“Our primary concerns are still the Ministry, St Mungo’s, Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. I’m directing most of my Department’s attention toward security “ several Aurors on patrol twenty-four hours a day at the preceding locations, as well as on call Aurors available to Apparate anywhere in the country “ or world, should that be necessary. As you all know there are also at least two or three Order members placed discreetly at all of these locations.
“Training programs are being accelerated “ we’re trying to expand the work force as quickly as possible. Aurors and Healers are our primary concern, of course. This week the Ministry approved six promotions within each Department, and twenty new assistants were hired throughout. Additionally, we are trying to see who we can recruit for the Order. It takes a bit more time, since we have to be very careful with whom we allow into our ranks, but we’ve got our eyes on a few more hopefuls.
Harry listened intently as Kingsley Shacklebolt opened the Order meeting with his debriefing “ it seemed that so much more was happening than he had even considered: Government concerns about money and taxes, Muggle relations and foreign Ministry affairs, resources, which animals could be best utilized. The list was endless.
He took a quick glance at the others in the room. Among them were Bill, Charlie, Remus, Alex, Tonks, Moody and a dozen others. None of them paid him any unusual attention, even though he wasn’t exactly a regular at these official Order meetings. Well, even though he’d never attended a single one. He’d decided, however, that it was about time, and nobody had made any protests to his request to be allowed attend.
“Aside from all of that, we do have one new order of business. It could be considered a matter of urgency, though that could very well depend on your opinion of the issue at hand.”
His dark eyes scanned the room for the different reactions of the Order members, some of them leaned forward intently, others looked nervous. A few raised their eyebrows at him as though they believed something was either urgent, not urgent - or perhaps in between “ but certainly not up to individual opinion.
“We’ve received intel that the Death Eaters have managed to create a weapon known as an AMP “ Anti-Magical Pulse Wave. For ages it’s been a concept based purely on theory. It’s really more of a legend than anything else, actually. Most wizards have agreed that it would be nearly impossible to achieve.”
“Nearly impossible? Then there’s no proof that the Death Eaters haven’t figured it out,” Harry pointed out, already sensing that this was an urgent matter. “What does it do?”
“It sends out a wave of energy that disables all magical activity. It works as ‘Priori Incantatem’ might on almost all spells and charms in effect and prevents new spells from being cast. In addition, potions, transfigured items, magical items - just about anything with magical properties right down to your chocolate frogs “ go haywire. They stop working, become neutralized, malfunction, combust, explode and so on…”
Here, Kingsley stopped and eyed them all seriously.
“We think they can manage to get a working signal to disable magical activity within a one or two mile radius of the pulse. It’s clearly only a weapon to be utilized against witches and wizards “ it would be entirely ineffectual against Muggles. So, we’re assuming they’re planning on launching a full-scale attack “ on a significant group or area in our world.”
“But where?” Bill asked thoughtfully. “And, what good would it do them to disable magic if they want to attack us? Unless they’ve discovered some way to set restrictions on the wave’s effect…”
“No. That would be far too difficult,” Kingsley answered. “The fact that they might have managed to develop it at all, if they have, is impressive. We were actually thinking they’d set it off in the vicinity of St Mungo’s. They wouldn’t even need to attack personally “ magical life support will be disabled, for one. And any patient with potions in their system, well, let’s say those who die will be the most fortunate.”
“Or they could just attack us with Muggle tactics,” Harry offered, receiving quite a few blank stares in return. “It makes sense, doesn’t it? The other side will be completely unprepared, and the can move in with Muggle weapons and wipe the place out.”
“Wouldn’t that be a bit besides the point of their agenda?” asked a scruffy young wizard in one corner.
“You think they actually care?” Harry said, a little angrier than he intended. “They could be at some Muggle weapon manufactory this second, killing the workers and taking everything they can carry. Having a good laugh while they’re at it, too…”
“Potter makes a good point,” Kingsley said with a nod.
“You can’t be taking that idea seriously…” the scruffy wizard spoke up again.
“Why not?” Kingsley said sharply. “We need to defend ourselves against every possibility. We could simply devise an emergency plan for only St Mungo’s in the event the building is attacked. But say Potter’s right, and they’re willing to use Muggle weaponry to achieve victory. If that occurs, however unlikely you might find the idea, we need to be prepared. And, in future, you might want to give anything Potter says a bit more consideration “ he’s faced You-Know-Who and the Death Eaters on more than one occasion, and has a fine idea of what they are and are not willing to do.”
The wizard ceased his protests, staring open-mouthed at Kingsley for a moment before slumping back in his chair.
“Fair enough,” he said honestly, and he gave a respectfully apologetic nod to Harry.
“Alright then “ that said, we have a lot of work to do,” Kingsely said, and already people began to gather their things. “We’ve already recognized the usefulness of Muggle combat, and as a result a good few of you have been trained, but we’re going to have to require every Order member be well trained at all non-magical forms of defence and combat. I’ll see what I can do at the Ministry as far as getting Aurors to do the same.”
“Shouldn’t be hard,” Charlie said with a wink as the other Order members nodded and began to scatter. “You’re only the head of the Department.”
“The Ministry hasn’t sanctioned the use of Muggle combat or weapons since it was founded,” Kingsley said gravely. “I’m worried it might take more than a wave of my wand.”
“Well, we’ll at least have Hogwarts covered,” Alex said, walking up to Kingsley. “I’ll bring word back to Albus and make sure the school’s defences are ready, should anything dreadful happen.”
“Good “ I’m still most worried about St Mungo’s, though. An AMP directed towards the hospital will be a disaster in itself… follow-up attack or not.
“Do you think it would be safer to close the hospital and set up smaller, clinics throughout the country?”
“Safe probably, but incredibly difficult and much more expensive,” Lupin said. “And then they’d need the time to set up each clinic, help the patients with zoning, and actually move the current in-hospital patients.”
Unsure if he was still part of the conversation that was now only Lupin, Alex and Kingsley standing in something like a huddle, Harry stepped forward.
“Maybe you could tell all the patients that they’d be safer at home,” he suggested. “If they only need potion treatment, they could just take it themselves. And you could have Healers assigned to certain towns to check on patients who need more care. I mean… I don’t know how many Healers you have, and I suppose it would be kind of hard if people don’t have a specific place to report to…”
“But it would help save a lot of lives,” Alex said, smiling at Harry and turning back to Lupin and Kingsley. “Anybody that we could transfer to home treatment would be one more person in better safety.”
“And we can still set up a few smaller clinics for people in more sever condition,” Lupin added. “So they can be under twenty four hour watch.”
“Not a bad head you have on your shoulders, Potter,” Kingsley said with a nod as he picked up a stack of parchment on the kitchen table. “Now, I’ve got to get back to the Ministry “ maybe put some of our ideas into action. Stay safe.”
Lupin, Alex and Harry said goodbye to him as he left, and just as the door snapped shut behind him, it opened again and in came Mrs Weasley.
“How did the meeting go?” she asked kindly.
“It was… eventful, I’d say,” Alex told her with a glance at Harry and Remus. “And Harry’s presence certainly proved useful.”
Mrs Weasley smiled. Though she was still conflicted about Harry’s participation in the Order of the Phoenix, she had accepted that he was now a young man and was not only old enough to know what was going on, but to make his own decisions.
“Well, I’m going to start on dinner now,” she said. “You’re welcome to stay, of course.”
“No “ we have to be going,” Remus said regrettably. “It seems there’s always something to do nowadays.”
“Hasn’t there always been?” Mrs Weasley answered.
“Maybe,” Remus answered. “But this year, it’s felt like more…”
They all murmured in agreement.
“Well, the year is almost over,” Alex sighed. “Only one more day to go…”
“Yes,” Remus said, and looked at Mrs Weasley softly. “Are you planning anything Molly? To ring in the New Year?”
“Oh, I think we’ll just spend some time together,” she said quietly. “Keep an eye of the clock, set off some of the twins’ sparklers at midnight. There’ll be dinner on New Year’s too, can’t forget that. Bill will be bringing home the goose tonight…”
Her words trailed off somewhere far away, and her eyes seemed to follow them as they fainted in the distance. There was a quiet moment before she looked back at the three of them and spoke again.
“Arthur brought home the goose, last year.”
Something flickered in her eyes, and Harry felt his stomach tighten. He didn’t know how to respond, and it seemed Remus and Alex were at a loss, too.
“I’m sorry,” Mrs Weasley said, choking slightly. “Perhaps it would be best not to say things that force you all into an uncomfortable silence…”
“Molly…” Remus protested.
“No, no,” she said, wiping a tear from her watery eye. “Don’t you worry about me, I just miss him, that’s all…”
“We all do,” Harry said tenderly, and Mrs Weasley gave him a smile.
The following day was New Year’s Eve, and Harry went with Katie to her house for the evening, leaving the Weasleys to their own celebrations.
“It’s already getting hard,” Harry grumbled as they went in the front door and he helped Katie off with her winter cloak.
“What is?” she asked quizzically.
“Well, I have the Weasleys and you have Libby and your dad “ and we have to see both sets of families, don’t we?”
“We don’t have to, Harry,” Katie said with a chuckle. “We want to.”
“Er… yeah, that’s what I meant,” he grinned.
“How’s my favourite son-in-law-to-be?”
Harry spun around to see Christopher Bell grinning at him from the kitchen doorway “ he looked as if he’d had a few drinks.
“Er… Hello Mr Bell,” Harry said awkwardly.
“Thought I told you to call me Chris?”
Harry just nodded and smiled; Katie smothered her giggles in his shoulder as she tugged him into the kitchen, pushing past the intoxicated Mr Bell.
Inside they found Hermione, her parents, Libby and “ off to the side of the long table, observing everyone else dully “ Siobhan.
“Life of the party, that one,” Harry remarked to Katie.
“I heard that, Potter,” Siobhan called with a smirk.
“Do you hear everything?”
“Always.”
Harry rolled his eyes and he and Katie took seats at the table next to her; Hermione joined them quickly.
“Hello Harry,” she greeted, giving him a hug. “Katie… both doing alright?”
“Fine, thanks,” Harry said, already interesting himself in a handful of sweets from a bowl set on the table.
“How’re the Weasleys?” she asked, biting her lip.
“Oh, they’re fine,” he said quietly. “Just having a quiet evening, y’know…”
“Tomorrow’s the anniversary of Mr Weasley’s murder, isn’t it?” Siobhan said. It didn’t really sound like much of a question, more like the confirmation of something she already knew.
“Yeah,” Harry said, eyeing her curiously.
“Must be awful,” she muttered, not looking at any of them, but at her fingernail as it scraped against the wood of the table. “To have someone close to you murdered.”
At this, Katie glanced up sharply. Harry saw a glimmer of the pain and loss she’d carried since her mother’s death that year.
“Yes, it is,” she murmured.
“The same man killed your mum, too,” Siobhan said, making eye contact with Katie. “I know, I’m sorry.”
“Yes, he did,” Katie said despondently. “Lucius Malfoy is a vile cold-blooded sadist… I hate him.”
“And you’re justified in that,” Siobhan said sadly.
“Maybe we should forget about Malfoy tonight,” Hermione said as sensitively as she could. “He’s locked away now, and he’s part of our past, not our future.”
The all nodded in agreement with Hermione’s statement, and Katie conjured four glasses. They each took one and held them in a toast.
“To the New Year,” Harry said.
A murmured echo of his words and a clink of glasses followed, and they drank to a new year with resolution that it would be pass with more joy and less grievance than the one before.