Chapter 16
Groaning, Harry looked down at the paragraph he had just written and scratched it out. This was the third time he had started that same paragraph, and each one was as bad as the last. Biting the end of the quill, he flipped through the pages of his herbology book and groaned. He'd been trying to choose plants that were common Potions ingredients for his herbology homework so that he could use research for both assignments. He'd thought it would make things easier. Instead, he felt like he was working even harder.
Deciding he'd had enough homework, Harry put away the parchment in the top of his Hogwarts trunk and wandered off to try to find Sirius. He wanted to take advantage of being here to spend as much time with his godfather as he could. After all, he missed him too, even though he was still terribly worried about Snape.
At this time of day, Sirius was usually in the library playing chess with Remus or down in the drawing-room reading the newspaper. Harry hated the paper. It was always full of lies about where he was hiding out and how he was a nutter. If the stories weren't about him these days, they were about Dumbledore. As far as Harry was concerned, nothing in the paper was accurate. He had learned that last year after his encounters with Rita Skeeter. Since then, he figured the Daily Prophet was good for nothing but lining rubbish bins.
Sticking his head in the library, Harry didn't find Sirius. All he saw was the twins whispering to each other and poking their heads inside a hefty tome that looked old and decidedly inappropriate. Sirius and Remus had charmed the books to keep out underaged wizards, but Harry wondered how they had done it. Since Fred and George were over seventeen and not technically underage, the spell would have to be terribly specific to keep them out. Harry shrugged and backed out. He wasn't getting involved in this, whatever it was.
In the drawing-room, Harry had more luck. Sirius was crashed in an armchair with the paper. Harry considered waking him up but decided to curl up on the couch instead. He had just gotten comfortable when he heard his godfather start to stir.
"Hey, Pup. What's up?" Sirius asked groggily, stretching his arms over his head.
"Hi, Sirius," Harry said, sitting up. "Nothing, I just got tired of doing homework. I think you fell asleep reading."
"Nah," Sirius gave Harry a cocky grin. "I was just resting my eyes."
"Sure," Harry said. "Anything good in the paper?"
"Aww, ignore it," Sirius said, grunting as he folded the paper up less-than-gently. "You wanna do something?"
"Like what?" Harry asked.
"I dunno," Sirius scratched the half-day's growth on his chin. "How 'bout I teach you a spell?"
"Really?" Harry asked. "Wicked! Which one?"
"Hmm," Sirius sat up and appeared to be thinking. "Has Snape taught you this one? Avis!"
A handful of bright purple birds immediately appeared, no larger than parakeets. Harry immediately began laughing and had to fight the urge to actually chase them around; they looked so silly. Sirius smirked, then got up and opened a window. Then little birds flew a few times around his and Harry's heads and then out the open window.
"Okay, that's funny, but does it have any uses?" Harry asked once the birds were gone.
"Oh, loads!" Sirius said; he let out a bark-like laugh, then his face turned serious. "This spell can save your life, Harry. It can be used to redirect the Killing Curse if used quickly enough. It can also be a great distraction." His face turned into a broad smile again. "It's also famously perfect for pranks."
"Yeah, I'll bet," Harry said, thinking of what Snape would do if he caught wind of Harry using it for that purpose. "That's amazing, Sirius, thanks. Can I try?"
"By all means, have a go!" Sirius said eagerly.
"Avis!"
Harry's birds weren't purple, but they were no less magnificent. He was perfectly pleased with himself when a half dozen little white birds were conjured on the spot, flew in a lazy arc, and then went out the window.
"How do I get them to, you know, perform?" Harry asked.
"It's all about intent," Sirius said. "You have to not only want to birds to appear but also think about what you want them to do."
And so it was that Harry and Sirius spent the next hour conjuring up birds of different sizes and colors to set upon each other. It may not have been the most dignified way to spend an afternoon, but it was loads of fun and made Harry forget his troubles for a while. By the end of the experience, Harry could control the size and hue of the bird and what it did.
"Excellent!" Sirius said, closing the window after a large and particularly obnoxious parrot that Harry had deigned to follow him around, making barking noises. "I don't know about you, but I'm famished. Shall we check on lunch?"
Fortunately for Sirius, Mrs. Weasley and Ron were just finishing a large pot of chicken and noodle soup and a platter of ham and cheese sandwiches. Harry offered to help because he always hated the idea of anyone waiting on him, but Mrs. Weasley just waved him away. Harry sat at the opposite end of the table from Ron, next to Sirius. His godfather did not fail to notice that that or that looks he and Ron exchanged.
"Say," he asked, after swallowing a large bite of his sandwich, "why are you and Ron giving each other the stink-eye today? Are you two fighting again?"
"No!" Harry insisted, a little too quickly. He didn't want Sirius to think the fighting was physical. "It was just a row. Ron said some stupid stuff, and I told him so."
"Is that right?" Sirius gave Harry an appraising glance, then looked down the table at Ron. "When was this?"
"Last night," Harry said.
"Ah," Sirius said. "Well, take my advice, Pup, and make up. We're at war, and we need all the friends we can get."
Harry knew this advice was intended to be helpful, but it rankled just the same. He didn't think Sirius had a right to tell him what to do when it came to his friends, especially when it was none of his business. As far as Harry was concerned, it was a long time coming between him and Ron, and none of Sirius's concern. He didn't say any of this, though. Instead, he nodded.
"Right."
"I speak from experience, Harry," Sirius said, his voice distant and a little sad.
Harry sighed. Sometimes it was hard to remember how much his godfather had lost. He tried so hard to act like everything was fine, but in reality, his godfather was in great pain. Remus helped with this; Harry knew. He thought that maybe in some ways, the truce with Snape was helpful too. It was keeping Sirius grounded in ways Harry was only partially aware of. He knew that Snape had gotten Sirius to agree to certain things he might never have been doing otherwise, and he suspected that two of the stipulations were not drinking and therapy sessions with Remus. Neither were things that would have been possible without motivation, and Harry suspected that visitation rights were the carrot Snape was dangling.
Not wanting to get into this topic further, Harry decided that a subject change was desperately needed. The subject he wanted to breach was not for mixed company. Mrs. Weasley would shut down any talk of Order dealings immediately. However, general information was probably safe.
"Say," Harry asked, in what he hoped was a casual manner. "Have you heard anything about Snape?"
The room went silent. Okay, so Harry really did need to work on his subterfuge. Snape was right.
"Oh, Harry," Mrs. Weasley said in a voice so full of pity that Harry wanted to scream at her, "I know it must be hard for you, Dear."
"I'm okay, Mrs. Weasley, really," Harry said quickly. "I was just wondering, really.
"No one knows anything," Sirius said, too soon for Harry's liking, "and if we did, you know we couldn't tell you, Pup."
He sounded genuinely apologetic, and Harry felt bad for asking. He'd thought it was worth a shot in case someone decided to let some general information out, and maybe he'd get a hint. Apparently, that wasn't even happening.
"He's fine, I'm sure," Mrs. Weasley said in a placating voice.
Harry was sick of platitudes, but he just nodded and stabbed his spoon into his soup, which was, of course, a pointless gesture. Sirius reached out and patted Harry on the shoulder. Harry wanted nothing more than to disappear.
"I know what would make you feel better," Ginny piped up brightly. "We can make treats for the next Order meeting. Cheer ourselves up and the Order members. Especially if we get to swipe some for ourselves."
Her wicked grin was seen by all for what it was, an attempt to cheer everyone up, but Harry appreciated it anyway. After all, she would get more by this than he'd get out of his half-hearted attempts at information gathering. They might actually tell her when the meeting was.
"Oh, yes," Mrs. Weasley said, not recognizing the offer as sneaky at all, "that is a splendid idea. There is a meeting tomorrow. What were you thinking of making, dear?"
"Oh well, some cookies and pasties, and perhaps some small puddings? Mostly finger foods," Ginny said. "I need to know how many people will be there and if there are any preferences or dietary restrictions."
"Well, I don't know," Mrs. Weasley said, tapping her chin with her finger, "just make plenty, I'd said. There are plenty of people here to eat anything left over, I'd say."
Ginny just smiled, and Harry tried to join her even though he was disappointed at not getting a more specific answer. They knew when the next meeting was, at least. That was something.
"Will Professor Dumbledore be there, Mum?" Ginny asked innocently. "I have something special I'd like to make him, to thank him for letting us stay here."
"Oh, I'm sorry, but I don't think so," Mrs. Weasley said contritely. "Last I heard, he had some business to attend to for at least a week. Why don't you make it anyway, and we'll put it under stasis for Professor McGonagall to take back?"
"Okay!" Ginny said.
Harry and Ginny exchanged looks that he hoped were innocent-looking across the table. They weren't really sitting near each other. Ginny was halfway down the table. Harry just caught Fred give him a wink. Clearly, the twin thought that Operation Invisible was a Go. As far as Harry was concerned, he would feel better trying it than not trying it at this point.
After lunch, Harry followed Sirius out into the hallway as everyone else dispersed. He wasn't satisfied with Sirius's contribution, but neither did he want to pester him. He decided to try one more time.
"Sirius, can I talk to you?" he asked.
"Sure, Pup," Sirius said, looking questionably at the drawing-room.
"Privately," Harry told him.
"No problem," Sirius said.
They went all the way up to the top floor, to Sirius's large and homey quarters. Harry dropped into one of the comfortable, colorful chairs. Once Sirius had done the same and was waiting expectantly, Harry started.
"I know you probably aren't supposed to tell me anything," Harry said by way of opening, "but I really need to know where Snape is or anything about what he is doing. Like, is he with Voldemort?"
Sirius ran a hand through his hair, then flinched when Harry got to the end of his sentence and said the name. He sighed. He clearly did not want to have this conversation but seemed unwilling to shut Harry down completely either.
"Look, Harry, it's not that simple," he finally said.
"How is it not simple," Harry demanded. "I won't tell anyone!"
"You might not want to," Sirius said, "you might even try very hard not to. But no one lasts forever. You might even be forced to against your will through Legilimency. You do not know how to block people from entering your mind and, for lack of a better word, finding information."
Harry paled. He didn't want to think about any of those possibilities. Of course, he didn't want to unwittingly put Snape in danger. He felt deflated by the very thought.
"Why does everyone keep telling me that he's alright," Harry said softly. "Is anyone in communication with him?"
"It's more like because we haven't heard from him, we know he's alright," Sirius said.
"Oh," Harry said, understanding the implications.
Snape was deep undercover and couldn't communicate. If he was in grave danger, he would ask for help or leave. It was too terrible to think about.
"Harry," Sirius said firmly, "Snape is a right slippery bastard. He has literally been at this since before you were born. The evil snake trusts him. That's worth a lot to us now, but it's worth even more to Snape. He has to get out, and he has to do it his way. It buys him time, and more importantly, establishes our contingency plan. And no, I can't tell you what that is."
"Okay," Harry said. "I won't ask anymore.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that," Harry said with a slight smile. "I don't want to put Snape at risk!"
"Me either," Snape. "He is your guardian now, so we need him." When Harry made a face, Sirius laughed and went on. "As far as I can tell, though, he treats you well enough."
"He does," Harry said. "It's different. I'm not used to having someone fuss at me all the time. But he does."
"Fuss at you all the time?" Sirius laughed. "Harry, that's what parents do!"
"Yeah," Harry said. "Well, I guess I'm a little old for the first time having one, so it's been a little bit of an adjustment."
Sirius nodded, serious for a moment. "I know, Harry. It should be like this." He took a deep sigh. "I should have never followed Pettigrew. It's my fault."
"No, it's not," Harry said. "I know I blamed everyone when I first came here, but the truth is I was just angry. I still am, a little, but not at you. I know you thought you were helping."
"It was immature," Sirius said. "And stupid. I was mad with grief and not thinking straight. I thought I had more time. I thought we all had more time. And then I ended up in Azkaban when I should have been there for you."
"Was that part of your arrangement?" Harry asked suddenly. "Clearing your name? Your arrangement with Snape, I mean."
"Did Snape ever tell you the particulars?" Sirius asked, an expression of curiosity on his face.
Harry shook his head. "I never really asked."
Sirius nodded. "It was, but not because I asked. He said for your sake, it would do you no good to have a fugitive for a godfather. He's a decent bloke, that Snape. I never gave him credit."
As strange as it was for Harry to hear him say that, he could tell that his godfather meant it. He could also tell that Sirius was not going to say more. What had happened between them and the terms of their deal were private apparently. Harry didn't really mind. It was enough for him that the two men were getting along. It would have made things unbearable if they weren't.
"Wanna play some chess?" Harry asked, to change the subject.
"Any time," Sirius said.
"Snape's been teaching me," Harry said with a diabolical grin.
"Uh oh," Sirius said. "Am I doomed?"
"Not hardly," Harry said. "He still wipes the floor with me every time. It just takes longer than five minutes now."
"Alright then, you're on!"
In fact, it took him ten minutes to beat Harry, which Harry considered quite good. He was so happy, in fact, that he asked for another game. By the third game, it took Sirius a whole twenty minutes to win.
Later, Harry was sitting in his room with his homework spread out in front of him and making no effort at all to do it. His mind kept going to Snape and the Order meeting. His friends might be encouraging him to go, but Harry thought he had been in enough trouble lately.
Despite how desperately Harry wanted to know where Snape was and what was going on, he had major reservations about crashing an Order meeting. For one thing, just because Snape wasn't there didn't mean he wouldn't be caught later.
The problem was that Harry wanted to know what was happening. The more he sat there thinking about it, the more he began to believe that he was willing to take the risk. He was frustrated at Snape for leaving him and putting himself in danger. As far as Harry was concerned, everyone in Harry's life let him down eventually. He had just started to trust Snape, and the man was letting him down, just like everyone else.
"Harry, are you in here?" Ginny's voice called as the door opened a crack.
"Yeah, Gin," Harry said. "I'm here."
Harry pushed away his homework and looked up. Ginny eased into the room with a small smile and handed Harry a cupcake. Although he didn't feel the least bit like eating anything sweet, he took it. There was cream cheese frosting, and it smelled like pumpkin. She had another in her hand.
"How are you doing?" Ginny asked, licking a bit of the frosting off the top of her own cupcake.
Harry smiled as he saw that Ginny had a dab of frosting on her nose. He resisted the urge to wipe it off. Instead, he put his finger on his own nose. Ginny got the hint and cleaned it off with a napkin she produced from the pocket of her Muggle-style jeans. She handed him another napkin good-naturedly.
"Alright," Harry said with a shrug. "Worried, I guess."
"Of course, you would be," Ginny agreed. "I can't imagine how I'd feel if my dad was off somewhere with a bunch of Death Eaters, even if I knew it was his job."
Harry frowned slightly. He hated to think of this as Snape's job, even though he knew it was. Looking down at the cupcake seemed like a good way to avoid looking at Ginny, where she might see how worried he really was.
"It's Snape, though," Ginny said. "Even the Death Eaters are probably afraid of him."
"I just hope he's able to get out," Harry said. "Really out, I mean."
"I don't imagine it's a quick process," Ginny said. "It's not like he will go to Voldemort and hand in his letter of resignation and ask for a reference."
"No," Harry said. "I know there is a plan and all, but it just seems so …."
He found himself unable to continue. The truth was, Harry didn't know what was happening. He didn't know what the contingency plan was, what Snape was doing, or who was taking his place. He was also feeling both guilty that the Order had lost Snape as a spy and relieved that Snape wasn't spying anymore. It was easier for Harry not knowing who the spy was, even though someone else was in danger now.
"Who do you think it is?" Harry asked. "The new spy?"
"No idea," Ginny said, wrinkling her nose. "Do you think it's someone we know?"
"It has to be someone close to Voldemort," Harry said. "But it could be anyone."
The door opened again, and Fred and George came in. George smirked and elbowed Fred playfully in an exaggerated gesture. Harry rolled his eyes at them.
"Well, well," Fred said. "You two shouldn't have the door closed, you know. People will talk!"
"We just want privacy," Ginny scoffed.
"That's what we're afraid of!" Fred said with a guffaw.
Ginny glared at her brothers in a way that showed she wasn't taking them seriously. Harry just smiled and shook his head. He knew that the twins were just joshing them.
"What's up?" Harry asked.
"We figured there was a war counsel going on," George said.
"Yeah, you need our expertise," Fred added.
"It's not a war council," Harry argued. "We were just talking. And I don't need your help. It's a simple plan. Make some sweets and hide under the cloak."
"Oh, Harry," George said in mock scolding tones.
"Have we taught you nothing?" Fred said in the same vein.
"What?" Harry demanded.
"Snape and Dumbledore might not be there, but the room will still be full of Order members!" George said.
"You can't just waltz in," George added.
"You need a plan," Fred said.
"Or you'll be caught," George said.
"And we're all dead meat," Fred finished.
"Alright," Harry conceded, mainly to stop the verbal ping pong. "What do you suggest?"
"We all get together after the adults go to sleep tonight in our room," George said.
"Then, we plan," Fred finished.
"Okay," Harry agreed.
Later that night, all the kids in the house gathered in the twins' room to scheme. Harry was feeling determined. He looked around the room.
"Alright," he said. "What could go wrong?"
"All sorts of things," Hermione said. "Are you sure you want to do this, Harry? What if you get caught?"
"So, what if he does?" Ron said. "He might hear some good stuff first."
Harry nodded. He didn't care if he got caught or got in trouble. The important thing was that he might hear something about what was going on with Voldemort.
"Even without Dumbledore and Snape there," Hermione continued, "that doesn't mean that no one will notice you."
"Okay, so who is most likely to notice him?" Fred asked.
"What about Remus?" Ginny said. "Don't werewolves have special senses? Like he could smell Harry?"
"He might," Hermione nodded. "Especially if he gets suspicious."
"What about Sirius?" Ron asked. "Can an animagus still have extra senses in human form?"
"Great," Harry said. "So there are two people who can sniff me out."
"I don't know about that," Hermione said. "I have to do research."
"Even if they could, would they do anything?" George asked, looking at Harry.
"I don't know," Harry said. "I don't think so. I doubt it."
"Then we're good," Fred said.
"Except for Moody," Hermione said. "What about the magical eye?"
Harry felt his heart sink. He had forgotten about Moody. When Crouch had impersonated Moody, he had seen Harry under the cloak. Moody would know he was there for sure.
"He might not rat me out either," Harry said. "Moony is paranoid. He wants me to be trained. Wouldn't he want me to have all the information I could?"
"That's kind of a big gamble, isn't it?" Hermione said.
"Harry should hide," George said. "Then, even if he's seen with the cloak, no one will know he's there."
"Hide where?" Hermione asked. "Where can he hide in the kitchen?"
"In the corner?" Fred asked. "We can pile a bunch of stuff back there. No one will suspect."
"Something new that's not usually there? Moody would suspect for sure," Hermione scoffed.
"We can get Dung's help," George suggested. "He's always trafficking in this or not. We'll get him to bring a bunch of stuff here and ask to store it. We'll stack it just so, in a way you can hide behind it."
"That might work," Harry said.
"A lot could go wrong," Hermione said, looking unconvinced.
"Worth a shot," Fred said.
"I'll do it," Harry said with a nod.
Hermione was frowning but sighed and said nothing. Harry gave her a slight smile, hoping she would get behind the plan. They were just getting along, and he didn't want more arguing to break out.
"Alright, so we'll cook and bake tomorrow," Ginny said. "You'll contact Dung?" She looked to the twins.
"Yep," George nodded. "We needed some supplies anyway. Alright, Harry?"
"Sounds good," Harry nodded.
The group disbanded, and Harry walked back to his room. He could tell Hermione wanted to follow, but he went into his room and shut the door, signaling to her to not follow. He didn't want to argue with her tonight. He already knew that she disagreed with the plan.
Harry lay in bed for hours that night, thinking about how his life had changed. It didn't seem that long ago that he had been an orphan, living with Dursleys in the summer and surviving the wizarding world on his own the rest of the time. Now, Voldemort was back and trying to kill him, and his least favorite professor had adopted him. Things hadn't been that bad with Snape so far, but Harry was still nervous about the whole thing. Still, that didn't mean he wanted Snape anywhere neat Voldemort. The thought of his guardian at the mercy of the vindictive psychopath made Harry very nervous.
After it seemed like he would never fall asleep, Harry finally did. He knew this because he found himself waking up as the first rays of sunlight seeped into his window. He considered trying to go back to sleep, but he the weight of his worries was already upon him. Harry got up, showered, dressed, and went looking for Sirius.
Sirius's closed door told Harry that his godfather was likely still asleep at the early hour, so Harry kept going and went to the library. There, Remus was sitting in an armchair with a cup of tea and the morning newspaper. Harry smiled slightly. It was good to see the man looking so relaxed. He rarely did.
"Good morning, Harry," Remus greeted him. "You're up early."
"I couldn't sleep," Harry answered honestly, taking the chair across from Remus as if they were having a session. "I went to see if Sirius was up, but his door's closed."
Remus nodded, "Sirius isn't really an early riser."
Harry nodded, not surprised.
"Did you need something, Pup?" Remus asked.
"Not really," Harry said softly. He couldn't remember what he had wanted now.
"Sometimes it's nice just to sit with someone," Remus said with a nod. "Would you like some tea?"
Harry shook his head. He didn't feel like tea, not that he had any strong feelings about it either way. He sat there, his head in his head, just staring out the window.
"Can I ask you a question?" Harry asked, blurting out the question suddenly.
"Sure," Remus asked, showing no surprise at the suddenness.
"Can werewolves smell or see better than other people?"
Remus nodded, "I think that was covered in third year, was it not?"
Harry shrugged. He always got top marks in Defense, but Snape had been the one to set that essay, and Harry had resented him for it at the time because he had been covering the class for Remus.
"I might not have paid much attention to that topic," Harry admitted.
"Yes," Remus said. "We can. More so in wolf form, but even other times. Why do you ask?"
"Hermione said it," Harry said. "She pays more attention in class than I do, I guess. Snape set that essay so that we would know you were a werewolf."
Remus put down his cup with a small sigh. "I do not hold it against him, Harry. I think that in his way, he was trying to protect the school. You have to remember that he saw my presence there as dangerous." He gave Harry a pointed look. "He was right. I forgot to take the potion that night. I could have killed you. He was right to do what he did."
"He got you sacked," Harry said bitterly.
"He did," Remus nodded. "As I said, I am not resentful. I would have resigned anyway. It was unconscionable what I did. I was under the impression that things were going well between you and Severus. Are they not?"
Harry looked down at his hands, rubbing his finger along his thumb. That was a difficult question to answer. He wasn't sure what to say, even though Remus knew more about him at this point than anyone else.
"I guess," Harry finally said. "I'm just not used to having one person pay so much attention to me. He's really focused just on me. Sometimes it seems like he's waiting for me to mess up."
"Oh, Harry," Remus said. "I'm sure that's not true. As you said, you are not used to having a parent. There are positive and negative aspects. I am sure if you think about it, there are positive things about Snape adopting you."
"Well, yeah," Harry said. "And he's training me. Or he was starting to. I don't want anything to happen to him."
"Of course, you don't," Remus said. "I know you're worried about him. There is not much I can tell you about it, but I am sure that Severus will do everything he can to come back. In the meantime, you get to spend more time with your godfather."
"Yeah," Harry smiled. "That's really great. He seems better."
"I think he is getting better," Remus said. "It's one day at a time. He's been through a lot."
"Did being an animagus help him in Azkaban?" Harry asked.
"Undoubtedly," Remus said. "He is much saner than he would have been otherwise."
"Does he still do it?" Harry asked. "Change into a dog to get away, I mean."
"Are you worried about him, Harry?" Remus asked.
"Well, yeah," Harry said. "Snape is going to help clear his name. I think he'll only be able to if Sirius seems okay."
"Severus did say that," Remus said. "I know you are worried. And I know you do not want to hear this, but you will have to leave some of these things to the adults to handle. If you are worried about Sirius, though, you can always talk to me about it. Don't just keep it in."
"Thanks," Harry said softly.
Things were quiet for a moment, then Harry added, "I want to learn someday. Like Sirius. And my dad."
"How to be an animagus?" Remus asked. "I'm not surprised. You probably have a talent for it. Make sure you only do so under Severus's supervision, though."
"I know!" Harry cried. "I'm not that thick. He'd bloody kill me if I tried it without his permission. What do you think I'd be?"
"I don't know," Remus mused. "Sometimes it's related to your Patronus, but not always."
"Brilliant," Harry said. "I'd be a stag, like my dad."
They both laughed. Then there was a shout from downstairs, and they went down to breakfast. After breakfast, Fred pulled Harry aside in the hallway.
"It's all set," he muttered. "Dung came through. He's got some stolen goods he wanted to hide somewhere all ready to go."
Harry nodded. He wasn't sure about that part of the plan, but it would serve as a decent enough distraction. He spent the rest of the morning working on homework and helping in the kitchen.
Soon enough, everyone was gathered in the drawing-room, ready for staging. The room was mostly quiet except for the occasional bickering about where to put Dung's goods. Everyone had settled on a back corner mostly in shadow, but Hermione and Ginny said it was too obvious. The discussion was getting heated when the doorbell rang, following by Mrs. Weasley's shouting.
*"WE ARE NOT RUNNING A HIDEOUT FOR STOLEN GOODS!"
"I love hearing Mum shouting at someone else," said Fred, with a satisfied smile on his face as he opened the door an inch or so to allow Mrs. Weasley's voice to permeate the room better. "It makes such a nice change."
"— COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE, AS IF WE HAVEN'T GOT ENOUGH TO WORRY ABOUT WITHOUT YOU DRAGGING STOLEN CAULDRONS INTO THE HOUSE —"*
"That's our cue!" Fred said.
Fred and George slid through the door into the hallway. They were going to distract Mrs. Weasley so that Dung could get the cauldrons into the corner. Hermione made a face and left the room a few minutes later.
"I guess it's a go," Harry said to Ron and Ginny.
"Good luck, Harry," Ginny said.
"Yeah. Good luck, Harry," Ron said. "I wish I could go with you."
Lunch was a quiet affair, although Harry struggled not to look into the corner where the cauldrons were piled. Several people filched sweets and got told off by Mrs. Weasley for taking them when they were meant for the meeting. Harry laughed along with everyone else, trying not to be nervous about the evening.
Ginny and the twins found it easy to distract Mrs. Weasley from the kitchen so that Ron and Hermione could help Harry hide. They said they'd found a boggart in a wardrobe on the third floor, and she quickly went to inspect it. Hermione levitated the cauldrons out of the corner, and Harry wedged himself in behind them and covered himself with the cloak. Hermione and Ron declared him invisible, and Harry sat back to wait.
It seemed to take forever for the meeting to start. People trickled in, with voices that Harry recognized and some he didn't. He found himself listening hard for Moody but did not hear his distinctive voice. Either Moody hadn't arrived yet or wasn't coming. Harry wasn't ready to relax until someone called the meeting to order.
The snacks were a hit. Harry could hear them being passed around, along with butterbeer and lemonade. Apparently, they didn't drink anything stronger at Order meetings, or maybe Harry just didn't recognize it. Eventually, the low voices and consumption of treats were replaced with more official-sounding talk. Harry began to worry that he couldn't hear well enough from his hiding place, and all was for naught.
"I call this meeting to Order," Harry heard McGonagall say. "Absent Albus, I will officiate for tonight. We have a report from Severus and Alastor, who are in the field tonight. I am sure you are anxious to hear from both of them, but first, from Kingsley, as he needs to be off."
Harry heard a deep, strong voice, "The Ministry does not recognize His return. However, there are rumblings within departments that make it clear that He is attempting to infiltrate. The agents we have are keeping an eye on the Death Eaters we know, and we are working to verify those we suspect. We are also, of course, working surreptitiously to recruit new agents. Amongst Muggles and the wizarding population, He is mostly keeping a low profile. Tonks?"
"I agree," Tonks said, "there has been no Muggle harassment that seems to be ramping up, but we are keeping an eye out. It will happen, but we expect them to lay low while he remains weak. He is most likely recruiting followers."
"Thank you, Tonks, Kingsley," McGonagall said," I know you need to be off."
The meeting went like that, and Harry was beginning to get frustrating. It sounded like they had no information. Voldemort was lying low. Voldemort and his followers were weak. Voldemort was recruiting followers. Did they really believe that? Harry had been there! He had seen them! He knew that Voldemort was out there, and he had to be up to something, and now.
"Regarding the Department of Mysteries," Arthur Weasley said, immediately catching Harry's attention since he had no idea what that was, "we will continue the guard for now. The biggest danger, of course, is recruitment or Imperius of Ministry officials. Be on your guard, all of you. Nothing is more important than this, especially for Harry's protection."
"More than ever, now that Snape is not there to train Potter," a voice that Harry did not recognize put in.
"Yes," Mr. Weasley agreed gravely, "that was a blow. We were not expecting the events to transpire as they did, obviously. Harry should have been safe with his relatives this summer. As it is, he is protected but not being trained. With His return, Harry's training is paramount."
"Severus agrees that a harder line must be taken with Potter," someone else added.
"Yes," Mr. Weasley said slowly. "Severus is taking care of that."
"And the …. it is being guarded?"
"Of course," Mr. Weasley assured them.
"Well, let's have it then! Alastor's report?"
"I have that," McGonagall said. "Alastor reports that Death Eater recruitment activity has greatly increased since the tournament. During this time, activity in Knockturn Activity has been busy at night, and the regular pubs where they congregated before have been buzzing with activity after nightfall. We have a few undercover agents amongst the new recruits and two in deep cover. One is Severus, who, as you know, is pulling out. The timeline for this I will discuss in a moment. Alastor reports that there is no specific target for Death Eaters at this time, other than what we suspect at the Department of Mysteries and recruitment."
She paused briefly. There was a slight buzz of comments, apparently people talking amongst themselves. McGonagall allowed that to settle down.
"Very well. Any questions?"
Apparently, what she had reported was not surprising. There were a few comments that Harry barely registered. He was trying to focus on what he had heard. On some level, he should have realized that Voldemort would be recruiting. Still, it was hard for him to accept that people would be actively joining the monster. It made him want to vomit.
"For Severus's report, we will hear from Sirius," McGonagall continued.
Harry's head popped up, and he had to avoid making an exclamation. His mind was reeling with the fact that Sirius had been in contact with Snape and hadn't told him. He couldn't even get mad at him about it because he wasn't supposed to know it.
"Yeah, I have Snape's report," Sirius said. "He's in deep with the bastard, alright. I don't know how he's going to pull out, but he needs to do it soon. He hasn't told me who the backup is, but the backup is there too. They are in some kind of lair—no idea where, because for obvious reasons, it's under a Secret Keeper. Snape's job is to concoct all sorts of wacky Potions for his heinous, who is weak now because he just came out of a cauldron a little over a month ago.
"So, Snape is in okay shape. He's physically fine. Mostly not crucioed much, as far as I can tell. I think it's more a lack of sleep and being around so much dark magic, and if you ask me, it's probably no fun to have to kiss the psycho's robes twelve times a day. Then there's the threat of the impending doom of getting caught. But yeah, other than that. We have to be patient. He'll get out when he can.
"As far as intelligence, he gave me a list of the Potions. He seems to think we might be able to learn something from them. Mostly, Voldy's weak, but we knew that. He was able to tell us that he is recruiting because there are pain relief potions and Veritaserum on that list. Other than that, he said he is not really with any of the rest of them, and he'll be back by the time school starts because He'll want him to spy on Dumbledore. So, that's all I got."
There was some discussion of Sirius's rambling report, but it just made Harry angrier. As far as he could tell, Snape's spying was accomplishing nothing. If he was a prisoner in some lab somewhere, he wasn't getting any valuable evidence for the Order, so what was he doing there?
The meeting dragged on, but Harry was barely listening to anything else. He was glad now that he had never listened in on a meeting before. The whole thing had just depressed him. The Order knew nothing and had nothing. Snape was trapped and not being useful. Voldemort was recruiting followers, and no one was stopping him. What was the point of all of it? The Order seemed ineffectual to Harry. He remembered this mysterious Department of Mysteries they were guarding. It was the most annoying bit of information he had found because he knew the least about it.
Harry listened to the meeting break up and waited as the lights were dimmed. People came into the kitchen for this and that at all hours, so it was always lit at least a little. He removed his cloak because it would take some effort to maneuver out from behind the cauldrons without Hermione and Ron's help.
As soon as Harry was out, he lifted the cloak back over his head.
"Don't bother," Remus said.
Harry turned around. Remus and Sirius were standing at the top of the stairs. Harry opened his mouth and then closed it. There wasn't really anything to say. Instead of defending himself, he looked at Sirius, and his anger from earlier came to the forefront.
"You lied to me!" Harry cried.
"Excuse me?" Sirius asked.
He and Remus had come down the stairs as soon as Remus spoke, and they were in the kitchen now. Harry moved up to Sirius and glared at him. He was holding his cloak in two clenched fists, even though he realized it made him look a little strange, vanishing half his body.
"You told me you didn't know anything about Snape!" Harry clarified, still in an angry voice that was close to a shout. "You did know. You talked to him."
"I did," Sirius agreed, nodding. "Harry, that was top secret information. Information you are not supposed to know. No one outside of that meeting is supposed to know it. Your guardian risked his life to meet with me for all of five minutes at like, two in the morning. That's it. I was not supposed to tell you or anyone else."
"He told you?" Harry demanded. "Not to tell me?"
"That's the way it works, Harry," Remus said quietly. Harry thought he looked said. "It's hard for a spy to have a family. Do not assume that Severus does not care about you."
Harry looked at the floor, still frustrated and angry. He wanted to take it out on the two of them to begin shouting again. He had done a lot of shouting, and it felt like it was time to do more. He was not supposed to be here now, and he did not want the whole house to know he was. So, instead, he glared at them.
"You should not have been down here, Harry," Remus said. "This meeting was not for your ears."
"Oh, right," Harry said. "No one ever tells me anything."
"You are underage, Harry," Sirius explained, "and not a member of the Order."
"In case you haven't noticed, I'm fighting him. Me." Harry pointed his finger at his chest. "He wants me."
Sirius sighed as if he didn't want to rehash this argument again. "Harry, you can discuss this with your guardian when he returns. If he decides you can attend Order meetings, then you can. Until then, you are not going. You are not going to sneak in either. Give me the cloak, please."
"No!" Harry held the cloak close to his chest. "This belonged to my dad. You can't take it!"
"I'm not taking it," Sirius said gently. "I am just keeping it until Snape gets back. Then I'll give it to him."
"You can't," Harry paled. "He'll know what I did. He'd be mad."
Sirius and Remus exchanged a look. Harry could tell that neither of them wanted to get him in trouble. Sirius nodded.
"I'll take care of your punishment so that you don't get in trouble for it, but I can't keep this from him, Harry. He'd murder me," Sirius said firmly.
With a glare, Harry handed the cloak to Sirius. "I thought you were supposed to care about me! You always talk about all of the trouble you got into with my dad. I would think you would understand."
Harry turned around and stomped up the stairs, no longer caring if he made noise or if anyone heard him. He couldn't believe that Sirius would turn on him like this. He had thought that Sirius would let him get away with it if he did get caught. Boy, had he been wrong to trust his godfather.
A/N
*Quoted from
Rowling, J.K.. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (p. 50). Pottermore Publishing. Kindle Edition.
