Love The Heartless

Chapter Ten

February 22nd, 1970

"Alright. Your lunch is in the oven, and I've just fed Artemis his lunch." Aurora called as she threw a jacket over her sweatshirt.
As she had promised, Aurora had taken Andromeda to Diagon Alley and purchased a family owl. Artemis was a brown barn owl, with light brown eyes. Andromeda had fallen in love with him the second she laid eyes on him, and although he was a little more expensive than Aurora had wanted, she couldn't say no to the younger witch. Not after the hell she had experienced the past couple weeks.

"Thank you! I just finished writing Ted a letter!" Andromeda skipped happily into the living room.

"Don't forget-"
"To use a code name. I chose Pegasus." Andromeda grinned as she tied the letter to the owl's outstretched leg. "I told Ted to pick something too, and to address all letters to Pegasus from here on out."

"Brilliant." Aurora nodded as someone knocked on the door. "That'll be whoever they sent to watch after the house."
Aurora drew her wand, and opened the door slightly, peeking out.

Auror in training Shacklebolt stood there in his uniform with a small smile on his face.

"Who sent me the letter saying that you would be here today?" Aurora questioned.
"Minerva McGonagall. Although she did not mention me by name, Athena. Good idea making sure that I was actually me." Shacklebolt nodded as she let him inside the small apartment.

"Hi Kingsley." Andromeda waved.
"Good afternoon, Miss Andromeda. Miss Nott, we will be fine here. Auror Moody is waiting for you at the Hogs Head Inn."
"I left a tenner on the kitchen counter in case I'm not back for dinner. 'Dromeda knows the number to the Chinese take out place, get yourself something too Shacklebolt. I appreciate you watching over ickle 'Drommie here." Aurora ruffled Andromeda's hair gently.

"It is my pleasure Miss Nott." Shacklebolt tried to suppress a grin.

"I'll see you lot later. Listen to Shacklebolt, Andromeda." Aurora warned the younger witch before she disapparated from the living room.

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"Bloody hell, I hate disapparating." Aurora mumbled to herself as she landed on the steps outside of the Hogs Head Inn.
"Nott. Right on time. Come with me." An older man with a rough voice hobbled by her. He looked to be in his early thirties, had blonde hair, and was wearing a black eye patch over one eye.
"What's your name?" Aurora asked.
"Alastor Moody. Dumbledore sent me. You're Aurora Nott, 'brightest witch of your age', as Dumbledore calls you." He kept walking, obviously expecting her to follow.

"How do I know you're actually you?" Aurora questioned, following slightly behind, her hand on her wand just in case.
"Ha! Constant vigilance!" Moody barked. "Think someone would want to use polyjuice potion to turn into this ugly mug?"
"Come on, Athena. People are waiting on you." Moody continued, holding out his arm.

Aurora took his arm, feeling herself get pulled along in the side along apparation.

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"Ah, Miss Nott. So nice of you to join us." Dumbledore said as Aurora walked into a parlor room.
"It's lovely to see you again, Headmaster." Aurora nodded as she looked around the room, recognizing a few people there.
"Come take a seat, Aurora." McGonagall motioned to the empty chair next to her.

"Good to see ya, Nott!" Hagrid beamed at her. "You was always me favorite, you were. Always kind to e'ryone."
"Good to see you too, Hagrid." Aurora gave him a smile.

"Let's get to business." Dumbledore steepled his fingers in front of his face. "Lord Voldemort is getting more powerful by the day. The Ministry seems to be... oblivious to this fact. They seem to think that he will just go away. That will not be the case. I fear a war is coming."
"A war?" An older man, who Aurora recognized as the owner of The Hoggs Head Inn, questioned.

"Yes, Aberforth. A war. A war that will claim many lives. And we must be prepared." Dumbledore nodded solemnly.

"I'm sorry, but what exactly are you suggesting?" Aurora asked. "That we fight a war, that The Ministry wants to be oblivious to?"
"That's exactly what I'm suggesting, Miss Nott." Dumbledore nodded.

"Professor, you know how I feel about the Dark Lord. You know, that I want to see him fall. But it's not just me that I have to worry about anymore. If we fight, there will be retaliation. I've seen how cruel this bastard is. What he'll do to a child. Imagine what he'll do to someone who actively fights against him."

"Rest assured, Miss Nott. That we will not be charging in blindly. All I ask for is your trust, and commitment to the Order."

McGonagall reached over and patted Aurora's hand, giving her a look.

"The Order?" Aurora questioned.
"The Order of the Phoenix. We would like you to join us, Miss Nott. Our numbers are growing daily, I assure you. Fabian and Gideon Prewett joined last week." McGonagall said.

Aurora remembered the Prewett twins from school. Although they were a few years ahead of her, they were kind to her.

"Alright. Count me in." Aurora nodded. "But, Andromeda is my first priority. If I feel like she is in danger at any point, she will come first before anything and anybody."
"Agreed, Miss Nott. The future of our magical children is exactly why we are fighting." Dumbledore nodded.

"So, what's the plan to bringing down Voldemort."

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Aurora sighed as she walked up the stairs to her apartment, the meeting had been long with a lot of arguing. Mostly from Aberforth. In Aurora's opinion, the old man didn't seem to want to be there.

""Dromeda, Kingsley, I'm-"
"Stupefy!" Andromeda peeked her head around the corner and pointed her wand.

Aurora deflected the spell with a quick wave.

"Sorry, Rory! Kingsley and I were practicing my dueling. We had a little game going on." Andromeda gave her a smile.
"I'm glad to see you two had fun. And you managed not to burn the apartment down." Aurora chuckled as Kingsley popped up from behind the couch.
"There was no danger of burning the house down. Stunners and disarm only." Kingsley held his hands up in defeat. "She is very good for her age."
"I appreciate you sitting with her Kingsley. Did you two eat dinner?" Aurora tossed her bag on the kitchen table.
"I must be off. It was nice seeing you both." Kingsley nodded and disapparated out.

"Yes we ate. I got you dinner. It's in the oven. What did McGonagall want?"

"They want me to join the resistance against you-know-who. And I said I would join." Aurora grabbed her take out container from the oven. "Dumbledore also offered me something. I told him I would need to speak to you first."

"Offered you what?" Andromeda lept up and sat down on the kitchen counter.

"A teaching position at Hogwarts."
"A what?" Andromeda's eyes grew wide as saucers.

"Assistant teaching position, really. McGonagall needs help teaching some of the classes. I would take a few of the first and second year classes, and the all seventh year classes. And I would fill in whenever another teacher gets called out for Order business."
"I thought you wanted to become an Auror?"
"I do. I did. But I have other responsibilities. And the Order will keep me busy enough and give me a way to fight and protect people." Aurora said through a mouthful of her takeout.

"And you needed to speak to me, why?"
"Because if I were to start teaching next year, you would come back to Hogwarts with me. You would be in school with Narcissa."
"Oh..." Andromeda trailed off.

"If you aren't comfortable with being back in the school with Narcissa, I will tell Dumbledore no." Aurora reached over and took Andromeda's hand. "Your safety and wellbeing is my number one priority. I will not let anything happen to you, regardless of what you choose."
"Do it. Tell Dumbledore yes." Andromeda nodded.
"Are you sure?"
"Bloody hell Rory, this is the opportunity of a lifetime! You'd be an amazing professor. Professor Nott," Andromeda chuckled. "It has a nice ring to it."

"I will owl Dumbledore in the morning." Aurora nodded. "We won't go back till the start of next term, so you'll finish your sixth year here at home."

"Brilliant."