Happy Hallows premiere, everyone!

Treasa Levitated the dishes away from Molly's reaching hand.

"Now listen, Molly Weasley. If you're going to come and cook me dinner every evening, the least you can do is stop doing all the clearing away, too."

Molly pursed her lips as the plates floated neatly into the sink. "Dumbledore himself told me to be sure you weren't over-exerting yourself, Treasa -"

"It's been three whole days. I'm perfectly fine – barely any soreness left."

Treasa paused and did a reverse wand flick and spiral to separate the dishes and start the water filling the sink. It took extra concentration to aim the spell from this distance. Household spells weren't the strongest in her arsenal, but her pride was smarting enough from the events of the last few days. She didn't want Molly thinking she couldn't even wash dishes.

"Have you decided what you're going to do now?"

Treasa turned her head at Molly's question. "Do?"

"Now that you're not working. Surely you realize that Dumbledore won't let you go back to St. Mungo's."

"Why ever not? The Death Eaters have no reason to go back to St. Mungo's, and we don't know that any of them saw me."

Molly shook her head in motherly amusement, "Honestly, Treasa. Dumbledore's not going to – oh, Merlin, the sink!"

Treasa heard the water hit the floor before her eyes comprehended that the sink had overflowed. She raised her wand, but Molly had already flicked hers out and was performing a rather dizzying array of spirals and figure eights. Treasa tried to follow the movements with her eyes, but her attention was drawn to the results. The faucet had stopped immediately, and the glass floating dangerously on the top of the water froze in place an inch or so from the edge of the sink. With a quiet whoosh, the water level in the sink lowered, and the wet spot on the floor dried. A blast of hot air completed the clean up to the kitchen floor, and with a final flick, Molly put soap in the water and swirled it to get suds, re-freezing the water when the froth had accumulated.

Treasa leaned back with a low whistle. "I see you've practiced that a time or two."

"I learned early on that if I didn't want to bankrupt us with buying new plates every other day, I had to either practice my Reparo, or keep the accidents from happening. It got to be quite the challenge when the twins came along – so many young ones, and Bill barely old enough to be helping with his younger brothers. It's all in the intent, you know. I've cast those spells so many times that I don't even think the words any longer, but my wand knows what it's about."

"So it's the same principle as they teach the Auror candidates – don't focus on a specific spell, but on the action you intend to complete," Treasa mused, letting her eyes wander back to the immobilized water. "I've read about it, but I never considered applying the principle to housework."

"Likely you've never had to."

Treasa gave a rueful shrug and stood, reaching for the soup tureen still on the table. A shadow fell over it. She let the tureen drop and grabbed her wand in one motion, vaguely aware of Molly's startled gasp. The figure in the door took a step further in.

"Severus Snape!" It was Molly's breathless, angry voice that brought the intruder's features into sharper focus.

"Be thankful it was me and not some less desirable guest," he said evenly.

Molly focused her attention on mopping up the soup that had spilled, siphoning it from the table surface with her wand.

"Couldn't bother knocking?" Treasa asked, the panic-borne harshness still edging her voice.

"I did. Apparently, you were too busy with your chatter to notice. Foolish of you to be so lax."

"There are protections on this place -"

"Which took me no more than two minutes to break through."

Molly slammed the tureen on the counter by the sink, throwing her own aggravated voice into the fray. "You knew about them. Anyone else would have tripped the Disquietus charm."

"It's the first charm I check for when entering a place I know to be guarded," Severus retaliated. "If I think of it, those whose business it is to hunt down victims will think of it as well."

An uneasy silence dropped upon them. Treasa picked up their goblets and deposited them in the soap suds with enough force to splash herself and Molly in bubbles. They exchanged irritated glances before Molly brushed the suds off her skirt and turned back to Severus with a stiffly polite smile.

"Have you eaten? We have leftovers."

Severus didn't bother answering. He turned and paced back to the doorway. "Any disturbances here tonight?"

"Aside from you?" Treasa snapped, ignoring Molly's calming pressure on her arm.

Severus turned on his heel and continued his measured strides to the window looking out over the alley, giving no indication he'd heard her. Treasa followed his lead, choosing to ignore him rather than pursue any inquiry about why he'd shown up. She focused on the goblets, scrupulously cleaning every crevice of the scrollwork along the rim.

Molly, however, felt no such compulsion to silence. After sealing the tureen with a Frigus to stop it spoiling, she turned to Severus with brisk curiosity.

"Did Dumbledore send you to guard Treasa tonight?"

Treasa had a fleeting image of Severus' reaction if that was indeed the case – and another of what her reaction would be the next time she saw Dumbledore .

"Dumbledore feels this location is no longer safe," Severus said, putting enough space for a hippogriff between his words. "He sent me to escort you to headquarters – tonight."

"Why ever would he think that?" Treasa snapped, turning around to gauge Severus' reaction to her question.

He knit his eyebrows at her and cut his eyes once to Molly, putting Treasa fairly in the picture. There were a limited number of options that he wouldn't discuss around a third party.

"Dumbledore doesn't tell me every detail of his decision-making," Severus growled. "He's already alerted Black and Lupin to expect us within an hour. I suggest you begin packing now."

"I can finish in here, Treasa," Molly offered, pointing her wand at the sink.

"Molly -" Treasa had no intention of leaving Molly with the dishes, any more than she intended to simply jump at Severus' command.

"If Dumbledore wants you at headquarters, I suggest you get there without delay," Molly said sagely. "He generally knows what he's about."

Severus followed her from the kitchen into the bedroom. Treasa managed to hold in her irritation until they both stepped inside, and Severus had shut the door.

"If I find out that Dumbledore didn't order me to leave this flat, I'll hex you till even You-Know-Who wouldn't know you from a bowtruckle."

"Do you think I would have come tonight if he hadn't decided to send me?"

"Who – Dumbledore or Voldemort?" Treasa snapped.

Severus stepped in front of the door and leaned stiffly against it. "Dumbledore knows."

"Knows?" Treasa repeated, uncomprehending. Severus merely looked at her. The realization broke with the sickening feeling of a dementor's approach. "You told him about -" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "About us?"

"Yes."

"You troll!" Treasa's wand was practically twitching in her hand as the wave of anger swept over her. It had been many years since she'd lost control, but several seconds passed before she was certain she wouldn't fire off a hex without meaning to. "The only thing I asked of you -"

"It was necessary."Severus still hadn't moved from his position at the door. "If you were to be seen by a Death Eater, it would be a death sentence for both of us."

"And how am I supposed to explain to -"

"To whom?" Severus's voice was faintly mocking, but he didn't stir. "Your precious convict, Black? Or perhaps Molly Weasley? Will that revelation irrevocably damage your friendship?"

Treasa took two steps back toward the door, hand clenching on her wand to keep herself from raising it."It's a matter of trust, Severus, something I realize you have little experience with. They trust me, and I've lied to them, and now the whole Order will know."

"So it's not the lie that worries you, but the fact you'll be found out," Severus observed blandly. "How very Slytherin of you. All these years of thinking we had nothing in common..."

Her wand did come up in response to that, but he lazily raised a hand in protest. "There's no need for that. Dumbledore promised he wouldn't tell a soul. I assume you trust him."

There were several things she considered calling him, but she contented herself with jabbing her wand at the trunk in the corner, Levitating it onto her bed.

"And I suppose," she said, steadying her voice against the ragged edges of rage. "I suppose this decision to hide me away in Grimmauld Place was your idea?"

"I would have thought you'd appreciate more alone time with Black," Severus shot back, startling her with the raw anger in his voice. "If you must know, Dumbledore thought it would be better to sequester you with your potions laboratory. We're certain some of the Order will be needing it before long."

"Inside information?" Treasa asked, unsure if she meant the question as a jab or not.

"Mere probability."

Severus turned on his heel and opened the bedroom door, ending the spat uncharacteristically early. "I'll be leaving in ten minutes. Be ready to leave, or I'll finish your packing for you."

Grimmauld Place seemed much less inviting than it once had when viewed from the eyes of an exile, Treas mused as they stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the house to finish expanding between Numbers 11 and 13. Rather than exuding a sense of clandestine charm, it seemed intent on displaying every crack and cobweb.

Severus was standing beside her, unnaturally still as usual. His face was settled in a nondescript mold that gave just enough mobility to his features to avoid him being mistaken for a statue. She recognized that face from her time in Snape Manor. He was Occluding her from his mind. A feeling somewhere between homesickness and regret slid into her stomach, as surprising as it was unfamiliar.

"Did Dumbledore give any other instructions?" She ventured as they reached the stoop.

"Only that you are not to leave headquarters."

"And he promised not to -"

"Yes." He was still staring at the knocker, his face free of any expression. "You might want to do something to keep Black at bay." He turned to her, lip curling. "Or perhaps not."

"Don't be a git," she snapped, banishing the wistful feeling and reaching for the knocker.

The door opened before she had a chance to let it fall.

"Treasa!" Sirius beamed, throwing the door open with a thud. His eyes traveled momentarily to Severus, but returned to Treasa with purposeful cheer. "About time Dumbledore put us prisoners together, eh?"

"Blood-traitors, and werewolves," screeched the portrait in the hallway.

"Let us in, Black," Severus snapped, shoving him aside to enter the house. "Unless you want all the muggles in London descending on us."

Sirius gave Treasa a wink and charged at the portrait, "Shut up, Mother, we have guests!"

Lupin sprinted down the hallway to help him wrestle with the curtains. "Treasa," he panted, "Pleasure to see you."

She stifled a chuckle as the curtains did their best to twist around around the two wizards. Lupin wrenched his right arm out of their grasp and stumbled, releasing a muffling, grunting cry of pain.

"Moony?" Sirius ground out, fighting off his own curtain.

Lupin opened his mouth to answer, but his face blanched and his entire right side convulsed. He dropped to the floor, insensible.