Ch 3: Dementors and Revelations: Harry joins headquarters after the shocking dementor attack. With the help of Harry, Hermione and Sirius uncover even more shocking information.
It had been a week since Hermione and Sirius uncovered the truth about Hermione's heritage. In that week the two holed themselves up in the library when they could but they didn't want anyone in headquarters to uncover their secret. So Hermione was forced to clean with the Weasley children and Sirius sat in boring order meetings. Both Blacks made some interesting observations as they went about their normal days. Hermione noticed Molly Weasley sneaking dirty looks at her when Molly thought she wasn't paying attention. She swore she overheard Molly mention her name, the words marriage and money to someone but Hermione couldn't see who Molly was talking to. Sirius noticed Dumbeldore glancing at him more during order meetings and sharing conspiratorial looks with Molly Weasley. The two Blacks thought the behavior strange and vowed to never be alone with either of those two.
Hermione was about to go curl up on a couch in the library when she noticed her father was sprawled out on the floor surrounded by a pile of books. "I thought you said I inherited my love of reading from mom." Hermioned smirked. Sirius looked up from what he was reading and gave her a smile, "Well just because I was more focused on pranking in school did not mean I wasn't smart. Reading just took up valuable pranking time." He sighed dramatically and then he turned serious, "But now I am researching a way to get my name cleared. I think I need to reach out to my cousin Andy. She is Tonk's mom and her husband Ted is a lawyer for both muggles and wizards. I will also need the help of the goblins and Amelia Bones." Hermione picked up a book from his pile and plopped down next to him, "Well don't let me distract you, let's keep researching. Also sorry for being a little later than usual but for some reason I could not shake Ginny. She has been following me a lot more lately." Sirius looked at her and she could see he was thinking hard about something. "I saw her talking with Molly earlier. It could be nothing and just a normal mother daughter conversation but they were whispering and kept sneaking glances to make sure they weren't being overheard. Also I swear I saw Molly hand Ginny something." Hermione pulled her curly hair up into a messy bun (it helped her think better) and started to jot something down in her notebook she always had with her.
Sirius looked at her curiously. Once she was done with her notes she looked to him and said, "I have been noting anything strange or suspicious going on here So far, everything I have relates to either Molly, Dumdledore and now Ginny is added to the suspicious people list." Both sat in the library for hours, the only sounds were the turning of pages and the occasional scribble of a quill. Finally around midnight Kreacher popped in the library to find his little mistress and his master asleep on the floor surrounded by their research. He knew no one could know these two found out their family connection so he gently woke them up and helped them get to their rooms unseen.
Hermione was woken up by the sound of Ron barging on the door of the bedroom she shared with Ginny. "Hermione get up, now we need to talk ... .there has been some kind of emergency with Harry and we need to help!" As soon as she heard her brother in all but blood was in trouble, she bolted out of bed, changed quickly into leggings and t-shirt and headed out the door. "What kind of trouble is he in? Did Voldemort attack? Is he hurt? Do we need to go rescue him?" She blurted out without stopping to take a breath. Ron grabbed her hand and held her in place. "Hermione, you need to breathe. You will be no use to Harry if you aren't calm. No it wasn't Voldemort and no he wasn't hurt. There were dementors who got loose from Azkaban and went to Surrey. They started to attack Harry and his cousin but Harry performed a patronus. Dad, Kinglsey, and Tonks heard the ministry sent Harry a letter of expulsion for performing underage magic but Dumbledore is going to the ministry now to smooth things over. We need you to help us plan a way to get Harry here to headquarters." Ron said. Hermione couldn't believe what Ron just said. Once she calmed down she let Ron lead her to the kitchen where most of the Weasley, and some of the Order were sitting trying to figure out the safest way to retrieve Harry from the Dursleys.
As Hermione entered the kitchen she saw the Wesasleys, Remus, Sirius, and Tonks all arguing on what is the best plan to save Harry. After a minute Hermione heard, "I say we just take the flying car again and save him…that was a wicked flight" George suggested with a cheshire grin. Fred nodded in agreement but Bill slapped his brothers on the back of their heads and sighed "Guys can you be serious for just a second". At least George's antics and Bill's slap got everyone to crack a smile and got them to stop panicking and got them to think clearly for a second. "I know the Dursleys like to be the best at everything." Hermione offered to the group. Remus looked at Hermione like she had given them a piece of a missing puzzle, "That's it Hermione! We send the Dursleys a fake letter congratulating them on some made-up accomplishment and say they won a prize that requires them to leave the house so we can go and get Harry while they are out." The group looked around and slowly started to smile at Remus's idea. The adults told the kids they wouldn't be able to make the trip to Surrey but they could help by preparing Ron's room so he and Harry could share.
While the adults were in the kitchen finalizing the plans, the Weasley children and Hermione headed to Ron's room which would now be Harry's room too. Ron plopped on his bed, Hermione sat next to him, Ginny sat in a comfy chair that was in the room, and the twins sat down on what would be Harry's bed. Ron was the one who got the conversation going, "Can you believe this? Voldemort has been back for a month and now this?" George shook his head at Ron, "For some reason I don't think this is Voldemorts doing. Haven't you noticed he has been laying low this past month? So why use dementors to give Harry the kiss when we all know old Voldy wants to kill Harry himself." Fred agreed with his twin, "Haven't you heard the adults whispering when they think we aren't listening. They are saying that this isn't like the last time and they are scared that Voldemort is so quiet now because they are worried that means he has something big planned." Hermione looked at the two with a little bit of shock. She never noticed how observant they are, 'I guess that is why their pranks are so successful'. The twins smirked at her, "Don't be so surprised Hermione" Fred said. "We do have some brains despite what our OWL scores were. These aren't just pretty faces ya know." George smirked at her. Hermione laughed at the two and agreed, "Of course I know you two are bright. I just didn't know you had been listening in on the adults to get information. It would have been nice of you to share with us." The twins smiled, "No one asked us." Ron threw a pillow at the twins ("you gits withholding information from us") and it started an all out pillow fight in the room.
The kids finished their pillow fight and were cleaning up their mess when there was a knock on the door. Sirius entered and just laughed at the sight. "So I see you guys were productive in setting up the room for Harry." The kids blushed and looked anywhere but at Sirius. "It's okay kids. I am glad even in all the chaos you are remembering to be kids. Here let me help you." With a swish of his wands the room was put back together again and the feathers went back into their pillows. They all said thanks to Sirius and got started on making room for Harry. After they were done with the room they decided to head down to the kitchen to see what they could learn from the adults and it was almost dinner time so they knew they were needed to help get dinner ready.
Hermione decided to be near the twins and Ron because she did not want to deal with Ginny right now. Over dinner the kids learned from Arthur that Dumbledore was able to get Harry a trial instead of having him expelled and a few of the Order members would leave tomorrow evening to collect Harry. Even though she knew he was coming because of a bad thing happening to him ('again' she thought) Hermione was so excited to see her best friend. Sirius was watching Molly and Ginny out of the corner of his eyes and noticed Ginny slip something into Ron's drink. He excused himself and went to the bathroom where he called Kreacher. "Kreacher, I need you to grab Ron's cup and then bring it to my room and replace his cup so no one notices what you are doing." Kreacher nodded at his master and knew just how to be discreet. Sirius joined everyone back in the kitchen and decided to cause a distraction just in case. He "accidentally" knocked into Molly as she was carrying a tray of drinks. Everyone near her jumped up to help her and at that moment Kreacher took Ron's cup and replaced it with another. "Oh Molly I am so sorry. It looks like I tripped over my shoelace. It must have come untied." Sirius said, trying to sound sincere. Molly glared at him before schooling her features into one that of a caring mother who understood. Once dinner was cleared up Sirius caught his daughter's eye and signaled they needed to meet in the library tonight. Hermione gave a quick nod and then headed upstairs with Ginny to get ready for bed.
It wasn't until midnight that Hermione was able to sneak down to the library to meet with her father. "Sorry I am so late but Ginny would not stop talking! She kept talking about how she is so excited to see Harry and do I think Harry would notice her? And then she had the nerve to suggest Ron and I had crushes on each other! I mean I do have a crush on someone but it is definitely not Ron. Harry and Ron are like the brothers I have never had and sometimes I remind them I never asked for. " She ranted. Sirius smiled and just listened to his daughter rant. He could not stop thinking about how much like her mother she is. "Ginny is actually the reason I want to talk to you. At dinner I noticed her slip something into Ron's drink so I had Kreacher grab it as I caused a distraction by knocking into Molly." Hermione looked at him, "Please tell me you tested it already because I don't have the patience to wait" He nodded at her, "I had Kreacher go buy the potion needed to test what she put in his drink earlier and you won't like the results. It is a weak love potion that is keyed to you. ("What?! Unfreakingbelievable!" Hermione seethed) I am assuming this was the first time she gave it to him. She doesn't want it to be a noticeable change so she probably gave him a weak dose to start and as time goes on the doses will get stronger and stronger." He explained. Hermione was pacing and her magic was causing her curly hair to become even wilder. "She didn't do this on her own. Her mother has to be the one helping her. Molly told me and Ginny that she used a mild love potion on Arthur when they were teenagers." Hermione said, "But why would they go through the trouble of making Ron and I fall in love?" Sirius had no answer for her but he promised they would get to the bottom of it. "Kitten, I know you are mad but we need to pretend like we don't know anything. Can you do that? For me and mom?" Sirius said softly as he pulled Hermione in for a hug. Hermione nodded as tears of anger rolled down her face. "Hermione, remember mom and I love you. Harry, Ron, Remus, and the other Weasleys love you and will support you through anything we discover. I truly believe the Weasley men have no clue what the women of their family are up to. They are too honest for that kind of plot. Now it's almost 2 am. We both need some sleep and once Harry comes tomorrow night we can include him, Ron and the twins in our planning. We need more help now because something bigger than what the two of us can research is going on. Let's go upstairs." Sirius said as he guided his daughter out of the library. Once they reached the door of Hermione and Ginny's shared room Hermione looked up at Sirius and whispered, "Dad how can I go in there and pretend." Sirius hugged his daughter, "Love, you just need to take some deep breaths before you can get in there. Also maybe pretend to punch her in your head until you can unleash your anger on her in real life." Hermione chuckled at his advice. "I love you dad" she whispered. "I love you too kitten" He replied.
The next morning
Sirius was up earlier than all the other residents of Grimmauld Place and that was perfect. He needed to sneak out to Gringotts before anyone noticed he was gone. The perks of the goblin run bank was it was open 24/7. They did not care about what time of day their customers came in, as long as they were making money the goblins were happy. Sirius had Kreacher apparate them to the alley and he immediately transformed into Padfoot. As he walked towards the bank he enjoyed the freedom of being able to roam about, even if it was in dog form. Padfoot entered the bank and walked up the available counter. Griphook looked strangely at the dog but could sense it was a wizard so he motioned for the dog to follow him and as they entered the conference room the shaggy black dog transformed to Sirius Black. The goblin was not shocked to see Mr. Black because the goblins knew he was innocent but the ministry would never hear their case. "Hello Mr. Black are you here to claim your lordship today?" Griphook asked him. Sirius looked at Griphook in confusion, "Um sorry to be rude but I have no clue what you're talking about. I was disinherited by my father. Albus Dumbledore told me that when I was 16 I ran away from home to live with the Potters. And please call me Sirius." Griphook snapped his fingers and the Black family file was in his hands. As he read he was mumbling what Sirius was pretty sure swears in the goblin language. "Well Sirius, it seems that Albus Dumbledore lied to you. Your father never made any changes to who inherits the Black Lordship. One thing that does seem strange is there is a vault named 'Brian' and that has only been accessed by Dumbledore since you were 16 years old. Under the note it says your father came in with Albus and created this vault and the note says when Sirius Black dies all the money and the title of Lord Black will go to Albus Dumbledore and if he has any heirs Dumbeldore controls their money as well." Sirius looked at Griphook in shock, "No that can't be. Why would he do that? "
"I cannot say for sure but I do know Albus has always craved wealth and power. With your money he has been able to make sure certain laws get passed through and he has gained so much power in his many different roles." Griphook explained. "I only came here today to see if you could help show the ministry I am innocent. This information is not what I expected." Sirius sighed as he put his head in his hands. He took a deep breath and then asked, "First,can you help me get my freedom back and claim my lordship? Second, can we get back the money Dumbeldore has stolen? Third, I recently found out I had a 15 year old daughter who just happens to be one of my godson's best friends and I want to put a trust aside for her." Griphook nodded at him and said he could help with all three tasks. "The trust vault for your daughter will be the easiest. Just let me get the forms for you to sign and then that will be done. Then you can claim your lordship here in the bank. Once you do that we can speak with Amelia Bones and she can get the ball rolling on clearing your name. But before we have her come we should have you see our best healer to deal with the damage that was done from Azkaban. As for the Dumbeldore issue that may take some more time but it can be done." Griphook explained.
A couple of hours later a healthier and happier Sirius Black snuck back into headquarters. It was harder than sneaking out because the other occupants were awake and wandering around but he managed to sneak into his room without being seen. Once he changed back into his pajamas ,to make it seem like he was just getting out of bed, Sirius went to the kitchen to grab some breakfast with everyone else. Remus was the first one to notice him and gasped, "Wow Sirius you old dog, you look good. What did you do?" he asked suspiciously. Sirius just laughed, "Remus I don't know if you have noticed but I have been trying to get healthier since last year because Harry needs me. I guess now it's just more noticeable so it must mean I am getting better." Remus just looked him over but eventually nodded vowing to himself he would figure out Sirius's secret. Hermione broke the awkward silence by excitedly saying to Ron, "I can't wait to see Harry later tonight. I hope he isn't too mad at us for not writing. I would be livid if you two ignored me." Ron looked at her in amusement and said, " Mione, I know once we explain to Harry that Dumbledore ordered us not to write he will understand. He will be mad but he will forgive us. And I know you would be cursing us if we ignored you, Harry is more of a yeller which is a lot less scary. You are brilliant but scary and that is why we love you" Everyone chuckled and nodded at Ron's sentiment about Hermione. During breakfast Sirius got Hermione's attention and signaled her to leave the room. Hermione excused herself and went to the lounge and waited for her father. "Hermione tonight we need to bring Harry and Ron to the library with us once everyone else is asleep. I don't have time to explain everything now but I went to Gringotts this morning and uncovered more than I bargained for." Sirius explained quickly. "Ok dad sounds like a plan. I'll get the boys there, don't worry. Now let's get back before it starts to raise suspicion. " She said and they both went back to the kitchen.
After breakfast the kids went back to cleaning the house while the adults either went to work or were finalizing the plans to collect Harry tonight. For Hermione the day went by painfully slow and by dinner she thought she would explode from having to wait another minute to wait for Harry. When the group left for Privet Drive the other adults went into the kitchen for an Order meeting and the kids (minus Ginny) decided to wait for Harry in his room he would be sharing with Ron. They tried to play a game of Exploding Snaps but everyone was too on edge so instead they sat in silence listening to the ticking of the old clock in the room. After an hour of silence they heard a commotion coming from downstairs and they knew that meant Harry was here. A few seconds later the door opened and Hermione bolted from her spot and tackled Harry to the ground in a hug. Harry laughed at his best friend, "Hermione, I missed you too. But uh could we maybe get up because this floor is so uncomfortable." Hermione just blushed and got up from the floor.
The room was silent for a minute as Harry looked at everyone. "So why are we all here? And where is here exactly? Since no one wrote to me this summer I am out of the loop" he snapped at them. Ron looked at Harry, "Mate, we are sorry for not writing but Dumbledore forced us not to. He was afraid of our letters being intercepted and that would risk your safety. We did try to write but once we let Pig out of the window he turned right back around so we think Dumbledore set up wards so we couldn't write to you. We are in Grimmauld Place which is Sirius's family home and it is being used for the Order of the Phoenix. The order is a secret society for the light side to fight against You-Know-Who. Apparently your parents were members the last time." As Harry listened to his friend the anger that had been building up all summer towards his friends was fading. "Look guys, all summer I have been sad and angry. Sad for what happened at the end of the school year and mad that my closest friends never reached out to me. ("We know Harry" they whispered) But after listening to what you said I believe you tried and I can't be mad at that. So since this is headquarters, what have you learned about Voldemort?" He asked. At that moment Ginny entered the room and they all noticed her dirty hands. She grimaced at them, "I tried throwing dungbombs at the door to test if the adults put a shield up and they did. There seems to be no space for the twins' extendable ears to get through so spying is a no go. Oh hi Harry, glad you're here." Harry looked at them and said "So you have been here at headquarters and you've learned nothing." The others looked at him and nodded. "We thought we would spy on them but Moody could see us through the door with his eye so that was never a good option. George and I invented the extendable ears which can listen in to conversations without you being detected but apparently that work now from what Ginny says." Fred explained. Now that they have cleared the air the kids relaxed and talked about everything they did know so Harry could be caught up.
An hour later the kids heard the sounds of people leaving and they knew it was okay to head to dinner. "Oh by the way Harry, don't mention Percy." Ron said as they trudged downstairs. Harry threw him a curious look. "Well you know how we told you the ministry and the daily prophet are making you seem like an attention seeking liar? ("Honestly Ronald could you put a little kinder," Hermione whispered harshly and Ron blushed.) Percy was offered the role as assistant to the minister which mom and dad found odd considering Crouch fiasco last year. Dad even went as far as to accuse Fudge of using Percy to spy on you and Dumbledore since everyone knows we are close to you and my parents were a part of the order last time. Percy got mad at our parents for the accusations and then he said we were believing liars. He left that night and hasn't communicated with anyone since." Ron said sadly. Harry stopped halfway down the stairs and looked at the Weasley siblings, "Wow! What a prat! Sorry that was rude but wow! ("Not rude mate, it's true" George said) He has some nerve. Who turns their back on their family?" Harry said and continued down to the kitchen with the others.
As they entered the kitchen they heard "Harry dear, come sit. We need to make sure you eat. Those muggles never feed you enough. You're looking too thin." Molly said as she went to hug him. Hermione carefully watched Ginny as she took the seat next to Harry. 'Maybe she won't try to potion him like she did to Ron and I am just being paranoid.' She thought. Sirius noticed his daughter keeping a close eye on Ginny and he vowed to do the same with Molly because he did not trust either Weasley women. Dinner was a lively affair with everyone greeting Harry, discussing the upcoming school year, and offering OWL advice to the three fifth years. While others were focused on Harry, Hermione (who had made sure to sit next to Ron) leaned over and whispered to Ron, "I need you and Harry to meet me in the library around midnight once everyone is asleep. No questions asked, please. I promise to tell you everything tonight." Ron looked at her pleading eyes for a moment and then he promised they would be there. The happy mood of the room soon changed to a tense one once Harry asked Sirius, "So has the Order been able to discover what Voldemort and his followers have been up to?" Sirius opened his mouth but before he could speak, Molly blurted out, "No. You are too young to know what the Order has been discussing." Harry turned to her and coolly said, "Mrs. Weasely, I know you mean well but you are not my mother. I have also fought and beaten Voldemort more times than many people in the order so I have earned the right to know what is happening. And since I was the one to alert everyone of his rebirth I want to know what is going on." Hermione and the Weasley boys nodded in agreement as Harry spoke. Molly huffed but Arthur put his arms around his wife and said, "Molly, Harry is right. He deserves to know. The twins are of age so we cannot stop them and you know Harry will share anything he learns here with Ron and Hermione." Molly sighed, "Fine but Ginny will go upstairs ("What?! Not fair!" Ginny whined but when she saw her mom's look she stomped out of the kitchen.)
"Well to be quite honest we don't know much. Voldemort and the Death Eaters have been rather quiet. We think having the ministry and the Daily Prophet dragging your name and Dumbledore's through the mud is helping the other side. Voldemort has time to build up his army before making his public appearance and the ministry is doing nothing to build up the auror force to fight when it will be needed. Right now we know Voldemort is after something he didn't have before. And no I can't tell you what it is but just know the Order is doing what we can to monitor it so he doesn't get it." SIrius explained. " Uh can we just take whatever he is after and bring it somewhere safe so he can never get it?" Hermione asked. "Honestly for the moment it is safest where it is Hermione." Bill answered. "Why doesn't Fudge want to listen to Dumbledore and why doesn't he believe Harry?" Ron asked. Arthur sighed and said sadly, "Fudge doesn't want to believe Harry because You-Know-Who being back will cause a panic. You all are too young to know what it was like the last time. People dying for no reason, people going missing, places destroyed and the fear when you or a loved one left home it would be the last time you saw each other. When it comes to Dumbledore, Fudge is paranoid. He thinks Albus is after his position as minister so he wants to discredit Albus at every angle." The kids could not believe how much of an idiot Fudge was. "Fudge is going to get us all killed with his stupidity." Hermione sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Molly then shooed the kids to bed telling them, "You all got the information you asked for so now it is time for bed." Seeing no point in pushing their luck the kids marched up to bed without a word. Before Ron went into his room he shared a look with Hermione that told her the boys would see her at midnight. When she walked into her room Ginny was awake and looked ready to burst with questions. "Gin, the adults didn't tell us anything we didn't know. The only new piece of information we got was that Voldemort is after something, they wouldn't tell us what it is, and Bill said for now it's safe wherever it is." Hermione told the red headed girl, "it's been a long day Ginny so I am going to go to bed. We can talk more in the morning." Both girls got under the covers but only one fell asleep for the night.
By midnight, Grimmauld place was dark and almost all the occupants were asleep, but there was a quartet that was having a secret meeting in the library. When Harry and Ron got to the library they were surprised to see Sirius with Hermione looking at some books. "Hey Mione, Sirius. Why the secret meeting?" Harry whispered. "Harry, there is no need to whisper. Sirius warded the library so it's soundproof so no noise goes out or comes in." Hermione said. She was nervous so she looked to her father to explain what they were doing here. Plus she doesn't know what happened at the bank. Sirius cleared his throat and said, "Okay you two there are a lot of things Hermione and I need to share with you and not all of it is good." Sirius told them how Hermione discovered her true parentage ("Wicked" Ron said while Harry smiled and said, "Welcome to the family sis"), what he and Hermione noticed about the female Weasleys ("What the hell?!" Harry yelled and Ron was at a loss for words.), and what he discovered at the bank. When he finished his story about what happened at Gringotts Hermione looked close to tears ("Why would he do this to you?") ,Ron's face was turning red in anger, and Harry was ready to go fight everyone who messed with his family. "I know everything you heard is difficult but Hermione, her mom, and I are working on a plan to fix everything. We told you because we need your help. I plan to speak to Remus once he comes back from his mission. Ron, if we told your brothers and your father do you think they would help us too?" Sirius asked. Ron thought about it for a moment before replying, "Sirius I know they will help. I also know my father knows nothing about what my mother and sister are up to. He would never tolerate that behavior. This will be difficult for him especially to hear but he will stand by us." They decided to have another midnight meeting the next night but for now they went back to bed, each thinking of how they can help their cause.