Sometimes It's Good to be Bad

Chapter 46 Joining the Order

The next morning Harry went to Professor McGonagall's office to demand that he and Hermione be allowed to go to the Order meetings from then on. It took an hour of persuasion until she agreed, mostly finessed by Hermione as Harry was demanding, despite the fact she had explained to him that it never gets him anywhere.

They were told to be back at the Headmistress's office at five o'clock to go to the meeting. Until that time the day was spent with their fellow Gryffindors who would be leaving in the next couple of days either to funerals of loved ones or home to stay. They were back at the appointed hour, flooing through to Grimmauld Place.

Some of the members were a bit surprised to see the two, but others were more surprised that it had taken the two so long to convince the Headmistress to join since they had both been seventeen for a while now. Hermione looked around the room once everyone had arrived. There was a substantial amount of people missing compared to all those who had been in and out of the house over the summer.

The two sat in the middle of the long table, Lupin and Tonks next to Harry, and Professor Snape next to Hermione. They went over all the damage that had been done, and started talking about what they should do next. It was in the middle of this insipid conversation that was full of stupid ideas that wouldn't have a chance of working for even a half of a second - which Snape was so generous as to point out every time - that Harry decided to open his mouth.

"Why don't we just attack Voldemort?" Ignoring the flinching, he continued. "We know why he didn't die last time, and so we can make it so he does this time." A room full of faces was now looking at him, curiously.

"Mister Potter, what do you mean that we know why he didn't die? I know absolutely nothing of the sort," claimed McGonagall.

Mrs Weasley was glaring daggers at Hermione and her husband pointedly looked away as the young woman grabbed Harry's face and made him look at her. "Harry. Think about what you are doing, here. Think about what Dumbledore said. You, me, and Ron. That's it," she reminded him in a low voice. She had thought that this would have been the last thing he would want to do.

"I know what he said, Hermione. But, Ron turned on us. For all we know, He knows that we know and He knows what we've been doing. All that's left is to kill the snake, and they can help with that." At the mention of their son's betrayal, the elder Weasley's looked sad, whereas Bill, Charlie and the twins looked quite angry.

"Fine, but on your head it be." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at the ceiling, waiting for him to spill everything.

Harry stood up before addressing the room. "Well, I guess I'll start with the basics. Do any of you know what a horcrux is?" At his question, there were a few sharp intakes of breath, but more than not he recieved only empty stares.

He looked around the room, meeting everyone's face who would look at him (i.e. not Mrs. Weasley) "A horcrux is created by the splitting of one's soul and it is incredibly dark magic. They can only be created by an act of dark magic, or more specifically, murder. Dumbledore believed that Voldemort created six, leaving the part that resides in his body to be the seventh portion of his soul."

At this proclamation, even those who had known what a horcrux was were astounded, including Snape. It was obvious that he hadn't had the slightest clue about any of this.

"When I was in second year and Ginny was taken into the Chamber of Secrets, I unknowingly destroyed one of them. Last year, Dumbledore destroyed another, at the loss of his arm. The night he died, he and I were searching for another. Since that time, Ron, Hermione and I destroyed one, and Hermione and I got rid of two more. So, there's only one left; Voldemort's snake Nagini. So, once we kill her, Voldemort will be able to be killed."

The room was silent, all eyes staring a the two teens.

"So, Potter, you are telling us all that three teenagers were able to find and destroy all these horcruxes. Where's your proof?" Snape goaded, not wanting to believe that his most hated pupil could possible be able to procure such an achievement.

"Hermione's wearing two of them," he responded. She glared over at him, shaking her head slightly.

"Miss Granger, is that true? Please tell me that you wouldn't be stupid enough to wear something that had been a horcrux of You-Know-Who," pleaded McGonagall.

"Yes, I am. They're not evil anymore; in fact they're rather pretty. Besides, don't you think it would be a great way to draw You-Know-Who out rather than just send the Death Eaters after us?"

"That's exactly what we're afraid of! You are supposed to be bright, Hermione. Why on earth would you want to bring that attention to yourself?"

"Remus, I know everyone is worried, but we talked about it (he lied) and we want this fight over and done with. I am confident that I'm ready, and I was hoping that you would all be ready along with me."

"So, we're just supposed to launch an attack with highly depleted forces because a seventeen year old says so? Child, you may be the boy-who-lived but you are not in charge of this organization." It came from an older wizard toward the back of the room, but there were more than a few people who looked as though they were in complete agreement.

"No, I am not in charge of the Order. But it was foretold that if I don't kill Voldemort, then he will kill me. Just two days ago he and his followers attacked Britain, and killed those members depleting our forces, and I'm quite certain that if we were to just shift our focus to recruiting more members it would not make a difference as He would have more of us killed off in the meantime. It makes more sense to go in while they are still regrouping, as they won't have expected it."

Hermione, as well as the rest of the room, was flummoxed. She had no idea that her boyfriend had the ability to make such an eloquent speech. "We will think on it, Mister Potter. Perhaps you and Miss Granger should go back to the castle and let us consider your idea. I thank you for finally letting us know what has been going on."

Hermione looked around the room warily. She had no idea what was going to come of this, and it more than slightly perturbed her because it wasn't in her hands any longer. Harry quietly put his hand over hers and helped her to her feet, following her to the fireplace to floo back to Hogwarts, his hand resting on her lower back.

Once they were gone, a heated debate got started as to whether they should follow Harry's ideas or not, as well as the concept of the horcruxes which many were still baffled on. Those present seemed divided fifty-fifty on whether it would be prudent to attack or recruit first. Mrs. Weasley was against it just because she was so upset with how Harry had been 'parading' Hermione around in front of her and her family, and of course she had her husband's support but was extremely upset to find that her four sons that were left all supported Harry's idea of attacking; especially with the knowledge that it was more than possible to kill You-Know-Who.

They had all felt bad for their sister, but believed that neither Harry nor Hermione would have ever had done anything purposely to hurt her, and she was just still strained from the events of the summer. They wanted the bastard and his followers who had hurt their sister and coerced their brothers to join them dead and it was as simple as that.

At the end of the meeting, at was a stalemate. Everyone was to back to their lives for a few days; go to the funerals of their friends and families, think to what it would be like without You-Know-Who being a threat, and come back to the next meeting with their answer, either 'yay' or 'nay', and the majority would rule. Either they would end up sitting back waiting fot the next thing He would do, or they would do something about it themselves. McGonagall laid in this guilt trip, hoping that the next meeting would come to the agreement that she wanted.