Fighting the Fight

Chapter 58

"I'll need at least a week's time to get you inside. In the meantime, I suggest you stick close to Hestia who'll let you know when you can officially join, alright?"

Gwen was grinning. "Understood, Sirius."

Sirius looked between her and Gwen before he turned to leave. He had reached the door, when he turned around and regarded Hestia with a frown.

Hestia felt anxious when Sirius looked like he wanted to say something to her. With Gwen beside her, the last thing Hestia wanted was for him to want to talk about anything that could hint at that night.

Sirius must have been thinking along the same vein, for he glanced furtively at Gwen before seemingly making up his mind. He instead said to Hestia, "The meeting is tomorrow at eight. Don't be late."

It was a redundant statement and they both knew it – Hestia knew the Order's schedule for the entire week, even though she had not been to the previous meeting. The only reason he could have done it, was perhaps to convey to her that she ought to quit her uninformed absence.

Flushing at his subtle jab, Hestia nodded and watched him leave. She wondered again what Sirius would have wanted to say if Gwen hadn't been around. Did he wish to apologize? Promise her it won't happen again?

She heard a great sigh from beside her and Hestia was shaken out of her musing. She turned towards the sound, slightly taken aback. Having momentarily forgotten about Gwen, she immediately schooled her features to one of mild curiosity. She needn't have put on a face however – Gwen was beaming radiantly and thoroughly distracted.

"Oh, Sirius," Gwen sighed softly. Hestia pursed her lips – she was dimly aware that Gwen was likely seeing him perfectly healthy since probably the last year they had met in Slughorn's party. Granted, she knew Sirius actually looked worse for the wear since his godson went missing. But still, he must look loads better to Gwen.

Gwen shook her head wistfully before she beamed at Hestia and did a sort of pirouette in delight. Her eyes rested on the newspaper that Hestia had been reading that evening. She grinned at the paper, before letting out a breathless laugh.

"'Undesirable No. 1'," she quoted from the paper, shaking her head. Gwen picked up the quill lying beside the paper and scratched out the first two letters, giggling. Hestia shut her eyes and sighed in exasperation. Oh, she knew exactly what was going on in Gwen's head right that moment. And she didn't fancy any of it.

oOo

The nip in the air brought with it a welcome change in the small shack, sitting atop the rock in the middle of the sea. Since the incident involving Harry's nightmare, Demelza and Harry were not going at each other's throats every hour but had instead learned to be quite pleasant to one another. Harry was aware that the change had started with him – he had been courteous with Demelza in a show of gratitude the morning after and she had returned his politeness in equal measure. Perhaps the problem had been with him after all? The realization did not make him terribly proud of himself.

Suffice it to say, he almost liked the way they could spend hours talking about things unrelated to the war in general. Bored by the long spells of idleness, Harry lazily practiced his charms waving his wand wordlessly. While it fascinated Demelza, it also drove her up the wall. She still refused to do magic, even after he had repeatedly insisted it was safe.

Harry's leg was healing rapidly and he was confident that he would be able to walk without his cast by the end of the week. This also meant that Harry could resume his search for the Horcruxes but he was faced with a different dilemma now. He could not let Demelza off – she would probably have no place to go and would have to resort to finding odd jobs to put bread on her plate. And there was the added detail that Harry could not modify her memories contrary to what he had said to her. Something that Harry kept reminding himself, because he really wanted to be free of the additional baggage that she was.

He wished he could send her back to her parents' but he could not on good conscience compel her to go back if she herself was afraid to do so.

"Won't your parents notice if you haven't been writing to them?" asked Harry. The two of them were seated on the couch sharing the pumpkin pasties that Twitchet had brought out on a plate that kept refilling itself. Even the mouldy shack smelled amazingly warm and delicious.

"I don't write to them more than twice a school year," said Demelza, biting into the pasty contentedly. "They'd really hate it if owls showed up at their home every other day, don't you think?"

Oh, Harry knew very well about that. Something in his face must have caught Demelza's attention, for she hastened to add, "They're not bad people. They're muggles. They don't quite understand everything about magic."

"I know a few muggles who were exactly like that," muttered Harry. "As you can guess, I'm not on good terms with them."

"You're talking about your aunt and uncle, aren't you?" she asked. At Harry's inquisitive glance, she added, "Everyone talked about it during your godfather's trial."

Of course they did.

"My parents are nothing like what you imagine them to be, Harry," said Demelza, shaking her head but seeming a bit sad however. "Perhaps, I gave you the wrong impression. I know they love me. It's just… well, they hate the fact that I'm a witch."

"It's not something you can help, is it?" Harry spoke brusquely, distinctly reminded of his less than ideal 'family'. "Why would they hate something you can't control?"

"Think of it this way." Demelza set down her plate on the couch and turned to face him, tucking her legs under herself on the couch and catching his full attention. "All their life, they've grown up learning that witchcraft is a sin. You can't just unlearn something like that just because some old lady showed up at their door and pronounced that their daughter was a witch and demanded I should go to a special school. It's understandable they still need time to come to terms with it."

Harry widened his eyes in disbelief. "You've been in Hogwarts for five years! How much longer do they need?"

"I'm pretty sure when I'm not at home, they try to forget that I'm studying in a magical school," said Demelza, smiling wanly. "I can't make them see the goodness in our people if I disappear for most of the year. But when I'm finished with Hogwarts, I'm going to stay with them and they'll see we're not all so evil after all. Someday, I hope they just feel proud of me, even though I'm nothing of what they wished for in a daughter."

Harry was astonished by her fortitude. He could not harbour more than a slight sense of familial connection with his aunt and uncle – a mere gratefulness that they had given him a place to sleep and food to eat despite having detested his presence in their home. It was only after Sirius had taken him in that he had understood exactly what had been lacking all his life. Maybe it was different for Demelza as they were her parents, but what he had with Sirius in only a year could not even begin to compare with what his aunt and uncle had offered him for the entirety of his life.

Demelza seemed to have realized she had revealed a little too much for her comfort. Her cheeks flushed under his scrutiny and she stood up hastily, muttering something about going to take a shower.

Harry's eyes followed her as she headed upstairs, feeling quite sorry for her.

oOo

Saturday, October 11

"You want to do what?"

Demelza could not believe what she was hearing. Harry's leg was finally healed enough to walk without his cast and not feel too much pain. The atmosphere inside the shack had been calm with both Demelza and Harry forming a tentative trust that was being put to the test a little too soon in her opinion.

"You knew this was coming," said Harry, putting on his rucksack. "I'm not exactly here on a field trip, am I?"

"But you can't leave me alone here!" pleaded Demelza. "I can't even do magic."

"Yes, you can," said Harry firmly. "And you won't be alone – Twitchet will be with you and if anything happens, she can Disapparate with you away from here."

Demelza was not mollified. She wasn't afraid to be alone. She had already made a trip to Muggle London with only Twitchet just a few weeks ago. What Harry was suggesting was frightening however, not only because she would be surrounded by the sea and no place to run or hide, but also because she could not expect Harry to have her back when he was off to… wherever he was.

"I'll come with you," she said but Harry snapped. "No, that's out of the question."

"How long will it take for you to come back?" asked Demelza, when there was nothing that could be said that would halt him.

"I reckon I'll be back by nightfall," said Harry, before turning to Twitchet. "Do not take her out of this shack, not unless your enchantments around this shack have been breached. Do you understand, Twitchet?"

The elf nodded without a word.

"What is it that you're going to do?" asked Demelza, her curiosity eating at her.

Harry spoke coldly, while adjusting his rucksack. "I can't tell you that. But you have to trust that what I'm doing is necessary. This is a war after all."

Something about the words he said, made Demelza widen her eyes in bewilderment and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "You're going to kill someone?" she whispered through her fingers.

"What? No!" exclaimed Harry, taken aback. "When did I say anything about killing?"

"That's what you sounded like," pouted Demelza before mimicking him. "'This is a war after all.'"

Harry shook his head exasperatedly. "Twitchet, you know where to take her if you're in trouble."

"Yes, Master Harry," squeaked the kind, old elf before adding, "Be careful, young master."

"I will." Harry smiled at her reassuringly, something he did very rarely and only with Twitchet. This was so unlike the Harry she knew from last year and she could not understand why he was behaving so differently in the span of a few months. Could it be Dumbledore's death that was affecting him so? Everybody knew he was their former Headmaster's favourite.

She had never thought of that before and she felt like she was just beginning to understand what was going on with him when he abruptly set off outside the shack to the pier jutting out into the sea and Demelza hurriedly followed suit. A small boat was tied to the pier, bobbing against the waves – the result of so many failed trials the night before in an attempt to transfigure a piece of wood they had found lying inside their hut. Harry had had little to no experience regarding the spell needed to transfigure a plank of wood into a proper boat even though he said he was familiar with the theory. After numerous attempts, he had somehow done it and Demelza had been impressed. Transfiguration was not one of her strong suits.

Demelza had asked him why they needed a boat when he could Apparate. He had explained that Twitchet's enchantments would allow him to Disapparate but not Apparate inside again, if he needed to return. She had not known then, that he would abandon her in this hut in the middle of the sea so soon.

With a last nod, Harry stepped inside it and waved his wand and the boat magically set off without any oars.

Demelza watched the retreating boat for a while until it was out of her sight. She could not stop the endless questions that buzzed in her mind since the day she had seen him in Diagon Alley though.

"What is it with him?" she muttered under her breath to herself.

"If only Twitchet knew…"

Demelza saw the elf, looking out into the sea forlornly and felt pity on the poor thing. She was devoted to Harry, obeying every whim and fancy of his. It didn't sit well with her.

"Say, Twitchet. Why do you do what he says even though you don't like it?"

Twitchet looked up, her large doleful eyes sharpening in anger. "The master's bidding is –"

"I know that!" said Demelza hastily. She had been in Hogwarts after all and she did know a thing or two about house-elves. "But you can't break a rule even to save your master from his own idiocy?"

The elf drew up to her full height, which was only up to Demelza's waist, but she did look fiercely protective when she said, "Miss will not speak ill of my Master."

Demelza threw her hands up in an act of surrender, not wanting to foster the ire of the being that made her delicious food and cleaned her clothes for nothing in return.

A light drizzle during the noon had developed into a full blown storm by the evening. The fireplace was empty and the chill in the air was getting uncomfortable. Demelza went into the small kitchen and sneaked a peek at Twitchet napping under a few blankets in the corner. Not wanting to disturb her, she pulled out her wand, deciding that this was the right time as any to test out Harry's theory that she could use magic and get away with it.

Pointing her wand at the damp logs of half-burnt firewood, she waved and said aloud, "Incendio!"

A large fire was ablaze, dousing the stone-walled room with warmth and light, even though Demelza's anxiety did not lessen for an hour after, as she was expecting an owl or at least a few Aurors to show up for her use of underage magic.

Either the storm was too intense, or their place too unreachable, as none of what she feared had happened.

Or maybe Harry was right after all.

The sky had steadily darkened, the rain lashing against the walls, sounding louder than ever as they were surrounded by the sea. Twitchet had served dinner and Demelza had tried to eat, but she could not swallow even a mouthful as she was growing worried. "Why hasn't Harry come back yet?"

"Twitchet does not know Miss."

"You're his house-elf!" exclaimed Demelza. "Surely, you must know where he is?"

"Twitchet cannot find Master unless called, Miss," said Twitchet, and Demelza was appalled to see tears leaking down her huge orbs. "Master has not called for his Twitchet."

Demelza swore and paced the length of the room in a mixture of panic and anger. Her first instinct was to wonder if Harry had abandoned her, but she quickly dismissed that thought. It was impossible when his house-elf was here. Besides, no matter how irrational he seemed now, Demelza liked to think she somewhat knew Harry. They had trained together as a team for a year and she was certain it was not in Harry's nature to leave his teammate behind.

But then, the more sinister thoughts began to fill her mind.

What if Harry had been caught? What if he had been killed?

Her stomach churned at the idea and she felt herself growing dizzy. She stopped pacing and sank into the couch, frowning. What would she do? Who would she let know about it? Where would she get help?

Truly, she had not felt more alone than in that moment.

She was absolutely certain she could not raise a complaint to the Muggle authorities. She could not go to Hogwarts to inform her teachers. Her friends were either in Hogwarts or somewhere in hiding. She could clearly not go to the Ministry. And she had no clue where Harry's godfather lived or how to…

Demelza sat up straight. "Twitchet! Can you take us to Harry's home?"

Even before she had finished speaking, Twitchet was shaking her head. "Master has forbidden Twitchet to leave, Miss. Twitchet cannot—"

"Harry said we can leave if we were in danger," said Demelza shortly. "Well, Harry is in danger now."

"Master ordered Twitchet to not leave unless Twitchet's magic was broken."

Demelza remembered what Harry had said to Twitchet – they could not leave unless the enchantments were breached. It seemed oddly specific now that she thought about it.

Demelza closed her eyes and sighed. "What if he were killed? You would still do what he said?"

"My Master is not dead," said Twitchet, rather confidently.

Demelza looked at her, perplexed. "How do you know that?"

"We house-elves know, Miss," squeaked Twitchet. "My Master is alive."

Could Twitchet know that there was always the possibility that he was captured by some loose Death Eaters?

"For how much longer?" asked Demelza morosely, immediately regretting it when she saw Twitchet's eyes tear up again.

oOo

Sunday, October 12

"Whoa! It's Gwenog Jones!"

"Gwenog Jones?"

Oliver and Lee were standing up and gaping at the arrival of Gwen along with Hestia. Angelina and Alicia squealed in delight and were racing to get closer to her.

"My sister is a huge fan of yours," said Fred, shaking her hand enthusiastically. Gwen beamed, unfazed by all the attention.

"Can we get an autograph?" asked George. "We'll have her Christmas present sorted."

"There's no need for that," said Tonks, beaming. "Gwen's going to be around here a lot often. She's part of the Order now."

There were shouts and whoops of surprise and elation from the boys and girls who began chatting amongst themselves excitedly. Remus couldn't blame them. The entire lot had been in the Gryffindor Quidditch team – and obviously they were a bit star-struck with Gwen's presence. Tall, dark and athletic, Gwen had been extremely popular not just for her Quidditch skills. It didn't help that she appeared rather striking with her maroon coloured robes and dark hair pulled back in a ponytail like she was going to jump onto a broom and go flying the next instant.

Tonks grinned at Gwen. "We've met before. Slughorn's party?"

"Of course," said Gwen immediately, with a tight smile. "Sirius' date."

Remus frowned at Tonks, who glanced at his face and laughed nervously. "Cousin. He introduced me to you."

"Oh, yes," said Gwen, slapping a palm to her forehead. "How could I forget that? I do remember thinking you were too young for him."

Dora's grin faltered and she pursed her lips. Remus didn't like that expression on his wife's usually sunny disposition, but he knew Gwen – she could be quite blunt with people, something that didn't seem to have changed at all.

"Gwenog Jones," he said simply, diverting her attention. She took one look at him and her eyes widened a fraction, before she smirked in recognition. "Remus Lupin. It's been a long time since I saw you."

"I'd ask how you've been doing, but it would be quite unnecessary." Remus shook her offered hand politely.

"Never mind me," said Gwen, waving her hand dismissively. "What have you been up to? I never saw you since Lily and James—well…"

"Their funeral," finished Remus, and shook his head. "Just got by making ends meet. Werewolf and all that…"

"You know, I wasn't really surprised when I heard about it." Gwen chuckled. "Always thought there was something you'd been hiding at school. But hey, rather a werewolf than a vampire, amirite?"

Remus chuckled. "Right. I'd hate to see myself with fangs all year long."

Gwen reminisced, "Like the one time, James and Sirius hexed that Slytherin idiot… Dennis?"

Remus laughed. "You remember that?"

"Like yesterday," she grinned fondly.

"Hate to break this little reunion," interjected Dora, "but the meeting is about to start soon."

Gwen joined Hestia as everyone headed inside and Dora glared at him. Remus wanted to laugh but he pulled her closer and muttered with mock anger, "Sirius' date? When was that?"

Dora grinned sheepishly. "You know, when you'd been off to gather the werewolves last year. Sirius thought I needed to get out and about instead of moping about thinking of you."

"You were thinking of me?" asked Remus, wrapping one arm around her. "How lucky am I?"

"Don't get too lucky now, mister," chided Dora. Remus snorted; it wasn't everyday he got to see her get jealous, even though she had no reason to. Yet, it gave him a certain kind of thrill.

Dora was pouting, probably still upset about Gwen. Remus leaned in to kiss her and it turned into a snogging session with Dora getting a bit aggressive. They drew back, breathless but Remus was gratified when he saw that smile on Dora's face.

She said openly, "I admire Gwen's Quidditch skills, but I don't think I'm too fond of her in person."

"She's not that bad," Remus said simply to annoy her.

"'You were too young for him'" Dora quoted, mimicking Gwen's smug attitude. "I can't believe she's related to sweet Hestia, of all people."

"Wait 'til she hears that we're married," said Remus.

Dora groaned. "Sirius better have a good reason for allowing her in. Where is he, anyway?" she said, looking around the kitchen.

"He'll be here soon," said Remus. "You know how he is."

The meeting that day was a full Order meeting, with all of its members present. Of course, Sirius was yet to turn up at an important time like this.

Dora went ahead when Kingsley greeted Remus. "Gwenog Jones is in the Order just when she's been making waves in the newspaper for the entire week? I hope Sirius wasn't the one behind it all."

"Sirius tells me that's all Gwen's doing," quipped Remus, following Kingsley upstairs. "It just happened to be convenient that she also decided to join us."

"It's not mentioned in the papers but more than half a dozen countries have turned their attention towards us. Thicknesse himself had to answer some of the other governments – they are asking for the captain of the Holyhead Harpies to be reinstated, but she's made it clear that she wants her petition demanding their seeker's release from Azkaban to be resolved first."

"While I think that sounds most admirable, it doesn't bode well for Gwen," said Remus, concerned.

"Why? Because she's attracting too much attention to herself?"

"Not to herself, but to the current political climate in Britain. Believe me, I think it's a splendid idea to get some foreign help, but I don't think the Death Eaters will like what she's doing, exposing them."

Kingsley hummed, frowning in thought. "Perhaps, she's quite brilliant after all. What if that was why she decided to join the Order? To get herself some backup or a place to hide when things got worse for her?"

"That sounds very much like Gwen alright," said Remus, grimacing. "Let's hope this does not boil over and pull us all into trouble."

The two of them made it into the meeting room and found almost everyone settled around the table—Edmund Abbott was speaking with Elphias in low tones, while Percy, Proudfoot, Catherine, Hestia, Dora and Gwen were in an engaging conversation together. Fred, George, Lee, Oliver, Angelina, Alicia, Ron and Hermione were the loudest bunch, as usual. The twins were excitedly announcing to them about their night escapades out of the Abbott house to smear wizarding localities with graffiti on the walls, something Remus was aware of and had reluctantly kept himself from stopping them. It was too stifling inside the house for energetic boys like them.

Hermione was flabbergasted. "But you're both Undesirables! What if they caught you?"

"Well now, Hermione, did you think Fred and I would go into Diagon Alley without properly disguising ourselves?" asked George, raising his eyebrows.

"We haven't been caught so far and we've been out three times already," said Fred, easily. "You've got to take a few risks if you're in the Order."

"Isn't it strange that it hasn't been on the Prophet?" asked Angelina. "If there was a big, shining display of 'The Phoenix is on the rise' on the walls of Diagon Alley, it should have made it to the paper, unless they already found a way to erase it."

"Oh, they can't erase it," said George confidently.

"Or paint over it, or cover it, or hide it," Fred continued grinning mischievously.

"It's still intact," said Hestia, smiling from across the table. "I walk by that wall every day when I am heading to work and it seems no one can do anything about it. I did see a couple of wizards trying to cover it up with a poster of our Minister, but they're having little success."

"What happens when you try to cover it up? asked Hermione curiously.

"They catch fire," said Hestia, smirking appreciatively.

Angelina and Alicia cheered while Ron, Lee and Oliver broke into laughter. Hermione was horrified yet Remus could tell she was also quietly impressed.

"How have I not heard about this?" asked Doge, grinning and lighting his pipe. The old man always did appreciate James and Sirius' antics when they had been in the Order. Remus was feeling nostalgic all over again.

"The Ministry is not going to publish things that make them look incompetent, are they?" offered Edmund.

"Which is also why, we haven't heard any news about the foreign governments demanding to know why Miss Jones resigned or whatever happened to their seeker." Kingsley tilted his head at Gwen, who nodded briefly.

"I wonder how convincingly Thicknesse can answer their questions," said Tonks. "I mean, we know he's been Imperiused by a Death Eater, but I hardly think Death Eaters could be well versed in dealing with foreign bureaucracy."

"Say Percy, you're his junior assistant," interjected Ron. "You should know the answer to that."

"I'm only his Junior Assistant, Ron," said Percy, adjusting his horn-rimmed glasses with a sniff. "Yaxley ensures Thicknesse does a convincing job and I can hardly find fault with it."

Fred groaned. "With you as his assistant, of course his work is flawless."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "As much as I wish he'd botch it up, I'll be the one who will be punished for letting a mistake slip through. Our parents and I are being watched. They know they were in the Order last year. It's easy for them to suspect me if I tampered with something."

Ron's eyes widened in horror and Fred appeared chagrined.

"Keep doing a good job, Percy," said Proudfoot easily, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "But, let us know what those Death Eaters are forcing the Minister to do, so we can try to do something with that information."

"Proudfoot is right," said Kingsley. "It is of great value that we have the eyes on the Minister with Percy's insight. If we can find what the Minister's response is to the other countries, perhaps we might be able to send out a distress message to get their attention on us."

"We'll need to discuss it with Sirius before we make a decision," quipped Doge. "Where is that boy? His perpetual tardiness is going to be the death of me."

Remus snorted. Only Doge still thought of Sirius and him as boys.

"Sirius is late, but he's never too late," said Tonks, frowning. "I don't know why I have a weird feeling about this."

"Shall I send a Patronus?" asked Catherine helpfully.

Remus was just beginning to refuse her offer to do it himself, when the large bear-like dog Patronus trotted into the room, speaking in Sirius' hurried voice. "I'll be there in ten minutes. Don't try to contact me."

The Patronus dissolved and the room felt much darker without its light than it previously had been.

"Speak of the devil," said Lee jokingly.

"Was that a Patronus?" asked Gwen inquisitively. "Did it speak in Sirius' voice? How can a Patronus charm do that?"

"Dumbledore devised it to communicate between us," piped Angelina.

"Unbelievable," hummed Gwen. "I've never seen anything like it."

"Was I the only one who thought he sounded odd?" asked Doge addressing the room with his eyebrows drawn together.

Remus felt a twinge of worry, because he had heard it too – Sirius sounded afraid. But he didn't want to come to any sort of wrong conclusion and raise alarm unnecessarily and so he tried to diffuse the tension.

"He's been a bit down all week," said Remus, smiling thinly. "I don't think it's anything to worry about."

To his surprise, Remus saw Hestia flush and she fidgeted with the sleeve of her robes, avoiding everyone's gaze. Remus had only noticed it because he suspected there was something going on between her and Sirius ever since Harry had left. Even though the both of them had never acted in such a way as to rouse anyone's suspicion, Remus knew Sirius had spent a significant portion of his Order missions with her all year. Maybe, he was looking too hard, but he had an inkling which he daren't run it even past Sirius. It was none of his business, but he still couldn't help but notice subtle signs now and then.

The others resumed chatting amongst themselves, but Dora turned to him and whispered, "I agree with Doge. Sirius sounded scared."

"I heard it too," he muttered. "I didn't want everyone to panic unnecessarily."

"Good idea." Dora nodded distractedly, biting her lip.

After it seemed a long moment, they heard someone come up the stairs before Sirius entered the room. Remus felt a coldness sweep through him when he saw his friend's face. He was pale and his eyes were full of sadness.

And he was looking straight at Dora.

"Sirius, where have you been?" she asked, standing up. Remus could sense that she had picked up on his countenance too.

Sirius' eyes were searching the room, as if he was searching for the right words. "Dora, I…"

Tonks was already moving towards him unconsciously. "What is it, Sirius?"

"Your dad has been killed."

Remus thought his stomach had dropped through the floor. He could not believe it. He thought he heard a few of them gasp, but he could not hear them properly either. He could only see Dora standing frozen in shock.

"What—What did you say?" Dora still seemed quite speechless.

"Dora, I'm so sorry," said Sirius, looking as wretched as Remus felt. "Ted was killed last night, after he'd been captured."

"No," said Dora, shaking her head. "No, you're lying, Sirius. Mum told me Dad's safe in hiding the last time she wrote to me."

"He was on the run, not hiding somewhere safely like your mum thought you to believe," said Sirius and he offered her a folded up piece of parchment that Remus noticed only then that he'd been holding.

Dora's hands were shaking when she took it from him and Remus joined her to read it:

My dearest Nymphadora,

Whatever you do, please don't leave your place of hiding to visit me.

Your father is dead. He was murdered last night when he'd been captured by a group of Snatchers. I know I told you that he was hidden safely, but I was lying to you because he did not want you to worry about him. Ted didn't want his daughter to get into more trouble when you already have the whole of Britain looking for you.

I'm so sorry, my dear child, that you have to learn about it this way. I know you are thinking that the Order would have offered him protection. But, your father was a noble man and he would not ask for help when we had refused to join the Order as soon as Sirius had asked us to. It would have been the height of selfishness if we asked for your help when we contributed nothing in return. Please know your dad stood by his decision, and you have no part or blame in this.

I love you from the bottom of my heart as much as your father did and all I want now is my only daughter to be safe. My sister wants the sadistic pleasure of watching me lose my husband and my daughter too. Please don't give her that. Please keep yourself safe and don't visit me.

Your father would have wanted you to be in his funeral, but he'd want you alive and well more than standing guard over his body. Do not despair, my child.

I am being watched round the clock and I suspect it is because they hope you will show your face here. Even if you think that is an invitation to use your Metamorphmagus skills to impersonate someone else, I'd still ask you to refrain from dropping in here. I don't want to lose you. I know Remus will take good care of you and so will Sirius and I am not too worried for you as long as you put your safety first.

Love,

Mum.

P.S.: I'm holding you responsible for my daughter, Sirius. Please don't let her do something foolish.

Dora was sobbing by the end of the letter and Remus pulled her into a hug, still looking at the parchment. The ink was blotted in places – Andromeda had been crying when she wrote it. Sirius wordlessly took the parchment from him and Remus hugged Dora tighter, not knowing what to say. He stared at Sirius who could do nothing but gaze back in return.

The others had risen up and were taking turns reading it. Abbott asked, "Is Andromeda alright?"

"I tried to check on her," said Sirius. "But her house is being watched like she says. I had to flee before they could spot me. It boggles me how she got the letter sent out."

"I have to see mum," muttered Dora. "She needs to get out of there."

"She's being watched, but she's under no threat, Dora," reassured Remus.

"No, no, she needs to get away…" Dora said, clearly not in any position to hear what he was saying. She disentangled from him, making to leave the room when Sirius stopped her.

"Get out of my way, Sirius!"

"Andy will be safe, at least for the time being," said Sirius in a tone meant to placate Dora. "Bellatrix wants to strip her off her family, but have her alive enough to see it. You'll be playing straight into her hands if you try to visit her now."

Dora growled in anger, "I don't care! I'm not afraid of that cow!"

"Dora, we don't want to do anything hasty…" began Remus.

"I'll kill her myself if I have to!" Dora pulled out her wand, furious. She pushed Sirius aside and made to get out of the stairs. "Dora, wait!"

Before she could take even a few steps further, she turned around when she saw her wand flying out of her hands and straight into Sirius'.

Dora turned around like whiplash, eyes blazing. "Give me my wand!"

"No, you listen to me."

Tonks glared at Sirius, all cold fury, but she did not move to lunge at her wand or leave without it either which was a good sign.

"I've been doing nothing," said Dora quietly before her voice rose in volume. "I've been sitting around doing nothing and my dad is dead! Do you hear that, Sirius? My dad is dead and it's because of me! I'm an Auror and I didn't do anything to save him! What do you want me to do? Sit in this blasted house and cry while I wait for them to kill everyone I have left?"

"Dora…" began Remus.

"This isn't why I joined the Order," she said loudly, shaking her head and not hearing Sirius or Remus. The rest of the room had retreated back slightly, watching her aghast. "I'm not making any difference. If I can't save Dad…the Order can do nothing. Why do we have the Order if we can do nothing…?"

"Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin, that is enough." Sirius spoke over her sharply. Dora quietened but the anguish on her face was still too raw.

Sirius stared at her, visibly upset, before he looked up with the same icy anger that hardened his features to stone.

"If you thought we're all going to come out of this whole and unscathed, you change right now what you thought the Order of the Phoenix was started for in the first place." Sirius caught the eyes of every single one in the room before he continued, "The Order was founded not as a refuge for muggleborns, not as a means to make sure you can live safely hidden and definitely not to ensure that your families alone make it out of this in one piece.

"Dumbledore started this so he could organize the resistance against You-Know-Who, to give us a fighting chance so we can end him once and for all. This isn't about you and me – this is about all of us. Nobody promised that joining the Order means you're going to be guaranteed a ticket to safety. Those folks out there who're good people, we're just as likely to die as any of them, even more likely as we should know by now. We're already marked for death – muggleborns and blood-traitors. It might just as well be any of us next. I'm sure every single one of you knew that when you signed up.

"Now we can go down as cowards, or we can go out fighting because we tried to make a difference. I don't care what the resistance looks like even if it means all we ever did was learn to properly defend ourselves. But it's essential we don't bend over and give in to what he wants. I have no idea when we are going to see a difference or if we will see it at all. I can only hope we try our best to make it a better world for all of us, if not for ourselves."

Sirius looked at Dora and addressed her gently. "I know exactly how much you want to get back at her right now. Take it from me, it doesn't make anything better – nothing will make it even. I'd rather you mourn for your father now than lose yourself to revenge." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll get her back. I promise."

Dora caught his gaze and though she was holding back tears, she nodded wordlessly.

oOo

A.N: Every PM, every review that popped up on odd times of the day during the past year bringing small moments of joy for me despite my currently hectic life is appreciated from the bottom of my heart.