Because Every Phoenix Needs a Flame

Chapter 6: The Mission

After Alice and Frank told Moody that they would join the Order, and the man passed that information to Dumbledore, the Aurors had multiple meetings with other members of the Order of the Phoenix.

Finding out that some fellow Aurors were trying to capture Dark Wizards should have not come as a surprise, Alice hadn't truly expected to be the first Auror recruited by Alastor Moody.

Caradoc Dearborn and Edgar Bones were already working in the office when Alice and Frank joined, and they were on the track to become Sargent soon. She had offered them a bitter cup of tea as payback for keeping such a secret.

The Prewett Twins had been Frank's roommates in school as well. Oh, that had made her husband madder than their Auror colleagues. The Slytherin had laughed so hard at her husband reaction. Absolute denial, he just couldn't believe that his so-called friends would keep such a big secret from him.

They were spending an evening at Fabian and Gideon's apartment, on the outskirts of muggle London, preparing themselves for their mission later that night.

"I still can't believe you two jerks kept this from me!" Frank complained, for the hundredth time, over another slice of egg custard pie that they had brought.

"You need to let that go, Longbottom." Gideon rolled his eyes.

"We are all sworn to secrecy, like the two of you are now. So I don't know how you thought we could tell you." His brother completed.

"Well, you could have invited me to one of these impromptu dinners. And I would just knock on the door and oops, you would be here having dinner with other members planning a mission." Alice stroked her husband's hair, rolling her eyes.

"We're not late for the party, Frank. The party only starts when we arrive!" She whispered with a smirk.

"Just eat your pie, Longbottom, so we can go. It's almost time." Fabian said.

"If for some reason any of us needs assistance, remember that we cannot go to St Mungo's." The other Prewett brother said, tying his long red hair in a ponytail. "It was smart of you to cut your hair, Alice."

"Not the reason I did it, if I'm being honest. I was longing for a change for some time, even before Moody approached me." She confessed. "But if you want to finally part ways with your hair, I will cut it for free. I'll even keep a strand as fond memory" She teased.

"No, no. You rock the short hairstyle, but I would not" Gideon said, and Alice felt the hold of Frank's arm around her waist, tightening. The woman squeezed his thigh, reassuring him, even if he had nothing to worry about. She would rather kiss Linden Parkinson, and she hated the man with all her magic than ever touch one of these ginger menaces.

"So... let's get over the plan once more," Alice said, hoping to change the subject.

"Are you sure that MacNair's Floo is down?"

"Yes, he was in the Ministry yesterday, screaming that he needed the Floo to be repaired because he would have an important meeting happening at his house," Frank informed. "And there's an apparition point close by. That was one of the reasons why it wasn't so high on the repairing list."

"This is a recon mission, Gryffindors, do you hear me?" Alice pointed a finger at each of them. "Our only job is to watch who arrives and identify them. And sent that information to Dumbledore."

"Yes, Ma'am!" The twins said in unison.

"That means that we won't engage in any form of an active duel." She added.

"But... you two are Aurors, you could just arrest them if it was necessary!" Fabian pouted.

"No! Alice and I are not working at the moment. They don't go to Azkaban when we arrest them as Aurors, either way." He shrugged.