A/N Aloha! Thanks for the reviews and support! It's only eight weeks until my exams start - and I have French this week and Drama & Art in three weeks time - stressful! I'll still try and update, but I don't know when, and it'll probably be once (or twice) a week :) R&R xxx

Chapter Three

The Order of Phoenix

The kitchen at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place was large, with cabinets going down the side of it and a large scrubbed wooden table with many chairs surrounding it in the middle. It hadn't been cleaned completely yet, and it seemed one half was still contaminated. As it was in the basement it took up the whole floor, and there was a little boiler room and a pantry too. There was a large fireplace at the very end of it, and pots and pans hung from the ceilings. The atmosphere was gloomy, and if it weren't for the lamps lining the walls, giving off a dull glow, the kitchen would be a very sorry place indeed.

Currently the room matched Amara's and everyone else's feelings. Dumbledore was sitting across from her, Ron, Ginny, Tally, Fred and George, Hermione and finally Jesse, both of whom had just arrived and had been filled in with what was happening.

Dumbledore was explaining to them that no one could know about the Order of the Phoenix, not Amara's siblings or parents (Jesse and Tally were allowed to write to their father, but it could have any details about the Order, just that he had to come over to England) and definitely not Harry.

They were allowed to write to Harry but not say what they were doing or where they were, and Dumbledore said he didn't know when Harry was going to come to Grimmauld Place.

"You mean he's stuck at the Dursley's for goodness how long?" Amara demanded. "After what happened in the third-task?" She didn't like mentioning it.

"Miss Matthews -"

"We can't even tell him what's going on?" Ron cut in. "But that's going to annoy him!"

"And then he might do something stupid," said Amara.

"You cannot expect 'Arry to seet around doing nozing all day," Tally said. This was the first time she'd ever met Albus Dumbledore and he wasn't giving a good impression.

"I appreciate your concern Miss Reynolds, but Harry will be able to come to Grimmauld Place once this is all sorted," Dumbledore said gravely. "And I can't let Molly stay out of the kitchen for too long - I must take my leave, but you have to swear to me, all of you, that you will do as I say."

Hermione and Jesse gave in first, then Fred, George and Tally, and finally Ron and Amara.

"Swear," Amara muttered before Dumbledore nodded once and swept out of the kitchen, leaving them all stewing in their seats.

"This is ridiculous," said Ron. "I can't believe he made us swear."

"Maybe it's for the best," said Hermione.

"No it's not," Amara snapped. "It's going to infuriate him."

"But if Dumbledore -"

"I don't think Dumbledore realises how annoyed Harry's going to be," Amara said lowly.

"Maybe Hermione's right -" Jesse started, always the one to side with her, and Amara, Tally and Ron glared at him until he shut up.

They couldn't talk anymore, however, as Mrs Weasley re-entered the kitchen, immediately getting ready for dinner. Fred and George slipped out of the room, and Hermione and Jesse went to Ginny's room to unpack Hermione's suitcase. With nothing else to do, Amara, Ron, Ginny and Tally went back up to Ron's room to talk before dinner.

Amara lay on one of the beds as the others started talking, but shot up with a yell when Fred and George apparated right next to her.

"Don't do that!" She said angrily at the two beaming boys.

"Sorry 'Mara," George said easily. "We have to show you something!"

"What?" Amara said, standing off the bed and folding her arms. "Couldn't you have just walked down the stairs?"

"No," said Fred, shaking his head at her. "We wanted to show you this."

Out of his pocket he pulled a long bit of flesh-coloured string.

"What is that?" Ron said, sounding revolted.

"Our latest invention," George said proudly.

"What is it?"

"Extendable Ears," Fred beamed and he showed them the string. "Perfect for earwigging conversations, just plug it into your ear, place the other to the place where the people are talking and voila! Every conversation can be overheard."

"Wow," said Amara, forgetting her annoyance. "That's amazing! Do they work?"

"Of course they work," George frowned at her. "But do you want to test them with us?"

Amara grinned. "Sure."

The six of them went out the room and into the hallway. They looked over the banisters and down below them they conveniently saw people walking in the hallway, chattering together. They all wore important robes and were having serious conversations.

Fred gave the Extendable Ears out and fed the other end into the hallway. They all put them in and waited for them to work.

"As I was saying, before Podmore interrupted me - is it wise to let Figg be alone watching?" A voice said, and Amara and the rest of them jumped at how clear it sounded.

"Figg can hurt anyone if she's got her bag with her -"

"Don't make this a joke Derby! This is serious!"

"What are you doing?" This was Hermione's voice, and everyone took out their Extendable Ears and looked at Hermione and Jesse, who were both looking on at the weird situation in front of them with confusion on their faces.

"Er -"

"Fred and George made Extendable Ears," Tally supplied.

"Extendable what?"

"Ears," said Amara. "They're amazing - you can hear them so well!"

"They're going to be awesome if we want to know what's going on!" Ginny said excitedly.

"Thank you, thank you," Fred and George did a round of bows as Jesse examined them.

"Amazing!" He said. "I can't believe you made these."

Hermione was half-amazed, half-disapproving of this new trick.

"Don't go telling Mum," Fred told her. "This is our only hope of knowing what's going on."

Hermione pulled a face but nodded.

"What was going on?"

"Something about Figg - is that a person or the food?" Ron said.

"I think it's a person," said Amara. "I don't see figs going round hitting people with handbags very often, do you?"

Ron grinned sheepishly.

"They've all gone," Fred noted from his place, looking over the banisters. "Better go put these back before Mum comes to get us."

The rest of them trooped back into Ron's room as Fred and George disappeared with a loud crack, so they didn't seem suspicious when Mrs Weasley came up. Amara was glad to be out of the mangy hallway, because it hadn't been cleaned yet and the smell was getting to her.

When Mrs Weasley did come up, they were all laughing at something Fred and George had said.

"Dinner's ready," she told them before disappearing. "Nobody is staying with us tonight."

"Damn," muttered George.

They all trooped downstairs and into the kitchen. They sat at the end of the table which had been cleaned as Mrs Weasley dished Shepard's Pie onto their plates. Sirius had not joined them yet.

"We'll really get down to cleaning tomorrow," said Mrs Weasley. "Your bedrooms are all done, but the other rooms, the hallways and kitchen need to be done before anyone else can stay. We'll do the kitchen tomorrow, bright and early - but be careful because I think there might be an infestation of some sorts in the fireplace."

They all looked over in the direction of the fireplace and back again.

"This is going to be a fun summer," breathed George so his mother couldn't hear him.

"So they're not having meetings if the house isn't clean?" Fred said carefully.

Mrs Weasley snapped her gaze onto her son.

"No," she said. "I've told you you're too young -"

"Can Jesse join?" Amara interrupted.

Mrs Weasley stopped.

"It's for people -"

"I've left Beauxbatons," said Jesse quietly. "I'm going for a job at the Ministry once I've got my HAT results."

"HATs?"

"French equivalent to NEWTs," said Jesse. "LATs are done in our sixth year and HATs in seventh."

"When are you getting them?"

"Very soon," said Jesse nervously.

"Well," Mrs Weasley looked unsure. "You'll have to speak to Mad-Eye or Dumbledore I suppose."

Jesse nodded and went back to his food.

Tally (who wasn't sure about English cooking and was eating in small bites) looked up.

"What if you don't get the right grades?"

Jesse glared at his sister.

"I don't know," said Jesse tightly.

"Well would you come back to France -"

"No," said Jesse. "I'm getting a job here."

"It's alright for you," Tally jitters into her food. "You're not the ones who's brothers are going off to all different countries."

"What do you mean?"

"Noah's planning on staying in America," said Tally.

"What?" Jesse gaped, Hermione gaped and Mrs Weasley gaped. "He's got another year left!"

"'E wrote to me a few days ago," said Tally. "'E's 'ad an offer with just 'is LATs."

"No," said Jesse resolutely. "No way is he dropping out -"

"I think I like Noah even more," said Fred.

"Sounds like our kinda guy," added George.

"Don't you dare," said Mrs a Weasley sternly. "You need NEWTs to get into the Ministry -"

"Mum -"

"We don't want -"

"Mr Weasley! Nice to see you again!" Amara said loudly as the man in mention came walking through the door.

"Hello Amara," Mr Weasley smiled tiredly.

Mrs Weasley jumped to her feet, her annoyance forgotten.

"Arthur! Do you want some dinner?"

"Yes please," he said as he sat down. "Sorry I'm late - Kingsley Shacklebolt told me about these people interested -"

"Who's Kingsley Shacklebolt?"

"High-ranking Auror, and head of Sirius' case - he's been told now, of course - and he's found Nymphadora Tonks and Barnaby O'Connor too ..."

"Arthur," said Mrs Weasley warningly as Sirius sloped in and helped himself.

Mr Weasley rubbed his eyes. Everyone else finished their plates shortly and hurried off upstairs, ignoring Mrs Weasley's warning of not going to bed too late.

"They're going to talk about stuff," said Ron.

"I think it's a good time to use the Extendable Ears," said Fred and him and George disappeared up into their room. They met them out in the hallway to look over the bannisters.

"We need to put this under the door," George said and Ginny volunteered, going down the stairs and shoving the string under the door before bolting back up.

"Have they got more people for guard duty?" Sirius' voice was loud, clear, and bitter.

"Yes, Tonks – I think she's a relative of yours? – she's already been doing it a while, and I heard Felix Derby was here earlier to relay information to Dumbledore … good find of Kingsley's, really." Mr Weasley was saying.

"Barnaby O'Connor told us that his parents can't know, and he can only do duty, nothing else …"

"It's annoying, but at least we have him on our side."

"Jesse Reynolds could do the same thing."

"Amara's cousin? Has he left school?"

"He's looking for a job at the Ministry." Mrs Weasley had joined in.

"Excellent, I'll tell Kingsley –"

"Don't you think he's a bit too young?" Mrs Weasley sounded worried.

"It's his choice – he's here now isn't he? And if he gets the job, he'll probably be with others … who did Amara say he was living with?"

"I'm not sure, maybe you should ask him?"

"If Jesse does enter, what about him relaying information back to the others?" Remus Lupin had seemingly arrived in the kitchen.

"Where did Lupin come from?" whispered Hermione.

"Probably Flooed in or something," said Ron.

"But I thought the fireplace is –"

"Shh!"

"We'll get Alastor round tomorrow – Jesse's not staying here, he's at his own flat."

"Dumbledore would want to speak to him too," Lupin's came again.

"I suppose so … he'll have to leave soon if everyone's going to bed … I'll go check up on them …"

It took them ten seconds to realise that it was Mrs Weasley who had spoken, and had left the kitchen.

"Bollocks," said Fred, retrieving the Extendable Ear with a hearty tug. "Mum."

The twins disappeared with a crack and Hermione and Ginny ran down the stairs to their room – where they heard Mrs Weasley talk to them.

Jesse, Amara and Tally pretended they were saying goodbye when Mrs Weasley climbed the stairs (Ron had run to his room).

"I'd better go," said Jesse easily. "Thanks for the dinner Mrs Weasley."

"It was nothing, dear, are you around tomorrow?"

"Maybe," said Jesse. "It depends if my HAT results come."

"Alright dear, get home safe, won't you?" Mrs Weasley said.

Jesse disappeared down the stairs and Mrs Weasley ushered Tally and Amara into their room, instructing them to get to bed quickly, as they had a hard day of work the next day.

"I've washed your sheets too, their clean now," she told them.

Amara and Tally got dressed into their pyjamas and went into the bathroom to sort out their things. Ron traipsed in too, cleaning his teeth.

"I forgot to mention – lock the door behind you when you go to bed, Kreacher (the house elf, seen him yet?) likes to wander in at the dead of night … happened last night as well, gave me a shock …"

Tally looked highly disconcerted about this fact and was the one to bolt the door once they got back to their room.

"Zat 'ouse-elf gives me ze creeps," she said, shuddering. "I am glad we do not 'ave zem back 'ome."

"What do you have?" Amara asked as they snuggled into their clean sheets.

"I don't know," said Tally sleepily. "Zey don't come out to see us."

Even though Amara was tired, the same dream came to haunt her as soon as she went to sleep. It seemed to be plastered on the back of her eyelids, constantly.

She was standing in an open field, but it was misty, and it was hard to see through. The air was silent, and nothing besides her moved a muscle. So, Amara walked forward several feet. Before her, looming out of the mist, came the loping figure of Barty Crouch, disguised as Mad-Eye Moody. He had a maniacal smile on his face as he got closer and closer … and she couldn' t move, because her feet were stuck on the ground …

Barty Crouch lifts his wand, ready to curse her when he disappears with a crack and Cedric's lifeless body is left in his place. His voice is everywhere inside her head. It was her fault he died – she should have helped him practise, instead of just helping Harry.

'Where were you, Amara?'

"Are you alright Amara?" Tally's voice came floating out of her head as Amara awoke with a jolt.

"Huh?" Amara's mind felt fuzzy as she sat up. "Oh – yeah, just, bad dream."

"Cedric, right?" Tally's voice was sympathetic as she nodded. "It's time to go down to breakfast I zink. I 'eard movement from downstairs."

Amara nodded and she flung a jumper on top of her pyjamas and put her slippers on. Glancing at herself in the mirror she saw that she was rather pale.

They were the first ones down to breakfast, and they were half-way through eggs and bacon, supplied by Mrs Weasley, before Ron, Hermione and Ginny sloped in. Fred and George hadn't surfaced yet, so Mrs Weasley bustled off to fetch them.

"Why do we have to clean," Ron said grumpily as he started his breakfast. "We could be having lie-ins."

Hermione, who was reading the paper, which had been discarded on the table, choked on her toast.

"What's the matter?" said Amara.

"Read this," she said, looking angry as she shoved the paper across the table.

From the first glance at the newspaper, Amara knew that it was full of lies and horrible comments about Harry. Scanning through, she realised Dumbledore had been mentioned a fair few times as well, which made Amara scoff in anger.

"Why are they doing this?" she said.

"They're trying to get everyone to go against Harry and Dumbledore," said Sirius, entering the room with Lupin.

"It's stupid," said Amara. "Why can't they just believe him?"

"Well –"

Sirius cut himself off as Mrs Weasley re-entered the room, Fred and George trailing behind her. It seemed that they had been talking for a while the night before, because when Fred sat down next to Amara, he put his head onto the table and began to snore.

"Oi," said Amara, poking his head. "Wake up, sleepyhead, you're hair's going in the jam."

"Go 'ay," Fred muttered in reply and shifted slightly.

"Head off the table, Fred!" Mrs Weasley said as she set some more tea on the table.

"Sorry," Fred yawned and stretched. "Why are we up at this time?"

"It's not that early," Amara pointed out.

"We have to clean the rest of the kitchen today," Mrs Weasley told the twins. "So hurry up and get changed so we can start."

Fifteen minutes later, Amara, dressed in jean shorts and a shirt, was standing in the kitchen with Tally, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George. Mrs Weasley was also there, in front of them, telling them what they were going to do.

She handed them bottles of Mrs Skower's All-Purpose Magical Mess Remover, Elbow Grease, dusters, tea-towels and scourers.

"The end of the kitchen needs cleaning," she told them clearly. "I found that the there was a magpie's nest in the fireplace, but that's gone now. We need it clean so we can actually use it."

"What a great second day of the Grimmauld Place household," Fred muttered.

Apparently, according to Fred, George and Ron the smallest people should clean the inside of the large fireplace, so Amara and Ginny got stuck with the job whilst Fred and George cleaned the floor, Tally and Hermione cleaned the work surfaces and Ron polished the pots and pans.

There was a very thick layer of black grunge on the fireplace, along with mould and grime. Amara and Ginny used all the equipment given to them to scour it out, and after a while (whilst getting a lot on them as well, much to their disgust) they managed to get to the marble underneath. There were also carvings of little snakes on it with green gems for eyes.

It took most of the morning, and Amara's hands were black by the time Mrs Weasley gave them all sandwiches to eat.

They couldn't be bothered to sit at the table, so they leant against the cabinets and ate the sandwiches, making lazy jokes to each other as they did so. They didn't notice until he started muttering that Kreacher had slinked into the room.

"And those mudbloods … and the blood traitors … coming into my mistress' house … what would she say?"

"Alright Kreacher?" George said.

Kreacher looked up.

"Kreacher didn't see young master … nasty blood traitor …" Kreacher muttered as he bowed low.

"Sure you didn't," Fred said, an ugly look on his face.

"Fred don't be mean to him," Hermione said. "Remember what Dumbledore said yesterday – we have to be kind to him."

"I'm not really amused with Dumbledore at the moment," Amara said grumpily. "I think I'll pass."

Hermione scowled at her, and appealed to her boyfriend for help. Jesse looked uneasy.

"He is really old," the older boy said. "He doesn't know any better – so –"

"Oh shut up Jesse," Tally said from her place on the newly cleaned cabinet.

After their lunch they resumed their cleaning, which was opening the cabinets and going through the plates and other things that had entered the cabinet (including a huge dead spider, which was thrown in Ron's face by Fred and George). Sirius too came to help them with the cleaning, and they got the entire kitchen cleaned before Mrs Weasley ushered them out so she could cook dinner for the Order Members who were staying after the meeting that evening.

"Perfect opportunity to use the old Extendable Ears," Fred grinned, rubbing his hands together in excitement. They began their ascent up the stairs and into Ron's room, which had somehow been allocated the hang-out spot.

"Well before then I'm going to have a shower," said Ginny, sniffing her hands. "This is gross."

"I'm having one too," said Amara.

After her shower, Amara got changed into comfy clothes and went back into Ron's room. Tally, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George were having a game of Exploding Snap and Hermione was re-reading one of her books.

Amara plopped herself down next to Fred on the spare bed, yawned and stretched. The day of working had made her tired and she really wanted to just relax.

"You OK?" Fred said as he looked at her, and Amara nodded.

"Tired," she said. She tucked her legs under herself and curled up on the bed, watching them play their game.

They stayed like that for a long while (Amara somehow getting closer to Fred and resting her head on a pillow on his lap and dozing off. She didn't know how) and they sat in a companionable silence, each to their own thoughts too.

Amara was thinking about the month before. Everything had changed since then. She'd been helping Harry practising hexes and jinxes, squashing her feelings for Fred down and being Cedric's girlfriend. But now, Harry was stuck at Privet Drive, she was resting on Fred and Cedric was now dead. She had cared for Cedric a lot (less than he did) and she always felt immensely guilty when she thought of her feelings for Fred.

But he's not here anymore. A voice said.

It was a few weeks ago that Cedric was murdered, she reasoned with herself. I can't go for Fred – he's with Angelina.

Are you sure?

Amara squashed the voice out of her head and closed her eyes. Immediately, memories of the Third Task came flooding back – Cedric, Barty Crouch Jr., half way through transforming and screams came into her head. She flinched unconsciously and she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes flew open and she saw Fred's concerned brown eyes were staring down. Amara glanced sideways and was pleased to see everyone else was absorbed into what they were doing.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Amara swallowed and nodded mutely. Fred raised an eyebrow.

"I'm fine," Amara insisted. "Just – bad doze."

It was a good thing Mrs Weasley called them down for dinner, because Amara was sure Fred was going to start asking questions.

The kitchen was very full when they entered, and there was a lot of people none of them knew. The people who they did recognise or know was Sirius, Bill, Lupin, Mr Weasley and Mad-Eye Moody. Amara took an involuntary step back when she saw the man, eventhough she knew he wasn't Barty Crouch and wasn't going to fling her into a wall and break her ankle. She stepped back into someone and she looked up to see (of course) Fred there.

"Sorry," she said and she skirted around the table to a place where she wasn't near Mad-Eye.

As dinner was served, Amara and the rest were introduced to everyone at the table. Firstly there was Kingsley Shacklebolt, a dark, bald man with a very deep, soothing voice, who couldn't stay long; Hestia Jones, a young woman in her late twenties or early thirties, with long black hair and pink cheeks; Emmeline Vance, a tall, thin brown-haired woman who looked as though she had had a lot of experience; Elphias Doge, a man over a hundred, who wore a very pointy hat and had a wheezy voice; an excitable man named Dedalus Diggle; Mungdungus Fletcher, an awful man whom Fred and George seemed to like straightaway, eventhough he was an old crook who stunk of tobacco and alcohol; Sturgis Podmore, who looked like a scarecrow; Felix Derby, a forty-year old man who was chirpy but smoked a lot; Jennifer Barnes, a young girl, not much older than Jesse, who worked in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes and finally (Amara's favourite) Nymphadora Tonks, friends with Jennifer, and a metamorphmagus, and who worked as an Auror with Mad-Eye Moody.

Nymphadora told them straight away she preferred to be called her surname only – Tonks – and she proceeded to change her appearance to match Tally's long blonde hair, then Amara's brown and Jennifer's curly dirty-blonde hair.

"That's so cool," Amara said as she ate her dinner. "Were you born with it?"

"Yup," said Tonks, grinning at her with her usual vivid purple hair. "It's really rare, I've never met anyone else who can do it."

"How's being an Auror?" said Amara eagerly.

"It's great," said Tonks. "I mean, I'm not that experienced – I only qualified a year ago – nearly failed Stealth and Tracking, I'm really clumsy – oh no! Sorry Ginny!" Tonks had knocked her goblet over and had fallen onto Ginny's lap. She took out her wand and cleaned up quickly.

"See what I mean?" she said. "Anyway, I worked with Mad-Eye, and Kingsley's higher up than me."

"Sounds great though," said Amara. "What else can you do with your metamorphmagus skills?"

"Anything really," said Tonks. "Look at this." She screwed up her face and a second later she had a pig snout for a nose.

All too soon, Amara, Tally, Hermione and Ginny all started to ask for different noses.

"Do the Snape one …"

"Do the goose as well!"

It was a very entertaining evening, and Amara soon forgot about Mad-Eye's presence until he spoke to Tonks.

"And you're Amara Matthews, right?" he was looking at her and Amara jumped.

"Er yes," she said nervously.

"Mm, heard about your encounters with that scum who stole my appearance," he said in his gravelly voice. "Sorry to say he tried to kill you."

"Er –"

"What Mad-Eye is trying to say, is that he won't try and kill you," said Tonks. "Unless you annoy him, I suppose …"

Amara smiled, and her heavy feeling dropped off her slightly.

After a delicious apple crumble, Mrs Weasley ordered them out of the kitchen and watched them until they went upstairs and onto the second landing. Fred popped his head over the bannisters.

"She's gone! C'mon … here, take one."

Amara, Ron, George, Ginny, Tally and Hermione crowded around Fred and took an Extendable Ear each. They plugged them in and put the other end down the stairs.

They found out that the Order were keeping tabs on known Death Eaters around the country and had Guard Duty, looking over something. They would have listened to more, but Mrs Weasley came out and they all had to run into Ron's room to look nonchalant. By that time, the meeting had broken up and they were sent to bed.

"Do you like him?" Tally asked her as they lay in their beds that night.

"Like who?"

"Frederick," said Tally. "You were rather close to him this afternoon."

"Um," said Amara. "I – maybe?"

"You haven't said this to anyone 'ave you?" Tally accused. "Why don't you tell 'im?"

"What, and get rebuffed? And don't forget, it was only a few weeks since – I would still have a boyfriend if that hadn't of happened!" Amara said.

"I suppose," Tally said. "But you'll 'ave to tell 'im eventually, you know."

"No I don't," said Amara.

"Trust me," said Tally. "Because there's a 'igh chance 'e will not rebuff you."