Chapter Eighteen

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The week after the first order meeting passed with little incident. The highlight of the week was Wednesday, when Minh went to visit Gaerwyn and Lolide. She was only going for the evening, and had asked Harry to go with her. Unfortunately, he had quidditch practice, so he couldn't go. When she came back, she was beaming. She went over to the Hufflepuff table the following day at breakfast, a large grin on her face. Harry looked at her curiously.

“ You're surprisingly chipper. Did your visit go well?”

“ It was great, Harry. They've agreed to come here for a visit!”

“ Really? I thought the elves refused to come to the human world any more.”

“ They do, normally. They've agreed to come and meet everybody if they can disguise themselves as I do.”

“ So when are they coming to visit?”

“ This weekend. They'll be here Saturday morning and will leave again Sunday night.”

“ I'll look forward to that. I'll have to tell Ron, Ginny and `Mione. `Mione especially will be thrilled at seeing elves. Last year she didn't really get to talk to Lolide much.”

“ That's true. It should be fun. I think you should play a prank while they're here. It would be funny, and my mother would get to see what you're like when you're not being all respectable.”

“ Hey! I'm always respectable!”

“ Ok, ok, you're respectable.”

“ Humph! I have to go to class. See you later, Harry.”

As the young elf left the Great Hall, Harry went over to the other tables one by one, asking Ron, Ginny and Hermione to meet him in his room after lunch. He had a lot to talk to them about, and the longer he put it off, the harder it would be.

“ So, why are we here?” Hermione asked once all four were seated comfortably in front of the fire. Although it was March, the weather was particularly cold. A thin layer of snow rested across the grounds, making the view out of the windows seem bleak and dreary.

“ Well, there's two things I would like to discuss with you. The first thing is that Lolide and Gaerwyn are coming to visit this weekend. They'll be arriving on Saturday morning and leaving Sunday night.”

“ That's great. It will be nice to see Lolide again.”

“ Well, she hasn't changed much, Gin. It's strange how elves can live for thousands of years, and never seem to age. Well, except for Gaerwyn. She was just a young elf when I saw her last year, but now she's an adult.”

“ Yeah, and Minh seems to be growing at a normal rate.”

“ That's because she's half human.”

“ What?! That's strange…”

“ I know Ron, but it's true. You can't say anything, though. None of the other elves know. She would be outcast if they found out. You know how mistrustful elves are of humans these days.”

“ Don't worry, we won't say anything,” Ginny reassured him, “ What else did you want to talk to us about? You said there were a couple of things we had to discuss.”

“ Alright, I want you to listen carefully and consider properly what I am about to tell you. Do you remember when we came back after Christmas and I stayed behind in Dumbledore's office to talk to him?”

“ Well, I had a plan, and it came into completion the other day.”

“ I'm getting to that, `Mione. Think back to the conversation we had with Dumbledore about the war effort. He told us that the aurors were the only ones fighting Grindelwald and his followers. After much research, I discovered that the aurors weren't really doing any good. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I've created a resistance group.”

“ You WHAT!? Harry, you can't do that, it's messing with time…”

“ `Mione, how many times do we have to go over this? It's not messing with time. The fact that I am my own ancestor proves that we were meant to be here. Any influence we have on the world was meant to happen, because it already has happened. I have to create the past in order for myself to exist. Do you get it?”

“ I wasn't asking you, Ron.”

“ Hermione? Do you see what I mean?”

“ I suppose. So, tell us about this resistance. And why didn't you tell us earlier?”

“ I didn't mention it incase it never came into being. Now it is officially created, I'd like you to join. I have people looking through Ministry records, Amelia and John are keeping an eye on the Muggle side of things, the McGonagalls are spying by joining Grindelwald's ranks, and everyone will fight if there is an attack. I decided that the Ministry have taken a defencive stand, and are losing the war. I have decided that going on the offensive is the only option. Our spies will tell us when there is an attack, and we will be there to stop it, getting rid of as many of Grindelwald's forces as we can. Are you in or out?”

“ Anything to save lives.”

“ Good. There will be a meeting on Monday at Domus Corvus Corax. It's our base of operations.”

“ What's the resistance called, Harry?” Ginny asked. Harry gave her a small smile and gestured to where Fawkes was sitting on a perch in the corner of the room.

“ The Order of the Phoenix.”

Saturday morning dawned and Harry and Minh found themselves in the Hufflepuff common room long before the rest of their House woke. With a flash of blue light and a slight *pop*, Gaerwyn and Lolide appeared before the two students. Gaerwyn gave her daughter a hug, before moving forward to embrace Harry.

“ It's wonderful to see you again, Harry. I'm sorry about what happened at Christmas. Minh was telling me about it on her last visit,” Gaerwyn said to the boy in elvish.

“ It wasn't fun, I must admit, but we did our best under the circumstances. You know I would never let anything happen to my friends.”

“ I'm glad you were there, Harry. I know how powerful you are, even more so than your friends. They are formidable warriors, but you have the power of knowledge on your side.”

“ I try to use my strength only for good. If I don't I will become no better than the forces I fight.”

“ That is true, my friend. Now, I would like you to introduce us to your friends and headmaster.”

“ If course. If you come this way, they are waiting in a special room. My friends know you are coming, but Professor Dumbledore just knows that I am bringing guests. I didn't have time to go and speak to him, so I just sent him a message with Fawkes.”

Harry went over to the wall and created a door. Leading the elves into his room, he took them to where the others were waiting. The group all stood up and went to greet the new arrivals; Ron, Ginny and Hermione with warmth and welcome, Eustace with trepidation, and Dumbledore with utter surprise. Before anyone could move, a flash went off, and Ginny gleefully held up her camera.

“ I finally have a picture of the headmaster looking shocked. They'll sell for a fortune when we get back home.”

Everyone laughed at her antics, before Harry stepped forward to introduce everyone.

“ Lolide, Gaerwyn, this in my headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, and my good friend and adopted little brother, Eustace. Eustace, Professor, this is Gaerwyn, Minh's mother, and her sister Lolide, both from the elf world.”

Dumbledore seemed to come out of his shock before stepping forward and greeting the new arrivals.

“ Welcome to Hogwarts. You will be honoured guests for as long as you wish to stay. Although I am surprised to find young Minh-Minh-Lama to be an elf.”

“ I don't like to broadcast the fact, Headmaster. In fact, Eustace didn't find out until after Christmas.”

“ Very well. Maybe we should take a seat. I have something I need to discuss with Harry.”

Once they were all seated, Dumbledore asked Harry something he had wanted to know all week.

“ Harry, did you speak to your friends about the Order?”

“ Yes I did, Sir. They've all agreed to join. I will bring them to the meeting on Monday.”

“ Very well. Thank you all for agreeing to join.”

The rest of the group was looking a little confused. Gaerwyn had been quietly translating for Lolide, as she didn't speak English. It was Minh who asked the obvious.

“ What Order? What have you joined?”

“ Wait a minute, I have an idea,” Harry said before he explained. He quickly cast a translation spell on Lolide so she could understand them all. It was the same one the four time travellers had used when they first arrived in the age of the founders.

“ The Order is a group I set up to fight Grindelwald. We have spies and the like, and will counter any attack he makes.”

“ Isn't that dangerous, Harry?” Gaerwyn asked him.

“ Yes it is, but I can't just sit back and let it happen. I have to help.”

Gaerwyn and Lolide looked at each other, having a silent conversation with their eyes. After a minute or two, they nodded to each other and Lolide turned to the Boy-Who-Lived.

“ If you think it is a worthy cause then we support you all the way. In return for helping to save Minh in the attacks during your holidays, we would like to join your Order.”

After finalising a few details on the Order, Harry and Minh gave Gaerwyn and Lolide a tour of the castle. They had obviously been there before, but they wanted to see what changes had been made in 950 years. At one point they had run into Peeves and Gallatea, who were floating around the castle causing trouble. Both were pleased to see the elves, and Gallatea proudly told Lolide how she had been affectionately nicknamed the Grey Lady by the Ravenclaw students. After lunch in Harry's room they all headed outside to catch up. Lolide and Gaerwyn wanted to hear all that had happened to Harry since the last time he had seen them. He told them about his quidditch matches and gave a more detailed account of Christmas than that which Minh had told them. After all, he had been fighting while Minh was safe in the house.

That night at dinner, the elves came into the Great Hall to eat, where they were ushered up to the head table by an overenthusiastic Dumbledore. Ever since they had agreed to help fight the war, the headmaster had been striding around the castle with a twinkle in his eye and a spring in his step.

Just before dessert, a hush fell over the Hall as the entire Slytherin table, Ginny included, stood up and started to sway. Harry, Minh, Eustace, Ron, Peeves and `Tea all had huge grins on their faces, while the other elves just looked confused. All became clear to them as the Slytherin uniforms disappeared, only to be replaced by gold and silver costumes with floating material and jeweled tiaras. The students then started to sing, Satanus and Caligula, as always, in the fore.

“ All the old paintings on the tombs

They do the sand dance don't you know

If they move too quick (oh whey oh)

They're falling down like a domino

All the bazaar men by the Nile

They got the money on a bet

Gold crocodiles (oh whey oh)

They snap their teeth on your cigarette.”

Swaying around the tables as one, the Slytherins looked rather amusing.

“ Foreign types with the hookah pipes say

Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh

Walk like an Egyptian.”

The students were burning red with embarrassment as they started a stereotypical Egyptian dance.

“ The blonde waitresses take their trays

They spin around and they cross the floor

They've got the moves (oh whey oh)

You drop your drink then they bring you more

All the school kids so sick of books

They like the punk and the metal band

When the buzzer rings (oh whey oh)

They're walking like an Egyptian.”

Satanus stood in front of the rest of his House, crooning the chorus louder than the rest and gyrating his hips.

“ All the kids in the market place say

Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh

Walk like an Egyptian.”

Stepping back in line, the perfectly choreographed dance continued. The rest of the school, unwillingly, began to whistle the tune in the appropriate place.

“ Hide your feet up the street bend your back

Shift your arm then pull it back

Life is hard you know (oh whey oh)

So strike a pose on a Cadillac

If you want to find all the cops

They're hanging out in the donut shop

They sing and dance (oh whey oh)

Spin the clubs cruise down the block.”

“ All the Japanese with their yen

The party boys call the Kremlin

And the Chinese know (oh whey oh)

They walk the line like Egyptian.”

Caligula finished the song on his own, exaggerating the dance beyond the ridiculous.

“ All the cops in the donut shop say

Ay oh whey oh, ay oh whey oh

Walk like an Egyptian

Walk like an Egyptian.”

As the song ended and the Slytherins returned to normal, a flash went off above their table, a message spelled out in fireworks.

SLYTHERIN HOUSE in WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN, PROUDLY PRESENTED BY THE MARAUDERS.

Gaerwyn and Lolide were in fits of laughter, finally understanding why Harry, Ron and Peeves were always considered the best ever pranksters in Hogwarts' history.

Finally Sunday came, and the elves had to return to their own world. They agreed to come and help in battle as soldiers if the Order needed them, but would not be attending the meetings. They would rely on their new tattoos to call them if they were needed. After a tearful goodbye and a promise to come and visit again soon, they left in a flash of blue light.

The second Order meeting took place the next day. The table had to be expanded, as so many of the members had brought others who were willing to join. Harry tested them all and placed the secrecy spell on them. He them proceeded to mark everyone with the tattoo of their choice. Unlike the Dark Mark, they didn't hurt when being applied, could be removed easily by Harry or Dumbledore, and did not cause pain when being used for summoning. They merely tingled, enough to grab the person's attention, but not enough to incapacitate them.

The Ministry workers had failed to gather any useful information yet, but the McGonagalls had successfully joined Grindelwald's circle. They even had something to report back. It was Janus who spoke for the couple.

“ Grindelwald is planning a major attack on the 30th March. Hitler's been complaining about France and the French resistance causing trouble. He also seems to think the Western Allies are planning an invasion. He wants Grindelwald to attack Paris and put the French in their place, and is hoping to demoralise the people and make any invasion less successful. I don't see his logic, but there you have it.”

“ Thank you, Mr. McGonagall. Now that we have a place and date for an attack, we can start planning ahead. I will need everyone to fight. I am proud to announce that two elves have agreed to fight in our battles, so we must include a place for them in our plans.”

Most of the people sitting around the table were shocked at the mention of elves. Many had believed them extinct, and all knew that even if they did exist, they never interfered with human affairs. Daedalus voiced the thoughts of everyone, to which Harry had only one reply.

“ They're close personal friends of mine. I mentioned the Order, and they asked to join, saying any fight I thought was worth participating in was good enough for them to help.”

Everyone just nodded their heads in acceptance at having elves fighting with them. After all, among the new members were several werewolves, vampires and sprites. The conversation quickly turned to strategy, and Harry started making plans.

The morning of March 30th dawned, and Harry summoned the whole Order as soon as he got out of bed. When he had showered and dressed in his battle robes, he gathered his sword, bow and quiver he had been given by the elves and headed out of the door. In the Entrance Hall he met up with Professors Moody, Dumbledore, and Sewell. A few minutes later Ron, Hermione and Ginny came around a corner, Minerva and Filius close behind them. They all headed out of the caste as a group, meeting up with Hagrid by the gates to the school. Harry was thankful Dumbledore had agreed to teach the other three how to apparate as they disappeared from the gates with a *pop*, reappearing in the portkey room in Domus Corvus Corax. They all made their way to the ball room, where some of the Order was already gathered.

Twenty minutes later, everyone was there, Gaerwyn and Lolide appearing in the standard blue light, scaring most of the people in the room. Once they were all seated, and the elves had been filled in on the situation, Harry stood up to run over the plans.

“ Alright everyone, thank you for coming. I have finalised all of the plans and have come up with what I hope will be an effective strategy. This is what I want you to do…”

The battle was due to start at noon in France, meaning the Order had to leave Britain an hour earlier. At ten to eleven they all apparated to the Arc de Triomphe and waited for the dark forces to arrive. At precisely noon, Grindelwald and his followers appeared, all surprised to see the Order waiting for them. Both sides moved down the Avenue des Champs Élysées towards each other, Grindelwald at the front of his forces, Harry at the front of the Order. When they got closer, the Dark Lord's eyes widened in recognition.

“ YOU! You fought me in October and lived; you will not live to see this day end. AVADA KADAVRA!”

The spell hit Harry in the chest and he simply raised his wand and sent a Dark curse back. Grindelwald stood shocked for a moment before fighting back in earnest. The initial curse was enough of a signal for everyone, and duels started left, right and centre. Everyone was playing their part, but none more so than Harry. He was using wandless magic, wand magic and his weapons, but Grindelwald was matching him as best he could. Harry wasn't able to take out the threat of the Dark Lord, but he was keeping him busy while the rest of the Order fought the Dark wizards. The McGonagalls were being careful to keep their faces hidden, so as not to be recognised. The other three time travellers were all using their skill, Ron fighting with his sword, Hermione using her knives, and Ginny shooting arrows into the enemy to wound them.

After a while the battle began to spread. Much of the Ternes district was now filled with fighting, branching in all directions down the roads heading out from the Place Charles de Gaulle. More and more of the enemy were falling to the light side, Ron, Ginny and Hermione doing the most damage. However, the tides turned slightly when an army of Dementors suddenly appeared.

Harry threw an Impedimenta curse at his opponent, giving him a few precious seconds to look around and see how everyone was doing. He saw the Dementors closing in on the Order, and knew he had to do something. While Grindelwald was still under the curse, he made his way through the piled bodies of friends and foe alike to where his three friends were fighting off the threat. Once all four of them were together, they joined hands and used ancient magic to create a powerful Patronus, one strong enough to completely destroy Dementors. It formed a wall in front of them, moving forward and pushing the Dark Creatures back, killing the nearest and sending the rest fleeing. As they let the charm drop, exhaustion overtook them just as the battle began again. Amidst death cries and flashes of colour from spells, they fell to the floor as one, darkness overtaking their minds until they knew no more.