Geneticus

CHAPTER TWELVE: MEETING THE ORDER

The sight of the ancient stones brought back bittersweet memories for Mulder. Just over a year ago he'd been here, quite alone, moping about and cursing himself for being so damn vague with Scully. Crop circles...did he really think he'd grab her interest with that? Did he not know his partner at all?

But could he really have been any more successful if he'd been straight and said, "Scully? I'd really like a romantic getaway with you, and I have this handy crop circle excuse that we can use to write off the travel expenses! Please, be my girlfriend?"

Mulder scoffed lightly, drawing a curious look from Dash, who occupied the passenger seat.

"Just remembering the last time I was here," Mulder explained. "I was trying to move things along with my partner, but I went about it in a bonehead way, and she stayed back at home."

Dash grinned. "With Dana, right? I assume that you got another chance to, er, move things along, then? What with you getting her up the duff and all?"

With a laugh, Mulder nodded, remembering the odd colloquialism from his days at Oxford. "Just after I got back from here, actually. She used the time away from me to have some sort of spiritual realization, and..."

"Yesssss?" The leer in Dash's voice was obvious, and Mulder shook his head firmly. "I don't think so, Mr. Brighton. I don't know you nearly well enough to engage in locker room talk with you."

"That's a damn shame; I find locker room talk to be an excellent bonding technique." Dash turned around. "Luckily, Remus I've known for a nice *long* time..."

Mulder heard a soft snort that he assumed came from Addie, and Remus replied, "Dash, my friend, I know enough that if I want something to talk about in the future, I'd best stay quiet today."

There was a light smacking sound; Mulder was quite sure the werewolf had been punished for his comment. "Sorry to break up the party, folks, but we're almost on top of Stonehenge and I need to know where I should park. I assume, I mean, that the plan isn't to meet right in the middle of the stones..."

"We're heading beyond the stones, actually," said Remus. "It's going to be tricky to get there without the Muggles seeing us...everyone else will just Apparate in, I expect..."

Dash pointed off to one side of the circle of ruins. "If I recall, there was a secluded road running off to the left there. Only the more adventuresome Muggles tried to explore that part of it all, so we didn't have to be quite as careful when we needed to use it for whatever reason."

"Yes, you're right," Remus agreed. "But it's completely on the other side of the field, and I really can't imagine just leaving this car on the side of the road."

As the wizards had been discussing this problem, Mulder remembered something he'd spied earlier on the trip. "Hey, this button down here. It's labeled 'Invisibility Booster.' Think that could be useful?"

A pause, and then Remus said, "Drive over to that secluded road first, Mulder, then give it a try."

Following Dash's directions, Mulder got them to the road, tucked away behind a small hill and slightly thicker tree line. He put the in park, and turned to make sure his passengers were ready, just in case the button didn't work properly.

"Here goes nothing," he muttered, pushing the button in.

Around him, the car disappeared. Mulder turned to his left and saw that Dash had disappeared, too, along with Remus, Addie and Snuffles, who'd been crouched on the floor in the back.

"Well," came Addie's voice, which was slightly creepy when disembodied as it was. "I guess it worked. Can you drive us across the field, Mulder?"

Tentatively, Mulder reached out in front of him until his hands hit the steering wheel. His left hand reached down, searching out the gearshift. With a careful hand, Mulder moved the stick into the proper gear and tapped the gas; the car went forward, much to his relief.

Slowly, Mulder steered the car around the hill and into the open field, heading behind the ancient ruins and their Muggle tourists. "Head over to the second hill to the left," Remus instructed.

Now that they were out in the middle of the field, Mulder could see that the entire area was surrounded by small mounds. He vaguely remembered this from his trip last year; no one seemed to really know what they were.

"Pull up close to it. It should be big enough to park in."

Mulder's eyes widened. "Inside? We're going inside one of those things?"

"Why do you think they were built, for decoration? The main one is a meeting hall, mostly forgotten about except by a few wizards. Dumbledore used it during the war against Grindelwald back in the forties, and again in the last war against Voldemort." Remus paused, then added, "Supposedly wizards used to meet within the circle itself, but since it's become a tourist attraction, it's not exactly the best place to be covert."

"I wouldn't imagine it would be," Mulder agreed. "So, just how are we getting inside this thing?"

"There's a charm that unlocks the door..." Remus sounded distracted. "Er, Dash, you don't by any chance remember where the door is, do you?"

Dash made a sound that seemed to be one of surprise. "Well...I usually Apparated to the same spot right by it, so I always knew where it was in relation to there..."

"Yes, that's my problem, too..."

Mulder pulled to a stop just short of the large hill. The group just sat in their invisible seats, not really sure what to do next. Looking around, Mulder had to admit that there wasn't much in the way of landmarks in this area, aside from the great stone circle in the distance.

Mulder was about to suggest getting out of the car and start walking around the hill, just in case it jogged either Remus or Dash's memories, when a wizard appeared out of the grass to their right. He was peering around, a confused expression on his face.

"Oh!" Remus said, apparently noticing the man. "There's Arthur Weasley!" Mulder heard the back door opening, and as he turned around he saw Remus appear as he stepped out of the car.

"Arthur!" he called, and the older wizard looked up in surprise.

"Remus Lupin, right?" Arthur replied, holding his hand out. Remus shook it while nodding. "We were wondering who was sitting out here...hold on, just where did you pop out of?"

"Your car, I believe," Remus admitted. "An old, turquoise Ford Anglia with an amazingly handy Invisibility Booster."

Arthur's eyes lit up. "You found the Anglia! My goodness, I didn't think anyone would ever see it again after it ran off years back. Was it difficult for you to learn to drive it?"

Remus shook his head. "Not really, as I wasn't driving." He turned back to the car and motioned to those inside. "A Muggle who was sent along by Dumbledore was driving."

Mulder felt around to his right for the door latch and pulled it open, stepping out of the car. It was slightly odd to see his limbs appear from nowhere, but not as odd as it would have been a month ago.

He heard two other doors slam; Dash, Addie and Snuffles were now all very visible, and approaching Arthur Weasley.

Remus began the introductions. Arthur was quite taken with Mulder and his Muggleness, though he also spent a fair piece of time eyeing Snuffles closely. After a few moments, he suggested that the group follow him inside and get comfortable; as Dumbledore wasn't expected until the next day, sleeping plans were being made for the night. Charms were muttered, and a large portion of the grassy hill peeled apart, revealing a wooden door that was at least six feet wide and ten feet high. Another charm, and the door slid to the side, allowing those outside to join the group inside.

Indeed, there was quite a group awaiting the weary travelers. Most of the wizards and witches hurried to greet Dash and Remus, though Molly, Bill, and a young man who simply had to be another Weasley came over to welcome Mulder.

"How lovely to see you here, Mulder! I'd wondered where you'd gotten off to after the Task." Mulder just nodded, not really sure how to explain how he'd gotten here without mentioning Sirius. "Well, now, you know Bill, and here's my second eldest, Charlie."

Arthur joined his wife and sons, and Mulder spent some time chatting with the Weasleys, letting them point out various men and women and explaining who they were.

"Oh dear, there's Severus Snape lurking in the corner. I dare say he's not too fond of you, Mr. Mulder, am I right?"

"There's Sage Brighton, Dash's twin sister. She plays Quidditch, too...oh, and over there, that's Cassi and Olwen and Wren. They're quite the trio of witches, I must say..."

"Remus is talking to Fletcher, poor chap. Fletcher's a right annoying git, tried to hex me a few years back when he was caught in a raid..."

"Oh, good, Arabella made it. Honestly I wasn't even sure if she was still alive, though I suppose we'd have heard if she'd passed on..."

Just then the fireplace roared with a sudden flame, and all conversation stopped as everyone turned to see what was going on. Dumbledore's head was floating in the middle of the fire, though apparently this wasn't something to be alarmed about.

"Hello there! I just wanted to check in and see if any of our wayward wizards had found their way..." He paused a moment, apparently searching the room. "Remus? Are you here?"

Remus stepped forward, Addie and Snuffles following closely behind. "Yes, Headmaster, we made it. Got Dash here as well."

"Excellent!" Dumbledore's head said. "I do believe that means everyone is present and accounted for, am I correct?" A few of the wizards confirmed the old man's assumption. "Well, then there hardly seems any reason for us to delay the meeting any longer. I'll be over there in just a few moments, if you'd like to begin setting up?"

His face disappeared into the flames, and immediately several of the wizards began conjuring chairs, while others arranged them into a broad circle. Once the circle was closed, the men and women began sitting down in various seats.

"Hold on," Remus said, and everyone paused. "There aren't enough chairs here."

"There are twenty of us, Lupin," Fletcher pointed out, "and there are twenty chairs."

Remus crossed his arms. "We need four more. Between Dash and myself." His tone was firm, and without another word Fletcher produced four more chairs that were quickly fitted into the proper spot.

"Thank you," muttered Remus. He then turned to Mulder and Addie. "You two can fill in between Arthur and me. We always sit in the same spot, helps to keep things orderly."

Everyone was now seated, and chatting quietly until the sound of the door opening caught their attention. Turning to look past the people across from him, Mulder could see Dumbledore walking into the room and the door sliding closed behind him.

"Welcome my dear friends!" Dumbledore said, as he neatly stepped between two chairs and assumed his position in the center of the circle. "Though I must admit, it pains me to be seeing you all again under these circumstances. But events from the past few days have left me with little choice; Voldemort has risen again, and we need to begin immediately the fight we failed in the past."

It seemed a few people didn't like the insinuation that they had failed, but Dumbledore ignored the mutterings and continued speaking.

"And we did fail. Despite all our efforts, Voldemort successfully murdered two of our best allies --" he gestured to the grouping of empty chairs "-- and was only brought down by a chance encounter with a very powerful baby boy.

"But we are better prepared now. We are already assembled, something that took far too long in the first war. There is, however, another task we need to see to before we can truly begin to fight again."

Dumbledore paused, possibly gathering his thoughts.

"We were doomed from the beginning, I fear, owing to several secrets that were kept from our fellow members. I am quite confident that each and every being in this room is here with noble intentions; at this moment there is not a traitor amongst us. Such was the case at the beginning last time. However, several of our members were wooed by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters -- and those members kept these attempts at recruitment a secret. Most of these members were able to keep their heads and remain loyal to the rest of you. One, however, was not..."

This time everyone looked towards the block of empty seats, and Mulder heard Snuffles whimper lightly.

"I will not have such secrets kept this time," Dumbledore continued forcefully. "I have no doubt that those tactics will be attempted again, but I refuse to let anyone bear that burden alone. And to that end, I ask that several secrets be revealed here, right now."

The old wizard slowly turned around until he was staring Remus in the eye. Remus frowned, then nodded slightly and rose from his seat.

"This is difficult for me to admit," he confessed softly. "I've worked hard at keeping this a secret all my life; only a few people ever knew. If you have any connections with Hogwarts these days you may know this already, but...I...I'm a werewolf." He sat down quickly, head bent and eyes closed. Addie grasped his hand.

If Remus had been expecting outraged cries from those surrounding him, he was quite incorrect. Most of the wizards simply nodded, absorbing the fact that their ally was not entirely human. Some of them seemed to be making connections, as though old mysteries were finally being solved.

Dumbledore reclaimed the spotlight. "Thank you, Remus. I can assure you that this will not pass beyond this circle.

"Now, there is one more very important secret to reveal, as it concerns one of the empty chairs you see before you." Mulder raised his eyebrows; how would these people respond to Sirius showing himself? Would they believe that he was innocent? No doubt Sirius was wondering the same things himself...

"Almost fourteen years ago, it was brought to my attention that Voldemort had targeted the Potters. James, Lily and I had decided their only hope for survival was the Fidelis Charm. Knowing that their choice of Secret Keeper would be the most important decision they ever made, I offered to serve as it myself. I knew there was a traitor amongst us, and I did not want to take the chance that my suspicions were incorrect. James, however, insisted on using Sirius Black.

"That is how the story goes. The logical conclusion is that Sirius was the traitor, and told Voldemort quite willingly where the Potters were hiding. And then, the story continues, he killed Peter Pettigrew when the young man confronted his long-time friend.

"That is the story -- but it is not true." The members started muttering to each other, not quite believing what Dumbledore had just said.

"The truth was another one of the secrets that doomed our cause to failure. Sirius, in actuality, felt himself to be the most obvious choice, and persuaded James to choose a less likely person for the job. They chose Peter Pettigrew." The mutters grew louder, and Dumbledore had to raise his voice to be heard. "It was Peter who betrayed his friends, not Sirius. Peter had been lured to the other side. And Peter faked his death, cutting off his finger and transforming into a rat. He is an Animagus."

Now the mutterings became full-blown shouts of disbelief. One witch a few seats to the left of Mulder said, "Peter Pettigrew, an Animagus? You must be joking, sir!"

Dumbledore smiled patiently. "Never about such matters, Ms. Ramsay. As unlikely as it may seem that Peter was capable of such an advanced spell, and illegally as well, I fully believe that it indeed is true. Though, I suspect he had a great deal of help from some friends..."

Once again, Dumbledore turned to Remus. "Mr. Lupin, perhaps you should continue with this tale?"

If possible, Remus seemed more nervous now than he had before revealing himself as a werewolf. Very slowly, he began to explain how he'd lied to his friends in school, never telling them the real reason for his monthly absences. "But James and Sirius were very smart," he conceded, "and I couldn't fool them as long as I'd hoped." In their second year, they overheard some third-years talking about the Animagus spell, and Remus said it had actually been Peter who suggested trying to learn it so they could all be animals with Remus on the full moon.

"Sirius and James did all of the work, but once they'd been successful on their own, they helped Peter learn it as well. There was no way he could be left out, especially not after he came up with the whole plan. It was tedious, and there were a few moments of panic when we'd thought something had gone horribly wrong, but Peter managed to do it."

He paused for a breath, and Mulder noted that the entire group seemed entranced by the story. He wanted to glance back at Snuffles, but he had the feeling that by doing so he would make connections that weren't quite ready to be made.

Snape spoke up then, his eyes flashing with anger. "So Pettigrew was an Animagus. That's a far cry from the assumption that he was the traitor and that Black was innocent!"

"It makes more sense than Sirius being the one, though," another wizard pointed out. "I always had a hard time imagining him betraying James."

"Same here, Ari," said Sage Brighton. "I was in denial for weeks when I heard."

There was a burst of discussion then, and from what Mulder could overhear it seemed everyone agreed that Peter's betrayal seemed much more likely than Sirius's. To his right he felt Addie slump in her seat; after so many years, it must have been quite a relief to hear people admit her brother couldn't have been such a horrible person.

"But wait, you're saying Sirius didn't kill Pettigrew?" asked the witch Arthur had identified as Arabella. "I would think knowing that Peter had directly caused the death of his best friend would be a great motivation."

Remus started to answer, but Dumbledore held up a hand. "Perhaps another voice should be heard now. I believe it is time to reveal the final secret." The Headmaster looked at Remus, and then beyond him to the dog that was curled up in the background. The dog whimpered once, then stood and padded his way over to the circle of chairs. Remus and Addie scooted their seats apart a bit more to allow the large dog to fit between them. Now positioned at the center of the group, Snuffles revealed himself as Sirius Black.

The ruckus that started at that moment was too wild for Mulder to follow. Arabella seemed to have fainted; Snape had risen and stalked back to the corner he'd claimed earlier, his face filled with hatred. The trio of witches Arthur had commented on -- Wren, Olwen and Cassi -- rose from their seats to embrace Sirius, an act that came as quite a shock to the man of the moment.

"My dear ladies and gentlemen," Dumbledore said, bringing order back to the group. The witches sat back down, and Arabella was fanning herself. Snape, however, remained where he was. "Mr. Black, how lovely to see you back here again. I believe you have a story to tell us?"

Now it was Sirius's turn to look a bit nervous. "I, er, thank you all for accepting me back tonight. Everything you've heard from the Headmaster and from Remus is true: I did *not* betray my friends, nor did I kill Peter. I did try, though. When I found him, it was almost as though he was expecting me. He shouted some bit about me betraying James and Lily, and his whole act was enough of a surprise to distract me for just a moment.

"Finally I got my wits about me, and I went looking for my wand...and then the street exploded, and Peter was gone, Muggles dead. I saw a few rats scurrying away, and I realized what he'd done." Sirius sighed, and shrugged. "It then occurred to me that no one knew he'd been the Secret Keeper; even Dumbledore would still think I'd been the one who went through the spell. I was the obvious traitor, and without Peter to confirm the truth, no one would ever believe me. I just...started to laugh. That's how the authorities found me...rather bad impression to give them, I suppose," he finished, a slight grin on his face.

Dumbledore stepped to Sirius's side. "Thank you, Sirius. Please, take your seat now." Sirius nodded and filled the empty chair directly to the right of Remus. "Now, I'm sure you all have questions for Mr. Black, but I assure there will be time for them later. I'd like to begin the meeting and discuss what exactly went on at the Triwizard Tournament, but first there is one more matter we must resolve." Dumbledore paused, then added, "Severus, if you would please join us again?"

With obvious reluctance, Snape took his seat again, though not with out sending a glare down the line to Sirius.

Dumbledore clasped his hands and turned in a slow circle, meeting everyone's eyes. "This last school year has deeply shaken me," he confessed. "I've discovered that one of the teachers in my employ was not the man I thought he was; in fact, he was in actuality a servant of Lord Voldemort, utilizing the Polyjuice Potion to fool me. It pains me greatly to admit that he succeeded until just days ago.

"Because of this, I have learned that we cannot simply accept those we trust at face value. Even when they seem to be acting completely normally, we cannot trust them. Therefore I encourage you all to keep yourselves separate when outside this room. If you know that you will be meeting up with someone on a regular basis, use our time here to decide on a way to prove your identity to each other, something that cannot be mimicked by potions or charms or excellent acting ability."

Mulder wondered what his proof could be. Maybe I could try to perform a spell and fail miserably, he thought with a wry grin.

"When we must meet as a group," Dumbledore continued, "I have an excellent plan to confirm that we are who we say we are." He reached into his robes and pulled out a...hat?

Several people started chuckling, and almost everyone was smiling. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "I daresay most of you remember just how insightful our dear Sorting Hat was when it sorted you. This talent will be used to our advantage, for no one can alter his mind enough to fool this Hat."

To get things started, he brushed off his own hat and replaced it with the Sorting Hat. A slight tear near the brim opened like a mouth and said, "Albus Dumbledore, fully trained wizard of the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Works as Headmaster of the same school, and does a simply smashing job, if I do say so myself!" With a smile, Dumbledore took it off.

He walked over to Arthur Weasley and handed him the Hat. "Place it on your head, and it will announce your name and credentials to the group. Then pass it on to your left..."

Arthur popped the Hat on his balding head, and the Hat announced, "Arthur Weasley, fully trained wizard of the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Works for the Ministry in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office, quite ironically I say!" He took off the Hat and passed it to his wife.

"Molly Weasley, fully trained witch of the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Spends her day as a housewife, an admirable job with all those children!"

Next came "Bill Weasley, fully trained wizard of the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Works as a curse-breaker for Gringotts Wizard Bank, and rather rebellious with that hair and earring!"

And so it continued. Thankfully, each name shouted out by the Hat seemed to be the expected one. Charles Weasley from Gryffindor, like the rest of his family. Olwen Ramsay, a Ravenclaw. Cassi O'Quinne, another Gryffindor. Wren Holliday, from Hufflepuff. Mundungus Fletcher was from Gryffindor, Malcolm Murdoch was from Hufflepuff. Jude Barkait and Ari Kendall were Ravenclaws. Arabella Figg was a Hufflepuff along with Ariadne Grayson. Artemisia Calvert and Severus Snape were Slytherins. The Brighton twins were, as Mulder knew, from Gryffindor.

"Sirius Black, fully trained wizard of the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Currently a fugitive from Azkaban, but innocent as the day he was born!" Sirius sighed in relief as he handed the hat to Remus; Mulder wondered if the Hat would be admissible in a court of law.

"Remus Lupin, fully trained wizard of the Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Werewolf, though through no fault of his own. Unemployed, which is a damn shame."

Addie took the Hat next, though she seemed a little hesitant to put it on. "Adhara Black, trained witch, though uncertified by any qualified wizarding school. Currently unemployed, but that's probably for the best right now." She quickly ripped it off, head bowed. Mulder frowned, an expression shared by nearly everyone else. Remus just patted her hand, though, and she smiled and held the hat to Mulder.

Dumbledore stepped forward suddenly, as though moving to take the hat from him. But he seemed to have second thoughts and stepped back again, nodding to Mulder to continue.

Mulder pulled the hat down to his ears, and he felt it grip on tightly. "Well, well, isn't this interesting?" the Hat murmured softly. Then it made its announcement.

"Fox Mulder, untrained wizard! I daresay he'll have some questions about that!"

END CHAPTER TWELVE