"Can't believe it took a year and a half before we're finally allowed to attend a bloody meeting," Walden muttered as they walked toward the main gate of the property, to the spot where they could Disapparate from. "There's so much we could have done already."

"Like what?" Tony asked wryly. He felt as frustrated as his brother for being left out for so long, but what was the use of complaining about it, especially now?

"I could have negotiated with the Giants myself, for one thing. I speak their language, so I might have had more luck than Hagrid," he replied sullenly. "We could have tried to recruit some vampires. Maybe talk to the werewolves who don't belong to Greyback's pack, too. I know most of the other Alphas."

"That's what Remus has been doing," Evey pointed out.

"With little results," Walden countered.

The other two shrugged. "You can't really blame them," Evey told him gently. "They had good reason not to trust you. Either of you."

"And if Voldemort had gotten to us, if we'd been captured," Tony went on, "it would have been a disaster. We know too much, and you are well aware that he has ways of obtaining the information he wants." He himself was too good an Occlumens to have his mind overtaken, even by Voldemort, but Walden was another matter. Now that he thought about it, it would be a good idea to teach Evey the basics, just in case. He would bring it up later, when they got back.

"But any member of the Order could be taken and interrogated, with the same result," Walden retorted. "And what does it matter if they realise I'm alive? They already know I went over to Dumbledore." They had reached the area that was not warded against Apparition and they paused at the gate for a moment.

"Wal, it's no use bringing this up now," Evey told him. "Just be glad that they're letting us participate at last."

Walden snorted. "Do you really believe they will let us do anything?"

"What do you mean?" she asked him with a frown.

"They want to know what happened to you. How you escaped. They want to pry out what we're hiding from them. I doubt they'll send us on missions. They still don't trust us, you know, whatever they might say when we get there."

Evey reflected on it for a minute. "Well, it's about time they knew everything, don't you think? I'm sure they'll understand why we kept it secret for so long, and when they see that we're willing to be completely honest, they'll accept us."

"No offense, but that sounds incredibly naïve," Walden muttered.

She smirked. "Are we seriously going to fight over this? At least let us get there first and see what they want. Then you can call me naïve, if you're proven right."

They had discussed it at length the previous night and they had all agreed that it was time to reveal the existence of the Wolves and Ancients to the Order. It was simply too important: what if the Wolves who had refused to help rescue Evey decided to join Greyback and form an alliance with Voldemort? They had to be prepared, if it ever came to that. And they had to know about Tony, and Evey, although both were still reluctant to let anyone else know. But it was necessary. There was too much at stake; secrecy was a luxury they couldn't afford any longer.

They materialised at the Burrow a few seconds later and Evey knocked on the door. Molly asked her a question – they each had a personal question and answer that served as password and proved they were who they claimed to be – and they were allowed inside when Evey gave the correct answer.

They were among the first to arrive; only Arthur and Bill were sitting at the table. Molly offered them tea, which Tony refused with a grumble. She knew he couldn't drink anything but human blood, so why did she keep asking? Evey and Walden both declined as well, probably for his sake.

There was a knock on the door before they had time to take a seat. Tonks, Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt walked in soon afterward, and Remus was close behind them.

They were waiting for Dumbledore and Snape, Arthur said after they'd exchanged all the adequate social niceties and everyone was settled down, with tea and biscuits for those who were lucky enough to be able to ingest them.

It was another half hour before the Headmaster and the former Potions Master joined them. Snape was his usual austere, greasy-haired self and sat down at the end of the table without a word while Dumbledore greeted everyone warmly and gratefully accepted Molly's offer of a cup of tea.

"Mr and Mrs Macnair," Dumbledore said jovially, "thank you for joining us today. And you, Antonin." He smiled at them all in turn, his blue eyes twinkling, before pursuing. "I'm afraid this meeting will not be particularly exciting, as there seems to be very little to report." He shifted his piercing gaze to Evey. "But perhaps we will begin with something that should have been discussed weeks ago." He gestured toward her. "Evey, would you please let us know what transpired during your captivity at the hands of the werewolf known as Fenrir Greyback?"

"Known as?" Bill repeated with a frown. "Why? It's not his real name?"

Evey shook her head. "No, but I don't know what it is."

"What I would like to know," Moody cut in, "is how you escaped." He cocked his head toward Lupin. "By all accounts, Greyback's… pack… numbers in the hundreds. How did you get past them, girl? Or did you magic your way out of there, somehow? I'm also inclined to think that the place is heavily warded, as indicated by the fact that no information could be extracted from the werewolves that were interrogated."

"Who were interrogated," Tonks corrected him almost distractedly. Remus glanced at her briefly before returning his attention to the retired Auror.

Moody made a dismissive gesture and fixed Evey with both his normal eye and the magical one. That device was quite ingenious; Tony wished he could study it. "How did you make it out of there?"

This was odd. What exactly had Molly told them? Tony had assumed that she'd already made up some likely story for the others. She was probably tired of covering up for them, and no wonder.

"She didn't escape on her own," Walden replied coolly. "We asked for help."

"And how did you do that, lad, what with you two being confined here at the Burrow?" Moody's enchanted eye was searching the three of them in turn. Not for the first time, Tony wondered if it could see through solid matter, such as their clothes. It was a disturbing thought.

"Did you really believe I'd just sit here while you were doing nothing to find her?" Walden countered scornfully. "Of course we bloody well went out. Every fucking night." Funny how his Scottish accent was always more pronounced when he was angry or upset, just as it had been when he was a child.

"Hey," Tonks interjected, "that's not fair! Walden, we did everything we could to find her. Remus went out of his way to get information, at great risk to himself."

"And how did you expect that to work?" his brother went on. What was he doing? They hadn't come here to put the blame on anyone. What would be the point? Evey was here now, and safe. Walden glared at Remus. "I'm sorry, mate, but you just don't cut it as a werewolf. It's a wonder you even managed to be accepted in a pack, even one as rubbish as Ben's." Benjamin Blackwood was the Alpha of the Oxford pack. Apparently, Walden had had dealings with him in the past, seeking help to apprehend some rogue werewolves, most likely. His brother turned to Tonks. "All the packs in England wouldn't dare go after Greyback even if they were working together, but you expect him, alone, to do it? This is–"

Evey abruptly put a hand on his good arm. "Cut it out," she whispered through gritted teeth. "What the hell are you doing? He's not to blame, and you know it. Remus couldn't have found me even if he had every single Alpha in the whole damn world at his back. You know that."

Walden opened his mouth to retort but clearly thought better of it when Evey kicked him in the shin. His jaw closed with an audible clack, although he still glowered at her.

Evey gave him a last warning look before directing her attention to Remus. "Sorry about that. It's been difficult for everyone." That was a mild word for it. She turned to Moody. "I'm afraid answering your question will necessitate a few… contextual elements," she told him apologetically.

She proceeded to tell them everything, just as they had planned. It took a long time, and she was often interrupted by questions, mostly by Moody, Tonks and Remus; the latter looked dumbfounded when she explained that she'd survived a werewolf bite and actually gaped at her when she later announced that she'd transformed into one. Dumbledore didn't speak at all. He was listening intently, eyes focused on Evey. So much for him supposedly already knowing most of it, Tony thought. Perhaps the old wizard was not omniscient after all. Snape remained silent as well and affected a bored, unconcerned expression throughout the whole explanation. Arthur and his son looked shocked, but they didn't interfere.

When Evey came to the actual planning for her rescue – if it could be called a plan – she turned to Tony. "Maybe you should tell that part. You were there, and you're less likely to grumble about the whole thing," she added with a pointed look to her husband, who pretended not to notice.

Tony obliged, although there wasn't much to say. The essential had been covered.

"So Greyback – or whatever his name is – is in fact a werewolf of supernatural abilities, and he is immortal and near-indestructible," Shacklebolt summed up the part that apparently bothered him the most. Evey nodded. "And there are thirteen others like him."

"Yes, but as I said, only Greyback follows Voldemort. Well, in Greyback's mind, he's not a follower. He considers himself above everyone else. He actually referred to himself as a god-like being once," she said wryly.

Shacklebolt waved that away impatiently. "If they don't work with Voldemort, they might help us," he went on, addressing Dumbledore. "The vampires as well. They've already helped one of us, so we have reason to believe they are opposed to Voldemort."

"No, that's not quite right," Tony told him. "They don't support or oppose anyone. They don't take part, neither the Wolves nor the Ancients." This was precisely what he'd been afraid of. It was one thing to let the Order know, but they couldn't afford for the werewolves or the vampires – especially them – to find out about it. They'd given no names, of course, but this was still enough to get them executed. They had to see that. "If you involve them, or even attempt to contact them, they're more likely to destroy you and Voldemort alike in a fit of annoyance. They cannot know that you know. I thought she'd made that clear," he went on, indicating Evey. "We thought you ought to know about the Wolves, in case some of them decide to join Greyback, though it's unlikely, but the Ancients… we gave you that information out of courtesy, not because we think they can help us win the war. They will not."

"But that's ridiculous!" Tonks cried. "Kingsley is right, they have already involved themselves. And it concerns them as much as it concerns us," she continued. "If Voldemort takes over the country, who knows what will happen next? He won't be satisfied with that. He wants to rule the world, to rid it of all impure races. We're all concerned, immortal or not."

"Besides, Voldemort seeks to avoid death," Kingsley went on. "If he learns that there are immortal beings who roam the earth, it's only a matter of time before he hunts them down. And he will, sooner or later. Greyback will mention it, or he'll have the knowledge extracted from his mind. I daresay they are in more danger even than we are."

Tony shook his head vehemently. "No, no, no. That's all wrong. For one thing, you can't use magic against Greyback, in case you'd forgotten. Or didn't know. Not sure if it's common knowledge," he wondered aloud. Evey cleared her throat and he blinked. "Yeah. Anyway. He won't tell Voldemort, you can be certain of that. He's not stupid. And he doesn't like Voldemort, let alone trust him."

"Do you not see?" Walden put in. "He's using Voldemort as a springboard for his own takeover. He doesn't care about blood purity and all that shit. All that matters to him is the cause, as he calls it – the werewolf cause."

"Though he can use magic," Evey explained more calmly, "Greyback despises the wizarding world at large. He blames witches and wizards for the past and on-going poor treatment of werewolves, for the dreadful lives they must do with." She glanced at Remus. "He's not wrong on that account, obviously, but he's going about it the wrong way, as I'm sure you'll agree."

Remus nodded. "As I've said before, they need a true leader, someone who can make things better without angering the rest of the world." He frowned suddenly. "We need a proper leader," he amended in a low voice.

"I'm sorry, Remus, but this is not what we need to concentrate on right now," Kingsley said quietly. He leaned forward slightly and addressed Tony. "These Ancients, they are your people. They allowed you to fight alongside us, and they already gave us assistance. What makes you think they would refuse an alliance?"

"Are you dense, or what?" Tony exclaimed. He was running out of patience. "Do you need to hear it in another language, perhaps? Walden speaks many, if it helps," he said with a twist of the mouth. "They cannot know. Three simple words; it's not that complicated. Can you get them into that thick skull of yours?"

"Don't make us regret telling you, Shacklebolt," Walden warned him.

"Mr Shacklebolt," Evey said after throwing them both a dangerous glare, "what they're trying to say is that, regardless of their potential will to help, we must not involve the Ancients, because it's against the rules to reveal their existence to mere mortals, if you'll pardon me the expression. Tony has already put himself at great risk just to save me, and we were lucky to be released with a warning. If they realise we've told anyone else – and a large number of people at that – the consequences could be dire, possibly deadly."

"On the bright side," she went on with a smile, "you have one Ancient on your side, a vampire and… well, me. Surely you can find some use for us?"

"Oh, I believe we can," Dumbledore spoke at last.