Befriending the Order
Dumbledore had responded to their note rather quickly, telling them to come in for a chat immediately so he could learn what they’d found.
As they arrived to meet Dumbledore he pulled the door open, seemingly waiting for them. He ushered them into the main room, gesturing for them to take the seats they had sat in before.
“Your letter sounded urgent, so I assume you have news for me?” He asked, sitting across from them.
“Well, it looks like you and The Dark Lord are of similar minds, he’s also looking to recruit a spy. Although he didn’t tell us who yet. Which is going to make things difficult for us.” Evan spoke first, leaning back in the seat he was occupying.
Dumbledore didn’t look shocked, but he did seem worried and lost in thought for a moment. Most likely deciding what steps he wanted them to take with this new information. Luckily it didn’t take him long to think it over.
“Well, that is not ideal. We’ll need to be more careful, and make a plan to figure out who he’s planning on using. Hopefully he hasn’t acquired a spy yet.” Dumbledore seemed to be contemplating something as he spoke.
“Well, paying closer attention to your order members won’t be that difficult. We can look for discomfort, jumpiness, anything that seems guilty. But if they’re good at hiding it, then that will make it more difficult.”
“I don’t think we’ll need to worry about any of them being able to hide their emotions at all, Reggie.” Evan responds before smirking at the look Dumbledore gives him for said response, raising his hands slightly and shrugging.
The others didn’t necessarily disagree, but they’d all need to get better at the whole ‘getting along with the Order’ thing.
Dumbledore sighed, electing to not comment on Evans statement, before continuing on the topic of the spy.
“I will also be paying closer attention,it’s good that this was brought to my attention so early, hopefully it will give us time to prevent a spy in our group.”
With that, none of them had much else to say, though the group of four did hope that this didn’t backfire on them and give them away to the Dark Lord.
After they left Dumbledore they all went their separate ways, exhausted by the days events, agreeing to keep an eye out and keep each other updated on any suspicions during the next Order meeting.
During the next couple Order meetings, which happened pretty closely to each other, they worked on looking for any suspicious action from the members. They had a few candidates, and they had agreed to try and get close to each of them to see if they could confirm their suspicions.
Which they agreed might be difficult, as most of the members still didn’t like or trust them much, if at all. They would still try their best though.
First was the Longbottom’s, they quickly eliminated them as suspects when they found they were just naturally quiet or anxious people in general, although Narcissa still stuck to trying to befriend them. The other three thought, privately of course, that it was because of her new attraction to Alice Longbottom.
Next was Pettigrew and Lupin, Pettigrew being the one they were more suspicious of. There were others of course, but they were less involved with the Order thing so those suspicions were less urgent to get to.
Getting close to those two would be more difficult as the marauders, as they were known, were the loudest about not liking them while in school, and hadn’t quite gotten rid of their previous opinions of them.
Now they just had to find an opening to start the befriending process, and they didn’t have to wait very long nor did they have to make the first move. Turns out, Remus Lupin had been thinking similarly to them when it came to learning to be civil with each other.
He initiated the first conversation between them during the last Order meeting of the week, and they found it easy to keep a conversation with him. He was good at keeping the conversations civil even when the other Marauders joined in. Which was often now that Sirius and Regulus were working on fixing their relationship.
Potter didn’t join as often, sticking to Lily’s side when the others would go to talk to the four spy’s. This seemed to upset Regulus, although he hid it well.
It was a little over a week after finding out about the spy situation that they were able to agree with almost complete certainty who it was.
Pettigrew, who had joined in on a few of their conversations with Lupin, had been acting more nervous than he usually did. He also seemed to be in deep concentration over something serious more often than not.
Add that to the fact that since a couple weeks ago, and what the four assumed was a fight between Sirius and James, he had seemed to be struggling to find balance again within his friendships. Which definitely gave an opening for The Dark Lord to manipulate his way into the timid man's mind.
The four were almost completely certain that he was the one The Dark Lord was after, and they could see why. He saw an emotionally vulnerable opening and took it. Now all they had to do was figure out how to help Pettigrew before he fell to the Dark Lord's manipulations. And friendship seemed like a good start.
The next time Lupin started a conversation with them, they made sure to bring Pettigrew into the conversation as well, trying to make him feel welcome.
“This weekend or next?” Regulus asked, grabbing another apple slice off of the plate in front of him that had been delivered by a house elf at some point.
“I was planning to go this Saturday, but Sirius is busy, which you already know since he’s going to be with you, and James denied my invitation.” Lupin rescinded, looking a little upset at having to cancel his plans of going to the newly opened book store he had been excited about, it having been opened in muggle London.
“Narcissa and Evan are also busy but I could go with, if that would help. I haven’t been to a muggle book store in quite a while.” The friendship between Remus and Severus was very new, so Remus looked a little shocked at the suggestion, before his face lit up and he seemed to regain his excitement.
“That would be great actually, thanks Severus.”
Severus smiled back slightly before looking toward Pettigrew who hadn’t really talked yet, “What about you Pettigrew? Would you like to come as well?”
Peter looked at him surprised, not expecting to be brought into the conversation so suddenly. He fidgeted a bit as he answered, “Uh, yeah. I guess that sounds nice. If Remus doesn’t mind.”
Remus replied immediately, “Of course I don’t, I’m sorry. I would’ve suggested you come myself, but I guess I just assumed you wouldn’t be interested. It’ll be even better with you coming along.” He gave Peter a bright smile, not wanting to make his friend feel unwelcome, which Peter returned.
“Great, then that’s settled. What time do you want to meet up on Saturday?” Severus reentered the conversation, gaining the two’s attention. The three spent the rest of the meeting discussing their Saturday plans, Regulus having made his way to his brother, Narcissa having been with Alice since early in the meeting, and Evan off who knows where. Hopefully off making friends.
When the end of the meeting came and went, the four left together, discussing how the meet had gone for each of them. Feeling more confident in their plans to be civil and make friends as the day ended.