Sirius opened the door to Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, and was greeted by
the sight of the Weasley twins bounding towards him from the staircase.
'Hey Sirius!' Fred yelled brightly, 'so they worked then?'
'Yeah', Sirius replied, grinning and looking down at the seemingly normal shoes he was wearing, 'they were fantastic!'
Stilt Sneakers were the latest invention from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes: shoes with soles which thickened magically, making the wearer taller. Tonks had obtained a pair from the terrible twins, and depsite Remus' reservations, had given them to Sirius. Tonks had also got all his personal belongings from his locker, and found the knife which Lily had given. Sirius sat on the windowsill, and Tonks said the appropraite words over the shoes: They began to grow like stilts, until they touched the ground and Sirius hopped off the windowsill. Remus, who was waiting below, deflated the shoes, and Sirius sharnk back to normal size, safe on ground level. The trio had walked all the way to Grimmauld Place-stopping every now and then for Sirius to rest-and were quite worn out from their escapades.
Sirius descended to the kitchen, followed by the others. Tonks immediately began to make five mugs of cocoa, while everyone else sat down at the table.
'Never thought I'd say it', Sirius remarked, 'but it's good to be home.'
'Can we move in here, Sirius?' George asked eagerly.
'What? Why?' Sirius was surprised by the request, 'what's wrong with the Burrow?'
'Well', Fred began uncomfortably, 'it's Mum...she keeps nagging us, trying to find out how the business is going, fussing over us...'
'You'd rather she didn't care at all, would you?' Tonks asked sarcastically.
'Exactly', George replied, 'and we were thinking...this house is huge...we could live in one or two rooms...we'd be nearer to work-'
'But you apparate to work anyway!' Tonks exclaimed, while Remus tut-tutted from behind the newspaper.
'We know', Fred answered patiently, 'but it'd be nice to walk there sometimes-y'know, if we wanted the exercise.'
'And Mum could still see us-she's here practically every day', George added reasonably.
Sirius made a face. ' Truth is I'd love to have you here-this place get's lonely sometimes', he admitted, 'but Molly wouldn't like it. She thinks I'm a dreadful influence on her children already!'
'We're eighteen', Fred cried, 'we're old enough to make our own decisions!'
'I know', Sirius replied, 'but Molly doesn't see it that way. Look, clear it with her, then you can come and stay.'
'Yesss!' Fred and George high-fived one another, and grinned at Sirius.
'So', Fred said brightly, 'what's next on the agenda?'
'You two're going to get kicked out, because we're having an Order meeting at ten o'clock this morning.' Remus replied.
'We're joining', the twins responded in unison.
'No you're not', Remus, Tonks and Sirius retorted simultaneously.
There words were greeted by two howls of dismay. 'Please can we join?' George begged, 'we'd make fantastic spies-we have loads of practice!'
'No', Remus was deadly serious, 'you're too young.'
'We're almost as old as some of you were when You-Know-Who was around the first time!' Fred cried indignantly.
'Yes, but we had no choice', Remus explained patiently.
'And we're only a few years younger than Tonks!' George interrupted.
'Yeah, but I'm an auror', Tonks argued, 'I'm properly trained for this sort of thing!'
'But you're the clumsiest person EVER!' Fred roared, outraged.
Tonks turned bright red. 'So?' She said defiantly.
'That's enough of that!' Sirius bellowed, as the three youngest people present looked set to engage in a shouting match. 'Shut up, the lot of you! You're giving me a migraine. Fred and George, you can't join, end of story. When we tell you to get out, you get out, understood?'
Fred and George stared at Sirius, their mouths wide open. He had never spoken to them with authority before. 'Fine', George muttered sulkily.
Everyone sat down again.
'Anyone for a cup of cocoa?' Tonks asked cheerfully, after a few minutes.
'Yes please', they all replied at once, and burstout laughing. None of them could stay angry with each other for long!
************
Sirius gazed around the table at all the members of the Order of the Phoenix: Remus and Tonks, deep in discussion; Arthur and Molly arguing quietly over something; Snape, glaring around at everybody else; Minerva gesticulating wildly about something to some tiny little man that Sirius guessed was Flitwick. There was Mundungus, half-asleep in his chair; seven new recruits whom Sirius did not recognise; Mad-Eye Moody, his magical eye whizzing all over the place; Rubeus Hagrid, taking up half one side of the table; Bill and Charlie Weasley drinking Butterbeer and laughing; and in the centre of the table, looking as serene and amiable as ever, sat Albus Dumbledore.
Sirius surveyed his old headmaster carefully. He was surprised to see that Dumbledore was showing signs of exhaustion. Sirius had never thought of Dumbledore as a normal, vulnerable human being-he was Albus Dumbledore; the man who was and always would be around to solve all the problems of the world. Now, Dumbledore had shadows under his eyes, and did not look as alert as usual. He caught Sirius watching him, and smiling gently.
The general hubbub continued for a few minutes, before Dumbledore quietly called for order. Immediately, everyone was silent. He nodded with satisfaction.
'Thank you', he began, 'for your co-operation in coming here this morning. I think we have almost all of the Order members here-excluding Mr Shacklebot, of course, who remains grievously ill.'
There was a murmur around the table. Molly shook her head despairingly, while Arthur comforted her. Dumbledore continued.
'I called you here this morning to discuss the recent change in events', he declared, 'As you know, we now have the Minister for Magic in our midst- something which will work greatly to our advantage. We also have seven new recruits-eight actually, only the eighth was unable to attend this morning. Members of the Order of the Phoenix, meet your new comrades; Jessica Bones, Andrew Thompson, Jamila Patil, Zachary Marsden, Blaise Silvermoon, Louise Jameson and Oliver Wood.'
The new recruits smiled somewhat nervously as the other Order members greeted them. Sirius paid particular attention to Oliver Wood-a young man who looked about twenty years old. He had heard Harry speak highly of him, and he nodded a greeting to Wood.
'Assignments', Dumbledore said, recalling the attention of the group. He gazed around his former pupils, thinking. After a few moments pause, he nodded and continued. 'Mad-Eye, Minerva and Blaise; I'm putting you three in charge of Hogsmeade. I want you to watch the comings and goings of every single person. I want to establish a profile on who is frequenting the area close to Hogwarts. I want a report at the end of June.'
'Right you are, Dumbledore', Mad-Eye grunted, putting his feet on the table, and ignoring Molly's heavy sighs. The other two involved nodded- Blaise looked distinctly relieved to have been give so simple an assignment.
'Hagrid. I want you to deliver a message to Durmstrang and to Beauxbatons. I'll give you the details this evening.'
'Thank ye, Professor', Hagrid said, nodding.
'Now...let me see...Charlie, Jessica and Louise. I want you to shadow the families of the Death Eaters we captured in the Department of Mysteries. I want a detailed time-table of their movements.'
'Aye aye cap'n', Charlie said cheerfully, saluting the headmaster. He was already turning up the charm for the two young women who would be accompanying him.
'Excellent, excellent...Mundungus, Zachary, Andrew, Arthur, Molly, Flitwick, and Jamila-you are in charge of guarding London.'
Arthur spat out a mouthful of Butterbeer. 'What?' He exclaimed, 'guarding London? You mean the whole city?'
'Yes', Dumbledore replied simply, 'this city is the centre of the Anti- Voldemort movement and you in particular Arthur, with many HitWizards under your thumb, are in charge of making sure that St Mungo's is never attacked, that Ministry Headquarters are never penetrated again, that Grimmauld Place remains a closely guarded secret and that Knockturn Alley is...how shall I put this? Purged of its usual residents. I don't want such a source of evil so close to Diagon Alley.'
'No problem, Dumbledore', Mundugus Fletcher replied sarcastically, 'piece o' cake.'
'You will find the job a lot easier than you think', Dumbledore responded mildly, surveying Mundungus over his half-moon spectacles, 'and that leaves me with...let me see, Severus, Bill, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Oliver and...oh yes, of course, Eva Cleansweep. She is the eighth recruit. You six will be working together. I will discuss your assignment with you when the meeting is concluded.'
Sirius and Remus shared a glance. Remus was grinning wickedly. While Dumbledore continued to talk about recent events, he shuffled his chair closer to Sirius' and muttered 'at least Eva's in the group as well.'
'That's a small comfort, when I'll have Snivellus bringing up my...weakness every moment of every day', Sirius grumbled, 'I bet our assignments really tame-Dumbledore wouldn't put me on anything important now I'm no better than a glorified Muggle.'
'No', Remus disagreed, 'I have a funny feeling he has something big planned for us...'
The meeting concluded soon after Dumbledore had handed out the assignments. After saying their goodbyes, everyone except for the six in question departed. As Hagrid waved back at them in the doorway, Sirius wondered when he would next see any of his friends. He caught Arthur's arm as he, too, headed for the door. 'Be careful, Arthur', he muttered.
Arthur smiled. 'Look after Bill, won't you?' he hissed, winking.
'Take care, Sirius! Remus!' Molly called over her shoulder. The front door closed, and they were gone.
Sirius and the others returned to the kitchen, to find Dumbledore had disappeared.
'He muttered something about Fawkes and disapparated', Bill told them, collapsing into a seat by the fire.
'He'll be back soon', Remus stated, also taking a seat. Sirius and Tonks sat down on either side of him. Snape leaned against the fireplace (Bill shoved his chair as far away as possible from his old Potions master), glowering at them all, while Oliver Wood stood by the door, looking somewhat uneasy. Sirius noticed him first.
'Your name's Wood, isn't it?' He asked, smiling encouragingly at Oliver.
Oliver nodded, and took a tentative step forward.
'You were Harry Potter's quidditch captain, weren't you?' Sirius continued.
Oliver looked somewhat surprised, but mumbled 'yeah.'
'He always spoke very highly of you', Sirius remarked pleasantly, grinning at Oliver. Oliver's eyebrows disappeared into his hair-line.
'I didn't know you knew Harry', he blurted out.
'Yeah', Sirius replied softly, 'he's my godson. Says you're a wonderful keeper. I hear you're with Puddlemere United?'
'Yeah, I am', Oliver took the stool that Remus offered to him, and smiled gratefully, 'we came fourth in the league this year.'
'I was at one of your matches', Tonks told the young keeper, 'the one against Chudley Cannons-you were brilliant!'
'Yeah', Bill admitted, 'the Cannons just couldn't get past you. I read all about it in Quidditch Monthly.'
'Pity he could never even make a simple Sleeping Draught.' Severus commented sourly.
Oliver's face, which had brightened up considerably at all the praise, now fell again.
'Shut up, Snivellus', Sirius growled. Oliver let out a snort of laughter, which he quickly turned into a cough.
'Why have you always got to be the killjoy?' Tonks complained, glaring at Snape.
'How dare you!' Snape's eyes flashed maliciously, as he glared at Tonks.
'No point in trying to scare me', Tonks said defiantly, 'I'm not your pupil anymore-neither are Bill or Oliver. We're all in this together, so it's up to us to sink or swim. And I swear, if you and Sirius keep snapping at each other constantly, I'll put a permanent Bat bogey Hex on you both!'
'How childish!' Snape grimaced.
'SHUT UP!' Everyone shouted together. Oliver Wood took particular pleasure in joining in with the others.
'Fighting already, I see', Dumbledore said, sighing heavily. Nobody had noticed him apparate. 'I warn you all, it is most important that you try and get along. It's bad enough that my students refuse to get along, without the Order starting to argue as well. From this moment forth, you will lay all your differences aside, and co-operate. Is that perfectly clear?'
'Yes', they all muttered.
'Good', Dumbledore replied, 'now, to business. I have chosen the seven of you because I believe you will complete this mission successfully. Between you, there is no skill that you lack, and your combined brain power is quite magnificent. Now, are you willing to undertake a mission so dangerous that I cannot guarantee you will all still be alive by the time of the next meeting?'
The six members of the group glanced nervously at each other. They would be depending on one another for survival.
'I'm up for it', Sirius said at last, breaking the tense silence. Remus nodded and said 'me too.'
'And I', Snape said, arching an eyebrow.
'I'm in for sure!' Tonks cried valiantly.
'Us too', Bill and Oliver said in unison.
'Good. And Eva has already agreed to undertake the mission, whatever it may be. Are you ready?'
Sirius licked his lips nervously, but nodded, along with his five comrades.
Dumbledore took a deep breath and revealed to them their mission:
'Hundreds of miles away from here, is a land which is uninhabitable', he began, 'the sky is always dark, the land is barren, and Fear rules eternally. At the edge of this land is the Sea of the Dead. In the middle of the Sea of the Dead is an island. And on that island stands the terrible fortress of Azkaban.
'I need not explain to you the horrors of the prison. All of you have seen Dementors, and understand their effects. Your mission is directly related to these evil creatures.
You must travel to Azkaban by foot, for that is the only way, and demand a parley with a group of Dementors. Try to persuade them to join our battle against Voldemort, but do not bribe them with promises of souls, for I will not tolerate any human being's soul being destroyed in such a filthy manner. But diplomacy, I can assure you, will not work.
In the heart of the fortress lies a silver orb. This orb is where Dementors come from. It keeps them going, nourishes them and duplicates them. The supply of souls is not always plentiful, and so the orb can produce enough energy to help the Dementors surive in between meals, so to speak. If the orb is destroyed, then all the Dementors will be too. Then, at least, this Second War will be fair, for whichever side had the Dementors to support them had an unfair advantage.'
A long, stunned silence followed Dumbledore's words. Sirius' stomach had a hollow feeling, and when Dumbledore told them they would have to go to Azkaban, he was certain his heart had stopped. It was several minutes before he realised that ervyone except Dumbledore was staring at him.
'What?' He said, though he knew perfectly well why they were watching him.
'Well, seeing as you're the only one amongst us who has been imprisoned there, perhaps you could give us inisght into what lies ahead', Snape said, his lip curling.
'Didn't you say Fudge was sending a messenger to Azkaban?' Remus interrupted quickly, 'what happened to him?'
'They took his soul.' Dumbledore said resignedly.
'What makes you think...they won't do that to us?' Bill asked sombrely.
'Nothing', Dumbledore responded simply, 'I told you, I cannot guarantee any of you your safety. But you are the most likely group of wizards and witches to succeed. The odds may be stacked against you, but I do not doubt that with a combined effort, you have a fair chance of succeeding.'
'A fair chance', Sirius repeated softly. He felt angry, frightened and hopeless, and was going to take it all out on Dumbledore.
'A fair chance?' He said more agressively, 'that's all your giving us? A fair chance that we might succeed. Look at us, Dumbledore! There's me-I have no magic, and I'm a physical wreck! Then there's Remus-you offered him a new job and a new life only a few days ago, but what use is that when he could be dead this time next month? And Bill-his parents has already affectively lost one son, and you're prepared to put his life on the line? And Tonks-the most cheerful, happy person you could ever hope to meet. You want all the joy and life sucked out of her? Severus...well, I have to say I don't see him as a loss to mankind if he does pop his clogs, but still! And Eva-she only just joined the Order, and your putting her on a death mission! And Oliver's only a kid! Explain to me, Dumbledore, how we are the most likely people to succeed on such a mission?'
'I apologise, Sirius', Dumbledore replied quietly, 'perhaps the wisdom of my choices are not apparent to any of you, but I promise you, in times to come, you will understand. I did not choose you lightly.'
'Azkaban, Dumbledore!' Sirius groaned, 'nobody goes in there and comes out the same person!'
'I am fully aware of the effects that Azkaban has on people, Sirius', Dumbledore responded patiently.
'What if we fail?' Tonks whispered, looking very pale and almost as though she was about to throw up.
'Then the Order of the Phoenix will fight on valiantly, although our chances of defeating Voldemort will be much smaller. Surely you understand that Harry Potter's role in all this will be made a good deal simpler by the elimination of Dementors. That boy has witnessed such horrors that it's a miracle he survives the onslaught of Dementors at all.'
Sirius sat up at the mention of Harry's name. He had not thought about it from that angle before.
'How do we get there?' Severus asked, also looking thoroughly shaken.
'I will provide you with basic directions, but as soon as you begin the journey, you will be entirely alone. You must rely on your own wits and instincts.' Dumbledore told them.
Sirius remembered the first glimpse he had caught of Azkaban, as he approached it with his guards. The memory made him feel physically sick, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
'If it must be done', Remus said softly, 'it must be done.'
The Order members looked at each other, and saw the resolve in one another's eyes. No matter what lay ahead, they were bound to the Order, and would not reject the mission. Dumbledore took their silent glances as an agreement.
'So be it', he declared, 'I wish you all the luck in the world. Please, all of you, remain here and await my instructions. You will not depart for at least a week-that will also give you time to bid farewell to your families. And now, I must go the Ministry and have a little chat with the Minister.' And with a brief salute to the small gathering, he disapparated, leaving the shell-shocked wizards and witch to ponder their own impending deaths.
'Hey Sirius!' Fred yelled brightly, 'so they worked then?'
'Yeah', Sirius replied, grinning and looking down at the seemingly normal shoes he was wearing, 'they were fantastic!'
Stilt Sneakers were the latest invention from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes: shoes with soles which thickened magically, making the wearer taller. Tonks had obtained a pair from the terrible twins, and depsite Remus' reservations, had given them to Sirius. Tonks had also got all his personal belongings from his locker, and found the knife which Lily had given. Sirius sat on the windowsill, and Tonks said the appropraite words over the shoes: They began to grow like stilts, until they touched the ground and Sirius hopped off the windowsill. Remus, who was waiting below, deflated the shoes, and Sirius sharnk back to normal size, safe on ground level. The trio had walked all the way to Grimmauld Place-stopping every now and then for Sirius to rest-and were quite worn out from their escapades.
Sirius descended to the kitchen, followed by the others. Tonks immediately began to make five mugs of cocoa, while everyone else sat down at the table.
'Never thought I'd say it', Sirius remarked, 'but it's good to be home.'
'Can we move in here, Sirius?' George asked eagerly.
'What? Why?' Sirius was surprised by the request, 'what's wrong with the Burrow?'
'Well', Fred began uncomfortably, 'it's Mum...she keeps nagging us, trying to find out how the business is going, fussing over us...'
'You'd rather she didn't care at all, would you?' Tonks asked sarcastically.
'Exactly', George replied, 'and we were thinking...this house is huge...we could live in one or two rooms...we'd be nearer to work-'
'But you apparate to work anyway!' Tonks exclaimed, while Remus tut-tutted from behind the newspaper.
'We know', Fred answered patiently, 'but it'd be nice to walk there sometimes-y'know, if we wanted the exercise.'
'And Mum could still see us-she's here practically every day', George added reasonably.
Sirius made a face. ' Truth is I'd love to have you here-this place get's lonely sometimes', he admitted, 'but Molly wouldn't like it. She thinks I'm a dreadful influence on her children already!'
'We're eighteen', Fred cried, 'we're old enough to make our own decisions!'
'I know', Sirius replied, 'but Molly doesn't see it that way. Look, clear it with her, then you can come and stay.'
'Yesss!' Fred and George high-fived one another, and grinned at Sirius.
'So', Fred said brightly, 'what's next on the agenda?'
'You two're going to get kicked out, because we're having an Order meeting at ten o'clock this morning.' Remus replied.
'We're joining', the twins responded in unison.
'No you're not', Remus, Tonks and Sirius retorted simultaneously.
There words were greeted by two howls of dismay. 'Please can we join?' George begged, 'we'd make fantastic spies-we have loads of practice!'
'No', Remus was deadly serious, 'you're too young.'
'We're almost as old as some of you were when You-Know-Who was around the first time!' Fred cried indignantly.
'Yes, but we had no choice', Remus explained patiently.
'And we're only a few years younger than Tonks!' George interrupted.
'Yeah, but I'm an auror', Tonks argued, 'I'm properly trained for this sort of thing!'
'But you're the clumsiest person EVER!' Fred roared, outraged.
Tonks turned bright red. 'So?' She said defiantly.
'That's enough of that!' Sirius bellowed, as the three youngest people present looked set to engage in a shouting match. 'Shut up, the lot of you! You're giving me a migraine. Fred and George, you can't join, end of story. When we tell you to get out, you get out, understood?'
Fred and George stared at Sirius, their mouths wide open. He had never spoken to them with authority before. 'Fine', George muttered sulkily.
Everyone sat down again.
'Anyone for a cup of cocoa?' Tonks asked cheerfully, after a few minutes.
'Yes please', they all replied at once, and burstout laughing. None of them could stay angry with each other for long!
************
Sirius gazed around the table at all the members of the Order of the Phoenix: Remus and Tonks, deep in discussion; Arthur and Molly arguing quietly over something; Snape, glaring around at everybody else; Minerva gesticulating wildly about something to some tiny little man that Sirius guessed was Flitwick. There was Mundungus, half-asleep in his chair; seven new recruits whom Sirius did not recognise; Mad-Eye Moody, his magical eye whizzing all over the place; Rubeus Hagrid, taking up half one side of the table; Bill and Charlie Weasley drinking Butterbeer and laughing; and in the centre of the table, looking as serene and amiable as ever, sat Albus Dumbledore.
Sirius surveyed his old headmaster carefully. He was surprised to see that Dumbledore was showing signs of exhaustion. Sirius had never thought of Dumbledore as a normal, vulnerable human being-he was Albus Dumbledore; the man who was and always would be around to solve all the problems of the world. Now, Dumbledore had shadows under his eyes, and did not look as alert as usual. He caught Sirius watching him, and smiling gently.
The general hubbub continued for a few minutes, before Dumbledore quietly called for order. Immediately, everyone was silent. He nodded with satisfaction.
'Thank you', he began, 'for your co-operation in coming here this morning. I think we have almost all of the Order members here-excluding Mr Shacklebot, of course, who remains grievously ill.'
There was a murmur around the table. Molly shook her head despairingly, while Arthur comforted her. Dumbledore continued.
'I called you here this morning to discuss the recent change in events', he declared, 'As you know, we now have the Minister for Magic in our midst- something which will work greatly to our advantage. We also have seven new recruits-eight actually, only the eighth was unable to attend this morning. Members of the Order of the Phoenix, meet your new comrades; Jessica Bones, Andrew Thompson, Jamila Patil, Zachary Marsden, Blaise Silvermoon, Louise Jameson and Oliver Wood.'
The new recruits smiled somewhat nervously as the other Order members greeted them. Sirius paid particular attention to Oliver Wood-a young man who looked about twenty years old. He had heard Harry speak highly of him, and he nodded a greeting to Wood.
'Assignments', Dumbledore said, recalling the attention of the group. He gazed around his former pupils, thinking. After a few moments pause, he nodded and continued. 'Mad-Eye, Minerva and Blaise; I'm putting you three in charge of Hogsmeade. I want you to watch the comings and goings of every single person. I want to establish a profile on who is frequenting the area close to Hogwarts. I want a report at the end of June.'
'Right you are, Dumbledore', Mad-Eye grunted, putting his feet on the table, and ignoring Molly's heavy sighs. The other two involved nodded- Blaise looked distinctly relieved to have been give so simple an assignment.
'Hagrid. I want you to deliver a message to Durmstrang and to Beauxbatons. I'll give you the details this evening.'
'Thank ye, Professor', Hagrid said, nodding.
'Now...let me see...Charlie, Jessica and Louise. I want you to shadow the families of the Death Eaters we captured in the Department of Mysteries. I want a detailed time-table of their movements.'
'Aye aye cap'n', Charlie said cheerfully, saluting the headmaster. He was already turning up the charm for the two young women who would be accompanying him.
'Excellent, excellent...Mundungus, Zachary, Andrew, Arthur, Molly, Flitwick, and Jamila-you are in charge of guarding London.'
Arthur spat out a mouthful of Butterbeer. 'What?' He exclaimed, 'guarding London? You mean the whole city?'
'Yes', Dumbledore replied simply, 'this city is the centre of the Anti- Voldemort movement and you in particular Arthur, with many HitWizards under your thumb, are in charge of making sure that St Mungo's is never attacked, that Ministry Headquarters are never penetrated again, that Grimmauld Place remains a closely guarded secret and that Knockturn Alley is...how shall I put this? Purged of its usual residents. I don't want such a source of evil so close to Diagon Alley.'
'No problem, Dumbledore', Mundugus Fletcher replied sarcastically, 'piece o' cake.'
'You will find the job a lot easier than you think', Dumbledore responded mildly, surveying Mundungus over his half-moon spectacles, 'and that leaves me with...let me see, Severus, Bill, Remus, Tonks, Sirius, Oliver and...oh yes, of course, Eva Cleansweep. She is the eighth recruit. You six will be working together. I will discuss your assignment with you when the meeting is concluded.'
Sirius and Remus shared a glance. Remus was grinning wickedly. While Dumbledore continued to talk about recent events, he shuffled his chair closer to Sirius' and muttered 'at least Eva's in the group as well.'
'That's a small comfort, when I'll have Snivellus bringing up my...weakness every moment of every day', Sirius grumbled, 'I bet our assignments really tame-Dumbledore wouldn't put me on anything important now I'm no better than a glorified Muggle.'
'No', Remus disagreed, 'I have a funny feeling he has something big planned for us...'
The meeting concluded soon after Dumbledore had handed out the assignments. After saying their goodbyes, everyone except for the six in question departed. As Hagrid waved back at them in the doorway, Sirius wondered when he would next see any of his friends. He caught Arthur's arm as he, too, headed for the door. 'Be careful, Arthur', he muttered.
Arthur smiled. 'Look after Bill, won't you?' he hissed, winking.
'Take care, Sirius! Remus!' Molly called over her shoulder. The front door closed, and they were gone.
Sirius and the others returned to the kitchen, to find Dumbledore had disappeared.
'He muttered something about Fawkes and disapparated', Bill told them, collapsing into a seat by the fire.
'He'll be back soon', Remus stated, also taking a seat. Sirius and Tonks sat down on either side of him. Snape leaned against the fireplace (Bill shoved his chair as far away as possible from his old Potions master), glowering at them all, while Oliver Wood stood by the door, looking somewhat uneasy. Sirius noticed him first.
'Your name's Wood, isn't it?' He asked, smiling encouragingly at Oliver.
Oliver nodded, and took a tentative step forward.
'You were Harry Potter's quidditch captain, weren't you?' Sirius continued.
Oliver looked somewhat surprised, but mumbled 'yeah.'
'He always spoke very highly of you', Sirius remarked pleasantly, grinning at Oliver. Oliver's eyebrows disappeared into his hair-line.
'I didn't know you knew Harry', he blurted out.
'Yeah', Sirius replied softly, 'he's my godson. Says you're a wonderful keeper. I hear you're with Puddlemere United?'
'Yeah, I am', Oliver took the stool that Remus offered to him, and smiled gratefully, 'we came fourth in the league this year.'
'I was at one of your matches', Tonks told the young keeper, 'the one against Chudley Cannons-you were brilliant!'
'Yeah', Bill admitted, 'the Cannons just couldn't get past you. I read all about it in Quidditch Monthly.'
'Pity he could never even make a simple Sleeping Draught.' Severus commented sourly.
Oliver's face, which had brightened up considerably at all the praise, now fell again.
'Shut up, Snivellus', Sirius growled. Oliver let out a snort of laughter, which he quickly turned into a cough.
'Why have you always got to be the killjoy?' Tonks complained, glaring at Snape.
'How dare you!' Snape's eyes flashed maliciously, as he glared at Tonks.
'No point in trying to scare me', Tonks said defiantly, 'I'm not your pupil anymore-neither are Bill or Oliver. We're all in this together, so it's up to us to sink or swim. And I swear, if you and Sirius keep snapping at each other constantly, I'll put a permanent Bat bogey Hex on you both!'
'How childish!' Snape grimaced.
'SHUT UP!' Everyone shouted together. Oliver Wood took particular pleasure in joining in with the others.
'Fighting already, I see', Dumbledore said, sighing heavily. Nobody had noticed him apparate. 'I warn you all, it is most important that you try and get along. It's bad enough that my students refuse to get along, without the Order starting to argue as well. From this moment forth, you will lay all your differences aside, and co-operate. Is that perfectly clear?'
'Yes', they all muttered.
'Good', Dumbledore replied, 'now, to business. I have chosen the seven of you because I believe you will complete this mission successfully. Between you, there is no skill that you lack, and your combined brain power is quite magnificent. Now, are you willing to undertake a mission so dangerous that I cannot guarantee you will all still be alive by the time of the next meeting?'
The six members of the group glanced nervously at each other. They would be depending on one another for survival.
'I'm up for it', Sirius said at last, breaking the tense silence. Remus nodded and said 'me too.'
'And I', Snape said, arching an eyebrow.
'I'm in for sure!' Tonks cried valiantly.
'Us too', Bill and Oliver said in unison.
'Good. And Eva has already agreed to undertake the mission, whatever it may be. Are you ready?'
Sirius licked his lips nervously, but nodded, along with his five comrades.
Dumbledore took a deep breath and revealed to them their mission:
'Hundreds of miles away from here, is a land which is uninhabitable', he began, 'the sky is always dark, the land is barren, and Fear rules eternally. At the edge of this land is the Sea of the Dead. In the middle of the Sea of the Dead is an island. And on that island stands the terrible fortress of Azkaban.
'I need not explain to you the horrors of the prison. All of you have seen Dementors, and understand their effects. Your mission is directly related to these evil creatures.
You must travel to Azkaban by foot, for that is the only way, and demand a parley with a group of Dementors. Try to persuade them to join our battle against Voldemort, but do not bribe them with promises of souls, for I will not tolerate any human being's soul being destroyed in such a filthy manner. But diplomacy, I can assure you, will not work.
In the heart of the fortress lies a silver orb. This orb is where Dementors come from. It keeps them going, nourishes them and duplicates them. The supply of souls is not always plentiful, and so the orb can produce enough energy to help the Dementors surive in between meals, so to speak. If the orb is destroyed, then all the Dementors will be too. Then, at least, this Second War will be fair, for whichever side had the Dementors to support them had an unfair advantage.'
A long, stunned silence followed Dumbledore's words. Sirius' stomach had a hollow feeling, and when Dumbledore told them they would have to go to Azkaban, he was certain his heart had stopped. It was several minutes before he realised that ervyone except Dumbledore was staring at him.
'What?' He said, though he knew perfectly well why they were watching him.
'Well, seeing as you're the only one amongst us who has been imprisoned there, perhaps you could give us inisght into what lies ahead', Snape said, his lip curling.
'Didn't you say Fudge was sending a messenger to Azkaban?' Remus interrupted quickly, 'what happened to him?'
'They took his soul.' Dumbledore said resignedly.
'What makes you think...they won't do that to us?' Bill asked sombrely.
'Nothing', Dumbledore responded simply, 'I told you, I cannot guarantee any of you your safety. But you are the most likely group of wizards and witches to succeed. The odds may be stacked against you, but I do not doubt that with a combined effort, you have a fair chance of succeeding.'
'A fair chance', Sirius repeated softly. He felt angry, frightened and hopeless, and was going to take it all out on Dumbledore.
'A fair chance?' He said more agressively, 'that's all your giving us? A fair chance that we might succeed. Look at us, Dumbledore! There's me-I have no magic, and I'm a physical wreck! Then there's Remus-you offered him a new job and a new life only a few days ago, but what use is that when he could be dead this time next month? And Bill-his parents has already affectively lost one son, and you're prepared to put his life on the line? And Tonks-the most cheerful, happy person you could ever hope to meet. You want all the joy and life sucked out of her? Severus...well, I have to say I don't see him as a loss to mankind if he does pop his clogs, but still! And Eva-she only just joined the Order, and your putting her on a death mission! And Oliver's only a kid! Explain to me, Dumbledore, how we are the most likely people to succeed on such a mission?'
'I apologise, Sirius', Dumbledore replied quietly, 'perhaps the wisdom of my choices are not apparent to any of you, but I promise you, in times to come, you will understand. I did not choose you lightly.'
'Azkaban, Dumbledore!' Sirius groaned, 'nobody goes in there and comes out the same person!'
'I am fully aware of the effects that Azkaban has on people, Sirius', Dumbledore responded patiently.
'What if we fail?' Tonks whispered, looking very pale and almost as though she was about to throw up.
'Then the Order of the Phoenix will fight on valiantly, although our chances of defeating Voldemort will be much smaller. Surely you understand that Harry Potter's role in all this will be made a good deal simpler by the elimination of Dementors. That boy has witnessed such horrors that it's a miracle he survives the onslaught of Dementors at all.'
Sirius sat up at the mention of Harry's name. He had not thought about it from that angle before.
'How do we get there?' Severus asked, also looking thoroughly shaken.
'I will provide you with basic directions, but as soon as you begin the journey, you will be entirely alone. You must rely on your own wits and instincts.' Dumbledore told them.
Sirius remembered the first glimpse he had caught of Azkaban, as he approached it with his guards. The memory made him feel physically sick, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
'If it must be done', Remus said softly, 'it must be done.'
The Order members looked at each other, and saw the resolve in one another's eyes. No matter what lay ahead, they were bound to the Order, and would not reject the mission. Dumbledore took their silent glances as an agreement.
'So be it', he declared, 'I wish you all the luck in the world. Please, all of you, remain here and await my instructions. You will not depart for at least a week-that will also give you time to bid farewell to your families. And now, I must go the Ministry and have a little chat with the Minister.' And with a brief salute to the small gathering, he disapparated, leaving the shell-shocked wizards and witch to ponder their own impending deaths.