The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

A Counterfeit Warrant

James, Lily, Remus, Sirius, Peter, Marlene, Emmaline, and Frank Longbottom all sat around the table in the Marauders' flat in East London. Downstairs the party time was really going and loud music thumped the floorboards, and the smell of the food filled the air. On the table before the lot of them was an array of things to eat, each of them had brought a plate to share.

"Merlin's beard, Marley," Frank said, eating what had to be his seventh or eighth buttered scone from the box of them Marlene had brought along. "I was famished before we got here, but I'd bloody eat a dozen of these on a full stomach, they're that good." He licked his fingers.

Marlene said, "Slaved over a hot stove for hours to make them, I did."

"She paid the baker and waved her wand once to warm them before we came over," Emmaline corrected.

"Hush Em, you're supposed to have kept that a secret!"

Frank said, "I don't care how you got'em here, only that you did!" He grabbed for another.

Lily cleared her throat, "And I get no recognition for the hand pies?"

"You saw me pack away several of those," Frank said, mouth full and crumbs falling out across his chest. "Don't act like you didn't see me eat more than my share of them, too."

Remus was picking at the crust on his own pie, snapping the edges of the crust off, and nibbling half heartedly at it. His eyes full of concern as he kept glancing at James expectantly every now and again, even as everyone else about the table burst into laughter. Finally, he could take it no more - he was exhausted and in a bit of a bad mood. "What's this meeting for, anyway?"

A hush went over them all. One by one, each of them present turned to look at James, except Lily, who looked down at her plate. She and James had already talked extensively about the subject of the meeting, and had even argued about it for part of the afternoon.

"Regulus Black got the vials of werewolf venom into his possession and has afforded a way to get it back to the Order."

Frank looked surprised, "Seriously?"

Sirius opened his mouth to make his pun, but before he could James had cut him off by actually answering Frank's inquiry without the frill of the joke: "Yes, but it's going to be a bit tricky because to collect them, --"

Sirius burst out, "I'm sure he's only given them to that little toadstool elf, I can just summon --"

"-- we've got to get them out of Gringott's. From the Black Family Vault." James spoke loudly to be heard over Sirius. The result was that the silence that followed the words felt even larger and more empty.

"Obviously, we will need your involvement, Sirius, as a Black has to be the one who opens the vault, but I don't reckon having you waltz into Gringott's is the way to do it. Everyone knows you don't get on with your family, surely the goblins would alert your Mum and the next thing you know we've got half Voldemort's bloody army of Death Eaters banging up the place. It's got to be way more discreet than that. So." James paused, looking about the table at the others. "Let's hear your brilliant plans."

Silence.

They all sat, looking about at one another. Lily looker at James with eyes which conveyed that this was precisely what had worried her when they'd spoken about the task earlier.

"Anyone?"

"Well," said Marlene slowly, "Remember the time that two of the Weasley kids broke in to see the dragon? We could see if he's got any ideas how to do it."

A round of uneasy chuckles broke among them.

Frank said, "We'll have Gideon or Fabian draw up a warrant. Make it an official investigation, I'm sure --"