Chapter 5: Order of the Phoenix Pt. 1

The seven of them looked cautiously over the banisters. The gloomy hallway below was packed with witches and wizards, including those that were guarding Harry. They were whispering excitedly together. In the very center of the group stood Snape, Peri's father. He had his regular greasy hair and prominent nose. She was thankful to have gotten her mom's facial features, except she got his dark hair and eyes. She watched Richard eyeing him intensely, he seemed he was ready to murder him there on the spot.

Peri's focus was pulled away as the Extendable Ear was lowed in front of her eyes. She looked up to see Fred, George, and Hallie leaning over the landing above them as they cautiously lowered the Ear toward the dark knot of people below. A moment later, the group made their way for the front door and out of sight.

"Dammit," Fred whispered as he hoisted the Extendable Ear back up again.

"Fred," Hallie hissed at him.

"Sorry, love."

"Snape never eats here," Ron told Harry quietly. "He doesn't typically come to the meetings. He seems to try and avoid Richard and Cassie as much as possible. Probably because of the trial."

Peri watched as her father's dark cloak disappeared past the front door as it shut behind him.

"C'mon," she told them.

She ushered Alicia and Mallory ahead as they passed the row of house-elf heads on the walls. They saw Remus, Molly, Tonks, and their parents at the front door. They were magically sealings the door's many locks and bolts behind everyone who just left.

"We're eating down in the kitchen," Molly whispered as she met them at the bottom of the stairs with Cassie behind her. "Harry, dear, if you'll just tiptoe across the hall, it's through this door here —"

CRASH

"Tonks!" cried Molly and Cassie, exasperatedly turning to her.

"I'm sorry!" wailed Tonks, who was lying flat on the floor.

Peri went to her side to help her up, "That stupid umbrella stand just needs to be put away."

"It is the second time I've tripped over —"

The rest of her words were drowned by the horrible, earsplitting, bloodcurdling screech.

The moth-eaten velvet curtains fell revealing Ida's grandmother screaming as though she was being tortured. The old woman was drooling, her eyes were rolling, the yellowing skin of her face stretched taut as she screamed, and all along the hall behind them, the other [prtraots apple and began to yell as well. Everyone clasped their hands over their ears.

Remus, Molly, and Richard darted forward and tried to tug the curtains shut over the old woman, but they would not close as she screeched louder than ever, brandishing clawed hands as though trying to tear at their faces.

"Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! Half-breeds, mutants, freaks, begone from this place! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers —"

Tonks continued to apologize over and over again. Cassie disappeared into the kitchen, returning with Sirius and Remy. Molly seized her wand stunning the other portraits.

"Shut up, you horrible old hag, shut UP!" he roared, seizing the curtain from Richard.

The old woman's face blanched.

"Yoooou!" she howled, her eyes popping at the sight of Sirius. "Blood traitor, abomination, the shame of my flesh!" The woman's eyes fell on Emilie behind him as she held Remy close to her as Ida was pulled into Remus' embrace.

"I said — shut — UP!" he roared and with the help of Richard, they managed to force the curtains closed again.

The old woman's screeches died and an echoing silence fell.

Panting slightly and sweeping his long dark hair out of his eyes, Sirius turned to face Harry.

"Hello, Harry," he said grimly, "I see you've met my mother."

"Your —?"

"My dear old mum, yeah," said Sirius. "We've been trying to get down for a month but we think she put a Permanent Sticking Charm on the back of the canvas. Let's get downstairs, quick, before they all wake up again. They only seem to like Emilie, Ida, and Remy."

"But what's a portrait of your mother doing here?" he asked. Sirius took Ida's hand from Remus as he led the way down the flight of narrow steps to join the others.

"Hasn't anyone told you? This was my parents' house," said Sirius. "Other than my children I am the last Black left. Even though I didn't want them to have the Black name, so when Ida was born Emilie came up with the idea of using the French word for Black. This way they were still connected to me by name but it was not officially the Black name."

Ida chimed in, "I told him, Dad. He just does not listen to me."

Sirius smiled kindly to his daughter, "Of course you did." He kissed her hand as they walked, "I offered the house to Dumbledore as headquarters last year, because I did not expect to return to London anytime soon to use it as the house I built for me and Emilie is in the French countryside, but she wanted to bring Ida and Remy here to have them be apart of their English roots. So here we are back in this place."

"I told you we could have lived in my mother's family estate near your cousin's house."

"We are not going to be neighbors with Narcissa, Em."

"It is large enough you wouldn't know."

"I would know."

They entered the kitchen, it was less gloomy than any other part of the house, it was a cavernous room with rough stone walls. Most of the light came from the large fire at the far end of the room. There were many chairs crammed into the room like it usually was after meetings. Arthur and Bill were at the end of the long table with their heads pressed together speaking quietly.

Molly cleared her throat as Arthur jumped, he looked around at them as he hopped to his feet. He pushed his horn-rimmed glasses up.

"Harry!" Arthur said, hurrying forward to greet him and shaking his hand vigorously. "Good to see you! We missed you in France, although I was not there long myself."

Bill remained at the table with his hair in a long ponytail, he was hastily rolling up lengths of parchment that were left on the table.

"Journey all right, Harry?" Bill called, trying to gather up twelve scrolls at once. "Mad-Eye didn't make you come via Greenland, then?"

"He tried," Tonks said, striding over to help Bill. She immediately sent a candle tipping over onto the last piece of parchment. "Oh no — sorry —"

"Here, dear," Molly said, sounding exasperated, and repaired the parchment with a wave of her wand. Peri noticed that it was a glimpse of a building on the mended parchment.

Cassie saw her daughter looking, she shook her head giving her a disapproving look as Molly snatched the plan off the table and stuffed it into Bill's heavily laden arms.

"This sort of thing ought to be cleared away promptly at the end of the meetings," Molly snapped before sweeping off toward an ancient dresser where she began to unload the dinner plates.

Richard took out his wand, "Evanesco." The scrolls vanished from Bill's arms.

"Thank you, Richard."

"You're welcome. Sit everyone," Richard pulled a chair out for Cassie.

She took a seat rubbing her belly, "RJ has had too much commotion."

"Need a relaxation potion, Cas?" Sirius asked as he took his seat at the head of the table and offered Harry the seat next to him. "Oh, sorry Ida. I want to catch up with Harry. You can sit next to him."

She reluctantly took a step back as she sat next to Harry.

"I'm alright, Sirius," Cassie grumbled as Richard sat next to her taking her hand and holding it.

"You've met Mundungus, haven't you?" Sirius asked Harry.

Peri rounded the table but became startled when what had appeared to be a pile of rags grunted and then jerked awake.

"Some'n say m' name?" Mundungus mumbled sleepily. "I 'gree with Sirius…or Richard…both. I 'gree with both…"

He raised a very grubby hand in the air as though he was voting, his droopy, bloodshot eyes unfocused.

Ginny giggled.

Hallie shivered in disgust, "Ew."

"The meeting's over, Dung," said Sirius, as everyone took their seats.

Peri took her seat across from her parents between Holly and Remus. It used to be between George and Holly, but George now moved to the opposite end of the table with Hallie and Fred to be across from Mallory and Alicia.

"Harry's arrived."

"Eh?" said Mundungus, peering balefully at Harry through his matted ginger hair. "Blimey, so 'h 'as. Yeah…you all right, 'arry?"

"Yeah."

Mundungus fumbled nervously in his pockets, still staring at Harry. He pulled out his pipe. He stuck it in his mouth, ignited the end of it with his wand, and then took a deep pull on it. Great billowing clouds of greenish smoke obscured him in seconds. Hallie coughed even though the smoke never touched her.

"Disgusting," she mumbled.

"Owe you a 'pology," he grunted from the middle of the smelly cloud.

"For the last time, Mundungus," Molly fussed, "will you please not smoke that thing especially not around Cassie or when we are about to eat! It is not good for the baby or pleasant to smell when we are fixing to eat."

"Ah. Right. Sorry, Molly. Sorry, Cassie."

The cloud of smoke vanished as he stowed his pipe back in his pocket, but the smell of burning socks lingered.

"And if you want dinner before midnight I'll need a hand," Molly said to the room. Cassie went to stand up. "No, Cassie. Not you, you need to stay still and keep cooking that baby. We want a handsome, chubby baby at Christmas. Harry, you too. Stay put. You've had a long journey."

"Can I help, Molly?" Mallory asked standing up from the table. "I want to learn more about healing than cooking but I guess it could be similar enough to make potions for healing, just follow a recipe."

Molly smiled at the blonde, "Certainly! Grab an apron, we don't want to dirty your pretty dress. Cassie, you always buy the girls the prettiest dresses."

"Thank you, Molly. That was a dress that Mary bought for her."

"What can I do, Molly?" Tonks asked enthusiastically, bounding forward.

Molly hesitated.

"Er — no, it's alright, Tonks, you have a rest too, you've done enough today —"

"No, no, I want to help!" Tonks said brightly, knocking over a chair as she hurried toward the dresser where Ginny and Holly were collecting the cutlery.

Soon a heavy series of knives were chopping meat and vegetables of their own accord, supervised by Arthur, while Molly stirred a cauldron over the fire.

Peri was putting out more plates as she went around the table nearly bumping into George which caused her to drop the remaining plates in her arms, "Peri!" Cassie and Molly fussed till they looked at her.

Seeing her standing before George, the room went into an awkward silence. Richard cleared his throat as he stood up from the table, "It is alright, Peri. Accidents happen."

He waved his wand and the plates repaired themselves, "Eh…" she started still staring ahead at George.

"Why don't you have a seat?" Richard suggested placing the plates in a stack on the table.

She wanted to scream out to George again, "I didn't do it! I didn't cheat on you! "Why would I hurt you like that? I love you! If you loved me you believe me. I know seeing me with him last year hurt you, I would never put you in that pain."

But she didn't.

She let Richard guide her to her chair at the table as the kitchen went back to a somewhat normal behavior but still felt uneasy from the run-in with George.

Sirius cleared his throat as Crookshanks jumped into his lap, he scratched him behind the ear as he still appeared grim-faced to Harry.

"Had a good summer so far?" he asked.

"No, it's been lousy."

Sirius seemed to smile at that, although he had smiled some in France.

"Don't know what you're complaining about, myself."

"What?" said Harry incredulously.

"I'd have welcomed a dementor attack. A deadly struggle for my soul would have broken the monotony nicely. You think you've had it bad, at least you've been able to get out and about, stretch your legs, get into a few fights…I've been stuck inside for a month."

Ida stopped at her father's side giving him a glass of amber liquid, "But Dad, we were in France until last week."

He looked at her, "Of course, we were, sweetheart. I still had to hide though or be a dog so I would not be forced to leave you again. Your mum could have been arrested as well if I was caught because she would have been considered to be hiding a prisoner."

"You aren't though."

"I know and it means everything to me that you know I am not."

He picked up the drink and swallowed it.

"How come you are still hiding?" Harry asked with a frown.

"Because the Ministry of Magic's still after me, and Voldemort will be all about me being an Animagus by now, Wormtail will have told him, so my big disguise is useless…mostly. It is easier in France and thankfully Jacques, Emilie's father, will listen to her and his wife. Odette is kinder and believes children need their fathers, which they do. I am grateful to Moony for helping raise them but I want to be there for the other moments."

Remy smiled at his dad, "We love you, Dad."

Sirius gave his son a smile before continuing, "There's not much I can do for the Order of the Phoenix…or so Dumbledore feels. This is why I pulled in Richard because he is a well-respected person within the Ministry. Which has been an entire issue with Cassie and myself lately."

"You should not have pulled my husband into this!" Cassie snapped.

He ignored her as Richard rubbed her back.

There was something about the slightly flattened tone of Sirius' voice when he spoke Dumbledore and Cassie's names. This clearly showed that he was not happy with either one of them, but it still did not stop him from being friends with Cassie.

"At least you've known what's been going on," Harry told him bracingly.

"Oh yeah," Sirius said sarcastically. "Listening to Snape's reports, having to take all his snide hints that he's out there risking his life and may not be able to watch Peri grow up…" Sirius' nostrils flared at this. "He had his chance for that. He lost it before she was born, but now he wants her. I missed my children growing up. I missed my son's birth because I was fighting to protect the world they were to grow up in. I get thrown in Azkaban and missed everything!"

Ida came back to her dad's side, "It is alright, Dad." She wrapped her arms around him, "You are here now, and chose us from Day One."

Sirius gave her a small squeeze, "Yes, I did and always will." He released her, "But Snape goes on asking me how the cleaning's going and throws snide hints that Emilie should return to her life in France with the children. Which he has no room to speak on…"

"What cleaning?" Harry asked interrupting.

"Trying to make this place for human habitation," Sirius said as he waved his hand around the dismal kitchen. "No one's lived here for ten years, not since my dear mother died. The house was offered to Emilie to move into after she died because she had Ida in her care and Ida is the one who will inherit all this once I go. Since I was away when my mother died, it was offered to Emilie but she declined. So the house remained empty unless you count her old house-elf, and he's gone round the twist, hasn't cleared anything in ages —"

"Sirius," Mundungus said, who did not appear to have paid any attention to this conversation, but had been minutely examining an empty goblet. "This solid silver, mate?"

"Yes," said Sirius, surveying it with distaste. "Finest fifteenth-century goblin-wrought silver, embossed with the Black family crest."

"That's come off, though," he muttered, polishing it with his cuff.

"Fred — George — NO, JUST CARRY THEM!" Molly shrieked.

Those at the table looked around and, a split second later, dived away from the table. Fred and George had bewitched a large cauldron of stew, an iron flagon of butterbeer, and a heavy wooden breadboard with a knife to hurtle through the air toward them. The stew skidded the length of the table and came to a halt just before the end, leaving a long black burn on the wooden surface, the flagon of butterbeer fell with a crash, spilling its contents everywhere, and the bread knife slipped off the board and landed, point down and quivering ominously, exactly where Sirius's right hand had been second before.

Peri was not sure if the two were trying to simply use magic all the time now or if Fred was trying to show off for Hallie. Perhaps both, but now they had more cleaning to do.

"For Heaven's sake!" screamed Molly. "There's no need — I've had enough of this — just because you're allowed to use magic now you don't have to whip your wands out for every tiny little thing! And stop trying to show off to Hallie, Fred! You already have her!"

"Fred!" Hallie fussed. "You got butterbeer on me!"

Peri looked at Hallie who seemed to have gotten most of the butterbeer on herself, "I'm so sorry, darling. Come let us get you cleaned up," he attempted to take her from the kitchen.

"She can go alone!" Molly told them.

Fred groaned, "We aren't going…"

"Holly, go help your sister," Cassie told her.

Holly groaned this time, "I did not volunteer for this." She left the room with her sister, leaving Fred behind.

"We were just trying to save a bit of time!" Fred said as he hurried over to the end of the table and wrenched the bread knife out of the table. "Sorry Sirius, mate — didn't mean to —"

The kids and Sirius started laughing. Mundungus was swearing as he got up from the floor where he had fallen over. Cassie stood near a wall clutching her belly with Richard standing in front of her. Crookshanks had given an angry hiss and shot off under the dresser, Diamond had trotted out of the room with Hallie and Holly.

"Boys," Arthur said, lifting the stew back into the middle of the table, "your mother is right, you're supposed to show a sense of responsibility now you've come of age. Fred you should want to show Hallie how responsible you are with you two building that house in the forest —"

" — none of your brothers caused this sort of trouble!" Molly raged at the twins, slamming a fresh flagon of butterbeer on the table and spilling nearly the same amount as they had. "Bill didn't feel the need to Apparate every few feet! Charlie didn't Charm everything he met! Percy —"

Molly stopped dead, catching her breath with a frightened look at Arthur, whose expression was suddenly hardened.

"Let's eat," Billy said quickly.

"It looks wonderful, Molly," said Lupin ladling stew onto a plate for her and handing it across the table.

Cassie nodded agreeing, "Yes! It truly does. RJ agrees, too. I am glad to finally be able to eat food again without getting sick. I forgot how much I did not enjoy pregnancy."

"Yes you have had three pregnancies," Sirius teased his friend.

She rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't change a thing."

Hallie and Holly returned then, Hallie had changed into a white laced skirt with a lavender silk top. George gave Holly a plate of stew.

Hallie sighed looking at the stew. Molly looked at her, "Oh, Hallie dear. Here."

Molly went back over to the kitchen where she had a separate plate for her, "Here you go. Stew like everyone else but I made yours special. No animal products were made for this."

She accepted the plate from her, "Thank you, Molly."

"Of course, dear."

They went to sit down, and Fred pulled out Hallie's chair for her to sit down.

For a few minutes, there was silence but for the chink of plates and cutlery and the scraping of chairs as everyone settled down to their food. Molly turned to Sirius and said, "I've been meaning to tell you, there's something trapped in that writing desk in the drawing room, it keeps rattling and shaking. Of course, it could just be a boggart, but I thought we ought to ask Alastor to have a look at it before we let it out."

"Whatever you like. I just want the house suitable for Emilie," Sirius said indifferently.

"The curtain in there is full of doxies too," Molly went on. "I thought we might try and tackle them tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," Sirius said with sarcasm.

Peri looked at the other end of the table where Tonks was entertaining Hermione, Ginny, Alicia, and Mallory by transforming her nose between mouthfuls. Screwing up her eyes each time. This was a nightly routine because Alicia was laughing hysterically almost falling out of her chair.

"Do the pig!" Alicia laughed as she wiped a tear from her laughter away.

Tonks changed her impression to give herself a pig snout, this just made Alicia laugh harder.

"Mom. Tonks is very funny!"

Cassie looked at her daughter who was still laughing, "Yes, she is. Careful though you don't want to spill your dinner."

She nodded. She sat up more looking across at Peri, "Peri! Peri! Pick a nose!"

"Um…duck."

Tonks changed her impression to a duck which sent Alicia into another fit of laughter.

Arthur, Bill, Remus, and Richard were discussing goblins.

"They're not giving anything away yet," said Bill. "I still can't work out whether they believe he's back or not. 'Course, they might prefer not to take sides at all. Keep out of it."

"I'm sure they'd never over to You-Know-Who," Arthur said shaking his head. "They've suffered losses too. Remember that goblin family he murdered last time, somewhere near Nottingham?"

"I think it depends on what they're offered," said Remus.

Richard nodded in agreement with Remus, "Exactly. They would not accept it for gold, but if they were offered freedom or some kind of protection they would accept it. Voldemort…"

"Richard," Cassie hissed at him.

"Sorry…If He-Who-Must-Not-Be named promised them freedom or at least protection from being harmed or killed then they would accept it surely. Anyone I am sure would if they were given the option to be protected."

Hallie looked across the table at Peri, she seemed worried. Almost scared at that comment from Richard.

"What?" Peri asked in a low whisper to her.

She shook her head as she turned her head to listen to Fred and George talk to each other about different things to invent.

"They have been asking for freedom for centuries and if they were tempted with that small bit of hope they would go for it. But He is certainly the type to make a deal with making it difficult to escape it."

Hallie dropped her glass of butterbeer with a gasp, "Hal?" Fred jumped backward out of his chair as the butterbeer splashed onto him and her. Covering her once again in the sticky liquid. "Are you alright?"

She sighed setting her glass on the table, "Yeah…just this talk about You-Know-Who being back. What if we lose everyone again? I can't lose my family. It is all I have left."

She looked at Peri.

Richard offered her a napkin to try and dry herself off, "And this is why we protect everyone. We fight this together we will win this."

"And he is a descendant of Merlin," Mundungus said, sounding almost snobbish and unaccepting of this...

They ignored Mundungus' comment and continued with the conversation.

"I agree with Richard," Remus said. "It depends on what they are being offered. If they are offered protection and safety they will accept it more than they would for gold. Have you still not had any luck with Ragnok, Bill?"

"He's still feeling pretty anti-wizard," Bill answered. "He hasn't stopped raging about the Bagman business, he reckons the Ministry did a cover-up, those goblins never got their gold from him, you know —"

Back down near Alicia and the others there was a gale of laughter that drowned out the rest of the conversation as Hallie and Fred disappeared out of the kitchen together. Peri watched them exchange passionate kisses as they went upstairs. She rolled her eyes at them as she tuned into Mundungus telling George and Ron about his business dealings.

"...and if you'll believe me, lads, the gormless gargoyle buys all 'is own toads back orf me for twice what 'e paid in the first place —"

Alicia seemed to be overhearing this as well as she tuned into the conversation, "Really? How fascinating!"

"I don't think we need to hear any more of your business dealings, thank you very much, Mundungus," Molly said sharply, as Ron slumped over the table, howling with laughter.

"Agreed!" Cassie breathed as she rubbed her belly more. RJ always got active after meals and would kick a lot.

"Beg pardon, Molly and Cassie," Mundungus said at once, wiping his eyes and winking over toward Harry. "But, you know, Will nicked 'em orf Warty Harris in the first place so I wasn't doing nothing wrong —"

"Our girls know right from wrong," Cassie said, "And that is a proper way of life. Deals and trading, certainly not."

"Just because you grew up with a golden spoon and diamonds and were supposed to never lift a finger, the rest of us have to work," Mundungus pushed back on her words. "Richard? You do deals and trading as a real estate entrepreneur and being a part of the Department of Magical Education."

Richard cleared his throat after taking a sip of his butterbeer, "I do, but my deals and trading are legal. I do not trick others to make more money. As for the education system, I improve the curriculum by having discussions with the Headmasters and Headmistresses of the schools under my jurisdiction. It is my goal to make schools a positive environment. The contracts that I develop are for the benefit of the children and the education they receive."

George buried his face into his glass of butterbeer; he was hiccuping. Molly shot Sirius a nasty look as she stood up to grab a large rhubarb crumble for pudding.

"Pudding!" Alicia cheered.

Peri laughed softly as she looked at Sirius, "Cassie, Richard, and Molly don't approve of Mundungus," he was telling Harry in an undertone. "I don't care for him much myself especially not around Remy and Ida. Puts too many bad thoughts into Remy's mind." He shook his head, "Remy thinks he wants to be a dealer. That is not happening."

"How come he's in the Order?" Harry asked in a whisper.

"He's useful," Sirius muttered. "Knows all the crooks — well, he would, seeing as he's one himself. But he's also very loyal to Dumbledore, who helped him out of a tight spot once. It pays to have someone like Dung around, he hears things we don't. But Molly…and Cass, think inviting him to stay for dinner is going too far. Richard is indifferent and I don't care as long as…" He scanned the room. "Remulus! Come eat your pudding."

Remy was listening to Mundungus tell him a story about pickpocketing. He looked up, his grey eyes going wide as he hurried back to his chair next to his mother. "Dung was just telling me a story!"

Sirius sighed, "Eat. Moony watch him. I want a clean bowl."

Remus looked up from his conversation about the goblins, "Remy, listen to your dad."

"That not…whatever," Sirius sighed. "Anyway, Molly hasn't forgiven him for slipping off duty when he was supposed to be tailing you."

Three helpings of rhubarb crumble and custard later, Peri was feeling stuffed. Hallie and Fred had returned after the first helpings had been finished. Hallie claimed she couldn't find a cute enough outfit, which is possible but no one was that stupid to fully believe that. The two sat at the table with her head resting on Fred's while he talked with George. Alicia, Mallory, and Remy were on the ground playing the Wizard version of Candyland.

Cassie yawned, "I think it is nearly time for bed," she said.

"Not just yet, Cass," Sirius pushed his plate away and turned to look at Hary. "You know, I'm surprised at you. I thought the first thing you'd do when you got here would be to start asking questions about Voldemort. Ida and Remy asked similar questions when I returned to them. They wanted to know if I was leaving them again."

The atmosphere in the room changed with rapidity. Where moments ago it was relaxed with a sleepy daze. Now everyone was alert and tense. Remus was about to take a sip of his wine at this, he lowered it from his lips slowly appearing wary. Fred grasped Hallie's hand knowing this topic was not easy for her or Holly.

"Are you? Ida asked looking over at her father.

Sirius shook his head, "No, Ida. I will never —"

Harry cut him off, "I did! I asked everyone upstairs, but they said we're not allowed in the Order, so —"

"And they're quite right," said Molly. "You're too young."

Cassie sat up, "Right. Look at what happened to you and Peri, I did not want to send the girls this year but Richard says they are safe to go. I trust Dumbledore to protect my girls…not just them all of you. Even if my trust in him is thin."

"Since when did someone have to be in the Order of the Phoenix to ask questions?" Sirius asked. "Except not you two," he looked at his children. "Peri has a target on her back, according to Snape. Voldemort wants her for something, which he is not saying. She will be seventeen next year, she is old enough. Harry has been trapped in that Muggle house for a month. He's got the right to know what's been happen —"