Harry Potter And Bellatrix Lestrange

"You're kidding me. Ginny's the traitor?" Moody barked as Harry told the assembled war council the conclusion he'd come to.

"Not necessarily," Harry countered. "We don't really know at the moment, but it doesn't look good. Ginny's gone to Merlin knows where, and since she was last seen with Fred and George, we can assume that whoever took her attacked the twins."

"Or maybe she was the one who attacked the twins."

Hermione shook her head at Moody's conclusion. "I doubt it. Ginny would never betray us like that."

"Just like she wouldn't betray Potter here?"

"That's enough, both of you!" Harry shouted as Hermione was about to reply to the old auror's accusation. He frowned, unable to shake the doubts Moody's words had raised, but now was not the time to be tearing each other apart over accusations that were impossible to prove. Ginny was gone, her wand with her, and Fred and George were in critical condition. Harry glanced around the table. General Rotan and Count Hiscophney were absent, having left immediately after the rescue operation. With the accelerated schedule, both of them were now in the process of arraying their troops at the Ministry along with Kinglsey Shacklebolt, who was in charge of the auror forces. Neville and Luna had left to inform the Legion of the recent developments and prepare the students for the battle to come - a battle that, Harry fervently hoped, the students would never see.

That left Bella, Hermione, Moody, Snape, Remus, and Queen Xerina around the table, along with an elderly witch that was the representative for the Order members that were well enough to fight. Harry had initially been reluctant to let her be part of their planning session, but both Snape and Moody had agreed that it would help build trust that was, at the moment, sorely lacking. Tonks was also nowhere to be found, something that they'd just realized when they'd called the meeting. With the Order's command structure in shambles thanks to Voldemort's ambush, no one really knew what to do, and members were running around without specific objectives.

Harry frowned. Tonks's absence was something else they'd have to deal with. Taking a deep breath and returning his attention to the table, he continued. "Right now, the identity of the traitor is not important." He raised a hand to forestall comments from both Moody and the Order witch. "Listen. Whoever the traitor was, he or she is gone. That I'm sure of."

"How would you know? You're just a kid! Because of you and your friends here, we're in this situation to begin with!" The witch at the other end of the table spat angrily. "Without you, we wouldn't even be in this position, and now you're telling us the traitor's not a big deal? You're nothing more than an arrogant brat!"

"Silence!" Snape thundered before Harry could even open his mouth to retort, surprising everyone at the table. The raven-haired potions master turned on the witch, visibly angry. The sight caused most of the people there to cringe back. "Madame Arretha, with all due respect, shut up. You know nothing. You-"

"Why, I've never been spoken to like that! And who are you to lecture me, Severus Snape!"

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Snape shot back in a dangerously low tone.

The woman sniffed haughtily. "It's obvious, isn't it? You're the headmaster's lapdog. The only reason you're part of the Order is because of Albus Dumbledore. Without him, we'd never have let you be a part of the Order, and a lot of us thought - still think - that Dumbledore made a mistake, letting someone who was so close to the dark lord be a part of a movement against him."

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"How do we know you weren't the traitor? How do we know you're not a double-agent for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? The temptation of the dark arts is strong, I'm sure. And you always were one to seek power, weren't you, Severus ?" she spat the name with enough venom to make everyone at the table flinch. Snape, however, looked unperturbed.

"And this… this boy," Madame Arretha gestured towards Harry dismissingly. "He should be in Azkaban, along with her," she pointed at Bella. "Truly, they're a pair well matched, a crazy, attention-seeking brat and the insane dark witch. People like them should be put down, before he becomes the next dark lord! Without him, we'd all be better off, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would still be dead!"

"Are you daft, woman?" Moody growled, unable to restrain himself. "Are you really that stupid? Do you have any idea what you're talking about?"

"Of course!" she turned to Moody. "Don't tell me you buy their act? They're just doing this for their own personal gain, and when He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is gone again, and we're weakened from the conflict, they'll step in and he'll become the next Dark lord!"

Both Snape and Moody were about to reply when Harry slammed his palms onto the table. Every eye around the table suddenly focused on the young man who was practically trembling with restrained fury, and to both Bella and Snape, who could sense magic flows, he looked lit up like a Christmas tree as he seethed with anger. "That is enough, from all of you," Harry hissed.

"I don't take orders from you…" Madame Arretha began.

" Shut up ." The order echoed throughout the room, amplified by the castle's magic as it sensed it's master's anger. It instantly shut up the witch, who flinched as Harry looked at her. "You're a fool. You're all fools. Do you have any idea what we have sacrificed for people like you? Do you? You think I'm the source of all of your problems?" Harry laughed bitterly. "Try placing the blame a bit closer to home! Tom Riddle became Lord Voldemort because he was disgusted with the state of affairs in the wizarding world, and you know what the sad thing is? He's right!"

"Harry…" Hermione began, only to back away, scared at the intense look in her friend's green eyes.

"The wizarding world is a collection of, racist, close-minded people who are so focused on themselves that they fail to see anything but their own comfort! You think I made things worse? Who would've stopped Quirrel when he attempted to steal the Philosopher's Stone for Voldemort, hmm? Who would've stopped the memory of Tom Riddle from unleashing the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets? Who would've prepared the students for Voldemort's return, who was the one Dumbledore pushed into fulfulling some stupid prophecy? Tell me! Tell me !" Harry yelled at the witch.

"You won't take that tone with me…"