22. Suspicions

The meeting was going to be a long one, there was no doubt about that. There was a lot that they needed to discuss.

The past day had been extremely overwhelming; two Death Eater attacks almost simultaneously, not six hours in between. Was it planned that way? Voldemort himself had gone to the Department of Mysteries; the prospects must have been good. And, in all honesty, they had been; the Order had only effectively stalled them, delayed them from getting the prophecy. He didn't want to think of what could be going on at the moment had Voldemort actually swiped the right prophecy.

It seemed almost foolish, that the greatest Dark wizard of all time could make such a simple mistake. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, as they said, and this applied literally as well. Snatching the wrong prophecy when he could have easily taken the right one. The Death Eaters had dominated the first wave of the Order with ease. There really wasn't a need to rush.

Yet, he had been chasing this prophecy since his return, the way a dog would chase a piece of bread. He had been ruthlessly pursuing the possession of it, taking strange, far-fetched measures of what seemed like desperation, just to get his hands on it. Time had obviously run his patience low. It seemed like he couldn't wait any longer. Now, however, they were going to ensure that he didn't get another opportunity to seize the prophecy. It was the duty of the Order of the Phoenix.

But these were all Remus's thoughts. The meeting hadn't even commenced yet. Everyone was sitting at the table in silence, completely devoid of the general conversation that would have filled the room on any other given day. There was an air of anxiety, of nervousness. An air of members of an organization that had failed to do its part, members who were now worried that they were going to pay the price for it. It was the post-game analysis of a game they had lost terribly, and the atmosphere reflected it.

At last, Dumbledore looked up from the table, peering at them over the top of his spectacles with a calm, serious demeanor. "Thank you, everyone, for assembling here so late in the night."

There was a collective, albeit worrisome, nod across the room.

"There have been a few significant events that have taken place in the last twenty-four hours. The first is the Death Eater attack on Harry."

No reaction. So everyone had already been told.

"Harry is safe. He has been Healed by a Healer from St. Mungo's, one who has been verified to keep the injury secret. He knows not the details of how Harry was injured," Dumbledore continued. "Four Death Eaters had abducted him, taken him to Walden Tower, which is located in Orkney, and tortured him in order to get information on the prophecy."

"Because he's been having the visions," Tonks cut in softly. Dumbledore glanced at her, his eyes steely.

"Precisely," he responded. "Six hours after Harry and those who were at Hogwarts returned back to the school, a group of nine Death Eaters along with Lord Voldemort himself successfully entered the Department of Mysteries."

An unspoken question filled the air. How?

"Elphias Doge and Mundungus Fletcher were supposed to be on guard duty at the time," Dumbledore said, "but they were under the pretense that Emmeline Vance and Arthur Weasley were on guard duty, and therefore, did not show up. Looking at the roster, I notice that Mr. Doge and Mr. Fletcher were, indeed, scheduled for tonight's guard duty." He looked at both of them, who were now positively whimpering in their chairs.

"May I ask for an explanation as to why there was confusion on the guard duty schedules?" he asked.

Elphias and Mundungus looked at each other, clearly fraught with anxiety.

"You see," Mundungus began, "I had checked the roster only the day before. And it had Emmeline's name on it! I'm positive of it. I do think Arthur was on there, too, but I know for a fact my name wasn't on there until next week. Last time I had guard duty was about four weeks ago, so I remember thinking I had one more week to go."

Dumbledore glanced again at the roster. "Other than tonight, your next guard duty is to be in three weeks. So, evidently, there has been a mix-up."

"I can prove it!" Mundungus cried, flailing around. "Put me under Veritaserum! Anything! I can prove I ain't lying!"

And, to everyone's great surprise, Veritaserum was brought, and Mundungus was subjected to it. He chugged it down with a glass of water, and then began speaking again.

"Yeah, Professor?" he asked.

"What did the roster say for tonight, Mundungus?" Dumbledore asked calmly.

"It had Emmeline's name on it, and I'm pretty sure Arthur's was too. I wasn't on duty until next week, it certainly wasn't me."

Dumbledore nodded. "Severus, this potion is still…"

"Accurate as ever," Snape replied icily.

And so Elphias was then tested, who repeated the same thing under Veritaserum.

Dumbledore frowned. "The two of you have evidently been under some sort of enchantment. There's no other explanation for it."

His face went blank. "The perpetrator remains to be found."

Remus tilted his head to the side, confused. The perpetrator would be a Death Eater, right? Someone to subject these people to a Confundus Charm, maybe, or the Imperius Curse. Someone to confuse Elphias and Mundungus into mixing up the guard duty schedules, so that the corridor would be empty when they came for the prophecy.

And then a nasty thought occurred to him. Surely that wasn't what Dumbledore meant? Surely he trusted them more than that? He knew what Dumbledore was going to say before it was spoken.

"It is highly likely that there is a spy in the Order."

This time, there was a reaction. People looked, if possible, paler than before. Some actually shrieked, some tightened their grip on whatever they were holding. Everyone was staring at Dumbledore, waiting for him to elaborate.

He didn't.

And suddenly, everyone was looking around the room, as if trying to decipher who was the spy. There were squinting glances across the table, and nervous eyes darting from person to person, trying to pick out who could be betraying the Order.

"Someone in the Order," Dumbledore began, and all movement ceased immediately, "has communicated to the Death Eaters that there was confusion on today's guard duty schedules, and the Death Eaters took this to their advantage. Had Voldemort been a little more meticulous, the prophecy would be in his possession as we speak."

He let the words sink in, not that they needed to any more. Everyone knew the consequences of what had happened. And if Dumbledore believed that there was a spy in the Order, then there most likely was. The question was: who was it?

Remus glanced around the room, the pale, stricken faces that gazed in all directions. These people were his family. They were his friends. He didn't want to think that one of them had betrayed the Order.

Then again, Peter Pettigrew had done exactly that. Fourteen years ago. He had betrayed the Order, resulting in the deaths of James and Lily. He had joined forces with the Death Eaters. And he had been one of Remus's only true friends.

"Once I have figured out who the spy is," Dumbledore said, in a quiet, deadly voice, "that person will be forever ousted from the Order."

Remus closed his eyes, trying not to become inundated with emotion. He needed to stay calm. He had plenty of time to reflect after the meeting was over.

Everyone else seemed to have thought the same. They were clearly not allowing themselves to show the fear that was evident in their eyes.

Remus knew fear. He had experienced plenty of it, both his own and that of others. With lycanthropy came fear. It was like a package deal. Being scared of your own transformations, others being scared of you. And, the most special, and impeccably rare, others being scared for you. He was lucky, he knew, that he had found friends who had cared. Others hadn't been so lucky.

"There is more to talk about," Dumbledore said, "but it can wait. Nothing is as crucial as the impending crisis we face. Stricter schedules and tighter regulations must be enforced. Voldemort knows where we are vulnerable. Hopefully, with one member less, we will be able to ward off future Death Eater attacks.

"Which is why it is important to find out which of our number needs to leave. I encourage you to talk amongst yourselves. Look for anything that could be rendered suspicious. And…" his gaze flickered over every one of their faces, "if you are the spy, you will face far fewer consequences if you report it to me than if I am required to figure it out."

He stood up, pushing his chair into the table. "We will talk at the next Order meeting. If you have something to tell me, do not hesitate to contact me." With a curt nod to the room, he strode out of the house, closing the door shut as he left.

Then passed one of the most uncomfortable silences he had experienced. Everyone was, no doubt, observing other faces carefully, watching for any uncertainty or doubt that would give way to suspecting them of betraying the Order.

"You're a Metamorphmagus, aren't you?"

It came from Hestia, who was staring at Tonks with an accusatory glare.

"So?" Tonks shot back.

"So," expounded Hestia, "you could easily blame any of us if you were in contact with the Death Eaters if you took our forms."

"Are you accusing me?" demanded Tonks fiercely. "Just because I can change my appearance?"

"Yes, maybe I am," Hestia spat.

"So you're saying that just because I can change my appearance, that means I'm betraying the Order," Tonks repeated, standing up, fire blazing in her eyes.

"I'm just saying that you're more likely to betray the Order than any of the rest of us are," Hestia snarled, rising from her chair.

"Enough," Remus said calmly, but with an anger he didn't know he possessed, standing up as well. "Hestia, are you seriously accusing her of betraying the Order because of an ability she possesses?"

"I-I'm just saying," Hestia spluttered, but he cut her off.

"Just because she's a Metamorphmagus, she's betraying the Order? How can you say that? Have you done some scientific study to show that there's a direct correlation? You can't just blame her like that, you have absolutely no evidence to show it. It just as well could be anyone in this room." He glanced around at the panicked faces that were watching him closely. "Are we going to go around accusing each other? Without any base evidence? Because that makes us as mature as five-year-olds. We need to find the spy, yes, but we can't afford to accuse random people of betraying the Order. That means we would lose a valuable member, lose their trust, lose all relationships with them for no particular reason at all, not to mention that the spy would still be safely a part of the Order. Do your research, Hestia, and don't give me this rubbish. I don't want to hear it. Find a good reason that your point could be accurate instead of using whatever you can throw at someone."

Like people hadn't stared at him enough. He turned to his friend. "Sirius, can you go get something for everyone to eat?"

He nodded and disappeared into the kitchen.

"I know," he continued, more calmly, "that we're anxious. Stressed. Because you don't know who to trust. Use your senses, not your emotions. You need to be able to think clearly, not just accuse someone you hate."

"Well said!" piped up Dedalus. "I agree!"

He nodded curtly. "So, if you want to stay, I think there should be pizza. If you want to leave, thanks for coming."

A few murmured their farewell and left, including Hestia, McGonagall, Moody, Elphias, and Snape. The rest of them started up a conversation cautiously, but soon the room was filled with light chatter once more. Molly Weasley came bustling up to him.

"Remus, dear, would you like me to help with the dinner?" she asked.

"Er, you can ask Sirius if he needs some help, I don't think people are going to stay for too long, to be honest," he replied.

"I know," she responded fretfully, "too much stress. Albus really left us all in such a bad mood, I do wish he could have cheered up the atmosphere a bit before he left!"

"Yeah," he agreed, "but it is a serious matter."

"Oh, definitely," she said, shuddering. "I don't want to think who it is."

"Neither do I," he replied with a sigh. "But… we have to face it at some point."

She frowned. "I know. That's what makes it so sad. Well, I'll go help Sirius out in the kitchen."

"Thank you."

"Of course, dear."

And she bobbed away to the kitchen, leaving Remus alone with his thoughts, though not for long. Mundungus came up to him next.

"What's for dinner?" he asked.

"Pizza," replied Remus in a bored voice. "That is, if Sirius hasn't blown it up yet."

He gave a satisfied nod and walked away.

"Remus?"

It was Tonks. She looked uneasy, evident as she bit her lip and walked towards him.

"Yeah?" He softened his tone considerably. He didn't want to use the same tone that he had used only minutes ago to severely scold the entire Order with her. It wasn't fitting.

"I… Thank you. Thank you for standing up for me, in front of everyone."

He smiled warmly at her. "After your magnificent reprimand to the ex-ferret in Hogsmeade, the least I could do was return the favor."

She smiled. "I have to go back to Hogwarts, I'm still on duty, unfortunately. Are you going to be staying here from now?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Moody has decided that the Death Eaters aren't stupid enough to strike at Hogwarts again."

"I should hope not."

He paused for a second before asking the question that was plaguing his mind. "Er, Tonks? You know how you left just after we returned to the school? Is everything alright, is something bothering you?"

She bit her lip again. "It'll be okay."

He wasn't convinced of her answer, but she gave him a dazzling smile. "I think I need to head back, so… see you later?"

"See you later," he confirmed, smiling as her hair brushed against his face as she turned to leave.

An hour later, Molly Weasley said her goodbyes and left, leaving Remus and Sirius alone in the house. They were sitting side by side at the still enlarged table, drinking tea, when Sirius started up the conversation.

"So you like her."

It was a statement. It wasn't accusatory, but it was declarative. It wasn't a question. And Remus had no idea what it was about.

"Excuse me?"

"You like my baby cousin." He was peering at Remus over his mug.

"What are you trying to say, Padfoot?"" he asked exasperatedly. "Of course I like her, we're friends."

"No, but…" Sirius waggled his eyebrows. "You like her."

"You putting any more emphasis on the word like doesn't change my answer, Sirius," he replied, taking a sip of tea.

Sirius groaned. "You really likeher."

He raised an eyebrow. "What are you trying to say?"

He threw his hands on the table in frustration. "You fancy her!"

This conversation had taken an unexpected turn. Fancy her? Remus took a moment to figure out the real answer for himself before he gave Sirius a response.

Did he fancy Tonks? The immediate response was no. No, they were just friends. Really good friends. They understood each other, they empathised with each other, they supported each other. These were all characteristics of good friends, right?

But then how did that explain the flutter of his heart when she brushed by him, the melting of his stomach when she smiled at him, the distortion of his thoughts when she laughed with him? Were these also characteristics of good friends? Or… was there something more to their relationship?

Either way, there was no way that he was admitting that there was possibly a romantic aspect to his feelings, especially if he wasn't certain of it himself. So he looked at Sirius, torn between laughing and sighing. "Of course I don't. Why are you even asking me?"

"Because," Sirius said, sounding gleeful, "you do! It's in your eyes! Look, look!"

He snorted. "Sirius, you know there's no way I can look at my own eyes, so I really can't 'look, look'. And since when have you been an expert at reading facial expressions?"

"Moony," he protested, doing his trademark pouty face, "it's obvious."

"Stop it with the pouty face," Remus sighed. "All right, look, I don't know myself. I definitely don't fancy her, but I don't know how I feel right now. That's the honest answer. I need to… take time and think about it."

Now it was Sirius's turn to snort. "This isn't something you need to think about, Moony, but if you need time, go ahead and take it. I can't wait to hear the answer, anyway."

He rolled his eyes. "I know you'll only accept one answer from me."

"Yep," said Sirius merrily. "So take your time to tell me."

He finished the last of his tea and cleaned it with a lazy flick of his wand. "All right, Sirius. See you. Good night."

"Good night, Moony," Sirius replied happily, a lot happier than Remus had seen him in a long time.

As Remus settled into bed, he wondered again how exactly he felt about Tonks. He didn't like her in that way, he was almost convinced of it. But there was that one part of him, his more emotional side, that disagreed. But did it matter, either way? There was no way that Tonks fancied him, that was implausible. If he did like her, then it was just a fleeting emotion, and it would soon disappear. There was nothing to worry about.

How wrong he was.

A/N: So there's a spy in the Order. Who could it be, and what is going to happen to them? A drastic threat is made in Chapter 23!

One of my longer chapters, hope you enjoy it! There's a lot coming up in the next few chapters, so stay tuned for more!

To Minie, KZ55, G. E. Gabriels, Guest, James Birdsong, TillyQ, LoquaciousLupin, Shraddha Arora, maraudersfanfictions, HeadIntheCloudsForever, Fanfictionlover0987654321, Turannoktonnos, and Guest: I love you guys so much for your reviews and support! I love seeing what you have to say! :D

Who could the spy be? Any thoughts? Leave your guesses in the reviews!

Mini :)