Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

A/N: Again, thanks for my beta Irihi Safaia and all reviewers. I'm glad you like the confrontation scene in the last chapter.

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Friend or Foe

Chapter 22: Traitors

St. Mungo's had not seen such disaster for more than fifteen years. Victims from Diagon Alley poured in by floo and portkey. Healers dashed around the place, shouting instructions at each other and running from room to room with trays of potions.

Bill Weasley leaned back against the wall of the medical ward where most Order members were kept. Next to him was Charlie, lying on a hospital bed with his mother fussing over him.

"Relax, Mum, there's nothing to worry about," said Charlie, his voice was still too weak for Bill's liking.

"Relax? Dear, you could have been… have been-"

"I'm used to dealing with dragons, Mum. Greyback alone is not enough to take me down."

"You know I don't want you to do that job, it's too dangerous. Look at what happened just now-"

Bill sighed, tuning out what was guaranteed to be a long argument. Given what had happened to his father, Bill couldn't really blame his mother for her over-protectiveness.

It had been a close call. Charlie had been assaulted by Greyback, the mad werewolf. His brother managed to fight off Greyback, but not before the werewolf had broken several of his ribs. Bill hated to think what would have happened if Charlie had not been trained specifically in handling dangerous creatures like dragons.

He surveyed the room. The sight here was not a pleasant one. His memories of the first war against Voldemort were vague, but he did remember hearing stories of Voldemort and his minions. They were described as cold-blooded monsters that killed innocents without remorse and they were merciless to anyone who fell under their wands. Even for those who were fortunate enough to escape, it would usually take a long time before their wounds were completed healed, if ever.

Today, he realized those stories were not exaggerating at all. He shivered as he recalled the horror of battle just a little while ago. It was exactly like a nightmare.

A loud crash, followed by the sound of something breaking, rang through the medical ward, piercing through Bill's thoughts. He turned towards the noise to find Tonks standing near the doorway, apologizing to a disapproving healer.

Tonks was dressed in a hospital gown. She had obviously bumped into a bed-side table when she came in through the door and knocked over whatever had been on it.

Taking a glance at his mother and Charlie, Bill walked over to Tonks once the healer left.

Tonks looked up. "I said I'm sor- Oh, Bill, how are you?"

"I'm fine." Bill smiled weakly. "How are your injuries?"

Tonks eyed the gown she was wearing in disgust. "It's nothing," she said. "I kept telling them I was only stunned, but they won't discharge me until they have time to check me out properly."

"Stunned?"

"By a Death Eater," Tonks scowled. "I could have won, but I was… distracted. That bastard took the chance and disarmed me." She eyes flickered past Bill's shoulder and her face turned solemn. "But I guess I was just lucky to survive. It could have been worse."

Bill followed Tonks glance to find Remus was sitting alone near the corner of the room, his head resting on his hands. He sighed. That was true, not everyone had been as lucky as Tonks and his brother.

"I heard Peter Pettigrew is caught," said Bill quietly.

"Yes, he is. And he will pay for what he's done. Only-" Tonks shook her head. "It's so unfair. Sirius has waited for so long. Now that he's finally free, he..." She tailed off, unable to continue.

Bill lowered his head. He never knew Sirius Black well, but he knew what the man had sacrificed for his friends and could only imagine what it was like to spend twelve years in Azkaban for something he had not done. Sirius was close to his younger siblings though, and he was Harry's godfather. He hoped Dumbledore would be able to break the news to them gently. Sirius' death would hit them hard, as it had many Order members.

Tonks left him soon to talk to Remus as Bill watched on sadly. Remus had lost everything to You-Know-Who… just like so many others. And the war had only just begun.

From the way their side had been overpowered by Voldemort's force so easily today, Bill knew it was going to be a long war… or not. He hated to think about their chance of winning like this, but while he knew he would stay with the Order until the very end, he knew, as did everyone in this room, that unless they seriously reorganized their force, or something suddenly happened to change the tide, they could not stand much of a chance against Voldemort's future assaults.

"It was not luck that saved her."

Lost in his thoughts, Bill jumped at the voice.

"Percy?" Bill turned around to face his brother. So, his younger brother had finally returned from his meeting with those self-righteous Ministry officers.

Percy was watching Tonks with an odd expression. His eyes followed her as she sat down next to Remus and attempted to talk to him. Then he shook his head and turned to Bill. "How's Charlie?"

Bill motioned to Charlie's bed, "He's fine. Mum is talking to him right now."

Percy nodded and made his way to the bed. Bill frowned. Percy was pale and he looked troubled, which was understandable. Even now, he still found it hard to believe that Percy had volunteered to spy on the Dark Lord.

Bill could tell how hard his younger brother had worked for the Order ever since he had returned home for Christmas. But anyone who knew Percy would know that Percy would be far more comfortable aiding their side through diplomatic means than actually entering the battlefield. Bill shrugged slightly as he recalled how his mother had reacted to Percy's volunteering.

"Bill?"

At his mother's call, Bill quickly joined Percy at Charlie's bedside, wondering what his younger brother had meant earlier.

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With a heavy heart and troubled thoughts, Albus walked through the corridor of Hogwarts, gladly taking in the comfort merely being in the school had brought him. It had taken him almost an hour to settle things with the Ministry and only now was he free to check on his students. He hoped nothing serious had happened to the school while he was away.

It was a tragic day indeed. The numbers of dead were great, from both sides of the war. Albus closed his eyes as he remembered the list of names of those who had been killed, some of them hit Albus harder than the others. It saddened him greatly to hear the death of one of his students. Theodore Nott had been killed by a stray killing curse during the confusion of the battle. It was the third time a student had died during Albus' life as a professor.

He whispered the password to the gargoyle and entered his office. The room was quiet, except for baby Fawkes' squeaks. Albus crossed the room, stopping briefly before the fireplace to call Minerva to him.

He sat down behind his desk and closed his eyes. The weight of the day's events finally crushed down on him, now that he had time to reflect on it. He felt so tired. Things were happening so fast. So much had occurred, so much had changed.

Images of an encounter he had no intention of sharing with anyone flashed before his eyes. He remembered the shock of seeing Harry in the battle, the disbelief of finding out he was one of Voldemort's Death Eaters, then the realization of who Harry had once been.

As far as Albus knew, no one had been able to get as close to Tom Riddle as Alex. That was why, even after so many years, Albus could still remember Alex clearly.

Albus remembered Alex as a quiet student. He had been around the top students in his class and, despite the special circumstances of his enrollment into Hogwarts, Alex had managed to keep a low profile at school. In short, Alex had been everything Harry was not.

But that was no excuse for why he hadn't been able to make the connection until today. Many things had apparently happened this year, but Albus had failed to notice anything wrong with Harry. Even now, he couldn't be sure of what exactly had transpired between Harry and Voldemort and what had driven Harry to make such a horrible decision. Had Voldemort used Alex's friendship with Tom Riddle to manipulate Harry into joining him?

That could not be the truth, Albus realized. Severus had once told him that Voldemort was not pleased with the presence of the newest Death Eater, who could only be Harry. Tom Riddle had cut off all his ties with his past when he first announced himself as Lord Voldemort. If anything, he would do all he could to deny his old friendship with Alex. He would never mention it, even if he could gain something from it.

In fact, Albus had long been convinced that there was nothing left of Tom Riddle's humanity inside Voldemort. But he was proven wrong again. He could not, and would not, deny the concern Voldemort had felt for Harry in the battle just now.

He reached into his robe pocket and took out what he had found on the ground after Voldemort had disapparated with Harry. He turned his smooth red stone in his hand, feeling the magic radiated from it. A magical stone.

Albus stared at the stone thoughtfully. He wondered…

An alert from his ward told Albus that Minerva had arrived. Carefully keeping his expressions neutral, he waved his wand to open the door. Minerva walked into his office, looking tensed and tired.

"Did anything happen while I was away, Minerva?" asked Albus once Minerva had seated herself.

"Owls have been flying in since about an hour ago, and the students are all discussing what has happened in Diagon Alley," Minerva sighed. "Some of them have families who live there."

Albus sighed. He understood how great an impact the attack would be to his students.

"Anything else?"

Minerva pursed her lips. "Mr. Weasley and Miss Granger just came to me. They said they have not seen Mr. Potter since this morning and they couldn't find him anywhere in the castle. I doubt Potter has actually left the school, but with Potter's history, maybe you should check the castle's wards, Albus."

Albus closed his eyes briefly. "That is not necessary, Minerva. Harry was in Diagon Alley."

"What-" Minerva's eyes widened. "How did he get out of the castle? What is he doing out there?"

"I believe that's Voldemort's doing," answered Albus slowly.

Minerva shivered at the Dark Lord's name. "Again?" she said, looking concerned. "Where is Potter now, Albus? Is he injured?"

Albus rubbed his temple. How could he tell Minerva that he was the person who had injured Harry?

"Albus?" Minerva frowned. She had known Albus long enough to know it was rare for him to display such weariness. "Is something wrong? Did something happen to Mr. Potter?"

"Voldemort has Harry, Minerva," said Albus. He thought back on his duel with the Dark Lord and added quietly, more to himself, "But I don't think Harry is in danger at the moment."

Minerva paled. "What do you mean? You-Know-Who has-"

"Harry is safe right now. I will explain when more of us are present," Albus cut her off firmly. "For now, we need to settle the students." He let out a long sigh. "I am afraid we have lost another student today."

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A large crowd of Death Eaters had already assembled at the graveyard when Severus arrived with Bellatrix and Lucius. They walked up to the front row of the crowd, a position that indicated they were among their lord's most trusted. Most of the members of Voldemort's inner circle had arrived, save for Goyle and the newest member. Severus couldn't tell how many Death Eaters the Dark Lord had lost in the battle, apparently not much, judging from the size of the gathered crowd.

The raid was worse than he had expected. The Aurors were as pathetic as their rotten Ministry; they were completely overwhelmed by Voldemort's force. As for Severus himself, he had done all he could in his position to aid the Order, but some kills were inevitable for him to avert nearby Death Eaters' suspicion.

He didn't feel any trace of remorse for Black's death though. Black was a fool, and today he had proved himself to be just that. Albus would understand, though he would not be pleased, Black had been Potter's godfather after all. As for the rest of the Order, Severus could care less about what they thought of him.

After a few more minutes, Voldemort finally arrived. Severus ensured his Occlumency shield was secured and looked up to see what the Dark Lord had to say. It should not be a long meeting, seeing as Voldemort's side had acheived complete victory this time.

A look at the Dark Lord told Severus that it might not be the case. He immediately noticed that the rat Wormtail was absent, and that Voldemort was anything but pleased.

Apparently, Severus was not the only one who noticed that. The crowd around him had fallen deathly quiet, and the air was thick with uncertainty and nervousness.

"Report?" Voldemort addressed the front row of the crowd.

It was Lucius who stepped forward. He kissed the hem of Voldemort's robe and kneeled before him. After being defeated by Lupin, it was only natural for Lucius to try to win back the Dark Lord's favor.

"My Lord, our side has taken complete control of the raid. At least a hundred have been killed, including aurors and several members of Dumbledore's Order. Emmeline Vance is dead, along with Elphias Doge and Sirius Black."

"Black?" For some reason, Black's name had caught Voldemort's attention.

Knowing it was his turn, Severus stepped up and kneeled down. "Sirius Black died under my wand, my Lord."

It was then that Severus started to feel that something was wrong. Something about the gaze Voldemort was using to regard him made him tense in alertness.

"Ah, but it is a shame that Black would die for nothing, don't you think, Severus?"

Years of being a spy allowed Severus to remain clam. His heart was racing, though he managed to appear unaffected by the question.

"Black was a fool for following Dumbledore. He deserved to die," said Severus, his voice a little tighter than usual.

"I am glad you agree, Severus."

Severus froze at Voldemort's quiet words. He looked up slowly to see the Dark Lord turning away from him and addressing the crowd.

"My faithful Death Eaters. Today we have shown the world the power we wield. Our enemy was overwhelmed by our force. The war has begun, but it will not be long. Soon, the wizarding world will once again belong to those who are worthy of having it." Voldemort paused briefly. "But someone among us seems to have a different idea." His gaze swept over them all slowly. "There is a traitor among us."

Severus could hear mutterings coming from the Death Eaters behind him, accompanied by a wave of uneasiness. Then his worst fear was confirmed. Slowly, Voldemort raised his wand and pointed it straight at Severus.

Severus' survival sense kicked in. "My Lord-"

"Crucio."

Severus gritted his teeth against the pain, using his hands to prevent his body from collapsing.

The Dark Lord lifted the curse after a few minutes, leaving Severus to pant heavily. The graveyard was in total silence now. The eyes of every Death Eater were focused on Severus.

Voldemort stopped directly before him. "You have been useful, Severus," he said. "You've played your role well to draw out Dumbledore's Order. But your usefulness ends here."

Severus moved his hand slowly, attempting to reach for his wand. But the Dark Lord seemed to have anticipated his move. With a quick movement of his wand, Voldemort summoned Severus' wand, rendering him weaponless.

"Not so fast, Severus." Voldemort said with a hint of amusement. He turned away from him to address the crowd of Death Eaters again. "Watch closely, my servants, the consequences of disloyalty." He gestured to the members of his inner circle.

All Severus could hear before another wave of pain shot through him was a faint remark from the Dark Lord.

"And don't damage him permanently yet, I need him to be coherent enough to answer my questions."

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The movement of something moist and cold against him awoke Harry. It took a few seconds before the cloudiness of his mind cleared away.

"What-"

The unfamiliar scene that greeted him snapped him into full awareness. He looked around frantically. The first thing he spotted was his wand, lying on a small table beside him. Where was he? This place was obviously not a cell, more like a bedroom. And the movement that had woken him earlier…

/Master Alex,/ came a familiar voice with a strange undertone of relief.

/Nagini?/ Harry pushed himself up from the bed he was lying on and turned to face the huge snake that had coiled up beside him. If Nagini was here…

Nagini extended her height to Harry's eye level, seemingly satisfied that he could move about without any trouble.

Harry flexed his leg, which had been broken in his duel with Dumbledore. It had been healed completely; he could not feel a single trace of pain as he moved it.

/Master healed it before he left,/ said Nagini, confirming Harry's guess. /Are you still in pain, Master Alex?/

/No,/ answered Harry with a small smile. /I'm fine, Nagini./ Harry looked around the unfamiliar surroundings. /Where are we?/ he asked.

/We're in Master's manor. /

Voldemort's lair. Harry remembered most parts of his short confrontation with Dumbledore, but what had happened after he had lost consciousness? How had he ended up in Voldemort's home?

He surveyed the room. It was a little larger than his bedroom at the Dursley's, but much more elegantly furnished. There was a bed at one side, a desk and several other furnishings. The tone of the room reminded Harry of the Slytherin common room. But what really struck him was that this room gave him the same feeling the Room of Requirement did. In another word, it reeked of dark magic.

'What now?' he found himself wondering. His mind was still recovering from the shock of facing Dumbledore in battle and couldn't fully register the implication of what had happened just now. Deep down, though, Harry knew he had no where else to go. Everything had changed now. Dumbledore had found out about him being a Death Eater. What would that make him then? An enemy? A fugitive?

All he knew for certain was that there was only one path left before him. And how that path was going to end rested solely in Voldemort's hands.

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Voldemort watched from his throne as his inner circle took turns to have their 'fun.' His inner circle could be quite creative when it came to torture and he knew the fear it created would be enough to secure his other servants' loyalty, especially the newest recruits.

Severus was a fool to betray him, but to kill one of his allies in order to keep his façade? Perhaps he should have expected it from a Slytherin. Severus was an excellent spy indeed, it was a shame that he had chosen the wrong side to work for.

The raid had been a total success. As early as tonight, the whole wizarding world would hear of Dumbledore and their Ministry's defeat, and once again the world would be plunged into fear, making it even more vulnerable than it was now. It would not be long before he could gain power over them all. Finally, he would get what he had always wanted. Yet, it didn't bring him as much satisfaction as he had expected. Somehow, today's battle didn't feel like a victory at all.

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"Crucio!"

Draco tensed when Severus finally cracked after four Death Eaters from the Inner Circle had finished their 'turns.' He had never seen his godfather lose his composure, no matter what situation he was in. Now, the sight of his godfather screaming and twisting uncontrollably on the ground was more than what Draco could bear. He noticed some of the newer Death Eaters shifted uncomfortably while those within the Inner Circle enjoyed their 'privilege' to torture the traitor.

And his father… From what Draco had seen, Severus was supposed to be his father's closest friend, or his father wouldn't have named him his godfather. But his father hadn't shown a trace of hesitation as he tortured Severus. The sadistic pleasure he was able to detect from his father's eyes made Draco feel sick.

Whether it was because of his father's training or his Occlumency skill, Draco managed to keep his inner turmoil at bay. Through the white mask, the pair of grey eyes revealed nothing but cold indifference as they took in the merciless scene before him.

It was disconcertingly easy, given the situation. It scared him at how easily he had been able to lock away his compassion towards his godfather and his disgust at the other Death Eaters. But then, he was in no position to help Severus, and he had no intention of ending up in Severus' situation.

"Now, now, Bellatrix, out Lord needs him alive and sane," his father commented idly.

"Oh, we both know Severus is not that easy to break, Lucius." Bellatrix smirked and released the Cruciatas curse after a few more seconds. "Aren't you, Severus?" she asked in a cooing tone that Draco had always hated.

Bellatrix finally stepped back, but it was not over yet. Draco held his breath as his father turned to him, as did some of the other Death Eaters.

"Come on, son," said his father from beside him. "Have fun."

Draco stared at the barely recognizable form of his godfather. Uncertainly crept over him as he contemplated what he should do. He hesitated, even though he knew he couldn't afford any.

"Draco, remember what I've taught you," said his father in a low voice with a warning undertone that didn't escape him.

And of course he did remember. His father had drilled it in him since he was a child.

"Don't get too attached to them, son, they are but disposable tools."

His father had told him that one night after a family party, referring to the guests that had just left.

Just tools, was it? Draco braced himself and stepped forward, stopping before his godfather.

He felt disgusted at his own action, but he was a Slytherin, he told himself, and survival always came first.

He raised his wand and cast the first spell that came to his mind. Ironically, it was the first dark curse his godfather had taught him.

"Sectumsempra!"

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A/N: So, what do you think? Personally, I think I've done too many switches of POV in this chapter.

Anyway, in case you want to ask, Voldemort chooses to reveal Severus as a spy now because Severus is no longer useful for him. Ever since he's found out about Severus, he's been using him to control how the Order would react to his attacks, how fast they would be notified of them, etc. (You can see the effects of both raids from previous chapters and from Voldemort's POV in this chapter). Now that he's 'staged' his dramatic return, he doesn't need Severus anymore.