Chapter 21: Meetings
The once silent room broke into happy chatter, everyone greeted each other and spoke about families, work and even pets. A group of eight teenagers all sat together at the end of a long table watching with interest as people they knew and didn't know got up from the table and mingled with everyone else. One solitary figure moved towards them, his blue eyes twinkling merrily as he swept down the long table and slipped gracefully into a chair beside them.
"So how was that?" He asked.
James contemplated the question awhile before answering. "It was... different."
Remus nodded in agreement "However it was very informative and eye-opening, I had no idea so much was going on unseen around us."
"I personally, thoroughly enjoyed it, I know we didn't contribute much but it was an experience in it's self just being here." James didn't know Dorcas Meadowes other then the fact she was Head Girl last year and had docked him fifty points for tripping Snivellus up in the hallway – however he felt himself agreeing with what she said.
"It's very rare that everyone turns up, if you come along to another meeting you'll find yourselves in the company of people you've never met before." Said Dumbledore gesturing around to the thirteen or so people milling around. "The meeting is over so you may do as you wish, make yourselves known, everyone in this room can be trusted." He pushed his chair back and nodded at the eight teens before heading over to two identical red haired men.
"Well it was nice to see you all again." Dorcas said standing up and stretching, "I'm just going to say hello to Emmeline then I'd best head back." The ex-Head Girl nodded a brief goodbye and walked off to see a brown haired woman standing near a dusty fireplace.
Frank also stood up and offered a hand to Alice who took it gratefully. Lily and Marlene both gasped when they saw something glitter on Alice's left hand.
"Alice when?!" Lily exclaimed pushing Frank's hand out the way so she could get a look at the engagement ring her friend wore.
"During Sirius' party, Frank kept trying to get down on one knee in one of the nightclubs but the bouncers thought we were trying to do something else and they kicked us out. He took me to St. James Park and proposed to me in front of Buckingham Palace."
"Aw that's so romantic." Gushed Marlene gazing at the tiny white diamond from all angles. "Congratulations, you guy's have been dating since what 5th year?"
Frank nodded, "It's was my grandmother's." He reclaimed his fiancée's hand from Lily and pulled her up. "Speaking of relatives: Mother wants to start planning."
Alice rolled her eyes. "Augusta seems to think we're marrying sooner rather than later. It doesn't seem to matter to her that we've only been engaged a week, and Frank wants to wait for another few years yet, at least until our training is out the way, he says that proposing now gives us something to look forward to in these bleak times."
Frank laughed, "Come on Ali, we'll see you on Monday Marl. I think this week I'll have camomile tea with a dash of honey."
Marlene laughed and stuck her tongue out, The others just grinned.
"So how is your internship going?" Remus asked once Frank and Alice had left.
Marlene just shrugged, "It's... different." She replied quoting James. "At the moment I'm the tea lady and they seemed to be using me to pass messages on, saves on parchment they say, but the messages are so long and confusing and then you bump into someone senior in the hall way and you have to talk to them and remember this long message, it hurts your brain after a while."
"Good job you have a good memory then." Lily said giving her a small nudge.
"Yes but she can't remember that you should never mix Monkshood and St. John Wart unless you want to blow up a potions lab." James said laughing.
Marlene blushed.
Sirius chuckled, "So where is Peter? Did nobody tell him about this?"
"I mentioned it in passing and said that Marlene would tell him where the location was." James said glancing at the small woman who had taken a particular interest in a small hole in the white table cloth.
"Erm Professor?" She suddenly called and jumped up as Dumbledore moved away from the Prewett twins. She shot her friends an apologetic look and sped off to catch up with Dumbledore.
"I guess she forgot then." Remus sighed he had been wondering where the last member of their group had gone.
"I thought we'd just established Marlene has a good memory, she wouldn't forget something as important as telling Peter when an Order meeting was." James said watching Marlene converse with Dumbledore.
Lily shifted uncomfortable and caught Remus' eye. "You do remember that Marlene has never liked Peter, even more so because of the rat incident." Remus said, earning himself a glare.
"Marlene isn't evil, that is a very Slytherin thing to do and Marlene wouldn't do that she must have had a valid reason." Lily fought to back up her friend but gave up when the boys lost interest.
"We know Lils, it's fine." James said soothingly and surprisingly Lily felt her anger subside. She gave him a crooked smile and stood up.
"I'd best head home, my parents will be back from Tuney's tonight and I said I'd have dinner on the table, plus I've got some homework to finish, I also want to get some NEWT study in before the end of the weekend, I start some terrible split shifts on Monday." She gave the three boys a nod, before giving Marlene a wave and heading for the front door.
James stood up and followed her out, saying that he would escort her home.
Sirius turned to Remus: "I'm going to wait for Marlene, she's staying at mine tonight. If you want you can spend Tuesday at mine then we'll head up to Hogsmeade before dark and spent the night at a dark empty castle?"
Tuesday was a full moon and Remus was already starting to feel it's effects. He nodded and stood up, "I'll let the boys know, James can bring Peter. Has he passed yet?"
Sirius shook his head, "Poor kid is hopeless when it comes to being in a test room by himself, he's going to end up Apparating in front of Voldemort one of these days. He has another try on Thursday. We've been back a week and he's already taken five tests. Anyone else would give up."
Remus shook his head and stood up, he had a splitting headache and was really tired, he shouldn't have come tonight it was too close to the full moon, yet he felt he had to. Slapping Sirius on the back as he passed, Remus headed for the door.
"Thanks for bringing me home James." Lily said once they both appeared outside her house.
James shrugged, placed his hands in his trouser pockets and looked around. Taking in everything from the street lights to the cars on the driveway. He walked over to a garden gnome and kicked it tentatively. It fell over and James stared at in surprised. "If I did that to a normal Gnome it probably bite my foot."
Lily giggled and set the gnome upright. "I also can't imagine magical Gnomes running around in a hat, jacket and trousers holding a fishing rod."
James laughed and shivered as a particularly cold blast of wind blew over them. "Well I'd best be off, My father's not doing so well, my mothers death and all..."
Lily nodded and sympathetically touched his arm. "I'll see you around then." James nodded and Lily watched him Disapparate, his boyish face awash with concentration. Remembering the kiss from a week ago she smiled and headed inside to start on dinner.
"What did you want with Dumbledore?" Sirius asked as they walked out the house and down the street so they could Disapparate out-with the wards.
Marlene danced around what was truly discussed, she wasn't sure if she was ready to tell him that Dumbledore had asked her to do what her brother wanted and strike up a relationship with Regulus. "I told him the latest gossip with my brother, he's asked me to keep and eye on him."
"I suppose it's handy having a Death Eater in the home of an Order member." His eyes narrowed. "And dangerous, you be careful, I've changed the wards on the flat: even if I'm not home you will always have a safe place where no-one will follow you."
Marlene stopped suddenly and pulled him into a hug pressing her head against his chest. "Thank you, that is really sweet of you. Thank you. Oh and whilst we're on the topic of thank yous, I never got a chance to properly thank you for returning my wand."
Sirius smiled and held her hand as they continued walking, they weren't too far off the Disapparation point – he could see the street light, the only street light that wasn't working. "Gave Peter quiet a shock, you know what they say about Disapparating when intoxicated or hungover? Well, Peter was convinced you went and spliched your feet off."
Marlene laughed, "Is that because I left my shoes as well?"
Sirius nodded and joined in with Marlene's laughter, "I didn't know you could do that though, without a wand I mean."
"I asked Father about it and he says it's the same as wand-less magic, the wand is just a tool to make things easier."
Sirius just nodded and when they reached the street light that indicated the end of the anti-Disapparation wards, he pulled Marlene into a tight embrace and ducked into a dark doorway and thought determinately of home.
"You know Rufus I'm sure lacewig flies and shredded bloomslang skin make something other than an hair-removal cream but I just can't think what." It was the Wednesday after the meeting and Marlene couldn't help overhearing Gawain Robards and Rufus Scrimgeour as they discussed what they had confiscated off a potential Dark Lord follower earlier that morning.
Unable to resit adding her own two knuts, she poked her head round the open cubicle and eyed the offending potion ingredients suspiciously. "Did you confiscate anything else?"
Scrimgeour jumped and glared at Marlene. "What do you want Intern?" His yellowish eyes glared at Marlene from behind a set of recently repaired glasses.
"Oh don't be so evil Rufus. Just these, we're not sure if it's toenail clippings or something else. Why?" Gawain had always been nice to Marlene where as his friend - who was hedging his bets to become the next head of the department hated everything about Marlene from her last name to her ability to recall messages word perfect.
"Could be a Polyjuice Potion, pretty good disguise." She smiled her innocent smiled and turned towards the door. A tall coloured wizard in colourful robes was beckoning her over. "Sorry Shacklebolt's allowing me to sit in on a training session."
Marlene walked calmly over to Kingsley Shacklebolt and followed him down the corridor to the lifts. She couldn't believe two fully trained wizards couldn't spot a potential threat. Surely two Aurors who would have had at least an E in NEWT potions could tell those three items could give a Death Eater full reign in manipulating people. She shook her head and sighed. She'd let Moody know later, she knew for a fact Scrimgeour and Robards wouldn't look at the bigger picture. If Death Eaters were using a Polyjuice Potion then security in meetings at least may have to be upped.
Once in the lift Marlene took note of which floor they were heading to and was surprised to learn they were heading for the Atrium. The doors opened at Level one and Marlene's Father squeezed in looking hassled.
"Ah Shacklebolt, I've just been in a lovely meeting with the man himself, we're to be given free reign."
Kingsley raised a dark eyebrow and gazed at the head of his department slightly flummoxed.
"All Aurors have been granted immunity when using the unforgivable curses on Death Eaters."
"That is useful information."
Michael nodded, "I've sent a memo to Alastor to read out as I'm late for lunch with my wife and son. Ah Marli, I didn't see you there." Michael looked at his daughter surprised he hadn't seen her when he first entered.
Marlene smiled at her father and answered his quick questions with the tone of someone who was conversing with their boss and not their father. The lift doors opened and Michael disappeared at once heading off to the fireplaces that lined the Atrium.
"That bit of news will be very handy indeed. Right then McKinnon Jr." Marlene smiled at the nickname some of the Aurors had started calling her, it was better than 'Intern' at any rate. "Alastor wants to see how well you do at some of the training sessions, the ministry at this moment is in turmoil, our department even more so we lost three excellent Aurors last month and not a lot of Hogwarts graduates are making the grade. Longbottom and Tearson have what it takes but they have three years yet – saying that it could be two if we break a few rules. I'm going to take you Tearson and Longbottom through a little Stealth and Tracking exercise in muggle London. Tearson and Longbottom are waiting for us and we're going to test your teamwork and concealment at the same time, so we better not wait any longer."
Marlene nodded and hurried after Kingsley he was nearly twice her height and she had to run to keep up with his long strides. She was excited to say the least. Her and Alice had always gotten on well and Frank was no stranger.
A/N: What can I say? Please review :D thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Happy March, erm... go away snow :D Also I am not apologising for the small Rufus and Gawain bashing they're just easy targets :D