Chapter Six – Secret Meetings
"I have had no less than a dozen angry letters complaining that the shop was closed without explanation! We have people who need to get their mail sent, people who need to help sick owls, Remus Lupin!" Periwinkle was fuming as he flung down a copy of the Daily Prophet. "Merlin, boy, I thought something terrible must have happened to you!"
That wasn't entirely untrue, but Remus could not admit that. The best he could do was keep his gaze averted, hope his eyes weren't too sunken and stay silent in the office of Eeylops Owl Emporium while his employer chided him.
"And immediately after Vashti's untimely death? I took you as a much more responsible person, Lupin, than to just walk in after two days of silence!"
There was a pause long enough for Remus to know that the initial rant had closed and that Periwinkle expected some sort of contrite response on his part. Clearing his throat nervously he lifted his gaze from the bird dropping littered floor and drew in a tense breath. "You're completely right. I wish I had a good reason, but...honestly there isn't one." A lie. Arguably being a werewolf would have been the greatest excuse, but it would also have landed him in far more hot water than he already was. "I was ill, very ill, and I should have told you."
Periwinkle's appropriately coloured eyes flashed with indignation. "I'm really very sorry, it was...irresponsible. You should take both days' profit out of my wages."
"Oh you bet your boots that's what I'll be doing." Goodborn sighed and drummed his fingers on the table. "Still, until now you've been a very good worker and very handy with the birds so while I should fire you on the spot...I won't."
Remus released a long tense breath that he hadn't realised he was holding and a wave of relief crashed over him. While he was covered for rent a few months in advance, thanks to the generosity of his father, he could not stay unemployed for long. "Thank you, sir." He murmured, and cringed inwardly as he voiced the one promise he could never keep. "It will not happen again."
"Good. But I will not be leaving you unattended until I trust that you won't nip off early." The proprietor of Eeylop's stepped around his desk and patted the lanky young wizard a little too hard on the shoulder. Not expecting the contact on his healed, yet still tender, arm Remus gasped involuntarily and shrunk away from the touch. Periwinkle fixed him with a strange look and slowly held out a piece of parchment. "Now that's...settled...I need you to go down to the Daily Prophet and place this advertisement."
The offices of the Daily Prophet were only a little way down Diagon Alley from Eeylops. Remus sidled between magical folk of the human, and non-human variety, doing their shopping as he clutched the advertisement for Vashti's replacement in his right hand. A sharp whistle caught his ear and made both him and the red headed witch leading two young boys turn around suddenly. Apparently finding nothing, she tutted and waved her children closer. "Charlie, I told you to stop doing that!"
"Lupin." Movement beyond caught Remus' eye and he shuffled aside from the bustling traffic and into a small narrow off street beside Flourish and Blotts which led to the Apothecarial shops. As if from the shadows themselves, Mundungus Fletcher slid into view. If any member of the Order had mastered the art of going unseen, without the aid of an Invisibility cloak or a transformation, it was Mundungus. His mop of slightly dirty red hair hung limp around his ears as he lifted the collar of his tweed coat and casually fell into step beside the young werewolf.
"What is it? I'm running an errand for my b-"
"Yeah, yeah, this is more important, boy." Fletcher cut him off and hooked a hand in Remus' elbow to turn him around. "Message."
"Fr-what the…" Remus' voice trailed off as he spun to face the empty end of the side street. A silvery white phoenix hovered in the air before them, wings gloriously outstretched and ethereal feathers wafting away in trails of magic. A patronus.
The bird opened its beak, and, in an incredible feat of magic that Remus had never seen before, spoke in the ever calming tones of Albus Dumbledore.
"Wednesday next. Millings Lane, Kirby Hill." The patronus beat its large wings once and took off into the sky, dissolving into its incorporeal form as it moved on.
Remus stood staring after it. The patronus was useful for more than just fighting off Dementors, but this was new magic, new incredible magic that was far more efficient than an owl.
"Bloody 'ell, what'll Dumbledore fink of next…"
xxxXxxx
There was no need to clarify which house the unspecific directions had meant. There was only one cottage off of Millings Lane. Down a long pathway opposite a field of grazing cows and past an old wooden stile stood a cozy looking brick cottage. The dustbins had been laid out for the muggle collector at the end of the lane and just within sight of the rest of the small village of Kirby Hill. A welcoming trail of smoke drifted from the chimney as Remus hurried up the pathway. It was protocol now amongst the Order to arrive separately or only in pairs to their meeting places, the location of which was rotated between many members, to detract any attention from the wrong sort of people. The smell of the garden, initially a pleasant aroma, soon struck Remus' sensitive nose with full force as above all, a patch of wolfsbane stood out prominently. Its purple flowers in season all year and drawing the eye, at the same time as repelling Remus. To the muggle eye it appeared a perfectly normal English garden, but to the magical eye they recognised the potion ingredients like moly and dittany amongst the flowers and herbs, the shrivelfig tree amongst the apple ones, and the tiny traces of Devil's Snare creeping up the well behind the cottage.
A broomstick swooped low over Remus' head and its rider alighted to her feet as Remus reached the front door. Emmeline smiled warmly at him and tossed her long brown windswept curls back over her shoulder. "Evening!"
"Evening." Remus nodded, and no sooner had placed his fingers on the eagle shaped brass door knocker than the door swung open to reveal the imposing figure of Mad Eye Moody. He was dressed as ever, and Remus strongly suspected he slept in, his heavy brown mackintosh coat and immense boots, his magical eye spinning in its socket as the ultimate in magical security measures.
"Vance. Lupin." He greeted gruffly and jerked his head to admit them into his home. There was a low hum of conversation between early arrivals and Remus followed the voices to a warm sitting room. A welcoming fire flickered in the hearth, casting dancing shadows over the crimson wallpaper and tartan patterned armchair and chaise lounge. In one corner, perched atop a gilded cage and staring with a look almost as unnerving as that of its owner, a speckled grey long-eared owl stood. Remus' green eyes darted immediately back to the owl. He knew that bird. But if this was Moody's house...it had been he who had sent Remus the warning for the blood moon. He needed no further proof that Alastor Moody truly held nothing against Remus' lycanthropy.
"Ello, Remus!"
Tearing his gaze away from the owl which had begun preening its feathers, the wizard turned to take in the presence of those already here. Dumbledore, of course, smiled warmly from where he stood beside the fireplace, in the corner behind loomed the enormous shape of Rubeus Hagrid, waving merrily at Remus.
James and Lily too were already here and stood by, apparently sharing news of their engagement with the gamekeeper of Hogwarts.
At the farther end of the sitting room, seated either side of the wizard's chessboard were Dedalus and Marlene in conversation with Dorcas who stood behind her fellow witch.
No sooner had Remus moved over to join his friends, then the thud of the front door sounded again and two familiar voices sounded.
"Are we late?"
Lily let out a soft exclamation of surprise and then a broad smile crossed her face. Remus and James turned in unison as the red headed witch sidled between them to greet the newest arrivals to the Order of the Phoenix.
Frank and Alice, due to be married in January, two months before James and Lily had set their date, stood in the doorway looking around anxiously. Any new recruits to the Order were a welcome sight, and Remus knew that it was James and Sirius who had referred these two talented future Aurors.
"Not at all, most of our number have not yet arrived." Dumbledore swept forward and warmly clasped Alice and then Frank by the hand, beaming with pride, no doubt at the all newly graduated Hogwarts alumni joining their ranks. "You are most welcome."
Ten more minutes past as steadily the Order members filled Moody's sitting room, taking every available seating or standing surface and then some. Sturgis, Caradoc and Emmeline, all having arrived by broomstick, had brought their brooms inside and were now levitating halfway to the ceiling to free up floor space. A few members still were missing, Edgar and, somewhat concerningly, Sirius amongst them, but when Moody lumbered in and swiveled his electric blue eye to the back of his head to keep an eye on the outside, Dumbledore stepped forward to commence the meeting.
"I would first like to introduce to you our newest arrivals. Each of them have in many ways proven themselves very capable, and more importantly, loyal to the cause, witch and wizards. Frank Longbottom, Alice Pond," Dumbledore extended a welcoming gesture to Frank and Alice who had joined the Marauders sans Sirius, to a scattered chorus of welcomes and some hearty handshakes. "And from the Goblin Liaison office, we welcome Dirk Creswell."
A well dressed and clean shaven man in his thirties with dusty brown hair raised a hand in introduction.
"Greater numbers on our side are all well and good," Elphias Doge, an aging wizard in purple robes who like Dumbledore was in his 90's, straightened up in the armchair, " But how much longer is it going to take before we have the support of the Ministry? How many more innocents have to die?"
"I can answer that." Moody grunted, and only the white of his magical eye was still visible, "Not at long as we first thought. Minchum knows we're doing just as much as the Aurors are, hell he knows a lot of us are in the Order anyway, I think he'll be takin' all the help they can get. 'Specially since our intel saved his life." For a moment both of Moody's eyes flickered over to Peter in the absence of Sirius and an approving expression flickered there.
"Well, perhaps that is promising." Doge nodded seriously, and he along with all returned their attention to the Supreme Mugwump as he interjected,
"The Death Eaters have since ceased to use the Spiny Serpent as a base of operations. If I am not mistaken?"
"Quite right." Both Mundungus and Emmeline replied in unison, having spent the most part of the last week observing the bar in question and Mundungus longer still. "They know somehow we have access." Vance continued from her perch above the rest. "Or better still, think there is a leak in their midst."
"I would like to hear sometime how the pair of you managed that, Peter." Dumbledore turned his twinkling blue eyes to Peter and nodded approvingly.
Out of the corner of his eye, Remus watched Peter curiously to see if he'd be able to help giving it away, but with a subtly placed elbow from Lily, who had been remarkably good about not making them register as Animagi, Wormtail just smiled sheepishly and said nothing.
"With any luck it'll 'ave sown the seeds of discord." Moody grunted, "But for now, more 'n likely it just means we needa get back on their tai-" Suddenly, without any explanation, Moody cut himself off abruptly and whirled around so fast his mackintosh billowed out behind him as he strode toward his front door again. It flew open when he merely nodded at it and into the room poured Sirius panting heavily as he doubled over to catch his breath.
"What happened?!"
"Dark Mark! Just showed up a moment ago, Edgar and Benjy got 'im before he Disapparated and sent me here." Sirius gasped for breath and straightened up, his curly hair all over his face and wand at the ready in his hand.
"Here?!" Moody and Dumbledore, with quite contrasting tones, spoke at once.
"Yeah...in the township, the Ministry probably already know but I reckon they'll be back for their guy." Sirius whipped his head around and stared back briefly at the door.
"We move. Now. Those of you who are Aurors and therefore not hiding your identity, come with us." Moody grunted, his wand shooting from his sleeve and into his hand as he shouldered his way to the door.
"Potter, Longbottom, with me." Caradoc lighted back down to the floor and clapped James and Frank on the shoulder, steering them outside and immediately Lily and Alice went to follow only to be stopped by Hagrid's immense form. "We can't risk all o' ye."
"Hagrid is right, there is little point for the entirety of our forces to leap into the fray for a single man." Dumbledore's calm tone though soft, carried over the din that had risen in the room as everyone leapt to life. "Order needs to be kept, this is not the first time this has occurred during a meeting."
Leaving the tense and on edge members of the Order under the hand of the half giant, and more directly under the watchful eye of Elphias Doge, Dumbledore and Moody swept from the cottage accompanied by only Caradoc, Dorcas, Sirius, James and Frank.
xxxXxxx
The acid green skull and snake floated obscenely in the sky above the township of Kirby Hill, visible for acres in the open countryside. The Obliviators in the Ministry were kept constantly busy the more dire the situation became amongst the wizarding world. It was nearly impossible to keep track of every muggle, from farmers to politicians, who might have caught a glimpse of a dark whirl of magic in the air, or the menacing symbol in the sky.
Few magical families inhabited Kirby Hill. In fact, save for Moody himself there was only the Spindle family, all of whom were halfblood and a muggle family whose eleven year old witch had just left for Hogwarts. But the Death Eaters had targeted neither of these houses. It wasn't a house at all.
The Dark Mark wavered in the air above the smouldering remains of what had been a charming stone Anglican church. The gravestones in the adjoining cemetery were cracked and upturned and the grass was singed and still smoking by the time the Aurors arrived. The rectory behind the church had been violently ransacked and blood splattered the doorway messily. The victims had not been graced with a quick death.
Moody was the first on the scene, seething, no doubt with the audacity that the Death Eaters had to perform atrocities so close to his own home. He stormed, both eyes fixed pointedly on the bound and unmasked wizard seated firmly between Edgar Bones and Benjy's Fenwick's wands and with a flick of his own, had the man standing before him. "You have exactly five seconds to identify yourself before we find out anyway." He glowered in his thick brogue.
"He is restrained, Alastor." Dumbledore's restraining hand settled on the Auror's shoulder and had it been any other person at all, Moody would not have heeded them.
The man said nothing, he did not even struggle. He just stared straight ahead with a nigh blank look in his beady black eyes over which hung a mop of dirty blonde hair. Roughly Moody wrenched up both his sleeves and exchanged an sudden glance with Dumbledore. "No tattoo." He spoke at the same time the Hogwarts Headmaster said "The Imperius Curse."
"You two, come with us." Dorcas waved James and Frank over, the tip of her wand alight as she and Caradoc ran toward the church. "Mad-Eye? A heads up?"
"Place is empty." Edgar called over his shoulder, even as Moody's eye spun wildly in its socket, "Of the living at least."
The inside of the rectory was still smouldering. Plain and simple furnishings were strewn about and a Royal Doulton tea set crunched beneath his shoes as James warily flicked the lightswitch. Nothing happened, the electricity had been taken out.
"Bloody hell…"
Frank's illuminated wand cast a light over the first of the bodies. The former priest was still in his dressing gown and one brown slipper was still clinging to a foot. His entire torso was littered with open wounds, gaping and too perfectly symmetrical to be caused by anything other than an obscene amount of severing spells.
"Maniacs. They're all psychopaths." Dorcas hissed from the direction of the small kitchen and James followed her voice and promptly stumbled backwards in shock. The sight that greeted the Aurors here was far worse and a lump of bile rose in James' throat until he managed to force it down. If the priest had been viciously murdered, his wife had been mutilated. There were none of the neat and symmetrical slashes. Instead, she had been torn to shreds, as if an animal had been set on her. The once floral nightgown was torn to ribbons and drenched in blood and, perhaps the most unseemly of all, was the word "squib" carved into what was left of her forehead.
"...oh my-" The rest of his sentence dissolved into a groan and he actually heard Caradoc grinding his teeth, wand hand shaking as he cast a light over the grisly scene. "How did they even…"
"They weren't alone." Moody's voice snarled as he lumbered into the shambles of a house. Dorcas had vanished with Frank upstairs in search of any incriminating evidence to point to any certain Death Eaters, and left Caradoc with James to take care of the ground floor. He took one look at the carnage and growled "This has Greyback's stench all over it."
"That can't be right-" And the moment the words left his mouth James actually felt the weight of the glare that Moody shot him when he dared question arguably the most skilled Auror alive. But he was still right. It couldn't have been a werewolf because, "It's not a full moon." He finished his thought aloud, standing tall and squaring his jaw, determined not to show doubt in front of Moody.
Mad-Eye's glare diminished if only a little and he jerked his chin back at the bloody corpse. "I said it was Greyback. Didn't say it was a werewolf."
It took a moment for the meaning behind Mad-Eye's choice of words to sink in but when they did it left a bitter taste of bile in James' mouth and he looked around to exchange a grim look with his mentor as Caradoc nodded his agreement. The woman had been mauled, and not with animal claws, Fenrir Greyback didn't have to be a werewolf to be a monster, somehow that made the awful link between that beast and the kind hearted Remus Lupin that much more horrible.
"Well...that's much worse."
"Aye."
There were pops of Apparition from outside, and screams of panic that meant the muggle crowds had assembled. Dumbledore's clear and measured voice could be heard through the open door as the members of the Auror division turned to face Edgar as he entered. With a flick of his wand orbs of light flittered around the room, illuminating the corners where the wand light didn't reach.
"They're taking him in. But even if he is Imperiused, there's no way we can know for certain without getting the rest of them…"
"Bastards!" Mad-Eye spat and kicked the doorframe heavily in anger.
"Do we...do we take the bodies? Or leave them for the muggles?"
"Potter, here." Caradoc motioned him over and leaving the senior Auror to take full stock of the house with his magical eye, James obediently went over. "We cannot risk the muggle police finding anything they shouldn't, our Obliviators are overrun as it is-"
Footsteps from the staircase announced Dorcas and Frank's reappearance and the rest of Dearborn's sentence dissolved into the air. The witch's usually grim face was troubled. "Find anything, Meadowes?"
"Whole place is torn upside down, and it's not just senseless chaos. Dressers are emptied, even floorboards torn up."
"Which means they were looking for something." Frank finished and Dorcas nodded her assent.
"Well unless Voldemort has a sudden desire to confess his many sins I don't think he'll find it in a church." While the situation was dire and serious, James could not help the sarcastic remark and for a moment caught a glimmer of a smirk on Caradoc's face and heard a brief chuckle from Frank. Dorcas just shot him a glare.
"Not entirely muggle." Moody huffed, and without turning his head to face them gestured to the mutilated body of the pastor's wife. "She's a squib. Doreen Spindle."
"Even so, why would someone without magic have something the Death Eaters want?"
"Contrary to what you may believe, Meadowes, this eye can see through walls and enchantments but it cannot as yet make an answer appear out of nothing." Moody growled, only then turning his head. "I'm inclined to think she wouldn't. I'll bet my life they didn't find it, they're getting desperate."
"And left one behind to take the fall-"
There was an audible scraping noise as Moody ground his teeth so hard James was sure he must have broken one. "Meadowes, effective right now I'm putting you and Proudfoot on this. Find out what they're looking for."
Dorcas nodded, and with a flourish of her cloak vanished on the spot.
"We're not gettin' anything else outta here. Let 'em in to the bodies, no one touches anything else until we get back in 'ere in the morning-"
"I'll stay." Caradoc volunteered.
Moody nodded his agreement gruffly and shot both his eyes towards Frank. "You and Black too. I'll have Scrimgeour and Pond relieve you."
xxxXxxx
Not one person, with the exception of Elphias Doge, so much as sat down as the Order waited tensely for a report. Most people had their wands at the ready as though expecting to be called out to all out war at any moment. Others, Lily and Alice included, paced impatiently up and down the living room. Mundungus kept withdrawing a silver flask from which floated the smell of gin from the inside of his shabby coat and taking rapid sips from it. The hum of conversation about what could have happened filled the room and over them all the great shadow of Hagrid loomed above. Remus had stationed himself at the window, peering through the gap in the drawn curtains while beside him Peter was chewing his tattered nails nervously.
The Dark Mark floated in the sky, like a morbid green aurora floating all too close to them. When the Order of the Phoenix had been right there. A vein throbbed in Remus' clenched jaw as he stared at it. They could have stopped it. If Edgar, Benjy and Sirius had been just a fraction earlier...he caught himself. They had been early enough to catch one of them, and that was still something.