A/N: Remember the dude we met some chapters ago, that sent Harry the note, initialed M.E.? Well, here we learn his story…
Chapter XIX: Mortimer Evans
The owl swooped in the window, and circling around the room, dropped a letter in Remus' lap, before flying out again in haste. The werewolf, startled by the unexpected entrance, jumped slightly, but did not awake Tonks, who was leaned against his shoulder, sleeping soundly. Aiming to disturb his better half's slumber as little as possible, he slid the envelope open, and rustled the parchment open; he bent his eyes down, and began to read.
Remus Lupin,
You will not appreciate the identity of this letter's authors, and therefore, they shall be forced to remain anonymous for the present. The matter of which we want to speak to you, however, deals directly with the battle against the organization, responsible for the publicized deaths of Muggles and wandmakers…
We must tell you that our involvement stems purely from self-interest for the defeat of the aforesaid organization, and does not extend to a greater cause. Thus, we are not judging, but merely choosing the more profitable side.
Our incentive for working with you is your contact with one Harry Potter, as well as the invaluable information we can provide in regards to the organization. We believe that we have different interests, but a common purpose, towards which we can work together.
Communication by owl is too risky a venture to continue. Should you choose to respond, a meeting between us can be arranged in two days time, at midnight precisely; whereabouts is the front entrance to the tower of Big Ben. Keep in mind, Mr. Lupin, we will keep our word and be present, but the only person, to whom we will divulge anything, is you.
It was a most unusual letter. Unsigned, unverified, and too direct for comfort, it seemed to present a surprising ally in their campaign. Remus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Currently, they were faced with many more questions than answers, and the book that was supposed to be the solution, could not be handled without dire consequences. Harry, Ron and Hermione had become important figures within the Ministry, and within the Order, and already, their brushes with death had been terrifyingly close. Herminoe was recovering from the latest bout as he was thinking…
Perhaps this endeavor was worth the risk of the meeting? Everyone in the Order had passed through many a danger, but the yielded results were few and unsatisfactory. So far, they had been attacked, injured, cursed and forced to hide. A number of unsolved murders of wandmakers, an encounter with Antonin Dolohov that almost resulted in another double fatality, and not even the slightest idea who was the mastermind behind it all. Heading the key governmental posts was only an added burden to the principal actors of the story…
Absorbed in the evaluation of the matter, Remus did not notice Harry enter the gloomy room. The letter was still clutched in his hand, and he was looking at it, but did not see the words.
"Remus?" Harry queried quietly, hoping to attract the werewolf's attention, but with no avail. "Remus!" he tried a little louder, and this time, the desired effect was produced.
"Harry," Remus exclaimed, and twisted around to face his nephew. Tonks mumbled incoherently in her sleep, and adjusted herself on her live pillow before drifting off again. "Come around, will you?"
Harry stepped forward gingerly, also trying not to awaken Tonks. "How are you, Remus?" he whispered, sitting down on the other couch.
"Just thinking, Harry," the other replied, "take a look at this letter," he said, and handed Harry the yellow parchment.
Curious, Harry read over the contents patiently, and turned it over in his mind for a few minutes. "What do you make of it?" he asked, looking fixedly at his godfather.
"I think it may be the opportunity for a break in this whole business," Remus answered cautiously. "After all the turmoil we have faced, this might be a good idea…"
"What if it's a trap?" Harry countered him energetically, "you know better than to trust anonymous sources."
"Nothing ever occurs the same way twice, Harry," Lupin rejoined philosophically. "What would you do in my position? We have hit dead ends everywhere, and we can't read hat blasted book without risking someone dying…"
"There must be something we can do," Harry grappled for an excuse, "after Hermione improves, I'm sure we can figure something out."
"There's no denying that Hermione is a remarkable witch, Harry," Remus reasoned with him, "but the hard truth is that we have nothing to go on and we have been reduced to retreat into hiding. We really have no choice here, but to seize this chance, be it true or false."
Harry knew that arguing against that logic would be a fruitless enterprise. He sighed, and conceded the point. "As you say, Remus, but if you are going to confront these people, we need to have support and a quick way to escape back here, if the need arises…"
A small smile broke across Lupin's face. "That sounds good, Harry. I'll definitely accept support."
"It's settled then," the other affirmed. "I think I'll go make myself a cup of coffee," and with that, Harry left Remus and Tonks in peace.
As he was sitting down, immersed in his now regular habit of thinking, Ginny wandered in the room, anxiety written all over her face.
"Ginny," Harry looked up, studying her anxiously on his own behalf, "everything alright?"
"Harry, glad I found you," she replied in one breath, "it's Hermione -"
"What's happened to her?" Harry cut across her in alarm.
"Nothing, nothing," Ginny hurried to calm him, "she's awoken!"
The news completely dazed Harry, and he did not even notice upsetting his coffee cup, as he jumped off the chair to follow Ginny upstairs.
"And you're certain of this?" he breathed, as they ran into the entrance hall.
"Trust me, Harry," came the short response, and she proceeded towards the staircase, closely tailed by Harry.
He must have been one of the last to receive wind of Hermione's awakening, because her room was bustling with the current inhabitants of Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Weasley had taken a prominent role, actively examining Hermione to see whether she had suffered lasting damage. Behind her, Ginny had just rejoined Draco, and immediately launched into a quieted discussion with him, while Ron and Luna were trying to peer past Mrs. Weasley to glimpse Hermione's condition. Remus seemed to have entered the room slightly before Harry, as he was looking around, and beside him, Tonks was rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Harry fought his way to the front and forced himself beside Mrs. Weasley.
"Dear, step back, will you?" she admonished him. "Can't you see she's only come around?"
"I know, Mrs. Weasley," Harry answered her distantly, but did not move - his entire attention was entirely focused on the patient at hand…
"Hmm?" Hermione's cloudy gaze drifted lazily around her surroundings, before her eyes settled on the man standing anxiously over her. "Harry?" she murmured, and a small smile graced her lips.
"God, Hermione," Harry whispered, unable to speak properly; he only clutched her hand, trying to convince himself that she was really going to be well; aside from that, a thought, inspired by Ron and Luna, had circulated in his head for a while, but he had not quite found the courage to voice it, and it was intended solely for Hermione's ears.
"Harry?" Hermione said, with a little more strength. "What happened?"
"Hush, Hermione," Harry was hasty to stop her inquiries, "there will be time to talk later. Right now, you need your rest."
"But -" she tried to object, but without effect, as sleep seized her in its depths once again, and she slipped into unconsciousness.
"Sleep well, Hermione," Harry whispered, and bending forward, kissed her on the forehead.
"I'll call Madam Pomfrey to drop by again," Mrs. Weasley suddenly piped up, and shuffled out of the room, appearing somewhat flustered by the proceedings.
"Good idea," Tonks issued from the back of the room.
Unnoticed by anyone, Draco had left the bedroom at one point, and had only returned, holding a copy of the Daily Prophet, and staring down, appalled, at the front page.
"You would think," he voiced himself loudly over the crowd, in order to turn the attention onto himself, "that the Prophet has turned into nothing more than a gossip column!"
"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" Ron questioned him suspiciously.
"See for yourself, Weasley," the former snapped, and thrust the paper at Ron, who took it with disdain.
Emblazoned on the front page stood a remarkable headline: Minister Granger Missing!
The persistent assertions by the Minister's Office that the Minister of Magic, Hermione Granger, is unavailable to the public for the time being, due to alleged unavoidable professional leave, are downright false. This reporter has uncovered evidence from a reliable source that our Minister is currently severely incapacitated, and on the brink of death. This bold claim is, again, backed up by a reliable source, which did not wish to reveal further details. However, the main issue of effective governance is raised, and the ability of our government to work in the interest of the people who have placed it in power, is currently severely diminished and limited. In addition to the absence of the Minister, complete disarray rules in the Auror and Magical Law Enforcement Departments, as the Heads have not been seen in considerable time as well -
"Who wrote this nonsense?" Ron erupted furiously, and threw the paper on the floor, before stomping on it with venom.
"Three guesses," Draco offered grimly, "Rita Skeeter."
"That fleabag," the redhead muttered angrily. "Malfoy, come with me, Harry, you too. Ginny, Luna, you as well - we need to sort this out."
"What do you mean?" Luna asked him calmly, as they made their way out of Hermione's room.
"I don't mean to inflate my ego, but we are responsible for both government, as well as running the Order. I think it's too much for a single person to handle both jobs, so what we're going to do, is divide up the tasks," Ron answered.
"Weasley, these might be the only words out of you I've heard that make sense," Draco observed ironically.
"Shove it, Malfoy," Ron dismissed him, and went on, "now, among us, we will establish deputies for each post - Head of the Auror Department, Head of the Magical Law Enforcement Department, and Minister of Magic."
"Don't you already have deputies?" Ginny asked him shockingly.
Ron seemed a bit uneasy. "Well," he scratched the back of his head, "the truth is, we do, but right now, the circumstances demand that we have someone not only able, but also trustworthy, to take over the main duties of the job."
"What's wrong with the current deputies?" his sister quizzed him further.
"Ginny, in the Ministry of Magic, deputies have their own political ambitions, and they will take every chance they can to stab their seniors in the back, and make it appear it was not their doing. In fact, I doubt Rtia Skeeter did not go to them for this so-called reliable source."
"Fine then," Harry interjected, "how do you plan to assign duties?"
"Well, it's among these three here," Ron said, "Luna, Ginny and that scumbag, Malfoy."
"I am still here, you know," Draco observed dryly.
"Alright," Harry continued, "I think Luna should substitute Hermione for the time being, Draco can be my deputy, and Ginny here, can take over for Ron."
A murmur went among them, as each considered his, or her, new assignment.
"One question," Draco said smoothly, "or actually, I have a new proposition."
"And what might that be?" Ron challenged him.
"That Ginny and I switch roles," Draco explained, "I become deputy of the Auror Department, and she take on Harry's duties."
Harry looked at Ron, considering the idea, and he seemed to approve of it, "Sounds alright to me."
His best friend had no objections either, "All we need now, is Hermione's signature to approve the changes, and the current deputies will be reassigned."
"Excellent, then," Ginny smiled. "And what about you, lot?"
"Us?"
"Yes; you, Harry and Hermione."
"Oh, well," Ron rejoined loudly, "we will be involved mainly with the Order. You know, trying to track down whoever is responsible for the murders, and bring them to justice. That, and protect you lot from more attacks."
"Wouldn't that double what we would be doing?" Ginny objected further.
"You have to realize," Harry interjected, "that the work is far more expansive that what just the Order is doing, and we need help in managing everything. Unfortunately, Ron, Hermione and I have to focus all our energies in catching Lestrange."
"Lestrange?" Ron echoed him. "What does she have to do with anything?"
"Oh, right," Harry smacked his forehead, "I didn't show you. She's the one responsible for orchestrating everything. Take a look at this letter, Remus received it earlier today," he explained, and taking the parchment from his pocket, handed it to Ron.
The redhead's eyes scanned over the contents quickly. "And how could you forget to tell me about this, Harry?" he asked, quietly.
"Over the hysteria about Hermione," the other answered calmly. "Now, the question is, what are we going to do about it?"
"How can you trust an anonymous letter, though?" Ron was still skeptical. "It could all be a trap, for all you know."
"I'm willing to take that risk - otherwise, I think our informants may have wanted to keep their leader's name a secret, wouldn't you think?"
"Scarhead has a point," Draco entered into the exchange, after he had perused the letter once he had grabbed it from Ron, "I agree that we should show up to the meeting with backup, and see what this is about."
"Besides, Remus already gave his consent, and we can always use Malfoy to scare off any intruders…" Harry rejoined.
"Don't talk that way about Draco," Ginny admonished Harry, "But yes, shadowing the meeting is definitely a good idea."
After general acceptance to meet Avery and Nott had been reached, the meeting was adjourned. Draco, Ginny and Luna were to take on their ministerial appointments the very next day, and see to that questions and curiosity as to the whereabouts of Harry, Ron and Hermione was kept at bay. The latter three, of course, would make regular appearances to ensure the public confidence and support, but would otherwise remain secretive of the case, undertaken by the Magical Law Enforcement and the Auror departments. In fact, later on that night, Ron persuaded Luna to issue an order to make the details of the case around Bellatrix Lestrange sealed off, to prevent interference and questions; she agreed almost immediately.
**
The awaited date arrived, and for the two days prior to it, Hermione's condition had considerably improved, but her recovery was still not complete. She was able to walk around on her own, and attend to different tasks by herself, but her strength was still not sufficient for her to take on the duties that she was under pressure to take on once more.
"You need rest, Hermione, there will be plenty of opportunity for you to involve yourself in the affairs of the Order later on," Mrs. Weasley kept telling Hermione, due to the latter's insistent affirmations that she was quite well and able to hold her own.
The day of the meeting had been occupied with preliminary visits to Big Ben, to ensure the best places, in which a covert cover could be established, as well as find a good spot to be able to attack, should the need arise. At last, around ten o'clock in the evening, Lupin's escort had been named, and around twenty Order members would accompany him, among which were the five eldest Weasley sons, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Draco - Luna was to stay back, and help Mrs. Weasley look after Hermione, who was keen in repeatedly expressing her displeasure at not being allowed to be a part of the escort.
"I'm fine, Mrs. Weasley, there's no need to keep me back," she was saying, "look, I know this is going to sound ludicrous, but I'm able to hold a wand and duel, and what of Harry! I don't want him going out all alone!" That, and similar excuses did she employ to sway her matron's opinion, but without consequence. Mrs. Weasley was unshakably firm on keeping Hermione back.
It was a cloudless night, and most people had retired to their homes. Up above, the stars shone bleakly, weak and cold, as if reflecting the hopeless fight the Order was embroiled in…
Silence ruled over the tense surroundings, in the trepid anticipation that the mysterious initiators of this meeting would hold their word. The hands of the watch were already nearly atop one another at the indicated hour, but still, the night remained devoid of life, save for the nervous hidden souls, waiting on tenterhooks of some development to relieve them…
Finally, under the street lights, two cloaked figures approached slowly, evidently anxious themselves, as they stuck close to one another, and glanced around them repeatedly. Their faces were also obscured by hoods, to prevent unfriendly eyes from identifying who they really were. Concealed behind a wall nearby, Harry saw Lupin surreptitiously tighten the grip on his wand. At last, when the newcomers seemed to think they were not being threatened, the meeting between them and Harry's godfather commenced.
"Remus Lupin," the one the Lupin's right croaked, "we meet at last."
"Who are you?" Remus asked sharply.
"That does not matter right now," the second one answered, "what is important, is the information we have for you tonight, as indicated in our letter to you."
"Do you work for Lestrange?" Lupin retained his guard and caution with these strange individuals.
"As of recently, we no longer do, though we would prefer to maintain the illusion that we do," the former replied deeply.
"And why should I trust you?" Remus continued being skeptic.
"Have you really a choice, Remus Lupin?" the shorter of the two asked rhetorically. "If you did, you would not have come here tonight."
Lupin was forced to concede the point, and nearby, Harry was growing increasingly uneasy.
"We do not have much time," the taller, apparently former, Death Eater took the word once more, "so we must be expedient."
"Wait a moment," Remus cut across him, "what guarantee is there that what you are telling me, is true and valid?"
"As we mentioned in the letter, Mr. Lupin," his host replied with slight annoyance, "we have different interests, but they both go through the same road, by defeating Bellatrix Lestrange. It would be compelling, therefore, to cooperate with one another, wouldn't you agree?"
"And what is your interest, exactly?" Remus challenged him further.
"That is none of your concern," the Death Eater snapped. "We only want to help you, while maintaining the impression that our loyalties have not deviated, when they indeed have. Now, our time grows short, so we must hurry!"
"Fine then," Remus rejoined snappishly. "What is it that you have to tell me?"
"M.E.," the mysterious contact said clearly, "Mortimer Evans, in other words. Master of the Order of Merlin, but killed prematurely on a train to London. Gregorovitch, Olliviander, and the other wandmakers that have met their demise, they were part of that order too - as far as we are informed, the leadership of the Order has passed through to Harry Potter, and he is currently the sole remaining member of it."
"M.E.?" Remus repeated wonderingly. "Bloody hell - that note," he muttered to himself, so as to not be heard by the two strangers. "What is the purpose of the Order?" he asked, deciding to test the trustworthiness of the informants.
"To protect a series of deadly spells, devised by the legendary wizard himself…and what Bellatrix Lestrange is after; this would render her unstoppable. This is the mission that you must undertake, to stop her from acquiring that magic, because the consequences are unimaginable…"
The response was strikingly accurate, as Remus reflected with surprise, but it shed even more light on the nature of their fight.
"Alas, we must go," the shorter Death Eater said suddenly, "hopefully our paths cross again, Remus Lupin."
Without waiting for an answer from the werewolf, the two cloaked figures disapparated without a sound, leaving a stunned Remus in their wake.
Aside from the added confusion, it seemed the mission had grown much more dangerous…
A/N: Chapter 19 is done, and 20 is on the way…I can finally see how this story might end. :D In the meanwhile, reviews are more than welcome!
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