A/N: This chapter is a bit longer, hope that makes everyone happy!
Thanks Lady Phoenix Gryffindor; Sunrunner of Summer: There will be more pranks soon, I promise!; crystal,lily,james, and sirius; and athenakitty!
Remember, *****...........***** = journal entries.
CH13: A Revolutionary Lyric
{Why should we idly waste our prime
Repeating our oppression?
Come, rouse to arms, 'tis now the time
To punish past transgressions.
'Tis said that Kings can do no wrong ---
Their murderous deeds deny it;
And, since from us their power sprung,
We have a right to try it.
Now each true patriot's song shall be,
"Welcome Death or Liberty!"
A Revolutionary Lyric by Robert Burns}
~This reported wonders why Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, would let such a student attend his school. Could Potter have some sort of control of Dumbledore?
The Ministry is looking into these allegations.
"Oh."~
"Harry, are you alright?" Ron asked tentatively.
Harry looked up from the article. "Yeah, yeah. I just...I....I have to think for a while." He got up from the table, aware of the eyes of the hall on him, and left.
His feet traced the path to his abandoned tower without him even thinking about it. 'Why can't they just leave me alone? Seriously, is there a sign on my back that proclaims "Insult Me!" Voldemort is back. Why can't they just admit that? He's going to take over everything and no one is doing anything to stop him! What are we suppose to do if the people in charge won't even admit the problem?'
Harry flashed back to the day after Hermione had told him about the Orders. He had spent the next afternoon researching them. As it turned out, Dumbledore himself was in charge of the Order of the Phoenix. In other words, the most powerful 'light' wizard in the world, something Harry had no doubt about. While the fact that Dumbledore would be acting in the wizarding world's defense was reassuring, the rest of the information wasn't. The Light Order is made of mostly ministry personel and probably wouldn't be defying Fudge.
He reached his normal spot on the tower and laid down to muddle things over. 'This isn't right! How did we fall so far that we'd be in this situation? And how come it seems nobody is fighting anymore?' Harry sighed and rolled over. 'Not even me. There's got to be something I can do.'
It was at that moment that Destiny stepped in.
The newspaper lay on the floor in front of him, though he didn't remember carrying it up. And in the table of contents squashed at the bottom of the page were the words:
MISSING MINISTRY OFFICIALS FOUND
With shaking hands, he turned the pages until he came across the relevant article. He didn't even have to read the words, it was the picture that said it all.
Harry Potter found his way to take a stand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Marigold and John,
I hope this owl finds you in good health after your incarceration. It must have been terrible and I offer condolences from someone who understands.
Which is exactly what I want to talk to you about.
As you have probably heard, the Ministry has decided not to divulge the rebirth of Voldemort to the general public. And while they are busy with cover-ups, the Dark Lord is slowly taking over! So I have decided that if no one else will do anything about it, I will.
This letter is an invitation to join the Order of Fire. It is a secret organization dedicated to eradication of Dark Forces in the world.
I need someone at the Ministry to keep an eye on things and maybe even recruit some more members. I would understand if you do not want these positions. I wish to warn you the if you do take them that it may cost you your jobs. That may not be a risk you want to take.
All I ask you is to consider my offer.
Hoping to hear from you soon either way,
Harry Potter
************************************************************************
September 27, 1995
I think I'm having a flashback to 2nd year with the Chamber of Secrets paranoia. Only worse, much worse.
Most of the school refuses to talk to me. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws are glaring at me all of the time, while the Slytherins (mostly Malfoy) seem to want to make my life miserable. That last part is nothing new though.
Luckily, the Gryffindors and all of the fifth years are behind me. Or so they say. I can tell most are suspicious and they trade rumors when they think I can't hear them.
Remus, Sirius, and Dumbledore keep saying just to let this all blow over. I guess their right. And if anyone knows what it's like to have people out there who are trying to discredit them, it's definitely those three.
Everything is working according to plan with the Order. Both John and Marigold have written back with their full support. Apparently, they had their own run-in with Voldemort while being prisoners. They won't tell me what happened though.
Anyway, they each have several associates who are willingly to help. I'm hoping to get some more agents soon.
I still haven't told Ron and Hermione about the Order of Fire yet. Do you think I should. Maybe - Wait a minute, why am I asking you, your just a book! Moving on....I know my friends too well. They're going to be really mad at me when they find out I have been keeping this from them, but...I want to do this on my own for once. Ron would just treat this like some big joke and Hermione would worry and say I'm going through some sort of 'Knight in Shining Armor' Phase.
I've got to get to Transfiguration. I'll write more later.
Harry
**************************************************************************** *****
Just as Harry had written, the week past slowly, full of accusing and loathing looks. He tried to bury himself in work, studying curses, charms, and hexes he could use against Death Eaters, but it was near impossible to forget how quickly the world turned on him.
Soon October first rolled around - the day of the first Hogsmeade weekend. Harry was all for not going, worried about the feelings of the townsfolk, but Lisa would have none of that.
"You can't stay locked up in the library on such a beautiful day. Your coming and that's final!" she shouted, stamping her foot, as Fred and George physically carried him down the hall towards the Entrance.
"Fine, fine. Just put me down!"
"As you command, Oh Great One." Fred smirked and he and George dropped him onto the hard floor.
Hogsmeade was indeed lovely, though Harry wasn't sure he could enjoy it. As he had feared, suspicion followed him everywhere. The only comfort came from his friends, who promptly glared at whoever said anything against the Boy Who Lived. "Don't let them get to you," Hermione kept whispering in his ear.
"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks. Drinks on us!" George suggested.
Ron glanced at them as the group went though the doors of the restaurant - it was the first suspicious look of the day that was not directed at Harry. "Where did you get the money for this? Come to think of it, you've spent an awful lot this summer as well. And those dress robes......"
Harry smiled to himself. So they did remember what they promised to do.
He had given the Twins his Triwizard winnings to start up their joke shop, on the one condition that they would buy Ron new robes. The lacy ones he wore before were just embarrassing.
"Oh, someone donated some money to the Weasley Wizard Wheezes fund," said Fred.
"Really?" Ron looked surprised. "What kind of nutter would give you two money?"
"The biggest one there is," George said nonchalantly. Harry rolled his eyes. "Anyway, thanks to him, we have a bid on a shop in Diagon Alley. And several new products. See, look at this one....."
Harry stood up as Ron's fingers started growing at alarming rates, eliciting laughs from the rest of the table. "I'm going up to the bar to order. Everyone wants Butterbeer, right?" He left after the nods from his friends and pretended not to notice the looks he was getting as he made his way towards Madame Rosmerta.
Unfortunately, he never got to order. Standing by the bar was Cornelius Fudge.
"Hello, Minister," Harry said wearily.
"Good to see you, Harry," he said stiffly. But then he leaned in closer to Harry. "Are you sure you should be here with the 'Dark Lord' running around?" Harry's blood began to boil at the sarcasm, but he remembered what Hermione said. 'Don't let them get to you.'
"I'm sure that rash'll clear up soon, Fudge," he said loudly. "Just keep taking you're potion." There were snickers from the patrons.
Fudge was seething. "One of these days, everyone will see you for what you really are. A conniving, lying - "
"I've never lied to you about anything. Contrary to what you may believe."
"Oh, give it up. You Know Who is not - " He was cut of when the doors to the Three Broomsticks flung open. The restaurant was filled with screams as they recognized who had come in - Lord Voldemort was walking up to the bar. "-back?"
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked coldly. Minister Fudge just stood there stunned, doing a remarkably lifelike impression of a goldfish.
"Now, is that anyway to greet an old friend?" said Voldemort.
Harry smiled sweetly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Much better! I missed your witty banter." Voldemort grinned. "I just came to ask if you thought over my proposition some more. You left so suddenly last time...."
"My answer is the same, Tom."
A bottle exploded behind the bar and the watching crowd broke into screams once more. "Don't call me that!" snarled Voldemort.
"Whyever not?"
The Dark Lord took a deep breath and regained his composure. "Harry, Harry, Harry. You're making a big mistake. Many people would die at the chance to serve me. You'd be making your way right to the top, too, second only to me. Why wouldn't you want that?"
"Let me think. Why wouldn't I want to serve a psychopath, who killed my parents, along with thousands of others, and ruined my life? Not to mention, who is the embodiment of all that I hate? Hmmm, that's a real head- scratcher."
Voldemort settled back into open hostility. "That was the wrong thing to say. If you're not on my side, you're against me."
"Duh."
Voldemort ignored him. "And if you think what I did before was bad, you really don't know who you are dealing with." His face was only inches from Harry's now and Harry's scar was burning fiercely. "I won't kill you just yet. First, I'll hurt every single one of your friends and family. I'll make sure you watch and know it's happening because of you. And I won't stop until you are begging me to put you out of your misery." He moved away and scanned the room. "You haven't heard the last of me."
Voldemort glanced at the Minister and strode off to the door. Before he reached it, however, he turned back and looked straight at Harry. "I'll be seeing you, Potter."
Harry met his gaze evenly and replied, "Let the games begin." And Voldemort left.
Harry sighed. "Well, that was pleasant," he mumbled to himself. A couple of the teachers were rounding up the students and trying to placate the shocked townspeople. Harry turned towards the Minister.
"Cornelius?" Harry waved his hand in front of Fudge's face, but he was still staring at the spot Voldemort had just been.
"Someone has to take him back to the Ministry. I think he's in shock." Harry turned around and saw the speaker was Albus Dumbledore. "Do you mind, Harry?"
"Not at all." Dumbledore handed Harry a Portkey and a few small bottles of something before going to help with the chaos. Harry pushed the sock-shaped (no surprise there) Portkey into the Minister's hand, grabbed on himself, and muttered 'Transportio!" They disappeared with a pop.
The Ministry was in an uproar when they arrived. And the reason was revealed when a group of workers rushed towards them.
"Minister, someone placed very strong containment wards over the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. The alarms are going cra-" The woman stopped when realized Fudge wasn't responding. "Mr. Minister?"
"He's not exactly all there right now. You might want to wait until his motor skills are back," Harry said, trying to steer Fudge to somewhere he could sit down. "Alright, Fudge-y, one foot in front of the other." He plopped, very undignified, into a nearby chair and was shaking.
"What happened?" an Auror asked him.
"Well," Harry began, "he was going on and on like he normally does, something about how Voldemort" everyone flinched, "wasn't back, and then, said Dark Lord decided to stop by for a cup of tea and a gossip at Three Broomsticks." There was an eerie silence in the room as what Harry had just said sunk in. Meanwhile, Harry was examining the bottles Albus gave him. He grinned as he started mixing together a drink - a relaxing potion and some whiskey. After all, it's not everyday you got to get the Minister of Magic himself drunk.
When Harry handed Fudge his concoction, there were several noises of alarm from the spectators. Harry smirked at them. "Please, if I was going to poison him, I wouldn't be stupid enough to do it in front of so many witnesses."
Fudge brought a robot-like hand up to his mouth, took a sip, and sputtered. He looked up at Harry. "You Know Who is back."
"I noticed."
Fudge dropped his head to the table. "Why do these things always happen when you're around?"
"Hey!" Harry said indigently. "You can't blame this one on me! I told you he was back, but you were to stubborn to listen."
With a sigh, Fudge lifted his head back up. "Potter," He seemed to be struggling for words. "How?"
"How did he come back?"
"Yeah, that."
"Well, it's a long story - "
"Actually, I want to see it." At Harry's puzzled look, Fudge elaborated. "There is a machine called a Pensieve Projector. It's a way to let a whole group of people view your memories. Only problem, it needs a keyword to activate it. Like if you wanted to show someone a dog memory, you would keep thinking the word dog over and over again while the spell was preformed. But, it would show every dog you've ever seen. And the word would have to be very specific, if it's going to work."
"A keyword like 'Voldemort and his servants?'" Everyone flinched at the name, but Fudge nodded. Harry contemplated this. There were a lot of things he wouldn't want shown, the Order of Fire first and foremost on his mind, but....A smile spread across Harry's face. And servants. It would show his third year, with Pettigrew alive....
"Yes, Minister," Harry said. "I think that would work quite nicely."
Thanks Lady Phoenix Gryffindor; Sunrunner of Summer: There will be more pranks soon, I promise!; crystal,lily,james, and sirius; and athenakitty!
Remember, *****...........***** = journal entries.
CH13: A Revolutionary Lyric
{Why should we idly waste our prime
Repeating our oppression?
Come, rouse to arms, 'tis now the time
To punish past transgressions.
'Tis said that Kings can do no wrong ---
Their murderous deeds deny it;
And, since from us their power sprung,
We have a right to try it.
Now each true patriot's song shall be,
"Welcome Death or Liberty!"
A Revolutionary Lyric by Robert Burns}
~This reported wonders why Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, would let such a student attend his school. Could Potter have some sort of control of Dumbledore?
The Ministry is looking into these allegations.
"Oh."~
"Harry, are you alright?" Ron asked tentatively.
Harry looked up from the article. "Yeah, yeah. I just...I....I have to think for a while." He got up from the table, aware of the eyes of the hall on him, and left.
His feet traced the path to his abandoned tower without him even thinking about it. 'Why can't they just leave me alone? Seriously, is there a sign on my back that proclaims "Insult Me!" Voldemort is back. Why can't they just admit that? He's going to take over everything and no one is doing anything to stop him! What are we suppose to do if the people in charge won't even admit the problem?'
Harry flashed back to the day after Hermione had told him about the Orders. He had spent the next afternoon researching them. As it turned out, Dumbledore himself was in charge of the Order of the Phoenix. In other words, the most powerful 'light' wizard in the world, something Harry had no doubt about. While the fact that Dumbledore would be acting in the wizarding world's defense was reassuring, the rest of the information wasn't. The Light Order is made of mostly ministry personel and probably wouldn't be defying Fudge.
He reached his normal spot on the tower and laid down to muddle things over. 'This isn't right! How did we fall so far that we'd be in this situation? And how come it seems nobody is fighting anymore?' Harry sighed and rolled over. 'Not even me. There's got to be something I can do.'
It was at that moment that Destiny stepped in.
The newspaper lay on the floor in front of him, though he didn't remember carrying it up. And in the table of contents squashed at the bottom of the page were the words:
MISSING MINISTRY OFFICIALS FOUND
With shaking hands, he turned the pages until he came across the relevant article. He didn't even have to read the words, it was the picture that said it all.
Harry Potter found his way to take a stand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Marigold and John,
I hope this owl finds you in good health after your incarceration. It must have been terrible and I offer condolences from someone who understands.
Which is exactly what I want to talk to you about.
As you have probably heard, the Ministry has decided not to divulge the rebirth of Voldemort to the general public. And while they are busy with cover-ups, the Dark Lord is slowly taking over! So I have decided that if no one else will do anything about it, I will.
This letter is an invitation to join the Order of Fire. It is a secret organization dedicated to eradication of Dark Forces in the world.
I need someone at the Ministry to keep an eye on things and maybe even recruit some more members. I would understand if you do not want these positions. I wish to warn you the if you do take them that it may cost you your jobs. That may not be a risk you want to take.
All I ask you is to consider my offer.
Hoping to hear from you soon either way,
Harry Potter
************************************************************************
September 27, 1995
I think I'm having a flashback to 2nd year with the Chamber of Secrets paranoia. Only worse, much worse.
Most of the school refuses to talk to me. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws are glaring at me all of the time, while the Slytherins (mostly Malfoy) seem to want to make my life miserable. That last part is nothing new though.
Luckily, the Gryffindors and all of the fifth years are behind me. Or so they say. I can tell most are suspicious and they trade rumors when they think I can't hear them.
Remus, Sirius, and Dumbledore keep saying just to let this all blow over. I guess their right. And if anyone knows what it's like to have people out there who are trying to discredit them, it's definitely those three.
Everything is working according to plan with the Order. Both John and Marigold have written back with their full support. Apparently, they had their own run-in with Voldemort while being prisoners. They won't tell me what happened though.
Anyway, they each have several associates who are willingly to help. I'm hoping to get some more agents soon.
I still haven't told Ron and Hermione about the Order of Fire yet. Do you think I should. Maybe - Wait a minute, why am I asking you, your just a book! Moving on....I know my friends too well. They're going to be really mad at me when they find out I have been keeping this from them, but...I want to do this on my own for once. Ron would just treat this like some big joke and Hermione would worry and say I'm going through some sort of 'Knight in Shining Armor' Phase.
I've got to get to Transfiguration. I'll write more later.
Harry
**************************************************************************** *****
Just as Harry had written, the week past slowly, full of accusing and loathing looks. He tried to bury himself in work, studying curses, charms, and hexes he could use against Death Eaters, but it was near impossible to forget how quickly the world turned on him.
Soon October first rolled around - the day of the first Hogsmeade weekend. Harry was all for not going, worried about the feelings of the townsfolk, but Lisa would have none of that.
"You can't stay locked up in the library on such a beautiful day. Your coming and that's final!" she shouted, stamping her foot, as Fred and George physically carried him down the hall towards the Entrance.
"Fine, fine. Just put me down!"
"As you command, Oh Great One." Fred smirked and he and George dropped him onto the hard floor.
Hogsmeade was indeed lovely, though Harry wasn't sure he could enjoy it. As he had feared, suspicion followed him everywhere. The only comfort came from his friends, who promptly glared at whoever said anything against the Boy Who Lived. "Don't let them get to you," Hermione kept whispering in his ear.
"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks. Drinks on us!" George suggested.
Ron glanced at them as the group went though the doors of the restaurant - it was the first suspicious look of the day that was not directed at Harry. "Where did you get the money for this? Come to think of it, you've spent an awful lot this summer as well. And those dress robes......"
Harry smiled to himself. So they did remember what they promised to do.
He had given the Twins his Triwizard winnings to start up their joke shop, on the one condition that they would buy Ron new robes. The lacy ones he wore before were just embarrassing.
"Oh, someone donated some money to the Weasley Wizard Wheezes fund," said Fred.
"Really?" Ron looked surprised. "What kind of nutter would give you two money?"
"The biggest one there is," George said nonchalantly. Harry rolled his eyes. "Anyway, thanks to him, we have a bid on a shop in Diagon Alley. And several new products. See, look at this one....."
Harry stood up as Ron's fingers started growing at alarming rates, eliciting laughs from the rest of the table. "I'm going up to the bar to order. Everyone wants Butterbeer, right?" He left after the nods from his friends and pretended not to notice the looks he was getting as he made his way towards Madame Rosmerta.
Unfortunately, he never got to order. Standing by the bar was Cornelius Fudge.
"Hello, Minister," Harry said wearily.
"Good to see you, Harry," he said stiffly. But then he leaned in closer to Harry. "Are you sure you should be here with the 'Dark Lord' running around?" Harry's blood began to boil at the sarcasm, but he remembered what Hermione said. 'Don't let them get to you.'
"I'm sure that rash'll clear up soon, Fudge," he said loudly. "Just keep taking you're potion." There were snickers from the patrons.
Fudge was seething. "One of these days, everyone will see you for what you really are. A conniving, lying - "
"I've never lied to you about anything. Contrary to what you may believe."
"Oh, give it up. You Know Who is not - " He was cut of when the doors to the Three Broomsticks flung open. The restaurant was filled with screams as they recognized who had come in - Lord Voldemort was walking up to the bar. "-back?"
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked coldly. Minister Fudge just stood there stunned, doing a remarkably lifelike impression of a goldfish.
"Now, is that anyway to greet an old friend?" said Voldemort.
Harry smiled sweetly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Much better! I missed your witty banter." Voldemort grinned. "I just came to ask if you thought over my proposition some more. You left so suddenly last time...."
"My answer is the same, Tom."
A bottle exploded behind the bar and the watching crowd broke into screams once more. "Don't call me that!" snarled Voldemort.
"Whyever not?"
The Dark Lord took a deep breath and regained his composure. "Harry, Harry, Harry. You're making a big mistake. Many people would die at the chance to serve me. You'd be making your way right to the top, too, second only to me. Why wouldn't you want that?"
"Let me think. Why wouldn't I want to serve a psychopath, who killed my parents, along with thousands of others, and ruined my life? Not to mention, who is the embodiment of all that I hate? Hmmm, that's a real head- scratcher."
Voldemort settled back into open hostility. "That was the wrong thing to say. If you're not on my side, you're against me."
"Duh."
Voldemort ignored him. "And if you think what I did before was bad, you really don't know who you are dealing with." His face was only inches from Harry's now and Harry's scar was burning fiercely. "I won't kill you just yet. First, I'll hurt every single one of your friends and family. I'll make sure you watch and know it's happening because of you. And I won't stop until you are begging me to put you out of your misery." He moved away and scanned the room. "You haven't heard the last of me."
Voldemort glanced at the Minister and strode off to the door. Before he reached it, however, he turned back and looked straight at Harry. "I'll be seeing you, Potter."
Harry met his gaze evenly and replied, "Let the games begin." And Voldemort left.
Harry sighed. "Well, that was pleasant," he mumbled to himself. A couple of the teachers were rounding up the students and trying to placate the shocked townspeople. Harry turned towards the Minister.
"Cornelius?" Harry waved his hand in front of Fudge's face, but he was still staring at the spot Voldemort had just been.
"Someone has to take him back to the Ministry. I think he's in shock." Harry turned around and saw the speaker was Albus Dumbledore. "Do you mind, Harry?"
"Not at all." Dumbledore handed Harry a Portkey and a few small bottles of something before going to help with the chaos. Harry pushed the sock-shaped (no surprise there) Portkey into the Minister's hand, grabbed on himself, and muttered 'Transportio!" They disappeared with a pop.
The Ministry was in an uproar when they arrived. And the reason was revealed when a group of workers rushed towards them.
"Minister, someone placed very strong containment wards over the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. The alarms are going cra-" The woman stopped when realized Fudge wasn't responding. "Mr. Minister?"
"He's not exactly all there right now. You might want to wait until his motor skills are back," Harry said, trying to steer Fudge to somewhere he could sit down. "Alright, Fudge-y, one foot in front of the other." He plopped, very undignified, into a nearby chair and was shaking.
"What happened?" an Auror asked him.
"Well," Harry began, "he was going on and on like he normally does, something about how Voldemort" everyone flinched, "wasn't back, and then, said Dark Lord decided to stop by for a cup of tea and a gossip at Three Broomsticks." There was an eerie silence in the room as what Harry had just said sunk in. Meanwhile, Harry was examining the bottles Albus gave him. He grinned as he started mixing together a drink - a relaxing potion and some whiskey. After all, it's not everyday you got to get the Minister of Magic himself drunk.
When Harry handed Fudge his concoction, there were several noises of alarm from the spectators. Harry smirked at them. "Please, if I was going to poison him, I wouldn't be stupid enough to do it in front of so many witnesses."
Fudge brought a robot-like hand up to his mouth, took a sip, and sputtered. He looked up at Harry. "You Know Who is back."
"I noticed."
Fudge dropped his head to the table. "Why do these things always happen when you're around?"
"Hey!" Harry said indigently. "You can't blame this one on me! I told you he was back, but you were to stubborn to listen."
With a sigh, Fudge lifted his head back up. "Potter," He seemed to be struggling for words. "How?"
"How did he come back?"
"Yeah, that."
"Well, it's a long story - "
"Actually, I want to see it." At Harry's puzzled look, Fudge elaborated. "There is a machine called a Pensieve Projector. It's a way to let a whole group of people view your memories. Only problem, it needs a keyword to activate it. Like if you wanted to show someone a dog memory, you would keep thinking the word dog over and over again while the spell was preformed. But, it would show every dog you've ever seen. And the word would have to be very specific, if it's going to work."
"A keyword like 'Voldemort and his servants?'" Everyone flinched at the name, but Fudge nodded. Harry contemplated this. There were a lot of things he wouldn't want shown, the Order of Fire first and foremost on his mind, but....A smile spread across Harry's face. And servants. It would show his third year, with Pettigrew alive....
"Yes, Minister," Harry said. "I think that would work quite nicely."
