Chapter 4
The headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is on Grimmauld Place 12, London.
That's what was written down on the parchment Dumbledore had given them before they returned to Hogsmeade. Mack and Julie had, once again, exchanged bewildered glances.
Tonks led the way, making sure that no one spotted them on the school grounds. As they exited the protective barriers of Hogwarts, she turned sharply on her heel and held out her hands. "Hold tight," she instructed.
Mack gripped her left hand while Julie hesitated for a moment before reluctantly grasping her right
.
The sensation was immediate and dreadful. Julie felt as though her entire body was being squeezed through a narrow tube. She gritted her teeth, trying not to gag. When they landed with a sharp crack, she stumbled, nearly losing her balance. Her stomach churned violently. "Merlin," she muttered, clutching her side. "I forgot how much I hate Apparition."
Tonks chuckled softly. "You’ll get used to it. Or not. I’ve seen Aurors who’ve been Apparating for decades and still hate it."
Mack’s gaze swept over the house, "I assume we’re not here for tea," he muttered, earning a half-smile from Tonks.
"Not quite," she replied, placing her finger to her lips to signal for silence. "Follow me, and tread lightly."
Julie felt an immediate chill as they crossed the threshold. The air inside was oppressive, heavy. The hallway was dimly lit, its walls lined with peeling wallpaper and tarnished candelabras. A faint, acrid smell lingered in the air.
Julie glanced nervously at a pair of moth-eaten curtains hanging on the wall, their edges frayed. There was something unsettling about them, though she couldn’t quite place why.
"Keep moving," Tonks whispered, leading them down the hallway to a narrow staircase.
At the bottom of the stairs, Tonks opened a heavy wooden door, gesturing for them to enter. Julie took a deep breath, her heart pounding. She glanced at Mack, who nodded. He stepped through first, and Julie followed close behind.
The room they entered was a cavernous kitchen, lit only by the flickering flames of a large fireplace at the far end. The rough stone walls and worn wooden table in the centre of the room gave it a bleak, utilitarian feel. Heavy iron pots and pans hung from the dark ceiling, their shapes looming menacingly in the dim light.
Two men were seated at the table. One of them, lean and prematurely aged, looked up first. His greying hair was tousled, and his tired eyes widened in shock as they settled on Mack and Julie.
The other man, gaunt with long, unkempt black hair, leaned back in his chair, his sharp features hardening with surprise before softening into something uncharacteristically vulnerable.
Julie’s breath caught in her throat as she recognized the men. "Sirius Black? Remus Lupin?" she whispered.
Sirius Black shot to his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the stone floor. "Bloody hell," he muttered, staring at them as though they were ghosts. "It can’t be…"
Remus Lupin stood more slowly. "Julie Davis? Mack Thomas? Is it really you?"
Mack stepped forward. "What happened to you two? You look…" He paused, as if searching for the right words, then finally finished, "Older."
Sirius let out a bark of laughter. "That’s because we are older, mate." He ran a hand through his unkempt hair, shaking his head. "But you… You haven’t aged a day. "What in Merlin’s name… How are you here?"
"We don’t know," said Julie. "One moment we were at Hogwarts, and the next… we were in Hogsmeade. She…" she gestured to Tonks " … told us it’s been eighteen years."
Sirius let out a low whistle, running a hand through his hair. "Eighteen years," he repeated. "And you… you don’t remember anything?"
Mack shook his head. "Nothing."
Remus exchanged a grim look with Sirius. "This is… unprecedented," he murmured.
He stepped closer, his eyes scanning their faces as though searching for a clue. "It’s not every day that two classmates you thought were gone for good turn up without warning, looking like they stepped out of a memory. We searched for you both. When you disappeared… It was like you vanished into thin air. No one had any answers "
Julie swallowed hard. "What happened to us?"
"That’s what we need to find out," Remus said gently. "But first, you need to know what’s happened in the world since you… disappeared. It’s not the same world you left."
"No," said Sirius darkly. "It’s worse. Much worse. The wizarding world isn’t exactly short of dark magic that could do something like that."
"Dark magic?" Mack frowned, "Because of You-Know-Who? Or one of his followers?"
"Potentially," Remus said cautiously, glancing at Sirius. "But we don’t know enough yet to draw conclusions."
Tonks chimed in. "We’ll need to dig deeper to find out. But first, they’ll need a place to stay. Dumbledore thinks it’s safest if they remain here for now."
"Here?" Sirius repeated. "Fine. But they’d better not disturb the old hag," he added, jerking his thumb toward the hallway.
Julie frowned. "The old hag?"
"You’ll meet her soon enough," Sirius said, smirking slightly. "If you’re lucky, she’ll just scream at you."
Mack raised his head, "You said you searched for us. How long?"
"Months, maybe years." answered Remus. "But it wasn’t just us. Dumbledore, McGonagall, even Flitwick… Everyone was looking for you." He paused, his eyes darkening. "But when we couldn’t find you… Well, people assumed the worst. The Ministry refused to let this story come out in public"
Sirius nodded solemnly. "The Death Eaters were active then. Two Hogwarts students disappearing without a trace? It wasn’t hard for people to think they’d… taken you."
Mack’s brow furrowed. "But what about now? What’s been happening? And why are we here?"
Sirius and Remus exchanged another glance. Finally, Remus sighed. "That’s a long story," he said. "And it’s not one you’re going to like."
Sirius gestured to the table, pulling out a chair. "Better sit down," he said. "You’re about to get a crash course in everything you’ve missed, and the war you’ve walked back into."
Marlene McKinnon, 1981—Murdered by Death Eaters
Dale McKinnon, 1981 - Murdered by Death Eaters
Dorcas Meadows, 1981 - Murdered by Voldemort
James Potter, 1981 - Murdered by Voldemort
Lily Potter (née Evans), 1981 - Murdered by Voldemort
Peter Pettigrew, 1981 - Died as a Hero, Betrayed James and Lily Potter to Voldemort. A spy for the Death Eaters
Sirius Black, 1995 — traitor, serving a life sentence in Azkaban . Innocent
Alice Longbottom (née Fortescue), 1981— tortured to insanity by the Cruciatus Curse, currently in St. Mungo's Ward for irrevocable spell damage
Frank Longbottom, 1981 - tortured to insanity by the Cruciatus Curse, currently in St. Mungo's Ward for irrevocable spell damage
Severus Snape — Death Eater, Double agent for the Order of the Phoenix
Maison Avery - Death Eater, walks freely
Zacharius Nott - Death Eater, walks freely
Richard Mulciber - Death Eater,
Lucius Malfoy - Death Eater, claimed to be under the Imperius Curse
Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black) - Imprisoned for life for the torture of the Longbottoms
Evan Rosier, 1981 - Death Eater, Refused arrest and was killed by Auror Alastor Moody
Barty Crouch Jr., 1983 , 1995 — Diedin Azkaban, Life sentence for the torture of the Longbottoms. Revealed to have escaped. Impersonated Alastor Moody in 1994/1995 at Hogwarts, received the Dementor's kiss.
On October 31, 1981, Lord Voldemort disappeared after trying to kill Harry Potter, the son of James and Lily Potter.
On 24 June 1995 Lord Voldemort returned, stronger than ever.
The current ministry has yet to comment on this matter. His current whereabouts are unknown.