Chapter Two: Meetings and Old Friends
Harry was terrified. Absolutely, shit worthy, terrified. The event that he knew was coming was staring him right in the face, and it scared him to death. As He, Ron, and Hermione walked up the path to Hogwarts, with the moon shining down and a soft breeze blowing across the grounds, it was by all outward appearances a beautiful night, but for Harry Potter it was miserably storming in his heart. He and his best friends were headed to Hogwarts to meet with those few Order members that he trusted. He wasn't afraid of that part; meeting the Order would be quite easy compared to what else awaited him.
He was finally going to speak with Dumbledore's portrait, and that thought was scarier than the thought of facing Voldemort.
Thought for the life of him, Harry couldn't figure out why he was so scared. It should be something that inspired hope in him; that even though Dumbledore had died, he could still speak with the wizened Professor, and gain guidance from him.
Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts as they entered the Great Doors. Professor McGonagall was waiting inside for them, and gave a quick nod as greeting as she turned and walked up the staircase. Wordlessly, Harry, Hermione, and Ron followed her.
Before Harry knew it, he was staring at the stone gargoyle that guarded the stairwell to the Headmaster's office. He smiled slightly as he heard Professor McGonagall murmur "Chocolate Frogs", and then followed her up the twisting staircase, Ron and Hermione in tow.
He entered the office to find the requested Order members already awaiting them. He knew Mr. and Mrs. Weasley would already have arrived; they had left the Burrow before Harry had. Lupin and Tonks rose to greet Harry, he shook their hands, followed by Hermione and Ron. Alastor `Mad-Eye' Moody was the last member he had invited. He trusted the elder Auror's opinion, and wanted him there for advice as how to proceed. And Harry knew that if anyone would support their decision to go after Voldemort's power, Moody would.
Harry noticed that three seats had been arranged opposite of the Order members, directly in front of McGonagall's desk. He, Ron and Hermione sat down and Professor McGonagall began to speak.
"Now, Harry," she began in her familiar burr, "would you tell us why you've called this meeting?"
Harry didn't hear her, his focus was drawn to a portrait that had been placed above the Gryffindor sword's case. Professor Dumbledore still slumbered peacefully in his frame.
McGonagall noticed Harry's gaze and her face softened slightly.
"Yes, Albus still slumbers. The transition is most difficult at first; I would be surprised if he woke up before another two weeks."
Harry nodded and released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He felt guilty for not wanting to talk to the old Headmaster, but he wasn't emotionally ready, yet.
"Now Harry," McGonagall said, her voice kinder, "why don't you tell us why we're here?"
"As you all know," Harry began, trying to remember the speech Hermione had told him to say before leaving the Burrow, "Professor Dumbledore was often gone for days at a time before his…death. I and I alone know what he was after, and, working with his permission, I have told Hermione and Ron. As soon as possible, after a brief visit to both Grimmauld Place and Godric's Hollow, we are leaving to continue the task that he has set for us. And we're going to need some cooperation from all of you to do it."
"What was he searching for?" McGonagall said at once.
Harry shook his head. "I'm sorry Professor, but it was Dumbledore's request that, even if he passed away, I not tell anyone."
McGonagall's face darkened but she nodded. "So what can you tell us about this…mission?"
"It's extremely dangerous," Harry began, but was interrupted by Mrs. Weasley.
"Then I don't want Ron going!"
"But," continued Harry, fixing Mrs. Weasley with a stare, "if it's not done, then we will lose the war, and Voldemort will never die."
Silence greeted his words. After a moment, McGonagall opened her mouth to say something, but before a word could leave her lips, the office door was flung open.
Everyone stood at once, their wands raised. A man appeared in the doorway. He was wearing a small hat, made of a material Harry couldn't identify, that covered his head like a sock down to his ears. Light blonde tuffs of hairs stuck out on all sides from under the small hat. On his small, slightly blunted nose, sat a pair of wireless half-moon blue glasses. His frame was thick, but not with fat, Harry noted, but with muscle. He wore a dark black t-shirt with `The Doors' emblazoned on the front in bright metallic blue, and a pair of dark blue jeans that almost completely covered his brown flip flops, which were unheard of in Hogwarts. He was no taller than Harry, but the way he seemed to stand made his height seem larger than it was.
The man stepped into the office and waved his hand, everyone's wand arm suddenly dropped, despite feverish resistance by each owner.
Everyone struggled to raise their wands once again, but one person was standing in shock, not moving, her mouth open in a most uncharacteristic way.
After a moment of silence, Professor McGonagall said in a small but hopeful voice, "D..David? Is that you?"
The man smiled grimly. "Hello Minerva. It's been quite awhile."
His smooth, American, voice reached the ears of the other elder members present, and each mouth fell open in shock.
The man turned his head and nodded at each of them as he said their names. "Remus, Arthur, Molly, Nymphadora, Alastor."
"David Richardson? Is that really you?" Remus asked, sliding his now released wand back into his cloak.
"That it is."
Hermione gasped beside Harry, causing David to notice them. "And this must be the youngest Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger. And of course Mr. Potter."
Mad-Eye Moody stepped forward. "How do we know it's you? Might be a Death Eater."
David snorted. "A Death Eater?"
He raised his hand and a ball of flame appeared in it. With a raised eyebrow he threw it at Moody, Harry started to let out a shout, but before hitting Moody the ball turned to water and soaked Moody's cloak.
"That do?" David said.
Mad-Eye growled a "Yes," and went about drying off his cloak with his wand.
"Who are you?" Harry said boldly. "This is supposed to be a private meeting."
Hermione hit him on the shoulder with a slight, "Shh."
"Why are you here now, David?" Mr. Weasley asked, "After so long away?"
David turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "Why do you think I'm here? Albus is dead, is he not?"
Mr. Weasley nodded.
"Did you think I would not come to see for myself if the rumors were true? Did you not think I would come to try and avenge his death?"
McGonagall spoke. "But why now? Dumbledore has been dead for almost a month."
"There was a problem in Los Angeles that required my attention. It has taken awhile but I've managed to get it squared away. I had heard several rumors, various stories, as to what had happened, but I came here to learn the truth."
Remus said, "Why have you just come back now? Why not a month ago? Why not six months ago? Maybe if you had Dumbledore wouldn't be dead."
David turned a fiery gaze on Remus. "You should not speak of matters you know little about."
Harry felt waves of power coming off of David in his fury. Who was this man who had walked into the Headmistress's office? Who was this man that everyone but he and Ron seemed to know?
Harry asked again, "So who exactly are you?"
"This, Potter," said McGonagall "is David Richardson; an old friend of Dumbledore's."
"Some friend," muttered Ron "didn't even make it back for his funeral."
David turned a sharp eye on Ron. "As you are young, and quite ignorant, I will let that go. But I would advise to hold your tongue, boy."
Harry expected Mr. or Mrs. Weasley to say something in the defense of their son, but both of them nodded furiously at Ron, who seemed to blanch and quickly sat down in his seat.
David noticed Dumbledore's portrait and walked over to it. He stood, gazing for a moment, before turning a questioning eye on McGonagall.
"He hasn't awakened yet." She answered his unspoken question.
David nodded and turned to sit in an empty chair.
"So Minerva, I want to know everything that has happened in the past year. Everything Dumbledore was up to and everything that the Order was up to, including the events surrounding his death."
To Harry's growing astonishment with this new man, McGonagall did not hesitate in telling David everything he wanted to know. Including things Harry himself did not know about what the Order had been up to all year in defense of Voldemort and his army.
Harry sat down in amazement and shock, followed quickly by Hermione. For almost an hour McGonagall talked, telling the entire story of Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts.
"What was Dumbledore searching for?" David interrupted when McGonagall had told him of Dumbledore's frequent absences from the school.
"We do not know." McGonagall said with a look at Harry. "There is only one person who does, and he will not break Dumbledore's confidence."
David looked at Harry for a long moment and nodded. "Good. And it had better stay that way Mr. Potter."
McGonagall searched David's face for a moment, and then said, "You know what he was searching for, don't you?"
"Of course I do."
Harry gasped. Dumbledore had told him no one else, with the exception of Ron and Hermione had known. "That's a lie. Dumbledore said he told no one else."
"I didn't say he told me, now did I boy?"
Harry gaped. How had this David found out? How had he known what no one else was supposed to know?
"If you will, Minerva," David said.
McGonagall continued the story, and when she reached the eve of Dumbledore's death she said, "The only one here who saw the incident was Mr. Potter."
David turned to Harry. "Tell me everything that happened when you arrived back at Hogwarts. I assume that Dumbledore was weakened after your trip, I have a good idea of where you went, and that he was caught by surprise."
Harry looked to McGonagall uneasily. Why should he tell this man, who looked barely older than Harry himself, how Dumbledore had died? McGonagall nodded reassuringly, and Harry grudgingly told the tale of Malfoy's revealed plot and Snape's murder of Dumbledore.
When Harry had finished his part of the story, David reached into his pocket and took out Muggle pack of cigarettes. Placing one between his lips he flicked his finger at the tip, causing it blaze to life. Harry fully expected Professor McGonagall to reprimand him, but her face remained impassive as she waited for David to speak.
Mr. Richardson sat for a long moment, staring at the front of McGonagall's desk, taking deep drags of his cigarette.
When he finally spoke was with a sigh and an air of resignation. "Minerva I'll need to call an Order meeting, we can have it at my London estate. I'll need to address everyone."
"So I take it you are planning to resume your former place in the Order?"
David nodded. "I'll also be taking on the role of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's instructor, as I'm sure they are planning to pick up where Dumbledore left off, and they won't do it unaccompanied."
Harry opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Hermione spoke. "Your help would be most welcome, Mr. Richardson."
Harry and Ron both turned to look at her aghast, but she shook her head.
David chuckled, "It's good to know at least one of you has heard of me." He turned back to McGonagall, "Let's aim for two nights time from now for the meeting Minerva. Quince and I need to get a few things in order beforehand."
"Quince Vandiver?" Hermione said in an awed voice.
David nodded and stood. "Send me an owl with confirmation, Minerva."
He began to walk away from McGonagall's desk, but stopped to turn, "Oh and, Minerva? Please see to it that these three are present at the meeting as well." He gestured to Harry, Hermione, and Ron.
Harry was sure that McGonagall, or Mrs. Weasley, would protest to the notion of them being present at an actual Order meeting, but to Harry's surprise, McGonagall just nodded.
David nodded back. "Goodnight all." And as quickly as he had come, David Richardson turned and moved quickly from the office.
Everyone stared after him. Mrs. Weasley spoke in a shaky voice, "I can't believe he's back."
Tonks said, "I know. But Merlin it's about time! I've never had the pleasure of working with him of course, I was too young last time, but I grew up hearing about David."
"Who is he?" Harry and Ron both said.
"That Harry," Hermione said, "is one of the greatest wizards of our time."
"Dumbledore is, was the greatest wizard of our time!" Harry said defiantly.
"Yes, Harry. He was." Lupin said kindly. "Dumbledore was quite possibly the greatest wizard since Merlin to hold a wand. But, you see, David doesn't use a wand."
"How do you do magic without a wand?" Ron said, confused.
"You've never heard of earth magic?" Hermione asked.
Harry and Ron both shook their heads.
"You see," Mr. Weasley started, "there are all kinds of magic. The kind we do, is pulled from around us, channeled using our wands. But there is another, jut as powerful type of magic that comes from the earth itself. I'm sure you, Harry, have heard of Muggle Wicca's?"
Harry nodded. Ron said, "What are they?"
"Wicca's," Hermione said, "are really just muggles who want to pretend to do the type of magic we do. But every now and then, it's really rare, you know, there are those who can actually use it. David is one of those people."
"Did he go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked. He was shocked at learning about this new type of magic.
"Oh no." Hermione said shaking her head, "He's not a wizard, per se, so the magic quill didn't write his name down when he was born. No, Harry, David isn't what you'd call a wizard; he's more of a warlock."
"But wasn't Dumbledore the Supreme Warlock of the Wizengamont?"
McGonagall nodded. "Yes he was, but that was just a title Harry. Warlocks, real warlocks, don't use wands or incantations. They can feel the magic flowing around them and can bend it to their will. The last warlock, who was as powerful as David, was a man by the name of Michaelus Dalshan, who lived during the 12th century. That's how long it's been since someone of David's power has existed, in that type of magic at least."
"But how could he have been good friends with Dumbledore?" Harry asked. "He's barely older than we are."
Lupin chuckled. "If you had to guess, Harry, how old would you say David is?"
"I'm not sure. Nineteen maybe? Twenty?"
Lupin shook his head. "David is over eighty years old, Harry. Warlocks age differently than even we wizards do. While we usually live fifty to sixty years longer than muggles, warlocks live one or two centuries longer than we do."
Harry, for the tenth time that night it seemed, was shocked into silence.
"So why's he just coming back now? Someone like that, we could have used." Ron asked.
McGonagall sighed. "Yes we could. But after Voldemort's first downfall, David and Dumbledore argued. David, always being more active and aggressive than Dumbledore, wanted to hunt down and kill all the remaining Death Eaters, including Severus Snape, regardless of who had talked their way out of punishment by the Ministry, but Dumbledore, of course, wouldn't hear of it."
"He had the right bloody idea." Mad-Eye murmured.
"You see that was always the difference in David and Dumbledore," McGonagall said "while neither would kill someone without reason or cause, David would kill rather more rashly than Dumbledore would have. I have no doubt that if David had been here the night Dumbledore died he would have killed every Death Eater he came into contact with."
"And that's another reason he hasn't been here." Mr. Weasley said, "The Ministry has a warrant out of his arrest because of the deaths he caused during the last war. Of course he never killed someone who wasn't on the other side, but in several cases he killed when he could have captured. He's always been very firm that if you align yourself with the Dark Arts, you should be punished by death."
"And there's something wrong with that?" Harry asked.
"To some people," Lupin responded.
"How do you know who David and this Quince fellow are?" Ron asked Hermione.
"I've read about them, of course. Quince is like David, though not as powerful, and they've worked together for years." Hermione answered.
"So he was in the Order last time?" Harry asked.
"Yes, he was." McGonagall answered.
"Why didn't I see him in the picture Mad-Eye showed me?" Harry asked.
"He never lets himself be photographed. Not many people have ever seen him in person. Less than a dozen I'm sure. Dark wizards don't even know what he looks like, because usually if one sees his face, it's the last thing they ever see." Mad-Eye said, with an approving voice.
(A/N: Ok I know that David sounds kind of mary-sueish right now, but that won't last, I promise you that. And the entire back-story of how David fits into the past will be told; just be patient. And to a few sharp-eyes reviewers out there, no, this will not be a crossover…yet. Right now I'm currently writing a BTVS story with David and Quince in it, that takes place before this one. (Which messes up all kinds of time differences, but I really don't care.) After this story there will be a sequel-like story that brings both worlds together. If you want to know the location of the other story, please let me know and I'll get it to you.
David and Quince, by the way, are my original characters that are part of my original novel that's been bouncing around my computer for a year or so.)
Oh yea, and review if the muse strikes you. It's always nice to hear from folks. And if anyone would like to beta, please let me know.
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