Order of the Phoenix

An hour or so passed and finally the door in front of Oz opened. Out came Dumbledore who looked down at Oz with a smile.

"We're all done now Oz, If you would come on in and we'll review your test scores...".

Standing up from his seat Oz walked through the door and into the trial room again. Compared to when he first entered the gazes that were on him were a lot more different. If the gazes before were mostly awe and judging gazes then they were all no just full of shock and even some fear. Oz walked on in and sat down at the desk in the middle of the room. Presented in front of him were all his papers and a paper on top of all of them showing his final grades. One of the female governors leaned forwards as she began to explain.

"Never would we have thought that such a talent was in our school. While its true you are a descendant of Merlin, knowledge and comprehension is something gained and not passed down. When we first presented the idea of giving you a benefit if you got all (O)'s we honestly didn't believe you would get them all especially in your third year... You truly proved us all wrong".

All the other governors nodded listening to the female governors words. Dumbledore wore a smile as he walked up into his seat and looked down at Oz once more.

"Oz Ambrosius, you have proven to us your knowledge and have shown that you are indeed above your years. We shall permit a year off for you next year however ONLY a year off. A talent such as yourself will be important in the year after next and its imperative that we have students like you at the school during that time...".

"You've not only done well in all these tests but you've also gotten (O)'s across the board. Such a feat is truly remarkable considering you're only in your third year. We shall now here one request from you and shall grant it if its within our power".

Oz took a second to think about what benefits he could ask from the board of directors. He mulled over many different ideas. He knew that they wouldn't be able to do as much as they claim when it comes to things Oz truly needed at this time so Oz had to think smaller. As he was thinking about what would benefit him in the next year especially, an idea came to mind.

"I requested this next year off in order to travel around the world and experience it first hand. While im fully capable of looking after myself and along with that I have my identity of Merlin's descendant I believe for certain places that I want to visit that won't be enough...".

"So I'd like to ask you all to make me a Representative of Hogwarts".

Dumbledore's eyes shook a bit along with all the governors scattered around. They probably all believed that Oz would ask for something like an artefact however instead he was asking for an identity. Dumbledore was the first to question Oz's intentions.

"Why do you believe this to be necessary in your travels?".

"Well whilst im travelling I plan on visiting the many wizarding schools around the world. Many of the schools might refuse me entry if im seen as just a student travelling. If I'm shown as a representative of Hogwarts then they will have to cater for me and give me the best service. This will allow my endeavours to go much smoother and quicker".

"Not only does this idea benefit me in the long run making my life easier but it also benefits Hogwarts as a whole. As you've seen today my knowledge is years above my age. If I'm made a representative of Hogwarts it will reflect well on the school in general considering I'm from it. It's a way to show the schools around the world that Hogwarts is truly the greatest".

All the governors in the room started to jump at this idea of allowing Oz to be the schools representative on his travels. Dumbledore was the only person who seemed to be thinking on it more. Dumbledore had witnessed first hand how mischievous Oz could get at times so whilst on the surface giving him the title of representative seemed to be a great idea there was the underlying issue that Oz could also bring trouble their way. Before Dumbledore could question it further though the governors who surrounded him all accepted Oz's request. With this the headmaster was outnumbered. Looking at Oz, Dumbledore felt himself sigh as he walked down towards him.

"The board of governors along with myself agree with your request Oz. In the next couple of weeks I will deliver to you a token that proves your status of representative of Hogwarts. When you arrive at any wizarding school all you have to do is show them the token and they will allow you in".

Oz nodded at Dumbledore. Whilst some may think that this request was lacklustre as to what Oz could have asked for in reality this was all Oz needed.

"With this, the testing sequence of Oz Ambrosius has come to a close... Thank you for your time governors, I shall take young Oz back to school now".

All of the governors bade Oz and Dumbledore a farewell as the duo left the room. As the two left they started to walk back to the main area of the ministry. Dumbledore hadn't spoke once as he seemed to be in deep thought about Oz's intentions. In the meanwhile Oz wore a satisfied smile as he walked calmly through the ministry. When the two neared the fountain in the middle of the ministry, Dumbledore started to talk.

"While I'm sure you'd like to return back to school there is one place I'd like to take you to first. It'll only take up and hour or two of your time...".

Knowing that the old man wouldn't budge on this point Oz simply nodded and walked with him. Finding themselves a place away from all the traffic Dumbledore put his hand on Oz's shoulder and apparated.

.

As Oz opened his eyes he noticed that it was now dark outside. On the floor was snow that seemed to be incredibly deep to stand in. Oz looked around and noticed where he was.

'Hogsmeade'.

"If you'd follow me Oz...".

Dumbledore led Oz on through Hogsmeade eventually arriving at a familiar looking bar. This place was the three broomsticks. As the two entered in Oz's nose was assailed with the smell of butterbeer and different foods. Looking around there were an abundant amount of witches and wizards eaten and chatting whilst having a beer on the side. Dumbledore led Oz through the excitement towards the other side of the bar. He nodded towards the bartender who nodded back allowing them on through into the back room.

Entering into the back room Oz found himself in storage along with Dumbledore. Looking around he noticed that the room had a few charms and wards placed within it. Directly ahead of Oz though was another door and with his eyes he could sense that within held a bunch of people sat around. As he got closer to the door he started to recognise some of the voices. Dumbledore who was ahead of Oz finally opened the door signalling Oz in.

'Seems my theory back in the ministry after that talk with Tonks was correct'.

As Oz walked in he saw a circular table with different food and drinks stacked onto it. Around this table where a bunch of people which Oz recognised.

'Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Molly and Arthur Weasley and finally Mundungus Fletcher... Quite the collection of people here already, this old man works fast...'.

As Oz stepped into the room he felt all these witches and wizards eyes glue onto him. Tonks gave him a little wave with a knowing smile on her face whilst people like Mad-eye and Remus lupin seemed to look at his with extreme caution. The Weasley's held curiosity in their gaze and finally both Snape and Mundungus seemed to hold contempt.

'I'm surprised the Weasleys are still here considering there's no connection to them anymore with Harry not being friends with Ron... then again Dumbledore values connections and the Weasleys are a big family. The fact that one of their sons looks after dragons was probably enough to sway the man into recruiting them'.

Oz wore a cold and calm expression as Dumbledore found a seat at the head of the table. Dumbledore then ushered Oz to take a seat himself and Oz opted for one that was a bit out of the way of everyone else. Dumbledore looked at everyone before beginning to speak.

"Everyone, this here is Oz Ambrosius. You should all know him as his moniker the descendant of Merlin. He was the one who gave me information about Voldemort's method of survival, using 'horcruxes'. He is also the same boy who destroyed two of such things this year while he was at Hogwarts...".

Everyone's expressions on the table changed as they looked towards the young Oz. Reading the emotions of everyone in the room, there seemed to be some apprehension towards him as well as praise and finally scorn. Oz simply nodded towards everyone as a means of introduction to which the majority nodded back.

"I've gathered us here today in order to speak on these 'horcruxes'... Oz here was the first to discover such things so If you please Oz...".

Hearing Dumbledore signal him, Oz sighed as he leant forward on the table. He began to give them the information they wanted.

"I only found out about Horcruxes due to luck. I had promised the ghost of ravenclaw tower that I'd find her mothers diadem as repayment to her giving me information on my ancestor. When I found the diadem in question it was plagued with a dark magic that was corrosive at the touch. I kept the diadem on me for further study until... a death happened at the school. I went down into the chamber of secrets and fought the beast there. After I killed it I found a diary nearby in the hands of a girl called 'rose'. This diary and diadem both seemed to be incredibly similar and judging by how a spectre of Riddle showed whilst the diary was gaining power I believed that a dark magic here was at play and it mirrored what I had once read about horcruxes...".

Everyone in the order listened on in awe, Especially Tonks who had just talked to Oz a couple of hours ago in the ministry. There were a couple of non-believers though at the table, the most notable being Mundungus Fletcher.

"So a boy in his third year claims to have cut off two of the dark lords hands? What a joke...".

Oz didn't react at all to Mundungus' comments as he sat back in his chair with a cold expression on his face. Dumbledore coughed as he signalled everyone to look towards him.

"I understand some of you may believe this story to be falsified or wrong however I can confirm the facts personally. I've had in my hands the diary Oz destroyed and the residual dark magic left on it is indeed one of the darkest arts I've ever seen. Oz has also shown me the diadem and the dark magic left on it was similar to the dark magic in the diary".

Hearing that Dumbledore was now confirming the facts everyone's faces in the room had changed from not believing to believing. Remus Lupin was the first to talk after Dumbledore confirmed Oz's story.

"So these Horcruxes... how many of them are there? Do we even know where to look for such things?".

"A good question Remus. I have a theory myself however I believe such a question should be directed at Oz first...".

Oz felt himself getting a headache as he realised Dumbledore had brought him here just to answer questions. He sincerely wanted to just leave now however felt it would be best to just let them all know about horcruxes as much as possible so they can deal with it while Oz travels.

"They wont be random and they wont be in random places. They will have meaning to Voldemort and the places where they are hidden will also have a level of meaning as well. If you look into his family and his history you should look into what objects and places he deemed important to himself. That would be the best place to start...".

"Some things I would look for are things such as rings, necklaces... maybe even a locket?".

As Oz mentioned a locket he looked at Mundungus out of the corner of his eye. The man seemed to show no reaction to Oz's mentioning of a locket which confirmed Oz's suspicions of the locket still being in Grimmauld place. Tonks butted in after Oz's explanation training her eyes onto Oz as she asked.

"Is there a specific way to destroy these 'horcruxes'?".

Oz smiled at Tonks as he opened the pouch on his hip and took out one of the many basilisk fangs he had taken from the basilisk. Putting it on the table everyone seemed to look it at in awe. Moody especially seemed interested as he got up from his seat and took a much closer look than anyone there.

"This here is the fang of a Basilisk. When I destroyed both the diary and the diadem this was the tool I used. I can give you all a few of these fangs. Keeping them on yourself as you're searching for these horcruxes will indeed help".

Oz took a few more fangs out his pouch as he placed them on the table. The fangs he had given to the order were all the smallest ones from the basilisk that he hard harvested. Moody picked up one fang and stared down at Oz.

"These things here are able to destroy horcruxes? Is there nothing else that can be used?".

Oz shook his head as he looked at one of the fangs.

"Basilisk venom seems to have a property to it that erodes souls. These fangs have a certain level of concentrated venom within them even though they are now dislodged from the basilisk itself. Horcruxes are literally parts of Voldemort's soul mixed in with dark magic as a protection. These fangs are the simplest way of destroying the soul held within horcruxes... The harder method would be to use fiendfyre but as you all should know controlling such a magic is extremely difficult".

Everyone's expressions when dark as they noted about fiendfyre. It was a powerful magic that was incredibly hard to control. The fangs in comparison were instruments that were much easier to use.

"So Oz has presented us with the information on these Horcruxes as well as how to destroy them... Not only that he has also destroyed two of them himself already. I believe he is a perfect candidate to add into this order...".

Everyone in the room nodded towards Dumbledore as they heard him mention letting Oz join the order. Before Oz could give a reply however Mundungus Fletcher stood up.

"Dumbledore you want to add this little kid to our ranks?! He may have supplied us with information and helped to this point but wasn't that all just luck as he explained?! He will end up dragging us down for sure... Don't you think so too Snape?".

Mundungus noticed that the two wizards most opposed towards Oz joining the order was himself and Snape so he decided to turn to the latter for reinforcement in his argument. To his surprise however Snape just clicked his tongue at him signalling that he would listen to Dumbledore's word on this. Snape himself had also witnessed Oz's strength back when he killed the troll last year as well as this year when he zoomed off to the chamber of secrets. Whilst he held apprehension and disdain for Oz, he respected the boys talents and strength.

"Mundungus, Oz was able to destroy two of these 'horcruxes' and also supplied us with the information. Not only that he was also capable enough to kill a basilisk, what more would you want from an order member!?".

Tonks seemed to react violently at Mundungus' contempt towards of Oz. Remus was next to give his opinion along with Moody.

"It's clear that the boy is way above his years. Adding him into the order wouldn't harm us".

"This is a boy whose Animagus form is something that is so rare there's probably not even one other person in the world right now with the same form... He has plenty of talent to join us".

Mundungus seemed to start to break into a sweat as everyone in the order contested against his disproval of Oz joining. Oz kept his eyes closed the entire time not taking in any of the arguments. Dumbledore rose his hand to quiet everyone down and stop the debates, giving his own opinion.

"Oz will be a very important asset to our cause. I ensure you that him joining our 'Order of the Phoenix' will be to our benefit. He's already presented us more than enough...".

Everyone in the order nodded as Mundungus shrunk back into his seat. It seemed that Molly and Arthur were wholeheartedly following Dumbledore's judgement and Kingsley the same as well. Oz eyes opened as he heard the debates come to an end. Coughing he signalled everyone to look towards him.

"Albus, you seem to be jumping the gun yet again. Whilst I respect most of you here and don't mind giving you information in order for all of you to move forward...".

"I have no intention of joining this 'Order' of yours".

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A/N - I originally released this chapter with the order being in Grimmauld place but as it was pointed out, that wouldn't make any sense considering Sirius offered it after he got out of Azkaban and joined the order. So instead I decided to have them meet in the back room of the Three Broomsticks. Somewhere I believed would make sense for Dumbledore to convene people seeing as though Hogsmeade is under his thumb to an extent.