Ch 4: Trials,The Secret Order and Meeting the Toad: Harry goes on trial for underage magic, meets the toad, and more people are let in on the Black's secret.
"So Mione, how are you doing?" Harry asked her as the trio was cleaning the kitchen for an order meeting later. "Honestly, conflicted. On one hand I feel so happy to have Sirius as a father and I got to see how happy my mom was to see him when we went over to talk to her. On the other hand, I feel angry at Dumbledore and confused by what he has to gain by doing this." Hermione explained. The boys listened to their closest friend vent as they cleaned but they realized it was almost time for the meeting so Hermione stopped talking so no one would overhear them. Molly was the first member to come in and she immediately shooed the trio out.
Instead of heading to the boys room, Ron and Harry went to the library while Hermione went to get the twins. "Hey boys" Hermione smiled, "Harry, Ron, and I were wondering if you two could join us in the library, but don't bring Ginny. We have some important things to tell you but she can't hear what that is." she explained. The twins looked at her then looked back at each other. "You know we don't usually spend that much time in a library." Fred smirked. "But for you we can make some sacrifices." George smiled at her. Hermione rolled her eyes at their antics but put her arms through theirs and led them to the library. When they got to the library, Hermione took her usual spot on the floor surrounded by her notes, leaning up against the loveseat, Harry and Ron had already claimed the cozy armchairs, so Fred and George took the loveseat. "So what is with the secret meeting?" George asked. Before anyone could answer them Hermione threw up some privacy charms and locked the door to prevent anyone from listening in or interrupting their meeting. "Wow. must be serious" Fred mock whispered to George. "What I am about to share will not only shock you but may make you angry at certain individuals and I don't want your Grffydinor rashness to ruin any plans." Hermione said solemnly as she turned to face the twins, "Fred, George, I am sorry you have to find out this way but your mother and sister are not who we thought they are." Hermione told them everything that she and her father have uncovered about Dumbeldore and the female Weasleys. By the end of the story, Fred was shaking in anger and George had tears swimming in his eyes. "Hermione, we cannot apologize enough for our mother and sister. Our father will be livid when he hears of their betrayal. He taught us how to be kind to everyone and loyal to those who deserve it. Those two do not represent what it means to be a Weasley." George said seriously. Before she could respond Hermione found herself engulfed in a hug from both Fred and George. She could feel the sincerity in their embrace and she knew she had true friends in them. 'Hopefully something more than friends from one of them' Hermione thought. "Thank you guys. It means a lot to me and my parents that we know we have some people in our corner." Hermione smiled. The 5 teens worked on plans to clear Sirius's name until they were called down for dinner.
"Oh Harry dear, please make sure to lay out your nicest clothes after dinner so I can iron them for your trial tomorrow." Mrs. Weasley said kindly as everyone took their seats. Harry nodded at Mrs. Weasley and asked Sirius, "Uh, how will I be getting to my trial tomorrow?" "Arthur will be taking you to the ministry with him tomorrow when he goes into work. He will drop you off to Madam Bones who will interview you along with the minister and the witch in charge of monitoring underage magic. Amelia Bones is fair and will hear you out so there is no need to worry." Sirius explained. Dinner was a quiet affair with everyone's mind on the trial. After a subdue dinner the kids were in no mood for anything other than sleep so they all marched up to bed.
The next day while waiting for Harry to return from his trial
"I am about to go insane…you would think he was on trial for murder, not underage magic to protect himself." Hermione yelled in anger as she paced the drawing room. George got up from watching the chess game going on between Ron and Fred and walked over to Hermione. "Mione, why don't you and I go to the kitchen to grab some snacks and drinks for everyone." He whispered gently as he grabbed her hand. She blushed as she felt his warm hand in hers and she felt herself being led out of the drawing room and into the hallway. "Thanks George." she whispered. "Hermione, you have a lot on your mind right now. The stress of waiting for Harry's results is just the icing on the cake. When you are worrying I notice you need to keep yourself busy so I figured whipping up a snack will help calm you." He shrugged at her. Hermione smiled at him, "I know you are much more observant than you let on to others, George Weasley." Realizing they were still holding hands as they entered the kitchen, they just looked at each other and blushed before letting go of each other. "Erm…well what should we make everyone?" Hermione asked awkwardly. "You know Ron will eat anything so we shouldn't take into account what he wants." George laughed, "How about we just make up a cheese and fruit platter. We should also have a pitcher of pumpkin juice,a pitcher of water, and a pitcher of lemonade." Hermione nodded and the two got everything organized.
As they were working both teens were trying to find their gryffindor courage to share their feelings with the other. Finally before they were going to head back George cleared his throat, "Uh Hermione," he said shyly and reached out to take her hand, "I know you have a lot going on right now but I need to tell you something. I have had a crush on you for the past year but was too afraid to say anything. I know you probably see me as just Ron's goofy older brother who has no ambition but I promise you I am much more than that and I will do everything in my power to show you." After his speech, George looked down at his feet but Hermione placed a finger under his chin and moved his head so he was looking into her sparkling brown eyes. "George Weasley, I have had a crush on you for sometime now too. You make me laugh, and I can see how caring you are. I thought you only saw me as some bookish, know-it-all with big teeth and bushy hair." Hermione smiled shyly at him. "Hermione, you are the smartest, kindest, most beautiful witch I know. Will you be my girlfriend?" George asked. Hermione said yes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "We should get going before anyone notices us being gone…they may send a search party" Hermione said as she kissed him one more time before they grabbed their trays of goodies and went back to the drawing room.
As Hermione and George set down their trays, they heard the sound of the front door close and soon Harry was walking into the drawing room with Arthur following him. "Well?" Ron asked. "Cleared of all charges" Arthur said and everyone cheered, "But we need to be vigilant because Harry was tried in front of the full wizengamot and I saw Fudge speaking to Lucius Malloy after the trial. They are up to something. Kids, be extra careful at Hogwarts because I have a feeling what those two are plotting will impact you." The kids nodded at Arthur and promised to keep their heads down and not cause trouble. "Well now that the trial is over and Harry is cleared, this calls for a proper celebration!" Sirius cheered.
Dinner was a lively affair, made even more celebratory when Minerva came in and handed the kids their letters. Hermione, to no one's surprise, and shockingly Ron made prefect. "Oh! How exciting! Another prefect in the family!" Molly exclaimed as she hugged Ron. Ron's ears turned red with embarrassment. Harry was a little hurt he didn't make prefect but he was happy for his friends and Sirius made him feel better by saying, "James and I didn't make prefect…we were too buys causing trouble." Knowing his dad and godfather weren't prefect made Harry feel better. While everyone was celebrating Sirius snuck away and called Kreacher. "Kreacher, I need you to put this sleeping draught in the drinks of Molly and Ginny without being seen." He said seriously. Kreacher nodded, took the vial of sleeping draught and went about his business. A little while into dinner, Molly and Ginny were feeling the effects of the sleeping draught so they took themselves to bed.
Sirius looked at Hermione and she nodded. "Hem-hem, can I have everyone's attention please." Sirius said as he cleared his throat. All eyes turned to him and he took a deep breath to tell everyone (the male weasleys, Remus, Minerva, Moody, Tonks, and Kingsley) at the table everything he and his daughter had uncovered. Everyone in the room who was learning everything for the first time had a different reaction; Arthur was shaking with anger, Bill could not believe what his mother and sister have been up to, Charlie was pacing, Remus felt his heart break at hearing what Albus had done, Minerva felt her world had been shattered for the man she loved turned out to be someone she couldn't trust, Moody wasn't shocked since he was so paranoid about everything, Kingsley felt upset at himself for blindly following Albus, and Tonk's hair turned red in anger. Hermione stood up and spoke, "I know this is all a lot of information to process and it's not easy. My father and I are looking to create our own secret order and we want you all to be a part of it. This secret order will actually do more than Dumbeldore's. We want to take death eaters out, not give them more chances to hurt others. If you can't stand behind that then we will have to modify your memories." There were a few moments of silence before Arthur was the first to agree to help Sirius and Hermione. Everyone else was quick to agree to help and the first meeting of the secret order began.
So the summer continued with the kids cleaning the house like Molly wanted (they didn't want to raise suspicion so they followed her directions like normal), the adults going to order meetings, and then the secret order would meet once a week in the library to plan. The first plan for the secret order was to find a way to clear Sirius's name. While they were figuring out a plan, Kreacher would pop Jane to the library so she could help and spend time with her daughter and Sirius. Hermione loved watching her parents reunite. Seeing her mom being genuinely happy and in love made Hermione happy. Hermione and George were also navigating their new relationship and after two weeks of keeping it a secret, they finally shared their news with the secret order who couldn't be more excited for the young couple. Harry and Ron pulled George aside one night in the library and Harry said seriously, "Look George, I know Hermione is a very capable witch who can take care of herself but she is like my sister. If you hurt her I will come after you, and I know Ron will also help me because he is just as protective as me." Ron agreed with Harry and told his brother, "Just don't tell Hermione we had this conversation because she will kill us." George chuckled at his brother and said, "I promise I will not hurt her, I really like her. I may even love her but it is too early to say. So you two aren't afraid to confront me, one half of the great prankster duo, who could make your life miserable but my girlfriend you are afraid of?" The two boys nodded and the three boys went back to researching. After a few weeks of researching it was decided that the secret order would not try to clear Sirius's name until the kids went back to Hogwarts when Albus was busy. Kingsley and Tonks would bring their information to Amelia Bones and explain how Sirius never received a trial. Amelia was a firm believer of justice being seen so they knew she would see to it that Sirius received a trial where he could declare his innocence.
On September first Grimmauld Place was loud and chaotic. The twins were trying to float their luggage down the stairs but it kept bumping into the wall, Ron and Harry were throwing stuff into their luggage at the last minute, Ginny was scrambling to find her favorite jumper that the twins hid on her, and Hermione was calmly eating breakfast listening to the chaos of the house. Finally, everyone was packed, fed and ready to leave for Platform 9 ¾. Sirius decided to come along in his dog form to see the kids off and to stretch his legs. Molly thought he was taking a big risk but the kids loved having Padfoot join them on their walk to the station. Once they made it to the station the kids said their goodbyes, promised to be careful, and boarded the train.
Hermione and Ron joined the compartment Harry saved after they finished their prefect meeting. "You'll never guess who Dumbledore made prefect for Slytherin!" Ron exclaimed. "Let me think…who could rile you up this much? Ah yes…Malfoy." Harry said. Ron nodded and said, "for the girl prefect he named Pansy Parkinson…he should have at least given the positions to someone more neutral like Blaise and Daphne. They are snakes but at least they aren't obnoxious like Malfoy and his crew." While the boys started a game of Exploding Snaps, Hermione decided to curl up and read a book Sirius gave her about the history of the Black family. The twins came to visit the trio for a little while during their trip. "So George, with your girlfriend being a prefect will that stop your pranking?" Harry asked jokingly. George looked quickly to Hermione who had one eyebrow raised and then said, "Of course I will try my best to not get caught (everyone laughed at that) but my lovely girlfriend knows Fred and I are using this year as a research year for our jokestore. And while she doesn't always love pranks, she does love research so I try to appeal to her brainy side." Hermione snuggled in closer to George, "I am not always such a rule follower." she mockingly pouted, " Plus Fred and George are equal opportunists when it comes to their pranks so as long as they aren't cruel or considered bullying I won't stop them." Ron and Harry stared at her incredulously. "Uh Mione, you know we love you but you are the ultimate rule follower…remember when you told me we could have gotten killed or us being expelled which is what you considered worse than being killed in first year?" Ron laughed at her. Hermione blushed and said, "Well now I have decided to embrace my marauder heritage. Plus I have grown up a lot since I was a know-it-all first year." The rest of the train ride went smoothly as the kids chatted about the upcoming school year and once they disembarked off the train they noticed their biggest friend was missing.
The trio made it to the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall and Hermione looked to the head table to see who their new defense professor was. She spotted two new professors. One was an elderly witch with short gray hair and the other was a short woman in an obnoxious pink outfit who resembled a toad. Harry noticed the new professors as well and whispered to his two friends, "That toad looking witch was at my hearing. She works for Fudge." Before Hermione could reply, McGonagall marched in with the new batch of first years behind her to be sorted. The sorting hat sang of uniting as a school ("Fat chance at that" Ron whispered and Harry agreed, "No way I am working with Malfoy.") before sorting the new students. Dumbledore welcomed everyone and as he clapped his hands the tables filled with the most delicious food. After a filling dinner Dumbeldore stood to give his yearly welcome speech but was shockingly interrupted by the ministry witch. Hermione listened carefully at what Umbridge had to say. 'The ministry is interfering at Hogwarts. What is Fudge playing at? Maybe this will distract Dumbledore, ' Hermione thought. Dumbledore's voice interrupted Hermione from her thoughts, "Thank Professor Umbrdige for that insightful speech. Now students, it has been a long day and your bellies are full so it is time to head up to your respective dormitories for a good night's rest." Hermione and Ron led the first years to the tower and once they got the youngest years settled, the trio and the twins headed over to their usual chairs by the fire. "So Umbridge's speech was the most boring speech I've ever heard. That is saying something because Percy had some pretty boring speeches growing up." Ron said. "Well I actually found her speech to be insightful." Hermione said and the boys just stared at her in confusion. "Her speech means the ministry is interfering in the school which is unheard of." she sighed, "It means we have to take your father's warning seriously. If she is here to spy on the school, she thinks we are Dumbledore's side so we will become targets." The boys promised to be on their best behavior since they didn't want to draw attention to themselves. Ron, Harry and Fred left Hermione and George by the fire and went off to their dorms.
"Finally alone" George said as he wrapped his arm around Hermione and kissed the top of her head. Hermione smiled at her boyfriend and said, "Before you distract me with your lips we need to figure out a plan to come out as a couple publicly so Ginny doesn't suspect we have been dating since Harry's trial. We need her to believe we just started dating because we know she will owl your mother." The two decided it would be best to slowly start to spend a little more alone time together in the library under the guise of Hermione helping George improve his study skills for his NEWT year and then on her birthday in a few weeks, George would publicly ask her out in the Great Hall. "What if I say no?" Hermione smirked at him. George smirked back at her and just grabbed her so they were nose to nose, "Well then I have a few weeks to persuade you to say yes and I know just how to do that" and he passionately kissed her.