"They're lovers," Lupin repeated. He shrugged apologetically, glancing at Alex. "It's the wolf in me. I pick up on these things," he told her. She didn't have time to take in the full meaning of that, however.

"How dare you make such an accusation-" Snape hissed.

"Because it's true," Alex interrupted him. He stared at her, startled. "I'm not ashamed of it," she murmured, "are you ?"

The little witch's attention was diverted as Molly Weasley gasped, shaking a finger at Snape. "Shocking. Inexcusable," she stormed. "That such...shenanigans should occur at my childrens' school-"

Oh, hell. She thinks I'm a student. "For cryin' out loud, I'm twenty-eight years old," Alex said.

"Miss Rose is a member of the staff," Dumbledore supplied at the same moment.

"Oh." The red-haired witch seemed to deflate. "My apologies, Professor Snape," she said stiffly.

"I'm still not convinced," Alastor Moody growled. All eyes turned to the scarred auror, grateful for the distraction. "Harry has a bond with Voldemort because of his scar – it's an anomaly, a variation of Dark Mark, if you will. The girl's got a Dark Mark of her own. She has to, there's no other explanation. People don't start having true visions just because they've had sex, it just doesn't follow."

"Eew...sex with Snape," breathed Tonks, her voice barely audible. Alex raised her eyebrows. Realizing she'd been heard, the pink-haired witch blushed.

Moody interrupted, pulling an item from his pocket. "Let's get to the bottom of this. We'll soon see who else besides Snape has a Dark Mark-"

"A sneakoscope, Mad-Eye ?" scoffed Severus. "A child's plaything."

"Not this one," said the battered wizard decisively. He opened a panel on the side of the orb and fiddled with the controls inside. "This is state-of-the-art. It can be set to detect various types of geas, including the Imperious Curse. Also Dark Marks, disguises, Memory Charms..." He paused to glare around the table with his good eye. The glass eye stayed locked on Alex. "In fact, let's just test everyone here for the full range of nasties, what do you say, Albus ?"

"Very well, Alastor. Go ahead."

Moody set the orb down on the table. Drawing out his wand, he flicked it towards Professor McGonagall, sitting on his left. The orb whirred softly for a moment, then fell silent. "All clear," he commented. McGonagall sniffed. He continued, flicking his wand at each person in turn. When Fleur was indicated, the orb whirred, then began to hum loudly. It glowed red, spinning in circles on the table. Moody snatched it up. "Memory Charm. Someone's obliviated her," he commented with satisfaction.

"Pourquoi ?" breathed Fleur.

Dumbledore rose from his chair. "I think it best if we remove that," he said quietly. "May I ?" Fleur nodded. He murmured a spell, waving his wand over the blonde witch's head. She sat in silence for a long minute, eyes closed. When she opened them, she was trembling.

"Nick Quid," she said numbly, recounting the memory. "One night... I stayed late at work. Nicholas...'e came in and started... flirting wiz me." Her lip curled. "Eew, it was pathetic. Disgusting. 'E tried to kiss me...if one of the Goblin guards hadn't come by..." her voice trailed off. The young witch was clearly distraught.

"Fleur, you're part Veela," Lupin reminded her. "Do you really think a little slimeball like Quid could have managed to rape you ? Even under the influence of spells, your raptor form would have torn him to shreds."

"Ah, c'est vrai." For just a moment, the beautiful witch's features altered. She flexed her hands, showing razor-like talons for a fraction of a second. "Thank you, Remus." Fleur relaxed in her chair.

Mad-Eye Moody resumed his testing. Alex tensed; she was next. The auror gave her a decidedly nasty smile and turned the sneakoscope on himself. "Nothing," he said smugly. "I check myself twice a day."

"You're paranoid, Mad-Eye," commented Tonks.

He turned to the wizard on his right and the ordeal continued. Several minutes passed as each member of the Order was checked, one by one. The orb glowed, spun, and hummed when it came to Kingsley Shacklebolt. "Got a geas on you, Kingsley," Moody growled.

The tall auror squirmed. "Trying to quit smoking," he explained.

A seedy-looking wizard shuddered. "Man, those Negative Reinforcement Charms are rough," he remarked sympathetically.

"Two weeks...maybe this time I'll kick the habit," Kingsley shrugged.

The testing continued. "Snape's got a Dark Mark. Big shock there."

Alex watched the proceedings, expressionless. Her stomach churned. Let's just get this over with. I haven't done anything wrong, she reassured herself. Come on, asshole. Speed it up.

Moody smiled his nasty smile. He flicked his wand at Tonks. The orb reacted. "Disguise," he said.

"Well, duh. You didn't think my hair was naturally this color, did you ?"

"And now for Miss Rose." The orb spun, glowing crimson. "Interesting," he growled. The auror kept his wand pointed straight at Alex. "Dark Mark...and someone's put a Memory Charm on her too."

Alex returned Moody's gaze calmly. Now that the truth was finally out, she felt detached, almost carefree. I'm sure Albus Dumbledore already knows. And Severus isn't going to freak about it. I don't think he will, anyway. She avoided looking at him. The rest of them will either deal with it, or they won't. Not really my problem. She pulled the left sleeve of her robe up above her elbow, revealing her forearm. The flesh was unmarked. "I'm not a Death Eater," she said quietly, "but I've had the Dark Mark since I was a little girl. It's a Corwin family tradition." She shrugged, her lips quirked in a humorless smile. Family tradition. Yeah, my dysfunctional, Dark family.

Moody broke the silence that followed her announcement. "That's some potions program you've got going there at Hogwarts, Albus," he growled, "with a Death Eater and his Dark witch girlfriend running it -" Snape hissed, a sharp intake of breath. He sprang to his feet, pulling out his wand as he shoved his chair back. Moody trained his own wand on the potions master, an eager expression on his face.

"Stop," Dumbledore commanded. "Sit down." His voice was soft, but both men instantly obeyed, though each kept his wand pointed at the other. "Miss Rose is an upstanding witch of good character. Her family history is no secret to me." The headmaster's gaze roamed around the table, meeting the eyes of each member of the Order. "I don't need to remind any of you that we judge a person based on their deeds, not their lineage. Consider the donor of our headquarters."

The tension in the room subsided. Alex smiled gratefully at Dumbledore. "Thank you, sir." She glanced across at Severus. His eyes were still locked on Moody. Alex tensed again. "There is one more thing, though." She swallowed. "I'd really like to know what's going on with that Memory Charm."

"If I may ?" She nodded and Dumbledore cast a counter-charm. Alex shut her eyes tightly as the spell took effect. Behind her lids, images began to flicker. The long-suppressed memory was as vivid as the moment the original events had occurred. Silent, unmoving in her chair, she relived them.

The darkened potions lab. Snape, his featured distorted with rage inside the Bubble-Head Charm. The cauldron with its acrid fumes, the Killing Curse. The fear she'd felt, the anger. Their duel, her defeat. The memories flashed by. His hand, stroking her hair, his sneering voice taunting her. Snape's confession. Finally, the confused expression in his dark eyes just before he stole it all from her mind...

Alex opened her eyes. The assembled Order of the Phoenix watched her. She realized that she was trembling. Furiously, she shoved her hands into the pockets of her robe, balling them into fists to regain control. "Well. That was fun," she remarked sarcastically. She refused to look at Snape. "You know what ? It's late, and I didn't get much real sleep last night. True visions aren't very restful," she told Moody, carefully keeping her voice steady. No way am I going to give you the satisfaction of seeing me react, asshole. She turned to Dumbledore. "If he's done interrogating me, sir, I'd like to go home. Now."

"Of course," he said gently. "You've had a very trying day." Dumbledore rose and escorted her from the room. McGonagall joined them. Moments later, with a thunder-cloud glare, Snape followed.

Tonks finally broke the silence. "Wow. Somebody want to explain what that was all about ?"