Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
~
"It's beginning."
Eleanora folded her arms over her chest and leaned her head back against the wall, trying to take in a breath. "Don't say that," she said, her voice slow and calm, her thoughts racing. "It began a long time ago."
"You know what I mean," said Kingsley. He was watching her closely. "Preparations must be made. People need to be warned."
Lupin ran his fingers through his hair, which was standing at odd ends from the number of times he'd done so. "And we're sure battle is unavoidable?"
"We've known it's been inevitable since day one," said Eleanora. She let her head fall, her long hair obscuring her face. She took a deep, shaky breath, then lifted her head back up, squaring her shoulders and stepping away from the wall. "How long did McGonagall say we had?"
"Until tonight," Kingsley said in his usual calm, even voice. "That gives us..." he check his pocket-watch, "About three hours."
Eleanora nodded her head slowly. Over the last few months, tensions had escalated more quickly than anybody in the Order was prepared for. It was nearly impossible for any member to leave the house without being attacked on sight, and just about everyone on their side of the war was in hiding. It was rare that Eleanora left the house anymore, much less see anybody aside from Lupin, Tonks, their baby, Kingsley and the Weasleys. She spent most of her days holed up in one of the main Order houses with Lupin, Kingsley, and occasionally Mr. Weasley or Bill. They drew up maps and made plans that couldn't go into effect because of the shortage of people. The war had felt hopeless for a long time, but by May it had reached an all time low.
Eleanora strode across the room to stand at the counter next to Kingsley, staring down at the attack plan he'd carefully drawn out in neat handwriting. "This won't work..." she muttered, pointing at a specific point in the plan. "Where are we supposed to get all the people to defend the front grounds?"
Remus peered over her shoulder to see where she was pointing, and then leaned back on the counter and covered his face with his hands. Eleanora hadn't seen him this agitated about the war until Teddy was born. The risk of his wife or child coming into any harm's way was driving him insane. She turned from the notebook to pat his shoulder consolingly and Kingsley let out a deep sigh. "We need reinforcements," he said helplessly. "And lots of them."
"Where are we getting them?" Eleanora asked.
"That's a... very good question," said Kingsley. He looked more lost than Eleanora had ever seen him. "I'll take care of that part. Remus, go home. You look awful. El, I need you to go around and warn whatever Order members you can find. Send out a message too, but make sure its coded." He straightened up and closed his notebook, tucking it into a pocket of his robes. He turned to Remus and Eleanora, looking just slightly more confident than he had before. "I'll send out a separate message when I want you all to come to Hogwarts. For now... I want you both to take a break."
