The Marauders' Sons

"Come in, dear boy, come in," came the warm voice of Albus Dumbledore from the other side of the large oak doors that led to his office. The fact that Dumbledore always knew that someone was coming to his door always unnerved Harry, and this served to throw Harry off kilter more than he already was, but at least he saw this coming. Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, being so nice to him as to send him a letter, let alone give him the Order of Merlin, he did not see coming.

As he entered Dumbledore's office, he got that familiar sense of comfort that he associated with the man himself and Fawkes, Dumbledore's phoenix. Dumbledore seemed to have been waiting for him, as he was sitting at his desk with his hands folded on top of it with an expectant expression on his face.

"Good evening, Professor, sir, I wanted to have a word with you," Harry informed him.

"I thought so, as you are not one of my regular guests. What is troubling you, Harry?" the old man replied with the ever-present twinkle in his eyes locked in place.

"Well, sir, I received an owl today. It was from Fudge and he said that he wants to give me the Order of Merlin on November first."

"I'm sorry, but I fail to see the problem," Dumbledore answered, not letting Harry get off that easy.

"Why is Fudge doing this? He spent a solid year trying to make me out to be some lunatic, and now he wants to act like we are friends and give me some stupid medal that I don't deserve!" Harry knew that Dumbledore knew he was thinking this, but for some reason, Dumbledore was letting him do all the talking.

"Well, Harry, why do you think that Fudge is doing this? I do not pretend to be an expert in politics, but I do have my theories. However, I would much rather hear yours first."

"I think he is trying to save his job. The Prophet has been a lot kinder to me since..." here Harry faltered, trying so hard as always to completely block out the feelings and memories he had from the fateful trip to the Ministry. "...June, and he may be trying to get me on his good side so he can have my support, if anyone tries to get him removed from office. Or, he may want to look like he is starting to change his ways. Either way, he is using me for his own purposes, and I don't like it."

Dumbledore, who could attest to Harry's dislike of not only Fudge, but of the politics in the Ministry, sympathized with the boy before him. Dumbledore also had an aversion to politics, but the nature of the world and the moment, i.e. war, had once again forced him to enter into the political arena, something he always wanted to avoid. He preferred to protect the world and deal with teenagers, whom he saw as more mature and trustworthy.

"Harry, I think you may be right. So what are you going to do about it?"

I came to him for guidance, yet here I am telling him my thoughts on the subject. I hope to God he is going somewhere with this.

"Well, I think I should 'respectfully decline' his offer," Harry answered, really thinking that he wanted to slap him around and flash him the bird.

"I'm afraid," Dumbledore answered with a knowing smile that Harry had learned meant that something was about to go over his head until he had Hermione explain it, "that neither of these solutions will be wisest, though you may do as you wish."

"Neither, sir?" Called it.

"My dear boy, I am a Legilimens, and though I think Cornelius could use a slap in the face, it would not, as I said, be wisest. Likewise, I think you should take this award. It is a great accomplishment."

"Professor Dumbledore, I am going to ask you a question that I would like you to answer as truthfully as possible," Harry answered, galvanizing himself for what he should do next.

"Of course, my boy."

"Do you want me to get the award for me, or do you want me to do for some other reason?"

This question came as a shock to Dumbledore. Not because he wasn't getting at something, but because it was the sort of thing that Tom O'Malley would have said, and he was concerned that he might have used his Astralimency to possess Harry, a very illegal act. At the moment, however, he had other issues to take care of.

"Harry, you have been taking lessons from Mr. O'Malley, it seems. The answer to your question is yes and no. While I feel that it is a great honor for you personally, I think that you should receive it for the good of the cause as well."

"That's what Tom said. He said I should use my fame to my advantage for once, but I don't want to use it all, and I certainly don't want this award for what happened that night."

"Harry, I am going to tell you something that I haven't told anyone except my closest advisors. Can I trust you to keep this under wraps?"

Harry was pleased to finally be in on something, so he naturally answered, "Yes, of course."

"Cornelius Fudge is not going to last the year in office. The only problem with this is that if he doesn't resign, which he absolutely refuses to do, Lord Voldemort will kill him. Now that he is out in the open, a move this drastic is very possible, and it will cause widespread panic. With the Minister of Magic murdered, no one will feel safe. The psychological damage to the public will be great. If he can be forced out, by way of a vote of no confidence from several high-profile wizards, we can accomplish several goals. Firstly, we can install a Minister who will allow the Order to help protect him, second, we will stop Voldemort from exacting such a huge blow on morale, and last but not least, we will save a life."

Harry was enthralled at what was being said. He was getting his wish and he would be involved on what he thought of as his war, the war that only he could win. His only hang-up was that yes, we would have to take the "God damn award," as he thought of it. He hated publicity, and this was going to be a media frenzy, but he was going to take the hit on this one.

"Okay, I'll do it," he finally answered.

"I'm glad to hear it, and I respect how much of a sacrifice this is for you. I know you hate the attention. Now, I leave you to organize the particulars, and hope to receive a list from you of who will be at your table for the reception. There are seven seats at a table, so you have six guests to find, and they will also need dress robes. Good night, Harry, and once again, congratulations. Tell Tom I will see him now."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tom was always a sneak. He loved to creep around and play spy when he was a kid. He loved the feeling of excitement one got when they snooped around and discovered things that he either didn't know or wasn't supposed to know. Either way, it was inevitable that he was going to listen in on Harry and Dumbledore's conversation. He couldn't help himself; he, once again, just had to know. He was always like that, really, he wanted to know as much as he could as fast as he could.

This time was a little different though. When Harry went through the large wooden doors, Tom tried not to think of it, but he wanted to be in that room...and then he was. He looked around and could not understand how he was here, until he happened to look down and noticed that he could see through himself. I've projected myself...without even trying!?!?

Being in the room and not being in the room at the same time would be unnerving for anyone, but this was a little different. The catch was that Tom had tried actively many times over the years to leave his body as an astral projection, but he was never able to do it, despite coming close on several occasions. But here he was, and he did it without even thinking of doing it. This experience also answered a few questions he had about how exactly these projections worked. He still had the appearance of the clothes he was wearing, but he could not feel those or most of his extremities, but he knew it was him by means of the Astralimency that allowed him to exist as aura only in the first place. When he went back to look at his body, he also discovered that everything not directly connected to his body was left behind, as his wand and the other two things he always held with him remained.

In addition to his wand, Tom always carried two other things with him, though for very different reasons. Inside his robes, right over his heart, was a picture. It was a Muggle picture of his mother before he was born. He always liked that picture, because she was so young she looked almost like she could be his sister, she could not have been older than twenty-one when it was taken. His mother was such a serious person for as long as he could remember, that the look of happiness on her face while two men he didn't know had an arm around her shoulders and waist in the middle of a bar comforted him because he was assured that she was not always the workaholic that she appeared to be as Tom aged. The other object that Tom always had with him was a dagger. This was a special dagger, but for a very different reason. This was a souvenir that he grabbed before he fled his home that night, and only a Flanagan was ever going to be hurt by this dagger again. Both of these things he kept secret from the world at large, and though she had certainly gone exploring throughout his person, not even Hermione had ever seen these two seemingly obscure possessions.

After checking after his seemingly unconscious body, he listened to Harry and Dumbledore chat. Then, as they finished, he went back to his body, stood, and cleaned himself off to avoid funny questions about why his robes were so dirty.

"He wants to see you now, I'll wait," Harry said as he walked through the double doors to Dumbledore's office.

Tom entered the very familiar surroundings of Dumbledore's office and took a seat in front of him.

"Tom, how nice to see you," greeted the aging Headmaster.

"Professor," Tom responded with his usual curt nod.

"Before we go into particulars, I have a question that I want answered truthfully, and I will know if you lie," Dumbledore said, conspicuously without the twinkle. He meant business.

"No problem, sir."

"Did you in any way directly influence what Harry said during our talk?"

"You mean did I possess, him? No, I didn't, as a matter of fact, just now was the first time I ever even projected myself."

"Really?" Dumbledore responded, now more interested than concerned, "How long did it take you to accomplish this?"

"To be honest," he responded, "I didn't even try, it just happened. Before I could spend hours trying and failing, but just then it was immediate, and without effort."

"So you are a full Astralimens now?"

"It appears so, sir."

"Interesting," Dumbledore said, and then added more to himself, "...both killed as well..."

"Ah, sir?" Tom sounded, trying to regain the attention of the now clearly distracted Headmaster.

"Yes, of course, I take you have your own questions to ask," Dumbledore answered, snapping out of his reverie as quickly as he went into it.

"I was wondering if you could give me more information on my father."

This was a topic that Dumbledore had danced around since the first time he met with the boy. Tom O'Malley had a track record, and the information that he wanted would not serve him well to hear while he was still recovering from the attack. So the Headmaster gave him the same answer as always.

"I'm sorry Tom, but I'm not in a position to answer that question."

"I see," was all Tom said as he turned around, marched out the door in a disappointed huff and practically dragged Harry back to Gryffindor Tower.

Back in his office, Albus Dumbledore sighed. If I didn't know you and your father, I would tell you. But if what I think is true, I cannot risk a repeat of April. You are too important.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry and Tom were sitting in the common room later that night, Tom in his chair in the corner, isolated from the few others still awake, and Harry in his chair by the fire, not as isolated, but enough for him. They were both alone, as Ron and Hermione were in bed. Though neither knew, their thoughts were very similar. She is going to kill me. She is going to fucking kill me.

The 'she' was naturally Luna and Hermione, respectively. Though they both had other issues to deal with at the moment, both thought that they were being less than attentive to their girlfriends as of late. When a teenage boy no less determines that he is being less than attentive to his girlfriend, there are definitely red flags going up. The scariest part was that they were both right.

Luna was the more forgiving of the two, as was her nature, so Harry was fairly safe as far as Tom was concerned. Hermione was the more reasonable one, so Tom was fairly safe as far as Harry was concerned. If one were to be completely objective, it would have to be Tom that would be in more trouble. Unfortunately for him, he had a few things going against him. How in the name of all things holy am I gonna manage to find substantial alone time with Hermione when I have to worry about Harry, and her not kicking my ass for being an asshole earlier? OWWW! THAT FUCKING CAT! He added at the end of his thought, as Crookshanks did his part for Hermione and scratched his left leg. Tom and Crookshanks had a love/mostly hate relationship. They both cared for Hermione, so they were usually able to keep the peace between them for her sake, though actual affection from one to the other was out of the question. But when one was in trouble with the Boss, the other had their fun. If Crookshanks had gotten cat hair all over Hermione's robes, Tom was not above pointing out this to her when the cat was trying to get her to pat him. Conversely, when Tom would do something stupid like challenge Hermione over Harry's letter and turn it into a battle of wills that he must win at all costs, Crookshanks knew that he had free reign to open a few cuts in Tom's legs. I'm seriously in a battle of wills with a fucking cat... Excuse me, half-kneazle he finished, when he remembered telling Hermione about the first time Crookshanks drew blood and he railed on about her "fucking beast of a cat!"

Harry, though, would have to say that he was in more trouble. In the little time that he had to spend with her in the last few days and the letters they wrote, he discovered that even Luna had some insecurity somewhere inside her. Not that she was worried about Harry leaving her; she was more worried about Harry getting caught up in the war. She reminded him constantly that though he had to fight this war, he would be a teenager only once. Then he realized he had never told her the prophecy, which was what was bothering him the most at the moment. How am I going to tell her that I have to take a life? Not to mention the fact that she will be in even more danger than she is already. Who could blame her if she left me to save herself or her dad? All in all, the love lives of the Gryffindor Sixth Year boys were in the shitter. "Except for Dean," Harry mumbled to himself, "That lucky bastard is probably with one of the Patil twins." Dean was having a tough time deciding which he liked better; either that or he was the one getting messed with. Either way, missing Dean = missing Patil.

Tom then had a stroke of brilliance that he did not think he would be possible of. He could enlist the help Ginny, who was supposed to be helping him anyway. It was a little underhanded, slightly malicious, but if he could manage to get her to follow Harry while he was with Luna, as he had to do the night they went to the Room of Requirement and Tom had the honor of sitting on the floor under an Invisibility Cloak while Harry and Luna got to have fun. Having now been in there himself, he couldn't blame them, as whatever they had in mind, the room would provide. All Tom had to do now was use Ginny's friendship with Hermione as a reason for her to become Harry's shadow for the day and play voyeur.

On the other side of the room, Harry had finally decided to talk to Luna and find time to be with her. She would also tell her the prophecy then, too. If he was ever going to do this, he might as well do it as soon as possible.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Absolutely not!"

"C'mon Ginny, please! Me and Hermione haven't had any time to do anything, if not for me, then for her," Tom pleaded, something he was loathe to do with anyone. If he was going to keep Hermione happy at all, though, this had to be done. Tom had heard Harry say to Ron that he was going to spend Saturday with Luna, and before they got any business done with that night's meeting, as they were in the Room of Requirement, he wanted to make sure Harry was covered for the day.

"You know, O'Malley, I'm not sure that this has anything to do with the Dark Lord or Potter, sounds to me like you just have blue balls," came the ever malicious voice of Draco Malfoy. Cue Mia and Ginny.

"Malfoy, do you ever stop talking?" asked Mia.

"Tom can't be expected to do all this himself, and you know it! You know what Tom? I think I will give you Saturday off. I haven't got anything to do and Hermione has been a little angry with you recently for not spending much time with her," answered Ginny.

After having an introductory meeting with what Tom thought of as "the Board," Tom had asked Ginny to do him this favor. He knew that it wasn't going to happen unless he found a creative way of getting it done, so he had a devious little plan worked out.

"Thanks, Draco," he whispered, as Tom and Draco went off to the weight room while the girls dueled. This was how they decided they would do things, Tom and Draco working together and then three girls doing whatever they weren't. The inevitable confrontations between Draco and Mia/Ginny, with Veronica looking on in amusement and occasionally goading them for her own entertainment made this a no-brainer as far as Tom was concerned.

"Anything to toy with Red," he answered, referring to Ginny with the nickname he always used, and she hated. Before they had started, Tom had pulled Draco aside and asked him to help him out. They actually managed to get along. Draco even wondered out loud if he wasn't supposed to be a Slytherin.

Tom really didn't know why he and Draco managed to get along so well, though for some reason they did. He had not liked him from the stories he had heard, especially from Hermione, but he still felt like he could trust him. Neither was much inclined to be friendly to other people, so, in a weird way, they bonded over their equally sarcastic natures. Tom would insult Draco, Draco would insult Tom, and they would both smile on the inside. It was the weirdest relationship either of them had. It did, however, create a certain level of respect between them. He even got him to stop referring to Hermione as Mudblood, which was a feat all to its own. Being the inquisitive mind that he was, he asked why.

"Well, I guess I thought that if you were willing to give a little and let me in, I might as well give a little and at least be polite to Granger. You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours. Though as soon as you break up, it's back to Mudblood."

When Tom thought about that, it actually made sense to him, and that was a scary thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry was going to do it. It was high fucking time he tell Luna. So that Saturday the happy couple found themselves walking around the lake. As was her duty, Luna broke the silence.

"It's nice that we found time to do something together, I've missed you," she said, as she grabbed his hand in hers.

"I know. I've missed you too. It's just not the same at a DA meeting, when we are both busy, not to mention the thirty or so other people."

"Harry, you seem a little tense. Are you feeling OK?"

"I'm fine, don't worry about me," he answered as he gave her a quick kiss on the lips in a desperate attempt to delay the inevitable.

"Come here," she said as she led him over to the infamous birch tree from Snape's memory. This tree sure has seen a lot. Luna led Harry over and as he sat down, she sat in between his legs and leaned against his chest, looking out into the lake.

"Harry, you are a terrible liar. I know that something is wrong and I know that you only want to protect me, but I need you to be able to trust me. Tell me what's wrong, please."

Harry knew that the jig was up. He did not have a choice. They both knew that Harry wasn't going to be able to keep it quiet, so he finally bowed to the inevitable.

"Before I tell you this, I want you to know that I won't think the less of you if you decide to leave me."

As he said this, Luna turned to look at him with her great blue eyes, and for once she had a dead serious expression on her face. "You know I wont."

This heartened him a little, so he began.

"This all goes back to when I was born. There was a prophecy made about me, the same one from the Department of Mysteries. According to this prophecy, I am the only one who is able to defeat Voldemort, and if I don't kill him, he'll kill me."

They weren't very long ones, but up to that point in his life, Harry had never had more trouble in his life saying the next few sentences.

"That's why he has come after me all these times, he wants to win before I even get a chance to beat him. I have to murder him before he kills me, and he has killed those closest to me to try and bait me. That's why I don't think we should see each other. I couldn't live with myself if I knew I was putting you in so much danger. I care about you."

Harry was expecting a few different reactions to his confession, but he never dreamed that Luna would be angry.

"I made one request Harry," she stormed, "and that was for you to at least try and live! I know you have a tough life, but if you think that I am going to let you push me away for my own good, then you are sadly mistaken!"

"But Luna..."

"Don't 'But Luna' me! In case you can't remember, I was at the Ministry that night, so I am already pretty high up on the to be killed list. I knew that falling for you would be risky, but here I am, and I don't want to be anywhere else. Can't you see that?"

She was really upset, and there were the beginnings of tears in her eyes as she looked up at Harry, though he was angry himself.

"For fuck's sake Luna! You think I like that fact that it has to be this way? You think I like the feeling that we can't be together because of some load of shit Trelawney came out with?"

"That's it though, Harry, it doesn't have to be this way? Why do you refuse to understand? I am in this whether you like it or not. I will not let you push me away when we both know you need me the most right now. I...I love you."

Harry knew he lost. He was never going to get Luna to leave him alone, and he didn't want to that much in the first place. There was only one thing he could say.

"I love you, too."

The couple stayed for a while and just held each other, then got up and left, leaving a very shocked Ginny Weasley under an invisibility cloak in their wake.