The Marauders: Year Four

The Order of the Phoenix

The Order of the Phoenix

James Potter
Remus Lupin
Peter Pettigrew
Frank Longbottom
Ali Prewitt
Lily Evans
Marlene McKinnon
Annalee McKinnon
Emmaline Vance
Pandora Jenkins
Xenophilius Lovegood
Maryrose Jenkins
Andy Woodhouse
Jackson Maw
Tobias Clement
Carly Shaw
McKenna Alliston
Meg Johnson
Jessica Abbott
Marty Brown
Padamar Turin
Ian Turin
Jasper Odair
Breanne Gemini
Alabastar Jackson
Harry Warbeck

James ran a call down the list to be sure they weren't forgetting anybody. Of course, he omitted a certain name - he already knew Sirius was there, he could feel him hovering about right behind him beneath the invisibility cloak. Once he was sure everybody had showed up, he cleared his throat, nervous under the stares of all those people, sitting about on cushions or else leaning against the walls or the cabinet. Jackson Maw had his arms crossed over his chest, and Maryrose Jenkins sat right at James's feet, staring up with rapt attention and admiration. He looked down at her and forced himself to smile, the nerves in his stomach twisting about.

"Alright you lot," he said, "First off, thanks for coming 'round... I know you probably all had other things you could've been doing on a Saturday, so... yeah, thanks for choosing to come here."

Frank Longbottom, over excited by the whole experience of the thing, clapped until Ali Prewitt looked at him with one eyebrow raised and he stopped and grinned stupidly up at James instead. "Go on, Potter," he encouraged and Ali whispered shhhh.

"So... so uh, you lot are probably wondering what the Order of the Phoenix is, and what exactly you're doing here and if you're gonna come back for any subsequent meetings we might have and what the bloody hell gall I have being up in front of you talking 'bout this all when I'm just -- just James Potter --" he said his own name with a sort of disgust.

"Just James Potter?" whispered McKenna Alliston to Jessica Abbott and they both giggled at the thought of James Potter being thought of as so commonplace that he could be considered ajust.

James cleared his throat again and he looked around and his eyes met Lily Evans's eyes as she stared up at him with a sort of excited expression on her face, a look that she'd never once given him before... a look like she was something very near to impressed. James heart skipped a beat. He smiled at her, his lip hanging on his tooth and he looked down at the floor, almost shy, then looked back up at the people all staring at him and he said, "It's because somebody's got to stop You Know Who and the Resistance hasn't done it yet -- and bloody hell, I'm sick of waiting for him to destroy our world, our lives, our futures. I'm sick of letting the grown-ups, who have nothing much to lose, get defeated in a war that wagers our everything - our dreams. I'm sick of looking on, sick of hearing about students and their parents dying, sick of losing friends and families. It's us that's affected most by the outcome of each battle waged against Voldemort -- and I'm ready to be the one that takes a stand against him for my own ruddy future. And - and that's what the Order of the Phoenix is. It's us kids, rising up out of the ashes of this bloody mess our parents and grandparents have made, and setting this damned world right again! It's you and me and anyone who stands against Voldemort telling him that we. have. had. enough." James slammed his fist against his opened palm for poignancy and he looked about at all the people about him.

Ali nudged Frank and he started clapping again - followed by a couple others, including Jackson Maw, who lowered his arms from their crossed-over stance.

James flushed.

"Well how do you reckon a load of teenagers go about defeating the most powerful wizard there is?" Alabastar Jackson asked.