Adeline waited nervously all week for Friday, anxious for the meeting with Dumbledore and all of the answers it would bring. James had explained to her and Sirius what he knew of the Order of the Phoenix – that it was an organization put together by Dumbledore in order to secretly fight Lord Voldemort underneath the Ministry's nose, and that his parents were founding members. All of those times that they'd been out to dinner with friends or at work functions, they'd actually been at Order meetings or out on missions. James had only found out recently, walking in on his parents discussing a mission this past summer, and he'd been sworn into secrecy. Sirius was furious that James hadn't told him, but James insisted that he'd never seen his parents so scared before. They were worried that him finding out would make him a target, and had begged him not to say anything to anyone.

It made sense that Dumbledore wanted to speak to James and Sirius about the Order of the Phoenix – they were the top in the year in Defense, and had already shown an incredible lack of regard for rules. They would definitely be assets to the Order; Adeline, meanwhile, didn't feel that she had anything to add to the group, so she wasn't sure why she'd been invited.

Friday came in what seemed like no time, and Adeline found herself too sick to eat anything at dinner. Her stomach felt like it was turning over on itself, and any time she tried to take a bite of roast, she immediately felt nauseous.

After a fourth futile attempt to swallow something, Adeline threw her fork down. Lily looked at her across the table with concern, her own plate nearly empty. Mary had noticed too that Adeline hadn't touched her roast, her favorite meal, and was looking Adeline up and down.

"Delle, are you alright?" Mary asked suspiciously.

"Yes, I'm fine," Adeline lied.

"You don't look well," Lily said, reaching across the table to feel Adeline's head. "Are you feeling well? You're not warm."

"Guys, I'm fine!" Adeline lied again.

Mary shook her head, narrowing her eyes. "You nearly turned green when you lifted your fork to your mouth. Merlin, you're not pregnant are you?"

Sirius, who'd been taking a long drink from his goblet, snorted. Coughing, he turned to Adeline, eyes wide. "You'd have some explaining to do if you were," he finally managed to choke out.

"What, you need Delle to explain the birds and the bees to you?" Mary asked, rolling her eyes. "Was the practical lesson not good enough for you?"

Adeline shuffled uncomfortably. Truth be told, she and Sirius hadn't had sex yet – not that her friends knew that. She hadn't told them that they had, but the girls had just assumed and Adeline hadn't corrected them. It wasn't that her and Sirius hadn't gotten close – because Merlin, did they get close. But every time Sirius tried to take it that last step, Adeline froze. She wasn't entirely sure why, but she gathered it had something to do with Bertram – that it had something to do with being dumped the day after doing it for the first, and only, time. She didn't think Sirius would do something like that to her, but she couldn't bring herself to get past her own fears just yet. Sirius was incredibly kind and understanding, letting them take things at the speed that she was comfortable with. Adeline knew that he wanted to have sex – he wasn't exactly shy about how he felt about her, or how his body reacted to her – and she wanted it too. She just…couldn't yet. The thought of having this conversation with Mary though, who would have jumped Sirius's bones the moment she got the chance, made Adeline feel slightly shameful. She loved Sirius, and she wanted to have sex with him, and she knew that she couldn't articulate her hesitations in a way that they would understand. It wasn't like there was a problem – her boyfriend was gorgeous, kind, funny, comforting, patient and completely in love with her. It was every girl's dream! And yet, Adeline couldn't bring herself to do it. So instead of correcting her friends and letting them tell her she was being an idiot, she said nothing.

Adeline coughed loudly, trying to distract Sirius from Mary; she looked down at her watch pointedly. It was getting close to 8PM, and they had to start making their way to Dumbledore's office. Sirius picked up on her hint, and immediately his face morphed into a look of false concern. He put his hand to her forehead, and made a big production out of looking her over. "You know love, you are looking a little pale. Maybe we should bring you to the Hospital Wing, just to be safe. Prongs, do you mind coming with me?"

James, who glanced down at his watch quickly, caught on and jumped out of his seat at once. "Oh, yeah, definitely. We'll see you lot back in the common room in a bit?"

"Sure. Feel better, Delle," Remus said kindly. The rest of the group echoed his well wishes, and the trio left the Great Hall without a fuss.

"Seriously though, are you alright?" James asked Adeline as they took the stairs up. "You barely ate anything."

"I'm just nervous, I guess," Adeline said with a shrug, her stomach clenching again.

"What do you have to be nervous about?" Sirius asked, taking her hand in his own and giving it a comforting squeeze. "You have us with you."

"You two aren't nervous at all? I've never even spoken to Dumbledore, and suddenly he's summoning us to his office? That doesn't intimidate you two at all?"

James and Sirius exchanged a quick look. "Nah," they said in unison.

"Well, it intimidates me," Adeline said petulantly.

"It's okay Delle," James said with a smirk. "We can't all be as close to Dumbledore as Sirius and I."

Adeline rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure that getting yourself into so much trouble that you're sent to the Headmaster's office at least once a year counts as being close to him."

"You say that," Sirius said with a flourish, gesturing to the stone gargoyle that they'd stopped in front of. "But would you have known how to get to his office without us?"

Adeline had to give him that – she hadn't even realized that they'd been leading her, but of course they had been. She had no idea where Dumbledore's office was – in fact, she doubted most students knew. Only the Head Girl and Boy, and students who needed to be disciplined, would have any reason to know where it was.

James walked right up to the gargoyle and said, in a loud, clear voice, "Fawkes." The gargoyle slid back to reveal a moving spiraling staircase, which James stepped onto, followed by Sirius and then Adeline. When they got to the door at the top, James knocked twice.

"Enter," they heard from behind the door. James looked over his shoulder and winked at Adeline, before turning back and pushing the door open. Dumbledore's office was packed with different magical instruments – many of which Adeline had never even seen before. Everywhere she looked, there were gold, glittering instruments – some where emitting smoke, some were making odd, random noises, and some seemed almost to be vibrating with an outpouring of overflow magic. Adeline didn't know where to look; there were shelves stuffed with books, trinkets, photographs; Cabinets packed with different potions and salves. Perhaps the most interesting though, were the portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses that lined the walls of his study. They all sat in painted chairs of differing styles – some sat primly, while others snoozed lazily. Those who were awake, however, were watching the three students closely.

Dumbledore was sitting behind a massive, oak desk, his hands folded neatly on top of a stack of papers. His half moon spectacles were low on his nose, and he was looking over them at the group of students that stood before him. After a moment's pause, he stood.

Dumbledore was tall, taller than Adeline had ever realized. He was wearing magnificent robes of emerald green, dotted with little golden stars. He held his hands out in a welcoming way, gesturing to the three armchairs in front of his desk, which certainly had not been there when they'd arrived. "Good evening," he said in his placid voice, his blue eyes twinkling. "Thank you for coming. Please, take a seat."

Sirius and James sat first, leaving the middle seat open for Adeline. She sat down hesitantly, folding her hands on her lap before unfolding them and holding them at her sides. She fumbled for another moment, not sure what to do with them, before deciding to sit on them so that she wouldn't keep fidgeting. Dumbledore kindly pretended not to notice, looking over her shoulder at one of the portraits as though totally fascinated by the old headmaster sleeping soundly against the frame. Once Adeline was settled, Dumbledore turned his attention back to the students and smiled. "I'm sure you're wondering why I've called you here."

"Yes, sir," Adeline began nervously. James and Sirius quickly agreed, waiting expectantly.

Dumbledore took his time answering, looking at the three in turn. When his gaze came to Adeline, she shivered. She always felt as though Dumbledore was looking through her whenever her eyes met his; she didn't know if anyone else felt that way, but it was a very uncomfortable feeling. He laid his hands on the table, and tilted his head slightly. "I must preface this by saying that what I tell you tonight must remain absolutely confidential. You must tell no one, speak of this to no one. I will need each of your words before I continue."

James spoke first, in a steady voice. "Of course, sir."

Sirius followed him. "Yes, Professor. We promise."

Adeline hesitated for a second, and Dumbledore's blue eyes met hers with startling intensity. "I…y..yes, sir."

He held her gaze for a moment before nodding in acceptance. "Good. Now before I start, I want to explain why I have chosen each of you, specifically. The three of you have shown a strong and consistent dislike for the dark arts; Mr. Potter, Mr. Black – although you have both gotten into more trouble that I perhaps should have accepted as your Headmaster, you have never once crossed that line. You've shown that you have what it takes to stand up to those who have chosen to follow Lord Voldemort; and we will need more people like you if we want to win this war. Ms. Yarbury, Mr. Black – you two have stood up to family members, which is by far one of the hardest challenges that any person could be asked to face. And still, you stand head-fast in your beliefs. We will need people of that strength of character if we want to have a chance of winning this war. And we will need every chance we can get if we want to win this war; the Dark Lord is gaining power and followers at an unprecedented rate and the Ministry of Magic…"

"Is fucking it up," Sirius offered, snorting. Adeline jabbed him hard in the ribs, and Sirius flinched away. "Ouch, fuck, Delle…oh, sorry, sir."

Dumbledore smiled serenely. "I appear to have gone temporarily deaf, so I have absolutely no idea what you've just said. Anyway, the Ministry of Magic is not approaching this situation as aggressively as they need to be; I have formed a society of witches and wizards who agree that we must do more if we want to have a chance to win. A secret society which has been fighting Voldemort behind the scenes for the last several years – we call ourselves…"

"The Order of the Phoenix," James interrupted, focusing intently on Dumbledore. He was leaning forward in his seat, elbows resting on his knees.

"Correct," Dumbledore affirmed. If he was surprised that they already knew about the Order of the Phoenix, he didn't show it. "I would like the three of you to join once you've graduated."

Sirius didn't miss a beat before speaking. "Absolutely! I want to join! I want to fight."

"Sirius and I are going to become Aurors because we want to be ready. We need to be. We'll do whatever we can to fight Him," James agreed, nodding enthusiastically.

"Especially after what happened this summer…" Sirius said, glancing at Adeline pointedly.

Adeline was frozen in shock, unable to muddle through her thoughts quickly enough. Dumbledore was staring at her, his gaze piercing once again. "It is okay to frightened, Ms. Yarbury," he said in a soft voice. "Not every member of the Order of the Phoenix fights on the front line – we can also offer you protection. Protection against your brother and family. I understand how difficult it must be to have a family member who is willing to injure you for having different beliefs from them. We can offer you shelter, protection, and training to be able to defend yourself."

"I…I don't…" Adeline stuttered, shocked. Dumbledore's intuition was incredible.

"Delle," Sirius said, turning in his chair to look at her. "This is exactly what you need. You heard my brother – there are Death Eaters out there, looking for us. We have a target on our backs because of who we're related to; because of who we are. I can't protect you all the time, and I know that you are capable of taking care of yourself; but having Dumbledore's protection? We can't pass that up, love." His grey eyes were imploring, and Adeline could see how fervently he believed what he was saying.

Adeline nodded slowly. She raised her eyes to meet Dumbledore's. "What can I do to help, sir?" She asked, determined.

"I have something very particular in mind for you, Ms. Yarbury. But for now, knowing that you three will join is all that I need. We will meet again before the end of term, to discuss next steps. For now, just know that this needs to remain absolutely confidential," he looked at James and Sirius pointedly. "Even from Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Lupin."

James and Sirius hesitated, exchanging a quick glance. James cleared his throat. "Sir, wouldn't it be better to invite them to join as well? I know that they will want to fight; I know that they hate Him just as much as we do."

"Be that as it may, Mr. Potter, the three of you are a special circumstance. You're parents are founding members, and I have seen enough over the last seven years to know that you can not be swayed once you put your mind to something – a Ms. Evans does come to mind," Dumbledore said with a smile. "There is a reason why I chose you to be Head Boy this year – a test, if you will. Mr. Black, Ms. Yarbury – it takes incredible courage and moral fortitude to be able to go against your family. Both of your brothers…"

"Please, sir," Sirius interrupted, his teeth clenched. "I really don't like to talk about him."

"Of course," Dumbledore said, raising his hands. "I just mean to say that the three of you have proven yourselves; for now, this must remain our secret. It is extremely important that no one finds out what we are doing – can I count on you?"

"Of course," Adeline said quickly, speaking for the whole group.

"But, sir," Sirius said. "I really think…"

"Mr. Black," Dumbledore said sternly. "This is the way the Order operates – you never know someone's true intentions, so we must be extremely cautious who we invite to know our plans. If that is a problem for you, then this will not work. Is this going to be a problem?"

Sirius swallowed thickly. "No, sir," he said finally. "But…"

"Wonderful," Dumbledore interrupted, clapping his hands together. "Then, bedtime, I fear. How cruel the passing of time is, especially when there is so much more that you would like to say."

"But, sir," James tried.

"Bedtime," Dumbledore said, with a tone of finality.

"Goodnight, sir," Adeline said, the first to stand. She grabbed Sirius by the hand, pulling him up after her.

"Goodnight," Dumbledore said. James and Sirius said their own goodbyes, following Adeline down the spiral staircase.

They walked in silence for a couple of moments, before Sirius let out a sigh. "Man," he said. "That was a lot."

Adeline grabbed hold of his hand, realizing that she was shaking. "I know."

"I think it's brilliant," James said. "Imagine, us – fighting Voldemort. It's wild, but it's exactly what we wanted, right Pads?"

"Right. I wonder why he wouldn't let us tell Wormy or Moony?"

"I mean, it makes total sense," Adeline said casually.

"Why?" Sirius asked. "I don't get it."

Adeline sighed. "Look, James's parents helped found the Order – it's only natural he would get an invitation. Especially since James has always fought anyone who practices the Dark Arts. How many times have you fought the Slytherins for walking around spouting Voldemort's rhetoric? And Sirius – you come from a family of Death Eaters, but hate them so much that you ran away. Everyone knows that you and Regulus don't get along, how much you hate your family for being involved with them. And me? Well my brother nearly killed me this summer because I refuse to marry a Death Eater. I think the three of us have proven that we can't be swayed to the other side."

"But Moony and Wormtail…" James began.

"How often do they really get involved?" Adeline challenged. "Moony only gets involved if he really has to, and Wormtail is too afraid of his own shadow to be much of a help. I love them both, but you two are the ones who stand up for what you believe in – they're bystanders at best. I understand why Dumbledore isn't quick to extend an invitation."

"Well, what about Lily?" James countered, crossing his arms. "She's got…what'd he say? Moral gumption?"

"Moral fortitude, you dolt," Sirius laughed.

"Right, that! Lily's got that."

Adeline smiled sadly. "Snape," she said simply. "She's stayed friends with him, even though he's clearly hanging out with the wrong crowd. He can't be sure about her, not yet. It's too much of a risk."

Sirius and James remained silent for a second. The silence fell upon them heavily, weighing down on their shoulders. They'd just agreed to join a secret organization that is fighting the darkest wizard that has ever lived – it was an incredibly big decision that they'd just made. The first decision that they'd ever had to make as adults, really. And they'd all done so basically without thinking – without processing. Adeline was sure that they'd made the right decision; Dumbledore had offered her protection, hadn't he? He'd offered to teach her how to defend herself. Hadn't she promised herself that she would try her best to be ready when the time came? She knew that Sirius was going to do whatever he could to fight; she had to try to. And this was her best chance for actually being able to make a difference.

"Well, we should probably get back, right?" James said finally, breaking the silence. "We have that essay for Flitwick to write." It was such a ridiculous sentence, after the weight of the decision they'd just made, that the three of them began to laugh. They laughed until their sides hurt, tears sliding down their cheeks. It was a moment they'd always remember; one of their last moments of normalcy before everything got extremely complicated.