Chapter Three: Return to Grimmauld Place

Harry woke up the next morning with a new found sense of serenity that he hadn't felt since Sirius' death. His friends' letters had had the desired affect, as, while Harry still felt bad, he no longer harbored as much guilt about the death of his beloved godfather. He climbed out of bed, grabbed his glasses, and changed into the clothes that fit the best of the hand-me-downs that he had received from his whale of a cousin, Dudley. He started downstairs.

He walked into the kitchen, where his aunt, uncle, and cousin sat eating a breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast. Harry noticed that the pan had a half piece of bacon, and two spoonfuls of eggs left in the bottom, along with two pieces of bread, burnt instead of toasted. Rather than complain, Harry quickly gulped down the lukewarm eggs and bacon, and took the toast back up to his room, mumbling his thanks between mouthfuls of the burnt toast.

He headed back upstairs, and noticed for the first time that a black feather from the eagle owl had remained on the windowsill. He picked it up and examined it, thinking back to the strange letter he had received the night before. Thinking quickly, he grabbed his quill and a piece of scrap parchment. He quickly scribbled out a note to Remus Lupin.

Dear Moony,

This is the third day, so I'm writing to tell you that I'm still fine. The Dursleys are feeding me, and aren't treating me badly. Also, I wanted you to know that I have finally come to terms with Sirius' death, and while it still hurts, I have come to realize that it is time for me to move on, as Sirius would want me to.

I am enclosing a feather from an owl that visited me last night. I can't go into detail about the letter, but it is important that I talk to somebody face to face sometime soon. It could me the difference in winning the war. Please either have someone visit me, or arrange for me to leave. To be honest, you know I'd prefer the latter option.

Sincerely,

Harry

Harry sealed up the letter, and tied it to Hedwig's leg. "Ok girl, get this to Lupin as soon as possible. Just wait there for a reply, and come back when you've got one." Hedwig hooted softly, and flew out the window.

Harry spent the day outside in the yard, sitting in the hammock, reading a mystery novel. While he would have preferred to read one of his new spell books, he knew that he had to keep up appearances, and he didn't want to be caught with a book on how to curse your enemies into jellyfish.

Hedwig showed up a little after five o'clock. Harry untied the letter from her leg, and she settled down in one of the trees the hammock was strung on. Harry opened up the letter, and began to read it.

Dear Harry,

After discussion with some of the other Order members, we have decided that it is vitally important that you meet with us at headquarters. We can't tell you when we will arrive, but be sure that it will be while the Muggles are away. I will talk to you upon your arrival.

Sincerely,

Moony

Harry folded up the letter, and walked into the house. The Dursleys had just sat down for supper. Harry quickly and quietly ate his supper, then headed upstairs to do some more of his summer homework. He had been working diligently for about an hour when his Uncle Vernon arrived at the door.

"Boy, your aunt and I are taking Dudley to a boxing match. He's joined the summer league, and his first match is tonight. We'll be home at eleven. Do not touch anything while we are away. Stay in your room, and do your freaky things in there. Good-bye." He closed the door, and walked out of the room. Harry listened as they closed the door, and then heard the car pull out of the driveway. He went back to working on his homework.

He had once again been working on his homework when he heard the doorbell ring. He went down to answer it, and was surprised to see Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley standing outside the door.

"Hello Potter. We've come to take you back to Headquarters. Kingsley, go help him pack up his stuff. I'll leave the letter, and Tonks, you watch the door. Hurry up now, we don't have all day."

Harry and Kingsley ran up to his room. Luckily, Harry had only a few things to load into his trunk. He grabbed Hedwig's cage, and they hustled back downstairs. The four wizards crammed into a waiting car with Mundungus behind the wheel. They sped off into the night.

Harry had dozed off, and woke up to the gruff shaking of Moody. "We're here. Let's go!" The five stepped out of the car, and opened the door.

Harry was immediately met by a blur of hair, an assortment of red and brown mixing together as Hermione and Ginny shrieked and jumped into his arms. Harry's other friend, Ron, just stood behind them, grinning.

"Welcome back mate!" Harry smiled. "Thanks Ron. Okay, Hermione, Ginny, I know you're excited, but please, you're smothering me!" he laughed. The two girls let him go, and he settled himself. "Alright, now let's get out of the doorway, and let the rest of them in." The four crowded out of the hallway, and climbed up the stairs to the room that Ron and Harry had shared the summer before.

The room had been refurbished with new beds, better lighting, and an overall more appealing feeling to it. He set down his trunk at the foot of the bed, and sat down on the side of the bed. Ron sat down on his own bed, and Hermione sat down next to him. Ginny joined Harry on his bed, and the four soon delved into conversation.

"So, what's going on with the Order now that Voldemort's out in the open?"

Ron replied. "Oh, now that he's out in the open, it's a little easier to track his movements and stuff. He's moving out in the open a little more, and we've managed to track his movements. Also, we've had a few more people join the Order. We've started recruiting some younger adults to fight. We've got a couple more Aurors, a few Hit-Wizards, a medi-witch, and even a vampire hunter joining the Order. There's supposed to be a big ceremony to induct the members tomorrow."

"So, tell me about the Cannons. How are they doing?" "Bloody brilliant. They're third in the league now, and if they win tomorrow against the Tornadoes, they'll play against Puddlemere United for the championship. That's the team that Wood plays for, and if I heard right, he's actually moved up to become their starting Keeper. It'd be brilliant to go and watch the match. Dad said we might be able to get tickets, but he wasn't promising much."

"That'd be awesome to go." They were about to start on another topic when Remus walked in. "Ah Harry, glad to see you've arrived safely. I was wondering if we could have a word with you down in the kitchen?" "Sure, no problem. I'll be back in a little bit guys." The other three youth nodded, and went back to talking. Harry and Remus walked downstairs, and into the kitchen.

Seated at the table was Moody, Elphias Doge, Kingsley, Tonks, and Mundungus. Joining them, Remus and Harry sat down as Dumbledore walked in from the backyard. "Ah Harry, good. It looks like I am just in time. Now, Remus said you had something to discuss with us."

"Yes sir, that's correct. Last night, I got a strange letter, delivered by a black eagle owl. The letter knew a lot about my history with Voldemort, and said that it would take a lot of training and such to be able to defeat him. He told me to seek out a man you knew, Professor, a man named Julian McClaggan. Does that name ring any bells?"

The Professor looked pensively at Harry for a moment before answering. "Julian McClaggan. Now that is a name I haven't heard since the First War.

"Julian McClaggan was once considered one of the best swordsman of the wizarding world. He was a powerful wizard, yes, but much of it came from his work training as a fighter. He was one of the best fighters during the war, though he was often away fighting during the meetings. He wasn't a member of the Order, but he was an ally to our cause. After the war, he dropped out of the public eye, though he sent me a letter, telling me that he had set up a small cottage somewhere in Scotland. He said that should the need ever arise, he would be ready to fight, and train an apprentice, should a young man appear worthy to learn the art of the sword. I had forgotten all about him until you mentioned him. Who sent you this letter?"

"I don't know. He signed the letter Z. I'm assuming that's his initial."

"Hmm, Z. Harry, did the letter have any special markings on it?"

"Now that I think about it, the seal had a Z on it, with what looked like a moon setting in the lower left corner when you're looking at it."

"I see. Well, I do not recognize the symbol, but I can only assume that this person is to be trusted. After all, he knows McClaggan, which that in itself is a feat. When we return to Hogwarts, I will set out to find McClaggan, and see if he will train you in the sword."

"But Professor, I don't have a sword…"

"Of course you do. Do you not remember your second year, down in the Chamber? You pulled a sword out of the sorting hat, did you not?"

"But that's Gryffindor's sword. Not mine."

"Harry, I think you will find that the sword is rightfully yours. No other person has been able to find that sword in all the years. Therefore, it must have chosen you to come to. Feel privileged Harry. You have a sword of a Founder. When the time comes, you will know what to do."

"Thank you Professor. Is there anything else?"

"I don't believe so. Good night Harry. We will talk again in the morning."

A/N: There's chapter three. Sorry it's shorter than the others, but I'm in a hurry to get this out before church. I'll update again tomorrow, hopefully. Please review!