Hey Everyone, this is my first fanfiction since I was about 12. Hopefully my writing has improved since then as now I am 21. My wonderful Beta is taking college finals, but once summer starts chapters should be updated regularly. Hope you enjoy.

**I am a Biology major at college, and the reason for that is because I hate English. So if there are a few grammar mistakes that is because my Beta, who is much better at English than me, is still taking finals.

Disclaimer: I own nothing of the kingdom that J.K. Rowling has built for herself, although I wish I did.

Chapter 1

It had been two days since the last attack. Seven muggleborn families and three Order members had been targeted in the last month alone. Only two of the families, and one Order member had been saved in time. Voldemort was getting more ambitious with his homicidal tendencies and the Order of the Phoenix was getting desperate. He was going after the families that had less magical power, the muggleborns. Not only did they have to protect themselves, but their parents as well. Not only that, but the Order was quickly learning that their secret identities as members were being leaked. They had a traitor in their ranks, and short of subjecting every person to Veritaserum they could not figure out whom.

It was becoming clear that Voldemort wasn't going to be fooled for much longer; every time he mentioned who the next victim was during a Dark Revel, they would be saved. It didn't take long for him to learn there was a traitor in his ranks; it was only his inability to pinpoint who that traitor was that was keeping their agent safe. He had taken to telling his Deatheaters one name in public and then having a private meeting with a few inner circle members to discuss who the true victim would be.

"I am unable to verify who the targets are without exposing myself as a spy. The moment I ask who it would look suspicious," Severus said with annoyance and frustration in his voice as he paced back and forth. He knew that because he was not told to join the private meetings that he was under suspicion. If he was found out, and somehow survived, he would be at a loss. His life would become meaningless if he could not spy, and the last twenty years of his life would have been for nothing.

The Order sat at the kitchen table of Grimmauld Place. The stove had many pots and pans on it, and anyone who entered the house would be assaulted by the smells of a home-cooked meal. Mrs. Weasley was running around serving soup and bread to everyone that was there. It was the summer before seventh year and Harry, Hermione, and Ron were now old enough to join the Order. They had been inducted the evening before, and despite Mrs. Weasley's threats and concerns they had made the vows to protect and serve the Order of the Phoenix.

"I understand your dilemma Severus, but we are losing Order members rapidly, and short of assigning every family their own personal auror, we can do nothing to protect them all," Dumbledore said gravely after taking a cup of tea from Mrs. Weasley, "we just don't have that sort of manpower."

Severus looked at Dumbledore like he had just told him that a Bezoar was found in a giraffe stomach. He finally gave up pacing and sat down at the table. Mrs. Weasley bustled over to him and placed some soup and a piece of bread in front of him. "You must eat dear, you are too thin, and if you want to keep spying you must remain healthy," she said while looking him up and down and shaking her head. Severus pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance and picked up the bread ripping off a piece and chewing on it.

In the middle of the table rested a copy of The Daily Prophet with a picture of the entire Creevey family on the front. The bright and cheery family photo was the only happy thing on the page. They had been murdered in their own home. Being part of a muggle household the Creevey brothers had tried their best to defend their parents, but they did not stand a chance against the Deatheaters that had forced their way into the house. They had sent out the distress signal that the Order had enacted, but help arrived two minutes too late.

Tonks had been the one to receive the distress call via patronus. The small sparrow had sped towards her shouting the message, and no more than four minutes later they were at the house. Apparently four minutes was still too long. It had taken her two minutes to send out a massive distress call to the ministry aurors. She had flooed to Grimmauld place to get Remus, Sirius, and Mad-eye who were having an impromptu meeting concerning the wards on muggleborn homes.

"The Creeveys are under attack!" she had shouted and ran towards the front door to apparate with the men close on her tail, but by the time they got there it was too late. The dark mark was floating ominously above the house chanting its triumph for all to see. She had sprinted into the home through the splintered front door, and shouted for Colin and Dennis. She had found them in front of their parents' bedroom door, slumped on the ground, their open eyes glazed over. She fell to her knees and started to cry as she held them both. Remus leaned down to provide support for Tonks, and silently handed her his handkerchief. Mad-eye had stepped past them into the bedroom and found their parents laying by the dresser in much the same manner as their sons.

A single tear rolled down Tonks' cheek as she looked at the newspaper in front of her. She couldn't stop recalling the sick feeling of despair that had hit her upon seeing the dark mark. The mark was a symbol of death, and more than that, it meant that they had failed once again. That she had failed. Hermione reached over and squeezed Tonks' hand for support. There was nothing they could have done, they had acted as fast as they could. It was apparent that the Deatheaters were only getting orders to kill, not torture. They were becoming more efficient, and the Order just couldn't keep up.

Harry was fidgeting in his seat. He kept glancing over at Hermione, worried that she would be next. He knew that she was close to the top of Voldemort's list. She was not only muggleborn, but also one of his best friends. He couldn't help to think what would happen if he lost the sister he never had.

Hermione saw the worry in his eyes as she glanced around the table, but didn't comment. Harry's fears were not unfounded; she knew that she was in danger, as well as her family.

"Mad-eye, Sirius and I have been considering using wards on homes of those who we know are in the most danger. We think that if the wards were to alert the members of the Order it would give us and the aurors more time to act," Remus explained while Sirius nodded in agreement next to him. Sirius continued, "Every time we get an alert we must take the time to inform the aurors and the Order members separately, this way they will be alerted at the same time."

"Wards on muggleborn homes would be effective, but given the current state that the Ministry is in, they'll be nearly impossible to implement. Wards are strictly regulated and apart from specifically sanctioned areas such as Hogwarts, they generally need to be approved," Kingsley chimed in as he walked over to an empty chair next to Ron and sat down. Mrs. Weasley placed a cup of tea in front of him which he gladly accepted.

"We illegally used the wards of Hogwarts to make the Marauder's map, and we can still use wards without Ministry permission," Sirius protested, nudging Remus knowingly, his voice reflecting clear pride in their childhood accomplishment.

"Actually, I'm already using low class wards on the perimeter of my parents' house to alert me if a non-approved person enters the property," Hermione revealed matter-of-factly. "I took the liberty of reading some books on ward casting I found here, and decided that I am too much of a target not to take steps to keep my family safe," she said looking directly at Harry who smiled at her.

"Well it seems like a great idea Remus, but we will need to get the Ministry's approval to use mass wards in heavily muggle populated areas," said Dumbledore who had just finished his cup of tea, and was standing up to take his leave. "As for you Miss Granger, I am glad to see you are taking your protection into your own hands, but in the future, I would prefer you talk to me about it first." He smiled at her benignly. She smiled back and nodded her head briefly in understanding.

As Dumbledore was walking out of the kitchen to leave Harry rose and followed him. "Sir, can I speak to you in private for a moment?" he asked with a pleading look in his eye.

"Of course Harry, Shall we head up to the library," Dumbledore recommended as he turned to head up the stairs. He reached the oak library door and turned the brass handle, revealing a circular room lined with shelves upon shelves of books from floor to ceiling. A warm fire welcomed them in in as Harry lowered himself onto the old-fashioned gray couch and Dumbledore chose a leather wingback chair closer to the fire.

Harry opened and closed his mouth several times, considering the best way to phrase his question. He shook his head. This was too important. He needed to be direct. "Sir, I'm worried about Hermione and her family. She is not safe at home, and I think she should have her house watched just in case. Is there any way that we can get the aurors to guard her house, just over the summer?" he pleaded.

Dumbledore didn't immediately respond, and the silence sat between them for a brief moment as he pondered. "I understand your concern Harry, and I assure you I will do my best to find protection for Miss Granger and her family, but I cannot guarantee anything. The aurors are spread thin as it is trying to do everything Fudge asks, but I'm sure I can find someone to watch her home if I ask Kingsley."

"Thank you sir for understanding, she is like my sister, and I couldn't bear if anything happened to her."

Dumbledore smiled at the love and concern Harry was showing. "Well, if that's all, I must be getting back to Hogwarts. I have a meeting with a few ministry officials to discuss the safety of the students for next year," he said as he stood, giving Harry a brief smile and nodding before he left the library with a still concerned Harry inside.

Harry gazed into the fire as if I held all the answers of the world, and didn't notice Hermione and Ron enter the room until they sat down on the couch next to him. Startled, he tore his eyes away from the flickering flames and looked up at his friends, allowing them to see the fear in his eyes. "I'm afraid that they are going to take you Hermione and then where will Ron and I be?"

Ron nodded in agreement.

Hermione smiled softly and stood up, walking over to one of the bookshelves. She scanned the rows of books briefly before pulling out a worn black book with no title on the front or spine. She sat back down on the couch and opened it to a bookmarked page. "Chapter 17: The Power of Wards," she began. "I may have said 'low-level' during the meeting, but in actuality the wards I have used are very powerful. I had to use a small amount of darker magic to erect them around my home. My family and I will be perfectly safe while I visit them for a few weeks," she explained. Knowing that the use of dark magic would have been frowned upon by the people of the Order meeting, she chose to remain silent about that small fact.

Harry seemed to brighten a bit at the mention of stronger wards, but it slowly faded as he took in the fact that she had used "darker" magic. "What do you mean 'darker magic'?"

She sighed in exasperation. "Do you remember when Ron explained how his house is protected?" she asked while gesturing towards Ron. Harry gave her a blank expression. "Each member of his family gave a small amount of blood to be woven magically into the wards." She explained while flipping to the correct page in the book. Harry nodded as he began to recall the conversation a few months back. "According to basic magic regulations, any spell or potion that involves human blood is 'dark'," she continued while pointing to a specific paragraph. She put the book on Harry's lap and stood to take her leave.

"I am going to take a shower, pack, and then go to bed. I will see you guys in the morning before I go home, okay?" she said giving each of them a brief hug. She turned and walked out of the library and continued up the stairs.

She entered her room that she shared with Ginny and grabbed the dressing gown hanging over the back of the desk chair. She then headed over to the bathroom that they shared. She turned on the water and let it run until it got hot. As she took off her clothing she spotted the long, thin scar across her torso. She traced the scar with her finger from her right shoulder diagonally going across her bellybutton. She remembered that night clearly in the Department of Mysteries, and she remembered the man who gave it to her, Dolohov. Two years ago it was an ugly scar to her, but now that she was older she understood that it was more of a battle wound that she should be proud of.

She stepped into the shower and let the hot water run down her back and face. She knew that she was taking a risk visiting her parents, but she didn't want to lose the close relationship with them. She wasn't going to let some snake-like homicidal manic keep her from being able to hug her father, or taste her mother's wonderful cooking. She smiled at the thought.

As she stepped out of the shower she cast a drying spell wandlessly on her body. She didn't like to show off her wandless capabilities, but in the privacy of her bathroom she took the liberty. She never used magic on her wet hair anymore. She learned early on that using magic only made the frizz grow, and letting it dry naturally led to the large bouncing curls that she had always desired. She threw on her dressing gown and walked across the hallway into her room.

Ginny was on her bed reading a book and writing on a piece of parchment taking notes. She looked up when Hermione entered and smiled. Hermione smiled back and began to put on her night clothes. She looked around the room and stared at all her scatted belongings. Sighing, she began to pick up her books and clothes, shrink them, and throw them in her open trunk. About a half hour later she looked around nodding in satisfaction that she had gotten everything. Remembering that she had left the book on wards with Harry she went down stairs to retrieve it.

As she entered the library she did not see the man sitting in one of the chairs in the corner watching her. She walked over to the couch they were sitting on earlier and saw the book lying on the table next to it. She picked it up and walked over to the bookshelves to grab a few more books she needed for the visit to her parents.

Onyx eyes watched her as she collected another book on wards, one on the history of blood magic, and an obscure potions book that she had wanted to look at. "Do they know that you are taking the Black family books out of their home Miss Granger?" a deep silky voice spoke. Hermione jumped and dropped the book that she had just pulled off the shelf, and spun to meet the voice's owner.

"Professor Snape, you startled me," she breathed taking deep breathes to slow down her heart. "Yes, I did ask Sirius if I could borrow some of the book from his library," she answered.

"Do they know the type of books that you are taking, or do they assume that you are just reading up on the history of Giant Wars in 1806?" he inquired as he moved towards her to look at her book selection. He grabbed the book that she had dropped and looked at the title. Potions and the Dark Ages was written on the front in gold lettering. "Miss Granger, this book contains more potions that intend to harm or kill the consumer rather than help them, why are you taking this?" his voice was cold and he looked at her like she was a common thief.

"Sir, I am an adult and can read what I wish to. I am not intending on brewing these potions, but am more interested in the theory. I am sure you can understand that as you are a potions master," she answered in a small voice as if she was not sure of herself.

He flipped open the book and turned to the page showing pictures of the victims of the Ferventis Sanguinis Potion [1] and gave it back to her. She looked down at the page briefly and her eyes widened in horror. "Miss Granger, this book is full of potions that do much worse; I am telling you to be cautious when it comes to dark potions," he explained and then turned to the fireplace, and pulled a small pouch from his pocket. She watched him as he poured some powder from into the fireplace, which immediately turned emerald green. "Good evening Miss Granger," he said before stepping into the flames and flooing back to Hogwarts.

Green flames turned back to orange, and glanced one more time at the pictures. She snapped the book shut and headed out of the library. She walked upstairs and when she entered her bedroom she noticed that Ginny had fallen asleep while reading. The book was on her stomach and she was snoring softly. She walked over and softly picked up the book to set on the bedside table. The title read Winning Women in the World of Quidditch. Hermione smiled and turned to put the books she had collected from the library in her trunk.

She was happy that Ginny had found something she loved in life, but she noticed that her grades had been slacking because of it. She shrugged and figured that she would talk to her friend in the morning.

She went over to her bed and sat down. She toed off her slippers and laid down while pulling the covers over herself. She waved her hand towards the lights and the dimmed into darkness. She gradually fell to sleep with thoughts of potions, Quidditch, and wards on her mind.

[1] Ferventis Sanguinis potion translated to Blood Boiling Potion in Latin

Reviews are appreciated.