ginny278 - Thanks a lot, your reviews are what keep me going for the time being!
It's worth noting that this story will go on a temporary hiatus very soon for a few weeks as I leave. Sorry! I'll try to update with another chapter after this, but personally speaking, odds are slim. Well, this will give people time to catch up...sorry again, but what can you do. Here comes the chapter - please review!
"What did you think of her?" McGonagall asked impatiently. She didn't really think it was possible that the girl was some kind of security breach as a Death Eater - or that, if she was, she could be found out so easily in as few minutes as it took for Ron's cursory interview - but nevertheless, McGonagall's greatest worry was that there was always a traitor in the Order's midst, ever since the day that Severus Snape killed Dumbledore...she had never understood why Dumbledore always trusted him...the day that she found Snape would be the day he -
"Director?" Ron asked, clearly seeing that McGonagall wasn't paying any attention to Ron's response. McGonagall refocused quickly.
"Sorry, Weasley. If you would repeat..."
"Rebecca Cays seems a fine person to me. Decent, charming, genteel -"
"Very pretty," McGonagall interrupted, scanning Ron's face for any sort of indication that he was actually just distracted by the girl's beauty. She didn't really think this was the case, however - but one could never be too careful.
"Yes," Ron responded without a trace of embarrassment, alleviating McGonagall's fears. "Fairly intelligent, as well. She uh - she wants to join the Order."
"Out of the question. She's far too young."
"If you'll excuse me, Director, I don't think that's really fair to her."
"And why not, Mr. Weasley?"
"She's gone through far more than many other adults. I don't think age is really an indication of maturity, or magical ability, although I imagine she does need to be trained up a bit."
Ron's solemn words uneased her.
"Very well. I'll consider it. In the mean-time, who do you suggest 'trains her up'?"
"Ginny," Ron replied immediately. "Chris, as well, would be a good choice. She's met both already."
McGonagall nodded, unsurprised.
"That's how it'll be then. Anything else, Weasley?"
"Yes," Ron replied, tired. "I've drawn up the plans." Ron handed her the stack of papers in his hands. "As well as a prospective strike team."
McGonagall glanced at the names. The expected...Ginny Weasley...Christopher Galen...Ron Weasley, as Team Leader...Charlie Weasley...Fred Weasley...and Remus Lupin as Assistant Team Leader. McGonagall scanned the supplies, but she wasn't really expecting any points of contention. Ron's plans were usually strategically viable and very clever. The boy's knack for chess had manifested itself for the Order in the more practical application of battle strategy, and he had the necessary understanding of what was possible, what was risky, what was impossible, and what was worth the risks - the last of which was the most important, as the vast majority of Order leaders were usually too paralyzed by fear of failure and inaction to execute any daring plans - plans of the sort that were absolutely necessary, were the Order to have any sort of chance against the Dark Lord.
"Interesting...yes...well, it'll probably be approved. Proposed time?"
"Tomorrow night, I would say. Ten o'clock departure time."
McGonagall nodded. "Sounds reasonable. Well, I'll discuss it with Moody, but you can probably start getting your supplies from the twins tomorrow, and ask your strike force members if they wish to participate as soon as possible."
Ron nodded.
"Anything else, Operative Weasley?"
"No, Director."
"Very well. Dismissed. Good luck, if I don't see you tomorrrow."
Ron nodded in thanks and left.
"So, what's this strike force for?" Rebecca casually asked Chris as she moved a bishop, taking out one of Ginny's pawns. Chris opened his mouth, but quickly shut it as Ginny gave him a quelling look. She then glared at Becky.
"Nice try, but that's classified, at least for now. You're not even a member."
"So?"
"So..." Ginny hesitated. "So it's classified. No information out of Order operatives, and even then, only what's necessary. Technically, Ron should not have even told Chris that yet, especially not in front of you."
Becky waited a beat.
"I want to come."
"Out of the question," replied Ginny in rote without looking up.
"Why not?"
"You're too young, and more importantly, you wouldn't hold your own a second out there."
Rebecca flared up.
"I'm already sick of people telling me stuff like that! I bet I could hold my own against you!"
Ginny, whose temper was comparable to Ron's, or perhaps even worse now, immediately became angry, but quickly calmed down. However, she immediately got an idea to show Becky exactly how naive, and uneducated she was. Chris, who was quickly seeing where this was going, tried to intercede.
"Here - let's just try to keep this -"
"Oh yeah? How about a duel, then. Fair fight. Chris can be judge. First one who is unable to fight any longer loses."
"This really isn't a good idea. I really don't think that this should be done. I mean, the sheer number of things that McGonagall would do to us if she found out -"
"Alright," said Rebecca, revealing a previously hidden competitive streak, and clearly insulted that everyone thought so little of her. "Let's go. You can lead the way."
Ginny got up firmly and shifted her ponytail, walking firmly up the stairs, as Becky followed close by. Chris looked around nervously for a moment, as if a Death Eater was about to pop up at his shoulder and attack him, then followed nervously, a little hunched and his eyes shifting every which way.
"I don't suppose," said Chris in a tremendously audible whisper, "that there's anything I can say that can dissaude you from doing this?"
Ginny raised her eyebrows at him. "It's just a bit of fun, Chris. Relax. It'll do you good."
Ginny opened the door to a deserted room that was fairly spacious, then nodded and allowed Becky to go in first. The girls lined up in the middle of the room, a good ten paces away from each other, and raised their wands. Becky raised hers with a flourish and kept it pointed ramrod straight at Ginny at shoulder height, Ginny kept it closer to her body, and slightly extended. Chris shut the door quickly behind him, and desperately hoped that they wouldn't be caught.
"All right then...one...two...three -" Rebecca barely waited a moment after Chris counted off 'three' to launch her first spell.
"Expelliarmus!" Becky yelled. A jet of light shot out of her wand and nearly hit Ginny. Chris was surprised at Becky's quickness, but her attack was also textbook obvious, and he had confidence that Ginny would dismiss it easily. Ginny waved her wand to cast the Shield Charm nonverbally, and it easily dismisssed the Disarming Charm. Becky didn't seem perturbed, and started to raise her wand to start another spell, but it was too late. Ginny had, with another nonverbal spell, waved her wand. The jet of light hit Becky, and blasted her off her feet. It must have been the Impediment Jinx, for as Becky started to get up, her movements were abnormally slow.
Becky waved her wand to cast the countercurse, and moved to the offense once more. Chris expected her to use a spell verbally, but it seemed that Becky had learned nonverbal spells as well. Becky waved her wand and as the spell moved towards Ginny, she conjured another simple Shield Charm to ward it off. However, the spell went right through the shield, to Ginny and Chris's surprise, and hit Ginny square. Chris looked for any effects on her, but it didn't seem to have any. Becky smiled supremely. Then Chris realized the effects - Ginny had been Confunded. Ginny's eyes were unfocused and she was shaking her head, as if punch-drunk. However, as Becky lowered her wand to deliver the final blow - presumably intended to be a Disarming Spell - Ginny visibly gave one terrific effort, wrenched her head up as if it took some amount of effort, and yelled an incantation out for the first time. Chris didn't hear it, but he could guess what it was before it hit Becky. Ginny was angry, and the spell she would use was sure to be -
Yeah, of course. The Bat Bogey Hex. Chris had always found the entire procedure of it rather distasteful, and looked away in annoyance as Ginny assumed a satisfied smirk as Becky waved fruitlessly at the Bat Bogeys. Chris figured that Ginny would just finish the duel and Disarm Becky, but Ginny seemed to prefer to watch Ginny suffer. Chris was on the verge of declaring the duel over and terminating the spell himself when suddenly the door slammed open, causing him to jump terrifically. Surely it was McGonagall, he thought, as most of the color seemed to drain out of Ginny's face as she glanced at the person who had entered. But as Chris turned around and looked, he saw, to his horror, that it was not McGonagall. It was someone far, far worse. Especially for Gin...
"GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY!" Mrs. Weasley's high shriek echoed around the vast expanse of the room, which was guessed to be some kind of primitive dining room in its original use, as Chris somersaulted out of the way with a yelp and terminated the Bat Bogey Hex on Becky. Becky sent him a grateful look but quickly backed away to the wall upon sight of the angry woman at the door, who was approaching a shrinking Ginny. "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?"
Ginny gulped. "Well uh, me and - Becky here, were just having a friendly duel."
"Which is now terminated," Chris added in a high squeak. Mrs. Weasley gave him a glare that clearly told him to shut up, an order which he felt very obliged to comply to, and then she rounded on Ginny again. Becky started to shift over to Chris, glad that Mrs. Weasley's attention was clearly elsewhere.
"Having a friendly duel? Having a friendly duel? You have been making such an unholy racket that nobody can get a damn bit of work done!"
"Mom, did you just curse?" Ginny asked, amused.
"No," Mrs. Weasley said. "And don't change the subject. Challenging a girl to a duel because of your injured pride is hardly a way to welcome her to the Order. By the way dear, you may go down to dinner at any time you wish. And you too, Chris. I set a place for you next to Chris and Ron after Ron told me about you here. Make yourself at home," Mrs. Weasley added in a kind tone in sharp contrast to the reproachful voice she was using on Ginny.
"Come on, let's get out of here," Chris whispered to Becky, and he grabbed her arm and led her out of the room as the argument continued, Ginny now having brought up the matter of her sudden lack of assignments.
Becky erupted into giggles as soon as they were out of earshot.
"Who is she?"
"That's Mrs. Weasley. I think of her as the 'Mom' of the Order," Chris said. "She's normally very kind and very sweet, and she'll mother you to death if you let her."
"Is she always like that?"
Chris shrugged. "Sometimes. Usually with Fred and George."
"Fred and George?"
"I'll leave the family introductions to Ron. Suffice it to say that Ron and Ginny are not by any means the only Weasleys in the Order."
Becky nodded. "So...can we eat? I'm starving."
"Alright."
Chris and Becky made their way to the kitchen, making pleasant conversation as they went along, Chris identifying members of the Order as they passed to Becky. Suddenly, as they approached, they saw Ron hurtle out of the kitchen, skidding to a stop next to them, white-faced.
"Chris, come on! Where's Ginny?"
"What is it Ron, what's wrong?"
Ron was abnormally pale, and looked panicked.
"There's been an attack!"