Chapter 9

April 1986

It was late afternoon and the first nice day for weeks in which it had rained one minute and had snowed the next. Cold and foggy it had been just uncomfortable outside so that no one had left Hogwarts if it hadn't been absolutely necessary. Nearby the lake Sirius, Remus, Charlotte and Emily sat together on a blanket and enjoyed the warming sunbeams which were breaking through the clouds. Since they had met in France they had become good friends.

When the Order of the Phoenix and the French resistance group had begun to work together the two sisters had often come to Hogwarts, had delivered messages or had received Albus' assignments. Remus and Emily had fallen in love with each other and a few weeks ago Remus had finally mustered enough courage to ask the young woman for her hand. Overjoyed Emily had agreed. Little later she had moved to Hogwarts.

When the teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts had been murdered Albus Dumbledore had searched despairingly for a replacement and had finally offered the position to the four young Aurors so that Charlotte had moved to Hogwarts as well. It wasn't easy to share the position but since they spoke about the lessons and adjusted to each other this arrangement had functioned well so far. So, at least, not many lessons had to be cancelled when urgent tasks for the Order had to be carried out. The subject Potions was also taught alternately by Severus Snape and his wife. In Hogwarts it was an open secret that the students liked Alison Lennox much more than Professor Snape.

While the four friends were sitting comfortably together, many people passed them. Since Hogwarts had become a refuge and a place which the Dark Lord hadn't conquered yet – despite a few attempts to do so – it had become almost a little town. Even a few Muggle children, whose parents had been killed, lived here.

As the Dark Lord and his followers had murdered so many Muggles in the last years it had become virtually impossible to keep the magic world secret any longer. It wouldn't take long any more and the Muggles would discover that next to their world another one existed.

On this day however the four young people didn't think of the magic world being on the verge of a catastrophe.

"Did you hear that Charlie Weasley is supposed to be an excellent flyer? When one of the older students will graduate next year, he'll definitely get on the Quidditch team!" Sirius just said and his gaze wandered in direction of the Quidditch field.

"Perhaps Gryffindor then will win once again!" Remus replied and bit into his apple.

Since Remus, Sirius and their friends had left school Gryffindor hadn't managed it once to gain the Quidditch cup. Last year Hufflepuff had won and this unexpected victory had nearly shocked the whole school. In the years before the coveted cup had been handed over mainly to the Slytherins and this although the number of students in Slytherin had decreased very much over the years. The Death Eaters who supported the Dark Lord in public didn't send their children to Hogwarts. Those who supported him but wore masks and tried to convince the world of the opposite allowed their children to attend the only magic school in Britain. Of course not all Slytherin students had Death Eaters as parents, it were many however.

While Sirius and Remus were chatting about Quidditch, Charlotte and Emily exchanged a smile. Both knew how Quidditch obsessed their friends were. But to talk about hobbies or other unimportant things was bitterly necessary in those horrible times in which you were seized constantly with fear, had to fight for your own live and had to witness murder and torture and dreadful tragedies. They all suffered greatly from the war, everyone had come away with scars on their souls but they had no alternative but to live and to fight.

Emily leant against the tremendous chestnut and regarded Remus while listening more to his voice than to his words. She loved him and wouldn't have been the war she would have been perfectly happy without a doubt.

But instead countless fears were bothering her. Had they actually a future? She knew how hard it was for Severus and Alison with whom she had become friends. Their marriage was strained greatly under the need to keep it secret and to be always careful to avoid giving it away, under the daily stress and Severus' work as a spy.

She wouldn't be able to bear it, if something should happen to Remus; Emily thought and felt how an icy coldness seized her. They understood each other as no one else could and Emily couldn't imagine any more to live without him. For one moment her nails dug into her palms. Remus sat opposite of her, he was fine; she assured herself. The singing high-pitched sound of a phoenix, which her bracelet suddenly emitted, caused her to freeze to ice. She gazed down on the narrow silver band and read the glowing message which had appeared there:

'Attack in Cheltenham!'

One year ago one of the members of the Order of the Phoenix had come up with the idea to use the bracelets and they had been surprised which unexpected advantages this method brought along with. To communicate among each other so quickly had been not possible before. The bracelets also enabled them to pass the wards which surrounded Hogwarts without reciting some complicated spells like they had done before.

Emily stood up and looked up. All joy and lightheartedness had disappeared from the faces of her sister and Remus' and Sirius'. Only grim determination was left. Together they ran to the Apparation place and Emily stretched out her hand. Remus grabbed her and for a brief moment she saw the same fear in his eyes. Would they survive the present day? Shortly afterwards the young Aurors had disappeared to do what destroyed them slowly.

One hour later Poppy Pomfrey took care of the injured people from the attack in Cheltenham. Desperately she tried to help the many victims. The hospital wing had to be magically enlarged since it had been too small.

As Poppy had tended one of the injured she stared at the sight which extended itself in front of her eyes. 'Whom should she help first?' The decision was however taken away from her. Remus Lupin, closely followed by Emily who was beside herself, came storming through the door. In his arms he carried an unconscious woman.

"Poppy, quick! She has been cursed with the Cruciatus Curse!" he shouted and placed the woman carefully on a bed from which he had to scare off two young wizards. Poppy hurried to Remus and Emily and realized the reason for their worried faces. It was Alison, the wife of Severus Snape, who she liked very much.

"Will she survive?" Remus asked hesitatingly.

Poppy nodded slightly.

"I think so, but she has lost her child." Poppy sighed sadly.

It had been only a few weeks ago when Alison had come to her and they had discovered her two- month pregnancy. The young woman had been so happy.

Remus turned around, cursed and stormed out to fight again, while Emily stayed with Alison and held her hand. Compassion seized her as she stared into Alison's white face. She brushed a strand of hair out of Alison's face and looking first at the many wounded people and then to Poppy she asked:

"How can I help?"