Descend - Wolfstar + Marauders

Spy in the Ranks

Nobody had outright stated it, that there was a spy. There had been whispers for a while, but as with many things in the Order, it remained the subject of speculation.

It was not speculation anymore. There was a spy.

One of them was a traitor.

It was a month after Remus’ last mission when a meeting of the Order was called. It was an emergency meeting in response to a mission gone very wrong in a way that could have only happened if someone had leaked information to the Death Eaters.

It was a mission that Sirius was on.

Remus could hardly stand the thought. He managed to get out of the ambush unharmed (physically), but Moody lost the tip of a finger, another addition to his ever growing collection of maimed and missing body parts.

Edgar Bones had not been so lucky. Sirius had said it was like it was targeted. Like they were after Edgar specifically. They found out during the meeting, held the day after Sirius stumbled into the flat, shaking and wild eyed, that this was almost certainly the case.

“They all went right for him,” he said when he finally calmed down enough to form coherent sentences. “It was so quick. There was no blood, you know you see the homes after the dark mark has been left behind and the insides are just a mess, like a horror show. Ed just dropped. Like he fell asleep or something. I didn’t even realize what had happened until Moody was getting us out of there and we weren't taking Ed with us. We had to leave his body behind...”

Remus had just listened as he ranted, disbelief punctuated frequently with blind fury. Rage. He picked up a vase off a side table a threw it at the wall, where it shattered spectacularly.

“They knew! They knew we would be there! Whatever traitorous bastard, whatever foul, putrid piece of shit caused this, I swear Moony I will kill them myself!”

He looked at Remus as if he expected him to talk him down. Remus just listened.

"I think I killed one of them," he whispered later as they lay together in bed. "I don't know for sure. His head hit the ground so hard. Not like Edgar. There was blood. A lot. Then we got out."

Remus held him tight. He knew what it felt like, to have to do violent things in order to survive. To save others. He wished he didn't know.

Sirius was right. They must have known Edgar would be on the mission. They must have known where his family would be and that he would not be there to protect them. The Bones family were renowned. Every last one of them brilliant witches and wizards.

His wife. His kids. Just little kids. All gone.

Moody had not spoken a word the entire meeting. Remus had never seen him so quiet. Sirius, on the other hand, could hardly keep still. The energy in the room was confused and chaotic to begin with. Sirius’ constant fidgeting and snapping at everyone who so much as breathed in his direction was not helping to calm the situation.

Thankfully, it did not last long. Dumbledore had called the meeting to announce that in light of the circumstances, there would be a change to Order protocol. This would be the last of their large group gatherings, with future briefings being conducted on a largely one on one basis. All Order business would be strictly compartmentalized even more so than it already was.

All in all, it was a horrible meeting. It always was when they lost members, but in the past they would come together. They were like a family, there to pull each other through their shared grief. It had shifted, slowly. Everyone had become more paranoid, more disillusioned. This, though, this was something else. This was a breaking point. Every look was filled with suspicion. Sirius was hardly the only one who was openly hostile.