She pulled her hair back, tying it behind her head in as near a ponytail as possible blindly. Without pausing to check, in a nearby window, she crept forward, slipping between shadows on a lane full of nothing but shadows. To think that she might have been anywhere like this a week ago was laughable. Now, nothing made sense any more. All she knew was that where she was going, they might be able to help.
A door opened nearby, and she dove into a thin alley, holding her breath. It was hot, here, and the thin space made her feel slightly claustrophobic. A pair of large men walked past, laughing with coughs interrupting at half second intervals. For all she could see, they were like two bulges moving along. There was no hesitation as they passed, and soon the sounds of their steps were gone.
Inching her head at the edge, she looked out, swivelling both directions. No one. With quick feet, she slipped out of the alley and down to the end of the row. All of the shops were dark, now. It was late, immensely late. This was the only time she could even try. Where was it? The entrance… she had to.
Another door opened behind her, only a few paces away. She froze, hoping it was just someone letting out a cat or…
"Just getting a breath o' fresh air, lass," said a gruff voice. "Don't git yer knickers in a bunch."
With a rush of adrenaline, she hurried forward, checking doors. Fifteen, eighteen, twenty-seven. She couldn't make heads or tails of the system. Then, it was there, thirty-one. Pushing the door, she was happy to find it open, as the note said it would be. Slipping inside, she shut the door as quietly as possible, holding a moment, waiting for a banging behind her.
None came. Breathing a little easier, she walked across the decrepit room, not daring to make a light. The back wall was plastered with old magazine covers that moved and displayed ads sluggishly, tired with long age. In the dim sliver of moonlight that found its way through a high window, she searched. Finding a particularly gnarled and charred one with a dragon tossing its egg in the air, she touched the dragon's tail and one wing, just so.
A click told her the work was done, and she found the now-open panel. Sliding it aside, fully, she crawled through, shuttering it behind her. Then, the floor gave way, and she slid, flopping hard on her face on the ground below. A light illuminated her, suddenly, overly bright.
"Is it her?" asked a voice.
"Show yourself," said another.
She looked up, feeling pain on her front, but holding her hands up, showing she was not a threat.
"Oh, good," said one, sighing.
"Thank goodness," said the other. "You made it."
"Y-yeah," she said, uncertainly, "just like the message said."
She felt someone lift her and pull her into a deep hug. "Hermione," the young man, said. "How did you get away?"
"Fred?" she asked. "You're the contact?"
"And me!" George exclaimed. "Can't believe you'd forget about me."
Her eyes adjusted, and she smiled, pulling back from the twins who had gripped her together in a group hug. "What are you doing here? What about your family?"
"More on that later," Fred said. "We need to get you deeper. You'll be safer there."
"Deeper than this?" she asked, looking around at the pitch dark room.
The twins gave her a joint-mischievous smile, and tugged her along. "Trust us," the said.
They led her down a sloping corridor lit with Fred's wand. "What happened at the school?" she asked, looking up at their faces.
"The Ministry sent everyone home," Fred replied. "Made it sound like there was nothing to worry about, but they did ask a number of us about you… two."
"Not that we had anything to tell them," George said, "if we would have told them."
Hermione noticed that the corridor began to curve and slope downwards, a gentle winding deep down, like a drill bit. The twins gave no sign this was unusual, so she didn't mention it.
"What did they do?" she asked, looking them over as best she could in the light.
"Just a lot of talk about supporting the Ministry and how good citizens act," George replied.
"I think they expected you and Harry to make contact with us first," Fred said. "So, they didn't want to scare us away."
"How did you end up here, though?" she asked. "I mean, if they're watching you. Wouldn't they come find us here?"
"They were very careful," Fred said.
"Have it all arranged so we can be in this central hub without anyone being the wiser," George added, grinning. "Anyone who needs to lay low can look to us."
"I don't-" she began.
"We have funding, you see," Fred said.
"So we could quit school and do what we really want," George added.
"What you really-" she began. Her eyes widened. "No."
"Yes!" they said together. "We're opening a shop in Diagon Alley!"
"That's amazing!" she exclaimed. "But…" she paused, stopping her steps to look at them. "Who funded you? Do you know if it's…"
"Totally a legitimate source," Fred said.
"All above board," George added.
"We have a business partner who didn't know what to do with a recent windfall," Fred said.
"But he does believe in the cause," George said. "He knows what is going on, and wants to help however he can."
"He?" Hermione asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I felt terrible," came a voice out of the darkness ahead. "I should have been able to stop them from…"
"Cedric?" Hermione asked, surprised as the older boy entered the wand light.
"Hello," he replied. "I'm glad to hear you're okay. We've lost track of too much since…"
"You shouldn't blame yourself," Hermione said, observing his face. "Harry got out and-"
"Not here," Fred said. "We're almost there. We should be safer to speak openly there."
"Especially about Arry-Hay Otter-Pay," George said, obvious in his emphasis.
Cedric joined them in walking down the sloped path. It went only a few turns further. Clearly, Cedric had been sent up to meet them. Or to guard the entrance from someone else?
"They're waiting for you," Cedric commented, waving to a grey steel door ahead.
"I know," Fred said.
"We could only start down when she arrived," George said.
"I was telling her," Cedric said, giving them an odd look.
"I-er, okay," Hermione said, following Cedric's gesture and entering the door. The others followed her, but stayed a few paces behind while Hermione stepped into a bright space, blinking.
The space ahead was wide, much wider than she had expected. It looked, as Hermione's eyes grew accustomed to the light, a bit like a Muggle palace of some old king. The whole of it seemed to glisten until she came closer to a wall of brick. It was old and well worn, as though aged for centuries in a wide variety of weather. She reached out a hand to touch it, but a voice called her attention away.
"Miss Granger," the voice said, "if you could join us, please?"
Hermione, curious, followed the voice around the corner of the brick wall to find a round table with five seats, four of which were taken. Her eyes grew wide, seeing the group seated. It was not what she had expected. Seated in front of her were Albus Dumbledore, Madam Maxime, Alastor Moody, and Amelia Bones.
"Please, take a seat," Dumbledore said, his voice kindly, but she could detect something worn, tired in it.
"Headmaster," she said, pulling out the seat to sit. "I - what is going on here?"
"Test her, Albus," Moody growled. "We cannot afford the risk."
The Headmaster nodded. "Apologies, Miss Granger. We need to be sure. With whom did you watch the final game of Quidditch your first year?"
"I…" Hermione began, thinking back, "Bill and Charlie Weasley sat with Harry and me. Why would you ask a Quidditch question to me?"
"Just a couple more, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "Your pardon, please. When Fred Weasley looked in the Mirror of Erised, what did he see?"
Hermione paused a second. They had both seen something different. Which was which…? "I believe Fred saw a prank war and George saw the pair of them owning a joke shop."
"Good," Dumbledore replied. "One more, if you don't mind… What memory did you share with me in your first year?"
"It was what Harry and I had overheard in the Astronomy Tower," she replied. "We later learned it was Quirrell speaking with V- You-Know-Who plotting to take the Philosopher's Stone."
"Very good, Miss Granger," Albus said. "Satisfied?" He directed the last to Moody.
The other man just grunted. Dumbledore turned back to Hermione.
"Well, then," Dumbledore said. "I think we are satisfied you are who you say you are."
"Thanks?" Hermione replied. "C-can I ask what is going on here? Where are we?"
"I am sorry for the confusion, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "We had to find you before they tracked you down. You still have the Trace on you, and I don't have to tell you the risk that raises."
"Isn't it risky for you to meet with me?" She asked. "Shouldn't I go?"
"We have shielded this place, protecting it from Trace detection, among other things," Madam Bones said, cutting in. "Young Champions and their friends aren't the only people focused on self protection."
Hermione looked at the Head of the Department of Magical Law enforcement, questions bubbling up. Before she could voice them, Dumbledore cut in.
"Madam Bones is here to help, Miss Granger," he said. "She has my full trust, and you can speak freely with anyone at this table present."
"Sorry," Hermione said, though she had said nothing against the woman. "I hope you can understand… given recent events."
"All of our trust is on thin ice, Miss Granger," the woman said. "Stories from the other night are too varied and fantastic to easily believe. We were hoping you might shed some light on it all."
"You may know more about what happened in the maze," Hermione began. "I was outside, near the front. Professor McGonagall had asked me to remain there in case Harry came out on his own."
The others were quiet, intent, all faces hard and thoughtful. Hermione continued without pause, hoping to help them in some way with her little bit of the events of that night. She had a hard enough time believing it, herself.
"Harry messaged me, his voice a little unclear, I think due to the spells in the area. He said something about the Silver Scions doing something to him, they tried to put Riddle into him. He didn't elaborate, but then said that the Death Eaters stopped them. He escaped while they fought. He asked me to send up a flare to guide him out of the maze. I did, and he told me he was on the far side of the maze and the fighting was between us.
"He determined to go out of the maze and asked if I could come around to meet him. I rushed around the maze then, wand ready. I could see a lot of smoke over the maze but didn't see anyone until I saw Harry duelling someone. Before I reached them, Harry had disabled his opponent. Harry told me it had been Barty Crouch Junior disguised as Professor Dubois.
"Harry and I went to the school to hide in the Room of Requirement, but… You-Know-Who was there and we were surrounded. Erm-"
She paused, wondering if she should say the next bit. It was important, but would she be believed?
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Madam Bones asked.
"I-," she began, taking a breath. "He was there, too, Madam Bones, th- the Minister of Magic. H-he said he w-would help Y-You-Know-Who rise…"
No one objected or asked for explanation. In fact, this news seemed no more interesting to the group than the rest of it.
"You-" she began to continue.
"Call him Voldemort, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "Give him no more power than he has."
"S-sure," she replied, realising how nervous she felt and sounded. Taking a breath, she finished, "Voldemort threatened us, saying he would kill Harry to end it and… had s-someone use the Cruciatus on m-me as-as a warning. Harry told him to stop if he would give himself up, but Voldemort laughed, saying he would kill Harry and any he liked. Then, I don't know how it happened. I asked the room to protect Harry. I asked it with everything I - Anyway, he disappeared and then I was consumed in light and was gone, too."
"Where did you go, Miss Granger?" Albus asked when she did not continue.
"I awoke on a hill top in Western Scotland," she replied. I found a train station nearby, and the locals told me it was called Beinn Dorain. I had never been there before, so I do not know how I found myself there."
"It is as you said, then, Albus," Maxime said. "Zis castle has sent zem away."
"And Harry?" Dumbledore asked.
"I couldn't find him anywhere," she said, fighting the sadness that had fallen on her in the past few days. "I walked all over the area asking after him. I sent messages to anyone I trusted, but he never replied and everyone just said to stay away and safe. I don't know what is going on, but I- we need to find Harry. Unless you have found him?"
"We have not, I'm afraid," Dumbledore said.
"Ve haf been getting our students safely away from zee school," Maxime said. "Mine are with their families, now."
"Why was I told to stay away?" She asked. "They can't still be after us, can they? They couldn't come out openly or…"
"Things are more complicated now," Dumbledore said. "If you will please sit, we will explain it to you."
Hermione realised - to her embarrassment - that she was standing with her hands clamped on the table lip, knuckles white from the pressure. Sitting quickly and pulling her arms in to grasp each other on her lap, Hermione looked around the table, feeling abashed.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"Nothing to apologise for," Dumbledore said. "This will be very concerning for you, as it is for us. What you've said confirms some of the rumours going about. Professor Dubois' treachery had become known, but his true identity was news. Thank you for that. Harry's disappearance is widely discussed, in whispers, but no one knows where or why. You have, I think, answered that."
"Did the room really?" she asked.
"The Room of Requirement," Dumbledore said, looking around at the others at the table, "is a powerful part of the castle that can make your needs a reality. Miss Granger needed for Harry to be taken somewhere safe, and so he was. Likewise, I expect, he wished for her own well-being, and she was taken to another place of safety. For what reason the Room did not choose to locate them together, I cannot say. Perhaps it lacked that power, perhaps not. I do not know we will ever truly know.
"Knowing the enemy has power of the Room, too, is a dangerous thing. His will manifest in the room is scary, but somewhat limited in application. He is a brilliant wizard, but has never had the imagination that I expect Mr. Potter and Miss Granger have. Their use of it in their time is beyond anything I have read about, though they may not be aware of the staff's knowledge. I'm rather friendly with the house elves, myself, Miss Granger. Do not be alarmed."
"What is all this about, Dumblydore," Maxime said. "You sent word that we needed to decide important things zis night."
"And we do, Madam," Dumbledore responded, nodding to her. "Our movements in England will become a lot more dangerous after this week. If we are not already being followed, most working with us will be, soon. Miss Granger especially, given her underage status. And Harry's as well, when he turns up."
Hermione smiled. She was glad to hear him say that Harry would be back. She knew it, but it was good to hear someone else being so sure. Still, he had a point. If Harry reappeared and the enemy had assigned someone to watch for him, especially if they were in the Ministry…
"Is the Ministry… fallen, then?" Hermione asked. "Do we have no way of stopping them?"
"No way?" Moody growled. "Sound like a child. Of course we have ways, girl. The Ministry isn't a spell that is either active or not. The subtlety, the many people amongst it, that is how Voldemort got his foothold. And, it is how we will take it back."
"Well put, Alastor," Madam Bones said. "As you say, there are a number of us who will not let his influence ruin our great institution. We act carefully, deliberately, as the ultimate problem must be handled to heal the sickness. Ours is not a rash enterprise."
"Part of why I have asked Madam Bones here tonight," Dumbledore said, "is to inquire into the Trace. What options do we have to protect Miss Granger, and Mr. Potter, later?"
"The Trace is not within my purview, Albus," Amelia said, her eyes hard. "I would not touch it, if I could. The eyes upon that tool at the moment are far too many for an intervention. Would I ask a staffer to alter Miss Granger's Trace, he would be found, and I, as well. There is no safe method to remove this until you have reached your seventeenth birthday, my dear."
"T-then," Hermione began, "I flee? Leave the country? What of my parents? Of Harry? I don't want to run from the fight, but I don't want to draw the enemy down on the rest of you."
"A noble spirit," Albus said. "As a Gryffindor should be."
She saw appreciative nods from Madam Maxime and Amelia Bones. Blushing, Hermione tried to brush it off.
"Professor Dumbledore," she said. "I think you must have an idea of what I can do to help. Do you?"
Albus inclined his head, looking understanding. "Yes, as I said before, you have options, we all do, tonight. Options on how to direct yourself in the time to come. We have buried the entrance you used to arrive here. A precaution. The Ministry might be able to find where you have been since that night, but they cannot find you down here. One option, as you have pointed out, is to flee. Madam Maxime, I do not speak for you or your school, but, should you take in Hermione, I can assure you that she would be of the highest calibre student you could have in your school. Her marks have been far above her peers, and her spell development and research… well, if you have seen Harry's performances in the tournament, no small part of that is due to Miss Granger."
"I vould be more than willing to take on a student recommended by you, Dumblydore, should she wish it," Madam Maxime said. "And you vill find our school is shielded as this place, protected from zese sorts of spells. Ze Ministry here iz not ze only one with secrets."
"Oh, thank you," Hermione said, feeling torn. To learn from a foreign school would be an amazing opportunity, and rare from all her research. They seldom allowed anyone from other schools to visit, and it was only under extreme circumstances that anyone ever transferred. Still, how could she abandon this? Abandon all of those people counting on you.
"And, I would assist your parents in finding safety with our foreign neighbours," Dumbledore said. "I understand the Muggle governments allow easy movement between countries in Europe, and a few Muggles leaving will not attract notice from our enemies."
"It would be an honour to learn at Beauxbatons," Hermione said, looking between Madam Maxime and Dumbledore, but her face couldn't quite smile at it. "But…"
"But you worry about abandoning your friends, and all of us," Dumbledore finished for her. "I had thought you might. Thus, a second option occurred. This sanctuary is going to be a central location for the Order of the Phoenix and allies. We will regularly meet here and your friends - whom are hiding behind the wall assuming no one will hear them - will work nearby and can visit you whenever you like. When Harry returns, we will likely give him a similar choice."
"Think on it, Mizz Granger," Madam Maxime said. "Next term is a little away, of course. You can do much good here in the meantime, I am thinking."
"Yes, there is no need to decide tonight," Dumbledore said. "Once you have chosen, however, it will be quite difficult to change what we have set in place. And the longer we wait, the more risk to everyone involved. This war, however, is not yours to fight, none of you must face Voldemort or his Death Eaters. That choice is and always will lie with you. Harry, too, will have to choose, as well, when he returns."
"What of… Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.
"The other professors will look after the students for the time being," Dumbledore said. "I do not expect it will be a safe place for you or Harry for… some time."
"I-I understand," Hermione said. "What other decisions did you need me to make tonight?"
"Nothing you should concern yourself with tonight," Dumbledore said. "Should you remain, you will learn much more about what is going on. To properly research and develop spells, you will need to know what we are up against."
"I- I see," Hermione said.
"Please, go gather your friends," Dumbledore said. "Their ears must be hurting by now, pressed against the brick so hard. They will show you where you will stay, for tonight, and get you some supper. A couple Hogwarts house elves have offered their services to us, as a courtesy from Vinken."
"Th-thank you," Hermione said. "I will think about it. Both offers are more than I could have asked for."
"Go rest, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "We will speak again, soon."
The others said their goodbyes, Madam Maxime's with a look of interest that had not been there at the beginning of the conversation. Hermione felt certain the woman would not be satisfied until Hermione agreed to join her school. Suddenly feeling more tired than she had been that long day of travel, Hermione went around the brick wall to where the twins were trying very hard to look casual.
"Don't do it, Hermione!" Fred cried after they had walked a few paces away.
"She hasn't decided anything yet, nutter!" George told him, laughing. "Both do seem tempting, right?"
Hermione just nodded, following. Her thoughts were deep in this problem and far away.
"We had a similar choice," Fred said.
"Who could resist running a shop and helping defeat You-Know-Who together?" George asked.
"Not us!" Fred exclaimed. "I can't wait until you see it."
"She won't be able to until the Trace wears off," George corrected him.
"Or we beat You-Know-Who," Fred said. "So a week, tops!"
Hermione let them banter on as they walked. It was comforting to hear them acting as they always did. It could be sort of like that. If the twins were always near… And maybe Harry would come back. What should she do? What would Harry do in her place? Where was Harry? She hoped he was alright. He had to be alright. He just had to.