Disclaimer: I don't own any of JK Rowling's characters or work etc.
Hello, it's me... again. Why aren't you writing to me?
Love Alice Vance
I attach the rolled up piece of paper to Pepper's, our family owl, leg and send her off to wherever Fred Weasley happens to be. A month has already gone of the summer holidays and I haven't heard from him once. George has sent a few half hearted letters about being caught up with distance relatives that i've never heard of and de-gnoming the garden, but I know something is up.
I've know Fred and George and the rest of the Weasley's (that were alive anyway) since I was born and I have visited them at the Burrow for at least three weeks every summer, however this year something has changed.
"Still no luck?" Beatrix, my younger sister by a year, asks; sprawling herself across my bed.
"I don't understand why he isn't writing to me." I sigh in frustration, turning in my chair to face the dark-haired girl.
My sister and I look very a like, except that Beatrix's hair and eyes are slightly darker than mine. In fact people often comment that we both look very like our mother, Emmeline Vance.
"It's Fred," Beatrix says with confidence. "He'll have a reason."
"Is mum still out?" I ask, getting up from my chair and stretching my arms above my head.
"Yeah, she still won't tell me where she keeps going." Beatrix grumbles. "Although, I was looking through a box of dads things the other day and I found this photo." Beatrix pulls a folded up photograph out of her pocket and turns it over.
The Order of the Phoenix, 1981
I read the slanted scribble of my mothers writing. "What's the order of the phoenix?"
"Well, the date says 1981 and look Professor Dumbledore is there, and Uncle Remus." Beatrix replies, careful inspecting the photo.
"Isn't that Sirius Black?" I gasp, "and the two at the front, they're Harrys parents."
"Wow, mum never told us about this." Beatrix says, "There's dad, next to mum."
"Yeah, has mum told you anything about the place she's taking us?" I ask, glancing over at my half packed trunk.
"No, but I need to finish packing." Beatrix sighs, jumping up off of my bed and sauntering over to her trunk across the room.
I hear the front door open and who I assume is my mother coming back from one of her work trips. I better finish my packing.
Entering the bathroom, I gather my toothbrush and other necessities before carefully packing them into my trunk. The last of my clothes and Hogwarts textbooks are thrown in afterwards.
"Girls are you ready?" I hear mum yell up the stairs as I shove the last jumper, which happens to belong to Fred Weasley, into my trunk and call Beatrix over to sit on my trunk whilst I fasten the latch.
"Nearly!" Beatrix hollers back as I help to fasten her trunk as well. "Where are we going again?" She turns to ask me.
"I don't know, mum's being awfully secretive." I reply, levitating our trunks out of the room and downstairs to where our mother is waiting.
"Ok, have you got everything?" Mum asks, her mousy-brown hair is pulled up into a loose bun and she looks tired and anxious.
"Mum, what's going on? We haven't been invited to stay at the Burrow, so where are we going?" I ask, thinking about what we usually do during the summer.
She sighs, handing me a scrap of parchment. "Read this and remember that address, you're going to have to apparate there yourself and i'll take Bee."
Everyone calls Beatrix 'Bee' and if they don't you know she's either is really bad trouble or she's going to hex someone into oblivion for calling her that 'bloody awful name' as she puts it. Bee is only a year younger than me but that means she can't apparate yet so mum's going to have to side-along with her.
"Oh, and remember to burn the parchment when you get there." Mum reminds me before dropping a kiss on top of my head and turning. They both disappear with a loud crack and i'm left alone in the dark outside our two story house.
12 Grimmauld Place
Alrighty, off I go.
Suddenly i'm standing opposite a row of looming, dark buildings and I glance to my left to see mum and Beatrix waiting for me.
I set light to the scrap of parchment and walk over to join them.
"Mum, there is no number twelve." I say in confusion, look between houses eleven and thirteen.
"Wait a minute." She replies patiently. Beatrix takes her trunk from me but her head snaps up as a loud scraping sound echoes through the square.
I stare is awe as a house seems to push its way out from between number eleven and thirteen.
"Merlins beard." I say quietly as a black gate pops up at the front of the house.
"Now, come along, we better get inside." Mum says, hurrying us through the gate and up to the front door. She does some kind of weird knock and the door swings open to reveal Remus Lupin.
"Uncle Remus!" Beatrix yells, giving him a tight hug.
"Hey girls, it's good to see you." He replies with a chuckle, smiling at us all.
"Emmeline, you're just in time, dinner's nearly ready." Mrs Weasley says warmly, appearing at the end of the long dark corridor.
"I'm afraid I can't stay." Mum replies, pushing Beatrix and I further into the house. "I just came to drop off Alice and Bee but i've got to leave again. Order business."
What is Mrs Weasley doing here?
"Alice!" I hear a familiar voice shout and the sound of thundering feet follow.
I see a flash of red hair before i'm nearly nocked over by the force of a tall, 17 year old Weasley boy.
"Fred?" I say, in confusion. "What're you doing here?" I pull back from the hug to look up at the face of my best friend.
"I'll explain in a minute." Fred says in his usual excitement as George pulls me into a hug. "Mum, call us when dinner's ready."
Mrs Weasley sighs and attempts to swat Fred with the tea-towel she's holding. "Don't be cheeky." She says. "And how are you dear?" She asks, giving me a once over and patting my face lightly. "You look like you need a good meal."
I smile widely at Mrs Weasley and reply, "I'm good thanks, just a bit confused about what's going on."
"I'm sure Fred and George will explain everything to you in a minute." Remus replies, giving the twins a knowing look.
"Right, well dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes so go make yourselves scarce until then." Mrs Weasley announces.
I turn around and hug my mother goodbye. "Bye mum, love you."
"Be good both of you and i'll see you at the platform before you leave for Hogwarts." Mum replies, pulling Bee in for a hug and kissing her forehead. "I love you."
"Love you too mum." Bee replies, as mum disappears through the front door again.
"So..." I say, stretching out on Fred's bed and giving the twins an 'explain yourselves look'.
"We wanted to write, honestly." Fred replies hurriedly.
"Well, actually I did write to Alice. It's just you who didn't." George says with a smirk plastered on his freckled face.
"What?" Fred exclaims, "Dad said we weren't allowed incase they got intercepted! Or incase the amount of owls about gave away the location of headquarters."
"Headquarters?" I ask, causing both red heads to snap in my direction. "Yes, I am still here." I let out a small laugh.
Fred smiles lazily back at me before replying, "How could I forget that there is such a beautiful woman on my bed?"
"Oh shut up you prat." I laugh, standing up and moving to the chair across the room.
"Aw, you love me though." Fred says, pouting at me whilst trying to conceal a smile.
George clears his throat loudly and gives Fred and I a pointed look.
"Oh right yeah, headquarters." Fred says, with mock seriousness; winking at me when George looks away.
"So, you have to promise not to tell anyone about this." George says, sitting down on the sofa opposite the chair that i'm sitting on. Fred sprawls himself across the remaining part of the sofa, his legs stretched far out in-front of him.
"Not a soul." Fred chips in. "Otherwise Dumbledore will... well i'm not sure but it probably wouldn't be great."
"Yeah, maybe he'll lock you up in the dungeons." George says, a smile creeping onto his face.
"But the Slytherins live down there." Fred pipes up, shuddering at the thought.
"Would make it even worse then, wouldn't it?" George cackles.
"But anyway, this place is owned by Sirius Black and he's given it to Dumbledore as headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix." Fred carries on the previous conversation.
"The Order of the Phoenix?" I say in astonishment. "Bee found a picture in my dads old things which has the order of the phoenix written on the back. But it said 1981."
"Well, Tonks said that during the first wizarding war, Dumbledore founded a secret society called the Order of the Phoenix to oppose you-know-who." Fred continues.
"But they disbanded after you-know-who was defeated in 1981." George adds on.
"And now, since he's back, Dumbledore has started it up again." Fred finishes.
"Wow, that explains where my mum's been going." I say, looking between the two boys in-front of me before settling my gaze on Fred.
In the last year he's gotten even more attractive, if that's possible, and everytime his brown eyes meet my own I can't help the bush that rises in my cheeks. We've been best friends since first year so these new... feelings are odd.
"It doesn't explain why you didn't write to me." I reply, looking pointedly in Fred's direction.
"I couldn't say anything worth you reading in those letters. Plus dad and Remus were checking them before they were sent out..." Fred trails off, his eyes searching my face.
"Kids, dinners ready!" Mrs Weasley shouts up the stairs. I hear Ron, Hermione and Bee rushing downstairs to devour the feast that Mrs Weasley has prepared.
"Hey, want to give mum a scare?" George smirks evilly.
"Oh Merlin." I laugh as the two of them disappear with a crack. The sound of Mrs Weasley's surprised screech drift up the stairs.
"Just because you can use magic out of school now doesn't mean you have to use it all the time!" She yells.
I hurry down the stairs, not wanting Mrs Weasley's heart to completely give out, and join the others at the long table in the centre of the kitchen.
"Hello Alice." Sirius says, shooting me a crooked smile from the other end of the table.
"Hey Sirius." I reply, it's still strange to think that a couple of years ago we thought he was an axe murderer trying to kill Harry. That reminds me, "Where's Harry?"
"He'll be arriving tomorrow." A young woman with bubblegum-pink hair replies. "I'm Tonks by the way!" She smiles enthusiastically.
"Tonks is a metamorphmagus!" Ginny squeals excitedly. "Show Alice!"
I watch as Tonks changes her hair colour to a shocking shade of blue, whilst her nose and mouth transforms into a ducks beak.
"Oh wow, that's so cool." I reply, giggling as Tonks quacks at Ginny.
Remus sits down next to Tonks and I don't miss the adoring look he gives her. Mum told me that Uncle Remus was once involved with a witch called Dorcas Meadows who was later killed by you-know-who himself. I wonder if she was part of the order of the phoenix as well.
Fred takes a seat next to me so that i'm sandwiched between him and Hermione.
"Hey Fred, move down a bit." Hermione whines. "We can barely breathe here."
"Sorry Mione." Fred replies with a laugh; sliding down the bench a bit to make more room for us.
"How're you Hermione?" I ask, watching as she brushes her frizzy brown hair out of her face and sighs deeply.
"Well, we start our O.W.L's this year so i've started some early studying on fifth year transfiguration and such." She replies kindly, "What about you Alice?"
"I'm not too bad, just a bit annoyed that this bone-head didn't write to be for a month." I laugh, giving Fred a light nudge with my elbow.
"Oi," Fred replies, nudging me back.
"You're just annoyed you weren't getting any love letters." George smirks, winking at me from across the table. "I wrote to you."
I blush at George's suggestion about Fred writing me love letters and I can feel Hermione's knowing gaze on me.
Fred just casually places a hand on my leg under the table and asks Ron to pass the potatoes.
A few days have passed since I arrived at Grimmauld Place and Mrs Weasley has been putting us all the work cleaning Doxy's out of the curtains and just generally making this dingy place more 'fit for Merlin himself' as Tonks put it.
The members of the order come and go throughout the day and there's currently a commotion in the corridor as Remus, Mad-eye, Tonks, a man dressed in bright blue/purple robes called Kingsley Shacklebolt and some other witches and wizards who I don't know.
"Where in merlins name is Emmeline?" Mad-eye exclaims grumpily, his false eye zooming about the room looking for the light brown hair of my mother. "We're going to have to leave without her if she doesn't arrive soon."
"She'll be here Mad-eye." Tonks says happily, lightening up the somber mood in the house.
"We're on a tight schedule Nymphadora." Mad-eye snaps back; causing Tonks to angrily stare at him as her hair turns a violent shade of red.
"Don't call me that." She yells. Remus places a calming hand on her shoulder and soon enough Tonks' hair returns to its usual shade of pink.
Mr Weasley warned us this morning, over breakfast, that the Advance Guard would be leaving this evening to retrieve Harry from the Dursley's home in Little Whinging. He also informed Bee and I that our mother would be a part of this group however she couldn't contact us due to the ministry and death eaters intercepting owls.
The large, black door swings open and my mother appears in the doorway, her cloak wrapped tightly around her.
"Sorry i'm late." She says cheerily, smiling sheepishly at Mad-eye. "I got caught up tracking- Oh hi kids." She stops talking mid-sentence, noticing the presence of Hermione, Ron and I.
"This is order business, please return to your rooms." One of the wizards who I don't know says seriously.
Hermione and Ron grumble about it being unfair and that Harry is their friend etc. However, I don't move from my position.
"Can I join?" I ask, "I'm of age and i'm sure it's alright with you mum, isn't it?"
"Well, I don't see why not." Mum replies, looking towards Mad-eye.
I know that Professor Dumbledore founded the order and so is technically the 'leader' but he's never really around so everyone turns to Mad-eye when it comes to these decisions.
"Absolutely not." Mad-eye replies gruffly. "You're still at Hogwarts."
"When Dumbledore founded the order we were still at Hogwarts." Remus pipes up, "We still al joined up; Sirius, Marlene, Lily, James, Dorcas, Theodore, Emmeline and I did."
"Yes and it got more than half of you killed!" Mad-eye replies angrily. I see the look of sadness wash over everyones faces.
"It's ok, pretend I didn't say anything." I speak into the silence, turning on my heel and rushing up the stairs to the room I share with Bee.
"What's up?" Bee says, noticing my troubled face.
"I asked if I could join the order, seeing as i'm of age and all," I start, sitting down on the bed to face Bee. "Mum and Remus were all for it and I guess they're the ones who really get a say in it seeing as they're my legal guardians." I tell Bee the rest of the story and she again pulls out the photo that we found in dads things.
"I wonder who Marlene was." Bee says, before pointing to a smiling blonde woman standing next to Sirius. "Maybe that's her, she looks about the same age as Uncle Remus and mum."
"Yeah, i'll ask later." I say, "Anyway, I guess if I did join Fred and George would want to as well and I know that Mrs Weasley wouldn't allow that."
Suddenly there's a loud crack and two almost identical red-haired boys appear in the middle of the room. I hear another thud and look down to see Bee sprawled across the floor next to the bed, clutching her chest.
"I wish you wouldn't do that." She gasps, sitting up and rubbing her butt from where she fell off the bed.
"Ah, but our names are like taboo; when they are spoken-" Fred starts.
"We appear." George finishes, shooting Bee a sly wink. Bee rolls her eyes in return and I pick up the photo that she dropped when she fell.
"What've you got there?" Fred asks, plucking the photograph from my hands and inspecting it closely. George moves so that he can see the photo as well.
"Is this the photo of the order you told us about?" George asks, "Hey look there's mum and dad!"
"Oh yeah, and McGonagall." Fred exclaims.
"Whose that man next to your mum?" George asks; followed by a sharp elbow to the ribs from Fred.
A lump forms in my throat and I swallow it before replying, "That's my dad, Theodore Woodwin. My parents were engaged when he died; they never found the time to get married what with the war and having two kids."
Bee looks uncomfortable and soon excuses herself to go and find Hermione, Ron and Ginny. Bee was only two when Dad died so she remembers him even less than I do.
"I'm sorry Alice." George says, pulling me into a comforting hug.
"It's fine, honestly George." I reply, pulling away and taking the photo from his hands. "Besides, I barely knew him."
"Hey, wanna see something cool?" Fred says with a devilish smile on his face; it's Fred and George, they can't stay serious for long and i'm glad.
"I swear on Merlins baggy y-fronts that if you get even remotely naked again-" I threaten, trying to conceal my laughter at the memory of Fred getting very drunk last christmas and stripping in front of me as my 'christmas present'.
"Oh don't lie, you loved it." Fred replies with a wink, although I detect a faint blush on his pale face.
"Is that a blush Gred?" George teases, poking one of Fred's cheeks and cackling evilly.
Fred slaps George's hand away and spins around, heading towards the open door.
"Come on children, lets go see what I have in store for us." Fred calls as he disappears around the corner.
With a roll of my eyes, George and I follow after a flustered Fred.
A/N: Sorry it's so crap but please review and tell me what you think.