Chapter 21: A New Order

Molly Weasley took her seat at the long, formal dining room of 12 Grimmauld Place. Despite herself she couldn't help to notice what an impressive display of wealth and status it was, now that the room had been fully restored and refurbished. The long, cherry wood table was beautifully trimmed, freshly stained and glossed. The antique dresser containing the Black family crest had been moved to a new corner, its design a reminder of the ancient lineage of the house, but its placement a testament to the new direction Sirius Black was taking his family line. A gorgeous crystal chandelier hanging above the table glowed with a newly enchanted inner magic, drenching the room in a brightness that had not been seen in the house in decades, if ever.

Molly could admit to herself that she could only dream of having a dining area that looked like this. She didn't regret for a second her choice to marry Arthur or her life at the Burrow, but there were moments where she might wish for something a little grander in her life. The old and stately dining room reminded her the difference in lifestyle between the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and the more common wizarding families, such as the Weasleys and Prewetts.

The chairs that surrounded the table, however, were all new. Sirius had never liked the old high-backed dining chairs when he was growing up, and when it was discovered that the magic that had held preserved the original seats over the years had worn off, allowing decay to set in, the new head of the Black house decided to simply vanish what was left of them and replace them with newer, cushioned chairs. The new furniture was evenly spaced around the long, formal dining table. Settling into her comfortable seat, Molly certainly approved of Sirius Black's choice.

Molly noted that Harry was across the table seated just to the left of Dumbledore at the center of the table, which was odd as she would have thought the young man would be by his godfather. Sirius was at the head of the table, as befit the owner of the house, but the Headmaster's position would allow him to be at the center of discussion.

Around the table were many familiar witches and wizards, all of whom Mrs. Weasley recognized either from the Order or from their association with Hogwarts. Alastor Moody, Rubeus Hagrid, Remus Lupin, and Minerva McGonagall were all seated on the same side as Albus and Harry. Seated near her were her husband, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Nymphadora Tonks along with Severus Snape, Mundungus Fletcher and a few of the old hands from the previous war. There were several others still standing, including the rest of her family, despite there being a number of seats open.

Professor Dumbledore rose from his position and tapped his wand against a goblet at his place at the table, the sound bringing an instant halt to the private conversations, and Molly immediately gave him her full attention.

"Welcome all of you, and thank you for coming on such short notice. I regret for the need to call upon your services again, but circumstances are such that if we sit by any longer we may find ourselves once more fighting a war which we will be hard pressed to win. For this reason, I am officially reconvening the Order—"

The meeting was already starting? Considering the number of open chairs, she had thought there was more time before she needed to get everyone up to bed. "Oh, I'm sorry Albus, I wasn't aware we were already starting," Molly Weasley apologized. The matronly red head clapped her hands together to get her children's attention, "Okay all of you, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny—get yourselves up to your rooms. And no eavesdropping! Harry, Hermione, you too. This is a meeting for the adults here."

"Actually, Molly," Dumbledore said raising his hand to forestall any further motion, "Harry is here for the meeting at my direct invitation." Dumbledore placed his upraised hand on Harry's shoulder, settling him in his place. "As much as I wish to spare him the unpleasant business of the return of Voldemort," Molly shuddered at the name—so many terrible memories associated with even its mention—"circumstances will not allow it. And I'm afraid, the business at hand has a great deal to do with one your children." Dumbledore's gaze locked with that of the youngest male Weasley boy. "With your permission, Mrs. Weasley, I would ask that Ron remain with us."

Molly's hand flew to her mouth. "My little Ron?" Little Ron? What business could the Order of the Phoenix possibly have that her little boy would need to be present for a meeting? "But…what…" Before she could even finish vocalizing the question, she knew what it was. Ron was a registered seer. You-Know-Who would want that power. Still, it wasn't right that her little boy needed to be part of this. "But Albus, he's too young!"

"Yes, he is, Molly," Dumbledore replied. "As were many of those we lost in the last war. But if we are to have the best chance of protecting our children from the coming threat then I am afraid that Ron's participation is required. It is, of course, your and Arthur's decision, but I hope you will consent."

Arthur Weasley, the man who she loved as much as she loved herself and her children, took her hand and met her eyes. She could see the understanding of her concern in Arthur's eyes, but there was also that firm look she recognized from back during the war that said that it would all be okay. The dark forces had to be fought. And Ron was not so small as he once was. His inclusion was the best way to help him. Silently, Molly blinked her consent, a tear running down her cheek. After a moment, Arthur nodded his head back at the group.

"Well, if ickle Ronnikins is joining the meeting—" Fred began.

"—then George and I will be joining, too!" his brother finished.

"And so will I!" Ginny declared, stepping forward to join the rest of her family.

At this, Molly stood and whirled on the children. "No, you will not!" She looked on her children for a moment, seeing their youth but also their growth over these years. Her twin boys, her rowdy troublemakers, they weren't warriors. But they weren't babies either. Ginny—Ginny had faced Voldemort. Nearly died. She was strong for her age, but still—

"Fred. George," she began, eyeing each of the boys in turn and correctly called their names, "You will sit next to your father. You will not get up to any of your pranks while at this meeting and you will take what is said here seriously. Ginevra, you will get upstairs. Ron may have to be here despite being too young, but that isn't true of you." Before Ginny could get more than half a word of protest, the Weasley matriarch silenced her with an unquestionable command. "Now get upstairs, young lady!"

Ginny stomped out of the room angrily, while Fred and George took their seats at the table next to their parents. Ron, however, took the empty chair next to Harry on the other side of the table. Molly felt her chest swell with pride at her boy's choice to stick by his friend, no matter her misgivings on having young children involved in even a limited capacity. She hadn't been sure Ron was as cut out for Gryffindor as the rest of the family, but it was times like these that proved what he was made of. Hermione took the only other empty seat on Dumbledore's side of the table, next to Ron, and Molly found herself unable to object to her inclusion either with both Ron and Harry included.

With that, Dumbledore began outlining what they knew of current Death Eater activity, where the Ministry stood, and what sort of resources they had with which to fight back. This time, after the battle of Little Hangleton and so many Aurors having witnessed the gathered Death Eaters and the resurrected dark lord, the Ministry was doing more to safeguard the public than in previous years, but they still would not directly investigate many of the suspected Death Eaters, despite all the evidence that they were You-Know-Who's followers. After that initial report, Dumbledore detailed the need for the Order to be officially re-activated, and Molly found herself agreeing.

Dumbledore initiated the Order of the Phoenix by confirming the membership of those present, citing their efforts and loyalty in the past war as the basis for inclusion this time without any need for discussion. Molly felt her cheeks warm up as her own actions were mentioned as "heroic" followed by Arthur being similarly praised. "Now, as Messieurs George and Fred Weasley have passed their O.W.L. exams with acceptable marks and are set to graduate this year as adult wizards, and considering their family's close alignment to the Light, it is my opinion that they be inducted as members of the Order of the Phoenix."

There was a quick show of wands in support. A few abstained, but did not object.

"As for Mr. Ronald Weasley and Ms. Hermione Granger, being as they are both underage and have not yet achieved their O.W.L.'s," the Headmaster said as preamble, "I propose that they be admitted as junior members of the Order until such time as they come of age and have completed at least Ordinary Wizarding Levels of study. As such, they will not be asked to take part in any Order business with the following exceptions: First, they may be asked to perform tasks beneficial to the Order as Hogwarts students, such as rallying other students to resist Voldemort's influence, discretely gathering information from fellow-students, and other such non-dangerous tasks." Molly nodded her head. It was more involvement than she would like, but at least it was reasonable. "And second," at this Dumbledore fixed Molly with a his deep, blue eyes, "they may be given critical tasks for which they are uniquely qualified."

Such as if they were registered seers. Oh dear. But Molly had no way to protest. She raised her wand in agreement despite her heart wanting desperately to object.

And then Dumbledore said something that made Molly wonder if the Hogwart's Headmaster had lost his mind. "And finally, we come to the matter of Mr. Harry Potter's membership in the Order. After careful consideration, I have come to the decision to officially take Mr. Potter as my apprentice. He will therefore be inducted as a full member of the Order, and moreover, in the event of my untimely demise, will be the one to take up the reigns of leadership."

There was an immediate commotion as several people spoke up at once, each expressing some version of the same incredulity Molly felt. Severus Snape and several of the older member were loudly complaining that despite his apparent accomplishments, there was no way that Harry should be a full member at his age, much less the heir to leadership of the Order of the Phoenix. It was a little surprising to Molly that Harry's own godfather did not speak up to object, or even Remus Lupin for that matter.

It was actually Molly herself who actually finally was given the floor to voice the opposition to Dumbledore's ridiculous proposal. "But Albus, you can't be serious! I love Harry like a son," she paused to give him a warm smile to assure him that her objection was nothing personal against him—quite the opposite—before turning back to the Headmaster to continue, "but to think that he should be given the responsibilities of being a full Order Member at his age is just irresponsible! I shudder to think what would happen if he were to come up against a Death Eater."

Dumbledore wore a concerned expression for a moment, as if just realizing the point. "Perhaps you are right, Mrs. Weasley. I may have been a little hasty in bringing young Harry into this."

"What?!" Harry protested immediately.

"Molly, if you would, please stun Mr. Potter so that he can be removed from the table and we can continue our business. I'm afraid he cannot be trusted not to try to listen in."

Molly gave the Hogwarts Headmaster an incredulous look. "Albus, that is going too far. There is no call—"

Albus Dumbledore broke into her objection harshly, "If you don't feel strongly enough about this matter to merely stun the boy, then we will simply continue and Mr. Potter will be a full member of Order. Now, then…"

Molly was shocked. How could Albus be some callous towards the boy's welfare? And worse...that Albus Dumbledore would so underestimate her was…was unbelievable. He thought he could scare her off her argument with such a ridiculous ultimatum? True, he knew that she had a soft heart and wouldn't ever think of harming a hair on Harry's head, but if it were for his safety, she would do what she must. The Headmaster really was slipping if he thought a bluff such as this would make her change her mind.

Sadly, Molly drew her wand. "I'm sorry, Harry, but this is for your own good." Harry would be angry at her, but in time he would see it was for the best. He really was not ready for this kind of dangerous endeavor. Perhaps if Harry were removed, Hermione would also reconsider and Ron would be careful not to overstep his bounds.

The look on Harry's face as she leveled her wand at him was not what she expected. The outrage she had seen when Dumbledore had briefly agreed with her was now gone. She had expected perhaps fear, or maybe defiance and anger, but instead he looked—calm. For a moment she hesitated, but a look over to Dumbledore's unperturbed expression and Molly steeled herself.

She jabbed her wand toward the Boy-Who-Lived. "Stupefy!"

It happened so fast. A red beam shot from her wand, lancing out towards Harry. And then, faster than she could blink, the young wizard simply backhanded her spell away from him, the red bolt sent just over her own head to crash into the dining room door. She turned her head for just a moment to see what kind of mark her spell would leave, hoping it would not be too hard to repair with magic, and when she turned back she was met with the sight of Harry aiming his finger at her.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Weasley," he said with just a slight tinge of coming regret, "but this is for your own good."

There was no incantation. No warning. The red bolt of Harry's stunning charm was easily faster and stronger than her own. She knew this because she hadn't even thought of dodging or putting up a shield before everything went black.

Weasley Seer

There was a moment of hushed silence while Harry stood there, his finger extended and Molly Weasley was slumped over on the table.

Harry started to go over to revive Mrs. Weasley, but Dumbledore held him back. He had been hoping it would have been Snape who would challenge him, as Dumbledore had predicted someone would do, but he had done as he had been instructed. Honestly, he was more on Mrs. Weasley's side about not being ready to lead, but as Dumbledore had pointed out, the Order needed to begin putting their confidence in Harry now. Before either he or Dumbledore faced Voldemort.

"Rennervate," Arthur Weasley said with his want pointing at his wife. She barely stirred. The Weasley patriarch gave a surprised glance at Harry before repeating the charm, "Rennervate!" this time focusing more strongly on awakening.

"I'm sorry, Arthur," Harry said, then glanced to his right, "Ron." Then Harry looked over at Mrs. Weasley, worried at what he might see there. Would this destroy their relationship? "Mrs. Weasley, I'm sorry I had to do that…"

Dumbledore cut him off. "Now, now, Harry, no need to worry. No harm done. It was, after all, just a stunning spell. Isn't that right, Molly?" There was a hint of chiding in his voice.

A now fully cognizant Molly Weasley shook her head in agreement. "No, Harry dear, Albus is right. No harm done. And, I would like to apologize for doubting you. I-I can't object to you being a member of the Order."

And that was that. Severus Snape and one or two others still looked unhappy about Harry being the next leader of the Order, but there was no denying Harry's power.

Dumbledore was quick to explain that Harry was not, presently, a second-in-command, but that in time Harry would be privy to certain of the Headmaster's secrets and that would give him the best perspective to direct the Order against Voldemort if it happened that Dumbledore were to be unable to lead. If such an unfortunate situation did arise before the Headmaster managed to properly train Harry in planning and strategy, then it would fall to Alastor Moody to handle the details and logistics of operations, but Harry would determine many of the objectives the other Order members would need to achieve to defeat Voldemort once and for all.

"Which brings us to the most critical matter of the evening," Dumbledore said, and at that everyone in the room who had been relaxing came to abrupt attention. "In the last war, there was a particular weapon that we possessed of which Voldemort did not have knowledge." The elderly wizard let the importance of that hang in the air for a moment. "A True Prophecy made by Hogwarts's own Sybill Telawney, detailing the means by which the dark lord could be brought down."

There was a stifled gasp at the revelation. Ron was only one of those caught by surprise at the revelation. Several others in the room were equally shocked.

"It was in part due to this prophecy that Voldemort was defeated the last time," Dumbledore continued. "For you see, it was partial news of this prophecy which led Voldemort to seek out the Potters. One of his Death Eaters managed to overhear the first part of the prophecy and relay the information to him. But it was the second part of the prophecy, that which he did not know, which led to his destruction. Unfortunately, the cost of our victory was the loss of James and Lily Potter."

At those words, Harry noticed the eyes of most present shift to him in either sympathy or pity. It was something he was used to, but not something he particularly relished.

"So, Dumbledore, what do you need us to do? How can we use this weapon against him this time?" Harry recognized the speaker as Kingsley Shacklebolt, an auror highly regarded in the DMLE if gossip was to be believed, and highly skilled as he recalled from what he saw of the man at the Battle of Little Hangleton.

"It is of paramount importance that Voldemort not get his hands on the full prophecy. Our knowledge of his vulnerability is an advantage we cannot afford to lose," Dumbledore said. "It is for this reason that we must be vigilant in guarding it from Death Eaters. We will need to place extra security within the Department of Mysteries at all times when the Ministry is closed. To that end, I have used my influence with the head Unspeakable to arrange for access to the Hall of Prophecy for all Order members who work at Ministry of Magic. These badges will grant you access to the Hall as needed."

Dumbledore passed out badges to Shacklebolt, Moody, Tonks, Arthur Weasley, and a couple of others who Harry had not known were actually Ministry employees. After a few more words about how the Order would operate over the next few weeks before the start of Hogwarts year, Dumbledore drew the meeting to a close. "Voldemort must not find out the remainder of the prophecy. Let us see that he does not."

Weasley Seer

After the meeting was over, Hermione pulled Harry and Ron aside.

"I think Dumbledore is making a big mistake," Hermione whispered.

"What do you mean?" Harry whispered back, ducking his head closer to his best friends. It wasn't unexpected that she would want to keep her doubts between the three of them, but he was a little surprised Hermione would question the Headmaster's judgment at all. Despite having come out of her shell a lot since first year, she still rarely questioned authority figures like this, especially Dumbledore.

"I mean, by placing a guard on the prophecy, Dumbledore is attracting attention to it! If they're right, and there are Death Eater spies in the Ministry, this will draw Voldemort's attention to the prophecy rather than keep him away from it!"

Ron frowned, thinking Hermione's line of reasoning through. "I don't think the Headmaster would make a mistake like that. It's too clumsy," Ron said. "So, it's a probably gambit of some kind," he continued before pausing a second time. "But whatever for?"

"Because," the voice of the Headmaster came from directly behind them, before swishing his wand around, a privacy ward forming around them, "it is imperative that Voldemort does hear the rest of the prophecy."

Hermione whirled around, taken completely off-guard. "What? I don't understand. Why would you want to give Voldemort the prophecy when it has the secret to defeating him?"

"Oh wait," Ron spoke up, "I think I get it now. Nostradamus's Third…er, Fourth Principle."

Dumbledore nodded.

"It's one of the things Trelawney is teaching me," Ron started.

"Professor Trelawney," the Headmaster corrected.

"Oh yeah, right, Professor Trelawney. It's about," Ron screwed up his face, trying to recall what it was about. "How prophecies get stronger when the people they are about know them or something like that. Right?"

"The fourth efficacy parameter of determinant precognition is directly proportional to the degree of knowledge of a prophecy: strongest for the subject and principle actors, weaker for collateral subjects, and still weaker but non-trivial for peripheral observers," Dumbledore quoted.

"Yeah, that," Ron said.

Harry could see the wheels in Hermione's head turning as she worked out Dumbledore's plan. "So, for Trelawney's seer powers to work best on Voldemort, he needs to know more about it. Which is why you are making a move you know will draw Voldemort's attention." Hermione thought for another beat, "and why you informed so many people in the Order! You think there's a spy among us!"

Dumbledore chuckled, "Not quite, but you have the right idea. I trust all of those in the Order of the Phoenix to fight valiantly against Voldemort. However, there are those whose lips are more prone to inadvertently letting slip things that are supposed to be secret, and those whose minds are not guarded with occlumency."

Hermione's eyes went wide.

So did Harry's. "Hagrid!" he exclaimed. "hang on! If you expect Hagrid to let information like that slip, then in first year you actually meant for—"

Dumbledore cut the young wizard off. "I assure you, it was most certainly not my intention for the information to reach any of you. I do admit that my entrusting Hagrid with certain secrets was a design to allow his affable nature to be exploited in an attempt to ensnare Voldemort's agent, but that you three came into the same knowledge was entirely unanticipated on my part." Dumbledore held up a hand. "And before you ask, the reason the challenges set were not harder was that they were never meant to keep a dark wizard away, but rather to merely delay. They were also meant to keep adventurous students out or incapacitate them without causing any lasting harm."

Harry frowned. "But then, why didn't you use an Age Line at the door?"

Dumbledore got a look of sudden surprise on his face before chuckling once again. "To be honest, I simply did not think of it. Perhaps next time I need to hide a powerful artifact as bait to ensnare a crafty dark wizard, I will consult you three on how not to let First-Years get themselves into great danger." Then the Headmaster pushed his glasses up on his nose. "However, in the meantime, I suggest that when you wish to have a private conversation in places where you could be overheard that you first create a privacy ward."

With a wink, the Headmaster left the three students feeling half proud of figuring out what they had and half-chagrined for not being more cautious.