Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting around the table after a few hours sleep, eating and talking. They were currently debating on whether or not Voldemort would have made a new Horcrux to replace the one Harry destroyed in the Chamber of Secrets incident.

"Dumbledore said that Voldemort knew that the Diary had been destroyed. It was one of the reasons Voldemort was so upset with Lucius Malfoy. Dumbledore also said that he felt it was one of the reasons Malfoy was content to sit in Azkaban, that he doubtlessly felt safer there than where Voldemort could show his displeasure over all that Malfoy had cost him, Voldemort wasn't very happy between the diary and prophesy." Harry explained.

"So do you think Voldemort would want to replace his lost Horcrux? He's paranoid enough, isn't he; he'd want to keep his number at six. He would think someone would try and destroy him that many times, wouldn't he?" Ron said lost in thought.

"No Ron, you're looking at this all wrong." Hermione said. "Voldemort wanted six Horcruxes for a reason. The number seven is a highly magical number, and he wouldn't want to mess with that. I doubt he really cared about the diary other than it was lost." She said, looking off in the distance thinking. "I've been thinking about how the Horcruxes work. We haven't found anything on the subject; although I really didn't figure we would. Riddle had to gather his information from people if the memory of Slughorn's is anything to go by. But anyway, I've been thinking about the whole subject, the best way to understand how to fight against something is to understand it. I don't think the Horcruxes act like a Kneazle's nine lives. He doesn't use one up every time his body is destroyed. I believe the Horcruxes act more like an anchor for his spirit or soul, to keep it in this realm after his body is destroyed giving him a chance to find another body and continue living. Harry, what did you say he said in the graveyard while he was ranting to the Death Eaters? Something about no one else had gone as far as he had or taken as many steps to become immortal?" Hermione finished her explanation looking like she had much more to add to it.

"Let's see if I can remember correctly." Harry closed his eyes trying his best to remember back to the horrible experience after he and Cedric had grabbed onto the cup. Shuddering when he saw Cedric's face in his minds eye; he looked up to Hermione and replied, "I, who had gone further than anyone along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal ~ to conquer death...."

"Ah yes, I do believe that was right after My Lord had finished saying that he would kill me. He of course didn't use my name specifically, but he was so sure that I had left his service for good. He should have kept with his first impressions, My Lord never was as intelligent as he claimed," Snape said with a smirk, startling the other three who had not heard him enter the kitchen. "Although you, Miss Granger, have impressed me greatly both with your quick thinking actions yesterday and your very astute theory on Horcruxes and how they work today. As loath as I am to admit it, I do believe congratulations are needed all around. Surely Miss Granger isn't the only new Animagus in this room, especially after Mr. Potter's comment about slithering?"

Harry and Ron looked dumbfounded. "Hermione! You didn't tell us you had finally completed your transformation," Ron said, looking very happy.

Harry had moved over to hug his friend, after which he took her shoulders so he could look her in the face. "Oh Hermione, congratulations, I knew you could do it! When did you finally transform fully? And what is your form?"

She couldn't hide her smile, she really was proud of herself. As Professor McGonagall had explained, this was pure talent and power, not just something she could learn from a book and remember later.

"Yesterday was my first full transformation. I had to let Snape in on what I wanted to do, and I knew that the both of you were more worried about Harry's relatives than the whole picture. So, I took it upon myself to find a way to get us all out of there. I concentrated and pop, I was a bird. I flew up to Snape's shoulder to clue him in and then flew out to get Remus and the others for back up. I was one of the one's that came crashing in to scare off the Death Eaters," Hermione explained. "I'm not sure what my form is, as I was disillusioned until I had found the other group and transformed back to relay what was going on. Since then I haven't had a chance to try it again."

"Well go on, I know the three of you just can't wait to show off, must be a prerequisite of becoming a Gryffindor," Snape said with a raise of an eyebrow.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and rolled their eyes. They knew Snape would never take the time to understand them. They knew he only cared for his own House.

Harry motioned for Hermione to go first, since they hadn't gotten a chance to see her yet. So she closed her eyes and concentrated, suddenly there was a small reddish brown owl that had white spots all over it. The guys had to admit Hermione made for one cute little owl. Harry made sure to get as many details as he could so that Hermione could do the research he knew she would want to do on her own form. She had already done extensive research for him and Ron.

Hermione tried flying around in the kitchen, getting Hedwig's attention. She hooted happily, as this new owl did not seem anything like that other gray ball of feathers she had to deal with.

Hermione landed back in her seat and transformed back. "Well, what am I? What did I look like?" She asked excitedly.

"You're a bit bigger than Pig and you have reddish brown feathers with white ones scattered here and there making it look like you have white spots," Harry said, trying to make sure he relayed all the details to his friend.

"Wow, Hermione, an owl. Who would have guessed it?" Ron said sarcastically, with a smile to show he was playing around.

"So, Hermione, I have a question. Does this mean that the next time Ron and I aren't speaking to each other, you will act like an owl for us?" Harry asked, trying not to laugh. All the talk about their fourth year had dredged up that memory now. It felt good to laugh about past problems.

"Ha-bloody-ha Harry! Your not funny Harry Potter. Not one bit!" Hermione exclaimed, trying to keep from laughing herself.

"Ok, that's Miss Granger's form; what are yours and Mr. Weasley's form?" Snape asked Harry, trying to get the teens back on track.

Harry and Ron looked at each other then smiled and transformed. Ron scurried up to Hermione's shoulder and looked up to Snape. Harry, being leery about Hermione's reaction again, climbed up the table and went over to Snape to give him a chance to get a good look.

"Very impressive, Mr. Potter, who would have ever thought the quintessential Gryffindor, would have a snake form as an Animagus? And you, Mr. Weasley, it's too bad we are no longer in school. I'm sure Draco would have loved to get his hands on this bit of information," Snape said with a smirk, showing that he would have loved to share this information with Draco.

Harry and Ron both transformed back, and Hermione changed the subject trying to stall the fight between Ron and Snape before it started. "Ok, so back to the Horcrux issue. Sir, do you think that Voldemort would have made another to make up for the one he knows he lost in the diary?"

"I doubt it; I believe his arrogance would over ride his paranoia when it comes to his Horcruxes. He believes that he made so many that no one could conceive that he'd have more if they happen to stumble on one. I believe we can safely assume he hasn't made anymore than he originally planned," Snape replied, rubbing his chin lost in thought.

Just then Remus walked into the kitchen looking very concerned. "Hello everyone, I'm glad you're all here as I need to speak with all of you. Arthur sent me over; he's having a nasty time trying to find Fletcher for you," Remus said with a sigh.

"Well then it's a good thing we no longer need to speak to him then, huh?" said Ron.

"I see, solved that riddle on your own then? Good to know that is one less thing Arthur has to deal with within the Order. There's a meeting tomorrow night at the Burrow after dinner. Molly wanted you all to know you're welcome for dinner as well," Remus said, looking slightly relieved. "I'd also like to congratulate you on a job well done last night, but then again, you three have faced off against Death Eaters before."

"Thank you, Remus," the three teens chorused.

"Well, since there is no longer a problem with Fletcher, I better go back and let Arthur know he's got one less problem on his shoulders," Remus said getting up. With a wave goodbye, he left the kitchen. Not long after there was a yell from the hallway. The four ran to investigate.

"Harry, how did you get her off the wall? We tried everything when Albus agreed to use Number Twelve as Headquarters." Remus exclaimed, looking dumbfounded.

"Well, you see Kreacher lied to me. Then, we found out he should have been judged after he helped cause Sirius' death. I activated his House-Elf Vow and it found that he had gone against his oath, and sort of took care of Kreacher for us," Harry explained.

"Then we heard loud crashes all over the house, and when we went to investigate we found that the portrait, tapestry, and house-elf heads had all fallen from the walls," Hermione added.

Ron then said, "We burnt the heads, and stored the portrait and tapestry away. She'll never be able to yell at us just for walking by her again, the old bat."

"We haven't had the time. But I've been thinking about hiring Dobby, and possibly Winky. Don't start, Hermione," Harry said as she took in a breath to start her rant, "The house needs the work and we won't have the time to do it ourselves. Plus, poor Winky needs a home, Dobby mentioned she's not doing any better; she's lost without a family. Hogwarts just isn't helping at all."

"We'll talk about it later; you haven't even talked to Professor McGonagall to see if it's ok yet." Hermione said, sounding hopeful that she wouldn't agree.

"Ah, Hermione?" Ron said, "You do understand that since they are free house-elves they can choose who they work for. Harry doesn't need McGonagall's permission."

Harry, seeing that Hermione was about to get upset stepped in, "Hold on, Hermione, calm down. I haven't talked to either of the elves yet. They may want to stay where they are. Either way we need the help around here, and the safest way to get that help is through elves that are bound to an oath were they can't betray us."

"Ok guys, I really need to get back to Arthur. I'll see you all tomorrow evening. Stay safe until then. Oh, and Harry, happy birthday. I'm sorry it started out the way it did." After giving Harry a hug, Remus left.

"Let's go see what Dobby has brought us for dinner, I'm starved." Ron said, heading back towards the kitchen.

As they walked towards the kitchen Hermione noticed Harry still rubbing his neck. Worried about him she asked; "Hey Harry, what's wrong? Are you still sore?"

"Yeah, sort of, if I didn't know better, I'd think I was coming down with the flu. I'm kinda achy all over."

"Well, let's watch you over the next few days then. We don't need you getting sick in the middle of a Horcrux search."

With that agreed, they dug into the box of food Dobby had left for them.

*~~*~~*

The next day passed by quickly for the Trio. Harry was feeling much better, so Snape had stayed around until after lunch teaching them the basics they needed to know before they could attempt the shielding spell Snape had used against Harry. They learned how to adjust their Occlumency so that they could be aware of the magic around them; that was the only way to be aware enough to stop a spell mid cast, especially for non-verbal spells. Harry was very relieved that Snape's method of teaching for this was nothing like it was for Occlumency, as was Ron.

Dinner at the Weasley's was always a spirited affair that Harry enjoyed immensely. They might have been chaotic, but compared to dinner at the Dursley's, they were heaven. He didn't mind if he had to answer question after question Mr. Weasley had about anything to do with Muggles, or trying to dodge being an unwitting beta tester for the twins. To Harry, this is how he had always felt that a real family acted, and what he had always longed to be part of. He was grateful that they had always included him, no matter what; since the twins and Ron rescued him summer before second year. There was still a yearning there, a need to have his own family; one that Harry was scared he wouldn't live long enough to realize. Seeing the danger of those thoughts, Harry pulled himself away from that line of thinking and back to the happiness that surrounded him.

*~~*~~*~~*

After two hours of listening to the constant bickering amongst the various Order members, Harry was wishing he were back in the kitchen indulging in his dreams for a family of his own. Those depressing thoughts were preferable to hearing the so-called adults act more like the children he and his friends were accused of being so often. Finally getting sick of no one listening to Mr. Weasley, Harry stood up, surprising everyone with his outburst.

"EXCUSE ME! I cannot believe this is Albus Dumbledore's Order of the Phoenix. What is wrong with you?" Harry demanded as he looked around and made eye contact with everyone. "I understand that we are all grieving the loss of Dumbledore. He was my mentor, and the closest thing to a grandfather I've ever had. Yet, you don't see me, or for that matter, any of us ‘kids' arguing over things we can't help or change. So what if the information that was gathered was wrong. That didn't help when MY FAMILY was attacked. We knew for a fact what was going on then, and hardly ANY of you came to help."

Harry took a breath here and let that sink in. Looking around he saw plenty of guilty looks, Moody looked mutinous though. Harry felt he knew what that was about. Hestia Jones had the same look. He needed to nip that in the bud now.

"So Moody, why weren't you there? You normally wouldn't pass up a chance to capture a Death Eater, what was different this time?" He looked towards Jones as well, silently asking her the same question. She looked away and would no longer look Harry in the eye.

Moody snorted, and then growled out his answer. "I don't see why you care, boy! We know how those Muggles treated you. I was more than happy to be asked to help scare ‘em into line last summer. People that would treat any child like that deserve what they got!" Moody finished with a Harrumph, and a stomp of his clawed prosthesis.

"That's where you are wrong! Any of you who thought like that, are acting no better than Death Eaters. What would Dumbledore think of that line of thinking?" Taking a deep breath before he continued, "I was forced to watch as Dumbledore tried giving Draco Malfoy, of all people, a second chance. Do any of you truly feel that revenge is the way to go?"

Seeing everyone shake their heads no, even Moody did albeit, reluctantly. Harry decided it was time to move onto the next problem. "You all know that our spy was lost to us. Do you really expect our information to be perfect every time? Knowing what I know of Voldemort, I'm sure the information Dumbledore got himself wasn't always correct. Voldemort is insane; he's going to change his mind over the least little thing. His plans only make sense to him. Now, I understand you may not like how I'm getting the information now. But I'm the only one with a link to dear old Tom, and without a spy we still need a way to gather information. I just don't see any other way. I'm happy to listen to any suggestions?"

Mr. Weasley looked to McGonagall and silently asked a question, she then nodded her head in agreement. "Harry, maybe you should explain to everyone just how you get the information. Then maybe they will understand why it's reliable enough to believe. I understand that your Occlumency was to be kept secret." McGonagall said.

"Yes, yes, Harry. Desperate times call for desperate measures." Mr. Weasley added.

Harry was happy they had caught on. "Are you sure they should know? I mean, ugh, this is worse than being a Parselmouth." Harry gave a shudder; he didn't have to fake it. The idea of being able to do what he was about to claim was freakish, even for his abnormal talents.

"When I finally got the hang of Occlumency and Legilimency I found that I could enter Voldemort's mind in kind of the same way he used against me, to lure me to the Ministry. I've only chanced it when the pain in my scar increased signaling he was feeling some kind of strong emotion and would more than likely not notice I was there. I don't dare do it often, definitely not more than once or twice a week."

"So you see we are once again getting information directly from Voldemort. I'll understand if there are those of you who feel you can no longer work with the Order. That's fine, just understand we will ask you to take a Wizards Vow that you will not leak any information you've learned while working with us." Arthur looked around to his colleagues then asked, "Who feels they need to take this vow and leave us?"

Harry was happy to see no one stood up, although he did have a question about a certain absent member. "Mr. Weasley I have a question, what about Fletcher?"

"Don't worry Mr. Potter; Mungdungus Fletcher is being taken care of already." Professor McGonagall answered.

After that, things went much better. Plans were made to split the Order in small working groups to help with attacks. Harry, Ron, and Hermione as the newest members were instructed on how to send a Patronus message. They were grateful that they no longer had to depend solely on Remus to get Order news to Mr. Weasley and Professor McGonagall. Hermione was asked to get with the twins to see if they could develop a better version of the DA coins. They didn't want just anyone to have one, but it would help Mr. Weasley and Professor McGonagall keep in daily communication with the Trio. Even with the early tension and hours of wasted time, the meeting was productive.

After most of the Order members left, Harry, Ron, and Hermione gave their updates on what was going on. Mr. Weasley and Professor McGonagall understood that they couldn't know everything, and that the teens gave as much information as possible. Kreacher's demise was welcome information. It seemed that both Minerva and Arthur both agreed that Albus should have had Harry invoke the Vow as soon as it was proven that he was Kreacher's new master.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione made it back to the house well past midnight, only to find a very grumpy ex-potions teacher waiting for them.