40

CHAPTER FORTY:

My life feels like one never-ending Order meeting, Harry grumbled inwardly as they flooed to Grimmauld Place for the fourth time in as many days. And this time Dumbledore's along again. Joy.

Now that the Inner Circle was dealt with they would be discussing a strategy for the final confrontation, including a back-up plan should the confrontation not work out as they hoped it would. Despite knowing that a Gryffindor charge would give them all the most confidence, Harry knew that they needed to be Slytherin and have guarantees that they wouldn't end up losing the war in one fell swoop. Perhaps they would broach the topics of Hogwarts and Ministry, but Harry would rather leave those for afterwards, hopefully including all the Hogwarts teachers and at least Amelia Bones in the discussion.

When Harry stepped into Headquarters the first thing he noticed was that although he was still bound to a chair, today seemed to be one of Dumbledore's good days. Forcing himself to stay relaxed, Harry cheerfully called the meeting to order and briefly greeted Dumbledore. All I need is him interfering.

OoOoO

Meanwhile, Hermione approached a boy sitting alone in the Gryffindor common room. He was the only fifth year who still had some baby fat on his face, but while it made him look like a bit of a weakling, it also showed his friendly character.

"Hey Neville," she greeted him with a smile. "Can we talk for a moment? I have some news that you might want to hear."

"Sure," the boy agreed amicably, if curiously. Rising from his chair, he left his homework where it was and followed her out of the common room. Once they had ducked into an abandoned classroom Hermione spoke again.

"I don't think there's any good way to say this, so I'll just come right out and say it, okay?" Neville looked unsure but nodded, and Hermione took a deep breath.

"The Lestranges are dead."

Neville had stiffened as soon as she said that particular name, but then the meaning of her sentence sunk in and he stared at her with wide eyes. "How do you know?" he demanded, and she smiled crookedly.

"Have you heard of the Order of the Phoenix?"

The boy nodded. "Gran mentioned it a few times, saying that Dad was a member and was targeted because of it. What about it?" he asked warily.

Hermione's heart went out to him, but she tried not to let it show. "Well, for the past two nights they've been targeting Snake Face's Inner Circle, and last night the Lestranges were one of the targets. Professor Snape informed me after class today that I might want to be the one to inform you; he felt that it would be better coming from me than from him."

Neville looked wary at taking Professor Snape's word for it, and asked her, "Are you sure that he's speaking the truth?"

Hermione immediately nodded. "He's not the only Order member I've heard from today," she assured him, neglecting to mention that the only other message she had received had been from a house elf, and just a simple message saying that the missions were over for the night.

Neville looked rather lost, and Hermione desperately wanted to give him a hug, but felt that it might not be welcome at the moment. "I promise that they're gone," she said softly. "Professor Snape said that they perhaps did not suffer as they deserved, but that they will never again cast the Cruciatus curse-"

"How do you know about that?" Neville asked wildly, taking a step back. Hermione blinked.

"I read 'The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts' before starting at Hogwarts," she replied, and snorted when he just stared at her. "Honestly, am I the only one who reads about recent history at all? Your parents are mentioned as the heroes they are, Neville," Hermione said rather exasperatedly. "I felt you'd want to know. I assume that someone from the Order will contact your gran to let her know, but you might still want to write her a letter." Seeing that he had nothing to say to that, she nodded once. "That's all I had to say."

"Wait!" Neville's cry had her pausing in the doorway, turning to look back at the boy who suddenly looked younger than ever. "Thank you."

Not knowing what to say to that, Hermione simply smiled at him before walking out and back to the common room.

OoOoO

"No." Harry looked at Dumbledore incredulously. "You are speaking of the man who terrorized this country for years, killed countless people and wants to become a supreme overlord who rules with fear. There is NO way we are going to simply stun him."

"But my boy-"

"I am not your boy," Harry hissed, rising to his feet to look down on the old man. "And if you think that I'm going to give that monster a chance to survive the upcoming encounter, then you are more delusional than I thought. How many 'second chances' have you already given Tom Riddle? The boy you once knew no longer exists; he has long lost all his humanity! His name is Lord Voldemort; Tom Riddle is long dead!"

Dumbledore merely sighed in the face of Harry's anger. "Harry, if you can't let go of your anger you are already well on your way to the Dark side."

"My anger?" Harry whispered so quietly that the other Order members had to lean in to hear. "My anger at the killer of my parents? The man who is the reason that the entire country cowers in fear at the mere mention of his name? The monster who unleashed a war in order to rule a broken country? Do you honestly believe that anyone in this room," Harry swept his arm in a big arc, "is willing to let go of their anger for Voldemort? Did you not create this very Order in order to stand against Dark Lords? For you to now speak of sparing the very Dark Lord you yourself fought against for so many years, I honestly wonder whether the curse is affecting your brain. Either that, or it is senility speaking."

Silence fell over the room, but it wasn't long before Dumbledore sighed once more, looking disappointed.

"I see that you refuse to listen to reason," the old man shook his head slowly. "Very well, do what you will, but know that I think you wrong."

"Then I suggest you leave and let us fight this war as it should be fought," Harry said coldly, his eyes locked on the stooped figure. "Clearly you are no longer a fit leader for this Order."

"And you believe yourself a fitting leader for an order named after the Lightest of magical creatures?" Dumbledore asked in the same tone he would use if speaking of the weather.

"Yes," Harry answered without any doubts. "As a phoenix rises from the ashes, so will I work to restore Britain to a healthy state. May this Order be my witness."

"So mote it be," a half dozen voices chorused, only the younger members unaware of the significance of his statement.

"I see," Dumbledore said, appearing to sink inwards onto himself. "Poppy, if you would return me to Hogwarts? It appears that my presence is no longer wanted here." To the old man's dismay, not a single member spoke out asking him to stay, but he was sure that before long they would be clamoring for him to return, realizing that he was the only one who knew how to deal with Tom and the Ministry.

"Perhaps now we can get some decent planning done," Harry massaged his temples as Dumbledore vanished in green flames. "Is anyone else here of the opinion that we should spare Snake Face?"

A look around the room showed that no one was of the same opinion as Dumbledore, though Tonks did raise her hand hesitantly.

"Yes, Nymph?"

She twitched at the name but let it slide. "Shouldn't we make sure to leave some proof of his death, though? The Ministry and the common people especially will want to know for sure that he was back and that he's not going to come back..."

"Very true," Harry nodded. "I am hoping to put his body in stasis once a spell has killed him, just to ensure that it doesn't dissolve into ashes or anything. However, I don't want the Ministry to get their hands on the body – or, to be precise, the Department of Mysteries. Forensics should absolutely have a look at him, if only to check that it really is Snake Face and that he truly is dead and will stay that way. Once photos have been taken and such, however, his body should be cremated and the ashes vanished, to ensure that nobody can resurrect him or get their hands on his blood." Several of the members shuddered.

"That would be bad," Tonks agreed, her hair suddenly white. Harry merely nodded and sat down in his chair, vanishing Dumbledore's seat.

"Now then, let's return to planning the confrontation... I'm going to pair you up in groups of two this time, and pairs should look out for their partners. Obviously, Severus and I will be the first ones there and as such will be the first pair." Harry ignored the various looks he got from the people who now knew that the two of them were partners outside of battle as well and continued on evenly. "Fred, George – I'm not sure whether to pair you up or split you up. Tell me, does one of you have a preference for defense, or are you both offensive types?" At their looks he nodded. "Both offensive, right? Well, they do say 'the best defense is a good offense'... We'll meet up at least once in the next day or so to work together a bit – you may be of age, but if I don't think you're ready for the fight then I'm not letting you tag along, understood?" He fixed them with an intent look until they gave in and nodded; Mrs. Weasley looked a bit less ruffled at the possibility that her sons might not be allowed to fight.

"Sirius, you'll be with Remus again. In this case there shouldn't be any need for anyone to follow orders, but as you're the offensive and Remus the more level-headed one, you will listen to his orders should he give any, understood?" The man set his jaw and attempted to stare Harry down, but eventually gave in and nodded tightly, thankfully keeping his thoughts to himself.

"Bill, you'll work with Alastor; Nymph and Kingsley, you're another pair. Minerva, I hope to have Filius join us for the battle, so you'll team up with him. Note that you don't have to work together, just make sure that you always know where your partner is and whether he or she needs help," he clarified.

"Why didn't we bring in Professor Flitwick for the missions?" one of the Weasley twins asked curiously. "I'm sure he would have kicked ass!" the other twin chimed in, ignoring their mothers' reproaching comment.

"Because Filius, as a quarter-goblin, follows the goblin code of honor," Harry replied. "The goblins are known for being back-stabbing bastards, but that's only when it comes to money – when it comes to fighting, they have very strong ethics. His honor would not have allowed him to infiltrate a man's house and capture him while he was sleeping, but a one-on-one duel or pitched battle? Absolutely."

The twins looked like they were going to ambush the professor the next day and shower him in questions, making Harry smile. "Just let Minerva have a word with him before you go asking him all sorts of questions, would you?" They assumed innocent expressions that nobody believed, but Harry just smirked before moving on.

"Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, you'll be joining the fight?" At their nods he said, "You'll pair up, then. Is Charlie going to come? Percy?" At their bereaved expressions he smacked his forehead in a calculated gesture. "Oh, right – he hadn't made up with you yet at this point. It's still... what, a month to go?" he assumed a pensive expression. "Maybe a bit more than that, but that sounds about right." The hope on their faces was almost painful, but Harry gave them a warm smile nonetheless – he knew that Percy was under spells from Dumbledore, who had wanted another lackey in the Ministry, though that hadn't worked out as well for him as he had perhaps hoped. Once Dumbledore was dead, however, Percy was sure to return to his family as he had in the previous timeline.

"Right, I'll count Percy out for this one, then. Charlie? No? Perhaps that's for the best – I think after so long casting stunners at dragons, those stunners may be too strong for a human to survive!" The terrible joke got a weak laugh from the boy's tearful mother, and Harry continued on. "Poppy is still at Hogwarts right now, but on the day she will hopefully be here, since we can't make portkeys to take the injured to Hogwarts. I'll make portkeys for each of us tomorrow. Mr. Doge, I hope that by the time we go in you'll be in top form once more, and I would pair you up with Miss Vance. Hagrid, I have Harry and his friends keeping an eye on Hogwarts, but I would feel safer if you were there to warn the Order should anything happen. Is that alright?"

"O' course, Harry," the half-giant replied amicably, and Harry gave him a warm smile.

"Thanks. I know that with you there no harm will come to the students." Hagrid swelled with pride, as Harry had hoped he would; he did trust Hagrid with the students' lives, and he wanted his biggest friend to know it.

"Speaking of Potter and his friends, I spoke with Miss Granger today and promised that I would raise the topic of their inclusion in the Order." Severus kept his eyes on Harry, knowing that it would be the way Harry phrased his answer that was important.

Harry nodded, "Yes, I was thinking that once Snake Face is dealt with they could at least sit in on a meeting or two – after all, the next step will be to determine the work we'll do with Hogwarts and the Ministry, and there are several people from outside the Order that I think should be included in those meetings, particularly Amelia Bones and Augusta Longbottom, perhaps even their charges Neville and Susan. If we're going to decide how this country should be run we'll want to have as many different opinions as possible, especially including the different age groups. What Augusta wants from the Ministry is most likely something completely different from what, say, Hermione might want. We will discuss this after Snake Face has been dealt with, however," Harry added, seeing that most of the members had already been convinced but knowing that it was a topic for another time. Severus nodded and leaned back once more.

"Now then," Harry said, addressing the room as a whole again. "Pairs have been made, but we don't know the exact location or people involved. I assume that it will be the same throne room we have been summoned to before, which means that we will have sufficient room to move around, but I don't know how many other people will be there; this depends on whether or not Snake Face discovers his dead followers before the meeting. Should he be ignorant of the missing Death Eaters, then it will most likely be a summons for the Inner Circle – which is now only the two of us," Harry gestured at Severus with a smirk. "Should that be the case, you'll all show up only once we've already dealt with the opposition, or, should we not have killed Voldemort by then, you'll be bounced off anti-apparition wards and Bill will get to work on getting you inside." Bill nodded, understanding that he was the only ward specialist present. His official title may be 'curse breaker', but that included wards, and he was very good at breaking those.

"Once you have all apparated, you need to be prepared for any situation, so please find a few hours to work with your partner before the confrontation. Should Snake Face remain ignorant of his missing followers, we should be summoned on Friday evening again; should he notice we could be summoned at any hour of any day, so keep your charms against your skin at all times! Also, should things go against us, get out of there. 'He who fights and runs away lives to fight another day', isn't that the saying? If it looks like we're losing, leave – but only after doing everything possible to take out Voldemort and his snake, Nagini. Should either of them survive we'll be in trouble. Should I fall, leadership of the Order will fall to Severus as the one who knows Voldemort best, with Kingsley as his second-in-command. Should both of them fall as well, then Alastor is in charge, since you'll definitely need his experience." Seeing that they all understood and were determined to do everything they could, he smiled. "Now would also be the ideal time for some tracking charms to be placed on me, and perhaps one on Severus if he doesn't mind."

He and Severus both stood smoothly, and the three men Harry had specified previously – Alastor, Kingsley and Remus – swiftly hit him with tracking charms. Nymph and Bill exchanged a look, shrugged, and hit Severus with a tracking spell each, deciding that as former members of his team they were the most entitled to such an action. The inclination of the head he gave them reassured them that they had not erred.

"You all remember the course of action we decided on; should we be summoned we'll immediately send off Patroni to let these gentlemen know," Harry gestured at Moody and Remus, "who will then call together the Order. We will also use our charms, so if you're paying attention to those and feel the signal, make your excuses and gather here immediately. Kingsley will lead you in once Alastor says five minutes have elapsed since our Patronus notified him. Kingsley, don't let anyone in the Auror department know anything in advance, not even Amelia; I don't know exactly who the bug is, but there's someone there who's allied with Snake Face. Once the fight is over you'll go to the Ministry and persuade Amelia to follow you to Voldemort's hideout; by then we'll have all gotten out and gathered back here."

Harry cast an eye over the gathered members, then nodded once. "Any questions?"

This time nothing followed his question, and everyone carefully avoided looking at Sirius. "That's it for now, then," Harry clapped his hands together. "Please get together in your pairs and talk for a while; enjoy a cup of tea. We've worked hard these past two nights, and tonight we'll get a proper night's sleep!" A round of chuckles went up at his fervent tone; they didn't know that Severus had dragged him out of bed for lunch, informing him that he would be unable to sleep that night if he spent the entire day in bed. Just because the man was right didn't mean that Harry had to like it.

As the other members teamed up – or went back to Hogwarts in Minerva and the twins' case – Harry rose and sat down sideways on Severus's lap with his back to the room. "I'm tired again," he announced as he pillowed his head against Severus's shoulder, feeling the man's arms come up around him.

"This is entirely inappropriate," Severus said lowly, and Harry smiled.

"Maybe it is, but I don't care. You're mine, I'm yours – let them say what they want."