Author's notes: The quote is from Order of the Phoenix, chapter 9, page 175, after Moody shows Harry the photo of the original Order.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any other character, or the quote at the end.
Winter had arrived in full force that morning, blowing itself down chimneys and scattering the new-fallen snow. To Sirius, the blizzard hardly mattered, compared to the warm interior of the Longbottoms' cozy house, and the warm friendliness of the people who made up the Order of the Phoenix.
The party had been thrown as congratulations to Gideon and Fabian Prewett, the brothers, on their first Death Eater caught and thrown into Azkaban. Not that Azkaban was so effective anymore, with the Dementors running off to join Voldemort, but it still felt good to hear the words.
Sirius swiped a goblet of punch from the table in the kitchen and situated himself between the newly-wed James Potter and his old friend Remus Lupin.
"So where's Lily? Has she had enough of you already?"
James made a face. "No. She's talking to Alice about how wonderful it would be to have a baby. I really don't think I'm ready for that yet." he admitted. "Right now I just want to spend time with Lily."
Their attention was drawn across the room, to where Hagrid was loudly (and somewhat drunkenly) congratulating the Prewett brothers. Dorcas Meadows was chatting animatedly with Alastor Moody, gesturing out the window and at the crowd of people inside the house, sipping her punch.
Peter Pettigrew, another friend from Hogwarts, had disentangled himself from one of Hagrid's rib-crushing hugs and had come over, flopping down on the soft armchair near the sofa where Sirius, Remus, and James were sitting.
"I don't think I could handle another one of those," he said nervously.
"Better than having him step on you," offered James. "Remember in our sixth year, when he walked right by the Whomping Willow just as you came out of the tunnel and nearly squashed you?"
"I remember, yeah. But then you guys thought it was safe to come out and Sirius got knocked on head by the Willow." Peter grinned as he remembered it. "And you, James, you had your antlers stuck in one of the branches even after it was safe."
Sirius was laughing so hard he was in tears; James had hidden his face in his pillow, and judging by the way his shoulders shook, he seemed to be laughing. The seat next to him was empty; Remus had gone to get some water to help calm them down. When Sirius had wiped his eyes enough to see, he noticed that Wormtail seemed depressed, but in the next second it was gone, and Sirius decided that he must have imagined it.
Lily came over just as Remus returned with a glass of water, which was given immediately to rather hysterical Prongs.
Lily patted him on the back and said: "If you don't calm down now, we'll never be able to take the picture!"
"What picture?" Sirius asked.
"Alice and I wanted a picture of everyone. So we can always remember."
"Remember what? That Prongs is a git?" Sirius shut up rather quickly when he saw her face.
At that point Alice Longbottom sauntered over, "Come on, all of you, you all need to be in the picture, or it won't count…"
She and Lily set to work, arranging and rearranging everyone to their liking.
"Er, Hagrid, dear, I think you'd better stand in the back," Alice led the staggering Hogwarts gamekeeper around to stand behind some chairs that had been set up for the photograph.
Now Lily was directing. "James, you and Remus sit in the chairs there. Sirius and Peter can stand next to you, just like that…..perfect."
She brought over a few more chairs and lined them up next to the ones James and Remus were sitting in, and Alice came back to help.
"Benjy, Benjy Fenwick, did you hear me, you sit over here, Alastor, right here, Dumbledore, there you are, you and your brother, what's your name, ah, Aberforth, you can stand here."
"Lily, you sit here next to your husband, there, you make such an adorable couple!" She beamed at the newlyweds with such feeling that they smiled back unconsciously. When she turned around James got a good view of Sirius pretending to throw up over the arm of his chair. James glared at him, even though he knew very well that it wouldn't do anything.
"Aw, come on Prongs, just because everyone else has to be lovey-dovey doesn't mean I have to like it."
Finally, everyone was settled and Frank Longbottom had focused the camera so no one would be cut out of the picture. He set the timer and hurried to take his place in the group.
"Everyone smile!"
They did so as the camera flashed.
…to see them, surrounded by all those other happy faces…Benjy Fenwick, who had been found in bits, and Gideon Prewett, who had died like a hero, and the Longbottoms, who had been tortured into madness…all waving happily out pf the photograph forevermore, not knowing they were doomed…Well, Moody might find that interesting…he, Harry, found it disturbing…