Chapter Three �“ The Three Broomsticks
As they watched the girls and Hagrid move down the street towards Zonko’s Joke Shop, Harry and Ron were surprised to see Professor Moody stumping away behind them. “Well,” he growled, “ya comin’?” They hurried after him, exchanging curious glances, with Professor Lupin bringing up the rear. Their curiosity was satisfied when he crossed the street and headed toward the Three Broomsticks. He held open the door for them, wearing the nearest thing to a smile they’d seen on him in recent weeks. “My treat, gentlemen. Happy Christmas.”
This was so unlike Moody that Harry stopped dead in his tracks and turned to stare at the grizzled Professor. It wasn’t that long ago that Harry came under the tutelage of another Professor Moody, who turned out to be a very dangerous imposter. Lupin must have read his thoughts, for he stepped quickly behind Harry and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“It’s all right, Harry,” smiled Remus. “You’re meant to be here.”
Harry stepped warily through the door, and Professor Lupin directed him to the stairs. The two boys, with their two escorts, proceeded up to the second floor and through the door that Professor Moody indicated. Harry quickly took in the roaring fire, the candles burning on the walls, the smoky lanterns hanging from the ceiling, and something else - and at once Harry understood the reason for the ever-watchful professor’s seeming ease.
“Harry!” called out two identical, cheery voices.
“Fred! George!” Harry exclaimed. The twins were dashing in their matching dragonhide jackets. He looked over at Ron, whose face had broken into an ear-to-ear grin. “Did you know they’d be here?”
Ron laughed as he answered, clearly pleased to see his twin brothers, “no, I thought…”
But Harry never found out what Ron thought, as the twins pulled both boys into a suffocating bear hug. “Icke Ronnie!” said Fred. “You’re almost as tall as us, isn’t he, George?”
“Tall as, but not nearly as good-looking,” replied George. “Come and sit down, we’ve got loads of food!”
Ron looked hesitantly at the heavily laden table, laid with a clean white cloth and enough food for a small army. “No Puking Pastilles, I hope.”
George looked wounded. “How could you say such a thing, little brother? I am cut to the heart.” He laid his hand on his chest mournfully. “I only save those for paying customers!”
“I can say it because you ‘accidentally’ gave me one last summer and left me puking my guts out!” Ron fumed; but Harry could tell he wasn’t seriously upset.
A sharp cr-r-rack alerted the group to the arrival of Arthur Weasley, followed almost immediately by the appearance of Bill and Charlie. They, too, enfolded Harry and Ron in bone-crushing hugs. Mr. Weasley took a step back and held Ron at arm’s length. “Good gracious, Ron, I believe you’re as tall as I am!” exclaimed his father. “Harry, good to see you!” Mr. Weasley looked a little thinner than Harry remembered, and pale in the light from the fire. He was sure it was a difficult time for him to be in the Ministry, and that he must be worried about his children’s activity in all this. “How’ve you been, Harry?” he asked congenially as he ruffled Ron’s hair, much to Ron’s embarrassment.
Harry grinned. Although Ron often felt embarrassed by his family, Harry thought they were perfect. Even though they were known for their squabbles, it was obvious that the Weasley brothers loved each other fiercely. To Harry, who only had Duddley Dursley for companionship while growing up, having all those brothers to look out for you seemed wonderful.
As Moody and Lupin took seats around the groaning table, more loud cracks announced the arrival of other members of the Order of the Phoenix. Mundungus Fletcher was there, and immediately pulled a smoking, smelly old pipe from the pocket of his oft-patched jacket. Kingsley Shacklebolt, golden earring gleaming in the firelight, slid into the seat beside Professor Moody. Old Elphias Doge was wrapped heavily into a tweed wool traveling cloak, and he too took a seat at the table. There were others, too, whom Harry had never seen before. He supposed they were new recruits into the Order. Harry and Ron quickly squeezed in beside Fred and George. “This looks like a meeting,” said Harry, eyeing all the assembled members.
“Indeed it is, my observant ward.” Albus Dumbledore had apparated with hardly a sound. “But there’s no reason a meeting can’t be a festive occasion as well.” Dumbledore greeted the wizards (and one witch). "Tuck in!” he said cheerily. He slid smoothly into the last seat beside Harry as the assembled crowd began to load their plates.
As they all began to eat, Harry couldn’t help noticing that although the talk was jovial and punctuated with much laughter, every person at the long wooden table kept one eye on Dumbledore. Even Ron, who looked to be in utter delight at the tempting platters and dishes set before him, kept sneaking looks at the headmaster between mouthfuls. And at Harry. Finally Harry asked him in a low voice, “alright. What do you know that I don’t, Ron?”
“What?” he choked out, swallowing an enormous bit of sausage. “What are you talking about, Harry?”
“What do you know about this meeting? And why d’you keep staring at me?” Harry was starting to get nervous.
Ron swallowed again, and answered in a whisper. “I don’t know anything, Mate, but with all these people from the Order here, and you here, and Hermione not here… it just makes me think they’ve learned something about You-Know-Who…. And it’s probably not good.”
Harry was about to answer back when he realized that Dumbledore had fixed his clear blue eyes on him. Harry cleared his throat. “Sir,” he said, again in a low voice, “Why are we all here?”
“Harry, do you trust me?” the headmaster asked simply.
“Of course, Professor,” Harry answered immediately. He would trust Albus Dumbledore with his life.
His guardian smiled, his eyes sparkling brightly. “Thank you, Harry. And now,” he raised his voice slightly and rose to address the table. “I want to thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us here today. Harry, I would like to introduce you to a few members of the Order whom you have not yet had the pleasure of meeting. This,” he gestured to a young, light-haired wizard in a dusty cloak, “is Charlemagne Puffle, a gifted animagus.” (Ron snorted, but managed not to laugh out loud. “Charlemagne!”, he sniggered.) The young man smiled at Harry and offered a small wave. Harry waved back. “Next to him is Robert Norell, another Auror who works with Kingsley in the Ministry of Magic, and here next to Alastor is Madame Anne Newcastle, a friend of Professor Trelawney’s. Gentlemen and Lady, may I present Mr. Harry Potter, and his good friend Mr. Ronald Weasley.” (At the mention of Ron’s name, Mr. Puffle sniggered as well.)
Harry nodded at the newcomers as Ron murmured, “ ‘lo.”
“ I’ve asked you all to be here today to discuss our next step in the War against the Dark forces. As you all know, Lord Voldemort’s camp has been unusually quiet since their defeat at the Ministry of Magic. The Order has grown tremendously in that time, and I am quite sure that the Dark Lord’s ranks have swelled as well. I am very pleased, however, with the numbers we have managed to persuade to join our side. Voldemort’s silence does not mean he is inactive. Many of our number have been involved in the past several months in gathering intelligence, at great personal risk. We now believe that the time is imminent to see the captured Death Eaters soon released from Azkaban, as their Dementor guards departed from there some time ago. We believe that Voldemort and his followers are preparing to act.
“Some in the magical community have grown less vigilant over the past few weeks.” Moody snorted. “It is our desire to convince the Dark Lord that we, too, have become lax in our preparations. We need to draw the Death Eaters, and their Master, out of hiding. We need to offer them what they want, to ‘force their hand’, so to speak.”
Suddenly Harry knew why he was there �“ he was bait. Dumbledore seemed to know what he was thinking. He turned to Harry. “Harry, we know what Lord Voldemort wants most of all is you. Are you willing to help us with this?”
Remus Lupin caught Harry’s eye. “It’s alright, Harry. You can say no, and no one will think the less of you for it, he said softly. Harry glanced at Ron, who had gone white. He shook his head slightly at Harry.
Harry looked back up at Dumbledore. “I’ll do anything you tell me to,” he said. There was a murmur of approval from those assembled, and a sharp intake of breath from Ron beside him. “I’m not doing this to be brave or anything,” Harry told them all. “I feel like I’ve been a sitting duck all year, waiting for Voldemort to make his move. I’m tired of waiting.” He didn’t know how many in the Order knew the Prophecy in its entirety. Harry had not even yet told Ron and Hermione that he must be, in the end, either victim or killer. But it was true; he was tired of waiting.
Dumbledore spoke again. “I was sure that would be your answer, Harry.” Pride shone on the headmaster’s face. “We will begin immediately. As you are here to do your Christmas shopping, I would like you to continue that activity. There are over 100 members of the Order here in Hogsmeade, most in disguise, to assure your safety. You will never be out of our sight. Make yourself visible, but do not behave carelessly. Since Professor Moody and Professor Lupin accompanied you into town, they will continue to be your escort, along with your friend Mr. Weasley.” Here he gave Ron a very stern look. “Do not let Harry out of your sight, Ron. You are the one closest to him; you will likely be the one to first notice if something seems amiss. Trust your instincts.”
“Yes, Sir,” Ron warbled, his voice sounding like a wheel badly in need of grease.
“Again, I thank you all for being here today. Let us use our time wisely. We can be sure that as we have spies, so does the Dark Lord. Tread carefully,” finished Dumbledore.
The group around the table began to get up, one by one. Lupin walked over and laid a hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I’m not entirely comfortable with this, Harry, but like you, I trust the headmaster. I want you to know I’ll never take my eyes off you. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Harry felt a lump in his throat, and he swallowed it away. He had come to regard this man, with secrets as painful as Harry’s own, as much more than just a teacher. He looked up to him almost as a father. “Thanks, Remus,” he replied gratefully. “I know.”
“Harry,” Dumbledore stood near enough that only Harry and Ron could hear him. “I’m sure you noticed that Miss Granger was not with us for this meeting. I know it will be difficult, but I would like you not to tell her what we discussed here. She does tend to fret over you, and I need her to keep her mind clear. She is currently working on a special project for me, and I need her to remain undistracted from it.”
“Yes, Sir,” replied Harry. Special project? he thought. What special project?
“And you, Ron? Can you keep a secret from our Miss Granger?” Harry thought the headmaster had a particularly amused glint in his eyes.
Ron sighed. “Yes, Sir,” he answered. “But it won’t be easy.”
“No,” chuckled Dumbledore. “I expect it won’t.”
Arthur Weasley came up behind Harry and Ron as Dumbledore bid them goodbye. “Harry, I’m very proud of you. Knew you’d do it,” he said, as he wrung Harry’s hand. "Ron, must dash, but I’ll see you tonight at Hogwarts for Christmas Eve supper. Have a surprise for you all!” He pulled his youngest son to him in a fatherly embrace, and ruffled his hair again. Grasping him firmly by the shoulders, he looked him straight in the eye and said, “Be careful! If anything happened to you….” His voice trailed off.
“Da-a-d!” Ron hissed, turning red. “I’ll be fine. What could happen to me with 100 members of the Order around?”
“Yes…. Yes, I’m sure you’ll be fine.” Mr. Weasley smiled at Ron, but it was a worried smile. “Well �“ see you tonight, then.” And with a crack, he disapparated.
“Alright then, Harry?” Moody held Ron and Harry’s cloaks. “Let’s go spend some gold.”
Any words of wisdom, critique's, etc., would be most welcome! Thanks, and Happy Christmas!
PLEASE NOTE: This story will be moving to the Romance section (R/H & H/G). I hope you have enjoyed it, and will continue to read future chapters there. Thank You!