Chapter 42: Getting the Old Crowd Together
The following weeks were pure joy for Sirius, Cassiopeia, and S.J. After many months away looking after Harry, Sirius was finally home with his family. The best part of returning home for Sirius was that he was able to attend S.J.'s first birthday, an event he would never have missed. Although they could not give S.J. a proper birthday party, they gave him the best birthday they could. S.J. did not seem to mind at all. He was perfectly content to have his parents and to spontaneously shift from a one-year old to his form of a black cat.
Sirius and Cassiopeia delighted themselves by playing hide and seek with S.J. when he changed into his Animagus form.
"Now, where has Remus gone?" Cassiopeia asked as she pretended to search the bedrooms.
"Where did my boy go? Where could he have gone?" Sirius asked.
Sirius and Cassiopeia spotted a black tail from behind S.J.'s bed.
"Here, kitty, kitty, kitty," Sirius said.
"We found you!" Cassiopeia exclaimed.
S.J. changed back to a little boy and would giggle after his parents found him.
"My boy is such a genius," Sirius said. "An Animagus already. He takes after his dad."
"Ahem!" Cassiopeia said. "I believe he takes after his mum. Remember, I was the Animagus first."
"Oh, right," Sirius said.
"Although I will admit he's a cheeky thing, just like his dad," Cassiopeia said. "And I won't deny that he's a genius like his mum."
"No wonder I love the both of you so much," Sirius said.
Sirius and Cassiopeia shared a kiss.
"Are you happy to be home?" Cassiopeia asked.
"It feels like I never left," Sirius said.
Alas, Sirius and Cassiopeia's happiness would not last long. At least two weeks after S.J.'s birthday, there was a knock on the door.
Sirius answered the door to find a familiar face. "Dumbledore!"
"Good evening, Sirius," Dumbledore greeted. "Where is Cassiopeia?"
"She's in the kitchen with S.J.," Sirius said. "What about Harry? Is my godson alive and in one piece?"
"I'm afraid Harry is the exact reason I have come to you this evening, Sirius," Dumbledore said. "I have news and unfortunately it is not good."
Sirius' eyes widened. "My godson isn't dead, is he? If he is, I swear to God – "
"Relax, Sirius," Dumbledore said. "Harry is alive and well."
"Then what is this bad news if Harry isn't dead?" Sirius wanted to know.
"Let's discuss this in the kitchen," Dumbledore said.
Sirius led Dumbledore into the kitchen where Cassiopeia was sitting with S.J.
"Dumbledore! What a surprise," Cassiopeia said.
"I have some urgent news to discuss with you," Dumbledore said. "Harry has survived the tournament, but I'm afraid a boy has just been killed."
"Killed?" Cassiopeia gasped. "Who?"
"Cedric Diggory," Dumbledore said. "And that is not the worst part. I'm afraid that our enemy has returned."
"Voldemort!" Sirius said. "You're saying Voldemort has returned?"
"I'm afraid so," Dumbledore said. "I'm afraid that Harry competing in the tournament was Voldemort's trap."
"Where's Harry, then?" Cassiopeia wanted to know.
"He's safe at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said. "I need Sirius to come with me to Hogwarts. Harry needs to have at least one of his godparents with him. I will explain more later."
"Very well," Sirius said.
"Take care of Harry," Cassiopeia said.
Sirius and Dumbledore left the kitchen and stepped outside.
"Sirius, take my arm," Dumbledore said.
Sirius obeyed. After a trip that was a blur to Sirius, he found himself back at Hogwarts.
"Sirius, I need you to transform into Animagus form for a moment," Dumbledore said. "I need to check on Harry. I will send Minerva to fetch you in a moment. Go wait in the pumpkin patch until I do."
Sirius nodded. He took out his wand and changed into his huge, black dog form and ran off to the pumpkin patch.
As Sirius rested in the pumpkin patch, he heard someone coming. Sirius' dog ears perked up and he saw Minerva McGonagall, dressed in emerald green robes, standing before him. McGonagall waved her wand hand and Sirius followed her into the castle. They climbed the stairs until they reached the statue of a phoenix.
"Sherbet lemon," McGonagall said.
Instantly, the statue began to levitate upwards. Sirius then found himself in a small room filled wall to wall with books. There was a red bird sitting in a cage. Sirius knew he had been brought to Dumbledore's office. The next minute, Harry entered behind Dumbledore. Harry looked exhausted and pale, but he was alive. Sirius' heart leaped in his chest.
"Harry, are you all right?" he asked. "I knew it – I knew something like this – what happened?"
It was then that Dumbledore went into great detail describing how Barty Crouch Jr. had been using Polyjuice Potion to pose as Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody and how Voldemort was reborn using Harry's blood.
"I need to know what happened after you touched the Portkey in the maze, Harry," Dumbledore said.
"We can leave that till morning, can't we, Dumbledore?" Sirius asked. "Let him have a sleep. Let him rest."
"If I thought it would help you by putting you in an enchanted sleep and postponing the moment when you'd have to think about what has happened, I would do it," Dumbledore told Harry, "but I know better. Numbing the pain for a while will only make it worse when you finally feel it. You have shown bravery beyond anything I could have expected. I need you to show your courage by telling us what happened tonight."
Sirius placed his hand gently on Harry's shoulder. Harry then went on with his tale. He described how he and Cedric were transported to a graveyard, and Cedric was murdered upon their arrival. He told them how Peter Pettigrew, or Wormtail, tied him to a gravestone and pierced his arm with a knife.
"That son of a banshee!" Sirius said, livid.
Sirius was on his feet so quickly that Harry was startled. Sirius was horrified when Harry showed him and Dumbledore were his arm was pierced.
"He said my blood would make him stronger," Harry explained. "And it did. He said he'd have the same protection my mother gave me, and he was right. He could touch me without hurting himself."
Dumbledore calmly sat down and told Harry to continue his tale. Harry went on telling how Voldemort emerged in his new body and how they had dueled. Once he mentioned that his and Voldemort's wands connected, Sirius spoke up.
"The wands connected? Why?" he asked.
"Priori Incantatem" Dumbledore said.
"The Reverse Spell effect?" Sirius said.
"Exactly," Dumbledore replied. "Harry and Voldemort's wand share cores. Each of them contains a phoenix tail feather. This phoenix."
Dumbledore pointed to the red phoenix in a cage.
"My wand's feather came from Fawkes?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Dumbledore said.
"So what happens when a wand meets its brother?" Sirius asked.
"If the wands are forced to do battle, a rare effect will take place," Dumbledore explained. "One of the wands will force the other to regurgitate the spells it had performed in reverse, starting with the most recent, and then those which preceded it. Which means that some form of Cedric reappeared."
"Diggory came back to life?" Sirius asked.
"No spell can reawaken the dead," Dumbledore said. "A shadow of the living Cedric would have emerged. Am I right, Harry?"
Harry nodded.
"You saw others, didn't you?" Dumbledore asked.
"An old man," Harry replied.
"Your parents?" Dumbledore said.
When Harry nodded, Sirius tightened his grip on Harry's shoulder. Harry told them how the spirits fought off Voldemort, enabling him to escape with Cedric's body.
"I will say it once again, Harry, you have displayed immense courage. I think I can grant you a Sleeping Potion. Sirius, will you stay with him?"
Sirius nodded and changed back into dog form as Harry drained a potion and fell asleep.
The next moment, Sirius and Harry heard Dumbledore come in followed by Molly Weasely, her sons Bill and Ron, Hermione, and Snape.
"Sirius, if you could resume your usual form," Dumbledore said.
Sirius stood up and Molly shouted. "Sirius Black!"
"Mum, shut up! It's okay!" Ron said.
"What is he doing here?" Snape snarled.
"He is here at my invitation, Severus, as are you," Dumbledore said. "I trust you both. It is time for both of you to put aside your differences and trust each other."
Sirius and Snape did not budge, but only glared at each other.
"I will settle, in the short term, for the lack of open hostility," Dumbledore said impatiently. "You will shake hands. You are on the same side now. Time is short, and unless the few of us who know the truth stand united, there is no hope for any of us."
While they still glared at each other, Sirius and Snape shook hands, but let go quickly.
"What about Cassie?" Sirius said.
"I have sent Cassiopeia a message explaining everything," Dumbledore said. "Now, I have work for you. Sirius, I need you to set off at once. Fudge has chosen to deny the truth about Voldemort's return. We're going to need all the help we can get. You are to alert Remus Lupin, Arabella Figg, Mundungus Fletcher, – the old crowd. Lie low at Lupin's for a while; I will contact you there."
"But – " Harry said.
"You'll see me very soon, Harry," Sirius said. "I promise you. But I must do what I can, you understand, don't you?"
"Yeah. Of course I do," Harry replied.
Sirius nodded to Harry and Dumbledore. Then, he transformed back to his Animagus and was gone. Sirius quickly Apparated to Grimmauld Place where he met Cassiopeia.
"Sirius," Cassiopeia said. "Dumbledore told me everything."
"We have to contact as many people as possible," Sirius said. "Dumbledore told us to stay at Lupin's and he'll contact us there."
"Alright," Cassiopeia said. "I'll help you. I'll contact Nymphie."
"Nymphie? Are you sure?" Sirius asked.
"She's an Auror now," Cassiopeia replied. "And if Fudge chooses to deny the truth, I think we'll need a few Aurors on our team."
"Alright," Sirius said.
And so, Sirius and Cassiopeia set about sending messages by Patronus to anyone in the Order and to new members. Sirius and Cassiopeia gathered a few bags and S.J. They then Apparated to Remus' house. It was a small house in the country. It was a shabby house, but it was all Remus could afford. Once they got there, they were greeted by Remus and ushered into the kitchen. Everyone in the Order was in the kitchen, including Tonks. Dumbledore then appeared and explained the situation to everyone, from Voldemort's return to Fudge's denial of the truth.
"Firstly, Harry will need protection over the summer," Dumbledore said. "Mundungus, Arabella, I'm leaving that in your charge. Keep Harry in your sight at all times. Report to me if anything goes wrong."
A short, bald man and an elderly woman with silver hair nodded.
"Now, we will need to establish a headquarters where we can meet in secret," Dumbledore said.
"Dumbledore," Sirius said. "I suggest Grimmauld Place should be our headquarters. It has been given all the proper protection by my father."
"Very well, Sirius," Dumbledore said. "All of you use caution. Now that Voldemort's returned his spies will be everywhere. We will meet again at Number 12, Grimmauld Place, in London. Sirius, Cassie, I must ask you to remain in Grimmauld Place for the time being."
"But Dumbledore – " Sirius and Cassiopeia protested.
"It is for your own safety," Dumbledore said.
Sirius and Cassiopeia nodded.
"Keep a watchful eye, everyone," Dumbledore said. "And we shall contact each other by Patronus if there is news."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Dumbledore left the kitchen with a pop. It had now begun. The Order of the Phoenix had been reformed.
Two months later, Tonks was with an Advance Guard to pick up Harry. The Order had been informed of a Dementor attack on Harry, and they were en route to bring him to Grimmauld Place. The Advance Guard consisted of Tonks, Mad-Eye, and many other witches and wizards. Tonks was dismayed at the sight of Remus. Tonks kept to her job despite her awkward position. She and the rest of the Advance Guard flew to Number Four, Privet Drive. Once inside the house, Tonks tripped and sent a plate crashing to the ground.
"Tonks!" Mad-Eye said.
"Sorry," Tonks said.
They reached Harry's bedroom, and Mad-Eye unlocked the door.
"Very clean, these Muggles, most unnatural," Tonks said.
"Tonks, for God's sake!" Mad-Eye said.
Tonks lit up her wand and smiled at Harry. "Wotcher, Harry!"
"You're really lucky the Dursely's are out," Harry said.
"Lucky, ha!" Tonks laughed. "It was me who lured them away. They think they're going to the All-England Best Kept Suburban Lawn Competition. My dad's Muggle-born, so I just sent them a letter by Muggle post."
Remus then began to introduce Harry to the members of the Advance Guard. When he introduced Tonks by her first name, she glared at him.
"Don't call me Nymphadora, Remus," she said. "It's Tonks."
"Nymphadora Tonks, who prefers to be known by her surname only," Lupin corrected himself.
"So would you if your fool of a mother had called you 'Nymphadora,'" Tonks said, rolling her eyes.
"Anyway, you'd better go pack, Harry," Remus said.
Tonks followed Harry to help him pack. After Tonks had helped Harry pack, she looked at herself in the mirror.
"This color does make me look peaky," she declared.
She squinted her eyes and her purple hair changed to pink. Harry was amazed at what he saw.
"I'm a Metamorphmagus," Tonks said. "I can change my appearance at will. I got top marks in Concealment and Disguise during Auror training without study at all. It was great."
"You're an Auror?" Harry asked, amazed.
"Yeah," Tonks replied. "Kingsley is too, but he's higher up than me. I nearly failed Stealth and Tracking. I'm dead clumsy. Didn't you hear me break that plate?"
"Can you learn to be a Metamorphmagus?" Harry asked.
Tonks laughed. "Bet you wouldn't mind hiding that scar sometimes, eh?"
"No, I wouldn't mind," Harry said.
"You'll have to learn the hard way," Tonks said. "Metamorphmagi are born, not made. They're really rare. But we've got to get going. Come on, Harry!"
Tonks led Harry outside where they gathered their brooms.
"Stay in formation, everyone," Mad-Eye said. "Don't break ranks if one of us is killed."
With that, the Advance Guard flew away to Grimmauld Place. Mad-Eye pounded his staff into the ground, and Grimmauld Place appeared from between the two houses. Tonks followed Mad-Eye to the kitchen where she promptly tripped over a troll's foot used an umbrella stand. The meeting was all a blur to Tonks. It was mainly arguing about Harry and Voldemort. Cassiopeia and Sirius went on about how now was the time to act. Of course, they could not avoid an argument between Sirius and Snape. Tonks wanted to shut it all out. After the meeting was over, Sirius approached Tonks. She was weeping hard. Tears were flooding her face and her eyes were red.
"Oi, Nymphie," Sirius said.
"Hey, Uncle Sirius," Tonks said.
"What's got you down?" Sirius asked.
"It's Jason," Tonks said.
"I see," Sirius said. "Remus, come here."
"What do you want him for?" Tonks asked.
"Talk to her," Sirius said.
Before Tonks could protest, Sirius left them alone. Tonks was now forced to talk to Remus. Whether he would listen, she did not know.
A/N: Thank you so much for all the reviews and favorites and more. It really means so much to me. I hope you enjoy what comes next. I ask in return that you support my friend Roza Anne's story, Beauty and the Man Behind the Beast. Her story is brilliant, and I highly recommend it.
A MESSAGE FROM ROZA ANNE, AUTHOR OF BEAUTY AND THE MAN BEHIND THE BEAST
"It's come to my attention through my friend Guin Parris's story some of you have been opposed to the events and add-ons that have been made to the characters Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin.
Although I do find reader input to be a helpful tool in creating a well-rounded story I feel that much of what has been said is unjustified and just downright rude.
Fan fiction is just that, stories made up by fans. The choice both myself and Guin have made with our two stories, which are connected, were done because it is our opinion on how the story should have gone.
As far as Tonks goes, yes it was a drastic choice to make her a werewolf killer but as it is stated she only killed Greybacks men, all of which were in fact evil and of a like mind with Greyback
The whole mate mark situation is a work in progress.
Remus's attitude towards Tonks has been and change we feel works best do to the fact that he was, in the original story, initially opposed to the thought of being with Tonks because of his being a werewolf, financial standing, and the age difference between them.
My main concern is a lot of you are complaining about Lupin and Tonks in a story not truly about them.
Please continue to support my friend Guin. Her story is great and I feel it deserves a chance to prove that.