One Fate Leads To Another

Chapter 11: The Order

Upon graduation, I met Dumbledore to discuss my role in the Order. Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do about protecting the members of the Order whom I was not familiar with, as I did not have previous knowledge of how or when they were injured, or worse, killed.

Another obstacle was that even though I knew where Harry Potter eventually found those Horcruxes, I had no idea when they were placed in such a position. What if the Dark Lord kept his Horcruxes elsewhere? 

"How certain are you?" The wise old man asked.

"Not certain enough, Professor. I know Ravenclaw's diadem is right here at Hogwarts, the ring is in the Gaunt Shack; Slytherin's locket is very likely still in the Crystal Cave, but I'll have to be there before Regulus Black and figure out a way to retrieve it without dying in the hands of inferi...The diary will likely be placed in the hands of the Malfoys, and the Lestrange keeps the Hufflepuff's cup, but I cannot be sure when the Dark Lord trusted them with his Horcruxes. Not to mention the most difficult one, Nagini."

"This is too risky. Voldemort cannot know we're after his Horcruxes before we collect all of them. He is extremely powerful. His followers grow day by day. He's been recruiting magical creatures to join his forces."

"And the order is outnumbered," I agreed with him.

"Alice, if what you know about our future is true, we cannot risk destroying the Horcruxes now."

I immediately realized what he meant. Dumbledore would rather go through the "future" path I showed him. But I strongly oppose him... What about Lily and James?

"Professor, is there really no other way?" I could not possibly give up now. If I joined the order, it should cause history to change. "I have been polishing my skills for years to prepare for this war. I will not accept that my friends still have to die even though I can see what will happen to them."

"Even those gifted with the ability to glimpse at the future cannot change one's fate," he sighed. "You are indeed a very talented witch, but all the hiding places of the Horcruxes you mentioned take numerous plans and efforts. It takes time. While Voldemort is out there tormenting and massacring the innocent, the order is running out of time. Every second, he grows to be more powerful. It is unwise to get side-tracked."

I understood his logic, but I could not bring myself to accept it.

"Voldemort must be gone for good, and if the son of Lily and James is the key. We shall make sure that it remains this way," said Dumbledore. "An invaluable sacrifice to bring saviour to all, difficult to bear, but necessary. Everything has to go according to the future which you've shown me. Even a slight difference could have disastrous impacts on the outcome."

I couldn't convince myself to stay away and do nothing for Lily and James. Yet, it is probably not a good time to brainstorm a new plan, so I held on to that thought but moved on to discuss something else.

"There is one thing that might have changed," I hesitated. "In two years from now, Severus would rise to be the most trusted servant of the Dark Lord, which is about the time the prophecy is read and he reported it."

"Yes, you've mentioned it before."

"Severus begged the Dark Lord for mercy, to spare Lily and only take the baby's life because he has always been deeply in love with her. But his interest seems to have shifted... If Lily was just an old friend to him, what if he does not beg for her? Then the Dark Lord would not give time to spare Lily for her to perform the ancient magic by willingly sacrificing for love!"

Dumbledore sat down. He wearily held his head with one arm and thought in silence. We were both calculating the possible outcomes.

"You/I have to join the death eaters." We spoke out our thought simultaneously.

"I'm glad that we are on the same page, Alice. It is going to be an extremely dangerous task, but you will have to gain his trust and rise to be the equivalent of Severus Snape. Can you do that?"

"I will try my best, professor. It will take more planning before I act though. One last thing, how am I supposed to tip you off when I receive any valuable information?"

"Members of the order communicate using our Patronus. But remember our goal, evaluate the risks. Focus on the bigger picture." His words reminded me of his old acquaintance, Grindelwald.

To become a death eater, I needed someone to bring me in. It wasn't the same as being recommended and volunteering for a position. If I did it wrong, the plan could fail. Therefore, I waited for my time to come.

Not long after graduation, my sweet Lily got engaged to James. A daring move in this daring time. I was of course invited to the wedding as her bridesmaid. Not well-acquainted with the other bridesmaid, who are almost all Gryffindors, it was a funky experience. Lily was very upset that Petunia turned down her wedding invitation, and it was one of the reasons why I agreed to step in and took her place to be a bridesmaid. Anything for a dear friend. While preparing for the wedding, I was struggling with what to get them as a wedding gift, then the best idea hit me.

"Congratulations, Lily! Here is my gift for you, open the box!"

She gently untied the ribbon and inside was a VHS recorder. It was a muggle product, but I enchanted it with protecting magic to ensure it wouldn't be easily destroyed.

"This is expensive!" she exclaimed.

"I hope you find it useful," I smiled. "I heard that it's very popular among muggle families. They record their daily lives and important moments, such as the brith of their newborn baby..."

"Lizzie!" she stopped me from teasing her. I laughed with Lily, but I knew I was not making a tease. Dumbledore was right, and I simply couldn't come up with a better plan. I wanted to leave their family with something to create memorable moments so that when Harry grows up, he can 'meet' his parents via the VHS tapes. This was the least I could do for them.