The months went on. Being in hiding was not as taxing as the first time, as they had some visitors and were able to sneak around outside the house going on Potterwatch or investigating for it. The Potter house had become kind of a way station for the Order. It was the safest place they could be due to the Fidelious charm. Still, people almost never visited on the same day, and they only rarely had company at all. A lot of the Order was being watched; the rest were on the run. Being followed and ambushed were distinct dangers.
There had been no mention of the trio since their raid on the Ministry, and James and Lily were able to relax just a little. As Remus was constantly reminding them, if Harry was caught, it would be widely publicized.
Then, Christmas finally arrived. The last thing the Potter's wanted to do was celebrate it without Harry, but simply ignoring it didn't seem right either. So, they invited the Lupins, Andromeda, and Kingsley over. It was too dangerous to invite the Weasley's, and anyway, they were spending the holiday together, with the exception of Bill and Fleur who wanted to spend their first married Christmas alone.
James had something he wanted to discuss with the Order members while they were there. He had been working on it for months and thought he had come up with a sound strategy.
After Christmas dinner, the Order members (and Andromeda) gathered in the sitting room, talking about light topics until discussion inevitably spun around to the war and the new regime, which James thought an excellent opening.
"I had a thought," he began, leaning back casually in his chair, "about how we could strike a blow against Vol... the Chief Death Eater." James had refused to start calling him You Know Who on principle.
"How?" asked Remus, as the others looked on interested.
"Help the muggle-borns break out of Azkaban," James said, taking a sip from his drink. He enjoyed the shocked expressions on everyone's face, except Lily. She knew this was what he was working on, though he hadn't explained all the details to her yet.
"James," said Remus, as if speaking to someone who had spontaneously gone insane. "Dementors in that number would be almost impossible to keep back."
"Exactly," said James. "Dementors are the only guards. It was never thought necessary to have human guards. All we'd need was enough patronus's."
"That's a big ask," said Kinglsey, slowly. "We'd need almost the whole order, and most of us are being tracked. It's a risky move."
"We can't win without risks," James insisted.
"And we can't afford to lose," said Tonks.
"Innocent people are languishing in that horrible prison right now," said Lily. "If we could help them..."
"Azkaban has been inhumane for a long time," said Kingsley, "But we won't do anyone any good if the entire Order ends up dead or captured or on the run."
"Which is why we have to make sure we get it right the first time," said James.
"What did you have in mind?" Remus asked, after a second's silence.
James grinned. Then leaned forward, businesslike. "Well, our main problem is getting to the island without detection and getting the prisoners off the island when they can't apparate."
"What are you going to do with the prisoners after they escape?" asked Andromeda.
"And how will the Order meet to start this?" asked Kingsley.
"I'm getting to it," said James. "The first order of business is to borrow a muggle submarine."
"Excuse me?" That was Lily. Everyone else seemed stunned speechless.
"We need to borrow a muggle submarine," James repeated. "They can hold over a hundred people. We can use magic to work it; shouldn't be too difficult."
"When have I heard that before?" Remus muttered.
James ignored him. "That will get us there without anyone being any the wiser. I've been to Azkaban before, and I'm betting you have too." Kingsley nodded. "There are a couple other ways in besides the main doors; we'll use one of them. Even with a bunch of Patronus', we won't be able to last for very long, so we'll have to move fast. On the plus side, Voldemort already broke out most of the people who deserve to be in there, so we won't have to worry about accidentally freeing Death Eaters."
"So, how does the Order meet when most of them are being watched?" Kingsley asked again.
"They'll have to lose their tales," James said, grimly. "But if they can apparate to a certain spot on the coast, the submarine will be waiting for them. That'll make for a slick getaway."
"How are you going to steal this submarine?" asked Andromeda, raising a delicate eyebrow.
"Borrow," James corrected, "with every intent of returning it. I don't know where one is yet, but those of us currently on the run should be able to sneak in at night, stun the guards, and borrow it. Hopefully, we'll have it back by morning, but the next day at the latest.
"The muggle-borns will have to get out of the country. I've contacted Charlie." Charlie Weasley had been recruiting international wizards to their cause since the war began. "He says he'll be able to arrange an underground network to scatter them in hiding around different countries if given enough time. All we have to do is get them across the channel."
"And the submarine will make that easy," Remus supplied.
"Exactly," said James.
There was a moment of silence as everyone mulled the plan over for loopholes. "That seems to cover it," said Tonks, cheerfully, "When do we start?"
"You're not coming," said Remus and Andromeda at the same time.
"Oh, yes, I am," said Tonks, eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Tonks, your six months pregnant," Lily said.
"I can take care of myself," said Tonks, stubbornly.
"That's not the point," said Remus, "You have the baby to think about. How will dementors affect him or her? And what if the dementors call in the Death Eaters for reinforcements?"
Tonks hesitated, motherly instincts clearly warring with her adventurous spirit.
"Not everyone can come," said James. "Lee will have to stay behind; we can't risk losing Potterwatch. One of the twins will as well if they want their store to avoid suspicion."
"But I have a powerful Patronus," Tonks protested, though James could tell she was weakening. "What if you need me?"
"You will stay at the house," said Andromeda, firmly, "And I will go."
There was a stunned pause. "Andromeda..." Remus began helplessly.
She cut him off. "I know I am not a member of the Order of the Pheonix, but my Patronus is strong, and I can help. It is about time I did something to fight back. And Ted..."
James understood then. Ted Tonks had gone on the run, in order to protect his family while giving himself the best chance of survival. Andromeda was hoping to find her husband in Azkaban, because then he'd at least be alive, and they could rescue him.
"Ted would have wanted me to do this," she finished.
"Ok," said Lily, after a silence. "That's settled then." She glanced at Tonks as if expecting an argument, but she didn't say anything. "So, when do we start?" She turned to James.
"I thought three weeks from now would be good," said James. "It'll give Charlie time to finish setting things up, and for us to find a submarine and contact the rest of the Order."
Kingsley nodded. "If this works, it'll be a huge victory for our side."
"It'll work," said James, confidently, leaning back in his chair in a cocky manner.
"I've heard that before too," said Remus, eyes twinkling.
James threw a pillow at him.
Author's note: Years before I wrote this fanfiction, I read a fanfiction called Promises Unbroken by Robin4. By the time I wrote Second Chances, I had completely forgotten about it except as a vague concept, but I was rereading it recently and realized it is probably where I got the idea for breaking into Azkaban. The Azkaban breakout in that fanfiction is extremely different from mine, but in the interest of giving credit where credit is due, I thought I'd mention it.
