Fate Set Right

Chapter 32

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July 31, 1995

"Why does it sound like a herd of elephants is stomping through your house?" Aurora asked Harry just after seven o'clock, not thirty minutes after Molly sent them up to the library for cake.

Harry frowned, pushing himself off the floor. He crossed the room to the library door and peeked out, then stretched a bit further. He darted quietly out of the room, then swooped back in. "Order meeting," he announced, and the rest of them moved as quietly as they could to snoop with him.

From the banister, they could see people coming in, many still in their cloaks.

"Those're your parents," Draco pointed out quietly. "Why didn't they say anything when they dropped us off earlier?"

"Probably didn't want you guys snooping," George offered as an explanation.

"Which is why we should use this," Fred said, showing them a set of ears connected by a string.

"What are those?" Harry asked quietly, glancing over the rail to see who else was coming in.

"Extendable Ears," George replied. "We can stay up here and listen, even when they think we won't be able to."

The door opened again, and everyone glanced down.

"Professor Dumbledore is here," Luna observed. "I suppose they'll be getting started soon."

"We should wait a bit," Draco said. "If it's a meeting, they'll probably wait for stragglers. It won't work if we drop that thing, then a last-minute arrival sees it and rats us out."

"What do you know, Malfoy?" Ron asked, though there was no heat in his accusation.

Ginny smacked him for being a prat. Draco rolled his eyes.

They had spent a lot of time together the last four weeks. Aunt Cissy had given Draco permission to be at the Snapes as much as he liked, and so was able to go with Aurora to the Weasleys' or the Black/Potter residence. And while Ron still seemed perturbed by Draco's presence, their bickering and animosity had abated. At least, most of the time.

But they weren't normally in Grimmauld Place when there was an Order meeting. It had always been conveniently timed when they were playing Quidditch in the field between the Lovegoods and the Weasleys; Mr. Lovegood supposedly watching over them, though he was far more focused on his magazine than the children. That, or they were encouraged to explore Muggle London, asking Harry and Aurora to teach the others a bit about Muggle life.

The fact that all of them knew that Harry and co. were there was interesting enough as it was, but the fact that they chose to have an Order meeting regardless made them all that much more interested.

After a minute or two of silence, Fred lowered one of the ears over the banister, and all of them fell silent, straining to hear what was being said.

"...followed. I refuse to let him out of the house on his own. Who knows what the Ministry might try to do," Sirius's voice came over the ear.

"Anyone—and I mean anyone —who Fudge thinks might be spying for you, Albus, or even on speaking terms with you, has been threatened. We were told we might as well clean out our desks," Mr. Weasley said.

"The Aurory is only investigating matters concerning Dark wizards in the utmost secrecy. Fudge doesn't believe, but if there was even a slight possibility that something could be related to Death Eater activity—" an unfamiliar female voice explained before she was interrupted.