Summary:

It was to be a war. Give and take. Neither would bow, but can both prevail? HP/SS

After HBP Harry is at the Weasley's for the summer when he learns he is being sent on an order mission. He is sent to a dark place, where he finds none other than Severus Snape. Here Harry is trapped, here he is a slave to his potion's master, here he is the apprentice. The mission: become a master of his own.

AN: This story will have some short chapters, but they should be frequent.

It had been an eventful school year this past year, but summer was here now. Harry and Ron drug their trunks up the winding stairs of the Burrow to their room. They still couldn't believe it. Dumbledore was dead. There was no one left to help them on their quest. Their quest, it sounded funny. Two 17 year old boys were on a quest to find and destroy the horcruxes of the greatest dark wizard ever. They were 17 for Merlin's sake. They were alone. There was no great mentor to lead them, only themselves. Children against Voldermort. The concept was laughable. Voldermort tortures children. He kills them, beats them, rapes them, and in the end, they still don't understand.

How had it gotten this bad? How had things ended up this way? Why? Why why why! Damn it it just wasn't fair. They weren't supposed to do this. Dumbledore wasn't supposed to die. Snape, traitorous bastard, wasn't supposed to be their only spy for the light in his inner circle. Things weren't supposed to be this hard, this fucked up. And Hermione, lord Hermione.

Hermione had been changed. Right before they had left, indeed as they were about to step over the threshold of the castle, Headmistress McGonagall had stopped her and taken her into her office. When Hermione had came out, she had walked up to them and calmly informed them that she was staying at Hogwarts. She wouldn't go with them; she would stay here and work to set up new headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix and work on some things for her mission. Her mission, it sounded foreign. They were always together. They were the Golden Trio, the three who posed the biggest threat. And now they were being split up. They had asked her to write, to help them find the Horcruxes, she said no. She wouldn't. Wouldn't write, wouldn't floo, wouldn't help. They were on their own. Leaving was the worst.

Leaving Hogwarts, Hermione, the only safety they had ever known. It sucked, life sucked, life was a bitch, and it was time they stopped sulking and bitched right back. Straightening his shoulders, Harry went downstairs to face everyone while Ron sank down on his bed with his head in his hands.

"Harry?"

It was Mrs. Weasley. She was the one who looked up at him and moved to embrace him. He silently shook his head and sat down while she bustled about the kitchen trying to find something for him to eat. Dumbledore's death had affected them all. For once, there wasn't an abundance of food in the Weasley kitchen, there wasn't someone yelling, some noise, someone running through the house. The hands on the clock were gone, all having been ripped off when they pointed towards Mortal Peril 24 hours a day. Devastated and near defeated, Mrs. Weasley wordlessly sank down in the chair across from him and started crying. His resolve faded. He couldn't deal, she couldn't either. Getting up and going around the table, he cautiously gave her a hug. He knew he should say something. Tell her that it was going to be alright, but how could he when he himself didn't know if it would.

After a time, her sobs subsided. Giving him a rueful smile, she went back to looking for something to feed him. "Mrs. Weasley, it really is alright. You don't need to feed me. I was going to let you know that I am leaving to go to Diagon Alley to look for books and anything that might help with killing Voldermort. Do you need me to pick up anything for you?"

Sniffling, she shook her head. "Take someone with you dear. I can have Tonks come and get you in a bit if you'd like."

"No thanks. I'll take Ron," said Harry, turning and going back up the rickety old stairs. At the top, he took a deep breath and entered their room again. Ron was in the same position he had been in when he left. Shaking his head, Harry went over and shook the derelict man. "Come on Ron, we've got to go."

"Go? Go where? Hogwarts?"

"No. Diagon Alley. I know its hard mate, but we've got to. Soon this will all be over. We only have a few more horcruxes left to go and then we can kill the bastard. Come on, let's leave before Ginny finds out," said Harry, throwing some of his things in a transfigured backpack. When Ron still didn't move, he did the same for him. Throwing the bag at him, Harry turned and walked over to the window. Raising it, he conjured a rope ladder and began climbing down. Soon Ron followed. Together they set off walking towards the village.