AN: And here's the next chapter. I hope to post at least two more by the end of March.
A special thank you to GryffindorHealer, Ksummer, and Vaffyu for their invaluable help in making this chapter readable!

After exploring the upper floors of Grimmauld Place for a while, Emily and Graham had sneaked down to the kitchen in search of a snack—and a bit of privacy. They had left the lights off and were now tightly wrapped around each other on the corner bench, the dimly lit kitchen illuminated only by the daylight filtering through the basement window, casting the cross-shaped shadow of the muntins onto the floor.

"Do you really think it was your brother and Ginny who were in Harry's godfather's bed?" Graham asked sceptically.

"Absolutely," Emily said firmly. "Who else could it have been? But they were probably just lying on the bed." She laughed quietly. "Ginny's got a lot of nerve, but she's definitely cautious about that."

"You seem pretty sure," Graham said, kissing the tip of her nose.

"Girls' secrets," Emily replied evasively, then added with a small grin, "We talk about things like that. Ginny's a year older than me, but we're pretty similar in a lot of ways."

Graham's lips curled into a playful smile. "So I wouldn't have a chance of getting you under the sheets either?"

Emily slapped him on the arm. "Forget it, Pritchard." She grinned mischievously. "You'll have to put in a little more effort—and a lot of time—I'm not even fourteen yet."

The slamming of the back door made them jump, followed by the sound of someone swearing under their breath.

"That's Ron," whispered Emily. "Let's hope... ah, we're lucky. He's heading upstairs."

As the coast was clear, Graham grinned. "His eagerness to see Hermione clearly outweighs his appetite."

"Yeah, he's pretty smitten with her", Emily agreed. "Want some chocolate? I'm sure there's some in the cupboard." She rummaged through it and beamed as she placed a glass bowl of chocolate on the table. "I knew it!"

As they nibbled on their chocolate, Graham said, "Your brother is taking the whole prophecy thing surprisingly calmly. It would depress me."

Emily gave him a thoughtful look. "That's Ginny's influence. Without her, he'd be moping around grumpy all day."

"Have they been together long?" asked Graham. "They act like they have."

Emily snorted and shook her head. "Since Ron's birthday, about four weeks ago." She giggled. "They'd been secretly watching each other for months, and before that, Harry never missed a chance to put his foot in his mouth. He stormed into Ginny's room without knocking, spilled cherry sauce on her dress at Christmas…"

Graham chuckled. "Sounds like everyone was relieved when it finally happened."

"Yeah, that's true," Emily admitted, shaking her head in amusement. "Which, if nothing else, taught me what not to do"

"But you averted your eyes at first, too," Graham teased.

Emily slapped him on the arm. "I wanted to make sure you were serious. And besides - the third time, I looked back."

"So I should be thanking them both for not having to wait too long for our first kiss," Graham said and pulled her onto his lap.

"What time is it actually?" Emily asked, kissing him on his nose. "We should probably head back upstairs. Kreacher will be here soon to prepare lunch."

"We've still got half an hour. It's only eleven," Graham murmured into her ear.

"Stop that," Emily giggled, shivering. "That tickles my ear," she moaned and kissed Graham on the nose.

Graham smirked. "Besides," he teased, "doesn't the house-elf live somewhere in the kitchen? Wouldn't be surprised if he's watching us."

"Ew, that's creepy." Emily shuddered at the thought.

"Shh." Graham pressed a finger gently to her lips. "Someone's there."

"It's coming from the back door," Emily confirmed as she heard it click shut and saw a sliver of light in the hallway.

"It's still an hour until lunch," came Ginny's voice. "Why don't we make ourselves comfortable in Sirius' room?"

Emily met Graham's eyes as if to say, "See!"

"I doubt we'll get past the drawing room if Ron's back already," Harry replied. "Let's —"

But he was interrupted—by a kiss, judging by the soft moan that followed.

Emily bit back a laugh as she met Graham's gaze. "Those two are impossible. Should we give them a scare?"

Graham shook his head and smirked. "Give them a moment."

"Oh, Harry," Ginny murmured, slightly out of breath. "Come closer. I love the feeling of your wand pressed against me. A sort of reward for all my effort," she added, sounding amused.

"But I don't want Ron catching me with a tent like that," Harry mumbled defensively.

"Ron knows exactly what it is like," Ginny said with a smirk. "And trust me, sitting at lunch feeling a bit soggy isn't exactly fun either. So it's only fair, really."

"Oh, Merlin." Emily let out a muffled snort, and even in the semi-darkness, she could see Graham's face turning red.

"Is someone there?" Harry's voice came, a little panicked.

"Damn," Emily grumbled, rolling her eyes. Switching on the light, she strode to the stove and pushed a pot back and forth, letting the ladle clatter against the rim.

"It's just Kreacher," Ginny said in relief. "Come on, let's go upstairs."

Emily and Graham gave them a bit of a head start. Still grinning, they slipped out of the kitchen, curious to see what would happen next. The fun wasn't over yet. Hermione was probably still in the library, buried in a mountain of books, reading and taking notes.

They crept closer as Harry and Ginny reached the drawing room, where Ron had clearly been waiting for them. "Ah, there you are," he called out.

Ginny excused herself to the loo, and Harry joined Ron. Emily and Graham edged forward just enough to spy inside the room.

"How are things between you and Hermione?" Harry asked cautiously. "Is she officially your girlfriend, or are you just friends?"

Ron gave him an incredulous look. "Why? Are you interested?"

"What?" Harry spluttered, taken aback. "Of course not!"

Ron grinned. "You'd be too late anyway, and I doubt Ginny would just hand you over." He paused, then shot Harry an amused look. "Or did she send you ahead to question me?"

Harry smirked, obviously realising his friend had got the better of him. "So you're together, then?"

"Yes. Sort of." Ron shrugged. "She says she actually wants to focus on her studies, but she likes me and wants to give it a chance."

Ginny came back from the loo and, spotting Graham and Emily, waved as she entered the room, and they followed her. Judging by the gleam in her eyes, Ginny had heard the last part of Ron's answer.

"So you kissed her?" she asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

"I don't kiss and tell," Ron replied, a little stiffly. "Not that it's anyone's business."

"Ha. That's a yes," Ginny declared, laughing. "About time."

Ron glanced at Emily and Graham and chuckled. "At least we don't look like these two—hair all mussed and lips red and swollen."

Harry raised an eyebrow at Emily, who gave him a warning look, daring him to say anything. He and Ginny didn't look much better.

"Hi. How are you?" Hermione had finally managed to part from her books and joined them, settling into the armchair next to Ron. "How was it at Dumbledore's?" she asked, barely able to hide her curiosity. "Did you hear anything interesting?"

"Dumbledore and Phineas Black definitely aren't friends, but Dumbledore managed to convince Phineas to spy for us," Harry said.

"How's he going to manage that?" Graham asked, surprised.

"He's got another portrait at the Malfoys', and Dobby is going to make sure it gets placed somewhere useful."

"So Dobby is going to nick that student register?" Emily asked, worried. "I hope he doesn't get caught."

"Dumbledore trusts him," said Ginny simply.

Tonks entered and announced, "Lunch is ready. You're all to come down to the kitchen."

"Perfect." Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm starving."

Hermione shook her head in amusement. "Honestly. When are you not thinking about food?"

"Whenever I'm thinking about you," Ron replied, winking at her.

"I was hoping you'd think about me more often," Hermione replied dryly, then chuckled as she stood up. "Come on, let's eat before you actually starve."

They all gathered at the large dining table in the kitchen, where Kreacher served sandwiches, tea, and pumpkin juice.

"Where are Bill and Mum?" Ginny asked.

"They're checking the Wards at the Burrow again. We're not supposed to wait for them," Ron replied.

"And Charlie's still at work," Tonks added. "The ponies are foaling in the national park, and the rangers are keeping a close eye on them in case there are any complications."

"I'd like to see that," Emily said eagerly.

"Why not? You'd better ask Charlie. A bit of fresh air will do you good. All of you," Lily suggested. "I doubt anyone would suspect us in Dartmoor." She turned to Harry and Ginny. "How was your lesson with Dumbledore?"

"Great. It was fun," Harry said. "We practised a few basic spells. We can try them out with you lot, too."

"We duelled," Ginny added enthusiastically.

"And who won?" asked Ron, eyeing Harry pointedly.

"It ended in a draw," Ginny said, and Harry nodded, chuckling. "Ginny is really strong offensively. My shields saved me."

Ginny patted his arm. "We both improved quickly—Dumbledore said so himself. Which reminds me, Dumbledore wants to come here tomorrow. Mrs Potter or you, Dora, should stop by to discuss the details with him."

**HG**

The next morning, after breakfast, everyone who was free gathered in the drawing room at Grimmauld Place to wait for Dumbledore's arrival. Only Bill had to return to London to take care of some matters for Gringotts. Harry and Ron had moved a few chairs aside to make space for their guest.

At precisely nine o'clock, the group startled as the headmaster arrived with a loud crack, already seated comfortably in his armchair, flanked by his house-elves. In his hands, propped up on the armrests, he held the portrait of Phineas Black. Diara swiftly pushed a stool in front of his chair—one she had seemingly brought along—while Donny took the portrait and carefully positioned it in a free spot on the wall, propping it up securely.

"Good morning everyone," Dumbledore greeted them, glancing around as he stroked his beard. "I have brought back the portrait of Phineas Black, as it rightfully belongs at Grimmauld Place and is safer here anyway. Phineas has also—somewhat reluctantly—agreed to inform the residents of this house if he learns anything of importance at Malfoy Manor."

"You more or less forced me," the man in the portrait grumbled.

"I was under the impression that you had come to your senses, Phineas," Dumbledore replied simply to the wizard, who had now settled into his chair with a sulky expression and resolutely refused to look at anyone.

"Is Dobby on his way yet?" asked Harry, more interested in the house-elf than in the grumpy old man in the portrait.

"Dobby set off early this morning," Dumbledore replied. "He is waiting at his former home for the perfect moment to complete his risky task. That is why we are here today—to await his return."

Harry watched as Dumbledore turned to speak to Tonks and Charlie before his mother and Mrs Weasley joined them. He leaned towards Ginny. "I keep wondering why he doesn't live here with us when it's much safer."

"If you want an answer, let's just ask him," said Ginny, nodding towards the man.

Harry shrugged and stood up. "Are you coming?"

As they approached Dumbledore, he smiled at them. "Harry, Ginny. Nice to see you. I hope you feel well after your lesson yesterday —no sore muscles or any scratches?"

"Everything's fine," Harry assured him, glancing briefly at Ginny before turning back to Dumbledore and plucking up his courage. "I wonder, Sir, is there a reason why you insist on staying in your house when it's not safe?"

The murmuring in the room quietened. Clearly, he wasn't the only one wondering about this.

Dumbledore hesitated for a moment and then slowly nodded. "You must understand, I have never run away from him—whether he called himself Tom Riddle or Lord Voldemort," he said calmly. "And I do not intend to start now. Besides, I have another reason. The day I defeated Lord Voldemort, his wand fell to me, and I believe he will do anything to get it back. I'm sure he knows where to find it."

"You want to wait for him to come and steal his wand?" Emily asked incredulously.

Dumbledore smiled at her. "A stolen wand doesn't properly work for a wizard. He has to win the wand by defeating its owner. When I defeated Voldemort, his wand switched allegiance and chose me as its owner."

"Interesting," said Harry, trying to understand what he'd just heard. "...and if Voldemort wants his wand back, he has to win its allegiance back, or it won't be of any use to him?"

"Exactly", Dumbledore confirmed, "And we should take advantage of that. What is your wand made of, Harry?"

Harry held up his wand and showed it to Dumbledore. "Holly, eleven inches, with a phoenix feather core," he said proudly. "It works pretty well for me."

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, looking mildly surprised. "Phoenix feather, you say? Very interesting." He nodded thoughtfully. "Ollivander once received feathers from Fawkes and crafted two wands from them."

"Do you know who has the other wand?" asked Harry, astonished.

Dumbledore nodded, smiling. "It's in my possession."

"What a coincidence," Harry blurted out.

"What a coincidence, indeed," Dumbledore agreed, stroking his beard.

A soft pop sounded, and everyone turned towards the door, where Dobby stood, looking visibly relieved and out of breath. He clutched a book in his hands and handed it to Harry with a sheepish smile. "The book that Dobby was sent to retrieve, Master Harry."

Before Harry could respond, Dumbledore spoke. "You did an excellent job, Dobby. I trust you are unhurt?"

Dobby beamed and wiggled his ears, which looked rather odd. "Only my former master's new house-elf was home—a very young one. Did not see Dobby."

Kreacher appeared out of nowhere behind Dobby, his broad smile betraying a hint of pride.

"The portrait of Headmaster Black now hangs in the drawing room of Malfoy Manor," Dobby explained, his eyes shining. "Dobby used house-elf magic to confound wizards who is looking at the painting, sir! No one will notice."

"Excellent, Dobby," Dumbledore praised him. "You did very well."

Dobby's smile grew even wider as he bowed. "Dobby loves to serve."

Turning to the portrait, Dumbledore called, "Phineas!" The man in the portrait actually looked up. "Why don't you visit your other portrait and let us know if everything is as you wished."

The former headmaster huffed, but stood and strode out of the painting.

"May I have a look?" asked Tonks, who had suddenly appeared beside Harry and reached for the book. "I want to compare it with our copy."

Charlie handed her the other Hogwarts register, and she laid them side by side on the table while the others gathered around her to see what she was up to.

"What are you looking for?" Harry asked, stepping a bit aside to let Ginny see.

"Let me check first," Tonks replied, quickly flicking through the pages. "Ah, here it is. Look," she said, pointing to an entry. "Thomas Entwhistle. The name is crossed out and highlighted in red, and next to it, it says 'done.'" She searched for the same name in the other copy. "In our edition, he's just crossed out, which happens when a student is no longer alive—or no longer lives in the UK."

"Look for marked names we don't know yet," Lily told her.

"Yes, here's one. Timothy Bolton. Dead," Tonks announced grimly. "And here—Amanda Paddington. She's still alive, just highlighted in red."

"We should warn her," Ginny said urgently.

"We should make a list of everyone who's still alive," Emily added.

"Check if Hermione and Colin are marked," Ron suggested.

Harry looked up and noticed that Hermione had gone a little green.

Tonks began to flick through the pages again. "Here she is. Hermione Granger. The entry is only a few weeks old," she said, glancing at Hermione. "Probably because you just moved back. Your entry isn't marked. So they haven't targeted you yet."

Lily had grabbed the book and was turning the pages, breathing a sigh of relief when she announced, "Colin and his brother aren't marked either."

"We should still be careful," Tonks pointed out. "Maybe they've got some kind of waiting list."

"We need to warn everyone marked red and still alive," Harry said.

"Exactly," Ginny agreed with a grim look. "We can't rely on Malfoy not having their addresses. He might already have someone hired to kill them."

"How many are there?" Lily asked, leaning over the book while Tonks leafed through it.

"There are two," said Tonks as she reached the end of the register. "Besides Amanda Paddington, there's also a Justin Finch-Fletchley."

"I'll go and check on them," Lily said and wrote down their addresses.

"What do you want to do?" asked Molly. "We could invite them to join the class. But with how cramped it is here..."

"We should report them," Hermione suggested thoughtfully. "The murderers I mean. That will unsettle them. They will probably wait and see before trying anything else."

"Report them?" Molly asked, frowning. "But where?"

"That's a good idea," Lily confirmed, smiling at Hermione before turning to Molly. "The Muggle police. Just like you would have contacted the Aurors back in the day before most of them became Death Eaters."

"We'd have to provide identification, though," Hermione pointed out. "Do you have any Muggle documents?"

"Yes," said Lily. "I left mine in our old cottage in Godric's Hollow, but they're probably expired by now."

"Then we'll have to file an anonymous crime report," Hermione decided.

"And we should write a letter to the editor in the local newspaper, preferably in the county where the Entwhistles live," Tonks suggested.

Harry frowned. "Why don't we write a letter to that woman—what was her name again?"

"Dolores Umbridge?" Tonks asked. "Good idea. If she finds out that the Muggle police have evidence pointing to her, and then she gets an anonymous letter accusing her—if I were her, I'd keep quiet for now."

"Sounds like an excellent idea," Dumbledore agreed, having followed the exchange the whole time.

"Good. Then I suggest we have lunch before I go and see the two Muggle-borns," Lily said.

"We could write those anonymous letters," Hermione suggested, looking around, seeking approval.

"But don't forget—Graham, Hermione—we have our first Apparition lesson this afternoon," Tonks reminded them. "I'll pick up Colin straight after lunch, and then we can get started. Charlie is helping me today."

**HG**

The following days flew by. After Colin moved into a room with Graham, and with the seven of them more or less confined to Grimmauld Place, their free time was largely spent practising—alternating between Apparition training for Hermione, Graham, and Colin, and duelling sessions together. Harry and Ginny were happy to share what they had learned from Dumbledore with the others while getting the chance to practise themselves.

One Tuesday evening, the younger inhabitants of Grimmauld Place gathered in the drawing room. Graham had settled in a corner with Colin, helping him practise his Summoning and Banishing Charms, while the others stood around the portrait of Phineas Black—though there was no sign of him.

"Has he ever shown his face?" Ron asked suspiciously. "I haven't seen him since he disappeared off to the Malfoys."

"Dumbledore said we can trust him," Harry replied. "We'll just have to wait until he comes back."

"I was wondering", Hermione said, frowning thoughtfully. "Why is Dumbledore putting so much effort into watching the Malfoys?" Noticing the others' puzzled looks, she hesitated. "I meant, of course, it's important to know what's going on there. But then there's Tonks, Charlie, Lily—he's involving a lot of people, isn't he?" Her brow furrowed further as she glanced between them. "The way Professor Dumbledore is gathering intelligence…it feels like he is trying to set up a new Order of the Phoenix. But you all seem to know more about it than I do…"

"Oh," Ron blurted out, looking guilty. "Sorry. We haven't told you anything about it yet."

Graham and Colin joined them, drawn in by the topic of conversation.

Harry exchanged a glance with Ginny, shrugged briefly and nodded. "Yeah, we should have told you and Colin."

"So Graham knows?" Hermione asked, her expression slightly reproachful. "What's it about?"

"It's more about me," Harry admitted.

"That's not quite true," Ginny interjected. "In the end, it affects all of us—at least the Potters and the Weasleys. The others are free to stay out of it."

"It's like this," Harry began. "After we found out that Voldemort was back, Dumbledore told us about a prophecy. Unfortunately, it says I'm the only one who can defeat Voldemort."

Hermione frowned. "That's terrible. I hope he doesn't know about it."

Harry smiled wryly. "Oh, he knows. Dumbledore believes Voldemort didn't hear the whole prophecy, but enough to think it's about him and me. That's why we had to go into hiding."

"You know what the prophecy says?" Graham asked calmly.

Harry nodded and began to recite:

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...

Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...

And he shall mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...

And seven shall be the Dark Lord's downfall...

For one shall rise as the other falls,

The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies."

"And why does this Voldemort think it's about you?" Colin asked.

"There were only two new-borns at the end of July that year," Harry explained. "One of them was me. The other disappeared after his mother was murdered. No one knows where he is. As far as I know, Voldemort didn't mark either of us, so far. But it doesn't really matter anyway, because he's decided I'm the one he's after."

"And what about the seven? That part is a bit cryptic, isn't it?" Graham asked.

Harry glanced at Ginny before replying, "We don't know for sure. Dumbledore has his suspicions, but he doesn't know anything for sure."

"There's something else I don't understand," Hermione said, her expression sharpening. "How can this Voldemort be back if he was dead? That's impossible."

Harry looked at Ginny, Ron, and Emily before saying hesitantly, "Dumbledore insisted that we don't discuss this with others."

"Harry," Ginny said firmly. "He said this knowledge must stay within our group, and they are part of our group now."

"We should tell them, Harry," Ron said. "Hermione will figure it out anyway, she's a walking library. And Dumbledore did say we need every help we can get."

Even Emily nodded, giving Graham a reassuring glance.

Harry let out a deep breath. "Fine. But you have to promise to keep this between us."

After everyone nodded, Harry cleared his throat and admitted, "Dumbledore discovered that Voldemort made Horcruxes to prevent himself from dying."

"What in Merlin's name are Horcruxes?" Graham exclaimed, looking bewildered.

"I read that word somewhere," Hermione muttered, frowning. "It must have been in one of Professor Dumbledore's books. I'll look it up right away."

Ron grabbed her hand. "You can always do that later, Hermione. Why don't you listen to what Harry has to say first?"

Hermione gave Harry an apologetic look and sat back down next to Ron.

"Right," Harry began. "A Horcrux is a piece of soul that has been split off to give a wizard or witch immortality. When they die, they remain anchored to this world because a fragment of their soul is still intact."

With the help of Ginny, Ron and Emily, he began to explain everything Dumbledore had told them about Horcruxes and the mysterious return of a sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle.