In the house of Black, the Order of the Phoenix was throwing a
celebration party to honor Hermione and Ron becoming Gryffindor prefects.
Most people were in the kitchen. Moody was showing Harry something and
pointing at it with his wand.
"What's that you've got there, Mad-eye?" Sirius asked, and Moody turned toward him. Harry crossed the kitchen, slipped through the door and up the stairs, while Moody handed the old tattered photograph to Sirius.
"An old picture of the Order. Look at you, with short hair." Moody pointed his wand at the image of the younger Sirius who was waving. Sirius looked at the picture, while Moody made the figures move around with his wand, naming each as he did so, much the same as he did with Harry. Sirius's eyes however were looking intensely scanning every square inch of the picture. He seemed to be looking for someone.
"She's not there." Sirius said, with a distinct tone of disappointment and sadness.
"Taken after I suppose," was Moody's gruff reply. Sirius looked up then, and stared into nothingness, thinking of a time before the photo was taken.
Many months later, right after Christmas, Sirius was once again in the company of the Weasleys, Hermione, Order of the Phoenix members such as Moody, Lupin, and Tonks, and of course, Harry. The thrill of the Christmas season was over now, and the days droned on. Mr. Weasley remained in the St. Mungo's, his leg healing from the stitches fiasco. Sirius's once happy mood was dying off now with the thought that everybody would be leaving and he would remain in the empty house. Overall, nothing really eventful happened in these few days. Except for one dinner, a few days before the New Year.
The whole crowd was gathered at the dinner table, eating one of Mrs. Weasley's hearty meals. It had been a long time since Moody and Lupin had actually had time to sit down together and converse. Moody pulled a beat up and very old looking photo out of one of his cloak's pockets and handed to Lupin.
"I showed Harry before their term started...as well as Sirius." Moody said, handing the picture over to Lupin.
"The old Order! I had wondered if any photograph had managed to survive..." Lupin exclaimed, looking the picture over. "There's you Moody, with hey, your entire nose. And oh yes, Lily and James," Lupin pointed at each witch and wizard with his index finger as he said there names. "Edgar Bones...and even Dumbledore." Lupin's eyes were darting around. "Everyone's here aren't they?" He paused for a minute. Squinting his eyes, he scanned the old photograph once again. "Wait. She's not here."
Moody took a swig out of his hip flask, and wiped his mouth with his hand. "Sirius and I looked for her earlier. If I remember correctly this was taken right after." At these words, Sirius all of sudden froze in place, with a look of absolute pain on his face. It took a minute for him to regain his composer. Before anyone could say anything about his strange behavior he quickly spoke.
"If you would excuse me. Wonderful dinner Molly," Sirius said rising from his seat and walking out the kitchen door, and up the stairs.
"Still won't talk will he?" Moody said, his magical eye following Sirius out of the room. "I'd of thought he would have been over it by now. How long has it been? Over fifteen years now."
"I wouldn't be over it Moody," Lupin said, defending his friend, his tone beginning to rise. "What happened...nobody should have to even see that, let alone go through it."
"Er, is this a private conversation?" Harry interrupted. Moody and Lupin looked at Harry, and suddenly remembered that he was there.
"Who are you talking about?" Ron questioned, now more bold since Harry spoke up. He leaned in slightly, with a look of extreme anticipation on his face. "Who is this...'she' you keep talking about?"
At this point Hermione had stopped talking to Mrs. Weasley about cleaning spells. "What I would like to know is what exactly 'happened'?"
"And what does Sirius have to do with any of it?" Harry demanded. By now the whole table had grown silent. Moody and Lupin were looking at each other. Lupin sighed and looked down. Moody's magical eye was still facing the back of his head, where it had last been when it followed Sirius. His regular one was transfixed on Harry. "No one's told ya?" he asked, his tone that of wonder. "No one's ever told ya about...Eloria?" "Who?" Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Tonks all said together. Mrs. Weasley got up, and started to clear the table. Her face was solemn, her eyes looking down at the floorboards.
Moody stared at Tonks with both eyes. "You don't even know about Eloria? I would have sworn the ministry had tested you on her technique in your Stealth and Tracking section."
"They might have," Tonks said while shrugging her shoulders. "I barely passed that section, and don't really remember any of the fancy details. So, who is this...Eloria is it?" Tonks finished off her biscuit. "Peculiar name." she added and took the last biscuit from the center of the table, and knocked over a glass of water.
Lupin looked up at the wondering faces. He sighed once again, and finally spoke. "Eloria was part of the Order...last time." He took a swig of butterbeer.
His regular eye watching his acquired audience, and his magical eye peering at Lupin, overall Moody had a distint look of impatience on his scarred face. "One of the damn best auror's too might I add." Harry, Ron and Hermione all looked at each other with excitement. "She died," Moody added, his tone very dark.
Lupin's face grew solem and said "She was poisoned. In the line of duty. Yet only after being captured and tortured for information."
Hermione's eyes grew large and her mouth dropped slightly opened. Ron choked on his mouthful of treacle tart. Tonks looked sad, yet not surprised. Harry just sat there, as if someone had glued him to his seat and his face was stuck.The group sat silent for a bit. Tonks finally managed to break the quiet.
"Well, many aurors do...die that is. It's a dangerous job. Not that unexpected."
"You don't understand. You weren't there. Besides being capabale of telepathy, having extremely powerful magic within her, Eloria had a brain to rival Hermione's." Lupin said as he smiled at Hermione, who was blushing. "And, the way she went. As I said before, no one should have to see that, let alone go through it."
Harry was moving again, listening to everything. "Will you tell us about her? What did she do?" Harry asked Lupin, his eyes filled with the longing to know about this mysterious witch.
"Well, Moody'll have to help me. I don't remember all of the details." Lupin took another swig of his butterbeer.
"You start." Moody took a drink from his hip flask.
"Well, I first met Eloria..." Lupin began.
Upstairs, Sirius was stroking Buckbeak's feathered back. His face was a pale white. Walking over to a corner, Sirius sat down. He had heard mutterings of the conversation at the dinner table through the walls. He looked in his hands, where he was holding a small, old-fashioned pocket watch. In the dim light, a single tear reflected off of Sirius's cheek.
"What's that you've got there, Mad-eye?" Sirius asked, and Moody turned toward him. Harry crossed the kitchen, slipped through the door and up the stairs, while Moody handed the old tattered photograph to Sirius.
"An old picture of the Order. Look at you, with short hair." Moody pointed his wand at the image of the younger Sirius who was waving. Sirius looked at the picture, while Moody made the figures move around with his wand, naming each as he did so, much the same as he did with Harry. Sirius's eyes however were looking intensely scanning every square inch of the picture. He seemed to be looking for someone.
"She's not there." Sirius said, with a distinct tone of disappointment and sadness.
"Taken after I suppose," was Moody's gruff reply. Sirius looked up then, and stared into nothingness, thinking of a time before the photo was taken.
Many months later, right after Christmas, Sirius was once again in the company of the Weasleys, Hermione, Order of the Phoenix members such as Moody, Lupin, and Tonks, and of course, Harry. The thrill of the Christmas season was over now, and the days droned on. Mr. Weasley remained in the St. Mungo's, his leg healing from the stitches fiasco. Sirius's once happy mood was dying off now with the thought that everybody would be leaving and he would remain in the empty house. Overall, nothing really eventful happened in these few days. Except for one dinner, a few days before the New Year.
The whole crowd was gathered at the dinner table, eating one of Mrs. Weasley's hearty meals. It had been a long time since Moody and Lupin had actually had time to sit down together and converse. Moody pulled a beat up and very old looking photo out of one of his cloak's pockets and handed to Lupin.
"I showed Harry before their term started...as well as Sirius." Moody said, handing the picture over to Lupin.
"The old Order! I had wondered if any photograph had managed to survive..." Lupin exclaimed, looking the picture over. "There's you Moody, with hey, your entire nose. And oh yes, Lily and James," Lupin pointed at each witch and wizard with his index finger as he said there names. "Edgar Bones...and even Dumbledore." Lupin's eyes were darting around. "Everyone's here aren't they?" He paused for a minute. Squinting his eyes, he scanned the old photograph once again. "Wait. She's not here."
Moody took a swig out of his hip flask, and wiped his mouth with his hand. "Sirius and I looked for her earlier. If I remember correctly this was taken right after." At these words, Sirius all of sudden froze in place, with a look of absolute pain on his face. It took a minute for him to regain his composer. Before anyone could say anything about his strange behavior he quickly spoke.
"If you would excuse me. Wonderful dinner Molly," Sirius said rising from his seat and walking out the kitchen door, and up the stairs.
"Still won't talk will he?" Moody said, his magical eye following Sirius out of the room. "I'd of thought he would have been over it by now. How long has it been? Over fifteen years now."
"I wouldn't be over it Moody," Lupin said, defending his friend, his tone beginning to rise. "What happened...nobody should have to even see that, let alone go through it."
"Er, is this a private conversation?" Harry interrupted. Moody and Lupin looked at Harry, and suddenly remembered that he was there.
"Who are you talking about?" Ron questioned, now more bold since Harry spoke up. He leaned in slightly, with a look of extreme anticipation on his face. "Who is this...'she' you keep talking about?"
At this point Hermione had stopped talking to Mrs. Weasley about cleaning spells. "What I would like to know is what exactly 'happened'?"
"And what does Sirius have to do with any of it?" Harry demanded. By now the whole table had grown silent. Moody and Lupin were looking at each other. Lupin sighed and looked down. Moody's magical eye was still facing the back of his head, where it had last been when it followed Sirius. His regular one was transfixed on Harry. "No one's told ya?" he asked, his tone that of wonder. "No one's ever told ya about...Eloria?" "Who?" Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Tonks all said together. Mrs. Weasley got up, and started to clear the table. Her face was solemn, her eyes looking down at the floorboards.
Moody stared at Tonks with both eyes. "You don't even know about Eloria? I would have sworn the ministry had tested you on her technique in your Stealth and Tracking section."
"They might have," Tonks said while shrugging her shoulders. "I barely passed that section, and don't really remember any of the fancy details. So, who is this...Eloria is it?" Tonks finished off her biscuit. "Peculiar name." she added and took the last biscuit from the center of the table, and knocked over a glass of water.
Lupin looked up at the wondering faces. He sighed once again, and finally spoke. "Eloria was part of the Order...last time." He took a swig of butterbeer.
His regular eye watching his acquired audience, and his magical eye peering at Lupin, overall Moody had a distint look of impatience on his scarred face. "One of the damn best auror's too might I add." Harry, Ron and Hermione all looked at each other with excitement. "She died," Moody added, his tone very dark.
Lupin's face grew solem and said "She was poisoned. In the line of duty. Yet only after being captured and tortured for information."
Hermione's eyes grew large and her mouth dropped slightly opened. Ron choked on his mouthful of treacle tart. Tonks looked sad, yet not surprised. Harry just sat there, as if someone had glued him to his seat and his face was stuck.The group sat silent for a bit. Tonks finally managed to break the quiet.
"Well, many aurors do...die that is. It's a dangerous job. Not that unexpected."
"You don't understand. You weren't there. Besides being capabale of telepathy, having extremely powerful magic within her, Eloria had a brain to rival Hermione's." Lupin said as he smiled at Hermione, who was blushing. "And, the way she went. As I said before, no one should have to see that, let alone go through it."
Harry was moving again, listening to everything. "Will you tell us about her? What did she do?" Harry asked Lupin, his eyes filled with the longing to know about this mysterious witch.
"Well, Moody'll have to help me. I don't remember all of the details." Lupin took another swig of his butterbeer.
"You start." Moody took a drink from his hip flask.
"Well, I first met Eloria..." Lupin began.
Upstairs, Sirius was stroking Buckbeak's feathered back. His face was a pale white. Walking over to a corner, Sirius sat down. He had heard mutterings of the conversation at the dinner table through the walls. He looked in his hands, where he was holding a small, old-fashioned pocket watch. In the dim light, a single tear reflected off of Sirius's cheek.