Chapter Six

"What is with you tonight?" Sirius asked James, who hadn't been able to wipe the smile off his face all night.

The two of them were sitting in the Gryffindor common room, after everyone had gone to bed. James felt like it would be a good night to catch up with his best friend.

"I spent the evening with Lily... " He trailed off, distracted, remembering the whole evening in his head.

"What happened? I didn't think you two were really talking, still."

"She talked to me, told me things I don't think she's ever shared with anyone else. She trusted me. And then she said she wanted to be friends! We ended up talking for, what felt like, hours. It was the first time I've seen her laugh in years, or even smile at me." He said, his cheeks starting to turn red.

"That's great, I'm happy for you James. Just try not to do anything stupid to ruin it this time, eh." Sirius was joking but it still made James stop to think. He had never managed to befriend Lily and not end up doing something that would end up hurting her, in the six and a half years he had known her. He was terrified of it happening again.

Sirius noticed how his comment was taken the wrong way. "James, you're totally different this year! You're not the jerk you used to be, I don't think you have anything to worry about. Even she's noticed how much you've matured... Even if you aren't as fun now."

James smiled at his friend but was still worried.

The next day, however, there wasn't any time to think about personal things. As soon as James woke up, he noticed the sky looked strange, darker than usual. He walked up to his window, and what he saw made his heart sink, and fear filled his whole body. He saw the dark clouds creating what looked like a giant skull with a snake slithering out of it's mouth. It was the most terrifying image he had ever seen.

He must not have been the only one to see it because almost immediately, the entire school was called down to the dining hall. All the other students were quiet, scared, as they all took their seats. He caught a glimpse of Lily, who looked white as a ghost. She caught his eye and tried to force a smile before sitting down. Then Dumbledore stood up at the head of the tables.

"I am sure you all know why I asked you to come down here, and that you all seek the answer to the same question. That symbol, that mark that you saw up in the sky this morning, was a dark mark. Voldemort's mark. As I am sure many of you know, Voldemort and his death eaters, have been hunting down muggle borns. What you saw this morning, was the symbol of a killing. Something they intend to do every time they succeed in destroying those of muggle descent. While you will always see this mark, terrifyingly visible hovering over us, you are not in danger. Remember this, but always be aware."

Every witch and wizard knew about Voldemort and his want for power and to rid the world of "Mud bloods". But it wasn't until now that James realized what a threat he really was. How this was a start to a war that was inevitable.

Later, James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter were all hanging around outside. Silent, and still shaken over what had happened.

"Hey, do you guys remember how we joked about opening up a club? To teach people some of the more advanced spells we had taught ourselves?" Remus asked, out of the blue. The rest of the group nodded.

"Maybe we should do it. Help create an army to fight against... him, if it ever had to come down to it. James, you know how to do the patronus perfectly, Sirius you know a couple good hex spells to hurt enemies. Spells that even our teachers don't want us knowing. We should start a group, see who wants to join, who wants fight against the enemy. "

They all looked at each other, considering this over in their heads.

"Yes. I don't think we have a choice with the way things are heading. And I think other students would jump at this opportunity. I think if people knew it was possible, they would want to learn how to fight against the dark side." James said, straight and forward.

"Hmm, we could call it... The Order of the Phoenix. Because when they burn out, they come back stronger than ever. Something that is crucial to learn in this new world." Sirius said. And so they all agreed, and right away hung a sign up sheet in the Gryffindor common room.

After about a week, there were 9 names on the list, aside from James, and his friends, who were going to act as the teachers, one of which was Lily and they decided it was time for the first lesson.

"But where are we going to actually teach people these spells?" Peter asked. None of them had thought that far and none could think of a place.

"The room of requirement." The voice came from behind them, the voice of Lily Evans.

"Wheres that?" James asked her, turning around to look at her.

"It doesn't exist until you need it. I discovered it last year. I was trying to find a quiet place to read, since the library and all the classrooms were full. And the door showed up out of nowhere on this blank wall, and inside I found a small study. I think it will turn into anything depending on the wizards need."

"That's brilliant!" James exclaimed. "Let's go find it!"

So James and Lily went up to the floor that she had found it on.

"So we both need to think of how we need a place to learn how to defend ourselves from the dark side, very clearly." Lily said, as they were approaching the bare wall.

After a couple seconds, this large, wooden door, started fading into reality right before their eyes, and when they opened the door, James's mouth dropped open.

The room was large, with chalkboards, and dummies that looked like death eaters.

"This is perfect! I seriously don't know what I would do without you, Lily." He said, looking down at her. She blushed a little and looked down.

"So when do the lessons start?" She asked after a moment.

"Immediately."