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Minerva McGonagall tapped her fingers nervously on the table. All of the professors and the Order had been summoned to the Great Hall by Dumbledore. The message was that he had important news to share. Just the cryptic message alone worried her. Whatever the Headmaster had to tell them couldn't be good.
"Nervous, Minerva?" Severus Snape asked with his trademark smirk. McGonagall narrowed her eyes at him.
"And you should be to," she reprimanded. "Dumbledore wouldn't call this meeting unless it was important." Snape said nothing, knowing that the Deputy Headmistress was right. Dumbledore wouldn't call an unnecessary meeting. He just hoped it wasn't another meeting about Umbridge. The head of Slytherin had heard some alarming things about her dentitions from the members of his house.
Snape's thoughts were interrupted when Dumbledore entered the Great Hall with two teenagers following at a distance. The girl had long brown-hair and bright blue eyes with extraordinary beauty. The boy, on the other hand, had shaggy black hair and bright green eyes. He was a few inches taller than the girl but not immensely muscular. Snape looked more closely at the boy. Those green eyes, he realized, were Lily's. That was Harry Potter. He looked over at Dumbledore in shock. Harry Potter had been missing for ten years. How had they found the boy?
Harry and Tess were arguing under their breaths as they followed Dumbledore. As the argument got more heated it became louder. "..Should've left while we still had the chance," Harry mumbled.
"They could have something to tell us," Tess argued. Harry snorted.
"There's nothing they know that we don't know or couldn't figure out on our own," he shot back.
Tess raised an eyebrow. "Maybe they could help us," she suggested. The completely skeptical look on Harry's face proved her point wrong.
"Tess, some of them work for the Ministry. Do I need to remind you of all the great things the Ministry's done for us lately?" Harry asked sharply much to the room's curiosity. Tess's expression turned dark. Her blue eyes seemed to dim at whatever memory Harry was referring to. She didn't want to think of all the horrors they'd been through, especially not the specific incident to which her best friend was referring.
"Just listen to what they have to say," Tess pleaded. Harry just sighed.
Dumbledore cleared his throat, calling the two teenager's attention to snap back to him. He turned to the Order. "Harry Potter and Tess McKinnon," he introduced. He turned back to the teenagers. "This is the Order of the Phoenix."
"We know," Harry replied curtly. Everyone turned and looked at him. This certainly wasn't the Harry Potter they had been expecting.
"And may I ask how you became familiar with us?" Dumbledore asked in the voice that always made everyone do what he wanted. Not surprisingly, it didn't work on Harry Potter.
"You can ask, but it doesn't mean I'll answer," Harry replied. He was very reluctant to share any of his past with anyone. As far as he was considered, the most valuable thing a person possessed was their memories.
Tess cut in. "Fiona told us," she answered quietly. Harry looked down at his boots, remembering the cheerful woman who'd taken them in.
"Fiona Matthews?" Mad-Eyed Moody interrupted, his glass eyes taking in the two teenagers. "No one's heard from her from her in ten years."
"Probably because she's been dead for six of them," Harry added harshly. Everyone's jaws dropped. Fiona had worked in the infirmary of Hogwarts until the first war and then became a healer for the Order. She was especially fond of James and Lily.
"Fiona's dead?" Madam Pomfrey cried in shock. Tess nodded gravely. Harry noticed this and squeezed her hand in comfort.
"How?" Kingsley questioned. Harry looked over at the African American auror, who was struck by the harshness of the kid's stare.
"Death Eater attack. Five of them surrounded the house," the black-haired boy answered quickly. That was one death he didn't want to go into extreme detail with.
"Phin died shortly after that," Tess added with a sad smile.
"Phineas Talbot?" Moody questioned. Tess nodded. She turned around and saw Snape.
"You're Severus Snape," she said in awe. "Stephanie told us about you."
"Stephanie Perkins?" the Potions professor questioned, thinking of the bright Ravenclaw he had taken a liking to. Tess nodded.
"She told us you were one her favorite teachers during our Potions lessons," she explained. "She and her husband have a little apothecary in Vertic Alley."
"Tess," Harry warned. She turned around and glared at him.
"What harm is telling them that?" Tess demanded with a fierce stance. Everyone in the room could tell it was a long standing argument between the two.
"It's not safe," Harry answered lowly. "You should know that by now."
"So we should just immediately distrust everyone we meet?" she shot back.
"Yes," Harry answered firmly, surprising many of the adults in the room. They had assumed that he wouldn't answer the question.
"So we shouldn't trust anyone?" Tess questioned. Harry didn't answer, but he didn't have to. She already knew his answer. Harry had had trust issues since the day she met him. It wasn't hard to see why. Almost everyone who he was supposed to trust had betrayed him, and everyone he had loved was taken away. That would be enough to suck the trusting nature out of anyone.
"Why don't we eat?" Mrs. Weasley suggested kindly. She could tell by both their faces that the teenagers were worn out and in desperate need of a good meal. Harry was much too scrawny for her liking, and Tess wasn't much better. Tess nodded and they both sat down. The Order sat at the table anxiously. They were looking forward to cracking the mystery known as Harry Potter. Dumbledore left briefly to send a message to Sirius and Remus that Harry had been found, knowing that Sirius would be anxious to meet his godson.
Tess moaned in enjoyment as she took a bite of her steak pie. "This so good," she commented, savoring the taste in her mouth. They'd been on the run so long she had forgotten what a proper meal was like. Harry rolled his eyes at her but secretly agreed. Unfortunately, Tess caught his eye roll. "What? We haven't had this good a meal since…" She couldn't finish the sentence. Talking about Fiona and Phin was painful enough. And then there was the name she couldn't even say without upsetting Harry.
"Since when?" Mrs. Weasley asked kindly, sensing a sensitive spot.
"Since Fiona died," Tess finished quickly.
"She was always a great cook," Dumbledore reminisced.
Tess nodded. "Yeah, she was." Harry sensed that his friend was on the verge of tears so he changed the subject.
"Stephanie's cooking isn't that bad," he lied. Stephanie couldn't cook to save her life. It was a good thing her and Thomas lived right next to the best pub in Vertic Alley.
Tess raised her graceful eyebrows. "Harry, the last time we ate there you chipped your tooth on one of her biscuits." Everyone in the room laughed at this.
Harry shrugged. "I managed to finish it."
"Only because we were starving that day," Tess shot back. "I believe I said I would've eaten rotten bread too." All the adults in the room looked worried by this comment. They had no idea how hard the two teenagers' lives had been and were anxious to find out.
"How long have you two known each other?" Tonks asked casually but cautiously. She was the only one brave enough to ask the question. Harry and Tess exchanged a look. Both knew they had to reveal as little as possible.
"Harry found me nearly frozen to death on the streets when we were eight," Tess explained softly. "He brought me to Fiona's."
"Where'd you go when she died?" Hestia Jones asked curiously.
"Anywhere and everywhere," she answered. "We were nomads for a while."
"And Fiona's house..." Moody started to say. Harry got what he was going to ask and interrupted.
"We burned it down," he responded casually. Most of the Order looked shocked while Moody just nodded in approval. "She had left us instructions to take whatever we deemed valuable and then burn the place down. She said that Death Eaters would use her house as headquarters over her dead body."
"Smart woman," Moody stated approvingly.
"What about Phineas?" Mr. Weasley asked. Harry's suddenly went dark, like he was going to snap. Tess could see his muscles clench up. This was painful for him.
"Killed himself," Harry stated through a tight jaw. Everyone in the room looked shocked.
"But why?" Professor McGonagall asked, tears appearing in her eyes. She had always liked Phineas. He was a gifted man and a good one at that.
Tess spoke up, sensing Harry needed a break. "He said that no Death Eater was going to have the pleasure of killing him. He was going to die on his own terms," she explained sadly. She and Harry had known that hadn't been the real reason. Phin simply didn't want to go on without Fiona. That week had been the worst of their lives. She hadn't stopped crying, and Harry had been a quiet that was worse than tears.
"That's a shame," Dumbledore stated. "He was a good man."
Surprisingly, it was Harry's voice who spoke up. "Yeah, he was," the boy replied. The two pairs of eyes connected, and Dumbledore looked away first. He wasn't able to get through Harry's shields, but he could see a lot of things in Harry's eyes: pain, pride, determination, hate, and love. Though the amount of hate alarmed the Headmaster, he was reassured by the equal amounts of love present. Dumbledore knew Harry was the perfect match for Voldemort..
It was a while until someone spoke again. "Can we leave now?" Harry asked impatiently. He really wanted to get out of this castle and away from this castle full of people questioning him.
"Actually, Harry, it would be best if you remained in the castle until the term started. It will be safer for you here," Dumbledore explained, trying to persuade the boy in with the usual methods. It wasn't working.
"Look, I've been taking care of myself since I was six years old!" Harry ranted. "I don't need you or your birdie club looking over my shoulder." He didn't add that really, he'd been taking care of himself basically his whole life.
"Harry, I need you to trust me," Dumbledore requested. The boy was stubborn just like Lily, he had to admit.
Harry narrowed his eyes. "And why should I trust you?" he challenged. Dumbledore looked baffled. He couldn't remember the last time he was asked that. He was reminded of Aberforth. "You left me with them," he added, his mouth set into a grimace. Images of the Muggle relatives who had tortured him swirled through his head.
*flashback*
A four year old Harry ducked as his aunt swung a frying pan at his head.
"Stupid, worthless freak!" Uncle Vernon screamed before delivering yet another blow.
Harry painfully moaned in his cupboard, clutching broken ribs.
"They shouldn't be able to do this to you," Bea whispered as she tapped up his broken finger.
Harry tried to shake it off. All of that was in the past now, and he shouldn't even think about it. Dumbledore glanced briefly over at Snape, who tried to get into the boy's head. Like Dumbledore, he couldn't. Harry's mind was strong and well-protected. It was almost as if he was expecting someone to come snooping in.
Tess spoke up. "What's it in it for us?" she questioned. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows but said nothing. Clearly, this girl wasn't as sweet and docile as he had first assumed. She had an iron fist of her own. Tess went on to explain. "We know about the prophecy and everything else and have survived on our own since the age of ten. You need Harry more than he needs you so why should we stay here?"
Dumbledore thought about this for a moment before responding, "Because it's what your parents would've wanted. They would want you safe at Hogwarts." His words hit Tess straight to her core. Unlike Harry, she had memories of her parents. She remembered their gentle voices and soft lullabies and words of love. She remembered that kind of love. Tess often suspected that was why she was more trusting than Harry. She had been raised in a loving environment where there was no reason to doubt anything you were told while Harry had been left to fend for himself against people who were supposed to care.
Tess looked over at Harry with a pout. "No!" he protested
"Why not?" the brunette questioned.
"You want to just sit around a castle while our friends die? There's a war going on out there," Harry shot back.
Tess's tone was gentler this time, surprising most of the Order. "I know that, but I think this is something we're supposed to do. I can sense it." Harry rolled his eyes, but Tess continued. "Plus, you always said you thought there was a... well, you-know-what in the castle. Now's our chance."
Harry sighed. He knew she wouldn't give in until she had her way. "Fine," he grudgingly agreed. Tess clapped her hands together. "But it's only temporary, and we're out of here the minute something happens."
No one understood what he was talking about, but Tess nodded. "Okay," she replied. Both went back to eating their dinner. Dumbledore smiled victoriously while the professors looked around at each other. It certainly was going to be an interesting year at Hogwarts.