Chapter 3 The Next Generation
***********12 Grimmauld Place***************
Several additional faces have now joined the previous occupants in the parlor, waiting for the meeting to start and for them to be called. In addition to Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny: Luna Lovegood, George and Fred Weasley, and Neville Longbottom had arrived at headquarters over the course of the afternoon. Luna had greeted Ron with a kiss before the door even closed behind her, to the catcalls of his brothers, but Ron hadn't seemed to mind. Now, of course, Ron was taking Remus' advice to heart and was taking a nap on one of the couches; Crookshanks was joyfully donating of his fur to Ron's shirt as he slept. Ron always used any excuse to get more sleep. Harry was catching up with the Weasley twins on the joke shop business while keeping a portion of his attention on the animated conversion going on among the girls on the other side of the room. From the occasional giggles leaking out he assumed that the conversion was at his, Ron's, or Neville's expense and more than likely, a combination of all of the above.
Dumbledore appeared at the open door and knocked on the doorframe with his wand. Everyone of course stopped his or her conversation to look up to see whom was here. "Mr. Potter, Miss Granger; may I see you in the hall for a moment, I assure you that you are not in trouble."
The two looked at each other across the room and walked out into the hall trailed by Dumbledore.
"Professor", Harry began with an inquiring expression, this was the first time he had seen Dumbledore since Harry had left Privet drive this morning. "What did you have to stay and talk to the Dursleys about, I don't ever plan to return to that hole." As he looked at Dumbledore, his expression became determined, as if to communicate his feelings on the subject.
Dumbledore frowned slightly, though he did not blame Harry in the least. Of all the decisions that he had had to make regarding Harry over the years, having to leave him at the Dursleys for any amount of time was his least favorite. "Harry, while you may not wish to ever interact with them again, they still are your mother's closest relatives and currently your guardians. Even though you are of age in the wizarding world, and free to make your own decisions, now is not the time to throw away any advantage that you might have and the protection granted by the blood magic, may still prove useful. I was merely reminding your aunt of certain, hmm, obligations that she may not abandon lightly."
"What I originally asked you out here for was this". With a twinkle deep in his eye, Dumbledore held out his open hand palm up and two shield-like badges appeared. On both of the badges a large H overlaying the four house mascots of Hogwarts was present with the words loyalty, courage, cunning and wisdom inscribed along the bottom of the shields. Along the top, a phrase in Latin was also written, Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus. With a flick of his wrist, the two badges flipped over, on the back of one was inscribed Hermione Granger, Head Girl, above a small Gryffindor lion. The other badge was the same, except for that Harry's name was in the place of Hermione's and it said Head Boy of course. Harry's heart leapt into his throat, not at the sight of the badge, but at the look of pride in Hermione's eyes as she grinned over at him before glancing back up at Dumbledore.
"I didn't see the point in tiring out an owl to bring these over since I was already here," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I think you knew this was coming Miss Granger, even after that masterful exhibition of transfiguration the first day back last semester," he added humorously. Hermione didn't quite meet his eyes after that comment, but her lips did quirk upwards.
"Professor, I was never even a..." Harry tried to object only to be cut short.
"Yes, Harry you were not a prefect per say...however we both know that was basically the misjudgment of an old man. All of last year, you demonstrated responsibility in your special role equal to any of the prefects and more than most. Both of you have time and again shown the qualities necessary for this office, and unfortunately there is another reason." Dumbledore paused and looked suddenly guilty, but he went on, "The oldest definition of Head Boy and Girl contained additional responsibilities besides that of being the leaders of the student body and providing for a liaison between the faculty and students. The original definition also defined them as champions for the school, and it is in this capacity that I feel we may need you once again. You both, along with your other friends have been performing this duty for several years now so we might as well make it official, mightn't we?" And with this Dumbledore wandered off, leaving them to their thoughts.
"Harry, Head Boy, I knew that you would get it, of course you should have been a prefect, years ago." Hermione said excitedly, a little too loudly, almost bounding up and down with her joy. Grabbing his shirtfront, she pulled him into an embrace, and planted a kiss on his lips, laughing all the while. Letting him go, she stepped back a step, and glanced back down at the badges in their hands.
Harry, of course, couldn't abandon a friend at all, even when the comment was the truth, "Mione, Ron did ok." He countered weakly, though even he really didn't believe it.
She knew that he knew better, "Harry you know that's bullshit, even Ron will admit that." Glaring at him just a touch, but with a grin fighting to break free once again.
"She's right Harry, though I do like the pretty badge, I guess I am working for you," Ron said with a small laugh as he entered the hall, agreeing with Hermione's earlier statement. "That fifth year I did as little as I could. I made up for it last year, but everyone knows that Dumbledore should have picked you." Ron clapped him on the back and looked over Harry's shoulder at the new badge.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Both of you know why he said he didn't. So Hermione do you know what are powers we have? Do we get to have Draco clean up owl droppings up with his tongue? Or how about making Crabbe and Goyle spell Mississippi 1000 times correctly in blood?" Hermione smiled at the image but said nothing in response.
Harry took her arm in his, "So Head Girl, would you like to celebrate at Diagon Alley tomorrow? I guess we can invite along certain inept prefects too." Harry asked with a leer at his red-haired friend.
Dumbledore returned, most likely from the kitchen where he had his stash of muggle candy hidden. Noticing them still standing in the hall, he spoke, "Mr., Weasley if you would kindly gather the rest of your compatriots and meet us in the dining room. Harry, Hermione, this way" Dumbledore headed down the hall to the large dining room of the house, Harry and Hermione dutifully trailing behind.
***************Dining Room 12 Grimmauld place********************
For the ceremony, very little was done. The great dining table and the majority of the chairs had been removed, but that was about it. Above the assembled members of the Order, the owl chandelier that normally hung above the table glowed, and in the fireplace in the corner, a fire was lit. At the front of the room, Dumbledore stood, alone. To his right, the new inductees stood facing the rest of the room, more or less in a line. Harry and Hermione stood closest to Dumbledore, while Ron accompanied by Luna and Ginny stood to Harry's right. Neville, and the twins finished out the group, further down from Ginny. Across from them, several members of the surviving cast of the Order waited.
Arthur and Molly stood close together. She looked as if she were ready to burst into tears, but so far had held off. She would occasionally look at her children and quickly have to avert her eyes though. In a little chump next to the elder Weasleys, Bill, Charlie, Tonks, Lupin and Mad-Eye stood, talking softly amongst themselves, their expressions were mixed, ranging from the almost exuberant expression of Tonks, to the sad eyes of Lupin, as he watched Harry, join the Order that had gotten his parents killed. Moody was more matter of fact, he even checked his watch a couple of times and purposefully held it out to Dumbledore, to get this started so they wouldn't be so vulnerable in a large group.
Finally closest to Dumbledore, McGonagall stood, her expression was unreadable, her lips in a thin line. But every now and then her eyes would scan the group of Gryffindors and she would let out the tiniest of sighs. She had been against this, after all it had been the practice to wait until they were out of school, but there really was no choice now. The war had come to the doorstep of Hogwarts, and if it hadn't reached there yet, it was only a matter of time. The rest of the Order: Shaklebolt, Hagrid, Vance, Fletcher, Diggle, Snape and the rest were not present. Most of them as they were busy with various assignments or duties, Snape as he had refused to come.
With a solemn face Albus Dumbledore began to speak: "Since the rise of the Dark Lord twenty years ago, the Order of the Phoenix has existed to help hold back the night against him and his followers. The Order has contained in its ranks many of the great wizards of light, of which few have survived. In this dark hour, our need for protectors is great." He paused and muttered an incantation, in each of his outstretched hands an item appeared.
"In my hands I hold the marks of the order. In my right the medallion of courage, it's great bird shown defeating the serpent. In my left I hold the cloak of the Order of the Phoenix, a garment that is both our armor and our uniform. As I speak your name respond in the affirmative or the negative if you wish to accept or deny this heavy burden. Know also that if you accept, then the death price is on your head and of your loved ones, and can only be lifted on the final defeat of the dark lord. There is no shame in refusing this burden. In civil times, young ones such as yourselves should not have to bear such a weight but these are troubled times indeed."
With a visible effort, Dumbledore recited the first name, "Harry James Potter"
Harry's eyes flickered to his right and left to Hermione's and Ron's somber faces, "I accept."
Dumbledore gave himself the tiniest of nods, "Hermione Jane Granger"
With a slight shudder, and a return of Harry's quick glance, "I accept."
'Neville Longbottom"
Thoughts of his parents at St. Mungo's crossing his mind, "I accept this task."
"Luna Melanie Lovegood"
What the hell? I need to pick up some quills, She thought, "Yes, I accept."
Dumbledore hesitated in his reading of the inductees, and looked over at Molly and Arthur Weasley. Arthur stood with his arm around the shoulders of his wife. Both of them wore their own cloaks of the Order. Tears silently leaking from her eyes, Molly refused to meet Dumbledore's gaze, but gave the tiniest of nods. In return Dumbledore gave her a very small but respectful bow, then continued determinately.
"Fred Weasley"
"Sure"
"Uh Humm" Dumbledore replied, an eyebrow cocked.
"I accept" Fred sheepishly repeated.
"George Weasley"
"I accept."
"Ronald Bilius Weasley"
Looking directly into the eyes of his best friends, "I accept."
"Ginvera Molly Weasley"
With a deep breath that almost doubled the size of the tiny witch, "I accept"
Molly started crying softly at Ginny's acceptance; Arthur did not make a sound but merely held his wife tighter. Now the entire Weasley family, with the exception of Percy, who had just recently returned to the good graces of the family, was now directly involved in the fight against the Dark Lord, and therefore vulnerable to the consequences. Near them, Lupin bowed his head, as if to say a quick prayer and looked back up at the teens.
Dumbledore made a very odd, very complicated motion with his wand, and around eight necks, identical medallions appeared, on eight sets of shoulders black cloaks now hung like folded wings, "This night has seen the Order of the Phoenix grow, may these souls be the catalyst that ends the terror of Voldemort. So mote it be."
*************************Harry's room******************************
1:00am
KNOCK, tiredly, Harry glanced up from the book that he was reading over. He was sitting up in bed, the pool of light from his reading lamp, casting the rest of the room into shadow. Once again, as had been the case for almost every night this summer away from friends and succor, sleep had been denied him. "Come in" Harry answered softly to the door. Hedwig gave an annoyed hoot as the door opened, and the bright lights of the hall spilled into the dimness of Harry's room, which was interrupted only by an enchanted red and gold lava lamp on a dresser, and Harry's reading lamp.
"Morning, love" Hermione murmured as she crossed to his bed. "Dreams again?" She asked, with a little frown as she sat down next to him and snuggled in close. Lazily, Harry leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss, and reaching out an arm, pulled her even closer to his side. Without moving from his side, Hermione pulled the covers from under her and over her legs.
Harry looked down at her now blanket covered legs with a raised eyebrow, "you know that I was fine with it if you had let Tonks put your stuff in here." Harry softly teased as they both wiggled down to lie down.
Hermione smirked, and nestled her head deeper into his shoulder, "but then I wouldn't be a proper English lady." Hermione paused and looked deep into his eyes. "How long has it been since you slept through the night Harry?" concern filling her soft soprano.
"Before Hogsmeade...I think," Harry replied instantly, not even trying to lie to her. "God, I missed you. And I think Hedwig was going to disown us both, she never had to fly so much in one month before." Over by the window, on her perch, Hedwig chirped indignantly and turned away from the pair, who just laughed at Harry's familiar.
"You know," Hermione bit her lower lip as she looked over to him, "we will be sharing a common room, with no pesky girls stairs, and no roommates..." Harry sighed and kissed her forehead gently.
"Maybe I can get some sleep again then, last year was hell." He growled and settled into his pillow. "Some hero, I am I can't even face my own nightmares."
"That's my job, as long as you will have me." Hermione replied; her chocolate eyes sparkling with unshed tears. She gave Harry a small smile as he absently wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Till death do we part," Harry muttered, to himself he thought.
He thought wrong, Hermione's eyes grew wide, and she gazed at him with a touch of shock. "Are you serious." She whispered, shakily.
Harry snorted, "Yeah I am actually, though I thought I was talking to myself," he admitted wryly. "Hermione, say the word...you know I mean it. I mean I will ask you, assuming we're both alive to hear the words." With a flash, he thought of the contents of three boxes in his vault at Gringott's, and of a letter Sirius had left, you could have just said, you prat. Harry sent heavenward. "I can't imagine living without you. I was so stupid, I knew last Christmas, I mean I always knew...but..."
"But" Hermione whispered, interrupting, "when we came into the kitchen at the Burrow, and I saw you there..."
"I thought my heart stopped." Harry whispered back, and held her as if he was afraid she was a dream. "Then your dad yelled at you and you took off into the woods..."
"You were the only one who dared to follow me." She replied with a satisfied little grin, a sudden thought crossed her always-busy mind, "we are the only people who can argue with ourselves, even Ron runs and hides from us anymore when we get on a tear." Harry didn't reply, just gave her a slight squeeze in response. "So Head Boy, if we end up in the same bed at school, after chasing other students off from doing the same thing does that make us hypocritical?"
"Don't care, miss Head Girl, but since I am anyway, I might as well abuse my power." Harry replied, smirking, to which she chuckled softly. "Anyway, lets try to get some sleep, I'll fight your nightmares, if you take care of mine."
"Harry?"
"Yeah," he replied, already half asleep in her arms.
"What will we say if Molly catches me coming out of here in the morning?" Hermione asked, not worried, just curious; as she looked at him, sleep clouding her eyes.
"Don't care, do you?" Harry murmured as he kissed her gently on her forehead.
"No." With that statement she dropped off asleep as eager as Harry to get a full nights sleep, for the first time in ages.
A/N: They're back, and everything's at peace right....are you kidding? Next chapter a little trip to Diagon Alley for some ice cream...nothing ever goes wrong there...right?