Secret Meetings

Barret Cruddace had called this meeting.

Now the Knights were all gathered up on the Astronomy Tower. Alina with her heavy bookbag in tow and hand in hand with Cato Cornell. Barret scowled.

"The headmistress got called away," Barret announced. "An emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix."

"How did you hear about that?" demanded Myrrdin.

"Weasley was taking me up for detention."

Alina rolled her eyes and tilted her head back to indicate the parchment floating above her. What did you do this time, Cruddy?

"Nothing!" he retorted. How he hated Cato's smirk. "Beating up a bloo—" He coughed. "Just some uh… duelling practice."

Another eye roll.

"Do you want to hear what I overheard? You know, I don't have to tell you, if you're not interested!"

"Of course we are, Barret," soothed Prue Halleywell, her brown eyes wide and worried. When did she stop calling me Crudass? Barret wondered.

Let's hear it then, Alina's parchment spelled out.

Barret cleared his throat. It felt good to be the centre of attention for once. "It's an emergency meeting," he repeated importantly. "There's been a new prophecy. And Harry Potter will take Snape there."

"Professor Snape," Prue corrected softly. But she smiled at him, and Barret found he didn't mind the reprimand.

Cato pressed his forefinger against the side of his nose. "What can be important enough to make Professor Snape leave Hermione alone at St Mungo's?"

something that could help her, Alina's quill scratched. Or something so dangerous he had to go anyway

Ebenezer pushed himself away from a merlon. "My vote's on dangerous; good news could have waited until tomorrow."

Barret nodded. "That's what I think, too.—So how do we find out what it's all about?"

"Eavesdropping Leaves?" Alyah suggested.

Worth a try, Alina's quill declared.

oooOooo

"So He really will come back," Minerva said wearily.

Suddenly she remembered another Order meeting, long ago. One of the first meetings after James and Lily joined the Order; when it was painfully clear that a change of the tides of war was imminent, even without the prophecy.

Albus, still with streaks of auburn in his silvering hair. Moody, still whole, cutting a dashing figure with his tankard of behemoth-bone before him. The Potters, the Longbottoms – newlyweds, so happy, and determined to fight for their future. Sirius Black, bitter envy lurking in his eyes. Remus Lupin. Already looking as worn out as she felt today. Arthur, Fabian, and Gideon. Molly at home of course, just like today, watching the children.

Tonight, Percy Weasley was taking the minutes of the meeting next to her, his hand as precise and perfect as if he was writing wedding invitations instead of possible interpretations of petrifying prophecies.

Meeting of the Order of the Phoenix, 18 May 2003, Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London. Present are: Minerva McGonagall, Head of the Order; Abbott, Hannah; Creevey, Dennis…

"Not necessarily," Luna objected, enthusiastically leafing through a huge tome on magical creatures. The book took up most of the table. And it was so fat that 'high' was the better adjective: Luna could comfortably rest her chin on it.

"The Bogeyman," she went on, "is a collective term, known in variations around the world. In Azerbaijan this creature is the 'khokhan', in Croatia the 'babaroga', in Iran he's the 'lulu-khorkhore' and so on and so forth. Among experts, the consensus is that it's actually a magical creature related to Boggarts and Dementors, since its most common form is a male figure dressed in black, instilling fear in—"

"Snape! It's Snape!" Dennis interrupted and the younger Order members burst out laughing. Minerva winced.

"We should get that lucky," Snape commented sourly, a white-faced spectre in black robes, lurking in the farthest corner of the room. Outside, a flurry of leaves fluttered past the windows in a gust of wind. A few drifted down to lie on the window-sills.

Elphias Doge tugged thoughtfully at his beard, before he wheezed, "Honoured Order members. Dearest Minerva. Severus. I hope you won't take this amiss, but…is it not possible that the young lady is correct? I hear she has travelled the world in the company of Newt Scamander's grandson. My dear friend Newt is the most distinguished luminary in the field. It seems to me therefore that Miss Lovegood must be regarded as such, too. Should we not take into account that she may be right? That this is no more than childhood boggle? If it can be kept at bay with a simple Riddikulus, surely there is not all that much to worry about."

"And what, Master Doge," Severus asked softly, "of the rest of the charming chant? Light without shadow, magic without wizardry? What do you make of that, praytell?"

His parody of the old wizard's antiquated manner was perfect. Minerva suppressed a grimace. But before she could issue a call to order, Luna spoke again, her tone unconcerned. She could have been discussing breeding strategies for pygmy puffs. "Oh, but Master Doge, I never said a bogeyman is just a harmless childhood boggle. And I am so sorry, but I must disagree with you, too, Dennis. While it is true that Professor Snape favours black, I've seen him wear green for Quidditch, and Muggle clothes to a concert. Hermione even has a picture of him in blue jeans."

"A very sexy shot," Luna added dreamily. "You really should wear Muggle clothes more often, Professor.—Also, Dennis, if Professor Snape's diet consisted of children, don't you think someone would have noticed by now? That's what a Bogeyman lives on, you know. Just like it says in the Oompa-Loompa's song. It eats children. Though it's been impossible to determine why it eats them—well, apart from being hungry, of course. What I mean is that we don't know if it's after their flesh, their soul, or their magic. You see, while Bogeymen have been observed on and off for something like three thousand years, no one has ever caught or killed one."

oooOooo

A/N: "Eavesdropping Leaves" are my own invention; they are an improved, long distance version of Extendable Ears, and, of course, a Weasley product.

And the ubiquitousness of the Bogeyman in myths and fairy tales around the globe is quite fascinating, even if you just take a quick look at Wikipedia.

Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave a comment—comments make me happy!