Almost everyone has arrived for the order meeting in 12 Grimmauld Place; they were only waiting on Dumbledore and Snape. As the clock chimed 7, the fireplace roared to life. Out stepped Albus Dumbledore followed by Severus Snape. Everyone took their seats with the headmaster at the head. The Meeting could now begin.
Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Mundungus," he began. "You were guarding Harry on his trip to Hogsmede were you not?" Mundungus nodded. "Did anything of import happen?" Albus fully expected the answer to be in the negative. Barely discernible shock showed on his face as Mundungus nodded.
"Ay. 'Arry went to the Hogshead" he began in his gruff voice. " 'E met up with a bunch of students. They were forming a secret defence group to teach themselves to fight.''
"Were my children and Hermione there?" Mrs Weasley enquired.
Sirius scoffed. "Of course they were Molly. Ron and Hermione wouldn't let Harry do this by himself, the twins would think of it as a massive prank against the ministry and Ginny is too much of a spitfire to let them leave her out of it."
"They're too young. They're only children." Mrs Weasley fretted.
Sirius opened his mouth to retort but Dumbledore, sensing the coming argument, silenced him with a glare.
"Regardless of personal feelings on the matter, Harry cannot be allowed to continue with this group. The ministry already wants an excuse to expel him but that's no reason to hand them one," Dumbledore said. "I'll send a letter to Harry through Fawkes asking him to come over so that we can discuss this."
Harry Potter was slowly putting all of the cushions from that nights DA stunning practice into piles. Everyone was progressing amazingly; he wouldn't be surprised if all the members of the DA got at least an EE in their OWL exams. He was alone at the moment as he'd asked Ron and Hermione to give him some space so he could think. Or, more accurately, he'd snapped at them to go away. He had felt bad about that afterwards, but they'd left before he could apologise. Harry had been so angry lately; he didn't understand it. He blew up at the simplest things. Frustration simmered inside him; he hated feeling helpless, he just wanted to fight Voldemort, but the order of the flaming chicken just patted him on the head and said he was too young and to let the adults handle it. Ha, yeah right. When had the adults ever done what needed to be done? Year after year, something happened at the school that the adults were supposedly 'handling, but instead Harry, Ron and Hermione ended up saving the day.
The boy-who-lived was so absorbed in his thoughts that he jumped out of his skin when a flash of flame appeared before him before resolving into Fawkes, knocking the cushion pile in the process. 'Speak of the devil and he shall appear...or at least his phoenix will,' Harry thought wryly. Noting the letter attached to Fawke's leg, Harry warily reached out, took it and, when nothing happened, opened it
'Dear Harry, (it read in Dumbledore's cursive handwriting)
I would be immensly pleased if you would join us (meaning the Order and I) at Grimmauld Place at your earliest convienience. We need to discuss something of importance with you.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore.
P.S. Hold onto Fawkes' tale feathers and he will bring you to us
Harry thought, for a moment, of not going, but he knew it was more an order than a request. Besides he'd never been one to resist his curiosity (except for that one period in first year after the Norbert incident) and his curiosity had indeed been piqued by Dumbledore's usual vagueness. Perhaps they'd finally decided to treat him like an adult and tell him about the weapon they were guarding! Though, Harry doubted he'd be that lucky. Still...the nerve of Dumbledore. After months of ignoring him. he sends Harry a letter with an order request, pretending that everything was fine! Harry supposed he ought to get it over with, so he grabbed Fawkes' tail feathers and travelled by Phoenix fire.
Travelling by phoenix fire was similar to travelling by Floo powder in that you were surrounded by flames, but other than that it was completely different. It was very pleasant. It was like your body being surrounded by flames, but instead of being hot and painful, it was mild and soothing. It oozed the same calm feeling that phoenix song generated. You couldn't feel yourself moving. It was like you were just in one place, and then another.
Back in Grimmauld Place, the order meeting was continuing. Snape had just finished his report, when Harry materialised in a burst of flames.
"What do you want?" Harry enquired belligerently
"Typical Potter," Snape sneered. "I suppose you think you're too good to grace us mere mortals with your presence.
Harry glared at him but before he could say anything he was cut off with a sharp 'enough' from Dumbledore.
"Harry, my boy," the Headmaster began, still not looking Harry in the eye but rather at some point over his shoulder. "It has come to my attention that you and your friends are planning on hosting a defence group. I hope that, in the wake of this latest educational degree, you are not thinking of continung with it. I can't condone it, I'm afraid.''
He sounded regretful, but it was clear there was no room for argument. It made Harry's blood boil. His temper, always so close to the surface these days, reared it's head.
"Why? Is it because we're children? Is it because you don't want us to learn how to defend ourselves?!"
"Harry, dear," Mrs Weasley said. "You don't need to worry about that. You're only children. Let the adults handle things."
Harry snorted and began, sarcastically. "Yeah cause that's worked soooo well for me before. It's not like Voldemort," everyone bar Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus, and Moody flinched, "has ever attacked a child before. It's not like I've faced him three times since I arrived at Hogwarts - and that's not including the time he tried to kill me as a baby, not my parents, but *me* " he stressed. "I've had to save the day time and time again. The so-called adults were useless."
"If you'd actually bothere to tell anyone Potter, it could have been avoided. You're own arrogance is responsible. Just like you're father," Snape spat.
Sirius opened his mouth angrily, but before he could say anything Harry beat him too it.
"The thing is professor, I did tell an adult. In my first year, I told Professor McGonagall, but she brushed me off, assuming she knew more than me just because she was an adult. Look how that turned out. Second year," he continued frostily, "Me and Ron told Lockhart. He turned out to be a spinless coward who was trigger happy with obliviate. We had our doubts about him but he was put into a position of power by the headmaster so we thought we must be wrong. After all how could the great Albus Dumbledore ever be mistaken? And we were panicking, we didn't have time to find another teacher, who knew what was happening to Ginny, so we dragged the only Adult around with us. Then in third year we didn't know anything was going to happen. The only reason we were out after dark was to support a friend. Secondly we used the time turner to save Sirius, at Dumbledore's urging," he stressed. "And then, last year, Crouch Jr, put my name in the Goblet of Fire, despite the Oh-So-Great protection around it. . The teachers, the adults, who were *supposed* to protect me could do nothing...supposedly."
"What on Earth do you mean by supposedly Potter?" McGonagall barked.
"What I mean Potter is that I'm sure, if someone had cared enough to try, a loophole could've been found that would've gotten me out of that godforsaken tournament. There's always a loophole."
"But why on earth wouldn't you want to compete? I mean I get you didn't enter but me and James would've leapt at the chance!" Sirius sounded genuinely confused.
"Oh I dunno Sirius," Harry began sarcastically, "Maybe because I've had enough life or death situations testing my luck since I've entered the magical world. What wuld there be too gain from it? Eternal fame and Glory? Thanks, but I have more than enough fame already. Besides the winners aren't that famous. Who can name another winner from previous tournaments, besides Hermione I mean?And as for money, I have more than enough thanks. Besides, Money is hardly worth dying over is it? You need to get it into your head Sirius that I am not my father. You know," he added as an afterthought, "that's something you and Snape have in common. The belief that I am a carbon copy of James Potter."
Before anyone else could say anything, Dumbledore calmly interjected (still not looking directly at Harry), "I believe we have gotton a bit of track here. To bring it to the matter at hand. Harry you are not to continue with the defence group. That is not a request."
"No."
Dumbledore looked shock and Mrs Weasley started scolding Harry, "Harry James Potter you are not to disrespect the headmaster like that. He has your best interests at heart!"
"Mrs Weasley, I get that you and order are just trying to look out for us, but I can't agree with the Headmaster on this. We *need* to learn to defend ourselves."
"Harry dear, you're too yo-"
And that was the last straw. They weren't listening. Harry's temper reached boiling point.
"DO NOT TELL ME I AM TOO YOUNG. VOLDEMORT," everyone except the aforementioned few flinched, "DOESN'T CARE ABOUT AGE. HE TRIED TO KILL ME WHEN I WAS A BLOODY BABY. AND THEN AGAIN WHEN I WAS 11, 12, AND THEN ONLY LAST YEAR HE KIDNAPPED ME JUST TO USE MY BLOOD IN A RITUAL, CRUCIO ME, AND THEN OFF ME!"
Harry took a deep breath to calm himself. The Order was stunned into silence, though whether due to the truth of his statements or that he'd just yelled at Molly Weasley was uncertain.
"Look I know you think you know best, really I do. But...you're wrong/ Voldemort doesn't care about age. He doesn't care that we're still in school. And as much as I hate it, Ron and Hermione are way too stubborn to let me fight alone. We *need* to learn to defend ourselves. I don't know why, but Voldemort wants me dead. He will keep coming after me, and those I love, and it won't end until one of us is dead."
The order was once again stunned into silence, though this time by his impassioned speech. Everyone, including Dumbledore and Mrs Weasley pondered his words. They decided that whilst they wouldn't tell Harry (and therefore the rest of the Golden Trio) everything, they would tell them everything related to Harry, including the fateful prophecy. And from now on, Harry would have more training.
They had no idea how that one decision had changed the course of their future.