Thank You's: This is with huge thanks to:
Atenea217 – I don't think he's one to betray either, and I am glad you enjoyed the first chapter
KatieBell90099 – Cheers for reading that over for my hun. I'm glad you think Snape characterisation is fine. Very pleasing.
Command2Conquer – I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter.
Broadwaypoetess – I'm glad you liked the first chapter, and I've taken on everything you said.
ZevofB3K – I totally agree, though sadly, I don't see it happening... luckily we can live in the world of fanfiction.
AN: This chapter was never intended to be so long... it's just, my original plan for this chapter seemed short, but once I started writing it, it grew and grew... but hey, sorry!
Snape turned to see Tonks' face, even more tired than the night before. "What's the time?" he muttered, moving his head from side to side to stop the pain inflicted on his neck from an uncomfortable sleeping position.
"About six," she told him, standing up. "Luckily, I had something to do for the last six hours." She lifted up a schoolbook, which she presumed was Ron's. "Boring, but it sure taught me a lot more than I learnt in school." Snape nodded slightly.
"I feel like death," he muttered. "Couldn't have a drink could I?" Reluctantly, Tonks walked to the kitchen, still watching Snape nervously. "I would have thought that the fact I hadn't tried to stand up you'd be able to trust me by now." Tonks smiled slightly.
"And why would I do that?" she bought over one mug of coffee, so very careful not to spill it, knowing exactly what she was like. The second mug she bought over, she was not so lucky. It fell out of her hands as though she had been wearing butter. Severus raised an eyebrow in annoyance, as she hurriedly cleared up the mess.
The noise had apparently been louder than she'd thought, when a worried Molly appeared at the top of the stairs, just a shadow in the dim light. "Tonks, are you okay dear?" she called down. Annoyed that Molly automatically knew it would be her that had caused the noise; Tonks appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
"Sorry Molly... just a mug of coffee... go back to bed, I'm sorry I woke you."
"No, I might as well stay down now that I'm awake." Tonks frowned.
"Okay, but, before you come downstairs, just let me tell you something." She glanced at Snape, who was smiling in amusement. "Severus is currently no danger... I have his wand, and I'm fairly sure that there is a good reason why he killed Dumbledore... he told me last night." Molly looked suddenly alarmed.
"Severus is ... there?" Tonks nodded.
"Please, don't panic Molly..." but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, Molly had already moved away from hew view, and Arthur began storming downstairs dressed in his dressing gown and slippers, shouting for Remus to come downstairs.
He took a seat opposite a bemused Severus, and as a sleepy Remus wondered down the stairs, muttering about when Tonks had left the bedroom. "We need a truth potion," Arthur declared. "Can you do it?" Remus shrugged.
"I think I have some upstairs that Dumble... I think I have some upstairs." He carefully started walking back upstairs again.
"Arthur, is this really necessary? I talked to him last night, and he seemed trustworthy..." Tonks began.
"Tonks, this is necessary," he reminded her. "With Dumbledore no longer here, we need to know the truth immediately." Severus glared angrily as Remus arrived downstairs. "He may have believed him, but I certainly don't, not after how he betrayed the only one who ever believed in him." Tonks reluctantly handed Arthur Severus' wand and explained what he had told her the night before.
Remus thrust the potion into the man's hands and Severus glared down at it. "You expect me to willingly drink this? I can never be sure what you put into it Remus."
"You're the one that made it. You tell me," the werewolf replied just as angrily. Severus thought for a moment, before gulping down the disgusting taste.
"Maybe we should get... I don't know... Kingsley or something?" Arthur shook his head.
"There isn't time. Without Dumbledore, there is no longer anyone in charge, and I think we should make do with the people we have here, do you not agree Remus?" However, Remus wasn't paying attention, but was staring at Snape in distaste.
"How can you make killing Dumbledore the right thing to do Severus." Remus practically spat the name as he continued. "You cannot suddenly right your wrongs you know? You still killed him, and you have proved no loyalty to The Order as a result. Why?" Severus sat back in his chair for a few moments, looking thoughtful.
"I made two unbreakable vows," he began. "One with Narcissa Malfoy with Bellatrix Lestrange as Bonder. If her son, Draco Malfoy, could not kill Dumbledore, I would do the task he was asked to do. However, the second vow, I made with Dumbledore himself, with Sirius Black as Bonder, and the ruddy portrait Phineas Nigellus."
"If it came down to me killing Dumbledore to prove my loyalty, then that would be what I would do. We wrote it down, Nymphadora has the parchment, all signed. And of course, the portrait will have knowledge of the incident, but I expect you'll have to shove the potion down his throat to get the truth – completely irrational portrait, wasn't a good headmaster, nor good at telling the truth from what it seems."
Remus glanced at Tonks and she passed him the parchment she had received that night. "And it's Tonks," she murmured in annoyance.
"Severus, you seem to have loyalty with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, surely you can't expect us to believe you are still spy for The Order?" Remus persisted.
"Remus, you sound as though you want to me to be evil," Severus said, smiling sadistically.
"As a matter of fact, I'd probably prefer it."
"Unfortunately for you Lupin, I have no loyalty with The Dark Lord. I am merely continuing with the work Dumbledore set me – though I better tell you some other events with the headmaster that died with him." Tonks and Remus exchanged looks and sat down next to Arthur.
"When I went to him, asking for help, begging him to keep me safe from He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, he was reluctant. Thought I was sent as a spy against him, and he sent me away instantly. But I went into hiding for six months. Yes it is possible, you do recall of course, Karkaroff went missing for a year before being killed?"
"Why did you want to hide?" Arthur asked him, curiously.
"It was a Slytherin's duty to join the Death Eaters, at least, that's what I was told by my mother. Of course, I never wanted that. At first it was all about the killing, the death, the power. I could chant and automatically, I could kill. I could cause blood to spill, I could inflict severe pain, control people's actions. But, that grew disastrously painful to watch, to induce that pain. And the euphoria wore off. And I couldn't go on."
"Nowadays, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named believes my absence to be a brief period in which I did try and become a teacher at Hogwarts so I could spy on Dumbledore. He honestly thought – and thinks – that I had a six month trial of which I failed. And then, I returned to Hogwarts, this time to receive a job offer... two weeks before Harry Potter caused the Lord's destruction."
"And yes, I was spy for Dumbledore and I fed false information to The Dark Lord up to the killing of Dumbledore... and I'm not proud of that action, but it was the last thing he requested of me, and I did what he wanted." Suddenly Severus fell silent and glanced at Tonks. "No possibility of another drink is there Nymphadora?"
"It's Tonks." She said again, frustrated, standing up. "Is there anything else your highness requires?" Severus thought for a moment.
"No." Arthur glanced at Remus.
"I think we should question Phineas," he decided. "Tonks, keep an eye on Snape for me. Molly." For the first time since she had called her husband downstairs, Arthur's wife looked up, thinking that this kind of questioning was best left to those that seemed to be able to handle Severus. "Keep the kids upstairs." Molly nodded, and walked upstairs, as Remus and Arthur walked off to interrogate the portrait. Tonks handed Severus another drink.
She sat down opposite the man and thought for a moment, before speaking. "Just don't call me Nymphadora," she told him, beginning to eat some toast she had cooked herself.
-- -- -- --
Remus glared at the portrait as he unhappily told the men the events of Dumbledore's office, in which, with Sirius as a bonder, Dumbledore and Snape had made their vow. "I still don't trust him," the werewolf declared to Arthur after a few minutes. "Sirius couldn't be trusted with that kind of thing."
"He kept the Potter's where-abouts a secret." Remus nodded.
"Yes, I suppose he did. He must have hated being there, knowing that his worst enemy may have to eventually kill the man he admired... we all admired Albus."
"We have to trust Severus. That was a highly powerful truth potion, and we have a witness and a Chained Contract... I haven't heard of one of them being made in... tens of years," Arthur told him. "Dumbledore must have known something deep down... Remus, we don't have any other choice than to believe Severus."
"I don't want to! Maybe there was something wrong with the potion, he still could have lied to us... We have no reason to trust him Arthur!"
"No Remus. No, we don't. But Tonks does. And I have an odd feeling that I do too."
"You're mistaken. Tonks is mistaken." Arthur sighed, and placed a hand on Remus' shoulder.
"Tonks is a very skilled Auror. I'm sure, whatever the truth is, she, or at least someone will get it out of him."
-- -- -- --
Bill pulled his mum into a hug. "How are you?" he asked her, curiously.
"I'm okay... Remus isn't feeling the best though, since Severus came back last night."
"I understand that... Tonks!" Tonks turned, and smiled at Bill as he walked over and hugged her.
"Congratulations on your wedding... it was a beautiful ceremony." Bill nodded a thank you as Severus walked in, followed by Arthur, Kingsley and Remus.
"The four of us have been talking," Remus told Molly, Bill and Tonks as they entered. "And we have decided it is safer for Severus to return to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's service. He can make up any tall story. For example, he could tell him that we have welcomed him back after he told us he was under the Imperius Curse. He will tell Voldemort he is giving information on The Order, when actually, he's doing just the opposite."
Remus did not seem to look happy as he explained the plan, but everyone else seemed to digest the information with expressionless faces. "I was just thinking..." Bill said suddenly, looking around. "Wouldn't it make sense for Snape to draw people to You Know Who's side. Under the Imperius or otherwise. Somebody else to feed information?" Everyone seemed the regard this information carefully.
"I'll do it," Tonks said suddenly.
"Tonks..." Remus started.
"Well look, you could hardly do it! There would be no way you'd turn to the other side, not when you were so close to Sirius. Molly, Arthur, Bill and Charlie wouldn't and Kingsley works for the Prime Minister so he can't, and Mundungus would never turn up for the meetings... I bet he would like a Metamorphmagus on his side, he'd probably find it useful. I'll do it," she stated again.
Remus strolled over to her ad placed his hands on her shoulders. "Tonks, I don't want you putting yourself in that kind of danger."
"Well I do," she told him. "I want to get revenge for Sirius, and I'm not going to be able to do it by hiding here and keeping watch in Hogsmede or Diagon Alley. Please, Remus. I really need to do this." Remus turned to Severus.
"Look after her," he muttered. "Or I'll be coming after you."