"Hey, you two! Wait up!" Harry called and the devil pranksters of Hogwarts, the Weasley twins turned towards him.
"Harrykins!" They said in unison. "What can we do for you!"
"Not here. In private." Harry said and the two shared a look.
"Lead the way!" The twin on the left said.
Harry led them out of the tower, into an abandoned classroom nearby and gestured them to go in. Harry entered himself and closed the door before throwing up privacy wards around the room and turned to the twins... who were looking extremely serious for a change.
"What happened, Harry?" One of them asked with concern.
"I heard you both want to open a joke shop," Harry said without preamble. "I have seen some of your products and liked them a lot. And, I wish to help you open the shop."
They shared another look before nodding. "How will you help us, though?"
"Money, of course. I know you both want funding to open your shop, which your mother would never give to you. But, I can. Fifteen hundred Galleons. Five hundred right now, right here and the rest after you show me an itinerary of at least a hundred different products which you would be selling." Harry said.
The twins' eyes lit up like shining stars before gaining a business-type façade. "What do you want in exchange?" They asked.
"You're smarter than people give you credit for. I assume you both have heard of Lord Voldemort's return?" Harry asked and they flinched at the name. "Well, to help in the war, I want you both to come up with a few inventions exclusively for me and... a group of people who would help fight Voldemort and his forces."
"Can we join this group?" The question immediately followed. "Anything for fighting you-know-who."
"That decision does not lie with me. But, I reckon you will be in close contact with the group even if you would not directly be a part of it." Harry said mysteriously.
"What do you mean?"
"You will find out soon, likely from your parents," Harry replied with a shrug. "But, what do you think of my offer?"
"Done!" They declared.
"Give us examples of what you want to make!" Twin one said.
"We will get on with it." Twin two continued.
"Immediately!" They finished in sync.
"Err... yeah, something like smoke bombs, things to cause distractions, maybe some kind of a ball which turns into a net to trap death eaters in it... "
"Understood!"
"You will get—"
"— what you asked for!"
"Lovely. Here are your five hundred galleons. Give me the list of products and I will give you the rest of it. Oh, and one more thing." Harry said, holding the bag of Galleons in his hand.
"Yes?" They asked.
"Every product that goes on your shelves, at least until Voldemort is defeated, would be approved by me first. I don't want things falling into the hands of Death Eaters." Harry said firmly. "Am I clear?"
"Absolutely!" They replied in unison.
"Superb. Here." Harry said, giving them the bag of galleons. "Do me proud and I will let you meet Padfoot and Moony."
The twins' eyes widened on hearing that, but Harry had strolled out of the room before they could say anything.
30th June 1995
London
Harry, Sirius, and Dumbledore appeared into existence with barely a pop on a patch of unkempt grass in the middle of a small square in a muggle. They were completely invisible, bar Sirius, whose form was shimmering a bit. Harry and Dumbledore, on the other hand, had covered themselves under perfect disillusionment charms that they were completely invisible to the naked eye.
Harry looked around. The grimy fronts of the surrounding houses were not welcoming; some of them had broken windows, glimmering dully in the light from the streetlamps, paint was peeling from many of the doors, and heaps of rubbish lay outside several sets of front steps.
They walked together from the patch of grass, across the road, and onto the pavement slowly becoming visible yet still under a notice-me-not charm.
The muffled pounding of a stereo was coming from an upper window in the nearest house. A pungent smell of rotting rubbish came from the pile of bulging bin-bags just inside the broken gate.
All in all, it was a neighborhood where the Dursleys wouldn't have stepped in. Sirius led them to perhaps the worst house of them all. On a battered door, was the number Twelve written in peeling golden letters. Its black paint was shabby and scratched. The silver door knocker was in the form of a twisted serpent. There was no keyhole or letterbox.
Harry would've thought it was some type of shack, had he not felt the powerful magic emitting from the house. Harry activated his mage sight to look at the wards and immediately resisted the urge to gape at them. The wards were in need of dire repair but still looked powerful enough to repel an attack for quite some amount of time. Harry couldn't help but imagine the power of the wards once the three of them were done with them. It would indeed be a fortress that would hold against even the stronger level of attacks. Add the Fidelius charm to that... with Albus Dumbledore as the secret keeper, it would probably become the safest place on Earth.
Sirius pulled out his wand and tapped the door once and pressed his Lord's ring on it. Harry heard many loud, metallic clicks and what sounded like the clatter of a chain. The door creaked open and a cloud of dust came out. Dumbledore's hand went into his pocket and the cloud of dust vanished. Harry and he shared a look as Sirius pushed the door open.
They stepped over the threshold into the almost total darkness of the hall. Harry could smell damp, dust, and an awful rotting smell; the place had the feeling of a derelict building. The only light was through the sunlight streaming into the house from the open main door.
As they stepped inside completely, the doors closed behind them, cutting off the little sunlight streaming in, and the darkness in the hall became complete. Harry waved his wand, and orbs of white light emerged from his wand, acting like light bulbs. The light fell over the peeling wallpaper and threadbare carpet of a long, gloomy hallway, where a cobwebby chandelier glimmered overhead and age-blackened portraits hung crooked on the walls.
"Well, this is certainly a wonderful home," Harry said sarcastically, looking at his footsteps which had been made due to the displaced layer of dirt on the floor.
Dumbledore flicked his wand and the dirt around them rose and vanished. Suddenly there was a crash next to them and Harry just saw that Sirius had knocked over an umbrella stand (which looked like it was made of a troll's leg) before a horrible, earsplitting, bloodcurdling screeching feminine voice came from somewhere in the next room.
"Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers—"
Harry raised his wand and hurried into the room along with Dumbledore and Sirius, who had a look of loathing on his face for some reason. As Harry entered the room, he saw the source of the horrible screeching. It was a life-size portrait of an old woman in a black cap. The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed, and all along the hall behind them, the other portraits awoke and began to yell too.
Harry jabbed and swung his wand around and the noises were shut down as a silencing ward was applied to all the portraits.
The woman in the portrait continued moving her mouth until she realized that no sound was coming out of her and glared at Harry, frothing at her mouth.
"Hello, Mother." Sirius greeted coldly. "I would say it is a pleasure to see you, but it isn't."
"Walburga Black?" Harry asked, remembering how much Sirius hated her.
"Yes. The most unpleasant bitch you will ever meet." Sirius replied. The woman in the portrait, who was Sirius's mother, continued frothing and snarling like a mad dog, looking like she wanted to say a few unpleasant things to Sirius.
Harry rolled his eyes at her and turned to the two men with him. "We need to—"
Harry stopped short as a pop sounded right in front of them and the ugliest looking house-elf Harry had ever seen appeared in front of them. Except for the filthy rag tied like a loincloth around its middle, it was completely naked. It looked very old. Its skin seemed to be several times too big for it and though it was bald like all house-elves, there was a quantity of white hair growing out of its large, batlike ears. Its eyes were a bloodshot and watery gray, and its fleshy nose was large and rather snout-like.
"Blood traitor master dares show his face. And intruder silences mistress's portrait! BEGONE FROM THE HOUSE OF BLACKS!" The elf shouted and snapped his fingers but before anything could happen, Harry intercepted it with a shield and banished the elf across the room, into a wall.
"You dare attack the Lord and Heir Black, elf?" Harry said, putting power into his voice. The elf had just attacked Sirius, who was his master. There was no predicting what the elf could do to compromise things to go against Sirius.
"Filthy blood traitor master shows his face! And his mudblood companion attacks Kreacher!" The elf said hysterically before snapping his fingers again. This time, Dumbledore intercepted it with another shield and stunned it immediately.
"That was Kreacher. He was very unpleasant when I was a kid. He is yet to change, as I can see." Sirius said in a voice of restrained loathing.
Harry turned to him. "Is there anything remotely pleasant in this... house?"
"Not as far as I remember." Sirius put in bluntly.
"It needs... work," Dumbledore said. "We can easily make this a safe place for the order. And we need to start ward work immediately if we wish to be back to Hogwarts by dinner. First, Sirius, you need to repower the wards and start repairing them. After that Harry will start on additional wards while I will start on the Fidelius charm."
"What should we do with Kreacher?" Harry asked, gesturing to the stunned elf lying on the floor.
"Death," Sirius replied. "The damned elf tormented me enough as a kid. It is old and deranged. Killing it would be mercy now."
"Sirius, you cannot just kill off an innocent house-elf, my boy. House-elves are meant to follow the orders of their masters. You cannot kill it regardless of how much you hate him. It is not a death eater, Sirius."
"Dumbledore, you don't know this little shit. He'll spy on us for Death Eaters! He practically worshipped the path Bellatrix walked on. And he is a black elf. Any Black can call him to their aid."
"Then the best alternative is that you give him clothes," Harry suggested. "Free him from the service of House Black."
"I can't. He knows too many secrets of House Black and is vindictive. If I free him, House Black won't like the repercussions." Sirius replied.
"Sirius, but—"
"Professor, respectfully, it is Sirius's decision as Lord Black," Harry said, interrupting Dumbledore. "It is his elf and we saw how it just behaved. He doesn't recognize Sirius as his master. He will go against him as Dobby did in my second year."
Dumbledore reluctantly nodded and Sirius smiled in triumph, looking at the portrait of his late mother.
Harry shook his head. There was too much bad blood between the two. "So, anyway, as I was saying, we need to clean up this house. I will call some elves to do it. Dobby!"
A second later, Dobby appeared with a pop in front of them, looking expectantly at Harry. "Yes, Master Harry?"
"I need you to bring a couple of dozen house-elves and clean this place up. All magical articles should be handled with care and if they are cursed, you should deposit them in a trunk separately, making sure not to touch them. Can you do that?" Dobby looked around and scrunched his nose in disgust.
"Yes, Master Harry! But Dobby bes needing permission from professor Dumbledore to borrow elves from Hogwarts!"
"You can, Dobby."
"Thank you, Headmaster, sir," Dobby said and popped away only to return a few moments later with two dozen elves.
Harry looked at them and Dumbledore. "Well, let's get working!"
5th July 1995
Hermione's House, Chelsea
Harry appeared without a sound behind a huge tree and started walking down the street leisurely, wearing a dark blue Armani suit that he had transfigured before leaving. He wouldn't have dressed in such attire had he not known of the area Hermione lived in. Even from the address, Harry could tell that she was rich. Not comparable to his wealth, of course, considering he was the heir to both the Black and Potter family, but pretty rich to live a luxurious, posh life.
He looked around at the houses. Calling them a house would be an insult. They were all bigger than the manor Harry had resided in last summer at Somerset. That is, of course not considering the fact that wizarding houses were bigger on the inside. Harry walked towards the gates of the home that Hermione lived in and pressed the doorbell and spoke clearly into the speaker that was above the button, "Hey, Hermione. It is me, Harry Potter. Please open the gate."
There was no response, but the gates automatically swung open to admit Harry a few seconds later.
Harry walked down the path, leading to the main door of the bungalow. On both sides of the perfectly leveled and cemented path, a garden of sorts was planted with several flowering plants, adding beauty to the house. The house itself was a beautiful red-bricked home that was three-story high with huge windows and everything.
As Harry climbed the steps, the huge double doors of the house were pulled open and Hermione stood there dressed in casual clothes, and behind her were her parents, wearing semi-formal attire. Now, Harry felt overdressed.
Hermione smiled at him. "Harry! Welc—" She stopped short as Harry pointed his wand at her neck.
"What spell did Ronald Weasley attempt when we first met each other, aboard the Hogwarts express?" Harry asked.
Hermione looked completely baffled before replying, "Well, it wasn't really a spell, was it? But he did attempt to turn his rat yellow with a poem that Fred and George had given him. Why do you ask?"
"I am sorry for the rather unfriendly behavior," Harry said, putting his wand back into his holster. "But it was a security measure considering the most recent events."
A look of realization flitted across Hermione's face. "Ah, so even I should ask you a question... hmmm... which book did Professor Snape confiscate from you back in our first year?"
"Quidditch through the ages." Harry promptly replied. "And the next time you do that, have your wand out. But, it is good to see you."
Harry turned to Hermione's parents who were standing, looking completely shocked. "Doctor and Doctor Granger. Thank you for receiving me. This is for you." Harry greeted while wandlessly conjuring a beautiful bouquet. He simultaneously sent a Legilimency probe at both of them to check if they were under the imperious or were imposters. It was rather easy to distinguish muggles from witches and wizards by peaking into their minds.
Fortunately, they both were clean.
"Err... thank you, dear. Please come in. Why are you standing out?" Mrs. Granger said, accepting the bouquet and gesturing him inside. Harry followed them inside their hall which was rather large with plentiful lighting and several paintings on the walls which looked beautiful and yet meaningless to Harry. But, it had a homey feeling to it.
"Why did you come wearing a suit, Harry?" Hermione whispered as she walked next to him. "Who told you it was a formal dinner?"
"Uh," Harry said lamely, "if you don't like it, is this okay?" He asked, wandlessly transfiguring his suit into a casual t-shirt and a pair of black jeans.
"Much better," Hermione said with a relieved sigh.
"Wow," Mrs. Granger breathed suddenly. "You changed your clothes in a blink of an eye. Is that magical clothing?"
"No, ma'am. It is normal clothing that I transfigured into this. It will stay like this for a few hours before reverting to its original form." Harry replied.
"Magic, so cool and all, eh?" Hermione's dad said. "And so conventional! You all can just have a pair of jeans and a shirt and transfigure it into anything you wish. Saves so much on clothing and all."
"Dad, this is Harry we are talking about. Not everyone can do magic as he can. He makes it look easy. I am pretty sure that such a thing will not come for us before the NEWTS." Hermione said.
"No, it won't," Harry admitted. "What comes for NEWTS is just basic things you need to know to survive in a magical community and get a decent job. If you need to go really deep into a subject, you will need to pursue a mastery course. I am pretty sure that McGonagall can do what I did. And so can Snape or Sirius."
"Not without a wand," Hermione argued.
"Well, that's me being me," Harry replied with a smirk and she huffed.
"Are you going to teach me how to do wandless magic, ever?" She asked.
"As I said, you first need to master non-verbal magic, Hermione. You still say your spells out loud."
"I just can't get it! It is tough. I don't know how you did it. And don't you say that you're Harry Potter!" She warned just as Harry opened his mouth to say exactly that.
"You will get it soon. I promise. It is in the sixth and seventh-year curriculum. So, I am sure the brightest witch of our age will get it down by the end of this summer." Harry said with a grin.
"What do you mean? You get more marks than me and I am not allowed to use magic in the summer!"
"Well, I said witch, didn't I?" Harry asked with a grin.
"I thought it would be Susan now," Hermione teased.
"She ain't that much into academics. She hates theory. So, you are still retaining the position."
Hermione chuckled. "Okay, what about my other question though? I can't use magic in the summer."
"Well, that is what I am here to talk about," Harry said with a nod.
"You know, you're behaving all secretive since last few days... since he returned," Hermione said.
"All in good time, Hermione."
"What are you both talking about?" Mr. Granger asked, interrupting their conversation.
Harry looked at Hermione and she shook her head. "We just got home a couple of hours ago. I thought I'd wait for you before telling them." Hermione replied to his unasked question.
Harry turned to her parents. "Then you might want to sit down for this." He said gravely. Hermione's parents exchanged a look before gesturing towards the couch where they all settled down.
"You tell, Hermione," Harry said sitting on the supremely comfortable couch. "I will add if you miss something."
Hermione gave him a nod and patiently began explaining everything about Voldemort to her parents with Harry giving inputs in between.
"So, let me get this straight," Mr. Granger said exasperatedly. "A madman terrorist who was thought to be dead, returned to life using some sort of magic. Your ministry refuses to believe you on the topic of his return. You all are going to be plunged into a civil war with you at the center of it because you defeated him as a baby and once again a few days ago." He said the last part while looking at Harry.
"Yes, Doctor Granger," Harry replied.
"And my daughter is going to be in danger as well because she is your friend?"
"Not exactly. Hermione would be in danger regardless of my friendship with her because she is a muggleborn... the group that Lord Voldemort wishes to eliminate... along with muggles. I admit that being my friend puts her in the limelight and in more danger, but it will also provide her a layer of protection."
"How will it protect her?" Hermione's mum asked with a frown.
"Any attack on her will be an attack on House Potter and House Black as she is under my protection. To put it simply, if someone even touches her, it would give me free rein to destroy their whole family and family name by declaring a blood feud on them. At the end of it, the whole lineage will be finished and all their property would be mine. And this is a big thing in the wizarding world. A line that no sane person will dare to cross."
"But if they do..." Mr. Granger began but Harry interrupted before he could speak further.
"That is why I am here today, sir. To protect you both and offer a proposal to Hermione. First, for you both, I have this," Harry said, producing two boxes and handing them to Hermione's parents. They opened it to find two necklaces in them. Mr. Granger's was thicker than his wife's with a blue gemstone instead of red.
"A necklace?" Mrs. Granger asked incredulously.
"It is magical, of course. If any wizard or witch comes in a fifty feet range with the intent to harm you, you both will immediately be teleported away to a safe house of mine within a blink of an eye. Also, the chain cannot be removed once by anyone except the wearer."
"Wow... so we will be safe in case this dark lord's cronies attack us," Mr. Granger said. "But, won't it be better if we just leave from here till you deal with this problem?"
"Dad!"
"No, listen to me. We can just flee Britain, we can—"
"Go where?" Harry asked, interrupting Hermione's dad.
"Out of England!"
"To where though? If Voldemort wants her dead, he will find you all even if you go to some remote island. There are many magical ways of finding someone and locating them anywhere in the world. Voldemort can just apparate in there and kill you if he wishes. And he will be desperate to strike a blow against me right now, considering I have killed fourteen of his death eaters a week ago. You will be safest in England as we all are near and come to help in seconds in case something happens. Also, my protection won't extend outside the boundaries of magical Britain, sir."
"Can't you put up some protections to make us undetectable? Like this necklace detects people wanting to harm us, can't you just give us something like that to obscure us from being located?" Mrs. Granger asked.
"Nothing is perfect, ma'am. And the more advanced wards will fry every electronic item in here. If you are willing to live a no-technology life and stay here till Voldemort is dead, we can consider that option. That will mean not going out of your house though and breaking all contacts with the outside world."
"That is not possible, I am afraid." Mr. Granger admitted. "We are doctors and we can't do that. Also, we can't just be sitting at home, for god knows how long, that too without electronic devices."
"So, this is the safest option, sir," Harry said. "I will put a few basic wards on the property, which won't interfere with the electronic items. Hermione, on the other hand, comes with me to a safe house that Dumbledore and I have set up. She will also receive advanced magical training there. She will be under the safest wards in the whole of Britain."
"Where is this safe house?" Mrs. Granger asked.
Harry narrowed his eyes and sent another Legilimency probe to confirm she wasn't under control or a witch under disguise. She was clean and only worried for Hermione's safety. "I can't tell you that."
"Can't or won't?"
"Can't. I literally can not tell you or anyone. Only Dumbledore can."
"Fidelius charm?" Hermione asked with a knowing glint in her eyes.
"Along with a shitload of other things, yes," Harry replied. "It is probably even safer than even Hogwarts at the moment."
"Oh," Hermione said before turning to her parents. "I have to go, mum, dad. It is necessary."
"But you just got here!" Hermione's dad exclaimed. "You can't just go away!"
"I am sorry, dad. But, it is for all of our safety. I need to go... and I will write letters as well." Hermione said.
"That won't be necessary. I have something here for you." Harry said, removing two mirrors from his mole-skin pouch. "These are communication mirrors. You can communicate with them like a video call. You just need to say her name in the mirror."
"Thank you." Mr. Granger said, accepting the mirror. " Are you sure you want to go, pumpkin?"
"Yes, dad. As Harry said, I will be the safest with them. And you have the portkeys."
"But, you just got here... we can't let you just go after seeing you for the first time since Easter." Mrs. Granger said worriedly. "Can't we both come with you? Like not for long, just a couple of days!"
"I am afraid that you can't. The wards on the safehouse will not accept you and those were laid long before the time my great-grandfather was born. So, we can't do anything in that regard." Harry replied. "But, I promise that I'll make sure that Hermione stays in touch with you both and, in addition, I will organize a trip for you abroad for a week during Christmas so Hermione can come with you." He added.
"You don't need to organize that, son," Hermione's dad said. "But, the trip is a good idea."
"I'll just say that you should go out of Europe then. But, you need to let Hermione come with me now."
"Alright." Mrs. Granger relented after a few moments before looking at her husband who nodded as well.
"Thank you. You all enjoy dinner and talk while I will lay the basic protection wards on the property and make sure that the ministry is not alerted by me performing magic here."
"Harry, we have invited you for dinner. We can't—"
"I will insist, ma'am. Spend some family time before I whisk her away till Christmas. I'll lay the wards on this property, finish a small work before coming to pick her up in a couple of hours." Harry said, standing up and apparating away without a sound.
Two hours later, true to his word, Harry apparated back to the front gate of the Grangers before ringing the doorbell and entering. When he reached inside the hall, Hermione was standing ready with her trunk and cat. Harry smiled at her before looking at her parents. "Thank you for agreeing to let her come, Mr. and Mrs. Granger."
"How are you going to go... wherever you are going?"
"I will teleport her," Harry replied with a wave of his wand, and Hermione's trunk and the cat disappeared.
"What did you just do?" Hermione asked with a frown.
"I sent them ahead so I don't have to carry extra weight while apparating," Harry replied. "Are you ready Hermione?"
"Yes, wait for a tick," she said before hugging her parents and whispering something to them. She came to stand next to Harry.
"Take my arm and hold tight. I assume you are apparating for the first time?" Harry asked and Hermione nodded in response. "Then this might be tough and unpleasant."
Harry then turned to Hermione's parents. "Bye, Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Have a good day."
"Ready Hermione? 3...2...1," and Harry and Hermione disappeared with a barely audible pop from the Granger house.
5th July 1995
London
Harry and Hermione appeared on a sidewalk next to a busy road with several people around them, yet completely undetected. No one even spared them a glance as Hermione heaved heavily, suffering from the effects of side-along apparation.
Harry waited till she was alright.
"That was even worse than the portkey!" She exclaimed in a hushed whisper once she regained her bearings.
"It is better if you apparate on your own," Harry agreed.
"I didn't say it in front of my parents, but it is illegal to apparate until you get a license." She stated.
"Illegal. Says the girl who set a teacher on fire, stole from the same teacher, and brewed a regulated potion in an out-of-order girl's bathroom." Harry reminded her and Hermione blushed. "And since when has something as pesky as rules stopped us?"
"Well, whatever." Hermione huffed. "Why are we near the Leaky Cauldron?"
"I need to pick something which is not exactly legal. I gave an order while you were having dinner." Harry replied.
Hermione just shook her head in exasperation. "What are you picking?"
"Wands."
"Wands? What is illegal about that?" Hermione asked with a frown.
"It is a grey area. Technically, only Aurors, Hit-wizards, and Unspeakables are allowed to carry more than one wand, but it is nowhere said that there is a punishment if a civilian is found with more than a single wand."
"So, you are picking a wand for yourself? Can I have one as well?"
"I already have two wands. I am picking several dozen for you and some others."
"Who else?"
"Not here. You will know it soon though." Harry said before pushing pulling her to one side.
"What?"
"Wait," Harry said and tapped his wand on her forehead before doing the same with himself. Their features changed.
"I put a glamor charm on us. Nothing more." He replied before Hermione could ask. "Let's go." He added as he pulled her towards the Leaky Cauldron
The pair of teenagers walked down Diagon Alley in the direction of Gringotts until Harry stirred Hermione to their left.
"Harry, why are we going into Knockturn Alley?" Hermione hissed.
"Cause that's where I have to collect my order from. Now, walk normally, don't fidget." He whispered and entered Knockturn Alley.
They walked down a few shops before entering one titled, "The Collector's Alcove". The shop was filled with all kinds of things ranging from books, trunks, glass balls, mirrors, cauldrons, and other weird objects.
A bell tingled in the shop and a man appeared a moment later in front of the two. The man was pale and had white hair and a goatee. He was neither fat nor thin... just average. The most notable thing about the man was his pale yellow eyes and a lip-ring on his lower lip.
"Mr. Collector, I am here for the order I placed an hour ago. Do you have the items ready?" Harry asked in a voice that was not his. Hermione realized that he must have done a voice-altering charm on himself.
"Right away, sir." The man said in a deep voice. "Sixty old wands and an equal number of wand holsters, expanded pouches, and knives. Your total comes to six-hundred and thirty Galleons."
"Settle for six hundred and you have a deal," Harry said. The man contemplated for a moment before nodding.
"Excellent. Here are five-hundred Galleons..." Harry said, tossing a pouch at him which he produced from his moleskin before producing another pouch and bringing out galleons in stacks of ten from it. Once the total came to six hundred, the collector nodded and walked a distance away before levitating a trunk from behind a shelf filled with crystal balls.
Harry opened the trunk and checked its contents before nodding and shrinking the trunk. "Thank you. I expect this to be kept under wraps."
"Of course." The Collector said. Harry gave him another nod before leading Hermione out of the shop and then Knockturn Alley. As they entered back into Diagon, Hermione sighed in relief.
"Knockturn isn't as bad as you think," Harry chuckled. "It just gets a bad name due to some, not exactly legal items being sold there which goes against Ministry rules. Some things you will find only in there."
"That's... cool I guess," Hermione said. "But I have also heard there is a red-light area in there... and some other things."
"Those are the deeper parts, yes. I have never been there. Just the first few shops where semi-legal things are sold."
Hermione hummed. "Now where are we going?"
"Safehouse. Take my arm, we are apparating again."
"Do we need to do that again?"
"Well, not exactly, the place is a mile and a half from here. We can walk."
"Let's apparate," Hermione said instantly. "I am not walking so much right now that too after walking Diagon Alley."
Harry smirked and held out his arm. Hermione took it and they apparated again.
Seconds later, the two found themselves standing in the middle of a familiar small and shabby square. Tall, dilapidated houses looked down on them from every side.
Hermione looked around and frowned. "Where is Number twelve?" She asked and Harry smirked once more.
"Here," Harry said, pulling a piece of parchment out from his pocket, "Read quickly and memorize."
Hermione looked down at the piece of paper. The narrow handwriting was vaguely familiar but she couldn't place it. It said:
The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.
"What's the Ord—"
"Not here," Harry hissed. "Wait till we're inside!" He pulled the piece of parchment out of Hermione's hand and set fire to it wandlessly.
As the message curled into flames and floated to the ground, Hermione looked around at the houses again. They were standing outside number eleven; she looked to the left and saw number ten; to the right, however, was still number thirteen.
"Think about what you've just memorized," said Harry quietly before doing the same himself. Number twelve Grimmauld Place appeared before his eyes as Hermione gasped next to him.
"Come," Harry said and led the girl towards the door. Harry pulled out his wand and tapped the door once before many loud, metallic clicks and the clatter of a chain sounded. The door creaked open.
"Get in quick," Harry said and Hermione entered, shivering as she passed the door. Harry followed and locked the door behind them.
"Harry, Hermione, is that you?" Mrs. Weasley's voice sounded before she appeared from down the hall.
"Yes, Mrs. Weasley. It's us."
"Come in dears, we were just cleaning up after dinner." She said beaming at them.
Harry and Hermione walked down the corridor. The place was nothing like it was a few days ago. The floor was carpeted without a speck of dust, the wallpaper had been removed and the walls had been repainted. The chandelier was clean and gleaming while the disgusting objects that were previously present, like the heads of house-elves and the mad portraits, were no longer to be found around the house. The moth-eaten curtains and drapes were replaced by new curtains of lighter colors giving the house a better feel. Also, the old lamps had been cleaned and their magic had been redone, making them burn brighter, providing more light.
However, the house still had things that signified that it was a House of the Blacks. The objects like the chandelier and the candelabras were shaped like serpents. The achievements of the previous members of the house Black were prominently displayed: The Orders of Merlin that the previous blacks had earned, a photo of Arcturus Black receiving the title of Baron alongside Charlus Potter, etc. Even a copy of Harry's Order of Merlin First class certificate was amongst them.
Harry and Hermione followed Mrs. Weasley into the kitchen. The kitchen was almost unrecognizable from what it had been before. Every surface now shone; Copper pots and pans had been burnished to a rosy glow; the wooden tabletop gleamed; the goblets and plates in the cabinets glinted in the light from a merrily blazing fire.
"What is this place?" Hermione asked, looking around the table where all the Weasleys, including Charlie and Bill, were seated with the Tonks family and Remus.
"This is the London townhouse of my family," Sirius's voice sounded from behind Hermione and Harry where he stood, leaning on the doorframe. "And, as of today, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."
"But what is it?" Hermione asked with bewilderment
"Order of the Phoenix," Mr. Weasley said. "was a secret society that Dumbledore formed during the first war against you-know-who. We fought against his forces, foiled their plans, and protected people during attacks. We acted from the shadows for the most part, of course. informed Dumbledore of the return of He-who-must-not-be-named, he immediately reassembled the order."
"Wow. I want to join as well," Hermione said with excitement.
"Absolutely not! The order is only for wizards and witches of age, and who have graduated from school." Mrs. Weasley yelled.
"Except Harry, that is," Nymphadora Tonks supplied.
There was an instant uproar from the Weasley twins and Ron.
"Hang on!" interrupted George loudly.
"How come Harry gets to be a part of the order?" said Fred angrily.
"He is not even of age!"
"'You're too young and still have school, you're not in the Order,'" said Fred, in a high-pitched voice that sounded uncannily like his mother's. "Harry's not even Fifteen!"
"If Harry is there, then why can't Hermione and I join as well?" Ron asked. "We've always been together."
Harry let out a loud bang from his wand and instantly everyone quietened down. He looked at the twins and Ron with steel in his eyes. "Thank you for voicing your concerns. I am in the order because I am the only one beside Dumbledore who has fought Lord Voldemort to a standstill."
The people around the table shuddered at the name.
"I fought the man, whose mere name makes you tremble and injured him while killing fourteen of his Death Eaters. He is coming after me regardless of the fact I am fourteen. And, as for you all, the age thing was not my call. You all, while not the Members of the Order of the Phoenix, will be kept up to date with general things as you are here. We won't tell you everything due to security reasons but, we will give you a general overview." Harry assured. "Also, you all will be taught to duel while we are here." He added, looking at their sad faces and they instantly perked up.
Mrs. Weasley on the other hand whirled around at him. "Absolutely not! I have tolerated you being in the order, Harry because Dumbledore said it and the fact that he is after you. But I won't allow any more kids to be a part of this war! You all are kids! Fourteen and fifteen for Merlin's sake! You all should be worrying about school and homework! Not a war!" She hollered.
"Molly..." Mr. Weasley tried to say but was cut off by his wife.
"No, Arthur. You know how war is. I can't let children be a part of it. War is no place for children."
"And they won't, Mrs. Weasley." Harry cut in. "As long as we can help it. But, they need to be prepared. They need to know how to defend themselves. Voldemort doesn't care whether a person is a hundred years old, ten years old, or only a year old. He tried to kill me when I was a year old. What makes you think he will leave them because they are not seventeen?" Harry asked and Mrs. Weasley remained silent.
"I am not saying that they will go on missions or anything," Harry added. "But, what if it is a Hogsmeade weekend and Death Eaters attack all of a sudden? They need to know how to defend themselves is all I am saying. And along with them, you all adults will be trained as well to bring up your fighting skills."
"What?" It was Andromeda Tonks who fired the question. "Why do we need to train? Like we all are fully qualified witches and wizards. We can handle ourselves and duel."
"Would you like to test that theory?" Harry asked and she blinked.
"Excuse me?"
"Would you like to test that theory, Aunt Andromeda? That you can handle yourself because you have NEWTS? Because I am pretty sure that if you face your own sister, you will be mincemeat." Harry asked and Andromeda flinched at the reminder of Bellatrix Lestrange.
"That's what I thought. Now, let us clean up dinner and go to bed. For you adult lot, there is the first meeting tomorrow evening at seven. Don't be late." Saying so, Harry walked out of the room.
"You know," Andromeda said, looking at Sirius. "I got reminded of Grandfather by the way he spoke, admittedly with a lot less cursing."