Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any characters.
"I still don't want him here," Ron grumbled for the umpteenth time as he sent Harry a dirty look from his spot down the table.
"Ron, I really don't care," Ginny's voice was becoming more impatient with each repetition of these words.
It was all Harry could do not to break out laughing at them. They'd been at it like this since Ron came back from putting David to bed and changing clothes – he'd never offered to get Harry some dry clothes – and Harry suspected they'd be at it even if he wasn't there. The relationship between the two of them was a lot closer, if a lot more abrasive, than any of their previous relationships.
"This is interestin' and all, but where's the others at?" Tonks grumbled from her spot at the end of the table.
She looked extremely annoyed and rather dangerous too. Something about a woman with bubble gum pink hair cleaning an AK-47 sent a shiver down Harry's spine.
"Fleur called, she said they're on their way," Hermione said this as she bustled around the kitchen, pulling out materials to make a late night meal.
Her movements reminded Harry of Mrs. Weasley. Even the glares she kept sending at Ron reminded him of Mrs. Weasley. This Hermione was a far cry from the paraplegic writer he encountered in his Soccer Memories or the Prime Minister's wife in his Police Memories.
The room lapsed into silence and Harry continued to study his old friends as Ron shot daggers at his and Ginny's intertwined hand. She was so mature and confident. Quite unlike the little girl that lost her cool when faced with devil's snare and a lack of wood. Harry found himself wondering what had made her so mature in this world and pushed her into the rebellion. Had she lost her family to the Fuhrer? Or was it something else?
For a little while the only sound in the kitchen was from Hermione moving bowls around as she began to dish up some stew. Harry lost himself in comparisons of the people in front of him and the versions of them that he had met before. He was finally dragged back to the present when Hermione put a bowl of stew in front of him. He wasn't really hungry, he had eaten before he let Ginny blindfold him, but he was too polite to say anything.
The silence in the room was quickly becoming uncomfortable. Looking over Harry saw that the twins had their heads together – probably figuring out some other way to torture Ron. Harry didn't think that was a very good idea. In the mood Ron was in he might hurt someone if he got any more upset, so Harry broke the silence, hoping it would end any plans of the twins.
"So…When are you planning to make your big move against the Fuhrer?"
There was a thump from Ron's spot as he slammed his spoon onto the table. "And why do you want to know?" he asked suspiciously.
Harry shrugged cautiously as he realized that every eye in the room was focused in on him. "Because I want in on it," he stated carefully.
Harry could visibly feel the stunned silence as it swept across the room, like a ripple across the water. The twins' jaws had dropped to the floor, joining Hermione and Ron's. Tonks was looking at him like he was crazy. Ginny was giving him a look that somehow combined disbelief and understanding. Harry figured that she was thinking back on what he'd told him about the other worlds.
Hagrid's expression was one of surprise that slowly turned into a grin. The grin spilled over into a chuckle. Everyone turned to stare at Hagrid as the chuckle bloomed into a full, table-thumping, laugh.
"Jest like yeh, Harry! Sayin' crazy stuff an' meanin' every word!" Hagrid said when he caught his breath.
Hagrid's words opened a floodgate. Everyone began talking at once, asking him question after question that he couldn't even understand because they were all so interwoven together.
No one noticed when the kitchen door to the courtyard opened up and some people in dark trench coats walked in. That is, no one noticed except Tonks.
As the door opened she spun out of her chair, raised her AK-47 and shouted, "FREEZE!"
The room grew instantly quiet as the people in the doorway stopped where they were. Harry couldn't see their faces, they had various hats or hoods pulled down over their heads.
"A white bumblebee-" Tonks started.
"-flies 'igh under ze full moon." The shortest stranger said with a strong French accent.
Tonks immediately stepped back and lowered her rifle as the four strangers finished coming inside and began pulling off jackets, wigs, and hats. From under all the clothes came Fleur, Bill, Charlie, and Mad-Eye Moody. Since there was a Weasley missing Harry figured that Percy was just as out of the loop in this world as he was in the Magic Memories.
"Well, how'd it go?" Ron asked, finally aiming his full attention at someone other than Harry or Ginny.
"Ugh, don't ask," Bill said in disgust as he took a seat and pulled Fleur down next to him. The two of them quickly dug into the stew Hermione placed in front of them.
"That bad?" Ginny asked.
Charlie nodded as he dug into his own bowl of stew. "Yeah, the warehouse was empty."
"WHAT! But…but my information was rock solid!" Ron exclaimed, disbelief written across his face.
"Hmph, I'd say it was more like mud then rock," Moody grumbled as he stomped over to a chair.
He looked virtually the same as the man Harry had known in the Magic Memories, except for his eye. His magical eye was no one that was clearly electronic, Harry couldn't stop himself from staring at the red light emitting from it. He had read about the electronic eyes, but he'd never met anyone that needed one before.
"Ze guns were gone and I broke a nail. What a disaster," Fleur groused.
Harry lost track of the conversation after that. There was something entrancing about watching Moody's electronic eye move around in it's socket.
"Eh, boy, if you like my eye that much I can give it to you," Moody chuckled humorlessly. "You just have to give me one of yours in return."
Harry started, realizing he'd been caught staring. "Er, um, no thanks. I like my eyes where they are."
"Hmph, you sure? I think I'd look pretty good with an emerald eye."
"You know, Moody, I think you're right," Fred said as he and George studied Moody.
"Of course he's right. Potter, we can go get our tool kit right now if you'd like. It will only take an hour or so for us to install it. What do you say?" George asked.
"Er…." Harry got out.
"Can it you two. I like Harry's eyes exactly where they are." Ginny muttered as she sent the two of them a dirty look.
"Ouch, the kitten has claws!" Fred exclaimed, holding his hand and pretending it was injured.
"Really? I never would've thought that!" George added.
"Idiots," Ginny grumbled as the twins grinned at her mischievously.
"We resent–"
BANG!
Harry and everyone else jumped and looked over at Hermione, who was standing at the end of the table, frying pan in hand, and looking furious.
"Are all of you done acting like children?" She seemed to be addressing everyone with this answer, but Harry could tell she didn't really want an answer.
He saw Ron open his mouth to reply and instinctively kicked him under the table. Ron should've known by then that you don't mess with a furious Hermione. Ron jumped and glared at Ginny, who gave him a look that said clearly, "What the hell do you want?"
Ron rolled his eyes, grunted, and turned his attention back to Hermione. This time with his mouth safely closed.
It was all Harry could do to not break out laughing at the exchange. He hadn't meant to kick Ron, it had been instinct, and if Ron had known who really kicked him – things wouldn't have gone well.
"Good, I'm glad you're all done. Now, first order of business: Ginny has requested that her friend, Harry Potter, be allowed to join the Order of Wiedergeboren. He claims that he wants to help take down the Fuhrer, like we do. He's here to plead his case, then we'll vote on whether he can stay or not. Is that clear?" Hermione glared around the table, as if daring anyone to disagree with her – no one did.
"Alright, Mr. Potter, please tell us why you want to join." Hermione took a seat, but her hand remained resting dangerously on the frying pan.
Every eye in the room was aimed at him, even Moody's electronic one. It was rather nerve-wracking Harry thought as he stood up and cleared his throat. "Um, well, I suppose my reasons for going against the Fuhrer are rather personal. As most of you know – my father was executed almost four decades ago for treason. Then his friend, my stepfather, Severus Snape, married my mother after pledging allegiance to the Fuhrer." Harry stopped to take a deep breath as he felt Ginny reach up and squeeze his hand.
He'd told her about Snape's treatment of him in this world and how much more it hurt, because he knew Snape wasn't truly an evil person, not deep down.
"What most of you don't know is that from the age of seven or so he began to torture me. My mother never knew about this, he was careful to never do it in a way that would show or when she was around. Due to his treatment of me I was ostracized throughout my childhood and young adult life. I never had a friend, until I met Hagrid. Then, when I was forced to leave him behind I had no one but a bottle. It wasn't until about a year ago that I woke up one morning and realized that I didn't have to let a treasonous, back-stabbing, wife-stealing, slimeball take my life from me." Harry leveled his hardest, coldest stare at the people in the room.
"I hate him. I hate him for what he did to me, to my family, and to the rebellion. I want to get my revenge on him and on the Fuhrer. He signed my father's death sentence then lied to my mother and tricked her into marrying him." Harry's voice slowly began to rise, "He didn't even give her time to mourn! He tricked her and then proceeded to steal my childhood from me! And the Fuhrer's rewarded him for being a disgusting slimeball! I want him dead! And I will do anything to see that happen." Harry stopped, panting, as he stared blindly around the dingy kitchen.
"So," Harry gripped Ginny's hand tighter, "will you let me join you?"
The room was quiet for a full minute as everyone soaked in Harry's words. Then Hermione spoke quietly, "Ginny, you're sponsoring him, anything to add?"
"Yes," Ginny said softly as she stood up next to Harry, never letting go of his hand. She looked around the room, being sure to make eye contact with each of her brothers. "I just want to say that this Harry is different than the one we grew up with. He's changed. He really has." She gave Ron a pointed look before going up on tiptoe and kissing Harry on the cheek. "That's all."
The two of them sat down as Hermione stood up and looked around the room. "Alright, voting time," she pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil. "Say for or against when I call your name. The question is: Should Harry Potter join the Order of Rebirth? Hagrid?"
"For."
"Tonks?"
"For."
"Fred?"
"Against."
"George?"
"Against."
"Moody?"
"Against."
"Bill?"
"For."
"Fleur?"
"For."
"Charlie?"
"For."
"Ron?"
"Against!"
"Ginny?"
"For, of course."
Hermione leveled a stare at Ginny, who just shrugged and leaned back in her chair.
"Alright, and my own vote is for. Ron, don't give me that look, I think he'd be useful to the Order, whatever your personal feelings are. That makes…" Hermione counted, "Four against and seven for. It passes, Mr. Potter, welcome to the Order of Wiedergeboren. I need you to sign this." She pulled out a folder from somewhere and extracted a document. She passed it to him with a pen.
Harry looked it over, it was a document saying he had willingly joined the Order of Wiedergeboren and that they were all in this together.
Without another thought he signed it. If the Order went down, he'd go down with it. He'd sacrifice himself in a heartbeat if it would save just one person's life.
Hermione took the paper once he was done signing it. "Alright, now that that's settled – next order of business: We need access to weapons, and lots of them if we're going to start our training program. Any ideas on where we're going to get them?"
Harry found himself grinning, weapons? He could handle that. As part of the Fuhrer's Guard he had access to all sorts of information that could help get them weapons.
"I think I can help you with that…"
Author's Note: OMG, so I seriously apologize for the late update. I worked ten hours at Publix on Saturday and tried to spend Sunday doing my portfolio, but ended up getting roped into doing yard work. So I got less than four hours of sleep Sunday night as I tried to finish putting together my portfolio for my Reading Internship. But now it is all done! I'm done with my student teaching on Friday! :D I'm going to miss those kids though…
I meant to get this out last night but was tired, babysitting, and was having a mental block about the little bit after Moody and Company arrive. They scene just wouldn't unfold correctly. I hope it's fine now though.
Wow is this a long chapter….2.2k without my AN….(That's long for this story)
Well, thank you every amazing person that reviewed this last chapter. We hit 28 reviews again O_O
Y'll are amazing!
Oh, be sure to check out the forum! I am putting some extra things up there…the link is on the bottom of my profile page since ff dot net took out the forum link at the top, crazy!
I should (knock on wood) have a chapter out on Sunday, or maybe Monday, but it will be up soon! I might not make Sunday because my bf is coming back into town and Saturday is his birthday :D
Enjoy! Read! Review!