Chapter 36
"You want to... what?" Harry asked, frowning.
He and Tom were sitting in the diary's room, so no one could overhear them. Tom looked uncharacteristically worried and firm.
"I want to teach you Dark magic," Tom repeated. "Some idiot wants to hurt you, and I'll be d***** if I let anyone hurt you."
A mixture of a blush and a smirk appeared on Harry's face. "I don't mind learning Dark magic," Harry shrugged. "As long as I get something in return." His smirk grew.
"Uh. Like what?" Tom asked cautiously.
"We've been boyfriends for almost two years and we haven't gone on a date yet," Harry said bluntly. "I know it's because you've been stuck in your diary, but I want to go on dates. So every lesson you give me, we go on a date."
Tom was blushing. "Erm. Okay. Where are we going to go?"
Harry grinned. "Oh... I'll come up with something."
The look on his face told Tom he already had come up with something, and that Tom would not like it.
"What are we doing first?" Harry asked sweetly.
Tom's face was as red as a tomato at this point.
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Junior Marauders/The Black Knights:
King: Anguis/Scales (Harry)
Queen: Amber/Red
Rooks: Alpha/Moony (Remus) & Shere Khan/Stripes
Knights: General Shen/Albino (Draco) & General Prince/Snarl
Bishops: Samwise/Fuzzy (Neville) & Redbeard/Bandit
Higher Pawns: Morgan/Radish (Luna; seer); Grim/Padfoot (Sirius; Guard); Oberon/Flame (Fred; Creator); Puck/Sparky (George; Creator); Shadow/Don (Recruiter); Blackbeard/Tarzan (Creator) Venom/Strike (Stealth)
"So... what exactly are we supposed to do with this?" Draco asked as he frowned at the paper.
Harry rolled his eyes. "I'll explain after I introduce our new members."
"How come your name is Anguis?" Sirius asked curiously.
"One of my Animagus forms is a black Anaconda," Harry shrugged. "Anyway..." He was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Name?"
There was an irritated sigh. "Prince, also known as... Snarl." Severus sounded incredibly irritated, and someone outside the door laughed.
"Shere Khan, also known as Stripes," came Regulus' amused voice.
"Blackbeard, also known as Tarzan."
"Redbeard, also known as Bandit."
"Is there anyone else with you?" Harry asked.
"Venom, also known as Strike," Blaise said with a sigh.
"Shadow will arrive in ten minutes," Severus said stiffly.
"Enter."
The door opened. Severus, Regulus, Blaise, Dean, and Seamus entered. The older couple sat down on the couch next to Remus, who put a hand on Sirius' shoulder to keep from growling at Severus. Blaise, Dean, and Seamus sat down on the floor between Neville and Luna.
"Shall we begin?" Harry asked lazily. "First, any questions about this paper?"
"Why do we each have two code names?" Draco drawled.
"Well, the Marauders had code names that I'm sure the headmistress knows about," Harry replied, "but I don't want anyone to know our Black Knights code names, so you have two; the second ones don't sound as dangerous."
"We like them," Fred and George grinned.
"Why 'The Black Knights?'" Remus asked. "It sounds like Reapers or Death Eaters."
Harry smiled. "Well, considering I plan on being a Dark Lord, yes, they are rather similar. This time, however, I am a Black Knight like the rest of you. You are my equals.
"As for the name 'Black Knights,' there are multiple reasons. Mostly having to do with chess. We are the black pieces. We allow the white ⎯ the Light ⎯ to go first, letting them think they are winning. I also chose 'Black Knights' because my grandmother was a Black, and my adopted Papa is a Black."
"Lupin-Black," Sirius corrected automatically, earning a warm chuckle from Remus.
"That explains the job titles," Draco snorted. "So what do they mean?"
"Why the heck am I the 'Queen?'" Tom sputtered.
Harry smirked at Tom, making the twins and Sirius snicker. "As the Queen, all you're expected to do is support me. You are also technically second-in-command.
"My rooks, Moony and Stripes, are more of my advisors. I do need people to tell me when I'm doing something absolutely stupid." Harry cast his papa and his adopted twin brothers sharp looks; their laughter was getting louder.
"My knights, Albino and Snarl, are my strategists, my generals. They will plan raids and lead my higher and lower pawns on raids.
"As for my bishops, bishop one, Fuzzy, will be my secretary ⎯ keeping logs on my allies and enemies ⎯ and bishop two, Bandit, will be my accountant, keeping track of our finances.
"My higher pawns have several different jobs. One job they all have is to join on raids. Then they all have singular jobs: Radish is our seer, obviously; Papa is the head of the bodyguards, and he will be guarding Radish on raids; Our three creators, Flame, Sparky, and Tarzan, will be either inventing weapons for raids and joke items for the store, in the twins' case, or making fliers for the Black Knights in Tarzan's case; Shadow, our recruiter, will be finding people to join us, as well as providing information on the Ministry, until we find another spy. I am hoping to add Bill and Charlie to the higher pawns; Bill will be my liaison to the goblins and my curse-breaker, and Charlie will be training creatures for raids.
"The lower pawns will have one of three jobs: joining our raids, spying on the Ministry, or spreading my ideas.
"Any more questions?"
There was a long pause. Then-
"Who are the new members?" Neville asked.
Harry smiled. "That's the subject of our meeting today... well, and Shadow has some important information pertaining to Dumbledore and Marvolo ⎯ the Dark Lord," he added when some of his friends looked confused. "Why don't the new members who are here introduce themselves? We'll need your Junior Marauder code name, your Black Knights code name, and what your animagus form is."
There was a short pause, and then Regulus spoke. "My Junior Marauder name is Stripes, and my Black Knights name is Shere Khan. My animagus form is a tiger."
"Ah," Draco mused.
Severus sighed. "My Junior Marauder name is... Snarl," he scowled, "and my Black Knights name is Prince. My animagus form is a black leopard."
Dean grinned. "My Junior Marauder name is Tarzan, and my Black Nights name is Blackbeard. My animagus form is a spider monkey."
"And it's adorable," Seamus cooed, making Dean blush. "My Junior Marauder name is Bandit, and my Black Knights name is Redbeard. My animagus form is a honey badger."
"My Junior Marauder name is Strike and my Black Knights name is Venom," Blaise said resignedly. "My animagus form is a black mamba."
"What about you and Tom?" Remus asked, smiling amusedly.
"My Black Knights name is King Anguis, and my Junior Marauder name is Scales. Darling?" Harry purred, turning to Tom.
Tom scowled playfully at him. "My Black Knights name is... Queen Amber-" he cast Severus a look of exasperated understanding "-and my Junior Marauder name is Red. My animagus form is a red viper."
There was another knock on the door, and Harry smirked. "Our last member ⎯ for now ⎯ has arrived. Names?"
"Shadow, also known as Don," said a deep, familiar voice. Fred and George perked up.
"Enter," Harry smiled.
The door opened, and Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped into the room. He closed the door and sat down in a chair nearby. "I only have a few moments, my king," he said quietly, earning startled looks. "The Banished Phoenix ordered that your name be entered in the Goblet of Fire, for what purpose, I am not sure. And I have discovered the location of the prophecy."
"Where?" Harry demanded.
"The Hall of Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries," Kingsley responded. "But the prophecy You-Know-Who's spy heard was false."
"What?" Severus exclaimed.
Kingsley nodded. "The true prophecy was recorded and given to one of the Banished Phoenix's spies in the Ministry."
"Find out who it is," Harry seethed. "And I want that prophecy."
"Unfortunately, the prophecy can only be taken by those it speaks of, my king," Kingsley said apologetically. "That is, you and You-Know-Who."
"That reminds me," Harry said with a sigh. "Unless you bear the Dark Mark, you will call You-Know-Who Marvolo, or Marvin, if we're in public. My friends and family are not allowed to be scared of a name."
"What do you mean, some of us have the Dark Mark?" Sirius demanded.
Regulus sighed. "Padfoot, did you honestly forget?"
Sirius cringed. "Oh. Yeah."
"Papa," Harry said sharply. "Marvolo is not the evil one here. The Banished Phoenix is."
"Erm... who?" Blaise asked.
"The one who put our king with the Muggles," Luna said serenely. "That name suits him, Your Majesty, I applaud you."
"Everyone in this room will call me Anguis or Scales," Harry said firmly. "You are all my biological and adopted family-" he stared at Remus, Sirius, the twins, Luna, Neville, Draco, and Regulus "-my Queen-" he gave Tom an unusually serious look, and Tom turned bright red "-and my friends-" he moved his gaze over the rest of the room "-which means you're my equals. I care very much about all of you."