• Serena Black •

"I must be cruel,
only to be kind."

"What are should we do?" asked Ginny early in the afternoon, listlessly propping her head on her hands. "I'm sick of chess, I'm bored of Goblin Stone and Mum says Exploding Snap is too loud because it wakes Sirius' mum."

"We could go bug Kreacher," Ron suggested as he rocked back and forth on one of the chairs at the table in the drawing room.

"Ronald!", Hermione admonished him sternly in response, slapping the redhead on the upper arm.

"He's hideous, Hermione," he retorted, rolling his blue eyes. "He's not like Dobby or Winky. He's just like Mrs Black, he hates Muggles and Muggleborns and thinks we're all blood traitors."

Serena sighed and caught herself coming to the grizzled elf's defence, "It's only because he's been taught to think like that, he can't help it."

The Weasley snorted in disbelief and rolled his eyes. "Are you going to start with the Spew crap now too? Besides, you're not the one to judge because you're the only one he doesn't insult."

"It's not Spew!" Hermione then indignantly sparkled, and smugly declared, "It's the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare!"

"Guys!" now Ginny interjected again with an annoyed groan. "We already leave Kreacher alone, but I'm still bored!"

She wasn't wrong, because there wasn't much for the teenagers to do at No. 12 Grimmauld Place. This realisation hit them now that most of the rooms had been thoroughly cleaned and cleared out and boredom was almost suffocating them now. For days now, they had watched Ron beat almost everyone at Wizard's Chess at least ten times and were already looking forward to Mrs. Weasley having work for them.

Serena was so lost in thought about possible activities for the day that she was violently startled when suddenly, out of nowhere, two people landed next to her with a plop. "Oh, could you please not do that?" she grumbled, rolling her eyes and trying not to let on how high her pulse had jumped.

"We could," Fred grinned and winked. "But we won't."

She sighed and saw in the corner of her eye Kreacher saunter into the room. He took no notice of either of them at all and seemed to pretend he hadn't noticed them at all. With a hunched back, he merely shuffled slowly and doggedly through the parlour, muttering to himself in a low and hoarse voice, "Mean old blood traitor, whose brats defile my mistress's house. Oh my poor mistress, if she knew what scum he has let into her house. What would she say to old Kreacher.... Oh what a shame, mudbloods and werewolves and thieves and traitors."

"Hey Kreacher," Serena said in a loud voice to draw the house elf's attention to her and thus possibly prevent him from saying such things.

He stopped rooted to the spot, stopped muttering and made a barely convincing sound of surprise. "After all, Kreacher didn't even see Miss and the young gentleman."

He bowed to Serena and George, who was standing right next to her. Face still turned to the carpet, he added audibly. "Much like Master Regulus the Miss, yet she stands there with the brat of blood traitor that he is."

"I beg your pardon?" echoed Fred cuttingly. "I didn't catch that last part."

"Kreacher didn't say anything," the elf replied with a second bow, now directed at the second redhead, adding half aloud but clearly, "And there's his twin brother, perverse little beasts all of them."

Serena rolled her eyes, not knowing whether to laugh or be more alarmed at the house elf's hatred. The latter straightened up again, eyed her hostilely and continued muttering, apparently convinced that no one could hear him, "And there's the rest of the brats too, oh if my mistress knew!"

"Kreacher," Hermione now began gently, getting up from her chair to walk towards Kreacher, which probably wasn't such a good idea. "Look, no one here means you any harm."

Kreacher's pale eyes widened and his muttering became even faster and more excited as he took a few steps back from Hermione. "There's the mudblood, standing there snotty and talking to Kreacher as if she were a friend, if Kreacher's mistress saw him in such company!" he groaned with a frightened and suffering expression.

"Stop calling her a mudblood!" hissed Serena, whereupon the elf bowed to her again. But she was sure that he would use that word again at the next opportunity.

"It's alright," Hermione whispered, sitting back down in her chair. "He doesn't know what he's talking about. He's not in his right mind."

"Don't lie to yourself, Hermione," Ron remarked, eyeing Kreacher with the utmost disgust. "He knows exactly what he's talking about."

"What do you want, anyway?" then George asked the house elf. Kreacher's huge twitched over to him and said evasively, "Kreacher is cleaning."

"Would you believe it," a voice sounded at the door.

At the sight of his current master, Kreacher made an exaggeratedly deep bow, so that it already looked ridiculous and his pointed nose was already touching the old carpet.

"Stand tall." From the doorway, Sirius glared at the house elf. "What are you up to now?"

"Kreacher is cleaning," the house-elf repeated. "Kreacher lives solely to serve House Black."

"And it gets dirtier every day," he replied merely coldly. "Every time you pretend to clean, you smuggle something into your room so we can't throw it away. Now go."

Kreacher didn't seem to dare refuse a direct order, but the look he gave his master as he shuffled past him was full of the deepest contempt. "Come back from Azkaban and order Kreacher around.... Oh what would my poor mistress say."

"Sirius, he's not in his right mind!" pleaded Hermione, looking after the house elf with pity. "I don't think he realised we could hear him."

"He's been alone too long," Sirius retorted irritably, slamming the door behind Kreacher. "Got crazy orders from my mother's portrait but he's always been a rotten little.... But anyway, the reason I wanted to talk to you guys.... Harry will be arriving tonight."

Serena spotted a smile on her father's face for the first time since the day he had learned that the Ministry was looking for him again. Although she couldn't help noticing the worried expression in his eyes. "He's all right, isn't he?" she asked, a little worried.

"There's nothing wrong with him... It's just..." He faltered for a moment and ran a hand through his dark hair. "There was an incident with some Dementors and Harry was forced to use magic. The Ministry is demanding a judicial hearing."

"But all he did was fight back!" cried Hermione, upset. "It's not his fault if Dementors suddenly attack him! Why were they there in the first place?"

"No one really knows... In any case, it's all that idiot Mundungus Fletcher's fault!" He growled the last words, having clenched his teeth in anger so that they could almost be heard grinding.

"What's Mundungus Fletcher got to do with it?" inquired Ron, puzzled, having finally stopped rocking back and forth in his chair.

"He was supposed to be keeping watch outside Harry's house," Sirius returned contritely, not seeming to notice the way the others suddenly looked at each other knowingly. Serena remembered all too well how they had heard, how Dumbledore had assigned Mundungus Fletcher as a guard in Little Winging before Mrs Weasley had caught them.

"Harry's not going to be expelled for this, is he?" asked Serena uncertainly, knowing what the consequences were if an underage wizard used magic outside of Hogwarts.

"I doubt Fudge would go that far, besides Dumbledore will stand by Harry, but the Ministry has made questionable decisions in the past," her father sighed and a shadow crept across his face. "I guess we'll have to wait for the hearing."

The news, of Harry's early arrival and impending court date seemed to have woken the house up a little. Throughout the rest of the day, members of the Order scurried around the headquarters, seeming to come and go as they pleased.

"Order members only, no exceptions," Mrs Weasley called out as she caught Fred and George trying to sneak into the meeting behind Remus.

"Well, if we go to the meeting, we are theoretically members," Fred stated slyly.

"It doesn't work like that!" she retorted snappishly, but as far as anyone could tell actually a little confused as well. "You're too young!"

"Too young?!" retorted George irritably. "Hell, we're of age!"

"That still doesn't qualify you," his mother decided, turning on her heel and returning to the meeting.

"Well, that was another successful attempt," sneered Ron, who had been waiting for the twins in the Entrance Hall with Hermione, Ginny and Serena.

"Then you'd better do it, Ronnie," Fred replied sourly, crossing his long arms in front of his chest.

"I really wouldn't want to be in Mundungus Fletcher's shoes right now," Ron then said with a pitying look at the door that had just been closed by his mother. And indeed, no member of the Order, except Snape, looked particularly happy about the situation. Especially not Dumbledore.

"I would never want to be in Mundungus Fletcher's shoes," George clarified with raised eyebrows.

A few hours later, Ginny, Fred and Serena had finally found something to do - and it really had nothing to do with the Order's machinations.

"Uno!" said Serena with a grin, adding her last card to the pile. They had taken over Hermione and Ginny's room and pushed both beds together, which now served as their play area and seating.

Ginny and Fred sighed, putting their cards down as well, and Serena began to reshuffle the whole pile. "You're not even pretending to make an effort," she complained.

"I just don't know what Muggles see in this game," Fred grumbled, picking up the new cards Serena handed him. "It's so..."

"Non-magical?" she finished his sentence, turning over the first card of the pick-up deck.

"I think it's fun," Ginny grinned, putting down one of her cards.

Noticing the doubtful look on Fred's face, Serena quickly interjected, "It was just a suggestion, after all, so we don't have to be bored anymore."

Fred was about to interject when suddenly there was a bang next to him, startling him violently so that he almost slid off the bed. "Oh man George!" he cried, grabbing his heart with a heavy breath.

Serena laughed. "Now you know what it's like when someone just shows up next to you like that."

George grinned and sat on the edge of Ginny's bed to take a closer look at the cards. "What are you playing?"

"A most gripping and extremely exciting Muggle game," his brother replied dryly.

Serena rolled her eyes and slapped the card George had just flicked across the room with interest back onto the bed. "Are you playing or not?"

The redhead shrugged, picking up a stack of cards and fanning them out in his hand. "Maybe we can make something nice out of it?"

"You mean...?"

The twins shared a meaningful look and without another word Fred had grabbed the pack of cards as well and had disappeared with his brother with a plop.

"What in Merlin's beard was that?" asked Ginny, still staring in confusion at the spot where her brothers had been standing a moment ago.

"Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," sighed Serena, stretching out on the bed when suddenly a rather loud voice boomed through the house, which for once didn't seem to come from Walburga Black.

"FOR FOUR WEEKS I'M STUCK IN PRIVET DRIVE STEALING NEWSPAPERS FROM THE BINS SO I CAN FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON!"

Ginny and Serena exchanged glances and ran to the door of the room. They both knew exactly what that meant. In the hallway, they realised that Fred and George had apparently had the same idea, because the twins were just poking their heads out of the door.

"What's going on?" asked Fred in amazement, staring disconcertedly at the closed door of the room behind which Ron had been sleeping for the last few weeks and would now be sharing with Harry - and he had apparently now arrived.

"Well, what do you think," Ginny replied, rolling her eyes. "He's pissed and I bet any of you would be too."

"Yeah, yeah," George merely meant, crossing the hallway with few of his long strides and simply yanking open the door. "Hello Harry, I knew that could only be your melodious sounds."

After Harry had halfway calmed down again and been enlightened by the others about the Order of the Phoenix, at least what they themselves knew about it, Mrs. Weasley called them down for dinner as well. During dinner, the atmosphere was calm and pleasant, at least until Harry had the idea of asking questions about You-Know-Who.

The atmosphere in the room changed so quickly, as if a dementor had suddenly floated in through the window.

"Since when does someone have to be in the Order to ask questions?" Serena's father asked sourly after no one would give Harry an answer, immediately reigniting the familiar discussion.

"Why is Harry getting answers to his questions?" shouted Fred angrily. "Harry isn't even of age yet!"

"It's not my fault you weren't told what the Order was doing," he explained calmly. "That was your parents' decision, Harry however..."

"And what about me?", Serena now interjected heatedly. "You didn't let me on it either."

Sirius massaged his temples stressed. "Katherine..."

"Don't you dare come with Mum," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest demanding an answer. Her father, however, merely looked at her piercingly. "Your mother knows more about it than you think. She overheard everything at the time."

"It's not for you to decide what's good for Harry," Mrs. Weasley interjected sharply before Serena could probe further. "He's not James, Sirius!"

"I'm perfectly aware of who he is. Thank you Molly," he replied coolly.

"Personally," Remus now spoke up quietly as well, while Mrs Weasley quickly turned to him, hoping to finally get an ally. "Personally, I think it's better if Harry gets the facts - not all the facts, Molly, but he should get a rough outline.... From us, and not a distorted version from others."

"Well," Mrs. Weasley said, breathing heavily and looking around in vain for help. "I see I'm being outvoted. Ron, Hermione, Serena, Fred, George, Ginny, you go upstairs."

Serena scowled at her father. She thought it was more than unfair that he was lobbying for Harry to be allowed to stay, but she wasn't. Of course Harry was more involved than anyone else, but it still remained unfair in her eyes. Whatever the reason, she wanted to stay too. "If Harry can stay, so will I," she remarked defiantly.

"Fine by me," Sirius finally conceded defeat. Serena let herself sink back into her chair, satisfied. Even though she was still a little sour.

"You can't forbid Fred and George, Molly," Mr Weasley stated wanly. "They're of age."

Mrs. Weasley was now scarlet in the face at her husband's betrayal. Serena was pretty sure that the head of the Weasleys would have to sleep on the worn sofa in the drawing room tonight. "I... Oh, fine by me! But Ron and..."

"Harry and Serena tell me and Hermione everything you say anyway!", Ron made another desperate attempt to get a seat at the Order table. "Or... Or not?" he added uncertainly, however, seeking Harry's gaze, apparently not having forgotten his previous outburst of anger.

"Sure," Harry said, at which Ron and Hermione beamed, but Mrs Weasley looked all the more miserable. "Fine!" she barked. "Ginny, to bed!"

Ginny didn't go quietly. They could hear her raging against her mother all the way up the stairs, and by the time she reached the hall, Mrs Black's bloodcurdling screams added to the din. Remus then rushed to the portrait to ensure silence. Only when he had returned, closed the kitchen door behind him and resumed his place at the table did Sirius begin to speak, "Well, Harry... what do you want to know?"

Harry asked a thousand questions that had been burning on the tongues of all of them since the Triwizard Tournament. No one interrupted the person who was answering one of the questions and everyone was hanging on their lips.

"We think Voldemort is after something specific, something he didn't have last time. Some kind of weapon," Sirius answered the last question Harry had asked, leaving a depressed silence. Serena couldn't help but think of what could be worse than a torture curse or even the Avada Kedavra.

"That's enough!", Mrs.Weasley finally pulled the ripcord and promptly changed the subject as she pulled a handful of envelopes from her cloak. "Before I forget, the book lists arrived earlier."

This time no one protested and the teenagers still seemed a little overwhelmed with the latest information, so the room became particularly quiet as Mrs. Weasley distributed the letters, visibly pleased. Serena noticed that her envelope was a little thicker and heavier than usual.

It contained two sheets of parchment; one with the usual reminder that the school year began on the first of September and the other with the list of books needed. Apparently, she only had to buy two new books for the coming year.

"Who do you think put the Slinkhard book on the list?" puzzled Fred, frowning as he skimmed the parchment.

"Dumbledore must have found someone for the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," George replied.

"He must have had a lot of trouble finding someone who wants to do the job," Sirius spoke up, laughing. "He even approached me."

A loud commotion broke out in the room at this statement. "Ooohh that would be brilliant!" the twins exclaimed and the others seemed excited by the idea too. Serena was rather ambivalent about the idea. After all, she still remembered the fiasco with Hall at the Yule Ball.

But something else caught her attention when she noticed that there was something else in her envelope. Astonished, she looked at the others to see if they also had something besides the usual letters in the envelope. But no one was paying attention to her or her letters anymore. Instead, all eyes in the room were on Ron, who had a badge with the letter P on his chest.

"You're a Prefect?!" George blurted out and his mouth dropped open.

"That's impossible," Fred breathed, swiping Ron's letter to hold it up to the light and check if it was genuine. "No one in their right mind would make Ron a Prefect."

"Ickle little Ronnikins, the Prefect," George teased him, pinching his little brother's cheek in amusement.

His mother, on the other hand, gave a pointed cry, "I can't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! Prefect! Like everyone in the family!"

"And what are Fred and I, next door neighbours?" asked George in a huff, but his mother pushed him aside and embraced her youngest son. Fred and George made loud choking noises behind their backs, but Mrs Weasley paid them no attention. Wrapping her arms tightly around Ron's neck, she kissed his face off, which by now had turned a brighter scarlet than his badge.

Serena suddenly felt George's gaze on her while she herself still held her own letter in her hands. At the same time, they both looked at the envelope, in which something was clearly visible. Before the Gryffindor could react, the redhead had already snatched it out of her hand and a similar badge, which was already on Ron's chest, fell out.

"It looks like we have more than one reason to celebrate today," her father murmured.

Shocked, the twins stared at the badge. "You've got to be kidding!" exclaimed Fred, drawing in a sharp breath. "Dumbledore must be joking. I guess now is the time for him to get even!" he exclaimed, visibly gripped by horror.

Serena rolled her eyes and picked up the badge. As a precaution, she glanced at the envelope again to make sure it did indeed have her name on it. Although it did, she held the badge out to Hermione. "Here, this must be yours and anyway, I don't want it."

But Hermione shook her head, even though she couldn't hide her disappointed expression. "No, if Dumbledore wants..."

"Dumbledore must have just made a mistake," Serena interrupted her.

"Dumbledore doesn't make mistakes, trust me," Remus interjected, patting her shoulder encouragingly. "I was a Prefect then too you know."

"And what a one," his friend laughed. "He was even shortlisted for the position of Head Boy."

Serena gave him a sceptical look. "You think it's good that I got the badge?"

"I'm not saying there's no shame in it," her father replied with a wink, which caused a smirk to escape her. Lost in thought, she twirled the badge around in her hand. She knew full well that the post wasn't for her and felt all the worse for Hermione to take this opportunity away. Serena caught Ron's gaze, who didn't seem too thrilled either. In the end, they both knew they had taken Harry and Hermione's places.

The twins seemed to see her scowl and joined her. "Maybe this will give Gryffindor a chance to have a cool Prefect for once," George now tried to cheer her up as well, adding with a sideways glance at Fred, "I'm sure that could come in handy."

Serena sighed in defeat and managed a slight smile. "I... I'll try."

Her father put an arm around her, "We should celebrate! We can go to a pub or one of those Muggle clubs."

Remus cleared his throat and reminded his former classmate, "You're not allowed, Sirius."

The joy drained from his face. "Next plan, Moony, you get us a couple of bottles of butterbeer to toast with. But nothing from the cellar, I don't know how old the treasures are, nor exactly what's in them."