A/N: I do not own anything Harry Potter. I know this is a bit shorter than the other chapters but I've been pretty busy. Next one will be longer I promise! Happy reading! XO
Chapter 43
"The Order of the Phoenix?" Harry asked looking between both of his parents.
"Is that like some sort of band?" Annie asked Sirius. "Ooh! Are they opening for the Weird Sisters?"
Sirius put his head in his hands and sighed. "No, kiddo," he replied with a slight chuckle. "They're not a band."
"Hang on," Harry said looking between his parents, Remus, and Sirius, "isn't the Order of the Phoenix that group that you were all a part of during the first war?" he asked.
"Yes, it is," James said taking a sip from his coffee and looking over at his wife.
"Wait, I'm confused," Annie said turning to Harry. "How do you know what this Order thing is?"
"Mum and dad told us a bit about it when we were younger, don't you remember?" he answered.
"Clearly not," she answered looking even more confused. "I'm always to last to know about these things. So, what's so important about the Order of the Phoenix?"
Lily looked to James who nodded for her to begin. She set her mug down on the table and cupped her hands together.
"On the night that Harry saw Lord Voldemort return," she began, Annie and Harry listening, their attention piqued, "Professor Dumbledore met with Cornelius Fudge. He's denying that he's come back."
"Well, we know that," Annie interrupted. "Dumbledore told us that in the hospital wing."
"Yes, that's right he did," Lily continued. "Fudge is completely shutting down Dumbledore, saying he's age-addled. He doesn't want to believe what is so blatantly true," Remus cleared his throat and Lily ceased her rant. "Anyway, Professor Dumbledore, sensing a second war would be coming, reformed the Order of the Phoenix."
Annie looked over to Harry who was staring at his mother with his brows furrowed.
"So, Dumbledore is going against the Ministry?" he asked. "And he's fighting back against Voldemort?"
"Exactly," James answered proudly.
"But, that's not all you're doing is it?" Annie asked turning to Sirius, Remus and Lydia. "There are more of you, right? You're not just fighting?"
Remus smiled. "You figured right," he said taking a sip of his tea. "There are more of us, whom you will meet eventually. As for your other question: yes. We are doing more than just fighting."
Annie and Harry shared a silent look, each taking in the information they had just been given. Annie took another piece of bacon from the plate in front of her and started chewing on one of the ends.
"What are you doing that isn't fighting then?" Harry asked breaking the silence that had fallen over the table.
"We can't tell you," Sirius said as he watched a frown fall over his daughter's face. "That information is classified for the time being."
"Of course you can't," said Annie rolling her eyes.
"Hey, if it were up to me, you kids would know everything that's going on," Sirius retorted.
"But it's not up to you. It's up to Professor Dumbledore," Lily said crossly.
"Yeah, I know," Sirius sighed.
Annie looked down at her plate of untouched food and realized again just how hungry she was. She picked up her fork and started eating her breakfast. She was halfway through her eggs when she realized that Remus had mentioned that sparked her interest.
"Remus said we would be meeting the other members of the Order?" she asked. Harry, who suddenly remembered that fact as well, looked up from his meal and waited for an answer.
"You want to take this one, Jamesey?" Sirius said nodding toward his best friend.
"Nah, you can have this one," James said with a laugh. "I like the way you talk about your mother's house."
Remus laughed as Lily crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes.
"'You're mother's house?'" repeated Annie now at a complete loss as to what was going on. "You mean Walburga?"
"Ah, Walburga," Sirius said reminiscing about his deceased mother. "Her name is as ugly as her house and soul."
Harry snorted with laughter causing him to choke on his eggs. James thumped him on the back and urged his friend to go on. But before Sirius could open his mouth to speak, Lydia nudged him in the arm.
"The clean version," she reminded him. Sirius smiled fondly at his girlfriend and continued.
"Okay, okay. Well, when the bitch died-"
"Sirius!" Lily interjected angrily.
"I call 'em how I see 'em, Lily, you know that," he retorted cheekily. "Anyway, when the bitch died, she left behind a house. Unfortunately that house has been left to our family seeing how we're the last remaining direct descendants of the Black family." Annie's eyes widened as her father spoke about their inheritance. "I would have told you about the house eventually, but it never seemed that important seeing how we would have no use for it."
"And you the fact that you hate that house with a burning passion," James said picking at the bacon left on Harry's plate.
"That too."
"So what does meeting the Order have to do with this house though?" Annie asked, her patience growing thin as she waited for more information.
"I've offered it to Dumbledore to use as the headquarters," answered Sirius. "And we'll be going there off and on throughout the summer for meetings and such."
Annie's eyebrows furrowed in thought. "So, would Harry and I be going to these meetings too?" she asked turning to Lily and James.
"Absolutely not," Lily said sternly.
"Well, why the bloody hell not?" Harry asked looking around at all of the adults.
"Harry, watch your mouth!" Lily scolded.
"Sorry, mum. But why not?" he asked again. "We want to fight Voldemort."
"Because you are too young," Lily argued back. "Now, can we drop this discussion? I think we've told them enough."
"But-" Annie started but Remus cut across her.
"Annie," he said calmly. "Trust us. You'll get some more information soon."
Annie sighed and looked over at Harry who shrugged.
"You want to go into town?" he asked looking defeated.
"Yeah," she said standing up, "I guess so."
The two teenagers left the dining room without a backwards glance at the adults who were watching them leave.