Message In The Ashes

Chapter Three

The Order of the Phoenix

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Remus stood in front of Professor Dumbledore, his eyes red from no sleep and all the tears that he had shed. He kept his face straight, looking at the old wizard with a furious calm. Dumbledore kept his expression placid, with his hands folded over his desk, regarding Remus with his twinkling eyes.

"This is your decision," Dumbledore said quietly. "However, keep in mind as to the reason why you’ve made it."

Remus kept his back straight, looking down at him, his gaze unwavering.

"I’m certain, Professor."

Dumbledore gave him one last scrutinizing look before he sighed and nodded. He reached into a drawer and pulled out something small and golden.

"Wear this," he said, handing it to Remus. "It will not only identify you as one of the Order, but protect you as well. Wear it someplace where it can’t be seen unless you choose to show it."

It was a small pin in the shape of a phoenix, made of a strange golden metal Remus could not identify. His expression saddened somewhat as he fastened it onto the pocket under his wizarding robes. As the cloth fell back upon his chest, he could feel the pressure of the pin and an unusual warmth from it.

"Go back to James’ house now," Dumbledore said with a brighter tone. "I will let you know when we shall meet, shortly."

Remus nodded and left the office, hearing the stone gargoyle slide back into place as he stepped away. As the loud grounding sound stopped, he felt a sudden feeling of assurance. He had a purpose now, he had direction. He was needed. It was a feeling Remus seldom had before; certainly he never felt it at home. And now his home was gone forever… his mother and father gone, his brother at large.

How is it possible? Remus thought as he left the castle and prepared to disapparate. Neo is a Squib… how could he be a Death Eater?

When he told Professor Dumbledore what had happened, the wizened wizard had no more clues than Remus did. Was it possible that Neo had magical talent after all that only now came into power? Or did he acquire magic from somewhere or someone… from Voldemort? Either way, Remus was almost not surprised that Neo had joined his evil forces. Everything he could possibly want he would believe Voldemort would grant him. It was these sorts of lies that lured Voldemort’s followers into his power, anyway.

James was waiting for him as Remus apparated to his house, the morning sun now clearly risen into the new day. His face solemn, James ushered Remus inside and into the kitchen, where some house elves hurriedly prepared him some breakfast.

"How do you feel?" James asked quietly after a long while, looking kindly at him.

Remus took another sip of orange juice and stared into the glass, taking a moment to consider his reply.

"I’m… I’m not sure, actually," he said softly.

A grandfather clock could be heard ticking in the hallway outside of the dining room, where they sat basked in the morning light from the large glass windows. Lily, apparently, was still asleep upstairs. James’ father had already gone for work, and his mother had gone with him. Exactly why, James was not sure.

James drummed his fingers softly on the highly polished large wooden table. Remus stared at the elaborate floral arrangement at its center, and said nothing.

"So..." James said slowly, cautiously. "Did he give you one?"

It took a moment for Remus to realize what he meant. Setting down his glass, he patted the part of his robes where the pin was hidden. He could still feel that odd warmth it radiated. Perhaps it always felt that way.

James nodded knowingly and looked away, seemingly at a loss for words. The quiet continued, even after the house elves had come to collect Remus’ used dishes when he was through.

"He said that we would meet soon, with the others." Remus had gone suddenly uncomfortable with the silence. James nodded again.

"Yes, that’s right. Although, we don’t know when."

"There you are." Lily appeared in the doorway, still wearing her nightgown, her long red hair in a mess. "I thought I heard you two down here."

"We didn’t wake you, I hope," James said, smiling at her as she sat down. Some house elves abruptly appeared, and Lily politely asked for some juice and toast. Bowing happily, the elves retreated to the kitchen and returned with more than she asked for.

"Goodness, no," Lily said lightly, buttering her toast. "I needed to get up, it’s much too late."

She looked at Remus then, and her brilliant green eyes focused on him in concern. It was her that had heard Remus’ cries from the front lawn the night before; she refused to leave him until he fell asleep. Yet he couldn’t sleep… and he only pretended to do so, so that she could rest. He had made the decision during that time that he had to join the Order of the Phoenix. James had supported his decision as Remus left early that morning.

Remus gave her a tired smile to reassure her, and she reached across and took his hand.

"You’re with friends now, Remus. Don’t worry," she said softly.

There was a sudden pop, and Sirius stood standing in his pajamas behind Lily with a muddled expression on his face.

"I came as soon as I heard!" he said groggily, fumbling around to face Remus properly. "My God, Remus, are you alright? I’ll kill that no good excuse of a human being, I swear it..."

James’ face fell into his upturned palm, shaking his head.

"Padfoot… I sent you that owl last night. You mean to tell me you only got it now?"

Sirius looked genuinely sheepish, averting his eyes.

"I didn’t go straight home last night… er…" he trailed vaguely.

Everyone raised their brows, looking at Sirius intently.

"What? Where did you go?" James asked, bewildered.

"Er…" Sirius muttered, twiddling his thumbs. "I went out for a few pints, that’s all…"

"Sirius," Lily chided sternly.

"I have you know I’m completely sober! You know I wouldn’t go as far as to get myself drunk. It took me a while because I ran into Wormtail at the pub I was at," Sirius defended himself strongly.

"Wormtail? At a pub?" Remus said, surprised.

"I was upset, mind you, that he ducked out on us yesterday just so that he could have cold one. So, I cornered him and he went all buggy on me," Sirius continued tersely.

James shook his head and smiled slightly.

"That’s not too unusual. He probably had a date that happened to be in the pub. You probably startled him so that he naturally went all whacked out on you."

"Oh, come on now, Prongs… this is Wormtail we’re talking about!" Sirius looked at him seriously. "Him? Have a date?"

"Don’t be so biased, Sirius." Lily rolled her eyes at him. "Peter is just as capable of having dates as you are. So, in that case, I would be careful with my meaning."

James laughed as Sirius looked put out, folding his arms and giving them all beseeching looks. Remus found himself laughing along with them, his thoughts momentarily distracted.

"Well, girl or no girl, his ‘date’ was not there when I came across him," Sirius said smugly.

"So, what time did you get home, Padfoot?" James asked him.

"Er..." Sirius muttered. "Can’t remember. But that doesn’t matter now, what matters is Moony."

Remus was reminded again about what had happened and what he had decided, and his laughing smile died. Everyone’s humor seemed to dissipate as Sirius’ attention now focused on him. He sat down on his other side, his expression imploring.

"I’m fine, really." Remus tried to avoid the subject, but that was pointless.

Sirius was plainly not convinced, and he looked over to James. Remus closed his eyes, so he did not see the wordless conversation his friends were having over his head. Whatever was decided, it was to let go of the issue. Sirius asked nothing more.

"Get dressed, won’t you?" Lily said suddenly. "I can only handle looking at your heart printed pajamas for so long."

Remus looked up then just in time to see Sirius blush furiously. James exploded into a fit of giggles as Sirius tried his best to look dignified as he abruptly disapparated.

"They weren’t heart shaped," Remus pointed out after thinking a moment. "It was polka dotted."

"You sure?" Lily asked slyly, her smile infectious. "He didn’t deny it when I pointed it out."

It wasn’t until later that week that Remus was able to talk about what had happened without much difficulty. His concern over Neo intensified so much that he had to bring it up. Neo knew all of Remus’ friends, and if he was now truly in fact a Death Eater somehow, there was a risk that he may come after them. James, however, was not as concerned as Remus felt he should.

"There are all sorts of spells around the house, I wouldn’t worry too much," James said casually after dinner.

"But he could lead him right to us… you know he has that sort of power," Remus stressed, walking with him into the sitting room.

"James… he has a point," Lily said, following them with a tray of tea.

"There’s nothing to be afraid of," James soothed, taking her arm and pulling her down next to him on the couch. Remus sighed, sitting back into the armchair across from them. He took a cup of tea and dipped some lemon into it, his eyes fixated on the wall.

"What we need is some good ol’ fashioned goofing off before we set off to work… whenever that will be," James said brightly, trying to cheer them up.

"I dunno." Remus glanced at him mildly. "The last time we did that it didn’t end altogether that well, did it?"

James grimaced and Lily said nothing, looking down at her own cup of tea.

"Yeah, well… I was thinking more along the lines of seeking out Snape and replacing his shampoo with honey." James recovered himself.

Remus saw Lily shake with silent laughter and he rolled his eyes at James.

"We’ve done that five times already," Remus muttered, hiding his own growing smile. "Running out of ideas, eh, Prongs?"

"He didn’t notice the last time we did it," James said, his grin broad. "Took him twice as long to find out!"

"Only because that one over there diluted the honey down with water right after you switched the bottles," Remus pointed out, setting his cup down and eyeing Lily, who was now laughing heartily.

"Hey, I owed him a favor… it was the least I could do," Lily managed to say between giggles. James looked at her, surprise clearly shown on his face.

"You owed him a what?"

Lily took a moment to quiet herself, probably uncomfortable that both Remus and James were looking at her with questioning expressions. She cleared her throat, stirred her tea, and averted her eyes.

"I didn’t want to say anything," she said quietly. "If I had told you then you would have gone bonkers."

"What did he do for you?" James asked with forced calm. Lily shook her head with exasperation.

"He just so happened to notice us sneaking around the castle that one night you all decided to superimpose Filch’s cat to his forehead while he was sleeping! He caught me by the arm as all of you disappeared into the common room. I made him promise not to tell, so I owed him one," Lily explained angrily.

James’ eyes also narrowed in a huff, staring intensely at her. Remus looked away and swallowed. This was getting ugly.

"He’s the biggest slimy git the world has ever known! How could you exchange favors?"

Lily stood up and put her hands on her hips, glaring down at James.

"I did it for you! Excuse me for saving your sorry butt!"

Before James could retort, Lily stomped out of the room, her footfalls purposefully heavy on the stairs to the first floor. The air was full of negative tension, as Remus tentatively looked at James. His already untidy black hair was bristled in contempt, his cheeks flushed and his eyes blazing. Remus was at a loss for words; he had no idea what to do.

"Well if I never… had no right… she has no idea… it’s not my fault…" James mumbled angrily.

"Er…" Remus pulled at his collar, setting his teacup down. "Maybe I’ll go talk to her."

"I won’t stop you," James folded his arms and crossed his legs, his left foot wiggling in frustration. "It’s her problem, not mine."

Remus shook his head at him, keeping his own retort to himself. James was acting highly unreasonable. Lily had every right to be vexed at him. He knew it was his pride, but he also knew that James had a compassionate conscience. It wouldn’t take long for his feelings to become overwhelmed with guilt, and no doubt Lily will be showered with gifts and sucked up to for the next three weeks. Remus left James to his own self-arguments and went upstairs.

The hallway was quiet, but as he approached the room Lily was staying in, he could hear soft cries from inside. He gently knocked on the door and Lily went silent momentarily.

"I don’t want to talk to you," she snapped, her voice heavy.

"It’s me… Remus," he called to her softly through the door.

Silence again, before he could hear her walk up to the door and put a hand on the doorknob.

"If James is with you, forget about it," she croaked from behind the wood.

Remus sighed, his eyes to the crack under the door where he could see her shadow.

"No, just me."

There was another pause before the door creaked open slightly. Remus let himself in, closing the door behind him as Lily sat down on her bed, facing away.

Her room was richly furnished. About a dozen candles were blazing on top of the various dressers and small tables that were there. The large four poster bed had bedding in a stylish floral print. Lily had thrown the various pillows upon the floor, most likely in her anger. The window was open, and the breeze was causing the small candle flames to flicker violently. Remus walked over and closed it, immediately stilling the air.

"You have every right to be upset," Remus said quietly, fixing the curtains that had been blown about by the wind.

He didn’t hear her say anything, but he thought he heard her grunt in contempt. Leaning against the sill, Remus folded his arms over his chest and stared at the top of his brown leather shoes. He decided not to continue, and see if Lily would come out and vent her discontent without being provoked.

Perhaps it was working, for Lily was stirring on her bed with growing impatience. She looked over at him, and he raised his eyes to meet hers. The bright green color her eyes held were blurred by tears that had yet to fall.

"He can be so ridiculous!" she growled, clutching a pillow to her chest tightly.

Remus nodded and smiled softly.

"You know him just as well as I do," he whispered. "Most likely even more."

Lily grimaced and looked away.

"Yeah, well, that still does not give him the right to be so mad for no reason."

Remus lifted his chin and gave her a sideways glance, carefully choosing his words.

"Are you sure there isn’t a reason?"

She looked at him sharply.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, think about it. Why is he so upset?" Remus uncrossed his arms and put them behind his back.

Lily averted her eyes a moment, seemingly in thought.

"I dunno… because I consorted with his greatest enemy?"

"I’m not sure if that’s the entire reason," Remus looked at her kindly.

She fidgeted a little, looking down at her hands.

"He’s jealous," he said.

"Jealous of what?" Lily looked genuinely surprised.

"Snape had that crush on you, remember? James is afraid of loosing you," he said gently.

Lily slowly turned red and looked away again, her agitation diminishing. He could tell by the way she held her head that she was feeling somewhat ashamed.

"I would never be disloyal to James. Never," she whispered firmly.

"Maybe he needs a little reminder, a little reassurance. You know how us guys are." Remus smiled at her softly.

Lily was silent for a few moments, before she took a great breath and sighed. She looked relaxed and the fury she held before was gone. Another minute later, she got up and walked over to face Remus.

"Guys are such wimps," she muttered, and she kissed him on the cheek. "And girls can occasionally be a little naïve."

"Occasionally?" Remus laughed, and she hit him on the shoulder.

He escorted her out of the room and back downstairs. Both of them were grinning slightly as they entered the sitting room, but their expressions quickly fell when they saw James. He was standing by the fireplace, supporting himself with one hand on the hearth as he held a letter shakily with the other.

"James? What’s wrong?" Lily asked immediately, going over to him.

He turned, his face red and his eyes watery. It took him a moment to find his voice.

"Something… wrong…" he managed to say, before Lily put her arms around him. Remus walked over and took the letter from his shaking hand, reading it over quickly, before he looked up at James with wide eyes.

"Oh my…"

"What is it?" Lily asked again, concern squeaking her voice.

She supported James with one arm as Remus handed her the letter, and her reaction was no different.

"Oh, James…"

It was a letter from Dumbledore, written hastily not more than an hour before. Death Eaters, who started an attack, had penetrated the Ministry somehow. The Potters were in the line of fire, and after felling some of the intruders, got killed by the Avada Kadavera curse. Everything is in chaos, and James, Lily, Sirius, Peter, and Remus were to report to Hogwarts for an emergency meeting.

"We don’t have time, we have to go…" James said quickly, forcing a calm composure and removing Lily from him.

Lily looked quickly to Remus, who could only nod and follow James out of the room. They gathered their wizarding robes and prepared to disapparate. Remus checked to make sure the pin of the Order was still securely fastened onto his robe inside pocket, before he followed in the wake of James and Lily, apparating to Hogwarts.

A storm had gathered over the castle grounds, lightning and thunder ominous in the sky. Rain was beginning to fall as Remus followed the others into the castle. He couldn’t help but notice a sense of foreboding, looking around the familiar corridors that weren’t entirely lit. No one said a word; the only sounds were the quick footsteps on the stone, the thunder, and the rain starting to pelt on the roof. James led the way, with Lily close at his heels. Remus kept a little distance, in case Sirius or Peter showed up behind them. Yet, to his surprise, when they reached Dumbledore’s office, Sirius and Peter were already there.

"James…" Sirius started immediately, but Dumbledore quickly raised a hand for silence.

"Come with me, the others are already here."

They watched as the old wizard went to his bookcase, tilted back a rather small volume of Ancient Magic Made Not-So-Ancient, and the bookcase suddenly moved to the side, revealing a doorway. He walked through, beckoning to them to follow. James immediately went after him, with Lily close behind. Sirius glanced at Remus before he followed too. As Remus moved to join them, he looked at Peter. The stout young man looked pale, afraid even. This was not unusual; Peter was afraid of his own shadow.

"C’mon, Peter," Remus said to him, moving past.

Peter’s jaw moved up and down, before he nodded and slowly walked behind Remus as he went inside. The doorway was magically shut behind them, and the room they had entered now came fully into light.

It was not unlike what one would expect out of a story of King Arthur and The Round Table. The room itself was shaped circular, like Dumbledore’s office. Remus thought it must have been another tower, hidden from view on the grounds. There were no windows, but every foot or so there was a large torch, brilliantly lit. At its center was a large round table made of what looked like hand-carved mahogany. The legs had elaborate carvings of phoenixes in every stage of its life. He couldn’t see them clearly, but he could almost make out words carved around the circumference.

His gaze finally took him to those that were already seated at the table as James and the others sat down. There were seventeen seats in all, the one right across from Remus being taken by Dumbledore. The other seats besides the five that Remus and his friends had taken, held eleven people Remus either didn’t know or didn’t know too well. A tall man with brown hair and rectangle shaped spectacles nodded as Remus’ gaze fell upon him. The woman next to him, who looked about middle aged, held such a severe expression, that, if he didn’t know any better, he would have thought he did something to have offended her. He quickly looked to the couple next to her, which he recognized as Frank Longbottom and the girl that he had been frequently seen with at Hogwarts. Frank was two years older than Remus, and had graduated at the top of his class in Gryffindor. He was gracious enough to smile faintly at Remus, which he returned gratefully.

"You all know why I called you here early," Dumbledore started before Remus could survey the rest of the room. Remus could tell that he was trying not to look directly at James, who was looking up at him just like everyone else, his expression unreadable. "I’m afraid that the recent events have proven that things are getting progressively worse very quickly."

He paused, then continued when no one said anything.

"The Death Eaters who managed to get into the Ministry of Magic Headquarters in London have all but one been apprehended. The damage is… severe. I have been requested by the Minister to reinstate the Order now, a few weeks early.

"You will work as a group, as a team, as an Order should be. I purposefully chose veteran Aurors to help train the new adults, who have no experience battling the Dark Arts in real world situations. Fletcher… Figg… I’m counting on your expertise to help your younger comrades," Dumbledore looked at the older man and woman Remus had observed first. They nodded grimly at Dumbledore, their eyes fixed upon him.

"The key is to work together as one, for divided we fall. I trust each and every one of you, thus you should trust each other. Are we all agreed?" Dumbledore looked at each of them in turn.

Everyone murmured their agreement, and Dumbledore nodded. He took out his wand and raised it over the table.

"Then, I, Albus Dumbledore, reinstate the Order of the Phoenix. Those that go against the principles of the ancient rite, may they suffer their due justice. Let the flames of truth unite those of the Order. Place your right hand on the table and state your name."

One by one, sixteen hands fell upon the wood, and sixteen names were called. A sudden flare of light flashed across the table as Remus held his hand there and said his name. It disappeared over the table’s edge, and the words that Remus couldn’t make out before slowly began to become clear.

The light of truth light the way

Those of darkness hence shall pay

Order rise together all as one

Banish evil to which it’s from

There was another flash of light above him, and Remus looked over to Dumbledore, where his own phoenix sat on his shoulder. Remus remembered Fawkes, Dumbledore’s phoenix, from his many visits to his office. He hadn’t considered that the bird would have a part in this.

"You all are now officially of the Order," Dumbledore said to them. "You forever shall be, even after the light of the words of the rite fade. They shall continue to shine until our purpose for reinstating it has been fulfilled. Let us hope that that is not too long in coming."

He lowered his wand and sat down, looking worn out as if he had been running up and down the stairs all day. Not a single person spoke, but merely looked at Dumbledore in apprehension. What now?

"Your first task," he said finally. "Is simply to be on the alert for any more attacks. You all will be a part of the already tight security at the Ministry. As a member of the Order of the Phoenix, you have top seniority. If you are questioned, simply show your pin to whoever is challenging you. Everyone of importance knows of the Order’s existence. If you are still given trouble, anyone who interferes with an Order member faces a serious offense. Now, however, only the Minister of Magic himself can issue the authorization of the Unforgivables. He hasn’t done so yet, but I’m afraid that it won’t be long until he does. Until then, use everything to your knowledge. Any questions?"

Remus, if given a moment, could come up with a thousand questions, he seemed. Yet, he was afraid of looking like an idiot, or a fool, for no one else raised their voice. There was a soft cough from the far end of the table from him, and Remus could see two twin women looking uncomfortable in their seats. Still, they said nothing, and Dumbledore took a deep breath.

"Then, we shall be in touch. I will send you an owl with your first assignment promptly, as soon as things at the Ministry are ready."

He stood up again then, and this time everyone did the same. The first to leave were the man and woman Dumbledore had referred to as Fletcher and Figg. They opened the secret doorway by simply placing a hand on the door, and it slid to the side. Frank Longbottom smiled at Remus, before taking the girl next to him by the hand and leaving as well. The other seven left the room. Only Remus, James, Lily, Sirius, and Peter were left with Dumbledore.

"James," Dumbledore started quietly after a few minutes when no one said anything. "I give you my deepest sympathy for your loss. Your parents were incredible people. There would have been many more killed had it not been for their bravery."

Remus looked carefully at James, who simply stared ahead of him in his seat. Lily had placed her hand on top of his. The others held stricken faces.

"What of the Death Eater that got away?" Sirius asked severely, his arms crossed.

Dumbledore sighed and averted his eyes.

"I’m not sure. This particular one was very strange."

"Strange?" Remus snapped. "Strange in what way?"

For a fleeting moment, Dumbledore looked at him with an intense glare, before looking down at his weathered hands, shaking his head.

"He or she didn’t do anything. Just stood aside and watched, it seemed. It’s possible that this individual was new and inexperienced, instructed not to do anything, or even didn’t know what to do."

"So what does that mean?" James asked hoarsely.

"It means that we don’t know," Dumbledore looked up at him sadly.

Remus examined each of his friends, before finally studying Dumbledore. It struck him that his old headmaster could look so aged, and the recent events certainly had taken a toll. But what of this Death Eater? Could it have been… Neo? The thought horrified him and confused him even more.

"James," Dumbledore continued unwavering now. "Your parents had a separate safe at Gringotts that contained their will and other important documents. You should retrieve them as soon as you can. Just ask the head goblin and give them your regular vault key. I also give you permission to back out of the first task of the Order."

"No," James answered quickly and firmly, his eyes locked on Dumbledore. "I’ll report to the Ministry tomorrow like everyone else."

Dumbledore nodded slightly.

"Very well. If that is what you wish to do. Now, all of you go home and get some rest. Tomorrow is the start of fate; may it favor good over evil."

He rose from his seat then, and everyone stood up. James left first, closely followed by Lily. Sirius frowned and followed suit. Peter hesitated, scuttling out as if the room had suddenly filled with a foul stench. Remus thought that unusual behavior, but then again, it wasn’t that unusual with Peter.

As he himself turned to leave, Dumbledore stopped him.

"Just a moment, Remus, if you don’t mind."

Remus raised an eyebrow, before turning back to face him. Dumbledore was examining him as if he could see right to his soul. The expression made Remus shift from foot to foot uncertainly.

"I know what you’re thinking," Dumbledore whispered. "But we can’t jump to conclusions. We don’t have enough information yet. The more pressing matter, I’m afraid, is of your role as a member."

The way Dumbledore phrased it, he made it seem as if Remus was a hired hit man.

"Very soon, you will be approached by a woman who refers to herself as ‘Beta’. My sources tell me that she is second in command of a vastly growing support group of werewolves that have recently signed an agreement with Voldemort. Now, you know werewolves have a very bad reputation with the wizarding community. I don’t need to explain those details to you. What you need to be prepared for is her proposition to you."

"Proposition? Sir, how does she even know about me to begin with? I don’t know any other werewolves," Remus asked, slightly puzzled.

Dumbledore cocked an eye at him.

"You mean to tell me that you are not familiar with your own werewolf physiology?"

Remus blushed a deep red and said nothing. It was not a subject he was eager to research. The most he knew was how to endure the monthly changes and the side effects that resulted. But, what did his physiology have to do with anything?

"Think about it," Dumbledore pressed, leaning toward him. "How do you think female wolves find mates?"

"She isn’t going to sniff my crotch!" Remus started, wide eyed.

Dumbledore let out a snort, and quickly gained back his composure.

"Perhaps you should go do some research. But when this woman does approach you, agree and go along with everything she says. Report to me with anything that should happen. Understood?"

Remus nodded, completely and wholeheartedly embarrassed. His cheeks retained their deep crimson color even after he stepped past the secret doorway. Dumbledore had stayed behind, and to Remus’ surprise his friends were waiting for him in Dumbledore’s office.

"What’d he say?" Sirius asked him, his brows raised at Remus’ red complexion. "What? Was your fly open or something?"

Remus groaned and simply looked at him.

"Oh, shut up."