Chapter 3: Business…And…Business

"Well Harry, how are you feeling?" asked Katie politely.

"Fine," Harry replied, "yourself?"

"I'm doing great. By the way, do you know who the Quidditch captain is yet?"

"No. But I do know you're head girl."

"How did you know that?" she asked, her eyebrows touching her fringe.

"You forgot to take the badge off."

She blushed profusely at this and Harry laughed. She quickly removed it and dropped it in her pocket.

"So Harry," she said (Harry cringed, had a bad feeling about her tone), "tell me more about this dream."

"Trying to cast the embarrassment my way are you?"

"Yes, that's the general idea."

Harry was amazed at how easy it was to talk to her. It had never been so easy with Cho, but then, every time he had tried she burst into tears. He also knew Katie better.

"I was chasing the girl on my broomstick. She pinned me. We kissed."

"Lucky her," Katie said. It took her a moment to realize exactly what she had just said and blushed, "I…um…mean…" Harry interrupted.

"Do you really think that?"

"Um…Yes…" she said quietly.

At last, someone as confused about hormones as me. Harry thought to himself.

And with that he took her hand and they entered Hogwarts, having not even realised that they had use a portkey to the gates 20 seconds ago.

Dumbledore's office was exactly as Harry had left it. Things were broken, scattered and out of place. It was a tip.

"Professor…?" Harry began quietly.

"It's okay Harry. I left it this way to remind me of past mistakes." Dumbledore said simply before taking his seat. He waved his wand and gestured for them to sit in the chairs he had conjured.

"Now, what I am about to tell you is completely confidential and it is partially illegal for me to say this to you, but I'm sure you won't care. Fudge has botched everything up. We must oust him now, before he does any real damage. For this I am allowing five more people to join the order. You are the five in question. You are being enlisted specifically for this purpose. Do you agree?" Dumbledore said; a stern look on his face.

"Hmmm. Let me think. Of course you we will Albus, you dozy old so and so!" said Harry. Despite being taken aback at how Harry had addressed the headmaster the others hastened to join him.

Later, in the Gryffindor boys' dormitory, Harry was talking with Katie. Ron was at the lake with Hermione and Ginny was in her room, trying to pick a broom that wouldn't look like a joke compared to the rest of the team.

"Katie…Did you mean what you said earlier?" Harry asked Katie quietly.

"Yes. It came from the bottom my heart," she squeaked.

"Do you know who was in the dream?"

"No," she said, clearly still embarrassed.

"You."

She looked him straight in the eye and saw he was being honest. She put her arms around his back and hugged him, and to her joy he hugged her back. Then he turned to look at her face. They lent in close and kissed. It was the best thing he had ever done. Despite Harry's inexperience on the subject, she was clearly a great kisser. It was probably because she was a year older. As she broke the kiss off, Harry laid a book across his lap. She laughed at him as Ron and Hermione entered.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked.

"Oh, nothing." Katie replied grinning evilly. Ron looked confusedly between her and Harry, setting Hermione, who had spotted the book and guessed why it was there, into hysterics.

Harry approached the headmaster's office with an air of confusion. He had no idea what the headmaster wanted them to do to complete their mission and decided to ask him for advice.

"Fumbling Fudge," he said to the stone gargoyle, chuckling at the password's dig at his enemy-to-be.

"Harry, what can I do for you?" asked Dumbledore when he saw Harry.

"I want advice about what to do on this mission," Harry replied.

"Sit down then." Dumbledore replied.

As Harry walked forwards, he heard a crunch as he stepped on a fragment of one of Dumbledore's silver machines.

"You know professor; it would be wise to get a cleaner in here. Someone has made a dreadful mess," he said, chuckling to himself.

"Indeed," Dumbledore chuckled back, then becoming more serious he said, "So, what advice can I offer?"

"How do we destabilise and remove Fudge?"

"Simple, you oppose him."

"Excuse me?"

"His greatest fear is being replaced, so that is exactly what we do to him."

"Replace him?"

"Yes, we get ourselves a Minister elect and run that person against him following the vote of no confidence which I will level at the WIzengamot," Harry went into deep thought when Dumbledore said this, before deciding what he was going to say.

"Who would be the Minister elect? You?"

"Pshh. Not a chance. That won't scare him any more. Besides, I wish to remain here. How about someone even more popular?" Dumbledore said, trying to put Harry on the scent, but failing miserably.

"Who?"

"You of course," Dumbledore said, chuckling at Harry's dim-wittedness, "You are to run for his office, with your four friends running your campaign. I will leave the finer details to you."

Harry left Dumbledore's office completely dumbfounded.

He wants me to be the Minister for Magic! Can I really do that? He thought, using the puzzled part of his brain again, this time Katie's voice answered.

Yes. Your friends will all help you, and just think, you'll be able to control this sham of a war. Chuckling, he headed back to Gryffindor common room.

"No way," Ron said, clearly completely astonished.

"Yes way," Harry replied, "Dumbledore is adamant that I become the Minister for Magic, and I agree with him. I should be, that way I can make get this war on the right track."

"I agree," Hermione said, "We need your mind behind this. But someone more tactical should handle planning. And by that I mean specifics of battle."

"You mean the Head of the Department of magical law enforcement?" Ginny asked. At Hermione's nod she continued, "Definitely Ron, with him leading the battles and Harry the war, old Mouldy-Wart won't stand a chance."

Ron blushed profusely at his sister's words, but spoke anyway, "Sounds good to me."

"Katie, do you have anything to add?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I think Ginny should be put in charge of domestic affairs. Anything you're too busy with the war to look at Harry, she should handle. Deputy Minister d'you reckon?" Katie replied.

"Yeah," said Harry, "With you as my Senior Undersecretary and Hermione my Junior Undersecretary, handling press, notes, research and so on."

"I don't appreciate being compared to Umbridge, but I'll do it," said Katie to chuckles.

"Ditto my comparison to Percy, but you take what you get," Hermione replied, setting off another round of laughter.

After their impromptu election campaign planning session was over, they went to bed. Ron was staying in Hermione's room, so Katie went with Harry and slept in Ron's bed. Some of the night she did anyway.

"Harry?" she asked after climbing into his bed.

"Mmm." He replied.

"How far have you gone?"

"I've snogged. That's about it. Now that you mention it, it wasn't as good as yours," Harry replied, surprising himself by knowing what she meant.

"That's as far as I got too," she said.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Wow. I could have sworn that you and…" she cut him off.

"No."

"Huh. Then we can learn together."

"Yeah, and thanks for your compliments to my kissing ability. You're not so bad yourself," she replied, before snuggling in close to him and dozing off to sleep. Harry liked having her there and was soon snoozing himself. Dreaming of her and Quidditch (If the two can be separated), he had a pleasant night. He was going to enjoy being with her.