Book I: The Birth of the Order

Chapter One

The autumn of 1979 brought many changes to the wizarding world. For our heros, who had only just begun their journey, the world was an open door. They, however, did not have as many exciting and new possibilities as the typical Hogwarts student when they finish their final year. Nobody could ignore what was on the horizon. The Daily Prophet had succumbed to the whispers leaking from the darkest corners of the wizarding world, and the dawn of the Order of the Phoenix had arrived. James Potter, dressed in his simple slacks and jacket with his glasses positioned perfectly, walked out of the Three Broomsticks after grabbing a butterbeer. He was supposed to meet his friends at Honeydukes, but upon glancing at the door he noticed that one had beat him there. Remus walked out of the candy shop and waved. "Prongs!" He shouted happily. Remus pocketed his chocolate and approached his Gryffindor mate.

James turned around, hearing his nickname "Moony! Am I glad to see you!" He grinned, hugging his friend once he got closer. "How have you been?"

"Brilliant. I just went on a Honeydukes chocolate run. Would you like some?" He pulled out two bars and offered some to James. "How have you been?" Remus looked over the shorter boy's shoulder. "And where is Padfoot? I was sure he'd be with you. Hasn't he been living with you since sixth year?" As if summoned, Sirius strode down the street towards his friends. His hands were deep in his pockets and he kept his head lowered slightly, occasionally shaking the leaves out of his hair in an unsurprisingly dog-like way. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Remus said with a smile on his face as Sirius walked over. "How are you Padfoot?" Remus said as he pulled his friend into a hug.

Sirius returned the hug, giving his friend a grin. "I'm alright, Moony. Already got your chocolate fix?"

"You know it," He said with a laugh and then offered Sirius a bar. "Here you go." Remus glanced around. "Looks like Peter is late again," he observed.

Sirius shook his head to decline the candy and shrugged. "You know Wormtail, Moony. He can't be on time to save his life."

Remus nodded as he put the chocolate bar back in his pocket. "I suppose some things will never change." Deep down Remus hoped that was true. "What have you been up to, Padfoot?"

"Not much. You?" He asked Remus, then turned to face James who met him with a raised eyebrow. "What?" he said returning the glance.

James pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and huffed, "So you chatter on with Moony and don't even greet me?"

Sirius stepped back and looked James up and down. "Moony," he said while scratching his chin. "This bloke reminds me of an old friend. Do you remember?"

"Why yes, Padfoot," Remus said while taking a similar posture. "I believe he reminds us of James Potter."

"Ah, yes, James. That boy who lived his days causing mischief with us. Whatever happened to him?"

"I believe he was kidnapped by a redhead."

"OH!" Sirius threw up his hands and gave an overdramatic groan. "Poor James! I should have known that temptress would steal his soul away. How young he was. How full of life! How passionate about all things ME!"

"Are you two done yet?" James asked with crossed arms and an unamused face.

Sirius groaned in annoyance, "Oh come on, James. I haven't even mentioned how it's almost 1980 and you are still in bell-bottoms." He took a breath and thought about it before nodding. "Well, I believe I'm done."

"Good. Hey Padfoot." James smiled. "I've been getting your owls every day," he chuckled. Remus looked surprised, "Hold on. I thought you both were still at the Potter Estate."

"Oh no, Moony." Sirius said while shaking his head. "See James here got a little flat in some muggle villiage. A flat meant for two, no less. But does he invite me to be his roommate? Nooooooo."

James Just rolls his eyes. "I have my reasons."

"And they are?"

"Well, I expect my living situation may be... changing soon... I hope..." He looked at his feet then changed the subject. "That's why I actually came here, to buy this." James pulled a parcel out of his robe pocket. He unwrapped it revealing two silver hand mirrors. He handed one to Sirius. "So we can stay in touch without your owl dying of exhaustion. I was going to wait until Christmas to give it to you but...well now is just as good of a time as he any," he said as he shrugged. He didn't even know what tomorrow held let alone what Christmas would be like. Things were getting worse in the wizarding world.

Sirius grinned, taking the mirror and turning it over in hands, examining it. "How does one look at themselves in this? It's so small."

James then spoke up once more, "It's not for admiring, it's for communicating. Anyway, I wish you would go back to the house. Mum and Dad miss you."

"You know I can't stay cooped up in one place too long," Sirius said as a simple excuse, "Besides, it's only been about a month that I've been gone. And you were moving out. It didn't make sense for me to stay. Anyway, these are brilliant, Prongs." He held up the mirror and grinned before pocketing it.

"You're welcome. I meant to get one for you and Pete as well, Remus, but they only had these two...they're apparently pretty popular now... given all that is going on."

Sirius ran a hand through his hair, annoyed. It seemed that lately, no one could have a conversation without the vague hints about how grave the situation with Voldemort was getting. "Has anyone seen any of the others? McKinnon, Frank, the Prewitts? Blimey, I would even tolerate a 'hello' from Delaney these days," he said in an attempt at a more light-hearted topic.

Remus noticed Sirius's mood and tried to diffuse it. "I heard from Frank. He and Alice plan to tie the knot soon. Marlene, I heard, was meeting with Lily today. I think they had a reunion of sorts planned in Diagon Alley. All the girls… well not Tabitha. She's still not been heard from in about a year. Word is she stayed true to her word and started traveling. It's surprising really. You know how girls stick together."

"So do boys," James said defensively. "We are just missing Peter." His words had not even finished before they heard the steps of the pudgy boy approaching.

"About time, Wormtail," Sirius said with a smirk.

Peter's run came to a halt and he panted heavily, "Good... to see.. you too..."

Remus just patted his back as if a few whacks would get the oxygen flowing again. After a moment Peter was upright. "I'm here... were is the surprise we were promised."

"You missed it, Pete. It was a mirror and aparently the store only had two."

"Wh- a mirror? That's why we came all the way out here to meet?" His look of confusion stayed on his face a while and James just put an arm around him and laughed.

"It's ok Pete. I'll explain it over an ice-cream. I know that's your favorite."

"Deal." He perked up. "I sure have missed you lads this summer. It's been... lonesome."

"Now let's not get too sappy," Sirius muttered.

As they gathered to apparate, Peter stepped back. "M-Maybe I'll floo…"

"This is the fastest way, Wormtail. You'll be fine."

"I don't know. I had a big breakfast this morning and nobody should try apparating within a few hours of-" Before he could argue further, the squeamish boy was grabbed by James and they all vanished.

Diagon Alley was bustling with traffic, as it usually was during this time of the year. Tabitha Delaney entered the alley and scanned the crowed with her eyes. It had been a couple of months since she was here last and almost a year since she spent more than half an hour in the Wizarding World at a time. Her travels had kept her busy and she only would return to the Wizarding world for quick errands. She hurried towards Gringots hoping not to run into anyone she knew. After school, Tabitha stayed true to her dream and traveled. The only thing she didn't plan on was how quickly she left Hogwarts. Many wondered why she never arrived at the end of year party at the Three Broomsticks only to later find out she had left without saying goodbye. She had lost contact with her closest friends besides Lily who she occasionally wrote. She would not admit why she left so suddenly. This wasn't a surprise to most. After all, she was an introvert. Her travels had taken her all around Europe, but even the muggle world revealed signs of trouble brewing back home and that is why she was visiting Diagon.

Marlene McKinnon and Lily Evans were not far from their former Irish roommate at the same moment. They walked out of the Leaky Cauldron and hurried to one of the many shops. "All I'm saying, Lily, is that you shouldn't let him forget about all those times he teased us in school."

"Marlene, Please," Lily laughed out. "I appreciate your concern but I won't let James get away with anything simply because we are dating." She had gotten taller over the years. She and Marlene had kept in close contact during their year after Hogwarts. Friendship and loyalty to the people she cared about is what made Lily a Gryffindor. She walked up to a store window. "One sec, Mar." She used the reflection to adjust her unruly red hair then spotted someone else in the reflection. "Tabs?" Lily called and turned around. She spotted some chestnut hair in the crowd ahead but it vanished quickly. She shook her head thinking she was only imagining it and hurried out of the alley and towards Flourish and Blotts with Marlene beside her.

Once there, Marlene found interest and an assortment of history books, but Lily appeared to be searching for one in particular. "Do you think it was her?" Marlene asked. "After all, you're being quiet."

"We are in a bookstore. That's a rule," She said with a smirk.

"Are you thinking about Potter?"

"Well, could you blame me if I was? James always gets into trouble with those boys."

"They are all grown men now. Well, Sirius is a grown baby, but still."

They laughed again and Lily pulled a book from the shelf. "I suppose you'll see him later when they crash our shopping day, as they most likely will."

"Ugh, Black..."

"Still hate him for having too much firewhiskey at the end of year party?"

"Oh no. I'm too old for that now. Besides, we weren't officially a couple, thank Godric. Can't believe I agreed to be his date that night. That boy certainly didn't know a thing about girls did he? He knows a lot less about women than he gives off." She noticed Lily had stopped listening and approached her from behind. "A defense against the dark arts book? What are you doing with that, Lily? You're splendid at charms already."

Lily didn't answer but just turned the book over in her hands. She hated to admit it, but she'd seen signs that something dark was brewing in the wizarding world and she wanted to be ready for it.

Just outside, James appeared with his group in Diagon Alley. Sirius appeared next to James and looked around, searching for a glimpse of Lily or Marlene. Remus apparated next Sirius.

"Knowing Lily, I'm guessing she's in the book store," James said aloud.

"Ah-ha! So this was a self serving reunion. We aren't here for ice-cream. We are here to stalk your girlfriend." Peter said.

"Well I just really want you boys to get to know her better." James said with a shrug.

"Uh.. we were in classes with her for years, mate," Sirius says bluntly. "She's a know-it-all flirt who cast some kind of spell on you. What's there to still know?"

"She's not a flirt," he said defensively. "I just really want you boys to get to know her outside of Hogwarts, as just Lily. As my girlfriend."

"Why?" Sirius shrugs. "Why's it so important. We all have always kept our dating lives very separate... well those of us who had a dating life." Sirius said with a smirk as he slicked his hair back.

"Lily is different," James says. "I don't want her to be separate. She likes you all anyway... mostly."

"James." Remus finally speaks. "Is there something you're trying to tell us?"

James shifted his weight a bit and adjusted his glasses. He opened his mouth to form the words and only after a few tries did sound finally emerge. "I'm... well, I think it's time... the thing is, Lily.. well she... well I'm going to-"

"Ice cream was it!?" Sirius interjects sharply to cut him off and passes in front of them all. "Come on. Last one there is buying." He turned his back to them to hide the emptiness on his face. He knew what James was trying to say just then.. and he wasn't ready for it.

Meanwhile outside the bank, Tabitha kept looking over her shoulder. She had withdrawn her Galleons and had to stop by The Prophet stand. The whispers she had heard about trouble, she had to know if they were true. Tabitha picked up the paper and sat outside the prophet offices to read it quickly. Her suspicions were confirmed. She had heard of curious attacks on muggles during her travels but nobody knew the cause. She had a feeling there was a connection between the two worlds. "What if mad Regulus was right?" She asked herself and flipped the paper to read the Ministry's list of undesirable's. Hopefully she wouldn't see names of any old friends. Tabitha put down the paper and glanced up, seeing a few people in the streets she failed to say bye to after Hogwarts - the Maruaders as they called themselves. Sirius lead them up the hill and practically ran into Marlene and Lily as they exited the book store. Tabitha couldn't hear the words exchanged as the girls and the boys collided. She saw an expression of discomfort on Sirius' face, not very normal for him. James and Lily exchanged a sweet kiss... so that was still going on. And Marlene... was staring right at her. She'd spotted her across the street and starred softly, not angry or confused, just a blank stare as if wondering what would happen next.

"Tabs?" She rose an eyebrow staring at her friend. "Tabitha!"

Tabitha froze and let out a sigh. "Shit..." She muttered and meekly grinned at them. Trying to hide the guilt on her face. "Hey Mar, Lils... Long time no see..."

"I'll say...where have you been? I've been owling you for weeks. You didn't even respond to my last letter." There was an awkward silence between the group and Tabitha as they stood a good distance away from each other.

Remus took it upon himself to defuse the tension as he walked towards Tabitha. "Tabitha it's great to see you." He says with a smile.

"Lupin... Hey."

Remus looked a bit puzzled by Tabitha's short reaction to him. "Well...it's good to see you." Remus smiled then backed away feeling that he must have done something wrong.

James quickly joined them. He stood by Lily's side. "Hey Tabitha" he says shortly but trying to be polite. He knew it had bothered Lily that after Hogwarts she had lost contact with them. She hadn't even said goodbye to anyone.

"Potter..." Tabitha said and felt awkward just standing there. She felt like explaining. She glanced around. "Whole gang still together huh?" Nobody responded before Lily blurted out, "Did I do something to upset you?"

"What? Lils, no! I just couldn't. I can't explain. I wrote you... a bit."

"A bit. A few letters, yes." The hurt was evident in her voice.

"Look... I'm not staying long or I would have told you I was coming. I just needed more money from Gringots and," she took out the prophet, "and this. In fact, perhaps you lot know about it. I'm sure you guessed I had been traveling like I planned. I've been seeing... Strange things."

"What sorts of strange things?" James looks at her questioningly. "Are you talking about the stuff popping up in the Prophet?" Tabitha nodded. She was so focused on the awkwardness of the situation that she hardly noticed the others who had joined them in the center of the street.

"Aye... Muggles have started dying under suspicious circumstances. Healthy muggles and in the most public places. And the only thing linking their deaths," she lowered her voice to finish by saying, "is the mention of a green flash noticed by witnesses. I was in Paris and witnessed it for myself. A family at the Louvre. Just... Struck down. I knew it had to be a killing curse. I'd just spoken with them myself."

"And they were muggles?"

"Aye. I overheard them talking about Hogwarts. Their son looked about 11 so I asked if he had been accepted. Sure enough he was a muggle born. I gave them a bit of advice for parents of a first year then we parted ways. When I left the Louvre an hour later, they were dead in the courtyard. All three of them, with muggle police everywhere." Tabs felt uneasy and looked around. "Can we find somewhere safer to talk about this?"

Lily nodded "Yes, we can. About that and other things."

"The Leaky Cauldron?" Remus suggested, "Haven't been in a while."

"Yes," James said, "Let's go there."

Inside the Leaky Cauldron, the group took their seats at a large round table and Tabitha began her story. "All these deaths have been in families connected to our world. It's not just muggleborns. Squibs are getting targeted too. Full wizard families with non-magical children are vanishing. I remember Black's eejit brother talking about something like this coming."

"Why isn't the prophet reporting things like this? Or does the Ministry of Magic know?" Lily wondered.

"The Prophet likes to keep it quiet. They are afraid people can't handle the truth," James suggests.

"Well the prophet is hardly rubbish either," Tabitha replied. "Anyhow, I understand their logic." She looks at the floor.

Remus nodded and looked at Sirius, "You remember your family speaking about this at all?"

"I choose not to think about the Death Eaters." Sirius muttered bitterly to Remus. "But I'm sure Regulus knows a fair amount. I would imagine mummy and daddy dragging him along to some meetings of their cult. And just because I was raised by them doesn't make me think like them."

"I know you don't, Padfoot, but it's something we are all going to have to deal with. We are going to have to accept that things are about to get unorthodox, even moreso than the four of us are used to." Suddenly, they noticed the only sound was Peter's tapping foot. They looked to the rest of the table and saw all eyes on them.

James pushed up his glasses and grinned. "What are you two whispering about?"

"Oh, sorry."

"No worries, but now that you are paying attention though, I have a message from Dumbledore. That's why I suggested we all meet and it's why I had Lily round up some of her friends, even if Marlene was the only one who bothered joining."

"You're welcome," Marlene said with a grin.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Oh yee of little faith. I've got commitments from the Prewitts and Alice, may I remind you. They'll join us as soon as they can. Mary never responded, but I wasn't expecting her to. Her mind moves so rapidly, she probably just forgot to reply. But enough waiting. What is the big secret?"

James pushed himself from his seat and adjusted his glasses once more. "Dumbledore is forming an order, a group of people wanting to change the current events." He looks around the table at them all to indicate how important this is. "The purpose of this group is to bring an end to Voldemort and his followers known as Death Eaters. This will be dangerous. There is a great chance some of us sitting at this table right now will risk and lose a great deal." He looks down and hesitates before continuing. "But...if we do, it won't be in vain. I for one have decided to join." He looks down to Lily who quickly replaces the worry on her face with a look of strength.

"I'm joining too then," she said as she took his hand. "I want to help put an end to this madness."

Tabitha looked at the faces around the table, Particularly Sirius. This would mean he would have to fight against his own brother. She didn't say anything while captivated by that thought. Remus looks at James. Could Dumbledore really want him to join too? Everyone would be suspicious of him if they knew his secret. "I would like to join, if I can."

"Who could refuse your help, Mr. Prefect," Sirius said to him with a smile. He then looked to the others, "This needs to end. I'll join. You know I'll always fight alongside you anywhere, mate."

"Black," Tabitha hesitated before continuing, "What if it comes down to you or Regulus?"

Sirius stared at her solidly for a long moment. The atmosphere got cold in the silence and he shrugged it off. "I'll do what I need to." He said it with little emotion, but anyone that knew him could tell how much the idea bothered him.

James nodded, "Dumbledore would be proud to have you, Padfoot. He told me that. And you too, Remus. He knows how hard this is going to be. He knows he's asking much of us, but if we don't start the fight against Voldemort then nobody else will. Or else, a lot more people, innocent people, are going to be hurt." He looked to Tabitha. "The boy Tabitha told us about didn't deserve his fate. Because of his blood status he was murdered. I'm not standing by and letting them get away with that."

"Agreed James. If we aren't happy about what is going on, then it is our job to stand up and try to change it," Remus said. Lily nodded agreeing with everyone but part of her was worried. She looked over at James. She couldn't lose him. She couldn't lose anyone at this table. She stayed quiet and glanced over out the window. James normally would argue with Lily about joining. He didn't want her to be in harm's way. He had spoken with Dumbledore on the matter and understood it wouldn't be fair to not allow her to do exactly what he wanted to do, protect those they cared about. He had to start compromising more with her. Especially if they were going to have a future together, on which he certainly planned. He actually meant to talk to the lads about that, but now wasn't the time.

Marlene had been quiet before now, thinking of what this might mean. "I'll join," she decided then nudged Peter.

"Oh come on," he moaned. "Can't we just enjoy our butterbeer and worry about this tomorrow."

"There may not be a tomorrow, Peter."

"Oh, alright," he groaned reluctantly. "I'll join too."

Remus glanced at Tabitha but made sure not to look at her directly. "Remember this is your choice. We know you just stumbled onto this meeting. No one is forcing you to decide one way or the other. No one will judge you for your decision." He shoots a look at Sirius with a raised eyebrow. "Right, Sirius?" Sirius just tossed his head and scoffed as he adjusted the free falling hair in his face. Tabitha looked at Lily. If she had the chance to help her then she had to. She owed her that much. "I'll... I'll help however I can, James."

Sirius clicked his tongue. "Well that was perfectly on the fence."

Remus elbowed Sirius for the statement and quickly picked up a butterbeer to toast. "For the future whatever it may bring."

"And whoever may join us," James said as he lifted his glass. Everyone else lifted their glasses except for Peter who just shook his head.

"I hope we know what we are up against." He finally picked up his glass and held it to James. "Cheers."

The Adventure Continues Next as The Order Grows

Note/Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or the characters.

If you are new here, welcome! If you read the first few chapters and wonder where they went, let me explain. The idea for this story was originally to compiled a roleplay that my friends and I constructed over a year. I was taking on the huge undertaking of putting it into story form and posting it here with their permissions. After some time though, I wanted to continue a Maruaders story myself and with so many of the original writers no longer in contact with me, I felt it was basically stealing to keep their characters in, so I have rewritten the first few chapters with Marauders and my OC's only. That being said, I'm so sorry if there was a particular character you liked that has been removed, but they were not mine to use.