Body
All In The Name of Love
Chapter 6 - The Daily Prophet
When Cee, Ellie, Remus and Peter heard of their exploits, they were angry that they hadn't been included, and joined Flick, Lily, Sirius and James in the discussion that followed. Should they mention it to anyone?
In the end, they told Dumbledore, not without trepidation. Consequently they were surprised when he did not give them a detention. He didn't even take house points from Gryffindor. Instead, he gave them ten points.
"You were breaking rules by the dozen in what you did, and I'd expect better of you, but if you hadn't told me about this mysterious man then no one would have known. So, your sense of duty outweighed your sense of self, and that's a good thing, something you should be proud of." Beyond that he said nothing, to Flick's annoyance.
"If it wasn't for us then no one would know anything about this guy!" she grumbled on the way back to the Gryffindor tower. "You'd think he'd tell us something."
"He can't say what he doesn't know." Lily pointed out. "It's my guess that he's as much in the dark as we are."
When they reached the common room, they were greeted by an excited Cecelia.
"Look! This was in the Daily Prophet!" Felicity took the article she was waving gleefully, and together Lily and Flick read.
'Today the Ministry of Magic issued a statement regarding the Lead group that has long been extinct. It seems that the group has been re-founded, and are already plotting no good. In a statement the Ministry said
"While we have established a link between the group and some violent outbursts, there is no proof to suggest that they are of the same calibre as the previous group."
The Lead group was last dominant in the 1940's and were known supporters of Grindelwald, who was defeated in 1945 by Albus Dumbledore, the current headmaster of Hogwarts. With his demise, the group disintegrated into chaos, and a reign of terror ended.
But should the Ministry be concerned. After all, we are once again living in fear. For the past four years Voldemort has dominated the Dark Arts scene, ably supported by the notorious Death Eaters. If the two groups were to join forces, would anyone be able to withstand the resulting force? The Ministry must take action if disaster is to be averted. There is no time for dicussion. Now, more than ever, is a time for vigilance, and prevention is far better than cure. Especially when there may not be a cure.'
"Cee? Why exactly are you excited? This is bad news, not good. Yet another set of raving lunatics has joined the race to world domination!" Flick's tone was exasperated.
"Use your brains Flick!" Sirius turned to her. "Sorry, I forgot, you don't have any!"
"Take that back. You're the one who-"
"Would you two please deal with whatever it is that's got into you recently? Either your best friends or worse enemies." Remus entered the discussion hastily. "The reason Cee is excited. You said that the man doing the flashing mentioned a Lead G and Lead Z. Is it possible that they've got something to do with this Lead Group?"
"It would make sense." Lily said, slowly. "I mean, they'd be after Dumbledore if they were like the old lot, surely. He somehow defeated their leader. He's an ideal target."
"So you think Dumbledore is target one?" James turned on her.
"No."
"But you said..." Ellie was confused.
"They wouldn't go after Dumbledore directly. It's too obvious, and he's far too powerful for anyone to defeat him. It would have to be someone else. Probably a student. After all, he's responsible for us as long as we're here."
"Lily's got a point." Remus mused. "But there's not much we can do about it. I suppose we'll have to wait until we've got more information. But we need to be in the astronomy tower to get it." He looked at James and Sirius.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" James asked both Sirius and Remus. Sirius looked at him solemnly.
"This is a mission for Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs!"
"And Lily." Flick said firmly.
"Why can't we go without her?" Sirius asked. "She'd only get in the way."
"Thanks Sirius." Lily said dryly. "Unless you've learnt how to decipher a pattern of lights in the last twenty four hours, you're going to have to have me along until you can work it out for yourselves."
"Oh. Well, maybe you won't get in the way." Sirius had the grace to look embarrassed.
They decided that someone would have to keep watch in the tower every night. Otherwise they may miss the next bulletin. It was also established that everyone should learn Morse code in order to let Lily sleep.
"I am not going sleepless for the next six months." she declared vehemently. "So you had better be quick learners."
She spent the afternoon teaching an attentive audience the finer points of the Morse Code. By early evening, they were up to a test.
"Right. I'm going to tap this, it's not dark enough to use lights, but the principles the same." She picked up a pencil, and tapped a complex rhythm. "Okay! Let's see what you got." She snatched Flick's paper from her, and started to laugh.
"What?!" Felicity looked wounded. Lily coughed, and read
"Bend sore open. Target losed. Lead G. It doesn't exactly make sense!"
"I've only been learning for three hours."
"Flick, there's no such word a losed, that I know of. Didn't that suggest a small problem?"
"You went too fast."
"You need more lessons." Lily chortled. She looked at everyone else's. No one had quite got the message right. Then she came to Peter.
"Something something o--b--s. Something Something. Something T. Peter, did you learn anything?"
"It was hard."
"So's your head. It'll make it that much easier to knock some sense into it. Now, for your information, the message said Send more orders. Target moved. Lead G. Remus was closest, he only got the last letter wrong. Which means that he gets to watch tomorrow night. And that's enough dots and dashes for one day. But we could play exploding snap."
They settled down to several rather violent games of snap, and for the time being, at least, all thoughts of the mystery of the night were forgotten.
Chapter 7 - The Visitor
They had been watching for the midnight visitor for three weeks with no success. Although, as far as Lily and Remus were concerned, everyone - with the exception of Peter - managing to grasp the concept of flashing lights was enough of a success.
One morning, at breakfast, they were tucking into some porridge when Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"I won't be a minute. We are in the position of entertaining a guest this evening, and tomorrow. Emily Samuelson is the daughter of the American Senator of Sorcery. He is staying in Britain for the next week, and she has expressed an interest in visiting Hogwarts. She is seventeen years old, so she'll be joining our seventh years. If she needs help, I'm sure all of you will be only too happy to oblige. Thank you." And with that he sat down, and the babble of chatter resumed.
That evening, Felicity was surprised when Professor McGonagall cornered her.
"Miss Howell. This is Emily Samuelson, Professor Dumbledore mentioned her at breakfast. She's going to reside in Gryffindor for her stay, and as she's in your year, I require you to look after her." With that the Professor walked off, leaving the two girls looking at each other.
"Hi! I'm Felicity Howell. Welcome to- Em?!!"
"Flick? Good Lord! What're you doing here?"
"Learning. Well! This is a turn up for the books. When Dumbledore mentioned Emily Samuelson this morning it didn't click, you know. We really should have stayed in touch, but you moved."
"When dad got the Senator of Sorcery post. I know. Fill me in. What's happened to you? How're your dad and Mags?"
"Don't laugh, but you know how Mags has always been completely undomesticated?"
"Yeah. I remember when she and your dad got engaged. The first thing she said to you was 'I'm glad your dad has you, I'm never having children.'"
"She obviously changed her mind." Flick said wryly.
"You don't mean?"
"Yep. My little sister, Katherine Mary Howell is now four months old."
"I know your dad's persuasive and everything, but that! Anyway, how are you? Are we going to the common room?"
"It's as good a place as any to start. You'll be able to meet my friends. Don't worry if they seem a bit daft. Even Lily gets a bit insane on occasion, and Cee lives in cloud cuckoo land. I'm fine, incidentally. I love it here! What about you? What've you been doing?" Emily groaned
"Working! I have to slog. It would be mortifying if I failed my NEWT's, you know, with Dad's position. He's staying with a Mr Black at the moment. Something to do with the Ministry."
"Mr Black? Sirius' dad. It has to be. He's really nice."
They reached the common room, and Sirius swooped on Felicity.
"Where've you been? There's another article in the Daily- who on earth are you?"
"Don't mind Sirius." Felcity said to her bemused guest. "His poor mother despairs of him, so she landed him on us."
"Your boyfriend?"
"Me? Her boyfriend? An ugly lump like her? Where did you get that idea?" Sirius rejected Emily straight off. "And who are you anyway?"
"Sirius, this is Emily Samuelson."
"Oh, the American chick!" Flick glared at him.
"Do we look like baby birds? Come on Em, I'll introduce you to the others."
Cee and Ellie greeted the newcomer politely, but Lily's warm enthusiasm made up for any lack of emotion in their greetings.
"Hi! I'm Lily Evans."
"Head Girl and do gooder!" Felicity added.
"You've met Cee and Ellie, I 'spect. And Sirius. That's Remus over there. He has a tendency to the philosophical. He's trying to teach Peter how to do Morse Code, a Muggle thing-"
"I know. My mum's a Muggle."
"You know? I love you, the others are complete duffers. I'm Muggle-born myself, so I learnt it before coming here. I didn't know anything about magic though. Anyway, James is the one sprawled in the chair over there. And don't be fooled by the book he's reading either. It's called Five Hundred Pranks In Quick Easy Steps. Dumbledore was having an off day when he made him Head Boy!"
"I heard that. I'm an excellent one. Not as boring as you."
"Oh really." Lily's voice took on a note of polite interest. "So you'll be only too happy to know, Mr Excitement, that we have a ball to plan. And as I'm so boring perhaps you'd like to do it." James looked at her, suddenly not so cocky. Felicity laughed.
"Your face. She was joking. There isn't a ball. Is there Lily?"
"Actually I was serious. The Yule Ball."
"I thought that was to do with the Triwizard Tournament."
"It is. But who said you needeed the French and the Poles to have a good time?"
"You don't," Sirius piped up, "you have me!"
"Exactly." Lily said, grinning at him. "So, Sirius, life and soul of the party. You'll be helping Jimbo over there with his planning."
"When did I say that?" Sirius back-pedalled quickly.
"Ah, go on Sirius. The two of you can rope Remus and Peter into it, and it'll be absolutely marvellous." Felicity was enthusiastic.
"Well. That's settled then." Lily said, happily. "I'll tell Professor McGonagall to send any further instructions to you four. Now, Flick! Why don't we take Emily on a tour of the building?"
The three of them walked off, arm in arm. Sirius turned on Eleanor.
"What did they do that for?"
"I think it had something to do with James calling Lily boring. And you calling Flick ugly. Remus and Peter are just caught up in it because they're your friends."
"You've got to help us!" Sirius sounded desperate.
"Uh uh. I'm with Flick and Lil. If you guys are so fabulous then you can be practical for once. Come on Cee. Have a nice time planning." Ellie and Cee left the room.
An hour later, the boys were around a table, doing their best to have some sort of action plan for the ball, this being an idea they had borrowed from Helen Baxfield, a friend of Cee's.
"Sirius, we can't seat Gryffindor's next to Slytherins. It wouldn't work!" Remus protested when Sirius made a rather ambitious suggesion. "Better to let people seat themselves, and just have several tables available."
"Dancing!" James said suddenly. Peter looked at him.
"There is no way I am dancing!"
"Peter it's a ball - dancing is what you do!" James retorted. "And that's not what I was going to say. We'll need music. Anyone know a good band?"
"The Ravenclaws have one. They might help."
"If you, em, sweet talk them." James looked at Sirius slyly.
"Apart from the fact that half of them are male." Sirius retorted.
"Ah. Good point. We'll just have to ask. How many people go to this anyway?"
"I dunno. About fifty?" Remus answered.
"I think more than fifty, Remus!" Helen told him as she walked past. "Try one hundred and fifty, and you might be closer to the mark."
"Fantastic. A lot of planning then!"
"Not so's you'd notice."
"Marvellous!"
Meanwhile, Lily was getting to know Emily.
"My little brother's at home in the States. Dad said he's too young to come without mum. I don't need supervision, but a seven year old high on sugar does, and my mum couldn't come."
"So how do you know Flick?"
"We went to the same school. Then she left. We would have stayed in touch, but she left, and I moved before she had a chance to write. Besides which I'm a hopeless correspondent!"
"So's Lily," Flick said happily. "She writes one letter for seven of us to share around."
"That's not fair!"
"Only joking!"
They went on to explain the previous years excitements, and when they finished, Emily looked at them in admiration.
"You guys sure have a lot of adventures!"
"The one was more than enough." Lily said, primly. And who could argue with that?
Chapter 8 - The Yule Ball
Emily was only supposed to spend one day at Hogwarts, but her father had to spend more time than anticipated at the British Ministry, so she joined Hogwarts as a temporary student for the rest of the Autumn term, and the Christmas Holiday.
Two weeks after Lily sprung the organisation of the Yule Ball on to James, it was to take place. Consequently, everyone needed a partner. It was the object of much discussion.
"I'm going on my own." Flick announced firmly.
"Flick! You can't. It wouldn't be the same!"
"It's alright for you! You don't have to worry about finding a partner, you'll be going with James. Some of us don't have lover boys!"