Chapter 6

Harry remained at Headquarters that night, mainly talking with Draco and Sirius. Apparently, Draco had seen Wormtail before and therefore knew that Sirius was innocent.

When he woke up the next morning, Dobby brought him something to eat. The house elf was clearly nervous about being near Draco, and when Dobby left, Draco said he didn't blame him.

Throughout the day, Harry worked with Remus on creating medallions that could be used by the wearer to transport to four places: Hogwarts (which was possible due to the link Harry had between himself and the castle), Headquarters, Stone Hold, and the 'emergency cabin' in the states. Harry'd finally gotten around to stocking a large quantity of potions and healing supplies in the cabin, along with non-perishable food items.

They made one medallion for each member, as well as a few extras, and designed them so that the owner could create a word to activate the teleportation, as well as contact the other Order members. Finding no other way to do it, they connected each medallion to Harry's ring, which allowed them to teleport to the three estates.

They finished a little after lunch, which was when the Order gathered for the delayed meeting. There wasn't much to speak of, other than the medallions, which Remus presented, the Cruciatus Potion, which Harry explained Salazar had been thinking up, and Draco's last-night appearance and whether or not he should be trusted.

The Weasleys, besides Ron (Who remained neutral), Ms. Figg, Dung, and Tonks were on the side of letting Draco report, but not join the Order. Hermione, McGonagall, Remus, Moody, Kingsley, and Sirius were for letting join the Order. Snape flat out didn't want Draco taking any part, saying that the younger wizard could easily be killed; trusted, but killed. Splikvin didn't voice an opinion, and neither did Harry.

He wasn't sure what to think really. He didn't want anyone to be in that kind of danger, including Draco, but he didn't want to leave Draco no options either. It all boiled down to trust in the end. He realized this just as he realized that Snape and Tonks were yelling at each other.

"Just because his last name is Malfoy does not mean he isn't trustworthy!" hissed Snape.

"We don't have any proof that he is!" Tonks rumbled back, "Only your word as his godfather." They continued to shout, no one doing a thing to stop them.

Harry felt slight breezes as it went on and could tell that his face was coloring with annoyance. "YOU TRUST SIRIUS DON'T YOU?" he yelled, freezing their argument.

He calmed the breezes down, now that he had their attention, and relaxed slightly.

"What do you mean?" asked Tonks, "Of course I trust him."

"Why?" Harry demanded, ignoring the shocked look his godfather had. "There's no proof that he's innocent. There's no proof but my word that he didn't do the things he's convicted of doing. You haven't even seen Pettigrew, never.

"There's no proof that Draco's on our side, no proof but words." He chose his words carefully, painfully aware that everyone was staring at him. "Draco and I never got along, not from the moment we met in Madame Malkin's before first year. But last year, we became friends. Tell me, did any of you ever expect that?

"Let me asked you something else. When I was Sorted, the Hat almost put me in Slytherin—if I hadn't asked it to not place me there, if I'd actually been in Slytherin house to this day, would you still trust me? There's no telling if I'd still be the same person." There were several shocked looks, Harry went on. "I'm not going to tell Draco or you what to do—it's not my right. But I trust him, and he'll always be welcome here—or at my home—just like all of my friends are, whether you trust him or not. That's your decision, and yours alone." To add on to his point, Harry exited the meeting room and returned downstairs to where Draco was. They didn't talk, since the Slytherin was sleeping again. Instead, Harry practiced Occlumency, sorting through his newest memories and putting them into place. Once done with that, he spoke with the elements; listening for them beyond the castle walls when needed.

Upon opening his eyes, Harry found Draco awake and watching him with mild curiosity. "What were you doing?" he asked.

"Occlumency," Harry replied. Whether or not Draco would ask about it, Harry wouldn't know because the Order then came into the room.

Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling with a mixture of their normal cheerfulness and a new seriousness. "Draco, you are being given the opportunity to join the Order of the Phoenix. However, if you join, you do not have to spy, you may help in other ways if you wish."

Draco looked at Snape. "It is entirely your choice." The potions master said in answer to the unasked question.

The younger Slytherin thought about it, then nodded. "I will join and spy for the Order." He said firmly.

So once again the members of the Order lined up and Fawkes appeared with the parchment and quill, which he gave to Dumbledore.

"Draco Malfoy, by signing this, you agree to protect others, fight those of darkness, and give your all to preserve this world. Do you so swear?"

"That I do." Draco replied solemnly.

"Then sign, and become a member of the Order of the Phoenix." Draco took the quill and signed his name then began to shake hands with the others. Harry smiled as he shook Draco's hand. Fawkes dropped a tear on Draco's head; "Welcome to our ranks." Dumbledore said with a small smile.

A little while after, Harry and the others went up to the dueling room for their second lesson, Draco also came with them.

Draco dueled each of them first, defeated only by Moody, Snape, and Splikvin. Then Remus told them that they would work on speed and accuracy. Dummies appeared in the room, and they were controlled by the six teachers. The five students were told to fire stunner as rapidly as they could, at least on every five seconds. If they missed a shot, Moody, Snape, or Splikvin rounded on them. If they made the slightest mistake, dropped their guard, or didn't hit the dummies straight in the chest, Moody, Snape, or Splikvin rounded on them.

Harry could see Tonks biting her lip to keep her laughter in, which was clear on her red face. Once they'd finally gotten the hang of rapidly firing a simple 'stupefy', Remus told them to switch to expelliarmus. Then the process of shooting, sometimes missing, and being rounded on, continued. They switched back and forth between the two spells for an hour, which was basically until they felt that their arms were going to fall off. "I bet you can't wait 'til next time eh?" Sirius teased, rubbing his hands together.

Harry groaned, causing his friends to laugh.

The next morning brought the first day of the second week of summer break. Remembering one of the first places he'd gone to last summer, Harry teleported from The Hideaway to Diagon Alley. As he walked down the street towards Blurnof's Eyestore, his scare began to prickle. Wonderful, Harry thought as he heard the crack of apperating warlocks.

Getting out his wand, Harry ducked around a corner just as the Death Eaters began to spread chaos into the shops. They split up, swarming into the stores to be greeted by screams and shouts. Harry took the phoenix pendent he wore around his neck and whispered onto it, "Headquarters."

Its surface clouded then cleared to reveal the main room and Dumbledore. "Death Eaters in Diagon Alley." Harry told him quietly, "About twenty or so is my guess."

Dumbledore nodded, worry in his eyes. "Be careful; wait until someone else arrives to move." Harry nodded and cut the connection. Peeking out, Harry placed an invisibility charm on himself then fired stunner through a store window at five Death Eaters. He ducked before they could see where the spells had come from.

As he creeped towards the next shop, something wet was doused over him. "Finitae Incantantum!" A Death Eater yelled, pointing at the water-lined form of Harry.

His charm ended and Harry said, "Expelliarmus!" sending the Death Eater back ten feet without his wand. Harry caught it and snapped it in two, stunned the dark wizard as he heard more people apperate onto the scene, this time from the Order and the Ministry.

Harry thought he saw Sirius, but was swept up in a mob of fleeing workers and customers. Harry slammed two Death Eaters with wind, careful not to gather too much, and then stunned them. He took their wands, snapped them, then found himself surrounded by dark robed figures who'd just apperated there.

Among them was the pale-skinned Dark Lord. "Voldemort," Harry spat in greeting.

He smiled, "Harry." A sharp pain burst in Harry's head, forcing him to his knees as Order members tried to get to him. Voldemort smiled cruelly as his Death Eaters held them off. "Tell me the prophecy and I will make this painless."

"No," Harry half-snarled, half-gasped.

"Very well," Voldemort raised his wand, "Serpentic Mortisas Karmoz," he then hissed in Parsletongue, "Eternal service, or fatal failure." and pointed at Harry. As the curse came towards him, time seemed to slow; then, Harry was knocked brutally out of the way and sent tumbling into the Death Eaters' broken circle—it was Splikvin.

The curse slammed into her, causing her to drop to her knees as well and bite her lip in pain. Voldemort lowered his wand with a mild amount of surprise on his face. "Selena, isn't it?" he asked softly, with both malice and intrigue. She glared furiously at him, clenching her teeth as her throat tensed; it was answer enough. "Your father trained you well, you would have been a credit to him; pity."

"Banshada!" she hissed in Parsletongue and slashed her wand in Voldemort's direction. With a sickening crack, Voldemort and the Death Eaters were thrown backwards—then vanished.

Splikvin fell backwards, clutching her left forearm. The Order members swarmed over. "You okay Tallon?" Remus asked with concern.

Harry nodded, rubbing his scar—the pain had left at last.

"Go to Headquarters," Dumbledore's voice said from behind, "We'll be needing Poppy." With nods, the Order teleported away.

Harry saw Snape lifting his twin off the ground, as pale as a ghost, before he too teleported to the Headquarters Infirmary.

Soon the beds were filled and Madame Pomfrey arrived. Harry, because of a dizziness that wouldn't cease, occupied a bed next to Splikvin's.

She was shivering horribly as Snape set her on the bed. She still kept silent as Mme. Pomfrey saw to others. Splikvin continued to hold onto her left forearm as sweat began to roll down her face. Snape put a hand on her brow, only to jerk it back. "B-bit…h-hotter th-than usual…h-huh?" she asked in a raspy voice, attempting a smile.

"Don't talk," Snape said. It was strange to seem the irritable potions master worried, in Harry's opinion. Closing his eyes, he wondered what had happened.

"You shouldn't have done that." Snape told Splikvin quietly, "He could have lived with the Mark." Harry stiffened, was that what Voldemort had been about to give him? He remembered Draco telling him how hard he'd screamed when receiving it, how much it had burned. Harry also remembered what Snape had told Draco: 'Receiving the Mark can be very dangerous. If interfered with, it can be close to, if not, fatal.' What if Splikvin died?

"N-no, he w-wouldn't of." At these words, Harry fought the urge to stare at the DADA professor.

"What do you mean?" Snape asked, "Of course he could have."

"No, he wouldn't of." Splikvin repeated firmly. "Lily died f-for a reason Sev, to keep him…alive. Just like I left, to keep you alive. The d-dark magic would've f-fought with the g-good magic L-Lily gave 'im. It would've t-torn his soul. I might live, h-he wouldn't of."

Harry opened his eyes just in time to see Splikvin loose consciousness and Sevvie (how'd he get here, Harry thought) jump onto Snape's lap, meowing. Snape pet the cat unknowingly, his face still pale. What've I done? Harry yelled silently; he raged at himself in his mind, angry for all the hurt he kept causing to people who were trying to help him. It will stop, he promised, I will stop it. Slowly, he fell asleep, but not before he saw Moony come over to Splikvin's bed, his face almost as pale as Snape's.

Coming Up:

The Door that Never Opened

Wormtail

Then:

Shadows

(A/N: So, is the Defense Against the Dark Arts position really cursed? Will Dumbledore need to find yet another professor to fill that post? How will others react? And what lies behind the mysterious door in The Hideaway dungeons?)

Review Response:

jamesyankee7: You brought up a very good point; thank you for reminding me. Harry seems weaker than his friends because he's not completely applying himself. If he were to go out in full elemental-animagus-Parsloz force, he'd beat them in seconds. But because he'd gotten into the habit of hiding his abilities last summer, he's doing it again instinctively. You'll notice that in the fights he gets into with Death Eaters, he's a lot tougher than in the practice room. (response to review of ch.4)