Astra

LXXV - The Welcome to Grimmauld Place

HARRY WAS FURIOUS AT Ron and Hermione, and had been screaming for the past few minutes before he finally got somewhere.

"Voldemort!" he said furiously, and both Ron and Hermione winced. "What's happening? What's he up to? Where is he? What are we doing to stop him?"

"We've told you, the Order doesn't let us in on their meetings," said Hermione nervously. "So we don't know the details--but we've got a general idea--" she added hastily, seeing the look on Harry's face.

"Astra's been telling us as much as she can -"

"Astra?! She's here?" Harry was suddenly wary of how much he had been yelling, but curious all the same.

"Yes," Hermione said, nodding, "This is her family's house, after all. But she's allowed in the Order meetings and has been telling us brief summaries so that Fred and George don't use their Extendable Ears."

"Extendable--?"

"Ears, yeah. They started using them but then Astra started telling us a little bit about the Order so we'd stop. We know some of the Order are following known Death Eaters, keeping tabs on them, you know--"

"--some of them are working on recruiting more people to the Order--" said Hermione.

"--and some of them are standing guard over something," said Ron. "But she won't tell us what."

"Couldn't have been me, could it?" said Harry sarcastically.

"Oh, yeah," said Ron, with a look of dawning comprehension.

Harry snorted. He walked around the room again, looking anywhere but at Ron and Hermione. "Why's Astra allowed in the meetings," realizing what they had said.

Ron and Hermione glanced at each other, as if keeping a sort of secret, before Hermione said feebly, "She-er- Sirius said it was alright."

Harry was only getting angry at the second due to the outright lie, but then Hermione added, "Because she's an animagus! They thought it'd be useful." Ron nodded right along and Harry could only accept it as an answer.

"So, what have you two been doing, if you're not allowed in meetings?" he demanded. "You said you'd been busy."

"We have," said Hermione quickly. "We've been decontaminating this house, it's been empty for ages and stuff's been breeding in here. We've managed to clean out the kitchen, most of the bedrooms and I think we're doing the drawing room tomo--AARGH!'

With two loud cracks, Fred and George, had materialised out of thin air in the middle of the room. Pigwidgeon twittered more wildly than ever and zoomed off to join Hedwig on top of the wardrobe.

"Stop doing that!" Hermione said weakly to the twins.

"Hello, Harry," said George, beaming at him. "We thought we heard your dulcet tones."

"You don't want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out," said Fred, also beaming. "There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn't hear you."

"You two passed your Apparation tests, then?" asked Harry grumpily.

"With distinction," said Fred.

"It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs," said Ron.

"Time is Galleons, little brother," said Fred. The door opened and a long mane of red hair followed by light blonde appeared.

"Oh, hello, Harry!" said Ginny, brightly. "I thought I heard your voice."

Luna waved with a small smile, but narrowed her eyes. "It seems that you've been infested with nargles, unusual at this time of year, but still dangerous," she said in her dreamy voice, reminding Harry about her unusual personality. She then turned to Hermione, Ginny holding out a stack of papers.