1st of July, 1978
Riley apparated right in front of the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix. It was the first order meeting she was going to attend, she was nervous. She felt her heart beat fast, she didn't know how to act, she didn't know who there was.
Right next to her, another person appeared. It was Remus.
"Nervous?" he asked.
"Pretty much," said Riley. "We should probably go in there, though."
"Yeah," said Remus. They walked into the headquarters. It was located near a forest, away from most surroundings. It was under many safety charms and protections, it couldn't be seen by muggles.
It was a small cabin, but when walked inside, it was a big room with a long table in the middle of it. There were many lights and torches around, making the place almost feel cozy. There was a fireplace near the table to make it easier for transportation.
Inside, Dumbledore sat in the seat which was at the end of the table. Riley had expected Professor McGonagall to be there, yet she wasn't.
There were other familiar faces; Will Dalton, Jade Miller, Elliana Barry, Felicity Jones, Sadie Oswald, Jerome Pough, Luke Wright, Benjy Fenwick, Frank Longbottom, Alice Fortescue, Emmeline Vance, and so many more. It was way more crowded than Riley had expected. There were two red-haired people, they looked identical. Although Riley hadn't met them before, she assumed they were the Prewett twins. There was a man with a wooden leg and an artificial magical eye, Riley didn't know who he was.
Lily, James, Mary, Peter, Marlene, Dorcas, and Sirius had already arrived and were sitting at the table. Riley swallowed, then sat slowly to the empty seat next to Lily. Remus sat to the one next to Sirius.
"Welcome, everyone," said Dumbledore. "As you can see, we have new members joining us today. I'm sure you'll all be great help."
Riley saw Will look at her and give her a little smile. But Riley just looked away.
"Now, I have some good news," said Dumbledore. "Miss Thatcher has informed us that there will be an attack in Diagon Alley in about three hours. It is very recent, therefore we have to stick to a plan."
"Dalton, Fortescue, Longbottom," said the man with the magical eye. "You three go to Diagon Alley at five o'clock sharp, make your way to Gringotts and block their way into the building."
The three of them nodded at the same time.
"We also have another way to interfere into the death eaters now," the man said again sharply. "Constant vigilance! It's important. Lupin, talk to me after the meeting."
Remus' eyes widened, he knew exactly what it was going to be about. Werewolves.
The rest of the meeting went on with more confusing ideas and many names Riley had never heard before. It didn't make much sense.
As they left, Lily and James stopped next to Riley.
"Was he referring to Lena Thatcher? That new girl?" asked Lily. "How does she know what He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is planning?"
Riley stuttered.
"Oh — I dunno," she lied. "Maybe she's a spy for the order?"
***
2nd of July, 1978 (Tuesday)
Riley walked to the coffee shop near the bus stop. It was nearly noon, meaning Lena was probably already there.
She opened the glass door, the shop was crowded. The small tables with the light green table cloth had small pots with flowers.
She spotted the girl sitting at a table far away from everybody else, near the trash can.
"Why are you sitting here?" asked Riley as she sat.
"Dunno, the machine over there looks so strange," she said and pointed at the coffee machine.
"It makes coffee," said Riley. "It's a fucking coffee shop."
"Anyways," said Lena. "Let's talk about the plan."
She took a deep breath and lowered her voice.
"All right, so the first step is already done. I've gained their trust. And my dad thinks you'll become one of them, he also think I'll become one of them. But here's the twist, I told them I have one condition to help them."
"Which is?"
"I won't take the dark mark. Meaning that if they were ever to get caught, I won't be the one to get punished." Lena then leaned in closer. "They get new members each year, and this year they're expecting you to come. So, on August 9th, you'll come and talk to them."
"What will I say?" asked Riley quietly.
"You'll say that you'll help them, but you won't take the dark mark, that's a long process, can take years for them to trust someone. Especially since you're new, this will win us more time to try to reveal their plans."
"Dumbledore knows about all this, right?" asked Riley.
"Yeah, I talked to him yesterday. He knows every single bit of this."
"Good," said Riley nervously. "Is there anything else I need to know?"
Lena paused, she opened her mouth to say something, but then hesitated. She then looked at her in the eyes.
"Just — be careful," she said. "Keep your wand with you all the time, even in your house. And I'm sure you have protection charms around your house—"
"Yes, Thatcher. I'm not stupid."
"Yeah — I know that. So what are your plans for tomorrow?"
"Are you trying to spy on me?" asked Riley.
"No, just curious."
Riley didn't buy it. As much as she trusted the girl, she also found her very strange at the same time.
"It's my friends' mum's birthday so I'll go there along with mum," said Riley. "Anything wrong with that?"
"No! Have fun," said Lena and then left the table.
———
A/N:
Next chapter will be a bit hard to write but IM EXCITED.