CHAPTER TEN: AWAY IN THE NIGHT
Harry felt a hand gently nudging his shoulder. It only took him a moment to fully awaken and find Lupin sitting on the edge of his camp bed in Ron's room.
"Harry," whispered Lupin, "we need to get ready to leave."
He quickly retrieved his glasses from the side table and sat upright.
"What?" he said as he stifled a yawn and glanced at the clock on Ron's desk; it wasn't quite four AM.
"Sorry," said Lupin softly. "I know you haven't been asleep long. As you know, the plan was to transport you on Wednesday, but something has come up and we need to move up our agenda."
He had Harry's complete attention now.
"What's happened?" asked Harry.
"Ottery St. Catchpole is a relatively small village," he explained, "and strangers tend to stick out. Amos Diggory contacted Arthur about an hour after you all went to bed. That isn't really unusual. He has become a bit of an insomniac since losing Cedric. He often calls on Arthur to talk when he cannot sleep."
Harry could certainly sympathize.
"He'd been in the village pub earlier in the evening and over the course of a few hours, spotted some new faces. There aren't many wizards in this area and he pegged one of the strangers as a Ministry Auror. He was contacting Arthur to discuss the Ministry's increased security presence. Amos went on to describe the second man, the one he did not recognize. At first glance he believed him to be a Muggle; but at some point, got the impression the stranger may have been watching him. He wanted to know if Arthur might know anything about him. His description of this stranger was alarming."
Harry was still waiting for the bombshell he knew was coming.
"Amos said the stranger had the oddest colored eyes; he said they looked nearly gold. Harry, that is the same description of the man spotted in Surrey the night you, Hermione and Ron were returning from the fair grounds. We weren't certain then, but we are now. Whoever he is, he was following you that night, and he has not wandered near here by coincidence," concluded Lupin.
"You think he's a Death Eater," stated Harry.
"Yes," answered Lupin. "Your birthday is only two days away. It makes sense that Voldemort would want to ascertain your location. He would no doubt relish the opportunity to make a grab at you as soon as possible after you become of age. Only a few people outside of the Order know exactly where you are. I am willing to bet Death Eaters are scouting out various spots all over England, trying to get a handle on where Order headquarters might be located, as well. They're narrowing down the possibilities, but it appears no security has actually been compromised."
Harry didn't realize it, but he'd been holding his breath. He let it out on a long sigh and ran his hands through his rumbled hair.
"Moody and I agree that we still have the advantage," said Lupin. "The school governors will not announce their decision until the end of the week. As long as we get you to Hogwarts before that information is made public or leaked, we are in good shape. We considered letting you sleep a few more hours, but felt the early hours would provide better subterfuge. We need to take advantage of all this while we can."
"No, it's fine. I'll wake Ron and we'll be down quickly," replied Harry.
"No, he can sleep a little longer. We are moving you to Hogwarts, first. Ron and Hermione will join you later today."
"Okay. I'll be downstairs shortly."
Lupin nodded and rose from the side of the bed and headed for the doorway.
"And in case you had not noticed, Harry, we have already moved most of your belongings downstairs."
Harry dressed in the same clothes he'd discarded only a few hours earlier, scribbled a quick note to Ron and crept silently from the room, closing the door behind him and making his way downstairs to the Weasleys' main floor. Lupin, Moody, Kingsley, Dawlish and two others whom Harry did not recognize were deep in conversation near the fireplace. Tonks and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting at the table.
Moody saw Harry, and quickly revealed and unsealed the tunnel entry.
"Right then, let's get things moving," he barked. "DeSousa and Kipling, you will accompany Tonks to Hogsmeade," said Moody to the two wizards Harry didn't recognize, "We'll wait for your signal before proceeding any further."
DeSousa and Kipling turned towards Harry and inclined their heads in greeting before dropping through the trap door into the tunnel. They signaled that everything was clear and Tonks rose from the table to join them.
"I'll see you soon, Harry," she said and touched Lupin's hand lightly as she passed him before following the others into the tunnel.
Everyone strained to hear the nearly silent pops that signaled their exit. Moody sealed the door and watched it vanish from a flick of his wand. He, Lupin, Kingsley and Dawlish walked out into the yard and began patrolling the property. Harry moved to sit with the Weasleys at the place Tonks had just vacated. Mrs. Weasley looked tired and worried.
"Harry, dear" she began, "Moody has already sent your things to Hogsmeade. Hagrid is there now. Once he's met with the others and worked security detail, he will retrieve your belongings and transport them to the castle."
"Okay," said Harry.
"Now," said Mr. Weasley, "we have some things to discuss with you. Molly and I received a letter from Dumbledore. In it, he asked that we instruct you in the ways Order members communicate. By now, I'm guessing you've probably figured out some of it."
"Yeah, maybe," said Harry slowly, "I've seen some of you using different colored wand sparks, and I saw Dumbledore and Tonks each conjuring a Patronus."
"Very good," said Mr. Weasley nodding. "Any first year student can produce wand sparks, and we know you taught a number of students to perform the Patronus Charm. Dumbledore took each of these spells and created far more complex versions. However, the spells you've witnessed aren't nearly as simple as they appear. With the exception of you, these particular spells will only work for sworn members of the Order."
Harry frowned.
"But Mr. Weasley, if I'm not…" Harry started and was cut off before he uttered another word.
"Don't worry, Harry," explained Mr. Weasley. "Bill and Remus have devised other means for a select number of non Order members to reach us. Ron, Hermione and Ginny will not be left without recourse."
"But they can't use these particular spells?" asked Harry.
"No," answered Mr. Weasley.
Harry's innate curiosity was getting the better of him and it must have been written all over his face, for Mrs. Weasley spoke up.
"Tell him, Arthur," she said simply.
"As you know, Harry," started Mr. Weasley again, "the Order was reactivated the night you saw You-Know-Who returned to his body, the night the Ministry chose to bury its head in the sand. Following the events of that night, Dumbledore realized you were in far greater danger than ever before. When he and Moody re-pledged former members and began inducting new members, they implemented a new oath."
Mr. Weasley held Harry's gaze before continuing.
"Aside from the obvious promise to fight against You-Know-Who, his Death Eaters and the Dark Arts in general, current Order members have sworn to provide protection and aid to you. New members take the same oath, now through Alastor and Remus."
"That can't be," gasped Harry.
"Yes, it can, and it is," said Mr. Weasley. "Obviously, we have to be very careful about admitting new members. Current members may submit names for consideration, but membership can only be offered and approved by senior Order members. Dumbledore was very specific about this. When the Ministry turned its back on You-Know-Who's return and targeted you, Dumbledore was more furious than I'd ever seen him. He and the others began building our ranks two years ago. We have an increasing circle of support, from farther away than you can imagine, but true Order membership demands total commitment."
Harry was slowly shaking his head in disbelief.
"The Order only considers overage wizards for membership; but by making you a focal point of the Order mission, Dumbledore also conveniently side stepped the age requirement," added Mr. Weasley. "That is why you were able to see the various wand spark colors. If you ask Ron and Hermione to describe what they saw, they will simply tell you they saw white sparks. Harry, Dumbledore knew another war was coming and he hoped this fight would wait as long as possible. But realistically, he also knew you might need other resources sooner, rather than later."
Harry was stunned. His mind flashed back to the afternoon with Kingsley in the Dursley's kitchen. He recalled Kingsley saying the Order was committed to helping him finish this fight. He wasn't kidding.
"Harry, I know what I just told you is shocking; but obviously, Dumbledore believed it to be necessary."
Harry didn't know what to say. He was trying to stop his thoughts from snowballing as Mr. Weasley continued speaking.
"Anyway, if another wizard saw an Order produced wand spark, he would see only white. The true colors can only be seen by Order members. Each color has a different meaning, depending on the circumstances. The spell works by sort of reading the thoughts of the Order member producing the spark. For instance, let's assume the task was to deliver a letter in secret. If the Order member is successful, he or she only need think 'successful' and invoke the spell. The spell would automatically produce the appropriate spark color. Once you memorize the spell, you will inherently know the color codes.
"That's impressive," Harry finally managed to say.
"Yes, and so is the Patronus spell," agreed Mr. Weasley. "First, you have to be able to conjure a corporal Patronus. Not all wizards can do so, but we know it is easy work for you. Your Patronus is really strong, so you should have no trouble. The Patronus is an innately dark magic fighter, and can never be intercepted by Dark Wizards. The Patronus produced by an Order member is able to communicate. That is why your Patronus seemed to be listening to you the night the dementors cornered you and your cousin in Little Whinging; it was. It would have fought off the dementors anyway because that is what a Patronus does, but that particular one would have also worked as a messenger, had you known the spell to invoke. You will learn both now," finished Mr. Weasley as he handed Harry a slip of paper.
Harry opened it and saw two short spells written in a hard, heavy penmanship. He suspected it was Moody's writing.
Vivido
Patronum Animatim
Harry was startled at how short and simple the spells were. Mrs. Weasley seemed to read his thoughts.
"Dumbledore put a lot of work into these," she said. "They may seem simple on the surface, but a lot of complicated spell and incantation work went into creating them. They are uniquely his and incredibly effective."
"I have no doubt about that," said Harry. When he had memorized the spells, he laid the slip of paper on the table and from a flick of Mr. Weasley's wand, watched it burn away to nothing.
"Harry," said Mrs. Weasley softly. "Please be careful and come home to us."
"I always do," he said with more confidence than he felt, but he couldn't bear to burden either of them with all the things running through his head.
As if in answer to a prayer, a streak of pink light lit the sky in the backyard and everyone rose from the table. The Order members filed in from outside. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry goodbye and he followed the Order members once more to the tunnel beneath the floor. Within five minutes, Harry was standing behind the dingy bar of the Hog's Head flanked by Moody, Lupin, Kingsley and Dawlish. The barkeep was leaning near the fireplace mantel. Hagrid was by the front door, waving frantically at Harry.
"Hi, Harry," said Hagrid. "I'd come closer, but I'm not supposed ter leave my position here," said Hagrid importantly.
"Hi, Hagrid. That's okay; we can talk later today."
Hagrid grinned and winked his reply.
"What happened to Tonks, DeSousa and Kipling?" asked Harry.
"They are with a number of others, spread out inconspicuously in the village," said Lupin. "If any Death Eaters happen to be nearby, Tonks and the others will lure them out and towards the other opposite direction. That should leave us clear on this end."
Harry nodded and turned to find the barkeep staring at him openly. He had only ever seen him from afar. There was something so familiar about him. As Harry struggled to figure it out, a wispy, silver cat appeared out of thin air and seemed to be speaking directly to the barkeep.
"So, he was definitely an Order member," thought Harry.
"It's all clear," said the barkeep in a gravelly voice. "You can get moving."
"Very well," replied Lupin. "Thank you for your help, Aberforth. We'll be back in touch, soon."
Harry was startled as recognition dawned. He was looking at Aberforth Dumbledore, the late headmaster's brother. He wanted to say something, but before he could form any thoughts, Moody had grabbed him tightly by the arm and turned on the spot.
Harry found himself standing next to Moody in the entrance hall of Hogwarts. McGonagall was there to greet them.
"Good morning, Harry. Good morning, Alastor," said McGonagall.
"Hello, Professor," said Harry.
Moody hadn't replied. He was busy uttering a slew of unintelligible incantations. Harry knew he was restoring whatever barriers had been temporarily lowered to allow them to Apparate directly into the entrance hall.
"Morning, Minerva," Moody finally managed once he's finished. "Sorry to get you up so early."
"It's quite all right," she replied. "Harry, you must be tired. Why don't you go on up to the dormitory. Your things have already arrived and breakfast is waiting for you. You will find the last password unchanged."
"Thank you, Professor," he answered.
"If you need anything, Alastor and I will be in my office. I haven't changed that password yet, either. I've been told the castle and grounds are to be at your disposal. That is fine for the time being, but once term begins, we will have to make other arrangements."
"Okay, I understand," said Harry as he stifled a second yawn and walked towards the marble staircase.
The Fat Lady was apparently unsurprised to see him. Once he'd spoken the password, she opened the door without comment or question. The Gryffindor common room was eerily quiet. The house elves had already completed their post term cleaning and everything was spotless and polished to a high gloss. Soft rays from the barely visible rising sun were casting colored beams through the stained glass windows. A loaded breakfast tray was sitting on a desk under one of the windows. Harry took the tray and sat on the big comfy sofa across from the unlit fireplace. When he's finished eating, he'd intended to go upstairs and unpack. Instead, he was surprised to find he didn't feel like moving. Harry was more tired than he'd realized. He sat the tray on the floor, placed his glasses on a side table and stretched out. He was fast asleep in minutes.
Something was poking Harry in his side. "Maybe the sofa had a loose spring," he thought to himself as he floated toward wakefulness and remembered where he was. He opened his eyes to find a huge, blurred pair of pale green eyes watching him from a few feet away. It was Dobby.
"Hi, Dobby," Harry said in greeting and grinned as he sat up on the sofa and stretched.
"Hello, Harry Potter," squeaked the tiny elf as he hurried forward to hand Harry his glasses from the side table. "Did you sleep well, sir?"
"Yeah, I did," replied Harry. "How have you been, Dobby?"
"Dobby is fine, sir. Dobby was most happy when he heard Harry Potter would be returning so early to Hogwarts. Dobby has been most worried about Harry Potter since he lost Professor Dumbledore," finished the elf, with his moist eyes downcast.
"It's okay, Dobby; I miss him, too. I'm all right though, and I'm glad to be back here."
That was the truth. Harry felt more at peace here than anywhere else.
"Ron and Hermione will be here later today, too."
"Good," said Dobby. "Then Harry Potter won't be alone. If you was alone, sir, Dobby would be happy to stay with you."
"Thanks, Dobby," said Harry sincerely. "I know you would, but it won't be necessary."
Seeing the disappointment etching across Dobby's face, he quickly added, "I'll probably need you help on some very important things, though. Are you interested?"
"Oh, yes," said Dobby happily as he danced from one foot to the other. "Dobby will do anything for Harry Potter."
Harry knew that to be true.
"Okay, then. I'll be in touch."
"Right, Harry Potter," said Dobby with the biggest smile lighting his face as he picked up Harry's breakfast tray and vanished with a loud crack.
It was nearly noon by the time Harry finished unpacking and putting away his things. He wasn't sure what time Ron and Hermione were due to arrive. He glanced from a tower window and was happy to see a new cabin standing in place of the one that had been destroyed by the Death Eaters last month. Believing Hagrid had probably returned from Hogsmeade, Harry decided to visit his friend. Walking aimlessly along the seventh floor, he found he wasn't headed down the main staircase, but instead realized he'd walked through two additional corridors and was facing the base of the staircase that led to the Astronomy Tower.
It looked perfectly normal. There were no signs of the carnage and destruction that had transpired. McGonagall and the Order had repaired all the physical damage. Harry could still see it, though; it was playing through his mind's eye. He willed his suddenly heavy legs forward and climbed each step slowly. He was greeted at the top by the sight of a new, heavy wooden door. The door was locked from the inside by a series of solid, interlocking bars. It took Harry several minutes to undo them all. He used his body weight to push against the heavy door and stepped onto the now brilliantly lit tower roof.
The sun was warm on his face. He wanted to walk toward the parapet's edge, but seemed unable to move. For a moment, he felt as if he were under another binding spell but knew that wasn't so. It was simply his own memory and imagination that left him riveted to the spot. Harry forced himself forward until he found he was looking over the very spot from which Dumbledore plummeted. His heart rate seemed to have doubled. A soft breeze was dancing across him but he felt chilled to his core. He closed his eyes and found himself back on that dark rooftop with an ailing and weakened Dumbledore. He remembered it all, every detail. He could hear Dumbledore calming and reassuring a teetering and overwrought Draco. He recalled the headmaster pleading with the man he had trusted despite all other protests, and vividly remembered the twisted and menacing look on Snape's face. Most of all, he remembered feeling completely helpless, unable to do anything but stare in horror as the Killing Curse struck Dumbledore and sent him over the edge. Harry opened his eyes. He stared at the ground, certain of the spot on which Dumbledore's body had fallen. He turned and lowered himself to the floor of the roof, his back against the parapet wall.
How could this have happened? How could so much have gone wrong? He didn't think he'd ever be able to answer those questions. Instead, he decided to concentrate on answering the questions Dumbledore entrusted to him. The sun had moved across the sky and Harry's grumbling stomach caused him to look at his watch. It was a little past two and he'd been up here for a couple of hours. Harry stood and walked toward the open doorway.
He still hadn't visited Hagrid, but decided to stop by the kitchens first. As he passed the portrait to the Gryffindor common room, it swung outward and out stepped Ron and Hermione.
"There you are," said Hermione. "We were just about to go looking for you."
"Where've you been, mate?" asked Ron.
"I'm glad you two got here safely," said Harry, seamlessly sidestepping Ron's innocent inquiry. "I lost track of time and skipped lunch. I was just going to go grab something from the kitchens and head down to Hagrid's."
"Well, you can skip the kitchens. We only arrived about a half hour ago with Tonks, Kingsley and Lupin. Professor McGonagall has lunch set up in the Great Hall. We can eat and go see Hagrid together," said Ron.
They'd barely crossed the threshold to the Great Hall when a large shadow overtook them and Harry was lifted off his feet and engulfed in a rib-splintering vise. It was Hagrid. When he'd been set back down properly, Harry smiled warmly and looked into the bearded face of the gentle half giant.
"Harry, how are yeh? Did the Muggles give yeh a rough time? I wondered how yeh were getting on, I just wasn' sure if yeh were up…"
"It's okay, Hagrid," interrupted Harry. "I'm okay. I was worried about you, too. How are you doing?"
"Er, I'm getting on. It's been hard, but I know it's what Dumbledore would have wanted. We have ter carry on."
"We will, Hagrid," piped in Hermione. "We all will."
"Come on, I'm starving," cried Ron as he led the way to the single table in the center of the room.
Lupin, Tonks and Kingsley were already seated across from McGonagall and Moody. He, Ron, Hermione and Hagrid slid into the remaining empty seats. McGonagall clapped once and a delicious meal appeared. It looked like a mini opening term feast. Conversations were light and easy. No one mentioned Voldemort, Death Eaters, the Ministry or anything remotely unpleasant. Harry figured McGonagall had forbidden any such discussions. He looked around at everyone assembled. These were among the people he cared most about in this world. They were his real family. He would enjoy the remainder of this day unburdened; for tomorrow, his real duties would have to be met.