The Marauders' Sons

"Well that was fun, I think I'm gonna like you," Tom said, still smiling at the uproar that the Hufflepuff girl threw up when she was beaten by a well-placed kick in the jaw.

"Well, you said fight, not duel, so I guessed it would be OK, and seeing as I am a brown belt, I decided to have a little fun," responded the Ravenclaw who had made Tom's day.

"I was hoping someone would pick up on my little hint. You all got your coins from Hermione right?"

"Yeah," Draco answered, "Granger gave them to us before the duels, why?"

"Well, when there is to be a meeting, the Galleon will get warm and this number right here," Tom explained as he pointed out the number, "will tell you when the next meeting is and when. Everyone understand? Good," he said, as they all nodded.

" First off, I want to know your names and years, so you can sign this contract, and then we can get to the reason that we are all still here. By the way, this contract is a little more powerful than the other one, and there will be painfully private consequences to anyone who tells a soul about what goes on in here to someone outside the DA. Even so, I would prefer you did not talk to other DA members about all this either."

"My name is Veronica DeCenso, and I am a Fifth Year Ravenclaw, though obviously not a prefect. I'm pretty sure Flitwick did not trust me to not lose my temper with the little kids," the Ravenclaw girl answered and signed the contract.

"I'm Mia Franks, Fifth Year Slytherin, I however, am a prefect," the Slytherin girl added with a little arrogance as she too signed up.

"Shut up Franks, we don't really give a shit," Draco drawled.

"Fuck off Malfoy, I was talking to Tom...what is your name anyway?" responded Mia, making painfully obvious to everyone that this bickering was a regular thing.

"Number One, shut the fuck up the both of you, and Number Two, name's Tom O'Malley, as McGonagall said just a few nights ago. Glad to see you listen...Anyways, the four of you are here because it has been decided that the DA will have a few new purposes this year, and I have been assigned to lead you in those new purposes. Those would be keeping an eye on the children of known Death Eaters and watching out for new recruits, which will fall on Draco, Mia, and Veronica. Ginny and I will be keeping an eye on Harry."

"Why does she get the easy job, and why does St. Potter need bodyguards?" snapped Malfoy.

"That is between Harry and Dumbledore," Tom answered with a little bit of edge in his voice, to close the issue, "as I was saying, me and Ginny will be watching after Harry, and don't like we are getting off easy, because rumor has it that Harry finds ways to get in trouble."

"Did you just forget about the last five years Malfoy?" spat Ginny, "Lets see, his first year there was the Stone, then the Chamber of Secrets, by the way tell Daddy I said thanks, then the Shack, You-Know-Who's return, and finally the Department of Mysteries, once again thanks Papa Malfoy. As you can see, we have our work cut out for us."

"Touched a nerve, have I?" inquired Draco, with a little glint in his eye.

"None of your fucking business, Malfoy!"

"Oh really, seems to..."

"ENOUGH!" barked Tom, fed up with the in-fighting that had started in the first ten minutes, "can't any of you people get along? For Christ's sake, we are all on the same side!" Lord God, what have I done?

"I haven't said a thing!" interjected Veronica, with a little bit of anger in her voice. Temper is right...

"Well why did you have to ruin your perfect record?" Tom was really starting to get angry, and the last thing he wanted to do was lose it at the first meeting. "Back to business. Another thing that I have to say is that Harry is to never, ever, know that we are keeping tabs on him. He will be absolutely livid, but it has to be done. If anything should happen to me..."

"Is that likely?" asked Mia, with a little worry in her voice.

"More for me than you three," answered Tom, with a little worry in his own voice, "As I was saying, should anything happen to me, the four of you should find a new member from the DA and one of you should take over as leader. If it happens to be any of you, I will take care of replacements. We will meet with the rest of the DA, and then we will stay behind in here, and do what we have to get done that particular day. Mostly it will be a little meeting and training, and I will teach you all a new spell, called the Gladius Charm."

"What's that?" asked Ginny.

"I'll show you. Gladius Stupefy!" he commanded, as the familiar beam of red light issued from his wand into a blade.

"Wow, cool!" said Mia

"How'd you do that?" Veronica asked.

"Why do we have to do that? Why cant we just use a normal Stunner?" asked Draco.

"Why do you have to be such a bloody kill-joy?" shot back Ginny. Will it ever fucking stop?

"This is a Stunner in a solid, sword form. It is completely weightless, and the slightest little touch will act as though you took a regular Stunner right in the heart. Poof, out like a light. This little trick will work with any curse, jinx or hex, and will only affect others, not the caster. If someone touches your wand, the spell will hit him or her, even if they pick it up off the ground. The Gladius Charm will make it so that you can disable someone without saying a word and staying completely hidden. It was an invention of my mother's, and she was an Auror who used this one a lot. This spell is another thing that we will not talk about outside this room, understand?"

"Well," said Draco, "so much for using it at parties."

"Also, with much practice," Tom continued, "you will be able to make the blade as long as you want, but you must have a specific length in mind or it will not work."

"Tom," Ginny started, "I have been wondering, why did you decide to only work with one person, me, who was in the DA last year? They have more experience, so it would make sense to have them handle these types of things."

"Don't get me wrong Ginny, I thought of that, but I decided to go with three new recruits and yourself. The rest are too used to listening to and looking up to Harry, as they only know him as the Boy Who Lived And Taught Us To Fight. I need people who will be willing to listen to me and do some things behind Harry's back, like look after him. The reason I chose you Ginny is because you will not be needed elsewhere, like Ron, Hermione, Luna and Neville, and you are probably also the sneakiest Gryffindor. Don't think I don't know about that little excursion to the Fifth Year boy's dorms, though I would like to think you gave that kid's underwear back."

The rest of the meeting involved Tom showing them the weight room and the room where they would meet with the Trio, Ernie, and Luna after the meetings to give them updates on any possible problems in the castle. All in all, Tom thought it went decent enough, though there was a little bit of friction in the ranks, or as Victoria put it, "Should I bring popcorn next time?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As the Trio, Cho, and the remaining new recruits made their way down from the first DA meeting of the year, Harry started to do what he did a lot of these days, and brooded. He was no where in the league of Tom or Malfoy, but thanks to the death of first Cedric Diggory and now Sirius, and since stewing in anger wasn't quite doing it for him any more, he was getting quite good at it.

Harry was sure there was something that was missing, something that did not seem right, but he had no clue as to what it was. Why do I feel like I am forgetting about something important, it's like there is this huge detail I am so blatantly missing.

He had other things on his mind as well, not the least of which was Luna. They had not really spent much time together other than the first night back in the Room of Requirement, and he was starting to feel like he was neglecting her. She was after all, at the top of the ever-shortening list of things he had to live for which now read as follows: 1) Luna, 2) Ron and Hermione, 3) the defeat of Voldemort, 4) his other friends, and 5) Quidditch. He really didn't care much for school anymore, as he was not even sure he would live long enough to ever put his education to good use, and he couldn't really care less about the Dursleys. They didn't like him, he didn't like them. It was that simple and sad at the same time. He could barely hear what was being said between the others, and he did not notice the others leave, nor did he notice that they were almost at the picture of the Fat Lady. He also didn't realize he was being addressed until he was hit in the shoulder by Ron.

"You been listening, mate?" he said, "You know, the owl?"

"What owl?" Harry responded, not having the slightest clue as to what Ron was going on about.

"That owl!" he answered pointing to the corner, "You have an owl, and by the looks of it, someone important would like a word with you."

In the corner, looking very austere was a rather large brown owl. Harry could tell what Ron meant by someone important, because this particular owl seemed to be almost arrogant, as if Harry should have known better than to keep him waiting. It also had a sort of covering like the owls that brought the school letters have, except this owl's tunic of sorts was clearly labeled "MOM" in overtly fancy lettering to match the demeanor of this particularly arrogant owl. Harry took the letter and the owl flew off, not before giving Harry one last reproachful look for having the audacity to keep him waiting.

"That one had a bit of an attitude, didn't he?" Ron concluded, as the offending creature got out of sight.

"I think I can explain why it was used to the star treatment," Hermione said as she picked up some papers that had fallen out of the letter, "these look like some kind of ticket from the Ministry."

That's what it was! thought Harry as he looked at the letter without reading it. He had spent the last few months so wrapped up in what was going on, being whisked away to Hogwarts, Luna, Tom's arrival, his birthday party, the train, the DA, that he had not realized that the Ministry was being very quiet as of late. Even when they cleared Sirius' name after his death, they had not been very loud about it. All they did do, as a matter of fact, was send a letter to the Order, a copy of which was sent to him, though it only said that they did not consider him to be a Death Eater. He thought this odd, until he realized that the Ministry did not want to cop to another huge mistake like Sirius right after the reemergence of Lord Voldemort. Not that that was a good excuse. Sighing at the obviously underhanded tactics of the people who were supposed to keep them safe, he read his letter.

Dear Mr. Potter,

I am honored to have privilege of informing you that you have been nominated for the Order of Merlin, Third Class, in recognition for revealing to the world the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This will be the first time that the Order of Merlin will be awarded to an underage wizard, and, as Minister of Magic, I look forward to presenting this prestigious honor on November the First.

I am also pleased to inform you that you will be allowed six guests to accompany you to the reception after the ceremony, as the ceremony itself will be open to the public. Dress robes are required, and a dance partner as well, being that it is customary for the recipient and the Minister of Magic, myself, to open the reception with their partners. My wife and I look forward to seeing you there.

Respectfully Yours,

Cornelius Oswald Fudge

Minister of Magic

"That bastard!" stormed Harry, "He thinks he is gonna cozy up to me! I'll be damned if his sorry ass is gonna use me to keep the job that he doesn't deserve! In no way, shape, or form will I be there!"

"Harry, what is going on?" Hermione asked him, concerned for her best friend, whom she regarded as a brother.

"See for yourself," he responded, shoving the letter into her lap as she sat in her favorite armchair near the fire in the Gryffindor common room. He was not in the mood to discuss just how angry he was that of all people he could have chosen, Fudge was going to try to get him on his side.

"Mate, you need to talk to Dumbledore, he'll know what to do about that slimy git," interjected Ron.

"I already know what I am going to do, I am going to write back to him with the most resounding 'Fuck You!' that he has ever seen."

"I don't know Harry," countered Hermione, "we have already seen that he can make your life Hell if he really wants to. Just look at last year if you need any proof."

"What I don't get," a voice said from behind Harry, "is why you don't take the opportunity that has been so generously presented to you."

"How long have you been there and what are you talking about?" Harry asked as he turned to give the recently arrived Tom a look.

"When are you going to learn that I just appear places? Anyways, it seems that Fudge wants to make nice with you Harry and present you with the Order of Merlin, but you so obviously don't want to. As far as I am concerned, this could not be a better situation for you to do what's right with your fame," Tom answered with an evil look in his eye.

Harry and Ron were lost, but Hermione could see where this was going.

"Your not suggesting that Harry..." Hermione began with a look that said 'this is not such a good idea' before she was cut off by Tom.

"That is exactly what I am suggesting."

"Would you two like to tell me what I should do, because I am obviously incapable of saying 'No' on my own?" Harry was getting back into his stride, a fact that Hermione picked up on and promptly started to try and calm him down.

"Harry, Tom wants you to play with Fudge, and I think that may be an even worse idea than yours," she said, while throwing a look at Tom over his left shoulder, "Publicly humiliating the Minister of Magic is not going to help anyone. You should go, and you should take the award."

"I'm with her, Harry, Fudge has already shown us that he can be a bitch of an enemy when he wants to be," Ron concurred.

"Can I at least say my piece first? Besides, I never said anything about humiliation, publicly anyway," Tom threw in, not letting the issue die.

"Fine," Harry said, just wanting this to end,

"As I was saying, Fudge has given you an opportunity here. With that shiny new medal on your chest, you, Harry, will be looking very good to the public. All I am saying is that it may not be such a bad idea to use some of that popularity," Tom explained with a falsely innocent tone.

"I'm listening," Harry said, now genuinely curious about what Tom had to say.

"Look," Tom began, very happy that he had Harry's attention. Tom-1, Hermione-0, "from what I have been told, seen and heard, this past year you and the ministry have not been very buddy-buddy, especially you and the Minister. Right?

"Yeah," Ron answered, his interest peaked at the prospect of messing with the man who has held his father back, "Fudge was bloody vicious! Between the Dementors, Umbridge, and the Prophet I'm surprised he still has a job after he was so wrong."

"Well," Tom continued, "Harry has never done anything like that, has he? Then if he goes and plays ball with Fudge and acts like bears no ill will towards him or the Ministry, he will come out smelling like roses. Nice enough, in fact, to have a lot of pull when he issues a vote of no confidence in the Minister of Magic and asks for an impeachment."

"Bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, "Harry, this is a chance to get back at Fudge and do some good for the Order at the same time! You have to do this mate!"

"I don't know Ron, I mean, will the people listen to me? They were so easy to convince that I was mad, what if they have not completely gone back on that? What do you think Hermione?"

"I don't know if this is such a good idea, Harry. If it works, it will be brilliant, but if we mess this up, it could cause problems, like you said," she answered, a little upset that Tom had put Harry in this position.

"Then run it by Dumbledore first," Tom countered, not willing to lose this battle within a battle he was having with Hermione.

"That sounds like a good idea, I think I'll do that," Harry answered.

"I'll come too," Tom threw in, not wanting Harry wandering the castle at night at all, let alone by himself.

"I can handle it, thanks."

"I want to have a chat with him myself, this will be a good excuse to get in his office."

"Fine, whatever."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Harry and Tom made their way to Dumbledore's office, there was very little conversation going on between them, as they were both deep in thought, albeit for different reasons. Harry was putting a lot of thought into not only what he should do, but also what he wanted to do. The idea of humiliating Fudge was almost too good to pass up, yet that would not do much good. He could just decide not to accept the award at all. The more he thought about that, the more he liked that idea. If he just "respectfully declined" Fudge's award, which he really didn't care for, he could throw it in Fudge's face and not risk looking bad at the same time. That's what I'll do.

Tom was also doing some deep thinking of his own. If Harry was going to be going to this ceremony, he would have to be there, and he didn't like these huge parties. He was a little on the anti-social side, as Dean and Seamus could attest to, as they rarely spoke. It was not that he hated being around people, he was just an introvert to a fault and as such he did not make very many friends. When he thought of it, the fact that he got so close to the Trio so fast unnerved him a little. It was like a part of him already knew Harry, Ron was easy to get along with, and as far as Hermione goes, well, that was scariest of all. He felt like he had known her his whole life, and he actively tried not to get involved with her, as there was too much danger around him. She was too close to Harry to be safe as it was, and the last thing she needed was another group of killers after her because of someone else. The Flanagan crime family was not about to forget that night in April sooner than Tom.

Then there was the little detail of the reason Tom came to England in the first place. Albus Dumbledore, the most famous wizard of the age, and the man who Tom himself asked for help from had assigned him the task of protecting the Boy Who Lived. That was his reason for being here, and that was to be his #1 priority: keep Harry Potter alive. When he mat Hermione, that all went out the window. He knew that if he had a choice between Harry and Hermione, there was no contest. He would do anything to keep her alive, Harry and the rest of the wizarding world be damned.

The musings of both these brooding teenagers came to an end as they reached the gargoyle that led to Dumbledore's office. Harry gave the password that everyone else used ("Mars Bar") and led the way up the stairs. When they reached the door, Harry turned to Tom.

"If you don't mind, I would kinda like to do this alone."

Harry gave no other option, so Tom assented.

"Sure thing, but I also would like a word with him too, so wait for me after you are done, and we'll go back together."

As Harry was about to walk into the office, as always, Dumbledore was a step ahead.

"Come in, dear boy, come in."