Chapter 45: The Price of Gold
Late that night, Albus left the castle and disapperated to a small flat on the outskirts of London. He looked around sadly at the rundown place before he headed up the worn stairs and knocked. There was silence for a moment until a familiar voice called. "Who is it? I should warn you, there's a vicious dog here…"
"It is I, Albus Dumbledore. I need to speak to you, Remus," he called back. At once the door opened, and his former staff member stood there—looking pale but he was smiling when he saw him.
"Professor," he said gladly.
"It's good to see you again, Remus," he said sincerely, bowing his head slightly.
"Come in, sir, and sit down," Remus stood aside to let him enter. But then he stuck his head out and glanced around cautiously before he shut and bolted the door behind him.
"I haven't had to do that since after the first war," he said grimly as they walked down a dark hallway… as soon as they entered the kitchen, the first thing that he saw was a large black dog at the kitchen table.
"Sirius," he acknowledged, eyes twinkling as Sirius regained human form and pulled out a chair to sit down.
"Sir," Sirius nodded. "How's Harry?"
"He's…" Albus said slowly, wondering how best to say this. "Dealing with it all as well as can be expected," he sighed at last. "He was in the hospital wing for only two days before Madam Pomfrey felt that it was safe enough for him to leave."
"But is he safe?" Sirius pressed on urgently.
"Nothing else has happened over the last week," Albus told him truthfully. "He left on the Hogwarts Express just this morning and should be back to Privet Drive right about now. He will be safe there so long as he's inside the house."
"What do you mean?" Remus wanted to know, taking a seat beside Sirius.
"Still, I would feel better if we put measures in place to watch over Harry while he's at the Dursleys," Albus went on as if he didn't hear the question. "I don't think it likely there will be an incident but better to err on the side of caution."
"I don't see why he has to go there at all," Sirius frowned. "Wouldn't he be safer in the wizarding world? Like with Ron Weasley's family or with us…" his face brightened. "He could come and stay here with Remus and me."
Albus had a feeling that Sirius would ask that question. Why must he always be the bearer of bad news?
"That's not possible at the moment, Sirius," he answered gently. Predictably, Sirius looked angry.
"Why not?" Sirius demanded heatedly. "You know that Remus and I would protect him with our lives."
"Yes, I know," Albus nodded. "But that's not the issue here, Sirius…"
"You don't trust us, do you?" Sirius demanded loudly, drowning out his voice. "You don't think that we'd be able to do even that much right?"
"It's got nothing to do with—" Albus disagreed, but Sirius was on his feet again.
"I'm his godfather! And now you think that I…" Sirius was so close to shouting.
"Sirius—" Albus called out.
"Sirius, please!" Remus cried loudly as he put a hand on his shoulder to calm him. At his touch, Sirius seemed to remember where he was, and his harsh breathing started to calm down. He glanced at his friend… and then he slowly sat down.
"Alright," Remus said, turning back to Albus. "Why don't you tell us why the Muggles are a better choice to look after Harry?"
"Because his aunt is his mother's sister," he answered simply.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Sirius barked irritably.
Albus sighed and finally came out to tell them the truth. "It was powerful magic that saved Harry the night his parents were killed. And it's that same magic that protects Harry now. Lily's sister offered him shelter and while he continues to live under her roof for at least part of the year, he is shielded from an attack by Voldemort."
He leaned forward, blue eyes focused intently on Sirius. "I have no doubts about you, Sirius. Either about your allegiance or your abilities. I know that you would rather die than let anything harm Harry. I hope you believe me."
Sirius glared at him, but slowly nodded in understanding.
"Which reminds me," Albus said slowly, thinking it all over. "I have something for you."
He produced an oblong box which he pushed across the table. Puzzled, Sirius opened it and then caught his breath.
"It's not the same as your old one," Albus said bowing his head, "But it is an excellent one… very near to the one that you used to have.
Sirius lifted out the wand and ran his fingers along it. "It's nice…" he muttered. "Can't remember the last time I held my own wand…"
He pointed to a teapot on the counter, and with a small pop, it turned into a large turtle.
"Thank you, sir," he swallowed, as he turned it back into a teapot.
There was an awkward pause and then Albus nodded. "You're welcome, Sirius. If we are to fight in this war, you need a wand for your own. And while I have not been unprepared for Voldemort's return, it will not be easy and we need all the help we can get. Ever since he disappeared thirteen years ago, I always knew that he would find a way back. How long… I didn't know… but I knew he would return." He gave a sad smile. "Of course, other people do not want to face the truth."
"You mean, the Ministry," Remus spoke up knowingly.
"I've tried speaking to Fudge again about this. It would be so much easier with the Ministry taking the lead," he sighed. "Unfortunately, he continues to deny the truth. I don't know what I'll have to do to convince him."
"He can't honestly think that you are making this all up," Sirius said darkly. "Just pretending it's a lie doesn't make it one! It's only going to help Voldemort out!"
"I know," Albus nodded in agreement. "But luckily," he went on, "We have time to prepare ourselves and to cut him off before he gets too much power. Thanks to Harry, we know he's returned and what he's planning. And we have new additions to our ranks. Alastor had told me that he has several young Auror's in mind… of course, we need to establish a Headquarters."
After a few minutes of silence, Sirius spoke again.
"I think I can help you out with that," he said softly. He hadn't been able to take his eyes off his new wand and was now causing a few teacups to levitate. "I know a place that we can use for Headquarters."
Sirius turned to him and gave him a rather grim smile. "I will introduce you to my loving family home."
*A few hours later*
After making a few extra precautions, the two men, and one dog appeared in a dark alleyway, about a block away from the house. Sirius led the way across the street, and through a shortcut that led them straight until they were all standing outside a gloomy looking house between number 11 and number 12. The front door was battered and the walls were dirty; the windows were coated with so much grime that they couldn't see in… it looked as if no one lived here for years.
Albus raised his Deluminator and caused all the lights to go out before Sirius was able to transform back into a human.
"Grimmauld Place?" Remus asked him in surprise once he was back on two legs. "I thought you said that when you left this place, you left for good."
"Yeah," Sirius stated, almost angry. "But I heard that my dear old mother's finally gone. Even though she disowned me, the house is still mine. It's a safe place. My father put all sorts of spells on the house to keep Muggles and any other wizards from ever finding it—don't know why they ever would want to," he added in a dark undertone. "I'm sure we could put more up. But the house has been empty for about ten years now, so who knows what's happened since then."
He then walked up the front steps, banged on the front door, before he kicked the door open. "HONEY? I'M HOME!"
"Sirius, please, control yourself," Albus said as he followed.
"Oh, excuse me," Sirius said, his voice dangerously mock-pleasant. At that moment, they heard loud screeching… it was a horrible, blood-curdling screech that made Albus feel as if his eardrums were going to bleed. He looked around, trying to see what the cause was…
A curtain in the hallway suddenly was blown open, and there was a portrait of an old woman in a black cap was screaming as if she was completely mad. "Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers -"
"Ah," Sirius said coolly over the loud noise. "Mother dearest." He marched right up to the portrait. "Hello, you ugly, old hag!"
Her eyes bulged when she saw him. "YOU!" she screeched. "Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!"
"Sorry!" he yelled sarcastically, putting a hand to his ear. "Can't hear you!"
And with a bang, he pulled out his wand and the curtain was blown over to cover the portrait.
He looked back at the two of them. "You have no idea how long I wanted to say that."
Albus stared at him. But before he could say anything, something slinked across the hallway. He up at once to see the oldest house-elf he had ever seen there, wearing almost nothing except a filthy loincloth. The elf walked forward and bowed low, "Master Sirius," he said, before he added in an undertone, "My mistress's greatest disgrace has returned to bother poor Kreacher… oh, the shame."
"A house-elf?" he repeated as Sirius groaned in horror.
"Kreacher," he growled. "Horrible little toerag. I see he hasn't changed all this time. I thought he was dead to. Oh, well… maybe the shock of giving him clothes would do it."
Kreacher slunk past them as if he couldn't see them and wandered off, glaring at Sirius all the way. "Greatest disgrace. Master has returned. Mistress's greatest disgrace…"
Albus frowned at him patiently.
"Sirius, I understand that having Kreacher here is hardly ideal," he told him, "But this is his house, also. If we do use it for headquarters, then we simply have to live with him, and to do that, we'll have to treat him with kindness and respect."
Sirius didn't answer, his eyes narrowed in dislike as the elf went off into the dark house.
"Sirius?" Remus asked in worry.
"I heard you. Not that I think it'll help his mood any…" he added in disgust. "It'll be easier just to sack him already…"
"Albus is right, Sirius," Remus said slowly. "If we antagonize him, he'll find ways to twist your words and keep doing things…"
"All right, all right…" he snapped irritated.
"The house seems to be coming along very well," Albus said looking at him. "I think that it should serve well… once we—ah—get it cleaned up…"
*The Burrow*
Sirius showed him the house, and explained all the enchantments that were keeping the house safe. Once he cast his own spells—as well as becoming the new Secret Keeper of Grimmauld Place, he knew that it would be hard to find a safer house anywhere… well, safe from Voldemort anyway. Some parts of the house left him with an uneasy feeling.
After about a week, he had gone over to the Burrow to inform the Weasleys that it would be for the best if they moved here as well. However, when he got there, he was greeted by terrible news.
"Percy and I had… gotten into a disagreement last night," Arthur explained to him—his face as pale and as stony as a marble statue. His eldest son, Bill was there, holding his mother's hands as she cried. "It ended with him storming out of the house and swearing he'd never be back…"
Molly didn't seem to be able to speak as she held the handkerchief to her red and swollen eyes.
"He got angry last night, Mum," Bill said soothingly, rubbing her hands. "You know how Percy gets. He has a hot head… he didn't mean any of the things he said. Once he calms down, he'll realize that he didn't mean a word…"
"What happened?" Albus asked anxiously, as he stepped over to her.
"In a way it's… it's just as well he left the house." Arthur said jerkily, as though trying to convince himself it was the best thing. "Fudge gave him a position in his own office, as his Junior Assistant or some along those line. With how Fudge is these days…"
He trailed off for a moment before he sighed, "He's looking for excuses to fire anybody who has anything to do with you, Dumbledore. And he suspects me. He's just using Percy…" Molly gave a great sob as Arthur was twisting a tea towel in his hands so violently that it was fraying before his eyes. "I tried to warn him but…"
"That's what really set him off," Bill explained softly, rubbing Molly's shoulder in a consoling way. "But you know… he was always 'by the rules' person. He's always had such high respect for authority, and thinks that they're so great that they can't be wrong. And anyone who says otherwise…"
"Molly," Albus said gently, sitting next to her. "I know Percy. Whatever he said, he didn't mean it. He's just angry. And we all say things we don't mean when we're angry. He's narrow-minded, ambitious, maybe… but I'm sure he must think he's doing the right thing…"
Bill failed to suppress a derisive noise.
"Maybe," he said darkly. "But he's stubborn. It's that promotion! He's always thought that to get ahead in life, you have to get a high-position in the government."
"Perhaps," Albus told him softly. "But I also seem to recall that he got high marks in all his O.W.L's, as well as his N.E.W.T's… he's very intelligent. Intelligent enough to know what's really going on soon. Maybe he lost his temper because he was desperate somehow; maybe he's begun to see through it already and didn't want to admit the fact that a war could happen again."
Albus sighed before he said, "I know that Percy is someone who holds himself to very high standards. It's very painful for someone like that to admit when they're wrong, but when he does, he'll be thankful that you didn't lie for his comfort or give up on him…"
"That does sound like him," Bill said to his mother. "You see, mum? He's just being stubborn! He'll see that we weren't lying sooner or later. And I know that you'll be the first one to forgive him…"
"Maybe you're right…" Molly sniffled. She dried her eyes with her handkerchief and seemed to calm somewhat. Smiling gently, Albus took out the slip of paper from his pocket and handed it to her. Which said:
'The Headquarters of the order of the Phoenix is located at number 12 Grimmauld place.'
"I know that it is a lot to ask," he said softly, "But I think we shall have to move in prematurely to another building where I have been offered as Order headquarters. The Fidelius Charm has already been placed upon it with me as its Secret Keeper."
"What building is it?" Arthur asked, coming over to read the paper.
"A house of an Order member," Albus explained. "I will explain more thoroughly when we are all congregated there."
Later that night, while the Weasley children were sleeping, Albus took Molly, Arthur, and Bill to Grimmauld Place for their first meeting. They would talk more about moving in tomorrow.
Most of the Order was indeed already gathered there. Albus looked up from pacing placidly before the fireplace in the dark kitchen. Arthur and Molly Weasley both sat at the table, across from Dedalus Diggle and Emmaline Vance. Bill was at the sideboard, watching them all, as his dear old friend Elphias Doge was humming softly to himself. Hestia Jones was looking around the room, as Alastor took his seat at the corner of the room—and Albus was glad to see that he didn't seem as nervous as he had been during the last week of school.
Alastor had brought with him two Aurors. The first was a young witch with violet hair and heart-shaped face that could only be Nymphodora Tonks. He remembered her fondly from school, and he had heard Alastor talk about her once or twice while he was training young Aurors… meaning that she must be highly skilled…
The second man that Alastor brought was Kingsley Shacklebolt who stood tall and solid, with rich dark-chocolate skin. He wore a silver hoop in his right ear and no hair on his head, and overall cut a striking figure—almost like a rock that stood tall against the raging tides. As he went to take his seat at the table, he saw that Remus was giving Kingsley a wary look. And he knew it was because he was in charge of looking for Sirius—who was still in his dog form underneath the table—and was trying to act as much like a dog as possible.
Once everyone was seated, Albus came forward, and began the meeting by telling the guests the entire story of how Voldemort had struck when they least expected it during the end of the Triwizard Tournament and has now returned to power. As well as telling how Cedric Diggory truly died, and how Harry Potter had narrowly escaped with his life.
He then spoke of Fudge's refusal to believe the truth and the danger he was now leading the whole wizarding world into. The rest of the table was silent as he spoke; no one spoke a word, just horror-struck at what they were hearing.
Several of them had initially wanted to think that Voldemort was gone for good, but when he mentioned Fudge's behavior—his ever growing paranoia, they all admitted that he seemed willing to do anything to hide something.
He also told them about smear campaign directed at, both himself and against Harry. By reminding them all, that the Ministry and the Daily Prophet had sung a different tune in previous years—but now that Harry was saying something they didn't like, they had turned on him, thinking that he could be discredited because he was young.
"Although," Kingsley said slowly, "He was Confuded by Sirius Black into ranting that Black was innocent. No telling what he could have planted in Potter's mind."
The black dog gave a snort, from underneath the table and Albus looked at them all, knowing that they needed to hear the real truth.
"That is because Sirius's case never came to trial," he told them all. "On the surface, it seemed too clear-cut that no one had bothered. Even I had thought that Sirius had committed those acts. However, over a year ago, Harry and his friends helped to fill in all the blanks. Because the case was never taken to court, no one ever found out that an innocent man was sentence to twelve years in Azkaban."
They all gasped at the news, except for Molly, who was glancing anxiously at the dog, though she didn't say a word.
He then went on before they started asking questions, "The story Harry and his friends told does not contradict any of the evidence, and it also matches precisely with the account Sirius himself gave me the night he was briefly recaptured."
"And you believe a murderer?" Kingsley demanded. "There were eye witnesses who saw him kill a whole street of people! And the notions I've heard of those kids claiming that Peter Pettigrew having lived twelve years as a rat with a missing toe is far-fetched."
"Far-fetched, but not impossible, and in my years I have seen many far-fetched stories turn out to be true," Albus said calmly. "Perhaps Sirius could have offered evidence to prove his claim. When we held our own Inquisition, we threw away the chance to ever know."
"I find that hard to believe," Kingsley said, though his eyes were narrowed thoughtfully. He looked to Remus, "And I heard that you were once one of Sirius's Black's close friend?"
Remus nodded firmly. "Yes," he answered. "And I only recently managed to befriend Sirius again after I learned the truth."
When they all stared at him, and he went on at once, "I was there that night. He told me everything, and I have to say that it explained a great deal more than I ever thought possible. The Sirius Black I first knew, never would've betrayed his friends or join with Voldemort—" several people flinched at the name but he kept going, "So when I heard of what he had done, I thought that it had been a mistake at first. And I am sorry that I never did a thing about it."
He sighed, and Albus could see Sirius looking up at him sadly.
"But my dear friend is innocent," he went on. "And I will stand by that, whatever anyone else here says."
"And you are that werewolf teacher that we heard so much about?" Hestia asked.
Remus blanched slightly, but he muttered, "Yes. I am… ah… I have lycanthropy, yes."
"Professor Lupin," Kingsley said, nodding, "I remember now… I've heard quite a bit about you; all the reliable things have been good."
Nymphadora leaned across the table to look him in the eyes, with bright-eyed curiosity. Her eyes were rather like those of a child looking at an exotic creature in a zoo, but he didn't take offense, and indeed when she ducked to the side to try to see his profile, he obligingly turned his head. "That's kinda cool," she said.
Albus smiled slightly at the startled look on Remus's face, but he then stepped forward, beckoning, Sirius to come forward and stand next to him. "This," he said to everyone, "Is none other than Sirius Black."
Tonks whipped around to stare at him. Kingsley started back in disbelief, but for only a moment before Emmaline cried out, "You're joking!"
"No," he said serenely, "I am being completely serious about this. It's all true. Sirius Black is an unregistered Animagus, as was James Potter and as is Peter Pettigrew. But Sirius was never in league with Voldemort—" more shuddering "—and was not the Potters' Secret-Keeper. About a week before the night that the Potter's were killed, Sirius and Pettigrew, or Wormtail as is his nickname, switched places at the last moment. This was done to try and misdirect Voldemort. As we all know, at the time, we got wind that there was a spy within the Order who had been passing information to the Death Eaters for about a year already. And the truth is it was Peter Pettigrew… not Sirius."
"But he still killed all those Muggles, as well as Pettigrew," Kingsley pointed out at once, but Albus kept shaking his head.
"No," he told him regretfully. "After the Potters' deaths, it was Sirius, not Peter, who went after the other mad with grief, and it was Peter who caused an explosion and killed those innocent Muggle bystanders. He cut off his finger and escaped as a rat, leaving Sirius to take the blame. And we never bothered to discover the truth."
They all sat there, dumbstruck for a second, but Tonks asked, "How do you know this?"
"Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger will all be evidence of having seen Pettigrew the night Sirius was captured at Hogwarts," he said, and the Weasleys looked up at him, startled.
"As will Professor Lupin," Albus said. "Unfortunately, Pettigrew escaped, and the word of three students and a werewolf weren't enough proof to the Ministry and they didn't hesitate for a moment to sentence Sirius to the dementor's kiss without a second thought had he not escaped himself."
"Mum always said she could never imagine Cousin Sirius as a Death Eater," Tonks offered.
"You're related to him?" Emmaline asked in surprise.
"Yep," she said brightly, now looking at the dog with great interest. "And she could never understand why her favorite cousin would go over to the dark side like that."
"What about him?" Kingsley asked slowly, motioning to the dog at his feet. Sirius looked over at him as if annoyed. "If I'm going to believe that this is Sirius Black, I need to be able to recognize him."
"He can resume his human form if it's safe for him to do so," Albus stated.
Kingsley said in his deep voice, "If he is innocent, he has nothing to fear from me."
Albus looked at him carefully, but he couldn't see any doubt in his expression—it was curiosity. "Very well," he said and looked down to Sirius, "Sirius? If you would be so kind as to join us?"
The dog looked up at him before he transformed back into Sirius Black as they would have expected to see him, tall and thin with unkempt black hair and a dark robe. Emmaline jumped a little, but by the look on her face, she was already seeing the hollows around his eyes in a new light.
"Sirius Black?" Kingsley asked calmly and Sirius nodded to him.
"Wow, Cousin Sirius!" Tonks exclaimed getting up to shake his hand. "I don't know if you remember me do? The little girl that you used to babysit and said that I was a four-year-old bundle of terror?"
Sirius blinked before he gave her a rather wicked grin. "Course I do," he said hoarsely. "You used to drive me up the wall."
Albus smiled and then went on with the story. "I know that this is hard to believe, but the truth is that Sirius is innocent and he wants to help with the Order. I will vouch for it myself."
They were all still looking at Sirius warily, but not as if they still thought that he was a murderer. Albus then went on with the most important part that they needed to discuss.
"We have a spy who is believed to be a trusted servant of Voldemort," he said. "And thanks to him, as well as the information that Harry had been able to give me, we know what Voldemort is after. We have the names of several Death Eaters who had returned to him the night that he returned. Voldemort is planning on building his army back up again before he comes out into the open. He wishes to become as strong as possible before he lets us all know that he is back."
"What are they?" Kingsley asked at once, and Albus as pleased to see that he was already taking mental notes.
"That he is planning on gathering the dementors of Azkaban," he answered. "Now, I did warn Cornelius that he must remove the dementors from the prison, but of course he refuses to do so. This will surly led to a break-out along the road. When this will be, I cannot answer, but it will only be a matter of time before they join Voldemort. As we all know, dementors don't show loyalty. Fudge may convince himself that they would never betray him, but he is setting things up so that he is placing Voldemort's most loyal supporters under the control of creatures who will join Voldemort as soon as he asks them."
"Oh, great!" Alastor barked. "All that trouble to put them in there in the first place and now they're going to be breaking out again. Just my luck…"
Albus gave him an apologetic look before he turned back to the rest of them. "And we also know that he is also planning on sending Death Eaters to take into service the giants as well. Now, I have some good friends who are already on the way north to try and convince them to join our side, but we cannot get our hopes up just yet."
"So what do we do?" Arthur asked.
"I have several ideas," Albus assured him. "However, there is something that I must tell you all. Thanks to our spy, I know that there is one more thing besides his army that Voldemort is planning on obtaining. Something that is currently in the Department of Mysteries."
They all stared at each other, wondering what on earth he was about to tell them. Albus had been dreading this… even if Severus hadn't told him, Albus knew that Tom wouldn't want to try and rush things as he did during the first war. He would want to know the full prophecy… the reason he was temporary defeated was because he only heard the beginning… and especially with how Harry humiliated him in front of all his Death Eaters, Tom would surly want to hear the full contents of it.
"I am going to tell you all something," he said slowly. "Something that only a handful of people know. Before Voldemort fell, a prophecy had been made… a prophecy foretelling of Voldemort's defeat."
"A prophecy?" Bill repeated almost in awe.
Albus nodded. "A prophecy that has to do with Voldemort… and Harry Potter."
Stunned silence filled the room. Sirius, Remus, and the three Weasleys were all staring at him with mixtures of shock and horror. Albus sighed and went on, "Shortly before Harry was born, this prophecy had been made… Voldemort knew that this existed, however, he only knows the first part. The reason that he was defeated for so long was because he set out to kill Harry Potter that night… believing that he was putting a stop to it. But as he only knew a small part of it, he made a grave mistake, thus resulting in his downfall for thirteen years."
He took a deep breath and finished by saying, "The record of the prophecy is being kept where all prophecies are… the Hall of Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries."
"So…" Arthur said slowly, "He's planning on getting it and hearing all of it?"
Albus nodded.
"But you seem to be awfully aware of what it says," Sirius said through narrow eyes.
Albus gave him a sad look and admitted, "Because I was the one whom it was made to when the Seer predicted it."
They stared at him and he went on, "I am the only person who knows the full contents of the prophecy and I have never told another soul about it… not even Harry knows it's existence. The point is, Voldemort is afraid of Harry."
"Afraid of him?" Hestia repeated startled.
"Yes," Albus admitted. "Harry has already faced Lord Voldemort, not once, but four times including his escape from him last year."
They gasped at the news, knowing that most full-grown wizards were usually killed when faced to face with Voldemort, but a child escaping so many times…?
"Which is why Voldemort doesn't plan on moving out into the open without knowing everything," Albus told them. "While I can't tell you all what the prophecy says—not that I don't trust you—" he added when he saw several of them raise their eyebrows.
"But the fact is, the less people who know the truth, the less chances that the words will make it back to Voldemort," Albus finished. "Now… for those of you who don't know, the records that are being kept in the Ministry are made so that only the people they refer to can lift them from their shelves. Anyone else will suffer madness. So, in other words, the only people who would be able to pick it up are either Harry Potter or Voldemort."
"So, there's nothing to worry about," Tonks asked. "I mean… if he's not planning on showing himself to the Ministry until he gets it, but is one of only two people who can get it… then…"
"That's the kind of thing I expect a kid to say," Alastor grunted.
She turned to him furiously and snapped, "I'm not a kid!"
"Oh, use your head, Nymphadora," he told her grumpily.
Tonks looked furious, but Albus broke them off by saying, "We must not assume anything. There is always a chance that he will find a way to get around it. And if he gets his hands on it, then it could lead to Harry's death…"
Those who knew Harry personally looked up at him in terror. "Which is why we mustn't ever let him hear it. We must keep guard over it, as well as young Mr. Potter…"
And he went on. He went on discussing the Order's plans, they talked for hours, until it was very late. For their benefit, Arthur repeated what he'd been saying, that he now felt quite positive about Hestia Jones, a witch who worked in the Ministry's Owlery and Mailroom—a humble job, but one that gave her a strategic view into who was in contact with whom.
Various other topics were addressed: Albus gave a status report of the word he was getting from Hagrid and Madame Maxime. Guard duty at the Department of Mysteries was also discussed and it was Remus who offered to take watch tomorrow night.
"What about Harry anyway?" Sirius asked.
There was a long pause; Molly turned toward him with an almost pleading expression. Albus could almost feel Alastor's eye on him as he looked at Sirius.
"Under the circumstances..." Albus said slowly, "And now that Voldemort has returned, I think that we can all agree that Harry's safety is our first priority. The most certain way to ensure that would be for him to stay at his aunt and uncle's house. As long as he's with his Aunt, he's with his mother's blood, the blood will give him the best protection that we can offer. The magic that protected Harry from Voldemort back then is present wherever Lily's blood is, including in his aunt…"
Sirius was continuing to give him a menacing look, but he didn't say anything. After that, they finished up the meeting, and most people were leaving, obviously already planning on getting to work as soon as the sun rose tomorrow. He smiled gratefully as he watched them leave. There were many other wizards that would come tomorrow night, and he knew that he would have to repeat it, but this was a good start. They needed to get to work as soon as possible.
The Weasleys all said goodbye, saying that they would be here as soon as Hermione arrived from her home because she was spending the summer with them. He nodded to them all and saw them off before he turned to Remus and Sirius—who continued to look miserable.
"Look, I know I'm a wanted criminal and it's unsafe for me to go out but there are ways that I could do something useful," Sirius said. "I mean… I can turn into a dog for crying out loud!"
Albus gave him a sad look. "Sirius, I know that this is hard for someone like you, but Wormtail surly would've told Voldemort and the others about you by now."
Sirius thought that over before he cursed loudly. "Well, even if my big disguise is useless, there still Polyjuice Potion, charms that can change my appearance… I won't use the same face every time!"
Albus raised his hand for silence and Sirius stopped talking immediately.
"Do you really think I haven't considered these options?" he asked sadly.
"Then why -" Sirius began, and Remus was looking at them both anxiously.
"Haven't you considered that all the member's lives are in danger when they go on Order business? That there might be some reason why I wanted to keep you safe?" he asked him. When Sirius didn't say a word, he sighed.
"Sirius," he said carefully, "I am keeping you safe simply because Harry needs you to remain safe, alive and out of Azkaban."
"Don't bring my godson into this," Sirius said warningly. "He doesn't have anything to do with the fact that you don't want me to leave."
"He has everything to do with it," Albus told him as if it was obvious. "Harry needs you, Sirius. He will need you to help him get through this war. Harry is going to have a tough year, the toughest he's had yet and I cannot help him. In fact, I will have to distance myself from him, which will him feel abandoned and alone."
"Why?" Remus asked at once. "You were always so fond of him… always spoke so highly of his abilities."
Albus gave him a sad look. "I am. But the truth is… and I didn't tell the rest of them this… but there is a connection between Harry and Voldemort… one that has surly gotten stronger since the end of the tournament."
"What do you mean by a connection?" Sirius demanded.
"I mean, that there's no telling what Voldemort will be able to do to Harry even when he's far away," Albus said softly. "I don't know just how strong this connection is… but there's a chance that Voldemort might be able to use this."
"What do you…?" Sirius began but Albus explained, his voice growing hoarse from all the talking.
"When I first saw the scar on his forehead, I guessed what it could've meant… I guessed that it might be the sign of a connection forged between the two of them. For it became apparent to me right away that Harry's scar was able to warn him whenever Voldemort was close to him. And just last year, he started having those dreams…"
"Dreams?" Remus repeated but Sirius shook his hand down at him.
"Harry was able to see into Voldemort's mind through his dreams," Albus said softly and Remus stared at him. "Of course, Harry has no idea… and has little, if any, control over it. This ability to be able to sense him no matter where he is, and to know what he's feeling has obviously become more and more pronounced since Voldemort returned to his own body and his full powers. But now, I am concerned that Voldemort might be able to use this…"
"Use it how?" Sirius asked, his face growing paler by the second.
"He doesn't know about it yet," Albus told him. "But if he should ever discover it, there is a chance that Voldemort could try and use Harry to spy on me."
"Spy on you?" Sirius repeated, now sounding like an echo.
"If Harry was able to see into Voldemort's mind by accident, then there's a chance that it could work the other way as well," he told him grimly. "Which is why I can't allow myself to get to close to him. If I treat him as any other student, then Voldemort will be less tempted… and Harry will be more protected. You see?"
The two men stared at him and he said, "I'm not any happier about this than either of you. But it's for Harry's safety. At the moment, Voldemort doesn't know about it, and I intend to keep it that way. But what I'm trying to say here, Sirius, is since I will no longer be able to be there for him. He will need someone to talk to, someone who understands what it is like to be belittled and hated… he will need someone to talk to other than Ron and Hermione. Quite apart from that, you are the only family Harry has and he would be devastated if he lost you."
Sirius gave him a long look, but Albus could see that his words had a big impact on him. "Sirius," he said gently. "He's lost so much that he loves already, Sirius, and I don't think I could stand it to see him lose anymore." He shook his head, "And I don't think he could stand it if he lost more than he already has."
Sirius just continued to just look at him darkly and he went on, "I'm sorry Sirius, I know you wanted to fight but—"
"Save it," Sirius grunted, throwing himself back into his chair. "Looks like you finally found a way to control me."
Albus gave him a soft look and bowed his head low before he finally left. But when he did, he thought back to what he was doing here. He knew that what he was doing to the boy was cruel…
Keeping him locked in that house for the rest of the summer was a terrible thing… but after all these years, a mere child had been forced to fight through life-threatening situations that would make a fully trained Auror fall apart and run. The same child that had been forced to risk his life over and over was the only chance the wizarding world had to survive. Harry Potter was only fourteen—almost fifteen, but if you were to look into his emerald eyes (so much like his mothers) you would see the quickly fading child innocence. Albus could see it… guilt, regret, betrayal, sorrow. They were all mingled into a mash of pain.
And the worst part was that he knew he had no one else to blame for that pain than himself… he had allowed it to happen.
He put his hand up to his head in pain when, once again, his little sister's eyes flashed in his mind's eye. "I'm sorry," he muttered, wishing that Ariana's eyes didn't haunt him as they had for these years. He held up his Deluminator and allowed the light to return to the lampposts… and before they lit up again… he was gone.
*About Three Weeks Later*
Time had moved on surprisingly slowly for the next few weeks. To his delight however, they were steadily gaining more members and news of Voldemort's return was spreading. If only the Ministry would be willing to listen…
Arthur had been right, Fudge had been going around and firing anyone who had anything to do with him anymore. Albus didn't bother reading the Prophet anymore—unable to stand seeing what was written these days… of course, he could deal with any criticism… he was far too old to be bothered by it…
But this wasn't going to be easy for Harry.
He ran his hand through his hair, trying not to think of the child anymore than he had to. Of course, it had only been harder since his brief meeting with Arabella about a week ago.
*Flashback*
He had gone to see how she was holding up at Privet Drive, and if there had been anything strange happening… as well as to check on how Harry had been doing.
"Oh, it's nothing surprising…" Arabella sighed as she carried in a pot of tea. "Vernon and Petunia, well, they're no comfort to him at all, sir. The boy has been spending a great deal of time wandering around the streets, looking for any scrap of news. He's been losing his temper with his aunt and uncle… but I can't say they don't deserve it…"
"And I can't say I'm surprise," Albus said carefully.
"And of course, he still doesn't know about me," she told him, putting the tray on the coffee table. "You know, I've been trying to ask him over for tea several time, but he's been avoiding me. Can't blame him for that; I always had to make a nuisance of myself before. Vernon and Petunia never would've let him come over if they thought he enjoyed my company. Do you honestly think that he's truly safer here?"
"Yes," Albus said at once.
"Well, that makes one of us," she said picking a spot on her chin.
"It's the best place for him," Albus said firmly.
"For who I wonder," she asked. "I can understand that this place is safe for the boy… but blood without love is thinner than water in my opinion. Vernon and Dudley are simply awful to him. I can't say Petunia has turned her back totally on the fact that he's her sister's child, but she acts every bit as bad. I truly wonder sometimes, Albus."
He looked to her and asked the question that had been tormenting his thoughts for a long time. "Has there been any signs of—abuse there?"
She shrugged. "I cannot say. They definitely neglect the child; half starved him plenty of times and I remember seeing him doing more chores than all of them put together. But as far as I know they've never outright abused him. Unless you count that oaf Dudley." Her tone was that of true disgust. "And he's always been a horrid child. His parents are just blind to how horrible he is and they aren't doing him any favors by not doing anything about it. But I've never seen Petunia or Vernon harm him as what you're suggesting… if they do, they hide it well."
*End of Flashback*
Albus felt that he was slowly losing his mind with everything on his plate. He rarely went back Hogwarts these days, having been forced to run around and trying to get the Ministry to grow up. Getting back to his office for some quiet was a rare treat.
He paid occasional visits to Grimmauld place for meetings as well, which he was starting to dread. Every time that he came, Sirius would ask when Harry would be allowed to come here.
"Sirius, I thought that had been discussed, we had agreed that keeping him with his mother's relations was best," he said wearily.
"He would be safe here," Sirius hissed back to him.
"Sirius, we can't put all of our proverbial eggs in one proverbial basket," he told him. "The safest place for him is still the most important issue."
This was often how they ended their arguments.
It might've been unfair, but he couldn't risk Harry knowing too much, you must make sacrifices to be a leader; and it was needed for him to distance himself… no matter how badly he felt.
But so far, the worst part was telling Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley that they must swear not to tell Harry anything about what they hear in Headquarters in their letters, which they weren't allowed to send too many.
It was agonizing to look into their young faces, and see the utter confusion and trepidation. And it even felt like a punch in the gut when young Ron said, "But sir, how can you not tell Harry? He was there he fought You-Know-Who, and he watched Diggory die. It'll kill him, not knowing what's going on."
"You don't know how reckless he can be," Hermione whimpered. "He'll do something stupid and careless if he's stuck there not knowing what's going on! I know it!"
Oh, Albus already knew… to be honest, that part of him reminded Albus a great deal of Aberforth when he was young. Sitting and waiting for news that might never come would've driven him to the brink of insanity. And he knew Harry would react even worse. The boy had a temper brought out only in extreme instances…
At first the two kept refusing, but when he told them it would help Harry in the long run that's when they gave in. He had to keep explaining until finally, they both agreed, though Miss Granger looked ready to cry by the end of it. And that was how it stayed for the last few weeks.
But his feelings were put to the challenge almost a month later…
He had been resting in his office chair, starting to doze off when the fireplace erupted. He looked up in time to see Kingsley sticking his head into the office. "Albus," he said hurriedly. "I don't have much time, but you need to know that there were dementors in Little Whinging less than ten minutes ago! They must've attacked Harry and his cousin."
Albus stood up, feeling close to panicking—his heart was racing painfully. "Are they-?"
"The Ministry is running around here," he went on hurried. "Fudge is thrilled… he's talking about expelling him!"
"But if there were dementors," Albus pressed on forcefully.
"No one knows what's happened," he told him. "All that anyone knows for sure is that the Patronus Charm had been cast by an underaged wizard in Little Whinging! But why else would he use that charm unless there were dementors?"
Albus stared. He knew that Harry should've been able to drive them off… but if his cousin had been there… and if Dudley Dursley was in as bad as shape as he thought, and then there was a good chance the Petunia might realize how dangerous it is to have Harry there. He got up. "I'll deal with this. I'll be there in just a few minutes. But who was supposed to be on guard tonight?! This shouldn't have happened unless someone left their post!"
"I think it was Dung," he said. "Listen, I've got to get back, Dumbledore. I'm using this fireplace in one of the offices and if I'm caught…"
"Then go," he said quickly. "I'll be there in a minute to sort this out. And I'll deal with Mundungus myself when I see him next.
Kingsley disappeared and Albus summoned some Howler paper. He had to send the message to Petunia. He had to let her know that Harry cannot leave the house again. He called to Fawkes, who took flight and flew to him—he had to put a stop to this before the Ministry blunders ruin anymore lives.
(Done with the first chapter of the fifth year! How's it going so far? Hope that you're all looking forward to any future chapters. And this Thursday is my birthday! I can't wait! As for the next chapter, we see him deal with Mundungus! Anyone have any predictions to what'll happen? Hope the hear some of them, and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter.)
