A/N: Woah. So I basically I had an insane year and completely forgot about this. And then I decided to clean my folders out and found this. So I reread it and ideas started flowing and hopefully it'll go somewhere.

I haven't written in over a year, so constructive criticism is welcome, but be patient with me, please, until I get back in the flow of things.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 5

Harry stared at Fudge with his mouth open. That was the last thing he was expecting.

"Excuse me?" he said finally.

Fudge shifted uncomfortably. "You heard me, Mr. Potter," he said, suddenly formal. Harry raised his eyebrows. "The public supports you and wants me out of office. I need to change that."

Harry couldn't help himself; he started laughing. He saw Umbridge glare at him out of the corner of his eye, but that just made him laugh more. It took a few minutes before Harry calmed down, and even Dumbledore's lips were twitching upward.

"You've been giving speeches and interviews about how I'm an attention-seeking liar, and now you want my support?" he said incredulously, still chuckling under his breath. "Really, Minister, that was very funny, but what do you really want?"

"I am being completely serious," he snapped, brow furrowing. "I'm on the verge of losing my job!"

"That's your fault, Minister, not mine," retorted Harry, humor gone from his voice.

"It is yours!" claimed Fudge, face turning red, but Harry took no heed of that.

"Cornelius, Harry did what he thought was right," said Dumbledore calmly, but there was a warning note in his voice. "Harry has suffered at the hands of Lord Voldemort —" Fudge and Umbridge flinched and Harry rolled his eyes at that, "— multiple times; however, none of those times were close to the calamity you could have caused with your stubbornness. At the prospect of the public being in danger because of your denial, Harry decided to speak out. Your actions afterwards were your own, thus the blame lies with you, and you alone."

"And what am I supposed to do about my office?" snapped Fudge. "They want me out!"

"Professor Dumbledore gave you options at the end of term," said Harry calmly. "You could have listened to him, seeing as he fought in the war last time."

"You want me to give in?" yelled Fudge, getting up from his seat at the table and pacing. "People will think I'm weak!"

"Or they will think that you're a minister who acknowledged his mistakes and is trying to work to fix them," said Harry calmly, watching him pace. "There is nothing more impressive than a politician who owns up to his faults. Pride and ego run mad in politics. You can show the public you are different."

Fudge stopped pacing and looked at him. "And if it doesn't work?"

Harry shrugged.

"Again, that's your fault, not mine," said Harry, leaning back in his seat.

Fudge continued to stare at Harry, eyes wide, and Harry stared back, not blinking.

"Have you ever considered a career in politics, Mr. Potter?" said Fudge eventually, sighing in defeat.

"I have a target on my head," Harry retorted bitterly. "I'm too busy watching my step to think about my distant and potentially non-existent future."

Fudge winced and nodded.

"Well then," he said, fidgeting with his bowler hat. "I'll leave you to it, I suppose. Come, Dolores."

She didn't move. She continued to glare at Harry as though he was something distasteful on a dinner plate. Harry raised an eyebrow at her.

"Did you want something, Madame Umbridge?" he asked casually.

"Dolores…" implored Fudge.

"You have no respect, Mr. Potter," said Umbridge sweetly. "But one day, you will learn it. I'll make sure of it."

"I believe that'll do for pleasantries for today," interrupted Dumbledore. "Harry has to pack, and I know that threatening one of my students was not on the agenda today. Or at least, it wasn't on mine, so I certainly will not allow it." Dumbledore stood up, towering over Umbridge, giving her a frosty look.

After a tense moment, she stood up and both she and Fudge walked out of the door. A few seconds later, they heard a loud Pop! and Harry assumed they had Disapparated.

"Thank you for coming, Professor," said Harry quietly.

Dumbledore nodded and smiled.

"Not at all, Harry. Though I must say, you handled yourself quite well."

Harry grinned sheepishly.

"Should I go pack then?" he asked, and when Dumbledore nodded, he disappeared up the stairs.

Dumbledore watched Harry climb the stairs, and after he was sure he was in his room, he turned to the Dursleys with raised eyebrows. They were still standing on the other side of the kitchen, mouths agape and eyes wide.

"How much has Harry told you about the happenings of this past school year?" he asked without preamble.

They didn't move or speak for a while, until Petunia cleared her throat.

"He explained what happened. He showed us the article of the interview he gave," she said. "Are we really safe here for now? Is my family safe?"

Dumbledore beamed with pride for his student. He knew that Harry and his relatives did not get along, and that was an understatement. And he wished there was another solution, but the wards made his relatives home the safest place for him. But for Harry to warn his relatives, especially when he did not care for them, was something that very few people would do. He marveled at how Harry had turned out, and his capacity to care for others never ceased to amaze him.

"Yes, you are safe here, while the wards are up," explained Dumbledore. "When they come down, and they will come down in one way or another, we will ensure your safety. I have planned for it. We will make sure that you come to no harm.

"However, I must warn you now to be prepared. It may mean leaving your home. It may mean ceasing contact with your friends. Our world is at war, and your nephew is at the center of it. He has more on his shoulders than I think even he realizes, and Voldemort will stop at nothing to get to him, and that means using those Harry is connected to."

"Why should he do anything to us?" snapped Vernon, and Dumbledore turned to him, trying to hide his distaste for the man. "It's obvious that the boy doesn't care for us, nor us for him!"

"I am well aware of your feelings toward Harry," said Dumbledore coldly. He watched them flinch at this tone. "And your feelings and actions toward him are absolutely repulsive. He is your family. Your sister's son, Petunia," he added, nodding toward her. "If it were the other way around, Lily and James would have taken Dudley and raised him as their own, and he and Harry would have grown up as brothers. And you know that's true, Petunia."

She turned red.

"However, that is neither here nor there," he continued. "The past is the past, and I certainly cannot change it. The fact remains that Harry, whether you see it or not, is noble. His capacity to care for others, even those who have wronged him, is immense. He has a strong sense of justice, and I can only assume he told you about what is happening in our world because he knows and agrees that no matter what you have all done to him, no one deserves to be at the end of Lord Voldemort's wrath.

"Lord Voldemort is merciless. One wrong word, and with a flick of his wand, he will take your life," he continued seriously. They paled. "Do not think I am exaggerating. This is common knowledge in our world, as you should know, Petunia. Harry has faced Voldemort three times since his infancy, and he has lived to tell the tale. And he has done this, at immense risk to his own life, to protect not only those he loves, but those he doesn't love, those that he doesn't even know. He has suffered at Lord Voldemort's hands, in ways that you will never imagine, and because of this suffering, he has fought so that others do not suffer as he has.

"That is your nephew. That is the favor he has done you. I doubt that you will ever understand the kindness he has shown you; those who have not lived with the fear of Lord Voldemort over their heads simply cannot understand. But know that regardless of how you have treated your nephew, he has still gone out of his way to save your lives."

At the end of his speech, Dumbledore simply folded his hands and sat back to observe their reactions. He knew that words were more powerful than actions in some cases, and this was one of them. He knew that Petunia understood, and at the end of his speech, he saw that her eyes were wet. Vernon stood there looking perplexed, and he very much doubted if his words had had any affect on him.

However, Dudley's reactions were more interesting. He had turned red just as Petunia had, but as the blush receded, he began to look guilty. He wondered whether this reaction had anything to do with his past years of bullying, and whether he was rethinking his actions. He wondered whether he would ever feel shame for his actions and if the boy would change. He certainly hoped so.

Harry had heard Dumbledore's speech. His packing hadn't taken long; he had barely taken anything out of his trunk when he came back to Privet Drive. And when he listened to Dumbledore praise him to the high heavens, he didn't know how to react.

He knew the Headmaster liked him; that much was evident. He was the only student that Dumbledore called by his given name; he didn't even call Ron or Hermione by their given names, despite the fact that they had been part of each of his adventures. But he never knew Dumbledore thought so highly of him.

Harry shook his head. He decided not to worry about it too much. All he really cared about at that moment was getting out of Privet Drive.

He cleared his throat as he walked into the kitchen, and Dumbledore looked up and smiled.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

Harry nodded, and Dumbledore stood.

"Thank you for your hospitality, and I certainly hope you enjoy the rest of your summer," he said. "I'm sure we will run into each other again some day."

They Dursleys looked as though they wished that would never happen.

"Bye then," said Harry, and he turned to go.

"Bye, Harry," said Dudley, and Harry froze. He turned to look at him curiously, half expecting a fist to come flying at his nose, but it didn't come.

Harry nodded cautiously and turned to leave.

Odd, thought Harry as he followed Dumbledore out the door. Maybe Dumbledore's speech did have some effect on Dudley. He wondered whether this would lead to a change for Dudley, but he decided it wasn't worth getting his hopes up for.

Dumbledore stopped abruptly.

"This will do, Harry," he said, holding out his arm. He noticed that they were the only ones at the playground.

"Er…I'm sorry, sir, but what are we doing?" he asked.

Dumbledore chuckled.

"My apologies, Harry, I should have explained. I assume you have never Apparated before?" he asked.

Harry shook his head.

"Well, that is how we are getting to the Weasleys. It is much faster; however, you should know that it is rather uncomfortable and the feeling does take some getting used to," he explained.

Harry nodded.

"All you have to do is hold on tightly to my arm," continued Dumbledore.

Harry did so, and without warning, Dumbledore turned on the spot, which forced Harry to tighten his grip. Suddenly, everything went black; it felt as though he was being squeezed through a tube, and all the air was being forced out of his lungs. And just when Harry thought that he couldn't handle anymore, the sun was back and Harry could breathe.

He gasped loudly and bent over, trying to catch his breath.

"Are you all right?" asked Dumbledore, concern in his voice.

Harry nodded. "I just didn't expect that, that's all." He stood up and looked around and realized they were on a street, but which one, Harry didn't know. He didn't recognize the place. "Sir, where are we?"

Dumbledore pulled out a slip of paper and handed it over to Harry.

The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be located at number 12 Grimmauld Place.

Harry was confused, but when he looked up, number 12 had appeared between number 11 and 13, and he was sure that it hadn't been there before. Dumbledore strode forward quickly, and Harry followed. He tapped the door with his wand, and it swung open.

They entered a dark, musty house; his aunt would have died before she stepped foot in such a place. Dumbledore lead the way down the corridor, and Harry noticed that there was a light shining through the crack of the door at the end of it; he could hear a few voices laughing from the other side. Dumbledore opened the door and stepped through, and Harry followed.

"It seems we have a guest," said Dumbledore abruptly. He stepped out of the way and Harry stepped forward, and he was immediately met with the sight of his friends, Sirius, and Remus.

"Harry!" said Sirius, grinning widely, and Harry grinned back.

Sirius quickly moved forward and wrapped Harry in a hug.

"Hey, Sirius," said Harry, still grinning.

Sirius pulled away and beamed, looking as though he couldn't be happier if he tried.

"How'd it go with Fudge?"

Harry chuckled. "It was interesting," he said, but before he could continue, Hermione ran up and threw herself at him, and Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"You saw me two weeks ago, Hermione," he exclaimed. "You're acting like you haven't seen me in years."

Ron laughed loudly behind them. "Yeah, Hermione, let the man breathe." They turned to look at him. "Hey, mate."

"Hey, Ron," said Harry, grinning widely.

He was back where he belonged.