Monday 22nd November

Order of the Phoenix

Severus looked around him carefully. How odd it was to see who was left. It may have only been a few weeks but it felt like a lifetime ago. So much had hanged since then. And now they were all together, something that didn't normally happen when it came to the Order. Someone was normally off on a mission or doing something that took them away.

But everyone was here. Well, no, not everyone he had to correct himself. Those who were still alive, he thought with a wince. And then he had to correct himself again because that wasn't true either. There was the Longbottoms and... And, well, Sirius.

Sirius. The reason why he, Chryssie, Dora and Remus were all standing off to one side. And not necessarily by choice. Everyone gave them a wide berth like they were tainted in some way. Which was ridiculous but people tended to be, unfortunately. This is why he didn't like people. Then he looked across to his ragtag, self-proclaimed family. Okay, be liked some people. A very small amount. But everyone else was annoying and he could do without them. And he was pretty sure people could do without him too. He knew that on this little bunch of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws that he was the only Slytherin. Which meant a lot didn't trust him automatically. Which was stupid because hadn't he proved his worth by now? Whatever. They didn't matter. All that mattered was his family and what he thought of himself and that was that. Though, he could do without the suspicious or sneering looks that certain people thought they were being subtle about. Newsflash, they definitely were not.

"Stop glaring at everyone," Chryssie hissed.

"I'm not and I can glare at whoever I please," he said contradictory.

She snorted at him.

"You are and you're scaring people."

He huffed and crossed his arms.

"That sounds like a them problem, not a me problem."

Chryssie didn't chide him any further but she did pinch him to show her displeasure. It actually hurt through his baggy robes. He didn't know what it was with Evans women and pinches but they were bloody good at it. Lily was in particular... no. He wasn't following that train of thought. Especially not here. Instead, he unfolded his arms.

"Happy?" He asked his fiancée (remember, she was his fiancée!).

She scrunched up her nose (it was pretty adorable).

"Almost. Can you drop the glare?"

"Absolutely not."

That got him an extremely dramatic eye roll from her but she let him be. Good. He could glare at whoever he wanted. Though, he hadn't even been aware that he had been glaring, he had just been looking around. Had he really been glaring? No wonder people were looking quickly away from him. Well, that suited him because everyone had been staring at them the last meeting. Which was intolerable. He didn't like it. And he was pretty sure that Remus, Chryssie, Dora and Marlene didn't like it either.

What he also didn't like was the abrupt silence that came when one of them approached. Which meant that they were talking about Sirius. Or about how they refused to denounce Sirius. Or maybe even Peter. They had no right to be talking about Sirius. Or Peter. No one did. And if they felt like they absolutely must everyone should be able to say it to their faces. Of course, that was risking a punch to the face which Severus didn't see a problem with. It would be very satisfying to punch someone in the face. Oh, Merlin, he was starting to sound like a Gryffindor. He needed to find people who used to be Slytherins. And not Death Eaters. That second one was important, obviously. The first one was negotiable. He just needed them not to be Gryffindors. Get some sense back into him.

He rubbed at his eyes. They ached a bit, between his apprenticeship and all the research he was doing, be rarely l0oked up from a page these days. Unfortunately, the point in his potions research je was currently at (the one for werewolves) was at a point that he could not brew until he had all the data. Because of you wanted to test a potion on someone you better be damn sure that you weren't going to poison someone. It was mind-numbing. Important? Definitely but unfortunately not exciting. He'd already had to change his draft recipe twice due to adverse reactions between ingredients. And he was probably going to have to do it a lot more in the foreseeable future.

Dumbledore called them to order and everyone fell silent immediately. When did he enter? Normally he was hard to miss. Had he really been that deep in his thoughts? That wasn't good. Severus was somewhat jealous of that ability. Imagine having that much respect and power. He shook his head, realistically knowing that it came from Dumbledore's reputation, something he didn't really wish to have. No. He much preferred the shadows and that was where he was going to stay.

"I call this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to order," he said in a tone of finality.

Even the rustling stopped at that, Severus found himself shilling even though he hadn't been speaking, and everyone turned to look at the man who was standing before them with his normal, warm smile on his face.

"Aren't the Longbottoms joining us?" Vance asked, looking around the room for the people in question.

"They are not," Dumbledore replied. "They are playing it safe and remaining in place for the foreseeable future."

Vance appeared accepting of the reason why the Longbottoms were not here. There was some eye rolling from some though. A lot of tutting and sighing too. It all sounded ridiculous and stupidly petty. All of it was completely unnecessary and Severus felt himself bristling. Oh, sure, he wasn't really close to the Longbottoms, he only interacted with them because of Frank's closeness with James, but that did not mean he was uncaring about their current position. If they didn't feel safe coming out of hiding yet then they should not come out of hiding. Personally, Severus thought they were being sensible (a first from Gryffindors), because who would want to come out of hiding when Voldemort himself had a target of you and there were still plenty of high-ranking Death Eaters running about? Not him. Better to stay hidden away. Especially if it had worked and was continuing to work.

"Is that really necessary?"

"They believe so," Dumbledore said firmly, putting a stop to anymore questions of that kind, thankfully.

Really, who was going to argue with Dumbledore over something he seemingly approved of. Severus knew that he wouldn't dream of doing it. He didn't much like fighting losing battles.

There were a few more grumbled and murmurs but, thankfully, that seemed to be the end of that.

"So, to address why I have called this meeting," Dumbledore said somewhat pointedly and there was some embarrassed coughs and shuffling. "Rest assured, I shall be quick, there is not much to address."

There was a sigh of relief. That had been the case for the last meeting or two, they were more updates on how things were starting to settle down than anything else (and reassure one another that everything was still okay) but there had always been something for someone to do. Severus just hoped that he wasn't one of those people this time. He was still making Healing potions on top of his apprenticeship and his work on Sirius. It was already a lot.

"There can't possibly be more work to do," Kingsley said tiredly, voicing Severus' thoughts.

Severus looked closely at him. In fact, the Auror looked more than simply tired. His face was drawn and his eyes were dull. There was none of that normal exuberance that normally annoyed Severus. And Kingsley Shacklebolt could be annoying if he put his mind to it. Or didn't because it seemed to be a part of his personality. It was disconcerting to say the least. He was even standing at a sort of slump, shoulders drawn up. Exhausted. That's what he looked like. Exhausted. A far better word than tired. But still not really enough. Exhaustion covered the darkly rimmed eyes and the stance that implied he didn't even have the strength to hold himself upright. What it didn't explain was the air of defeat he was giving off.

Just how exactly was the Auror Department doing? Sirius and James were out of the picture (his mind paused briefly as he let grief wash over him for the latter). Marlene was as well while everything was getting sorted out. Dora wasn't allowed to do much or be told much while she was so known so they really weren't aware of the Auror Department these days. Evidently not well if Kingsley was anything to go by. The thought made Severus vaguely uncomfortable. Death Eaters on the loose without a Master was never going to be a good thing.

"No, no more work, my dear boy," Dumbledore said in that annoyingly cheerful voice of his.

Severus had never liked that voice. It grated him. Made the hairs of his arm stand on end. His eyes narrowed. He trusted that cheerfulness even less nowadays.

"In fact," the man continued, his eyes actually twinkling, "that is why I have summoned you all today," he looked around them all as if he expected a response and Severus carefully schooled his face so that it gave nothing away. Everyone else seemed to have bated breath. Dumbledore nodded and his mouth stretched into this broad smile and outstretched his arms. "There is no more work."

Silence followed that little announcement. And then there was some shuffling as they all looked at each other in confusion. What did he mean, there was no more work? There was always more work. Always something that needed doing. There couldn't suddenly be No work. That was ridiculous. Surely, he was joking? That wasn't a thing you should joke about. Even if they were technically now in peacetime. Though it didn't really feel like it just yet to Severus.

Dumbledore just stood there, offering up further explanation, letting them take his announcement in. There was a lot of head shaking and noises of disbelief going on. It was just really hard to believe. Marlene's brow was furrowed and she didn't exactly look happy. Nor did Remus. Dora looked confused and Chryssie was rubbing her head in the way she did when she had a headache coming on. Severus frowned. He would have to get her a Headache Reliever when they got home.

"You don't mean..." Doge said in a wavering voice.

Dumbledore's eyes, if possible, twinkle even more.

"Indeed, my old friend. I am disbanding the Order of the Phoenix."

Severus say there, shellshocked, just like everyone else. Well, he assumed they were feeling just like him because there was complete silence after that little announcement. Seriously, you'd be able to hear a beetle wing fall to the floor in here.

Shaking his head, Severus slowly came to his senses. Everyone else seemed to do so at the same time. Disbanding the Order of the Phoenix? There was really no more for them to do? This was over? It was really over? Suddenly he was in a five-way hug. And, you know what? He didn't really mind.

"I think I jinxed it," Dora said as they all streamed out.

Remus turned to give her a questioning look. What on earth was she on about?

"Jinx what?"

She gestured vaguely around them. "This?"

"The Hog's Head?" He guessed, pulling his cloak further around him, the wind was really biting today and Hogsmeade could be a wind tunnel.

They had all crowded into the bar early in the day. Aberforth had actually allowed that for a change. Making sure that no regulars interrupted them. Though, what sort of regulars Aberforth had in the morning, Remus wasn't sure he wanted to no.

"I don't think you can jinx the Hog's Head," he continued. "Pretty sure the goats make it immune or something."

He had somewhat hoped that the joke would put her at ease but all that it made her do was frown.

Dora shook her head and gave him an exasperated look.

"What are you talking about the Hog's Head for?"

"What are you talking about," he countered.

"Me jinxing what has happened!"

He shook his head. "You're going to have to be clearer than that."

That got him an eye roll which just made him impatient.

"You need to use your words, Dora," he said when it became apparent that she wasn't going to say anything else.

He was not a Leglimency. He could not read her mind. Even if he wanted too sometimes.

That got him a punch on the arm which he daily deflected, annoying her. Good. Now they were both annoyed.

"You know what I mean!"

"I really don't."

Seriously, did she really think he could read her mind? She made this sort of explosive noise that normally he would find amusing but he was a bit too annoyed right now.

"Just the other day I was thinking about how we didn't do anything for the Order anymore and now this," she exclaimed, making Aberforth frown at them from the door.

"This?"

"The disbanding of the Order!"

Remus blinked and then blinked some more as he processed what she said. And then be started to snigger.

"It's not funny!"

"Oh, Dora," he said fondly, giving her a quick hug. "Only you."

Wednesday 24th November 1981

Tonks' Home

"Mum, we have to do Something!" Dora exclaimed, pausing in her pacing.

She had been walking back and forth across her parents living room in agitation, not knowing how to voice what was going on in her head. Thankfully, her mother just let her. Though, with a look of amusement on her face. This wasn't funny!

"It's not fair! No one is listening!"

"Listening is a skill very few people have," Andromeda said wryly, giving her daughter a pointed look.

Dora pouted. She did not appreciate that.

"That's not funny."

"Who said I was being funny? That's the truth, Nymphadora."

She sighed angrily at the use of her full name but knew that she was never going to win that particular argument. She never had and she never would. That was always going to be the one constant thing in her life.

"We have to make them listen!"

Andromeda sighed heavily but didn't say anything in reply. Dora made a frustrated noise. No one was listening! No one was helping! How was she supposed to help fix things if people didn't do either of those things?

"And how do you expect to do That?"

"I don't know!"

She didn't know! She didn't know anything anymore. And she hated it. Hated it. Hated it. Hated it. None of this was fair. She wanted everything to be put right!

"Nymphadora, you have to understand that because Voldemort is gone the Ministry wants to end things as soon as possible," Andromeda said as patiently as she could.

Dora got the distinct impression that her mother thought that this all should be obvious to her. Which it was not. She understood that bit though.

"Yeah, they want to get back to normal life."

Dora wasn't sure what normal life was. All she had known was the War really but still. Her parents knew.

"Say 'yes' not 'yeah'," she got scolded. "And, yes, they do. Which means processing as many Death Eaters as they can through the courts as quickly as possible."

"But Sirius isn't a Death Eater!"

"But he's viewed as one."

Dora made a frustrated noise. It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair, it wasn't fair!

"Just because the Ministry wants things to go back to normal doesn't mean that they should rush things!"

"I do not disagree, Nymphadora," Andromeda said tiredly.

She was a solicitor so she had been under a lot of pressure at work. Considered one of the best, she was being used in many of these trials for victims. There were a lot of victims.

"It won't be as quick as you think either once we hit the higher-ranking Death Eaters," Andromeda continued. "That's also a reason the Ministry is pushing for quick trials of the lower ranking ones. To get them out of the way. I suspect Sirius is going to be treated as a higher ranking one."

Wait. What? Her mother didn't know? She really didn't know? She stopped at looked at Andromeda in shock.

"Don't give me that gormless look, Nymphadora, this is easy to understand."

"He never got a trial," Dora said quietly, shaking her head.

That made her mother stop and give her this piercing, terrifying look that Dora never wanted to be on the receiving end in her life.

"Excuse me?"