Harry Potter and The Fate We Make

Chapter 2: Masterminds and Marauders

A/N: Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)(_)

Dobby returned before Winky did, which didn't surprise Harry one bit. He was holding a bit of parchment, which he handed over.

Harry

Dobby is a brilliant idea. It'll be completely impossible for anyone to intercept letters you send with him ... although I don't want to be you when Hedwig finds out. And you'd BETTER tell me that story, pup. Anything that gets one over on Malfoy will make my day. Now, on to your request. As much as I'd love to argue, pup ... you're right. Voldie's been after you from day one, and he's not going to stop anytime soon. And I would very much like you to live a very, very, very long time ... a sentiment Moony agrees with wholeheartedly. To that end, we're going to be getting some things together. Might take us a couple days to do it, but we'll get it done. Anything you think of on your end, let us know and we'll do what we can to help.

The writing changed at that point.

Just a quick note ... I agree with Sirius. I don't quite know how we'll arrange anything yet, but we'll figure something out. Take care of yourself in the meantime.

Sirius and Remus

Harry grinned at the note. Step one? Success. Now for step two.

A few minutes later, Winky popped back into the kitchen. "Mistress Grangy and the Wheezy's bes coming, Master Harry sir."

Harry grinned. "Great, thanks Winky."

Winky ducked her head and squirmed, eyes filling with tears. She moved to leave, but Harry quickly stopped her.

"Stay, both of you. You might be able to help us."

This got him some very wide-eyed looks, but both Dobby and Winky stayed put. A few moments later, the kitchen door opened and the Weasley clan plus Hermione piled in.

"Harrikins, old buddy old pal." said one of the twins.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" The other wanted to know.

"Yeah, mate. What's goin' on?" Ron asked.

Harry grinned. "Take a seat everybody. We got some planning to do."

That made Hermione frown a bit, but Ron, the twins and Ginny all promptly sat down.

"So, what's up?" Ginny wanted to know.

Harry took a deep breath. "We have a major problem. With Voldemort back ... well, as bad as things have been the last few years, they're about to get a lot worse. I don't know about you guys, but I'm not comfortable with sitting on my hands and waiting for him to get around to killing me. We need to be ready." Seeing the look on Hermione's face, he hurried on. "Not to go after him ourselves, Hermione, but to be able to stay alive when he comes after us. Which he will, and you know it." That deflated her a bit. "So, first thing's first ... Dobby and Winky are now working for me. They've agreed to carry mail back and forth, which will be a lot more secure than owls."

Harry nearly fell over laughing when both Ron and Hermione promptly smacked themselves upside the head.

"WHY DID WE NOT THINK OF THAT?" They both cried, almost in unison, both of them sounding exasperated.

Harry laughed. "I know, I know. I had the same reaction when it occured to me about twenty minutes ago." He shook his head. "Now ... I already sent a letter to Sirius and Remus, and they agreed to help any way they can." He took a breath, and then looked over at the twins. "I'd like for you two to work with them. I don't think you'll mind." His grin widened to a smirk.

"And why." asked one twin.

"Would that be?" finished the other.

"Hmmm ... does the phrase 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good' mean anything to you two?" Harry was enjoying this. It'd slipped his mind to tell the two of them about Sirius and Remus, and from their reactions, Ron and Hermione hadn't mentioned certain facts either.

Both twins gave him a look that was somewhere between disgust and intense curiosity.

"Of course it does." They said in unison.

Ron abruptly caught on, and started snickering. Hermione glanced from Harry to Ron to the twins before she figured it out, and then even she started grinning hugely.

"Well, because Sirius happens to be Padfoot, and Remus happens to be Moony, that's all." Harry said, then, grin widening to epic proportions. "Oh, and I happen to be the son of Prongs."

The twins' reaction to this bit of information had the Trio (and Ginny) laughing themselves silly. The twins' jaws were hanging down around their knees, their eyes wide, utterly incapable of speech for long moments.

"You mean to tell us."

"That we had a MARAUDER for a teacher for a YEAR?"

They looked at each other, then back to Harry.

"Fred, oh twin of mine ... "

"I am of the same mind, George old boy."

"What do you want us to do?" They said in unison.

Harry grinned. "Well, it kind of occured to me that the stuff you guys make could be useful in a fight if a way could be found to get it in or on the bad guys during a fight. Between you two and Sirius and Remus ... " He trailed off and shivered. He was not entirely sure that getting the twins together with what remained of the Marauders was the best idea in the world ... the twins were frighteningly inventive on their own. Giving them access to Marauder brains and knowhow ... the world might never be the same. But on the other hand, it was the sort of thing that Voldemort would never even consider as a possibility, and any advantage they could get their hands on was a good idea.

"Ron, Ginny, I need you both to help me with wizarding world stuff. Laws, traditions, all that stuff. Stuff I should have learned growing up but didn't get a chance to." Both Ron and Ginny nodded. "Hermione, you're on research. Sirius and Remus offered to help, but knowing what sort of help to ask for would be a good idea." She nodded. Harry's expression went grim. "And I'm going to be cornering Dumbledore. He's got questions to answer, whether he wants to or not."

"Harry!" Hermione scolded.

"Hermione, I asked him first year why Voldemort was after me. He's had years to explain it. Years to help me learn stuff I need to know. And he hasn't. He's left me in the dark and that's just not good enough. Not with Voldemort back. Whatever his reasons for what he's done, they went null and void the second Voldie stepped out of that damned cauldron."

Hermione looked torn, but eventually subsided.

"Lemme write another letter to Sirius and Remus real fast, so they know about Fred and George."

Harry grabbed the parchment left over from his first letter.

Sirius and Remus

Thanks for being willing to help. I appreciate it. On that note, there's some guys I'd like you two to put your heads together with. Fred and George Weasley. They're the ones that had the Map, and gave it to me third year. They're absolutely brilliant when it comes to pranks and stuff, and kinda hero-worship the Marauders. Might sound weird to want to incorporate pranks into dealing with Voldie and his minions, but it's something they'd never think of, and it'd confuse the heck out of them, I reckon, in a fight.

Harry

Harry sent the note off with Dobby, who soon returned, with two letters he handed to Fred and George.

"Mister Lupin and Mister Black be telling Dobby to tell Harry Potter sir that they's be happy to work with the twin Wheezy's, and Mister Lupin sir be telling Dobby to tell Harry Potter sir that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named won't bes knowing what hit him."

This made Harry grin and the other all chuckle. Well, the others minus the twins, who were silently perusing their letters with expression on their faces rather akin to what Harry would expect to see on Hermione's face when gifted with an exceptionally rare book. They managed to get the twins to their feet and herded them out the door and back towards the Tower. Harry split off from the group in order to go beard a certain snake in his den. This ... was going to be difficult.