|
||||||||
|
||||||||
Author: Bella Story: Following the Natural Curve: Part One Rating: Teens Setting: Pre-HBP Status: Completed Reviews: 6 Words: 59,310
A/N: So, this is the part in which I depart the most from canon.
(Gasp!) But I must remind you, my loyal readers, that this is my story,
and therefore I can do what I wish with it. (Plus, this makes it so
much more interesting.) It's not completely made up, but it probably
didn't happen. I just thought y'all should know. Thanks to my beloved beta, KC (Daily Prophet Reporting), for all your work. Get better soon!!
Darling! I can't believe it's only been a month since we last saw you – it feels like it's been an absolute eternity! Especially because of your lack of writing. What have you been up to, then, that's made you forget to write? Your father and I are quite used to getting one letter a week or so – we like to know how you're doing, love! Hope your grades are fine (which I'm sure they are) and the review for the N.E.W.T.s is going well. When do you take them, again? I would know, love, if you'd written! How's Gwen, then? I do hope you haven't got into another quarrel, as your letters are quite dismal during those periods (but at least you wrote). We're all fine here, except I think perhaps we're going to have to move Mum to a nursing home. She insists she's fine living on her own, but I do so worry about her in that big old house. At least she could move in with us. Petty's going quite mad over the flowers for her bouquets, and we had a terrible time with the invitations – they came out written in navy blue ink, which is, of course, completely inappropriate. I clearly remember ordering them in black, and so we had to send the whole lot back. Good thing we decided to order them early, eh? And Sarah's already sent out her own invitations (she's getting married on July 8th, in case you've forgotten) and- Lily sighed, smiling, as she carefully folded up the long letter her mother had sent and stuffed it back in the envelope. It looked as though she rambled on about the wedding for another page or so. She could read that later. "Morning." Lily's heart jumped to the ceiling as James slid next to her onto the bench and squeezed her elbow, looking at her with his penetrating brown eyes. They shimmered with, well, something – a something that Lily hoped was mirrored in her own eyes. She had the urge to throw herself into his arms and kiss him until they were both gasping for breath, but she resisted. There were people around, and it would be unseemly for them to launch themselves at each other. Not that the whole school didn't know they were together. Sirius, Gwen (who had been sitting rather close together on one of the couches), Peter, Remus, Mary Katherine, and Dorcas had all been up talking and waiting for their friends when Lily and James entered the common room at midnight after they had visited the Room of Requirement. One glance at their happy faces and joined hands was enough to tell anyone what was going on, and the next day the gossip swept through the school quicker than the plague. Lily heard whispers the whole day (and many days after that) about how they had supposedly got together (one popular theory was that Lily bewitched him with a Love Potion; another was that James had saved her over break from a Common Welsh Green dragon) and, while many scoffed that Lily was "just another fling", those close to James saw the changes in him and weren't quite so sure. Lily remembered the day Sirius said the first nice thing to her in all their years of being together; he had approached her after Care of Magical Creatures (which they had together without James) and asked rather awkwardly if he could speak with her alone. Lily had stared at him incomprehensively for a second before Gwen elbowed her in the ribs and whispered, "Go talk to him!" They separated themselves from the crowd of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff seventh years and walked for a moment in silence. When it got to the point that Lily was wondering whether he'd forgotten about her, he broke the quiet. "Lily – this is kind of hard, so just bear with me, will you?" Sirius said in the most honest tone Lily had ever heard him utter. She gaped at him, realized she was doing so, and shut her mouth. "Erm, okay, go ahead." "I was – wrong. About you. I realize that now, ever since you and James-" He struggled for a moment, trying to find the word. "Since you and James started being, well, you and James. I've always thought you were a school-obsessed swot – which you were for a bit there, sorry – but Gwen's always said you're not and I believe her." Lily walked in silence for a moment, contemplating what to say and watching the bright green grass beneath her feet push up water every time she stepped. "Why? I mean, why do you believe her now?" "Well, I've got to know you better. And it's also James," he said with some reluctance. Lily could feel him looking at her, and she met his gaze levelly; he really was almost painfully handsome, like he'd been forever, though Lily thought he was nothing compared to James. His reluctance was pushed down forcefully; he seemed determined to carry this out. "He's a lot different. Whenever I see him, he smiles easily. He doesn't dwell on – things. So, as much as it pains me to say-" (his tone was teasing) "-you seem to have changed him. He's been on me to get to know you better, but I figured I'd better apologize for being a complete and utter arse these past seven years before you'd consider getting to know me better. So…." And then, Sirius Black did something quite odd. He stopped and held out his hand, looking Lily squarely in the eye. "Friends?" Lily took his hand without a moment's hesitation, and they shook firmly. "Friends," she told him, and broke into a smile. He smiled back, and they walked the rest of the way towards the castle just small talking, which they both knew was the first step to really becoming friends, and enjoying their newfound agreement. Remus and Peter, though never actually straight out asking for friendship, had started to accept Lily as well. The seventh-year Gryffindor girls and boys merged peacefully for the first time in – well, ever – and started to spend time together in the evenings. They were tied together by one (and perhaps two – Gwen and Sirius were obviously together, though no one ever actually acknowledged anything) very strong tie, and if anyone was unhappy about it, they soon got over it. Some of Lily's favorite memories were made sitting in the common room with all of them together, laughing, playing games, and talking. It was almost as if, for a few precious weeks, they could forget about everything that was going on in the world around them. But the feeling of being surrounded by a bubble was about to be popped after Lily and James left breakfast that morning. It started out normally. The bell rang in the Great Hall, signaling the start of classes for the day, and James waited for her as she gathered her books. Arithmancy was their first class, and the only class they had together by themselves. She had hated it; now she loved it. As they walked down the corridors, the younger students (and many of the others) parted for them; together they were a very intimidating pair – at least, to those who didn't know them. When James took her hand it gave her warm shivers, and she did her best to ignore the venomous looks being shot at her from a group of third-year girls huddled around the Muggle Studies classroom. James squeezed her hand gently, and she looked up at him and felt the immediate sense of peace and security wash over her. It happened whenever she was around James, and it was a feeling she wanted to experience for – well, forever. But that was something she didn't like to think about. The future, that is. Things were perfect right as they were – why did they have to change? The prospect of leaving the place that had become Lily's second home always made her feel slightly sick to her stomach. She loved Hogwarts, and had ever since she first saw it as a scared, alone first year. Lily remembered her first glimpse as if it had only happened yesterday, and the feeling of truly belonging somewhere had stuck with her ever since. In fact, that was sort of how she felt around James. But Hogwarts doesn't make my pulse race and my knees weak, and I'm sure it can't kiss as well as James can…. Lily clapped her free hand over her mouth at the thought that had just popped into her brain. Where had that come from? "What?" James asked, nudging her playfully with his shoulder. Lily shook her head. "No, no, you don't want to know," she mumbled through her hand, eyes twinkling up at him. Random thoughts like that seemed to follow her around whenever James touched her. They strolled leisurely into the Arithmancy classroom and took their usual seats in the back. Professor Vector called her class to order, instructing them to turn to page 493 in their Numerology and Grammatica text books. The class completed a number chart – one that Professor Vector hinted strongly would be on their N.E.W.T. exam, which set Lily's stomach into nervous knots. Only a little under two months were left before the life-deciding exams, and Lily felt nauseous every time she thought of them. She snuck a look at James while she thought hard over a particular block of the chart. He was bent over his parchment in concentration, his eyebrows pulled together in thought as he filled in numbers. How did he do it? "I do hope you're not trying to read Mr. Potter's answers, Miss Evans." Lily's eyes widened in shock as the tall, thin form of Professor Vector appeared next to her desk. "Oh – no, Professor, no, I'm just-" The woman's dark eyes were sparkling slightly and Lily stopped, letting a rush of breath she had been holding burst from her lungs. Professor Vector was teasing, of course. James chuckled next to her, and she glared at him. "I was wondering if I might have a word with the two of you after class?" Professor Vector inquired, looking at the two of them politely. "It will only take a moment. I wish to discuss your essays briefly." Lily and James gave their consent and returned to their number tables. It wasn't a rare occurrence for Professor Vector to ask to speak to a few of her students after class; she did so frequently to discuss homework and papers. After class Lily and James held back and then approached Professor Vector's desk. She waited for the last stragglers to leave her classroom, shutting the door behind them, before turning to the Head Boy and Girl. She pulled a slip of paper from her desk. "This was given to me to be presented to you both," she said seriously, handing the note to James. "I made up the excuse of your papers, which, by the way, were both excellent," she said, smiling slightly. James unfolded the note and then showed it to Lily. It read, in familiar handwriting: Please come to Professor Dumbledore's office tonight promptly at one o'clock. Mr. Potter knows the password. And please, for Merlin's sake, keep this to yourselves. Professor McGonagall The two students exchanged puzzled glances. "What-" "I'm sorry, Mr. Potter, but I can't say," Professor Vector said, and held her hand out. "If you'll return the note to me, I will make sure it is properly disposed of." James handed the note back over with a frown. "One o'clock in the morning?" Professor Vector nodded. "Yes, Mr. Potter. Now, if you don't hurry, you will both be late for your next class," she said, and bent over her desk again to grade a paper. Lily and James exited in silence. "What d'you reckon?" Lily said finally as they made their way through the school towards Defense Against the Dark Arts. James was still deep in thought. "I think it might have something to do with that society Dumbledore told us about." Lily nodded. "Me too." James sighed. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see, then." They did wait and see. Later that night, James and Lily got up after everyone else had left the common room and headed towards the portrait hole. They were quite impressed with themselves, as everyone had cleared out without a hitch; James had been ready to set off a few of his pranks from Zonko's. There was even a bit of time to spare – it was quarter 'til one. James shook out the Invisibility Cloak, and Lily was halfway through the hole when Sirius's voice stopped them. "Prongs? What're you doing?" Lily quickly stepped back into the common room. Gwen and Sirius were standing together at the bottom of the girls' stairs, looking puzzled. "What are you doing?" James asked, glancing back somewhat nervously at Lily. "We're – er – going to go to the – er – kitchens," Gwen stammered quickly. "What about you?" she asked, looking suspiciously at the two. Lily and James glanced at each other before blurting excuses at the same time. "Just going for a walk-" "We were going to the kitchens, too-" They halted abruptly. Oh dear Merlin, Lily thought, watching Sirius and Gwen's highly disbelieving faces. She winced and opened her mouth to explain, since James seemed to have run out of things to say, but the words never came as two more people arrived in the common room: Peter and Remus. "What are you doing here?" several people said at once. And, together, they all stopped and blushed. No one spoke for a tense moment before Lily broke it. "Right, sorry James, but we're here because McGonagall asked us to go to Dumbledore's office," she blurted. To her surprise, the other four relaxed. There were noises of "so are we" and they all seemed to converge together in the middle of the common room. "We were held back after Divination-" "McGonagall caught us in the hall-" "Professor Vector gave us a note-" Everyone got their stories out and they all beamed at each other, glad to be in the same boat. They forgot what they were doing for a moment in the excitement, and Remus brought them back to earth. "We should go," he said, pointing at the clock. They turned as one; the clock said they had a little more than five minutes until they were supposed to be there. They filed out of the common room quickly and orderly, James and Lily bringing up the rear. Lily took a moment to look at everyone as they headed towards the portrait hole, taking in the expressions on their faces as they passed. Sirius was rubbing his hands together anxiously, and leaned down when Peter whispered something to him; he laughed quietly, clapped his friend on the back, and then turned to Gwen. Peter looked much more relaxed after he had spoken to Sirius; he even put his head in as Gwen said something to Sirius. Gwen seemed happily excited. Lily glanced up as Remus came up beside her. She had always liked Remus because he had never really been like Sirius, James, and Peter. He was quieter and always struck Lily as being older than his age. His gray eyes held a wisdom that Lily admired, and she wondered how, in his short life, he had acquired such worldly intelligence. He noticed her staring and smiled at her; she noticed suddenly that they were nearly the same height. She felt completely at ease around Remus. He hadn't always been her friend, but he hadn't ever been her enemy either. Then there was James. He was completely collected, and she knew deep down that this wasn't going to be the first thing she would face with him. He would be as calm and cool then as he was now. Lily's eyes caught the glimmer of the Invisibility Cloak as James pushed it farther down into the pocket of his robes before going through the portrait hole. James saw her look and smiled down at her. "Can't be too careful," he muttered, and ushered her through. The actual journey down to the second floor couldn't have taken more than ten minutes, but to Lily, it seemed at least an hour. Her mind kept darting forward to why they were all being called to Dumbledore's office, why he wanted them to meet in the middle of the night, and why she had a strange feeling of foreboding sitting like a block of lead in her stomach. She realized as they crossed down between the fourth and third floors that this was it – her first step to adulthood. She knew instinctively that by going to this meeting and agreeing to be in Dumbledore's secret society she was pledging herself to his side – to his cause – for life. She didn't mind it, so long as her friends – and James – were beside her the whole time. Sirius, who was in the lead, abruptly stopped as they rounded the corridor that led to Dumbledore's office. He whispered "Nox!" to his wand, and Lily's eyes were drawn to the place where he was staring. Two shapes, clearly outlined by the light of their wands, were standing before the stone gargoyle and watching it as it slowly opened for them. Lily and the others whose wands were lit immediately extinguished them and sank back towards the staircase, eyes pinned on the figures. They were hooded. Lily felt a chill go down her spine. She was suddenly very glad that the shadows from the stairwell hid them quite effectively. What if those people were…? "It's the Minister of Magic," James said calmly from beside Lily when the shapes disappeared inside the secret passage. He was invisible; Lily hadn't even seen him pull out the cloak, but she didn't have time to ponder his stealthy move as his words hit her. The group stared at the spot where his voice had come from in a sort of dumb shock. "Sorry?" Gwen said in a strangled voice from behind Lily. "Lumos!" Sirius commanded of his wand and it lit very brightly, throwing their faces into sharp relief. Sirius moved up beside his best friend and pulled on thin air; the cloak shimmered, suddenly visible, and peeled away to reveal James. "The Minister of Magic?" he demanded. "Shhh," Lily said anxiously, peering towards the statue again. The ball of lead in her stomach was gradually becoming larger; if the Minister of Magic was invited to this meeting, it must be bigger than she thought. "Yeah," James said, and Lily saw a flicker of confusion flash through him. "And Edgar Bones. I thought – I thought this was…." Lily swallowed convulsively. "Well, we can't just stand here," Peter pointed out after a moment of silence. "Exactly, Peter. This obviously is something different than we thought it was going to be, and if we don't go now, we're going to miss whatever it is!" Gwen hissed impatiently. That put them all into motion. James hastily folded the Invisibility Cloak and shoved it into his pocket, and they set off at a brisk walk towards the stone gargoyle. James stood before it and softly cleared his throat. "Peppermint To-" "Mum! Dad!" Lily whirled around towards Gwen's voice and saw her wand was lit; she was incredulously watching two dark, hooded figures as they walked towards the seventh years. Gwen seemed rooted to the spot for a moment as the two figures hesitated just outside the beam of her wand. Lily feared she'd been mistaken, but then – "Gwendolyn?" Mrs. Watson pulled her hood down and stared at her daughter. Lily was especially struck at how much they looked alike at that moment, with the wandlight highlighting their ebony hair and reflecting off their crystal blue eyes. Then Lily turned to look at Mr. Watson. It was definitely him; he was a robust, jolly man and his dark moustache was visible under his cloak, though the rest of his face was hidden. "Gwen? Sirius? James? Lily? What in heaven's name are you lot doing down here?" he asked incredulously, his head moving as he scanned the group before him. "Yes, that's what I'd like to know," Mrs. Watson chimed in, looking at her husband meaningfully. "This isn't – it's not for…." "We were invited, Aunt Elizabeth," James said. He was still standing next to the gargoyle and looked just as surprised as Gwen was to see her parents there. "Professor McGonagall told us Dumbledore wanted to meet with us at one o'clock tonight." "That's – but…." Mrs. Watson turned and stared at Mr. Watson with dawning horror. "No, George, surely not-" "Good evening," a voice said pleasantly from behind them. The group turned as one and stared at Albus Dumbledore, whose half-moon glasses were glinting in the light of their wands. "I believe you are the last ones to arrive. Do come in, we don't want anyone to see us, do we?" A flabbergasted Mr. and Mrs. Watson gaped at the old headmaster as the students filed past him and stepped onto the revolving staircase. Lily, who was next to James and a step above Gwen, caught Mrs. Watson's incensed remark – "But Albus, they're only children!" – before the stone gargoyle closed between them. The seventh years were silent as they rode up the stairs until Gwen said harshly into the near darkness, "We are not children." Lily found herself nodding in agreement as her esteem for Dumbledore grew. He obviously thought they were mature enough to come to a full-fledged meeting of whatever this was (with the Minister of Magic present!), and that meant a lot to her. She knew his vote of confidence meant a lot to the others as well. "Er – should we knock?" Remus, who had arrived first at the landing before Dumbledore's big oak door, was standing before it, looking questioningly down at his friends. "Might as well," Sirius said from his spot on the stair above Lily and James as he stepped onto the landing. They all crowded onto the landing together and looked at one another anxiously; they could clearly hear the noise of what sounded like many people – many older people – talking on the other side of the door. With a nod to his friends, Remus swallowed before raising his hand and knocking. The door flew open, revealing many unfamiliar (at least to Lily) witches and wizards of varied ages. Professor McGonagall, who had opened the door, must have noticed the nervous expressions on her students' faces because she gave a rare smile and stood aside. "Do come in," she told them as warmly as Lily had ever heard her speak, and they did so. Lily had the urge to latch onto James's hand and never let go, but she knew this wasn't the place for that. She then saw, off to her right, a group of Hogwarts students, and she had to work hard to contain her surprise at those invited. Kingsley Shacklebolt, a black seventh-year Ravenclaw, caught her eye first because of his towering height. He was standing with fellow Ravenclaws Chrisopher Miller (Lily shuddered slightly), and Lauren Stevens. They were in a circle along with Hufflepuffs Hestia Jones and Caradoc Dearborn. Only one Slytherin was present – an aloof seventh-year witch named Emmaline Vance who had always struck Lily as being quite stuck up. She noticed only one more Gryffindor, and that was – "Dorcas!" Gwen called in some surprise, heading towards her. The blonde swung around when she heard her name. She smiled tightly at her fellow Gryffindor seventh years and beckoned them over. "I should have known you would be invited," she said, shaking her head slightly. "I came early," she said. Lily frowned at Dorcas in concern; her normally luminous pale skin was wan, and dark circles hung themselves below her eyes. "Oh, Lily, I'm so glad you're here!" Lauren gasped, latching onto Lily's elbow. Lily smiled down at her shorter friend and instantly felt comforted; Lauren always seemed to lighten her mood with her constant, excited chatter. "D'you have any idea what's going on, then?" Lily nodded. "I think so…." She explained quickly to her friend how she and James had been told about the secret society by Dumbledore, and then how Professor Vector had delivered a note to them after Arithmancy. Lauren listened with wide eyes. "Yes, I got an owl over breakfast," she said. "I was quite nervous because the note said to 'carefully dispose of it' once I was finished reading. Then I found that Christopher had got one too, and we came down. We ran into Kingsley on the way." Lily nodded and Lauren continued. "But there is something that's bothering me – why, if it's such a secret, are we having this meeting at Hogwarts? You know nothing stays quiet here for very long." "Oh, I don't know about that," Lily said casually, thinking about the meetings that the students who wished to join Lord Voldemort had. She decided not to tell her friend about them and, ignoring her curious face, turned her attention to the others in the room. There weren't as many adults as she had thought at first. There were, in fact, about an equal amount of adults and students. As she scanned the adults, she saw one face she recognized: that of a Gryffindor that had been two years older than her and called Sturgis – Sturgis Podmore, she thought. He was talking to a small group of very diverse people (including one man with a very strange hat) and hadn't noticed Lily when she entered. Many of the adults present, she noticed, recognized James and were making their way towards him. Foremost among them was a woman Lily knew because she had seen her face many times before in the Daily Prophet: Millicent Bagnold, the Minister of Magic. She was rather normally built, with brown hair and brown eyes that sparkled with intelligence. She was no fool, this one, and Lily knew the wizarding world was lucky to have her. Lily wanted to meet her but was reluctant to interrupt. Besides, it wasn't like she would remember her anyways – Lily was nothing compared to James and his famous family. Or Gwen; Minister Bagnold had just spotted her and was giving her a very familiar embrace. She shook Sirius's hand warmly, and then did the same to Remus and Peter, who had obviously met her before. Lily turned away from the sight and went back to Lauren, who was speaking to Dorcas. "Lily," Lauren whispered as she drew near, "that's the Minister, isn't it?" Lily nodded. "It is," she confirmed, and Lauren's eyes widened. "Wow! D'you think we'll be introduced?" Lily opened her mouth to answer but at that moment the polished oak door opened and Dumbledore, followed closely by Mr. and Mrs. Watson, entered the circular office. Mr. and Mrs. Watson sought out their daughter as though magnetically drawn to her. Everyone gradually hushed and turned to look at Dumbledore. He stood before the door patiently. "Thank you very much for coming tonight," he told them all, his voice strong and steady. "I hope you realize how very much each of you means to this – to our cause, the cause against the Dark Lord Voldemort." A few people shuddered at his name, and Lily didn't blame them. "This is without doubt very odd to most of you – a very odd time to meet and a very odd array of people. But I must assure you that each person here was chosen because I believe you to be invaluable to our cause. I am pleased to know that all – save one, but for good reason – I asked to come have indeed made it. Some of you may question the wisdom of having students-" here he motioned to Lily and the group of students she was standing with "-come, but they are soon to be adults and are far too talented to let go. "Now, on to what exactly this group is. It is an alliance of the most powerful witches and wizards of our time that will stand up against an enemy I believe will become the most powerful Dark wizard of our time. Appropriately, it is to be called the Order of the Phoenix, because of this exquisite bird-" Fawkes the phoenix, Dumbledore's scarlet bird, flew down from his golden perch to sit on Dumbledore's shoulder "-who was not only one of Godric Gryffindor's most trusted advisors, but also has a remarkable way of sending messages. This shall be explained later, because now I have a question to ask of all of you: are you prepared to pledge yourself to the cause? If not, please excuse yourself. No one will think less of you as your agreement to join me will be perhaps the most dangerous one you will ever make." No one moved. Lily swallowed reflexively; she could practically feel James's eyes on her. In that moment, she wished more than anything to be standing next to him, holding his hand and taking comfort in his strength. Dumbledore smiled slightly after a moment of silence had passed. "Unlike Voldemort's supporters, the Death Eaters, none of you will receive a mark of any kind that binds you to the Order of the Phoenix. If I have a need of any of you, believe me, I have ways to contact you most anywhere you might be. And if any of you choose to leave the Order, you will not be punished; it is understandable, after all, as some of the things I may ask you to do will not be easy. Some of you will be assigned to keep watch on others, some to spy on our enemies, some to protect those in danger, and others to undertake tasks that involve putting oneself into almost certain peril. I ask you again, for the final time, if you have any reservations about joining the Order of the Phoenix, please excuse yourself now." "Dumbledore – the children…!" Mrs. Watson's voice was partially strangled. Lily looked back to see her grasping Gwen's hand as though she was scared her daughter was in mortal peril at that very second. Mrs. Watson's other hand was latched onto James's elbow, and her eyes, full of tears, flitted over to meet Lily's when the girl turned her head. She gave a half sob. "I agree, Albus," a man said. He was standing to the right of Minister Bagnold and was very stern looking, with a strong jaw and dark hair that was beginning to gray. He stepped forward to be better seen by the occupants of the room and, still turned towards Dumbledore, continued expressing his opinion. "You cannot ask these young children to commit so early." Lily's hackles rose at the words "young children". For God's sake, she would turn eighteen in a little over a month and already had her Apparition license. She could do some things wizarding adults couldn't, including conjure a Patronus! Others were speaking up as well, either for the idea of having the seventh years or against it, until the noise level in the room started steadily rising. Lily twisted around to look at James; he was in discussion with the Minister, and by the way his shoulders were set and his hands were clenched slightly at his side, Lily could tell he wasn't happy even though she couldn't see his face. Gwen was speaking to her parents, face flushed, and Lily could hear her shrill arguments every once in a while through the din. Lily knew if someone didn't stop her (or her mother, who looked just as worked up) it could turn into a shouting match. She made up her mind to go stand next to Gwen and turned around to see if Lauren and Dorcas were all right, but was stopped as she caught the expression on the Headmaster's face. He was surveying the quarrelling members of his Order serenely, but his eyes were sparking with the barest hint of annoyance. As she watched, he stepped forward and raised his hand, just as he had done at the start of the meeting. It took longer this time to get everyone to quiet down, but they did eventually. Gwen stomped away from her parents and stood next to Lily, her normally pale face flushed and her blue eyes glittering in anger. "I understand your concerns," Dumbledore began as soon as he had everyone's attention, "and I thank you for voicing them. The Order is not, by any means, a dictatorship, thought I would not go as far as to call it a democracy, either." His kind smile told them he was joking, and Lily felt the tension loosen a bit in the room. "I have a simple solution to this dilemma, my friends, and that is to ask those whom we are arguing over." The adults in the room looked as one at the thirteen students in their midst. Lily felt herself blush to the roots of her hair at the sudden attention, but willed herself to stay composed. "I am not a child," Gwen said into the silence. Her voice was loud and ringing, carrying to all present, but one could easily tell she was addressing her mother. "I'm not either," Dorcas announced defiantly. "It isn't fair to leave us out," Kingsley said in his deep voice. Caradoc nodded in assent and sweet Hestia, who normally was very diplomatic, nodded, her cheeks flushed. "We're quite old enough to decide for ourselves," Christopher put in, handsome face scowling. Lily had to hold herself back from rolling her eyes as Lauren, looking at Christopher admiringly, added, "I agree." "Anything you ask, Dumbledore, I'll do," James said quietly from his spot next to the Minister. "Even if it's sitting at a desk writing letters," Sirius chimed in, glancing at his best friend before looking steadily at Dumbledore. Remus and Peter were nodding; the latter even chimed in with a rousing but very high, "Right!" Dumbledore looked at Lily. "And you, Miss Evans?" Lily met his gaze unflinchingly. She knew she was flushing mightily, but she didn't care at the moment – she wanted to make sure Dumbledore knew how much she wanted to be a part of this. "Anything," she repeated, echoing James. Her voice was stronger and clearer than she had expected, which gave her a bout of confidence. "It's not fair, Mum, to call us children when you know we're not," Gwen went on, glaring at her mother. When Mrs. Watson, overcome with emotion, covered her face with her hands, Mr. Watson stepped in. "Gwendolyn, we – your mother and I, everyone in this room – only want what we believe is best for people your age. Try to understand-" "Kids your age shouldn't have to worry about things like this," the witch to the right of the Minister of Magic said. Her face was stern and dominated by a large, regal nose. Lily recognized her as Marlene McKinnon. "You should be out enjoying Quidditch and studying for your exams, not having all this hanging over your heads." "We want to worry about it," Gwen said with no little frustration. "Yes, you can't expect us to ignore all the things that are happening outside of Hogwarts," Lily added, surprising herself with her vehemence. She blushed heartily. "We'd just join when we were out of school anyway," she added, and the other students nodded in agreement. Lily knew that each of them meant it completely and saw, from the looks on the other adults' faces, that they were winning the dispute. Dumbledore recaptured the attention of the assembled people automatically as a silence descended on them all. He said simply, "Thank you. Are there any more arguments?" When no one spoke, Dumbledore continued. "Very well. Once again, I must thank you profusely for coming, and at such an odd hour. But you understand that we must not be detected. Please, do not think this school is safe from malicious eyes and ears for a moment. It never has been, and I expect it never will be." He stared around at them impassively for a moment before smiling. "Well, I see no reason to keep you here any longer; please have a safe journey home. I will be in contact with each of you very soon. Thus concludes the first Order of the Phoenix meeting!" Everyone began talking again once they were sure Dumbledore was finished, and Lily turned to look at Gwen. She was still flushed and angry; she kept shooting glares in the direction of her parents, especially her mother, who was still dabbing at her eyes. "Can you believe them?" she hissed, glaring obviously at her parents before turning back to Lily. Lily smiled slightly. "Gwen, they're just worried about you. Can you blame them for that?" Gwen looked rather put out that Lily wasn't on her side and crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively. "I'm already eighteen! They need to realize that I'm not their baby girl anymore! Especially Mum!" Lily glanced at them over her shoulder, scared that Gwen's voice would reach them. "Gwen, it's all right," she said in a low voice. "Really. Just – don't be angry, okay? They only want what's best for you. I wish my parents could be here, even if all they did was argue against me." Gwen softened slightly at the distant look in her friend's green eyes. Gwen knew very well Lily's difficulties in trying to explain things that happened in the wizarding world to her very Muggle parents. "I know you do, Lils. Look at it this way, my parents can argue enough for four, okay?" Lily smiled at her friend's attempt to cheer her up and was just about to suggest they go over to her parents when Remus, Peter, and Dorcas came up. "Well, this has all been very interesting," Remus commented dryly to Lily and Gwen. "You both argue very persuasively, by the way." Lily smiled at him. "Thanks Remus. D'you – d'you think we should head back? I mean, James and Sirius look pretty…." She trailed off, staring at where James and Sirius were in a very serious conversation with the stern-looking man and Marlene McKinnon. "May we have a word, Gwendolyn?" Gwen winced at the tone of her father's voice before turning around to face him and her mother. Mrs. Watson was composed once more, though her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. She looked past Gwen to the students clustered around her and managed a small smile. "Well, I must say, Dumbledore chose well," she murmured, and gave Lily a quick hug. She then walked with her husband and daughter to a quieter area of Dumbledore's office. "Bedtime, I think," a voice said briskly; it was Professor McGonagall. Her face was not as stern as Lily had thought it would be; she looked as though she had been stirred by something. As she ushered the group to the door, joining them with Kingsley, Caradoc, Emmaline, Christopher, Lauren, and Hestia, she stopped and lowered her voice. "I am – very proud of all of you," she said, her voice mysteriously thick. "Now, straight to bed for you lot. I'll send the other three along presently. You still have class tomorrow!" "Thanks for reminding me," Dorcas muttered as they left Dumbledore's office and stepped down onto the revolving staircase. Lily felt her body relax as they silently rode down the stairs, and she wondered vaguely what time it was. They separated to go to their respective common rooms – the Hufflepuffs and Slytherin down to the dungeon levels, the Ravenclaws towards their tower. The remaining Gryffindors walked slowly back up to Gryffindor Tower, silent but for the occasional curse as they tripped in the near dark. They were all deep in thought about all they had heard that night and what exactly they had agreed to. Lily fell asleep the moment her head touched her pillow.
|