Harry Potter and The Order of Phoenix

Chapter One: The Meeting
A tall, thin figure swept under a glowing yellow street light, and glanced quickly over his left shoulder to make sure he was not being followed. He silently slipped through the small wrought iron gate next to the front steps of a dingy apartment in London. Through the gloom an emblem of a phoenix on the side door was just visible, and it was through this black wooden door the man stealthily entered. He descended down a small flight of stairs into what appeared to be an unoccupied basement. Heading past an old furnace, he approached the left wall, which seemed to be solid cement. Brandishing his wand, he whispered softly, "Plutonis amorilla sutra," as he ran one long finger down the length of a hairline crack in the grey wall. A faint grating noise came from the wall as a hidden panel slid back to reveal a longer flight of stairs twisting deep into the earth.

As he stepped over the threshold, the panel slid back in place as if it had never opened at all. He descended farther and farther down, a babble of voices could be heard faintly. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairwell, he turned to a doorway on his right and opened it. In the small chamber before him, he could see a small crowd in deep discussion. A frazzled looking witch approached him breathlessly. She smelled faintly of cabbage.

"Dumbledore, we're so glad you're finally here. Snape arrived just moments before you with news of the dark side. It appears that the Death Eaters have reestablished ties with the dementors and the prisoners of Azkaban have been released" she said hurriedly. Dumbledore nodded and settled himself into a chair at the head of the room adjusting his emerald robes. The chatter ceased as he called the room to order.

"This meeting of the Order of the Phoenix is now in session. Severus, I would like to hear more details upon the release of the prisoners." Severus Snape stood up and faced the crowd. Anyone could plainly see the mixed reactions in the faces of the assembly as he spoke. Some reflected trust, others looked as if they had reservations. Sirius Black and Remus Lupin exchanged glances of uncertainty. The chatter ceased as Severus spoke urgently to the group.

"Since I once was a Death Eater myself, I can recognize other Death Eaters. I overheard two of them talking about three hours ago. I couldn't get close enough to them to hear every word, but I got the overall message. They said that Voldemort had sent two Death Eaters, Avery and Nott, to Azkaban. Here they made contact with the dementors and told them to release all the prisoners in two weeks time. The two Death Eaters said that the delay was to assure that all their plans were solid. I believe that the only thing we can do is to try to get the prisoners out of the dementors hands before two weeks is up."

At this last announcement, a loud babble broke out among the crowd. Albus Dumbledore lifted his hand for silence, " Yes, as you all know, Cornelius Fudge refuses to believe that Voldemort has regained his body and therefore will not go along with the plan to take the prisoners out of the dementor's hands. However, I believe Severus is correct. The most important task at hand is to go against Fudge and banish the dementors. If we agree to do this, you must all realize that this could be extremely risky for those of you who work at the Ministry," He paused and met the eyes of Arthur Weasley and others. "If you agree to participate in the completion of this task, I will tell you individually what your specific task will be. Stand up if you are willing to take part in this mission, please understand that this will be extremely dangerous, your life, your job, and your family will be on the line." There was complete and utter silence in the room. Immediately Remus Lupin stood up followed by Sirius, Severus, and Arabella Figg, the harried witch who first approached Dumbledore. Charlie and Bill Weasley, and Mundungus Fletcher also rose. Dumbledore regarded them with a piercing glance. After a moment passed, he cleared his throat, " If these are the few who are to partake, I must ask the rest of you to leave for safety reasons. The fewer people who know the plan, the better because of the imminent risk of capture. I will be in contact with each of you to inform you of any recent developments. I bid you all farewell."

When only Dumbledore and the volunteers remained, he spoke forcefully, "I am going to tell you only what you need to know, so I need all of you to realize that what I tell you is not the whole plan, I just need to trust you to focus on carrying out your specific task." Dumbledore took out a piece of parchment and a quill and started writing. "Charlie, the dragon-keepers that were present at the Triwizard Tournament, do you know them well?"

"Well, yeah, they're some of my good friends" Charlie replied.

"Good, I need you to take this letter to them. In it I ask them to accompany you back to London with four of their most dangerous dragons, within their control. I have offered to pay them their regular salary. If they do or do not agree, I need you to contact me immediately to let me know where you stand." Dumbledore said briskly. Nodding his head resolutely, Charlie exited the room.

Dumbledore turned to Bill, "I need you to contact Hagrid and Madame Maxime immediately. We need to know if their envoys were successful."

"I'll contact Hagrid", said Bill standing, "I'll contact him now." Pulling on his cloak, Bill strode quickly from the room.

"Arabella, Remus, Mundungus, I need you to lie low until I contact you. When I do, your job is to travel to Azkaban, by then, if everything goes as planned, the dementors will be gone. When you arrive I need you to assist our other allies who will be stationed there and also to put various enchantments around the boundaries of the island to impede anyone who tries to enter." Nodding in agreement, they also stood and left. Now, only Sirius and Severus remained. They kept their distance, eyeing each other warily.

"Sirius, Severus, in my eyes you two have the most difficult part of the mission. In two weeks, on the date that Voldemort sends the Death Eaters to Azkaban, the two of you must conceal yourselves near the harbour. When you see Avery and Nott approaching, stun them and put them under the Imperius Curse. Awaken one of them and have them write a note to Voldemort saying that they need more assistance with the dementors and the prisoners and to send two more Death Eaters to meet them when they sail over. Next have one of them address the dementors and tell them that the boats are bewitched to take them to Voldemort who will meet them at the other side of the water. After the dementors have departed, throw Avery and Nott into the prison. Also, Severus, take some of your strongest Veritaserum with you for questioning purposes.

Now, I am perfectly aware of your less than pleasant history with each other, however this is part of the reason that I chose you for this task. I need you two to stop acting so childish, put your differences aside, and put your full trust in one another. Remember, this is more than a handshake, you must learn to work together as one." As Dumbledore watched the door shut behind Sirius and Severus, he knew the time ahead would be a trying one, and only with complete trust and true bravery could they face the powers of the Dark Lord. With a deep sigh, Dumbledore bent and blew out the single candle that had shed light upon so many crucial decisions.