As ever, standard disclaimers apply.
When she was very young, Molly Weasley's mother had taught her to knit. As well, she had introduced her daughter to the restful, contemplative state that the repetitive motions of the art could induce if one were blessedly free of interruptions. As a mother of seven, she found this to be a rare occurrence. She had expected that with her last child at Hogwarts it would be less rare. She hadn't counted on the new War and her family's involvement in it. It wasn't as if the first War had passed them by. But like so many others she had wanted it to be over; she had wanted to raise at least some of her children in peace. Bill and Charlie had been youngsters during the first war. Percy and the twins barely infants. But Ron and Ginny had lived all their young lives in peace and she had wanted that to remain so. Alas, it was not to be and so she found herself again living through yet another War and this time, she was deeply involved in it along with her family.
Thus it was with great surprise that she found herself in that rare meditative state with only the delicate clicking of her knitting needles to count the passing of time. In fact, the only reason she did notice that she had entered that state was when she was suddenly jolted from it by the uncommonness of silence. She blinked and so doing brought herself back to awareness, casting her eyes about the room instinctively regaining a sense of her surroundings.
It was fairly dim in comparison to other rooms as this room's main occupant did not welcome bright light. The only light now came from the small window, but it was enough for her to see that Severus Snape had fallen asleep after hardly touching his meal. She didn't want to wake him. Not that she was afraid of him. Hardly that! For all his frightening airs she knew he was no danger to her (at least not here and not now). No, she didn't want to wake him because it would deprive him of what little peace he had managed to glom onto in his sleep. After all he had been through did he not deserve a little peace?
She knew well that unfortunately it would not last. With his first moan she knew he was already dreaming the stuff of nightmares. But more, she knew Alastor would not wait much longer before storming up here with his questions and demands. Her lips compressed with her displeasure and she considered waking Severus herself. The choice was taken from her when the wizard himself gasped and his eyes snapped open.
"Severus," she called him.
"Mol-- Mrs Weasley." He acknowledged weakly. Now that he had many of his memories back as well as his acerbicity, he had returned to using the more formal address as well.
"Yes, dear. Try to have a little more lunch."
"I am not hungry. I just... want to answer their questions."
Molly nodded at his resigned command and setting down her knitting, went to fetch the no doubt restless men downstairs.
She did not return. In her stead came Alastor Moody, Albus Dumbledore, Kingsley Shacklebolt, her husband Arthur and son Bill, Emmeline Vance, and Remus Lupin if only because Dumbledore thought his presence might be a calming factor all around. The small bedroom was quite crowded.
"Severus?" The aged soft voice caressed, gently drawing him from the light doze that had begun to ooze through his already dull awareness.
Dark eyes snapped open. "Yes," he snarled (somewhat unsuccessfully) back. "Might we just get on with this." It was not a request.
"Well, he's back to his old sarky self," Mad-Eye Moody seemed pleased. "Shacklebolt! You got the Veritaserum, aye?" Both original and magic eyes gleamed at the prospect of dosing his enemy with the potion. Indeed his gloat was fully intended to taunt the recovering wizard. Unhappily for him, Snape did not seem perturbed in the slightest.
"Yes, I have it." The active Auror did not sound thrilled in the slightest.
Dumbledore shook his head. "No. We will not--"
"Oh go ahead. Use it. I don't care." Snape growled barely more audibly than a whisper. He lifted his gaze to the retired Auror, meeting his odious stare without flinching. "But he does not ask any questions. I don't trust him."
"Very well." Dumbledore voiced the agreement quickly.
Shacklebolt administered the three drops, but Snape then grabbed his wrist, "He will not be satisfied. Use more."
"Headmaster?" Shacklebolt looked for guidance from the elder wizard.
Dumbledore nodded and the Auror administered another three drops. Anticipatory silence wrapped the gathered witches and wizards as they waited for the potion to take effect. There were no great changes only the ill wizard's gaze became more glazed and his countenance slackened as his body sank into the soft mattress of his bed.
Dumbledore's grimace of disapproval did not color the gentle timbre of his voice however. "Severus? Are you willing to answer our questions?"
"Only some, Headmaster." the answering voice was slurred.
"I shall endeavor to keep to those topics, my boy."
"Please tell us what you recall of your disappearance last June."
"I remember going to the Forbidden Forest to collect ingredients for some potions I was planning to create over the summer. I think... I did not return. I recall a great deal of pain, things biting me, stabbing me. Voices... None of them made any sense. I remember Mrs Weasley and others coming and going. I'm afraid it is not at all clear, sir." He frowned as something did come back to him. "She was blonde."
"Who was?"
"She... There is no name. She. I don't know. She was there both times."
"Both--?" Emmeline interrupted.
"Both abductions," Arthur whispered curtly.
"And Control." Snape's voice dropped. "I had to get into Malfoy Manor."
"Why?"
"Control... Control wanted... To get through the wards."
Alastor leaned toward Dumbledore and whispered something. The Headmaster shook his head. "No, Alastor."
"Ask it." Bill said, having heard the ex-Auror's question. "It shouldn't matter."
"It matters to me." Albus sighed and looked back at his Potions Master. "Severus, would you be insulted if we asked whether or not you are a traitor?"
"I would not. I am resigned to the distrust you all have for me."
"Are you, then?" Remus blurted out. "Are you a traitor?"
"Of course I am. I am a traitor to the Dark Lord." The smirk which should have accompanied the response was not there. It was a statement of fact emotionlessly given. But Remus smiled, and Albus allowed himself a smirk of his own wisely hidden behind his beard.
"Severus, do you know why Voldemort has sequestered himself at Stonehenge?"
"No."
"I have a question for you. Albus, may I?" Shacklebolt spoke up.
Albus gestured acquiescence and the Auror asked, "Is there a connection between Malfoy Manor and Stonehenge?"
"Yes."
"Well what is it?" Bill demanded in exasperation.
"Malfoy Manor is built atop a barrow which connects to an underground chamber far below the henge via labyrinthine catacombs."
The silence was stunning. Moody was ready to explode. "And this is something you never thought to tell anyone?"
"I did not deem it of any import. I did not know that anyone else knew of it. Indeed, I have not thought of it for many years."
"Alastor!" Dumbledore barked angrily. "Severus, what do you mean that no one else knew?"
"I mean that I had thought only I had discovered this. But as the entrance to the chamber was blocked I assigned no importance to it. I found it when I was eight, visiting for some function or other and left to my own devices."
"There's our way in." Shacklebolt announced. "And our guide."