XIV: The Dark Patronus

Chapter XIV: The Dark Patronus

Careful to make as little noise as humanly possible, Charis crept down the entrance hall at Grimmauld Place. It had been a long Friday, wrapping up a busy week, and she was in no mood to endure the yelling and screeching of the portrait of Mrs Black. In fact, she was not really in a mood to be socialising either, and would very much have liked to spend the evening on the sofa with a good book. She had even turned down Grindling's invitation for a pint. But when Arthur Weasley had waited for her in the Entrance Hall of the Ministry, telling her that Molly was at Grimmauld Place, preparing lamb stew, she had not been able to resist. Lamb stew was one of her favourite dishes and turning down a home cooked dinner wasn't something Charis did. After all, she had been too tired to cook all week, and her dinners had mostly been made up of sandwiches and ready-bought salads from the Ministry cafeteria. So being tired would not stand in the way of that stew, as far as she was concerned. And besides, she was hoping that several other Order members would come to dinner as well: Morgana, first and foremost, and maybe Remus, whose company Charis had enjoyed very much the previous Sunday. And – dare she hope – maybe Snape would come, too.

After having knocked on the door, she slunk quietly into the kitchen.

'Oh, Charis! How lovely! Arthur said he'd bumped into you, and I was very much hoping you would come. Come on, sit down, sit. How has your day been? Would you like something to drink?'

Charis smiled fondly at Molly as the latter busied herself with pouring pumpkin juice into a glass. She was such a kind and loving woman.

'I've been busy,' Charis admitted. 'There is still so much to do in the Hall of Prophecies. Those Death Eaters made a right mess out of it.'

Molly grimaced. 'So did some of my young ones, I'm afraid,' she said apologetically. 'And I know what kind of mess they can produce. You should see some of their rooms.'

Charis giggled. If Molly knew how her room had looked when she had been a teenager. 'And how has your day been, Mrs Weasley?' she asked in order to change subjects.

'Molly, dear. Call me Molly. I've been busy, too. I'm taking Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione to Diagon Alley tomorrow to buy their school supplies, which means I won't be able to do anything around the house. So I had to do the washing today and charm the chicken feed.'

'And still you come here to cook for the Order.' Charis felt a bit guilty about this. Surely, Dumbledore could have a Hogwarts elf prepare a nice dinner. Or the Order members could cook together. That would be a lot of fun. Charis suppressed a laugh. The thought of Snape in a pink apron like the one Molly was wearing was just too precious.

'Don't be silly, dear,' Molly said. 'I like to cook for the Order. You are all very busy people and need feeding.'

'Hear, hear.'

Both Charis and Molly turned to the door where they caught sight of Remus. He was smiling broadly and was craning his neck to see what was cooking on the stove.

'Molly,' he started, not giving up his spot by the door. 'How come Charis is allowed in the kitchen while I am banished to the lounge?'

Molly gave him a stern look. 'Because you pick at everything whilst I am cooking, and it drives me potty! Honestly, I swear you do have hollow legs! You never stop eating.'

Charis eyed her former professor furtively. He must have hollow legs indeed. He certainly didn't look like a man who was eating constantly. Then again, maybe he didn't get much to eat apart from what he got from the Order headquarters. Judging by the state of his robes, he didn't have much gold in Gringotts.

Remus, too, seemed to disagree with Molly's comment and put on a pout which could have belonged to a spoiled five-year-old who was told that he wouldn't get any more sweets. And it was all it took to soften Molly's heart.

'Don't worry, Remus,' she said in a soothing tone. 'There is chocolate cake for dessert.' Then she turned to Charis. 'I am begging you, dear. Take him and his puppy eyes out of my kitchen before I start feeding him!'

'And where should I take him?' Charis asked, feeling that she didn't know her way around the house yet.

'The drawing room,' Remus suggested at once. 'That's where Sirius hid his liquor.'

'Remus, really!' Molly exclaimed. 'You're setting such a bad example. Why don't you two go back to the lounge? The chairs there are comfortable, and you'll be able to relax a bit before dinner.'

'If Molly thinks that sending us back to the lounge will keep me from setting a bad example, then she's sadly mistaken,' Remus whispered as he and Charis left the kitchen. 'I brought some wine with me. Maybe we should sample it? Would be a shame if it turns out to taste like vinegar and spoils everyone's dinner.'

But the wine was as far from vinegar as it could get. It was a very nice wine, at least as far as Charis could tell. She hadn't had a lot of experience when it came to nice wine, but she did like the bottle Remus had brought. She detected black currant, blackberry and just the slightest hint of chocolate and coffee.

'Oh, this is lovely,' she commented, and Remus was just about to top up her glass when a low, drawling voice from the door announced that they were not alone anymore.

'I was not aware that the Order was now holding wine tasting evenings.'

Snape looked like he was in his worst mood ever. The darkness of his scowl rivalled the black colour of his robes, and his eyes were as cold as ice.

Charis wanted to recoil and hide somewhere, but Remus bravely faced Snape. 'Didn't you hear it on the grapevine?' He grinned, but Snape continued scowling.

'Maybe a glass of wine would do you good as well, Severus,' Remus suggested.

Snape eyed the bottle suspiciously. 'I am not sure this plonk is meant for drinking.'

'If there's alcohol in that bottle, I'll have some no matter how it tastes.' Tonks had just entered the room, Moody at her heels, and she was making a beeline for the wine. 'What a day!'

'What?' Remus asked drily, pouring Tonks a glass. 'Didn't you enjoy your little fieldtrip to Azkaban?'

Tonks vehemently shook her head. 'Worst visit ever, we ended up...'

'No one wants to know, Nymphadora,' Moody interrupted her rudely. 'Wouldn't want to spoil people's appetite, would you?'

Tonks defensively raised her hands. 'Don't rip my head off, will you, Alastor.' Then she took a gulp of wine before asking, 'Got anything stronger?'

Remus shook his head, smiling, and Tonks settled on the sofa, patting the empty space beside her. 'Get over here, Charis,' she said. 'We girls should have a toast. To the weekend and men who treat us nicely.'

As Charis toasted with Tonks, and while she listened to the young Auror explaining what exactly her idea of men who treat us nicely was, she could feel a set of eyes boring into the back of her head. And she didn't have to turn around to know whose eyes they were. Only Severus Snape had a gaze so intense that it could be sensed from across the room. Why he was staring at her, however, Charis didn't know. He had no reason to be angry with her. They had barely spoken. But still, she had the distinct impression that he'd rip her into pieces with his bare hands if she dared turn around and look at him.

'Um, excuse me,' she piped up as Tonks was done reciting the qualities of men. 'I was under the impression that Morgana would arrive with you.'

Tonks opened her mouth, but once again, Moody didn't let her talk. 'Sent her upstairs,' he growled. 'To freshen up and get some rest. Lil' chit hasn't been herself today. Couldn't even conjure a strong Patronus.'

Snape's eyebrows shot up. He didn't like what he was hearing. Morgana had always had trouble with the Patronus charm. That she was still not able to perform it properly was worrisome to say the least.

Charis, too, reacted to the news. 'Not being able to conjure a Patronus almost did Morgana's head in before the DADA exam. She was quite glad that she wasn't asked to by her examiner.' Then her green eyes widened in shock. 'Oh, my god, you visited Azkaban today! Did Morgana run into a Dementor?'

'Nothing to worry about,' Moody grumbled. 'Most trainees are unable to conjure a Patronus when they visit Azkaban for the first time. Those ruddy Dementors hovering around make it damn hard for them to concentrate on frolicking kittens and flowery meadows.'

Charis snorted. Obviously, Moody didn't know Morgana too well yet. The day she thought of frolicking kittens would be the same day You-Know-Who showed up in a pink tutu. But then again, just what was her best friend's happiest memory? Charis didn't know.

'Molly's chocolate cake will sort Morgana out,' Remus suggested. 'Chocolate always helps soothe any residue shock from the Dementors. Chocolate in general and Molly's chocolate cake in particular.'

'Chocolate is not the answer to everything, Lupin,' Snape hissed, shooting the werewolf a look that should have turned him into a whimpering puppy dog. Remus, however, was once more not intimidated.

'It might not be the answer to everything, but it makes life a little sweeter.'

'And one's thighs bigger,' Charis added woefully, glancing furtively into Snape's direction. But she received no reaction.

Remus, however, laughed heartily. 'Nothing wrong with your thighs from where I'm standing, dearest.'

Charis blushed, and Snape rolled his eyes. He'd had just about enough of the inane chattering. And before anyone really noticed, he had stomped out of the room. Moments later, Molly showed up instead.

'What did you do now?' she asked, glaring first at Remus and then at Moody. 'Severus was in a bad mood when he arrived, but now...'

'Whatever do you mean?' Moody enquired.

'I ran into him in the hall and... well...' Molly broke off and started fiddling with her apron. 'Upset is not a word I'd use to describe Severus' frame of mind, but...'

'Pissed?' Tonks suggested.

'Cranky?' Remus added.

'Murderous?' Moody gave his five Sickles worth.

'Worried,' Molly ended her sentence, making Tonks almost choke on her wine and Moody's magical eye pop out of its socket.

Remus lifted the bottle. 'Have you been drinking?' he asked, but Molly wasn't in the mood.

'Seriously, can't you all just be nice to him?'

'I didn't say anything,' Charis murmured somewhat miserably. She hated the idea of having said anything stupid that Snape could have misinterpreted as a gibe.

'Of course, you didn't say anything,' Molly reassured her and then rounded on Remus, Tonks and Moody once more.

'I know it's not easy being cordial with Severus, as he is no innocent lamb himself. But he's under a lot of pressure now that he has to be at You-Know-Who's beck and call. Give him a break. Now, if one of you would be so kind as to come and help me set the table. We'll be... let's see... you four, Morgana, Dumbledore, me... Set the table for seven. I don't think Severus is going to stay now,' she added, clearly disappointed.

'Has he left?' Charis asked, feeling quite as disappointed as Molly sounded. They had just been joking around. Surely, Snape was tougher than that. He couldn't have taken Remus' bickering seriously. But then again, maybe the stern Potions master was more sensitive than he let on.

'No, dear. He hasn't left. Not yet, anyway,' Molly replied. 'I think he went upstairs.'

'He better not trample around like a herd of Hippogriffs,' Tonks muttered. 'Morgana deserves some rest.'

'Rest?' Molly looked around, first now realising that Morgana wasn't in the room. Then she rounded on Moody like an angry mother dragon. 'What did you do this time?'

'I didn't do anything!' Moody assured her. 'Chit got a bit spooked at Azkaban. Nothing to worry about.'

Molly, however, didn't buy Moody's version. She stepped closer towards him, fixing him with an angry look. 'Dragging children to Azkaban...' she hissed. 'They should lock you up in there for a couple of nights. Would do you some good.'

'Now, Molly, don't be too hard on Alastor,' Remus tried to mediate. 'His trainees have to see the worst of the worst. It's better they encounter Dementors while he is there to back them up rather than alone in a dark alley one night, right?'

Molly backed off, and Moody looked relieved. It almost seemed that the Auror feared Molly Weasley more than any Dark wizard.

'Charis, dear,' Molly then said, and Charis winced involuntarily. But Molly was, of course, not going to yell at her. 'Would you mind helping me set the table now?' she asked instead. 'And do set a plate for Severus as well. Just in case.'

And muttering under her breath, saying the words pervert, psychopath and eye loud enough for everyone in the room to hear, Molly retreated into the kitchen, Charis close behind her, both of them very much hoping that Severus would indeed stay for dinner.

* * *

About half an hour later, the sound of Molly trilling 'dinner's ready' echoed from the kitchen to the gloomy stairway where Snape was hovering on the topmost stair. Had anyone seen him, they might have thought that he was admiring the shrunken elf heads on the wall. But he was, of course, doing no such thing. Instead, his eyes flicked towards the first door to the right. It was closed, locked, most probably, and no matter how much Snape strained his ears, he could not hear a single sound coming from inside the room. And if he hadn't known Morgana Belakane better, he would have guessed that she had heeded Moody's advice and was resting. But he did know her and assumed therefore that she was most probably pacing the room, pondering her mistakes. If she had made a mistake, that was. All Moody had divulged was the fact that Morgana had been unable to conjure a strong Patronus. Of the reasons for that or why she had even needed a Patronus, Snape knew nothing. He had been hoping, however, that he would find out. But now Molly was calling for dinner, and still Morgana didn't emerge from her room.

Snape huffed impatiently. What had he expected? Of course the girl would stay in her room, brooding. That was what Slytherins did best. He himself was an expert on it. But he was also aware that brooding seldom did any good.

Taking a deep breath, he swooped up the last step and rapped curtly on the door, just to find it being ripped open from the inside in the very same moment. And it was only due to his fast responsiveness that Morgana didn't bump into him.

'Oh, sorry, Professor,' she mumbled and took a step backwards, her eyes firmly on her shoes and nervously fiddling with the bandage on her left hand.

'Professor?' Snape cocked an eyebrow. 'You are aware, Miss Belakane, that you are not at Hogwarts and thus not my student anymore?'

'Yes, I am aware of that, sir.'

'Good. Because if you still were my student, I would deduct ten points from you for being late for dinner. And another five for not looking up at the person who is talking to you.'

Morgana hesitated for a moment, Snape could see that clearly, and he mentally prepared himself for tears. But when she lifted her head to look at him, her face looked quite calm, and the only thing that betrayed her was the slight puffiness around her blue eyes. No surprise there, Snape thought. Not really. Morgana would rather be caught dead than openly display that she was upset. Stubborn little snake.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Snape looked down his nose at her. 'Just to make it clear, Miss Belakane, I am not here to fetch you for dinner. You are old enough to go down to the kitchen on your own. I do, however, want to speak to you about your Patronus. Or should I say, the lack thereof.'

He saw a muscle twitch at her jaw, and a second later, Morgana had once again cast down her eyes. Snape had obviously struck a nerve.

'What happened at Azkaban today?' he asked, his tone suddenly quieter, if not to say gentler. If Morgana really had been crying, then the matter at hand was most probably more serious than her not having done her homework on Patronuses .

She stood quite still now, didn't fidget nor move in any other way. But the rhythm of her breathing changed, and Snape waited patiently until she was ready to talk.

'I... I lost contact with my group,' she started eventually. 'Tonks, Dawlish and another trainee. I tried to find them but ended up in a dead-end corridor.'

'Was it there you encountered a Dementor?' Snape enquired.

Morgana shook her head. 'No, I was quite alone there. The cells weren't occupied, apart from the last one.' Then her voice turned into a whisper. 'That was Lucius' cell.'

Snape's nostrils flared. But of course! Lucius Malfoy. Trust the man to cause trouble even when he was locked up.

'Do tell me that you turned on your heels and let him rot there,' he growled, hoping against hope that Morgana would give him an affirmative answer. But instead, she once more shook her head.

'I don't know why I stayed. Or yes, I do know. For a moment it felt good seeing him locked up, and I wanted to tell him that he deserved every minute he spent there, but then... then...'

Morgana drew a shuddering breath. She felt so stupid now, and she was angry with herself for having let Lucius get into her head – into her heart – yet again.

'You know he can talk Bowtruckles out of a tree,' she tried to excuse herself. 'He... he tricked me. He got hold of my wand. And then the Dementors came. I don't know how many they were. Everything turned cold. I turned cold. And when Lucius gave me back my wand... I couldn't conjure my Patronus, not properly anyway. It was too weak to keep them away.'

'And where was Moody during all this?' Snape was fighting hard to keep his temper. What had Moody been thinking, sending youngsters on a sightseeing tour in Azkaban? Something had been bound to happen.

'He stepped in,' Morgana declared. 'So did Tonks and Dawlish and the others. They saved my life.'

Snape inhaled deeply and quietly counted to ten.

'It was foolish of me to talk to Lucius, I know that,' Morgana continued, a note of regret in her voice. 'But I hadn't been prepared to encounter him. Not like this.'

'Of course you weren't prepared!' Snape thundered, now losing the self-control he had been fighting so hard to keep. 'That damn fool Moody!'

'It wasn't his fault,' Morgana tried to excuse her instructor. 'He did step in. He did save me.'

'Don't sound so grateful,' Snape hissed, causing Morgana to flinch. 'He should not have exposed you to such a situation in the first place. I am going to have words with that stump-legged, one-eyed dunderhead.'

To that, Morgana gave the tiniest of laughs and finally raised her head. To Snape's relief, he saw the shadow of a smile linger on her face.

'We better get downstairs now,' he pointed out. 'Molly will be serving our heads on platters for dessert if we keep them waiting for dinner any longer. Which, no doubt, would be a great disappointment for Lupin. He is expecting chocolate cake.'

Morgana's smile grew broader, and Snape, considering his mission to be completed, set off down the stairs. On the first landing, however, he paused and swirled around, coming eye to eye with Morgana, who was still standing on the stairs.

'What form does your Patronus take, Miss Belakane?'

Her smile faded. 'A peacock,' she mumbled.

'Excuse me?' Snape asked unbelievingly. Surely, the girl had not just said...

'My Patronus takes the form of a peacock,' Morgana repeated, her voice loud and clear this time. But she was unable to hold Snape's gaze. She was too ashamed. She knew very well what the peacock stood for and why it wasn't strong enough to protect her. What she once had thought to be her happiest memory had turned into a nightmare, but still she was unable to fully let go of it.

Snape sighed. He, too, knew what the peacock meant, and he didn't like it one bit. But the girl in front of him had been through enough that day. He would not give her a lecture now. And with a little luck, she understood herself why her happiest memory had failed her.

'Dinner is getting cold,' he said curtly and once more turned and continued descending the stairs, Morgana tight at his heels.

* * *

'Finally!' Molly exclaimed as Snape entered the kitchen, closely followed by Morgana. 'Morgana, sit beside Charis,' she instructed. 'Severus, opposite. Come on now! Sit!'

Charis looked up at Morgana as her friend slipped into her seat. She was – if possible – paler than usual, and her otherwise proud posture was slightly hunched. And the way Snape was looking at her... His whole body language suggested that he was furious: the deep line between his eyes that were slightly narrowed, the flared nostrils... But when he looked at Morgana, he seemed... what word had Molly used? Yes, he looked worried.

'You okay?' Charis mouthed silently. She didn't want to draw anyone's attention to her friend, but still she wanted to show Morgana that she cared.

Morgana nodded quickly whilst Snape took his place between Molly and Tonks.

'Now, it looks like Albus isn't going to make it for dinner tonight,' Molly announced, unable to keep the disappointment from her voice, 'so that means there's plenty for everyone. We're having lamb stew, mash and carrots,' she told the expectant table. 'Plates, please.'

One plate after the other zoomed magically into her hand, and she piled them high with delicious-smelling food before sending them zooming back.

'Remus brought wine which I was hoping to serve with the meal, but someone drank it!' she said, giving a firm look at Tonks, Remus and Charis, who all gave guilty grins in response. They had indeed emptied the bottle once Molly had left for the kitchen, not caring how Moody had muttered.

'There's only three large glasses in a bottle,' said Tonks matter-of-factly. 'It's nothing, really.'

'Well, to make up for our little indiscretion, I'll just go outside, Apparate to my place and pick up some more,' said Remus, standing quickly. 'Any preferences, anyone?'

Molly tutted in annoyance. 'Please, be quick, Remus!'

Sure enough, barely a minute later Remus returned with two more bottles of wine and a flagon of pumpkin juice.

'There we are, then. Those of you who aren't as decadent as the rest of us, help yourself to juice.' He grinned and then walked around the table to pour wine for those that partook.

Snape eyed the bottle suspiciously before accepting, but then noticed the elf made crest and raised an eyebrow instead. 'Well, well, Lupin. Elf-made wine? Come into some money, have we?' he asked silkily.

'Stole it,' Remus replied coolly, now filling up his own glass.

Molly gasped incredulously. 'Remus, you didn't! From where?'

'Now that would be telling,' Remus answered with a wolfish grin.

Molly muttered something barely audible about being ashamed whilst everyone else took a swig.

'Ahhh! The sweet taste of illicit wine,' Tonks quipped.

'As much as you are enjoying the wine, will you please start eating!' said Molly fretfully.

'You don' 'ave 'o 'ell me 'wice,' replied Moody, his mouth already full of mash.

Snape frowned disapprovingly. 'Hope you choke on it,' he muttered under his breath.

'This is great, Molly,' Charis confessed. 'I love your mash. It's so smooth and creamy!'

Molly beamed happily and looked expectantly around the table, obviously waiting for more praise.

'Yeah, top tucker as usual, Molly,' Tonks agreed.

'Will you please divorce Arthur and marry me instead?' said Lupin theatrically.

At this, Molly laughed girlishly, a blush creeping on her cheeks.

'Morgana, you alright, dear?' she then asked.

'Yes, Molly. Delicious lamb, really.' And it was. But Morgana had no appetite for it. She found it hard to swallow, and any food in her mouth seemed to grow into a big lump as she chewed. But she couldn't tell Molly that.

''s good,' Moody muttered, shovelling more mash in his mouth.

All eyes were now on Snape. He rarely stayed for something to eat at the Order headquarters over the summer, preferring to dine alone, but tonight Dumbledore had specifically asked him to stay. Trust the old coot to not even turn up for the meal! Snape couldn't deny that Molly's cooking was indeed excellent, though, so maybe the stew alone was worth him staying. And it seemed he was now required to play along with complimenting the chef. Well, he'd humour Molly, he decided.

'The stew is nicely balanced; neither too overpowering nor too weak. The mash is smooth and the carrots perfectly seasoned. Ten points to Gryffindor.'

He hid his smirk as everyone around the table sniggered, and Molly's blush deepened further.

'What's wrong with just saying: it's good?' Moody asked sharply, obviously disliking the fact that Snape had the skills to make the description of Molly's cooking sound as delicious as the actual food tasted.

'Well, Alastor, some of us appreciate the subtleties of flavour and are able to express that in more depth than merely saying it's good,' Snape retorted.

Molly was beaming hard now, and her cheeks were crimson.

'Bloody show-off,' Moody grumbled, reaching for his wine glass.

Snape, meanwhile, speared a piece of lamb fiercely whilst glaring at the craggy Auror.

'I thought it was a lovely thing to say, Severus,' Molly said, her eyes bright with happiness. 'You are welcome here for dinner any time.' She smiled fondly at him.

Charis subtly watched Snape eat as Remus talked about some scam Mundungus Fletcher was involved in. He's even measured and graceful when he eats, she thought wistfully. He cut his food into exact portions with deft strokes of his knife, in a very similar manner to how he cut his potions ingredients, and he chewed slowly. It seemed as if Severus Snape exercised control in every area of his life. But there had been a time when Charis had nearly seen him lose control, and indeed she had been the very cause of it. Now she wondered if he still thought of their encounters, and whether he was excited by them. If only people knew how much passion lay behind those precise, fussy little buttons...

'For goodness sake, girl, will you eat already!' Moody growled suddenly at Morgana, making Charis snap out of her reverie.

'I am eating,' Morgana protested, demonstratively shoving half a carrot into her mouth.

'A carrot and half a glass of pumpkin juice, that's not what I call eating,' Moody barked. 'I need you to be fit!'

Morgana's jaw clenched, and swallowing that piece carrot seemed suddenly really difficult.

'You're saving yourself for the huge slice of chocolate cake, aren't you, Morgana?' Remus smiled, trying to diffuse the tension.

Morgana smiled faintly and nodded. She didn't want to disappoint Remus. Just as little as she wanted to disappoint Molly.

'Not everyone is a chocoholic like you, Remus,' Moody snapped. 'Eat meat, girl! Potatoes! Carbs are good for you,' he nagged.

Snape slammed his fork down on the table, making everyone jump. He'd had enough. 'Will you just LEAVE the poor girl ALONE?' he thundered.

Everyone looked at each other in shock.

'I wasn't talking to you, Snape,' Moody sneered.

'I want a word with you after dinner,' Snape replied in a low, dangerous voice.

'You can have a word with me right now!' Moody challenged, setting his own knife and fork down.

Snape stood quickly. 'To the lounge, please, Alastor. Now.'

'With pleasure,' Moody replied acidly, stomping out of the kitchen with Snape at his heel.

Once more, everyone else cast shocked glances at each other around the table, except for Morgana, who was resolutely staring at her plate. Snape had said he would talk to Moody, but she had hoped it would happen in a more civilised manner. Now it looked like there could be full-frontal warfare in the lounge.

Tonks scurried over to the door to eavesdrop. 'This is too good to miss,' she hissed in an excited whisper. But she didn't have to press her ear to the door. The heated voices carried all the way to the dinner table.

'It is clear to me, Alastor, that you have failed to protect one of your trainees throughout their apprenticeship,' Snape announced, his black eyes flashing. 'You have failed both physically and mentally, and I am close to reporting you to your superior.'

'I beg your pardon?' Moody answered indignantly.

'You heard me,' Snape ground out. 'First of all, Miss Belakane suffered severe burns through her lack of training last week, which should, incidentally, have been left to heal before she returned to work. Then you took her on a field trip to Azkaban, and instead of realising the girl was not mentally fit, you made her confront Dementors and prisoners when she was not ready! You might call that training, Moody, but I call that abuse!'

'You have got to be kidding me, Snape!' Moody roared in defence. 'The little chit has been distracted all week. If she'd been attentive, she would not have had any problem deflecting that Scorching Hex. I was teaching her a lesson. And why the Dementors turned to her is beyond me. If you want to shout at anyone, shout at that clumsy clot Tonks for leaving her on her own in the first place!'

But Snape wasn't letting Moody off the hook so easily. 'Your methods have been called unorthodox in the past, Alastor, but you have widely overstepped the mark and have cast a serious misjudgement this time. You allowed one of you injured trainees to continue working.'

'A little burn has never killed anyone,' Moody scoffed.

'You did not form a proper mental assessment before taking your trainee to confront Dementors,' Snape carried on, ignoring Moody's interjection. 'You have risked her health, Alastor. Not once, but twice. That is unacceptable.'

Moody looked like he was going to lay an egg in outrage. 'That girl has been properly assessed before she started training two months ago. You even signed her letter of recommendation. Are you telling me now that she is unfit to become an Auror?'

'No, Alastor. I am saying you did not perform the necessary checks before your little field trip. And for your information, if you ever let Miss Belakane step within a mile of Lucius Malfoy, I will ensure you will be hitherto known as No-Eye Moody. Do I make myself clear?'

Moody's scarred face rearranged itself into a look of puzzlement. 'Malfoy? What the hell has Malfoy to do with anything?'

'That is none of your business,' Snape hissed. 'But they are to be kept apart. Do you understand?'

'You are not giving me orders, Snape,' Moody growled, pulling himself up to his full height.

Snape leaned close into the Auror's face. 'I am not ordering you. I am TELLING you.'

'Are you threatening me, sonny?' Moody asked in a dangerous voice.

'I mean it, Moody,' Snape retorted with a low growl. 'If Dumbledore finds out you've been damaging one of his new recruits to the Order, he may not be as patient as I am. Now get out of my sight.'

Moody glared at the dark wizard. 'You spoiled my appetite anyway. And be assured that I will only touch your little protégée with silk gloves from now on,' he sneered.

Snape fixed him with a piercing stare that could shame a Hippogriff as he watched the Auror stump his way out.

Snape returned to the dinner table in a flurry of black robes, slamming the door shut behind him so vehemently that it was a miracle that none of the paintings fell off the wall. Everyone looked shaken, but Morgana was still sitting rigidly in her chair, eyes firmly on her plate. Charis, on the other hand, could not help but look up in awe at her former teacher. He was known for being moody and short-tempered, but she had never expected him to stand up for someone as vehemently as he had just done for her best friend. And to Mad-Eye Moody of all people!

'It's unfortunate you had to hear that,' Snape said to everyone stiffly as he took his seat. A part of him was regretting that he hadn't cast Muffliato on the door. But another part was quite glad that everyone in the room now knew what he thought of Moody and his methods.

'Sorry, that was amazing!' said Tonks. She, too, had returned to her seat with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open.

'It's good someone finally told him off,' Molly agreed.

'Here, Severus, have some wine.' Remus handed him a glass with a small smile.

Snape looked bemused at everyone's response as he took the wine from Lupin. Could they really be on his side for a change? What would be next? The Dark Lord telling him that he had decided to let off Potter?

'Don't get me wrong, I love Moody and all,' Tonks began, 'but he takes things too far. I tried telling him today, but he wouldn't listen. But he'll listen to someone like you.' She grinned at Snape.

'He better listen,' Snape sneered.

'Oh, I think he got the message alright. He's probably gone home for some Firewhisky and to lick his wounds,' Tonks replied.

'He was right on one point, though. You should eat something, Morgana dear,' Molly said gently.

Morgana lifted her eyes to Molly and smiled weakly. She did not know what to think. She was unspeakably grateful to Snape that he had stood up for her, but she was also scared about how Moody would take it. Would he be able to handle the whole thing like a professional, or would he make the rest of her training a living hell? Plus, she wondered, what would the people in the room now think of her? That she was a weak little girl who needed her former Head of House to protect her?

'How about you all go to the lounge, and I'll bring in the cake?' Molly suggested when everyone had cleared their plates.

At the prospect of Molly's famous chocolate cake, they all rose. Remus waved his wand, and the glasses and wine came bobbing through with him, and Charis and Tonks followed him, huge smiled on their faces. Snape, however, paused at the door, looking at Morgana, who was hanging back as well.

'You shouldn't have...' she said quietly so Molly wouldn't hear, looking up at her former teacher with big blue eyes. 'You didn't need to...'

She broke off, and Snape could clearly see that she was struggling to find the right words.

'Thank you, sir,' she finally said.

'You don't have to thank me,' Snape replied dismissively.

'I know I don't have to. But I want to.'

Snape nodded curtly at this. He, too, was at a loss of words now.

'Come along, come along! Cake coming through!'

Molly bustled out of the kitchen, sending a huge cake floating through the air with her wand. Snape cocked an eyebrow, and Morgana smiled, and together they made their way into the lounge as the cake wobbled on through in front of them.

Remus wolf whistled at the sight of the cake, which set Tonks off on a giggling fit.

'And the cake does not look bad either!' Remus joked, which caused Molly to blush again.

'Now then, Morgana gets to take the first slice, then Severus,' said Molly firmly, slicing up the cake.

Snape's eyebrows shot up again as Remus made a noise of disappointment.

Molly handed a piece each to Morgana and Snape. 'Come on, Severus, it won't bite you.'

Snape looked at his slice like it had a Doxy hidden inside.

'If you don't want it, I'll have it!' Remus piped up.

Snape narrowed his eyes. There was no way the werewolf would be touching his cake! He nibbled carefully at the corner. Chocolate cake wasn't normally his cup of tea, but this one was a pleasant surprise: it wasn't too overpoweringly sweet and melted on his tongue like butter.

'You like it?' asked Molly expectantly.

'It's very pure chocolate. No less than seventy per cent cocoa, I would say.'

'The man does have taste,' Molly beamed, clearly over the moon at Snape's praise.

Snape looked smugly at Lupin, taking puerile pleasure in the fact that he could out-wit him even when praising chocolate. He licked his fingers clean delicately, and it was all Charis could do to try not to drool.

'Ah, good evening everyone!' Dumbledore entered the lounge, smiling broadly. 'I'm sorry to have missed dinner. Lamb is one of my favourites, too.' He looked around, noticing the huge cake resting on the coffee table. 'Oh, I'm so pleased there is cake!'

'As if you have ever been to an Order meeting when there wasn't cake,' said Snape wryly. 'Unless Lupin had eaten it all, of course.'

Dumbledore chuckled at this. 'We should consider changing our name to the Order of Pastries.' But then his face became rather more serious. 'I met Alastor on the way out. Did he not get any cake? He seemed rather... unhappy.'

The old wizard helped himself to a huge slice of cake, looking approvingly at Tonks who'd snuggled up against Remus on the sofa.

'Severus here put Alastor right on a few things, and I don't think he liked it,' Molly explained.

'Did you now?' Dumbledore asked curiously.

Snape stayed quiet, a muscle flexing in his jaw. He really didn't want Dumbledore to hear of this. After all, he was one of the few people in the room who would understand why Morgana's Patronus failed right outside Lucius Malfoy's cell.

'He was wonderful,' said Tonks earnestly. 'Really took the wind out of Moody's sails.'

At this, Snape shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't used to being called wonderful.

'Seems like I missed quite a show,' Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling over his half-moon spectacles. 'But I am sure I will hear all about it in due time, won't I?'

'We are here for more pressing matters,' Snape answered. 'What did you summon us for this evening? You have news?'

'No, Severus, I have no news,' the old wizard responded calmly, wiping crumbs from his beard. 'I just wanted to make sure everyone got some cake today.'

Snape's face once more looked like thunder. The conniving old git made him waste an evening! Well, not waste, maybe. He'd have a chance to tell Moody off, something he had wanted to do for a long time. And it seemed that some people in the room appreciated his actions.

'It seems to me that while one Order member is home, raging, some others have taken some steps towards each other instead.' Dumbledore gave several people in the room a meaningful look. 'I would call that, an evening well spent.'