Chapter Six- Outing
"What is Grimmauld Place?"
With a burst of green flame, the three companions landed in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place, more or less gracefully. Regaining his footing quite smoothly, Harry pushed his hair back from his face and smoothed the robes he now wore, before turning to look at his godfather. As Remus came through the Floo behind them, the werewolf stumbled on a bit of uneven stone along the floor. Quicker than the older wizards could see, Harry solidly grabbed his former mentor's arm, allowing Remus a moment for his innate balance to reassert itself. With a nearly startled smile of appreciation to the youngest of them, Remus then flicked his gaze to his partner. Harry withdrew his hand and turned to peruse the dim room.
The stone walls appeared primeval, as did the cumbersome dining table and chairs that seemed to have been made eras ago when furnishings were meant to be oppressive as a show of lucre. As Harry scanned the room, his eyes alighted on an evidently fresh adornment above the overly large fireplace the three had just traveled through. A large shield, silver with a framework of brass, was mounted against the expanse of grey masonry. In the center of the welded metal, a golden visage of a phoenix looked to be flying out of its setting towards the wizards. Harry took in the resplendence of the work; he also noticed that the lack of dust and other settling features on the piece, which were rather prominent along the rest of the decor, indicated it was a very recent addition to the room.
After a moment, Harry turned once again to his godfather. The green eyes met blue, before Sirius shifted his gaze to the side. He appeared slightly nervous in his mannerisms, dusting his hands along the sides of his trousers warily. Noting this, Harry merely raised an eyebrow and kept a studied expression of ease gracing his features.
"Well, Harry, this is Grimmauld Place." Remus ultimately stated to break the silence when the others were not willing to do it.
"I had figured that much." Harry allowed a jesting smirk to quirk his lips, turning to Remus, who returned it in kind.
"Yes, well, this is also both Sirius's house and the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."
"The Order of the Phoenix? I heard you discussing that earlier, briefly. I assume it has something to do with Voldemort?" Harry queried, leaving the bit about the place being Sirius's quiet for a moment, as he made to get his questions answered.
Seeming a bit more calm at Harry not reacting to his place, Sirius responded.
"Yeah, it's an organization Dumbledore created. He formed it back during Voldemort's first rise to power, and reconvened it after his return. We were in it originally," He gestured to Remus and himself, "along with your parents and some amount of others."
Harry nodded and considered for a moment, before asking, "And what does this group do?"
The older wizards glanced at each other, then Remus said, "Well, we work against Voldemort. But I'm sure you gathered that much." He flashed a slight smile. "The Order recruits people to our side, thwarts attempts of the Death Eaters, tries to defeat the enemies. That sort of thing. It's not my place to say more. I..." Remus trailed off, a little uncertain.
"It's all right, Remus. I can understand that." Harry's tone was slightly abashed, even as he vowed to himself to get some more definitive answers from the headmaster. And apparent leader of the Order.
Deciding to leave that subject off for the moment, Harry said, "So, this place is yours, Sirius?"
Clearing his throat, the man nodded. "Yeah. Well, it was my . . . family's place. They were rather, er, against my choice of allegiance. You know, with the light side, so to speak. They were . . . uh, dark."
Sirius glanced at Harry, seemingly waiting for his reaction to this. When all his godson did was nod and raise his brows in query, he sighed and gestured the others to the overbearing dining set. He summoned a couple of butterbeers and handed one to Remus and Harry each.
"I never agreed with them much when I was young," Sirius explained, "then I was sorted into Gryffindor, and joined with Dumbledore and everyone after school. They disowned me, and I can't say I was too upset." A wry smile flitted on his lips. "I had hoped not to deal with anything of my family's after that, but as I am now the only Black left, I inherited. So I offered Dumbledore use of this place as headquarters. It was about all I could do last year, anyway."
Before Harry could ask about that, Remus spoke up. "I think we should probably get going. We can explain more later, maybe over lunch in Diagon Alley?"
Harry nodded, and Sirius stood up. Banishing the butterbeers that none of them had drank, he gestured for the others to follow him. He led them up some narrow stairs and through a veritable maze of hallways, pointing out particular rooms and adjacent hallways to Harry. As he looked into the aforementioned places, Harry could distinctly note the evidence of previous dark inhabitancy. While showing a level of care and work of light charms, there still existed an ingrained hint of shadow. Not necessarily evil, per say, but something besides goodness.
Sirius drew up quickly to a closed door down a gloomy passageway. Opening the door, he explained. "This was my old room, when I was a kid. I put your things in here, Harry. You know, after you disappeared."
Harry nodded, then walked into the room after his godfather. Remus stood in the doorway and leaned against the frame, half-smiling. Sirius pushed aside the heavy velvet curtains over the window with a flick of his wand and a muttered charm. Harry blinked and let his eyes grow accustomed to the sharp light piercing through the shaded room. Though somewhat bare, it was still impressive, in sheer size if nothing else. Looking around, Harry noticed a familiar trunk against the far wall.
As Harry walked over to it, he knew without turning that Sirius was moving out of the room, brushing by Remus. Acting as though he hadn't sensed anything, he just stopped in front of the trunk. Harry discerned that the layer of dust present on the few other objects occupying the room was absent from it. As though someone had taken care to keep it clean, or had perhaps looked through it recently. Smiling lightly, Harry opened it and beheld his old belongings.
Stationed on the top of the contents was a photo album and a yellowed scrap of parchment. He fingered the album, remembering when he had received it, and then picked up the paper. Chuckling, he glanced at Remus, feigning surprise that Sirius was no longer in the room.
Smiling at the famous, or rather infamous, Map Harry held, Remus said, "Sirius went to get our keys from our rooms. He'll be back in a minute."
Harry nodded, then continued going through the trunk. He pulled aside the silvery invisibility cloak he so cherished, reached through the now much too small robes and worn second hand muggle clothes, until he reached a small pouch at the bottom. Withdrawing the satchel, he set the other items gently back into place and straightened up. He undid the fastening, dumping the contents out onto his palm. A few Galleons and a couple Sickles clinked against each other, then a small golden key fell atop them.
Sirius returned with the keys he had gone to fetch, a bright smile alighting his winsome face as he looked at his partner and godson. With a buoyant wave, he gestured for them to follow him out of the room, and led them back down the labyrinth of hallways to the kitchen. As they walked, Harry tied the satchel closed, attaching it to his belt near his wand. Once they reached their destination, Sirius went to the fireplace and, grinning, grabbed a handful of Floo Powder.
"Off we go then, gents!" Sirius exclaimed, smirking cheekily when Remus raised an eyebrow at him.
"You must excuse him, Harry," Remus murmured in an aside, "he actually enjoys using the Floo." He shook his head in mock exasperation.
Smiling, Harry too gathered a pinch of Powder and moved to go after his godfather into the green flames, repeating the seemingly nonsense phrase Sirius uttered. After an abominable trip of inconceivable spinning, he was sent viciously from the fireplace to land sharply against the stone beyond the grate. Easily rising even with his knee screaming protest where he had hit the ground, he ran his hands down his robes to smooth them.
Brushing his hair back away from his face, Harry muttered, "Will never get use to that. Worst way to travel." Give me realm jumping any day, he thought to himself.
Sirius grinned brightly at him, also pushing his hair back and getting the wrinkles out from his own robes. With a blast of fire, Remus appeared behind them, grasping at the edge of the hearth to keep from pitching over. As he too shook out his clothes, Harry noticed that both of his companions were in fairly nice traveling robes. Gone were the shabby suits and prison rags that the two had sported when Harry had known them before. They looked much refined and much healthier both. In the bright light of the room they had appeared in, Harry could see Sirius's hair was long and glossy, his features full instead of sunken, and most brilliant were his eyes, having lost the haunted look of sorrow. And Remus, though still tired in appearance, seemed to have a marked improvement otherwise. His light hair was shorter than his partner's, but shone smoothly, and his eyes were a more vivid glint of startling amber. Apparently they had accustomed well together, even with circumstances most dire.
Watching them, Harry nearly felt awkward returning to a place he seemed to no longer belong to. It almost was as though this world and himself had grown apart. He was startled to realize he missed the life he had endured in the other realm, as one becomes homesick when away. When his older companions turned to him after gathering themselves, Harry jolted himself out of his somber thoughts and concentrated on them.
"You all right, Harry?" Remus asked, noting a strange look enter his former student's eye that was quickly repressed. When Harry just smiled lightly and nodded, Remus shrugged to himself, realizing that he wasn't quite sure how to deal with the dignified young man before him. Deciding to fill the gaining odd silence, Remus explained, "We came to a safe house, instead of going directly to the Alley. Makes it safer if the only grate headquarters is open to is this one."
Harry nodded again, glancing around the room. "So that phrase we said, instead of a location, was that a code or something?"
"Yeah," Sirius responded, watching Harry carefully. "Only the pass codes will allow this grate to open, but that's why it was so violent. The Floo System doesn't really like not working with a location, and it is kind of wrenching."
"Kind of?" Remus muttered. "Only for us mere mortals is it completely disconcerting, apparently." Sirius preened and smirked.
Sirius too was having trouble with knowing how to act, but he figured he had best play it normal. He hoped that would allow them a chance to reconnect with his godson, a chance to become friends with him again. Maybe then he would figure out what exactly had gone on and was going on with him.
Shrugging aside that for the moment, Sirius addressed his compatriots. "Ready to go?" As they nodded, he went on, "Oh Moony, don't worry, this trip will be much smoother on your delicate constitution!"
Deliberately missing Remus's glare, Sirius swept back into the fireplace, yelling an amused, "Diagon Alley!"
Harry chuckled as Remus glowered into the hearth and tossed his head with a long suffering sigh. Their antics were slowly working to improve Harry's spirits and he found himself looking forward to their company for the day, knowing he would not much care for the rest of the trip. He flashed a grin at Remus, inwardly groaning as he imagined his reception. Might as well get on with it. What will come, will come, he thought as he followed his godfather.
Landing in this grate was an improvement to that last, allowing the three to maintain a modicum of dignity. As Harry stepped out of the overlarge fireplace, his foot fell on the wooden floor of a room. He gazed around the small area which looked to be diminutive to the hearth it contained, noting that the windows in the walls had no curtains, but were covered with what seemed to be paint.
Seeing Harry's gaze, Sirius said as Remus came through the Floo, "This is just a private grate we use from that house. Easier than using the public ones."
Sirius turned back as they left the small quarters and tapped the door with his wand. Smoothly the door concealed itself, looking as though it was melting into the dull brick of the wall. Making sure it was completely covered, Sirius then spun around and jauntily waved for the others to walk with him.
As they moved, Harry scanned the alleyway they were in. The red brick of the walls was dim and dirty, and seemed to close around the interlopers of the quiet. They walked in shadow as the sun did not pierce over the enclosures of the passageway. Turning slightly at a curve, they continued down towards the light filtering in from a distance. Harry could already hear the bustle of noise from the busy street.
Abruptly Harry stopped, a tingling warning him of danger. Pivoting, he brandished his wand into the gloom, Remus and Sirius spinning around after him.
A dark figure of a man came into view, also holding a wand. As he came towards them, the man spoke. "Well, well. What have we here?" Drawled Lucius Malfoy.