SUMMER BREAK! WHOOHOO
This semester has been absolutely insane for me, a lot of work, a blizzard, somehow a boyfriend popped into the picture, and then a bombing. (For those of you who don't know, I attend school in Boston.) I'm sorry that I couldn't update over my March break. I hope you all are healthy and happy!
LOOOOOONG CHAPTER…hehe. So the one thing that's super odd in this chapter is the names…if you've read DLLH, you'll get it. ;)
I haven't written in a little while, so I might be rusty. :X
Thanks for the reviews, thewrittenword87, xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx, Charlotte, NamikazeMia, and flamesflyer. (10 points to you for that Friend's reference. That's one of my favorite episodes)
DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANY OF THIS, EXCEPT FOR ANY CHARACTERS YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE. JK ROWLING IS QUEEN!
CHAPTER 90
A few weeks after the massacre in Paz, on a snowy day in March, a familiar phoenix landed in the yard outside.
Audrey shivered.
Fawkes reminded me of blood in the snow.
"Mama, it's Fawkes." Asia said, pulling on Audrey's sweater.
"Yes." Audrey said quietly, opening the window. The Phoenix turned and flew into the kitchen, carrying an envelope.
Urgent news, meet me at the Potluck dinner at 6 pm.
AD
As the war took it's toll, it became harder and harder to trust anyone. Mail was always being intercepted. So Albus had taken to writing random words in messages. The Order had a code; certain words and numbers meant different things to throw off anyone who was on the outside.
Meeting at "6 pm" actually meant meeting at 7:45 pm, no earlier, and no later. Potluck dinner was this week's password to get into the Hogshead.
"Audrey!" said a voice from the kitchen.
She walked over to the fireplace and saw Marlene's head.
"What d'you think it is?" She asked, obviously referring to Albus' message.
"I don't know, Marls." Audrey replied, scratching her head. "Hopefully something ground breaking…I don't think I can handle anymore bad news."
She still shook when she thought of Teagan. Part of her was furious that her friend would not take any medical treatment. Though she knew that if she were in Teagan's position, she would do the same.
Whenever Albus had said that the meeting was urgent, we always had to bring the children. Every member had to be there; we couldn't leave our children alone.
Anastasia had experienced this before, Sirius and I had taught her how she should behave when we were moving from place to place. She always stayed under my cloak, with her head down. My colleagues were always so surprised at how quiet she was. The Weasley and Wood families always had to set up a safe floo connection to get all of their children there.
Audrey looked around at the snow-covered streets, making sure no one was around. She knocked on the door quickly.
"What's going on tonight?" asked a familiar voice behind the door.
"A potluck dinner of course." Audrey replied.
Aberforth opened the door, grabbed Audrey roughly by the arm and pulled her in. He removed her hood and held a wand to her throat.
"Prove to me that you are Audrey." He hissed.
Audrey could feel her daughter clinging very tightly to her, she flashed her eyes a few different colors. Aberforth relaxed.
"Sorry, Audrey. We can't be too careful now-a-days." He said, taking her cloak from her. Asia stared at Aberforth with wide eyes; Audrey could sense she was still frightened and confused.
"Don't worry, child." He said, crouching down to her height. "I won't hurt ye' or your mum."
"Come on, let's go find your cousins." Audrey said, taking Asia's hand.
Audrey was the last person to arrive in the basement; everyone stared at her as she took her seat.
"Did I do something?" She asked, confused.
"Not that I know of…unless-OW" said Sirius with a sly grin. Marlene smacked him; this was clearly not the time to make a joke.
"Thanks, Marly." Audrey mouthed.
"Now that we're all here, I must inform you of some rather grave news."
Glances were exchanged around the table and Audrey squeezed Sirius' hand. She didn't know if she could take any more deaths.
"While I was here last night, interviewing for a new professor of divination, I came across a peculiar woman…the great granddaughter of a famous seer." Albus said, beginning to pace at the end of the table. "She gave a subpar interview…"
"Where is he going with this?" James whispered out of the side of his mouth.
"Just shut up and listen." said Remus, elbowing him.
"As I turned to leave, she started to convulse and then she spoke a prophecy…something that concerns a few of us in this very room."
"What did it say, Albus?" said Jon Wood.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ..."
"That could be either Frank and Alice or Lily and James…" Audrey breathed, realizing.
The four Marauders paled, a rare thing for them.
Lily looked down at her growing stomach; July was only 4 months away. Her lip quivered.
It was the first time I had truly seen Lily frightened…she was definitely turning into a mother.
There was a thick blanket of silence.
"What do we do?" Alice asked, looking around the room.
"You'll have to go into hiding." said Minerva, Albus nodded in agreement.
"Arrangements must be made for both of you. We will have to keep you in safe areas."
July
Audrey stared at the newspaper on the floor.
"PREWETT FAMILY FOUND DEAD IN HOME."
After several fire calls, she managed to get in touch with Arthur, who confirmed that Molly was okay. She sat on the chaise, waiting for Sirius to get back.
There was a gust and a thud.
"Audrey, love? Are you home?"
"Yes!" She called.
"Have you heard?" He asked nervously.
"Yes, dear…it's in the Prophet. I got in touch with Arthur, Molly's alive and safe."
"Oh thank merlin." Sirius breathed, shaking his head. "This bloody war..."
Sleepless nights were becoming the normal… If it wasn't my dreams that kept me awake, it was the shaken, empty feeling I had after arguing and fighting with Sirius. But every time I closed my eyes I saw things that did not make sense.
Audrey found herself walking down a dirt road towards a small stone cottage, which appeared to be an inn.
1031 Rød Gade, read the sign.
The inn had only three rooms, two of which were empty. She pushed open the thick wood door of the third room to find the strange man she had always seen in her dreams. He was sitting on the bed. He looked just as tired as she was, but he wore the same smile he always had when he saw her.
"Hey…" He said softly, as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his temple.
I had always felt so strange seeing myself kiss another man…but we cannot believe everything that we see.
"Hi." She replied, muffled into his shoulder. "You look exhausted, love."
He let out a raspy chuckle.
"Aye lass, still not feeling top notch." He replied. "You don't look so well yourself…too much travelin'?"
She nodded into his shoulder, after a few seconds of silence she spoke. "I have something to tell you…"
"I have something too…" He replied, wringing his hands. He was nervous…something was wrong. She pulled his hands apart and held them in her own. He let out a shaky laugh, knowing that she knew him all too well. "You first…" He urged.
Asia took a deep breath, blinking tears out of her eyes before they fell again. "Jyeminsn's sister is missing…"
Names were always garbled in my dreams…who were these people? And why could I not hear their names?
His face contorted into a look of rage and pain after registering this. He yelled and threw the clock on the nearby nightstand at the wall with incredible force. It shattered into millions of pieces.
"Oodwliv…" She rushed closer to him, incredibly concerned. "Whats wrong?"
He shook slightly, angry and distraught.
"Nlei is missing…"
She didn't say anything; she just wrapped her arms around him.
He shoved her away in a second and she toppled off of the bed and fell to the floor.
"Ooodwliv" She said from the floor, propping herself up. "I'm sorry…"
"ME BROTHER IS GONE AND THAT'S ALL YOU CAN FUCKING SAY?" He roared.
Audrey swallowed…this was so familiar, an echo of the past...was this really happening? It was reminiscent of the argument she had with Sirius earlier in the evening. He was drunk, and lamenting over poor Regulus.
She stared at the strange man, with hollow eyes, waiting for him to speak.
He didn't hesitate.
"THIS IS YOUR FAULT." He roared, but it sounded like he was miles away. Everything was spinning. "THIS WHOLE BLOODY WAR."
Audrey woke with a start and stared around the bedroom. The curtains were drawn it was pitch black. She listened for Sirius' breathing, but it was silent.
She delicately twisted her right hand and each fingertip lit up. She quietly made her way to the door, opened and closed it, and tiptoed down the hallway.
The lights were still on in the sitting area, Sirius passed out on the couch. Audrey observed him for a moment, shaking her head.
He looked so weak and defenseless as he slept, such a drastic change from the life he led awake.
Audrey checked on her daughter, and then retreated back to the master bedroom. She was tired and her head was spinning, she needed to rest.
She woke the next morning to find Sirius' arms wrapped around her.
"Hi." He said quietly, as she turned to face him.
"Hello." She replied, stretching. "Weren't you on the couch?"
"I got up a little after you went back to bed, I think." He said thoughtfully. "I heard you wandering around."
"That was I." Audrey confirmed, turning away from him. He raised his head over her shoulder and kissed her cheek.
"I am so sorry about last night." He said. "I was a complete arse-"
"Merlin, really? I wouldn't have known!" Audrey replied sarcastically.
Sirius bit his lip for a moment.
I couldn't deny that she had every right to be furious with me. Our fighting was one of three things I wish I could have changed of the past.
"I really didn't mean anything I said last night…"
"Some say that drunken minds speak sober thoughts, Sirius." Audrey replied.
"While that may be true," Sirius began. "I don't regret who I chose to spend the rest of my life with. We have our differences and our moments, but at the end of the day I don't want anyone else but you. This war has taken a toll on us, and it's terrible. Some days I wake up and just think to myself…any of us could be next, I don't know."
"We can't think like that." Audrey turned to face him, blinking back a few tears. "We'll both go mad."
"Who's to say you aren't already?" said a familiar voice.
Marlene and Remus stood in their doorway.
"Bloody hell!" Sirius shot up, covering his bare chest with the duvet. "Don't you two ever knock? I'm naked!"
Marlene snorted.
"It's nothing we haven't seen before, Sirius." Remus joked.
"What's going on?" Audrey asked, sitting up.
"Aunt Lily had the baby!" said Anastasia, who appeared from behind Remus' leg.
"WHAT?" Sirius said, grinning.
"When?!" Audrey exclaimed.
"Early this morning." replied Remus. "We just got the owl from James two hours ago. He told us to retrieve you lot."
"Well, what are you waiting for…get dressed! I want to see the baby!" said Marlene, tapping her foot.