The power he knows not.
The Weasley family owl Errol announced his arrival by slapping hard into their bedroom window very early the following day, Harry had to nip down stairs and out into the garden only wearing his boxers to recover the unconscious bird.
The letter Errol had brought them was extremely short with just a few words.
'Need to see you soon, today if possible. Luna. Ginny.'
Harry wondered if it was a trap to lure them out into the open, but Hermione pointed out that had the letter been sent by a death eater there would be only one signature. Not having anything planned for the day they decided they would leave right after breakfast, Hermione would dissaparate them both to the Burrow. Maybe with a little luck they would be able to s tay for one of Molly's famous lunches.
Both of them were a little worried about the letter as they ate their quickly prepared breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast, but neither voiced their worries. Ten minutes after breakfast Hermione transported them both to the Burrow, even though the letter had said soon, Ginny, and Luna, had not expected them quite so soon. After quick hello's and hugs all round the two younger girls left their unfinished breakfast, and excitedly led Harry and Hermione out to a very secluded spot hidden from view right in the middle of the Weasley wood.
"Ok you two what is so urgent you needed to wake us up so early, and drag us all the way out here?" Hermione asked as both Ginny and Luna took a seat on a large granite rock.
Ginny did not say anything instead she just pointed her hand at a twenty foot high tree. Then with out a word she nodded toward the tree, and as Harry and Hermione watched the indicated tree they saw it pushed slowly until it began to topple, then with a loud crack the trunk snapped just below half way up the trunk and the top of the tree fell to the ground. Before they had time to properly digest what had happened Luna had pointed a finger at the rock Ginny was sitting on. The two eldest watched as the rock that must have weighed several tons simply lifted from the ground like a feather and floated gently upward following the path of Luna's finger. The two Potters' stood open mouthed as Ginny and Luna took turns in doing things that even Albus Dumbledore had been unable to master.
"How… I mean what… what I'm trying to say is you can't do that, it's just not possible," Hermione said as Luna quickly repaired all the damage the two girls had done around the clearing.
"It all started the day after we visited the department of mysteries, I did the house chores, I was nearly finished before I realised I had forgotten to use my wand," Ginny said as she and Luna once again got them selves comfortable on the large granite rock.
"Don't you feel different?" Luna asked a dreamy look taking over her face again.
Hermione began to say no when she remembered something, it had been so insignificant she had not noticed it at the time.
"Harry when you took the wand from Dumbledore how did you do it?" she asked a still very puzzled Harry.
"I… I don't remember really," he answered scratching his head.
"How did you summon Gaunts ring?" Hermione looked at her husband with a small smile on her lips.
"I used the elder wand… I didn't use my wand to get Dumbledore's wand, I just thought about it," Harry said suddenly realising what his wife was thinking.
'Give it a try love, transfigure something' he thought as the full impact of what it could mean hit him.
Hermione nodded as her eyes turned from Harry and she looked at the rock the two girls were sitting on. Simply thinking about what she wanted to do made the rock start to shake, just one second later a rather luxurious brown leather six seater sofa stood in place of the rock. Ginny and Luna looked around at their new seat and both of them looked surprised.
"You did that without doing anything at all," Ginny said awe showing in her quiet voice.
Amazed at what she had done just by thinking about it she turned to Harry 'Your turn' Hermione thought as she looked into Harry's eyes.
Harry turned toward the thicker part of the wood and thought 'diffindo', the crashing noise that followed as at least twenty trees were cut down a foot from the roots sounded deafening in the small clearing.
"Oops," Harry said as he looked at the damage he had done 'Reparo' he thought as he looked at the trees again, within a second the huge number of chopped trees were back to normal, not a single mark on them.
"I think I'm going to have to be a lot more careful and concentrate just a little more in future," he said sheepishly as Hermione lifted an eyebrow at him.
"No wonder we gave a light display," Hermione said smiling at the memory.
"Light display? What light display?" Ginny asked looking decidedly puzzled.
Hermione blushed and hastily said "It's nothing, just a private joke."
'It wasn't so private love' Harry thought with a grin.
Hermione's blush deepened as she thought of her parents and Sirius watching the result of their love making, before she shushed Harry while she thought about all that was happening with them.
"It has to be the power that was in that locked room, we must store it like a battery, as far as I was able to find out when I studied it, nobody has ever been recorded as having been in the room since it was built, no one before we entered that is," she said as all their eyes were on her.
"Blimey, Hermione Granger did something with out having any real idea of what would or could happen," Ginny said laughing.
"It's not the first time," Hermione replied seriously as she thought of her marriage to Ron. "I've made some really big mistakes before now."
Hermione looked at her husband and wondered what was going on in Harry's head; he was being too quiet on the walk back to the Burrow. The last thing she wanted was for him to do something rashly, something that could get them all injured, before she could confront him he suddenly stopped walking causing Ginny to walk into his back.
"He was right, Dumbledore was right, the power the dark lord knows not, Dumbledore got it right," he said with a huge grin on his face "we're going to put an end to this war before more people get killed."
'I knew it' Hermione thought as she realised what he was saying.
"So what are you going to do love?" she asked a little cautiously
"We need to see Mr Weasley," Harry said as he rushed off without waiting.
The three girls looked at each other and rolled their eyes "Looks like he's on another crusade," Ginny said smiling.
In the kitchen of the Burrow Harry convinced Mr Weasley to help in collecting up all the Horcrux's, Arthur told them that he would call a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix for seven that evening, he then explained to Harry who the order were and what they did.
Hermione tried to act as surprised as Harry was when he learned about the things that the order did. It was after Mr Weasley had gone to work that Hermione voiced some concerns about how the order would react when they found out that their leader was under arrest for a crime exposed by her self. Having spent the day at the Burrow testing their new found power, Harry noticed that Ginny and Luna seemed to be losing their extra magic as the day went on; when he mentioned it to Hermione she thought it through for a while before she came to the conclusion that it was all Harry's fault in a way. She chuckled when she told them her conclusions, not because she found the fact that they were losing their extra power funny but at the look of total horror on her husbands face when he exclaimed he had done nothing.
Hermione sat back and began to explain what she thought might be happening, "It's simply because you don't love them Harry, we got the power from, for the want of a better description, the room of love, I think our love being so strong is keeping the power alive where as Ginny, and Luna's love isn't returned it's only one way, they are giving you their love but you cant give any back, you're literally draining it from them."
Harry scratched his head and looked at Ginny, Luna, and then Hermione, with a look of total confusion on his face "Sorry," he muttered though he didn't know why.
Hermione saw the confusion on his face "I'm sorry love I can't think of any better way of putting it," Hermione said smiling at them, "I think it's rather nice, at least it shows that what Dumbledore was doing was unnecessary where Ginny was concerned."
It was then Ginny's turn to look confused "I don't see what Dumbledore has to do with all this," she said giving Hermione a questioning look.
"Well it proves that you really do love Harry," Hermione said then she went on to tell them all about Dumbledore's plot to change the blood lines.
That evening as order members began to arrive, Ginny, and Luna, were sent up to Ginny's room, neither girl was too bothered because they were sure that Harry and Hermione would tell them every thing later. By seven fifteen the Burrow kitchen was full to over flowing as more and more members arrived, by twenty minutes past seven there was no more room inside so some members were left out side, some peered in at the windows.
Harry and Hermione were squeezed up against the table when Harry had come to the conclusion that the whole thing was going to be a waste of time with half the crowd outside, climbing on top of the table he took a deep breath then said rather loudly "Quiet, everyone outside." There was a powerful authority to his command and with out question everyone began to file out into the garden.
Harry and Hermione were the last ones out of the kitchen as they followed Sirius and Remus through the door into the garden.
Hermione looked around at the forty or fifty people gathered, she nudged Harry to get his attention 'We can't do this in the open Harry' she thought.
"Follow me," Harry told the gathered witches and wizards as he walked out to the field where the Weasleys played Quidditch. With a quick wave of his arm Harry conjured a large marquee then just walked inside and waited.
Hermione followed and as she entered she cast a silencing charm on the huge tent so that anyone listening from outside would not be able to hear anything said. Once they were both inside Harry conjured two chairs which every one else emulated, Mr Weasley called the gathering to order and as silence began to fall on them Sirius stood up and walked to the front.
"Dumbledore will not be joining us tonight, thanks to Mr and Mrs Potter, I wonder Minerva, if you would like to explain it to us?" Sirius said looking at the new head mistress of Hogwarts.
McGonagall walked out to join Sirius, and began to explain about their former leader and what he had been doing, "…And so I think we should elect a new leader before we find out why we were all summoned to this meeting," she ended her story.
It suddenly sounded like chaos had broken out as everyone began to talk or shout, Hermione looked around and found it hard to believe she was with a gathering of around fifty adults, they were making more noise than the students at Hogwarts made at the leaving feast.
'We need to do something Harry, or we will never get them to help' she thought as she looked around again.
Harry stood up and once more the powerful force of his presence spread out like a mist, people began to fall silent and look at him as he looked around the room. As silence filled the tent Hermione stood up next to her husband, and gave him a nudge 'You have to say something love'
'What, what do I say, I'm not a leader' Harry replied to his wife's prompt.
'Shacklebolt, nominate Shacklebolt Harry, he will make a strong leader for the resistance' she told him as she looked at the faces all looking at them.
Arthur Weasley remembered the presence Dumbledore had at the Wizengamot and thought that the boy he had thought of as a son was giving off a very much stronger aura "Harry, I think we should choose Harry," he said standing for a few seconds.
Before Harry could react several of the people who knew him personally, including McGonagall had all agreed with Arthur, and Harry found himself elected as leader of the Order of the Phoenix. Harry stood staring at the gathering, the last thing he wanted was to be leader, head of the people fighting the death eaters of Voldemort, Hermione knowing what he was thinking looked around at the people then having found the face she wanted she called out to him "Mr Shacklebolt would you join us for a second."
Kingsley Shacklebolt was the one person Hermione knew who had the skill and wisdom to head the order, he had been the one they had elected as minister after the fall of Voldemort in her last life, he had been the man who had bought the wizarding world from the brink of anarchy and collapse.
'Harry love you have to appoint Shacklebolt as your representative, tell them you will be to busy to devote the time required'Hermione urged him to speak as he stood a little uncertain of what to do.
As Shacklebolt joined them Harry asked if he would be willing to help, having received a nod from the Auror Harry began to speak to the rest of the order.
"As a student of Hogwarts I will not have the time to devote to the task you are asking of me. I have to spend my time improving my skills, getting ready for the next time Voldemort tries to kill me… So I am appointing Mr Shacklebolt as my representative. He will carry out the duties that I would be unable to do. Thank you for your confidence in me, I can only hope it is not ill founded." Harry turned to Shacklebolt "If you would take over Mr Shacklebolt."
"It's Kingsley Harry, and thank you."
Harry and Hermione sat back down with Kingsley and Harry told him what they required, the Horcrux's needed to be collected without those collecting them knowing what they were, Harry did not want another wizard getting the same ideas of immortality as Voldemort. He did tell Kingsley that the items he required were extremely dangerous and were protected by really strong dark magic. Hermione told him where they could all be found and what to expect of the spells protecting them, then she led the way back to the Burrow kitchen as she and Harry left the order to get on with things. Hermione was so proud of Harry that as soon as she had entered the kitchen, she turned and wrapped her arms around him. They were kissing for several minutes before they were interrupted by Ginny, and Luna, who both wanted to know what was going on.
It was a week later when an owl arrived as Hermione was preparing breakfast for her family; she took the letter from the owl and fed it some of the freshly cooked bacon, then placed the letter on the table while she finished off cooking breakfast. She was just about done setting out the plates when her mother then dad, and finally Harry, all came down to eat. Harry had a huge grin on his face that made Hermione blush a little when she remembered how she had woken him up that morning. She loved to make love to him as a way to wake him up.
Harry sat down as Hermione filled his plate for him; he picked up the letter and began to read. It was the letter they had been expecting, a letter from Kingsley. It told them that all the items had been collected with only two minor injuries; Kingsley wanted to know where they should be delivered and whether any order members would be needed. Having read the letter out Mr Granger wondered out loud if what they were about to do was dangerous, Harry answered honestly that he did not know, but he felt sure Hermione would find a way to keep them safe.
"Once those evil things are destroyed we can go after Riddle himself, and hopefully put an end to all this killing," Harry said as he finished speaking and started on his breakfast.
Late that afternoon Hermione and Harry accompanied by Fawkes met Kingsley Shacklebolt at the ministry of magic, together with ten members of the order they made their way down to the department of mysteries.
As Hermione and Harry stood with the door to the room of love open just enough to enable them to watch what happened and waited. One by one, Fawkes a creature of love and devotion, untouched by the power in the normally locked room dropped the Horcrux's into the circle and watched as each piece was destroyed and the soul fragment with in was consumed.
Hermione could feel the power from the room as it gradually once again enveloped them in pure love, she could tell that Harry and those standing close behind her were also enveloped in the same power. As the last Horcrux was destroyed Harry closed the door but did not lock it, together with Kingsley, Harry set about deploying the order members, they were all placed in hiding close by, once that was done Harry stood in the corridor leading to the room where all the prophesies were kept, concentrating hard on Voldemort, Harry sent out a message that he was about to look at the prophesy that the dark lord had been so eager to get his hands on.
Once Harry thought that the message had been sent, all that he and Hermione could do was wait to see if the connection to Voldemort still worked even with out the Horcrux they had destroyed.