34 – Invitation
Dear Miss Rigby,
I haven't heard anything of you since you have left Hogwarts to my great dismay. I hope you are doing well with your job as a healer and that your life has developed just the way you expected it to.
If I may, I would like to request your presence for a lunch meeting on Sunday at noon where you can tell me all about your achievements. As you have most likely read in the news, occurrences have made it impossible to doubt that a dark age is rising and I would like to propose a preposition to you, which concerns this new danger.
I will not be displeased if you decide to not meet me because of the danger, otherwise meet me at the Leaky Cauldron.
Sincerely,
Professor Dumbledore
I read the letter again, puzzled. Of course, I had always idolized our headmaster because he was a brilliant and wise wizard but I hadn't realized that he was quite fond of me and wanted to know how I was doing. I didn't understand what he was asking of me with his reference to the news of Voldemort returning but I was curious to find out.
I didn't tell Oliver or my other friends about the meeting because I knew they would react badly to anything that might put me in harm's way. I told Alice that I needed some fresh air and wanted to walk around Diagon Alley for some shopping. She would have volunteered to accompany me but she was too exhausted after her shift at the hospital so she simply nodded groggily.
Nervously, I entered the Leaky Cauldron and looked around for the tall wizard who had asked me to come. I spotted him in a dark corner and went up to him and was about to greet him cheerfully when put a finger to his lips. I followed him inconspicuously out onto Diagon Alley, where he held out his hand in a dark alley.
We apparated to a street that I didn't know and I was astonished when between a series of terrace houses another appeared. "What is this place?"
"Grimmauld Place 12, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix." He declared with the tiny hint of a smile when he looked at my awed face.
"Professor, before we go in can you assure me that my boyfriend won't kill me for coming along? He doesn't want me to put my life at risk with unnecessary danger." I told him with an unsure smile.
He chuckled. "Ah, young love. You mustn't worry yet."
I followed him inside and was astounded by the many dust rooms we saw. Whoever had lived here must have been very rich, but it looked like no one had lived here in quite a while. A sour looking elf was skulking around the place muttering darkly about strangers invading his master's home.
The dining room we strolled into was filled with people. I recognized Mister and Mrs. Weasley, Professor Lupin, Professor Snape and was that Sirius Black? The rest of the group was unknown to me and I sat down close to my former teachers, politely nodding, as Professor Dumbledore announced. "Now that we are complete, we must explain the purpose of the Order to our new members.
Mrs. Wealey smiled at me in her motherly fashion and clarified the situation for me. "Katrina, my dear, it is very nice to see you again. Let me enlighten you what the Order of the Phoenix is about. We are the oppositional organization whose purpose it is to keep the rise of dark magic in check."
"Yes, we detect occurrences that could be involved with the Dark Lord and try to gather followers in case of a war." Mr. Weasley continued.
"Are we actually already talking about a war?" I asked, horrified.
Professor Lupin nodded at me. "Regrettably, it seems to be inevitable. With the Ministry denying the facts, it will be so much easier for the Dark Lord to mobilize his Death Eaters." He said gravely with a twinkle of compassion in his eyes.
I just nodded, the graveness of the situation sinking in on me. "What will my part be in this organization?" I asked, a bit more confidently.
My onlookers blinked in surprise at my eagerness, but Professor Dumbledore just grinned and told me. "I knew you would want to be a part of the Order with your natural instinct to help other people without thinking twice, an admirable trait I might add. Your profession will of course play a big role in case someone gets hurt. We would have to be able to come to you at any time for assistance." He raised a questioning eyebrow at me.
I winced. "Well, I'll have a lot of explaining to do if my roommate notices anything and she is very perceptive. I'm guessing that it is not allowed to speak of the Order to any close to me?"
Professor Snape said sternly. "It is of utmost importance. You must understand that."
I just heaved a heavy sigh. "You can count me in."
Mister Weasley looked at me thoughtfully and mentioned. "It's clever. No one would expect her to be a fully trained healer and from what I hear a quite brilliant ne at that."
I blushed and blinked in surprise at the compliment. "From what you've heard?" I inquired, politely.
"Good old Elias mentioned it to me since you know some of my sons. You treated Bill the first time you were at the hospital, right?" He asked with a kind smile.
I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you can't escape the Weasley clan anywhere." Chuckles erupted across the table and I smiled. These were all good people, yes even Professor Snape, and this was a good cause, which was something I always felt strongly about.
The meeting was adjourned after some time and Professor Dumbledore walked me to the door and looked at me knowingly. "What is it that's on your mind?"
I snickered, he was just so cunning you got the feeling he knew everything. "I'm just wondering what I'll tell my boyfriend about all this. I don't want to lie to him." I concluded with a sigh.
"Oh, go ahead and inform Mister Wood. We might be needing him as well when the battle arises." He said, looking at me with concern as my face fell.
"You would want him to fight?" I asked in a small voice, not even surprised about the fact that the wise man knew who my boyfriend was. Oliver involved in a full on battle was something I had never imagined to happen and I didn't want to even think about it now.
The headmaster nodded slowly. "I fear so. You would be welcome as well actually if you weren't such a brilliant healer since I know for a fact that you're a bright witch."
I tried to smile at the compliment but my face just wasn't up to it. "How long do you think we have until the war breaks out?"
"Years, I hope. But in truth no one can tell with everything changing by the minute." He said pensively.
"Not even a wise wizard as yourself." I joked with a lopsided grin.
He shook his head a smile on his face but his eyes were distant, seeing something far away from where we were standing. "No, Miss Rigby, not even me."
Even though I was technically allowed to tell Oliver about my involvement in the Order, it took me several weeks before I actually could make myself do it. It was so hard because I very well remembered our quarrel after the assault at the quidditch match and I didn't want him to leave me. Not because I was doing the right thing and was for once not acting like a coward.
It was a foggy October afternoon when I went over to his apartment, determined to tell Oliver what I had been asked to do. I knocked and looked at my feet absentmindedly, trying to find the right wording that would not make him fume with anger.
He opened the door cheerfully and my head snapped up when I heard someone laugh, someone female. He wasn't alone and a sharp sting in my chest made me frown. Great, now I was a petty, jealous girl that couldn't stand her boyfriend talking to anyone else? No, I am not going to go down the green path of envy.
"Rin, what are you doing here?" Was I imagining things or did he look guilty?
No, you are not going to be jealous, just leave before you do something stupid. "I'm sorry. I wanted to talk to you about something, but it can wait. Have fun with your guest." I told him and I sounded a bit too chirpy even to myself as I turned around to escape from my own feelings.
He grabbed my arm and said. "Don't be ridiculous. Come in." Damn his keeper reflexes!
"Please, Oliver, just let me go." I begged him in a soft whisper.
"Why should I?" He said cheerfully as he pulled me into his living room, where a striking blonde stood. Her hair was perfectly curled, her eyes big and brown and her lips full and tempting with her make-up accentuating every bit of her perfection. She was lean and muscular and her body was that of a model, clad in a black short dress. "This is Evelyn Rossi, she Puddlemere's reserve seeker." Italian, of course.
She stretched out her fine long hand and said with a wink. "Well, I hope we can skip the reserve title soon enough." Oliver laughed and I shook her head tenderly but it felt like she in return was trying to break my hand. What the hell?
"I'm Katrina." I said cautiously but she wasn't paying me any attention but was instead batting her eyelashes at Oliver. I inwardly groaned, I was really trying to not be paranoid but she was making it really hard to not be infuriated.
"So, Oliver, when do you think that you'll be admitted to the team permanently?" She asked taking a seat on his marine couch. I was reminded of the conversation Ari and I had had at the same match that had left a scar on my stomach and I was suddenly glad that I hadn't told Oliver anything about it. His wait would have endured much longer than his impatient self could stand.
A frown deepened on his face and I watched Evelyn's gaze sink downwards to his muscular chest, which pained me more than it angered me. I guess I wasn't the type for jealousy after all but this might just be worse, the sinking feeling in my gut. "Well, I hope it won't take too long." Oliver decided.
"They'll have to, you're brilliant." She told him excitedly. That was my line. "Have you seen him play?"
I just nodded, staring out the window to hide my hurt feelings. He hadn't even told her that I was his girlfriend. The opportunity probably hadn't arisen in the conversation and Oliver didn't like telling strangers about his private life ever since he was a public person as a professional quidditch player. The thought was soothing because that meant he didn't regard her as someone worth telling personal things. "I said are you okay, Katrina?" Oliver called out to me worriedly.
"Um, sure." I said and he raised a doubtful eyebrow at me. He knew me better than to believe me but every second sitting here made me more uncomfortable and I suddenly felt exhausted. Why did problems always have to start piling up when I was just about to clean up the mess?
"My muscles hurt so much. Is practice always this hard at the beginning?" She whined, capturing Oliver's attention again by rolling her shoulder.
He just shrugged and said nonchalantly. "You get used to it."
"Well, I better because I'm going to work really hard to get on the team. I've always wanted to play professionally ever since I could walk because that's when I started flying." She giggled, waving her hand like it was nothing. Wow, she was full of herself. I wondered if she ever stopped talking about herself or if it was some kind of hobby I just didn't understand.
An endearing smile crossed Oliver's face as he looked at her. "My father used to say that about me, but I don't think it's true." He said with a laugh.
"I'm sure you were very talented at a young age." She assured him with a dazzling smile.
I wasn't sure if I actually wanted this goddess of a woman to know that I was Oliver's girlfriend if she was this aggressive when she flirted, then I didn't want to know how she acted around an enemy.
A perfectly white owl pecked on Oliver's window and I opened it because I was closest. The owl flew over to Evelyn and dropped a marine blue not with silver letters on her lap. She read it quickly and got up, saying. "I have to finalize my contract with the manager. I would love to stay but I can come over anytime now, right?" She said walking up to Oliver.
He just nodded. "Well, it's not far. Good luck with the manager."
She kissed his cheek and hugged him, ecstatic she said. "I'll see you soon." With those last words, she disapparated without another glance or a wave in my direction.
"What was she here for?" I asked curiously. My stomach was churning uncomfortably with frustration building up inside me. I really didn't need this right now.
"I met her today at training and I encouraged her to come over since she's moving into this building as well and she doesn't know anyone yet." He explained, placing his hands on my waist.
I pulled back from him slightly, a frown deepening on my face. "You do know that she's trying to seduce you, don't you? Her flirtatious manner was unmistakable."
His eyes widened a bit but then he simply laughed. "She was not. You're imagining things."
I groaned. "You're so oblivious sometimes. That goddess of a girl is after you, I'm telling you."
"Goddess?" He repeated with a chuckle.
"Don't fool around with me, Oliver. That woman is absolutely perfect." I snapped, my anger surfacing.
"You're the only woman that's perfectly beautiful to me." He whispered, his hands reaching out for me again.
But I was just too furious with him for not taking me seriously so I stepped back from him. "I know I'm not perfect, no matter how many times you say I'm beautiful and I really don't have a problem with that. But that woman will mess with both of our heads. The way she looks at you drives me crazy and it just depresses me that you don't see it. You'll learn that I'm right soon enough." I said with a sigh and turned to leave.
"Hmmm. Jealousy, I like it." He teased me, hugging me from behind and I could feel the smile on his face.
"It's not funny, Oliver. I just want to go home, I'm worn-out. Some of the healers caught an infection and now I'm working double shifts." I said tiredly, leaning into his shoulder with my eyes trained on the ceiling.
"Come sit down, I'll make you some tea." He suggested as caring as ever but I shook my head and tried to pull away from him but he held on tightly. "Don't go. You wanted to tell me something."
"I don't feel like talking anymore." I told him and he turned me around to face him, his arms still around me.
"I can deal with that." He said suggestively and kissed me, pulling me even closer. He pushed me onto his couch and deepened the kiss, making me shiver with pleasure. I let the kiss last several moments longer before I pushed him away.
"I might as well keep fighting with you while we're already at it." I muttered and looked into his dark orbs that looked a bit puzzled right now. He pushed himself up onto his arms to look at me properly, still hovering over me. "Professor Dumbledore has asked me to join a movement against the Dark Lord's rise and I've agreed to healing any wounded he brings along."
He frowned and then slowly said. "That doesn't sound too bad."
I sighed. "Oliver, the danger of war looms over our heads so that complicates things."
His eyebrows pulled together and he glared at me. "You mean that that endangers you and you voluntarily put yourself in harm's way. Are you trying to torture me?" He asked sadly.
"No, not at all." My hand flew up to his cheek. He was so close to me that I had to focus hard on forming words. "I just don't want to act like a coward anymore. All my life I've always kept my distance from conflict and now that it's approaching no matter what I do, I just feel that this could actually be a chance. A chance for me to do the right thing." I said urgently, desperate that he would understand.
His lips softly brushed mine. "I don't like it." His lips started moving down my neckline, my breath hitching, and his lips were above my collarbone when he whispered. "But I admire your kindness of heart. It's one of the things I love about you so much that you'll always help someone in need no matter what the situation is."
"I love you, too." I whispered and his eyes searched mine longingly. A wide smile formed on his face when he saw my insecure smile and his lips crashed into mine, kissing me hungrily.