Dumbledore was baffled. Truly and completely gobsmacked. Not half an hour ago, he had been wondering on the very livelihood of the Potters, and now, in front of him, on his very desk, was a letter from both of the elder Potters, who had apparently, under his very nose, become part of the British nobility.
Minerva, for her part, seemed just as incredulous as Dumbledore, but was also overwhelmed by curiosity as to the contents of the letter. "Well?" she finally asked after at least ten minutes of complete, shocked silence, "Are you going to open it, Albus?"
Dumbledore snapped out of his shock as he regained his composure once more and looked at his Transfiguration professor with the legendary calm associated with him. He knew better, though; she'd seen him completely gobsmacked earlier and would never forget to tease him on it later on. He shook his head slightly at her question.
"First, we must convene the Order. I daresay that many of them will want to hear of the Potters' resurgence," he stated, to which McGonagall grudgingly agreed. Several of the Potters' acquaintances were indeed in the Order, like Hagrid, the elder Longbottoms, and other of the older members. Others, like the Weasleys, would appreciate the importance of the resurgence of such an important family.
Out of sheer curiosity as to the contents of the letter, McGonagall sped towards the fireplace and threw some Floo powder in it, calling up Order Headquarters, Longbottom Manor, where whoever was on duty would then relay the message. It turned out to be none other than Molly Weasley.
"Oh, hello Minerva, dear, what can—"
"Sorry to interrupt Molly, but it's absolutely necessary that the Order convene right NOW" she stressed, transmitting the urgency in the situation very well, for Mrs. Weasley had turned pale.
"It's not another attack, is it?" asked the concerned redhead. To her relief, McGonagall shook her head.
"It may or may not be the best news we've had yet. But enough chitchat, Molly, get the Order here NOW"
With that said, McGonagall ended the transmission, much to the amusement of Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling slightly. McGonagall glared at him before shifting her gaze back to the unopened letter.
"You're not going to even read it first, Albus?" she asked, raising an eyebrow elegantly.
Dumbledore shook his head. "I think it would be best if we were to all be here before I read it, Minerva."
McGonagall still seemed skeptical. "It may not be good news in the end, Albus."
Dumbledore went rigid at the correctly made observation. "You think maybe they've deserted us, Minerva?"
McGonagall glared at him. "I'm playing the Devil's Advocate here, Albus, and you know it. The Potters would never betray the Light, but as far as we know, they might just be declaring their neutrality."
Dumbledore seemed to reconsider his initial judgement. Perhaps it was a good idea to read the letter ahead of time. Shifting his gaze from McGonagall to the letter and back, he seemed to consider the action a few seconds before he finally reached it, opened it by breaking the wax seal, and began to read it. After a few moments, his eyes widened and he went rigid.
Sensing his unusual reaction, McGonagall went over to him, "What's wrong, Albus?" she asked as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He said nothing, rather simply holding up the letter as he sat there, still shocked out of his mind, while McGonagall read the letter. As she reached the same point in the letter as Dumbledore had, her free hand went up to her chest as she breathed an "Oh my!"
Dumbledore merely nodded.
Not just the Potters were alive, but most importantly, Harry James Potter was alive.
And what's more,
He was coming to Hogwarts.
The Light had found its Savior.
Or so it thought.
When the Order had finally convened in the Headmaster's office (which had suspiciously become larger as more people flooded into the room), Dumbledore and McGonagall had finally recomposed themselves, though McGonagall seemed torn between maintaining a professional attitude and jumping with joy.
Eventually the Order calmed down enough for Dumbledore to begin. It had full attendance, he noted, for which he was thankful. He didn't want to have to repeat the news several times for those who would have missed the meeting. Even the Weasleys had turned up entirely; well, those who were above age and allowed (which excluded the twins and youngest two, along with Percy Weasley, who had turned his back on his family in favor of the Ministry).
"My friends, it is with great honor that I convene this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix and do declare it in session!" announced Dumbledore as he clapped his hands once, ceremonially, "Before we get into the main item of today's agenda, is there any pressing information or situations that we must discuss?"
After a few seconds of silence, Dumbledore nodded and began again, "Excellent. Well then, my friends, I have convened you all here today to be the bearer of excellent news," he declared, pausing for dramatic effect, which made most of the crowd groan in anticipation. Dumbledore grinned, "The Potters have been found."
The Order's immediate reaction was shocked silence. Then came the cheers from the Potters' acquaintances and longtime friends. Then came the shouted questions, which the Headmaster waved down. No one commented on Snape's dour look. Everyone knew of his animosity towards the Potters.
"All in good time, my friends. The Potters' resurgence came by way of a most peculiar method," he explained, holding up the once again closed letter (the wax seal was still broken, however), "it was a letter delivered for myself by a horseman, at the gates of Hogwarts."
"What's so special about being delivered a letter by horseman, sir? Maybe they didn't have an owl?" asked a member of the Order. A new recruit, Dumbledore gathered, by the way he had addressed the Headmaster.
"On the contrary, my friend. Judging by their state of affairs, I rather doubt that they would not own an owl. However, the crux of the matter is not the lack of owl post, but rather the nature of the horseman," he elaborated, "for you see, the man was neither wizard, nor squib. He was a muggle"
Instant chaos broke out in the room as many skeptical shouts and disbelieving snorts could be heard. People demanding the state of the Hogwarts wards were also heard among the skeptical. Dumbledore waved them down once more. He then waved the folded letter in the air.
"In this letter, addressed to myself by the Potter elders, the horseman's nature of being muggle was confirmed and vaguely explained. Suffice to say, the Potters found a way to bypass the anti-muggle wards and did so with some of their muggle followers"
Immediately, Arthur Weasley picked up on the last word, "Followers? Albus, what are you suggesting? Are you saying the Potters are also forming an Order?"
The aged Headmaster shook his head. "Perhaps it would be best if I read the letter to you all."
Seeing a murmur of agreement, Dumbledore unfolded the letter and, taking a deep breath, began reading aloud,
"Esteemed Headmaster,
It is with sincere cordiality that we write to you on this, the 1st of September, of the year 1997. We apologize for the years of silence in which we have spent, but do not, under any circumstances, regret it.
If you are wondering about the courier at the moment, however, then let us confirm what you already must know. Yes, he is a muggle. Now, onto more pressing matters, headmaster.
It was with great sadness that on that fateful day in Halloween, we discovered the treason of our once-friend Peter Pettigrew. However, by the will of the Fates and through great amounts of sheer luck and persistence, we managed to elude Riddle on that day. However, it was all for naught, as we were finally cornered in the safe house's living room by Riddle.
I, James Potter, did try to buy my wife and infant son enough time for them to escape, but in her great folly and dedication to her family, she did not, and rather stayed and fought Riddle alongside my person after having hid our son Harry in a closet in the hallway.
Voldemort, apparently pressed for time, managed to press up back and finally throw us off, yet not killing us. He was in the process of finding Harry when our oldest children, Alexandra and Matthew arrived home, along with Alexandra's fiancée, Maximilian Roberts.
Alexandra and Matthew's identity, should you ask yourself about it, is that of adopted children. We found them one day while taking a walk in Godric's Hollow (disguised of course), and took them in. They were no older than 17, and were lacking a place to live, and took to us easily.
Indeed, it is fortunate we found them, for on that fateful day, their arrival helped us beat back Voldemort. However, he did manage at one point to reach the closet wherein our son Harry was lying, sleeping peacefully. It is with sheer horror that I now tell you, sir, that Voldemort managed to throw a killing curse at my son…"
Previous to that point, everyone had taken the contents rather well, merely gasping and flinching whenever Voldemort's name was mentioned, but otherwise seemingly absorbed in the tale. However, when the killing curse was mentioned, all the women, save McGonagall (who had already read the piece), screamed, while the men paled and some cursed wildly. Dumbledore promptly waved them down into silence and continued,
"…Headmaster, as you and we all know, the killing curse is impossible to block. However, should that be the rule, then my son has proven all wrong. For he was struck with the killing curse, headmaster, but he did not die…"
More gasps were heard in the audience as Dumbledore continued,
"…Something happened, headmaster. Something that managed to envelop my son in a sort of shield, absorb the killing curse, and then bounce it back upon Voldemort.
It is thus, with great pleasure, that we report that Voldemort died.
Or so we thought, Headmaster.
Had it not been for the quick thinking and acting of Maximilian, we would have never noticed it, and Voldemort would, in all likelihood, be back.
However, we acted accordingly, and when Voldemort's spirit was thus torn from its body by the killing curse and tried to escape, Maximilian and Matthew managed to fire a containment spell upon it, sealing the spirit of Voldemort inside an object I shall not mention on paper nor in any sort of words, for fear of spies and the potential return of a madman.
However, that leads us into sadder, more troubling news, headmaster.
The object that kept Voldemort's spirit's return at bay has been stolen from us.
Fortunately, before the event occurred, the object had several safeguards placed upon it. These safeguards remain in our possession and are still functioning exceedingly well. No more detail shall be granted upon the nature of these safeguards, for the same reason for which the nature of the soul-sealing object shall not be released.
You might ask yourself, is it not redundant to keep secret the identity of the object sealing the spirit of one of the most feared Dark Lords in history if it has already been stolen?
The answer is no, headmaster, it is not. So long as only us Potters and the thief know the nature of the object that was stolen, no one else has any chance of acquiring it and knowing what it holds inside, thus allowing them to blackmail the rest of the population.
Thus, we are now informing you of a decision which the Potter family has reached in the need to recover the object. In order to find and recover our stolen property, we have dispatched several agents all over the British Empire in order to find the thief. We expect these agents to be left alone, headmaster. Any interference shall be dealt with swiftly.
With what authority do I dare speak to you in such a way, you wonder?
Therein lies another question we shall answer, headmaster.
After the events of the 31st of October of the year 1981, we Potters fled Godric's Hollow to our now son-in-law's sanctuary elsewhere in the Empire. By the time our son reached the age of 5, however, we had made ourselves servants of the Crown. By taking care of Her Most Imperial Majesty's overseas lands, we have risen in Her eyes.
It seems, headmaster, that Her Majesty has full knowledge of the wizarding world and, indeed, does keep an army to patrol, secure, and uphold the law in the oversea colonies, which, unlike their muggle counterparts, have not declared independence. Along with Matthew and Maximilian, I, James Potter, enlisted in Her Majesty's Imperial Army, through which we have risen in rank and suppressed enough uprisings so as to now hold the rank of Marquess.
You have read correctly, headmaster. The Potters are now part of the British aristocracy.
But perhaps I should elaborate more on my son, since I shall be mentioning his part in this play shortly.
My son, Harry James Potter, has managed to inherit my own physical looks, but has kept his mother's most precious emerald-green eyes. He now stands at the same height as I did when I graduated, and he has still some inches to go, I believe.
I am most proud of my son, headmaster, as you have noticed.
He has been enrolled so far in the Imperial Academy of Magic in Canada. As you know, this also means he has a commission in the British Army, both the muggle and the magical. Indeed, my son now holds the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, to the amazement of his peers. To their further amazement, he has been granted control of a full division of 15,000 men, in a manner that most of his teachers claimed was reminiscent of Field Marshall Wellesley.
Indeed, you may have seen him in action already. I hear his first assignment was putting down a minor uprising in Diagon Alley today. If you didn't, then do not worry, for you shall yet get a chance to see my son in action.
For that is the reason of this letter, you sea. Our son, headmaster, has been dispatched by Her Imperial Majesty to Hogwarts to keep the Scottish lands safe. Through our own counsel and that of several of our allies, we managed to convince Her Majesty that Hogwarts would be the ideal place for our son to use as a field headquarters.
I trust you will not disobey this Royal Command, headmaster, or my son's orders will, assuredly, come to heads with your intentions, and I assure you, headmaster, that the Empire's will, will prevail.
Our son will make his full orders known when he arrives there tomorrow, with his part of his division. He has already surpassed anything you could teach him in Hogwarts, as well, headmaster, so it will not be necessary to enroll him there. I do expect your utmost courtesy to his person and his men while there, however.
Cordially,
James Potter, Marquess of Godric's Hollow
Lily Potter, Marchioness of Godric's Hollow"
The general reaction of the Order was that of stunned silence at the end of the letter. Despite the seeming cordiality of the letter, it was clear that the Potters held Dumbledore with some sort of wary regard, as if not fully trusting him. Snape, though sneering at the contents of the letter, was similarly shocked by the attitude of the Potters. Their attitude was not arrogant, but rather…distant, cold even.
However, only Dumbledore had realized the true purpose of the last paragraph. It wasn't an assurance that the Potters were sending when they informed him of their son's intellectual achievements, but rather a warning not to try and entangle him within age-school regulations.
It saddened Dumbledore, to an extent, when he read the passage the first time; had the Potters' trust in him been shaken that much? In fact, what had caused said trust to be shaken? There was no rational basis for their distrust, yet there it was. Dumbledore resolved to find out what happened to the Potters to have made them so distrustful of him.
After a moment of silence, Dumbledore looked around and finally asked, "Well, my friends, what make you of this?"
Immediately, Snape sneered, "The Potters have grown more arrogant than I could of thought possible, headmaster, if they think we'll allow their underage brat to run free in this castle," he spat.
"You heard James, though. He has the backing of the ruling monarch. If we say no, there could be dire repercussions," protested Frank Longbottom, a longtime friend of the Potter elders.
"What could a muggle do to us?" shot back Snape. "They would have to breach the wards, the traps, and the walls before taking Hogwarts. They would not risk so many men."
"The messenger was a muggle," came the quiet observation from Nymphadora Tonks, one of the new Auror recruits into the Order. Beside her, Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody nodded his gnarled head.
"I agree with Tonks. The messenger's purpose is clear, now. He wasn't meant for dramatic effect," observed the experienced ex-Auror.
"Moody and Tonks are right, headmaster. The only reason the Potters would have send a horseman to deliver a letter, a muggle one to be specific, would be to tell us that the wards will not stop them," came the calm observation of Kingsley Shacklebolt, another Auror recruit into the Order.
Snape still kept his sneer in place. "And the traps? Would they risk their men against the traps and lose gods know how many in the process?" he demanded, "Not even the filthy muggle queen is that inhuman," he spat, much to the anger of many muggle-borns in the room; an anger that became quite vocal when he finished his sentence.
"If you think that low of Lieutenant-Colonel Potter, then you're in for a big surprise" came a calm observation from somewhere near the bookshelves.
Immediately, Dumbledore drew his wand, along with Moody, Tonks, McGonagall, Arthur Weasley, Shacklebolt, and the Longbottoms and pointed it at the apparent source of the voice, a previously unseen man leaning against the wall in fine Victorian garb.
The man merely smirked at the wands as he pushed himself off the wall and patted himself down, even running a hand through his combed-back hair, which was tied into a low ponytail by a small black hairbow. He then noticed that the rest of the room had come to its senses and were pointing their wands at him as well, to which he gave a small laugh.
"Who are you?" demanded Dumbledore, his voice authoritative. "Identify yourself!"
The Victorian man merely smirked as he ignored the headmaster, took out a golden pocket watch, and clicked it open. He looked at it for a few seconds before snapping it shut and then looking back at the headmaster with a reproving look.
"Two hours already, headmaster," he tut-tutted, then elaborated upon seeing the confused looks, "Two hours you've had that letter, headmaster, and you've yet begun to prepare for the Lieutenant-Colonel's arrival."
Dumbledore's arm did not waver, but many others were starting to look at the man with disbelieving looks. "Who are you, stranger, and how did you get in here?" demanded the headmaster again.
"One-tracked mind, hmm?" jibed the Victorian man, before he sighed and finally nodded, "Fine, fine…if it will make you start working on the young master's arrival, then I'll humor you," he said, sighing theatrically. "I am Joachim Blackthorne, Lieutenant-Colonel Potter's civilian attaché, as it were. I was sent here earlier by the Lord Marquess Potter and the Lady Marchioness to see to it that you did not dally with the preparations," after pausing for a bit, as if to decide whether or not to elaborate, he chose to continue, "Lieutenant-Colonel Potter is rather…irritable at the moment."
Snape snorted, but everyone lowered their wand when Dumbledore did. The headmaster's curiosity was piqued, however. "What do you mean by that, Mr. Blackthorne?" he inquired calmly.
Blackthorne seemed uncomfortable as he answered the question, "The young master…he…he doesn't…" he stuttered, before seemingly finally reaching a conclusion in his mind, "He doesn't much care for his assignment, headmaster."
While Dumbledore understood but was confused, many of the Order did not understand at all.
"What do you mean he doesn't care for his assignment?" one of the confused members called out. Blackthorne seemed edgy at the question, but in the spirit of preparing Hogwarts for the arrival of the young master, he nonetheless answered, albeit reluctantly.
"Lieutenant-Colonel Potter wanted to refuse his assignment," he explained. "There are several reasons for which he does not want to be in Hogwarts, most of which his parents agreed with, but the Queen's orders are absolute."
"He doesn't want to come to Hogwarts?" asked an incredulous member.
"Then let him go elsewhere!" spat Snape, "We have no need of the interference of a brat who obviously does not regard us as needing his attention."
Blackthorne glared at Snape. However, while Snape was able to withstand most glares, there was something behind Blackthorne's gaze that scared the usually snarky professor and quickly shut him up.
"I did not say he didn't see the place as not worthy of his attention, but rather that Hogwarts, specifically, does not appeal to him. Young Lord Potter wished to camp several miles north. However, it was either Hogwarts, or being posted at a desk job in the Imperial War Office," explained Blackthorne. "Now then. I've answered your questions, headmaster, now answer mine. When are you going to get ready for his young lordship's arrival?"
Snape's sneer reemerged. "You're assuming we're accepting these…orders" he retorted, spitting out the last word.
Joachim laughed. "You dare go against the Queen's orders? Oh, I'm sure that'll make Sir Harry's day," he told them, still chuckling, "he's itching for another fight, after that brief skirmish in Diagon Alley. Brought the siege equipment from Canada, too."
Everyone seemed to become nervous at the implications of those words, except for Dumbledore, who remained calm.
"Mr. Blackthorne," he began, which made the young officer look his way with a bored look, "surely Sir Harry—"
"That's Lieutenant-Colonel to you, headmaster," interrupted Joachim, whose eyes had once again flashed, semi-angrily. Like Snape, Dumbledore saw something in them that made him internally shiver. The rest of the Order, however, did not take kindly to the interruption.
"How dare you speak to the Headmaster that way!" yelled Mrs. Weasley. Blackthorne turned to her and, for a brief moment, a flash of recognition went through his eyes as a cold smile developed on his face.
"I will correct the headmaster anytime I wish, when he is breaching protocol, knowingly or not," Blackthorne informed them, "By orders of Lieutenant-Colonel Potter, no one may address him as Sir Harry unless they have his express permission or friendship. The headmaster has neither."
Dumbledore seemed troubled by this revelation. "What do you mean by that? Does Sir…I mean, the Lieutenant Colonel view me as an enemy?" he asked, to which Blackthorne responded with a grim smile.
"Sir Harry does not like you, headmaster, but he does not view you as an enemy. He simply views you and your vaunted Order as cowards," he stated simply, to the outrage of the Order. Beating them to the punch, he lifted a silencing hand. "Those are his views. If you have objection to them, take it up with him. I'm sure Sir Harry would love to explain your incompetence. For now, I'll repeat myself one last time. When will you begin preparations? His army, while used to camping out, does need a designated area to sleep in, as well as the simpler anti-intruder wards and perimeter wards."
Dumbledore sighed in defeat. "We will begin shortly. Everything will be ready by the time the Lieutenant Colonel arrives."
Blackthorne nodded, no smile on his face now. "We will look forward to meeting you again, headmaster, when the Lieutenant Colonel arrives. Mind your manners then, Headmaster. Afternoon to you all" he told the group, before standing at attention before the headmaster, giving him a brief salute, and then snapping his fingers, causing a burst of smoke to appear where he stood. When it was gone, he was nowhere in sight.
Snape wheeled on the headmaster. "Albus, you surely can't be serious about acquiescing that brat's demands!" he demanded. Most of the Order agreed with Snape, miraculously enough. Dumbledore shook his head, a calculating look in his eyes.
"We will do as Mr. Potter has asked of us. However, the quality of our work was never mentioned," he told the group, making many snicker as they understood the headmaster's underlying message. Others, however, weren't so sure of the plan.
"Surely, Albus, we musn't antagonize the boy?" asked Mr. Weasley. "I mean, perhaps he is a bit arrogant in his demands, but surely we won't lower ourselves to active sabotage? The boy is with us in this war, after all," he reasoned. Many others vocalized their agreement, including most of the Aurors present.
Dumbledore shook his head. "We will make his army as uncomfortable as possible, and at the same time lure him away from the muggle Queen's service. There cannot be two Light armies. It provokes factionalism, repercussions of the which we will feel later, after the war, if we do not prevent it," reasoned Dumbledore. "No, Harry Potter's army must go."
While many of the Order cheered, others, like the Weasleys, Hogwarts teachers, and the Aurors, had a really bad feeling about Dumbledore's plan.