THE DOE AND STAG , james potter

twelve

chapter twelve
(the order of the phoenix)

Doe was born on December 12th, 1958. As a result, she was older than the majority of her classmates by at least one or two years. Additionally, of her small group of close friends, the one who was the closest to her in terms of age was Sirius Black, who was born in November of the following year. The rest of her friends, including James, Remus, Lily, and Peter, all had a birth year of 1960.

Doe used to playfully taunt James before he reached the age of legal magic, which occurred once they had officially entered their summer holiday.

Once the appropriate time had arrived for the two of them to partake in magical activities out of school without any restrictions or adult supervision, James went on a short trip with Sirius one day in the month of July in order for the pair to enjoy their newfound freedom as legal adults.

Unfortunately, the enjoyable excursion that James and Sirius went on ended in a rather unfortunate manner, as the pair had apparently been speeding along on the latter's bike. This had seemingly prompted the intervention of the Muggle police, although it did not pose a significant issue.

Just as the situation seemed to be under control, seemingly peaceful forces suddenly ambushed them, consisting of Voldemort's supporters. Fortunately, Sirius and James were able to employ a combination of tactics and magic to effectively repel their foes.

This incident made the news within the magical community.

Doe recalled punching both James and Sirius upon their return from the previously mentioned altercation, only to break down in a fit of tears in a gesture of relief. The reality of the situation was steadily becoming less and less abstract, with the conflict gradually growing in its intensity.

Before this occurrence had transpired, however, Doe's initial taste of the ongoing conflict was the moment when Dumbledore had summoned her and Sirius to his office sometime prior.

Upon the invitation of Dumbledore, Doe and Sirius both joined the Order of the Phoenix, which was a secret organization that opposed the goals of Voldemort and his allies. They understood that they would not be assigned any missions until their graduation and, in addition, they were sworn to maintain total secrecy in regards to the Order's existence until all their friends were old enough to make the decision to join on their own accord.

As the days wore on, the membership list for the Order of the Phoenix continued to grow, first including Lily, followed by Remus about one month after. A few weeks later, James and Peter joined.

Upon discovering that Doe and Sirius had held the information regarding the organization's existence secret from them, James felt a small amount of jealousy. He understood that the two had taken an oath to secrecy, but he still couldn't suppress the tinge of resentment that he had experienced.

Despite this, he chose not to make his feelings known to anyone.

When they graduated, the two of them were finally eligible to fill vital positions as members of the affiliation that was seeking to wage war against the forces of Voldemort.

This was undoubtedly a monumental occasion for the pair, as it represented their readiness to make a true contribution in the efforts to thwart the Dark Lord.

With James's own summons to the meeting with the Headmaster serving as the catalyst, the final five members of the group would go on to meet a day after their respective birthdays, each of them being summoned alone and thus devoid of company.

When James came back, Doe was seen waiting for him with a visibly pained smile on her face. She understood that it was indeed a great honor to be selected to be an official member of the Order, but it was undeniable that this decision carried significant weight to it.

The ongoing conflict between the forces of evil and the brave warriors who sought to oppose it was undeniably a brutal and cruel ordeal, one that had claimed countless lives and threatened to escalate even further.

The group's abrupt transition from adolescents living in a seemingly peaceful era to young adults destined to partake in an all-out war was certainly not their intended life path.

Upon James grabbing his counterpart's hand, the two of them began to stroll along with their hands intertwined while discussing the Order.

"So...the order huh?" James grabbed one of her hands and walked down the halls.

Doe confirmed the fact that she had also been summoned by the Headmaster in the past, having received his call a year prior to their graduation. She then expressed her desire not to think about the war and its eventual implications, but admitted that it was a difficult feat that occupied much of her thought process when she was alone.

She went on to express her affection for James by opting to cling onto his arm instead of holding his hand, while leaning on it.

James led Doe to a conveniently placed bench, with him sitting down first. He then proceeded to pull her into his embrace, having her seat herself on his lap. He held her close, intending to provide her with some form of comfort.

While Doe was bound by an oath of secrecy, James was consumed by conflicting emotions. Deep down, he wished that he had been given the opportunity to know about their inclusion in the Order, so he could have kept her busy and distracted. He also wished that their future had been a considerably brighter one without any war.

Every day since they became aware of their roles in the Order, James would fervently pray for the safety of the people he cared about and for their ability to conquer or withstand the forces of evil. He prayed incessantly for all of them to emerge unscathed from the ongoing conflict and he yearned for a day when they could simply live a peaceful existence without the looming shadow of death and destruction that had been constantly cast over the entire wizarding world.