Negotiations

"Why was Snape here?!" Ron Weasley darted into the room and pressed himself against the door.

Eli, Harry, Fred Weasley, and George Weasley had thought Molly Weasley had suddenly come in. Frightened, they hurriedly put away the Dungbombs.

"Could you knock next time?"

"You mean Snape?"

Ron Weasley took several deep breaths. What had just happened had not only frightened him, but also left him baffled. "No one looks more like a Death Eater than he does!"

The others exchanged looks. "You didn't see wrong, did you?"

"His huge nose nearly poked me in the face just now!"

"Er... what exactly are they doing?" Harry finally asked the question. In fact, he had wanted to ask ever since he and Eli had come out.

Fred Weasley and George Weasley exchanged looks as well. "The Order of the Phoenix."

"An organization Dumbledore created to fight You-Know-Who."

Harry looked at Fred Weasley and George Weasley, then turned his gaze to Eli. "You knew too?"

Eli scratched his head. Perhaps everyone present except Harry knew already. Given Harry's personality, he was surely feeling upset.

"Actually... I only found out yesterday too. Sirius Black told me," Eli said, telling a well-intentioned lie.

"Then why didn't he tell me?"

"Er... Dumbledore wouldn't allow it." Eli immediately shifted the blame to old Dumbledore. You're a magnanimous old man. Surely you won't mind taking one little bit of blame.

"He wouldn't allow it? Why? I saw Voldemort turn from a fetus into a living person with my own eyes. Why shouldn't I be allowed to know?"

Just as Eli had expected, Harry immediately became indignant upon learning that information had been kept from him.

Fred Weasley and George Weasley sprang up at once, each grabbing one of Harry's shoulders. "Go on, curse them out with that voice