Ch. 20-A New Order

"What's the matter with him?"

"He's passed out."

"This is a bad idea, he's drunk."

"This man can really help us Molly."

"Shake him or something Remus."

"Wait I think he's coming to."

"I'll help him up"

Artemis' eyes blink wildly as his sun flooded terrace is now occupied by several blurry silhouettes. Which the more he blinks the more focused they become. Standing before him is the strangest collection of people. A man with long shaggy hair and scars all across his face, a plump red haired woman, and what must've been her just as red haired husband, Artemis remembered he had met him at the Ministry while disguised as Tiberius Finks. There was a beautiful girl with auburn hair helping him to a stand and what looked like a nerd with round glasses and messy black hair. The woman helping him up spoke with such a soft voice.

"How're you feeling?" she said with a slight grin.

"Dreadful, my head is pounding." She pulled out her wand and pressed it gently to his temple.

"Arguo Cranus." Artemis felt partial relief to his throbbing head but still could feel the pounding of an apparent hammer on his temples. "Sorry, it's not meant for...well alchohol induced headaches.

"Thanks", he said with a grumble, squinting his eyes from the sunlight.

"We should probably get him out of the sun, come on." She hoisted him up with the help of the man with round glasses and went into the estate; ending his assisted stumble on the sitting room couch.

"Under normal circumstances I believe introductions would be in order." Artemis said. The woman that helped him spoke up first.

"I'm Lily Potter, this is my husband James." She said pointing to the nerd like man. "That's Molly and Arthur Weasley", she said pointing to the red-haired couple. "The one with the long hair is Remus Lupin", he waved to Artemis who gave him a nod still half covering his eyes as he slumped further into his seat.

"Yeah great, why are you in my house?" Artemis asked.

"Were members of the Order of the Phoenix, we fight Lord..."

"Yeah I know who you are; this still doesn't tell me what you're doing here."

"This is hopeless!" said Molly.

"Now Molly", said her husband.

"Well you obviously want my help, but I don't see why I should considering your blessed founder tried to have me killed." The members looked to each other uncomfortably. "Oh I see; he doesn't know you're here." Artemis said with the slightest smirk.

"The fact is Mr. Gridlock; we do need your help. Lord Voldemort is growing more powerful every day. We know about your...skills, and we think you can help us bring him down." Said James as Artemis laughed loudly.

"I've had enough of this, he can't possibly help us!" Molly said in impatient anger.

"You're right, I can't. No one can", the members of the Order looked puzzlingly at one another. "I don't know if you are aware, but Lord Voldemort just got his hands on a brand new toy." Remus spoke up.

"The Sword of Salazar Slytherin we know, but..."

"There is no but okay! He's won! Game over! Go home and spend whatever time you have left with your families!" As Artemis looked over at James he noticed for the first time he was holding a newborn baby. He retracted himself as he saw Lily's head fall. "I mean...I just don't see what chance any of us stand against him now." Molly spoke up again.

"Just as well we shouldn't be asking help from a murderer."

"Yeah I'm a murderer. I had everything and everyone that mattered to me taken away and I set out to get them back, and killed anyone in my path. Can you say you wouldn't do the same?"

"Thousands are dead because of you! Innocent good people laid to waste by your hand!"

"I was tricked; under the influence of Voldemort!"

"So he just happened to put the idea of genocide in your head!"

"I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING!" She is taken aback by this outburst.

"What do you mean you..."

"I just...felt...the music...It's difficult to explain. I didn't realize what I had done until after. All that mattered to me was the music, it's a very dangerous part of me and he abused it!"

"Excuses! You knew what you were doing every time!" Her husband stepped forward seizing her shoulders.

"Molly stop it!"

"Are you forgetting Arthur? He killed Felix! ONE OF US!"

"Get out of my house!" Artemis shouted, Lily protested.

"Wait, Artemis."

"GET OUT!"

"LISTEN TO ME PLEASE I BEG YOU!" Silence enveloped the room and Lily stepped forward placing her hands on each of Artemis' shoulders. "I know what he did to you Artemis; I know you are in such pain. We all have a past were not proud of, but you are the only one who can help put an end to this."

"I'm sorry." Artemis turned and walked out of the room.

"They're going to kill Adora." Artemis stopped dead in his tracks. The words hung in the air like a looming vulture finally swooping down and impaling him in the gut.

"When? Why?"

"In three days, she's a part of some ritual, something to make You Know Who immortal. We don't really know exactly." Artemis paced about the room, the eyes of the Order pasted to his every movement. He didn't even to care to know how they had this information or even of Adora's existence or connection to him, it didn't matter.

"If I am going to help you", Artemis said. "You should know I have a vendetta with your Ministry, and I will destroy it, and I will kill any of you that stand in my way." The members all shifted around uncomfortably.

"You don't have to Artemis", Lily said sweetly. "You can let it go."

"No I can't." Artemis said after a moment.

"You can." she said softly. A large gap of sound erupted between them, and Artemis saw something. Something in her eyes, it was magical and soothing like that of a lover. He hadn't even seen this in Adora's eyes. It was compassion, something he had once known but had forgotten. He could remember the passion with Adora, the frenzy and the ecstasy, but here there was a new tenderness. It was foreign but it was welcome and suddenly Artemis changed his mind. He turned to the rest of the room.

"Well if I am going to defeat him, I'm going to need something better than an angry ginger woman to back me up." He said with a smile.

"In addition to the assistance of the Order we think we've come across something of value to someone like you." James said handing the child over to Lily.

"Someone like me?" Artemis said inquiringly.

"Enough with the cryptic talk James." Said a new rough voice coming from the entrance to the foyer; a grizzly man with greasy long hair and some sort of mechanical eye strapped around his head now limped into the room supported by a large staff. "We may have discovered the location of the wand of Beethoven." The rest of the Order seemed to beam with some sort of pride while Artemis was taken aback.

"Beethoven was a wizard then?"

"Evidence suggests so", said Lupin.

"Such as?" Artemis said as James handed him several parchments. Lupin continued.

"He was one of the most influential composers of all time and he did so while even being deaf near the end of his life. There's also a theory that suggests he died from Phoenix flu, which one of the main symptoms is deafness."

"So his wand is with his remains?"

"Unfortunately it's not that easy."

"It never is", commented Artemis.

"Beethoven was buried in the Wahring cemetery in 1827 but his body was exhumed and reburied in the Zentralfriedhof cemetery in 1888."

"So where is it?" The strange man with the odd eye continued.

"Well the tale is such that the Ministry snuck into the grave and put his wand with his body, which Beethoven's muggle friends mistook as an attempt at grave robbing. But when the body was moved whoever dug it up must have found the wand."

"Who dug it up?"

"The particulars may vary but the procedure was paid for by the Society of Music Friends in Vienna. So we believe its founder may have had possession of the wand. The founder, Joseph Sonnleithner, also happened to be Beethoven's attorney so we believe he was in possession of the wand as well as Beethoven's 10th symphony."

"There was no 10th symphony he died before he could even begin it.

"DON'T always believe what you read boy! The symphony exists and if you're able to get your hands on it, you'll have the most powerful weapon that Voldemort can't use."

"I've used other music of his, they could still be beaten."

"Not this one", he said with a clenching grin. "Beethoven shared the power of musica, and he wrote this symphony specifically for that ability. Wielding it and the wand of Beethoven, you would be unstoppable." When he had finished, the room stood in silence as Artemis contemplated this proposition.

"Seems odd you would want to give me an enormously powerful weapon to someone like me." The crazed man laughed heartily.

"It's not you we're worried about." Artemis forced a smile. "So you're off to Vienna Mr. Gridlock."

"So where am I supposed to start?"

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE SMART!" He said with a whimsical rage. "So figure it out!" As he turned to leave the room the rest of the Order followed behind him until only James and Lily were left at the back of the group. Lily holding her child and gently rocking it.

"What's his name?" Artemis asked tenderly.

"Harry", she said looking at Artemis with a smile.

"Nice name", Artemis said.

James took Lily by the hand and led her out of the room, she stopped turned toward Artemis saying only. "You have a choice." Artemis nodded but thinking more about his new trip he was making he wondered with humorous admiration as to why every time you need to improve yourself or defeat an enemy you have to go find something. Although by now he was pretty much used to it.