As Harry entered the room for the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix, he wasn't surprised by many of the faces he saw. Professors McGonagall and Snape had planted themselves at seats near where Dumbledore would eventually sit, and were having some type of discussion, although their low volume and the other noise in the room made it impossible for Harry to hear. Sirius had guided him in, and Harry was ecstatic to see Remus as well, who smiled at him as he entered.
"Good to see you Harry, you've certainly grown a bit. Going to be as tall as your dad by the time you're done I'm sure." Remus said. Harry noticed that for the first time he could recall, he wasn't looking up at Remus to meet his eyes. They were dead even, or at least close enough.
"One can only dream, I was the small one for far too long," Harry said, smiling at his adoptive uncle. That briefly brought Harry back to the many conversations about his family during the summer between his third and fourth years at Hogwarts. Remus and Sirius had fully accepted their places as Harry's uncles, Sirius's status as a godfather being a formality rather than his genuine relationship. He accepted that Ted Tonks would be Harry's father figure, and he would be a much better one than Sirius could hope to be. Sirius enjoyed being the uncle, undyingly supportive, but capable of mischief, a reminder to enjoy life while you can. Remus had taken a similar position, although he was much more subdued. Remus had endeavored to be a caring member of Harry's family, apologetic that he hadn't been more available for the previous 13 years.
Harry scanned the other members of the room. Harry recognized the large dark-skinned auror from the Quidditch World Cup, Kingsley Shacklebolt he had been told his name was. Nymphadora spoke very highly of him, viewing him as nearly as effective of an auror as Alastor Moody, but significantly more well put together. There was also a couple Harry had only seen in pictures, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Harry smiled a bit at seeing them, he'd never gotten to meet them, but got along well with most of their kids. Ron and Percy were really the only two he'd met who he wasn't friendly with. Ron had been because of a bad attitude during their first meeting, which hadn't encouraged Harry to form a friendship with him when other options were available. Percy had been for a very petty reason initially, Harry had been excessively jealous of his relationship with Penelope Clearwater, who Harry had harbored quite the crush on before he and his girls got together. Harry was glad to put that jealousy behind him, but his relationship with Percy had never even had the chance to go well because of it. Bill was with them, Harry happy to see him. They'd only met a scarce few times, but Bill was by all accounts a good man, and Charlie seemed to like his older brother quite a lot.
Nymphadora came in from the kitchen, giving Harry a big hug as she sat down near Kingsley, her features shifting to her 'Harry's big sister' look, complete with wild black hair and green eyes. She always made an effort to make him feel appreciated, and Harry loved her dearly for it.
A few others Harry didn't recognize milled about, Sirius told him some of their names, Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, Mundungus Fletcher, Emmeline Vance and Hestia Jones. He'd been told the latter was a new addition to the order, and Harry couldn't help but notice the way Sirius looked at her. He chuckled a bit to himself, not allowing himself to properly think of his animagus uncle as a horndog.
After a few moments, Dumbledore strode into the room, his presence taking center stage as everyone turned to him. Despite the headmaster's age, there was no doubt of the authority he carried as he entered a room, as just the sight of him caused conversation to die down. Everyone quickly made their way to their seats, as he cleared his throat. "I thank you all for coming, even more so for our new members. I have a list of names for our new members, some of which are unable to be here today for various reasons. I shall read them out. The Order welcomes Hestia Jones, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Arthur Weasley, Molly Weasley and William Weasley. Those who are unable to make it today include: Alastor Moody, and Charlie Weasley." Dumbledore said, looking down his nose through his glasses at the parchment in front of him.
"I think you're forgetting one important name, Albus." Sirius said, clapping his hands on Harry's shoulders.
"Absolutely not! It is bad enough that Charlie and Nymphadora have been roped into this, but they are at least adults, Harry there is a child, he shouldn't be involved in war meetings!" Molly Weasley said, in a tone he had heard Charlie describe many times. This shrill mix between domineering and motherly that said she knew exactly what is best, and no one could tell her otherwise.
"Harry is young, yes. But he's also completely involved in this, and has faced Voldemort more times than anyone else at this table, Dumbledore included." Sirius said, sticking up for his godson.
"I've seen Harry at his dueling tournaments too, he's better than half the aurors I work with already, and I haven't even seen him duel in a year." Nymphadora said, her eyes sparkling with pride in her brother.
"You all do make fine points. I suppose this would be the first order of business for the meeting. I know not all of you have experience with young Harry here, perhaps only seeing his performance during the Tri Wizard tournament, which was most impressive. Those of you who have experience with him, I would like to hear you speak your thoughts on Harry's abilities, as well as if you think he is ready for something such as being in these meetings. Minerva, would you go first?" Dumbledore asked, taking control of the meeting back from the chaos it briefly devolved into.
Minerva McGonagall took a moment to gather her thoughts, before speaking. "Mr. Potter is an outstanding student, in a year but his own he'd be the top performer by a landslide, and only isn't because of the club he helped to form, which provides him with competition that exceeds him in academics, but only by the smallest of margins, and none of them have truly matched his seeming mastery with practical use of magic. I've seen him manage spells I would think impossible for a boy his age, and he accomplishes them with ease I would seldom expect from a master. I've been secretly giving him and his club harder assignments for years now, and they still exceed every expectation I could ever set for them, and at the heart of it all is Harry, who every single member of his club describes as the driving force for them all. Harry would be above average for an adult wizard, but for someone his age he breaks the scales. Let there be no questions of his competence, and his accomplishments are noteworthy in and of themselves. Slaying a Basilisk as he did is something people get Orders of Merlin for, and Harry did so at twelve years old. He's reckless, but horrifyingly protective of his friends and allies, with a fanatical desire to learn and grow. I share my own worries of his age making him unfit for being at this table, but if there is anyone I think could do it, it would be Mr. Potter." McGonagall gave him a proud smile, before turning her attention back to Dumbledore. "I hope my assessment is satisfactory."
"Indeed it is Minerva. Severus, would you care to give yours?" Dumbledore asked.
"Quite." Snape said. "My assessment is that Potter is arrogant, brash, and foolhardy. However, even I cannot deny his competence. He excels in coursework, and while I am aware Miss Greengrass is the one who is responsible for helping him succeed in my class, she does not do his work for him, only assists him in understanding the material better. His performance is commendable, and though I am loathe to say it lest his head get bigger, he is certainly a fine example of a student in practical and academic terms. All my complaints regarding his fitness for being at this table are personal, and not indicative of his effectiveness." Snape finished, his gaze cold. Harry could feel Sirius's hand tighten on his shoulder, an anger flowing through him at the slights against Harry's character. "That is my assessment, Headmaster."
"I believe you allow your opinion of his father cloud your judgement, but I accept your assessment." Dumbledore said. "Remus, if you would please?"
"Yes, I'd be happy to." Remus said, gathering his thoughts. "Even putting aside my personal feelings for Harry, my attempts to be a devoted uncle, I can't deny that Harry is proving himself to be a shining example of a wizard of the light. I taught him during his third year, and during that time I saw a boy with a deeper understanding of Defense Against the Dark Arts than even I had. While he may not know as many things as I did academically on the subject, his intuitive understanding of everything is beyond even mine. During that year, I trained him to cast the Patronus charm, a spell all of you know is beyond even some of the most proficient wizards of our time, yet at 13 the boy managed to cast a non-corporeal one after only a lesson, and managed to summon two fully corporeal patronuses by the end of that year. Even I am only capable of summoning one, and it eats my magic reserves rather much to do so. Harry managed two, after a full day of strenuous exams, and according to Madame Pomfrey, despite being magically exhausted, possibly still had something left in his tank to give if necessary. He's resilient, kind, and fiercely protective of his loved ones. A better man than his father, Sirius, or I was at his age. Since then, I've had the pleasure of watching him develop even more. He's well ready to give his word on this council." Remus said, smiling at Harry.
"Thank you, Remus. Sirius?" Dumbledore said, moving to Harry's godfather.
"I can echo much of Remus's sentiment, as I was there to watch his two patronuses, and unlike Remus, was able to properly appreciate it. At 14, the boy not only held his own, but won a tournament designed to test even the greatest wizards, fighting dragons, merfolk, and manticores, all things I struggle to believe more than a handful of us in this room could take down on our own. I had the pleasure of talking to the other triwizard champions, who I know Dumbledore had serious considerations of offering seats on this council too, and they all told me the same thing: Harry was their equal or their better in every way. Viktor Krum had believed that he might have been the better duelist, but after his imperious duel with Harry in the maze, he said that he didn't believe he could defeat Harry if Harry was willing to hurt him. That's just it though, despite Harry's great power, he doesn't enjoy hurting people, because he's a good man. That's not even to leave off the most important part of this. This is a war council, designed to stop Voldemort. Harry's faced off against him three times, and won every time, at ages 11, 12, and 14. This 'child' as you all think of him has faced off against the great threat we have been brought together to defeat more times than any of us have directly, and you want to deny him the right? Even if you think he is too young, he certainly has a greater understanding of how Voldemort handles confrontations now than even Dumbledore does, since he was there to see it first hand." Sirius said, sticking up for his pup. "Harry deserved to be sitting here more than I do, and I doubt a single one of you would even think of pushing me off of this council."
"Excellent points, Sirius. If you would please sit." Dumbledore said, motioning to how Sirius had stood up during his impassioned speech.
"Nymphadora, you would be the only person with true experience with Harry that has yet to speak. Would you like to say anything?" Dumbledore asked.
"I would, although don't call me Nymphadora. I'm Tonks." She said, standing up. "Harry is my brother, not by blood, but through every other metric that matters. I would give anything to keep him safe and happy and free from all of this. I joined this group, not just to fight back against Voldemort because it's the right thing to do, but to do everything I could to keep my little brother safe. I know that's why Charlie joined as well, because he loves Harry just as much as he does his other brothers. If everything went my way, Harry wouldn't be on this council. He'd be smooching his girlfriends upstairs and letting the adults handle this. But we don't live in an ideal world like I like. We need him. We need what he knows, and I won't stand here and let anyone belittle him just because he's young. He's kept up with my auror training since he first turned 13, a better duelist and combatant than half the aurors I know, and Kingley here would probably second my assessment." Nymphadora said, her eyes blazing red for a moment, before returning to the green she used to be his big sister. "I speak for both myself and Charlie when I say he should be here."
"I thank you for your input Ms. Tonks. I imagine your sentiments would be echoed very much by Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. "If there are any who are opposed to Harry's presence during this and future meetings, please raise your hand now."
Molly Weasley's hand went up, but Arthur's notably did not follow. Elphias Doge and Mundungus Fletcher raised theirs as well. "Would you all like to state your case for why you are unconvinced?" Dumbledore asked.
Elphias spoke up first. "I trust the words spoken by those in his defense. Minerva's word is one I value incredibly highly, and the fact that even Severus was willing to put aside his feelings to speak of his ability is quite telling. It is not that I believe Harry is unfit for these meetings, it is simply that I do not believe he should be forced to carry the burden that we as adults can carry for him."
"A fine point Elphias. Mundungus, would you give your reasoning?" Dumbledore asked, moving to the other man, Molly's face turning red at being made to wait.
"He's just a brat. Shouldn't be involved in an adults meeting like this. I barely approved of the Tonks girl and the younger Weasley boy, too young." Mundungus said. Harry didn't take that too personally, that was less a comment on him and more on Mundungus's distate for young people.
"I see, and Molly, your thoughts?" Dumbledore said, finally moving to Molly.
She stood up her voice booming. "He's just a boy Albus! He's far too young to be involved with matters of war such as this! He may be competent as a wizard, but he's even younger than Ronald! He isn't ready for something like this!" Molly said, her tone giving that same 'I know that I'm right and you are stupid for thinking otherwise' tone.
"It will be taken into consideration. I imagine everyone who didn't raise their hand earlier believes Mr. Potter should be present?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes scanning the room. Nods of agreement followed. "Very well, the majority seems to believe that Harry has a place here, and I believe they have the right of it. I too believed that it would be best to spare him from these meetings, but if he wants to be here, I see no reason we cannot stop him. Harry will not be conducting operations with us, but he is welcome to join for strategy and planning. A fair compromise between all parties I would think." Dumbledore said.
No one seemed to have much problem with that, and so he continued. "Excellent. For our next matter, thanks to the insights of Mr. Potter regarding the ritual performed to resurrect Voldemort, I believe I have located it. The words of the ritual and its components match Harry's memories of the event one for one. Harry mentioned that during the ritual, he attempted to alter one of the ingredients. In particular, part of this ritual required 'blood of the enemy, forcibly taken'. Harry said that he attempted to give it willingly, hoping that it would cause some failure in the ritual. Looking over the studies of said ritual, I believe it would likely have had a substantial effect on the new body Voldemort inhabits."
"What effect would that be then?" Hestia Jones, asked curiosity present in her brown eyes.
"I believe Voldemort will be much weaker magically than he had been before. The ingredients given provide specific traits to the body it inhabits. The bone of the father provides the blueprint from which the original body can be replicated. The flesh of the servant provides a basis for the body to be born from that will obey its new controller, and the blood of the enemy redevelops the magical core of the person. With his core tampered with, it is likely much more unstable, and weaker as a result. If my estimations are correct, Severus would find himself a more than even match for the new Voldemort." Dumbledore said, and a chorus of murmurs blanketed the room at that.
"You are… certain of this?" Snape asked, his sneer giving way to a more inquisitive look.
"Not certain, but by everything I can find, it seems to be the case. The arithmancy behind the ritual is very clear, I happened to find likely the same book Barty Crouch Jr. did that contained the ritual. The words are not simply there for dramatic effect, the method is important. The only way to truly know for certain would be to test Voldemort's magical capabilities, which as I'm sure you are all aware is a foolish idea. We must assume he is as capable as he has ever been, but I do believe we will find him much less powerful magically this time around." Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "I must commend Harry for thinking on his feet and giving us this possible edge. I am uncertain if even I would have the presence of mind to do so in that situation."
"That's great news then." Sirius said, a broad smile on his face. "I won't deny Severus is one of the more powerful among us, but Remus and I are very much in the same ballpark. I don't doubt we could get Tonks and Shack to our level too, if Shack isn't already."
"Indeed, I believe this won't be like the last war where the only way to face Voldemort in battle would be to do so in teams… several of us now should be capable of holding our own, even if we couldn't win. My estimations put Remus on par with Severus, and Sirius just below them, more a result of his stay in Azkaban than any fault in his ability. Minerva is somewhat below them, she's a powerful witch, but combat was never truly her best skill." Dumbledore said.
"I can be fine with that, I'll satisfy myself dealing with other Death Eaters." Minerva said flatly.
"Elphias, I believe you will be needing to sit combat out this time… you aren't as spry as you were before." Dumbledore said.
"I'll agree with you there. I'll stay out of it unless it's an emergency, but don't expect me to just lie here like a lazy dog." Elphias said, a fire in his eyes that made the ancient man seem nearly 50 years younger.
"I wouldn't dream of it. Ms. Tonks, Kingsley, Hestia, I believe you all would do well to spend some time practicing with Remus and Sirius. You all likely have much to teach each other, and much to learn from each other." Dumbledore said, looking to that group. "I believe you five will be our primary offensive force, I believe Alastor may be joining you, should he feel up to it once he heals from his wounds. If nothing else, he would certainly take great pleasure in training you. He has a wealth of knowledge in defeating dark wizards, you would do well to take advantage of it."
"Headmaster Dumbledore, could I request to be in that group as well? I believe I could be of assistance, given my curse breaking experience." Bill asked, looking to the elder wizard.
"Your curse breaking experience is exactly why I need you elsewhere. You will be a reserve combatant for certain, and I will make sure you have time to learn and practice, but I will need your help in researching how Voldemort has kept himself tethered to the mortal plane." Dumbledore said, his gaze locking on Bill's.
"It was the ritual wasn't it?" Emmeline Vance asked. "Didn't you say that's how he got a new body and everything?
"The ritual created his new body, yes. But something kept his soul here. He was a wraith for many years, possessing one of my former teachers, and according to Harry's memories, had become a homunculus sometime between then and last month." Dumbledore said. "My only lead at this time is an object Harry found in his second year, a diary that seemed to contain a shade of Tom Riddle, Voldemort inside of it."
"An object containing him?" Sirius asked, his mind racing. "Kreacher!"
The aged house elf Harry had seen a scant few times appeared in the room, grumbling. "What does the banished master want with Kreacher?" The house elf asked, his tone not pleased, but his duty taking precedent.
"Bring me the books that had been in Regulus's room before he passed." Sirius said, and the house elf popped out before popping back, a small stack of books appearing on the table. "Thank you Kreacher, you are dismissed for now."
"Something catch your attention, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes quizzical.
"Something you said reminded me of something I saw in these books. When I came here, Regulus had several books from the library stashed in his room. I had no idea why, but given he was one of the top Death eaters, I wondered if maybe he was researching something useful before his passing… and I came across this." Sirius said, sliding the book to Dumbledore, opened to a specific page. "Horcruxes it says it's called. A container to bind your soul… do you think that could be what that diary was?"
Dumbledore scanned the pages with interest, reading them. "It is indeed a possibility. Harry, what can you remember about the diary?"
"It was an awful thing sir. It'd take over Susan's mind when she was sleeping and make her do things she didn't want. It made her open the Chamber of Secrets, kill all the Hogwarts chickens, and eventually made her go down to the Chamber of Secrets for the shade of Tom Riddle to take over her body entirely." Harry said, his mind filled with the horrible memories of what that book had done to the girl he loved.
"How did you destroy it, ultimately?" Dumbledore asked.
"I… stabbed it with a Basilisk fang." Harry remembered. "The book leaked ink like blood, and then the shade of Tom Riddle just… vanished."
"If Harry destroyed the soul anchor… how did Voldemort manage to return afterward?" Kingley asked, his mind running through the implications.
"He'd have had more than one." Sirius said, recognizing what that meant. "The question is, how many?"
"Three or Seven." Dumbledore said, his eyes not leading the pages of the book. "Two of the three most powerful magical numbers. I imagine he would choose seven, as it would be the safer of the two."
"If going for powerful magical numbers, why wouldn't 13 be an option?" Minerva asked.
"I believe 13 may be too much of a strain on his soul. It might tear itself apart if you split it too small… no I believe it would be seven. Three makes it too easy for them to be destroyed once one is found, but seven would be over twice as difficult." Dumbledore said, his mind wandering.
"Great, so we have to find six other things he's put his soul into? How do we know he didn't just put it in a galleon and let it circulate through the economy? We'd never find it." Nymphadora said.
"Because Voldemort's got too much of an ego for that." Harry said, speaking up.
"Come again?" Kingsley said.
"Voldemort, Tom Riddle… he's all about Ego. He could have killed me easily, when I was 11, or in the graveyard last month… but he didn't, because killing me quickly wouldn't stoke his ego. When I met his shade, the memory of him from his Hogwarts days… he reminded me of some bullies from my old school. So caught up in his own self-image that he believes the sun shines out of his rear. He wouldn't choose something mundane… he'd need the object itself to send a message." Harry said, his mind wandering.
"Assuming what you encountered was a horcrux… it was just a book, Mr. Potter." Snape said with a sneer.
"It wasn't just A book, it was his personal diary. His manifesto to the world of his superiority, because what is more important to an egomaniac than his own thoughts?" Harry posited.
"I suppose you would know." Snape said. Harry let that one slide, he was busy thinking about possible things the horcruxes could be.
"It'd be something either personally significant to him, or of great power on its own." Harry thought.
"This aligns with what I remember of Tom Riddle from my days teaching him." Dumbledore said, his mind deep in thought. "I suppose we must think about how we must destroy these horcruxes. His top lieutenants must have held some of them, given Lucius Malfoy was in possession of the diary."
"Regulus would have been a prime recipient… I wish we knew if he had one so we could destroy it." Sirius said.
Kreacher popped in, his form seeming smaller and more vulnerable that it had even a few minutes prior. "Banished master… wishes to destroy these soul anchors?" Kreacher asked.
"Yes… do you know something Kreacher?" Sirius asked.
Kreacher popped away and then popped back, placing a locket on the table. "Master sought to destroy this before he died. Anger at the Dark Lord for the lengths he was willing to go through for power. Kreacher tried to destroy it… but could not."
"It… it's the same as the Diary." Harry said.
"How do you know?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes on Harry.
"There's this… feeling around it. A darkness that feels like it wants to consume you. The diary is the only thing that ever felt like this… aside from Voldemort himself." Harry said, his eyes unable to leave the locket.
"It looks like we need a Basilisk fang then." Sirius said.
"Or the Sword of Gryffindor." Dumbledore added. "With Harry's use of it to kill the basilisk, it would have absorbed the Basilisk venom into itself, it would be equally capable of destroying these horcruxes." Dumbledore regarded the amulet carefully. "This locket is one of the lost heirlooms of the founders… alongside Hufflepuff's cup and the Diadem of Rowena Ravenclaw."
"I've heard about the diadem… supposedly it granted whoever wore it all the intelligence of Rowena herself." Harry said.
"I remember stories about Hufflepuff's cup too, supposedly it could duplicate any liquid you put in it, and she used it to feed millions." Nymphadora said, her house loyalties shining through.
"Slytherin's locket was said to contain the secrets of the ages…." Snape said, his gaze fixated on the object.
"Then maybe we should start looking for those?" Harry suggested. "If Voldemort was willing to turn one of these into a horcrux, I wouldn't be surprised if he did them all. That would be four." Harry said.
"I believe I can think of something else that could be one… the Gaunt family signet ring, a symbol of Tom Riddle's wizarding family." Dumbledore said.
"That'd be five." Harry said.
"We shall need to think on what the others could be for now, I would like to adjourn this meeting. Severus, Minerva, please come with me back to the school… we shall destroy this object post-haste." Dumbledore said, his eyes locking on the two.
"Yes, sir." They said in unison, as they headed out. The crowd of people eventually left the meeting room, leaving only Sirius, Remus, Nymphadora, and Harry.
"You did real good pup." Sirius said, pulling Harry into a hug. "You might have just won us this war today."