Harry’s Private Army

So, I started a diet, and one thing that keeps me from eating is writing. This story might be done sooner than I anticipated. Or I might work on a novel that has been buzzing around in my brain. Or I might just suffer through the hunger. Who knows?

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When breakfast was done and the table was cleared, of all but the tea set, the argument started. Well, not so much an argument as a laying down of the law. Arthur and Tonks had left for work, so it was Sirius, the children, Albus and Molly. Remus had slept elsewhere last night. He had his own flat, and only stayed when the meetings ran long. Which was not often.

“I don’t’ want to argue, I just want to say this for the last time, this is my house, Molly. I insist that you stop ordering me and Harry around. We have house elves to do the cleaning,” Sirius said, his voice very firm. “I don’t like that I’m shoved to the side more times than not. Harry is my godson, and you will not interfere anymore in our lives. I am responsible for him, not you, Albus,” he added, turning his head towards the headmaster.

“Now, Sirius, I am sure you are misunderstanding what is happening,” the old man said, making placating gestures. He needed Molly and the children here to keep Harry and Sirius busy. If those two got to talking, Harry would learn more about his place in society. That was something Albus was hoping to put off until the boy was older.

“How? Every time I and Harry try to talk, we get separated. No matter what we are doing, someone comes up to us with some notion that we should be cleaning. What is unclear about that?” the dogman asked, his voice raising with each word. “It is also intolerable,” he added, banging his fist on the table, showing how upset he really was.

“Molly is only trying to help you clean your house,” Dumbledore said, like the other accusations were unworthy of being recognized. “There are many dark objects here,” he added, gesturing to encompass the house as a whole.

“Like hell she is,” Sirius said, with passion. “She’s here on your orders,” he stated, pointing a finger at the old man. “And those orders are to keep Harry away from me,” he added, glaring at the other two adults. “As for the dark objects, the adults or elves should take care of them. Not the children.” He wasn’t going to mention the horcrux with the kids here.

“Now, Sirius,” the headmaster tried again.

“Children, leave,” Molly said, standing up and shooing those that were underage out of the kitchen.

There were protests from all of them. It was not often that the adults argued, they wanted to stay. There was little to do in the house, and now that the elves were here, less so. Not that they wanted to clean, but it was something to pass the time.

“Leave,” Mrs. Weasley said, all but shoving her two youngest and Hermione out the door. There was no way she was going to let them stay. This had nothing to do with them.

Sirius grabbed Harry’s arm, when she went to escort him out, and forced him to sit back down. “He stays,” he said, letting his godson go. “This is just as much about him as it is about me,” he added, determination ringing loud and clear.

“I can go,” Harry said, glancing up quickly and seeing five doxies hovering in the light fixture. He shooed them subtly, and they blended better into the fixtures body. It was a huge candle chandelier. That had many bobbles on it for them to hide. He knew with them there, no matter what was said, he’d find out about it later.

“No, I want you here,” Sirius said, not unkindly. His face softened, he knew Harry wanted to stay, he just didn’t like the fighting. “Really, stay,” he added, putting a hand on the kid’s arm. They spent so little time together, that even this was good.

“He should go,” Molly and Albus said, in different tones. Molly authoritatively, and Albus suggestively. Dumbledore’s tone made Molly glare at him. She had hoped he’d back her in this.

“Did I not just say, he is my responsibility?” Sirius asked, glaring at Molly, whose voice was stringent. “I will say when he can stay and when he leaves. This is just another example of you two trying to separate us,” he stated, his voice accusing.

“Having him here is irresponsible,” she countered, glaring right back, until she noticed the twins still there. “This is a discussion for adults,” she said to all of them, including Sirius and Albus.

“We’re of age,” Fred said, settling in his chair as if to dare her to bodily remove him. He too was tired of her domineering.

“We’re staying,” George added, copying his brother’s stance. His thoughts echoed his twin’s, which was normal for them.

“And we’d tell Harry everything anyway,” Fred said, throwing a smirk at Harry. He also glanced up, letting Harry know that he knew the doxies were there.

“Fine,” Mrs. Weasley said, sitting down and preparing her argument. She put her fists on the table and gathered her thoughts. She believed she was in the right. Sirius was an overgrown kid that needed tending. He was worse than her twins. Sure, Albus wanted them to spend little time together, and she was all for that, since the man hadn’t grown up a bit. Not to mention he was unstable; with all the time he had spent in Azkaban. She didn’t feel the least bit guilty keeping them apart.

“I have a question,” Harry said, hoping to defuse this whole thing. “Why are the Weasleys here? I mean, Bill is a curse-breaker. Can’t he put the Burrow under the Fidelius Charm?” He knew the man could do that. After all, he had removed the horcrux from his scar. The Fidelius Charm couldn’t be that much harder.

“Do you not want your friends here?” Dumbledore asked in a tone that said he was disappointed in Harry for thinking such thoughts. He was not above using guilt to get his way.

“That is not what I said, so don’t put words in my mouth,” Harry said, snapping at the headmaster, which earned him a glare from Mrs. Weasley. He ignored her. “I was just wondering why they were here, when Bill can protect them,” he added. “I mean, none of them, bar the twins, even like it here. I’ve heard Ron and Ginny complaining many times that there is nothing to do. Heck, they’ve even done their summer homework. Even Hermione has even run out of things to study. Since she can’t get into the main part of the library,” he finished, folding his arms on the table.

“The Fidelius is a complicated charm,” the headmaster said as if that were knowledge he should know. “I don’t know if Bill can cast it.” That earned him a few glares from the Weasleys that were there.

“Bill is the best,” Fred said, defending his brother.

“Yes, he worked in Egypt,” George added as if that explained just how powerful Bill was. Which, in a way it did. Egypt was one of the most sought-after jobs in Gringotts. You had to be the best of the best.

“Did you ask?” Harry asked, figuring the man had not. He rarely asks for anything he doesn’t want to happen. And for some reason, Dumbledore wanted the Weasley’s here. probably for the reasons Sirius had said, to keep them apart.

“It never occurred to me,” the old man admitted, appearing honest in his answer. It was something he didn’t want to happen, so he didn’t think about asking the eldest Weasley child.

Sirius scoffed, and Harry looked at him. The dogman rolled his eyes, and the teen agreed with his godfather. It was such a Dumbledore thing to do.

“Well, I think he can. The least you can do is ask. There is a lot of tension here,” Harry pointed out, moving his finger between Sirius and Mrs. Weasley. “And like I said, the others hate it here.”

“Where is Bill?” Sirius wanted to know. He didn’t stay here at Grimmuald Place, but he usually was here for breakfast.

“He’s with Fleur,” Fred said knowingly. He knew the two were sweet on one another. He also knew his mother did not approve.

George just chuckled. He wished his brother all the best of luck. Fleur was quite a catch.

“Oh, I didn’t know they were dating,” Harry said, giving them a ‘come on, tell’ look.

“Back to the matter at hand,” Sirius said, getting away from that topic. He like gossip as well as the next person, but this needed to be settled.

“Yes, I demand that you get rid of the house elves so that I can give the children something to do besides mischief,” Molly said, only to slap her neck, where a tiny arrow was protruding. Seconds later all she could do was make cow noises. She did try to yell, but only mooing came out. Her face was turning purple with anger. She rounded on the twins, who held up their hands.

“We didn’t do it,” Fred said, through his laughing.

“We would never prank you,” George stated, causing her to moo again.

“Honestly,” they said together.

“Moo,” she said again, her face looked like an eggplant it was so purple.

All the males at the table, bar Dumbledore, fell out of their chairs laughing. No one saw the arrow sail back up into the air. Harry did notice it was gone. He had worried about it being discovered, and he was going to have to ask the queen about that. It must have been a concern of hers too.

Molly mooed again, and they started laughing all over again. She got up and went to the cupboard in the wall and grabbed a broom. She then proceeded to beat her twins with the bristle part. They just laughed harder. It wasn’t like she was hurting them.

Remus and Bill entered the kitchen and saw the boys, and Sirius, laughing at Mrs. Weasley. Bill grabbed the broom from her and held it out of her way. She huffed and sat back down.

“Mum?” Bill asked and then breaking into a smile when she mooed at him.

“That’s not nice,” Remus said, holding back his smile. He knew one of the four had something to do with it. He did look around for the doxies, and he didn’t see them. He couldn’t smell any either. So, they were either not there, or they were out of his range. He wouldn’t put it past Harry to have them punish those that he felt affronted him.

“We didn’t do it,” all four proclaimed, holding their sides. They then laughed at the fact that they all said the same thing at the same time.

“But you are laughing,” Remus pointed out.

“It’s funny,” Sirius and Harry said, while the twins tried to catch their breath.

“Stop it,” Remus said, gently kicking Sirius, who was supposed to be the adult. Though, he should know better by now.

“Yes, let us maintain some decorum,” Dumbledore said, trying to find out what had happened to Mrs. Weasley. He waved his wand to undo any spell on her, and proceeded to break a beauty charm, which hid an unsightly blemish. She glared at him for that. “Sorry,” he said, putting the charm back on.

“I think this argument went just fine,” Sirius said, finally getting ahold of himself, getting off the floor and sitting in the chair. He poured himself more tea, which Dobby kept warm.

“What argument?” Bill asked, sitting at the table, and pouring his own tea. He had no clue what was going on, but he would find out.

“On whose house this is,” the dogman said, he pointedly looked at Molly, who refused to open her mouth again.

She was going to stay silent until she was alone. She would find the twins stash and burn it. They should be doing something productive with their lives, not playing pranks on family members.

“It’s yours,” Bill said confused at why that was even debated. He looked at his mum and got why this was a topic of discussion. He knew his mum had issues, but to take over a house, well that was beyond the pale. He knew she wouldn’t like it if someone didn’t do that to her.

“Your mum seems to think it’s hers,” Harry pointed out, echoing his thoughts.

“Why haven’t you put wards over the Burrow?” Remus asked, unknowingly stating what the others had asked earlier.

“No one asked,” was the reply. He took a sip of his tea and looked at his mum, who blushed. He wondered why she was feeling guilty. That was a guilty blush, he’d seen it before. “I thought you wanted them here for Harry, so I didn’t offer,” he added at their blank faces.

“I’m asking now. Your mum and I are incompatible,” Sirius said, not really wanting to continue fighting with Molly. If her and her brood were gone, he could have time with Harry. The only time they would separate, bar bedtime, would be Order meetings.

“I can do that,” the older Weasley said, putting his cup down. It was empty anyway. It was his first cup today. He and Fleur woke up late and had to hurry out of the flat. He got up as if to do that now, but he was stopped by what the twins said next.

“We’re staying here,” Fred and George said in unison.

“You’re more than welcome,” Sirius said, smiling at the two. He had no issue with them crashing here. He also knew they couldn’t take their experiments home. Molly would trash them.

“Thanks,” they replied, again together.

“I’m staying too,” Harry said, glaring at the headmaster and Mrs. Weasley. He wasn’t going anywhere else.

Bill and Remus watched to see how everyone reacted. Bill retook his seat and poured another cup of tea.

“That was never going to be debated. You are my responsibility, and I will have you here with me,” Sirius said, putting a hand on Harry’s shoulder.

“Good,” the teen said, shrugging the hand off playfully.

“Now, Sirius,” Dumbledore said for the fourth time that morning.

“Nope, don’t even go there. If Harry is right, I will be free soon. I will not have you tearing us apart,” the dogman stated, with almost a growl. He knew what the man wanted, and he wasn’t going to give it to him. If he didn’t have the title fugitive, then he could do what he pleased. And there was nothing the old man could do about it.

“Harry, don’t you want to be with your friends?” Albus asked, turning his attention to the boy.

“We’re not talking at the moment,” Harry said, with a sniff. “I’m still miffed at you and them, for keeping me in the dark all summer. More so at you because of the whole horcrux issue,” he stated, leveling a glare at the old man.

“Please, keep that to yourself,” Albus said, with a deep sigh. It was news he didn’t want bandied about.

“Everyone here already knows it,” Harry lied, the twins and Mrs. Weasley didn’t know. “Well, except for Mrs. Weasley, but I’ll bet Bill tells her,” he added, turning to Bill, who shrugged.

The twins kept quiet. They knew Harry would tell them later. They had no clue what a horcrux was, but it must have been a big deal with how the headmaster reacted.

“I didn’t know it was a secret,” the tall redhead admitted. “I’ve already told my bosses. And they’re on the hunt for others,” he said, picking up a biscuit from the plate that appeared on the table. He had hoped to be here in time for breakfast, but cookies would do for now.

“Truly,” Dumbledore asked with a great deal of awe. He had no clue that the goblins would do that.

“You never asked. Goblins hate horcruxes,” Bill said, eating his cookie. “If you had asked me, I’d have taken care of it ages ago. You are not a curse-breaker,” he said, pointing his half-eaten biscuit at the old man. “We took care of two of them in one sitting.”

“I admit it never crossed my mind,” the headmaster once again stated.

“Perhaps you should expand your mind,” Harry offered helpfully. Then he thought, maybe not. if the headmaster started thinking outside the box, then he might get caught with his doxies sooner. However, he couldn’t say that.

“Perhaps you are correct,” Dumbledore said, not taking the boy seriously. His mind was just fine, thank you very much.

“Well, this has been fun. Let me know when you leave, so I can say goodbye to my friends,” Harry said, getting up from his chair and heading to his room to do his homework. He had been putting it off long enough.