A/N: It feels like I'm really missing something from this chapter. I'm not sure what it is, but as soon as I think it up, I'll try and replace this. In the meantime, you get everything just as it is.

Thestral Disclaimer: Mmmmm.... Blooood....

Chapter Twenty-Four –

The Dark Lord's Chosen Place

Harry and Luna sat beside each other in the kitchen at the impromptu Order meeting. Interestingly enough, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Neville were also allowed to participate today. Snape sat looking grouchy and sick at the furthest end away from the group of students. No doubt he thought that if he were to venture any nearer, he might be attacked by flying doors or something. McGonagall sat beside him, looking as though she didn't really know why she was there, but was pleased to be included.

Mrs. Longbottom sat in the chair beside professsor McGonagall, and Mister Lovegood sat clutching his daughter's hand beside Professor Dumbledore. Luna was trying her best to shake him off, so she could eat the pile of food Mrs. Weasley had eagerly plopped before her, insisting she fill her stomach.

Dumbledore looked incredibly relieved that both his Potions teacher and his missing student had returned relatively unscathed. He folded his fingers before his nose, and spoke quietly with Snape while members arrived and settled in.

When Molly and Arthur had finally taken their seats, he began. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to those responsible for the rescue of many Hogsmeade citizens and Hogwarts students in what the Death-Eaters have been apparently calling the 'Hogsmeade hunt'." He gestured to the students, and Harry was glad to see that he refrained from singling him out. The entire room seemed to focus in on him anyhow, and he mentally cursed the prophet for its rediculous lies and slander.

He was glad that Dumbledore had waited until they were all together to tell the rest of the Order. It meant that they would all be hearing the same information, and Harry wouldn't have to worry about being kept out of the loop about some things. It also worked in reverse, and Harry could make sure that his friends were not given innocuous lies to cover up Order secrets.

"In order to facilitate the rescue, these students were forced to do something highly unorthodox, and slightly illegal. I would have everyone's promise not to bring this to the attention of the ministry before we continue."

Nods went around the table. Even Snape bobbed his head once, and Dumbledore once again adressed the group of students. "Go ahead then."

"We became animagi." Luna offered easily, between bites of food, and some gasps sounded around the table. Obviously some people had already known about this, as they had been involved in the search operation for the Gecko-Luna. Luna's father looked immensely proud.

Mrs. Weasley was livid, and she rounded on Ron and Ginny. "What? both of you? How could you defy the law like that?!! The dangers involved!... I can't even surmise what was passing though your heads! What if you had been caught? What if something had gone wrong? Honestly, I..."

Dumbledore cleared his throat to interrupt her rant. "Yes, Molly. They all understood the dangers, yet the fact that they have done this allowed them to sucessfully evade the Death-Eaters, alert the Order, and evacuate almost an entire town single-handedly. I think despite the illegality of the issue, the risks may have been worth the cost."

Mrs. Weasley's mouth was left hanging open, and she passed her sharp concerned eyes over each of the offending teens, if only to check that they each still had all of their limbs.

Luna gave a brief explanation of their learning process, and they had promises from each of the attendees that their secret would not leak in any direction. Harry couldn't really assume that was the case, but he hoped that whichever ministry official that called them on their activities would be lenient, considering their actions in Hogsmeade.

They were each asked to demonstrate their accomplishment for professor McGonagall, and 'ooh's and 'ahh's came from Fred and George for each, as though they were observing a firework display.

They broke out in hearty applause when Ginny and Harry decided to show theirs together. The sight of a rather large set of lion and a tiger in close proximity to a crowd of people was undoubtedly a little impressive. Ginny gave an extra loud hissing roar to intensify the image, and Greymane knocked his large paws over the back of her head, trying to get her to stop. If McGonagall hadn't given them a stern glare, then a full blown jungle-cat fight just might have broken out.

Ron received cat calls from his brothers at his form, and Harry realized he had not been quite so original with his comment as Charlie also reiterated how 'foxy' he looked.

Hermione almost dive bombed the twins when they asked her to work in their owl delivery department at Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, and Neville excitedly circled the table eight times before anyone was able to get their hands on him. While the twins chased Neville, Luna calmly informed the professor that she would need to stand on the table before changing, out of fear of getting trampled if she remained at ground level.

Once the room had settled down, and Snape had downed a bottle of headache potion or two, They began the story of what really happened in Hogsmeade. Not the stuff the rest of the wizarding world was reading about in the prophet.

Harry and Ginny explained what they had seen in the Three Broomsticks, including the fact that Bellatrix Lestrange was dead which, other than telling Dumbledore, Harry had thus far remained silent about, even to his friends. He couldn't yet tell them how it had happened, but it was sure to come out at some point.

Neville and Ron accounted for all of the places they had quietly emptied of people behind the Death-Eaters' backs. To Harry's relief, Madam Puddifoot's had been empty when the place began to burn, and that there had been a sign on the door saying 'Will return in 20 minutes'. Harry felt a little horrible for not having asked about it earlier.

Luna was just polishing off the last sausage on her plate, and was given the floor to begin her tale where everyone else's had broken off.

"I just wanted to get out of Malfoy's way, but I didn't take into account that he had brought a portkey with him." She told her audience. "When I climbed out from under the chair, I had to go over his foot, and once I finally hit the ground it was already too late."

"Where did you end up?" Mister Lovegood asked his daughter.

"I was at Death-Eater Headquarters. In the torture room."

A Gasp of fear rippled across the assembly.

"As my animagus is a Gecko, and a rather bright one at that, I ran away quickly, and stayed as far away from the torch light the entire time. I managed after a few minutes to hide myself inside a cupboard. I could see him from there."

"Who?" Dumbledore asked politely, even though he already knew just who she was talking about. He very obviously wanted to hear her say the name. To see if she could say it aloud.

"Voldemort." Luna said, without a twitch to her serene expression.

Dumbledore smiled, while everyone else –besides the students- flinched perceptibly.

"He walked into the room, and stood over Malfoy and a few other injured Death-Eaters, telling them that they had failed him and that they were not worthy of his attention. He used the cruciatus curse on them."

At this comment, Luna let out her first visible reaction to her experience. She closed her eyes and shuddered.

"Even when they were hurt and screaming already, he didn't let up."

"Go on." Dumbledore said softly after a lengthy pause.

Luna sighed and opened her eyes.

"I stayed there until they brought everyone else back. I wanted to hear what had happened in Hogsmeade after I left. I thought that if they had kidnapped anyone then I was most strategically placed to aid a rescue. I watched as the Death-Eaters portkeyed in from what they were calling 'the hunt'. Most of them were juniors, from what I could tell. A bunch of Death-Eaters out on their first mission sort of as a way to prove themselves, but I did recognize a few of them.

"A lot of them were injured, and the rest didn't stay uninjured for long. When Voldemort discovered that they had not brought back his two requested hostages, he had a right fit. He was told by one Death-Eater that at first they had actually captured four people. His requested two, and two more for a bit of persuasion. He was livid that they had somehow escaped."

"Ginny and professor Vector." Harry muttered, beginning to get angry at himself. "They would have used them to get Trelawney and I to talk wouldn't they?"

Dumbledore nodded. "The Death-Eaters, unlike their master Voldemort, seem to understand the meaning of friendship enough to be able to exploit it."

Harry carefully avoided looking at Ron, knowing he had failed in his promise to protect Ginny, and knowing that Ron wouldn't like that any more than Ginny's parents seemed to like it.

Molly looked like she was about to faint, and was waving her hand fan-like before her to hold off an attack of the vapours.

Luna shrugged. "They didn't say who they had caught, but mentioned that you had been able to free yourselves, and that by the time they returned to the Three Broomsticks, Bellatrix was dead, and you were nowhere to be found.

"Another man who was being guarded and was in chains stepped forward at that point to accept punishment for killing Bellatrix." She nodded to Harry and Ginny. "He said he had freed you on purpose, and wanted to be punished as a traitor."

Harry whispered the name. "Wormtail." And looked over at Remus.

Remus flinched, and Harry quickly stared back at Luna.

"What did Voldemort do to him?" Remus asked.

"Voldemort was incredibly angry at him, and tortured him for a long time, completely forgetting about the others. Part of his torture was that he took away his silver hand, and watched as Wormtail bled all over the torture room floor."

The silence that permeated the kitchen was wistful and full of regret. Even Snape managed a small sigh, but that may have been just to ease his many tense muscles.

"He told me that he was doomed anyhow, and wanted to repay some of his mistakes before he died." Harry muttered this only to break the intensity of the silence. "He said he owed me."

"He was able to show quite a bit of courage in the end." Luna answered, seeming to understand how important it was for Remus and Harry to hear it. "As he lay there, bleeding to death and being tortured intermittently, he told Voldemort that he appreciated his punishment. His last words were;'A life without friendship and love, Voldemort, is not a life worth living.' I have to admit that I was impressed to hear him say 'Voldemort.' That's probably the reason that they were his last words. Voldemort was so angry at the sound of his own name that he couldn't refrain from killing him."

Remus lowered his eyes to the tabletop, and Harry felt the hatred and remorse wash over him from that end of the table. Even though Peter Pettigrew had done many horrible things in his life, Remus had trusted him once. It must have been a horrible thing to know that his friend had pushed him away in search of some ever-elusive thread of power, had lived in pain and fear, and then had then died because of it.

"Voldemort wanted Wormtail to pay. He said that he could understand Wormtail's debt to Harry, and no doubt that was why he had let Harry go, but he could not accept losing the one in his chosen place. I don't know why he was saying that."

"He wanted Trelawney," Harry said quickly, remembering the hastily imparted information the crazed Wormtail had given, "because she's the one who could tell him the full prophecy."

"Why would she be the 'one for his chosen place' though?" Ron asked, looking frustrated.

Hermione gasped. "Harry, didn't you say that you thought the job of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was jinxed? Could that post be his 'chosen place'?"

Harry gasped. "Of course! Voldemort had the position jinxed! He didn't want us to learn anything important defense-wise. After all, I'm the one who's supp..." he trailed off, but then regrouped after a slight hesitation. "...who he mostly seems to be after, so obviously he would want to make it so that I couldn't fight back. No defense lessons for me or for anyone else my age gives him a distinct advantage."

Dumbledore nodded perceptibly at Harry's quick rewind, but McGonagall frowned. She first eyed Harry knowingly, then glared at Dumbledore. "But if the job were jinxed, then that means..." She trailed off with her hand about to gesture towards the very pale looking Remus.

"I think it's a good thing I left after a year." Remus said quietly.

"That was exactly the reason I did not want the jinx publicised." Dumbledore said emphatically, and everyone gaped at him.

"You mean you knew! You knew and you never told anyone?!" Harry exploded. "That is so typical!"

Mrs. Weasley gasped.

The headmaster only shrugged, not really worried about Harry's sudden rudeness, and Mrs. Weasley's confused eyes darted between them. "I knew that if word were to get around that the job were truly jinxed, then I would never be able to fill the post again. If it were simply an unverified rumor, I would get only the bravest or – unfortunately – dimwitted teachers to take the post. I needed the post filled for all of the students' sakes."

All the teachers present looked rather disgusted with Dumbledore.

Snape in particular, looked to be foaming at the mouth with the way his scowl intensified. "Is this the reason you would not give me the post, Headmaster? Am I considered to be too much a weak Slytherin for your tastes? Not Gryffindor enough to appease your sense of bravery? Or is it that you think I am too dimwitted to understand the difficulties involved with a relatively simple jinx?"

McGonagall flushed with not quite suppressed anger. "Why didn't you tell us Albus? What about poor Sybil? What do you think she's going through right now? She didn't know she was in danger, and now it's worse! How can you expect to protect people when they don't even have the resources or knowledge to help protect themselves? Are we not in the business of teaching, Headmaster?"

Dumbledore's embarrassed eyes met Harry's and he knew that they were thinking in unison- that Dumbledore had done the same thing to Harry last year when he neglected to tell Harry about the prophecy. He had thought to be protecting him, but it had all blown up in his face. It was happening again now, and there was very little he could do about it except apologise. Harry was already sorry that he had insulted the headmaster, and he couldn't let this spiral out of control any more.

"It might have been nice to know I was accepting a jinxed position." Remus mumbled, staring at the table as though it might burn if he glared harder. His face was flushed and Harry could tell he was very angry. "Not that I would have said no to you Albus, but I should have known that there was a possibility of consequences. It should have been my risk to take."

Snape's lip curled. "I never thought there would be a day I might agree with you Lupin, but even I am known to be wrong from time to time."

Remus' mouth twitched in a poor imitation of a grin. "There's a first time for everything Snape."

Harry looked around at the group in astonishment. Moony and Snape, agreeing about something? What was the Order coming to? He had unwittingly set all of the teachers against Dumbledore, and although Harry personally thought that in a way Dumbledore deserved their anger, he desperately needed to dispell the tension somehow.

This was really nothing but a petty argument compared to what awaited them. However, even a petty argument could spawn mistrust and doubt in any organization. It was not something the Order could afford now. He had the feeling that none of the others, except Dumbledore had realised what was happening to them. Everyone looked either glaringly angry, appalled or completely bewildered.

Besides, Harry was getting desperate to hear about Luna and the rest of her experiences in the Death-Eaters encampment. Dumbledore and his problems could wait.

"Professor Dumbledore? What would happen if you were to change the name of the course? I don't feel as if the DA is included in this jinx, or else something would have happened to me by now, wouldn't it?"

"The jinx has nothing to do with the title of the course." Dumbledore answered. "It has to do with the people who choose to teach it. I couldn't possibly change the course title, it was ingrained magically into the school curriculum at the time of the four founders. It's impossible to alter."

"Could it be that it hasn't affected the DA because we're operating out of normal school hours? Or maybe it's because I'm not technically a teacher? Maybe the Defense class could do the same or something? There are plenty of ways around the issue, I'm sure you can resolve something there. We don't have to discuss this now. It's not really important yet."

Jaws dropped around the table, including Dumbledore's. His pale hand came up as though to smack himself in the head at his own stupidity, but he held himself in check as he mumbled. "Harry, every time I've seen you in an Order meeting it makes me feel more and more like I should have inducted you immediately upon Voldemort's return."

McGonagall gasped, and looked pointedly at the other students sitting beside Harry. Dumbledore flushed white at what, in his amazement at Harry's insight, he had just unwittingly revealed. He was not used to keeping silent in these meetings and had obviously forgotten that the children weren't to know about Harry's member status.

He began to look even more confused when none of the students batted an eye at his comment. They didn't even look suspicious or confused. Harry smirked at him knowingly, and raised one eyebrow.

"Don't worry." Ron said easily. "We already knew. Only the five of us know about Harry already being a member. We haven't told anyone else."

Molly gasped loudly. She stared at Harry in anger. "I thought you promised-"

"I didn't tell them." Harry cut her off defiantly, looking directly at Dumbledore as he spoke, letting him see how true the statement was. Harry was proud of his friends, and wanted them to know everything about him. No matter what Dumbledore insisted. He would find a way to let them know everything without defying anyone and now Dumbledore knew it.

After all, Dumbledore had made him promise not to discuss it with anyone else, and he hadn't. He had been discussing it with Hagrid at the time.

Ron continued. "We also knew that this battle was supposed to happen over the Christmas holidays on Hogwarts grounds, but something made Voldemort change his mind. Voldemort needed to have Harry and Trelawney in the same spot, and he needed them in a reasonably quiet place. We ruined that plan. I believe it might have been our decision to come here for the Christmas break."

The longer Ron spoke, the wider everyone's eyes seemed to get. Snape's nose had turned up in disdain, and Mrs. Weasley was practically hyperventilating in her seat. She was muttering to her slack jawed husband, 'they're not supposed.... How could they?... but...if Harry didn't... then...' she continued her nonsensical rambling, even while Ron explained to everyone that Harry and Trelawney must have tripped some sort of ward once they were in the same building.

Harry hadn't even thought of that one, but it must have been true. How else would the Death-Eaters have known to attack at that particular time? He was incredibly proud of Ron for bringing the idea to everyone's attention, especially since he knew that it was a very simple sort of ward to construct.

"I hesitate to ask how..." Dumbledore trailed off, then shook his head in disbelief. Obviously everything he could see in Harry's eyes told him that he had not betrayed them. Harry didn't want to get Hagrid in trouble, so he said nothing. He might tell Dumbledore the next time they were alone, but this wasn't something the whole Order needed to hear about.

Dumbledore sighed. "Well it's all out now. I guess we have no recourse but to accept each of these students as members under the same rules that apply to Harry."

Both Molly and Arthur twitched, and looked at Ginny, who was sitting placid and defiant to Harry's right. She knew what her parents were thinking.

"Ginny too?" Arthur asked with a tense grind to his voice very few people had ever heard.

"Ginevra will be invited along with the others. I believe she played just as important a role in the Hogsmeade fight as the others." Dumbledore nodded. "We'll make the arrangements afterward. In the meantime, I believe we have a story that needs finishing?"

Obviously Molly and Arthur wanted to discuss it now, as Ginny was their only daughter, and the youngest Weasley. Dumbledore was able to silence their protests for the time being with an intense look, but it was obvious that they were not happy, and Dumbledore would have more explaining to do afterwards.

Luna cleared her throat. "Yes. Right." She gazed at the flame in the centre of the table with a look of almost boredom as she tried to regain the thread of her story.

"Your return?" Dumbledore coaxed.

"Yes, right. I saw the unconscious professor Snape being taken to the infirmary, and I made certain to be near him as much as possible. I thought I might either reveal myself to him when he was alone or hitch a ride out when he finally was well enough to use a portkey. As you might have guessed, I chose the latter, since he was never really alone. On his return, he did not know that I was safely stowed away in the hem of his cloak. I'm very pleased that his steps are sure and direct. Someone more fumble-footed may have unwittingly trod on their cloak's hem, and squashed me." Luna said the last words without even the hint of a joke behind them and although Harry felt like laughing, he was able to rein himself in. He understood enough about Luna to know that if she had intended it as a joke, she would have laughed at it herself.

She then turned to the moody and ill looking professor Snape. "I should inform you that you are under more suspicion than you know. From what I heard in the torture chamber, it isn't just Voldemort who suspects you of being a double agent. I think Malfoy was mumbling something about it to Crabbe and Goyle. If those two have the same amount of brain as their sons, you will soon be labelled a traitor by the rest of the Death-Eaters. Funny though, how Malfoy was talking. It sounded like he had a lisp or something..."

Snape's sneer faltered as he digested the information Luna had given. He looked almost afraid again. "What do you propose?" He reluctantly consulted Dumbledore.

The Headmaster shrugged. "I believe that you are already in quite a lot of danger, no matter what you decide. The choice is yours if you wish to continue or not."

Snape's spine straightened minutely. "I will continue." He said immediately. "But..."

"Yes, Severus?"

"It might be useful to have another measure of protection." He looked almost embarassed to have to request more help.

"You have something to suggest?"

Snape nodded. "Even though I am evidently not in the same circles I once was, some of the other Death-Eaters still do not know why, and are speaking freely to me. One of them told me that those involved in the Hogsmeade Hunt were given portkeys. They each now own an amulet that whenever it is touched and the incantation is spoken, it will immediately return them to the base. These portkeys are apparently sufficient to be used more than once, and only those in the upper circle are supposed to know how to make them."

"Can you find out how? It may be of use." Dumbledore asked thoughtfully.

Snape smirked again. "I already have professor, I will teach you."

Dumbledore smiled. "Very efficient of you Severus. I will meet you in the Study later." He stood. "This meeting is adjourned. Molly, Arthur, I would like to speak with you for a moment. Students?"

The full pack looked up at him.

"Please wait for me in the hall."

They all nodded and went to stand beyond the doorway threshold.

"Are you sure you weren't supposed to be in Gryffindor Luna?" Neville eyed her warily. "What you did was amazing."

Luna blushed. "Thank you."

"Are you kidding Neville?" Hermione smirked. "Any self respecting Gryffindor would have interfered when they saw people being tortured. I think what you did was perfectly Ravenclaw. Intelligent to the last."

Luna blushed even more. "I'm pleased you think so."

"We're glad you're back." Harry said warmly.

"I'm certainly happy to be back. It was nice to feast on something other than spiders and flies." Luna deadpanned. Harry wrinkled his nose in disgust.

Ginny nodded in agreement, grinning. "It must have been good after that." She suddenly went serious. "You know, if you ever want to talk about... what you've seen, you know you can come to us, right?."

"Shhh." Ron said, pressing his eye to the small keyhole. "I'm trying to eavesdrop here." He held a long pink string to his ear, that had slipped itself beneath the door, and it had obviously wriggled over to where Dumbledore was talking to his parents.

"Ron!" Hermione protested. "He's going to tell us everything anyhow, why are you doing that?"

"Not necessarily Hermione." Harry interrupted.

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"Dumbledore doesn't always tell people things. He keeps a lot of secrets which he probably shouldn't."

"I know, but that doesn't give us the right to... Ron, come off it!" she exclaimed when Ron shushed them again.

"It's about me isn't it?" Ginny asked. "They're trying to convince Dumbledore that I shouldn't be allowed in the Order."

"Yup." Ron mumbled, and Ginny flopped herself to the floor in a huff.

"It's just like them isn't it? I'm never going to be able to join in because I'm too young." She harrumphed. "'Too young' is just their way of saying 'youngest', no matter my age. I'm sick of this."

Luna chewed thoughtfully on a length of her hair. "Don't worry Ginevra. I promise we won't let them keep you out. If they won't take you, then they certainly can't take me, and I'm the one who just told them about the Death-Eater camp. They really can't afford to not have me now."

"In fact," Harry muttered, "If they don't let you join, I'll resign in protest. How's that?"

Ginny smiled. "Guess I really shouldn't have anything to worry about then. They sort of need you, don't they." And she stood up, just as Ron pulled quickly away from the keyhole, rewrapped the pink extendable ear and shoved it in his pocket, trying to look as though he had not heard anything.

The door opened to reveal a smiling Dumbledore, and two frowning Weasleys.

Ginny's face split into a grin.