"So where exactly are we going?" Belle asked, hauling her luggage across the cracked cement sidewalk. The group had taken a Portkey (the manky old boot from last year) to some place in London. Amora would say where, but even she wasn't sure herself, and Aspen wasn't saying much.
"Won't be long! We're almost there!" Aspen called out merrily and the everyone else groaned.
"That's what you said ten minutes ago!" Cassie whined. Her voice was drowned out by a loud crackle of lightning as blankets of rain waved upon the dark night. Amora practically rolled her eyes as she tried to cover her head from the cold droplets. Suddenly, a dark cloth covered her from the storm and her chocolate brown eyes rose to see where it came from.
"Don't worry, just keep it over your head so you won't get wet," Cedric whispered and Amora chuckled quietly. His light brown hair was now a soaked mess as he held his Hufflepuff yellow jacket over her head.
"Pack it up lovebirds," Aaron grumbled as he pulled out his wand.
He then turned to Rey and muttered, "Impervius." Magically, Rey's cloak formed an invisible shield that had raindrops bouncing off of it, keeping her dry and happy. She tossed her blonde hair to the side so she could give Aaron a quick peck on the cheek, one that made him still blush deeply.
"Hey, you mind doing that for me too?" Ned requested and Aaron sighed, clearly annoyed with his newfound popularity.
"No need! We're here," Aspen shouted to the group.
"Aspen, are you sure your mystery Order is here? This place is dodgier than Knockturn Alley!" Hazel whispered, her eyes darting around the dark and eery neighborhood. Amora couldn't help but agree. From the broken street lamps to the tall black houses crowded together, she wasn't liking this place at all.
"Never mind that. Just read this," Aspen instructed, handing Hazel a small slip of paper.
"The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix can be found at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, London," she read aloud, narrowing her eyes at the paper. A loud creak above the sounds of rain pounding on the sidewalk grabbed Amora's attention as she looked upward. A tall door appeared, soon followed bu the rest of a large, gray, rather imposing house. Aspen then took the slip of paper and set it afire with his wand as he beckoned the rest of the group to follow him inside.
"Oh Aspen! You made it back with the kids!" a voice rang out as a stout middle aged woman with fiery red hair emerged from the door at the end of the long dark hallway. Amora craned her head so she was able to fully take in her new setting. From the curtain drawn over a suspicious painting to the mounted house elf heads on the walls, Amora was not the hugest fan of the interior designer.
"Pleasure to see you too Mrs Weasley! See you got your gang here in one piece as well," Aspen said, nodding his head to the stairs. Ron and Ginny sat on the steps along with Hermione, but Ned's brows furrowed.
"Say, aren't there twins?" he asked, looking around for them. Then, with a loud crack, the twins appeared out of thin air.
"Apparation," Cassie gaped as Mrs Weasley smacked her sons on the head.
"What, did, I, say, about, apparating, in, the, HOUSE!" Mrs Weasley hissed, but Fred and George smiled bashfully.
"Don't worry Mum, we can start apparating outside the house to if that puts you in a better mood," Fred chuckled but Mrs Weasley was not amused as she huffed and grabbed Aspen by the arm, hauling him to the door.
"Everyone's in there! Apparently Mundungus left early on Harry's watch, and the poor boy had to fight with dementors! And to make matters worse, the Ministry is having a court order with him to get him expelled from Hogwarts! Can you believe it?" Molly whisper shouted to a shocked Aspen. She then opened the door and they both stepped in, and Amora tried to make her way in but Aspen blocked her with his arm.
"Sorry sis, it's Order members only," Aspen whispered, keeping the large black door cracked open enough only to see his face.
"Well, call me and Order member then," she replied as she tried to open the door, but Aspen didn't let it budge.
"No, not yet," he told her before shutting the door.
"Hey, it's alright, let's get our stuff up to our rooms," Cedric whispered rubbing his hand on her shoulder. Amora reached her own hand to hold his, and the small touch still sent butterflies to her stomach.
"Mum says that you guys can share some rooms if you want. Hermione and I spent all day cleaning them anyways," Ron explained as they ascended the creaky stairs.
Belle gave Ned a flirtatious smirk as she grabbed him by the collar and hauled him into the nearest empty room, shutting the door behind them. Rey dashed from room to room as Aaron followed behind her before they finally agreed on one and they both settled in, Rey taping a picture of them to their mirror. Hazel and Cassie giggled as they watched the couples pair up before finding a room with two beds that they both agreed looked inhabitable.
"Shall we?" Cedric chuckled, nodding to the last room.
"Ah yes, a room fit for a queen!" Amora snickered as her hands flew into the air dramatically, motioning to their room. It was quite a large room and despite the peeling emerald wallpaper and the dusty rose bedsheets, Amora knew she could make it work. What caught her eye was the small marble vanity with a picture of three girls taped to it. While Cedric unpacked both of their bags, Amora walked over and picked it up, examining the three girls. The first girl had long brown hair and a smile that seemed somewhat infectious, even through a photograph. The next girl was also smiling, her blonde hair held up in a lacy blue bow, but her smile didn't seem to reach her eyes. The last girl made Amora practically pass out. It was like she was looking at a picture of herself, only if she had curly black hair and a mean scowl to match.
"Mum," she muttered under her breath. She then flipped over the photograph and examined in scribbled writing:
Property of Andromeda Black
Amora felt like she heard that name before, but only briefly in the Malfoy Manor in small and hushed whispering between Lucius and Narcissa. But the last name of Black didn't match, for Amora was sure it was Tonks. She furrowed her brows as she tried to recall a memory far too distant before Cedric snapped her out of her daze.
"Mores? You alright?" he asked softly, abandoning one of his shirts he was folding to come to her side.
"Yeah I just think... that this was my aunt's room," she muttered, handing him the photo. He looked at it for a moment, his cloudy grey eyes searching before a shock registered on his own face.
"I had no idea your mum was a Black. Isn't her last name LeStrange?" Cedric asked, handing the photo back to her.
"Black is her maiden name, and LeStrange must have been my dads. I reckon he must be dead by now, I've looked up LeStrange in countless libraries but nothing ever comes up," Amora shrugged.
"Well, don't lose hope."
"I'll lose hope for things that are hopeless."
"Hope is the best thing to have, because then you'll never have nothing."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll never have nothing if you always have hope."
"That was oddly deep, Diggory."
"What can I say, I'm a man of many words."
"Alright shut up."
Cedric chuckled as he walked back across the dimly lit room to continue unpacking. That was, until a lady with bright bubblegum pink hair burst in, scanning the room. Her eyes landed on Cedric and she raced across the room, whizzing past Amora.
"Do you want to be a member of the Order of the Phoenix?" she asked, slightly out of breath.
"I'm sorry...who are you?" he questioned, puzzled.
"The name's Tonks. Well, do you?" she asked again, eyes flitting between Amora and Cedric. Cedric turned back to Amora for advice, but she was still to surprised to say anything.
"Em...sure?" he said, confused. Her face broke into a grin as she grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room.
"I heard you're a brilliant flyer, so you're coming with us to go save Harry," she explained, but he halted to a stop.
"She's one of the best flyers at Hogwarts. She'd be loads more helpful," Cedric said, nodding his head back to Amora. Amora straightened her back, trying to look taller and like a potential member of the Order.
"Sorry, no can do," said Tonks, "Meet us downstairs in ten minutes. And with your broom."
She then left as fast as she had came, leaving Cedric and Amora utterly confused. Amora turned to Cedric, fuming.
"I can't believe you just joined the Order! We should have discussed it first," she snapped, and Cedric rolled his eyes.
"You didn't say anything! I assumed you were fine with it!" he shot back, running his hand through his messy brown hair.
"You should have some common sense! What if you get killed? What would it do to your parents and friends? What would it do to me?" she shouted, her voice rising. She didn't care if the whole damn haunted house heard. She had a point to make and she was going to make it.
"Some causes are worth dying for! I'd be more than glad if I died knowing I did the right thing!" he yelled and he then turned on his heel, grabbed his broom, and left. Amora sat on the bed, holding the picture of the sisters in her hand.
From her mother's jailbreak to her and Cedric's argument, Amora was absolutely exhausted. Still, she found the energy to cry, and the energy to worry. She knew she shouldn't have gotten upset at Cedric, since he should have been able to make his own decisions. Still, Voldemort's images of Cedric's dead body danced around her head until she gasped for air, overwhelmed with panic. As the tears slid down her face she looked out the stained window. The crying blurred her vision, but the pain she felt was clear. She looked down at the photograph again, fear creeping back in. All the years she spent trying to prove she wasn't like her mother seemed to go to waste.
They didn't trust her to join the Order, and she was beginning to think it was time she truly embraced her mother's side.
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A/N: HEYYY YALL! IM BACK :) I was actually in the hospital for the past week for mental health stuff, but now I'm back and ready to go! Also, THANK YOU SO FREAKING MUCH FOR THREE THOUSAND READS!! Holy moly that's a lot! Anywho, enjoy!