Chapter – 12:
Remus P.O.V
"Please, do come in. We haven't waited for over half an hour, at all," Severus said, voice saccharin, sarcastic.
Remus rolled his eyes, lounging on the couch and watching Sirius bare his teeth at the Slytherin. Both him and James had come late due to James extending their Quidditch training, not that Severus cared from such frivolities as hobbies and games.
"Oh, shut up, Sevvy," Lily said, head hanging from where she was lying upside down. James said nothing, sitting down on the empty couch.
Sirius mouthed Lily's words at Severus from where Lily couldn't see, and Peter giggled. Lily turned to Sirius and opened her mouth
"How were your vacations, Severus?" James asked, interrupting Lily before she could start. Remus stifled his laughter at Lily's exasperated and annoyed face.
Severus glared at James for the question.
James scowled back.
Sirius grinned.
"Well, Remus found out something interesting!" Peter said, excitement defeating his ability to keep silent.
Remus groaned, and almost scowled at Peter when everyone turned to him. He wanted to watch how that situation played out, and Peter spoiled it. Though maybe he did it on purpose, the peacemaker.
'Are you sure we can't eat him?' The wolf whispered, waking from his slumber. 'Or maybe the one who's baring his teeth?'
'Ugh! We have a truce remember?' Remus growled back, utterly done with this conversation. They had been going back and forth for the past few weeks, ever since the original truce. 'Also, this is important. So, back off, aggressive lump.'
"Remus?" Lily cleared her throat. "Maybe tell us this interesting tit-bit."
"I found out who You-Know-Who is." Remus stated, matter of fact, clear.
"What?" James blurted, "And you didn't tell us until now because?"
Remus fought the urge to slap James. "Because if our letters were intercepted, as they likely will be soon, then you-know-who would know that we know who he is." Remus frowned. "Or was."
"Was?" Severus asked, picking up on that.
"He obviously doesn't go by that name anymore, probably to hide something." Remus replied, absentmindedly. Why he didn't use that name was a question Remus had been pondering over.
"And who is you-know-who?" James and Lily asked, simultaneously, ever the impatient.
"An orphan called Tom Marvolo Riddle."
They looked mind blown.
And then Sirius laughed, and Severus joined him. Because this 'Dark Lord' who claimed blood superiority and preached about the purity of blood, this Warmonger was an orphan, likely of no old family if nobody took him in after his parents' death. This Voldemort was likely a half-blood, of impure blood, if his family cast him out, if he was an orphan.
And so, Sirius and Severus laughed at the absurdity.
Lily smiled a grim smiled. This Voldemort probably didn't want his secret, and there was no doubt it was a secret, coming out. And here six schoolchildren sat, having figured out such a scandalous piece of information.
Peter frowned in thought. With a name, one could find anyone and anything. Especially with school records and age, and well, Peter was certainly curious about this so-called powerful wizard, who hid behind a tacky, fake name.
Remus sat, smug. Having figured out all of this, weeks ago, and having thought this through. He sat, and waited for them to calm down, and then he shared the rest of his finding with them.
Needless to say, they laughed hysterically, maniacally once he was done.
They were one step closer to figuring out this mystery.
"Lupin!" Parkinson snapped her fingers in his face. "You're supposed to be tutoring us, not staring at an old table!"
Remus glared at the offending girl, and she glared right back. Crouch Jr. coughed into his fist, hiding a laugh no doubt. Remus was not in the mood to deal with them today.
"And what are you contributing, Parkinson?" Remus asked sharply. "If you do not want to learn, I can't tutor you or help you in any way!"
She gave him a truly unimpressive sneer, which made her already grotesque looking feature twist, until she looked like a part of a horror show in the circus. The Carrow twins seemed to notice this, if their abrupt case of coughs was to be believed.
"And what would you have us do?" Bertha Jorkins asked, the only sensible girl in this group. Not that she was sensible in the slightest.
Remus gave her a blank stare. He had already told them what to do and what books to use. "Work on your potions homework with those books on the table next to you."
Remus hated working with them. This particular group could have gone to Pandora for all he cared. They couldn't ask for Narcissa Black, thanks to the pesky rule that banned having an official tutor from the same house. Something about promoting house unity. But they could have gone for Pandora Goldstein, even if she was eccentric.
It took him a while to escape their various mutterings and curses, to which the wolf was cackling at the choice of words. By the time he could plausibly escape without arousing their suspicions, Remus was utterly fed up.
He was so busy mentally ranting about their lack of common sense and their blatant distaste for everyone not of 'pure' blood, that he didn't notice his surroundings. At least, not until he heard whispered voices in front of him and he almost crashed into the portrait he was supposed to go through.
Pausing behind the portrait, staying silent, he waited for the voices to leave.
When they didn't, he decided to eavesdrop. After all, no one would know except him.
"Where is headquarters, old man?" A semi-familiar voice asked. Remus had heard that voice, years ago, in the Gryffindor common room. Yet, he couldn't place it now.
"Now, now, dear boy. You shouldn't be so hasty!"
What was unmistakably Dumbledore's voice filtered through. Remus stood stock-still, hoping no one could hear him. The two continued their conversation, or argument, based on how one looked at it.
"Dumbledore. I don't care what you think you know or how much you care about our decisions. We will be joining this fancy group of yours," another similar voice, one Remus hadn't heard before.
Dumbledore sounded like he was sighing, before he replied in a resigned tone. "It's the Order of Phoenix, not a fancy group, but a resistance group against any threat to the majority of the population."
"Like Grindelwald?" Remus couldn't make out if the first person was questioning Dumbledore or making a statement.
"Indeed." Dumbledore's voice had gotten even sadder, if that was possible.
"Well, then, old man," the second person said, voice cheery. "I suppose you'll tell us where Headquarters are?"
There was a pause in the conversation, and then Dumbledore sighed heavily, once again. "Let's move this conversation to my office, boys."
One of them snickered and the other coughed. Remus still couldn't pinpoint them.
Slowly, their voices, raised in normal conversation, faded away. Just to be safe, Remus waited for a few more minutes before leaving. All the way back to the tower, he digested the information he had eavesdropped on.
"Hey, Remmy-boy, look what we got!" Sirius called, as soon as he stepped into the common room. Remus looked up to find him waving some paper in the air.
It was a letter. Just what they needed.
