From the playlist:
Come Together - The Beatles
Ch 27 - Us and Them
The following night, the Order gathered again in the Dark Forest to resume Patronus training. The silver phoenix from Dumbledore had asked that they meet despite the rigors of the battle the day before. Benjy's absence was felt heavily, especially by Dorcas, and everyone was far less eager for lessons than they had been before.
A copy of that morning's Daily Prophet was making its way around the group in the clearing. On the front page, the headline read: "TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT: YOU-KNOW-WHO BRINGS THE WAR TO MINISTER MINCHUM" in big black lettering. A subtitle below supplemented it with "Seventeen Death Eaters Taken Into Custody, Twelve Of Them Koldovstoretz Students." Underneath all of that was another column containing obituaries for Benjy and a few of the Hit Wizards, complete with photos.
Albus entered the clearing a few minutes early, and Alastor came in a short while later with an eyepatch.
"Alastor, aren't you supposed to be convalescing?"
"No rest for the wicked, Podmore."
"Before you all commence your practicing," said Albus, "we would like to have a moment of silence for Benjy Fenwick. May he rest in peace, and may he not die in vain."
Everyone took a few seconds to honor their lost friend and colleague. Dorcas' soft cries into Alice's shoulder permeated the stillness.
"Now, I will turn your attention over to Alastor."
"We have an update from the Ministry: As many of you know, Bartemius Crouch over at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement officially authorized a Curse-to-Kill measure, granting Aurors permission to use Unforgivable Curses against Death Eaters. Now, he has also extended those special permissions to the Order of the Phoenix."
Nearly everyone furrowed their brows in a mix of shock and confusion. Use of those curses normally meant an Azkaban sentence. Not only that; up until now, the Ministry had sort of viewed the Order as a group of rogue vigilantes.
"How does that make us any better than a Death Eater?" Lily questioned him courageously.
Alastor frowned at her, but spoke gently. "Because it may help to even the score, especially since they've set their sights on killing our friends as well as muggles."
She had no rebuttal.
"That being said," he continued, "If I see any of you taking advantage of this by going on some sick revenge-killing spree, you'll be sorry!" He looked around at the apprehensive faces of the group. "...Where's Pettigrew?"
"He wasn't feeling up to coming after yesterday," James said on Peter's behalf.
Alastor responded with a humph. "I trust that we're all familiar with the three Unforgivable Curses and their incantations, yes?"
Everyone nodded.
"Good. I'm not going to ask you to practice them. Now, the Imperius curse could be quite useful to us in terms of access to intel from the other side. I'm sure you can think of one or two uses for it yourselves."
He pivoted to the other side of the group.
"The Cruciatus curse is absolutely brutal. Don't grow fond of this one. I would advise against it in all situations, except in extreme cases when it is perhaps your only way of gaining critical information from someone. Long exposure to the curse can drive a person mad, so like I said, don't grow fond of it."
Remus remembered the scorching, stabbing pain, and wondered if he thought anyone deserved to feel that…
"Finally, the Killing Curse…" Alastor trailed off, thinking of the right thing to say. "...There will be times in a conflict when it's tempting to kill your opponent and be done with it. To take the easy way out. Or to kill them for revenge." Then, Alastor spoke in a heartfelt manner which was rare for him. "I implore you not to use this curse unless absolutely necessary. Use it as a last resort in self defense, or in the defense of someone else." With his one good eye, he looked at Lily. "This will be the difference between us and them. We don't kill in the name of hatred."
The corner of Lily's mouth turned up in the hint of a smile. What Alastor lacked in tact, he made up for in impeccable honor.
"Got it? Good. Next order of business," he barked, quickly leaving the realm of sentimentality. "Back to the Patronus charm. Albus is going to give us all a lesson on how to use the Patronus as a messenger. Can I have a volunteer?"
Several people raised their hands.
"Vance!"
Startled by having her name called, Emmeline froze. "...I didn't raise my hand."
"Hm. Could have sworn you did...no matter, step right up."
Emmeline shot a distressed look at Remus, who nudged her forward. "You'll be fantastic," he whispered.
She drew in a shaky breath and began walking towards Albus. On her way, Alastor stopped her and pulled her aside. "Remember, you've already done this. If you've done it once, you can do it again."
She nodded and continued up to Dumbledore.
"Professor…" It would never feel right for her to call him by his first name to his face.
Albus smiled warmly at her, and felt the same tender pride he often felt when he saw one of his former students. "Ms. Vance. Alastor tells me you discovered your Patronus only yesterday."
"Yes, sir."
"May I see it?"
Emmeline's heart started pounding as she turned back around to face the group. She raised her wand, but felt her eyes begin to lose focus as she gazed out at all the faces before her. All of their safety was dependent on her competence.
Snapping out of it, she focused on a face in the crowd that would calm her down.
Remus was smiling at her proudly.
Her heart rate slowly began to lower back to normal. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes.
The books.
The dust.
The blood on the bed sheets…
No. Focus.
Remus.
The yarn stitched into his jumpers.
The manner in which he stuck his hands in his pockets.
The smell of tea leaves.
"Expecto Patronum."
When she heard murmurs from the group, she opened her eyes to see the silvery light coming from her wand. Cordially, she greeted the silver wolf once again.
Marlene and Lily cheered the loudest.
"Excellent work Emmeline," Dumbledore commended her, coming closer to examine the wolf as it faded away. "Now, if you will, please demonstrate the charm non-verbally."
Emmeline adjusted her stance and closed her eyes again, concentrating intently.
The books.
The dust.
The scar below his eyebrow…
Her brain migrated to a different memory, almost without her realizing it.
The scars.
The steamy bathroom mirror.
The smell of rosemary soap.
The feel of his hair.
The sound of the shears.
She opened her eyes as the silvery light was emerging from her wand once again.
"Excellent. Now, speak aloud a message as the Patronus is taking shape. Concentrate on the face of the person you would like it to go to, the face of someone in the group so we can see it."
"...We're out of milk?"
The wolf took form and leapt towards Remus, relaying the message back to him in Emmeline's uncertain voice before fading. He beamed and laughed a bit, as everyone gave her a round of applause. Emmeline glanced at Alastor, who nodded approvingly.
She thanked Albus before stopping next to Alastor on her way back to the group. "Thank you," she said, feeling acutely ashamed for the way she had acted in the last class. "Alastor, I'm sorry for-"
"Water under the bridge. Well done." He forgave her before the rest of the apology could even leave her lips. "Now, off you all go! I want to hear everyone else's grocery list before midnight."