The Heart of Night

Heart of the Night

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Let Them Know

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3 Nights

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Harry was excited. Tonight, there would be an Order meeting at the Grimmauld Place, and he would be allowed there. Of course, he had a bad suspicion that this meant bad news coming up, but he just couldn't help feeling almost happy about not being kept in the dark anymore. Even the thought of being in the house shadowed by all those memories of Sirius couldn't dim his delight.

Well before the time the meeting was meant to start, Harry went to Professor Dumbledore's office as he'd been instructed. On his way there he saw Professor Snape rushing away from him in a side corridor, his black robes billowing behind him. This brought his thoughts to Lupin. He'd only been told that Snape had brought him back from a Death Eater meeting, but he hadn't been allowed to see the werewolf, as he was, by Madam Pomfrey's words, in a pretty bad shape. However, Dumbledore had promised that he would see Lupin in the meeting that night, as Madam Pomfrey had declared him healthy enough to Apparate. Harry briefly registered that Snape looked even paler than usually, but didn't pay this fact another thought.

"Milky Way," Harry said to the gargoyle, who swung aside. He had a suspicion that the password had nothing to do with Astronomy.

"Ah, Harry," said Dumbledore as soon as he stepped inside. "Eager to leave, then?"

"Eager to know what's going on, rather," Harry said, unable to help the biting tone in his voice. He had been kept in dark about almost everything this far, and he wasn't going to forget that easily.

"Ah." A momentary flicker of guilt shadowed Dumbledore's expression. "I really am sorry, Harry, but I thought it'd be simpler for you to not know. Believe me, I have learnt my lesson now." Then the ancient wizard cheered up. "We have to go outside the school grounds for our Portkey to work. I can lift the wards for a long time enough for somebody to Portkey or Apparate into the castle, if need be, but I cannot make either of those ways of travelling to work out of the castle. Severus and Remus will Apparate after we have left."

Harry nodded mutely, unable to find a good response to that. So he just followed the Headmaster out of the office and, eventually, out of the whole castle.

They made their way towards the school boundaries in silence, walking slowly in the falling darkness. When they'd got out of the gates, Dumbledore reached one of the ends of a thin string out to Harry, keeping the other end himself. "Grasp on this," the old wizard instructed. "It'll get us right outside the Grimmauld Place."

Harry did so. Dumbledore murmured something unidentifiable, and after a moment, the young wizard felt the familiar tug behind his navel. Mere seconds later, he landed on the ground in front of Grimmauld Place, Number Twelve.

As he'd got on his feet, Dumbledore led him to the door, and knocked firmly on it. After a minute, sounds of footsteps approached the door. Then the door was opened, and Molly Weasley's pale face, surrounded by her flaming red hair, peered outside. As she saw Harry, her eyes lit up with joy.

"Ah, Harry!" she said. "Ron will be so excited to see you! He's already sleeping, had a hard day cleaning up the house, but I'm sure he won't mind --"

"I'm afraid we cannot wake young Ronald, Molly," Dumbledore interrupted her, a small, gentle smile on his lips. "Harry's here to attend to the Order meeting, and I'm sure Ronald would feel a bit left-out if he knew about that."

"Oh, of course," she said softly. "Come to the kitchen, will you, Harry. I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate before the others start to arrive. You, too, Albus."

Harry followed the motherly woman towards the kitchen, listening to the Headmaster's idle chatter with her. Then a stray comment caught his ear.

"Have you heard anything about Remus?" asked Molly worriedly. To this, the Headmaster nodded grimly.

"Voldemort is indeed evil," he muttered, "and his cruelty is truly unknown... Yes, I have heard about Remus. In fact, he will be attending the meeting tonight."

"Really?" asked Molly, genuine delight in her voice. "That's wonderful!" However, Harry couldn't miss the concern in her voice, concern about the beginning of the Headmaster's comment.

Just what had happened to Lupin?

When the Order members started to pop in, they all eyed Harry warily, their reactions between surprise and suspect. Dumbledore, however, calmed them all down by saying that Harry was there by his permission and invitation.

Soon Harry noticed something he was certain hadn't taken place in the meetings the last year, even though he hadn't attended to the meetings by that time. As soon as an Order member came to the kitchen, they immediately, not waiting for a command or even a sign to do so, bared their left forearm and presented it to Dumbledore and everybody already in the room. As soon as the others had nodded approvingly at the clear skin, they were allowed to sit around the table.

Lupin and Snape were the last ones to arrive. Lupin took a free seat on the end of the table opposite to Dumbledore, while Snape remained standing. This of course made Harry wonder, but he soon forgot it as Dumbledore stood up, beginning the meeting. Not everybody seemed to notice this; they continued talking cheerfully, even though most of this delight seemed to be forced. Most were trying to involve Lupin in the conversation, posing questions and comments at him, but the werewolf just ignored them all, staring down at his hands, which were lying on the table.

"I have bad news," Dumbledore said gravely. The idle chatter set down immediately and everyone nailed their gazes at the Headmaster - that was, excluding Remus, who still kept his gaze nailed firmly at the table, and Professor Snape, who was standing in a corner near the table, his eyes wandering around the room.

Harry crumbled his eyebrows. Again he wondered why Professor Snape didn't sit with the others.

The Headmaster stroked his beard, and then sighed. "Voldemort has somehow revealed Severus's position as a spy."

Everyone paled. They glanced at each other, worry showing up on their faces. Professor Snape had been one of their best sources of knowledge about Voldemort's doings.

"Emm... I'm sorry, but how do we know this?" asked Tonks. Her hair was stunning green today, but as she asked her question, it turned momentarily almost crimson. Harry blinked. The contrast between the two colours irritated his eyes.

"Voldemort told it me himself," Snape said with a quiet tone. "At the last meeting - which wasn't a real meeting at all, seeing that I was the only one present but the Dark Lord himself - he started with the words, 'You're a traitor.'"

"And how, may I ask, are you still alive if you found this out personally?" Mundungus asked just the question Harry himself wondered about. The wizard seemed to have abandoned his usual attitude for once and was looking attentively at the Headmaster.

"Let's say that the Dark Lord has discovered punishments far more wicked than the killing curse," Snape snorted. "And far more effective, I might add."

"Meaning?" Tonks hurried him, seemingly wanting to hear more.

She got her answer, but it was Remus who spoke, not Snape.

"He had me, captured and under the Imperiatus curse," the werewolf told quietly, his gaze still firmly fixed on the table. "This 'meeting' took place at the last full moon. Do you need more details?"

Everybody stared at him. Then at Snape, then again at him.

At last, Mad-Eye bursted out, "So Snape is a werewolf, too?"

Without another word, Snape walked nearer. Then he turned around, wiping the hair off from his neck. Harry got a sickening feeling as he saw the black-and-silver tattoo. Trust Ministry to treat any kind of different people like animals who ought to be listed and marked.

"Oh my God," Miss Figg whispered.

Nobody had anything to add to it.