No Laughing Matter

Chapter Eighteen

Number twelve, Grimmauld Place was as gloomy as ever as Fred and George entered through the front door. The gaslights along the hallway were lit, and cast a dim glow on the sleeping portraits that lined the walls. Stepping quietly past the curtained portrait of Mrs. Black, they headed straight for the kitchen, where they knew everyone else would be gathered. They could hear voices as they approached the door, and stopped briefly to see if they could make out what was being said. There was still the chance that they would be denied participation in anything that happened because they weren't actual members of the Order, and so they wanted to gather as much information as they could beforehand. When all they heard was the indistinct rumble of low voices, they shrugged to one another and proceeded into the room.

Dumbledore's head was in the fire as they came in, and Molly and Arthur were kneeling before the hearth to make conversation easier on all involved. Mundungus was sitting at the long wooden table, along with Bill, both of who had their eyes on Dumbledore, listening intently to what was being said, but apparently not being active participants in the conversation. Making as little disturbance as possible, Fred and George took seats at the table and waited to hear what was going on, and what Dumbledore had to say about it.

"The fact is that we can't take any risks with the school. The unusual number of known and suspected Death Eaters spotted in the village today alone gives me reason to believe that there is some plan about to come to light. I've got all available Order members posted in Hogsmeade or on school grounds to be on hand for any eventuality, and the Ministry has gotten word of the Death Eater sightings and has sent a handful of Aurors to check things out. Those of you at headquarters right now are the only ones left to deal with the situation with Percy."

At the mention of Percy's name, Fred glanced over at George and noticed that his fists were clenched tight on the table, knuckles white. Fred's own jaw was clamped tight as he waited to be enlightened. What did Percy have to do with increased Death Eater activity near Hogwarts? Had he helped them complete the map? It was his mother's next words that gave him a jolt in his chest.

"If this is a trap, so be it. If there's even the slightest chance that Percy has seen the error of his ways and wants to come back to us, I have to do what I can."

"They may be counting on that, Molly," Dumbledore said gravely. "I pray that I am wrong, but don't let your guard down, even for a moment. You must treat him as suspect, and if he proves that he truly does want help, we will provide it. I don't want you taking any unnecessary chances; plan very carefully."

Arthur and Molly nodded. Both of his parents had changed drastically in the last thirty minutes from carefree partygoers to concerned and heart-broken parents. No one in the room was in doubt as to how far either of them would go to win their son back, though they all had their doubts as to how likely it was to happen.

"You have less than an hour until the designated meeting time," Dumbledore warned them. "Use it wisely."

With a quiet pop, his head withdrew and the kitchen was silent for a moment as everyone tended their own thoughts. It was Fred who broke the silence.

"Percy's asked to come back?"

Arthur got to his feet, and then helped Molly to hers before answering. "He sent Dumbledore an owl this afternoon. It said that he wanted to meet with Dumbledore tonight to figure out a way to get away from the Death Eaters; that he hadn't known what they would expect him to do as one of their members. He said that he felt that Dumbledore was the only one with the power to help him, and that it had to be tonight while the other Death Eaters would be otherwise occupied. He gave a time and a location for the meeting, in a wizarding house a few miles outside of Hogsmeade."

"Dumbledore is afraid that this letter was sent as a ploy to lure him away from the castle, leaving it more open to attack," Bill added. "On the other hand, it seems almost too obvious a ploy. Percy may actually be sincere in his appeal for help, and is using the confusion of a Death Eater attack on Hogsmeade or the school as a cover to slip away unnoticed."

"Percy's not stupid," George commented, trying to keep the fear and bitterness out of his voice. "He would know that if Hogsmeade or Hogwarts came under any kind of threat, Dumbledore would make protecting it his personal priority, and not have time for meetings for Death Eaters with cold feet."

"True," Bill said without emotion. He seemed to be dealing with the situation by remaining detached. "He might see this as his only chance, though, and be banking on the fact that Dumbledore would send someone capable in his stead."

"I agree with Mum," Fred said, trying to absorb everything that he was learning. "In the end, it doesn't matter if it's a trap. If there's a chance that he wants out, we have to try to help him. If it is a trap, we have an opportunity to reduce the number of the enemy."

Every face in the room was troubled as they laid out their plans. Arthur, Molly and Bill would go to the meeting to find out the truth of the matter. It was deemed that Fred and George would only add tension to the interview, as they had always been a major source of annoyance to Percy in the past. Therefore they would perform the Disillusionment Charm on each other and keep watch from outside, and Dung would wear an Invisibility Cloak. If it turned out to be a trap, Mundungus would go straight to the Ministry of Magic and call for any help available, though they were aware that if there was simultaneous Death Eater activities elsewhere, help might not come. They might very well be left to handle this alone.

*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*

Something wasn't right. The Weasleys had left over an hour ago, and Rowan couldn't rid herself of her feeling of unease. Rowan trusted her intuition implicitly, and knew without a doubt that George was in imminent danger. She scanned the room for Carly, and spotted her standing with Madam Bones and Aunt Suzette. Her normally calm twin was fiddling with her hair and acting fidgety -sure signs that she, too, felt on edge. She made her way over to the other women, and slipped her arm through her sister's, and led her away to a quiet corner.

"Do you feel it?" she whispered.

Carly nodded, and whispered back, "Should we check at the Burrow?"

"We can try, but I don't think that anyone's going to be there. There's something brewing, and George and Fred are in the thick of it," Rowan said with certainty.

Carly bit her lip and said, "There's something going on with the whole Weasley family."

"What do you mean?" Rowan asked sharply. It wasn't like her sister to make unfounded allegations, so when she made a statement like this; it was worth paying close attention to.

"It's just," Carly looked unsure as to whether she should be saying what she was about to say. "It's just that I've heard Molly make some odd comments on two separate occasions. They first time was when I went to the Burrow to meet the family, and she said something about being on duty for the Order."

"The Order?" Rowan looked baffled.

"Yes," Carly said. "And she got really flustered right after she said it, and covered her mouth like she'd just uttered a huge secret. Then just this morning, I overheard her talking to Fred in the shop. She didn't know that I was there, and was going on to him about 'headquarters' and the 'Order' and Mad-Eye being all upset about your article and someone named Mundungus."

"Well what did she do when she realized that you'd heard?" Rowan asked. This all sounded very strange to her, and working at a newspaper, 'strange' was an every day event. She had never heard of anything called "The Order" in her researching. She did know that there was a retired Auror nicknamed Mad Eye Moody, because he'd been part of the story of Harry Potter's witnessing Lord Voldemort's return. That must be whom she was referring to, but why?

"The first time she slipped, while we were at the Burrow, I just smoothed it over like she hadn't said anything out of the ordinary. Nothing more was said about it, and I didn't ask Fred, because I got the feeling that it was a big secret," Carly said. "And this morning, I don't think she knows that I heard as much as I did."

"Wasn't that man who came to talk to Arthur named Mundungus?" Rowan asked, trying to think.

"I think it was," Carly agreed thoughtfully.

"So this Mundungus and Mad Eye are members of this 'Order' that's a big secret," Rowan summarized. "And he comes here to talk to Arthur and Molly, who are apparently also members."

"Then Fred and George suddenly leave to take care of a family emergency," Carly added, a look of concern darkening her normally serene features. "Do you think that they're members too?"

"It would make sense," Rowan said. "Or why would Molly be talking to Fred about it or mentioning it at the dinner table?"

"What could this 'Order' be about? What do they do? Why wouldn't Fred and George tell us about it?" Carly asked, not really expecting her sister to supply the answers.

"I don't know," Rowan said with determination coloring her voice. "But when we see them next, we're going to find out."

"What do we do until then?" Carly asked in return.

"The only thing we can do," Rowan said with a furrowed brow. "Trust them."