The Brightest Black

Fred stepped out of the fire and into his parents’ sitting room. Thankfully the room was empty, but Fred could hear many voices in the kitchen. He guessed that his mother had actually finished cooking dinner.
Skeeter emerged just as Fred moved out of the way. She looked mildly jumpy and nervous as her piercing eyes scanned the well-worn room.
“They’re in the kitchen.”
She nodded and moved away from the hearth; just in time to give Mooney and Tonks room as they flooed in together.
Tonks scanned the room and pursed her lips in annoyance. “Someone is supposed to stay in here and watch the floo. I swear!” She stormed out of the room, almost knocking over a battered end table as she went.
“Well, no time like the present. Your parents have been worried sick about you,” Mooney said, following after his fiancee.
For the first time since waking up in Skeeter’s safehouse Fred felt true doubt. Would his parents still want him without George?
He was half of a whole.
Broken.
“Let’s go, Weasley.” Skeeter said, moving towards the door. “Before Miss Black decides to leave Hogwarts and do this herself. Blacks aren’t known for their patience.”
The idea of Hermione sneaking out of the safety of Hogwarts - and likely bringing his siblings with her - got Fred moving. No, Blacks were not known for being patient.
He stepped into the doorway of the magically expanded kitchen. No one even noticed him.
Tonks was quite busily lecturing the room at large.
“-is no excuse! ANYONE could break into the Ministry and mess with the floo network!!! Constant Vigilance! If Moody was here-!”
“Relax, Tonks. I set an alarm. Anyone not carrying a Catchpole Coin would set it off.” Padfoot said as he stood up from his spot at the end of the table, next to Alianore.
“And what if a Death Eater had put one of us under the Imperius?!?! Or taken one of us hostage?!?! Why are you suddenly getting so stupid and lazy?!? Between this and what happened at the graveyard I am utterly disg-”
“Now, Dora, we’ve been over this,” Mrs. Malfoy said soothingly. “We did not know he had enough dementors to break through our protections. Also, we had to draw him out and prove to the public beyond a doubt that he was back.”
“Not to mention we need him to lead us to the missing horcrux.” Padfoot nodded at Professor Snape, who was sitting as far away from the Blacks as he possibly could. “Snape will let us know where the Dark Lord goes next and we will meet him, destroy the horcrux, and eliminate him. Yes, we made a mistake, but not everything can go our way. This is war.”
Fred closed his eyes and took a deep breath before stepping fully into the kitchen.
“I know where Voldemort is going.”
Chairs scrapped as over a dozen wizards and witches spun in their seats. Some raised their wands, but many just stared in shock.
Well, all except for one witch.
“FRED!!!”
His mother practically flew across the kitchen. He didn’t have time to do anything before he found himself enveloped in the loving embrace of his mother. For a single heartbeat Fred stood there frozen, uncertain on how to react. It had been many, many years since he had allowed his mother to hug him like this.
It had always been embarrassing.
Except this time it wasn’t.
“Mum-” His voice came out as nothing but a croak and she hugged him tighter.
He broke.
It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes before he recovered his composure and by that time his older brothers and father were there. As he hugged each of his brothers he came to the oddest realization - he could feel them.
Almost like he had always felt George, but much weaker.
It had to be his family magic. It was adapting, adjusting to fit the new circumstances. After all, he was still young enough that the two pieces he had inherited from his parents were still mixing together.
That was both comforting and disconcerting. He really didn’t want to think too hard on it right now.
“What the FUCK are you doing here!?!”
Padfoot’s furious words cut through the Weasley family reunion.
The older man was standing with his wand out and aimed at the blonde witch standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She was holding her wandless hands up for all to see.
“Yes, Rita, what are you doing here?” Mrs. Malfoy asked coldly. “I thought we had an agreement.”
Skeeter gave a nervous smile, “Yes, well, you see-” she stopped and looked over at Fred for help.
He untangled himself from his family and moved to stand between the Blacks and Skeeter. “She’s here because she destroyed her position in the Death Eaters to save me from the Carrow twins. I was moments away from being killed and she eliminated them, then got me out of there and healed my wounds. I had a serious concussion - not to mention numerous other injuries - and she couldn’t risk taking me to St. Mungos, not when both sides want her dead or imprisoned. That’s why it took so long for me to come back.She was working for Mrs. Malfoy, but could only contact her through dead-drops.”
Mrs. Malfoy grew thoughtful, “When you missed the dead-drop after the Battle of Godric’s Hollow....”
“I was saving Weasley here. There wasn’t really a lot of time to spare.”
“You know, the Dark Lord is quite put out that no one could find you after the battle. He’s convinced that you were captured or killed. Seems to believe you’re extremely loyal to him.” Snape said, rising from the table and moving to stand by Mrs. Malfoy.
Skeeter sneered, “Just as he believes you’re extremely loyal?”
Snape sneered back and drew his wand. “I am a skilled occlumens. As far as I know, you are not.”
“Well, that just goes to show that the bat of the dungeons doesn’t really know anything.”
“Oh, really?” Snape said coldly. “Let’s see about that. Legilimens!”
“Severus Snape! I already-” Mrs. Malfoy started, but Padfoot shushed her. “It’s fine, Cissy. Severus has never been a trusting sort. Let him determine her loyalty for himself.”
Tonks scoffed, “So we’re going to trust the traitor to check out a possible spy? Brilliant. Utterly brilliant!”
“Hush, Nymphadora. Severus will never again be loyal to the Dark Lord. Not after he broke his promise and killed the only person Severus ever loved. Now, Sirius-” she stopped, her eyes going wide in shock as she realized what she had said.
You could have heard a pin drop as everyone stopped to stare at Mrs. Malfoy in shock. Then, as one, everyone turned their gaze to Snape, who was still delving into Skeeter’s mind.
“Wait- WHAT?” Padfoot exclaimed. “Who-? No. Don’t tell me. It was-”
“Lily,” Mooney finished, hollow acceptance in his tone.
Maybe it was due to the tumultuous emotions he’d been experienced since he awoke earlier that day, but Fred didn’t feel any real shock at Mrs. Malfoy’s words. Nor did he waste time staring at Snape or Padfoot. No, he kept his eyes on Mrs. Malfoy.
Blurting out information was not something that Black’s did unless they were in the middle of a tantrum - a state that Mrs. Malfoy was clearly not in.
And so it was that he saw the gleam of satisfaction and triumph in Mrs. Malfoy’s eyes in the single instant that it shone through before being buried once more under shock.
She’d deliberately exposed why Snape had to be fully loyal to the Order. Why?
“Wait.” Tonks said, turning to stare at Mrs. Malfoy. “Are you trying to tell me that Snape is the sole survivor of a tragic love story?”
Snape broke away from Skeeter’s mind just in time to hear Tonks’ words.
Fred couldn’t have planned it any better. Though all this nonsense was delaying his actual mission…
“Narcissa…” Severus said in a voice that could have frozen fiendfyre, “What. Did. You. Say?”
“You-you-you loved Lily?!?!?” Padfoot exclaimed, eyes going a little wild.
“Um, excuse me, but-” Fred started.
“That’s none of your business you mangy cur.” Snape bit off as he glared daggers at everyone.
“But-”
Alianore walked over and laid a hand on Padfoot’s arm. “Sirius. I think this is something to discuss later. Young Fred here said something about knowing where the last horcrux is. And I really, really want to end this,” her grey eyes became sharp daggers, “and someone needs to pay for what happened to Mamoru.”
Fred internally winced in pain. He’d been so caught up in losing George that he’d forgotten about the others that had also been lost in the graveyard. And, if they didn’t hurry then innocent children would be hurt as well. The younger students would be at the total mercy of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters if Hogwarts was attacked.
It wouldn’t take forever for the castle’s defenses to fall.
With that thought in mind he set set his jaw and cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention.
“We - and by we I mean Hermione - believes that the missing horcrux was an accidental one created the night that Lily and James Potter died. The Dark Lord’s soul was already severely damaged and a piece of it broke off. It lodged itself in Harry.” Gasps sounded around the room and Padfoot opened his mouth to interject, but Fred pressed on, cutting off anything the older man would say. “During the Battle of Malfoy Manor Voldemort entered Harry’s mind and the mind of his snake in order to kill Dumbledore. Something odd happened and Harry found himself in some weird place with three clingy creatures. Through the help of his blood ward connection to Hermione he broke free and left the three creatures behind. His scar hasn’t hurt once since then and we believe that the horcrux broke off. It wasn’t destroyed, but rather merged with Voldemort or his pet snake - who is his new horcrux. So, you see, now that Voldemort has gone after whatever horcrux was in Little Hangleton he’ll go after the only horcrux he thinks he has left - the one in Hogwarts.”
He stopped and looked around. Everyone was staring at him in wide-eyed horror. Well, everyone except Snape, he had a look of dawning realization on his face.
“Hermione and Harry have been trying to tell someone all week, but Mcgonagall is treating them like children who know nothing. Mrs. Longbottom’s not around.”
“She’s tracking Voldemort’s movements,” Mooney supplied helpfully.
Fred nodded in thanks and continued, “And Snape has refused to meet with them alone.”
“I have a cover to keep,” Snape bit off.
“They also didn’t want to trust the information to a letter. Just in case it fell into the wrong hands.”
“Bloody hell…” Padfoot whispered, dawning horror on his face.
“Oh, and Voldemort now has the Deathstick. Apparently Dumbledore was the master of it.”
“That’s just a myth!” his mum exclaimed.
Fred shook his head, “No, mum. Hermione found enough research to prove it’s real. Besides, Ollivander confirmed it. That’s part of why we moved him to a safe house.”
“He’s been a lovely house guest,” Mr. Lovegood said. He was currently still seated at the magically-extended kitchen table. “Lots of fascinating information about the Deathly Hallows.”
“Yes, that’s nice, Xeno,” Mooney said absently.
“We need to up the patrols at Hogwarts. It’s already been four days since the attack on Little Hangleton. He’s bound to move soon. If he thinks the diadem is the last horcrux he’ll do anything to recover it,” Mrs. Malfoy said.
“Point,” Percy said.
Fred watched as Padfoot took a deep breath and wiped the horror from his face. The change was almost immediate. He was once more the auror that Fred had grown up admiring.
“If he doesn’t attack tonight, it will be tomorrow. He won’t wait. Snape, he said nothing?”
“He did ask what I had planned for this evening and seemed very pleased when I said it there was an Order meeting.”
“It will be tonight,” Mooney said. “He’ll want to use his werewolves and tomorrow he’ll have no control over them.”
Padfoot began to start pacing. “We need people in the castle, as well as a way to keep the students safe. Especially those under seventeen. Severus I want you to take Dora and a few others back to the castle. Speak with Mcgonagall and get things organized. Try to-”
Fred interrupted, “Wait, Professor Snape, why did you react like that when I said Harry had been a horcrux? Did you know already?”
Padfoot stopped pacing and stared at his old classmate, as did everyone else.
Snape grimaced, “Before last Christmas Albus was saying some things that now make much more sense. As do some of the things I removed from his office before the Ministry got there. I think he either knew or suspected that Harry was a horcrux.”
“Bloody hell,” Fred whispered, horror rising up inside of him. “You mean he knew? And said nothing?”
“Merlin damn him!” Padfoot snarled. “Why was he always so damned secretive! If he had only told us then-”
“Mamoru would be alive,” Alianore said.
“As would George,” his mum said, her eyes narrowing in anger.
“Yes, secrets got people killed. But now is not the time for this. The Dark Lord could be moving on Hogwarts right now. He thinks his last horcrux is there. Not to mention Harry. We need to move to protect the school. We can be angry at a dead man later.”
Everyone agreed with Mrs. Malfoy’s words, but there was a strong undercurrent of betrayal and anger as Padfoot returned to giving everyone directions. Fred found himself assigned to wait in Hogsmeade with Bill, Charlie, and several other skilled flyers. They would await a patronus message from someone in the castle before attacking Voldemort’s rear. A good way to create confusion among the Death Eaters and try to keep the Order’s losses to a minimum.
Bill and Charlie led the others in their group out to the broom shed, but Fred didn’t follow. He had his broom in his drawstring bag. He knew he had a few minutes to spare so he slipped out of the kitchen and back into the sitting room.
The other New Marauders had been waiting for almost five hours for news from him. It didn’t seem like a good idea to keep them waiting any longer - not when an attack was imminent. It took but a moment to pull out his journal and take a seat at the small butler’s desk.
Before he could even set his quill to parchment the fake galleon in his pocket began to burn. He jerked in surprise, hitting the inkpot and making ink spill everywhere. He scrambled to yank the burning coin out of his pocket; a terrible feeling settling in his chest.
That terrible feeling was not misplaced. The two words engraved where a serial number should be made his blood run cold.
They’re here.