As fellow members, Molly Weasley and the others naturally knew a thing or two about the complicated relationship between Sirius Black and Severus Snape.
Their feud had been going on since their school days.
Strangely enough, although Snape and Black couldn't stand each other, they still maintained a delicate balance. At the very least, under Dumbledore's mediation, they wouldn't come to blows in front of everyone.
But clashes like this, where neither side would give an inch, were unavoidable.
If there was ever a time they could get along, it was only when Harry Potter was involved. Only then would they temporarily stand on the same side.
Sirius Black, who had just come in from outside, shot Snape a glare as he shrugged off his coat.
Tonks, her hair now a bright green, looked at him curiously.
"How is he?"
"It's getting worse. Lucius's betrayal did cause that man quite a bit of trouble, but don't forget, there are still plenty of wizards who were once loyal to him."
Everyone present already knew this, yet no one interrupted Sirius.
Perhaps the silence was their way of steadying themselves.
"Those who follow him out of fear or deception, the loyal Death Eaters, the creatures lurking in the shadows… even the giants are starting to stir."
"Isn't there any way to stop him?"
"Ha. And how exactly are we supposed to do that? Rely on the Ministry of Magic? Or me, a former Azkaban prisoner?"
Bang!
A wizard idly handling a pipe slammed it hard against the table, his voice sharp with anger.
"The real problem is that even now, far too many people refuse to believe he's truly back!"
"..."
"..."
Everyone knew why. After a brief silence, Sirius spoke again, turning his gaze toward Snape, who remained half-hidden in the shadows.
"Forget about my side for a moment. I want to know where Dumbledore is. I haven't seen him at the Order of the Phoenix for quite some time. You must know something, Severus."
"If Dumbledore didn't tell you, why should I?"
Snape let out a cold laugh, the mockery on his face blatant enough to make Sirius look ready to explode.
"Tell me what you know. Now. Or else…"
"Or else what? Hmph. I'm not the man I used to be."
Tonks, clearly having no patience for their argument, cut in with an annoyed expression.
"That's enough. Severus, Dumbledore told us to trust you, but you know that kind of trust takes time."
"Hmph…"
Compared to everyone else, Snape stood out even more. His past as a Death Eater, combined with his cold, distant attitude, made him an obvious outsider within the Order of the Phoenix.
He was even harder to accept than Mundungus, who had once been a thief.
In truth, if not for Dumbledore's assurances, Tonks and the others would never have accepted Snape so easily as one of their own.
Which was exactly why Dumbledore's unwavering trust in Snape had always remained an unsolved mystery to them.
...
Hogwarts.
The Gryffindor common room.
"Ron, how is Mr. Weasley?"
"He's out of danger. When I left, he even asked me to pass along his regards to you."
"That's great to hear."
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley sat together, talking quietly.
The exhaustion on Ron's face was obvious. With his father in the hospital, he clearly hadn't been getting much rest.
But oddly enough, Harry, sitting beside him, didn't seem quite right either.
"Harry… you don't look so good. Did something happen?"
"…Yeah…"
After a brief hesitation, Harry chose not to mention the strange, recurring dreams he'd been having. Nor did he bring up his lack of progress in learning Occlumency from Snape.
His eyes drifted for a moment before he changed the subject.
"Cedric's been trying to persuade me to join them."
"Cedric? You mean… that Auror trainee?"
"Yeah."
"I don't know, Harry. I don't think that's a good idea…"
"Sirius said the same thing. But… it's tempting."
"Sirius…"
As they spoke, Harry didn't notice the odd expression flickering across Ron's face.
After a moment, Ron casually brought up something else.
"I heard when I got back… Umbridge seems to be trying to recruit you?"
"Yeah. Dumbledore probably knows something about it, but he won't tell me anything."
"What about Sirius? Didn't you ask him?"
"Of course I did. I even asked everyone in the Order of the Phoenix. But you know how it is. They all treat us like we're still kids."
Harry's frustrated expression made it clear he hadn't gotten any answers.
The two fell into silence.
Then, a tall figure slowly appeared behind them, its shadow stretching over both of them.
"Harry. Ron."
"Hagrid? What are you…?"
"Listen, don't ask questions. Can you come with me? Now."
"Now? Wait, Hagrid, what's going on?"
It had been a while since they'd last seen him, and both Harry and Ron were startled by Hagrid's appearance.
He looked awful.
Blood was still trickling from his nose, and both eyes were bruised black and blue, as if he'd lost a fight.
But who could possibly beat Hagrid like this?
And with injuries like that, instead of staying in his hut, he had come up here in secret, moving cautiously and avoiding attention.
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley exchanged a glance.
Along with their curiosity, they were already bracing themselves for whatever trouble Hagrid had gotten into this time.
What they didn't know was that not far away, a wizard was watching them closely.
...