Harry followed Tonks into a dive to the largest collection of lights he'd seen on their journey yet. Up as high as they were, they looked like nothing more than a grid of lights against a patchwork of darkness. Lower and lower they flew, and Harry could see headlights, and street lamps, chimneys, and the odd tv antenna. Soon, they came to a large collection of buildings. Blocky. Imposing.
"Here we go." Tonks called.
Shivering, Harry looked around. Lupin landed closeby, and fiddled with something at his neck. He hissed and jerked his hand away quickly. Tonks looked over, and raised and eyebrow.
"Metal hand...So cold it's hot." Lupin muttered, and squatted carefully to the ground. Harry was about to take a step, but one of the other wizards rushed over to assist. Harry wasn't sure what he could do. The wizard squatted, and felt around the textured thing that was Ed. He held his hand still for several moments, fingers just gone, covered in the chameleon-like effect.
"Faint, but there." The wizard announced. His old professor sighed in relief.
"Moody..." Lupin said.
As he stood there, looking on, Moody limped over and shoved a piece of parchment into Harry's hand. "Read quickly. And memorize." Moody said and walked over to Lupin.
Harry looked at the parchment. It read:
The headquarters of the the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number 12 Grimmauld Place, London.
"What's the Order of .." Harry asked.
"Not here boy." Moody growled.
Harry looked up and only saw numbers 11 and 13 upon the blocky buildings before them. Then, before his eyes, a building seemed it inflate itself up from the ground, pushing aside the other two buildings in the process. After all that Harry had experienced thus far in regards to magic, all that he could say at that moment was a breathless...
"Wow."
Lupin leaned over and threw the lump of texture that was Ed over his shoulder, the texture adjusting against it and blending in chameleon-like. Lupin stood up and without hesitation, went straight away to the shabby, scratched up, black door. He tapped his wand once, and Harry heard the clinking of metal behind it, as well as something that sounded suspiciously like a chain. The door swung open, and Lupin turned to him.
"Get in quick. Go only a little ways in. Don't touch anything." Lupin said.
He then turned and walked, almost ran, down the dark hall before them. Harry listened to his footsteps as they faded into the distance.
Harry stepped inside. The others rushed by him talking in hushed, quiet tones.
'Like this place's a library. Or the home of someone dying.' Harry thought.
The door swung closed behind him, and Harry blinked. He felt the tap of a wand at the top of his head, and the sensation of warm water being poured down his spine. He looked quickly to his side. There, stood Moody.
"There...Now..for some light. Lumos."
Harry looked around, thinking he preferred the place in shadows. Everywhere he looked was covered with thick dust and cobwebs. Darkened picure frames held mysteries, because he couldn't tell what was within. Wall paper an paint both peeling on all the walls. This place had seen better days. It was, in his mind, a shabby place to call a safehouse.
He heard hurried footsteps and turned, thinking it was Lupin. Instead, Harry found himself wrapped in a tight, nearly bonebreaking hug from his best friend's mom: Mrs. Weasley. She was thinner than the last time he'd seen her, and her flaming red hair was frazzed and down.
"Oh, Harry! It's lovely to see you again." She whispered. Then she held him at arms length. "You look peaky, but dinner's going to be delayed a bit, I'm afraid. The Order's having a meeting first."
"Where's Ed? Is he.."
Mrs. Weasley looked at him with a confused expression.
"The other boy..under the Disillusionment charm. Didn't Lupin...? Blast him...!" Moody said.
Fuming, Moody limped off down the hall, and Harry moved to follow. Mrs Weasley held him fast before he could get much farther than a few steps.
"No Harry. Meeting's only for members. Hermione and Ron's upstairs. You can wait with them until the meeting's over. Then we'll have dinner. Keep your voice down in the hall." she added in an urgent whisper.
"Order? But. Ed's a... And he's sick 'cause of..."
Harry blinked at this a bit, not wanting to have her worry about the Dementor attack on him.
".... And..um..why keep quiet in the hall?" Harry said.
"Because I don't want you to wake anything up." She whispered and escorted him to the stairs. She showed him the room where he was staying, and then, nearly immediately, rushed back downstairs. She apologised for this, of course, saying she too had to be in on the meeting, as she herself was a member of the order.
The place reminded him of the Dark Arts the more he looked at it. He was half afraid of what he'd see past the door. With great reluctance, Harry placed his hand on the serpent that passed as a doorknob and entered the room beyond the hallway.
He floated along in the ocean of white. No up down left or right. Waiting.
He was surrounded by voices.
"Quick! Get that fire going."
Thump. Tap tap.
Gasps.
"Good lord! The boy's lips are blue! He's human?"
"Yes of course he is. Now help or move out of the way alright?"
"His eyes're open, you know."
"Yes. That. We..I need your help with that. Check his neck and you'll see what I mean."
Gasps.
"...."
"....Is that what I think it is?"
"That looks like..Noooo. You didn't."
"A muggle....here?"
"Heh..keep him from that portrait..or she'll..!"
"Oh...damn..."
"..too funny...!"
"... there. Help me..."
"..Mom'll hate this...I love it. Haha!"
Clap!
"Bring him over...now"
"I've only heard about this...in stories. Muggles getting burned by their...touch?"
Crackling noises.
"So...light. Except for...amazing. Mugglemade are they...?" Thump. Clank.
"Leave 'em alone Arthur."
"Every time..!"
"Blankets. He needs blankets. Hurry Molly...!"
"How many?"
"All of 'em!"
"Just HAD to fly over Greenland, didn't you, Mad-Eye?"
Snort.
"I don't know what you're talking about...Kid's half way dead before we even.."
"Dumbledore would be the better choice."
"Dumbledore isn't here, now is he? We'll loose him if this goes on much longer."
"..We'll need the poultice too..."
"What?!!? "
Crash!
"He's just a muggle. Why should...Take him to St. Mungo's."
"No. We need him intact. They'll take away everything...if.."
"What?"
"Shut it. He's a...a muggle!"
"Snape. Just do it. "
Sniff. Sniff.
"So...young..."
"Molly..."
Sniff.
"....very well."
:::
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