AN: When I wrote the chapter, it was extremely long. So I cut it into two
chapters. This one's just crescendo-ing up to the next one. The next one is
the third (and final) defiance. Hope you like them!
S* Penweaver: Um. . . I don't *think* I'm JK Rowling. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm not. I take it as an immensely flattering compliment, though. Glad you like the story, hope this one's worthy of JKR-ness.
Nikki: Hmmm. . . if you have some extra time, and don't mind reading a 21- chapter story, then you can read all about Jamie in "Like an Open Window". It's completely up to you, though. Thank you *so* much for the encouraging thought on my writing. It's nice to know it's at least a bit less pathetic than before ;)
Rebecca Lyn: Thanks for the input on the chapter title. I was a bit iffy on it. It sounded corny to me, but at least you liked it. Maybe I'm just too hard on myself.
Nixiy: Ergh. That's happened to me before. (the message from ff.net saying I've already reviewed) Um. . . I guess you could drug them and marry them (to each other), but that would drastically affect my story, so please don't. Yes, it is frustrating, but I love making idiots out of the characters. It's so fun!
~~
"Let's see, Lily's having a baby, Rebecca's having a baby," Dorcas said now holding up two fingers. "Frank and Alice Longbottom," she held another finger up, "Edgar Bones's wife. . ." She stopped to search her memory.
"Not to mention my sister," Lily muttered.
"And that," Sirius exclaimed with a grand entrance into the room, "is why I say we should celebrate. Come on, drinks all around!" He hauled in a large crate full of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey.
"Sirius!" Rebecca exclaimed. "What an awful thing to suggest for pregnant women! Have you a brain at all?"
James smiled and stood up. "I think it's safe if I help you finish it off, if they won't."
Sirius stood in front of Dorcas, offering her a bottle. She took it just to humor him, but never opened it.
"You, Moony?" Remus shook his head. Sirius and James grinned. Remus shook his head again.
James looked into the crate and frowned. "Five of them are missing!"
Sirius hiccupped.
Remus was still shaking his head, sighing wearily. "Sirius, this is Order Headquarters. Get drunk at your own place."
Sirius held a finger up. "Definitely not. This was precisely my plan. People are going to show up sooner or later." And sure enough, not long after, Gideon and Fabian Prewett and Emmaline Vance were there.
Remus shot Rebecca a meaningful look, but she only gave a wry smile. "It isn't a meeting yet, now is it?"
"What's this?" asked Gideon, giving the crate a small kick.
"Drinks!" Fabian exclaimed, and grabbed two for himself.
"You know what I think," Sirius said to James, his voice slurring already. "I think Remus fancies someone." Dorcas stood up to steady Sirius as he nearly fell over.
"Yeah I do," Remus said, grabbing Rebecca's hand. She beamed, trying (and failing) to hide her joy.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Sirius asked loudly when he saw Dorcas approach the crate of Firewhiskey.
"My bottle's empty," she said sheepishly, holding up the bottle.
Sirius grinned. "I wonder how that happened?" he said. Dorcas shrugged her shoulders, smiling, and took another one.
More members visited, some refusing their offers firmly and others rather enthusiastic to join in. Before long, it was a party - which was exactly what Sirius had been hoping for.
By the time the drinks started taking affect, Lily looked furious and especially annoyed. She practically had to drag James away from the Firewhiskey before convincing him to leave with her.
It was impossible to say how many drinks Sirius had had, but it must have been more than enough because by the time people were leaving he was kissing Dorcas passionately. She was so insanely drunk herself that she didn't slap him like she would have.
Poor Remus lived here, so there was no escape. He was incredibly relieved when everyone left - not just because of the hassle, but because at nightfall, he'd transform.
It didn't occur to him until after everyone was gone that he was going to be alone. Then a stronger fear took over when he saw Rebecca cleaning up the room.
"Go home," he said quickly, and a little harsher than he'd intended. He quickly glanced outside - it was already dark.
"Excuse me?"
"The moon's full. Go home, and send James an owl for help. Don't even bother with Sirius." And with that, he ran from the house, as far into the trees as he could.
Of course, Sirius wouldn't be able to come, but at least there was a chance that James wasn't too drunk to help a friend out.
He stopped and leaned against a tree to catch his breath, glancing warily at the moon. He tried to stay under the shade of the forest's thick branches overhead, thinking that maybe he could hide from the moonlight.
His breathing finally began to slow, and his heartbeat reduced to its normal rate, but before he could actually relax, a sharp pain exploded in his side - spreading throughout his body. The last thing he heard was the sound of rustling leaves before he fell to the ground, and his own screaming filled his ears.
When he got to his feet, he found that he couldn't stand - the moon was hitting him full blast. He remained on all fours, and tried desperately to keep control over himself, when a familiar stag emerged from the bushes.
He would have said something, except for the fact that he couldn't talk. The stag bent its front legs in a bow, and then the back legs did the same, so it was lying on the ground.
The wolf decided to rest on the ground as well in hopes that he could sleep away this nightmare.
~~~~~~~~~~
As luck would have it, Dumbledore called for a meeting the next morning.
James sent an owl saying Lily had morning sickness due to pregnancy, which was understandable and easily dismissed. Dorcas looked tired as if she'd been throwing up all night (which she probably had been). Sirius didn't show up at all.
The meeting wasn't very productive - it was full of congratulations for the Longbottoms and for Edgar Bones and his wife, and people wishing Benjy Fenwick well with his new teaching job. Nobody even mentioned a word about Snape, except noting that he hadn't shown.
Dumbledore told them that he had previous engagements, and everyone assumed that meant he was meeting Voldemort and his followers. No one seemed to notice Peter's absence - not even Remus or Dumbledore - so nothing was said of the coincidence.
Seeing as there was nothing of real importance to say, the meeting was ended quickly. Remus sat at the table after the members had left, thinking about James and Lily. Eventually, his thoughts led to Rebecca.
If Lily wasn't feeling all too well, maybe Rebecca was just as bad. Remus felt a twinge of guilt at the thought that she was alone with no one to care for her.
He couldn't for the life of him cook a thing so he resorted to conjuring a plate of cookies, and Disapparated.
He arrived at the front door of her flat, and knocked quietly. He noticed with dismay that the cookies were peanut butter. Rebecca hated peanut butter. But before he could change it, the door opened.
"Hi," he said nervously.
"Cookies!" was all she said before letting him inside.
"They're peanut butter," he began sheepishly.
"Oh, that doesn't matter. I could eat anything these days." She took a seat on the couch slowly, and Remus sat opposite of her.
"You doing okay?" he asked after a while.
Rebecca smiled, and put the plate of cookies down. "Worried about me, are you?"
Remus nodded.
Her smile brightened. "I'm fine. At least for now." She laughed. "You know, you're visiting me so often now, you might as well be the father."
Remus kept his eyes from widening. "If you want," he said, a little unprepared for that.
Rebecca gave a small laugh, and turned back to the cookies. "Did you make these?"
"If I had, they'd look like rocks."
"I'd eat them anyway."
"You sure?" Remus asked her, a small grin spreading across his face.
She nodded. "Thank you," she said, beginning to stand up.
"No, don't get up, I'll just leave."
But she got up anyways. "So soon? You just got here."
"Well, I came to bring the cookies."
"You aren't upset with me, are you?"
Remus froze. "No. Why?"
Rebecca sighed, ignoring the question. "You won't think of me differently? You know, having a child to care for, and all. You'll still visit, won't you?"
Remus closed his eyes, and shook his head. *Why did she worry so much?* He took her hands in his. "Of course, Becca."
She narrowed her eyes, and lowered her head. "You sure? Because, I was thinking for a while it was all out of pity."
Remus rolled his eyes. "Is there any way to make you happy?"
She smiled and stepped forward, nodding her head slightly while she brought her hand behind his neck and kissed him. For the first time in more than a year, her vision went blank and a series of images flashed in her mind over and over. It took her a while to slow them down.
She found herself in a wedding dress. She was quickly replaced by a small girl, laughing and singing. The girl suddenly looked older, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Another girl appeared, with blonde hair like Remus's. She was standing alone.
Rebecca saw herself once again in a wedding dress.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Dark Lord was livid, and didn't at all refrain from taking it out on everyone around him. Peter desperately tried to clear all emotion from his mind while his master was shouting threats and curses.
"Anyone, *anyone*, who I find in questionable company will be punished for their stupidity," he spat. "It has come to my attention that there is a leak in our security." Peter shut his open mouth quickly, and cast his eyes downward. Even Snape couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear.
Voldemort acquired an almost satisfied look when he noticed how uncomfortable the group had become. "Though, what disappoints me is that I had to figure this out for myself. None of my followers found it suiting that they should bring it to my attention. Though, I must say I've known it all along. Why else would I fail miserably every time I went after the Potters?"
Peter closed his eyes in an attempt to subdue his fear. He let his mind empty itself of any thought, and then his master spoke once more.
"Any thoughts?"
Peter opened his eyes once more, and glanced around. To his horror, someone stepped forward, though they kept their mask on. "My lord, may I suggest someone in close company with James Potter? I've known Peter Pettigrew all my days at school, and I have to admit that back then, him and his stupid little friends were inseparable."
Peter didn't move an inch, and the only thing he let his mind acknowledge was that the voice sounded female and somewhat familiar. He felt everyone's eyes on him, though he relentlessly stuck to his Occlumency, and refused to let his own fear overpower him.
He glanced quickly at the Dark Lord and saw that his lidless eyes were boring into his. He struggled to remain impassive.
"I think it's safe to say why the Order's on to us," the Death Eater continued with a hint of excitement. "He's the only one among us in contact with them."
To Peter's surprise, Snape stepped forward as well. "Good point, though I must add one thing, Bellatrix." The Death Eater (who in fact turned out to be Bellatrix Lestrange) took off her mask, scowling.
"I believe you are in close relation with Mr. Potter's best friend, Sirius Black," Snape continued, his face cold and unreadable.
"He's my cousin!" she retorted with disgust.
"But he's family nonetheless," Snape replied calmly.
Voldemort turned his attention slowly to the witch in question.
"He is, as far as I'm concerned, not my family!" she cried indignantly, with a slight edge of panic. "This is my family, and I will remain loyal to it." She shot an accusing look towards Peter.
Voldemort watched her with narrowed eyes for a minute, and then turned to Snape, and then to Peter. He seemed to come to no conclusion, which apparently inspired immense frustration in him.
"Very well, then. I will confide none of my plans to any of you, and no one will get in my way. James Potter will die before anything can go wrong."
He gave a firm nod of dismissal, and the group Disapparated hastily. Peter closed his eyes in preparation to leave, but found that he couldn't. He tried again, but still found himself standing in the same cave.
"Wormtail," his master called. Peter turned around, and saw that the Dark Lord had his wand out, restraining him from Disapparating.
"Yes, my lord?" he replied, his mouth going dry.
"You will tell me where he is when I ask it of you."
~~
AN: I got really confused when I wrote this. I wasn't sure if Snape was doing the right thing by saving Peter right there. It was a good thing to do, and made Snape seem a bit more human, but it would have been better if Peter had actually been discovered and killed.
And yet I'm writing Peter almost as if he's a good guy, and I really need to stop that. He's a git. *author repeats to herself* He's a git, he's a git, he's a git. . .
Oh, I'm really excited about the next chapter. Brace yourselves, I'm gonna kill off a character. (not that I want to, or anything) It's sad, but I've been working on it for a while now.
Review!
S* Penweaver: Um. . . I don't *think* I'm JK Rowling. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm not. I take it as an immensely flattering compliment, though. Glad you like the story, hope this one's worthy of JKR-ness.
Nikki: Hmmm. . . if you have some extra time, and don't mind reading a 21- chapter story, then you can read all about Jamie in "Like an Open Window". It's completely up to you, though. Thank you *so* much for the encouraging thought on my writing. It's nice to know it's at least a bit less pathetic than before ;)
Rebecca Lyn: Thanks for the input on the chapter title. I was a bit iffy on it. It sounded corny to me, but at least you liked it. Maybe I'm just too hard on myself.
Nixiy: Ergh. That's happened to me before. (the message from ff.net saying I've already reviewed) Um. . . I guess you could drug them and marry them (to each other), but that would drastically affect my story, so please don't. Yes, it is frustrating, but I love making idiots out of the characters. It's so fun!
~~
"Let's see, Lily's having a baby, Rebecca's having a baby," Dorcas said now holding up two fingers. "Frank and Alice Longbottom," she held another finger up, "Edgar Bones's wife. . ." She stopped to search her memory.
"Not to mention my sister," Lily muttered.
"And that," Sirius exclaimed with a grand entrance into the room, "is why I say we should celebrate. Come on, drinks all around!" He hauled in a large crate full of Ogden's Old Firewhiskey.
"Sirius!" Rebecca exclaimed. "What an awful thing to suggest for pregnant women! Have you a brain at all?"
James smiled and stood up. "I think it's safe if I help you finish it off, if they won't."
Sirius stood in front of Dorcas, offering her a bottle. She took it just to humor him, but never opened it.
"You, Moony?" Remus shook his head. Sirius and James grinned. Remus shook his head again.
James looked into the crate and frowned. "Five of them are missing!"
Sirius hiccupped.
Remus was still shaking his head, sighing wearily. "Sirius, this is Order Headquarters. Get drunk at your own place."
Sirius held a finger up. "Definitely not. This was precisely my plan. People are going to show up sooner or later." And sure enough, not long after, Gideon and Fabian Prewett and Emmaline Vance were there.
Remus shot Rebecca a meaningful look, but she only gave a wry smile. "It isn't a meeting yet, now is it?"
"What's this?" asked Gideon, giving the crate a small kick.
"Drinks!" Fabian exclaimed, and grabbed two for himself.
"You know what I think," Sirius said to James, his voice slurring already. "I think Remus fancies someone." Dorcas stood up to steady Sirius as he nearly fell over.
"Yeah I do," Remus said, grabbing Rebecca's hand. She beamed, trying (and failing) to hide her joy.
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?" Sirius asked loudly when he saw Dorcas approach the crate of Firewhiskey.
"My bottle's empty," she said sheepishly, holding up the bottle.
Sirius grinned. "I wonder how that happened?" he said. Dorcas shrugged her shoulders, smiling, and took another one.
More members visited, some refusing their offers firmly and others rather enthusiastic to join in. Before long, it was a party - which was exactly what Sirius had been hoping for.
By the time the drinks started taking affect, Lily looked furious and especially annoyed. She practically had to drag James away from the Firewhiskey before convincing him to leave with her.
It was impossible to say how many drinks Sirius had had, but it must have been more than enough because by the time people were leaving he was kissing Dorcas passionately. She was so insanely drunk herself that she didn't slap him like she would have.
Poor Remus lived here, so there was no escape. He was incredibly relieved when everyone left - not just because of the hassle, but because at nightfall, he'd transform.
It didn't occur to him until after everyone was gone that he was going to be alone. Then a stronger fear took over when he saw Rebecca cleaning up the room.
"Go home," he said quickly, and a little harsher than he'd intended. He quickly glanced outside - it was already dark.
"Excuse me?"
"The moon's full. Go home, and send James an owl for help. Don't even bother with Sirius." And with that, he ran from the house, as far into the trees as he could.
Of course, Sirius wouldn't be able to come, but at least there was a chance that James wasn't too drunk to help a friend out.
He stopped and leaned against a tree to catch his breath, glancing warily at the moon. He tried to stay under the shade of the forest's thick branches overhead, thinking that maybe he could hide from the moonlight.
His breathing finally began to slow, and his heartbeat reduced to its normal rate, but before he could actually relax, a sharp pain exploded in his side - spreading throughout his body. The last thing he heard was the sound of rustling leaves before he fell to the ground, and his own screaming filled his ears.
When he got to his feet, he found that he couldn't stand - the moon was hitting him full blast. He remained on all fours, and tried desperately to keep control over himself, when a familiar stag emerged from the bushes.
He would have said something, except for the fact that he couldn't talk. The stag bent its front legs in a bow, and then the back legs did the same, so it was lying on the ground.
The wolf decided to rest on the ground as well in hopes that he could sleep away this nightmare.
~~~~~~~~~~
As luck would have it, Dumbledore called for a meeting the next morning.
James sent an owl saying Lily had morning sickness due to pregnancy, which was understandable and easily dismissed. Dorcas looked tired as if she'd been throwing up all night (which she probably had been). Sirius didn't show up at all.
The meeting wasn't very productive - it was full of congratulations for the Longbottoms and for Edgar Bones and his wife, and people wishing Benjy Fenwick well with his new teaching job. Nobody even mentioned a word about Snape, except noting that he hadn't shown.
Dumbledore told them that he had previous engagements, and everyone assumed that meant he was meeting Voldemort and his followers. No one seemed to notice Peter's absence - not even Remus or Dumbledore - so nothing was said of the coincidence.
Seeing as there was nothing of real importance to say, the meeting was ended quickly. Remus sat at the table after the members had left, thinking about James and Lily. Eventually, his thoughts led to Rebecca.
If Lily wasn't feeling all too well, maybe Rebecca was just as bad. Remus felt a twinge of guilt at the thought that she was alone with no one to care for her.
He couldn't for the life of him cook a thing so he resorted to conjuring a plate of cookies, and Disapparated.
He arrived at the front door of her flat, and knocked quietly. He noticed with dismay that the cookies were peanut butter. Rebecca hated peanut butter. But before he could change it, the door opened.
"Hi," he said nervously.
"Cookies!" was all she said before letting him inside.
"They're peanut butter," he began sheepishly.
"Oh, that doesn't matter. I could eat anything these days." She took a seat on the couch slowly, and Remus sat opposite of her.
"You doing okay?" he asked after a while.
Rebecca smiled, and put the plate of cookies down. "Worried about me, are you?"
Remus nodded.
Her smile brightened. "I'm fine. At least for now." She laughed. "You know, you're visiting me so often now, you might as well be the father."
Remus kept his eyes from widening. "If you want," he said, a little unprepared for that.
Rebecca gave a small laugh, and turned back to the cookies. "Did you make these?"
"If I had, they'd look like rocks."
"I'd eat them anyway."
"You sure?" Remus asked her, a small grin spreading across his face.
She nodded. "Thank you," she said, beginning to stand up.
"No, don't get up, I'll just leave."
But she got up anyways. "So soon? You just got here."
"Well, I came to bring the cookies."
"You aren't upset with me, are you?"
Remus froze. "No. Why?"
Rebecca sighed, ignoring the question. "You won't think of me differently? You know, having a child to care for, and all. You'll still visit, won't you?"
Remus closed his eyes, and shook his head. *Why did she worry so much?* He took her hands in his. "Of course, Becca."
She narrowed her eyes, and lowered her head. "You sure? Because, I was thinking for a while it was all out of pity."
Remus rolled his eyes. "Is there any way to make you happy?"
She smiled and stepped forward, nodding her head slightly while she brought her hand behind his neck and kissed him. For the first time in more than a year, her vision went blank and a series of images flashed in her mind over and over. It took her a while to slow them down.
She found herself in a wedding dress. She was quickly replaced by a small girl, laughing and singing. The girl suddenly looked older, and tears were streaming down her cheeks. Another girl appeared, with blonde hair like Remus's. She was standing alone.
Rebecca saw herself once again in a wedding dress.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Dark Lord was livid, and didn't at all refrain from taking it out on everyone around him. Peter desperately tried to clear all emotion from his mind while his master was shouting threats and curses.
"Anyone, *anyone*, who I find in questionable company will be punished for their stupidity," he spat. "It has come to my attention that there is a leak in our security." Peter shut his open mouth quickly, and cast his eyes downward. Even Snape couldn't help but feel a twinge of fear.
Voldemort acquired an almost satisfied look when he noticed how uncomfortable the group had become. "Though, what disappoints me is that I had to figure this out for myself. None of my followers found it suiting that they should bring it to my attention. Though, I must say I've known it all along. Why else would I fail miserably every time I went after the Potters?"
Peter closed his eyes in an attempt to subdue his fear. He let his mind empty itself of any thought, and then his master spoke once more.
"Any thoughts?"
Peter opened his eyes once more, and glanced around. To his horror, someone stepped forward, though they kept their mask on. "My lord, may I suggest someone in close company with James Potter? I've known Peter Pettigrew all my days at school, and I have to admit that back then, him and his stupid little friends were inseparable."
Peter didn't move an inch, and the only thing he let his mind acknowledge was that the voice sounded female and somewhat familiar. He felt everyone's eyes on him, though he relentlessly stuck to his Occlumency, and refused to let his own fear overpower him.
He glanced quickly at the Dark Lord and saw that his lidless eyes were boring into his. He struggled to remain impassive.
"I think it's safe to say why the Order's on to us," the Death Eater continued with a hint of excitement. "He's the only one among us in contact with them."
To Peter's surprise, Snape stepped forward as well. "Good point, though I must add one thing, Bellatrix." The Death Eater (who in fact turned out to be Bellatrix Lestrange) took off her mask, scowling.
"I believe you are in close relation with Mr. Potter's best friend, Sirius Black," Snape continued, his face cold and unreadable.
"He's my cousin!" she retorted with disgust.
"But he's family nonetheless," Snape replied calmly.
Voldemort turned his attention slowly to the witch in question.
"He is, as far as I'm concerned, not my family!" she cried indignantly, with a slight edge of panic. "This is my family, and I will remain loyal to it." She shot an accusing look towards Peter.
Voldemort watched her with narrowed eyes for a minute, and then turned to Snape, and then to Peter. He seemed to come to no conclusion, which apparently inspired immense frustration in him.
"Very well, then. I will confide none of my plans to any of you, and no one will get in my way. James Potter will die before anything can go wrong."
He gave a firm nod of dismissal, and the group Disapparated hastily. Peter closed his eyes in preparation to leave, but found that he couldn't. He tried again, but still found himself standing in the same cave.
"Wormtail," his master called. Peter turned around, and saw that the Dark Lord had his wand out, restraining him from Disapparating.
"Yes, my lord?" he replied, his mouth going dry.
"You will tell me where he is when I ask it of you."
~~
AN: I got really confused when I wrote this. I wasn't sure if Snape was doing the right thing by saving Peter right there. It was a good thing to do, and made Snape seem a bit more human, but it would have been better if Peter had actually been discovered and killed.
And yet I'm writing Peter almost as if he's a good guy, and I really need to stop that. He's a git. *author repeats to herself* He's a git, he's a git, he's a git. . .
Oh, I'm really excited about the next chapter. Brace yourselves, I'm gonna kill off a character. (not that I want to, or anything) It's sad, but I've been working on it for a while now.
Review!
