(Note from the author: These are not my characters, my world, or my
situations. They all belong to J. K. Rowling, and are protected by
copyrights.)
(Note to readers under 13: This chapter is on the verge of PG-13. If you don't like gore or anything, don't read.)
The music box chimed in Remus's hand. It was three in the morning, and he hadn't drifted off to sleep yet. He lay in his broken bed (a spring from one of the mattresses had borne through the top), staring at the ceiling, listening to the tune that sounded in his ears.
How many more days until his transformation?
He gripped the music box closer to his chest. Not few enough.
Down the hall, James was also wide awake. The vision of the three of them on the bed . . . it kept replaying itself in his head. He wanted to forget it all. He wanted to go on with his life. But he couldn't. He knew that he couldn't.
A sound from outside. He blinked, and came to attention. What was going on?
He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak out of his pack, and draped it around him. He slowly crossed to the door, and opened it to peer into the hallway.
Voices were coming from downstairs.
They were gruff. Not like the sweetened ones of the Order. Not like the rough one of Moody. They were new voices.
"Where are the recruits?" a man asked one of the others.
"Upstairs," the reply came, "In separate bedrooms."
James crept to the top of the spiral staircase, and looked onto the scene below.
And he couldn't believe the sight that he saw.
A group of Death Eaters stood in the entrance hall, holding their wands out at the walls. They all had their masks draped over their faces, with their long black cloaks engulfing their bodies. They whispered to each other as they headed closer to the staircase. They were like shadows in the night, without any mercy or regret of murder. They were monsters.
"Let us kill them," a woman's voice came from the back. It sounded strangely familiar. Had that drawling voice been in the park? Where had he heard it before?
He felt his heart sink. They were going to kill them. They were at the Headquarters! They had found out everything!
The first night there, and already they were dead.
No, James thought, the fire blazing into his heart, No. We are not dead.
"SIRIUS! LILY!" James shouted, throwing the Cloak off of him. The Death Eaters stopped, and stared at James in surprise as he appeared in front of them. The moonlight draped through the closest window, and illuminated James's determined face.
"EXPELLIRAMUS!" he screamed, pointing his own wand at them. One of them fell off of the staircase, and onto the marble floor below. They gave a groan, and one of the Death Eaters gave out a gasp.
A gasp?
They gasped?
Sirius and Lily flew out of their rooms, and Remus could be seen running down the hallway, in his robes. Peter dashed into the corridor. They all had their wands out, and a fearful expression on their faces.
James still held his wand out to the approaching Death Eaters as they climbed their way up the stairs towards them.
"It's the Potter brat," one of the men said, "He's one of the recruits. Kill him."
Sirius heard the voice, and his eyes became hollow. He jumped in front of James as the Death Eaters scaled the stairs and ran towards them.
A jet of light shot out of his wand, and threw three of them up against the wall.
Another jet of light came flying back from one of the Death Eaters, and slashed Sirius across the arm. Blood trickled onto his robes, but it just made him angrier.
"You shouldn't have done that," he said, his lips snarling into an evil grin.
"EXPELLIRAMUS!" the five of the shouted at the same time, and a flash of white blinding light protruded from all five of their wands. The Death Eaters were flown back off of their feet.
Lily held her wand with both hands as the jet of light shot out of the end of it. It was vibrating in her hands, with the force of a lightning bolt. Sirius laughed as he saw the Death Eaters become still, and then the light die away.
But Remus, who was behind the other three, just stared at the mound of cloaked strangers in awe. It had been so easy to fight them. Too easy. He remembered the park . . .
"Guys," Remus said quietly, "Guys, these aren't Death Eaters."
Sirius, James, and Lily turned around to stare at him in disbelief.
"What?" Sirius chortled, "Are there some other nutters in masks and capes that I should know about?"
"He is correct, Mr. Black."
Sirius whipped around, to come face to face with Alastor Moody, standing in the midst of the fallen Death Eaters. He was holding a white mask in his hands, and wearing a black robe.
"You," Sirius said, pointing his wand at him, "You're one of them."
"Moody, a Death Eater?"
The five of them turned their attention to one of the fallen bodies. They had taken their masks off, and now were standing to face them. It was Marlene McKinnon.
"That's a good one," she laughed, as they stared at her in disbelief.
And then, one by one, the Death Eaters removed their masks to reveal the faces of the Order members. The five recruits' jaws dropped as they stood.
"It was a test," Frank Longbottom's voice came from behind all of them. He was walking up the stairs, rubbing his back. He had been the Death Eater that James had thrown off of the staircase, "To see your loyalty. And I believe that you passed. Am I right, Mad Eye?"
Moody nodded slowly, looking at Sirius with narrowed eyes.
"Yes," he said, and then turned back to all of them, "Good show, good show. Now get back to where you belong."
The five still stood in the hallway, not knowing what to say. As the members dispersed, some of them walking back downstairs and others into vacant rooms, they stared at all of them in astonishment.
"Very impressive," Moody said, trudging to where they were standing, "Great teamwork. Maybe next time you could put a spell better than "Expelliramus" to use, hey? Not going to work on real Death Eaters too well. Now," he said, clasping his hands together, "I believe that it's nearly morning. So let's get going down the kitchen to fix me some breakfast, hey?"
They stared at him increduously.
"It's three o clock in the morning," Sirius said.
"I know how to read time, Mr. Black," Moody said, looking to him, "And the key phrase of 'three o' clock in the morning' is 'morning.' So, if you don't mind," he said, drawing closer to him, "I enjoy my eggs over easy. And don't try to burn the toast."
Sirius glared, and his eyes hollowed again.
"Yes, sir," he spat, and James and the others brushed past him, still in a state of shock. He followed them to the staircase.
"Oh, and Mr. Black?"
Sirius turned around, gritting his teeth, "Yes?"
Moody had his eye right on him again, and his lip was pursed, "This is no laughing matter. So I would appreciate it if next time you're trying to kill a life, you don't guffaw about it like a blubbering idiot. Are we agreed?"
"Do I have a choice?" he hissed, and then stomped down the stairs after the others.
"Wasn't very funny," James said, sipping a cup of tea as Sirius buttered a piece of toast on the countertop, grumbling to himself.
Remus, from across the table, shrugged, "I can't blame them. That Elphias is right. We aren't the most trustworthy group that they could pick."
"A bunch of mad gits," Sirius huffed as he threw the plate of toast on the table with a clatter, "That Mad-Eye blew a hole big enough to walk through in my wall last night. Just because he heard me talking to you," he said to James.
"He doesn't like you very much, does he?" Peter said, sitting down next to Lily. Lily didn't look as gorgeous in the morning. Her persona of Morgana, Queen of the Underworld was a better definition for her at the moment. Her hair wasn't brushed, and sticking out on all sides of her head. And there were dark circles under her eyes.
"Whatever gave you that impression?" Sirius sat down in his chair, and glared at the toast, "I'm watching you, Mr. Black," he mocked him, "I'm keeping my eye on you, Mr. Black. Make me my breakfast, Mr. Black."
"You think that he's the Auror that's teaching us?" Remus asked.
"I wouldn't trust anyone else."
The five of them looked at the entranceway to the kitchen, and saw Moody, his arms folded and glaring at all of them.
"Who knows who's spying on us as we speak," he said, "You think that I'd let anyone else teach you the ways? Taking the chance that they soften you up or some other rubbish?"
They didn't answer, as he crossed through the kitchen, and to the dining room table where they were sitting. He examined the plate of toast, and then gave out a laugh. He just laughed and laughed, and his eye swiveled to look at Sirius.
"Ah," he said, his face growing cold. With one sweep of his wand, the plate flew from the table, and crashed against the wall.
"I didn't see any eggs, Mr. Black," he snarled, "Go back and do it right."
Sirius glared at him, and stood up. He walked back into the kitchen, scowling.
Moody took Sirius's now vacant seat, and folded his hands on the table. His eye darted from James to Lily, to Remus to Peter. They all stared at it in fascination.
"You think that after seven years of Defense Against the Dark Arts, you'd know a better spell than Expelliramus," he commented, and took James's tea. He took a sip of it, and then gave it back to him, "Someone must not have been listening during class."
"We had a lot of teachers," Remus explained, "Not all of them continued where the other left off."
"Michael was one of the best Aurors that I have ever encountered," Moody defended June, "And, of course, you know all about his son, Lupin?"
Remus nodded.
"Yes, I knew Jonathon," Moody continued, his swiveling eye looking to the ceiling in reminiscence, "Young spirit. Very young."
"How did he die?" Remus asked.
Moody coughed, "Well, he was in the Order with his father. He didn't last long. I believe it was him that was the one that got captured by those clowns in masks . . . yes, he was the one. Well, they did a good job on him, that's for sure. Stuck him in a room by himself, and let him go at it. You know, just left it up to Jonathon to dispose of himself."
Remus tried not to look frightened as Moody's swiveling eye turned to rest upon him.
"Well, as soon as Mr. Black is done fiddling with his cooking, you'll be putting things in perspective for yourselves. We have a little field trip planned," he said, sighing, as he popped his eye out to polish it. Lily turned away in disgust at the empty socket, "I wonder what's taking him so long. Messing around in the kitchen."
There was a growl from the kitchen, and Moody looked very content, "Well, Mr. Black, I specifically asked you for eggs."
(Note to readers under 13: This chapter is on the verge of PG-13. If you don't like gore or anything, don't read.)
The music box chimed in Remus's hand. It was three in the morning, and he hadn't drifted off to sleep yet. He lay in his broken bed (a spring from one of the mattresses had borne through the top), staring at the ceiling, listening to the tune that sounded in his ears.
How many more days until his transformation?
He gripped the music box closer to his chest. Not few enough.
Down the hall, James was also wide awake. The vision of the three of them on the bed . . . it kept replaying itself in his head. He wanted to forget it all. He wanted to go on with his life. But he couldn't. He knew that he couldn't.
A sound from outside. He blinked, and came to attention. What was going on?
He grabbed his Invisibility Cloak out of his pack, and draped it around him. He slowly crossed to the door, and opened it to peer into the hallway.
Voices were coming from downstairs.
They were gruff. Not like the sweetened ones of the Order. Not like the rough one of Moody. They were new voices.
"Where are the recruits?" a man asked one of the others.
"Upstairs," the reply came, "In separate bedrooms."
James crept to the top of the spiral staircase, and looked onto the scene below.
And he couldn't believe the sight that he saw.
A group of Death Eaters stood in the entrance hall, holding their wands out at the walls. They all had their masks draped over their faces, with their long black cloaks engulfing their bodies. They whispered to each other as they headed closer to the staircase. They were like shadows in the night, without any mercy or regret of murder. They were monsters.
"Let us kill them," a woman's voice came from the back. It sounded strangely familiar. Had that drawling voice been in the park? Where had he heard it before?
He felt his heart sink. They were going to kill them. They were at the Headquarters! They had found out everything!
The first night there, and already they were dead.
No, James thought, the fire blazing into his heart, No. We are not dead.
"SIRIUS! LILY!" James shouted, throwing the Cloak off of him. The Death Eaters stopped, and stared at James in surprise as he appeared in front of them. The moonlight draped through the closest window, and illuminated James's determined face.
"EXPELLIRAMUS!" he screamed, pointing his own wand at them. One of them fell off of the staircase, and onto the marble floor below. They gave a groan, and one of the Death Eaters gave out a gasp.
A gasp?
They gasped?
Sirius and Lily flew out of their rooms, and Remus could be seen running down the hallway, in his robes. Peter dashed into the corridor. They all had their wands out, and a fearful expression on their faces.
James still held his wand out to the approaching Death Eaters as they climbed their way up the stairs towards them.
"It's the Potter brat," one of the men said, "He's one of the recruits. Kill him."
Sirius heard the voice, and his eyes became hollow. He jumped in front of James as the Death Eaters scaled the stairs and ran towards them.
A jet of light shot out of his wand, and threw three of them up against the wall.
Another jet of light came flying back from one of the Death Eaters, and slashed Sirius across the arm. Blood trickled onto his robes, but it just made him angrier.
"You shouldn't have done that," he said, his lips snarling into an evil grin.
"EXPELLIRAMUS!" the five of the shouted at the same time, and a flash of white blinding light protruded from all five of their wands. The Death Eaters were flown back off of their feet.
Lily held her wand with both hands as the jet of light shot out of the end of it. It was vibrating in her hands, with the force of a lightning bolt. Sirius laughed as he saw the Death Eaters become still, and then the light die away.
But Remus, who was behind the other three, just stared at the mound of cloaked strangers in awe. It had been so easy to fight them. Too easy. He remembered the park . . .
"Guys," Remus said quietly, "Guys, these aren't Death Eaters."
Sirius, James, and Lily turned around to stare at him in disbelief.
"What?" Sirius chortled, "Are there some other nutters in masks and capes that I should know about?"
"He is correct, Mr. Black."
Sirius whipped around, to come face to face with Alastor Moody, standing in the midst of the fallen Death Eaters. He was holding a white mask in his hands, and wearing a black robe.
"You," Sirius said, pointing his wand at him, "You're one of them."
"Moody, a Death Eater?"
The five of them turned their attention to one of the fallen bodies. They had taken their masks off, and now were standing to face them. It was Marlene McKinnon.
"That's a good one," she laughed, as they stared at her in disbelief.
And then, one by one, the Death Eaters removed their masks to reveal the faces of the Order members. The five recruits' jaws dropped as they stood.
"It was a test," Frank Longbottom's voice came from behind all of them. He was walking up the stairs, rubbing his back. He had been the Death Eater that James had thrown off of the staircase, "To see your loyalty. And I believe that you passed. Am I right, Mad Eye?"
Moody nodded slowly, looking at Sirius with narrowed eyes.
"Yes," he said, and then turned back to all of them, "Good show, good show. Now get back to where you belong."
The five still stood in the hallway, not knowing what to say. As the members dispersed, some of them walking back downstairs and others into vacant rooms, they stared at all of them in astonishment.
"Very impressive," Moody said, trudging to where they were standing, "Great teamwork. Maybe next time you could put a spell better than "Expelliramus" to use, hey? Not going to work on real Death Eaters too well. Now," he said, clasping his hands together, "I believe that it's nearly morning. So let's get going down the kitchen to fix me some breakfast, hey?"
They stared at him increduously.
"It's three o clock in the morning," Sirius said.
"I know how to read time, Mr. Black," Moody said, looking to him, "And the key phrase of 'three o' clock in the morning' is 'morning.' So, if you don't mind," he said, drawing closer to him, "I enjoy my eggs over easy. And don't try to burn the toast."
Sirius glared, and his eyes hollowed again.
"Yes, sir," he spat, and James and the others brushed past him, still in a state of shock. He followed them to the staircase.
"Oh, and Mr. Black?"
Sirius turned around, gritting his teeth, "Yes?"
Moody had his eye right on him again, and his lip was pursed, "This is no laughing matter. So I would appreciate it if next time you're trying to kill a life, you don't guffaw about it like a blubbering idiot. Are we agreed?"
"Do I have a choice?" he hissed, and then stomped down the stairs after the others.
"Wasn't very funny," James said, sipping a cup of tea as Sirius buttered a piece of toast on the countertop, grumbling to himself.
Remus, from across the table, shrugged, "I can't blame them. That Elphias is right. We aren't the most trustworthy group that they could pick."
"A bunch of mad gits," Sirius huffed as he threw the plate of toast on the table with a clatter, "That Mad-Eye blew a hole big enough to walk through in my wall last night. Just because he heard me talking to you," he said to James.
"He doesn't like you very much, does he?" Peter said, sitting down next to Lily. Lily didn't look as gorgeous in the morning. Her persona of Morgana, Queen of the Underworld was a better definition for her at the moment. Her hair wasn't brushed, and sticking out on all sides of her head. And there were dark circles under her eyes.
"Whatever gave you that impression?" Sirius sat down in his chair, and glared at the toast, "I'm watching you, Mr. Black," he mocked him, "I'm keeping my eye on you, Mr. Black. Make me my breakfast, Mr. Black."
"You think that he's the Auror that's teaching us?" Remus asked.
"I wouldn't trust anyone else."
The five of them looked at the entranceway to the kitchen, and saw Moody, his arms folded and glaring at all of them.
"Who knows who's spying on us as we speak," he said, "You think that I'd let anyone else teach you the ways? Taking the chance that they soften you up or some other rubbish?"
They didn't answer, as he crossed through the kitchen, and to the dining room table where they were sitting. He examined the plate of toast, and then gave out a laugh. He just laughed and laughed, and his eye swiveled to look at Sirius.
"Ah," he said, his face growing cold. With one sweep of his wand, the plate flew from the table, and crashed against the wall.
"I didn't see any eggs, Mr. Black," he snarled, "Go back and do it right."
Sirius glared at him, and stood up. He walked back into the kitchen, scowling.
Moody took Sirius's now vacant seat, and folded his hands on the table. His eye darted from James to Lily, to Remus to Peter. They all stared at it in fascination.
"You think that after seven years of Defense Against the Dark Arts, you'd know a better spell than Expelliramus," he commented, and took James's tea. He took a sip of it, and then gave it back to him, "Someone must not have been listening during class."
"We had a lot of teachers," Remus explained, "Not all of them continued where the other left off."
"Michael was one of the best Aurors that I have ever encountered," Moody defended June, "And, of course, you know all about his son, Lupin?"
Remus nodded.
"Yes, I knew Jonathon," Moody continued, his swiveling eye looking to the ceiling in reminiscence, "Young spirit. Very young."
"How did he die?" Remus asked.
Moody coughed, "Well, he was in the Order with his father. He didn't last long. I believe it was him that was the one that got captured by those clowns in masks . . . yes, he was the one. Well, they did a good job on him, that's for sure. Stuck him in a room by himself, and let him go at it. You know, just left it up to Jonathon to dispose of himself."
Remus tried not to look frightened as Moody's swiveling eye turned to rest upon him.
"Well, as soon as Mr. Black is done fiddling with his cooking, you'll be putting things in perspective for yourselves. We have a little field trip planned," he said, sighing, as he popped his eye out to polish it. Lily turned away in disgust at the empty socket, "I wonder what's taking him so long. Messing around in the kitchen."
There was a growl from the kitchen, and Moody looked very content, "Well, Mr. Black, I specifically asked you for eggs."