Ch. 13- Meet Bailey Anderson
You swear you recall nothing at all
That could make you come back down
You made up your mind to leave it all behind
Now you're forced to fight it out
You fall away from your past
But it's following you
Fall Away- The Fray
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Over the next couple of weeks I applied at St. Mungo's and a couple of other hospitals for a day job. I didn't leave the flat for the first few days because I was afraid that my father would be looking for me. But when nothing out of the ordinary happened, I deemed it safe to venture outside, if only for a little while.
I'd met Gideon, Fabian's older brother, and there was no denying the two were related. They acted so similar and yet Gideon was completely his own person. He wasn't as outrageously flirtatious as Fabian, instead he approached girls in a totally different manner. Not as upfront as Fabian, he chose to give girls a taste of what he had to offer and let them do the rest of the work. I found this out on my third night staying with them when he tried to work his charm on me.
"Well, hello there! You must be the infamous Adira Pogue," He'd said in a laid back, friendly voice. "Fabian here has told me so much about you. I'm Gideon, his older and much more mature brother."
"Hello, yes I am Adira, although I prefer Addi," I replied as he took my hand and kissed the back of it. I felt a smile tug at the corners of my mouth from the cheesiness of it. "I hope you don't mind me staying here. It will only be until my friend, Zoey, comes back from a business trip."
"Oh no, not at all- I'm thrilled to have you here! In fact, if you need anything at all don't hesitate to ask- a tour around town, a place for drinks, you know the like." He exclaimed with a wink. And that was that, no more was said. I glanced at Fabian who shot me one of his world famous grins and clapped Gideon on the back.
"Don't even try, Gid, she's taken," He said to his brother. "Well, not officially taken, but she's marked territory."
"I am not territory!" I exclaimed indignantly.
"Ah, but sweet you are." Fabian said, clucking his tongue at me.
"And who's the lucky bugger, eh? I was looking forward to a fresh face." Gideon asked dropping his oh-so-charming smile to frown at his brother.
"Sirius Black I'm afraid. And you don't want to be messing with any girl of Sirius'," Fabian replied and I just rolled my eyes.
"Ah, yes, that's true. Too bad, I think we would have got on rather well," Gideon said turning back to me.
"Yes, well, seeing as Sirius hates me, I might take you up on that offer," I said crossing my arms and he raised his eyebrows at me.
"Well then, I guess I'll keep my schedule open." He replied with a smirk.
Even though it was fun to flirt the Prewett brothers I knew nothing would happen. Whether it was because it was mutually understood that it was just harmless flirting or if it be the Sirius factor, I never knew. But neither of them took it past the joking/flirting around stage nor did I.
Fabian kept his promise and talked to Dumbledore about letting me join the Order. I had a meeting with my old headmaster for the fifteenth of January to discuss my initiation. I'd met with him once already and said that I'd rather keep my alliance and membership under the table because of how certain members were sure to act. Dumbledore had obliged me and so I would be helping the Order in a more subtle way.
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"Ah, Miss Pogue, so nice to see you again," Dumbledore said as I sat down across from him in his office.
"You too, Professor," I replied with a smile. "Now, what do I need to do to make my allegiance official to the Order?"
"Well, before we discuss that I'd like to talk to you about something else." He said a twinkle in his eye. "You're a healer at St. Mungo's, is that correct?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?" I asked confused.
"Well, our Order is in desperate need of a good healer and from what I've heard you're very talented." He said smiling at me. "I was wondering if you would be willing to take up that position?"
"But sir, I thought we agreed to keep my joining the Order a secret? I was going to help in more indirect ways and just report straight to you," I said frowning. "I honestly think it would be for the best- I assure you there are fair few people who will object to my being there."
"Be that as it may, Miss Pogue, I could use a healer more than an undercover agent," He said calmly. "I have thought about this and could you not simply produce an alias? Create a new identity for the Order? I would know who you are and possibly two or three others you may have complete trust in, but nobody else would need to know who you really were." He added and I thought about it for a minute.
"So are we talking polyjuice potion or just some transfiguration and a new hair do?" I asked and he smiled at me again.
"I think if you merely alter you appearance so that you do not look completely yourself you will be fine. After all, it's been a while since anyone has seen you- they all think you're married to Abraham Nott, do they not?" He asked that damn twinkle back in his eye.
"I'm sorry, but exactly how do you know about that, Professor?" I asked incredulously.
"My dear, Fabian explained your position when he talked to me. He felt that you might be in danger if you joined the Order and explained about you leaving your family and ex-fiancé at the church. A very brave thing to do, if I may say so," He added sounding pleased and proud.
"Thank you, sir," I replied, unsure of what else to say.
"Now, will you take up the position of healer?" He asked moving back to the subject at hand.
"Yes, on one condition: I would like to work mostly night shifts. I may be able to change my appearance, but it won't be long before someone recognizes me." I said looking into his electric blue eyes.
"It's a deal. As soon as you've come up with an identity, I'll induct you into the Order. Then we can introduce you to the rest of them." He said with a nod. And that was that.
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"Hey there, stranger," I heard a voice from behind me say. I turned and saw Zoey.
"Hey! It's so good to see you!" I exclaimed giving her a hug.
She'd been gone for two weeks on some sort of business call for the Ministry and had only gotten back the night before. But I hadn't seen her since James and Lily's wedding, so it'd been a good two and a half months. I'd owled her, telling her to meet me at the Leaky Cauldron for a drink.
"Yeah, you too! Didn't think I would- seeing as your new husband isn't exactly a muggle lover," She replied fixing me with a look. I hadn't told her everything yet, just to meet me cause I was in town.
"Well, actually," I said now, "there is no new husband. I, er, kind of walked- well, apparated really,- out of the ceremony."
"You're joking! That's bloody brilliant," She said a big grin splitting across her face.
"Thanks. I haven't seen my family since that night and I hope to never see them again. I, um, actually have a job at St. Mungo's and am currently waiting to be inducted into, er, an army of sorts." I replied faltering on the last part because it wasn't safe to talk about anything important these days, not with prying ears around.
"Hm, and it's got something to do with Fawkes, right?" She asked cryptically and I nodded.
"How'd you know?"
"I've been a part of it for a while now," She said with a shrug. "It'll be good to have you, though, cause we are in desperate need of more healers. We only have three right now and one of them, while very sweet, is not the brightest being in the world. Needless to say they all have to work double and triple shifts at the house because there has to be a healer there at all times."
"Well, I'll do the best I can, but first I have to come up with a new identity," I replied and she raised an eyebrow. "Well, I've talked to Dumbledore about it- I don't want to be responsible for any sort of rift or schism, so seeing as I'm not exactly the most welcomed person- especially around that lot- he and I figured that it would be best if I invented a new persona. He says I can't be a part of it until I've got it, so can you help me?"
"Of course! We will do whatever it takes- well within reason," She exclaimed. "By the way, where are you staying?"
"With Fabian and his brother, Gideon," I replied and she smirked. "But I told them it would only be until you got back in town. That is, if the offer still stands."
"Don't be ridiculous, you're always welcome to stay with me." She scoffed.
So, I moved out of the Prewetts' and in with Zoey. Her flat was a small two bedroom with a kitchenette and a living room, but it was more than enough for me. I liked living on my own and being able to breathe freely.
As soon as I was settled we started trying different personalities and looks for me to use for my new identity. Nothing we tried seemed to fit, though. It was hard because I couldn't take the polyjuice potion- that was too risky- and the most I wanted to do was basic transfiguration. After a few days we finally came up with Bailey Anderson.
Bailey was a spunky witch who hailed from the states and happened to be a healer. She was here, living abroad for a while, and was happy to help in any way she could. I happened to be able to pull off a decent American accent, so that wasn't a problem. I decided to chop off my hair and make it black and spiky, which was a far cry from my normal long blondish-red. My eyes I changed from grayish-green to a deep brown and I transfigured my nose from its small, round shape to a more pointed one, making my features much sharper. I examined my handiwork in the mirror- I barely recognized myself.
"You look fantastic, Addi!" Zoey exclaimed as I did a little spin, showing off my new persona. "You look like you could be your cousin or something like that. But we have to put it to the test before we introduce you to everyone else."
"And I know the two perfect people to use," I said in my American accent.
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"Zoey, what a surprise!" Fabian said as he opened the door. "And my, my who is this charming young thing?" He asked, noticing me.
"Oh, yeah, Fabian this is Bailey Anderson- she's from the states, living abroad for a while." Zoey explained as Fabian took my hand and pressed his lips to the back of it. "Dumbledore asked me to show her around town."
"Enchanté mademoiselle," He said in a fake French accent. "Do come in."
We passed through the door, which Fabian closed behind us. Zoey and I exchanged a look and a smile before he turned back to us.
"So, what brings you to our humble abode?" He asked smiling at me.
"Well, we just wanted to run something by you and see if it was any good," Zoey said cryptically. "Is Gideon here? I wanted to see what he thought too." She added with a smirk.
"Yeah, sure, hang on a sec," He replied looking from Zoey to me. "Hey, Gid, c'mere!" He called.
"What?" Gideon asked as he walked out of his room. "Oh, who do we have the pleasure of entertaining?" He asked, his charm flaring up when he saw Zoey and I.
"Well, you know Zoey and this is Bailey, from the States. They wanted to run an idea of some sort by us," Fabian said as Gideon winked at me. I fought the incredible urge to laugh.
"Well, you see, Bailey wanted to join the Order and Addi said you two were the ones to talk to," Zoey said.
"Oh, she wants to join, well, I could set up a meeting with Dumbledore- what were you thinking of doing?" Gideon asked.
"I'm a healer and I was lookin' for mostly night hours 'cause I dunno how well an American would go over with your people." I said pulling off the bad grammar of a yank with perfection. I saw Fabian's eyes narrow slightly in suspicion.
"Night hours, eh? Well it just so happens that Addi, the witch who recommended us, was looking for those hours. So I guess you'll have to compete with her." He said crossing his arms.
"Oh, I've already talked to her bout it and she said it was fine, that we'd figure something out." I said giving him a charming smile.
"Well, I'll have to ask her before I do anything…just to be sure, you see. If Addi gives it the go ahead than I'll be more than happy to set it up. But until I can get a hold of her, I'm afraid I can't do anything." He replied in a somewhat cold tone.
"Oh, I see. Well that's understandable." Zoey said looking at me. I paused for a second and then decided to unmask myself.
"It just so happens that Bailey and I have an understanding- you see she gets my hours and I don't have to ward off hoards of angry wizards." I said in my normal accent. Gideon had a look of pure confusion on his face while Fabian just shook his head.
"I knew something was up- your reasons sounded so close together…well I'd say you've got that disguise spot on, Addi." He said with a smile.
"Why thank you. I knew if I could fool you I'd be able to fool everyone else." I said feeling quite proud of myself. "Dumbledore and I agreed that I'd need a new identity, so here it is. Bailey Anderson."
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I'd gotten the address of the safe house from Fabian and Dumbledore told me to meet him there at seven-thirty. I was striding along the streets of London, looking for the right street. I had to make my entrance by myself and figured it'd be better if I was fashionably late.
I turned onto Hurley Ave and started counting numbers. Eight forty-five…eight forty-seven…eight forty-nine…there it was- Eight Fifty-One Hurley Ave. The house looked a tad bit run down and shabby, but altogether rather cozy and welcoming. I walked up the stone steps and to the front door. I knocked three times and waited.
"Ah, Ms. Anderson, I presume?" Dumbledore said smiling as I stepped over the threshold.
"Yes, so good to see you, Mr. Dumbledore," I replied pulling the hood of my cloak back and looking around.
"Please, call me Albus," He said leading me through to a sitting room where there were about twenty people sitting.
I looked around, spotting Zoey, who smiled at me, and Fabian and Gideon, both of whom winked. Letting my gaze travel around further I also saw Frank and Alice Longbottom, Mad-Eye Moody, Marlene McKinnon- who I'd never known that well- and then my eyes landed on Sirius, who was in between James and Remus. He was looking at me with mild curiosity.
"Alright, this is Miss Bailey Anderson and she is the newest member of the Order." Dumbledore said I stood next to him. "Miss Anderson, why don't you tell us something about yourself?"
"Well, I'm from America- more specifically Chicago- and livin' abroad here for a while." I started but a voice interrupted me.
"Why the bloody hell would you want to live abroad here?" James asked with his trademark smirk. "I mean, England isn't exactly the ideal place to be at the moment, is it?" He added somewhat obnoxiously. I forced a smile on my face as I replied.
"Well, whoever you are, I clearly wasn't fully aware of the situation when I moved, was I?" I asked him and he looked a bit taken aback at my snappy reply. "Nevertheless, I felt the need to help as soon as I got a grasp on the war and what-not."
"What is it that you do, then?" Sirius asked cocking his head to the side, as though sizing me up.
"I'm a healer and from what I hear you're in bad need of one." I said raising an eyebrow at him. "Now, I'm sorry, if I'm gonna be so rudely interrupted I'd like to know by whom." I added crossing my arms over my chest in a classic Yank position.
"I'm Sirius Black and this here is James Potter- we're two of the best Aurors that you'll ever meet." He replied arrogantly.
"Oho, well aren't we the cocky one? Pretty confident for a jackass," I shot back knowing full well the impression I was making, but I couldn't help being defensive. The smug look on Sirius' face disappeared as Dumbledore cut in.
"Well, well, I see we're all just getting along great," He said amusement in his voice. "But forgive me for breaking up this little banter; we have more pressing issues to attend to."
"Yes, let's figure out what we're going to do about this new information," Lily said, shooting a look at James and Sirius. "If we know when and where the Death Eaters are meeting then we should arrange a raid."
"But what if it's a trap?" Frank asked as I sat down in the only empty chair.
"Well, we're fairly certain that this information isn't false or a set-up. Mr. Black and Mr. Potter overheard Lucius Malfoy and Avery Nott talking about it." Dumbledore replied with a nod towards Sirius and James. "So, I agree with Mrs. Potter that we should take this opportunity, since there are so few of them. Let's see, I'd like Sirius, James, Remus, Fabian, and Gideon on this one. Is that alright with all of you?" He added and they nodded.
"Good, now two weeks from this Saturday you will all be in position to move in and take down whatever operation they have going- but only if it seems safe enough too. We don't need to lose any more people than necessary and you five are some of the best we've got." He continued looking at each of them.
"Don't worry, sir, we'll come out alive- we always do." Fabian said confidently.
"Alright, well, I think that's enough for tonight," Dumbledore said after a second. "Miss Anderson, please stay for a few minutes, I'd like to show you around. But first, let me take care of some business."
"No problem," I replied smiling.
As people started to relax the atmosphere changed considerably. Tension left and was replaced with smiles and laughter as everyone caught up. The war had been forgotten, if only for a few minutes. I just sat there, feeling outside of all of these people, not only because of Bailey, but because of the choices I'd made recently.
"Miss Anderson?" I heard a voice say from the right of me. I looked up and saw Sirius.
"Yeah?" I asked casually.
"Hi, I'm Sirius-"
"I know- you've told me already." I cut in standing up. "What do you want?"
"Well, I just wanted to apologize if I in anyway offended you…I tend to shoot my mouth off sometimes." He said looking taken aback at my rudeness. "If there's anything you need- like a tour around town or just, you know, some tea or something…well I'd be more than happy to help out." He added fidgeting with his hands. I had a flashback of Gideon saying almost the same exact thing to me.
"Are you tryin' to ask me out?" I asked raising an eyebrow.
"No! Oh Merlin, no," He said shaking his head. I shot him a look.
"You're sure actin' like you are."
"No…it's just that I feel bad for embarrassing you and wanted to make it up," He replied with a shrug. "You should know that I don't do so well with the whole apologizing thing sometimes, so I'm trying to work on it."
"I see, well, I've got Zoey to show me around and I'm not much for tea, but maybe sometime I'll take you up on that," I said giving him a small smile.
"Well, brilliant, I guess I'll see you around," He said smiling back.
"Yeah, see ya," I said and he walked off.
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A/N: and there it is!! Sirius is back in the picture and I promise next chapter you guys will see a lot more action- I know this chapter is a bit on the boring side. there's only two more chapters and an epilogue left and I have it all written, so the updates should be fairly fast! and that review button on the bottom of the page isn't there just for decoration ;p haha