Chapter 12: Reactions of the Order!
"I can' believe ya professor! Not only did ya disrespec' James and Lily's wishes but you pu' poor 'arry into an abusive 'ousehold!" Hagrid said angrily.
"Hagrid you know it was the only place safe for him! How many times has Albus told us that the blood wards keep him safe from you-know-who? As long as Petunia Dursley took him in the blood wards would work and he'd be protected from you-know-who!" McGonagall said irately back.
"Yeah safe from Voldemort but what about from his family! Albus, Minerva you know full well that a child needs love and proper care from their family. Its amazing Harry has become the loving child we know so well when he was neglected so badly and probably spent the last 15 years of his life longing for his mother to hug him and tell him everything was alright and for his father to play with him and to do all the usual fatherly things like teach him how to play Quidditch etc. I'm afraid I agree with Hagrid when I say how could you do that to a boy of only a year old who had just seen his beloved mother get killed right before his very eyes. I'm disgusted with you and I demand an explanation for your actions right now!" Anyone you knew Hestia Jones could tell she was furious.
"He had all those things he supposedly needed from me and Arthur! We love him like a son and he knows that! Lily's just brainwashing him to get him away from me! She may be his birth mother but in every way that matters I am his mum. Besides whose right is it for you to question the Headmaster's decisions about my son Hestia Jones!" Mrs Weasley put her two cents in next.
"Oh for goodness sakes Mrs Weasley! I am new to this order and normally I would not dare to speak up to my elders but I cannot possibly stay silent in this matter. YOU didn't have to hear him crying at night in Gryffindor Tower after having one of his dreams did you? You didn't see him looking through his photo album with tears in his eyes clearly longing to be held in his mother's arms again. You went away again at the end of the Triwizard Tournament and thus did not hear him tell Ron how much he needed Sirius or Remus there to tell him his parents loved him and would be proud of him! I bet you don't even know why he needed to hear those words do you? He needed those words because he blamed himself for the death of his parents and the death of Cedric Diggory! You are NOT his mother Mrs Weasley and don't you dare ever pretend that you are!" Lee Jordan shouted.
"What rot is this? He is just an attention seeking, spoilt little brat as this incident so clearly proves! His relatives probably couldn't afford to buy a toy he wanted so he threw a temper tantrum!" Rhea Finnegan said in disgust.
"Harry attention seeking! You don't know a thing about the real Harry James Potter! You want to know what he said when Oliver here praised him for his catch during the Quidditch final in his 3rd year? He said it was just luck and that the rest of the team was the reason why Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup, not him!" Alicia pointed out irately.
"What rot! You're just saying that to protect him! He always has been an attention-seeking brat! Why else would he break the law and start that club if not to get attention and garner favour with the anti Voldemort and Fudge side of the ministry!" Marietta Edgecombe said derisively.
"What rot! You know damn well that wasn't the case! He started that club in a bid to help us protect ourselves better! He didn't even want to do it! Do you know it took the entire Gryffindor contingent of the DA to persuade him to do it!" Angelina Johnson chipped in heatedly.
"Another ploy for attention! You were supposed to do that so that it was obvious to everyone he was a better leader that Albus! After all why else would he create that club and besides what did you learn from it? A few good jinxes to throw at someone you don't like in prank?" Magdalena said to back up her daughter's opinion on the matter.
"No actually he taught us how to do the Patronus charm for one. I mean what with the dementors likely to support Voldemort Harry felt it necessary to ensure we could protect ourselves! And if you don't believe me well then here is all the proof you should need! EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Cho shouted and produced her beautiful swan Patronus.
"Potter? Teach you that? I highly doubt it! He has no extraordinary power and you would have to have that sort of power to teach some the Patronus when you are only 15. I'm merely a muggle and even I know that. You are just so desperate to protect him that you'll say anything!" Shaun Macmillan said scornfully.
"Actually Harry was able to produce his own stag Patronus at the age of 13 but that is not of any importance! I'd rather we returned to the point at hand. Headmaster I cannot believe you ignored the wishes of Harry's dead parents. That money is his not yours! You had no right to keep it from him!" Oliver Wood berated the Headmaster.
"It is not your place to question Albus's decisions. You have no right and are inferior to him. He made the right decision. Lily and James were foolish to believe an 11 year old child would be able to handle all that money on his own!"
"That's not what they said and you know that Arabella! They said that Harry was to have full access to HIS monies but under the watchful eye of his parents chosen guardian. On which list I don't believe I see your name Arabella or yours Albus. It was not your place to decide where the child went! It was James and Lily's and you damn well know it." The normally quiet Emmeline Vance spoke up firmly.
"Ah yes but they did not see what I saw! That it would be dangerous for his money to be under anyone else's control but Albus here. My Inner eye is currently telling me that Harry is under some kind of spell Headmaster! He must be found immediately!" Trelawney said.
"Oh for heavens sake what utter rot! Harry is in no more danger wherever he is than when he was attacked on Privet Drive last year!"
"That was your fault Mundungus Fletcher, not ours. You were the incompetent fool who abandoned his guard duty, not us, and Harry is safer there I don't know how many times we have all been told that!" Arthur Weasley said in support of his wife's views.
"Oh for heavens sake! That boy is no more safe on Privet Drive than he would be if he was thrown in Azkaban and left at the mercy of the dementors!" Ted Tonks spat out in fury.
"There is absolutely NO proof he had been abused by his relatives than his own testimony and I find it very hard to believe that his blood relatives could ever be so cruel!" Isabella Brown firmly stated.
"You don't know Harry like I do! There is no way Harry would lie about something like this! He may be many things but Harry Potter is not a liar!" Katie Bell shouted wrathfully.
"I agree with Miss Bell here! There is no way Harry would lie about something like this however I do not believe it! They probably cast a confundus charm at him and forced him to believe this whole rape story!" Pomona Sprout spoke up for the first time.
"I highly doubt zis! Harry is not confounded! I am sure of zis! I know my Bill would not do it to 'im and I am sure 'e would not associate with those zat would!" Fleur Delacour pointed out.
"Fleur he was probably confounded as well and if not I think Harry is just doing this to garner attention!" Kathryn Macmillan firmly stated in response.
"You do not even know 'im! I trust 'arry's school friends as I am sure zat zey know 'im better than any of us could ever 'ope to! I agree wiz ze others and with my 'agrid! 'Ow could you put 'im wiz zose muggles Dumblydore?" Madame Maxime asked.
"You have no right to question the Headmaster's decision! Especially as there was no one else fit to make it!" Professor Vector said.
"And what about me? Am I not fit to make the decisions? After all I was already caring for a child and was named a possible guardian for him was I not? He'd have been loved in my house and Tonks would have been able to love him then as she does now. He is in all ways possible Tonks's little brother! She certainly loves him as such!"
"Maybe Andromeda but you were not asked to make the decision, Albus was and I agree that the choice made was the best possible to ensure the boy's safety until he could be trained as the weapon we all know he has to be!" Andrew Patil said.
"Weapon? Is that all he is to you? Is that all you see when you look at him? Well I see a frightened little boy who has had to grow up much faster that he was supposed to due to the incompetent people making decisions for him!" Diggle finally voiced his opinion.
"Who are you to question the Headmaster's choices, you have no right! None of you do!"
"No we don't Lucinda Patil but we have a right to choose who we think is the best leader for us to follow! I Alastor Moody hand in my resignation from the Order of the Phoenix!" Moody said and walked out soon to be followed by Hagrid, Madame Maxime, Oliver Wood, Alicia Spinnett, Angelina Johnson, Katie Bell, Fleur Delacour, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Mundungus Fletcher, Hestia Jones, Lee Jordan, Andromeda Tonks, Ted Tonks and Cho Chang. When they were all gathered in the hall Fred Weasley appeared and cast a silencing charm on the lot of them.
"Are you guys sure you want to do this? Well if you're sure you better come and join us at our safe house. Just put you hand on this hula-hoop that we turned into a Portkey. Good! Marauders forever!" Fred said and the Portkey jerked them away from Grimmauld Place back to Potter Manor.