Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place
Arthur looked at the name 'Order of the Phoenix', thinking that Dumbledore had to have come up with that, since he is very much linked with the magical bird in the name, partly due to having his own phoenix, Fawkes.
Moody then pulled the piece of parchment from Arthur's hand and set fire to it with his wand tip. As the message curled into flames and floated to the ground, Arthur looked around at the houses, seeing that they stood outside Number Eleven, to the left was Number Ten, and to the right was Number Thirteen, yet there's no Number Twelve.
When he thought of the address, a battered door ended up emerging out of nowhere between Number Eleven and Thirteen, followed swiftly by dirty walls and grimy windows. It was like an extra house jumped out, pushing those on either side out of its way. He was speechless, still hearing the stereo from Number Eleven thudding on, the Muggles seemingly unaware.
"Come on, hurry." Moody growled, prodding Arthur on his back.
He walked up the worn stone steps, staring at the door, seeing that its black paint was shabby and scratched. The silver door knocker was in the form of a twisted serpent, Arthur frowning at it as it was clear that this house belonged to a family of Slytherins. There was also no keyhole or letterbox.
Lupin pulled his wand out and tapped the door once. There were many loud metallic clicks and what seemed to be the clatter of a chain before the door creaked open.
"Get in quick, Arthur…" Lupin whispered. "...but don't go far inside and don't touch anything."
Arthur stepped over the threshold into an almost total darkness of the hall. He also smelled damp, dust and a rotting yet sweetish smell. The place just felt like a derelict building.
Arthur looked over his shoulder and saw the others filing in behind him, Lupin and Tonks still carrying his trunk and Athena's cage. Moody stood on the top step and released the balls of light from the Put-Outer back to the street lamps, making the square glow with an orange light before Moody limped inside and closed the front door, so that the darkness in the hall was complete.
"Here -"
He rapped Arthur's head hard with his wand and Arthur now felt like something hot trickled down his back and realised that the Disillusionment Charm was now lifted.
"Now stay still, everyone, while I give us a bit of light in here." Moody then whispered.
The hushed voices from the others made Arthur have that feeling of foreboding; it made him think that he entered the house of a dying person. He then heard a soft hissing before old fashioned gas lamps sputtered to life along the walls, casting a flickering light over the peeling wallpaper and threadbare carpet of a long and gloomy hallway, where a cobwebbed chandelier glimmered overhead with age blackened portraits hanging crooked on the walls.
Arthur then heard something scuttling behind the skirting board. Both the chandelier and the candelabra on a rickety table nearby were shaped as serpents, further demonstrating that the family who once lived here were nothing but Slytherins.
Then there were hurried footsteps and Martha Merlon, David's mother, emerged from a door at the far end of the hall. She was beaming in welcome as she hurried towards them. Arthur saw that she was more pale than she normally was and her silver hair was cut short to her shoulders, which was a contrast compared to when Arthur last saw her.
"Arthur, I'm so glad you're alright!" She whispered, pulling him into a hug before she held him at arm's length, examining him. "You look healthy, that's good."
She then turned to the gang of wizards behind him whispering urgently "He's just arrived, the meeting's started."
The group all made noises of interest and excitement and all filed past him towards the door that Martha came from. Arthur attempted to follow them, but Martha grabbed his arm tightly to stop.
"I'm sorry Arthur, but the meeting's for members of the Order only. David, Chrys and Mike are all upstairs. You can wait with them until the meeting's over, then we'll have dinner. And try to keep your voice down in the hall." She added with an urgent whisper.
"And why?" He whispered back, feeling a bit annoyed.
"I don't want anything to wake up."
"What -?"
"I'll tell you later, I've got to hurry, I need to be in the meeting. I'll go show you where you'll be sleeping."
She led him past a pair of long, moth eaten curtains, behind which Arthur assumed was another door, and after skirting past a large umbrella stand that looked like it was made out of a severed troll's leg (based on the spiky warts), they went up the dark staircase, passing a row of glass containers that all filled in gaps in the walls. Arthur was disturbed to see that the heads were from house elves, having the same snout-like nose.
Arthur's disturbed feeling about the house deepened with each step he took. Why would they be in a house that belonged to Slytherins?
"Martha, why -?"
"The others will explain everything, Arthur, I've really got to go to the meeting." Martha whispered distractedly. "Here…" They had reached the second landing. "...you're the door on the right. I'll call you when it's over."
She then hurried off downstairs.
Arthur crossed the rather dingy landing, turned the bedroom doorknob, which was shaped like a serpent's head and opened the door.
He got a glimpse of a gloomy high ceilinged, three bedded room, then he heard a loud twittering noise, followed by a louder shriek before his vision was obscured by some brown hair. Chrysanthemum 'Chrys' Ranger had thrown herself onto him in a hug that nearly knocked him off his feet. David's tiny owl, Goliath, zoomed excitedly around their heads.
Arthur was taken aback to see that Chrys' hair was now in short pixie cut, which is such a contrast to how her hair was previously long.
"ARTHUR! David, he's here, Arthur's here! We didn't hear you arriving! Are you alright? You must be furious with us. I know that our letters have been vague, but Dumbledore made us swear not to tell you anything, there's so much to tell you, and you've got stuff to tell us. The Dementors! When we heard, and the hearing at the Ministry, it's stupid! I've looked it all up, they just can't expel you, there's provision in the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery for the use of magic in life threatening situations -"
"Chrys, will you let him breathe!" David said as he closed the door behind Arthur. He grew an inch or two during their month apart, though his electric blue eyes and silver hair still remained the same.
Chrys let go of Arthur just as a soft whooshing sound came and a blur soared from the top of a dark wardrobe, gently landing on Arthur's shoulder.
"Athena!"
His barn owl clicked her beak and nibbed his ear affectionately as Arthur stroked her feathers.
"She's been mad at us!" David said. "She kept pecking us half to death when she brought your last letters, look!"
He showed his index finger on his right hand, where a half healed deep cut was present.
"Yeah, that's because I told her to do that." Arthur said. "I demanded answers."
"Arthur, we wanted to give you answers, we really did. Chrys even said that something was bound to happen with you being stuck on your own without any news, but you know…."
"Yeah, Dumbledore told you not to do so." Arthur spat, any semblance of joy of meeting his friends again was truly gone with nothing but ice cold fury forming in his stomach. Now he felt nothing but a desire to be left alone by David and Chrys.
There was a strained silence as Arthur kept stroking Athena and sat on one of the beds, avoiding looking at the pair.
"Dumbledore thought it was for the best." Chrys said, clearly not agreeing, based on the tone of her voice.
"I see…." Arthur said emotionlessly, seeing that she had marks from Athena's beak, but he didn't care and wasn't sorry. "So you just did as he said, despite knowing it wasn't right."
"He clearly thought you were safest among Muggles -" David began.
"Is that so?" Arthur cut him off bitterly. "You weren't the ones that had to deal with Dementors this summer, saving your cousin from getting his soul sucked from his body."
"We know, but it's why he had members of the Order of the Phoenix tailing you all the time -"
Arthur now felt truly betrayed and isolated with the knowledge that everyone knew he was being followed.
"Well that didn't work out well, thanks to Mundungus. Had to take care of myself." Arthur said, now trying to keep his voice even.
"Dumbledore was so angry." Chrys said, looking horrified. "We saw him when he learned Mundungus left before his shift ended. It was so scary."
"Well, it's good he left." Arthur coolly spat. "Because if he didn't, I wouldn't have done magic and Dumbledore would've left me at Privet Drive all summer in the dark."
"How are you not worried about the hearing?" Chrys asked, now looking scared that he'll explode.
"Maybe, maybe not." He said, standing up and turned his back to them, making Athena leave his shoulder to rest on the window sill.
"Why would Dumbledore feel like I have to be kept in the dark?" He asked, now on the edge of losing control over his voice. "Did you even bother asking him?"
He turned his head to see them exchange a look that told him that he was clearly behaving like they were scared he would. It sparked his temper even more.
"We told Dumbledore what would happen if we didn't tell you anything." David said. "We told him fiercely, but he's been busy as of late. We've only seen him twice since coming here and he didn't have much time. He just made us swear not to tell you important stuff when we wrote, saying the owls could be intercepted."
"But he still could've kept me informed if he wanted." Arthur said. "You're not saying that he doesn't know ways to send messages without owls."
Chrys glanced over at David before saying "We've thought that, but he didn't want you to know anything.
"He clearly thinks I can't be trusted." He said, seeing a glass and walked up to it.
"How could you say that?" David said, shocked by his best friend's words.
"That I can't take care of myself."
"He doesn't think that!" Chrys said.
"Then how come I've been forced to stay at the Dentleys' while you two join in on everything that's been going on here?" Arthur growled, his voice growing louder with each word as he now reached the glass, holding it. "How come you two, and Mike, for that matter, get to be allowed to know what's going on?"
"But we're not!" David replied. "Mum doesn't let us near the meetings, saying we're too young -"
He was cut off when Arthur threw the glass with all his might at a wall, smashing into many tiny pieces, making Athena and Goliath soar in fright to the top of the wardrobe.
Arthur then yelled the loudest he ever yelled.
"I DON'T CARE IF YOU HAVEN'T BEEN IN THE MEETINGS! YOU'RE STILL HERE TOGETHER! I'VE BEEN STUCK AT PRIVET DRIVE FOR A MONTH! AND I'VE DEALT WITH MORE THAN YOU TWO HAVE EVER FACED! AND DUMBLEDORE KNOWS IT! I WAS THE ONE WHO SAVED THE PHILOSOPHER'S STONE! I WAS THE ONE WHO GOT RID OF TOM RIDDLE AND KILLED A BASILISK! I WAS THE ONE WHO SAVED OUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS!"
Every single bitter, furious and resentful thought Arthur felt for the past month now poured out of him: his frustration at the lack of information and news, the hurt from them being together without him and his rage and fury over being followed and not being told about it.
"I WAS THE ONE WHO GOT PAST DRAGONS AND ALL THE OTHER FOUL THINGS LAST YEAR! I WAS THE ONE WHO SAW VOLDEMORT COME BACK AND ESCAPE FROM HIM! NONE OF YOU DID ANY OF THAT!
David stood there, looking truly hurt to his very core and Chrys was now crying.
"WHY SHOULD I KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TELLING ME WHAT'S GOING ON?"
"We wanted to tell you -"
"SHUT UP!" Arthur spat at her, looking truly psychotic. "YOU CLEARLY DIDN'T! OTHERWISE YOU WOULD'VE SENT ME AN OWL, REGARDLESS OF WHAT DUMBLEDORE THINKS!"
"But -"
"SHUT! UP!" Arthur cut David off. "DUMBLEDORE IS NOW AN IDIOT! I'VE BEEN STUCK FOR FOUR WEEKS, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE PAPERS! I BET YOU'VE HAD A REAL LAUGH! HANGING OUT TOGETHER -"
"Arthur, we're sorry!" Chrys said desperately, still crying. "You're right, I'd be furious if I was in your position!"
Arthur glared at her before he turned his back to them again.
There was silence for a while, which was occasionally broken by Athena's glum hooting and Arthur's deep breaths.
"So what the hell is this place, exactly?" Arthur spat at David and Chrys.
"Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix." David said.
"Let me guess, Dumbledore's secret club?" Arthur shot.
"It's Dumbledore's secret society." Chrys said. "He first formed it back during the war. It's full of people who fought against Voldemort and his Death Eaters last time."
"And who's in it?" Arthur asked.
"We only know of twenty people, though there's clearly more." David replied.
Arthur then glared at the pair.
"Well?" He demanded.
"Well what?"
"VOLDEMORT!" Arthur said furiously. "What's he up to? Where is he? What is being done to stop him?"
"We've told you, the Order isn't letting us in on their meetings!" Chrys replied. "We don't know the details.
"Jack and Kevin invented Extendable Ears." David added. "They're pretty useful."
"Seriously?" Arthur frowned.
"Yeah. We've stopped using them, though, because mum found out and she was mad. Both Jack and Kevin had to hide them all to stop mum from binning them. But we did manage to get some use from them before mum found out. Some of the Order are following known Death Eaters, keeping tabs on them. And….
"Some are working on recruiting more people to join the Order." Chrys added.
"And some are standing guard over something. It doesn't seem to be you, though." David added when Arthur raised an eyebrow.
Arthur shook his head, now walking around the room, looking anywhere except for David and Chrys.
"So what have you been doing here if you're not allowed in the meetings?" Arthur demanded.
"We've been decontaminating this house." Chrys replied. "This place has been empty for ages and stuff's been breeding in here. We've done the kitchen, most of the bedrooms and we're doing the drawing room tomo- DAMMIT!"
There were two loud cracks and both Jack and Kevin, David's elder twin brothers, materialised out of thin air in the middle of the room. Goliath twittered widely.
"WILL YOU TWO STOP THAT?" Chrys shrieked at the twins, who had the same silver hair as David and Martha. Jack still had his hair spiky and Kevin's was messy. Jack had brown eyes and Kevin the electric blue.
"Hey, Arthur." Kevin greeted stiffly, like he was trying to not get Arthur mad at him and Jack. "We heard you from where we were earlier."
"At least you're now letting all your anger out." Jack said.
"I see you've passed your Apparition tests." Arthur said grumpily.
"With distinction, as well." Jack said, holding what looked like a very long, flesh coloured string.
"You could've just walked down the stairs." David frowned.
"Just thought we'd show off to Arthur." Jack replied. "Also, Arthur, you've been interfering with reception. Extendable Ears." He added in response to Arthur's raised eyebrows, holding up the string that Arthur saw was trailing to the landing. "We're trying to hear what's going on downstairs."
"Be careful." David said, looking at the ear. "If mum sees even one more of those things…."
"It's worth the risk if you ask me, considering that the meeting right now is a major one." Jack replied.
The door opened and both Mary Merlon, David's younger sister, and Michael McGonagall entered, The latter looked timid, like he's scared to face Arthur's wrath.
"Hey, Arthur." Mary greeted Arthur, rather brightly. "We thought we heard your voice." She then turned to Jack and Kevin. "Mum's put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door, so the Extendable Ears are a no go."
"How'd you know?" Kevin asked, crestfallen.
"Tonks told me how to find out." Mary said. "You throw stuff at the door and if it can't make contact, the door's been Imperturbed. I've flicked Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar off from it. The Extendable Ears won't be able to get under the gap."
"Great." Jack sighed. "I've been wanting to know what Snape's been up to."
"Snape's here?" Arthur said, fuming.
"Yep." Mike now spoke, closing the door and walking up to Arthur, making him look directly into his purple eyes, which still had an effect on Arthur. "That foul git's giving a top secret report."
"And the Order really thinks he's on our side." Chrys said in disbelief.
"Hey, Rob doesn't like him either." Mary said, like it settled the matter.
While still feeling angry, it ebbed slightly from being in Mike's presence and also because he's finally learning information. He then sank onto the bed opposite Jack, Kevin and Mary, Mike joining him.
"So Rob's here in England?" Arthur asked, wondering why he ain't in Egypt.
"He applied for a desk job to come home and work for the Order." Jack said. "He, of course, misses the tombs, though there are compensations."
"What?"
"Fleur Delacour." Kevin said. "She's got a job at Gringotts, partly to improve her English."
"And Rob's been giving her some private lessons." Jack said, sniggering, Arthur knowing what he's implying immediately.
"Kenny's part of the Order as well." Kevin said. "He's still in Romania. Dumbledore wants as many foreign wizards brought into the Order as possible, so Kenny's trying to make contacts on his days off."
"But shouldn't Sam be doing that?" Arthur asked, confused. The last he heard of him, the third oldest brother was working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation at the Ministry of Magic.
"He's now working in the Investigation Department in the Auror Office." David said.
"How'd that happen?"
"During the first week back after term ended, when we were about to come and join the Order, Sam came home and said that Fudge wanted to promote him." David explained.
"Promote him to what?" Arthur asked, frowning at the mention of Fudge.
"To be Junior Assistant to the Minister." David replied. "But he turned it down, requesting a transfer to the Investigation Department. He said he suspects Fudge wanted him to keep an eye on dad, since Fudge has been storming around the Ministry, checking that no one's been making contact with Dumbledore."
"Dumbledore's name is now mud with the Ministry." Jack continued. "Those that are close to Fudge think Dumbledore's been making trouble by saying that Voldemort's back."
"Yeah." Kevin said. "Dad said that Fudge made it clear that if anyone's in league with Dumbledore, they can clear out their desks."
"And naturally, Fudge suspects dad." Jack said. "He knows that he and Dumbledore are friendly with each other. And he even suspects Gideon, who Fudge thinks is a weirdo for his Muggle obsession."
"And Sam wasn't going to turn on his family." Arthur said.
"Exactly. He may be ambitious, but not at the cost of family. He didn't want to spy on his own family, and Dumbledore." David said.
"But there's something you should know, Arthur." Mike said. "You've been mentioned in the Daily Prophet a couple times a week."
"What are you talking about?" Arthur questioned.
"Haven't you been reading the papers?" Chrys said in confusion.
"Only the front covers."
"Anyway, you'd be slipped in, not in the big articles, and be considered a standing joke." Mike continued.
"WHAT?"
"It's nasty. You'd have thought Skeeter was writing all of it." Chrys said.
"She isn't actually writing them, right?"
"Nope. She's kept her promise. She knew the severity of what would happen if she broke it." Chrys said. "They're now saying that you're unstable and crazy. And that you're just some attention seeking brat who thinks he's a great tragic hero trying to one up your ancestors. They'd slip in some snide comments. If a far fetched story appeared, they'd say something like 'A tale worthy of Arthur Pendergast'.
"Scared, stupid gits." Arthur growled.
"Exactly. They're trying to make you out as someone to not be taken seriously. Fudge is clearly behind this whole smear campaign. They want the wizarding community to think you're a stupid boy who tells absurd tall tales because he loves being famous and wants it to keep going."
"But Voldemort murdered my parents!" Arthur spat, standing up. "Who wants to be famous because someone murdered their parents? I'd do whatever to not be famous!"
"We all know that, Arthur. Please… just calm down." Mike said soothingly, pulling him back down on the bed and rubbing his back to calm him down.
"Also they didn't report anything about the Dementors attacking you and your cousin." Chrys said. "Someone's told them to keep quiet about it. It should've been a huge story, though, out of control Dementors. There's not even mention of you breaking the International Statute of Secrecy. We assumed they would, to tie into the image of you being a show off."
"We believe that they're just biding their time until you're expelled." David said. "Though you shouldn't be. If they actually abide by their own laws, there's no case against you."
Now that they were back to the hearing, Arthur didn't really want to think about it.
He wanted to change to another subject when the sound of footsteps came up the stairs.
"Oh crud."
Jack gave the Extendable Ear a tug; there was a loud crack and both he and Kevin vanished. Seconds later, Martha appeared in the doorway.
"The meeting's now over. You can come down for dinner. Everyone's been eager to see you, Arthur. Who left all those Dungbombs outside the kitchen door?"
"Crookshanks." Mary lied. "He likes playing with them."
"Huh." Martha said. "I honestly thought it was Kreacher, he tends to do stuff like that. Anyway, remember to keep quiet down in the hall. Mary, go wash your hands, please."
Mary grimaced before she followed her mother out of the room, leaving Arthur, David, Chrys and Mike. The latter three looked at Arthur a bit apprehensive and concerned. They feared he'd yell at them with everyone else gone.
Now that Arthur had let all his frustrations out and remembered the looks of David and Chrys' faces, Arthur now felt so ashamed of himself that he wouldn't blame them if they didn't want to be friends with him anymore.
"Guys… I'm sorry." He said guiltily, his eyes watering.
"There's no need, Arthur." David said. "We knew you'd be furious. We don't blame you. And we really did try our hardest to persuade Dumbledore."
"I know." Arthur said, now knowing without question the source of all his anger and fury. His own Headmaster. Just the thought of him made his growl.
"By the way, who's Kreacher?" He then asked, changing the subject as he wiped his eyes dry.
"He's the house elf who lives here." Mike answered him. "He's nothing but a foul git."
"Yeah, he's a complete nutter." David nodded.
"And his life's ambition is to have his head cut off and be placed in those glass containers like his mother." Chrys cringed. "How do house elves actually look forward to that?"
"And Dumbledore's asking us to be kind to him. Yeah right." David snorted. "Anyway, let's go, I'm hungry."
He led them all to the door and out onto the landing, but before they could descend the stairs….
"Wait!" David breathed, putting an arm up to stop them. "They're still in the hall, we might hear something."
The four all looked cautiously over the bannisters. The gloomy hallway below was packed with various witches and wizards, which included all of Arthur's guard.
All of them whispered excitedly together.
Arthur spotted a certain dark, greasy haired head and a hooked nose in the very centre of the group. It was his least favourite teacher at Hogwarts, Professor Snape.
Arthur leaned further over the bannisters, being very interested in what Snape was doing for the Order of the Phoenix, not even coming close to trusting him.
A thin piece of flesh coloured string descended in front of his eyes, making him look up and see Jack and Kevin on the landing above, who cautiously lowered the Extendable Ear towards the dark mass of people below. But a moment later, they all moved towards the door and out of sight.
"Dammit." Arthur heard Jack whisper, now hoisting the Extendable Ear back up again.
They then heard the front door open and close.
"Thank God Snape doesn't eat here." Mike said to Arthur as they now carried on down the stairs.
"Again, keep quiet in the hall." Chrys whispered to Arthur.
As they all passed the glass containers full of house elf heads, they saw Lupin, Martha and Tonks at the front door, magically sealing its many locks and bolts behind the people who left.
"We'll be eating down in the kitchen." Martha whispered as she met them at the bottom of the stairs. "It's through this door here -"
CRASH
"Tonks!" She cried in exasperation, looking behind her.
"I'm sorry!" Tonks wailed, who was now lying flat on the floor. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, that's the second time I've tripped over -"
The rest of her words were drowned out by the most horrible, ear splitting, blood curdling screech Arthur could ever hear in his life.
The moth-eaten velvet curtains that Arthur passed by earlier flew apart, and there wasn't a door behind them.
For a split second, Arthur thought he was looking through a window that had an old woman in a black cap screaming through it, screaming as though she was being tortured.
But he realised that it was actually a life sized portrait, the most realistic and most unpleasant life sized portrait that Arthur had ever seen.
The old woman in the portrait was drooling, her eyes were rolling and her yellowing skin on her face stretched taut as she screamed; all along the hall behind them , all the other portraits awoke and started yelling too. This made Arthur screw his eyes up at the noise and clap his hands over his ears instantly.
Lupin and Martha darted forward to try and tug the curtains shut over the old woman, but they wouldn't close and she screamed louder than ever, now brandishing clawed hands like she was trying to tear at their faces.
"Filth! Scum! By products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers -"
Tonks apologised non stop, dragging the hug, heavy troll's leg back off the floor; Martha now abandoned the attempt to close the curtains and hurried up and down the hall, Stunning the other portraits with her wand; then a man with shoulder length black hair came charging out of a door facing Arthur.
"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!" He roared, seizing the curtains that Martha abandoned.
The old woman's face now blanched.
"Yoooou!" She howled, her eyes now popping at the sight of the man. "Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!"
"I said - shut - UP!" The man roared once more, and then with a tremendous effort, he and Lupin forced the curtains closed again.
The old woman's screeches were now dying out and an echoing silence fell.
Panting heavily and sweeping a bit of his dark hair out of his eyes, Arthur's godfather Sirius turned to face him, looking grim at first before looking cheery and happy to see him.
"Hello, Arthur." He said cheerily. "I see you've met my mother."
The last part with Sirius was what I was talking about. I much prefer the film's portrayal of Sirius where he was more like a caring and supportive godfather, unlike in the book where he's very selfish, moody and downright unhelpful.