This was like a peace offering. The wall broke down and things were
like old times. They started a game of Exploding Snap and talked.
"So what can you tell me?"
"Trust me, everything we can tell you, we will tell you gladly."
"Okay, what does Dumbledore want to talk to me about?"
"I don't know. Honestly they won't tell us. They aren't used to treating us like equals."
"So how's it in the Order? Joining and stuff."
"Like I said, most of them still have their minds set that we're still kids."
"Except Tonks," pointed out Fred.
"Yeah, Tonks is something else."
"You two like her? I mean like her like her?" Harry grinned.
"Well, generally we don't date older women."
"Besides, Fred and I made a pact a while ago: never let a girl come between us, if we both liked her then neither of us could date her. Besides that, Tonks is the kinda girl you're friends with. Good friends. Not the kind you date."
"She's just.different," ended George, lamely.
"So what about Ron? How's he doing?"
"Well, you read his letter. If you write a reply we'll give it to him for you."
"Just tell him for me that I hope I see him soon. And if I'm going to be here for a while to try and come over."
"Can do."
"Confidentially speaking of course, but has Ron said anything to you about Hermione?"
"Huh? What about Hermione?" asked Harry; somewhat confused.
"Please tell me you aren't serious, Harry? Has he said anything about asking her out on a date?"
"Ron and Hermione? Are you joking? The two of them? Not in a hundred years." he stopped. Now that he thought about it he wondered how he could have missed it before. "No. He hasn't said anything. Has he said anything to you?"
"Not to either of us. We've been taking bets down at the shop. 50% of Gryffindors we polled think that Hermione will crack by Valentine's Day and finally ask him out; 10% said that Ron would ask her out by the first Hogsmeade day; 20% said by Christmas, 5% say somebody is going to set them up on a date; and the last 15% said nothing was going to happen this year."
"What about you, though, Harry?"
"Yeah, got your eye on any of the girls?"
"Not really."
"You were dating that Ravenclaw Seeker, Cho right?"
"Yeah. But she was so whiny and needy. She cried all the time. She's dating Roger Davies now. I heard she's happier," Harry said simply.
"She was a prat. Her friend sold out the D.A. and she didn't even care."
"Yeah." George perked up. "I thought of something we can tell you, probably shouldn't but will anyway."
"Yeah!" said Fred. "Dumbledore is going to talk to you about the D.A."
"Do you know what he'll say?" Dumbledore's Army was a club (of sorts) that Harry had founded the year before in order to spite the Ministry and Dolores Umbridge, who was making life at Hogwarts a nightmare.
"No. But I know he's going to discuss it. I heard Kingsley talking to Lupin. Asking what he thought Dumbledore was going to say about it. Lupin said he didn't know, only that Dumbledore was going to discuss it with you."
"Well that'll be interesting." Harry fell silent. "So what have you been developing for the joke shop? Anything new?"
"There's Pest Pop."
"What does that do?"
"One sip and you turn into a giant beetle."
"And there's our newest addition. The Interloper's Eyes."
"Those are great for spying on people. Stick those and a set of the old Extendables in a room and you're all set to know exactly what's going on."
"The Eyes look like a little lens that you stick on your eye. You put one in your eye and the other wherever you want to see. You close the eye that doesn't have the lens in it and you can see what the other lens is seeing."
"So cool. Can I buy a pair?"
"For our benefactor? You can have a pair." Harry had given them the money to start their joke shop. "Here." George pulled out a small book and gave it to Harry.
"Well it's getting late. You better nod off before Moody comes in to check on you."
"I don't know how long you're going to have to stay here but Moody asked us to unpack your things. So there they are. In the dresser and the nightstand."
"Thanks. G'night, guys."
"'Night, Harry," they chorused.
Harry never heard when they left at midnight, or when the second set of guards showed up.
* * *
"Rise and shine!"
"Uh.What?" asked Harry groggily.
"Breakfast is here," said Tonks, brightly. She held out a tray of toast, eggs, sausage, and orange juice.
"Oh, thanks, Tonks."
"No problem, Harry, I just.oops!" She was leaning over to give him the tray and she dropped it. Tonks was a natural klutz. "Oh! I'm sorry, Harry. Really," she said, miserably. "Scourgify! Reparo!" The blanket was instantly clean and the plates had put themselves back together. "I'll get you something else to eat."
"That's okay. Who else is here?"
"Kingsley is outside the door. You saw the Weasleys last night right? Aren't they something? Such goofballs."
"Yeah."
"Not kill-joys like Mad-Eye. I heard he took your wand. Tough."
"Yeah." He'd nearly forgotten.
"Have you finished your homework yet? I'll help. I made it into all the N.E.W.T. classes I needed for my Auror training. I heard you were interested in becoming one."
Yeah. You're the last one they accepted, right?"
"That's right," she beamed proudly.
"Okay. Can you help me with my Potions essay?"
"I can't stand Snape but I did pretty well in that class!"
Harry took out his parchment, quill, and ink and began to get started.
"So what can you tell me?"
"Trust me, everything we can tell you, we will tell you gladly."
"Okay, what does Dumbledore want to talk to me about?"
"I don't know. Honestly they won't tell us. They aren't used to treating us like equals."
"So how's it in the Order? Joining and stuff."
"Like I said, most of them still have their minds set that we're still kids."
"Except Tonks," pointed out Fred.
"Yeah, Tonks is something else."
"You two like her? I mean like her like her?" Harry grinned.
"Well, generally we don't date older women."
"Besides, Fred and I made a pact a while ago: never let a girl come between us, if we both liked her then neither of us could date her. Besides that, Tonks is the kinda girl you're friends with. Good friends. Not the kind you date."
"She's just.different," ended George, lamely.
"So what about Ron? How's he doing?"
"Well, you read his letter. If you write a reply we'll give it to him for you."
"Just tell him for me that I hope I see him soon. And if I'm going to be here for a while to try and come over."
"Can do."
"Confidentially speaking of course, but has Ron said anything to you about Hermione?"
"Huh? What about Hermione?" asked Harry; somewhat confused.
"Please tell me you aren't serious, Harry? Has he said anything about asking her out on a date?"
"Ron and Hermione? Are you joking? The two of them? Not in a hundred years." he stopped. Now that he thought about it he wondered how he could have missed it before. "No. He hasn't said anything. Has he said anything to you?"
"Not to either of us. We've been taking bets down at the shop. 50% of Gryffindors we polled think that Hermione will crack by Valentine's Day and finally ask him out; 10% said that Ron would ask her out by the first Hogsmeade day; 20% said by Christmas, 5% say somebody is going to set them up on a date; and the last 15% said nothing was going to happen this year."
"What about you, though, Harry?"
"Yeah, got your eye on any of the girls?"
"Not really."
"You were dating that Ravenclaw Seeker, Cho right?"
"Yeah. But she was so whiny and needy. She cried all the time. She's dating Roger Davies now. I heard she's happier," Harry said simply.
"She was a prat. Her friend sold out the D.A. and she didn't even care."
"Yeah." George perked up. "I thought of something we can tell you, probably shouldn't but will anyway."
"Yeah!" said Fred. "Dumbledore is going to talk to you about the D.A."
"Do you know what he'll say?" Dumbledore's Army was a club (of sorts) that Harry had founded the year before in order to spite the Ministry and Dolores Umbridge, who was making life at Hogwarts a nightmare.
"No. But I know he's going to discuss it. I heard Kingsley talking to Lupin. Asking what he thought Dumbledore was going to say about it. Lupin said he didn't know, only that Dumbledore was going to discuss it with you."
"Well that'll be interesting." Harry fell silent. "So what have you been developing for the joke shop? Anything new?"
"There's Pest Pop."
"What does that do?"
"One sip and you turn into a giant beetle."
"And there's our newest addition. The Interloper's Eyes."
"Those are great for spying on people. Stick those and a set of the old Extendables in a room and you're all set to know exactly what's going on."
"The Eyes look like a little lens that you stick on your eye. You put one in your eye and the other wherever you want to see. You close the eye that doesn't have the lens in it and you can see what the other lens is seeing."
"So cool. Can I buy a pair?"
"For our benefactor? You can have a pair." Harry had given them the money to start their joke shop. "Here." George pulled out a small book and gave it to Harry.
"Well it's getting late. You better nod off before Moody comes in to check on you."
"I don't know how long you're going to have to stay here but Moody asked us to unpack your things. So there they are. In the dresser and the nightstand."
"Thanks. G'night, guys."
"'Night, Harry," they chorused.
Harry never heard when they left at midnight, or when the second set of guards showed up.
* * *
"Rise and shine!"
"Uh.What?" asked Harry groggily.
"Breakfast is here," said Tonks, brightly. She held out a tray of toast, eggs, sausage, and orange juice.
"Oh, thanks, Tonks."
"No problem, Harry, I just.oops!" She was leaning over to give him the tray and she dropped it. Tonks was a natural klutz. "Oh! I'm sorry, Harry. Really," she said, miserably. "Scourgify! Reparo!" The blanket was instantly clean and the plates had put themselves back together. "I'll get you something else to eat."
"That's okay. Who else is here?"
"Kingsley is outside the door. You saw the Weasleys last night right? Aren't they something? Such goofballs."
"Yeah."
"Not kill-joys like Mad-Eye. I heard he took your wand. Tough."
"Yeah." He'd nearly forgotten.
"Have you finished your homework yet? I'll help. I made it into all the N.E.W.T. classes I needed for my Auror training. I heard you were interested in becoming one."
Yeah. You're the last one they accepted, right?"
"That's right," she beamed proudly.
"Okay. Can you help me with my Potions essay?"
"I can't stand Snape but I did pretty well in that class!"
Harry took out his parchment, quill, and ink and began to get started.