured Dumbledore slowly. 'We know Harry is brave and resourceful, perhaps the time has indeed come. All those in agreement raise their hands –'

'Wait!' cried Harry, 'It's not just me. What about the rest of those who set off for the Ministry with me? They've as much need to know as I have!'

'Harry,' protested Dumbledore. 'Some of the knowledge the Order possesses is extremely frightening. I feel you are able to accept it, but it might seriously affect them'

'No!' barked Harry. 'No it wouldn't. They're all braver than me. I went to the Ministry sure I was right and blinded to danger by desperation. They all knew I could be wrong, that it could be a trap, but they followed me anyway. That's bravery, Professor!' Harry stopped and looked around. Almost everyone seemed to be nodding, even Artemis Lovegood. Only Mrs. Weasley hesitated for a few seconds, before agreeing.

Professor Dumbledore sighed. 'Very well, Harry. Again, those in favour please raise their hands.' Every hand was raised. 'Harry, please go upstairs and get your friends. Artemis, would you inform your daughter? and Neville Longbottom?' Artemis Lovegood was nodding as Harry opened the door.

Upstairs, Harry was greeted with glum faces.

'Typical!' spat Hermione, 'still keeping us in the dark'

'They want us all to join them! Come on!' urged Harry

'They WHAT?!' gasped Ginny.

'We can join them! All of us!'

Ron and Hermione galloped out of the room with Harry and Ginny following more slowly. Harry stopped Ginny at the top of the stairs.

'Did you really have to tell Tonks?' he asked rather sadly. 'She's in there laughing at me.

Ginny looked uncomfortable. 'It seemed a really good idea, Harry - right up until I'd done it….I'm sorry.'

'I bet she laughed like crazy!'

Ginny shook her head, almost sadly, then she looked up at him with a small smile. 'No Harry, she didn't laugh at all – she seemed quite flattered.' She quickly looked away down the stairs - Ron and Hermione were already entering the study. 'Come on Harry, they'll be waiting.' she said, then she grabbed his sleeve and almost dragged him down the stairs.

- o -

Ginny led the way into the study and looked round at the assembled members of the order, then she moved round the room to stand beside Tonks. Harry followed her and stood behind them, reasoning that they couldn't whisper about him if he was right there.

'Nice one, Harry.' whispered Tonks.

Ginny's eyes widened at the sight of Artemis Lovegood, who smiled at her and nodded, but all attention immediately focused on Professor Dumbledore, who began with an introduction.

'Hermione - Ron - Ginny; Harry has convinced us that you should be included in our meetings. I believe you know every body except Madam Amelia Bones,' who nodded regally 'and Mr Artemis Lovegood 'who also nodded and spoke up. 'I do know Ginny, Albus.'

The Headmaster chuckled. 'Ah yes, of course, I was forgetting - anyway now to business. For the benefit of the newcomers, we have heard from Harry regarding the absence of any headaches, pains or dreams connected to Lord Voldemort. Based on that and other information I have received I am of the opinion that Lord Voldemort is presently out of this country. The question now is where - and why. There is also the question of what those minions of his who remain at large are doing. Lord Voldemort's previous base of operations was the Balkans. What do we know about events there?'

Charlie Weasley described the situation in the Balkans, fairly quiet but with hints of instability unconnected with the political situation, and continued with the situation in the Carpathian Mountains and nearby Transylvanian Alps.

'There've been several vampires killed by mobs recently.' he said, completing his explanation. 'Without doubt someone set up the killings; there've been too many to be coincidence. Several were close to the Dragon study area, leading us to wonder whether Voldemort could be planning to use dragons in some way. It might be a feint though, I don't think there's any record of dragons being ridden, or controlled.'

'Could they just be used to cause confusion?' suggested Kingsley Shacklebolt.

'Could be, though then there's the chance they'll cause as much confusion for the one using them.'

'Do we think Lord Voldemort is in that area?' asked Emmeline Vance

'We don't think he is in this country,' replied Professor Dumbledore, 'and there is no evidence of his being elsewhere. At present we believe he is indeed in that area although he is able to move at great speed. I shall be undertaking further tests as soon as I return to the school. I will be needing Harry's help to carry out the tests.' Several pairs of eyes swiveled in Harry's direction.

'Our other main concern in Eastern Europe is the giants.' continued the Professor. 'We cannot get near their home range at present, but Artemis Lovegood has been making enquiries across the only logical route to this country. What did you find in Sweden, Artemis?'

Harry saw Ginny start slightly and smile ruefully, nodding her head. She turned to Harry and Tonks. 'Damn!' she whispered 'Suckered completely!'

'We managed to cover most of Sweden up to the northern tip,' began Mr.Lovegood. 'We penetrated into the mountains close to the Norwegian border, though that was as far as our cover story would allow us to go The Crumple Horned Snorkack has never been seen in Norway! I did however manage to get information from reliable sources about the area of northern Norway and Finland around the North Cape

Professor Dumbledore smiled gently. 'I believe you found a Crumple Horned Snorkack though!'

'Ha! Yes.' chuckled Mr. Lovegood. 'Sorry Ginny,' he said, turning to her. 'Now you know why I was so keen on a fake! The most difficult thing was hiding it in our luggage and ensuring it got planted in a suitable place.'

'Does Luna know?' piped up Ginny.

'Of course not, though I'll have to tell her now. She'll be most disappointed!'

'I'd have bat bogey hexed her, if she'd done that to me on purpose!' whispered Ginny out of the side of her mouth.

Mr. Lovegood continued, 'There was no evidence of giants having moved through into the Norwegian mountains in any numbers since Hagrid saw them further east last summer. That's not to say though, that one or two haven't passed through.'

Discussion passed on to Dementors, Location unknown, but possibly in the Welsh mountains somewhere, and the remaining known Death Eaters, all in hiding. Bellatrix Lestrange had possibly been sighted close to the Malfoy estate. Bill started talking about the Goblins. He had reasonably good information that they were less inclined towards Lord Voldemort since his reappearance had been discovered and publicized. He started into a long explanation of goblin politics and how this could affect the goblin position.

Harry's attention was starting to wander slightly. He was standing right behind the only two girls he felt any real physical attraction to - and it was beginning to distract him. He studied them both out of the corners of his eyes. On the left was Tonks, orange hair, green shirt and black jeans, outwardly so confident and capable but with an inner vulnerability. Strangely, if he just used the very edge of his vision, he could just see her trueself beneath the disguise. On the right was Ginny. Slightly smaller and slightly slimmer, she was all dainty vulnerability on the outside but with a hidden strength that seemed almost the equal of Tonks'. Harry was uncomfortably aware that he was becoming far too attracted to both of them, and also that it was completely pointless. He forced his attention back to the matters in hand, wondering whether standing with them had been such a good idea after all.