I do not own Harry Potter

***

August dawned drizzly and grey. Sirius strolled along the streets of London, thinking to himself. He had gotten the owl last night; James and Lily had had their baby. Tonight, they would perform the Fidelius Charm. They couldn't risk any gaps; Lord Voldemort could come after the baby any time.

He was beginning to have second thoughts. Sure, his being Secret-Keeper was flattering, but was it really the smartest idea for James and Lily? Everyone knew he and James were like brothers. Naturally any Death Eater would come after Sirius first. He would never, ever tell; he would sooner die-- and a Death Eater would certainly be willing to kill him. Was it necessary to put himself in that much danger? Perhaps if someone else were Secret-Keeper . . . then everyone could remain alive. It would be a beautiful, honorable death, dying keeping his friends' secret . . . but it was much smarter and more desirable to stay alive, naturally.

He was startled to run into his cousin Andromeda, holding the hand of a little girl whose features were a perfect match to her mother's. "Andi?" Sirius blinked at them.

Andromeda smiled. "Sirius! I haven't seen you in a while! How are you?"

Sirius's pensive mood was lifted. "I'm alright . . . wow, she's gotten big. And she looks exactly like you." He nodded to the little girl.

Andromeda smirked. "Not exactly." She turned to her daughter. "Nymphadora, can you show Uncle Sirius how you can go like Daddy?"

Nymphadora turned her eyes that matched Andromeda's towards Sirius for a moment, and then squinted them shut. A moment later, she opened them, and they were changed-- a dark grey rather than brown-- and the rest of her face had transformed around it, into a perfect replica of Ted Tonks.

Sirius laughed. "Now I remember! Metamorphagus!"

Andromeda grinned again and turned back to Nymphadora. "Go like Uncle Sirius," she prompted. Immediately, the girl shut her eyes and transformed into a replica of Sirius, standing three feet tall but in every likeness of him. "Okay, you can go back to normal now," said Andromeda, once Sirius had had his laugh. The Sirius likeness faded back into mini Andromeda, and the larger Andromeda whispered above her head, "I make her stay like me, so I can find her. If I didn't have rules, she'd go off and make herself have green hair and a nose as long as a pencil. It's a nightmare." If Andromeda had inherited one thing from her conservative Black roots, it was a distaste for things too out of the ordinary.

Even as she spoke, Nymphadora had crossed her eyes and was watching as her nose transformed into a pig's snout. "Hey," Sirius tried to distract her, "can you do your Aunt Narcissa?"

"She hasn't met her Aunt Narcissa," said Andromeda, becoming suddenly cold. "I doubt she ever will, her or her coming cousin. Narcissa's pregnant, did you hear?"

"By Lucius Malfoy? That child's going to be a monster. So you never see 'Cissa but you're in the family enough to know who's with child?"

"No," whispered Andromeda. "They just announced it in the papers. You know how the elitist families are. They can't even wait until the baby is born. YOU were advertised practically the day after you were conceived. They've probably got him or her a little unborn Slytherin already matched for marriage, too." Andromeda had always been bitter about being bethrothed at a young age. She managed to wheedle out of it, however, by eloping with Ted Tonks and having Nymphadora in her seventh year at Hogwarts, only months before her wedding date was arranged. Sirius hadn't ever bothered to find out who his parents might have matched up for him-- he didn't stick around long enough.

"Don't be bitter about being kicked out," Sirius consoled her. "We rogues are better off, anyway. So, 'Cissa's preggers, too? Oh dear . . . the Potters' son was just born last night; he'll be in the same year as Malfoy's boy."

"And the Longbottoms," Andromeda pointed out. "They had a boy, too, just two days ago. Oh, and don't forget that Molly Weasley's--"

"AGAIN?" Sirius's eyes bulged. "What's that, six now?"

"Hey!" Nymphadora spoke for the first time since she and her mother had come across Sirius. However, when Sirius looked down at her, her face was drawn into a replica of Remus Lupin. "There's a man that looks like this over there that just waved to you," she said.

Sirius looked up. Sure enough, Remus Lupin was standing across the street, looking at him meaningfully. Sirius beckoned him over, though not particularly warmly.

"I heard Harry James Potter was born last night," Remus said, trying to set aside the argument for good news.

"Yes; I'm heading over there now," said Sirius. "I've been named godfather."

"Congratulations," Remus nodded, trying to smile nicely. "You're not . . . you're not performing the charm yet, are you? I wanted to get over there some time today, to see the baby, but I have to work . . . "

"I don't know if you'll get out in time," said Sirius, not caring that he was being nasty. "James wants to take care of it as soon as possible."

"Well, then . . . " Remus looked down. "Good luck. And be sure you keep the secret safe on pain of death." He spoke casually, hoping Sirius would take it sarcastically, but, as he walked away towards the Ministry, Sirius glared after him.

"Be sure I keep the secret safe . . . he's really one to talk," he muttered.

Andromeda was watching him suspiciously. "Er . . . Sirius? I've grown up with some really spiteful, nasty little wenches for sisters, and so I know very well when someone is pretending to like someone they hate. What on earth is going on between you two?"

Sirius shook his head. "Nothing . . . look, I've got to get going, alright?"

***
Remus stepped into his office, trying to focus back on Harry's birth rather than Sirius's cold reaction to him. However, instead of finding the usual calm, he was greeted almost immediately by the Minister of Magic herself, Millicent Bagnold.

The large woman descended on him rather angrily, confusing him. "Remus Lupin," she spoke firmly. "Recently, there has been signs of internal action in support of a certain dark wizard within our very Ministry. I have been going over the files on the workers in all departments, and I came across your resume. Now, your credentials are just fine, but I have been informed by a very reliable source that you neglected to disclose one very crucial piece of information about yourself."

She snapped her fingers and a long piece of paper appeared: Remus's resume. "It says here," she motioned to a segment near the middle-bottom of the resume, "that you are to disclose any conditions that might inhibit your position at the Ministry. Now, are you or are you not a werewolf, Lupin?"

At the world "werewolf," Remus went extremely pale. He lacked the time to think about who it could be this time who was revealing his secrets; Millicent Bagnold was tapping her foot.

"I don't deny it," he said softly. "But . . . but it doesn't inhibit my work. No one has even noticed that I have any unusual absences. My productivity is still the same as all the other workers."

Millicent Bagnold shook her head. "I'm sorry, Lupin, but considering the many dangers there can be . . . I have to fire anyone who lies on their resume. That includes lacking information. What if you belonged to the . . . the . . . a certain pureblood cult, and you had not mentioned it? I would be forced to fire you then, too. You see, I have set a precedent, and I must follow through. You are relieved, Lupin."

Remus felt as if all of the wind had been knocked out of him. Relieved . . . and all because he had been a werewolf. He had been forced to go against his own morals and betray his own friends to keep a job he was going to be fired from anyway, and for the same reason!

Millicent Bagnold left, probably to go off and fire yet another hapless Ministry member. Remus turned and began to gather his things. He did not notice when Fabian Prewett walked in.

"Lupin?" Fabian spoke softly. "You were let go, too?"

"Too?" Remus turned around.

Fabian nodded grimly. "I belonged to a 'certain secret society.' Too bad she didn't realize it's the very secret society that's keeping THE secret society in check."

Remus furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"You know . . . I think we could use you as a member. You're an old Gryffindor, against those crazed Death Eaters-- yes, I know you were blackmailed into doing that," he added, noting the look on Remus's face, "they came and terrorized me, too, too bad they had nothing on me-- but what I'm talking about is the Order of the Phoenix."

"The what?"

"Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore reckons he's put together just about the best anti-Dark army in Britain, but we could always use new members. We've got Aurors-- Moody and the Longbottoms and the Potters--"

"The Potters? They never said anything about that to me."

"Well, they're relatively new . . . Moody's so paranoid he wouldn't let them in until he'd been sure they'd faced off with You-Know-Who three times . . . but there's also Ministry members and the lot. Why don't you come along with me tonight? You've got nothing to lose anymore, and this is just the sort of dangerous job for people like you. Plus Gideon's picked up a new recruit, and I have to show him up."

***

Remus went along with Fabian Prewett to the meeting, which was held in Dumbledore's office, the safest place they could think of. It was awfully crowded, stuffing over twenty people in the odd little round room. Remus went around meeting the members, who were very pleased he was joining their ranks. Fawkes kept squawking, and, as Fabian's brother walked in, burst into flame and nearly caught Marlene McKinnon's hair on fire.

Remus's stomach plummeted when he saw who was with Gideon. Fabian, however, found it hilarious that Gideon's recruit was Sirius.

"You would have thought James would have brought in these two!" he laughed. "But no, he didn't even bring in Pettigrew-- wasn't that Caradoc? Must be too worried about his friends' safety, how cute . . . Oy! Potter!" Fabian waved to James and Lily, who had just entered, Lily rather wearily with a bundle of blankets in her arms.

Remus's heart soared again. He turned, in unison with Sirius, and ran to see the Potters' firstborn. The boy was fast asleep, his face pink and framed by a charismatic tuft of black hair that was obviously the result of James's genes.

"So this is the boy that's going to grow up and stop him?" Aberforth, a replica of Dumbledore except with greyer hair, peered over Lily's shoulder.

"Either that or Neville," said Lily. Her eyes lifted and found those of Alice Longbottom, who had also come over to see the new baby. She too, carried a small child, only this one was blond and chubbier. Lily became serious, "Alice, you have thought about what you are going to do to protect yourself, too, haven't you?"

"We're working on it," nodded Alice. "We haven't quite got the organization you two have."

"What is this, a nursery?" grumbled Moody, breaking the mood. "Come on, folks, let's get to work. We've got new recruits to interrogate."

"It's Lily and James's last night," groaned Emmaline Vance. "And we want to see the baby. They're going into hiding and we're not going to see them for-- years, maybe."

"The faster we get to work stopping those Death Eaters, the faster Lily and James come out of hiding and you get to see the baby again," Moody pointed out. He then turned to Sirius beside him and looked him up and down. "You sure it's wise to bring a Black into this, Gideon?"

James leapt to Sirius's defense. "This Black here's such an awful Black he got kicked out before he was even of age! You probably can't find a less dark wizard."

Moody snorted. "Still, what if he's attending family reunions? His brother was found dead with a Death Eater mask on his person, and I've got a hunch that Bellatrix character's in Voldy's inner circle."

Sirius blinked. "Regulus is dead?" Then, as if waking himself up, shook his head, "I mean, not that I CARE, or anything . . ."

"You see, he doesn't even know which of his relations are ALIVE," James pointed out.

"Fine! Fine! But if he blows the operation . . . " Moody scanned Sirius over with narrowed eyes. Sirius just smiled.

Within the hour, Remus, Sirius, and a Benjy Fenwick were questioned, deemed worthy, and initiated into the Order of the Phoenix. The membership, now 22 strong, posed for a picture, and then went their separate ways. The new recruits had no missions, but they had heard some assigned, and it sounded difficult. Still, Remus was itching to prove his true moral value. Sirius hoped that what Moody said about Bellatrix was true, and he would be the one to catch her.

However, he had bigger things to worry about tonight.

"Peter," he approached him just as he was leaving. "Will you . . . will you come with me, please?"

***

Sirius met James at the entrance to Godric's Hollow just before midnight. Lily sat down under a tree and began to nurse the baby. She listened, however, as Sirius presented his idea to James.

"We switch. Peter goes in my place. Don't you see? They'll be sure to come after me. Peter . . . well, no offense, Peter, but no one's going to suspect you."

Peter felt his heart leap. Even though Regulus had failed, even though the Dark Lord had doled out excessive punishment for his folly . . . the plan had worked!
"Yes!" he squeaked in agreement.

James looked suspicious. "Well, if you insist . . ."

"If you trust me with your family's lives, James, you can trust me to know this is safer," Sirius promised. "Trust me, James. I'll protect Peter, too. I'll check up on him." He turned back to Peter. "I won't let them come after you, either. But don't you see how this is safest?"

"I think it's brilliant," declared Lily, so fervently she jostled the baby. Harry burst into tears and Lily had to attend to him.

James paused for a moment, and then smiled. "Alright. I trust you, Sirius, and I trust you, too, Peter. Let's do this."

The next morning, Lily and James were invisible to the world. Neither Sirius nor Remus had access to them. Peter was just where he wanted to be.

***

More coming, still . . . there's still a year until Peter's betrayal and the Potters' death . . . there's still things to be done!

Thanks to everybody that's reviewed!