Chapter 3 - The order of the Phoenix.
Remus and Tonks walked into the room a few moments later. They were whispering about something, but stopped dead when they saw Sera. Both of them went slightly pale.
"Seraphim?" Remus asked incredulously.
The next few events happened so fast that Harry wasn't sure exactly how they occurred. Seraphim was on her feet with her wand pointed at a now very green looking Remus. Tonks had fainted dead next to him and Hermione was standing over her trying to determine whether she was alright. Mrs Weasley was very pale and making her way past the others to get to Tonks also. Sera seemed oblivious to the fact that Tonks had fainted and was speaking very coldly to Remus.
"Don't forget what happened last time you called me that Remus" she hissed angrily.
Remus had his hands in the air, as if she was holding a gun to his face. He looked terrified.
"I'm sorry Sera, I just wasn't expecting you to be here" he said quickly.
Her facial expression softened a little and she dropped her wand to her side. Remus let out a small sigh of relief and Harry noticed that his face changed back to a normal colour. Tonks was still on the floor with Mrs Weasley and Hermione fussing over her.
"Where have you been all this time Sera? We all thought you were dead" he added softly.
"That's what I wanted everyone to think. After the. shall we say unpleasantness? I went into hiding. I thought it best for everyone at the time" she explained. Remus nodded thoughtfully.
"Then why come back? Why now?" he asked.
Sera reached into the pocket of her robes. She withdrew a piece of parchment from her robes and unfolded it. It looked to Harry, like a news article from the daily prophet. As she passed it to Remus, Harry saw a picture of Cornelius Fudge and the words "He who must not be named Returns". He recognised it as the article that Hermione had read to them in the hospital wing before the holidays started.
"A little too hard to ignore, wouldn't you say?" she said softly.
Remus looked up from the article and stared at her for a moment.
"So why did you take so long?" he asked. "This article was printed over a month ago"
She sighed at this and paused for a moment.
"My hideout is quite far from here" she said carefully, as if trying not to disclose too much information. "When I do occasionally get the daily prophet, it's from a friend who I only see about once a month. I only saw this article 2 weeks ago. It took a while to organise my departure, and the travel time involved. It took quite a while"
Remus nodded again thoughtfully.
"So why did you come here then?" he asked.
"It's my house, why shouldn't I be here?" she asked pointedly. "More to the point, what are you all doing here?"
"This has been the hideout for the new order for the past year" he replied immediately.
Everyone else in the room gasped at his forwardness, their mouths dropping in shock. He turned to them.
"It's alright! She was associated with the order last time" he explained.
The rest looked nervous at this piece of information, but remained silent.
"A year?" she asked, looking shocked. "If I had known I would have come sooner"
Remus nodded.
"So do I take it that you'll join us this time also?" he asked softly.
She looked up at him hesitantly for a moment, before nodding resolutely, her face set determinedly. Remus felt a twinge inside him when he saw her expression and turned away. Sera was so much like her brother that it hurt to look at her.
"But she wasn't in the picture Moody showed me last year" Harry said suddenly.
Remus thought back to the picture.
"No, she wouldn't have been either. She joined the order after the picture was taken, as did Severus Snape" he said.
Harry looked stunned. At this moment, Tonks woke up. She looked over at all the faces. When her head turned to Sera, she screamed, but didn't faint again. Sera sighed.
"Hello Tonks" she said, in a dry tone.
"But you're dead!" Tonks whispered, her eyes wide.
Sera gave a small laugh.
"Not quite. It would take a little more than that to kill a Black" she said in an amused tone.
Tonks smiled weakly. Sera's eyes became sad again. She turned back to Remus.
"Sirius" she said. "How?"
Remus sighed heavily and explained what had happened in the ministry. Harry felt the numbness seep through him again like ice to his heart as he heard the story, told in great detail, by Remus. By the end of it, there was a murderous rage in Sera's eyes.
"I'll kill her" she whispered angrily. "I'm going to kill Bellatrix!"
Remus sighed and held her before she could go anywhere. She looked up at him angrily.
"You can't just go out and kill her like that" he said.
"Why not?" she snapped. "Seems as good a way as any to me" she added curtly.
Remus sighed again.
"That's because you aren't thinking clearly" he said, sympathy radiating from his eyes.
He smiled slightly at her and she calmed a little.
"The order will be back soon for a meeting. Stay here until then and we can catch you up on what's been happening so far" he said softly.
She nodded reluctantly and sat back down at the table. Tonks was now feeling much better and was sitting at the table eating. She was once again amusing Ginny and Hermione by changing her nose in between mouthfuls. Harry shook his head and smiled faintly before the dull ache came back to him and he stared sadly at the table for a few moments before looking up at Mrs Weasley.
"I'm rather tired. Would it be alright if I went to bed?" he said.
"Of course Harry dear" she said. "Same room as last time" she added.
He nodded and walked up the stairs.
Remus and Tonks walked into the room a few moments later. They were whispering about something, but stopped dead when they saw Sera. Both of them went slightly pale.
"Seraphim?" Remus asked incredulously.
The next few events happened so fast that Harry wasn't sure exactly how they occurred. Seraphim was on her feet with her wand pointed at a now very green looking Remus. Tonks had fainted dead next to him and Hermione was standing over her trying to determine whether she was alright. Mrs Weasley was very pale and making her way past the others to get to Tonks also. Sera seemed oblivious to the fact that Tonks had fainted and was speaking very coldly to Remus.
"Don't forget what happened last time you called me that Remus" she hissed angrily.
Remus had his hands in the air, as if she was holding a gun to his face. He looked terrified.
"I'm sorry Sera, I just wasn't expecting you to be here" he said quickly.
Her facial expression softened a little and she dropped her wand to her side. Remus let out a small sigh of relief and Harry noticed that his face changed back to a normal colour. Tonks was still on the floor with Mrs Weasley and Hermione fussing over her.
"Where have you been all this time Sera? We all thought you were dead" he added softly.
"That's what I wanted everyone to think. After the. shall we say unpleasantness? I went into hiding. I thought it best for everyone at the time" she explained. Remus nodded thoughtfully.
"Then why come back? Why now?" he asked.
Sera reached into the pocket of her robes. She withdrew a piece of parchment from her robes and unfolded it. It looked to Harry, like a news article from the daily prophet. As she passed it to Remus, Harry saw a picture of Cornelius Fudge and the words "He who must not be named Returns". He recognised it as the article that Hermione had read to them in the hospital wing before the holidays started.
"A little too hard to ignore, wouldn't you say?" she said softly.
Remus looked up from the article and stared at her for a moment.
"So why did you take so long?" he asked. "This article was printed over a month ago"
She sighed at this and paused for a moment.
"My hideout is quite far from here" she said carefully, as if trying not to disclose too much information. "When I do occasionally get the daily prophet, it's from a friend who I only see about once a month. I only saw this article 2 weeks ago. It took a while to organise my departure, and the travel time involved. It took quite a while"
Remus nodded again thoughtfully.
"So why did you come here then?" he asked.
"It's my house, why shouldn't I be here?" she asked pointedly. "More to the point, what are you all doing here?"
"This has been the hideout for the new order for the past year" he replied immediately.
Everyone else in the room gasped at his forwardness, their mouths dropping in shock. He turned to them.
"It's alright! She was associated with the order last time" he explained.
The rest looked nervous at this piece of information, but remained silent.
"A year?" she asked, looking shocked. "If I had known I would have come sooner"
Remus nodded.
"So do I take it that you'll join us this time also?" he asked softly.
She looked up at him hesitantly for a moment, before nodding resolutely, her face set determinedly. Remus felt a twinge inside him when he saw her expression and turned away. Sera was so much like her brother that it hurt to look at her.
"But she wasn't in the picture Moody showed me last year" Harry said suddenly.
Remus thought back to the picture.
"No, she wouldn't have been either. She joined the order after the picture was taken, as did Severus Snape" he said.
Harry looked stunned. At this moment, Tonks woke up. She looked over at all the faces. When her head turned to Sera, she screamed, but didn't faint again. Sera sighed.
"Hello Tonks" she said, in a dry tone.
"But you're dead!" Tonks whispered, her eyes wide.
Sera gave a small laugh.
"Not quite. It would take a little more than that to kill a Black" she said in an amused tone.
Tonks smiled weakly. Sera's eyes became sad again. She turned back to Remus.
"Sirius" she said. "How?"
Remus sighed heavily and explained what had happened in the ministry. Harry felt the numbness seep through him again like ice to his heart as he heard the story, told in great detail, by Remus. By the end of it, there was a murderous rage in Sera's eyes.
"I'll kill her" she whispered angrily. "I'm going to kill Bellatrix!"
Remus sighed and held her before she could go anywhere. She looked up at him angrily.
"You can't just go out and kill her like that" he said.
"Why not?" she snapped. "Seems as good a way as any to me" she added curtly.
Remus sighed again.
"That's because you aren't thinking clearly" he said, sympathy radiating from his eyes.
He smiled slightly at her and she calmed a little.
"The order will be back soon for a meeting. Stay here until then and we can catch you up on what's been happening so far" he said softly.
She nodded reluctantly and sat back down at the table. Tonks was now feeling much better and was sitting at the table eating. She was once again amusing Ginny and Hermione by changing her nose in between mouthfuls. Harry shook his head and smiled faintly before the dull ache came back to him and he stared sadly at the table for a few moments before looking up at Mrs Weasley.
"I'm rather tired. Would it be alright if I went to bed?" he said.
"Of course Harry dear" she said. "Same room as last time" she added.
He nodded and walked up the stairs.
