Fireside Chat

Dumbledore smiled and his mysteriously twinkling eyes danced in the firelight. "Why don't you all take a seat? I am sure we will have plenty to discuss, so you might as well get comfortable."

As Harry sat, he noticed that although Nicole had flopped to the rug in and Indian-style sitting position, Riley and Robin remained standing. He looked at Sirius and asked the question that had been bugging him. "What's the Order of the Phoenix?"

After a few moments of silence, Dumbledore answered. "It's a group of wizards and witches who protect the world from evil. Only the best get in," he added with a small smile.

"You're parents were in the Order." Sirius said quietly.

"My...my parents were in the Order?" Harry asked, amazed.

Sirius nodded. "They were good. They got more Death Eaters than the rest of us."

Harry blinked back tears, then nodded, and leaned back in his chair. Sirius walked over to him. "Are you alright?" Harry nodded again.

"Question: why do we have to be trained?" Riley asked.

"Whoa," Robin said. "I thought that's what we were going to school for--to be trained to be better witches."

Ms. Lange seemed to be searching for words. She glanced at Riley with a confused look on her face. "Well, considering the special circumstances, girls, I think that every little bit will help," she said finally. Her voice was light and chipper.

"What special circumstances?" Nicole asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're Tenshi," Sirius replied. You could almost here the unspoken 'Duh' that should have followed.

"The fact that we're Tenshi should mean we need LESS training, not more. We have centuries of magic in us," Robin complained. She had crossed her arms and was leaning against the wall with an air of grumpiness.

"I have to agree with Robin. I mean, we've been training for a year and know more and can do more than any of you can. Plus...in a way, we've been doing this since the dawn of time." Nicole said.

Remus gravely glanced at Sirius. "I knew it," he muttered. "Look," he began loud enough to be heard. "The Tenshi may be very powerful, but they have centuries of experience, and you three do not. You are teenage girls who have only been practicing magic for about five years."

Robin was not happy to be taken lightly. "And, we have mastered our skills."

"Mastered?" Sirius could no longer contain himself. "Were you mastering you skill when the Dementors attacked and turned your 'magic' against you?"

Nicole started laughing! "So speaks the Dog Star! He thinks he has wisdom beyond his years!" She laughed. "I believe you doubt our loyalties more than our skill."

Remus stiffened at Nicole's words. "How do you know what we feel?"

Nicole shrugged. "I'm an empath. So, you're pretty much as open as a book. Well, when you feel something strongly enough, that is. That's why I got hurt on the train. I felt Robin's pain and it distracted me."

Remus smirked. "You see, you still need to learn to control your powers."

"It's not something I can control." Nicole was getting angry. "It's not my fault she got hurt and my Patronus failed. You should try wandless magic and being an empath at the same time. It's not easy!"

"That still doesn't explain Robin's dark magic," Remus entered the fray.

Nicole glanced at Robin. "Well, that's a bit tricky to explain and..."

Suddenly, Riley exploded. "What right do you have to butt into our business? If it weren't for us, you'd probably be dead by now! We've come to help you fight against Voldemort, and this is the thanks we get? I think we should just head home. We're apparently not needed here."

"Now, I think we need to calm down," Dumbledore finally spoke. His commanding tone effectively silenced the room. "What is all this about Dementors on the train?"

"Dementors attacked the train, Professor," Harry began. "They were extremely powerful, though. They could apparate and even talked to us."

"You might as well say it out loud, Professor," Riley told Dumbledore with an exhausted sigh.

He looked at her quizzically. "It worries me that the Dementors are so powerful. They should not be practicing magic. It means that Voldemort has been training them."

"She can hear people's thoughts." Nicole supplied an answer to the unspoken question in the room.

"Does the phrase 'Element of Surprise' mean anything to you two?" Robin growled.

"Two? I love how you always manage to blame me. Did I say anything? No!" Riley sniped back.

"Oh shut up, both of you!" Nicole snapped. "Your yelling and anger is making me angry. Could we manage to not fight at some point today?"

Remus and Sirius looked at the girls, then at each other and nodded. They pulled out their wands, aimed at the Tenshi, and muttered a spell. They watched as the spell zoomed towards the Tenshi and they allowed themselves a smile as they realized there was no way the Tenshi could escape it.

Moments before the spell hit, Robin raised her hand, and a shield went up and surrounded the Tenshi. The spell bounced off the shield and vanished from existence. The girls looked the two men.

"You really need to learn how to hide your thoughts. If you were captured by Voldemort, he'd have an easy time reading you. You know that, right?" Riley said.

"Look, if you're so doubtful of our skills and feel that we need training, why don't you test us? You don't have to tell us when you're doing it; just send something our way at various times. That'll let you know our skills and it'll help us train. It's a win-win situation." Robin proposed.

Nicole however looked doubtful. "I don't know. That could be dangerous."

"We're the Tenshi. For us, living is dangerous. Get over it, it'll be fine." Riley laughed.

Nicole sighed and got up. "Fine, whatever. I don't know about you guys, but I'm tired. I'd like to go to bed. It was nice meeting Ms. Lange, and I hope that we get to work together at some point. But for now, it's time for bed."

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I agree. Harry will show you two the way," he said indicating Riley and Nicole. "The password is Canis Major. As for you, Miss Goodfellow, please wait outside, and Sirius, if he'll be so kind, will escort you to your dormitory. The password is Macbeth."

The girls nodded to Dumbledore and Ms. Lange, as well as Remus and Sirius before following Harry out of the room. Dumbledore turned to Remus and Sirius and sighed.

"Gentlemen, I believe you wish to tell me something."

Remus nodded and was about to say something when Sirius beat him to it. "We don't trust them. We don't know who's side their on. They've done nothing to prove that we can trust them to be loyal to our cause."

"I realize that and yet it may be your doubts that drive them to Voldemort's side. With the Tenshi at his side, he would be invincible."

"Actually Professor, there's no way we could go to Voldemort's side." A voice interrupted. The men turned around and saw Nicole standing in the doorway.

"Miss Eversly, would you care to elaborate please?" Dumbledore invited.

"Voldemort is after us for one reason and one reason only: our power. He has to kill us in order to get our powers though. We wouldn't be safe fighting for him. It's actually safer for us to be fighting against him. So, your fears and doubts are unfounded. We're supposed to help Wizards, not destroy them. Otherwise, we wouldn't have saved your people all those centuries ago. We were sent to save the world, so it's against our nature to seek to destroy it."

"How do you know all of this?" Remus asked.

"We've been Tenshi for as long as we can remember. Well, our souls have, we haven't. When we got the rings, we gained the knowledge of our past lives, so to speak. We received the power and the knowledge. We actually know what we're doing. All we ask is that you trust us and give us a chance."

There was silence in the room for awhile. Finally Ms. Lange spoke, "On Saturday afternoon you will receive your chance to prove yourself. We will set up a test for you, and if you pass, then we'll believe you. Agreed?"

"I've got a better idea. We pass your test, and you allow us into the Order of the Phoenix." Nicole shot back. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. Sirius let out a bark of laughter, and Remus suppressed a grin.

"You've got guts, Nicole. I'll give you that." Remus said.

"I believe that can be arranged, Miss Eversly. Now, it's time you were all off to bed." Dumbledore replied. Nicole grinned, bowed, and then ran out of the room.

"THEY THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA, RILEY!!" Nicole yelled as she left the room.

"IDIOT!! THEY'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW WE'RE HERE!"

"Sorry!"

"Did you ask if Ron, Hermione, and me can try as well?"

"No, I sorta forgot that."

Dumbledore nodded to Sirius as he transformed and followed Nicole out of the room. After saying goodnight to Adrienne and Remus as well, Dumbledore slumped into is most comfy chair.

"I believe we shall let Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley try out, as well—to humor them." Dumbledore mused with a twinkle in his eyes. Tomorrow, they would sit down and plan the trial on Saturday. He hoped that these girls were as talented as the world needed them to be.