Chapter Two - Number 12 Grimmauld Place

They arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place an hour and half later.

"Julianna, oh, it's good to see you again!" said Mrs. Weasley, "Come, their upstairs, you know the way. We'll be having dinner after the meeting." She said as she tried to keep up with the others. Julianna proceeded quietly, she couldn't be more uncomfortable. This place… this place…

She opened the door and she saw Hermione, Ron and Ginny.

"Julianna!" Hermione said and hugged her. Ginny came after.

"Hi, mate," Ron said, "sorry, I couldn't come to get you like what I said at the letter because Mum wouldn't allow me."

"Of course, she wouldn't, it's the Advanced Guard's job to do that!"

Julianna slumped at the bed. Ginny, Hermione and Ron became quiet.

"What's wrong mate?"

Hermione nudged him.

"Just tired, I'm fine." Julianna said as lazily as she could. "Any news from the Order?"

"Well, Dumbledore and Fudge are - er - in good terms now, so…"

"I see."

"Apparently, they're building an army against You-Know-Who, we've got more members now although others needed extra persuasion from Dumbledore."

"Right."

"Fred and George's still not home, Mum went ballistic of course but I daresay it was far more better than Percy, you should've seen his face when everything he thought a lie was true." said Ginny.

"Yeah."

The three exchanged looks, "uhh, Julianna-"

"Dinner time!" said Mrs. Weasley excitedly and they all went down.

Dinner was a disaster, it was not the food but the empty chair right across Julianna. Mundungus made an attempt to seat down on that chair but Moody growled at him. Everybody tried to act natural but couldn't prevent to look at her every time somebody makes a mistake of mentioning the incident. In order to spare herself from more despair, she retreated early to her room. She couldn't sleep at once and just kept staring at the ceiling. She closed her eyes though when she heard Hermione entered the room and went to bed. Julianna didn't know what happened after for she had fallen asleep.

When Julianna woke up the next day, she promised herself that she wouldn't let anyone know or even try to assume her feelings right now and so went down to breakfast with a smile on her face that startled everyone. Mrs. Weasley, however, understanding this change smiled and asked everyone to help her clean the basement this time.

So far, according to Lupin, Voldemort is still in hiding and like them, was busy recruiting allies preparing for the 'next war'. He also mentioned that he will be teaching her how to defend herself since the war couldn't be stopped. He'll be teaching Ron, Hermione and Ginny too.

Julianna, Ron, Hermione, Ginny together with Mrs. Weasley went to the basement. It was dusty, messy and doxy-infected as expected. So they started spraying and tried anti-doxying the room. When everything seem to quiet down they started cleaning up.

"Any spell is not enough to clean this junk!"

"Ron!" Hermione and Ginny said together, nervously gazing at Julianna who seemingly had not heard them, she was picking up pieces of torn papers. Ginny went to help her and bent down.

"There's more over there," Ginny said after finishing piling up her side, "What's that?" she moved closer, "Oh, Julianna…"

Hermione and Ron came over to look and felt silent. Julianna was looking at a torn picture of Sirius, a younger Sirius.

Seeing that everyone was looking at her with hateful pitiful eyes she said, "I guess we should continue cleaning, huh?" She made a move to stand up but Hermione stopped her.

"Julianna, you can talk to us."

"I'm fine Hermione, really," she sighed, "I just hate it when everyone look at me as if I might cry any moment and collapse. I'm fine. I'll hate myself though if I did cry and collapse in front of everyone."

"All right." Hermione said.

Julianna looked at the picture and put it in her pocket, she took every picture she could find that day though and that same night, she took out her parent's album, the one Hagrid gave her and started placing Sirius' pictures in it. She couldn't prevent to tremble though but she'd be damned if anyone would see her cry.

She placed each old photograph one by one, carefully and lovingly. It pains her to see him waving happily at her together with her father. There was one picture that caught her, if was a picture of her father in the middle, Lupin on his left and Sirius on his right. It was a picture that represents a bond between true friends, who risked everything for each other. Good thing the betrayer, Wormtail was not there or she might rip it off. She didn't place the picture in the album, she placed it somewhere where she could always gazed at it.

"Hey, mate, Mum said you better come down, dinner's ready."

They both went down and seated to their usual place. It was a conversational dinner this time. No anxiety, no tension. Julianna even found herself laughing as Tonks tries to change the color of hair and at the same time change her nose and ears.

"Julianna," Lupin said suddenly that made everyone looked at him. "We'll start having lessons tomorrow morning."

"All right,"

"Lupin, you won't mind if I'm there with you?" asked Moody, his eyes were still rotating, this time in a normal speed.

"No Moody, in fact I'll be delighted if you help with the lessons." said Lupin happily.

"It'll be fun," said Moody his eyes, both of them, was looking at Julianna.

They finished dinner and as usual Julianna retreated earlier. She made her way quietly to her room where she would pass the portrait and sighed after a few feet away from it.

"Potter!"

Julianna almost jumped, "Oh, it's you Professor Moody, you startled me."

"Well, I guess I'll be a professor tomorrow huh?" he said scratching his chin. "I wanted to tell you that I'll personally give you - er - lessons tomorrow so ready yourself. Just because you're James' daughter doesn't mean we all have to be good and nice to you all the time. In battle, there's no good and nice, CONSTANT VIGILANCE! Remember that Potter!"

"Er - yes, professor."

Moody left her in front of her door leaving her a bit shaky and wondering what those personal lessons might be.