Harry Potter and the Orb of Power

Chapter 28: The Order of the Phoenix

   The Christmas holidays soon came to an end for Hogwarts, and slowly the students began to trickle back in.  As soon as the students began to fill up the school, however, life became very weird and awkward for Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Just as school began again, Harry was receiving glares from the nearby students, and he was getting quite sick of them whispering behind cupped hands as they walked by him in the halls.  Even the other Gryffindors were looking at him strangely.  Most of the younger students were afraid of him, often scurrying away when Harry tried to lead them.   His prefect duties became more difficult, even with Hermione desperately attempting to convince the younger students that Harry was not going to curse them.

   Harry and Hermione, after the kiss under the mistletoe, slowed down much afterwards.  While they both clearly liked each other, they were reluctant to become an official item, mostly because they were worried how Ron would react to the two of them going out. It seemed only yesterday Harry had seen Ron and Hermione angrily breaking up, and it would be long before Harry forgot the awkward fights and bouts of silence that stood between the three of them.  Overall, Harry was looking forward to classes beginning, in the hopes that maybe all of them would be distracted by the work.

   The weather continued to grow colder on the grounds of Hogwarts; the wind would be icy cold and bite the students with sharp teeth as they trudged across the grounds to Care of Magical Creatures or the greenhouses for Herbology.  Hagrid had returned from his Christmas mission and was resuming his classes, much to the relief of Harry, who was worried that Hagrid would not be able to return in time to teach the class.   Homework picked up again, and while doing another nasty Potions essay on the Ingenium Potion, which Snape had been continually assigning Harry on top of the already large Potions work, Harry realized that the O.W.L.'s would soon be upon them.  Among the many things happening at Hogwarts, the O.W.L.'s had managed to completely slip his mind.   Harry often was nervous when the teachers began to send back his homework with grades that could have been better, and he especially got nervous when Hermione too didn't get the grades that she normally did.  All in all, as January's winter clutched Hogwarts, Harry was feeling quite chilly indeed.  

   It was late in January that Harry realized that he needed to practice Quidditch as well.  As team captain, it was his responsibility to call practices, and he had let his team wallow for too long in a state of limbo.  At much risk to his grades, Harry started to call practices three times a week, in the snow, sleet, and rain.   The team constantly gave him scowls when he told them that they would be practicing for three hours in a snow storm, but there was no other way to get them ready for the upcoming match against Hufflepuff.  Harry was quite confident that they would beat them, barring any unexpected barriers like the last game against Ravenclaw.   Harry still did not know what had happened during the game, but he hoped that it did not happen again during the next game.

***

   "This is impossible," Ron said, throwing down his quill.  He had been taking notes on Astronomy for hours and he was still not finished with the assignment.  The three of them sat in the library, and it would soon be closing time.   "Why do we need to know all this rubbish about the angle Earth makes with Mars, it's ridiculous."  Hermione sighed too, putting her quill down and rubbing her eyes.

   "I know it's tedious, Ron, but there is loads of important information in the stars," Hermione sighed.  "Remember the centaurs in first year?  They could tell the future from them."

   "I wasn't in the Forbidden Forest that time, Hermione," Ron reminded her with a roll of his eyes. 

   "But you know the story!" Hermione snapped back.

   "Guys, let's just take a break," Harry said, removing his glasses and rubbing his burning eyes.  "Anyways, we should be researching the Orb again."

   "Not again," moaned Ron.  "We haven't found anything in ages!"

   "But there are loads of books on Egypt we haven't checked yet," Hermione reminded him.  "We're bound to find something.  We've been stuck for so long, we'll eventually get something we can work on." 

   "Optimism, the trap a fool falls in most," Ron said sagely, looking at the rows of dusty books that were in the Egyptian section.  "I should have paid more attention to the boring stuff when I was in Egypt."

   "Maybe, let's just grab some books," Harry said.  He put down his quill, and felt a burning on his left arm.  He winced, feeling the heat coming off of the face of his watch.

   "What's wrong?" Hermione asked, noticing Harry shaking his arm in pain.

   "My watch is burning me," Harry whispered through his teeth.  He unstrapped the crystal band and examined his arm.  There were no discernible marks, but the watch was clearly giving off some form of heat.  Harry felt exactly the same way when he approached Fawkes when he was in Dumbledore's often; he felt the same searing warmth coming from him.

   "A watch that overheats, who knew?" Ron said sarcastically.  "I bet Sirius knows what it means."

   "It's too bad I can't ask him," Harry said softly, feeling a pang as he thought about Sirius.  There was still no sign from him, no letter, no sighting of a large, black dog.  Harry shook his head, trying to expel the grim and foreboding thoughts that were creeping into his head.

   "What does that mean?" Hermione asked, pointing to the face of the watch.  The phoenix outline of the watch was glowing orange.  One of the wings seemed to turn and point to the number twelve, while the other wing, looking smaller than the other, was pointing to the number two.  

   "That's odd, I've never seen it do that before," Harry said, gazing at the watch and wondering what exactly it could mean. 

   "Maybe it's a malfunction," Ron said, but Harry knew even he didn't believe it.  "Ask the Lie Detector, maybe it'll answer the question."

   "Sounds like a good idea," Harry started to say, but Madame Pince stood up from her desk.

   "The library is closing, please take your things and return to your common rooms."  She watched Harry, Hermione, and Ron like a hawk as the three of them reluctantly gathered their things and left the library.

***

    "Can anyone tell me the function of a Lliath Dagger?" Mrs. Figg asked in an exasperated voice during Defense Against the Dark Arts.  Mrs. Figg, who insisted that the students had done enough defensive spell work for the year, was now teaching the class about the many Dark Objects that they may encounter after their stay at Hogwarts.  To no one's surprise, Hermione's hand shot up in the air, much to the annoyance of Mrs. Figg.  She turned her deep blue eyes on Hermione, rolled them in an impatient fashion, and melodramatically sighed.  "Does anyone know the answer, besides those who feel that they need to prove themselves intelligent with every single question?"  Hermione's hand dropped sadly, much to the annoyance of the rest of the class.   

    "She's a regular Snape-ette," Ron muttered viciously.  Mrs. Figg stared at the class impatiently, boring holes into their eyes with her intense stare.

    "Very well.  A Lliath Dagger is a very dark blade swirling with potent magic.  The dagger is useless for cutting any material, or to use as a physical weapon, but when the dark energies surrounding the knife are channeled properly, the dagger can be used to see into the future with frightening accuracy, cutting through the barrier between the present and the future, and allowing one's enemy a great foresight."  Harry began to yawn, and felt his attention wavering. Who could possibly be interested in an old knife that probably doesn't exist anymore? The same could be applied to all the other dark objects they'd be studying. Most of them were destroyed, what was the point of them existing?

    "Potter, I think you particularly should pay attention," Mrs. Figg snapped, bringing Harry back into focus. His green eyes met her blue, and for a moment it looked as if her eyes were on fire.

    "Yes, Mrs. Figg," Harry mumbled, and started to pay attention once more. Mrs. Figg droned on about the Lliath Dagger for what seemed to be an eternity. Harry caught himself wishing he had one to see what it would be like to be out of the class, and tried to pay attention once more. He snapped into focus and saw that Mrs. Figg had stopped teaching. She was looking at her wrist for a moment, and then looked at the clock.

    "What's going on?" Harry hissed to Hermione, who was sitting next to him.

    "I don't know. She stopped talking suddenly, looked down at her arm, and then looked at the clock," Hermione hissed back. Ron was sleeping, and Hermione had to wake him up with an elbow.

    "Kill the spiders," Ron whispered. "I fell asleep?" Ron had a drowsy look on him as he woke up from his nap.

    "Something's happening," Hermione hissed. Mrs. Figg looked at her wrist again.

    "Two o'clock…" Mrs. Figg mumbled. "Why?"

    "Huh?" Ron asked, bewildered.

    "Class, you'll have to excuse me for one moment. Maybe if I leave you to read, something will penetrate those thick skulls of yours," Mrs. Figg snapped, and limped quickly out of the classroom, dragging her right leg. The door swung shut loudly behind her, jolting Harry and setting off a lightening storm to his brain.

    "I wonder where she went?" Hermione asked, giving Ron a curious look. "I wouldn't have thought she'd leave a class like that."

    "Maybe she finally found someone she hasn't battered around," Ron said snidely.

    "Seriously Ron, something must important must have popped up," Hermione retorted.

    "She looked at the clock, she probably forgot to fail one of our homework's," Ron said dismissively.

    "A meeting," Harry said suddenly, breaking the silence. He didn't know how he knew it, but he had the knowledge as clear as day. Harry looked at his watch again, and saw that the phoenix wings were still pointing to twelve and two. "At two o'clock." Hermione's jaw dropped when she looked at the watch.

    "The Order," Hermione whispered. "Whatever it is, it's meeting at two o'clock. Sometime tonight, judging by the urgency in Mrs. Figg's face."

    "I think you're both barking mad," Ron said. "But then again, I'm always wrong."

    "I think it's time to use the invisibility cloak tonight. There's a reason the watch is telling me the time of the meeting. I have to get there," Harry said.

    "But we don't even know where it is," Ron countered logically. "How will we find that out?"

    "It'll be in the safest place possible. Dumbledore's office," Harry said with frightening certainty, unsure as to how he knew what he knew. Harry looked down and saw that his hand had strayed to the Orb, and it was now swirling with grey energy. Was the Orb acting by itself? What kind of power did it give? Harry let go instantly, and the Orb disappeared. He couldn't use it; he didn't know enough about it to even hope to use it. But the fact that his hand was clenched around it without his knowing it, without him feeling it, unnerved him. It was a dark object, no doubt about that. Mrs. Figg suddenly limped back into the room. The bell rang at the same time, ending class.

    "Well…start your essays on the Lliath Dagger. And try to inject a little bit of quality in these essays," Mrs. Figg shouted, and limped quickly out of the room once more. Harry watched his teacher leave the room, and was suddenly confronted with a memory he had hoped to forget. He had seen that limp before somewhere, that familiar drag of the leg. But where?

    "Oh no…" Harry whispered faintly, the horror of the situation striking him at that moment with frightening power.

    "What's wrong?" Hermione asked, seeing the horrible look on Harry's face.

    "Mrs. Figg, she has a limp," Harry said, feeling a numb disbelief spread over him. It couldn't be true, there was no way Dumbledore would be hoodwinked two years in a row. Another impostor? Another Death Eater hidden in Hogwarts' rank of teachers?

    "What about it? It's been there this entire time," Ron said, not making the connection.

    "Malagar…she has a limp too," Harry whispered again.

    "What are you trying to say? That they both got injured the same way or something?" Ron asked incredulously, a nervous grin plastered on his face.

    "No, Ron. I'm saying that they are the same person," Harry said. "That's how Voldemort kept up with the Order's movements, whoever they are. They got to Azkaban first, and checked their before Dumbledore even thought about it. They got to Diagon Alley before the Order got there, and they definitely figured out about the Longbottoms before the Order. Malagar infiltrated the Order, and probably has been feeding them misinformation."

    "But why isn't she helping Lucius Malfoy tear down Dumbledore? It seems to me that she hates him," Hermione countered.

    "Maybe she's keeping up appearances?" Ron conjectured, but Harry shook his head.

    "You didn't see her at St. Mungo's. She was separate from the Death Eaters; she came with dementors. She used the Orb once, pyramids shot out, and then she said she would address ‘his question' or something like that."

    "So what's that supposed to mean?" Ron asked, thoroughly bewildered.

    "That it looks like Malagar is double-crossing Voldemort. Dumbledore said she was stripped of her powers when she tried to help Grindelwald. I think she's trying to regain her powers and then separate herself from Voldemort," Harry responded.

    "But why would she be with You-Know-Who in the first place if she was trying to get her own powers back?" Ron countered, his face screwed up in thought.

    "Because right now Voldemort is in a pretty powerful position. He's looking for the Orb of Power, and when he gets it he'll be the biggest bully on the block. Malagar was using Voldemort to get to the Orb, and now that she has, she wants to be clean of him," Hermione responded. However, while listening to Hermione's theory, Harry found himself disbelieving her. She usually was right when she tried to figure things out, but something about what Hermione said rubbed Harry the wrong way. Harry sighed in frustration.    

    "All this comes back to the fact that we know nothing about the Orb. Maybe if we listen in to Dumbledore's meeting, we can get some information about what's going on," Harry said.

    "Shouldn't we just tell Dumbledore that Malagar is posing as Mrs. Figg?" Hermione asked. "I'm sure he'd like to know."    

    "We don't have much proof besides a limp. And if Mrs. Figg...Malagar…whoever she is knows that we know, we'll be in deep trouble. I think right now that our best course of action is to pretend that we know nothing. Dumbledore's hasn't been as sharp as he used to be, he's growing tired. This we have to do on our own," Harry said firmly and decisively.

    "So we listen in on their meeting then?" Ron asked, his voice hinting that he did not like the idea of spying on the headmaster and his secret organization.

    "Yes," Harry said, nodding his head. "It's about time we got some answers."

***

    The night descended on Hogwarts rather quickly. The rest of the day was nothing but mounting anticipation for the three of them as they planned their spy mission. Harry, Hermione, and Ron had to wait for everyone to empty the common room, which didn't happen until 1:30, leaving them only a half hour to get to Dumbledore's office without being seen.     

    "I wish I had the Marauder's Map," Harry said bitterly. He had lost the map to Barty Crouch Jr., who was posing for Mad-Eye Moody, last year, and probably would never get it back.

    "We'll just have to manage," Hermione said bracingly. The three of them crouched under the Invisibility Cloak, (this being incredibly difficult, with Ron being as tall as ever), and set off into the darkened hallways. They tried to be as quiet as possible, and nearly had disaster when Ron almost steered them into a suit of armor. The three of them slowly made their way to the office of the headmaster, and stopped when they saw the stone phoenix guarding the entrance.

    "This is it. Anyone who doesn't want to do this, now's the time to back out," Harry said grimly, looking at the ominous gargoyle standing before them. When no one stepped back, Harry held his hand over the statue, feeling the heat radiating off of it. It was very hot, similar to Fawkes, similar to his watch; Harry had a feeling that they were all connected, but the how and the why of it were hard to understand. Ron put his hand on the statue, and nothing happened.

    "You don't feel the heat, do you?" Harry asked him.

    "Heat? This stone is as cold as ice," Ron responded. Harry looked at his watch, and saw that the phoenix outline was glowing red once more, and radiating heat.

    "No time to think about that now," Harry said, and put his hand on the phoenix stone. The gargoyle sprang to life, spiraling upwards, revealing the stairway to Dumbledore's office. The three of them carefully stepped on the stairs, and felt themselves being carried upwards, closer and closer to Dumbledore's office.

    "Remember, Dumbledore might be able to see through invisibility cloaks like Moody, so we have to be extra careful not to be seen by them," Harry whispered.

    "This is mental," Ron whispered, and soon after the gargoyle came to a halt. The three of them stepped carefully off of the statue; Harry felt the tension mounting within him, the anxious feeling bubbling up in his stomach. He took a deep breath and opened the door; the three of them gazed inside.

    Dumbledore's office was empty.

    "Just great," Ron sighed.

    "I don't understand," Hermione whispered. "Are you sure the meeting was in Dumbledore's office?"

    "I don't know…at the time I felt pretty sure," Harry said, feeling frustration welling up inside him. They were so close to answers, where was the meeting being held? Harry gazed around Dumbledore's office, now extremely familiar to him, and noticed something very odd. Fawkes was not sitting on his perch, as usual. Rather, the perch was empty.

    "That's odd, Fawkes usually sits there," Harry muttered to himself.

    "Maybe Dumbledore let him out for a quick fly around the castle," Ron said, shrugging his shoulders. "In any case, this adventure was a bust. We should probably leave before we get caught." But Harry could not abandon the search so easily.

    "Maybe there's some note or something that says where the meeting is," Harry said hopefully.

    "Harry…Ron's right. We should probably get out of here soon," Hermione said, looking anxiously at the door.

    "Not until we get some answers," Harry said stubbornly. They had gone for too long without knowing what was happening. Too many had died, too much had happened for Harry to go back to his ignorance. Harry put his hand on Fawkes perch, and felt a lingering heat coming off of the perch. At that moment, the perch shuddered violently, and then slowly started to slide to the left.

    "What did you do?" Ron breathed, watching as the perch clicked into place, and the whole of the wall suddenly started to turn. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, and the two of them locked their fingers together. Ignoring the electric sensation rushing through his fingertips, Harry watched the wall separate. The wall stopped, revealing a hidden passageway through the wall. Harry took a deep breath.

    "Let's go." The three of them entered into a dark, dank, twisted tunnel that started to descend slowly. The torches were alight with a black flame, reminding Harry eerily of the torches at Azkaban. They walked slowly and deliberately, not sure of how safe the way was. After a few moments, they reached a door that was emblazoned with a red and gold phoenix, which was rising from the ground in plumes of flame. The door seemed to glow; the colors were radiant compared to the dank tunnel they had just traveled in. Harry instinctively put his hand on the door, and the door suddenly slid into the wall, revealing a relatively large cavern. In the middle, Dumbledore was seated at a round table, surrounded by several other wizards and witches. There were stairs that led down into the cavern and to the table. Harry, Ron, and Hermione started to climb slowly down, and hid on a ledge that overlooked the table. Hidden behind the stone, they listened in on the meeting.

    "When will we begin, Albus?" a voice growled, clearly Mad-Eye Moody.

    "As soon as all of us arrive," Dumbledore said, looking at the red and gold phoenix that was perched in the middle of the table. Harry could tell that it was clearly Fawkes. The door behind them slid silently closed. Dumbledore lifted his blue eye towards the door, but seemed not to have noticed that someone else had entered the cavern.

    "Need we wait for Severus?" Moody said in reply. "It's past two, we don't even know if he's coming."

    "He'll be here, Alastor. I ask for a little more patience from everyone," Dumbledore replied calmly. Harry tried to make out who the other members of the Order were. Harry saw Lupin next to Moody, and Ganymera, the eyeless witch, on the other side of Moody. Harry saw the moonlit eyes of Mr. Ollivander, who was gazing silently at Fawkes. Harry's eyes narrowed as he saw Mrs. Figg sitting silently next to Ollivander. Harry forced himself to look at the remaining wizards and witches. Harry remembered Mundungus Fletcher from his night at Azkaban, talking to another whose voice was quite familiar.

    "Is that…my father?" Ron whispered, squinting forward. Harry saw the wizard turn, and Harry saw the familiar face of Mr. Weasley. "What's he doing here?" Harry ignored the question, and saw seven empty chairs next to Mr. Weasley. After the gap, Harry saw Hagrid, who was sipping a large tankard of what looked like Firewhiskey. Next to Hagrid was Professor McGonagall, who completed the circle. Dumbledore looked at his watch, and suddenly the door slid open behind Harry. Harry saw Snape sweep into the cavern, his black robes billowing behind him.

    "Sorry I am late, Headmaster," Snape said. "Mr. Malfoy was insisting that he inspect your office. I told him to wait until the morning, and he seemed to agree."

    "All is well, Severus. Lucius can have a look at my office in due time. For now, let the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix commence. As you can see, we are missing six of our number. The Potters, the Longbottoms, Brolin, and Sirius Black, who has gone missing. We have reconvened the Order of the Phoenix, and it seems that now everyone available is present. We have several topics to discuss, and I hope that everyone will give their full cooperation."

    "The first is the business with the Orb of Power and the deaths of the Longbottoms." A murmur seemed to swiftly spread through the circle.

    "They're dead?" Ganymera whispered softly. "How is it so?"

    "Killed by Bellatrix Lestrange," Mr. Weasley responded. "She attempted to steal the Orb from them, and when she couldn't have it, she killed them."

    "How was it that this whole time, the Longbottoms had it but didn't say?" Mundungus demanded. "Why didn't we know? All of this could have been avoided!"

    "Because, we did not know the Orb of Power was going to factor into Voldemort's plans," Dumbledore responded calmly. "It wasn't until he attacked Gringotts that we had any idea of his intentions. But the real key to our knowledge of Voldemort's plans is Harry Potter's dream from the summer."

    "Should we seriously take stock in his dreams, Albus?" Mrs. Figg demanded in an annoyed voice. "Surely the boy might have misinterpreted the dream, or not remembered finer details. And besides, who is to say that this boy has any Sight at all?" Harry glared at her. She was trying to lead the Order away from any knowledge that Harry's dream had given them. Harry glared at the impostor, and forced himself to look at Dumbledore.

    "All good questions, Arabella, but hearing the dream itself is of the utmost importance. But the fact that Malagar was in his dream, without him having any prior knowledge of her existence, leads me to believe this dream was true," Dumbledore responded.

    "Malagar? She has returned then," Ollivander whispered. "And so our situation grows more precarious."

    "This does not answer the question as to how the Longbottoms did not tell the rest of us that they possessed the Orb of Power," Mundungus insisted.

    "Because of their oath as guardians to the Orb," Ollivander responded. "The Longbottom family has long guarded the Orb of Power, and as those guardians, they cannot reveal to anyone that they possess it. It has been that way since the time of the Founders."

    "Then how did You-Know-Who gain knowledge of their possession of the Orb?" Mundungus asked, looking around at them.

    "Unanswerable," Ollivander answered. "Malagar, with her gift of the Sight, I suppose."

"So what now? Should we destroy the Orb?" McGonagall asked the

group.

    "Not yet," Dumbledore responded. "The Orb is only a means to an end, Minerva, and there are other methods besides the Orb that will lead Voldemort to power. None quite as efficient, or as sure, but there are other options. As for where it is, that I cannot say. However, it is safely protected."

    "So, all this over an Orb that means nothing," Mrs. Figg sighed. "It seems pointless to me. We should be going directly after Voldemort." Several people at the table winced at the sound of Voldemort's name, but Dumbledore stood unfazed.

    "The Orb does not mean nothing, Arabella, but we must not overstate its importance. Voldemort is indeed seeking it, but it is not his ultimate goal. As to that, we can merely speculate. However, there is more pressing business that needs to be discussed." Dumbledore paused for a moment, and looked at Fawkes. "The Prophecy of the Phoenix is almost at its culmination. Fawkes' decision will be made soon." Everyone at the table gasped. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, who looked just as confused as he did.

    "Can it be true? That the time its finally come?" Ollivander gasped. "If only Brolin lived to see such a day. How do you know?"

    "Fawkes' is giving off heat, which is most peculiar in a phoenix. This means that, in short time, Fawkes will shed his feathers for the last time and become living fire, and at that time he will make his decision."

    "What are they talking about?" Harry mouthed, bewildered.

    "Fawkes, at this moment, is one of the three objects that must be protected. Fawkes, of course, since that is the original purpose of the Order of the Phoenix. However, we still must protect the Orb, and of course, Harry Potter," Dumbledore said. Harry saw a scowl on Snape's face at those words.

    "Headmaster, I must impress on you the seriousness of the Dark Lord's intentions with the Orb. It must be protected! We all know that the Orb should not be held in the hands of…"

    "Severus," Dumbledore said, cutting him off. Snape bowed his head in respect, but the malice in his eyes was hard to ignore. "It is pivotal to remember that Fawkes, not the Orb, is the key to everything. Once Fawkes makes his decision, that decision should be irrevocable." McGonagall was shaking her head; Harry knew that she disapproved of fortune-telling and prophecizing, and dismissed it as nonsense.

    "So what about Sirius?" Lupin asked, sensing that the meeting was coming to a close.

    "We're still looking, Remus. I have every confidence that we will find him," Dumbledore said. Lupin shook his head; he, like Harry, felt more needed to be done to find him. "Before we call this meeting to a close, a few more objectives need to be clarified. The Astronomy Tower must be guarded at all times, especially these days. Second, keep an eye out for Harry Potter. He doesn't seem to be in any immediate danger, and I do trust him, but with Lucius Malfoy inspecting the school, we cannot be too careful. And thirdly…be careful. We don't know where Voldemort will strike next." Dumbledore folded his hands under his chin, and gave the Order a slight nod. Chair scraped against the stone ground, and most filed out of the cavern. Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Hagrid stayed behind.

    "Minerva, Hagrid, we must be cautious. Our actions now may well determine the outcome of our conflict."

    "You didn't tell them about that mysterious witch that has been trailing Potter," McGonagall said, eyeing Dumbledore curiously.

    "No, for reasons I cannot explain. I do not know who she is, or what she intends, but until we do, we cannot tell the rest of the Order. She's not to be crossed."

    "Professor, Harry's fifteen years old. I reckon he's old enough to be tol' the truth," Hagrid said quietly.

    "He will know, soon enough. But not until we fully understand Voldemort's plan. While Harry's dream may have been true, I cannot fully rule out the possibility that Voldemort is putting things in Harry's head. The connection between them is powerful."

"Very well, Professor. However, I must again inform you of my suspicions. You-Know-Who…oh all right, Voldemort, has known our movements for quite some time. You know my feelings on the subject," McGonagall hissed.

"Every member of the Order has my full confidence," Dumbledore said. "However, I do respect your point of view. Perhaps you will turn out to be right, in the end."

McGonagall then whispered something that Harry couldn't hear, and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled for a moment, and then he looked at McGonagall.

    "Excellent observation, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "Of course, I doubt that Harry will mind having private lessons when the time has come." The three of them started to climb the stairs leading to the exit. Harry, Hermione, and Ron made sure they were well under the cloak before the teachers reached their landing. Dumbledore whistled, and Fawkes swooped into the air. He was glowing orange, radiant even in the dim cavern; and with every flap of his winds, a brilliant flash of light filled the cave. Sparks trailed after Fawkes' tail as he swept through the door and into the tunnel.

    "Perhaps I will live to see the end. And maybe then, some rest." Dumbledore sighed; sadness filled every line on his ancient face, accented the dying embers of life in his blue eyes. "Just perhaps." Dumbledore sighed again, and the door slid closed behind him. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, who were giving him puzzled looks.

    "Is it me, or did all of that just confuse you even more?" Ron whispered.

    "You're not the only one," Harry mumbled. "Still no answers."

    "You guys don't listen, do you," Hermione said with that familiar air of ‘I-know-and-you-should-too' look on her face.

    "Just tell us, Hermione," Ron said impatiently.

    "Harry, you've been keeping a Divination dream log right?" Hermione asked with an eager look on his face.

    "Yes, how does that help?"

    "Dumbledore said the key to everything is your dreams. Even if Voldemort is putting things in your head, you're dreaming is giving us important information! We can probably figure things out from there!"

    "I think you're getting excited over nothing, Hermione," Harry said. "We've tried going by the things I've dreamed. The battle, Malagar, nothing's come up."

    "Maybe, but what about the dreams about the sentinel? Maybe if we figure out who he is, it'll lead us in the right direction!"

    "I'm with Harry, I think we're still in a dead end," Ron mumbled. The three of them left the cavern and walked through the tunnel. Harry shushed everyone as they entered Dumbledore's office, which again was empty. The three of them stepped onto the gargoyle, and the gargoyle spiraled downwards, allowing them to exit. Just as they were exiting, they almost walked directly into Dumbledore, who was gazing down the hall, clearly distracted by something. Harry thought it was a miracle he hadn't spotted them already. The three of them moved silently in the other direction, hoping he wouldn't turn around and see the three of them under the Invisibility Cloak. They were about to reach a corner when Harry turned back, and saw a pair of green eyes staring out at them from the darkness.

    "What is that?" Harry whispered. Hermione and Ron looked back, and saw the eyes glaring at them. Hermione grabbed Harry's hand, Ron's eyes widened with fear. Dumbledore took out his wand, getting ready to utter a curse. The eyes blazed for a moment, and then disappeared into the darkness. Dumbledore lingered for a few moments, made sure that the eyes were gone, and then returned to his office, muttering about something to himself. Harry, Ron, and Hermione made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, unaware that the eyes had returned, and were blazing with fury once more.