Sirius stood up and began pag the room, thinking over Alex’s words.

  "You’re right. We ’t take any ces. But if the Death Eaters do show up and find out we were expeg them, they’ll iigate the leak. That might put you in danger."

  Alex shrugged. "I doubt they’ll trace it bae. I was subtle about how I got the information. Besides, I’m ly defenseless. You remember who saved you st time, don’t you?"

  Sirius narrowed his eyes pyfully. "Let’s get something straight—I didn’t need saving. If you hadn’t gotten in the way, I’d have taken those Death Eaters down myself."

  Alex grinned but didn’t argue further. Sirius walked over to the firepd pulled out his wand. With a flick, he summohe fire to life, casting a glowing charm onto the fmes. Within moments, the face of an elderly man appeared in the fmes—it was Dumbledore.

  "Sirius," Dumbledore said, his voice calm but curious. "It’s rare to hear from you directly like this. What’s going on?"

  Sirius reyed everything Alex had told him about the potential attack by the Death Eaters, along with his owions.

  Dumbledore listened carefully before speaking. "This is indeed important news. I hadn’t expected Alex to have su ear for critical information at Hogwarts." His eyes softened as he looked at Alex. "I remember you well from my versations with Lily. You’ve certainly grown."

  Alex gave a respectful nod, but his expression remained focused."I’ll call a meeting of the Order of the Phoenix tomorrow," Dumbledore tinued. "Sirius, would you be so kind as t Alex along? There are matters we’ll o discuss in person."

  Sirius nodded, and Alex leaned forward. "I’ll be there."

  Sirius gnced over at Alex and broke into a grin. "Looks like you're in for a busy Christmas after all."

  Alex, who had been curious to see the Order of the Phoenix in a, shrugged and nodded. "No problem."

  Dumbledore smiled warmly from the fmes. "Excellent, young man. This way, we firm the authenticity of the news. Thank you, Alex."

  Alex, staying humble, replied, "You're wele, Professor. I’m just trying to protect myself. After all, I'm a Muggle-born wizard."

  Dumbledore chuckled. "Humble as well. Very well, I will send word tomorrow, and the meeting location will remain the same."

  With that, Dumbledore's image vanished, leaving only the crag of the fire behind.

  Sirius turo Alex with a grin. "Alright, the some rest tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the meeting."

  "Yeah," Alex replied, but his mind wasirely focused on the meeting itself. Instead, he was intrigued by the uniagic Sirius had used with the firepce.

  'It seemed incredibly ve. I wonder if there are limitations or if I could learn it myself.' He mentally o ask Sirius about it ter.

  That night, Sirius didn’t sleep well. He had grown so used to the liness of the living room after Alex’s thh ing that wheuro his messy bedroom, it felt unbearable. The trast made it clear just how disanized and dirty his room had been all aloually, he drifted off, but not without feeling slightly annoyed by the mess.

  The m, Sirius dragged himself downstairs with a stiff neck. As soon as he stepped into the kit, he was greeted by the aroma of a hearty breakfast spread across the table. However, Alex was o be seen.

  Curious, Sirius stepped outside to the small backyard and found Alex practig some form of martial art, his movements swift and precise, with the sound of his fists cutting through the air.

  Sirius watched, wide-eyed, as Alex moved fluidly through what looked like an intense routine. "I’ve never seen anyone move like that before," Sirius muttered to himself, fasated.

  When Alex finished, he noticed Sirius watg him, yawning sleepily. "You're up te. Are you hungry? Breakfast is ready."

  Sirius grinned. "I usually skip breakfast, but now that you're making it, I wouldn’t dream of missing out. By the way, what was that? Some kind of da looked pretty cool."

  Alex smirked. "Just some exercise. Now, do you want to eat or not?"

  "Eat, definitely eat!" Sirius replied quickly. "I usually skip because no one cooks around here."

  Alex just rolled his eyes, thinking how zy Sirius could be.

  As the m passed, the time for the meeting with the Order of the Phoenix approached. Around noon, Dumbledore sent a signal through the firepce. Alex, now ged and ready, saw Sirius prepare to take him. Without wasting any time, Sirius grabbed Alex’s arm, and with a sharp crack, they Disapparated.

  The two reappeared in a narrow, rundown alleyway. Sirius sed the area, making sure no one was watg. He then led Alex to a battered wooden door at the end of the alley. With his wand, Sirius muttered something under his breath, and a phoenix emblem fshed briefly on the door before it creaked open.

  Sirius led Alex through a small backyard and into a modest room. They desded a narrow staircase into a basement.

  Alex took in his surroundings—a worn space with wooden beams, brick walls, and a rge table surrounded by old wooden chairs. It looked more like a ste room than a secret headquarters.

  Already gathered at the table were a few familiar faces: Dumbledore, who stood at the ter, ao him, the grizzled Auror, Mad-Eye Moody.

  There was also a younger witch, elegant and posed, whom Alex didn’t reize. On the opposite side sat two more wizards—oh a thick beard and dignified presence, and the other a kind-looking man with short reddish-brown hair.

  Dumbledreeted them warmly as they entered. "Good afternoon, Sirius. Alex. Now that everyone is here, let’s sit down and begin."

  Alex had expected a rger group, but it seemed that the Order of the Phoenix operated with only a small number of dedicated members. He sat o Sirius, the others curiously.

  Sirius introduced Alex to the group. "You already know Moody. This here is Emmeline Vance," he gestured to the elegant witch, "and over there is Edgar Bones," indig the man with the thick beard, "ao him, Gideo. Everyohis is Alex."

  Alex nodded iing, and the others nodded back with mild i.

  Mad-Eye Moody, with his signature rough tone, broke the sileh a chuckle. "So, the boy who helped Sirius with that little Death Eater spat, huh? I didn’t expect you to get tangled up ih Eater business so quickly, kid. Are young wizards these days that scared of death?"

  Alex couldn’t help but smile at Moody’s bluntness. "Well, it’s because I’m scared of death that I don’t want to run blindly. In these dangerous times, running only makes you a target. If you keep your head in the sand, it’s easy to bee a victim. You have to face things head-on if you want to survive."

  The members of the Order exged approving gnces. Dumbledave a small nod of approval. "Well said, Alex. Sometimes wisdom doesn’t e with age alone."

  Moody’s grin faded as he got serious. "Alright, let’s get down to business. Tell us what you’ve learned."

  Alex proceeded to expin what he had overheard from Wilkes at Hogwarts, detailing the rumors of a potential Death Eater attack during the Christmas holidays. The Order members listened in sileheir expressions growing more thoughtful as Alex spoke.

  When Alex finished, Dumbledore leaned back slightly and asked, "And what do you think of this situation, Alex?"