“Severus, we were waiting for you,” Dumbledore welcomed him, his gaze solemn. Around him, the tense faces of the Order members were staring at him, their expressions a mixture of accusation and doubt.

Snape nodded in greeting. "The meeting notice just reached me. What has happened?”

Dumbledore sighed.

“Sit down. All of you,” he added to include the other members, who settled around the table reluctantly. Tension in the room was palpable.

“Have I missed something?” Snape snapped.

“That’s what we would bloody like to know,” Moody roared, his magical eye staring fiercely at Snape.

“Alastor, there is no need to raise your voice, Severus will be able to have his say as soon as he knows why we are all gathered here tonight,” Dumbledore said with a conciliatory gesture.

“ If someone would just speak up,” the Potions Master said curtly. He sensed the Order members tense at his words.

“Harry’s gone missing! That's what you missed, Severus!” Tonks spat out, her hair changing from color to color in her agitation.

Stunned, Snape held his breath for a moment. Strangely enough, the first thought that crossed his mind was to offer them a Potter Cat as a replacement. He caught himself just in time, but Tonks had leapt out of her chair.

“Just look at him! It made him smile! He’s a traitor, I told you he was! He knew! Where’s Harry? Where is he? Answer at once, you sorry…”

Molly Weasley stood to hold the young woman back, as Dumbledore raised his voice to be heard. There was no longer any trace of humor left on Snape’s pale face. What had he been thinking? There was nothing laughable about Potter's disappearance, as irritating as the boy was!

“Severus, do you know anything about this?”

The piercing blue eyes of Hogwarts’ headmaster scrutinized him intently. All of the other faces around him were hostile and accusing. They all worshiped Saint Potter, and despite of his antipathy for the boy, Snape had to admit that his moment of distraction, however short, had been ill-timed and inappropriate. What if he had suffered a similar moment of weakness in the presence of the Dark Lord? He would've been dead in a moment, he thought.

An irritating feeling of guilt overcame him. He shook his head.

“No, not at all. I've had no contact with the Dark Lord or his Death Eaters in over a week. Potter was being watched, as I've informed you, but the wards around the house were strong and no attack was planned for the near future.”

He paused. Molly Weasley's shoulders seemed to bend under a heavy burden, Dumbledore looked ten years older, and the mood in the room had suddenly morphed from anxiety to discouragement.

“I believe you, Severus,” came the calm voice of Dumbledore. “But we will need more information...”

The spy nodded.

“Maybe we could start with this? What exactly happened?”

“Harry disappeared last night.”

“On his birthday,” added Mrs. Weasley with a sob

“Yes, Molly, but we will find him again… Severus will see to that,” Dumbledore said, his trusting blue eyes fastened on Snape, who swallowed with difficulty.

Yes indeed, he seemed condemned to have to save Potter’s neck at least once a year, to keep the earth on its axis.

“In any case,” Dumbledore went on, “Harry actually disappeared during the night. What we do not understand is how.”

“Did he willingly leave the house?”asked Snape, resisting the urge to add, “in a bid for attention.”

“It is not that simple,” the headmaster sighed. “It would seem that after a violent argument, Harry’s uncle, with the consent of his aunt, told him that he was no longer welcome. After ordering him to pack and leave their house, his uncle said he left him alone in his room. He did not see him come out, and the window, although open, has bars on it; Harry could defenitely not have fled that way. What's more, all his belongings were left behind, including some things to which he is very attached...”

“Those bloody Muggles,” Moody grumbled. “Can’t trust them. I told you, Albus, you can’t rely on Muggles!”

“His family, Alastor,”Dumbledore quietly replied. “What seemed to be the safest and most appropriate place..”

Snape thoughtfully tapped his finger against his cheek. One could hardly blame those Muggles for not being able to stand the arrogant brat, but to deprive him of the blood wards that were protecting him seemed a bit excessive. What could the boy have done to make himself so unbearable to his relatives?

“I suppose that's not all of it?” he asked.

“No,” Dumbledore agreed. “A few moments after Harry’s uncle told him he was no longer welcome, two Death Eaters arrived.”

Snape straightened in his chair. They certainly hadn't wasted any time! And what was the Order of the Phoenix doing at that time?

“And so?” he asked, afraid of the answer

“Well, there lies the mystery. Apparantly, the Death Eaters did not find anything. They scared the Dursley family, but did not waste anymore time with them. It seems that they left empty-handed... but as for that, my boy, there is only one way to be sure.”

Snape nodded.

“I am surprised that the Dark Lord has not summoned me yet. There would be nothing strange in my going to him by myself, though I will not hide the fact of this meeting nor its purpose...”

Dumbledore lifted a hand and squeezed the professor’s shoulder.

“It is necessary, Severus. We need to know. If Harry has been captured...”

At that moment, Snape grimaced and suddenly grabbed at his Mark. All eyes turned to him.

“Behold the solution to the problem,” he said in a dull voice. Then, he turned to Dumbledore. “If I learn that the Death Eaters have actually captured Potter, I will not be contacting you until I can bring him back, or at least locate him. If that is not the case, I will let you know as soon as possible.”

The old wizard nodded gravely. The Order members around him were watching Severus a bit guiltily. Snape's eyes swept over their faces with a contemptuous look.

“Get the infirmary ready. If Lucius or Bellatrix have got their hands on Potter, they certainly will have earned the right to play with him...”

Without waiting for a reaction, he threw a handful of Floo powder in the fireplace and announced,“Snape Manor!”

The potions were on the table, tucked in a leather bag, ready for a hasty departure. Snape glanced at the fireplace : the cat had cracked an eye open at his arrival, but had not so much as got up. For the space of a second, the cat’s presence had the odd effet of untying the knot that had formed in his chest. Without wasting anymore time, Snape grabed the bag and put his hand on his Mark.

With a loud crack, he Disapparated from the laboratory.