𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐚 || 𝘳.𝘢.𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

144. a spy?

"Fuck me, I need a cup of tea." James mutters, raking a hand through his mop of untamed hair and Maria nods on agreement, slapping her hand down on his in celebration.

  Arriving at the Potter Manor, the siblings greet the rest of the order with tired hello's and hugs. Maria holds open her arms when she sees Regulus and he sighs in relief, rushing over to her as she exhaustedly falls into his warm embrace. Her eyes close and her body instantly warms in his arms, her tense muscles finally relaxing as he presses his lips to her temple.

    "You're not hurt?" Regulus asks quickly and she shakes her head softly. "Nova's with Harry in the living room with Hagrid and Lily."

    Maria smiles, pulling away from him to press a kiss to his lips softly before hurrying towards Sirius and Remus who sit talking. She quickly pulls Sirius into a hug and he frowns in surprise. He had gone out the previous evening with Frank and Moody and nobody had heard from him before Maria and James headed out to keep watch of the bridge which had been detected as a possible attack sight.

    "Alright, Mar, what's got you in a loving mood?" Sirius chuckles into her shoulder and she hits him jokingly on the side. "Kidding. Sorry."

    Maria smiles, sitting beside him and joining his conversation with Remus.

    "We think that. . .the death eaters have a spy in the order." Sirius explains to her and Maria furrows her eyebrows, glancing around the room as Sirius lowers his voice. "We've narrowed it down to people around our age, because of the information the death eaters are somehow getting about you and Reg."

    "But. . .why would anyone here betray us?" Maria asks naively, perhaps because she doesn't want to believe that any member of the order would do such a thing. She doesn't want to think of her friends and family as traitors and enemies.

   "Money, power, love, blah blah blah." Sirius blabbers with an eye roll. "All the usual stuff."

    "We think people are already suspecting a spy." Remus explains to her and she nods intently. "But if we announce it everyone will start throwing accusations around and not to bring blood status but I'm guaranteeing that fingers get pointed to you and Regulus first." Remus says to Sirius and Maria chews on her bottom lip as Sirius frowns.

    "Why? We're disowned, why would we care?" Sirius asks Remus with another frown.

    "I'm just saying stereotypically they'd look to the pure-bloods with blood status fanatic families."

    "Well, if we're on about stereotypes, you're the werewolf." Sirius snaps as though Remus' words had offended him somehow and Maria winces at his harsh words that make Remus swallow thickly.

    "What's that supposed to mean?" He knows what it's supposed to mean. But hearing one of his best friends say the words, hearing it from one of the few people who have truly accepted and even embraced that dark part of Remus' life. That hurt.

    "Oh, we've all seen the prophets, Moony." Sirius scoffs, making gestures with his hands and James turns to the scene with a frown, walking over and pulling Maria towards him. "All the bleedin' werewolves have joined Voldemort so why would anyone believe you different?"

    "Sirius!" Maria scolds and Remus clenches his fists, his nails digging into his palms and almost drawing blood. "Stop, okay?" She steps forwards, placing a hand on either of the boy's arms. "You're both tired—don't—Sirius. . ." Maria sighs in defeat when Sirius shrugs her hand off and saunters out of the room angrily.

    Remus exhales in frustration before walking out the opposite door to the outside and Maria looks between the two doors with a desperate expression as she watches the effects of war slowly take a grasp of her friends. They're all paranoid and exhausted, not thinking before they speak and it's causing quarrels that they cannot afford to be having.