Where I Stood
Chapter 13: Practice Makes Perfect; A Secret Revealed
In the common room after the feast, the Marauders and Sileni were the only one's still awake. Both Sileni and Remus were on the long couch with Sileni in a lying position, her head on Remus' thigh and playing with their joined hands. Both James and Luke occupied the arm chairs while Sirius laid before the fire, his hands crossed behind his head. The four boys spoke and joked around, Sileni not really paying attention to any of it.
Her mind was wondering to the next Order meeting and how the future of Harry's life now looks like. With a sigh, Sileni placed their joined hands on her stomach and closed her eyes, falling asleep instantly.
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Sileni smiled to the stilled pictures, knowing that outside the dream world they were moving—as were the suit-in-armors. Coming to the end of the corridor, two more on either side, the sixteen year old sat on the window sill, staring out to the starry night. This was no ordinary dream—Sileni knew this already–it was Andi's way of speaking to her.
Feeling a presence, Sileni turned to the corridor she appeared to see Andi, a look what was supposed to be a grim one. Instantly, Sileni became alert and stood up.
"What's wrong? What's happened?"
"Dumbledore, he's thinking about turning the members of the Order against you. Or at least not listen to you anymore."
The teenager cursed herself, pacing a bit to think. "What's Dumbledore thinking? What does he think he'll achieve by letting innocent people die and a boy growing up without his parents? Harry can still become powerful without the celebrity attention and the feeling of not being loved."
Andi sighs, "I do not know. But what I do know is Dumbledore is calling all those in the Order, now."
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Sileni woke up with a gasp, sitting straight up. The boys looked at her strangely, Remus and Luke asking her what was wrong. With a scowl, the sixteen year old quickly made her way towards the portrait hole, telling her brother the word 'meeting' before she disappeared.
"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Sirius asked confused.
"Something not good, that's for sure." Luke muttered worriedly, looking up at a concerned Remus. "Don't worry; she'll still be within the castle and here in the morning."
The werewolf nodded, not really convinced. Luke threw the pillow he was leaning back at him, Remus getting hit in the face. He cried out, glaring at his friend who became another brother to him. Remus saw the challenge eyebrow raised up and threw the pillow back at Luke before grabbing the one he was leaning back on and throwing it a second later. The second pillow hit Luke in the face, the two other boys laughing.
This resulted in a pillow fight—in a masculine kind of way, of course! The boys settled back into their conversation of a future prank for later that month. However, both Remus and Luke's minds were on Sileni, wondering exactly what was going on.
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Sileni raced up the stairs when Andi moved the gargoyle aside for her. She quietly opened the door to a full room of witches and wizards; luckily tall wizards covered the door so she was able to slip in unnoticed. Murmuring quickly stopped, Sileni knowing that Dumbledore either stood up or held up a hand. The teenager leaned back against the door, arms crossed, just waiting to hear what the old man was trying to do and how.
"The reason I called this emergency meeting is to discuss about Phoenix. Now, I am grateful for all that she has done, however, Voldemort is becoming more aggressive towards the Muggles and those in the Wizarding community. This is something that concerns me for she did not mention it. So my question is... can we trust her?"
Some of the people started to murmur to one another or protest vocally to the respected wizard.
"She has told us in the beginning that she did not know the outcome once she gave us the information." A wizard from the Ministry argued.
"That is right," a witch voiced loudly, "Phoenix had no idea of what Voldemort was to do when he started to lose power and his followers!"
Dumbledore cleared his throat, trying to stay calm on the outside. "Yes, but it is not only that. Phoenix has become... distant and acting out of the ordinary. She is keeping secrets from us and her brother, I feel. What exactly is she hiding is what I want to know."
"She is a teenage witch!" an older witch exclaimed, "Of course she is going to keep secrets from us and her brother!"
"If it were something important, I am sure Phoenix would have told the Order." the first wizard who spoke up continued to defend her.
Before Dumbledore could reply, Sileni spoke up, trying not to show her hatred on the outside. "If it would please you, Dumbledore, to show you my loyalty you may perform the Legilmency spell or even give me some Veritaserum."
Everyone turned to her, parting down the middle. The look of surprise on the old wizard's face was quickly hidden behind ice cold blue eyes.
"Phoenix, how...?" he started, clearing his dry throat.
"How I knew there was a meeting? A little birdie told me." Pushing off the door, Sileni put her hand in her pockets so nobody would see the angry fists she was making, coming to a halt in the middle of the room. "So, which one will it be? Legilimency or Veritaserum?"
Dumbledore glared at the teenager, Sileni not fazed by it (on the outside at least). He quickly scanned the room, noting the disapproving looks from nearly all those within the Order and so shook his head.
"Neither, Phoenix; I will take your word for it."
Sileni scoffed, taking out her hands. "Very well, but next time you start to doubt me, talk to me; don't hold a meeting."
Sileni turned around and looked at all those that came and disapproved Dumbledore's 'doubt' about her, nodding her head ever so slightly at them.
"Goodnight to you all."
She walked out of the office, not once looking back. As soon as she returned to Gryffindor Tower, the Marauders were still up and joking around. Sileni didn't say anything, only walked over to the long couch, laid down on her side with her legs over Remus' lap, and stared into the fire. Remus laid behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.
Sileni smiled in content and snuggled further into the embrace, feeling sleep take over. However, James was calling out her name, the teenage girl sighing in frustration.
"What can I do to finally get Lily to fall madly in love with me?"
"She's already in love with you, but is denying it because you're very immature and stalker-ish!" Sileni opened her eyes to see James frowning at her direction.
"I'm not a stalker!" James countered angrily.
Sileni rolled her eyes. "Honey, you constantly follow her everywhere, asking her out every second, and know nearly everything about her!" James pondered on this, Sileni closing her eyes to try and sleep once more. "If you want my advice, leave Lily alone! Ignore her as much as you can, but if you must interact, than be polite and indifferent. Don't be that love sick puppy that's lost and can't find his way home! You had been the one to lust after her, now let her lust after you."
James nodded, though Sileni didn't see it as she was now fast asleep.
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—Next morning, Great Hall—
"That's not fair!" Sirius cried loudly, looking over Sileni's schedule for the year.
Sileni rolled her eyes, taking back her schedule. "That's because I didn't do as good as you four with the tests, Padfoot! So I got more free time than most."
Sirius continued to complain, James draping his arm over his best friend's shoulder. They started to walk out of the Great Hall for their first class of the year.
"Give up, Padfoot, you're not going to win. Let's go Silver Tongue, before we're late. See you before lunch, Moony."
Sileni chuckled, walking out of the Great Hall with Remus. She had hummed when she noted Lily looking a bit taken back, and flustered, as James walked right past her without even a glance in her direction; let alone utter a single word to her. Remus chuckled, shaking his head as he noted this too.
"Looks like James' taking your advice after all."
Sileni smirked, "despite how much it's killing him."
With a quick kiss, the couple parted ways, Sileni going outside for five hours. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday's her classes were all in the afternoon after lunch; while Tuesday and Thursday's were in the morning then midnight for Astronomy. Taking a deep breath, the sixteen year old walked down to the grounds near Hagrid's hut, wanting to meet the half-giant. She raised an eyebrow at Fang, a boarhound puppy, barking at her.
Sileni put her hands on her hips, looking down at the puppy sternly. Fang whined and laid down, looking up at the teenager hopefully. She laughed, crouching down, Fang immediately barking once before running towards her. Scratching and rubbing the puppy's ears and stomach, Sileni failed to see the door to the hut opening, a fairly large man smiling in the doorway.
"His name's Fang,"
Sileni looked up at the large man before her, nodding, "Why Fang?"
Sileni noted the relief on the half-giant's face when she did not run off, screaming bloody murder. It almost made her laugh, but held back as she did not want to offend the gentle half-giant.
"Well, I needed a ferocious name for a ferocious dog!"
Sileni smiled, trying not to laugh. "No offense, but he doesn't seem to be ferocious; at least not yet anyways."
Hagrid cleared his throat nervously. "Yea, I do tend to baby him a bit."
Sileni laughed at this. "Well, I'm sure he'll be a ferocious dog one day. Won't you, Fang?" Fang barked, wagging his tail happily. "Oh, how rude of me, I'm sorry. My name is Sileni Thorn, you probably already know my brother, Luke? He's friends with James, Sirius, and Remus."
"Oh, yes. What a fine lad he is! And smart as he's in the same grade as you four." Hagrid nods his head. "I'm Rubeus Hagrid, if you haven't already known. Um, I would invite you in, but I was just about to enter the Forbidden Forest."
'No doubt to feed Aragog.' Sileni thought, standing up and stretching her legs a bit. "No problem, I was just passing through anyways. I guess I'll see you around."
With a wave, the young teenager walked away, heading in no particular direction as she needed to waste at least four and a half hours before her own classes start. Of course that really didn't take too much as Hogwarts grounds was very large and takes up a lot of time trying to cross it. Sitting on a rock by the lake, Sileni thought of what was to come and her feelings for Remus.
Her mind stayed on her feelings. Despite caring for the werewolf, the sixteen year old knew she wasn't in love with him as she thought she would feel when being with him for so long. Sileni does like Remus as more than a friend, but it doesn't go as far as love; despite the one year relationship. She wondered if the teenager should break off the relationship, not wanting to let Remus continue this imagination of them together.
Chewing on her lower lip, the sixteen year old took out her wand and held it up in mid-air. She hesitated, trying to remember the simple conjuring spell. Inhaling deeply, Sileni whispered the spell, waving the wand properly. Nothing happened. Giving a frustrated cry, she sat up straighter and held up her wand, imaging the item she wanted before her.
'You can do this, Sileni; you're not that stupid!' She scolded herself.
Uttering the spell a bit louder, and with confidence, Sileni waved her wand. She laughed to herself as her bag that held the Harry Potter series appeared before her feet. Placing her wand in the thigh holder that Mad-Eye had gotten her in the last meeting before she confronted Dumbledore. He told her with the danger that is around her that she needed her wand with her at all times.
Bringing out the fifth book, Sileni immediately went straight to the chapter where she had cried during this series for the very first time. However, as she was reading, the words started to change before her eyes, the lives of the characters that she had loved to read and those that she has met were now different. Sileni laughed. She was crying and laughing, not able to believe what it was that she was reading. The whole scene with the Ministry and Sirius Black dying had completely changed to that of Harry being at the end of the school year feast.
Closing the book, Sileni held it to her chest and cried, ever grateful that she has actually changed the lives of these real people. To give them the life that they had deserved after all they were supposed to go through... what they are about to go through. She can only pray that her brother will be able to cope with what she was to do and forgive her.
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To Sileni the months continue to move quickly, as though fate or destiny wanted to kill her already. Luke had went to try out for either Seeker or Beater for Gryffindor as several people had graduated the year before. James had been captain since his fifth year, the last captain having trusted his ability as a leader. Luke got the Beater position, James more impressed with keeping the Bludger at bay. Sam, a fourth year, had a quicker eyes in finding the Snitch.
By the end of November, rumors and stories are being told in whispers about an evil wizard terrorizing some Muggle's and wizard's alike; even as far as killing them. Sileni has been going to the Order meetings even more, trying to put her two cents in as she has a little bit of knowledge of how Voldemort worked.
A week before the Christmas vacation, Remus, Sirius, and James had finally confronted the siblings of Sileni's disappearance and long 'meetings'. It was late at night and Sileni had just came back from one of these meetings where she met up with the four boys in the empty common room.
"Who are all those people in Dumbledore's office?" Sirius asked curiously.
"And why are you all there for long hours in the night?" Asked James quickly.
Sileni sighed, glaring at her brother as he was to keep the map away from them during her meetings, then looked towards a sad Remus.
"I thought we could tell each other everything?" He asked quietly.
"Dumbledore had formed an organization to stop Voldemort. He has been the one gaining power ever since he started Hogwarts; only now has he decided to put his name out and let people know who he is." Sileni started to pace, not able to sit anymore. "I know information about this snake, that's why I am in the group. We can't let other people know of this group because they will think that after Voldemort we would try to bring down the Ministry or something. So, for my safety and Luke's those in the Order don't know my real name; they just call me Phoenix."
Realization dawned on Remus face. Sileni nodded, knowing that, despite he didn't know everything, it was the one secret that she was not ready to tell but had to because of James and Sirius.
"How can we join?" Both Sirius and James asked.
"You don't," they open their mouths to protest. "At least not yet. You have one more school year before all three of you join." The boy's frowned at this, slightly confused. "All will explained in due time. For now, don't breathe a word of this to anyone."
Knowing not to cross Sileni, they did as they were told. Sileni was happy not to have hard a single word breathed out of this. But as she laid in bed with Remus' arms wrapped around her, the sixteen year old couldn't help if she should erase this bit of information from the three boys, knowing the kind of danger they could be in if word was to leak out. She can only pray that her friends and family would be safe.
A/N: All right you guys, PLEASE review and give me your thoughts on the story thus far; thanks!