Chapter One
"No, Dumbledore, I refuse to do it. I will not be a part of your scheme." Snape growled at the wizened, old wizard who just looked calmly back at him.
"They are in mortal danger." Dumbledore told him with a little more urgency than normal.
"When aren't they in mortal danger? He's Harry Potter for merlin's sake, who thought he wouldn't ever be in mortal danger? And for Granger and Weasley, well, perhaps they should choose their friends more carefully." Snape snapped and paced towards the window that looked out over the great lake. The sun was setting behind the mountains, casting an eerie light out onto the school grounds. Snape could see Dumbledore shaking his head in the reflection in the window.
"You think that I want to be stood on the sidelines? Protecting a snivelling sixteen year old." Severus snapped.
"Please Severus." Dumbledore begged, ignoring his last comment.
"No, for the last time, no." Severus snapped, he glanced back at Dumbledore once again and made his way towards the doorway that would lead him out of Dumbledore's cluttered office.
"Please."
"No!" Severus shouted and swung the door open, but before Severus could leave he heard Dumbledore whisper something to him.
"If not for them, then do it for Lily. Protect her son and the closest thing he has to family."
With his back still turned to Dumbledore, Severus closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.
"Fine." And with that he swept out of the room with a flourish of black robes.
OOOOO
"What do you think Dumbledore wants all of us for?" Ron asked as he, Harry and Hermione made their way to Dumbledore's office. Ron was pleased for once to be part of the 'action'- as he called it- usually it was just Harry.
"I don't know. I'm just glad we got out of potions." Harry said thankfully.
The three had been cornered by Professor Snape as they walked into his lesson and told that they wouldn't be having potions today as they had important business to discuss with Dumbledore. When Hermione had asked what kind of business he was referring to, he just gave her an icy glare and asked her why she always had to know everything.
"Ohhh...But I like potions." Hermione moaned, her curly hair whipping ferociously around her shoulders as they walked down a windy corridor. Harry and Ron stared at her, mouths open.
"Oh yeah, I can really see why you like potions. After all, we do have a lovely, kind and funny teacher don't we? And it's not as if we are made to brew impossible potions that not even you can comprehend." Harry muttered sarcastically. Hermione glared back at him and Ron sniggered.
"Bet ol' Snape-y hated letting us miss his lesson." Ron grinned. Harry nodded in agreement, but couldn't reply as they neared Dumbledore's office, Professor McGonnagoll was waiting outside for them.
"Hello you three. Where have you been, we've been waiting all morning for you?" McGonnagoll fussed. She smiled at Hermione and then glanced over at Ron and Harry who were looking a little dishevelled. McGonagoll tutted whilst trying to tidy the boys robes a little.
"Honesty, you two. You're going to see the headmaster for merlin's sake, try to make yourself look presentable." McGonagoll muttered.
"Why? Dumbledore's seen us in our pjamas." Ron said defiantly. McGonagoll just glared at him and shot a sniggering Harry a glare that could have challenged even one of Snape's glares. McGonagoll straightened Harry's tie and pulled Ron's up to the top, so far up in fact, that Ron was sure she was trying to strangle him. Finally, after a lot of fiff-faffing around, they walked into Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was sat behind his large and cluttered desk in a wingback chair. Dumbledore beckoned for the three to sit on the wooden and slightly uncomfortable looking stools on the opposite side of the desk. They took a seat and McGonagoll walked around the desk and stood at Dumbledore's right side.
"I have called you here today to tell you some unfortunate news." Dumbledore told them solemnly. Hermione looked worriedly from Harry to Dumbledore, and then to McGonagoll who just smiled sadly back.
"What? What's the matter?" Ron asked. It seemed that Harry was the only one who didn't react badly to Dumbledore's warning, but then again, Hermione supposed, Harry was used to all this doom and gloom after he found out that his own family had been lying to him about the death of his parents.
"It seems that Voldemort is planning to attack Hogwarts."
"Well, we already knew that it was coming. One day or another." Harry said.
"When?" Hermione asked, scowling at Harry. Just because he was prepared for Voldemort's attack, it didn't mean Hermione and the rest of the school were.
"Our source says within the week." Dumbledore said, looking straight at Harry.
"This week...?" Hermione whispered, more to herself than to anyone else. Ron sat in silence with a stupid look on his face.
"Your source? Who is your source?" Harry asked, he was being nosy rather than worrying about the schools impending doom, which he had to save them all from.
"My source was..." Dumbledore began, but was cut off as at that moment Severus Snape swept into Dumbledore's office, followed by Sybill Trelawny. Harry stared at the new arrivals.
"Sorry we are late sir, I had to deal with two Gryffindors after potions." Severus said as he shot the trio another icy glare. Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron, who sniggered.
"Yes sorry, but I did tell you that we would be late. I predicted it didn't I Dumbledore?" Dumbledore nodded at her, but the rest of the room ignored the crazy old woman.
"Now we are all here, I would like to share with you my plan for Tom's attack." Dumbledore's said. "You three, i'm sad to say, will be separated. It is the only option, because Voldemort knows you three like to stick together and if there is anyway to protect you all, then it would be to split you up."
"Surely we would be stronger together." Hermione said, and Snape nodded in agreement.
"Yes you would be, but this is the only way to protect you."
"So we are going to be alone, in three different places?" Ron asked.
"No you will be looked after by either Professors McGonagoll, Trelawney or Snape here." Dumbledore said, and smiled at each professor as he said their names. McGonagoll and Trelawney smiled back, but Snape's usually sneering face didn't change.
"Where will we be?" Hermione asked.
"I can't tell you that, just in case it gets out somehow." Dumbledore said, but Hermione didn't miss the way his eyes shifted slightly towards Snape. Hermione always suspected that Snape worked for the Voldemort but now Dumbledore had found out. Maybe Dumbledore was setting a trap, expecting Snape to return to Voldemort to tell him of the plan. Hermione was pulled out of her day dream...
"Miss Granger?" Dumbledore asked, she looked up and realised that the whole room was staring at her.
"Sorry, I was thinking about...my homework." Hermione answered. McGonagoll smiled warmly at her, Snape sneered, and the boys rolled their eyes in a way to say 'good old Hermione'.
"As I was saying, you will be staying in three safe houses across the country. But we need to inform your families. They will need to be hidden, otherwise they will suffer a horrendous death at the hand's of the death eaters."
Hermione gulped and Ron looked really worried, but Harry looked calm.
"Hermione your family will be sent away to another country, Ron your family will be coming to Hogwarts and as for your family Harry..."
"I don't have any family, Professor Dumbledore." Harry said.
"Your Aunt and Uncle will be sent away also." Dumbledore finished. Harry shrugged his shoulders, as if he didn't care about the only real family he had left.
Silence descended upon the room, the news that the school would be attacked within the week had shocked the trio and now they were being sent away...
"You mean to send us away so that we aren't going to be able to fight?" Hermione asked suddenly.
"Yes, you three need to be kept out of danger." Dumbledore said. Hermione shot off her chair, causing it to topple over behind her.
"Not fight? You want us to stand at the sidelines and watch the rest of the school get slaughtered?" Hermione by now was shouting.
"I completely agree with Miss Granger." Hermione turned around suddenly and came face to face with Snape. She was surprised that for once he was agreeing with her.
"It would be the safest option." Dumbledore stressed to the mutinous pair.
"How?" Both Snape and Hermione asked at the same time.
"Harry needs to be protected until the right time comes for him to kill Tom." Dumbledore told them.
"Well, if Harry needs to be kept safe, why can't we fight alongside the rest of the order." Hermione questioned.
"Because if you and Ron -and even you Severus- die or are injured then Harry will be preoccupied with that rather than focusing on learning what he needs to know to defeat Tom." McGonagoll butted in, a worried look on her usually stern features. Hermione nodded but Severus still looked a little angry, but then again, when didn't he?
"Good, it's settled then, we will meet in my office tomorrow evening. After dinner, you will use a port key to travel to your designated safe house. Good afternoon, you three. I think you just have enough time to catch the end of lunch." Dumbledore said, dismissing the trio.
Thank you for reading my new story, I got a bit bored with the other story so i've decided to start on a new one. Hope you like it xx please review xx