Perseus Alphard Black

Chapter 41

"They let you join?!" The twins blurted out, having entered the room along with everyone else after the rest of the order had left.

"Pretty much, yeah," Harry said, trying really, really hard not to smirk. The twins gaped at him, unable to believe that they were unable to join when he could. Fortunately for them, they would be of age in a couple of days and could then petition to join again.

"That's not fair!" Ron protested.

"Yeah, it is," Rigel replied. "Harry fought off you-know-who and..."

"Shut it! Nobody was talking to you!" Ron interrupted, glaring at Rigel. "You slimy, little snake bastard!" Hermione's face turned red with anger and was more than ready to begin berating him for his behavior towards Rigek but was cut off by none other than Percy.

"Weasley!" Percy barked, causing everyone else to quieten down. "Did I not previously remind you that Rigel is my brother in all by blood and did I not warn you to treat him respectfully? Do you truly not care for your family?" Percy asked, raising an eyebrow. Ron paused and his ears turned red, knowing that Percy could still kick him and his family out. "You may be my relative but you hold no inheritance in this house."

"Even so, you shouldn't have been so rude!" Ginny said, glaring at Ron. "You should say sorry."

"Yes, he should," Hermione agreed.

"I'm...I'm sorry," Ron said eventually, looking pained as he did so, he quickly walked out of the room before anyone else could say anything.

"Ignore him," Hermione told Rigel.

"Oh, I don't listen to him," Rigel said dismissively. "Honestly, half of the time I just go blank when he speaks." He admitted.

Percy, Jenna, Sirius, and Tonks were, once again, at Grimmauld Place. They were in the drawing-room; Percy was playing – and losing – wizarding chess with Sirius, though Tonks was trying, yet failing, to help. A seven months pregnant Jenna was going over the notes she had taken from the last Order meeting, occasionally looking up to see one of Percy's players wrestling one of Sirius's of the board. Nothing truly significant had happened since Dumbledore had left the school. She was about to put her notes away when something caught her eye.

No one was on duty tonight.

That's odd, she thought. "Hey guys, do you know why no one's on duty at the Ministry tonight?"

"No idea," Percy said. "But Mad-Eye and Kingsley are supposed to be here soon. Maybe one of them will know. And if they don't, Dumbledore's coming later...you can ask him."

That satisfied her. In the meantime, she watched Percy lose spectacularly to Sirius and flip the board dramatically. Kingsley and Tonks showed up within a few minutes of each other; neither knew why no one was at the Ministry tonight. Just after Remus had narrowly defeated Tonks, Moody came rushing up the stairs, the sound of his wooden leg creating a dull clunk with every other step.

"I just got a message from Snape," he said without preamble, "asking if Sirius was here."

"Why does he care?" Sirius replied.

Moody sent his Patronus out of the window.

"What was that all about?" Jenna asked.

"More importantly," Jenna said, "Since when did Snape even care where you are?"

"I have no idea," Sirius said. He turned to Moody. "Did he say why?"

"No, just asked if you were here."