Original Sin

A/N Thanks to my beta Duniazade. All remaining mistakes are my fault. All warnings still in effect.

In which we meet the Order members and discover the most powerful wizards and witches can't always get along...

PART 2

***

Molly's thumb smoothed the curve of the small quail's egg in her hand. Her thumb would glide across its surface once, twice, three times, and on the fourth stroke it would curve and pierce through the vulnerable shell. Pieces would crack and inside the small, barely formed bird would make a sad, squeaky noise as it expired, and then her thumb would roll over the surface a fifth time and the egg would be whole again. She repeated this cycle over and over tirelessly, a dangerous glint in her eyes. It was making the other people in the coach nervous.

Aberforth, especially, had no idea how to deal with Molly. She had been moody and unreasonable ever since her daughter's engagement, and by the set of her jaw and the high-strung anxiety eating away at her countenance, the slightest thing anyone said could have her breaking their neck.

Minerva looked kindly at Molly, sympathetic if unable to truly understand the witch's predicament.

"If Albus has not had the foresight already to arrange tactful seating, I will be happy to accommodate you in any way."

"Thank you, Minerva." It sounded more like a declaration of war than thanks.

Aberforth sighed wearily; they had been walking on eggshells around Molly for months now. "As much as you dislike him, Molly, he is someone you must be courteous to."

"I don't understand why he's in the Order."

"Yes, you do," Aberforth patiently said. "He plays one of the most important roles in our society and within our group. Just because it is distasteful to you does not make it less important."

"I know that," Molly said waspishly.

"I just cannot understand why you would be so unhappy over such a wonderful union..."

"Aberforth." Andromeda shot him a warning look but it was too late. To his dismay, Molly burst into angry tears, her face a splotchy red and her voice choked with rage.

"My daughter! My only daughter!"

"Walden isn't a bad man, Molly..."

"Aberforth!" Andromeda made a slashing hand motion across her throat, desperately trying to shut him up. Any words of consolation he attempted to give Molly always ended up upsetting her more.

"My only daughter to live in a dark hole and to never know lightness or happiness again!"

"You can't say she won't be happy." Aberforth pointedly ignored Andromeda and Minerva's urgings for him to let the matter drop. "He can provide her with anything she wishes."

"If that filthy beast thinks he's going to touch her... "

"Molly. Like it or not he's your son-in-law to be, a colleague, and you shouldn't speak rudely of him. And it's not as if the wedding is tomorrow. She's even continuing to live with you until she's of age; that gives the both of you plenty of time to say your goodbyes. And it's not as if Walden will keep her from you when they're married as well. It's a done matter, and there's nothing more to argue. You should learn to accept the new addition to your family and move on. It should be something to celebrate, not mourn... you daft old woman... "

Molly looked at him with furious, tear-stained eyes. "Daft old woman? This is all your fault. You sanctioned this marriage; you condemned my daughter to a life of death and darkness!"

Aberforth had finally heard enough abuse from Molly and was quite over trying to console her. He glared back, his light blue eyes hardened.

"It was her choice to seek an apprenticeship in his trade. And even you can't deny that he's besotted with her. Even in his own cold, quiet manner, he's very taken with her, and you know he'll treat her every bit the queen. It'll do him good. It'll do Ginevra good as well, to have that kind of responsibility. I didn't hear any protests from her about this marriage."

"Turn my own daughter against me... "

There was no more to be said after that. Aberforth finally gave up, leaving Andromeda and Minerva to try and calm Molly and dry her tears. Her emotions had been volatile since the day MacNair had come to her doorstep with a black jasper ring, asking her for Ginny's hand. When she refused him, he merely stood there, quiet and stony as he always was. He stood there for hours, unmoving, until Ginny finally came out herself to accept the ring, and it was in that moment that Molly's heart broke. Aberforth, a bit tactless as always, had come to celebrate the engagement with bottles of champagne, miffed to realize upon arriving that he would have to be the one to bless the marriage.

The coach finally jerked to a halt outside Albus' modest estate. There was no more time for fighting or tears now. Molly blew into her hanky, and though her voice was muffled, Aberforth could hear, "better not have brought that bloody axe of his... " and chuckled.

The other coaches had arrived at the same time as they. The coach with the splendid white horses was definitely Lucius. He was already standing beside the coach, helping Narcissa to the ground. With them was Regulus, the three chatting amiably. That coach seemed to be the one with the liveliest and friendliest atmosphere. The third coach was gloomy and dark. The twins Alecto and Amycus were ensconced within along with the silent MacNair.

Molly glared at the black coach, spitting on the ground before promptly ignoring it. If MacNair had noticed, he made no sign of it. Thankfully, Aberforth thought, Walden had paid heed to his request to not bring his work to the casual dinner, and his beloved axe was not to be seen on his belt.

"Dumbledore."

Aberforth turned to see who had addressed him.

"Lucius."

The sleek, handsome man sniffed discerningly at his surroundings, pulling on a pair of soft, dragonhide gloves. Aberforth could see some genuine concern written on Lucius' face, however, so he knew this was something with more gravity than the usual disdainful gossip Lucius preferred to indulge in.

"Is this merely a social call?"

"What do you mean?"

Lucius frowned, his delicate lips pursing slightly as he thought. "Isn't it unlike your brother to host dinner parties? He always seemed... reclusive, to me."

"You think Albus has a hidden agenda."

Lucius tapped the ground, annoyed, with the butt of his cane.

"I was trying to be subtle."

Aberforth shrugged, turning his eyes to the large house instead. It was something that had been troubling him ever since he saw the grand, fancy invitations by owl. Unless the special occasion was a surprise, there was no holiday, no birthday and no special reason for the Dumbledore brothers to see each other. Let alone Aberforth and his elite circle.

"I've been thinking of it too. Whatever Albus' good intentions are... I hope he has picked humble means of executing them."

***

Lily had searched for Severus all over the house but had been unable to find him. Concerned, she had even resorted to calling out his name, checking under tables and searching through all the closets that even he wasn't scrawny enough to hide himself into. Could he have left the house to go for a ride? Could he have gone wandering into the woods by himself? Lily sighed, frustrated. In his desire for solitude he always did stupid things.

As she made her way across the grounds, she saw the coaches in the estate driveway and silently cursed to herself. The guests had already arrived! And, as she ran back to the house, she realized she had mud splashed up all along the hem of her gown. Merlin. Casting quick cleaning charms, she tried to banish as much dirt and mud as possible while she quickly made her way to the front entrance.

The Order guests were already waiting in the foyer when she finally arrived, slightly out of breath and a warm blush across her cheeks from her short excursion. Regulus, the youngest member allowed to attend the dinner, had a look of pleasant surprise on his face when he saw how lovely the daughter of the Dumbledore household was. She noticed his youth and handsome face as well and smiled shyly at him before looking to Aberforth.

"Uncle!"

He smiled warmly, the smile never quite reaching his eyes and twinkling within the sparkling blue depths like it did Albus'. It formed in the creases around his eyes instead, making him seem much more earthy and old.

"Lily, it is lovely to see you, my child."

"Father bids everyone to go to the dining room. He'll join everyone shortly once he's finished with dinner preparations."

"Of course, come here, come here – tell me what you've been doing lately."

Aberforth put a kind arm around her shoulders as they walked towards the modest dining hall. Lily loved seeing her uncle, and as an impressive as he was to others being the chief wizard of the Order of Merlin, to her he was just uncle. It was the other members that intrigued her instead, and she stole glances over her shoulder to look at them.

She knew who they all were, of course, they were the stuff made of legends. There were certain townships and even church-like groups that paid special allegiance to one Order member or the other. To see them all in her house was somewhat overwhelming!

She saw Andromeda, who could have been rightly called the second-in-command. She was known quite famously for being solitary and hating any sort of public light or recognition, but it was her tireless political mind that Aberforth frequently consulted with, and had toppled corrupt monarchies and diffused wars in the past. She strode, quite regally in her own right, alone and with no one by her side.

Following her was Molly and Minerva, the latter murmuring soothingly to the former. Molly had red hair just like her! Lily grinned at the thought. Of course, this was something she already knew, but to see it for herself was pleasantly amusing. Molly looked quite angry for some reason, which she couldn't discern, and hoped that it didn't mean she was displeased with their house.

Molly was known to be the favourite Order member among agricultural townships and people. It was her knack for nurturing, increasing fertility and procuring life that they often called on her to help them with their crops. It was several of the spells and potions she had created that were used throughout the country to aid with the harvest. She was also frequently called to the noble and more aristocratic houses to aid with the birth of heirs.

Minerva, now patting Molly's shoulder, was an incredibly severe looking woman. Lily knew that Minerva was not very old, much younger than uncle, but she had lines around her face that made her look very tired and very old. All the major schools had been created in her name, all of the important libraries. But she was more popularly known for having once brought the Scottish Isles to arms and commanding an army of farmers and laypeople in one of the bloodiest wizarding battles in recent memory. It was the only time so far that she had ever placed her hand in war, but it was in her name that people created talismans or charms to aid them in any sort of conflict.

After the three women, Lily was not as familiar the rest of the members. They were somewhat foreign to her, except perhaps the young Regulus who caught her eye and winked at her.

The tall, blonde gentleman must be Lucius, the shipmaster. She thought he looked rather haughty and a bit silly. For all of the finery and wealth draped over his shoulders, he carried himself vainly and reminded her of a fat peacock she had to drive away from her flower garden. The woman on his arm had to be Narcissa, the most beguiling witch of the age. Lily had to admit that she looked quite beautiful, if a bit icy, and understood then why they said she could topple kingdoms run by men.

And even further past them were the twins, Alecto and Amycus. They resembled each other, with unpleasant faces and straw-like hair. Both had scars on their hands and Alecto had a few on her face. Lily was not sure what they did. What sort of business did they deal with that they would receive such injuries?

And finally, trailing at the very end was MacNair. He sent a chill down Lily's spine, and she quickly looked away. If the whole procession of the Order was a spectrum of lighter to darker, then he most deservedly held the end as the black. The executioner. He was the chief warden of Azkaban, guarding every prisoner, devising every punishment, and carrying out every execution by hand. He looked blankly ahead, as if the world around him held nothing to capture his attention. One eye was covered by a black patch, scars trailing out from underneath the dark fabric to spill over his cheeks in a spider web's design.

"Hmmph, your brother's late as always."

Lily was shaken out of her morbid musings, pulled suddenly back into the present. Aberforth scanned the dining hall critically, a disapproving look on his face.

"He's been helping father prepare dinner."

"Has he?"

Lily sighed, tugging her uncle's arm playfully. Aberforth was much more patient and understanding with Severus than their father was, but he never came frequently enough or showed unreserved warmth to warrant their having a close relationship. Even Lily, despite loving when her uncle came to visit, always sensed a certain distance in their relationship.

"Well, he should come down soon. I brought him a book from the Chinese merchants."

Lily beamed. "He'd love that. I'll try looking for him again."

"Has he gone into hiding?"

Lily shrugged playfully before running off. Aberforth watched her leave for a moment before looking to the table. There were no place cards, so everyone had begun to seat themselves to their liking. He sat down beside Minerva, creating a larger buffer between Molly and MacNair, who stared gloomily into his empty goblet. It filled magically with red wine on its own, and he sipped quietly.

Molly had finally stopped fiddling with her egg, her eyes looked less red and puffy, and Aberforth hoped this meant a peaceful dinner. If only they could get through that.

Then Molly's shoulders began to shake again, her hands clenching the table, and Aberforth sighed, defeated. This was not going to be a peaceful evening at all.

TBC