Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix- Chapter 17
Dumbledore paced his office restlessly. Arabella was late. Dumbledore looked at the huge grandfather clock opposite his desk and sighed. There was a knock on his office door.
"Please enter." He called to the person. In walked the tall figure of Arabella.
"Sorry I'm late, Professor." She apologised. He opened his mouth to excuse her, but saw a sad, depressed look on her face.
"I imagine the Gregson's didn't have any information." He studied her face. She looked down and twisted her hands in her lap.
"Professor, they are dead." Those words hit Albus Dumbledore like bricks.
"Excuse me?" He asked. His blue eyes were worried, concerned and wary.
"I arrived at their house and hovering above it was the Dark Mark. I entered their house. The whole place had been ransacked. Papers had been burned, taken or just discarded on the floor. Julia and Will were dead in the livingroom. I searched for the information that they had acquired for us, but that was included in the papers that had been burnt. They also had some information of us that was taken. Professor, how did they know that Julia and Will were informants?" She looked up at the leader of the Order with tears in her eyes. Dumbledore turned away and thought.
"Arabella, go get Severus, Minerva, and Remus. Tell Remus to call an emergency meeting." Arabella got up and nodded, brushing the tears away. Dumbledore grabbed her arm as she turned to leave. He looked down at her kindly.
"Don't worry, Arabella, we'll get to the bottom of this." She managed a smile and left the office.
* * *
"May I have your attention please?" Remus stood up on the makeshift stage set up in the Great Hall every Duelling Club day.
"Could everyone put their wands away and head up their dormitories? The lessons for today are over." The Club all stared at him in shock. Harry, Hermione and Ron looked at each other grimly. Remus got down and, with Snape and McGonagall, left the Hall. Snuffles barked and urged them up to the Gryffindor Tower. Once he was sure they were in the Tower, Snuffles ran to Dumbledore's office where Remus had just appeared to let him in. The scene that met their eyes was shocking. The members of the Order that had just arrived were yelling at Snape who was protesting.
"I swear! I would never betray them! I have never told the Death Eaters or Voldemort anything!" Arabella was standing in front of Severus yelling back at the other members. Some more members entered the office behind Snuffles and Remus. Dumbledore sat in his chair staring at the floor as though he was a million miles away. Finally he looked up. All members were present.
"Silence!" His voice, although spoken quietly, cut through the air like a knife. The room fell silent. He looked at Severus' pale, withdrawn face.
"I don't know why, or how, this happened-" He started quietly, but was cut off angrily by a man in the back of the room.
"We do know how this happened. He-" The man shot an accusing finger at Snape, "betrayed us. A double-crosser, that's what he is! We sent him to spy on the dark side and he allies with them to tell them all our secrets! How else would they know about Julia and Will? How else would they know that they were the informants? Like I always say, 'once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater'. They never truly, 'cross over' to the other side!" The room voiced their agreements. Dumbledore looked tiredly at Severus. Minerva stood protectively on one side of him with Arabella on the other. Remus and Snuffles stood a distance from Severus, not supporting him, but standing a way from the other members, not supporting them either.
"Please, may we have order." They all fell silent and looked at their leader.
"As I was saying, I don't know why or how this happened. It may or may not have been Severus. We cannot condemn him until we have sufficient proof." He leaned over his desk and looked at the Order. The members sat down without a word, knowing Dumbledore wasn't finished speaking.
"It is wrong to accuse an innocent person and even more wrong to punish them for something they haven't done." His eyes flickered to Snuffles and the Order had to strain to hear what he had said.
"But-" the man began.
"Innocent until proven guilty, Frank." His eyes swept the room as though he was looking for someone to protest, which no one did.
"I want you all to give Severus the benefit of the doubt and treat him civilly. We will investigate this, but as of now there is no proof to suggest that Severus had any part in this atrocity." Dumbledore stood up, a signal that the meeting was over.
Slowly the Order left his office, whispering and gossiping. Soon, the only ones left, yet again, were Severus, Remus, Snuffles, Minerva and Arabella. Severus sat down and buried his face in his hands. Arabella rubbed his back soothingly and Minerva began telling him how none of them blamed him. Dumbledore stood viewing the teachers and the dog in his office. Snuffles and Remus still stood a little ways away. Remus had a doubtful look on his face.
Dumbledore paced his office restlessly. Arabella was late. Dumbledore looked at the huge grandfather clock opposite his desk and sighed. There was a knock on his office door.
"Please enter." He called to the person. In walked the tall figure of Arabella.
"Sorry I'm late, Professor." She apologised. He opened his mouth to excuse her, but saw a sad, depressed look on her face.
"I imagine the Gregson's didn't have any information." He studied her face. She looked down and twisted her hands in her lap.
"Professor, they are dead." Those words hit Albus Dumbledore like bricks.
"Excuse me?" He asked. His blue eyes were worried, concerned and wary.
"I arrived at their house and hovering above it was the Dark Mark. I entered their house. The whole place had been ransacked. Papers had been burned, taken or just discarded on the floor. Julia and Will were dead in the livingroom. I searched for the information that they had acquired for us, but that was included in the papers that had been burnt. They also had some information of us that was taken. Professor, how did they know that Julia and Will were informants?" She looked up at the leader of the Order with tears in her eyes. Dumbledore turned away and thought.
"Arabella, go get Severus, Minerva, and Remus. Tell Remus to call an emergency meeting." Arabella got up and nodded, brushing the tears away. Dumbledore grabbed her arm as she turned to leave. He looked down at her kindly.
"Don't worry, Arabella, we'll get to the bottom of this." She managed a smile and left the office.
* * *
"May I have your attention please?" Remus stood up on the makeshift stage set up in the Great Hall every Duelling Club day.
"Could everyone put their wands away and head up their dormitories? The lessons for today are over." The Club all stared at him in shock. Harry, Hermione and Ron looked at each other grimly. Remus got down and, with Snape and McGonagall, left the Hall. Snuffles barked and urged them up to the Gryffindor Tower. Once he was sure they were in the Tower, Snuffles ran to Dumbledore's office where Remus had just appeared to let him in. The scene that met their eyes was shocking. The members of the Order that had just arrived were yelling at Snape who was protesting.
"I swear! I would never betray them! I have never told the Death Eaters or Voldemort anything!" Arabella was standing in front of Severus yelling back at the other members. Some more members entered the office behind Snuffles and Remus. Dumbledore sat in his chair staring at the floor as though he was a million miles away. Finally he looked up. All members were present.
"Silence!" His voice, although spoken quietly, cut through the air like a knife. The room fell silent. He looked at Severus' pale, withdrawn face.
"I don't know why, or how, this happened-" He started quietly, but was cut off angrily by a man in the back of the room.
"We do know how this happened. He-" The man shot an accusing finger at Snape, "betrayed us. A double-crosser, that's what he is! We sent him to spy on the dark side and he allies with them to tell them all our secrets! How else would they know about Julia and Will? How else would they know that they were the informants? Like I always say, 'once a Death Eater, always a Death Eater'. They never truly, 'cross over' to the other side!" The room voiced their agreements. Dumbledore looked tiredly at Severus. Minerva stood protectively on one side of him with Arabella on the other. Remus and Snuffles stood a distance from Severus, not supporting him, but standing a way from the other members, not supporting them either.
"Please, may we have order." They all fell silent and looked at their leader.
"As I was saying, I don't know why or how this happened. It may or may not have been Severus. We cannot condemn him until we have sufficient proof." He leaned over his desk and looked at the Order. The members sat down without a word, knowing Dumbledore wasn't finished speaking.
"It is wrong to accuse an innocent person and even more wrong to punish them for something they haven't done." His eyes flickered to Snuffles and the Order had to strain to hear what he had said.
"But-" the man began.
"Innocent until proven guilty, Frank." His eyes swept the room as though he was looking for someone to protest, which no one did.
"I want you all to give Severus the benefit of the doubt and treat him civilly. We will investigate this, but as of now there is no proof to suggest that Severus had any part in this atrocity." Dumbledore stood up, a signal that the meeting was over.
Slowly the Order left his office, whispering and gossiping. Soon, the only ones left, yet again, were Severus, Remus, Snuffles, Minerva and Arabella. Severus sat down and buried his face in his hands. Arabella rubbed his back soothingly and Minerva began telling him how none of them blamed him. Dumbledore stood viewing the teachers and the dog in his office. Snuffles and Remus still stood a little ways away. Remus had a doubtful look on his face.