"I hope you know you've ruined the last day of my anniversary trip," Johnny complained, still in his suit and tie from earlier as he was crouched behind a bush with Nymphadora Tonks, or Tonks as she likes to be called. Evelyn was in charge of training Tonks to become an Auror, leading to her and Johnny becoming like siblings.

"Oh, boo hoo," Tonks mocked, sticking her tongue out at Johnny.

"I'm serious, Hermione and I were supposed to be having dinner on top of the Eiffel Tower right now."

"Quit y0ur whining, boy," the real Alastor Moody growled. "Look, Potter's family have just left, we're going in."

Together, Tonks, Moody, Remus, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Johnny and a few others walked across the street, looking left and right for suspicious Muggle activity.

"Grindelwald, if you'd like to do the honours," Moody said, motioning towards the unlocked door.

"Alohamora," Johnny whispered, and the group of wizards and witches that came to rescue Harry heard the door click open.

"You remember which room he's in?" Tonks teased Johnny, kicking his foot playfully.

"I do," Johnny growled at his sister figure, wiping dirt off of his shiny black shoe. "Ruin my shoes again, I'll curse you into next week."

Tonks laughed, and together, Johnny and Moody walked up the stairs of the suburban household. Johnny unlocked the door to Harry's room, where Moody and Johnny saw Harry stood with his wand raised.

"Lower your wand, Potter, before you take someone's eye out," said Moody in a low, growling voice.

"Professor Moody?" Harry said uncertainly.

"Wasn't much of a Professor, was he?" Johnny joked, watching his best friends gaze turn from shocked to happy.

"Johnny?" Harry asked. "What're you doing here? I thought you and Hermione were in Paris until tomorrow?"

"Well, when Dumbledore's Golden Boy breaks the Statute of Secrecy and the law placed on underage wizards, Dumbledore sends all the people that are willing to come and save you. Now, hug me."

Harry laughed as he and Johnny embraced like brothers.

"How touching. Get down here, Potter, we want to see you properly," growled Moody. Harry still apprehensive, kept a firm hold on his wand.

"It's all right, Harry. We've come to take you away."

"P-Professor Lupin?" Harry said disbelievingly. "Is that you?"

"You do realise that Moody and Remus aren't Professors anymore, right?" Johnny asked sarcastically, knocking Harry's skull jokingly.

"Piss off," Harry muttered, though an amused smile stretched across his face.

"Why are we all standing in the dark?" Said Tonks.

"Maybe we want," Johnny said sarcastically down the stairs at her.

"Well you can see in the dark, dickhead," Tonks said back up.

"Wolves can see in the dark, dipshit," Johnny said back, causing Moody to groan.

"Children, honestly," Moody muttered under his breath, though Johnny caught an amused smile.

"You love Tonks and I really, Moody," Johnny said charmingly. "We light up your life, we're the son and daughter you never had."

"How bloody right you are," Moody muttered.

"Ha, see, Tonks! I told you this big, old man loved us really!" Johnny cheered in amusement.

"Oooh, he looks just like I thought he would," said Tonks, ignoring Johnny and holding her lit wand up. "Wotcher, Harry!"

"Yeah, I see what you mean, Remus," said Kingsley standing furthest back; he had a deep, slow voice and wore a single gold hoop in his ear. "He looks exactly like James."

"Are you quite sure it's him, Grindelwald?" Moody growled. "It'd be a nice lookout if we bring back some Death Eater impersonating him. We ought to ask him something only the real Potter would know. Unless anyone brought any Veritaserum?"

"I think I bloody well know how my best friend acts, thank you, Moody," Johnny said impatiently. "It's not like I haven't spoken to him for almost five years on the bloody trot."

Very conscious of everybody still staring at him, Harry descended the stairs with Johnny, stowing his wand in the back pocket of his jeans as he came.

"Don't put your wand there, Potter!" Roared Moody. "What if it ignited? Better wizards than you have lost buttocks, you know!"

"Looks like our honorary Dad has experience in that field," Tonks said to Johnny, both of them sitting on Aunt Petunia's highly polished kitchen counter. They really did look a brother/sister duo as they sat there with shit eating grins, Tonks even changing her hair to match Johnny's dark curls.

"Who d'you know who's lost a buttock?" Johnny asked Mad-Eye interestedly, picking up a box of Cadbury's Diary Milk biscuits off of the counter and opening them. Johnny and Tonks both started munching away on the biscuits, much to the amusement of the others, minus Moody.

"Never you mind, you just keep your wand out of your back pocket!" Growled Mad-Eye. "Elementary wand-safety, nobody bothers about it any more."

He stumped off towards the kitchen.

"And I saw that," Mad-Eye added irritably, as Johnny and Tonks rolled their eyes towards the ceiling, their matching grins still on their faces.

"How are you?" Remus asked, looking closely at Harry. "Sorry it's been a while since Sirius, Dani and I have been to visit. We've been caught up."

"F-fine..." Harry stuttered. "I'm--you're really lucky the Dursleys are out..."

"Lucky, ha!" said Tonks, chocolate covering her face. "It was me who lured them out of the way. Sent a letter by Muggle post telling them they'd been short-listed for the All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. They're heading off to the prize-giving right now.... Or they think they are."

"I offered to scare the shit out of them like the last time, but they didn't want that," Johnny muttered bitterly, his red eyes reflecting off of the polished counter.

"We're leaving, aren't we?" Harry asked. "Soon?"

"Almost at once," said Lupin, "we're just waiting for the all-clear."

"Where are we going? The Burrow?" Harry asked hopefully.

|Not The Burrow, no," said Lupin, the little knot of wizards were all still eyeing Harry curiously. "Too risky. We've set up Headquarters somewhere un-detectable. It's taken a while..."

Mad-Eye Moody was now sitting at the kitchen table swigging from a hip flask, his magical eye spinning in all directions, taking in the Dursleys' many labour-saving appliances.

"This is the real Alastor Moody, Harry," Johnny, pointing towards Moody.

"Yeah, I know," said Harry uncomfortably.

"And this is Nymphadora-"

"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus," said the young witch with a shudder, "it's Tonks."

"Only I can call her Nymphadora, or Dora," Johnny explained, shoving Tonks's head away from him playfully. "Dora prefers to go by her last name."

"So would you if your fool of a mother had called you Nymphadora," muttered Tonks.

"Thankfully my mother didn't," Tonks, Johnny and the others smiled sadly at the mention of Evelyn.

"And this is Kingsley Shacklebolt," said Remus, taking over Johnny's role as Tonks was sobbing violently into Johnny's shoulder after the mention of Evelyn.

"Elphias Doge"--the wheezy-voiced wizard nodded--"Dedalus Diggle--"

"We've met before," squeaked the excitable Diggle, dropping his violet-coloured top hat.

"--Emmeline Vance"--a stately-looking witch in an emerald green shawl inclined her head--  "Sturgis Podmore"--a square-jawed wizard with thick straw-coloured hair winked--"and Hestia Jones." A pink-cheeked, black-haired witch waved from next to the toaster.

Harry inclined his head awkwardly at each of them as they were introduced.

"A surprising number of people volunteered to come and get you," said Lupin, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

"I had no choice," said Johnny while rocking Tonks back and forth, the girl still sobbing violently. "Completely ruined my night."

Harry looked at his best friend as though he was offended.

"I'm joking, obviously," Johnny said, waving his hand. "I offered to help, Hermione is waiting for us at HQ."

"We're your guard, Potter," Moody said.

"We're just waiting for the signal to tell us it's safe to set off," said Lupin, glancing out of the kitchen window. "We've got about fifteen minutes."

"Very clean, aren't they, these Muggles?" said Tonks, wiping her eyes, and was looking around the kitchen with great interest. "My dad's Muggle-born and he's a right old slob. I suppose it varies, just as it does with wizards?"

"Er--yeah," said Harry. "Look"--he turned back to Lupin--"what's going on, I haven't heard anything from anyone, what's Vol--?"

Several of the witches and wizards made odd hissing noises; Dedalus Diggle dropped his hat again, and Moody growled, "Shut up!"

"What?'" said Harry.

"We're not discussing anything here, it's too risky," said Johnny. "Constant vigilance!"

"Quite right, son, quite right," said Moody, positively beaming. Moody turned his normal eye on Harry. His magical eye remained focused on the ceiling. "Damn it," he added angrily, putting a hand up to the magical eye, "it keeps getting stuck--ever since that scum wore it-"

And with a nasty squelching sound much like a plunger being pulled from a sink, he popped out his eye.

"Honorary Dad, you do know that's disgusting, don't you?" said Tonks conversationally.

"Honorary Sister, is quite right, Honorary Dad," Johnny said, his million dollar smile on his face as he leaned casually on Tonk's shoulder, the both of them cracking up when Moody glared at them.

"Get me a glass of water, would you, Potter," requested Moody.

Harry crossed to the dishwasher, took out a clean glass and filled it with water at the sink.

"Cheers," said Moody, when Harry handed him the glass. He dropped the magical eyeball into the water and prodded it up and down; the eye whizzed around, staring at them all in turn. "I want three hundred and sixty degrees visibility on the return journey."

"How're we getting--wherever we're going?" Harry asked.

"Brooms," said Johnny, smirking teasingly. "Only way. You're too young to Apparate, they'll be watching the Floo Network and it's more than our life's worth to set up an unauthorised Portkey."

"You're to young to apparate," Tonks said, nudging Johnny's shoulder. "But thanks to Grandpa Grindelwald you've lost the trace."

"Remus and Johnny say you're a good flier," said Kingsley Shacklebolt in his deep voice.

"He's excellent," said Lupin, who was checking his watch. "Anyway, you'd better go and get packed, Harry, we want to be ready to go when the signal comes."

"I'll come and help you," said Tonks brightly.

"She can't pack for shit," Johnny said, smacking Tonks around the back of the head playfully, causing Tonks to kick Johnny in the dick.

"Y-you're a c-cunt," Johnny gasped, sliding down the wall, not looking at the amused faces of the onlookers.

"This is why I should've left one of you back there," Moody grumbled.

Tonks followed Harry back into the hall and up the stairs. When Harry and Tonks entered the kitchen, Moody had replaced his eye, which was spinning so fast after its cleaning it made Johnny feel sick to look at it. Kingsley Shacklebolt and Sturgis Podmore were examining the microwave and Hestia Jones was laughing at a potato peeler she had come across while rummaging in the drawers. Lupin was sealing a letter addressed to the Dursleys.

"Excellent," said Lupin, looking up as Tonks and Harry entered. "We've got about a minute, I think. We should probably get out into the garden so we're ready. Harry, I've left a letter telling your aunt and uncle not to worry--"

"They won't," said Harry.

"--that you're safe-"

"That'll just depress them."

"I'm depressed," Johnny butted in.

"Mood," said Harry, causing Johnny and Harry to high-five.

"--and you'll see them next summer."

"He's coming home with me," Johnny said cheerfully, patting Harry's shoulder. "I can't exactly inherit Potter Manor, as I'm not a Potter, so we'll make it fit for Harry and I'll start the ball rolling on Grindelwald Manor. I was thinking maybe Slough? Or Yorkshire?"

Lupin smiled but made no answer.

"Come here, boy," said Moody gruffly, beckoning Harry towards him with his wand. "I need to Disillusion you."

"You need to what?" said Harry nervously.

"Disillusionment Charm," said Moody, raising his wand. "Lupin and Johnny says you've got an Invisibility Cloak, but it won't stay on while we're flying; this'll disguise you better. Here you go-"

He rapped him hard on the top of the head.

"Nice one, Mad-Eye," said Tonks appreciatively, staring at Harry's midriff.

Johnny looked down at Harry's body, or rather, what had been Harry's body. It wasn't invisible; it had simply taken on the exact colour and texture of the kitchen unit behind him.

"Always knew you were a chameleon, Harry," Johnny joked, patting Harry's shoulder.

"Come on," said Moody, unlocking the back door with his wand.

They all stepped outside on to Uncle Vernon's beautifully kept lawn.

"Clear night," grunted Moody, his magical eye scanning the heavens. "Could've done with a bit more cloud cover. Right, you," he barked at Harry, "we're going to be flying in close formation. Tonks'll be right in front of you, keep close on her tail. Johnny'll be right next to you. Lupin'll be covering you from below. I'm going to be behind you. The rest'll be circling us. We don't break ranks for anything, got me? If one of us is killed--'

"Is that likely?" Harry asked apprehensively, but Moody ignored him.

"It's not like I haven't sacrificed my life for you before, is it?" Johnny joked sarcastically. "I stopped you from facing Voldemort and the Stone, I covered you from a raging werewolf, I took a curse and died for you too."

"--the others keep flying, don't stop, don't break ranks. If they take out all of us and you survive, Harry, the rear guard are standing by to take over; keep flying east and they'll join you."

"Stop being so cheerful, Mad-Eye, he'll think we're not taking this seriously," said Tonks, as she strapped Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage into a harness hanging from her broom.

"Well, technically we're not," Johnny joked.

"I'm just telling the boy the plan," growled Moody. "Our job's to deliver him safely to Headquarters and if we die in the attempt-"

"No one's going to die," said Kingsley Shacklebolt in his deep, calming voice.

"Be careful, yeah?" Tonks said to Johnny, wrapping him in a tight hug. "Your mother will come back and haunt me if you die."

"Mount your brooms, that's the first signal!" said Lupin sharply, pointing into the sky.

Far, far above them, a shower of bright red sparks had flared among the stars. Johnny swung his right leg over his Nimbus 2000, gripped its handle tightly and felt it vibrating very slightly, as though it was as keen as he was to be up in the air once more.

"Second signal, let's go!" said Lupin loudly as more sparks, green this time, exploded high above them.

Johnny kicked off hard from the ground. The cool night air rushed through his hair as the neat square gardens of Privet Drive fell away, shrinking rapidly into a patchwork of dark greens and blacks.

"Hard left, hard left, there's a Muggle looking up!" shouted Moody from behind him. Tonks swerved and Harry and Johnny followed her. "We need more height.... Give it another quarter of a mile!"

Johnny's eyes watered in the chill as they soared upwards: he could see nothing below now but tiny pinpricks of light that were car headlights and streetlamps.

"Bearing south!" shouted Mad-Eye. "Town ahead!"

They soared right to avoid passing directly over the glittering spiderweb of lights below.

"Bear southeast and keep climbing, there's some low cloud ahead we can lose ourselves in!" Called Moody.

"We're not going through the fucking clouds!" shouted Johnny angrily, "we'll get soaked, Mad-Eye! This is a fucking Burberry suit!"

They altered their course every now and then according to Mad-Eye's instructions. Johnny's eyes were screwed up against the rush of icy wind that was starting to make his ears ache.

"Turning southwest!" yelled Moody. "We want to avoid the motorway!"

'We ought to double back for a bit, just to make sure we're not being followed!' Johnny shouted to Moody.

'ARE YOU MAD, JOHNNY?' Tonks screamed from the front. 'We're all frozen to our brooms! If we keep going off-course we're not going to get there until next week! Besides, we're nearly there now!'

"Time to start the descent!" came Lupin's voice. "Follow Tonks and Johnny, Harry!"

Harry followed Tonks and Johnny into a dive. They were heading for the largest collection of lights he had yet seen, a huge, sprawling crisscrossing mass, glittering in lines and grids, interspersed with patches of deepest black. Lower and lower they flew, until they could see individual headlights and streetlamps, chimneys and television aerials.

"Here we go!" called Tonks, and a few seconds later they had landed.

Johnny touched down right beside her and dismounted on a patch of unkempt grass in the middle of a small square. Tonks was already unbuckling Harry's trunk. Shivering, Johnny looked around. The grimy fronts of the surrounding houses were not welcoming; some of them had broken windows, glimmering dully in the light from the streetlamps, paint was peeling from many of the doors and heaps of rubbish lay outside several sets of front steps.

"Where are we?" Harry asked, but Lupin said quietly, "In a minute."

Moody was rummaging in his cloak, his gnarled hands clumsy with cold.

"Got it," he muttered, raising what looked like a silver cigarette lighter into the air and clicking it.

The nearest streetlamp went out with a pop. He clicked the unlighter again; the next lamp went out; he kept clicking until every lamp in the square was extinguished and the only remaining light came from curtained windows and the sickle moon overhead.

"Borrowed it from Dumbledore," growled Moody, pocketing the Put-Outer. "That'll take care of any Muggles looking out of the window, see? Now come on, quick."

He took Harry by the arm and led him from the patch of grass, across the road and on to the pavement; Lupin and Tonks followed, carrying Harry's trunk between them, Johnny was carrying Hedwig's cage and the rest of the guard followed, all with their wands out, flanking them.

The muffled pounding of a stereo was coming from an upper window in the nearest house. A pungent smell of rotting rubbish came from the pile of bulging bin-bags just inside the broken gate.

"Here," Moody muttered, thrusting a piece of parchment towards Harry's Disillusioned hand and holding his lit wand close to it, so as to illuminate the writing. "Read quickly and memorise."

The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix may be found at number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London.

"What's the Order of the--?" Harry began.

"Not here, Harry!" Hissed Johnny. Johnny handed Remus Hedwig's cage and pulled the piece of parchment out of Harry's hand and set fire to it with his wand-tip.

"Looks like that scums training paid off, eh?" Moody grinned, patting Johnny's shoulder proudly.

"But where's--?" Harry went to ask.

"Think about what you've just memorised," said Lupin quietly.

"We're sitting ducks out here," Johnny said apprehensively, his wand at his side as he gazed the down the street.

"Come on, hurry," growled Moody, prodding Harry in the back.

Harry walked up the worn stone steps, staring at the newly materialised door. Its black paint was shabby and scratched. The silver doorknocker was in the form of a twisted serpent. There was no keyhole or letterbox.

"I prefer France to this," Johnny muttered bitterly, pulling his Burberry jacket tighter around him. Lupin, pulled out his wand and tapped the door once. They heard many loud, metallic clicks and what sounded like the clatter of a chain. The door creaked open.

"Get in quick, Harry," Lupin whispered, "but don't go far inside and don't touch anything."

Johnny followed Harry and stepped over the threshold into the almost total darkness of the hall. He could smell damp, dust, and a sweetish, rotting smell; the place had the feeling of a derelict building. Johnny looked over his shoulder and saw the others filing in behind him, Lupin and Tonks carrying Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage. Moody was standing on the top step releasing the balls of light the Put-Outer had stolen from the streetlamps; they flew back to their bulbs and the square glowed momentarily with orange light before Moody limped inside and closed the front door, so that the darkness in the hall became complete.

"Here-"

Moody rapped Harry hard over the head with his wand."

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

"I can see just fine," Johnny said sarcastically, kicking Tonk's shin.

"Fucking twat cunt!" Tonk's groaned, swinging widely and punching a wall. "Oh for fuck-"

"Your language is terrible," Lupin said scoldingly.

"I thought our English was quite good," Johnny said in mock offence, causing him and Tonks to snicker and high-five.

There were hurried footsteps and Mrs. Weasley, emerged from a door at the far end of the hall. She was beaming in welcome as she hurried towards them, though Harry and Johnny noticed that she was rather thinner and paler than she had been last time they had seen her.

"Oh, Harry, Johnny, it's lovely to see you, dears!" She whispered, pulling them into rib-cracking hugs before holding them at arm's length and examining them critically. "Harry, you're looking peaky; you need feeding up, but you'll have to wait a bit for dinner, I'm afraid... Johnny, Hermione told me all about Paris, but did you have to do "it" so many times?"

"S-she told you?" Johnny blushed in embarrassment.

"Oh yes, girl talk," she turned to the gang of wizards behind him and whispered urgently, "he's just arrived, the meeting's started."

The wizards behind Harry and Johnny all made noises of interest and excitement and began filing past them towards the door through which Mrs. Weasley had just come. Harry made to follow Lupin, but Mrs. Weasley held him back.

"No, Harry, the meeting's only for members of the Order. Ron and Hermione are upstairs, you can wait with them until the meetings over, then we'll have dinner. And keep your voice down in the hall," she added in an urgent whisper. "Johnny, dear, seeing as you were on the mission, Dumbledore deems you part of the Order, even though I say you're to young."

Johnny smiled uncomfortably, patting Harry on the back as he walked through the kitchen door. Johnny entered the room, and smiled awkwardly at the people who looked at him. He knew Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Moody, the guard that helped Harry, Dumbledore, Mundungus Fletcher, Dumbledore, and the last person he knew shocked him the most. Stood next to Dumbledore, was Gellert Grindelwald, a wide smile on his face as he looked at his Grandson.

"Grandfather," Johnny breathed a wide smile on his face as he hugged Gellert tightly. "What're you doing here?"

"Albus helped negotiate my release with the Ministry," Gellert smiled, patting his former lover on the shoulder. "I'm a free and changed man. Have you met everyone? You know the Weasley's and that lot, obviously."

"Wow, that's Gellert," Sirius said in a mock offence. "What are we, the shit under your shoe?"

"This is Mike and Yvonne Raywood, their daughter Selena is in your year, I believe?" The couple in their late thirties waved and said hello. "Here we have Marcus and Dianne Price."

"You're good friends with my son, Tomas," Marcus said, a thick Welsh seeping through his tone.

"Ah, yes, great friend," Johnny smiled, and shook Marcus's.

"This is Damon and Elena Blackwood."

"Mia's parents, am I right?" Johnny asked with a kind smile.

"How could you tell?" Damon asked with laugh.

"The eyes are a dead giveaway."

"And lastly, Freddie and Mary Winston," Gellert inclined his head to an Asian couple sat in between Tonks and Remus. "There's a lot more of us, but as you see their isn't a lot of room here."

Now that introductions are out of the way, Johnny will you take a seat," Dumbledore asked, motioning for the spare seat between Gellert and Tonks. Johnny obeyed. "Severus, is there any word on what Voldemort is planning next?"

Johnny only just noticed his Head of House sitting in the dark corner of the kitchen.

"Not yet, Professor," Snape's monotone voice drawled out, causing Johnny to yawn. This is how the meeting went on for ages, discussing Voldemort's potential plans and schemes.

"Johnny, have you thought anymore about becoming a spy?" Dumbledore asked calmly, causing Johnny to tense.

"I told you three weeks ago, my answer is no," Johnny muttered bitterly, his eyes cast down on the table. "I wish you'd just accept that, Dumbledore."

"The Order needs more spies!" Dumbledore persisted.

"You've got Snape!" Johnny growled angrily, slamming a clawed hand down on the table. "It's the Death Eaters! Not the bloody Nazi party! The Death Eaters aren't smart enough to have multiple bases! You need one spy!"

"Johnny-"

"Do not tell me to calm down," Johnny growled at Dumbledore. "You've left Harry out of the loop for weeks! You wouldn't let anyone even go see him!"

"Sirius-"

"Sirius, Remus and Dani went to see him because I told fucking told him too!" Johnny yelled, his red eyes illuminating the room. "Harry and I are traumatised from the Graveyard! Look into my head and you'll see it! But I'm okay, I had Hermione to help me! Who did Harry have?! NO ONE!"

"I like this kid," Damon muttered to Elena.

"I see your point," Dumbledore muttered quietly as Johnny sat down, Tonks rubbing his back comfortingly. "Meeting closed."

"You okay?" Tonks asked, looking at Johnny concerned.

"Fine," Johnny muttered bitterly, playing with his wand in his hand.

"Wanna go to the living room and see if we can set up that PlayStation thing on Sirius's tele?" Tonks asked with a grin. "I bet you ten galleons I'll beat your arse on Crash Bandicoot."

"Like fuck will you," the two sprinted out of the kitchen, barging and tripping each other up

CRASH.

Johnny barged Tonks into an umbrella stand, causing Tonks and the stand to make a loud bang as they hit the floor.

"Tonks!" Cried Mrs. Weasley in exasperation, turning to look behind her.

"I'm sorry!" Wailed Tonks, who was lying flat on the floor. "It's that stupid umbrella stand, and it was Johnny-"

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

The moth-eaten velvet curtains had flown apart, but there was no door behind them. For a split second, Johnny 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--then he realised it was simply a life-size portrait, but the most realistic, and the most unpleasant, he had ever seen in his life.

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, so that Johnny actually screwed up his eyes at the noise

"Fuck, sensitive wolf hearing!" Johnny groaned, but he didn't cover his ears, he covered Hermione's who smiled at him and kissed him thankfully.

Lupin and Mrs Weasley darted forward and 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-"

Tonks apologised over and over again, dragging the huge, heavy troll's leg back off the floor; Mrs. Weasley abandoned the attempt to close the curtains and hurried up and down the hall, Stunning all the other portraits with her wand; and Sirius and Dani came charging out of a door facing them.

"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!" Sirius roared, seizing the curtain Mrs. Weasley had abandoned.

The old woman's face blanched.

"Yoooou!" She howled, her eyes popping at the sight of the Sirius. "Bent, Blood-Traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh!"

"I said--shut--UP!" Roared Sirius, and with a stupendous effort he and Lupin managed to force the curtains closed again.

The old woman's screeches died and an echoing silence tell. Panting slightly and sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes, Sirius turned to face Harry.

"Hello, Harry," Sirius said grimly, "I see you've met my mother."