The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

Anne and Marjorie

Status: Expired.

James stared at the line on the personnel record for the auror Xavious Grant. The wizarding photograph that stared back up at James, who watched as the photo rubbed the end of his nose and raised an eyebrow questioningly, tilting his head as though to look at the text written the edges of his photo frame, though James knew he couldn't see it.

He lowered the record back into the envelope that it had arrived in, tied to the ankle of a moulting gray owl who had pecked James for a bite of the orange Lily Evans had packed in a lunch sack along with a thick sandwich and some crisps. The food still sat spread out before him on the table and he sighed and leaned back, only picking at the meal. The word expired ran through his mind again and again, tumbling about and jostling through the crowd of thoughts that played for his attention.

"Blimey," he murmured. What a way to describe a death, he thought. As though the person were a bit of molded cheese or sour milk. Murdered. That's what it ought to say. The process of Xavious Grant's death was not at all a natural circumstance such as expiration implied, but rather a brutal thing that had been done to him. Life had not gone out like a weary candle, but had been torn away by a thief in broad daylight.

The file was quite interesting, though, despite that one odd choice of words for the current "status" of Mr. Grant. The man had been a wizard of great merit, an excellent auror, with a keen sense. James had learned from Frank Longbottom that Xavious Grant had been what they referred to as a Case Ender, meaning that once he was put on the case to find someone, the case would be closed within a week or two. Voldemort was the only wizard that Mr. Grant had been assigned to bring in that had not been caught. It was surprising to James, then, that such a hearty individual would be killed as easily as it seemed he had been - on the floor of the Ministry of Magic.

He pushed his glasses up his nose and flipped to the file of information he had about the little girl.

Marjorie Grant. Muggle-born, suspected witch. Adopted daughter of Xavious Grant, biological daughter of a muggle woman named...

James stared at the name a moment, then dropped the sheet back down to the table. He shook his head. No way. Couldn't be. Could it? Surely not. But then... He flipped opened the folder once again, eyes landing on the name, and then got up, scooping the file into his back, and hurrying to the door.

Remus, Peter, James, Sirius, and Lily stood shoulder-to-shoulder around the table in the kitchen of the flat, all staring at the open folder James had pulled from his bag. Silence had fallen on them all - even Sirius for once.

Now that they had a name to put with the face, it was quite obvious who the girl looked like - to all of them. 

Remus picked up the picture and stared into the little girl's eyes. "I don't know how I didn't see it before," he murmured.

Sirius reached over and squeezed Remus's shoulder. 

"I couldn't believe it either," James said. He paused, then added, "She has his eyes."

Remus nodded.

Anne Veigler. That had been the name on the file for Marjorie Grant's muggle mum.

James had run through the halls of the Auror Training Center to the floos and gotten home within minutes of his eyes landing upon her name. He had only half believed his glasses were working properly, but it had taken only moments of Lily, Remus, and Sirius looking at the picture before they all agreed that there was positively no mistaking the likenesses in the girl's face to those of the late Ned Veigler.

"Ned never told me about this," Remus murmured. He lowered the photo. "Wouldn't he have told me?" He glanced about the others.

"Maybe he didn't want to concern you," James suggested.