On the Turning Away

The meeting to formally induct Gwen into the Order took place the day after her mother’s funeral. Initially, the meeting had been set to be held a week after, so as to give the young Auror more time to grieve her mother’s passing, but that plan was one that Gwen strongly disliked. She didn’t need more time to mourn. She didn’t need to be locked up in a house where her only company was her heartbroken father. What she needed was to be out hunting Death Eaters and Voldemort.

The sooner she could do that, the better she would feel. Of that she was certain and it was with that point that she persuaded Dumbledore to move up the meeting. He had his reservations about inducting her so soon, but the look in her eyes reminded him of the look Sirius had had. She needed to be out running missions for the Order. If she wasn’t she’d go mad or wind up getting herself killed. Dumbledore didn’t want that to happen. He wouldn’t let that happen, not again.

So he moved up the meeting. He asked Molly and Arthur if they would open their home on that night. They were more than excited to do so. The induction of another member was always something worth celebrating. It reminded them that there were still people out there that were willing to fight for what was right and perhaps, even die for it, if need be. Molly, wanting to be a gracious host, prepared a spread for the evening. The food wasn’t the finest, there were no delicacies on her dining room table, but the food was delicious, it was home cooked and anyone that had a bite, was sure to feel that it was more than just food, it was an embrace. With the food taken care of, the boys began to clear the living room of unnecessary furniture and then replaced it with an assortment of chairs from around the house.

There needed to be enough seats for everyone in the Order to sit comfortably. The meeting wasn’t going to be a long one, it would be brief. But after meetings there were always conversations. The members would talk about rumors they’d heard, missions they were running and the situations they were living in. Meetings were the one time when they could discuss official Order business without wondering if someone was spying on them. It was one time they could breathe easy. And as the members of the Order sat in the living room of the Burrow, waiting for Dumbledore to arrive with their newest addition, they hoped that her fate would not be that of her mother’s.

Outside the Burrow sat Remus. He’d been inside, but had found himself needing fresh air to soothe himself. There was a full moon approaching. And with the impending full moon came the aches, the hot flashes, and the general sensation of being ill that had plagued him since his childhood. One would have thought that after experiencing it for so many years, he would’ve grown accustomed to it. He hadn’t. He feared he never would. His thoughts were taken from his condition when a loud pop broke the country tranquility. He looked up, his eyes settling on the figure of Dumbledore and Gwen; the latter wore an expression better suited for a battle.

Perhaps she thought that someone would protest her being formally introduced to everyone, that someone would claim she wasn’t worthy of being there. No such thing would happen. Not to Gwen. She was well respected, known for her talents as an Auror and to have her skills be put to use for their cause was the absolute best thing that could happen. He hoped that she would enjoy her time with the Order. The other day he overheard Bill talking with Tonks and he let out that there were unresolved issues between him and Gwen. What those issues were, he hadn’t a clue, but he hoped that they wouldn’t deter Gwen from being there.

And they wouldn’t. Gwen was determined to stay in the Order, even if she had to run missions with Bill. She wasn’t about to let the past come in between the task at hand. There were forces that needed to be defeated, information that needed to be gathered and as a professional that demanded perfection, Gwen was determined to not let her personal life effect her work ethic, because that would mean she wasn’t fit to hold the title of Auror.

“Has everyone arrived?” inquired Dumbledore when they reached the front porch.

Remus stood. “Yes. They’re all inside.”

“Very well,” the elderly wizards turned to face the young witch. “Let us enter.”

Her face displayed her determination for everything to go well. It informed Dumbledore that there were no doubts in her mind. That this life was one she wanted and one she would gladly lead until the war ended or her own life did. In silence, she followed him into the house, trailing slightly behind so as to take in the faces of those that awaited them. There were familiar faces, ones that she had grown up seeing. Others were foreign, ones that she had never crossed paths with, not even at the funeral. They were quite a diverse bunch; young and old, plump and lean, but in their gaze she found their common similarity. In their gaze she saw hope.

“Old friends,” Dumbledore greeted them warmly. “I thank you for joining us on this evening. As you know, our ranks will grow with the induction of another member. We are very fortunate to have the young Miss Reynolds join us. Her talents will surely be beneficial to our organization and I only hope that everyone here will join me in welcoming her.”

What followed was silence. Gwen was unsure of why no one was speaking. Shouldn’t another member make some speech? Wasn’t that what these meetings were held for? Weren’t there supposed to be secret rituals that were performed? That was what she had thought, but as she stood there, in the middle of the crowded living room. She couldn’t help but think that Dumbledore’s brief speech was it. That there was nothing more to it and as she thought about that, she couldn’t help but be disappointed. There should be some ceremonial aspects to inducting a new member into a secret society. Maybe a chant, a goblet filled with wine, something! But no, there were only people crowded into a living room and a table filled with food.

“Let me be the first to welcome you,” spoke Molly, her bright brown eyes relaying her genuine affection for the younger witch. “It will be an honor to serve with you. As it was to serve with your mother,” she added softly.

“Thank you, Mrs. Weasley.”

“Oh no, dear, we’re quite past the point of Mrs. Weasley. It’s Molly now.”

“Molly,” she said, the name sounding strange on her tongue.

“Now let’s go make some introductions. Some of us, you recognize, others not so much. But no need to fret, by nights end, their faces will be safely tucked away in your memory.”

“This isn’t her first day at Hogwarts, no one needs to hold her hand and show her around,” Tonks appeared, her hair a bright shade of bubblegum pink. “Isn’t that right, Gwen?”

“That you, Tonks?” she hadn’t seen the witch since their days at Hogwarts.

“Course it’s me, it’s impossible to replicate this sort of beauty. Not even Polyjuice potion gets it right.”

“Haven’t changed a bit,” Gwen commented, her own lips curling upwards.

“Reckon I never will.” Tonks smiled brightly. “Really is good to see you again, Gwen. Sorry I couldn’t make it to your mum’s funeral. Ended up at St. Mungo’s for a bit, but I'm good as ever now.”

“I can see that. Nice hair, by the way.”

“That a jab?”

Gwen shook her head. “It really does look cool. You’re the only person I know that could wear that and not look mad.”

“Always know what to say, don’t you.” Tonks caught Gwen off guard by taking her into a strong embrace. It’d been years since she’d last seen her and she demanded a proper hug. “Old Voldy won’t know what hit him with the two of us out there. It’ll be like old times, except now we know hot to kill things.”

“We killed things before.”

“The cat doesn’t count. It was an accident.”

“Right,” she said before observing the others. “Think I should start acquainting myself with the others.”

“Well, when you’re done, find me! I’ll be over by the table.”

As soon as Tonks left, another woman appeared. She was much older than them, looking well into her forties. Her light brown hair was parted down the middle and fell well past her shoulders.

“Miss Reynolds,” she spoke, her tone formal. “I'm Evangeline Vance. We’ve not formally met before, but my sister, Emmeline Vance, was friends with your mother.”

“I remember Emmeline,” she did, Emmeline had always been at family parties. “I'm sorry about her.”

“As I am about your mother,” Evangeline mustered a smile. “But tonight is not about those that have fallen. It is about the hope that a new addition brings. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

I look forward to working with you in the future. That was the line that everyone she spoke to, said. It was either that or some variant of it, but the meaning was there. Did they mean it? She didn’t know. Maybe they did, maybe they were just saying it to be polite. Whatever it was didn’t matter. She’d work with whoever she had to work with and hoped that they would feel comfortable with being paired with her.

For the most part, Gwen spent her time with Tonks, discussing what had happened at the Ministry in June, as well as how the Auror department was being told to respond to the situation. It was absurd that it had taken so long for the Ministry to launch a full scale investigation on the whereabouts of Voldemort. That should have been something they looked into, the moment that Cedric turned up dead. Had they launched the investigation then and found him, the fiasco at the Ministry could have been avoided. Her mother could have still been alive, but the unwillingness of an old man to see what lay before him, had cost lives to be lost. That man was unfit to have ever been the Minister and it was that very statement that Gwen was making, when Dumbledore asked if he could have a word.

“Excuse me for interrupting your conversation, but I was wondering if I might have a word,” he’d said.

“Yes, of course.” Gwen set her drink down on the table and looked to Tonks. “I’ll be back.”

Dumbledore waited for her to face him, to say, “Please, follow me.”

Where to, she thought, but didn’t bother asking. If he had wanted her to know where it was that he was taking her, he would’ve said so, but he hadn’t specified a location. That was something she did when she didn’t want other people eavesdropping. So she followed him out back where the breeze had grown quite chilly. Remus stood near the edge of the garden, his back to them.

“Do you wish to begin your duties as soon as possible or would you prefer to get to know the others first?” he asked, his voice soft.

“I’d much rather get into the swing of things right away.”

“Very well,” whispered Dumbledore. “Let us go to Remus, he as much to say as I.”

“Might I ask about what this concerns?”

“A mission,” he answered simply.

Gwen had to actively stop herself from smiling. She loved missions. There were few things she loved more than walking into work and finding out that a new assignment had been given to her. And the more dangerous the assignment, the more she enjoyed it. She loved going undercover, gathering information via personal observation and interrogations of subjects.

“Remus,” Dumbledore called to him. “Would you care to brief Gwen on the mission she will assist you with?”

Remus turned to them. “For the last three weeks, I have been keeping a watchful eye on Nazar and Ignac Dolohov, brothers of Antonin Dolohov.”

“Dolohov,” she repeated to herself. “Isn’t he in Azkaban?”

“He was recently returned to his proper place, yes. But for five months of this year, he was at large; carrying out Lord Voldemort’s bidding and was spotted his brother Nazar, by Emmeline Vance. When Emmeline became aware of their contact, she began to trail them and did so until her death at the hands of Bellatrix. Since her death, I have taken it upon myself to continue her work. Although, it has become more difficult now that Ignac has become involved.”

“What have they been doing?”

“Nothing outright horrible, but they have withdrawn a considerably large sum of gold from Gringotts and they have been frequenting Knockturn Alley, their favored shop is Borgin and Burkes.”

“Typical.”

“Yes, quite predictable of them and worrisome for us, because at this point I can only speculate what dark artifacts have their attention.”

“Let me see if I have this right, Nazar and Ignac have withdrawn a small fortune from their Gringotts account. Their gold is potentially being spent at Borgin and Burkes, buying an array of dark artifacts that can and will fall into the hands of Death Eaters. Is that right?”

“That’s exactly it.” Dumbledore spoke. “And it is my wish that you assist Remus in keeping watch of the Dolohov brothers. There is no telling what those two are capable of. They might not have joined the ranks of Voldemort during the last war, but that was only because they were barely starting at Hogwarts. But now they are men, men whose minds have been poisoned by fanatical parents and I fear that the poison will lead them to seek a place among Death Eaters. That is, if they have not already done so.”

“What are the guidelines?”

“Discretion,” was all he said.