Secrets Shared
Thursday — July 3, 1997
Kenneth was not surprised that the Pucey Family decided not to attend Dumbledore's funeral. The day after Dumbledore's death, Adrian contacted Kenneth using the two-way mirrors while Kenneth had been at work. It had been a very brief conversation; Kenneth didn't want to risk Harper barging in on them, even though he cast a privacy charm at his office door. Adrian dejectedly told him that he and his parents had agreed it would be better if they did not attend Dumbledore's funeral, though they all hated it. Dumbledore had been good to the Puceys, and they felt wrong to not go. But if they went, they would run the risk of being labeled blood traitors, and they felt they were on thin ice as it was.
Kenneth had quietly agreed. Alania Pucey didn't need to risk her position on the St. Mungo's Board and the Puceys also ran the risk of being attacked by Death Eaters if they were seen as openly supportive of the former headmaster.
Adrian had one other concern, too. He wanted to tell Alicia and Angelina that he and Kenneth had been secretly working together for the Order the past year.
"I don't feel right keeping it from Alicia," he'd said. "I felt like she was upset enough when she found out that I've secretly been in the Order for the past year. Now that Dumbledore's dead, I think we need to tell her and Johnson. It's only a matter of time before you contact me using the mirror while I'm over at their place, and then Alicia will figure it out and be mad at me for hiding it. I don't want that."
Kenneth had agreed to that too, and added that they should include Karen when they told Angelina and Alicia. With Dumbledore's death, things had changed. They couldn't keep this a secret from those three any longer. They decided they would tell the girls that weekend, and Adrian said he would make sure Angelina and Alicia were home on Saturday evening. Kenneth would bring Karen to the girls' flat.
They also briefly discussed which Order members knew of Kenneth and Adrian's involvement in the Order. Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Arthur and Molly Weasley now all knew about both young men's assistance to the war effort, but Bill did not know about Adrian. Kenneth proposed it would be best if Bill knew about Adrian too, and Adrian agreed as long as Bill could keep it a secret from Fred and George. Kenneth assured him Bill would, because if anyone knew what Fred and George were like, it was their oldest brother.
"Besides," Kenneth had said. "I saw him talking to your brother at Bess and Conall's wedding. If Bill already knows your brother and the two of them are friends, I think he'd be understanding of your involvement and why it needs to stay quiet for now."
Adrian's expression had relaxed slightly. "Good point."
However, Adrian and Kenneth both agreed to continue keeping their involvement in the Order a secret from everyone else — particularly the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan. Those three would simply not understand why Kenneth and Adrian were helping each other, or even that Dumbledore had ordered them to help each other.
Gilbert Royle might not understand Adrian's involvement in the Order, either — though he at least had told Kenneth that he now understood why Alicia and Adrian had kept their relationship secret while at Hogwarts.
"When Alicia first told me she had been sneaking around with someone," Gil had said the week before, when they'd gotten drinks at The Fighting Badger, "I remember thinking whoever it was couldn't possibly be the right guy for her if he wasn't willing to date her in public. But it makes sense, now… the other Slytherins would have targeted her. I wouldn't have wanted that."
Kenneth was glad that Gilbert had moved on from Alicia, and at least his old friend was at least meeting him for drinks one night a week to stay in touch. But as much as Kenneth liked Gilbert, he sadly had to admit that the two of them had grown apart since graduation. He hated that, but he didn't know how to fix it. Gilbert wasn't working, while Kenneth was slogging through a desk job for the war effort… Kenneth was secretly in the Order, but Gilbert had admitted he was terrified of fighting, and even if he wasn't, his family wouldn't want him joining the Order. Without Cedric, the gap between them was starting to become noticeable to Kenneth: he and Gil were just moving in different directions.
Like the Puceys, the Royles didn't attend the funeral, either. Gilbert's father wanted to remain cautious, and Gilbert's grandfather had likely forbidden any member of the family to attend. In fact, the only Slytherins Kenneth saw in the crowd were Professor Horace Slughorn, who was teaching Potions at Hogwarts, and former Head Girl Gemma Farley. He remembered she had always been a very fair Head Girl, despite her house placement. That was probably why Dumbledore put her in the position.
Nor had Kenneth's parents attended. His father was trying to keep a low profile too, given his high position at the Ministry, and he and Kenneth still weren't seeing eye-to-eye on much of anything. He didn't forbid Kenneth to attend though, and by attending, Kenneth at least had the opportunity to see his little brother. In fact, as soon as the marble tomb sealed around Dumbledore's body and the service ended, Kenneth told Karen that he needed to find Luke.
Luke was sitting with the rest of the fourth-year Gryffindors, and there was a look of steely resolve in his eyes when Kenneth made it through the crowd to him. His brother was far more hot-headed and reckless than Kenneth had ever been. However, when Luke saw Kenneth, he did at least stand up and slide down the row to meet him.
"Cheers," Luke muttered, the second he and Kenneth were able to step away from the crowd a bit. "I noticed Dad didn't come," he added sarcastically, crossing his arms and looking mutinous.
Kenneth shook his head. "You know he and Mum want to keep a low profile."
"Bollocks," Luke snapped. "They're pissing me off, honestly. Especially Dad. He was a Gryffindor, too. I can understand Mum, she was a soddin' Ravenclaw, but Dad?Come on."
"I know. It's pissing me off too, but we aren't going to change his mind," Kenneth replied. Then he asked, "How are you?"
Luke shrugged and grimaced. "Everyone's pretty shocked, honestly. It doesn't seem real, you know?"
"I know."
"I'm glad you came, though. At least you aren't like Dad." Luke gave Kenneth a small smile. "Back when you were at school, I always thought you were more like Dad. But this past year, you've changed. In a good way. Don't go back to how you were before, yeah?" he teased.
Kenneth flushed dully. "It was Umbridge that changed me. I realized I was kind of a tyrant myself, and I wasn't a very good Head Boy. After I graduated, I felt like I needed to find myself, figure out who I really was. But the trouble is, I still don't know who I am. Now I feel like I'm just… drifting."
"What do you mean, you don't know who you are? You're Kenny." He said it with such conviction, like he had no idea what Kenneth meant. He probably didn't. Luke was black or white; he didn't see the world in shades of gray.
Kenneth sighed. "Cheers. But I really don't know who I am right now. Hell, sometimes I don't even feel like a Gryffindor. You've always been a Gryffindor, so I guess you can't understand why I feel this way."
"What the hell does that mean? You've always beena Gryffindor, too," his brother said, staring at him like Kenneth was off his rocker. "I mean, sure, I probably wouldn't have said that last year." He rolled his eyes. "It bloody well sucks, you know, when your older brother is the fucking Head Boy and you have to watch your every damn step. But you're still my brother even if you annoy me, and the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor, didn't it? So you must be a Gryffindor. Why wouldn't you be?"
Kenneth flushed again. He didn't want to tell his hot-headed little brother about his personal, awful experience with the Sorting Hat. Instead, all he said was, "Maybe so. Listen, behave, yeah? I'll see you at Mum and Dad's when I come 'round for dinner in a couple of weeks."
"Are you bringing Karen?"
"Yes, brat. She and I have been together for nearly two years."
Luke grinned. "Gonna marry her?"
"Probably. But I haven't proposed to her yet. We're not even twenty. And you know Mum doesn't like her much."
"Well, I like her. Mum's just an old-fashioned prude." Luke rolled his eyes again.
"You only like Karen because you think she's pretty," Kenneth retorted.
At that, Luke laughed. "Pretty?Really? She's fucking hot. Makes me wonder what she sees in you, honestly."
"I swear to Godric, I will hex you," Kenneth hissed, lightly shoving his brother.
But Luke just smirked. "Yeah, yeah. See you in a couple of weeks, Kenny." With that, he turned to catch up with his classmates.
As Kenneth watched Luke head back towards the castle with a small gaggle of friends, he felt a soft, slender hand slip into his. He turned to look beside him and Karen smiled up at him.
"Have a nice chat?" she asked.
Kenneth smiled back. "I did. He thinks you're hot, though. I might seriously have to hex him when we have dinner with my parents in a couple of weeks. Unless we can find a way to bugger off. Please tell me we can find a way to bugger off?"
She just laughed. "I have a better idea: let's go and I'll see if I can make him blush at the table." She grinned deviously. "Your mum would just lovethat."
"Merlin's arse! Don't! My parents would have strokes," Kenneth groaned. "You know how Mum is."
Neither he nor Luke had lied about that: Lorraine Towler did not approve of Kenneth's girlfriend. It had nothing to do with Karen's blood status or her Hogwarts House. No, his stuffy, pretentious, bigotedmother thought Karen was a bit too loose, or some such ridiculous nonsense. She didn't approve of Kenneth living with Karen. He'd caught hell for that, and he had blatantly ignored his mother's complaints. He'd be damned if he was going to live alone, or even at his parents' townhouse, when he could live with Karen and enjoy her company. And get shagged every night.
At that moment, someone called his name out behind him, and Kenneth turned to see Arthur Weasley approaching them, his face pinched with worry.
"Mr. Weasley," Kenneth said, quickly holding out his hand.
"Kenneth. I'm glad I caught you. Bill wanted to speak to you," Mr. Weasley said quietly, shaking Kenneth's hand. "But he wanted me to warn you not to look too shocked when you see him."
Kenneth knew Bill had been injured in the Astronomy Tower Battle per the Daily Prophet, but he didn't know the extent of his injuries. "What happened, exactly?" he asked, as quietly as he could.
"He was attacked by Greyback," Mr. Weasley said, and the worry in his eyes grew more stark. "He… doesn't look like himself anymore, but Greyback wasn't transformed at the time, so we're not exactly sure what it means, yet."
A strong shiver snaked up Kenneth's spine at those words, and Karen's hand tightened on his fingers as she sucked in a quick breath.
"Thank you for warning me. Where is he?"
"Just back here," Mr. Weasley said, motioning for Kenneth and Karen to walk with him.
They followed Arthur through the crowd to where the bulk of the Weasleys were grouped together, along with Angelina, Alicia, Oliver, and Oliver's parents. But Kenneth wasn't prepared to see Bill in a wheelchair, half his body wrapped in bandages. When Bill looked up at Kenneth, and it took all Kenneth had to keep his facial expression addition to one of his arms, hands, and his chest, half of Bill's face was bandaged, so Kenneth couldn't really see the extent of the damage. But it was evident that it was severe.
"Hey, Towler," Bill tried to smile, but only half his mouth curved.
"Bill," Kenneth said warily. "I'm so sorry… Thank God you're still alive though, right?"
"Yeah." Bill's face fell slightly, like he wasn't entirely sure he believed that. "Listen, can we chat a second? About work," he said, glancing towards the twins, who were clearly listening.
"Of course."
Bill tried to smile at his stunning fiancée. "I'll just be a minute, love. Kenneth can wheel me around a bit; give you a break." He looked back at Kenneth. "You don't mind, do you, Towler?"
"Of course not. Where to?"
"Over by the lake?"
Fleur Delacour gave Kenneth a small, forced smile and patted his arm; then she turned to talk to Karen as Kenneth started pushing the wheelchair towards the lake, away from the milling crowd.
Once they were out of earshot of everyone, Bill cast a privacy charm around them, turned to look out across the dark water, and said quietly, "I won't be at work for a while, yet. My wounds aren't healing properly, and we don't know what level of contamination there is."
Kenneth's brow furrowed as he stepped from behind the wheelchair to stand next to Bill. "He wasn't transformed when he attacked you though, right?"
"He wasn't. But we won't actually know the full extent of my injuries until the full moon, and that's not until the 19th this month. I'll likely take off a few days from the bank during that time too, if I'm back by then. Which leads me to why I wanted to speak to you. I'm sorry I haven't been there this week and that I'll have to take more time off this month. It leaves you at the mercy of Harper, and I hate that."
Kenneth was already shaking his head. "Don't worry about that. I can manage. I have plenty of experience in dealing with Umbridge last year, remember? I can handle Harper."
"I know, but I still hate it." Bill glanced around them to make sure they were still alone before he added,"Keep an eye on the accounts while I'm gone, yeah? With Dumbledore gone, I expect to see an increase in money moving around. They set the stage last year, but they'll ramp up their efforts now — mark my words."
Kenneth ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "Much good it does us, since we can't stop it."
"No, we can't. But it tells us where they're looking for future favors."
"Like St. Mungo's," Kenneth said grimly.
Bill nodded. "It's too bad we don't know anyone on the St. Mungo's Board."
At that, Kenneth hesitated. "Actually, we do."
Bill narrowed his eye that wasn't bandaged. "Oh? Can they be trusted?"
"I was already going to speak to you about this, so now's as good a time as any, even though I kind of hate to bring it up at all with you like… this. Maybe you should rest more…"
Bill used his good hand to wave that aside. "No, go on. I'd rather hear what you have to say."
"You know there's another invisible member of the Order, right? Who's been helping me?"
"I remember. They helped you decode Harper's cipher."
"It's Adrian Pucey," Kenneth said quickly, glancing around to make sure they were alone, despite the privacy charm.
Bill looked startled. "Atticus's little brother?"
Something about thatphrasemade Kenneth laugh; he didn't particularly picture Adrian as a little brother. Certainly not like he saw Luke. Hereplied, "Technically, I guess so. But you do know that Adrian and I are the same age, right? He and I were in the same year."
"Still, he's a bit younger than Atticus. The same age difference as us, and me and the twins. But, he's a Slytherin. All of the Puceys are." Half of Bill's brow furrowed in thought.
Stubbornly, Kenneth said, "Maybe so, but they were also supportive of Dumbledore. This past summer, Adrian learned Occlumency and Legilimency from Dumbledore, just like I did. He had his own assignments from Dumbledore, and Remus, Kingsley, and your parents already know of his involvement in the Order. But what I was going to say is this: his mother is on the St. Mungo's Board. She knows of what we've found in the accounts, and she's keeping an eye on things there."
"Really? That's not what I expected." It was obvious that Bill was thinking again, and Kenneth suddenly felt worried.
"You know Atticus, don't you? I saw you talking with him at Bess and Conall's wedding. Or did I misread that situation? Are you not friends with him?"
Bill roused himself. "No, no, we're friends, I suppose. Or maybe professional colleagues is a better term? We were the only two in our year who became Curse Breakers. And yes, it is true that he was a Slytherin, but he wasn't quite like the rest. We were prefects together, and I got to know him better after fifth-year. Sixth-year, especially. Atticus was different from most Slytherins. He's a good man. I would trust him, yes." Bill hesitated before he added, "If Remus, Kingsley, and my parents already know about Adrian, and Dumbledore personally asked him to join the Order, then I'm going to assume Adrian is a good man, too."
Despite that, Kenneth felt there was something hanging in the air — a but, perhaps — the implication that Snape had been a Slytherin whom Dumbledore had trusted, and Dumbledore was now dead at Snape's hand. But Kenneth knew Adrian wasn't like Snape. Adrian was completely different. And if the few of them who were on the same side started doubting each other, they really would lose this awful war.
At Kenneth's silence, Bill asked seriously, "What is Adrian like?"
"He's fair," Kenneth found himself saying, without hardly thinking about it. It startled him a bit, how easy it was to describe Pucey. "He was a prefect, too. He's very protective of those he cares about, and he neverbullied anyone when we were in school. Like his brother, he's different from most Slytherins."
Bill nodded. "I'd like to meet him at some point. Once I know more about my injuries, of course."
Something else occurred to Kenneth. "Did you know that Atticus is also helping the Order a bit, trying to find support in France? Adrian recruited him last summer at Dumbledore's request. But you cannottell anyone about Adrian or Atticus's involvement. Fred and George wouldn't understand. They don't trust anySlytherins. Especially not now."
"That's an understatement," Bill agreed, with a touch of annoyance. "Don't worry. I won't say anything to them. Why was Mrs. Pucey keeping an eye on things at the St. Mungo's Board for us?"
Kenneth flushed slightly. "Adrian's… secretly dating Alicia Spinnet. She's in the Healer program, and —"
"I know her. She was in your class." Bill looked surprised again. "That's unusual… a Slytherin and a Gryffindor…"
"Something else your twin brothers do not need to know," Kenneth said sharply. "Please? Lee Jordan has fancied her for a long time, and he definitely won't understand."
"Don't worry. I won't say anything to them about any of this. Listen, I need to get back to Fleur. She's been really worried about me since the attack. Just be careful around Harper for the next week, yeah? I'll be in touch. If you need anything, feel free to reach out to my Dad."
"I will."
Kenneth stepped behind the wheelchair again and pushed Bill back to his family. As Fleur took over for him, he felt heavy and downcast to see the anxiety in her expression that Bill may have overtaxed himself by attending the funeral and talking to Kenneth.
And, in truth, Kenneth wasn't sure what good his efforts were in watching the Gringotts' accounts. But he would keep doing his part, keep making copies of where all the money was going, and hope someone managed to defeat Voldemort in the end.
Saturday— July 5, 1997
"So why are we staying in tonight?" Angelina demanded, frowning at Adrian.
Alicia couldn't blame her. Normally, on Saturday nights, they went to the Gryphon or the twins' flat to relax and unwind, but Adrian had insisted they stay in tonight. The twins were highly annoyed at Alicia and Angelina's seemingly odd decision to stay home, because Fred and George had wanted to throw a party to honor Dumbledore. Angelina demanded they postpone it to the next weekend, insisting that two days after the funeral was too damn soon. The twins had grumbled, but finally agreed.
Adrian explained again, with a bit more detail then he'd given the first time that he'd asked them to stay in for the night. "Because I need to tell the two of you one more thing. Dumbledore made me swear not to say anything about it, because no one would understand and the work had to remain secret. But like I told you both back in June: he partnered me with another member in the Order, another person who has been invisible, like me. However, now that Dumbledore is dead, the other person and I both agreed we need to tell you two that we've been working together. Otherwise, they'll end up contacting me one day while I'm over here. Then you'd both find out the wrong way, and you'd both be pretty pissed."
Angelina huffed. "We might notget pissed. Did that occur to you? What if we understood that some things have to be kept secret?"
Adrian shook his head. "Not this. It's time you know who I've been helping for the past year."
There was a knock on the kitchen door at that moment, and Angelina left the sitting room to answer it. For a second, Alicia wondered if Adrian should have answered the door, since they didn't know who they were meeting. She was just about to call out to Angelina to let Adrian get it, when she heard Angelina say, "Declare yourself!" and a muffled male voice responded. There was an unnerving pause, before Angelina answered what was presumably a security question. Her voice was odd though, like she was completely shocked.
"We wanted to protect you, that's why," Angelina said slowly. "We knew Umbridge would remove you as Head Boy if she thought for even a moment that you were involved in Dumbledore's Army."
It took asecond for Angelina's reply to click in Alicia's brain, but when it did, Alicia's mouth dropped and she stood up quickly. Head Boy?!
She whirled to face Adrian, who at least winced when he saw her expression. Distantly, she heard the kitchen door open, and when Angelina spoke again, she sounded a bit wary.
"Kenneth… Karen…"
"Cheers," Kenneth's voice replied flatly, and a few seconds later, he and Karen came into the tiny sitting room, with Angelina following them.
Alicia noticed instantly that neither Kenneth nor Adrian were remotely surprised to see each other. That meant…
Oh, Merlin. Kenneth was the other invisible member in the Order of the Phoenix. Kenneth and Adrian had been working together for months!
Suddenly, Kenneth's remarks at Bess and Conall's wedding about Adrian made sense. Because Kenneth didn't hate Adrian anymore. Because they were working together for the Order…!
"Want anything to drink?" Angelina asked, her eyebrows nearly at her hairline.
"No," Kenneth answered, conjuring two extra chairs for himself and Karen. "Let's get this over with first."
Adrian sat down in the armchair, while Alicia and Angelina took the sofa.
"So…" Kenneth rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Adrian.
Karen seemed to be the only girl who wasn't shocked by the revelation thatthe former Gryffindor Head Boy from the Class of 1996 was working with the former Slytherin male prefect from the Class of 1996. In fact, she started to laugh.
"Let me get this straight," Karen said, covering her mouth with her hand, even as she tried to stop giggling and grinned between the two of them. "Adrian is the person who's been helping you all these months with your Order assignment?"
Kenneth looked annoyed, but nodded.
"Dumbledore partnered us together," Adrian explained, meeting Alicia's eyes across the tea table. "Last August. You and Johnson already know what I've been doing for the Order, but do you remember I told you that one of my jobs was to help another invisible member with their task? Kenneth is the other invisible member."
Alicia wasn't sure what she was feeling. Shock, certainly — Merlin, during their time at Hogwarts, Kenneth and Adrian had positivelyhatedeach other! Yet, they had been working together for Dumbledore for a year? How had they managed to overcome their prejudices against each other?
And then she felt a slight ripple of anger. Why on earth had Dumbledore insisted on so many secrets? She knew, logically, that secrets were necessary in a war, but still!
Kenneth picked up the story. "You all know I took a desk job at Gringotts because I refused to work for the Ministry. That's why Dad and I have been fighting for the past year. But he also forbade me to join the Order. He has absolutely no idea I'm in it, and he can't find out. He'd be livid. But when I started at Gringotts, I was assigned to Bill Weasley, and we're both under Gerald Harper. Harper was a Slytherin and he hates us both, and we know he has blood purity views. My task for the Order is to review accounts of known Death Eaters and their families, and monitor where their money is going. Especially donations."
Alicia was glad to see that Angelina looked just as startled as she was.
"So…" Angelina asked tensely, "where isthe money going?"
Kenneth gave her a grim smile. "I'll get to that, Ang, be patient."
Angelina snarled, "That's a Hufflepuff trait, not a Gryffindor one, Kenneth."
At that, Karen laughed again. "Believe me, it's not always a Hufflepuff trait, either!"
Kenneth hurried on before Angelina really lost her temper. "The problem was," he said, "Harper coded all of the accounts, so Bill and I had no idea what we were looking at. All of the organizations were erroneous. We had no idea where the money was actually going, and we didn't have the cipher to break the code. For the first six months, Pucey mostly just gave me background information on Slytherin House politics so I could navigate my way around Harper, which was actually really helpful, even if some of it pissed me off."
At that, Adrian rolled his eyes. "I never said Slytherin House politics were pleasant."
Kenneth ignored him. "After about six months, Bill finally broke intoHarper's office and located a hidden cheat sheet for the cipher. I took it to Pucey, and Pucey managed to decode it."
"Like it was difficult?" Adrian threw in sarcastically. "Harper's a fucking idiot. A four-year-old could have broken it."
"What we found," Kenneth explained, "is that for over a year, several known Death Eaters' families have been funneling large amounts of money into the Ministry of Magic, the Daily Prophet, the Wireless Network, and…"
However, Kenneth trailed off, his eyes suddenly a bit panicked. He glanced at Adrian again, and when Alicia looked at her boyfriend, she realized that he had tensed, too.
After a long, awkward pause, Adrian shifted in his seat and met her eyes. "Alicia…We'll tell you, but you have to promise you won't say anything to anyone. For your own safety."
Alicia connected the dots instantly. It almost felt as though someone had slapped her. "St. Mungo's," she breathed. "They're trying to buy St. Mungo's, aren't they?"
Angelina's mouth fell open. "Oh, fuck! Please tell me they aren't," she sputtered.
Kenneth winced. "I'm afraid they are. And worse than that, they're also bribing Cecil Vanhausen, who is the—"
"Chairman of the board!" Alicia gasped.
Adrian nodded, yet added, "But don't forget: my mother and Straun MacMillan are on the St. Mungo's board, so they're keeping an eye on things from their positions. However, they don't know if Cecil Vanhausen will try to remove them at some point. It's one reason my family didn't go to Dumbledore's funeral, actually. Mum needs to stay on the board for as long as possible."
Alicia took a steadying breath. Adrian's mother was on the board. That was good. Alania might look out for her, some. She hoped.
"We're sorry," Kenneth added awkwardly, meeting Alicia's eyes. "For keeping it a secret for so long. Dumbledore was trying to protect both myself and Pucey, and he was trying to protect you too, Alicia."
"Well," Angelina huffed. "He's dead now, so it's a moot point, isn't it?"
Adrian agreed. "Which is why Towler and I thought we should go ahead and tell the three of you. He and I have to stay in regular contact, and if we didn't tell you, then you three would find out the wrong way. We didn't want that."
"How do you stay in contact?" Alicia asked, frowning at them. "Kenneth's Patronus isn't exactly discreet."
Kenneth turned pink, and Adrian snorted with laughter before he said, "Bloody hell, it's not. The first time I saw it, I nearly fell off my chair! That's why we're using two-way magical pocket mirrors. They belonged to my Dad." With that, he pulled a small, square mirror out of his pocket.
Alicia sputtered. "That'swhat you were holding in your hand!" she nearly yelled, staring at Kenneth. "The night I got drunk at the twins' party back in October!"
Kenneth's flush deepened, but he didn't answer. Adrian looked between the two of them, confused.
"What?"
Alicia ignored her boyfriend and demanded sharply, "Why did you have it out that night, Kenneth? Don't act like I didn't see it. I did."
At that, Kenneth sighed. "You were miserable and so was Pucey. But Dumbledore had made him promise not to reach out to you for a while, because Dumbledore didn't want you to know what Pucey was doing for the Order. I thought it was bollocks, myself. When I Apparated you back here that night, I was seriously thinking about contacting Pucey with the mirror and letting you two talk a bit."
Adrian had tensed, and Alicia bit her lip. It had probably been for the best that Kenneth hadn't done it. Adrian would have been upset if Kenneth had broken Dumbledore's orders. But that annoyed her, too.
Sheexhaled slowly, met Adrian's eyes, and said, "Thank you for telling us. I won't lie, I'm a little angry. Not at the two of you; I wish Dumbeldore had trusted me and Angelina. And Karen." She looked at Karen sympathetically, and the Hufflepuff gave her a small smile. Alicia added, "Don't worry, Kenneth. Ang and I won't say anything. Like she said when she let you in: the reason we didn't tell you about Dumbledore's Army last year was to protect you. We'll keep quiet and protect you now, too. We know your father wouldn't understand."
"Thank you," Kenneth answered. "I appreciate it."
Karen had been quiet throughout much of the conversation, but now she spoke up. "What I don't understand is whythe Death Eaters are donating money to St. Mungo's. What do they hope to gain by buying off the hospital?"
That was a good question, Alicia thought. But before she could voice the opinion, Adrian gave the answer.
"When battles occur, they need to make sure they have a way to heal injured Death Eaters. Healers take an oath to heal anyone, regardless of affiliation. The Death Eaters and their families know if they donate enough money to St. Mungo's — and pay off the chairman of the board while they're at it — they can get their fighters healed while also making sure Order members can't go to St. Mungo's for treatment. Especially now, since Dumbledore's gone."
Alicia inhaled sharply. "Damn," she muttered.
"That about sums it up," Kenneth agreed.
Adrian added, "It also puts Alicia and Chrysanthe in quite a bit of danger, if we're being honest. They're both Order-affiliated, even if they aren't actual members. I suspect the Death Eatersknow that. They would assume that Alicia and Chrysanthe would both help the Order by healing injured members if a skirmish or a battle occurred, even if Alicia and Chrysanthe aren't fully qualified yet. So it's very possible they'll become targets at some point themselves."
Alicia steeled herself. "I'm not going to drop out of the Healer program because of that," she said sharply.
Adrian gave her a small smile. "I wasn't asking you to drop out. I was asking you to be careful. I worry about you, love."
"He'sright," Kenneth said. "You and Chrysanthe will both be in danger at some point. You both need to be very careful, especially when you're at St. Mungo's and the Healer Institute. Not only are the Death Eaters donating large sums to St. Mungo's and bribing Cecil Vanhausen, but Courtney Vanhausen is in the program too, right? It wouldn't surprise me if she gets recruited to help You-Know-Who's faction. And who's to say she won't join the Death Eaters herself at some point?"
Alicia fell silent. It was true;she had often wondered about Courtney, even though Chrysanthe kept saying her gut feeling was that Courtney wasn't a bad person. But honestly, Courtney was a Slytherin, and she'd openly admitted to Alicia and Chrysanthe that she did everything with only one person in mind:herself. She had no intentions of helping others or befriending anyone. But would she actually join the Death Eaters? If her father was accepting bribes from known Death Eaters, it seemed very plausible that he might become one himself. But Courtney? Alicia personally couldn't understand how anyone who had taken an oath to heal others would join Voldemort's faction. It was absolutely insane. The real question was, would Courtney follow in her father's footsteps? Alicia didn't know, and that bothered her.
To her surprise, Karen said placidly, "Courtney isn't a Death Eater. She was my Transfiguration partner in sixth and seventh-year, and we were friends. She comes across as arrogant, sure, but I always liked her. We had a lot in common."
Kenneth frowned. "We're in the middle of a war, love. I can't trust her with Alicia and Chrysanthe's lives on the line."
Karen frowned at him, but before she could retort, Angelina sighed and said, "You're probably right. But only because we know her father is accepting bribes from Death Eaters."
Turning back to the others, Kenneth summed up the conversation. "So… the only other people who know that Pucey and I are actually in the Order are Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Arthur and Molly Weasley, and Bill Weasley. However, it's best if no one else knows outside of those five, and the three of you. Especially Fred, George, and Lee. They absolutely can't find out about Pucey…"
At that, Angelina and Alicia both winced and glanced at each other. Angelina said exactly what Alicia was thinking: "Agreed. They definitelywouldn't understand."
Alicia shook her head. "Definitely not. Like we already said. We won't say anything to anyone. We know how important it is to protect the two of you."
Kenneth sighed and raked a hand through his hair. "I appreciate that, but it still feels wrong, you two protecting me. It should be the other way around, damn it. And I'm sure Pucey feels the same."
Alicia glanced at Adrian. He had a hard glint in his eyes and was nodding in agreement with Kenneth. Of course he was.
"Bollocks," Angelina said stubbornly. "Gryffindors look out for each other, regardless of gender. It doesn't matter that you're a bloke and we're girls. The three of us, we're all Gryffindors —"
Kenneth flushed and muttered bitterly, "If you say so."
And that touched a nerve in Alicia. Kenneth had always been like this; he'd always thought he wasn't Gryffindor-enough. She remembered him feeling that way during their seventh-year, too. It was incredibly annoying. He wasn't like Fred, George, and Lee, but that didn't mean he wasn't a Gryffindor!
Angrily, she snapped, "It's not uswho originally said it, Kenneth. The Sorting Hatsaid it. The Sorting Hat putyou in Gryffindor! You area Gryffindor! You always have been and you always will be! What part of that do you not understand?"
Kenneth's shoulders slumped at her tirade. He didn't say anything for a moment, and when he finally did speak, he couldn't meet anyone's eyes and instead stared at a spot on the rug. Quietly, he replied, "Honestly?I don't know why the Sorting Hat put me in Gryffindor. I've never told a soul this, but…" He took a deep breath and blinked a few times, took his glasses off to pinch the space between his eyes and the bridge of his nose, and suddenly blurted, "Damn it, I askedthe Hat to put me in Hufflepuff. I thought it took a person's wishes into consideration! And it said it normally did take a person's wishes into consideration, but that it wasn't going to do that with me!"
Angelina's eyebrows went up to her hairline again and Alicia gaped at him in surprise. During their early years at Hogwarts, the twins had often joked about Kenneth being the "Hufflepuff of Gryffindor", but deep down, Alicia had never, ever believed that. She'd always assumed that the Sorting Hat knew what it was doing with every student. Had it made a mistake with Kenneth? She didn't think so, but Kenneth apparently did.
Kenneth winced at their silence and unexpectedly pressed his palms to his eyes. In that moment, Alicia's heart hurt for him; she knew that admitting his weaknesses was really hard for Kenneth, and this was something he had clearly been carrying inside of him for a very long time. He'dobviously never told anyone about his sorting, and she knew it took a lot for him to admit it to the four of them.
He went on in a muffled, shaky voice, "Cedric and I had been childhood friends, and he was sorted into Hufflepuff that night before I was called forward. I thought, wouldn't it be great if he and I were in the same House, you know? That's why I asked the Hat to put me in Hufflepuff, too. That, and I thought based on my personality, Hufflepuff would suit me best. I didn't feel intelligent or wise; I didn't feel ambitious or cunning; and I certainly didn't feel brave or courageous when I was sitting on that bloody stool waiting for the Hat to make a decision in front of the entire Great Hall. I felt terrified. But I alsofelt like I was loyal and hard-working and maybe kind to others."
There was silence for a moment. Karen sniffed, rested her head against his shoulder, and rubbed his arm soothingly. But Kenneth didn't look up from where his face was still buried in his hands.
Alicia asked softly, "Why did it put you in Gryffindor? What was its reasoning?"
"Alicia's right," Adrian said quietly. "The Sorting Hat usually gives a reason for why it places a person where it does—"
"That's just it, I don't know!" Kenneth exclaimed angrily, but he finally dropped his hands, at least. When he looked up at them all, he looked completely dejected and his eyes were wet. "It just said it wasn't going to take my request into consideration because I belonged in — and then it shouted Gryffindor!for the whole hall to hear, and I was so stunned and confused and upset that it took me a second to stand up and walk to the Gryffindor table! But just before I took the Hat off, it added:you'll understand one day, Kenneth. But fuck if I everhave!"
Alicia racked her brains to think of an answer. She and Adrian had tied for first place in their year at Hogwarts, but her brilliance was suddenly failing her. Why had the Sorting Hat not taken Kenneth's request into consideration? Why had it placed him in Gryffindor instead of Hufflepuff? Had it truly made a mistake with his placement?
And then Karen broke the silence. Gently, she said, "The Sorting Hat saw something in you that you didn't see, Kenneth. That you still don't see. That's it's job: to see what we can't. But the rest of us can see what the Sorting Hat saw in you. I always have."
"Oh yeah?" Kenneth exhaled in frustration and asked sarcastically, "And what is that?"
Karen smiled. "It saw that deep down, you are brave and courageous. It saw that you want to protect others before yourself. It saw your kindness, and how loyal and chivalrous you are. Kindness and loyalty aren't just Hufflepuff qualities; they're Gryffindor qualities, too. Just in slightly different ways. It saw that you're extremely determined."She laughed softly and leaned her hands against his shoulder, holding his gaze."Kenneth, you're one of the most determined, stubborn people I know! But it also saw something else, something that eleven-year-old Kenneth couldn't possibly see at the time, because he was too young. It saw that you're incredibly daring and you have a hell of a lot of nerve. Do you think just anyone could look Gerald Harper in the eye and see into his mind without caring if they got caught? A lot of people would be worried he would catch them and wouldn't even try!"
"She's right," Adrian threw in. "A lot of people wouldn't want to get on his bad side. You enjoywalking that line."
Karen added, "You don't back down from what you believe. Your father's angry at you for not taking a job at the Ministry, but you refused to do what he demanded and did things your own way. Your mum absolutely can't stand me, but that sure as hell didn't stop you from finding a flat and asking me to move in with you." She grinned at him.
Alicia smiled, too. "And I told you last year that Dumbledore chose you as Head Boy for a reason, didn't I? He knew you wouldtry to protect younger students from Umbridge. You want to protect others even now. That's why you joined the Order, isn't it?"
For some reason, Adrian snickered, and everyone turned and looked at him. Kenneth bristled slightly. "What's so funny, Pucey?" he demanded in a terse tone.
Adrian shook his head. "No, no, not you, Towler. It was something Dumbledore told me last year, just before we graduated. He called me into his office to discuss one of my reports. I had completely fucked up. I was so worried about protecting Alicia that I made a pretty glaring mistake on one of my fake reports, and Dumbledore caught it. He wasn't angry," Adrian added quickly to Alicia, because he had seen the way she'd tensed. "But he told me then that Alicia and I had been contenders for Head Girl and Boy."
They all stared at him for a couple of seconds, before Alicia sputtered, "What?"
Adrian nodded and grinned mischievously at her. "Dumbledore almost made the two of us Head Boy and Girl. Can you imagine it? Merlin, Alicia, we would have been snogging long before June of that year. I doubt we would have gotten anythingdone. But that isn't the point."
"What the fuck isthe point?" Kenneth snapped, putting his glasses back on. "That I wasn't actually good enough to be Head—?"
Adrian cut him off and met Kenneth's gaze squarely. "You were absolutely good enough to be Head Boy, because you were Head Boy. That's the point! Dumbledore didn'tchoose me. He chose you. He told me that he specifically chose you and Chrysanthe because he knew the two of you would put your energies into protecting younger students from Umbridge, like Alicia just said."
"You and Alicia would have done the same thing—"
"Probably, but Alicia and I would have also teamed up to make Umbridge's life hell. We would have rebelled in some way, and gotten in a lot of trouble for it. And sometime around October, we would have ended up in a broom cupboard, snogging our brains out, and our duties would have instantly become secondary."
Alicia could feel the heat in her cheeks. Damn it, he was right. She hated to admit it, but Adrian was probably right. They would have made Umbridge's life hell by rebelling in some unusual, unexpected way, and they absolutely would have ended up snogging in a broom cupboard by October if they had been Head Boy and Girl. And probably shagging in Hidden Storage by December.
Adrian went on thoughtfully, "The Sorting Hat did the opposite with me, Towler. I first assumed it would tell me that I belonged in Slytherin because my family had all been in Slytherin. But it didn't. Instead, it told me I would do well in any of the four houses. I seriously considered Gryffindor for a moment while I was sitting there, but then I changed my mind and I asked it to put me in Slytherin. I knew if I didn't go to Slytherin, those in Slytherin House would think I was weak, or that they had lost a student who should have been in Slytherin. Because that's how Slytherin House politics work. Unlike you, the Sorting Hat complied with myrequest. But I wonder, sometimes, what would have happened if it had put me in Gryffindor, instead."
For some reason, that idea made Kenneth chuckle. "We probably would have been mates, and it would have been nice to have someone else in my dorm besides Fred, George, and Lee. Damn it, now I'm kind of pissed at you, Pucey! You could have picked Gryffindor, and you didn't? What the hell?"
Angelina grinned at Adrian before he could answer Kenneth. "You would have probably been on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, too. We would have been playing withyou instead of againstyou."
"Wewould have been dating a lot sooner," Alicia remarked, smirking at him. "Probably fifth-year, because you would have gotten up the courage to ask me if you'd been in Gryffindor."
Adrian blushed. "Well, it didn't put me in Gryffindor. I asked to go to Slytherin, and that's where I was meant to be. But my point is, Towler was always meant to be in Gryffindor, not Hufflepuff." He met Kenneth's eyes again. "No offense, Towler, but you're very different from Diggory and Royle. I think the Hat looks at what we prioritize in our lives. Like Karen said though— at eleven, we don't think of it that way. What I thought about then, in simple terms, was self-preservation and ambition. I was trying to protect myself by asking to go to Slytherin. Dumbledore once told me I was an opportunist. I always look for opportunities in unexpectedplaces. ButAlicia and Angelina value bravery, courage, and loyalty above all value protecting others first, as well as bravery, courage, and daring. Those were qualities you wantedto see in yourself, even if you didn't seethem in yourself at the as I liked Diggory, he valued different things than you did. He valued loyalty, sure, but he actively avoided conflict. He was always trying to get people to get along. But you? I've never known you to avoid conflict." Adrian rolled his eyes. "Bloody hell, do you remember the first night that Dumbledore invited us to meet at the Hog's Head?"
At that, Kenneth burst into laughter. "Merlin's arse, I thought we were going to duel each other, and I had no idea how I was going to best you! But I was going to be damned if I didn't try!"
Adrian grinned. "I won't lie, I wanted to hex your fucking arse off, Towler. You seriouslypissed me off that night."
Alicia huffed and glared at the two of them. "Any particularreason you two went at it?"
Kenneth wiped his eyes and grinned. "I thought Pucey was spying on Dumbledore and I couldn't believe Dumbledore had asked him to join the Order. Then I baited him about you, Alicia, and the next thing I knew, we had our wands leveled at each other. Dumbledore walked in at that moment."
Karen rolled her eyes. "Oh, for the love of Helga, Kenneth!"
"I know, I know." He grinned at her. "Looking back, it was pretty stupid of us."
"And now?" Angelina asked, cocking an eyebrow at them.
Alicia noticed both Adrian and Kenneth looked a bit sheepish as they glanced at each other and shrugged.
Adrian said, "Now? I guess I don't want to hex him quite as badly."
"Yeah," Kenneth echoed. "I can't say I hate him like I did in seventh-year. I suppose that's an improvement."
Karen shook her head, and Angelina and Alicia both rolled their eyes.
Adrian suddenly grew serious, though. He looked at Kenneth and said, "So… what do you say, Towler? Should we keep working together for the greater good? Even though Dumbledore isn't here anymore to give us orders?"
Kenneth nodded and pushed his glasses up. "Yes. Who knows? I may need you to break another cipher at some point."
"I certainly hope it's more challenging than the last one," Adrian drawled.
"Don't wish for shite like that, Pucey."
Adrian laughed humorlessly. "Point."
"Well," Angelina said. "We appreciate you telling us. We won't say anything to anyone. But if you two need us, let us know, yeah?"
"What Angie said." Karen looked resolute. "Let us help you. We may be girls, but we're still damned talented witches, you know!"
Adrian caught Alicia's eye and grinned. "Can't argue with that."
"Me either!" Kenneth chuckled, grasping Karen's hand.
Angelina stood up and said decisively, "I think this calls for shots all the way around. I need alcohol after that discussion."
"Alicia's limit is two," Kenneth stated dryly.
Alicia laughed. "Hush, you," she joked, and she threw a sofa pillow at him, aiming for his face, but Kenneth blocked it with his arm. Then he grinned at her, snatched it off the floor, and threw it back. Alicia caught it easily and with a pang, remembered how much she loved playing Quidditch. It had been an age since she'd played Quidditch.
"That's actually good information to know," Adrian said, breaking her thoughts. "I had no idea your tolerance was so low, Spinnet."
"Fine!" Angelina threw her hands up. "One shot each, to celebrate, so Alicia doesn't get drunk." With that, she Summoned a bottle of Schletters Fine Whiskey from the kitchen cupboards, because Angelina refused to stock cheap Firewhisky, and Alicia conjured shot glasses for everyone.
Still laughing and grinning, they all clinked their glasses together before throwing the whisky back.
Much later that night, when Alicia and Adrian were lying in bed and she was curled up into his side, she murmured sleepily, "You know, in seventh-year, I think I was your only friend. And now you have several friends. That's an improvement."
Adrian sounded annoyed. "I guess. Though I still don't think Towler's really a friend, you know? More like an acquaintance I'm forced to work with—"
Alicia purposefully tweaked his left nipple and he jerked, hissed, swore, and shoved her hand away. She grinned into the side of chest and said, "If you say so, love."
In response, he goosed her and, when she yelped in surprise and pressed against his thigh to evade his hand, he merely smirked in the darkness.
"Good night, Alicia."