CHAPTER ONE-HUNDRED-FIVE

                                    

                                          
YES, THIS WAY WE CAN ALL HAVE A JOINT FUNERAL
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"You got me a job," Seraphina disbelievingly stated, looking down at the contract laid on the headmaster's desk. Dumbledore did tell her he had contacts at Gringotts but she didn't actually think he would get her a job. Despite the old wizard's influence in the wizarding world, no one could control the goblins.
"You'll start one month after graduation," Dumbledore told her. "At first you'll undergo one month of training at the bank and then you will be allowed out on the field."
"And I will just work after that?" Seraphina wondered. She stood by her decision to not seek out Voldemort – considering it would be entirely out of character for her to do so – but the odds felt low that Voldemort would approach her in the bookstore. Again. 
"Once you've graduated, it will be much easier for Voldemort to approach you again," Dumbledore told her. "Especially if you're out of the country or far away from your friends and family. It will make you vulnerable."
"Sounds good," Seraphina sarcastically muttered. It felt so wrong. Becoming a Curse-Breaker was something she'd dreamt about for many years now but working for Gringotts felt tainted now. She didn't feel like she deserved the job and Seraphina knew for a fact she couldn't enjoy the adventures of finding treasures when the looming threat of the Dark Lord over her head constantly. 
It was weird, really, because many Seventh Year students worried about their lives after graduation. Worried about getting a job. Seraphina had a job planned after school and while she didn't know exactly what awaited her once she left Hogwarts, her purpose was clear.
A knock on the door made Seraphina flinch. Looking up at Dumbledore, he didn't seem as surprised as her. "Who is that?" Seraphina asked him. When he didn't immediately respond, Seraphina looked between the door and him. When she heard the voices on the other side, muffled by the door, she gritted her teeth, "Professor?"
"You might want to hide that contract," Dumbledore told her. Crumbling the parchment into a ball, showcasing her annoyance, Seraphina shoved it into the pocket in her robes just as Dumbledore waved his hand, causing the door to slide open, revealing the faces of the Seventh Year Gryffindors.
"Sephy?" Sirius asked, spotting his girlfriend immediately despite her back being turned to them. Her flaming red hair made Seraphina difficult to miss, even in a crowd.
Sending Dumbledore a glare, Seraphina turned around and forced a smile. "Lions," Seraphina greeted, thinking it was the best way to summarise the group, "good evening."
"What are you doing here, Sephy?" James asked curiously, hand locked with Lily's as they walked into the room. Instead of answering herself, Seraphina looked at the headmaster expectantly. Since he'd been the one to bring the Gryffindors there in the first place.
Honestly, Seraphina didn't know exactly why she wanted to keep her involvement with the Order of Phoenix a secret from her friends and boyfriend. Especially since Dumbledore wanted all of them to join as well. Her mission needed to be kept a secret and the more people that knew she was working for Dumbledore, the bigger the chances would become that word came back to Voldemort. Not that she distrusted her friends, in fact, she wanted them as far away from this stupid mission as possible.
"Miss. Weasley and I are discussing her involvement in the Order of the Phoenix once she graduates," Dumbledore explained, which wasn't a lie. "I've given her the same offer as I've given all of you."
"That's great," Sirius told her, thankful he didn't have to keep secrets from her anymore. It had been a weird couple of weeks for all of the Gryffindors – especially Sirius – who felt like they were excluding her.
"Yes, this way we can all have a joint funeral," Seraphina couldn't stop herself from saying.
"We will help to defeat You-Know-Who," James pointed out. Knowing him, he probably didn't even hesitate to accept. 
"You can't even say his name, James," Seraphina retorted. "If I was Voldemort, I wouldn't exactly shake in fear at the thought of a group of eighteen year old wizards coming for me."
"So — are you not joining?" Remus asked carefully. He didn't sound judgemental or disappointed, simply curious. For all they knew, Dumbledore had only just asked her to join the Order. 
"I am," Seraphina admitted. "But I understand the risk — and I hope all of you do too." With those words said, Seraphina turned to the headmaster, "I'll think about what you've said, Professor Dumbledore." Whatever reason he had to call her friends to his office, she did not need to stay, "Goodnight everyone."
Normally, she'd at least give Sirius a kiss on the cheek but it felt weird doing it in the company of Dumbledore, with everyone staring at her. Instead she gave her boyfriend a soft smile before practically fleeing out of Dumbledore's office. In retrospect, that probably created more suspicion than her staying but seeing them all there – ready to sacrifice their lives to create a better world – made her feel suffocated.
"Sephy," Sirius called after her, running to catch up with her as she walked through the dark hallways.
"You should be at the meeting with Dumbledore," Seraphina told him, stopping in her tracks. 
"Do you think I would sit in there and listen to Dumbledore when my girlfriend is upset?" Sirius said pointedly. His startling grey eyes studied her carefully, "Are you okay? I understand it's overwhelming – but Dumblefore would not ask us if he didn't believe we could help."
Placing a hand on one of her cheeks, Sirius stepped closer, "We'll get through this," he muttered assuringly. "I know we will."
Seraphina felt like the worst person in the world. Lying about her powers – lying about who she was – it had become a second nature to her; yet each time she needed to come up with an excuse, Seraphina felt like a fraud. This was just adding on all the other deceptions that plagued every friendship and relationship Sera had.
Sirius deserved better than her. A girlfriend that could be honest with him...





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Kind of a filler chapter because I've just had a bad week with lacking inspiration... 😅 I'm kind of rushing through seventh year for Sera and the Marauders because now I want to get to the Order and Voldemort part of this story.