(Note from the author: These are not my characters, my world, and my situations. They all belong to J. K. Rowling, and are protected by copyrights.)
Lily Evans was the first to arrive at the locker room. It was crowded, and Muggles were pushing past her and her trunk as they unlocked their lockers with their keys, balancing their children on their hips, or reading the paper with one hand.
Lily had worn sunglasses, and a scarf around her head to hide her red hair. Dumbledore had told them before they left that it would be better if they disguised themselves. She was also dressed in a Muggle businessswoman's suit, and holding the morning paper. She had borrowed the suit from her mother.
She couldn't tell them where she was going.
And Petunia didn't care where she was going.
She still remembered the day that the letter had come. Her parents had been estatic, so happy for her. But her sister had just stared at her like she was some sort of freak. Like she was going to lash out with her wand and turn her into a toad.
It was the exact same expression that she had given Remus in the Shrieking Shack.
She felt a pang of guilt hit her, and she turned the page in the paper.
"Oh, don't you look upclass."
Lily jumped, and lowered her paper to come face to face with Remus, dressed in a brown trenchcoat and hat. He was carrying a small sack, filled with belongings.
"Is that it?" she asked, looking at the sack.
"Yeah," Remus said, sitting down next to her, "And I'd take off the sunglasses. We're in the middle of rainy season, and you're inside. Unless you're trying to act blind, it's not working."
Lily smiled, and removed the glasses, sticking them in her pocket, "How's the scarf?"
"Stylish," Remus commented, and leaned up against the wall behind him, watching the Muggles fly by before them.
"Are the other two here yet?" he asked.
Lily shook her head. The other two. Yes, there were only two of them coming after them. She would never see James again.
He had stormed out of the train without saying goodbye. Her last glimpse of him was at the entranceway of King's Cross, drinking that shake, mussing his hair, and glaring at the doors. He was so angry.
"Hey," Remus said, like he was reading her mind, "Don't worry about James. He'll bounce back. And he'll have a good life. You both will."
Lily didn't want to cry.
From the entrance of the locker room, a chubby and shorter man stood there, in mismatched Muggle clothes, holding the largest trunk that either of them had seen.
"Hello, Moony . . . Lily," Peter said, dragging the trunk across the room with a sound like nails on a chalkboard. The surrounding Muggles covered their ears as the brass sidings scratched across the marble of the locker rooms.
"Nice disguise, Peter," Remus said, his mouth twitching to form a smile, "Never would have guessed it was you."
Peter, huffing and puffing, sat down next to Remus to breathe. Then he looked at Lily, and said, "So, did Prongs change his mind, yet?"
"He's not going to," Lily said quietly.
Peter nodded, "Right."
"I'm going to miss him," Remus said, frowning, "I was always sure that he would join the Order."
"Yeah," Peter agreed.
It was a while before Sirius showed. He had no costume on whatsoever. He was wearing Muggle clothes, at least, and he looked like he had definitely just stepped off of his motorbike.
And behind him, stood a skinny man with glasses and messed hair.
The three of them sat staring at the two of them in shock as Sirius lagged his trunk, and James carried his backpack to where they were sitting.
"James?" Peter squeaked.
James nodded, and then looked to Lily. Lily was smiling broadly, and she jumped out of her seat and embraced him. He took a few steps back, being knocked off balance, but soon he was returning her hug. He ran his fingers through her hair, and she kissed him.
"God, I thought I'd never see you again," she said, "I didn't want to go without you."
"I know," James said quietly; his voice was scratchy. And his eyes were bloodshot.
"You all right then, Prongs?" Remus asked as Sirius tiredly collapsed into the seat next to him.
"They killed them," James said darkly, looking over Lily's shoulder, "My parents are dead."
There was a silence that blanketed them for a moment, while they uncomfortably tried to think of what to say. No one knew that this had happened. None of them had had time to read the Daily Prophet that morning.
"I'm sorry," Peter said quietly.
James swallowed, as if trying to keep the tears from coming again. And then he said, "Well, something messes with one of us, it messes with all of us, right?"
"Right," Remus replied, "You're right."
"James, are you sure that you want to do this?" Lily whispered as he started to break away from her.
"Yes," he said simply, "I should have done it in the first place."
Lily nodded, and let him find a seat next to Sirius. Sirius cleared his throat, and crossed his arms. He sagged down in his chair, and then lay his head on the top of the chair. He then put his Muggle tape player over his ears, and started the tape inside. He closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.
It had been a very long night. He had stayed up all night with James, trying to help him keep a hold of his sanity. Around three o' clock, James had said that he was hungry, and so Sirius went out to the corner store and got him snack food. James said that he needed help packing, Sirius helped him pack. He hadn't gotten any sleep for the past twenty four hours, and he felt like he was going to hurl right there on the marble floor.
He always got sick when he didn't sleep.
They waited for another hour. They didn't know why. Probably the Order was making sure that it was clear to go ahead and take them to their destination. But there wasn't a word exchanged between the five of them. Sirius had been snoring for the past half an hour, and no one had wanted to wake him. James had stared ahead of him, arms crossed, not saying anything. The music blaring from Sirius's Muggle invention was enough to make anyone go crazy, but it didn't bother him.
Remus had left for a short while, and had returned with drinks for all. They sipped through their straws as Lily finished her paper, and Peter started to watch the Muggles passing them with interest.
Another hour passed. It was two o' clock. Sirius was still asleep. And James was starting to get restless. Him and Remus switched seats so that he could sit next to Lily. Lily took off her shawl, and lay her head in his lap.
"Why did you come back?" she asked quietly, so only he could hear.
James sighed, and then said, "I saw your face."
Lily looked into his bloodshot eyes and his tussled hair. And yet he wasn't broken. James took his strong hand and stroked her cheek.
He met her eyes, and said truthfully, "I'll protect you. No matter what. I promise you."
"You lied to me," Lily said, "You told me that you were going to sign the parchment."
James didn't answer, but turned his eyes back to the scene in front of them.
"Promise me that you won't hurt me, James," she said.
He looked back at her, "What?"
"Promise me that you won't hurt me," she repeated, "That you won't leave me. That you'll keep going. You have to promise me."
James nodded, "I promise."
It was six o' clock by the time that the man in the purple hat arrived. The five of them had sat there for six hours straight, waiting for him to come. And finally from the crowd, came a violet top hat bobbing along.
Remus elbowed, Sirius, and he snorted. His eyes snapped open, and he sleepily put his tape player back into his trunk. The man was coming closer, and Lily sat up, putting her hair back into place. She still held James's hand.
The man came closer to them, darting his eyes in every direction, trying to see if there was anyone watching.
"Ah, good," he said nervously as he met them where they were sitting, "Right on time."
Sirius snorted.
Mr. England jumped, and blinked at Sirius. A look of fear came onto his face. And who could blame him? Sirius did look menacing in his biker clothes. The man in the violet top hat then turned to James, and blinked again.
"I was told that I was going to have four recruits," he said.
"Things change," James said menacingly.
Mr. England jumped again, and nervously fidgetted with a pocket watch, "Yes, yes. Very well. Well, you know that you'll have to sign the contract when you arrive at Headquarters."
James nodded in agreement, and then he ushered them to stand.
"Well, we must stay on schedule," he muttered, "Come, follow me. This way."
And he led them away from the station and into the entranceway, where they exited King's Cross and into the storming weather. It was evening, and black umbrellas could be seen everywhere as the rain pounded down ontop of them.
A black limosine waited for them two blocks away, hiding in an alley. Mr. England waved them into the back seats. Sirius and James sat on either side of Lily, and Peter and Remus clambered into the seat across from them. Mr. England took his spot next to Peter, and then brandished his wand.
"All right, everyone, this won't hurt a bit," he said.
He muttered a spell to the ceiling, and the limosine could not be seen from out side. They were cloaked as the unknown driver sped out of the alleyway, and onto the busy street.
"We couldn't take the train," he said, "Too risky. Too crowded. So we decided to use this transportation instead. The choice of transportation wasn't exactly my first choice, but it was the only thing that the Ministry had for our use."
"Where are we going exactly?" Remus asked.
"To Headquarters," he said, "My name is Dedalus. Dedalus Diggle. I've been chosen to take you there. Behind us, there's a cloaked car that is holding Emmeline Vance and Marlene McKinnon. In front of us, Kingsley Shacklebolt. And this," the limo's window that separated the passenger seats from the driver seat. A younger man that they had seen before smiled back, "Is Sturgis Podmore. I believe that you all know him?"
"Yeah," Sirius growled, "He owes me money."
Sturgis's smile faded, and he quickly rolled the window back into position.
"You all will be going through an extensive training period with one of our best Aurors. I believe that you have already met him. Two months of living in Headquarters. Then you will be asked to relocate yourselves to new houses," he looked at Sirius, "This means you must leave your flat, and you, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Pettigrew, and Miss Evans, must move out of your parent's house.
"Then you will be members of the Order," he said, "And must follow what Dumbledore says. No questions asked."
"No," Sirius said, and the jumpy man started, "He doesn't tell me what to do. I may have signed his little contract, but I live by my rules. I'm not letting him control what I say and do."
"You signed the contract, Mr. Black," Diggle said, almost stuttering, "You signed your life away."
Sirius's eyes hollowed.
"You all knew what you were getting into," Diggle continued on.
There was no answer from the five of them. Peter was fidgetting with his hands as the car sped forward out of London and into the countryside.
Lily was holding James's hand. Sirius shifted uneasily as he saw this, and crossed his arms. He knew it was the way it was supposed to be.
But something was still bothering him.
Why had they spared James? James had thought that it was because he was at the station, but they had tracked down the rest of them. How hard could it have been for them to check King's Cross for him?
There was something wrong with the scenario that James had painted. There was something that they didn't know about.
Lily Evans was the first to arrive at the locker room. It was crowded, and Muggles were pushing past her and her trunk as they unlocked their lockers with their keys, balancing their children on their hips, or reading the paper with one hand.
Lily had worn sunglasses, and a scarf around her head to hide her red hair. Dumbledore had told them before they left that it would be better if they disguised themselves. She was also dressed in a Muggle businessswoman's suit, and holding the morning paper. She had borrowed the suit from her mother.
She couldn't tell them where she was going.
And Petunia didn't care where she was going.
She still remembered the day that the letter had come. Her parents had been estatic, so happy for her. But her sister had just stared at her like she was some sort of freak. Like she was going to lash out with her wand and turn her into a toad.
It was the exact same expression that she had given Remus in the Shrieking Shack.
She felt a pang of guilt hit her, and she turned the page in the paper.
"Oh, don't you look upclass."
Lily jumped, and lowered her paper to come face to face with Remus, dressed in a brown trenchcoat and hat. He was carrying a small sack, filled with belongings.
"Is that it?" she asked, looking at the sack.
"Yeah," Remus said, sitting down next to her, "And I'd take off the sunglasses. We're in the middle of rainy season, and you're inside. Unless you're trying to act blind, it's not working."
Lily smiled, and removed the glasses, sticking them in her pocket, "How's the scarf?"
"Stylish," Remus commented, and leaned up against the wall behind him, watching the Muggles fly by before them.
"Are the other two here yet?" he asked.
Lily shook her head. The other two. Yes, there were only two of them coming after them. She would never see James again.
He had stormed out of the train without saying goodbye. Her last glimpse of him was at the entranceway of King's Cross, drinking that shake, mussing his hair, and glaring at the doors. He was so angry.
"Hey," Remus said, like he was reading her mind, "Don't worry about James. He'll bounce back. And he'll have a good life. You both will."
Lily didn't want to cry.
From the entrance of the locker room, a chubby and shorter man stood there, in mismatched Muggle clothes, holding the largest trunk that either of them had seen.
"Hello, Moony . . . Lily," Peter said, dragging the trunk across the room with a sound like nails on a chalkboard. The surrounding Muggles covered their ears as the brass sidings scratched across the marble of the locker rooms.
"Nice disguise, Peter," Remus said, his mouth twitching to form a smile, "Never would have guessed it was you."
Peter, huffing and puffing, sat down next to Remus to breathe. Then he looked at Lily, and said, "So, did Prongs change his mind, yet?"
"He's not going to," Lily said quietly.
Peter nodded, "Right."
"I'm going to miss him," Remus said, frowning, "I was always sure that he would join the Order."
"Yeah," Peter agreed.
It was a while before Sirius showed. He had no costume on whatsoever. He was wearing Muggle clothes, at least, and he looked like he had definitely just stepped off of his motorbike.
And behind him, stood a skinny man with glasses and messed hair.
The three of them sat staring at the two of them in shock as Sirius lagged his trunk, and James carried his backpack to where they were sitting.
"James?" Peter squeaked.
James nodded, and then looked to Lily. Lily was smiling broadly, and she jumped out of her seat and embraced him. He took a few steps back, being knocked off balance, but soon he was returning her hug. He ran his fingers through her hair, and she kissed him.
"God, I thought I'd never see you again," she said, "I didn't want to go without you."
"I know," James said quietly; his voice was scratchy. And his eyes were bloodshot.
"You all right then, Prongs?" Remus asked as Sirius tiredly collapsed into the seat next to him.
"They killed them," James said darkly, looking over Lily's shoulder, "My parents are dead."
There was a silence that blanketed them for a moment, while they uncomfortably tried to think of what to say. No one knew that this had happened. None of them had had time to read the Daily Prophet that morning.
"I'm sorry," Peter said quietly.
James swallowed, as if trying to keep the tears from coming again. And then he said, "Well, something messes with one of us, it messes with all of us, right?"
"Right," Remus replied, "You're right."
"James, are you sure that you want to do this?" Lily whispered as he started to break away from her.
"Yes," he said simply, "I should have done it in the first place."
Lily nodded, and let him find a seat next to Sirius. Sirius cleared his throat, and crossed his arms. He sagged down in his chair, and then lay his head on the top of the chair. He then put his Muggle tape player over his ears, and started the tape inside. He closed his eyes, and tried to sleep.
It had been a very long night. He had stayed up all night with James, trying to help him keep a hold of his sanity. Around three o' clock, James had said that he was hungry, and so Sirius went out to the corner store and got him snack food. James said that he needed help packing, Sirius helped him pack. He hadn't gotten any sleep for the past twenty four hours, and he felt like he was going to hurl right there on the marble floor.
He always got sick when he didn't sleep.
They waited for another hour. They didn't know why. Probably the Order was making sure that it was clear to go ahead and take them to their destination. But there wasn't a word exchanged between the five of them. Sirius had been snoring for the past half an hour, and no one had wanted to wake him. James had stared ahead of him, arms crossed, not saying anything. The music blaring from Sirius's Muggle invention was enough to make anyone go crazy, but it didn't bother him.
Remus had left for a short while, and had returned with drinks for all. They sipped through their straws as Lily finished her paper, and Peter started to watch the Muggles passing them with interest.
Another hour passed. It was two o' clock. Sirius was still asleep. And James was starting to get restless. Him and Remus switched seats so that he could sit next to Lily. Lily took off her shawl, and lay her head in his lap.
"Why did you come back?" she asked quietly, so only he could hear.
James sighed, and then said, "I saw your face."
Lily looked into his bloodshot eyes and his tussled hair. And yet he wasn't broken. James took his strong hand and stroked her cheek.
He met her eyes, and said truthfully, "I'll protect you. No matter what. I promise you."
"You lied to me," Lily said, "You told me that you were going to sign the parchment."
James didn't answer, but turned his eyes back to the scene in front of them.
"Promise me that you won't hurt me, James," she said.
He looked back at her, "What?"
"Promise me that you won't hurt me," she repeated, "That you won't leave me. That you'll keep going. You have to promise me."
James nodded, "I promise."
It was six o' clock by the time that the man in the purple hat arrived. The five of them had sat there for six hours straight, waiting for him to come. And finally from the crowd, came a violet top hat bobbing along.
Remus elbowed, Sirius, and he snorted. His eyes snapped open, and he sleepily put his tape player back into his trunk. The man was coming closer, and Lily sat up, putting her hair back into place. She still held James's hand.
The man came closer to them, darting his eyes in every direction, trying to see if there was anyone watching.
"Ah, good," he said nervously as he met them where they were sitting, "Right on time."
Sirius snorted.
Mr. England jumped, and blinked at Sirius. A look of fear came onto his face. And who could blame him? Sirius did look menacing in his biker clothes. The man in the violet top hat then turned to James, and blinked again.
"I was told that I was going to have four recruits," he said.
"Things change," James said menacingly.
Mr. England jumped again, and nervously fidgetted with a pocket watch, "Yes, yes. Very well. Well, you know that you'll have to sign the contract when you arrive at Headquarters."
James nodded in agreement, and then he ushered them to stand.
"Well, we must stay on schedule," he muttered, "Come, follow me. This way."
And he led them away from the station and into the entranceway, where they exited King's Cross and into the storming weather. It was evening, and black umbrellas could be seen everywhere as the rain pounded down ontop of them.
A black limosine waited for them two blocks away, hiding in an alley. Mr. England waved them into the back seats. Sirius and James sat on either side of Lily, and Peter and Remus clambered into the seat across from them. Mr. England took his spot next to Peter, and then brandished his wand.
"All right, everyone, this won't hurt a bit," he said.
He muttered a spell to the ceiling, and the limosine could not be seen from out side. They were cloaked as the unknown driver sped out of the alleyway, and onto the busy street.
"We couldn't take the train," he said, "Too risky. Too crowded. So we decided to use this transportation instead. The choice of transportation wasn't exactly my first choice, but it was the only thing that the Ministry had for our use."
"Where are we going exactly?" Remus asked.
"To Headquarters," he said, "My name is Dedalus. Dedalus Diggle. I've been chosen to take you there. Behind us, there's a cloaked car that is holding Emmeline Vance and Marlene McKinnon. In front of us, Kingsley Shacklebolt. And this," the limo's window that separated the passenger seats from the driver seat. A younger man that they had seen before smiled back, "Is Sturgis Podmore. I believe that you all know him?"
"Yeah," Sirius growled, "He owes me money."
Sturgis's smile faded, and he quickly rolled the window back into position.
"You all will be going through an extensive training period with one of our best Aurors. I believe that you have already met him. Two months of living in Headquarters. Then you will be asked to relocate yourselves to new houses," he looked at Sirius, "This means you must leave your flat, and you, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Pettigrew, and Miss Evans, must move out of your parent's house.
"Then you will be members of the Order," he said, "And must follow what Dumbledore says. No questions asked."
"No," Sirius said, and the jumpy man started, "He doesn't tell me what to do. I may have signed his little contract, but I live by my rules. I'm not letting him control what I say and do."
"You signed the contract, Mr. Black," Diggle said, almost stuttering, "You signed your life away."
Sirius's eyes hollowed.
"You all knew what you were getting into," Diggle continued on.
There was no answer from the five of them. Peter was fidgetting with his hands as the car sped forward out of London and into the countryside.
Lily was holding James's hand. Sirius shifted uneasily as he saw this, and crossed his arms. He knew it was the way it was supposed to be.
But something was still bothering him.
Why had they spared James? James had thought that it was because he was at the station, but they had tracked down the rest of them. How hard could it have been for them to check King's Cross for him?
There was something wrong with the scenario that James had painted. There was something that they didn't know about.