Chapter Text
Albus Dumbledore stared at the package on his desk with a small frown on his face. He was certain they had not been there when he'd left his office and no one was allowed into the office without his knowledge. Even an owl would have alerted the wards around his office, he would've felt the package enter the room. And yet there was nothing. What would have been fascinating at any other time was quite daunting with Voldemort on the loose. If the Death Eaters could send things to Dumbledore...have them placed in his office without the Headmaster knowing.
Albus drew his wand, casting spells from the doorway to ensure the object could be approached. Only once it was clear that the package was safe, he walked near enough to read what was written on the label that was facing the ceiling.
Albus Dumbledore & The Order of the Phoenix
Hogwarts
Headmaster's Office
Scotland, UK
For your troubling situation,
LADY HECATE
The packing slip read Hermes Overnight Express
'What in the world...?' Albus wondered, casting every spell he knew on the box to test for nefarious purposes, most especially ones that activated upon skin contact. Satisfied with what he found, yet still wary, the Headmaster opened the box to find books. He couldn't be sure from the angle he was looking at but there appeared to be ten, maybe twelve if you accounted for different sizes.
The was an envelope taped to the side of the box, perhaps he should start with that.
Dearest Albus Dumbledore & the other members of the organization known as The Order of the Phoenix,
I have kept a close eye watch on your people ever since they were founded. I am Hecate, your patron goddess. Although some of your people, just like the non-magical of the worlds, have forgotten me I still look after you all and try to ensure the continuation of your society.
I leave these books with you so that you may learn more about the new allies I have granted you, should you choose to accept them. They will explain more about the world you all originate from. It is necessary that the Prophecy Child and any who might aid him also be involved in the reading of these books.
The Prophecy is the entire reason I have decided to intervene after such a long silence, if Harry Potter is not there with you to read, the books will stay glued shut. Do not worry about keeping the attention span of children, I promise these books will be entertaining as they are written from the point of view of one of your allies as if from a fantasy novel. Yet beware, these are all events that have already taken place.
Once these are done with, you may summon or refuse your allies. If you choose to summon, I expect these warriors to be treated with the utmost respect. Should you refuse, this will be the end of my contact with this world.
Your Patron,
Lady Hecate - Queen of the Witches
Well, that was certainly mysterious. Was this really the Lady Hecate, she did claim to be their Queen; Albus didn't see how anyone who wasn't could actually write such a thing. And she did mention the Prophecy, which very few people knew of.... He'd heard legends of Lady Hecate but had assumed she was either not real or long gone from interfering with their world. Now that this did not appear to be the case....
Nothing was dangerous in the package, and it could not harm them to read the books so Albus gathered the package and summoned the Order of the Phoenix to 12 Grimmauld Place.
---
Harry was still boiling after arriving at the 'Headquarters'. Headquarters for something he wasn't allowed to know about. Headquarters that were involved with fighting Voldemort, the lunatic who went after Harry every year. Why wasn't he allowed to know? He was 'too young' - if only Voldemort thought about it that way!
Hermione popped her head into his room. "Harry - come downstairs. We're having a meeting!"
"Oh, are we involved now?" Harry asked sarcastically, pulling himself off the bed and following her. The entire Order of the Phoenix was there, including Snape and Dumbledore, who wouldn't meet Harry's eyes.
Everyone had taken a seat at the large table, which looked even larger to accommodate everyone. Taking his seat near Sirius, with Ron and Hermione on the other side of him, Harry began to fiddle with his hands as he waited for everything to start. A few more people arrived and Dumbledore cleared his throat to silence everyone.
"Now that we are all here I would like to announce the good news! We are being sent allies to help us with the defeat of Voldemort!" Dumbledore announced. A few people flinched and shuddered as the Headmaster spoke the name.
"Allies? Who? And Albus, don't you think it best that the children leave the room if we are discussing You-Know-Who?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"All your questions will be answered Molly!" said Dumbledore jovially. "First, it was recommended to me that Harry and his friends be here with us. We will not technically be discussing Voldemort but we will be learning about our new allies and they may interact with the children while they stay here so it is necessary for all of us to stay. I have been given a series of books -"
"Books? There are books about our allies?" Hermione interrupted, eyes gleaming. She was probably wondering if she'd read them or not. Hermione then blushed a deep red color, realizing she had interrupted Dumbledore.
"Yes, Ms.Granger, though you won't find them in Flourish and Blotts, these books were given to me by the creator of magic. She saw it fit to step in with how serious things are getting."
Then the room exploded into questions. "The creator of magic -"
"Hecate?!"
"hasn't been seen in hundreds of years!"
"I still sacrifice food to her at dinner -"
"She's gone or dead -"
"The Lady abandoned us!"
"Countless wars among wizards and she intervenes now?"
"Silence! Silence everyone." Dumbledore called, loud enough to be heard but soft enough it didn't seem as if he'd raised his voice. "Yes, I know it is a great shock that our Patron is among us once again. But we must rejoice! Because she is sending us allies to help defeat Voldemort. Her only request is to read these books that will teach us about the society they live in and for us to be respectful towards them once they arrive. Please, everyone, sit, and we will start reading."
There were some grumbled but everyone took their seats as Dumbledore picked up the first book.