A/N: This was a really quick update...mainly because I didn't want to leave you guys hanging too long, and I wanted to reveal the 'thing' I was talking about that one of you noticed. Please read, enjoy (hopefully) and review!
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More Than Yellowed PagesChapter Fourteen
"Damn! I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner!" Harry was now pacing quickly around his aunt and uncle's living room. Occasionally, he would throw his hands into the air, grunt, and mumble something that was inaudible to everyone else.
"Harry..." whispered Luna. "You don't think..." she stopped, afraid to finish the sentence she had started.
"I should've known! Before fifth year, a couple of dementors attacked Dudley and me when we were walking home! Even Dumbledore said it: What would a couple of dementors be doing on Pivet drive?" he stopped pacing a minute, and glared at his parents. "You know his answer? He said we couldn't trust them anymore...that they wouldn't be there unless they were ordered...that the Ministry didn't order them. Who else would set a bunch of dementors out into the middle of a Muggle street? Even Fudge isn't that stupid!"
Lily frowned. "What are you getting at, Harry?"
"Mom, the dementors aren't on our side. They aren't the good guys. I'm not even sure if the Minister of Magic is a 'good guy' anymore," he groaned. "The dementors attacked me because they were under orders from Voldemort, mom. Why then, would they show up, and actually deliver the dementors kiss, if they are on his side?"
James nodded. "Hmm..."
"They wanted us to think they were on our side. I get it now. Take away the fear by making everyone think everything is all right, and then let him strike again. He's waiting for the right time to show up again..." Luna shivered. "The whole thing was staged right in front of our eyes..."
Lily paled. "Petunia..." she turned to her sister. "I need to use your fire place..." Lily turned to her.
"You carry floo powder with you?" Harry stared.
"Your mother is a very...resourceful person," smirked Sirius. This had been the first comment he had made since they had arrived. Of course, all that he had to do was glance at the Dursleys to scare them half to death...so he didn't need to do much talking.
"Sometimes..." Lily blushed.
"What do you want to use my fire place for?" Petunia demanded.
Lily frowned. "Quit being such a worry wart!" she smirked. "If you must know, I need to go find Dumbledore..." she said this as if Petunia and Vernon were familiar with him.
Vernon's mouth hung open, but Lily stood in the fireplace anyway. Dropping some floo powder onto the ground, she hollered "Grimuald Place!" and was gone.
James let out a deep breath, which he had apparently been holding for quite some time. He glanced from Petunia to Vernon, and then to Harry and Luna and back again. Turning to face Vernon, he sighed. "Nice seeing you again. We must be off..." He walked over to Harry and Luna, who nodded, and the three of them apparated from the room.
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"Dumbledore!" yelled Lily, jumping out of the fireplace at Grimuald Place. She practically landed on Severus Snape as she came out.
"Whoa! Watch it, Potter!" hissed Snape.
"Oh, bugger off! Where's Dumbledore? We have serious problems!" Lily panted.
Snape blinked. "What kind of problems?" he demanded.
Lily opened her mouth to explain, but closed it just as quick. Remus Lupin had just walked into the room, and right behind him was Dumbledore. There were four loud pops, and Harry, James, Sirius, and Luna appeared in the room.
"Dumbledore!" Lily yelped. "He's not gone! He never was gone! Voldemort is still alive!" she announced to the entire room.
Dumbledore halted completely. "What?"
Lily took a deep breath, explaining everything to Dumbledore that Harry had explained to her. Behind her, Sirius, Harry, or James would nod occasionally. Lupin went from smiling to frowning within seconds.
"Ms. Figg died? How was she even a target? She was a squib!" Lupin gasped.
"I assigned Ms. Figg to watch over Harry after I left him with the Dursleys when he was little, Remus. Yes, she was a squib, but she knew volumes of information about the Order, and, if I may say so, about Harry..." Dumbledore explained.
Remus nodded. "I know that...so then, why would he kill her?"
"Maybe it wasn't her he was aiming for?" suggested Luna. "What was the other name that lit up on the paper?" she asked.
"I don't know who the other person was. I didn't recognize the name at all..." Harry admitted.
James pulled the paper from his back pocket and showed it to Dumbledore. Dumbledore frowned deeply. "That man is an auror. He recently joined the Order at the request of Kingsley Shakebolt. He was probably killed for nothing more than his involvement in this little organization of ours." Dumbledore shook his head sadly.
Lily frowned. "Well then, what is it that you want us to do?" she asked him.
"I want you and James to return to the house in Godric's Hollow with Luna and Harry and stay there. The house is protected against practically everything...the wizarding world made several...err...advancements while you were gone," he explained. "Since Voldemort will most likely come after you, we must make sure you are safe..." he turned to Sirius. "You will go with them..."
"Dumbledore..." whispered Luna, a sad look on her face. "Does this mean that..."
"Yes, Luna. I would not doubt it. If Voldemort is back, there is still a chance that the prophecy I spoke of may indeed come true. I will try to stop that from happening if I can." He smiled at her, and she nodded slowly.
Harry cleared his throat louder than necessary. "Um, Dumbledore...what about the journal?" he asked. "Granted, the last entry was a while ago, do you think it would be of any use to us?"
"Do not trust it, Harry. We still have yet to really figure out how it was possible for you to put that other entry in there..." Dumbledore said honestly.
"What about a time turner?" suggested Lupin. "Didn't Hermione Granger use one in her third year to take extra classes? How far back do those things go?"
"Not that far...at least none that I know of yet..." Dumbledore sighed. "I am truly clueless as to how it happened. We shall just have to do this the old fashioned way..."
"What's the old fashioned way?" asked Harry.
"We find Voldemort, and we take him out ourselves. We obviously can't afford to trust Fudge or the dementors if Voldemort is still around, can we?" Sirius smirked.
James frowned. "Yes, but the question is...how exactly do we do it?"
"The same way that Lucius killed Hagrid and Linda..." Lily whispered.
James gasped at his wife's response. "Sweetie, are you sure? I mean, someone who uses an Unforgivable curse would have to be completely heartless, or..." he paused.
"Really tiffed off?" Lily finished for him. "Look James, if he can come into our home, blow you into little pieces, and kill me right in front of our child, then I think this situation warrants a little extra force..."
Lupin nodded. "Our problem is, are you tiffed off enough to know that Voldemort won't survive it? When I first taught at Hogwarts, I demonstrated the curse that Voldemort tried to use on Harry on a frog, and...well...it didn't do what it did when he did it."
"Because, Remus, you aren't a heartless, soulless excuse for a human being like some people I know," Lily spat. "Besides, it's not going to be me that does it. Dumbledore doesn't want me to leave the house..." she whined.
"Then who will?" asked Luna timidly.
"I will." Dumbledore winked at her from behind his half moon spectacles.
"You?" Harry gasped.
"Yes, Harry, me." Dumbledore repeated.
Harry blinked several times. "But sir, are you sure..." he began, and Dumbledore cut him off with a nod as half the Weasley family and Hermione popped into the room.
"Dumbledore, I saw...!" Hermione began, raising an eyebrow at Harry and everyone else in the room.
"I know, Hermione. Voldemort has returned...again. Am I correct?" he asked her, and she nodded.
"How did you...?" she asked, dumbfounded.
"Lily has told me. I am aware of what happened." He explained. "Fear not, because I will be handling everything shortly."
"What does he mean by that?" asked Ron, glancing to Harry and Luna for answers.
"He's going to find Voldemort himself. We've decided that the only way to get rid of Voldemort is to take him out the way he takes everyone else out..." Harry explained.
Hermione yelped. "I don't understand. I thought the dementors..."
"On his side." Luna said quickly.
"You all had best stay near to Dumbledore. According to my dad's journal, Hermione was supposed to have died already, and if that hasn't happened yet, then we probably shouldn't rule it out as impossible..." Harry sighed deeply.
"They can stay here. There's always at least one Order member here at any time, and the place is certainly big enough. Kreacher is long gone as well...good riddance..." he added under his breath. "I'll be staying with Lily and James. At least if he finds some of us, he won't find all of us...but I seriously doubt either will happen...both the houses are practically impenetrable..." Sirius reiterated.
"Well, I suggest you be on your way." Dumbledore smiled softly. "I will write to you when I can, and I will let you know when it is all right to move about. However, until I give the order, please don't go doing any wandering about. Voldemort is looking for you...and I refuse to let him find any of you..." Dumbledore disappeared, although he made no noise when he did so.
James smiled at Lily, Harry, and Luna. He glanced at Sirius, who was explaining to the Weasley family about the pesky ghost in the attic, and the faulty third step on the way up there. "Oy, Sirius! Let's get going!" he smiled.
Sirius gave Lupin a hug and waved to the Weasleys. Harry and Luna quickly said goodbye to their friends, walked over to join Sirius where he stood next to Lily and James, and disappeared.
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A/N: Not too much of a cliff hanger. Thought I'd give you guys a little break. This one is shorter because the next one is rather long. Please review and let me know what you think!