A/N I don’t own any of this.
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“Harry, dear, how are you? Feeling all right? Oh, you look as though you haven’t eaten in weeks,” cried Mrs. Weasley as she entered the study, where Harry and Ron had just managed to get to back to their feet. She wrapped Harry in a huge hug, smothering him as she held him close to herself. Harry tried to pull away as quickly as he could; the image of Ginny walking out without even speaking to him still hung in his mind. He felt unworthy of this sort of affection from the mother of the girl whose heart he seemed to have broken.
You did it for the right reasons, he told himself for the hundredth time that day.
“Hey, thanks for all the love, Mum. You know, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you liked Harry more than me,” Ron said, watching the loving embrace that Harry was receiving.
“Ron, don’t be ridiculous; I love all my boys the same,” Mrs. Weasley replied, leaving Harry to go and embrace Ron in yet another bone-crunching hug.
Did she just refer to me as one of her boys? Harry thought, as another crushing wave of guilt fell upon him. No, Mrs. Weasley would understand, would appreciate my desire to keep Ginny out of danger. Yes, she would be on my side,he thought, trying to rationalize his decision. He was not successful, however, as he thought of the look of pain on Ginny’s face as she left the room. He could imagine the tears in her eyes as she sat in her room upstairs, and he knew that the Weasleys, in no uncertain terms, would be ready to hang him for doing this to their only little girl.
“Okay, Mum, you proved you love me… now please get off; I can’t breathe,” Ron said, trying unsuccessfully to remove his mother’s arms from about his neck.
“Well, Ron, of course you can breathe; otherwise you wouldn’t be able to talk, now would you?” Hermione declared, stepping gracefully out of the fire and brushing ash from her hair.
“Shut it, Hermione!” Ron growled, although with a twinkle of mirth in his eyes. One of the great joys in life that they both shared was bickering at each other. It had become a wonderful way to pay attention to each other without expressing the real feelings behind the emotions. Of course, he didn’t actually realize this; he just happened to enjoy giving her a hard time when necessary.
“Oh, Hermione, you look wonderful, dear. It is so good to have you all back,” Mrs. Weasley proclaimed, as Tonks came stumbling out of the fire. She was quickly followed by Remus and Aberforth, who was in the process of pulling a small bowl from under his cloak.
“Dinner is ready, so let’s all go and eat, and then we can get down to the Order meeting,” Mrs. Weasley said, attempting to sound cheery. She was not entirely successful, and Harry noticed that she looked uncomfortably at Aberforth as she left the room.
“Great, I’m starved; I wonder what Mum has cooked up for us tonight!” Ron exclaimed as he made for the door.
“Ron, when are you not“” Hermione started, but paused, putting her hand to her mouth, her eyes widening in shock.
“Wh-what is it?” Ron stammered, real concern etched on his face.
“I forgot, I-- was supposed to ‘Shut it!’” Hermione glared back at Ron’s disbelieving face. Harry shook his head as Hermione pushed her way past a dumbstuck Ron. Harry saw the hint of a smile on her face as she glanced back at Ron on her way out.
“Can you believe her? I thought there was really something wrong,” Ron said, his ears turning red. Harry thought there was a note of pride in his voice, however.
“Well, you did tell her”” Harry began.
“Shut it, Harry!” Ron interrupted, failing miserably to hide his smile.
With that, they left for the kitchen.
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Dinner with the Weasleys was never a quiet affair. The twins had arrived shortly before Harry and his gang, and had enchanted the seats in the kitchen to move out from under anyone who attempted to sit in them. Ron painfully discovered this as he attempted to sit and pull food onto his plate in the same motion. Finally, after Mrs. Weasley browbeat the twins into submission about the chairs, everyone was able to sit down to a proper meal. Aberforth had not followed them into the kitchen, and Harry had no idea where he had gone.
After an hour or so, Aberforth entered the kitchen with two more people in tow. Harry was quite surprised to see that Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood were following the old bartender into the room. Neville was looking back and forth, as if he had never seen a kitchen before. Luna, wand tucked behind her right ear, gazed at the surroundings, then eased into a spot next to Ginny and started chatting merrily with her classmate.
As Harry watched Luna walk over to take her seat, he caught Ginny’s eye for the first time. She had not glanced in his direction once since he entered the kitchen. She turned away quickly and smiled in response to something Luna had just said.
Harry looked back at Neville, who was talking happily with Lupin and awkwardly attempting to squeeze into a seat next to Tonks at the table.
“Nice look, Tonks; you could be Ron’s sister,” Neville declared as Tonks slid over to make room.
“Yeah, that was sort of the fun of it,” she replied, sending an angry look at Harry.
This was beginning to get under Harry’s skin, and his anger began to build. I did it to protect her, because I care about her. He was just about to get up and stomp out of the room when Aberforth stood up.
“Can I have your attention, please?” he announced. He had removed his traveling cloak and hat, revealing coarse black robes and a mop of long salt-and-pepper colored hair. Harry was amazed at the resemblance between Aberforth and his brother. They had the same blue eyes, long narrow nose, and seemed to be about the same height. The lines in this man’s face were not as pronounced as they had been in Dumbledore’s last year, but he had the look of a man who had seen a lot and carried the burden for it.
“We need to begin,” he declared, pulling the bowl off the counter and pouring a veil of silver liquid into it.
“Okay, children, off you go,” Molly said, as she attempted to herd the teens from the room.
“Actually, Molly, they have to stay,” Aberforth said matter-of-factly. “Harry, if you and your friends would kindly take your seats-- yes, Molly, Ginny and Luna as well,” he said, noticing Molly motioning towards the two younger girls at the table. “Albus was insistent that they be present for this.”
Mrs. Weasley was about to protest, when her husband placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “They aren’t children anymore, Molly,” he said comfortingly. She retook her seat, her eyes shining with tears as she patted Ginny on the arm. She smiled a sad little smile, and for the first time, Ginny seemed to know that her mother saw her as a young woman and not just a little girl.
“Albus wanted me to present to you all, his will. Shortly before he died, he left me his Pensieve and memory for you all to witness.” He swirled the silver liquid in the Pensieve and the image of Albus Dumbledore rose out.
There were tears in the eyes of most at the table upon seeing the old headmaster again, even in this miniature form. The hand was blackened, confirming that this was certainly a recent memory. The image slowly turned around, seemingly looking around the room at each person in turn. It then stopped, looking directly at Arthur Weasley.
“Hello, Arthur, I hope all is well, although I imagine that everyone here is feeling a bit down tonight. I have died, and you all are wondering what the next step will be. Alas, I cannot tell you that, but I can tell you not to fear. I have every confidence in each and every one of you, and I know that the war will end well as long as you all stick together. Now, I suppose we should get down to business.”
“Arthur and Molly Weasley, to you I leave the contents of my four vaults at Gringotts-- the sum total of all the money I have there-- to be used as you see fit. I know that you don’t want charity, and that is not what this is. I could not make you any richer than you are at present, because you are so rich in the love you all share as a family. You may keep the money, pass it on to your children, or bury it behind the Burrow. Just know that your friendship over the years and your service to the Order have been an inspiration to me.”
Arthur smiled sadly and pulled Molly into a one-armed embrace as she swiped at the tears in her eyes. Harry watched, and understood that it was not the money that elicited this response-- it was the fact that Dumbledore had been inspired by their love and service.
The image of Professor Dumbledore slowly rotated until it was facing Fred and George.
“To Fred and George Wesley, I leave you all the stock I have in Zonko’s Joke Shop. I believe that makes you the controlling partner. In fact, that makes you the sole owners of all of the Zonko’s shops. I must say this would probably have happened anyway, but I thought I would make it official. This world needs all the laughs it can get, my friends, and you two are most talented at providing those laughs. You are doing the Marauders proud.”
Fred and George, pride etched on their faces, stood and saluted the image of Dumbledore. The image then turned to Remus, who was holding Tonks’s hand as she sat beside him with a tear in her eye.
“Remus, I leave you my beach house in Brazil-- you know, the one that Sirius stayed at for a while-- along with my estate in Scotland. It is the Manor, twenty-three miles north of Edinburgh. It has been a very long time since that house has been a real home, so I hope that you and some wonderful young lady will make it one.”
Remus smiled and squeezed Tonks’s hand. Harry watched as they looked at each other. Harry knew that he was no expert on relationships, but he could easily see the love that was present between them.
“Now, to everyone assembled, there are a few things more that I must say. First, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Neville and Luna, it is time you all joined the Order.
This statement was met by a few gasps, Mrs. Weasley jumping to protest and being restrained by her husband, and Ron mouthing, “Finally,” to Harry.
Dumbledore waited patiently, knowing how this announcement would be received. Finally, he started again. “Molly, I am sorry, but these six young adults have proved beyond doubt that they are ready for the fight that lies ahead of them. In fact, each one of them will have a critical role to play in future events, if I am not terribly mistaken. Of course, with Ginny I cannot force you, and Luna will need her father’s consent as well, but it is time. They are ready.” Dumbledore’s image smiled at each of the teens in turn.
“Secondly, I propose that Professor McGonagall take my place as head of the Order. Of course, this is your decision, but she is the best placed, as headmistress of Hogwarts, to watch over Order concerns.”
“Now, I must ask all but the six teens to leave the room. There are matters that they alone must hear. Harry, as soon as everyone has left, tap the Pensieve twice with your wand.” The image of Dumbledore then melted back into the Pensieve.
A great commotion followed Dumbledore’s words, again protests from some quarters, especially Mrs. Weasley, but also from the twins. After about five minutes of argument, Remus raised his hand in an attempt to silence the protesters. “Everyone, please!” he shouted. Once the room was quiet again, he continued, “Over the years we have trusted Albus Dumbledore with our lives, and our greatest treasures.” He glanced at Harry for a brief instant. “We need to trust him now,” he stated simply and walked out of the room. Tonks looked admiringly after him and followed. The rest filed out of the room, Arthur being the last to leave.
“If you need anything, we will be in the library,” he said, smiling with pride at his children. He turned and walked out.
Everyone sat motionless for a few minutes. “What do you suppose this is all about?” Neville asked. He had a look on his face which showed his apprehension at being asked to join the Order of the Phoenix, and his pride in being asked as well. “And how does the image know who it is talking to?”
“It doesn’t; it is just enchanted to look at the correct person, but the image doesn’t really know who is present. That is why it doesn’t know when everyone who is not supposed to be here is gone,” Luna explained. Everyone in the room looked at her with surprised expressions. “What, I can’t come up with an answer once in a while? I’m in Ravenclaw after all. I don’t only think about finding animals that no one else believes exist.”
“So what is this all about?” Neville reiterated his first question.
Harry stood. “I think I know, but let’s find out from the source.” He took out his wand and tapped the Pensieve twice on the side. The liquid again began to swirl, and once more the image of Dumbledore appeared.
“Very good, Harry, I am assuming that they have all left the room. All right, first off, Harry,” The image turned and leaned closer to Harry, as if to see him better. “It is imperative that you go back to Hogwarts next year. I believe that it will provide you with a better base of operations to fulfill the task I have left with you to complete. Professor McGonagall has been instructed to help in any way she can, including allowing you to leave on weekends if you must, although I believe that at least one of the items you seek is still at the school. You will also be training-- along with these five friends of yours-- and the school, again, is a better place to do so than headquarters. I am also leaving you my Pensieve and all the memories we used during the school year. I think your friends would like to see them. It may help. Finally, you will need to finish your education, because, Harry, I truly believe that you are going to be victorious in this battle against Voldemort. To do this, however, you must not push your friends away. These five people sitting around you have helped you more than you know in the battles of your past, and will be vital to your success in the future. Keep them close, Harry.”
Harry felt tears beginning to sting his eyes as he thought about his friends around the table. Ron, who had been the first real friend in his life--sure, he was brash and dense at times, but you couldn’t ask for a more loyal friend. He showed Harry a passion and joy for living that he had never known before.
He looked at Hermione, the bushy-haired girl with big teeth… well, not so big now. She really was like a sister to him. She was always the conscience of the group; whenever he would think about breaking the rules, she was the voice inside his head. She was also the one who understood-- perhaps better than any of them-- that rules needed to be broken in times of need.
Neville and Luna, the two biggest misfits he had ever seen-- even bigger than himself-- and yet they both had a strength that was unbelievable. Luna’s ability to get straight to the heart of the matter, while embarrassing at times, was refreshing. With Luna you always knew exactly where you stood.
Neville had a courage that belied his frightened appearance. The boy, who was like Harry in so many ways, had grown a great deal over the years. His confidence had certainly grown, as had his ability, but it was his courage that still stood out the most to Harry. He remembered back to a frightened first year standing in the common room, attempting to keep them from getting out and getting into trouble.
Finally, his eyes rested upon Ginny. She had that same Weasley passion for living, but that was not what he thought about with her. She had brought him peace and hope-- something to live for. Peace when he had thought Voldemort had possessed him. Peace when he’d needed to talk to Sirius about the image of his father in Snape’s memory. Peace and hope when Dumbledore had been killed. Did he love her? He wasn’t sure, and now he was afraid he would never know.
He didn’t realize he was staring at her until he heard Dumbledore’s voice again. Fortunately, she was so intent on the image that she didn’t seem to notice.
The image then turned to Hermione. “Miss Granger, I am leaving you my library. I have not been able to look through many of the books in some time, and my hope is that you will be able to use them to aid you all in your search. Of course, the Hogwarts library is also open to you for research. Madam Pince will be as helpful as she can be. Once this is over, keep the books you would like to keep, and donate the rest to Hogwarts. You will find the books in the Room of Requirement when you need them.”
Hermione was stunned; someone could have left her all the Galleons in the world and not have shocked her more than that moment. She kept moving her mouth to speak, but nothing came out
The image turned once again to Harry. “Now, Harry, it is time for you to leave us. It will not take long, but there are some final thoughts that I must provide for your friends. I assure you that no confidences of ours will be exposed.” The image turned to Ginny. “Miss Weasley, if you would please tap the Pensieve three times with your wand once Harry has left.” Then the image faded and melted into the Pensieve.
It was Harry’s turn to be dumbstruck. He knew that Professor Dumbledore played his cards close to the vest, but this was getting ridiculous. He contemplated refusing to leave, but after looking to each of his friends, he simply couldn’t do it. “Well, see you guys later; I am going to bed,” he said, getting up from his seat and leaving the room.
Harry slowly walked up the stairs, wondering what on earth Dumbledore had to say that he, Harry, could not hear. His head hurt, and he felt exhausted, despite having slept until noon that day. He changed, took off his glasses, and got into bed. Ten minutes later, Harry heard Ron enter the room. Feeling too drained to talk, he pretended to be asleep. Several hours later, neither, were asleep. Each lost in their own thoughts, worries and roles to play in the war to defeat Voldemort.
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A/N I have to thank my Beta JenC, and prebetas Kerrbear, and Cableguysmom for there help. If not for them this story would be unreadable. Thanks ladies. This chapter is a bit short, future chapters will be longer. Please review. I want to know what you guys think. Good reviews are good, bad reviews are good. Let me know your reading. Thanks