Chapter 1(a): Beginnings

[desdiamonds]

Who: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black
What: The last pieces of the Order of The Phoenix meet.
When: October 2000
Where: 12 Grimmauld Place. The Trio and Ginny are in the kitchen waiting. Remus has just arrived and Sirius is there to greet him.
Why: Hope is such a fragile thing

Comments

[desdiamonds]

It was nearly midnight when Remus arrived at Grimmauld Place. He was tired from the long trip but the night was far from over. Remus sighed as he stood in the darkened hallway. Once Harry realized he was back he'd want to talk. They had all fallen into the unhealthy routine; they'd meet in the kitchen, go over the little information they had and after a good shouting match they'd go to bed just to do it all over again the next morning.

He couldn't blame them really. So many months without any new leads would take a toll on anyone's mood. It didn't help to have them cooped up inside a house that brought back so many memories of the past. The rest of Order of the Phoenix was left in shambles, hiding in pockets around the countryside fighting for their lives, ocassionally stopping in when they had the chance. It was all making Harry draw deeper and deeper into the darkness.

Remus felt responsible for Harry's unhappiness. In fact, he felt responsible for all of those in the house. Hermione, Ron, Ginny, they were all so young, and yet they pressed on with wit and determination far beyond their years. The hope they carried with them kept them going. He wondered how long it would last before they became just like Harry.

Then there was Sirius. It was complicated to say the least. Remus didn't know how to feel about Sirius anymore, and it shamed him to even consider the consequences it would have, whatever "it" really was.

Just as he made it to the foot of the stairs he heard a noise nearby that startled him. He turned on the balls of his feet and nearly pulled his wand out before he remembered where he was.

"Sirius?"