Chapter Twelve: That Was Then

* "He's growing in power, the number of his followers is increasing, and the worst of it is? Those who are joining him are not doing it because they are being forced. They want to help."

"Frank is right. Voldemort's got them believing that the wizarding world needs to be cleansed of the half-muggles, that the muggles themselves are inferior and should be treated like slaves. He wants them dead—wiped out." James added.

"Well, we know he's already working on the Dementors… what other sort of creatures is he going to draw into his army? The next thing you know, we'll be fighting centaurs!" Sirius added.

"Centaurs are above our wizarding problems… they've read the stars, and I'm quite sure they won't be join'n in no fights on You-Know-Who's side. They like to keep to themselves, centaurs." Hagrid corrected.

"The imperious curse works wonders on wizards. How do we know it won't be used on centaurs? Or vampires and werewolves for that matter?" Remus asked skeptically.

"Well, we've already stopped four Death Eater raids in the last three months—we've saved hundreds of innocent lives as it is. At least we know that we're making progress." Alice chimed in.

"She's right. We're doing a good job." Ara added. "Still… we've only actually caught three of those Death Eaters… and two claimed they were being controlled via the imperious curse and got off. And I could have sworn that I saw Severus Snape as one of those other Death Eaters."

"I thought I saw him too…" Frank muttered.

"But no one can prove that Ara, so drop it." Remus sighed. "Yes, the Order is working. But we need to work harder. Double our efforts. We need to really keep our eyes and ears open. It's bee three months since the Order was started, and the longer we're around, the better we should be getting at our spying skills."

There were twenty-two of twenty three of them seated around a large, round table that Dumbledore had brought into his office for their weekly meetings. The missing member of their group was Lily Evans, whom James had made very clear was part of their organization— she just didn't know it yet.

It had, indeed, been three months since the Order of the Phoenix had been begun, and three months since their pact had been created. Since that day they had all been working extremely hard, listening for any hints that may be dropped about Death Eater raids, Voldemort's plans, or alliances that were beginning to be forged with the Dark Lord by other magical creatures. They had been working round the clock, yet little progress had been made to thwart the evil wizard's plans.

James sat in the meeting, his eyes propped open, afraid that if he blinked he would fall asleep. Since the very night Lily had left him, he had hardly dared to sleep—for fear that while he did, she might be somewhere in the world being harmed by Voldemort and his evil followers. When he did dare to close his eyes, it was only for a few moments, a catnap really, and even then he dreamed nightmares of Lily being held within Voldemort's inhuman hands.

It was true, the Order was working as hard as they could to stop Voldemort from gaining more sway in the mighty battle for power in the wizarding world, but even James could see that they were slipping as more and more wizards were becoming enthralled with the hunger for power that Voldemort offered them if they joined him.

"One other interesting topic I thought I might bring up at tonight's meeting…" Dumbledore spoke up. "I have heard from a special correspondent whom I have placed in the muggle world under the guise of being a muggle, about what the muggles think about the situation." A murmur went through the table.

"Are they beginning to suspect us?" One of the younger witches cried in alarm.

"Indeed, they suspect something. I doubt highly that they suspect any sort of magic is involved, however, I have heard that some muggles are beginning to believe there is a massive crime organization responsible for the unexplainable deaths and one mass murder that have occurred in the recent month."

"If the Dark Lord is getting bold enough to begin hunting muggles on a mass basis, I do believe we should be worried." McGonagall nodded.

"Who is this correspondent? How do you know that they have accurate information?" Moody questioned.

"A highly trusted confidante of mine. Unfortunately, I am not at liberty to discuss their identity, not even to this group. I was sworn to secrecy, and I will not betray that trust."

"Here, here Professor!" Hagrid nodded, knowing full well he was speaking about Lily.

"Well, did this 'person' even try to help save the lives of those murdered? Are they being of any help aside from shuffling information towards you after the deeds have been done? Can't you convince them to work harder, find out who the next targets are so we can be there t save them?" Alice angrily huffed. Frank placed a hand over hers, which instantly seemed to have a calming effect.

"True, but I am quite certain that if my correspondent could help, they would in an instant give up their life to do so. However, they cannot help it if the crimes occur outside their vicinity and then they hear of them."

"I suppose." Alice whispered.

"Well, how are we going to help the muggles then?"

"All we can do is try harder to foil Voldemort's plans here, in the wizarding world, before he can act more in the muggle world." Peter sadly noted.

"Well. Does anyone else have anything to add?" Remus asked. When no one spoke, he nodded. "Meeting adjourned. Next Sunday, eight thirty." The members of the Order stood and began filing out as they had for the last three months, chatting quietly amongst themselves about the meeting and what they had just heard before they left the Hogwarts grounds and had to refrain from speaking of it.

"Well, I suppose that's it for tonight then?" Ara asked the close group they had formed since the Order had begun.

The Marauders, Alice and Frank, whom had commenced dating only three weeks prior, and Ara had been working harder than anyone to take out Voldemort and his followers. At least most of them could work at it openly, seeing as they were aurors, and Voldemort already knew they were out to get him. The only ones who couldn't were Ara and Peter, and for them, it was guilt by association. If they were friends with all aurors, it was only obvious how they felt about the Dark Lord.

"Yes. But who do you suppose is Dumbledore's correspondent?" Alice asked.

"Don't know, don't care. Just glad it's not me." Sirius grinned, wrapping an arm around Ara's waist. "Hey Prongs?"

"What?" James asked tiredly.

"You look like crap. You really need to get more sleep."

"Bloody hell, leave me be stupid mutt!" James growled. "I don't need to be badgered."

"James, why don't you just try owling her?" Remus asked.

"I have. They come back unopened. She's ignoring me. And I refuse to perform a finding charm… if she doesn't want to see me so much that she won't even open my mail, then I won't bother her in person and have my heart ripped out to my face."

"Why not? You ripped her heart out in front of her face." Ara pointed out. James glared at her. "Just telling you the honest to goodness truth there."

"Just leave him alone." Peter advised.

"I'm out of here." James suddenly announced, apparating before anyone could get another word in edge-wise.

"He's working himself into an early grave." Frank shook his head. "And to think, he had Lily were the dream couple coming out of Hogwarts…"

"They still are. Lily still cares, she just has to. And it's obvious James does. They're just confused by each other. It happens to the best. Right Si?"

"Right hon." Sirius grinned doggishly. "Ara and I had a dry spell too. We broke up and were friends for, how long Ara?"

"Almost a year."

"And now look at us? Happy as clams."

"Si!" Ara rolled her eyes. Above them the clouds rumbled. "It looks like it's going to storm…"

"Let's get inside, come on!" And they ran for shelter, laughing as they went.

)(

"Lily, you get those photos on Meg Carson's new fence?" Rick waltzed through the 'door' that separated Lily's cubical from the others in the room. Lily looked up and pasted a small smile on her face.

"Sure. Right here." Without so much as a glance at them, Rick beamed.

"Great, I know they'll be perfect."

"Rick, can I ask something?" Lily nervously wrung her hands.

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Why don't we ever do interesting stories? I mean, about the larger world? We do all of these hometown features, like the piece on Meg's fence being too high and having to be replaced, but nothing on the bigger scale."

"Lily, this is the Daily Gazette. We live in a boring, small town where people want to forget there's an outside world. They don't want to remember that there's killing and violence, and theft and rape in the world. They don't want to remember there are bigger politics than which lady is next to be elected as head of the Garden Society, all they want to do is live in peace. We won't sell papers if we add in the big, worldly news. No one in this town cares."

"Maybe they would care if they heard about it?"

"That's the point. They don't want to care."

"Such a shame. They should know, for their own protection, I mean. What about the unexplained killings? Or that mass murder? Shouldn't they be aware so they can help themselves?"

"Come on Lily! Who's going to attack us? Remember the key term here: small town. Too small to be of any significance to a mass murderer or psychopathic killer."

"I guess. But those unexplained killings did happen in small towns… and so did the mass murder, come to think of it. They happened in towns on the edge of the woods, with little contact with other places. We fit the category perfectly!"

"Lily, as your boss, and as someone who cares about your mental health, I'm going to tell you right now. Go home. Go to sleep. I think you're letting this get to your head. No one's going to die in this town. Unless, maybe, they are old and decrepit and supposed to pass on."

"All right…" Lily whispered, quite unsure of herself. Outside she heard the thunder boom. Quickly she looked in her teacup, trying to find the tea leaves that had settled at the bottom.

"Oh no… not more future telling. Lily, give it up. Those tealeaves? They're dead plants that are used to make flavored water. They can't in any way, shape, or form to tell the future. I don't know why you insist upon that ritual every time you here thunder and lightening. It's a natural storm. We live by the ocean; we're supposed to have bad weather on occasion." Lily off handedly listened to his biting remark about future and fortune telling.

She knew it was a waste of time too—not like she had ever found anything in a divinations class, or even taken hers seriously. Still, she had picked up some from Remus and James, who had, and what she had learned she had always been very careful never to mock—there had to be a reason it was taught after all. Looking down at her tealeaves, she sighed, then frowned in concentration. They'd never made that shape before. A bad omen. Standing abruptly, Lily knocked her chair over and startled Rick in the process.

"Lily, what's wrong?"

"Something bad is going to happen today. Something bad. Rick, promise me you'll stay inside. Don't go out—not even to go home tonight. Call your wife, tell her to keep your kids indoors this afternoon."

"Lily…"

"I'm serious Rick." The look in her emerald eyes frightened Rick. He had never seen her with such a degree of passion. Usually her eyes were tired, or glossy. They always hid her true emotions, as if she were holding back a floodgate of pain behind the emptiness. The intensity that she had worked herself into, however, caused chills to run up his spine. Suddenly he truly believed that Lily knew what she was saying, that somehow she had called upon a force to tell the future. Well, far be it for him to ignore a sign when he was given one.

"Okay Lily, I'll call my wife right now… where are you going?"

"I need to get home. I'll be just fine. Rick, once the storm passes over, make yourself a cup of tea. Drink most of it, then stir it three times counterclockwise. Drink the rest, and look at the leaves on the bottom. If they look different from the leaves in the bottom of my teacup, the coast is clear. Got it?"

"Lily, you are a nut." Rick shook his head.

"But I'm a nut who knows what she's talking about. Just do it, alright?"

"Alright, sure. As long as I'm stuck here, I might as well drink a hundred cups of tea and try it. Be careful out there Lily, the storm's about to hit."

"I will. See you."

"Bye." Lily made her way out of the newspaper building with chills racing up and down her spine. Something was not right. She felt cold, violated, as if some great evil was near. Of course, she could just be imagining things, but then again, perhaps not, and she would rather be prepared than not. Once Lily made it to the bus stop, she hurried and hopped on the bus.

"Afternoon Lily. Leaving early, aren't you?"

"Hi Bill. I have to get home, something doesn't feel right."

"Oh, you mean like ESP, or something along those lines? Lily, sometimes I could swear you was a witch the way you think black dogs are death omens, and read tealeaves, and talk about astrology."

"I'm sorry Bill." Lily told him apologetically. She could not deny she was a witch… even she had not been able to forget.

For three months now Lily had been trying everything to forget. Her room had been redecorated within the first week of her move—now, instead of black and blue, it was in light peaches and yellows… bright, happy, normal colors. She had kept to her word and not so much as touched the key to the chest in which she had locked her wand and other magical items. Even her sister had made remarks on how normal she was becoming.

But at night, Lily owled Dumbledore. She wrote to her witch and wizard friends and sent it via muggle mail. She constantly thought of how she used to be able to perform cleaning charms, or transfigure objects into things she needed. She remembered stupid little trivia about the Goblin Wars, and small potions recipes came to mind when she began to think about cooking. Though she had yearned to live with muggles for so long, her mind and heart were remembering their wizarding roots, and it made her feel horrible.

Lily felt torn. On one end, she loved the thought that she was independent, on her own, and able to avoid James. On the other hand, she missed her friends, she missed the magic she had been able to perform, and she missed James. The boredom she had found in her old job had carried over to her new job here in the muggle world, and nothing thrilled her anymore. She had wanted the normal life so badly, but that was then. And now… now something was going to happen, she could feel it in her bones. *