StarChaser// Jegulus||✔️

James

It's two weeks into summer and so far summer has been pretty good.
Sirius and I have spent most of our days sleeping in, playing our own version of quidditch in the garden, going on walks through the local nature reserve and playing wizards chess or playing card games with my parents in the evenings.
We rarely saw my parents throughout the day, though, they were always off somewhere, Dad always said they were at meetings. It struck me as odd because they go to the same meetings together, but they don't work together, Dad works in the Ministry whereas Mum is a part-time healer at St Mungos, so I can't figure out what meetings they're going to, but they won't tell me.
This morning I wake up earlier than midday, which is quite early for me this summer. I get dressed into some salmon pink chino shorts and a pale blue button up shirt. I bush my untameable hair and try my hardest to make it look presentable but I quickly give up. I then brush my teeth before heading downstairs because I can smell Mum's cooking pancakes.
I leave my room and bump into a Sirius who is only half awake. "Do I smell pancakes?" Asks Sirius groggily. I nod "I believe so" I reply. Sirius simply nods and stumbles back into his room to slowly get changed and eventually come downstairs once he's woken up a bit more.
"Morning, Mum, morning, Dad" I say as I grab the orange juice out of the fridge, pouring both myself and Sirius a glass.
"Good Morning, Dear. Hungry?" Asks Mum
"Absolutely famished, Mother" I reply dramatically, causing Mum to roll her eyes, but Dad laughs.
"Is Sirius up?" Asks Mother
"He is, not sure how awake he is, though" I reply.
"Awake enough" Sirius interjects.
"Ah, Sirius, perfect timing, love, I made pancakes" Mum says with a smile, immediately fussing over Sirius. Sirius is wearing black denim shorts and a plain camo-green t-shirt, very casual for Sirius but it is quite hot today.
We all sit at the table and tuck into our pancakes, topping them with syrup and fruits and sugar. They taste fantastic.
"So, boys, we have something to discuss with the both of you, it's regarding the meetings Effie and I have been attending as of late" Dad begins
"Not now, Monty, after breakfast" Mum chastises.
I can't finish my breakfast quick enough. I've been dying to know what these 'meetings' are and why they're happening, who they're happening with and more importantly, where they are happening. I want to know what they're for, and I'm finally about to find out.
The moment everyone finishes, Mum flicks her wand, sending all the dishes to the sink to wash themselves, quickening the process of us moving to the living room and finally discussing these meetings.
"Sit down boys" Dad says, gesturing to the sofa. Sirius and I take a seat whilst Mum and Dad sit down on the sofa opposite the one Sirius and I are sat on. Mum and Dad exchange a look before turning their attention back to us. It suddenly dawns on me that this might be an actual serious chat. I suddenly feel a pit of anxiety open up in my stomach. I feel a bit nauseas at the thought of this conversation being a serious, big deal. I have an urge to bounce my right leg, an urge I'm trying so hard to suppress. Don't overthink it before it's happened, James.
"Okay, so, as you may know, there is a Dark Wizard who is at large, he's gaining power as we speak" Dad begins. I can feel Sirius tense up next to me. Of course I know about this wizard
"This Dark Wizard has a following called the Death Eaters, they refer to him as The Dark Lord, we have decided to refer to him as He Who Must Not Be Named" Dad continues
"We?" I ask
"That is what this discussion is going to be centred around. We have joined a following, a resistance of sorts. Albus Dumbledore has created a collective of 'good' witches and wizards that he called The Order of the Phoenix" Dad explains
"At first, he wanted only witches and wizards of age to join The Order, but he recently got wind that the Death Eaters have started to recruit witches and wizards of schooling age, apparently they're recruiting as young as fifteen" Mum adds.
"Are you telling us this because you want us to join?" Asks Sirius
"Well, we thought we would explain it to you first, see how you felt about it and then give you the option of whether you want to join now, or wait until you're seventeen" Dad replies
"What if we don't want to join at all?" Asks Sirius
"The issue is, there is likely to be a war, not immediately we don't think, definitely within the next year we expect, so we need to choose our sides now in order to ensure everyone is protected. We thought it was imperative you knew. Obviously, Dumbledore will preface the war to everyone after the summer, but you are both almost sixteen, it would be logical for you to join the Order and get trained up in time for you to be one of our most valuable members" Dad explains.
A war? In the next year? I can no longer stop my leg bouncing. I'm trying not to let the anxiety take over, but the prospect of a full fledged magical war is so daunting, it could easily send me into a spiral and it very may well send me into one. I don't know if I could ever be 'valuable' to the Order, not if the mere prospect of fighting in a war sends me into a nervous breakdown. How would I be on the battlefield? What other choice do I have? I suppose I can either join the war effort or flee the country and be considered a coward for the rest of my life, never able to return. No, James, shut up, you're being ridiculous. Of course war is scary, any sane person is going to be sent into an anxious abyss at the prospect of fighting in a war, but I know I am willing to fight for the good side, to fight for the cause, to make sure this 'Dark Lord' doesn't get his way.
"I want to join" I say suddenly, deciding if I don't say it now I never will.
"Excellent, James, I'm proud to hear it" Dad says, grinning at me
"I want to join too, I can't have escaped a life as a Death Eater to then be stupid enough not to join the good cause" Sirius adds
"Good choice, son!" Dad exclaims, happy that the both of us have chosen to fight for good rather than reject the offer.
"There is an Order meeting in half an hour that Monty and I are attending, would you boys like to come to this one to get the feel of how the Order works?" Asks Mum, the both of us nod, eager to find out exactly what we've signed ourselves up to.
Half an hour eventually passes by and we all congregate in the hallway. "We are going to need to apparate to the location, the Order doesn't have a set location for meetings yet, but we get messages in advance telling us where the next meeting will be held, the way we get there is Monty and I will join hands, Monty will join hands with James, who will join hands with Sirius who will then join hands with me so we're all connected, ensuring no one gets left and no one get splinched, do you understand?" Asks Mum, we both nod.
We all join hands and we apparate. Apparating is awful, I hate it. It feels like someone has put you in an enclosed ball and then spins you as fast as the ball will possibly spin. Once we arrive at the location I have to fight off the urge to vomit because everyone else is absolutely fine and I do not want to come across as the weakest link.
The location is seemingly an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. It's run down and bashed up but I suppose it's the perfect location for secret meetings, it's not like the Order needs an extravagant meeting place, I also suppose that moving around makes it harder for Death Eaters to locate this rising resistance, so it can be seen as a safety measure.
We walk inside and straight to what used to be the house's dining room, which has a comically long table surrounded by chairs which had obviously been moved in by Dumbledore. There are a surprising amount of people at this meeting. I don't recognise many, but there are some I do, like Auror Alastor Moody, the Prewett twins and their sister, Kingsley Shacklebolt and obviously Albus Dumbledore, but there must be almost fifty people here.
I feel a bit closed in. Crowded spaces don't usually bother me, I mean, I go to Hogwarts and eat in the Great Hall every day, but something about being in this unfamiliar place, full of unfamiliar people makes me feel anxious, but I need to mask that and present myself as calm and collected. Sirius and I are probably the youngest people here, we have a lot more to prove than anyone else in this room, and me coming across as a nervous wreck for my first impression will not help me during my time as an Order Member.
"Everyone must be seated, please" Dumbledore commands.
Dumbledore never needs to be loud in a room full of people, people just seem to listen to him, he really is a very powerful man, it's almost unsettling.
"Welcome to the tenth Order meeting to be held, I am very pleased with the turnout. You may notice we have two relatively young newcomers this session, this is because we have become aware that the Death Eaters are recruiting those as young as fifteen, and soon their younger members will be better equipped than the non-Death Eater students, which is an unfair advantage to them, it also means that the Death Eaters will have intelligence from within Hogwarts, which is why in this meeting I propose we lower the joining age to fifteen" Dumbledore begins. There is a mixture of emotions, but mainly outrage.
"Surely we as a resistance would not succumb to the lows of recruiting child soldiers" A woman states, I don't know who she is but she seems rather powerful.
"I understand your reservations, Alice, but to act on emotion is foolish, we must match some of the tactics of the opposition, or we are willingly putting ourselves at a disadvantage. We must get a foot in the door and try and one up the Death Eaters in the early stages of the upcoming war" Dumbledore replies.
Alice seems dissatisfied with this answer but she doesn't argue any further. The meeting continues in this manner, with Dumbledore saying things about the Order, or the Death Eaters, or the upcoming war and people would shout things and agree or make comments or alterations which would be further discussed. Sirius and I stayed silent the entire time in a constant state of bewilderment.
I can't help but wonder if we decided to bite off more than we could chew. Maybe waiting until we were seventeen to join the Order would have been wise, or would that have been even more overwhelming? I can't help but feel lost in the midst of all the chaos. Maybe in time I'll get the hang of things, but time is not something anyone has to spare at the moment, with how that Order meeting went, war is closer than Dad had made it seem and the thought of that scares me shitless.
Times really are changing, and I fear the wizarding population isn't ready for that yet.
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Hello there my lovelies!

These updates have been fairly regular recently I'm actually proud of myself (I'be probably just jinxed it now lols) but anyway thank you so much for all your support on this fic it actually melts my heart when I see your comments and votes I just love you all so much you all make my day every time I come on to wattpad and see that this fic has been enjoyed by you all. This chapter is kind of the further signifier that we're entering the war years now so I feel like I must warn you all again that this fic is going to take a dark turn so please brace yourselves. Anyways, thank you so much for the support I love you all and I will see you in the next one! Until then, have a wonderful day!

Stay wonderful!

All my everlasting love,

Blue<3