Raised By Wolfstar: Slytherin Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Chapter Six: The Noble And Most Ancient House Of Black

Mrs Weasley followed them upstairs looking grim.

'I want you all to go straight to bed, no talking,' she said as they reached the first landing. 'We've got a busy day tomorrow. I expect Ginny's asleep along with Canini,' she added to Tracey, 'so don't be to loud when you enter.'

'Asleep, yeah, right,' said Fred in an undertone after bidding Tracey goodnight, as they were climbing to the next floor. 'If the girls are not lying awake waiting for Tracey to tell them everything they said downstairs, then I'm a flobberworm...'

'All right, Ron, Harry, Theo,' said Mrs Weasley on the second landing, pointing them into their bedroom. 'Off to bed with you.'

'Night,' Harry and Ron said to the twins.

'Sleep tight,' said Fred, winking.

Mrs Weasley closed the door behind Harry with a sharp snap. The bedroom looked, if anything, even danker and gloomier than it had on first sight. The blank picture on the wall was now breathing very slowly and deeply, as though its invisible occupant was asleep. Harry put on his pajamas, took off his glasses, and climbed into his chilly cot while Theodore put his toad in its terrarium, Ron threw Owl Treats up on top of the wardrobe to pacify Hedwig and Pigwidgeon, who were clattering around and rustling their wings restlessly.

'We can't let them out to hunt every night,' Ron explained as he pulled on his maroon pajamas. 'Dumbledore doesn't want too many owls swooping around the square, thinks it'll look suspicious. Hey Theodore, can you..?'

'Oh, sure. One second.'

He crossed to the door and bolted it.

'What're you doing that for?'

'The house-elf that lives here,' said Theodore, climbing into his bed, 'he mostly prowls at night and doesn't see an occupied room as an excuse not to go in.'

'I think his name is Kreacher,' said Ron as he turned off the light. 'First night I was here he came wandering in at three in the morning. Trust me, you don't want to wake up and find him prowling around your room. Anyway...' He got into his bed, settled down under the covers, then turned to look at Harry in the darkness. Harry could see his and Theodore's outline by the moonlight filtering in through the grimy window. 'What d'you reckon?'

Harry didn't need to ask what Ron meant.

'Well, they didn't tell us much we couldn't have guessed, did they?' he said, thinking of all that had been said downstairs. 'I mean, all they've really said is that the Order's trying to stop people joining Vol—'

There was a sharp intake of breath from Ron.

'—demort,' said Harry firmly. 'When are you going to start using his name? Even Sirius and Remus do.'

'It's not as easy as you make it look, Harry,' said Theodore quietly, 'but we're trying.'

'Yeah, you're right,' said Ron, seemingly ignoring the Voldemort part of the conversation. 'We already knew nearly everything they told us, from using the Extendable Ears. The only new bit was—'

Crack.

'OUCH!'

'Keep your voice down, Ron, or Mum'll be back up here.'

'You two just Apparated on my knees!'

'You scared as,' protested Theodore.

'Yeah, well, it's harder in the dark—'

Harry saw the blurred outlines of Fred and George leaping down from Ron's bed. There was a groan of bedsprings and Harry's mattress descended a few inches as George sat down near his feet.