In The Shadows² ★ Draco Malfoy

*The Original Order of the Phoenix

As the summer drew to a close, Briar was mostly excited to return to school since quidditch would be back this year, and she was desperate for normal nights of sleep since she was frequently woken by nightmares or Order meetings. But she wasn't happy to be leaving Sirius or Remus, so she intended to soak up every moment she had with them until then

But when on the very last day of holidays booklists arrived for all the children, Briar knew her summer was about to end

For once the house was full of laughter though, when it had been revealed that Ron had been made a prefect this year, so now Fred and George intended to milk every second of their younger brother's success. 

Whenever Ron walked into a room they were in, they would offer to curtsy and bow

"Your highness," Fred teased him

"My master," George added

"Ickle Ronniekins," Briar joked and Ron's ears turned flame red in embarrassment, which made the other three laugh

And after the adults went to Diagon Alley to pick up everyone's new supplies, Mrs Weasley decided they needed to celebrate Ron and Hermione becoming new prefects

"Well, I think a toast is in order," said Mr. Weasley, when everyonehad a drink. He raised his goblet. "To Ron and Hermione, the newGryffindor prefects!"

Ron and Hermione beamed as everyone drank to them and thenapplauded. 

"I was never a prefect myself," said Tonks brightly "My Head of House said I lacked certain necessary qualities." 

"Like what?" said Ginny

"Like the ability to behave myself," said Tonks.Ginny laughed; Hermione looked as though she did not knowwhether to smile or not and compromised by taking an extra largegulp of butterbeer and choking on it. 

"What about you, Sirius?" Ginny asked, thumping Hermione onthe back. 

Sirius, who was right beside Harry, let out his usual bark-like laugh and Briar could see Remus hiding a grin "No one would have made me a prefect, I spent too much time indetention with James. Lupin was the good boy, he got the badge." 

"I think Dumbledore might have hoped that I would be able to exercise some control over my best friends," said Lupin. "I need scarcelysay that I failed dismally."

"And if you're anything like your dad, don't you expect a badge either, Paws," Sirius said to his goddaughter who stuck her tongue out in response and Sirius playfully returned the gesture

"I'm quite certain that if Dumbledore knew the trouble you got into anyway, then you would be back of the list to become a prefect" Remus added "And Dumbledore knows everything"

"Does he know that one of his 12 year old students snuck into the Forbidden Forest at night, with a convicted murderer, and learned to become an animagus?" she shot back

"What?" Ginny exclaimed

"Why didn't you tell us!" The twins added

"That's incredibly dangerous," Hermione frowned

"It was fun though" Briar shrugged

As everyone began to gather around the food, Briar found herself in conversation with Bill, Fleur, and Mrs Weasley since Molly was still insisting that Bill should cut his hair, but both other girls said it looked nice long

When the evening drew to a close Briar's eyes were nearly drooping from exhaustion, but before she could go to bed Alastor Moody placed himself down next to her, with Harry on his other side

"I've got something that might interest you two" he said.From an inner pocket of his robes Moody pulled a very tattered oldWizarding photograph. "Original Order of the Phoenix," growled Moody. "Found it lastnight when I was looking for my spare Invisibility Cloak, seeing asPodmore hasn't had the manners to return my best one...Thought you both might like to see it." Harry and Briar leaned in closer to see the photo laying on the table. A small crowd of people, some waving, and others lifting their glasses, looked back up at them. "There's me," said Moody, pointing at himself. "And there's Dumbledore beside me,Dedalus Diggle on the other side...That's Marlene McKinnon, shewas killed two weeks after this was taken, they got her whole family.That's Frank and Alice Longbottom - Poor devils," growled Moody. "Better dead than what happened to them...and that's Emmeline Vance, you've met her, and thatthere's Lupin, obviously...Benjy Fenwick, he copped it too, we onlyever found bits of him...shift aside there," he added, poking the picture, and the little photographic people edged sideways, so that thosewho were partially obscured could move to the front. "That's Edgar Bones...brother of Amelia Bones, they got him andhis family too, he was a great wizard...Sturgis Podmore, blimey, helooks young ...Caradoc Dearborn, vanished six months after this, wenever found his body...Hagrid, of course, looks exactly the same asever...Pettigrew...Elphias Doge, you've met him, I'd forgotten he used to wearthat stupid hat...Gideon Prewett, it took five Death Eaters to killhim and his brother Fabian, they fought like heroes...budge along,budge along ..." The little people in the photograph jostled among themselves, andthose hidden right at the back appeared at the forefront of the picture. "That's Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth, only time I ever met him,strange bloke...That's Dorcas Meadowes, Voldemort killed her personally....Sirius, when he still had short hair....and Lily and James Potter, there yougo, thought that would interest you!"

Briar didn't know how Harry was reacting to this photo, but her eyes were bulging wide as she took in all the familiar and unfamiliar faces staring back at her

"What's that you've got there, Mad-Eye?" Her dad asked as he stood behind her "Ah, the Order of the Phoenix," 

He took the empty seat beside Briar and pulled the photo closer to them as Harry left the room. She looked up at her dad and could see his eyes were filled with nostalgia, and pain. His eyes landed on one woman in the photo and the way his lips suddenly parted told Briar she was someone important

The woman in question was standing beside Remus and had shiny blonde hair, which flowed mid-way down her back, and her face was beautifully captivating. Despite the wear and degradation of the photo over time, she still seemed to shine

"Who was she?" She asked him

"Your mother," Remus said and Briar's breath seemed to catch for a moment "That was Kendall. We hadn't been together too long at this point, but she had been friends with Marlene and Dorcas for years. If I had known what getting involved in the Order would do to us and you..." he took a deep breath and his eyebrows were furrowed as if he was thinking hard. His face suddenly relaxed and he turned to his daughter with a smile "I would've fought Voldemort anyway."

"Really?"

"The Order gave me a sense of purpose and family" He said "Had it not been for the Order, me and Kendall may not have stayed together and we may never have had you"

"Thank god you did" Sirius grinned "Who else could continue on my legacy of torturing Minnie and Snivellus?"

"Minerva actually told me that she nearly retired the moment you walked under her roof" Remus said "Realising she had two children of the Marauder's to deal with at a time? I don't blame her"

"Your mum would be proud of you," Sirius said to Briar "She became one of my close friends soon after she and your dad started dating, and you're exactly what she always wanted in a daughter"

"Thank you," Briar smiled

Remus picked up the photo and handed it to her "Keep it. She would want to have some way of watching you if she could"

Briar gave both men a hug before she headed up to bed, where everyone else had already gone. And as she tucked herself into bed, she glanced at the photo now resting on her bedside table and smiled when she saw her mother smiling back at her