Marked

The Traitor

Chapter 26: The Traitor

Theo fidgeted nervously beside Snape. He was making a considerable effort not to allow eye contact with anyone, while actively fighting not to appear suspicious. He doubted he was successful on either count. Theo was not a particularly gifted actor – unlike Severus Snape, of course. Theo would never understand how the man could be so inexplicably calm in the face of the storm that they both knew was undoubtedly coming.

Maybe it came from a lifetime of weathering storms, Theo thought, eyeing Snape's hooded eyes. The rather unfortunate professor had certainly had enough practice.

"What do you mean Malfoy is alive?" Fred demanded, rising to his feet. "How is that possible? And if that's true – "

" – if that's true, why wouldn't Harry deny the murder accusations?" George prompted, joining his twin.

Lupin, who was standing beside Theo and Snape, let his head loll back wearily. "Oh, no," he said, sighing quietly. "Oh no."

Theo's eyes flicked to his former professor, smirking at the rather morose reaction. "Something you'd like to share?"

The heads of every Order member in the room swiveled to face them.

"Go on," Theo prompted airily, lifting his chin with impatience.

"I saw him," Lupin mumbled, his eyes falling to his rather weathered shoes. He shook his head and then looked up, addressing the others. "I saw Draco Malfoy, but I didn't realize it at the time – "

" – you didn't realize?" Fred echoed, his voice rising. "You saw a rather notoriously dead person and didn't think to tell anyone?"

"Where was he?" George asked drily, casually leaning back to feign disinterest. "In line at Flourish and Botts? Just having a pint at the Three Broomsticks?"

"No." Lupin looked down again, and even Theo felt himself frown suspiciously. "I saw him with the others." He shook his head. "He was with Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

"What?" Molly shrieked, promptly dropping the cup of tea she was holding. "You saw them? You saw Harry and Ron?"

The twins spoke in unison. "When?"

Lupin looked supremely uncomfortable, and Theo might have paused to pity him if he weren't rather eager to hear his response. "The night of the attack," Lupin said quietly. "Harry, Ron, and Hermione were upstairs, with a fourth person I'm realizing now must have been the Malfoy boy."

"It didn't seem worth mentioning?" Theo asked skeptically, and the twins nodded vigorously.

"Yeah - "

"Let Remus explain himself," Arthur interrupted coolly, flashing his sons a quieting look.

Theo had to hand it to him; Arthur Weasley was a rather unexpectedly impressive figure, an observation which occurred to Theo even in the face of his significantly more pressing concerns. The Weasley patriarch, despite his rather soft demeanor, certainly possessed the kind of admiration from his sons that Lucius had once commanded from Draco.

A very long time ago, of course.

"Harry asked that I not alert anyone to his presence," Lupin explained defensively. "It was not my place to do otherwise - "

"You followed the instructions of a teenage boy?" Molly chided him, scowling. "You should have brought him here, to us - "

"It was not my place to do so," Lupin repeated coolly, cutting her off. "He was no more willing to share the truth of his situation that night than he was when he left Hogwarts."