"Professor Dumbledore!" Natalia exclaimed. Audrey found she couldn't speak. Her jaw hung open stupidly. She could remember laughing ludicrously at the idea of Sirius Black being in cahoots with Dumbledore, yet the man stood in front of them now.

"There's no need to call me 'professor' any longer," Dumbledore said. His brilliant blue eyes were crinkled in a smile. "You haven't been students of mine for years."

"Sorry, sir," Natalia muttered, subdued. "We were just—"

"Not leaving, I hope," Dumbledore said, raising his eyebrows. "I was going to invite you inside."

Audrey and Natalia glanced at the alleyway apprehensively. Dumbledore was probably the most trustworthy wizard in the world, but they weren't dumb enough to walk into a dark alley without knowing what was happening. Dumbledore noticed their apprehension.

"Sirius's house is protected by a Fidelius charm. I am its Secret Keeper. Only I can give you the address so the building will become visible to you. But before I do, I must ask where your allegiances lie."

"Well, not with You-Know-Who, sir," Natalia said quickly, "if that's what you're asking."

"In fact," Audrey said, finding her voice, "I'd go so far as to say directly against him."

"I see," Dumbledore said, eyeing them carefully. "And are you willing to join the fight against Voldemort now that he has returned?"

It was a loaded question, and both women knew it.

"Yes," Audrey spoke first. She surprised herself with her own confidence.

Natalia nodded. "Yes, me too."

"You are young," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps you don't remember the horrors Voldemort committed years ago, but it would be foolhardy of me not to warn you of the dangers involved in standing against him. Many have died doing so."

Natalia turned to Audrey with an unreadable expression.

"It's worth it, isn't it?" she said. "I couldn't bear to live in a world he designed."

Audrey swallowed. "I don't think I'd be allowed to live in that world."

"Exactly," Natalia said. "If You-Know-Who's really back, he needs to be stopped. I want to help."

"Me, too," Audrey said firmly, though she had no idea what she had to offer this resistance.

Dumbledore stood up from the window satisfied. "Twelve Grimmauld Place, London. Remember that."

Behind Dumbledore, an elegant townhouse appeared in the empty alleyway. The house was old and dreary, but warm lights shone through the windows invitingly. It looked like it was once magnificent and regal yet time had worn it down to shambles.

"I now invite you to join the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore continued. "We stand together against Voldemort. You're welcome inside. I expect Molly Weasley has just started preparing dinner."

Dumbledore backed away from them with a wry smile and started down the street.

"Aren't you coming, sir?" Natalia asked, leaning out of the car.

"No, I've got an appointment elsewhere," he said. "And I suggest you avoid ringing the doorbell."

He took a few more steps and then Disapparated with a cracking sound. Audrey and Natalia stared at each other in disbelief.

"What a night this has turned out to be," Natalia mused.

"To the house, then?" Audrey said.

"I hope there's wine." Natalia opened the car door and stepped into the street.

As they approached the looming house, Audrey could hear the pulsing bass of the neighbor's stereo and wondered if the Muggles who lived there noticed witches and wizards coming in and out of an apparently empty alleyway. She imagined not. There were a lot of things Muggles never seemed to see. As she and Natalia climbed the stone steps to the door, Audrey could see the paint was chipped and the windows were grimy. She knocked.

After a series of metallic clicking sounds, the door swung open to reveal a deeply scarred man with a magical eye that spun wildly in its socket.

"Identify yourselves," he demanded.

"Audrey Callahan."

"Natalia Laurie."

The man stood silently for a moment, his magical eye swiveling between the two women, and Audrey had an uncomfortable feeling the eye could see straight through her. Finally, he stepped aside to let them into the house.

"Enter quickly."

They obeyed, scurrying past him into a dimly-lit hallway. The man tapped his wand on the door as it shut, and several locks clicked into place.

"Alastor Moody," the man grumbled. With a heavy limp, he led them down the hall and into a stonewalled kitchen. The long table was crowded at the far end, and excited voices silenced at once upon Natalia and Audrey's entrance.

"Glad you could make it," Sirius said at the head of the table, breaking into a grin. "This is Audrey and Natalia, our new recruits."

"It's been a long time," said a red-haired man with a ponytail, leaning forward with interest.

"Wait, Bill Weasley? No way!" Natalia squealed.

"I was wondering if you'd remember me," Bill said with a smile. He turned to Sirius with something like pride. "Both in my year at Hogwarts."

"How could we forget the coolest kid in school?" Natalia shrieked. Audrey didn't speak but she wished Natalia would calm down. They hardly knew Bill in school; he was in Gryffindor, and they were both Hufflepuffs. She recalled a good-looking redhead in Herbology class, but she never spoke to him beyond asking, "Could you pass the dragon dung?" Then again, he was hard to miss with that strong jawline and Head Boy badge their seventh year. The real wonder was that Bill recognized the two of them.

"Way to fuel his ego," said a woman with bubblegum pink hair beside Bill. "I don't remember him being that cool."

"Tonks? Dora Tonks?" Audrey couldn't hold back her delight. Tonks was a few years younger than Audrey, but she was a regular laugh riot. Audrey's mind suddenly filled with late night memories in the Hufflepuff common room, roaring in delight as Tonks used her Metamorphmagus abilities to transform her nose into a pig snout or a duck bill.

"Wotcher, Audrey," Tonks said with a wink. "Natalia."

"Wow, it really has been a long time," Natalia said, eyeing Tonks with supreme interest. "I absolutely love what you've done with your hair."

Tonks beamed, but Moody cleared his throat loudly.

"We can save the catching up for later," he said. "Best we get down to business before the young ones storm into the room."

"Harry's upstairs," Sirius explained.

"Probably trying to learn all he can from Ron and Hermione," Bill chuckled.

"I'd be doing the same if I were him," said a shabby looking man with graying hair.

"He's got a right to know, if you ask me," Sirius said urgently.

"Oh, that's enough of that!" a short red-haired woman by the stove said. She hurried to join them at the table. "He's not even of age! There's no sense in scaring the poor boy with things meant for older ears. That reminds me… Impertibus!"

She aimed her wand at the kitchen door which shut and seemed to seal itself.

"My clever twin boys have developed a sort of eavesdropping contraption, so an Imperturbable Charm has become extremely necessary in this house," the woman explained, giving Audrey and Natalia a warm but strained smile. "I'm Molly, by the way, Bill's mother. Do sit down. You'll be staying for dinner."

It wasn't a question and Audrey felt a rush of gratitude for this kind woman. Audrey took a seat beside the shabby man and Natalia slid next to her, fixated on Tonks. Tonks stood with a start.

"What can I help you with, Molly?"

She moved toward the stove but snagged her boot on the table leg. She stumbled and table skidded six inches.

"Oh, no, Tonks, don't trouble yourself," Molly said quickly. "You've had such a long shift today. You must be exhausted. I'll have this ready in no time."

Disappointed, Tonks sank back into her chair. Molly flicked her wand, and knives automatically began chopping vegetables for stew.

"Well, I think I'm the last to introduce myself," the shabby man sighed, extending a hand to Audrey. "Remus Lupin." Behind them, still hovering by the sealed door, Moody huffed impatiently. Remus shook his head. "I think that's our cue to get into it. What has Dumbledore told you?"

"Not much," Natalia shrugged. "He mentioned the Order of the Phoenix and fighting against You-Know-Who."

"Well, that's the crux of it, eh, Moony?" Sirius said with his bark of a laugh.

"In a manner of speaking," Remus said. "We're a bit more organized than some vague idea of a fight against Voldemort, of course."

"Glad to hear that," Audrey couldn't stop herself from muttering sarcastically. Sirius met her gaze with a grin.

"But the real question is where the two of you fall into it," Moody said. His magical eye spun from the door to Audrey who was unsettled. "Dumbledore seems eager to have you on board so he must have something planned."

"The more the merrier, Mad-Eye," Tonks said cheerfully. "We're always looking for recruits."

"Laurie, what's your story? What do you do?" Moody barked.

"I'm a potioneer," Natalia said, caught off guard. "I've been working for Blotter and Haversham for five years now in Southwark."

Moody nodded approvingly and turned to Audrey. "What about you, Callahan?"

"I was a healer," Audrey began awkwardly, "but I've been living as a Muggle nurse in Little Whinging for the last four years."

"A Muggle?" Tonks seemed perplexed. "Why would you want to live without magic?"

Audrey had hoped no one would question it but she had a response rehearsed and she tried to sound casual. "My mother was sick, so I went home. After she died, I just sort of settled there."

Moody's magical eye quivered in its socket as it bore into her, but he seemed to accept her answer. "It could be useful to have ears in the Muggle community."

Even more noticeable and unbearable was Sirius's stare from across the table. Audrey wasn't sure why but she was ashamed at the thought of Sirius discovering that she had been hiding for fear of what they were preparing to fight against at that moment. She averted her eyes to the dark wooden table, which was nearly stony with age.

"So what exactly is it that the Order does?" Natalia asked.

"A lot, actually," Remus said. "We've got sensors out to hear anything about Voldemort's whereabouts. Alastor and Tonks along with Kingsley and Arthur, both working at the moment, are in the Ministry, which is enormously useful."

"The Ministry?" Natalia turned to Tonks, impressed.

"I'm an Auror," Tonks responded proudly.

"Oh, wow, that's amazing! Congratulations!" Audrey reveled. She felt a glowing respect for her old school friend for achieving such an honorable position.

"Ladies, if we can get on with it?" Moody growled.

"We've got others working on cross-species recruitment to try to counter Voldemort's efforts. That seems to be his prerogative at the moment. Bill's speaking with goblins since he works for Gringotts." Audrey beamed at Bill, happy for another respectable Hogwarts alumnus. Remus paused, as if he debated continuing, but then he said, "And I'm with the werewolves."

"Werewolves?" Audrey's stomach turned. She'd never heard of a werewolf willing to fight dark magic before. It seemed like a treacherous errand for a wizard, unless…

"Oh!" Audrey exhaled sharply as she took in Remus's shabby appearance, his graying hair, his prematurely lined face, and his general sense of exhaustion. Upon closer inspection, he was in his mid-30s, but he could easily pass for 45 years old. She could only imagine the struggles this man endured in his lifetime and resisted the urge to put a comforting hand over his. She only just met him after all and she didn't know the appropriate reaction upon learning someone was a werewolf. She never met one before. She made eye contact with Sirius again and noticed he seemed defensive, as if he were daring them to criticize Remus's condition.

"That seems extremely dangerous," Natalia said. She hadn't reached the same conclusion as Audrey yet.

"It would be were I not already afflicted," Remus said patiently. Natalia's eyes widened. There was the realization Audrey was waiting for.

They were quiet for a moment, and then Natalia spoke up. "Are the others as nice as you?"

Remus gave a short laugh. "I'm not sure 'nice' is the operative word. They've certainly got a lot of bitterness, which is expected."

"And Voldemort will use that to sway them to his side," Moody broke in. "And you've read the Prophet, so you know the Ministry is trying to avoid a mass panic. It's only making the situation worse. If you discredit Dumbledore, you discredit the only man Voldemort ever feared."

"It's diabolical," Tonks said, "but we've got a spy of our own on the inside so we can stay one jump ahead."

"Someone is spying on You-Know-Who?" Audrey was shocked. If walking with werewolves was dangerous, spying at Voldemort's side was downright lunacy.

"We're much better prepared than we were fifteen years ago," Remus said, nodding.

"But we also know that Voldemort wants to be more prepared, too," Sirius added. "He's looking for a kind of weapon he didn't have before."

"What do you mean?" Natalia asked. She looked about as anxious as Audrey felt. The members of the Order were incredibly brave. They threw You-Know-Who's name around in such a casual tone. She hoped she wouldn't disappoint them.

Sirius opened his mouth to elaborate, but the kitchen door clicked open at that moment. A tall, balding red-haired man entered the room, shaking his head.

"Good move, using the Imperturbable Charm," he said. "I just caught Fred hovering suspiciously in the hall."

"Arthur, you're home early," Molly said throwing her arms around her husband. "Everything alright at the Ministry?"

"Nothing unusual to report," Arthur said with a heavy sigh. "Though Barnabas Valentine was caught selling shrinking pants. You'd think the fine we gave him for the vanishing socks would be enough to sway him away from such pursuits. Oh, you must be Audrey Callahan and Natalia Laurie. Got an owl from Dumbledore not long ago. And he also told me what you've been up to, Sirius. I thought we discussed this. Dumbledore told you it's dangerous for you to leave this house."

Sirius frowned. "I know what Dumbledore told me."

"You're much more useful here than locked up in Azkaban. And Voldemort will know your clever canine disguise by now with Peter Pettigrew at his side. It's not safe by any means. I'm sure with Dumbledore's additional warning it won't happen again?"

Sirius leaned back in his chair, balancing it on two legs. He did not respond, but his sour expression provided enough of an answer. Audrey's mouth fell open not for the first time that night. Sirius wasn't even supposed to be in Little Whinging? She tried to push away the idea that there was greater danger than dementors in her neighborhood that evening.

Remus noticed Audrey's reaction. "The Order planned to gather Harry from Privet Drive in a few days' time when the situation had cooled down. Sirius, well, jumped the gun."

"Harry couldn't stay in that hellhole for another moment," Sirius argued. Then he nodded toward Audrey. "No offense."

"None taken." Audrey knew what her neighbors were like.

"He was upset, confused, traumatized—and you just wanted to leave him on his own," Sirius continued.

"Dumbledore thought it would be best," Tonks reasoned.

"And you were recognized, weren't you?" Molly scolded. "You're very lucky it was by these lovely girls and not a Death Eater. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that it was my duty to be there for my godson when he needed me."

"You're not the only one who cares for Harry," Molly said, her cheeks reddening. "Did you think it would be an excuse for an adventure, a good romp on the town?"

"That's enough," Remus told both of them. He motioned to the open door where Harry stood, suddenly bashful that he was noticed overhearing the conversation. Sirius and Molly ceased arguing at once. Audrey felt incredibly awkward. She only just met this group of people yet she learned a great deal of their personal lives all at once. Natalia seemed to share her sentiments.

"Well, it's getting rather late, isn't it?" She gave Audrey a meaningful look that meant they ought to leave.

"Yes, I'll get dinner on the table then," Molly said, returning instantly to her usual warm self. There was an insistence in her voice that told them they weren't going anywhere. "Fred, George, and Ginny, will you help me get the table ready?"

Three of the four red-haired children behind Harry moved to help their mother. The last Weasley boy, tall, red-haired, and looking remarkably like his father, sat at the table with Harry and a bushy haired girl. These must be Harry's friends, Ron and Hermione.

Audrey's mind was reeling. She examined the people around her: infamous murderer Sirius Black, a werewolf, two long lost schoolmates, a one-eyed mad Auror, a kindly red-haired couple, and a gangly group of teenagers, among them, Harry Potter. She noticed Natalia giving her an incredulous look but she refused to acknowledge the absolute bizarreness of the night. Every time she remarked on their strange circumstances, they only got stranger, and she wasn't sure how much more magical weirdness she could handle. Based on their current situation, Audrey knew this would at least be one of the most interesting nights of her life.