Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

For the first few weeks of the summer holiday, Ciel kept in touch with some people from the wizarding world. He received letters from Harry, Ron, and Hermione and he had also been corresponding with Dumbledore, who told him about the Order of the Phoenix, a secret organization founded by Dumbledore to fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The group’s existence was kept a secret from anyone outside of the group, including the Ministry.

Other than that, Ciel mostly spent his holiday focusing on enjoying his new appearance and taking advantage of his adult form.

Now that he could change his look, Ciel had taken on an appearance of a young man in his mid twenties, which made him look about the same age as Sebastian. Initially, he thought that he could alter his appearance in any way he wanted – make himself taller, for example – but apparently, it didn’t quite work that way. He looked like his adult self, if he had been given a chance to grow up properly. He could choose to look younger or older, but his physical features, including his height, would correspond with that particular age, and unfortunately, even at his tallest, fully-grown form, he was still shorter than Sebastian by half a head, much to Ciel’s disappointment.

“At least, I can look like a normal fifteen years old now and I won’t be the shortest among those children.” Ciel said. “And how about you? Have you always looked like this?” He gestured at his butler.

“This is the human form that I’ve taken since the beginning, yes. Since I wasn’t turned from human, I don’t have a proper human form.” Sebastian said.

“But you have animal form and a true form.” Ciel said. “Which I don’t have.” He added in disappointment. He had his shadows, he could blend in with the darkness, but he didn’t have a proper true, demonic form.

“One day, when you’re old enough and strong enough, I'm certain you’ll be able to alter your form into something… less human, but for now…” Sebastian trailed off.

“Great. Just great.” Ciel groused. “Your true form is this… frightening… demon, and my true form is a short thirteen years old boy. Life is so fair, indeed.” He pouted.

Sebastian chuckled. “I, for one, think your original form is quite adorable.” ‘Like a kitten.’ He thought, but he dared not say it out loud.

“Do you wish for death, demon?” Ciel’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Eep! What are you…!” The rest of his protests were cut off when Sebastian pulled him closer and kissed him passionately.

“Not that I’m complaining,” Ciel said after their kiss, “But what was that for?”

“Nothing.” Sebastian said. “Do I need to have a reason to kiss my beloved?”

“You’re welcome to kiss me anytime, but you’ve been rather… insatiable lately, ever since…” Ciel trailed off. His eyes sparkled and a big grin spread across his face. “You like this form, don’t you?” He said teasingly. “You can’t get enough of me ever since I’ve taken this form and you can’t keep your hands off me.”

“You’re adorable when you are thirteen, but you are absolutely gorgeous in this form.” Sebastian admitted.

Ciel wrapped his arms around Sebastian’s neck. “And to think that you didn’t like it at first.” He remembered the hurt that he’d felt when Sebastian’s initial reaction towards his new form was less than favourable.

“It wasn’t that I didn’t like it, sir. You took me by surprise.” Sebastian said. “I wasn’t used to seeing you in this form and at first, I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.”

“And how about now?” Ciel asked, his hand slid down to Sebastian’s tie and his fingers tugged at the black strip of cloth. “Have you decided whether you like this form or not?”

“I think I’m falling in love with you all over again.” Sebastian said softly before kissing his master.

In the last week of July, Ciel and Sebastian decided to go to Iceland for a holiday. Although they had done this several times in the past, it was the first time that Ciel had gone in his adult form.

They had their own spot in the wilderness, where they wouldn’t be disturbed by anyone or anything. They found the area some years ago and it had been their favourite place to visit ever since. They would stay here for a few days, hiking or roaming the woods during the day, and their nights were spent in each other’s arms, making love under the stars.

“Are you planning to return to Hogwarts this year?” Sebastian asked.

They were lying on a thin mattress, watching the bright stars above them. Their limbs were intertwined together under the wool blanket that covered them. The cold didn’t bother them, but it was nice to snuggle up under the soft and fluffy blanket.

“Yes.” Ciel said, his finger tracing random pattern across Sebastian’s bare chest. “Why do you ask?”

“Now that Voldemort is back, there’s no need for you to go back to Hogwarts. We can hunt him down ourselves. We don’t need to join forces with the Order to do that.” Sebastian said. “That way, there won’t be any war in the first place.”

This topic had come up quite often lately and Ciel knew that it had nothing to do with the war itself. Sebastian couldn’t care less if those magicians would kill each other in their so-called war. The demon, however, had a score to settle with a certain rat.

“We’ve talked about this, Sebastian.” Ciel responded. “At the moment, we don’t know enough about Voldemort to make such a reckless move. I wasn’t prepared the last time and look at what happened.” He hated bringing up the topic of his own – temporary – death because he knew his mate didn’t like to be reminded of it, but he needed to get his point across. He extracted himself from Sebastian’s embrace and propped himself up on his elbow, reaching to trace his finger along the older demon’s jaw. “You will get what you want. But we have to be patient.”

Sebastian sighed. “I know, my love. But he…” He reached out to touch Ciel’s face. “He killed you.”

“And he will pay for that.” Ciel said, capturing Sebastian’s wrist and brushed his lips across the contract mark at the back of Sebastian’s hand. “But now is not the time to act rashly. Wormtail is one of Voldemort’s most loyal servants. We can safely assume that the rat will be by his side and it’s not wise to charge forward without any plan. I know you’re angry, I know you want your revenge, but not even that is worth dying for. Trust me. I’ve been there.” He smiled slightly. “For now, we have to be patient. We need to join forces with the Order and go back to Hogwarts because the best way to get to Voldemort is through Harry Potter.”

“Very well.” Sebastian agreed, albeit reluctantly. “Are you going to tell the others about what we are then?”

“I haven’t decided on it yet, but I’m not opposed to the idea.” Ciel said. “Under the circumstances, it might be more beneficial to tell them. The Order is our game pieces and I want to be in the position where I can direct and place them accordingly, or at the very least, I want to be aware of their plans. Being regarded as a half-blood teenager with a Muggle butler is not going to give me that.”

“And if they couldn’t accept it?” Sebastian asked.

“Then it would be their loss.” Ciel said with a shrug. “We could always step back and let the war happen and wait for an opportunity to kill the rat.”

“They might want to hunt us down instead.” Sebastian said.

“Not if they don’t want us to spill their secrets. Besides, they’ve already had their hands full with Voldemort to worry about two innocent demons.” Ciel said. “And remember, we have Dumbledore and Harry Potter vouching for us.”

“If we’re forced to walk away, it would go against the terms of the deal and the professor’s soul won’t be ours.” Sebastian reminded his master.

“Then it won’t be.” Ciel said casually. “The rules of the game have changed, Sebastian. Now, our first priority is to protect ourselves and catch the rat.” He let out a chuckle. “A century later and we’re still trying to catch the rat.”

“Rats could be useful in spreading a plague, but beyond that, they are just troublesome pests.” Sebastian said. “And cats understand that…” He stopped talking when Ciel placed his finger on his lips before replacing it with his own lips.

“No kitten talk, dear. I’m on holiday, for hell’s sake!” Ciel said laughingly after the kiss.

“Hm? Then what should we talk about?” Sebastian asked.

“I’d rather you do something with that clever mouth of yours.” Ciel said, his eyes shining with lust. “Something that doesn’t involve talking.”

“As my master wishes.” Sebastian said and flipped them over.

After they came back from Iceland, Dumbledore paid them a visit.

“What brought you here this afternoon?” Ciel asked. He was looking like his old self again since there was no need to show Dumbledore his new ability.

“Harry has been accused of using magic outside of school and he will be attending a disciplinary hearing at the Ministry.” Dumbledore said. “A couple of Dementors showed up at Little Whinging and he was forced to repel them.”

“Dementors?” Ciel was admittedly surprised. “At Privet Drive? And are we not allowed to use magic outside of Hogwarts?” He’d been using magic here and there, as practice or just for fun, unaware that he wasn’t even supposed to do that.

“Those who are under the age of seventeen are not allowed to, although I imagine that rule might not have applied to you.” Dumbledore said. “We have been keeping an eye on him, but this incident is rather… unexpected.” He took a bite of the cookie in his hand. “Delightful as always, Mr. Michaelis.”

Sebastian acknowledged it with an incline of his head.

“And you suspect foul play?” Ciel guessed.

“Dementors do not accidentally show up in a quiet Muggle neighbourhood.” Dumbledore said. “But we do not know what actually happened. Yet.”

Ciel leaned back in his chair. “What do you want us to do?”

“I hate to intrude on your summer break, but I was hoping that you could join Harry and the others. A few wizards are scheduled to retrieve him in a couple of days and bring him to a safe place.” Dumbledore said.

“The Order’s headquarter, I presume.” Ciel said.

Dumbledore nodded.

“We’ll join them.” Ciel decided.

“Excellent.” Dumbledore said and proceeded to give Ciel a series of instructions of how to find the place.

Which had led to tonight...

Ciel and Sebastian stood in front of a row of houses at Grimmauld Place, London, and they were looking at house number ten, eleven, and thirteen.

“They should be here soon.” Ciel said, looking at his watch. Though he was back to his old self, he couldn’t resist ageing himself slightly. Now he looked about fifteen. He looked mostly the same, with sharper and more defined jawlines. He was a couple of inches taller, but his big and round blue eyes, coupled with his messy mop of slate hair, made him look young and boyish still.

As if on cue, the streetlamps around the area went out, leaving them in darkness. But that hadn’t stopped them from seeing the approaching group.

Ciel recognized Lupin, Mad-Eye Moody – the real one, he hoped, and… Harry? There was also another witch with them, but he didn’t know her.

The group came to a halt upon seeing the pair and Moody – infamously paranoid – took out his wand and pointed it at them.

Sebastian immediately placed himself in front of his master, his arm extended at his side in a protective gesture.

“No, don’t!” Harry said, stepping in front of Moody. “They’re with us.”

Okay, so that was Harry.

“What happened to you?” Ciel asked his friend. “Why do you look like… that?” He made a gesture at Harry’s general direction. The boy wasn’t exactly invisible, but he looked… translucent, as if he was a human chameleon.

“What are your names?” Moody asked gruffly, his glass eye rotating wildly as he scrutinized them. He grabbed Harry by his arm and pushed the boy behind him, keeping his wand pointed at the pair. “Stay behind me until we can make sure they’re who they say they are!”

“Oh, sorry. Where’s my manners? Good evening, Professor Moody. My name is Ciel Phantomhive, and this is Sebastian Michaelis.” Ciel said, peering around his butler to address the group. He didn't bother to tell his butler to step aside, knowing that as long as Moody’s wand was still pointed at them, the older demon wouldn't budge. “We haven’t had the pleasure to really meet, given the circumstances, but I believe that Professor Dumbledore has informed you that we’d be here, yes?”

“And how do we know that you’re who you say you are?” Moody asked, not lowering his wand.

“Ciel, what’s your Patronus?” Lupin asked the demon boy.

At this, Moody seemed quite stunned. “You have a Patronus?” He asked, somewhat in disbelief.

“Yes, I do, and it’s a raven, sir.” Ciel said, turning to Lupin. “It’s nice to see you again, Professor.”

“I’m not a professor anymore.” Lupin said, giving Ciel an easy smile. “Now, we better get inside before…”

“How about the other one?” Moody asked. “Does he have a Patronus too?”

“No, Mr. Michaelis is not a wizard.” Lupin said. “But he’s Ciel’s butler and…”

“A butler? How exciting!” The witch said suddenly, causing the others to turn to her. “Name is Tonks, by the way...”

“Pleasure, ma’am.” Ciel nodded in greeting. The witch had a pale, heart shaped face and her hair was short and spiky.

“Oh, please…” Tonks said, “Just Tonks will do. ‘Ma’am’ makes me feel so old.”

“My apologies.” Ciel gave her a bow.

“Now that everyone knows everyone else,” Lupin interjected, “Can we continue to talk inside…” He glanced around nervously.

“Not until we can confirm their identity, both of them.” Moody said stubbornly.

“Sebastian has never left my side, Professor.” Ciel said. “I can assure you that he is who he says he is. Now, I believe we don’t have time to waste. Professor Dumbledore said that it’s urgent that we get here and I doubt that he meant we’re to stay here having a chat in the middle of the street.”

Moody didn’t move nor did he lower his wand.

Ciel sighed. “Fine. Let’s see... Ah, I know! Sebastian, how does Harry take his tea?” He asked his butler.

“English Breakfast with one sugar and milk, sir.” Sebastian answered easily.

“Wow, you actually remember that?” Harry asked in astonishment.

‘Of course, Mr. Potter.” Sebastian nodded. “If I couldn’t remember my master’s friends’ tea preferences, then what kind of butler would I be?”

“I can assure you that this is indeed, my butler.” Ciel said, rolling his eyes. “His sense of humour is exceptionally dreadful, you see. Unmatched, really. No one will be able to imitate him. Trust me. Many have tried and they all have failed.”

Tonks let out a giggle and Ciel winked at her, making her laugh harder.

“Alright.” Moody lowered his wand, but he still looked at them suspiciously. “Now, c’mon. Like the boy said, we’ve no time to waste.”

Sebastian relaxed and moved to stand behind Ciel. But he was still eyeing Moody, just in case the wizard tried anything funny. Although he knew that this wasn't the same Moody who had attacked his master, he couldn't help but feel wary.

They crossed the grass patch and stopped in front of the houses. Moody took out a parchment and handed it to Harry, telling the boy to remember it.

“What’s the Order of the…?” Harry started to ask, but Moody cut him off.

“Not here, boy!” The wizard hissed. He took the parchment from Harry and set it on fire. “Wait till we’re inside!”

“But, where’s…?” Harry looked around, confused.

“Think about what you’ve just memorized.” Lupin said quietly.

A few seconds later, a barren door appeared between number eleven and thirteen, followed by dirty walls and grimy windows. It was as though an extra house had inflated, pushing the other two out of its way.

“Come on, hurry.” Moody growled, prodding Harry in the back. The pair led the rest of the group towards the door.

The door itself looked quite unsuspecting, all things considered. Its black paint was shabby and scratched and it looked like any other door. A silver twisted serpent served as the doorknocker, but there was no keyhole nor letter box.

Lupin pulled out his wand and tapped it on the door once. They heard the sound of many metallic clicks as the mechanism came to life. With a clatter of a chain, the door creaked open.

“Get in quickly, boys.” Lupin said. “But don’t go far inside and don’t touch anything.”

They stepped into the house and was immediately surrounded by darkness. Ciel could smell mold and dust, and something rotten. The smell assaulted his oversensitive nose and he took out his handkerchief to cover it. He could see that they were standing in a long hallway with threadbare carpet and peeling wallpapers. A dusty chandelier was hanging above them, covered in cobwebs, and there were some age-blackened portraits hanging crookedly along the walls.

Behind them, Ciel saw the rest of the group filing in. Lupin and Tonks dragged in Harry’s trunks and Hedwig’s empty cage and Sebastian carried Ciel’s trunks, along with Earl’s cage. Moody stayed outside for a few moments longer to restore the lights of the streetlamps before ducking inside and thumped Harry over the head with his wand and the boy returned to normal.

“Now, stay still everyone, while I give us a bit of light in here.” Moody whispered.

Around them, the gas lamps along the walls came to life with a hiss, illuminating the room in a dim and flickering light.

The door at the far end of the hallway opened to reveal Mrs. Weasley, who hurried towards them.

“Harry, Ciel! It’s lovely to see you both!” Mrs. Weasley said, pulling both boys into her arms. “Good evening, Sebastian.” She greeted the butler.

“Good evening, Mrs. Weasley.” Sebastian greeted her politely.

Mrs. Weasley looked at the boys closely. “Harry, you look too thin. We’d need to get some food into you. And Ciel, oh dear, have you grown taller?”

Ciel beamed at her. “I have, Mrs. Weasley. Just a little bit.” He could feel Harry and Sebastian’s eyes on him, one curious and the other one amused.

“Well, I’m afraid that dinner would have to wait.” Mrs. Weasley said regretfully before turning to the rest of the group. “He’s here and the meeting’s about to start.”

With that, the rest of the group walked away, disappearing into the room where Mrs. Weasley had emerged from earlier.

“What meeting?” Harry asked.

“Sorry, dear. The meeting is for the members of the Order only.” Mrs. Weasley said. “Ron and Hermione are upstairs. Come, I’ll show you where you’ll be sleeping, but keep your voice down.”

“Why do we have to be quiet?” Ciel asked.

“Because I don’t want to wake anyone up.” Mrs. Weasley said in a hushed voice. “Follow me. Quietly now…” She led them further into the house and they walked past a moth-eaten curtain before rounding the corner past the large umbrella stand. They climbed up the dark stairs and they could see the heads mounted on plagues along the walls. Upon closer look, those heads belonged to house-elves.

“Mrs. Weasley, what’s going on?” Harry asked, keeping his voice low.

“Ron and Hermione will tell you.” Mrs. Weasley said as they reached the second floor. “Here we are, boys. Harry, your room is this one and Ciel, yours is the next one. Sebastian, the one across from Ciel’s room is yours. Now, I really have to get going. Get settled and I’ll fetch you all after the meeting is over.” With that, she went back downstairs, leaving the three in the dark corridor.

“I don’t understand.” Harry said, turning to Ciel. “What’s the Order of the Phoenix? And how are you getting taller? I thought you said...” His words were cut off when they heard a squeal.

“Harry, Ciel! You’re here!” Hermione said and ran over to greet them. She gave them both a hug. “Ron, Ron, they’re here!”

“Hello, Hermione.” Ciel said. “Hi, Ron.” He greeted the redhead who was walking towards them.

As Hermione talked to Harry, apologizing for lack of communication, Ron looked at Ciel up and down.

“Got a growth spurt, haven’t you?” Ron asked. “I swear, you’re much taller than you were a month ago.”

“Thanks.” Ciel grinned. “And you’re getting bigger yourself.”

Ron, indeed, had gotten even taller. He was almost a head taller than Ciel himself, much to the demon boy’s envy. “Yeah, well... It’s what we do around this age, you know...” He shrugged and greeted Harry.

Hedwig swooped in and landed on Harry’s shoulder, nipping at his ear as the boy stroked her snowy white fur.

“She’s been quite a state.” Ron said. “Pecked us half to death when she brought your letter. Look at this....” He showed them his index finger, which was covered with half-healed, but clearly deep cuts.

“I’ve heard about what happened, Harry. Are you alright? You know, after the Dementors’ attack.” Ciel said.

“Yeah, I’m fine. But I might get expelled from Hogwarts.” Harry said sadly, his shoulders sagging at the reminder.

“No, they can’t expel you!” Hermione said. “They just can’t.”

“You don’t know that, Hermione!” Harry said in agitation. “I don’t know that! I don’t even know anything at this point since nobody bothers to tell me what’s going on!”

“Sorry, mate...” Ron said quietly. “We wanted to tell you, but...”

“... Dumbledore made you swear that you won’t, yeah, I’ve heard.” Harry said bitterly. “And how about you?” He turned to Ciel.

Ciel shook his head. “I don’t know anything either. We just came back from overseas a few days ago and Dumbledore told us to join you here. He told us that you’ll be attending a hearing at the Ministry for using magic outside of Hogwarts, but that’s pretty much everything I know at this point.”

“You went overseas?” Ron asked.

“We went to Iceland, yes.” Ciel said. “After what happened, I needed a break.”

“Of course.” Hermione nodded. “And you deserve it. How are you doing, Ciel?”

“I’m fine, Hermione. Thank you for asking.” Ciel said. He was more than fine. His magic had fully returned to him and it was more powerful than ever. Why, the other day, he had tried to use Incendio to light up the campfire at their campsite and had almost caused a forest fire.

An awkward silence filled the room then, until Hermione broke it a few moments later, looking guiltily at Harry.

“He seemed to think it was for the best…” The girl said, shuffling her feet in a display of nervousness. “Dumbledore, I mean.”

“Right.” Harry said shortly.

“I think he thought you would be safer with the Muggles…” Ron started, but Harry cut him off.

“Yeah?” Harry said questioningly, “Did any of you get attacked by Dementors this summer?”

“Well, no…” Ron said, averting his eyes. “But that’s why he’s had people from the Order to follow you…” At this, he seemed to realize that he’d said the wrong thing and shut up, but it was too late.

“Didn’t work too well, though, did it?” Harry said sarcastically. “Had to look after myself, after all, didn’t I?”

“He was so angry,” Hermione said, “When he heard about it… About how Mudungus has left his shift early…”

“Well, I’m glad he left early.” Harry said coldly, “If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have done magic and Dumbledore would’ve left me at Privet Drive all summer.”

“Aren’t you worried about the hearing at the Ministry?” Hermione asked next.

“No.” Harry said and walked away with Hedwig perched on his shoulder. “So, why has Dumbledore been so keen on keeping me in the dark? Did you even bother to ask him?” He asked casually or at least, he tried to feign it. The tension on his posture said otherwise.

Ron started telling Harry about how he had wanted to tell him, but Harry wasn’t having any of it. They started arguing and Harry started yelling at them. He screamed about how he had been stuck at the Dursleys’, how he’d saved the ‘Sorcerer’s Stone’ – whatever that was, how he’d gotten rid of Riddle – Ciel assumed he was talking about Tom Riddle here, and about how he’d saved them from the Dementors.

Ron and Hermione continued to try and calm him down, but Harry was on the roll as he continued to yell at them.

“Harry, we’re really sorry!” Hermione finally said desperately. “You’re right, I’d be furious too, if I were you…”

Harry stopped yelling then, and simply glared at them, before he started pacing in an attempt to calm himself down.

“What is this place anyway?” Harry asked after a few moments of silence.

“Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.” Ron was quick to reply.

“Is anyone going to bother to tell me what exactly Order of the Phoenix is?” Harry asked next, still agitated, but he seemed to have calmed down considerably.

“It’s a secret society,” Hermione answered this time, “Dumbledore’s in charge. He founded it. It’s the people who fought against You-Know-Who the last time…”

“Who’s in it?” Harry asked next.

“We’ve met about twenty of them, but we think there’s more.” Ron told him.

“Well?” Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Well what?” Ron asked dumbly.

“Voldemort!” Harry snapped, making Ron and Hermione jump and flinch upon the name. “What’s happening? What is he up to? Where is he? What are we doing to stop him?” He asked impatiently.

“We’ve told you,” Hermione said with a hint of exasperation in her voice, “The Order doesn’t let us into their meetings. So, we don’t know the details. But we know some… general stuff…”

“Fred and Geroge have invented Expendable Ears, you see.” Ron continued. “They’re really useful.”

Harry and Ciel looked at Ron curiously.

“Expendable…”

“Ears, yeah.” Ron nodded. “But we’ve stopped using them because Mum found out and went berserk. Fred and Geroge had to hide them all to stop Mum from binning them. But we managed to get a good use of them before she found out. We know that some of the members are following known Death Eaters, keeping tabs on them…”

“… Some of them are recruiting new members into the Order…” Hermione continued, sounding rather excited now.

“… And some are standing guard over something. They’re always talking about guard duty.” Ron finished off.

“Well, they could be talking about guarding Harry.” Ciel pointed out and Ron’s face fell.

“Oh, yeah… That, er, that makes sense.” The redhead said, nodding his head.

Harry snorted, “So, what have you been doing? You said you’re busy…”

“Well, we’ve been... decontaminating the house…” Hermione started. “This place has been empty for ages, and stuffs been breeding in here. We’ve cleaned out the kitchen, most of the bedrooms, and I think we’re going to work on the drawing room tomo… Argh!” She exclaimed and jumped when, with two loud cracks, Fred and George Weasley – Ron’s twin brothers – had materialized out of thin air in the middle of the room.

“Stop doing that!” Hermione scolded them breathlessly.

“Hello, Harry!” The twins ignored her and greeted the bespectacled boy. “Hello, Ciel and Sebastian!”

“We thought we heard your dulcet tone.” George said, beaming at Harry.

“You don’t want to bottle up your anger like that, Harry. It’s good to let them all out…” Fred said. “There might be a couple of people fifty miles away who didn’t hear you.”

“I see you’ve passed your Apparation test.” Ciel commented as Harry scowled at them.

“With distinction.” Fred said proudly. He seemed to be holding a very long, flesh coloured string.

A part of Ciel was curious of what it was, but another part of him didn’t want to know. But he was who he was and his curiosity would – almost – always win.

“Dare I ask what that thing is?” Ciel asked, pointing at the item in Fred’s hand.

“Glad you asked!” Fred said, holding up the item for everyone to see. “This here is the Expendable Ear. And we’re going to use it to try and hear what’s going on downstairs.”

“You might want to be careful.” Ron said warningly. “If Mum finds out…”

“It’s worth the risk. They’re having some big meeting.” Fred said.

One of the doors opened and Ginny joined them.

“Oh, hello, Harry.” Ginny greeted the bespectacled boy before turning towards the pair of demons. “Hi, Ciel, Sebastian.” Then, she looked at her older brothers. “It’s not going to work. Mum put an Imperturbable Charm on the kitchen door.”

The twins’ faces fell.

“How do you know?” Geroge asked.

“You just need to chuck stuff at the door and if it can’t make contact, it means the door is Imperturbed. Tonks told me. I’ve been flicking Dungbombs at it from the top of the stairs and they just soar away from it. There’s no way that the Expendable Ear can slip through the gap under the door.”

Fred let out a disappointed sigh. “Shame. I really fancied finding out what old Snape’s been up to.”

“Snape?” Harry asked in surprise. “Is he here?”

“Yeah,” George nodded. “He’s been attending the meetings regularly to give his reports.”

“What kind of report?” Ciel asked curiously.

George shrugged. “Dunno. Top secret stuff.”

“Git.” Fred said.

“He’s on our side now.” Hermione said disapprovingly.

“Doesn’t make him any less of a git.” Ron said. “Do you remember the way he looked at us when he saw us?”

“Bill doesn’t like him either.” Ginny said with some sort of finality, as if that would have settled the matter.

“Bill is here too?” Harry asked. “I thought he’s in Egypt.”

At that, the Weasleys told them about how Bill had applied for a desk job so that he could work for the Order at the side. And apparently, he had also been in contact with Fleur Delacour.

“Charlie’s part of the Order too, but he’s still in Romania. Dumbledore wanted to recruit as many foreign witches and wizards as possible so Charlie’s been working on that.”

“Can’t Percy do that?” Harry asked. “Last time I heard, he’s working in the Department of International Magical Cooperation or something like that, right?”

At the mention of Percy’s name, Hermione and the Weasleys exchanged dark, yet significant look.

“What?” Harry asked.

“Whatever you do, don’t ever mention Percy’s name in front of Mum and Dad.” Ron said tersely.

“Why not?” Harry asked.

“Because every time his name was mentioned, Dad would break whatever he’s holding and Mum would start crying.” Fred said grimly.

“That’s quite a reaction.” Ciel said. “What has he done to have caused that?”

“Percy and Dad had a row.” Fred said. “I mean, I’ve never seen Dad row before. Mum is usually the one doing the shouting…”

“What was the row about?” Ciel asked.

“Percy told Dad he has gotten promoted.” Geroge said.

“Promoted?” Ciel asked in surprise. “I mean, good for him and all that, but I thought he has gotten into some trouble after the whole thing with Crouch?”

“He did.” Fred confirmed.

“So, how did he get promoted?” Harry asked.

“That’s what we’ve been wondering too.” Ron said. “He told Dad that he’s been offered a position in Fudge’s own office as a Junior Assistant to the Minister. It’s really a good one for someone who’s only a year out of Hogwarts. I think he expected Dad to be impressed or something.”

“Only, Dad wasn’t.” Fred said.

“Why not?” Harry asked.

“Well, apparently, Fudge has been going around the office to look for someone who might’ve been in contact with Dumbledore. He suspects Dad, seeing that Dad is quite friendly with Dumbledore.”

Ciel got it then. “He wasn’t giving Percy a promotion. He wants him to be his spy, to spy on your family and on Dumbledore.”

The twins and Ron nodded.

“Yeah, that’s what Dad reckoned.” George said.

“I take it Percy doesn’t share that opinion?” Ciel said.

“Not at all.” Ron said. “He went completely berserk, saying a lot of terrible stuff. He said that he had to struggle in the Ministry because of Dad’s bad reputation. He also said that Dad doesn’t have any ambition and that’s why we’ve never had any money and all those stuff…”

“What?” Harry’s eyes bulged in surprise. “You’re kidding!”

“And it got worse. He said that Dad is an idiot for running around with Dumbledore, that Dumbledore is going to get into a big trouble and he’d bring Dad and the whole family down with him. He said that he knows where his – Percy’s – loyalty lies, and it’s with the Ministry. He also said that if Mum and Dad insist on being traitors to the Ministry, then he’s going to make sure that everyone knows that he doesn’t have anything to do with us anymore. After that, he packed his bags and left. He lives here in London now.” Ron told them.

“But Percy must’ve known that your parents wouldn’t just… They wouldn’t just do this without any proof.” Harry said. “He must’ve known that Voldemort is back.”

“Yeah, well, he thinks that there’s not enough proof, you know, seeing that the only proof that we have is your word, both of you.” Ron said, looking at Harry and Ciel. “He doesn’t think it’s good enough.”

If it were up to Ciel, he wouldn’t even be bothered with this. Percy was but a small, useless pawn in the game, and he’d made himself even more useless by siding with the Ministry, so really, Ciel couldn’t care less of what he thought. But of course, he couldn’t say that out loud, seeing how upset the Weasley children were about this.

They moved on to talk about how Harry had been discredited on the Daily Prophet. Although Rita had made good of her promise of not writing anymore article about Harry, that hadn’t stopped the other journalists to build on the foundation that she had laid out about how delusional Harry was. Ciel himself had been checking the paper daily to make sure that his name hadn’t been mentioned anywhere on the paper.

Their discussion was cut short when they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. The twins Disapparated with a loud crack, just seconds before Mrs. Weasley showed up.

“The meeting is over.” The witch informed them. “Come, let’s go downstairs to have dinner. And who’s been leaving Dungbombs in front of the door?”

“Crookshanks.” Ginny answered. “He loves playing with them.”

“Oh, I thought it might’ve been Kreacher.” Mrs. Weasley said. “He likes to do odd things like that. Now, come downstairs, but remember to keep your voices down. Ginny, your hands are filthy. What have you been doing? Come on, let’s wash your hands first.”

Ginny followed her mother without another word, leaving the trio and the pair of demons alone.

“Who’s Kreacher?” Ciel asked.

“The house-elf who lives here.” Ron answered. “A complete nutter, that one. Never met anyone like him before.”

Hermione frowned at Ron’s words. “He’s not a nutter, Ron.”

“His life ambition is to have his head cut off and stuck up on a plague just like his mother.” Ron said. “Do you really think that’s normal?”

“Well…” Hermione seemed to be at loss of words, but she wasn’t ready to give up yet. “So, he’s a bit strange, so what? Doesn’t mean that he’s a nutter.”

“Hermione still hasn’t given up on spew.” Ron told his friends.

“It’s S.P.E.W!” Hermione automatically corrected him. “And it’s not just me. Dumbledore said that we should be kind to Kreacher too!”

“Yeah, yeah…” Ron said. “I’m starving. C’mon.”

The five of them started to make their way downstairs. Ciel wasn’t to keen on having to eat, but he had no other choice. Besides, he had some questions. For one, whose house was this? Ever since they had entered the house, he could feel dark energy radiating off every room and every piece of furniture, so he was curious. That, and the smell of mold that seemed to be filling every corner of the house.

As they descended the stairs, they could hear the front door opened and closed. As they got closer to the first floor, they saw Lupin, Mrs. Weasley, and Tonks standing at the front door, sealing it back with magic.

“We’re eating down in the kitchen.” Mrs. Weasley said in a whisper. “Rememebr to keep your voice down, every…”

CRASH

“Tonks!” Mrs. Weasley cried in exasperation, turning to look behind her at the other witch, who was lying flat on the floor.

“I’m sorry!” Tonks replied, trying to get up. “It’s that stupid umbrella stand. That’s the second time that I’ve tripped over…”

But the rest of her words were drowned by a horrible, ear-splitting, blood-curdling screech.

The moth-eaten velvet curtains they had passed earlier had flown apart. For a split second, Ciel thought he was looking through a window, a window behind which an old woman in a black cap was screaming and screaming as though she were being tortured, but he quickly realized it was simply a life-size portrait, the most realistic, and the most unpleasant portrait that he had ever seen.

The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed, and all along the hall behind them, the other portraits awoke and began to yell too. Ciel’s hands went to his ears to cover them, but it hadn’t done anything to muffle the sound.

Lupin and Mrs. Weasley tried to tug the curtains shut over the old woman, but they would not close and she screeched louder than ever, brandishing clawed hands as though trying to tear at their faces.

“Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers…” The old woman screamed at them.

Mrs. Weasley gave up on trying to close the curtains and instead ran down the hall. A few seconds later, a man, whom Ciel immediately recognized as Sirius Black, rushed out of the room and approached them with quick steps, his face a mask of annoyance.

Sirius definitely looked much better than the last time Ciel saw him some months ago. His torn and dirty robe had been replaced with clean black suit and his hair was combed rather neatly, although he had kept it at shoulder length. His pale and sunken cheeks had filled up nicely too, giving him a much healthier look.

“Shut up, you old hag! Shut UP!” Sirius grabbed at the curtains.

“Yoooou!” The old woman howled, her eyes popping at the sight of the man. “Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!”

“Shut UP!” Sirius roared and with some efforts, he and Lupin finally managed to pull the curtains closed again.

“Sirius?” Harry stared at his godfather.

“Hello, Harry,” Sirius said, pushing his long strands away from his face. “I see you’ve met my mother.”

Well, Ciel thought, at least now they knew whose house this was.