A Change in Fate || Cedric Diggory [1]

Chapter 32: The Order of the Phoenix

It was only a few days after Cedric's visit to the Heart family's home that Altair announced that they wouldn't be staying there any longer — at least for the summer. Analeigh was all sorts of confused, but it all seemed to make sense once he explained that none of them were truly safe anymore, especially those involved in the Triwizard Tournament and whoever was close to Harry Potter. That was when Analeigh learned about the Order of the Phoenix.

The Order of the Phoenix was a was a secret organization established by Albus Dumbledore in the 1970s to oppose Voldemort and his followers. It consisted of many notable individuals back then, from James and Lily Potter to Alastor Moody and Elphias Doge, and now, it included people like the Weasleys and Analeigh's own parents. She realized that this must have been part of what Altair was telling her the day he revealed his past — these were the people he chose to help instead of staying on Voldemort's side. While Analeigh still found it unsettling that he was once a Death Eater himself, she was proud that he had helped the Order and grateful that Dumbledore accepted him.

That was how Analeigh found herself standing in the middle of a street somewhere in London in between her parents, staring at a row of muggle houses and nothing special in sight.

"So..." she began. "I thought we were going to the headquarters of the —"

"Shh," Grace said, nudging her daughter. "Not out here."

Then, Altair handed Analeigh a slip of paper from his pocket.

"Read it," he said. "Remember it, but don't say it out loud."

She eyed it strangely but took it from him anyway and unfolded it.

The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.

When she looked up, her jaw dropped. A house had magically appeared in between the buildings of number eleven and thirteen, pushing them to the side as if it was no big deal. The neighbors didn't seem to notice what was going on as the number 12 building expanded until it reached its full width and height. Even after growing up with magic her whole life, there were still a lot of things that surprised her in the wizarding world.

Altair and Grace ushered their daughter to side the house as soon as it had fully settled in. Analeigh could see that it belonged to a very rich family — the antique decors in every corner, detailed portraits hung around, and the mere fact that it was massive, probably around four floors if she guessed correctly. However, it was quite dark and eerie, a sharp contrast to the coziness of her own house or even the warmth of the Hogwarts castle. It also looked very dusty as if nobody had lived inside it for ages.

"I'll head to the kitchen for a while," Grace announced. "Molly's been expecting us."

"The Weasleys are here, too?" Analeigh perked up.

"Yes, and Hermione, as well. Altair, why don't you show her around? You know this place far better than I do."

Grace left their side and walked down the hall elsewhere, and it was so dark that Analeigh wasn't even sure where she had gone. Before Altair could even begin his tour of the house that was all-too familiar to him, another voice rang out.