A/N: Chapter beta read by Forty-Two Dreams. All remaining mistakes are mine.
DECISIONS
Snape knocked lightly on the door of number 12, Grimmauld Place - the last thing he wished for was to wake up the dormant portrait of Mrs Black. After Sirius Black's death, it was Potter who inherited the estate, according to his godfather's will, and the boy had allowed the Order to keep using the place as its headquarters.
It was Tonks who opened the door, inviting him in silently. He followed her into the hall, and as he walked behind her he instantly noticed the odd alignment of Tonks, a medieval suit of armour against the wall, and in between the misplaced corner of a rug reluctant to remain flat on the ground.
Like a dragon in a parchment shop, Snape saw the incident coming even before Tonks stumbled over the carpet's corner to crash in the armour, just early enough to whisper a silencing spell before any sound echoed in the hall.
As he helped Tonks up, Snape cast a cautious look towards Mrs Black's portrait, but they had obviously avoided the worst.
"Thanks, it would have been the third time today," Tonks confessed in a murmur. "The others are in the meeting room."
It was the dining room, converted into a meeting room, that Tonks was alluding to. The various changes hadn't managed to rid the room of the creepy atmosphere common to the entire house. Even the flames in the fireplace didn't spread enough warmth to make it welcoming.
When Snape entered the meeting room, almost all the other core members of the Order of the Phoenix were already there. Dumbledore was conversing with Shacklebolt and McGonagall, Lupin with his sister in a corner of the room, and there were several redheads around - Weasleys.
"Snape," a voice he knew all too well greeted him.
He turned to face the other Order member. "Moody."
"Still haven't become a turncoat?" the former Auror asked ambiguously.
"Obviously I already did long ago, or I wouldn't be here," Snape provoked.
"So it seems," Moody replied, his normal eye narrowing slightly while his magical one examined Snape closely.
Severus rubbed his forearm nervously - he always felt ill-at-ease when that magical eye was turned on him.
"If you will excuse me," he said as politely as he could and moved away from Moody.
Snape walked towards Dumbledore, and made his best effort to intervene without interrupting the ongoing conversation.
"Albus, could I please have a word with you?" he asked. He wanted to fill in the old wizard on the Death Eater meeting privately - not all members of the Order knew his exact role and he'd rather it remained this way.
The Headmaster turned his perceptive eyes on him. "Of course, Severus."
Snape followed Dumbledore to a corner of the room, all too aware of Moody's magical eye following them.
"Any important news?" Dumbledore guessed.
Snape nodded. "The Dark Lord is planning a robbery at the Committee on Experimental Charms within a few days. He wants to steal something from there, but I don't know what or why."
Dumbledore looked contemplative for a few seconds. "Anything else?" he asked, and Snape shook his head. "Thank you," the Headmaster concluded.
A few minutes later, once all the expected members had arrived, they all sat around the large table, and Dumbledore stood at its head.
"Ladies, Gentlemen," the old wizard began, "I am afraid today's meeting agenda has changed due to last-minute information of utter importance concerning the plans of our enemies."
Snape felt McGonagall's fleeting gaze on him - she had probably guessed who was at the origin of the new piece of information.
"According to our source," Dumbledore went on, "Voldemort intends to steal something from the Ministry of Magic very soon, more specifically from the Committee on Experimental Charms."
After a few silent seconds while the audience evaluated these facts, Emmeline Vance eventually spoke up. "Do we know what he wants to steal, exactly?"
"Unfortunately, no," Dumbledore replied.
"We should let the Ministry know; it concerns them directly," Elphias Doge suggested.
"I doubt it would change anything," Moody objected.
"Why?" Doge insisted. "Now that Fudge is no longer Minister of Magic, they trust our judgement more."
"It still wouldn't change anything," Moody persisted.
"I don't think they would take the threat seriously enough," Kingsley Shacklebolt backed up. "A dozen of new possible attacks on the Ministry are reported every day, so why trust this one more than another? We don't have enough information to convince them."
"Plus they still don't really recognise the Order as an institution," Bill Weasley added.
"Whatever it is Voldemort wants, he mustn't get it," Hestia Jones stated.
"Which is why we have to find a way to spoil his plans," Dumbledore confirmed.
Snape noticed Lupin whispering something into his sister's ear. Wilson whispered something back, shrugging and shaking her head.
"What can we do, then?" someone asked.
"We could mount guard," Vance suggested.
"But we don't know when the attack will take place exactly," Arthur Weasley objected, "and the Ministry would undoubtedly notice our presence after a while, which will make them suspicious about us. Suspicious in a bad way."
"If only we knew what the Committee was working on these days, we would be able to make a more educated decision," McGonagall remarked.
"Endora, would you be able to answer this question?" Dumbledore suddenly asked.
All heads turned towards Wilson.
"Well, I used to work at the Committee on Experimental Charms, but it was before… I mean, it was five years ago…" Wilson corrected hastily with a hint of embarrassment in her voice, leaving Snape wondering what she had intended to say initially. Before what?
"But I believe you still have contact with some of your former colleagues," Dumbledore insisted.
"Of course, but they won't tell me a thing. Keeping the work secret is part of the job," Wilson countered. "They know I know it, and they would become suspicious should I ask too many questions. I can still try, though…"
Dumbledore looked slightly disappointed, while Wilson went on.
"And anyway, at that time of the year the - oh," she ended awkwardly, an expression of comprehension dawning on her face. "Oh," she said again with a nod, deep in her thoughts.
"Oh, what?" Moody asked impatiently.
"Well… All year long, the Committee receives all kinds of Experimental Charms from all around the country for approval," Wilson began to explain. "The applications are examined during the first months of the year, and the rest of the time we work on our own experiments. There are always loads of applications arriving during December, because the creators know they have to hand them before December, 31st if they don't want to wait another year to have their experiments examined."
"So at the moment, there are dozens of Experimental Charms waiting for approval at the Committee?" someone summed up.
"I'd rather say hundreds of them," Wilson corrected, "still unclassified."
"Voldemort might want one of them for his own personal use," Vance suggested.
"It could be any of them," Jones remarked.
"Or all of them…" Dumbledore noted, his gaze far away.
"Not to mention that every year, we receive an assortment of Experimental Charms flirting dangerously with the Dark Arts," Wilson added. "Of course, they're rejected immediately, but at this time of the year the applications aren't sorted yet… And from what I heard, the number of that kind of applications has been increasing these last years…"
Dumbledore nodded knowingly. "I reckon that in this new light, we have only one option left," he said. "Steal all the Experimental Charms ourselves before Voldemort does."
"But the Ministry…" someone began.
"We don't have the time to deal with the Ministry," Dumbledore stated. "We must take action as soon as possible; tonight would be best. We'll inform the Ministry afterwards."
Dumbledore paused for a second and gave a circular look to make sure no one disagreed with his decision.
"All right," he went on. "I need one of you to volunteer to lead a team to the Committee tonight."
"I know the Committee's premises by heart," Wilson spoke up before anyone else could. "It would be only natural for me to go."
"All right," Dumbledore nodded. "I want you to be ready in two hours, Endora. I will contact seven other members of the Order to accompany you; they'll meet you here." He turned to the other members. "Thank you all for coming. I will keep you informed on the operations as I see fit. Good evening," he concluded.
Everyone stood up and made for the door, more or less quickly depending on the obligations each had. Snape, not in any hurry, waited for everyone to leave. Dumbledore remained in the meeting room, and Snape was the last to leave with Lupin and Wilson.
"No, I'll just wait here," Wilson was telling her brother. "Come on, I'll walk you to the door."
As they walked towards the hall, both noticed Snape was just behind them and soon fell silent. His presence was making them uncomfortable, Severus remarked with satisfaction. He decided to taunt them a bit.
"What a lovely house this property has become," he began innocently. "It's such a pity Black can't take advantage of it."
Snape could almost feel Lupin tensing next to him.
"If only he hadn't been so reckless and had followed my advice to stay quietly at home while - "
He never had the chance to finish his sentence, for Lupin had just done something he would have never expected from him: he had seized Snape by the collar and slammed him against the wall.
"How dare you!" Lupin exclaimed angrily.
"Remus!" Wilson cried out, grabbing her brother's shoulders in an attempt to tear him away from Snape, but she wasn't strong enough.
"How dare you make fun of that?" Lupin went on, flames dancing in his eyes.
"Maybe because your friend was stupid enough to - "
Lupin slammed him against the wall again, more violently this time.
"Remus, this is ridiculous, let him go!" Wilson tried to reason, but it was no use: the ever so calm and patient Lupin had lost his usually so well kept temper for good. Snape might have smiled smugly if the werewolf hadn't just taken his wand out and aimed it at him menacingly.
"He might not have left if you hadn't spent a whole year teasing him!" Lupin shouted furiously, edging the tip of his wand closer to Snape's neck. "Telling him how useless he was to the Order!"
"Remus, for Merlin's sake, he's not worth it!" Wilson pleaded, trying once more to pull on her brother's shoulder, but he pushed her away carelessly.
"Provoking him on grounds you knew were touchy!" Lupin went on just as passionately. "Didn't you get what you wanted, Severus? Didn't you?"
Snape remained silent, holding Lupin's intent gaze without batting an eyelid. The werewolf's next sentence was pronounced very quietly, almost in a whisper, which made the tone all the more menacing.
"If only you weren't so important to the Order I would – "
"REMUS!" Wilson interrupted, outraged.
"Yes, Remus, you would what?" Snape provoked with a sneer. "The thing is, you wouldn't do anything. You don't have the guts, you never had. Always in the wake of Potter and Black…" he concluded with disgust. Then he hissed in the werewolf's ear, "but now that they are both gone, what would you do, Remus?"
Severus was very aware of the hand shaking with rage that was pointing a wand dangerously close to his neck.
"Oh, fine, kill one another, for all I care!" Wilson suddenly exclaimed heatedly before heading down the corridor, her feet pounding angrily on the ground. Mrs Black instantly shrieked various kinds of insults.
Lupin seemed distracted by Wilson's departure and he frowned with concern, releasing his hold on Snape's collar.
"No, wait! Endora!" he called.
"Can't make a decision without your sister's approval?" Snape mocked.
"Oh, believe me, I can…" Lupin affirmed as he turned towards Snape again, still aiming his wand at him. "But I think she's right on one point. You're not worth it."
With these last words Lupin left him and disappeared down the corridor his sister had just seconds before. Snape adjusted his robes and headed for the entrance hall. He had more important concerns to deal with than a werewolf's soul-searching.
Coming Next: Exposed
