As ever, standard disclaimers apply.
Mad-Eye respected Albus Dumbledore more than any other wizard alive. But he recognized that the old Headmaster had a blind spot when it came to a certain brooding Potions Master that was impossible to fix. It was, he decided finally, up to himself to remove the object that so blighted the Order and quite possibly endangered them all. Around mid-morning, daily chores finished and his mind quite worked up about the whole thing, he apparated to Grimmauld Place and clumped down the uneven sidewalk to Order Headquarters.
The house was silent when he entered. Even the Objectionable Portrait was quiet behind her heavy veil. He knew Molly was about somewhere, possibly upstairs although he thought that she'd have finished with Snape by now. He heard nothing and thus emboldened made his way upstairs to find the door to Snape's room was wide open and the room itself empty. Before he could react he heard the washroom door open.
Snape emerged slowly, leaning weakly against the wall for support as he moved into the hall. And stopped just as soon as he saw that he was not alone. He stared at the old grizzled man and its strange roving blue eye with frank curiosity written openly on his face.
Despite the wooden appendage Moody could move faster than anyone would expect when he wanted. He was on top of the younger wizard, grabbing him by the collar of his nightshirt and throwing him backwards hard against the wall. The dark head smacked with a satisfying crack and Moody pinned him with an arm to his throat. Neither said a word. Snape's eyes focused and widened with fear and shocked incomprehension.
Moody frowned at the uncharacteristic reaction and a low growl escaped him. "So. Perhaps you are not faking, Snape."
The younger man only shuddered and choked until the elder propelled him into his room. As he fell, gasping, to the floor he heard the door click closed ominously behind him. Before he could even get to his knees, his attacker grabbed him again and bodily lifted and thrust him back into the plush wing chair. "Do you know what you are?" The grizzled attacker rasped fiercely.
He shook his head, not daring to speak.
"Eh, you don't? I'll tell you then. You are a spy. You are a dirty, filthy, murdering bastard--"
"No," interrupted weakly, shocked and hurt.
Moody backhanded him once hard enough to draw blood. "Don't speak! Listen! Look!" He grabbed Snape's left arm and shoved the sleeve up past the elbow. "Look!" he hissed again and clasping the back of Snape's head, locking his fingers in the black hair, forced him to look down at the branded Mark. "That is the Dark Mark. It announces to one and all that you belong to the Dark Lord! It announces to one and all that you have tortured, killed and maimed, men, women, and children!" Moody's voice had risen almost to a shrill yell.
"No, no, I couldn't..."
"Oh yes you could. You've always been a slimy one, boy, and even if I don't have proof, I know--"
The door banged open, "Alastor Moody!"
"--what you are!"
"Alastor, stop this at once!" Molly Weasley was on him now, pulling at his wrist.
"Molly--!"
"Let him go! Alastor stop this! Please! The children..."
Moody came to himself then and looked back to see Ginny, Ron and Harry all watching him wide-eyed and impressed with his anger.
"They've seen worse. They know what he is and I'm just reminding him as he seems to have forgotten!" he spit the words with venomous force.
"Get out Alastor," Molly ordered calmly, almost gently but there was frost in her voice. "Get out of this room. Now."
Moody straightened up shooting one last hate filled glare at his target. But Snape was no longer looking out at anything. He was slumped in the chair motionless, eyes closed and face blank and pale.
Molly watched the old man, suddenly deflated, limp out of the room pushing past the youngsters without meeting their shocked faces. "Am I... a murderer?" rasped a weak voice from the chair. She turned and went to kneel in front of the broken wizard. She took his hand, gently pulling the sleeve back down over the arm.
"I don't know, Severus," she had to reply, for indeed she did not though of course she expected that he was.
"I have killed children?"
"No, I do not think you could ever do that." That, however, was the truth. For all his acidic ways she didn't believe him a killer of children.
"I do not know."
There was a rustle of sound and Molly looked back at the disgusted expressions on the faces of her children and Harry. She frowned at them and gestured for them to leave the room. True the man had been vindictive and verbally cruel as a teacher. But she truly did not believe he could kill or maim a child. "I know, Severus. Now let me look at that cut."
"No. Let it be."
Molly sighed and got to her feet. It wasn't a bad cut. She'd let him have his way for now. She patted his arm. "You and Alastor have never gotten on and he has become... angry in his frustration."
There was no answer and she knew he wasn't going to say any more. But neither did she wish to leave him alone in his distress. She watched him retreat into himself and felt her ire at Alastor Moody grow in equal proportion. The Hogwarts professor had finally this morning acknowledged Molly and his surroundings. He'd spoken more than merely a word or two when she engaged him in conversation during his small breakfast. He'd made eye contact! But now, not a mere few hours later, he was retreating back into the internal cell the Muggles' poisons had originally imprisoned him. And he was going voluntarily.
She stirred at last to clean the cut on his lip. He didn't flinch. He didn't notice.
--
Alone, better Alone, there is no... murder no death no life. Alone Alone Alone Alone...
"Please Severus." A distant crash of waves on a nonexistent shore. Don't listen!
Alone! Alone! No Tea Lady, No Children, No Death, No Life, No Other! But I hear...
"I do not remember."
"Severus?" An old man's voice. A face, old. White hair, white beard so long it settled against the old man's stomach.
"Headmaster," he whispered.
"Yes child. You remember who I am then?"
A single anaemic nod responded. Dark eyes fluttered and focused on the face hovering above him. "Headmaster. Dumbledore." The old man's warm hand encircled his own cold one. "He said... He said..."
"It matters not, child."
"It does, it does matter. I do not want... to be a murderer, a torturer of children." the hoarse whisper shook.
"And so you are not."
"I do not remember."
A percussive tap on the door interrupted. "Albus, we're ready to start," called a voice from the other side.
"Yes, thank you Remus. I shall be there in a moment." The old wizard had not taken but a moment to glance away and when he looked back, the younger had withdrawn into himself. Except he held tightly to the older weathered hand clasping his trembling one. "I will have you back safe and sound..." there was a hesitation here, "if I can." Albus Dumbledore sighed and pulled his hand out of the other's weakening clasp and slowly, his century and a half showing in his defeated posture, made his way down to the kitchen where Order members waited for him.
Moody of course, the Weasleys except the children (and Harry), and Charlie who was still in Romania and Percy who was not a member, Tonks, Shaklebolt, Mundungus Fletcher, Diggle, Vance, several others... Of course not everyone was here. That was impossible. But enough worried faces crammed themselves around the kitchen table and about the room. Arms were crossed over chests, faces exuded anger and worry and yes, fear. Fingers tapped, bodies shifted. There was no calm here. He couldn't blame them. Stonehenge. Totally unexpected. Totally without discernable reason. And they all looked tired on top of everything else.
"Kingsley, my boy, what of the Aurors?"
"We got there too late even to apprehend stragglers. The Muggle police got there before any of our people. We had to obliviate quite a few. There were no survivors of the attack to question."
Moody growled. "What about evidence? Beyond the blasted Dark Mark in the sky."
"Nothing but the dead and the Muggle officials were taking care of them."
"Were they killed by Unforgivables?" Emmeline Vance asked.
"There was some torture both magical and physical. There were several unmarked bodies. The Killing Curse, we suspect." He took a breath. "No messages, no traps. Nothing."
"Not quite nothing." Arthur Weasley corrected. "We did find all of the Muggles' equipment piled at the base of the Heel Stone." He paused and cast a woebegone look at Dumbledore, "With a copy of the Hogwarts Slytherin banner draped over them."
"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" Moody growled. Shaklebolt meanwhile was shooting the red headed wizard and angry glare.
Arthur shook his head, "I don't know. Albus?"
The elder wizard's lips compressed into a thin line, revealing his frustration and distress. "I don't know either. perhaps some cryptic message concerning Severus. Perhaps he's found out that he was in their care and this is his way of repaying them."
"Then he'll have guessed we have him?" Arthur was the first to ask.
"I suspect he would. Surely he would know that Severus is no longer with the Muggles."
"I hate it when he tries to be subtle." Shacklebolt grumbled. "So what do we do? We can't watch every henge, nor every cairn nor village."
Dumbledore sighed wearily and squeezed the bridge of his nose as if trying to dislodge a headache. "Would that we could, but you are correct, we cannot. Instead we must try to find insight on Voldemort's thoughts. We must try to anticipate. Without Severus' information I fear we are at a great disadvantage that gets worse with time."
"Well, we haven't gone over all of the Muggle artifacts yet. perhaps we will find something helpful." Arthur Weasley was not one to give up readily. "I shall certainly keep on it."
--
Traverse and Merritt exchanged looks. Grimmauld Place was hopping with witches and wizards this afternoon. They'd followed Mundungus and after losing him, remained hidden and observed at least four others including Mr Arthur Weasley of the Ministry of Magic wander up the street and disappear from their senses. Something was going on. And if they couldn't count on Moody to aid them they at least had Dung and a good idea of the general area Snape might be hiding. They went back to their office feeling quite satisfied with their progress.
--
With the emergency meeting over, Dumbledore had remained to visit Severus once more, only to be disappointed when the younger wizard refused to emerge from the safety of his internal exile. He came downstairs to find the Weasley children and Harry having tea in the kitchen. He took a seat and Molly served him a cup of tea as well. With a start, he suddenly perked up and rummaged in his pockets before bringing out three sealed envelopes. to hand out to the youngsters.
"I know you have received your grades. Now here are the letters that list your classes for the upcoming term and the required supplies for them." he told them as the three tore into their letters.
Molly leaned over Ginny's letter, announcing to the youngsters, "We can go to Diagon Ally for your supplies on Monday, perhaps." Ginny looked excited. Harry and Ron looked dismayed as they compared classes. Molly merely looked proud. "Well, another year and another set of books and supplies." She patted Ginny's shoulder.
Albus smiled and gestured for Molly to walk with him upstairs to the front door. "Remus will be spending the Full Moon at Hogwarts again. It does seem that the Wolfsbane Potion St Mungos is sending us is not quite as robust as that which Severus prepares. But once the term starts he will be staying here. I've discussed precautions with him and Arthur."
Molly nodded, "Yes, I've spoken with them both about it."
"Thank you Molly, for taking care of everyone--"
"Oh none of that, Albus! Harry is like another son and the Order needs what I can provide." She couldn't help but blush at the complement, though. She was still feeling slightly flush with pride even after the Headmaster had disapperated from Grimmauld Place.