Auror from the Past
She shivered and instinctively put up her hood as she stepped off of the bus and watched as it sped away off into the night. The rain beating down on her cloak soaked right through it as well as the clothes she wore under it. Shivering once all the way down her spine to her feet, she began to walk cautiously down the slippery, rain-soaked road. She was desperately scanning the addresses of the houses as she walked passed them. As she passed eight, she felt the anticipation in her stomach begin to act up and she instantly became nervous. She slowed her pace and seriously contemplated turning around, but kept walking forward toward her destination. Then she stopped, right in the middle of two rather grungy looking houses.
Reaching beneath her cloak she retrieved a small white folded piece of paper, scanned it with her eyes, then pulled out her wand and with a swift flick the paper caught up in flames and burned to nothing. Taking a deep breath she closed her eyes and repeated what was written on the paper in her mind. Opening her eyes she saw the sight of a battered door directly in between the two houses, swiftly followed by filthy walls and grungy windows. The house expanded right into the muggle homes opposite, but the witch knew that those who lived there would take no notice to it's presence. She stared up at the house which was now clear to be number twelve, Grimmauld Place, the very house which inhabited the members of the Order of the Phoenix.
Again, breathing in deep, she attempted to banish the creeping anxiety which was over coming her as she stepped up to the door. She placed her hand on the serpent knocker, and gave two sharp knocks, followed by three soft ones. She then pulled out her wand and tapped the door once. There was a clear sound of metal that sounded like a chain was being moved. The door creaked as it opened. Quickly stepping inside the house she was greeted by total darkness and the smell of damp rotting mold. In the distance there was light of a fire. She walked down the long dingy hallway toward the room. Peering in unnoticed she saw the faces of people she once knew, once loved, and those who she had only heard stories of but was desperate to meet. She smiled at the abundance of fiery red hair. Seeing the familiar faces of the two men she had once been so close with banished any regret she had of coming here. Then she saw the boy which she knew at once was that of two of her closest friend. He looked just like the boy she had known as a child, yet he had the eyes of the woman who she had spent her entire youth with. A perfect combination of two people she cared dearly for.
As if he had sensed her intense gave, the boy stopped his conversation with one of the heads of red hair, and turned to look at her. He jumped back, startled to see her.
"Sirius," he said, turning to a shaggy looking man, and pointing in her direction "who is that there?"
Instinctively everyone in the room rose, some looked fearful, others curious. Sirius looked angry. He rushed over to the intruder as if he were going to attack. The witch, whose identity was hidden to the room due to her hood, backed away a few steps.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?" Sirius boomed as he approached closer. "Don't think you're just going to break in here and then run away as if nothing happened." He'd reached her now, both of his hands with a firm grip on both of her arms.
"Sirius Black you get your hands off me." She yelled out in a loud, but soft voice with a hint of sarcasm. His expression changed from angry to shock as she gazed into his disbelieving eyes. She was still hidden by the darkness of the hall and her cloak, yet she could tell in his face he recognized her.
"Who are you?" Someone in the room asked.
Slowly removing her hood, she revealed a face which was familiar to some, but astonishing to all. Her bright, ivory skin seemed to radiate in contrast to her dingy surroundings. Her eyes were a pale shade of blue, but had an enchanting intense depth. Her dark brownish black hair was loosely tied in a braid which was swung around and sat on her left shoulder; rebel strands sticking out and falling around her face. It was clear that her physical facial features were those that could be deemed beautiful, but there was pain in her face that was unmistakable. Yet her smile was warm and genuine.
"Eleanor York." said the man with shaggy blonde hair, whose face showed an equal amount of pain as the woman whose name he just spoke. "She's an Auror-er-she used to be. I supposed Dumbledore has sent her to join the Order."
"I can't believe it's you." Sirius said, still staring at her in disbelief. "I mean I thought you'd-"
"I wouldn't be the one to talk." she said with a playful smirk, "I thought for more outrageous things about you and they turned out to be untrue."
"Yeah, but come on Ellie," he said in defense, "I mean you never thought I was dead."
"You of all people should know that you shouldn't believe everything you hear. Although there are some things, no matter how unbelievable, that you should believe." she glanced over Sirius' shoulder at Harry. "That's him isn't it?"
"Of course it's him. He looks just like James doesn't he? Acts like him too." Sirius said, beaming with pride for his godson.
"I noticed his eyes first." she said, as she walked over to him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and said, "Just like his mothers." There was a glint in her eye and Harry could tell that seeing him brought her immense joy, but also immense pain. It was the same look when Lupin, or Sirius had when they really looked at him for the first time.
"You knew my mother." Harry asked instinctively.
"Knew her?" Sirius said, as though it were an understatement. "They practically were one another."
"I apologize." she said, addressing the entire room. "I mean here I am, showing up out of no where with no warning, scaring some of you half to death by surprise, and still I offer you know explanation. As Remus said," she smiled when she said his name and glanced over to him, but he avoided eye contact, "my name is Eleanor York. Yet only my mother ever called me that. Elle is what I'm known as. Yes, I was an Auror, and yes, I knew your mother. I have come to join the Order of the Phoenix upon Dumbledore's request."
With this new information, the tension in the room eased and everyone settled back into the comfortable positions Elle had once observed them in. Only rather than each one going about their separate business, all of them gazed at her curious to know her story.
"But first, I'd like to get to know all of you." she said, looking at the dozen or so face staring back at her. "Or at least for now your names. I've been told all the red hair is a sign of the Wheezy family?"
"Weasley dear," replied the mother of all the red hair. "My name is Molly Weasley, and those two twins over there are Fred and George-er-George and Fred maybe, well just try one name, you'd got a fifty percent chance of being right. That little one over there is my daughter Ginny, and the boy sitting next to our Harry, is Ron."
"Yes, well said dear, and I'm Arthur Weasley." Mr. Weasley said when Elle's gaze met him.
"And you," she said, looking at the girl sitting with Harry and Ron, "you must be the brilliant Hermoine Granger."
Hermoine nodded and beamed at the thought of someone telling this fascinating woman that she was brilliant.
"Well then, that makes this a little more cozier doesn't it." she concluded.
"Please, mam," Harry began, "could you tell us how you knew my parents."
She smiled and looked around at all the eager faces of those she'd just met that stared back at her.
"Well Harry," she began, "my relation to your parents is somewhat the same as that of Sirius and Remus. We attended Hogwarts together, the lot of us, all in the same year, all in the same house. Like these two were best friends with your father, I was best friends with your mother. We met, like all students of Hogwarts on the first day during the Sorting ceremony. Naturally, both Lily and I were put in Gryffindor, although in the beginning, we didn't really get along. Lily she was," she smiled at the thought, "well she was kind of-lets just say she relied on my help to get her homework done. She thought she had better things to do. But when this one," she motioned to Sirius, "decided to call me Dorky Yorky, she stood up for me. I loosened up and realized there was more to Hogwarts than studying and she realized that there was more to Hogwarts than being social. I guess you could say we kind of mixed together and balanced each other out."
"Like I said," Sirius added, "they were inseparable, practically the same person."
"Then, as you can all predict, we got caught up the lot who dubbed themselves the Marauders. Long story short, after meeting those four, I had broken a great deal many more of the school rules that I ever planned to in that first year. We stayed friends right up until-" she paused, the pain that had momentarily been hidden by memories of joy returned to her face.
"Why didn't you tell us sooner Eleanor?" Lupin said from the corner. He hadn't been looking at her the entire time she had been telling her story, but his face looked more worn out now then usual.
"Remus I couldn't-" she pleaded as she rose from her chair, "Dumbledore thought it best that I just disappear. It was safer for everyone."
"For fifteen years?" Lupin said, rising from his chair. This was as angry as most people had ever seen him get, but Elle remained comfortable, as though she expected him to respond this way. "Even after everything was safe and he was gone."
"But he wasn't gone Remus," she said calmingly walking over to him, "It wasn't safe. I had to stay hidden."
"Well if you are so dangerous, why now? Why did you have to come back now?" He said, backing away a few steps from her.
"Because now we can do something about it. Now everyone is in danger. If I'm going to die, I'm going to die trying." They talked as though no one else were in the room.
"Lupin really, you must calm down." Sirius said, walking over to the pair, "There was nothing she could've done."
"Alright you lot." Mrs. Weasley said to the rest of the people in the room that were listening awestruck to see the ever-calm Lupin become passionately angry about this stranger. "Hussle up to bed."
"But Mum." pleaded Fred.
"We want to hear her story." said George
"Not another word." Said Mrs. Weasley. "I want you upstairs in your rooms. All of you."
Elle turned her head to watch them all leave as Sirius tried to calm down Lupin. She winked at Harry and mouthed the words 'we'll talk later' before he left the room. The three of them were left alone.
"It became a lot for me to handle," said Lupin, his voice returning to the calm nature that it usually was. "Finding out the truth about Sirius, that rat Pettigrew, and now you. I'm sorry, it came as a shock to see you."
"Remus," she said, gently touching his arm, "talk to me. You don't have to be dignified and hold back your emotions all the time. That little outburst is a fraction of the reaction I expected from you. There's no need to apologize."
"It's just," his expression softened as he looked though her with eyes that had aged beyond his years, "I'm glad you're back. I'm confident that you'll make a useful addition to the Order, and a pleasant addition to the house." He embraced her gently, yet it was clear the simple hug was full of harbored emotion. "I'm going to retire now. I supposed we'll have a lot to talk about in the morning." He turned and left the room and quietly left the house.
"That man," Elle said to Sirius, "you'd never know somewhere inside his lamb-like temperment, there's a hear of a wolf."
"It does me good to see you Ellie." Sirius said wholeheartedly.
"Fifteen years is a long time to live in hiding." she said to him, "I think we both understand the importance of seeing old friends after isolation. Tomorrow, we'll catch up. Tomorrow, I'll tell Harry everything I know."