AN: I am so sorry for the wait on this, darlings... Life just gets crazy sometimes, as I am sure you all are aware. So, the story is progressing onwards now into something with more plot. Forgive me for this update, really. I've just hit a dry spell and this took me forever to write. I'm sure that I can get back onto the bandwagon, I just... I don't know. Still, this story has a special place in my heart and I am bound and determined to finish it. If you've got any ideas or questions, just let me know. Shout out to some of the reviews I've been getting. Ern Esine 13624 has stuck around and given me feedback from the beginning and for that, I am grateful. Also, Mayo i mi Ciel has pointed out some really good points in the review. I enjoyed how the review gave me constructive criticism. I'm ALWAYS open to that. So, everyone please read and review!
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"And, James just took off down the hallway. We only got a glimpse of red hair as Lily sprinted after him. She was so mad and had her wand out and James was pure terrified. When we found him an hour later, we couldn't stop laughing."
Harry burst out laughing and everyone else at the table did too. Sirius chuckled and beamed around at everyone, apparently glad that his memory was humorous. It was. Harry could just imagine his dad hitting on his mum one too many times and she chasing him down and hexing him five ways to Sunday. The laughter died as the fireplace flared and Mad-eye clomped out, scowling.
The smiles slipped off of the adults faces as they saw his appearance. He was in a right state. His robes were torn and bloody and his hair was knotted atop his head. He was disheveled greatly as he stared around at everyone, his eye wide and wild. The adults at the table all stood and he nodded vigorously, as if he was furious and self righteous.
"Just what's going on?" He barked. "Laughing and carrying on when there is a war out here!"
"Mad-eye, what's happened?" Mrs. Weasley breathed out, her eyes wide and frightened.
"A bloody war is what's happened!" Mad-eye growled, his fake eyes swiveling around as if agitated.
"Where?" Remus asked, his lips in a thin line.
Harry felt his mouth go dry and his heart spike up. Was this it? Was it really a war now? Mad-eye looked down right pissed and he glared around at everyone. Harry looked around and noted the grimness of everyone's faces. It was surreal how everything could go from laughter and relaxation to this tense downtrodden state so fast.
"The Ministry is where but it's over now. We could've really used the help." Mad-eye spat.
"We didn't know!" Sirius burst out. "Besides, I couldn't have gone if I wanted."
"If there ever was a time to disregard the price over your head and fight, this would've been it." Mad-eye snapped, his face twisting.
"Oh merlin! Is everyone..." Mrs. Weasley trailed off and paled, her eyes cutting over to the empty seat to her right where Mr. Weasley would've sat.
"He's fine, Molly, a bit beaten up but fine. He was one of the lucky ones."
"Who?" Remus asked softly.
"Tonks is in real bad right now. She's at Mungo's right now and they are fixing her up but it was really close. Marks is dead and so is Carina Frederick." Mad-eye said gruffly. Remus hung his head and breathed in.
"This is it. This... It means that it's happening." Harry mumbled stupidly, his traitorous mind replaying the prophecy over and over.
"Yeah, boy, it is." Mad-eye confirmed.
"Where's Dumbledore!?" Harry shouted, shooting to his feet and staring around. Em grabbed his arm and squeezed lightly, trying to calm him. He snatched away and stared around. All the adults averted their eyes and Harry felt unease rush through him.
"That isn't important right-"
"Bullocks! Where is he? Sirius?" Harry pressed, cutting the tense Remus off. Sirius pressed his lips together tightly and breathed sharply through his nose.
"We-"
"Sirius!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked.
"We don't know." Sirius admitted with a sigh, completely ignoring Mrs. Weasley. Harry froze.
"What!?" He blurted out. He'd known this but it hadn't been actually solidified like this. Somehow, he'd thought that they knew something, at least. "What do you mean you don't know?"
"I mean... We don't know." Sirius repeated.
"How-"
"It means, boy, that Dumbledore went on a mission and we haven't seen him since." Mad-eye snarled, cutting him off.
"That's not... No, that's not possible. I mean, it's Dumbledore and..." Harry trailed off as his thoughts took off from him. He opened his mouth and spoke up before he could stop himself. "Draco. It has to do with Draco Malfoy, doesn't it?"
"How do you know that, Harry?" Sirius asked, his brow furrowed.
"I have my ways." Harry said tersely and stepped back from the table. He didn't dare look over at Ron who no doubt looked smug. He started pacing and he ignored the multiple pairs of eyes he felt on him.
"So... What now?" Ginny spoke up.
"And, what about us?" Olivia asked.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Hermione said sternly, standing up like a girl on a mission. "We fight."
"All of us?" Nick asked nervously. "Even the inadequate muggles?"
"I... I don't know." Hermione murmured.
"Well, none of you will be fighting. You will be going back to Hogwarts and we will handle this." Mrs. Weasley said as if it was already decided.
"No."
"What?" Mrs. Weasley said, looking to the voice that had spoken so strongly. In truth, they'd somehow forgotten that Harry was pacing in a corner.
"No. I'm not going back to Hogwarts. The fight isn't there. And, I can't keep running from this."
"We're with Harry all the way." Hermione said firmly. Ron nodded and stood up, too, looking around determinedly.
"Me too." Em spoke up and Josh simply nodded curtly in agreement. Olivia soon followed with her own gesture and after a moment of hesitation, Nick did too.
"That's ridiculous! You're children! You have to-"
"What!? Stand by and watch all the adults in our lives die until it's our turn. We are capable too! We can fight, we have! Children or not, we are fighting in this war one way or another. Either willingly or when we are the only ones left. Take your pick." Harry burst out.
"Harry, this isn't a game or-"
"You think we don't know that, Sirius!? Look at Ron's arms! Look! Those scars? He didn't get them from falling off his broomstick. He was fighting death eaters. Ginny doesn't sprain her ankle on a regular basis from tripping down the steps at Hogwarts. She was at the Ministry too! Cedric didn't have a tragic accident, he was murdered." Harry ranted.
"He's right and you all know it." Ron said, nodding. And, Harry was infinitely grateful that Ron had his back on this. It was things like this that Harry suspected that Ron went through a change since he'd thought that Harry had been kidnapped.
Everyone fell silent and Harry locked eyes with Sirius. It was a sincere moment, one in which understanding passed between them. Harry wrang his hands out, nervousness rushing through him. Because, this was really it. Voldemort was about to kick start this war and he was going to be right dead in the center of it.
Everyone looked down right terrified. Mrs. Weasley was pure weeping at the truth in their words and to be witness to the loss of such innocence. Sirius looked pained as if he was watching history repeat itself and he just couldn't stop it and maybe he was. The misfits looked worried, uncertain even, but Harry didn't doubt them, not at all. Hermione and Ron had their heads held high and were looking at Harry, promising to be with him with their eyes. Ginny stared defiantly at her mother who was trying to choke out protests.
The thing was about war was that you were never prepared. War wasn't a big battlefield where everyone got just one opponent. War wasn't fair. It was groups of men beating and murdering helpless children and women. It was one man leading and leaving a trail of death and destruction in his wake. It was prisoners and spies and injuries. It was innocent children being forced to fight. It was losing people who had no part in it. War was chaos and no one was exempt.
"The boy is right, you know." Mad-eye spoke up gruffly. Mrs. Weasley sniffled loudly and Remus bowed his head. It was the nail in the coffin.
"So, what do we do then?" Em spoke up.
"Well, we train up for one. And, for another, we wait for Dumbledore to show. He will soon." Mad-eye said, brushing back a clump of matted hair.
"Okay, let's do it." Harry said, finalizing it.
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Harry didn't know what he was expecting. Maybe he thought they'd be brandishing their wands and learning a multitude of spells. Maybe he was under the impression that they'd be moving nonstop to improve. Maybe he had figured that they'd all actually be actively trying to prepare for the war.
What he didn't think he'd be doing was cleaning. After the decision was made that they'd train up and wait for Dumbledore, absolutely nothing changed. The next day, the kids were assigned a section of the place to clean and the adults stayed separate to do their own thing. Remus, Mad-eye, and Mrs. Weasley left to go check on the injured from the previous fight. And, everything was back to the way it was.
It was like Mad-eye hadn't ever even showed up. Harry didn't know what to think about it or how to react to them being brushed off. He had a lot going on in his head and he kept getting looks from his friends. They all seemed to be waiting on him to do something about the lack of everything. And, Harry wanted to stick to his word but how could he?
He didn't know how to handle a war or how to hone his skills. He didn't exactly know what to do but he knew he had to be productive. Plus, he didn't know what to tell the misfits, at all. They hadn't mentioned going home and he knew why. That would mean returning to Karlbergs and leaving him and he knew they wouldn't dare to do that. But, he didn't exactly know how they played into this situation.
They couldn't go to Hogwarts with him, should he be forced to go back. They couldn't do magic or defend themselves. Em, sure, but not the rest. It would be like putting a yorkie in a fight with a werewolf. There was no chance and it hit Harry that they couldn't participate. In a way, he was relieved. He didn't want them to get hurt and he almost wished his magical friends were muggles. That'd save him a lot of stress.
So, biding his time, Harry cleaned.
It was a rather demeaning thing to do. He had been confronted with something and he avoided it simply because he had no idea how to handle it. The others were watching and waiting for him to take the lead on this one. He just couldn't. He felt as if he was off kilter, as if he was scrambling. Dumbledore was gone, the adults were making promises they weren't keeping, and the war was actually on their doorstep.
That was the biggest alarm bell going off in his head. The war, it was here, and not in the way he had assumed it would be. There was no big explosion or announcement or battle. Voldemort was slowly inching his way to take full control. He was actually keeping everything subdued and uncertain. Harry knew nothing about what was going on and he wasn't being told anything about it.
So, that was the first thing.
A week after Mad-eye had burst in, lecturing them on their lack of action, Harry had enough. He decided that something had to be done. The cycle of him not being able to do anything because he didn't know anything and he didn't know anything because he couldn't do anything had to be broken. And so, Harry rallied his troops. It was time to get serious. And no, not his godfather either.
Harry was cleaning with Em, idly making up a plan in his head, when it came to him. He dropped the duster and turned to her. Quietly, he told her to follow him and they set off. All the teens had been given a few separate rooms on one floor and Harry stopped by each one, getting everyone to gather. Once he had everyone in one room, he shut the door and turned to them rather seriously. They were silent, waiting.
"Okay, we have to do something." Harry finally said. Hermione sagged in relief and nodded.
"Thank merlin. I thought you were never going to say anything." She said.
"Took you long enough, mate." Ron agreed.
"Stuff it. Excuse me for thinking they were going to keep their word." Harry snapped, motioning towards downstairs, a bit peeved that they hadn't.
"Alright, relax. Got any ideas?" Ginny asked.
"We need information. We have to find out what's going on or else we can't do anything." Harry said.
"Okay but how are we going to get said information?" Nick asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I... I don't know. I'm open to any ideas." Harry mumbled, spreading his hands and giving the floor.
"I'd say extendable ears but Remus warded against them." Ron said with a frown.
"We can't just sneak in?" Olivia asked.
"We're locked out." Harry replied.
"Wait, Harry..." Hermione said, standing up straight. Her eyes were bright as she glanced at Josh. He was tapping his lips, looking deep in thought.
"What?" Harry asked, leaning forward.
"We're warded out, right?" Hermione asked, excitement creeping in her voice as she motioned to herself, him, Ginny, Em, and Ron.
"Yeah." Harry confirmed.
"But... They aren't." Hermione said, pointing to Olivia and Josh and Nick.
"Wait, why am I warded out?" Em asked with a slight pout. Hermione sighed.
"You're a witch, an underage witch, so you're warded out. Remus and Mad-eye are every thorough."
"Oh."
"But, we aren't?" Nick asked.
"There is just a ward for underage witches and wizards, but not muggles."
"So, we can get in and listen." Olivia breathed out, nodding as she realized the plan.
"The door is actually locked, though." Ginny mumbled with a frown, biting her lip.
"We can't use an Alohomora, they'd know." Ron pointed out. "We'd also be expelled."
"Obviously." Hermione agreed. "There has to be some other way to get in."
"Great, we know they can get in but we can't get them in. Beaten by a locked door." Ginny grumbled. Olivia smirked and walked over to Ginny, invading her personal space. Olivia leaned forward, their noses nearly bumping, and reached up to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. Ginny's face erupted in a blush.
"Oh, darling, you have never seen me with a bobby pin, have you?" Olivia murmured, pulling back. And, Ginny's hair fell into her face as Olivia revealed a bobby pin she'd borrowed.
"W-what?" Ginny stuttered, her blush getting impossibly darker. Olivia winked.
"Just a talent, darling. Trust me, I can get us in."
"Oh...kay." Hermione said, clearing her throat. "So, we can get them in but how can they go unnoticed."
"I know." Ron piped up, eyeing Olivia strangely.
"You do?" Hermione questioned skeptically. Ron shot her a disgruntled look.
"Don't sound so doubtful. Now listen. When we were at the Dursleys asking about Harry, I went up to his room and-"
"You did?" Harry interrupted. Ron blushed faintly and shrugged sheepishly.
"I thought that you might've left a note or clue if the Dursleys had done something to you. Anyways, I started looking around." Ron trailed off, his face turning slowly into triumph.
"And?" Hermione prompted smartly.
"There were a few things that I grabbed for Harry, thinking that I could give them back once we finally found him. Harry had left-"
"Of course! My cloak!" Harry burst out, his face breaking into a wide grin. Ron nodded.
"Yep." He said, popping the 'p' proudly.
"Brilliant, Ron!" Hermione praised.
"Uh, cloak?" Nick asked.
"It's an invisibility cloak. If you're under it, you're invisible." Harry explained.
"No way." Em said, her eyes wide.
"Mhm. But, there is one problem." Hermione said with a grimace. Harry groaned.
"What now?"
"Mad-eye can see right through it." She said.
"Bloody hell, we have no luck." Ron huffed.
"Do you think he'd say something?" Em asked doubtfully. They all stared at her.
"You don't think so?" Ginny asked.
"No, not really. Think about it. He's the one who wants us to train, right? I think he'd want us to take action." Em said.
"You like him." Harry noted. Em nodded.
"He's a good man."
"Okay but are we really willing to risk that?" Olivia protested the assumption.
"He might not even be there. He's been gone a lot lately." Ginny pointed out.
"Another risk. It could go either way." Olivia sighed.
"We'll just have to take that chance." Harry decided.
"But, what if we didn't?" Josh spoke up for the first time, looking up. He smiled as they turned to him.
"Alright, Josh, what's going on in that brilliantly mad head of yours?" Nick asked, tilting his head. Josh grinned, his eyes glinting in excitement.
"I've got an idea."
"Oh boy..."
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Sirius glanced down into his glass of firewhiskey, swirling it around like he'd seen his father do. Grimacing, he glanced up as he watched Remus tap the table. It wasn't a fast stressed tap but it was a slow rhythmic tap that Sirius knew to mean that Remus was trying his hardest not to panic. Sirius wished he could just scoot over and nudge him with a grin like he used to in their Hogwarts days. James would've threw something at Remus to get him to laugh and Peter... That didn't matter.
It wasn't his Hogwarts days anymore. He couldn't channel happiness from that time. So, instead, he stared at the glass and listened as Remus tapped the table. There was a heavy silence surrounding everyone, only Remus' tapping breaking it. Sirius wondered vaguely how long it would last.
It was a lot like last time, Sirius thought. Except, he didn't have his best friend at his side and there was no hope in the form of a surprise baby growing in one Lily Potter, nee Evans. In a lot of ways, everything was the same. Kids were growing up too fast and the war was coming faster than they could prepare. People were dying and everyone was scared. And, in other ways, everything was different. Sirius wasn't a kid growing up too fast, anymore. And, he had Harry to worry about. Harry, who was one of those kids.
Sometimes, Sirius found himself thinking what Lily and James would think about how he interacted with Harry. Would they hate how he was with his godson? Would they feel they made a mistake by making him godfather? Would they be proud? Remus thought so. But then again, Sirius assumed that Remus let himself believe that for personal reasons.
After everything Sirius had ever been through, he'd learned not to lie to himself. And, the fact was that Sirius wasn't exactly the model godfather. In fact, he suspected that James and Lily had other thoughts in their minds when they chose him. But, here he was, trying his best anyways. Luckily, Harry was a good kid.
Sirius had to admit that there for a while, he'd been worried. Seeing Harry, Harry, having tattoos and piercings had been a shock to the system. It reminded him of...well, of himself. It was something he would've done without hesitation. It was amusing and he could just picture Lily and James' reaction. That would've been something he'd love to see.
Despite the total whiplash in appearance, Harry hadn't changed deep down. He was still a good boy, still had a heart of gold, still fierce and determined. It worried Sirius. He always thought that something like that, something that James and Lily both had, was going to lead Harry down the path of destruction. Sirius was very worried that Harry might not make it through this war, especially not with Voldemort singling him out like he was.
Sirius didn't think about it much unless he was planning on getting drunk. The thought of losing Harry wasn't something he could fathom and he didn't even want to. It was his recurring nightmare and the fact that it could oh so easily become reality left him very alarmed. It was one of the reasons he allowed the others to keep the kids in the dark about everything.
Sirius could recall a time when he would've told Harry everything, when he would've wanted Harry to know. And, he knew how bad it got when Harry was kept in the dark. The battle in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry was just proof of that. But, this was different. They couldn't find Dumbledore and he hadn't notified them for a bit now. The war, a nasty one, was approaching, once again, way too fast. They weren't ready and had no guidance.
Harry couldn't handle that right now. He had a lot going on, despite the idea that he didn't. For one, he needed to sit back and be patient. Until Dumbledore got back, no one was doing much of anything. Voldemort was being quiet and calm as he went about taking over the Ministry. He was taking his time and that alone worried Sirius. It was all very stressful and Harry didn't need that right now.
A loud squawking broke through his thoughts and he glanced up. The fireplace flared and a ruffled owl flew out, circling the room. Sirius was on his feet in a second, his wand pointed at the annoyed bird. He wasn't the only one. Everyone was at the ready. The owl circled around a few more times before finally dipping down right in front of Mad-eye. The owl stuck out a leg and hooted almost indignantly. Mad-eye shot multiple spells at it until he deemed it safe and grabbed it and opened it to read.
"Well?" Sirius asked, not caring that he was being nosy at all. Mad-eye frowned hard.
"Tonks. She sent me a letter." Mad-eye muttered.
"Is she okay?" Molly asked in worry.
"Yeah, she just asked me to come see her." He growled, standing up.
"Tell her we send our love." Molly said quietly.
"Yeah. Alright, just... You lot discuss something. We've got to do something productive." Mad-eye huffed before stomping over to the fireplace and leaving with a scowl.
"He's right. We have to talk about this." Remus sighed.
"And, say what?" Kingsley murmured.
"Well, we could talk about the fact that Dumbledore has been gone for too long." Sirius piped up.
"And, where would that get us?" Kingsley challenged. Sirius opened his mouth to reply but Remus cut him off with a sharp look.
"Listen, he's got a point. Dumbledore went to Severus' call and we've heard nothing since."
"You think Severus had something to do with this?" McGonagall asked tightly.
"I'm not making accusations-"
"But, it was his call that Dumbledore went missing on. Plus, have you seen or heard from him since?" Sirius interrupted, ignoring Remus' warning look.
"No, but that might be the point! Severus is missing as well." McGonagall replied tersely.
"Or curled up at his master's side." Sirius muttered.
"Sirius! You can't just assume that Severus is in the wrong here." Molly scolded.
"She's right, Sirius. This is far beyond childhood rivalries." Arthur agreed.
"That's not what this is about!" Sirius snapped.
"What is it about then, Sirius?" Kingsley asked.
"It's about the facts. Fact is that Dumbledore is gone and the only link to that has been Snape calling on him for help with the Malfoy boy." Sirius gritted out.
"We have no idea what's going on with that, either. We can't just figure that is Severus' fault." Kingsley said, frowning.
"You also had no idea about the infiltration at the Ministry, did you? And, through the Aurors, no less. But, that doesn't mean it didn't happen." Sirius retorted harshly and Kingsley bristled.
"Sirius." Remus said warningly and Sirius settled down. Kingsley, on the other hand, was offended.
"Are you suggesting that we're not handling this right? Do you think you could do better?" Kingsley asked in a low voice with a scowl. Sirius sighed.
"No, I just... It's just like last time. Everything is starting to come to head now. We've already been hit hard. We have no idea if Dumbledore is alive or-"
"Don't say that!" Molly gasped, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as her eyes widened in horror.
"It's the truth, Molly. We are just sitting around, twiddling our thumbs, and waiting on the next hit to come at us. We aren't acting because we refuse to make assumptions or accusations. I say we should. Why not? We sure didn't the last time around and look where that got us."
"Sirius, your grudge against Peter Pettigrew cannot-"
"No!" Sirius slammed his hands down on the table and stood, inwardly thankful for the silencing charm on the door. "No. My grudge against Peter has nothing to do with the way I believe this should be handled. Nothing at all."
"I think it does." McGonagall fearlessly pressed on. "I think that this is all it is about. You fear that history might repeat itself. You're paranoid."
"I'm not. This isn't about that rat! This is about my godson, my godson who is fidgeting as we all sit around and wait for Voldemort to come!" Sirius shouted, pointing towards the door in emphasis.
"Sirius." Remus said more strongly. Sirius breathed in deeply, catching the warning for what it was, and slowly sat back down.
"I'm sorry." Sirius apologized to McGonagall and snapped his mouth closed, recognizing that he might have just exploded on someone he had always respected. She graciously dipped her head in forgiveness, something Sirius was thankful for.
"Okay, we have to calm down. We can't just slowly go mad and like Sirius said, we can't do nothing. We have to look at the facts and lay it all out there on the table and then decide what to do. So, what are we looking at here?" Remus murmured.
"Well, the Ministry is slowly spiralling out of control. I didn't have any inclination that Voldemort was going for the Aurors, none of us did. He's taking where is the most important. Top chain positions and those who would be fighting him." Kingsley said.
"How long before he takes full control, do you think?"
"It will be a little while longer. We've got some time. He hasn't even touched on the muggle department." Arthur answered.
"He hit that pretty early on last time." Sirius mentioned.
"Okay, what about Hogwarts?" Remus asked McGonagall.
"Safe as ever. There have been reports from Hogsmeade that certain stores have been stolen from only a bit. Slowly, things are being stolen but not all at once. Also, a few of the centaurs have mentioned that they've been running dark forces from their territory."
"Great." Kingsley sighed.
"What do we know about Dumbledore and that mission from Severus?" Remus asked, moving on.
"Well, we know it involved the Malfoy boy and that it was urgent." Sirius said.
"Yes, and we know that he's been gone for two weeks now without word from either of them." Arthur said.
"Maybe we're looking at this wrong." Remus murmured, tapping the table faster as his mind raced.
"Remus? What are you thinking?" Molly asked, biting her lip slightly.
"We're looking at this from Severus and Dumbledore, yes? But, what do we have on the Malfoy family? Have any of you seen Lucius in the Ministry recently or caught glimpse of Draco and Narcissa?"
"Actually, now that you mention it... No. I heard that Lucius actually took a small holiday, apparently spending the anniversary of his father's death with his family." Arthur said slowly.
"I heard the same." Kingsley confirmed.
"That's a lie." Sirius blurted out.
"Now, Sirius, we don't know that for sure." Remus said quietly. Sirius huffed.
"Actually, we do. You forget, I'm a Black. I was one of the ones to actually be present for Abraxas' funeral. I was forced to go, yes, but I was there. Abraxas' death anniversary is months away."
"So, Lucius is lying. And, he knows that he's got enough leverage in the system that no one will check to see if he is lying." Kingsley hummed.
"So, the Malfoy family has been absent for as long as Dumbledore and Snape has?" Sirius mumbled.
"Well, that's not good." Remus said bluntly.
"Yeah, that about sums that up." Sirius whispered.
Everyone fell silent and they all seemed to realize just what their situation was looking like. For one, it seemed as if they were screwed. Great, just great. With a few mumbled words, it was decided that this meeting was officially over. Silently and with burdens, everyone dispersed. Kingsley went back to the Ministry and McGonagall went back to Hogwarts. Molly and Arthur headed out the door, quietly murmuring. The fireplace flared as others went home. Soon, it was just Sirius and Remus.
"Are you alright?" Remus murmured. Sirius sighed and tipped his head back, wishing for more drink.
"Not really. I've got a headache." He admitted.
"You were upset." Remus noted casually.
"A bit, yeah."
"I don't blame you. I don't but... You can't lash out like that." Remus said seriously.
"I know. I'm sorry. I just... It's hard." Sirius whispered, leaning his head back forward. Remus smiled slightly and stood up, walking to stand beside Sirius chair and lean against the table. Sirius had to tilt his head back to look up at Remus.
"It is." Remus agreed softly. "That won't change."
"Aren't you supposed to comfort me?" Sirius muttered. Remus chuckled and leaned forward, bracing his hands on the arms of Sirius' chair. Their noses nearly bumped and Sirius, despite his age, felt his heart leap.
"I can try." Remus hummed.
Sirius felt a smirk pull at his lips as Remus leaned down and kissed him softly. It made Sirius feel young again. At thirty-six, he shouldn't have felt as aged and haggard as he did but he'd been put through the wringer. Remus wiped that all away and made him feel as if everything would be okay one day.
Sirius stood up and crowded Remus space, kissing him slowly. He could easily remember how fiery he used to be with Remus, back when they were young and in love. Back then, everything was quick and hot and no less meaningful. But now, now, it was slow and deep and set all of his senses to high alert. He came alive with Remus now, became animated, and nothing around him was dull with Remus.
And, that was how he smelled it. He got a light whiff of something that wasn't Remus or the house. He pulled away from Remus, slightly breathless, and blinked. Remus looked equally confused, clearly having smelt it as well. Despite the fact that they were fully human, they also had enhanced senses, thanks to their canine counterparts. It came in handy.
"What was that?" Sirius asked.
"Was that perfume?" Remus replied.
"It...smelled like...strawberries?" Sirius mumbled.
Before they could work through that, the door opened and they turned to it. They stared, waiting, for a good while. No one came in and no one went out. Sirius and Remus shared a look of utter confusion before shrugging and brushing it off.
"Must have been nothing." Remus decided.
"Must have. Now, where were we?"
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"Okay! Okay, ew! You can stop now." Harry burst out, grimacing slightly.
"But, it was so sweet." Josh teased, batting his eyes.
"I think I'm going to be sick." Ron grumbled.
"And, you're sure that's all they said?" Hermione asked seriously, shooting her boys a scolding look.
"Yes." Olivia confirmed.
They all fell silent, glancing around at one another. Harry stroked his invisibility cloak as he was lost in thought. Josh, Nick, and Olivia had returned from spying and immediately told them all they heard. And, by all, Harry meant all. He hadn't really wanted to hear about how his godfather had snogged his ex professor. Josh had went into vivid detail, despite that.
Ginny had her chin in her hands and her foot bounced as she mulled over everything she heard. Ron's face was twisted as he tried to work through everything they'd been told. Hermione's eyes were glazed over and Harry could practically hear the cogs in her head turning. Olivia, Em, Josh, and Nick watched them, seeming to wait for their thoughts on it.
Harry, well, he was stumped. From what he heard, everything was just a big mess right now. One thing he did know, though, was that Dumbledore was being kept by the Malfoys. Sure, he didn't have proof but he knew it. And, one thing was for certain, Dumbledore needed to be rescued from there.
"What are we going to do?" Hermione asked.
"We have to save Dumbledore." Harry said assuredly.
"What!? Harry, no. We don't even know where he is." Hermione burst out rationally.
"At the Malfoys, obviously."
"We don't know that for sure." Hermione insisted.
"You heard them. They said Mr. Malfoy has been gone. It's pretty obvious." Harry replied.
"Wait, Harry, I think Hermione is right." Ginny said. Harry paused and stared at her.
"It doesn't matter. If there is a chance that he might be, we have to go." Harry said slowly.
"That sounds all fine and good in theory. But, do you have any idea where the Malfoy manor is? How would we get there?" Hermione challenged.
"Harry, slow down and think about this." Nick agreed.
"What's there to think about?" Harry snapped.
"The fact that this war is bigger than some rescue mission." Em murmured.
"But-"
"Harry, mate, I hate to say it but they're right. There's something wrong here." Ron spoke up.
"What?" Harry asked dumbly.
"It's just... They are talking about how V-Voldemort was taking over slowly, right? It just doesn't seem right." Ron said, his brow furrowed.
"What do you mean, Ron?" Ginny asked.
"It just doesn't make sense. The strategy of it... It's just...well, it's stupid." Ron said, shrugging.
"So, you're saying Voldemort is an idiot." Josh pointed out, looking amused.
"That's the last thing I'm saying. You've all heard the stories about the previous war. It was dark and fast and indestructible. Everyone talks about how Voldemort went about it and this doesn't fit."
"Maybe he's doing it differently this time." Harry suggested. Ron frowned and shook his head. Harry could just picture a chessboard in front of him. He was strategizing seriously.
"No, no, this is something else. What he's doing isn't benefiting him at all." Ron huffed, frustrated as he tried to work through the problem.
"So, there is a specific purpose he's going so slow, is what you're saying." Hermione said. Ron nodded.
"It's like..." Ron's face cleared and he glanced up. "It's like he is toying with us, like he is just directly messing with the Order. He wants us as his main audience for something, for something big. It's like he knows how vulnerable we are and is using that."
"You're saying he knows that Dumbledore is gone?" Ginny summarized anxiously.
"That's exactly what I'm saying. And, he is using that to his advantage. He's going to do something huge." Ron murmured, real worry clouding his expression.
"And, just how does he know about Dumbledore unless he has him?" Harry hissed, fidgeting.
"Oh merlin, Voldemort has Dumbledore!" Ginny burst out, her eyes wide.
"But, I thought the Malfoys did?" Josh said slowly. And, that's when it clicked for Harry.
"Bloody hell." He breathed out.
"What, Harry? What is it?" Hermione asked sharply, seeing the realization wash over Harry's face.
Harry was sure he had paled rapidly and his hands wrung out almost without his permission. He couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before. It was blaringly obvious and he felt like an idiot for not connecting the dots earlier. His mind raced at warp speed and his stomach churned as the full effect of his conclusion actually hit him. He cleared his throat.
"Think about it, Hermione. Who, out of all of Voldemort's followers, would have the most protected and luxurious home? Who would Voldemort willingly settle in with out of everyone? Where, to hide and to be well taken care of, cherished even, would he go?" Harry whispered. Hermione's face lit up and it morphed into horror as she finally got it.
"The Malfoys. Voldemort is at the Malfoys." Hermione choked out, her eyes wide.
"And, Dumbledore is there." Harry said quietly.
"With Dumbledore out of the way, Voldemort could do anything." Ron said.
"We have to tell the Order, Harry. We have to let them go rescue him." Hermione said hastily.
"I thought-"
"Yes, but this is rational!" Hermione cut Harry off.
"Wait, what about Snape?" Nick piped up, never one to forget any attention to detail.
"What about him?" Ron asked flatly.
"He plays a part in this too, right? So, how?" Nick presented the issue. Everyone fell silent as they mulled that over. Because, Nick had a point.
"It could be like Sirius said. He could be on Voldemort's side." Harry spoke up first.
"Harry, we can't just jump to that conclusion." Hermione mumbled, biting her lip.
"And, why not?" Harry challenged.
"Because, he might be a spy, really. Dumbledore trusts him." Hermione retorted.
"And, look where that got him." Harry spat bitterly.
"Okay, hey! Just say for arguments sake that Hermione is actually right and this Snape bloke isn't the bad guy. Theoretically, what part would he play into this and where does that leave him?" Em called out reasonably. Harry pursed his lips.
"Okay, say that he is actually a spy. There are two options. He's either dead for being caught or-"
"Ron!" Hermione hissed, scandalized. He rolled his eyes and Harry had to admire how seriously Ron was taking this. For once, he wasn't being exceptionally slow on the uptake. It was his time to shine.
"Or, he's playing a role and trying to keep Dumbledore alive until someone figures it out." Ron finished. Harry sighed heavily.
"Either way, Dumbledore has to be saved." He said.
"We've got to tell the Order." Hermione said, her eyes serious and solemn. And, for once, Harry agreed.
.
.
.
When the eight teens demanded that Remus and Sirius gather the Order, they'd been immediately denied. However, Harry had some sway and eventually, Sirius did as he was asked. In twenty minutes flat, the dining room was full of expectant and annoyed adults.. In truth, Harry hadn't expected so many people to actually be in the order.
"Okay, Harry, you got us all here, what do you want?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Er..." Harry trailed off, not quite sure what to say. Em rolled her eyes and stepped up to stand at his side.
"First, we have to explain a few things. Mad-eye, it was us that sent that letter, not Tonks." Em admitted. Mad-eye glared at her.
"What would you go about doing something like that for?" Mad-eye snapped.
"We needed you gone so we could eavesdrop on your meeting. That magical eye of yours was a problem. We solved it." Josh spoke up.
"Eavesdrop? You couldn't eavesdrop. We had the wards-"
"Against magical teens, yes?" Nick cut off Remus triumphantly. Remus' face cleared and he blinked.
"But, the door was locked." Mr. Weasley said.
"Olivia has very talented fingers." Ginny blurted out. A pause in which everyone stared at her and she blushed brightly as she realized the weight of her words. Olivia grinned and flicked her hair cheekily.
"I picked the lock."
"You weren't here." Kingsley said.
"Oh? So, how do we know about Lucius' little vacation or the fact that there is nothing on Dumbledore's and Snape's end?" Josh challenged. The adults all shared looks of stunned alarm.
"But, how..."
"We have our ways!" Josh said with flair, relishing in the chance to be dramatic. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Anyways, the point is that we know where Dumbledore is." Harry said. That got an immediate reaction from everyone in the room.
"Dumbledore has been caught and is being kept at the Malfoy manor and Voldemort is there."
Harry had expected everyone to start immediately preparing for a rescue mission. He'd expected them to start figuring out ways of infiltrating said manor. He had expected, foolishly apparently, for them to believe him. What he hadn't expected was for everyone to dismiss him as if he was some snot nosed little tyke who had no idea what he was talking about.
He was Harry Potter for Merlin's sake! He deserved some benefit of the doubt but none was given. Many scoffs met his declaration and people were clearly upset for apparent false hope. Harry watched, horrified, as many adults just left. Everyone started clearing out, scolding the teens for wasting their time and entertaining stupid ideas. It set Harry's teeth on edge and one of the worst was getting a scolding personally from McGonagall.
Did she not recall first year when they'd warned her about Quirrell? Harry was extending more trust to these adults and being shot down. Again. It was very frustrating and he was left stewing with only Sirius, Remus, Mad-eye, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Kingsley as his audience besides his friends. He felt like an idiot and made a mental note to never go to an adult with serious things like this again.
No matter how much his friends protested and tried to prove that he was right, it didn't matter. Harry could see it in Sirius' eyes. They didn't believe him, not even a tiny bit. He could see that Sirius and Remus knew they'd used the cloak and would be prepared for it the next time. He could see that no matter who he went to, they wouldn't put true faith in such youth. It made his blood boil and as they all got lectured, Harry realized that if no one would believe them and act accordingly, they'd have to do it themselves.
Like usual.