The Unknown of the Order (Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery

Whispering Woods

"Which creature did Tonks disguise herself as in order to pull a prank on Ismelda Murk in our sixth year?"

Sarah pointed her wand in the mousy-haired woman's face, but she merely smiled and said, "A werewolf. But I didn't do it alone, Tulip Karasu helped me. One of the best pranks we ever pulled."

Sarah lowered her wand. The two women were hunkered beneath a giant tree deep within the forbidden forest. Such was the darkness, that Sarah barely recognized her old friend without her bubblegum hair. 

"You've got to teach me that patronus trick sometime," said Sarah. 

They had moved safehouses after Barnaby and Elena left, but a great, spectral dog of some kind had still drifted in through the open door and spoken in Tonks's voice, summoning her to this meeting point for instructions from Dumbledore. 

"Dumbledore's invention, of course," said Tonks. "Did you come alone?"She glanced around Sarah as if she would find Talbott or Diego hiding behind her. "That's not very smart."

Sarah had snuck off in the middle of the night. The others had wanted her to ignore the patronus, worried it was a trap. They'd thought they'd convinced her to wait and investigate the area with them in the morning, but Sarah couldn't wait. 

"I don't see any backup with you, either," she said. 

Tonks shrugged. "There's always a few Order members hanging around Hogwarts these days."

"To protect Harry Potter?"

"Or 'The Chosen One,' as they're calling him now. You got to admit, it's catchier than 'The Boy Who Lived.'"

Sarah's heart ached at Tonk's flat voice. The life seemed to have left it, bled out like the pink color from her hair. 

"Dumbledore seems to think Harry will be essential for taking You-Know-Who down for good," Tonks continued. "So he's being guarded by the Order nearly twenty-four/seven."

"Poor kid," Sarah mumbled. She knew what it was like to feel like the world depended on you, even if you were just a student with a few magic powers. She'd like to meet Harry Potter one day. 

"With us all busy babysitting Harry, Dumbledore wants you and the others to help minimize collateral damage," said Tonks. 

"Like we did before," said Sarah. "Chasing off dementors."

Tonks nodded. "But it's gotten way worse. Death Eaters are brazenly walking the streets, strolling into muggle homes, murdering everyone inside, and leaving the Dark Mark in the sky. The ministry is basically powerless to stop it, as all they care about is giving old Fudge the sack."

Tonks stared at her. Sarah could see the stars' light reflecting from her eyes. 

"Think you can handle that?"

Sarah hesitated only a moment. War had come. Soon, it would be time to kill or be killed. To take a life in order to save many others. Patricia Rakepick's face flashed before her eyes, and she remembered Jacob and Merula pressuring Sarah to lock the murderer in the sunken vault to starve to death. She hadn't been able to do it. 

"'Course," said Sarah. 

"Brilliant," said Tonks. "There's a cemetery in London called Kensal Green. I think its the largest one they've got. We've received information that a group of Death Eaters is being sent to turn the bodies buried there into inferi."

Sarah felt as if her body had sunk to the ground, but she was upright and staring at Tonks. 

"You serious?"