Chapter one
McGonagall carefully folded Albus Dumbledore's will and put it to one side. The gathering around her, mostly fellow Order members and some colleagues, looked at each other.
"Well, I'd say Albus is very clear about this matter," McGonagall said, clearing her throat.
"I don't know Minerva…I mean is Hogwarts truly in that much danger?" Lupin asked hesitantly. "Don't get me wrong, I like her, I really do, she does a lot for the Order and for all of our kind…but to bring her to Hogwarts to teach the kids? I don't know…"
Other members of the Order nodded slowly in agreement. "It's not that I don't like her," Tonks agreed. "But it just seems a little extreme. Her in the school? That could prove more dangerous than ever."
"And she'd have enemy after her that will try and gain entrance to the school," Kingsley said.
"I agree. I don't know where Dumbledore was hoping to go with this," Arthur Weasley shrugged, pushing his glasses further onto his nose.
Minerva shrugged. "Well whatever the reason, that is Albus' will. Do we want to see it upheld?"
There was silence.
"Albus…always had a strange mind. Every time he came up with something no one could quite figure out why he'd done or said it. But in the end we all looked back and went 'oh, that's why.' Albus had a way of thinking six steps ahead of everyone. While this…development, might not make sense to us now, I'm willing to bet in the future we'll kick ourselves in the ass if we didn't make the right choice. And I think the right choice, both morally and logically, is to adhere to Albus' plans. They're here and in his will for a reason. Albus wasn't mindless. He wouldn't have asked for her without good cause and purpose," Lupin said after a moment's hesitation.
Everyone else, in absolute agreeance with Lupin, nodded. Minerva sighed and nodded too. "I guess then someone needs to find her."
"Where?" Tonks asked. "Where the heck do you find someone like that?"
"At her Temple," Charlie Weasley shrugged. "That's where they always are."
"Then my next question is…who will go speak with her? I would volunteer," Minerva said.
"You can't go. You're needed at Hogwarts. Who really doesn't have anything huge on their agenda, anything that would be noticeable if they went missing for a while?" Arthur asked.
"I'm free," Molly said.
"So am I," Lupin said ruefully. "No one is going to miss a werewolf."
"I think I'm the most free of anyone here," Charlie said, holding up his hands. "Ma, if you suddenly vanish off people will start wondering…and Lupin, mate, nothing against you at all but if you vanish people will start hunting."
The gathering laughed. Minerva looked over her spectacles at Charlie. "Well, Charlie, if you think you can manage it…"
"Easily. I just need to know which Temple she's at," Charlie said immediately.
Minerva sighed. "Alright then. That's all for this meeting. I'll give Charlie directions and we'll call another when he gets word back."
With that the witches and wizards of the Order of the Phoenix furtively exited what on the outside appeared to be just an innocent broom cupboard.