Teddy and the Marauders

forty-one

Chapter 41

For the remainder of the summer, the group lined up the various interviews and training aplications for the various jobs they were hoping to do in their future.

Other than that, they enjoyed their last summer as kids. They lounged around and met up every other day. Mostly they tried to pretend the war was no longer coming. It's was here.

The Daily Prophet no longer held mostly fluff pieces about a witch or wizard who had done something of note. It now held horrifying reports of towns ransacked by Death Eaters. It seemed no one was safe. Many people were fleeing Europe all together, we ther they were muggleborn or not.

One day, six identical letters arrived at Potter Manor, all carried by the same generic brown barn owl. It seemed to be one of the ones who resided in the Hogwarts Owlery.

The six envelopes each bore the name of one of the residents of the Manor written in a small cursive hand. The six gathered around a table and they each bore the same message.

Tell no one of this letter.

Meet at the Hogs Head Pub in Hogsmeade, August 20th at high noon. Ask the bar tender for a cup of Oolong Tea. He will direct you to a room.

If you see any suspicious activity, turn back and depart directly home. Do not respond to this letter.

-A.P.W.B.D.

*******

Four days later, Dorea, Fleamont, James, Sirius, Victoire, and Teddy, apparated to the village of Hogsmeade. They walked into the dubious bar and up to the small bar.

"What can I get for you?" The bartender was an old man with gray hair and a gruff voice.

"Oolong tea, please." Fleamont said, politely. He tried to mask the nervousness in his voice, but failed slightly.

"For the lot of you?" The bartender eyed the other five.

"Yes." Fleamont answered for them.

"Follow me."

The man led them down the small hallway beside the bar the advertised the washrooms, however, just before they reached the door for the men's room, the man stopped and pulled out his wand. He tapped the painted cinder block wall three times with the magic stick and a door began to appear. It reminded James of the entrance to Diagon Alley.

The bartender unlocked the door with a rusted iron key and opened the door before ushered the six inside. Once the door was shut, with the man on the outside, there was a loud click of the lock.

Inside the small room, was a semi circle of folding chairs. Sitting in the chairs were people they recognized. One of which was the legendary Auror, Alastair 'Mad-eye' Moody. Fleamont and Dorea exchanged pleasantries with the other adults, but the four eighteen-year-olds kept mostly to themselves and sat down at one of the sides of the semi circle. From what they could tell, none of the others knew the reason they were there either.

Not long after, the door opened again and Alice and Frank, who were newly living together, walked in. Their friends rose to meet them.

"Do you know what we're doing here?" Alice asked. The James, Sirius, and Victoire shook their heads. Teddy looked at the ground, his brow furrowed. "Do you?" Alice asked him.

"I think so?" It sounded more like a question. "If it's what I think it is, then it should be a good thing." This barely calmed their small group.

A little while later, Remus, Peter, Lily and Marlene joined them. Sirius broke away from the group for a little bit to talk to his elder cousin, Andromeda, and her husband, Ted.

Teddy tensed up quite visibly when she walked in. His hair turned an odd shade of dark blue. Victoire answered the odd looks in their little group with a quick explanation.

"Teddy was raised by his Gran.," She said, giving a subtle gesture toward Andromeda, "As well as names after his grandpa. They both passed away. His grandpa close before he was born, and Gran only a year before we left." The others didn't press the matter further.

The last to join the room were Molly and Arthur Weasley, Professor McGonagall, and finally, Albus Dumbledore. The bartender shuffled in as well, locking the door behind him.

"Hello." He spoke to the room. "If you are here, that means you received a letter from me telling you to ask for tea. I'm afraid this matter has nothing to do with the drink, but instead the war." His face had no joking displayed on it. He was gravely serious. "As you may be aware, Voldemort-" many in the group flinched. Dumbledore either didn't notice or ignored the fact. "-has infiltrated the ministry. It has been corrupted and therefor, in my opinion, can no longer be trusted in the defeat of the dark wizard who continues to threaten us. I have taken it upon myself to gather you all here to ask you to join an organization to combat Voldemort ourselves. I have named said organization the Order of the Phoenix."

No one spoke. Most seemed, in fact, shocked.

"Sir," a man by the name of Edgar Bones spoke first. "What would you have us do under this organization."

"Find a way to defeat Voldemort and his followers." The professor stated it plain and simple. "Attacking him head on has been tried and disproven affective, therefor we must find another way."

"Well, I'm in." Sirius stood up.

"Sirius, sit down." Dorea hissed "You haven't an idea of what you're getting into."

"No, I need to fight this son of a bitch." Mrs. Potter took it opinion herself to scold him for language. Sirius ignored her and pressed on "My family has done some pretty awful things. The only ones to really be against it, are me, An, and Dorea, here. I feel personally responsible to redeem and inch of the honor they seem to boast about by helping defeat the bastard who's killing half of England."

"I admire your persistance, Mr. Black." Dumbledore said "But I do not take this commitment lightly."

"With all due respect, sir, neither do I."

By the end of the meeting, everyone in the room had been put under magical oath to promise not the repeat anything said in the room. Some had even signed another document agreeing to be apart of the Order. Top of list, was the name of Sirius Black, followed enthusiastically by Vic and Teddy, and their other friends among others.

(A/N: hey everyone. I dyed my hair yesterday and it feels so weird having dark hair again. (I dyed it from a faded red orange colour to dark brown aka my natural colour) -Jul)