Magical Studies at Hogwarts...

Chapter 179 The Phoenix Society

Harry is not a stupid person. Although he is often controlled by impulse, he always discovers things that others cannot see when he calms down.

Looking at Hermione in front of him, Harry, now calmer, noticed that a deep sorrow lingered between Hermione's brows, and although her eyes were bright, they were no longer sparkling.

She still wore the same necklace from the Christmas ball, but it no longer looked as beautiful as it had that night.

And that suitcase in the corner, it seems to belong to Ike...

"Okay, sorry Hermione." Harry sat back on the bed, and Ron sat down next to him. "Let's talk about something else... By the way, do you guys know what the Order of the Phoenix is?"

"The Order of the Phoenix was an organization Dumbledore created specifically to fight Voldemort," Hermione said, sitting down as well. "Sirius, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Kingsley, Moody, and Tonks were all members."

"So, what do they talk about in their meetings? Do you know?" Harry asked again.

"I don't know, they never tell us." Ron shook his head. "Although Fred and George always try to eavesdrop with their extendable ears, they can only hear very little."

"Retractable ears?"

"The little gadget they came up with isn't actually very useful," Ron said with a shrug.

"Long time no see, Harry. I told you I heard your voice." Ron had barely finished speaking when Fred and George suddenly appeared in the room, each holding a large ear.

George threw his ear onto the bed and said, "It's no use. They used an antidote today; we can't hear anything."

"Yes, I was hoping to hear what Snape had to say..."

"Snape! What's he doing here?" Harry exclaimed as soon as Fred finished speaking.

"He's also a member of the Order of the Phoenix." Ron shrugged, and Hermione nodded.

Just then, the door opened, and it was Ginny. She was happy to see Harry, greeting him with a smile before asking, "What are you two talking about?"

"Snape, we just told Harry he's a member of the Order of the Phoenix too," Ron complained. "That's terrible. Lots of people don't like him, Sirius, Moody, they all do."

"Bill doesn't like him either," Ginny interjected.

"Bill's here too? Isn't he in Egypt?" Harry's thirst for knowledge was completely ignited, and he was eager to know anything related to it.

"He joined the Order of the Phoenix, got an office job, and has been back for a while now," Fred said with a smile. "He also said he misses the Egyptian antiquities, but as far as I can tell, even if you asked him to go back, he wouldn't, not even without the Order of the Phoenix."

"What happened?"

"Remember Fleur Delacour? That French girl, she got a job at Gringotts, and Bill often tutored her to improve her English..." George gave a mysterious smile and winked at Harry.

"Charlie has also joined the Order of the Phoenix, but he is still in Romania. Dumbledore wants to recruit as many foreign wizards as possible."

"Where's Percy?" Harry asked, only to see the twins, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione's expressions instantly turn grim. "What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

"You absolutely mustn't mention Percy in front of Mom and Dad," Ron said nervously. "He had a huge fight with Dad, he completely broke off relations with the family, he even slammed the door in front of Mom and Dad, and moved to London by himself..."

Then Ron told Harry about the conflict between Percy and the Weasleys. After listening, Harry, who had already calmed down, suddenly felt that it was indeed Percy's fault and that he shouldn't have believed Fudge's promises.

Voldemort is back, and at this time, we must unite all forces that can be united.

They chatted for a while longer when they heard footsteps outside the door. Fred and George picked up their extendable earpieces and vanished with a bang. A few seconds later, Mrs. Weasley opened the door.

"The meeting is over. Now you can come downstairs for dinner," said Mrs. Weasley. "Harry, everyone's been looking forward to seeing you."

Following Mrs. Weasley downstairs, they proceeded cautiously, trying not to make too much noise. Unfortunately, they made a mistake: Tonks, who had come out to find them, tripped over an umbrella stand.

Then, everyone was engulfed in a piercing, terrifying scream. Harry swore it was the most horrifying scream he had ever heard in his life.

Everyone seemed startled. Mrs. Weasley and Tonks rushed to the foyer, struggling to cover a portrait with a curtain. But the portrait was hung too high, and they failed several times.

At that moment, Sirius Black and Lupin emerged from the conference room. Sirius Black, furious, was hurling insults at the woman in the portrait before abruptly slamming the curtains back on.

"Hello Harry, it seems you've already met my mother." Sirius looked exhausted, his face showing signs of fatigue, but he still managed a smile.

"Your mother?"

“Yes, this is my parents’ house, but now I’m the only one left in the Black family, so it’s mine,” Sirius said. “I’m handing it over to Dumbledore as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. That’s probably the only thing I can do now.”

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go have dinner." Sirius clearly didn't want to discuss his family too much, so Harry didn't ask any more questions and followed the others to the kitchen in the basement.

There were already some people here: Mr. Weasley, Bill, and Mundungus, the man who had been responsible for tracking and protecting him.

Mrs. Weasley placed the food on the table and began to call everyone to eat.

This was Harry's happiest meal since the holidays began. Sirius asked him many questions and told him a lot in return. Mrs. Weasley kept yelling at the twins to be quiet; Tonks contorted his nose into all sorts of funny shapes, looking absolutely comical. Even Mundungus was telling jokes about his business dealings, making Ron and the others laugh heartily.

Amidst laughter and chatter, dinner drew to a close. It was quite late, and Tonks even dozed off in his chair.

"It's time for bed, children," Mrs. Weasley said with a yawn.

"Don't rush, Molly." Sirius pushed the empty plate further into the table, then turned to Harry and said, "You know, Harry, I'm surprised. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be ask about Voldemort."

"I asked," Harry replied, "but Hermione and Ron said they didn't know because they're not old enough to join the Order of the Phoenix."

"That's right, they are indeed not old enough," Mrs. Weasley said seriously.

"Harry has the right to know what happened, Molly." Sirius Black showed no sign of backing down.

"Personally, I also think Harry should learn the truth from us," Lupin said. "At least that's better than him finding out from somewhere else."

Mrs. Weasley raised a few more objections, but everyone else agreed to tell Harry what he could possibly know. Under these circumstances, even if Mrs. Weasley was unwilling, she had no choice but to agree.

But she didn't stay there; instead, she took Ginny upstairs, though she still disagreed.

"So, what do you want to know, Harry?" Sirius asked, looking at Harry.

Without the slightest hesitation, Harry asked directly, "Where is Voldemort now? And...where is Ike?"

(End of this chapter)