A/N just so you know, this is one of my favourite chapters

Chapter Twenty: Sleepers

They made their way to the sitting room for drinks and sat in silence for a while. Snape had something to say, but he didn't want to interrupt the semi-peaceful atmosphere, it was so rare they got to relax.

"We have sleepers in the Order," he finally said at last.

The others looked up and at each other then back to Snape. Dray spoke. "You mean we," he circled one finger in the air before him, indicating the three of them, "or we?" he pointed to the dark mark on his arm.

"Both." Snape's reply sounded like a sigh. "Luna Lovegood has been receiving letters from Longbottom, Dare, every third day since Bill's wedding. She decided I should have them. I'm not sure why she decided this or why it took her three months to do so, but his letters have me convinced he is on our side, as in it is now the four of us in the setup for the final battle." He took a deep sip of his drink before continuing.

"As for the other, well, I'm not sure who it is yet, but I know we are not the only ones who came up with the idea. There is an unmarked death eater waiting for the appropriate time to set up the final battle in favor of the Dark Lord."

"How can you be so sure? We know nothing of this." Nevra was critical, but not doubting. She trusted Snape and his judgment, she merely wanted an explanation.

"That is why I am sure. I became suspicious when you rose so quickly. Nothing against your abilities," they both nodded to show they were not offended, "but it seemed strange that he would so quickly trust anyone. Then I began watching those in the Order more carefully. If we had infiltrated so easily, why could they not do the same?

"It was not long before I noticed the same patterns within the Order that we have created here: successful missions that should have been more so. There was no outright sabotage, but everything is just a little off, just a little less effective than it should be.

"I still have not pinpointed the source of the disruption and I cannot ask for help. To do so would be to risk questions about the source of my concern that may lead to knowledge of our own sleepers." He looked pointedly at the others in turn.

There was silence for a few moments as Dray and Nevra allowed this information to register fully against all previous knowledge and experience.

"Contact Dare. Have him return. He will help you. It is imperative that we at least know who the sleeper is. It may be too dangerous to expose them, but he must be neutralized." Nevra spoke firmly in a tone of voice the men had come to trust. She may be have only just turned sixteen, but she had incredible insight and an uncanny ability to process a lot of information rather quickly.

Dray finished running through all the scenarios he could envision a few moments after she had spoken. "I agree. It appears to be the only way. It may endanger Dare's status but I doubt it. He is intelligent and will find a way to explain his return satisfactorily."

Snape nodded. They had come to the same conclusion he had. If it bothered him that a sixteen year old and a seventeen year old arrived at it in a matter of minutes when it had taken him a full week he did a wonderful job of hiding it, even from himself. He was truly proud of the two before him and considered them both his children. More than ever after the death of Arthur Weasley did Snape view Nevra as a daughter. Perhaps after the war he would be able to tell her. Perhaps not.

Dare was sitting with his back against a very old and very dirty wall in a very old and very dirty common room in a very old and very dirty inn in a very old and very dirty town. Potter had decided that it would be best to have a roof over their heads for a few nights while they figured out where they were going to go next. Dare still had a hard time figuring out why he was with these three rather than in the Order headquarters. Oh yeah, because he had to make sure they made it to final battle when they were supposed to and didn't kill Nevra when they got there, or Dray for that matter.

He helped with the planning some. Potter and Granger were pretty good at figuring out riddles and locating the horcruxes, their problem lay with figuring out how to get to them and destroy them. It wasn't as though they would have failed completely without him, but he was sure they would be severely injured. And, if he was honest, he would have been injured without them as well. All in all the three of them were pretty equally matched and each had their area of expertise. Weasley held his own as well. Mostly, Weasley played a fantastic game of chess. He figured out when it was safe to move, who they could trust (turned out he was particularly good at reading those around him if he put his mind to it), how they should travel, all in all, he was the one who kept them from being found. Of course, he relied heavily on Dare's intelligence.

Dare was the one who snuck out and surveyed their surroundings, learned what was where, who was nearby, and that sort of thing. He was also the one that provided the food. They spent most of their time in forests in order to avoid drawing attention to themselves and he was the one who told them what to eat and what to avoid contact with at all costs. He also almost always returned from his recognizance missions with some bread and a little meat, maybe some cheese. He never told them how he got it and they never asked. They weren't the type to break the law under any circumstances and he was much more like Nevra and Dray, but they weren't about to complain lest the he cease to bring them some. If he was going to steal it anyway... Dare was reminded of Nevra everytime they took a bite of what he brought them, they were hypocrites, but he did love them and respect them, and, well, everyone had their faults. He figured you could be good natured and hypocritical or cynical and true. At least that was his experience.

He was surprised when he was contacted by Luna. He had been sending her letters every third day, always by different methods and always secure, but she had never risked responding. As he read the letter he understood. Well, the good news was that Nevra and Dray knew he was on their side, the bad news was that he needed to go back to the Order.

"Well, its been fun, but I have other things I need to do. I'll be leaving in the morning." Dare spoke as he resituated, slouched a little lower and pulled the fedora he had taken to wearing down over his eyes. He actually liked muggle fashion, even if he was a few decades behind them. Why they would give up these hats and the trench coats he did not know. The trench coats were so much better than cloaks or robes in his opinion.

The other three looked up from whatever it was they were doing, caught off guard by his comment. "But we have only destroyed two horcruxes. There are still two left, and we have yet to locate the missing locket." Hermione was thoroughly confused. They had all come to rely on Neville, they had all contributed equally up 'til now and she wasn't sure they would be able to cover for his absence if he left.

"I know. But I'm needed back home in the Order." He didn't move his hat. "You'll be fine. You can recognize all the plants you'll need to now and Ron can sneak almost as well as I can. As for the horcruxes, well, you're pretty acquainted with the general direction from whence my perspective comes. You may have to take a few extra minutes when approaching one, but you'll be fine without me. They will not."

There was a note of finality to his voice that the all knew was useless to question, but they had to try. "I don't suppose you can tell use why they so desperately need you?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I mean, no offense, but what can you do that they can't cover?" Ron added.

Dare sat up straight and pushed his fedora back on his head. He looked Harry dead in the eye. "If I told you people would die." He turned to Ron. "What only I know needs to be done." He turned to Hermione for good measure. "Do not ask anymore questions or try to stop me." She nodded. He resumed his former position.

Ever since his return he had been a different person. They had no problem believing he had knowledge he had not shared with them. In fact, to be honest, they were a little afraid of him. He was so intense now, so strong, and so reserved. They wondered exactly how much Ginny had meant to him. Ron was convinced Neville had been in love with her, and the others were inclined to agree. Dare let them believe it, no reason to disillusion them. Sure he loved, her, but he wasn't in love with her, but it served his purposes for them to believe so.

When he returned to the Order he returned to the Burrow. He had never been to the headquarters and so did not know where it was. Molly was surprised to see him and was eager to hear news of her son. He told her what he could: the others were safe and achieving their goals. She didn't press for any more than that.

He was taken to the headquarters to report and be questioned. He told them what he had told Molly. Potter, Granger, and Weasley were working toward ends that could not be disclosed but were gaining ground every day. It was imperative that the Order continue to draw attention and engage the enemy lest they have time to realize the 'chosen one' was missing and search for the boy wonder.

He told them he had returned for multiple reasons. The first and foremost being the ever growing need for distractions to lure death eaters into the open and away from where the three might be going. The second being the extensive knowledge they had accumulated concerning death eater activity.

He proceeded to detail three camps they had found, recruiting missions they had crossed and learned of, plans they had heard, and filled in a few holes in some events that had already taken place. Snape was not surprised that the Order accepted him as an expert, as an equal if not more, after all, two teenagers were running the death eaters, why shouldn't a teenager run the Order?

Of course, Dare didn't seem to be the type to run things. He appeared to be more like Nevra, adding his input only when those around him seemed to be going in the wrong direction. Yes, he couldn't help but add Dare to his family, and he couldn't help but compare his children to mythical beasts. It seemed that Nevra was the embodiment of the phoenix, made of fire and the symbol of renewal and rebirth. Draco most certainly had a lot in common with the dragon, fierce and cunning, and Dare was the griffin, wise and calculating. They were the sleepers and upon their shoulders rested the outcome of the war.