Chapter 4- Ron's Realization
May. 4th, 2009 09:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
coyotegothThis is the latest installment of my story set in the Harry Potter universe, just after the events depicted in Half-Blood Prince; this chapter occurs immediately after Chapter 3. As always, H-B P spoilers. (Please note also that this series is not Deathly Hallows compliant in the least.)
Chapter 4- Ron's Realization
After a moment during which no one seemed to know what to say, Ginny turned, and walked into the kitchen. “We should start getting dinner ready,” she said. “We would’ve started earlier, but there was a lot to do with setting this house up, and... other things.”
Harry and the others followed her inside; Charlie was there, awkwardly unloading shopping bags onto the counter. The food had apparently been bought at a Muggle market; it was mostly canned goods, with some fruits and vegetables, and a few packaged steaks. There were several liter cartons of milk and cases of butterbeers sitting on the counter as well. “Here,” said Ron, moving to help him; Hermione and Harry started to help unload as well, as Ginny began pulling pots and pans off of the shelves.
“Professor Lupin said to be sure to let him do a Security Spell on these before we open them,” said Hermione. “Ministry workers bought it all, but... you never know.”
“Right,” said Harry, picking up a can of corn. "Tinned food- good idea."
”I’ll go get him,” said Ron, leaving the room. There was a brief, awkward silence, as they worked laying hundreds of cans out over the countertops. “Err, so...” said Harry finally, fishing for a topic of conversation through his exhaustion, “...you and Ron...?”
Hermione blushed, and smiled. “Yes- it happened the night you left Hogwarts,” she said. “I was feeling sad, so I woke him up to talk, and...”
Harry nodded. “Good; I’m glad for you. Both of you.” He looked over at Ginny for a moment, but she was working at sorting cans on the countertops, with a stony expression. “Err... good.”
“Yeah," said Charlie with a grin, "now maybe Ron’ll start passing the rest of his classes.”
Lupin came in, and made a pass over the food with his wand; there was a brief white glow. “It’s fine,” he said, turning and leaving the room. “I’ll tell Arthur that dinner should be ready soon.”
Harry started to ask, “Will Tonks be...?”, but Remus kept walking, heading down the hallway to Arthur’s room.
Harry frowned. “I thought your parents were staying downstairs?”
Charlie shook his head. “We put Mum there for the moment when... when she looked like she needed a rest; Dad’s got a lot of paperwork that can’t be disturbed. He’s in the room at the end of the hall; I’m to their left, and Fred and George are the last door on the right, next to the lav. We’ve been setting up rooms downstairs for the rest of you.”
A thought struck Harry. “Hermione- what about your parents?”
“They’re on holiday in America right now,” said Hermione, looking anxious. “Mister Weasley has filed for an emergency Portkey, so that Aurors can go there to get them. He hopes to have it by tonight.”
"But, can't they just Apparate to get them?" asked Harry, remembering his journey back from the cave with Dumbledore. "I've gone at least..."
"Apparition is only good for about two hundred miles at one go, Harry," said Hermione. "To get to America, you need a Portkey, or a Floo."
"Yeah," said Ron, "and Dad said something about the Floo network being shut down, because the Death Eaters were rediverting people..."
Harry’s next question was cut off, as Ginny held up several kitchen utensils. “Which of these will open them?” she asked, indicating the cans.
“Here, let me,” said Hermione, selecting the can opener.
“This should work, too,” said Charlie, drawing his wand; he traced its tip around a can of mushroom soup, cutting the lid off.
“We can handle this, Harry,” said Ginny, not looking at him. “Why don’t you see how Bill’s doing?”
“Err... all right,” said Harry, leaving the room.
Bill’s room lay at the foot of the cellar stairs. His door was open, and he was standing with his back to the door; Harry could hear him speaking heatedly into a cell phone, in what sounded like Arabic. It was clearly an argument of some sort; Harry turned, about to walk away, when Bill suddenly took the phone and smashed it into the wall again and again, until it was mere fragments.
Harry stared, shocked; there was no sound except for Bill’s panting breath. Then, without turning, Bill said, “What is it, Harry?”
“I, err... is everything all right?”
“No,” said Bill abruptly. “Apparently, Gringotts has decided that my... condition prohibits me from performing my duties to the bank; they’ve let me go.”
“I’m sorry,” Harry said. “Is there... are they giving you any kind of a pension?” he asked, thinking of Charlie.
“Goblins don’t give pensions,” snapped Bill, pushing past him and out of the room. Harry paused, staring after him for a moment as he headed up the stairs. Not knowing what else to do, Harry then walked over to the next door along the wall; it was open slightly. Molly was lying on the bed, eyes closed, with an empty soup bowl on the bedside table; Fleur was reading to her from a book.
“’Allo, ‘Arry,” she said.
“Hi,” he said, stifling the arousal he always felt around her. “How is she...?”
“I think she ‘as gone to sleep for a while,” said Fleur. “It is per’aps for the best- the last few days- they ‘ave been very ‘ard on her.”
“Yeah,” said Harry, tongue-tied around her as always. “Listen- I really appreciate your taking care of her like this...”
“Oh, we are... how do you say? We are all one family now,” said Fleur. “Mrs. Weasley and I... we both care for zis family, and for Bill. I am honored to be here with so many brave warriors of the Order, like you, and Bill, and Sharlie- it makes me proud of my family, and my ‘usband. He is upset about his condition, but I tell him- zey are honorable scars; they are war wounds, and I am very proud of him, and how he got them.”
“Yeah,” said Harry awkwardly, thinking of the conversation he and Bill had just had; it didn’t seem proper for him to tell Fleur the news. “Listen... I’m going to head upstairs. Umm... dinner should be ready soon.”
“Thank you, ‘Arry,” she said, giving him a dazzling smile.
“Yeah,” Harry said again. “Listen... I’m sorry about missing the ceremony...”
“It is all right,” said Fleur. “Bill was upset about it, but we talk just now, and I tell him- it is not right, that you have never ‘ad a chance to visit your parents. They must 'ave been wonderful people; Arthur, and Molly, and Remus, they all tell me how they miss your parents very much.”
Harry nodded at this, and silently left the room. He glanced in at the room where he would be staying- a small room, with a sofa pull-out bed- then headed upstairs, stifling a yawn. As he came to the top of the stairs, he could hear Arthur and Bill's raised voices, carrying through from Arthur's room; he came to an abrupt halt, with his hand on the doorknob. Bill was saying, "...your precious Minister has his way, we're all going to wind up in cages- or worse!"
"Blast it, Bill- if you'd joined the Ministry, you'd have had the vote!"
"I'm one of them now, Dad; I'll remember that when I'm in the cell next to Remus- not just for the full moon, but all month!"
Arthur's response was cut off by rapid footsteps, and the sound of a slamming door, followed by a faint cracking sound from outside, and then another; after a moment, Harry could hear Arthur's footsteps, slowly heading back to his room. Harry quietly turned the doorknob, and stepped out into the living room. He was unsure of what to do or say- the Dursleys had always been too concerned about what the neighbors would think to quarrel, unless it was Dudley complaining about how they weren't giving him something he wanted; hearing the Weasleys arguing made it even worse. Harry paused, as he walked back into the dining room; he could hear the front door opening, and raised voices- but this was different; their tone sounded happy.
“Oi, Harry!” called George, as Harry stuck his head through the doorway, and froze in surprise at seeing the twins there with Ron and Charlie. “Look what the kneazle dragged in!” Fred added, indicated himself and George.
“Brilliant!” said Harry, smiling widely; he felt truly happy for the first time in days.
“I’ll be right back,” said George, picking up a large, heavy duffle bag. He headed down the hallway to their room; Harry noticed, for a second, that he seemed to be favoring one arm.
"Me, too- good to see you both," added Charlie, walking into the kitchen.
“Hey, what is that?” asked Ron, indicating the bag.
“It’s a Nosy Git-a-Lizer,” grinned George over his shoulder, as he closed the door to their room.
“Yeah,” added Fred, as he grabbed Ron in a headlock, “and I think it just went off!”
“Geroff!” Ron yelled, arms flailing; Fred laughed, as he pushed Ron down onto the sofa. For a moment, Harry felt his troubles and fatigue fall away, as though they were back at Hogwarts and none of the last few months had happened; laughing, he dove across the room at Fred in a flying tackle, yelling, “Wronski feint!” The three of them were laughing and wrestling, shouting insults back and forth as Ginny and Hermione cheered them on, when Arthur suddenly snapped from the doorway, “Do you three mind? I’m trying to work!”
No one moved; finally, Ginny and Hermione edged away as Harry released Fred from an armlock, and Ron let go his grip on Fred’s knees. Awkwardly, the three of them stood up.
“Hi, Dad- we made it home for supper,” said Fred awkwardly, still flushed from their exertions.
“Yes, I see that,” said Arthur tersely, as George quietly walked back into the living room, and Ginny squeezed past Charlie, who was standing in the other doorway, to return to the dining room. “I’m glad to have the two of you home, but I wish you’d stop acting as though you’re staging a Quidditch match in the living room- there’s been a lot going on here of late, and we need peace and quiet.”
There was a silence that no one seemed to know how to break; Harry glimpsed Ginny beckoning silently to Charlie, who turned and followed her back into the kitchen. “Err...” George finally said, catching Fred’s gaze.
“Why don’t we all head to our room?” asked Fred, leading the way down the hallway. They silently trooped down the hall; no one spoke until George pushed the door shut. Harry glanced around; the room was crowded with the twins' joke shop supplies; open on the bed was a Muggle-style book titled Magic Tricks in Just Minutes a Day.
“Whew,” said Ron quietly.
“That was nothing,” said George. “Remember the time Fred and I lined Percy’s underwear drawer with bubotuber pus...? That was yelling.”
"Yeah- but that was mum; I'm used to her yelling at us," said Fred. "Don't think Dad's done it since that time I tried to take an Unbreakable Vow with Ron." He shook his head. "Nearly worked, too..."
"Sorry about the cramped conditions," said George, as Harry leaned awkwardly on a pile of stacked boxes, and Hermione and Ron sat on the edge of the bed. "When things settle down a bit, I'll talk to Dad about casting some Expansion Spells."
"That's all right," said Harry distractedly. "Listen... I have something I need to talk to you lot about."
"What is it?" asked Fred.
"Well, it's..." He sighed. "Originally, I was only supposed to tell Ron and Hermione- but now, with Dumbledore gone..."
"Is this...?" asked Ron. Harry nodded, then turned back to the twins. "Have either of you ever heard of Horcruxes...?"
Blank looks and head shakes were his answer; he then spent several minutes summarizing his researches with Dumbledore, as well as his meeting with Scrimgeour.
"Blimey," said George quietly when he was through.
"You want to be careful with Scrimgeour, Harry," said Fred quietly. "He's been keeping a close watch on us since we started selling to the Ministry; not much of anything gets past him."
"I know, but we need to focus on the Horcruxes," interjected Harry. "As long as even one of them exists... Voldemort will never truly die."
"Blimey," repeated George.
"And you say you're not sure about the snake?" asked Fred.
"Right. It would make sense if it were a Horcrux- he keeps it around him all the time, and it was there when he killed some Muggle," answered Harry. "But Dumbledore wasn't sure."
"Be easy work if it was one," said Fred. "Kill it- no more Horcrux."
"Actually, I'm not sure about that," said Hermione. "I need to do more reading, though; I'm hoping to ask Mr. Weasley if I can get access to the Ministry confidential files on Horcruxes."
"I'll see what I can do about that, too," said Harry; then, he sighed. "I promised Dumbledore I wouldn't tell anyone but you two about it; now, I've told Scrimgeour, I've told Fred and George, and I'm thinking of telling the entire Order..."
"You couldn't help that," said Ron. "When you promised, there was no way you could know what was going to happen... with Dumbledore, and everything. Scrimgeour... he'll track them down, and keep it secret."
Harry nodded; he looked grim. "I know, but I'm worried about... well, about what happened with Peter Pettigrew. No one here," he added hastily. "I'd trust you all with my life. It's just... there are a lot of people in the Order; I don't know all of them that well. Speaking of which- is Fleur is in the Order now? She mentioned it, downstairs..."
"Yeah," said George quietly. "I mean, after the attack on Hogwarts, and Bill..."
"I see," Harry said quietly. He ran his fingers through his hair, then sighed, and seemed to sag. "I don't know what to do about this secrecy thing- I keep running through it in my head, over and over, trying to find an answer, but I don't know what to do..."
There was silence; they all looked at him, as he sat with his head down. Suddenly, Ron said, "Wait, maybe there is a way... it could be dangerous, though."
"What is it?" asked Harry, looking at him sharply.
"Something they said earlier made me think of it," said Ron, indicating the twins. "If you're that worried about someone in the Order talking... we could all take the Unbreakable Vow."
Hermione gasped; the twins looked grim. Harry pushed his glasses back on his forehead, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's... I'm not sure I could ask people to do that."
"Are you sure, Harry?" asked George.
"Ron's got a point- it's the best way to be sure," said Fred. "You don't have to ask me; I'll do it."
"So will I," said George.
"And me," Ron added quietly.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea," said Hermione. "We should talk to Mister Weasley..."
"We will," said Harry. "No one is taking the Vow until we've talked about it, but I trust everyone here enough to at least discuss it with them."
There was silence for a few minutes, as they all sat alone with their own thoughts. "You know," Ron finally said, "something keeps bothering me..."
"What?" asked Harry, as the others looked up.
"Well... you said Dumbledore showed you memories from people who knew You-Know-Who at Hogwarts, right...?"
"Yeah...?"
"Well... I remember from when you told me about the diary- wasn't Hagrid in that memory with him...?"
Hermione sat up straight. "Ron- I never thought of that! Why didn't Dumbledore show a memory from Hagrid? We know they knew each other..."
"That's not all," said Ron. "I remember from polishing all those old school awards- McGonagall was at Hogwarts at roughly the same time as Riddle, too!"
"And maybe Moody, as well," replied Harry. "He showed me a photo of the original Order once, from back in the 70s- he had gray hair, even back then."
"Right- so that's at least three people who should have had memories," added George.
"And quite possibly more," said Harry. "We can ask them if they know anyone else, and then we can..."
There was a knock on the door. "We need help setting up for dinner," came Ginny's voice through the door.
"We'll go," said Fred. "You lot stay here and plan; we'll let you know when it's time." He stopped at the door, and looked back at Harry. "Oh- congratulations."
"What for...?" asked Harry blankly.
"I overheard Dad telling Remus that you'd been voted in as a full member of the Order, despite your age; field experience and all. Guess they forgot to mention it, with everything else that's going on."
"Yeah," said George with a wry grin, "you and Fleur- looks like you both hit the ground running."
"Welcome aboard, mate," said Ron, as he shut the door behind them and sat back down. "I keep forgetting you're the youngest of us three."
"Doesn't feel like it," Harry muttered; Ron and Hermione chuckled.
“We know, mate,” said Ron; there was a brief pause. Hermione hesitated, then reached over, and put a hand on his arm. “Harry- I’m sorry about putting the Locator Charm on that Cricket without telling you...”
“It’s okay,” said Harry. “I guess it just felt like when I was a kid, and people kept moving me around, and hiding things from me.”
Hermione nodded. “No one’s doing that to you anymore, though.”
“No,” said Harry, an image of Scrimgeour flickering through his mind.
“Are you all right?” Hermione asked; Harry nodded. “I was just... thinking about Bill,” he said.
Hermione bit her lip, and looked away. “I still can’t believe it,” she said. "Bill’s brilliant- he got more O.W.L.s than I did. And now...”
“Well, that was different,” said Ron consolingly. “Bill just... he wanted a job that paid well, when he got out of school; I think growing up at the Burrow... he wanted not to be poor anymore, you know? Gringotts treats its people shabbily, but they pay really well- so he just wanted to take the classes he needed to get a good job, and do well on his O.W.L.s- and that was that. Whereas you just can’t stop loading yourself up with extra research projects, and filling your brain with every fact ever.”
“Yeah,” said Harry, “you’re the only person I know who would take a time machine, and use it to do homework.”
They all laughed; Ron said, “Too bad those all broke- we could have used them in the war.”
“It’s probably a good thing the secret died with Dumbledore,” said Hermione. “Otherwise, Voldemort would have his people making more.”
“Or Scrimgeour,” said Harry.
There was a pause. “How is that?” asked Hermione, with a glance at Ron.
“I’m still getting used to it,” said Harry. “I’m still getting used to- well, everything. I just feel like... one minute, I’m living in a cupboard under the stairs, with relatives who barely speak to me except to order me around. The next, it’s, 'Oh, hi, Harry- did you know you’re a wizard? And that you’re rich? And that every wizard in the world knows your past, although you don’t? And that oh, by the way, there’s this fellow called Voldemort...'”
“I know what you mean- I've felt that way ever since Dumbledore first showed up on my family's doorstep,” she said. “I mean- I was on the phone this afternoon with my parents, before I came here, with an Auror standing there while I'm trying to explain to them how there’s a wizard called Voldemort who may be trying to kill them... it’s a lot to explain to two dentists from Stepney,” she added with a rueful smile.
Ron shivered. “Everyone’s using his name so much these days...” he muttered.
“That may be a good thing, Ron,” said Hermione. “It’s... it’s when a thing is unknown, that it’s scariest; Dumbledore used to say that. You need to call things by their real names: Voldemort, or Tom Riddle- but not this ‘You-Know-Who’ business.”
“Easy for you to say,” said Ron. “You didn’t grow up with all this... sorry,” he added, at the look on her face.
“No, it’s all right,” she said. There was an awkward pause.
"So," said Harry finally, "does anyone have any ideas?"
"Well, I want to get a cauldron in here, and brew some Polyjuice Potion- but that won't be ready for at least a month," said Hermione. "Other than that... well, I need to do some research..."
"I'm working on it," said Ron; he seemed relieved at the change of subject. "It's a lot to get hold of."
"Well, let's at least work out the Vow," said Harry. After several minutes of discussion, and much scribbling and rewriting, they had worded the Vow:
I hereby vow that I will not discuss the objects known as Horcruxes, save for the express purpose of gaining knowledge which will facilitate the destruction of same, with any party or parties not known by me to be associated with the Order of the Phoenix. I will keep this Vow until the final and true death of Tom Riddle- also known as "Lord Voldemort"- or until my dying breath.
"Whew- that's a mouthful," said Ron.
"We need it," said Hermione, who had done most of the actual writing. There was a pause; then, Hermione got to her feet. "I'm going to go help in the kitchen," she said. "You two probably have things to talk about, yourselves," she added, with a glance at Ron. There was an awkward silence after she left; Harry and Ron looked at each other.
"Well," Harry finally said.
"Yeah."
"It's funny," said Harry. "I've been wanting to talk to you since I left Hogwarts, and now... I don't know what to say."
"Don't have to say anything, mate," said Ron bluffly. "We've already been through it all."
"Yeah," said Harry quietly, as the two of them got to their feet. "That we have."
Chapter 4- Ron's Realization
After a moment during which no one seemed to know what to say, Ginny turned, and walked into the kitchen. “We should start getting dinner ready,” she said. “We would’ve started earlier, but there was a lot to do with setting this house up, and... other things.”
Harry and the others followed her inside; Charlie was there, awkwardly unloading shopping bags onto the counter. The food had apparently been bought at a Muggle market; it was mostly canned goods, with some fruits and vegetables, and a few packaged steaks. There were several liter cartons of milk and cases of butterbeers sitting on the counter as well. “Here,” said Ron, moving to help him; Hermione and Harry started to help unload as well, as Ginny began pulling pots and pans off of the shelves.
“Professor Lupin said to be sure to let him do a Security Spell on these before we open them,” said Hermione. “Ministry workers bought it all, but... you never know.”
“Right,” said Harry, picking up a can of corn. "Tinned food- good idea."
”I’ll go get him,” said Ron, leaving the room. There was a brief, awkward silence, as they worked laying hundreds of cans out over the countertops. “Err, so...” said Harry finally, fishing for a topic of conversation through his exhaustion, “...you and Ron...?”
Hermione blushed, and smiled. “Yes- it happened the night you left Hogwarts,” she said. “I was feeling sad, so I woke him up to talk, and...”
Harry nodded. “Good; I’m glad for you. Both of you.” He looked over at Ginny for a moment, but she was working at sorting cans on the countertops, with a stony expression. “Err... good.”
“Yeah," said Charlie with a grin, "now maybe Ron’ll start passing the rest of his classes.”
Lupin came in, and made a pass over the food with his wand; there was a brief white glow. “It’s fine,” he said, turning and leaving the room. “I’ll tell Arthur that dinner should be ready soon.”
Harry started to ask, “Will Tonks be...?”, but Remus kept walking, heading down the hallway to Arthur’s room.
Harry frowned. “I thought your parents were staying downstairs?”
Charlie shook his head. “We put Mum there for the moment when... when she looked like she needed a rest; Dad’s got a lot of paperwork that can’t be disturbed. He’s in the room at the end of the hall; I’m to their left, and Fred and George are the last door on the right, next to the lav. We’ve been setting up rooms downstairs for the rest of you.”
A thought struck Harry. “Hermione- what about your parents?”
“They’re on holiday in America right now,” said Hermione, looking anxious. “Mister Weasley has filed for an emergency Portkey, so that Aurors can go there to get them. He hopes to have it by tonight.”
"But, can't they just Apparate to get them?" asked Harry, remembering his journey back from the cave with Dumbledore. "I've gone at least..."
"Apparition is only good for about two hundred miles at one go, Harry," said Hermione. "To get to America, you need a Portkey, or a Floo."
"Yeah," said Ron, "and Dad said something about the Floo network being shut down, because the Death Eaters were rediverting people..."
Harry’s next question was cut off, as Ginny held up several kitchen utensils. “Which of these will open them?” she asked, indicating the cans.
“Here, let me,” said Hermione, selecting the can opener.
“This should work, too,” said Charlie, drawing his wand; he traced its tip around a can of mushroom soup, cutting the lid off.
“We can handle this, Harry,” said Ginny, not looking at him. “Why don’t you see how Bill’s doing?”
“Err... all right,” said Harry, leaving the room.
Bill’s room lay at the foot of the cellar stairs. His door was open, and he was standing with his back to the door; Harry could hear him speaking heatedly into a cell phone, in what sounded like Arabic. It was clearly an argument of some sort; Harry turned, about to walk away, when Bill suddenly took the phone and smashed it into the wall again and again, until it was mere fragments.
Harry stared, shocked; there was no sound except for Bill’s panting breath. Then, without turning, Bill said, “What is it, Harry?”
“I, err... is everything all right?”
“No,” said Bill abruptly. “Apparently, Gringotts has decided that my... condition prohibits me from performing my duties to the bank; they’ve let me go.”
“I’m sorry,” Harry said. “Is there... are they giving you any kind of a pension?” he asked, thinking of Charlie.
“Goblins don’t give pensions,” snapped Bill, pushing past him and out of the room. Harry paused, staring after him for a moment as he headed up the stairs. Not knowing what else to do, Harry then walked over to the next door along the wall; it was open slightly. Molly was lying on the bed, eyes closed, with an empty soup bowl on the bedside table; Fleur was reading to her from a book.
“’Allo, ‘Arry,” she said.
“Hi,” he said, stifling the arousal he always felt around her. “How is she...?”
“I think she ‘as gone to sleep for a while,” said Fleur. “It is per’aps for the best- the last few days- they ‘ave been very ‘ard on her.”
“Yeah,” said Harry, tongue-tied around her as always. “Listen- I really appreciate your taking care of her like this...”
“Oh, we are... how do you say? We are all one family now,” said Fleur. “Mrs. Weasley and I... we both care for zis family, and for Bill. I am honored to be here with so many brave warriors of the Order, like you, and Bill, and Sharlie- it makes me proud of my family, and my ‘usband. He is upset about his condition, but I tell him- zey are honorable scars; they are war wounds, and I am very proud of him, and how he got them.”
“Yeah,” said Harry awkwardly, thinking of the conversation he and Bill had just had; it didn’t seem proper for him to tell Fleur the news. “Listen... I’m going to head upstairs. Umm... dinner should be ready soon.”
“Thank you, ‘Arry,” she said, giving him a dazzling smile.
“Yeah,” Harry said again. “Listen... I’m sorry about missing the ceremony...”
“It is all right,” said Fleur. “Bill was upset about it, but we talk just now, and I tell him- it is not right, that you have never ‘ad a chance to visit your parents. They must 'ave been wonderful people; Arthur, and Molly, and Remus, they all tell me how they miss your parents very much.”
Harry nodded at this, and silently left the room. He glanced in at the room where he would be staying- a small room, with a sofa pull-out bed- then headed upstairs, stifling a yawn. As he came to the top of the stairs, he could hear Arthur and Bill's raised voices, carrying through from Arthur's room; he came to an abrupt halt, with his hand on the doorknob. Bill was saying, "...your precious Minister has his way, we're all going to wind up in cages- or worse!"
"Blast it, Bill- if you'd joined the Ministry, you'd have had the vote!"
"I'm one of them now, Dad; I'll remember that when I'm in the cell next to Remus- not just for the full moon, but all month!"
Arthur's response was cut off by rapid footsteps, and the sound of a slamming door, followed by a faint cracking sound from outside, and then another; after a moment, Harry could hear Arthur's footsteps, slowly heading back to his room. Harry quietly turned the doorknob, and stepped out into the living room. He was unsure of what to do or say- the Dursleys had always been too concerned about what the neighbors would think to quarrel, unless it was Dudley complaining about how they weren't giving him something he wanted; hearing the Weasleys arguing made it even worse. Harry paused, as he walked back into the dining room; he could hear the front door opening, and raised voices- but this was different; their tone sounded happy.
“Oi, Harry!” called George, as Harry stuck his head through the doorway, and froze in surprise at seeing the twins there with Ron and Charlie. “Look what the kneazle dragged in!” Fred added, indicated himself and George.
“Brilliant!” said Harry, smiling widely; he felt truly happy for the first time in days.
“I’ll be right back,” said George, picking up a large, heavy duffle bag. He headed down the hallway to their room; Harry noticed, for a second, that he seemed to be favoring one arm.
"Me, too- good to see you both," added Charlie, walking into the kitchen.
“Hey, what is that?” asked Ron, indicating the bag.
“It’s a Nosy Git-a-Lizer,” grinned George over his shoulder, as he closed the door to their room.
“Yeah,” added Fred, as he grabbed Ron in a headlock, “and I think it just went off!”
“Geroff!” Ron yelled, arms flailing; Fred laughed, as he pushed Ron down onto the sofa. For a moment, Harry felt his troubles and fatigue fall away, as though they were back at Hogwarts and none of the last few months had happened; laughing, he dove across the room at Fred in a flying tackle, yelling, “Wronski feint!” The three of them were laughing and wrestling, shouting insults back and forth as Ginny and Hermione cheered them on, when Arthur suddenly snapped from the doorway, “Do you three mind? I’m trying to work!”
No one moved; finally, Ginny and Hermione edged away as Harry released Fred from an armlock, and Ron let go his grip on Fred’s knees. Awkwardly, the three of them stood up.
“Hi, Dad- we made it home for supper,” said Fred awkwardly, still flushed from their exertions.
“Yes, I see that,” said Arthur tersely, as George quietly walked back into the living room, and Ginny squeezed past Charlie, who was standing in the other doorway, to return to the dining room. “I’m glad to have the two of you home, but I wish you’d stop acting as though you’re staging a Quidditch match in the living room- there’s been a lot going on here of late, and we need peace and quiet.”
There was a silence that no one seemed to know how to break; Harry glimpsed Ginny beckoning silently to Charlie, who turned and followed her back into the kitchen. “Err...” George finally said, catching Fred’s gaze.
“Why don’t we all head to our room?” asked Fred, leading the way down the hallway. They silently trooped down the hall; no one spoke until George pushed the door shut. Harry glanced around; the room was crowded with the twins' joke shop supplies; open on the bed was a Muggle-style book titled Magic Tricks in Just Minutes a Day.
“Whew,” said Ron quietly.
“That was nothing,” said George. “Remember the time Fred and I lined Percy’s underwear drawer with bubotuber pus...? That was yelling.”
"Yeah- but that was mum; I'm used to her yelling at us," said Fred. "Don't think Dad's done it since that time I tried to take an Unbreakable Vow with Ron." He shook his head. "Nearly worked, too..."
"Sorry about the cramped conditions," said George, as Harry leaned awkwardly on a pile of stacked boxes, and Hermione and Ron sat on the edge of the bed. "When things settle down a bit, I'll talk to Dad about casting some Expansion Spells."
"That's all right," said Harry distractedly. "Listen... I have something I need to talk to you lot about."
"What is it?" asked Fred.
"Well, it's..." He sighed. "Originally, I was only supposed to tell Ron and Hermione- but now, with Dumbledore gone..."
"Is this...?" asked Ron. Harry nodded, then turned back to the twins. "Have either of you ever heard of Horcruxes...?"
Blank looks and head shakes were his answer; he then spent several minutes summarizing his researches with Dumbledore, as well as his meeting with Scrimgeour.
"Blimey," said George quietly when he was through.
"You want to be careful with Scrimgeour, Harry," said Fred quietly. "He's been keeping a close watch on us since we started selling to the Ministry; not much of anything gets past him."
"I know, but we need to focus on the Horcruxes," interjected Harry. "As long as even one of them exists... Voldemort will never truly die."
"Blimey," repeated George.
"And you say you're not sure about the snake?" asked Fred.
"Right. It would make sense if it were a Horcrux- he keeps it around him all the time, and it was there when he killed some Muggle," answered Harry. "But Dumbledore wasn't sure."
"Be easy work if it was one," said Fred. "Kill it- no more Horcrux."
"Actually, I'm not sure about that," said Hermione. "I need to do more reading, though; I'm hoping to ask Mr. Weasley if I can get access to the Ministry confidential files on Horcruxes."
"I'll see what I can do about that, too," said Harry; then, he sighed. "I promised Dumbledore I wouldn't tell anyone but you two about it; now, I've told Scrimgeour, I've told Fred and George, and I'm thinking of telling the entire Order..."
"You couldn't help that," said Ron. "When you promised, there was no way you could know what was going to happen... with Dumbledore, and everything. Scrimgeour... he'll track them down, and keep it secret."
Harry nodded; he looked grim. "I know, but I'm worried about... well, about what happened with Peter Pettigrew. No one here," he added hastily. "I'd trust you all with my life. It's just... there are a lot of people in the Order; I don't know all of them that well. Speaking of which- is Fleur is in the Order now? She mentioned it, downstairs..."
"Yeah," said George quietly. "I mean, after the attack on Hogwarts, and Bill..."
"I see," Harry said quietly. He ran his fingers through his hair, then sighed, and seemed to sag. "I don't know what to do about this secrecy thing- I keep running through it in my head, over and over, trying to find an answer, but I don't know what to do..."
There was silence; they all looked at him, as he sat with his head down. Suddenly, Ron said, "Wait, maybe there is a way... it could be dangerous, though."
"What is it?" asked Harry, looking at him sharply.
"Something they said earlier made me think of it," said Ron, indicating the twins. "If you're that worried about someone in the Order talking... we could all take the Unbreakable Vow."
Hermione gasped; the twins looked grim. Harry pushed his glasses back on his forehead, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's... I'm not sure I could ask people to do that."
"Are you sure, Harry?" asked George.
"Ron's got a point- it's the best way to be sure," said Fred. "You don't have to ask me; I'll do it."
"So will I," said George.
"And me," Ron added quietly.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea," said Hermione. "We should talk to Mister Weasley..."
"We will," said Harry. "No one is taking the Vow until we've talked about it, but I trust everyone here enough to at least discuss it with them."
There was silence for a few minutes, as they all sat alone with their own thoughts. "You know," Ron finally said, "something keeps bothering me..."
"What?" asked Harry, as the others looked up.
"Well... you said Dumbledore showed you memories from people who knew You-Know-Who at Hogwarts, right...?"
"Yeah...?"
"Well... I remember from when you told me about the diary- wasn't Hagrid in that memory with him...?"
Hermione sat up straight. "Ron- I never thought of that! Why didn't Dumbledore show a memory from Hagrid? We know they knew each other..."
"That's not all," said Ron. "I remember from polishing all those old school awards- McGonagall was at Hogwarts at roughly the same time as Riddle, too!"
"And maybe Moody, as well," replied Harry. "He showed me a photo of the original Order once, from back in the 70s- he had gray hair, even back then."
"Right- so that's at least three people who should have had memories," added George.
"And quite possibly more," said Harry. "We can ask them if they know anyone else, and then we can..."
There was a knock on the door. "We need help setting up for dinner," came Ginny's voice through the door.
"We'll go," said Fred. "You lot stay here and plan; we'll let you know when it's time." He stopped at the door, and looked back at Harry. "Oh- congratulations."
"What for...?" asked Harry blankly.
"I overheard Dad telling Remus that you'd been voted in as a full member of the Order, despite your age; field experience and all. Guess they forgot to mention it, with everything else that's going on."
"Yeah," said George with a wry grin, "you and Fleur- looks like you both hit the ground running."
"Welcome aboard, mate," said Ron, as he shut the door behind them and sat back down. "I keep forgetting you're the youngest of us three."
"Doesn't feel like it," Harry muttered; Ron and Hermione chuckled.
“We know, mate,” said Ron; there was a brief pause. Hermione hesitated, then reached over, and put a hand on his arm. “Harry- I’m sorry about putting the Locator Charm on that Cricket without telling you...”
“It’s okay,” said Harry. “I guess it just felt like when I was a kid, and people kept moving me around, and hiding things from me.”
Hermione nodded. “No one’s doing that to you anymore, though.”
“No,” said Harry, an image of Scrimgeour flickering through his mind.
“Are you all right?” Hermione asked; Harry nodded. “I was just... thinking about Bill,” he said.
Hermione bit her lip, and looked away. “I still can’t believe it,” she said. "Bill’s brilliant- he got more O.W.L.s than I did. And now...”
“Well, that was different,” said Ron consolingly. “Bill just... he wanted a job that paid well, when he got out of school; I think growing up at the Burrow... he wanted not to be poor anymore, you know? Gringotts treats its people shabbily, but they pay really well- so he just wanted to take the classes he needed to get a good job, and do well on his O.W.L.s- and that was that. Whereas you just can’t stop loading yourself up with extra research projects, and filling your brain with every fact ever.”
“Yeah,” said Harry, “you’re the only person I know who would take a time machine, and use it to do homework.”
They all laughed; Ron said, “Too bad those all broke- we could have used them in the war.”
“It’s probably a good thing the secret died with Dumbledore,” said Hermione. “Otherwise, Voldemort would have his people making more.”
“Or Scrimgeour,” said Harry.
There was a pause. “How is that?” asked Hermione, with a glance at Ron.
“I’m still getting used to it,” said Harry. “I’m still getting used to- well, everything. I just feel like... one minute, I’m living in a cupboard under the stairs, with relatives who barely speak to me except to order me around. The next, it’s, 'Oh, hi, Harry- did you know you’re a wizard? And that you’re rich? And that every wizard in the world knows your past, although you don’t? And that oh, by the way, there’s this fellow called Voldemort...'”
“I know what you mean- I've felt that way ever since Dumbledore first showed up on my family's doorstep,” she said. “I mean- I was on the phone this afternoon with my parents, before I came here, with an Auror standing there while I'm trying to explain to them how there’s a wizard called Voldemort who may be trying to kill them... it’s a lot to explain to two dentists from Stepney,” she added with a rueful smile.
Ron shivered. “Everyone’s using his name so much these days...” he muttered.
“That may be a good thing, Ron,” said Hermione. “It’s... it’s when a thing is unknown, that it’s scariest; Dumbledore used to say that. You need to call things by their real names: Voldemort, or Tom Riddle- but not this ‘You-Know-Who’ business.”
“Easy for you to say,” said Ron. “You didn’t grow up with all this... sorry,” he added, at the look on her face.
“No, it’s all right,” she said. There was an awkward pause.
"So," said Harry finally, "does anyone have any ideas?"
"Well, I want to get a cauldron in here, and brew some Polyjuice Potion- but that won't be ready for at least a month," said Hermione. "Other than that... well, I need to do some research..."
"I'm working on it," said Ron; he seemed relieved at the change of subject. "It's a lot to get hold of."
"Well, let's at least work out the Vow," said Harry. After several minutes of discussion, and much scribbling and rewriting, they had worded the Vow:
"Whew- that's a mouthful," said Ron.
"We need it," said Hermione, who had done most of the actual writing. There was a pause; then, Hermione got to her feet. "I'm going to go help in the kitchen," she said. "You two probably have things to talk about, yourselves," she added, with a glance at Ron. There was an awkward silence after she left; Harry and Ron looked at each other.
"Well," Harry finally said.
"Yeah."
"It's funny," said Harry. "I've been wanting to talk to you since I left Hogwarts, and now... I don't know what to say."
"Don't have to say anything, mate," said Ron bluffly. "We've already been through it all."
"Yeah," said Harry quietly, as the two of them got to their feet. "That we have."
