James, Lily, Emmeline, Sirius, Remus, and Peter wandered through the empty halls of Hogwarts, reminiscient thoughts flying in and out of their minds.
They stopped when they came to the portrait of the fat lady. She was sleeping with Violet, they seemed to have drunk much from the picture of the muggle alcohol manufacturer.
James sighed, "You know, we'll never get to go back in there ever again."
Lily nodded, "We're just outsiders now."
"Now that's where you're wrong." a voice called making Lily jump.
The six of them turned to see Albus Dumbledore gliding towards them his robes esplendant in color, and his beard and hair gleaming silver-white.
He stopped in front of them, "Once a gryffindor, always a gryffindor. And coincidentally, this common room is where our meeting shall take place."
Lily frowned, "Pardon me, professore, but...what meeting? Dorcas wouldn't tell us anything, and we really are very curious."
"You will learn all of that very shortly, I promise you, Miss Evans. Now if you please?" he held open the portrait door for the six of them and they clambered through it clumsily. They were a great deal taller than since they were last here.
Emmeline drew a short breath at the familiar sight. Fire crackling in the corner, plush red chairs everywhere, a warm feel to the room.
Before anyone could stop him, Sirius bounded up the steps to the dormitories, and ran back down, "I saw my bed." he said breathlessly.
Dumbledore laughed, "Yes, I imagine you are feeling slightly homesick. Now, to business. Please take a seat."
There was a number of people situated around a long brown mahogany desk in the corner.
Dorcas was one of them. They all went to hug her, and sat down around her.
Dumbledore stood at the head of the table, and introduced them one by one, "You six know Miss Meadowes, Miss McKinnon, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, and Mr. and Mrs. Longbottom," they smiled. Alice and Frank had been in their year. Dumbledore continued, "This is Caradoc Dearborn, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dedalus Diggle, Benjy Fenwick, Sturgis Podmore, Elphias Doge, Alastor Moody, and of course, Minerva McGonagall."
The six of them nodded respectively to their former professor.
Dumbledore sat down and gazed seriously at the six new recruits, "This organization is called the Order of the Pheonix, and is a rebel force against Voldemort," several people around the table cringed, but he continued, "We are very serious, and the consequences are high. I wish that you six, who were very good students at Hogwarts, and who have each suffered somewhat at the hands of Voldemort and his supporters will join us. Obviously, you would never be forced to, and no one will think lesser of you if you leave now. But I must tell you that once you are a part of the Order, we expect your full effort, determination, and loyalty. And also, this is not a game. There is a high chance you could be seriously injured, hurt, or...killed. Now with that said, I ask you to please raise your hands if you wish to join us."
Slowly, hesitantly, and one by one, they all raised their hands. Peter looked unsure, but because he followed anything James and Sirius did, he raised his hand anyway.
Dumbledore smiled benignly at them, "Wonderful! I am so glad to have such good and willing recruits. So. To business. You will be working in teams. Mr. Potter and Mr. Black will be a team. Miss Meadowes and Miss Evans are a team, Miss Vance and Mr. Prewett will be a team. Gideon that is," Sirius sat up at this mention, looking angry, but from a look from Emmeline, he calmed. Gideon on the other hand looked away, looking embarrassed. Dumbledore continued, as if not seeing this exchange, "Elphias, you and Dedalus are a team. Mr. Fenwick and Mr. Podmore. Mr. Prewett - Fabian - and Miss McKinnon. Alastor and Minerva. And finally, Mr. Dearborn and Kingsley."
They all nodded as they heard their assignments. Dumbledore explained what they would be doing, and Lily cringed inwardly at the thought of the countless people Dumbledore was talking about, that had been slain cruelly without a second thought by Voldemort and his supporters. Fierce anger raged inside her as she thought about it. A few days ago, she didn't know what she was doing with her life. The rest of them did, but Lily had been helpless, but now she was the one helping the helpless and she finally had direction and purpose in her life. She knew she could be killed. She knew there were dire consequences, but this was something that gave her balance, and quailed her misery, knowing that she was doing something to help. It would be hard, but there was no doubt she could do it.
--
Lily staggered through the door, Dorcas supporting her. James jumped up in alarm, and ran to her, kissing every part of her that was not bloody.
"Lily! What happened?" he cried, trying to stop the bleeding, his voice wrought with internal tears. Sirius was up in an instant, helping Dorcas lay Lily on a bed, and helping James wipe the blood.
Dorcas sat down next to Lily's head, breathless, her hands covered in Lily's blood, "We were with Benjy and Sturgis trying to go save that goblin family we heard Voldemort was after. When we got there, the goblin family was already dead, and Voldemort was there. He was fighting with Benjy and Sturgis, and then Bellatrix and Rodolphus were fighting me and Lily, and I stunned Rodolphus, then Bellatrix did this weird curse on Lily that made her spout blood, and then she and Rodolphus and Voldemort disapparated and I told Benjy and Sturgis to go report to Dumbledore and I'd get Lily home because they only had minor injuries. And...and James, I couldn't stop the bleeding! And she was in terrible shape, so I couldn't take her side-a-long apparition because there was a huge chance that she could splinch herself making it even worse, so...James I had to walk two miles and she just kept bleeding, and I didn't know what to do!" she finished, wailing, collapsing onto to Sirius.
James nodded, "No, Dorcas, you did everything you could, I don't blame you for a minute-" broke off trying to mop up Lily's blood, "I can't stop the bleeding! What will I do?!" he cried, pure terror surging through his voice.
Suddenly the door burst open, and Remus ran inside, stopping to rest on his knees by Lily's side, "I just heard-from Benjy-I know how-I can stop-"
He stopped in midsentance, breathless, as he pulled out his wand.
James gazed at him, "You can stop the bleeding, Moony? You can put her right?"
He nodded distractedly, muttering the countercurse under his breath, "There. The bleeding's stopped. Now we just need to give her a revival potion, and she'll be put right."
James breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the sweat off his brow, "Oh, Lily. You can't just go and scare me like that! Don't you ever do that to me again!"
Lily laughed shakily, her eyes opening, "It's not really something I can control, Jamie."
James smiled at her and mopped up the blood, and Sirius tipped a revival potion into her mouth.
"Aah." she sighed, "That's much better. Oh, love, I'm so sorry."
James laughed outright, "You're sorry? I thought I was going to lose my other half for a minute there."
He bent down and kissed her full on the lips, and love surged through him. She felt desire rise up in her chest and she was so thankful that she had someone as wonderful as James to be worried if she didn't come back alive.
James pulled away, looking pointedly at Dorcas, Sirius, and Remus. They took the hint and left the room. James sat down lightly by Lily's head.
"Love, you know something?"
She smiled, "No. What?"
He bit his lip, "I'd never be able to stand it if you left me. My world would darken, and I'd be all alone with my misery."
Her mouth fell open, "Jamie, don't talk like that! I'm not going to die."
"You might." he said sadly, "And I might, too."
She tried to get him to smile, "I promise I'll never leave you, and I know you'll never leave me. We'll be together forever until I'm an old, chubby, housewife and your a balding, grumpy old man who only sits on the couch all day."
He laughed softly, "See, that's why I love you, because you can always make me feel better. But the fact remains that we both could die and be left without each other."
She grabbed his hands, "Okay, fine. Yes. There's a chance, but we just have to promise to fight our hardest and dodge death the best we can. Yes, James, I would die without you, but we have to stay positive. We are in dark times. Our lives are very hard. Constantly on the run, hiding from the death eaters, the chance of dying every day. But we just have to believe that everything will be all right, and then...it will."
He clutched her hands back, "Lily, I want you to marry me."
She gaped at him, aghast, "Marry you?"
He nodded fervently, "We said we'd do it sometime, and now that our lives are constantly in danger, don't you think we should bind ourselves to each other before we die?"
She shook her head, "James, I would love to get married, but not for that reason."
He smiled, "Lily, I loved you since the day I met you, and I would go crazy without you. Will you marry me?"
She laughed joyously, "Yes!"
The kissed, feelings of happiness washing away those of foreboding depression. Soon to be newlyweds. What a normal phrase in such an abnormal setting.
--
a/n: hope you liked it, I'll be updating soon...R&R!! I know I've stopped putting poems on it, but I write them all during math and texas history on scrap pieces of paper, and now I can't find them!