Dark

Chapter 39

Hermione
I’ve just been attacked by demntors and I might be expelled from Hogwarts. I want to know what’s going on and when I’m going to get out of here.
A sudden sharp pain pierced my knuckles and I looked up from the letter to find Hedwig looking at me intently.
“I know that he wants answers, Hedwig, but there’s nothing I can do about it.” I said. “I’m sorry.”
The snowy owl bobbed her head forward again and I quickly whipped my hand out of her reach.
Harry’s letter was troubling. Why would dementors be in a muggle area? Why would they attack someone, especially a teenager of all people? This all pointed to something terrible and as much as I didn’t want to believe it was happening, I knew that it was.
I had soon made my way to Ron’s room. The door was ajar, and when I stepped inside I found Ron pacing back and forth. He was just as worried about Harry as I was.
“It looks like it’s true. Harry sent these.” I held out a letter toward Ron. “I assume yours is the same as mine. Harry says he was attacked by dementors and might be expelled. He also says he wants answers.”
“We can’t though-“ Ron started.
“I know, Ron. I know.” I took a seat on an empty bed and read over the letter again.
“Do you think they’ll expel him?” Ron asked.
“They shouldn’t be able to…according to their own laws. But who knows what the Ministry is willing to do these days.”
“They’re probably thrilled by the chance to expel Harry and make a huge deal about it in the Daily Prophet.”
“Hey.”
Ginny had just appeared in the doorway, her arms crossed and her face downcast. It was apparent that we were all deeply worried about Harry. We had no idea what was going to happen with him next, and we couldn’t even be sure that he was safe staying where he was. They had people keeping an eye him constantly, and yet he was still attacked by dementors.
“Hey, Ginny.” Ron said.
“There’s a pretty big meeting going on down there.” Ginny walked across the room and took a seat next me.
“Did you overhear anything useful?” Ron asked.
“No. Fred and George got out the extendable ears, but I think Mum noticed. We only caught something about dementors before everything went silent.”
“Has there been any news about Eleanor yet?” I asked.
“No, not as far as I know.”
Silence seemed to steal over us after that.

Harry
Four days.
I’ve spent four days in my room, alternating between anxious pacing and laying in my bed and staring at the ceiling. Four days I’ve hardly left my room, and still no one has bothered to answer my letters. I’ve had no news from anyone.
All I could think about was the Ministry hearing. What if they ruled against me? What if I was expelled from Hogwarts and they snapped my wand in half? What would I do, where would I go? There was no way that I could come back to the Dursleys and stay here, trapped with them in the muggle world for the rest of my life. I belonged in the magical world. It was the only place I had ever belonged, and it felt as though it were slowly being pulled away from me.
“We’re going out,” Uncle Vernon said from the doorway.
I hadn’t even noticed him approach my room. Usually he stayed as far away from it as possible.
“Sorry?” I asked.
“We – that is to say, your aunt, Dudley, and I – are going out.”
“Fine,” I said dully, returning my gaze to the ceiling.
“You are not to leave your bedroom while we are away.”
“Okay.”
“You are not to touch the television, the stereo, or any of our possessions.”
“Right.”
“You are not to steal food from the fridge.”
“Okay.”
“I am going to lock your door.”
“You do that.”
I could practically feel how intensely my uncle was glaring at me, but I wasn’t bothered by it. If they wanted to leave the house, what difference would it make? I heard the door close and the turn of the key in the lock. I continued to listen as footsteps made their way downstairs, the front door was closed, and eventually the doors of the car were slammed closed as well. When I heard the engine start up and the car pulling away, I was relieved.
The room grew steadily darker as I remained on my bed, worrying about the millions of ‘what ifs’ floating through my mind, all involving what I would do if the Ministry expelled me from Hogwarts. It must have been nearly a half hour later when I heard a crash from the kitchen below.
I sat bolt upright in bed, listening intently. It couldn’t be the Dursleys, they wouldn’t be back so soon. I also hadn’t heard their car pull back into the drive way. I crossed my room and listened at the door, I could hear muffled voices from downstairs.
My immediate reaction was to snatch up my wand from my bedside table. I may have already been in trouble with the Ministry, but if there were burglars in the house, then I might have to defend myself.
That was when I heard the lock on my door click. That didn’t seem right. I would have been able to hear someone picking at the lock to open it, but I didn’t. Which meant that someone had unlocked it with magic.
I cautiously approached the door, unsure what I would find beyond it. When I opened it though, there was nothing outside my room. It wasn’t until I stepped into the hallway and looked down the stairs that I was met with the dark outlines of the intruders.
“Lower your wand, boy, before you take someone’s eye out,” said a low growling voice.
I knew that voice. My heart jumped into my throat as I recognized it as Mad-Eye Moody.
“Professor Moody?” I asked uncertainly.
“I don’t know so much about ‘Professor’,” growled Moody, “never got round to much teaching, did I? Get down here, we want to see you properly.”
I wasn’t sure how to react. The Mad-Eye Moody I had known all the previous school year had been an imposter. He had put mine and Eleanor’s names into the Goblet of fire, made sure we were chosen, and not only tried to hand us straight over to Voldemort but attempted to murder Eleanor as well. She had known something was wrong with him, but I didn’t listen to her. We both paid a price for my mistake. Surely the Moody standing all of ten feet away from me now though, couldn’t be that imposter. The imposter had been administered the dementor’s kiss, he wouldn’t be able to stand here and talk to me now.
“It’s all right, Harry. We’ve come to take you away.”
I noticed that voice too, and this time I wasn’t filled with dread, but with excitement.
“P-Professor Lupin?” I asked disbelievingly. “Is that you?”
“Why are we all standing in the dark?” said a third voice, this one completely unfamiliar to me. “Lumos.”
A wand-tip flared, and the hall was suddenly illuminated. I blinked against the sudden change in light and took in the scene before me. There was an entire group of people crowded around the foot of the stairs, gazing intently up at me.
“Oooh, he looks just like I thought he would,” said the witch who had lit her wand. “Wotcher, Harry!”
“Yeah, I see what you mean Remus,” said a bald black wizard standing the farthest back. His voice was deep and slow, and I caught a glimpse of a gold hoop in his ear. “He looks exactly like James.”
“Except the eyes,” said a wheezy voiced silvered-haired wizard at the back. “Lily’s eyes.”
“Are you quite sure it’s him, Lupin?” Mad-Eye growled. “It’d be a nice lookout if we bring back some Death Eater impersonating him. We ought to ask him something only the real Potter would know. Unless anyone brought any Veritaserum?”
“Harry, what form does your Patronus take?” Lupin asked.
“A stag,” I answered quickly.
“That’s him, Mad-Eye.”
I descended the stairs, very aware of everyone watching me interestedly.
“I’m – you’re really lucky the Dursleys are out…” I mumbled.
“Lucky, ha!” said the witch with the lit wand, and this was the first time I noticed that her hair was a shade of violet. “It was me that lured them out of the way. Sent a letter by Muggle post telling them they’d been short-listed for the All-England Best-Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. They’re heading off to the prize giving right now…Or they think they are.”
For the first time in days I truly smiled at something. The Dursleys would be furious when they discovered there was no such thing as the All-England Best-Kept Suburban Lawn Competition.
“We’re leaving?” I asked. “Soon?”
“Almost at once,” Lupin answered, “we’re just waiting for the all-clear.”
“Where are we going? The Burrow?” I asked, feeling hopeful.
“Not the Burrow, no.” Lupin said. “Too risky. We’ve set up headquarters somewhere undetectable. It’s taken a while…”
I looked around at everyone, wondering who they all were. I only recognized Moody and Lupin.
“This is Alastor Moody, Harry.” Lupin said, having noticed my wondering gaze.
“Yeah, I know.” I said, still somewhat uncomfortable to be so near him after what happened at the end of term.
“And this is Nymphadora –“
“Don’t call me Nymphadora, Remus,” the witch with the violet hair said with a shudder. “It’s Tonks.”
“– Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only,” Lupin finished.
“So would you if your fool of a mother had called you ‘Nymphadora’.” Tonks muttered.
“And this is Kingsley Shacklebolt.” Lupin indicated the tall black wizard, who bowed – “Elphias Doge” – the wheezy-voiced wizard – “Dedalus Diggle” – a man holding a top hat – “Emmeline Vance” – a stately looking witch in an emerald-green shawl inclined her head – “Sturgis Podmore” – a square-jawed wizard with thick, straw-colored hair winked – “and Hestia Jones.” A pink cheeked, black haired witch waved.
I inclined my head toward the group of witches and wizards, but I had other questions on my mind as well.
“Look, what’s going on, I haven’t heard anything from anyone. What’s Vol –“
Several of the other people made odd hisses noises, and Dedalus Diggle dropped his hat.
“Shut up!” Moody growled.
“What?” I asked.
“We’re not discussing anything here, it’s too risky,” Moody said.
“All right. Well how are we getting – wherever we’re going?”
“Brooms,” Lupin said. “Only way. You’re too young to apparate, they’ll be watching the Floo Network, and it’s more than our life’s worth to set up an unauthorized Portkey.”
“Remus says you’re a good flier.” Kingsley said.
“He’s excellent,” Lupin spoke up as he checked his watch. “Anyway, you’d better go and get packed, Harry, we want to be ready to go when the signal comes.”
Without a moment of hesitation I rushed back up to my room and threw open my trunk. All of my belongings were scattered haphazardly over the floor. I tossed spell books and potions ingredients in, then I hastily stuffed my robes and other clothes on top of everything else. It took two trips to get everything downstairs, but in a matter of minutes I was ready to be rid of Number 4 Privet Drive for another year.
“Excellent,” Lupin said, looking up as I walked in with Hedwig’s cage and my Firebolt. “We’ve got about a minute, I think. We should probably get out into the garden so we’re ready. Harry, I’ve left a letter telling your aunt and uncle not to worry –“
“They won’t,” I said.
“That you’re safe –“
“That’ll just depress them.”
“– and that you’ll see them next summer.”
“Do I have to?”
Lupin smiled, but he didn’t answer my question.
Soon we were all situated in the Dursleys’ back yard. My trunk and Hedwig’s cage were secured into a harness attached to Tonks’ broom.
“Mount your brooms, that’s the first signal!” Lupin called, pointing into the sky. I looked up and could just make out a shower of red sparks erupting far off. I swung my leg over the Firebolt and gripped the handle tightly. I hadn’t flown in so long that I was excited to be getting the chance to now, even if it did come at a slight risk.
“Second signal, let’s go!”
As green sparks erupted in the same area of the sky as the first signal, we all kicked off the ground. The cool night air rushed through my hair as the square gardens of Privet Drive fell away. I hadn’t felt nearly this free all summer. It was amazing to be flying again. It felt like I was leaving my problems behind with the Dursleys. I knew that, unfortunately, that feeling wouldn’t last long enough.
“Hard left, hard left, there’s a muggle looking up!” Moody shouted from behind me.
Tonks was our lead and she swerved, the rest of us following her direction.
“We need more height…Give it another quarter of a mile!”
It wasn’t long before the cold air was making my eyes water and freezing my hands to my broomstick. For what felt like hours we flew on, Tonks in the lead, Moody at the rear, and myself in the middle with everyone else circling my position. There was nothing to look at but the stars in the sky and the spots of light far below us. The only sounds I could hear were the whooshing of the wind in my ears and the creaking of the harness that held my trunk up ahead.
“Bearing southeast and keep climbing, there’s some low cloud ahead we can lose ourselves in!” Moody called out.
“We’re not going through clouds!” Tonks shouted angrily. “We’ll get soaked, Mad-Eye!”
Eventually Lupin’s call of, “Time to start the descent!” brought me some form of relief. At least soon enough I would be able to unstick my hands from the handle of my broom.
I followed Tonks into a dive and as we drew closer to the ground, we came to land on an unkempt patch of grass in the middle of a small square.
“Where are we?” I asked.
“In a minute.” Lupin said.
Moody began rummaging in his cloak, his hands struggling to dig around in his pockets from the cold.
“Got it,” he muttered, finally withdrawing a hand and holding out a small scrap of parchment to me.
The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.

George
“SO YOU HAVEN’T BEEN IN THE MEETINGS, BIG DEAL! YOU’VE STILL BEEN HERE, HAVEN’T YOU? YOU’VE STILL BEEN TOGETHER! ME, I’VE BEEN STUCK AT THE DURSLEYS’ FOR A MONTH! AND I’VE HANDLED MORE THAN YOU TWO’VE EVER MANAGED AND DUMBELDORE KNOWS IT – WHO SAVED THE SORCERER’S STONE? WHO GOT RID OF RIDDLE? WHO SAVED BOTH YOUR SKINS FROM THE DEMENTORS?”
“Well he sure sounds mad.” Fred said.
“Whatever could have led you to believe that?” I asked, smiling widely.
“WHO HAD TO GET PAST DRAGONS AND SPHINKES AND EVERY OTHER FOUL THING LAST YEAR? WHO SAW HIM COME BACK? WHO HAD TO ESCAPE FROM HIM? ME! BUT WHY SHOULD I KNOW WHAT’S GOING ON? WHY SHOULD ANYONE BOTHER TO TELL ME WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING?”
“If he keeps shouting like that we’re never going to catch what’s going on down there.” Fred gave the end of his extendable ear a small tug.
I couldn’t disagree with him, the extendable ears worked great, but if someone’s drowning everything else out anyway, it doesn’t do us any good.
“FOUR WEEKS I’VE BEEN STUCK IN PRIVET DRIVE, NICKING PAPERS OUT OF BINS TO TRY AND FIND OUT WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON – I SUPPOSE YOU’VE BEEN HAVING A REAL LAUGH, HAVEN’T YOU, ALL HOLED UP HERE TOGETHER –“
“Just wait until he tries to get answers out of the adults, he’ll be even more frustrated.”
“Just wait until he finds out about Eleanor.” I said.
We kept trying to reposition the extendable ears, but nothing seemed to be working, even after Harry’s shouts had subsided. Most likely, Mum had placed a charm on the door so we couldn’t overhear them. After reeling the ears back in, Fred let out a frustrated sigh and leaned back against the stairwell.
“What do you say we drop in on the ickle ones?” I asked.
Fred immediately smiled at this and with a quick turn I could feel the familiar sensation of being compressed and having all the air pushed out of my lungs. In a split second we had left the stairwell and with a loud Pop! we were in Ron’s room.
Hermione let out a loud yelp before bearing down on us with a fierce look.
“Stop doing that!”
“Hello, Harry,” I said, beaming across the room to him. “We thought we heard your dulcet tones.”
“You don’t want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry, let it all out,” Fred added. “There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn’t hear you.”
“You two passed your apparition tests, then?” Harry asked grumpily.
“With distinction.”
“It would have taken you about thirty seconds longer to walk down the stairs.” Ron said.
“Time is Galleons, little brother,” I said. “Anyway, Harry, you’re interfering with reception. extendable ears.” I nodded toward Fred as he held out the extendable ear to Harry.
“You want to be careful,” Ron said. “If Mum sees one of them again…”
“It’s worth the risk, that’s a major meeting they’re having,” Fred said, nodding toward the door.
Over the next hour or so we filled Harry in on what we knew about what had been going on. Unfortunately, we didn’t know all that much more than he did. He was just as surprised as the rest of us to discover that Snape of all people was a part of the Order. He was less surprised when we explained the row that Dad and Percy had over You-Know-Who being back. It was also news to Harry that the Daily Prophet had been making snide remarks throughout their daily issues towards both him and Dumbledore. It wasn’t difficult to catch that he was mad at Dumbledore. Every time the name came up, I could see the way his jaw clenched. It was something that I’d seen Eleanor do before too.
After the majority of the Order members had filtered out of the house, dinner was finally ready. Mum didn’t appreciate it when Fred and I showed up to help set the table and sent a large cauldron of stew, an iron flagon of butterbeer, and a heavy wooden breadboard, complete with knife, hurtling towards the table.
Thankfully her anger abated over the course of the meal.
“Nearly time for bed, I think,” Mum yawned as we all sat around the table, freshly fed and all looking tired.
“Not just yet, Molly,” Sirius said, pushing away his empty plate and turning toward Harry. “You know, I’m surprised at you. I thought the first thing you’d do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort.”
The atmosphere in the room rapidly changed. Rather than sleepy and relaxed, we were all now on the edges of our seats. Lupin had set down his glass of wine, and Mum turned a sharp eye toward Sirius.
“I did!” Harry said indignantly. “I asked Ron and Hermione but they said we’re not allowed in the Order, so –“
“And they’re quite right,” Mum said. “You’re too young.”
“Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?” Sirius asked. “Harry’s been trapped in that muggle house for a month. He’s got a right to know what’s been happen –“
“Hang on!” I interrupted loudly. This wasn’t going the way we had all expected. Fred and I had been sure that after their refusal to tell any of us what was happening, they weren’t going to tell Harry either.
“How come Harry gets his questions answered?” Fred asked angrily.
“We’ve been trying to get stuff out of you for a month and you haven’t told us a single stinking thing!” I said.
“It’s not my fault you haven’t been told what the Order’s doing,” Sirius said calmly. “That’s your parents’ decision. Harry, on the other hand –“
“It’s not down to you to decide what’s good for Harry!” Mum said sharply. “He’s not a member of the Order of the Phoenix! He’s only fifteen and –“
“– and he’s dealt with as much as most in the Order,” Sirius said, “and more than some –“
“No one’s denying what he’s done!” Mum said, her voice quickly rising. “But he’s still –“
“He’s not a child!”
“He’s not an adult either! He’s not James, Sirius!”
“Look, he’s not your son,” Sirius said quietly.
“He’s as good as. Who else has he got?”
“He’s got me!”
“Yes, the thing is, it’s been rather difficult for you to look after him while you’ve been locked up in Azkaban, hasn’t it?”
I just watched on as the entire exchange continued. Eventually Mum caved in when both Dad and Lupin agreed that Harry had a right to know what had been going on. She tried to send the rest of us off, but in the end, she only successfully managed to withdraw Ginny from the room. Harry admitted that he would tell Ron and Hermione everything anyway, and Dad agreed with Fred and I that she couldn’t make us leave now that we’re of age.
Most of what we learned we could have already guessed at. It wasn’t until Sirius turned the conversation toward what they believed Voldemort was working towards now that it became truly interesting.
“In any case, gathering followers is only one thing he’s interested in, he’s got other plans too, plans he can put into operation very quietly indeed, and he’s concentrating on them at the moment.”
“What’s he after apart from followers?” Harry asked.
Sirius seemed to consider his answer carefully before speaking again, “Stuff he can only get by stealth. Like a weapon. Something he didn’t have last time.”
“When he was powerful before?”
“Yes.”
“Like what kind of weapon?” Harry asked, voicing the question on all of our minds. “Something worse than the Avada Kedavra –?”
“That’s enough.”
Mum was suddenly standing in the doorway of the kitchen, her arms crossed and her face furious.
“I want you in bed, now. All of you.”
“You can’t boss us –“ Fred began.
“Watch me,” Mum snarled. “You’ve given Harry plenty of information. Any more and you might just as well induct him into the Order straightaway.”
“Why not?” Harry asked. “I’ll join, I want to join, I want to fight –“
“No.”
It wasn’t Mum who spoke this time though, it was Lupin.
“The Order is comprised only of overage wizards. Wizards who have left school.” Lupin added with a raised brow toward Fred and I. “There are dangers involved of which you can have no idea, any of you…I think Molly’s right, Sirius. We’ve said enough.”
“Wait, just one more thing.” Harry said as we all stood from the table. “Where’s Eleanor?”
Everyone’s head turned from Harry to Sirius.
“Well…the thing is Harry…” Sirius said, seeming to struggle to find the words.
We had all been worried about Eleanor, but every time she was mentioned, Sirius’s face would shift into an expression of pain. He had easily been the most worried about her, and I had overheard him asking other Order members most every day if anyone had spotted her.
“What Sirius is trying to say,” Lupin jumped in, “is that we aren’t sure of where Eleanor is right now. She’s been missing since she left King’s Cross.”