A Dangerous Game

Chapter Six

A/N: I just reread all of the chapters of this story, and I would like to sincerely apologize for the excess of typos. I assure you that I am very familiar with grammar and spelling rules, and that the problem lies in the fact that I can't type worth crap. I am planning to go back at some point (hopefully in the near future) and correct everything, but as for now, my apologies are all I have to offer, along with this depressing but plot filled chapter. On a side note, I'm thinking that this story will be no more than fifteen chapters, probably less, and I am going to try and finish it before I go back to school at the beginning of August (which will be made difficult, seeing as I got a lead in a musical which will be rehearsing from 9-4 every day for the next two weeks…but enough bragging.) Okay, long A/N, on with the chapter.

"Dorcas! Are you there?" Remus had been shouting at her apparently empty house for about fifteen minutes, refusing to accept the obvious answer. He had found her, and taken her. Remus sighed, there wasn't any point shouting into empty space now, if she was really gone, there wasn't any hope.

With a swirl of emerald fire, he found himself sitting, cold and scared on the stone hearth at Haven. It was an uncomfortable position he had found himself in far too often recently. He looked up to see Sirius and Dumbledore's worried faces.

"She wasn't there. I'm afraid she's gone."

Albus sighed deeply, and for a moment looked as old as he was.

Sirius's mouth dropped open, "Not Dorcas, she was in our year at school, we were friends! Can't we do something, a rescue mission?"

Dumbledore observed him gravely. "You know better than that, Sirius. We don't have enough members to risk anybody. It's already too late."

Remus closed his eyes, recalling the first night the newly formed Order had met.

"There is," Dumbledore said sadly, "one more condition you must agree to. I'm afraid it is necessary, although we all hope no member will ever be forced to act upon it. Still, in these uncertain times, we can not afford to be short sighted. Thus, I remind all of you that nothing is more important than our cause, and ask you to agree to this: All members of the Order, if captured by the man who styles himself Lord Voldemort, will take their own lives rather than be tortured for information."

Remus remembered seeing James clutch Lily's hand extra tightly, and Hagrid grip that pink umbrella of his, nodding solemnly. He remembered, most alarmingly of all, the light glowing behind Sirius's eyes, and wondering if it was true, what the Greek heroes thought, that there was no more honorable death than that of your own hands. He remembered thinking that if one of his friends died, martyrdom would be cold comfort.

About an hour later, Dumbledore having excused himself, Sirius was sitting by the fire at Haven making a list of the remaining members of the Order. Despite all their hard work, it was getting shorter by the day, while the Death Eaters numbered in the thousands now. Sirius sighed and looked down at his parchment, he had finished, and honestly, it was a little pathetic.

Order Members

Dedalus Diggle

Emmeline Vance

Edgar Bones

Sturgis Podmore

Caradoc Dearborn

Elphias Doge

Aberforth Dumbledore

Peter Pettigrew

Alastor Moody

Albus Dumbledore

Sirius Black

Remus Lupin

Rubeus Hagrid
and of course the incapacitated Potters and Longbottoms.

There were other Order members, but they were special, with special jobs beyond what was concerned with Haven and guard duty. 12 members. That was the grand total. Actually, ten, because Remus was tied up at Haven all the time, and Dumbledore was too busy to be seriously counted as a member of the guard. Why was everything so hard these days? Just a few years ago (was it really only a few years?) the four Marauders were at school, before Voldemort was anything more than a particularly dark cloud on the horizon, back when their biggest problem was if Lily liked James or not.

Sirius half-laughed, it was somewhat ironic that their biggest problem wasn't a problem at all anymore. It was the only thing that wasn't, or so it seemed. He was interrupted by an owl rapping on the window. He was tempted not to answer it, lately every owl had held bad news. Still, if he didn't get it then Remus would wake up from the nap he was guiltily taking (even more guiltily than usual, after Dumbledore's visit), and Sirius didn't want that. Sighing, he untied the letter and absently patted the owl's head.

Haven,
Elphias Doge and Caradoc Dearborn are dead. Please inform their
families, I will get to them with the details personally.
Sirius, James has named you as his secret keeper, I will perform
the ceremony tonight at Haven. Be ready.

-Albus Dumbledore

"Remus!" Sirius called, turning from the window, and cursing inwardly. Remus rolled off the couch, looking mildly disoriented.

"What happened?"

"Elphias and Caradoc are dead, Moony."

"What? How?"

"I don't know, Dumbledore just sent an owl, but he didn't give any details." Remus clutched at the letter in Sirius's hand and read it quickly to himself. He was shaking when he had finished, but not for the obvious reason. He turned away, so that Sirius wouldn't see the expression on his face.

"Will you owl everyone, please? I don't…I can't do it again today."

"I will," Sirius said softly, wondering what was wrong with his friend, besides the obvious. But he knew Moony, and to press the issue would get him nowhere.

"I'll…go check on the owls," Remus said, not looking Sirius in the eyes as he took the golden bird from his arm. He walked through the secret doorway, and up a short flight of stairs to the enchanted room, above ground, but invisible, that was their miniature owlry.

Sirius and James had always been closest friends, and Remus knew it, still this wasn't something he had been expecting. It was unfair! Sirius had the good looks and the best friend. What did Remus get? He was the lonely werewolf who hurt everything he loved. It didn't matter that he had always stuck by James, loyal forever. When it came down to the line, James cared more about Sirius.

Remus set down the owl by a water dish, and stroked its wing, letting his poisonous thoughts drain through his body. Allowing himself to hate his two closest friends for excluding him from something so important. He would be a better secret keeper, he was always here—the chances of Voldemort catching him were far smaller. But of course, James would choose Sirius. That's how it always had been.

Remus wasn't aware, but at the same time, Peter Pettigrew was sitting outside the Longbottom's window having similar thoughts, "James would never choose me to be his secret keeper. I'm just the overweight, under talented tag-a-long, Peter. No brave, or smart. Well, so he thinks. I'm going to be brave enough to do something that will change the world. I will tell him where they are."

The only problem was that he didn't know where the Potters new location was, however, he did know the Longbottoms. Besides, victims didn't really matter. The results would all be the same in the end. Peter was tired of pretending that good was going to win out. It was time for him to go over to his true master—the person who was winning

That night, as the village church bells rang midnight, Voldemort strode silently up behind Pettigrew. Normally, the Dark Lord would have just sent a Death Eater, but for something supposedly vital to his plan…And well, if it wasn't as vital as the little rat made it seem, he could always kill him then and there, so at least the night wouldn't be wasted. "Well, what is this information?"

Peter jumped, and turned around, trembling even worse than before, and shivering, although it wasn't really cold for October. "M..Ma...Master!" Peter stuttered and dropped to the ground to kiss the hem of Voldemort's robe.

"Get up fool, what is the information?" Voldemort looked menacing enough, although Peter couldn't actually see his face under the dark hood he wore.

"The...the information?" He rose and Voldemort glared at him angrily. "Of course, well, I know where the Longbottoms are..."

"Where? Tell me now."

"Yes, Master..."

A/N: So there you have it. Some plot development, if nothing else, and a fairly long chapter, for me. Please review, I love feedback/praise. Criticism is okay, too.