Nobody's POV
Quincy couldn't decide whether he preferred his toasty cage of flames at Hogwarts or the roaring fires in the fireplaces of Grimmauld Place. While he enjoyed the freedom of Grimmauld Place – the freedom of being able to skip from fireplace to fireplace and to roam around the mansion at will - Grimmauld Place was a far more uncertain place than Hogwarts. The hallways here were dark, dank, and cold. Far too often, a random breeze would come into the room and blow out the fire that poor Quincy was sleeping on. As the huge logs were far too massive for Quincy to light on fire all by himself, Quincy would have to scamper around and find another fireplace that was still burning. Unfortunately, with Grimmauld Place having so many rooms (and many of them still unoccupied), sometimes it would take Quincy hours to find a proper fire.
Once, Remus came down in the morning, yawning, only to find Quincy shivering atop the pale embers of the kitchen fire that had long since gone out. Remus hurriedly lit up the fire for Quincy. That day, Remus told Raylynx about this incident. From then on, Raylynx kept an open jar of bluebell flames in her and Sirius' fireplace every night, so that Quincy could always come to their room and slip into the jar as a last resort.
As it turned out, this very night, Quincy found himself having to crawl over to Raylynx's bedroom. He slipped into the jar of flames to revive himself. Then, shaking himself awake, Quincy crawled back out and climbed up onto the bed. He walked right over Sirius' chest and leapt gracefully onto Raylynx's arm. Sirius reached up and tiredly patted his chest, wondering what had just scampered across it.
Quincy gently patted Raylynx's cheek, only to find that she was quite feverish. At first, Quincy became excited. He'd always thought that Raylynx ran a bit too cold. Finally, she was closer to his temperature. Heat is power, Quincy thought.
But then, Quincy realized that Raylynx seemed to be struggling. She kept squirming in her sleep. Besides that, her brow was furrowed and her mouth was turned down in a deep frown. Every so often, Sirius, still asleep, would reach out and brush his hand over her shoulder or hair, and she would settle down again. But soon enough, she would fidget again.
Not knowing what to do, Quincy finally decided to lick Raylynx's cheek – giving her a big slurp on her cheek – and then he scampered back down and made for his homely little jar of flames.
Adventure, Quincy decided, was quite tiring. For a moment, his little head longed for the steady, if not restrictive, cage of flames that had been his home back at Hogwarts. But then he remembered that he wanted to be a brave dragon. Besides that, his friend, the strangely oversized bird with a beady eye and nice feathers, would be waiting to see him tomorrow. Quincy changed his mind once again just before he fell asleep. No, no, we prefer adventure.
Raylynx Kingsley's POV
The mythical fire that haunted my veins never left me, even in my dreams.
I was standing in a circle, a Runic Circle. It was my own Runic Circle; I had foolishly trapped myself in it.
All around me, dragon flames flared and roared. They were coming ever closer. My body heated up, until I was sweating and panting. It felt like my very blood was about to boil.
Every time the flames leapt towards me and got too close, a deep rumble (sounding not unlike far-away thunder) would ring out ferociously, and the flames would retreat. This happened over and over again.
Please, I thought, just let me be free of this hellish circle.
You are the one who challenged it, that deep voice reminded me, when you attempted to destroy the Goblet of Fire.
I closed my eyes and tilted my head towards the sky – or else, where the sky would have been, for right now, the air was filled with smoke.
I wanted to pray. However, I found that I couldn't. Because that voice – the voice of Pendragon – spoke only the truth. I had bargained against this pain, and I had lost. I had no right to ask for this pain to stop.
However, to my utter surprise, a tiny drop of golden fire fell from the sky. It landed on my cheek. I winced instinctively. But then…
I blinked. What on earth…?
The droplet of fire seemed to soak into my cheek and astonishingly, it felt cool. For a moment, I felt that cool reprieve of just existing, existing without burning, and I remembered what peace was.
I finally relaxed in my sleep.
How strange, I thought, that fire can feel cool…
My head fell from Sirius' shoulder onto his chest… My mouth slipped open slightly…
Sirius Black's POV
Hm…? What's going on?
I opened one eye, squinting against the sunlight coming in through the window.
The odd thing was that I was feeling a rubbing sensation on my chest. I looked down, only to find Raylynx using the sleeve of her shirt to wipe frantically at the front of my shirt.
"What are you doing?"
She looked up at me guiltily. "Er – good morning. I may have – uh – drooled a little on your shirt."
"Well, that's fine." I yawned. "I'll change shirts."
"Sure, but let me just wipe it off first."
"I said I'll change - "
"I know, but let me wipe it off first. I've nearly got - "
"You'll just rub it into the shirt more! I'll change!"
"I said to let me - !"
I tried to get up from the bed, but Raylynx, with a small growl, launched herself onto my back and caught me.
"Merlin, what's gotten into you?" I grunted. "It's too early for your nonsense."
"What?" Raylynx said indignantly, speaking right into my ear. "You latch onto me all the time and call it affection! Why can't I do the same to you?"
"When do I latch onto you?" I challenged.
"Fine." She slid off of my back and dropped back onto the bed.
I shook my head. But then, I sort-of regretted telling her off. "Come back here."
"No."
I reached over and caught her ankle. "I said to come back here."
"It's too late. You've missed your chance."
"Well, I'll just have to create another one."
"I don't think so," she said smartly. "You insulted my pride, after all."
I let her complain as I lazily, but firmly, dragged her right back to me. I pulled her into a tight hug, lifting her off the bed.
"Sirius! What're you - ? Oi!" she shouted. "What're you doing, carrying me like a sack of potatoes?"
I pulled her all the way into the hallway, laughing at how frizzy her hair was getting. I was so relieved to see that she seemed much more energetic today than she had been in the ever since she'd returned.
"Really! Sirius!" Raylynx yelled, pawing at my arms. She managed to slide out of my arms, but I reached out and playfully grabbed her again.
Just then, a door that was some ways down the hallway clicked open – and Remus popped his head out of his bedroom door. He came out just in time to see me putting Raylynx in a headlock.
"Good morning, Moons," I said cheerfully.
"Is that Remus? Let me see him!" Raylynx said, as she could only see the ground now.
"Merlin, Sirius," Remus croaked out. "It's six in the morning."
"She started it, not me," I pointed out.
At this, Raylynx let out a soft, defeated sigh and went limp in my arms. "I s'pse that's true. Merlin help me – I'm more immature than Sirius Black. What has the world come to?" She lifted her arm and reaching out blindly, she said, "Save me, Remus."
Bemused, Remus walked over, grasped Raylynx's hand, and gave it a soft tug. I abrutply let go of Raylynx, who suddenly tumbled forward – straight into Remus.
"Oof!" Remus fell backwards, toppling over onto the floor.
"Sorry!" Raylynx said quickly, rolling off of him. "I didn't expect Sirius to actually let go!"
I crossed my arms and smirked at Raylynx, but in truth, my eyes crinkled up in fondness at the two of them. All we need is Harry here, and we'll be a family again. A family of misfits, sure, but that's what the Marauders were in the first place.
Remus, who was rubbing his chest while staring dazedly up at the ceiling, murmured to himself, "Second time in two weeks…"
Raylynx reached out and helped Remus up. Once Remus was on his feet again, I ruffled his bed hair. "Good looking, Moons," I commented.
Remus sighed. He seemed rather grumpy. I chalked it up to him simply not being a morning person, but Raylynx asked, "Remus, is something on your mind?"
Remus replied, "Today's the Order meeting. I know the Order of the Phoenix has to reconvene and all, but I am not looking forward to having so many – er – different personalities in one room tonight."
"The meeting's not until dinner, Moony," I pointed out. "It's only six in the morning. There's plenty of them for you to avoid people until then."
"Still." Remus looked rather forlornly at his feet. "It makes me tired just thinking about it. I think I'll get back to bed." With that, he plodded off, back to his bedroom.
Raylynx looked over at me. Her eyes were bright again, and there was a bit of color in her cheeks again.
Yeah, she definitely looks healthier. Thank Merlin. I reached out and put my arm around her again, pulling her to my side. She put her arm around my waist, and we headed back to our bedroom, following Remus' lead and heading back into bed.
When we slipped back in, Raylynx murmured, "Right, it's tonight – the reconvening of the Order of the Phoenix. I wonder how many of the people we'll know, or whether it'll feel very different." Her voice died slightly, and I knew why – she was thinking of all our friends from the first Order of the Phoenix who were no longer here to join us. She carried on, "Sola and Jamie pledged to be part of the Order this time around." She reached over and nervously rubbed the front of my shirt again, even though the small stain was long gone.
Sensing her anxiety, I said, "It might be better for them to be a part of the Order. Seeing as they're both high-profile people in their own rights. At least the Order will know if they're ever targeted and Dumbledore can figure out how to help protect them."
Raylynx nodded. "That's true. But they both have kids now."
I lifted my head and looked at her. "What about you, Lynx? Are you truly not going to join the Order?"
"I don't know…"
I frowned. "What's going on with you and Dumbledore, Lynx?" I had always had the sense that Raylynx was quite reserved towards Dumbledore. She didn't seem to trust him as much as the rest of the Order did. Even during the First Wizarding War, I recalled that before Raylynx disappeared, she had mentioned something about not being Dumbledore's pawn and that if the Order was going to stop her from doing everything she could to end the war, then she would leave.
And she did leave... I pulled her back to me. As I did, I repeated my question, "Do you not trust Dumbledore? Is that it?"
"It's even more so this time around," Raylynx murmured.
"What's more this time around? Lynx, you're talking in riddles again."
She looked up at me. "This time around, it isn't only about staying alive and winning the war. It's about protecting the kids now."
"You're talking about Harry," I recognized.
"We have to make sure we win the war in a way that doesn't bear too high a cost."
"But what's that got to do with you and Dumbledore?"
Raylynx chewed on her lower lip for a moment before she answered, "He wants to train Harry up, like a soldier. I hate that. I don't think that's right. He's a kid. The last thing he should be thinking about is war."
I wasn't quite sure what to say since; truth be told, I agreed with Dumbledore. However, I hated to admit that, so I kept silent.
Raylynx read my expression anyways. "You agree with Dumbledore, don't you?"
"Well, it is best for Harry to train his own strength," I admitted. "Besides, he's James and Lily's son. He's extremely talented at magic. He was able to cast a Patronus Charm at thirteen."
"I'm not saying that we need to protect him because he's weak. Far from it. But he's still a kid. He shouldn't even be thinking about his magical strength."
Even though I sympathized with Raylynx, I started to feel a bit impatient with her. "We can't protect him from everything, Lynx."
At this, Raylynx clutched the front of my shirt tightly. She stared at me with a fierce and determined gaze. "We have to. No matter the cost. Else, what's the point of having godparents?"
I held back a sigh. Of course I want to protect Harry from all of the dangers in the world. I love that kid to death, and I owe Prongs. But the world is always darker than we let ourselves believe, and we may not be able to protect Harry to our heart's desire. That's just the truth of it. Lynx believes – that's her strength. However, I've seen too much of the world to trust the same way she does. A safe place where kids can just be kids – it doesn't exist. If it did exist, I would have taken Regulus there. But he's gone. Naivete is not the answer – knowledge and strength are. Harry needs to know what's going on and he needs to be strong – for himself. Besides, if he's anything like Prongs, he'll be able to look out for himself. Prongs was able to take on anything, except his own soft heart.
Only, I didn't want to say such a heavy thing out loud and I knew that I wouldn't change Raylynx's mind any more than she would change mine, so I let it go. Instead, I stared down at my shirt, now tightly fisted in Raylynx's hand, and remarked, "Have you got something against this shirt?"
"Oh…" Raylynx hastily let go and made to flatten out the shirt.
Chuckling, I reached over and pinched her cheek before I got up to get ready for the day. I had to prepare Grimmauld Place for the first meeting to reconvene the Order of the Phoenix today. In contrast to Remus, I was looking forward to having everyone in Grimmauld Place, as I knew it would provide a distraction from the misery I felt in staying in this haunted place. Everything here felt too close and familiar. Some rooms, like the room with the tapestry and Regulus' room felt like they were choking with memories – but of course, it was all in my head. I heard once again, my father's voice slither into my head: All Blacks go mad.
When I was younger, I thought that my father was insulting me by saying it, but I realized later that he was talking about himself. Of course, I thought that was how it should be – my father was a crazy bastard. But now that I was older, I found that I, too, said that to myself, and that a part of me was always waiting for the madness inside of me to win out and grab ahold of me.
But I can't go mad, I told myself sternly. Even if I have to stay in this hellhole and wither away like Kreacher, I can't go mad. Because Raylynx is right - it's about the kids now. It's about Harry.
Raylynx Kingsley's POV
When Sirius got up to shower, I rolled onto my back and found myself staring at the ceiling. Faces of friends from the first Order flashed through my mind… I shut my eyes and prayed that, as I did almost every waking moment of my life now, that we would be able to win against Voldemort without any more losses – and certainly without sacrificing Harry.
Clink. Clink, clink.
I hesitated. What is that sound?
Sitting up in bed, I turned my head towards the fireplace. I spotted the small jar of bluebell flames. As I watched it, it jostled – thanks to the little salamander waking up inside.
"Quincy!" I got up and went over to the fireplace. "You came over last night?"
Quincy sleepily blinked twice at me – an affirmation.
I smiled at him. "I'm glad you came and found me. Was this jar of flames all right for you?"
Quincy blinked twice again.
"Good." I carefully reached into the jar and stroked his little head twice.
Quincy's tongue flickered out happily before he slid back down into the flames and let out a hefty yawn.
It seemed that all four of us – Remus, Sirius, Quincy, and me all took our time waking up to face the world. But it can't be helped, I thought. We've got to take what time we can to be ready, when the world is ripping apart at the seams again…
I got up from the floor and dressed. By the time Sirius was out of the bathroom, I had decided what I was going to do that day.
Sirius noted, "Going out?"
"Yes."
Sirius began to ask me where I was going, when he saw the children's storybook I was holding in my hand.
"Right." Sirius came over and touched my cheek with the back of his fingers. "Don't be late."
When I saw Sirius' gaze, flickering with an uncertain but genuine warmth, my heart thumped a bit harder in my chest. I nodded at him. "Don't worry. I'll be back in time."
"… And they lived happily ever after."
Alice, though she was staring past me, nodded and beamed happily.
Gently, I asked, "Do you know what that means, Alice? Happily ever after?"
Alice repeated the same motion – nodded and beamed happily.
I nodded back at her. "So you do know what that means." I reached over and grasped Alice's hand in mine. "I'm happy to hear that, Alice."
Alice continued nodding and smiling at the wall behind me. However, a moment later, she began to frown and then to struggle. She didn't like my hand around hers; she didn't like feeling constrained.
I quickly let go of her. "Sorry!"
Just then, a brusque voice muttered from a few beds down, "No point. No point in being sorry."
I stiffened. I knew whose voice that was.
The first time I saw Audrey Vega in the same ward as Frank and Alice, I was shocked.
"Audrey…?" I whispered, not quite believing my own eyes. "Audrey Vega?"
Audrey didn't look up from his bed. He dipped his finger in the glass of water on his bedside table and drew circles on his arm – circle after circle after circle. With a jolt, I saw that he was drawing those circles on top of his Death Eater tattoo. My hand flew to my mouth. It is him.
"Audrey," I muttered bleakly. "Merlin, why… why are you here? Since when have you been here?"
Audrey still didn't answer me.
I wondered numbly when this terrible silence had overtaken his life.
I remembered the last time that I'd seen him, when the Wizengamot had ordered him to be released on account of his declining health and sanity. Seeing Audrey had finally forced me to confront the truth that Sirius, even if he came back from Azkaban, would no longer be the man he once was. I recalled running over to Remus' apartment and breaking down before him.
I let out a long, low breath. The fact that Sirius is back with us the way he is – as himself, with his soul and mind intact, is such an immense miracle. Looking back, I was terribly foolish to have such faith in that possibility. It wasn't even a question of strength. Audrey was strong. I know that. Frank was strong. And Alice… My Alice… My dear, dear Alice…
"I'm sorry I touched your hand," I said sincerely. "I'll go now, okay?"
Alice's frown relaxed. She didn't smile, but she wasn't struggling anymore.
"I just wanted to see you, Alice," I told her. "Because today's… Well, I'll think of you again today. You be well, honey." I fluffed up her pillows and made sure her glass of water was full. I did the same for Frank, who was sleeping peacefully in his bed, and then I headed towards the exit.
As I walked towards the doors, I glanced over at Audrey, over in his corner. He was lying down right now, but he had his hand up. He was tracing circles in the air.
My heart thumped heavily; I wanted to see Alice as often as I could, but I hated being in this ward and what it stood for. Every time I visited, I left with a frog in my throat and a heavy weight in my heart.
Sirius Black's POV
"Molly, for the last time, we do not need to roast an entire harm for every single guest," I said, exasperated.
"Of course not," Molly snapped at me. "But we should have enough to feed the table."
I shook my head at her. No one's going to eat anything, anyhow. Everyone's here for the meeting and to hear what Dumbledore has to say.
Not wanting to argue anymore, I left the kitchen and started to head up to Buckbeak's room (and secondarily, Phineas Nigellus' room), when I heard someone come in quietly through the front door. I backtracked to see who it was.
It was Raylynx. She pushed the hood of her cloak back as she stepped in. When she saw me, standing at the other end of the hall, she smiled a bit funnily and said quietly, "Hello. I'm back."
She sounded so young, saying that, that I chuckled a little as I replied, "Welcome back."
Raylynx came down the hallway rather briskly. And there was something about her - some strange fire in her eyes, as she strode right up to me.
"Hey," I said, "you haven't taken your cloak off ye – Nngh! Merlin, Raylynx, don't squeeze me so hard!"
My eyes nearly bulged out of my head as Raylynx hugged me fiercely, squeezing her arms as tightly as she could.
I grabbed Raylynx's shoulders and pried her off of me. "Merlin! Lynx! What was that for?"
Raylynx reached up and very carefully brushed my shaggy hair out of my face. "And you're back… You came back. Oh, thank Merlin, you're back." She threw her arms around me once again and buried her face against my chest.
I didn't quite understand what she meant, but I let her hold onto me. When I considered the fact that she had just come from seeing Alice, I thought I could guess a little of what was on her mind and affecting her so. I put my arms around her and stroked her hair.
"Yeah, love," I murmured to her, "I'm right here. You know that. I'm right here, with you."
"Sorry." Raylynx let out a soft laugh. She shook her head at herself. "I'm being silly, aren't I?"
"Well, it's like I said before," I told her teasingly, "you're a real crybaby now." That got a smile out of her.
"I'll get out of my cloak now," she said, stepping away from me. "Anything you need help with for tonight?"
At this, I made a face. "No. Molly's got everything under control. Including the hams."
"What hams?"
"Six hams."
"Six hams?"
"Yeah."
Raylynx chuckled. "If we really have that many people coming, this war will be a right breeze."
"Well," I replied, "we don't have that many people coming, so instead, we'll have an underwhelming number of overfed people. That'll be our army."
Remus Lupin's POV
All of the Order members convened in the large banquet hall of Grimmauld Place.
My eyes swept over the new and familiar faces alike.
Gathered at one end were Dumbledore's old friends: Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, and Augusta Longbottom. Taking up one side of the table were old and current Professors from Hogwarts: Flitwick, Sprout, and Snape. (McGonagall had been asked to go and speak with someone named Arabella Figg and Hagrid and Madame Olympe had been sent on a mission to parley with the giants.) Elgar and Seymour were also both present. There were also the Aurors who allied themselves with Dumbledore: Alastor Moody, Gregory Blackhawk, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. On the other side of the table were most of the Weasley family: Arthur, Molly, Bill, and Charlie; the Kingsley family: Sola and Chris, and Jamie and Amy; and first-generation Phoenix members: Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore, and of course – Sirius, Raylynx, and myself. (It was unclear to me whether Raylynx had formally joined the Order, but Dumbledore seemed to have no qualms about allowing her to join the meetings.) Grouped around the other end of the table were new Phoenix members: Mundungus (who did not at all look happy to be here), Hestia Jones, Nymphadora Tonks, and Seth and Nadine Meadowes. Then, of course, there was the leader of our organization: Dumbledore himself. He sat at the head of the table, looking as calm and wizened as ever.
Among this group of people, there was an amazing number of dynamics going on. Augusta Longbottom, ever a woman of magnificence and guardian of all things proper, was giving Professor Sprout a bit of a stink-eye, as Sprout smelled of the fresh manure and plants that she worked with. Sprout, always a cheerful and lively woman, didn't notice at all as she chatted with Flitwick about this and that. Arthur Weasley and Sola Kingsley were speaking earnestly to each other about the current pushback against Muggle and Muggle-born protections happening at the Ministry of Magic. Alastor Moody was checking out the wine poured into his goblet, sniffing it and tapping his wand against the goblet and making his special eye stare directly into it. Besides him, Amy Kingsley (Jamie's wife) was smiling nervously, too nervous to ask Moody any questions and now also too nervous to touch her own goblet. Raylynx was speaking excitedly with Seth Meadowes. From what I could hear, it sounded like Seth had a six-year-old daughter named Dorcas. I smiled when I heard that. Gregory Blackhawk was speaking quietly to Emmeline Vance. I couldn't hear what they were speaking about, but Emmeline looked rather serious. I saw Hestia shoot a curious look at Emmeline. Sirius and Severus were shooting daggers at each other – no surprise there. Mundungus was slowly stealing the expensive goblets off of the table, one by one, and Dumbledore was watching him while humming softly. Kreacher, who was hiding behind the grandfather clock at the very end of the room, also saw Mundungus, and he hissed threateningly, though he didn't dare to hiss loudly enough to draw attention to himself. Kreacher knew Sirius would kick him out the second he saw him.
Just then, Dumbledore folded his hands together, and everyone fell silent. A last, dull clunk was barely heard as Mundungus dropped another goblet into his secret pocket.
Dumbledore spoke in a grave tone. "All of you have now heard the terrible truth: that Lord Voldemort has risen again."
It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
"For that reason, the Order of the Phoenix has been reconvened."
Dumbledore looked slowly over at the group of people before him, studying each and every one. "Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon, we must all make the choice between doing what is right and what is easy. I have asked each of you to band together in the hopes that we may preserve what is right and defend against that which is easy. For this purpose, I ask for your services and for your allegiance. I do not do so lightly." He paused for a moment, and his gaze lingered on Raylynx, who was staring determinedly back at him. "I will also say this now, at the outset: To fight in this war will require all of us to make incredible sacrifices. No amount of planning – or bravery, even – can overcome that. Therefore, if any of you wish to leave, please do so now."
Everybody held their breaths. Arthur reached over and took Molly's hand. Raylynx, Sirius, and I looked at each other. We all wore the same weary, grim expression. Dedalus and Elphias nodded at each other, resigning themselves to the fact that they would spend their last years on this earth fighting this war. Moody looked over at Tonks, who gazed back with a fierce look on her face. Amidst all of these small actions of comfort, no one left.
"Very well." Dumbledore nodded once. "Then, we shall begin."
It was a long meeting. Strategies and initial assignments were discussed. One of the major missions, of course, was to simply get the word out that Voldemort was back.
Someone suggested pamphlets to alert the Ministry of Magic workers of Voldemort's return. To this, Raylynx said, in a polite but clearly dry voice, "Speaking from personal experience, I don't think pamphlets work." I saw Sirius shoot Raylynx a knowing look.
Alliances were also discussed. "It is of crucial importance that we reach out not only to those who are likely to join our alliance, but those who are inclined to oppose it," Dumbledore said. At this, I instinctively shrank back from the table, as the thought of 'werewolves' entered my mind. But Dumbledore did not say anything to me yet. Instead, he informed us that Hagrid and Madame Olympe were already on their way to meet the giants. After that, Bill Weasley offered to meet with goblins, for he often worked with them in his capacity as a Curse-Breaker for Gringotts. Dumbledore gave his consent.
"What about the sirens?" Raylynx asked.
"Their population is nearly extinct," Dumbledore replied. "Ninety percent of the population died in the past few years."
Everyone was shocked.
"How do you know that?" Augusta wondered, in a disbelieving voice.
"The mermaids told me, for they used to negotiate often with the sirens," Dumbledore answered. "It seems that the sirens' own Queen ate them."
Everyone shivered in their seats, horrified and disgusted by the way in which the sirens had lost most, if not all, of their population.
Raylynx seemed particularly disturbed by it. She fell back in her seat and clutched at her knees for a long moment. But she did not say anything more. And when Sirius reached out and touched her shoulder, she nodded once to reassure him that she was all right.
The only true creatures that were determined a lost cause were the dementors. Emmeline, who had worked as a guard for Azkaban for many years, said grimly, "Headmaster, with Voldemort back, I fear it will only be a matter of time before the dementors side with him and let the prisoners that are loyal to him escape."
"Alastor, Gregory, Kingsley," Dumbledore said, "I understand that it is beyond your purview, but please do what you can to keep informed and hinder any communications between those loyal to Voldemort and the dementors."
"Understood," Alastor replied at once.
When the meeting finally ended and the doors to the dining room were opened, Arthur and Molly, Sola and Chris, Jamie and Amy, and Seth and Nadine – all of the parents – trooped upstairs to the third-floor where the younger Weasley children and Hermione were looking after Emily, Dorcas, and Thomas.
Thomas Kingsley (Jamie and Amy's two-year-old son) had thrown up on Fred, and Fred was having a heyday. Realizing what happened, Amy apologized and tried to offer Fred ten Galleons, which Fred, beaming, held his hand out for – only to have Molly smack his hand away.
Meanwhile, seven-year-old Emily Kingsley (Sola and Chris' daughter) and six-year-old Dorcas Meadowes II (Seth and Nadine's daughter) were having a fine time together, chattering away like monkeys while hardly understanding the other and tugging at each other's hair, only to burst out laughing at how silly they had made each other look.
When Sola and Chris brought Emily downstairs, Emily caught sight of Sirius and me. She clearly had a fantastic memory, for she pointed at us and yelled out confidently, "Remus Lupin One and Two!"
Sirius knelt down before her. I didn't think Sirius realized himself, but whenever he spoke to kids, he always knelt or crouched down, to get onto their level.
"Hey, you," Sirius said to Emily. "You want to see some Dark Magic?"
"Sirius," Raylynx interrupted urgently from behind him, "you cannot show her the house elf heads."
"Why not?" Sirius asked. "I grew up with them."
"Yes," I said quietly, "explains a lot, doesn't it?"
Sirius shot me an easy grin. Raylynx sighed and nudged Sirius in the back.
"We'll be off now," Sola said, appearing behind us. She leaned forward and gave Raylynx a quick kiss on the cheek. "We'll be in touch, Ray."
Raylynx nodded. "Thanks for coming, Sola."
Sola took Emily's hand and led her away. Emily seemed reluctant to go, as she kept trying to turn back and wave to Sirius and me. Sirius and I found ourselves waving back, and Emily beamed at us before Sola gave her hand a soft yank to alert her that they needed to walk down the stairs.
"If only Emily was a bit older, we could've really used her energy," Sirius remarked. "I bet she'd run circles around the Death Eaters."
I chuckled, "Definitely." Just then, I remembered Nymphadora. I wondered how she'd found this meeting to be and whether it had lived up to her adventurous expectations. I looked for her in the crowd of people moving down the hallway, but I couldn't spot her bubblegum-pink hair.
"Well," Raylynx announced, "I'm off to the Dursleys'."
Raylynx went, as Crookshanks, to the Dursleys' house almost every night, just to try to get a glimpse of Harry. She left him little trinkets, too, like Wizarding sweets, small notes of encouragement, knitted socks from Molly, and treats for Hedwig.
"Maybe I'll go tonight," Sirius suggested.
"No," Raylynx replied at once. "You stay here, Sirius. You heard what Dumbledore said – you need to lay low."
"If I remember correctly, last time you told Dumbledore to piss off, so - "
"You did?" I said, amazed. "You said those exact words, you told him to 'piss off'?"
Raylynx blushed. "Well, no, not exactly. Sirius is exaggerating, as always."
Sirius snorted. "I'm truly not."
"Anyways, you stay put," Raylynx said to Sirius.
"What am I, a dog?" Sirius retorted. He paused, when he realized he was one.
Raylynx's eyes glinted brightly when she saw Sirius' moment of self-realization.
"Fine," Sirius said moodily. "I'll go feed Buckbeak. Moony, d'you want to come with me?"
"Is it really a two-person job?" I said unwillingly. Buckbeak did not like me very much, and I wasn't fond of constantly feeling like my head was about to bitten off.
But Sirius replied, "'Course. Who else is going to handle the dead ferret?"
After Raylynx left, Sirius and I trooped upstairs together.
As we walked up the stairs, I mused, "So, if you and Raylynx were making all that ruckus in the morning, does that mean you're not worried for her anymore?"
Sirius and I had been discussing how Raylynx had seemed incredibly tired since she'd gotten back from her 'trip.' Sirius had guessed that Raylynx had gone to Albania, but he hadn't said anything to her about it. I had wondered whether to tell Sirius about the horrible burning pain I'd felt about a week and a half ago, but I ultimately decided against it. I couldn't say for certain that that pain was attributed to Raylynx and I didn't want to worry Sirius unnecessarily.
However, I did often try to ask Sirius about Raylynx's health when I could do it without making it seem like I was overly concerned.
"I think so," Sirius replied. "She seemed more energetic this morning, definitely. And she didn't have a fever this morning."
"Did you check for that while you had her in a headlock?" I asked, amused.
Sirius laughed. "I would've made for a good Healer, I think."
Sirius entered a room and fetched the bag of dead ferrets. He was about to come back out when a snide voice said, "I'm glad you finally found some courage in your measly bones, boy, and claimed your inheritance. But, by Merlin, the company you keep is absolutely wretched."
Sirius paused at the doorway. "Shut it, Phineas."
"That is no way to talk to your famed ancestor!"
Sirius shook his head.
The portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black kept going, shouting loudly, "And, if you please, stop storing dead ferrets in the room where I'm located!"
Rolling his eyes, Sirius shut the door behind him.
We went to the room where Buckbeak was. Buckbeak neighed when he saw us. And there, resting on top of Buckbeak's head was Quincy, all curled up and snoozing away peacefully.
It had been a complete shock to all of us to find that Quincy and Buckbeak were friends. In fact, the first time Quincy disappeared, Raylynx had had to go on a frenzied search to find him because no one ever thought to look for Quincy in Buckbeak's room. Even owls scared Quincy because, of course, birds were predators of lizards and salamanders. Yet, somehow, Buckbeak and Quincy had become friends and they were found together quite frequently.
I gently tickled Quincy awake and then slid him into my pocket, where he went right back to sleeping.
Meanwhile, Sirius threw dead ferrets at Buckbeak to chomp on.
We were silent for a long while when suddenly, Sirius had a bright idea. "You know what, Beaky? How'd you like a room with a bigger window?"
Buckbeak eyed Sirius curiously.
"Right. Thought you'd like that idea. C'mon, then." With that, Sirius led Buckbeak into the room – where Phineas' portrait was located.
"What are you - ? What is - ? Is that a hippogriff? What are you doing, Sirius Black? How dare you use my room to house a hippogriff? This is hardly a room for animals! I once lived here – me, in all my glory - ! No, wait, why are you turning the bird? Sirius Black – why are you turning the bird around!?"
"If he doesn't pipe down in ten minutes, I'll Silencio him myself," Sirius promised Buckbeak, as he guided Buckbeak into a position so that his front was facing the large, beautiful window and his rear was facing Phineas' portrait.
"You cannot possibly intend for me to – to have this – this view!" Phineas spewed out furiously, as out of sorts as I'd ever seen him.
"It's an appropriate view," Sirius replied.
I heard myself say, without intending to, "A rear view, some might say."
Sirius grinned at me, and the two of us walked out together, as proudly and immaturely as if we were first years all over again. Voldemort was back and the fragile, precious world that we had fought so hard to preserve and build, with Harry at the heart of it, was at risk once more, but still, some things never changed.
to IrisesInTheWind: Same! I'm very, very excited (and, as you say, also anxious) to finally write for the Order of the Phoenix. Thank you very much for reading my story so far - I know my releases have been incredibly slow, but if you're still reading, I hope that the story will hold up to your expectations.
