Author's Note: Well, well...when one of your reviewers threatens to bite
you, it's time to update. (laughs)
Ever been in a situation where you have a strong beginning, and a clear end in sight, but no freakin' idea what should go in the middle? That's kind of what happened to this story...and, my creative mind being what it is, I've spent the past few months wandering back and forth between five or six other stories-two of them HP stories that I should start posting soon- before I finally decided I owed it to myself and to my readers to keep going with this. Then when I finally sat down to do it the other night, my computer decided to freeze mid-paragraph, losing me a good bit of work and utterly killing the mood...so now I'm smart and save every five minutes or so.
Soooo, anyway, I finally got the time, the inclination, and the cooperation from my computer to keep working on this...and my New Year's resolution is going to be to not slack off so much on my writing. So, here we go:
Chapter Nine
Weeks passed. Voldemort continued to terrorize the magic world, but seemed unable to touch Hogwarts. Rumor was that he was too afraid of Dumbledore to go near the school. The Daily Prophet and the Ministry always downplayed the seriousness of his actions, trying to avoid panic, but many people weren't fooled. For the Marauders, getting information was easy; they took turns sneaking into Hogsmeade at night under James's Invisibility Cloak, and an hour or two listening to conversations in the Three Broomsticks gave them all kinds of news. A lot of it was probably just gossip, but they took note of everything they heard.
Sirius and Alexandra's relationship was getting more serious. Physically, they hadn't gone any further than kissing, but they were doing an awful lot of that. They also noticed a change in the way they spent time together. In the beginning, they would talk for hours on end, about anything and everything. Now, they still had long conversations, but it was becoming more common for them to just sit or walk together in silence. Not saying or doing anything special, just being together.
"That's supposed to be a good sign." Lily said when Ally described it to her. "It is?" "Mm-hm. It means you're really comfortable with each other. You don't need anything to fill your time together or keep you interested in each other." Ally smiled. "I guess that is a good sign. So-" she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, "if you know so much about relationships, when are you and James going to get together?" Lily straightened up and blushed slightly. "James? What do you mean?" "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Lily Evans. You both stare at each other when you think no one's watching, when we're all together you two always end up sitting next to each other...and right now, you're blushing, which confirms all my suspicions, so there!" Lily glared at her friend-or tried to, anyway. In spite of herself, a smile was stealing across her face. "Well...he is cute. D'you really think he might like me?" "Very cute-next to Sirius, he's the best looking boy in school. And nice, and smart, and a great Quidditch player--And I know he likes you. Everyone does. He's just too shy to say anything." "Well, why don't you say something? Lily blushed even more, but before she could reply Professor McGonagall approached the corner of the Great Hall where the girls were talking.
"Miss Evans, Miss Merlin, will you both come with me, please?" She said in her characteristically brisk manner.
Ally and Lily exchanged glances, wondering if this had anything to do with the Marauders. They'd been called on several times to keep the boys out of trouble by verifying alibis and such. But as far as they knew, none of them had broken any rules lately...
They followed McGonagall to Dumbledore's office. James, Remus, and Sirius were there, but so were several other students. Ally recognized a few; Arabella Figg and Mundungus Fletcher, both Hufflepuffs, and Frank Longbottom, a Gryffindor. There were a few others she didn't know, mostly seventh-years, but a few sixth-years like her. Peter was not among the assembled students, and it was strange to see the other Marauders without him.
Dumbledore asked them all to sit down, looking unusually serious. "The decision to call you all here has not been an easy one, but I believe it is necessary. It's becoming obvious that in order to defeat Lord Voldemort, we must use every asset we can-and I believe that includes your talents and intelligence. For some time now, Professor Dumbledore, myself, and others have been forming an alliance of wizards called the Order of the Phoenix, dedicated to defeating Voldemort at any cost. You have all been called here because you stand out among your fellow students, in terms of both talent and character. We offer you the chance to begin special training, and, when you are older, to become members of the Order of the Phoenix."
"You will all be sworn to secrecy, whether you choose to join the Order or not." Professor McGonagall told them. "No one, not even your families, can know about this."
Alexandra had already made her decision. Perhaps it was a foolish one, but the chance to have a hand in Voldemort's defeat was a chance she could not simply pass up. She looked around at her friends. Sirius and James looked like they had already decided as well...this was the kind of opportunity that either of them would jump at. Lily and Remus seemed to be giving the matter more careful thought, but then they both looked up and nodded slightly.
Most of the students assembled that day chose to be part of the Order of the Phoenix, and those who did not swore to never reveal what they had been told. For the rest of the year, Alexandra and her friends attended special classes at on the weekends, undergoing intense training in combat and self- defense. It was hard to conceal these activities from Peter, as well as from Celina, who had taken to tagging along with the Marauders whenever she could, but they managed.
........................................................................
Time: Present
Remus settled into life at the Merlins' house fairly easily, but there was a noticeable strain on his and Ally's friendship. They never talked about the past-they never talked about Sirius-but the silence was like a wall between them. The pain of old wounds was still there, whether they acknowledged its presence or not.
With Celina, things were difficult for a different reason. The attraction between her and Remus was as strong as ever, if not stronger. Remus knew how easy it would be to let himself fall in love with her, but he had even less hope for the success of a relationship between them than he had in the past.
"She's crazy about you, you know." Alexandra said one day when she and Remus were alone in the living room. "And don't ask who I'm talking about, because you know damn well."
Remus blushed slightly and stared into his teacup. "I'd really rather not talk about this right now." "You say that every time I bring it up." He smiled slightly. "Ally, I know you'd like to see Celina and I as a happy couple, but have you thought that maybe we're both better off alone?" "Rem, I've become an authority on being alone, and no one's better off that way. Why are you so convinced that you two couldn't be happy together?" He looked up, meeting her eyes with his somber gray ones. "Knowing and accepting that your friend is a werewolf is one thing. Having a werewolf as a lover...living with one...is a totally different matter." She smiled slightly. "If anyone can handle something like that, it's Cel." Remus shook his head, smiling bitterly. "I don't know if even she could live with me, Ally.I have a hard enough time living with myself." Before she could say anything else, he had stood and left the room.
........................................................................
A.N.: (cuddles the living daylights out of Remus, then cuddles Sirius too so he won't feel left out)
Ever been in a situation where you have a strong beginning, and a clear end in sight, but no freakin' idea what should go in the middle? That's kind of what happened to this story...and, my creative mind being what it is, I've spent the past few months wandering back and forth between five or six other stories-two of them HP stories that I should start posting soon- before I finally decided I owed it to myself and to my readers to keep going with this. Then when I finally sat down to do it the other night, my computer decided to freeze mid-paragraph, losing me a good bit of work and utterly killing the mood...so now I'm smart and save every five minutes or so.
Soooo, anyway, I finally got the time, the inclination, and the cooperation from my computer to keep working on this...and my New Year's resolution is going to be to not slack off so much on my writing. So, here we go:
Chapter Nine
Weeks passed. Voldemort continued to terrorize the magic world, but seemed unable to touch Hogwarts. Rumor was that he was too afraid of Dumbledore to go near the school. The Daily Prophet and the Ministry always downplayed the seriousness of his actions, trying to avoid panic, but many people weren't fooled. For the Marauders, getting information was easy; they took turns sneaking into Hogsmeade at night under James's Invisibility Cloak, and an hour or two listening to conversations in the Three Broomsticks gave them all kinds of news. A lot of it was probably just gossip, but they took note of everything they heard.
Sirius and Alexandra's relationship was getting more serious. Physically, they hadn't gone any further than kissing, but they were doing an awful lot of that. They also noticed a change in the way they spent time together. In the beginning, they would talk for hours on end, about anything and everything. Now, they still had long conversations, but it was becoming more common for them to just sit or walk together in silence. Not saying or doing anything special, just being together.
"That's supposed to be a good sign." Lily said when Ally described it to her. "It is?" "Mm-hm. It means you're really comfortable with each other. You don't need anything to fill your time together or keep you interested in each other." Ally smiled. "I guess that is a good sign. So-" she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, "if you know so much about relationships, when are you and James going to get together?" Lily straightened up and blushed slightly. "James? What do you mean?" "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Lily Evans. You both stare at each other when you think no one's watching, when we're all together you two always end up sitting next to each other...and right now, you're blushing, which confirms all my suspicions, so there!" Lily glared at her friend-or tried to, anyway. In spite of herself, a smile was stealing across her face. "Well...he is cute. D'you really think he might like me?" "Very cute-next to Sirius, he's the best looking boy in school. And nice, and smart, and a great Quidditch player--And I know he likes you. Everyone does. He's just too shy to say anything." "Well, why don't you say something? Lily blushed even more, but before she could reply Professor McGonagall approached the corner of the Great Hall where the girls were talking.
"Miss Evans, Miss Merlin, will you both come with me, please?" She said in her characteristically brisk manner.
Ally and Lily exchanged glances, wondering if this had anything to do with the Marauders. They'd been called on several times to keep the boys out of trouble by verifying alibis and such. But as far as they knew, none of them had broken any rules lately...
They followed McGonagall to Dumbledore's office. James, Remus, and Sirius were there, but so were several other students. Ally recognized a few; Arabella Figg and Mundungus Fletcher, both Hufflepuffs, and Frank Longbottom, a Gryffindor. There were a few others she didn't know, mostly seventh-years, but a few sixth-years like her. Peter was not among the assembled students, and it was strange to see the other Marauders without him.
Dumbledore asked them all to sit down, looking unusually serious. "The decision to call you all here has not been an easy one, but I believe it is necessary. It's becoming obvious that in order to defeat Lord Voldemort, we must use every asset we can-and I believe that includes your talents and intelligence. For some time now, Professor Dumbledore, myself, and others have been forming an alliance of wizards called the Order of the Phoenix, dedicated to defeating Voldemort at any cost. You have all been called here because you stand out among your fellow students, in terms of both talent and character. We offer you the chance to begin special training, and, when you are older, to become members of the Order of the Phoenix."
"You will all be sworn to secrecy, whether you choose to join the Order or not." Professor McGonagall told them. "No one, not even your families, can know about this."
Alexandra had already made her decision. Perhaps it was a foolish one, but the chance to have a hand in Voldemort's defeat was a chance she could not simply pass up. She looked around at her friends. Sirius and James looked like they had already decided as well...this was the kind of opportunity that either of them would jump at. Lily and Remus seemed to be giving the matter more careful thought, but then they both looked up and nodded slightly.
Most of the students assembled that day chose to be part of the Order of the Phoenix, and those who did not swore to never reveal what they had been told. For the rest of the year, Alexandra and her friends attended special classes at on the weekends, undergoing intense training in combat and self- defense. It was hard to conceal these activities from Peter, as well as from Celina, who had taken to tagging along with the Marauders whenever she could, but they managed.
........................................................................
Time: Present
Remus settled into life at the Merlins' house fairly easily, but there was a noticeable strain on his and Ally's friendship. They never talked about the past-they never talked about Sirius-but the silence was like a wall between them. The pain of old wounds was still there, whether they acknowledged its presence or not.
With Celina, things were difficult for a different reason. The attraction between her and Remus was as strong as ever, if not stronger. Remus knew how easy it would be to let himself fall in love with her, but he had even less hope for the success of a relationship between them than he had in the past.
"She's crazy about you, you know." Alexandra said one day when she and Remus were alone in the living room. "And don't ask who I'm talking about, because you know damn well."
Remus blushed slightly and stared into his teacup. "I'd really rather not talk about this right now." "You say that every time I bring it up." He smiled slightly. "Ally, I know you'd like to see Celina and I as a happy couple, but have you thought that maybe we're both better off alone?" "Rem, I've become an authority on being alone, and no one's better off that way. Why are you so convinced that you two couldn't be happy together?" He looked up, meeting her eyes with his somber gray ones. "Knowing and accepting that your friend is a werewolf is one thing. Having a werewolf as a lover...living with one...is a totally different matter." She smiled slightly. "If anyone can handle something like that, it's Cel." Remus shook his head, smiling bitterly. "I don't know if even she could live with me, Ally.I have a hard enough time living with myself." Before she could say anything else, he had stood and left the room.
........................................................................
A.N.: (cuddles the living daylights out of Remus, then cuddles Sirius too so he won't feel left out)
