I think I'm just going to stop promising to update because I will inevitably forget. But i love y'all so thanks for sticking with me.

Chapter 14

The remaining members of the Order of the Phoenix had gotten old, but Sirius knew they were the lucky ones. The rest of their friends hadn't had the chance to grow old. James and Lily certainly hadn't.

Sturgis Podmore had gotten old, which was frightening. Sturgis was only a couple years older than Sirius, so he must have gotten old as well. Moody had more than a few new scars. In fact, the old auror looked horrible. The full moon had been the night before but even Lupin looked better. Of course, the Wolfsbane Sirius had bought his friend no doubt helped. Wolfsbane, Sirius would never get over how fucking great it was.

Aberforth was about as old as his brother, and Dodge the same, so they at least didn't look much different. Emmeline has gray in her hair, but when she caught Sirius looking, she winked. His mind went back to their few nights blowing off steam, and Sirius wondered if she'd ever married. Probably. But he'd have to ask her. If she hadn't… Well maybe she'd at least help him get his mind off of the delicate she-demon that was Jean Watson. At least for a time.

Diggle and Fletcher were both talking animatedly to each other, or perhaps Mundungus was trying to con the excitable wizard. It was hard to know with that one. So slippery no one, not even Dumbledore, seemed to know what house he'd been in at Hogwarts. Sirius didn't even know how that was possible, but it was true.

Sirius scanned Hog's Head. Aberforth had emptied out the place for their meeting, just like the good old days, but there were a few new faces to add to the old. Jean, of course. But also McGonagall, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and bloody Hell, Snivellus himself. Sirius might have gone over and provoked the man, but before he could, a pink-haired witch stepped in his path and hugged him tight.

"Well, I do like a warm greeting," Sirius chuckled, secretly casting a glance towards Jean. She didn't seem to care one bit that he was being hugged by another witch. Still… I'm certain she's just hiding her jealousy really, really well.

"You're an idiot, Sirius. A bloody idiot," the witch told him, pulling away. "And I'm so, so sorry for having believed it."

Sirius blinked. Maybe he should think less about Jean and focus more on figuring out who this woman was and why she seemed so familiar with him. Had she been an old flame of his? No, she was definitely too young for that. She hardly seemed out of school, actually, which meant she would have been, what, nine, when he was last free. How many nine-year-olds had he known?

Actually, precisely one.

"Nymphie?"

She beamed, her hair shifting to an even more painfully florescent shade of pink. "Merlin's beard, I'll hex you if you call me that. It's just Tonks these days."

"Ah, but everyone isn't your favorite cousin," Sirius reminded her, ruffling her hair. Wow. He couldn't believe she'd gotten so old. Somehow he'd just imagined her exactly as he remembered. He hadn't seen her much in the few months before that Halloween. Andie had been worried about Bellatrix tracking them down for revenge and taken the family on a rather long holiday. But Sirius wished he'd thought to track them down when he'd been freed. They were the only family he had, after all. Or at least the only family he'd ever recognize.

"Try me, then, but I'll warn you, I'm in auror training with Moody himself. You really want to see what kind of hexes I know?"

"Well yes, actually I do, Nymphie," Sirius smirked. His cousin scowled, but just cast a silent stinging jinx. Ha! Like Sirius even felt something so simple these days.

He could have gone on teasing her, but Remus came over, grabbing his shoulder. "Why don't we leave Dora alone. I think she's quite serious in her threats."

"No, I'm Sirius."

Sirius barked a laugh as Remus cringed. "Forgive me, I am eleven years out of practice avoiding that joke."

Depressingly, Sirius couldn't think of a response to that which wouldn't make his friend feel like a monster. The truth was, Sirius was still hurt that Moony had ever believed he was guilty. But at the same time, why had he suggested Peter, and not Remus, for the real Secret Keeper? He'd been suspicious as well, unable to look beyond the name 'werewolf' and see his friend. Maybe Remus had just been unable to see Sirius underneath the name 'Black'.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Remus asked, sounding rather more somber than was ever to be desired. Still, Sirius knew it had to be important, and, with one more wink to Dora, followed his friend off to the side.

They pulled into a little booth, then Remus glanced over to where Jean was sitting alone, reading. "It's a book on teaching occlumency. When I asked her about it, she said she's trying to teach Harry and his friends—with your permission. Sirius, aren't they a little young for that?"

Guilt crept over Sirius. He'd tried to keep Remus up-to-date about Harry and him, but he'd done a rather rubbish job of it. He'd given his only two-way mirror to Harry, a decision he didn't really regret, but that meant it was hard to chat with Remus. Especially since the man was currently working odd-hours in muggle Wales of all places.

"You should come and live with me," Sirius blurted out.

Remus shook his head, blinking. "I'm sorry, what? Sirius, were you even listening to me?"

"No. I mean, yes, I was listening. Jean wants to teach Harry occlumency so we can tell him Order secrets and the such. It's not important. I have full confidence in both her and Harry. No, what's important is that you should come live with me. Hear me out before you go on about not needing charity. Face it, you do. We all do. Charity is just another word for love, isn't it? You're… you're my best mate, Remus, which maybe isn't saying much these days because you're also my only mate, but it means everything to me. So I love you, and I want to help you. But if you're too proud to accept it for that reason, just think of it this way—I need you. I don't know anything about these last eleven years. Or how to be a Lord of the Wizengamot. I certainly don't know anything about raising Lily and James's kid! So either you come live with me, or I have to ask Jean to marry me tonight, because I certainly can't function alone. And… Well I'll let Dumbledore explain, but there's a reason he's reforming the Order. You can't be off in Wales because we need you here. And I have more money than I will ever need, and Harry does too so I'm not worried about an inheritance, and please, Moony, just consider it."

Sirius knew he'd rambled quite a bit, so he wasn't surprised it took Remus a minute to formulate a response. Still, he held his breath the entire wait.

"Depending on what Dumbledore has to say, I'll consider it."

That was enough of a victory for Sirius, and he didn't bother to hide his grin. Especially because it made Moony smile as well.

"But I might have to turn you down just to see you get hitched. Things going better with her, then?" Remus taunted, tilting his head towards Jean.

"Oh yeah, it's wonderful. She's madly in love with me, as you can tell."

Even with years apart, Remus was used enough to Sirius's nonsense to just roll his eyes and pat his friend on the back. "Like I told you, dead husband really isn't something that just disappears overnight."

Yeah, yeah. Sirius knew that. He really did, logically at least. But still he'd spent years deprived of anything good, and now he had everything he could want. Everything but his dead friends, and this one, stupid, girl.

Before Sirius could defend himself, though, Dumbledore walked in the door, greeting them all with smiles. "Ah yes, glad to see us all reacquainting. Unfortunately, I am needed back at the school soon. The board will be voting on whether to remove Lucius Malfoy from among them for cheating at quidditch."

More than one person laughed at the man's misfortunes. Sirius, the cause of all of them, could only grin. It wasn't what the Death Eater deserved, but only because he deserved far worse.

"Now, my thanks of course to Aberforth for hosting us this fine evening."

The barkeep scoffed at his brother but said nothing. Their relationship was weird though, everyone knew it, so they didn't even bat an eye.

"And now, down to business. I asked you all here in the name of the Order of the Phoenix. While we were not all members during the first war…"

More than one person turned to look at Snape, a man who had definitely not been on their side the first time round.

Dumbledore didn't seem to notice. "You all were aware in some form of its existence. Not that, officially, we have ever existed. However, recent events have encouraged me to rethink my disbanding of the organization. It is well known that I was uncertain of Voldemort's death after that fateful Halloween. I can now confirm with certainty that, as we feared, he is not truly gone. For the moment, he is weak and without allies, but I have reason to believe he will not stay that way. However, it is my hope that we can collectively delay—if not prevent—such a return.

"It can't be!" Molly Weasley's gasp was a bit melodramatic, especially as she was the first one to break the silence. Still, Sirius saw one or two people nodding in agreement. "What would possibly make you think that?"

"Ah, yes, it does seem rather unbelievable," Dumbledore admitted. "Unfortunately, it is thanks to your children, Molly, that we are certain. Our talented Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Jean Watson, wisely recognized a dangerous artifact among your daughter's possessions. While I cannot share with you its exact nature, it definitively proves what Harry reported to me the end of last year—Voldemort having possessed Professor Quirrell."

"Are you meaning to tell me that bastard was at Hogwarts for years and you never noticed?" Moody howled from where he sat, and even Dumbledore looked a bit cowed. "Have you gone mad, or just blind, Albus?"

"It was a gross oversight on my part, Alastair…" Dumbledore sighed, and Sirius saw him looking over at Jean. The woman was sitting very still in her booth, no sign of the shock or fear which littered the rest of the faces in the room. Though of course Sirius wasn't surprised either. They'd both known already.

"And it is due to my own fallibility, of which I have recently been made quite aware, that I have decided to share my findings with all of you, whom I trust inexplicably."

"Not to be rude," Mundungus Fletcher interjected. He was a small man, but he knew how to make himself known when needed. "But then why is he here?"

Mundungus pointed a stubby finger at Snape, and Sirius huffed in agreement. How could Dumbledore possibly trust Snivellus? They all knew what sort of man he was. Sirius didn't believe this story of Snape spying for them at the end of the war. He remembered running into his old enemy, fighting against him, in the last months of the war. It hadn't felt like they'd been on the same side. And, from the way Harry told it, the man favored his Slytherins and tortured the Gryffindors, a sure sign of his true allegiances if there ever was one.

"I assure you all, Severus has my utmost confidence. He would die to defeat Voldemort, the same as the rest of you, and so his inclusion is not up for discussion. While I do enjoy surrounding myself with youth, I hope I can expect us all to be adults here."

Dumbledore's gaze landed on Sirius as he said that, and the man bristled. Sirius could be an adult, but part of being an adult involved not being easily deceived. He didn't trust Snape. He'd never trust Snape. If Peter could turn on them, anyone could, never mind a git like that.

There was no (successful) arguing with Dumbledore, though, and no one even bothered to try.

"Well, then, if there are no more questions…"

Half-a-dozen hands shot in the air. Sirius snorted. As if Dumbledore actually thought he could call them there and then just say that.

"Yes, Minerva?"

"Albus, what do you mean You-Know-Who was possessing Quirrell? End of last year you said he'd been affected by a rather deadly infection!"

"Ah… Yes. Well, that may have been a slight manipulation of the truth. I think we could all agree that the parasitic soul of Voldemort is a deadly infection."

No. Sirius doubted any of them could agree to that. Everyone in the room just stared at Dumbledore in horror. Aberforth was the one who put it perfectly, "Albus, are you out of your bloody mind?"

"No, dear brother, I am not," the man didn't sound so amused as he normally did. But then, this wasn't an amusing situation. It was a disaster. Worst of all, Sirius wasn't entirely confident that Dumbledore wasn't responsible for that. Even if he understood the man's reasons for hiding the truth about Voldemort's existence, why had he lied to Professor McGonagall? She was supposed to be his right-hand-woman. What, had Dumbledore expected to manage the situation entirely alone until Jean had gotten involved?

The scary thing was, Sirius knew the answer to be a resounding yes.

And Dumbledore didn't even seem to notice how badly that looked. "I was concerned about Voldemort's remaining followers seeking him out. This still remains my primary fear, but Jean insisted it would be wise to seek help…"

"So we're listening to a woman who doesn't exist now, are we?" Moody rose from his chair, probably just to seem taller. All it did, though, was reveal how many legs he was missing.

"Alistair, my dear friend, Jean is sitting right there. I am quite certain she exists," Dumbledore said calmly, but there was an edge to his tone. Sirius realized it was taking quite a bit of effort for Dumbledore to remain calm. Jean too looked worried. She was still sitting still, but she'd started to bite her lip.

"Not according to Ministry records, she doesn't," Moody huffed. "You're slipping Albus and I'm watching you, girl."

Sirius was torn between wanting to defend Jean and wondering if Moody was telling the truth. The man was overly paranoid, but he could usually also be believed. Then again, he knew you. He should have at least made sure you had a trial. The man is looking for the worst in everyone, not the best.

Still, as logically as Sirius could dismiss Moody's concerns, he still found himself anxiously awaiting Dumbledore's explanation. Instead, though, it was Jean who spoke. She stood up, matching Moody. Even if she wasn't very tall, she managed to look quite intimidating, her black robes pooling at her ankles, and a stern look on her face.

"I'm not included in Ministry records because I've spent months fighting with the Ministry Immigration Bureau. I'm a British citizen by birth, but apparently by attending Ilvermorny I was never registered as a citizen of magical Britain. I'll make an Unbreakable Vow if you want me to; I can be trusted to fight against Voldemort."

"Mighty fine wording you have there. Aye, you can be trusted to fight You-Know-Who, but can you be trusted, huh?"

"Oh my God," Jean huffed, putting on a rather bitter looking smile. "I don't know, Sir, how to convince you of my trustworthiness. I suppose you'll just have to take Professor Dumbledore's word for it. He's well-informed about my life up until this point, and seemingly content. Frankly, I think there are rather more important things to be worried about than my identity. For one, where Voldemort is currently hiding. Or, perhaps, if any other 'Imperiused' Death Eaters happen to retain dark artifacts from their master."

She was talking about Horcruxes, Sirius knew, but no one else would. He was tempted to blurt it out. Still, there had to be a reason Dumbledore and Jean weren't broadcasting the information. It made Sirius wonder how many people even knew what a horcrux was. He hadn't, after all, and he'd grown up in a dark family. No, there had to be a reason they weren't saying anything, so Sirius would keep his mouth shut.

If there was a little, selfish part of him secretly grateful to have his own, private mission… well Sirius knew he wasn't a good person.

"Jean is, of course, correct. Arthur, I believe your office has been conducting a number of raids. Would it perhaps be possible for you to have received an anonymous tip and check Malfoy Manor?"

Arthur looked rather pleased to be included in such an important task. He held his head high, even as he nodded, "I can make it happen, but, unfortunately, we've searched before and found nothing. Most of these old houses have warded spots to hide dark artifacts."

"Check the cellar," Jean and Snape chorused. Then the two immediately stared at each other, only for Snape to snap his gaze away, as if he'd been attacked. Maybe he had. Snivellus used to try and read their minds when they were still in school, but they'd all gotten good enough at Occlumency to throw him back. Jean was certainly good enough at the mental magic to do just the same. It made Sirius smirk.

"Sirius, didn't you just acquire the Malfoy house elf?" Remus pointed out, making the man feel very dumb. Of course! He should have asked Dobby to spill all the Malfoy secrets before freeing him. The elf was still working for him at the price of a galleon a month, but without the binding magic of a master, he might not be able to share his former masters' secrets. Still…

"It's worth a shot. I'll ask him later and let you know anything I learn, Arthur."

"Taking down the Malfoys is well and good," Dora interrupted, seemingly unabashed to speak among so many older people. Sirius was instantly proud to be related to her. "You lot seem to be forgetting that Malfoys weren't the only Death Eaters who walked free. Moody keeps a list, you know. Made me memorize it all."

"You're not supposed to tell them that, stupid girl," Moody chastised, though he clearly didn't mean it. Actually, if Sirius didn't know that Alastair Moody liked nobody on the planet, he might actually have believed that he was fond of Dora.

"But she's also right. Nott, Crabbe, Goyle… half of them are in the ministry still, and Fudge in their pocket."

"I do like to believe that at least some of them have seen the errors of their ways," Dumbledore, ever the hopeless fool, admitted. "However, Alastair, perhaps the auror's office will, discreetly, be able to investigate any allegations of dark artifacts."

"I can catch them in the act no problem," Moody huffed. "It's prosecuting them that's impossible. The entire Wizengamot is filthy with Death Eater money. It doesn't help that every one of Britain's richest families is dark."

"Not every one of them, not anymore," Sirius reminded him. It was still odd to think of himself as the Head of House Black, but it was moments like this when it felt worth it. Especially when he imagined the look on his mother's face if she ever saw. "Perhaps I can buy back a few votes of my own."

"Half of these men still keep their Death Eater costumes somewhere," Jean pointed out. "Aren't there any laws against maintaining terrorist paraphernalia?"

You knew she was muggleborn in moments like that. No pureblood ever would consider such a thing. Even most of the Order looked scandalized. "You can't make it illegal to own something."

"Perhaps" Jean hissed. "But no one who was truly imperiused would keep the ridiculous costume. Even if it's not enough to get them arrested, it's enough to get them disgraced. In fact, I think I may know someone at the Daily Prophet who will be glad to spin things our way should we need it."

There was a devilish glint to her eye that Sirius quite adored. Mostly though, this planning felt good. It felt like they were doing something, preparing in a way they'd never been prepared the first time around. If—when—You-Know-Who came back, he'd be facing a very different Order of the Phoenix at the least. Hopefully he'd face a very different Britain as well.

They continued throwing out ideas for a while, working out a schedule of who could best do what. Most of the worked for the Ministry in some manner, which would definitely be helpful. Those who didn't—cough, cough Mundungus—would be even more beneficial, keeping an ear to the ground, seeing if there was any movement on the Voldemort front.

Once Dumbledore left and they started to break up, Sirius was left with a calm he'd lacked since his disastrous date with Jean. Harry's name hadn't been mentioned once in their meeting, which felt odd, but helped him to breathe a little easier. Sirius still wasn't convinced by this whole prophecy/fate argument, whatever Dumbledore and Jean said. Harry was just a kid; he didn't need to worry about things like this. The adults could manage it. Just because Sirius had been seventeen when he'd joined the Order the first time around…

No. They'd do better this time. He knew how young seventeen was now, and he'd never let Harry get involved in a war like he had. He'd do better.

"Hey, Sirius," Emmeline's voice broke him from his revelry. "A bunch of us are going to grab drinks, catch up. Feel like joining?"

Drinks with a group of friends, Sirius didn't think he remembered what that was even like. It had been so long. "Eh, sure. Can Remus come too?"

"I'm already going, Sirius," the man chuckled from behind him. "You're the sympathy invitation."

"Oh, yeah then, sounds nice," Sirius meant it too, but then, out of habit, he found himself glancing towards where Jean had been sitting. Was she coming with them? But she was already gone, and he caught sight of her robes as they billowed out of the door. A twinge of hurt passed through him—she couldn't even have said goodbye?

Remus caught him, rolled his eyes, and practically dragged the man towards where the rest of them were waiting. "Leave her be, Sirius. Honestly, you used to be much better at this."

"I'm not so sure about that," Emmeline laughed at him, her voice loud and feminine. It reminded Sirius of better times, and Lily. Emmeline and Lily had gotten along great, always laughing at the men just like that.

"Though you were a lot more fun, then. Of course, we all were. I'm going to regret this tomorrow a lot more than I would have then, but it will be worth it," Emmeline added, a sly grin across her face.

Sirius was excited himself, honestly. Drinking with mates, catching up, it sounded like a great time, exactly the sort of night hangover cures were made for. So why was he feeling like a fourth year who'd just been turned down for a date to Hogsmeade?

"Love doesn't get any easier when you get older, does it?" Sirius asked Remus.

"Nah," Emmeline answered for him. "But good thing is Firewhiskey is also as hard as always."