The Secret's In The Telling by Sakuri

Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Disgrace of Severus Snape

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It was Molly Weasley's turn, along with her husband, to spend the week inside the dark, dank building of Grimmauld Place. With Sirius Black, the only permanent resident of the house, dead, the members of the Order of the Phoenix – those not otherwise occupied – rotated themselves, making sure that there was always someone present at their headquarters.

It was a lucky thing, really, considering what was about to happen…

They'd only arrived yesterday, setting down their modest supply of clothes that would do for the next seven days upstairs in the large bedroom. Before that, she hadn't seen the inside of the grim house, true to its name, in over a month. Consequently, seeing as no one but her ever bothered to cast a few humble cleaning charms, the place was a mess when they'd arrived.

But she didn't mind. Cleaning gave her something to do, after all, rather than mope about as her husband was currently doing. He missed his muggle gadgets, which had accumulated around the Burrow, and the generally chaotic atmosphere of their family home. Here, there was very little to amuse him, much to her exasperation, and the atmosphere only served to depress him further.

Humming tunelessly under her breath, if only to add some kind of sound to the oppressive silence, she brandished her wand as she wandered into the living room. She flicked it at one of the tall, wooden-backed armchairs which sat near the fire, straightening its cushions and brushing down the dark blue material it was made of. Glancing around critically, she laid eyes on the large, ornate mantelpiece which was the focal point of the room. The dark wood had once been polished and perfected, but was now covered in a layer of silvery dust. Sighing, she cast a similar charm, and watched with satisfaction as an invisible force began dusting obediently.

It was then that the fire, previously unlit and quite cold, suddenly flared into life – blazing green life – with a dull roar and a dark figure tumbled inelegantly out of the verdant flames.

Molly shrieked in fright, raising her wand automatically, defensive spells forming on her lips.

But the person on the floor at her feet didn't move, at least not threateningly. Only a pained moan rose from the crumpled form, as it shifted slowly in a failed attempt to right itself. Black robes, for the moment, concealed any recognisable feature – except for one, anyway.

One sleeve had been rolled up, to reveal a thin, pale wrist covered in streaks of blood. That in itself was disturbing enough, but Molly was quick to find the source of the bleeding, and that was even worse.

It came from the dark, disfiguring tattoo of a skull and a snake.

She gasped, hand coming up to cover her mouth. And then she was screaming.

"Arthur! Arthur!"

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An hour and twenty long minutes later, the hastily gathered members of the Order – those that could be reached, anyway – were crammed into Dumbledore's large circular office. Some had even been called from the Ministry. Nymphadora Tonks, Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt shifted restlessly, occasionally casting Tempus charms and uneasy glances at each other. As loyal as they were to Dumbledore and the Order, his abrupt summons wasn't appreciated. Moody's magical eye spun agitatedly.

Minerva and Remus had also been called away from their Monday morning classes, and were gathered with the others, waiting to hear what was going on.

Finally, closest to his desk, were the three people who had come baring the urgent new occurrence. Molly and Arthur Weasley had been asked to leave their post at Grimmauld Place in order to attend this meeting. Their usually jovial expressions were grave. Between them sat a very battered looking Severus Snape.