Chapter 3

The Order met in the Great Hall later that afternoon. Its members seated themselves around the large table that had been set up for their use. They helped themselves to tea and coffee and conversed quietly as they were waiting for everyone else to arrive. When everyone was present, Sirius, Remus, Dumbledore, Hagrid, McGonagall, and Snape entered the hall. Several Order members commented about Snape's inclusion in the meeting, some in whispers and some more vocally, but all were clearly opposed to his presence.

"What the bloody hell is going on here, Dumbledore? Since when do we include Death Eaters in our meetings?" Frank Longbottom asked angrily.

"Patience, please, patience! Severus is here at my invitation, and it is my wish that he join the Order of the Phoenix." Dumbledore's tone was confident, but he paused immediately after to allow everyone the opportunity to voice their objections.

"Why would a Death Eater want to join the order?" Again, it was Frank who voiced his disagreement openly. "Why would a Death Eater even know about the order?"

"I understand your reluctance, Frank, but Severus has been spying on the Death Eaters for the past six months, at great peril to himself."

The room sat in stunned silence at this revelation. Allastor Moody shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Swear to that under Veritaserum, will you, then, Snape? Or make us an Unbreakable Vow?"

"I will do either, or both, if you wish," Snape's voice was somewhere between sneering and boredom. Several people gasped. An Unbreakable Vow was not something that one entered into lightly, and yet Snape spoke of it quite casually.

"At the moment, I have news to share," said Dumbledore. He sighed and stroked is beard, as if trying to find the right words.

Sirius spoke up before Dumbledore could continue. "Lily and James Potter are dead at Voldemort's hand. We managed to get Harry out alive. Voldemort is likely dead as well, but we aren't sure."

"How?" Alice Longbottom asked. "Who was their secret-keeper?"

"It was Peter," Remus answered. "We thought we could trust him. We thought wrong, apparently. Pettigrew apparated away from Godric's Hollow with Voldemort's apparently lifeless body."

"I realize that everyone will want time to grieve over this momentous loss," McGonagall began. "But there is work to be done. Now is the time to act, to round up all the Death Eaters we can, to find Pettigrew if possible, and to try to determine if Voldemort is truly dead."

Cries of "hear, hear" and "let's get to it" sounded back from those assembled.

Snape cleared his throat to speak. Dumbledore leaned close to him and whispered, "Severus, if you tell all, you will no longer be able to continue your role as spy."

"I understand, Albus, but I've had enough of sneaking about. The Dark Lord is either dead or seriously weakened. We have an opportunity, now, to gain the upper hand. I can feel it in my bones."

"And you want your revenge, yes?"

"I do, Albus. I won't deny it. Seeing him snuff her life out so carelessly, seeing it from the child's perspective! I can't explain it, Dumbledore, but seeing that changed me. I can't play the role of spy any longer. I don't think I would be effective at hiding my loathing. Even the best occlumens has his limits."

"Very well, my friend." Dumbledore's eyes sparkled as he smiled at his former student.

Snape turned to the group again. "I would like to share information with the Order of the Phoenix, and I insist upon ingesting veritaserum prior to doing so. Afterwards, I am more than willing to make an Unbreakable Vow to the Order as to my loyalty and my intention to assist in the downfall of Lord Voldemort and all of his followers."

Allastor Moody supplied the potion and offered to lead the questioning. Snape did not know everyone associated with Voldemort, of course, but he had several dozen names, and he had often been witness to and even party to many of their deeds. Some of those who were Death Eaters, such as Lucius Malfoy and the LeStranges, came as no surprise to anyone. Other names, however, proved to be more shocking.

"Barty Crouch, Junior! Really!" Alice exclaimed in surprise. "But he's the son of a ministry official!"

"And Thorfin Rowle! He's in charge of the bloody treasury department!" Fabian said in wonder.

"Earlier today, I received an invitation to Malfoy Manor. The Death Eaters will need a new leader, and Lucius Malfoy believes himself to be just the man." Severus had mixed feelings about turning in Lucius Malfoy. Lucius had, after all, been a friend, something akin to a big brother even at one point in time. And he also had a wife and young son. But Lucius and Bellatrix were the Dark Lord's best lieutenants, and there was really no way to bring him down without neutralizing them both. He just hoped that he would not be doing battle with Lucius personally. He would hate to have to kill the man.

After Snape had shared everything that he knew or even suspected, the majority of the order voted to act at once. Moody proposed that Severus pledge his loyalty to the order in their traditional binding ceremony rather than making an Unbreakable Vow.

"I reckon you just sealed your loyalty to us rather permanently with what you've just divulged," the auror told Snape.

Severus looked grateful, and hastened to the front of the room for Albus to perform the binding. He felt a lump in his throat. He wondered what his life would have been like if he could have made this choice while Lily was alive, before she fell in love with James, before she had cut him out of her life. But there was no going back now. He made his choices then, and he had to live with them.

Albus asked him to kneel facing the order members. "Do you, Severus Snape, pledge loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix from this day forward?"

"I do."

"Do you promise to serve the Order to the best of your ability?"

"I do."

"And do you promise always to keep the secrets of the Order of the Phoenix?"

"I do."

"Locutus est fratribus parta fides!" Dumbledore pronounced loudly. He brought his wand to touch down on Snape's right shoulder, then left, then finally his head. Golden light encased Snape for several moments, then as it faded, the other order members applauded loudly.

Fabian and Gideon Prewett were the first to clasp him on the shoulder and say "Welcome, Brother". Snape was stunned, especially when all of the order members did the same. Fabian and Gideon had no real animosity for him. They hadn't had much contact with each other while they were at Hogwarts and hadn't seen each other since. But Frank and Alice Longbottom had hated him for years. Alice was one of Lily's closest confidants, and Snape shuddered at the thought of what Lily must have said about him after that dreadful day he called her that awful word.

When Sirius and Remus welcomed him to the order, Snape thought he would pass out from shock. Snape had thought that they would be mortal enemies until the day he died. Granted, neither Sirius nor Remus had smiles upon their faces as they gave him the traditional welcome, nor did their grasp linger on his shoulder. But still, he was frankly amazed and oddly pleased at being accepted into this group.

The order made their plans quickly. Alice Longbottom reluctantly agreed to forgo the mission itself and instead keep the children safe at Longbottom Hall. Fabian and Gideon asked that their sister Molly Weasley and her family be allowed guest right at the hall as well.

"We're just worried that the Burrow will be targeted. Molly and Arthur have seven little ones. Bill and Charlie are here at school, of course, but that still leaves Percy, the twins, and Ron, and Ginny's barely six months old." Gideon's normally jovial face was shadowed with worry.

"Of course they can come and stay with us!" Alice assured them. "We have plenty of room, and I'm sure Neville would love to have some playmates! I'll just apparate home and let Augusta and the house elves know that we have company coming, then I'll floo-call Molly and Arthur to invite them. Will you let them know to expect me?"

The twins nodded their agreement, and Sirius handed Harry to Alice. Sirius kissed Harry on the forehead and instructed him to be a good boy for his Auntie Alice. Alice took Harry from his arms and smiled her reassurance at Sirius and she left the hall with Frank.

Frank returned a few minutes later, after having walked Alice to the edge of Hogwarts grounds so that she could apparate home. The group had held off seriously planning the mission while waiting for Frank's return.

"Let us proceed," Dumbledore said when everyone was seated once again.

"Right," Moody said. "So, Snape, what kind of protections does Malfoy Manor have, and how do you propose getting around them?"

"The manor will allow my entrance, and, once inside, I can deactivate the wards." Snape stated this casually, as if he were discussing attending a ball or taking a walk in the park. He took two coins from his pocket and wordlessly cast a spell on them. "Now, then, I have placed a protean charm on the coins, and once the wards are down, your coin will begin to wiggle around in your pocket."

"It's that simple, is it?" Moody asked suspiciously.

"Well, yes, I suppose there is the chance that I will be harmed or even killed when you apparate in. After all, I did make promises of loyalty when I took the dark mark. But I think I can avoid it. If not, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make." Snape continued to speak in the same off-handed manner, as if he could care less whether he lived or died.

The rest of the group stared at him for a minute. Sirius considered whether he himself was likely to survive this mission. After all, Bellatrix would likely be at the manor, and she would happily kill him given the chance. Perhaps he should stay behind with Alice and take care of the children. His duty now was to Harry. He felt torn. Staying safe while others risked themselves just wasn't in his nature.

Moody's voice interrupted his inner struggle. "Right. We all know our battle plans. We're going for the capture, not the kill, unless it's unavoidable. And be absolutely sure to use nonlethal spells until we get Mrs. Malfoy and the boy clear of the place." Snape did not know how involved Narcissa was with the Dark Lord, but if his instincts were right, she was innocent. He definitely knew she didn't have the dark mark, but that was as far as his knowledge reached.

The group set out. The plan was for everyone to apparate to Farthing's Forest, which bordered the manor. Afterward, they would pair up and wait for Snape's signal. At the signal, each pair would apparate in together. One would put up shields around the pair while the other went on the offensive. Fabian and Gideon would locate Narcissa and her son and apparate them to auror headquarters. Moody would put up anti-apparition wards once the twins signaled they were clear.

Snape turned and disappeared. Not even a minute later, the coin began jingling in Moody's pocket. "Now!" he yelled, and they all turned and apparated into Malfoy Manor.

They arrived in a large living room. "Protego," the shields went up around each pair. Simultaneously, the other half of each team yelled, "Stupefy!" and "Incarcero!".

Sirius looked around quickly. He had managed to stun one of the LeStrange brothers, but he wasn't sure which. He followed up with "Incarcero", and the man was bound. Several other Death Eaters had been stunned, and a few were also bound. He saw Bellatrix dart out from the adjoining room.

"Avada kedavra!" she yelled. The spell was aimed at him, but he dodged it easily. Now that he had his bearings, he could cast nonverbal spells more easily, and he shot a jelly legs jinx her way. She deflected it and began dueling with him in earnest. Even in the heat of the duel, Sirius marveled at her skill. He longed to see what was going on around him, but he was forced to concentrate all of his attention on his insane cousin.

"Missing dear James, are you?" She taunted him as she laughed shrilly. "And his poor sweet wife! What was her name again? Tulip? Daisy?"

Instead of letting the taunts distract him, Sirius focused harder on getting through her defenses. Maybe if she continued trying to unnerve him, she might even become distracted herself.

Or not. He saw a flash of green light headed his way, and he barely dodged in time. Bloody hell, that was too close! A moment later, Remus appeared at his side, and then they were dueling her together. Unfortunately, having two opponents only seemed to invigorate the mad witch. She cast two more avadas in quick succession, and they were forced to dodge again. Neither spell came terribly close to its mark, but it did serve the purpose of keeping them on the defensive. Sirius just hoped that their side was winning because he didn't hold any great amount of hope that even he and Remus together could beat her.

Remus and Sirius had dueled together many times before, though, and so they had an unspoken agreement that Remus would focus on defensive spells while Sirius went on the offensive. A stinging jinx caught Bellatrix on her wand arm. She yowled in pain, but it didn't slow her down.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix screamed at Sirius. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to dodge the spell. He was enveloped in pain, and he cried out in agony. Bellatrix wore an expression of insane glee. Remus apparently thought that she would be distracted by the pleasure she took in the torture and the concentration required to continue the spell. He nonverbally shot off a stunner at her, but she took a measured step to the left without ever losing concentration. Remus tried again and again, but to no avail.

Sirius thought that he would lose consciousness soon, and then she would kill him. Even writhing in agony, he thought about Harry. He managed to get his wand up for a split second and cast a stunning spell at her. Remarkably, it found its mark, and Bellatrix collapsed. Remus followed up with an incarcero and she was bound.

"Sirius!" Remus was at his side. He was still lying on the cold marble floor. Every fiber of his body was stinging and sore with the after-effects of the torture spell. Remus pulled him into a sitting position and gave him a chocolate. Sirius laughed despite the pain he was in. He couldn't help but be amused at his friend's offering of what he obviously believed to be a panacea. He took the chocolate anyway. Oddly, it helped.

Remus was up again and in front of Sirius so that he could protect his friend. Dumbledore stood in the middle of the room and cast several incarcero spells at once. Two of the spells bound Death Eaters. Dumbledore continued firing off spells while effortlessly deflecting attacks from the Death Eaters.

Sirius tore his eyes away from the spectacle that was Dumbledore and looked around the room. No less than a dozen death eaters were bound. Snape was dueling with an enormous blonde Death Eater who looked like he wanted to eat him alive. McGonagall was at the top of the staircase dueling with an opponent out of his view. Moody was dueling with Lucius and another Death Eater Sirius didn't know. Peter was nowhere to be seen. Sirius tried to get up, but soon realized it was useless. He leaned around Remus and stunned one of Moody's opponents. Lucius made the mistake of glancing at his comrade, and Moody dropped him with a body-bind curse followed by an incarcero.

Moody looked around, saw that his friends had things under control, and began limping up the stairs to look in on McGonagall. Apparently, she mastered her opponent just before he began ascending the stairs, though. Sirius looked around again and saw that the only people standing were order members.

"Constant vigilance!" Moody called out. "Sirius, Remus, and I will stay here and look after this lot. Dumbledore, you and Snape go with McGonagall and check out the rest of the house. I want a head count of our side immediately. Fabian and Gideon made it out with Mrs. Malfoy and the boy, so that leaves 24 of us. I want to know casualties! Cast quick-heals on any of our side, and let's wrap this up!"

Moody trudged over to Sirius. "Crucio, yeah?"

Sirius nodded. "How many times?" Moody asked.

"Just once," Sirius replied.

"For at least five minutes, probably longer," Remus added. "I gave him a pain potion filled chocolate."

"I thought it was filled with rum! It was delicious!"

"Thanks!" Remus beamed.

"Remus, you can take your bows later. For now, help me look around and see if any on our side are hurt. Reinforce any bindings if any Death Eaters move a muscle." Moody began inspecting people lying on the floor.

"Renervate!" Remus said. "Looks like Frank was hit with a stray spell. His breathing is even, and his pulse is good, so I think he'll be okay."

"Good Godric, my head is killing me!" Frank exclaimed. He looked around. "How'd we do?"

"Just counting up, now," Moody said. "So far, it looks like having Snape and the element of surprise on our side worked in our favor."

Sirius chuckled to himself at Moody's penchant for understatement. Looking around the room, he counted 28 people on the ground, not counting himself and Frank. He heard some commotion from upstairs, though, so all was not over yet. He heard McGonagall cry out, and he bolted up from the floor to the stairs.

"Sirius, get back here!" Moody ordered, but Sirius ignored him.

He took the stairs two at a time. When he got to the top of the staircase, the hall was empty. He went to his left, the direction from which he thought Minerva's voice had come. He saw Gideon lying on the floor in the first room he came to. He had blood gushing from several wounds. McGonagall was kneeling beside him casting various healing spells, none of which seemed to be working.

"I don't understand it," she said.

Kingsley Shacklebolt entered the room. "Snape!" he called out. "Severus, get in here, quick!" Kingsley also knelt beside Gideon and began casting healing spells. He tried counter curses for the dark magic that he knew. Nothing seemed to be working, and he and Minerva were both covered in Gideon's blood.

"Should we try to get him to Mungo's?" Sirius asked.

"He won't make it." McGonagall and Kingsley replied almost simultaneously.

Snape appeared in the doorway. He was breathless from running, but he immediately gestured for McGonagall and Kingsley to get out of the way and began chanting in a sing-song manner. The blood started flowing back into Gideon. Sirius had never seen anything like it. After three repetitions of the chant, Gideon's wounds were healed and the color had returned to his cheeks.

"Merlin's bollocks!" Sirius exclaimed.

"He'll still need blood-replenishing potion," Snape said.

"What did you do? How did you do that?" McGonagall asked.

"It was one of my spells that did that, Sectumsempra," Snape said. Three heads snapped to stare daggers at him, so he added hastily, "I didn't perform it, I invented it. So I know the counter curse."

"Oh." Kingsley said. "You're gonna have to teach us that one."

"My pleasure," Snape replied. "For now, though, let's continue our search of the house."

At that point, Sirius collapsed onto the floor. He really didn't have any warning, but rather suddenly felt like his legs were unable to support him. He managed to get his hands in front of his face, so at least he didn't hit his head.

"We need to get both of these men to St. Mungo's as quickly as possible," Kingsley said.

"I'm all right," Sirius protested. "Finish searching the house. It's just the after-effects of the crucio. I think I was running on adrenaline for a few minutes after I heard Minerva's cry."

"Yes, that sounds likely," McGonagall replied. "I'll stay with Sirius and Gideon. You two continue the search."

Ten or fifteen minutes later, the order members were reassembled in the living room. Sirius and Gideon seemed to be the worst of the casualties. Dedalus Diggle had taken some sort of punching spell to the ribs, but Emmeline Vance had healed the broken ribs in a trice. Emmeline herself had various bruises and a few deep cuts, but she insisted that they were minor. A few others had cuts and scrapes, but the majority of the order was unscathed.

"Right, then," said Moody. "Anyone with any injuries whatsoever, even a scrape, get yourself to St. Mungo's for a look-over."

Several order members shouted protests at this directive, but Moody quieted them. "Shut it!" he yelled gruffly. "I'll brook no arguments on this. What we did tonight is nothing short of remarkable. At my count, the 26 of us captured 38 Death Eaters. No one on either side was killed. Mrs. Malfoy and her son were spirited away safely. To me, that sounds nigh on like a miracle, and I don't believe in miracles! So we play it safe and get every injury inspected! Constant vigilance!"

"Absolutely right," Dumbledore said in agreement. "Shall I accompany the injured while you and your uninjured aurors take the prisoners to Azkaban?"

Moody nodded his agreement, and the plan was put into action. Dumbledore took hold of Sirius and Gideon and apparated them to St. Mungo's. The remainder of the injured order members were strong enough to apparate on their own.

A few hours later, Frank, Sirius, Remus, and Fabian apparated to Longbottom Hall. Alice gave a cry of relief and threw herself into her husband's arms.

"We got your patronus that everything had gone well, but still I worried when you said you were at St. Mungo's," Alice said.

"Moody's orders," Frank said as he held his wife and kissed her forehead.

"Please, everyone, be welcome, and make yourselves comfortable." Augusta Longbottom gestured to the sitting area. "I'm sure everyone is hungry and thirsty. I've had the house elves prepare some food."

When everyone was seated, two house elves appeared with trays of sandwiches, fruit, cakes, and an assortment of drinks. Sirius helped himself to some food and looked around the room. He had never been to Longbottom Hall before. He marveled at the way the room was simultaneously grand and elegant while maintaining a cozy warmth. There was a roaring fire in the large fireplace, and a dozen or so couches and chairs were arranged in a semicircle around it. A long, low mahogany table sat in the middle of the semicircle. He reckoned that twenty-five to thirty people could sit comfortably in this room, yet it still felt intimate.

While they ate, those who had stayed with the children filled in the combatants on the happenings on the home-front, as it were. Alice and Molly chattered happily about how well the children had gotten along.

"Where are they now?" Sirius asked.

"Fast asleep in the nursery," Augusta answered.

"All of them?" asked Remus.

"Oh, yes! Longbottom Hall has a large nursery." Augusta smiled. "It warmed my heart to see it full." She looked rather pointedly at Frank and Alice.

Frank chuckled. "We'll try to fill it up, Mother, after all this business has passed."

"We will, will we?" Alice raised her eyebrows at her husband and he smiled as he pulled her closer to him. "But, seriously, Frank. I need details of the mission. What happened tonight?"

"Tonight was a roaring success!" Frank said triumphantly. "Oh, Alice, you should have seen Dumbledore! He did a spell I have never seen before. It was like there was a fiery whip coming out of his wand, and he swung it about and knocked out ten death eaters in the time it took me to draw breath in wonderment. I was gobsmacked!"

"I think that's when you got hit, eh Frank?" Remus teased him.

"Well, yes," Frank said sheepishly. "I couldn't help watching, though."

"I can't blame you, son," Augusta said. "I'd have liked to see that as well."

"Me, too," Sirius added. "Unfortunately, I was rather occupied with Bellatrix. We got her, though, and that's what matters."

"And you're sure Gideon will be all right?" Molly asked her brother for the third or fourth time.

"The healers at St. Mungo's just wanted to keep him overnight as a precaution, Molly," Fabian reassured her. "He'll be right as rain by morning."

"And Snape-Severus Snape saved his life?" Arthur asked.

It was Sirius who answered. "I could hardly believe it myself, Arthur. But I think he truly is a changed man."

After sharing the news of the evening, Alice and Frank encouraged everyone to stay the night so that they didn't have to wake the children. They all accepted gratefully and went to ready themselves for bed.

Although he was exhausted, Sirius paused to peek into the nursery. It was indeed full. There were four cribs along one wall and several other beds lined up along another wall. Toy chests and various toys were spaced along a third wall. The room seemed to emanate peace and comfort. He could hear the soft breathing of the sleeping children, and it warmed his heart. He had never really considered having children before, but now everything had changed, hadn't it?