A Gentleman Caller

A/N: First of all, great big thanks to everyone who was kind enough to leave me a review. They really mean a lot to me! Now, I told a few folks that some things would be explained in this chapter. Then, as I wrote it, I found that Bill had other plans. But don't fret! Those answers are still coming, just next chapter instead of this one.

I've no alert reader notices for last chapter. But I would like to mention one thing. A couple reviewers told me that they thought that the expression "you've got another thing coming" should have been "you've got another think coming." Now where I grew up, it was "thing" not "think" so that's what I used. Curious, I did a little research on the matter and found that the thing/think issue is hotly debated. Who knew? :D But the bottom line is that on both sides of the pond there are both folks who insist it's "thing" as well as folks who insist it's "think." Obviously, both versions are in common usage, and that's all I'm concerned about. I'll let the linguists worry over which came first and which is more valid. To me, "you've got another thing coming" is more menacing, and more like what a mother might say to a naughty child; which was what I wanted for Hermione. I only tell you all of this to let those reviewers know that I truly did look into the matter after they questioned it, but after researching it, I decided to let "thing" stand. Don't let that discourage you from making future suggestions. I love my alert readers!

Two other folks I love are my fantabulous betas, Vaughn and WolfMoonshadow. Sure, I could write without their help, but it wouldn't be worth reading! They rock!

Disclaimer: They are not mine; I only take them out to play.

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You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it.

-Robin Williams

When Hermione returned home and informed Harry and Ron of Bill's visit, it caused a bit of a ruckus.

"What do you mean Bill is coming tonight? He can't come tonight!" screeched Ron.

"He can and he is," Hermione said, rolling her eyes at Ron's dramatic tone. "I warned him about the knock first ward. So what's the problem?"

"Why does he have to come here?" Harry asked shortly. "Couldn't you have gotten the information you needed at Gringotts?"

"No, I couldn't," Hermione said, tossing her bag onto her desk with an angry thump. "There's a problem with the scroll. Apparently, it's not something the goblins would be particularly happy about finding in a wizard's possession. Bill went pale as a ghost when he read what was on that scroll. We need somewhere safe to talk about it, and this is the only place I know that is safe enough. Now, would one of you dunderheads mind explaining what the problem is?"

"Christ, Hermione," Ron growled. "You're really starting to sound like ole dark and barmy...do you realize that?"

"What's going on!"

"Oh, nothing much, Hermione," Harry said, shaking his head in resignation. "We're just going to have quite a houseful. I finally heard from Remus today, and he and Draco are popping in tonight so that Remus and I can take a tour through the Pensieve."

"I can see it now," Ron added, as he began to mimic introductions. "Bill! Good to see you! You remember traitor Severus and Death Eater spawn Draco, don't you? Oh, I see you've brought the Aurors! How thoughtful of you!"

"Harry," Hermione began, running a hand through her hair as she thought about the situation, "surely this isn't an insurmountable problem. I need to see Bill tonight and find out what to do about the cup. Can't you get in touch with Remus and ask him to come another time?"

"Can't," Harry answered shortly. "Remus won't be in touch with Draco until they meet here. Draco's still living with Voldemort. It's not like we can risk sending a Patronus message and have that lot seeing Draco chatting with a silver stag."

"What about Severus' Patronus?"

"Too recognizable. If Voldemort sees Severus' mixed up Patronus, he'll wonder why Draco hasn't brought Severus back. Draco has been telling him that Severus must be dead to explain why he hasn't returned."

"What time is Bill getting here?" Ron asked.

"Seven."

"Well, it might turn out all right, if we're lucky," Harry said with a sigh. "Remus and Draco aren't supposed to show up until nine."

"Splendid," groused Ron sarcastically. "Piece of cake. All we have to do is keep Bill from knowing that Severus is here, find out what to do about the cup, and then boot my curse breaker brother out the door before another Death Eater arrives without making him suspicious that we're trying to get rid of him. I should have stayed in school." With an expression of pure hopelessness, Ron slumped down onto the sofa and put his head in his hands.

"Oh, shut up, Ron!" Hermione snapped. "It's not like we have to sneak past a three-headed dog. All we have to do is get rid of Bill before Draco arrives. We're three reasonably intelligent wizards, we ought to be able to manage that much."

They were all nervous that night as they waited for Bill to arrive. It had taken Hermione over half an hour to get Severus to promise to stay in the lab and not blow anything up while Bill made his visit. Only the promise of a visit from Draco got the stubborn man to foreswear his experiments while Bill was in the house. Everything was set. Severus was safely tucked away. The three friends had decided on a reasonable lie to hurry Bill from the house if his visit took too long. All they needed was Bill.

Unfortunately for the three friends, Bill was not the most predictable of people. Expecting him to follow the plan they had so carefully laid out was rather foolish. It wasn't just any wizard who would be accepted as a curse breaker for the goblins, after all. Most people who knew Bill would describe him as handsome and charming--and indeed he was, despite the scars he had received at the hands of Greyback. True, his face was different since the attack, but because of his easy-going attitude, most people forgot about the scars. In addition to charming, Bill was also observant, self-confident, and extremely intelligent. Swarf, the goblin that Hermione had spoken to about possibly becoming a curse breaker, had been impressed by Hermione's eleven OWLs. Bill himself had gotten twelve. Underneath that long hair and easy-going manner was a wizard that people often underestimated--and that was the way that Bill liked it.

To start with, Bill arrived about twenty minutes late, which made the three friends even more nervous. After greeting his younger brother, Harry, and Hermione warmly, Bill leaned against the library mantle with a casual grace. When she noticed how Bill nonchalantly looked each of them over, Hermione at first thought that he had been spending too much time with the paranoid goblins. Then Bill spoke, and Hermione realized they were in serious trouble.

"So where is he?" Bill asked in such a casual tone that Harry and Ron didn't yet realize exactly what sort of trouble they were in. Hermione, blessed--or perhaps cursed--with sharper observation skills, stood gazing at Bill with her mouth open in shock.

"Where is who?" Harry asked, clearly puzzled.

"The traitor, Severus Snape. He's here somewhere...where have you hidden him?"

There was a short, tense silence in the room that lasted for several heartbeats. Eventually, Harry spoke. When Hermione turned to look at him, she realized that Harry suddenly had his wand in his hand and it was not quite pointing at Bill Weasley. By the look on Harry's face, Hermione doubted that he even realized that he had drawn it.

With a chuckle that sounded tinny and forced, Harry said, "Why would you think that bastard was here? We aren't exactly in the habit of entertaining Voldemort's minions."

Hermione's gaze darted back to Bill when he spoke, and when she noticed that Bill's wand was also in his hand--though he kept it pointed safely at the floor-- her heart started thumping as fast as a rabbit's. Damn it! They were all on the same side, but if something didn't give soon, they would end up in a fight.

"Before you hex me, Harry--or maybe what you've got on your mind is a memory charm--I'd like to point out that while I know Snape is here, I've come alone. No Aurors. No Order members. Only poor little defenseless me," he finished with a grin which suggested--wrongly--that he was a wizard who wasn't any threat at all.

As Bill paused in his speech, Harry looked down at his wand and seemed surprised to find that it was in his hand. Though he didn't re-sheath it, he dropped his half raised arm and let the wand tip point to the floor as Bill's did.

"Look," Bill continued, "if it was only one of you harboring a known criminal, I'd be worried that he'd gotten to you somehow...magically warped your judgment. But if the three of you are all in on this, and it seems obvious that you are by your tense attitudes, then I expect you to have a very good reason to be aiding the man that killed Albus Dumbledore. Even so, I can't just walk away and pretend that I don't know you are doing it. I need to know why. I can promise you not to tell anyone else if you think that it's necessary, but for my own peace of mind I need to know why."

The three friends shot each other nervous glances. It was clear that they had no clue what to do. Throughout all of this, Bill waited calmly. Though he didn't put his wand away, he seemed content to give the others plenty of time to come to some conclusion. Eventually, Harry decided on a course of action. When Harry once again raised his wand arm, Bill didn't flinch, but his blue eyes narrowed dangerously. Bill relaxed again as Harry aimed his wand, not at Bill, but off to the side. In a moment, a shining silver stag erupted from the end of Harry's wand and landed on the floor, feet prancing with agitation.

The Patronus calmed as Harry beckoned it towards him, and it fairly danced up to Harry, shaking its head up and down like a horse that is happy to see its owner. Leaning down, Harry whispered into a silver ear, and with one more shake of its head, the stag leaped away and dashed right through one of the library walls.

"Just hang on for a minute, Bill," Harry said softly. "You see, it's not only us that we have to consider."

"I want answers, Harry, and I won't leave until I get them. But I'm not in any hurry. Take your time."

Bill continued to lean nonchalantly against the mantle, while Harry, Hermione, and Ron stood fidgeting as they waited for Harry's Patronus to return. After about ten minutes of nervous fidgeting, a Patronus did return through the wall, but it wasn't Harry's. It dragged itself through the wall down near the baseboard, and came towards Harry in a stuttering, crawling gait. Its silver light had a sickly look about it, as if it was tarnished, and as it stumbled away from the wall it was mutating with a nauseating speed.

It looked vaguely reptilian at first and then its long tail shrunk to that of a small greenish rabbit as pronged horns shot up out of its head. Before that change was even complete, the body became almost completely unlike that of a squirrel and ragged bird's wings grew out of its back. It continued a series of grotesque changes as it slumped and slithered its way to Harry. Looking at the disgusting Patronus with an expression that suggested pity more than anything else, Harry knelt down so that the struggling creature could reach him more easily.

When it drew close, it grabbed hold of one of Harry's shirt sleeves and laboriously climbed up to his shoulder. Sticking up a mouth that at the moment looked more like a pig's snout than anything else, it whispered into Harry's ear in a hissing and broken voice.

Bill had watched the slow journey of the unfortunate Patronus with an expression of quiet horror. "You do realize that he's mad as a bottle of chips, don't you?" he muttered.

"Believe me, we know," Ron said with a heartfelt sigh. "But it's really not too bad most days, if we're careful not to upset him. We had a time of it when he first got here...until we learned how to be careful."

"Ron! You really shouldn't say anything until Harry tells us what we should do!" Hermione hissed.

"It's all right, Hermione," Harry said, brushing off his shoulder unconsciously. The strange Patronus had disappeared. "He said to tell the red-headed whore whatever we want. Severus didn't even seem very upset about it, Bill. He must have a lot of respect for you." That said, Harry at last re-sheathed his wand and Bill quickly followed suit.

"We always used to get along," Bill said. "Before the trouble, I rather liked him."

"Not really?" Ron said, a look of horror on his face.

"Yes, really," Bill said with a chuckle. "And why shouldn't I? He was damn clever, he was a good spy, and he had an absolutely wicked sense of humor when you were lucky enough to catch him in the right mood. To be honest, I never really understood why you and Harry whined so much about him. Then, I saw you all together at an Order meeting, and it was very clear that Harry and Snape simply detested each other."

"He started it," Harry said rather petulantly.

"Remind me to cry you a river later," Bill said with another chuckle. Then his expression turned serious. "But what is he doing here? He killed Albus. There's no mistaking that...you told me you saw it with your own eyes, Harry."

"I did. He did. But there's a lot that you don't know, Bill, and if I'm going to tell it, I'd better tell it all or you'll be showing up next time with a brigade of Aurors."

"If I was going to do that, I would have shown up with them tonight. But I do want to know why, if only to know that I haven't made a terrible mistake."

"I'll tell you the lot, and I'll show you some as well. But first I could really use a drink. That was touch and go there, for a moment or two."

A short conversation later and Harry left to grab the Pensieve while Ron went down to the kitchen to see if they still had a few bottles of ale. While they waited, Hermione had a question for Bill.

"How did you know Severus was here?"

"Severus, is it? I didn't know the two of you were such chums," Bill teased.

"We are friends," Hermione said defensively. Her tone of voice softened as she continued. "We all call him Severus and you'll have to as well. He is mad, Bill, and calling him...er...Snape," she said, whispering the word, "sets him off. Now how did you know he was here?"

"For an intelligent witch, you really cocked that up. The scroll, Hermione, the one that nearly scared me shitless, it was written in Severus' hand. Not only that, but the first few lines were written to me. At least, I think it was to me, the translation from Gobbledegook was rather strange. He called me a 'red topped track polisher.' In Gobbledegook, a track polisher is basically...well..."

"Let me put you out of your misery, Bill. It's some sort of whore, isn't it?"

"Well, yes. How did you guess?"

Hermione dutifully explained the many quirks of an insane Severus Snape while they waited for the boys to return. All the while, she mentally kicked herself for not thinking about the scroll being in Severus' handwriting. Bill had been a Hogwarts student, just as they all had. There was no possible way that he would have failed to recognize Severus' rather cramped and spiky handwriting, despite the fact that it wasn't written in red ink.

Eventually both Harry and Ron returned. Harry spoke for some time about all that they had learned about Severus. He showed Bill his memory of what Hagrid had overheard in the forest. At the end, he showed Bill exactly what had happened on the tower the night that Albus died.

"You're right, Harry," Bill said after all the explanations were over. "Whatever it was that Severus hit Albus with, it was not the Killing Curse."

"Do you know what it was?" Hermione asked.

"Haven't a clue. It was definitely more than one spell, and I agree with you that the first part looked very much like a strong Disarming Spell. But the spell that made that twisty green light? I haven't ever seen anything like that and I've seen some odd magic in my line of work. But that wasn't the only thing that's strange about what happened on that tower."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had all looked very disappointed when Bill said that he had no more knowledge of the strange spell than they did, but they perked up again when Bill made his last statement.

"What else was strange, Bill?" Ron asked, sitting on the edge of the sofa in anticipation.

"Albus was strange. He was awfully weak, maybe even dying. Helpless as he was, when Draco rushed out and cast his Disarming Spell, Albus didn't try to protect himself. What he did do was to incapacitate the sole ally that could have protected him." Turning to Harry, he continued, "He immobilized you, right? That's what you told the Order after it happened."

"Yes. I still had on my invisibility cloak. Albus immobilized me, and though I could see and hear what happened next, I couldn't do anything about it. I always thought that he had been trying to protect me."

"I don't think so, Harry. You were a blooded duelist by that time, and Albus knew it. You were invisible. Draco didn't even know that you were there. You could have stopped him easily, and then you and Dumbledore would have had a few moments to sort out what to do next. No, I don't think he was protecting you, I think he was keeping you from interfering."

"It was a setup?" Harry said, his voice cracking a bit on the last word. "You're telling me that Albus purposely made sure that I was taken out of the equation so that I couldn't do anything to protect him?"

"Think about it, Harry," Bill said calmly. "Think about everything you ever knew about Albus Dumbledore. Taking that into account, what do you think?"

Hermione watched as Harry got up from the sofa and paced slowly back and forth before the hearth. One of his hands came up to absentmindedly rub at his scar as he thought things through. After a few laps over the hearth rug, he sat back down on the sofa with a sigh.

"You're right," he said simply. "Albus set me up. But why?"

"I don't know, Harry," Bill answered gravely. "I just don't know."