Remit: to slacken or relax

March 12, 1979

She sat at the back of the crowded room, craning he neck to see the door. There were only a handful of people milling about, anxiously waiting, just like her. But the back room of the abandoned Muggle shop in London that was serving as their temporary base was already crowded and she kept thinking she'd missed someone coming in.

"Lily, stop."

Lily hadn't even noticed she was drumming her fingers madly against the tabletop until Alice Longbottom gently put a hand over her own to still the motion.

Lily took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. It's just… I hate waiting."

Alice offered an understanding smile. "I know, me too."

The minutes crept by. A few more people arrived, but they hadn't been involved in Moody's plan at all. No news to bear. She swept her long red hair to the side and began braiding it, anything to keep her hands busy.

And then the door opened and a flood of people burst in. Lily and Alice jumped to their feet as the Prewett twins led the procession with loud cries of greeting to everyone in the room. Sirius was right behind them, obvious victory burning on his reckless face. And James was at his shoulder, punching the air, proud gaze sweeping the room for her.

Lily tackled him, knocking him back a few steps with the force of her hug, but he took it in his stride, sweeping her low into a dramatic kiss that had Sirius calling for them to get a room and Fabian and Gideon wolf-whistling.

A few steps behind them, Alice had flung herself at her husband and he was spinning her in a tight circle. Remus and Peter emerged out of the darkness, pounding Sirius and James on the back, asking for details. Marlene McKinnen took up the story, her bubbly voice spilling out above the clamor. Moody slammed the door behind them with a growl, barking reprimands about careless behavior even though there were a dozen wards around the entrance.

The meeting quickly fell into order. Lily sat tucked under James's arm, Sirius and Remus on either side of them and Peter leaning against the wall behind. Frank and Alice whispered across the room, Marlene tipped her a wink from Moody's right side, Gideon and Fabian were shooting identical cocky grins at Emaline Vance and Mary McDonald in opposite corners of the room. Professor McGonagall cast a stern look in Benjy Fenwick's direction and he quickly dropped the note he'd been about to pass to Edgar Bones, looking as guilty as a schoolboy.

And even though they were in the midst of a war, discussing plans of attack in a room full of people fully aware that some percentage of them wouldn't come back at some point, Lily let herself breathe freely for just a moment. The tension seeped out of her for just a little while and she let her guard slacken for now. Because these few minutes were the only times all the people she cared about were there in one room beside her, and she didn't have to worry what was happening to them elsewhere.

A/N: There you have some original Order stuff. It's from Lily's point of view, so maybe not as explorative of side-characters as one of my awesome reviewers suggested, but I'll get around to that eventually! I do work with some limitations – having to comply to the word of the day and the first good idea that comes into my head, as well as the date (there is only a very small window to do Remus/Tonks/Teddy moments in, etc.), but if you've got suggestions or people you like to hear about, I'd love to hear them! If you go to and click 'more' under the word of the day, then go over to the right where it shows some of the recent ones and click 'more' again, you should be able to find the list of January words I have yet to catch up on, and if you've got ideas for any of them, hit me with 'em and I'll see if I can give them a go, but no guarantees when I'll get around to catching up on those.

Anyway, please review! :D