Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for me to write this. I got caught up with finishing up Kiss Me, I'm Irish and All I Need, so this story got set on the back burner for a while. And then once they were done, school began kicking my butt. I haven't had much free time to write as of recent (I've legit only had one homework free weekend since the semester began), so I've been trying my hardest over several weeks now to get this story back on track before I start uploading my new stories.

So, I know this chapter isn't all that great, but I hope you enjoy it anyways. :)

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"They have come to take your life, on through the dead of night. With the four Horsemen ride or choose your fate and die." –The Four Horsemen, Metallica

            "So this isn't the turn out I was expecting," Artemis began, staring out at the group in front of him. There was a slightly larger group of trusted individuals than what his cousin had told him. He had been under the impression that there was to only be five of them- Draco, Audrey, Fred, Krystie, and himself- but here he was with over triple that in front of him, scattered about the living room in his mansion.

            "We were under the impression that was about all we were going to have," Draco assured him from his seat next to Audrey on the couch.

            The girl sat somewhat comfortably next to him, or at least as comfortably as she could, seeing as she was growing ever more pregnant and still had her injuries from the other day to contend with. She was watching the scene in front of her with careful eyes. While it was not Artemis' idea, he took it upon himself to lead the discussion on forming a new group to fight the newest surge of Death Eaters. The Irish boy stood in front of the group of nearly twenty, seemingly trying to adjust his plan of attack to fit the larger group. A lot of people had shown up. Nicole, Krystie, Artemis' parents, Audrey and Draco's mothers, most of the Weasleys (excluding Bill, Charlie, and Percy), Harry, Hermione, Neville, and Luna were all present.

            "Very well... welcome to the first meeting of... W.A.N.D.E.?" Artemis started again, not sure about the name of this new alliance. "Dare I ask what that happens to be an acronym for?"

            "Wizards Against New Death Eaters!" Fred called out from the side of the room.

            Artemis rolled his eyes, sighing. "Not the name I would've gone with, but I digress." He paused for a moment, debating his next words carefully. "We're all gathered here today because we have somehow been deemed trustworthy and obviously not a Death Eater. The scary truth is that they are among us once again, and the number of people we can trust is dwindling." He stopped again, letting that thought sink in. "Only a few days have passed since four- well... technically six- of us were brutally attacked. Together, we can prevent this from happening again. In the past we have been at odds, on different sides... and in order for this to work, we will have to look past that. If anyone has anything they would like to add, feel free to do so."

            Audrey decided this was the appropriate time for her to add to the discussion. The girl slowly stood, bracing herself by holding onto the arm of the couch. Draco placed his hand on her back, helping to hold her upright. While Audrey could stand well enough on her own, she was still recovering from the attack the other day. With a deep breath, she began her take on the new alliance.

            "This group isn't just for protection of those here. This is meant to be a rebellion, a stand against the Death Eaters. So many of us have been affected, been a victim of their violence- from our attack in Diagon Alley, to Artemis' and Draco's second cousin... and obviously Harry's life as a whole- and that needs to end," she stated. "All of us are proficient in some form of magic, all of which can be useful in helping bringing a stop to these idiots before it's too late."

            Draco stood with his wife, still holding her. "So we all need to work together to stop this from spreading further," he added. "We don't know who the leader is, we don't know their goals... we just know they're up to no good and need to be stopped at once. They will stop at nothing- until either we join them, or die. And since none of us want to join them, we will fight to the death."

            There were a few mutters in agreement throughout the group, something that didn't really shock Audrey. The girl knew everyone here, including those she didn't really get along with, was interested in making this world a safer place. Audrey was already worried about bringing a child into this world, but with Death Eaters running amuck, she certainly didn't want to. She was hoping that everything would be resolved before she was due in about six months.

            Six months, she thought. Six months to finish getting everything prepped for the baby. Six months to figure out where we will be staying. Six months to get these Death Eaters locked away, or killed, for good. Six months-

            A voice snapped her from her thoughts. "Would you like to... designate anyone to any particular task?" Artemis inquired. "If we all have specific things to do, it may help when crises arise, but then again..."

            Audrey shrugged. She was aware of some special talents among the group, but she didn't really know if anything specific was needed in terms of task delegation. "If anyone wants to have a specific task, go ahead. To be honest, I don't know if it's needed. We all know what we're good with. If needed for whatever reason, I'm sure whoever is best for the job will step up," she replied, taking her seat again, legs already tired from standing. "None of us are exactly lazy or shy. When the time comes, the right person will step up."

            "Fair enough," Artemis sighed. He closed his eyes for a moment, and Audrey presumed it was his attempt at trying to figure out anything he had left to say regarding the meeting. "Well, in conclusion, if there is any important information that needs to be passed along, be sure to alert each other. In these dark times, we are the only ones who can be trusted. You are all dismissed."

            Artemis and Draco both took a seat on either side of Audrey as chatter broke out among the rest of the room's occupants. She took a deep breath and rested her head on Draco's shoulder, kicking her feet up to rest on Artemis' lap as well. Admittedly, she just wanted to go take a nap, but with all the commotion going on, there was no way that was going to happen.

            "So I apologize for the less than spectacular delivery of the agenda," Artemis began. "I planned on having something far more organized, but honestly, I don't think any of us are mentally prepared for the task at hand right now."

            Artemis had a point; all of them were tired, injured, or stressed out- some, all of the above. Plus, there wasn't exactly much to discuss. They all knew the gist of what was going on around them, and why forming the group was so vital to their very survival. There was safety in numbers, or so Audrey had heard, anyway, and most of the wizards and witches here had some kind of experience dealing with dark magic.

            Before either Draco or Audrey could reply to Artemis, Narcissa and Angeline had taken the floor, both standing towards the center of the room. "We'll be heading to the kitchen to start dinner. We're sure you're all hungry," Angeline announced.

            "Anyone who would like to help is more than welcome to," Narcissa added.

            With that, both blonde women exited the room, presumably heading towards the kitchen. A few of the others followed them as well, helping alleviate the volume in the room- both in terms of number of people and noise level. It was at this time, Audrey felt the need to ask something she had noticed earlier, but forgot to bring up.

            "Draco, where's your father?" she inquired. "Don't you think he should've been here?"

            Draco shrugged. "Mum said he had a meeting for work or something this afternoon," he answered. "Didn't really say much other than that, really. Just that it was important Ministry business and he'd have to miss our meeting."

            "Well that's unfortunate," Audrey responded. "Hopefully he'll be able to make the next one then."

            "Hopefully," was Draco's only reply.

            Audrey didn't have long to contemplate what may have been going on that meeting with Lucius. Before she could get too lost in her thoughts, someone had turned on a nearby radio and started blaring music. She assumed it was one of the twins since they both leapt from their seats and began dancing around the room.

            "Just trying to diffuse the tension!" George exclaimed, still swaying to the music.

            And it worked. Almost immediately the atmosphere in the room shifted. Before long, everyone was having a grand time- laughing, joking, and having fun. It was almost hard to believe that they were on the brink of another wizarding war, and that they all could be dead tomorrow.