'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus'

All of the order members look at the young boy sat at the end of the table in shock at his refusal in joining the order. Looking at all the colourful expressions made Oz chuckled internally. As far as he was aware, this was a mess for the order to fix up while he was gone. He wouldn't mind helping from time to time if the situation arose however going out of his way when he had better things to do seemed silly to him.

"I told you Dumbledore! This little boy doesn't even understand the importance of this order. We should kick him out in the snow now!".

Mundungus Fletcher seemed to feel insulted by Oz's refusal to join. Everyone else in the room wore uncomfortable faces as they watched the situation ensue. Hearing Mundungus make a comment towards him for a third time, Oz noted that the mans three strikes were up. Standing up he slowly walked over towards Mundungus' chair with a cold smile.

"W-What?! You think your hot shit? I've dealt with wizards twice your age in the past you know-".

Mundungus stood up as a reflex to Oz coming over to him. As he started to spout a line that would find itself snugly in a wuxia novel Oz snapped his fingers quickly causing Mundungus' wand that he had just taken out to fly into the ceiling above, embedding itself within it. Dumbledore on the other side of the room seemed to want to stop the situation however had slight apprehension when seeing the aura leak from Oz again. Seeing Oz was incensed he stepped in surprisingly on his behalf.

"Mundungus, If he doesn't want to join he doesn't have to, he's already provided us enough information to go on. Don't go making a fool out of our order by arguing with anyone who refuses to join!".

Everyone in the room seemed to look at Dumbledore with surprise in their gazes noting that the man was actually backing Oz here. Oz completely ignored Dumbledore's comments as he walked closer to Mundungus. He allowed his aura to explode out. As it did, Dumbledore, Moody and Remus Lupin all seemed to flinch back. Dumbledore being accomplished as he is was able to sense the change in Oz's disposition and Moody could as well with his experience. For Lupin however it seemed his bestial instincts were kicking in telling him this was not something to mess with. Oz looked towards the now cowering Mundungus with a smile on his face.

"I have nothing against what your 'order' is doing. I've shown my sincerity by providing you information after all. However, I deem my own ventures much more important than this scuffle".

Tonks leaned forward on the table grabbing Oz's attention away from the cowering Mundungus.

"But why!? Surely you can still join the order and continue on your own ventures whilst being a part of our group...".

"Tonks, I'm not someone who works well with groups. Even at school I can barely handle myself in the group I have there. I'm much better off acting alone. Besides, our values clash as well. You as an order don't hold any aggression towards your enemies. You treat these enemies as people who can reform. However we are talking about witches and wizards who have already killed and are prepared to kill more, they deserve no pity...".

Everyone's expression in the room grew dark. Oz's main point was one that was contested time and time again in the order, mainly by Moody and such who believed that dark wizards should be killed from the stem. Dumbledore however always swayed them the opposite direction stating that everyone has a chance to reform.

"Here's a little story for you all. A while ago I ran into a situation where I found myself in the basement of a dark wizard hideout. I unlocked a door down there and behind that door were a massive group of muggle-borns that had been beaten and experimented on for weeks maybe even some of them months. I looked around the room at these people and in that moment I realised that these witches and wizards who had preformed these acts on them had no right to life. If life is about 'doing unto others as others do unto you' then I sincerely believe that killing these people is actually a gift to the world. However as I know you all hold no such values and thats why we can never work together...".

"I can give you information, heck I might even help you out from time to time if I feel like it. But I will never work under another group that doesn't hold the same values as myself and thats final".

The backroom of the three broomsticks stayed in a solemn silence as they listened to the young boys words. Normally such accomplished witches and wizards wouldn't heed what this boy was saying but considering his title and the power he had displayed in overwhelming Mundungus his words now had weight to them. Along with that was the information he had provided showing that his grasp on the situation was far beyond there's. Dumbledore was the first to break the tension by standing up from his chair.

"You're right Oz. Your values are indeed different to ours and with that we wont work well together. Truth be told me inviting you was a shot in the dark on my side as I believed this scenario would happen. You've already told us enough and given us the information we need, if in the future you find out anything more please let us all know".

Oz nodded as he started to walk towards the exit. Although he was in Hogsmeade there were plenty of ways for him to get back to Hogwarts without Dumbledore's help and showing that he didn't need the old mans help was almost a statement unto himself. Oz turned to the Order members as he was about to leave and gave them a quick wave. Leaving quickly he left all of them befuddled at what had just happened. Moody turned to Dumbledore with a questioning gaze.

"Albus, you were certainly subservient towards a boy that is 'your' student at 'your' school... I know you sensed the same thing as I just then, is that what caused you to reign in your usual acts?".

Everyone around the table seemed to lean in to look at the exasperated headmaster as he pondered for a moment how to answer that question. He sighed as he began to spoke.

"Oz Ambrosius, that boy, I've had an eye on him ever since last year. As I've watched him I've seen him grow at an explosive rate. I saw him conjure a Patronus in his second year and not only that I helped him along with his Animagus ritual which ended up with his form being a Hebridean black dragon. All of these events rose alarm bells in my mind. I didn't want to threaten him less I create for us another enemy however I sincerely didn't want him to join the other side considering his talent. I started to press him to join 'our' side under the guise of my personal 'disciple' however he flipped that on me due to one mistake I made and managed to escape from my grasp. Seeing that he also had intelligence to go along with his power was when I got extremely wary...".

"Last year however right near the end I witnessed Oz help Harry with a task I had laid out for him. He gave him more than a helping hand allowing him to blast through the majority of the trials there and at the very end he let Harry go on. I confronted him and he layered the truth onto me, facts that hit me deep to my core".

"In retaliation I opted to show my dominance over the boy by staging a 'disciple graduation' duel wherein me and him had a duel. The duel got violent and his techniques were incredible. If he was at the next step he would have been able to subdue me however I was able to overpower him... that was until...".

Everyone listened closely to Dumbledore's recounting of Oz and his relationship. They all knew the descendant of Merlin at face value, knowing him to be a talented student. However for Dumbledore to be labelling him so highly brought even more attention to the boy called 'Oz Ambrosius'.

"His eyes glowed a deep purple and his magic became chaotic as it increased in potency. In our final wand clash he was actually able to best me... causing me to be disarmed from my wand".

Everyone's eyes shot open as they heard the result of Dumbledore and Oz's duel. Everyone here had a first hand idea about how strong this headmaster was. If you had to put everyone present at a level they were all in the upper level of step 2, maybe only Moody and Remus were slowly stepping into step 3 however that was at the extreme lower level. Dumbledore himself though was at the peak of step 3 yet a boy in his second year at the time managed to best him in a duel. Lupin looked up from the table directly into Dumbledore's eyes.

"Dumbledore... Is that 'aura' that the boy has on him related to how you lost? I felt that when he pressed Mundungus my... 'bestial' instincts went haywire, telling me to run as soon as possible... Is that the aura and battle intent that bested you?".

Dumbledore nodded slowly as he closed his eyes. Everyone around fell into deep thought about the boy who had just crashed their meeting.

"That aura is something that causes me alarm whenever I see it Remus and I've seen it one more occasions than one now. When I helped him with his Animagus ritual I thought nothing of it however the ritual itself seemed to awaken something within him that had nothing to do with becoming an 'Animagus'. It almost seemed as though a force hijacked the ritual and awoke within him. Ever since that ritual the aura Oz has given off has become more domineering and powerful to a point where even I feel the need to be cautious. Usually the boy has a calm expression as he goes about his daily life however whenever he's threatened or his emotions fluctuate, that aura explodes out".

Dumbledore showed an exhausted smile as he thought about that ritual once again. Recalling the motto of their school also he started to see a pattern.

"Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus... Maybe the founders were preparing us for this moment".

Everyone's expressions in the room grew cold as they felt that they had just poked a hornets nest that was not to be poked. Considering that even Dumbledore showed apprehension towards Oz everyone's expressions seemed to change to wariness towards this boy. Mundungus in the corner especially looked frightened considering how many comments he made about the boy, angering him in the process. Only one girls expression in the room seemed to be slightly different, holding a sadness and regret in regards to this situation. Looking around the room she smacked her hand on the table and with a smile spoke to everyone.

"It's not all bad though guys is it? Oz showed that he's more on our side by providing us information and he even said he would help if he had the chance in the future. Although its a shame he wont join our group... for more reasons than one... ahem, I mean at least we have him as a collaborator on our side... right?".

Everyone's moods seemed to lighten at Tonk's words, even Dumbledore himself seemed to brighten up. Dumbledore decided to give them all a vital piece of advice going forward.

"Yes young Tonks here is right. Having him as a collaborator is much more beneficial than forcing him into the order or pushing him away. His talent, his intelligence and his will, all are years beyond what he should be capable of. Making such a person an enemy would be folly in the long run, It's best to keep him at arms length and allow this collaboration to go on unhindered from here on...".

Moody seemed to be still holding onto one of the basilisk fangs left by Oz. His eye darted at Dumbledore as he had one last question.

"That boy, you brought him with you from the ministry correct? What were you taking him there for in the first place Albus?".

Tonks raised her hands as she realised she could answer this question for Dumbledore instead.

"Ah! I had a talk with Oz in the ministry. He was there to do his OWLs early, right Dumbledore?".

Everyone's 'shock' reserves seemed to be spent as they couldn't even put on the expression anymore. Turning to Dumbledore they saw the headmaster nod as he confirmed Tonk's words.

"Yes, he asked me for a leave of absence next year. The board of governors refused such a thing unless Oz could prove his knowledge was beyond his years so they had him sit his OWLs two years early... He managed to pass with flying colours of course and even showed no difficulty in answering any questions. As we were marking all the governors stated that we needed Oz back for 'that' tournament in two years time so we could only give him one year of absence max. He seemed satisfied with that though".

Molly Weasley who had been quiet up to this point with her husband gasped hearing about Oz's intelligence first hand.

"OWLs in his third year? and he passed them all with flying colours? Even though our sons Bill and Percy got 12 OWLs they still had to learn into their fifth year...".

Arthur nodded at his wife's words as he turned to Dumbledore.

"It's clear this Oz fellow truly isn't someone to be underestimated at all... Do you know what he plans to do in his next year away Dumbledore?".

Dumbledore pondered for a moment as he recalled Oz and his trip to the ministry hours ago.

"Oz only said that he wanted to travel the world mainly... However he did request an 'identity' from the school so he could enter into schools around the world easier. His journey seems to be solely in the pursuit of knowledge...".

Everyone in the room felt themselves shiver at Oz's lust for knowledge. Dumbledore looked around at everyone before clapping his hands together.

"Anyway I think thats enough for today... This meeting shall be adjourned. We will meet up once again in the summer to talk about 'that' thats happening next year. With Oz not present at the school next year also that gives us breathing room in regards to approaching Harry...".

Everyone in the room nodded as they started to funnel out from the backroom of the three broomsticks. Molly, Arthur, Mundungus and Kingsley Shacklebolt all apparated as soon as they got outside whereas Moody and Remus stayed behind for a drink with Tonks in tow. Dumbledore apparated himself instantly back to his room which was still allowing apparition for a little while longer.

.

As Oz left the meeting he headed for Honeydukes. Considering how late it was Honeydukes was of course closed so he cloaked himself and proceeded towards the front door where the door in question was covered in a myriad of wards and locks to sway any robbers. Oz sighed as he started to unwind all the wards and eventually narrowed it down to a simple 'alohomora' spell to unlock the door. As he entered into Honeydukes he remained cautious with his eyes activated ensuring that he didn't set off any alarms or anything. Thankfully his cloaking spell seemed effective enough to mask his presence completely as he managed to find the hatch that led down into the underground passage leading back to Hogwarts.

Oz probably could have just walked all the way back to the school above ground just fine however he felt like trying out one of these 'secret passages' for a change. As he walked through the underground passage he thought back on the Order's convening.

'Dumbledore certainly moved fast after I gave him that information... I wonder if that means they are already trying to recruit people around the world to help their cause... Well no matter, I feel as though my stance was made clear in the end and Dumbledore seemed to reign in his usual acts...'.

Oz thought that when he refused to enter the Order Dumbledore would push him more to join. Surprisingly though it seemed that Dumbledore reeled back incredibly quickly. Oz wondered at this point if the duel at the end of last year affected him more than he had originally thought. Maybe considering that Oz had disarmed him at that time the wand in Dumbledore's hand now wouldn't work well against Oz now as it saw him as its new master down the line. While Dumbledore's probably tamed it to a degree now if he ever faced Oz in battle it might not show its normal prowess.

'That elder wand... I wonder what I can use it for down the line...'.

Looking down at the wand in his hand that had a simple 'Lumos' spell glowing on it, he smiled. This wand felt like an extension of himself at this point. He had two wands initially and the both of them synched well with him. However at that point those two wands were like having two pistols, while it was cool to duel-wield it wasn't efficient. After fusing them now though it felt like having a rifle that fit in his hand perfectly. Even though the elder wand was technically his he didn't want to take it anytime soon. He would be destined though to take it in the end from Dumbledore. Maybe he could fuse his wand would the elder wand? Or maybe he could return to duel-wielding? Such ideas plagued his mind as he walked through the dark passage towards Hogwarts.

'Regardless of these thoughts they are all for the future... With all of this now sorted I only need to tell the gang about where I'm going and give Harry and Rose the mirrors separately as a means of keeping tabs on what's happening here. After that I can finally journey into the world...'.