A/N: Well, here is Chapter 2. I am really sorry for the delay, but I was going through a rough time this past week. I'm starting to get back on track though. But back to the story. It is the rest of the summer from heck. The song 'Dare You To Move' is constantly used in this, for all sorts of situations. Finally, there are Michael/Bella scenes (which many of you are probably going to kill me for, by the way), more conflicts between Noelle and Lily, a major organization revealed. We'll also catch up with Kiana and Toria. Plus, more craziness with Jules and Estella (along with Christopher and Evan). Enjoy!

Now this is here in case you don't read the ending note. As a comment to a review:

HEY RSA! WELL, I THOUGHT OF THE 'TALKING OPENLY' ISSUE ON THE PLANE. THEY HAD AN INCREDIBLY EARLY FLIGHT, REMEMBER. I THINK IT WAS AT DAWN, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. SECONDLY, THEY WERE IN FIRST CLASS. NOW, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT WHENEVER I WOULD TAKE AN EARLY FLIGHT, FIRST CLASS WOULD ALWAYS BE EMPTY. SO, LET'S JUST SAY THAT THERE WASN'T ANYBODY ELSE THERE AT THE TIME, JUST THEM. AND YOU ARE RIGHT THOUGH. IT WAS NOT SMART OF THEM TO TALK OPENLY ABOUT SENSITIVE ISSUES. AND THEY WILL LEARN THEIR LESSON BEFORE THIS YEAR IS OVER, MARK MY WORDS. THANK YOU FOR THE COMMENTS AND THE REVIEW!!!

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Official Disclaimer: I do not own the characters that you recognize, the spells you recognize, and places you recognize; including but not limited to the following - Sirius Black, James Potter, Lily Evans, Arabella Figg (I own her personality though!) Remus Lupin, Minerva McGonagall, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, and Albus Dumbledore. Hogwarts, the Sorting Hat, Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and various spells. I do own what you do not recognize. So, don't take them without permission! I am not associated with any owners of Harry Potter (including the amazing J.K. Rowling) and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

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MY3 ~ Marauders, Inc.

By: Noelle

Chapter 2: Resistance

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Dare You To Move

Switchfoot

Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here
Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now
Everybody waits for you now
What happens next

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
Redemption is here
Redemption is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened
Today never happened before


*******

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Bella lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The room was painted black, but the room had stars painted on the ceiling, which twinkled in the dark. Bella tried counting them, but there were too many.

Charlie had to go and ruin everything. Well, Charlie and her friend, Roz, had to go and ruin everything. Bella and Michael had been so close to kissing, but the two 'friends' interrupted.

Bella snuggled into her covers, imagining what the kiss would've been like. She thought it would have been soft and tender, and unbelievably sweet. Maybe after, Michael would have smiled, and lightly kissed the tip of her nose, before telling Bella how beautiful she was.

'Wistful thinking', Bella muttered. Michael didn't have an interest in her. He was probably just blinking, or something. He wouldn't have kissed her.

But what if he would have? These thoughts ran through Bella's mind, until she was ready to scream. She bolted up, and grabbed her blanket, wrapping it around her shoulders.

Bella looked around the room, and noticed a window. She never saw that before. It had a seat in front of it, so Bella walked over, and sat down, tucking her knees to her chest.

Bella looked down at New York City. Some people were still bustling about, and there were cars everywhere, honking at each other. Bella looked up to see the stars, but they weren't visible.

"What are you doing?" said a voice at the back of her neck. Bella jumped, and turned to face Michael. Taking a deep breath, she sighed.

"Nothing," she muttered. This was fairly awkward for her, since Bella didn't know if Michael was actually going to kiss her before. All of these thoughts ran through her head -- it was so complicated. She was confused, which is never good in her case.

Michael walked to the other side of Bella, and sat down on the seat, facing her. He looked out the window, silent for awhile. Finally, he spoke. "You can't see the stars that well. I miss home. My real home, that is. Mum and I would go out onto the balcony every night, when I was younger. And we would just look at the stars. She would tell me all about them -- their names, their stories… everything. I've always loved stars."

"I was matching up each star with a reason why I like you," Bella said honestly and bravely. In actuality, she figured she had nothing more to lose.

Michael laughed, his eyes shining. "Didn't get very far, did you?"

Nodding solemnly, Bella said, "No. I ran out of stars."

Michael's jaw dropped. Then he closed it. Then he opened his mouth to say something. But he closed it again. Bella took this moment to give her final plea.

"Look, you don't have to take it that badly," Bella said softly. "I mean, I know that I'm not the ideal girl. My hair is okay, but my face is… ugh. And I know that I don't have that much of a personality. And I know that I'm more trouble than I am worth. But still…"

"Still what?" Michael asked softly, leaning in a bit closer to Bella.

"For some reason, I'm still praying for a miracle." Tears fell lightly out of Bella's eyes. Michael reached out, and gently wiped a few away. "Don't cry."

Bella couldn't take it anymore. She leaned in, and kissed him.

And Michael kissed her back. It was everything that Bella thought it would be, for the most part. His lips were soft, and the kiss was gentle. Bella broke off the kiss, and stared into Michael's eyes. She then leant in, and kissed him again

They continued to kiss for awhile, when Michael finally broke it all off. Bella leaned back, and Michael wrapped his arms around her. Bella leaned against his chest, and stared out the window, at the night sky.

The stars seemed to burn much brighter now.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

"Pass me that pen, would you?" Noelle said politely to Lily, through clenched teeth. Lily handed her the pen, her lips pursed tightly.

"What do you need it for?"

Noelle was sitting on the floor, her back against an armchair. Her legs were spread out, and she was resting forward on her elbows. A pad of paper lay before her.

"I'm writing a letter to Child Services. This cruel and unusual type of punishment must be some sort of Child Abuse."

"It has to be! We've been here for over three weeks!" Lily said.

"Which," said Noelle, "is five weeks too many, if you ask me."

"Look, Charrier. There is an easier way to do this. Why don't we just pretend to be civil, so Mum will let us out? And then we can be as mean as we want."

Noelle dropped the pen. "Good point Evans."

Lily smiled smugly from her seat. "I know. I thought of it."

They both stood up, and ran toward the door. Lily reached out and tried to open it --

And she was expelled backward around five feet, into the armchair.

"What the bloody heck is going on?" Lily screamed. She looked up and could see her mother's shadow through the sheer curtains of the French doors.

"Beautiful work, Mum!" Violet Evans called out. "I didn't know that charms were that strong!" Her voice then directed itself to the two occupants of the parlor. "You are not to leave that room until you are actually and truthfully civil to each other! Understand?"

"Yes Ma'am," the girls called out, slumping back in defeat.

Noelle tossed an evil look at Lily. "You know Evans, this is all your fault."

"No it's not, you warthog!"

"It is so, you papaya!"

"Papaya? Is that the best you can come up with?" Lily questioned snidely, pulling her long red hair into a ponytail. "You're a cantaloupe!"

Noelle frowned from her position on the floor. She was lying on her back, facing the armchair. Her feet were bent, and resting on it. "You're a watermelon!"

"Coconut!"

"Cranberry!"

"Orange!"

"Grapefruit!"

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

"Bella! Bella!"

Bella rolled over, moaning, "I don't want to wake up, Mum!"

"Well then… ARABELLA FIGG, GET YOUR LAZY BUM OUT OF BED RIGHT NOW! WE'RE LEAVING!" someone shouted into her ear.

Bella jumped, and rolled right off of the window seat. She looked up crankily to find Charlie standing, grinning like a Cheshire Cat.

"We're leaving in twenty minutes," Charlie said. "The cloaks just arrived. And Mr. B is serving breakfast right now."

Bella groaned, as Charlie skipped out of the room. All of the memories of last night rushed back to her, and she smiled a bit. But where was Michael?

Throwing on a pair of jeans and a ratty old black shirt, Bella walked into the kitchen. True to Charlie's word, Mr. B has prepared breakfast. And what a breakfast it was! The table was piled high with eggs, sausages, pancakes and waffles, fruits, muffins, and bacon.

Bella loaded up her plate, at Mr. Bouvenla's request (she personally wasn't hungry), and sat across from Michael. He was talking to Sirius, but didn't even look up at her.

Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here
Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now
Everybody waits for you now
What happens next

Bella looked up and noticed Sirius staring strangely at her. He must have known that something happened between Michael and Bella, since they didn't even mutter a 'good morning' to each other.


I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

"Good morning everyone," Bella said. Then to Michael, she said, "Pass the marmalade, Michael?" as normally as she could.

Michael passed the marmalade to her, muttering a "Here you are." Bella thanked him, and he said, "Your welcome." She had expected him to call her 'my dear' or 'love' or 'sweetheart' or something, but nothing of the sort happened.

The group ate in silence, except for Charlie and Roz, who were chatting up a storm. Afterwards, the group assembled in the hall.

"Thanks Mr. Bouvenla," Michael said, shaking his hand.

"It's nothing, my boy. Take care."

"Yes sir," answered Michael.

Everyone else thanked Mr. Bouvenla for his hospitality, and slung their bags over their shoulders.

By now, Charlie looked close to tears as she hugged Roz goodbye. Roz then went around, offering everyone advice.

When she came to Bella, Roz grinned, and hugged her. She took that time to whisper a message in Bella's ear. "Sorry about last night. I didn't know that me and Charls were breaking anything up. But it appears that you two made up for it. Yeah, you might not like the way he's acting, but don't be too hard on the kid. He's got a lot on his plate. Heck, when you all think of the future, he's wondering if he'll live to see tomorrow. Take care of him and yourself, and don't give up hope. Fate has a funny way of doing things."

When Roz came to Michael, she also embraced him. "You know," she whispered, "I know that you're scared. But just because you're scared, you shouldn't break up a relationship, or a friendship for that matter. You can't pretend it never happened, or it will just get worse. You two need each other more than anyone can guess. The future of the world depends on it, not to scare you or anything. Take care of Blondie over there, and yourself. Don't ever give up hope. Fate has a funny way of doing things."

Michael stared at her, as if she had read his mind. "Er… thanks. You take care too."

"Mikey, you always have a friend in New York," Roz said merrily, elbowing him. "You need anything, like advice or whatever, you let me know. Charlie knows how to get information to me."

"Bye," he said, as he followed his friends out to the back patio. They were going to take off from there. Michael and Bella ended up doubling up on a broom. Charlie was paired up with James, who was also a good flyer.

"So, we should stick close together. We're only going to wear Invisibility Cloaks in case of emergency. The cloud cover seems to be good enough. But we should talk when we wear the Cloaks, so we don't lose anyone. We are going to fly until we hit Chicago. All right?" Michael called out, taking his job as the leader. Everyone nodded, and they mounted their brooms and took off.

The next few hours were uneventful. The group continued to communicate with each other, and they didn't lose anyone. Bella clung to Michael, but they didn't speak but two words each to each other.

"You okay?" Michael had asked.

"I'm fine," Bella called out, her voice barely lost in the wind.

The group finally arrived in Chicago, and checked into a hotel with the muggle money Mr. Bouvenla had given them prior to their departure. The girls shared one room, and the boys another. In the morning, they left without even having breakfast, or touring the city.

Sirius and James now led the way. Michael and Bella took up the rear. That is, until some unexpected company dropped in on them.

"Hey, Mike?" Michael heard his brother's voice call.

"What James?" he screamed over the wind.

"There's some brooms approaching from the east. Don't look that friendly either…"

Michael turned his head around, and saw a group of around ten people, wearing black cloaks. They were quickly approaching.

"All right. Invisibility cloaks, everyone!" With these words, everyone put on an Invisibility Cloak. They heard the wizards curse behind them, as the teenagers (or near-teenagers) disappeared from view.

The group huddled together, each grasping someone else, so they wouldn't lose anyone. They couldn't risk talking, since the mysterious wizards were still behind them.

The unwanted wizards turned around after flying for another thirty miles or so. Ten minutes after they left, Michael took the Invisibility Cloak off himself and Bella, and signaled the others to do so. They continued to fly until they spotted a farm beneath them.

"Let's go down," Sirius shouted. "It's late, and I'm tired. Plus, I'm hungry, and they probably have food!"

Michael gave his consent, and the group descended, and shrunk their brooms with a special powder Elisabeth gave them. It was not safe to use magic, with the L'Ordine di Morte close behind.

Thomas led the way to the main house, and knocked on the door. A fairly young man peered out.

"Who are you?" he called out, not opening the door.

"My name is Tom Thomas," Thomas said. "And these are my friends. We're travelling, but there aren't any places to stay the night. We were wondering if we could stay here."

The man examined them closely. "Well, you look harmless enough. Not like the people who stopped by earlier. Come on in," he said, opening the door. "Name's Eddie. Eddie McGibbens."

"Well, like I said before, I'm Tom Thomas. This is Charlotte Anderson, and this is Cyrus Blacking. Behind them are James Alexander, Michael Underling, and Belle LeFaye. Thank you, for allowing us to stay the night here," Thomas added, professionally.

Eddie laughed. "It's nothing. This is Green Oaks Farm. Myself and my wife Jennifer run it. And we have a son about your age, Bobby. So, are you travelling alone, or are you with anyone?"

"No," Michael blurted out. "We're meeting up with someone in North Dakota."

"Oh. You just reminded me of these fellows that stopped in earlier, coming out of the middle of nowhere and all…"

"Could you tell us about them?" Charlie asked.

Eddie looked at the group suspiciously, but said, "I'll tell you about it at dinner. We were just about to sit down."

Leading the group to the Dining Hall. It was a rather small, yet cozy room. There was a cherry oak table, with around twelve cherry oak chairs surrounding it. There was a fireplace at one end of the room, with a cheery little blaze burning in it. The room was cream coloured, and matched the cushioning on the chairs. There were paintings hung around of simple farmers and such.

Eddie took a seat. Michael looked around, and also took a seat. James sat in between Michael and Eddie, and Thomas took the other seat by Michael. Charlie sat by Thomas, and Bella sat across from James. Sirius sat in between the two girls.

"So, where are you all travelling from?" Jennifer McGibbens asked the weary travelers, after Eddie explained their presence. Jennifer was rather short, and had carrot orange hair, which was braided. She was covered in freckles! Jennifer wore a long blue dress (which brought out her eyes) with an apron over it. She looked like the typical American farmer's wife.

"Chicago," Michael answered. It was agreed that Michael would answer the travelling questions, and their intents.

"How'd you get here? I didn't notice a car out," Eddie said, his brown eyes gleaming rather suspiciously.

"Well," Michael faltered, "we were driving on the main road, but the cab broke down. The driver said that there were some farms up this way, and we should spend the night. He's going to meet us on the road again tomorrow morning."

There was a rather awkward silence, as Eddie and Jennifer looked at them suspiciously.

"Where are you going?" Bobby asked, breaking the silence. He had red hair like his mother, and brown eyes like his father.

Michael smiled warmly at him. "We're going to North Dakota, to meet up with some of our relatives."

No more questions were asked involving their purpose for travelling, and everyone ate a country-cooked dinner happily, with general small talk flinging about. Bella remained quiet, but no one really noticed.

"So, can you tell us about those men who stopped here earlier?" Charlie asked, trying to sound casual.

Eddie's face hardened. "Three men stopped by. I asked them who they were, but they wouldn't answer. They asked if I had seen or heard of a Michael Barnette. I told them that I hadn't but they demanded to search the area. They looked mighty dangerous, so I let them. They didn't find what they were looking for, and they just disappeared afterwards."

"That's strange," Michael said, rather tightly. "Er… I'm feeling rather tired. Where would you like us to stay?"

"Well," Jennifer said regrettably, "we don't really have a lot of room. But you can stay out at the barn house. Breakfast is served at 5:30."

"I'm sorry," Michael said, "but we don't have a lot of time for breakfast. We were supposed to meet up with our relations yesterday, but we couldn't get a flight out of Chicago. And then with the car breaking down… So, we're trying to get there as soon as possible, which means meeting the taxi on the main road at 4:00."

"Well all right. You should find some blankets already in the barn. Have a good sleep," Jennifer said.

Sirius led the group to the barn, where everyone curled up on haystacks, wrapping themselves in the blankets they found. That is, everyone except for Bella and Michael.

"Michael?" Bella had called out.

"Hmm?" Michael answered shortly.

"Do you have a moment?" Bella asked sweetly. "I need to talk with you."

Michael yawned, stretching his arms. "Not really. I'm tired, and should get some rest."

"It will only take a moment," Bella pressed on.

Michael agreed, rather reluctantly, and Bella led him outside. She then turned him to face her, and took a deep breath. "Look… about last night. It was -- "

"It was a mistake," Michael interrupted her. "It should have never happened."

Tears welled up in Bella's eyes. "What?"

"It was a mistake. Can we just forget that it ever happened?"

Bella was speechless -- she couldn't put her feelings into words. Michael, however, took that as a yes, and hugged her. "Thanks Bella. You're a great friend." He turned, and walked into the barn. Bella stayed behind, shocked.

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Michael exhaled deeply as soon as he walked into the barn. He felt like such a jerk. But he knew that he had to do that. He had to say what he said, and he had to do what he did. He didn't have a choice. But that doesn't mean he was happy…

Michael walked over to where he tossed his bag, and sorted through it. Smiling triumphantly, he found what he was looking for.

The Book of Gryffindor.

Making sure no one was awake, Michael climbed up a ladder onto the barn's second story loft. Pressing his hand against the book, he whispered, "Gryffindor Blood."

In a display of sparkles, Godric Gryffindor appeared, falling to the floor. "Oomph," he said, rubbing his head. "You, my boy, have impeccable timing. I was just about to dive into the lake at Hogwarts…"

Godric was wearing red and white striped bathing trunks, and had a blue swimming cap on his head. He was wearing bright yellow goggles, and had a yellow duck flotation device around his waist.

"Godric, this is important," Michael said. "I don't know if I made the right decision."

Godric quieted down, but still rubbed his head. Michael continued on. "It's just that… I'm leading my friends into danger. The Italian guys tracked us down. They know we're here. I can feel it."

"Michael," Godric said gently, using his free hand to rub Michael's shoulder. "They are your friends. They chose to go into danger for you. You should just accept it, and be gracious."

"Well, that's not all," Michael said, somewhat sheepishly. "I think I just messed up the best thing I had going…"

Godric sat down, groaning. "Well, this is going to be a long night. What did you do now?

"Hey! I take offense to that!" Michael cried out.

"Well, it's true," Godric said bluntly.

Michael leaned back, pressing against the wall. "Well, I like Bella. A lot. But I just messed that up."

"What did you do now?" Godric repeated his earlier question, in the same tone he had previously used. Michael made a face, but continued on.

"We kissed last night. For the first… well… first times. And she fell asleep in my arms. So, I was staring out at the barely visible stars when everything just hit me. By falling into… like… with Bella (here, Godric coughed, trying to conceal his laughter)… hey! By falling into like," Michael continued, shooting Godric a dirty look, "I was putting her in danger. So, I laid her down, and I roamed the safehouse. And the only solution I came up with was to pretend that nothing ever happened…"

"Which did not work out, I presume?" Godric interrupted.

Michael sighed, tilting his head toward the ceiling and closing his eyes. "It did at first. But then, she just wanted to talk. So, I went out with her, and before she could say anything, I told her that it was a mistake, and asked her if we could forget it ever happened. And before she could say anything, I hugged her, and told her what a great friend she was."

Godric smiled wryly. "You had to add in the 'friend' line…"

"Well, it worked," Michael answered. "Bella hates me."

"Did she say that?"

Michael frowned. "Well, no, but…"

Godric smiled, and patted Michael encouragingly. "You still have time to fix the damage you caused…" and with these parting words, Godric faded from view, leaving Michael alone to view a rather bleak night sky.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

"Are you sure we should do this?" Estella whispered from behind a tree.

Jules was lying on her stomach, behind a bush. "Now is not the time to back down, 'Stella. We came this far, so we aren't turning back!"

Estella snorted. "Jules, we live five kilometers away! It's not that far! Just imagine where our brothers are."

Jules inched forward, closer to the bush. "I don't want to think about them," she said, frowning.

"I swear Jules," Estella said, coming out of her hiding place, "you are such a baby sometimes!"

Jules sat up, crossing her arms. She pouted, before getting on the ground and inching yet closer to the bush. "Get down! They'll see you!"

Estella held out her arms and twirled in a circle. "Isn't that the point?" she screamed, at the top of her lungs. Windows and doors banged as Christopher Cauldwell and Evan Edwards ran out of the house.

"What are you doing here?" Christopher asked, wrinkling his nose. "This is my house."

"Really?" Jules asked sarcastically. "I was looking for Bozo the Clown…"

The boys looked at each other quizzically, before realizing Jules was being sarcastic.

Christopher Cauldwell was cute, most would agree. He was fairly tall for his age (12), and had dark brown hair. He was fairly tan, which was most striking against his pale green eyes. He looked like a good kid, but he was a true prankster at heart. That's why he and the girls got along so well.

With his shorter blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes, Evan was positively dreamy. He was of average height and weight. He was more well-mannered than his best friend, and always managed to get them out of trouble by his charm. Evan too had the heart of a prankster.

"What are you doing here?" Evan repeated Christopher's question, looking at Jules and Estella suspiciously. He then turned around to face the rather large white house behind him, to make sure it was still standing.

"It's so boring at my house! You have to save us!" Jules whined, grabbing onto Christopher's arm.

Christopher backed away slowly from Jules. "I know you Jules Potter. And I know that you are up to something. So can't you go do this something to James or Sirius?"

Estella answered, "No. They're not available for pranking at the moment."

"Well, I don't want to be pranked!" Evan cried out. Simultaneously, Evan and Christopher backed away from the their two prankster friends.

Jules scoffed at this. "We don't want to prank you! We want to prank other people! But we figured that you were bored too and would be ecstatic at the chance to ruin someone's life."

Evan and Christopher thought long and hard about this. "Er… alright. As long as it doesn't involve us…" Christopher cried, still unsure about Jules' intentions. He had long knew that Jules was the true mastermind of the horrible pranks that were played on them at Hogwarts. Estella just went along for the ride, although she must have improved some of them. Jules wasn't intelligent enough to do half of the pranks by herself.

"So, where do we start?" Evan asked, as Jules and Estella smiled sinisterly, rubbing their hands in anticipation.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

"BLEGH!!!" Michael screamed, as a stream of water hit his face. He rolled down the haystack, and looked up to find the angry eyes of Arabella Figg staring at him.

"We have to talk," Bella said tightly, grabbing the front of Michael's shirt and pulling him up. He allowed himself to be dragged away.

Bella stopped outside of the barn, and released a flabbergasted Michael from her death grip. She opted for slapping him across the face. "You jerk!" she said furiously.

"Uh…er… but…" stuttered a red faced Michael. A red hand mark was visible on his left cheek. He gently touched it. It stung like a wild beast.

"No buts. You led me on! You made me believe that you loved me! You acted like nothing happened!" Bella slapped him again, and followed that by stomping on his foot with her boot.

"OUCH!" Michael screamed, grabbing his right foot. It was throbbing in pain.

"You hurt me, Michael Barnette, more than any other person has ever hurt me before, and more than any person ever will."

"Will you listen to me?" Michael whispered furiously, putting his foot down. "I know that I was stupid. But I was just thinking of you…"

Bella's face was now close to his own. "Really? Thinking of me when you broke my heart?"

"Look Bella. I'm a walking target. I'm a sitting duck. If you love me, then Voldemort will hurt you."

Narrowing her eyes, Bella stared at Michael. "You don't think I can take care of myself?"

"Bella, I don't want you to get hurt!" Michael screamed in exasperation. The light of the moon cast a shadow on Bella's face, so he couldn't see her expression. "I am sorry. I thought all night about what to do, after you know. And just ignoring it seemed to be the best choice. Bella, I want to like you. But I can't. Everyone I care about is going to die, and I don't want you to die!"

Michael heard Bella take a deep breath. "You, Michael Barnette, are the only person that can get to me like this. For some crazy reason, I believe you…"

"Well, you know what. Forget Voldemort. If he wants to come after you, I'll protect you. I can't do this anymore…" and with these words, Michael pulled Bella close to him, and leaned in toward her.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

"I can't believe I'm still stuck with you!" Lily cried out dramatically, collapsing on to the couch.

Noelle glared at her. "Well, princess, it's no picnic for me either."

"What do you mean by that?" Lily said, in a high pitched voice. She lifted her chin and stared at Noelle defiantly.

"Well, you're a spoiled little brat who gets whatever she whines for. You live in your own little 'Lily World' and don't see what's going on in the real world. You're completely oblivious to everything."

Lily glared stonily at the brunette standing in the center of the room. Lily stood up, and walked over to her, standing at full height in front of Noelle. "I know exactly how the real world works," Lily said, "and if it worked anything like it was supposed to, evil people like you wouldn't exist!"

"I have pretty much been on my own since I was two. So, just because I look out for myself means that I'm evil? Welcome to the real world, Lily. Everything isn't black and white!" Noelle stared coldly into Lily's jade green eyes.

"Been on your own getting spoiled by your Death Eater parents? You, Noelle, are the one who hasn't seen the real world. You have been sheltered your whole life, and you think you can accuse me of being blind?" Lily looked away, chuckling to herself. "And you call me a spoiled and blind princess…"

"My parents are dead! They were killed for opposing Voldemort. I've seen both sides of the world, Evans. The light and the dark. I've seen the pain and the happiness. I've seen the in between. Don't act like you know me, Evans, because you have no idea! This conversation is over!" Noelle turned on her heel, and stalked over to the small couch in a corner of the room. She sat down, and enveloped herself in a blanket.

"I had no idea," Lily said softly, having the decency to look down. "I'm sorry."

"Well, so am I. Evans, I swear… if you tell anyone, I will personally tear off each of your limbs and feed them to Edgar Wiltkens' pet iguana. I don't want your pity, or anyone else's pity. Now leave me alone."

"Well, you don't know anything about me either, Charrier!" Lily challenged. "My grandmother is sick and dying! And I have to watch it! At least you didn't have to watch your parents die slowly but surely. I've had my problems too, you know. You don't know me either, Charrier. You don't…" Lily laid on the couch by the window, staring out at it. Noelle made no comment about what she had said. Maybe Noelle was right. Maybe she didn't know how the real world worked. Maybe everything wasn't black and white.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
Redemption is here
Redemption is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

Just as Michael had leaned in to kiss Bella, they heard the sound of an alarm. They broke apart in surprise, wondering what was going on.

"They got John!" a voice shouted out in the dark.

"Over there," Michael said, pointing toward the house. Around fifteen people were running toward them. Michael noticed Mr. McGibbens in the lead.

"Get inside, now!" he shouted to them. Michael and Bella, not understanding what was going on, ran into the old barn. The others were awake, and looking incredibly confused.

"What's going on?" Sirius yawned. Bella shrugged her shoulders.

By then, everyone had assembled in the barn. Two men were using a large, thick wooden beam to secure the barn door.

Suddenly the haystacks were lifted toward the ceiling, revealing high tech equipment underneath it. James walked toward it, and gently touched it, to make sure he wasn't dreaming.

Ed McGibbens ran toward one of the machines, and began pushing buttons. He noticed the travelers staring at him and the others, and he looked back at them, offering them a smile.

"Welcome to the Resistance," he said, busily at work, pushing the red buttons furiously.

"What's going on?" Charlie asked, staring at her surroundings incredulously. She stared even more as Eddie McGibbens' blonde hair disappeared, and was replaced by a black hair, and his skin darkened drastically. His eyes remained the same. She turned over to Jennifer McGibbens. Or at least who she thought was Jennifer. The women standing there had lone dark hair and beautiful dark brown eyes. Her skin was a dark olive, and her farmer's wife's clothes had disappeared. Who Charlie assumed was Bobby was standing next to his mother, with dark hair and dark eyes.

"Josephine, why don't you explain," Eddie called out, pushing more buttons.

A woman and a boy came up from behind the group. "Remus?" James said, recognizing the boy at once.

"James? Sirius? What are you guys doing here? And all of you?" Remus looked at them, clearly confused.

"Hullo everyone. I'm guessing you know each other. Well, I'm Josephine Lupin. And you are at one of the main headquarters of the Resistance."

"What's the Resistance?" James asked, rubbing his head.

"The Resistance is the main opposition to Dark activity around the world. We're the people that had to go into hiding because things got so bad. So we fight evil from behind the scenes, pretty much. DaVilla over there is our leader." Josephine pointed to a man.

"Mr. McGibbens?" Charlie questioned.

Josephine laughed. "Well, he's Jose DaVilla. He and his family faked their own deaths to get Voldemort off their backs, and moved out here to help out. They've been using a lot of facial charms, as you can probably tell. You see, there have been a lot of problems in America lately. Britain has already chosen sides in the battle of the Light and Dark, but America was wide open to persuasion. Why don't you kids go and hide up in the loft? In case we get penetrated, you should have enough time to get away. You have your brooms, right?"

The group nodded mutely, heading up the ladder. Remus took up the rear. As soon as he pulled the ladder up, the group whirled toward him.

"Why didn't you tell us you were here?" Sirius asked.

Remus calmly sat down on a box. "I didn't know I was coming until June 28th. We just left. The Death Eaters had found my father and me so we came here to meet up with my mum. I wasn't allowed to contact anyone, since the area has been under constant surveillance since you all came abroad. Mr. DaVilla told me last week to expect you all, but he wasn't sure when."

"That's it! He's know who we were all along!" James said.

"So, what's going on?" Bella asked. She was leaning against the wall, her knees tucked to her chest.

"Well, it appears that some dark force has penetrated the barriers. They took someone prisoner. They probably found you all, and are trying to kill you. Plus, they get to destroy the Resistance along with it. Mr. DaVilla said the men that came didn't look like Death Eaters, though." Remus looked rather pensive.

"That's because they aren't. The people chasing us are the L'Ordine di Morte," James said bluntly.

Remus' blue eyes bugged out slightly, and his jaw dropped slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "Well, that explains it."

"Who did they take prisoner?" Sirius asked curiously.

Remus took a deep breath. "My father."

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

It was a warm, sunny day in Hogsmeade. Kiana was over at Toria's house, and they were too bored to go outside. Toria was lying on her back, on the wooden floor. Kiana was lying on the couch, her head hanging over the edge. Her long black hair was piling up on the floor.



"I'm bored," Kiana said finally, breaking the silence. "There's nothing to do!"



Toria rolled on to her stomach, facing Kiana. "Well, do you have any suggestions?" she asked patiently. That's just how Toria was -- patient.


Victoria Ava Vanter, Toria for short, was 13 years old. Her birthday was in July. She was rather quiet and patient by nature. However, Kiana changed that. Now, if Toria was pushed enough, her temper would shine through. Toria was short, and her blonde hair was in a bob above the shoulder. She had been dying to cut off her hair for ages, and when she suggested it to her best friend, Kiana was up for it. Since her stepfather's death, and her near death, Toria has been more zealous, but since she learned her birthfather (her stepfather's brother) joined Voldemort, and had it in for her and Mrs. Vanter, Toria had been slightly more cautious in the long run.


'I'll try anything once, and twice if I like it' was Kiana Walter's motto. She would be turning 13 in three short weeks. Her mother, a Squib learning magic, raised Kiana. She lived in Florida for most of her life, and loved swimming. In fact, Kiana is a Water Elemental. She moved to Hogsmeade, next door to Toria, when she was 10. Ever since, the two were best friends. Kiana was definitely the leader. She usually thought of what to do, or what not to do. She was intelligent, in a calculating sort of way. Kiana was sometimes over cautious, analyzing the consequences of their plans. Other times, Kiana was flamboyant and zealous, throwing herself into one crazy scheme after another. Luckily, Toria had straightened her out, and Kiana would now just somewhat analyze every plan. The two really were a perfect match.



Pondering Toria's question, Kiana responded, "If I thought of something to do, I would have said it instead of saying 'there's nothing to do!', Toria."

Toria frowned. "No need to be snippy about it. We can think of something…"

Kiana didn't move. "No. Mum confiscated all of my pranks, because of what we did to Ms. Medermumpher."

Toria smiled at the memory. Kiana and Toria had planted fake flowers in her garden so that when one went to smell the flowers, they would spray a clear, smelly, sticky liquid at them. And Ms. Medermumpher's garden was being judged in the Garden Contest that day. Needless to say, she did not win, breaking her record of seven consecutive wins. "That was fun. Mum took away all of my stuff after we exploded Professor Hoffman's shed."

"Who could have imagined that our very own Potions professor lived in Hogsmeade, a short distance from here? I thought we were exploding Mr. Hardinger's shed." Kiana grinned.

"And what about when we snuck up to Hogwarts and wrote insulting phrases on Minnie's hot pink robes?" Toria reminded her.


Kiana lifted her head up, and reclined in the couch, her hands behind her head. "Good times," she muttered, "good times…"



Toria jerked up as she heard a crash outside. She and Kiana exchanged a confused look before running out the back door.

Noticing Mrs. Medermumpher lying on the ground in shock, they ran over to her. She was lying on the ground, appearing to be having a nervous breakdown.

"What's wrong?" Kiana asked, trying to help the old lady up. Mrs. Medermumpher just lay, shaking.

Kiana saw Toria straighten up, staring at Mrs. Medermumpher's home. Slowly, Kiana turned slowly, dreading what she would find.

Mrs. Medermumpher's garden -- her prized garden -- was a wreck. Little gnomes that used to be inanimate were walking around, conversing in gruff tones. The garden was also conversing, but in musical tones. Mrs. Medermumpher's home was rainbow coloured.


Kiana dropped Mrs. Medermumpher on her back. She stood up furiously, surveying the home.

"Toria?"

"Yes?" Toria answered, in a state of shock.

Kiana gazed at her friend, placing her hand on her hip. "Did you do this?" she questioned, "without me?"

"No," said Toria, still in a confused state.

Kiana ran inside, grabbed her mother's wand off the desk, and ran back out. She then used a floating charm to float Mrs. Medermumpher inside her home. The inside was luckily normal. She then appeared back outside. Toria had not moved.


"Do you know what this means?" she continued on, as if she had never left.

"Is it bad?" Toria asked innocently.



Nodding grimly, Kiana answered, "Yes." When Toria had no further questions, Kiana went on. "It means that someone is pranking on our turf. On OUR turf. And they must pay. We must retaliate!"

Toria thought that Kiana sounded like a war-crazed general, but did not say anything. She was too worried. "But who could it be?"

Kiana walked forward toward the house. "Well, it appears to be the work of a Firstie, or a previous Firstie. If they were in Second Year, they would have thought to place anti-counter charms on their spells," she said, as she removed the colouring charm.

"But they appear to be rather skilled," Toria argued, transforming the gnomes back to their inanimate state. She performed a charm on the flowers, which ceased their constant chatter. "By the way, we should be incredibly happy that your mom has a wand that she leaves unsupervised, and she's out at the moment…"



"I agree," Kiana said, "we are lucky for unattended wands." She frowned in concentration. "But the transformation of animate to inanimate and vice versa begins in First Year. The question is -- what do we do now?"

"Well, the people involved are bound to try to prank us, right?" Toria said, looking around the street.

Kiana looked behind them. "Yes, but I don't see where you're going with this."

"Well, it's quite simple. We wait for them to strike, we curse them, and then we kick their arses the good ol' muggle way!" Toria enthusiastically said, pumping her fist in the air.

Reaching out and lowering Toria's fist, Kiana responded, "We'll let's go wait."

And so, the girls went into the Vanter's yard, and waited ever so patiently for the rogue pranksters to strike again.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Maybe redemption has stories to tell
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

Lily had been debating all night on what to say to Noelle. They had not spoken two words in the past two days. The argument still ran through Lily's mind. She felt horrible. She was curled up on the sofa, her dark red hair hanging in her face. She peered through it, viewing as Noelle examined the room, looking for possible means of escape.

"Look," Lily said, finally ending 'The Quiet Game'. "I am really sorry. You were right. I didn't know. And I am sorry."

Noelle stood motionless, staring out the window. It was early, and the first rays of dawn were peaking through the towering clouds. "I guess I'm sorry too. About the argument and about your grandmother. But can I trust you, Evans?" she said, coolly. Noelle was always cool and collected. It was many of the things Lily couldn't stand about her. Next to Noelle, Lily always felt so vulnerable. And she hated it.

"I don't know, Charrier. Can you use my first name?" Lily snapped back.

"Lily. Lily, can I trust you?"

"I think so," Lily answered slowly. She had not yet seen Noelle's face.

"I want to bring down the people responsible for my parents' deaths. I want them in Azkaban. But I am going to need help. Can I trust you to help me? Even if I am a 'low-down Slytherin'?"

Lily chuckled. "If you can trust a 'high-and-mighty Gryffindor', then I guess I can trust a 'low-down Slytherin. What do you need me to do?"

"It's mostly research work. We need to find out what actually happened that night. I have a faint idea of who was involved, but I want to make sure. But you will help me?"

"I'll help you," Lily said, still scrutinizing the mysterious girl standing by the window. It was so strange -- just when you thought you had her figured out, she goes and changes on you.

"And another thing -- we cannot associate at Hogwarts. Right now, I am trying to be under-cover. If I'm suddenly friends with a Gryffindor, especially you, I think I'll be figured out."

"Like I would want to associate with you!" Lily shouted. Then looking at the harsh look on Noelle's face, Lily looked down. Her face softened as she said, "All right. But why are you undercover?"

"I can't tell you," Noelle said, watching as the last golden ray broke into the sky.

"Don't you trust me?" Lily asked in a small voice. She was hurt, although she didn't know why. Why should she care what Noelle Charrier the Slytherin thought of her?

"Only time will tell," Noelle said. "Only time will tell…"

"Do you think this counts as being civil?" Lily asked jokingly.

"If this isn't being civil, then I am a Ecuadorian ice fisher," Noelle said, walking to the door. At the same time, Lily and Noelle reached out, grasping the door knobs, and twisting them.

And they walked right out of the room.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

The night was dark. The forest was rather opaque, but emitted some light. A woman with silvery blonde hair crept through the forest with the agility of a cat. She sprang over streams and logs, and waded through rivers. The moon lit a faint path for her to follow.

The woods were dark and damp. It had rained earlier, and the woods smelled of it. The woman usually loved to take a walk in the woods after it rained, but she hated it today.

She threw herself on the murky ground as she heard voices. "Where is she?" someone shouted.

The woman heard another voice shout, "I saw her go this way!" The footsteps faded softly as they went in the opposite direction. She breathed a sigh of relief, and continued once again on her way.

The Resistance needed her.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

"Over here!" Estella Black whispered, gesturing toward the large yellow Victorian home. "This is it!"



Evan Edwards (not related to Charlie or Ryan) panted. "Are you sure this time, 'Stella?" he asked.


Estella threw him a look of contempt. "This is the last house! Of course this is it!"

Evan and Christopher dropped their armloads of pranks, as did Jules. Estella smiled at the house. "Where do we start?" she asked happily. She received a few gasps of air in response. "Oh, come on guys. It wasn't that bad."

Christopher stood, bending over with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "You didn't have to carry 20 friggin' pounds of stuff all over Hogsmeade!"

"Point taken," Estella said, "no need to be snippy. So, where do we start?"

Jules stood up, panting slightly still. "I think I could do the colouring charm, but I have to go on the roof to do it. Why don't you guys start setting up the firebombs and dungcrackers in the front?" she suggested, naming their two specialty products. Sirius Black had molded a firecracker and a dungbomb together. The end results were either firebombs or dungcrackers. Firebombs would explode, and zoom around, letting out a odorless green smoke. Dungcrackers would emit sparkles that smelled like dung.

Christopher grinned. "Sounds like a plan to me! I'll start in the backyard. Why don't you two go work on the front?" he said to Estella and Evan. "It'll take more firepower to do that." After they consented, and they and Jules went on their way, Christopher surveyed the yard.

He first noticed the pink flamingos in the yard. Obviously Kiana's decorating suggestion. She had set some up in the Gryffindor Common Room that previous year. Grinning, he remembered how Toria loved to kick the stupid birds. He performed a charm Estella had taught him that would bring the birds to life in a sense. If they were kicked, the flamingos would kick the kicker right back. That would teach Toria to not give in to animal cruelty.



He was in the process of setting up dungcrackers in the bushes when he felt something poke the back of his neck. He straightened immediately, and put his hands up.



"So, you're one of the rogue pranksters. Now, I know how to use this, so don't make me…" he heard Kiana Walters say.



Christopher's mind reeled. "Isn't magic illegal over holidays?"

"That's true. They can trace it by seeing which wand performed the magic. Now, this is my Mrs. Walter's wand, so she has a special permit to use magic in Hogsmeade, from the Minister of Magic himself. He happens to be my uncle," Toria said sharply.

"I therefore suggest that you tell us what the heck you are doing, before I decide to do something really not nice." Kiana pushed the wand tip further into his neck. "Oh, and who are you working with or for?"



"I'll never tell," Christopher said bravely. "Kill me if you must."

"There are worse things than death…" Toria said threateningly, in sort of a singsong voice.

Christopher inhaled deeply, closing his eyes. "Do your worst!"

And that is exactly what Kiana Walters and Toria Vanter did…

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
Redemption is here
Redemption is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be

The dungbomb exploded in a puff of green smoke. Sirius smiled at Charlie sheepishly. She just looked at him exasperatedly, before leaning back and trying to sleep again.

It was early. Through the one-way window (one can see out, but not in) Sirius could see the sun peaking out. He had not slept since they had been awoken earlier the previous night. Th others were trying to sleep, but Sirius was making it rather hard for them. He was nervous, and tinkering with dungbombs, or muttering to himself.

The adults had earlier managed to soundproof the downstairs. Luckily, they didn't know about Godric, so Godric would sometimes give Michael information that he thought essential. Michael would just nod his head while Godric told him, not wanting his friends to know yet. He would then mention what Godric told him five minutes later. However, at the moment, Sirius was the only person awake.

Sirius examined Remus. He was in a troubled sleep, tossing and turning on the small piles of hay. He was sweating bullets, and would at times call out, "Dad? Dad!"

Sirius remembered a time like this. He was six at the time. His father hadn't come home one night, and his mother was a nervous wreck. He remembered her running through the house, gathering everyone together. They then sat in the parlor, by the fireplace, just in case. He hadn't understood what was going on. He didn't know that Death Eaters had attacked Diagon Alley, and his father was trying to capture them. He didn't know that Voldemort himself was rumored to be there. He did remember how lost and alone he felt. He kept asking where his father was, and he remembered his mother's teary eyes as she answered 'I don't know, sweetheart'. He also remembered how upset he was with his uncle. He was too scared to go look for Orion Black, and just sat, doing nothing. Sirius had wished he were old enough to go looking for his father. And Sirius told the man, 'If you aren't going to save my dad, then I will'. His uncle had smiled weakly, and grabbed the floo powder, screaming 'Diagon Alley' as he stepped into the flames. The two returned an hour later, with Orion slightly injured. Sirius remembered how he had looked up to that man, and thought of him as a hero.

Sirius looked out the window, and was about to try to sleep when he noticed a group of people run out of the barn. They were waving their wands. Sirius guessed they were trying to put protection charms up. He wished he could help. He wasn't that bad at Charms. Or he could even look for Remus' father!

Without a word, Sirius grabbed his broom and flew out the window.

** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** **

FINAL A/N: Okay, this chapter isn't that good, and it's late. I have been going through a whole buncha crap lately, and haven't had any time, patience, or energy to write. I apologize, and beg for your forgiveness.

I introduced Roz Martin for a reason. She will come back in Fourth Year. Also, in case you are wondering about Laia. She is still in Greece, and will return to Hogwarts in September as a Third Year.

Also: So far, I'm sure the chapters seem somewhat serious in comparison to my past stories and past chapters. Well, I am trying to show that the world is changing, and it is no longer really safe for them in the real world, and that Hogwarts is sort of a haven for them. The craziness will resume when they get back to Hogwarts.

Okay, I don't have Voldemort. I decided to make this series one chapter longer. I am going to conclude the summer in the next chapter, and they will begin to head off to Hogwarts. Or they'll at least prepare to. I just have too many ends to tie up, and this chapter would end up being another 95 pages if I wanted to finish it. So, in the next chapter, we WILL hear from dear Voldemort. We will find out who that mysterious woman in the woods is. We will also find out what Kiana and Toria did to poor Christopher, which is 'worse than death', and what will happen to the rest of them. There will be two or more Lily/Noelle scenes. Remember that they are NOT friends. I repeat, NOT FRIENDS!!! They are just putting up with each other mainly out of guilt and pity. They do not trust each other. You may ask 'Why is Lily helping Noelle then?'. She's hoping that after they catch the people responsible, they'll send Noelle somewhere else to live. In the next chapter, most of it will have to do with the Resistance. It's just easier since I have just about everyone there. We might take a short trip to Dumbledore's, and see what he has to say about everything. If you have any suggestions, criticisms, or ideas, just drop me a line in the review box. Thanks!

Special thanks to KIM, who has had the patience to help me with this chapter, and beta it. I owe you so much! Thanks, thanks, and a thousand more thanks!!!

~Noelle