Traitor.
Chapter 1: Guard Duty.
Remus Lupin stood pacing the kitchen of number 12 Grimauld Place restlessly, turning his thoughts over in his head, thoughts of the past meeting still fresh in his mind.
Voldemort was planning to use someone - someone close to him, a spy, a traitor - someone on the inside… Of course everyone thought Snape… It was obvious, it was expected - but why? Why would he use Snape? Everyone would expect it, would be wary, cautious.
Though it was common knowledge that Dumbledore trusted Snape, Lupin knew that not everyone was convinced. Of course Harry would not budge from his endless tirades that Snape was evil, as was expected of him these days. Of course, Dumbledore would never take him seriously. He trusted Snape too much.
Lupin smiled to himself, remembering the argument earlier in the day. 'Funny,' he thought, 'how three people on the same side could always be fighting so much.'
The members of the Order had found it increasingly common to find Severus Snape in the brunt of an argument between Harry and Dumbledore, or at least as the main subject of the dispute. By now it had become common knowledge that Harry didn't trust Snape as far as he could throw him, and had become convinced to believe that everything that went wrong for the Order was Snape's fault.
Though he would never voice it aloud, Lupin privately agreed with Dumbledore, although his esteemed friendship with Harry would never allow him to say it, and for other reasons, of which he naturally preferred to keep private.
Lupin had also noticed a definite drop in the capability of the Order to subdue Voldemort, as ever since these 'inside arguments' had begun, things had been going downhill. Things at Headquarters were less organised, and no final decisions could be made, for lack of mutual agreement. There had been more deaths, and more disappearances in the past six months than ever before, and most of them order members.
Emiline Vance had been killed recently, and Molly Weasley had all but broken down in a flood of tears to learn that Ron had been captured, and killed by death eaters just last week.
Perhaps it was this that had affected Harry so badly? As he even seemed unable to confide in Sirius of late. Harry's godfather was at a loss for what to do, and had no idea how to respond to his godson's sudden lack of confidence.
Sirius had been seen on many occasions trying to talk to Harry, or at least to engage him in a conversation, but it seemed Harry would not be swayed. Neither, it seemed would Voldemort, who, sensing the Order's disruption had taken his chance to set a supposed spy among them.
It had been reported by Snape a while back, that a spy had entered their ranks. While there was no confirmation of this, no one yet knew who it was, or even who to suspect. Or, Lupin sighed, who to trust.
It was organised chaos. Just the way Voldemort liked it. Of course, Lupin had noticed, his plans were working, or seemed to be. Spreading lies, distrust, and deceit among them. Breaking them, and crumbling them from the inside.
Lupin thought that perhaps they might lose this war after all. Maybe there was the chance that even though they had tried hard to guard themselves against an attack, that perhaps Voldemorts spy had indeed done his job. Perhaps they really did have no idea…
If the spy had succeeded in entering the meetings, or even Headquarters undetected, if he was still among them - then maybe he had gained enough information for Voldemort to move in for the kill. 'Maybe Voldemort still stood a chance after all? '
"Remus!" Lupin was lifted from his thoughts by the sound of Sirius voice, entering the kitchen. "Remus, have you got a minute?" he asked, sounding worried.
At this moment Sirius, I would say I have several minutes." he replied, smiling slightly. "What's wrong?"
"Well, er, nothing's wrong exactly, just…"
"What?"
Sirius pulled him towards the pantry and closed the large walk-in door behind him. "It's just that, well, we've never really had time lately, and well…" Sirius broke off and kissed him lightly on the lips, and Lupin responded by putting his arms around Sirius' neck and deepening the kiss further.
They broke apart slowly, and Sirius smiled slightly. "We might all die tomorrow." Lupin struggled to keep a straight face at Sirius' style of dark humour, and the way he had completely killed the seriousness of the statement by lowering his voice to a playful whisper.
"Who knows? We might have to wait until we have the rest of eternity to do this again."
Lupin gave up, and stuffed his face into Sirius' robes to stifle the sound of hi rather child-like giggles. Sirius grinned and ruffled his hair playfully. "Stop it!" Lupin choked, trying, and failing to sound serious as he hit Sirius in the shoulder.
"Careful Moony." he warned, in mock seriousness. "Wouldn't want to have Molly coming in here to see what all the fuss is about, now would we? She might think we were corrupting the already tainted food items with our very 'immoral' behaviour." he said, grinning.
Lupin growled. "Shuddup!" He hit Sirius in the shoulder again.
"Now Moony, if you do that again I will have to do something you won't like." Sirius said, in a mock serious voice. Lupin hit him again.
"I told you I would do something if you did that again." he said, and grabbed Lupin round the waist, throwing him over his shoulder.
"Oi!" Lupin screamed, "Put me down!" he cried indignantly.
"Ask nicely." Sirius teased, walking out of the pantry toward the stairs. Lupin tried to look indignant.
"Sirius Black! Kindly put me down this instant!" he said, trying to sound business-like. Sirius grinned and pretended to think.
"Hmmm…" He grinned evilly. "Okay." Lupin cried out in surprise as Sirius dumped him unceremoniously on the floor at the foot of the stairs, with a loud 'thud' that echoed through the hallway and up the stairs.
"Sirius? Remus? What's going on?" A concerned Hermione poked her head round the corner. Lupin groaned.
"Grrr. Nothing, Sirius dropped me."
"Huh?"
Sirius grinned evilly and grabbed Lupins wrists to help him up. "Hmm, who ever knew that wolves could fly?" he asked teasingly, holding Lupins arms behind his back.
"Sirius! Let go!" Sirius just grinned.
"Why?"
Lupin struggled to pull his arms free but all that happened was that Sirius crossed Lupin's wrists ever each other ad pushed his arms up so they bent at the elbows, leaving him trapped and immobile.
"Sirius!"
"What?" he asked innocently, steering Lupin towards the wall.
"Stop it!"
Sirius grinned and pushed him up against the wall like in those muggle cop movies, with his head turned to the side. Lupin tried to struggle, and Sirius laughed quietly, leaning around so Lupin could see him.
"You have the right to remain silent. You have the right to an attorney. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in bed. Do you understand?" he said, in perfect imitation of an officer.
Lupin scowled and gave up. "Yeah. Now can I call my lawyer?"
Sirius faked surprise. "You have a lawyer?" he asked, pretending to be shocked.
"No. But I have a witness." he said, smiling slightly, and nodding in Hermione's direction. Hermione stepped forward.
"Yeah, well sorry to bust up you courtroom, but Dumbledore wants to see you both in the kitchen, now."
"Awww. Do we have to?" Sirius whined, clearly annoyed at having to let his 'prisoner' escape. However, Lupin's pulse had quickened at the statement. 'Why did Dumbledore want to see them? Hadn't they just had a meeting? What had they found out? Perhaps it had finally happened…? Maybe…? '
"Oi! Remus!?" Sirius asked, waving his hand in front of Lupin's face.
"Wha…? Oh!"
"Are you in there or not mate?" he asked, standing in front of him. Lupin realised he had been let go and turned back to the kitchen.
"Oh. Yeah, just thinking."
"Hmm, right, whatever." Sirius replied as they entered the kitchen.
Dumbledore was seated at the table his hands folded in front of him, looking grave. "Ah, well I see no point in beating around the bush, so let's get straight to the point, shall we? It seems that Voldemort has indeed got a spy, other than Severus, of course, and it seems that this spy has passed information to Voldemort on the whereabouts of our headquarters. While it is not possible for them to have told him directly, there may have been another way perhaps, of letting Voldemort know of our whereabouts."
Lupins heart sped up. 'He had found it? But surely that would mean…?' "Fortunately it has not yet become necessary for us to leave headquarters and relocate." 'Good.' Lupin thought. ' Makes it a lot easier… '
"However, I will be placing lookouts around the square to inform us of Voldemort's movements around Grimauld Place…"
Lupin clutched at the piece crumpled up parchment in his pocket. 'Lookouts? Does this mean…?'
"This means, of course, that I am indeed referring to the two of you."
'I knew it!' Lupin had expected that from the moment he'd heard Dumbledore wanted to see them. 'Now if only…'
"Of course, much to the disappointment of both of you, I'm sure, you will both be stationed at different parts of the square, perhaps one of you at each end."
'Please, please let it be…'
"Sirius, I would like you, if you will, at this end of the square, perhaps in the alleyway, to avoid suspicion…"
'Yes! That meant…'
"Remus, if you will, the far end of the street, perhaps on the opposite side of the road, for a better view point?" Lupin nodded.
" Of course, Albus. I suppose you'll want us to go now then?"
"Certainly, if it is not too much of a problem…?" Lupin smiled.
"Of course not. The sooner this war's over, the better!" He left for the front door, closely followed by Sirius.
"Bummer ain't it, how they always seem to pick just the wrong moment to call us up for guard duty? Still, I s'pose once this war is over we'll have all the time in the world!"
"Hmm, if we even live that long."
"Hey! Don't talk like that Moony! Course we will!"
Lupin grinned. "Whatever you say Padfoot. Whatever you say." he said, as Sirius assumed his dog form and went trotting off down the street, to the alley behind the house, leaving Lupin to pull on Moody's invisibility cloak and set off silently across the square.