The Muggle Who Did Something: A marauders era fanfiction

Chapter 5: Moskin Lodge

"Okay, she's gone inside."

James nudged his partner, his voice coming out in a hushed whisper. The two men had dashed just far enough away to be hidden from view. Neither had spoken a word, yet they both paused to watch what Cynthia would do after they left. She watched their retreating figures, a some what melancholy look on her face as she did. Once they were 'gone' she just sat there drinking in the cold spring air.

No Death Eaters came out to talk to her, so that was a good sign. After staring up at the cloudy sky for a moment, the young woman pulled herself back inside and was gone behind her curtains.

Sirius nodded once towards his friend, then picking a random direction the two men took off. They moved in practiced silence, going somewhere further away. The last thing they needed was the woman to hear the sound of them apparating away.

Knowing this woman as little as he did, Sirius guessed Cynthia would not respond well if she caught the echo of another 'firecracker'. Regardless of his friend's last warning to her, she might just jump right out that window and come after them. Not that she'd find them, but she didn't need to be running about at night looking for two people she would never find. Someone actually dangerous might find her if she did.

The young Auror supposed if she'd been born with magic, she would have had a good shot being in Gryffindor, not that his guess was anything compared to the sorting hat. The girl could have been a 'puff for all he knew. She did seem quite concerned about them as they left. It was rather nice to be worried about, even by a muggle.

It didn't take long for James and Sirius to get far enough away. The rain had just begun to fall, covering the paved ground with little gray dots. The two took cover in the shadow of a large tree that skirted the edge of some random muggle garden. The pitter patter of water falling grew louder with every moment. It was going to be a big storm, no doubt.

Sirius smiled at James, who returned his expression. Reaching out slinging an arm around his best friend he apparated them away.

James still didn't like the sensation of apparition. It hadn't bugged him so much as a child while being held by his parents, but in recent years it was a most uncomfortable experience. It reminded him vaguely of his animagus transformation, only much less 'natural'. It almost hurt being compressed like this, were as when he transformed into his deer self it was almost freeing.

It was Remus' working theory that their animagus selves were the reason why he and his friends didn't like the sensation more than most. All except Remus himself, who much preferred it to his 'transformation' for obvious reasons. As sound as the idea was, it wasn't like they could go up to another animagus like their old transfiguration professor, McGonagall, and ask how aparation affected her.

With a small lurch the two Auror's reached their destination. Moskin Lodge, the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

Moskin Lodge was not a small building. It could easily room 50 or so people within itself, not that the order had that many people to work with at the moment. They had maybe half that, if James had to guess. It stayed hidden with the aid of magic and physical location, being tucked away somewhere practically nameless and out of the way.

The walls were hung with old coats of arms from families no one recognized anymore, as well as an odd assortment of weapons. Axes, Swords, Crossbow, and the like littered the building's walls, their purpose obsolete to the current people occupying the lodge.

The air in the building was stiff and musky, almost thick sometimes depending on where you stood, probably from not being used for many years or something. Many had tried an assortment of things to make the place more tolerable. Nothing worked for very long, unfortunately. No matter how many times one used a spell to freshen the air, it seemed to last only half as long as it should. It would last a little longer if cast by a house elf, but not much.