Chapter 51: Behind Her Blue Eyes

"You may speak." Dumbledore stated as he placed his hand on Harry's right shoulder.

Harry's eyes rested upon the circle of people who surrounded him, a simple nod given to each one of the members. Podmore, Shacklebolt stood behind Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall and Hagrid, to the right of them. Mrs. Weasley blubbered onto Mrs. Jones, a look of pride in her eyes, yet her face was filled with worry. Mr. Weasley beamed as he stood beside his sons Bill and Charlie. Professor Snape on the other hand, stood in the shadows, looking on with a blank expression. Faces upon faces filled the empty room, some he had seen only briefly at the Ministry of Magic, the Leaky Cauldron, or at the Quidditch World Cup, yet there were many he had never seen before this moment.

"I, Harry James Potter," Harry stated clearly. "have proved myself worthy of recognition by the Order. I vow to uphold the secrecies learned, to devote all that I am in the effort against the dark magic of this world." Harry spoke clearly. "I pledge to protect the wizarding world from those who would seek to do it harm. No matter what it may cost… even if it is my own life." Harry stopped for a brief moment as his eyes met Dumbledore's. His nod, bade him to continue. "I herby, pledge my loyalty to the Order."

"Let it be as you have proclaimed." Harry breathed a sigh of relief at Dumbledore's final words.

Dumbledore raised his wand high shooting off a brilliant white light, one by one every member of the room joined him. The last to do so was Harry. He was now, officially, a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

As the light from the wands of his fellow members slowly diminished, he glanced at Dumbledore who extended his hand towards an empty chair. Taking his lead, Harry sat done next to the other members of the Order.

"We have gathered here tonight not only to welcome our newest and youngest member to date, Harry." A holler rang out but Dumbledore's hands soon quieted it. "We have also gathered to continue preparations. For he is indeed on the move."

Emily shifted in her seat at the mention of him, her mind and heart feeling the weight of how truly different she was from all those who sat around her. His voice rang in her head once more. She bit her lip and thought of nothing but the truth, that she was not like him.

"Severus has assured me that his plans are in action. Where and when, we cannot be sure. You all understand that everyone must be on alert tonight, for the safety of the students and guests."

"I will try and rally more of the guard. The majority of them will be here already since the Ministry will be in attendance." Professor Lupin offered. Yet, he wasn't the only one, more voices chimed in.

"We can send a last owl alert"

"There is Dudin and Lauter, they are retired but might be able to serve as guards for tonight."

"Dudin and Lauter? Those two has-beens are so old they probably would forget which end of their wands to hold!" Emily laughed as Tonks voice rose over the others.

"Now then, the Order has already been told, but we have reason to believe that Voldemort's plan is in motion. He has already acquired the Dementors, nearly half the giants, and his forces within the wizarding world have nearly doubled. We must be prepared for anything. Our forces have grown as well, but with the Ministry still unwilling to plan a cause of action, I feel that our odds are slipping. We must prepare ourselves for whatever comes." Dumbledore paused for a moment, glancing around the room at the men and women who were willing to lose everything even their own lives for this action. "It is our duty to protect. No matter what cost."

Emily understood this more than anyone. She lowered her eyes from Dumbledore, trying to hide the fear that had been steadily growing within her the last few weeks.

"Emily. I must ask you for your help now. We must know what he is planning." Dumbledore's blue eyes caught hers.

Emily had lost everything because of Voldemort. She had killed her own mother because of his lies; she had watched her father die in the fight against him. All her life she had been raised by a man so full of hate that he thought of nothing but of his own vengeance upon the one person she had come to love with all of her heart. Voldemort would kill Harry, and in so doing would be free to take power over all that she had come to love. Emily stood, her eyes caught the curiosity in the faces of those who stared back at her.

"He will try to complete what he has failed. He will do all that he can to kill Harry. He knows that the prophecy states that only he has the power to destroy him." Emily began. "He is not concerned with timing, he never has been."

"He could attack at any moment?" She heard a voice cry.

"It's more leverage than appointed time. He believes that he has an advantage." She continued on.

"Numbers?" She heard Shacklebolt speak.

"Number's mean nothing to him, I am afraid. In our world one person can equal twenty. It's not always the bigger army that wins." Lupin spoke up.

"He has been trying...he has been trying to create a new weapon for years—"

"A weapon." Nearly half the room started talking, whispering to each other. She saw fear flicker amongst their face.

"It's something that he, himself, has never successfully performed, at least not in front of me." Emily tried to talk over them, yet her voice was drowned out. She was lost to them.

"ENOUGH!" Came a familiar resonating sound. "Let her speak!" Harry's voice soothed her as his green eyes penetrated her own. He nodded his head in her direction, as if asking her to continue.

"He was always talking about it, this new weapon. Mumbling…mumbling about a way to get around…something. I can't…I can't remember." A pain seared through her head. As if trying to recall those memories had caused it. Her vision blurred. She braced herself against the chair as she tried to sit back down.

"It is the effects of the unbinding. For the first time you are able to speak without retribution. It shall go as quickly as it came. Be patient." She heard Dumbledore's soothing voice as he approached, she felt him place his hand on her mahogany hair. He was right it left as quickly as it had come.

"I'm fine. I just…I'll be fine." Emily blinked as her vision came back into focus. She began once more. "The last two times that he has faced Harry; he has been defeated by his own pride. He will not make the same mistake again. He will use everything in his disposal to kill him. Harry has been trained well. Dumbledore you have seen to that. He is ready."

"Half the time I cannot match you in a duel. How can you be so sure that I am ready to face him again?" Harry's voice spoke clear and true.

"You are ready. Trust me." Emily glanced up at him.

His eyes caught hers. Emily felt her head spin once more; her heart beat harder, for his eyes no longer held anger or bitterness but a longing for her. Its intensity made her loose her focus.

"Emily, do you remember anything more about the spell." Dumbledore spoke. "What he is trying to do?"

Emily eyes strained as she glanced beyond Dumbledore. She felt as if the answers were somewhere buried within her. She searched within her mind for the truth. Yet, all that she saw was her tattered red journal. An item she had completely forgotten about until now. Her breath caught in her throat.

"He's using my spell." Her voice was nothing more than a mere whisper.

"What do you mean?" Professor Lupin asked.

"When I was younger, he…trained me to not feel anything when…to simply watch…" She trailed off lost in the sea of faces that suddenly floated into her mind. "I tried to keep it from happening, to simply make it appear that they were dead."

"They?"

"I had figured out a way to use a spell on multiple people at once, to combine magic, to connect it to several people all at one time. It failed though, every time I tried to save them." Silence filled the room as all eyes were on her. "He found my journal, he's learned how to use a spell on as many people as he so desires. He can…" Her voice stopped as she pictured him being able to kill as many people as he wanted with one simple word from his mouth.

"How can you be sure?" Mr. Weasley spoke.

"I can't."

"He has been happier than he has ever been." Harry's voice resonated. "My dreams have changed within the past weeks. No longer is he frustrated but hopeful. He is thrilled with himself, his accomplishment."

"Then we must prepare ourselves for the worst." Dumbledore stated, as he adjusted his half-moon glasses, a look of uncertainty lay on his brow. "Tonight, we must be watchful. The school will have enough protection, I believe. Yet, we must be on guard."

With that he simply nodded. Members of the Order slowly stood and exited the room, others talked amongst themselves, Harry spoke to Tonks about his plans for tonight, but Emily simply stayed seated. How could she have been so stupid! She had left in such a rush that she hadn't given her journal a second thought. She should have destroyed it. Because of her, he had figured out how to do the impossible.

"It's not your fault, Emily." Professor Lupin spoke gently.

"Yes. It is." She said defeated as she brushed her hand through her hair. "It's…everything… is my fault." She bit her lip to keep the tears at bay.

"Come with me." He simply asked as he nodded towards the door. "I think there is something you ought to see." She glanced up into Lupin's bright smile, and taking a deep breath she followed curious as to what he wanted to show her.

Lupin led her out of the room and through the corridors, down the main staircase, until he opened the doors to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Yet, he didn't stop once they were inside, he led her however to the back of the room, up the steep stairs into his office.

"I've never been here before." Emily mumbled more to herself than to him.

"It's not much, but it's home, at least for now." Lupin leaned against his desk, still holding his cane in hand.

"You have quit a collection of artifacts." She examined the clear cases stacked throughout the room, the collection of books that were pilled high around his desk. "I'm guessing these were not from the library."

"No, they are a part of my private collection. A very rare breed some of them. This, however, is what I wanted to show you."

Professor Lupin with a wave of his wand lifted in the air a large covered object that had been lying against his bookshelf. It teetered in the air for but a moment before resting upon the arms of an open chair. A corner of the golden frame was exposed from it's covering. Lupin steadily moved to the chair and slowly took off the grey cloth, only to reveal the portrait that lay underneath.

The young woman's dark, raven hair was gently pulled back at the nape of her neck. Her pure, porcelain skin stood out against the subtle brushstrokes of dark grey that covered the background. Her skin seemed to shine like moonlight, a deep contrast in the darkness around her. Her full lips were as red as the deepest rose, her noble face contained striking cheekbones and a delicate chin. She was utterly beautiful. The corner of her mouth held but a simple smile. Yet the life of the painting it seemed was contained within her eyes. Above all things, it was her eyes that captivated Emily. They were a deep never-ending blue, a color that could only be found in the most precious sapphires. It was as if Emily could look into the woman's soul, simply by staring into them. They held such quiet confidence, a daring gleam, but Emily could see a deep sadness as well. Her eyes finally resting on the necklace hanging upon the woman's high-collared white blouse. A silver S encrusted with blazing emeralds and sparkling diamonds.

"Your mother was truly one of the most remarkable women I have ever known." Professor Lupin's voice spoke softly.

Upon seeing her, Elizabeth's smile brightened, her eyes never leaving her daughters. Emily brushed a few tears away from her face as she looked at her mum's portrait.

"How did you…where did you find this?" Emily said through a choke.

"I found it years ago after both of you disappeared. After your father had been sent to Azkaban, I was asked by the Ministry to sort out his things." He explained. "This also it seemed was stored there." Lupin handed her a black velvet rectangular box.

It's thin frame was curious until she opened its lid. Inside, lay the very same necklace that her mother was wearing in the portrait. The antique silver chain lay delicately upon it's velvet cushion, a silver S encrusted with diamonds and emeralds hung at its end. Emily brushed her finger against the cool, smooth gems. It must have been ancient.

"Slytherin?" She mumbled as her eyes never left the necklace.

"I would assume so." He leaned against his desk crossing his arms. "You have its blood, Emily, there is no denying it. Yet you have hers as well."

"She was beautiful, wasn't she?" She spoke glancing back up at the painting of her mother as if still mesmerized by seeing her again.

"She was." Lupin's voice spoke softly before his face broke out in a smile. "In fact, if I recall correctly I think she gave many boys in my year a run for their money. I don't think any of us had ever met someone like Elizabeth Riddle. I sure haven't since." Lupin gave a sad smile as he touched the edges of the antique frame. "You remind me so much of her, you know." His eyes glanced back at her. "You have her strength, her love for others, her bravery."

Emily pondered at his words, was she brave? All she had felt for the past months was uncertainty and an ever-pressing fear.

"I miss her."

"I know you do." Lupin reached to place a hand on her shoulder but retreated when he saw her pained expression, his common sense kicked in. "I apologize, I sometimes forget what heavy burden you carry. You hide it so well."

It wasn't always me who was carrying it. Emily thought, knowing that if Harry were here she would have the strength to let Lupin comfort her in such a simple way.

"Yet, you are alike in that way." Emily's eyes glanced to the scars across his hands, and Lupin took a step back to lean against the desk once more.

"I…I want you to have these. They rightfully belong to you. I'll have them sent to your vault at Gringotts."

"I have a vault?" Emily asked.

"Yes, I assumed you knew."

"No one has ever mentioned it before."

"It holds what is left of your families' assets. A large portion I might add, rightfully since you are the last line in the House of Black."

"Thank you, Professor." Emily spoke. "If you wouldn't mind sending the portrait, however I think I will keep the necklace here with me. I might have use for it."

"Of course." Professor Lupin smiled.

"When I saw the covering I thought for a moment it might be the mirror Harry and I found, I had no idea anything left of her existed."

"A mirror? How exciting." Lupin spoke sarcastically as covered the portrait.

"Harry seemed to think so, he said he had seen it before. He called it Erised, something or another." At the mention of its name Lupin's expression changed. "You know of it?"

"Of course, it's one of the most famous magical artifacts in our wizarding world. A rare bit of ancient magic." Lupin mumbled his eyes becoming larger as he spoke. "Harry would know all about it, seeing as it was through the mirror itself that he retrieved the sorcerer's stone in his first year."

"I never knew, I mean he never mentioned it." Emily spoke softly. "Well, I guess magic does have a time limit, even ancient magic. It wasn't working apparently."

"What do you mean?" Lupin crossed his arms obviously intrigued.

"Well, Harry told me to look into the mirror as if expecting to see something. I never really understood why he seemed so excited. I saw nothing, I mean nothing except for our own reflection. Harry was disappointed when he looked as well. I think he expected to see something different too."

"So you each saw a simple reflection of the two of you exactly as you were?"

Emily didn't understand but Professor Lupin seemed to smile upon seeing her nod her head. She felt as if she was missing something entirely.

"I don't understand Professor. It's just an old mirror." Emily replied.

"Emily, the Mirror of Erised shows the deepest desires of a person's heart. A person who had everything his heart desired would see only his own reflection." Another smile spread across his lips as he saw Emily's expression change from confusion to understanding. "You and Harry saw only yourselves because—"

"Our heart's desire was to be as we were, simply together."

Emily's mouth felt dry as the words escaped her lips. The mirror's magic hadn't faded they both had just seen what they both desired most, each other.

"You and Harry are quite remarkable, Emily. It saddens me that I get to be here with you both, to see with my own eyes how you both love one another the way you do. A love that even holds a curse at bay."

"Professor—"

"Emily, I watched my two best friends, two of the bravest men I know, fall head over heels in love with two of the most extraordinary witches I have ever met. It's seems only natural that their son and daughter could possess this kind of magic. I never was a divination kind of guy, but you and Harry, it can't be explained or rationalized."

Lupin eyes had a glazed far off look as if he was remembering something from long ago. Yet it was the sound of the clock on his bookshelf that caught both their attention.

"You had better hurry back to the dormitory. It is almost seven o'clock. The ball should begin shortly. I am sure everyone is already ready by now. I am sorry to have kept you."

"Thank you, for everything." She said with a smile as she turned to close the door behind her.

Emily made her way back to the common room, yet as she walked all she saw was her mother's portrait and the image she had seen within the mirror. It was as if in that moment she felt her mother whispering to her to finally let go of her fear and above all things to follow her heart.

By the time Emily reached her dormitory nearly all the other girls were fully dressed. The room was clad in dress robes of all colors.

"Emily!" Hermione called. "Why are you not ready!?"

"Dumbledore wanted to speak with me and then Professor Lupin—" Emily stopped upon finally noticing Hermione's appearance. "Hermione, you look…amazing!" She said as she glanced over Hermione's sleek midnight blue gown. Her hair pulled tightly into a low delicate bun.

"Thanks." Hermione giggled. "Enough about me, go, go get ready. You don't want to keep you know who waiting!" A horrified expression crossed her face. "I mean—"

"I know what you meant." Emily just laughed and engulfed her in a tight embrace.

"I'll…I'll let…him know that you are still getting ready."

"Thank you, Hermione. You are the best!" Emily then turned and sprinted towards the bathroom to figure out what on earth she was going to do with her hair.

Harry's nerves were suddenly getting to him as he stood waiting on Ginny in the common room. He had been trying to calm them all day, but now it seemed that he had utterly failed in this attempt.

"Hello, Harry." Ginny's voice rang sweetly from behind him forcing him to snap out of his own thoughts.

"Ginny, you look…great." Harry suddenly felt embarrassed.

She did look the part of a representative of Gryffindor. Her long, tiered, gold dress flowed smoothly over her lean, athletic body. The dress accented her deep, red hair, which had been pulled back halfway letting the rest flow across her shoulders, perfectly and yet the deep crimson contrasted her pure, ivory skin.

"You look pretty great yourself, Potter." Ginny slapped him playfully on the arm. "Were in the world did you get this?"

She pointed to his dress robe. For as a House Representative, Harry simply couldn't were any dress robe. His in particular had been made for him, upon McGonagall's request. His trousers were intricately woven in an aluminous, golden brown. His high–collared white undershirt covered by the deep crimson vest inlaid with golden thread. In the center upon his chest was worn the Gryffindor crest. The edges on the sleeves and collar of the shirt were trimmed with crimson. Ginny, gave a slight laugh as she noticed the long crimson cape. It was attached to his collar by a pure gold clip, and flowed loosely down his back. He did look like a true Gryffindor, Ginny thought, even down to his calf high brown boots, rather handsome one in fact.

"Professor McGonagall insisted that I look the part." Harry said through a smile, hoping that he didn't look completely ridiculous.

"No glasses either." Ginny commented as she looked up at him. His emerald eyes catching the firelight making them seem even more green.

"Yeah, Hermione helped me with that one. She thought it was a good idea. It feels weird." Harry spoke as he brushed his untidy hair out of his face.

"I like it, a new you."

"You ready, Ms. Weasley." Harry asked extending his arm.

"After you, Mr. Potter."