NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.

I'm soooo sorry this took so long. I hit this huge slump and just couldn't make myself write. But it looks like I finally worked past it. I hit them every now and then and this one was just longer than usual. My plan is to try to go back to my every other Sunday updates, though it may take some time for me to get it back to that. My goal is to skip this coming Sunday and have an update up the next Sunday and hopefully keep the updates regular from there.

Fate

Chapter Thirty Six

The morning of the day Sirius and Samantha planned to move their things to their new flat, the letters arrived. Samantha had planned to go back to sleep when she rolled over in her bed. But when she cracked her eyes open and found a letter resting on her pillow, she pushed herself up instead and picked the letter up curiously. It was addressed to her, but there was no sender. She ripped it open and unfolded the parchment, her eyes skimming the page. She had just finished reading it when her door opened and James burst in, a letter of his own clutched in his hand. His face fell when he saw she had one as well. He sighed and shut the door before dropping beside her on the bed.

Samantha gave him a small smile. "You knew it was coming. Don't act so dejected."

He turned to look at her. "I don't suppose you plan to say no, do you?"

She sighed heavily and glanced down at the letter, folding up the parchment. "I want to do something to help, James. I can't just sit by and wait for it all to end. You feel the same way. And it's worth the risk, isn't it?"

"I do," he said quietly. "And it is. I suppose as long as you know what you're getting into."

"I'm well aware what I'm getting into," she replied, her voice suddenly frosty.

He swallowed and shook his head. "I didn't mean it like- I just want you to make sure it's what you want."

She looked at the letter in her hands, clutching it tightly. It was a letter she'd hoped that she would receive, a formal invitation to join to Order. She figured it was worded the same as James. It explained the purpose, the goals they strived for. How dangerous it could be. And if she wanted to accept, to come to a given coordinate on the coming Friday afternoon. It was Saturday morning now. It would give her nearly a week to decide. But she did not need that sort of time to know what she wanted to do. And she could see that James felt the same.

"Sirius got one as well," he told her, settling back against her pillows. "But he was still asleep. Didn't want to wake him."

She shot him a surprised look. "Really?"

He nodded. "I think Moody was impressed by him, at least from what I've heard about the interview. Sirius is convinced he hates him. Mood doesn't train us, but he comes by a lot and he yells at Sirius most of the time. But I think it's because he sees the potential. I'm not surprised the Order has seen it as well. Hell, it was probably Moody who suggested it."

When Sirius wandered in a bit later, rubbing his eyes and clutching the opened letter in his hand, James and Samantha were still talking. He joined them, but once James's parents were up, they didn't feel comfortable talking about it. Sirius was the one to suggest they use his and Samantha's flat to talk more that night. They had bought furniture, but it would not be delivered until the next day, but they could camp out on the floor. James, of course, grew ecstatic at the idea and, when throughout the day they learned that Lily, Remus, and Peter had received the same letter, it turned into their first gathering since leaving Hogwarts.

Later that night, they were seated on the bare floor of what would be the sitting room once they had furniture. Adrien would be coming by the next morning to put up protective charms, but Sirius and James did the best they could putting up crude charms for the night just to be safe. Lily brought pizza that she'd picked up from a restaurant a couple of blocks down the road. Luckily she'd thought to get several boxes, because the Marauders tore into the pizza eagerly and had quickly devoured an entire box.

From where she was sitting beside James, Lily shook her head. "Boys," she muttered at Samantha, who laughed.

"If you'd been living with James and Sirius for a month like I've had to, you wouldn't be as surprised," she told her.

Neither boy seemed to take note of their conversation. Through a mouthful of food, James asked, "How's working at your father's shop, Pete?"

Peter shrugged, and had the decency to swallow before he replied. "I can't complain. I've helped him every summer so I already knew what to do. It can get boring at times but we can get some pretty interesting customers."

"It's true," Remus piped up. He's contribution to dinner was a hefty stack of sweets from his supply, but with the way he was working through them, they would not last long. "I was visiting yesterday. Some witch came in, holding an entire conversation with herself. She eventually just wandered out; doubt she even knew where she was."

"Sounds like a charm gone wrong," Lily said.

"Or she was just some crazy old bat," Sirius told her with a grin. "My uncle used to tell me that at a certain age, witches just completely lose their minds. I reckon that's why he never got married."

Samantha rolled her eyes. "Maybe it's because he thought that that he never married," she retorted.

"I'll let you know in fifty years it it's true or not," James piped up, earning a sharp jab in the stomach from Lily's elbow. "Not you, Lily my love," he said quickly. "You'll always be perfect. I was talking about Sam."

"Hey," Samantha cried indignantly and Sirius let out a loud, barking laugh. At his laugh, Mica, who had been curled up in Samantha's lap asleep, let out a loud yowl, causing him to fall silent and glare. Everyone burst out laughing at the look on Sirius's face, which just caused his scowl to deepen.

Their lightheartedness faded with their laughter, and it seemed that they all remembered why they were all gathered together at the same time.

"What should we do?" Remus asked quietly, breaking the silence that had fallen around them.

James shrugged and glanced at Sirius and Samantha before replying, "Well, the three of us have already decided we want to be a part of it. But it's big decision, something you can only make on your own."

A long silence stretched between them. Sirius had been just as surprised as Samantha had been to receive an invitation to the Order. He'd never given joining it much thought. He'd heard Samantha and James speak of it plenty, but he had no inner ties like they did and had no expectations to be noticed. But when he'd read the invitation, he'd known right away that he wanted to accept. He' d told Moody in his interview that he wanted to be a part of bringing a stop to the war, that he was tired of seeing innocent people suffer. And the Order would allow him to help further. He would never turn down such an opportunity.

Lily reached out and covered James's hand with hers, squeezing it gently. James turned to meet her gaze, and he could see her answer in her eyes before she spoke. He'd hoped that she would decide to stay out of the war, to keep herself out of danger. But he knew her well enough that her decision was not a surprise. He would support her no matter what she decided.

"It would be silly, wouldn't it?" she asked him quietly, her emerald eyes holding his gaze. "To receive such an invitation and turn it down. Not that I would want to. Being part of the inner workings of bringing an end to this war. It's something I could have only imagined before, but now I've got this chance to be a part of it, to save innocent people. I don't know why they think I can contribute, but I'd very much like to try."

"I felt the same way," Remus spoke up, causing James to turn his head in surprise. He'd nearly expected quiet Remus to decide to decline, but the glint that was in his eyes reminded him of how much of a fighter the other boy could be, and he realized that he should have been certain that he would want to participate. "I'm not quite sure what Dumbledore's playing at, inviting a werewolf to join the Order, but I figure there's only one way to find out."

The tension seemed to break from the room then, and they began speculating what the meetings would be like, where they would be held, how many were involved. Peter swallowed hard as he listened. They seemed to have forgotten to ask him. He did not want to join, not really. He had nothing to contribute, not even courage. The thought of facing a Death Eater terrified him. The time James and Sirius had returned to school with the story of how they'd been attacked by Death Eaters in the Dawson home had been enough to give him nightmares for a week. He supposed they just assumed he'd want a part of it. Lily, a muggle-born, had agreed. And Remus was volunteering to help protect those who would likely scorn him if they knew what he was. So why should he, a young man born of a witch and a wizard, not want to participate? The very thought of doing so filled him with dread, a tingling he felt even at the tips of his fingers and toes. He did not want this. Not one bit.

He saw James's eyes slid over him, and then they were back, and Peter realized that he'd noticed their mistake.

"Pete," James called, interrupting the flow of conversation. "You're in too, right?"

No, Peter thought wildly. No, I have no want to risk my life to save someone I don't even know. But they were all looking at him now, so he did just as they expected.

"Yeah." He cleared his throat when his voice came out too soft. "Yeah. Of course I am."

Later that night, when they'd all fallen asleep, Peter stood and made his way to the bathroom, mindful of the bodies spread across the floor. Remus was curled up in a corner, buried under a pile of blankets. Lily was using James's arm as a pillow, just as Sirius was using Samantha's shoulder. He stepped around them carefully, lightly. When he made it to the bathroom, he flicked on the light and locked the door and took in his reflection in the mirror. His eyes were wild with fear, his face white. He concentrated, muttering to himself, urging his face to appear calm. Slowly it did. His skin remained pale, but his eyes were relaxed. If he practiced enough, they would never know how terrified he truly was, how much he did not want a part in this Order of the Phoenix.

"What's that?"

Lily glanced up as James stepped into his room, rubbing a towel over his hair to dry it. It was the night they were to attend their first Order meeting. Lily had begun working at St. Mungo's as a potion brewer. For now, it was only part time, but they told her that if she did a well enough job, they'd allow her to work full time soon enough. So she had had the afternoon off to worry and grow nervous about the meeting. Luckily, James had invited her over to dinner with his family. Grace and Joseph put her worries at ease, assuring her that the meeting would be nothing to worry about. They may discuss a few things, but it was mostly to allow them to get to know their fellow Order members and explain more about what they do.

After dinner, James and Lily retreated upstairs until it was time for them to leave. James had immediately headed to take a shower after his grueling day of training. She'd settled herself at his desk to wait, slipping a letter she had received just before heading over to the Potters' out of her robes.

Now, James was looking at the parchment in her hands with a curious expression, his glasses knocked slightly askew on his face while he dried his hair.

"A letter," she replied. "From Amber." Understanding crossed over his face. They had not heard from Amber since they'd bade her farewell at King's Cross, so none of them had known how her travels were going, if she was safe. "I wasn't sure if she sent Sam one, too, or if this was meant for both of us, so I thought I'd best bring it with me. Plus I hadn't had a chance to read it yet."

"How is she?" James questioned as he ducked his head into his closet to try and find a shirt to wear.

"She says she's having a great time, apologizes for taking so long to write. She's in Italy right now, on the southern shore. Apparently she's been spending a lot of time with some local bloke."

"Not a surprise," he replied, slipping on a shirt and buttoning it up. He turned to look at her and could see the relief on her face. "You were really worried about her, weren't you?"

Lily sighed and nodded. "We hadn't heard from her in nearly two months. I didn't know what to expect. I know the war has only been confined to the country, but that doesn't mean there aren't others who have gotten ideas. "

James shook his head. "She's safer out of the country than in it. "

Lily gave him a small smile. "Well, let's hope she stays away for a while then."

A few minutes later, it was time for them to leave. James's parents had already left, and the house was silent when they made their way down the stairs. James decided that he should apparate the both of them since they had only been given coordinates to go by. If something went wrong, they would end up in the wrong place together and not separated.

They reappeared on a dark, dusty road. They began to make their way down it, careful to not trip in the occasional dip in the road, their fingers twined together. They did not have to walk long before they saw the waiting silhouettes of their friends. By the looks of it, they were the last ones there.

"Are we late?" James asked when he and Lily reached them. He glanced around them. They were in the middle of the countryside and though there were a few lights from a village in the distance, there didn't seem to be anything nearby that could serve as a meeting place for the Order.

Sirius shook his head as he glanced around them as well. "Dumbledore hasn't come yet. There doesn't look like there's anything here, but we must be at the right place since we're all here."

They stood there for several minutes, speculating what would possibly happen in the meeting that night, when Dumbledore finally appeared, making his way towards them from the dark.

"I am glad that all of you could make it," he said when he reached them, a smile on his face, his blue eyes twinkling. "The six of you will be a fine addition to the Order of the Phoenix."

"But Professor," Remus spoke up hesitantly, glancing around them. "Where…?"

"My dear boy, call me Albus. We are colleagues now, after all. And to answer your question." The older wizard turned and gestured towards the field beside them. Besides a couple of large trees, the field seemed to be empty. "We hold our meetings in several different places so we are not in the same place every time. Each place is guarded by a Fidelius Charm. I am the Secret-Keeper of this particular location. There are two other locations we are currently using, but this one we have deemed the safest. So shall we?"

After making sure that they were alone, that no one was around to overhear, Dumbledore whispered to them the location of where they were meeting. Before their eyes, an old brick farmhouse appeared in the field, nestled beneath the large trees. The house looked right there, like they should have known it was there all along.

They followed Dumbledore to the house. The windows were filled with warm lights from outside, and Sirius found it hard to believe that inside, a meeting about how to defeat Voldemort would take place. Instead, he thought it looked as if a family would just be sitting down to dinner or talking in the sitting room.

A soft hum of voices filled their ears when Dumbledore opened the door. James and Lily stepped inside behind Dumbledore. As Sirius followed, he felt Samantha's hand slip inside his own. He gave it a reassuring squeeze; they were all a bit nervous about the meeting. Remus and Peter stepped inside last, the werewolf making sure the door closed firmly behind him.

As they followed Dumbledore down a hallway, the voices grew louder and then they were stepping into a large back room. The voices fell quiet when they stepped inside. Sirius glanced around the room. There were sixteen witches and wizards gathered there not including his friends and Dumbledore. He recognized a few faces, most from the Christmas party the Potters had thrown. But Frank and Alice Longbottom had been only two years ahead of them at Hogwarts. And he knew Adrien of course. There was another witch he recognized from Hogwarts as well, but her name would not come to mind. His boss, Mad Eye, was there, too. He did not seem to be paying them much attention, but Sirius could swear that magical eye of his had swiveled his way. Grace and Joseph both gave him an encouraging smile. He suddenly felt uncomfortable with them all staring, and he tightened his hand around Samantha's in case she got any ideas of letting him go.

Dumbledore began by introducing them. He felt that some of the introductions, like James's and Samantha's, were a bit unnecessary. And when he was introduced, he was sure some eyes widened at his last name. It was common knowledge that he'd left his family behind him, but it was probably surprising to see just how interested he was in bringing an end to the war. He wondered how they would react if they knew the boy directly to his right was a werewolf.

After they had been introduced, the Order members introduced themselves. Most had kind voices and welcoming smiles. The witch Sirius had recognized introduced herself as Marlene McKinnon, and he remembered that she had been in Ravenclaw and only a year ahead of them. There was also a wizard by the name of Benjy Fenwick, another name Sirius recognized. He was a healer at St. Mungo's, and Samantha had spoken of him before. He had been a friend of her father's, and she hoped that maybe when the time came, he would choose to mentor her. There were two brothers by the name of Prewitt, who had red hair and kind brown eyes. The eldest one, Gideon, had his hair cut shorter than Fabian, his younger brother. He recognized the younger one from the Christmas party.

After all of the introductions, Dumbledore went on to explain that not every Order member attended every meeting, that they had several more involved. He then explained what the Order was about. Some members worked close with suspected Death Eaters at the ministry, and they would report anything suspicious that they may hear. Moody reported any tips he received at Auror Headquarters, and if they deemed them to be believable, they would choose how to act. Right now their biggest mystery was what locations they could be using as meeting places, but if they took the same precautions the Order took, then it would be very difficult to pinpoint their location. Dumbledore also warned that they may directly confront the Death Eaters at a point in time, but only volunteers would go. He stressed that no one would be pushed into doing anything they were uncomfortable with.

Since the meeting had been schedule just to introduce the new members, once Dumbledore was done explaining the Order's missions, he told them that they were done and invited them to get to know each other. James's parents came over to say hello before they headed home; it was late and they were tired. After a while, the group had spread through the room. Samantha and Lily were across the room speaking with Alice and Marlene. Sirius stood talking with James, Frank, Adrien, and Peter. Peter had been nervous and quiet most of the night, but now that the attention was off of the newcomers, he seemed to be relaxing a bit. Remus stood with Benjy Fenwick, their heads bowed together and their voices quiet. Sirius wondered, since Benjy was a healer, if he knew of Remus's condition. After he'd been attacked when he was young, his parents took him to St. Mungo's. He'd gone there several times after particularly nasty full moons. Some of the healers were bound to know what he was.

After a while, Remus's conversation ended with Benjy and he joined them. A while later, Adrien declared he was going home and not long after, Frank went to get Alice so they could also go home. James moved to stand beside Sirius and jabbed him in the side with his elbow.

"Are you about ready to go home?" he asked, suppressing a yawn.

Sirius nodded, running a hand through his hair. "I suppose we should. Sam and I have a lot of unpacking to do this weekend. We hardly had any time this week."

He turned and glanced across the room to find his girlfriend, and when his eyes landed on her, his face dropped into a scowl. James furrowed his brow and followed Sirius's gaze, and then he laughed. Samantha was speaking with Fabian. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and an easygoing smile on his face. She was grinning as she replied to something he had just said.

"You don't do jealousy well, Padfoot," James told him with a grin.

"I'm not jealous," Sirius snapped in response, shooting James a dark look.

James clearly did not believe him, and after shooting him one final look, Sirius made his way across the room towards Samantha. When he reached them, she was just telling Fabian about her training at St. Mungo's, and he slipped his arm around her waist. She cut herself off and turned to look at him, giving him a smile.

"Sirius, this is Fabian. We met at the Christmas party."

He was well aware, but he gave the other man a smile and reached out to shake his hand.

"Nice to meet you."

Fabian nodded. "You as well. It'll be nice, having a Black on our side for once."

Sirius had to grin at that and agree. He then looked at Samantha.

"James wanted to know if we were ready to go."

She nodded. "I suppose so." She turned back to Fabian. "I'll see you soon."

He nodded and bid them goodbye before Sirius led her back across the room. Lily had made her way back to James.

"Where's Remus and Peter?" Sirius asked when he and Samantha reached them, noticing their absence.

"They went on and left," James replied. "Remus has got to open up in the morning."

Sirius nodded in understanding as they made their way down the hall to the door. Remus had found a job at a bookshop in London. He was enjoying the work enough but he was not sure how long they would put up with how often he was sick until they let him go.

They did not notice how warm the house had grown with so many people inside until they stepped out into the cool night air. They had not brought cloaks and Samantha huddled against Sirius's side. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

"Do you not like Fabian?" she asked him as they trailed behind James and Lily. Sirius could swear he saw James's head perk up the slightest bit as if he were listening.

He shrugged. "I don't really know him, do I? Why do you ask?"

She did not reply, only gave him a knowing look, which he found infuriating. He changed the subject to the unpacking they planned to do the next day, and her smile grew as she went along with the subject change. James shot him a look over his shoulder which he pointedly ignored. Overall, he'd enjoyed the night, he decided as he and Samantha told James and Lily goodbye before disapperating. He looked forward to working with the Order.

End Chapter