CHAPTER 4: "THE HIDDEN MANOR OF GRIMMAULD"
Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Arthur stared at the name 'Order of the Phoenix,' contemplating Dumbledore's choice. It seemed like the kind of name the Headmaster would devise, given his close association with the magical bird, not to mention his loyal phoenix companion, Fawkes.
Moody swiftly pulled the piece of parchment from Arthur's hand and set it ablaze with the tip of his wand. As the message curled into flames and floated to the ground, Arthur surveyed the surroundings. They stood outside Number Eleven, with Number Ten to the left and Number Thirteen to the right. Strangely, there was no visible Number Twelve.
The address played tricks on Arthur's perception. Suddenly, a battered door materialized out of nowhere between Number Eleven and Thirteen, followed swiftly by dirty walls and grimy windows. It was as if an additional house had sprung into existence, nudging the adjacent ones aside. Arthur remained speechless, the thudding beat of the stereo from Number Eleven suggesting that the Muggles remained blissfully unaware of the magical alterations.
"Come on, hurry," Moody growled, prodding Arthur forward.
Ascending the worn stone steps, Arthur studied the door. Its black paint was shabby and scratched, while the silver door knocker took the form of a twisted serpent. A subtle nod to the house's likely Slytherin heritage. Oddly, there was no visible keyhole or letterbox.
Lupin extracted his wand and tapped the door once. The audible metallic clicks and the sound of a chain clattering preceded the door's creaking open.
"Get in quick, Arthur," Lupin whispered. "...but don't go far inside, and don't touch anything."
Arthur crossed the threshold into almost total darkness, greeted by the scent of damp, dust, and a sweet yet rotting odor. The place felt like a forsaken structure, abandoned and forlorn.
He glanced over his shoulder to see the others filing in behind him, Lupin and Tonks still bearing his trunk and Athena's cage. Moody stood on the top step, releasing the balls of light from the Put-Outer back to the street lamps. The square now glowed with an orange hue before Moody limped inside and closed the front door, plunging the hall into complete darkness.
"Here -"
A sharp rap from Moody's wand struck Arthur's head, and he felt something warm trickle down his back. The Disillusionment Charm was lifted.
"Now stay still, everyone, while I give us a bit of light in here," Moody whispered.
Hushed voices from the others created an unsettling atmosphere, as if Arthur had stepped into a dwelling marked by the specter of death. A soft hissing sound reached his ears before old-fashioned gas lamps sputtered to life along the walls. The flickering light revealed a long and gloomy hallway adorned with peeling wallpaper, a threadbare carpet, and a cobwebbed chandelier overhead. Age-blackened portraits hung crooked on the walls, casting eerie shadows that danced in the dim glow.
Arthur then heard something scuttling behind the skirting board. Both the chandelier and the candelabra on a rickety table nearby were shaped like serpents, emphasizing the Slytherin connection of the family who once inhabited this mysterious house.
Hurried footsteps echoed in the dim hallway, and Martha Merlon, David's mother, emerged from a door at the far end. Despite the welcoming smile, Arthur noticed a paleness about her and the silver hair, usually flowing, was now cut short to her shoulders. It was a stark contrast to the last time Arthur had seen her.
"Arthur, I'm so glad you're alright!" Martha whispered, pulling him into a warm hug before holding him at arm's length, examining him. "You look healthy, that's good."
She turned to the group of wizards behind him, whispering urgently, "He's just arrived; the meeting's started."
The wizards expressed excitement and interest, filing past Arthur toward the door Martha had come from. Arthur attempted to follow, but Martha grabbed his arm tightly to stop him.
"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.
"Why?" Arthur 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. After skirting past a large umbrella stand that looked like it was made out of a severed troll's leg, they went up the dark staircase, passing a row of glass containers filled with heads from house elves, each with a snout-like nose.
Arthur's disturbed feeling about the house deepened with each step. Why were they 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 reached the second landing. "...you're the door on the right. I'll call you when it's over."
She hurried downstairs, leaving Arthur standing outside the door to the bedroom. He turned the doorknob, shaped like a serpent's head, and opened the door.
A glimpse of a gloomy, high-ceilinged, three-bedded room met his eyes before a loud twittering noise and an even louder shriek filled the air. 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 a short pixie cut, a stark contrast to her previously long hair.
"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 had grown an inch or two during their month apart, though his electric blue eyes and silver hair 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 nibbled 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 at meeting his friends again truly gone, replaced by 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, noticing the marks from Athena's beak on her, 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!"
The room echoed with the shattered glass, and the tension hung thick in the air, suffocating the three friends in the aftermath of Arthur's outburst. Athena and Goliath, perched on the wardrobe, watched with wide eyes as Arthur's frustration and resentment spilled out in a torrent of words.
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.
The tension in the room began to ease slightly as Arthur processed the information. His anger hadn't completely dissipated, but the realization that his friends were not entirely privy to the Order's activities helped him regain some composure. Athena and Goliath, perched on the wardrobe, observed the unfolding scene with cautious curiosity.
"Fine," Arthur muttered, his shoulders slumping. "But that still doesn't excuse keeping me in the dark. I'm not a child who needs protecting."
Chrys, wiping away her tears, nodded in agreement, "You're right, Arthur. We should have found a way to keep you informed, even if it meant defying Dumbledore's wishes."
Arthur turned to face them, his expression less hostile but still marked by frustration. "I need to know what's happening. I can't stay oblivious while the world is at stake."
David sighed, "We get it, Arthur. We messed up, and we're sorry."
The room fell into a heavy silence once again, the shattered glass on the floor serving as a tangible reminder of the emotional turmoil that had unfolded. Athena, sensing a moment of relative calm, glided down from the wardrobe to perch on Arthur's shoulder, offering a comforting presence.
As the trio navigated the aftermath of Arthur's outburst, the weight of unspoken apologies and unaddressed concerns lingered in the air. The room, once a sanctuary for the trio's camaraderie, now bore witness to the strains of friendship tested by secrecy and circumstance.
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, materialized 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 not to 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-colored 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.
The room buzzed with a mix of tension and a strange camaraderie as the group settled into an uneasy peace. The presence of Jack and Kevin, with their mischievous antics, added a layer of familiarity that temporarily distracted Arthur from his lingering anger.
"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."
The revelation sent a chill down Arthur's spine. The political landscape at the Ministry seemed more treacherous than ever, with Fudge's skepticism and Dumbledore's warnings creating an atmosphere of suspicion and fear. The mention of Voldemort's return being contested fueled Arthur's anger, knowing firsthand the threat that loomed over the wizarding world.
The room fell into a thoughtful silence as the friends absorbed the gravity of the situation. Athena hooted softly, perched on the windowsill as if mirroring their collective contemplation.
"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 of 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.
Mike put a comforting hand on Arthur's shoulder, understanding the frustration and anger boiling within him. The twisted narrative painted by the Daily Prophet only added insult to injury, undermining Arthur's credibility and portraying him as a mere pawn in some imagined drama.
"Exactly. They're trying to make you out as someone not to 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 showoff."
"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."
Arthur shot a glance at Mary, silently thanking her for covering up their illicit attempts to eavesdrop on the Order's meeting. Martha's raised eyebrow indicated she wasn't entirely convinced, but she chose not to pursue the matter.
Mary contorted her face in a mix of concern and disappointment before reluctantly trailing her mother out of the room, leaving Arthur alone with David, Chrys, and Mike. The air hung heavy with tension as the trio exchanged uneasy glances, half-expecting Arthur to explode in anger now that they were alone.
However, Arthur surprised them by taking a deep breath, his demeanor shifting from rage to remorse. The weight of his own outburst settled heavily on his shoulders, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he might have irreparably damaged his friendships.
"Guys, I'm sorry," Arthur mumbled, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. The sincerity in his voice cut through the lingering tension.
David, attempting to diffuse the heaviness in the room, spoke up reassuringly, "There's no need, Arthur. We knew you'd be furious. We don't blame you. And we really did try our hardest to persuade Dumbledore."
A moment of shared understanding passed between the friends. The revelation that Dumbledore was at the root of Arthur's anger added a new layer to the complexity of their predicament.
"I know," Arthur admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "It's just... Dumbledore, he... he's infuriating."
As Arthur wiped away the last traces of moisture from his eyes, he decided to steer the conversation in a different direction, seeking distraction from the recent turmoil.
"By the way, who's Kreacher?" he inquired, hoping to lighten the mood.
Mike grimaced, "He's the house elf who lives here. A real foul git."
David chimed in, "Yeah, a complete nutter. And Dumbledore expects us to be kind to him. Ridiculous."
Chrys shuddered, "And Kreacher's life's ambition is to have his head cut off and be placed in those glass containers like his mother. How do house elves look forward to something like that?"
"And Dumbledore's asking us to be kind to him. Yeah, right," David snorted, his skepticism evident. "Anyway, let's go. I'm hungry."
With that, David led the group towards the door, ready to leave the tumultuous atmosphere behind. However, just as they reached the landing, an unexpected interruption halted their descent down the stairs, promising a new twist to their day.
"Wait!" David breathed, swiftly raising an arm to halt their descent. "They're still in the hall; we might hear something."
Cautiously, the four leaned over the bannisters, peering down into the gloomy hallway below. The space was packed with various witches and wizards, including Arthur's entire guard, engaged in excited whispers that reverberated through the air.
Arthur's eyes narrowed as he spotted a familiar dark, greasy-haired head and a hooked nose at the very center of the gathering. It was none other than his least favorite Hogwarts teacher, Professor Snape. Despite being on the same side in the Order of the Phoenix, Arthur couldn't shake the deep-seated distrust he felt toward Snape.
Leaning even further over the bannisters, Arthur strained to catch snippets of Snape's conversation, eager to glean any insight into the man's activities for the Order.
A thin piece of flesh-colored string suddenly descended in front of Arthur's eyes. Startled, he looked up to find Jack and Kevin on the landing above, discreetly lowering an Extendable Ear toward the crowd below. However, just as they adjusted it for a better position, the group started moving toward the door and out of sight.
"Dammit," Jack whispered, frustration evident as he hoisted the Extendable Ear back up.
The unmistakable creak of the front door opening and closing reached their ears. "Thank God Snape doesn't eat here," Mike remarked to Arthur, the tension in the air palpable.
"Again, keep quiet in the hall," Chrys whispered to Arthur as they resumed their descent down the stairs.
Passing the glass containers, each housing the preserved head of a house elf, they observed Lupin, Martha, and Tonks near the front door. The trio worked together to magically seal the door's many locks and bolts behind the departing group.
The lingering mysteries and covert activities surrounding the Order of the Phoenix added layers of intrigue, leaving the friends with a sense of unease and curiosity as they navigated the secrets woven into the very fabric of Hogwarts.
"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!" Martha cried in exasperation, glancing behind her.
"I'm sorry!" Tonks wailed, sprawled 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 that Arthur could ever hear in his life.
The moth-eaten velvet curtains that Arthur had passed by earlier flew apart, revealing that there wasn't a door behind them. For a split second, Arthur thought he was looking through a window with an old woman in a black cap screaming as though she were being tortured. However, he soon realized it was a life-sized portrait, the most realistic and unpleasant one he had ever seen.
The old woman in the portrait drooled, her eyes rolled, and her yellowing skin stretched taut as she screamed. All along the hall behind them, the other portraits awoke and joined in the cacophony. The noise was so unbearable that Arthur screwed his eyes shut and clapped his hands over his ears instantly.
Lupin and Martha darted forward, attempting to tug the curtains shut over the old woman, but they wouldn't budge. She screamed louder than ever, now brandishing clawed hands as if 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 continued her stream of apologies, dragging the heavy troll's leg back off the floor. Martha abandoned the futile 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 charged out of a door facing Arthur, adding a new layer of chaos to the already tumultuous scene.
"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!" Sirius roared, grabbing the abandoned curtains that Martha had let go of. The old woman's face blanched at his sudden intervention.
"Yoooou!" she howled, her eyes popping at the sight of Sirius. "Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!"
"I said - shut - UP!" Sirius bellowed once more, his voice cutting through the chaotic noise. With a tremendous effort, he and Lupin managed to force the curtains closed again, muffling the old woman's screeches until they died 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, a mix of grimness and cheeriness on his expression.
"Hello, Arthur," he said cheerily. "I see you've met my mother."
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